It was night time when the group returned from the Sapporo Jail. "Man, I thought we'd get somewhere today. That mess was wack!" He groaned. Despite all the work they put it, he didn't feel like they really made any progress.
"A mess?!" Futaba looked at Ryuji, who she felt was underselling the situation. "It was snowmageddon, I tell you! Oh, the hee-horror!"
"Are we done with that...?" Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed.
"Based on the timing of the announcement, I'm sure it was temporary." Yusuke said. "They were only a cleanup crew, after all."
"And we almost lost Haru at the end there..." Ann said with a sweat drop.
"They were so cute. I couldn't help it." Haru said with a sheepish smile.
"Why don't we just call it a day here?" Ren said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sure we're not all eager to jump right back into the cold."
"Not at all." Sumire shook her head. Now that they were back in reality, she sorely missed the warm air that summer provided.
"Tomorrow we'll storm the castle! This seems to be a strong running trend..." Hifumi thought aloud to herself. But it was better for their stamina that things turned out like this anyway. The group started to walk back towards the RV while planning how to end their night.
"Alright," Ryuji began. "How about we hit the bath and..."
"Ugh, how many times must I repeat myself!?" Mariko's voice was loud. That caught everyone's attention as they turned to spot her and her subordinate close by.
"Wait...is that..." Ann trailed off.
"Mariko Hyodo?" Makoto's eyes were wide.
"Oh, wonderful. Here we go again." Akechi knew where this was going.
Mariko was berating one of her staff; presumably the same man they saw before. But something was wrong; the man looked exhausted, worn down, and sickly. "Did I not tell you our citizens suffer every time our personnel slacks off!?"
The man was coughing. "F-Forgive me, ma'am..."
So what he was sick? Mariko didn't give a damn about that. "What? You think I'll give you preferential treatment just because you're sick? Stand up straight and get back to doing your JOB! Our citizens would be ashamed of this."
"..." Haru was silent as this scene played out. The once joyful Mariko she knew was like this.
"Might I remind you that you'll be working through the night to make up for all of this?" Mariko glared at the poor working man.
"I...I'll do better...!" The man coughed. He had no choice but to do better.
"Is he going to be alright...?" Sumire looked to the others worriedly.
"Not if he keeps working in that condition! How can anyone survive like that?" Morgana said.
"They can't." Akechi said bluntly. "She's going to work him to death. And even then, I doubt she'll be satisfied."
"Ngh..." Haru hated that she couldn't argue against that. Because she was watching it happen in real time.
"He's about to collapse. We have to stop this." Ren said. The others followed as he stepped forward.
Mariko noticed the group approaching. The timing surprised her, but that was it. "Oh, it's you children."
"Mari-san...how could you allow such a horrible thing...?" Haru asked. She wanted answer. She needed one.
"Horrible?" Mariko then shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no - Haru-chan, you misunderstand. I derive no pleasure from being harsh. But it is a necessary measure to keep our city functioning. You see, we've been doing a campaign where our staff cleans up the city for a month. Not only does it keep our staff in line, it enhances local safety as well."
"In line?" Akechi muttered.
"It's such an important job, yet this incompetent bungler here still has the nerve to show up late!" Mariko's gaze glared at the suffering man. "How can Itake pride in such poor behavior? All he seems to be capable of us making excuses."
"A cleanup campaign, huh?" Morgana wondered.
"Could this be related to the hee-horde?" Futaba asked.
"I won't say it another time. Quit groveling and get back to work!" Mariko shouted at her staff member.
"But he doesn't look well at all!" Haru stepped up. She had to. She couldn't watch this behavior anymore!
"The unfortune thing is, Hari-chan, everyone working for Sapporo City Hall is a worthless piece of garbage." Mariko said with a sigh. "If I don't set them straight, who knows what kind of mischief they would get up to. They might betray me in far more crucial matters. So I have to keep them in line at all times."
"How can you say such a thing?" Hifumi had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. She couldn't stand and watch this kind of behavior. Mariko wasn't even bothering to hide it anymore. She wasn't two faced. She just had one, ugly face.
