CHAPTER 22:

CONSPIRACY THEORY

The next day brought another shock. Harry had spent much of the day with Futaba, helping her study (and vice-versa, if only to keep up appearances), before they wandered to Leblanc later in the afternoon. However, they found that Sae Nijima was present.

"…Don't know what you're talking about," Sojiro said, glaring at the prosecutor.

"Don't be disingenuous, Sojiro Sakura," Sae said, matching his glare with a calm, level gaze. "I did my homework long before I told you about Youji Isshiki's attempt to bring Futaba back into his custody. I know that you used to work as Dr Wakaba Isshiki's government liaison. If you know of the whereabouts of any of her research, beyond what is publicly available, then…"

"Why do you want to find Mom's research?" Futaba blurted out.

Sojiro had noticed them entering, and had tried to shoo them away, but Sae only seemed to notice them just then, before she sighed. After a few moments, she said, "Futaba…you seem like an intelligent girl. And I am sure you know something of your mother's research. Cognitive Psience, something most people consider a pseudoscience…and yet, your mother was a leader in the field. Only researchers known to be employed by the Kirijo Group have greater prestige in the area."

"Now hold on," Sojiro began, but Sae shot him a look.

"I have been re-examining the cases of Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns, and after stumbling across Dr Isshiki's work by chance…well, the idea of Cognitive Psience is ludicrous, but so is the increasing number of incidents and crimes committed by these people suffering from these conditions. The death toll is already in the hundreds. If there is an individual or a group committing these crimes, then they must be stopped, regardless of who they are. And after reading what literature is available on the subject, I am sure there is a link. Mr Sakura, Futaba…with your help, I can put these criminals behind bars, save lives, bring some closure to the families of the victims. That is why I am asking you."

Sojiro sighed, muttering, "Hoo boy…"

But Futaba looked at Sae, matching the prosecutor's gaze for quite a while. Eventually, she said, "…Sae, I…the thing is, after Mom died, a lot of her research was taken away or destroyed. Most of what I know about Cognitive Psience is based on what was left over afterwards. And…I don't think what happened to my mother was suicide."

Sae blinked. "But it was declared…" Her eyes widened in realisation. "Oh. Oh no…why didn't I…? Some of the Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns involved what was initially ruled as suicides, but…my God…you think that…"

"She was murdered?" Futaba nodded solemnly. "I can't prove it, obviously, and I doubt the cops will either. But…I came to an epiphany around the time Harry ended up here. Until then…well, some goons in suits read out what was supposedly my mother's suicide note, claiming she killed herself because she couldn't cope with how demanding I was. They did that, to a grieving child, who saw her mother wander into heavy traffic right in front of her. And my so-called relatives, especially Uncle Youji, took every opportunity to blame me for it."

Sae's hand flew to her mouth in horror. "No…they did that to…those bastards."

"I was needy at times, yes, but…Mom loved me, I knew that much. And I think her death and the Mental Shutdowns are linked. But they decided to kick me while I was down. And before you ask…I'm not sure I'd recognise those guys in suits. I have an eidetic memory, true, but my memory of that day was warped…"

"Out of trauma, yes, and as you are a teenager, your testimony would be…" Sae rubbed her forehead. "…Damnation. Okay, I'm glad you spoke to me about this much, Futaba, I really am. It must be hard, considering. And if your allegations are true, that your mother's suicide was actually a form of murder by Mental Shutdown or something similar…it seems I will have to tread carefully. That being said, if you have any of your mother's papers, things that aren't publicly available, please let me know. I have a feeling that this may be what I have been looking for, either this, or something relating to the supernatural other than this. Futaba, there are people going through the same thing you have, having their loved ones torn from them by some hidden force. If I can hold them to account, I will, even if it takes me the rest of my life."

Harry was actually struck by the sheer vehemence with which she said such a thing. So was Futaba, who seemed to consider what she had to say carefully, before saying, "…Look, I'm not going to lie, I…find it hard to trust a lot of people, Sae. Especially those in authority. You champion a system that let me down, first with my mother's death, and then what my oh-so-loving relatives did to me. And even before then…I knew Japanese society ain't kind to those who stand out from long and hard experience. But…if you really want to make sure other people don't go through what I did, I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. I'm not sure what I have of my mother's work isn't publicly available."

Sae nodded. "I understand. But Futaba, if you can help me, please let me know…"

"…That was very brave of you, Futaba," Sojiro said quietly, as Futaba nursed a cup of coffee, sitting at a booth. "I was of a mind to tell her to take a hike."

Futaba shrugged. Sae had eventually left, though not before getting more coffee. "Sojiro…don't get me wrong, I have my own qualms about helping her, but if she turns out to be able to help…well, she's right. If someone really is behind these Mental Shutdowns and stuff, we need to do something about it. Innocent people are gonna die, and I've had enough of staying on the sidelines while it happens. The problem is…we think it's related to the Metaverse, and how would we be able to persuade her it exists? I mean, aside from showing her outright, and that would open up a hell of a can of worms."

