Chapter 25
The Spaceport Of Greed
Friday, September 23rd, 2016
"Is everyone ready?"
Ren glanced around, but nobody was really around at this time. At everyone's nod, he activated the app, allowing them to step into Okumura's Palace, the Spaceport of Greed.
Ren passed out the new weapons he had purchased, before scanning the group. Hmm… who to pick today?
"Noir, you're definitely in today," he announced, before his hand drifted up to cup his chin. "Hmm… Let's do Fox and Ace, too." He would swap people out more, though. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long run. After the named members stepped forward, flanking Ren, he just looked over his shoulder at them. "Let's go!"
Ren led everyone through the hallways, eventually bringing them to the door that blocked off their way before.
"Biometric scan…" Futaba said slowly, tapping her chin. "And it let in Okumura…" She then pointed at Haru. "Noir! Try standing in front of it. Just you. Everyone else, back up."
"Leave it to me," Haru said firmly, stepping forward. She pressed a hand against the metal door.
The screen above the door lit up with green letters: Accepted.
"It makes sense," Morgana said, before his face broke into a grin. "Noir's Okumura's daughter. This door is nothing, now that we have his daughter on our side!"
They passed through the door, descending to a lower floor using the elevator. When they stepped out… they seemed to be in some kind of terminal. A building with antennas perched on top caught their attention.
"That building…" Ren turned to see Morgana staring at it. "I can sense the Treasure. We'll have to get in there… somehow."
"Easier said than done," Yusuke said with a sigh, glancing around. "There doesn't seem to be any clear path for us to take."
"We'll have to figure it out as we go," Ken said, absentmindedly twirling his spear.
"That's what Joker usually does anyways," Ryuji joked. "Coming with stuff on the fly and somehow it works out in the end."
"Hey!" Ren protested, before briefly glaring at Ryuji. "Jeez, you act like I'm Indiana Jones or something…"
Ryuji scratched the back of his head, before shooting him a baffled look. "Indiana what?"
Anne just giggled. "Some American movies I showed Ren during our last date night. We should watch them as a group sometime!"
"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Haru chimed in, clapping her hands together.
"Hey, focus!" Morgana chided. "We can't let our guard down until we find the Treasure, remember?"
"Yes, sir!" Haru did a quick salute.
She was certainly enthusiastic. Though Ren couldn't help but smile at that.
"Jeez, someone's getting a big head again," Futaba snarked.
"Oracle!" Makoto exclaimed, shooting Futaba an exasperated look.
Futaba just held up her hands. "You're all thinking it."
Ren coughed. "Seriously, guys, enough comments from the peanut gallery. We'll get distracted."
Futaba just stuck her tongue at him. "Yeah, like you can talk, Joker." Ren just smirked at her before ruffling Futaba's hair. Futaba yelped, before smacking his hand away.
"Look at who's getting distracted now," Ken said dryly.
There was some sliding doors on both sides of them, so Ren went to the right. A Shadow was lurking right by the door, so Ren reached for his pistol and quickly fired. It wasn't a sneak attack but better than being ambushed.
The Shadow divided into three, all of them taking the form of… Slime? They were an oily black, instead of a murky green though.
"Any idea, Ace?" Ren called out to him.
Ken made a face. "No idea. I've seen one that's green but I don't think they have the same qualities."
"Head in the game!" Futaba shouted. "Seriously, focus, guys!"
"You do the same, then!" Ren quipped, twirling his gun in one hand.
God, what affinity did Slime even have? He fused Slime away ages ago, but he couldn't remember what Slime's affinity was, for the life of him… Maybe he should just try experimenting with the Personas he had.
The Shadow crawled forward, bashing his head against Haru. Haru staggered back for a moment, before glaring at the Shadow.
Haru swung her axe with such force that Ren was surprised that she didn't cleave it into two. Ken then dashed forward, lunging forward with his spear. He stabbed the Shadow several times before making a sweeping motion. He then pulled out his gun, shooting it right in the face.
"Nice!" Futaba crowed. Ren could hear the grin in her voice. "Keep it up, Ace!"
Ken then tore off his mask, summoning Kala-Nemi. Kala-Nemi's torso spun, before tendrils of light sprang to life and striking all three Shadows. The Shadow that Ken had knocked down died, but the Shadows remaining were easy pickings.
They surrounded the two Shadows, pointing their guns at them. "Let's get them!" Ren exclaimed, before they lunged forward.
The Shadows easily fell under their attack. Ren couldn't help but grin. They were off to a great start. Only Haru sustained damage in that fight and it was barely a scratch.
"Okay," Ren turned to face everyone, "let's keep it… up…" He trailed off, blinking at the sight.
Makoto was… staring at Ken. And was she blushing?
Huh. Ren couldn't help but smirk. When did this happen? Must be a pretty new change.
Anne nudged him in the side, eyes narrowed. "What are you smirking about?"
"Noooothing…" Ren went for an innocent look, but his girlfriend's unimpressed face told him that it wasn't working. "Don't know what you're talking about, Panther."
"Uh huh," she drawled out, hands on her hips now. "Suuuure."
Ren pressed a hand against his chest. "Don't you trust me, Panther?"
