It was finally time for the Phantom Thieves to return home. It was a long drive back from Osaka, and yet, it felt like things were moving so quickly now that the trip was over. Ryuji let out a loud, melancholy sigh. "We've reached the home stretch...Hey, how much longer we got, exactly?"
"Roughly three hours remaining." Sophia reported. The countdown of their trip ending was finally reaching its homestretch.
"We're already that close!?" Futaba's eyes widened.
"It always feels as if time moves faster when we have to head home." Sumire also let out a sigh.
"We'll have to say goodbye to the RV once we reach the city. It's served us so well." Haru said with a fond smile.
"Noooooo, Phantomooooobile..." Futaba whined.
"Huh? Did the name change?" Haru tilted her head.
"I still remember tossing and turning all night when we first started sleeping here. Now it's like a second home." Ann already had a nostalgic sigh going. "Hey! How about we do one last tour of the whole country?"
"We have to face reality." Ren knew how everyone felt, but they had to accept that summer was coming to a close, as was their time together.
"Maybe next summer." Hifumi nudged Ann playfully. "I miss professional shogi. I cannot wait to get back to it."
"...I'll pass." Akechi said quietly.
"Oh, come on. You had fun and you know it." Futaba said with a smirk. Akechi chose not to entertain her with a response, but she already knew the answer.
"We all have our own lives to get back to." Makoto said.
"And stuff like homework. And classes." Futaba said.
The moment school was brought up, Ann's expression soured considerably. "Hrgh...right..." She did not want to think about that at all.
"I know, I know - please don't bring all that up now!" Ryuji pleaded. "I just don't want to think about all that right now!"
"I'm fairly sure you said the exact same thing at least a month ago..." Haru pursed her lips.
"I recall him saying the exact same thing the moment we all got out of school." Sumire added.
"Well, life is long and full." Yusuke said jovially. "Don't let a mere year or two of being held back crush your spirits."
"Why are you're assumin' we're getting held back!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
An even more horrifying thought crossed Ann's mind. She looked to Hifumi, Yusuke, Ren, and Ryuji. "We're all graduating together, right!?"
"...Well, I know I'M graduating." Ren replied.
"Traitor!" Ann and Ryuji exclaimed to Ren.
"Don't worry. You know I'll do my best to help you." Hifumi told Ann. "My mother would be furious if I was dating someone who couldn't graduate."
"You're a lifesaver, Fummmmi!" Ann hugged Hifumi as if her life depended on it.
"What about me!?" Ryuji pointed at himself, feeling left in the dust.
"You'll be fine, so long as you put in the effort." Makoto tried to ease their worries. "Just make sure you shift out of vacation mode and study hard, starting tomorrow."
"What a load..." Ryuji lowered his head. "We saved a ton of people this summer, can't we get extra credit for that?"
"Ugh, I know, right!?" Ann groaned.
"No matter how we look at it, our time's up tomorrow no matter what our grades are." Ryuji huffed.
"I do wish we had a little more time together..." Sumire frowned. Another cruel reminder that their time together was coming to an end soon.
"..." Meanwhile, Akechi felt like this time couldn't end soon enough. He was only here now, because he didn't want to drive all the way back on his own. It would've taken too long and he wasn't in the mood. But this small, cramped space with all this chatter was a little annoying to him. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but he could still feel he was an outcast among outcast.
That's when Sophia popped in once again. "Then what do you say to a minor detour?"
"Oh yeah, Sophia? Something you wanna do?" Futaba asked.
"I'd like to commemorate our trip by watching 'fireworks'!" Sophia said. "There is a fireworks festival scheduled in Yokohama today. I believe it will make a great memory for all of us."
"How wonderful! I completely agree!" Haru beamed.
"Awesome! Last time we got rained out, and now we get take two!" Ann nodded.
"I'd actually like to enjoy the fireworks this time." Hifumi said. "So this is a wonderful idea!"
"Then that settles that!" Makoto nodded. Everyone was in agreement with the idea. Even if Akechi wasn't, he didn't voice it, or he'd be outvoted. He was along for the ride after all. "I imagine it'll be pretty crowded, so we'll need to park a ways away from the actual site." But with that in mind, they could make one last pitstop to Yokohama!
