Miss Violet: Time for class.
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Sixty-Three
[Opening Scene: Shibuya – Okumura Residence (Evening)
Theme of Thy True Self: Bomb Shelter from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]
"I must say, Useless, you make for a good assistant," Shadow Makoto taunted as Makoto instructed the two Big Bang Burger employees on where to place the food. "You know, if I finally don't kill you, you would be a great assistant to Haru or Ren-Ren."
Makoto ignored the voice in her mind and continued to instruct the employees.
"Aw, are you ignoring me now?" Shadow Makoto asked. "If so, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Makoto took a breath but once again, she ignored her shadow. She was not going to allow her negativity to cut into the excitement of seeing Ren, Shiho, and the rest of her friends after the rescue mission.
"I'm warning you, Useless, acknowledge my presence or you will regret it," Her Shadow threatened.
"And that's the last of it, Niijima-san," The female Big Bang Burger employee announced.
"Very good. I am ready t—" Makoto was interrupted when Haru's living room glass table shattered into pieces, which caused Makoto and the two employees to jump in alarm.
When Makoto turned around, Shadow Makoto was next to the table, blowing off her knuckles. "Whoops. My hand slipped," Shadow Makoto taunted.
Makoto hissed and then said to the two normal people, "I'll have to replace that, let me sign for the food and get you folks on your way."
After signing for the food and adding the tip, Makoto saw the two employees off and then swiftly turned around to Shadow Makoto. "What in the hell was that?" Makoto hissed.
"Oh, that? That was a warning," Shadow Makoto answered. "You're good at following commands, Pet, so let me give you one now. Never ignore me. If you do, it will only speed up your intimate meeting with the ground."
Makoto flinched at the amount of venom that came from her shadow.
"Now, before you caused your friend's table to shatter, I was doing the kindest thing I have ever done, and that is giving you something no other shadow gives their foolish coward," Shadow Makoto started. "As you can tell, I'm getting stronger. Strong enough to effect things in your world. Do you know what that means?"
Makoto shook her head.
Shadow Makoto stepped forward to close the distance between them and answered, "Your death."
Makoto felt her heart stop.
It wasn't so much the threat or the time limit that her shadow just gave her, it was how easily her shadow had said it.
"And I have a feeling that you will refuse to wake up by the time. So, for the next two weeks, I will leave you alone. I will let you have peace for the last leg of your life. I will not bother you, taunt you, or even threaten you. You will be completely alone," Shadow Makoto softly explained. "When two weeks pass and the clock hits 6:37 P.M., it will no longer matter if you wake up to your truth or not. I will be coming back, and I will leave you as I left Haru's table…. Shattered."
The shadow then patted her shoulder and said, "I wanted you to wake up, but I guess that was wishful thinking on my part…." Shadow Makoto then pecked the stunned Makoto's cheek and whispered, "The next time we meet, it'll be only to say goodbye for good."
Shadow Makoto removed her hand from her shoulder and walked past Makoto, and as her body slowly disappeared from view, Shadow Makoto said, "Take care of yourself until then, my Useless Mako-chan…."
And with those final words, a shaken Makoto stood alone.
Truly alone.
More alone than she ever felt in her entire life.
Makoto's legs were shaking so hard, that she wasn't able to stand any further, sending her tumbling to the ground. She slowly turned to the clock, her irises trembling as she saw the clock change to 6:38 P.M.
Panic blossomed in her chest but she couldn't find the strength to move.
And then, the door opened.
[Theme of Okumura Residence: Have a Short Rest from Persona 5]
Ann, Haru, and Yūki walked into the Okumura Residence, with Ryuji, Hifumi, and Yusuke slung on their shoulders while Shiho trailed behind them with Ren's body. Shiho had somewhat returned to normal but was still slightly subdued.
The moment they stepped in, however, they noticed that Makoto was on the floor and that the glass table had been shattered, but nothing else had been touched. "Whoa, Niijima, what the hell happened?" Ann asked.
Makoto snapped from her inner terror and replied, "I fell through the table. Tripped actually."
Why did she lie?
Her shadow was intent on killing her.
So why did she lie to them?
"Oh no," Shiho softly murmured. She gripped Ren's arm and slowly approached Makoto and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Makoto replied, only to look into Shiho's eyes and notice that they were dimmer than before. "But are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Shiho softly replied.
"Well, since everyone is okay, can we please get these guys in a bed so we can finally relax?" Ann asked.
"So, Haru has a Persona now, that will be handy," Makoto noted once the story ended. Ren, Ryuji, Hifumi, Yusuke, and Shiho had retreated to the guest rooms, leaving Makoto, Haru, Ann, and Yūki in the room alone with the food.
The shattered remains of the table had been cleaned up and replaced by Botan.
Makoto was sincerely happy for Haru for doing what Makoto failed to do. She wished she could ask for help, to figure out exactly what she had to do, but something held her back. The same something that made her lie to the group earlier.
"She was amazing," Yūki chirped with a bright smile. "And very strong too! She defeated an enemy we couldn't defeat all on her own."
