(AUTHOR'S NOTE: A section of this chapter, which would normally be right here, had to be omitted to prevent a vigilante group of tattletales named Critics United from reporting this story and leading to it potentially being taken down, despite possible rule ambiguity. It's really a damn shame, because I personally find that part of Chapter 3 to be one of my favorites, so the omission of it is really unfortunate and literally entirely due to this group. If you wish to read this chapter unedited, please head over to AO3 and find this story's Chapter 3 there (or just head to /works/10931373/chapters/24675735). Thanks!)
This was not going to be easy.
Naoto had known that from the moment her assignment had come in, and her first day on the job had only confirmed what she had feared: the police had nothing actionable.
Their list of suspects included every student on the volleyball and track teams at Shujin Academy, every pupil of Madarame, and every person Kaneshiro had ever stolen from. This list was easily well over a hundred people, and no person appeared on all three.
The calling cards had no fingerprints, fibers, or anything at all that could be used. No local printers had made the cards, and tracking everyone who had bought ink in the past four months was impossible. Even the transcripts from the targets never named anyone directly, because they weren't exactly focused on catching the Phantom Thieves - they had long since accepted their fates and were not exceptionally cooperative, far more focused on their own misery and guilt.
This case was one of the toughest she'd ever worked, and thinking on it consistently brought her back to the Inaba Murders.
It wasn't exactly the same case, of course, but the sense of mystery and distinct lack of evidence that defined the Inaba case were both present here in Tokyo with the Phantom Thieves. Adachi had been responsible, directly or indirectly, for a string of murders that only stopped when Yu and the rest of the Investigation Team uncovered the secrets of the Midnight Channel. During her solo days in that case, Naoto herself had been utterly stumped, only able to piece together a pattern based on TV appearances and the fact that all of the people on TV had gone missing.
Both the appearances and the going missing were just coincidences, but they were repeated over and over. That made them patterns - narrow ones, at that - and it was what had lead Naoto to her conclusions.
With the Phantom Thieves, there were no discernible, narrow patterns that foretold their targets. There was no predictor in place that Naoto could see. The only pattern to their preferences was that their targets were adults, in positions of authority, abusing (among others) teenagers - hardly a pattern that would produce a small pool of suspects. Keeping tabs on every corrupt adult in the city that had contact with teenagers would be impossible to start, much less maintain for any length of time.
Compounding the case were the mental shutdown incidents, linked to the activity of the Phantom Thieves by timing only - the kind of victims that were hit with mental shutdowns didn't match the profile of victims who received calling cards. Sae had been gracious enough to provide Naoto with what the police had on these incidents, and Naoto suspected a connection, but couldn't prove one - Sae was working the Phantom Thieves, and Akechi was on the mental shutdowns, and they talked often about them to each other. Or, they did, when Akechi had the time.
The mental shutdowns in particular stuck out to Naoto because it seemed to resemble Apathy Syndrome. Mitsuru had told her of the Tatsumi Port Island-specific affliction after they had met during the P-1 Grand Prix business, and Naoto herself had seen it during the Midnight Stage debacle. There, it'd been called Mass Lethargy Syndrome. She and Mitsuru had concluded that they were the same affliction - at Gekkoukan, people's Shadows weren't being devoured, just their "psyche", and with Mass Lethargy, people's Shadows were being taken from them by Mikuratana-no-Kami. With both causes, it was the same result, and the pattern was clear.
Here, though, the mental shutdown targets were often not turned listless or slothful - they were becoming enraged, driven mad, made to do things they normally never would have done. Many of them recovered afterwards, having no memory of the incident, though some passed away. Who lived and who died had no pattern, along with who went mad versus who simply went lethargic.
Still, it nagged at her - between Tatsumi Port Island, Inaba, and now Tokyo, every victim experienced emotional or mental changes with no real physical trauma. In the former two incidents, Shadows were involved in some way, either people's own individual Shadows or ownerless Shadows that preyed on innocent victims.
Naoto hated jumping to conclusions, but her sense that something beyond the physical world had changed in Tokyo was growing stronger and stronger the more she thought about it. It was dangerous to go down this line of thinking, but she filed it away in a prominent place in her head. Proving it would be hard, but if she could…
"Now arriving at Shibuya Station!" The announcer's voice snapped Naoto from her reverie, and she glanced out the windows to see the platform zooming into view.
Switch it off, Naoto. Work's over for now. You deserve a break.
She took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly through her nose as the train came to a stop, metaphorically leaving her cases back at the courthouse. For now, it was time to explore the city some more. As she stepped out of the train and looked around the station, the underground mall seemed as good a place as any to start.