"Sounds to me like you're just making up bullshit to justify yourself!" Ryuji exclaimed. He didn't give a damn what her position was! People shouldn't be treated this way!
"This man needs medical attention. He is in no condition to work." Yusuke said.
"I'll help you." Makoto insisted.
"I'll help too." Sumire said with a nod.
"I'm...sorry to trouble you..." The man said weakly, but he would accept the offer of these young adults that stood up for him.
The audacity! Mariko could not believe this man was defying her! "What do you think you're doin-?!
"JUST STOP THIS, MARI-SAN!" Haru shouted.
"...!" Mariko's eyes widened. That was the first time she'd ever heard Haru raise her voice. Especially at her. "H-Haru-chan...?"
"The Mari-san I saw just now...was nothinglike the Maru-san I used to know." Haru said, the pain evident in her voice. "What happened to the Mari-san that treated everyone around her with kindness? You used to be surrounded by smiles. Everyone who met you was touched by your warmth and compassion. The way I remember you, Mari-san. You were like a sun that shined down on me. Why did you become like this? Why did you become so cold!?" Her voice cracked near the end, tears stinging her eyes.
"...I..." Mariko's expression completely shifted. She was stunned. She couldn't find the words.
"Haru..." Ren said quietly.
"..." Akechi remained silent the whole time. There was a tense air as Mariko tried to properly muster a response. She stuttered and stumbled before words could even come out.
"I...I...I can't stop now. For her sake." Mariko said, voice wavering. "Excuse me, but I'll be going now." With that, she left.
"Mari-san...!" Haru was about to chase after her.
"There's no point in pursuing her." Akechi said.
"How dare you!" Haru turned around, glaring at Akechi. "You...!"
"Unless you've forgotten, we're here on business." Akechi said. They couldn't outright say what they were doing, since there was a sick bystander nearby. But he had to remind Haru what they were here for. Mariko was their target.
"..." Haru hated that Akechi was the one who had to reminder it. It stung when it was those words coming from his mouth.
"We should take this man to a hospital." Sumire said quietly.
Sophia then chimed in. "I have a list of hospitals that are nearby." She was ready to guide them as always.
.
.
After they took that man to the hospital, they regrouped at the RV. Ryuji was still pretty pissed off. "Who does she think she is, pushing around a sick worker like that...!"
"Ryuji." Ann snapped. Haru was pretty down this whole time, understandbily so.
"...Sorry." Ryuji muttered.
"It's strange how she's so nice to us, but so unforgiving with her staff." Makoto frowned.
"More like relentless..." Ren said.
"I don't know." Haru sighed. "I don't know why she's like this. She wasn't always like that. She used to be so kind to everyone. What happened..."
"We'll find out soon, Haru." Hifumi said, placing a comforting shoulder on Haru's shoulder. "And we'll change her heart."
"Mm..." Haru nodded slowly. All they could do was what they've been doing. They'd find out the truth when they got to the top of her Castle.
.
.
August 11th.
Refreshed after their night of rest, the group returned to the Sapporo Jail and made their way straight to the castle. They knew where to go and there was no cleanup crew in sight, allowing them to head straight to Odari Park, which led to the entrance of the Castle. "Let's not waste another second! To the castle!" Noir said.
"That's the spirit, Noir! We'll follow your lead!" Oracle said. Noir had pretty heavy stakes with this operation, so everyone planned to do what they could to make this easier for her. They knew their destination, so they made a beeline towards the castle, being met with a new area in the process. The area in front of the castle, naturally, had the front door shut.
"We can never walk through the front door, can we?" Panther shook her head. Just one of these days she'd like something to be a little easy.
"No point in complaining." Crow responded. "If there isn't another way inside, we'll likely have to force our way in. They probably already know we're here."
"That's not gonna stop us!" Skull said with a grin.
"This way looks viable." Joker said, gesturing to a side path that led around the the front. He wagered they could probably find their way in through there. So, they group hurried along, but they didn't get too far without any interruptions. A gigantic Mothman, atop of several others, appeared before the Phantom Thieves to halt their progress.
