''Can I look now?''
''Yup.''
Morgana opened his eyes, staring as he took in the surprise Namine had for him, the blue and silver scarf tied around his neck.
''You brought that for me?'' He had to ask.
Namine looked amused ''Of course, there's no way I'd leave you out of presents now. When I saw this, I had a feeling it'd be perfect.''
The cat couldn't help but smile ''Well, you got that right. Thanks!''
Unfortunately, things weren't nearly on the up and up as they may appear...
On her way to school, Makoto bit her lip as she thought back to a conversation she had with Sae earlier. Her mind was mostly on a single piece of information that she found jarring.
Principal Kobayakawa had committed suicide.
The police didn't have much information yet but they were working to get to the bottom of this. The general opinion was that this was too strange since they couldn't see a reason the man would want to kill himself. Makoto shared that opinion, it was another reason she found this shocking. She couldn't say she knew the man well but she had dealt with him enough to know that this was completely out of character.
And to make a bad situation even worse, according to Sae there was a Calling Card found in his apartment. Thus it lead to the police blaming the Phantom Thieves for his demise, thinking he decided to do such a thing after they changed his heart. Makoto tried to protest, but of course there wasn't much she could say without giving herself away.
Regardless, she knew they all needed to talk about this and soon.
The word quickly spread about the situation and the school had an assembly for Kobayakawa. The vice-principal tried to talk about how Kobayakawa cared for them all but no one was really convinced. Kobayakawa's actions (in some cases, lack there of) didn't exactly paint a good picture. All the talk about the police's investigations had shaken the students, making them doubt the Phantom Thieves...some beginning to wonder if they were villains after all...
Later, the thieves gathered in the attic for a much needed meeting...
''I've been asking around, it seems people believe Principal Kobayakawa killed himself for reasons related to the Kamoshida incident.'' Yusuke informed.
''That ties it back to the Phantom Thieves.'' Futaba concluded, frowning when he nodded. ''It still doesn't make sense to just base everything on that.''
''True, I think it's mostly because we still have detractors out there. Even if they were declining, they still persisted. I bet this incident was just what they needed to make their voices heard.'' Morgana stated.
Makoto hummed in agreement ''Given the fake Calling Card, I guess it was bound to go this way.''
''...So is what happened to him our fault?'' Ann wondered.
''No way!'' Ryuji declared at once. ''We did what we had to do.''
Most of the group nodded and Yusuke added ''I think so too. Things wouldn't have been nearly as bad if the principal hadn't been insistent on covering up for Kamoshida. Given what happened to Shiho, I think your actions were entirely justified. He hurt so many students and there was little choice to stop him."
''People online have been saying stuff like that too.'' Futaba piped up. ''A bunch of them think Kobayakawa had it coming because he kept burying his head in the sand. From the sound of it, people online don't really trust politicians or the police, they just want the thieves to change society.''
Makoto thought back to the talk in Hawaii where they heard similar sentiments ''Are we...really doing the right thing?''
Namine wasn't sure herself, what would be right thing in their situation? One look at her friends made her know she couldn't stay silent.
''...Most of what we've been doing so far is damage control. It's just like Yusuke said, no one at school would even do anything about Kamoshida. Thing is, it was either this or turning away from something we know is wrong and that doesn't solve anything. Our targets have been people in power and those who lost themselves in their corrupted desires. They just kept getting worse so way I see it, we had to take action. Nothing's perfect though. We had our reasons, our good intentions, we interfered to help people who couldn't fight back. That still means something, I refuse to believe otherwise. The public opinion has no influence on this. We know the truth. Something's obviously up here, we need to find out what's going on. I won't deny things are bad but that doesn't mean we can't find a way forward.''
The words elevated the team's spirits. While they all may have had their own reasons for becoming thieves, they still tried to do the right thing when no one else would have. It was true, there was so much apathy in their society. Their targets weren't the only ones apathetic to the suffering they caused. Hell, even others out there...the Phantom Thieves wanted to inspire people to find the strength to face life's adversities just like they themselves had. And yet it seemed like people were just content to rest on their laurels and have them take care of everything.
That needed to change for good. Everyone can't keep expecting the Phantom Thieves to solve all their problems. But they would have to keep trying and hopefully truly reach out to society one day.
Ryuji grinned ''Way to go, count on you to come through now!''
Namine half-smiled and he knew she was just as troubled by the recent news as they were. But it made his respect for her rise, knowing she was casting those concerns aside to help ease their troubles. This was a mark of what made her a good leader for their team.
''Yeah...we can't stop like this.'' Ann decided. ''Futaba, you said analyzed all the data, right?''
''Sure did!'' The girl returned. ''Boy, there sure was a lot of it. Makoto's sis pulled out all the stops. She's been looking into all the mental shutdown and psychotic breakdowns and she found common factors and links between some. A whole bunch of them kind of stood out on their own but she's convinced that there are those who benefit from them. She didn't have any clear evidence to prove that...but there was one name she was sure of so far.''
