Chapter 58: Judgement
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Akira•
It was on the way to school that he heard the first whispers of what had happened to Kaneshiro. People were talking about police surrounding a building in Shibuya, in the same area where the mob boss had his hideout. Even more were talking about the calling cards and the Phantom Thieves. Even as he walked up to Shujin, two of his schoolmates were talking about cards being scattered and a criminal being busted, as well as teachers mentioning it off-hand.
The day quickly passed, and he found himself meeting with his fellow thieves at their hideout, minus Makoto. "Hell yeah! Kaneshiro finally confessed!" Ryuji, as always, was hyped about what had happened. "People've been makin' a huge deal of it since the police announcement!"
"It's difficult to accept that the authorities are taking all of the credit for his arrest."
Ann grinned in excitement despite Yusuke's words, pulling her phone out. "People are going nuts over the Phantom Thieves online, though. Look!" Sure enough, multiple posts online detailed and discussed the Phantom Thieves, and that wasn't even counting the dozens of comments on the Phansite that he was watching fly by on his own phone.
"It's all comin' together for us!"
"It's quite the turnaround," Yusuke spoke. "All of a sudden, people are expressing their long-standing belief in us."
"I guess that was another reason why Makoto wanted us to put the cards out on the streets, too."
"Pretty smart move on her part," Ryuji grinned. "Oh… Where is our amazing Miss President?"
As if on cue his phone rang, Makoto on the other end of the line. "Speak of the devil. Akira here."
"Hello. My apologies, but I won't be able to join you today." He exchanged a questioning glance with Ann, before refocusing on the conversation. Sensing his unasked question, Makoto continued. "I've been called into a meeting with the principal."
"Uh oh."
"There's no need to worry though. More importantly, there's a special on TV about the Phantom Thieves!"
Ann gasped. "Huh?! What did it say?!" He had been about to put his phone on speaker so everyone could hear, but Ann leaning in closer to better hear Makoto put that plan on pause. He felt his heart hammer in his chest as she got close enough that he could feel her body heat, and she was almost resting her head on his shoulder. He internally thanked Makoto for choosing to call him.
"They were talking about our calling cards."
"For real?!" He had to hide his disappointment as Ann stepped away while squealing in excitement.
Werest thou not just saying that thoust wishes to keep thy distance from the lady a few days ago?
'Fuck off and let me be hypocritical.'
"Anyway, my apologies about today. I'll have to see you all another time." She hung up, and Yusuke looked at him with curiosity.
"That was Makoto? What did she have to say?"
"She's not going to be able to make it today. Also, a television special has been made about us.
"Really? That's freakin' crazy!"
"I hope all this excitement doesn't place us on the police's radar…"
"Considering what Akechi said back during the social studies trip, they were already looking into us," he replied.
"It'll be fine! And there ain't no way they'd find out about that weird other world!"
"True, but… Do you remember what the fake Kaneshiro said towards the end?"
"Of course. The other Metaverse user…"
"We really aren't the only ones who are doing it…"
"Eh, not gonna let it bother me. Far as we know, he was just pullin' that shit out of his ass."
"I hope that's the case…"
"Ruru, we had Madarame talk about another intruder too," he sighed.
"…Anyways, in your face, Akechi!" He rolled his eyes as his friend blatantly ignored him. "Now whaddya wanna do about our next target?!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Ann admonished. "Still, people might expect a lot from our next move considering how excited they're getting."
"We can't just pick any old schmo now."
"There is no need to hurry though. Counting Kamoshida, we've chained three consecutive victories, right? We should just lay low and wait for all this excitement to blow over."
Ann looked excited. "In that case, how about we have another celebration?"
"Oh, good idea! We can make it a welcomin' party for the Prez too! By the way, that briefcase? It's pretty damn expensive! Let's sell it and drop the cash on our party!"
"Wow… Seems like the 'lay low and wait' idea has gone completely out the window…"
"So we can count you out then, Morgana?" Ann teased
"Uh… What are you talking about? I was just saying we should try and keep our party on the down low."
She laughed in response. "That's the spirit! Well, I'm gonna let Makoto know!" She pulled her phone out and tapped the screen. "Hi, Makoto? There's something we forgot to tell you! So— Oh…"
"What's wrong?"
Ann put Makoto on speaker. "Hello? I hope you remember we have finals next week. Yusuke and Morgana excluded, of course. If you wish not to stand out, you had best not get bad grades, okay?" He chuckled, while Ryuji swallowed fearfully. "That is something I simply would not be able to overlook as student council president!"