"Oh, I trust you with most of the time," Anne said. "Just not when you're looking like you're the cat who got the canary."
Ren stared at her blankly. "I'm the cat who got the what?"
Anne rolled her eyes. "It's an American saying." She shook her head. "You're really lucky you're cute."
"I think about how lucky I am every day," Ren quipped, before grinning at her.
Anne just huffed, but her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. "You're such a charmer."
"Do you really gotta do this here?" Ryuji complained, surprisingly quiet, making them both jump. "Sheesh… I guess we're lucky you're keeping your hands to yourself…"
"Ugh, shut up, Skull!" Anne rounded on their friend, quickly lapsing into a bickering fest with him.
With Anne distracted, Ren sidled up to Makoto. "You know looking's all good," he whispered to her, "but you might want to make an actual move."
"W-Wha…?" Makoto's blush deepened before glaring at Ren. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Uh huh." Ren nodded understandably, before giving his friend a sly smile. "And you weren't staring at Ken. What he pulled off with his spear was kinda impressive, though…" He gave her a sideway glance. "A little flirting never hurt anyone, you know. Maybe that's why the fake dating never worked with us, huh?"
"You… It's not…" Makoto turned as red as a tomato.
"Is something the matter?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing!" Ren smiled innocently at him. "We were just talking about you!"
"Uh huh…" Disbelief was written all over Ken's face. "Wanna try again, Joker?" he asked dryly.
Ren just smirked. "I'm good."
Ken let out an aggravated sigh. "Fine, don't tell me."
"Ace!" Makoto blurted out, which got everyone else's attention immediately.
Ken blinked. "Um… is something the matter, Queen?"
"I… You…" Makoto furiously blushed, fidgeting for a moment. "You…" she stammered out. "You fight good. Y-You know that, right? I had no idea that you could move like that."
Ken just stared at her blankly. "Uh… thanks?" he asked uncertainly. "I just got lucky during that fight…"
Ren had to bite down on his lip hard so he wouldn't burst out laughing. You could practically see the question marks floating around Ken's head. Though Makoto wasn't helping with how awkward she was being. God, he wished he had some popcorn. Or a camera. Preferably the latter.
"Maybe you show her some of your moves later?" Ren said innocently, catching Ryuji's eye. His best friend was desperately trying to hold back his snickers. (And kinda failing.)
Ken frowned. "Er… our fighting styles are rather different."
"Oh right." Ren nodded. "My bad."
Makoto glared at him, but it was marred by the blush in her cheeks.
Ken just sighed. "If this is some kind of joke, it's not very funny," he droned. "Did you set up Makoto to say that?"
Yusuke cleared his throat. "Now that's taken care of…" he said dryly, even as his lips twitched into an amused smile. "Shall we move on?"
They explored the area, looting the treasure chests, before coming across another door. Haru stepped forward but there was no light, scanning her.
"Hmm…" Morgana frowned, scanning the area. "Wait… there's a slot… for a card?"
Understanding dawned in Haru's eyes. "Oh, that must be the card key. Because in the HQ, some places are blocked off unless you have the right authorization from personnel." She bit her lip for a moment as she thought. "We would probably have to find the Chief Manager's card for this."
"And I assume with how Cognitive Sugimura and his lackeys appeared…" Morgana continued, "this Chief Manager would most likely be a robot."
"All right…" Ryuji cracked his knuckles. "Let's find this guy and steal his card key, then."
Yusuke sighed wearily. "You make us sound so… uncouth. Like we're mugging him."
…It was kinda true, though.
"Skull's got a good point, though," Ren said, tugging at his gloves. "If we just stand around here discussing, it'll accomplish nothing. Let's get going."
So they pushed forward. It wasn't long until they found a safe room.
"Is there any injuries we should take care of here?" Anne asked. "It'd be better to treat them here than outside where Shadows are running around."
Ren did a quick scan of everyone. There were some injuries, so maybe it'd be best to treat them right now. He passed out the medicine, so Morgana and Ken could reserve their energy for casting spells in battle.
"What is this place, exactly?" Haru asked, looking around. When she turned back to face them, her expression was puzzled. "It seems… closed off."
"It's called a safe room," Makoto explained. "Mona explained it as… a place where the Palace owner's cognition is… weaker? Shadows can't come in here, so it's where we can take a little breather."
"How are you guys feeling, though?" Ren asked. "Do you need anything to restore your strength? I brewed a lot of coffee in prep for this."
"I'm feeling fine, but what about you two?" Haru asked, turning to Yusuke and Ken.
Yusuke shook his head. "I am feeling fine," he stated. "Of course, that's due to me using a mix of physical attacks and spells."
"Likewise," Ken agreed. "I can keep going."
Hmm… Well, with the Chief Manager, it'd probably be a tough fight. He'd probably swap out the current team after that. But they didn't seem tired, so Ren saw no need to swap them out right now. Not to mention that Ken seemed to compliment Haru's fighting style pretty well. He had to wonder if one of the members of SEES used an axe. He seemed to know just how Haru would strike when she used her axe.
"Sounds good to me." Morgana nodded. "Should we get going then, Joker?"
"Yeah, let's," Ren agreed, standing up.