"Ah, the bugs are back!" Violet grimaced. She did not like Mothman much.
"Talk about a warm reception." Joker said with a small chuckle at his own joke.
"This is likely the kindest welcome they've given us since we got here." Dragon pointed out. "We shouldn't be poor guests."
"I agree!" Joker said while his mask burned away. "Jack Frost!" Jack Frost appeared in front of him, and with a hee-ho, it released a gigantic blast of ice that froze over the Mothman and its subordinates over.
"The power of Hee-ho!" Fox pumped a fist.
"You actually bought one of those..." Crow felt himself getting a headache.
"I felt a little inspired." Joker said with an obnoxious grin.
"It's so cute!" Noir smiled. But she also focused on the frozen enemies in front of her, pulling out her rocket launcher and fired. A rocker soared from the barrel and exploded violently against the frozen Mothmen, completely annihilating them without leaving a single trace behind.
"Guess they're rolling out the red carpet for us now." Mona said mockingly. The closer they got to the castle, the heavier the resistance became. It was only natural since they were nearing the Monarch's home base.
"Let's keep it moving." Queen said. They couldn't afford to be stuck outside fighting enemies. All in agreement, they hurried to find an opening to the castle.
"Opening spotted." Sophie reported. There was an unlocked door. "That door isn't locked. We should be able to slip through in there."
"Then let's hurry!" Noir said. She wasn't going to waste much time. She was the one taking the lead with the others supporting her, so they followed her into the castle. There were no issues getting inside from that point, meaning they temporarily had the coast clear.
"Infiltration successful!" Mona grinned. That was step one. Now they just had to get to the top. They took a few steps forward and multiple Shadow spawned in front of them, barring them from the door that led to the main hall. "That didn't last long."
"Hah!" Noir dashed forward, not letting anything slow her down. Her eyes were fixated on the chandelier hanging on the ceiling. She leapt up and used her axe to cleave through the chain, causing it to fall and collapse onto the ground of Shadows. While they were stunned by this impact, she used her rocket launcher a second time to obliterate everything within range. The explosion shook the room but also destroyed the opposition completely. "Whew."
"Geez...!" Skull's eyes were a little wide. Noir was very motivated and it showed. "Do we even need to be here?"
"Of course we do, Skull-senpai!" Violet said. Even though Skull was making a slight joke, it made sense why he'd think that.
"We're only just getting started. We have to pull our weight as well." Fox said.
"Sorry if I'm going too fast. I just can't stand still for much too long..." Noir admitted bashfully. She was aware she was rushing and felt bad about it.
"Don't worry, Noir." Queen said with a reassuring smile. "If you're moving fast, then we'll just have to keep up. And I think we're all more than capable of doing just that."
"You won't be rushing ahead, because we're going to be right beside you." Dragon smiled as well. They've all been in similar positions and understood it well.
"Thank you." Noir smiled to the others. with the exception of Crow. She felt reassured with their help.
"Time's awastin', isn't it?" Joker said, making his way to the door that stood in front of them. He opened it and it led to the main hall. On the outside, the exterior of the castle blended in too much with the frozen city. The interior? It was absolutely beautiful. Panther was stunned at it all.
"Wow...it's beautiful..." Panther said with a gasp.
"Yes, a magnificent design." Fox nodded in agreement. This frozen castle sparked the flame of his inspiration. He especially appreciated the design of this place. But as they were admiring the architecture of the building, more enemies started to pour into the room.
"Did you forget that we are in the middle of enemy territory?" Crow asked while getting his sword ready.
"Of course not!" Panther shook her head. "But these enemies aren't going to slow us down. We have so many heavy hitters. Isn't that right, Dragon?"
"You do not need to flatter me so much...but I appreciate it." Dragon was grinning sheepishly. But she was going to prove that point as her masked burned away and Bella appeared beside her. "Unfortunately for you, your formation is easily disrupted! We will be charging through now!" And with that, she cast Megidoloan without a second thought. The widespread explosion of almighty magic easily wiped out the opposing forces, clearing the room in a flash. She then gave everyone a thumbs up. "The way is clear."
