Chapter 44: Obliterated Heart of Greed
October 9
As the Phantom Thieves gathered at the hideout after school, Haru had a question for the team. "About how we defeated my fiancé in there… Will that have any effect on my father?" she asked.
"Nope. They did something similar in my Palace, but I'm perfectly fine," Futaba replied.
"I-Is that so…?" Haru looked down.
"But man, that cognitive person stuff is crazy! He was so similar that even Haru couldn't tell!" Futaba exclaimed.
"That might have just been a coincidence. Usually cognitive people look totally different," Collin chimed in.
"The version of me in Kamoshida's Palace was terrible," Ann shuttered.
"Ah, and the version of me at the museum was a painting, not even a person," Yusuke recalled.
"Now that you mention it, why isn't there a cognitive version of me? Is it somewhere in there?" Haru asked.
"Well, I can imagine a couple of reasons why we haven't seen it… but I don't think you'd like them," Morgana said, making Haru flinch.
"Come on, don't think about that dark stuff," Loona said. "Anyways, if a dude's cognition can change the people or looks of a Palace… do you think you could use the cognitive world to make a place filled with people you like? A reverse Palace, ya know?"
"Thieves Den…" Ren muttered.
"I think you'd have to be well-versed in how the collective unconscious works, like Duke Raoul to be able to do so," Octavia replied. "But, if we're ready, then let's not waste any time and get the calling card sent. We will entrust this to you, Haru."
"OK… I place this in my father's study, and the Treasure will appear, right?" Haru recalled.
"If he notices the card, then yes," Yusuke nodded. "Are you afraid of doing this to your own father?"
"To be honest… a little," Haru replied.
"Try to recall your anger. It will guide you in the right direction," Yusuke said.
"…So we're carrying out this plan tomorrow?" Haru asked.
"That's right," Ren nodded. "And you have your part of the plan ready too, right Octavia?"
The princess nodded. "I'll send the text to Akechi as soon as we're done here. Then we just have to spring the trap on him."
"Question: why don't we just kidnap him in the real world so we don't even have to deal with his Persona nonsense?" Loona asked. "I mean, if he is the Black Mask, wouldn't it be easier to take care of him in the place where he doesn't have powers?"
"The problem with that is we don't know if he uses the same Nav as we do, meaning that if we capture him he might just escape into the Metaverse before we can fully incapacitate him. It's better to wear him down first, then kidnap him," Octavia replied.
"I hate that we have to kidnap someone… but it's for the greater good," Collin said.
"We only have one shot at this on both ends. I trust Joker and Queen to keep the rest of you in order while Omen and I deal with Akechi," Morgana said. "Everyone… I'm counting on you!"
Octavia: Akechi, remember that meeting I was talking about? It's going down tomorrow, so can I count on you being there.
Akechi: I'll check my schedule once again. I am busy at the moment…
Octavia: Here's the location we'll be meeting at if you can make it.
Akechi: Huh, I'll actually be in that area tomorrow. I might be able to make it after all.
Octavia: Good. We're meeting at the nearby station before going to the location. Hope to see you there!
[***]
October 10
"Wait, he even figured out when we're gonna do it!?" Ryuji exclaimed after Haru recounted her father's reaction to the calling card.
"This is different from normal," Yusuke said. "He has some nerve, delivering the calling card to the police himself."
"This entire operation is built on how weird it is, dude," Loona said. "Hell, we're splitting the party on top of all this. Okumura probably will pull some bullshit in his Palace, so you guys better be ready for the unexpected."
"Either he's certain his heart won't be changed, or he's colluded with the police from the beginning…" Makoto said.
"As strange as it is for me to say…I could see that being the case," Haru said.
"Whoa! The comments are coming in hot Look!" Futaba held up her phone for the others to see.
"Take him down, Phantom Thieves!" "I don't care what the Phantom Thieves do as long as they show up haha." "Just do it quick lol." Haru read off.
"They're just saying whatever they want," Morgana scoffed. "At this point all they care about is seeing those in power beg for forgiveness."
"Damnit! This isn't a game…!" Ann cursed.
"The means and the ends have been completely reversed. We're starting to be seen purely as entertainment…" Collin frowned.
"But we have to do this, for our own sakes and to save the life of Okumura," Octavia said. "And I'm also not going to let one my friends get stuck into a shitty arranged marriage and suffer like my parents did."
"If we don't… then everything we've been doing up until now would just be for nothing!" Ryuji said.
"I'm just glad that I don't have to be there to face his Shadow," Loona said. "If we go by the pattern of Palace Rulers, Okumura is probably going to embody Mammon, being the Spaceport of Greed and all that. The Greed Ring was always the worst to be in…"
"Agreed. Loo-Loo Land fucking sucks…" Octavia nodded.
"And once we have Akechi captured, we'll be able to know the truth behind the mental shutdowns… hopefully," Ren said.
"You guys better bring him to justice," Futaba said seriously.
"Let's do this like we always do… and steal his Palace's Treasure," Morgana said.
