Chapter 54: Cruiser of Pride (Part 1)
November 25
Location: Ship of Pride, Central Passage
"Kasumi asked to join us, but I turned her down," Joker said to Omen as they navigated the halls of the cruiser.
"That sounds like a reasonable choice. She is a novice compared to the rest of us Persona users," Crow nodded. "…Although I feel as if I've seen her skills before despite never watching her Persona on action…"
"I feel as if the three of us have teamed up before too," Joker hummed. "Something about… a world of the streets and mice…?"
"What are you two talking about?" Omen questioned.
"It's nothing. Just a faint memory of a dream," Crow shook his head.
"…Okay then. Let's focus on finding the VIPs," Omen said. "As a reminder to everyone, that's the politician, a former noble, a TV station president, an IT company president, and the "cleaner" guy. According to the map, there should be a restaurant up ahead, which is where the politician should be."
"Let us go check it out," Fox nodded. The Phantom Thieves moved from their current location into the Central Hall, which eventually lead to where the restaurant was.
"Oh, there's a sign here," Templar pointed out. "Hm… A member's only restaurant… "Ristorante Elite." I think that's Italian."
"Damn, I kinda wish Moxxie was here. He can speak Italian if I remember correctly," Lycan said.
"This restaurant is exclusive to members. Those without a membership car will be rejected," Panther read.
"What? You gotta be a member just to eat dinner? That's such bull," Skull frowned. Luckily for them one of the cognitions in the room had recently lost their membership card, so with the use of his Third Eye Joker was able to track the card down and get them access to the dining hall. The waiter pointed them to a table with blue flowers where "special guests", such as the politician they were looking for, would be sitting. Skull and Queen took seats at a nearby table while the rest of the team hid in the shadows for their moment to strike.
"Uh… I can't read this…" Skull said as he looked at the menu.
Queen called over a waiter. "I'll have the sautéed foie gras. A salad garnished with truffles… and roasted lamb, please, she ordered.
"I can't believe you can order to easily like that…" Skull said with surprise. "Say, ain't we kinda young compared to the others here? They're all involved with Shido, yeah?"
"They seem to be major figures in the political and financial world," Queen nodded.
"On who's permission are you sitting there, brats?" the cognition of a politician asked, crossing his arms.
'Whose? Uh… I don't see any reserved signs or nothing here," Skull replied.
"It'd be a nuisance if you'd make a racket next to my table. I wish to dine leisurely. Children like you who are simply hungry should leave," the cognition said.
"What was that?" Skull shook his fist at the man.
"Skull, be quiet," Queen whispered bitingly.
"S-Sorry…" Skull hung his head.
"I apologize for our discourtesy," Queen said to the cognition.
"if you understand, then go home," the politician said.
"Excuse me, but might you be Mr. Ooe?" Queen asked.
"indeed I am," the cognition nodded.
"This will be an impudent request, but would you provide us a letter of introduction to… Mr. Shido?" Queen requested.
"From the looks of it, you appear to be minors. Why do you need an introduction?" the cognition questioned.
"We wish to be granted an audience with him… His political ideology resonates so much with us… Of course, the same can be said about you, Mr. Ooe," Queen said.
"You have quite the silver tongue for one so young… not that I mind it. Are you a high school student?" Mr. Ooe asked.
Queen nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Speaking of high schools… I've heard that some principal somewhere kicked the bucket. He supposedly tried to leak Mr. Shido's name… Had he simply obeyed, he could've remained in the upper echelons. To think he would cast all that away. An elite such as myself can't even fathom why someone would do such a thing," Mr. Ooe said. "If you pledge your loyalty, you're given the honor of selecting those who would have mental shutdowns."
"Did you ask Mr. Shido to trigger a mental shutdown in someone as well?" Queen asked.
"Hm? Ah, more or less," Mr. Ooe replied.
"Considering your caliber, I would assure that the target must have been someone quite important," Queen guessed.
Ooe laughed. "Important? No, the target himself was nothing that impressive."
"Oh, you must be being modest…" Queen faltered him.
"Do you recall the subway accident early last spring? The one I had targeted was that engineer," Ooe revealed.
"That was you!?" Skull exclaimed.
"It was to take out the president of some company and a diplomat who sided with current government,"Ooe explained.
"I see… That was very useful, Mr. Ooe," Queen said. "Actually, my sister is a prosecutor at the Public Prosecutor's Office. I could pass on what you just said to her… How about it? Won't you give us a letter of introduction?"
"Is that a threat? Who are you two?" Ooe questioned.
"The letter of introduction, please," Queen demanded.
"Don't get cocky, brats! I'll never give you one!" Ooe shouted.
"Looks like you have one though! Welp, guess it's time to use brute force!" Skull declared.
"Yeah, let's do this!" Lycan cheered as Ooe transformed into his Shadow form, Yamata-no-Orochi. The Phantom Thieves beat the crap out of the Shadow, with Joker and Noir targeting his weakness to psychic magic until he transformed back into Ooe. "And that's the first letter of introduction for us!"
"Please keep the truth of that subway accident a secret…" Ooe begged.
"How about… No," Crow said, causally pulling out his gun and shooting the cognition in the head, defeating it. When the others looked at him funny he shrugged. "What? He's going to be accused anyway when I turn myself in. I did keep a list of everyone that hired my services so there's no need to make a promise to the cognitive version of Ooe."
Queen shook her head. "In any case… it turns out Principal Kobayakawa was connected to Shido after all… No wonder he was adamant about me digging up information on the Phantom Thieves."
"Still, I can't believe Shido just killed him so nonchalantly…" Panther said.
"The entire nation is underwater in his Palace. He must feel nothing toward one measly educator," Omen scoffed. "I'm more surprised about the cognitive politician turning into a full Shadow like that. That's never happened before."
