Chapter 5
The Bank of Gluttony
Friday, June 24th, 2016
Ken groaned as the repeated notification sounds dragged him out of his sleep. It took him several attempts to retrieve his phone just to see who would spam him with texts at barely past six in the morning, but he eventually found himself holding his phone. It took him several upward swipes just to see what had triggered this.
Group Chat: Former SEES (Minako Sanada, Akihiko Sanada, +7 others)
[Minako Sanada]: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEN-KUN!
Minako-san had added some birthday popper emojis in her message. Ken rubbed his temples. He'd be inclined to thank her if it wasn't so early.
[Akihiko Sanada]: Mina, it's not even six yet
[Minako Sanada]: you're one to talk Aki :c
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: you're gonna wake him up, idiots
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: It's not *that* early, Shinjiro. But regardless of that, happy birthday, Amada.
[Junpei Iori]: HEY HEY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEN! Chidorita says hbd too!
[Junpei Iori]: y'know
[Junpei Iori]: if we were in Europe, we could take you out for a drink
[Yukari Takeba]: THAT'S what you say?!
[Junpei Iori]: Hey it's true!
[Aigis]: I always assumed that Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san allowed Ken-san to indulge in alcohol during special occasions
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: …Shinjiro, Yamagishi, is this true?
[Minako Sanada]: they're reading the messages
[Junpei Iori]: HAVE YOU SEEN KEN DRUNK?!
[Fuuka Yamagishi]: …No?
[Fuuka Yamagishi]: Junpei-kun, the fact that you WANT Ken-kun to be drunk at some point is concerning…
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: what the fuck, Iori
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: 1) we give Ken one glass on New Year's and other holidays
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: 2) Ken has never been drunk because of how little we give him
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: 3) Fuuka's right why the fuck do you want to see Ken drunk
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: It's still against the law
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: You're telling me that you never broke the law?
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: never mind the reason we're even in Tokyo is because you're basically giving Shido the middle finger
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: …Shinjiro, feel fortunate that you're hundreds of kilometers away from me. Also that's hardly comparable considering what Shido's done.
[Yukari Takeba]: I think he would've gotten executed if he said that in person…
[Minako Sanada]: YOU THINK?!
[Akihiko Sanada]: You have more guts than me, Shinji…
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: like I didn't know that already
[Akihiko Sanada]: YOU WANNA GO?!
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: You can't even come to Tokyo, you moron
[Fuuka Yamagishi]: Shinji, don't pick a fight with Akihiko-senpai!
[Aigis]: When are they not fighting, though, Fuuka-san?
[Junpei Iori]: oh hey Ken's reading our messages
[Junpei Iori]: BUT HE HASN'T THANKED US
[Yukari Takeba]: YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT GETTING HIM DRUNK
[Yukari Takeba]: And now Shinjiro-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are fighting over the chat
[Minako Sanada]: It's entertaining at least
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: Minako, don't encourage this
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: But furthermore, happy birthday, Amada. I arranged for all of our gifts to be sent to where you are staying
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: oh yeah, Mitsuru
[Yukari Takeba]: Yeah, happy birthday Ken-kun!
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: was that about the place we're staying at being modest?
[Mitsuru Kirijo]: …Aigis, please remind me to execute Shinjiro whenever I see him next
[Aigis]: Duly noted, Mitsuru-san.
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: And you don't even deny it
[Akihiko Sanada]: you really do have a death wish, Shinji…
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: At least I've never been stupid enough to try and peep at Mitsuru
[Akihiko Sanada]: THAT WAS JUNPEI'S FAULT
[Junpei Iori]: H E Y
[Yukari Takeba]: how did this even escalate to this point?
[Fuuka Yamagishi]: I have… no idea
[Aigis]: I do not understand why you are surprised, Fuuka-san.
[Fuuka Yamagishi]: But happy birthday Ken-kun 3 Koro-chan and I both miss you!
[Ken Amada]: Thanks guys… though I'd appreciate it if you did it later in the day…
[Shinjiro Aragaki]: I told you that you'd wake him up
[Minako Sanada]: eh, he needed to get up for school anyways all's good
[Junpei Iori]: god I do not miss school
[Aigis]: We're all aware, Junpei-san
Ken let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his eyes. He appreciate the well wishes but he wished they had done it when he wasn't half dead. But a light knock sounding on the door caused Ken to look up. Shinjiro-san opened the door, looking rather unamused.
"Did you read the whole chat?" he inquired.
Ken let out an involuntary yawn. "Morning… and it was hard not to. It woke me up."
Shinjiro-san rolled his eyes.
"Figures... I really wanna know why Iori was up before you." But then he looked at Ken. "But happy birthday, Ken."
"Thanks, Shinjiro-san." He smiled at his guardian.
"So, where do you want to go to dinner tonight?" he asked casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Ken frowned. "I… honestly don't know."
Shinjiro-san's birthday present to Ken every year was basically dinner at whatever restaurant he wanted. And Shinjiro-san wouldn't critique the food served, unlike most times they went out for dinner—not that happened much, with Shinjiro-san's preference to cook.
Shinjiro-san just shrugged.
"Well, you have time. Maybe ask around to see if you can get any recommendations." But he scrutinized Ken's face. "How have you been doing in Shujin?"
"Fine," Ken replied.
Another yawn then escaped him—it was really too early.
He couldn't help but grumble out, "Some of the students are the worst gossips I've seen, though."
He still couldn't believe that some people took 'No, I'm not interested in finding a girlfriend' and 'Mitsuru Kirijo is my senpai' and turned it to that he was dating Mitsuru-san. Mitsuru-san was a stunning woman but just… no. Why did people always have to jump to weird conclusions?
Mitsuru-san mothered him the most out of the girls, too. It was just… bizarre thinking about it.
"No surprise there," Shinjiro-san snorted, arms folded over his chest. "Teenagers just latch onto anything to talk about."
"Still annoying though," Ken grumbled.
"You don't have to tell me," Shinjiro-san retorted. "Look, do me a favor and take a break, for once. It's your birthday, for crying out loud."
Ken made a face. "You know that's out of my control, Shinjiro-san..."
And knowing his luck... the Phantom Thieves would pick today to go back to the Palace.
And he just had to be proven right...
Just what he wanted to do for his birthday. Fight Shadows and follow the Phantom Thieves through the Palace.
The more he explored the Palace, the more he was certain that it wasn't like Tartarus. Tartarus was more like a never-ending maze. How had Fuuka-san been so... off? Her scanning capabilities were a rare ability, and Fuuka-san was good at it. He had heard from Akihiko-san that Fuuka-san was able to reach them inside the TV world while she was outside. Maybe... it was the distance.
The Palace seemed to have a structured design, unlike with Tartarus. And he had done things he never even thought about. Like crawling through vents (he had really thought it was just something that happened in TV shows and movies, not real life), climbing countless ledges, and etc.
At least the palace was in Shibuya, so he could slip over to the penthouse and enter the Metaverse that way. He didn't have to worry about hiding his spear.
Though it was fortunate that the Shadows seemed to be weaker than him. It didn't particularly help him getting stronger, but it was probably better for now with how many times he had gotten caught…
"Hey, is it me or is the security level higher than usual…?"
