Chapter 30: A Taste of Honey

They were the last ones into the Mental Shutdown Ward's conference room. Takamaki and Suzui had brought pastries and coffee, which Ren eagerly dug into. Maruki was speaking quietly to Sae, who reluctantly started picking at a muffin. Shido was pacing around the room restlessly.

Seeing Shido there, Goro shot a questioning look at Maruki, who returned it with a shrug.

"Shido-san…do you have something to present?" Goro asked, talking around the question he really wanted to ask: What are you doing here?

"I'm just here to listen and help if I can," said Shido earnestly, taking a seat and clasping his hands in front of him like a schoolboy.

"If we're all here, then I suppose we'd better get started," said Maruki. He flipped on a projector and quickly recapped what they knew: destroying Shadows belonging to specific people in the Metaverse caused what Maruki had termed 'Mental Shutdown Syndrome', a malady where the person became unable to care for themselves, fell comatose, and eventually died.

"Believe me when I say I've turned over every stone in looking for a way to reverse the effect," said Maruki. "I found two case studies. Eight years ago, Tatsumi Port Island had numerous cases of what was dubbed 'Apathy Syndrome' with strikingly similar symptoms to Mental Shutdown Syndrome."

He pulled up some archival images of newspapers with headlines like "Apathy Syndrome On The Rise."

"This has happened before?" Sae said, astonished. "Why hasn't anyone heard of it, then?"

"Nobody cares what happens out in the sticks," said Shido. "Trust me, I used to represent a district outside Tokyo."

"That may be part of it, but the public reports I found were still surprisingly thin. The Kirijo Group is powerful in that area, so knowing what I know about politics…" Maruki pronounced the word with distaste, "I'd guess they controlled the flow of information. Six years ago, there was another spate of similar cases in a place called Inaba. It's a small spa town, but a few of you may know the name."

"The Detective Prince," said Goro thoughtfully. "The original, I mean. Naoto Shirogane. He solved a case there. That's where I got the idea for my nickname."

"Right," said Maruki. "It was hardly covered given the sensational nature of the crimes there, but several people fell into comas before ultimately recovering."

"Then — what? What does any of this have to do with what's happening now?" Sae burst out.

"The other reason these cases were so lightly reported is that almost all of the victims survived," explained Maruki. "On Tatsumi, they would recover at the full moon every month. In Inaba, it wasn't quite so regular. Nevertheless, they did recover — that's why I believe there is a cure, and I think it must be tied into these powers that we've all manifested. Most likely, there were other groups working behind the scenes at these other places, just as we're doing now."

"But there are no clues about what they might have done?" asked Sae.

"Not publicly, no. I contacted the Kirijo Group, as well as the local press in both locations, but never got a response. For all intents and purposes, we seem to be on our own."

"We wild cards are supposed to have a mentor, too, but he's off putting the mother of all leftovers in the fridge," Ren said with a sigh.

Something pinged in Goro's mind. "This may be a strange question right now, but what do you all think of when I say the phrase, 'playing both sides of the chessboard'?"

Immediately, almost all of them said, "Practice."

But one of them said, "Cheating."

Goro looked at Sae. "Cheating?"

She shrugged. "Of course. If you're playing both sides, you can't lose."

"Unless…" Goro murmured.

"Unless the real game isn't on the board," said Ren.

"My thoughts exactly. Myojo contacted me last night."

There were assorted gasps and exclamations of surprise.

"How did he contact you? Did he tell you anything useful?" Sae demanded.

"In a dream. He said he chose me to represent chaos against Yaldabaoth and Ren last year."

"I wouldn't say Yaldabaoth was exactly on my side," said Ren dryly.

"No, but I think it explains something that's been bothering me. When the Phantom Thieves destroyed Yaldabaoth, maybe it left a void of sorts," said Goro.

"The day that Azathoth manifested for me was December 24th…the day Yaldabaoth was destroyed, correct?" said Maruki.

Ren and Takamaki nodded.

"Wait — does that mean even if we manage to beat Myojo, something else could come next?" asked Suzui anxiously.

"Maybe this is what Morgana's been working on. He has been gone a lot," said Ren.

"Did you get any more about what he's been up to?" Goro asked.

"No, just that he thinks Igor needs more help than we do."

"That's a vote of confidence, isn't it?" said Suzui, doing her best to look on the bright side.

"If all of this is caused by some kind of heretical god, then…how can we possibly fight it?" asked Togo.

"The Phantom Thieves did it twice," said Takamaki, holding up two fingers in a 'v' for emphasis. "You wait for it to show itself and then BLAMMO! Light it on fire!"

"Is that what you do?" Shido asked Goro, eyebrows raised so high they practically formed a toupee.