.
.
By the time they arrived in Yokohama, it was already night. Futaba leapt from the RV and grinned. "Yokohama! Feast your eyes!"
"So where exactly are we? I can smell the ocean from here..." Ryuji asked.
"Oh! This is Ocean View Park! I came here for a photoshoot once." Ann remembered. This was where she resolved to be stronger for Hifumi and Shiho's sake. It was also when her rivalry with Mika started to really kick off.
"Correct!" Sophia said. "We are approximately fifteen minutes on foot from the festival grounds."
"I know! Why don't we put on our yukata first! Perfect for the occasion!" Haru clasped her hands together.
"The ones we got in Sendai? Great idea!" Ann loved the idea.
"Fireworks in yukata. Truly an exemplary summer in Japan." Yusuke believed this would serve as the perfect finale to their vacation.
"I suppose I'll go ahead and change." Akechi said with a quiet sigh. Since he was already here, he may as well make an effort to enjoy himself. There wasn't any work to be done now, he could attempt to loosen up. He didn't think it would be easy, but there was at least some merit in trying.
"It'll grow busier the longer we wait. Will you be okay, Futaba?" Makoto did have to ask.
"Yeah, I'm way stronger than before! Plus, I have all of you with me." Futaba nodded.
"...Wait." Ann paused. Something felt off.
"Huh? Is something the matter, Ann-senpai?" Sumire tilted her head.
"Oh. Come on. Are you guys following me?" That was...Mika. She was already dressed in a yukata. "I know I'm amazing to be around, but can't you go a day without me or something?"
"Oh. Hi, Mika." Hifumi waved casually.
"Are you. Kidding me!?" Ann's jaw dropped. "Why are you here!? You left Osaka before we did!"
"Summer's almost over! I wanted to cap off my wonderful tour of Japan by celebrating Yokohama's fireworks festival! They're something that's almost as beautiful as I am. A close third." Mika huffed. This place held some significance to her as well.
"What's the second...?" Futaba asked.
"...We really do think alike." Ren said while adjusting his glasses.
"Ew, don't ever say that." Mika waved a hand dismissively.
"If you got here earlier than we did, why are you not already at the festival grounds?" Sumire asked.
"There are sooooo many people here already. Even I couldn't get a good parking spot. The agency driver had to circle around a few times." Mika groaned. "But it's fine, because everyone gets to see me in my yukata. Aren't I beautiful?" Also, she just wanted to show off. Being fashionably late was something she was willing to pull off if it meant getting a view eyes in her direction.
Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, but Ann silenced him immediately. "Don't even think about it."
"As lovely as this conversation is, I believe we should be getting ready." Akechi reminded everyone.
"Foot traffic on our route is currently heavy. To watch the fireworks from an optimal location, we must depart now and secure a good viewing spot." Sophia siad.
"You know the ladies have all sorts of stuff to do to get ready. Find us a good spot." Morgana grinned.
"You're going with them, Meowgana." Sophia said.
"HUH!?" Morgana's expectations were shattered.
"Gross." Mika rolled her eyes. She hated this cat so much.
"Yeah, well, I guess we can do somethin' nice for 'em. It's the last night of the trip an' all. See ya in a bit." Ryuji nodded, and then turned to Mika. "You comin'?"
"Yeah, yeah." Mika waved her hand again. She may as well take advantage of a big group. With how busy it was, she wasn't going to admit she wasn't really going to find a good viewing spot on her own.
.
.
Ren - with Morgana tucked away in his Yukata, Ryuji, Yusuke, Akechi, and Mika found the perfect spot to watch the fireworks. Mika, of course, was relishing in the looks she was getting. Yusuke was more focused on the clear skies. "Clear skies this time."
"This time?" Mika raised a brow.
"Last time, it rained in Shibuya when we attempted to watch the fireworks. It was a terrible turn of events." Yusuke sighed. "Coincidentally, it rained when my school attempted to go to LA for a school trip."
"...You sure you're not cursed with rain or something?" Mika lifted a brow.