Everyone but Ryuji and Futaba filed out slowly, so Ren raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"Something the matter?" he asked.
Ryuji's face broke into a wide grin. "Dude. Did you see how red Queen's face was?"
Ren just smirked in response. "How could you miss it?"
"Ace certainly did!" Futaba cackled, breaking into snickers.
Though, he had to wonder when exactly Makoto had realized her feelings. He figured that something was brewing between the two of them for a while, with Makoto insisting on the welcome party for him after finding out that he turned down a visit back to Port Island, the whole Hawaii trip, and there was Ken's reaction to Tsukasa trying to hurt Makoto…
"And Ace was so confused." Ryuji joined her in snickering, all while grinning widely. "You'd think he'd see what's going on, with how he's been flirted with before."
"I think it's because they had spent a couple months as friends and then Queen suddenly does a bit of a flip," Ren mused. "From what Ace has told me, girls immediately hit on him. They don't bother to get to know him."
"Y'know, I thought Queen had a little thing for him back when we kicked Kaneshiro's ass," Ryuji said.
Huh. He had never really thought about it, but Ryuji had a point. Makoto had been pretty adamant about Ken not having bad intentions after Ken had accidentally revealed himself.
"I thought they were together when I first met you guys," Futaba added. "With how she all but hugged his arm."
Ah, good times. Who knew that Makoto of all people were afraid of the dark like that? Though Ren couldn't help but think of when Ken had shown up at Shibuya, after they had finally resolved things with Eiko.
"Dude, what did you even tell her?" Ryuji asked. "She was turning as red as a cherry."
"Oh, that…" Ren grinned at him. "I just told Queen that she probably try and take initiative instead of just admiring the view."
Ryuji just scoffed. "You mean like how you would flirt with Panther and she brushed it aside as you messing around?"
"Hey, I meant every word of it!" Ren protested.
Ryuji made a face. "I still dunno why you didn't make a move sooner. Didn't Ace complain about that too?"
…He was lucky that Ken didn't say anything more on the subject. Especially after Ken had given Ren that advice.
"Maybe we should give the same advice to Queen," Futaba snickered.
"So…" Ren gave his two friends a sly smile. "Care to bet on when they'll actually get their act together? My guess is by Christmas."
Ryuji just scoffed, shaking his head adamantly. "No way, man! Did you see how awkward Queen was? And Ace's completely clueless. I'd say by the time they graduate!"
Futaba was quiet, but her face broke into a wide smile. "By the end of next month," she announced.
"Pffft, there's no way that'll happen, Oracle!" Ryuji shook his head.
"Oh yeah?" Futaba challenged, suddenly poking him in the chest. (Which was a comical sight, given that Ryuji towered over her.) "Put your money where your mouth is then! Two… no, three thousand yen that Ace and Queen will start dating by the end of October!"
"I'm in," Ren said, all while grinning. "Could use some entertainment, if anything. What about you, Skull?"
"I'm game!" Ryuji nodded vigorously. "Person who's closest gets the whole pot, yeah?"
They shook on the deal. Either way, win or lose… it'd be entertaining to see.
…Of course, he'd prefer to win.
"So, how are we gonna go 'bout this, Joker?" Ryuji asked. "Finding this Chief Manager?"
"Lemme do a quick scan." Blue flames swept away Futaba's mask, and she disappeared into Necronomicon. Lights flashed green as she scanned the area. "Hmm… I can sense several large Shadows in rooms… It's probably one of them."
"So how can we figure out which one is the real one…?" Haru asked.
Haru was really unsure on how to go about that. That sounded difficult… They probably looked one and the same…
"Everyone, look out!" Morgana suddenly barked out.
They quickly squished behind one of the holograms, watching the same robots that had fought with Sugimura run into a room.
"Oooh, perfect!" Ryuji grinned as they came out of hiding. "Let's go ask 'em who's the Chief Manager!"
"Skull, I don't think that would be prudent." Yusuke frowned. "They could easily report us and we would get swarmed."
Ryuji's expression turned sheepish. "Oh yeah…"
"There's gotta be a way to get some intel though…" Anne frowned, biting her lip.
"There's always eavesdropping," Futaba offered, making Ken glower at her for some reason. "Ugh, don't give me that look, Ace."
"What look?" Ken droned out.
Futaba stuck her tongue out at him. "The only other way would be to beat them up for info!"
Ken just sighed, before rubbing his face with one hand. "…I suppose."
She felt… out of the loop.
"Um… am I missing something…?" Haru asked tentatively.
Futaba fidgeted for a moment. "I… may have wiretapped LeBlanc before meeting everyone…"
"Anyways, let's get us some intel," Ren said, striding forward already.
Ren was just so… confident. She couldn't help but admire that.
They snuck into the room, crouching and crawling so they wouldn't get caught.
The Chief Clerk has it easy… all he does is munch sweets all day.
This job never ends…
This job… never ends…?
Did Father just… intend to squeeze every last drop out of his workers?
Haru's heart squeezed painfully. And it was only going to get worse. She could feel it…
She jolted when she felt a hand lightly squeeze her shoulder. She looked up to see concern in cool gray eyes. "Noir, are you…" He trailed off. "…Never mind. Let's get going, shall we?"