"Ruru has even less of an excuse if he fails this time considering all the tutoring Makoto's been giving him," he smirked.
"H-Hey!"
He could practically sense the cold rage emanating from Ann's phone. "That's exactly right, Ryuji. For now, behave and concentrate on your exams. We can have fun once finals are over… Understood?"
"Ugh… Y-Yes, Ma'am…"
Ω • Ω • Ω
After they split for the day he found himself back in Leblanc. Unlike a certain pair of blonds, he did not need to hunker down and study his ass off to barely pass. Of course, he might anyway so that he could score higher than Makoto this time around…
Even if they were teammates now, he refused to lose out in this battle!
Sojiro looked up as he walked in. "How're things going? You seem to be keeping on the straight and narrow so far, but that doesn't mean you can slack off with summer on the horizon, got it?"
"I've already got plans to study. I've ranked first in my class on the last exams, I don't plan on doing worse this time around."
"Well… Good." He walked up to his room and threw his bag down, beginning to study. After a few hours, he got a notification on his phone from Akechi.
Akechi— I'm in Kichijoji right now. I've found myself with a bit of time on my hands… If you feel so inclined, perhaps you could meet me here and we could chat for a while?
You— Very well, I'm on my way.
Akechi— I didn't expect such a quick response. I'm looking forward to it.
Some time later he was sitting at an outdoor table at a small café in Kichijoji with Akechi across from him. They both had a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, Akechi's being a strawberry slice and his own being chocolate. "The cake here is fairly popular," the detective prince chuckled as he took a small bite. "I've been wanting to try it for myself."
"You've got a sweet tooth, then?"
Akechi gave him a lopsided smile. "Well, I don't hate sweets, but I'm not exactly partial to them… Fads tend to be fairly similar, so I'm more curious about its popularity than its taste. Though I have to say, it is quite delicious."
"You can say that again," he chuckled as he took a bite of his own. They continued to eat while discussing mundane topics, while he criticized the coffee in the back of his mind. It seemed Leblanc had spoiled him.
"I certainly enjoyed that more than I thought I would," Akechi laughed.
"Hey, look! Isn't that him?"
"Oooh, you mean the guy who's on TV these days… Who was he again?" He turned his head to see two women staring at Akechi, who was pointedly looking away from them, a bland expression on his face.
Reminds thou of home, does it not? Arsène asked sardonically. He grimaced at the words.
"Wasn't his name Akechi-kun? You know, the next-generation Detective Prince…? Should we ask him for an autograph? Might be something worth bragging about…"
"Uh-oh… Looks like I've been spotted." Akechi let out a sheepish chuckle, continuing to face away from the women.
"We should have figured this would happen," he laughed. "My looks and your fame would attract attention."
Akechi grinned, before shaking his head. "Well, they just seem to be fangirls… Though, I don't wish to bother the shop…"
"Huh? Is someone important here?"
"Who is it? Is it a celebrity?!"
More people were taking notice of the women staring at them. Akechi sighed, drumming his fingers on the table. "Looks like I'm out of time. I wish I could've relaxed a bit longer, though. We should go."
"You've done nothing wrong," he assured Akechi.
"Sorry, but I think it'd be best to leave. I'm only going to cause problems if I stay. A shame I don't have glasses like you. Maybe I would have been able to get out of this situation."
He looked Akechi up and down, then smirked. Well, he could probably 'Clark Kent' him up. Sneaking a glance back at the bystanders he saw that they were distracted, talking amongst themselves about who the celebrity at the café was. "Come here a sec."
"Huh? Hey, what are you—?!" He ignored Akechi's refusals and dragged him out of sight, taking his glasses and putting them on the detective's face, before mussying up his hair in a shaggy mess. He took a step back and a page from Yusuke's book, framing Akechi's face with his fingers.
At a glance, you'd never be able to tell it was the Detective Prince. If you looked harder, he'd look familiar, but you probably wouldn't be able to recognize him.
Funnily enough, with the hair covering his face and the glasses, they looked a lot alike… But he pulled off the shaggy-haired look a lot better than Akechi did.
In any case, they walked back to their table and sat down. "..." He couldn't hold back his grin at the silent glower that was being sent his way. At the same time, the women who had first recognized him looked over at them.
"Oh look, he's back. Come on, let's get his autograph while…"
They looked closer, and the second woman sighed. "Hey, is that boy really Akechi-kun?"
