CHAPTER 26:

PALACE OF A GANGSTER

"Well, it's a doozy of a task she's given us, and no mistake," Futaba said the next morning, Harry and Morgana joining her in her bedroom. "Junya Kaneshiro's pretty slippery. I've done some preliminary digging, and it's hard to pin him down. Honestly, most of what I've done with him is through inference. Kaneshiro actually has a number of legitimate businesses under him, and they're pretty unconnected to his criminal gang. I guess he does a bit of money laundering through them. It's only recently that he seems to have started blackmailing students, really. Until now, he's flown under the radar."

"He's gotten greedy," Harry observed. "The drug trade is pretty lucrative, right? It's probably cheap to hire students to ferry the drugs around, even before he blackmails them."

"Yep. He has a hand in amphetamines, party drugs, heroin, all with a hell of a street value," Futaba said. "However, he also recently established a microloans franchise, basically a legitimate loan shark. High interest on relatively small loans. Just barely legal. And there've been complaints of extortion about that loaning service on a BBS. Anonymously, of course. Nobody wants to piss off a gangster."

"So, he is definitely avaricious and greedy," Morgana mused. "We already know his location keyword is Shibuya. So, what would count as his Palace keyword?"

"…Something to do with money?" Futaba asked, as she pulled out her phone. "He's greedy, after all. Money…hmm…it's a bit of a longshot, but there's only one place that truly comes to mind when it comes to accumulating money, outside of a corporation or a mint. A bank, perhaps?"

"Keyword found," the MetaNav intoned.

"Holy crap, that's…scary." Futaba closed down the app and turned her phone off. "I didn't expect to get it in one go."

"That has disturbing implications, though," Morgana said. "It means that he views the entirety of Shibuya as his…well, bank. Goodness knows how he views people in his Palace."

"It can't be good, whatever it is," Harry said. "Next time we act as Phantom Thieves, we do a recce. We need to find out what troubles we might have to deal with. And we do it smart, try not to draw his attention to us. I mean, Kaneshiro in reality, not his Shadow. The last thing we want is to have a gangster with a penchant for extortion trying it on us."

"Oh, it's more than extortion, Harry," Futaba said. "It's like Sae said, he's rumoured to have a grasp on a good chunk of the sex industry in Tokyo, especially in the Shibuya area. Most of it's legal, but there are whispers that he's roped in debtors lately to pay their bills via prostituting themselves. It's rumour, but Sae seemed to think it happened, and I wouldn't be surprised."

"…That's sickening," Harry growled. "If he really is doing that, he's a nasty piece of work."

"Then let's contact the others," Morgana said. "Akira can decide when to do this recce…"


Akira decided on that very afternoon, after school. Sirius had to work, though Futaba had decided to come along this time. She sold it to Sojiro as going on a shopping trip to Shibuya with Akira and his friends.

When they arrived at the meeting place, of a relatively unused walkway in Shibuya Station, the tension in the air was thick. Ryuji and Ann were glaring at Makoto. Kitagawa was somewhat indifferent, while Akira was trying to act as a peacemaker.

"…Still not happy about this," Ryuji said as Harry, Futaba and Morgana arrived.

"Yes, Sakamoto, you and Takamaki have made that very clear," Makoto said, folding her arms. "Unfortunately, we need to make the most of a bad situation."

"Trouble in paradise?" Harry asked facetiously, trying to lighten the mood.

Kitagawa looked up from a sketch he was working on. "Unfortunately, Miss Nijima's presence is not proving salutary to Ryuji and Ann."

Makoto nodded. "And it gets worse. Principal Kobayakawa has asked me to search for the Phantom Thieves. He already suspects that they're amongst the student body, given what happened with Kamoshida. He's dangled a scholarship reference as a huge carrot, while hinting that Sis' reputation may be tarnished if I don't. Where does he get off on saying that?"