"You're not wrong, Panther," Morgana answered Takamaki-san's question. "It's strange… maybe Kaneshiro just gets more on guard every time we're spotted…?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, with how he taught his goons…" Amamiya-san said slowly. "Let's just be more careful. I don't have any more smokescreens on me."
"Roger that, Joker."
Ken sighed to himself, before glancing around him. Call him paranoid, but he couldn't help but feel the mysterious black-masked Persona-user wouldn't give up after that one visit. He hadn't seen him since then, but Strega had been monitoring them from a distance. It could be the same thing.
"Show me your true form!"
Ken managed to look back in time to see Amamiya-san finish ripping off the mask of the Shadow stalking the hallway, jumping backwards. Niijima-san, Kitagawa-san, and Takamaki-san leapt forward to join him. The Shadow split into three, forming into two pixie-like creatures and the red oni.
They were operating similarly to how they did back in Tartarus, with the teams composed of four people.
Though, Amamiya-san really had a flair for the dramatics. Minako-san was enthusiastic about fighting Shadows and she was quite acrobatic in combat, but Amamiya-san was an entirely different level.
It wasn't enough to just attack the Shadow from behind apparently. Though he had no idea why the Shadows were so… different.
"Two High Pixies and an Oni!" Mona exclaimed. "Let's get them!"
Amamiya-san then smirked before he ripped off his mask. "Suzaku!"
Ken pursed his lips as the red plumed Persona appeared again. He only seen two Personas so far that Amamiya-san used, this one called Suzaku, and another called Matador. He couldn't help but be curious what the default one he started with, like Minato-san and Minako-san, as well as Yu-san. Though there was a chance neither of these two Personas he saw is the original. He couldn't help but wonder what Amamiya-san's inner self looked like. Especially compared to his friends. Perhaps it could give some insight what Amamiya-san's actually like.
No… he couldn't think like that. Everyone's Personas manifest so differently. It didn't give any window if a persona was good or bad, after all some of them had rather intimidating looking Personas but fought for life and truth.
None of this speculating was providing any real answers, just creating more confusion for himself. He needed to step back and not start making any assumptions one way or the other. He supposed all this overthinking was because he couldn't get over it. He still didn't know what to think about Amamiya-san being a Wild Card…
Although it was interesting to watch the Phantom Thieves in action, to contrast them with how SEES had operated as a unit.
Minato-san was considerably more cautious than Amamiya-san. He was quite talented with coming up with strategies on the fly, and Minako-san had an uncanny ability to pick up on what he was planning without him saying a word. And it looked like that Amamiya-san didn't have the ability to summon two Personas at a time. Though he supposed it wasn't too surprising, considering that only Minato-san and Minako-san had exhibited that ability.
Though Ken had to admit the use of the guns was a bit unsettling. Just where had they gotten those? What kind of person would sell guns to underage high school students?
"Panther, it's yours!" Amamiya-san called, holding out his hand for Takamaki-san to high-five.
"Yeah, pass the baton pass!" Mona said encouragingly as they exchanged a high-five.
"Carmen!" she cried out, ripping off her mask.
Thin tendrils of flames whipped through the air, burning their enemies.
He… didn't really understand what this Baton Pass was exactly, except that it seemed to power them somehow. But was the high-fiving necessary? It looked more like for show, but maybe it did help power them up… somehow. This was so confusing but clearly, he needed to observe more.
However it was interesting to see how differently the Thieves carried themselves in the Metaverse.
There was no other way to put it. Amamiya-san was cocky as Joker. The quiet, almost bookish boy was gone. He had that aura that all Wild Cards seemed to have, the aura that drew in people. Confidence just radiated from him, whether it was from him solving a puzzle or getting the drop from a Shadow.
Sakamoto-san was friendly, but Skull was reckless. He threw himself into danger without a second thought for his friends. He seemed to enjoy fighting Shadows—probably for the stress relief. Though with the rumors circulating around him… Ken really didn't blame him for needing it.
Takamaki-san was nice and friendly, but Panther was fierce and passionate. It was no wonder that her element was fire. She seemed to relish sending Shadows on their metaphorical knees. She seemed more confident as Panther.
Kitagawa-san… he wasn't as sure, as he had never interacted with the artist before. But Kitagawa-san was quiet, and appeared a bit too honest from the little he observed. Fox moved gracefully but he was surprisingly fierce when fighting Shadows.
And Niijima-san… it was so odd to see his classmate carry herself as prim, polite, and very straight-laced, when he saw Queen. She didn't hold back when fighting Shadows, whether it was unleashing her magic spells—though from what he had figured out from eavesdropping, it was nuclear magic, not almighty magic—or punching them into submission.
He was not sure about that cat-thing called Mona however…
But disregarding that… the thieves carried themselves in a way that differed so much from his first impressions of them. But what was the truth? The civilian or the thief?
They were making good progress. Makoto's analysis of the Shadows was helping speed up the fights, so they weren't as tired. Though Ren could have gone without the cameras. Even with the Third Eye, Ren had messed up a lot.
At least smashing the electric boxes was fun. Even if Ryuji complained he was being a bit extra with how he destroyed them. A guy can't have a little fun and stress relief, it seemed.
"Hmm…" Morgana looked thoughtful, tilting his head. "I'd say one more box and we'll be good, Joker."
"Finally," Ryuji grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.
"To say that this was kinda annoying is putting it lightly," Anne chimed in.
But then the familiar alarm suddenly blared, blasting their ears.
"What was that?" Yusuke looked bewildered.
"Let's find out," Ren said, adjusting the glove on his right hand. "Come on."
They ran down back the hallway, only to see a lone figure standing in the center.
The only feature Ren could make out was their light brown hair. They had a lithe figure, dressed in mostly black.
What the…?
They looked like a deer in headlights. It took Ren a moment to register that it was a guy.
He stared for several moments—giving them a clear view of his masked face—before grasping the railing and jumping.
"Dammit!" Ren cursed to himself. "Why did I just gawk like an idiot?!"
While he was mentally berating himself, Ryuji's hands clenched into fists.
"HEY! STOP!" he yelled, rushing down the stairs.
"Skull, stop!" Anne snapped, running after him. "You'll trigger the alarm!"
But when she reached out to grab his arm and pull him back, Ryuji just ripped off his mask and summoned his Persona.
"CAPTAIN KIDD!"
"What the hell, Skull?!" Anne screeched at him. "What part of stop don't you understand?!"
"I'm slowing him down!" Ryuji retorted.
Makoto just looked at Ren, confusion in her eyes. She then tilted her head.
She asked, "Why is Skull running after him?"
"One sec," Ren said, holding up a hand before turning to look at Morgana. "Mona, go after Skull and Panther. Maybe jump after him?"
God, why hadn't they thought of that, instead of running around to disable the cameras? Though it was kinda risky. Jump high enough and they would be splats on the ground.
Morgana nodded, before scampering after Ryuji and Anne.
"When we defeated Madarame's Shadow… he spoke up of an intruder with a black mask," Ren answered carefully as he eyed Yusuke with concern.
He knew bringing that up was a touchy subject. But Makoto needed to know about it since she was part of the team now. Yusuke nodded towards him and Ren let out a quiet sigh.
