7/11
It had, thankfully, for once, not been a morning that signified impending rain for a change as Kyoko walked briskly off the train from Yongen-Jaya to make her way to the platform where the train that'd take her to school would arrive in a matter of minutes.
Between exam week and the plans after if all went well, and the aftermath of Kaneshiro's confirmed defeat, the young detective felt a faint smile form on her face. Furthermore, Mishima had messaged her before she'd gone to bed last night about a new Phansite request, a girl who, based on his description, was the disheveled and rather manic-looking one she'd seen eyeing a boy in the halls whenever she'd leave school. It seemed the girl's obsession with him had elevated to far more disturbing levels, and by Kyoko's assertion, resolving this as soon as possible would add further credibility in the Phantom Thieves' favor especially with the iron still hot following the downfall of Kaneshiro, and Akechi's critical remarks on last night's interview.
"Oh, Kirigiri-san!"
Kyoko turned, and saw none other then the boy she'd last seen on TV approach her, monogrammed briefcase in hand.
"Akechi-kun. Good morning," she said with a faint smile.
"I have to say, it's certainly a pleasant surprise to run into you this morning!" he replied with a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.
"You look a little tired," Kyoko remarked, looking the boy over.
"Very perceptive of you, but don't tell anyone!" Akechi said, smirking. "I... had a TV appearance last night, though I'm not sure if you caught it..."
"I did," Kyoko said.
"Well, then I imagine you probably guessed with Kaneshiro's confession, things certainly did go very differently then originally planned," said Akechi, his smile fading noticeably, his gaze drifting away from the girl in front of him towards the tile floor. "...After all, with the Phantom Thieves having suppressed a man that even the police had such a great deal of trouble with, I've taken quite a hit, in no small part due to the rather worrisome amount of support they've gained online, now, in light of my having recently denounced them. It's all the interviews ever ask me about, now."
Kyoko folded her arms, remaining silent a moment. "...Do you doubt your stance?" she asked.
"Doubt isn't the word I'd put for it, Kirigiri-san," Akechi replied, looking back up at her. "But I know how... aggressive... some people can be online to force their stance upon another whose own differs. If anything, it gives me more reason to defend my stance."
"What do you mean?" Kyoko asked.
"Well, do you feel it's right to automatically assume they are on the side of justice based on merely this example?" Akechi asked. "To simply follow the "majority rules" concept?"
Kyoko's expression became neutral, her arms still folded as she looked over at him. As a detective, the boy standing in front of her was indeed following every reasonable approach of someone who did not know of the Metaverse, or knew the Phantom Thieves personally. For this, she could not fault him. "The court of public opinion is often blinded by its personal biases."
"Exactly!" Akechi said with a smile, his mood seeming to have improved a little. "Though I noticed you haven't challenged me on whether the Phantom Thieves are right or not. I may have phrased things unfairly, but with the mental shutdown incidents I've been investigating, the similarities cannot be ignored."
"You're saying, then, caution should be had?" Kyoko asked.
"Something along those lines," Akechi replied. "Wouldn't you agree with me on that, at least?"
Kyoko paused a second, before giving a nod. "I can, yes. While I do currently believe the possibility in light of the downfall of three serious criminals each with a very large number of victims to be held accountable for that the Phantom Thieves are on the side of justice, the thing that would surely confirm whether they are exactly that, or terrorist vigilantes manipulating the public," she explained. "...Would be concrete proof that these incidents are unrelated."
Akechi nodded, smiling. "I appreciate your understanding of my stance, Kirigiri, even if you are not convinced of it. But I will, in turn, agree that would be the deciding factor in this mystery of their motives."
"And if they are not responsible for these incidents that have been going on for two years?" Kyoko asked.
The boy brought his hand to his chin, a look of concern on his face. "...Then leaves only the question of if not them, then who is?" he asked. "...But, from where I see it, there are still far too many what-ifs and angles the public are not looking at to consider my skepticism of these Phantom Thieves, and too big a possible connection to ignore with such strong similarities in the cases..."
Kyoko kept her expression neutral. Now more then ever a part of her wanted to tell him everything, and the proof that could clear them entirely and confirm how her and her teammates could not have possibly had anything to do with the mental shutdowns and psychotic breaks due to them not having even discovered the Metaverse then. Unfortunately, Kyoko knew where all of that would lead to no matter how she approached it with the police's current stance on them. "I can understand your skepticism, Akechi-kun. I just feel it's necessary to weigh both possibilities."
Her answer seemed to satisfy the boy detective as he gave a small smirk. "This is a reason I enjoy engaging with you, Kirigiri-san. You show a willingness to see where I'm coming from while still defending your own side reasonably, rather then simply write my opinion off as invalid for contrasting yours," he said. Taking out his phone, Akechi flinched. "...Oh, I should probably get going, and it'd be wrong of me to make you late, either. Another time, Kirigiri-san!"
With a friendly wave, Akechi walked off to another platform, Kyoko's own train pulling up a second after. As she boarded, Kyoko looked back, she could see Akechi looking back at her as well as the doors closed and the train began to move. An announcement cut on over the speakers of the train, discussing Kaneshiro's confession and the subsequent arrest of the rest of his gang, and another psychotic break that had occurred on the highways before moving on to talking about the summer fireworks festival coming up on the 18th.
Kyoko could feel the weight of frustration how without the proof that'd endanger her, Akechi's stance was a reasonable one for a detective actively investigating the afore-mentioned mental shutdowns and psychotic breaks while being unaware of the Metaverse, and would likely be impossible to counter in the immediate future unless she could find the true culprit...
"Tests are coming up, I trust you've all been studying?" Dr. Maruki asked as he stood in front of the class that morning. "Now, I'm sure there are those of you who try and rely on all-nighters, but I can't recommend that. Believe it or not, it actually messes up your ability to retain information you're trying to learn, which brings me to this question: Do you know the difference between short-term and long-term memory?"
Maruki slid his hands in his pockets. "No worries, this one's not a quiz. The simple answer is that short-term memory is more temporary or contextual, while long-term memories stick with you," he explained. "You see, in the short-term, you're working with a hard limit, and will only retain about six or seven pieces of information. For long-term memory, though, your brain's capacity is huge, possibly even infinite, according to some theories..."
A brief chorus of murmurs filled the class, Maruki waiting a moment for them to die down before speaking again. "Okay, so tell me... Kirigiri-san!" he stated, getting Kyoko's attention as he looked her way. "What do you think about all this? Short-term memories stick with you for a few seconds, but how long do you think you can hold on to long-term memories?"
Kyoko suspected it may have been her career path that had given the doctor the initiative to select her, a detective being someone who'd need to rely on both. She took a moment of how to best respond before speaking up.
"There's no exact answer, and potentially varies from person to person and can be affected by problems that can come as one progresses into old age, and as for how many, it's uncertain as well, but possibly an infinite number," she answered. "But potentially, they can last our entire lives."
"That's correct, well done, Kirigiri!" said Maruki, clapping in approval. "Stuff encoded into your long-term memory never truly goes away, and short-term memories have the potential to become long-term ones through reiteration. This is why it's important to study frequently, to better ensure the knowledge you acquire will remain with you when it comes time to apply it, though I imagine it'd be great to be able to encode all your test answers into your long-term memory... but we can't always get what we want, can we?" he explained.
Kyoko's gaze passed over the classroom, wondering why it was still difficult for anyone to assume she wouldn't be able to answer a question. In front of her, Ann looked back, smiling proudly, though with a hint of envy that indicated she was still rather worried about how exams would go for herself.
"Still," said Maruki as the murmurs and whispering died down once more. "...If there is something to look forward to, you all do have summer break coming up after exams are over, so do your best to study, alright?"
"Hmm, memories that never go away," Morgana sighed from within Kyoko's desk as he looked down at the floor. "Does that mean I'll get my memories back someday and remember my past?" he wondered aloud as class resumed.
Kyoko was wary as she carefully examined the chat log as Mr. Ushimaru gave his lecture, Ann doing the same in front of her.