[***]
Goro Akechi didn't like to be late to important events, but when Octavia had asked him to come to an important support meeting for one of her friends near where he already was going… well, he could set aside some time to see what this was about. The detective prince found his friend alongside two of her other friends as well as Amamiya's cat. "Ah, there you are. Is Amamiya around as well?" he asked.
"Ren will be by soon," Octavia nodded, idly looking at her phone.
Loona went over to Akechi and put an arm around him, gripping him just tight enough to be uncomfortable. "So, Akechi, what's it like being a detective? Got any leads on those Phantom Thieves."
"The investigation is going well. I think we might be making progress soon enough," Akechi replied.
"Good, good…" Loona nodded, gripping him a bit tighter as she idly slipped his phone out of his pocket.
"We're going to have the meeting at a nearby restaurant," Collin said. "I know it's late in the day, but there's a nice breakfast place. Around here."
"Good, I'm in the mood for some delicious pancakes," Morgana said.
"Pancakes…" Akechi muttered.
"Who said anything about pancakes?" Octavia asked him suddenly.
"Just… a thought that came to mind when you mentioned breakfast," Akechi deflected.
"I'm sure there are other things on the menu as well," Loona said, holding up Akechi's phone. "How about we chart a destination to get there? Oh, and it looks like you have a special nav on her already."
"You-!" Akechi yelled, only to be cut off by Octavia holding up her hand, casting a binding spell that slammed the detective against the wall, being held there by magic bindings.
"Collin, search him," Octavia ordered.
The angel nodded and picked up Akechi's fallen briefcase, muttering a spell to open it up, revealing a gun with a silencer attachment inside. "Now then, why does a high school detective need a silencer on his person…?" Loona questioned. "You wouldn't happen to be here for other reasons would you… Black Mask?"
Akechi's eyes went wide as Octavia, Loona, and Collin all dropped their disguises, with Morgana hopping up onto the princess' shoulders. "Looks like we've caught you red-handed, Akechi!" Morgana declared. "And now we're gonna expose you for who you really are!"
With a touch of her phone Octavia brought all of them into Mementos, her binding spell still in place as Akechi's true self was revealed to them. His outfit with an all-black suit with various belts and chains all over, his mask pointed with red horns coming off of it. "Oh, looks like someone is a bit of an edge lord," Lycan laughed.
"Release me you demons!" Akechi snarled, dropping his princely demeanor for something much darker. "I won't be detained by filth like you!"
"Now there's a personality more befitting of the Black Mask," Mona said, pointing his sword at Akechi.
Akechi glared as dark energy surrounded him, breaking the binding spell on himself as a dark figure appeared behind him. "I get it now… Ren hired you demons to take care of me, didn't he? Well, I'm not going to let pathetic little shits like you keep me from doing my job. Loki, end them!" His Persona fully manifested, a black and white horned man with a large red blade.
"Templar, do your thing!" Omen ordered, the angel nodding as he slammed a hand against the floor. The ground underneath Akechi suddenly burst to life with angelic runes, calling on a glowing rope that quickly tied around the Black Mask, making his aura fade away.
"Shit… What is this!?" Akechi snarled.
"That's angelic rope, which nullifies demonic powers," Omen said. "I guessed that the reason Black Mask was so dangerous on his own was because you had an extra power besides that of a normal Persona user: the power of the Wild Card, just like Joker. And with Templar's abilities working well against demonic ones, I figured it would be a good test to see if the Wild Card could be cut off by angelic rope. Luckily for me, it did."
"Have fun only using one Persona like the rest of us!" Mona laughed.
"You bitch!" Akechi cursed. He pulled out a sword and rushed at Omen, who quickly held up her staff to block the strike. "I'll make you watch as each of your precious friends drop ead, one by one!"
"In your dreams! Let's get 'em, Madame Queen!" Lycan shouted, calling on her Persona to use a gun attack against Akechi. Loki appeared and deflected the bullets with its sword, but Templar took advantage of the distraction and cast a water spell to push Akechi away from Omen.
"All right team, even if we've nullified his Wild Card, then let's incapacitate him before he hurts us, or himself," Mona said.
"He's really losing it…" Omen muttered, pointing her staff forward and firing off magic bolts.
"Omen, since you're the team leader for this mission, I'm deferring my protection abilities to work on you," Templar said. "We need you to hold out for this plan to work."
"Will do, Templar," Omen nodded.
"Let's do this!" Lycan cheered, using an earth spell to attack. Mona then followed up with a wind skill before Akechi got his turn, setting up a physical barrier before attacking with Brave Blade.
"Leave the healing up to me!" Mona said.
"This is all wrong… He should be the one facing me!" Akechi said.
"You mean Joker? He's too busy doing our job as Phantom Thieves to bother with you," Lycan taunted, firing her flintlock at the Black Mask.
"We don't have to fight, Akechi. I know that you're probably doing the dirty work of someone higher up," Omen said, trying to make him see reason. "Work with the Phantom Thieves and turn yourself in so we can stop the mental shutdown for good!"
