Chapter 18: Mementos/Stubbornness
June 13th
Kazumi was getting off from the train in Shibuya station thinking about what happened in the last period. She won that contest fairly but at what cost? The one of meeting Furukawa again.
She remembered when she just ran towards the staff office to get Kawakami:
-"Ms. Kawakami!"- she exclaimed as she opened the door.
-"Asaka?"- the teacher saw her agitated and in order to avoid any rumors from the teachers, she decided to get outside with her.-"Is something the problem? Shall we take this to the counseling office?"
-"Please…"-Kazumi replied looking down.
When they arrived, Sadayo noticed that she was upset with something:
-"Are you ok? You seem upset for someone who just got an honor invitation…"- Kawakami said.-"I must congratulate you. That essay you wrote was truly interesting."
-"Glad you think like that…"- Kazumi said without any eager emotion.-"I...I will like to give in my win on this contest…"
-"Are you serious?"- Kawakami said surprised.-"But, the Principal and the Council President agreed to announce you as a winner despite your background…"
-"I cheated and wrote some politician's views from an article."- Kazumi said suddenly.
-"Huh?"- Sadayo was actually surprised that she will admit her cheating. Unaware to them, the Council President overheard this when passing by.-"So, you did cheat yet you don't want to go?"
-"..."- Kazumi was silent and hoping Kawakami will drag along her lie. She ignored even her friends before coming to the staff office.
-"Listen, I understand this conference isn't the most exciting trip but don't you think trying to skip it after winning is iffy?"- Kawakami said.-"People might get the wrong idea about you…"
-"As if they don't have it already…"- Kazumi said.
-"What to do…?"- Kawakami asked herself and she suddenly heard the knock on the door.-"Who could it be?"
-"Let me handle this for a second."- the teacher said as she opened the door.-"I am using the room in this moment- Nijima!?"
The boy suddenly opened the door by himself to the surprise of Kawakami:
-"My apologies."- he said as he entered in the room and went towards Kazumi.
-"What are you trying to pull off?"- he asked her with a serious tone to her surprise.
-"Nothing...I just don't need nor I want to go."- Kazumi replied without looking at him.
-"That's ridiculous."- Makoto said as he slammed his hands on the table.-"Are you forfeiting this opportunity to fix up your reputation for nothing?"
-"Nijima. What's this about?"- Kawakami said flustered by the tense environment of the room.-"She has admitted that she cheated. We just need to announce another winner-"
-"That's a lie, Ms. Kawakami."- Makoto cut her off.-"You said it yourself, didn't you? That Asaka wrote that essay from head to feet."
-"Well, that's true."- Kawakami said.
-"Well, Asaka? Are you trying to get away with embarrassing Ms. Kawakami like that?"- Makoto said.
-"That was not my intention…"- Kazumi said as she stood up.
-"Stop ignoring us!"- Makoto said.-"If you want to talk, you have to trust in your authorities!"
-"I get it!"- Kazumi was pissed off by his meddling.-"I'll go to that conference! Just leave me alone!"
-"Asaka…"- both Sadayo and Makoto were shocked by her sudden reaction.
-"Sorry to trouble you, Ms. Kawakami…"- Kazumi said as she left the office.
In Shibuya, Kazumi snapped out of her memories and kept walking until she saw Yusuke with a sketchbook looking the people around. That sight kind of made her feel relieved: Yusuke was not on her school so he won't bring up the theme about the contest; he will not try to stress her about it.
Then, she approached to the gallant artist:
-"Hi, Yusuke-kun. What are you doing here?"- she saluted him.
-"Kazumi-san, hello."- he turned around and stopped drawing.-"This station provides me with the urban atmosphere. It is perfect for people watching."
-"People watching…?"-she asked.
-"Yes. The adventures we had in the Metaverse have inspired me to a new theme for a painting."- Yusuke said with an eager expression.-"I must create a painting to show the nature of the desires of people's hearts."
-"I see…"- Kazumi said understanding a bit of what he meant.
-"Do you have any business here? If not, I would like to speak about this with you…"- Yusuke said to her.
-"Sure. Is there anything you need?"- Kazumi asked.
-"Well. I am having troubles to grasp this theme. How to achieve the true beauty…?"- Yusuke said to her.-"What do you think it will capture the contents of the heart?"
-"Uhmm…"- Kazumi thought about it.-"If you are talking about the people's hearts, what about Mementos?"
-"Ah...I see...Mementos!"- Yusuke said as the inspiration suddenly hit him.-"You have a distinctive perspective of things!"- Yusuke suddenly took her hands excited.-"Let us go there, shall we?"
-"Ehh!? Right now?"- Kazumi said blushing and out of panic, took off her hands from Yusuke's.
-"Something the matter?"- Yusuke said to her strange reaction.
-"Nothing."- Kazumi said as she took her phone.-"You want to go to Mementos, right…? I'll accompany you then…"
-"Thanks."-Yusuke said grateful as the MetaNav teleported them there.
In Mementos, Yusuke started to draw the red veins, the dark aura and cold rails of the area they were:
-"This distorted realm, teeming with Shadows...The physical embodiment of the human heart…"- Fox said as his ideas were flowing.-"The same thing which brought 'Sayuri' to life can also be this distorted and awful…"
-"Truly fascinating…"- Fox said while Ace was checking the nav in case the Shadows approached to them.
-"The heart is akin to an abyss…"-Fox kept saying.-"Now, regarding to my slump...I have an idea."
-"That moment when I saw Madarame's heart and I awakened my Persona, I swore to show the world true beauty…"- Fox said.-"This is when the ugliness of the world became clear to me…"
-"I see."- Ace said as she sat in the rails.-"So you feel like seeing Shadow Madarame turned your conception of the beauty of Sayuri into something else?"
