Chapter 44: A Rash Decision

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Ichiko•

"Lala-chan~! Annnnother!"

Lala-chan just sighed at her. "Didn't you say something about a meeting soon?"

"Oh… posh! You think I can't get some info out of someone while just a bit tipsy?"

"A bit, she says." She just giggled at Lala-chan's reaction. The door opened and Lala-chan focused on the new customer. "Welcome, welcome!" There was a pause. That, or she got a biiiiiiit too focused on the bottles behind the counter. "...How old are ya, boy?"

She looked over in interest, and brightened up when she saw the boy she'd given her card to. Probably. It was a biiiiit hard to tell through the haze of alcohol, but the hair looked similar at least! "Sorry, Lala-chan. He's with me."

"Ooh, you picked up a real young one this time!" Lala-chan's light tone dropped as she was stared down. "Just don't let a minor drink alcohol, okay?"

"Psssh, don't worry about that! 'Sides, he's just a little toooo young for me, ya know?" She turned to wink at the boy. "No worries here!"

He looked between her and Lala-chan, a smile wavering on his face. "...You know, I wasn't nervous beforehand, but now I'm not so sure."

She burst out laughing at his response, before slipping off her stool at the bar and nodding her head towards the back of the place. "Lala-chaaan, I'm gonna borrow the seats in the back. Go on back there, I'll treat you to some water!"

"Fancy," he chuckled. They sat in a booth, and she snickered as he raised an eyebrow at the neon 'Welcome, love' sign above her. A cat popped out of his bag and meowed, and she couldn't help but get the feeling that she'd been insulted by it… Well, the cat probably hadn't said anything untrue.

"What a surprise… I thought you had been joking but… here you are~! I respect that bravery, so I'll listen to what you've gotta say! So, what do you want to know?"

"I want to know who's really in control of Shibuya."

Now that got her attention. She sat up, and even with the booze fogging up her head she stared him down. "Oh? Why that?"

"Friends of mine have been threatened… And I've heard a lot more at both my school and around the district have been blackmailed by this mafia. So. I want intel on their boss."

"What, you gonna go on a one-man crusade against the mafia? Life isn't like one of those 'Like a Dragon' movies," she giggled, tilting her head back and forth.

"I'll be careful. Promise," he grinned. It was definitely shark-toothed, though.

"Hm…" She eyed him, drumming her fingers against her cheek. "Well, I do happen to know something about that. I could tell you, buuut…" She picked up her drink and took a sip, keeping an eye on his face. "Do you know about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? You know, that case the public has been focused on lately."

His expression didn't change at all. He stayed just as amused. But that was kinda telling in-and-of-itself. "Of course I've heard of them."

"I was pursuing the issue of people randomly entering into a shut-down state, but I'm lacking intel. That's why I'm currently looking for new material to write about! Soooo… do you have any intel on the Phantom Thieves?"

"Lucky for you, I go to Shujin Academy. That's where they first started up, after all."

He was forthcoming about that. "And that's why I'm asking. You were wearing the uniform of the academy the last time we met. I thought maaaaybe you might have some insider knowledge of the Phantom Thieves because of it. Their first incident was that of Kamoshida, after all!"

"Well, I don't know how much I could tell you that you don't know already…" He leaned back and looked like he was thinking, so she took another sip of her drink.

"Ideally, I'd like to get exclusive coverage from a student who suffered Kamoshida's abuse."

The kid frowned at her. "Oh. Unfortunately, I don't match that description. I was a transfer student who only skirted around him for a couple weeks before he confessed to his abuse. The only thing he even did to me was leak some info about me that got students to avoid me."

"If you do know someone that fits the bill, I'd love an introduction. Seems both you and I can't really do our stuff out in the open, so… Whaddya say?" She eyed him as he stared back at her. His cat meowed and he broke eye-contact to smirk down at the pet, before reaching down to pet it.

"I can get you in contact with someone that matches my description. I've actually got a close friend who can give you the info you need."

"It's a deal then!" She cheered. "Send me your friend's contact info later." She took another sip of her drink in celebration while the cat meowed somehow smugly before her informant reached down to pinch its cheeks. "You know, now that I think about it… Those mental shutdowns and the Phantom Thieves both seem supernatural. Could they be related? Or are they both a coincidence?"