Goro tapped his chin. "More or less. These beings are powerful, but they aren't omnipotent. Given what Dr. Maruki just told us, it seems like humanity has stood up to threats like this a number of times before. And now these Damn Brats are gonna do it again," he concluded, trying to sound confident.

"Then that might be the answer for Makoto and the others!" said Sae with relief. "If we can destroy Myojo, they might recover, just like before."

Maruki stepped in. "Maybe…but I want to temper everyone's expectations. Makoto was working on a theory with me. She said she had a breakthrough she wanted to discuss with me, but then the press conference came up, and…."

"That can't be a coincidence," said Sae. "That's why you two were targeted, Takuto!"

"Yes, that's what I thought as well. Sae, I was wondering if you could get us into her apartment. Maybe she left some notes I could use to figure out what she discovered."

Sae jumped out of her seat and grabbed his hand. "Of course — let's go!"

"Good luck," Goro said to the door as Sae slammed it shut behind her.

"About time we got some good news," said Takamaki, taking another pastry. "What are the rest of us going to do?"

Goro answered, "Has anyone seen the news today? There are confirmed reports of 'wishing spots' around Tokyo. Places you can stand and receive anything your heart desires."

"Why do I feel like this can't come to anything good?" said Togo wearily.

"Probably because nobody who's capable of getting anything they want ever asks for world peace," said Goro.

"Except Dr. Maruki," said Ren, earning him an icy glare from Goro.

"Anyway, one of these spots is in Kichijoji. I'd like to see what's going on. Takamaki and Suzui, I'd encourage you to check in on the places and people you care about. Report back to me if you find out anything new. That's all for now. Togo, I have a special assignment for you."

Togo looked at him with a perfectly blank expression and repeated, "Why do I feel like this can't come to anything good?"

"We wouldn't need your brainpower if we weren't in trouble. I want you to research how to defeat a tank. We've seen it a few times now. Maybe we won't need to fight it, but let's not be unprepared in any case."

She cupped her chin in her hand. "I don't know how, but that's sensible yet terrifying."

Goro smiled cheerfully. "Do your best. The life you save may be your own!"

Leaving Togo to her research, Goro, Ren, and Jose headed to Kichijoji. As they made their way through the commercial thoroughfare, they saw windows boarded up, graffiti, scorch marks, and even an uprooted tree. But in the light of day, the damage didn't look a lot worse than a small earthquake. City workers bustled around cleaning up small debris and marking bigger items for removal, while repair crews made estimates.

The closer they got to Jazz Jin, the greater the damage. Scorch marks and fire damage were everywhere. There were more broken windows, and even chunks of walls knocked out.

"Animals," Goro muttered.

Jazz Jin's lighted sign had been torn down from the wall and shattered. The top of the staircase was blocked with yellow tape. There was a sign posted on the wall: "Closed indefinitely pending inspection." Below, the entrance door had been replaced with some hastily nailed-up plywood.

Goro tried to stifle his fury, if only because he knew Jose would be listening in.

Meanwhile, Ren was looking at the scorch marks on the street. "Do you see this? It looks like writing."

"It is." Goro quickly pulled up a still shot from the previous night's news. "It's a message from Myojo to me. Before, when we were in Souzencho, he forced me to choose between saving my friends and chasing him. Obviously, I chose all of you."

"So he lit your favorite place on fire?" Ren shook his head darkly. "He's a bastard."

"I'm a bastard. Myojo is a sadistic asshole. Anyway, don't get too sentimental. It's just a place," said Goro, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

"But —" Ren said.

"Let's see if we can find that 'wishing well' or whatever," Goro interrupted, closing the door on further discussion.

As they approached a clear stretch of road, Ren said, "Hey, I have an idea. Jose, take my hand."

Ren took Jose's left hand and Goro took his right. They all ran a few steps together, counting, "One-two-three!" On three, Ren and Goro lifted Jose's hands and he jumped, sailing through the air thanks to their assist.

Ren couldn't stop laughing as Jose tried to repeat the feat himself, taking running leaps and looking puzzled when he only managed a few inches. He got far ahead of them, running and jumping. There was a crowd gathered up ahead; Goro shouted at Jose to come back before he ran into someone, but Jose was too far away to hear.

Then he took a flying leap and kept flying. He soared high into the sky, far higher than any human could have tossed him. A normal kid probably would have gotten scared at that point, but Jose was no normal child. He flew around happily, doing flips and barrel rolls in the air.

"Looks like we found our spot," said Ren.

"Looks like," Goro agreed, eyebrows raised.

"I'm rich!" came a voice from the middle of the crowd. "Rich! All you have to do is wish!"

The crowd parted for a man carrying an armload of cash, immediately crushing back in as every person tried to get closer to the magic spot.