"You know… Now that I see him up close, I'm not sure…"
"Maybe you were seeing things? I don't remember the show too well, but I'm pretty sure he didn't look like that."
"Awww! If he was the real thing, I could've bragged about meeting him!"
Seeing them walk off, the man who had also stopped shrugged. "Guess there wasn't anyone famous after all…"
Once the street was moving again, Akechi removed his glasses and handed them back while trying to fix his hair. Taking a moment to breathe, he finally said something. "...I can't believe you actually did that. I suppose I should watch what I say around you."
"Come on, I thought it was standard practice for celebrities to put on disguises when they go out?" He smirked. "And I'd say you looked pretty good."
"Is that so? Well, who else could make a peasant of the Detective Prince?" He let out a pleasant chuckle before putting a hand to his chin. "Still… there's no knowing how things may go unless you give it a try, hm? I think I've learned a valuable lesson. Thank you."
"That's a basic idea even kids have learned," he commented with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe the Detective Prince isn't as infallible as I thought."
They both chuckled, and he heard chains crash as he felt Akechi's gratitude.
RANK UP!
Justice Arcana, Goro Akechi: Rank 3
"Oh, looks like our coffee's gone cold. Why don't we order new ones?"
"Sure. I just hope you're ready to put on your disguise again when someone inevitably recognizes you once more."
"Ahaha… Well, you have a point…"
After another round of (terrible) coffee, they went their separate ways for the night. Then, following a phone conversation where Akechi asked if he'd like to be his stunt double, apparently also noticing their similar looks, he followed Morgana's advice and went to sleep.
Ω • Ω • Ω
? ? ?
"Don't be ridiculous!" He winced as Sae slammed the table with her hands… She seemed to do that a lot. It was only aggravating the throbbing in his head.
Talking for so long (how long had it been? He wasn't sure…) had slightly helped alleviate the numbness in his mouth, but now his throat was dry. What would it take to give a murder suspect and great (and rather sexy) thief some water around here?
Oh wait, Sae was still ranting. He should probably pay attention. "This new ally you gained was Makoto?!"
"Actually, our new ally was Shujin's student council president," he cheekily responded, holding back a cough as his throat raged at him for continuing to talk. "Never said anything about Koto-senpai."
She glowered at the nickname. "Just tell me the truth already!"
He rolled his eyes. "I've been injected with truth serum. Well, I guess truth serum isn't as foolproof as TV makes it seem… Eh. Besides, you already know the truth."
"Makoto…" Sae sat back down, glaring at him once again, but it slowly became more of a concerned look. "That's preposterous! If what you say is true, was Makoto also running from the police when you were arrested?!"
"You should ask her yourself."
"Now that I think about it… She did start talking a lot about the investigation from summer onward…" Sae refocused, her face becoming stern again. "Makoto aside, you mentioned one other important detail. Did Kaneshiro really say there was another Metaverse user besides the Phantom Thieves?"
"He did indeed," he grinned as he leaned back in his chair, balancing it on its hind legs.
"Your words could just be taken as you shifting blame to this other person, you know."
"Good point."
"…" Saw closed her eyes and pushed a strand of hair aside. "…But why would you fabricate such an elaborate story and then shift the blame elsewhere? There are two possibilities: either you've simply been trying to confuse me with your lies… Or everything you've stated is true. Have you been telling me the truth from the very start?"
He stared into her eyes, leaning forward again as his face and voice became completely serious. "I have."
"Does that mean you're placing your trust in me? …Then again, I am investigating a 'thief who steals hearts'. Very well. No matter how absurd it may seem, I'll reevaluate my stance on believing you for now, if you can prove one aspect of your story. This PSI seems just as unbelievable as the Metaverse, so if you can use it now, I'll trust in what you're saying."
He shook his head, ignoring how the motion made it throb. "You're part of the investigation, you heard about how I was sold out by a teammate. They'd have known about my psychic abilities. Do you honestly think truth serum is the only drug I've been injected with?" His eyes narrowed. "I can feel it. Something is flowing through my veins, some kind of counter-PSI drug. Otherwise, they'd know that even as beat up as I am, I could fight my way out of here, easily."
"Is that just an excuse?"
"…" He closed his eyes. While he wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd been injected and started talking with Sae, enough time had passed that he could feel his powers slowly returning, but nowhere near quick enough for his liking. He could almost feel the sludge coursing through his body, but his PSI was fighting back, purging his system. He opened his eyes and sent a single pulse through himself.
