AN: Chapter 50!? Thanks to everyone that's stuck around this long!
Chapter 50: Casino of Envy
November 2
With Octavia and the rest of team still recovering from their battle against the Reaper, Ren decided to would be a good idea to use that time to work on his Confidants, starting with helping out Futaba. "Do you have some time? I wanna get cracking on that promise list I made," Futaba asked.
"Of course," Ren nodded.
Futaba smiled. "Then let's form our battle plan. Step into my office, Ren. Oh, and let's invite Loona to help out as well!" One phone call later and the hellhound had joined the group, the three of them stepping into Leblanc. "Okeydokey, let's get started on this promise list. The first one is "go somewhere with lots of people." Ooh, I've got the perfect place! Akihabara Wars: Revenge of the Futaba!"
"You're going to Akihabara?" Sojiro questioned, before smiling. "Be careful out there."
"I'll keep her safe, Boss," Loona promised with a grin. The trio soon left to Akihabara, going to the same store they first went to when they took Futaba out.
"Hey, did you see that tablet earlier? Whoever drew that picture was a real pro," Futaba said. "Not as good as Inari though. He's got a particularly pervy view on art." Suddenly there was an uproar from the customers around them.
"Wh-Whoa, what's going on!?" Loona exclaimed.
"There's a super-limited sale at the PC section!" a customer shouted.
"Three terabytes for only five hundred yen!? What steal!" another customer exclaimed.
"That's gonna sell out in seconds!" another customer cried. The crowd descended on the trio, forcing them apart as they got separated in the sea of bodies. Loona hopped up on a display table to get out of the way, but she couldn't see Ren or Futaba anywhere.
"Shit, shit!" she cursed, pulling out her phone and calling Ren. "Ren, I lost Futaba! Is she with you?"
"No, we got separated too," Ren said. "…Wait, she's calling me now. Let me put her on."
Futaba connected to the call, and in a panicked voice said, "Mayday, mayday… I'm trapped in the Home Appliance Kingdom… The Three Terabyte War rages on outside… There are just… so many people… Hrgh… I don't know if I can last much longer…"
The call cut off, and Loona whipped her head around. "Crap… Home Appliances… Home Appliances… There!" She took off like a rocket to go rescue Futaba. Once the hellhound got there, she saw both Ren and Futaba not far from each other, the redhead approaching Ren.
"Ah! There you are!" Futaba called, getting Ren's attention. "I… I, I, I…"
"I was about to come find you," Ren said.
"O-Oh… Thanks," Futaba said with a smile.
"There you two are!" Loona called, rejoining the group and putting a protective arm around Futaba. "When the call got cut off it scared the shit out of me!"
"I didn't think I was gonna see you both until the end of time…" Futaba sniffled. "But then I thought about you while I was wandering around the store, and bam, a wild Ren appeared!"
"Good to see you again," Ren said.
"So you're relieved! What an incredible coincidence! Me too," Futaba nodded.
"Me three," Loona added.
Futaba suddenly hummed. "Wait a tick, I just finished a promise! "Go somewhere with lots of people"! Well, and I awesome or what!? It's all cause of the Three Terabyte War though! Oh, and cause you brought me here! I, Futaba Sakura, hereby thank thee!"
'I can sense Futaba's innocent joy…' Ren thought.
"I dunno though… I panicked hard when I was soloing that dungeon…" Futaba admitted. "I think… not being with you is scary, Ren, Loona."
"Hey, there's no shame in feeling safe around us. I can scare all the creeps away," Loona said, showing her fangs and giving a fake growl.
Futaba chuckled but shook her head. "All right then, I'm gonna add another goal to my list: "Being okay without you two around." It might be a long questline, but I'll finish it someday!" She gave a cute yawn. "Phew, I'm tired."
"Then let's get you home," Ren said, the trio heading back home after an exciting trip to Akihabara.
[***]
November 4
Location: Casino of Envy Main Floor
With the gang sufficiently rested it was time to tackle Sae's Palace, and the Phantom Thieves didn't want to waste a moment completing their infiltration. Since they needed a member's card to get in the elevator, Crow suggested they head into the back rooms of the casino to search for one, so that's where the gang went first. "It seems this is the back room," Fox noted as they entered the Staff-Only Area.
"Then let us check around. We may find something useful," Crow said.
"Like… what?" Panther asked.
Oracle laughed. "I get it… You mean some kinda customer data terminal."
Crow nodded. "I am glad you're so quick to understand. Though even if I were to find such a terminal, there is nothing my meager skills could do about it…"
"At least you're being humble about it," Lycan muttered.
"That's where I come in. Leave it all to me!" Oracle declared. The team explored the back rooms until they came across a Shadow guard that was posted up in front of a door. Queen suggested finding a route to get around the guard and avoid fighting the Shadow, which they found by finding a vent to climb through. After taking down some Shadows that were blocking another door, the team found a room filled with monitors viewing different parts of the casino.
"Oh, there's a terminal in here! I should be able to use it to get into the customer database!" Oracle said.
"Okay then, let's hurry up and take that guard over there down!" Lycan declared. One easy fight later and the room was there's.
"Hm? The enemy dropped some cards!" Mona noticed.
"Ah, aren't those what we're looking for?" Templar asked. "Oh, but there aren't any names on them. We can't use those if they aren't registered in the system…"
Oracle laughed. "I can handle that!" She picked up the cards and went over to the terminal putting in a few commands before taking out a card. "Okay, first registration complete! I wasn't sure what name to give it, so I just thought of a random one: Taro Tanaka."
"I suddenly feel like doing some shady online shopping," Joker mused as he took the card.
"That's way too simple! Aren't they gonna figure that out?" Skull questioned.
"Um, they already know what we look like, and that we're intruded into the Palace… Then again, it's prolly better to be safe than sorry," Oracle said. She went back to the computer and typed up a few more cards. "Okay, the fake name for this card is a little more elaborate this time: Shinji Nakanomatsu."
"That sounds like a name I'd want to scream during an All-Out Attack… for some reason…" Lycan muttered.
"I feel like I've met a soul named Shinji in Heaven before…" Templar said.
"I also found a map of the casino," Oracle added. "Joker, you can hold on to this card and the map. Don't lose them, Kay? As for the Taro Tanaka card… hm… Crow, get rid of it next time you see a garbage can."
"Hm? Why me?" Crow questioned as Joker passed him the card in question.
"These kinds of chores always fall to the newbie," Oracle replied.
"…Oh," Crow sighed.
"Look, I found the perfect exit," Skull said, pointing to an open vent nearby. "Let's hurry up and get outta here."
"We can also use that elevator now, right?" Panther asked.
"According the map, it would be quicker to use this path than to go back the way we came," Omen noted. "Come, let's hurry on." On the way back to the main floor the Phantom Thieves came across the location of the first Will Seed of the Palace, which thanks to their new security cards they could bypass the gate blocking the door and take for themselves. After that little detour they were back in front of the elevator.
"So if we scan that member's card, the elevator should work, right?" Panther asked.
Joker put the card up to the scanner. "Authentication complete. You can now access the following floors: The Standard Floor. The Members Floor." the machine stated.
"It didn't say anything about the manager's floor… they must limit the access per player ranking," Omen guessed.
"I was thinking the same thing. That must mean the members floor is the highest we can go for now," Crow nodded.
