DATE: SEPTEMBER 27

THE NIGHT AFTER THE PALACE

TWO DAYS PRIOR TO OKUMURA'S DEATH

Goro Akechi had almost forgotten what it felt like to take a shower without the feeling of blood on his hands.

The metaphysical effects of the aptly-named Metaverse were fascinating, to say the least. Akechi could step into Mementos or a Palace and utterly drench himself in the blood of Shadows and Cognitive Beings, and he'd be spotless the moment he returned to the real world. And yet, like a phantom limb, he would always still be able to feel the blood on his skin, even if there wasn't a sanguine speck to be seen. And thus, he always felt the need to take a shower afterwards. Had to get the blood off his hands somehow.

He'd only seen a dermatologist once, about a bad itch that had formulated on his shoulder. They gushed about how healthy his skin was in spite of the rash, and Akechi couldn't help but laugh at that. If only they knew why he was such a clean freak to begin with.

But Akechi had emerged out of Okumura's Palace practically stainless. The Phantom Thieves had done a majority of the killing – and the puzzle-solving – for him. They'd taken care of practically every Shadow in the Palace, and all Akechi had to do was follow their footprints. It was a leisurely stroll through a frustrating-looking place, and even though he wasn't used to keeping his kill count to a minimum, it was very amusing and validating to see the Phantom Thieves struggle and swear their way past the factories and airlocks and the ID cards, completely unaware they were doing all of the legwork for him.

So this time, he took a shower not to make himself feel clean again, but to relish in the relaxing afterglow of an easy job.

Things are going well. He raked a hand through his damp mop of a haircut, feeling warm water cascade against his back in a steady stream. The Phantom Thieves have turned themselves into a modern-day Icarus. They wound up playing right into our hands without even realizing it.

He lifted his hand, seeing rivulets of water pour off of his fingertips. As a child, he always liked to pretend that it was some kind of water-bending power.

Okumura will die in the next couple of days. He'll never make it to that press conference – he'll turn from an Antichrist into a martyr in the blink of an eye. And then… the Phantom Thieves will either hesitate before making their next move… or they'll do something stupid and reckless to clear their names.

He grinned. Either way… they're done for.

He reached for a bottle of conditioner, lathering the lemon-scented product against his hair. It's only a matter of time. The Phantom Thieves will either disappear or be disposed of… and there'll be nothing stopping me from settling my affairs with Shido.

After letting it linger in his hair for a good couple minutes… Akechi leaned back against the shower stream.

And it's about time. This… has been a long time coming.

Once he was done, Akechi turned on the bathroom fan to air out the steam and wrapped a towel around his waist. He ran his hand down a mirror thick with condensation, revealing his face behind the steam and fog.

I have to admit. I wasn't expecting Haru Okumura herself to be one of *them*.

His jaunt through Okumura's Palace and his lurking in the dark had provided some valuable insider information on the Phantom Thieves. He'd already known that Joker was one of them – as much as Ren Kurusu liked to act like he was just a passionate phan-boy, Akechi had him pegged from Minute One as not just one of the Phantom Thieves, but *the* Phantom Thief above all the others. Call it the Wild Card instinct, being able to spot one of your own. And the Phantom Thieves' silly little codenames hardly mattered when their masks barely covered their distinctive faces and hairstyles.

He'd identified Makoto Niijima and Futaba Sakura at first glance – hard to forget the sister of your co-worker and the daughter of a woman you killed, after all. He also recognized Yusuke Kitagawa, apprentice of the great plagiarist himself. It did take some cross-referencing to identify "Skull" and "Panther" – namely, by looking through pictures of Shujin Academy students – but it wasn't long before he had them pinned as Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki, friends of Ren's that Akechi recalled meeting at the TV station.

And, of course, Morgana. Akechi was getting awfully sick of pretending like he couldn't hear that bobble-headed cat in the real world.

