Begin
~Normal POV
8/11 - Friday
Making it up to the birdcage wasn't a hassle now that they knew how to maneuver around the area more easily. The top of Mariko's highest tower was inside the cage, and before them was the door to her throne room. They'd seen no sign of her Shadow in person their whole time here. (A fact that was worth remembering to Akira for his thoughts about these Jails…) Above the tower was where the Desires were being kept.
"Is this all carved ice?" Ann said, looking around. "It must be really cold…"
"A frozen cage that denies all entry," Yusuke said, thoughtfully. "It might represent her distrust for all others. The appearance befits the notion."
"Noir, you don't look so good," Sophia said, "Are you alright?"
Haru seemed lost in thought looking at this place, but she quickly snapped out of it. "Mhmm. I should be…" She paused and took a few steps forward. "Um, maybe this time I should do it-"
"Nope. Nope, I gotta draw the line there, Noir." Ryuji said, gently pulling her away from the invisible barrier. "Trust me, you do not want to know what this feels like."
Haru seemed a bit reluctant to accept this at first but didn't protest. He was doing it because he cared for her, after all. They'd get what they needed either way. Ryuji touched the barrier with one hand, while holding back a wince of agony. Same as usual, they heard the voices of Mariko's heart. There were three voices, one of a strained, sobbing woman, one was Mariko herself, and one was a very callous man's voice.
"You did this! It's all your fault! How could you be so ignorant?! Did you not think a snow sculpture could collapse?!"
"I… I apologize on behalf of our staff…!"
"This is where she… It must have been so heavy… It must have been so painful! Give me back Kaho! Give me back my daughter- my precious little girl!"
"The accident resulted from my own personal oversight… Truly, I'm so sorry!"
"Well, I didn't think the statue would fall on anybody… but isn't this the mayor's responsibility in the end? Besides, who can blame me? We don't get paid nearly enough. Nothing wrong with taking a little kickback here and there."
The voices ended there so Ryuji let go of the barrier, rubbing his sore hand. For a while, nobody knew what to say about this one.
"...So, those voices are the root of her trauma…" Morgana said, softly.
Akira sighed. "Then I guessed right, at least partly-" He noticed everyone's curious looks and explained. "Ah, sorry, I started to think that the accident might have had something to do with all this after we talked to her last night. When she said 'for her sake.' But the question then becomes, 'how did that make her into this?'"
"Could Mari-san have really been involved…" Haru asked, worriedly.
"If she was, it would have been indirectly," Akira assured, "As mayor, the responsibility for public safety does go to her. And she was mayor at the time it happened."
"So, the source of her trauma is… taking the blame for the incident," Makoto asked.
"Don't forget about the guy's voice," Ryuji said, "Sounded like he was trying to pass the blame on someone."
"Agreed." Akira said, bluntly. "That guy is a piece of shit."
"He didn't even seem to care that a kid died…" Ann grumbled. "If that guy's still around, I'd like to rip him a new one…"
~...
Once they returned to reality, Futaba did a quick search for articles about the accident. They knew about it already, but just in case they needed more detail, it was best to do research first.
"Here we go, this will help. Two years ago, a large snow sculpture collapsed during the December Snow Festival sponsored by Sapporo Central City. Kaho Nanase-chan, a nine year old girl, was caught in the collapse and died… It says despite Mayor Hyodo's apology, the accident was ruled as an unforeseeable disaster. Therefore, she wasn't held liable."
"But it sounds like she still blames herself…" Ann said, sadly.
"I wonder if the voice accusing Mari-san was the poor girl's mother…" Haru said, quietly.
"We didn't directly get a location from the voices this time, but I think we already know where the Trauma Cell is…" Futaba said.
~...
The gang stared at the flower memorial with some discomfort. Unlike their previous experiences, this one just felt so wrong… This was essentially a person's grave after all, and a child at that. But no matter how it made them feel they had to do this. Regardless of the circumstances they were about to see, they knew this girl wouldn't have wanted to see Mariko turn out this way for her sake.
When they entered the Metaverse in this area, they were greeted by an odd sight. The area was outside, yet there were still barred windows surrounding the place. There was snow on the ground and before them was a huge pile of snow, along with construction materials and scaffolding.
"What is this?" Yusuke asked.
"It looks like the Snow Festival…" Haru answered.
"Check out those two suits over there," Ryuji said. Next to the snow pile, were two Shadows that took the form of men in business suits.
"I didn't know you were accepting rebates," One Shadow said, "Haha, I see a career man in the making."
"Sir, would you please be discreet about this…" The other Shadow pleaded.
"I can do that. But in return, you need to do me a favor. I want her to take full responsibility for the incident. That way, she'll resign. Once that happens, I'll be the new mayor in town… And you'll be my well-paid associate. You will cooperate, won't you?"
"Yes… Yes, of course…"
"What did you just say?" They heard Mariko's disembodied voice say, in a shocked tone.
"Ahh! Mayor?!" The subordinate shouted.
