Be careful what you wish for.
"Guys," Morgana whispers, trying to hide the smartphone in the bag next to him. "We've got a lot to talk about."
"But… About him, too, right?"
"Shh," Ann says, pressing down on Akimitsu's forehead and not to check his temperature. The pain comes into focus as he finds himself surrounded in the nurse's office. "Welcome back."
"How long was I out?"
Morgana peeks out of the bag on Sumire's lap as the third-year returns to the seat next to her, folding her arms. "Tch… Twenty, twenty-five minutes?"
"Oh, that's like, super bad for you," Ryuji says from the edge of the bed, enjoying a red lollipop. "You should get that checked out before you go home."
"There's a clinic by his-" the master thief catches himself, falling back with a groan.
"Dude, just say it. I heard you call him Joker earlier. What, did you pick everybody's code name?" Ryuji looks to Ann for a read before staring at patient zero. "How do you guys know each other? And where the hell is the school nurse?"
"How'd I g-"
The door slams open under a denim-skirted kick; any harder and it would come unhinged. Kawakami storms into the office, dragging an inconsolable Kamoshida by the ear. She slaps him for good measure and cuts through the shocked students to drag Akimitsu up by the shirt.
"I can't believe you," she snarls behind a trembling finger, "I leave you alone for one hour and you ditch school with a girl from the nurse's office?" Akimitsu fishes for a response but his tongue is frozen. "Let me guess: you hit on her and she ran away?"
Sumire shudders at the sight of the fallen King but sees nothing of that villain in this man. The imaginary ruler of an imaginary place, driven mad with power to hide and protect his Desire, that invaluable treasure. The room brightens as the sun finally pierces the storm plaguing Shujin Academy to commemorate the fall of the immoral monarch.
"What happened to him?" Her delicate voice interrupts the teacher's wrath and she relents, reminded of the real situation. Yoshizawa's face turns to stone as she notices only one person returned in tow. "What happened to Kasumi?"
"Your father is on his way to pick you both up," Kawakami says coldly. "Your sister is safe but she refused to leave without seeing you. Now, we can go see her or- wait, st-" The exasperated teacher rushes to follow the redhead, pointing at the two students she knows. "Takamaki, keep that troublemaker still; and Sakamoto-kun, I'm counting on you," she says, making a big gamble.
Ryuji and Ann share a nod like doctors.
"All right, lame-o," groans the retired runner as he pulls a chair to the sobbing man. "What's going on with you?"
"It's a-always been those go-oddamn h-hyenas! Pushing th-their expectations o-on me," he moans, tugging at his curly black hair. "It became too m-m-much. F-f-fame and gi-irls and e-endl-less practices with these i-idiot children. S-so I, I-I-"
"Save it for the judge," Ryuji says with a swift and strong kick to the disgusting man's leg. An act of revenge years in the making, come and gone. "Like I care what happens to you." Kamoshida collapses onto the couch, wailing into a pillow as years of guilt and grief catch up to him like the reaper's scythe. The reformed delinquent joins the impressed Thieves on the other side of a simple divide. Ann looks down at Akimitsu and he feels sympathy for all of Panther's lesser enemies.
"Talk," she adjures, judging the cornered cat in her periphery. "What's your deal?"
"Hey, so, is your Persona invisible?"
"What did you do to Sumire? And Kamoshida?"
"What happened to your big head, Morgana?"
"How exactly did you know where to find us, where to go, and how to get out?"
"Dude, how are you guys so good at fighting?"
"Be serious!"
"I am!"
Akimitsu, trapped, buries himself in his hands yet he cannot hide from the Magician.
"Where's Arsene?"
The mysterious transfer readies himself with a very deep breath, answering just as their patience wears thin. "My name's not really Akimitsu," he admits. "But it is. And I have- I had a Persona. And I know you because of Morgana. Most of you. This all kind of happened to me before, this and so much more but not," waving wildly as tears gather, "all of this."
Ann finds herself taken aback as Morgana leaps from the bag to curl up against the dark-haired boy's chest, purring lightly as the Phantoms reunite. A harsh flash obscures their vision but it is far from painful. It is like waking up in a windy field on a cloudless spring evening. He remembers their last moments like he remembers all the nights they shared. The assurance that the sun will rise and his most trusted confidant would too. Another flurry of memories, a year's worth of film crammed into a single breath, and the sound of footsteps in the core of Mementos.
"Your name…?"
"We changed the world but…" another long pause. "I had to make a wish. Now it's 20xx* and I... I was never here, and I've never met you. It took three days to piece that together. I remember you like I remember Arsene and Morgana and things I can't put into words yet that I just know; but, just like each one of you, I don't remember Sumire or her Persona at all." His agonized expression curls up and dies. The specter passes onto the others agog and jumping to conclusions. "What I know for sure is that we only stole hearts in the name of justice."
His caretakers rush to check on the man whose agonized sobs no longer haunt the couch. Unmoving, one hand limp at the side of the couch like his foot. The weight of their gaze pulls him to the floor and Kamoshida's head bounces on the forest green pillow. Ryuji and Ann, well aware of the recent scourge of mental shutdowns, look to their prime suspect.
"Oh, shit."
Ann trails behind, jingling her diamond necklace by its chain to watch the living essence inside slurp around. Her focus is not on Kamoshida's threats nor the cat rambling on about the Metaverse, but on Shiho. Is this justice, she wonders, or revenge? Meandering like a bored tourist, she bumps into the humans as they back up from an unusual pink archway. Cupid's tacky nightclub, out of place in the manse and painted in creepy giggles. Morgana whispers for everyone to get back as he sizes up the guard and its chipped claymore.