[7/18 is Marine Day!] Ryuji messaged
[And finals end on the 16th, so that should be good, right?] he added.
[What are you talking about?] Yusuke asked.
[The fireworks festival!] Ryuji answered.
[You're really quick to look up stuff like that] Ann hastily responded, glancing back and forth between her phone and Ushimaru, who currently had his attention on the chalkboard, now.
-Get back to studying. Kyoko answered, seizing this window of opportunity to respond.
[I'll do it tomorrow.] Ryuji answered, causing Kyoko's brow to furrow slightly in exasperation.
-Didn't you hear Dr. Maruki's lecture? I would assume he did one in your class, too? she asked.
[Kinda zoned out during it actually. Can't stop thinking about summer break.] Ryuji answered.
Kyoko closed her eyes a second, her phone nearly slipping from her gloved hand as it hummed again.
[We're in the middle of class! Talk about it later!] Makoto responded.
[Yeah okay.] Ryuji replied.
"HEY! KIRIGIRI!" Ushimaru's voice snapped, loudly and sharply from across the room, Kyoko immediately looking up at the teacher, who now wore a deep, angry scowl on his face as he glared at her. "...This how you pay attention when someone's talking to you?!"
Kyoko's gaze was fixed firmly on the chalk that Ushimaru tossed up and down in his hand she suspected to conceal when he'd make his move. She watched as he finally did and let the chalk fly, moving her head just in the nick of time to avoid it as it flew past her, shattering when it impacted the wall behind her. She and Ann, who'd been looking back at her in worry, both let out a sigh of relief as the teacher grumbled and took out another piece of chalk to resume his lecture, with a warning not to let him catch her distracted again.
"Nice going!" Morgana cheered quietly from within Kyoko's desk as several students murmured in awe at her timed move, Kyoko herself simply relieved she'd managed to dodge that one in time having felt the air pressure when it'd sailed past her head and feeling a little more eager for class to be over already...
No sooner had the bell rang and Kyoko had gotten out the door when she heard someone call to her.
"Hey! Kyoko, wait up!" Makoto called, hurrying over and joining her. "Heading home? It's rare running into you at this hour."
"Is something going on?" Kyoko asked, curious that Makoto would come seek her out without any prior notice. "Is it about that girl Eiko?"
"No, nothing about her, yet," Makoto replied. "Actually, I was wondering about that counselling Dr. Maruki offered. Apparently it's getting quite popular I saw someone head to the nurse's office right after classes let out."
"I'm sure it's more then merely his skill that's drawn people," Kyoko remarked, recalling how many of the female students had found him rather handsome, and judging from the disappointment they'd show later from what she overheard in the halls, it seemed Maruki was thankfully not the kind of person Kamoshida had been. "Someone you know?"
"The transfer student, Kasumi Yoshizawa. I saw her heading that way. She apparently sees him on a regular basis," Makoto explained.
"He was her therapist prior to coming here," Kyoko replied, as she remembered when she'd seen Kasumi come out of his office when she'd come by a while back.
Kyoko paused.
"Something up, Kyoko?" Makoto asked, curious.
Kyoko remained silent as she brought her hand to her chin in thought. Maruki had primarily been involved in counseling, and Kasumi did have some strange moments where her behavior and personality seemed to completely flip around from cheerful and confident to a nervous wreck rather easily, it'd stand to reason she'd see Maruki often. It was possible he was still acting as her therapist even now, possibly in connection to her declining performance.
"Kyoko?" Makoto repeated.
It was likely Dr. Maruki must have known of Kasumi's troubles, though the confidentiality agreement meant she couldn't ask him about it. Still, she wondered if a reason he'd accepted the job was for her sake as her therapist, or if he'd come so he'd be in a position where it'd be easier to continue evaluating her. If he knew, then it was possible Kasumi was a potential motive to his side project... but if so, the question, Kyoko pondered, remained why.
"Kyoko, are you there?" Makoto asked, a little louder, snapping the young detective from her thoughts.
"Hm?"
"I was getting to that I was wondering if maybe I should find out for myself regarding his skills. The teachers say he's well worth it," Makoto explained.
"If there's anything on your mind, it may be worth your time to do so," Kyoko replied.
"Maybe I should, I'll see when it's not in the way of my studies," Makoto said with a nod. "I know you won't disappoint on your grades, as for the others... I hope they realize there may not be a fireworks festival group gathering if they don't do well."
Kyoko glanced over at the other girl. "...I think that's mostly in Ann and Ryuji's hands."
Makoto giggled. "It was a joke. Though honestly, they'd better give it their all. Yusuke, too. Which reminds me, I need to go buy some prep booklets, so I'll see you later!"
Kyoko paused a moment and watched as Makoto jogged off ahead to the subway station. A second later, however, her phone began to chime. Taking it from her bag, she saw Kasumi was calling her.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Kirigiri-senpai! Hi! It's me, Kasumi. I don't have club practice today so I was wondering, if you're not busy and were heading home, too, can you meet me at the Shibuya station? There's something I wanted to report to you." Kasumi's voice asked over the phone.
"I'm not busy, no," Kyoko replied. "You need me over there?"
"Yeah, if it's not any trouble! It's something I'd rather discuss in person if that's alright."
Talk about coincidence, she mused, the girl having been on her mind with what she'd been thinking over during her walk with Makoto. With any luck it may help on her investigation the redhead had requested of her. "I'll be right over, I'm still at Aoyama-Itchome."
"Great! I'll be waiting, then! Seeya soon!"
Putting her phone away, Kyoko continued on her way to the station.
"Senpai! Hey!" Kyoko turned and saw Kasumi rush over as she emerged from the Shibuya station as per Kasumi's instruction she was waiting outside. "Thanks so much for coming. Think we can maybe find somewhere to sit and I'll explain everything?" the redhead asked.
"That's fine. Anywhere in mind?" Kyoko asked. She knew of the diner on Central Street, which given recent news would have certainly become much safer, now, though it may have been a good deal busier at this time.
"I'm... not sure, actually," Kasumi said sheepishly, looking down in embarrassment.
"It's alright, Kasumi, I'm sure we'll figure a place out," Kyoko said, noticing the gloom setting in on the other girl.
"Oh, Kirigiri-san?" Another familiar voice called out that Kyoko recognized right away even before she and Kasumi looked over.
"Akechi-kun?" Kyoko asked, admittedly, she felt, she was a bit surprised to see him again so soon.
"What a pleasant surprise, running into you, again!" Akechi said with a warm chuckle, before taking notice of Kasumi. "And you are...?" he asked.
"Oh, it's been a while, I suppose, hasn't it, Akechi-kun?" Kasumi replied.
"Oh! Right, Yoshizawa-san, forgive me for that slipping my mind," Akechi said, an embarrassed, apologetic smile on his face.
"You know eachother?" Kyoko asked, looking back and forth between them.
"My father works at a TV station," Kasumi explained. "Have you ever seen "Good Morning, Japan"? My father's actually the director of that program."
"...And I've been brought onto the show as a guest a number of times, now!" Akechi added. "Yoshizawa-san was sometimes there with her father during those times, and that's how I became acquainted with her. I didn't know you knew her as well!"
"She helped me out of a jam a while back, and now she's offering guidance for me!" Kasumi stated proudly.
"...Helped you out of a jam, hmm? I certainly wouldn't put it past Kirigiri-san to do that for a friend," Akechi said, giving a grateful smile to Kyoko as a reminder of the time they were at the diner in Kichijouji together when she'd saved him from nosy fans. "...So, what were you two up to?"
"Oh! Right! I was just about to share some exciting news!" Kasumi stated proudly, an equally excited smile on her face. "It's nothing to keep secret, so I may just spill it now: You remember that summer competition I mentioned before? I was chosen as club representative!"
"Well done," Kyoko said, giving a small but genuine smile and an approving nod.
"That's great news, Yoshizawa-san! You must be feeling quite proud!" Akechi said, giving an approving smile of his own.
"Well, to be honest, it feels like it's just the beginning for me, really," Kasumi said modestly.