"You think the Phantom Thieves seem supernatural? I thought they were just blackmailing their targets into confessing… You think it's something else?"

He looked confused but intrigued, leaning forward in his seat. "Eheh, sorry, I have a tendency to talk to myself on occasion"

"Does it happen when you're… tipsy?" He asked, eyeing her glass.

"Probably!" she giggled. "Well then, you can't exactly consider this upfront payment, but…" She paused to take another sip of liquid courage. Should she really tell this teenager about him…? If the kid really tried something, he could get seriously hurt, or killed… Ah well, a deal's a deal. "Junya Kaneshiro. I think he's probably the guy you're looking for. You should check him out further if you're curious, but I'm not responsible for what happens next!"

"Of course. Everything that happens from here on out is my responsibility."

"You got it! Lala-chan, can I get a refill for this kid? We need to make a toast to our new acquaintance!" His face wavered again, and the moment he finished his water and had given her his friend's number, he slipped away. She giggled and finished off her drink, letting her face rest in her hand. That kid was certainly interesting…

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

Chat Room: The Phantom Thieves

You— I have a name.

Ann— You did it! (^○^)

Ann— Alright let's meet at the hideout tomorrow!

Yusuke— Understood.

You— I'll see you all there. Obviously, Niijima won't be joining us this time, we may be working together but she doesn't need to know of the Cognitive World.

Yusuke— Of course.

Yusuke— By the way… Ryuji seems to be absent. Should we notify him separately?

You— Let's just say he had a near-death experience and likely won't be returning to Shinjuku anytime soon.

Ann— Whatever that means, I'm sure he'll figure it out when he checks his phone later.

"Man, we're pretty much already in Kaneshiro's Palace! That was surprisingly easy!"

"Now comes the hard part," he chuckled. "The infiltration."

His phone rumbled again as he got a text message, this one from Mishima.

Mishima— Hey, some girl just messaged me saying you told her about me?!

Mishima— She said she's interested in me! The hell is this about?!

Mishima— And what kind of girl is Ohya-san? Is she cute, or is she hot?

You— Well, I suppose she's more cute than hot? Either way, she isn't asking for a date. She wants information on the first Phantom Thieves incident, by someone who was a direct victim of Kamoshida's abuse.

Mishima— Oh…

Mishima— Well, it's still for a good cause, so I'll do my best!

Mishma— You introduced me, so I'll make sure I don't embarrass you.

Mishima— And I'll totally let you know if I kill it out there and we do end up managing to hook up!

You— …Good luck with that, Mishima.

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/19, Sunday

Steal the mafia boss's heart.

Look for Kaneshiro's Palace.

"...Is, uh, is Ryuji okay?" Ann asked, looking at the shuddering faux-blond.

"No, no I'm really not," Ryuji whispered. "Thanks for saving me last night, Aki, I almost entered a world I want nothing to do with."

"What is he talking about?"

"I admit, I'm interested as well."

He snickered at Ann and Yusuke as Ryuji continued to look forward with haunted eyes. "Don't worry about it. You don't want to know."

Truly a harrowing experience, Arsène chuckled.

"Yeah, just… just start it up, Yusuke."

The artist nodded and pulled out his phone, opening the Metaverse Navigator. "Okay, I've entered Kaneshiro's name into the Nav— Ah, just as expected, it's a hit."

"All we need now are two things," Morgana spoke up. "What he thinks of as his Palace, and where it is. But we don't have any clues other than people falling victim around here. We'll just have to try whatever keywords we can come up with."

"Urgh, that's gonna be impossible… How many buildings do you think there are in Shibuya?"

Ann just wagged a finger at Ryuji. "No complaining."

"If we figure out what the Palace is, perhaps we may be able to guess where it is by association."

"Hmmm… It's prolly somewhere he's got complete control over, so… Maybe a garden?"

"No candidates found."

"Wha— A garden?" He snorted in amusement at the suggestion.

What goes through that boy's head? Leanan Sidhe sighed.

"Ah shaddup!"

"He likes money, so… What about a money bath? I've seen people online with things like that!"

"No candidates found."

"No, not even close."

"Yusuke, it doesn't tell us if we're close or not." He raised a hand to his chin and began walking back and forth. "Something to do with money is likely correct though, so Ann is likely on the right track…"

"How about it, Akira? Can you think of anything?"

