Chapter 5 / To be a Thief
Friday / April 15th, 2016 / Shujin Academy - Courtyard / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
"We can't waste any time," Ryuji was always so quick to jump right to the point. "We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole." I could agree to that kind of motivation.
"We're not beating him up. We're simply stealing his distorted desires," Morgana was standing on the table next to us. We were somewhat sheltered from view but people would only hear cat noises instead. "Can I assume that you've made up your mind about this-about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?"
"...I have," Ryuji was resolute. "Someone almost died because of him. I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore."
"And you?" Morgana asked me.
I unclenched my hand and held it up, showing that I had dug in my fingernails enough to make myself bleed, "I didn't want it to be true. I ran into Suzui just yesterday. And no matter what shit she was dealing with, she asked about me. Asked how I was doing. What the fuck? That girl was being abused, and it's been going on long enough that I can't help but wonder why she would endure it. Maybe because she loves the sport. That she wants a future with it. Even so, this girl, who doesn't even know me, has heard the rumors about me… asked if I was okay. She encouraged me. Then the next day I have to watch her jump off the goddamn roof. You damn right we're going into that palace to steal that fucking desire of his."
I sighed before I started talking again, "To be honest, I wish I could say no. Months ago, I would never agree to something like this. I likely would have been like the members of the volleyball team. Willingly playing ignorant to protect my own ass. Not caring about anyone else. But I lived in a small town out in the country. People aren't like that there. I was the big name star on the baseball team. I was supposed to be the one to put the name of our high school on the map by making the Summer Koshien. The star, fast ball throwing, pitcher. Pfft, what a joke that turned out to be. I thought I was popular and had good friends. Turns out, none of them gave a fuck about me, only about what I could accomplish. When I was falsely charged with assault, it didn't matter what I said. My verdict was rushed through with basically no trial and I had no name for the guy I supposedly assaulted. That man ruined my goddamn life, all because I stopped to help a woman that didn't want to be with his drunken ass. So I came here, determined to forget about it and just finish the year without incident. This is more fucked up in every way possible. I don't care about my life. There are several people here that don't have the courage to protect themselves. I'm already a pariah… so if we can help them, we have to do it. If he dies because of our actions, that's fine, fuck it. I'll turn myself in if he ends up dead. But I'm going to make it abundantly clear for you two. I am only doing this because that man deserves to be punished. Hell, he deserves a fucking lot more than that. I don't have the right to judge others but there isn't anyone else willing to do so," I know I had gotten a bit preachy with this, but this was for clarification. "I don't give two shits about what anyone says. I know what's right in my heart. And as long as I can keep true to that, I will make that son of a bitch pay."
"God, man. I know you told me about that jackass the other day but it still pisses me off to hear it," Ryuji nodded. "Yeah, I get it. You have to be true to yourself. I respect that."
"Thanks, Sakamoto," I said earnestly.
"C'mon man. Just call me Ryuji. We're in this together anyway, right?" Ryuji offered me his hand.
"Yeah, you're right. In that case, call me Tadashi, Ryuji," I said his name after a moment and we shook hands. If anything I believe I made my first real true friend with Ryuji. Certainly better than all the people that so easily abandoned me back in the town that was supposed to be my home. Fuck that place.
"By the way, Morgana. Is gettin' rid of a Palace hard? You've tried it before, right?" Ryuji asked.
"When did I ever say that?" Morgana countered.
"Eh? WHAT!? Were you just pretendin' to know?" Ryuji was definitely surprised.
We were quickly interrupted by a new presence. "Is it true that you're getting expelled?" It was Takamaki Ann. Looks like she was back from the hospital. But Jesus, was Kamoshida already making sure the whole student body knew about it? Makes sense. It was a threat to anyone that would dare to speak out against him. He was sending a clear message...try to go against me and he would deal with you the same way. The bad part being he had the power and influence to do just that. Takamaki's eyes were downcasted but she stepped towards me. "Everyone's talking about it."
"That asshole's at it again..." Ryuji grumbled under his breath. "So you came all this way to tell us that?"
"Hold it, Ryuji," I put my hand up and stepped towards Takamaki. "How's Suzui?"
Takamaki looked at me, "She's stable. She isn't in any danger at least. But she's in a coma."
"Was it medically induced?" I ask. This causes all of them to look at me confused.
"I dunno...she was still conscious during the ride to the hospital," Takamaki was definitely concerned.
