Chapter 53: Joker's Trump Card
November 20
"And now, a breaking news report. This morning, the police have announced that they have detained a suspect who may in fact be the leader of the Phantom Thieves group. The suspect is reported to be…"
"Ann-chan! Can I get you to look over here?" the cameraman called, pulling Ann away from the news broadcast.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ann apoligzed.
The cameraman noticed what she had been looking at. "Hm? So he got caught, huh? That group sure was something…"
"Y-Yeah," Ann muttered.
"So, the next shoot got me thinking. How 'bout we do an idol theme? Would that be cool?" the cameraman asked.
"What a surprise. To think the one behind all this is just a minor. But considering how quickly they announced his arrest, the police must surely be confident in the outcome of this case."
"Well I'll be!" the shoe store owner exclaimed, pulling Ryuji away from the TV. "Goodness, look at your now! It's been a while, Ryuji!"
"Huh? Uh, yeah…" Ryuji nodded.
"You stopped visiting so abruptly, everyone was worried about you," the store owner said. "It's your second year, right? Are you stil doing track and field? I'd love to see you run again…"
"Also, the young man continues to remain silent, refusing to implicate any potential accomplices. However, considering the number of charges brought against him…"
"I wonder if something happened…" a girl in Yusuke's art class whispered, the young man staring at his canvas, only a single small bird painted on it.
The teacher went over to Yusuke. "You seemed stumped for once… Not feeling it today?"
"Oh. Yes…" Yusuke replied, turning to face the teacher.
"Oh, I'm not chiding you. Just do as normal at your own pace," the teacher replied. "With your skills, there's no need to worry about your future."
"Normal… Right…" Yusuke muttered, staring at his canvas once more.
"He's just a high-school student. How do you think he was contacting the others? The police here can search any online communications. His accomplices may slip up eventually. Giving a lack of physical violence, their method is still a mystery. Regardless, the police are looking into attempted murder charges."
Futaba listened to the news broadcast in her room, looking between both her phone and a chatroom discussing Ren's arrest. Her hellhound form came out as she held onto her tail for comfort.
"You never turned it in? That's quite a surprise," Makoto's teacher said to her in the faculty office. "I thought I lost it this whole time. Hahahaha!"
"I'm sorry…" Makoto said, bowing her head in apology.
"Well, your grades are excellent, and you're student council president. I'm sure you'll be admitted anywhere you apply," the teacher assured her. "That one Phantom Thief should have followed your example. You hear? It seems he was caught. Some high schooler. I wonder why he turned to a life of crime."
"We also received information that the young man was placed on probation for assault. Because of his previous record, he had to leave his hometown. Perhaps his motive lies there."
"I believe your father can rest in peace now," Haru's fiancé said smugly as the two watched the broadcast in the limo, caught up in a traffic jam. "That Phantom Thief could never have changed anything. Only a handful of people are qualified to alter the world… So you've been coming home late. That's what I've heard. I make a good playmate, you know."
Haru flinched away from his touch.
"We have breaking news. The young man being held in custody has committed suicide. The police have confirmed his death… To repeat, the suspect has committed suicide while in custody. This station will continue to report any further updates as they arrive. It will be difficult to uncover his methods now. Perhaps that's why he decided to take this course of action."
In Octavia's apartment she paced around the room while Collin and Loona cuddled on the couch in comfort. As the report went on, the princess just smirked to herself. "We got 'em…"
"Now it's Sae-san's turn to play her part," Akechi nodded, sitting on the windowsill.
And as Sae opened up the door to the interrogation room, she just saw Ren sitting there, a devilish grin on his face. "Kept me waiting, didn't you?" he said, eyes flashing in the light.
[***]
November 21
"…Ever since the death of their teenage leader, the Phantom Thieves have fallen silent," the news broadcast said as the evening went on. "However, the police intend on continuing this investigation until the case is fully solved."
Sae stepped into the café, getting Sojiro's attention. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to finish a few things at work. Where are they?"
"Waiting upstairs. Go tell them to come on down," Sojiro said. "I'm gonna fetch him." Sae nodded, getting the Phantom Thieves to come downstairs.
"You're… her sister, correct?" Haru asked.
"Makoto told me everything," Sae nodded. She looked to Futaba and gave an apologetic bow. "Futaba-chan… I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble this past summer…"
"Eh, it's ancient history now," Futaba shrugged.
"Still, Needus-san… no, Striker is still out there," Akechi frowned.
"Look who's here," Sojiro called, turning everyone's attention to the door as Ren stepped inside. Everyone rushed to him, with Loona and Ryuji laughing while wrapping arms around his shoulders.
"Hey, you big bastard!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"How've you been?" Loona laughed.
"Ghostly," Ren replied, wiggling his fingers and eyebrows.
"You're not floating…" Ann giggled.
"It truly is a relief to see your face," Collin said.
"And I'm willing to believe that Striker doesn't even know we've deceived him yet," Akechi smirked.
"Still, how'd you pull this off?" Sojiro asked. "Isn't this guy considered dead?"
"You weren't told anything?" Makoto questioned. "I heard my sister brought him here though…"
"Yeah. She came over here in a taxi, dumped him off, and told me to keep him safe," Sojiro clarified. "It was right after they announced he had "died," too. Almost gave me a heart attack."
"I didn't have time to explain…" Sae sighed.
"Hey, shouldn't we tell Boss what really happened?" Octavia suggested. "And about the… other stuff."
"We wanted to make our enemy believe the leader of the Phantom Thieves was dead," Makoto explained.
"What?" Sojiro said in shock.
"What we did was make that enemy kill his fake in the Metaverse," Akechi clarified.
"H-Hold on a sec!" Sojiro exclaimed. "Enemy? Fake? What are you talking about?"
