Chapter 55: The President of Gluttony...
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/4, Monday
DEADLINE: July 9th
DAYS UNTIL PICS LEAKED: 5
Steal Kaneshiro's heart.
•Akira•
There was less than a week left. Five days… Thankfully all the prep work was done, but he was still feeling anxious. All that was left was sending the card, and stealing the Treasure. However, something else had been on his mind since their last foray. During the battle with the wind-using horse Shadow, which he had studied after getting home and come up with the theory that it was a Kumbhanda, he'd…
Well, he had gone to protect Panther instead of Skull. Skull was the one weak to wind attacks, but during the battle, when he was using Phoenix to be immune to the element, he grabbed Panther and shielded her. Yes, it had happened quickly, but he had reacted fast enough to protect her.
Why couldn't he have used his grappling hook to grab Skull and pull either one of them to the other? Had Queen throw him at Skull using Johanna? Set off an explosion with Phoenix to launch himself at him? He could have done any of those… But no. Instead he protected Panther, who would have been hurt by the blades of wind, but not as badly as Skull had been.
All because of these feelings. In the future, if a Psy attack was going to hit Panther and Queen, and he could nullify it, would he save Panther instead of Queen? If lightning was going to strike Mona and Panther, would he go for her instead of the not-cat? This was the exact reason he hadn't wanted to acknowledge his feelings, and failing that, date Ann. Date anyone in the Phantom Thieves.
If he got too close to any of them and began prioritizing them over the others in battle, it could have deadly consequences. They were just lucky this time that the attack had only knocked Skull down, and that Queen had healed him nearly immediately afterward. But even then, he had spent more time flirting with Panther while she was in his arms than checking on his downed teammate.
He wouldn't say that he was some failure as a member of the Thieves, or even as their leader, he wasn't that melodramatic. But he had made a mistake. He would simply have to do better, to prove that he was fit to be leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
It might be hard to stick by thy word, Arsène pointed out. Thou is always saying that thou shalt not flirt with Ann, but then would always throw that away once thou enters the Metaverse.
'Yes… I suppose part of my problem is the 'me' in the Metaverse feels so free that I act out, doing things I wouldn't normally do in the real world. It'll be hard to reign myself in when I'm feeling so unbound, but I'll have to for the sake of the team and its cohesion.'
Arsène only responded with a hum. His other self did not believe him.
He… Wasn't quite sure what that meant. Or perhaps, he didn't want to acknowledge what that meant.
This leader shit was never my thing. Better to just plow through every enemy in my way! Oni cackled.
Akira rolled his eyes. Morgana popped out of his bag as they walked out of school, patting his shoulder with a paw. "You've been staring at nothing, what's up?"
"Just planning what we'll be doing for you-know-who." He smirked. "'Ruru's busy with his extra credit today, so let's make sure that we're all set to get together tomorrow and send that card."
Morgana snickered. "Ruru… oh man, I'm never letting that Numbskull live that down."
He chuckled, before refocusing. "So, five days left. Morgana, if we pull this off before the deadline, even if he doesn't give himself up to the police, he likely won't release those pictures, will he?"
"Hm… I'm guessing that he won't. It seems like the amount of time it takes for a change to occur after stealing their Treasure is a bit random… but even if the guilt won't overwhelm him enough by the deadline that he gives himself up to the police, Kaneshiro should still feel guilty enough that he, at the very least, won't spread those pictures. Maybe he'll even delete them."
"Alright… then let's get everyone together tomorrow, for now, I'm going to stock up on supplies." He made his way through both Central Street and Yongen-Jaya, buying new guns, weapons, and medicine. As he went, his phone buzzed.
Ann— Heyyy!
Ann— Since Ryuji's busy today we'll be talking about the card tmrw right?
Ann— Do you want to hang out?
He smiled, before pausing. Didn't he just say he wouldn't be favoring Ann over the others? He should take some time to get his feelings under control. He could hang out with her another time.
You— Sorry, I'm getting supplies. But let's hang out sometime soon, maybe after Kaneshiro confesses.
Ann— Awww
Ann— Alright, another time then! (^_−)—⭐️
He put his phone away and looked through his bag as Morgana moved to the side. Looked like he had everything they might need for the next infiltration. Well, he had an afternoon that was free now…
Ω • Ω • Ω
"I'm sorry I called you here so suddenly," Kasumi apologized. "Since our talk, I've been trying to think of things besides gymnastics that I'm really invested in… And I figured something out! It's this!"