-"I wonder if that true beauty really exists...if so, can hands tainted by Madarame's depravity capture it?"- he asked.
-"I don't have an answer for all those doubts in my mind."- Fox concluded as he wasn't listening to her at all.
-"Well…"- Ace tried to reply but Fox was on his own world.-"Guess he's out again…"
-"This is going to be a drag…"-Morgana said next to her. He was forced into Mementos as well.-"I'm just going to leave, ok?"
-"Sure. Be careful in the real world."- Ace said to him before he jumped out of the distortion of the floor they were in.
In the meantime, Ace acceded to the Velvet Room and tried to fuse for stronger personas. She was in a row today as her conflicted feelings made her obsess with completing her rehabilitation by the getting stronger Personas. She ended up getting: Arsene, Nigi Mitama, Yaksini, Leanan Sidhe, Flauros, Phoenix, Shiki-Ouji and High Pixie.
She noticed that the stronger she was getting, the least useful Arsene was. Although she has been fusing personas in cruel ways, she wasn't heartless enough to get rid of him. Arsene was somehow special and so:
-"I want to request a lockdown."- Kazumi said to Igor and the red prosecutor turned towards her.
-"Who shall be behind the cell?"- the mysterious being said with a silent voice.
-"Arsene."- she replied and the prosecutor pulled from her chest the chains of Arsene tied to her heart and pull him behind the bars.
-"I have to become stronger and, you shall do it too."- it was what Kazumi said to Arsene as she looked at him behind the bars. With her work done, she left the Velvet Room while Arsene did a slight salute by tipping his hat down.
Back in Mementos, Ace saw that Fox was still drawing:
-"Fox, how come you're not done yet?"- Ace asked surprised.
-"Don't rush me...I need a little bit more of time."- Fox replied.-"Humm...Yes...The inspiration has struck me! That's gotta be it! Such brilliant composition!"
-"That sounds like good news to me…"-Ace stood up relieved that Fox was finally advancing to the end, until suddenly, a Slime shadow horde appeared in front of them.
-"Fox…!"-Ace tried to warn him about the enemy.
-"Hmp. How inelegant…!"-Fox said indignant.-"Ace, let's cut them down for interrupting my work…!"
-"Leave the to me!"-Ace said as she stood next to him holding her hat down.
-"High Pixie!"- Ace exclaimed as she used Magaru, a multi-range wind skill, over them and knocked the down due to their wind weakness.
-"All of them at once…!?"-Fox said impressed.
-"These Shadows are nothing…! Let's go all out on them, Fox!"- Ace said as both of them performed an All-Out Attack and the shadows vanished in a sprout of blood leaving a blank card on place.
-"This card…"- Ace noticed the card and collected it and compare it to the Media skill card.-"It's kind of the same type that Shadow in Madarame's palace dropped."
-"My apologies, Ace. It seems I became too passionate."- Fox said.-"I'm glad you were with me or I would have been in a great peril."
-"Don't worry. It was bound to happen eventually."- Ace said to him.-"At least we weren't caught by that-"
Suddenly Ace was interrupted by the menacing sound of rattling chains on the rails:
-"Did you hear that…?"- Ace asked Yusuke and then from the distortion door, something started to get in.-"Wah! Fox, behind you! Behind you!"
-"What is it?"-when Fox turned around, he saw a big shadow with a large black cloak, a white fabric covering his face and until the elbows with only the right half of his face being shown a yellow eye and blood. He was carrying two long revolvers and he was surrounded by very heavy chains. The shadow pointed one of his revolvers to them.
-"F-Fox! We're getting out of here!"- Ace hurried up to use the MetaNav to take them out before the gun was fired.
Back in reality, both of them were sweating out of fear in the same corner of Shibuya Station they were before:
-"That was close…!"- Kazumi said.-"That thing had a very terrifying presence...It might've been that shadow called The Reaper."
-"You've saved me again. Perhaps, you are my Theo."- Yusuke said to her.
-"I'm sorry, who?"- Kazumi asked.
-"Van Gogh was not famous in his lifetime yet he had a great admirer and supporter by his side, it was his brother Theo."-Yusuke explained.
-"I see…"-Kazumi found the analogy a bit weird.
-"Well, there are not so many who can deal with my...eccentricity."- Yusuke said and noticed that she was still holding the blank card on her hand.-"By the way, what is that card you collected?"
-"It's called a skill card and my personas can memorize it to get new abilities."- Kazumi explained this according to what the twins told her about it once.-"But...this one is empty."
-"Humm…"-Yusuke was thinking about something.-"May I have it but a second?"
-"Sure."- Kazumi gave it to him and Yusuke took one of his pencils.
-"When I see an empty paper...I can't avoid the urge to draw on it."- Yusuke said as he started to draw the symbol of a chalice on it.-"Yes...Good...This will do!"
-"You seem really inspired now."- Kazumi said as she saw happily that he was motivated.
-"What do you think?"- Yusuke said as he showed it to her.
-"Wow. It looks pretty cool."- Kazumi said as she took the card on her hands. Then, it suddenly began to shine to eyes of both of them and the symbol was changed to four diamonds and the word 'Recarm'.-"It transformed into a skill card…"
-"Amazing,Yusuke-kun!"- Kazumi said excited.-"You can create them!"
-"Interesting"- Yusuke said.-"Hey, Kazumi, why don't we do a deal?"
-"A deal? Let me hear it first."- Kazumi said while she put the card on her pocket.
-"If I overcome my slump, I might be able to help our team even further like now. But for that, I'll need your assistance."- Yusuke said.-"Will you become my art assistant?"
