Kyoto's hotel was a paradise. It was unlike anything the Phantom Thieves ever had the chance to experience, and they probably wouldn't get anything like this again. Mika was just staring at all the food Sumire finished eating. "Seriously, how do you eat so much?"
"I'm an athlete." Sumire replied to Mika with a smile. "I always eat a lot, and I'm always working it off too! It's nothing for me!"
"...Didn't you just eat like, ten bowls of ramen yesterday?" Mika asked.
"Sure did! It was delicious, too!" Sumire kept her smile. There was nothing wrong as far as she was concerned.
Mika, however, was a little envious of Sumire. Why was she surrounded by gluttons that could eat whatever they wanted and still look half decent? It wasn't fair. But it was fine, Mika worked hard and this is why she was one of the best models around. "Hmph."
"I still can't believe we're more or less stuck with you now." Ann was having some sweets while sitting cross legged on the ground.
"You're just jealous because you know I can be a better Phantom Thief than you." Mika said with her annoying smile.
"It's not really a competition" Hifumi pointed out. "We're all a team here, Mika. We offer different things to the team."
"We work better as a bigger unit than solo." Makoto added. With such a large group, they were always sure to use their numbers to their advantage.
"She doesn't know about working in groups." Ann said with her own smile. "She's selfish."
"You've gotta look out for yourself in the modeling world. We've been over this already." Mika waved a hand dismissively at Ann's comment. And it was hard to call Mika completely selfish when it was clear she had a soft spot for Hifumi. Perhaps Mika's friendship with Hifumi was her sole redeeming factor as a person, because it was easy to forget Mika was a snake otherwise when she interacted with the shogi player.
"Is your friend always like this?" Haru asked Hifumi.
"...Yes." Hifumi said with an exasperated smile. She knew Mika could mean well sometimes. Only sometimes.
"Although, I'm a little worried about how much you eat." Sumire scooted closer to Mika. "You barely ate anything when we were in Fukuoka or Okinawa!"
"I can't just eat what I want whenever I want." Mika crossed her arms. "I have to be careful about how much I eat and measure everything. I'm surprised there was even something I could consume that wouldn't destroy my diet. This is on top of me constantly working out and staying in shape. Something I doubt you've seen Ann ever do."
"Hey, I...tried." Ann couldn't fight that one. She put in the work as a model, but Mika was still ahead in terms of actual effort. Ann was just blessed with the fact she could eat whatever and be fine.
"I know exactly what you need to do." Sumire said firmly. "I can work off anything I eat just as fast!"
"It's actually pretty freaky." Futaba added. She's seen Sumire eat a lot, and somehow, she's hardly fazed by it in the end. "This girl has the metabolism most people can only dream of."
"But I can see you put in a lot of work as well." Haru said to Mika.
"Of course I do." Mika flipped her hair. "My hard work pays off. That's why I'm even here in the first place. Men turn their heads to look at me, and I know there are women so jealous of my looks."
"Wow, you sound like you could have anyone you wanted." Futaba was a little jealous, admittedly. She saw Mika's figure in the bath back in Sapporo, that was more than enough to make her jealous. But she couldn't admit that. Ann warned her not to inflate Mika's ego too much. "So I guess you're already dating someone huh, huh?"
"Futaba, that's not something you should be asking..." Makoto said with a sigh.
"I could have anyone I wanted. But I'm single by choice." Mika responded. Single by choice, but...not exactly her choice. "Plus, it markets better. Model, Phantom Thief, I could easily pull it off. My instincts are second to none. I pretty much knew Alice was up to no good, after all!"
"Well...I'm sure whoever you end up with will be happy." Hifumi said with a smile. "You can be very sweet when you want to be."
Of course it was Hifumi who had to say that. That hit too close to home, unfortunately. Mika's expression soured for a split second but she then smiled. "Of course. I'm amazing, after all."
"You just didn't like her." Ann pointed out.
"And i wanted to expose her! I wasn't wrong, was I?" Mika said with a triumphant grin. She wasn't wrong, but how she wanted to go about things was certainly questionable.
"We have a very long way to go with you..." Makoto could see Mika as a very difficult work in progress. Part of her didn't even want to imagine how it would be like if Mika got into the Metaverse properly...
"I think we can worry about that later." Hifumi said with a gentle smile. "Isn't it almost time for us to get into the hot springs?"
"Oh, yes!" Ann immediately sprang up. "I've been waiting for this. It's gonna feel sooooo good!"
"Let's get changed and head over." Haru said while clasping her hands together.
