6-23

Down in The Quercus, Junichiro scrolls through the files. "This is it?" He asks.

Akio, who sits next to him, frowns over his shoulder at the screen. "I don't see anything about a reading cat," he whispers.

"Nope," Juni says. "Nothing about cats, at all." He crosses his arms. "That's disappointing.

"What're you guys talking about?" Comes Ali Baba's voice, from over the speaker. The computer through which the hacker speaks is set up on a table across the room. Junichiro, Akio, and Kaneko are gathered around the system the stolen police files have been uploaded onto.

"Do you think they gave us everything?" Kaneko whispers. "There was something strange about our friend over there, when last we spoke."

"Guys?" Ali Baba says.

Juni nods. "I remember. You thought she already knew something about the Phantom Thieves."

Akio glances at Kaneko, who remains behind the bar, but still peers at the screen from his angle. "Do you still think that?"

"I believe Ali Baba-" Kaneko starts.

"Gggguuuuuyyyyysssss," Ali Baba groans.

Kaneko clears his throat, and continues to whisper. "I believe Ali Baba is an anonymous hacker who trades information. I believe anonymous hackers who trade information never reveal everything they know, because then they have no more cards to play."

Music blares from Ali Baba's system, coupled with a high-pitched female voice. Juni only catches a few lines about hope and friendship before he's forced to cover his ears. His friends do the same, agitated looks on their faces.

The music stops a moment later. "Yeah, that's what you get for ignoring me," Ali Baba mutters. "Next time, it'll be Tatsumaki Wake."

"What the fuck?" Akio groans, sticking his pinky finger into his ear. "Why'd you do that?" He asks, at normal volume.

"You don't think I know you're all talking about me?" Ali Baba asks. "You haven't even said 'Thank you for hacking into the police files and get us their information on the Phantom Thieves, Ali Baba. You're the best, Ali Baba. Ali Baba. Ali Baba, for the win. All your base are-"

"Okay," Junichiro cuts in. "Okay. We get it. Thank you. It's just, there's not much here."

"How's that my problem?" The hacker counters. "You told me to get into the files. I got into the files."

"There's nothing else?" Kaneko asks. "Two months of investigation have led to little more than speculation?"

Aki shakes his head. "I wouldn't even call some of this speculation. Some of this is just stupid." He taps one name on the screen. "It looks like they might've been onto something with the kids who had a problem with Suguru Kamoshida, but come on. This one girl? Shiho Suzui? She was in a coma." He shrugs. "There's others too. Some volleyball players. Some kid who ran track for him last year. The Student Council President, even this new kid, Akira Kurusu. Hell, looks like the entire student body hated Kamoshida. That's how many kids? A hundred and fifty? Two hundred?"

Juni scrolls through the files, going away from the names of the kids. "But there's nothing in here that connects any of those students to Madarame."

Akio tilts his head to the side. "Well, yeah. But the first person they targeted, before the PhanSite went private, was Natsuhiko Nakanohara. He was one of Madarame's former apprentices. They could've gotten Madarame's name from him." Aki takes the mouth from Juni and scrolls around. "Looks like they tried to backtrack his movements. They can link him to the Shibuya Underground Mall, where that Akira Kurusu kid works at a flower shop, which was apparently a plan by the Phantom Thieves, but they couldn't come to any definite conclusions."

Junichiro lets out a long breath. "What about the website?" He asks. "This PhanSite?" He looks back at Ali Baba's system. "Could you hack into that?"

Ali Baba is silent for a time. Juni shares a look at Kaneko. Then, "Yeah, probably. But it'll cost you. And if they know what they're doing, they wouldn't have just left their personal information lying around on it. Even with VPNs, they can't be that stupid."

"And if they are that stupid?" Juni asks.

"Then they probably wouldn't been caught by now."

Kaneko laughs. "That's a good point."

Akio keeps scrolling. "Looks like they're trying to create a timeline for the delivery of the Calling Cards and the confessions. I guess their theory is the blackmail or change of heart or whatever the hell it is that they do, occurs between those two points. But they haven't reached any conclusions."

Junichiro stands up and stretches his legs. "Maybe it's magic," he says.

"Maybe," Ali Baba repeats, in a strange tone.

