Chapter 28: The Fallout.
There was a tense silence in the air around Yokohama as the Thieves returned. Almost as though the entire city was holding its breath. Even here at the Motorhome, as the Thieves took a moment to rest, they could feel the tension in the air.
"Man… why does it feel like Armageddon is going to break out?" Ryuji remarks as he shifts on his feet uncomfortably.
"It does feel like that… Did something happen while we were in the Jail?" Haru asks worriedly with hands on her lap. Futaba had her laptop open, scanning the web until she blinked at a local news article.
"Huh… Something big is happening. Or rather, was." She remarks, grabbing the team's attention as they turn to her. Spinning her laptop around. "Apparently, until a few moments ago, the Phoenix Enforcers were in a stare-down with the local cops, and they had them outnumbered until they all just stopped acting violently all at the same time. They just looked around, confused at each other questioning why they were even there, before they all dropped whatever they had on them and started dispersing. Taking off the jackets and throwing them to the ground."
"Sounds like we managed to stop an altercation from happening." Iwai remarks, glancing at Kaoru. "Did you see it happen as well?"
"No, but I did see a large group of them around here." Kaoru replies, pointing down the road. "It looked like they were planning to storm another shop or something before they just suddenly broke apart and threw away their jackets. I managed to overhear one of them asking why they were even wearing something like that on a hot day to begin with. Or why they were in such a large group of strangers."
"I hope Akira's okay…" Ann remarks, grasping her hands behind her back. Ren remains silent, his eyes gazing out to the waterfront as the team looks at him with worried looks. All apart from Chihaya, who was looking at the card she had drawn. It was the Hope card yet again, but this time, it was the right way up.
"He'll be fine." Chihaya remarks, placing the card back into the deck. Before anyone could ask, steps from behind drew their attention around to Zenkichi. As he walked towards them with a large smile on his face.
"You guys did it again." He says to them, placing his hands on his hips. "All those kids around Yokohama have dispersed and are throwing away their jackets. The cops were taken aback by the sudden change but were grateful that they had dispersed. Some are even saying out loud that the Thieves came in a saved them from a riot in the making. Things were about to get heated not that long ago."
"What about Akira and the others? Are they…?" Ren asks with some hesitation in his voice.
"Don't worry about them. They were free to leave their homes the moment the crowds outside dispersed. Didn't even give them a passing glance, according to the guys keeping watch." Zenkichi informs. "Not only that, but all eight of them have separated themselves from the Phoenix Enforcers the moment they could speak. They were still being questioned on a few things last I saw them, but that will be all. They have made it clear that the Enforcers have gotten out of their control and are actively ignoring them. Akira himself seemed the most guilty about it, saying that he should have been more in touch. He did make a comment on how it started with EMMA, but added that it was the five he added first who went around adding everyone to it."
"So… no criminal charges will be pushed on them?" Makoto asks with some hope in her eyes. One that Zenkichi replies with a nod of his head.
"That's right. They'll have a warning to not let anything like this happen again, or criminal charges will be pushed, but other than that they are free. Although, Akira did put in a request for his parents to be charged with abuse. It was a shock for them to hear at the station, but when he told them what he had to go through as a kid and how they treated you, Ren, it was quickly accepted. But, there is another reason why I'm out here."
"The five who lead the attack on the store, right?" Ren asks with narrow eyes.
"Bingo. We couldn't get close to them before, seeing how they had a literal army around them. But now that they are alone, we've been after them. Managed to corner them around here, and…" Before he could finish, sirens blared from the treeline as cops shouted out in anger. On the other side, the figures of five people running for their lives as they are chased by cops can be seen before they suddenly rush for them. "…herd them this way, apparently."
The figures burst through the tree line, revealing it to be Ōji and his group of four, as more cops quickly chase after them from the trees. Moving to surround them even as they try to escape, cutting them off from any possible way as Zenkichi moves to join the cops with a frown. Ren and the others watch as Ōji and the others are quickly subdued and pinned to the ground as they try to fight back. But with several cops holding them down at once, there was nothing they could do.
"Why are you after us!? What did we do!?" Shika yells as she tries to break free, only getting forced more to the ground.
"Don't try to play dumb! We saw you on CCTV! You five were behind the attack on the shops two nights ago!" One of the cops yells, forcing Kanrisha down as he tries to stand back up.
"What are you talking about!? We're innocent!" Shinkō shouts back as the cops drag all five of them to their feet.