Haru just smiled weakly at Yusuke. It was sweet of him to be so concerned… "…Yes, let's."
"Though aren't we looking for the Chief Director?" Ryuji interjected. "These guys were talking about the Chief Clerk."
"We may have to work our way up," Ken mused. "Maybe there are areas that we can access with the Clerk's cardkey that we can't right now."
"That's a solid theory," Futaba chimed in. "I mean, it's like… we've gotta fight the minibosses before the head honcho."
Mini… bosses? What was Futaba talking about? But either way, they had a good point. They would have to work their way up.
Futaba directed them to the large scans she had detected earlier, and Ren probed them by offering sweets. The chief clerk turned out to be a gangly red robot.
They were forced to fight the Chief Clerk, but in the end were able to secure his key card.
But then a voice rang out.
"CHANGING SHIFTS! CHANGING SHIFTS! KEEP WORKING UNTIL YOU DIE!"
Until… you die? Haru couldn't help but press a hand to her mouth. She just… she just felt sick. This was built up their family?! Father… why? Why was he so desperate to build up wealth like this? To the point of abusing his employees like this?
They were people too… They must feel stuck here because there aren't any other opportunities for them…
Haru pushed it out of her mind. They had to take down her father… It was the only way to help the Big Bang employees.
"Noir… do you need to take a break?" Anne asked hesitantly. "We could… We could go back to the safe room…"
"No." Haru lifted her chin. Anne was just concerned and it was sweet, but… She didn't want to be the reason why everyone stopped in their progress. "…Let's press forward. The sooner we take care of this, the better."
But as they pressed forward, Haru felt her heart sinking further and further, as they eavesdropped on the employees.
There is no future for us if the company doesn't turn a profit! We have no choice but to push on with all of our effort. This is just the way it is…
The section chief always says, "this is for your own good". It always makes me so mad…
Don't worry, someone will surely do something about this eventually.
Life is only work. They make you surrender your hopes, dreams, and personalities.
She knew that their family hadn't always been so prosperous. In a way she was grateful for the lifestyle her father had given her, before he decided to betroth her to Sugimura. But this…? Nothing could be worth destroying multiple lives like this…
"Noir." Makoto's voice was whisper-soft and filled with pity. No… not just that. Understanding.
Haru squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "Let's go find the chief director," she whispered. "We have the information we need…"
She didn't know how much further they had left but… she had a feeling they had a ways to go before reaching her father's Treasure. They had to make him realize his issues.
She just had no idea how much her father had fallen from the man she had once knew…
They returned to the original door and Ren inserted the card key in. They took the lift up, and it took them to an area with glowing platforms. They left across, dodging Shadows, all while climbing upwards. Makoto was relieved when they finally found their way in front of the building.
"Sweet!" Ryuji cheered, pumping a fist. "This is where the Treasure is, right, Mona?"
Morgana looked up at the building, before giving a firm nod. "Just past this building, but we're definitely getting warmer. Let's get moving, guys!"
"But isn't it odd that we haven't found anything on the mental shutdowns?" Yusuke asked with a frown. "We should've found something, with the suspicious trend of mental shutdowns paired with Big Bang's rivals…"
"If anything, I think whoever that black masked Persona-user is…" Ken said slowly, "is just the hitman. Okumura probably just requested for him to go after his rivals." He glanced over at everyone. "…Shido's the one behind it all."
Makoto glanced over to Haru. Her expression was just… pained. Makoto's heart twisted up, looking at her. And Yusuke… he had to go through Madarame's Palace too. She closed her eyes. This was why she was afraid to bring up Sae's Palace, but… they were willing to do something about their father figures.
She… She didn't know if Sae was that far gone yet, but she hoped desperately that her sister was still on the edge.
"Shido…" Haru said slowly, and Makoto opened her eyes to look back at her. "Father has spoken with him before. He's been over at dinner a couple times." She shook her head. "…Father always did say it was a pity that Shido was a bachelor and therefore, had no children. If Shido had a son… Father would've chosen him to betroth to me in a heartbeat."
"He really is just shopping around for the best political advantage…" Anne looked to Haru with a sympathetic frown, "…isn't he?"
Haru just nodded slowly.
"…Let's go, guys," Ren interjected. "We're getting closer to the Treasure. We can't stop here!"
They entered the building and took a lift down. They found a safe room, taking a short break. Ren swapped out the current team, choosing Morgana, Ryuji, and Makoto as the active team. She was honestly glad about being put in the active team, because the fights were a welcome distraction from her… blunder before. God, why did she do that? It was like her brain was set to auto pilot…
But when they pressed forward, they discovered that the building they were in was a… factory of sorts.
"Escape to Utopia…" Futaba said slowly. "Do you think they're… building something?"
"Wait a sec…" Ryuji narrowed his eyes, drawing closer to the window. "Aren't the robots moving kinda weird?"
They all moved closer. They could hear the robots chanting, "Deliverance" several times, before one collapsed.