"Oh yeah," intuits Akimitsu. "It's all coming together."
"Psh, yeah right! I mean, no offense, but just because you brought some fancy gear doesn't mean you can just-"
"Ryuji, he has a gun. Why do you have a gun," she asks for the third time.
"What, that means he's gotta have a Persona. Wait: Akimitsu, you have a Persona, don't you?"
"Codenames!"
"It's just a replica*," he says, ignoring the bigger question as he advertises the plastic piece with discipline to his flinching friends. "I mean, it's real if you think it is, which they do. Remind me to bring yours next time."
Mona turns the heat down on their baking questions with a finger to his lips. "Later," he reminds the blondes. "J- Akimitsu, what's the plan?" Ann picks up on the crack in the cat's bravado as more than a slip of the tongue. Akimitsu chuckles and calmly rounds the corner.
One, two; one-two, one; one-two, one. Twirl, holster. Pretty good.
"That was sick!" Skull jumps into action in his Thief attire, clapping their leader on the shoulder as the murky shadow pops, lowering the bars behind it. "I've only seen shit like that in the movies! Dude, you gotta teach me how to do that."
"Next time," he promises with a winning grin.
"Fine, what's next? Now they definitely know we're here," says Panther, summoning her red suit like Mona described. "Do you seriously expect us to go in and clean up after you?"
"Kinda, yeah." He kicks in the door.
"Maybe we should give him a head start."
The experienced burglar leaps over the sauntering pair. A raunchy stench fills the air and low pinks and purples illuminate stained, padded fixtures. Dolls with distorted proportions, ruffled wigs, and thin parodies of their school uniforms gyrate all around them, moaning for a good time. The heavy rustling of the armored guard intimidates the surprised trio into a circle around their determined tactician.
One of the Yoshizawas hangs from a wooden X beneath a series of spotlights, the sudden intrusion reviving her struggle. The masked soldiers were stalling for time and getting impatient but not yet willing to pay the price of insolence. She shakes against her restraints, managing to drop her glasses and snag the attention of her distracted executioner. It lets out a deep guffaw behind its simple helmet as it approaches.
"You! Help!"
"Mona, cover Skull while he does the heavy lifting. Panther, you're with me," Akimitsu orders as he draws their path with his long knife. The cocky thug rests his bat on his shoulder as Mona lines up ahead of their shot-caller. A dozen living armors meld with the ground to birth a swarm of imps, maids, and prostitutes. Akimitsu tugs on his nonexistent glove out of habit. "It's showtime."
Panther rolls her eyes, finding no flaw in the plan nor her new name. She slides past Skull's initial frenzy as Mona leaps up and off his head to slash at their eyes. Calling out from the bottom of her heart, she summons a barrage of lightning that seems to bend around her agile ally. Sumire watches as the valiant upperclassmen - and a cat? - strive beneath the neon.
Akimitsu makes no unnecessary moves as he stabs at flailing fodder with surgical precision. He slides against Sumire to dodge the executioner's grasp, barely catching its bracer with his blade and losing his balance in the process. The brute roars and the group screams as it raises a ceremonial axe to eclipse a spotlight. His body squeezes his lungs dry to move on its own as the blade falls. The axe leans ever so slightly to the side as it strikes his dagger with a deafening clang! Everyone gasps as the parried blow cracks the ground and a kick sends the lumbering executioner head over heels into a pile of toys.
The astonished Trickster tries to drop the vibrating blade but his fingers refuse.
"All right, J- just keep it up!" Mona berates himself for slipping again, taking it out on a bewildered guard. The remaining soldiers drop their weapons to scramble for the exit as their interim leader bursts into a pile of gaseous ink.
Skull howls, high-fiving his Persona. "Yeah, you better run! Might as well come back so we don't have to chase you down!"
"Whaddya know," remarks Panther as if sampling a bogus recipe. "That actually worked."
Akimitsu shares an equally incredulous look with the bound girl, unsure where to begin. Sorry, he says again. He produces a titanium lockpick and kneels to finagle the padding around her ankles. Relief evaporates from Sumire's expression as she takes in the aftermath. It is a look Panther knows; one that Shiho wore to nod and smile and say, 'no, I'm fine.'
"Hey… Are you okay?"
The petrified girl breaks into tears, arresting everyone's attention. It is the cry of a home shorn by an earthquake, a branch dropping from a leafless tree, a child hiding upstairs.
"I have to find Kasumi," she moans, "and I never want to see that dirty man ever again."
"Ooh, but you only get to pick one," teases Kamoshida. "Luckily, you made the right choice."
The team turns to discover the smug shadow stroll in, flanked by another platoon of armored guards. Scanty clones of two defiant girls bounce in his grip, delighted that they inspire such strong reactions. Electricity coils around Panther's fist as her copy sticks a pierced tongue out to toss an aggressive gesture at blushing Skull. Mona looks rapidly between the girl crying on the cross and the fake, finding none of their differences at first glance. Akimitsu steps to protect her, levelling his deadly weapon at the pervert.
A rush of emotion constricts the shy Yoshizawa like a submarine sinking to the abyss and she falls further into disgrace. That coach took her sister from the nurse's office. They return wearing little but that indecent, inviting glow in their eyes. Her shame swells to the point of bursting as a bright light overpowers the sludge caked over her heart. The girl lashes out again and her restraints rattle in place as the Thieves give it their all. An incessant droning in the back of her head drowns out everything but heartache and the barking of orders.