Ann sneered. "That tub of lard is more concerned with covering his own rear than helping the students. Hiring Dr Maruki was a token gesture. And Dr Maruki is nice and actually competent, don't get me wrong, but Kobayakawa is more concerned with appearances and prestige than ensuring students have help."

"I couldn't betray you even if I wanted to, due to the Fidelius," Makoto said. "And after hearing about Kamoshida…if Kobayakawa knew about Kamoshida's abuse, then he's an accomplice. No, I am done sitting on the sidelines. Hence why I am helping you with this Palace."

"What, not because your prosecutor sister asked you to?" Ryuji asked.

"Sae actually wanted to stop Makoto from entering the Palace," Akira pointed out. "Look, I know you're both unhappy with this turn of events, but we've got to deal with it. At least Sae hasn't blackmailed us or anything. Let's just get on with it…"


Travelling into the Palace, they found themselves in Shibuya, walking through it. "Incidentally, you'll need a codename," Akira said. "We're not sure how speaking our real names may affect the cognitions of the Palace Rulers, so it's safer in the Metaverse to use pseudonyms. You already know ours, but we need one for you."

Makoto, who was now in her post-apocalyptic biker outfit, frowned, considering this. Kitagawa mused, "Perhaps 'Rider'?"

"Too much like a smuggler," Makoto said.

"Fixer?" Ann asked.

"Sorry, hard pass, Tak…I mean, Panther," Makoto said.

"…She seems like an empress, just like her sister," Morgana said.

"…Queen, maybe?" Akira said. "Like queen of the biker gang?"

"…Queen, huh?" Ann said. "I…can actually see that."

Morgana nodded. "It fits her so well, well, I'm at a loss for words."

Makoto, after a moment, nodded. "Right then. In the Metaverse, I am 'Queen'. It has a nice ring to it. Now, this trip is a reconnaissance mission more than anything else. Do you have a strategy for it?"

"Just basic investigation, finding out the nature of the cognition and seeing if we can find a way into the Palace proper," Morgana said. "Honestly, while a strategy is good, being a Phantom Thief means that we do have to improvise somewhat."

Ann had turned around, and frowned. "…Are those leaves blowing through the air? No…they're banknotes, aren't they? And…look at the sky."

The sky was a sickly green, and the buildings seemed tainted by this. Morgana, after a moment, said, "Looks like the distortion affects the entire ward of Shibuya."

"Yeah, even with Kamoshida's castle and Madarame's museum, the rest of the city seemed normal," Ryuji said. "How big can a Palace get, Mona?"

"I don't think there's any upper limits," Morgana said. "Still, we need to find the Palace proper."

"Well, let's get moving, then," Akira said.


They soon stumbled across the first sign of how cruel this cognition was. Instead of people, they had walking, anthropomorphised ATMs. "…He sees everyone in Shibuya as his patron," Kitagawa said with quiet horror.

"No surprise for a gang boss," Ryuji said, wrinkling his nose behind his mask. "This is effed up."

Ann nodded, even as they made their way further into Shibuya. "Kamoshida and Madarame were vile pieces of work, but at least their cognitions of normal people looked…well, human. True, Kamoshida turned the boys into torture dolls, and the girls into sex dolls, but still…"

Makoto grimaced. "For Kaneshiro to see people as little more than sources of money…this is sickening. Even at Sis' casino, I could see people looking normal in the distance. But this has to be a severe cognitive distortion to see people like this. Mona, a Change of Heart…can it work on people who have no empathy?"

"It worked on Kamoshida, didn't it?" Morgana said. "Kamoshida was a vile piece of work. If he could get away with physically assaulting his students, as well as sexually assaulting his female targets, then he had a lack of empathy, assuming he had any left. But the Change of Heart worked, and he felt remorse. Whether that amplified whatever empathy he had left or gave him some, I've no idea. Madarame actually seemed to have some small genuine empathy for Fox, twisted and warped though it was. Stealing a Treasure basically removes the warped desires in a Palace Ruler. Maybe the empathy, remorse and guilt were simply pushed out of the way by such desires. I don't quite understand the full mechanism of how it works, at least on a psychological level."