"It's impossible to mess with the data on the card too. It's nothing like the ones I've seen before," Oracle noted.
"So we can't go directly to the manager's floor… In that case, what exactly should we do?" Noir asked.
"Our first move should be to head upward. Either way, we have no more business on this floor," Crow said. With that the gang took the elevator up to the Members Floor Lobby, where Shadow Sae was waiting for them.
"Sis!" Queen gasped.
"You wanna just get this over with right now, huh?" Lycan said, cracking her knuckles. "That makes this easy. Bring it on."
"Do not speak to me as though you are my equal," Shadow Sae scoffed. "I am the manager of this casino, as well as its number-one player. At the moment, you lack the qualifications to fight me."
"It would seem she looks down on us," Fox noted.
"And what if we would like to battle you, no matter what?" Crow asked.
"I had to win time and time again to reach my number-one rank. If you want to face me, you must continue to win as well," Shadow Sae said.
"Continue to win?" Noir repeated.
"It must have to do with the fact that this place is a casino," Omen guessed.
"Correct," Shadow Sae nodded. "Do you have the confidence to win?"
"We might just pull the rug out from underneath you if you aren't careful," Queen boasted.
"I don't expect much from you… but I'll be waiting," Shadow Sae smirked, snapping her fingers and teleporting into the elevator, going up higher in the casino.
"This is different from our prior opponents. She'd rather scheme than defeat us with brute force…" Mona noted.
"It's going up…" Oracle said.
"I wasn't expecting to come all the way to a Palace only to end up gambling…" Templar muttered.
"Yeah, they don't have this kinda stuff up in Heaven I bet," Lycan chuckled.
"I've never done anything like this…" Panther sighed, looking at the slot machines on the floor. "What about you guys?" The group just looked at each other, realizing none of them had gambled in a casino before.
Mona sighed. "Looks like this is going to take longer than expected."
"We don't' got time to waste!" Skull exclaimed.
"No need to worry. Leave this to me," Crow said.
"You know how to do this?" Omen asked in surprise.
"I'm well-informed on what it takes to win. In any case, we need to hurry and change her heart," Crow replied. "Sae-san didn't used to be like this, did she?"
"My sister must have lost her sense of justice because her desires became distorted.." Queen guessed.
"Do you think there was a particular event that triggered her Palace's creation?" Crow asked.
"…I believe it's related to my father's death. My sister took on all the responsibilities of dealing with it herself. Trying to earn a living wage, gain a promotion in a male society, and uphold justice at all time… Those things may have weighed her down and led to the distortion within her heart," Queen explained.
"…My apologies, but we don't have time to be sentimental," Crow said. "The longer we wait, the more people will learn about us. The investigation will advance as well. Hence, we must infiltrate this Palace as quickly as possible."
"She did challenge us to reach her, after all," Mona nodded. "Nijima's Treasure must be at her managerial base of operations. Either way, we have to get there!"
The team all nodded in agreement. "Let's review what we have to do here… We need to play the casino and win, and doing that will raise our rank and get us to higher floors," Omen said. "We have to earn the right to go head up, in other words."
"And as I mentioned earlier, a different kinda member's card is used depending on your rank," Oracle added. "We'll have to obtain a card for the high limit floor somewhere around here."
"For real!? Ugh, what a pain!" Skull groaned.
"Why don't 'we begin by walking around this floor? That should be a solid approach for acquiring intel," Crow suggested. Looking around the area the team decided to talk to the dealer at the counter to get an idea of what was available on the floor.
"Welcome to the members floor. We received word of your coming," the dealer greeted.
"So all of this is going according to her plan… I cannot help but feel we're being manipulated here," Fox said.
"First off, we would like to extend a welcome gift to you." The Shadow then handed over 1,000 chips.
"He's just giving them to us!?" Panther gasped.
"Perhaps this is a show of confidence. It seems she truly has no intention of losing," Crow said.
"Now, to the left of the counter is the dice game area, while to the right are the slots," the dealer explained. "Please head to whichever strikes your fancy. By the way, we believe beginners will find the dice game area more suitable to their tastes. Furthermore… this is a map of the members floor. Please accept it."
"That means we should probably start with the dice game… right?" Noir asked.
"Ah, one more thing. Casino coins can be exchanged for prizes at this very counter. Please feel free to ask more about this service," the Shadow added.
"Prizes? What kind of things can we get?" Morgana wondered.
"Our most desired prize is a member's card for entry into the high limit floor. However, the prize of exchange for this item is 50,000 coins," the dealer explained.
"I see… I believe I have figured out Sae-san's intent behind this," Crow said. "She wants us to obtain that card by winning coins in the casino."
"That's absurd! 50,000 coins!?" Templar exclaimed.
The dealer chuckled. "We also allow players to borrow coins if need be, up to the current total on their card."
"I don't wanna do that! Owing cash to a weird-ass casino in someone's head is way too weird!" Skull retorted.
"Oh well…. Standing around here won't get us anywhere," Omen sighed. "So, should we head to this dice game?"
"Actually, do you mind if I speak to you all beforehand? There is something on my mind," Crow said. The group moved away from the counter before he spoke up again. "Dice games, slot machines… It would not surprise me in the least if all the games here were somehow rigged."
"Well not shit she'd cheat us out of our coins," Lycan scoffed.
Crow nodded. "Indded. Remember, this is a courthouse in the real world. Sae-san is quite particular about "winning" here. To compound that, defendants in Japan are prosecuted at a 99.9% success rate- defendants are nearly always found guilty."
"What!? How can a rate like that really be possible? Are all those verdicts accurate?" Panther exclaimed.
"No… The investigators are merely human," Crow shook his head.
"Then…" Templar gasped.
"You are not the first to point out the rigged nature of this system. The prosecution in nigh-unbeatable. That's why cases of false accusation cause such a stir: they are exceedingly rare," Akechi said.
"But it's total bullshit getting arrested even when you're not guilty!" Skull cursed.
"Indeed- and if we do not hurry, the Phantom Thieves will fall victim to a similar fate," Crow pointed out.
"We're going to win this, no matter what," Queen affirmed. With that conversation out of the way, the gang went into the Dice Game Area to start accumulating chips.
"Hm, so this is the dice game area… What a distasteful place," Fox grimaced.
"Y-Yeah, I guess… That's not really how a normal high schooler would describe it though… Panther said.
"In any case, we should proceed further in," Queen said.
"Hey, there's an open vent over here!" Lycan called, pointing to the corner of the room. "Seems suspicious… Think we should check it out, Joker?"
"Sure. The games are probably rigged anyways, so let's see if we can at least rig them in our favor," Joker nodded. Once vent trip later and the gang were in a brand new part of the game area.
"Is this the back room?" Noir asked.
"Super convenient, don'tcha think?" Oracle muttered. "Anyway, based on what Crow was saying, the games in here are all totally rigged."
"Oh, s we're gonna catch 'em in the act! I guess that's easy…" Skull nodded. "Come on, let's get to it!" The backroom were long and winding, with multiple paths the team had to navigate to get to the other end. Dodging around more powerful Shadowed, they eventually made it toothier destination, where a Shadow was on guard in front of a monitor.
"It's just like we thought. The calculations for their rigging are up on the monitor now," Oracle confirmed.
"So this is the cheating control room… What should we do, Joker?" Queen asked.
