Chapter 41 Breaking the Speed Limit
{R}
Ohya: Hey!
Ren: Hello Ohya-san.
Ohya: You free?
Ren: Yes. Is something the matter?
Ohya: It's about that Kaneshiro guy. He's more dangerous than I thought!
Ohya: The police haven't tracked him down so I dug a little deeper...
Ohya: Turns out he has some really shady connections. I won't say any more than that.
Ren: I can guess from that though.
Ohya: Hey, I'm not joking! He's not someone a teenager like you should mess with. You should really back off, OK?
Ren: I appreciate the concern.
Ren: But my sister and I meant it when we said that we wouldn't want you to take responsibility. So you don't have to worry about us.
Ren: Good luck at work, by the way.
Ohya: Hey wait kid!
That had been last night, and while Ren meant everything he had said, the warning was slowly becoming more and more pointless. As expected, no one was exactly excited as they discussed on how they would overcome their current obstacle.
"It's no fair that his Palace is up in the sky..." Mona said.
"Then we'll just have to make something," Aki said.
"What? Make something? Make what? A ladder?"
"It's the Metaverse. I'm sure we can think of some way to get there."
"We could try...but it would be quicker and more sure fire if we could just affect the Ruler in real life..."
"Ugh...of course..."
"If only we could contact the real Kaneshiro..."
And as if to worsen everyone's mood even more, Niijima arrived.
"What do you want?" Ann said, making the team's annoyance known.
"Nothing in particular. I just saw you all together here," the student council president said, ignoring her reception.
"That so?" Ryuji said.
"What? Makin' sure we're not slackin' off, Miss Prez?" Aki said.
"You seem to be having quite a bit of trouble."
"So you are here to check up on us," Ann said. "Well, you may be student council president, but when it comes to what we do, you're useless."
Niijima's façade broke once again as she stared at the blonde, but when she mumbled,
"Useless...?"
Ren flinched and noticed her eyes actually looked...hurt.
Then Yusuke said, "To be frank, yes."
While Ann said, "Just stay on your high horse and watch. Or do you wanna eavesdrop since you're so good at it?"
And Niijima seemed stunned as she looked away, her expression even more pained.
Ren frowned.
As much as it aggravated him that she brought about this situation, he still felt guilt at seeing her hurt at their words. He wasn't the only one, with Aki looking away from the brunette, though she seemed more conflicted about the tension.
But then Niijima's hardened façade returned...except now with determination as she said, "So you wish to get in contact with Kaneshiro."
All of them grew curious as Ren said for them all,
"Maybe. Why do you ask?"
"It seemed you just needed to find out where he is."
"Hmm, something like that."
"Hey, we can't just tell her!" Ryuji said.
"I don't think we have the right to say that, Ryuji..." Aki said.
For some reason, there was a flash of pain on Niijima's face as she seemed to mumble once again, but this time Ryuji's already short patience was blown out and he said, irritated,
"What was that?"
And Niijima snapped back to stern and said, "Fine. I'll help you meet Kaneshiro."
They stilled.
"Wait what?" Aki said.
Then she ran off.
His gut grew uneasy.
"What exactly is she planning on doing?" Yusuke questioned.
Ren frowned. "I... I have a bad feeling about this."
"A lady running off with that look on her face typically means bad things, either for us or against us."
Aki said, "Then let's go after her, Big Bro."
He was startled but nodded nonetheless and they ran off together, his uneasiness coiling even more.
"Wha—hey! Where you goin'?!"
"Wherever Niijima is going!" Ren said.
However, once they got out of the Teikyu Building Accessway, he had lost sight of her.
Aki's frustration shot through their Confidant. "Damn it!"
"Did you find her?!" Ann said, catching up to them along with the others.
"No," Ren said.
"Ugh! Where'd she go?! We're never gonna find her now!"
As if on cue, his phone rang, to his sister's annoyance.
"Oh come on! What now?!"
Ren had a hunch though and he was right.
"Hello? It's me...Makoto Niijima," she said when he answered his phone.
Of all the nerve...! "Yes, I know it's you! Now where are you?!"
But of course she just said, "Just stay on the phone and listen. Make sure to record this as well."
"Record?!" Ren said as the others came close and strained to hear her.
"Do you guys know Kaneshiro?" Niijima said.
"What?" a man said.
"That idiot! What's she doin?!" Ryuji said.
Ren gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath before he set his phone on loud speaker as the student council president ordered before pocketing it. And just in time.
"I heard I could find someone named Kaneshiro if I came to Central Street."