Kamoshida snaps his fingers, craning his neck to observe the fracas from behind his gold knight's horse. The remaining hodgepodge, mostly gallows flowers and magic jugs, all perk up and cheer as they run at each other. Dark blobs merge into a puddle in the middle of the room and slimy tendrils slap around from deeper within. It blossoms as a huge shadowy figure far removed from the scamps that built it.
A cantankerous demon yawns and traps his forked tongue between bulbous lips. A new, more foul stench reaches the walls as his long, puckering tail flicks lazily around the floating toilet. He scrapes a yellowed nail between his fangs and rests his scraggy black jaw on a rugged palm. Mauve and muscular, leathery and naked save for bronze gloves and boots bolted into his skin. Grooved, burning horns as long as swords add to its inhuman height. The adoring volley-dolls in the background cheer and swoon at his grousing as the intruders react to the Ambassador of Filth.
"You're so big, Belphegor!"
Sumire flails against the padded restraints in vain as her rescuers battle it out. The demon sends a spray of fire at the strafing cat slinging shots at him. The team continues to build some much-needed momentum until Blackbeard Lunges, allowing Mona to hit a bullseye. Akimitsu takes a decisive step and points with his dagger.
"Now!"
Kamoshida watches a team of teenagers and their monster cat beat the living daylights out of his hired help. He paces in exasperation as his brainwashed dates bust out into laughter. The bellowing shit-lord rises once more as the Thieves cheer among themselves. Belphegor takes a deep breath, plants his hooves, and begins to concentrate.
Akimitsu's demeanor crumples as he unloads on the bearded thing, barely coaxing a reaction despite only missing once. Chocolate eyes dash around the room for anything remotely resembling a good idea until the Trickster is forced to return to the truth. This is not a matter of odds or difficulty; the new Thieves cannot hope to defeat a powerful Shadow without his own Persona. An aegis against the darkness, the key to avoiding ruin - absent.
"Come on, Ar-n, Ars-"
He chokes on the name, collapsing to one knee as he continues to cough. The eerie whispers from his dreams cease as the begin to claw the base of his skull like a hatching egg. Panther and Mona cry out as he collapses, clutching his ears. La Maupin incants but her target's metal banding drinks the lightning bolt like hot tea. She points at the cocksure king with her fencing sword as her worried summoner drags Akimitsu to safety. Skull throws both of his friends behind a busty statue as he leaps to save his downed teammate. Mona flies like a touchdown pass into Panther's arms as their unarmed leader writhes in silent agony.
"Rrr! Insolent worms! Maragilao!"
An indiscriminate barrage of fireballs destroys most of the Thieves' cover and miraculously misses the screaming Sumire. Skull hisses, leaning on his bad leg to evade crumbling marble. He tears his mask off and a chunk of ice the size of a normal toilet materializes in Belphegor's lap. It explodes and sends the monster crashing to the sticky floor. Mona leads a vengeful all-out attack as Akimitsu ekes out a painful retreat.
Panther catches him by the belt just before another blast of fire rises from the floorboards. She drags him to his feet with ease and Skull taunts the frustrated King as they retreat. Zorro dances in place and his Proud Presence puts the wind back in their sails.
"Any ideas? I'm surprised I'm this tired already. Maybe we can make a run for Kamoshida," the feline offers as their backs touch the wall. "Can you free Yoshizawa?"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kamoshida croons from between his tittering escorts. "I'd hate to have to kill such a cute girl, and in front of her sister, too; I mean, can you imagine how horrible that would be? Just keep it up and you might not have to," he growls, adjusting his grip.
Skull lets out a disappointed sigh. "Guys, let's j-"
Sumire screams, drawing every eye in the room. She thrashes in her panicked breaths as auric fury builds in her eyes. Something hot tears away the tender shell of a heart not yet crystallized by trauma. The birth of a brave spirit intent on inspiring the new Fool to defend her honor. Tears ignite into blue flames and form a dignified black beak over her eyes. Cracks form along the wall behind her as the echoes of restraint fade into her thrashing fists. Sumire takes a huge gasp of air as a voice fills her heart. Mona reaches out to help but Akimitsu stops him, thrilled at the way this is going.
I am thou; thou art I…
"You!" The right manacle shatters, then the left, and the freed Yoshizawa steps forth to confront her sister's captor. Skull lets out an audible reaction, as do the cheerleaders. "I knew something about you was wrong from the moment I saw you," she growls as chains rattle in the cloud of smoke spilling freely from the edges of her mask. Muffled bursts of light accompany her every word. "If these puppets are any indication of how you see others, then even the worst rumors about you must be true. You're unforgivable!" Panther stifles a happy sob as a glimmer of justice for Shiho lights up the room. "It's time I stopped being helpless. For all of you!"
Mona hides behind the astounded team to stop the silenced phone from gently liquefying his waist. He draws Skull's attention with a zipper before managing to free the gasping camera from its purple pouch. Active registrations push Burroughs' extensive summary aside.
'Fool Trickster: identified; entry updated: Yoshizawa Sumire. Entry added: Cendrillon; entry updated: awakening, false.' The camera falls on his stunned friend and red borders flash around the screen. 'En7ry ,-d^d: M*?; entry updated: Faith Trickster; entry updated: awakening, possession.'
"What the…" The baffled attendant scrutinizes one Trickster enraptured by the other. There, in the flashing lights, a horned mirage astride Akimitsu. "What the…"
"For Kasumi!"