"No… That Ooe fellow just now wasn't a cognition," Mona shook his head.
"But he had the memories and appearance of an actual person…" Omen pointed out.
"He was probably a Shadow fused with a cognition… it's like making a Shadow wear human skin," Oracle guessed.
"I've never seen anything like that before… such power is normally impossible," Mona admitted.
"Shido was the one who destroyed the research made by Wakaba Ishiki. He most likely took the results of that research for his own purposes," Crow speculated.
"Shido…" Oracle growled.
"For all we know, Shido could have some hidden trick that allows him to tamper with his own Palace. We need to be especially careful from here on out!" Mona warned. With their first letter obtained, the Phantom Thieves proceeded up a nearby elevator into the Mid-Starboard Hallway.
"Oh, hold on a sec, you guys!" Oracle called as they started crossing a threshold. It was too late, however, as in a puff of smoke the Phantom Thieves had all been transformed into mice.
"Wait, what the shit!? W-We're… mice!?" Lycan exclaimed.
"This is prepawsterous! …Or something like that," Fox mused.
"Ugh, go to Hell, Inari. Can you just come back here?" Oracle groaned. The team ran back into the hallway, reverting back to their normal selves.
"Thank goodness, we're human again!" Noir sighed in relief.
"Looks like we turn back when we leave the affected range. It's not really a big deal," Oracle said.
"It most certainly is a big deal! Explained what just happened to us!" Panther demanded.
"It seems like people who Shido views as "intruders" turn into mice near those Shido statues," Oracle explained, pointing to the large gold Shido statue in the next room.
"So we're nothing but rodents to him, huh? That irritating," Mona scowled.
"I agree, but we need to be extra careful when we're in mouse form. We won't be able to open doors, and any enemy we try to fight in that state'll beat us to a pulp," Oracle said.
"So all we can do is hide? I guess we'll have to change to a completely defensive strategy…" Queen said. "I hope we can find a secret passage to get through there…"
Even as mice the Phantom Thieves were quick on their feet, using their smaller sizes to fit into vents and sneak past the Shadows. After fumbling round the corridors Joker eventually found an odd lamp switch that when activated turned off the transformative effects of the Shido statues. This let the team have free reign to take out the Shadows and even collect a Will Seed on the floor before finding another elevator and heading on out to the Pool Deck.
"Whoa, this pool's gigantic!" Oracle said in awe. "It's hard to believe this is even on the ship!"
"Our target's here, right? Some sort of former noble guy?" Panther recalled.
Mona nodded. "Yeah. Let's find him and get a hold of his letter of introduction!"
Exploring around the pool, it wasn't hard to figure out which of the cognitions was the former noble. "Hey dude, got a sec?" Skull approached casually. "Uh… Nice day today, huh? …Actually, m-maybe not. I-I wanna go swimming in the pool! Yeah! …It's your turn, Panther."
"What!?" Panther exclaimed, before sighing and approaching the cognition. "U-Um, h-hello there. We really would like to speak with you…"
"We won't take much of your time. Will you listen?" Omen asked.
"Please, sir," Noir added.
"Sorry, but please leave me be. I don't have time for you rowdy children," the former noble replied.
"Hey, you little…!" Lycan growled.
"We apologize for our lack of manners," Crow butted in, holding the hellhound back. "We need to retreat and rethink our strategy. Let us go."
"The hell's up with that guy!? Did he really have to be acting all high and mighty like that!?" Skull exclaimed.
"First of all, you approached him with a "Hey dude," so that was your first mistake," Omen pointed out. "Second, I don't think he was going to listen to us anyways. He reminds me of some of the nobles in Hell, which means he won't give us the time of day unless we know what he wants."
Noir nodded in agreement. "Let's speak to the people around here. Perhaps we'll learn more about that man's temperament."
"At the very least we may gather some clues to this situation," Crow agreed.
"Guess it's better than nothing. Let's sniff out some clues!" Lycan declared. "…Damn it, I did not mean to make that pun." After speaking to the other pool goers, Skull suddenly got an idea that involved them breaking into the swimsuit rental hut. One smashed-in vent later and the gang had free access to the room.
"Wait here and I'll be right back!" Skull said, going into the back.
"What's he up to? I have a really bad feeling about this…" Panther sighed.
"It's perfect…" Skull laughed. "This'll totally work!"
"Skull… You have quite a scary look on your face," Queen noted.
"Actually, it's creepy," Oracle shuttered.
"Don't worry about that. Come on, let's head back to where that former… noble dude is!" Skull waved them off.
"…Oh, fuck me," Omen and Lycan said as they realized what Skull's plan was. His "plan" as it turns out was to play on the noble's perviness by having the girls approach him wearing swimsuits.
"You better hope he's into furries…" Lycan growled as she pinched at one of her bikini straps. "And only Templar is allowed to stare at me, got it!?"
"L-Lycan!" Templar stuttered, already blushing up a storm.
"Haven't you seen her in a bikini twice now, dude?" Skull sighed.
"I wanna go home…" Oracle lamented.
"Are we really going to do this?" Queen questioned.
"We're counting on you," Joker said. 'Damn, now I wish we did invite Kasumi to join us,' he thought.
"This is for our plan, huh…" Omen groaned.
"If you guys don't hurry, he's gonna go off somewhere!" Skull shouted.
"You better hope this works…" Crow said as the girls went and approached the former noble.
"What do you want?" the cognition asked the girls.
"Um, would you grant us a letter of introduction to Shido?" Noir asked.
"A letter of introduction, you say?" he laughed. "I would never give one to some nobodies like yourselves."
"A nobody?" Noir gasped.