"Well, when I think of money, a depository comes to mind… A bank?"

"Candidate found."

"Okay, that's a hit! So, he thhinks of somewhere in this city as his own bank!"

"I thought it'd be something less realistic. That's all it is, huh?"

"Now then, what location would Kaneshiro think of as his bank?"

"If we're talkin' about a place he keeps his cash, what about his hideout?"

"How about a real bank?"

"His cognition wouldn't distorted in that case," Morgana explained.

"Dammit, we ain't gettin' anywhere…"

"This may be difficult to explain, but… doesn't it seem like we're thinking a bit too inside the box? Palaces emanate a passionate madness… It feels as though we're missing that aspect."

Akira and Ryuji shared a look, before Ryuji sighed at Yusuke. "The hell're you talkin' about?"

"This Palace is a bank for someone who extorts money through criminal acts. It's something more…"

"But what other ways can we think about it?" Ann murmured. "Oh, could it mean a place where you withdraw money?"

"Hold on! Do you think it might have something to do with the victims? He's taking money from his victims' wallets, right? That means his bank is wherever they are!"

"That's terrible… But you may just be right."

Ryuji just groaned. "Oh come on! How many people do you think Kaneshiro's taken advantage of in all of Shibuya?!"

"I know it sounds difficult, but—"

"I have a hit."

"Huh? Wait, what?! D-Did I say something right?"

"The place that Kaneshiro thinks of as a bank is…"

He looked over Yusuke's shoulder and his eyes widened. "...'All of Shibuya'."

Now that'sss greed.

"What?! Like… The entire city?!"

Morgana nodded at Ann. "I see. That's certainly where his victims are… It turns out he really is a terrible criminal."

"But wait, is it okay for us to go into the Palace right out of a crowd like this?"

"Eh, nobody notices if a piece of trash disappears from a trash can. This ain't any different—"

He flicked Ryuji in the middle of the forehead. "Shut it, doofus. We aren't going to jump into the Metaverse in the middle of such a crowded place. Come on." After walking to an alleyway where no one could see them, and after making sure no one was in range of the app, they jumped into the Palace.

There was a shift to the world that was unnoticeable unless you looked for it, and within an instant, they were dressed in their Phantom Thief attire. The sky above had a greenish tint and they exited the alley to find— "What are those?!"

Looking in the direction of Panther's shout, the team's eyes widened when they saw the ATM-humans. Walking ATMs with arms and legs. "So… that is his cognition of people," Fox muttered. "This is what Kaneshiro considers as a 'bank'."

"I never thought it would be the whole district," Mona spoke as he hopped forward, eyeing the jumbotrons and ATMs walking around. "Look around us… The distortion is affecting the whole of Shibuya."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

"Think back to our previous Palaces, Skull. Kamoshida thought of Shujin as his castle, so only the school was transformed. And of course, Fox's former sensei thought of his shack as a museum, so the shack and only the shack transformed."

"Ohhh, that's right!" Panther nodded, watching the ATMs walking by. "Even when we were in the castle and the museum, the city outside looked normal."

"He sees everyone in Shibuya as his patron."

"No surprise for a mafia boss."

Fox rolled his neck. "It's best we focus on finding Kaneshiro's location and stealing his Treasure as soon as possible."

"Yeah, his hideout's gotta be somewhere around here. Let's go look for it." At Skull's words they began walking out into Shibuya, finding themselves approaching Central Street. Along the way, they passed more and more ATM humans but they could also see into the storefronts around them. Each and every store was packed to the brim with money, practically bursting through the seams of the doors and windows.

"Sheesh," he muttered, gazing at the scenery with his hands in his pockets. Money drifted down from above, bills drifting along the wind. "This place is just… Ugh."

"In any case, let's look for a bank. There should be a huge one around here somewhere…" Mona bounced along as he looked up and down the area with him.

"Unless it's got a bunch of spotlights like the museum did, it ain't gonna be easy with how many buildings there are around here."

"Yeah, good point," Panther sighed. "If this Palace is really the whole district, it'll be tough to search the whole place…" She was distracted when she looked down an alley and gasped. "Look at that person trembling over there… Do you think it's a victim? We should talk to it!"

"Uh, do these guys even have mouths?" Skull asked as they walked up to it.