''And that would be...?'' Namine prompted.
''The president and CEO of Okumura Foods, Okumura Kunikazu.'' Futaba took note of their surprise, raising an eye upon seeing the troubled looks half the group had at this. ''What's wrong?''
''They're friends with his daughter...Namine's known her even months before that.'' Morgana informed.
Namine recalled Caroline's words about the man, there was some unpleasant talk about him and the impression she had was hardly favorable. But to think he was involved in those awful incidents? How, and why? She worried about Haru, wondering what this all could lead to.
''Futaba, did the data have anything about why Sis specified him?'' Makoto wanted to know.
''Yup, she thinks it's because he'd really gain a lot with some of the people who involved in those incidents out of the picture. There was a Big Bang Burger place over in Hawaii, right? So the name really spread out.''
The girl nodded, looking deep in thought. She knew Sae wouldn't have made such a conclusion lightly and it made her wonder if he had some way of ensuring those shutdowns would happen to the specific people. Was it a way of taking down competition, perhaps?
''That reminds me, didn't Kaneshiro make sure that policeman who was trying to arrest him was killed?'' Yusuke recalled.
''Hey yeah! The bastard's shadow was even gloating about it before.'' Ryuji nodded.
''That's about the conclusion I reached too.'' Morgana informed. ''We have another reason to believe Okumura's involved in all this.''
''I put his name in the Nav just to be sure,'' Futaba elaborated. ''It was a hit, he's got a Palace.''
''That's why we need to act. We'll change his heart and make sure he confesses.'' Morgana added firmly.
''I don't know, Morgana...'' Ann started.
The cat wheeled around to stare at her, was she still hesitant? ''Lady Ann?!''
''Look, it doesn't feel right to decide something like this so easily.'' The girl sighed. ''I'm not just saying that because Haru's our friend now. Though I won't deny that it would affect our decision, it's only fair to consider how this affects her too.''
''But it's all the more reason to act! It'd all work out once we're done, this doesn't have to do with her...''
''Morgana, that's entirely too naive.'' Yusuke cut in, his expression stern. ''He's her father, of course it's going to affect her in the end.''
Since they all knew he was speaking from experience (the artist had mentioned how people treated him differently once the truth about Madarame was out) if anyone would understand, it was him.
''Besides...'' Yusuke continued. ''...I'm not sure we should just jump right into this, it feels far too reckless.''
''I think so too.'' Makoto admitted, Ann nodding as well. ''We're not quite ready for something like this now.''
''Then we'll get ready!'' Morgana insisted. ''But we have to do something...!''
''Morgana, stop.''
Blinking, he looked back at Namine ''We're clearly not going to come to an agreement today, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe we should just stop and think for now. Rushing into matters is only going to make a bad situation that much worse.''
But the cat wasn't about to deterred ''It'll be fine! I don't see why you guys keep hesitating. We've decided to rise up against corruption-so society can change. There's nothing wrong with that, we're the only ones who can do anything here so we should put our power to good use.''
Namine sighed ''...This is about putting our power to good use. We just need to consider what that really means. Besides...changing society? I don't think we should be the only ones to decide how that would go. Believing everything would work out is fine but what you're doing is something entirely different.''
''What's that supposed to mean?''
''Aren't you just trying to force your belief on everyone now?'' She asked in return. ''We're not all-powerful, heck, if we had a different way of doing this I might have taken it. We're just making the best of a bad situation, but that doesn't mean we're always in the right. I've been thinking about this a lot lately...I was happy to know we could make a difference out there, that we could actually help people in need but not if it works out like this. You know how I feel about the fame. For your sakes, I hoped I was wrong but the public is way too fickle. You can't tell me this is the kind of thing you wanted when we started this team.'' Morgana's silence provided an answer of its own. ''I thought so. Look, we're definitely going to do something about this. But everyone should be on board, that's how we've always done things. We just need a little time.''
''Yeah, I mean come on, we couldn't have pulled through as well if we hadn't worked together.'' Ryuji did want to do something now but he respected his friends' feelings on the matter. They'd always done by the unanimous decision rule and he didn't see a reason to stop that now.
''We can't go on assuming we're always in the right, there's two sides to every story.'' Namine added. ''Everyone has their own belief, we can't expect them all to agree with us. It's that kind of arrogance that motivated all our targets. We should be learning from that so as to avoid becoming the same way. Things changed...we can't just go acting the same as always.''
Morgana could see how her words resounded within the others once again and even he would admit, he felt similarly. No matter what spurred him, he couldn't fault her for trying to keep an objective view of the situation and doing what was right by everyone.
''...Fine, I guess we'll leave it be for now then.''
Eventually, things moved on to somewhat lighter matters as the group tried to put the situation at the back of their minds for now.
It was all started by Futaba who asked about the presents, only to be delighted by what she found then.