"You're just… pieces of shit… who lick each other's wounds…!" Akechi scoffed. "Anything goes… if you say you're teammates…!" He set up another barrier, this time reflecting physical attacks.
"Lycan, I have an idea to get past these walls!" Templar gasped. He set up his own physical wall on the hellhound, letting Lycan do all out with a physical attack of her own. It bounced off Akechi's shield, before bouncing off her own and going right back at the Black Mask!
"Now that's what I call karma!" Lycan laughed as the attack was enough for a critical hit. "Let's tear him down, team!" The group jumped in for an All-Out Attack, coming in at all sides that Loki couldn't block their attacks. In response Akechi used a curse spell against Templar, but the cherub didn't take as much damage as he hoped.
"Looks like you were right about him specializing in Curse skills as well, Omen," Templar said. "This curse-resistant gear was the right call!"
"We really had you all figured out, Akechi," Mona smirked. The team kept up the pressure, with Templar setting up barriers to deflect damage back at Akechi while Lycan and Omen put on the damage with spells and physical attacks, Mona assisting with keeping everyone healthy. Despite the damage that Black Mask could put out, the Phantom Thieves were prepared to endure until he couldn't fight anymore.
"Hua!" Omen called, her Persona casting as powerful gravity spell that landed a critical hit on Akechi.
"Why are you… looking at me like that…!?" Akechi questioned. "I've… I've succeeded until now… all by myself…! I don't need… teammates… I don't…"
"He's giving Omen the evil eye. Stay focused on protecting her!" Mona warned.
Omen kept her guard up, Templar supplying her barriers while Lycan and Mona took over on attacking duty. Akechi called on Loki again, going for a powerful Laevateinn attack. Lycan growled and stood in the way of the attack, taking the hit for Omen.
"Lycan!" Omen gasped.
"Heh… gotta keep our leader standing, right?" the hellhound chuckled, wincing from the blow.
"Lycan! Take this!" Templar said, tossing a Bead to her for healing. "How dare you! Face the power of Zaphnath-Paaneah!" The cherub called on his Persona, using a strong piercing skill to inflict damage.
"It's time to end this!" Mona declared, feeling fired up. "Omen, how about we show this Black Mask what we've got!"
"Indeed," Omen nodded, the two jumping up into the air as the world changed around them. The two were now standing in middle of a concert hall, both of their Personas at the ready as they stood on either side of Akechi.
"Time to take the stage!" Mona shouted as he rushed forward with sword in hand.
"And we always do it with style!" Omen replied, holding out her spear. The two crossed paths, slashing at Akechi between them before backflipping to the front of the stage.
"Together, we'll leave you stunned at out skills!" Mona smirked, pointing to the sky as Hua and Zorro whipped up a Wind-Gravity fusion spell that literally blew Akechi away into the sky, complete with a comical star shine.
"Thanks for coming to our show!" Omen laughed, giving a dramatic bow as she and Mona fist bumped.
"Now that was pretty cool," Lycan nodded as the world returned to normal, Akechi laid out on the floor and unconscious. The hellhound hauled him over her shoulder and looked to the others. "So now we just gotta hold him up in our apartment until tomorrow, right?"
Omen nodded. "Yes, and then we can interrogate him and Okumura for all the details on the conspiracy against us. This ordeal will be done with soon enough."
"I wonder how the rest of the team is doing…?" Templar mused.
[***]
Location: Spaceport of Greed- Control Room
The other Phantom Thieves of Hearts were not having a fun time this Treasure run. First, they had to deal with a countdown as Shadow Okumura, which was a mad dash none of them were prepared for. Then he trapped the rest of the team besides Noir, but she was strong enough not to fall for his lies and busted the gang out with her grenade launcher. If all that wasn't enough, instead of fighting Shadow Okumura they had to deal with his robots, again, for four waves before taking down Cognitive Haru, and the man only took one shot from Joker's pistol to be knocked to the ground begging for mercy.
"Dude… that… sucked…" Skull groaned.
"At least it's over now," Fox sighed.
"Let's agree not to tell Mona about what happened here…" Oracle said.
"In the end, I am just one more in a lineage of failures…" Shadow Okumura said. "I will contact your fiancé and rescind the marriage offer. This may be the end of Okumura Foods… Forgive me, Haru…"
"Father…" Noir said.
"You know who's behind all the breakdowns and mental shutdowns, don't you?" Skull accused.
"I admit, I spent large sums of money to help my company grow, and to crush business competitors…" Shadow Okumura said.
"Answer me, damnit! Do you know who did it or not!?" Skull shouted.
"N-Not personally! I had a contact. All I did was make requests to have them eliminated!" Shadow Okumura replied.
"Requests?" Joker questioned. "Then Black Mask really is hitman for hire…"
"It's all true…" Queen hummed.
Noir looked to the Shadow of her father. "What kind of contract did you form… and with whom?" she asked.