-"Let's do it."- Kazumi said as she stretched her hand to him.-"It will be shaming if your slump doesn't let you progress…"
-"I am grateful. I promise your returns will be worth the cooperation."- Yusuke said as he took her hand as the seal of their deal.
-"I am thou. Thou art I.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Emperor persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power."- to their bond, the Emperor arcana appeared and a star appeared on the superior side.
*Novice duplication unlocked*
-"Well then, I must return to the dorms. I'll complete the sketch I just made."- Yusuke said as he let off his hand.
-"Make sure to show it to me when it's done."- Kazumi said with a smile before they scattered and she returned home.
At LeBlanc, Kazumi did a sigh and entered expecting Sojiro wouldn't have heard anything about what happened:
-"I'm back."- she said quietly.
-"Welcome back. We have clients so make sure to go upstairs."- Sojiro said as in any normal day and she did as told.
In her room, she was surprised by the fact that Ann and Ryuji were there along with Morgana:
-"You two…"- Kazumi said in shock to see them.
-"Your guardian let us get in. Sorry to come without permission but you didn't answer my calls at all."- Ann explained.
-"Morgana said you were with Yusuke when we met him on the station."- Ryuji said.-"We felt like it was better to come here than nothin'."
-"What is that you want to discuss?"- Kazumi said as she left her bag on a side.
-"Where did you run away when they announced you as the winner?"- Ann asked directly.-"Was it so they left you out of the visit?"
-"Don't worry about that. I'll go there."- Kazumi replied.
-"Are you for real? I thought you would…"- before Ryuji could finish his sentence…
-"Kazumi felt pressured by that Council President's claims of her cowardice and she accepted to go…"-Morgana said.
-"That fuckin' asshole!"- Ryuji was enraged.-"If he wants to mess up in someone's issues...I'll teach him his place!"
-"Shut up, Ryuji."- Kazumi suddenly said to him in the most deadpan voice.
-"K-Kazumi…!?"- Ann was shocked by her reaction.
-"This is what you guys wanted too, wasn't it?"- she said.-"I'll go there and find a target without confronting that woman…"
-"But forcing you to go…"-Ryuji tried to say.-"We ain't gonna do any of that!"
-"Nobody forced me to go."- Kazumi said.-"I wrote that essay with my own feelings. Nijima-senpai was right about me ignoring that for just my own cowardice."
-"I can't face Furukawa. But, I can certainly check for targets...being a Phantom thief is much more meaningful for me than you guys think."- she said.
-"Got it. Then, we don't have anything else to say…"- Ann said worried about her current attitude.-"We're going now…"
Kazumi let Ann pass from the door while they refuse to look at each other:
-"The conference is on the 16th, right?"- Ryuji said to her as he approached to the door.-"Think about it better until then…"
-"Thanks for the recommendation."- Kazumi said as she heard them leave.
It was silent after that in her room. Morgana only saw her lay down in her bed. Then, she received a message from Mishima:
#"Hey! Congratulations for your achievement!"
#"Getting close to the government for information...is that what you were planning?"
"Is that the only reason to text me, now?"
#"No, no...I actually have some intel that can be handy."
#"There's a student from first-year that came to me. He said he was being blackmailed in at his job by the store manager."
"From the manager…?"
#"Yes. According to what he told me, money went missing from the register he was supposed to be taking care of."
#"And now the manager is making him pay the full amount of 50,000 yen."
"That sounds off…"
#"Right? And the guy is the most honest one I know. I also did some research online about the store and the rumors said that the manager might be the one stealing it as he's in charge of checking the registers."
#"The Guy's name is Nozomi Odo. I'll the rest in your hands."
"Got it."-Kazumi replied before stopping the chat but Mishima wrote something else.
#"Also, you know that there's something going on at school about the Council President solving your problems right?"
#"I overheard that some students are being blackmailed by a mafia in Shibuya to sell drugs and give them money."
#"That sounds kind of scary but that's all I know…"
"I'll try to investigate more on my side then."
After that, she went to sleep. She had no motivation but to read a book about girl fashion to be more charming.
*Kazumi's charm increases by 3*
*Kazumi's charm is now Lovely*
June 14th
As part of the visit, the winners of the contest had to formulate questions directed to the Minister. Most of the other winners gathered in tables on a study room ignoring Kazumi, due to the rumors. She didn't mind.
Makoto was the one who sat next to her:
-"Can I help you?"- she asked without looking at him.
-"No...Just felt like sitting here."- Makoto replied.-"Do you mind? Because of the rumors about your criminal record? Or the ones about us?"
-"I don't care about such things…"-Kazumi said.-"As long as it's not hurting anyone…"
-"..."- Makoto let aside his cold attitude due to her cold attitude. He considered that he had been certainly terrible with her.-"I did not thank you for helping me the other day."
-"..."-Kazumi pretended to ignore him.-"The Student Council has it rough, huh?"
-"As far as the work goes, yes…"-Makoto said.
-"There's no way a bunch of students can deal with a criminal organization, you know?"- Kazumi said to him.
-"You might say that…"- Makoto said.-"If the Phantom Thieves were just, they will find that person out and change their heart, is that what you're implying?"
The bell rang and the students knew it was recess time. When the others left, Makoto passed close to Kazumi:
-"It's not a bad idea…"-he whispered at her.-"I might test their justice…"
-"It's not my business."- Kazumi whispered back and after turning around the corner, she took her phone and texted in a group chat:
"We have a target to investigate."
*"You found one so soon..."- Yusuke replied.
-"Who is it?"- Ryuji asked.
"No name yet. Someone is pulling the ropes to blackmail juveniles into a business of drugs and other stuff to get money."