"The true culprit behind all these incidents set us up. Our goal here was to get him off our backs so we could take down his boss," Yusuke replied.
"True culprit?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "I see… So you guys were going up against someone else."
"It was Roman Needus… or Striker as they're calling him," Sae said.
"Originally it was me, actually, but I was unceremoniously replaced," Akechi said casually. "And before your ask, I already made a deal to turn myself in after we take down the true culprit, so there is no need to antagonize me about it, Sae-san."
"What!? Then, how did you know Striker was his replacement?" Sae questioned.
"Because we knew the bastard from before all of this started," Loona replied. She, Octavia, and Collin nodded before dropping their human disguises. "Striker is, in fact, a demon that's made an arrangement to be the true culprit's hitman in Akechi's place. As demons and angels, we knew that we would have to deal with him ourselves."
"It's not like we could simply bring up the fact that Heaven and Hell are involved in these cases," Makoto added. "We couldn't have you suspect Striker. Besides, neither you nor the other investigators would have believed something like that, would you?"
Sae and Sojiro looked at the otherworldly trio in shock before Sae shook her head. "…True. Striker was credited with the arrest of the Phantom Thieves. Not even I would think he was the culprit, much less a demon in disguise… In other words, you left him alone on purpose… That was a bold move."
"God, I can't keep up with any of this stuff…" Sojiro sighed. "So, if you're demons and angels, then is Ren being your cousin a lie due to you having a… pact or something going on?"
Ren shook his head, transforming into his own demon form. "Turns out my dad is a demon, brother to Octavia's dad. That makes me half-demon."
"And… he's not the only one," Futaba added, transforming into her own hellhound form. "Remember how no one was ever able to find out who my bio-dad was? Well, it's because he was an Old God…"
Sojiro looked at his daughter in shock before sighing. "Actually, from the way Wakaba would talk about the guy, that doesn't entirely surprise me."
"D-Don't worry, though, you're still my real dad to me!" Futaba exclaimed.
Sojiro smiled before getting back on track. "So, how did you catch this Striker guy in the act?"
"It started with them catching onto me," Akechi spoke up. "I was careless and let it slip that I could hear Morgana's voice."
"You mean our cat?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Morgana can talk," Ann said casually.
"…Sorry, was that supposed to be a joke?" Sojiro scoffed.
"Oh! Our apologies. That's completely true," Haru said.
"You surprised?" Morgana smirked, making Sae and Sojiro jumped.
"What the-!?" Sojiro exclaimed.
"That cat… it just said something!" Sae gasped.
"I may or may not have cast a minor enchantment on you two just now so you could hear what Morgana was saying," Octavia said, waving her hand around. "You know, demon magic and all that."
"When you're in the Metaverse, Mona talks like a normal person without the aid of magic," Futaba explained. "Once you hear that and your brain realizes he can actually talk, you start to understand him in reality… It's a change in cognition! Most likely!"
"Thanks to Akechi's lame acting, we figured out something was up," Ann said, ribbing the detective a bit.
"The damn pancakes… That's something I never want to hear again for a long, long time…" Akechi muttered.
"It meant Akechi had already been to the Metaverse by then, so we set up a trap and caught him!" Collin said.
"We weren't so naïve to overlook something like that," Morgana beamed.
"Then once Akechi was on our side, he aided us in setting up Striker, starting with his phone," Haru said.
"I planted my app on Akechi's phone, which then transferred over to Striker once he gave him the "tip" about the Phantom Thieves' next target," Futaba said with a smirk.
"Even an experienced assassin could never have imagined a program being transmitted between devices so quickly," Yusuke mused. "Futaba's brilliant nature proved to be a great help."
"You bet it was, Inari!" Futaba laughed. "After a few days of listening, we got all the evidence we needed as to what his plan was."
"With a bit of foresight into their actions on my part as well. Predicting what the true culprit would want Striker to do was child's play for me," Akechi added as Futaba played Striker's incriminating messages.
"So, they planned to get rid of that guard from the beginning…" Sae mused. "I knew he was acting strangely, but to think his deception ran this deep…"
"He's no foreign detective… Akechi may have been the perpetrator behind the mental shutdown crimes, but Striker is a bigger threat at the moment," Haru said.
"Yes. There's someone else commanding Striker… Someone with great authority… so great that they can order an assassination in a police station and have contacts with the world of demons," Octavia said. "That's why we had to make a move before they did."
"I see…" Sojiro nodded.
"We baited Striker into Sis's Palace, making him dispose of our leader's fake but think he killed them," Makoto explained.
"Can you elaborate on that in more detail? What exactly happened in my cognitive world?" Sae asked.
"We're sorry for using your without your permission. Your Palace had all the conditions we needed…" Collin apologized.
"What conditions?" Sae questioned.
"First, we required a place inside the cognitive world that was the same as in reality," Akechi replied.
"That place is based on the real world, after all. Anywhere that's not warped looks just like normal," Loona said. "That's why nobody but the person who uses the Nav even realized they're in the Metaverse."
"Back with Kamoshida, we came in from the station without even noticing…" Ryuji said.
"That brings back memories," Ren mused. "You can't tell the difference if there aren't any distortions in the area."
"We had already investigated Nijima-san's Palace when Makoto brought this suggestion to us," Yusuke said.
"I was seriously impressed by that suggestion," Morgana smiled. "To be honest, I didn't quite understand it, but I went along with it."
"It was a great idea," Akechi admitted. "We're lucky that she is one of the heads of this operation."
"Makoto is normally so calm as well… but once her mind is set, she gets oddly impulsive," Yusuke mused.
"I did have some help from Akechi and Octavia as well…" Makoto said humbly. "But I just couldn't contain myself anymore once you became a target, Sis. The reason I joined the Phantom Thieves was to heal your heart, after all."
