With no choice but to wait for the following day, the group planned to use this in between time to take advantage of the environment they were in. Okinawa had a beautiful beach and crystal clear waters, and it was time for them to enjoy part of their summoner on the beach! "What do you think about here?" Ryuji asked the others. "This spot just screams 'beach party!'"
"The water is mesmerizing..." Makoto was looking out to the water in awe. She swore it was sparkling. "It almost looks dreamlike."
"All right, let's set up camp." Zenkichi said. The others agreed, and the moment they were finished setting everything up...
"BEACH TIIIIIIME!" Ann laughed, taking Hifumi by the hand to run off towards the sand.
"Eep...! B-Beach time!" Hifumi was also excited for this. She was gladly led away by Ann.
"Hey, dude! Wait up!" Ryuji quickly ran after them.
"Hold on...!" Makoto had to begin a desperate chase. "You haven't put on sunscreen!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Zenkichi called out to those who ran off. "Can't you kids just...behave..." Too late for that. They were already long gone. "Geez, these loud ass brats."
"Loosen your tie, Zenkichi." Ren said with a small laugh.
"Don't be stupid." Zenkichi shook his head. "I'm gonna check a few things on the camper - you go have fun."
"Were you not the one that told me to loosen up?" Akechi lifted a brow. Now, it wasn't as if he cared if Zenkichi joined them or not, but he wasn't going to allow this act of karma go past him. "You should take your own advice every once and while."
"Oof." Zenkichi could feel the karma.
"Besides, people are gonna be suspicious of anyone with such a sour look on their face." Morgana added. "If you're gonna act like a tourist, at least fake having fun. That goes for the both of you." He was including Akechi in this as well, which only made him grunt in annoyance.
"Why not try relaxing for once?" Yusuke said. "Remaining on edge all the time can't be good for you." He then walked off.
"You can't beat the opportunity, Zenkichi-san!" Haru giggled before walking off as well.
"There's nothing to do until tomorrow! Taking a break is important every so often!" Sumire added. "Sophia, do you want to see the ocean? My phone is water proof."
"Oh, yes, please!" Sophia said excitedly. "I was just about to ask you. I know this phone is water proof!"
"Mewehehe...are you gonna let the little lady down, Zenkichi?" Futaba snickered before walking off with Sumire.
Damn. Completely out voted by all these kids. The worst part is that they had a point. "Fine!" Zenkichi conceded. "I'll take a break. But just a short one, hear me!?"
"Nyehehe...you don't seem to bothered at all by it." Morgana teased.
"Shut up..." Zenkichi really wasn't that bothered. If he was looking for an excuse to take a load off for a bit, the Phantom Thieves certainly provided one for him. "Alright, Akechi. Looks like we're all in this."
"Tch." Akechi crossed his arms and glanced aside. Relaxing on the beach? How the hell was he supposed to do that...
"We're all going wild today!" Morgana mewled excitedly.
.
.
Everyone changed into their swimsuits to enjoy the waters of Okinawa. Ann brought Hifumi to the ocean so they could swim a bit. Ann dove under and rose up with a content sigh. "The water is so clear, right, Fumi?"
"It's so nice, hehe..." Hifumi giggled. "It's beautiful."
"But you know what's more beautiful?" Ann was leading into a cheesy line.
"It's you, Hifumi-chan!" And here came Mika, clad in a very revealing red two piece swimsuit.
"Ah...?" Hifumi did blush from that, because it was unexpected. And Mika's swimsuit was a lot to look at. So much so, after she got the initial glance, she had to look away.
"Hey, that's my line!" Ann huffed. "We're having some quality time here."
"I don't get to see Hifumi-chan nearly as much as you do. I'd love to catch up with her!" Mika clasped her hands together.
"Well, we did see each other the other day, technically..." Hifumi said while rubbing her arm. She did invite Mika since they had free time, but she was not expecting Mika to be wearing that kind of swimsuit! It was hard to look at!
"..." Ann stared at Mika for a bit.
"...What? In awe at my beauty?" Mika said while flipping her hair smugly.
"No. I'm just surprised that you didn't start melting when you touched the water." Ann said with a smug grin in turn. Hifumi felt bad because she almost giggled at that, while Mika's brows furrowed in annoyance.
"If you think I'm a witch, then I'll remind you just how bad I can be!" Mika then dove into the water. It was silent for a moment, before she rose up behind Ann and snatched her top off from behind. "Ah ha!"