"Then it was deliberately induced, you don't need to worry," I said after a moment and sighed in relief about hearing this. Ann didn't seem to understand what this meant. Not surprising, this kind of thing only happened in certain circumstances. "My guess is she likely broke more than a few bones, and possibly cracked her skull. No doubt she hit her head pretty hard. However, it's likely she is in a lot of pain because of the extent of it. It's actually common practice in situations such as that to medically induce a coma so that the patient doesn't have to feel that pain and they are able to heal properly. She'll likely be in and out of surgery for a couple days after they determine all that is wrong with her."
"They didn't tell me any of that stuff," Takamaki was understandably frustrated. "Probably because I'm not family, right?"
"She'll be fine. I'm sure of it," I didn't have any evidence to support it, but if they induced a coma, it was because she was going to heal. You don't do that for someone that had no chance of surviving. Still, even if Suzui was willing to testify against Kamoshida...there was no way I wanted her to be forced to face that. If what Morgana had said before was true. Then it wouldn't be necessary and Kamoshida would confess to all of these things himself.
"Look, Ichihara. If you're going to deal with Kamoshida... let me in on it too," Takamaki said after a moment. She looked more at ease after I had said my piece but this was likely the real reason she was here and talking to us now. I had half a mind to let her too. If anything I would love to give her a chance to give Kamoshida a swift kick to his dick that he would never forget. That Mother Fucker deserved nothing less than the worst that he had done to others...if not more so. "I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!"
Ryuji felt differently about this though, "This has nothing to do with you... Don't butt your head into this..."
"But it does! Shiho's my best friend!" Takamaki replied back.
"I said don't get in our way!" Ryuji snapped back. Takamaki then looked at me, hoping I would vouch for her.
I knew why Ryuji was doing this. This was dangerous, and at least Ryuji and I had the power of Persona at our disposal. Ryuji was right on this one...Takamaki needed to stay out of this. This was the danger we had decided to bear ourselves. I felt Takamaki had a right to it as well, but remembering what we had gone through there...I didn't want to imagine what could happen to her if she was caught by the Shadow Kamoshida. When Takamaki realized I wasn't going to say anything she turned and ran off.
"That was harsh," Morgana hung his head a bit at the scene that had just happened.
"We can't take her somewhere like that," Ryuji said simply.
"As much as I feel like she deserves to be a part of this, I have to agree with you. Putting herself in danger in that world is like a double edge sword," I sighed and scratched the back of my head. "What a fucking mess we've gotten ourselves into."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ryuji sighed.
"I hope that she doesn't do anything too crazy," Morgana said. "Women can be much bolder than men at times."
I turned away from them, "Maybe." I could see Takamaki hadn't really left. She was keeping an eye on us from a window from one of the courtyard entrances. "Sometimes, you just have to pick your battles."
Friday / April 15th, 2016 / Shujin Academy - Front Gates / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
I could mention that Takamaki had been keeping a close eye on us since the courtyard, but my gut instinct told me otherwise. I instead pretended not to notice her at all and moved with Ryuji off of the school grounds and to the alley across from the school's front gate. I leaned up against the wall as Ryuji looked out at students leaving. All of them chose to take routes that led away from us.
"The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you're ready," Morgana spoke to get our attention.
"Huh? Phantom Thieves?" Ryuji was confused by the term.
"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure-that is what we become," Morgana said proudly.
"Historically speaking, you could also say a gentleman thief. As they often have a code that they follow. Such as they avoid using physical force or intimidation to steal, and for the most part never steal for material wealth. As a matter of fact, it's usually just for the challenge...or the gentleman thief is trying to right a wrong. They are pretty popular archetypes in anime and manga. Well, we will be thieves doing this to right a wrong. Though in this case there are a whole lot of wrongs. And we aren't really correcting it… more like we are forcing them to be convicted," I sighed realizing I had probably gone on a tangent for too long. Shit, I am really losing it today.
"That sounds kinda cool," Ryuji grins. "So we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name, and ... castle? Then we end up in bizarro world. How the hell does all this work? Someone make it?"
"I'm not sure it would matter even if we had a way to know that answer," I shrug.
"It's kinda creepy, but eh, it seems useful enough," Ryuji likely just wanted to jump into it. "We'll show that effin' Kamoshida."
"Let's go," Morgana confirms.