"We asked the same thing." Ren said.
"They're coming." Akechi remarked. The girls were finally here.
"Oh..." Mika turned and saw the other girls arrived. It was the first time she saw Hifumi in a yukata, which had her attention...but so did the way Ann and Hifumi were walking hand in hand together. But she took a quiet breath and smiled.
"Sorry we're late!" Ann said.
'Oh, good, we didn't miss it!" Haru smiled.
"Perfect timing! It's about to st-!" Before Ryuji could finish, a firework popped off behind him. It startled him, so he quickly turned around. The fireworks kicked off, all of them beginning to explode beautifully in the night sky, and there wasn't a single drop of rain in sight to ruin it all.
"Whoa...!" The girls all suddenly rushed forward to get a better view.
"It's so pretty..." Hifumi said while leaning against Ann.
"They're beautiful." Makoto watched the fireworks in awe.
"Yes, a perfect scene of summer." Yusuke nodded.
"Sumire, can I see them too?" Sophia asked.
"Oh, of course!" Sumire quickly held her phone up so Sophia could witness the fireworks in their full glory. Sophia started in awe at the sight before her. Even if she had seen these videos online, nothing beat this experience, right here, right now. Even though she lacked a heart, there was nothing that could explain away the happy sensation she felt right now.
.
.
With the fireworks festival over, the group returned to the RV, still buzzing with excitement. "Man, I never saw fireworks form that close up before!" Ryuji said.
"Me too! It was so pretty!" Ann said with a happy sigh.
"Indeed. The final Botan was a spectacle." Yusuke said.
"The final what now, Inari?" Futaba tilted her head.
"It's what fireworks are called, duh." Mika shook her head. "Botan and Kamurogiku, they look like flowers and it's where the names come from."
"So that's a Botan! It was much more amazing than the recordings I found online." Sophia said.
"You knew that?" Ann blinked.
"Duh." Mika said proudly. "Who wouldn't?"
"I'm impressed. I usually observe such things when I am drawing. I know it is not something many people know about otherwise." Yusuke said, impressed with Mika's knowledge on the subject.
"I want to see the other types of fireworks!" Sophia said.
"I'm right there with ya! Think we unlock a trophy if we see every festival in the country?" Futaba asked.
"What are you talking about...?" Mika blinked. Out of everyone in this group, she defintely thought that Futaba was the strangest one present.
"Don't think about it too hard." Sumire said with a small smile. "Futaba-senpai is just...like that."
"You enjoyed them too, didn't you?" Haru turned to Akechi.
"Well...I don't see fireworks very often. So it wasn't a terrible change of pace." Akechi admitted.
"That's the first time I think I've heard you say you enjoyed something." Haru teased. Akechi had no response to that.
"I can't believe vacation's already over...We went through so much, but I had such a great time with...most of you." She cut her eyes at Mika, who just smiled.
"Our inner circle's expanded quite a bit as well. I'll remember these months for the rest of my life." Haru said happily.
"It's almost over..." Ren sighed.
"Hey, don't go doing that now! You're gonna make me all sad 'n shit..." Ryuji said.
"Before we go..." Sophia spoke up. "People take pictures to make memories. Can we do that?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a great memento of our trip!" Ann nodded.
"How should we pose?" Ren questioned.
"Yeah! Make sure you give us a funny face, Ryuji!" Futaba grinned at the blonde.
"What!? Why can't we do something nice!?" Ryuji groaned.
"...But how are we going to do this?" Sumire asked.
They almost had a full group. But Yusuke couldn't help but notice the lack of one particular person. "It's a shame Zenkichi isn't here to take this picture with us." The group photo almost felt complete.
"We can drag him into the next one." Ren said confidently.
"And does Mika have to be here?" Ann pointed at Mika.
"What? Worried I'll outshine you? I understand." Mika flipped her hair.
"I can look better than you!" Ann shot back. Somehow, this turned into a competition. "We're doing this on my phone, too!"
"I'll take the picture." Akechi said.
"No need!" Ann came prepared with a selfie stick. "Everyone can get in on this! You're part of the group too, even if you don't think so."