The President started to cry, head on the floor. "C'mon, stop crying and tell us!" Skull demanded.
It was then that the Palace started to break down. "Damnit! Okumura, can't you stop the self-destruct!?" Joker asked. When he didn't get a response he sighed. "He's not going to give us answers. Let's grab the Treasure and go! One last thing to ask you, though: have you seen the face of the criminal you hired?"
The base started exploding again before he could give a response. "We don't got time to get it outta him!" Skull shouted.
"We'll just have to inquire about it back in the real world," Queen nodded.
"Shouldn't we bring Father with us!?" Noir asked.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. His Shadow will return to his true self soon," Joker assured her. "Oracle, give us a lift out of here!"
"Okay, but it'll be a tight fit!" Oracle said. She summoned her Persona, Necronomicon, and used its tentacles to scoop up the Phantom Thieves and ferry them back to the Palace entrance before it all came tumbling down.
As the gang left, Shadow Okumura started to get up, only to fall over as a gunshot rang out in the room. "My… uto…pia…" he gasped before passing out.
A new figure emerged from the Shadows, laughing to himself as he put his bless-tipped pistol up to Shadow Okumura's head. "This was way easier that she said it would be," the figure said. He was still shrouded in darkness, but one could make out a rattling tail behind him, along with a black mask and cowboy hat. "Rest in Hell, partner. Nothing personal, just business…" The new Black Mask pulled the trigger, and Shadow Okumura was no more.
[***]
Back in the real world and with Treasure in hand, the Phantom Thieves regrouped at Octavia's place where the demons, angel, and Morgana were all waiting. "I'm guessing your mission was a success?" the not-cat asked.
"We got the Treasure, Mona-chan!" Haru nodded, setting it down in front of the others.
"…A model kit? Seriously?" Loona questioned.
"It's the same type of kit Father always wanted as a child, but his family was too poor to afford," Haru explained. "He wanted to do better than his parents did in the business world, but became blinded by greed to see the terrible things he was doing his employees… and me."
"We got our part done as well," Octavia said, pointing to a door that currently had a rune placed on it. "Akechi was in fact the Black Mask, so we knocked him out and locked him in that room. He can't escape as long as that seal is in place, and we confiscated his phone so no one else can contact him as well."
"Omen and Mona even pulled out a new Showtime skill to kick his ass into next week," Loona laughed.
"Good, then everything went according to plan," Makoto said. "And just in time too. We should see the results of Okumura's change of heart my tomorrow."
"We've gotta think of a way to celebrate," Ryuji said. "Another win for the Phantom Thieves, and we have Akechi captured, meaning we'll figure out the mental shutdowns as well! Things are looking up for us."
"It might be a bit too soon to celebrate, but we all did a good job today I must say," Yusuke nodded.
"I want to get all we can out of Akechi," Futaba said with determination.
"And we will, but he's not going anywhere anytime soon," Octavia said. "I say we wait for tomorrow to make sure Haru's engagement has been called off, then come back here to get what we can out of Akechi."
"Sounds like a plan," Joker said. "Phantom Thieves, let's break for the night. Tomorrow, we celebrate another win for our team!"
Makoto: Haru, how is your father? Have you seen a change in him yet?
Haru: I'm fine right now. My father did seem a bit off though. It might make him put that on hold for the time being.
Futaba: Woo! We accomplished one of our goals!
Haru: That doesn't mean my marriage has been called off though. My father agreed to do so in that other world… but I'm not so sure now, given his current condition.
Collin: Hm, so that too will be on hold until the change of heart.
Ryuji: Well, sounds to me like we're totally in the clear!
Haru: Yes, and it's all thanks to you guys.
[***]
October 11
Haru: Sorry for messaging you all this early in the morning. It seems my father will be holding an urgent press conference.
Loona: For real!?
Ann: Congrats!
Makoto: When is that going to be?
Haru: 8 pm tonight.
Octavia: I wonder if he'll talk about the mental shutdowns. Also, I should let you know that Akechi is still out cold. Guess we really did a number on him yesterday…
Collin: Oh dear…
Futaba: Who cares about him right now. Where should we watch it?
Makoto: Why don't we get together beforehand?
Ren: Sounds good.
Makoto: I don't really have a reason for meeting up, but it still might prove beneficial.
Haru: Anyway, how does the Shujin Academy rooftop sound? I actually happen to have some business up there.
Ann: Sounds good to me. It's been ages since I was last there.
Futaba: Wait… The school?
Makoto: Futaba, make sure you come in through the front entrance. See you all there after school.
…
Ryuji: You wanna meet up on the rooftop after school, yeah?
Yusuke: Rooftop? What is this about?
Ann: Oh yeah, you weren't there.
Makoto: Can you come to our school rooftop after your classes today?
Yusuke: I don't quite understand what is going on, but sure.
Futaba: Is Haru at school?
Haru: I'm heading over now. Things were a little hectic this morning. I'll be there before classes end for the day.
Collin: That reminds me, your flowerbed is on the rooftop.
Ren: Flowerbed?