"Let's strike," Joker replied.
"Very well. Let us dispatch it swiftly," Crow nodded. The Phantom Thieves leapt into action, and after some Bless skills from Crow the monitor was theirs to tamper with.
"I can't believe there's a facility like this in here… Sis must really want to win…" Queen said.
"Come on, we should stop the rigging," Oracle said.
"Hold on a moment, I have an idea I'd like to discuss," Crow said.
"Whaddya wanna talk about?" Lycan raised an eyebrow.
"I've devised an easier way to do this… A way to get all the coins we need," Crow revealed.
"All of them here?" Fox questioned.
"Is that even possible?" Templar wondered.
"It is now. I've decided how to win the games," Crow nodded. "Indeed. We will use the equipment here to our advantage to rig the game in our favor."
"You can do that!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Wait, this is a job for me! It'll be a breeze!" Oracle said.
"Cheating would be wrong, though…" Templar said.
"The odds are stacked against us. We can't win if we play by the rules, Lambchop," Lycan retorted. "Crow's right. We don't want to waste time on Gambler's Fallacy. We need to focus and securing the route to the Treasure."
"…You're right. Changing my sister's heart is the ultimate goal here," Queen nodded.
"I feel bad asking this, but may we borrow your expertise yet another time, Oracle?" Crow asked.
"I'm game! But I'm doing this for Lycan, not you, got it?" Oracle replied. "Especially since you're the noob of the team." She typed in a few buttons on the monitor before turning to Joker. "Okay, I rigged one of the rooms in our favor, just like Crow said. The other rooms should at least be back to normal honest gambling now too. Anyway, I marked our special room on the map. Make sure you use that one!"
"Perfect. Now, let us head into the fray," Crow nodded. With that the gang went to the marked room, where they left the Shadow in charge of the dice game utterly dumbfounded as Joker continually rolled triple sixes, giving the team quite a few chips. After a few rounds they decided they had enough of seeing the Shadow sweat and went to go check out the other games they could play, that being slots.
"Woo, we won a lot! That was fun!" Panther cheered.
"Have we reached our goal?" Fox asked.
"It still may not be enough," Oracle shook her head.
"What, are you seriously planning on taking every last coin in here?" Mona questioned.
"No, but it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these kinds of things I think," Oracle replied.
"Hm… I have an idea. Everyone wait here. Skull, Lycan, I would like you to come with me," Crow said.
"Why us?" Lycan raised an eyebrow.
"Because I am the "brains" here, am I not?" Crow said smugly.
"I'll show you "brains"… but fine…" Lycan groaned as she and Skull followed Crow.
"…Time to see what he's made of," Mona said seriously. With those three gone the rest of the team took a break to relax on some of the nearby sofas.
"…He was right," Fox said.
"That was amazing! It was like magic!" Noir beamed.
"I could totally get addicted to this!" Panther mused.
"Panther, that's not a good idea! All of this gambling could lead to the sin of Gluttony, Greed, Envy, or all three at once!" Templar fretted.
"Where did Crow take Lycan and Skull anyways?" Mona wondered.
"Sorry about the wait," Crow said as he returned, Lycan and Skull trailing behind him as they carried a hefty bag of chips between the two of them.
"Whoa…" Omen said in awe.
"So… heavy…" Skull panted.
"Dude… I'm the one… carrying most of this…" Lycan grunted, setting the bag on the ground.
"Amazing… We managed to get our hands on 6,600 coins…" Panther said.
"We still have a long way before we reach our goal though. Now then, on to the slot machines," Omen ordered. With that the gang was off, exiting the dice room and going over to the Slot Room. Once inside they were greeted by a Shadow standing in their way.
"Welcome to the Slot Room," the Shadow greeted. "Here you will be playing a game that requires you to match the patterns on the rotating wheels."
"We're here to make money, not to play your games!" Lycan growled.
"I am well aware of that. Though to be perfectly honest… I've been granted permission to kill everyone last one of you here," the Shadow said before transforming into a Jatayu. A Nuclear spell from Queen made the guard shut up for good, but it wasn't a good sign for the area ahead.
"It appears as though these interferences are unavoidable. We must be ever-vigilant," Fox said.
"Wait, why didn't the guests around us react to the battle?" Templar noticed.
"It is probably due to Sae-san's perception of the other people in the courtroom," Crow guessed. "Perhaps as she sees it, they only care for their own victory, while ignoring the needs of others."
"That reaction is certainly different from what we saw on the lower floor," Queen said. "I wonder if that trend grows stronger the higher up you go in the court system."
"It is possible. In any case, we can now freely access the Slot Room. We should go look around," Crow suggested. "…Although I doubt we will find a fair fight waiting for us in this scamming casino."
"Dayum, this is a crazy number of slots, yeah?" Skull said, looking around the room in awe.
"I would expect they're all rigged to prevent us from ever winning," Omen guessed.
"Then should we deal with that first?" Mona asked.
"No, I believe it would be prudent to examine this slot area first," Crow spoke up. "Casinos hold their higher-limit slots somewhere in the back. If we were going to circumvent their trick, would it not be more efficient to do so on those?"
"That's assuming we'll even be able to solve the problem," Queen said.
"I trust in your ability to handle such a matter," Crow smirked.
"God I want to punch that smug look on your face…" Lycan scowled. "But fine, let's go look for the biggest payout we can get!" With that the team was off, sneaking through the backrooms of the area to get past a barred-off door and into where the higher-paying slots were. Along the way Mona sensed another Will Seed, which they found thanks to Joker spotting a grapple point in the backrooms. Eventually they got to their destination, which held a giant slot machine in the back.
"Hot damn, look at all these freaking machines!" Lycan exclaimed.
"This must be the main hall of the slot room," Omen guessed. "And check out that huge one in the back! Let's go see what that's all about, Joker!"
Getting a closer look at the huge machine, Skull let out a whistle of impressment. "Holy shit, this thing's freaking huge! One place costs… 5k!?"
"Wait, all cherries wins you 5,000 coins, BAR gets you 10,000, while a 777 gives you 50,000!?" Templar read off, his eyes going wide. "Whoa! That'll get us all the oins we need in one fell swoop!"
"Assuming we can win, that is. If the reward's high, the risk will surely be high as well," Mona warned.
"Either way, our goal here is to gain a member's card for the high limit floor," Omen remined the team. "It would make the most sense for us to utilize this slot machine in some way, shape, or form. However…"
"We will need to stop their cheating first," Crow finished the thought. "There's no doubt this machine is rigged too. Now then, let us search the area. Hopefully we will find something that can give us a little more information about this slot."
"There's prolly a terminal for info back behind the thing. Try looking there, Joker," Oracle suggested. Moving behind the machine, Joker did in fact find a panel they could easily access with Oracle's hacking skills. "Oh, a terminal! I should. Be able to access all the slots in his area from here. Let's see… Wow, they're going really hard on this whole cheating angel. We wouldn't have won a penny here."
"Do you think you'll be able to disable their rigging of it?" Joker asked.
"Not from this terminal," Oracle shook her head. "It looks like there are multiple different-colored panels throughout this area. Out of those, I'll need the red and green ones. I should be able to control things from there."
"Do you know where we can find them though?" Queen asked.
