Begin!
~Normal POV
After such an emotional day, when the evening rolled around, things had calmed down considerably. Thus, it was deemed that everyone could "take the night off," so to speak. At least until Zenkichi came back with news of Hyodo for them. Haru and Ryuji went off together somewhere in town to celebrate their victory in private. Makoto took the time to do last minute souvenir shopping. Yusuke went back to finishing his sketches of Odori Park. And Futaba was tasked by Akira to watch Morgana and Sophia for a while. (On the grounds that Sophia prevented her from tampering with his phone, like she was prone to do.) He didn't mind having Sophia on his phone, but the lack of complete privacy was getting a little tiresome. And he definitely wanted the alone time for his own personal plans tonight.
He found Ann standing by a food stall in the park. "Hey gorgeous." He greeted, brightly.
"Hey! What's up?" Ann replied, cheerily.
"Well, let's see… we had a successful job… Everyone else is doing their own thing… And I happened to notice that Sapporo has a Ferris wheel in the city…" Akira held out his hand to her. "Would you like to take a ride?"
"Ooo! A Ferris wheel, huh? I can't imagine why you'd ask me something like that." She grabbed his hand. "Ok, let's go!"
~...
The Ferris wheel being located in the heart of Sapporo meant that much of the view was of the buildings around them. But it went high enough that they could see a great view of the skyline eventually. The two young lovers sat close to each other, thankful for another rare chance at some privacy on this trip. Next time the Phantom Thieves took a trip together, Akira would be better prepared to set aside time just for him and Ann, accordingly. All this business with the Jails and doing Zenkichi's bidding was getting into their limited couple time.
"Wow, look, Akira! The lights are so pretty! Oh- I can see the tower by Odori Park! Look, look, it's so shiny!"
Akira chuckled at her enthusiasm while watching her. He never tired of her bubbly nature. And it never failed to make him smile.
"I had no idea there was a Ferris wheel right in the middle of the city like this!" Ann said, grinning.
"Mhmm…" Akira replied, softly. "The view is simply breathtaking."
Ann blushed and couldn't help pouting a bit at him. "Damn it, you! I can't focus on the scenery with you looking at me like that!" As punishment, she poked him in the ribs.
"Hey-!" He said, flinching from her touch. "I'm just being honest!"
"You're too sweet sometimes…" She said before kissing him.
One kiss quickly turned into several more, making up for all the lost time. Just letting themselves enjoy the spoils of their heist in each other's embrace. Unfortunately, they did have to come up for air after a while. After that, Ann leaned into his shoulder comfortably. Akira always loved how physically affectionate she was. It was perhaps the only thing that was genuinely difficult about their long distance relationship. Everything else they were able to work around; having the ability to text and video call whenever they wanted.
They sat there, wrapped up in each other, enjoying the slow ride together, before Ann spoke up again. "Akira…?"
"Hm?"
"I meant to ask last time we got to be alone but… is everything really ok? At home, I mean?"
Ann was the only member of the team who was directly privy to the information of what happened to Akira's old life and associates after the false charge. The others had made their educated guesses based on his attitude about the subject, but they'd been wise not to bring it up. Thus, after he had to go back to his hometown, she would get worried about his emotional state, having to be around all the people who abandoned him and broke his trust. It couldn't have been a pleasant feeling.
Akira smiled. "Everything's fine. Like I said, it gets rough sometimes, but I have plenty of outside comforts to keep me feeling good. If I was really not fine, I'd let you know. My parents miss you, though. They ask about you a lot. And you?"
"Oh good! Sorry, I worry about you, ya know… And I can definitely make time to come visit again. My parents miss you, too. In fact, they've been asking about the possibility of meeting your family soon… is that ok?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. They have to meet eventually. And I'm sure they'll get along fine."
"Totally!"
"...I'm not looking forward to the conversations that'll ensue though…" Akira replied, hesitantly.
Ann laughed. "Are you embarrassed?"
Rather than take that remark lying down, Akira glanced at her slyly before replying. "Well, at one point I recall hearing my parents talking about whether or not we'd give them any grandchildren."