He raised an eyebrow and looked down at the boxes on the table. Several minutes after his text conversation with Ann, Kasumi had texted, asking if he was free. Seeing as he was, he accepted. Ann usually left Shujin right away, so he was fine returning to eat with Kasumi in the cafeteria. "Making bento?"
"Yeah. I can cook! You really need to regulate your diet in gymnastics, so I've been making my own food a lot. And so! Since I also wanted to thank you, I made you bento!" She smiled and gestured at the food, which he nodded at. It did look pretty good. "This is actually my first time cooking for someone else besides my family… But I figured this would definitely help me get my confidence back!"
"I'm honored."
She giggled. "I made this specifically with your body type in mind, and knowing how much you exercise… Do you want it?"
"Of course. It looks delicious, Yoshizawa-san."
"Then I'm glad I put all that effort in! The chicken and the eggs are to help you with fatigue. There are some beans in there, too, and it's on brown rice. Weight control's pretty important for gymnasts, but we need to make sure we've got energy and stamina too. So high-protein, low-fat is what we usually go for. We also need iron to maintain stamina, and vitamin B for energy."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh… Wait, I'm getting all focused on the gymnastics part again… Well, anyway." she unpacked her bento as he snapped his chopsticks, before looking surprised as her meal was revealed. His portions were about average, but hers… "Let's dig in!"
"Is that all for you?" He questioned. He wasn't shocked by the amount of food on its own, no, he had eaten far more than that. He was more surprised that someone as slim as Kasumi would be able to eat it. Even as an athlete, that much food… Wow.
"Of course! I'll need every grain of rice. …Why do you look so skeptical, Starr-senpai? I guess it might look like a lot, but this is actually a bit less than usual. Don't worry, I've done the math on the calories. I'll burn all this off at practice. I'm sure you know that we athletes have to eat quite a bit more than most people!"
"I suppose so," he chuckled.
"C'mon, Senpai! You'll be done before you know it!"
"Well… Thank you for the meal." He used his chopsticks to take some rice and raised them to his mouth, chowing down. '...?' Confused, he went for the chicken. 'Is this…? Did she…?' He ate some beans. 'All the different parts taste the same, like something very familiar…'
Wow… That is certainly a new one…
"Starr-senpai? You okay? Your eyes are glazing over…"
He refocused, swallowing. "Well, it's definitely unique, Yoshizawa-san."
"You think so? I don't think it's that weird for an athlete. Heavy seasoning would probably be bad for you, so I went easy on it. Hmm… Was it too light? Excuse me…" She used her chopsticks to take some of his bento and smiled after she ate it. "Mmm! Yeah, that's the flavor I was going for. I was trying to decide how to season these… And I figured everyone likes curry! Right? So I decided to go for maximum curry flavoring!"
"Ah…"
It took her a moment to read his expression. "U-Um, sorry… Were you not a fan of that flavor? Or, wait— maybe you prefer the super spicy ones!"
"Not exactly…"
"I'm so sorry! I did this all wrong! I'll go get some kind of condiment to change the flavor! Once I fix it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it more! Should I get mayonnaise? Soy sauce…? Maybe miso? Do you think Maruki-sensei will have some salt?!"
"Calm down," he laughed.
"Oh, you're right! I should just buy something new you can eat right now!"
"Listen to your senpai, would you? I'm enjoying this."
"Um, but… Well, thank you! Now, we should really eat." She sat back down and they continued consuming the meals she had made. When they were finally finished, Kasumi patted her stomach and smiled. He was surprised that it hadn't seemed to have grown at all after all the food she had put away. Then again, he was one to talk with how much his father and he could eat… And his mom. And Uncle Noct… Aunt Tracey as well… Man, was Uncle Anthony the only person in their family that ate normal amounts of food? "Whew. That was delicious. Thank you for completely finishing your meal, Starr-senpai."
"Of course. You made it for me, so I was going to eat every bite."
"Well, I'm sorry it didn't turn out perfectly… I came up with the idea of making bento, but I couldn't decide on the flavor. Either way, I'm really sorry!"
"Again, it's completely fine."
"I'm so embarrassed… I thought it was so great when I presented it to you, and now…"
"Just keep at it, Yoshizawa-san. And besides, it's not like I dislike curry. I love it, in fact. I just have it often enough that I was surprised by the taste."