"Uh, you know this is me we're talking about, right?" Oracle scoffed. "I can predict where they might be. One's most likely near the entrance to this area. The comm link ran all the way out there. The other should be back in the staff-only area… somewhere. That's all I can figure out."
"Hm, the entrance to the slot area… and somewhere back in the staff-only area… I guess we'll just have to go looking for them," Omen said. "Let's hurry up and get this done fast!" Backtracking through the floor, the Phantom Thieves found the red panel near the entrance, while the green panel was in the backrooms opposite from where they found the second Will Seed. However, Crow had another idea he wanted to run by the team before messing with this panel.
"Oracle, would it be possible to also tamper with the average win percentages for the slot machines?" Crow asked.
"So you want to take advantage of the system, just like we did for the dice game," Queen noted.
"Essentially. My aim here is the giant slot machine," Crow said.
"You mean the one that's 5,000 coins a play!? I don't know if that's really possible…!" Templar shook his head.
"Oh, osunds like fin to me. Just gimme a sec," Oracle grinned. She did her magic on the panel before turning back to he team. "Job's done! I disabled all the cheating mechanism in the area. The giant one's still only on an 8:2 ratio though. There's honestly no guarantee it'll work properly."
"Does that mean it will miss two times out of ten? That's somewhat concerning…" Noir said.
"Templar, can't you use your powers to give us a miracle win here?" Lycan asked.
The cherub shook his head. "Gambling is something angel powers don't work on due to the practice's ties to Sin. Sorry…"
"It should be fine regardless," Crow assured the team. "Nothing the Phantom Thieves do can ever be truly considered risk-free, after all. If we want to succeed, we simply have o other choice but this."
"That seems like a sound argument to me," Queen shrugged. "Very well, let's leave this to Joker then." The Phantom Thieves returned to the giant slot machine, all of them a bit nervous as to what the outcome would be.
"There's only a 20% chance the rig won't work, and even if we win, it might not be enough," Mona said.
"This is a big gamble, Joker. Are you sure about this?" Omen asked.
"Leave it to me," Joker said. He pulled the lever on the machine, the first slot hitting a seven… the second landed on a seven… and the third landed on a seven too!
Panther screamed. "That's it! A 777!"
"50,000 coins, hm? You truly are special, Joker," Crow mused. Chips started pouring out of the machine, enough to completely cover the floor and make a huge pile on the ground.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That's way too many coins!" Lycan exclaimed.
"Hey, doesn't that sound like a jackpot to you?" one of the cognitions asked.
"What!? Who got it?" another customer said.
"It is no surprise the customers are reacting to this commotion. We should leave for now," Crow suggested.
"But what about the coins!?" Panther asked.
'Those are just for show. The actual coin total has already been added to our card," Queen sad.
"I wonder if we'll be able to use that slot machine again…" Omen hummed.
"You wish to win more coins? I'm pretty sure we have enough," Fox shook his head.
"More is better than less in this case. Then again, I suppose we are ready to head up to the next floor," Omen shrugged.
"That's right… We have 50,000 coins now!" Mona cheered. "Let's go exchange them for a member's card to the high limit floor!" Joker did just that, buying the card for the next floor, though a Shadow appeared in front of the elevator, blocking their path. "They're greeting us in front of the elevator? This doesn't give off a welcoming vibe though…"
"This must be due to the instigation of Sae-san. We should be prepared to fight," Crow warned.
"Let's do it," Joker said, approaching the Shadow as the other Phantom Thieves readied themselves for an inevitable battle.
"What a clever trick," Shadow Sae said over the intercom.
"We merely followed your rules," Crow said with arrogance.
The Palace Ruler scoffed. "I am the manager of this casino, and the rules deam that I am the victor!"
"It appears both the Sae-san of the real with and that of this world are at their wit's end…" Crow mused.
"I think our guests will be leaving now," Shadow Sae said.
"You're the only one that's going to be leaving, black suit!" Skull shouted at the approaching Shadow guard.
"Things would've been so much simpler if we could do this from the start!" Lycan scoffed as the Shadow transformed into Norn. The Shadow had no weaknesses, but a Lucky Punch from Mona gave the team an opening for an All-Out Attack, ending the battle in the gang's favor.
"Heh, figures a move that only has a chance to be effective would work so well in a casino," Joker chuckled.
"…What losers. Criminal trials are but a gamble to be won, and us prosecutors arrange the gambling table," Shadow Sae came back on the comms. "Hence, losers are unacceptable! We must win, even if it has to be on false charges!"
"Are you serious, Sis!?" Queen shouted. "Why won't you answer me!?"
"Mako-chan…" Noir gasped.
"Don't think such a petty trick could defeat me. I may have to acknowledge you- if you can make it up to the manager's flor, that is," the Palace Ruler taunted.
"She thinks the trials which shape people's lives are nothing more than a gamble? I wish I didn't have to hear that from Sae-san herself…" Crow said.
"Sis is completely distorted! We have to stop her, quickly!" Queen declared.
"Let's save her, together," Joker stated.
"We all feel the same way," Noir nodded.
"There's no time to waste. She's waiting for us up on the manager's floor, right? Let's try heading up there. We'll change Sae's heart for sure," Omen said.
"One keycard coming up," Joker said, putting their new card into the elevator.
"Authentication complete," the terminal said. "You can now access the following floors: The Standard Floor. The Members Floor. The High Limit Floor."
"Sounds like we're going to have to finish the High Limit Floor before we can get to the manager's floor," Templar guessed.
"Ugh, it's just like a video game and having to climb all the way to the top to get to the boss!" Oracle groaned. "Oh well, the next floor's prolly gonna be the last one."
"Welp, let's get on up to the high limit floor!" Skull exclaimed. The team rode the elevator up to the next floor, finding a Shadow guarding a door. "Outta the way."
"Beyond this point is the high limit floor. Do you have a reservation?" the Shadow asked.
"He said outta the way!" Lycan growled, showing her claws.
"We shouldn't cause a scene," Noir chided the two.
"Do you have a reservation?" the Shadow asked again.
"It seems there is some kind of requirement we must meet before we can access this high limit floor," Fox said.
"Even though we got the coins?" Skull questioned.
"It must be related to my sister's cognition in some way…" Queen guessed.
"I can't imagine how though…" Panther hummed.
"Her cognition? Essentially, Sae-san need to think of us as being allowed to enter, correct?" Crow said. "Hm. This casino is the courthouse in reality… So that floor must be a place only authorized personnel are given access to… I would say it has to be the courtroom."
"You really are an ace detective," Omen chuckled.
"He understands the workings of the cognitive world well indeed," Fox agreed.
"I was able to get his stuff down just as quick as him, right?" Skull said.
"No way in hell," Joker shook his head.
"It took you ages, Ryuji," Mona chuckled.
"I just… got a different sense of time, that's all!" Skull defended himself.
"That aside, how are we going to get into the courtroom?" Templar asked.
"Ryuji! Go piss off the police!" Lycan shouted.
"Hell no!" Skull shook his head.
"We just need to attend a trial," Queen sighed. "Still, how are we supposed to know which trials my sister will be attending?"
"Leave that to me. I have some connections that come to mind," Crow offered. "I'll make sure that Striker is nowhere near the premises that day as well, since he may be able to notice the demons amongst our group if he gets close enough. I will contact you once I manage to arrange a time. We should return to the real world for today though. Well, see you all at the courtroom."