"I've made my decision to only introduce those with a prestigious lineage," the former noble explained. "No matter how beautiful you girls may look on the outside, your ancestry cannot be changed."
Omen stepped forward, hands on her hips. "Well then, I guess you'll just have to deal with the consequences of my father's wrath. A shame too, since I think our noble families could have benefitted from an alliance."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" the cognition questioned.
"I am Princess Octavia Goetia of the Ars Goetia, the longest noble lineage in the world," Omen introduced herself. "These girls are the daughters of my retainers and should be treated with just as much respect as I."
"What?" Oracle whispered.
Queen caught on to what was happening and spoke up, "Oh, yes. Lady Octavia treats us quite well."
"Ah… Are you half British, Octavia-chan?" the noble asked.
"I am," Omen nodded.
"Your features are definitely different from Japanese girls. One can easily tell at a glance," the cognition said.
Omen gave a haughty laugh. "Please sir, you flatter me! I was raised to the highest standards of the noble class, so you'll have to do more than complimenting my good looks to get back in my good graces."
"I see… I sense a noble aura that is different from your servants," the noble said.
"Servants?" Lycan growled.
"Lineage is absolute. No matter how much effort a commoner exerts, it is a gap that cannot be filled," the cognition went on.
Omen gave a smirk and flipped back her hair. "You're absolutely correct. I do feel a little sorry for these girls."
"For real!?" Oracle gasped.
"By the by, about the letter of introduction… If you'd be so generous to grant me one, I'll consider introducing your to my father," Omen offered.
"Oh? Then consider it my way of sending my regards to him," the noble replied.
"Thank you kindly," Omen said.
"But goodness, do you look great in that swimsuit. And such an amazing body as well. You look like you could be a model," the noble said.
"Oh no…" Omen said, sweating from the pervy looks the guy was giving her.
He suddenly grabbed her hand. "Did you make sure to put on sunscreen? As members of prestigious family lines, why don't we get on more intimate terms? Come now, you peasant servants should take off. You're making her embarrassed."
Omen frowned and swiftly backhanded the guy, sending him flying back into his lounge chair. "Don't touch me, you perv!" she shouted. "Now that I'm done using you- get away, you creep! This guy's a molester!"
"What the-" the cognition exclaimed as the girl's Phantom Thief attire returned, with the guys running in to surround the noble. "How dare you set me up like this!"
"It's your fault for being easily deceived," Crow chuckled darkly.
"We're doing this!" Panther said as the man transformed into his Shadow form, Forneus. After some lightning gravity spells from Skull, Omen, and Joker, the Shadow was down and the second letter of introduction was theirs for the taking. "Were you asking Shido for mental shutdowns too?" Panther questioned the noble after he turned back to normal.
"…Contrary to past methods, gaining wealth by lineage alone is quite difficult these days. That's why I begged to be allowed onto Lord Shido's ship. In return to introducing wealthy nobles to him, I requested he enact mental shutdowns for me," the noble revealed.
"I see… So this system of introductions is taking place in reality as well," Fox said.
"Lord Shido is extremely cautious about the passengers he chooses," the noble said.
"He's screening potential associates to find wealthy people who won't betray him… That would explain every cognition we've seen wearing a mask. He isn't deceived by outward appearances," Crow said.
"In any case, Octavia… that was an impressive display of acting skills. Even better than Lycan's were during our nude incident," Fox complimented.
"H-Hey!" Lycan blushed.
"I just channeled the energy I've seen Mom use during her negotiations. Despite her past behavior, she does have a way of controlling a conversation," Omen replied. Heading out of the pool area and into the next set of hallways, the Phantom Thieves had to deal with more mouse puzzles and Fox's mouse puns.
"Fox, I swear that you're worse than my dad…" Lycan grumbled, before her nose picked up on something. "Wait, that smell… What is that!?" She raced off down the hall, coming across an obvious trap with cheese set inside. "I don't know what's gotten into me, but the cheese… it's calling to me!"
"Don't it's a trap!" Templar exclaimed. "…But it does smell really, really good." Soon all of the Phantom Thieves sans Oracle were trapped inside of the cage, happily munching on cheese (which somehow restored their magic points, don't ask). After laughing a bit Oracle did use her Persona to spring them all free of the trap.
"I'm embarrassed that I fell for such an obvious ploy…" Crow sighed. "I did not expect cheese to be so hypnotizing in the eyes of mice…"
"Indeed, none of us could stop ourselves. It was simply too delectable," Omen nodded.
"I must say though, the sight of all of us gorging ourselves, as mice, on a single piece of cheese… What a spectacle," Fox mused.
"But, was that cheese… even safe to eat?" Queen wondered.
"I don't think we have to worry about that, at least- I didn't sense any danger from it," Mona replied.
"I actually feel somewhat refreshed having eaten that," Noir added.
"Regardless, let's get this puzzle solved so we can find our next letter of recommendation," Joker said. With that the team went scampering through the hallways, turning off the mouse statues and taking out Shadows until they made it through to the next area, which happened to be the Back Deck of the cruiser.
"Holy shit, are those SWAT Shadows!?" Lycan whispered as they ducked into cover.
"He looks way tougher than the other ones… You think they're tightening security?" Skull questioned.
"It wouldn't be surprising. We've taking down two targets, after all," Crow nodded.
"Let's proceed forward cautiously," Mona warned. The group went down to the bottom of the area to get to the entertainment hall, only for a voice to call out to them.
"Yo, stop right there. I'm talking to you guys. Come over here for a sec," it was a Shadow, and a vulgar one at that.
"Wait, does he mean us?" Panther questioned.
"He looks super dangerous! I don't wanna get involved, even if he's just some old cognitive thing!" Oracle exclaimed.
"What're you punks mumbling about? I hear you've been making quite a mess in here," the Shadow said.