"I..." Akechi had no words for that. So he was just sort of shuffled along with everyone else as Ann snapped the photograph. A commemorative photo of everyone in yukata after an eventful summer. The perfect way to cap off the season.
"And now...it's really almost over." Sumire sighed.
"It's not over yet. We still have to make the drive back to Tokyo." Makoto mentioned.
"Then shall we change and head back?" Haru asked.
"Yeah, let's go!" Ann nodded.
"I suppose I should as well." Mika pulled out her phone to contact her driver. But there was no response. "...Huh? What is that guy doing. I told him what time I'd be calling!" Grumbling, she walked off to try and find her agency driver. "Hey! Pick up the phone, it's time to go!"
"...I'm sure she'll be fine." Hifumi said with an exasperated smile.
Not too far away there was a couple sitting on a bench. "Isn't this a bad sign...?" The woman asked.
"They're saying it's within the city limits, so it should be fine." The male replied casually.
"No, look!" The woman shook her head, holding her phone out to him. "I know I deleted the app, but here - it's back on my home screen."
"What...?" The male stared at the phone. "No...waaay..."
"Huh? What's...wrong..." Soon, the couple just...became completely unresponsive.
Akechi noticed this and narrowed his eyes. "...?"
"And if you try anything while we're in there..." Ann glared at Ryuji.
"You got off with a warning at the hotsprings." Hifumi said.
"Like hell I'd wanna do that!" Ryuji shook his head. They almost died in that hotsprings if not for Hifumi seeing the truth in their words! No shot they would risk that a second time!
.
Once everyone was changed, the reality set in. They had a nice detour, but... "Reality is only a few hours away now..."
"Oh, give it up already." Ann accepted that things were moving on, so Ryuji had to as well. "There'll be plenty of fun in your future, too."
"Time to crack open those books." Ren said.
"Ugh..." Ryuji sighed. He didn't want to accept it, but he had to. "Finnnnne..."
"Makoto, do you need a route to Tokyo?" Sophia asked.
"Don't worry, I can handle the rest of the driving!" Hifumi offered. "It would feel nice to drive ba...?" She trailed off as Mika started to hurry towards their location. "Mika?"
"Problem!" Mika made a mad dash over. A bit of a problem since she was in heels, but the urgency was that high.
"Problem?" Ann blinked. Mika was dramatic at times, sure, but this seemed really serious.
"Wait..." Sophia paused. "What is this...? I smell a Jail!
"B-But how is that...!?" Makoto gasped.
"But I thought they already shut EMMA down!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"It appeared on my driver's phone earlier." Mika said with a few heavy breaths. "He wasn't answering my calls or texts because he's been glued to his phone this whole time! In fact, he got out of the car and just started walking somewhere, saying how the pain will finally end or something!"
"What!?" Everyone's eyes were wide at this news.
At this moment, Akechi glanced towards the frozen couple he noticed earlier. Without a word, the two of them slowly stood up and just started to trudge forward, phones still in their hand. "...I don't like this."
Ren's phone began to ring. It was Zenkichi and he answered. "Where are you right now!? Are you watching the news!?"
"What's going on!?" Ren asked.
"Just look!" Zenkichi barked. There was no time to explain. The only way they could learn is by watching.
So, Akechi pulled his phone out, along with Hifumi and Yusuke. "Now, for breaking news on the virtual assistant, EMMA: Despite recent claims of being shut down, it appears an unidentified system malfunction is preventing proper deactivation. EMMA development company Madicce has requested the public avoid accessing EMMA in any way at this time..."
"EMMA isn't shut down...!?" Makoto's eyes were wide.
"What is going on, Zenkichi!?" Futaba asked.
"I don't know why this is happening, but...I do know that EMMA servers are located in the Tokyo Radio Tower. I also know that EMMA was shutdown and inaccessible. But now? It's all back up and running, not even Konoe knows why. Neither does anyone still at Madicce." Zenkichi explained.
"Someone intentionally rebooted the server? No..." Futaba thought about it, but shook her head. "Madicce would've already been there to stop them..."