With no way forward for now, the Phantom Thieves left the Palace for the day, leaving Akechi to get them into the high limit floor next time they entered.
Akechi: It seems Sae-san is participating in a trial tomorrow.
Haru: Tomorrow? Do they hold trials even on non-business days?
Akechi: Not usually. Exceptions are almost never made to that rule. However, it appears to have been permitted this one time.
Ann: They can really do that?
Akechi: They are attempting to prioritize the investigation into the Phantom Thieves. I suspect they would be willing to bend any kind of rule necessary in order to do so.
Makoto: It just shows how seriously they're treating this situation.
Akechi: Right. At any rate, let us meet at the courthouse tomorrow.
[***]
November 5
The next after school, the Phantom Thieves plus Akechi gathered at the courthouse so they could sit in on one of Sae's cases. "So this is what the courtroom is like…" Haru said.
"Just being here causes my body to tense up," Yusuke shuttered.
"I'm shocked that Nijima-san can think of somewhere this solemn as a casino…" Collin said. "Not even the courts of Heaven feel this oppressive…"
"So Makoto's sis is that lady who's overflowing with the aura of a capable woman," Futaba said. Makoto nodded as she looked over at her sister.
"By the way, what's this trial about?" Ryuji asked.
"A politician who decided to make use of government funds," Akechi replied.
"I read about that in a magazine. He went on a vacation with his mistress to some fancy hot springs," Octavia recalled.
"Aren't politicians supposed to be loaded? Why'd he mess with tax money?" Loona questioned.
"That's just how they are," Ren shrugged.
"Play with other people's cash is a total no-go," Futaba said.
"Unless it's from Shadows that is," Loona chuckled.
"This may sound odd, but isn't Nijima-san supposed to be busy with our investigation?" Haru pointed out. "Does she really have time to be coming to a trial like this?"
'Supposedly, she was on this case before being assigned to the Phantom Thieves… Normally, another prosecutor would take her place, but… Sae-san can be a bit of a perfectionist," Akechi explained.
"Hey, how are we going to get Nijima-san to notice us?" Ann whispered. "Did you tell her we'd be coming?"
"I don't think she read the message though," Makoto shook her head.
"Do we have a backup plan?" Futaba asked.
"…Not exactly, but I'm sure she'll notice us eventually," Akechi winked. The group looked over to Sae and saw her eyes widen when she noticed Makoto and Akechi in the crowd. "See? It's almost time to begin."
"All right! Nijima can see now that we're allowed in the courtroom. This. Should let us enter that high limit thingamajig!" Morgana said. "Let's head over to her Palace once the trail's over!"
"Stay in the bag, dammit!" Ryuji whispered.
[***]
Location: High Limit Lobby
"Sweet, that door that was blocking our path's gone now," Lycan grinned as they stepped out of the elevator.
"Look, there is a counter up ahead. Shall we head there first?" Fox suggested.
"I suppose there would be no issue in stopping by. Let us go," Crow nodded.
"Welcome to the high limit floor, a proverbial gambling paradise," the dealer greeted as the team approached. "First off, we would like to extend a welcome gift to you." He gave over some additional chips.
"Awesome, they're giving us cions this time too!" Panther cheered.
"Just 1,000 though. At least give each persona that much, cheapskate," Oracle grumbled.
"I'm sorry, but the welcome gift can only be applied once per card," the dealer shook his head. "Furthermore… this is the map for the high limit floor."
Omen took the map and studied it. "Okay, show us your prizes now. We want to exchange our coin for a member's card."
The Shadow chuckled. "We do have prizes, but that is unfortunately not one of them."
"What? Then how are we supposed to get to the manager's floor…?" Queen questioned.
"I assure you, there is no need for a card. Please head over there…" The Shadow pointed to the door stationed above the counter.
"This sound suspicious," Oracle noted.
"Well, we cannot proceed unless we check it out. Why don't we head over there for the time being?" Crow suggested.
The gang went up to the door, revealing on the other side a mechanism of some sort that separated both sides of the room. "Hm, a scale… Or is it a bridge…?" Templar wondered. "Maybe a scale-shaped bridge? There's an area over on the other side too. That could lead to the manager's floor!"
"There can be no doubt… We'll need to lover the bridge to cross," Crow guessed.
"But how do we do that?" Noir asked.
"Let's investigate around here to find out," Omen suggested. Next to the bridge was another machine, which when a card was inserted revealed that the "Bridge of Judgment" needed 100,000 chips to activate.
"It's getting clearer that she has no intention of letting us proceed onward," Mona frowned.
"I don't believe there is any need for pessimism though," Crow said.
"But think about how much that is! We were desperate just to get our hands on 50,000…" Panther recalled.
"But we still obtained them in the end. We can succeed if we do that again, then double our total," Crow said.
"I suppose this is the high limit floor… There'll be high risk, high return games somewhere around here. We just have to win those and get our coins," Omen said.
"While we're here… I think I can smell the final Will Seed nearby," Lycan said, sniffing the air. "Oh yeah, it's coming from a vent nearby. Let's find that as well, Joker." Looking around the room, Joker found a grabble point that got them up to a vent, revealing the door to the final Will Seed as well as a Shadow guarding it.
"Oh dear… Guests? Here? Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen... I do apologize, but this area is off-limits to guests. Please take your leave," the Shadow said as the team approached before transforming into the Reviled Dictator.
"Oh, it's no problem for the manager's sister, though- you're the one who's out of here!" Queen boasted. Her boldness was rewarded as the Shadow was weak to her Nuclear spells, giving the Phantom Thieves the final Will Seed of the Palace. "And that takes care of that! Let's move."
"The Crystal of Envy… this is your sister's Palace, Queen, so you should use it," Omen said as she handed over the item to the team's strategist. With the Will Seeds completed, it was time to go collect chips, starting with the House of Darkness.
"Welcome to the House of Darkness, our puzzling labyrinth in the dark," the Shadow attendant greeted.
"You better not be looking for a fight. We ain't interested!" Skull warned.
The Shadow laughed. "That won't be necessary. You are valuable participants, after all."
"Participants?" Templar questioned.
"Most certainly. The original intent behind the high limit floor is different from that of others. On this floor, VIPs are encourage to send substitutes to compete in the games in their place," the attendant explained. "Consider it to be like the horses in horse racing. However… it seems you have no substitutes."
"Of course we don't. That should be obvious," Omen scoffed.
"Indeed it is! Hence, you will be the vital participants in these games," the Shadow laughed.
"…Se we basically need to be our own substitutes," Mona surmised. "Eh, sounds perfect to me! That's why better than spectating!"
"Splendid! Now, allow me to explain the rules. A straightforward maze lies directly ahead of you. I suggest you exercise utmost caution within, as the lightning is dimmed quite heavily. Your entry fee into this maze will be 1,000 coins… But if you can manage to reach the goal, well… you will obtain ten times that amount," the Shadow explained.
"10,000 coins, just from completing a maze!?" Noir gasped.
"It is no wonder they call this the high limit floor. I doubt the maze will be as simple as it sounds…" Crow warned.
"Let's start," Joker said.
"One more thing: you are free to head backward in the maze or even leave the room if you so choose," the attendant added. "Well then, please enjoy." The Phantom Thieves entered the maze, but quickly found out why the challenged seemed too simple.