''Cool!'' She hummed, admiring the phone cover Namine got for her before her eyes fell on the earrings Ann brought then. ''This is nice...hm, I don't know if it's my kinda thing though.''
''Yeah, it's kinda hard to imagine you with jewelery and stuff.'' Ryuji admitted.
''Exactly!'' Really, she knew the other girls were used to this kind of thing but it felt odd to her.
''I had a feeling you'd say that, just try them out. I thought this through, soon you probably won't even notice they're there.'' Ann stated.
''It seems like it'd be right up your alley, Futaba.'' The girl looked intrigued as she caught on to Morgana's point. For the earring basically looked like a silver and black UFO, she wondered where Ann found something like that.
''Ooh, how did I miss that? I'm definitely trying it on!''
Ryuji, Makoto and Namine were looking over some of the pictures Yusuke took off the trip. The first raised an eye ''You sure got a bunch of pictures of surfers...what, you like that stuff or something?''
''It seemed like an interesting experience and I imagined it could make a good subject for a painting.''
''Huh, guess it would be...at least you didn't...'' Ryuji faltered, stopping himself in time.
Namine blinked ''Didn't what?''
Makoto had an idea, based on his relieved expression ''...If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he's glad Yusuke never got any pictures about his attempts to surf.''
''How'd you know?!''
She smirked ''I did say that was a guess-thank you for confirming it.''
Ryuji groaned, he'd walked right into that to his friends' amusement. ''Hey, you don't get to make fun! I heard you girls talking about your own screwups in those surfing lessons, Namine!''
''We sure did screw up but I can at least admit it.'' That effectively knocked the wind out of his sail while they laughed.
The group had dinner at the cafe a while afterwards before they decided to retire for the night.
''So looks like you kids had some serious stuff to think about.'' Sojiro stated, drawing the girls' and Morgana's curiosity. ''Sakamoto was talking to one of the customers about the Phantom Thieves...I guess you were rattled with this new investigation too, huh?'' Futaba made an affirmative sound and he nodded in understanding. ''Figures, a bunch of the customers today were like that too. Talking about how they might have the Phantom Thieves all wrong or something...''
''What do you think of that deal, Sojiro?'' The hacker wanted to know.
''Well, I can't say for sure...but after all that went down, it seems a little ridiculous for people's opinions to change on that one incident. It's not like it's been confirmed that they were responsible or anything.''
''We were just talking about that stuff-boy, people can sure change tack real quick, huh? They were all for believing in the Phantom Thieves and then this happens and poof!'' Futaba waved a hand. ''It all changes in a second.''
''That's the public opinion for you.'' Sojiro nodded sagely, looking at Namine. ''...But you'd know what that's like better than all of us here, huh?''
She nodded in return, not surprised that he noticed. This situation really had been far too similar to what happened to her after that night.
Futaba hid a grimace, remembering what the girl told her about the consequences of that night, what Shido and later the people of her hometown did to her. Yeah, it was plenty like that...
''Well, just give it a little time and we'll see what happens. You never know what life may bring.'' Sojiro offered, glancing at Futaba. After all, just over a month ago he never would've thought she'd be doing so well and yet look at her.
''I guess so...'' Namine paused at the sight of the open bag of coffee beans nearby. ''...ah, so was it good?''
''Absolutely.''. The beans had her present to him from the trip and it sure came as a pleasant surprise. ''You know, I can't believe you actually remembered that. I never got around to showing you this stuff anyway and now you picked up quite a brand.''
''Well, I thought the name sounded familiar so I went to check. It wasn't all that different from some of that other stock you showed me. I guess it means the lessons stuck?''
He smirked ''Heh, fair enough.''
''So what's the big deal about those anyway?'' Futaba brought the bag closer to her and almost choked in surprise a second later. ''Wow, that smell can wake up the dead! This stuff actually makes good coffee?''
''Premium brand, actually.'' Her father returned.
''Whoa...''
Shortly afterwards, Namine and Morgana went back to the attic. Sojiro glanced at his charge, deep in thought. Something Futaba picked up on. ''What's up?''
''I was thinking about my last talk with Yuri and Itsuki.'' He admitted. ''They said the kid actually remembered that night now.
''Oh...'' Futaba kicked herself for not even considering that he hadn't known about the situation. ''...we were still thinking that stuff over before. I still find it really annoying that the creep got away with it.''
''Whaddya know, that makes two of us.'' Sojiro concurred, especially when he thought of all that came after the man's petty actions for Namine. ''Well, I'm glad she's actually trying to think this through. I can understand being angry at someone like that...At a point I would've thought she'd be looking for a way to make him pay.''
''Namine's not like that though.''
''Yeah, I know.'' He acknowledged. ''If anything, she's pretty wise for her age. Which can only be a good thing.'' After all, people like him didn't seem to think anything of crushing those unlucky enough to get in their way. Being foolhardy with someone like Shido could just spell nothing but trouble.