×"I heard about that...It's happening a lot in Shibuya."
×"What's the plan?"
"We need to stay open to anyone suspicious. If they offer you some kind of service, ask for more information."
*"If we are dealing with something like that, it will be risky if they catch us alone…"
-"What if it is some kind of mafia?"
-"Actually, that sounds like a neat target."
After Kazumi agreed with her partners about the target, she went to the courtyard alone and drinking banana milk; she heard the rumors of the students being blackmailed. The target sounded big enough to have a palace.
After school, she found someone familiar in the train station:
-"Oh, it's the girl from the other day!"- it was the journalist that she encountered back when they were investigating Madarame.-"You don't seem cheerful today…"
-"Thanks for your concern."-Kazumi said to her.-"Anything I can help you with?"
-"Not at all, just passing by."-the journalist said.-"Ichiko Ohya ready for any hot topics!"
-"Hot topics, huh?"- Kazumi had something in mind.
-"You interested? I don't have time now but…"-Ohya gave her an address.-"There's this place in Shinjuku where you can find me. I'll be there at night if you're willing to get any information."
-"Huh…"-Kazumi replied as she saw her leave.-"A bar!?"
-"No way you're going alone to that place. It might be dangerous for a student and they will catch you!"- Morgana said.
-"I guess I'll need someone to accompany me…"-Kazumi sighed.
As she was going to the station square, she texted her friends about her encounter with the journalist from before. It was Ryuji who willed to accompany there tonight evening.
In her way to Central Street, a guy in flashy shirt stopped her:
-"Hey, pretty girl!"- he said to her.-"I am scouting for a model business and you seem the perfect shot for a couple of magazines! Whaddaya say?"
-"I am very busy, no thanks."- she said as she left without looking at him which pissed him off.
-"Then, what about hanging out with me?"- he asked as he forced her arm.-"That's free of contract."
-"Let it off! I am not interested!"- she exclaimed as she tried to force herself out of his grasp while he was pulling her to the depths of the alley.
-"Listen, ya little bitch…!"-before he could say something else, Morgana came out of the bag and bite his arm to release Kazumi who pushed him to the ground and run away.-"You'll pay for this…!"
He went after her. Kazumi saw with anger that he wasn't going to give up and didn't saw when she bumped into someone: Makoto. The man was going to take a knife from his belt and Makoto saw it, he put Kazumi behind him and used a martial art technique to make the man drop his knife and throw him to the floor yet again:
-"You brats…"-the man said in pain.
-"Get away from her if you don't want the police over you, scum."- Makoto said to him while maintaining his guard up. The man simply stood up and when away shouting about vengeance.
-"Are you alright, Asaka?"- Makoto turned around to see her.
-"I am. Thank you."- she said to him.-"Considering I bumped on you here, I suppose you were keeping an eye on me…"
-"I was curious about your question from earlier…"-Makoto said-"Someone told me that when nothing seems logical, you have to abandon common sense."
-"As soon as I did that with you, I concluded you might be related to all that stuff about the Phantom Thieves…"-he said.
-"That's right, you are investigating about that."- she replied.-"I am just a fan in that respect…"
-"I was trying to get them a new target. To help people that really needs their help."- Kazumi said to him.
-"Why them?"- Makoto asked.
-"If justice was something adults seek, I wouldn't had lost so much."- Kazumi said.-"To my eyes, Les Blues Rebelles care more about the public than their own needs."
-"I have to go now...See you tomorrow on the recess."- Kazumi said as she left.
They both separated ways as Kazumi kept walking towards the Airsoft Shop and trade her weapons for the palace. After that, she returned to Yongen-Jaya and bought an old console in the second hand shop she bought her TV last time. Then, she went to the batting cages to kill time.
*Kazumi's proficiency increases by 1*
When she arrived to LeBlanc, she received a call from an unknown number:
-"Yes? Who am I speaking to?"- she asked.
-"Asaka? It's me, Nijima."- Makoto replied to the other side of the line.
-"Why do you have my number?"- Kazumi asked immediately.
-"I digged it up. I just wanted to see if you arrived safe at home after what happened before."- Makoto said.
-"I see…"- Kazumi didn't even want his concern but she didn't want to be that rude with him.-"I am fine now so don't concern yourself."
-"...Yeah. Well, see you tomorrow."- he said before hanging up first.
-"Was that a boy voice I heard?"- Sojiro said to her. -"It seems your charisma knows no bounds."
-"..."-Kazumi was silent to Sojiro's tease.
-"Geez. So much for a smile…"-he said a bit shocked by her silence.-"By the way, a boy came earlier asking for you. He said he was the council president from your school."
-"I couldn't give him a proper answer for his question so I just gave him your phone number."- Sojiro added.-"You haven't gotten in trouble right?"
-"Not at all. Here."- Kazumi said as he gave him a form.-"I won a contest to visit a conference. I need your permission as a guardian to assist."
-"That's surprising…"- Sojiro said impressed.-"Let me sign this quick so I won't forget it."
-"Thank you, Sojiro-san."- she replied as she took it back.
After she went to her room, she changed her clothes to a casual summer outfit and contacted Ryuji and the others:
"Alright. Let's head to Shinjuku."- Kazumi said.
×"Be careful, you two. Not only with the police…"
-"We'll be fine."
*"My apologies for not being able to go with you. I didn't save enough for this train travel."
"You know I don't mind paying your fare, right?"
*"No need. I'll take this as a lesson to save more for these kind of emergencies."
-"Alright. I'll wait for you in Shibuya, Kazumi."-Ryuji replied ignoring Yusuke's weird philosophy of life.
"Got it."- Kazumi replied back and put her phone down.