Kaneko makes a face at this, as Akio scoffs. "Right. Magic."

Juni leans down and whispers. "They do have a reading cat. Who knows?" He straightens and says. "Alright, Ali Baba. Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch."

"What about the PhanSite? Do you want me to hack it?"

"Not just yet," Junichiro says. "Like I said, we'll be in touch." He walks over and ends the call.

Akio leans back in his chair. "Don't you think we should let this go? We've got the Okumura job to worry about."

Kaneko takes a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and sets it on the counter. The two other men move over and sit in silence for a few moments.

"We are," Kaneko says, as he retrieves some glasses and pours out a bit of the amber liquid into each, "fairly busy at the moment. Do we really need to bother with this?"

Juni picks up his drink and takes a sip. "I don't like not knowing. We don't know anything about this group except that they're resourceful, have a cat that can read - or something - and don't like rapist gym teachers. But even factoring in general police incompetence," and he gestures back to the computer the information was dumped onto, "this is all they could come up with?"

Akio sighs, and takes a swig. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I'll do some digging on my own," Juni replies. "There's something that's bothering me. That suicide note."

"The one from the Principal?" Kaneko asks. "I thought they determined there wasn't enough evidence to prove that it links to the Phantom Thieves directly."

"Nothing links to the Phantom Thieves directly, save for the Calling Cards," Juni points out. "But doesn't it seem a little strange, given the context of all that played out? The fat bastard, head of the school where they struck first, takes a nose dive out his window after leaving a note specifically mentioning the Phantom Thieves? Then, Madarame confesses, and two hours later he's dead too." He shakes his head. "All this feels wrong, doesn't it?"

Akio sets down his glass and rubs his fingers across the counter. "When you put it like that, sure. But that doesn't mean there is a connection."

"I still say Ali Baba knows more than she's telling," Kaneko says.

"And I say you're right," Juni replies. "But since we've got no idea where they are, there isn't much we can do about that." He finishes off his drink and stands. "You two keep working with Mori-chan on the Okumura job. I'm going to find out what I can about all this."

"How will you do that?" Akio asks. Juni looks at him, and his friend scoffs. "Right. Dumb question."

Juni dips his head in farewell, and ascends the steps to the street. Once outside, he takes the cigarettes out from his jacket, knocks one loose, puts it between his lips, and lights it.

Breathe it in, he thinks, but his thoughts are a jumble.

He inhales. Exhales. Inhales. Exhales.

Inhales. Exhales.

"Fuck," he finally says, and throws the cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with his foot.

#

There is silence for a time. Then Makoto says, "You're not doing this."

Akira drums his fingers over the desk. "I don't have much choice. Kaneshiro already knows about me. If Iwai delays this much longer, he'll be in danger. Kaoru too."

Makoto frowns. "That's regrettable, yes. But Iwai can't reasonably think this is a good idea."

"She's right," Ann puts in. "Akira, this is insane. You're going to just, join his gang?"

"First of all," Akira replies, looking at Makoto. "He doesn't think this is a good idea. It was his only idea, and yes, I am pretty pissed about it. Second," and he looks at Ann, "I'll just be a periphery member. It'll be little things. Small misdemeanors, Iwai says. I'll probably have to rob people, but I can just give my own money from working at Rafflesia and Crossroads."

They've all gathered in the Student Council Room once more. It's after school, and Akira is beginning to think they need a better place to meet, given that Yusuke is never able to attend these specific gatherings.

Morgana sits in the center of the table. "Of course it's dangerous, but think, you guys. This is the first real lead we've had on the mental shutdowns since... well, ever."

Ryuji scoffs as Haru raises her hand. "But isn't that all speculation?" She asks. "We don't know for sure that Kaneshiro triggered the mental shutdown on Sugimura's driver."

"True," Morgana counters. "But it makes sense. Sugimura brought you to Kaneshiro, but you escaped. Kaneshiro thought Sugimura might become unhinged and be a problem, so he got rid of him. According to Iwai's friend, this isn't the first time something like this has happened."

Akira winces, and glances at Makoto. He doesn't let his gaze linger. Iwai told him something else too, and he isn't sure how, or even if he should, broach it.

Makoto leans towards Haru. "What's Morgana saying?"