Sae visibly flinched when his veins glowed silver, black, and red. It lasted barely a second, and he gasped as he almost collapsed onto the table. Sweat dripped down his body, and he began shivering uncontrollably. His headache was even worse now. He felt like he was going to throw up. "G… Ugh. Good enough?"
"…Yes." Sae recomposed herself. "I suppose it is. Alright, I'll believe your story. In return, speak the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It's a fair deal… Is that acceptable?"
It was hard to focus, and he almost missed what she had said. But he managed to catch it, and he smiled weakly. He had made a deal with Sae Niijima.
Well done, Trickster. Thy words have reached her… And with her help, perhaps we shall find true Justice.
Arsène's words were compounded by chains breaking, and he felt the formation of a new bond. One that would, hopefully, help him with their plan…
Even if… what he was supposed to do was still foggy…
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 Judgment Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
Judgement Arcana, Prosecutor: Rank 1
Sae checked her watch. "We're running out of time. Let's move on to your next target… Actually, I should rephrase that. They targeted your group first, didn't they? And from the research I've done, I believe their targeting of the Japanese economy and especially Andonuts Laboratories must have hit close to home for you."
"Hm," he commented only with a hum and grinned.
Sae sighed. "The identity of your next opponent… is this." He looked down as Sae opened her dossier, revealing a picture with the online handle 'MEDJED'. "We have no pictures. Even their names and identities are unknown. If what you told me is true, then this 'Nav' thing you've mentioned wouldn't have worked in this case. How did you target them? Tell me everything."
"Alright… let's talk about the craziest summer of my life," his grin became a smirk as he looked up at her through sweat-matted locks of hair.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/10, Sunday
"Hey you're up there, right? Come downstairs." He sighed as Sojiro called up to him. He changed out of his pajamas into his casual clothes and nodded at Morgana.
"Chill out up here, I feel like Sojiro's going to be having me working for the rest of today."
"Have fun!"
He rolled his eyes and walked down into the main café, grabbing an apron and getting to work. After a few hours, Sojiro turned to him as he washed a dish. "Hey, check the ingredients in the fridge."
"Alright." He heard Sojiro's phone ring but ignored it as he dried his hands.
"Hey, what's up? Huh? It's not right? …Not cute?" He raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder as Sojiro took a few steps away. "That was the one the staff recommended to me though… Won't that printer do?"
A smile curled onto his face as he checked the fridge. What kind of woman wanted a printer for a present? Let alone a cute one?
The greatest mystery of life… Women.
Fuck off, Yaksini scoffed.
"Huh? It'll do, but it's not it? …Okay, I'll be right over. Hey, Starr." He looked over as Sojiro hung up. "This might take a while… I'm leaving the store to you. Lock up for me if I don't come back."
"No problem," he nodded.
"I owe you one. Sheesh, what a handful…" Sojiro changed in the bathroom and walked out in that same white outfit and fedora he'd seen a few months prior. After several minutes he finished cleaning the dishes, then stood behind the counter with nothing to do as a few customers drank coffee and talked.
With nothing to do, he was getting bored, and so the news program playing on the TV eventually drew his attention. "…And that concludes the latest news on the suspect Kaneshiro. This case is said to be a result of the Phantom Thieves' actions, but what do you think?"
"We don't know their methods, but I believe they are a menace that will threaten this law-abiding country. This dangerous group tampers with people's hearts. It's no different from brainwashing."
He sighed, but honestly, the pundit was correct. What they were doing when they stole a heart could very well be considered brainwashing. Even if all they took was the desires, and did nothing else to their target's heads, they were still fundamentally changing something about them…
But even then, he believed what they were doing was just. They had helped so many people with what they had done, and taken down true scum. They weren't pure, bright, noble heroes, but sometimes you needed something a bit darker to save someone.
"I see. You're absolutely correct." The reporter agreed, though he wasn't sure if that was because they truly did, or because they were on air.
"I wonder what's going on," one of the elderly customers asked as they also listened to the television. "Didn't this happen a little while ago? Who was it again? You know, that famous artist…"
Her husband nodded. "Ah, Madarame was it?"
"They punished those awful people, didn't they? The Phantom Thieves aren't at fault, then."
"That may be true, but…"
The woman looked at him, smiling. "What do you think, deary? The Phantom Thieves aren't doing anything wrong, are they?"
"Not at all," he agreed with a grin.
"Mm! I think they're doing good, too. Oh my, look at the time… We should probably head home."
"Ah, you're right. Thanks for the drink, young man."
The day continued, and he saw firsthand just how few customers Leblanc truly got. How the hell did Sojiro keep the place afloat?