"Save that talk for the courts." Zenkichi tells them coldly as the five look at him with slight fear in their eyes. "At this moment, all five of you are under arrest for the destruction of property and structural damage. And with the evidence against you, it's fair to say you will all get criminal charges."
"You can't do that!" Kanrisha shouts, fear in his eyes as Ren and the others approach them. Faces impassive as Zenkichi shakes his head.
"Save it for the judge." He replies as the five suddenly go extremely pale. It was then that they saw Ren and the others, a spark of hope in their eyes.
"Ren! Please, you have to believe us! We've been together since childhood! We're innocent!" Hoshi tells him, trying to bat her eyes at him as Ren feels anger building in him. Those words were the same words he told them when they abandoned him last year. And now SHE has the gall to say them back at him? The one who shattered his heart until Makoto repaired it? Well, he knew what to say to them.
"Who are you?" He says in a cold voice, not surprising the others at least. But the shock and hurt in the eyes of the traitors was something else.
"Ren!? What are you talking about!? We're friends, right!?" Ōji shouts as Ren looks at him dead in the eyes. Staring at him with a cold, dead look as he shrugs his shoulders at them.
"I don't make friends with criminal scum. You must have me confused with someone else." He tells them, the Thieves around him resisting the urge to smirk as Ren's eyes narrow even more. "You left me to rot when I was falsely accused, and now you expect me to help? Remind me, who's the criminal here now?" The five seem to step back as Ren hits them with the words they used against him. Karma was a bitch, and she had come for her payment.
"W-We knew you were innocent! Honest!" Hoshi tries to argue, trying to move forward towards Ren with pleading eyes. "I was only joking when I said those things to you, so—!" Before she could continue, Makoto storms up to her and slaps her across the face with a hard hand. The slap echoing around them even with the sirens wailing in the background. The cops blink in shock, but Zenkichi motions them to stand down as Makoto glares at Hoshi with the Niijima Stare.
"That was for breaking Ren's heart, bitch." She tells her before joining Ren's side as he hugs her with one arm before the Thieves turn on their heels to walk away. Not even sparing them a glance. Even as they tried to call out for him as the cops dragged them away, Ren did not look back one bit as they returned to the Motorhome. Zenkichi stayed with them as the cops took the criminals away.
"A fitting end for such people." Yusuke remarks as the Thieves take a moment to calm down.
"For real. Sacks of shit like them don't deserve sympathy." Ryuji agrees while Ren stands in silence, taking a deep breath as he lets the emotions out of him.
"Still, that was awesome back there Makoto! You showed her who's the real queen." Sumire says with a smile as Makoto chuckles nervously, pushing back some hair.
"I couldn't help myself." Makoto replies with a weak grin, until footsteps from the side drew the Thieve's attention. Where they find to their surprise, Akira and his seven friends approaching them. The jackets they were wearing discarded to the winds.
"Akira." Ren says softly, locking eye with his brother. The Thieves watch them curiously as Ren walks towards them as Akira separates himself from the others. The two walking towards each other before coming to a stop. Ren could see the guilt on Akira's face as he looked to be fighting with himself.
"Hey, Ren… I… There is something I need to say to you…" Akira starts hesitantly, looking away with guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry…"
"Sorry? For what?" Ren asks, tilting his head. Although, he already knew what Akira as going to apologise for.
"I'm sorry, for being envious of you." Akira reveals, as Ren keeps a passive stare. "I don't know when I did, but at some point in time I began to feel jealous of you. How thinking about you left me feeling bitter and angry at how you would always ace everything, and how much of a natural leader you are. I just felt… inadequate."
"Akira… You could have just told me." Ren says to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I would have helped you get over that."
"But I didn't… I was so focused on proving that I could reach you by myself that I became fixated on that one goal. And when you were sent on probation… I felt lost. Even starting a club around the one thing I hated most, using the manifesto of the man who tore us apart as some form of revenge." Akira lets out a sigh, glancing away as the seven behind him look at the ground. "And then it got to this… I understand if you want nothing to do with me any more. I failed you… especially with the Enforcers…" Ren keeps his eyes on Akira, letting out a breath before looking at him in the eyes.
"Akira, there are a few things I forgot to tell you last time." Ren begins, grabbing his attention. "The first, is that I am abandoning my last name. It is something I've been planning to do for a few months now, but by the end of Summer Break I'll be changing my name."