"It was… somewhat unsettling. But I wanted to assume he was dodging our questioning or outright lying. However, if this is the person he spoke of… that is a bit alarming. It means there is someone else out there with powers like ours. And… he wasn't completely untruthful," Yusuke added, his eyes not meeting anyone's gazed as he fidgeted.
Makoto sharply inhaled at that.
"That is… rather unsettling," she murmured.
Yusuke nodded in agreement. "And I think it's a safe assumption that this black masked Persona-user is the one behind the mental shutdowns."
Makoto frowned still. "But… the mask was black and white, right? That's rather distinct…"
"It's a bit suspicious that he bolted though," Ren said thoughtfully, tugging at his glove. "And he was carrying a spear, wasn't he? Obviously equipped to fight Shadows. And he had a thief outfit."
"But on the other hand," Yusuke began, "it could have been just a flight or fight response. He merely chose flight."
"But regardless, even if he isn't the black masked guy we were told about… who is he? He has to have powers like us because he has a mask like us and dressed like someone who the Palace Ruler would find a threat. And the fact that he's carrying a weapon so he must know how to fight Shadows, a civilian wouldn't last in here. Not to mention the fact he got in here at all," Ren pointed out.
Makoto nodded. "That's a good point. We need to divulge who he is and what is intentions are. And how he got in here or how he got his powers."
"Yes… I don't think it wise to assume the worst, but the circumstances and his timing is quite suspicious, so I understand your caution, Joker," Yusuke replied.
And to be fair, Ryuji probably looked a bit terrifying. He looked a complete delinquent, and his weapon of choice didn't exactly help… Ren would probably feel pretty freaked out if Ryuji came after him, waving his bat like crazy. So Yusuke did have a point about the fight or flight thing.
But he couldn't help but shake the feeling the guy seemed… almost like he was guilty of something. His expression felt too much like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar.
Was he… spying on them? That just made Ren feel more on edge. They needed to find that guy and get to the bottom of this. They had their hands full enough as it is dealing with Kaneshiro and these Shadows.
Makoto folded her arms over her chest, a thoughtful frown tugging at her lips.
"Well, this explains the security level, doesn't it? You were saying how it was rising at an abnormally high rate."
Ren nodded. "It does. But it looks like he doesn't know much about the Metaverse…"
"Well, Mona did have to teach you," Yusuke pointed out. "And you passed on his knowledge to us. So perhaps you shouldn't blame him as much."
"But the question is…" Makoto said quietly, "is he really just someone wandered in? Or an actual threat?"
The fact that Ren didn't know the answer was more unsettling… Ren sighed to himself. He just hoped this wasn't going to negatively affect the Palace exploration.
The door swung wide open so loudly that it was almost comical to Shinjiro how Ken then turned to shut it as gently as possible.
Ken looked like shit, like he was just about ready to pass out. His eyes practically had bags under them, almost as if he got no sleep for a couple days. Which was contrast to absolutely fine he looked this morning despite the rude awakening he got from the early morning group text.
Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Rough day?"
"Tired," he mumbled, before stumbling over to the couch and falling face first with a groan.
Fuuka just giggled. "This is why you should take things easy, Ken-kun."
"It wasn't on purpose," Ken mumbled out.
He then forced himself to sit up.
Shinjiro eyed him. He looked way too beat.
"Why don't you just rest tonight?" he suggested. "We can go out another time."
Ken sighed. "That's fine by me. I'm going to lay down for a bit."
Ken then pushed himself from the couch and trudged towards the direction of his bedroom.
Shinjiro huffed once he heard the door close. "He really is working himself too hard. Mitsuru told him not to push himself so much. Just a few days, he was so tired I was surprised that he didn't fall face first into his food. And you should've seen him when he found the Metaverse…"
Fuuka's eyes went wide as she pressed a hand over her mouth. Her eyebrows knitted in concern.
"I didn't realize it was that bad," she murmured.
Shinjiro fought the urge to snort. Like Fuuka was much better. He still remembered how she was during the first few months when she started university. But still, he couldn't help but worry.
"It makes me wish that Ken was only studying for his entrance exam." Shinjiro rubbed his forehead.
Ken was dedicated to his studies. Smart enough to get a scholarship, all while juggling his other extracurricular activities. Though it would've been nice if Ken hadn't wrecked his eyesight while doing so.
"Well… if Ken-kun is this dedicated to this mission..." Fuuka said slowly.
Her expression became longing and she placed her left hand on her cheek.
"...Maybe you'll get to come home sooner."
Shinjiro frowned. He had talked to his girlfriend in private, and Fuuka was quick to reassure him that she understood his reasonings and that she completely agreed with him. If it wasn't pushing it already with the two of them, Fuuka would've gone with them. But... he couldn't help but feel bad. They had to do long distance for four years, which had just sucked.
"Maybe, but it really depends on if the Phantom Thieves are abusing their abilities," Shinjiro muttered, before he scoffed quietly. "I know which one Ken would prefer."
Fuuka froze at that and turned to him.
"Shinji...?" she questioned.
"I'm not as smart as you—"
"You are smart," Fuuka quickly cut him off with a frown.
"Fine," Shinjiro rolled his eyes, "I'm not as studious as you, but I ain't blind. Ken thinks that he hides it well, but I know that he likes the idea of them."
Fuuka began to fidget. Her voice was small when she spoke again.
"Um... would you be mad if I told you if I knew?" she asked timidly.
Shinjiro sighed and shook his head.
"No. It's expected, with how much Ken loves superheroes." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm surprised Mitsuru hasn't caught on."
Fuuka smiled softly. "Mitsuru-senpai doesn't live with Ken-kun, Shinji. And I'm sure that Ken-kun is very aware of why we're wary of the Phantom Thieves."
"Yeah..." Shinji muttered, before closely studying Fuuka's face. "You've been takin' care of yourself, right? Cooking, not just getting takeout? Not staying up too long 'cause of work?"
Whenever Fuuka had visited, he usually ended up dragging her to bed. And he had to hide the coffee beans from her. She had really relied too much on coffee to keep her going.
But Fuuka just laughed softly, her lips curving into a gentle smile. "Don't worry. Koro-chan is very insistent of me going to bed on time."
"How is he?"
"Um..." Fuuka fidgeted for a moment. "Well, really well."
Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Why am I hearing a but in that?"
"Well..." Fuuka took a deep breath. "He... um... is kinda... going to be a father in a couple weeks?"
Shinjiro just blinked at her absently.
"AndItookinthemother," she blurted in a rush.
"Fuuka!"
"She was a stray, but she's really sweet and Mitsuru-senpai arranged it so a vet examined her and gave her all of the shots!" Fuuka added.
Shinjiro just groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "We can't take care of all of these dogs," he grumbled.
"Um, well... Minako-chan has already claimed one of the puppies," Fuuka said sheepishly. "Junpei-kun said that he wants one, but he'll have to talk to Chidori-chan to see if it's really okay. And... Kanji-kun also wants one."
Of course Tatsumi did. Every time he saw Koromaru, all he wanted to do was pet him. Though he was so aggressive while petting him, Koromaru didn't really... like it when Tatsumi tried to pet him. He was seriously way too aggressive. It was no wonder Koromaru wasn't too crazy for Tatsumi's pettings.
"So how many runts is the little girlfriend of his having?" Shinjiro rubbed his right temple.
"Mitsuru-senpai said the ultrasound said six." Fuuka smiled weakly.