"Let's go!" Ren said then led the way.
They ran, but only barely made it to the alleyway before the Protein Lovers gym, just seeing a car drive off after Niijima was pushed inside. Aki cursed as Ren lifted his phone still on speaker, letting them hear Niijima trying to pry info but failing. Seeing as that wouldn't help this time, Ren led them down the street, where Yusuke ordered Ryuji to hail a taxi as he, thankfully, revealed that he had sketched the plate of the car.
Ryuji tried, but the first taxi just went on.
"Agh, shit, he ignored me."
The blond boy tried again.
"Damnit, I said stop!"
Ren's breath stopped.
"Ryuji!" they all said.
To his horror, Ryuji—stubborn, reckless, Ryuji—jumped into oncoming traffic and only stood just centimeters before a taxi that stopped in time.
"What the fuck was that for?!" Ren said.
"Just hurry up and get in!"
Ren flinched, remembering someone else was still in danger.
He growled. "Fine!" he said as he and the others got in. "But don't think we're not talking about this later!"
Ren put that heart stopping moment out of his mind as he focused on doing all he could to have the taxi hurry after their target. It wasn't long until the car parked and they followed suit after paying.
"What in the world?!" Ann said when they found themselves inside a club.
Ren scanned the area for a Shujin uniform and brown hair when Aki said,
"There!"
"Niijima-san!" Ren and Yusuke said as they went to where Aki pointed.
There, on the ground, was Niijima in the middle of a booth, being pinned by a man with her arms behind her back.
"Who the fuck are you?" one of the grunts said.
"What the hell you do to her?!" Ryuji said.
He and his sister took a battle stance but Ren made no moves to get closer, and thankfully neither did Aki.
Besides the man that held Niijima down, there were four people in the booth. Two other men were near her and loomed over her, looking like grunts compared to the man that was seated on the pink plush couch behind them, dressed in formal wear, with a "fashionable" woman by his side.
"Ohhh, I get it..." the slick haired man said, then frowned. "You got followed, you dumbshits!"
Then he opened his suitcase to reveal it was filled to the brim with money and he gave it to "his woman" for some three million purse she wanted to buy.
"For reals?!" she said.
The man said, "Better thank those guys."
"What...?" Ryuji said, confused.
Ren's racing heart only accelerated even further.
"I'm royally pissed right now. Can't you tell? You know how spending money relieves stress?"
This was bad. This man, who was likely Kaneshiro, was obviously setting them up. But if they made one wrong move, Niijima could get hurt—and worse—along with everyone else.
Ren needed to figure something out. Now.
Especially while Aki took the lead as he tried to do that.
"Well how 'bout ya tell it ta us straight, eh? Since we're oh so too much of dumbassses ta get ya," Aki said, putting on her delinquent front.
"It's you goddamn brats sniffing around like dogs and barging in here like you own the joint!"
Maybe he could have Mona cause a distraction? Like set off the fire alarm? No, that wouldn't work on them unless he set something on fire...
"Well maybe if ya ha'n't taken one o' our own, then we woul'n't ha' busted in," his sister said as she cracked her knuckles.
"Oh, how cute. The little student council president has her own dogs..." Kaneshiro said. "Well then, you know how it works if someone's pissed. See this empty space? I'm so pissed now that there's a three million yen gap here. It pisses me off even more if I don't fill it up. I'm a perfectionist." He smirked. "So, good luck."
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Yusuke said.
Aki glared at the artist, but it was too late.
Kaneshiro's smirk grew as he teased them being "tense"...before taking their photo.
"I think I'll call it...'Debauchery of Minors at a Club'." Then he "asked" Niijima oh so politely, "So, can I send this to your school?"
"That's—"
"Oh damn. I got booze and cigs in the shot. Maybe some drugs too? Ahh...this is so hilarious."
Kaneshiro and his goons laughed...and all Ren could do was watch them do it.
Damn it.
"I feed on dumbshits like you... Understand, pretty little student council president?" he said. "Now listen up, run your mouth to the police and I'll break all of you, starting with your families. I want to give you the usual month but, well, you have such a large group here... Three weeks. Bring three million yen. No less."
Aki set her jaw. "Le' 'er go and we go' it."
"What?! To hell with that!"
"She said, let her go and we got it," Ren said, staring straight at Ryuji, and still a bit mad at him for earlier.
"Don't bother with him, Ryuji. Niijima's safety is our priority here."
"Come on boys. Let her go," Kaneshiro said, likely feeling "generous" since they were doomed anyway.