"Right! When you fall, you've got to get back up! Next time, I'll ask you what you like, or what you might want before I try anything too crazy. I'll go buy that super spicy 'Megido-sauce' for next time!"
"Hah… right…"
Kasumi giggled. "...It seems like you're always helping me find my way forward, Senpai. If I didn't have you, I'd let my failures get to me and end up in some big pessimistic spiral again. Maybe this kind of confidence can help me figure out who I really am."
"That sounds right," he encouraged her with a smile.
"Either way, I suppose all I can do is keep moving forward. Starr-senpai, I hope we can keep helping each other improve!" And with that sentence, the chains shattered and he felt his bond with the redhead grow ever so slightly stronger.
RANK UP!
Faith Arcana, KaSumi Yoshizawa: Rank 3
"Okay, now that we've gotten all our nutrients, it's time for the next phase! I don't mean to be too demanding, but I'm going to train you even harder than before! Make sure you keep up!"
"Bring it on, coach," he laughed in response. They quickly changed into their gym uniforms and entered Shujin's gymnasium, getting to work.
Ω • Ω • Ω
The sun had set, and he was hanging out with Mishima. The blue-haired boy had let him know that he'd figured out another way he could help them out as their 'strategic image management representative'.
I'm sure he did, Arsène drawled.
'Have some faith in him.'
"We'll be going to an expensive buffet in Shibuya!" Mishima spoke with a smile. "Don't worry about the price, though! Come on, follow me!"
'Alright, what the fuck.'
Should we still have some faith in him? Yaksini scoffed.
When they arrived at their destination, he looked around at the various foods as Mishima grinned. "Heheh… Today's my treat! Organizations like ours are all about fancy stuff like this, right? That's why we're here! Oh, and it's just the two of us, so don't be afraid to go all out! What do you wanna eat?"
He eyed Mishima, recalling what he'd said just the other day about not having much money, but figured Mishima was responsible enough to keep track of his cash. "Steak sounds good."
"Doesn't it? Meat's perfect for tough guys like us!" He heard Oni and Rakshasa burst out into laughter. "By the way, this place is all-you-can-eat, so let's make sure we get our money's worth."
"Got it."
Mishima grinned as they walked towards the dishes. "Anyway, I posted on the Phan-Site that I had connections to you guys. The Phandom really ate that up." Akira twitched, and Mishima laughed. "Don't worry, though! I didn't say anything that would point to my real identity."
"That's really not the issue here," he muttered to himself.
"I did end up talking about how expensive it is to run our little organization though. The donations I got were pretty… generous, to say the least." Akira twitched harder. "But I guess our loving sponsors just wanted to show some support! Not bad for strategic management, huh?"
He breathed in and held it, feeling rage bubble up, and not wanting to go on another rant. He breathed out. "...Mishima. You tell supporters on the site that it costs a lot to run the organization. They send a lot of money hoping that it will help. You then spend that money on a buffet. What does that sound like to you?"
"Uh… Making sure the organization has supplies and is eating is important, right?"
"That's a scam, Mishima."
"H-Huh? No way, it's just… an organizational expense, right? But… I've seen on the news before that using donations for stuff other than what's publicized is a serious crime… Food is definitely an acceptable business expense, but can the same be said of an expensive buffet…?"
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
Mishima grimaced. "The more I think about this whole thing, the less I think we should use the donations here. I mean, people would get mad at a politician for using tax money for personal affairs. The same probably applies to the Phantom Thieves. I guess returning the money would be the best choice…"
"That would probably be for the best," he spoke as his anger slowly cooled.
"Right. We should think about what helps our image the most. We need to focus on keeping the image of the Phantom Thieves as clean as possible. I think I'll return the money and thank the Phandom for their generosity. They'll love that! It might be a waste of some nice resources, but it's all good as long as it boosts our popularity, right?"
Mishima smiled to himself, while he just let his head fall into his hands. Talk about getting the right answer with the wrong equation.
"Man, maybe I was born to do this strategy stuff… I'm honestly getting pretty good at it."
"Right," he sighed.
"Don't worry, I'm still gathering info on the forum too. I actually have a few solid leads right now. Everything so far has been close to home, but these next ones are gonna blow your socks off!"
He could feel Mishima's enthusiasm but was too tired to share it. Arsène didn't even have any witty comments to add, or perhaps he did, and the crashing chains drowned him out.
RANK UP!