"My own achievements were all that mattered to me…I was desperate. I wasn't myself at all," Sae admitted. "I'm sorry I couldn't see that."
"That goes for the both of us," Makoto said with a soft smile.
"I had overheard that you were going to do the interrogations, Nijima-san," Akechi said.
"And regarding its location… I take it you used the data from my laptop?" Sae guessed.
"I'm sorry," Makoto winced.
Sae laughed. "Go on."
"There were two things we were able to conform while we were checking the Metaverse. First, our clothes didn't change when we were down in the interrogation room," Makoto said. "Second, the scenery and details outside of the Palace proper were the same as n the real world."
"Once we heard that from Makoto, we went and checked it out," Octavia said. "There was also one more thing we absolutely needed to make this work… A perfect cognitive replica of Ren in the Metaverse's interrogation room. Since he hadn't been caught though, there obviously wouldn't be anyone in that room. Once we saw the casino guests and police officers, we were convinced this would work. They looked no different from actual living people."
"After that we just had to work our way into the Palace as usual," Ryuji said.
"We made sure before the operation that the police would be waiting to ambush us," Ann said. "And just as expected, he totally took the bait."
"You have me to thank for that, giving Striker the tip about the Palace," Akechi said. "Ren getting captured by the police went exactly how we planned it."
"And I had been interrogating him with no knowledge of this," Sae said. "But, how did you lure Striker into this… cognitive world interrogation room?"
"All I needed were the coordinates," Futaba spoke up.
"Futaba has the power to remotely access the Metaverse- it's one of her demon skills," Ren explained. "She used my phone to send Striker inside, even making sure his human disguise didn't drop immediately upon entering. Striker disposed of my fake in the Palace, and left thinking he had been victorious."
"It must have been truly hilarious for our leader who sat idly in the real world's interrogation room," Yusuke smirked. "Surely, he was acting quite cocky by himself in that quiet chamber."
'So that's why you gave me your phone… I only took it because of what you told me," Sae realized.
"It's a shame I didn't have the opportunity to see that for myself," Loona said.
"I'm just glad I didn't die," Ren shrugged.
"All I could do was trying to handle all the messages that started coming to me on his phone," Sae said. "Huh… So in other words, I've been to the Metaverse, albeit for a brief moment."
"From our experience, there is little danger when someone enters their own Palace for a short time," Octavia explained. "That's the other reason we had him give it to you. We needed you to listen to Alibaba, deceive the guard, and ultimately aid in his escape. By having you head back to the interrogation room, we could return you to the real world as well."
"I mean, I had to think of some way to keep you from running into Striker mid-assassination," Futaba said.
"…Astounding," Sae smiled. "I hadn't the slightest idea that such a grand operation was taking place within me."
"I'm so glad Ren was able to persuade you during the interrogation," Collin said. "Even though we knew Striker's plan, we were pretty worried about that part."
"True," Makoto nodded.
"Why's that?" Sojiro asked.
"Without Sis on our side, Futaba's plan and subsequent breakout would not have been possible," Makoto replied. "That persuasion was easily our greatest gamble. We couldn't consult sis beforehand. It was absolutely the make-or-break moment of our entire plan."
"Still, I'm surprised you could convince me in such a short time. Were you confident you could do it?" Sae asked.
"I mean, it felt like we had just gone through the entire length of a JRPG by the end, but I was," Ren shrugged.
"I see… Either way, I can't believe you went for such a risky idea…" Sae said.
"If we could just tell you the true culprit's plan, I knew you'd realize the bigger picture…" Makoto said. "Realize that Ren was telling the truth, and that there was a greater evil to pursue."
"As a result, we emerged victorious," Yusuke said.
"Then the reason you kept this a secret from me was so that you could catch the true culprit, correct?" Sae guessed.
Makoto nodded. "Yes. Plus, you had lost control of yourself at the time…"
"This is stunning… All I can really do is laugh," Sae chuckled.
"I've kinda figured out that you guys make Striker kill a fake… But what did you do about the body?" Sojiro asked.
"The police never even checked it," Sae replied.
"Huh?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow.
"They had a coroner working to ensure Ren-kun's death was reported as a suicide. That coroner didn't take one look at the scene, and just passed along a falsified death certificate," Sae explained.
"…The bad guys have that much influence?" Sojiro gasped.
"Murder in a police station would be reckless otherwise," Akechi said.
'That's to Futaba-chan's messages and the guard's demeanor, I eventually came to understand… And since the higher-ups at the police knew nothing of this, they were thrown into disarray," Sae said. "As a result, Ren-kun's suicide during imprisonment was reported on the news, just as Striker planned."
"And with that confusion, he was able to escape with Nijima-san's help," Collin concluded.
"I made sure nobody would check the morgue for his body, and thanks to that, nobody knows he survived," Sae said.
"Thinking back to the interrogation though…I can't believe what they did to Ren," Octavia frowned. "The callous use of violence and even drugs is utterly abnormal. If he had lost consciousness and hadn't been able to tell Sae about the phone, he would've died… I'm… truly glad you made it back safe, Ren."
"It was a breeze," Ren said.
"How tough are you?" Sae laughed.
"Eh, I'll just have my dad find those guys and make 'em pay," Loona shrugged, getting odd looks from Sae and Sojiro. "Uh, long story short, Dad runs a revenge business in Hell. Nothing you can do about it, really."
"…Right. Why do I feel like the Kaneshiro case might have been their work?" Sae sighed.
"it still freaked me out when I saw the suicide on the news though," Ann admitted.
"We made sure to live normal lives while he was being interrogated to avoid drawing any suspicion," Haru said. "Even with that, I couldn't help but worry for him in my heart…"
"You were in my prayers, Ren," Collin said.
"Well, I knew right away that our plan worked out," Ryuji grinned.
"I wanted to believe- but considering what we were up against…" Yusuke said.