"…It matches what we heard while listening for clues before." Haru wrapped her arms around herself. "What… What is the truth… The man I knew as a little girl… or the man I see now…?" She then pressed a hand against the window. "And… this factory set-up… is almost identical to our bun factory…" She then heaved out a sigh, before squeezing her eyes shut. "Father… he truly doesn't care for anyone but himself…"
"Noir…" Yusuke put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't lose your way," he said quietly. "You vowed to change your father's heart. Believe me when I saw that I know how difficult it is to see someone like your father reveal his true colors, but you mustn't lose heart. You'll see this through, won't you?"
Haru looked up at him in surprise, before she smiled. "…Thank you, Fox. I… I needed that. After seeing all of this already…" She sighed. "And I know that there's more to come…"
Yusuke just smiled back at her. "Anytime, Noir. That's what friends are for, no?"
Haru just giggled. "Yes… you're right."
"But a utopia, huh…?" Ren shook his head, with a frown. "Okumura's got a messed up sense of a utopia."
"All he cares about is himself…" Makoto murmured. "It's sickening, but he just views everyone as a means to his goal."
"Yeah, but it gives us an even bigger reason to take him down and change his heart, right?" Ryuji rolled his shoulders, before turning away. "Let's go!"
They entered the factory, before running straight for the door. According to Morgana, the Treasure was a straight shoot for the door ahead. But when they approached, several things happened. Blocks fell from the ceiling, and they saw one of the machine arms break.
Anne grabbed Ren's arm, yanking him backwards. "Are you okay, Joker?"
"Yeah." Ren nodded at her, giving her a smile in thanks. But then it morphed into a disgusted scowl. "Should've known it wouldn't be that easy… Especially with no authentication."
"That broke way too easily…" Ken muttered.
"Let's try and find some way around it then," Futaba said, tapping on her chin. "I saw that arm collapse before the metal almost crushed us. Maybe it fell to the other side."
"You're… saying that a bit too casually, Oracle," Anne remarked.
After checking around, Ren found a control panel that allowed them to increase the arm speed.
"Hm…" Ren rubbed his chin. "Let's go for ten times the speed!" he announced, and before anyone could say anything, he pressed the button to confirm the change.
The nearby robotic arm then… went berserk, before finally collapsing onto the other side.
"…Well, that's one way to do it," Ren quipped. "Looks like we have a bridge now."
"But still…" Yusuke frowned. "This truly does show how overworked the machines are…"
"…And the same could probably be said about the workers," Makoto said grimly, all while frowning.
"…I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case," Haru murmured, her hands tightening around her axe's handle. "But… with that arm collapsing… we can climb it and cross to the other side, right? Let's go check it out!"
Ren led them to the broken arm, and they continued to explore the area and search for another console for them to take advantage of. But then a Shadow caught sight of them.
Ren pulled out his knife and took a swipe at the Shadow. The Shadow broke into three, forming three female… vampires? That was the closest comparison Makoto could think of.
"Who are you?!" the Shadows demanded.
One of them twirled, before a sickly green aura surrounded them all. Makoto felt her limbs grow heavy.
"Be careful, your agility's down!" Futaba warned. "And these guys can inflict Fear on you!"
Some of the status ailments were… really irritating to deal with. Fear basically paralyzed you… sometimes it would make you flee.
"Noted!" Ren shouted. "Be on your guard, guys! Ace, do you have any ideas for weaknesses?"
"Hmm… I'd try light or wind attacks," Ken answered.
"Sweet," Ren said, his face breaking into a grin. "Mona, you know what to do!"
But another of the Shadows struck first. A black aura surrounded her before it exploded in a wave. They all somehow managed to dodge the spell, but since Ken was standing behind Ren… it hit him.
"A-Ace?" Anne asked.
Makoto whipped around just in time to see Ken backing away from Anne. He shook his head as Anne reached out to him.
"It's better if I should just go." Ken's voice was feverish. "I'm just dragging you into problems that don't involve you."
"What…?" Yusuke asked. "Ace, snap out of it!"
Ken just shook his head vehemently, slowly backing away. "It's better if I just… stay away from you. For good."
Without warning, he turned on his heel and fled down the path where they had just come from.
"Ace!" Makoto cried out. She wanted to chase after him, but she forced herself to stay rooted on the spot.
"Panther, switch with Queen!" Ren suddenly shouted. He then gave her a little nod, before looking pointedly down the way Ken had ran away.
Makoto's breath hitched but she nodded. Anne took her spot, already tearing off her mask. "Hecate!"
While their last trip to Mementos had been the first time Anne had used Hecate… the fact that Anne's Persona had actually changed was a little mind boggling. Even though Ken had said that it was perfectly natural for Personas to change… it was surreal.
But Makoto quickly pushed all thoughts out of her mind and looked down the path. Luckily, they had killed the Shadows down this path… But even so, she had to find him…
But… What had he been talking about? The fevered way he had talked could be like babbling but… it still bothered her.
Makoto shook her head. She'd worry about that after she found Ken.
And she finally found him, crouched in front of the glass window.
"Ace," she called out softly to him, only to wince as he flinched. Makoto grabbed him by the sleeve, holding him in place. "Ace," she repeated, crouching so that they were eye level. "It's okay…"
She had only seen Ken scared once before, and that was when Ren had asked him if everything had been a lie, the day Ken had revealed the truth.