Ann stiffened and felt her whole face erupt in a bright red. "WH-WHAT!?"
"Yeah, that was kinda my reaction too…"
Ann fiddled with her hair shyly, thinking before replying. "I… can't say it sounds like a bad idea… B-But it'd be way down the line! And I have my figure to consider, too! But… I'm not against it in the future, if you want my honest answer…"
"Ok… cool…" Akira replied sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. "I won't say anything though just in case we change our minds… but I don't think it sounds like a bad idea either…"
The two shared a few nervous giggles. "Yeah… heh, Shiho would love to be an aunt…" Ann added.
"I'm sure she would," Akira said, "How is she?"
"She's doing great, we talk all the time. She asks about us a lot too- wants to make sure you're treating me right, ya know how it is." She answered; happy that Akira cared for her friend's well-being. (He and Shiho got along perfectly.)
Friend… That led her mind back to her promise to Alice. Would it be strange? For her and Alice to be friends?
"Hey, when we get back to Tokyo, I think I'm gonna visit Alice." Ann said, "I wanna be there for her while she works on her comeback. But real world Alice won't remember any of that…"
Akira chuckled. "I recall a little incident where I learned that Shadows can be true to their word. I'm sure you got through to her. At the very least, she'll appreciate the friendship."
"...Yeah! I bet I'll be able to reach her somehow."
They felt the ride stop at this point. Akira got out first and offered her his hand to help her climb out.
"That was fun, thank you, Akira." Ann kissed his cheek before they started walking together.
"Anything for my girl." Akira replied, warmly. "So… the night is still young… Anywhere else you want to go before it's over?"
Ann thought for a moment. "Hm… Is the car occupied right now?"
"Uh… no, I don't think so- I think everyone is still out doing their own things…"
"Well then… let's go there!" Ann started to drag him by the hand back towards Odori Park.
"Um, Ann- I-I'm not saying that I don't want to but… um… if Makoto catches us… let's just say I'd feel safer in jail…"
"We won't get caught!" Ann replied, smiling sweetly at him. "Come on, leader… Who knows when we'll get to be alone again…?"
Akira had to admit: that was a pretty sound argument. "Well… ok…" He let her drag him along without protest. Besides, if they did get caught, Ann could placate Makoto since it was her idea, not his.
He just couldn't say no to that damn smile of hers.
~...
Zenkichi checked the time on his phone on his way to the park. The kids were likely to still be awake. Kurusu did say they liked to party after a successful heist. He didn't see any of them out in the park but it was best to try the car at least. They might already be waiting for him inside, the curtains were up in the windows. (This wasn't abnormal, they also did this when they were having meetings with him so he could reasonably avoid being seen in their company.) He went up to the side door and knocked. He heard soft shuffling noises and a couple muffled voices.
After a moment, the door was opened by Kurusu. Zenkichi raised a brow at him. The kid's hair was more ruffled than usual, he wasn't wearing his glasses, and his shirt was no longer tucked in… and he had lipstick on his face. For a while the two stared at each other in silence. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he'd just interrupted.
Akira leaned against the door, cool-as-you-please, like nothing was amiss. "...This had better be fucking important."
Zenkichi chuckled. "Nice lipstick."
Akira fixed his shirt and wiped it off. "Get to the damn point." He said, unfazed by his teasing.
"Call a meeting, it's about the case."
"My phone is with Futaba right now-" Akira turned behind him and said. "Ann, could you summon everyone for me?"
"Ok!" Ann said from inside the car.
Akira put his glasses back on and stepped outside with Zenkichi, as he was trying to fix his hair up a bit. Zenkichi couldn't help smirking. Hanging around these damn kids was like being back in a college dorm room. It was actually kinda funny.
"...What are you smirking about?" Akira asked.
"Nothing. Just amused, is all." Zenkichi replied, casually.
"I don't get to see my girl often enough these days, inspector. Gotta take any chance for alone time."