The mall itself was moderately crowded this evening, and Naoto took some time browsing the various shops carrying all sorts of wares - clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, sweets, foreign imports, records, video games, and a dozen other categories she didn't keep track of. Her recognition got her a few stares and whispers, but no one approached her, and she'd long since learned how to tune the background chatter out.
She had packed light due to the short notice, so she only had a few sets of clothes, so she spent most of her time stocking up on clothes. She'd brought precious little in the realm of entertainment, and to her disappointment, the mall did not include a bookstore. she resolved to save that trip for the upcoming weekend, maybe pick up some movies as well. She also needed to make a grocery run - her apartment had a kitchen, but no food yet. The nearby convenience store would do fine for a few days, but she longed to cook for herself. Yu's teaching had not gone to waste.
She was only a little bit into her browsing when she happened upon a flower shop. Curious, she walked over and gave it a cursory examination. It was a small stall, but it was beautiful and colorful compared to many of the other shops. The back section was stocked with many gorgeous flowers, and there were accessories all around - display stands, pots, and wire racks, among other things. A young, cheerful woman was standing in front, likely to take orders, and another employee was in the back - they were facing away from Naoto, busying themselves with something. Curiously, there was a cat sitting in the back, a beautiful black shorthair with a white mouth, white paws, and a white-tipped tail
The woman (Naoto guessed she was the owner or manager) turned to face Naoto and bowed, flashing her a bright smile as she straightened up. "Welcome! Can I help you with anything today? Would you like to order a custom bouquet?"
The thought of Rise holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers and doing that sweet, warm smile of hers was all the motivation Naoto needed to move forward with the idea. "Perhaps," Naoto said, thoughtfully rubbing her chin with her left hand and setting down her bags. "Do you deliver?"
"Yes ma'am! We have a contract with an express delivery company to make sure your flowers arrive just as beautiful and healthy as you see them here!"
"Excellent. I'm afraid I don't know the meanings of many flowers, but I believe I can describe the colors I'd like, if that's all right?"
The manager nodded, smiling wide as she reached over to the nearby stall and picked up a clipboard, starting to fill out a form. "Of course. Kurusu-san!"
At her call, the employee in the back turned around to face them, and Naoto had to do a double take - it was undoubtedly the young man from the previous night at the beef bowl place. Same short black fluffy hair, same big round glasses, same high school age. The only thing different was the uniform.
He must be dedicated, working all over the place. I wonder if he's providing for someone.
"This young person would like to order a bouquet." The manager turned to face Naoto. "This is Kurusu-san, my assistant. Tell him what colors or styles you'd like, and if you can, who this is for. The intention of this bouquet and the relationship you have with this person will help him choose the right flowers."
Naoto and Kurusu locked eyes for a moment, and she saw something in the way that he looked at her. It wasn't lecherous or demeaning or anything of the sort - it was thoughtful, piercing, observant. He was listening, that much she could tell, but he seemed perceptive beyond the normal.
It took her a moment to even get back to the task at hand, but she managed, kicking her brain into gear. "It's for my-...dear friend. She means a great deal to me," she said with a gentle smile, and she couldn't help the flush that colored her cheeks. Thinking of Rise often did that. "F-for the colors, I'd like, uh...pinks and blues. Darker or richer blues, if possible. Is that all right?"
Getting those sentences out had taken way more effort than she thought it would, but Kurusu nodded in understanding and got to work. With some help from the manager (and the cat, given how often it meowed), he picked out some flowers. Naoto, to avoid showing her flushed face as much as possible, turned her attention to her phone.
Soon, they presented Naoto with a gorgeous bouquet, made of a mixture of white, pink, and deep blue flowers of various sizes. The colors blended perfectly, the pinks adding an element of playfulness and charm that reminded Naoto so much of her girlfriend, and the blues serving to contrast the otherwise light colors and add a richness to the entire ensemble. Smiling, Naoto lifted it to her nose and inhaled deeply, delighted by the fresh scents. She hadn't said what Rise was to her, but Kurusu seemed to have caught on anyway.
She's absolutely going to love this. "This...this is perfect. Thank you very much. How long will delivery take?"
"Only a day or two. Can I get the address and name of the recipient, and would you like to attach a note?"