"Excuse me, can we—?"

Before Panther could finish her sentence the machine-human hybrid began panicking. "Ah! P-Please forgive me!"

"Calm down," he soothed. "I just want to know where Kaneshiro is."

"I-I don't have any more, please! I'm telling you, not even one yen!"

"Whoa, cool it. We're not tryin' to mug you or anythin'."

"I-I don't want to end up like the others!"

"Were you assaulted?" Fox questioned.

The ATM just shrieked in terror and Skull groaned. "There's no doubt he's a victim, but he can't even hold a goddamn conversation. Let's try someone else…"

"He sees them as broken and begging, but he continues to drain them of everything they've got," he noted, looking down at them in disgust. Not directed towards the broken people, but instead the one who had broken them in the first place.

Noticing his agitation, Panther closed in and bumped his shoulder with her own. "We'll make sure he pays for this."

"Yeah… Yeah, we will," he nodded.

Further down Central Street they gasped as they saw several more ATM people, collapsed on the ground with sparks jumping from their bodies. Joker clenched his fists and knelt down next to them as Skull grit his teeth. "This bastard…"

"Are those…?"

"This is terrible," Panther sighed sadly.

"I don't think we can talk to any of the ones here…"

"Let's take another look around. We could've missed something…"

"I don't know, Mona… with how big Shibuya is, it's likely we'll have to explore a lot further to find anything." They walked back the way they came, but it seemed like a new set of ATM humans had stumbled from an alleyway, since they found two new people, one lying on the ground, the other slumped against a wall. "Oh."

"Excuse me," Fox began asking, "can we have a word? We are—"

"It's no use…" The one partially standing was muttering to itself, spasming. "It's all over… I'll end up like them…"

He sighed, but seeing as how being gentle with the other machines wasn't working, he decided to be as straightforward as possible. "Where's Kaneshiro?"

"Can't you tell…?" His eyes widened when the ATM answered him, and they all leaned forward to listen. "I've fallen… fallen so far… From a place where Kaneshiro leaves no tracks…"

"What could he mean by that?" Fox wondered.

"Hey, you gotta tell us a little more than—!"

"I'm too tired… Please… let me rest…" with that, the ATM finally collapsed, its screen fizzling into darkness.

"…It doesn't look like this one's going to say anything else," Morgana grimly spoke. "Kaneshiro leaves no tracks… Does he mean that literally, or could it be figurative?"

"They have apparently fallen quite far," Fox recounted, humming to himself as they stood in a circle.

"Since this is a Palace, it's likely that it could be literal. So, probably not from on top of a skyscraper, you could leave tracks just getting up there," he thought out loud.

Hee, I don't like mysteries, ho.

"Wait a second… they've 'fallen' from a place where Kaneshiro doesn't leave any tracks…? Could that mean… they were actually…?" Mona shared a look with him, and they both nodded.

"What, you mean like… Well, you said it can't be a skyscraper cuz you just said you'd leave tracks leading up there. And I don't think any of the buildin's around here count anyway."

"Wait, w-what's that?!" Looking up as Panther pointed into the sky, everyone's eyes widened at the sight of what almost looked like a flying saucer.

"I-Is that it?!" Sure enough, while it was difficult to see from the ground, just over the edge of the saucer they could see the top of what seemed to be a building, along with multiple trees.

"Up in the air… No wonder we couldn't find it."

"'Kaneshiro doesn't leave any tracks,' huh? Figures it'd be floating."

"So, how do we get up there? Can you turn into a helicopter, Mona?"

"No, just a car…"

Skull groaned and threw his head back. "You're useless! C'mon, don't you got some kinda secret gadget or somethin'?!"

"Shut it! I'm not some robot cat! I-I mean, I'm not a cat at all!"

He chuckled at Mona's despair. "Well, looks like we need to put out a new Ghibli movie to alter public cognition on cats, buses, and helicopters."

"In all seriousness," Fox smiled, "I believe this is the limit to what we can accomplish for today."

"Looks like we gotta think up a way to get up there…"

Panther crossed her arms as she stared up at the flying bank. "Let's think about it some more tomorrow, okay?"