"Thanks for the reminder that all of you are scary..." Skull said with a sweat drop. The girls were cute, but literally deadly in the Metaverse. Even outside the Metaverse in some cases.
"We're not that scary." Violet said with a smile. But she seemed to be vaguely aware that the girls definitely scared the boys for the most part.
"Why don't we keep moving?" Crow suggested, not wishing to waste time on this either. "I doubt they'll allow us a leisurely stroll through their home."
"Agreed." Sophie said. "Let us make haste to the top!"
.
.
Fighting their way to the top of the castle was a standard affair. Unlike Alice's castle, there was no trap elevator, and was akin to Natsume's where they just had to make their way through to the top by somewhat unconventional means. As Phantom Thieves, however, this was the standard for them. When they reached the top, they were inside the large bird cage, and there was a door in front of them. "Following the trend of the previous Jails, Hyodo's Shadow must be inside." Fox pointed out.
"Which means we'll have to undo the lock..." Joker said. But the time to discuss went quickly, because there was one last layer of security they had to deal with before they could get moving.
"Incoming!" Oracle warned. "It's another one of those freakishly strong Shadows!" On that cue, a woman with a snake wrapped around her body appeared. The Harlot of Desire stood before the Phantom Thieves.
"Ugh, we don't have time for this..." Joker groaned. But they'd have to fight all the same.
"Dragon, would you give me a hand?" Noir turned to Dragon with a smile while extending her hand.
"I will gladly accept this dance." Dragon smiled as the two of them stared at the Harlot of Desire, who seem very displeased at the Phantom Thieves. It wasn't something she was going to have to worry about for long.
"IT'S SHOWTIME!"
Dragon and Noir acted together, the scenery briefly changing around them for their joint attack. The background for their Showtime was a stage with the spotlight on the both of them. The two briefly engaged in a ballroom waltz, where Noir spun Dragon around elegantly, letting her go after the second rotation. Dragon continued to spin with this momentum, leaping into the air before landing in a crouched position, her staff placed flatly upon the ground. The staff grew in size, while Noir leapt onto the very edge of the staff. Dragon used all her strength to lift the staff and propel Noir into the air. Noir pulled her axe back, gathering psychic energy within it, while Dragon's greatsword reappeared, cloaked in Almighty magic. The two of them then acted - Noir from above, Dragon from below. Noir descended on the Harlot of Desire, swinging her axe at the woman who desperately attempted to defend herself, while Dragon slashed at her from below with her great sword. The two repeated the assault from various angles, passing each other every single time. As they did, they propelled off one another by joining hands and spinning, launching the other towards the Harlot of Desire as the spotlight continued to follow them. Dragon and Noir then leapt into the air together, weapons clanging together, infusing with the magic they both possessed. "GO DOWN!" Dragon and Noir brought their weapons down on the Shadow, an explosion of psychic and almighty rising into a pillar in the background. Dragon landed in Noir's arms, and she proceeded to dip her, before spinning once again and doing a little bow at the end of their performance.
"GAAAAAH!" The Harlot of Desire didn't even get the chance to put up a fight. The combined efforts of Dragon and Noir were simply far too much for her to withstand and she vanished just as quickly as she appeared.
"Amazing!" Violet clapped her hands together.
"That's such a good one..." Panther felt a little jealous. She had yet to preform such an attack with Dragon since they started working as Phantom Thieves again.
"You two certainly don't waste any time." Crow shrugged. It was quick and efficient, so he wasn't going to complain about that. With that, though, the Throne Room was just ahead. So, they approached it.
"Hey, look...!" Panther then directed everyone's gaze up with her finger. There was the pink glow of the Desires they grew so accustomed to.
"Those are the Desires!" Queen exclaimed. "So this must be where the Monarch of Sapporo resides."
"Is this all carved in ice? It must be really cold..." Panther said, frowning a little.
"A frozen cage that denies all entry. Does this represent her distrust for all others?" Fox wondered aloud.