The girl without glasses digs into the ground and springs into action, charging momentum for a complex routine. Sumire lifts off as she flings her bloodless mask to the sky. Nothing disturbs her in that jump; not rage, regret, nor Belphegor concentrating for a second impact. Her strawberry hair, arcing beautifully in the spotlight, eclipses Akimitsu's despair. The prisoners of fate find a smile in the shade.
Well, if those really are the shoes you've chosen…
The pristine maiden from Sumire's premonition finally opens her eyes. Howling as she darkens like an oil spill, the hollow Persona shatters her crystal cage. Burnt feathers scatter as she rushes up from the core of her master's heart to fulfill a divine duty. Belphegor blasts the cluster of screaming teenagers again as the acrobat lands, coursing with adrenaline. Kamoshida cackles victoriously as the golden knight's heavy cape shields him and his screaming pets from the hot wind.
Everyone gasps as a brilliant obsidian princess slaps the conflagration away. It snows ash and embers that shrink into nothing as they touch her. The Persona spreads bladelike limbs, ready to let 'em rip* as her audience clamors in awe. Sumire gazes up at her personal star as the steam clears. Lava glowing as bright as the gilded diamond in her chest coats the guardian's spinel form like lace. Long legs darker than coal reflect a royal skirt made from a single golden rod. A ribbon as red as the human's hair crowns an expressionless mask. The emergent halo becomes a long, rosy cloak that hovers above the resolute Thief.
"Out of my way!"
Cendrillon soars gracefully into battle, her Apollonian arms carving through the hovering shit-lord like butter. The gymnast's Persona plants a leg into Belphegor's chest to leverage a long slash against his face, kicking away to a delicate landing behind her summoner. His bloodshot eyes, trained on the burning ballerina, are unable to hide from Sumire's dazzle. Everyone but the Thieves exclaims, blinded by the mask as the front line takes a running start. The Persona leaps, leaving flames on the ceiling as she launches herself at Belphegor in a frenzied sword dance. Sumire somersaults beneath their foe as he is slain. They each roll onto one knee and a broad sweep cuts fear into the King's blood-spattered entourage. Rising in a slow spin, the frenzied ballerina shoots a holy arrow so heavy it pins the golden knight to the wall and knocks his horse down onto Kamoshida. The bikini-clad shadows of Kasumi and Ann scream as they scramble out of Kamoshida's limp grasp. There is a pause before an explosion of murky goo sets off the flock of semi-nude Shujin dolls.
Akimitsu would notice Mona scrambling to hide the phone if Skull had not grabbed him to celebrate. "Yo, Yoshizawa! That was bonkin'!"
Panther looks for a signal and her leader nods, following her to guard the door as the volley-dolls flee. Skull is about to startle an exhausted Mona with a direct question about the phone but a whimper stops him. Kamoshida begs for forgiveness as Sumire steps forward with a readied fist and grim intentions. Everyone watches as the cognitive copies huddle in the corner to clutch a trembling coward. Her twin, unrecognizable in the bejeweled lingerie matching the queen, looks up at Sumire with dull pink eyes and contempt.
"P-please," the King sputters, "I can give you anything you want. I-I-I promise; no, I swear! I'll leave you girls alone - all girls! - just please, d-don't hurt me!"
"They're not real," the transfer calls out for everyone to hear. "Kamoshida must be made to answer for his crimes in our world. But this isn't the real him, and these shadows aren't Ann or… Kasumi," Akimitsu finishes, distracted a light from the cat's new fanny pack.
"That's all I needed." Panther drives her heel through her ditzy knockoff.
Sumire starts to hyperventilate. A withering part of her refuses to accept this reality; if she looks like Kasumi, then she is Kasumi. But today is a day for the impossible. Ann just killed herself. The actual Kamoshida is somewhere alone with her sister. And if he's anything like this twin, in or out of this disgusting fantasy, then Akimitsu was right. He's a monster that must be stopped. The real Yoshizawa flinches as an evil presence wraps its fingers around her neck.
"What's wrong? Not running away? Aren't you a great athlete?" The girl in the red racing suit cracks her neck as her steps echo in the silent room. Kamoshida offers no resistance, only excuses to the masked firebrand and the buxom apparition behind her. Panther's voice is low and final, like a gladiator savoring certain victory. "Scared?"
Pathétique.
Ryuji notices the commotion, grimacing as his untrained body nears its limit. "Dude, what the hell! They're gonna kill him!"
"They better not," Morgana grumbles as he positions Burroughs like a director. And... Record. "I really hope that's not part of Joker's plan."
"Joker?"
Panther reaches to receive a barbed whip from La Maupin, promptly splitting the hairs around Kamoshida's heads. "Right now," she spits between precise lashes, "you're seeing the same view that Shiho did. I'm sure she was scared too. Except she had no choice but to jump. What will you do? Will you keep jumping? Until you give in? Think you can keep up? Or will I get bored first?"
I grow tired of rocks that do not roll.
Endeavor in Faith - or forfeit thine soul.
Akimitsu wrests his vengeful friend away from the meteor's path. Burnt Cendrillon dives like a daredevil, bloodied heel halting where walls and floor meet underneath Kamoshida. The crystal ballerina lashes out despite the Thieves' protest, carving the naked couple into a puff of ink. The concubine let out a shrill, short shriek echoed like a coda by her real twin.