Thankfully, the goon did let Niijima go and as soon as she stood up, he, his sister and Ryuji moved to get her surrounded by them and their friends.
"Now get out of my sight. I'm about to have some fun."
Aki just nodded and, finally, they all got out of the club...
...with a debt that many would roll in their grave for.
They didn't break formation until they were a good enough distance away from that club. And when they did, they stopped, and the first to speak...
"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to drag you all into this..."
...was Niijima.
"You kinda already did the moment you asked us to look into Kaneshiro," Aki said.
"Yeah. For real."
"Right..." The brunette sighed. "I was stupid..."
"I must agree," Yusuke said. "You should've easily imagined that happening."
Ren glowered at the artist.
Ann said, somewhat scolding, "Hey, Yusuke..."
While Ren shared Yusuke's sentiments, he wouldn't have actually said it out loud, especially since hurting Niijima led into this situation in the first place.
But as the girl in question said, "I was so caught up in trying to be being useful..."
Ryuji was quick to say, "All right, enough of the blame game! What's done is done."
"But...I'm going to cause trouble for Sis too..."
"Sis?" Aki and Ann said in tandem.
Ren grew curious as well.
"My older sister has a commendable job, and she's a much more remarkable person than me... A lot happened after we lost our father three years ago, so it's just us living together... But I'm still a child, so all I am is a burden to her..."
"... And that's why you were so reckless?" the blue haired boy said.
"I just wanted to be useful in some way to someone..."
"Cause it sucks that there's nothin' you can do when she's workin' so hard, huh?" Aki said with somber understanding.
Niijima was startled for a moment before she was back to sulking. "Yes... I feel completely useless to her..."
"You know, I might not get your whole situation..."Ryuji said. "...but ain't it off sayin' you're useless to her?"
"It's the truth though..." Niijima said, insistent.
It broke Ren's heart, and made their behavior to her before even harsher in hindsight.
"In particular, I have to apologize for what happened to you," the brunette said to Ann.
"Eh?"
"Now that I think about it, the truth about Kamoshida must've been covered by the whole school. I had my suspicions but...I couldn't do anything about it." She shook her head. "No. I didn't do anything. Had I cared enough, I could've done something..."
They were all silenced.
"People like me...must really be what others call the scum of the earth..."
"No, you're not," Ren said.
"Like hell you ain't," Aki said.
"Real scum wouldn't call themselves that," Ann said.
"Huh?"
"I'm the same. Like you said, I was the closest to Shiho, but I couldn't do anything..." Ann said. "Besides, Kamoshida's the one to blame. Shiho knows that...and I do too."
"Takamaki-san..." Makoto said.
"You didn't have a place to belong either... Isn't that right?"
"Me either."
Aki chuckled. "Didn't you figure it out by now? We're all a bunch of outcasts."
"Outcasts that won't let Kaneshiro get away with this."
Ann nodded. "We won't let anyone fall victim again."
"Now, how about we go somewhere so that we can talk about what to do now?" Aki suggested.
Before any of their group could offer their input, Makoto said, frantic.
"I'll do something about the money!" She continued much more somberly. "So can we plesse just drop the case with Kaneshiro?"
"Oh hell no! Now we got more reason to go after him. "
"'Sides, we're all caught up in this."
"So we have to deal with this too," Ren said.
"And we can't have you rushing into things on your own anymore and making the situation worse."
Ren glowered at him. "Yusuke..."
This wasn't the time for his bluntness.
"If only we could do something about that bank..."
"Ryuji!"
Or Ryuji's...
Ren sighed.
"Bank?"
"That's right! The bank!" Mona said. "She isn't useless after all! She may be our key!"
Was everyone being blunt today?
Oh, Ren gave up...
"Our key? What do you mean?" Ann said, so he focused on that instead of everyone's behavior.
"A cat? Um...are you all okay?"
(A)
"A monster cat?!"
Rogue snickered. Seeing people freak out over Mona never got old.
More importantly though, after a quick trip to get their inventory bag, they brought Makoto into the Metaverse and, as expected, she was freaking out about their thief suits, and the dystopian look of Shibuya, and the giant floating bank in the sky. So, after having her take a seat, they explained that they were inside Kaneshiro's heart.
"A reality that one's heart shows... Is it like the application of optical illusions in social cognitive psychology?"
"That's something we have no idea about..."
"Yeah. Don't know 'bout how they use it for that, but this ain't an illusion."