"WH-!?" It happened so quickly, Ann's face went bright red. But she whipped around on instinct, and she ended up snatching Mika's top off in turn. So they both ended up embarrassing each other in front of Hifumi, now covering up as well.
"EEP!?" Mika did not expect karma to strike her instantly. She wanted to show off for Hifumi and embarrass Ann, but not like this! Not with Ann watching either. "HIFUMI-CHAN!
"HIFUMI!" Both Ann and Mika called out for Hifumi to help them. Their tops were drifting a bit into the water from their surprise.
"I-I got you...!" Hifumi was so embarrassed, but she did the best she could. She had her back turned to the shore, arms wrapped around both Mika and Ann to shield them from any prying eyes. All their squealing did catch some attention. Her face was redder than Ann and Mika's combined since she was in the middle of all of this, but she managed to grab both of their tops before they drifted off too far. Luckily, nobody actually saw anything. "Please play nice in the water..."
On the shore, however, Ryuji and Ren did at least see Mika in her swimsuit before the disaster. They knew better than to steal a glance at Ann, but Mika was clearly here to show off and like the boys they were, they were going to look. "Bro...they didn't tell us their hot friend was here! Okinawa is the friggin' best!"
Mika may not have been a good person to anyone except Hifumi, but damn, she was hot. "...Summer is awesome." Ren said quietly, his glasses gleaming in the sunlight.
"Now that I get a closer look at Hifumi's friend, I cannot help but wonder if I've seen her somewhere before..." Yusuke stroked his chin. Did he know Mika? Aside from the very rare exceptions they were in the same room together for Hifumi's sake, they've never chatted. But he still couldn't shake that feeling...
"Hey, guys!" Futaba shouted from the water, using an innertube to stay afloat. "You gotta check out these fish!" Right as she said that, Lavenza popped up from the water with an exhale. "WAAAH!?"
"Ah. The water down there is extremely clear." Lavenza said while looking at Futaba. "Oh, hello."
"You...have such a bad habit of popping in outta nowhere." Futaba felt like she almost had a heart attack from that! "You blend in with the water, too!"
"I did unintentionally scare away some fish with my sudden appearance." Lavenza lamented. The others soon began to make their way into the water.
Makoto was swimming by in the water, just taking in the sight; the coral, the fish, it felt like it was an entire different world in the ocean and it was absolutely beautiful. Yusuke was doing the same thing, and Lavenza unintentionally swam past him in the process. But that wasn't what surprised him. He saw a lobster in his sights, and the surprise nearly made him cough up all his air.
Sumire swam by, holding her phone so Sophia could gaze into the ocean like everyone else. Sophia's blue eyes widened in awe. She was looking at something amazing. In a cute fashion, she grabbed the camera app and held it out, snapping a few pictures of the ocean. "Whoaaaa..."
Sumire couldn't exactly speak right now, but she was smiling. Sophia looked so down the last few days, so she was glad that this was able to cheer her up with this. "I'm glad you're enjoying this, Sophia..." Sumire thought to herself.
.
Haru had yet to go into the water. Instead she was sitting under an umbrella, having a drink. Zenkichi was also under the same umbrella, but his idea of taking a load of was taking a nap. Akechi was lingering nearby, arms crossed as he just stared at the water. "...You could try to relax a little bit."
"...I've never been to the beach before." Akechi grumbled. He hardly had the time to relax in the past. Something like this just felt wildly out of character for him.
"I don't think it's fair to Zenkichi-san for you to tell him to relax, only for you to stay so rigid the whole time. People will get suspicious." Haru pointed out.
"..." Haru was right and Akechi knew it, but he couldn't help but feel so on edge. He had a few reasons for it. While everyone was having fun, he couldn't help but notice the hidden hostility on the island. He was on edge for a reason, but he didn't want to spoil anyone's fun just yet. "...I suppose..."
"...You can take a seat if you want." Haru said awkwardly. She was still a little uncertain how to act around Akechi after their ferris wheel ride. She didn't trust him, but she could tell he was making an effort. She was just curious to see where this would go.
"I'm alright standing." But Akechi did take some shade under the umbrella. The two of them glanced at each other. It was a little awkward when they had eye contact and they quickly looked away too. "...Um. You look nice."
Haru blushed awkward. This was the second time Akechi fumbled his way into making her blush. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, or what it said. "Thank you..."