The golden-eyed pervert is no more. His studded crown rattles like a cereal bowl around a gold medal asleep on its pristine tricolor sash and embossed with a volleyball in flight. The dolls that populated Kamoshida's love dungeon emit a heinous screech, reaching out for each other as they fall apart. Soon the chamber is silent save for Sumire's sobs.
"What did I do," she asks, hot tears streaking her face. "What did I do?"
Skull takes a chance, finding no guidance from the astonished team. "This place is like a haunted house," he says kindly, keeping as much distance from the charred spirit as she can. "That wasn't a real person, just a puppet playing pretend with his puppet friends. Game's over. We all get to go home - thanks to you."
"B-but what ab-about Kasumi-i?"
Akimitsu looks at the ceiling like a sherpa feeling a glacier shift underfoot. He matches Mona's steely gaze, disarming the cat with his quivering voice. "We have to go."
"Wha-at about Kas-sumi?!"
Panther takes her prize as the team reacts to a thunderous crash somewhere not very far above them. Skull is distracted by the blonde cascade as she settles the treasure in her suit and chucks the crown to Akimitsu like they'd done this before.
"Yoshizawa-san, please," Mona pleads as he gathers his gear. "Those were all Shadows. Products of the Palace Ruler's cognition, like this Palace. They were only here because he wanted people to feel as important as a king. But that's going away any second now."
"What?!" The Shujin veterans exchange glances but their moment is interrupted by another crash.
"We, can't, talk, now," Akimitsu frantically gestures. "Not w-"
"I refuse to return! I will never go back to being such pathetic, soot-coated garbage!" The crystal maiden roars, slashing at La Maupin like a cornered beast. Panther recoils in pain and Skull grabs Yoshizawa by the collar.
"Hey! Knock it off! We're here to help you," he yells, watching the counterattack approach.
Blackbeard's ship takes the worst of the holy bolt but manages to stay afloat. His master staggers back, knocking Panther off her feet and directing her last zap to a nearby costume rack. Akimitsu's fingers hover dangerously over the hilt of his dagger, his other hand imploring the bewildered Yoshizawa. That voice. Time stops, color drains, and a familiar figure steps across his sight as if it were a projection.
Now, fallen Trickster, finally you see the limits of humanity.
Accept my personal aid to wrest what this world owes thee.
Akimitsu's legs move free of his frantic commands as he draws his weapon. The ashen angel moves to joust but the human refuses to flinch in the face of death. Sumire's Persona strikes like a bullet and an invisible arm drags him by the wrist to riposte. Sparks fly as this barely perceptible presence breathing down Akimitsu's neck uses his body to painfully parry every single attack. The punishment is severe and the movement immaculate, a Shaolin monk's ideal of beauty, and they gain the advantage. The first Trickster drops his shattered chisel to catch Sumire's champion by her burning wrist and drives her to the ground.
The puppeteer relaxes but does not let him fall. It splits into an alien bird that hops up to peck at Burnt Cendrillon's cracked visage like a pile driver. Once, twice, thrice, each strike meeting less and less resistance. The second Trickster slumps to the ground as both of her masks break. The devil consumes the mad Persona like a vacuum, a slurry that was once harder than steel, and drops her as the Thieves rush to her aid. It melts from around its hosts into a dark swarm that consumes the broken dagger. The burning goo slurps into the cracked paneling, emerging to attack Sumire and worming past all her friends' defenses. Akimitsu absorbs her agony as it crawls down her throat.
I am not thou; thou art not I...
More crashing, closer still. Mona stows his phone and takes over the tense moment as Akimitsu gasps for breath on all fours. The veteran Shujin students share the burden of lifting their junior as the cat tries to help the transfer. They make steady progress through the crumbling halls as the swashbuckler uses his lead to dispatch the panicking guards ahead on his own. Zorro's concern bleeds through the rampage; not for their survival, but for his summoner's well-being. Much has changed since they first cut through here. The Thieves reach the foyer just as another golden knight leads a large group from the other end of the castle.
Mischievous owl-men and cavalier cats follow a bickering flock of twilight prostitutes and zealous messengers. A single forlorn maid embraces a school of pixies as they cling to her silky gown, some still mirthful among the sorrow. One of them waves. The pungent aroma of bicorns and kelpies brings up the rear, tracking mud across the checkerboard tile. All absent of bloodlust and avarice, all more frantic than the enervated humans. The war-hardened horseman holds his spear aloft as he trots to the top of the staircase, watching with pride as a trio of cobalt cavalrymen guide the crowd to safety.
"Spirits pledged to the great king Kamoshida!" It bellows over a rising rumble. "I, of the valiant clan Eligor, absolve you of fealty to the crown. May you all be blessed with fortune an-"
A tower falls. The deluge of debris pierces the King's giant portrait to smother the toastmaster as it spills over the stairs. Load-bearing planks splinter as the Thieves join the crowd. Everyone emerges coughing as the surviving knights seal the last great crash with heavy doors. Above them, the caustic thunderstorm accelerates like an upside-down tornado. Parts of the crumbled estate float toward an unseen brightness as the air around them begins to pick up.
"Hark, humans." The middle knight beckons in a deep, confident voice as its companions urge their flock across the drawbridge. "Please accept our humble gratitude for deposing our corrupted king. Should you ever require assistance in matters of coin or contract, please consider the Brothers Berith. To peaceful days, my Queen." He offers a silver signet ring in his gauntlet and his visor is bowed so low its trident obscures his blinking cerulean pearls.
"Thank you," Panther says, cordially accepting the token. "And that goes double for us."
"Yeah!" Mona scampers onto her shoulder as diplomatically as possible. "You can always count on the Phantom Thieves."