After a moment, Ann came out to join them. She was finishing fixing her hair back up, and her face was a little pink from getting caught in such a position. (Especially by a cop.) She avoided eye contact with Zenkichi out of embarrassment. Not that he really cared. What they did together was their business. Everyone arrived back at camp one by one. Once they did, Futaba handed Akira his phone back.
"Thanks. Sophia, did she tamper with it?"
"She wanted to, but I did as you asked and did not allow it," Sophia replied, brightly. (Futaba grumbled a little but didn't say anything.)
"Ok, so-" Zenkichi started but quickly noticed they were still missing some people. "Uh… where are Sakamoto and Okumura?"
"Late. Cause they're off smooching somewhere." Futaba answered.
After a few moments, Ryuji and Haru joined them. "Sorry about that!" Haru said, fiddling with her sun hat to try, in vain, to hide the blush on her cheeks. "We lost track of time…"
Beside her, Ryuji was smirking and looking very pleased with himself, and not embarrassed in the slightest.
"Ok, now that we're all here." Zenkichi said, steering the conversation back into seriousness. "Ahem, I went to talk with Hyodo, but nothing new came of it. All she explained is that she could control whoever added her as a friend on EMMA."
"Great. We're back to square one," Akira remarked, dryly.
"Come on, Kurusu, don't give me that look. Here, I at least got her phone." Zenkichi pulled a phone out of his pocket.
Futaba snatched it from him. "Now that's what I wanna see!"
They all climbed back into the car to talk in private. Akira wanted to share his thoughts on the case with everyone at this point. All the signs were really adding up. Futaba worked on her laptop while they spoke.
"Ok, let's review. We basically have confirmation at this point: Each of these incidents stemmed from a mastermind." Akira said, simply.
"Oh? Why do you think so," Zenkichi asked.
"Well, there's a few reasons that have been piling up since we started this investigation. Starting with Hyodo, Natsume, Alice… All three were changing people's hearts to do bad things, but deep down, none of them were truly evil. And believe me, inspector, we know evil when we see it. They're not the same as the rulers who distorted reality for their own sakes and ended up spawning Palaces," Akira explained.
"I'd been considering that as well." Yusuke said, "Before Natsume lost sight of his writing, he was diligently working toward his dreams."
"Alice too," Ann added, "She was doing her very best to be a ray of light and hope for other people."
"Mari-san was also striving for the betterment of everyone in Sapporo…"
"Right, they're different from criminal scum like Kamoshida and Madarame, who acted only for their own benefit," Morgana said.
"Ok, but how does a handful of not so evil Monarchs prove there's a mastermind behind it all," Zenkichi asked.
"Simple." Akira started, "First, there's the most obvious clue: the fact that a Jail is different from a Palace. A Palace is what happens when a person's distorted desires get out of control and forms to cause them to think only for themselves… This doesn't always mean they're a wicked person, but it does lead them to exhibit problematic behavior in reality; whether committing criminal acts or even harming themselves. This happens because of their attachment to a certain object. Which in turn becomes their Treasure. The core of the Palace itself. Once it's taken, the Palace collapses and those problematic actions stop, which is what causes the change of heart. A Jail is different for one key reason: Jails don't have Treasures. They only have the stolen Desires. Meaning, by definition, Monarchs don't have a twisted enough will to reshape reality and form Treasures. There's also the fact that the Jail doesn't collapse once the Monarch returns to their body. That's a damn big red flag to me."
"So, that would mean that Jails aren't created by the Monarchs themselves…" Makoto said, thoughtfully. "Someone else must be doing the creating."
"And the most suspicious clue of all is the locks on the birdcages," Akira continued. "Actually, the birdcage motif is what clues it in to begin with. Think about it logically. All you have to do is ask two simple questions: What is the purpose of a cage? To keep something inside. But in order to get to the Monarch, we've always had to unlock a door that denies us passage. And the only way to do so is with a key found inside traumatic memories of the Monarch. I've been wondering about this ever since we opened Alice's cage, but if that key is the only method to reach you, why in god's name would you hide it away with a Shadow instead of keeping it on you at all times so that it can never be found?"