"I knew it…" Akira says gloomily, looking away. "You're cutting all ties with us…"
"Wrong." Ren interjects, grabbing Akira's attention. "The only people I'm cutting ties with is our parents. You and Uncle Konoe are the exception. I admit, after everything our parents have done to us, I don't want to do anything with either them or the family names they represent. But, no matter what, I could never, EVER, bring myself to hate either you or Uncle Konoe. You are the only two, barring the ones behind you, whoever treated me like a person after I was accused. And even though I am changing my last name, that does not change the fact that we are still brothers. Nothing will EVER change that."
Akira stares at Ren, blinking in surprise as Ren smiles at him gently. "So, what do you say we put the Enforcers behind us, and start fresh again? Just like old times?" Ren holds up a hand to Akira, who takes a moment to look before turning back to Ren. Letting out a smile as he grasps his hand in return.
"I've been waiting to hear that for a long time." Akira replies as Ren's Thieves and Akira's friends smile at the interaction. "Do you… want to see Denki and the others? I don't want to push you if not…"
"If they are fine with meeting mine." Ren replies with a grin. Akira nods, waving over the others as Ren does the same to the Thieves. Kawakami, Iwai, Chihaya and Zenkichi stand at the side as the two groups converge. Akira's friends more hesitant than the Thieves.
"Um… Hey, Ren. It's… great to see you again." Denki starts, rubbing the back of his head anxiously. The other six also had looks of anxiety, while Ren just shakes his head.
"Why are you guys anxious? You didn't stab me in the back."
"But we should have been by your side anyway! We shouldn't have let Ōji command us like that…" Hotaru replies, a glum look on her face.
"That is all in the past." Ren replies, shaking his head. "I don't care about holding old grudges against people who don't deserve it. That's why I want to start with a clean slate. I'm done burning bridges behind me, it's time I started repairing them. So let's let bygones be bygones, all right?" The seven friends look at each other in surprise, while Ren's friends chuckle at Ren.
"Classical Ren. Always seeing the best in people." Ryuji remarks, shooting a shark grin and Denki. "Ain't that right?" The jab stunned Denki for a moment, before he surprisingly returned the shark grin with his own.
"For Real. Ren's always been like that as a kid."
"Oh you have SO got to tell us the details!" Ann says suddenly with a grin. "He's been mysterious about his past the entire time we knew him!"
"I'd be happy to tell you." Hotaru replies with a similar grin while Ren and Akira shake their heads at them. Morgana pops his head out of Ren's bag to get a look, catching the attention of Kaze who looks at him in surprise.
"Ren, you have a cat?" Kaze asks, walking up as Ren kneels to let Morgana out.
"Yeah. He's been by my side since I arrived in Tokyo. He's called Morgana." Kaze looks down at Morgana, before kneeling to give him a stroke. Earning a purr of appreciation from the cat.
"Typical Kaze, always one to befriend animals." Kōri remarks, as he holds a camera. Something that catches Yusuke's attention.
"A camera? Do you perhaps partake in the crafts of art?" Yusuke asks, catching Kōri by surprise as he nods back at him.
"Yes, I do. Although, I mainly focus on combining images together to form collages to create new landscapes."
"May I see some? I might be able to bring some to life in my painting." Yusuke asks. Kōri nods as he holds his camera up, showing Yusuke several pictures he had taken while Shiho joins Ann with Hotaru while Mishima hangs around with Ryuji and Denki. Kaoru joins with Kaze as he continues to pat Morgana.
"Man, everyone's already paring up with each other." Futaba remarks, fiddling with the bag on her back holding Isara.
"Seriously. It's like the pair-up mechanic from Fire Emblem." Gijutsu remarks, catching Futaba's eyes.
"Oh? You play Fire Emblem?"
"Yeah I do! It's addictive! What's your fav?" Gijutsu replies.
"Oh no…there's two of them…" Isara groans from the backpack, catching Gijutsu's attention.
"Who's that?" She asks. Futaba rolls her eyes, taking her backpack off as she lets Isara out. "A model?"
"I'm more than a model! I am Isara!" Isara replies, stunning Gijutsu as everyone else looks on in either amazement or resignation.
"Holy crap! An A.I. like EMMA?! Did you make her?" Gijutsu asks in amazement, with Futaba nodding proudly.
"Hell yeah I did!" The two tech geeks soon start spiralling into their own conversation as everyone just shakes their heads at the two.