He was about to chime in when something drew his gaze. "Everyone, down!" Following his orders without hesitation, they ducked around corners or behind cars and gazed down the street to see several Shadow guards wearing armor walking down the street wielding batons. "I was wondering where all the Shadows were… so that's what the basic guards look like for this Palace… Seems like they won't just be in the bank itself."

"All right, we should get out of here for now," Mona gazed at the approaching Shadows, who hadn't noticed them. "C'mon, back to our entry point!"

They managed to get out without being spotted and went their separate ways for the day. Once he returned to Leblanc and changed into some more comfortable clothes, he sat on his bed and looked at a message that had come in from Ohya. Morgana looked over his shoulder in curiosity, before shuddering. "It's that woman who reeks of alcohol…"

Ohya— Evening!

Ohya— You free?

You— Free enough.

Ohya— Great! Needed to let you know about some stuff.

Ohya— It's about that Kaneshiro guy. He's more dangerous than I thought!

Ohya— The police haven't tracked him down, so I dug a bit deeper…

Ohya— Turns out he has some real shady connections. I won't say any more than that.

"Shady connections, huh?"

You— I see…

Ohya— He's not someone a teenager like you should mess with. You should really back off, OK?

Ohya— Well, that's all I wanted to say. See you!

"She types surprisingly well," he noted.

"Proving our justice isn't going to be easy," Morgana frowned. "We'd better discuss this too with everyone tomorrow.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

"…I've been thinking lately. About those Phantom Thieves, I mean." She looked up at Sis across the table, her chopsticks stilling for a moment as she wondered how to ask the question. "If Dad was still alive… Sorry, I… I shouldn't bring this up while we're eating."

Sis looked up from her plate. "It's okay. Keep going."

"I just wonder if he would've been on their side… That's all…"

There was silence for several seconds as Sis said nothing in response before she began frowning. "The only reason you have the time to think about that is because you depend on someone else."

She blinked, shocked by how sudden of a turn the conversation had taken. Yes, Sis had been… on edge for some time it seemed, but that had come out of nowhere. Sis had even told her to continue the question not ten seconds earlier! "That's not—"

"You don't have to do a single thing, and you're provided with food, clothes, a home… I've had no time to think on such ridiculous thoughts. Would Dad have been happy with them? I don't care. He died upholding some lofty sense of righteousness, leaving all his responsibilities on us."

While Sis' voice was steadily rising, she wasn't shouting, but her tone was becoming more and more grave as Sis glared at her. "A-All I was trying to say was—"

"Isn't it about time you grew up and acknowledged our situation?! Right now, you're useless to me. All you do is eat away at my life."

"…!" She… had no response to that. Her throat dried up as she tried to say something, anything, even apologize, but nothing came out. And of course, even though he'd apologized, her mind couldn't help but flash back to what Starr-kun had said just the other day. His silver eyes staring straight through her as he scowled and clenched his fists.

"...Your best is making you look real useless here, Prez…"

Sis suddenly deflated, looking down into her food as her face softened. "Sorry… that was uncalled for. I'm just… really tired." She sighed. "...I'll be eating dinner out from tomorrow on." After that, Sis continued to eat, while she squeezed her eyes closed, hands trembling.

She wasn't…

She wouldn't be…!

It was a struggle to keep the tears of frustration from falling, but she managed.

Then she entered her room and sobbed.

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/20, Monday

Steal the mafia boss's heart.

Look for Kaneshiro's Palace.

•Akira•

Thankfully, by the time school let up the rain that had darkened the sky earlier in the day was gone, But the dreary clouds remained. He stood with his fellow thieves in their hideout, if the passageway could even be called that, all of them at least mildly frustrated. This man is certainly a challenge to get to...

"We ain't got nothin'…"

"We don't have anything," he absentmindedly corrected, leaning on the railing and staring out the window.

"Are we out of luck?" Ann questioned, face downcast.

"It's no fair his Palace is up in the sky…"

"If only we could contact the real Kaneshiro…"

"Yeah," he agreed. "An in-person meeting could definitely alter his cognition in a way that allows us access. The ATMs have to have a way of getting up there, after all."

"Can Captain Kidd sail us up there?"

"Nah. He can barely hold more than one guy. He's strong, yeah, but for some reason he can't float if he's carryin' too many people. Can't even ferry us one at a time cuz of the range limit."

"Do you think any of the buildings are close enough that we can grapple up to it?"