After that, they explained it further, as well as their reasons for stealing a Treasure. And she more or less understood immediately.
"I see, so 'stealing one's heart'... That may be like overwriting their cognition..."
Rogue flinched. When she put it like that...it made it all the more clear why Akechi was worried.
So when Skull said to Mona, "Ain't she more amazin' than you?"
She focused on them as not-cat said, "We're about the same!"
Rogue scoffed in amusement.
"Then, does that mean there's an ATM version of myself somewhere in this world too?"
"Probably."
"Regardless," Mona said. "We can change Kaneshiro's heart and make him confess if we steal his Treasure. If it all goes well that is."
"Heh. We'll make it go well," Skull said.
Joker nodded. "I'll make sure of it."
"And when we do, everyone'll notice us for sure!"
Fox said, "Our justice will also become resolute."
"Think we'd be able to give courage to those in need if it happens?" Panther said.
Rogue said, "Heh, at worse, it'll be the start."
"For the sake of those in need, huh..." Makoto said. "You sound like my father."
"Huh?"
"Your father?"
"No, don't mind me. You want to go to the bank, right? Then let's go," Niijima said, dodging their inquiries as she stood.
Joker looked ready to press her, but when the bank came down and created a ramp to the approaching brunette, he sighed and signalled to them to follow. With that, they stood before the bank proper.
"Wow... This place is huge."
Indeed it was. It wasn't as tall as Madarame's art gallery in his garden, but it certainly was larger than Kamoshida's castle in both height and width. And if the formal yet regal design and the ATMs walking inside didn't give the impression of a bank, the money symbolism that was everywhere certainly did.
The metal walls that surrounded it had the yen symbol all over them. There were pedastals that also had the yen symbol and piggy banks on it, with flags strewn across the building that looked like paper money. And most silly of all, the leaves on the trees were paper money instead.
Good thing bank card transactions existed, otherwise Rogue suspected the world would've messed with them by not allowing them entry past "bank hours".
"Rogue, could you hand everyone their gear?" Joker said.
"Sure."
"Yes. That would be best. It seems there will be a lot of Shadows from here on."
"Gear? Shadows? What's that about?" Makoto said. Then she spotted what Rogue was handing out. "Are those weapons?!"
"Yeah. We need 'em for the Shadows."
"They're enemies that attack us here."
"Oh. I see..."
Oh good. They didn't have to deal with her questioning the fact that they carried weapons with them, even if they were replicas.
"So you should stay close to at least one of us while we're here, okay?" Joker said.
"I've trained in aikido. Don't worry; I can defend myself."
"Uh...as cool as that is...that ain't gonna be much help if you're barehanded."
"But then again, it's better than nothing," Mona said.
"Just stay close to us, okay? It's safer that way."
"...very well."
"So how we gonna get in this time?" Skull said.
"We have to go in from the front, don't we? I'm an honorary customer. I better act like one."
"But..."
"Let's go with that for now," Joker said. "We might be able to get in without having to sneak in that way."
"Hidin' in plain sight, eh?"
"Something like that, yes."
"All right..."
The rest nodded their consent and they started to go in, Makoto leading the way with Rogue and Joker flanking the brunette's sides. So they were able to catch her mumbling,
"... I will be useful for you guys."
Her brother looked ready to protest, but restrained himself once they were inside the bank. The lobby was about what she expected, many rows of seats, several reception booths and the building itself tinted in the green of money. Two guards were patrolling the room until they spotted them and demanded they state their business. When Makoto told them their business was with their boss though, they were obstinate in checking for an appointment. But then the intercom buzzed and the voice of Kaneshiro said,
"Let them pass."
And so they were led to a reception room in the back, where there was a wide stack of yen on the table, and Shadow Kaneshiro on the screen.
"Unauthorized entry, property damage, and other disturbances," he said, dramatically turning around his seat and showing his purple alien skin. "That comes to three million yen in total. You're here regarding that, correct, Miss Beautiful President?"
Yeah, nice evil mastermind impression, purple sweet potato.
"Yes, what a paltry showing... Absolutely no passion..."
"It must be quite tough gathering all that money. I'd be willing to give you a loan, you know."
"You gonna call it off then?"
"Not that kinda loan, Skull."
And even if it wasn't, Rogue doubted he would call it off, as she was soon proven.
"No—a loan. The interest rate is ten percent a day."
She and Joker staggered back.
"Ten percent?!" Of course it was. "Screw that!"
"Huh? What's so big 'bout ten percent?"
"Uh, um...that means..." Panther said as she attempted mental calculations.