But he'd barely cleared the crowd when the cash disappeared. His arms flipped upward comically, as if he had just dropped something very heavy, but he hadn't dropped anything. The cash disappeared as if it had never been there.

"H-hey — who stole my money?" he shrieked, diving back into the crowd.

The crowd got more agitated as people tried to leave with their prizes, only to see them vanish into thin air. Others tried a different tactic, wishing for things like happiness or fame and looking blissful as they checked their follower count. But those waiting for their turn soon started pushing their way in, moving aside the ones who wanted an experience.

People were shoved violently out of the way by the sudden appearance of a car, stumbling over each other and falling to the ground. Ren helped up a woman who had fallen. She smoothed her shirt and left, looking shaken.

Goro called Jose in his mind. Jose, can you calm these people down before someone gets hurt?

How? he asked, still bobbing around like a little gray balloon.

Make them believe the cops are coming and they have to leave, Goro suggested.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then people started sprinting away from the area at top speed.

Ren looked panicked. "Sirens! Sounds like they're coming closer!" He jogged over to join Goro and looked around in confusion. "I could have sworn I heard sirens."

Jose touched down and joined them. "It worked," he said to Goro, sounding pleased with himself.

"You called the cops?" Ren asked doubtfully.

"He made everyone in that area think the cops were coming. I didn't hear anything, because I was outside the area," said Goro. "Jose, am I right in thinking that spot there has roughly the same properties as the Metaverse?"

"It sure does! It smells just like Mementos," Jose said.

Ren said, "So people's dreams come true, as long as they're in the Metaverse. Then they leave and the illusion can't hold in the real world. That's dangerous."

"Unbelievably dangerous. This is another preview of Myojo's plan for our world."

"Did he tell you anything else?" asked Ren.

"Nothing important. He asked me to join him."

"What? Why would he do that?"

"Wouldn't you want me on your side?"

"Sure, but think about it. Have any of these guys been up for sharing their power? Shido, Yaldabaoth, even Maruki?"

"Did I say I was considering it? I wasn't born yesterday, you know," said Goro, exasperated.

"I just think we should consider why he would even try, that's all," said Ren.

That was a good point, but their thoughts were interrupted by Togo calling. Goro pulled Ren and Jose to a quiet spot where they could all listen on speaker.

She had a list of questions. What kind of tank is it? How many operators? Is it surrounded by infantry? How about air support? How many guns does it have? How fast can it turn its main gun?

Goro and Ren answered as best they could, but they had to admit they didn't know much, as they had always run from the tank. She wasn't surprised by that, commenting, "Intimidation is the first line of offense." They had seen infantry soldiers. But between everyone who had seen the tank, none of them could remember any other guns besides the main cannon firing.

Togo perked up at that. "That's interesting. Tanks aren't intended to be deployed by one person. They're supposed to be operated by full crews and supported by other types of units. If he's alone, he's not really taking advantage of the tank's full utility."

Ren rolled his eyes at that. "Full utility? Working with a crew? No way. He probably just likes how he looks standing on top of it."

Goro chuckled at that, but Togo was excited. "Seriously? You think it's all about flash?"

"The real Shido did work with plenty of associates," said Goro thoughtfully. "But this one isn't the real Shido, it's a cognition created by his fans."

Ren added, "Yeah, that's right. To his fans, working with other people is a sign of weakness. When we fought his Shadow, he stood on top of people…never with them."

"So, no sharing glory with some machine gunner inside the tank?" Togo asked.

Goro and Ren laughed. "Not a chance," said Ren.

"If you're right, then I think I've got an idea that could work. We'll need the whole team working together, though."

"Let's get Suzui in on this. She's got experience with team sports," said Goro.

"That's great, but there's more. We're also going to need a missile launcher or something equally powerful. It's still a tank," she finished apologetically.

Ren nodded, the light catching his glasses. "Missile launcher, huh? I might know a guy."

Goro waited until Togo hung up to demand, "You know a guy who can get us a missile launcher?"

"Well, a model. That's good enough for the Metaverse," said Ren. "Trouble is, for something like that, we'd need a good chunk of cash."

"Oh, is that all?" Goro sighed, but then it occurred to him that he did have a good chunk of cash. "Wait a minute…I still have the money from Shido. I was going to give it back, but it seems like it'll come in handy after all."

Ren made a face. "What did he do to get that money, do you suppose?"

"Nothing good, I'm sure, but we've got bigger problems. The fate of humanity is on the line. It would be irresponsible not to use it."

Ren pressed his lips together and looked away like he wasn't happy, but also wasn't willing to argue further.

"Let me ask you something. I want an honest answer," said Goro.

Ren nodded. "Sure."

"Do you believe in redemption…atonement…second chances? Or do you think people basically don't change?"

"I believe in second chances. It's just him."