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he saw a call coming in from Ryuji. When he picked up Ryuji was immediately at full energy, causing him to laugh. "Hey, it's me! Where you at?! Whatcha doin'?"
"The big boss has me enslaved behind the counter again."
"Gotcha! We're gonna come over right now about the you-know-what. Seeya!"
"You're what?" Soon enough, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto walked into Leblanc, and he gave Ryuji an exasperated glance. "You could have asked first."
"Ah, chill out, man! We're just here to hang, Boss won't get upset!"
Ann flicked his ear. "That's not why we're here! We need to study for finals!"
"Why am I here too?" Makoto sighed.
"You're one of us now, so of course you gotta help us. We're in trouble if you don't teach us, you know?"
"So our regular study sessions aren't enough for you to pass?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"A-Ah, no, 'course not! It's just we could all use the review, right?! I mean, Ann's only good at English, yeah?"
"I don't want to hear that from the guy that bombed the last exams so badly we lost two days of the week!"
"Please, Makoto-sama, we need your guidance," he smirked.
"Even you're saying such things?"
"Trying to act like you need help when you got the highest scores in our grade is super lame."
"You wound me, Ann."
Makoto looked around. "You know, I didn't get to ask last time, but do you really live here, above the cafe? The storekeeper doesn't seem to be around."
"Yup, It's where Aki lives! He's got, uh… complicated circumstances. Hey, we can tell her about it, right? Actually, tell her yourself."
"Wow, you just want me to start trauma dumping? Sheesh." He shook his head but began explaining. She did deserve to know, the rest of the thieves knew after all. He told her all about how he'd been caught up by that vile excuse for a human while his family had been here on vacation, and how the creature had been spiteful and powerful enough to manage to put him on probation in Japan for a full year.
"That's… That's terrible."
Ryuji shrugged. "Ann, Yusuke, and me are pretty much the same too. I mean, it's not as bad as this guy's though. There's just somethin' we can't ever put up with. That's why we all became Phantom Thieves."
"It's not a contest on who has it worst. What you've all been through is terrible. Sexual assault, the abuse from Madarame… You can't run anymore, Ryuji, at least not well. We've all been fucked over."
"Yeah… I mean, I can't remember what I've been through, but…"
"I know, I know." Ryuji grinned at Morgana, tweaking his nose. "We're all part of the team. By the way, Prez, ain't there someone you can't forgive either? Like, a heart you wanna change?"
Makoto just smiled. "…That's a secret."
"Oooh, there's someone like that? You could just tell us, you know. You don't gotta be so cold."
"That aside, do you have any intention of studying for the exams?"
"Not really…"
"It's fine if I leave then?"
Ryuji immediately panicked and tried to get her to stay, while he chuckled and walked up to his room to grab his schoolwork. Once everything was ready, they took over a booth, spreading their materials over it. He and the faux-blond sat on one side, Ann across from him and Makoto across from Ryuji, with Yusuke pulling up one of the counter's seats.
"Hmm… it's 'phobia' so it's a fear of some kind…"
Ann looked over at Makoto's textbook. "Oh… {Agoraphobia…} That's the fear of open spaces! You don't hear about it often, though." Makoto looked surprised, and the blonde giggled as she twirled a lock of her hair. "Leave the vocabulary and long sentences to me. I'd ask Akira about proper grammar, though…"
"Even if we study English, it's not like I'm gonna use it in the future."
"{Guess that means we've got a way of communicating this dumbass doesn't have,}" he grinned.
"{True! Looks like you're missing out, Ryuji!}"
"Wha— hey, quit talking about me when I can't understand you!"
Makoto sighed. "Then you should put some effort in and learn."
"I dunno… when it comes to this Numbskull, his Japanese is questionable too…"
"Aw shuddup!"
"Explain the writer's feelings…? What point is there in that?" He chuckled at Ann's groan as their study session continued, with Ryuji's complaining eventually wearing Makoto down enough that she let them take a break.
In the background, the TV continued reporting on their most recent target, which Ryuji was paying rapt attention to. "…And that was the follow-up report on the suspect Kaneshiro. Now, Akechi-san…" The name drew everyone's attention. "This case is said to be the result of the Phantom Thieves' action, but in actuality, is that true?"
"Considering how a calling card was scattered about, I believe there's no mistaking that. The question is what the Phantom Thieves actually did. If they tampered with a suspect's heart, it casts doubt on the authenticity of any confession."