"No, it's not," Ken insisted, his eyes wild. "I always drag people into trouble, and they get hurt from it! Why would it be any different this time? Why did I tell you about Shido? He's not your problem… I'm just burdening you with my problems. I'm a burden."
"Ace, stop." Makoto's hand moved to his shoulder, slowly moving down to his arm so she could grasp his hand. Ken's fingers weakly curled around her hand. "You're not a burden. You didn't force us to look into Shido, either. We wanted to."
"I'm weak," Ken whispered, looking down at the ground. His hand slid out of hers. "I've always been… It's not just Shinjiro-san who had to save me. Akihiko-san had to talk me out of doing something stupid right after Shinjiro-san had died… And during the Shadow incident right before I left the Shadow Operatives, I had to be saved from a Shadow again…"
"Nobody is strong one hundred percent of the time," Makoto said softly. She tilted his chin up so he was forced to look at her. "You're being too hard on yourself…"
But there was still doubt in his eyes. Makoto bit her lip. What could she do to make him believe her?
…There was what she had done when Ken seemed to flashback to his mother's death, back in Futaba's Palace. She could do that. It was just a hug.
She took a deep breath, before wrapping her arms around him tightly. "You said before that you should've just stayed away," she murmured, somehow keeping her voice steady as her heart pounded so hard that she felt it might burst from her chest. "I'm… I'm glad that you came to Tokyo."
She was about to pull away when Ken's arms suddenly wrapped around her waist. "…I'm glad I met you," he mumbled out.
Makoto felt suddenly dizzy. Last time, it had been just her hugging him. But this time… he was hugging her back and his arms felt so strong-
Makoto mentally smacked herself. Now wasn't the time to fantasize about Ken.
"So… you're okay?" she asked, pulling away. If Ken kept hugging her, she'd probably pass out… very soon…
Ken's smile was gentle and warm. "I'm more than okay…" He hesitated for a moment, his cheeks growing a warm shade of pink. "And… thank you, Makoto. I… needed that kind of reminder."
She helped Ken up and they headed back for the general area where everyone had been fighting the Shadows. They were crouching, hiding from the Shadows' patrol.
Makoto let out an awkward cough. "Um… sorry for taking so long…"
"Ace!" Futaba jumped to her feet and launched herself at Ken without warning, making him stagger back a couple steps. "Seriously, you had us worried!" she exclaimed before frowning at him. "What took you so long?!"
"I'm sorry for worrying about you," Ken apologized, awkwardly patting her on top of her head.
"You better!" she huffed, puffing her cheeks out at him.
"But…" Yusuke frowned, tilting his head slightly. "You can use Energy Shower, Queen," he pointed out. "Why didn't you?"
Oh.
"I… ah… forgot?" Makoto offered feebly, her face beginning to burn with embarrassment.
"So, were you hit with Makajama then?" Ren teased, flashing her a knowing smirk.
…Could she smack him? God, Ren was going to be relentless about this.
"I'm sure Queen was just caught up in the heat of the moment. It's nothing to focus on," Haru piped up, though she was smiling knowingly.
Makoto fought the urge to press both hands against her face. Or crawl into the nearest hole. Did everyone know about that? Just the thought of it made Makoto want to die.
"Though Joker's got a point." Ryuji flashed her a knowing grin as well. "That's not something you'd usually do, Queen."
…Did she need to tattoo on her forehead I like Ken Amada? Was it that obvious?!
Ryuji and Ren yelped in unison as Anne abruptly grabbed their ears and giving both of their ears a hard tug. "Okay, that's enough, both of you," she droned. "Ace's fine, so we can continue now, right?"
"Bossy, bossy," Ren sighed, shaking his head as Anne released them. "Maybe you should be the leader, then."
Anne just responded by sticking out her tongue at him. "We're wasting time."
Morgana coughed. "Anyhow, Panther's right. Let's keep up this pace!"
"Seriously, how are we gonna stop those effin' presses?!"
Well… Ryuji had a point in being so… concerned. Haru hadn't expected that of all things to show up in her father's palace…
"Calm down," Morgana chided, frowning in Ryuji's directions. "Yelling about it won't solve anything."
"There's gotta be something around here that can help…" Ren sighed. "Come on, guys, let's get to exploring."
They eventually found a control panel. On the screen, it read: Now changing shifts!
"Lunch… Break…" Anne read aloud. "Huh… what's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, lunch is usually longer than a break…" Ren said thoughtfully. "Maybe it'd help with our little pressing problem."
Haru couldn't help but giggle. Maybe it was a corny joke, but somehow Ren managed to deliver it well.
Ken immediately groaned. "Puns are and never will be funny," he said flatly.
"You're no fun, Ace," Ren grumbled before selecting lunch.
The hydraulic presses slowed down to a halt. An automatic voice then rang out.
"It is now lunchtime! Let us consume our slop and gleefully reenergize!"
"Don't tell their lunch is a mere thirty seconds?!" Yusuke suddenly blurted out, pointing at the screen. Sure enough there was a glowing red timer, slowly ticking down to zero.
"And lunch is the longest break…" Makoto said, with a frown. "Isn't this breaking labor laws?"