"Could it be that the Monarchs think their trauma will… protect them?" Makoto asked, though as she said it, she realized how unlikely that was.
"I find that rather odd… If anything, I would think it's the other way around," Yusuke commented.
"My thoughts exactly, Yusuke." Akira said, "Those birdcages are keeping the Monarch confined. Think about it. With Natsume and Hyodo, we only saw their Shadows in person once those doors were open. With Alice, we only saw her leave the throne room after we'd unlocked the cage."
"So they're trapped?!" Haru shouted, looking horrified at the implications.
"But aren't the Monarchs the ones in charge?" Ryuji asked.
"Of the Shadows that guard the Jail, yes," Akira replied. "But what would happen if the Monarch tried to leave the cage?"
"They'd touch the door… and hear the voices of their trauma…" Ann answered, quietly.
"So, it would remind them what made them so warped in the first place and they'd stick to their guns as a Monarch," Morgana said, "Continuing the cycle."
"From that perspective, the Shadows protecting the keys inside the Trauma Cell hold a far more sinister purpose." Yusuke said, "They aren't there to prevent the Monarch's trauma from being discovered… They're wardens guarding an elaborate system to ensure the Monarch's imprisonment… My god, Akira, you were right… The key being delegated to a Shadow only makes sense if somebody other than the Monarch made that decision…"
"Mhmm. Are you following all this, inspector?" Akira asked.
Zenkichi was stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I think so… You're basically saying these people are being manipulated and therefore someone has to be doing the manipulating."
"Futaba, how's Hyodo's phone looking?" Ann asked.
Futaba sighed defeatedly. "Nothing new… The phone is fine, and EMMA is normal, but there are traces of surveillance with no new leads. I'm convinced that it's the same snooper every time though."
"Oh, there's no question about that," Akira remarked, dryly. "It's the only answer that makes sense."
"So this mystery observer and our mastermind may just be one and the same…" Zenkichi said. "Any guesses?"
"Madicce." Akira replied, "They own and run EMMA, which is the only method to get into Jails. We can't just say that's a coincidence."
Zenkichi sighed. "Madicce… too bad we can't just storm their headquarters."
"You mean the cops can't do that?" Ryuji asked.
"Of course not!" Zenkichi answered, looking shocked at hearing such a thing. "How could we even put out a warrant on them? By saying they go around turning people into Monarchs?!"
"...I gotta give ya that one," Akira mumbled.
Before they could continue speculating, Sophia chimed in. "Akira, you have a call from Ichinose."
Akira answered it, making a motion for everyone to be quiet. "Hello?"
"Hi there!" Ichinose replied, in her usual peppy voice. "Sorry for the relative lapse in communication. But I did turn up info that I thought you guys might like to know! So, I've been looking into EMMA all this time, and I still have yet to find any differences between her past and present versions. I mean this is state of the art tech. Not something just anybody could pry open and take a look inside… But then I took a peek at EMMA's changelog and that's where things got interesting. It seems EMMA was transported to Okinawa at some point after I sold her to Madicce."
"Okinawa? Why?"
"Yes! Exactly! Why was the first thing that popped into my head, too!" Ichinose said, eagerly. "So I dug around some more. And I found that off the coast of Okinawa, on the island of Kukojima, Madicce apparently has a research lab! Oddly enough, its existence is unknown to the public and when I called to ask for records nothing came up. Basically, they're running a secret research lab! How crazy is that?"
"That is pretty damn suspicious…" Akira said, thoughtfully.
"If EMMA's been altered in any way, I would think it had to have been done on that island. Well, wasn't I a super stellar source of information!?"
"You did well, doctor, thank you." Akira hung up and explained what Ichinose had found.
"If it's an unregistered facility, we could always say we're conducting a field survey," Zenkichi commented. "That way we could ensure their cooperation. We may even find proper evidence that could be used in court. It may be well worth going… But Kukojima is a bit far from the Okinawa mainland… We'd have to go by plane…"
"But what about our precious Phantomobile!" Futaba whined. "We've taken it all this way!"
Zenkichi raised a brow at her. "That's what you called this thing?"