"Your male friends aren't gonna try anything, are they? I saw the way they were sneaking looks at Okinawa." Mika crossed her arms. There was a line to cross and she didn't trust any of them not to cross it.
"They have better sense than that!" Sumire reassured Mika. "I trust Ren-senpai and the others."
"And if anything does happen, I'll destroy them." Makoto said with a firm nod.
"Oh, that's pretty metal. Okay." Mika nodded. She'd go along with them.
.
.
While the girls were off enjoying their bonding time, the boys were getting ready to get into the hot springs. They all had towels wrapped around their waist, save for Akechi, who was fully clothed and did not have any intention of joining them. "C'mon, dude. You're not gonna join us?" Ryuji asked.
"No." Akechi shook his head. "It's not a good time and I don't think you should be entering either."
"You really have a hard time relaxing. It's fine." Ren wasn't going to miss this opportunity. Akechi was actually trying to warn them, but they were all adamant about experiencing the hot springs.
"This is not something we can afford to waste." Yusuke was eager for this as well.
"You can join us later if you want. But we're going in." Morgana said.
Akechi just sighed. "You might regret it. But don't say I didn't try to stop you." If they couldn't figure out why it was a bad time, that was on them. Akechi was under no obligation to join, and he did make an effort to stop them. But without further ado, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji and Yusuke all went into the hot springs. "It's their funeral." It was just him now. At least, so he thought. Ren's phone was on the table nearby and the only reason he paid attention to it was because it beeped.
"Akechi? Are you still in here?" It was Sophia. She didn't have much to do since everyone was relaxing and enjoying their time. She was stuck between Ren and Sumire's phones, so she was a little left out.
"Yes, it's just me." Akechi walked over to Ren's phone and sat down at the table. "The others are going to reap their consequences soon enough."
"Oh okay." Sophia didn't exactly understand, but she'd go along with it. "I'm glad you're here, though. I wanted to ask you something."
"Me?" Akechi quirked a brow. Whenever Sophia had a question, it was about the matters of the heart or some kind of emotion. So, needless to say, Akechi did not feel qualified to answer whatever Sophia was about to ask.
"Yes. Is that okay?" Sophia tilted her head.
"...It's fine. Ask away." Akechi wasn't going to say no.
"Do you like the Phantom Thieves?" Sophia asked.
"..." Oh, that kind of question. Akechi crossed his arms. "...Why do you ask?"
"Well...I'm just a little confused." Sophia placed a finger on her cheek. "When you joined, everyone was surprised to see you. Haru and Futaba looked tense, and you say some blunt things sometimes. But when we fight, you're a team player and everything you do is to make sure everyone is okay in the end." Akechi's attitude confused her and she wanted to understand him more. He was the only one she couldn't get a read on.
So that' swhat she wanted to know. Akechi glanced away for a moment, unsure how to describe it. No, actually, he knew exactly what to say. "It's complicated."
"Complicated?"
"Yes." Akechi nodded. "I'm not a good person, Sophia. I've done terrible things, all for the sake of revenge. To that end, I was responsible for the deaths of Futaba's mother and Haru's father by means of the Metaverse." This news made Sophia's eyes widen. "I was the enemy of the Phantom Thieves and sought to kill or get rid of them so I could destroy Masayoshi Shido. In the end, I was so absorb in my lust for revenge, I could barely see it was leading me down a path of self destruction. I should've died that day, but I didn't...despite everything, they made an effort to save my life, and they did."
"I had no idea..." Sophia was stunned.
"Since then, I promised Haru I would work to make amends for what I've done. But where does that begin? I thought I would've died when Shido's Palace collapsed or even in the situation after, but by some miracle, or the prank of a devil, I survived. So, here I am now...just doing whatever I can to make amends in some way. If I can, that is. They could do this without me, but I couldn't stand idly by as someone attempted to twist the Metaverse to their needs again. My sense of justice, if you can call it that, wouldn't allow it. I know that doesn't answer your question directly, but that is unfortunately the best answer I can give."
"I see." Sophia paused for a second. "I think I understand you a little better now, Akechi."
"Oh? Do you dislike me for the things I've done?" Akechi lifted a brow.
"No." Sophia shook her head. "If Haru and Futaba are okay with you being here, then I have no reason to dislike you. I don't think you're a bad person, Akechi. Even if you've done bad things, a bad person wouldn't want to do better. You remind me of the Monarchs in a way. You've done bad things, but you want to change, even if it isn't easy. It takes time for everyone. I've learned that much by being around everyone. I think if you keep things up, at this rate...you'll find what you're looking for. You aren't alone."