Sojiro would hate to see Namine suffer even more after what she already had to deal with. He was thankful she knew better than to just jump on this and even went to ask her grandparents for some advice. They had also talked to him regarding their growing suspicions about Shido, and it was looking more and more like the three of them had been right about the man...
He let out a breath ''Come on, I'll close up. Let's head home.''
Futaba stood ''Okay.''
''You guys really are hesitating too much here.'' Morgana stated.
''You're free to think what you want but so are we.'' Namine knew that someone had better keep an even head here. There was no denying that his persistence was beginning to annoy her though. ''Why exactly are you pushing so hard for this anyway?''
The cat stiffened but quickly looked away ''I said it before, we have to do the right thing. Besides, you remember the poll result? Everyone wants us to target Okumura.''
Namine's expression proved that she didn't buy that for a second but she decided not to press in for now, honestly doubting that she would get anywhere. ''...Well, why should we base our actions on what other people think? Trying to meet their expectations all the time just isn't worth it. We do consider their opinion-especially when it comes to Mementos but I think that should be the end of it. We're not doing this just to please them, you know.''
''I know...'' A part of Morgana knew he could tell them...or even just her. That part persisted, making him wonder if the team would understand why he felt this way. But he just couldn't do it.
''Look, just be patient. I said it before, we need to think things through. We can't just go charging in and hoping for the best. If everyone has their own reservations about this, they need time to work through them. Besides, I'm not sure we know enough about this yet.'' The girl made a mental note to try talking to Haru soon.
He nodded after a moment, making her ask. ''Come on, you were doing just fine hanging with everyone before. Why the sour mood?''
Morgana harrumphed ''It's nothing...''
'Ah, so it doesn't have to do with the fact that Ann has you wrapped around her finger?'
He spluttered at Arsene's words, noticing Namine hold back a laugh ''Oh yeah, there is that...they were talking a bunch before...''
''That's not...'' Morgana groaned a little. ''...oh, just drop it!''
Namine smiled ''Sure, sure...''
On the way to school the next morning, the two ran into Akechi at the subway station. After exchanging friendly greetings, the detective admitted that there was something he thought Namine should know.
''What's that?''
''It's about Suwabe Akio.'' He admitted. ''You know I've been helping with his case and given that you were attacked before it all started I thought to tell you...part of this is conjecture from me but it seems the police found what looked like a destroyed journal and quite a few papers. They were apparently informative but they haven't been able to piece much of them together. The police is almost convinced he was in hiding, he was rather paranoid to the few who remember running into him recently, he even quite a few guns hidden in the apartment. There was one thing they had been able to piece together from the papers-he was apparently thinking of approaching the police for help.''
Namine blinked and Morgana's eyes widened ''Help?'' The first frowned. ''And that paranoia...it couldn't be that bad unless he was...?''
''On the run from someone?'' He finished for her. ''That's what I've come to realize as well. He was never in hiding to avoid the police-it seems. He had reason to believe he would be killed. The detective investigating the case thinks he got in over his head in some way. But there's far too little information to find out what really happened. The manager of the hotel he was staying in accidentally found a bag Suwabe hid at the basement. He remembered Suwabe sneaked over there plenty. It had quite a bit of money but most of what it had was taken. The strange part is they found a Calling Card in the bag.''
That was the last thing they expected.
Namine's were wide ''No way! But that means...''
Akechi wound up proving his worst suspicions accurate ''The police are coming to believe that the Phantom Thieves were behind this as well. If anything, it's likely making them more certain that they were the ones behind what happened to Shujin's principal. A few are even beginning to believe that they had been behind the mental shutdowns all along.''
''This is absurd!'' Morgana muttered darkly.
Namine had to make sure to keep calm and not give herself away ''I...really hope that's wrong. It doesn't make any sense, Akechi-kun. The Phantom Thieves never killed anyone, why would they start now?''
''I've been hoping to understand that too.'' This was a surprise. ''It just doesn't seem right, thinking they were responsible for this. I don't see why they'd kill either of them. This whole situation with Suwabe in particular doesn't make sense...I don't understand how they could've known about him at all.''
He was about to go on but then the station's call sounded, alerting them to the arrival of the trains. ''...ah, seems we've been taking too long.''
''Looks like it. Well, better get going. Thanks for telling me about this.'' Namine returned.
''It's nothing worth gratitude. I just thought it was right to do so.''
The girl paused in her tracks ''Oh, almost forgot! Here.'' Before the boy knew it, she had placed a small object in his palm before hurrying away.
Akechi blinked and looked at the object again, it was a colorful charm with an odd design. As he would find out later, this was effectively a hawaian lucky charm statue.
Morgana sighed as he settled at the desk, speaking up after the bell had just rang ''...That was too close.''
''Yeah...the news really did distract us, huh?'' Namine mused.
