Begin!

~Normal POV

While Zenkichi went to check on Akane, the rest of the gang returned to the bar. They still had time left in the day, so Akira set about fixing food for them. That final battle in the Jail really took it out of them all. More than expected.

"Damn, those cognitions may have looked like us, but they don't compare to the real thing," Ryuji commented, playfully.

"I will admit… It was fun fighting a foe with such a considerable challenge," Yusuke replied, smirking.

"It was almost flattering in a way," Haru said, sheepishly.

"Any word from Zenkichi?" Ann asked.

"Not yet, but I'm sure Akane-chan is safe at home," Makoto answered.

"But why did she become a Monarch at all…" Haru asked.

"Konoe set her up." Akira replied. "Makoto, remember when we visited before? You convinced her to be nicer to Zenkichi, and she seemed to take your advice. But when we saw her as a Monarch, she got even worse. I can understand having her own agenda, but she sounded off. Like she wasn't talking only for herself…"

"Then she was brainwashed…" Makoto said.

"Exactly, he used her idolization of us to lure us out." Akira added. "The question then becomes… Does he know we escaped?"

Everyone was quiet for several moments thinking this over. It didn't seem likely. The police patrols were still going on outside looking for them. Konoe might not even know if they had been caught at all. After all, how could he check such a thing? Just like the previous Jails, the Kyoto one didn't disappear after they left, but that didn't mean Konoe could tell if it served its intended purpose.

"If he doesn't know, or has no way of checking on his trap, then that would work very much in our favor," Yusuke said, "If we can make it to Osaka and take his heart, he wouldn't see us coming."

"That's a good point… and it has to mean Konoe is the mastermind." Ann said, "Which means he turned all the other Monarchs too… but why?"

"The unanswerable question." Akira muttered, thoughtfully. "What in god's name is he trying to accomplish? It's not an election year, so it can't be to get Owada into a higher office. Alice, Natsume, Hyodo- none of them have ties to Madicce or Owada. They all live in different places too, which means Konoe doesn't actually need to be there to create these Jails…"

"Then I was fucking right-!" Ryuji said, "They are an evil mega-corporation making Jails!"

Before anyone could apologize for doubting his guess, Sophia spoke up. "Akira, incoming call from Sae Niijima."

Akira quickly answered. "Hello."

"Hello, Kurusu-kun." Sae said, warmly. "It's been some time. Do you remember me?"

"As if I'd ever forget you, Niijima-san."

Sae chuckled. "Thanks. Sounds like you've stuck your nose into something big again. Is everyone with you? Could you put me on speaker?"

Akira did as requested. "There, we can hear you."

"It's good to hear you're all ok," Sae said, sounding relieved.

"Sis, thank you. I knew you'd come through for us."

"You owe me big for this one, Makoto. My help doesn't come cheap, you know."

"For real, you saved our asses!" Ryuji said, "We woulda been totally boned if you hadn't got gramps out!"

"Gorgeous and professional! That's a recipe for a femme fatale super lawyer if I've ever seen one." Futaba commented, brightly.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, just so you're aware." Sae said. "Plus, I can't take all the credit. Anyway, I have good news. The arrest warrant for the Phantom Thieves has been voided. That should keep the police off your backs for the time being. Apparently, the warrant lacked a judge's seal. What's more, the evidence they submitted was fake. Someone wanted you all arrested, and they didn't care what for, so long as it was done. Not only that, but it turns out the Public Security Bureau had a hand in Inspector Hasegawa's unlawful investigation. The prefectural police are scrambling to cover this up right now. They can't afford to be out looking for you."

"And what of our allies in Tokyo?" Yusuke asked, worriedly. "Is everything safe at home?"

"Yes, Makoto asked me to make sure of that same thing. While the warrant was public knowledge, the actual search was exclusive to Kyoto, they must have already known you were there. Everyone associated with you all back home is perfectly normal, no signs of brainwashing. Especially because the outcry of supporting your innocence is strongest there. Meaning it should be safe to contact them again."

"That's a relief…" Makoto said.

"I'll call again if anything happens." Sae replied. "In the meantime, just focus on getting out of your current predicament. Ok?"

"We will, thank you, Niijima-san," Akira said.

"You can thank me once this case is closed." Sae said, before hanging up.

"If you want to call or text someone, go ahead." Akira said, smiling.

Futaba instantly jumped right into calling Sojiro. (The old man probably had a heart attack when he saw the news so she had to make sure he knew they were ok.) While Makoto and Yusuke went about texting their significant others to ensure everything was normal. While everyone else was busy taking care of these things, Ann approached Akira.

"You should do it too…" She suggested.