Makoto easily provided the answer though.
"Three hundred thousand yen."
"What?!"
"There's no need to be alarmed. I have a more manageable option for people like you."
Makoto glared at him. "That was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it?"
"Quite the impressive insight...Niijima-san." Kaneshiro smirked. "Or should I say, the younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor, Sae Niijima?"
"Shit!"
"How do you know that?!"
"Please don't underestimate our intelligence network." He smirked. "After all, it would be a shame to not know about such wonderful goods. Goods that have fallen right into my lap."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Young women are such great assets. They lack strength—be it social, physical, or mental. It's as if they exist just to be devoured. That just might be a rule since the dawn of history."
Snap.
"Oh yeah?! How 'bout you come here and I'll show you how 'weak' we are, you asshole!"
"Don't you dare say that! Some of the strongest people I know are women, you short sighted, misogynist!" her brother said.
"You truly are despicable..."
"You better be ready, Kaneshiro! We're gonna snatch your Treasure from you!"
The purple man scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, you petty thieves. My citadel has the highest security installed in it."
In a whir of machines and green, the walls opened to reveal security guards hidden inside.
Shit!
"Everyone! Protective circle around Makoto!"
Kaneshiro sneered. "Anyone will do anything for money. I'll rob you of your lives as easily as I breath air."
The guards roared as they split and transformed into large hulking red onis brandishing clubs.
"It's Kaneshiro's order! Eliminate at once!"
Rogue slammed the table up before having Fantôme throw it at the onis. The distraction was enough for them to get out of the room. But just outside were even more onis, so they were forced to fend them off, slowing their escape progress considerably; even more so as, no matter what element they used, the red onis wouldn't get stunned.
"Ugh! There's no end to them! Are they really all hired by money?!" Mona said.
"What the hell are we gonna do?! We can't All-Out Attack!"
Rogue cursed as she parried another club.
They needed a powerful attack that'd knock them down to clear the way.
She turned to her brother just in time to intercept an attack meant for him, the instigator of which was countered by Joker afterwards and then they stood back to back.
"Any ideas, Joker? Two heads gotta be better than one."
And hopefully they would find a solution faster.
Rogue was startled from the burst of hope through her Confidant as her brother said,
"Follow my lead. Use Fantôme."
Oh. She grinned. That was her Big Bro.
"Gotcha!"
There was a brief flash before he said,
"Everyone! Guard! Protect Makoto!"
They were confused, but listened nonetheless as Rogue mimicked Joker's movements, grappling the ceiling to send them up in the air.
"Arsène!"
"Fantôme!"
"As you command!"
Light and dark collided in the center of it all.
The onis could only stand in shock before the shockwave sent them flying.
BOOM.
"GYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Rogue and Joker landed in the cleared hallway and said,
"Go!"
And all of them ran off.
"Why did those security guards turn into monsters?! What's with those supernatural powers?!"
"Look, Makoto, I know ya got questions but save it for after we're outta here, okay?!"
They were already in the middle of the lobby. All they needed to do was—
"Everyone back!" Joker said.
Just in time, as they dodged a purple oni with stripes slamming its double ended club into the ground. Then the swarm of red onis from before caught up and surrounded them.
—not get out because they were blocked once again.
"Looks like you're in quite the pickle."
They all turned to see Kaneshiro had arrived in all his purple skinned "glory".
"How dare you sneak around!" Mona said.
"Those would be my words."
Rogue hated that she agreed with that.
"However, I do still thank you for providing me Niijima-san. So I'll make you disappear quickly."
The onis stepped closer and she and the others crowded around Makoto even more. Rogue glanced at her brother to see him scanning everything, everywhere, knowing that if they didn't get out now, worse case scenario was that they'd have to face a boss battle right then. So, since he was busy making a plan once again, she said,
"Keep your formation, everyone. We gotta hold our ground."
"God damn it! Some bank president you are! What kind of president kills their customers?!" Skull said, complaining as he took on a ready stance.
Instead of just killing them outright though, Shadow Kaneshiro saw fit to answer them and said,
"Hmph. Managing a bank is tough as it is. So it's my policy to kill clients who are more trouble than they're worth."
So Rogue took the chance to keep him talking.
"Oh yeah? Then what happens when people notice they're gone?"
"Hmph. Simple. Having one impertinent brat disappear is enough to set an example in that other world."
"Please stop! I'll come with you... Just let them go free!" Makoto said, breaking past their circle formation.
"Makoto!"