''Those people are idiots! Why would we kill our targets? There's no point.''
''You can say that again.'' Ann walked over at the feline's outburst. ''I guess you guys caught onto the news too. Maybe it just proves we really should just slow down here.''
Morgana didn't think so ''It's the opposite, Lady Ann. We ought to prove our innocence to everyone. I know what you guys said but we can't stop here.''
''We're not going to. Things aren't that simple, Morgana.''
''I think so too...something's really wrong here. There's a whole lot of questions and we need answers.'' Namine stated.
The model and feline thief agreed, they were obviously framed here. But why? And who would do this?
The team got together after school, talking over the group chat to Yusuke and Futaba.
Yusuke: I agree with Morgana, blaming the thieves for all of this is absurd.
Ryuji: No kidding, it's all so stupid! Suwabe was in hiding anyway, wasn't he? How can the police even think that he was killed like this?
Makoto: That's just it. Apparently, they did believe the Calling Card could have been a fake at first.
Namine: And then after what happened to the principal...
Makoto: Exactly. When that hidden bag was found, the police restarted the investigation and I guess that was where all of this mess started.
Ryuji: Well, that's just great. Isn't there something we can do about all this?
Futaba: Hard to say, I don't even know where to start...you think Mona could be right and changing Okumura's heart would help?
Ann: How do we know it would? I can't say I like the guy but all we have to go on is the public opinion. That doesn't mean his heart has to be changed.
Namine: Then how about we focus on getting information for now?
Futaba: Sounds good!
Yusuke: Yes, that shouldn't be a problem.
Makoto: Right. Haru left before I could talk to her but I'm not sure that would work much either...we could use the Metaverse to help though.
Ryuji: So should we go to the Palace after all?
Namine: Not right away, we're not exactly prepared yet.
Ryuji: OK, so how about Mementos? I've been meanin' to tell you all, I found this weird request before...
In the end, the group decided to go. Because they could see what made the request stand out to Ryuji. It definitely was strange and from the wording, urgent. Once the team clarified that the target had a Mementos chamber, they were off.
The target was a woman named Matsuoka Hijiri. Unlike many where the request would simply be asking for help, this one first explained how the sender didn't think the target was a bad person. But no matter how they tried to help, they couldn't do much. The sender seemed to be a good friend of the target, looking to help her out of concern.
They had gotten along very well for years but then, the sender had been away for a spell. When he ran into Hijiri again, he knew something was wrong, even though she kept denying it. But it was far from the end of this, Hijiri had really changed. She had become rather belligerent to everyone, snapping at people for even the slightest thing. She was a caring person before but now she seemed intent on pushing everyone away, even closing herself off from the people who tried to help. The sender was especially worried, for even when her new attitude had almost got her arrested, she kept at her bad ways.
The team agreed that something was rather off here. The sender was right, this couldn't go on. Such a change couldn't have been without cause. Thus they were going to not just change the target's heart but to also understand just what was happening here.
A surprise came when they ran into Crow, who was apparently here to clarify his own suspicions about Okumura's connections to the mental shutdowns.
''So how'd you figure that out?'' Panther asked.
''It's not hard if you know where to look. I couldn't help but notice that a few of the people who were involved in those incidents were business men with enough power to match up to Okumura. Kaneshiro Junya admitted to making sure that a mental shutdown would take place on someone who was investigating him.'' Crow stated. ''If he could make that happen I don't see why others wouldn't.''
''That makes sense...we've decided to try finding out the truth about him too.'' The model believed it was only fair to tell him as much. ''All we know for sure is that people want us to target him...but seeing as how they seem all too happy to just see us doing something, it doesn't feel right. That's why we need to know more.''
''Understandable.'' He returned. ''I admit, you've surprised me again. Though it's certainly a relief to hear these words, I would have thought you'd go along with the public's wishes.''
''Well, you were wrong. We have our reasons to be thieves and those don't have anything to do with them. We're not genies for hire, after all.'' Joker remarked.
''Exactly, besides the public opinion is...disappointing to say the least.'' Fox crossed his arms. ''People seem far too content with seeing others simply brought down to heel. As if they just find it all entertaining, but using our powers carelessly would just lead to chaos.''
Queen appeared pensive ''Say, we were talking about those recent incidents. Crow, you've met the black masked criminal, so I thought you might have a better idea...do you think he could stand to gain anything by framing us?''
Crow seemed surprsied by the question but he thought it over ''...I can't be certain but it's possible. He did mention something about a stay in prison once and someone bailing him out. But he basically let that slip and I never had a chance to find out what he meant.''
''That's odd, so maybe there really is more to this than meets the eye...'' Mona trailed off.
''So why did you come today? The decision about Okumura was rather new, wasn't it?'' Crow clarified.
''Well...'' Oracle looked at the others for help.
Joker figured there was no reason not to tell him ''Here's the deal...''
