Miss Violet: Hello students. This is a Haru-Centric chapter and things might turn left. I don't want to take up any more time so let's start the lesson!
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Fifty-Eight
[Opening Scene: Flashback - Yacht (Night)
Theme of Tenderness: Brand New days -The Beginning- from Persona 3 FES]
"The stars are really visible tonight."
Haru followed Hifumi's gaze and let out an amazed gasp at how beautiful all the stars were tonight. Haru had never seen the stars with such clarity before in her life. "It's amazing," Haru breathed.
"I know, no matter how many times I see it, it always leaves me breathless," Hifumi replied.
"Do you stargaze often?" Haru inquired.
"Not as much as I used to," Hifumi replied. "Mom has me so busy, that I just collapse and fall asleep the moment I get home. But I used to do it all the time. What about you? Do you stargaze?"
"This is the first time," Haru admitted. "Like you, I'm often busy with school and my garden so I never get a chance to just look up. When did you start doing this?"
"When I was five years old," Hifumi answered. "As I mentioned, we lived in the countryside. Because the light pollution was so minimal there, I would see the night sky like this every night."
"My mother and father, they loved each other but they fought a lot," Hifumi revealed. "On nights when it would get bad, mom would take me outside and teach me where to find the constellations, and leave me to it while she dealt with him."
Hifumi let out a small laugh.
"It got to the point where when I saw the signs of a fight starting, I would just go outside and stare at the stars. They've seen me through some very hard, and often lonely, times in my life…. I often wished that I could be up there and be away from everything." Hifumi turned her attention from the stars and onto Haru and then smiled.
"But I'm glad that for tonight, I won't have to wish for that," Hifumi revealed.
"Hifumi…." Haru whispered.
Haru glanced at the sky for a moment, trying to find a way to perk her new friend back up, only to blink in realization.
"Well, since we're both out here and no one has decided to retrieve us yet, will you teach me how to find the constellations?" Haru suggested.
Hifumi looked shocked at her suggestion. "A-Are you sure? It might be a little boring…." Hifumi drifted off.
"Considering we've spent three hours after Hyodo-san left me in your care and I haven't stopped laughing or giggling once, I don't think you can make anything boring," Haru answered.
Haru was rewarded for her words by Hifumi smiling, but this smile was bright as the stars themselves.
And Haru, for the first time that night, felt her heart flutter.
[Scene Change: Present Time - TMS Arena (Morning)
Theme of Determination: Living With Determination -Iwatodai Station Arrange- from Persona 3]
'I'll save you Hifumi, I promise,' Haru thought as the limo slowed to a stop.
"But how will you do it, Haru-Hime. You can't even save yourself…." Shadow Haru whispered in her mind.
Haru refused to comment/
"The TMS Arena," Botan announced through the intercom.
Haru pressed the button on her seat and replied, "Thank you. We'll be done soon. Await my call."
"Understood, Okumura-chan," Botan chirped.
Haru looked at her friends and said, "Let's go."
She opened the door and walked around the end of the limousine to stand on the sidewalk in front of the arena, with Ryuji walking up beside her. "Remember," Ryuji whispered. "If anything happens…."
"I know," Haru replied.
Ryuji nodded and together, the two walked while Ann, Shiho, and Mishima walked after them. Ryuji led the group to a secluded location near the back of the stadium. "Alright? Ready?" Ryuji asked everyone.
The group nodded.
"Remember, we don't leave until we get Joker, Fox, and Champ back. After that, we run for the hills," Ryuji said. "No heroic sacrifices or any crazy shit. In and out."
Haru narrowed her eyes when Ryuji focused on her. "The minute something pops off with your shadow, you leave."
Haru frowned. "You don't have to keep telling me," Haru remarked.
"I think I do, considering you were so hard-pressed in keeping your shadow a secret from everyone," Ryuji shot back.
Haru glowered.
"Now, let's get in there," Ryuji announced as he flipped his cell phone open to the app.
"Beginning Navigation."
[Scene Change: Between Worlds
Theme of Transformation: Anime 01 from Persona Q2 New Cinema Labyrinth]
Time seemed slow as the group ran from the portal leading to the real world and fell into the portal that lead to Mitsuyo's Palace.