"I swear… it is like there are two Futaba-chans." Haru remarks to Kokoro who shakes her head.
"And I thought one Gijutsu was enough." She agrees, before turning to Haru. "Forgive me for saying this, but you seem like higher standing than the others, yet they treat you as equals."
"You could say that." Haru replies. "I admit, I am from a higher class, but I want to cut myself from that cloth and open my own café."
"You also want to open a café? So do I." Kokoro remarks, grabbing Haru's attention. "What plans do you have for it? Maybe we could heal each other."
"I like that idea." Haru replies, just as Hifumi moves to join their conversation, while Sumire joins the two tech geeks and Isara. Leaving Ren, Makoto, Akechi, Akira and Yūgō by themselves. Watching the two groups mingle and interact.
"It would seem everyone is getting along rather well." Akechi replies, folding his arms as Akira looks at him.
"I still can't believe you are friends with my brother. How did the Detective Prince becomes friends with Ren anyway?" Akechi lets out a chuckle as he turns to Akira, a found smile on his face.
"Let's just say he helped me out of a tough situation. And that he is a great departing partner. Not that I have any intention on replacing his actual partner." He glances at Makoto who looks away with a blush, grabbing Yūgō's attention.
"You're Ren's new girlfriend?" Yūgō asks.
"Yes. I am." Makoto replies, pushing some hair back. "How we met and fell in love is a long and complicated story, but I can say that I wouldn't have anyone but him." Yūgō looks at her for a few seconds before smiling and nodding her head at Makoto.
"I see. Honestly, I'm just glad someone managed to heal Ren's heart. When we heard what that bitch said to him when he was arrested… it made our blood boil. T think that she used him like that all this time…"
"That's in the past now, Yūgō." Akira replies, hugging Yūgō instinctively. "We can all move forward now. Into the future." Yūgō glances up at Akira, nodding at him with a smile before Ren lets out a cough, grabbing the two's attention. Although, neither of them liked the smirk on Ren's face.
"So… when did this happen?" He asks, indicating the two's closeness as they blushed up a storm before quickly separating. Their reaction brought Ren and Makoto to laughter, remembering how they acted like that during the entire scheme to bring down Tsukasa. Before a small voice broke through their laughter.
"Dad? Aren't you going to introduce me?" Sophia innocently asks, causing Makoto and Ren to stop as Akira and Yūgō glance at them in confusion.
"Dad?" Akira asks, seeing the blush on Ren's face.
"Right… That's the last bit of information I've been meaning to tell you." Ren replies, taking his phone out to show Akira and Yūgō. Before either of them could ask, the phone switches itself on, revealing Sophia hovering around in her space. Looking up at Akira with a beaming smile.
"Hello. I am Sophia Niijima-Sakura. Nice to meet you, Uncle Akira." Sophia introduces with her new name, shocking Akira and Yūgō while the others also stare over in surprise. While Akira glances up to look at Akira, folding his arms as he lets out a familiar smirk. One that was similar to Ren's. Almost distracting him from seeing the fifth card appear on Sophia's tarot card.
"Ren… You have a LOT to explain…" He says, taking some joy at seeing his older twin chuckle in embarrassment. But even so, a part of him couldn't be happier at the occasion. He was reunited with his brother, their bond renewed. And their groups of friends had grown as well. Now, it was only time for him to tell Ren his bit of news.
August 13th, 2017
Evening had come to Sapporo. It was strange for the Thieves, staying here since yesterday and hanging out with Akira and his friends. It was only two days, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed. Of course, it did help that Akira's friends were almost the same as Ren's friends. Not that any of them were questioning it. But as the night rolled in, Akira and Ren were standing at the Motorhome, finishing up stories between them on what had been happening between the two since his arrest. With Ren finally telling him how he, Hifumi and Futaba became siblings.
"I can't believe a parent would do that. Then again, we're not strangers to that, huh?" Akira asks Ren, who nods at him just as Hifumi joins them. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, Hifumi. You didn't deserve that."
"It is fine. I've moved past that." Hifumi replies, taking a seat. "Other than that, I'm happy that I now have a brother in the family."
"I still can't believe that I now have two sisters as well." Akira replies, shaking his head before looking between Ren and Hifumi. "Ren, there is something else I've been meaning to say. And… it's about our former parents."
"Zenkichi told me yesterday that you were pushing charges against them." Ren replies instantly, startling Akira but not removing the look of determination from his face.