"Same here, and I studied Cognitive Psience for a long time," Futaba said. "But…we're going to stop Kaneshiro. Your sister asking us to is only part of it. But you only need to look at these cognitions of the people of Shibuya to understand how evil he is."

"Exactly," Akira said. "There's a difference between justice and the law. I think all of us have felt that difference. Hopefully, our acts will help give courage to those in need."

"…Those in need, huh?" Makoto mused, her expression pensive, even morose.

Ann frowned, peering at the brunette. "…Something on your mind, Queen?"

"…That sounds a lot like Father," Makoto said quietly. "Never mind, we need to continue our investigation…"


They soon found even more evidence of Kaneshiro's depravity. Broken ATM-people, clearly scared of being attacked, out of money. Some were unresponsive, either unconscious or dead. The Phantom Thieves were all sickened by this. The last one they spoke to said something about falling, from where Kaneshiro was, where he left no tracks.

And then, while looking for a high place for Kaneshiro to push his victims from, they finally saw it, hovering into view from behind some buildings. The Phantom Thieves gaped at it. "What the actual hell is that?!" Harry yelped.

"…It looks like what happens when a bank and a UFO have a lovechild," Akira said, his tone flat with disbelief.

And so it was. There was a large, manor-like building on top of a disc of metal and glass, the banknotes fluttering through the air being attracted towards it. "Up in the sky…small wonder we had trouble finding it," Kitagawa hissed with surprise.

"Kaneshiro doesn't leave any tracks, they said earlier," Morgana said. "You can't leave tracks by floating in the air."

"That's logical, even if it's twisted," Makoto said. "And it's not just that. Look at him…he's making himself out to be above everyone in Shibuya, like a king or a god, sucking in money but giving nothing in return."

"Interesting turn of phrase there," Futaba said.

"Even though this is only my second Palace, from what I was told of the others, there's quite a lot of symbolism involved," Makoto said. "Your Palace, being an Egyptian tomb, had to do with your former suicidal ideation. Kamoshida's Palace was pretty self-explanatory. Palaces give strong hints to the mindset of their Rulers through this symbolism."

"So, how are we meant to get up there?" Ann asked. "Hey, Mona, I know it's a long shot, but can you turn into a helicopter or something?"

"Sadly, a bus is all I can, Lady Panther," Morgana said.

"Ugh, really? Dammit, Mona. Hey, Godric, you've got anything magical?" Ryuji asked.

"No…but Oracle was able to hack her own Palace's cognition to give me a broomstick for a limited time," Harry said. "Padfoot might know something too."

"We were here just to do an initial recce," Morgana said. "We've already discovered enough for now. Let's head back…"


Sae pinched the bridge of her nose as she digested what Makoto had to say to her as the pair of them ate dinner. "Okay…that's valuable information. If that is Kaneshiro's mindset, then it means he is extremely ruthless about getting money. I'm glad none of you lingered after getting this information. The worrying part is Kobayakawa having you investigate the Phantom Thieves, and the carrot and stick he provided."

"Yes…don't get me wrong, the scholarship is tempting, but they seem like good people, Sis. True, Skull is a brash loudmouth who seems a little too eager for the fame being a Phantom Thief gives him, and Panther seems to think I should have done more to stop Kamoshida, but otherwise, they seem to be decent people, far better than many give them credit for."

"I agree. My problem with them is that the power they use can easily be abused. A Change of Heart is all but brainwashing by another name. And the same abilities can be used to perform Mental Shutdowns if what they said is true. But back to Kobayakawa…I think his not-so-subtle threat against me has some small bearing. My boss, Mr Arisawa(1), went to the same school as Kobayakawa. In fact, they're old friends. And unfortunately, nepotism is still alive and well in society, even if it's hidden. We live in a world where who you know tends to matter more than what you know. That being said, Mr Arisawa and I have a strong professional relationship, even if, in hindsight, I allowed him to influence me too much as my mentor." Sae looked away in shame.