"Six? Sheesh—we're gonna need to find three more families, I guess. That damn furball…" Shinjiro sighed. "There's nothing I can really do 'bout this now, huh?"
Fuuka giggled, her eyes suddenly twinkling with humor. "You'd spoil them rotten if you could."
"...Shut up."
Sunday, June 26th, 2016
Shinjiro-san had put his foot down, deeming that Ken was working himself too hard. He then proceeded to kick Ken out of the penthouse with the demand that Ken go enjoy himself today. No studying. Nothing regarding the mission.
So, Ken ended up wandering Shibuya, since he hasn't properly explored the ward yet. Ken couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Buchiko statue. Koromaru really was a real life Buchiko. Maybe he should take Koromaru to see it, if Fuuka-san could come and visit. Hopefully she could visit for Shinjiro-san's birthday in August.
Though speaking of Koromaru, Ken couldn't believe he went and sired a litter of puppies. Mitsuru-san had talked about breeding Koromaru before, as she was curious if the potential was hereditary. And the oldest children of a Persona-user (that they knew well), were only five right now...
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Ken jumped at the sudden voice, turning around to see that it was Amamiya-san. Kitagawa-san was standing next to him, looking at him curiously.
"Penny?" he asked once he found his voice.
Amamiya-san laughed. "Sorry, it's an American saying that Anne likes to say sometimes."
"Ah, I see." Ken bowed his head. "It's nice to see you again, Amamiya-san."
He then let his eyes linger on Kitagawa-san—he needed to play dumb, after all, and pretend that he's never seen Kitagawa-san.
"And...?"
"This is my friend, Yusuke Kitagawa. He attends Kosei High." Amamiya-san gestured to Kitagawa-san as he made his introduction. "Yusuke, this is Ken Amada. He just transferred to Shujin a couple weeks ago. He's the same year as Makoto."
"It's nice to meet you, Kitagawa-san," Ken said, politely smiling.
"Likewise, Amada-san." Kitagawa-san inclined his head.
But for some reason, his brow furrowed, and he stared at Ken for some reason.
"Though, I have to ask... just where are you from?" he inquired. "I can't place your accent."
He had an accent? Though Ken supposed it made sense. Tokyo and Port Island were in two completely different regions after all.
"I'm from Tatsumi Port Island. It's located in the Choguku region."
Kitagawa-san sharply inhaled, his eyes growing wide for some reason.
He looked awed. "Tatsumi… Port Island? As in where Chidori Yoshino lives?!"
…Well, nowadays Chidori-san was Chidori Iori. She and Junpei-san had gotten married shortly before the school year had started, back in March.
"Who's Chidori Yoshino?" Amamiya-san asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've never heard of her."
Kitagawa-san sighed deeply, closing his eyes. "An artist that I admire. An artist who is woefully underappreciated. I will have to show you some of her pieces some time, Ren."
He opened his eyes, which were suddenly burning with passion.
"She puts in such emotion with every stroke. You should see her drawings of her husband. You can tell that she loves him very much with how she draws him. I hope to have a muse such as that one day!"
Amamiya-san just laughed, shaking his head. Behind his glasses, his eyes twinkled with humor. "You really set him off, didn't you, Senpai?"
"It wasn't on purpose…" Ken said sheepishly, "Also it's Chidori Iori now. As you just mentioned, she has a husband."
"My apologies, I'm so used to referring her as Yoshino-san. But regardless! Artists like Iori-san are what inspire me!" Kitagawa-san continued, his hand clenching into a fist. "I must find inspiration now! Perhaps something on the subject of marriage, to pay homage to her new life. I must find a wedding reception!"
Kitagawa-san then started to run off, but Amamiya-san snagged him by the collar.
"Whoa there, Yusuke," Amamiya-san said, his voice suddenly stern. "We were going to get lunch, remember? Also you can't crash a reception you aren't invited too."
"But Ren, I must feed this fire before it goes out!" he protested.
He was really passionate about this, wasn't he? But Ken couldn't help but smile however. He would have to mention this the next time he talked to Junpei-san. He always did think that Chidori-san didn't get nearly enough attention as she should. This would probably brighten her day.
"Yeah, but if you pass out from lack of food, you may be out for hours," Amamiya-san pointed out. "I think getting lunch first would be better for you."
Kitagawa-san sighed. "Very well. Alas, if only I didn't have to rely on sustenance to fuel me…"
Shinjiro-san would have an aneurysm if he ever heard Kitagawa-san talking about this, wouldn't he? And then he'd probably tie Kitagawa-san to a chair and force feed him some food…
"Would you like to come with us, Senpai?" Amamiya-san asked, his voice inviting. "We can show you around Tokyo too after lunch."
Ken smiled sheepishly. "That obvious?"
Amamiya-san smirked. "Yeah, just a little."
"But I don't mean to intrude…" Ken said.
"If you can train with Ryuji for a couple hours, then I don't see why you can't eat lunch with us." Amamiya-san shrugged.
This caught Kitagawa-san's attention, and he turned to look at Ken, his gaze scrutinizing. He looked Ken up and down, making Ken feel like he was under a microscope.
"Hmm… you'd probably make an excellent model. The lighting hitting your face right now gives excellent lights and shadows to your jawline and cheekbones."
For a minute there, he was worried Kitagawa-san might have recognized him from when they spotted him in the metaverse. But… he wasn't expecting that.
"Um… thank you?" Ken didn't know how to respond to that.
But then Ken caught sight of Amamiya-san frantically shake his head behind Kitagawa-san, all while mouthing no.
"But while I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I'll have to say no."
"Why is the search for a model so difficult?" Kitagawa-san lamented, clutching his chest and squeezing his shirt as he hunched over and placed his other hand on the wall to prop himself up.
Was this normal for Kitagawa-san? He was a little… eccentric.
"You'll find one someday, Yusuke." Amamiya-san patted his friend on the shoulder, his lips quirking up in an amused smile. "But come on, there's this pretty good diner that I know of."
Kitagawa-san then straightened himself up. "Very well. Lead the way, Ren."
That was a quick recovery. Didn't take much to perk him up it seemed.
Maybe he could find a way to sneak some money to Kitagawa-san during lunch. He really defined the "poor artist" stereotype…
Tuesday, June 28th, 2016
Makoto had to admit, it was nice to have some company while she worked. And Amada-kun's company was very pleasant.
"So, what's the story behind the track team being disbanded in the first place?" Amada-kun asked, studying the sheet of paper.
Makoto sighed. "It was unfairly disbanded, since Kamoshida claimed that the track star attacking him was a good reason to dismantle the team. There's just some trouble reviving it, since two of the teachers wanted to be the advisor… they seem to have it settled now, though."
Amada-kun frowned. "Just why did Kamoshida think it was okay to all of this? Physically abusing his male students, assaulting the female students…"
His lip curled with disgust, and then he shook his head.
"He more than deserves his sentence," he muttered out.
Makoto let out an exhale through her nose and straightened out a stack of papers.
"Well, I'm just glad it's over and done with. Everything seems to be in order…" she said.
She then reached for the manila folder, flipping it open.
"Let's see, what else is there… Oh." Makoto made a face. "Right… the school trip…"
Amada-kun frowned. "The school trip? But that's always in the second semester."