The persimmon horse dismisses them with a neighborly snort and turns to join the pilgrimage on the other side. Akimitsu stares at an empty spot by the entrance as his companions take a minute wake Sumire and inspect the magic gift. Skull jogs to follow the lone rider as the rain begins to let up.
"Hey, hold up a sec," he says, wincing as his knees adjust to the wooden bridge. "Uh, Mr. Berith, sir. I thought demons or whatever were always evil and ate humans and shit. A-and if you're not from here, where are you going?"
"Forward," he replies. "We are but demons, yes, and what are demons but creatures? Creatures must eat and talk; we are all made of desires and ideals. Our homes are but a piece of us that must change and die as we do. Such is life. There shall be times to rest just as there are times to wander. And as bold as our natures drive us to be," taking a long look back at the buried staircase before turning to regard the survivors, "I consider it better to have hard times than none at all."
"Cool," Ryuji breathes, watching the parade depart like school let out for summer. The sweaty crew joins him, adjusting their grip on the still-unconscious Yoshizawa as the castle's foundation tears itself from the earth, shattering the walls. He says it again as the bridge's logs tumble into the floating moat. There is a doorway where the toadstool shrine stood, its maddening contents visible for less than a second as one last Pixie winks before closing the door.
"Come on, stand right here," says Morgana. "This place is about to revert to reality!"
They all squeeze into the distorted nook between fading trees as the magical tornado consumes Kamoshida's Palace. Three dark seeds glitter out of view and the clouds collapse at the nuclear level. Blinding light staggers the Thieves back into their world. Akimitsu screams as he clutches his burning head before crashing onto the side of the dumpster.
Sae parks the car beside the ambulance as she yanks the keys from the ignition. Makoto adds the experience to the list of reasons why she should bother installing a breathalyzer. No, really, she'd insist, I think somebody broke in. They slam the Lexus' doors shut as a passing cloud reveals the college freshman's alma mater. A frantic call regarding a heart attack out of the blue; details unusual and unknown, just like the other cases. The city coroner will collect the suddenly unhealthy corpse of Kamoshida Suguru before dusk.
The commissioner, already aware of the truth, sent his chief investigator and her fledgling protégé to determine if foul play was involved in the sudden death of an Olympic gold medalist. Then he made a private call. His instructions were to travel with the utmost secrecy and haste to meet with the witnesses before any paparazzi get wind of it from some nosy punk, then escort the paramedics. The younger Niijima raises her nose at the moped Akechi bought a month ago parked almost out of view. She brushes a wave of chestnut hair over athletic shoulders as they storm the building.
Ryuji found the redhead halfway across the school faster than it took for everyone to turn on Akimitsu. Kawakami, lost in the halls, overheard something about a shutdown on their way back. She busted the door wide open again, dislodging a screw or two in the process and startling Morgana into his carrier. There, supine like a deflated volleyball, lay the famous coach. Kawakami screamed and Ryuji caught Sumire before she could run away again. The shocked newcomers looked past Ann to the stoic Akimitsu, struggling to make sense of his involvement in this. All the while, a cat texted with a phone in a bag under a chair.
None of them said a word as she called the principal, who in turn urged them to keep their mouths shut and hung up to make another call. That powerful man, many steps removed, toppled the first domino in a new line.
The somber atmosphere is shattered as Sumire leaps from her seat with a happy cry to embrace Kasumi. She is led by a kind man with large glasses, puzzled by the squeaky, loose door leading into the nurse's office.
"Sorry for the intrusion," he says, finishing a long note in the margins of his clipboard. "And I guess I should add, sorry I'm late. You won't believe what happened on the subw-"
Maruki Takuto gasps at the scene glaring back at him. He starts to ask something as a stylish inquisitor shoves past him. Her hair is shaved on one side to showcase her dark sunglasses and her clothes match her corner office. A young woman wearing a forest green turtleneck and a face much like her partner's locks the door behind her. They come to a stop in unison.
"SID," the tall one says, flashing her badge. "What happened here?"
Kawakami stammers, taken aback by her authority. "He-h, h-ka-Kamoshida, heart attack. I was out, S-Sumire," pointing twice, "went looking for her sister. She was with him before that."
"Sumire," speaking into her phone, "And Kasumi? Yoshizawa?" They nod, doubly afraid that she knows their names. "Talk."
Kasumi's visible tension softens as her sister clutches her hand. Seated between them, Sumire shares a look of trust with her twin and angles a glance towards the shivering boy in the bed. A curt message.
"He was like this when we found him," Sumire says, turning to address the woman. A horrified look of sympathy overtakes Makoto as she regards the dead man with a hand to her mouth. "And he was crying about something into that pillow like a baby."
"You mean he confessed. What was he crying about?"
Ryuji laughs and stops like a mouse cornered by a snake. "Hyenas. H- he said, hyenas. No, no, wait, hear me out," he coughs, standing up to sing. "It was, uh; um, yeah, it was: 'those goddamn hyenas, pushing their expectations on me. Too much fame and idiot girls and practicing with children,' or something," looking at Ann, seasick from her embarrassment yet nodding in agreement. "And then, oh man, he just kept crying. Like a b-," hearing her tail rattle, "baby, ahem. Ma'am."
"He did say that," Ann adds, rubbing her temples. "For what it's worth, I think he sounded pretty scared."
"And him?" Sae shoves Ryuji out of the way as the investigators pile into the partition surrounding Akimitsu. She approaches the boy in the bed, one hawk landing on the other's cage. "Tell me your name and why you're here."
