CHAPTER 23:

PARADIGM SHIFT

Futaba actually spent much of the night doing research, and she sent Harry and Akira (who, along with Morgana, were pretty much the leaders of the Marauders, though Akira took the lead overall) some disturbing information. It took only a cursory scan online to find substantial rumours that Okumura Foods was what they called a black company, at least once Kunikazu took over from his more beloved father (who hadn't been the best of CEOs in terms of financial management, admittedly). Not Big Bang Burger itself, though it was pretty much the sort of low wages and high employee turnover one expected from fast food restaurants of its ilk.

Harry didn't know what a black company was, so Futaba explained. Harry had to admit, he was horrified. It was a form of high-pressure office workplace, like a sweatshop but for white-collar workers. The career of a white-collar worker or salaryman in Japan was already arduous enough, with unpaid overtime being a sad fact of life, but black companies were even worse.

Harry was also disturbed to learn of karoshi, the Japanese term for death by overwork. There were rumours of many cases of karoshi at Okumura Foods, though nothing had been substantiated. Tellingly, though, at least one of Okumura's rivals had their own cases of karoshi exposed via Mental Shutdowns.

Of course, Futaba couldn't find much beyond rumour. Okumura had enough money and influence to prevent any substantial scrutiny of his company, to say nothing of scary lawyers on speed-dial. In fact, interestingly, Okumura and Madarame shared the same lawyer firm. It was a coincidence that nagged at them both.

Alongside that research, Futaba spent much of the next day compiling what little she had of her mother's research, or at least the stuff that wasn't in the public domain and that hadn't been taken away. But she also had something else in mind for today. She asked Sojiro to contact Dr Maruki and see if he was willing to make an appointment, that very afternoon if possible.

Thankfully, he was available…

After the session ended, Maruki smiled. Futaba had to admit, the man was one of the kindest she had met. And he helped her with some intriguing insights. "Well, I have to admit, you're doing well, Futaba," he said as they sat in a booth at Leblanc. "Then again, you already have some background in psychology and the like. Your mother's influence, I'm sure. Sometimes, that can help counselling, and other times, it can hinder, though I am pleased to say that it's the former with you."

"…If you'd met me before I had…well, an epiphany, you wouldn't be saying that, Dr Maruki," Futaba said. "I was almost a complete shut-in, I doubt I would have been able to talk to you even by phone or online."

Maruki nodded. "True, but despite Japanese attitudes towards mental health and counselling, it's not a crime to ask for help. I'm not saying that it's easy even for Westerners to seek counselling, but the Japanese cultural paradigm is that misery builds character, to tough it out. I faced that myself in my own education and academic career, not helped by my choice of subject. Cognitive Psience is still considered a pseudoscience at best, as you doubtlessly know."

"Yeah, but the potential is there," Futaba said. "The problem is, it could be abused."

"Abused?"

"Well, you only have to look at all sorts of media with brainwashing or Lotus Eater Machines as they call them on TV Tropes to see that," Futaba said, deciding to deflect away from anything to do with the Marauders.

Maruki's mouth opened in an 'O' of realisation. "Oh…oh yes, I see what you mean. Affecting people's cognition like that…one could give people paradise…or Hell."

"Even a paradise may not work out," Futaba said. "I once looked up the origin of the word 'utopia'. In Greek, it means 'no such place'. I mean, you have the backstory of the Matrix, that the original version was like a paradise, but it got rejected as being too perfect and unnatural by the humans. And, well, have you ever watched that British comedy Red Dwarf?"

"Yes, I have. And I think I know what you mean. You're talking about the episode Better than Life, right? Where Rimmer's pessimism and inability to allow for good things to happen to him infects the game?" Maruki chuckled. "I actually prefer Backwards, myself. That, and Me-Squared. The one where Rimmer 'clones' himself, and yet begins to realise that's a bad thing with all his foibles and neuroses. I'll admit, I nearly made the same mistake with gazpacho soup as he did. Though to be honest, I prefer Lister and Kryten as characters."

Sojiro chuckled warmly, even as he brought over more coffee for Maruki. "You'd have gotten along well with Wakaba, I reckon."