A burst of red fire that took the shape of Carmen exploded around Ann's body, coating her in flames. The fire silhouette spun around rapidly before the flames burned away to reveal Panther.
Ryuji smashed into an electrified laughing skull, coating his body in yellow static, where it then exploded into streaks of lightning, revealing Skull.
An 8-bit glowing crescent moon formed around Mishima and began to spin around his body rapidly until Mishima's body was bathed in the silvery-white moonlight. With a burst of brilliant light, Mage was revealed.
Shiho's body collided with an orb of water, which turned her body into a glowing ocean-blue silhouette. The orb of water shimmered, shrunk, expanded sharply, and then exploded in a watery mess to reveal Lioness.
[Scene Change: Brothel of Fraud – Gate Entrance
Theme of Brothel of Fraud: Club Zodiac from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]
Beauty Thief landed on the ground behind Skull, Mage, Panther, and Lioness and she was instantly horrified by the site beyond the familiar red gate.
There were neon signs everywhere showing outlandish images of Hifumi and tons of masked men entering and leaving the stores. "What is this hell?" Beauty Thief whispered.
"Welcome to Hifumi Street," Skull introduced to the horrified Beauty Thief. "But this shit doesn't matter. That—" Beauty Thief followed Skull's pointed finger to the large club in the distance. "—Is what matters."
"Shōgi no Kinboshi Club," Beauty Thief whispered.
[Scene Change: Flashback - Yacht (Night)
Theme of Tenderness: Brand New days -The Beginning- from Persona 3 FES]
"Hifumi-san. How did you get your moniker?" Haru inquired as the two girls lay on the beach chairs near the edge of the giant pool, still observing the stars above.
"Which one?" Hifumi questioned. "I do have two of them."
"Two?" Haru asked.
Hifumi nodded. "There is the "Venus of Shogi," and the "Female Shogi player of divine calculation." That last one is pretty wordy," Hifumi laughed.
Haru giggled in agreement but then frowned. "But I thought you also had the "Too Beautiful Shogi Player" moniker too. What happened to that one?" Haru questioned.
"My dad happened," Hifumi replied. "He felt that while I was certainly beautiful, there were other ways it could be said. He did some research, and two weeks later, "The Venus of Shogi" moniker was born. The Shogi world and beyond felt the moniker was apt and that's all she wrote. I really despise the name honestly."
"You do?" Haru asked.
Hifumi nodded.
"I want people to see me as more than a pretty face," Hifumi started. "I'm a person. I love having milkshakes and fries, I enjoy watching JJBA and other anime, I play RTS games, I love to stargaze, and I love to play Shogi. There are other things about me than just how beautiful I am."
Hifumi then faltered.
"But that moniker was one of the last things Father gave me before he passed away," Hifumi revealed. "And while I despise my beauty being a "Selling Point" to adhere people into watching my matches or anything else that I do, I just don't have the heart to change it. It was his final gift to me, and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life…."
[Scene Change: Present Time – Brothel of Fraud (Hifumi Street)
Theme of Brothel of Fraud: Club Zodiac from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]
"Yo, Beauty Thief!" Skull shouted, snapping Beauty Thief from her memories. "You conked out on us. You alright?"
Beauty Thief nodded and then looked back at the club with disdain.
"How vile is her mother?" Beauty Thief hissed. "To use something so precious to her daughter in this manner. We must stop her…."
"We will, but after we save the others," Lioness confidently replied.
Skull frowned at her then turned away as Panther said, "Thankfully, things haven't popped off. I thought this place would be swarming with Shadows considering how we left it yesterday."
"Considering who those shadows a-are, I think there is a good reason for that," Mage stated.
Beauty Thief was curious about Mage's statement, but Skull waved him off. "We can talk about this later," Skull said. "For now, let's get moving."
Beauty Thief followed the group through the red gate and with a sickening feeling, she looked at the various stores around her but as she stared into one store, she noticed Shadow Haru observing her.
It was as if she was in every store, but the shadow did not speak or approach. Beauty Thief was unnerved by this, but she did not voice it.