"Not in that area," he responded to Ann. "Besides, we wouldn't have a good angle…"

"Hm?" Yusuke turned to look at something, and he turned to see what it was. Niijima was walking up to them, an odd look on her face.

"What do you want?" Ann questioned with a glare.

"Nothing in particular. I just saw you all together here."

"So you wanted to come over and see if you could help?" Ryuji asked in a normal tone.

"Yes. You seem to be having quite a bit of trouble."

"I wonder whose fault that is," Ann muttered, remembering how he had said she'd ruined a chance to grab intel just the other day. "So, you're here to check up on us? You may be the student council president, but when it comes to what we do, you're useless."

For some reason that made Niijima take a step back. "Useless…?"

"...Your best is making you look real useless here, Prez…"

"Right now, you're useless to me. All you do is eat away at my life."

Um... Does she seem distressed to thou as well?

"To be frank, yes," Yusuke spoke. He didn't have as much heat to his tone as Ann did, but the bluntness was clearly still hurtful to Niijima.

"Just stay on your high horse and watch, or do you wanna eavesdrop, since you're so good at it?"

Akira winced and held a hand out. "Ann, guys, uh, let's all just calm down for a moment."

"…" Niijima clenched her fists together, and when he looked into her eyes he didn't like the look in them as they practically blazed red. "So you wish to get in contact with Kaneshiro."

"E-Excuse me?" He asked.

"That is what you were just discussing, weren't you? It seemed you just needed to find out where he is."

"Sssomething like that, yes," he answered.

I don't like her tone, Arsène winced.

"But we don't exactly got a way of tracking him down," Ryuji explained.

"You don't have to answer her honestly," Ann butt in.

"So you're just the good-girl type of pushover."

"Right now, you're useless to me."

"...Your best is making you look real useless here, Prez…"

"I-I'm not…"

"Not what?" Ryuji asked.

"Fine. I'll help you meet Kaneshiro."

"What exactly is she planning on doing?"

"Y'see that dead serious look in her eyes…?"

Yusuke frowned. "Does that mean she has an idea on where Kaneshiro may be?"

"I really doubt that."

"I didn't like her stern face," Morgana added.

"...Ugh!" Ann suddenly began running after Niijima, frustrated that she was feeling so worried about the older girl. "What is up with her?!"

"..." Akira sighed, before shouldering his bag with a determined glare on his face. "Let's go. If some dumb shit's about to go down, we can't let her get hurt."

Thankfully, Ann had followed Niijima quickly enough that she had spotted her running down the street. And because of her bright hair, the rest of the thieves could easily follow after her as well. Unfortunately, Central Street seemed even more crowded than ever, and Ann lost sight of the council president quickly. To find her Morgana ran ahead, using his tiny body to weave through people's legs easier than they could shove through the crowd. But even then… "Ugh, there are way too many people here…!"

"We're never gonna find her!" Ryuji growled, worry clearly clutching at his heart. "That damn idiot! What was she planning on doing?!" His phone rang and he ignored it, practically jumping on his toes to try and look over the entire crowd. It rang a second time, and he growled as he pulled it out. "Who— Oh shit!"

He looked over at his exclamation. "Ryuji, what is it?"

"It's Prez!" Ryuji immediately answered, pressing it against the side of his head to yell into the phone. "Prez, where are you? Don't do anything until we get there!" Internally, he found it amusing that Ryuji was the one telling someone not to do something rash, but it was obvious now wasn't the time to make a joke about it.

"Ryu—"

Ryuji shushed him, made to say something into the phone, then groaned and pulled it away from his ear. After switching to speaker mode, Niijima's voice began filtering through. "Just stay on the phone and listen. Make sure you record the call as well."

"She wants to record the call?" Ann asked in confusion. Then, Niijima spoke again and he felt an ice-cold pit form in his stomach from what she was saying.

"Do you guys know Kaneshiro?"

"What?!"

Uh oh.

"You idiot! What're you doing?!" Ryuji shouted into his phone. People around them stopped and stared, but none of them cared.

"Morgana, have you found where she went?" Yusuke hurriedly asked the not-cat when he returned.

"This way! She's over in an alley with some thugs!" Morgana turned and led them back the way he'd come, and the group began shoving their way after him as quickly as they could.