Naoto nodded, taking the form the manager handed to her and filling it out. She avoided using Rise's real name for obvious reasons, instead using a pseudonym, and she had it delivered to their apartment. For the note, she wrote:
I think pink and blue go well together, and I'm glad you do as well. I miss you already, and I love you dearly. I'll be home before you know it. Love, your Prince
She paid for the flowers and bid the stand goodbye before she turned and walked away, resuming her impromptu shopping. She couldn't shake the image of Kurusu, the way he seemed to look beyond what she presented.
Still, she tried her best to let him go as she ducked into a jewelery store, looking at the many rings and necklaces that were way above her price range, thinking of what else Rise would like as a gift.
Yu had once explained to Naoto how she was deeply associated with the Wheel of Fortune from the tarot. This particular card, as she'd studied, stood for many things when used in divination: luck, fate, fortune, opportunity, destiny, cycles, turning points. In less commonly benevolent ways, it also stood for circumstances beyond one's control and a fickle nature, changing often between one thing or the other.
Many of his friends, he'd said, were associated with some element of the tarot's trump cards. As fantastical as it sounded to be linked with a mystical tarot card, it seemed to fit - Naoto herself had changed the way the investigation was proceeding when she'd joined Yu and the others, and she had seized her own destiny and changed the course of her own fate. It was not to say that the rest of the team didn't matter, but her entrance into the Investigation Team had caused a permanent shift in how they acted.
Perhaps it was this association with Fortune that lead to her meeting with Kurusu once again.
She was leaving the convenience store near the station with some food staples in tow when she almost crashed into someone as they were moving quickly out of a side alley. Naoto stumbled with a yelp, nearly ending up sprawled out on the ground as the other person awkwardly spun off to avoid a collision. They both ended up unbalanced and off-kilter as their bags fell to the ground, the contents spilling out.
Her hand found the other person's side, and their hand found her shoulder, and when they'd finally steadied each other, only then did Naoto look up and find that it was none other than Kurusu. He was accompanied by the cat from the flower shop, perched on his shoulder and holding on tight.
"Sorry about that," he apologized as he looked her over, checking her for injuries. "Are you okay…Shirogane-sama?"
She smiled, waving her hand to indicate she was fine. "We seem to keep meeting, Kurusu-san. And I'm quite all right, nothing's broken. Here, let me help."
She moved to pick up his bag as the cat meowed loudly, leaning down to push the contents back in, and that's when what had spilled out of his bag caught her eye: exceptionally well detailed airsoft firearms, including a revolver, a shotgun, and an assault rifle. She pushed them back into the bag and picked it up, handing them back to Kurusu, who took it without so much as a blink. Airsoft guns weren't illegal in Japan, though the realistic quality of these weapons (not counting the orange tip, of course) was a little strange. "Weekend hobby?" she asked, eyebrow raised. Her tone was polite, far from accusatory
"Yeah, you could say that," Kurusu replied, nonchalant as he straightened up and rotated his shoulders. His cat meowed again, and he glanced over at it, shrugging in response. It then looked at Naoto, watching her with unusually intelligent blue eyes.
"I'm surprised you have time with all your jobs, but I can respect your work ethic. Can I ask why you work so much?" She began gathering up her own things, and Kurusu set down his bag and knelt down to help.
He indicated the bag of airsoft weapons. "I have hobbies, and I'm too young to work the street corners, so here we are." The casual tone he used for such a statement made her grin, and once again, she was reminded of Yu - he and Kurusu shared a bone dry wit.
"I can respect that." She had her own guilty pleasures, after all. "A lot of the money from my first few cases went towards Phoenix Ranger Featherman figures."
Her bags gathered, she stood up and was about to bid Kurusu goodbye when the idea hit her. Glancing back at him, she arched an eyebrow. "Can I trouble you to walk me back to my apartment, Kurusu-san? It's not far, but I'd like to speak with you for a bit, if that's all right."
This was as good an opportunity as any to learn more about how the people of Tokyo saw the vigilante group, and she had a more personal reason for wanting to speak to him - something about Kurusu still stuck out to Naoto. There was some kind of air about him that she couldn't place. This would surely help her place it.
The cat meowed, a low "mrowl" sound. Kurusu glanced at it, then nodded to Naoto. "Sure, I'm heading that way anyway. Morgana's been whining for the last half hour. I think he's hungry." He got in step beside Naoto, and the two started walking back towards the station square. From there, Naoto had a few blocks to go to her corporate apartment, and thus, home. But until then...
"What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?"
There were probably subtler ways she could've asked him, but Naoto was nothing if not direct. Kurusu looked down at her, perhaps thrown off by the question that came from seemingly nowhere, but he hid it well if he was. "I think they're necessary," he stated.