"Oh, it seems I've been found out." The callous Shadow said, uncaringly.
"I-It's not what it looks like, Mayor! This merely-"
"I had no idea you were behind this- That anyone was behind this!"
"You really don't get it, do you?" The subordinate Shadow said. "This festival is held by the city, meaning it comes out of the taxpayer's pocket. I figured, why not lower costs and hire cheaper construction? And what's wrong with getting compensated for it?! The rest of our staff makes these deals all the time! So what's the harm in one little mishap? That sculpture collapse was just bad luck!"
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! I'm calling the police!"
"...Fine. Go ahead and do it. But I'm bringing you down with me!"
"What?!"
"I'm gonna testify that I did it under your orders. Then you'll be ruined. After all, you're the one in charge here. See, I even have the papers you signed, right here."
"Such an unfortunate turn of events," The other Shadow said, "Sorry to say, but you're finished, Mayor."
"You're a councilman, aren't you? Don't you want to do the right thing?!"
"As far as I'm concerned, that's whatever's right for me."
"Well? Are you finally ready to listen? Answer me, Mayor!"
~...
The Shadows put up a tough fight but they disposed of them quickly enough.
"Who were those guys?" Ryuji asked, "They were arguing with Hyodo…"
"One sounded like a city employee," Makoto said, "The other must have been a councilman- someone higher up on the ladder. Anyway, it seems this employee accepted an illegal donation from the contractor who ended up building the sculpture."
"In other words, bribery." Yusuke said, bitterly. "We don't know if the sculpture collapsed due to a structural issue or a general lack of care. The result is still the same."
"And that councilman was in the know," Makoto added. "Not only that, he tried using a fatal accident to take Mayor Hyodo's position…"
"Unforgivable," Futaba growled.
"Extremely," Akira agreed, vehemently. "Using a fucking child's death for your own gain…"
"So Hyodo overheard the conversation by chance and found out the truth about the accident." Morgana said, "Not only was it someone from the city, but even her own staff had blackmailed her."
"That is fucked up!" Ryuji shouted in disgust. "These greedy assholes only wanted money and power!"
"I see what she's doing now. When she found out those around her were immoral, she became determined to purge the corruption above all else," Yusuke said.
"Yes… that's why she's overworking her staff and trying to push her ethics bill through," Haru added.
"It seems such a simple plan, really." Akira said, "Take all the control into her own hands to avoid giving any of her underlings even the smallest chance to get up to no good. But for it to work, she has to use the Metaverse to make the people want her to stay in office."
Under most normal circumstances, Akira found it difficult to have sympathy for a politician. His experiences and natural bias hindered it. But this was one of the rare cases where he could put that bias aside. Mariko was not a bad person. She may have a title that he associated with disdain and contempt, at least personally, but she was not the one truly in the wrong here. The ones who deserved his scorn were the man who took the bribe, the councilman who tried to profit off a fatal accident, the shoddy contractors, and the construction company who offered the money in the first place. They were the real villains here. And nothing could convince him otherwise.
~...
Once they'd returned to reality, it was time to write the calling card, so they went to discuss it inside the camper. The only question left was how to word it. Akira could see quite clearly on everyone's faces that they were in total agreement on Mariko not being the true bad guy…
"We shouldn't go overboard with it…" Ann said, "I don't see her as a bad person…"
"Yeah, the real bad guy here is the one who took the bribe," Ryuji said, firmly.
"No, the guy who offered the bribe in the first place is the real villain," Futaba argued.
"Was it not the shoddy contractors who built the sculpture?" Yusuke said, "They deserve the most punishment."
Before anyone else could throw their hat into this debate, they heard a familiar voice from outside the car. "You guys sound pretty heated. Who's to say one man's more evil than the next?" They looked out the window and saw Zenkichi leaning against the car, continuing his annoying habit of listening in where he didn't belong. Ann stood from her chair and let him into the car to join them.
"Ah, inspector, showing up uninvited, I see." Akira commented, dryly.
"Whoa, why the hostility?" Zenkichi said, looking hurt. "Don't tell me, you guys forgot about me, didn't you?"
"Not even a little." Akira replied. "We were busy learning about what's really going on here."
They took time to explain what they'd found to Zenkichi. The man listened silently, stroking his beard in thought, taking in every detail of the story.
"Hm. So that's how Hyodo became a Monarch." Zenkichi said, once they were finished. "That would explain your debate as to who was the worst of them all."
"Then tell us, gramps, what's your take?" Ryuji asked.
Zenkichi closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before replying. "...You kids are naive." He didn't bother waiting for their objections before continuing. "It's clear that Hyodo was cornered by a pair of rotten scumbags- tragic, I agree, 100%. But what is she doing in response? Isn't it just as wrong to change people's hearts and manipulate them? Furthermore, that accident was her responsibility, being that she's the top of command. Regardless of who did what, a real leader takes the fall. It may be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for a group of justice-loving kids operating outside the law… But the real world isn't so cut and dry. And the harder you keep up this hero charade, the harder it'll bite you in the ass down the line."