Moon Arcana, Yuuki Mishima: Rank 4
After the sound stopped, Mishima scratched his cheek. "So, uh… If we're returning the money, how are we gonna cover our meal?" There was a pause. "I'm flat broke…"
"...Let's go home."
Ω • Ω • Ω
Mishima was trying his best, don't be disappointed in him… Mishima was trying his best, don't be disappointed in him… It was just nerves from planning the bank heist making him crabbier…
He lay on his bed back in Leblanc, Morgana immediately curling up next to him. His phone buzzed as he browsed it before going to bed, and saw an incoming call from his father. He chuckled, immediately knowing what was coming.
"Hello, my father."
"My child… The day is coming to an end in Japan, is it not? Have you remembered what day it is?"
"Of course. The blood that flows through my veins alerted me the moment I awoke. Today… Is the Fourth of July."
"Yes," his father murmured, voice deep and serious. "Independence Day… Perhaps the most important day in all of human history. Have you celebrated?"
"Not to worry, my father. I have worn my red, white, and blue underpants and socks all day. But I was unfortunately unable to acquire fireworks…" He held back a chuckle as he played along.
"It is of no consequence, my progeny. Any celebration for the glory of Eagleland by a child of Eagleland brings her joy… Let bravery guide you, boy. And should you ever find yourself lost… Look to the eagles, trust them to lead you to freedom."
"I shall keep thy wise words in mind, O' Father. May the eagles guide you."
"May the eagles guide you. By the way, we want grandchildren already so get a girlfr—" He hung up on his father and was silent for a few moments. He then snorted as he put his phone down, unable to help the quiet laughter. His family truly was unbearably dramatic… Trust any of them to be able to distract him from the anxiety of the upcoming heist.
'God, I hate my dad,' he thought to himself as he smiled.
"...What the hell was that?" Morgana questioned, somehow managing to look dumbfounded despite his not-cat-face.
"Don't worry about it."
"I'm gonna worry about it if our leader turns out to be crazy… Hell, maybe your whole family is…"
"Well, I am talking to a cat right now…"
"Hey!"
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/5, Tuesday
DEADLINE: July 9th
DAYS UNTIL PICS LEAKED: 4
Steal Kaneshiro's heart.
"All that's left is sending the calling card, correct? I suppose it's time, then," Makoto murmured.
"I would agree, but it will not be an easy task this time."
"Yeah, nobody in the public actually knows him," Ann sighed in response to Yusuke.
"There's so goddamn much I wanna write on the calling card too…"
"That's just something we'll have to figure out." He crossed his arms. "...Uh, Ruru, what's got you so excited?"
"Quit callin' me that!" Ryuji groaned. "But, listen! Get this! I was talking with Prez earlier and we came up with this insane move!"
"Insane?"
"Well, not in a bad way," Makoto explained. "It's a bit difficult to explain with words alone."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of explaining! Alright, so the plan is…" Ryuji began rambling, explaining their special attack like an excited kid talks about what they want for Christmas. When he finished, he wanted to respond but the star in his pocket began glowing.
"Did the star just light up?!" Ryuji and Makoto leaned in as he removed the star from his pocket, a faint shimmer glimmering across it.
"So it's just like how it reacted with Lady Ann and I last time? It doesn't react at all at other times, though… I don't get how this thing works."
"Perhaps it doesn't grant wishes, but instead just offers a bit of support?" Makoto suggested. "Well, as long as it benefits us in some way, I'm happy. Let's give it a try when there's an opportunity. Make sure to match my timing, okay?"
"Yes ma'am!" Ryuji cheered.
"With that out of the way, let's focus on the mission."
Yusuke nodded at his words. "Now, the question is, how do we deliver the calling card to him?"
"Yeah… We know where his base is, but not where he lives…"
"Why not use the same method as before?" Makoto questioned.
"Well, we can't sneak in a huge bag of calling cards like last time. And sprinkling them over the street won't matter much since the average person doesn't know who Kaneshiro is, and the likelihood that one of his goons sees the cards, picks one up and reads it, then informs Kaneshiro about it is low."
They all stood there and thought about how to deliver the card before Makoto tilted her head. "Why couldn't you sneak in several cards?"
Ryuji and Yusuke exchanged glances. "Uh, Prez, I think you're forgettin' that we ain't exactly all that stealthy in the real world…"
"Even if we were to somehow sneak in, bringing only one or two cards might not be a guarantee that Kaneshiro sees them. Adding onto that, his hideout is a dimly lit club. It could be hard to see the small cards. We would have to bring quite a few, and then it would be even more difficult to make our way in quietly."