"Yeah, but that is not all." Akira takes a moment to look at the sky, nodding to himself before glancing back to Ren. "I've decided to disown myself from them. Just like you. I'm planning on telling Uncle Konoe later, but for now, you're the first to know."
"I had a feeling you were going to." Ren replies, folding his arms before smiling at him. "You're taking fate into your own hands. I'm happy for you."
"But, do you know where you're going to go?" Hifumi asks.
"I do, actually." Akira replies, glancing at Ren. "You know Kaze's folks, right?"
"Yeah, I still remember them." Ren replies, looking at Hifumi. "The Kurusu's looked after us more than our birth parents ever did. To the point that we called them Uncle and Aunt."
"And they have agreed to take me in." Akira reveals with a grin. "And… just like you, I'm getting rid of my old name. The Kurusu's are letting me take on their name instead." Ren nods at Akira, rubbing his chin as he lets out a smile.
"Akira Kurusu, huh? Sounds good." Ren says, Hifumi nodding her head in agreement.
"Yes. It makes us happy, seeing you make your own path in life and not one dictated by others." She tilts her head to the side, looking back at Akira. "But, what do you plan for the future now?"
"Well, not go into politics. Obviously." Akira instantly says. "Honestly, before the Enforcers formed, Rising Phoenix was originally going to be the foundation for a gaming company. It's what all eight of us agreed we would form. And now that it's back to us eight again, we've decided to go back to that idea."
"Like how the Phoenix rises from the ashes. Only this time without the influence of others dictating its path." Hifumi quotes with a grin. "Poetic." Akira nods at her before checking his watch and letting out a groan.
"Sorry, but I have to head back. Need to finish getting everything packed before moving into Kaze's home." He stands up alongside Ren and Hifumi, holding his hand out to them. "Thanks for letting us hang out. It was great being with you all again. I'm guessing you guys are heading out tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sometime in the morning. And it was great being with you again as well, Akira." Ren replies, shaking his hand. "Take care, will you? I'll be sure to call you when I can now that I have your number."
"And I'll be sure to call you Ren." Akira replies, taking a few steps back. "And, thanks again. For everything, Phantom Thieves." Akira lets out a smirk as he turns to leave, leaving Ren and Hifumi surprised but smiling all the same. Of course, he would figure it out and stay quiet about it.
Eventually, the rest of the Thieves regroup inside the Motorhome along with Zenkichi. Iwai, Kaoru and Chihaya had gone back to Tokyo earlier in the day, leaving just them left as Zenkichi briefed the Thieves.
"…So, after dealing with three Jail, we've learned nothing new. All we have found out is that someone is giving these people the power to add friends to EMMA and steal their Desires."
"Meaning we are back to square one…" Akechi remarks with some irritation. "How about PubSec? Are they still on us?"
"At this point, everyone is convinced you guys are not the culprits. Only the ones higher up are still clamouring to get you, but they are being so fanatical about it that the guys under them are just ignoring them and looking for other explanations. Even having another look at cognitive psience. But it is starting to get out of hand…"
"So they are still pushing with the threat of forging evidence to get us…" Makoto remarks with a frown. "What is the possibility that they have had their Desires stolen?" Zenkichi looks at Makoto, furrowing his brow before letting out a hum.
"That's… a good point. It's looking likely at this point." Before narrowing his eyes. "I did hear that they were planning to make EMMA a need-to-have app in the future… maybe in the next few days or weeks… if that is the case…"
"…We'll be in trouble. Hounded by a group of fanatics out for blood. Just like all the other people we've encountered." Ren remarks with a grimace, setting a grim air in the Motorhome.
"Going back to the Monarchs, all of them share the same characteristics." Morgana comments on the table, taking them away from that impending doom. "While Akira was not doing the deed himself, it doesn't change that all four were changing people's hearts to do bad things, but deep down, none of them were ever truly evil. Only deeply traumatised."
"Which makes them completely different to our targets last year." Ren remarks. "Every one of them, barring Okumura in a way, were all driven by their distorted desires while relishing in the chaos it created. I mean, Akira didn't even want to do all this and was fighting against his own Shadow for as long as he could."
"Natsume was also the same. Before he lost sight of what he was writing for, he was diligent in his work." Yusuke adds.
"Same with Aunt Mari-san. She only became a Monarch due to the corruption in her city taking an innocent girl's life." Haru adds with a frown.