Moments later, she meet with Ryuji and they both left to Shinjuku. It was a city in the prefecture of Tokyo very illuminated, even at night. Most of the area they were in was bars and other places of entertainment for adults:
-"Ryuji, stop looking around. You look like a tourist."- Morgana scolded the boy.-"Also, you idiot, why are you wearing your school uniform!?"
-"What's wrong with that?"- Ryuji asked and Kazumi and Morgana just facepalmed.
-"We are supposed to bend in this place."- Kazumi said.
-"Excuse me."-Suddenly, a police officer spotted them.-"You are students right? This is no place for you two to have a date this late."
-"We? No, we are c-college students, sir."-Kazumi said nervous.
-"Yeah, that's right. We are just here to have a good time."- Ryuji said as he took Kazumi from the shoulder without her permission.
-"Wait. That pattern in your pants…"-the officer said to Ryuji.-"I have seen it before! From the news about that teacher harassing students."
-"...Shit."-Ryuji cursed after he was busted.
-"Don't know what you're talking about, officer. If you excuse us…!"- Kazumi said before running away forcing Ryuji to run as well with her.
They went to the opposite direction of the train station to avoid being chased by the officer. They were safe once they stopped by an alley with a flower shop:
-"Great. We just had a detour thanks to you."- Morgana said to Ryuji.
-"Hey, I didn't think this through ok?"- Ryuji excused himself.
-"Anyways, the bar that woman told you, Crossroads? It's not very far from here."-he explained.
-"You think the officer is gone?"- Kazumi asked.
-"He is, prolly. We can't stay the whole night here."- he said.
Once they were walking back to the main road, a blonde young woman with a lilac dress and a black bandana sitting in a single table with a crystal ball spotted them and shouted:
-"Excuse me, the couple right there!"-this gathered their attention.
-"For the blonde one, I can sense impending woman troubles...or perhaps is something else?"- she said and started to observe her crystal ball once again.-"In any case, horrible disaster is coming to you! Please let me examine your future further!"
-"You talking about me?"-Ryuji said in shock.
-"Yes. I suggest you get your future told! What I say surely will come to pass!"-the woman said confident.
-"Oh...a fortune teller."-Kazumi said impressed.-"Try it out!"
-"Nope."- Ryuji replied.-"Sorry but we're in a hurry, I don't really believe in that stuff anyways."
-"I see. However, If you want to change your mind, I'll be waiting here every night except when it's raining."- the woman said dejected.
-"May your fortunes be well...I hope you don't break up."- she said as they left.
-"Was she telling us as a couple just now?"- Ryuji asked.-"Ha! There's no way that her fortune comes true then!"
-"I thought you didn't believe in that."-Kazumi replied.-"By the way, it's better if you stay away."
-",Huh?"- Ryuji said.
-"We're going to a bar right? There's no way they will let us in if you have your uniform."- she said.
-"True that…"-Ryuji admitted with a disappointed expression.-"I'll wait for you near that cinema on the station. Call me if anything goes south, ok?"
-"Leave it to me."-Kazumi said with a confident smile as she walked towards the Crossroads bar.
Even the entrance was telling she didn't belong to that place. The smell of alcoholic drinks and smoke was pretty evident. But, she needed to do this. After she entered, she was received by a hoarse voice:
-"Welcome, welcome."-a robust woman(?), the bartender, with a black kimono and a purple wig said to her. She(?) was smoking from a pipe.-"A cute lady. How old are you?"
-"Leave it, Lala-chan. She's with me."-Ohya was in the bar table in front of the bartender.-"By the way, can I use one of the back cabins?"
-"Fine by me. Just don't let a minor drink alcohol, ok?"- Lala warned the journalist.
-"Go on, girl. I'll treat you for some water."- Ichiko said with a smile.
-"Sure…"-Kazumi said nervous. It was the first time she went to a bar. Good thing it was empty.
When Ichiko reached the table, they started to speak on the important matters:
-"Agh...she reeks of booze…"-Morgana meowed.
-"Ahaha. What a surprise. I really thought you were joking back on the station but you really came here."-the woman said with a weird enthusiasm. Perhaps, she wasn't as sober as she looked like.
-"I respect that bravery of yours, girl. Let me listen to what you wanna say."- the journalist said.
-"I heard on school about some kind of mafia blackmailing students to get riches."- Kazumi explained.-"It is happening a lot in Shibuya these days…"
-"Why that?"- Ohya asked serious.
-"I need intel on their boss."- Kazumi said.-"So, Les Blues Rebelles can target them."
-"I see...I do happen to know something about that."- Ohya said interested by the last part.-"But, if you really want that intel, I will need something in exchange."
-"As expected for a journalist…"-Morgana thought.
-"What is it?"- Kazumi asked.
-"Information about that group of the phantom thieves."-she said after taking a drink of her glass.-"I was pursuing the issue of people getting mental shutdowns lately, but I'm lacking on intel…"
-"That's why I'm looking for new info to talk about."- Ohya said.-"You just mentioned you want the name of the boss for the Phantom Thieves, do you happen to have intel to share about them?"
-"Eh? Well...I am just a fangirl…"-she said.-"There's this website where people do requests to change the hearts of evil-doers…"
-"I see. On the other hand, you're a Shunjin student, right?"- Ohya asked.-"I saw you with your uniform last time we spoke."
-"I thought you might have some kind of hidden intel since it was where the first case originated."- Ohya said.-"To follow up that case, I will like to have some information form a student that suffered Kamoshida's abuse."
-"Kazumi, if we are doing this, we better choose someone who doesn't snitch on us…"- Morgana murmured to her.-"What about Mishima? He is on our side after all and he isn't as lousy as Ryuji."