Haru translates, then says, "But still, now that we know this, can't we investigate without sending Akira into the lion's den?"

Akira takes out his phone and calls up the Navigator. "Look," he says, and shows them his screen. "Junya Kaneshiro. He's got a Palace."

No one says anything.

"Dude," Ryuji whispers.

Akira looks at each of them in turn. "We know what this means. We wanted another big target, and now we've got a yakuza boss. The connection to Shujin is vague, at best. He runs operations throughout Shibuya and the surrounding districts, not just at our school."

Makoto crosses her arms. "I still can't believe something like that is happening here."

Ann shrugs. "Kids don't usually admit to the Student Council President that they've joined gangs."

Makoto ignores the light barb and says, "If you know he has a Palace, why can't you investigate without getting involved with him?"

"Look," Akira says. "I get that you're worried. But because of Iwai's decision, I don't have a choice. Besides, we've been lucky these last few times. We had a personal connection to all the big targets. We all knew Kamoshida. Yusuke knew Madarame. Haru knew Sugimura. But no one knows anything about Kaneshiro. There's no information about him online, and even Iwai's friend can't say much about him. This isn't going to be something we can just guess. We need to get close to him and figure this out."

"There's the bonus," Morgana says. "Of learning more about the mental shutdowns."

"It's happening," Akira finishes. "So there's not much else to say about it. We need to keep up with our other investigations too. We're going to send the Calling Cards in the next few days. That'll get the Phantom Thieves back into the spotlight, and help those people who need it. In the meantime, we should keep looking into Sugimura's death. Makoto, I'd like you to talk with Officer Kagawa."

She blinks. "Why?"

"He may know more by now. If he's investigating, he might have some more information that could help us understand the mental shutdowns better."

"But why would he tell me that?"

Akira smiles. "Aren't you Mini-Makoto?" He asks. Her cheeks burst into red. "He likes you. So use that." He nods. "I'll talk with Ohya, as well. She may know about this stuff."

"Dude," Ryuji says, leaning forward. "Are you really sure about this? I thought you wanted us to keep low profiles?"

"Yeah," Ann puts in, nodding along. "You're on probation. If you get caught by the cops, you'll be in a lot of trouble."

"I know," Akira says, trying to keep his smile fixed on his face. "I do. And it does freak me out. But it is what it is. Let's all do our jobs so we can wrap this one up quickly."

He says all this, but his insides roll. His previous night's freak-out reflected his true feelings towards this whole situation. Iwai had said a lot of things in that five minutes. About how Kaneshiro trafficked people. About the drugs. About how he pulled in students from Shujin and other schools with the promise of easy money, and trapped them in debts they couldn't hope to pay.

He also told him something else. He told him that three years earlier, Kaneshiro's outfit had been in contention with a certain police officer. One, Akihiko Niijima. And that one day, out of the blue, Akihiko Niijima was run down by a truck, driven by a driver who had been so high, he couldn't even remember doing it.

And if that hadn't sounded eerily like a mental shutdown, or a temporary one, Akira didn't know what did.

The group begins to disperse, and Akira wants to stand up and wave his hands through the air, screaming, "Stop me! Are you all fucking crazy! This is nuts! Don't let me do this!" But he doesn't. He shoots out of his chair and walks up to Haru, as some of the others talk.

"You're going to be at Rafflesia later, right?" He asks.

She nods. "Yes. Why?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"We can't do that now?"

Akira shakes his head. "No, not a good time. I want to talk to you alone." For a moment, Akira worries about his phrasing, but by the resolute look on Haru's face, she can tell he's not fooling around or has ulterior motives.

"Right. Got it. See you then."

Akira takes out his phone and checks the time, then turns back to Morgana. "Right. I promised Takemi I'd drop by the clinic. Let's go, Morgana."

The cat bobs his head in a nod, and hops off the table, trotting over to Akira's bag.

#

Takemi doesn't drug him. She insists, however, on a checkup. Akira had been anticipating a kind of scolding, but as he sits in the exam room, Takemi just quietly goes about her business.

Morgana sits on top of the bag, watching the proceedings, and Takemi glances at him from time to time. "What's two plus two?" She asks him.

The cat rolls his eyes. "One. Two. Three. Four," he says. Akira imagines this is interpreted by Takemi as four distinct meows.