"God damn! It's so freaking dark!" Skull cursed.
"This is definitely not "a little." We've been tricked," Queen said.
"I'm sensing Shadows too. "Very simple," my ass," Oracle scoffed.
"If we do not ascertain the layout and placement of the enemies, we will surely find ourselves in danger," Fox said. "I just hope there is an adequate way of doing so…"
"Rely on me, duh," Lycan said. "Hellhound here, remember? I have night vision to see in the dark. Now if there were strobing lights in here, then it would be an issue. I can't read shit if the lights are constantly flashing on and off."
"Then you're in charge of getting us through, Lycan," Joker ordered. Thanks to Lycan's senses the Phantom Thieves were able to easily navigate the Maze of Darkness, even circumventing the traps that would normally get other players stuck. In no time at all they were out on the other side and back in the light.
"See? That was a piece of cake to make it though!" Lycan laughed.
"Is that it though? It feels like there's more up ahead," Templar said with worry. Sure enough there was a Shadow guard waiting for them at the end, blocking them from their prize.
"Inconceivable. How have you managed to make it this far…?" the guard questioned. "You truly are pests… Every time you think you've crushed them, they just come crawling back in."
"What was that, you bastard!?" Lycan growled.
"I hope you're ready. We didn't appreciate that trap of yours," Mona warned.
"He's right! You didn't have any intention of letting us get past that maze in the first place!" Panther accused.
"Ah, you are indeed correct! That is how things are supposed to be. You're not worthy of victory. Now, won't you just lie down and lose for me? This isn't an easy job, you know," the Shadow said.
"That won't happen," Joker scoffed.
"Oh, that's too bad… but is seems I have no other choice…!" the Shadow transformed into the Snake King.
"Let's go, Coyote!" Lycan called, summoning her Persona as she cast a Magnadyne on the Shadow, knocking it down. "Hah, looks like this snake is weak to the rock like always. Let's tear him up, gang!" The battle wasn't too much of an issue after that, with Lycan and Joker exploiting the Shadow's weakness until they had won the battle.
"That must have been his plan from he beginning," Templar mused.
"Considering how things were on the members floor, it's no surprise this isn't a fair game either," Omen said.
"And yet we still reached our goal. Come no, let us go. We have no more business here," Crow said.
"Hm, we will have to go to another game if we want to win more coins…" Fox noted. The Phantom Thieves headed back out to the main floor, where there was only one other game they could play, that being the Battle Arena.
"Welcome to the Battle Arena, the infernal fighting ground where the embers of light glow bright," the Shadow greeted. "Oh, it's you guys… Our manager told us about you."
"Huh? The hell've you been hearing about us!?" Skull shouted.
"My, so quick to anger. Wonderful. This would be quite boring if that wasn't the case. Now, allow me to confirm something before I begin explaining… Do you currently have 10,000 coins?" the Shadow asked.
"Oh! Yes, we do!" Noir nodded.
"Oh, you have surly been busy. Very well then, allow me to explain this game to you. Here, you will prove your supremacy in a trio of fierce one-on-one battles. Then again… this is the pinnacle of our casino, the high limit floor. Normally, our VIPs would prepare substitutes who fight to the death for their sake… The attending guests them bet coins on who they think will win," the Shadow explained.
"Here too…? Ugh, just the thought of it makes me sick…" Templar shuttered.
"Then entirety of this floor must be like that," Crow said. "Taking little risk for a high return is truly the optimal business strategy."
"But can we even participate if we don't have a substitute…?" Noir questioned.
"Hey, we didn't need one for the other game!" Mona pointed out. "The same probably applies here too."
"As irritating as it may be, that is correct. Please participate. Registration will take place at the counter over there," the Shadow sighed. With no other option, the Phantom Thieves went to the counter to talk to the dealer.
"Ah, welcome. Will you be participating in our stunning Battle Arena?" the dealer asked.
"It's one-on-one battles, right?" Omen asked.
The dealer nodded. "Correct, only one can participate. You'll need to choose someone to act as your representative. The entry fee for this event is 10,000 coins. However, if you manage to succeed in the trails, you will be granted ten time that: 100,000 coins."
"Wait, what!? That's enough to get us across that bridge!" Panther exclaimed. "Come on, we need to do this!"
"Hm… This feels like a trap to me. An amount that high would certainly ensure greater danger," Crow guessed.
"But failure to infiltrate this Palace will be the end of us," Queen pointed out.
"So we don't got a choice…" Lycan crossed her arms.
"In that case, I nominate Joker to be the one to battle," Omen said. "His Wild Card will give him an edge when fighting solo. We don't know what kind of enemies may appear, so his high level of adaptability will be vital here."
"Leave it to me," Joker nodded. "I even fused some new Personas, so this will be a fun test run."
"Are you sure about this? You will have to fight alone…" Templar said with worry.
"Babe, Joker's got this. He's the only one that can change up on whatever bullshit they try to pull and turn it into his advantage," Lycan said. "Just… be careful, okay man? Don't do anything too reckless in there."
"Has your mind been made us? The battles will begin once you enter," the dealer said. "Now then, shall you challenge the imposing Battle Arena?"
"Let's do this," Joker nodded.
"Oh…? In that case, please head onward into the ring. The entry fee and appropriate prize total shall be calculated at the end of the game," the dealer explained. "Now then… prepare to know the true meaning of agony."
"Only you will be able to continue from here onward. We'll be cheering from the stands, so best of luck!" Crow said.
Joker smirked. "Don't worry… I've got this." The rest of them moved to the stands to watch as their leader stepped into the arena, the gate shutting behind him as he walked out into the ring.
"Now then, our gripping battle is finally here! The idiot leader of the adult-defying thieves has come!" the announcer said. "Odds are 1.1. to the house, 23.o to the Phantom Thieves! Wow, the Phantom Thieves are surprisingly popular! It's rare to see odds in the double digits! Now, let us begin our serious one-on-one battle! Bring out the first contestant!"
Suddenly two Ganeshas spawned in the arena. "Uh, what the hell!? There's two of 'em!" Skull shouted.
"This isn't one-on-on at all! They're just ignoring the rules right from the beginning!" Panther said.
"Now then, it's time for this hellish trio of battles to begin! Ready, set… go!"
"Girimehkala!" Joker shouted, summoning his elephant-like Persona and putting up his guard. The two Shadows rushed at him with physical attacks, but Girimehkala reflected the damage back at them. "Kartikeya!" Joker then switched over to the peacock-riding god of war, casting a psychic spell that picked off the rest of the Shadow's health.
"He did it! Good job, Joker!" Templar cheered.
"Wow, he really can't take a hint! The stupid phantom thief has won! You know, that's a little hard to say… I'm just going to call him the Phantom Dweeb from now on! All of you betting on the house, do not fret. The second round of contestants is arriving now!"
This time it was three Rangdas that stood in Joker's way. "What!? There are even more than before!" Fox gasped.
"How cowardly! There's nothing fair or honest about this!" Noir scoffed.
"Quiet down in the peanut gallery. Now, it's time to die in this bloodcurdling battle!"
"Pale Rider!" Joker called, summoning the rider of death and blocking as the Shadows attacked him with Curse skills, only to have them be reflected right back. "Botis!" With his next Persona Joker brought down the thunder with Maziodyne, shocking the Shadows out of existance with little trouble.