"Understandable. But do you believe in me?"

"You know I do."

"Then trust me on this one. Shido's money will pass right through my hands and into the hands of…whoever it is that can get us a damn missile launcher. Who I'm sure is an exemplary human being in every way."

Ren smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, point taken. Let me give him a call."

While Ren made his call, Goro thought over Togo's questions. They couldn't keep a missile launcher in their back pocket just in case they needed it. No, the only option was to take out the tank before it could take them out. And in that case….

A plan was beginning to form in Goro's mind.

While Ren was still on the phone with his contact, Sae called Goro.

"How'd it go at Makoto's apartment?" he asked.

"Fine…" said Sae hesitantly. "We collected all her notebooks and Takuto is taking them back to St. Luke's. That's not what I'm calling about, though."

"Oh? What is it?"

"We were going to try using Takuto's healing power on Makoto, remember? He'd like you or Ren to come and…well, spot him."

"Like…when you lift weights and somebody stands there so you don't drop them on your head?"

"Exactly."

"Okay. We'll come back right away. Don't do anything until we get there."

Goro ended the call and relayed it to Ren.

"Back to St. Luke's, then?" Ren said, though they both knew they weren't going to leave Maruki and Sae hanging, no matter what they thought about the odds of success.

While they waited for the train, Ren asked, "Do you suppose he really needs us there? Won't it be pretty obvious if it's not working?"

"I think if Sae gives him the doe eyes, he'll see 'literally impossible' as a minor obstacle."

Ren grimaced. "I wish I thought you were kidding."

When they got to St. Luke's, they agreed to enter the Metaverse outside, since the Mental Shutdown Ward was full of nurses and doctors making rounds. The Metaverse version of the ward, on the other hand, was as eerily white, clean, and empty as a crypt.

Sae and Maruki were waiting for them by Makoto's bedside.

"It's so unsettling," Sae murmured, staring at Makoto in the bed.

Goro and Ren came over and took a look. The person in the bed didn't look like Makoto; she had no identifying features at all.

"Mental Shutdown patients all look alike in the Metaverse," Maruki explained. "I don't know why as of yet, but I don't think it should affect this treatment attempt."

"Right," said Goro, tearing his eyes away from the doll-like thing in the bed. "You want us to spot you?"

"Yes. It should only take a few minutes."

"Can I watch too?" Jose asked.

Maruki looked questioningly at Sae.

"Jose, isn't it? If I recall correctly, you're familiar with the Metaverse." She nodded decisively. "All right. Tell us if you have any insights."

That settled, Maruki stood next to Makoto's bed and held his arms over her, keeping his knees slightly bent and his shoulders relaxed. Goro positioned himself behind and to the left, and Ren took up the same position on the right. Jose stood on the opposite side of the bed.

Galileo appeared and concentrated healing energy on Makoto. It seemed to go on a long time, so long that Goro leaned over a little to get a look at Maruki's face. He was starting to look pale, and his jaw was clenched tight. Little beads of sweat popped out on his upper lip.

Finally, just when Goro was about to stop the doctor himself, Maruki wavered on his feet. As Ren and Goro reached out to steady the doctor, Galileo and his healing energy dissolved.

"Takuto! Are you alright?" Sae asked.

"Think I overdid it a little," Maruki murmured, his eyes fluttering. "I'll be fine…."

His knees buckled. As smoothly as if they'd practiced it, Ren caught him and held him up while Goro pulled over a chair. Maruki slumped backward into the chair and closed his eyes.

"Is he going to be okay?" Sae demanded, eyes bouncing between Goro and Ren, looking panicky and guilty at the same time.

"He just needs some rest and maybe something to drink," Goro assured her.

Ren went out to get some cold water, and by the time he returned, Maruki was awake again.

After a long drink, Maruki said, "I could try again after I've rested."

Sae opened her mouth, but Ren quickly interjected, "Jose? Any thoughts?"

"This type of healing won't work," said Jose matter-of-factly.

"Then what will?" Sae demanded.

"I don't know. If only I could ask my master…."

"Sae…" said Goro, reaching out to her.

She just shook her head, let out a muffled sob, and hurried out of the room.

"We still have the notebooks," said Maruki. "I'll study them and see what I can glean. Unfortunately, Makoto didn't write anything down unless she was sure it was useful or factual. It's hard to put together what she was thinking when she came up with this supposed breakthrough."

"Perfectionist to a fault, that's our Makoto," said Ren with a sad smile.

"When Sae's feeling up to it, I'm sure she'll help with the notebooks. You two don't have to stay," said Maruki.

He sounded so exhausted that Goro almost offered to stay anyway, but everything in him was telling him that he should leave the hospital, take a break, and see if the Tokyo evening brought him any inspiration.