"And then there's Alice. The victim of someone's desire to ruin her life just for the sake of it." Ann adds bitterly.
"That's not even going into the fact how the Jail works differently from Palaces." Shiho adds, turning to Zenkichi. "Whenever we took the core of a Palace, it would destroy itself. But the Jails are still around."
"Not only that, but the Jail's core is not a Treasure or, as, its true form, the distorted Desire of its ruler." Sumire clarifies for Zenkichi. "But instead, it's just all of the Desires they have taken."
"And, how does a Treasure form exactly?" Zenkichi asks, rubbing his bear.
"A Treasure is formed from an object that sets a person down the path of becoming a Ruler that they become fixated on. For Kamoshida, it was his first golden medal from the Olympics. For Madarame, it was the Sayuri before he defaced it." Morgana replies. "The fact that none of these Jail has a Treasure like that, means that something or someone is making these Jails instead."
"Then there are the locks on the Birdcages." Hifumi adds.
"Seriously, what is up with those? Whenever we touch them, we get a nasty shock and hear the trauma that made them a Monarch." Ryuji questions, rubbing the back of his head.
"Maybe that's the point." Kawakami suddenly says, grabbing the team's attention. "What if those locks are not to keep us out but to keep them in?"
"Keep them in?" Mishima asks, puzzled, along with several others.
"That… actually makes sense." Makoto remarks. "Whenever we touch the cage, we hear the words that caused their trauma. If a Monarch were to touch it, they would be met by the pain that sent them down this path to begin with. Trapping them in a cage, even though they are the rulers."
"I certainly wouldn't use traumatic memories of my mom dying to protect me." Futaba remarks bitterly, earning a wince from Zenkichi. "That's, like, the opposite of what I would use to protect me."
"Which makes those Lock Keepers even more horrible in hindsight." Isara remarks from the table. "They aren't there to keep us out. They are there to keep the Monarch in. A giant security system to keep them trapped."
"Which leads us to the question of our mysterious Mastermind, manipulating things from behind the scenes." Zenkichi remarks, hand on chin. "And since this all revolves around EMMA, that makes Madicce our number one suspect." He sends a glance at Ren, seeing a slight change in his features. "A pity we can't storm their HQ. And I doubt Ren's Uncle would be happy to let us do that."
"And without a warrant, you would have no grounds to investigate them." Akechi remarks. "And I think I speak for us all when I say we don't use Ren's contact with his Uncle."
"Right. I want to keep him out of this for as long as possible." Ren replies, grasping his hands together. "Having to face my brother's Shadow was bad enough. The last thing I want to find out is my Uncle is also a Monarch, or even behind this at all." Just as they started to spin their minds around, Ren's phone began to ring. With Sophia's face appearing seconds later.
"Dad. You have a call from Ichinose."
"Ichinose? Put her on." Ren replies, the phone call opening on speaker mode.
"Hi there! Sorry for the relative lapse in communication. But I did turn up some new info that I thought you guys might like to know!" Ichinose calls out, her voice peppy as usual.
"Really? Well, that's great to hear." Ren replies, although he couldn't help but feel the timing was… a bit too convenient for them. "So… what is it?"
"So, I've been looking into EMMA all this time, and I've yet to see any differences between her past and present versions. I mean, this is state-of-the-art tech. It's not something anyone could pry open and take a look inside… But then I took a peak at EMMA's changelog… and that's where I found something interesting."
"Changelog?" Ren parrots, glancing at Futaba.
"I'll tell you later." Futaba replies before looking at the phone. "So, what did you find?"
"Oh, I'm on speaker? What fun! No, wait, no side-tracking!" Ichinose scolds herself as the team sweat drops at her. "Anyway, it seems EMMA was transported to Okinawa at some point after I sold her to Madicce. A move that was signed off on from an outside source of the company, right under Konoe's nose."
"Okinawa? Why there?" Makoto asks, surprised at why the Island was picked.
"Yes! Exactly! 'Why' was the first thing that popped into my mind as well! So, I dug around some more. And I found out that off the coast of Okinawa, on the island of Kukojima, was a Madicce research lab! Strangely enough, nothing about it is on public records. And when I called up for any privet records, nothing came up! Not even Konoe knew about it, and he's the CEO!"
"A secret research lab under the CEO's eyes… and it was funded by an outside source?" Zenkichi asks quietly, his voice not picked up by the phone. "Could it be him?"