"Is that so?" Akechi asked. "As I understand it, your team is considered very prestigious, isn't it? Being appointed their representative I'd say that's extremely impressive!"
"Thank you! I'll do my best to make everyone proud!" said Kasumi, blushing lightly. "There's actually even a rumor Hope's Peak will even have representatives watching as well!"
"Wow! Then it must be quite important, then!" Akechi said. "Well, I'll certainly be rooting for you, Yoshizawa-san!"
"As will I," Kyoko added. "I wish you luck on that."
"Hey, I have an idea," Akechi offered. "Since the three of us are here, why don't we all go somewhere as a group? My treat. A little celebration of your success, Yoshizawa-san!"
"That would be wonderful! Is that alright with you, Kirigiri-senpai?" Kasumi asked, looking back at Kyoko with excitement.
Kyoko felt Morgana shuffle about in her school bag. "Suits me fine," she said. "I'd say you've earned it."
"Well, that settles it, would you mind I chose the place? There's a wonderful little café I know of if you're up for a trip to Kichijouji," Akechi replied.
"That'd be great! Thank you! I was actually kind of unsure of where to go before you found us," Kasumi said, flattered. "Lead the way!"
Within a half-hour, Akechi had led the two out to Kichijouji and to the café where he and Kyoko had last spent time together, getting the three of them a table and drinks.
"You don't need to cover me, Akechi-kun" Kasumi said with another light blush.
"I insist. If anything it'd be good for my image treating you both, wouldn't it?" the boy detective joked. "Though I admit I hadn't expected you'd choose a hot beverage in the summer time!"
"Well, I have to keep my body from getting to cold since the meet's coming up rather soon and all!" Kasumi explained, taking a sip of her hot tea.
"I see, so you're covering all your bases, then," Akechi replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
"They say, sometimes coffee like you got can cool you off even when hot so I figured I should avoid that as well!" Kasumi said.
Kyoko herself had ordered iced tea, and drank it quietly from her glass as she allowed the other two to talk. It still being the afternoon in early July, it was still rather hot out. Morgana had already chosen to roam the area a little, having decided it was way too warm to remain cooped up in her schoolbag the entire time they were here.
"You know, I have this image in my mind that you're a fan of sweet things, Akechi-kun. Am I right?" Kasumi asked, taking another sip. "You seemed to enjoy that fried sweet bread you were having on TV a few days ago."
"I'm afraid that was all nothing more then a marketing strategy arranged for me, Yoshizawa-san. That sort of stunt was just an easy crowd-pleaser," Akechi said with an apologetic smile. "You and Kirigiri are among the few who know while there's exceptions, I'm not particularly a sweet person!"
"The cheesecake... was hard to argue against," Kyoko admitted.
"That it was," Akechi chuckled. "I think that's something we can certainly agree on."
"Oh, you two have been here before? Together?" Kasumi asked, curious and looking back and forth between them.
"Last week, yes. I heard reviews for it and I invited her to accompany me in checking it out," Akechi explained.
"Wow! I wouldn't have guessed! Well, actually, I suppose it'd make sense you're both detectives and if I may say, you two do really look good together," Kasumi giggled. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she saw Kyoko's head turn sharply away clearly blushing, and her own face turned red itself "Oh... sorry! I didn't mean to... e-embarrass either of you. I'm so sorry, I must've assumed too much!"
"It's alright, Yoshizawa-san," Akechi replied, giving the redhead a reassuring smile. "We just went to investigate the quality of the café and happened to be pleasantly surprised by what they had."
Kyoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling slowly after, as she felt the red fade from her face. It took slightly longer for her heart to recover from that sudden rise in pace. "...It's fine, I suppose it's an easy conclusion to come to. No need to dwell on it."
"If you say so," Kasumi said, taking a breath.
"If I may say, it's rather surprising how innocent you seem to be," Akechi said with a light chuckle.
"I guess I'm just curious, actually," Kasumi said, seeming to have calmed down, now. "...How did you two come to know eachother? I mean, I'm sure you've both heard of one-another before, but when did you meet?"
"Well, her social studies class visited the set of a TV show I was on," Akechi explained.
"Oh! Right! Second-years got to go to a TV station early last month, didn't they?" Kasumi asked.
Akechi nodded. "I'm no stranger of the Kirigiri clan history, and I'd actually had a chance encounter with her earlier where we exchanged our perspectives on what defined a detective, and the trials a detective faces," he explained, smirking as he looked over at Kyoko. "...So, you can imagine what a pleasant surprise it was to see her at the studio. But then, during the shoot, she and I exchanged our opinions, and it made my intrigue towards her grow all the more..."
"That is the summary of it," Kyoko remarked, taking another sip of her iced tea and maintaining her normal stoic demeanor after her previous embarrassment. "We've spent some time together getting to know eachother and sharing perspectives ever since." She gave Akechi a small smile in return to the smirk he'd given. "It's... refreshing."
"Likewise," Akechi said a playfulness in his smirk, now. "As such I always look forward to another opportunity to do so."
"I can definitely see how you two would connect," Kasumi said with a smile. "Kirigiri-senpai's insight has helped me out, too, and given me more confidence as well."
"Oh, yes, I recall you mentioning how she's been providing you with some guidance?" Akechi asked.
"That's right!" Kasumi said with a proud smile as she looked over at Kyoko. "She's so cool-headed and smart, and her insight and way of thinking are really neat and helpful, so I figured I could benefit from her input and support, and it's definitely done a lot for me!"
Kyoko blinked in surprise, it wasn't quite what she'd expected to hear from her, and it felt, in a way, as she processed it, like how she thought of Big Sis Yui before... she pushed those thoughts away as it made her gaze flicker down to her gloved hands a moment.
"Senpai, are you alright? I didn't mean to put you in the spotlight like that," Kasumi said, looking worried.
"No, it's fine. If it's how you feel... I don't mind," Kyoko said, a bit more hastily then she'd intended before regaining her neutral look and grabbing up her tea again, which did cause an intrigued look from Akechi making it clear to her he'd noticed.
"Well, in that case, how about a little game, then?" Akechi offered, resting his chin on his palm as he glanced from Kyoko to Kasumi. "Would you mind if I posed the same question to you that I had asked Kirigiri?"
Kasumi looked over at Kyoko, whose stoic gaze was now on Akechi, then at the boy himself. "N-No. Go right ahead! Which question did you mean?"
"Well, my question was... what do you think of the Phantom Thieves, Yoshizawa-san?" he asked.
The redhead blinked in surprise at Akechi's question. "...The Phantom Thieves? You mean in the case of if they do indeed exist?" she asked, shifting in her seat and smoothing out her skirt as she took a sip of her hot tea. "Well, I admit that the assistance of others in need is a truly great act," she explained. "...However... I simply can't agree with their methods."
"How so?" Kyoko asked, causing Kasumi to blush nervously.
"It's alright," Akechi said, giving an assuring smile. "There's nothing wrong with explaining your stance. Both Kirigiri and myself have explained ours to one-another, don't feel as though you shouldn't."
"Well..." Kasumi looked down at her lap a moment, still a little anxious before looking back up at the two and attempting an air of confidence as she spoke. "I suspect the Phantom Thieves' existence wouldn't be beneficial to society in the long run," she explained.
"In what sense?" Akechi asked.
"For example, when someone's faced with a problem to overcome, I believe they need to attempt it themselves," Kasumi replied. "Don't get me wrong, getting help from others is totally fine, especially if one should come to find that handling it themselves may well be beyond their ability, but in the end, I feel it takes a person's initiative to truly create lasting change. If society relied upon a safety net like the Phantom Thieves, I worry they'd grow entirely reliant on it for everything and stop making any sort of conscious effort on their own first... granted, it does depend on the severity of the problem and it's inaccurate to apply generalizations to the entire population, but I believe a society that simply leaves all matters to an external force like the Phantom Thieves to solve for them wouldn't last very long..."