Intrigued by the request and agreeing that it really did seem strange, Crow asked to come along. Most of the group was ambivalent towards him, given that he had made his opinion of them clear on their previous encounter. But the decision was helped by the fact that Crow seemed to be willing to work with them on this; there was also Mona's suggestion of letting him see how their team worked and seeing what he would make of that. Thus, in the end they agreed that letting him come wouldn't hurt.
With the chamber being in a relatively close area, the group only had to deal with little opposition before reaching the gate. Once inside the chamber, it didn't take long to spot Hijiri's shadow and that was when they knew their suspicions had been correct.
Why, you may ask?
Well, for one thing the shadow was on her knees, sobbing.
''...Why?'' They heard her say. ''Why'd this happen? Why me!? It feels so awful...I don't know what to do!...When does this pain go away!?''
''...This is even worse than we thought.'' Skull frowned.
''Yeah, what's going on?'' Oracle wondered.
''I've never seen any Shadow like that one...'' Mona blinked, she appeared almost...broken to him.
''W-who are you?'' The Shadow stared at the group with no small amount of trepidation. ''What do you want from me?''
''We came to help you.'' Panther offeredgently. ''Your friend's really worried-he knows something happened but he doesn't know how to help.''
''H-he can't help me!'' The Shadow cried. ''No one would...no one would understand...I just told them to leave me alone! I...I don't want anyone to know! It would just make everything worse!''
Panther looked startled ''W-what do you mean?''
''You seem to have a lot of anger...and not without reason.'' Fox added carefully. ''But that's all the more concerning, if you keep lashing out like this, you'll do something you really will regret sooner or later.''
''R-regret?! What do you even know about that? It's way too late for me!'' She snarled. ''Just leave me alone! I don't care what any of you say-I'll force you to stay the hell away from me!''
The group tensed as the Shadow's aura seemed to grow intense and Queen's brow furrowed ''...So it's come to this...''
''Hold on.'' Everyone looked at Joker, surprised to see that she was the only one who had yet to even reach for a weapon. In fact, she had done nothing but shield Oracle.
Joker wasn't sure why but she had a feeling that fighting wasn't the way to go about this. Shadow Hijiri's tone conveyed nothing but sadness and pain, she only seemed intent on keep everyone away. She didn't seem to bare them any malice, many of the other shadows they had encountered would have attacked by now. This line of thinking made the girl decide to try a different approach to the situation.
''...We're not going to judge you.'' The girl walked closer, leaving the Shadow surprised. ''Whatever it is-I'm sure something can be done to get rid of your pain. We can help you, if you'd just let us.''
''Didn't you hear me?! I said no one can...!'' The Shadow lashed out, striking her face then.
''Joker!'' Oracle cried when the Shadow stiffened, having not meant to do that.
Joker remained calm though ''...You don't know that, Matsuoka-san. We know what it's like-thinking your life was over and there was no way out. That you're all alone out there and no one would understand how it must feel, being miserable...maybe even feeling too ashamed to ask for help, thinking no one would listen.'' The Shadow seemed stunned as she continued.''Well? Did I get any of that right so far?''
Shadow Matsuoka remained quiet but they could tell that Joker had more or less summed up her feelings accurately. ''...H-how...?''
''A while back, my life was ruined after I tried to do the right thing in a difficult situation. I lost almost a place I thought was home for good.'' Joker offered, simply felt that nothing would get through like honesty. ''We've all had our struggles to overcome...there are some we're still trying to deal with. If we can make it work, so can you. I have this feeling that your friend-the one who sent that request in the first place-he could be your rock. The entire reason he asked us to help is that he cares about you.''
''...This really seems to be working...'' Fox uttered as the Shadow lowered her head.
''Yeah, looks like Joker had the right idea. It seems Matsuoka-san's lashing out more because of fear than anger...she looks really lost.'' Queen observed.
''...I think I see what you're getting at now.'' Shadow Hijiri admitted quietly. ''Everytime...everytime I tell myself I could talk to someone I just...panic. I think I know who put the request that brought you guys here. It's just like him to find a way to help-even by looking outside the box. I just yelled at him before but I know he means well...I've been just been scared of how people would look at me...''
''None of us are going to judge you.'' Joker asserted.
''Yeah, it ain't right.'' Skull offered, while making sure to keep his distance for it looked like the shadow was only taking well to their leader so far. ''Like Joker says, we've all had our own mess to deal with. We know better than to treat you like that. What happened?''
Shadow Hijiri mostly kept her attention on Joker but answered ''...I was fired from my job because of pay cuts. I really thought I'd be in trouble but then I ran into an acquaintance from college. He said he'd help me...''
Something about her tone tipped Mona off ''...That's when it really went south, right?''