-"I have someone in that case."-Kazumi said.-"I can give you his information but first, we need to have a deal."
-"Awesome. I'll tell you what I know then, little fangirl."- Ohya said excited.
-"You better be thankful. My quick wit is the only reason we got this far."-Morgana meowed full of pride.
-"You know, now that I think about it...those mental shutdowns and the Phantom Thieves sound supernatural…"-Ohya said for herself-"Could they be related or is it just a coincidence…?"
-"Well then, about our deal."-she said before taking another sip.-"The name you're probably looking for is Junya Kaneshiro."
-"Yes!"-Morgana said in triumph.
-"You should check on him first if you have any doubts. But I'm not responsible of what might happen to you in that case."-Ohya said.
-"Don't worry about it."-Kazumi said as she took her phone.-"I will fulfill the part of my deal once they confirm that he's the guy or not."
-"Sounds fair."-Ohya said.-"By the way, why do you help them? It might get you in trouble to deal with shady people on internet…"
-"It's a serious problem in my school. I want it to get over so nobody else gets hurt."-Kazumi mentioned.
-"Oh, such a nice girl…"-Ohya said.-"Hey, Lala-chan. Give her a refill! We have to celebrate our new acquaintance!"
-"Ugh. Just finish your water and go, you'll get in trouble if you stay longer."-Morgana said already dizzy for the smell of alcohol.
Kazumi got out of the bar a short after and walked towards the cinema. There, she spotted Ryuji waiting:
-"Sorry for the wait."- Kazumi said as she approached.
-"Finally. I was startin' to get bored…"-Ryuji said.-"So, any info on the target, leader?"
-"I got a name: Junya Kaneshiro."- Kazumi mentioned.
-"For real?"- Ryuji said impressed that she got a target so fast and wrote the name on the app.-"Alright. Now we just need the palace and the distortion and it's Palace time!"
-"Wait until we're all together, Ryuji."- Morgana said.
-"Right. I'll text the others to gather around Shibuya tomorrow."- the blonde said.-"We finally got a huge catch! Man, I'm so pumped!"
-"Ooooooh a real huge catch you say? I'm getting pumped too!"-someone said near to them and suddenly two men in weird shirts with hearts and feminine poses pushed Kazumi away from Ryuji.
-"What a cutie and so muscular too!"-one of them said.-"I give it an 85 out of 100!"
-"Who are you!?"- Ryuji exclaimed taken by surprise.
-"Ouch…"-Kazumi fixed her glasses after being pushed so suddenly and saw that those two men weren't precisely gentle.
-"Gyahhahaha! I'm the naughty troll of Shibuya! I'm gonna eat you up!"- that man said to Ryuji trying to use his most sexy voice.
-"H-Hey! Lemme go!"-Ryuji said as he was taken by the arms by those two men.
-"Excuse me."- Kazumi tried to get them away from him. With her current charm, she knew she could save Ryuji.-"You are getting very friendly here, don't you think?"
-"Oh my."-one of the man said as he realized of Kazumi's existence.
-"He's taken…"-both men said as they just left disappointed.
-"You have saved my entire life just now…"-Ryuji sighed relieved.-"Thank you, cutie."
-"Let's go home before you get us into more bizarre adventures…"- Kazumi said with a dejected expression.
June 15th
There was a meeting that day too, yet unlike yesterday; it was meaningless. The other winners just discussed about their own things. Makoto and Kazumi were in another table by themselves as if they were rejected by everyone else in the room:
-"So, how did it go yesterday?"- Makoto asked her.
-"I arrived well if that's what you meant."- Kazumi replied still serious and wary to him as always.
-"I am talking about your research."- he mentioned. Kazumi suddenly took his notebook in the table and wrote something.
-"They are on it."-was what she wrote.
-"Impressive…"-Makoto whispered in shock.-"Why didn't you pass that information to the police then?"
-"Do you really think they'll justice the leader without proofs?"- Kazumi whispered back.
-"Nijima-senpai. We don't have anything to do now so we'll be leaving."-one of the first years said as they went out.
-"Were you saying?"- Kazumi asked him as there was no one in the room now.
-"Well, yeah. That's gonna take a while but they're surely not gonna let that person out of the hook."- Makoto said.
-"And meanwhile what? More people will be scammed!"-Kazumi said to him.
-"Hey, rushed judgements are the worst decision to take."-Makoto stood up.-"It is always best to hear both parties' sides."
-"I might be a dull country girl but that's not how it works, Nijima-senpai."- Kazumi said.-"Having such democracy with lives in a line just prolongs the suffering of the victims and I'm sure power can be abused in order to silence justice."
-"Such things don't happen when you are doing what's correct immediately…"-she added.
-"What is your opinion, Nijima-senpai?"-she said as she took her stuff back on her bag.-"Are the Phantom Thieves just?"
-"Or are the adults you trust in so much the just ones?"-Makoto was flustered by her question.
-"Just? What? Are you trying to make me question my duties?"- Makoto said.-"This is why I'm testing your idols...I want to know whether Akechi was right about them or not."
-"I see…Personally, I think you are just lacking of your own perspective."- Kazumi closed her eyes.-"I'm leaving now as well. Take care."
-"Lacking of perspective…?"-Makoto thought deeply about it. Not realizing that his notebook was gone because Kazumi mixed it up with hers.
-"I just have the perspective of justice I always have had…"-he thought as he remembered his father and sister.-"Father…"
After school, Kazumi gathered with her friends on Shibuya Station to get the MetaNav working:
-"Junya Kaneshiro. The MetaNav shows his name as a hit."- Yusuke said as he checked the nav on his phone.