She did not need Skull to try and take her off of this mission.
But after passing another store, she noticed that her shadow was holding something in her hands. It was a flyer that had the image of three very familiar people on it. "Guys," Beauty Thief spoke up, which prompted the team to look back at her.
"What's up?" Skull asked.
"Stay here a second," Beauty Thief gently answered as she walked toward the store her shadow was standing in.
As Beauty Thief neared the store, she watched as her shadow approached the door of the same store until they stood face to face in the doorway. "Haru-Hime," The shadow greeted as she held out the flyer. "Since your group is so keen on racing to their rescue, you have failed to notice these flyers on some of the light posts…."
Beauty Thief took the flyer from Shadow Haru's hands and then gazed at it, only to gasp in horror.
[Theme of High Danger: Erosion From Persona 5]
"You don't have much time, Haru-Hime," Shadow Haru whispered as she took a step away, her body wavering. "You must hurry and save her… Unless you want her to end up exactly like you."
"She won't become like me…." Haru fiercely replied.
Shadow Haru gave her a sad smile and then faded away into nothing.
Beauty Thief took a step back and ran back to the group as she exclaimed, "We need to get to the fifth floor of that Mitsuyo's Brothel of Fraud immediately!"
Skull tilted his head and asked, "The tall building? Why?"
Beauty Thief held up the flyer for the group to read.
"Join us for a celebratory exhibition of execution of the handsome intruders!" Lioness gasped.
"And please join us for the grand Mizuage of our newest guest on the grand stage, located on the fifty-fifth floor of the Madam Mitsuyo's Brothel of Fraud…." Panther whispered. "Oh my God…."
"They're going to kill Joker and Fox…." Mage breathed.
"And something darker for Champ," Skull whispered before he grabbed the flyer, crumbled it up and tossed it on the ground. "Damn us for not knowing where that floor is!"
"When I was flying out of the club yesterday, I saw that the brothel was connected to the back of the club. Which means that there must be an entrance to the Brothel in the back," Mage said. "We get to the back of the club….."
"We get into the Brothel itself," Skull added on in realization. "We know where we need to go, so let's get there."
"Let's go!" Beauty Thief yelled as she broke free from the group and ran toward the club.
"Shit! Ha—Beauty Thief!" Skull shouted as Beauty Thief ran into the open doors of the club, only to see an area filled with masked men and five girls, the latter in bunny outfits.
Beauty Thief felt the disgust rising in her as she realized that the masks the girls wore were styled after Hifumi's face. She then felt someone tug her back sharply and came face to face with Skull and her other friends.
"Here is the plan, those five bunny girls are the shadows," Skull said. "Mage, Panther, and I will take down these shadows. Lioness and Beauty Thief, you two go in the back and see if you can a way into the Brothel."
"Wait, why don't I just cast Magravkaja and fly us to where the brothel and the club connect?" Mage asked.
"How much does that take out of you?" Skull asked.
"Admittedly? It leaves me almost at the bottom of my energy," Mage replied.
"And that is why we're doing it this way," Skull said. "Does anyone else have any ideas? Open mic night here in the Metaverse."
"No ideas but just a statement, let's be careful," Panther said.
"Good, let's go!" Skull shouted as he, Mage, and Panther as the trio rushed into the club and immediately attacked the bunny waitresses.
"Let's go," Lioness said to Beauty Thief.
Beauty Thief nodded and the two darted into the club. Beauty Thief followed Lioness to the far-left side of the wall and the two crept up toward the staircase that led to the second floor.
Lioness peaked in to make sure no one was coming down, and when the coast was clear, the water-user motioned for Beauty Thief to follow and then ran upstairs.
Beauty Thief followed Lioness to the second floor, where they noticed a large hallway ahead of them. Lioness and Beauty Thief ran to the large hallway and looked down it. Everything looked fine to Beauty Thief but considering Kamoshida's palace, it could have some secret doors or something.
"Stay here," Lioness instructed and then carefully crept down the hallway. Beauty Thief watched the Phantom Thief as she walked halfway down the long hallway, stopped, and peaked around another corner. Without looking back, Lioness motioned for Beauty Thief to follow her.