"Ryuji's a bit on the dense and carefree side," Morgana smirked.
"Can, it, cat!" Ryuji said through grit teeth.
"I had to be patient and avoid this place until things settled down. I finally feel relieved…" Ann said.
"We knew he was alive, but… it was difficult not to worry until we could confirm it in person," Collin said.
"Now that I think about it, my interrogation was just a formality for the head commander," Sae realized. "What a joke letting me interrogate someone who was meant to die. They just wanted to avoid backlash… Very well. From here forward, I will do my utmost to assist you… You save me, after all."
"That's reassuring to hear, Sae-san," Akechi smiled. "And I will fully cooperate with you to make sure myself and everyone else involved in his conspiracy is brought to justice."
"I'll do whatever I can to help too. Just let me know," Sojiro added. "Let's take a break for no though. This old brain is pooped. Oh, and feel free to use the first floor when you guys want to get together and talk. You'll need a hideout where you can be safe. Just say the word and I'll close shop early."
"Are you sure?" Collin asked.
"This guy can't leave. Plus, you won't make much progress if people can hear you form downstairs," Sojiro pointed out. "It's not like this place is the liveliest joint in town. It won't be a huge loss for me."
"Let us accept his offer," Yusuke said. "What a great man…"
With the conversation over, everyone enjoyed a round of coffee as Sojiro turned on the news. "And on to our next story, the snap election for the House of Representatives. Discussion is swirling around potential nominees as the deadline for candidacy announcement nears. Candidates will announce on the twenty-third of this month, while voting will be held on the eighteenth of next."
"Elections, huh? Eh, don't matter to us," Ryuji shrugged. "It's not like we can vote in 'em yet anyways."
"It may be more important than you think…" Akechi said. "But seeing as the Phantom Thieves are now back together, we can finally go against the man responsible for Striker's employment and my former boss."
"It's about time you stop beating around the bush and tell us," Loona scoffed.
"Yes… the candidate known as Shido is who we'll be going after," Akechi said.
"Shido… Feels like I've heard that somewhere," Ryuji said.
"He is unmistakably a man of power if he has such strong connections to the police," Yusuke said.
"Shido… Could it be Masayoshi Shido?" Sojiro asked.
"One in the same," Akechi nodded.
"Remember, Ryuji? You said his speech was too loud," Makoto recalled.
"For real!?" Ryuji gasped.
"So, Shido is the mastermind…" Sae muttered.
"Do you have some kind of evidence?" Haru asked.
"Nothing material. However, there are various conditions that align with that accusation," Sae replied. "First, he would profit form damage done to the current administration by the psychotic breakdowns. He's maintained a negative stance toward the Phantom Thieves and has gained tremendous popularity. On top of that, he'll most likely become the next prime minister if he wins this upcoming election."
"No…" Collin gasped.
"He totally set us up with that election in mind..." Loona growled.
"It's in stark contrast to his "honest' public image," Akechi said, anger in his voice. "His current position and popularity is all because of him benefitting from using Striker and I to cause mental collapses…"
"We'll make him have a change of heart, no matter what it takes," Haru declared.
"Mom…" Futaba whispered, Akechi not meeting her eyes as the weight of his sins was felt on his soul.
"Shido, huh?" Sojiro sighed.
"What's up, Boss?" Ren asked.
"I had a feeling he was wrapped up in all this. Just based on the connections I had from my previous job…" Sojiro said. "I think the one who crushed Wakaba's research and confiscated her materials was probably Shido. From the moment Wakaba died… I had a hunch he was involved. But there wasn't anything I could do, so I chose to protect Futaba and went into hiding."
'Why didn't you say that sooner!?" Futaba asked.
'You guy's would've definitely gone after him if I had," Sojiro replied. "He would've just killed all of you, no doubt. That's what he usually does to people who get in his way."
"Originally, I was looking into the metal shutdown cases. It was then that I accidentally stumbled upon government research regarding the psychotic breakdowns," Sae explained. "So, I tracked down the whereabouts of that research data and met with the associated parties. Boss was one of those parties. I would never have imagined all of this was connected… The mental shutdowns, psychotic breakdowns, Shido, the Phantom Thieves' actions, even the existence of Heaven and Hell's involvement…"
"Way back when, Shido kept saying he was going to be prime minister one day. Nobody believed him though…" Sojiro said.
"What's going to happen to this country if Shido becomes prime minister? What about the world?" Collin asked.
"Seeing as the entity is tied to him in some way… My guess is ruin," Octavia said. "But yet again, this is nothing more than another selfish adult trying to impose his will on the public."
"We gotta expose that rotten bastard!" Ryuji declared.
"Yeah, we'll do it like always!" Morgana cheered.
"Then let's check the Nav!" Haru suggested.
Akechi pulled out his phone. "Masayoshi Shido, prime minister candidate… Well, no surprise that he has a Palace, is it?"
"Where would the location be?" Yusuke asked.
"…What kind of things go through a politician's head?" Ann wondered.
"I always think of dirty money and shady actions," Futaba scowled.
"What does he do? And where?" Ryuji asked.
"His Palace will be somewhere that politicians frequent," Akechi said. "Ren, how about you give the answer?"
"The Diet Building," Ren said. The Nav went off at that.
"How arrogant he must be to see himself as ruler of the Diet Building?" Collin scoffed.
"Our next target's the big-shot politician Masayoshi Shido. We're gonna do this, right?" Ryuji asked.
"We have to," Ren nodded.
"Hell yeah!" Loona cheered. "Nobody against it?"
"Of course," Ann replied.
"He will be a worthy opponent," Yusuke added.
"Let's win this, together!" Haru cheered.
"Time for revenge!" Futaba said.
"Then it's unanimous!" Morgana declared.