"Who are you, anyways?" Lycan retorted, not fazed by the man.
"I'm the one asking questions around here. Now, drink some salt water and reflect on what you did. I'm leaving this to you guys. I don't got time to waste on little punks like these," the Shadow scoffed.
"Salt water!?" Skull exclaimed. "Does that mean…" But the man sicked a Shadow on the team, so they didn't have time to talk. Joker and Crow tore through the Shadows with Bless skills, but the man from before had disappeared.
"What was that man all about?" Templar wondered.
"We did cause a scene at both the restaurant and the pool. Somebody has to clean up the mess," Noir pointed out. "Wait a second… "Clean up the mess"?"
"That man must have been the cleaner we were looking for!" Omen realized. "Now I wish we had the chance to face him now instead of trying to find him again…"
"It should be pretty easy to find him though. We just gotta disturb the peace somehow," Oracle pointed out.
"But doing so would have an adverse effect on us find the other letters of introduction," Queen countered. "Let's leave him for last and hurry over to the other two first."
"In that case, our next target should be the TV station president in the entertainment hall head," Crow said. "Let us go, Joker." Going into the Entertainment Hall, Omen couldn't help but think of Sae's Palace with all of the slot machines that were inside the room. Spreading out across the floor, the Phantom Thieves eventually found the TV station president they were looking for.
"So, how are we going to do this? Want me to beat the letter out of him?" Lycan offered.
"Let me handle this," Noir spoke up.
"For real?" Skull said with surprise.
Mona nodded with a smile. "I'll allow it. You've got this, Noir."
"Yes, Senpai!" Noir replied before going over and introducing herself to the man.
"A letter of introduction? But you're so obviously a child," the station president questioned.
"I am Haru Okumura, daughter of the president of Okumura Foods. I believe we sponsored you as well," Noir introduced herself.
"Oh, you're her? It's true that I'm quite indebted to President Okumura. He funded us extremely well, after all. However, it looks like he got a little carried away. My condolences. Regarding his exploiting management… Mr. Shido asked me to defend him as much as I could. I even threw some extra security his way, but there were limits to what I could do. The damage almost reached up to Mr. Shido himself. President Okumura had to be cut off."
"Cut off…" Noir repeated.
"It seems he didn't just cast him off his ship, but also used him to trap the Phantom Thieves. Bravo, Mr. Shido. Truly a nasty maneuver."
Noir breathed out hard through her nose. "…Won't you please give me a letter of recommendation? One our company recover, I will arrange for us to cooperate with you in a sponsorship role."
The station president shook his head. "You're the daughter of the late president. Do you really have the authority to do that? Your employees probably resent you… Well, that's not important. I'm in your father's debt, after all. I can repay some kindness to his daughter."
"Thank you… very much…" Noir said after getting the letter.
"But my, your father truly was a fool. He could've lived a life of luxury if only he'd done as he was told. You know, I'm the one who broadcast the moment of his mental shutdown. Our ratings shot up cause of that!"
As the man laughed, Noir grit her teeth. "…Stop it. How could you talk about my father's death like that?"
Hm? That's just business. If you like, we can get you in a documentary. "Overcoming death to rebuild a family company"…You're so cute you might just get good ratings."
The man laughed again, which was the last straw for Noir. "I will not forgive you for that! You had better apologize to my father!"
"Uh oh, that guy's scent just got deadly…" Lycan growled.
"Time to save her!" Mona declared as the team ran in.
The Shadow looked to the group in shock. "Are you… thieves!?" He then transformed into Hanuman, with his minions turning into Garuda. Skull and Templar focused their skills on taking out the Garuda, while Joker and Fox exploited Hanuman's weakness to ice, and Noir helped out by putting up reflective barriers that sent Hanuman's attack right back at him! Soon the battle was over with and the letter was safely secured.
"I assume as part of the media, you have knowledge about quite a few important topics. We will not take your life, as long as you share the knowledge you've kept from the public," Noir said to the defeated the Shadow.
"Remember that… Kaneshiro guy? The one from the mafia who ended up on the news a while back? Well, the money he was gathering all went to Shido-san," the Shadow revealed.
"Shido and Kaneshiro were connected?" Queen said with surprise.
"Indeed- as well as that old man Madarame. His counterfeit business, along with Kaneshiro's mafia, aided Shido-san quite a lot financially."
"That makes sense… the two event had connections to demons, with Kaneshiro enslaving Blitz's sister and Madarame selling his art to my uncle…" Omen said.
"I understand now…" Fox nodded.
Skull looked at the Shadow with disgust. "Hey, you were forcing the news to be all about Akechi, Shido, and now Striker all the time, right? I'm sick of 'em! …Wait, this guy's not a real person. Telling him ain't gonna do shit for us."
"True, and you can keep my name off your tongue in that regard now," Crow commented. As the team moved to the nearest safe room, the ace detective took a moment to speak his mind about something. "I suppose now that I'm part of the team that I should give more… personal information about myself. I was an undesirable child. I wanted people to rely on me… I wanted to be needed… I devoted myself to my studies, acted as an honor student, and made a name as an ace detective. And thanks to the Meta-Nav and the Persona bestowed upon me by that entity… I managed to dispose of any who got in my way."
"Sounds to me like you've got major parental abandonment issues," Lycan said. "Which I mean, I kinda get, being an orphan myself, but you also still murdered a bunch of people just to get attention, so…"
"Says the daughter of an assassination business," Omen pointed out. "Still, I feel like you have a personal stake in this as well, Crow. What brought you to working under Shido in the first place?"
"…That's a story for another time," Crow replied. "I think getting three letters of introduction in one day is a good enough start. Let us depart the Palace for now and get the last two letters another time."