"I heard I could find someone named Kaneshiro if I came to Central Street."

Yusuke huffed as they ran through the street, but didn't stop even as he became winded. "She's being too rash!"

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

"What're you getting at?"

She glared back at the menacing man, her phone safely stored in her pocket, but muted on her end. She didn't want anything the Phantom Thieves were saying to blast from her phone, but she needed them to hear whatever information she could get. "He's blackmailing the students of Shujin Academy, is he not? Tell him if he doesn't want me talking to the police about it, he'd better agree to meet with me."

She recognized the two thugs from the description Starr-kun had sent his fellow thieves and Sakamoto-kun had relayed to her. They glanced at each other before the man with multiple piercings got into her personal space. "You got a death wish or somethin'?" She didn't back down, meeting his eyes.

"I don't think it matters if I have a death wish or not. You just worry about what your boss wants… because if he finds out you let information leak that could lead to his arrest, he'll take it out on you and I."

"Tch." The menacing man pulled out a phone and walked away, speaking into it. "Boss? We got a problem. No, a little troublemaker…"

She tried to listen in, but the pierced man shoved her back. "Don't touch me."

"I don't think you're gettin' much say in what's about ta happen."

After several minutes, a black car pulled around the corner of the alley, backing in, with the menacing man behind the wheel with a scowl on his face. "He says he'll meecha. Get in."

"You better be taking me to Kaneshiro."

The pierced man opened the back door and shoved her forward, practically throwing her into the back seat. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she didn't let it show on her face. "He said get the fuck in!" He sat next to her with a scowl on his face, while she kept her hands on her lap, feeling the weight of her phone in her pocket.

The car pulled out of the alley, and just as it was turning the corner, she looked into the rear-view mirror and saw the Phantom Thieves running into the alley behind them. She swallowed but kept her chin up.

She would be useful.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Ryuji•

"Hey, wasn't that—!"

"It's the guys we saw the other day! So they were connected to Kaneshiro!"

He didn't pay attention to what the cat was saying and sprinted down the alley. He ignored his knee screaming at him and when he reached the end, he could see the car in the street's traffic quickly getting away. "Is she still on?!" Ann asked beside him.

"Yeah, I'm lettin' him know. We got a good one."

Prez's voice came up next. "Where are we going?"

"I guess we can't do anythin' to her if she's Kaneshiro-san's customer."

"We have to go after them!"

Akira nodded at Ann and turned to him. "Don't hang up, I'll grab a taxi!"

"Ha! Too bad, she's a looker."

"Hey, I asked a question here. Where are we going?"

"I've got the license plate ready," Yusuke suddenly said, showing them his sketch pad. "It seems my sketching skills have come in handy."

"They ignored me!" A taxi sped past Akira, and his friend scowled. He put his hand out and leaned as far into the street as he safely could. "Come on…!"

Seeing that the next taxi wasn't even slowing down, he made a choice. He jumped into the street and saw Akira's eyes widen as he did. "DAMMIT, STOP!"

"RYUJI!" Ann screamed in fear.

The man behind the wheel slammed the brakes and the car skid to a stop probably an inch from his body. He breathed out, then nodded at the others. "Hurry up and get in!"

"We're going to talk about that reckless move later," Akira growled at him as he jumped in the back. He grimaced but nodded, and they all piled in. "Follow that black van! This is the license plate!"

"Uh, I don't think—"

Akira threw a wad of Yen into the front. "Fifty thousand yen, NOW DRIVE!"

"Yes sir!" The car lurched forward and everyone bounced around. He could hear voices from his phone but was too focused on the car in the distance. There was enough traffic that they couldn't get right behind it, but they weren't losing it either.

"Damnit, Prez… don't you dare do something we'll all regret!"

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

She hadn't expected the car to stop in front of a club, but then again, she didn't know where a mafia boss might want to make their hideout. She was shoved out of the car and stumbled, glaring back at the two men. "Move it!"

Another thug met them inside and sneered at her, before jerking his head to the side. They began taking a stairwell up through the building, and once they reached the top floor they began walking again. They were high enough up that the music from the actual club on the lower floors wasn't reaching them. "It makes sense that he'd be here on the top floor. That music was giving me a headache."