"Noir...you don't look so good. Are you alright?" Sophie asked. Noir was the one leading the charge all throughout this castle, but now that they made it to this point...
"Yes, I should be..." Noir said slowly. "Um. I want to be the one to touch the lock this time."
"Go ahead." Joker nodded.
"Be careful it does hurt...!" Violet warned. She'd never forget that sharp pain from touching the lock in Alice's castle.
"I'll be okay." Noir nodded and extended her hand outward. She grimaced when that pain shot through her system, but she would endure for Mariko.
"YOU DID THIS! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" The voice of a sorrowful woman screamed at Mariko. It couldn't be seen, but her voice was cracking and it was clear she was in tears. "How could you be so ignorant!? Did you not think a snow sculpture would collapse!?"
"I...I apologize...on behalf of our staff..." Mariko was the other one speaking. Clearly, she was just at a loss as to what happened.
"Here it comes...!" Skull said.
"A snow sculpture..." Queen muttered.
"This is where she...ugh...It must've been so heavy...it must've been so painful...! Give me back Kaho! GIVE MY BACK MY DAUGHTER - MY PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL!"
Mariko struggled to speak. "The accident resulted from my own personal oversight. Truly, I'm so sorry!" A thousand apologies wouldn't be enough. Not even a million. Not even if she apologized for the rest of her life.
"Is the mayor the one apologizing..?" Panther wondered.
"S-Sssh...!" Noir said through gritted teeth. "There's still more..."
"Well, I didn't think the statue would fall on anybody! But isn't this the mayor's responsibility in the end? Besides, who can blame me!? We don't get paid nearly enough. Nothing wrong with taking a little kickback here and there." It was a man speaking, and from the sound of it, it was a worker from the construction.
"Ngh..." Noir pulled her hand back, shaking it a bit to get rid of the pain instinctively.
"Those voices must be the root of Mariko Hyodo's trauma." Mona reported.
"...I feel like...we've heard about that incident. At the park, right?" Violet looked to the others.
"Sounds familiar." Joker said.
"I remember hearing about it, but I had no idea...Could Mari-san really have been involved...?" Noir was having a hard time wrapping her head around it.
"I see now. If a girl really died there, that would explain the flowers." Crow said. He wasn't so focused on the death of the girl, but the details did make sense. "The woman and child at the park had those same flowers in the Prison Keep."
"...I wonder what happened..." Sophie tilted her her head.
"Is the source of her trauma? Taking the blame for that incident?" Queen wondered.
"It sounded like there was someone else lookin' to pass the blame on her, too." Skull quickly added.
"At any rate, this is vital information." Mona said. "Let's go confirm this in reality." Everyone was in agreement and started to make their way back.
Crow was lingering behind. A thought crossed his mind and he ended up staring at the Throne Room. "...I wonder. These are called Jails, but for what purpose? A Jail's purpose is to keep someone locked inside...and if that's the case..."
"Ahem." Crow's thoughts were broken when he turned around. Noir was also lingering behind. "We're going back, remember?" Noir's tone had a bit of bite to it. She didn't like the idea of leaving Crow alone, not in this place.
"...Right." Crow simply nodded and walked passed Noir. He had plenty of thoughts, but nothing to back up his claims. That's why he would continue to keep it all to himself for the time being.
"..." With Crow not dragging his feet, Noir followed behind. She took one glance at the throne room before returning to reality with everyone.
.
.
Upon returning to reality, Futaba looked up the details of the snow sculpture incident in Sapporo and decided to relay this information to the others. "Two years ago, a large snow sculpture collapsed during the December Snow Festival sponsored Sapporo Central City. Kaho Nanase-chan, a nine year old girl, was caught in the collapse and died. Despite Mayor Hyodo's apology, the accident was ruled as an unforeseeable disaster. Therefore, she wasn't held liable."
"Oh...so that's what the flowers were for..." Ann frowned.
"I wonder if the voice accusing Mari-san was the girl's mother..." Haru looked towards the ground. She had no idea such a thing happened...and that Mariko was bearing the responsibility of that accident personally, even if she legally wasn't held liable for it.