The answer caught Naoto by surprise - she hadn't been expecting such a strong one. "Necessary?"
"Someone has to bring these people to justice, and sometimes the police can't or won't." He shrugged again. "They're doing what needs to be done."
Naoto nodded, taking the chance to really scrutinize Kurusu. He seemed to carry himself well, but he was hunched over, his free hand in his pocket. He was making himself smaller, less notable - difficult, given his height. He spoke quietly, too, despite his emphatic tone. For someone who seemed so noticeable, he didn't want to be noticed. He hid his opinions unless asked for them, it seemed.
"They're courageous, I'll give them that," she said as she looked ahead of them. "Few people would be so bold as to take down a mob boss, a world-famous artist, and an ex-Olympian gym teacher. All those targets had connections, authority. They all were used to getting their way, and hurting others when they didn't - it was dangerous to take them down, and yet, the Phantom Thieves did.
"It makes me wonder if the Phantom Thieves are, perhaps, victims of these people. I think they feel an obligation to help, a duty to the world that only they can fulfill - they want to make sure no one else suffers like they did."
It's how we felt back in Inaba...we had a purpose, a goal. Someone had to stop the murderer, and it wasn't going to be the police. We had to stop Adachi, because we wanted to ensure no one else was hurt.
"...and I was supposed to be listening to you talk about them, not ramble on myself," she said with a soft giggle. "Apologies. What do you think, Kurusu-san? Do you think they feel an onus?"
"They feel something, all right." Morgana meowed, and Kurusu nodded, reaching up to scratch behind the cat's ears. "If what you say is true, and they are victims of those people...I think they want revenge. I know I would."
"Revenge?" The answer wasn't surprising, and she and Sae had discussed it. Kamoshida had nearly killed a student, beat countless, and sexually assaulted several. Madarame had stolen the life's work of many people, claiming it as his own, producing forgeries to drive up his prices. Kaneshiro had ruined hundreds of lives, stealing and blackmailing with no remorse.
Naoto preferred to think of the thieves as more noble than stooping to revenge, given their apparent lack of injuring their public targets and their focus on redemption through justice. Revenge and justice were two halves of a whole, the only thing separating them being a selfish desire to act for yourself as opposed to others. Revenge was, Naoto knew, a selfish act. When they had nearly thrown Namatame into the Midnight Channel, that would've been revenge.
But justice had found us the truth.
"I've seen what the victims of Kamoshida and the others have gone through, and I can see why they would want to make those men suffer." She took a moment, thinking back through all the cases she'd worked on, and how many times she'd felt a fleeting urge to smash her fist into the face of a criminal for what he'd done. "I've worked on many a case where it was genuinely difficult to arrest a subject and hand him over to the courts, knowing deep down that he was guilty but might get off anyway. The rich men are the worst, so confident and cocksure, sneering and smirking as we force them into handcuffs. It's worth it, though, to see their faces fall as the judge sentences them."
She sighed, turning her gaze skyward, admiring the gorgeous colors of the oncoming night. She missed the quiet of Inaba, but she felt an odd sense of comfort here, like it was where she needed to be. Kurusu said nothing in reply, instead walking along in silence for a few moments. Whether he was thinking or just walking, Naoto couldn't tell. She was so unused to being around someone who seemed to study her as much as she studied them - she'd caught Kurusu looking at her a few times as they walked, stolen glances that were observant, critical.
Kurusu finally broke the silence as they approached her apartment building. "Why this case, Shirogane-sama?"
Her attention turned back to Kurusu. He looked almost worried, so she gave him a reassuring smile. "Because I was asked, for one. Because it intrigues me, for another. It seems...similar to another case I had, back in my hometown of Inaba. Not in obvious ways, though."
They arrived at the entrance to her building, and she stopped, turning to face Kurusu fully. "In more subtle, obscured ways. The patterns are there, somewhere. I just need to find them."
Kurusu blinked a few times, then handed her the bags he was carrying. "Well...good luck, Shirogane-sama. It was nice talking with you."
"Thank you, Kurusu-san. And thank you for walking me home, and also for...indulging my curiosity. The conversation has been quite enlightening." She bowed slightly, and he returned it. "Good night to you."
With that, she turned and went into her building, leaving Kurusu on the sidewalk outside.
Same quiet nature. Same way of getting me to talk without knowing it. Same observant habits. I wonder if Yu has a long-lost younger brother he didn't tell us about.
An image of Kurusu stuck with her as she rode the elevator up to her room, and it stayed with her for most of the night.