"I did correspond with her for a time, Mr Sakura," Maruki said. "I'm afraid my ability in the field of Cognitive Psience doesn't compare to hers. Though…that brings me to a hypothetical. Futaba, I want you to consider this seriously. If it was at all possible to bring someone back from the dead…would you bring back your mother?"

Futaba was taken aback by the question, but she waved down Sojiro when he looked about to rebuke Maruki. After a moment's consideration, thinking back to the shade she saw briefly in her Palace, she said, "Well, assuming she wanted to come back, yeah. But if she didn't…well, I'd bring her back for a few minutes. Long enough to have a nice long talk, say I love her and stuff. But the thing is…I've come to terms with her death. True, I'd love to be with her again, and her death almost completely crippled me, psychologically. But I've moved on. I'm still moving on. Pain is a fact of existence. We just need to prevent it from drowning everything else out."

Maruki looked at her for quite a time, before offering another sad smile. "You're very mature in your outlook, Futaba. At times, you act younger than your age, and at other times, you would put the wisest of us to shame. Though I am curious…how much of this is Harry's influence?"

"He was the one to pull me out of the hole I had dug myself in the first place," Futaba admitted readily. "He's most certainly a friend."

"I don't doubt that. You speak highly of him, and of Akira Kurusu," Maruki said, before his face fell. "He told me of what happened to him, and that both of you are aware of the circumstances leading up to his arrest. Another young man failed by the system, and by the disparity between the law and morality. Mr Sakura, if you ever need someone to testify as a character witness for Akira as part of his probation, I am more than willing to."

"I'm not sure it'll come to that, but if I need such a thing, I'll consider it," Sojiro said. "Thanks for the offer anyway, Dr Maruki. He's a good kid, but he needs to know when not to play the white knight. It bit him hard in the ass."

"Saving people in trouble is never wrong, Mr Sakura," Maruki said gently. "He just had the misfortune of angering the wrong person."

"Exactly. Society in general, but Japanese society in particular, is not forgiving of those who break the mould, regardless of their motives," Sojiro said with a sigh. "Don't get me wrong, I can tell he's a decent kid now. I wouldn't let him anywhere near Futaba otherwise. But thanks to his decision, his future's almost been ruined. If he gets through his probation, he'll have a chance again, even if it's a slender one. Honestly, you'll probably be better for his chances than I would. Hell, those friends of his are probably better for him than I am, never mind Futaba. I'm his probation officer and temporary guardian, nothing more."

"You care for him more than you profess, Mr Sakura," Maruki observed. "If I may offer some advice…don't distance yourself too much from him. I understand your desire to avoid attachment in case of something going sour, but Akira needs support from an adult figure. His contact with his mother is now limited, his father abandoned them…like it or not, he needs a male role model. And Futaba speaks highly of you as a parent. I'm not saying you have to do so. All I am doing is offering advice…"

Futaba felt that she had done enough research and compilation of her mother's work, and so, soon contacted Sae to arrange a time to meet. Sae asked to meet her, after school, at a café not far from the courthouse the next day. Harry and Sirius came with her. To their surprise, Makoto and Akira were speaking with Sae as they arrived, Sirius putting up Privacy Charms.

"…Mind what you do at Shujin, Kurusu," Sae said. "Even if you are telling the truth, the fact remains that you are on probation, no matter what the truth of the matter is, and unfortunately for you, I am too busy to dig into the particulars of your case."

"I understand, Miss Nijima," Akira said. "Makoto told me you were looking into the Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns. It must be hard."

"It is, but it is more than my job is worth to discuss such matters with you, Kurusu. Still, given what Makoto has told me, you have a keen mind, and I sincerely hope that, in spite of your current circumstances, you are able to pursue your future career. Have you considered being in the legal profession? If your probation goes by without a hitch, there shouldn't be any obstacles, and a good defence lawyer is always needed. You could ensure others don't end up in the same position you are in."

"…I haven't really thought about that, but going into law wasn't my thought, Miss Nijima. Thanks for the kind thought. Actually, I'm considering following my mother's footsteps into academia."