It was Akechi's turn to be stunned. Sophia completely surprised him with her response. He let out a sigh, and while he wasn't outright smiling, there was something of a vaguely bemused expression on his face. "You truly are an incredible AI."
"Praise accepted~" Sophia said before humming her usual tune. The moment didn't last long, because Ren's phone was buzzing. "Oh...Zenkichi is on the line."
.
.
Ren, Morgana, Yusuke, and Ryuji were enjoying the water in the hot springs. The water was perfect and really soothed those sore muscles they had. "Ooogh, oh yeah. That hits the spot." Ryuji said with a content smile. This beat the bath in Sapporo by miles.
"The water is indeed divine." Yusuke agreed, closing his eyes and enjoying the soak. "We must absorb all the healing energy we can.
"Y'know, I hope Gramps is all right." Ryuji said. Even though he was dismissive of Zenkichi in the beginning, he really did win their trust after all they've been through.
"The man is more dependable than he seems. I'm willing to take him at his word." Yusuke said.
"Me too." Ren nodded while sinking into the water a little.
"We may not be waiting long." Morgana wasn't in the water, but resting on the rock nearby. He could still feel the heat and that was more than enough for him. "Once he gets Konoe's keyword, we spring into action. so be ready at a moment's notice."
"Of course." Ren said. "That said, I'm not too keen on rushing out of here just yet." Those words would soon be eaten as they heard the door open.
"Wow, it's so huge! And look how it's laid out!" That was Ann's voice. The boys immediately tensed up.
"Hmm?" Yusuke's eyes widened. The boys carefully peered around the rock, only to see the girls standing in towels at the entrance.
"Could this be a mixed bath? Maybe that's why it's so empty." Haru suggested.
"I'm not letting those boys see the goods for free." Mika shook her head.
"It switches." Makoto explained. "The doors on the men's side should've already closed. At 8 onward, it's women only."
"Then it's all ours!" Sumire beamed.
"Sweet! I'm gonna boil myself like an egg!" Futaba said excitedly.
"The heat looks like it'll feel nice." Hifumi had a gentle smile on her lips.
"Oh shit..." Ryuji gasped. "Why the hell are they here?!"
"...I think I understand why Akechi was attempting to dissuade us from entering now." Yusuke realized it too little too late.
"He could've said something instead of being vague..." Ryuji said with a hushed whisper.
"I think we should leave. As soon as possible." Ren said. They were in an awkward situation. Do they make their presence known, or do they just try to escape silent and act as if this never happened?
Morgana was also very aware of the situation. They could not afford to mess up here. "Failing her means certain death. Joker, let's begin the operation!" This had to be treated as seriously as possible. So the boys had to make their silent escape...
Meanwhile, the girls were getting ready to relax. They were almost in the water when one of the boys accidentally knocked something over. "...What was that?" Makoto asked.
"Is someone here?" Haru asked. The girls quickly glanced over and saw the boys. This was bad for everyone involved. The girls were very angry and waiting for an explanation.
"I thought you said they weren't going to try something like this?" Mika crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
"Explain yourselves, now." Makoto glared into the boys' souls.
"It better be good." Ann crossed her arms. Funny how Akechi was the only one not here. He must've been the only one to pay attention.
"Are you really like this, Senpais?" Sumire pouted. She trusted them!
"It was an accident!" Ryuji hastily said.
"We had no intentions of peeping, I swear!" Yusuke added.
"We didn't see anything! In fact, I'm not even looking right now!" Ren said.
The girls seemed unconvinced, but it was Hifumi to save the situation. "They're telling the truth. There are no lies from them." Her power to sense lies wasn't picking up anything. The truth was so overwhelming and desperate from the boys, she really had no choice but to believe them.
"S-See! We didn't know, honest!" Morgana said.
"Just like that?" Mika didn't know about Hifumi's power.
"If Hifumi says so..." Futaba could buy it was an accident in this case.
"However, unless you wish for the bad ending..." Hifumi gestured to Makoto, who still looked ready to teach them a lesson. "You would forget what you saw and make a hasty exit. Do I make myself clear?" She entered Shogi mode to make her threat come across.
"Y-Yes, of course!" Ren bowed to Hifumi and the boys quickly made their exit. They hardly had the time to even think about looking when they were terrified for their lives.
"And that is that." Hifumi took a breath and she was back to her usual self. With the boys gone, the girls could get comfortable.
"...Hifumi-senpai still scares me sometimes." Sumire said with a nervous laugh.