"I see... so..." Akechi crossed his legs, sitting back in his chair with interest. "...In the sense of a person's growth, their actions actually hinder that... that's quite an interesting take on the matter, to be honest. Typically, the stance is whether they are necessary vigilantes stopping criminals who are otherwise beyond the law's reach, or if they are dangerous terrorists. Which brings me to the next matter..." he turned to face Kyoko. "What is your take on Yoshizawa-san's stance?"
Kyoko was silent a moment, folding her arms in thought but attempting a response quick enough not to come off suspicious. "I can understand her concerns," she stated.
"I agree," Akechi responded. "It's a rather inspiring take if I may say so."
"Wait!" Kasumi's eyes went wide with realization. "A-Are you a fan of the Phantom Thieves, Senpai?" she asked, looking over in surprise at Kyoko.
"It's more complicated then that, Yoshizawa," Kyoko explained. "As a detective, I was raised to understand the truth takes no sides. Therefore, I can't rule out the possibility their intentions are noble, as criminals like Madarame, Kaneshiro, or Mr. Kamoshida as you remember, were individuals who would fit Akechi's description of criminals who were otherwise beyond the law's reach, with countless victims to their name. From the looks of it, had they not intervened, it's possible their crimes could have gone unpunished longer, perhaps for years, even, and as a result there would be more unfortunate victims."
"I see," Kasumi said with a nod.
"...Though you raise a valid point," Kyoko stated. "People cannot be wholly reliable on someone else to solve every problem. If the Phantom Thieves are on the side of good, then they should hope their actions will lead to a day when they are no longer needed."
"On the other hand," Akechi interjected, "If they are malicious and connected to the other incidents, or perhaps... say they are of noble intention, what's to stop them from encouraging, by intent or not, this form of sloth in society, until they are outright permitted to act as gods, smiting whomever they please all in the name of a "better" world?"
A silence passed. Kyoko remained unreadably neutral. Akechi had made a valid point and she could, were she in his position, see it, especially as whomever this black masked assassin was had been essentially doing exactly that for some unknown person or persons, though contradicting him now would only lead to him becoming suspicious of her.
Fortunately, Akechi seemed to decide the awkward silence had lasted long enough and spoke again. "...Sorry, I didn't mean to start an argument," he said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "...I guess I just can't help myself sometimes. As I've told you, it's not often I get meaningful conversation, usually people just blindly agree to whatever I say because of my status as a celebrity and it's honestly tiresome. I hope I didn't destroy the mood... why don't we talk about something else and lighten things back up?"
"That'd probably be best," Kyoko replied. Though, she realized, being an optimist and lightening the mood were not her strong points, so she felt herself at a slight loss on a solution.
"Actually," Kasumi said, taking out her phone and finishing her hot tea. "...I apologize, but I gotta get going. If I'm away from home too late, my parents get really worried about me."
"I understand," Kyoko said. "When I lived with my grandfather, he'd expect me to always tell him where I was at any given time."
"Oh, right, I remember you mentioning something like that before," Kasumi said.
"Sounds like it was rather frustrating," Akechi remarked, causing Kyoko to blink and regard him with a hint of confusion. "Well, at any rate, I suppose we should call it a day, shouldn't we? Yoshizawa-san, I wish you luck on your competition!"
"Good luck," Kyoko said, Akechi's remark still on her mind.
"Thank you both! I'll give it my all!" Kasumi said with a flattered smile as she got up and headed off to the train station, leaving Kyoko and Akechi to themselves.
"...I should probably be going as well," Akechi said apologetically as he finished his tea and stood, Kyoko doing the same.
"...It was."
"Hm?" Akechi looked back at her.
"...Frustrating. I didn't give it much thought then, but what you'd said..." Kyoko brushed back her hair, looking off to the side at the passing crowds. "I suppose the more I think about it, it was. Like... like he never trusted me..."
Akechi smirked. "I had noticed the slight inflection in your tone as you said it, which made me suspect it was not an arrangement you were particularly happy about," he said. "It's easy to feel boxed in when you have adults supervising your every move... it's something the limelight has made me all too familiar with, unfortunately. A price to pay, I suppose, when so many are watching."
Kyoko folded her arms, her expression neutral but her gaze wandering. It annoyed her, how she could easily find a solution or come with an answer so quickly when it involved detective work, or her Phantom Thief activities, but this, it still felt as though she couldn't decide what to say, or like what she should say and what she wanted to say would suddenly be different and at war with eachother, and her unsure of which should emerge the victor. Looking back at him, Kyoko went for the third, if unrelated choice. "It was nice to take time away from it, I imagine."
"Quite," Akechi said with a nod. "I hope we'll be able to meet up again sometime soon. I'll see you later, Kirigiri." The boy gave her one last smile before departing into the crowd, Kyoko waiting as she saw Morgana appear around the corner and quickly trot into her open schoolbag on the ground before collecting it and making her way to the station as well, her mind made up.
It had been frustrating. Frustrating enough a passing thought in Kyoko's mind told her she wouldn't look forward to it when this year was finally behind her.
The discussion had also lingered in her mind. The unanimous rule had been upheld regarding choosing targets, but Akechi had made a point, one she'd have likely come to as well were she in his position. In theory, the Phantom Thieves could use their power to strike down any who spoke against them, or cause a serious delay in the investigation the police were going into if they targeted Akechi or someone high up. No doubt he had thought of that as well as their popularity grew, perhaps to where the public would be perfectly fine with that.
...If she knew who that man who'd humiliated her in court and got her all but disowned was...
"Something on your mind, Kyoko?" Morgana asked, peering from her bag.
"...Nothing," Kyoko said softly. Kasumi's words and Akechi's observation circling in her thoughts like a maelstrom of what the next step, the right step, truly was. With any luck, tomorrow and exams would offer their share of getting her mind off it for now.
Kyoko had planned to return to Leblanc for the evening, perhaps even visit the bathhouse, between her after-school visit to the café with Akechi and Kasumi, and her curiosity of how Sojiro seemed to know quite a bit about the study session the previous evening despite Kyoko having only messaged him that one was going on.
Plans, however, had taken a different turn, Kyoko had mused as she sat in her casual clothes across a slightly tipsy Ichiko Ohya at the Crossroads bar, having finished with the details on how the Thieves had first acted against Kamoshida in what felt like so long ago to her, now.
"A bulletin board, huh?" Ohya remarked, raising an eyebrow at Kyoko's story. "So, the calling card to Kamoshida was also different, as well?"
The reporter let out a loud cackle. "Now THAT'S a scoop! That sorta info doesn't always see the light'a day. Even that Mishima kid you sent me kinda glossed over that bit!" she said with an amused smirk. "You got any photos or videos of it? Right now, it's all about Kaneshiro confessin' and bein' sentenced to prison... but I'm sure I can find a way to fit that into a more current column if you do!"
"Unfortunately, no. I'd dismissed it as a prank when I saw them, and the school confiscated all of them for evidence," Kyoko replied, sipping her water. Thankfully Ryuji had remembered to wear gloves when he'd made them, and while, she mused, he may have still kept the original rather then destroy it, having him speak to Ohya, for all his merits, was completely out of the question.
"That's a shame, even a good photocopy would do," Ohya muttered, sipping her alcohol. "Still, "Phantom Thieves of Hearts"?! Sounds more like kids on a playground tryin' to sound cool rather then valiant fighters for society. Plus, that Kamoshida guy, judgin' from the interviews and what I got outta Mishima, sounds like he made a lotta enemies, so guess narrowing it down's a lost cause, huh?"
"What do you mean?" the young detective asked, taking another sip.
"Well, between that one, and then Madarame and Kaneshiro, they sure act high and mighty with the way these calling cards are written, but I'm not sure they're really worth much in the end, you know?" Ohya asked, now looking less plastered and more serious at the moment as she looked back at Kyoko.
"They stopped three untouchable criminals," Kyoko replied, setting her drink down and folding her arms. "You're a reporter, you'd know each of them had a lot of victims to their name. Kamoshida had everyone seeking his favor or living in fear of them. Madarame got away with his crimes for over a decade. Kaneshiro was connected enough to ensure the police looked the other way even when one of their own died for trying to expose him."