"They probably use some kind of loophole…" Ken mused. "I can't fathom what it would be, but someone had to have noticed that…"
"…Or they could've been silenced," Futaba mumbled. "We didn't even look into that… Inari and I focused on the rivals."
Had Father truly done anything to maintain the status quo? When had he become so… ruthless?
…She wished she was in the active team right now. She could use some Shadow therapy right now.
"Right…" Ren said as the timer hit zero. The automatic voice then talked about how the employees were supposed to gleefully return to work. "Okay, guys, we're gonna have to make a break for it when I hit lunch again. Ready?" At everyone's nod, he selected lunch again. "Run, guys!"
But a Shadow caught sight of them and ran towards them. Haru gripped her axe tightly before lunging towards it. They were forced to fight it, but of course that caused the timer to reset completely.
Ren sighed, wiping some perspiration from his brow. "This is gonna be harder than expected…"
"Yeah, no kidding!" Ryuji groaned, leaning forward as he rested his hands on his knees.
"Wait, Noir may be onto something…" Ken said slowly.
"I was?" Haru asked with a frown.
Ken nodded. "We're a pretty big group now… why not use that to your advantage?"
"What do you propose, Ace?" Yusuke asked.
"Remember back in Futaba's Palace, when we used a pincher movement to trap the bandit?" Ken asked. "Why not use the inactive team to bait the Shadows?"
"Like… shooting their guns and attracting their attention somewhere else?" Makoto continued, rubbing her chin. "Hmm… we do have a limited time, and it would increase security, but these Shadows are a hassle."
"That's not a bad idea," Ren said, looking thoughtful. "Let's try it out…"
"We've got nothing to lose…" Anne sighed.
They tensed as Ren selected lunch. Ren let the inactive members run ahead and bait the Shadows with their guns as Makoto had proposed. And as Ken predicted, they ran towards the source of the gunshot.
Haru scrambled up the hydraulic lift, but Yusuke pulled her up completely. Haru barely could give him a smile in thanks before they were forced to scramble off the lift.
"We did it," Morgana got out in between pants.
"Annnnd we have several more to go," Anne said flatly. "This is gonna be fun…"
But they managed it. It was a relief when they finally cleared the area and stumbled across another safe room.
"I'm beat," Ryuji groaned, plopping down in a seat. "What about you guys?"
"More than beat," Anne agreed with a sigh.
"I think this is a good place to leave off," Ren said, before looking towards Morgana. "What do you think?"
"Hmm… I think we're over halfway through the Palace…" Morgana said. "If we keep up the pace, we should be able to clear it during our next visit!"
"But…" Haru began to protest.
"Hey, calm down," Ryuji said.
"Skull telling someone else to calm down?" Morgana snipped. "I really must be tired. It's like I'm dreaming."
"Oh, shuddup!" Ryuji retorted. "But anyways, we can't push ourselves so hard, y'know? You'll collapse out of exhaustion."
Ren nodded. "Skull's right, Noir," he said gently. "We're making great progress. We'll visit the Palace again and reach the Treasure. That's a promise."
"…Okay," Haru said with a frown.
Father's atrocities… his sins were coming to light. She just prayed that changing his heart would help mend the rift between them…
Saturday, September 24th, 2016
Being productive was all good and well, but Ren loved the lazy afternoons as well. Especially when he spent them with Anne. They had snuck upstairs—though Sojiro had given him a smarmy grin when he saw it was Anne by his side. (Okay, it really wasn't sneaking.)
Anne let out a pleased hum as Ren kissed down her neck. He really appreciated that Anne wore a top that bared her neck… It made everything more… accessible. His hands slid down her sides, before he wrapped his arms around her waist before going to kiss her on the lips again. Anne's hands ran over his chest for a moment before they slid into his hair. She gave a light tug, and he couldn't help but groan. Anne just responded by giggling before skimming her hands over his sides. Somewhere along the way, they had cast their jackets aside and were taking the time to slowly enjoy exploring each other's bodies.
"Ren? Sakura-san said that you were up… here…"
They both snapped to attention, looking towards the stairs. Ken was standing at the top of the stairs, his hand tightly clamped over his eyes.
"Ken!" Anne gasped, immediately flushing red as Ren rolled over so she could sit up. "Uhhh… we were just…"
"Save it," Ken droned. "Just… make yourself presentable so I can actually look at the two of you."
They began adjusting their clothes before Anne leaned over and began to rub at his lips. "Lip gloss," she whispered to him.
"I loved it," Ren whispered back, making Anne roll her eyes at him.
"Is it safe now?"
"Safe?" Ren echoed. "Jeez, you act like you walked in on something a lot worse."
Ken just responded by dropping his hand and giving him a stern glare. "…That kind of thing better not be happening without the right precautions."
Ren just shrugged. "You already told me once, you don't have to again."
Ken just responded by pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes I wonder how we're friends," he muttered.
"Because I'm charming as hell?"
Anne poked him in the chest, making him jump. "Oh, stop it, Ren," she chided. "Ken came here for a good reason." Then she looked to their friend, raising an eyebrow. "Right?"
"Right," Ken agreed, before folding his arms over his chest. "Now, Ren, you've talked to me before about wanting to speak to another Wild Card."