I pulled out my phone and brought up the Metaverse Navigation app and we quickly put in the information. Then we entered. It was odd, as the world seemed to shift all around us. But the school was now a castle. How fucked up did life have to be for shit like this to exist in the first place?
"All right! Time to bust on through!" Ryuji was stretching out a bit.
"What is this!?" a familiar voice was behind us. It was Takamaki. She came strolling out to us. I knew she had been following us, but I didn't think she had been close enough to be pulled in. Shit! Was this because I had been aware of her? I mean...I really did think she had a right to be here though.
"T-Takamaki!?" Ryuji was alarmed, as he should be.
"That voice... Sakamoto!? And... are you Ichihara-kun?" She was unsure. Oh right...the moment we crossed over we had changed into those outfits once more. I was in the black trench coat and the mask on my face. Ryuji had the skull mask. This has got to be more than just a little confusing.
"Wh-Wh-Why are you here!?" Ryuji needs to learn to keep himself at least a little more composed than this.
"How should I know!?" Takamaki was way more confused than us. "What's going on? Hey, where are we? Isn't this the school?"
"I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing," Morgana pointed out. That app thing… such technical terminology.
Way to state the obvious. That was how Ryuji and I got pulled in the first time. Didn't seem like the app really distinguished people it pulled in. Well, I'm pretty sure it did somehow but the last thing we need is for Takamaki to freak out seeing Morgana...
"If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull anyone nearby," Morgana was explaining to Ryuji.
"For real?" Ryuji was either amazed or worried about how careless we had entered the Metaverse.
Takamaki had put some things together though, "Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida?"
"Anyways, you gotta leave," Ryuji ignored Takamaki's inquiry.
"NO!" Takamaki knew she was right. She wanted to find out about this place. Wanted to know why we were here.
"The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene," Morgana was quick to remind us.
"No way! It talked!? Oh my god, it's a monster cat...!" Takamaki finally noticed Morgana.
"Monster?" Morgana had to pick that word.
"Really? Of all the times, now is the time you decide not to proclaim you aren't a cat?" I couldn't even fathom Morgana's thought process at this point.
"You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do," Takamaki definitely deserved an explanation at this point. Man...it's my fault she's here, isn't it? Fuck me.
"Looks like we gotta force her. But... how're we supposed to do that?" Ryuji and I still didn't know how this whole thing was supposed to work to begin with. Day one and we're already making mistakes. Good job everyone. Someone already knows your identity and you had only just determined you are going to be a phantom thief. Fucking brilliant.
"Just take her back to where we came in. That's how it worked last time, right?" Morgana suggested.
"O-Oh, yeah," Ryuji looked at me. "Can you lend me a hand?"
I know the concern as to why he wanted to do this. But was it really for the best at this point? Goddammit. Any kind of wisdom or advice would be fucking helpful at this point. "I'm going to feel like a major asshole for doing this," I groaned.
"We can't deal with Kamoshida if we don't!" Ryuji took a step towards Takamaki. I did the same.
"What're you-" Takamaki took a hesitant step back.
"We'll explain after everything's over," Ryuji gave a quick explanation.
The two of us approached her and grabbed her arms, "Takamaki, I'm sorry about this."
"What do you two think you are doing?" she protests as we drag her back...and push her back to where we were before. She disappeared. That ought to be okay. She should be back in the real world.
"She's going to hate me. I don't think she hated me before. But now...she definitely hates me," I slump a bit. I had seen enough angry people in my life as of late. I had hoped that Takamaki would be one I could be a friend to. That possibility was likely no longer Goddamn possible. At least I have Ryuji as a friend. I need to work on my phrasing… It isn't like Ryuji is some sort of damn consolation prize. And a fucking cat that has been trying to get me to steal shit since I first met him. Oh, how far my life has come. This is definitely not what I fucking wanted when I came here.
"We better be careful from now on when we use that app..." Ryuji sighed.
"You should have checked the tools you used. Why do I-the one who was just watching-know more about it than you two!?" Morgana seemed exasperated.
"You're the fucking thief here. We're here for a reason. Stealing is just a means to an end. You're the expert so of course you would figure it out faster than us. Don't be a little shit about it," I said rubbing my head. "Sorry." I quickly apologized. "It's been a long fucking day. So can you keep down the haughty attitude?"
Morgana seemed to be a bit surprised by my initial snappy response. But he must have realized it had gone too far. "Yeah, sorry," he gave a light nod.
"Geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin' off... We gotta deal with this fast," Ryuji said.
"That girl's name is Takamaki Ann, right? Lady Ann," Morgana was saying more to himself. He shook his head. "The Shadows have noticed us. You better brace yourselves, got it? We're counting on you, Joker."
He was looking at me when he said that...why?
"Joker? That a nickname?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow.
"Don't refer to it in such a lame way. It's a code name. What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name? I'm not down for that," Morgana was being kinda defensive about this.
"You do realize that phantom thieves are mostly fiction, right? There aren't many people in the world's history that could fit into that title," I was just so unable to deal with this bullshit.
"Well, there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace. It's just a precaution," Morgana actually gave a believable reason this time.
"Next time, lead off with that instead of just insinuating you want to use it because you think it fucking sounds cool," I groan.
"So, why's he Joker?" Ryuji asked.
"Because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength," Morgana elaborated.
"I can't say I agree with your reasoning but I guess I can stick with Joker," I shrugged.
"Then it's settled then. Next up is you, Ryuji. You'll be... Let's see...Thug," Morgana seems to go for easy jabs when it comes to Ryuji.
"Are you pickin' a fight with me? I'll choose it myself. When it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask. Honestly, I actually kinda like it. What if we named me after this?" Ryuji at least had something that made sense unlike Morgana.
"Fine... Why not 'Skull' then?" Morgana didn't seem as enthused this time.
"Ooh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull. What do we do about this one's code name?" Ryuji looked at me.
"I don't give a shit," I said blankly.
"How 'bout Mona?" Ryuji suggests. I mean, you're just slamming the first two and last two letters of his name together, but he's just a cat in the real world so I don't think it would matter even if we just called him by his full name. What-fucking-ever.
"Well if Joker thinks it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it. Alright, from here on out, we're Joker, Skull and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on," Morgana was insistent.
Things had certainly turned out to be a brilliant stupid ass mess. Am I really about to become a goddamn thief? And fucking dammit...Takamaki had every right to be here as we did and I felt fucking guilty about it. Fuck, I have a bad feeling about this.
Friday / April 15th, 2016 / Kamoshida's Palace / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
"How? How is it even possible?" Morgana was shaking his head in disbelief as we stepped into the safe room. This safe room was supposedly one where the distortion was at its weakest. So apparently there were rooms that the Shadows wouldn't enter. This, of course, had nothing to do with Morgana freaking out. "You have more than one Persona now! You actually convinced a Shadow to join you?"
I sighed and shook my head, "I have what, four now? I don't know, it just made sense." I wasn't sure how to explain it, but it just felt so natural to have more than one. If anything I felt more at ease right now than I had when we had started. I can only imagine that this power was what Igor had talked about in the Velvet Room. As oddly comforting having multiple Personas was...I was still a bit freaked out about it. "Asking me about it is fucking pointless though. I don't know why I can do it… I just can."
"You need to chill Mona," Ryuji added.
"Well, I guess that makes Joker our real powerhouse in a fight. If he can switch Personas that means he can adapt easier to the battlefield," Morgana decided to focus on the benefits of this situation.
"Then again aren't there even more Shadows here than before? We ended up fighting a lot of them just to get here," Ryuji pointed out.
"Fortunately we have managed to take care of them without much difficulty and before other Shadows can come across us. If we have to fight, then we need to do so quickly so we don't make things more difficult for ourselves," I casually leaned against the table in the room. "Let's try and be careful." I guess it was okay as long as we were able to make it further in. And expanding the Persona I had with me could only help us.
"The only reason the Shadows have increased is because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know," Morgana commented. "Still he seems to be awfully on guard."
"Good, even if he knows we are coming, he won't fucking stop us," I say this letting all that anger I had building behind my words. I wasn't about to forget why I was motivated to do this.
"Hell yeah," Ryuji was definitely on board. "Anyways, how're we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?"
"Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route," Morgana was quick to slow down the conversation. "We need to figure out a reliable way to the Treasure's location. But honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice."
Well Palaces weren't conventional places one would steal something from. Usually if you ended up fighting a guard or whatever you had most assuredly failed in your task. However, this was the Metaverse...and it seemed there was a completely different kind of logic in play here. Also I was talking Shadow into joining me as my Persona...and that sure as hell didn't make a normal logical sense and I was the one that was doing it.