"All we have to do now is figure out what he thinks the Diet Building is," Octavia said.
"So, that's the app that allowed me to enter the Metaverse," Sae recognized.
"An old fart like me can't wrap his head around all this stuff…" Sojiro shook his head.
"We'll have to deal with this before election day, December 18th. That means we need it done by the seventeenth," Makoto noted.
"It's best we hurry before they discover there's no body in the morgue," Akechi said. "Should we start tomorrow then? We can meet at the Diet Building after school."
"That reminds me, what is Ren going to do about school?" Collin asked. "He can't show up if he's supposed to be dead."
"Ms. Kawakami said he went back home for "family reasons"," Octavia replied.
"That's what I told the school," Sojiro added.
"Don't let 'em find out you're alive then, all right?" This whole thing'd be for nothing!" Ryuji warned.
"What do you mean?" Sojiro asked.
"This operation had another purpose outside of escaping Striker's clutches," Makoto revealed. "Shido tried to place all the blame on the Phantom Thieves and deceive the public at the same time. He has ruined countless lives, and even made Goro Akechi, a student, assist him with assassination. A mere change of heart is too lenient a sentence for such an abominable criminal."
"We'll be making use of the police statement that the leader of the Phantom Thieves committed suicide. Our leader who is presumed dead will come out of hiding to deliver a grand statement," Haru said. "He'll say he has escaped prison, not committed suicide, and was in fact almost killed by a criminal."
Futaba laughed. "Everyone's gonna flip."
"You guys thought through all this stuff too?" Sojiro gasped.
"We're intellectuals, you know?" Ryuji smirked.
"That's why you needed such a daring trick as getting captured and appearing to be killed," Sae realized. "What frightening teenagers…"
"That's what happens when you have demons on your side," Loona chuckled. "But the true battle has only just begun. We won the first round, but we gotta stay on our toes if we want to win the war. This ain't the time to be celebrating."
"These people tried to trap and kill us. There is no end to their inhuman, conniving nature," Collin said. "We will need to be prepared for whatever may come our way."
[***]
November 22
Ann: Have you guys figured out the keyword to Shido's Palace yet?
Futaba: I've tried out all sortsa stuff, but no luck for us.
Yusuke: It is hard to understand the thought process of a criminal mastermind like him.
Akechi: As much as I hate to admit it, the answer to this problem even eludes me.
Futaba: That reminds me. Since Shido is behind all of the mental shutdowns, doesn't that mean all the weird accidents from these past few years were his fault? Like that subway accident back in April…
Makoto: Now that you mention it, that accident lost the Minister of Transport his job…
Akechi: To answer simply, yes. He truly does not care for innocent lives.
Collin: Unbelievable…
Futaba: Supposedly there are still tons of victims from that in the hospital even now.
Octavia: Masayoshi Shido… How many have you killed over the years?
Haru: How could we even understand what goes on in the mind of such a horrible man…?
Ryuji: Hey, wouldn't it be faster if we just go there and try and think about it on-site!? Let's try that!
Makoto: If we're going to go, I'd like Ren-kun to join, but…
Loona: Would that be OK? Wouldn't somebody spot him there?
Ryuji: Eh, we'll prolly figure out the keyword in no time once we're there. Plus I can throw of anyone who tails us with my blazing speed!
Octavia: …All right. Let's have Ren join us then. Remember though… We're going with the intent of not being seen.
Ryuji: Mkay. Well, let's meet in front of the Biet Building and force that bastard's Palace open!
Akechi raised an eyebrow when he saw what Ren's "disguise" was. "A simple hoodie? Are you serious?"
"It's worked so far," Ren shrugged.
"Let's begin at once. Police cars are making rounds, so we can't stay here too long," Makoto said, pulling out her phone. "We already have "Masayoshi Shido" and "Diet Building." All we need is "what" he thinks of this place."
"Maybe "Mt. Fuji" since it's the highest place in the country?" Ryuji suggested.
"What about a "mansion?" Ann suggested.
"Since he's going to subjugate everyone as prime minister, what about a "school"?" Loona said.
"What about an "arena" like the Colosseum?" Yusuke said.
"Imperial palace?" Octavia guessed.
"…It's no good," Makoto sighed when none of their suggestions worked.
"I thought we wouldn't gained entry by now…" Haru sighed, looking to Ren. "Maybe we shouldn't have called Ren-kun here…"
"Hey, you think he's guarding his whole Palace with a barrier?" Ryuji thought. "Shido stole the cognitive psience research, right? Maybe it had some special move written in it."
"Is that even possible?" Ann wondered.
"There was nothing like that in the notes I saw," Futaba said.
"And I think we would have seen something like that in Paimon's Palace if it was the case," Morgana replied.
"True. He was a Master of Cognition himself. If he could block entry into his Palace, Paimon would have done that," Octavia nodded.
"Shido is a man who keeps things close to his chest. Even as someone who worked with him closely couldn't tell you what was his true self and what was an act," Akechi frowned. "His stance is "dedication for country"- it's how he's garnered everyone's trust. He paints himself as a man of action and a model politician. I doubt any of the other politicians here will be of much help to us…"
Yusuke suddenly noticed one of the guards acting funny. "Look over there! He's on a walkie-talkie…"
"Wait, is it about us?" Loona asked. "That doesn't look good."
"We should leave at once," Collin said. "Tomorrow's a day off of school, right? Let's meet at Leblanc for a strategy meeting."
"We should all think about this tonight…" Haru said.
Ryuji: I tried looking up Shido's interviews online. They all sound so goddamn fake.
Yusuke: I checked his profile as well, but I couldn't find much outside of his title and education. He's currently 53 years old and has gone from being a metropolitan assemblyman to a representative. Though he is a cabinet member, he's split from the ruling party to form the United Future Party.