But "Noir" was a genuine surprise to him. Haru Okumura. The files they had on her were slim, but descriptive enough to paint a picture of a timid, submissive violet of a daughter that did as she was told and tended to fruits and vegetables for the most part. Her father handled most of the business side of things himself. The only thing about her that caught Akechi's eye was the fact that she was to be married off to a… questionable-looking man named Sugimura, for reasons that Akechi suspected had to be political, given that Sugimura was the son of a Diet member.

It seemed like her life had already been decided for her. Akechi traced a few faint figures into the condensation-drenched window. And yet, in spite of it… no, probably because of that… she became a Phantom Thief.

He couldn't help but wonder why she was on board with the Phantom Thieves targeting her father. Did she hold the naïve belief that a change of heart would fix all her problems with the man? Was she trying to find the mental-shutdown culprit as well? Was she trying to find a way out of her engagement with Sugimura?

Or perhaps…

…She wanted revenge against her father. Maybe that's why she helped them kill him off.

Akechi looked up and saw his own hazy reflection against the mirror.

"…"

He wandered out towards the living room of his apartment, grabbing his cellphone off the kitchen counter and dialing in a (regrettably) familiar number.

It took the man on the other line longer to answer than Akechi was used to, but eventually, he did answer the call, with the same synthesized chirp prelude that told him the line was encrypted.

"…Is it done?" asked Shido, as blunt and work-oriented as always. Not even a 'how do you do'.

"It's done," replied Akechi.

"Good. The press conference was coming up, and I was getting impatient. I still think we should have dealt with him the day before the conference."

"The Phantom Thieves could have changed his heart by then, sir. And then, his Palace would've been inaccessible. It wasn't worth the risk."

"Hmm. True. I suppose his death'll still get a good amount of coverage even so. You did kill him, correct?"

"Hah – well, not exactly. Actually—"

"What?!" Shido snapped, a sharp enough bark that it made Akechi wince. "I gave you explicit orders to-!"

"He is dead, Shido-san. I just wasn't the one to pull the trigger this time."

Shido quickly calmed down, lapsing into silence for a moment. "…Elaborate."

"That little… smear campaign of ours?" Akechi smirked. "Turns out we didn't need to set it up at all."

"…are you saying the Phantom Thieves killed Okumura?"

"The very ones," hummed Akechi, casting his gaze across his apartment. "I didn't even have to drive them insane. When it came time for them to fight his Shadow… well. They were just a little too eager to get the job done."

"…I see," replied Shido. Akechi could hear the smirk on Shido's face. "How auspicious. Okumura should die in the next day or two, correct?"

"Right."

"I'll call Tatewaki immediately. He'll make the proper arrangements regarding the body and the investigation."

"I'll be on standby in the meantime, then."

"Very well. Good work, Akechi."

Akechi was silent for a beat or two. Shido disconnected.

'Good work,' he said.

Akechi stared at his cellphone… and then narrowed his eyes at the device with a growing scowl on his face.

Bastard. If Okumura was anything like you… then he got what was coming to him.

[***]

DATE: SEPTEMBER 29

THE DAY OF THE MENTAL SHUTDOWN

As grisly as the sight of Okumura's limp, blood-ridden body must've been to the average onlooker… Akechi couldn't help but feel a great deal of satisfaction all the same.

Thanks to SIU Director Tatewaki's preparations, the police had been at the Okumuras' doorstep in a matter of minutes. They had been expecting a frantic call from the Okumuras' house staff all day, and when they finally called, the SIU was there in record time. Okumura's study had been cordoned off with bumblebee police tape – other than Akechi and a handful of other investigators, no one else was allowed near the body. Not even his own daughter.

Akechi thoroughly examined the body, kneeling down and performing a few glib gestures – running a finger against his own chin in thought, opening Okumura's sports coat, pretending to wince when he saw Okumura's blank, white sclera. Like an actor hitting all his necessary cues.

I wonder what Shido plans to do with the body. His next of kin will probably want a funeral, after all. …No matter. That's his problem, not mine.

He rose to his feet and dusted off his gloves. "…Clammy skin, rolled-over eyes, and jet-black blood?" Akechi began, turning aside to look at a contemplative Sae Niijima. "These are all the telltale signs of a classic mental shutdown. In all its' gruesome glory."