"Mhm..." Akechi said with an awkward nod. As much as he really would've liked to relax, it was hard. He couldn't. Something was wrong and it was all around them. Was he the only one who noticed...?
.
The day passed by for the group very quickly. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, the sky now painted orange. Zenkichi's eyes finally opened from the mumbling of voices nearby. When he opened his eyes, he saw that everything below his neck was buried in sand; he was sculpted into a mermaid. "Huh...?"
"Viola. You're beautiful." Yusuke said. He, Ryuji, Ren, Ann, and Sumire were snickering at the sight before them.
"Whoa, well...that's some detailed work." Zenkichi admitted. Slowly, his sandy body was starting to rumble, signifying that he was about to break free. Noticing this, the five of them started to flee as soon as they could. "FOR A BUNCH OF DAMN KIDS! GET BACK HERE, YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!"
.
.
Things were slowly winding down. With all of the high excitement fun out of the way, things on the beach were just...chill. Ren wandered around the beach and came across a sign with 'no entry' placed a little out of the way. Everyone gathered, and Mika tagged along because she wasn't done trying to get Hifumi's attention. So the group just had to accept her as their tagalong and be careful with the things they said and did.
"No entry beyond this point...?" Ann read the sign aloud. "I wonder what for?"
"I admit, it only contributes to the mysterious vibe." Makoto said with faint curosity.
"Ooh, sounds like a dare to me!" Ryuji grinned. "C'mon, who's willing to go the farthest past it?"
"...Are you stupid, or something?" Mika stared at Ryuji, dumbfounded. "...Oh, you hang out with Ann. Never mind." She wasn't going to bother with the sweet act around Hifumi's friend group. Only Hifumi herself deserved that side of her right now.
"Hey!" Ann huffed. "Why are you still here!?"
"No, he's just naturally like this..." Akechi shook his head.
"No more of that." Zenkichi approached. He decided to get dressed again while the others were still in their swimsuits. "This is the end of the line. There's a utaki down that way. See there, on the sign?"
"What's an utaki?" Morgana asked.
"Basically, it's land that's been considered holy since the Ryukyu era. People used to believe the gods lived there, or at least came to Earth there. Locals still reverse the places, even today. Going down there for a laugh could get you in real trouble." Zenkichi explained.
"Oooooh, I never heard of that stuff." Ryuji admitted. "I'm surprised you know all that."
"Heh. Investigation 101 means to you get to know your area. Feel free to keep buttering me up, though." Zenkichi said with a grin.
"...Oh. Is this old geezer a cop?" Mika looked at the others. "I thought he was just some weirdo giving you guys a warning."
"Old geezer?!" Zenkichi felt wounded by this one.
"...I'm sorry about her." Hifumi said while waving her hands a bit. While they called Zenkichi old as a joke, Mika was an outsider of the group, and thus, most likely meant it.
"I'm not sorry." Mika shrugged her shoulders.
"...You really know how to pick your friends, huh?" Futaba looked at Hifumi. She couldn't deny whatever talent Hifumi had to be friends with a model like Mika, but Mika's personality sure left a lot to be desired. Whatever sold the magazines, though.
"Well... " Zenkichi cleared his throat, trying to move on from Mika's wounding comment. He was certain he wouldn't even have to deal with her after long. "I'm sure you all have no interest in pissing off a god today.
"I looked up this area, but it doesn't seem to have any relevant significance." Sophia said from Sumire's phone. Mika blinked a few times, hearing a voice that wasn't present around them.
"It might be insignificant to you, but has incredible meaning to others."Zenkichi said.
"So it depends on my values..." Sophia repeated. That was an interesting way of looking at it. What is significant to her...
Before that train of thought could go any further, someone's stomach rumbled. Yusuke looked down in shame. "My apologies..."
"Inari's stomach, right on time, as always..." Futaba rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm starvin', too! I'd bet we all worked up an appetite out there!" Ryuji said.
"Should we finally kick off our long awaited barbecue!?" Ann said with a gasp.
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji pumped a fist into the air. "Time for an Okinawan meat festival!"
"Don't forget the curry!" Futaba piped up. "We gotta make some Tropical Edition Leblanc Curry!"
"Futaba-senpai..." Sumire began to sweat. "How much curry do you eat...?"
"She had some on the ferry..." Makoto began to sweat. "Also, I don't really think curry is a barbecue food."
"Isn't that all she eats anyway?" Akechi said quietly.