"Sounds good to me. I was running low on SP from all of the battles we've had," Joker nodded.
As the group left the Palace for the day, Omen couldn't help but wonder to herself, 'Akechi, just what is your tie to Shido…?'
[***]
November 26
While securing the route to Shido's Treasure was important, Ren also found it important to check in on his confidants as well. Thus, he and Loona were off to Untouchable the next night to check in with Iwai. The man looked at the duo as they entered, a rare smile on his face. "Something crazy happened. I got a call from Tsuda. I want to tell you the details."
"Let's hear it," Ren said.
"Come to the back… you can drop the human disguise there," Iwai replied, looking at Loona. The hellhound shrugged, shedding her disguise as soon as they were secure in the back. "Tsuda rang me up a while back. Told me to forget everything he was threating me with. I honestly thought it was some kinda joke at first, but I ain't seen or heard from his since. Y'know, it almost felt like I was talking to the old Tsuda somehow. My sworn brother… Hey, you think a guy can really go through a drastic change that quick?"
"I dunno," Ren shrugged.
"What kinda answer is that?" Iwai scoffed. "I ain't one to talk, but you should prolly think about taking this a little more seriously, kid."
"Maybe he got scared that a "kitsune" was going to bite his head off," Loona said with a smirk.
Iwai sighed. "I don't care if you were involved or not… but Tsuda changing is a real load off my shoulders. Oh, and this prolly means our deal is through with, huh? I mean, your end of the bargain was driving Tsuda away… and you did that and then some. One more thing… I know I kinda fired you 'n all, but d'you think you'd maybe wanna keep working here with me? I understand kids these days have all sortsa commitments, so I get it if the answer's gotta be no…"
"If you pay us well," Loona replied.
Iwai chuckled. "Heh, looks like you still got your courage. Just don't go expecting me to make the job any easier just because you're a kitsune, y'hear? I'll be counting on you kids. I mean, um… Loona and Ren. All right, first order of business is taking out the trash. C'mon, we gotta get rid of these prototypes. Disassemble 'em and wipe the prints off before we toss 'em though, OK? Oh, and I'm not letting you leave 'til they're done."
As Iwai stepped back out to the counter, Ren and Loona shared a look. "Melt these things down with your powers?" the hellhound suggested.
Ren nodded, holding up his hand as dark energy gathered in it. "Already on it," he nodded.
[***]
November 27
"Kana-chan and I have been sending tons of emails back and forth lately," Futaba told Ren and Loona. The trio were meeting up to see how far the hacker girl's progress was on her promise list. "She said she wants to go back to school next year, but she might not have the money… As for me, I… I'm gonna go back."
"You've really matured," Ren complimented.
Futaba laughed. "I think I've gained like fifty levels in the past few months, and it's all cause of you, Ren and Loona! And I mean, sure I hated elementary school, but I met Kana-chan there, so… maybe it wasn't all bad. The same goes for high school. Even if I hate it, I know something positive will come from it."
"If you say so. I never went to public school and I turned out great," Loona chuckled.
"But… I still have to do one last item on my promise list," Futaba said seriously. ""Being okay without you around"…Honestly, I've bene feeling kinda weird lately… My heart's been beating real fast when we're together… Then even when we're apart, I can't stop thinking about you…"
"Are you okay, Futaba?" Ren asked.
She shook her head. "Not at all. I'm more like… no-kay. But then again, I feel good too… By the way, um… can I ask you a favor? It's a pretty big one… Can we skip that last promise?"
"No way," Loona smirked.
"Y-You demon…" Futaba said. "I know you're only being strict 'cause it'll help me, but… I just, can't be okay without you around. Life doesn't feel the same when you're not with me. I mean, er, not like that, but… I dunno… You two are always so nice to me, kinda like Sojiro is… That makes sense for him though. I mean, he's basically my dad. But you don't have a reason like that so… why are you so nice?"
Ren felt a paper in his pocket. Octavia had given it to him to share with Loona and Futaba, and now seemed like the right time to bring it up. "Remember that test Octavia's dad was going to perform? What if we checked those results?"
"Seriously? You've got the results?" Loona questioned.
Ren nodded, pulling out the paper. "I'll let you two read it first," he said.
Loona took the paper, using a claw to slice it open and pull out the contents inside. "Let's see… Blah, blah, blah… Genetics bullshit… DNA comparisons… Blah, blah, blah… The results say that Loona and Futaba share a common ancestry on their father's side-"
"What!? Lemme see!" Futaba shouted, snatching the papers from Loona. She speed-read through them, her eyes getting wider by the second until she got to the bottom of the last page. "So, i-it's true then… Loona and I are sisters… And Wepwawet is our dad?"
"Bio-dad," Loona corrected. "I don't care if some old fossil is half of what birthed me into the world, Blitz is my real dad, and Sojiro is yours."
"Yeah but…" Futaba's face was alight with a blush as she transformed into her hellhound form. "Knowing that I have a sister is pretty cool too, don't you think?"
Loona couldn't keep her tail from wagging. "Yeah, okay, it is pretty cool-" She let out a grunt as Futaba almost tackled her into a hug. "O-Okay, Futaba. Ease up a bit!"
"Don't kill her right after you found out about your sisterhood," Ren joked.
"No way! I wanna savor this moment! This is a big end game level plot twist!" Futaba laughed. She eventually let up on the hug and calmed down a bit. "So… Now what? Do we do some sister bonding or something?"
Loona scratched the back of her head. "Honestly, I have no clue. Never really thought I'd have a sibling, or what siblings even do. So… how about we just keep on doing what we've already been doing?"
"Huh?" Futaba tilted her head in confusion.
"You two were already close before this, now you just have even more of an excuse to get to know each other better," Ren stepped in. "You bond is strong, but now it can grow into something stronger."