Ann huffed at Yusuke. "Then what are we supposed to do?"
"Hm… This is certainly a tricky one," Morgana muttered.
"Akira, that ability you have that lets you jump through shadows… Can you carry anything while doing that?"
He crossed his arms. "PSI Shadow? Well… It stands to reason that I can. My clothes and weapons aren't left behind when I use it."
"We should test just how much you can carry, or if you could carry a bag while doing so. If you can, that might be a way to get a large number of calling cards into his hideout undetected. You could also go on your own to minimize the threat of detection."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Ann questioned, worried. "If he goes alone, what if he gets caught?"
"I can slip away just as easily as I can get in by using Shadow, and if necessary I can defend myself with Rebellion, but…"
"That should be a last resort with how deadly it is against Shadows, let alone humans," Morgana knew what he was getting at, agreeing with him. "But it's better than nothing."
"So," Yusuke spoke, "Am I to assume that Ryuji and I will be creating the cards, while Akira, Makoto, Ann, and Morgana test how much you can carry with your PSI ability?"
"I think Makoto should go with you," He replied. "Lord knows what Ryuji will write without any supervision…"
"Hey!"
"That's a good point," Makoto responded, completely seriously.
"HEY!"
Ω • Ω • Ω
Akira climbed the stairs to his room and placed his bag and Morgana down on his bed. He, Ann, and Morgana had spent several hours doing numerous tests, how much he could carry, if items in bags would stay in bags, if he had a weight limit, if he could bring others along with him…
That last test resulted in Morgana throwing up and passing out when he had sat in his bookbag during his usage of PSI Shadow, so even though he could bring people along, that was a no-go.
In the end, he was pretty exhausted. While it seemed like Shadow and Third Eye either drained very little energy, or none at all, it was still hard work. But now they knew what their game plan was, and messaged Makoto's group to let them know how many cards they needed. All that was left was for him to break into Kaneshiro's hideout tomorrow afternoon. Thankfully, with Makoto on their team, she could have their Wednesday study sessions in a 'different location', so they'd be free for the heist.
The time had finally come…
He sat at his desk, grabbed his tools, and got to work. Instead of lockpicks, he crafted smoke bombs, Molotov cocktails, and other items he could snap out at a moment's notice. Kamoshita's and Madarame's Shadow showed they needed to be prepared for anything, and who knew what could be waiting with Kaneshiro's?
His phone buzzed right as he was stuffing a rag into a bottle of alcohol, and he glanced at his phone out of the corner of his eye.
Chat Room: The Phantom Thieves
Yusuke— The calling cards have been prepared, and have been split between Ryuuji and Makoto's bags.
Ann— Why?
Makoto— There are enough of them that it would be troublesome for one person to bring them all, they wouldn't have any room for their school supplies.
Ryuji— I was tote fine nt brinin my shit btw
Ryuji— But prez said 2 split them up so
Makoto— I'm not letting you go to school with only a bag filled with calling cards. That is a recipe for disaster.
He sighed as he used his teeth to tighten the cap on a smoke bomb, his words coming out garbled because of it. "'Organa, can you teth Ryuthi thath he'th sthupid?"
"Happily, but it's kind of hard to do that when I've got cat paws in this form," his not-cat replied as he hopped up onto the desk.
Makoto— In any case, we'll also be dropping cards subtly in the streets. The cards in his hideout should be enough, but if one of his goons does find one, the knowledge that the average person knows about him will surely put him on edge.
Ann— You'd better make sure Ryuji doesn't get caught.
He let out a small chuckle at the jab towards Ryuji. That, of course, caused the grip his teeth had on the cap to loosen. He cursed as smoke began filling his room, and Morgana yowled in panic.
Yusuke— Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if one of Kaneshiro's thugs managed to grab him off the street.
In his panic he knocked over a Molotov, sending fire splashing across the wooden floor. A second curse slipped from his mouth, and he scrambled, one hand trying to clamp down on the smoke bomb, the other grabbing his blanket and whacking at the growing fire.
Ryuji— Screw all of u
As his room devolved into further chaos, the hand holding the smoke bomb knocked into a stun gun he had crafted, setting it off and causing electricity to jolt through his body. "ABABABABABABABABABABABABABAB—"
Ryuji— btw wheres Aki?
Ann— I dunno, he should've chimed in by now.