"Hmph. I accept your challenge." Yusuke said triumphantly. "Curry will be a perfect compliment to the searing white sands of this tropical paradise!"
"Laying it on a little thick there, dude..." Ryuji said as he and the other started to walk off to eat. "Also, that doesn't make sense at all! What's with you two and curry!?"
"Barbecue?" Mika's face crumbled up. This felt like the perfect time to leave. But at the same time...
"Would you like to join us?" Hifumi had to at least extend the offer. "Oh, wait...I shouldn't be intruding on your time. You're here on business, after all...!"
"Guess you can't come with us, huh?" Ann knew Hifumi was nice enough extend the offer and didn't blame her for that. However, Ann remembered that Mika was always particular about what she ate. Pigging out in a summer barbecue was far from what a meticulous model like her would do! Checkmake!
"I can spare some time for a meal. I haven't eaten since lunch, I was too distracted by Hifumi-chan!" Mika said with a grin. Not the response either of them were honestly expecting. "I'll just work it off later." In other words, there was no easy way to get rid of Mika. "So lead the way, Hifumi-chan!"
"O-Okay...!" Hifumi gave a nod.
"...How is she getting even better...!?" Ann grumbled. She swore Mika would pass this up. Damn...
"Hey, Sumire?" Sophia piped up again. "Thank you for earlier, when you gave me the underwater tour. It was a fascinating experience - and something no AI could ever do on their own. I guess you could say it made my heart feel full...although, I don't have a heart."
"That's not true at all!" Sumire shook her head. "I think the fact you feel that way means you do have a heart.
"It is a simple fact. There is no need to attempt to spare the feelings I lack." Sophia stated bluntly. "I am still going to try and understand what feelings are, after all. I came to that realization as I gazed out at the sea. For example, being with you, Ren, and the other Phantom Thieves...it's quite fun. Yes, fun. Did I get that right?"
"Mhm!" Sumire nodded. There was some warm feeling surging in her chest as Sophia continued to grow and evolve. "I had fun too, Sophia!"
"Okay, I've got it. I've memorized what 'fun' is." Sophia smiled and hummed her little tune as usual. She was learning.
"Heeey! Pick up the pace, Sumire! We've got a lot of cooking ahead of us!" Ryuji shouted from afar.
"Oh! Right!" Sumire realized how hungry she was! And with her stomach, she was going to eat a lot!
.
.
Everyone gathered around a large table. With the addition of Mika making sure to squeeze herself in between Hifumi and Ann somehow, it was a little bit of a tight fit, but it was made to work somehow. "Oh. man...thish meat ish sho good!" Ryuji said with his mouth full.
"Eugh...can you chew with your mouth close..." Mika almost gagged. Although, admittedly, the meat was not half bad. She'd just have to make today her cheat day and makeup for it later.
"Heeeey!" Ann whined. "You saw me about to grab that piece!"
"That's the problem you had with it...?" Hifumi said with a sweat drop.
"The curry is divine as always...and with these leftovers, we're sure to dine on curry udon tomorrow!" Yusuke said excitedly. As he was saying this, Sumire was already getting seconds, which was absolutely going to put a damper on his plans.
"Let's ignore the fact that you're already planning tomorrow's dinner - why not add deep-fried tofu for Inari Curry Udon?" Futaba suggested.
"...Will there even be enough food left for that?" Akechi asked. There were a lot of them, and they were getting through this food fast. He sincerely doubted it would last the day.
"We've been eating the most delicious food since this trip began." Haru said with a soft smile.
"Traveling makes it a lot easier to lose track of one's diet. I should be more careful..." Makoto said with a wistful sigh. She knew what she was inviting upon herself, but it was hard to resist with all the food they've been eating along the trip.
"That's what happens when you lack the discipline to watch your diet." Mika huffed proudly. "I've been travelling all summer, but this is the first time I've decided to cheat on it. If you need tips, I can bestow some wisdom."
"She doesn't need your advice! After all, she's already sooooo toned! Right, Ren?" Ann looked to Ren. There was only one option in this scenario.
"Yeah, you look like a model!" Ren said, leaning into it a little too hard.
Makoto gasped, blushed, and shook her head. "Oh, stop...! I know you're just trying to flatter me, but we have actual models here! Don't embarrass me like that!"
"I mean, who cares if you put on a few extra pounds? It probably gives your punches extra oophm!" Ryuji said carelessly. The entire table went silent at such a remark. Mika almost choked on her food, and Hifumi quickly patted her back to help her out there.