"What the hell are you doin'?!" Skull said.
"Oh, you know I can't do that. I already told you my policy. They're dead men walking, but I wouldn't damage an asset like you, so you'll be just fine."
Makoto flinched at the refusal. "T-Then how about—"
The purple man laughed. "Oh, look at you...putting others first, even if you get hurt...just like your father."
They froze.
"What...? My father...? How do you—" Makoto said in shock before turning snarled. "Did you do something to my father?!"
Wait. Makoto mentioned her father died three years ago. And if she was asking that of Kaneshiro, then did that mean—
"Like I said, I get rid of anything that's more trouble than it's worth," he said. "So I did you a favor. He would've dragged your beautiful sister down with his idiotic justice, just like you're doing with her now."
You son of a bitch! Rogue gritted her teeth and trembled. She wanted to clobber him so bad.
"So just go and do as you're told."
Makoto grimaced. "Do as I'm told..."
Rogue growled as her clobber urge kicked up a notch.
"You'll earn three million yen in no time." Kaneshiro sneered. "Although your life and everything along with it will be a complete wreck by then!"
Then the fat, purple skinned business man laughed and laughed, the guards following him because of course they did. It was their boss and they had to "do as they were told". And the Thieves weren't anywhere closer to getting out.
"I've been listening to you go on and on..." Makoto glared. "Shut up you money-grubbing asshole!"
The Shadows stopped and they stared at the outburst.
"Huh?"
But instead of replying to the head Shadow, the brunette just said,
"Yes...come to me."
Huh? ...come to her...? Wait, is she...?!
Makoto screamed and stomped, the ground splitting with a crack and then Rogue saw it. A mask.
An iron mask that Makoto tore off.
"What the hell?!" Kaneshiro said.
The onis shouted as intense light and wind buffeted them, a whirlwind of blue and white, until it exploded in a shockwave toppling them over to reveal...
"Oh hell yeah! This is awesome!" Rogue said, smiling alongside Joker.
Makoto clad in a grey rider suit, complete with a scarf and a bike.
"A Persona...?"
"No, dude... That's a bike..."
"I can feel it... My 'self'... Me...!" the rider said, calm until she opened her eyes to glare at the guards before her. "Gun it!"
With a screech and a rev, she barrelled through many onis before swerving against even more with a blast of nuclear energy.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
"Wow...! Nice!"
"Everyone! Attack!"
The team shouted their affirmatives before they let their spells loose, the volatile mix of elements causing even more explosions and damage.
"I will not lose heart again, ever! I will go full speed, nonstop!"
Makoto shouted, rearing her bike to slam another blast of bright blue nuclear before gunning straight for Kaneshiro.
"And I won't let you hurt my sister, or anyone else!"
Rogue almost cheered. Instead, she gasped.
"Makoto! Stop!"
The rider skidded to a halt just in time to avoid the purple oni's strike. Behind him, Kaneshiro wiped his terrified look before he said,
"You better earn your keep, or else I'll kill you!"
Then he left, just as the purple oni brandished his club.
"Heh. No problem, boss. Better get ready to give me a raise 'cause this'll be a breeze," the purple oni said.
"Don't get cocky just because I normally behave myself! I am done playing nice!" Makoto said. "Let's go Johanna! Full throttle!"
Yet another blast of blue light, but this time much more concentrated, and clearly the purple one's weakness as it screeched and writhed, its skin now bubbling like boiling water. Then he got hit with another flash of light, but this one an actual flash instead of the nuclear element. At first, Rogue thought that had been useless as she had her Orobas buffet another group of onis, until the oni said,
"Ugh...I'm gonna... What was I supposed to do to kill you...?"
And Queen said, "Their minds seem to be easily affected by mental inhibitors!"
Rogue felt like slapping her forehead.
"Joker! Statuses works!" Because of course they they did. If Kaneshiro overworked his "clients", then he probably also overworked his guards.
"Got it! Everyone! Status skills or items!"
Shouts of affirmation were followed by shouts of determination to do as ordered.
"Makoto! Keep making them forget!"
"Copy!"
Soon enough, though more were coming, because all of the ones who got here first were indisposed one way or another from various status effects, they served as a meatshield between themselves an any new waves. That more or less gave them breathing room, the attacks of confused onis much easier to handle and avoid.
"Okay, we know we can go in and how. Our objective's complete."
"But how are we getting out?"
"Indeed. There's quite a large number of them and there are no footholds for grapple hooks."
"There's only one exit, right?" Makoto said, voice no longer soft spoken.