Morgana, still scrambling around on the desk, knocked over an air cannon, causing it to explode. The pressurized can of air blasted Morgana off the desk, straight over Akira's head and the fire, and he hit the floor hard before sliding along the wood towards the stairs.
Ann— Heyyyy Akiraaa!
Ann— …
Ann— I wonder what's keeping him?
The explosion from the can rattled the desk, and a freeze spray fell from it. When the weapon hit the ground it landed on its top, causing it to go off. Akira's legs were frozen and his bed's blanket turned into a solid sheet. He wobbled off balance, and crashed to the ground.
Makoto— He's likely doing something important to prepare. We shouldn't bother him.
Yusuke— I agree.
Ann— Probably. Alright, see you guys tomorrow!
He lay there for a brief moment, feeling absolute hatred at the universe, before scrambling to roll back and forth, his shirt having caught fire as well. Eventually, he put out the fire on the floor and his clothing, but now he had to deal with scorch marks, frozen pants, damp pants from where fire had met ice, sparks that were definitely not psi that kept jumping from his fingertips, and a not-cat that had just experienced flight.
The café owner a floor beneath him looked up at the stairs, before shaking his head and sighing as he continued cleaning a mug. "Just… don't question it, Sojiro…"
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/6, Wednesday
DEADLINE: July 9th
DAYS UNTIL PICS LEAKED: 3
Steal Kaneshiro's heart.
The day had come. He had prepared everything he needed after the… incident the previous night. Now he was staking out the front of Kaneshiro's hideout, with a sack thrown over his back filled with calling cards. He felt like some weird version of Santa that delivered righteous retribution, rather than gifts.
So… Maybe Krampus? No, that thing only punished misbehaving children…
Whatever.
He rolled his shoulders and hyped himself up, ready to move at any time. It was too bad he didn't have anything like his thief attire in the real world, for one it looked badass, but it would have worked well to conceal his identity just in case anyone saw him. Mentioning that to Ann the previous day did give her the idea at least to buy a domino mask that looked… similar enough to the one he had in the Metaverse.
In any case… He only had three abilities he could make use of at the moment. Third Eye to identify thugs in the dim lighting of the club and see in the dark, Shadow to travel swiftly and silently, and as a last resort, Rebellion for defending himself. Mimic wasn't an option. If he used the ability, the illusion would be standing still and let them get a good look at its face, and its dissipating would be an unexplainable phenomenon that could expose PSI.
Rebellion, at least, could just be explained away as a grenade or other explosive.
I suggest thou focus on the matter at hand.
'Yeah, yeah.'
The front door opened and several thugs walked out, talking shit to each other, and he made his move. He slipped out of the darkness of a building, running as close as he could. The second one began turning his way, likely spotting something moving out the corner of their eye, he vanished.
His body surged like a liquid shadow, and if someone had been watching him, all they would have seen was a dark shape near-instantaneously slip through the throng of people and then the door of the building. Once inside he had to react instantly. He couldn't see anything while traveling, just reappearing wherever he had intended to move after using the ability.
In the brief instant he could see, he surveyed and saw there were people inside the room, but none looking right at him. The stairs were clear, so he used Shadow again and transported himself into the stairwell. Once materialized he transitioned smoothly into a run up the stairs, climbing to the floor where Kaneshiro had been last.
Poking his head around the corner he didn't spot any thugs, so quickly slung his sack around and reached in. Grabbing several cards he began peeling the films off and slapping them onto the walls of the hallway, Makoto having had the bright idea to make the backs adhesive. He had no idea how long that had taken to do, but it was great thinking on her part.
And of course, with the gloves he was wearing, there was no chance of his fingerprints getting on them. He slapped the calling cards everywhere he could, covering the walls. Even with the dim lighting, there was no way they would be missed.
Sssomeone'sss coming.
He noticed it at the same time that Tangoo had mentioned it, the sound of footsteps approaching. They were coming up the stairwell, meaning he couldn't escape down that way. "Fuck." Or maybe… He began running towards it, hoping that he could surprise whoever it was and knock them out, then escape down the stairs.
He looked down and saw several thugs coming up. The lead looked at him and blinked in surprise. "What the hell—?"
He immediately threw the bag of cards at him. There were enough left inside that it had sufficient weight to knock him back, throwing them into the thugs behind them and down the stairs. "Eat shit, asshole!" He made to jump over them and run down the stairs, but one of the knocked-down thugs pulled a gun out from his awkward position on the floor, and he immediately turned around to flee back up the stairs. "Oh, screw that!"