She nodded with a pained look ''It...it was all just a set up. His uncle is a big shot at this company so I thought he might have a few connections he could use or something. I heard he was friends with someone who had big connections with Okumura Foods, so I thought it was a lucky break...He just invited me to this party and with some of his friends...Then they took me to this fancy room afterwards. I thought he was just...just flirting at first but before I really knew it, he started...stared touching me. I pushed him back but then one of his friends held me in place and he just laughed about how they were going to have fun...They...they all treated me like some...thing! Some toy for them to fool around with-I kept trying to find help, to get them to stop but no one would listen...one of them just hit me so hard I almost blacked out...and I really wish I did sometimes. That creep Sugimura said something about making me remember my place and Daichi...that traitor-he just agreed and helped them the whole time, while laughing at me. Some of them kept...kept touching me. Then they were all mocking me...it was so awful, so humiliating! I...I just wanted that nightmare to stop!''
Panther felt her eyes water as she listened to the horrible story, she could just tell how much the poor woman endured because of those creeps. It went without saying that they all understood what she wasn't saying, what those people had really done to her. She could even imagine all too well how she felt-this reminded her of dealing with Kamoshida. So cruel...
She could see how Skull appeared incensed, clenching his fists and knew that it was only him trying to consider their target's feelings that kept him from lashing out. Well, that once again proved her words a while ago wrong, he really had changed for the better.
''They all just said...said that no one would believe me...because they have friends in high places and they could ruin my life forever if I talked.'' Shadow Hijiri went on. ''I tried looking for help but it just...it just didn't work. For a while, it looked like the only thing I could do was just bury those feelings with in me. But then before I really knew it...things just kept getting worse and worse...I still felt so angry, so awful all the time...so disgusted with myself...I know I'm pathetic.''
''If anyone should be feeling that disgust, it's them.'' Joker cut in at once. ''What those people did to you is cruel and sickening. They had absolutely no business laying a finger on you, and the guy who got you into that mess is that much worse. You weren't in the wrong here, please just keep that in mind.''
''It doesn't matter who they are out there-the fact that they actually condone even half of what reduced you to this makes them nothing but a cowardly and pathetic bunch of fools.'' Fox added.
''Y-yeah, it's only their fault. Not yours, you shouldn't feel bad. Not even for a second!'' Oracle offered, feeling terrible for the poor woman.
''Even if it may not seem so now, Matsuoka-san, they will answer for their actions.'' Crow stated firmly.
The Shadow looked like she really wanted to believe them ''B-but how...? I...I don't know if I can...''
''You don't have to force yourself, we understand.'' Joker assured. ''Look at it this way, you already made progress today. You wouldn't even talk to us before and now look, you totally came clean.''
''I...I guess I did...can...can I really...?''
Joker had a thought, she had something that could help the woman now. She placed a hand near the shadow and closed her eyes, trying to remember what it was like the first time...
Within moments, a burst of silver light surrounded the girl, soon surrounding the startled Shadow Hijiri as well as the others. Just like last time, they all felt a sense of warmth and serenity wash over them for a moment. It was akin to protective veil that would protect one from harm.
''W-whoa...'' Oracle uttered.
''Hey, this is just like before! So Joker figured it out?'' Skull wondered.
''Looks like it...'' Mona trailed off.
Shadow Hijiri let out a breath ''Wow...that was so warm. It's been long since I felt like this...''
Joker just smiled, relieved that it worked. It was the first time she had been able call that power willingly but it certainly paid off now. Shadow Hijiri surprised everyone by hugging her then.
''...Thank you...thank you so much...''
Her smile widened ''You're very welcome.''
The shadow stepped back a moment later ''Thank you all...I...I'll try to change, to move forward.'' She faded away into motes of light, leaving behind a treasure.
''Whoa...just like that...?'' Mona blinked. This was a first, not one of their confrontations with Shadows went down like this.
Joker herself felt the same but she was mostly glad that her idea. She didn't have time to think it over for she was assaulted with a similar dizzy sensation like the last time she used that power, leaving her to try and steady herself while it passed.
''Yeah, I was sure we'd have to fight when she reacted like that...'' Oracle admitted.
''We might have, if it weren't for Joker.'' Fox pointed out.
''Way to go!'' Panther smiled at the girl. ''You really pulled it off, it's thanks to you that we could reach out to her like that.''
''Yeah, awesome job, Joker!'' Skull grinned.
''You really keep improving, don't you?'' Mona smirked at the girl. ''She wasn't like our usual targets...Matsuoka was just pushed to her breaking point after all what she's been through, she did the only thing she thought she could. She just lashed out after burying all her feelings deep within. Shadows can't hide what the person truly feels.''
Queen nodded ''I'd have hated to fight her, especially after hearing that story. You gave her just what she needed, Joker, that was very well done.''
The girl smiled at them ''I just thought it was worth a shot-but thanks, it's a good thing that worked.''
''When people are pushed through extremes, they act out in ways they normally wouldn't. Just like she did when she wound up getting in trouble...That truly was the best way to handle this situation.'' Crow remarked.