"A worthwhile profession," Sae said, before she looked over to see Futaba, Harry and Sirius arriving. "Good afternoon."

"What's Akira doing here?" Harry asked.

"My fault, I'm afraid," Makoto said. "Sis wanted me here, and Kurusu wanted to make sure Futaba was fine."

"I wanted Makoto here because I thought it would look a little less strange for this meeting. It'd be odd for a public prosecutor in the SIU to meet with a teenaged girl and a couple of Westerners in isolation, but because you know Makoto, I could say it's a gathering of friends. Honestly, I think you and Makoto would get along, Futaba," Sae said.

"Sis…" Makoto said, looking a little confused and embarrassed.

"Makoto, I worry that I've pushed you too hard into your studies, and that, on top of your duties as Student Council President, have hobbled your opportunity for making friends," Sae said solemnly. "It is good that you are making friends with Kurusu, but networking is a part of being successful too. As long as it doesn't interfere with your schoolwork, you should try to make more friends. In any case, Futaba?"

"Here," Futaba said, handing over a folder of papers. "It's not much, honestly, Sae. While this isn't as publicly available, I'm not sure what help this could be. Especially in the courts."

Sae nodded. "Your help is appreciated all the same, Futaba. But the courthouse is no casino. It's not left to chance. And…" She blinked. "Did you hear something?" She took out her phone, and frowned. "What is this app? I've never seen it before in my…NGH!"

Both Sae and Makoto clutched their heads in pain briefly, and the others looked around. Futaba spotted it first, the distinct red and black symbol of the MetaNav app on Sae's phone. "Oh shit…" she muttered in horrified realisation, even as red ripples consumed them…

The first thing Harry noticed was the sky. It was no longer afternoon, but night. And yet, there was a lot of light coming from where the courthouse used to be. Spotlights, flashing lights, colourful lights, all filling the sky near the courthouse.

Akira, after a moment, took charge. Thankfully, they weren't in their Phantom Thief costumes yet, but still, the fact that they were now, in all likelihood, in the Metaverse was already a source of concern. "Are you two all right?" he asked the Nijima sisters.

They were both rubbing their heads. "Ugh, what happened?" Makoto asked.

"I agree, what the hell happened?" Sae demanded. She looked around, and frowned. "…What's going on? The sun shouldn't have set already, and…are those different buildings over there?"

Futaba leaned forward. "Look, there's little time to explain. We need to use that app and get back now," she said urgently.

"Get back?" Makoto asked.

"To reality. The longer we stay here, the greater the danger we are in."

"I think it's a touch too late to be worried about that, girl."

The warped, flanging sultry purr of a voice was both familiar and yet not. And the source was strutting up to them, escorted by what had to be Shadows. Harry and Futaba, along with Makoto, looked back and forth between Sae…and her warped mirror image.

She was dressed like a flapper from the Roaring Twenties, wearing a cocktail dress that seemed to be made out of a dark, leathery material or even latex rather than silk, one that seemed to expose more than it concealed. A wide-brimmed hat sat at a jaunty angle on her head. A spiked choker was on her neck. Her eyes were golden, lined with thick black eyeshadow, while her lips were painted black too.

"…Who are you?" Sae whispered in horror. "Why do you have my face?"

"I'm you," her doppelganger said. "I'm your Shadow(1). Welcome, Sae Nijima, to the manifestation of your warped psyche! Welcome to your Palace!"

CHAPTER 23 ANNOTATIONS:

Oh dear. That just happened.

Sorry about the lack of update for so long. My interest in Persona 5 waned somewhat. Plus, I've been playing other games, like Genshin Impact, as well as restarting Cyberpunk 2077. But hopefully, this chapter will be enjoyable.

Now, I've completed the next chapter, involving Sae's Palace. If you're lucky, that will come out soon. If not…well, it'll be released as part of the December mass-update.

Also, this fic now has a recommendation on TV Tropes! Here's hoping a tropes page comes soon…

1. I thought I'd deliberately have Sae's Shadow ape Liquid Snake's words to Solid Snake just before the Hind-D boss battle in Metal Gear Solid. I couldn't resist…