"...Two weeks before the press conference, at that," muttered Sae, fiddling with a loose strand of silver hair for a moment. "Bitten by his own lapdog."

"You sound like you're onto something, Sae-san."

"This is clearly the work of the Phantom Thieves. Even a child could see that. You saw the calling card, didn't you?"

Akechi assumed his usual 'thinking' pose. "But Okumura benefitted from the mental shutdowns. Anyone that hampered his business or stood against him politically was… taken care of. If the Phantom Thieves were the ones causing these shutdowns… wouldn't that make Okumura their employer?"

Sae nodded. "Yes, that adds up." Sae put a hand on her hip. "…But I wouldn't be surprised if they were just using him for their own ends. Either they had a falling out with the man… or his usefulness to them had reached its end."

Sae glanced at Okumura's corpse with a momentary wince. "…Or," Sae continued. "…They chose the voice of the public over the wants of a singular man."

"…Interesting," hummed Akechi. "So you think they turned against him for clout?"

"Precisely," Sae proclaimed, with an urgent confidence. "If they felt the need to murder Kobayakawa to cover their own tracks… then it's not a stretch to say they did the same with him."

You're a sharp woman, Sae-san. If only you knew how far from the truth you actually are.

Sae turned aside to one of the investigators in the study. "…Have someone take the body out of here. The Director's going to want to look over this personally."

"Yes, ma'am," said the investigator.

"Who do we have left to cross-reference?"

"Just his daughter. Although… she hasn't been very responsive today."

The silent treatment, hm? Interesting. Is this out of guilt? Or not wanting to get caught?

Sae lapsed into thought for a moment, before turning to face Akechi. "Would you mind?"

"Me?" asked Akechi.

"You're the Charming Detective Prince," Sae joked, with a faint ghost of a smile. "She might be more willing to open up to you than a bunch of faceless strangers."

"Huh. I see where you're coming from. Sure, why not. Where is she?"

"In the lobby," the investigator said. Akechi nodded and exited the study, stepping under the barricade of police tape and making his way through the stately residence. Good. He'd wanted to see what Haru was like, how she was reacting to all this. To see if she'd mess up and let slip something crucial about the Phantom Thieves that he could use as unmistakable evidence.

Hell, maybe she'd even grow a guilty conscience and turn them in. Or sell them out to save her own skin.

Either way… I win. Let's see what's waiting for me.

He saw investigators and officers milling around and interrogating the wide-eyed staff, none of whom knew what was going on or what to do next. Akechi almost felt bad for the lot of them. Almost. But you couldn't afford to be too sympathetic in this line of work.

Before Akechi entered the lobby, he overheard an interesting conversation in one of the spare offices between a woman he recognized as a wan, shocked Mariko Hyodo – the Mayor of Sapporo – and a tall, stocky man in a pinstripe suit named Takakura, who Akechi would come to know as the proxy CEO of Big Bang Burger in the years following Okumura's death. He decided to eavesdrop on their chat for a moment.

"We can't let the media know about this," insisted a distraught-sounding Mariko, overwhelmed by everything surrounding her. "Haru's already going through so much! She was already getting pestered at school so much because of her father and those damned Phantom Thieves! She doesn't need the media swarming her night and day, not with everything on the poor girl's plate already."

Takakura sighed, a heavy, weathered sigh that said he agreed with her. "…It's out of our hands," muttered Takakura, glancing out the window to look at the setting sun. "After all, if Kunikazu was murdered, then the people have a right to know what happened. Especially if others are going to be targeted by the Phantom Thieves."

"I…!" Mariko started, before letting out a frustrated sigh of her own and sinking her head into her palms. "… -sigh- What's—what's going to happen to the company, do you think?"

"To Big Bang?" Takakura stepped away from the window for a moment. "I'll be taking over as the chief executive for the time being. That's what Kunikazu and I agreed upon in our contract."

"And Haru?"

"…Well. I'm just the interim chief executive. …I'll be doing what I can to manage the company until Haru's ready." A pause from Takakura. "…if she'll ever be ready for this."