Haru: That's right! The season is good, so I'm thinking of transplanting them sometime soon.
Yusuke: Flowers are an excellent hoppy. I will gladly assist you.
Collin: As part of the gardening club, I can help too!
Ann: We'll all help out.
Loona: Just don't make any dogs digging holes jokes, K?
Haru: Really? Thanks! All right, I'll see all of you after school.
The Phantom Thieves were soon gathered on the roof of the school, admiring Haru and Collin's work with the gardening club. "So you're the one who grew these, Senpai," Ann said.
"You can just call me Haru," Haru giggled. "The seasons are changing soon, so I thought it'd be nice for the plants to change as well. This time, it's a Yusuke Kitagawa production."
"All I did was add some… how do I put it… aesthetic simplicity by balancing the color placement," Yusuke said. "Furthermore, Haru chose the flowers herself. It will surely be a great bed no matter the arrangement."
"I'm looking forward to it," Collin smiled.
"Why don't we plant you, Mona?" Futaba joked.
"Weren't you a shut-in until recently? You'd better photosynthesize while you're here," Morgana shot back.
"Oh, equal burns on both sides," Loona laughed.
"Well, let's get started!" Haru declared as the team got to work caring for the plants.
"Perhaps the snapdragon should go two more millimeters to the left…" Yusuke muttered.
"That's not gonna make a difference," Octavia rolled her eyes. "Though now I think I'm starting to see the appeal that taking care of plants has. Dad does it all the time in our greenhouse at home..."
"Hey, y'know how we're thinking of the school festival as our celebration party?" Ryuji said to the team. "Anyone else think we should have a real celebration on top of that?"
"I must agree," Yusuke nodded. "It would be not only a celebration, but a welcoming as well. I'd like to do something among ourselves."
"Let's do it then! A joint party to celebrate and welcome Haru!" Collin cheered.
"Oh, you don't have to do that. The school festival is more than enough," Haru replied.
"How is everyone else supposed to get excited if the star of the party's not into it?" Morgana questioned.
"Well then… how about a night party? At Destinyland," Haru suggested.
"By Destinyland, do you mean that kingdom of dreams?" Makoto asked.
"It would be a bit late, but there are some plans that allow us to rent out the park for the night," Haru explained.
"The entire park!?" Ann gasped. "You're talking about the Destinyland, right?"
"They don't even let you do that in Hell, not unless you're Lucifer himself," Octavia gaped.
"Didn't you say you'd like to do something amongst ourselves?" Haru questioned.
I did, but…" Yusuke said.
"Hold on. I'll go check." Haru pulled out her phone walked off to a corner to speak to someone.
"She really thinks like a celebrity…" Ann shook her head.
"The heck's she gonna check?" Ryuji muttered.
Haru soon came back. "Guys, it looks like it will work!"
"We're really gonna have it at Destinyland?" Ann gasped. "Not like, one of the restaurants, but… the entire park?"
"Even just for one night… the price is insane…" Futaba said, looking it up on her laptop.
"Oh, that won't be a problem. We had originally booked it for a company party, then had to call it off because of the scandal… We'd barely get anything back if we canceled the reservation, so why not take advantage of it?" Haru said.
"Wouldn't that be oddly inconspicuous though?" Octavia pointed out.
"It's still officially under the company's name. We needn't worry," Haru assured.
"In that case… let's do this," Ryuji grinned. "We'll just celebrate twice as hard today!"
"And it'll be even better knowing Akechi's locked up during all of this," Loona said, getting a high five from Ryuji.
"I'm sorry for disrupting everyone. You did come to help me, after all. Well, let's get back to it!" Haru said.
Ryuji leaned over to Futaba. "So seriously. How much does it cost? …For real!?"
[***]
That night was a wonderful event for the Phantom Thieves, getting to have Destinyland all to themselves. Octavia made note that it was infinitely more fun than anything she'd done at Loo-Loo Land (besides the nostalgia of being there with her family) and wondered if she could come back some day with Stolas.
"Mm, that was delicious," Makoto hummed as she finished her meal.
"The food was arranged on my plate as though it were paint on a canvas," Yusuke mused.
"The staff brought out this table and food just for us, huh?" Ann said.
"I thought if we were going to dine together, it would be better to do it somewhere with a view," Haru said, looking up at the fireworks.
"As pretty as it is, I do not like what it does to my ears…" Loona said.
"The VIP life is incredible!" Ann cheered. "Not that I'd expect anything else from a private rental!"
"There really is no one else here," Collin said.
"We are the rulers of the kingdom of dreams!" Futaba declared.
"Is this lighting just for our sake as well?" Collin asked.
"That's right," Haru nodded.
"It's beautiful…" Octavia said.
"It's not as beautiful as you…" That's the kind of stuff couples say, right?" Futaba asked.
"Almost anyone would fall for that line in front of a sight like this!" Ann laughed.
Morgana perked up. "Lady Ann, this view is not as beautiful as-"
"C'mon, you guys're getting way too excited about this stuff," Ryuji interrupted.