"I think it's attractive." Both Mika and Ann said quietly at the same time. ...Then they looked at each other in shock. Before they could unpack that, however...
"Boil time!" Futaba threw herself into the water. No time for any of that nonsense. They had the time to relax and they weren't going to waste a single second of it!
.
.
Zenkichi was still in Osaka, mulling over what his next move was. Being shut out of the gate at Maddicce was an unexpected development that left him up the creek. "Well that was a fine waste of time. What am I gonna tell them now?" He asked himself. Returning empty handed and not even seeing Konoe wasn't even a possibility he considered. He didn't have a chance from the gate. "I know I had an appointment. What kinda jerk ducks out on the police?" Well, he did have a few ideas, but he was just venting.
"We have some breaking news." The voice of a newscaster on a screen caught Zenkichi's attention. "Earlier, Akira Konoe, better known as the CEO of Madicce held an emergency press conference. During which, he announced that EMMA, his company's latest virtual assistant, will cease service for the time being."
"What...?" Zenkichi took a step closer to get a better look at the screen. This had his attention. Was this why Konoe ducked out on him?
Konoe was on screen right now, as it was displaying a replay of his speech. "First, let me start by addressing our users, and apologizing for any inconveniences that may affect you. EMMA's servers were indeed hacked, that much has been confirmed. Even more regrettable is the fact that some of your personal data was leaked in the attack. For that, I'm deeply sorry." Konoe added with a heavy sigh. "As a company, we understand how valuable your privacy is, and have taken appropriate measures to remedy this breach. That's why our company is suspending all instances of EMMA until further notice. As for who was behind this horrendous attack...it was the Phantom Thieves - the very same terrorists causing all sorts of mayhem as of late."
"WHAT?!" That information was so shocking, Zenkichi couldn't help but visibly recoil. Konoe was using his excuse to meet with him as a means to pin everything on the Phantom Thieves!?
"In addition to their heinous crimes, they've even murdered one of our very own, all to this steal his research. From there, they have everything they needed to break through EMMA's defenses." Konoe sighed.
"Murdered!? That's bullshit!" Zenkichi shouted. He knew the truth. He was the one who saw the body! How could Konoe be doing this!? Why was he doing this!?
"It seems we're the latest victims appears to be a string of related incidents. There are several other cases in which these criminals stole information and used it to harass their victims." Konoe sighed. "If the Phantom Thieves are listening, I have a word for you cold-blooded killers. We will NEVER succumb to your threats. Not me, not my company, not EMMA. You claim to want justice, yet you steal precious data and leave our finest for dead. I can't wait to see the day you're punished!"
"And that sums up the press conference." The playback ended and the newscaster was back on the screen. "The police have been notified regarding this case, and are looking to arrest the Phantom Thieves as soon as possible."
"Now you dunnit, Phantom Thieves! ya goofed up big!"
"They really went and bumped a guy off?"
"Wasn't that a lie last year? Maybe it was the truth..."
"Dammit! Ya just had to go and ruin EMMA, too!"
The various opinions of the people had Zenkichi's attention. "What the hell is going on..." And then it hit him. The police knew where they were. "Oh SHIT...!" He hastily pulled out his phone. He didn't know where Sophia was. Last he remembered, she was in Sumire's phone, so he tried calling her first to get Sophia's attention. Nothing. His heart rate picked at the lack of an answer and then he called Ren next, anxiously waiting for someone to pick up. Just when he feared the worst.
"What?" It was Akechi.
Oh, thank goodness someone picked up. "Okay, look, I don't have much time. But you're all in danger right now. Things went belly up real fast and...!"
"Oh. Did you call to tell us you sprang your trap?" Akechi asked.
"W-What?! No!" Zenkichi shook his head.
"I heard your conversation in Okinawa. Arrest the Phantom Thieves if no leads could be found. So, things went poorly, did they?" Of all the people to answer the most desperate call Zenkichi's ever had to make, it was the one who was the most skeptical.
Shit. Shit. This was bad. Zenkichi was already running back to his car. "No, listen! It's not like that! I've been doing everything I can to make sure you guys aren't arrested, I swear! But that's not going to happen if you don't believe me!"
"What reason do I have to believe you haven't sent the police after us? We're alone, most of us are relaxed, and vulnerable." Akechi's scowl could be heard. "The perfect recipe for a capture."
"Please. If you're going to trust anything I say just once, let it be this." Zenkichi needed Akechi to know this wasn't his fault. He hardly had the time to explain the situation, but he needed Akechi to trust him. "You need to warn them! You guys have to get out of there right now!"