Beauty Thief crept into the hallway and made it behind Lioness, who said, "There is an elevator at the end of the hallway…."
"Good. One step closer to saving them," Beauty Thief replied as Panther, Skull, and Mage ran into the hallway behind her. Beauty Thief turned around to the newcomers and asked, "You three alright?"
"Didn't even break a sweat," Panther answered.
"There is an elevator at the end of this hallway," Beauty Thief repeated to the trio. "No traps or anything so far."
"Great," Skull said as he broke away from the group and went down the left hallway toward the elevator. Beauty Thief and the rest of the thieves followed him down the oddly bright white hallway until they reached the elevator.
Skull pressed a button on the silver console and the doors opened. The group entered the elevator, only for Beauty Thief to notice that the floor buttons on the elevator all went down and not up. "We're on the third floor? From what the highlighted button is saying….." Beauty Thief said.
"Damn it," Skull cursed.
"But, that means that the next elevator we find down on any of the other floors could go up to the actual brothel," Mage offered.
"Sounds fair, Then let's start at the basement," Panther said as she pressed the button.
The elevators closed shut, and the group rode down.
[Scene Change: Brothel of Fraud – Grand Stage (55th Floor)
Theme of Trapped: Just Like This from Persona 3]
Madam Mitsuyo observed the three unconscious intruders, with the two males tied to posts at each end of the grand stage while the female was sleeping on the large bed that sat in the middle of the stage, her right ankle chained to the bed.
"Mother, another round of Lullaby has been cast on our esteemed guests," Oiran Hifumi stated as she held out a glass of wine to her Madam Mitsuyo.
The palace ruler smiled and took a sip of the delicious nectar and ran a hand over her daughter's cheek. "Such a good child," Madam Mitsuyo cooed. "Once the right doner arrives, you will be his prized jewel."
Oiran Hifumi bowed and then glanced at the girl on the bed. "And when shall the mockery that wears my face receive her punishment for taking my visage?" Oiran Hifumi questioned.
"When those two boys have drawn their last breath. The suitors will be exhausted from their slaying. She will be the thing that refreshes them," Madam Mitsuyo replied. "Until then, continue to dose them with your sweet Lullaby. We can't have them trying to escape, now can we?"
"No mother, we shall not," Oiran Hifumi dutifully replied.
"Then see to it," Madam Mitsuyo ordered. Oiran Hifumi bowed and began her work on keeping the intruders sleeping.
'And if those other intruders that escaped returns…. I have the perfect thing to defeat them….' Madam Mitsuyo thought with glee.
[Scene Change: Brothel of Fraud - Shōgi no Kinboshi Club (Basement)
Theme of Brothel of Fraud: Club Zodiac from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]
After five minutes in the elevator, the metal lift slowed to a stop and the doors opened, revealing the basement to Beauty Thief and her friends.
At the sight of two rows of jail cells sitting side by side Beauty Thief immediately realized they were in a dungeon. "Welp, this is familiar," Skull stated as he walked ahead of the group, with Beauty Thief following him.
"But why would there be a dungeon in a brothel?" Mage asked.
"Hell if I know," Skull replied as they looked at the cells. Most of them were empty, but Beauty Thief noticed that there was a cell occupied, but unlike the others, this one didn't have bars. It was a room with a steel door.
However, there was a small window on the door. Beauty Thief broke away from the group and glanced through the window and what she saw was a figure.
The figure sat beneath a spotlight, their long black hair draped like curtains over their bowed head to obscure their identity. From how big the person was, Beauty Thief realized that the person was a man.
Most of the men Beauty Thief had seen were masked and traveling around.
Why was this single man here?
The man must have known she was there because he looked up, revealing his face and deep green eyes.
"Please…." The man whispered. "Let me out…. I won't disobey again…."
Beauty Thief wasn't startled by the man talking.
No, what startled her was that she knew who this man was.
This was The famous Shogi player, Tōgō Mitsuhide.
And Hifumi's father….
Miss Violet: The first part of this palace is officially on. I have not forgotten about Madarame, because he will be dealt with in very short order. Until the next chapter, class is dismissed.