"You wanna test that theory!?" Makoto glared at Ryuji. If looks could kill...
Ryuji, realizing his mistake, frantically shaking his head. "N-No! I don't...!"
"W-What is with you people..." Mika said with a heavy sigh. She avoided an unfortunate accident.
"...Hm. By the way..." Yusuke looked over at Mika. "...You look familiar. Did you attend Kosei High at one point?"
"Huh?" Mika looked at Yusuke, blinking a few times. She then frantically shook her head. "Uh...dunno what you're talking about. You've got the wrong person. I dunno anything about that."
"...?" Hifumi blinked. Why did Mika just lie...? Ah...maybe it wasn't so important or just embarassing?
As the group continued to talk, there were some natives were talking near the RV. But when Zenkichi glanced at the natives, he felt like they were talking about the group. He glanced at Akechi, who was also taking a glance at those same natives as well. "..."
"Something wrong, Zenkichi? Upset stomach?" Morgana asked.
"Hm? Oh, nah..." Zenkichi shook his head. "It's probably nothing. Let's wrap up - we oughta wake up early tomorrow."
"Okay." Ann nodded. Everyone cleaned up. Mika helped since she did take part and was getting ready to leave.
"Okay, that's enough time with you all. I'll be on my way. Bye, Hifumi-chan!" Mika waved.
"Wait..." Zenkichi's tone made Mika halt. It surprised everyone else too. It was more...authoritative than before. Normally Mika's presence wouldn't have been a problem under normal circumstances, but he could tell the natives associated her with the group, and that wasn't good...
"...You sensed it too, didn't you?" Akechi said. With all the cleaning up they did, it made them appear oblivious to the situation around them. But Akechi couldn't let it go.
"Er...what's going on here?" Mika was confused.
"Yeah, what's up?" Ryuji asked.
"Keep it down." Zenkichi brought his voice to a whisper. "Listen..."
.
.
It was the dead of night. The RV was still out in the open and unattended. A native peered in through the window, searching for anyone inside. How careless, he thought. He opened the unlocked door and stepped inside with a flashlight, searching for anyone inside. He noticed a lump in one of the beds and pulled the covers aside, assuming it was a person. It was a sleeping bag belonging to one of the girls. "HEY! IT'S EMPTY!" He shouted outside, and the RV was actually surrounded by multiple enraged natives, all of them carrying either torches of flashlights.
"What?!"
"They can't be far!
"Find them!"
"We'll make an offering out of them!"
As the natives started this manhunt for the group, they were all actually hidden behind the bushes and trees in the background, sweating at the scene playing out before them. "Dude, what the hell is going on!? Those guys are effin' nuts!?"
"Is this why you were on edge all day...?" Haru looked at Akechi and he nodded.
"I'm not exactly proud of it, but the moment we stepped onto this island, I could pick up on the hostility deep within..." Akechi said.
"Um, hey, excuse me. Innocent person here." Mika interjected. "Why am I being dragged into this!? What did you all do and why do I have to pay for it!"
"Um..." Ren began to sweat. Mika being targeted by association was not good for them. "We were..."
"...Agh, it's okay, she knows...!" Hifumi blurted out. It was the only way to keep things moving. Everyone gasped and looked at Hifumi, and then Mika.
"What do you mean she knows!?" Zenkichi looked at Hifumi.
"She knows!?" Ann's jaw dropped.
"I can explain...later." Hifumi was sweating. She didn't feel good about it, but she knew Mika wasn't going to be satisfied without an answer as to why her life was in danger. Which was a very fair and logical response. "But I was a little worried...! If they were after us, there's no telling what they'd do to Mika since they saw her with us."
"Oh. Yeah. You're all Phantom Thieves, right? I knew that for a while." Mika pointed at everyone. She then gasped. "Is THAT why they're after you!?"
"No way...!" Ryuji shook his head. "We didn't do anything!"
"He said something about defiling hallowed ground, but...what's that supposed to mean?" Makoto looked to the others for an answer.
Ren had a brief flashback to earlier in the day and gasped. "Shit...the lab? Do you guys remember that straw festoon?"
"Oh, um...yes." Sumire nodded. "We gave it a passing glance..."
"But then we went ahead anyway." Yusuke continued.