-"Alright. Now we just need the place and the distortion."- Kazumi said.
-"I am actually impressed that you got away with this, leader."- Ryuji said.-"It's all thanks to us reminding you of that nurse!"
-"Ryuji!"-Ann stepped on his foot for his imprudent comment.
-"Ouch! What was that for!?"- he exclaimed.
-"Ryuji has a bit of reason. It was you avoiding her what maxed your dedication to look for other targets."- Morgana said-"You even dared to close the distance with that Nijima guy to confirm about this group in the first place!"
-"Wait, he knew about this too!?"- Ann said in shock.-"What the hell was he doing then!?"
-"Ignore that. He ain't takin' credit for this though. It's all for the Phant-"-before Ryuji could scream again, he was stepped by Ann in the other foot.-"Agh!"
-"Can we get to work now?"-Kazumi said.-"The more you talk about it, the more I want this over with."
-"Let's get the location then…"-Ann said after her expression.-"What could be this guy's distortion? There has to be something about money…"
-"What about a mansion?"-Kazumi asked.
-"No candidates found."- the nav AI replied.
-"A money bath maybe? I have seen people online with things like that."- Ann mentioned but the app gave the same result.
-"Shouldn't it be a bank?"- Yusuke thought.-"I heard that's where people save and reclaim money."
-"No candidates found."-the map replied again.
-"Something about money…"-Ryuji tried to think.-"Nope! I can't figure any damn place!"
-"What if it's Mementos for all that matters!?"- he exclaimed suddenly and the Nav picked up that voice line.
-"Candidate found."- it said and everyone was actually in shock as the MetaNav distorted the space around them to bring them to the entrance of Mementos.
-"Mementos…!?"- Panther said surprised. The others were also disappointed by this discovery.
-"So, that man we were looking for didn't have a Palace…"-Fox added.
-"Of course it wasn't going to be that easy…"-Mona said looking down.
-"It doesn't matter."- Ace said while she was clasping her fist in rage for her failure.-"We have to stop him anyways."
-"Fox, where's that Shadow? Mona, transform into a car now!"- she gave the orders.
-"Huh? Well...it's right after we left last time…"-the outlaw mentioned.
-"Let's hurry there then!"- Ace said.-"We have more than one target here…"
-"I guess we have no choice…"-Mona said and he did a backflip to transform into the Monabus. Ace went instantly to the front while the others were seeing her act so exasperated.
-"What's the matter, guys? Are you going to stay there? Hurry in!"- Mona said.
-"Ace, please watch out."- Panther said as she sat on the front with her.
-"I am perfectly fine, Panther."- Ace said as she started the engine.-"A target is a target. The more the better…"
-"..."-the silence filled the car.
-"Anyways, about our first target."-Ace mentioned.-"His name is Nozomi Odo. He's a manager in a store that has been blackmailing employees blaming them for stealing from the cash register. He's the one who does the stealing actually."
-"That's totally not normal…"- Panther mentioned as they crossed the gate they opened last time.
Their fight with the Shadow of Odo was complicated yet not hard. His shadow had the form of a celtic guardian (Setanta) with a powerful spear because he thought of himself as a guardian of the store. It was because of Panther and Mona's magic that he surrendered.
After that, they skipped to the rest area to recover and move to their other target, Kaneshiro:
-"This floor feels pretty weird…"- Mona said as Ace was driving him around.
-"We're close to our target."- Fox mentioned as he checked the nav.
As Mona turned around the corner, there was a gigantic and throbbing distortion that was threatening to expand:
-"That must be the one…"-Mona said.-"It's pretty big. Perhaps he is about to birth a palace…"
-"Let's hurry then."- Ace said as she pressed the accelerator to jump in.
When they crossed the distortion, they saw many Shadows of Mementos along with Shadow Kaneshiro. He was a chubby man dressed in a black and indigo suit with a comb hairstyle.
As he saw unpleasant visitants, he said:
-"Who are you all? This is not a masquerade party, you brats."
-"We are Les Blues Rebelles, the so called Phantom Thieves."- Ace introduced them.-"I heard you have been imposing a mafia to steal money from teens in Shibuya. Time to pay your taxes."
-"These are the Phantom Thieves? Hahahaha."-the chubby man laugh out loud.-"You brats don't scare anyone!"
-"Men! Dispose of those thieves so I can be the richest man alive!"- he exclaimed and the shadows went into the offensive, transforming themselves into gremlin green men with a brown suit and carrying purses with money (Melchom).
-"Bring it on!"- Ace said as the Phantom Thieves prepared to fight.
-"Too many enemies…"- Mona said as they were surrounded.-"We have to figure out their weakness if we want to get this over with!"
-"Yaksini! Matarukaja!"- Ace said as she used the purple fairy with two swords to power up the party.-"Mona, Fox, attack!"
-"Understood."- Fox said as he and Morgana used Magaru and Mabufu to created a freezing wind that froze the shadows alive.
-"Skull, Panther!"- she ordered. Panther used her Flare SMG to blow up the first frozen wave. Skull then destroyed the rest making Kidd use rampage on them.
-"That was nothing…"- Ace said to Shadow Kaneshiro that felt cornered as he saw his men defeated.-"It's your turn."
-"Fools! I'll teach you that only the smart and strong can be rich and powerful in this world!"- the chubby man said as he started to transform-"No matter if clean or dirty…"
-"Shuddup! Nobody needs a damn coward ruining the lives of others in the city!"- Skull exclaimed to him.
-"You brats that think you're so smart because you see everything online are my preys!"- he finally took the form of a yellow pig with reptile limbs and dressing royally (Horkos).-"Alright, here we go ya pieces of shit!"