"God… that poor girl…"

"…"

"…"

…After a heavy silence settled over the room, Akechi wordlessly stepped away from the door.

[***]

"…"

"…okumura?"

"…"

"…miss?"

"…"

"…Miss Okumura?"

Haru blinked, her mind jumping out of its hazy stupor for a moment. Just like that, her mind was back at the Okumura residence once again, as much as she preferred it rather not be.

She looked around, getting her bearings… before realizing a young man with a familiar tan peacoat stood in front of her. All Haru had to do was glance up and get a look at his shaggy bangs to realize:

The enemy of the Phantom Thieves.

"…o-oh," Haru started, her voice smaller than she expected. "Oh, you're… the Detective Prince, yes…?"

"In the flesh," Akechi smiled. "Just 'Akechi' is fine, Miss Okumura."

"I, um…" Haru's gaze shifted, not quite meeting his eyes but not looking at anything in particular. "I remember that case about… Hayashi Holdings, was it? That was a few months ago, wasn't it?"

"Ah, yes – I'd almost forgotten about that, to tell you the truth. Just another bog-standard embezzling scheme."

"It was impressive, even so," Haru said with a smile. A fake smile, one that didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Well, thank you." Akechi glanced around the rich, austere, and awfully empty lobby before looking back at Haru. "…I can only imagine what you're going through right now. I'm sorry."

Haru just kind of nodded. She didn't know what to say. She honestly didn't want to talk to anyone about anything at all. To do so would be to acknowledge the facts. That her father was dead… and that she and her comrades were the ones that killed him.

"…May I ask what exactly happened this morning?" Akechi continued, getting down to brass tacks.

"…"

"…"

He was all alone.

"Miss Okumura?"

He died alone.

"…Okumura-san?"

He died alone in his office… and it's all my fault.

"…"

it's all… my fault.

"…" Akechi sighed. "…My apologies."

At that, Haru's attention was brought back to Akechi. "H—huh?"

"I said I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you like this."

"N-no, I—"

"It's alright – you clearly don't need this on your plate right now," Akechi asserted. "Besides… I'm sure I could just ask one of the servants for their testimony."

"…"

You're so selfish, Haru. He's just trying to help. Even if he is an enemy of the Phantom Thieves… all he's trying to do is help.

Haru shifted in her seat before slowly starting to speak. "…I was woken this morning by a loud scream. I think it was one of our handmaids. …I… I got out of bed and ran to see what happened, and… found him. In his study. …He was…" Her voice wavered a bit. "…already dead."

There was quiet on Akechi's part before he nodded. "…That adds up, yes. I'm sorry for your loss. It must have been… difficult, to say the least."

Another nod and nonverbal noise of affirmation from Haru.

"…" Akechi reached into his coat. "…Here. How about this?" He handed her a thin business card with a smooth, practiced motion, and Haru damn near flinched.

In the corner of her mind, she felt like she was being handed a calling card.

And she could imagine the splashy, confrontational text on it perfectly.

Lady Haru Okumura, for the grave sin of patricide, we have come to Take Your Heart.

Akechi, noticing her discomfort, frowned and almost retracted the card, but Haru managed to collect herself and ask: "…u-um… what's this for…?"

"This is the number for the precinct that Sae-san works at. She's heading up the investigation of the Phantom Thieves at the moment."

Haru took the card into her hands, looking over the number and the plain, but organized, text.

"Give us a call if something catches your attention, or if you feel like you need protection from the Phantom Thieves," Akechi continued, adjusting the cuffs of his gloves. "You don't have to force yourself, of course. But just know that if you ever need our help, we'll be there."

"…t-thank you, Akechi-kun."

"Right. I'll leave you be, then." He turned on his heel. "And I'll tell the other investigators to get off your back." Before he could walk away, Haru spoke up.

"U-um… Akechi-kun?"

Akechi turned back to face her. "Yes?"

"…What's going to happen to Father's body?"

"…We're just going to have a pathologist or two look over him and run a few tests. …Don't worry. We'll have him back in time for a proper funeral."