''I'll say!'' Oracle beamed at the girl. ''So what was that silver light about?''
''Ah...about that-we're not sure either...it happened once-I mean twice before.'' Joker corrected herself, recalling with Fox mentioned about her mysterious ability. ''Both times, it just...kind of happened, so I've been thinking it over and trying to see how I could use this power. It failed once so I wasn't sure but I've got a better understanding now.''
''Nice!''
''I still don't know how it fully works, but I want to find out. Maybe it isn't useful in battle but I'm glad it works it works like this.'' Joker finished.
''I hear you.'' The hacker nodded. ''Maybe we could scan it? If Necronomicon gives me that kind of details about shadows, we might be able to figure something out.''
''You know, that could really help-thanks.''
On their way back out of Mementos, Skull paused and looked back at Crow ''Y'know, I get that what our methods may not be the best, Joker made sure we all see that. We're trying to do the best we can. But you saw what's going on all around us, Matsuoka was just one of a lot of people who were dealt a shitty hand in life. She's not a bad person, she just needed a helping hand, someone to really reach out to her. Who's going to stand up for people like her?''
''He's right.'' Panther looked sad. ''I can understand why she couldn't talk to anyone about that nightmare. Those bastards must have made her feel worthless, heck, they probably had so much power that they ruined anything she could've done to make them pay.''
Fox's expression darkened as he thought of Nakanohara ''An old acquaintance of mine also suffered because of a corrupted person with a lot of power. I'm afraid there's plenty of them out there. Many of us know what it's like to deal with such a sort...there are those who can use the law for their own gain, not even caring who they damn in the process.''
As far as he was concerned, people like Madarame and Shido left him believing as much.
Crow couldn't bring himself to argue, especially after what they had just learned. ''...There had to be another way...''
Mona harrumphed ''You think you know so much! What else could we have done? We decided to take action because no one else would...!''
''...as I was trying to say, that might have been my argument at one point.'' Crow went on, silencing the cat. ''But you do seem to understand that and I won't deny that you have done plenty of good, even if the means weren't right. I think that...just maybe you all really were set up.''
''Look at this way, there's two sides to every story.'' Joker offered. ''We don't have to be adversarial, you want the black masked criminal stopped just like we do. Just think about it-maybe you'll come to understand what we're really about.''
''...I suppose so. Well, let's wait and see then.'' He conceded before taking his leave.
''So even if we have a whole bunch of detractors out there, there's still some who believe in us, right?'' Futaba asked.
''I'd say so.'' Makoto nodded. ''We just have to do this the right way, sooner or later, we'll prove ourselves innocent. I keep thinking back to what Matusoka-san mentioned. One of the bastards who hurt her is apparently a high-up figure connected to Okumura Foods.''
Namine thought back on the Shadow's words. There was one thing that bugged her from that encounter. When she looked back, the name Sugimura sounded familiar...only, why?
Well, let's stop here.
I hope it was good. I thought I'd make this chapter longer after the way the previous ones were, I also figured the issues mentioned here needed to be said. It really wouldn't make sense for them to just be okay to target Okumura just on the people's words, especially now that they're friends with Haru. So it brings back another issue to consider, thus their decision to find out more about the situation. Besides if anyone could relate to the situation with her now, it'd be Yusuke. They understand, for the most part, that after this set up, some caution is very much needed.
To clarify, the investigation regarding Suwabe was also started around the time they were preparing for the trip but it was kept on the down-low until the police could find more answers. What happened to Kobayakawa pretty much sealed it for the police. But the public are sort of in two minds, one side still believes in the thieves and another doesn't. I wanted to see what the story would be like if the team really did stop and think about the implications of their actions and the consquences, I thought it could make things more interesting.
Namine hasn't actually met Sugimura yet but she heard about him from Haru. Hijiri's words had her thinking, but she hasn't quite connected the dots yet but yeah, it's him. I plan for them to deal with him soon.
Well, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!
Confidants:
Sakamoto Ryuji (Chariot Rank Max)
Morgana (Magician Rank 5)
Takamaki Ann (Lovers Rank Max)
Takemi Tae (Death Rank 8)
Okumura Haru (Empress Rank 4)
Igor (Aeon Rank 4)
Sakura Sojiro (Hierophant Rank 5)
Mishima Yuuki (Moon Rank 6)
Suzui Shiho (Temperance Rank Max)
Yoshida Toranosuke (Sun Rank 6)
Caroline and Justine (Strength Rank 5)
The Phantom Thieves (Fool Rank 4)
Kitagawa Yusuke (Emperor Rank 6)
Akechi Goro (Justice Rank 3)
Ohya Ichiko (Devil Rank 3
Nijima Makoto (Priestess Rank 3)
Mifune Chihaya (Wheel of Fortune Rank 4)
Sakura Futaba (Hermit Rank 2)
Togo Hifumi (Star Rank 2)