"I suspect Odari Park is where the accident happened, based on what we know." Hifumi felt the heavy atmosphere. They didn't think much of Odari Park before, but knowing it was where a little girl lost her life...
"Let's go then." Akechi said calmly. He was already making his way to Odari Park ahead of the others.
"He could be a little more sympathetic..." Haru grumbled. But they followed Akechi to Odari Park. The group could feel how the air in the park was different now, knowing the meaning this place held.
"If we put in the keyword here, we should be able to access the Trauma Cell." Sophia told everyone from Sumire's phone.
"Are you ready? We'll probably have to fight another Lockkeeper." Morgana told the others.
"I am prepared." Yusuke said.
"We have to confirm the truth." Ren said.
"Yes. I have to see what happened to Mari-san with my own two eyes." Haru said. "The keyword is "Snow City'!"
"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation." EMMA responded, beginning to transport the Phantom Thieves to the Trauma Cell.
.
.
The atmosphere in the Trauma Cell was heavy. This was the first time they weren't in a building and the city around them was grim. There was snow all around them. "What is this...?" Noir asked.
"Hey, check out those two suits over there." Skull pointed ahead. Nearby, two men were talking.
"I didn't know you were accepting rebates. Haha, I see a career man in the making." One of the men said.
"Sir, would you please be discreet about this!" The other man asked with a pleading whisper.
"I can do that. But in return, you need to do me a favor. I want her to take full responsibility for the incident. That way, she'll resign." The first man said, a sickening smile appearing on his face. "Once that happens, I'll be the new mayor in town...and you'll be my well-paid associate. You will cooperate, won't you?"
"Yes...yes of course..." The listless man nodded.
"W...What did you just say?" Mariko's voice quivered as she overheard this conversation.
The two men turned. "Oh, it seems I've been found out." The first male said casually."
"I-It's not what it looks like, Mayor!" The listless man said, ashamed to be caught red handed. "This is just...!"
"Mayor...does he mean mayor Hyodo?" Mona questioned.
"Does...does that mean Mari-san saw this happen...?" Noir gasped.
"I had no idea that you were behind this - that ANYONE was behind this...!" Mariko screamed, heartbroken. A little girl died because of all of this!
"Heh..." The Listless man let out a noise akin to a chuckle. "You really don't get it, do you? This festival is held by the city, meaning it comes from the taxpayer's pocket. I figured, why not lower costs and hire cheaper construction? And what's wrong with getting compensated for it? The rest of our staff makes these deals all the time! So what's the harm in one little mishap? That sculpture collapse was just bad luck!"
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! I'm calling the police!" Mariko shouted. To think that poor girl died because of this. She couldn't let this stand. She HAD to do something about this. It was the right thing to do.
"Go ahead." The man said confidently. "But I'm going to take you down with me."
"W-What...?" Mariko was confused. Were they really going to do this to her?
"I'm going to testify that I did it under your orders. Then you'll be ruined." The man replied. "After all, you're the one in charge here. See, I even have the papers you signed...right here."
"Such an unfortunate turn of events. "Sorry to say, but you're finished, Mayor." The other man laughed.
"You're a councilman, aren't you!? Don't you want to do the right thing!?" Mariko pleaded for them to listen.
"As far as I'm concerned, that's whatever's right for me." The listless man said while stepping forward, darkness swirling around him. "Well? Are you finally ready to listen? Answer me, MAYOR!" And then, he turned into the Lockkeeper, holding one shield in each of its hands. It stood before the intruders, preparing to fight them.
"I see how it is now." Crow let out an annoyed scoff. "No matter where you go, politicians are all rotten to the very core." Shido was pretty bad, but to think there were people who could actually come close to holding a candle to what that man did.
'Here it comes! Be ready!" Fox exclaimed.
"Mari-san..." Noir clenched a hand into a fist. What she just witnessed was absolutely horrible...but she couldn't think about that now. They had a lock to break. And Noir was going to make sure she shattered this one.