"Yes..." Joker said, unsure.
Honestly, Rogue was the same.
Then Skull said with a big old grin, "Heh. So you're totally the Fist of the Phantom Star now, huh."
The seemingly leather clad rider glared at him. "Do you want to get smacked?"
"Probably," Joker joked.
"What? No! I was complimentin' her!"
"All the more reason for her to smack you."
"I'm just tryin' to say she's awesome 'cause she's so awesome! What's wrong with that?"
Aforementioned "awesome" cut the topic short as she said, "I'm going on ahead, so follow me!"
Then she revved and...plowed through all the onis inbetween them and the exit, making a giant hole where the doors should've been.
"Daaaaaamn..." Skull said.
"Okay, we have a path!" Mona said and transformed. "Get in!"
"Right!"
With that, Rogue hit full throttle and followed after their hell bent biker.
{R}
"Damn, talk about wild... That was no aikido—that was some hardcore ass whopin'!" said a gushing Ryuji.
"I am so not pissing her off... I feel like she'd rip my arm off." said an intimidated Ann.
"She does exude that aura..." said a serious Yusuke.
"Complete with 'ora ora'," said a smirking Aki.
"... Oh, stop it!" Makoto said to all the teasing.
"But it's true, y'know?" Aki said, her smirk now covered with a mask, but doing nothing to hide the mischievous glint in her eye.
Ren laughed before he said, "Come on everyone, let's stop."
"Like you don't agree with it. You're smilin'."
"I'm not saying I don't," he said with a slight smirk. "I'm saying to give her a break. Then we can tease her."
Makoto groaned as they all shared a laugh.
"That is the most exhausted I have gotten in the past few years..." she said. Then she smiled. "But...it felt pretty great."
"Heh. Yeah, I know right?"
"It means you're one of us now," Ren said. Though he clarified, "If you want to, of course. And if you guys are fine with it."
"Of course we're fine! She'd be an awesome member of the team!"
"Hell yeah! A badass biker that can kick ass!"
Makoto was stunned. "You...really wouldn't mind me joining you?"
"We'd be more than happy to," Ann said.
"You can have a place with us," Yusuke said.
Makoto stared for a while in shock before she was back to smiling as she said, "Okay then... Yes. I'd like to join."
"Then welcome to the team."
Ren's team whooped at her acceptance and Makoto chuckled.
"I never thought I'd become part of the Phantom Thieves I was after. Sis might faint if she found out."
"You mentioned her earlier."
"She's a prosecutor for the district—and she's investigating the Phantom Thieves."
Ren, Aki and Ryuji staggered back.
"Wait, ain't that bad?!" their faux-blond friend said.
"No need to worry. A normal investigation would never lead to a world like that." Then Makoto said, "Then again, it must've been fate for this to happen."
Aki snorted as Ann said,
"What do you mean?"
"I...can't be like my sister. I had a feeling there'd be a time where we wouldn't see eye to eye."
Ren frowned.
"I'm thankful to have a sister who works so hard, but...there are times where I feel sorry for her too. And after hearing my Persona's voice, I clearly understand how I feel now."
"It appears you're not as reserved as you make yourself seem."
Now Ren snorted as Aki had a put off expression from Yusuke's observation.
"I was just doing whatever the adults told me to do," Makoto explained.
And then Yusuke swerved the conversation's direction as he said, "Won't she be perfect as our advisor?"
"Huh? Advisor?"
"She's fearless and has a sharp mind. She'll be perfect for assisting in planning out operations."
Well, that's an idea...
"Sounds good to me! We've needed someone like that for a while now!"
"Oh yeah, if we got you, then that'd mean Big Bro will have less on his plate and do other stuff. What you think, Big Bro?"
Ren was a tiny bit miffed considering they had been perfectly fine until now with him organizing things. But...
"That would be helpful."
...he would concede to Aki's point, alreqdy thinking of what he could do now that one of his duties was delegated to someone else.
"I'd be honored if I could help out."
"We had way too much testosterone anyway, so I feel much better hav—"
A phone rung and they found out it was Makoto's as she took hers out.
"It's Kaneshiro. He's reminding us of our debt."
And revealing he had Makoto's phone number. Even if Ren shouldn't be surprised that such a man had an intelligence network, it still unsettled him that that Kaneshiro did have one. He could very well know by now that he and Aki had a record and were especially at risk if they got in debt now.
Then Makoto said, "So he doesn't know what happened in the Palace."
"Nope. But it'll still affect him, or stealin' his Treasure wouldn't work."