"Hang on, hang on - what's so friggin hallow about some lab?" Ryuji interjected. That didn't make any sense to him, especially after the little lesson Zenkichi provided earlier.
"And even if it IS hallowed, that doesn't explain why they look like they want to kill us! It doesn't matter how we look at it, these people have lost their minds!" Ann said.
"...Thinking about it now, the lab itself may not be hallow at all." Akechi said. "All day we were poking around for directions and all of people we asked said they knew nothing about it, correct?" Everyone nodded. Mika just had numerous question marks above her head, but she was wait until they were done to ask. "So what happens if people find the lab suddenly stumble upon it by chance? Well, if they see the festoon, they'd likely step back as to not encroach upon that territory...but we ignored that. It was another step in making sure people don't go places they aren't welcomed. Furthermore..."
"This feels odd..." Haru thought about it some more. This drastic, sudden change in behavior. "Could this be...!?"
"A change of heart." Ren grit his teeth.
"But that means a Monarch is around here...but Sophia didn't smell a Jail earlier..." Sumire furrowed her brows.
"Correct, I cannot smell any Jails here." Sophia said.
"However, you did say there was a bad feeling around this place. Coupled with our current situation, there is something odd going on here..." Yusuke surmised.
"Lavenza said something was off on this island...damn, I wish she was here now..." Ren grunted.
"Perhaps there is something on this island. Something that even Sophia can't detect." Makoto suggested. It was an unfortunate suggestion...
"Um, hey, again, innocent and clueless person here. What the hell are you talking about?" Mika asked, now getting fed up at a conversation she didn't understand.
"I'll explain later, please just bear with us for a second." Hifumi pleaded. Mika grumbled, but since it was Hifumi asking, she'd let it slide.
"What do we do now? They'll catch us if we just stay here..." Morgana looked to the others.
"Going to the lab might be our best bet..." Akechi suggested.
"Uh, aren't there more crazy people waiting at that weird place?" Mika could at least pick up that the lab was suspicious. Going to the heart of the problem seemed like a bad idea.
"No, actually, this is a good idea." Zenkichi said. "Akechi already gave the perfect rundown of why that place seems fishy. No matter where we go on this island, they'd catch us eventually. So why not strike the heart of the problem directly?"
"By heart, do you mean a Jail?" Makoto asked.
"However, there is no Jail-" Sophia had to present the argument.
"Sure, there's no Jail, but I bet we'll find something in their holy land. Sure beats waiting around here for them to catch us, yeah?" Zenkichi suggested.
"Sure does." Ren nodded.
"I've got to agree." Morgana said. "Let's head to the lab!"
"...That cat meows a lot..." Mika muttered. She had no idea the cat was actually contributing to the conversation.
"Okay, so how do we get there WITHOUT being spotted?!" Ryuji asked.
"Aren't you guys the Phantom Thieves?!" Both Mika and Zenkichi asked at the same time.
"Well...those abilities are only relevant to the cognitive world..." Yusuke deflated.
"I'm better at gymnastics than I am at sneaking in the real world." Sumire said quietly. Her skillset in reality wasn't exactly primed for sneaking.
"The what world...?" Mika blinked.
"Oh, don't worry. You'll find out." Futaba said. Normally she'd enjoy this build up a bit more, but she was currently scared out of her mind with the manhunt. So they had to do the next thing and hurry on over to the lab.
.
.
It was a mad dash. The natives were combing every inch of the island so escaping was difficult. But the group just narrowly managed to escape to the lab's entrance, but they were all horribly exhausted. They hardly had any time to rest after their beach trip so that was catching up to them a little bit. "D-Did we make it...?" Hifumi was hunched over, panting hard from having to run that much. Her stamina in the Metaverse did not translate over to reality at all!
"I...I think so...I sure hope so..." Ann said between heavy breathes.
"Why...did I wear heels..." Mika was regretting her existence right now.
"Yeah, we lost them. I think we're in the clear." Zenkichi reported.
"That's surprising - I expected guards to be posted here more so than anywhere else." Yusuke said.
"...Wait! Listen!" Zenkichi whispered.
"Eek...!" Futaba yelped.
"Footsteps. Move." Akechi grunted. They weren't out of the woods yet. So they all had to cram and hide around a corner nearby. A native walked by and stood near a window.
"What's he doing...?" Haru asked.
"I can't tell from over here..." Makoto whispered.
Zenkichi, however, saw an opportunity. "This could actually be good for us...there's only one guy. If we capture him, we might be able to question him."