"There you go! That's two rounds in the bag!" Omen shouted.
"Bullshit! Why the hell aren't you dying you goddamn Phantom Dweeb!? I have a bet on this too! Grr, there's no way in hell you're getting away with this! Time for our final contestant!"
This time it was the mighty Thor that appeared. "What in the…!?" Queen gasped.
"Yowza… That's a big one," Oracle noted.
"Go, grind his bones to dust! Let the extreme third battle begin!"
"Wild Hunt!" Joker called, summoning a new Persona and attacking with strong physical and gun skills. Thor used a Charge skill to ready for a powerful attack, but Joker saw it coming and switched his Persona once more. "Girimehkala!" the elephant-like Persona came to the forefront of his mind once more, reflecting Thor's attack right back into his face, obliterating the Shadow on the spot.
"Hell yeah! You kicked all of their asses, Joker!" Lycan cheered.
Crow laughed as the announcer has nothing to say. "Once again, justice prevails."
"Th-The payout will be handed over after this… Please wait…"
Joker whistled to himself as he left the arena, heading over to the counter and snapping his fingers. "…Congradulations. Here is your reward, 100,000 coins," the dealer said, handing over the chips.
"Oh shit!" Lycan and Skull shouted, both of them throwing arms around their leader.
"That was freaking amazing, Joker!" Skull cheered.
"You fucking killed it, man!" Lycan laughed.
"You were incredible! They never even planned on giving you a fair fight in there," Templar said.
"Yes, as I expected would be the case. Our other trials have all been rigged as well, after all," Crow nodded.
"And we knew the dangers going in, but I knew you could get through, cousin," Omen said with a smile.
"Glad I could impress you all in there," Joker chuckled. "But let's head off the bridge now. The Treasure is as good as ours now." Heading back over to the bridge, Joker put his card into the machine to activate it.
"Authenticating member's card… The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgement is 100,000 coins," the machine said.
"We got that! Now let us through!" Lycan demanded.
"It seems you worked hard to gather that many coins…" Shadow Sae's voice suddenly said, coming through the machine. "I never expected you would make it this far. I commend you on your vigorous efforts. However, you will never proceed to the manager's floor ahead. Form this moment forward, the number of coins for the bridge will increase to 1,000,000 coins!"
"What!?" everyone shouted.
"That's not fair! You can't give us an impossible task like that!" Oracle exclaimed.
"Ah, you finally understand? That is the point. Your task will forever be impossible! Hence, I will emerge victorious!" Shadow Sae said.
"We had only just barely gotten 100,000 coins…" Noir sighed.
Crow suddenly stepped forward. "She said she would let us through if we had 1,000,000 coins, yes? In that case, there won't be a problem."
"Y-You know how to win that many!?" Skull gaped.
"Not exactly. I already have the requisite coins right here," Crow replied.
"What…? How could that be!?" Shadow Sae questioned.
"Do you remember what we were told at he very beginning? Essentially, we could borrow as many coins from the casino as we already held on our card," Crow said.
"Well yes, but…" Omen started to say.
Crown went on, "For example, had we borrowed the max when we had 10,000 oins, we would have ended up with 20,000. And had we then bet on Joker at the colosseum as a guest, our total would have grown to 460,000."
"Yes, but you're speaking purely in hypotheticals. That's not what actually happened," Queen said.
"Correct, on Joker's card. However, that is not the only card in our possession," Crow smirked.
"You have… another card!?" Shadow Sae gasped.
Crow pulled out a particular card, one that Oracle recognized. "That's the Taro Tanaka card I told you to get rid of!"
"Exactly. Instead of disposing of it, I secretly used it to gather coins and outsmart the system," Crow said.
"460,000 coins… That means we would have over 500,000 if we add all of our coins together!" Noir realized.
Shadow Sae huffed. "So what? That's still clearly not close to the required total."
"Actually, once my count reached 460,000, I borrowed the maximum amount a second time," Crow revealed. "After paying back the original 10,000, I was left with 910,000. Adding Joker's total to that brings us to 1,010,000 coins. We can surely cross the bridge now."
"W-Wait! If we borrowed all them coins…" Skull pointed out.
"Is there a problem? The manager's room lies ahead. We won't need to worry about coins after this," Crow said. "Or did you honestly intent to pay back such a large sum?"
"…He has a point. Once the Palace is gone, so is the "debt" we owe it," Omen nodded.
"Impossible… it can't be!" Shadow Sae said.
"Crow… It's actually a little frightening how sharp you are…" Mona shuttered.
"I'll take that as a compliment. I'm glad I was able to contribute to our Phantom Thieves efforts," Crow smirked. "Now, we should hurry and let the bridge down before she decides to change the rules once again."
"Just remember that Omen here could read you like a book when we got the drop on you," Lycan said, jabbing at the detective prince's ego.
"…I don't need to respond to that," Crow frowned, crossing his arms.
Joker put in his card, chips spilling out onto the bridge and making the scales lower, revealing stairs to the other side. "Hell yeah, we're almost there!" Skull cheered.
"We had better be ready for whatever lies ahead!" Mona warned. Crossing the bridge, the Phantom Thieves saw the Treasure lying in the room before them. "It looks like this is her base of operations. Perhaps her Treasure will appear on that pedestal. A lot has happened, but we managed to get up here! Miss Manager's days are numbered!"
"How uncouth of you to simply barge in here. Elegance is necessary for victory as well, you know," Shadow Sae scoffed. "I entertained you with all of my "games," bit it appears you are still far from satisfied. Very well. I've made preparations especially for that possibility. This will be a game of life and death from now on. No matter who I face, I shall not lose!"
"Sis…" Queen gasped. "Our infiltration route is secure. We need to head back out and send the calling card."
"And once the calling card is sent, the Treasure will appear for the taking," Omen nodded.
"I wonder… what will the Treasure look like?" Crow mused.
"That depends on the person… For Kamoshida it was a medal. Madarame's was a painting, and Kaneshiro's was fake money…" Templar recalled.
"Father's was a plastic model…" Noir sighed.
"In other words… the Treasure is what marked the beginning of the Palace rulers' aspirations, like Paimon's being Solomon's Ring," Omen summarized, fiddling with the ring on her finger.
"It could also be what caused their desires to swell," Fox added.
"Thinking about it won't get us anywhere though. Let's head back and prepare the calling card," Mona ordered.
Queen continued to stare at the Treasure. "Hm? What's up? You curious about the Treasure?" Oracle asked.
"Speaking of that, it actually looks like there's a shape formed in the haziness…" Noir said, peering into the formless mass.
"If I had to guess… I'd say Sis's Treasure is a police notebook," Queen replied.
Crow winced. "Right… Your father was…"
"She… probably thinks Dad died because the police were using him. That's why she believes justice is meaningless, and that there's no point living a subservient life…" Queen said. "Dad's death is even the reason she aspired to become a prosecutor and grew so obsessed with winning… She really loved him…"
"Sae-san's heart must be exhausted from living in such a fiercely competitive world… Honest beliefs alone are not enough to get you though. Even I understand that pain…" Crow sympathized. "But this is exactly why we need to change her heart."
"…Yes, that it is," Queen nodded.
"And now we've ascertained the location of the Treasure for that goal," Fox pointed out. With that the gang exited the Palace, ready to send the calling card as soon as possible.