The black-haired stranger fishes for an excuse and plucks the king of the pond, a reply so elusive, so unbelievably believable, old men tell tales about it. Stunted memories of Ren's interrogation surge behind his mind's eye and Akimitsu sighs, focusing instead on keeping himself as honest as possible with the cutthroat prosecutor. He introduces himself, unwilling to lose their staring contest.
"I'm literally new here. Kawakami met with me after class to review the lesson plan and we found the coach alone with the twins; Sumire fainted, so we brought her here, and he took Kasumi for a tour. I read until she woke up and asked me what happened. In hindsight," he says, not closing his eyes despite an honest chuckle, "probably shouldn't have led with 'I don't know'."
"I'm sorry!" The seated Sumire bows nervously, surprising even her twin. "It's my fault in the first place. I-I panicked; I got lost looking for Kasumi and just kept running. And then I saw a stranger chasing me, so I lef-left the school a-and," her teary eyes shooting up at the stern woman to bring it home, "I'm so sorry!"
Makoto begins to sympathize with them until she meets the smirking boy's eyes and he looks away, scalded. Then it all comes undone: the twins' quick glances - sister code - the girl hiding a bag with her boots, and the punk that is unfazed by the body near the couch. She bullies herself for slipping up and ignoring her investigative instinct. Not a problem for her sister, who never turns it off, but it makes the younger Niijima think - how much does she really want to be like Sae?
"How did you get back here, then? She looks like she can barely lift her backpack."
Sumire eases up on the act but Kasumi takes the lead. "We're competitive gymnasts," she brags, shattering the coercion and their dainty demeanor. "We lift, throw, and catch each other all the time."
"I think I can answer that," says their newest arrival as he adjusts his lab coat. "Hello, Dr. Maruki Takuto; I'm-"
"And how did you get back here, Notokami?"
"I slept through that part, actually."
"Ahem," Maruki interjects but he is not prepared for their undivided attention. "A, uh, well. A fatal pileup in the subway this morning shut down the line I'd usually take to get here. It looked pretty serious, maybe even worse than when the transportation secretary had to step down last year. I tried taking a taxi to avoid the hassle and ended up in traffic during a downpour. Then, after I finished my sess- conversation with the driver and finally found the school, what did I see but some Shujin students dragging a body from an alley!"
He tries to pop a candy into his grinning mouth and it clatters against his glasses, deflating the rest of his story. Ryuji infects everyone with laughter. Even Makoto coughs, straightening her vest as Sae shoots her a glare, already planning the rest of her week around the breaking news. It is Ann who recovers the thread.
"I was walking to school because my photoshoot ended," she says, just now recognizing how glamorous that sounds based on the shared look from both sets of sisters. "Th-then I ran into my friend Ryuji, who didn't bring an umbrella, so we took a shortcut. I think we ended up finding them just after it happened."
Kawakami slaps the spiky-haired blonde less than playfully upside the head. "And why were you running late, mister?"
"I, uh, slept in."
"That settles everything but the how and the why," Makoto says, closing her notebook and freezing as all eyes fall to her. Only the good doctor disturbs this as he unwraps another treat.
"I imagine our sleepy friend kept hitting snooze?"
"No," Sae says, pinching her nose. "Why would a perfectly healthy Olympic medalist die of a heart attack? Kasumi, I need you to tell me where he took you. And why you passed out."
"Well, I did hit my head on a dumpster," adds Akimitsu, wincing as he touches the bruise.
"Yeah, come to think of it," Ann says, "you should definitely get that checked out."
"Super bad*," Makoto chimes from behind her Midori spiral. She hides the rest of her face as Inspector Niijima cuts them all off with a glance.
"I meant Sumire."
This time Kasumi rescues her sister from an uncomfortable answer. "She didn't sleep well last night; night terrors and headaches. We were already planning on going to the doctor together after school."
"Why, I can take a look at her today," Dr. Maruki advertises. "I am a board-certified psychiatrist and have conducted extensive neurochemical research as an undergraduate*."
"That will have to do," she says, glancing at the stream of notifications on her phone. "Answer my question, Kasumi."
The Yoshizawas share a breath before Sumire turns to her cryptic new friend and Kasumi looks to the presumably dead man. Equal suspicions for entirely different reasons.
"Kamoshida said he was going to give me a tour of the facilities," she begins, reporting more to Kawakami than the Niijimas. "He did. Shujin Academy is very nice compared to some of the other schools we've visited. But the closer it got to the volleyball courts, the… The angrier he became. I saw him blow up and throw balls at students like it was nothing. I don't know what that would be like in practice." Her gaze drops. "Then, he led me to a storage area."
The adults look at each other in horror, then back to Sumire. She holds her sister's hand as she continues in a hollow voice.
"He talked about the scholarship we'd just accepted and our place in the school these next few years. How we might need help keeping our grades up. He promised a lot of things, most of them bad, and said that if I didn't say anything, Sumire would be okay. Then he-"
"That's more than enough, Kasumi, thank you." Sae interjects just shy of putting her hand over the girl's mouth.
"He walked up and started sobbing," Kasumi says, irritated that her vulnerable admission was disrupted. "Kamoshida fell to his knees and I pretty much had to kick him off to get away."
"Why would he do that?" The ever-present Makoto peeks at the redhead from her notes.
"Why would a train crash?" Akimitsu says, twisting everyone's neck to his corner. Inside the duffel bag under Ann's seat, Morgana bites his tail to resist ambushing that idiot. Whatever, let him. The hidden cat tries to concentrates on the trove of information Burroughs organized from such a short excursion, but he can't resist eavesdropping.