That made Ren sit up. "Wait, I thought the other Shadow Operatives couldn't come to Tokyo… Are you thinking of a video call?"
Ken shook his head. "No, not quite. You know how I told you about there being Persona-users in Inaba, right?"
"Yeah, they solved the Adachi case, didn't they?"
Ken nodded, before letting out an affirmative hum. "Their leader, Yu Narukami, is their Wild Card and he's visiting Inaba this weekend. It's because of Rise-san. She had some time off, so he decided to come and visit with everyone."
Anne shook her head. "I can't believe you're on first name terms with Risette."
Ken just rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm not even that close to her… Fuuka-san's pretty good friends with her, though."
Ren had to raise an eyebrow at that. Fuuka-san was not the first person he'd think would click with Risette.
But he couldn't help but wonder… Just how many celebrities did Ken even know? Two of his senpai were famous in their fields of work, which was weird enough. And now he's acquainted with Risette? Who's friends with Fuuka-san?
But then what Ken was trying to propose sunk in.
"Wait a sec… you want us to go to Inaba?" he asked slowly.
Ken just sighed, before giving a shrug. "I know it's not ideal, but Yu-san is studying at the University of Kyoto right now. That's a lot further than Inaba. I checked last night, and a train to Inaba is only an hour and a half away. Yu-san would be expecting us, but he understands if you don't want to go with school."
Talking to a Wild Card… meeting them in person… That wouldn't be an opportunity that would come around any time soon. And he had asked Ken if he could help with that…
Ren took a deep breath, before looking at Ken steadily. "Let's do it."
Ken blinked. "You really want to do it?"
Ren nodded. "Yeah. You did what you promised, Ken. I don't want to throw your efforts in your face. Though…" He looked at his friend. "Do you think we could bring… everyone?"
"Everyone?" Ken repeated, rubbing his chin for a moment. "Well, if they were up for it…"
Okay, part of his reasoning was… kinda selfish. He felt a bit… nervous about going to see this older Wild Card. What if this Narukami guy judged him for what they were doing? They solved the Hanged Man case, which had stumped the police for nearly a year. Though, it'd be not as bad as compared to meeting Minako-san. Her brother died to save the world from Death. How could he compare to that?
Anne glanced over at him, blonde brows furrowed for a moment. There was a… thoughtful look in her aquamarine eyes. But then she reached for her phone. "I'll text the others, and give everyone a time limit to answer," she said. "What time is the first train to Inaba anyways?"
"Umm…" Ken's forehead wrinkled for a moment. "I think it was 9?"
"Oooh, that's perfect," Anne mused, as her fingers flew across her phone screen. "We can grab an early lunch before we go to see Narukami. Oooh, I wonder what kind of food we'll find there!"
Their phones went off just as she finished, since she understandably messaged the Phantom Thieves group chat.
"But anyways, thanks, Ken," Ren said, looking at the older boy. "You didn't have to do this."
Ken just shrugged. "You asked me to. It's nothing really… But anyways…" He gave them a wry smile. "I'll leave you two be. I've intruded on your alone time long enough."
"A-Alone time?" Anne squeaked out, her face flushing.
"It's not like you're being chaperoned," Ken said dryly, before he ducked to dodge the pillow Anne chucked at him. He was already descending the stairs now. "And that's my cue to leave."
"Oooh…" Anne fumed, pouting for a moment before she plopped onto the bed. "The nerve of him… I feel a little sorry for Shinjiro-san now." But then she looked at him with a beaming smile as he joined her on the bed. "But hey, it's so cool that you get to talk to another Wild Card like this!"
"Yeah…" Ren did his best to infuse some enthusiasm in his voice. "It's great that Ken pulled this for me."
"Ren…?" Anne spoke up hesitantly, resting a hand on his arm. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Anne," Ren said.
"Uh-uh." Anne frowned at him, wagging a finger at him. "Don't try to lie to me. Come on, talk to me. What's bugging you?"
Ren heaved out a sigh. "What if… I'm not… good enough?"
He hated how weak he sounded, but it was… how he felt. He couldn't help but feel intimidated after hearing about Minato-san and Minako-san's feats...
"Not a good enough Wild Card, not a good enough leader…" he mumbled out.
"Ren." Anne touched his cheek for a moment, smiling warmly at him. "No talking about what ifs, remember?"
She then leaned in and kissed his cheek. He smiled at the display of affection, but Anne wasn't done.
"It'll be fine, Ren… I don't think Narukami will expect you to be him. You're you and he's him. And…" She blushed for a moment. "…I wouldn't change a single thing about you. You're amazing. I wouldn't want any other leader except you, okay?"
Ren couldn't but grin at her. She really had a way to cheer him up and make his worries melt away. She was just so… optimism. She was like the sun, all fire and warmth.
So he just embraced her, taking the moment to inhale her sweet scent.
"...Thanks, Anne."
I hope the first half of Okumura's Palace was interesting enough to read, given it spans most of the chapter. Some of the mechanics were... difficult to translate.
I hope this chapter answers the question of just which Wild Card Ren will be meeting in person. I took some liberation with the train time, but I'm basing Inaba's location off of Fuefuki, the Japanese city that seems to be Inaba's inspiration.