Akechi: Indeed. He was specially appointed to that position, you know. He also won a contest for who people would most like to have as their boss.
Haru: Even the news sites write about him as though he's assured to become the prime minister.
Octavia: If only we could find out the meaning behind Shido's words…
[***]
November 23
At the next day's meeting, Makoto brought Sae along for assistance in finding the keyword, but even the aid of the prosecutor didn't bring the Thieves closer to the answer they needed. "Last one… "Diamond mine"," Haru said.
"…No good," Makoto sighed.
"How many'd we miss?" Loona asked, her head on the table from boredom.
"Maybe he does have a barrier up. That would make sense at this point," Octavia groaned.
"Right!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"That's not something to be excited about!" Ann chided.
"We know all the way up to "Diet Building" too…" Morgana sighed.
"…So you enter keywords into the Metaverse Navigator," Sae noted.
"Boss, can you turn the TV on? Shido might be on it," Collin asked.
"Sure thing," Sojiro replied, grabbing the remote and turning the television on.
"Striker…" Akechi growled as he saw the disguised demon's smug face mug the camera.
"His and his stupid, cowboy-looking ass!" Loona growled.
"So, Needus-san. Is it true you came here all the way from America as part of the plan to capture the Phantom Thieves?" the newscaster asked.
Striker gave a laugh. "That's about right. I know that Akechi has been the one in the spotlight up until now, but it took the adults acting to finally bring the Phantom Thieves to justice. Probably for the best that I was out of the spotlight for most of it too, since I've seen what people were saying about the kid online."
"Why is he being treated as an "ace detective of justice"!?" Haru exclaimed.
"It's not just on TV or online. Newspapers, magazines… his face is popping up everywhere," Sojiro said.
"To think that the people are putting their trust in a supposed foreigner… it's very much unlike them," Akechi said.
"Shido's backing him, and they trust Shido, so it's not that big of a surprise," Octavia pointed out.
"On the other hand, no one's hoping for our comeback on the Phan-Site, like at all!" Ryuji frowned.
"The Phantom Thieves are "evil." Shido and Striker are "just"…It should be the other way around," Collin sighed.
"They're manipulating information using the media!" Ann stated.
"Leaving Striker aside- we'll get back at him later- our main issue is Shido," Yusuke said.
"Were there any instances before when you didn't know the Palace keywords?" Haru asked.
"Well, there was the time with Futaba," Loona recalled. "We didn't know anything about here so we just had to guess."
"Then, why don't we just go directly and see Shido?" Futaba suggested.
"Impossible. He's surrounded by bodyguards and followers at all times," Akechi shook his head. "Plus there's a possibility he'll have Striker deal with me if I try to go in alone. Getting an appointment with him is very unlikely as high school students."
"Well, we do have an adult with us…" Loona said. "And now, I'm not talking about myself or Collin."
Sae realized they were talking about her. "No, that's still impossible. Besides, that's too dangerous a method."
"Well, this is a problem…" Collin sighed.
"What's with the ruckus outside?" Sojiro wondered.
"To everyone gathered before Yongen-Jaya station!"
"Isn't that an election-campaign car?" Sae recognized.
"Oh right! The candidates are currently campaigning!" Haru recalled.
"that voice…" Ren muttered.
"I apologize for the commotion! I am Masayoshi Shido!"
"Wait, did he just say, "Shido"!?" Ryuji gasped.
"Yeah, he did!" Ann nodded.
"That voice… it's the same as back then…" Ren muttered.
"Man, talk about being lucky! We can go check him out without an appointment now!" Loona laughed.
Everyone ran outside, Shido's voice echoing through the place as they drew near. "Ren, are you okay?" Octavia asked.
"Yeah, you didn't seem well a moment ago…" Morgana added. Ren ignored them as they moved towards the voice.
"…Now is the time to rebuild this crumbling nation! Our government is littered with scandals, and criminals have taken a strong foothold in our society! Such a disgraceful past must be discarded… We must set sail into a new future of dreams and hope! So our children who carry the burden of the next generation can be proud of their country! So our nation can once again become a powerful one with abundant wealth and luxury! So our beautiful home will be acknowledged as the best country in the world! I humbly ask that you cast your vote for me, Masayoshi Shido! Let us all set sail toward a happy future together! I hope to continue serving you all!"
"Is that the guy!?" Ryuji asked as they arrived. "You guys wait here! I'll go get intel for us!"
"Wait!" Haru called.
"I'll help him," Loona said, following Ryuji quickly as the blonde approached Shido.
"Hey! Yo, Shido-san!" Ryuji called.
"Stand back!" a bodyguard ordered.
"We just want to talk to him for a sec!" Loona said, crossing her arms.
"He's a busy man!" the guard said.
"The hell!? Ain't he supposed to hear a citizen's comments!?" Ryuji questioned.
"That's enough, brat!" the guard shouted, only for Loona to catch his arm and toss it aside.
"Yeah, don't fuck with my friends," Loona growled.
"You're the asshole we met at the hotel before! At the elevators!" Ryuji recognized.
"What are you talking about!?" the guard questioned.
"That moron!" Morgana said.
"Come on, stop!" Haru insisted.
"But these guys-" Ryuji started.
"Hey kid," Shido said. "You don't want to know what happens when you cross me…"
"That voice…" Ren muttered. "This man… He's the same one from before…"
"What are you looking at?" Shido asked, glaring at Ren as he spaced out. "This country is filled with clueless children… I worry for Japan's future. Let them go. My next appointment is coming up."
"Yeah, well, good luck getting elected, asshole!" Octavia shouted as Shido drove off. "Damn, I thought I hated politics in Hell, but that guy is a piece of shit. What do you think of him, Ren?"
"He's why I got arrested," Ren replied.
"What… He's the jerk you told us about before!?" Loona gasped. "The same guy!? For real!? Serously!?"