Sojiro nodded solemnly. "It'd be hard to prove a murderer's methods if they were supernatural, but of course, there's the confession angle. I'm sure that if they caught whoever murdered Wakaba, they'd try to force a confession. And as much as I normally don't like such a thing, for someone who murdered Wakaba, I'd make a hell of an exception. But what I'm worried about is…what if this puts you back on those monsters' radar? You don't know the way some governmental agencies work like I do, Futaba. I'm sure you've seen all sorts of stuff online, but I've worked alongside some of these people. For all that they call employees public servants, it seems to be more about serving themselves first and others second. Hell, I was seriously considering quitting even before Wakaba's death. What's the old term for that, the one the Yanks use? Rat race, very apt."

"Remember, even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat," Futaba murmured. On Sojiro and Harry's confused looks, she sighed. "Back in 1989, some hacker or hackers attacked NASA with malware known as the WANK Worm, probably sent by an Aussie, given the name and the lyrics to a Midnight Oil song they had in the banner for the worm. WANK stood for 'Worms Against Nuclear Killers', and there was a big hullaballoo at the time because NASA was sending up the Galileo space probe with a small nuclear generator. The worm messed up several systems, and included some weird messages, including what I just said(1)."

"Charming," Harry said.

"Anyway…I know it's risky, Sojiro. I know how treacherous some of these bastards in governmental agencies can be. I remember Mom complaining about them, not to mention you complaining about them too. But…if Sae knows enough about the risks, she can fly under the radar for it. That's one of the reasons I brought up my theory about how and why Mom died. If she realises how willing these guys are to kill to hush up Mom's research into Cognitive Psience…hopefully, this won't get her killed if I warn her, and she might be able to help."

"Yes, but the SIU…Futaba, that part of the Office of Public Prosecutors is…"

"Dodgy, I know, and I'm taking a risk. But…if nothing else, I've bought us some time. Even giving some token help might keep her off our backs," Futaba said. "I was telling the truth about Mom's research: most of what I have is what was publicly available. Really, I learned more after I entered my Palace."

"Well, maybe you could take her to Mementos," Sojiro said. "As long as she doesn't come to harm, seeing that might get her to use her discretion more than vague notions of Wakaba being murdered."

Harry was struck by a notion, and judging by the way Futaba looked to him, her own expression showing a realisation, they had a similar idea. "Maybe that may not be such a bad idea," Harry murmured.

Akira arrived back at Leblanc soon afterwards, Morgana in tow, and Harry and Futaba discussed with him the latest developments about Sae in his attic room. After the explanation, Morgana remarked, "Honestly, I'm ambivalent about that. On the one hand, Sae has a Palace, and that's not a good sign, and she's part of the legal system. I wouldn't be surprised if she begins to target the Marauders as we become more famous. On the other hand…she may actually be sincere about trying to find those responsible for the Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns."

"Makoto seems to think so," Akira said. "I was studying with her during lunch today, and she admires Sae, though I could tell there was some…frustration at how distant she could be at times. I think that's due to Sae's workload. Still…letting her know about anything to do with Cognitive Psience may be risky."

"Akira, being Phantom Thieves is risky!" Harry pointed out. "We just targeted Madarame, a fairly famous public figure, especially by comparison to Kamoshida, whose fame pretty much went down the crapper after he got his gold medal. I know we need the fame and recognition by the public to unlock deeper sections of Mementos, but that also going to draw the attention of the authorities to us. And that includes whoever is behind the Mental Shutdowns. Telling Sae anything is risky…but Futaba and I think we can use that to our advantage."

Futaba nodded. "We can influence her in some way. Not through the Metaverse, but begin having her look into whoever may be behind it. Look, Cognitive Psience is effectively a pseudoscience in the eyes of the wider community. She can't risk discussing that with anyone outside of those in the know without looking like a laughing stock, at least until she makes as airtight a case as possible. What's more, I've already aired the possibility that my mother was murdered by a Mental Shutdown, so she'll be quiet, I hope, lest she gets the attention of whoever is behind them. If she ever asks us for our opinions on whether the Phantom Thieves are behind them, then we can use logic to show we are unlikely to be. The Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns seem to be causing people to either go crazy and cause havoc, or they simply drop dead. The Phantom Thieves are just making our targets confess or repent. If we're questioned about it, I could just say I took an interest due to what happened…and if push comes to shove, we can tell her about my Palace."

"Godwin also told us we should consider taking her inside her own Palace. It's risky, considering what we heard about mental recursion, but if we do it right…" Harry left that up in the air.

Morgana shook his head. "That's definitely too risky, at least to be anything but an absolute last resort. But giving her something of your mother's research…that's still a risky gamble. Yes, it could work, and I hope we can make her an ally. But the fact that she is looking into Cognitive Psience also can make her our greatest enemy. And we still don't know who the black-masked individual is."

"You think it could be Sae?" Akira asked.