As such, Ryuji went for the direct approach. "Hey! Say something if you're on, EMMA!"
"Hello. How can I help you?" And there it was, EMMA responding as if she was supposed to be.
"What the..." Hifumi's shot open. "But how...!?"
"Something's not right here..." Ren grumbled.
"...Zenkichi, we've got another problem. Sophia smelled a Jail." Morgana reported.
"What!? Are you sure!?" Zenkichi didn't like this.
"There is no doubt about it. It spans from the Tokyo area, all the way to Yokohama." Sophia reported. "And the epicenter is...the Tokyo Radio Tower."
Suddenly, pieces were starting to fall into place, and nobody liked the picture that it was beginning to paint. "But that's where...!" Ann gasped.
"EMMA's servers are located..." Yusuke did not like that train of thought.
"Something awful is happening." Akechi said. "And whatever it is, we'll find it there." He couldn't say for sure what was happening, but it was nothing good.
"I'm already heading over! Be there soon!" Zenkichi said.
"We have to go. Now." Akechi told everyone. Urgency was never higher. This was a problem and they needed to get at the heart of it as soon as possible.
.
.
Ren found himself awakening in the Velvet Room. The last thing he remembered was heading into the RV with everyone. So...he must have been called, still in his prison garb. "Damn...I guess it's really not that simple." In front of his cell, he could see a downtrodden Lavenza. "Did you call for me? What's going on?"
"A true abomination..." Lavenza said with a low, almost terrified whisper. "Its writing grasp spreading across the land. Could this be the second coming of the evil that rent me asunder? That locked away even my master...Has even this happened before? No - but why is it different?"
"...You're really frightened, huh?" Ren said with a frown. He knows how terrible that experience was for Lavenza.
Lavenza remained silent. Ren wasn't wrong. She truly was frightened... "I beg of you, Trickster. It wounds me to continue requesting your and your companions' intervention, but I must beseech you: unmark the true catalyst of this calamity. Expose the evil will within. I sense a foreboding power...not far from here...I am most certain it is connected to your becoming a prisoner once more."
Ren nodded. "I'm not a prisoner to fate. Whatever this evil is...we'll destroy it. I promise you that."
When Ren spoke so confidently, Lavenza felt a wave of relief wash over her. If there was anyone who could stop this, it was most certainly the Phantom Thieves"Thank you."
.
.
Everyone gathered at the Tokyo Radio Tower. It wasn't just the group either, but there was a growing crowd of people, all staring at their phones, slowly dragging their feet as they made their way over. The atmosphere was highly unsettling. "What is going on!?" Yusuke asked.
"This...is not good..." Makoto was looking over all the people approaching. The crowd was growing larger and larger by the second.
"Why are they all doing that?" Morgana asked, worriedly.
"I don't know, but they're clearly not in their right minds." Zenkichi shook his head. This went beyond concerning and into down right disturbing.
Mika approached a few people, waving her hand in front of their faces. There was absolutely no response. "They're totally slaves. What the hell is going on here?"
"I can't wait for her to guide me to happiness..."
I won't have to think for myself anymore..."
"I'm finally gonna be free from this pain..."
The people were speaking, but their voices were dull and lifeless. They were all saying things like this. Hifumi recognized this, too. It gave her flashbacks of last year. When they dove into the depths of Mementos. "This...this is almost like...!"
"What's gotten into everyone!?" Ann frowned. This was too much.
"This is insane..." Ryuji could't believe what he was looking at.
"...Did their hearts get changed?" That was the only suitable answer Ren could think of.
"Everyone's just...staring at their phones..." Haru frowned.
Akechi looked up at the tower, narrowing his eyes. "This is the center of the Jail. Which means there is a Monarch nearby. But who..."
And then, everyone's phone buzzed at once. "Welcome to the Promised Land." EMMA spoke.
"Wah!?" Sumire yelped. "I thought I deleted that...!"
"You did...!" Sophia reported.
"What's going on here?!" Futaba needed to know.
EMMA, however, was not going to give them the chance to find out. "Beginning Navigation." And before the group could even process what was happening, EMMA forcefully dragged them back into the Metaverse one last time...