"Hey, you say you don't have your memories and all, but somehow you still know about that kinda stuff?" Ryuji was skeptical and looked at me. "Do you think this thing's really got amnesia?"
"No idea. But he obviously needs us and because of that he doesn't really have a reason to lie to us," I tell him my thoughts.
"At least you're a step above that moron," Morgana commented.
"Don't call me a moron!" Ryuji glared at Morgana. "You sure talk big, but what if it turns out you're just some stray cat in the end?"
Morgana's eyes widened at the thought of that possibility, "That can't be..."
"Still, why was the princess in such an odd place?" a voice could be heard outside of the room. I immediately went to the door and pressed my ear against the door.
"Princess?" Ryuji whispered and moved closer to the door next to me.
"I could have sworn we were pursuing the reading of an intruder," a different guard spoke.
"It doesn't matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida," the original guard spoke.
No. Really? Could she have made it back? Son of a bitch we should have just let her come with us.
"I should probably look into this," Morgana edged the door open and slipped out.
Ryuji sighs, "And yet another question goes unanswered. Stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious... but Morgana's got 'em both beat."
"You're right. But try to keep up with the code names. I think his reasoning behind everything so far has been sound though," I reminded him.
"Ah, crap, sorry," Ryuji grabbed his head. "I guess there wouldn't be much point of having these masks if we don't use them. What was I again? Oh yeah, Skull."
"Well we don't know if Mona's warning about using our real names holds any weight but better safe than sorry. Kamoshida already knows who we are though," I shrugged.
"This is bad!" Morgana came charging back into the room.
"That was fast," Ryuji commented.
"Your friend... Lady Ann. She's been taken by Shadows!" Morgana told us what I had feared had happened.
Fuck, why does nothing ever go the way it should? No, things just go from bad, to really bad...to worse. We really should have just taken her with us. I need to learn to just trust my goddamn instincts sometimes.
"Wait, what? We sent her home earlier," Ryuji shook his head.
"If Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible," Morgana said.
"Oh no... Don't tell me it got put on hers just like mine. Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself," Ryuji spoke through gritted teeth.
"Do you blame her?" I looked at him. "She had to watch her best friend attempt to kill herself. And she knows the one responsible. What would you do if someone you considered to be your best friend did that and you know exactly why they did it? You fucking know you'd charge right in without even looking back. We should have just let her come with us."
"Yeah, you're right. C'mon, let's go save her," Ryuji nodded and we quickly left the room.
I'm sorry Takamaki. It has to be hard right now. Don't worry. We'll get you through this. I promise. And I'll apologize to you for not just being upfront with you.
Friday / April 15th, 2016 / Kamoshida's Castle / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
Well...fuck. Could this situation get any better? I mean it could always get worse. The problem was that Takamaki was in danger, and if I was going to say anything, it was our fault. It's possible that after stumbling into the Metaverse, she had the app show up on her phone. The real problem was that I had known she had been following us. I didn't want to stop her, but because of that she likely overheard the keywords for the app and had managed to piece it together enough to make her way back here to the castle. When we enter the room she's tied up to a...X? It wasn't really a cross. Disturbingly as we entered there were several girls...girls that looked way too familiar and laying about. These girls… were objectified… showing how Kamoshida only saw them as objects for his own pleasure.
Takamaki was on the X, but three guards surrounded her. And Kamoshida stood by, gloating with the cognitive version of Takamaki hanging over him. It was fucking disgusting. Was that how he viewed her? This mother fucker is going to get a goddamn beat down.
"Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team?" Ryuji was shocked. It wasn't because this was surprising but because maybe some side of us wanted all of this to be untrue. There was no way any of this could be interpreted from this point on. Kamoshida was absolute fucking trash. And we were going to do something about it, one way or the other.
There was no time to think about it. I moved forward with Ryuji and Morgana and made my presence known. "Takamaki! Don't think you can do what you want, Kamoshida."
"Tch, just when I was about to start enjoying myself," Shadow Kamoshida glared at us.
"What's the deal with this guy?" Takamaki was in a panic.
"You little..." Ryuji was cut off though.
"How many times are you gonna come back? I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah... I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know," Shadow Kamoshida looked at Takamaki. "You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place."
"You bastard!" Takamaki yelled out. I could feel it too. I was so pissed I could barely see straight. This asshole… that mother fucker in real life had used Suzui for his personal pleasure and because Takamaki had refused him. There was no situation here that didn't just piss me off even more.