"So we still have to be careful."
"It seems it would be best to avoid unecessary contact with until then."
Another unamused look from Aki that Ren most definitely found amusing, even as Ryuji somberly said,
"Three weeks left, huh..."
Ann said in hopes of encouraging him, "But if we pull this off, it'll definitely be great!"
And then Makoto glared and said, "We'll crush him like a fly. I'll make him regret making me angry..."
"Aaaaand there's the 'I'll rip your arms off' aura again," Aki said.
The brunette snapped into embarrassment. "Oh, come on, please... I thought I said to stop that..."
"Nope. You're one of us now, which means teasin'!"
Makoto groaned and the rest shared another laugh. But Ren decided to spare her for tonight. So he steered them away from that with a reminder to exchange contact info. After they did that, they decided to discuss plans further tomorrow and then they seperated to go home. When they were back at the attic and ready to sleep though, as Aki pulled out her star from her pocket, they were startled to see it was glowing.
"Huh? What the hell?"
"Mona, can you try sensing anything?"
"I...don't think anything's wrong with it."
"Then why's it glowin'?"
"I don't know! It's a wishing star, right? Maybe it reacted to a wish of yours! When did it start glowing?"
"Huh... When did it...?"
Just then, chat came to life as Ryuji talked about how cool Makoto's Persona was, which prompted another onset of apologies from the girl and reassurances from everyone else. Once that finished, Aki said,
"Oh that reminds me. I should tell Akechi not to worry 'bout us anymore."
As Aki did just that, Mona shook his head with exasperation.
"Seriously...first your powers...then all these allies and team members you're getting...and now making that wishing star work and all those special techniques... You two really are something special."
Aki stilled along with Ren.
"We just got lucky," he said.
"Real lucky," she said.
"We wouldn't be here without all of you with us," they said in tandem.
The non-feline just smirked and said, "Looks like I better step up my game then!"
Then Mona went on to wonder aloud if he could consult Makoto about Mementos...Aki completely ignoring him as she started chatting with Akechi and Ren lied down on his futon, ready to fall asleep.
"Hey! Don't just ignore me!"
"Hmm? Did I just hear the wind blow?" Aki said.
"Why you...!"
Ren just let the two not-actually-cats be, Mona soon turning from complaining to reminding Aki that she needed to sleep now.
As Ren relaxed and let himself slowly fall into sleep's embrace, he couldn't help but wonder...
...what wish did the star grant?
[G]
Finally.
With one last take, and several smiles and good-byes, Akechi could finally head to his apartment. That recording session had taken much too long for his liking, especially since it wasn't live. Thankfully it wasn't from any mistake on his part, but either hosts making their own error or the director not being satisfied with how lines were delivered. Why the director was being particular today, Akechi couldn't care less, but it was such an inconvenience, so he planned on investigating the director to see if anything he could take advantage of was the cause behind the fussy behavior.
"Come on dude... I need the money!" a teenage boy said on Akechi's way to the station.
"Get it yourself! You already asked for hundreds! I'm gonna end up broke if I give you more!"
"But I need it!"
He didn't hear the rest as he kept walking. Akechi knew what was going on anyway. It was likely another one of Kaneshiro's "customers". Their numbers had been on the rise lately once he decided to include adolescents into his cliental. As infuriating it was that he was preying on the weak like all adults did, it was also annoying how easily teens would fall into his traps in the first place.
He was pulled from his thoughts as his phone blipped when he boarded his train.
Akechi smiled.
Akira: Hey Akechi, good news! We settled things with Niijima, so we're good now.
He frowned.
Wait...settled things with Niijima-san? But...how? She was still investigating them. What could possibly convince her to stop?
But he would have to put those questions on hold. He had to answer Akira before she suspected him of anything.
Akechi: Oh really? That's good to hear.
Akira: Yeah, I know right? My brother and I even made friends with her! So now we're going to be hanging out from now on.
The questions piled up further. And a bit of disbelief too.
After all, how come Niijima, of all people, became Akira's friend? And so quickly too.
What? Like you?
Akechi: So you were able to do her favor?
Akira: Uh...kinda? More like now we got a more reasonable deadline now. So, again, no worries!
This girl... How could he not worry when everything she did only led to the contrary?
He couldn't tell her that, of course.
Akechi: Well, I wish you well in your endeavor then.
Akira: Thanks! So how was your day? Hope yours was good.
Akechi allowed himself a sigh and answered her before they talked for a little while, pretending nothing was bothering him.