"Right, yeah…" Akira made a call to his mom. "Hey, mom?"

"Hi, sweetie! How is everyone? Is Ann with you? Are you all ok?"

"We're fine now," Akira answered. "Yeah, Ann's here with me too."

"Oh, good. Do you mind if I talk to her?"

Akira handed the phone to Ann with an apologetic smile. Akira's parents simply adored her. "Hi, Kurusu-san!" Ann said, brightly.

"It's so nice to hear you're all safe," Mrs. Kurusu said, "Since you both called, that must mean you're in the clear, right?"

"Yes, ma'am, totally safe," Ann replied.

"Thank goodness… You've been looking after my son, right? Somebody has to."

Ann chuckled. "Yeah, I keep a close eye on him." She handed the phone back to Akira.

"Do you need anything? Is that why you called?"

"No, mom, we're ok." Akira said, "But we do have some unfinished business with the real culprit behind this mess."

"...I see…" Mrs. Kurusu said, quietly. "Well… from both of us, dear, good luck…"

"Thanks, love you, mom. Bye." Akira hung up.

Ann hugged him. "It's nice to give them peace of mind in this situation."

"Yeah, it's still a little weird having them be in the know but… it's not so bad." Akira said, smiling.

Once they'd all finished with their calls everyone was looking a little more relieved. The peace of mind that came from knowing those they cared for were safe in their absence was a much needed blessing.

"That is a weight off my shoulders…" Yusuke said, "Now we can get back to dealing with the bigger problem."

"Konoe." Ryuji grumbled.

"Exactly. Konoe is in charge of the whole operation." Akira said, firmly. "We change his heart, our names are cleared. But that still leaves the problem of getting his keyword."

Zenkichi had explained to them on the way back here after getting his powers. Apparently, when he arrived in Osaka, Konoe had skipped out on his appointment to make that fake press conference. An admission of guilt if they'd ever seen one, since he purposely avoided meeting with the police. Though, Zenkichi's plan was sort of a factor in getting them into this mess. (Konoe probably could have used the hacking-attempt lie regardless, but he might have just grabbed the opportunity firsthand.)

"He's aware of us now, and knows we can use Jails too." Makoto said, "He's not just going to give out his keyword publicly anymore…"

"It appears we are up the proverbial estuary without a means of locomotion," Yusuke commented dryly.

When nobody understood what that meant, Futaba spoke up. "Allow me to translate 'Inari-ese' for ya: He means we're up shit creek without a paddle."

"Hm…" Sophia chimed. "We just need someone who can get Konoe's keyword without raising suspicion, is that right? What about Kuon Ichinose?"

Regrettably, they hadn't considered the idea. In fact, aside from sending Ichinose various junk they found while skulking in the Metaverse, they hardly thought about her. But Sophia's suggestion made perfect sense. Ichinose already had contact with Konoe before due to her connection with EMMA. She was the perfect choice, and their only option. (Zenkichi wouldn't be able to help them with it, now that Konoe knew he was involved.) Akira quickly called Ichinose; he put it on speaker for everyone to hear.

"Hello!" Ichinose greeted in her usual peppy voice. "Ah, hello there Akira-kun! You seem to be doing ok. That's great to hear. Truly brightens my day!"

"Good to know," Akira replied. "Listen, we need your help real quick."

"Did something happen? Or, wait, let me back up a bit. How did things go in Okinawa?"

"Oh, right, we never told her about Okinawa," Ann said.

"Oh, it sounds like you're all together." Ichinose said, "Well, let's hear it!"

They took time to explain everything that happened since arriving at Okinawa. She seemed to take all their talk of being chased by islanders and the story of the Jail rather well.

"I see, I see… It seems you're caught up in another crazy adventure, as usual!" Ichinose said, laughing.

"Hey- this ain't nothing to laugh about!" Ryuji interjected.

"Oops, I guess that wasn't right of me…" Ichinose said. "I think I understand what's going on. You're after Konoe's keyword, right? Well, asking him for it would be kinda weird since I already have it."

"But how?!" Futaba asked.

"Well the day you came to the lecture there was a little social gathering after for some of the bigger names involved." Ichinose explained. "I ran into Konoe and he gave me his business card. The keyword was right there on the front. Now, where did I put it? I'm pretty sure I had it right here…" She paused and they could suddenly hear loud noises of stuff falling over. "Oh, dear- I'll make sure I find it by tomorrow! Have a nice day!" With that, she hung up.

"Geez, how messy is her room…" Ann asked.

Akira thought for a moment. "Actually… This works out a bit better. We can head to Osaka now, and once Ichinose calls back, we'll be able to jump right into the Jail."

~End of Chapter