Haru: We finally made it. All that remains is to actually send the calling card.
Loona: Looks like we'll manage to get it out before the investigation starts going down too.
Futaba: Then we can actually focus on the true culprit behind the mental shutdowns…
Octavia: And dealing with Striker. That guy's going to pay for targeting my father…
Loona: Wasn't it your mom that put out that hit, though?
Octavia: We changed her heart and I forgave her for those actions. Striker is a different story.
Akechi: the politics of Hell sound fascinating.
Loona: You learn about them when you actually die if you want.
Collin: Loona!
Loona: What? I'm just saying!
Akechi: I take no offense, Collin. I know the weight of my actions, but I'll let the powers that be decide my fate.
Makoto: Regardless of all that, we only have one opportunity to turn the tables.
Yusuke: This calling card will be a work of art like always.
Ryuji: Just save your best stuff for the guy at the top, kay?
Octavia: Tell us when you're ready, Ren.
[***]
With the Palace out of the way, Ren and Loona decided to check in on Iwai since learning of his plans last time they worked together. "I got a big favor to ask you. I wanna settle things with Tsuda. Will you come with me as a witness?" Iwai asked. "I'll do my best to protect you. But.. I can't guarantee your safety. You can say no."
"I'll do it," Ren nodded.
"S'that right? I appreciate it," Iwai said. "It's gonna be under the girder bridge. It's close by, so follow me." As Iwai and Ren left, Loona slipped out the backdoor of the shop and shifted into her hellhound form, stealthily tailing the two until they were at the bridge. Tsuda arrived soon after, with Loona keeping her ears up for what they were saying.
"…So, you know everything?" Tsuda said. He noticed Ren standing there. Wait, that's the brat from the shop, isn't it? I should've known he was working for you!"
"He's here as my witness today," Iwai replied. "Now listen. I'd be glad to keep my mouth shut about your failed deal… if you stay away from my family. That included me, Kaoru… and this kid here."
Tsuda huffed. "So, you're still sticking to the code, even in retirement."
"Rule ain't meant to be broken," Iwai replied.
"Heh, you're as sharp as ever, Mune. Glad to see you haven't lost your touch in your absence," Tsuda laughed. "I bet we never wouldn't gotten duped by those Hong Kong motherfuckers if I still had you as my right-hand man. Instead I'm stuck dealing with the mess that idiot Masa made me…"
He looked over at Ren. "Hey, kid. Sorry for getting a respectable teen like yourself wrapped up in our bullshit feud. I hope dealing with all this yakuza business hasn't been too much trouble."
"I did it all for Iwai," Ren replied.
Iwai chuckled. "Thanks, kid. Tsuda-san, I gotta be honest with you… This whole thing has been a real goddamn pain in the ass. But it's over. You're finished."
"I don't think you understand, Mune…" Tsuda reached into his suit and pulled a gun on Iwai!
"What…!?" Iwai gasped. Ren's eyes flared a bit as he let sparks from in his hand.
"You're not the one who gets to make decisions around here!" Tsuda shouted.
"The hell're you doing…!?" Iwai glared.
"I'm done playing nice with you. You're gonna make me what I need one way or another, Iwai! And if you can't do it fast, both your son and this little "witness" of yours are gonna pay for it!" Tsuda demanded.
"Christ, Tsuda! You're not some random thug off the street! You're s'posed to be better than this…!" Iwai growled.
Tsuda shook his head. "Times have changed, Mune. You're hung up on bullshit like pride and duty, but you know what? Nobody gives a fuck about your goddamn code of honor anymore!"
"You bastard…!" Iwai cursed.
"Now listen to me, you little piece of shit. You're going to make me those guns, and you're going to do it fast," Tsuda said. "Don't make me tell you again." As the yakuza leader turned to leave, he was suddenly jumped by Loona, the hellhound biting on his hand, disarming Tsuda in process. "What the-!? This your dog, Mune!?"
"Not a dog, you bastard…" Loona growled, crushing the gun in her hands. "Now get out of here before I do worse than fuck up your hand."
"Grr… I better have those guns, Mune!" Tsuda shouted, clutching his mangled hand as she slunk off.
"What the fuck…?" Iwai cursed, looking at Loona. "Wait… it's you!?"
"Surprise…" Loona said, returning to her human disguise.
"What are you, some kind of demon kitsune or something?" Iwai asked.
"I'm the one that just saved your ass from getting shot," Loona rolled her eyes.
Iwai looked at Ren, who played dumb and just shrugged. "Or you just made things worse… I'm such a freaking idiot. That guy ain't the Tsuda I know…!" Based on what just happened here, I'm done for the second I give him the guns he's looking for. Goddmmnit…" He looked at Ren and Loona. "Look, I don't care if you knew about her being a Yokai or whatever you are, but you should prolly go. I don't got any more tasks for you. Just forget about all of this…"
"I want to help you," Ren said.
"I appreciate the offer, I really do. I just… can't let you do that," Iwai replied. "I…I'm gonna make those guns for him. I gotta do what I can to protect Kaoru… If it mean helping out that psychopath, so be it…"
"Like we're just gonna let you die at that guy's hands," Loona growled.
"Tsuda… When did he turn into such a heartless bastard…?" Iwai muttered.
"What's his full name?" Loona asked.
"You gonna track him down or something?" Iwai questioned.
"Just give us the name," Ren said.
"…Actually, it's prolly best that you know. It's Akimitsu Tsuda. He was famous around here for being an incredible artist back in the day," Iwai told the two. "If you see him 'round town, run. Go to the police if you hafta. I don't care if she's a Yokai or what, but you got lucky this time, and Tsuda won't let you get the jump on him again."
Iwai lowered his hat over his eyes. "…Anyways, were' done here. Thanks for all you've bene giving me. And… take care of yourself, kid."
"Iwai… I didn't want you to find out like this, but I wasn't going to let you get shot. You have a kid that needs your protection," Loona said.
"Yeah, well, not like it matters now," Iwai said, shaking his head. "I can take care of myself. Don't need a guardian angel or nothing."
"That's actually my boyfriend…" Loona chuckled nervously.
"…Of course," Iwai huffed before turning and leaving.
"We need to help Iwai out of this situation," Ren said.
"Yeah, and make sure Tsuda stays quiet about this…" Loona added. "He might just write me off as a hallucination, or he might not. Either way, it's time to give him a change of heart…"
Author's Note
Did I mention that the Casino of Envy is my favorite Palace yet? I enjoy how it focuses on the very real fact of casinos rigging the games in the house's favor and how that is analogous for the justice system in Japan, with the Phantom Thieves turning the tables on each game so they can come out on top. Akechi is also very useful in this Palace, though in this story it's more so he can remain in the team's good graces instead of to keep up appearances as a naive detective prince. Not too much more to say other than that really.
On a surprise note, Iwai found out about Loona being a demon earlier than other Confidants, though he believes her to be a guardian angel/yokai at the moment. I wanted Loona to show how she's becoming attached to the gun shop owner and defend him from Tsuda waving a gun around, even if it compromises her true nature. Ren and Loona will be helping Iwai out in the Metaverse soon enough, and I'm excited to see how this storyline plays out.
I'm going to be taking a break from writing this story next week due to the holidays, but I'll be back before you know it. See you soon!