"You're sure… aren't you?" Haru realized.
"Shido's the one who ruined your life…" Morgana whispered.
"Holy shit… I don't believe it…" Ryuji cursed.
"…Let's get going, okay?" Haru said. The group returned to Leblanc and told everyone else what they had learned.
"Shido's the guy who set you up!?" Ann gasped.
"What kind of fate brought you two back together?" Yusuke wondered.
"He is the opposite player in this game. I want to know myself," Ren said.
"Talk about a destined connection…" Makoto mused.
"Shido was involved in the cognitive research too, Right? This can't be dismissed as just as coincidence…" Morgana said.
"God… What the hell's going on here?" Sojiro questioned.
"Shido was already a politician then, yet he sued a student and ruined his future? He must have pulled some strings so that his name wouldn't be mentioned…" Sae said. "Furthermore, he also wouldn't have to force that woman into making a false statement."
"He would do anything. Lest we forget he ordered a hit on a person inside a police station," Akechi reminded them.
"He can't sit still until he crushed whoever opposes him, no matter how trivial. He's always been that way," Sojiro said.
"What a piece of shit!" Ryuji cursed. "Children are the future," my ass! What he's saying and doing are completely different!"
"But now that we found out who did it, can't we do something about his record?" Collin asked.
"Once the courts have made a judgement, overturning that decision will be difficult. It'd barely be possible even if proof of innocence is presented and Shido admits to his crime," Sae explained.
"At any rate, we need to trigger a change of heart in him," Yusuke said.
"Be that as it may, Shido's outer appearance and his true farce are wholly different. It's beyond hypocritical. It's as if he's an entirely different person," Octavia said.
"He speaks about the good of the country… It makes me wonder what really is on his mind," Haru said.
"That man is full of ambition to ruse in the world. He only thinks of the weak as steeping stones for his success," Akechi stated. "He treats himself as an elite man while looking down on others… In all honesty, it disgusts me."
"I assume the keyword for what he believes the Diet Building is will be despicable too," Yusuke guessed.
"It must be something self-centered and completely different from politics," Ann added.
"Someone like him needs to be punished as soon as possible!" Haru declared.
"Let's head to the Diet Building again right after school tomorrow. I get the feeling we'll find the keyword then," Octavia suggested. "We have to do this…"
[***]
November 24
"The security guards became suspicious of is last time, so we can't stay here for long," Makoto warned.
"But we still have no hit…" Futaba sighed.
"Think it's a barrier after all?" Ryuji wondered.
"Where'd your enthusiasm from yesterday go?" Yusuke asked.
"Aw shuddup. The real game starts at two outs," Ryuji responded.
"Enough chatting. You should only be thinking about the keyword!" Ann chided.
"The citizens are secondary. He only cares about his own well-being and that of his lackeys…" Haru noted.
"He wants to become prime minister even if that means trampling on others…" Makoto added.
"Did anyone else notice that he kept using boat imagery?" Octavia asked.
"Yes. Shido has an odd fascination with boat metaphors," Akechi nodded.
"…Well, it's better than anything else we've come up with," Morgana shrugged.
"Ship" it is, then," Ren said, typing that in the Nav. The world flashed a bit as he pressed enter.
"It was a match!?" Collin gasped.
"What? The Diet Building's a ship!?" Ann questioned. "What kind of scenery will that be!? The actual building's on land!"
"I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like…" Makoto sighed.
"Well, whatever it is, looks like there are no barriers!" Futaba said.
"Sh-Shuddup! Let's hurry up and go in!" Ryuji groaned.
"Are we clear of the guard's sight?" Yusuke asked.
Ren snapped his fingers, creating a shroud of shadows around the group. "Now we are," he said before pressing the go button, pulling the team into the Metaverse once more.
[***]
Location: Ship of Pride
"Did anything change? We went in, right?" Loona asked as they looked around.
"The security guards seem to be gone, but it's difficult to tell for certain…" Makoto hummed. "This seems to be similar to what happened with Sis's Palace."
"But this time, the Diet Building remains unchanged," Yusuke noted.
"Ah… The gates wasn't open earlier though," Haru pointed out.
"There is also the fact of Mona's appearance," Akechi added, looking to the not-cat.
"We're also back in our true forms, so that doubly confirms it," Loona said.
"That means we're definitely in a Palace," Futaba nodded.
"Come on, let's go look inside," Octavia suggested.
"I'll scan first, just to be safe," Futaba said, activating her powers. "Wait… what the heck!?"
The group turned around to see what Futaba saw, and gasped in awe as they notice that the Diet Building was sailing on the high seas, the remnants of Tokyo surround it as it went along. "Even though this country may sink, he alone will survive…" Octavia recalled. "That's what this cognition is about, huh?"
"This is bullshit!" Ryuji cursed. "A country that children can be proud of, my ass! It's completely sunken in his head! IF a guy like this stands above everyone, we're seriously done for!"
"This is beyond ridiculous!" Ann scoffed.
"The same goes for Striker," Akechi said. "I confess I saw this scenery before, but only now at your side do I see how twisted it really is."
"Takes being on the other side to see how horrible shitty adults are, huh?" Loona smirked.
"Whether it be for glory or for simply a reward… My father died because of someone like this!" Haru said.
"We gotta sink Shido instead of this country!" Futaba declared.
"A Palace with not just the center of the distortion, but the entire country sunken… I can't believe there's someone with this tremendous of a desire…" Mona shook his head. "Be careful! This will be completely different from past Palaces!"
"We're definitely gonna take his Treasure!" Octavia nodded.
"A cruise heist for our final act… Let's go!" Ren shouted.
"All right!" Ryuji cheered.
"We must put an end to this by December Seventeenth, the day before the elections!" Makoto reminded them.