"Cock-blocked again…" Loona chuckled at Morgana's misfortune.
"You say that like you're not tapping into your inner child too, Ryuji," Octavia smirked, looking at the blonde's monkey ear headband.
Ryuji blushed. "This is just cause Futaba kept nagging me to put 'em on!"
"I did not!" Futaba frowned.
"You said something like that!" Ryuji shot back.
"Don't fight in those," Ren sighed.
"What was that!?" Ryuji said through grit teeth.
Yusuke suddenly started laughing. "My, this is so heartwarming!"
"Honestly, I would've liked to see the parade as well. But given how sudden the request was, they couldn't get enough staff together to do it," Haru admitted.
"Perhaps that will have to wait until next time," Makoto said.
"We can even invite our families to come along," Octavia said.
"Might want to leave my dad at home, though. He has a tendency to burn these kinds of places to the ground," Loona laughed. "Either way, this party's totally the best one so far. It's freaking amazing!"
"I'm glad to see you're enjoying it," Haru smiled.
"Be careful, Haru. You've shown these guys what luxury means. This'll really raise the bar for our next celebration party," Morgana said.
"You're already talking about our next party? Don't you think that's somewhat premature?" Collin asked.
The gang all laughed at that, though Haru looked a bit concerned. "Still… How do I put this? I met Collin-chan, I got to know you all, we even caught the Black Mask… Isn't everything going a little too perfectly? It's actually a bit frightening…"
"You worry too much," Loona waved her off.
Haru shook her head. "I must just be overly cautious because of my circumstances up til recently. I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"Hey, isn't it almost time for the press conference?" Octavia recalled, pulling out her phone. Everyone else did the same.
"Oh, perfect timing!" Ryuji said.
"Father…" Haru whispered.
On the livestream, Okumura stood at a press table alone. "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to gather here. Today, I'd like to elaborate upon the whole truth behind my company's labor situation. How my employees were forced to work under severe conditions, how… lax we were with sanitation… And how my corporation acted as a whole to… cover up every facet of this scandal. For all of this, I wholeheartedly apologize."
He gave a bow was cameras flashed. "So are you saying all of this was done under your orders?" a journalist asked.
"…Yes," Okumura nodded. "I… am solely responsible…"
"We heard that dozen of employees were forced to resign due to mysterious illness," the reporter said. "Furthermore, these happened to be officials who stood against your proposal for overseas expansion. The same thing also happened to executives at competing companies who were looking to expand abroad. Is all of this true?"
"Yes," Okumura replied.
"Was it all coincidence?" the reporter asked. Okumura looked down. "We'd like some answers."
"About that… I have a critical piece of information to announce here today," Okumura declared.
"Here it comes," Morgana said. "Okumura's going to say who's really behind the mental shutdowns."
"I…" But as Okumura spoke, his body seized up, face going blue as if he was having trouble breathing. He cried out as he clutched at his chest, eyes rolling into the back of his head as he suddenly doubled over, black sludge coming out of his mouth.
"Okumura-san?" the journalist asked with worry. Okumura looked up, only for the audience to gasp in horror as his eyes, nose, and mouth all bled black blood. The broadcast soon cut out, but it was clear that something had gone very wrong.
"F-Father!?" Haru cried out.
"Wh-Why did he collapse!?" Ann questioned.
"That didn't look right at all… Don't tell me…!" Collin gasped in fear.
"Mona-chan, what's going on?" Haru asked.
"No… That's impossible!" Morgana exclaimed.
"We did everything the same… What happened!?" Ren shouted.
"You're right. We followed all the same steps. You made sure to just take the Treasure too…" Octavia said. "And Akechi was with us the whole time, so if it wasn't him-" She suddenly recalled what the Demon Painter had shown here. 'There's not one Black Mask… but three!' Octavia remembered. 'There was Akechi, Tensei… and a third one. No, is that what happened here…?'
"I should call home!" Haru said, starting to panic.
"This- This isn't our fault… is it?" Ann asked. "It's been okay all four times so far- ever since Kamoshida!"
"No, it's not," Loona growled. "We thought we were two steps ahead, but someone else had a backup in case Akechi failed." She then noticed that Futaba was starting to freak out as well. "Futaba, what's wrong?"
"Th-This is… the same… I remember now… It's just like… what happened to my mom…" Futaba said.
"So this is the moment when mental shutdown occurs…" Yusuke said.
"Damnit! The hell's going on here!?" Ryuji cursed.
"Um… I have to go," Haru said. "I'll talk to the staff before I leave. Feel free to take your time…"
"I'm going with you!" Collin said, shedding his human disguise. "I'll be invisible, but I'm not letting you go alone."
"...Thank you, Collin-kun," Haru said before the two left.
"Fuck!" Loona shouted, pounding the table hard enough to dent it. "When Akechi wakes up, we're getting information out of him on what this is all about!"
"Some welcoming party, huh…" Octavia frowned.