The guard captain moved closer to Takamaki with a sword.
"No!" Ryuji moved but Kamoshida put his hand out.
"Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot," Shadow Kamoshida warned.
"Dammit!" Ryuji growled in frustration.
"Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show," Shadow Kamosida held a sinister grin.
"No! Don't!" Takamaki shook her head.
"Maybe I'll start with her clothes," Shadow Kamoshida leered.
The cognitive concubine that was in the image of Takamaki giggled, "You're such a perv!'
"Hey, what're we gonna do?" Ryuji asked me.
I spun my knife in the palm of my hand behind my back. I could get off one throw before the enemy could react, but was that the right move in this situation? Maybe the best move… was not to make one at all. Could it happen again? I knew Takamaki was strong. So it was up to her right? If Igor had been the one that gifted Takamaki with the Metaverse Navigator, then it means she was suitable to be here. That was what he indicated to me before… that he would give the app to people close to me that had that strength. She must have the potential as well. It was a long shot, but I think the odds were in my favor this time.
"Takamaki!" Ryuji did about the only thing he could think to do.
"Is this... my punishment for what happened to Shiho?" Takamaki hung her head.
"That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start," Shadow Kamoshida was grinning.
"Shiho... I'm so sorry..." Takamaki was looking at the ground.
"Takamaki! What the fuck are you doing? You raise your goddamn head and face this fucker head on! Are you really going to just sit there while you know what this asshole did to Suzui!" I was yelling at her. I know she had the strength to do this. Come on, Takamaki! Wake the fuck up!
She looked up at me with her eyes wide as she realized what she had just been saying. Her expression changed, "You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me... What was I thinking?"
"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-"
"Shut up!" Takamaki cuts off Shadow Kamoshida's words. "I've had enough of this. You've pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"
"My... It's taken far too long," an ethereal female voice could be heard. Takamaki was now thrashing against her restraints. "Tell me... Who is going to avenge her if you don't? Forgiving him was never the option. Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. I am thou, thou art I. We can finally forge a contract."
Takamaki goes limp for a moment. "I hear you... Carmen." She lifts her head up and a mask appears over her face. This mask was red and had animal-like ears along the top. "You're right. No more holding back!"
"There you go. Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength." The mysterious voice urged Takamaki on.
The restraints on her broke, setting her free and then she grabbed her mask and ripped it off with no hesitation. The pulse of released power sent the Shadows away from her...and Shadow Kamoshida cowering away. Behind Takamaki was a beautiful persona adorned in crimson. Elegant and yet there was clearly power in her presence. And she wasted no time. Takamaki jumped forward and kicked a sword from the hand of a guard, sending it up into the air. She jumped and easily grabbed the hilt of the sword and then came down fast and sliced cleanly through the cognitive version of herself which had Shadow Kamoshida backing up further and a guard standing in front of him to protect him.
"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag," Takamaki glared at Shadow Kamoshida as she tossed the sword aside as it disappeared.
"Bitch...!" Shadow Kamoshida was already shaken enough with this display of power from Takamaki.
"You stole everything from Shiho... You destroyed her... Now it's your turn!" Takamaki pointed straight at Shadow Kamoshida. "I will rob you of everything!"
"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" The Guard Captain and the other Guards then abandoned their forms to their true Shadow forms. We stood behind Takamaki to back her up.
"No, I've had enough of you," Takamaki glared back. "No one's gonna stop me now!"
"We're here with you, Takamaki. Give it all you got," I called out to her. She looked at me for a moment. "You aren't alone in this."
She nodded and turned back to the Shadows. "Let's go Carmen!"
I guess I had made the right call. I knew that Takamaki wasn't one to let someone walk all over her. Sometimes though, you need a little push to get you back in the right direction. I had faith that Suzui Shiho could make a recovery. But she would never forgive herself if her best friend lost her way because of what happened. Kamoshida would pay for the crimes he committed. To the women he sexually abused...to the players he beat. To everyone that suffered in so many different ways because of the selfish desires of one man.
Takamaki wasted no time and hit the Shadow with a blast of fire. It was more than effective. The Shadow hit the ground.
"Keep up the pressure!" I called out and switched my Persona to Jack O'Lantern and hit him again with fire. Ryuji jumped in right after my own attack and hit the Shadow hard with the lead pipe he was using as a weapon. Morgana went in with his sword as well. "Takamaki, again!"