"Let the infiltration begin then. I will take pleasure in paying him back for all he's done to the Phantom Thieves… and to me personally," Akechi said. Stepping inside the Palace, the gang found themselves in a grand lobby, with their clothes changing to their Phantom Thief attire as well. "It's no surprise that he already sees us as threats… It seems as though the other passengers here are wearing masks as well."
"You think they're trying to be phantom thieves?" Noir guessed.
"Whatever the reason, it reflects Shido's mentality. Surely he doesn't view others normally," Fox said.
"Given the nature of his distortion, I'm surprised they even look like people," Omen scoffed. Going up the grand staircase, it wasn't long before they were confronted by a Shadow guard, having to take down a Cerberus in the process.
"Ah, is this a show of sorts? Mr. Shido never fails to keep his guests entertained!" a guest laughed.
"Indeed! Those privileged enough to be on this ship are all on the winning team!" the two cognitions laughed.
"What is with these people…? Why do they not feel any danger after what they just witnessed?" Fox questioned.
"It seems they think no harm will come to them because they're on Shido's ship," Queen guessed.
"They're not even sensing the danger… Come on, let's make 'em see what this ship really is!" Skull declared. Ascending higher into the ship, Mona eventually stopped as they entered a room, his senses tingling.
"…I can sense the Treasure's presence! It's that way. Let's go, guys!" the not-cat exclaimed.
"These huge doors are obviously suspicious. I wonder what's through here," Lycan said.
"There're slots to stick into something like a keycard… Whoa, there's five of them!" Oracle pointed out.
"…Fore hundred seventy-five people in favor, zero against," Shido's voice rang out form a loudspeaker. "Since there is no one against the plan, this bill will be unanimously passed as drafted."
"Passed? What's going on? Was that Shido's voice?" Skull wondered.
"If this truly is the Representatives Chamber as written, beyond here must be the main assembly hall," Queen said.
"…The what now?" Lycan tilted her head.
"It's the large conference hall you see on the news," Omen said. "I bet they're making mealiness votes inside… ones where whatever Shido proposed will always go unopposed."
"He's doing whatever he wants by keeping only his supporters in there," Crow scoffed. "It seems we'll need to find the keycards if we want entrance, though. Or maybe even a qualification of sorts, a vow of loyalty."
"So basically, we need to prove that we're in his side," Mona summarized.
"We'll have to pretend at least," Joker clarified.
"You sure move on quick…" Queen mused.
"But what's this qualification thing about?" Skull asked.
"Why don't we ask the guests on the ship?" Noir suggested.
"Great idea," Joker nodded.
"That thought never crossed my mind," Oracle admitted.
"Asking around doesn't sound like a bad idea. The guests here are the cognitive versions of them in Shido's mind. They'll know any secrets he shares," Mona said.
"True. You have a point," Queen nodded.
"That said, Shido is still the Ruler here. I wouldn't surprise me if they turn hostile," Crow warned.
"Right… Yeah, wouldn't they attack us?" Collin sighed.
"We should prepare for the worst, of course, but I think we'll be able to talk to them," Mona said. "This ship is most likely an ark loaded with those Shido believes are worth keeping alive. It'd explain the luxury cruise ship. I doubt idiots who can't even hold a conversation would be here."
"We can at least gather information," Omen shrugged. "It helps that everyone is wearing masks. We'll blend in even with our attire. He must believe that no one shows their true face to anyone else… just like him."
"Well then, let's split up and ask around," Noir said. After some time the group came back together to share what they had learned from the cognitions, including Mona finding a map of the ship and a nearby Safe Room.
"Still, this is a surprise… All the cognitive guests in this Palace seem like real humans," Mon said. "The casino earlier looked pretty real too, but talking with these guests was a whole 'nother story."
"You have that right…" Fox nodded.
"Shido is a formidable foe. His observational skills and insight are quite dangerous," Crow said.
"Hey, don't freak us out, dude!" Skull exclaimed.
"I'm just stating facts," Crow frowned. "Besides, the cognitions' conversational skills will make it easier to plan how we go about things. Let us put together the information we gather then, yes?"
"…So, we gotta get a "letter of introduction" from give VIPs?" Lycan summarized.
"And those letters become the keycards," Templar nodded.
"As for who those VIPs are… the first is an influential politician by the name of Ooe," Queen said. "He's supposedly seen at the restaurant at night and sits at a table near the window."
"Next is a VIP who supposedly used to be nobility," Omen said. "They're usually by the pool from what I heard."
"Next is the president of a television station, also a VIP. He always plays slots at night. It would seems he spends his money quite lavishly," Fox said.
"Supposedly one of the VIPs is the president of an IT company. He's always in his room and reportedly enters from an exclusive hallway," Oracle said.
"The last VIP is a "cleaner," which is slang for a hitman," Crow said. "It'd be for the best if we go after him last."
"Man, we deal with a lot of hitmen," Skull shook his head.
"All right, let's get this done quickly!" Mona said. "For now, though, let's head out for the day. Tomorrow, our final infiltration truly begins!"
Author's Note
It's the exposition chapter! To be honest not a lot had to be changed here from base Persona 5, other than having Akechi be present to explain his part in the plan and the Helluva Trio (that's what I'm calling Octavia, Loona, and Collin now) revealing themselves to both Sae and Sojiro. I also added in Octavia giving the two adults the ability to hear what Morgana says because I wanted our favorite not-cat to be able to take part in the conversation without needing someone else to translate for him. The wonders of magic, am I right?
We're finally going after Shido, now with Crow on the team. I imagine that even if Akechi is part of the team now he would still hold back his true connection to Shido since he's more focused on taking him down than expositing why he despises the man so much. The Helluva Trio are going to show no mercy to Shido when the time comes, so we'll be departing on the Cruise Ship of Pride next time!