"Sis…how much of what your Shadow said was true?"

"…Too much, Makoto. Do not misunderstand me, everyone I have been involved with were guilty, I made damned sure of that. But…I will admit, I did rig cases somewhat. Unfortunately, it's standard practise in the SIU, albeit unofficially. The fact remains, part of the reason why Japan has a high conviction rate is down in part due to such practises, or else only prosecuting when the prosecution believes it will definitely win."

"…I know. Father told me something like that before he died," Makoto said solemnly. "I just thought…you were different."

"…Are you angry with me, Makoto?"

"…No. Not now. Disappointed, yes, but…I know you're a good person, Sis. That Shadow was your worst aspects embodied, not all of you!" Makoto said. "Besides…Sirius and Harry have helped you. You seemed to be, well, happier now. And in the end…we got rid of the Palace. That's what matters in the end, isn't it?"

"…Yes. My Shadow…no, my Persona now, she was testing us. Cruelly, yes, but testing us all the same," Sae said. "In any case, thank you, Makoto. I still want you to work hard, to study hard…but I want you to find success in a career that you will find enjoyable and fulfilling, not pursue success for its own sake like I did. While others guided me down that path, I still am responsible for walking down it. In any case, I'm considering taking paid leave."

"Paid leave?"

"Officially, I have been working too hard on the Mental Shutdowns cases, and I need to take a breather. Hopefully, they won't scrutinise where I am going too much. Which is the Amagi Inn at Inaba."

"Inaba…so you're going to investigate more about the serial killings there, Sis?"

Sae nodded. "Unfortunately, Naoto Shirogane and her boyfriend, one Yu Narukami, are overseas. Specifically, they recently left Japan for France, for ICPO headquarters in Lyon, after Shirogane received a job offer there. However, Narukami's uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, is a detective who worked on the serial killings, and was in fact the mentor and colleague of Adachi, the convicted murderer. As it happens, Dojima is actually an acquaintance of our father's. I'm hoping he could shed some light on what happened in 2011."

"It's a bit of a long shot, Sis," Makoto said, frowning. "Even if there was something relating to Personas and the Metaverse there, what if it wasn't quite like them?"

"I'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Sae said. "And Makoto, I'll be counting on you to keep an eye on the Phantom Thieves. I'm hoping they don't need scrutiny, but I can't trust adults with such power, let alone teenagers. Don't get me wrong, Akira and Futaba seem to have strong senses of justice, as do Harry and Sirius, but the others you mentioned, Skull, Panther and Fox, may not be as righteous. In addition, something about Morgana has me worried. Why does a cat have sentience and abilities within the Metaverse? And is he telling the truth, that he was human but ended up stuck this way? Too many defendants try to claim having amnesia on the witness stand or in the interrogation room. Even if he is lacking in memories, he still knows too much about Palaces and the Metaverse despite that lack of memories."

"But you're not asking me to spy on them?" Makoto asked.

"Spying suggests doing so covertly," Sae said. "They know the trust between us is fragile. But…as my Shadow put it, Who watches the watchmen?"

"Quis custodiet ipso custodes?" Makoto quoted, in the original Latin.

"Exactly. They'll be watching us, and we'll be watching them, until trust is earned…or broken," Sae said. "I really hope it's the former, I really do…"

CHAPTER 26 ANNOTATIONS:

So, here you have it. The first steps into Kaneshiro's Palace, while Makoto and Sae discuss matters.

Review-answering time! Jlargent: I haven't decided on Sae's codename yet, though she probably won't be entering another Palace any time soon.

1. Arisawa is the SIU Director's name in SkyRig's Persona 5: With the Stars and Us. A shame that fic is dead…