"You got it!" Takamaki spun around as she pulled off her mask and Carmen appeared. "Agi!"
The Shadow had no recovery time. No point in letting it get that time.
"Now! Everyone!" I said as I rushed in towards the Shadow and brandished my knife. I slipped forward, cutting beneath the Shadows midsection. Ryuji jumped and bashed the Shadow's head with the pipe. Morgana slashed right through one of its arms. Then Takamaki pulled out a whip. I'm not sure how… but it seemed all of our outfits came with a weapon when we used them. My knife, Ryuji's pipe, Morgana's sword… and now Takamaki's whip. Either way she expertly hit him a few times before she suddenly constricted his movements.
"Ichihara-kun!" She called out to me.
"I'm on it!" I spun the knife in my hand as I jumped over him. The Shadow looked right at me.
"But how?" it asked.
"Figure it out, yourself," I threw the knife and expertly planted it right between the Shadow's eyes. It fell to the ground but then it was suddenly cloaked in fire again and it screamed out in pain.
"Whoopsie," Takamaki actually let out a giggle as the Shadow disappeared into nothing. Then she sent a stare that would send shivers down anyone's spine.
"Oh shit...!" Shadow Kamoshida stumbled back. And then he turned and made a mad dash for the exit.
"Wait!" Takamaki took a step but faltered. I was at her side in an instant and took her arm to keep her up.
"Stop, that's enough for now," I said calmly and as soothingly as I can manage.
"Why'd you come here, man? And more importantly, how?" Ryuji asked.
"Relax, Skull. She just needs a moment okay?" I didn't want Ryuji to get ahead of the situation.
"Are you alright, Lady Ann?" Morgana asked her.
"Lady Ann...?" She gave me a questioning look.
I just shrugged, "I don't know he's been calling you that since he learned your name."
"Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk? And where in the world are we?" She definitely had a lot of questions. Not surprising at all.
"Just calm down. Everything's going to be okay; don't worry," Morgana said.
"You aren't helping," I said as Takamaki put her right hand up to her head. "Deep breaths okay? I'll explain everything to you, so don't rush."
"What is with this outfit? I never changed into this!" Takamaki was continually making it worse for herself.
"Takamaki! Stop! Deep breath!" I instead took a forceful approach.
Thankfully she listened to me and took a deep breath. And then another, and another.
"For now, let's get out of here. Sorry, Skull, we're going to pull out," I said after a moment. "Take her other arm. C'mon, Takamaki. We're going to get out of here and then we'll explain everything."
"You better," Takamaki muttered as Skull took her other arm and we started to lead her towards the exit.
We didn't really get very far into the castle but now Takamaki had a Persona. This felt right. Right here, charging into the castle with us to take down Kamoshida. This was the place Takamaki deserved to be. And I know she'll be a force to be reckoned with. Kamoshida didn't have a fucking chance. One way or another, that goddamn son of a bitch was going to pay for everything fucking thing he had ever done.
Friday / April 15th, 2016 / Shujin Academy - Front Gate / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
Returning back to the real world, the four of us were in the alley across from the front gate of the school. Takamaki leaned up against the wall and took a deep breath.
"From what we know, awakening to Persona causes an initial physical exhaustion. Probably because your body has to acclimate to the new… power," I shrugged unsure of how else to explain it. "Morgana knows the most but we're still trying to figure it out ourselves."
She looked at me and smiled, "...Mm, thanks."
"Looks like we made it back-hey, are you okay?" Ryuji followed up.
Taking another breath she nodded, "I guess. I'm still confused about all of this. And whatever happened in that… place."
"You may be safe now, but a lot sure did happen back there. At any rate, we stand out too much here. Let's relocate to a safer spot," Morgana suggested.
"Let's just head to the station then. Noisier and less chance of people listening in," I said looking at Takamaki. "Need some help?"
"I should be fine, just stand close to me in case I get dizzy," she smiled.
"I'll go grab us some drinks, meet you there," Ryuji said running off.
Morgana jumped into my bag before I slung it over my shoulders and then Takamaki and I started making our way towards the station.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," I glanced at her as we walked, making note that she seemed to be moving just fine as we walked.
"Yeah, but no idea where to start," she admitted. "I can imagine that is why you were really late that first day to school. And how you met Ryuji-kun."
"Nailed it in one," I chuckled.
"I'm interested to know how you guys found that place to begin with," Takamaki added with a sigh.