"Ok, name aside, inspector, we need the car to sleep in and carry our stuff. Who knows how many days we'll have to stay there. We only have so much money so staying at a hotel is out of the budget." Akira pointed out. "Plus, it's borrowed so we can't just leave it behind."
"...Ah. Right." Zenkichi said, sheepishly. He was about to add on a recommendation to solve that dilemma but his phone started ringing. "Oh- one sec." He looked at the screen and paled a bit before quickly answering the call. (Nobody could hear the voice on the other end to tell who he was talking to.)
"Hey, what's up? Yeah… yeah… of course I'm aware. But I also have a job to do, you know…" He chuckled, feebly. "...Why would I lie? I'm being honest, I swear. Of course I remember! Thing is, I'm a little… well-" Apparently the other person hung up on him.
Everyone stared at him with confusion while he hurriedly put his phone away as if nothing had happened.
"Ok guys, we're driving." Zenkichi said, simply. There was something odd about his behavior, more than usual at least. He seemed rather anxious.
"Going all the way to Okinawa by… car?" Ann said, putting emphasis on how ridiculous that sounded.
"The thing is, I need to make a stop along the way." Zenkichi replied, nervously. "So we'll be heading to Kyoto first-"
"Did you say Kyoto?!" Yusuke interrupted, eagerly.
Akira narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the inspector. "What's this all about?"
"I primarily work for the Kyoto Police Department." Zenkichi answered, "I thought I'd take a moment to catch up, share intel… Ya know, cop stuff… After that, we head to Kobe; we can take a direct ferry to Okinawa from there. That ought to cut down on time." His response dodged the question almost entirely, making Akira even more curious.
"But that's still quite a distance, even to Kyoto…" Makoto said.
"Not to worry. I'll do the driving." Zenkichi replied, simply.
"You're tagging along?!" Ryuji shouted.
"Wait, Niijima's been doing all the driving?" Zenkichi said, quizzically, ignoring Ryuji's remark. "I thought you said you had your license too, Okumura?"
"I do but I don't have much experience…" Haru said, sheepishly.
Ryuji and Makoto shared the same slightly nauseous looks. "Plus, Haru's driving is not exactly-" Makoto tried to say, but Zenkichi interrupted.
"Well, in any case we're taking off immediately."
Sophia chimed in. "If we're leaving from here, you'll need to take the Hokuriku Expressway. The estimated travel time will be…"
"About 21 hours, give or take." Zenkichi finished.
"Gramps is correct." Sophia said, surprised at how quickly he did the math.
"21 hours?!" Ryuji said, flabbergasted. "Are you nuts?!"
Zenkichi chuckled. "You forget I'm an officer of the law? We're badass at driving."
Intentionally dodging questions and being vague about his true motives. Zenkichi was by no means getting any closer to earning Akira's trust. And he wasn't helping that case right now.
"What's with him all of a sudden…" Ryuji mumbled. "It's like he lit a fire under his ass…"
"He's probably just happy to feel like he's got authority in this operation," Akira said, smirking.
"Fine by me, So long as I can visit Kyoto at last!" Yusuke said, smiling contentedly. He didn't seem bothered by Zenkichi's vagueness at all.
"There goes Inari, revealing his true colors."
"Well… Makoto deserves a break from driving so… Fine." Akira said.
Akira didn't like this sudden proposition one bit, but Zenkichi driving did take a load off of Makoto, which he had to be grateful for. And the man did allow Haru a few precious moments with Mariko before she was taken into custody… Zenkichi was annoying but in all honesty: he hadn't been that bad. Well, not as bad as Akira was expecting at least. He was for the most part obedient and helpful, albeit while showing snark and making his opinion of their actions and behavior known. But Akira did have to admit he had one very important point in his favor.
He was nowhere near as intolerable as Akechi. Hopefully that won't change on their trip to Kyoto.
~End of Chapter
Side note: Ah, some more much needed ship moments. With how tight this game's schedule is compared to the first one, it's actually much harder for me to find time for this stuff in this book. But I'm doing my absolute best, damn it! We all deserve it!