"Yes, but it happens about… a couple weeks after we come back from summer break. And Shujin does this thing where it allows the students to submit suggestions for where we go. The submissions don't always get accepted, but last year's did. Last year… I believe we visited San Francisco."
"San Francisco?" Amada-kun repeated, looking surprised. "That's more exciting than the trip my school went on last year. That's kinda surprising. Back in Gekkoukan, our trip was during November."
"Oh, where did you go?" Makoto inquired, looking at him.
"Kyoto. The temples were beautiful, but once you've seen a temple, you've seen them all, right?" Amada-kun smiled wryly. "Though I'll admit that the snacks were good."
Makoto shook her head with a small smile, as she skimmed some of the submissions.
"Hawaii, New York, Los Angeles—are people even interested in seeing some place in Japan?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, to be fair, this is Tokyo," Amada-kun pointed out. "A lot of the exciting landmarks in Japan are in Tokyo."
"You'd think that someone would be interested in visiting Osaka, with all of the street food," Makoto mused, as she ran her fingernail along the edge of the paper. "Or perhaps Nara or Okinawa."
"Yeah, but going to another country would be exciting for anyone. But I suppose with all the movies from America it makes sense people would at least want to visit the States." Amada-kun responded.
She tapped the end of her pen against her chin as she let out a sigh.
"I suppose you have a point there," Makoto said as she lightly shook her head.
She shrugged—it wasn't up to her. And besides that, she wasn't even going to go. The school trip was reserved for second-years.
"Well, I'll submit this to the faculty office and see if they'll approve any of them as an option… And before July's exams, we'll vote on it."
Makoto sighed, before sliding it in the folder she used to keep the paperwork she would give the faculty office to review.
"At least we're done for today…" she said and fought back a yawn.
Amada-kun grimaced. "At least it's not as bad as the paperwork for the school festival."
Makoto sighed wearily, rubbing her temple with one hand.
"Do not remind me. Shujin always has a special guest too, so I'll have to sort through that when the time comes. Not that the guest usually agrees to come…" Makoto mumbled.
"Well, I've seen some creative booths at least," Amada-kun commented. "My class did a jazz bar last year."
When Makoto looked up in surprise, he just smiled wryly.
"With non-alcoholic drinks, of course."
That sounded really nice. She was always fond of jazz music.
"Do you like jazz music then?" she asked. "I do find it nice to listen to."
Amada-kun nodded. "I do like it, though I'll admit that I listen to all kinds of genres. Someone showed me that there's all kinds of great music. And the jazz bar was a little more original than say, a maid café."
Makoto laughed. "I wish our class had some more creative ideas. We did that last year."
At least she wasn't the one forced to dress up as a maid. God, she probably would have died of embarrassment if that costume was forced onto her.
"But thank you for your help—" she began to say.
The door then slid open, interrupting Makoto, and Takamaki-san poked inside.
"Niijima-senpai, do you—" her eyes widened, and then her expression became sheepish. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were working still."
Amada-kun shook his head. "No, we were just wrapping up."
Amada-kun then stood up, looking in Makoto's direction.
He then gave her a polite smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Niijima-san."
Takamaki-san pulled the door more open, allowing Amada-kun to leave before finally stepping inside. She clasped her hands together behind her back.
Makoto looked at her curiously. "Is something the matter, Takamaki-san?"
She took a deep breath, before bowing low.
"I am so, so sorry!" she blurted after she stood up straight. "I've been meaning to apologize to you for a while but… I kept wussing out."
She bit her lip, nervously shifting her weight.
"I was so mad when I found out that you knew about Kamoshida. I didn't think about how you were just like us. You were being used, too."
She hung her head, heaving out a sigh.
"I'm such a hypocrite. I hated how people would judge me because of how I looked, but I judged you so wrongly. And Shiho… she was asking—no, begging—me for help. But I didn't answer her call."
"Takamaki-san, stop," Makoto said gently. "I may not have been as guilty as you originally thought but I… I could have done more. When I saw Suzui-san on the roof, I was paralyzed with fear. All I could think of is that I could have something to prevent this. All of that pain and suffering she went through. What you, Sakamoto-kun, and Amamiya-kun all went through… I could have done something to help."
She needed to apologize to Sakamoto-kun too personally… she already done so with Amamiya-kun a couple days ago after school was out. But he waved it off and quickly said it was bygones and they should just move forward as a team. She was…. surprised at his response.
She questioned if he was mad at her at all, and he didn't deny he was but it was hard to stay that way once he saw how she placed herself in harm's way to help them, and to see her awakening; on top of saving them right after. She told Amamiya-kun she wouldn't blame him for not forgiving her and didn't expect him to be the forgiving type. His response surprised her again. He simply said he wasn't really the forgiving type recently and had such a bittersweet expression in his eyes before waving it off. Telling her that he simply got to see her side of the story and understands her a little better.
Makoto shook her head and pushed that out of her mind for the moment. She needed to focus on Takamaki-san.
She pressed a hand against her chest.
"I'm sorry. All I did was reflect the blame onto you when you were a personal victim… I shouldn't have done that…"
Takamaki-san's eyes went wide with shock, but then she smiled.
"I meant what I said before…" she said quietly. "You aren't scum. This has been weighing on you for a while, hasn't it? But… I suppose neither of us should be blaming ourselves. Kamoshida is the real scum here."
Makoto sighed. "You're right. He's the perpetrator, not us. But the what ifs have been running in my head for so long. I didn't want to admit my guilt. I was just… running away. I just hate feeling worthless. Especially since that would only make me a burden to my sister."
"Oh, right… you mentioned your sister before," Takamaki-san commented, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "She's that famous prodigy prosecutor, isn't she?"
Makoto nodded. "Mm-hm. She passed the bar exam the first try with flying colors. And she's only twenty-five… I feel woefully inadequate compared to her."
"Hey, come on." Takamaki-san looked at her straight in the eye. "You're you. Nobody else can be you, okay? Nobody should insult you because you don't 'measure up', and if they do? Screw them!"
Makoto laughed. That was an… interesting way to put things.
"So, um… just go easier on yourself, and I'll try to do the same." She shifted uneasily on her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Niijima-senpai?"
She turned to go, but Makoto blurted out, "Wait!"
When she turned to look back at Makoto, a quizzical expression on her face, Makoto winced. Then she took a deep breath.
"Um… I was wondering… you visit Suzui-san frequently, don't you?" she asked.
She… She needed to apologize to Suzui-san as well…
Takamaki-san blinked. "Um… yeah, I do."
"Well…" Makoto shifted in her seat. "I was thinking… do you think I can come with you next time you visit?"
The surprise was clear on her face, but then she nodded.
"Yeah! Of course… Shiho's recovery is going well but she always could use a couple of friendly faces. I've taken both Ren and Ryuji to visit her before."
"Thank you." Makoto rose to her feet, picking up the folder that she would have to deliver to the office. "Um… I'll see you around then."
"Yeah, of course!" She nodded, her pigtails bouncing a bit.
She then hesitated for a moment, before speaking again.
"And one more thing…" Her lips curved into a warm smile as Makoto looked at her once more. "Call me Anne."
"In that case, no need for formalities, call me Makoto." She returned the warm smile.