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "I still don't believe it."

Akira shrugs. "You won't unless you actually go to the Metaverse."

She sits down in her chair, and opens a drawer in the desk. She withdraws a small vial of liquid and says, "So, over there, your consumption of this heals wounds, because it's your perception that it will?"

"More or less," Akira replies, with a nod. "So far, taking your medicine hasn't affected us in the real world. I worried, at first that it might, but..." He trails off, and shrugs.

"You say you're stronger and faster over there," Takemi mutters. "Maybe it has something to do with your metabolism, though, that wouldn't stop your body from experience harmful effects from over-consumption." She sets the vial back into the drawer and shuts it. Akira looks at Morgana, who meets his gaze. Neither responds. Takemi sighs. "I'm still not convinced this 'other world' really exists. It's all too far-fetched for me."

"I hear you," Akira says, and begins to swing his legs off the side of the table. "But it's all true. I'd take you there, but then the Navigation app would download itself onto your phone."

"No thanks," Takemi replies. "I'll stay here, thank you." She clears her throat and picks up Akira's chart. "You're healthy, from what I can tell. Though, based on your behavior the last few weeks, you're dealing with an inordinate amount of stress and probably not eating as varied a diet as you should."

"Not much choice there," Akira says, and crosses his arms.

Takemi puts the chart back down, crosses her legs and frowns up at him. "I'd like to talk to you about the company you're keeping, Akira."

He lifts a brow. Morgana hops up onto the table and settles down next to him. "Is she talking about me?" The cat asks.

"I doubt it," Akira replies.

"That woman. The one from last night."

"Ohya?" Akira asks. "What about her?"

"Why are you spending time with her? I'd think that someone like her would-"

"How do you know her?" Akira asks. "I noticed you looking at her last night. You seemed surprised she was there."

"I won't disclose that," Takemi replies.

Okay, so she came to see her. Why? Akira sighs. He knows why. "Look, it's fine," he says. "She's my friend and she's helping us. She doesn't know about the Phantom Thieves, but she's useful in her own way. If you're worried about how drunk she seemed, well... well, I don't know what to tell you."

Takemi purses her lips. "I think you should be careful around her. I don't know what, exactly, you find useful about her, but-"

Akira narrows his eyes. "You know, she told me about you too. She told me you're called 'The Plague.' Maybe instead of getting on her case, you could shed some light on that?"

Takemi's face falls.

"Uh oh," Morgana mumbles.

Akira immediately regrets his words. A flood of mixed emotions work their way across her face. Shame, anger, disappointment, they all conflict.

Finally, she settles on a neutral look and says, "I let a patient die. It happens. It shouldn't have, but it did." She lifts his hands, gesturing to the whole room. "Which is why you see me working at some no-name clinic in Yongen-jaya, rather than at a hospital."

He blinks, and processes this. "But, wait, if it happens all the time, why was it a big deal this time?"

Takemi is silent for time. Then, she says, "Akira, I know you're a Phantom Thief, and I know you think you're doing the right thing. But I'm afraid what's going to happen to you if you keep going down this road. That Iwai guy, for instance. He's trouble, and I can't help but think he's going to lead you to even more of it." She folds her hands together and leans forward. "I don't want to see you become someone else, Akira. You should know by now what this world can do to people, to good people, when they're exposed to it for long enough. I'm worried. You already used chloroform on someone. What are you willing to do next?"

Akira stares at her, then frowns. "I spoke with the others about this. We agreed that, going forward, we won't be hurting any of targets. Physically, I mean. In the real world."

She nods. "Okay," she says. "Okay. But I hope you stick to that. I really do."

"Yeah," Akira says, standing up. "I do too."

##

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading! I'm going to try and stick to this regular update schedule for now, but I've got some big news to share soon.

If you've left a comment and I haven't gotten to it yet, I'll do my best to respond very soon.

ALSO. Check this out: r/Persona5/comments/ak7jll/makoto_has_great_taste_in_books/

Illaria - Ao3 - pointed this out to me. It's a pretty rad piece by a user named 'binxi' and it looks like we've got similar ideas when it comes to Makoto's reading habits, lol!

Thanks again for reading, everyone! I really appreciate it.