"And I have more of an excuse to beat the shit out of anyone that tries to bully you," Loona said with a smirk.
Futaba laughed at her sister's response. "That would be funny, but you might also get arrested… Wow, I have a sister… This is so crazy, but a good kinda crazy… I have Sojiro and Loona now as family…"
"I mean, the Phantom Thieves are almost like a family too, if you think about it," Loona shrugged.
"Even Akechi?" Ren asked.
"Don't push it," Futaba and Loona said at the same time.
Ren held up his hands in surrender. "Okay then. Just know that your teammates will be here to back you up at any time as well, Futaba."
"I get that. I know how much I care about my teammates, and you, Ren, are my key item!" Futaba affirmed with a smile. "From now on, I'm going to devote every fiber of my being into supporting my family and you guys! It's gonna be great!" She laughed and gave Loona another big hug. "Futaba has joined the party! Futaba is beaming at Loona! Futaba attacks! Fatal damage to Loona! Wait a second… That's not what family is supposed to do…"
"Maybe you can show me some of your games so I can actually get half of what you reference," Loona chuckled.
"Sounds like a promise!" Futaba nodded. "And no, Ren, we're not adding it to the list!"
"Damn…" Ren cursed, making the two girls laugh. He was happy that the two had finally learned of their deeper relationship to each other and was interested to see where this newly found bond would take them. 'Maybe even figure out where their bio-dad even went off to…'
[***]
Iwai: Remember when I was I was going to give ya a hard time? Well, I got a job for ya.
Ren: We'll be right there.
Iwai: You'll be working in the shop today. Hurry on over, part-timer.
"Be careful with this gun. If anyone's interested in buying it, lemme know right away," Iwai instructed. "This things' an antique. I'm not gonna sell it to anyone less than a real gun expert. Oh, and about Tsuda… I heard he got excommunicated from the clan. Apparently his boss found out about what happened. Serves him right, huh?"
"You sure he's still alive?" Loona questioned. "I know that mafia-type guys don't like to leave loose ends like that."
Iwai nodded. "…Think so. Pretty big relief, assuming it's true. I mean sure, the bastard pissed me off, but I never once wish he'd up and die on me. This whole thing's been real crazy though. I mean, Tsuda used to be the role model for upholding the code… I guess this is what he meant when he said times're changing…"
Suddenly his whole went off, which Iwai picked up and answered. "Hello? Oh, it's you. If you wanna talk about Tsuda- Wait, what!? The hell're you doing…!? You motherfucker! Hey, hold on!" He hung up the phone in anger. "Damnit! That bastard Masa's abducted Kaoru!"
"Who's Masa?" Ren asked.
"From the Hashiba Clan! That guy you eavesdropped on at the diner, remember!?" Iwai reminded them. "God, that piece of shit…! He knew about Tsuda's failure the whole time… I bet he was just wating for a chance like this!"
"We should hurry," Loona said, dropping her human disguise.
Iwai nodded. "Right. They're over at Seaside Park. I'll grab the keys 'n lock up! Come on, let's go!" The trio quickly made their way to Seaside Park, with Loona hiding in the shadows as Iwai and Ren confronted Masa. The man was holding up Kaoru at knifepoint, and it made Loona's blood boil just seeing a kid being exploited like this. "…Let Kaoru go," Iwai demanded.
"Take it easy, Mune-san. All I did was give him a friendly ride home from cram school," Masa said. "Ain't that right, Kaoru-kun?"
"Dad… I'm sorry. He said he had some stuff to tell me about you…" Kaoru apologized. "Then, he…"
"Kaoru…" Iwai said.
"Man, ain't he just a great kid?" Masa smirked.
"Cut the bullshit," Ren growled, eyes glowing behind his glasses.
"And what are you, Mune-san's little errand boy?" Masa mocked. "Wait… I remember you. You're that weirdo from the diner."
"I said, let Kaoru go!" Iwai shouted.
"Fuck off. I heard you the first time," Masa scoffed.
"…So, what are you gonna make me do?" Iwai sighed.
"Great question. Y'know those modded guns you were gonna give Tsuda? It'd be real nice to get my hands on 'em. There's a lieutenant spot open now that Tsuda's gone, but I still need to prove my worth before I can get it," Masa explained. "And you're gonna help me do just that."
Iwai crossed his arms. "Sorry Masa, but you got some real shitty timing. We just broke 'em all down. There's nothing left."
"You think that's gonna dissuade me?" Masa questioned "…Y'know, I know everything about Kaoru-kun's situation."
"What…?" Iwai gasped.
"My… situation?" Kaoru questioned. "Dad? What does he mean!?"
"Don't you remember what I told you in the car, Kaoru-kun?" Masa said. "About your dad? About what he thinks of you?"
"R-Right…" Kaoru looked down. "I'm just… a burden, aren't I? That's it, isn't it? Tell me, Dad. I can handle the truth!"
"That ain't true! I'm trying to protect you, Kaoru!" Iwai replied.
"Hey, this family bullshit is touching 'n all, but we're supposed to be negotiating here, remember?" Masa spoke up. "Why don't we start with a delivery date? The sooner the better, in my book."
"You bastard…!" Iwai cursed.
"Oh, don't gimme that shit. None of this would be happening if you didn't go 'n take that brat in," Masa scoffed.
"I knew it… Everything is my fault…" Kaoru despaired.
"Kaoru…" Iwai whispered.
Ren looked to Iwai. "You need to trust your son," he said.
"Ren…" Iwai gasped.
"Hey, what are you two chatting about over there?" Masa asked.