Wednesday, June 29th, 2016
The first thing Ken saw at school was a girl struggling with a bag of fertilizer. Other students just walked by, completely ignoring her. Ken sighed to himself.
He walked up to the girl, lightly tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped at his touch, but Ken just offered her a small smile.
"Do you need help with that?"
"Oh!" Her eyes lit up and she smiled at him. "Yes, thank you."
"Okay… where do you need this?"
"The roof," she answered. "There's a vegetable garden up there and they're due a new layer of fertilizer."
T-The roof? Ken gulped to himself, eyeing the bag. It had to weigh at least thirty kilograms. What had he gotten into?
But he couldn't back out, Ken inhaled a deep breath through his nose while pinched the bridge of his nose. That's what he got for judging everyone else for not bothering to help her. But he still smiled politely at her, not wanting her to think he found her a hassle anything of the sort.
It took several minutes for them to get the bag up the three floors, but the girl barely broke a sweat. Meanwhile, Ken was all too happy to drop the bag of fertilizer to the ground, massaging his aching fingers.
At least the view on the roof was nice. Ken walked over to the edge, admiring the skyline. He could even see the Skytree in the distance.
And the roof itself wasn't half bad either. Flowers were neatly organized in beds, in a large array of colors. Irises, poppies, and lilies were just a few types of flowers planted. There were a couple of beds dedicated to growing vegetables as well.
"You're the transfer student, aren't you?" the girl asked, looking rather curious.
Ken smiled sheepishly. "Yes, that's me. I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself sooner."
"No, no, it's fine," she was quick to reassure him. "My name is Haru. We're in the same year."
"Haru…?" Ken trailed off, not knowing her by face.
"Just Haru," she said firmly. "I'm… not one for formalities."
That was odd. Why was she sensitive about her family? But it's not like he could force her to reveal her surname.
"If that's what you want, Haru-san," Ken relented.
"I do," she said with a firm nod.
A silence fell between them, and Ken shifted uneasily on his feet. "So, um… does your club tend to the garden often? It looks really nice."
He was such an amazing conversationalist. It was one of the things he hated most about himself, but he didn't know how to fix it.
"Club?" Haru-san's face clouded over with confusion. "Oh, you mean like a gardening club? Shujin used to have a gardening club but it disbanded about two years ago. I tend to the garden, because I find it relaxing."
Ken looked around, feeling surprised. "You do this by all yourself? There are so many flowers here though."
And how was weeding and lugging around heavy bags of fertilizer fun?
"Oh, it's not that many," she said with a light laugh, waving a dismissing hand. "Flowers can be… finicky, but I enjoy the work."
Then she smiled, bending down. Her fingers lovingly stroked a flower's petal. Her expression was gentle.
"And seeing the results is reward enough," she said.
"It's very pretty," Ken said, unsure what else to say.
She then withdrew her hand, glancing to Ken.
She began, "How are you settling in Tokyo, Amada-kun? You're from Port Island, aren't you?"
"I am." Ken nodded, before he shrugged. "Honestly, I haven't even properly explored the city. Or Shibuya, even."
Her eyes grew wide. "Really? I thought that would be one of the first things you'd do."
"Things have been… hectic," Ken said slowly.
Akihiko-san was right… but he just didn't know how exactly to balance things. He had no idea how Minato-san and Minako-san did it…
She nodded understandably, before she frowned.
"I must admit—it's quite frightening. With the talk about the mafia so much…" She smiled sadly at Ken. "I'm sorry that you moved at such a bad time…"
"Don't apologize," Ken said, turning to look at her.
When she gave him a quizzical look, Ken hastened to elaborate on his statement.
"I mean, there's always something going on. It was bubbling under the surface, but there was Kamoshida just a couple months, wasn't it?"
Haru-san just shuddered, wrapping an arm around her torso.
"I'm glad he's gone," she murmured.
"I would be too," Ken sighed.
He hoped that Kamoshida never bugged her, especially with how she was obviously a gentle soul but… he shouldn't hold his breath.
Haru-san began tentatively, "I-I know this sounds a bit out of the blue but…"
She trailed off, opening her mouth to continue, only to stop short.
"What is it?" Ken cut in, after her second attempt.
"I was just wondering… have you met Mitsuru Kirijo?" she finally blurted out. "I know she lives on Port Island, running the Kirijo Group, and she went to your old school…"
Ken blinked.
Okay, he wasn't expecting that… he surprisingly hadn't been bothered much about Mitsuru-san, seeing that she was a celebrity in her own right. Other than the occasional stupid rumor of someone asking if they were dating. But she was not in the public's eye as much as say—Yukari-san or Rise-san—but she was well known, as she was one of the few female CEOs.
"A fan, are you?"
Haru-san blushed, looking down at the ground for a moment.
"Y-Yes… She's so young but she's done so much. She took over the Kirijo Group when she was around our age… and she's shaping the Kirijo Group in what she wants, not letting anyone tell her what to do."
She sighed longingly before staring at the ground, apparently finding it fascinating.
"And the fact that she's accomplished everything without being married. She's just so strong… it's admirable."
Ken smiled. Maybe he should mention this to Mitsuru-san some time.
"I'm sure that she would be flattered that you think of her so highly," he mentioned.
She squeaked, her face turning pink.
"I didn't mean…" she stammered out, nervously fiddling with her hair. "I was just… I just wanted to know if that rumor was true…"
"I hope you don't mean the rumor some of our classmates pass around, no we are not dating. But yes, I have met her. The press likes to exaggerate Mitsuru-san's inapproachability," Ken said dryly. "It's not really a bother, Haru-san. If anything, she'll probably be pleased."
"If you say so, Amada-kun." She smiled shyly at him but then blinked. "Wait… dating?"
"Don't worry about it, it's a silly rumor started up because I happen to know her and went to the same school as her. People have wild imaginations here." Ken waved off.
Thankfully it seemed she hadn't heard of that rumor.
She then opened her mouth to say something else but was cut off by the bell ringing.
She sighed. "Oh… we should get to class."
She bowed politely, shyly meeting Ken's gaze.
"It was nice meeting you," she said sincerely. "And thank you again for your help."
Ken smiled at her. "It was no problem, really."
"I'll see you around then, Amada-kun!" She waved at him before disappearing down the stairs.
Haru-san was a bit… strange, but she was nice. Though he had to wonder why she was so keen on keeping her family name a secret.
Friday, July 1st, 2016
Niijima-san was tense today. She wasn't paying much attention during class, and she seemed… distracted when spoken to. Maybe… the Phantom Thieves were planning on striking today. They had cleared the Palace completely, after all…
Though he didn't completely understand what the Treasure was, exactly…
Niijima-san breathed a sigh of relief when the final bell rang, signaling the end of school. She hastily gathered her supplies, before standing up.
The sound of the door sliding open made him look up.
"Hey, Makoto, you ready to go?" Takamaki-san cheerfully waved at her.
Huh. Were they on first name status now?
"Y-Yeah!" Niijima-san nodded, all while smiling nervously. "Let's go, Anne."
Well, that answered his question. Though this just cemented his suspicions. Ken hastily finished packing away his belongings, before making a beeline for the train. The flash of blonde hair made it very easy to locate the Phantom Thieves.
"Are you sure that Kaneshiro got the calling card?" Amamiya-san asked.