"I'll get in contact with Haru later," Makoto told the team. "But for today, I think we should all return home."
Ryuji: So about Haru's dad… Uh…
Ann: The news said it was cardiac arrest…
Ryuji: There's a chance he'll pull through, right…?
Makoto: I hate to say this… But usually after such a report, the only thing that follows is a confirmation of death…
Collin: No…!
Futaba: Haru…
Yusuke: Why is this happening!? Can someone die simply form having a mental shutdown!?
Octavia: I don't know! I suppose it's possible that the shock could kill a person…
Makoto: Haru did mention that her father wasn't in the best of health…
Ryuji: But… for him to just up and die? This has gotta be some kinda joke…
Loona: When we find the guy that did this, I'm tearing them apart limb from limb.
Ren: Why did this happen…?
Ann: We did everything the same as always too…
Octavia: We had a plan, but it wasn't enough to stop whoever is at the top of this conspiracy. In any case, let's compose ourselves for now. We need to act normally in public… And question Akechi tomorrow.
Makoto: Let's keep Haru in our minds…
[***]
October 12
Makoto: Hm, it seems police have shown up at our school.
Ryuji: The police? What for?
Ann: Your sister hasn't told you about any of this?
Makoto: Nothing at all.
Yusuke: Could this be related to Okumura's death in some way?
Makoto: Bu there's not connection between our school and Okumura Foods.
Futaba: Think they came to talk to Haru?
Loona: She's not here today.
Ryuji: Then seriously, what're they here for?
Makoto: I can't even begin to fathom a reason. Anyhow, let's be particularly careful not to stand out.
Octavia: You're all coming to my place after school. Akechi is going to spill all he knows, whether he wants to or not…
Goro Akechi awoke to a snarling hellhound in his face. His usual calm demeanor was broken immediately as Loona tossed him out into the main room of Octavia's apartment where the rest of the Phantom Thieves (minus Haru) were waiting. "He's up. Time to get some answers, Black Mask."
"It wasn't a dream…" Akechi said.
"Yeah, we're demons, and these are the Phantom Thieves," Loona said. "We know all about what you've done, Akechi: your power of Persona, the mental shutdown cases, everything. So tell us: how did you kill Okumura?"
"What? That's impossible," Akechi questioned.
"Don't play dumb with us," Futaba said, glaring daggers into his soul. "We know all about what you've been up to. You're the one that killed my mom!"
"…Wakaba's kid… of course she's a Phantom Thief…" Akechi said, rolling his eyes. He looked between all of them. "And Amamiya… the ringleader, I presume? Of course, I've had my suspicions about all of you for a while, but for angels and demons to exist outside of the Metaverse is news to me."
"We can always send you on a one-way ticket to meet more demons if you like," Loona threatened. "Now talk: who are you working for?"
"Who I work for? I'm not just some simple hitman for hire," Akechi scoffed. "I'm not just some pawn to be played, I have my own goals I'm working towards. It just so happens that the man I work for is the one I want to take down the most…"
"That doesn't make any sense, dude," Ryuji shook his head.
"I don't need to explain my motives to you," Akechi said. "So, you've caught me, what do you plan to do now? Turn me in to the police? You don't have any evidence to get me incriminated. You could kill me, but something tells me you don't want more blood on the Phantom Thieves' hands if Okumura is dead."
"We have a different offer, actually," Octavia said. She released the bindings around Akechi but quickly grabbed his arm, the detective letting out a cry of pain as her hand burned a sigil into his left wrist. "That is a soul mark, a type of demon magic that binds us together. Cooperate with us and you can live, but turn against us and the mark will kill you."
"Blackmail… of course demons would resort to that," Akechi snarled.
"I saw you as a friend, Akechi, but clearly my trust in you was misplaced," Octavia frowned. "You've been working for someone that's been the cause of the mental shutdowns and is most likely the one that got Okumura killed. You killed Futaba's mom, and none of us can forgive you for that… however, I'm willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself in some small way."
"Ironic. A demon talking of redemption," Akechi laughed.
"True, but not as far-fetched as you might think," Collin said. "You have the power of the Wild Card, and Ren here has told us that you represent the Justice arcana. I was told to come to Japan to help enact true Justice, and I think that means I was originally supposed to help aid you… I believe that any human can redeem themselves if they put in the effort, Akechi, so I stand with Octavia."
Joker stepped forward next. "Octavia told me about what you were saying during their fight, about seeing teamwork and friendship as weakness… but I know that you don't really feel that way. The time we've spent together has shown me that you at least appreciate spending time with me, and I'll admit that I feel the same. If you let us, Akechi, we can all work together to take down the conspiracy that's gripped the country."
Akechi looked between all of the Phantom Thieves, some of them giving him looks of hatred while others showed more understanding. "None of you know what I've been through…" Akechi muttered.
"But we are willing to help, Akechi," Makoto said.
"Only under the condition that you turn yourself in to the police when this is all over," Futaba said. "You have to pay for all the mental shutdowns that you helped enable."