Ohya laughed again. Harder this time, and enough the young detective's brow furrowed as her patience was wearing thin. She noted, however, Ohya's laugh was not the kind that seemed induced by alcohol, but bitterness.
"Oh c'mon! They may make for great gossip since they're becoming all the rage right now, but you really think they're virtuous heroes?!" the reporter scoffed. "If there's anything I learned in my line of work, there's no clearer sign of deception than an act of unconditional goodwill. Charitable organizations turn out to have shady activities behind them, and don't even get me started on the morals and ethics you'd have to throw away to meet the criteria of a peace prize... so why shouldn't I take even the Phantom Thieves with a grain of salt?"
"Hey, c'mon, Ohya. No need to be such a downer," Lala remarked while wiping down some drink glasses.
"Whyyyyy?" Ohya asked indignantly. "It's the truth, you know!"
"There you go again, don't you remember when you used to be so positive?" Lala retorted.
"Oh, shut it, Lala-chan! I don't care about the past!" Ohya snapped.
The truth takes no sides...
Kyoko was not about to divulge her career path or success as a detective, but she'd seen plenty of cases in the DSC covering situations like what Ohya had listed off. Thoughts of her conversation with Kasumi and Akechi returned as well.
As a Phantom Thief, Kyoko had used her set of skills to punish criminals, and it had given her a great deal of satisfaction seeing them face their deserved comeuppance especially after the injustice she endured, yet there was also the hope they brought people who'd suffered and been victimized by those the Thieves targeted. Hearing the skepticism, skepticism she'd have likely agreed to were she on the outside looking in, the line seemed to blur a little, as well as her own motives... bringing criminals to justice, proving herself right to Akechi and other detractors, solving the mystery of Mementos and her role in all of this...
"Hey, kiddo, you spacin' out on me?" Ohya asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Lala, gimme some sushi! Some for my informant here, too!"
"We're all out," Lala stated with a shake of the head and a tone that suggested the notion Ohya should have been fully aware of this. "...You know, you should consider going back to covering politics like you used to," the bartender added.
"C'mon, Lala-chan. You know that's a complete no-can-do with me being permanently reassigned to the culture and entertainment department," Ohya grumbled, resting her elbow on the bar table and her chin in her palm as she leaned forward, turning her glass on the table with her free hand.
"What a crappy company! It's been over a year since the incident, Ohya," Lala stated with an exasperated sigh, before pausing and looking over at Kyoko. "...By incident, I mean-"
"Not. Another. Word. Lala-chan," Ohya warned, emphasizing each word with a scowl and a sharp tone that seemed to sober up a little more by Kyoko's observation. "That has nothing to do with my source!"
"My apologies," Lala replied.
"And look at that, I'm sobering up, now!" Ohya complained. "Gimme a refill!"
"Are you trying to have a repeat of last time we met up?" Kyoko asked dryly. The last thing she felt she needed was the reporter going from difficult to talk to and hard to be certain she was listening to utterly lost cause who may forget the entire discussion by morning.
"Oh please. I still made it home and wrote the article, didn't I?" Ohya protested. "You oughta loosen up, too. Have some of my drink when Lala-chan comes back."
"Not happening," the bartender stated with the sharpness of the finest needle without even looking back while refilling Ohya's glass.
"Yikes, forgot how scary you can be, Lala-chan," Ohya stammered. "Thank god there was no scowl this time!" she added with a chuckle. "Still, though, why's an upstandin' young lady like you even coming to a bar when you're too young to drink? Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"
Lala's mention of an incident, Ohya's reaction, and her past position had become etched into Kyoko's mind and reminded the young detective she'd be needing to add another file on her laptop when she got back. Right now, however, Kyoko suspected she wouldn't be able to convince Ohya to discuss it more, leaving her wondering if maybe she should take a chance and just let her drink and see what she'd spill.
"It has a relaxing atmosphere and the service is decent," Kyoko replied.
"Very sweet of you, young lady," Lala remarked, setting Ohya's glass down. "Tellya what, if you promise to not sample any of the alcohol, and behave yourself, if you're short on money you can call on the evenings and see if I could use an extra hand. Once in a while, we get a flood of people just off from work."
"Yeah, and they rain in on my only escape," Ohya grumbled.
"It's a public bar, honey. They got as much a right to come in if they're not causing trouble," the bartender scolded.
"I'll keep that in mind," Kyoko said with a nod before turning her attention on Ohya, who had already started on her new drink.
"Well, whatever, at least it means you don't mind the place enough to come back, so that makes you useful," the reporter said with a big smirk as she took another sip, clearly already on the path to tipsy again. "Look, I still stand by what I said about the... Phantom Thieves... n' all... but hey, if lotsa people are into 'em 'specially after what a big story Kaneshiro was, I got no problem with you continuin' to keep any info comin'... so keep it up, alright?"
Within the recesses of her mind, Kyoko heard another chain link shatter. As it passed, she saw Ohya finish her latest drink.
"Hey! 'Nother refill, Lala-chan! Don't be like your Escargot name n' get all... slow like a snail... hurry up!" Ohya complained, pushing the glass across the table to the disapproving bartender.
"Sorry, all outta booze for the night thanks to a certain sloshed reporter drinking it all," Lala replied, arms folded and raising an eyebrow in further disapproval.
"Awww -hic!- Just go buy more!" Ohya giggled, her voice getting even more slurred. "I'll wait. Forever and ever if I hafta!"
Kyoko let out a sharp sigh, certain that this was, like last time, her cue to leave. Gathering her bag and rising from her seat, she made her way to the door. "Let me know when you need to hear more," she said, before turning and giving a concerned look at the bartender.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets home safe," Lala said with a reassuring smile.
"Seeya laterrrrr...!" Ohya said with an exaggerated wave of her hand. "Bring me more juicy gossip about those Phantom Thieves sometime!"
What a day, the young detective thought to herself as she made her way through the bustling Shinjuku streets back to the subways. After tomorrow exams would start, and with any luck, the day would be far less taxing on her mind.
Morgana had noticed his fellow Phantom Thief had been more stoic then usual when she'd arrived home from her trip to Shinjuku and went straight to putting together a file of what she knew about Ohya, accompanied with notes of anything she could tell her later regarding the Phantom Thieves whenever she met up with her again. He'd made a few attempts at starting conversation but Kyoko had remained unresponsive or at best would just hum a sound that came across as somewhere between acknowledging she'd heard him and indifference. It was when she'd finally finished and closed her laptop to get ready for bed that Morgana decided he'd waited long enough.
"Hey, Kyoko? I can tell there's been a lot on your mind lately, ever since you hung out with Akechi and that Kasumi girl this afternoon," the cat said. "What's wrong?"
The young detective looked back at him. "Morgana, what value does a detective have in a world without crime?"
"Ummm... Kyoko, what's that gotta do with-" the cat began.
"Being a Phantom Thief and being a detective have some similarity to them, between catching criminals and solving crimes and troubles in society in some way or another. For over ten years I just did what I was told, whatever my grandfather said was law to me," Kyoko explained. ..."I gave it little thought beyond being the next legendary detective like him, and his father, and so on. It was my birthright and that was that. I wasn't allowed friends, save one, and only because he expected me to regard her as someone to learn enough from to surpass one day."
"...But that wasn't what you saw her as, was it?" Morgana asked, looking up at her.
"I didn't want a rival, I wanted a friend. I was always required to tell him everything I learned from her to ensure he still felt she was of any use to my training as a detective," Kyoko said. " "She always wanted to be an ally of justice, help people in need, she said. She was why I looked at being a detective for reasons besides my birthright as the next Kirigiri... but then..."
Kyoko looked away, cupping one of her gloved hands with the other as the memories of what caused her reason for her gloves came to mind, remaining silent.
"Then what?" Morgana asked, cocking his head a little. "Did you guys stop hanging out?"