Niijima-san nodded. "Positive. Ryuji and I plastered calling cards everywhere. There's just no way that his henchmen missed it. And with the reputation the calling cards have… they're bound to bring it to him."
"It took forever for her to be satisfied," Sakamoto-san lamented.
He had heard enough. Time to go back to the penthouse.
He all but ran back to the penthouse. He picked up his weapon before he took a few deep breaths. This was it, he would see how exactly they would steal Kaneshiro's heart.
Then he activated the app.
The atmosphere… felt incredibly heavy. It felt hard to breathe. Did the calling card have such a strong effect on Kaneshiro's psyche?
At least he didn't have to count on the Phantom Thieves to summon the stairs, once he had stepped foot inside the Palace. He hurried up the steps, heading for the heart of the Palace.
He aimed to be a bit more careful, the Phantom Thieves hid around a lot when dodging Shadows, he wasn't exactly like them, but it made it easier to try and mimic how they avoid conflict after seeing them do it. He was actually able to reach to the heart of this Palace without having a need to pull out his weapon or Persona to fight off threats. And good reason too, they were on high alert. Ken was quite lucky. Maybe he was getting better at sneaking around.
The Phantom Thieves were already fighting what he assumed to be Shadow Kaneshiro's monstrous form. It was outlandish, to put it lightly. He was basically a human fly.
Though he supposed the Full Moon Shadows were rather strange, as well. He wasn't sure which was stranger, the Hanged Man Shadow or the Hermit Shadow.
There wasn't much of a place to hide, though… this place resembled a vault.
There was the entrance. He could go through and watch the fight. He didn't have the best view, but he wasn't here to watch the fight. He was here to discover just how desires were stolen.
The Phantom Thieves were vicious as they attacked Kaneshiro. They were giving all they had in this fight.
But Kaneshiro was far from done. Even though the Phantom Thieves had been relentless, he was only panting a bit.
"Heh… not bad," he gasped out. "Guess I'll have to bring out my big guns, then!"
"Big guns…?" Kitagawa-san asked.
But what Ken had thought was just a metal door began to spin—no, it was unscrewing. It was a… metal pig.
He had seen stranger things…
Kaneshiro gloated, "Hehe, meet my guardian robot!"
"Is that really a pig?!" Sakamoto-san demanded.
"Well, if it looks like a pig, and probably acts like one…" Amamiya-san said dryly.
"It's not a pig!" Kaneshiro growled. "It's my Piggytron! And it's time for you to die!"
And that wasn't the strangest name, but…
"Not a chance in hell, asshat!" Sakamoto-san hollered back at him.
"Fine… Eat this!"
Missiles shot from Piggytron's snout, striking all of the Phantom Thieves. It even knocked Niijima-san off of her Persona, but Kitagawa-san took heavier damage than everyone else, letting out a pained cry as he skidded backwards.
"Fox is down!" Morgana shouted. "Somebody cover for him!"
But then Kaneshiro took the opportunity to move again, firing right at Takamaki-san, knocking her down as well.
"Hehehe! Time for VIP form! Goooo, Piggytron!"
Piggytron began to spin, speeding towards directly at Takamaki-san.
"Panther!" Amamiya-san was nothing but a black blur as he raced to Takamaki-san' side, scooping her up in his arms before darting out of the metal pig's path. Niijima-san rushed over to Kitagawa-san's side, helping him up.
Amamiya-san carefully set down Takamaki-san, before whipping his head in the direction of Morgana.
"Mona, I need some healing now!" Amamiya-san barked, before sliding an arm around Takamaki-san's waist to support her.
He had suspected that Amamiya-san liked her, but this was really confirming it. Ken then shook his head, to snap him out of his thoughts.
"Who am I—Minako-san?" he grumbled to himself.
"On it!" Mona shouted before sprinting over to their side.
"Panther, hang in there…" Amamiya-san then gingerly touched her shoulder with his free hand, which only made Takamaki-san wince.
Ken ripped off his mask, summoning Kala-Nemi. He cast Diarama as the same time as Mona, which seemed to completely heal Takamaki-san's injuries.
"Wow, Mona's powers have really gotten stronger!" she exclaimed as Amamiya-san helped her up.
Ken ducked behind the vault door however, the cat-thing looked puzzled and glanced in his direction. He shook it off and smiled up at her.
"I will continue to grow stronger for you, Panther!"
She giggled at him but then then she clenched a hand into a fist, letting out a little growl.
"But he's gonna pay for that!"
"But how are we going to stop it?" Sakamoto-san darted to their side. "That pig is out of control! He has us on the rocks 'cause of it!"
"I'll show you," Takamaki-san declared, before ripping her mask off with one hand. "Carmen!"
Her Persona appeared, flames exploding around her.
"Dude, a little warning next time?!" Sakamoto-san cried, jumping backwards. "What was that?!"
"Money's everything to him."
Takamaki-san pointed to the burning yen bills.
"The best way to get his attention is to destroy it," she said proudly.
"My money!" Kaneshiro cried out, before growling. "You're gonna pay for that!"
"Uh-oh." Takamaki-san gulped. "I didn't think about this…"
"Yeah, I can see that!" Sakamoto-san retorted.
Niijima-san just sighed and shook her head.
"Oh shut up, Skull!" she snapped back.
"Scatter!" Amamiya-san shouted.
They didn't hesitate on listening to him, fleeing in different directions.
Kitagawa-san dove to the side as Piggytron rolled in his direction, before ripping off his mask. "Goemon!"
Ice crystallized on the floor, but Piggytron just steamrolled over it. It looked like Kitagawa-san's ice magic wasn't that powerful…
As Piggytron rolled all over the room, it sent some gold coins flying. The force was strong enough to send a few pieces landing in front of Ken.
"Rakshasa!" Amamiya-san ripped off his mask, and a Persona clad in red armor appeared. It leapt into the air, somersaulting, before slashing with the two swords it carried. But it barely made a dent into Piggytron.
"Dammit!" he cursed, sounding frustrated.
"Johanna!" Niijima-san cried out.
Johanna's engine roared as she flung a nuclear spell at Kaneshiro, but Piggytron was undeterred.
"Dammit, we need a distraction!" Sakamoto-san snapped.
"Can we perhaps trick Kaneshiro with something?" Kitagawa-san shouted before his Persona slashed at Piggytron.
Takamaki-san then whipped out the gun she carried before rapidly firing it. Unfortunately, the bullets were barely making a dent.
"Eat this!" Kaneshiro fired back, before Piggytron fired missiles from his snout.
"I don't think so!" Mona shouted, using Kitagawa-san's shoulder as a stepping stone; blue flared around him. "Come forth, Zorro!"
Wind whipped through the air, deflecting some of the missiles, striking Piggytron instead. But some of the missiles managed to push past the wind spell.
Sakamoto-san jumped in front of Kitagawa-san.
"Captain Kidd!" he shouted.
There was a crackle in the air as Captain Kidd fired an electric bolt, destroying the rest of the missiles. The electric bolt surged forward, slamming right into Piggytron.
"I think Fox had a good idea; he needs to be baited! Anything valuable should be of use. What do you have on you Joker? Preferably of high value?" Niijima-san suggested.
"But we can't throw our supplies!" Takamaki-san sputtered. "We need them!"
"Just one item should do the trick!" Niijima-san protested.