This is a problem, Oni laughed.
Don't sound so happy about that! Leanan Sidhe snapped.
Young one, we must go!
'No shit,' He thought back at Nigi Mitama, running through the halls. With the stairs a no-go there was only one solution. If his memory of the outside of the building was correct, just out that window was a drain pipe that he could slide down. No way in hell was he risking using his grappling hook in the real world when he might slam into the ground and break every single bone in his body.
He reached the end of the hall and grabbed the windowsill, trying to open it as his heart pounded in a mix of nerves and excitement. It jiggled but didn't move any more than that. Of course it was locked… He pulled his fist back and punched the window, which did nothing more than rattle it and hurt his wrist. "…Ooooow! Shit!"
"Get up you idiots! Come on, he went that way!"
"…Alright, no time for some fancy plan. PSI Rebellion β!" The window, and of course the wall around it, was blasted apart. Pieces of the wall and shards of glass sprinkled the ground below, and just as he heard a thug screaming at him to 'turn the fuck around!' he swallowed and grabbed the pipe embedded in the building, sliding down and wincing as his hands were cut through his gloves.
He tried to dig his shoes into the wall and slow down, but couldn't get a good foothold, instead scrabbling at the concrete. He hit the ground at high speed and bit back a yell as he felt something crack, but thankfully not break. He fell to the ground but adrenaline kept him moving.
Scrambling to his feet he limped as fast as he could. He ignored the pain lancing through his leg while looking back to see Kaneshiro's goons looking out the hole in the wall, before running back in. They probably didn't want to risk breaking their legs and would be taking the stairs figuring they could catch him now that he was limping. Well, with no one watching him now, he happily pulled his phone out and dropped into Mementos.
He stumbled to a halt and winced as he leaned against a building, sliding to the ground. He would have to descend into the tunnels proper to have his attire appear, but this was still the Metaverse, so he could summon his Personas. He removed the mask Ann had bought, using it in place of his usual one, blue flames consuming it.
"Nigi Mitama…" The Persona of Shinto teachings appeared and with a quick Diarama, he was feeling much better. Whichever bone in his leg that had cracked was mended, along with the cuts on his hands. They didn't look deep… Thankfully, they were actually shallow enough that they had barely begun to bleed. Those were some good gloves… A boon for him considering no blood or DNA evidence would be left behind.
The Mitama dissipated and the toy mask reappeared, which he tossed onto the ground. Akira closed his eyes and sighed, removing his gloves and throwing them down as well. He waited for his heart to stop beating so fast, the blood rushing past his ears nearly deafening him.
He finally stood up and walked out of the alley, finding his bag where he'd left it before he infiltrated the hideout, slipping it over his shoulder and making his way towards Shibuya Station. He would find a secluded spot to return to the real world and then meet with his fellow thieves. With how much of a ruckus he'd made, it was practically guaranteed that Kaneshiro would be finding out about this.
Even if the bastard wasn't there that day, his goons would definitely be calling him to let him know. After that… Well, that bank was going to be robbed, no matter what. He smirked and clenched his fists.
Let the heist commence, Trickster!
Coming up on the heist, so it'll be another double feature. I'll be dropping the next chapter tomorrow, so I hope everyone's looking forward to it. Anyway, for this chapter…
Akira beats himself up some for what he did in chapter 54 against Kumbhanda, protecting Ann instead of Ryuji when he had the ability to nullify wind. And with the nerves of an upcoming heist he turns down an invitation to clear his head. Though, Mishima doesn't help his mood with accidentally doing a scam lol.
Leveraging the fact that Eagleland is basically america for a fourth of july joke to raise his mood was fun though.
Ryuji is no longer named 'Ryu' but is now cursed with the nickname 'Ruru', thank you Mama Sakamoto, and the thieves come up with a plan for getting Kaneshiro to see the calling card. Trying to integrate more PSI into reality, and I figured Makoto and Akira figuring out a good way to infiltrate Kaneshiro's real world hideout and spreading cards around would be a good place to do so.
Akira also messes up his room accidentally by trying to multitask while creating dangerous elemental bombs. Probably not a good idea, do not try at home, yada yada. Leaving the cards behind goes to plan as well, though Akira did have to blow his way out, mix things up a little. So, it's finally time for the heist. Let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all tomorrow!