"...Something like that," she said. Memories of the letter, the last thing she'd ever get from Big Sis, came to mind, about if detective work became too much for her. She remembered her grandfather telling her that no, being a detective always came first to a Kirigiri, and that allowing her emotions to come out or being too attached to anyone would negatively affect that.
Kyoko resumed her impassive mask, the one she'd honed ever since then but found now had gained increasing cracks forming at the pace she attempted to weld them closed, as she took a breath. "...Kasumi had said that a world that relies on a power like the Phantom Thieves to solve every problem would lose motivation to act on their own."
"That can't happen!" Morgana insisted. "We became the Phantom Thieves because people had no motivation or means to fight criminals like the Palace Rulers! Wouldn't that be contradictory?"
"I suppose it would," Kyoko said, "...But a pendulum can swing from one way to the other. I'm not trying to go to Hope's Peak simply to prove myself as a detective to the world, I'm going because I want to resolve a family matter. The benefits of being an alumni would just be secondary... and..."
The words were there, but they didn't come out: It was for the reason Big Sis gave that motivated her as a detective now, more then before, and the more time that seemed to go by being away from her grandfather, the more the reasons he gave her faded further and further away, and wanting to resolve things with her father did not, despite her grandfather's refusal she ever associate with him because she was, according to her grandfather, a throwaway child who had supposedly dropped in his care due to not being wanted.
...Supposedly...
"Kyoko, you've got me training you and the others. I wouldn't let us lose sight of our goals!" the cat said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hm. Akechi had also expressed concern the Phantom Thieves could, in light of society becoming too reliant on them, become seen like gods, called upon to strike down anyone they ask, or anyone who doesn't worship us," she said.
"Well, he's wrong there, too!" Morgana insisted. "We have a unanimous rule, and we go after those who get away with doing horrible things to innocent people. We just keep at that, we keep proving him wrong."
"I suppose, but from his perspective it's easy to be concerned over that," Kyoko replied. "I know what we do is right, we do what no one else can or will do about people like Kaneshiro or the others, there's no debating that... but I do see how someone outside of us can see things differently... Yet I still wonder if a world without the Phantom Thieves would become the same as a world without, say, detectives... it would become as it was again, where crime and corruption have all the power. I've seen Mementos, it makes me wonder how easy it would be for that to happen... or just affirmed what I've believed for a while, now."
"What do you mean?" Morgana asked.
Kyoko chose not to go further, unsure what to say or how to explain Big Sis to Morgana beyond what she'd said. It felt too personal and against the image she had disciplined herself to maintain, yet somewhere deep down she could feel an almost clawing desire to just let it out from the stoic wall she'd encased herself in for three years. "...It's... a personal feeling," she said, gazing back at him with her regained neutral expression. "...Exams will be after tomorrow. It'll be strange having a summer break that wasn't already outlined for me..."
7/12
Kyoko had managed to talk Sojiro into sharing some coffee before she left, as so many thoughts remained on her mind from yesterday as well as last night's conversation, she'd not slept as well as she'd have liked to.
As she came out of the station and on to the street leading up to Shujin, Kyoko could hear some of the students in front of her gossiping loudly, catching her interest.
"This is so awesome! I'm so glad the Phantom Thieves are all over the news, now!" an energetic boy student cheered to his friend as they walked ahead of her.
"Yeah, they've really taken off since the whole Kamoshida thing," said his friend with an approving nod. "The legend of the Phantom Thieves started at OUR school! We're practically one of them!"
"And who can't relate to what they're doing?!" the first boy asked excitedly. "Punishing corrupt adults like Kamoshida who were up to no good? The police oughta be taking notes!"
Kyoko remained silent as the boys turned towards the gates. It was, admittedly, she thought, a relief that there were still plenty on the side of the Phantom Thieves that did help cull her concerns slightly. If she avoided getting caught, her probation would be over by the end of the year.
The thought of that made her stop in her tracks, but she was afforded no opportunity to mull that over as she was harshly brought back to reality as a girl with long, messy dark hair suddenly bumped into her while rushing past her.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!" the girl snapped as she turned, Kyoko immediately recognizing her as the creepy girl she'd seen in the halls eyeing a boy from around the corner whom Mishima had messaged her about from the Phansite requests. Even from the distance between them she could see the pinkness and dark circles under the girl's eyes as if she'd not slept nearly as much as she should have.
"I believe you ran into me," Kyoko said, folding her arms and giving the girl a sharp glare.
"...Just because you've got the whole mysterious transfer student thing going doesn't mean you've got a chance with Ikusugi-kun! He's mine, you got it?! Heh heh... all mine! If I can't have him, then..." the girl sneered with a soft, unsettling chuckle before turning on her heel and hurrying through the gates while muttering to herself.
"Owwww! What was that about?!" Morgana protested as he peered from Kyoko's schoolbag.
"After school. We've got a Mementos request to carry out," the young detective replied.
"Will you be alright?" the cat asked.
"This is getting more serious then I imagined." Kyoko immediately took out her phone, sending a message to meet at the hideout after classes let out as she watched the girl rush inside.
Makoto Niijima sighed in relief as she read Kyoko's response to what she'd asked if she could do first before meeting up at the hideout.
Okay, you can do this... she thought to herself as she slid open the door leading into the Nurse's Office.
"Doctor?" she asked softly.
"Oh! Come in!" Dr. Maruki said, turning and greeting her with a welcoming smile. "...Makoto Niijima, correct? The student council president?"
"Yes," Makoto said, stepping in. "...Sorry for coming in so suddenly..."
"Oh, it's no problem at all, Niijima-san!" Maruki assured. "Everyone's welcome to come by whenever they like. I take it you've come for the counseling?"
"I have, yeah," Makoto said, looking down at the floor, still a little nervous.
"Hey, why don't you take a seat. You seem a bit anxious. If you like, I can get you some juice from the fridge, or help yourself to the snacks in the bowl if it'll help you relax," Maruki explained. "I know it can be a bit overwhelming for some first-timers, I guess the phrase "counseling session" can do that, but there's no need to feel nervous."
"Thank you, Doctor," Makoto said, smiling faintly as she took a seat on the couch, setting her bag beside her while Dr. Maruki took out a notepad and pencil and attached them to his clipboard and grabbing a juice box from the fridge for Makoto as he sat down in his chair.
"You're very welcome," the doctor replied, holding out the juice box, which Makoto accepted. "Now, considering you're the student council president, I'd rather the Principal hadn't forced you at all to come here," he said.
"Well, actually, while I was advised to come, I still chose to do it on my own," Makoto explained.
"Oh, well, that's wonderful! I'm glad to hear it," Maruki said with a smile.
"...But please, there's no need to be concerned with me being here," Makoto said, taking a sip of her drink and placing it on the table before shifting in her seat and putting her hands on her lap. "Please, feel free to discuss anything with me."
Maruki blinked, taken off-guard by Makoto's statement. "Oh, alright then, so I shall... heh, you're sounding a bit more like a counselor then I am, now. Well, how about you tell me a bit about yourself, then?"
"Well," Makoto explained. "Thus far, I've never gotten in trouble for misconduct, I've always kept a flawless GPA in the Honor Roll since junior high, I spend my freetime studying, and am trying to make it into a good University..."
"Well," Maruki said, jotting down notes. "Between the excellent grades and exemplary conduct, I'd say you appear to be the ideal honor student, Niijima-san."
"No... not at all, quite the opposite, as a matter-of-fact," Makoto said, shaking her head and looking down at her lap in embarrassment. "Truth is, I'm actually a bit of a mess, and I always have to go to others for help... sorry, y-you're not upset by that, are you? I apologize for misdirecting you..."
"No need to apologize, Niijima-san," Maruki said with a warm chuckle. "...Though I won't deny that you sure had me fooled, there! Furthermore, getting help isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, I think it's wonderful that you have a support system."
"...Indeed..." Makoto slowly crossed her legs and folded her arms as she closed her eyes, sighing as she tried to filter out the stress that had brought her here in the first place. "...Especially lately... "
"What do you mean?" the doctor asked, concerned at the closed position Makoto had taken.