"…The thought crossed my mind, but…I don't think Persona users can have a Palace," Morgana admitted. "A Persona, in one way, is basically like a transformed Ruler, someone's very Shadow turned into an ally. Futaba and Necronomicon certainly proves that hypothesis to some degree. Also, Madarame explicitly called the black-masked individual a male, so unless they are disguising their gender somehow, we should assume that they are male, at least for now. But think about it…why are these Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns occurring? Akira and I have been discussing it, and I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter."

Futaba pursed her lips in thought. "…Well, when you look at a lot of them, they seem to expose shortcomings with the current government administration. I noticed not that long ago, but if that is the case, who is profiting from it?"

"Sharp as always, Futaba," Akira said, flashing her a brief smile. "I had similar suspicions. I did some research in the news, and, well…not all of them fit that, but too many do. Which suggests either that the black-masked guy is either related to or actually a politician…or is working for them. Of course, it could simply be just some terrorist who's giving a pointed message to the government, but it seems like a very oblique one. And you know who has been very vocal about the incompetence of the government lately, especially in regard to both the Mental Shutdowns and the faults they expose?"

Harry and Futaba caught on quickly. "Shido? The guy you think had you framed?" Harry hissed.

Akira nodded. "It's just a hypothesis, and for all we know, Shido's just an opportunistic bastard of a politician, which isn't anything new. But he has a Palace, I got framed by him while trying to protect a woman from being raped by him, and he's been making political capital of the Mental Shutdowns. That's suspicious enough. Of course, there's another thing that got me suspicious of someone else. Someone who also has a Palace, I checked."

"Who?"

"When I was with Makoto a few days back, doing studying, we got to speaking, and she told me that she had heard of one of her fellow third years. Rumour has it that said third year has a father who is considering an arranged marriage. That third year is Haru Okumura."

"Okumura…" Futaba snapped her fingers in realisation. "Right, you're saying she's the daughter of Kunikazu Okumura. The head of Okumura Foods, and the founder of the Big Bang Burger fast food franchise, right?"

Akira nodded. "The very same. There's rumours online that he's not only a nasty piece of work as a CEO who works many of his workers to the bone for profiteering…but that he's also considering entering politics. I did a bit of research of my own, and I found that a few such Mental Shutdowns actually exposed problems with a number of his business rivals while strengthening his own. I'm not convinced that is coincidence."

"…It's beginning to look like a full-blown conspiracy," Futaba mused. "I'll do some digging into Okumura myself, okay? I already heard about the rumours about his shoddy business practises, but his going into politics is certainly news to me. I'll also do some more digging into Shido. Hopefully, we won't need any tinfoil hats."

"They wouldn't look good with our outfits," Akira joked. "Now, Okumura might make a decent target later on, but again, there's the escalation problem. As we discussed yesterday, I want our next target to be an undeniable criminal, one that will have the public warm to us. We'll discuss potential targets once Madarame undergoes his Change of Heart. As for dealing with Sae…be careful, both of you."

"Akira…I've been a hacker for years. I know how to be careful…"

CHAPTER 22 ANNOTATIONS:

Famous last words, Futaba.

Now, I had this chapter part-written even before the December mass-update, but was dissatisfied with how it turned out to some degree. Eventually, I came back and finished it. Fittingly, I've finally finished Sae's Palace earlier today, and now, I'm in the endgame. Royal content aside, I now only have Baldy McRapist and an egotistical upstart cup to deal with. Hell, it might be the third game I Platinum on the Playstation version (after Tales from the Borderlands and Sam and Max Save the World), as, aside from story achievements, the only ones I haven't got are doing a part-time job and beating the Reaper. It's the latter achievement that worries me. I tried beating the Reaper before, and it kicked my arse pretty handily.

Anyway, Sae and Futaba coming to this agreement…well, Futaba has gained some small confidence, and Sae, thanks to Sirius' influence on her Palace, is rediscovering her values a little. So while she is laying it on a bit thick to appeal to Futaba's better nature, she means every word, and it's better than her threatening Sojiro's custody rights.

Meanwhile, Akira, due to having a better relationship with Makoto earlier than in canon (who is also paying a little more attention to students' problems thanks to her thawing relationship with Sae), has heard rumours about Haru's plight earlier, and thus has learned of her father and his Palace earlier. Of course, he doesn't want them bringing Sae into her Palace, and neither does Morgana…but that may yet become a moot point.

Review-answering time! Guest (regarding the year): Harry and Sirius have entered a different timeline that's nearly two decades ahead. It's not difficult to grasp.

davidteague3950: AFAIK, the first Persona games are no longer available on any current platforms. You can play the original on the Playstation Classic retro dedicated console, but the others are unavailable. However, Persona 3 and Persona 4 will definitely be re-released later this month, on January 19, and on all current platforms. In addition, Persona 4 has been on Steam for years. However, it's worth noting that both also have the deadline system to a degree. I'm not sure how the Persona 3 deadline system works, but Persona 4 has a deadline to prevent a serial killer from claiming another victim on certain days, marked by foggy weather if I recall. I never got round to playing it yet, so I'm going to start with the re-release on Playstation systems.

1. Another thing that I learned from Underground by Sulette Dreyfuss.