"We do have the numbers..." Ren trailed off.
"Heh, don't worry about that. Leave it to the professional." Zenkichi said confidently.
"You're going by yourself?" Sumire felt unsure about this.
"I've been through enough training. I'll be fine." Zenkichi was cool about this. "You guys just stay here and keep an eye out for any of his buddies."
"Holy crap, Gramps just got way cooler!" Futaba gasped.
Zenkichi casually approached the native man. Since he came from the side, the guy didn't notice him at all at first. "Hello, excuse me?"
The native instantly whipped around. "Scoundrel! You dare defile our lord's hallowed ground!?" He went to swing at Zenkichi, but the policeman laid him out instantly. The man didn't stand a chance and was knocked out.
"Oh! Whoops...watch your step there." Zenkichi said innocently.
"Not again! You totally threw him on his ass!" Ryuji groaned.
"Hey, it was clearly self defense." Zenkichi brushed that aside.
"This guy really is a cop, huh." Mika rolled her eyes.
The first thing Hifumi did was check the window. It was the sign they saw earlier in the day, but it was changed. "I knew it." Hifumi pointed it out to the others. "They changed the date. It said the 18th earlier today, but now it says the 19th!"
"Looks like the facility's staff is on permanent vacation, one day at a time." Zenkichi crossed his arms.
"Why would they do this?" Makoto asked.
"Why else?" Akechi caught on quickly. "If someone happens to find this lab and sticks around...they probably make sure they don't leave this island alive. It's quite the clever setup. Even we were strung along to stay for an extra day."
"That's scary..." Sumire shuddered.
"What horrid tactics..." Yusuke couldn't believe it.
"That's freaky!" Mika exclaimed. "I didn't come here for all of this."
"Sorry..." Hifumi frowned. Mika was targeted by association and she felt terrible for it.
"Well, let's investigate a bit..." Zenkichi said while crouching down in front of the unconscious man. "If his heart's been changed, he should have a smartphone with EMMA on it." And with a bit of rummaging around, Futaba was the one who found it.
"Yup, found it." Futaba pulled the phone out and looked over the man's EMMA app. "EMMA's on here alright. Annnnd...he only has one Friend Shuzo Ubukata?"
"There's a chance this Ubukata is the Monarch of Okinawa. Anyone got a keyword?" Morgana asked.
"That one's a lot tougher..." Futaba was still going through the phone. "Oh, wait! There's an email in here. Cordial invitation to serve as a tester of the EMMA system..."
"An EMMA tester?" Ann asked.
"Whoa, this even has a keyword in it!" Futaba gasped from the lucky find. "Operation Oraculi?"
"Who sent him the email?" Akechi asked.
"I don't recognize the email. From the lab?" Futaba said.
"The lab asked everyone in the island to be EMMA testers?" Zenkichi found this unbelievable.
"Um." Mika was about to ask another question, but Hifumi held her hand up to ask her to wait silently. She had so much explaining to do, but not right now.
"If the people who call this place 'hallowed' had their hearts changed, then its' going to be Jail-related, without a doubt." Makoto said.
"But like...we can't find a Jail here, right Sophia?" Ryuji asked.
"I'm not sure..." Sophia frowned. "I don't smell one..."
"But there's only one way to know." Ren said. "If we can't get in, then we're just screwed."
"Hey, don't just say things like that!" Mika frowned.
"We'll...be alright." Ann was sweating. She never thought she'd have to comfort Mika.
"If there is a Jail here, testing the keyword will send us right in." Morgana said. "Are we all ready?"
"We have no choice but to try." Yusuke said.
"Hell, the Metaverse feels safer than out her right now..." Ann sighed.
"Okay, let's do it!" Morgana said.
"Hang in there Mika. Things are about to get...strange." Hifumi warned Mika. They had no choice but to bring her along into the Metaverse as well for her own safety. Mika still had so many questions.
"EMMA, add Shuzo Ubukata to my friend registration." Futaba said. "Keyword: Operation Oraculi." There was a pause. "Ah...guess it doesn't work."
"Wait!" Sophia spoke up. "I can sense a Jail! The scent is already all around us!"
"Keyword registration complete. Beginning navigation." EMMA spoke, catching everyone off guard. Before they knew it, they were once again dragged into the Metaverse and into Okinawa's Jail. What they didn't know, however, is that what they were about to step into was far more desolate than they could've ever imagined...