"Well, I feel like I can't do anything right by myself, nowadays," she said softly.
"Why's that? Did something go wrong for you?" Maruki asked.
"Yes," Makoto said, opening her eyes slightly, but her gaze was down at her lap once more. "...But it's... nothing major... I've just... come to understand all too well that it's a bad idea taking on more of a burden than one should..."
"Hmm, well you really do seem like someone with a mature sense of responsibility," Maruki replied, taking more notes and looking over at her with more concern as Makoto's distress did not seem to wane in the least. "...That said, though, it can lead to the people around you, especially adults who should be protecting you, to rely on you too much. I take it this is something that's been going on in your life?"
Makoto nodded silently.
"I see," Maruki added more notes. "And I suspect you've realized this already, though as well?"
Makoto nodded again, letting her lands slide back down to her lap. "...You'd be right. Had I been clever enough to realize it a lot sooner, then things may have gone a bit differently for me."
"You think so?" Maruki asked. "How is your home life, though. Is there any similar troubles there with your parents?"
"I live alone with my older sister," Makoto explained. "Mom passed away when I was very little. Dad raised me and my sister as best he could. When we lost him, my sister, who was already an adult, took custody of me as my legal guardian."
Maruki frowned as he listened. "I'm so sorry, Niijima-san. Pardon my saying so, but it seems like you've been through quite a lot..."
"Honestly, it's only felt like the norm to me, now," Makoto said, brushing back her hair as she looked over at him, more attentive, now. "...But our lack of adult guardians has to have been hard even for my sister..." she looked down at her lap again, frowning now, as well. "...Even now... and... I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard for me, too..."
"Do you still remember your parents, though?" the doctor asked.
"I do," Makoto said. "My mom, not so much, like I said, I was very little, but my father... without a doubt... in fact, I think I may have grown up a bit uptight because of that."
"Is that so?" Maruki asked, glancing over at her from his notes. "...And are you doing okay, now? How's your support system? Is it adequate?"
Makoto smiled a little. "Well, it's not as if I have this team of employees or anything, but I do have people that I am able to rely upon well," she explained. "...Of course, I'd never think of them as replacements for my father or sister. No one could replace them. What I've lost can never come back, so I just need to keep my chin up and push towards my future..."
"Mm, I like the way you put that!" Maruki said with a warm smile and an approving nod. "No one can ever be replaced, yet we need to keep pushing towards our future," he explained. "But should anything come up that you want help with, I'll be here to support you... within the range of my limited skills, of course!"
"Thank you, I appreciate your kind words," Makoto said with a grateful smile of her own. "Thing is, my dad... we lost him very unexpectedly."
"Oh?"
"See, he was a police officer. Since he was providing for us alone, we didn't see him as often as... I guess some others may their parents," Makoto explained. "...He died. In the line of duty."
Maruki frowned. "...I'm so sorry, Niijima-san."
"It's one of those things, you know?" Makoto asked, her hands clenching in her lap. "...The kind you think always happens to someone else, then it happens to you..."
She looked at her lap again, sighing. "...But... you know about that criminal they arrested, Junya Kaneshiro?"
Maruki nodded. "I do. It was all over the news lately, I believe he was the culprit behind the blackmail scams in the Shibuya area?"
Makoto nodded in response. "That's correct. A few years prior, he was operating a prostitution ring in Shinjuku. He had the officer who was investigating it killed... my father."
"Niijima-san..." Maruki was speechless, but his face showed all his concern and empathy clear as day.
"I suppose, though, the good news is he's finally in prison, paying for his crimes. My father can finally rest easy," Makoto said, looking back at Maruki, who still looked deeply concerned as if he could tell there was more to the story.
"But...?" he inquired.
"My sister, she's prosecutor at the SIU. She'd suspected Kaneshiro, and him having a sudden change of heart, be it by these "Phantom Thieves" or just fear that whatever powerful friends he must've had that kept him safe this long won't anymore with being exposed... she feels like that robbed her of avenging our father. Being the one to personally arrest and prosecute him," Makoto explained. "...Maybe it's from the stress of having to provide for us both, but... she was so upset."
"I see," Maruki said, taking notes. "I do think you, however, have made good progress. You've kept your chin up and are moving forward from that, and I imagine that man being in prison had to have taken some load off your shoulders, hasn't it?"
Makoto nodded with a faint smile. "It has, yes. I visited my father's grave after I got the news. I like to believe he'd want me to keep moving forward, now."
"Well, you may be right," Maruki said with a smile. "I believe your sister may just need some time, and she'll come to see that as well and begin moving forward again as you've been doing!"
"I certainly hope so," Makoto said, finishing her drink. "...After all she's dealt with, I want my sis to be happy again..."
"There she is!" Mona declared, pointing ahead with his paw.
The Phantom Thieves had found themselves at the gateway leading to the next block further into Mementos. The path was still closed off, and standing before it, wreathed in red smoke and softly chuckling madly to herself, was the very girl Ace had encountered at school that morning.
"Shit... she's seriously creepy... lookit the way she's smirkin'!" Skull stated.
"The blog Ace showed us from Mishima's link is full of some really crazy thoughts," Panther said, shifting uncomfortably. "...She must be lost in some twisted romance fantasy..."
"If she's been contemplating killing him for talking to another girl. I've seen my share of cases where obsession can escalate to that... we need to put an end to this, now," Ace said, leading the way as she approached the Shadow. "Yumeko Mogami?"
"Hm? What's going on...?" the Shadow of Yumeko asked in an eerily soft tone, gazing up at them with luminous gold eyes. "...What're you Phantom Thieves doing, here? I get why you'd go after someone like Kamoshida, but why go after me?"
"You've been stalking a boy to the point of harassing him," Ace stated, folding her arms and gazing back at the Shadow. "He's terrified, now. He thinks you're planning to harm him."
"Ha... hahaha! Do you even get what it's like to be in love?! Of course you wouldn't!" Yumeko protested, her tone instantly growing sharp and angry.
"I don't blame you for falling in love," Panther said, "...But you're taking it way too far!"
"We can't let this continue," Ace said sternly, adjusting her glove as she stepped closer. "If he really means so much to you, why doesn't it bother you what your obsession's doing to him?"
Yumeko snarled as she clenched her fists, glaring at Ace with pure, venomous rage. "...You! Y-You're that bitch I ran into this morning! Y-You're trying to steal Ikesugi-kun away from me!"
"The hell you just call my friend?!" Panther snapped, stepping forward as well. "She's not interested in him, none of us are! Weren't you listening?!"
"You need to stop this rubbish!" Fox said, his katana appearing as he eyed her cautiously. "Do you truly believe this Ikesugi would want to be around someone who makes him so fearful for his life?!"
Yumeko glanced at Fox, then Skull, before letting out a shrill, maddened laugh as the ground began to tremor beneath their feet. "What lame guys! And what's with the funny-looking animal? I get it, you want my Ikesugi-kun because this is the best you sore losers can get?!"
"Excuse me?! Who you callin' lame?!" Skull protested.
"She's hopeless. It looks like this will have to be done the hard way," Queen stated, her knuckle dusters appearing in her hands.
Yumeko's gold eyes gleamed as she grinned widely, her smile looking too wide as she chuckled darkly, smoke building up around her as the tremors grew more intense. "What I do depends on him. If I can't have my Ikesugi-kun, NO ONE WILL!"
Her form exploded in a burst of red and black smoke into an amorphous puddle of ooze, which immediately reshaped itself into what appeared to be a 5-foot-tall, hovering teddy bear.
Ace grimaced in revulsion. It was far from cute or endearing in any conceivable way, its fur was decayed and stained with spatters of blood, its mouth wide and full of sharp fangs, talons grew from its paws and a long, vertical slash across its stomach crudely stitched together barely held several human skulls within.
"DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF ROMANCE!" the transformed Shadow cackled, glaring at them with glowing yellow eyes. "JUST DIE ALREADY!"
"I'll show YOU who's a funny-looking animal!" Mona protested. "ZORRO!"