For a while there was silence. Zenkichi opened his eyes and stiffened in discomfort. All eyes were directed at him and all of them were angry. He chanced looking at the Phantom Thief leader in the eyes; it was clear from one look that he had finally, completely pissed him off. Perhaps it was the comment about them just being kids- no, it was something else. It must have been the part about changing hearts; yeah, that one definitely would have struck a nerve… He should have worded that better. There was nothing Zenkichi could say to appease them that wouldn't have resulted in having to say their actions were justified. (Something he knew they wouldn't believe coming from him.) And the "hero charade" comment didn't help either.
"Zenkichi, that's terrible!" Futaba screamed. "Take it ba-!"
"Don't bother, Futaba." Akira said, in a low, serious tone. His glare never left Zenkichi's face. "After all, he's nothing but a cop who doesn't care why we do what we do, or how many people it helps; hell, even if it's helping him. To him, we're just a bunch of little kids playing superheroes… I prefer that people be honest with me, you know. So, tell us. Is that really what you think?"
Zenkichi scratched his head sheepishly. "Mm… S-Sorry… might have overstepped my boundaries there…"
"We know the world isn't neatly divided into good and evil." Akira said, bluntly. "We've even had targets that proved us so already. But we will continue fighting. With or without anyone's approval. Because if we give up now, then the people who are counting on us, the people you can't help, won't have any hope left. And I fucking refuse to let them down. That's why the Phantom Thieves exist: we're the only ones who can help. And we gladly dedicate ourselves to doing so. Putting ourselves into the very real danger of the Metaverse for people who have no other options. Oh- and one more thing- Never try to tell me that I don't know how to take a fall as a leader. I've been on the other side of the interrogation room, inspector. I spent nearly an entire damn day getting the shit beat out of me, as if I was a fucking terrorist. All in the means of a plan to fake my own death, to get out of our enemies' grasp, and let this family be safe. And if even the smallest thing went wrong, then we wouldn't be having this fucking conversation, because I'd be buried in an unmarked grave with a bullet through my skull, and they would have followed me shortly after by whatever means were most convenient for him to do the job… Never try to tell me that I don't know how to take one for this family."
Ann grabbed Akira's hand, seeing that he had calmed down after his rant. Akira squeezed her hand gently in response, his eyes flickering to her for a moment before going back to Zenkichi, patiently awaiting his response to his truth bomb just now. Everyone else watched silently in anticipation, clearly ready to defend their leader if Zenkichi did not choose his response carefully.
Zenkichi didn't reply at first, but he did look apologetic. "Ahem- It's, uh… clear that I've offended… I'm sorry, Kurusu- I didn't realize just how seriously you all took this… But tell me. Either way the cards fall, you're not letting Hyodo get away with what she's doing, right?"
"Correct." Haru said, firmly. "We're going to stop her. What Mari-san is doing is forcing her warped intentions onto other people. And we can't let that happen, no matter the reason."
"Right, we're the Phantom Thieves, and we fight for what we believe in." Morgana said, proudly. "Yes, we're going to stop Hyodo, but we'll do it in a way that's true to us."
"Well said, Morgana." Akira said, smiling again. "Now about the calling card. Haru, would you like to do the honor?"
"I'd like that, thank you, Akira." Haru said, with a little smile. "As for how we send it… There are a bunch of campaign posters in Suzushino. She'll definitely have another speech planned for that area since it's on her campaign route. Plus, it's outside, that'll draw attention easier."
"Good thinking," Akira replied. "That'll work out perfectly. And we already know who's gonna put them up for us! Right, inspector?"
Zenkichi dropped his jaw in shock. "Ahh- no! No! Not again! Seriously?!"
"Thanks in advance, gramps!" Ryuji said, grinning.
"Now hold on just a minute. Didn't I already pull this stunt for you in Sendai?!"
"Consider it a favor, then," Makoto said.
"Favor?" Akira said, chuckling, "Fuck that shit, Makoto. In Sendai, it was necessary. But this time, it's necessary and I'm calling it a punishment- for insulting us earlier."
"What?!" Zenkichi shouted.
"Yeah, he's right!" Ann said, defensively. "Shouldn't you own up to it?"
Zenkichi couldn't find the words to refute that remark. Of course she'd take Kurusu's side, though, he reasoned internally. It only made sense.
"We'll have the calling card ready tonight," Haru said.
"We'll be counting on you, gramps." Yusuke said, smirking.
Zenkichi groaned. "Ugh, you little weasels… Fine, fine! I'll post the damn calling card!"
"We really do appreciate it!" Haru said, brightly.
"How'd I let them twist my arm like this…" Zenkichi grumbled.
"Think of it this way, inspector." Akira said. "You do this and we'll accept it as your apology. I'll even think about forgiving you."
Zenkichi sighed in resignation. These kids were gonna be the death of him, he could just feel it.
~End of Chapter