"Excuse me," Sae begins to ask, startled as her phone buzzes. Him. "... Excuse me."
Makoto keeps a straight face, audibly concerned that her sister is leaving her with the- "Oh! Um, yes - let's see." Flip, skim, flip. "Then you ran into Maruki-san, is that correct?"
"Yes," he says, delighted to have the mic again. "And I suppose I'll introduce myself at the assembly tomorrow, but now's as good a time as any. Ahem," again adjusting his coat, "I am Dr. Maruki Takuto, theoretical psychologist. The graciously generous Shujin Academy believes in my research enough to assist me in gathering data for my thesis. Well, in addition to providing counseling services for students and staff. And yourself, Mizz…?"
Her officious demeanor collapses; in all their bravado, they never introduced themselves.
"We represent the Tokyo District Special Investigation Department," she says with pride as her heels click. "My name is Niijima Makoto; I am a Criminal Justice student at the University of Tokyo operating with my sister, Niijima Sae, in a special capacity. Our presence here is to determine the facts and oversee discreet transport of a public figure. And we, um, used to go to school here. Oh," she says, leafing to a new page. "We require your contact information in the event of further questioning. And I believe this goes without saying, but this event and our visit are to remain secret until publicly addressed. As I hope you know, even unintentional tampering with an active investigation is punishable by a fine or jail time. So," holding out her panda-pattern pen with a smile, "who's first?"
The notebook goes around the circle and ends up in Akimitsu's lap. Ryuji signed his with a wink, scribbled out - honestly, by anyone - and the other students added hearts and faces to theirs. Kawakami drew a cute smile and Maruki included a single-line sketch of a dog. Trying his best to commit six phone numbers to memory instantly, Akimitsu chooses to sign his with a nuclear symbol. That is the only time his eyes leave her delicate face. He stifles a huge smile at an adorable look of surprise as her sister barges in with a team of paramedics.
"Dr. Maruki, a crime scene is being set up in your office. It should be gone by the end of the day. Kawakami-san, I need to speak with your principal. Makoto, get-"
"I did," she says bitterly. "And the warning."
"… Good. The rest of you, my card - Makoto, my cards - and thank you for your time. Come, we have work to do."
Ann fumbles as the stressed girl passes out the tastefully off-white, watermarked prints. Something about the dynamic between these sisters is beyond abrasive, not of the same cloth as the bond seated next to her or even the one she shared with Shiho.
"Hey," she whispers quickly. "You're probably super busy but we should totally hang out sometime. Okay, see you soon!"
Makoto drops the last card on the bed, staring at Ann and the nodding redheaded twins with a strange look, like somebody trying to decide if they like a tropical drink. She agrees with a gentle smile, one trying not to leave the party. She looks back at the boy on the bed and Akimitsu can't stifle a gasp as his Queen leaves the room. The hallucinations constrict not his mind but his heart because they are not all memories of trial by combat. Many are soft and warm like noon in fall and street food, a gifted scarf and the palm of a loved one in winter. An adventure of fake dates, a timid question at the Crossroads; holding hands in the Ferris wheel and watching movies on the weekends; the way she squints when she smiles and how her hair shines as she spins. A long time ago, in a city not so far away, Ren loved Makoto, and she loved him.
Maruki speculates quietly about the cringing young man as everyone adds the ruthless investigator and her friendly intern to their contacts. "I suppose I need to see the principal, too. And since I can hardly imagine the day you all must have had - here," he says, scavenging a pink pad from the no-show nurse's desk. "As my first official duty here at Shujin Academy, I am prescribing the rest of the day off. On the condition," the kind man nags, clotheslining the cheer, "that you all come in for a one-on-one counseling session later this month. It doesn't even have to be about today, we can just talk!"
The Yoshizawas thank him in unison, prompting the others to follow through. Even Ryuji begrudgingly accepts as the aftermath of his day catches up to him. After all, talking to an accredited professional feels a little more reassuring than visiting a fortune teller.
"I don't suppose you could give me one of those," jokes the now emotionally exhausted teacher. Maruki looks up from the papers with a smile so honest, it wakes her up a little.
"Why, I definitely could, uh-" Kawakami, "Kawakami-san. I respect your duty to your students, but I also understand some of that cost. Perhaps we could arrange for more free time in your day, or maybe a different sleeping regimen. The more I know about my patients, the more I can do to try and help. That is, if you'd like to talk with me; about your day, and sleeping, that is. Uh," the doctor blushes as his voice cracks and her smile turns coy.
"Okay," Ann says, standing swiftly with a clap and a meowing duffel bag in hand. Careful, there's a knife and a gun in here! She swipes the signed slips from the malfunctioning adult before he drags the rest of them down with his game. "We'll see you soon?" The platinum-blonde model looks around to gather nods of agreement. "We'll see you soon," she calls, ushering her new friends out of the nurse's office to let the adults get to work.
Akimitsu hears a whisper as the first responders carry a gurney up the school steps. That fucking voice.
Bravo.
Footnotes:
* 20xx - "Never [-]ing mind how I'm doing it!" (watch?v=lQIFC_VOUo)
* replica - this one's a long-barrel RIPistol; or, as I call it, the Ezio Gun.
* let 'em rip - RULES OF NATURE
* on concussions - "So? You get like, six freebies." "No you don't!"
* extensive neurochemical research as an undergraduate - Didn't we all.