Haru let out a tired laugh. "I'm not that strong," Haru replied. "I just did what I had to do to save everyone. Especially since I screwed up so badly in the first place by attacking and hurting Shiho."
Makoto nodded in agreement at this. She wasn't exactly pleased with Haru losing her mind and attacking Shiho like that, but she was also mind-controlled, so Makoto would let that go in time.
"So what's the plan now?" Makoto asked.
"Well, I was thinking that after we get some rest, we should continue with the palace," Ann said. "And then reach the end."
"But what about Madarame?" Yūki questioned. "His palace is still standing and Makoto, Ann, and Yusuke are at risk there."
"That's true," Ann murmured.
"Then I guess that means we do both," Ren's voice announced, which prompted the four to turn around to face him.
Makoto felt her heart soar at the sight of her friend. But she immediately frowned when she noticed his trembling form. "Ren, I'm glad to see you, but you should still be resting," Makoto told him.
"I'll rest when I'm dead," Ren replied as he slowly walked to the table of food and snagged two Big Bang Burgers, three Mars chicken slides, two Saturn fries, and a Pluto shake. He walked over to the couch and sat beside Makoto and said, "Besides, this food smelled delicious. I had to come out."
"Bottomless pit over here," Ann joked with a warm smile. "Welcome back, Ren."
"Yeah! Welcome back, Ren-kun!" Yūki chirped.
"You've been missed," Haru told him.
"You really have," Makoto told him with a soft smile.
"Thanks," Ren said with a genuine smile. "All of you. Now, I managed to catch bits and pieces. Haru! You have a Persona now! Good job!"
"Thank you," Haru replied with a small smile.
"That means we have to have a concrete Phantom Thief name for you, and Hifumi as well. But that can wait," Ren said. "What can't wait is Madarame nor Mitsuyo."
"I have an idea," Makoto offered.
"Give it," Ren told her.
"Here is what we have," Makoto started. "We have two active palaces that need to be handled and there are officially eight of you that can go into the palaces, with Morgana still gone. I think that tomorrow, Shiho, Ann, Mishima, and Haru continue through Mitsuyo's palace. Everyone with me so far?"
The group nodded.
"I don't know what the conditions are when it comes to the endgame of the palace," Makoto continued. "But we have enough where you guys can divide and conquer. Take down both at once," Makoto concluded.
"That might not be such a bad idea. If everything goes down like Kamoshida, then that will add to the Phantom Thieves' reputation," Yūki said.
"It does sound like a good idea," Ren murmured. "But also very risky. These two palaces were tougher than Kamoshida's, with Mistuyo's being tougher than Madarame's palace. The fact that Hifumi, Yusuke, and I were kidnapped tells me that there is a massive risk of being caught off guard."
"Not to mention what happened to Ryuji," Haru sighed. "The Shadow we fought pushed him past his breaking point. There is no telling when he'll be able to fight…."
Ren hummed in thought and leaned back on the couch. "I think when everyone wakes up, we'll talk about this option more. For now, we lick our wounds and heal," Ren said.
The group nodded, only for Makoto's cell phone to go off.
(To the comrades I met in this same era!
We think, therefore we are
Let's start a new page of history, my friends!)
Makoto quickly dug into her pocket and saw that her sister was calling.
Her sister!
"Oh, shoot! It's Sae," Makoto said. "She must be calling about the investigation."
"Investigation?" Ren asked. "About what?"
"We had to make up a story that you, Hifumi, and Yusuke were kidnapped by slimy-looking guys," Ann explained.
Ren snorted. "Well, not the worst excuse I've heard. Especially since we did the same thing after our first outing in Kamoshida's palace," Ren said.
"Should I answer?" Makoto asked.
Makoto didn't know why but she felt weird about asking her friends to answer her sister's call.
"That's your call, Makoto," Ren told her with a smile.
Makoto frowned and silenced the call. She would call back later.
[Scene Change: Shibuya – Takemi Apartment (Evening)
Theme of Investigation: Monochrome from Persona: Revelations]
Sae sat outside Tae's apartment building in her car with a frown on her face.
"How annoying," Sae murmured.
She had spent the majority of her day searching in the location where her sister and her friends said that Amamiya, Tōgō, and Kitagawa were taken and she was unable to find any reliable witnesses that saw the incident go down.
But what made it worse was that the leads she had regarding evidence against her wayward sister's friends had also dried up. There was only circumstantial evidence, nothing that could stick to them being the Phantom Thieves.
And she heard nothing from Zenkichi since their conversation with her sister.
She was back at ground zero.
There had to be something she could weasel out of her sister.
"No sense in stressing about it now," Sae sighed as she turned off her car and stepped out onto the street and towards the apartment building.
Perhaps her best friend could turn her sour mood around.
Miss Violet: And that is the end of this chapter. A bit of a filler chapter, considering the meat of it still waits in the next chapter, which will be a hefty chapter so keep a look out. Class is dismissed!