-"Take this!"- the Death pig dragon made a hop to cause a big tremor. Ace and Mona jumped to avoid it while the others were pushed down by it.
-"Yaksini!"- Ace ordered as her persona rushed to Horkos and started to slap him furiously with the trim of the swords until he started to get annoyed.
-"You little bitch!"- the pig got mad and tried to attack her with Assault Drive, just to be hurt back due to Yaksini's counter skill.
-"Zorro!"- Mona used his Persona to cast wind against him.
-"Get toasty, you pig!"- Panther said as Carmen throw a fireball at him.
-"Gah! Hot, hot, hot!"- he said as he dropped his crown desperate just to receive bullet damage from Skull and Fox.
-"That's unfair! You're five against one!"- Horkos said as he was thrown on the floor.
-"Says the one that throw a bunch of enemies at us…"-Panther replied.
-"Give up and call off your victims."- Ace said as she pointed a gun at his face.-"Or else we'll have grilled pig tonight."
-"Aghhh! Stop calling me pig!"- Horkos said as the floor started tumbling.
-"What the hell…!?"- Skull said as the floor started to shake violently and when Ace was unbalanced, the shadow tried to attack her with a curse skill (Mudoo).
-"Ace!"- Fox took it for her falling unconscious.
-"Fox!"- Panther and Skull exclaimed in shock.
-"Captain Kidd!"- Skull summoned his persona in rage using the spell Zionga to finish Horkos off.
The floor stopped moving and the shadow returned to his normal form:
-"Fox! Are you alright!?"- Ace tried to wake him up but there was no response.-"Fox! This is not funny…"
-"You promised to show me that painting when it was done…"-Ace started to have tears on her eyes.
-"Ace, h-he's not dead."-Morgana said.-"Do you have a skill called Recarm?"
-"Recarm…?"- Ace asked herself and remembered the skill card she gave to Phoenix.
-"Phoenix."-she called out the red bird with multicolored feathers on his comb that let out a light to recover Fox's injuries.
-"Uhh...That was a terrible experience…"-Fox said recovering his consciousness.-"It's like someone just impaled a needle through my heart and…"
-"Enough, Fox."- Panther cut him off to slightly point Ace at him.
-"I'm sorry...I thought you died because of me…"-she said as she wiped her tears off.
-"For real. I was so angry too…"-Skull said in a low tone.
-"My apologies for being so reckless…"-Fox said while closing his eyes.
-"Say, can we leave this for another moment?"-Mona said uncomfortable for their over exaggeration to point at Shadow Kaneshiro.
-"No, no, I lost…"- Kaneshiro said.-"My forces, my power...How can I buy off for those jewels now!?"
-"Jewels? You won dirty money just for that?"-Panther said mad.
-"You don't understand, brats. Those jewels of hers...That kind of power…"-he said with an ambitious look on his face.-"She never has enough and I wanted some too!"
-"Who are you talking about?"- Skull asked.
-"That earthquake from before, it was her. She's here."-he said and started to vanish.-"Aghh, I wish you fools didn't get on my way…"
-"Is this a piggy bank…?"- Panther asked as she collected the treasure he left behind and shaked it a bit.-"It's full."
-"What is a piggy bank?"- Fox asked which cause the shock of the others.
-"It's where you save your change money. How come you don't know that?"- Skull explained.
-"Change money? I thought it always had to be on your pockets for emergencies."- Fox said.
-"Fox, you need to learn more about finances, don't you?"- Ace said sweating a bit.
-"Since we are done here, it is better that we check what he was talking about."- Mona proposed.
-"A new area has transferred to Mementos."- the MetaNav AI mentioned from Ace's phone.
-"So, like, we defeated the boss from this area?"- Skull asked.
-"I don't think that's the case."- Fox said as he checked his phone and show it to them.-"We are still on the same area and this new block appeared attached to it."
-"..."- Ace had a bad feeling about that place.
-"How suspicious…"- Mona said and transformed into a bus.-"Let's get going."
The others but Ace boarded it:
-"Ace, come in! I can't move around without you!"- Mona called her out.
-"Yeah, sure!"- Ace said nervous as she went aboard the driver's seat.
After running over a couple of shadows, they finally arrived to the 'transferred line'. It was a distortion sealed like a hard rock:
-"Is this it?"- Panther asked seeing the sealed distortion.
-"I wonder what is this place? Can we break it?"- Fox asked himself.
-"Lemme try"- Skull said and tried to hit it with his weapon but nothing happened.-"So hard…!"
-"I have never seen something like this…"-Mona thought in loud.
-"Well, the Nav said it transferred so...it's like a block that moved in train to here?"- Panther said.
-"You mean this is like a palace that transferred to Mementos?"- Mona said.-"That doesn't sound so far…"
-"Hmm?"- Ace noticed the distortion took a glass form so the inside could be seen.-"Maybe we can see what's this about…"
-"Great! That should give us a clue on how to access!"- Mona mentioned.-"Ace, you can do it right?"
-"Me?"- she asked.
-"You have that ability to see under stuff! Come on!"- Skull added so she reclined on the glass seal to see.
-"So, what do you see inside?"- Fox said.
-"It looks like a gallery building and it's very shiny. There's also some kind of crystalline trees around it…"-she described it.-"Someone's moving there!"
She saw the figure of a little body in white clothes. It was a kid, from behind, who at the feeling of being observed, turned around:
-"...!"-Ace saw it in shock. That kid, with short frizzy hair and almond-colored eyes, was familiar. It was Kazuya, her little deceased brother.
Take Your Time.
Author's note: Oh yeah, I decided to make that if the female MC doesn't have enough charm for June 13th... RIP Ryuji. Please come back alive...