There was a pause. Akechi didn't have a lot of time to think, but he was recalling his conversation with Sophia. "Time. There are a lot of us and we're going to be caught with our pants down. If you are serious about this...we need time."
"Time..." Zenkichi felt a small sigh of relief. It sounded like Akechi was willing to trust him just this once. He couldn't mess this up. The entire case rode on this moment. "Hurry up, all of you! Get your asses outta there right now! If you're not gone by the time I get there, everything's over!" He hung up after. What came next...
.
.
The Kyoto hotel was completely surrounded by policemen. They wore riot gear and were heavily armed. They were led by Kaburagi. But Zenkichi was able to just barely make it. Even with the heads up he was able to give Akechi, he had no idea if the group was able to escape. He had to buy time. And he needed an explanation. "Commissioner!" He had to hoof it hard after a certain point. He was worried he wasn't going to make it.
Kaburagi glanced over at Zenkichi as he approached. She was waiting for him. "You're late."
Zenkichi needed to catch his breath for a minute. "Maybe. But you know...this case isn't solved yet. I thought I told you at Okinawa, the Phantom Thieves have absolutely nothing to do with the Change of Heart epidemic. So how can something like this happen?"
Kaburagi turned around calmly. "It's just as Mr. Konoe stated. The Phantom Thieves are under suspicion for hacking into EMMA and murdering the director of Madicce's research center."
"And you're going to take him at his word!? Where's the proof of any of this!?" Zenkichi was clearly objecting to everything happening right now. "Be honest, do you think they'd ever sink so low as to murder? That director had died before they even-!"
"You seem awfully concerned about a group of criminals, Inspector Hasegawa." Kaburagi stated. She was calling him out on both his concern, and reminding Zenkichi of his position. "Have you forgotten they've been our leading suspects from the start? Put your feelings aside and focus. We cannot let these crimes go unpunished. What's more, I'm under direct orders from the Commissioner General. Disobedience is not an option." It wasn't. Despite her emotions, she would not disobey orders. Even if she didn't want to pull the trigger, she had to, and she would.
Zenkichi's eyes were wide. The top brass ordered this!? "The Commissioner General!? What does he have to do with any of this!? Don't you sense something wrong here? There has to be more to it-!"
"Like when your wife died?" Kaburagi raised a brow. Zenkichi let out a disgruntled noise as he had no response for that. "I thought I told you back then. This organization is as rotten as it is immense. One cannot simply bend it to their will. Now, if you want to follow justice, learn to exercise restraint."
"Ngh..." Zenkichi let out a low snarl. Not at Kaburagi, but just at the situation. He couldn't believe this was happening.
"Besides, you made a vow; that to stop any atrocity, you'd endure any hardship. So endure for now. Your time will come." Kaburagi didn't want to tell him to wait, but she simply had to. That was their own choice. "Once I am at the top, I will bring the corrupt to their knees. Let me justice be your justice."
"But they're not even criminals - they're kids!" Zenkichi objected.
"I've already made my choice." Kaburagi stated.
Zenkichi fell silent for a moment. He was thinking back to the things those kids said to him. They trusted him. They gave him a different viewpoint of things. Even though they were young, they had something he didn't. Their view of the world...their justice...he firmly believed it was something worth believing in. They were the only ones who could get the truth of this case... Akechi was trusting him, he had to...
"You have a daughter who needs you." Kaburagi said.
"Akane..." Zenkichi grit his teeth. Of course he was thinking about his daughter. They were slowly making some headway after all this time. He had to make a choice in this moment, but he already knew what it was. Zenkichi wasn't deterred in his choice. No matter what happened... "Run. RUN FOR IT! ALL OF YOU!" He didn't know if the Phantom Thieves were in there or not, but this was his decision. Their safety was his biggest concern.
Kaburagi just let out a heavy sigh. She gave him an out, but he refused to take it. And now, her hand was forced as an enforcer of the law. "Idiot. You're under arrest! Interfering with an officer is punishable by law!
In an instant, an officer went to Zenkichi and restrained him, forcing him down to the ground. "Ugh!" Zenkichi grunted, but he didn't resist. He knew how this went. Anything else he did would only make what was coming his way worse. But he hoped that his one and first act of defiance was worth it.
"The Phantom Thieves are next!" Kaburagi pointed to the building in front of them. "Don't let them escape!" With that order, the police stormed the building. All Zenkichi could do was watch. For whatever came next...it was out of his hands.