She made sure to enunciate her words clearly so that the Phantom Thieves could hear her through Sakamoto-kun's phone. Hopefully what she had been saying over the call would lead them to the right building. She would prove, to herself and everyone else, that she wasn't useless.

Something slammed into the back of her head and she cried out, her vision flashing as blinding pain ran through her head. By the time she'd regained her wits, she was being dragged along the ground, and then dumped on the floor.

"Agh…" Something ran across her back, then her sleeves, then down her legs. "G-Get off of me!"

"Oh simmer down, lady! I'm just checking ya for weapons… We can get to the fun stuff later, heh." Her eyes blazed at the sleazy man's voice, and she reared back. Her elbow slammed into the man's face, and she felt a surge of satisfaction as he grunted in pain.

"Dammit, knock the bitch out!" She scrambled to get up, but someone grabbed her and slugged her across the face. Her head slammed into the side of something, and—

She gasped as she woke up, pain lancing through her skull and something wet running down her temple. 'Blood,' she woozily thought to herself. Somebody was using their knee to keep her pinned to the ground, though thankfully nothing else. "Get… off of me! I have… some words for Kaneshiro!"

"So… you're seriously the student council president of Shujin." She struggled on the ground, trying to find who was speaking. Unfortunately, there was a table in the way, so she couldn't see them. "You know what happens to anyone who snaps at me, don't you?"

"You're… Kaneshiro?!" She writhed around on the ground, trying to see him. The thugs she could see just laughed at her actions.

"So, whose number is this? Your boyfriend?" Her eyes widened, and she realized she couldn't feel her phone in her pocket. No! Did they get enough? Did they hear enough to know where Kaneshiro was?

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Is that so? I don't like it when people lie to me, President-san," Kaneshiro chuckled mockingly. "You. Break her arm."

"W-What?! Wait! WAIT!" She thrashed as hard as she could, and the thug holding her down pushed his full weight onto her back, while another stalked over and grabbed her arm.

"Sorry little lady! Boss's orders!" She screamed and struggled, feeling her arm begin to bend backward, almost in slow motion. Then, right as she could feel it nearing the breaking point, right when tears were leaking from her eyes and her elbow was screaming in agony, somebody burst into the room.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE PREZ!" Someone slammed into the person holding her arm, and she gasped as it was released.

She could hear the thug that was pinning her down lessen the pressure in shock. "Who the hell—?!"

Somebody else yelling interrupted him. "Be careful, Ryu!" Then, whoever was on her back was tackled off of her and she rolled away, the tears and blood leaking from her temple mixing in her eyes, keeping her from seeing exactly what was happening through the blurry vision. "Let's see you fight someone who wasn't sucker-punched, asshole!"

"Get away from her!"

"How dare you lay a hand on our acquaintance!" Two people took hold of her shoulders and dragged her away from the battle. She almost began fighting, but their grips were comforting. Even through the mud that her brain felt like it was stuck in after being bashed, she could vaguely recognize the voices.

"T-Takamaki-chan, Kitagawa-kun…?"

"Well now." The voice she knew was Kaneshiro's didn't sound alarmed at all, in fact, he seemed more amused than anything. Then, she heard a click that sent her heart plummeting into her stomach. "This was unexpected. Let go of my boys, and let's have a little chat, yeah?"


Yuh, Kaneshiro pulled a gun. Well, duh, he's mafia. I don't think he really has any problems shooting a bunch of teenagers. Besides maybe getting the cops even more on his ass, he really doesn't seem like the type to give a shit about killing. Anyway, The game… really glosses over how the gang gets into Kaneshiro's little club. I mean, he definitely has more men than just the three you see, so where the hell are his guards? How'd everyone get past them to find Makoto without being able to use their Personas?

Sure I get them finding the place, they followed the car, but them getting in is just never given an explanation. I'll hopefully be able to do that justice next chapter. So, aside from that whole mess, we've also got more Ohya at the beginning. I get people not liking her for her abilities, even in Royal they're crap, but I definitely love her story. And she's… kinda cute? I don't like the red glasses, but other than that, eh.

Also, added some Shadows patrolling the surface in Kaneshiro's Palace. I figured there should be a couple around since he has men going around the streets in the real world anyway, and also Mona says something about needing to run and get out of there for no reason, when they could just take a leisurely stroll back to their entrance point lmao. So yeah, let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!