"…alright."

Akechi nodded, and with that, he took his leave from the lobby, leaving Haru alone with her thoughts once again.

She didn't even remember the last thing her father said to her before he died. Haru did recall the last thing his Shadow said, however.

"I—I've had enough! Someone, get in here! …Get in here, NOW!"

A cry for help. One that sickened Haru to her very stomach.

She rushed off to the bathroom, unable to fight the urge to vomit any longer.

[***]

DATE: OCTOBER 1

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF OKUMURA'S DEATH

"…Kunikazu Okumura, former President of Okumura Foods, was found dead at his residence on the morning of September 29th. The cause of death has been confirmed to be a mental shutdown. This shocking news comes mere days before the beginning of his electioneering campaign, and – notably – less than a month after the death of Kobayakawa, the former Principal of Shujin Academy. Due to the notable similarities between these two deaths, and the presence of calling cards in both men's possession before their deaths, authorities are beginning to suspect the work of the Phantom Thieves—"

The newscaster woman continued to monologue on and on about this surprising turn of events, Akechi eyeing the TV in the corner of the train station, enjoying a pastry from the Yon-Germain bakery with one hand and holding his cellphone against his ear with the other. It felt like a victory dessert of sorts, the Detective Prince treating himself for a job well-done.

Remember the day, everyone. October 1st. The day the Phantom Thieves died.

Something had been eating at him, though. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Something about that Okumura girl. Haru.

"…We've returned the corpse back to the estate," SIU Director Tatewaki drawled over the phone. "I expect a private funeral with no reporters by the end of the week."

"The internet's already abuzz with talk of the Phantom Thieves," Akechi remarked. "At this rate, their downfall's all but guaranteed."

"Good work, leaving that calling card in Kobayakawa's house," Tatewaki hummed, impressed. "You didn't leave any prints on it, did you?"

"Of course not. Although, it wouldn't make a difference either way." Akechi smiled at his phone. "My prints would have to be on file already, after all."

"Heheheh. True, very true," said Tatewaki. Akechi heard him lean back against his leather recliner. "What're your plans in the meantime?"

"I've got my statements on the matter ready to go. I have an interview tomorrow with Good Morning Japan. I expect Mr. Yoshizawa will ask me about what happened. I'll say what I have to then."

"As efficient as always." Tatewaki chuckled. "Funny how fate works out, isn't it? We cooked up this whole plan to get rid of the man, and the Phantom Thieves are the ones who kill him anyways."

All of a sudden… it hit him. That crucial thing that was bothering him about Haru… Akechi finally understood what was eating at his mind so much.

Haru was acting just like him.

When Minako Akechi committed suicide, he remembered getting asked question after question after question from faceless men in blue that Akechi didn't care about and didn't want to talk to. He remembered just… sitting there, staring at the floor, unable to muster up more than three words to anyone that asked. 'I don't know,' he would say. I don't know why she killed herself.

And he didn't know. He was too young to fully understand why. All he knew was that his mother was gone. Minako was dead. It didn't matter how many questions they asked. It didn't matter if they found out the "why" of it or not. Nothing would have changed the material reality of the situation.

And Akechi could read traces of that nihilistic numbness through her sideways glances, slumped shoulders, and the haunted disposition of someone that felt responsible for a terrible deed. And though Haru, unlike Akechi, may well have been responsible for her parent's passing, being one of the Phantom Thieves herself…

She was acting just like he did when Minako died all the same.

"…Akechi?"

Tatewaki's voice brought him back to reality. Akechi shook his head and cleared his throat. "…My apologies. Did you say something?"

"Hmm," Tatewaki grumbled, saying nothing further on the matter. "Just that I should be going. I have a few business matters to iron out with Shido before I call it a day."

"Alright then. I'll be on standby in the meantime."

"Right. Until then."

Tatewaki hung up, and Akechi stored his phone back into his pocket. Now that his mind was back on Haru Okumura, he couldn't help but wonder something, something that made him more curious than he initially expected.

What was her next move going to be?