"So, if EMMA has been altered in any way, I would think it would have been done on that Island."
"I see… Thanks for the information, Ichinose. We'll make sure to check it out if we have time." Ren replies. Ichinose lets out a carefree goodbye before hanging up, leaving the team silenced. "Okinawa… that is our next destination?"
"Guess those swimsuits we packed aren't going to be wasted. Or wait until we find a Water-World Park." Ann remarks before glancing at Zenkichi. "That is IF we are going there."
"Well… if it is an unregistered facility, we COULD say we are conducting a field survey. That way, we could gain their cooperation." Zenkichi says out loud. "We may even find proper evidence that can be used in court and take the heat off you guys permanently… Those chances alone make going there worthwhile… But considering the distance…."
"Tatsumi Port Island should have a boat we can use to get to Okinawa." Kawakami comments, rubbing her chin. "It is in Kirijo territory as well, and it is on the other side of Osaka as well."
"That sounds perfect. If you can contact your friends in the Kirijo Group, we could have a safe passage to Okinawa." Zenkichi replies before his phone goes off. Taking it out, his eyes widen in shock before he quickly answers the phone. "Hey, what's up? Yeah… Yeah… Of course, I'm aware. But, I also have a job to do, you know…I'm currently in Yokohama, so I should be able to make it back in time. Why would I lie? I'm being honest, I swear."
"Who is he talking to?" Ryuji asks quietly to Ren, who shrugs his shoulders. Kawakami, however, had an idea of who it was he was talking to.
"…Of course, I remember! Thing is… Oh…" Zenkichi comments, seeing the phone line go dead as he stares at it with regret in his eyes. "She hung up…"
"Who hung up?" Shiho asks, startling Zenkichi as he looks around with wide eyes.
"His daughter." Kawakami remarks, shocking Zenkichi. "Don't look at me like that. You said yourself you wanted to tell them at some point."
"I did, didn't I?" Zenkichi replies, shaking his head before looking around. "Sorry about this, but can we make a quick stop in Kyoto first. It's important."
"Um… sure?" Makoto replies hesitantly.
"Great! I'm sure you guys are tired from today, so I'll drive the Motorhome to Kyoto. And…I'll explain things along the way. Once we're done there, we'll head to Kobe in Osaka and get a ship to Okinawa. That's where Tatsumi is, right?" Zenkichi remarks, leaving no room for the Thieves to argue as he stands up. Before coming to a thought. "Hmm, but what should we do about your car, Kawakami."
"The Motorhome has an internal garage. I think my car can fit inside it." Kawakami replies as the Thieves exit the Motorhome. Heading to the back where, Futaba opens it up, revealing a space that could fit a small car. But not Kawakami's, until Futaba noticed a small button on the side. Pressing it, she was shocked to see the entire bedroom half of the Motorhome rise, creating just enough space for Kawakami's car to fit. And steal, giving the Motorhome enough room to drive.
"Well, that's that problem solved." Zenkichi replies, watching Kawakami drive her car into the space.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? It's still a long drive to Kyoto." Ren asks as Zenkichi pushes his glasses up.
"I'll be fine. I've done this more than enough. Besides…" He glances at Ren and Makoto. "Have you two been doing most of the driving? What about Akechi and Okumura? Don't they have driving licences?"
"Goro does, but he doesn't feel confident driving a Motorhome. While Haru doesn't have as much experience as Me and Ren." Makoto replies, although the two both shoot Haru a look with her back turned to them.
"Well, that explains it." Zenkichi replies just as Kawakami leaves the garage and closes the door.
"Alright. We're all ready to go here." Kawakami replies to the trio, who nod back at her.
"In that case, let's roll!" Zenkichi calls out with the team piling into the Motorhome while Zenkichi takes the driver's seat with Kawakami on the passenger. "I'm glad I'm leaving from Yokohama… I should be able to get there on time…" He mumbles to himself, starting up the home before taking it out of the park.
Their destination? Kyoto.
Before people ask, I know that Tatsumi Port Island could be canonical located in Tokyo. I.e., Odaiba. But for the purpose of this series, it will be in Kobe, near Osaka.
New Confidant Ranks.
Sophia: Hope (Rank 5)
Zenkichi Hasegawa: Apostle (Rank 4)
Investigation Team: The World (Rank 10/Max)
S.E.E.S: ? (?/?)