"So then by tampering with hearts, the Phantom Thieves are fabricating crimes that may not exist?"
"We can't deny the possibility," his Confidant answered. "There's no doubt that the Phantom Thieves are exposing hidden injustices in society. However, if this is done by sidestepping the law, their way of thinking is very dangerous."
"So in a way, they're outlaws."
"Yes. They're no different from the criminals they target. This cannot be overlooked."
"I see…"
"'I see,' my ass! Why the hell're we bein' treated as the bad guys?"
"I agreed with some of what he was saying, but comparing us to the likes of our major targets? We're nothing like them," he scowled.
"Just let them say whatever they want. Note people are starting to understand that what we're doing is right, after all."
"When I'm walkin' around in town, I hear a lot more people talkin' about us too. And the forum's been full of hype! Do you think we made it big time?"
"Don't get pompous over dealing with some street thug," Morgana scoffed. "Save it for after we deal with a bigger target."
"A bigger target, huh? That was the plan from the start, anyways!"
"Now we just have to figure out what's bigger than a mafia boss."
"True, it may be best if we start thinking about it."
"I bet we'll find one in no time. The wind's blowin' in our direction and everything! I feel like we won't lose to anythin' right now."
"We'll decide on that eventually. We need to overcome our exams first. Now then, break time is over! Let's get back to—"
"That reminds me— the celebration party! Weren't we gonna do it after exams?"
Makoto sighed at his interruption. "Yyyes, I believe so."
"Where should we go? I feel like I'll study better if I got somethin' to look forward to."
"The last one was a buffet at a hotel. We haven't gone anywhere since."
That managed to finally drag Yusuke into the conversation. "Hm?! A buffet?!"
"Where would be good…? Hey, what about fireworks?! A fireworks festival!"
"Oh yeah, it's that season, huh?"
"That sounds good to me."
"It's hard to ignore a buffet, but I'll take the beauties of summer. Still, I demand that we feast during the festival as well."
"We'll have a feast fit for a Fox," he chuckled.
Morgana suddenly perked up. "Do you guys own a yukata? Will you wear a yukata?!"
"Down, boy."
"Doesn't a fireworks festival sound good? You think so too, right?"
"It's a great idea," he agreed.
"All right, fireworks festival it is! Let's look for a good one!"
"Study comes first, though. I won't let you off if you fail any of them. Are we clear?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
He traded a glance with Ann and smirked. "{Whipped,}" he commented.
"{Totally,}" she giggled.
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Alibaba•
"All right, fireworks festival it is! Let's look for a good one!"
"Study comes first, though. I won't let you off if you fail any of them. Are we clear?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"{Whipped.}"
"{Totally.}"
"Hmhmhm…" Alibaba giggled as they listened through their bugs. Well that was a surprise. They never thought they'd find out the identities of the Phantom Thieves so easily…
Was that fate in play? It had to be, it's not like they had max luck stats. Actually, their luck was pretty shit, so there must be a reason. Whatever it was, time to do some sleuthing! Some might call it an invasion of their privacy, but info gathering was info gathering!
A knock on the door.
"Hey, I've got the new printer… I'll leave it at the door. Hope it's cute enough."
Ah! Info gathering could wait! Time to check the new equipments' stats!
Another Justice Rank up, and a study session. A nice calm chapter before the insanity that is the 2016 bizarre summer. Hope we don't have to deal with a serial killer that likes hands.
Oh yeah, and flash forward. I've obviously been ignoring every flash forward you get when first unlocking a Confidant, (and every table slam) as well as Sae discussing the future targets, but considering from here on we start her Confidant as Judgement, her future segments will be covered.
I enjoyed writing about future Akira. Present day Akira? Technically these chapters are happening in the past… Either way. Showing how he's going to develop to become more like Joker in the real world is fun, though part of it is also because he's still 'on a mission' during the interrogation. No spoilers for the rare few that haven't played P5/R.
We also got Alibaba. They're fun. Peeping Tom.
Figured I might as well use the fact that Akira and Ann know English, and that future characters will have English as their first language, to denote it. In past chapters I've just written that they said something in English, but since it'll probably be more common, I might as well use actual punctuation for it. {From now on, things in these brackets are English.} Unless stated otherwise, such as if it's the POV of a character mainly using English, then the Japanese might be in those brackets…
Anyway, since this came out while the email crisis is still occurring… I won't be deleting and reuploading this and the previous chapter when alerts are back, I'll just post a notice in the chapter that comes after the crisis is over to catch up from chapter 57. So yeah, let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!