Iwai looked to his son. "Kaoru, listen… There's something I've been keeping from you for a while now… and you're prolly not gonna like it. Truth is, your parents didn't die in a car crash. You were abandoned by your mother when you were still a baby. That's why I took you in. Believe it or not… I was actually part of the yakuza back then."
"What…?" Kaoru gasped.
"Oh man! I can't believe you freaking told him, Mune!" Masa laughed. "He's not lying, Kaoru. From what I heard, your mom tried to sell you to us just so she could get her hands on some easy drug money!"
"Sell me…?" Kaoru gasped.
Masa laughed again. "Yup! Then when Mune here wasn't buying, she just dumped you and ran! And that's how you ended up with a yakuza dad. Pretty crazy, huh!? Ah, that's a relief! I've been trying to hold that in all day long. I couldn't wait to see the look on your face when you found out! Man, this is hilarious. Boo freaking hoo, how sad… Ahahaha!"
"Enough," Kaoru suddenly said. "All of that might be true… but it's in the past now! I'm not a child anymore, and I'd never let a stupid secret like that get to me!"
"Huh!?" Masa said in shock.
Kaoru went on, "So what if my mom dumped me!? Or if my dad was part of the yakuza!? We might not be related by blood, but we're connected by the gecko…! So you know what? I don't care what you have to say about us! I'm me, and Munehisa Iwai… is my dad!"
Iwai smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "Attaboy, Kaoru. Listen, Masa… Let's put an end to this, right here, right now. We can start fresh."
"You seriously still don't get it, do you?" Masa scoffed. "Kaoru-kun's-"
"Nah man, you're the one who doesn't get it," Loona said, before jumping from the shadows and pouncing on the man. Masa screamed in fear as the hellhound quickly disarmed him, before going into a roll and launching the man into the nearby river. "Yeah, that's what you get, asshole!"
"A-A kitsune!?" Kaoru shouted in shock.
"Damn, I was about to come in with a witty line myself," Tsuda said, suddenly appearing to the group. "So I guess that kitsune I saw was real…
"Tsuda!?" Iwai exclaimed.
"I knew Masa ratted me out to the boss. He never was good at keeping his mouth shut," Tsuda revealed. "You're kid's got guts, Mune. Like father like son, huh?"
"Looks like it," Iwai nodded. "So, what now?"
"First, we fish that idiot out of the river, then he'll start repaying his debts. I haven't thought much about what happens next," Tsuda replied. "All I know is… this is where we say goodbye, Mune."
"Help, I can't swim!" Masa's panicked voice shouted.
Loona sighed. "Fine, I go make sure he doesn't die… yet." She hopped over the railing and grabbed Masa by the back of the shirt, tossing him back up to the street where Tsuda held him at gunpoint.
"Guess this all worked out in the end," Ren mused. "Just keep the whole kitsune thing on the down-low, okay?"
"Oh don't worry, I don't think anyone would believe that a kitsune actually appeared. You've got some strange business partners now, Mune," Tsuda chuckled.
"…Take care, brother," Iwai said as Tsuda dragged Masa off. "Are you okay, Kaoru?"
"Yeah, I was a little afraid… but it's all better now," Kaoru nodded.
"Heh. Honestly, I'm surprised you stayed calm through all that," Loona laughed. "Seriously, you're way more mature that Iwai makes you out to be."
"He's a cool kid, huh?" Ren nodded.
"Heh, damn right he is. Though he ain't much of a kid anymore…" Iwai agreed. "Y'know, I've been so busying making sure he doesn't end up like me that I forgot to see who he's actually becoming. Heh… I can't believe I'm only just realizing that now. And it's all thanks to you kids. I appreciate it… for real."
"Any time, Iwai," Loona said with a lazy salute and a smirk.
"Hey, all that excitement made me super hungry…" Kaoru voiced. "Why don't we go back to that diner?"
Iwai sighed. "You seriously eat on a whole 'nother level… You might even end up taller than me someday. C'mon, let's head over there."
"Let's go!" Kaoru cheered. Loona grinned and put her human disguise back on, the four of them going to celebrate their victory over Masa and the strengthened bond between father and son.
[***]
November 28
After the previously eventful day, Ren decided to check in on the rooftop garden with Haru and Collin, the cherub greeting their team leader as he stepped through the door. "We're getting good results on these vegetables, Ren! Haru really has a green thumb," Collin said.
"We are almost done here, though. Sorry that you came up here just as we finished our work," Haru apologized. "Although… If you have the time, I found a place that serves an especially rare type of coffee. Wouldn't you be interested in joining us there?"
"Sure. It better be good, though. Sojiro has spoiled me on what quality coffee is," Ren joked.
Haru smiled. "Then it's decided. This particular restaurant is an expensive hotel buffet. Hopefully the coffee lives up to that reputation." The trio were soon off after Haru and Collin changed into their regular clothes, arriving at the hotel to try this rare coffee. "Do you remember how I mentioned before about my newfound interest in coffee? Well, I've decided to start studying the topic more seriously by going to places like this. I've been keeping it a secret from my fiancé, though. You see, just a single cup of the Dark Ivory coffee here costs roughly six thousand yen."
"What!? That's Greed-level prices," Collin exclaimed.
"It must be amazing if it's that expensive," Ren mused.
Haru nodded. "I've heard it is. Apparently the beans they use are exceedingly rare. Either way, perhaps we should try it before passing judgement… Well, shall we order? I'll be paying for your cups as well."
"I can't let you do that, Haru," Collin said.
Haru giggled. "That's very noble of you. But allow me to handle this. I invited you both, after all. Hm. I wonder how it will taste." The trio ordered the Black Ivory coffee and waited until they had the cups and saucers in front of them. "Well, here I go…"
"There's a faint bitterness beneath the strangely mellow flavor…" Ren muttered to himself. "It's distinct from what Sojiro serves at Leblanc for sure…"
"…It has a distinctly fragrant aroma, paired with a mild flavor," Haru voiced. "This is undoubtedly delicious, yet… I would barely consider it coffee. Apparently it's brewed using beans gathered from elephant dung."