"Throw money at 'em!" Sakamoto-san shouted his suggestion.
"Skull, we need that too!" Niijima-san snapped.
Kaneshiro was interested in gold… Gold…
"Wait, would I be able to distract Kaneshiro?" Ken thought to himself.
With the Phantom Thieves distracted, they didn't see Ken at the door. He snatched up a gold piece.
Ken ripped off his mask, the still foreign word coming to mind. Kouga.
A bright light flared to life, striking the gold coin in his hand. Ken quickly angled the light so that Kaneshiro would get a faceful. Kaneshiro suddenly screeched to a halt as he looked around wildly.
"I see gold!" he cried. "Where is it?!"
"Gold…?" Amamiya-san repeated, sounding baffled.
"Joker, you need to focus!" Mona admonished.
"Ugh, you're right," Amamiya-san grumbled, before he raised his voice, suddenly authoritative. "Everyone, wallop it with everything you've got! Mona, try to knock him off!"
"Wreck 'em, Captain Kidd!"
"Dance, Carmen!"
"Show your might, Zorro!"
"Goemon, strike!"
"Come, Johanna!"
Piggytron was struck with a dazzling display of elements, fire intertwining with electricity, Goemon striking it hard enough that Piggytron shook violently. Johanna's spell exploded, leaving Kaneshiro precariously wobbling. A blast of wind sent Kaneshiro tumbling from the ground.
"We've got him!" Mona shouted, as the Phantom Thieves jumped in a circle, pointing their guns at Kaneshiro.
"No… please…" Kaneshiro begged.
"Yes, please," Amamiya-san hissed. "Let's do it, guys!"
Brandishing their weapons, the Phantom Thieves lunged forward and walloped Kaneshiro with all their might.
"No, stop!" Kaneshiro cried, staggering backwards.
He tripped, falling backwards and landing flat on his bottom. He honestly looked pathetic and… scared.
"I… I yield!" he whimpered out.
"This is how your victims felt," Amamiya-san growled out as he stalked forward.
The conviction in his voice was clear. He… truly believed in punishing criminals, didn't he?
He spat out, "They were alone and helpless. Doesn't feel so good when you're on the receiving end, doesn't it?"
"Stop!" Kaneshiro cried, crawling away from the advancing Phantom Thieves. "I'm a victim too, okay!? I grew up poor. Nobody wanted me around."
"That doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever the hell you want," Sakamoto-san spat, his hands balling into fists.
Takamaki-san said, "Not to mention how completely disgusting you are with women! You threatened to strip Queen naked and take pictures of her to sell to perverts! And how many others did you do that too as well?!"
He… did… what? He knew that Kaneshiro was a disgusting man but this was an entirely different level… Ken wanted to be sick. Kaneshiro wanted to do that to Niijima-san…?
"Panther's right," Kitagawa-san said flatly. "You're nothing but despicable. Just because you had humble beginnings doesn't mean you should turn to crime, taking advantage of youth… ruining countless lives."
"Alright, alright!" he whimpered out. "What do you want from me?"
"You gotta turn yourself in for the shit you've pulled," Sakamoto-san said flatly.
"Feel remorse for the lives you've ruined," Niijima-san said, before shaking her head. "The lives you snuffed out to 'protect' yours—"
She cut herself off.
"Um… Mona…? Are you feeling okay?"
"TREASUREEEEE!" Mona was on the top of the giant gold bar and there… was no other word to describe it. He was nuzzling it.
"Um… what's he doing…?" she questioned.
That was a good question…
"Uh… he does that," Amamiya-san said with a wince. "Have no idea why, though."
Kitagawa-san peeled Mona away from the gold bar. "Skull, if you don't mind?"
He nodded at the Treasure, as he was occupied with holding Mona.
"Yeah, of course." Sakamoto-san nodded, before picking up the gold bar with a grunt.
"That's the treasure?" Niijima-san frowned. "The source of Kaneshiro's warped desires?"
Ken frowned. The treasure… was Kaneshiro's desires…?
"It'll take on a different form in the real world," Takamaki-san explained. "But we have to get out of here now."
"What? Why?"
"The treasure is the source of Kaneshiro's desires. The Palace is Kaneshiro's warped heart. Take that away and…" Amamiya-san prompted.
So that was how they did it… Ken would have to remember that when he reported to Mitsuru-san.
But then Kitagawa-san spoke up, making him snap to attention.
"The Palace is going to self-destruct," Kitagawa-san finished. "So we must hasten to leave."
…What.
The Palace was going to blow up?!
"Mona, hurry up and transform!" Sakamoto-san snapped.
"Okay, okay!"
"But you know… you're using the Metaverse completely wrong," Kaneshiro began.
"What…?" Niijima-san breathed.
"There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don't care about consequences… psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns… anything goes."
Wait, did that mean he knew something about who was behind this? How did Kaneshiro get that kind of intel?
"Is that the same person Madarame was talking about?" Kitagawa-san muttered out.
"Spill it!" Sakamoto-san stormed up to Kaneshiro, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and hauling him to his feet. "Who the hell are you talking about?!"
"The one in the black mask is way more powerful than you all. But he's not the only one you should be worried about!"
"What? What the hell are you talking about?!"
A loud explosion was heard in the distance.
"Skull, there's no time!" Amamiya-san snapped. "We have to go now!"
"But…!" he began to protest.
Amamiya-san swiped through the air. "The place is going to blow up! That's an order!"
Why did the whole thing have to blow up? Why did the Palaces have to be so intricate? Tartarus was no walk in the park, but at least they didn't have to worry about running away after beating the guardian Shadows.
The Thieves scrambled to get inside the cat-bus. Ken sprinted after them, taking a running leap. He was barely able to keep a grip on the edge as the engine roared to life.
"Wait, there's no road!" Niijima-san said in a panic.
"It's kinda too late to turn back!" Amamiya-san snapped back.
The last thing Ken was aware of was the Phantom Thieves' panicked screams.
Landing on the pavement was fun. Ugh, and his hands had just finished healing.
Wait a minute. Pavement?
So he didn't get transported back to his place. But where had he landed? Ken slowly opened his eyes… and the first thing he saw was Niijima-san's face.
"A-AMADA-KUN?!" she sputtered out. "What—how…?"
"Crap! This isn't good!" Ken thought in panic.
The other Phantom Thieves were gaping at him as well.
"Why is he all tangled up in a pile with us as we reemerged from the Metaverse?" Kitagawa-kun asked.
"Because he was in the Palace!" he heard that cat-thing—Mona's—voice, but didn't see him.
"Wait—last week when we were exploring the Palace…" Takamaki-san trailed off.
Ken didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say. He had revealed his identity in the worst way possible… he just ran.
Some notes on the battle—I decided that for Palace explorations, Ren leads a team of four, just like in the Persona main games. However, during boss battles, everyone will participate.
But anyways… Ken messed up, hasn't he? Had to happen eventually.
Though honestly, I'm just glad to be wrapping up Kaneshiro's arc. It's not one of my favorites, and Futaba's arc is. I've got a lot of plans for Futaba's arc, hehe.
Feedback as usual is always appreciated~
Edit Notes (5/2/24): Some slight changes to the Makoto&Anne conversation along with some expansion on other scenes. Thank you to my wonderful beta angelrin89!