"…Tch, fine," Akechi spat. "I'll help you, Phantom Thieves." He suddenly clutching at his head, his eyes glowing blue for a moment as a strange light left him.
"The contract has changed…" a voice rang inside everyone's head. "Let the game introduce a new player to represent it's champion…"
"Uh, what the fuck was that?" Loona asked.
"Something's changed about me…" Akechi said, looking at his hands as his eyes turned back to normal. "The Wild Card… my powers… I can't feel them anymore…"
"Hm… Whatever gave you the power of the Wild Card must have revoked that power from you," Octavia guessed. "Sounds like whatever started this ordeal is pissed that we figured you out this way."
"Then let's piss it off further and take down the man at the top!" Ryuji said with a grin.
"We may need to deal with the fallout of Okumura first," Yusuke pointed out.
"True. We need to lay low until this all blows over, then we can focus on that," Makoto agreed.
"Then in that case, allow me to add my own end of the deal. Not like I have much of a choice with his sigil," Akechi said. "I will return to helping on the Phantom Thieves case and keep them off of your trail. I'm sure having an inside man will no doubt help in figuring out who Sh- my contact's new assassin is."
"Darn. We almost got a name out of him," Ann snapped her fingers.
"It won't be that easy," Akechi chuckled darkly. "If I find any information, I'll send it your way. I do have Amamiya's phone number after all. Once the heat is off you, we will… ugh, work together to take down my boss."
"Sounds like a deal to me," Morgana said. "What do you say, Joker?"
"Shake on it," Ren said, holding out a hand to Akechi.
The detective reluctantly took it, his sigil still burning a bit at the touch. "Might I ask how some attic trash like yourself became associated with demons?"
"Dad was a demon, Octavia's my cousin on his side," Ren shrugged.
"…Of course," Akechi rolled his eyes before leaving the apartment. "Until next time, Phantom Thieves… We'll be working closely from now on."
'I feel like our bond with Akechi has altered dramatically…' Octavia thought.
"Are you sure we can just let him go like that?" Loona asked. "I mean, I know you have that sigil, but…"
"Oh, that was just a temporary illusion. I can't actually kill Akechi with it," Octavia said. "At worst I can make him feel a mild discomfort."
"I also bugged all of the stuff he had on him when he got here," Futaba added. "It'll even track him in the Metaverse so if he goes rouge, we can take him out." She then let out a yawn. "Can I stay here with you guys for the night? I'm tired…"
"Let's call Boss first to make sure he doesn't worry," Loona said, picking up Futaba and carrying her to lay down.
"I am worried about this supposed third Black Mask," Makoto admitted.
"I still can't believe I forgot about that in my dreams…" Octavia shook her head.
"It's all right, Octavia. We all make mistakes, and with Akechi's help we'll make this right. For Haru," Collin said.
"Yes, for Haru," Ren nodded.
"Man, let's head home for the day," Ryuji yawned. "I just want to go home and play some video games to distract from all of this craziness…"
Yusuke: Has anyone been able to contact Haru?
Ren: I'm worried about her.
Loona: No luck here.
Ann: Me neither.
Octavia: She won't pick up.
Makoto: It doesn't look like she's seen any of our chats either.
Ann: I'm worried about her…
Collin: She just needs time, everyone. This is… a lot for her to go through…
Author's Note
Even the best laid plans can hit unexpected obstacles. While Octavia's team was able to capture Akechi/Black Mask and Joker's was able to steal Okumura's Treasure, a new Black Mask has appeared and killed Okumura in Akechi's place. It might be fairly obvious to some readers who this new assassin is, but it'll be a while before the Phantom Thieves find out. Octavia and Morgana gained a new Showtime attack, which I think is fitting seeing as they've grown a strong bond over the course of this story. I call it "Persona of the Heart", a play on the Ghibli film "Whisper of the Heart."
Also I did not go over the Okumura boss fight because in all honestly it's really boring fight that would not translate well to this story at all. I think it's more fun to lampshade how painful the last stretch of the Palace is instead lol.
I know some people were hoping that Okumura would get to live in this story, but clearly the Entity in charge of this ordeal has other plans and called in a backup just in case Akechi didn't fulfill his part of the contract. On top of it they also took away Akechi's Wild Card, meaning he can't even function properly as Black Mask anymore. This all comes to head as the Phantom Thieves an Akechi make a deal to work together to take down the new Black Mask and the one that hired him, similar to the deal they made in P5 but with the Thieves having the upper hand.
I hope that I wrote Akechi well this chapter, as I'll admit his personality is a bit hard to pin down. He's a character that's trapped in his profession by familial ties, says he hates teamwork and friendship, but also clearly wants validation from others and is jealous of the bonds Joker has made. I hope to explore Akechi through the bond he has with Octavia and Ren, as while he has done terrible things, Akechi is a tragic figure that could maybe find a better ending to his story if he has his own "change of heart."
If things got bleak this time, then wait and see what comes next chapter. It's time for something 100% original to this story: an all-new Palace!