Mona's swordsman Persona rose up above the catlike thief, sending a gust of cutting wind at the Shadow with a swish of its blade.
The mini-cyclone struck the transformed Yumeko, but it didn't seem too bothered. "THINK YOU'RE GONNA TAKE HIM FROM ME! WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!"
The bearlike monster's chest cavity opened, four skulls spilling from it and spinning around the creature before opening their jaws, their eye sockets glowing with a red light as a thick, foul-smelling fog burst from them, engulfing the entire area.
Ace coughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve and hearing the others choking as well from the revolting mists, the giant bear was nowhere to be found in the thick fog but Yumeko's distorted laughter seemed to be everywhere.
"YEOW!" Skull cried out, stumbling and nearly toppling over as he barely dodged a large paw with three sharp talons that swiped at him.
"The enemy's hidden! -hack!- " Queen coughed, covering her mouth as Johanna revved loudly, firing a blast of bright blue energy at where the paw had come from, but striking nothing.
"GOE-cough!-" Fox doubled over from the fog's stench, coughing as his Persona flickered above him.
"Mona! Try and -cough!- blow this stuff away!" Ace ordered, feeling progressively weaker from the mists.
"ZORRO!" Mona cried out again, the Persona rising up and swishing its blade, a larger cyclone forming that sucked the mists into it, a fresh air suddenly blowing in as the fog dissipated.
The bearlike Shadow let out a low chuckle as the skulls orbited its rotting form. "YOU HAVEN'T WON, YET! AHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
The floating skulls lashed forward in a spinning motion, letting out horrible shrieks as glowing red energy was suddenly ripped from the Thieves, causing them to stagger. The bear cackled as the skulls, glowing with red energy, flew back into its open chest cavity as the stolen energy emitted from it as a red aura. "DELICIOUS!" it sneered. "BUT I'M STILL FAMISHED FOR MORE! TIME TO FINISH YOU OFF!"
"Not yet... NO WAY! CAPTAIN KIDD!" Skull struggled out, his pirate Persona appearing above him and firing a blast of lightning at the Shadow.
The Shadow cried out, recoiling and twitching from the brutal shock it'd received.
"It's been shocked! Hit with your best shots!" Mona cried out. "ZORRO!"
The swordsman Persona swished its blade, bathing the others in a green, refreshing aura.
Payback began.
KA-CHANK! Goemon's swung its massive pipe like a club, smashing it in the side.
TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT! Panther emptied her uzi driving it backward as it struggled to escape.
"IZANAGI!" Ace cried out, the warrior Persona's glaive twirled as another powerful blast of electricity struck its foe, rendering it stunned again.
"JOHANNA!" Queen's sped forward over Ace on her motorcycle Persona, ramming into the creature head-on and sending it flying till it crashed into the wall behind it with a hard thud.
"Urrrggghhh... N-No... I... won't... let you..." the Shadow grumbled in a collapsed heap as it attempted to summon its skulls again.
"This obsession's doing neither of you any good!" Panther stated, flicking her whip as she struck one of the skulls back.
"Everyone! NOW!" Ace ordered, the group, as one, leapt into the air, striking the bearlike Shadow in a flurry of blows, landing before it as it collapsed face-first onto the stone floor, smoke and mists rolling off its form and leaving behind the cowering, trembling teenager it'd once been in its place.
"Wh-What have I done...?!" Yumeko Mogami sniffled, curling in a fetal position on the floor. "Wh-What was I thinking?! I-I w-was so horrible! M-My passion... I can't believe it was all wrong!" she sobbed. "What is real love, or romance, then?!"
"I can't say I know much about romantic love, but I believe it's perhaps like the spark of inspiration I'd feel with art," Fox mused. "...It's overwhelming, but the passion can overtake you and cloud your judgement."
"I'm no expert on it, either, other then how, as Fox said, it can drive people to do foolish things," Ace said, approaching. "...To be frank, there's... a lot of things I thought I knew, and... may be wrong about, after all... It's not easy to admit to, either."
"Ace..." Mona looked over at the young detective in concern as he remembered the conversation from the previous night.
"I think it's something you'll find out on your own someday," Panther offered.
"S-Someday?! But... but when?! When will th-that be?!" Yumeko sniffled. "What do I do with all these feelings I have inside me?! How can I face Ikesugi-kun after how I've been?!"
"That's just it, though," Panther said, approaching as well and offering her hand. "You need to tell him how you feel. Face to face. Not through weird stuff online. It'll take courage, but whatever happens, you'll feel better after, I think."
Yumeko timidly accepted Panther's hand and stood herself up, tears in her eyes. "Thank you..." she looked over at Ace. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you, too..."
The girl looked down at the floor, wiping her tears from her gold eyes as a bright glow began to emit from her form. "I'll do it... wait for me, please... Ikesugi-kun..."
"That's the spirit! Just no more weird stuff!" Skull said with a grin and a thumbs-up.
The Shadow of Yumeko Mogami gave him a small, but far more gentle smile then she'd ever shown before in return as she vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind a small glowing orb that Ace promptly seized.
"What is it? What is it?" Mona asked excitedly.
Ace gave no response as she stared in confusion at the strange, egg-sized hairball she was now holding. "...Not what I expected. Not that I was sure what to expect, honestly," she remarked, glancing at the wall ahead as the ground began to tremor once more, the wall making a grinding sound as sections of it slid apart, revealing stone steps leading down further into the strange labyrinth.
"This place just keeps going further and further," Panther observed, eyes wide with awe.
"With Kaneshiro's confession, our existence is being recognized even more!" Mona said proudly. "...Sooo, it means we'll be able to explore even more of Mementos, now!"
"Well, since we've taken care of the Phansite request," Queen stated. "I think it's time we go back. Remember, everyone, we got exams coming up starting tomorrow!"
"Ugghhh, you had to remind me?!" Skull grumbled.
Pocketing her 'prize', Ace silently approached the now open passage, the others voices little more then ambient sound as her her gaze peering into the cool darkness that lay ahead. More eerie, glowing red veins throbbed below, providing the only illumination. From what she could make of the bottom, it looked even more grotesque then the part they were currently in. The faint, howling winds barely heard from the red-lit trains that passed through the neighboring tunnels of the floor they were on, like a chilling whisper daring her to proceed further, tempting her with the thoughts in her mind.
What was down there, she wondered once more. What could have been dwelling at the bottom of this place that these veinlike growths led to?
For a moment, she wondered also, if whatever it was, could sense them, and were it as conscious as the rest of this hideous maze seemed to be if it were formed by the cognition of the collective masses, was waiting patiently for the moment she and it would meet face to face...
"Ace? Hey! You alright?" she heard Queen ask. The young detective turned, but gave one last look at the waiting passage before looking back at her team with a silent nod.
"Let's go."
Bit by bit, one of many mysteries she intended to solve.
A/N: And another Heart of Justice chapter done! I've also started up the Persona 3 story starring Mukuro called "Fenrir's Masquerade", which I've uploaded on both FF.N and AO3, so go check that out too! I'll be alternating between updates on both stories. As a sidenote, Fenrir's Masquerade is not part of HoJ contintuity, it's its own thing. The next chapter for that story will be what I'll be working on next. Till next time!
0 - The Fool: Rank 6
I - The Magician: Rank 5
II - The Priestess: Rank 3
IV - The Emperor: Rank 2
V - The Hierophant: Rank 4
VI - The Lovers: Rank 6
VII - The Chariot: Rank 9
VIII - Justice: Rank 3
XI - The Strength: Rank 3
XII - The Hanged Man: Rank 3
XIII - Death: Rank 5
XIV - Temperance: Rank 5
XV - The Devil: Rank 2
XVII - The Star: Rank 1
XVIII - The Moon: Rank 4
XIX - The Sun: Rank 4
XX - Judgement: Rank 1
1 - The Councillor: Rank 5
? - Faith: Rank 3
Kyoko's Personas: Shiisaa, Nigi Mitama, Suzaku, Flauros, High Pixie, Leanan Sidhe, Orthrus, Sandman, Phoenix, Izanagi