"WHAT!?" Collin exclaimed, almost dropping his human disguise out of shock as he comically spit his coffee all over Ren's face. "Oh, sorry about that, Ren."
The half-Goetia stared at the cherub unamused as he grabbed a napkin and wiped his face off. "I can taste the elephant…" Ren said sarcastically.
Haru giggled sheepishly. "I apologize for not disclosing that to you earlier. I just thought you might find it hard to enjoy if you had known ahead of time. I was surprised to hear it at first myself, but that was actually why I wanted to try it to begin with. Another rare type of coffee, kopi luwak, is gathered from the feces of a small cat called a civet. Interestingly enough, the flavor differs depending on what animal it was originally consumed by. Speaking of cats, do you think Mona-chan would be able to…?"
"Let's ask him," Ren suggested.
"Please don't make me drink cat-poop coffee…" Collin groaned.
"Perhaps it could become Leblanc's new specialty drink," Haru giggled. "Oh, but we need Mona-chan for our operations, huh? We can't afford to make him eat beans all day… Hm… Coffee is so profound…"
It was then that a man in a suit came up to the table. "Haru-chan?"
"T-Takakura-san!?" Haru gasped.
"What a strange place for us to meet. It's not often I see people your age at this luxurious buffet," Takakura said. He looked over at Ren and Collin. "And who are these two?"
"Oh, they're friends from school," Haru answered. "Ren-kun, Collin-kun, this is Takakura-san, the new president of Okumura Foods."
"It's nice to meet you, sir," Collin greeted, Ren just giving a nod.
Takakura returned the nod before focusing back on Haru. "By the way, it looks like we will be able to avoid litigation. We somehow settled on decent terms. You don't need to worry. I'm sure you have enough on your plate already, given everything that's happened to you."
"Well, I…" Haru looked down.
"Ah, I'm sorry to bring that up while you three are enjoying yourselves here," Takakura apologized. "That aside, how are things going with Sugimura-san? You know, these days you need to reserve a wedding almost a year in advance if you want a good one. Sometimes it worries me how laid-back you are, Haru-chan."
Haru nodded nervously. "R-Right. We're in the process…"
"Well, I should be heading back to the office now. Oh, but please allow me to pay for your drinks," Takakura offered.
"N-No, that's quite all right," Haru shook her head. "And, um… about the shares… I can handle them for now. I'm going to protect that which my father left for me."
"…I understand. Please do try to reconsider though," Takakura said before giving a bow. "Well, if you'll excuse me."
Once he left, Haru looked down and sighed. "…That was a lie. There's no way I can handle the responsibilities I have to deal with right now. I mean, I'm just an inexperienced high schooler… but I can't leave the company in Takakura-san's hands. Hey, um… what did you think of him?"
"I'm not really sure," Ren replied.
"Agreed. I couldn't really tell if he was being genuine or putting on a nice face," Collin added.
Haru smiled at her friends. "You're both so honest. But… I agree. I really don't know whether or not I can trust him… Right now, the most prevalent rumor about Takakura-san is that he was pleased by my father's passing… I mean, he was certainly the person who stood to benefit the most from it… it's hard to deny that fact. But… he says he's trying to rebuild our company image. I just can't tell if he really means it… You know, sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I didn't have money… if I was normal."
Haru sat up a bit straighter in her chair. "Don't get me wrong, the company is definitely important… but it's often nothing more than a source of stress. With you guys though… I feel like I actually belong. That's why I'm going to work extra hard to make sure my harvests turn out great!"
"Sounds good, Haru," Collin smiled. "By the way, who is Sugimura?"
"That's my fiancé," Haru sighed. "He's been really showering me with presents lately… One night he even left a bouquet of roses on my pillow. But… He would have needed one of my servants to help him accomplish that, right? What a scary thought… Even worse, Takakura-san has been hurrying us to get married after what happened to my father. He claims it's because of the profit the marriage will bring to the company… But there has to be more to the situation than just that."
"Sounds like we need to do some investigation," Ren said.
Haru nodded. "I'll be looking deeper into Takakura-san. Perhaps he truly was pleased by my father's death… Maybe I should start by asking my employees who are trying to desperately to win my favor…"
"You can do it, Haru!" Collin cheered.
"…Hm? You haven't drank any more of your coffee, Collin-kun," Haru noticed. "Aren't you going to finish it?"
"I think I'll… take it to go…" Collin said, not looking at his friends as Ren smirked at the cherub's behavior. 'I'm going to not drink coffee for a while after this… Sorry, Sojiro!' Collin thought as he looked at his Black Ivory coffee in disgust.
Author's Note
The Cruiser of Pride (or Ship of Pride, either name works) is an interesting dungeon. It's nice to learn about how deep Shido's conspiracy goes, but at the same time I don't find the level design and puzzles to be as fun as the casino was. The mice puzzles are funny, though, so getting to have the Helluva Trio react to that was fun, as well as Akechi. Our ace detective is still holding his cards close to the chest, but soon he'll have to tell the team what his true connection to Shido is...
We're rounding out the remaining Confidants before Third Semester, and that means we finally get the full Loona and Futaba sister reveal! I think in regards to that both of them would be excited to find out they're related, but at the same time not sure exactly how being sisters works with how socially awkward they both are. Luckily the rest of team will be there to support them!
The other two confidants were entertaining to write, be it Loona drop kicking Masa into the river or Collin's reaction to the elephant poop coffee. Seriously Haru, that's something you gotta tell a guy up front!