"I have no problems telling you all about it," I offered as the two of us entered the station and then found a vacant spot near a while between a phone and a set of chairs. The noise of chatter and the subway line forced us to speak up a bit more, but that was why I had thought of coming here to begin with.
Ryuji arrived only a few moments later carrying a couple drinks, he looked to Takamaki first, "Which one you want?"
"Whichever's not carbonated," Takamaki said.
"Uh, they're both actually," Ryuji's eyebrows furrowed for a moment.
"Then…" she grabbed the brown soda… and shrugged.
"Here ya go," Ryuji handed me the other.
"Thanks," I took it. Lemon soda? Don't think I've had something like it before.
Morgana popped up his front paws on my shoulder, "What about me?"
"Huh? But you're a cat," Ryuji eyed him.
"I'm not so sure a carbonated beverage would be a good idea for you Morgana," I commented.
"What? I'm not a cat," Morgana quickly replied.
"Either way, I'm not fucking going to hold a bottle for you, just so you can get a drink while in public," I shook my head.
"Then get me something after this," he pleaded.
"Fine," I sighed.
Takamaki giggled at our interaction.
"Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?" Morgana asked.
"I feel like I should be freaking out talking to a cat. But I'm too exhausted for that. Oh but you aren't a cat," she was trying to wrap her mind around it.
"It's only natural that you're confused. Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much," Morgana said.
"Honestly, I still can't believe what happened," she sighed.
"Yeah, I feel you there. It's been a roller coaster since day one of stepping in Tokyo," I pushed up my glasses.
"That power… my Persona," Takamaki looked up at me. "That was all mine, huh?"
I nodded, "Yeah, I had no doubts you'd awaken to it."
"Did you?" Morgana asked.
"If there is anyone that has the motivation to punish Kamoshida, it's Takamaki and Sakamoto. You both have personal reasons for going after him," I elaborated.
"Yeah, but so do you. He was targeting you before you even showed up, just to make sure you'd be isolated," Morgana pointed out.
"Yeah, spreading my criminal record and such was definitely there to set me up. Probably saw me as a potential threat. If I had an assault charge he was probably concerned I might not hesitate to do it again. So he tried to stack the deck against me, just in case," I shrugged. I understood the logic and reasoning behind it. But also that actions like that were of someone that was concerned of a new presence disrupting the status quo. "That doesn't really matter. What does is that Takamaki awakened to it and now has her own will of rebellion. She could help us take down the castle."
"What do you mean?" Takamaki asked.
"Well, with the members of the volleyball club refusing to talk and no way to make the cops take action, this is all we can do. If we steal his treasure, we can make him confess to all the shit he's done," Ryuji tried to explain.
"Really?" Takamaki was understandably skeptical.
"In theory," I spoke up. "The place we were at is called a palace, and at this point we've more or less confirmed what Morgana has told us so far. It is shaped by the desires of the owner of the palace. You remember what it said, right?"
"That perverted dressed Kamoshida? Yeah, he said it was his castle and…" Takamaki stopped. "So that version of me next to him was how he saw me. Some arm candy that praises him."
"That's right, it's a cognitive world. So how he sees and thinks of the world and people in it is how they will appear there," Morgana confirmed.
"The treasure, as Sakamoto mentioned, is a manifestation of his distorted desires, and the reason that place exists in the first place. Morgana described that removing it would make him unable to face the things he had done and make him confess," I summarized.
"That's right," Morgana nodded.
"There is a catch though. As we've never done it before, even Morgana can't be confident in the results. There is a possibility that when we do it, he'll have a mental shutdown, and die," I told her.
"After what he did to Shiho, I could care less what ends up happening to that asshole. But still," Takamaki said. "He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her… I'll never forgive him."
I don't blame her. I expected this exact reaction. I wouldn't even be surprised if she just wanted him dead. No use thinking about it too much, "Let's call it a day, we can talk about it in more detail."
"I guess that means we're welcoming her to the team," Ryuji scratched the back of his head.
I raised an eyebrow, "Are you against it?"
"Don't act like I'm going to drag you down. Weren't you watching? I can fight too," She glared at him.
"Plus the only one with more experience in this is Morgana. And if she is determined to bring down Kamoshida, then she deserves to be there," I said. "Besides, she can go into that place with the app anyway, so how are you going to stop her?"
"That's true. Rgh, fine…" Ryuji sighed. Was he just being protective of her? Makes sense, he'd known her since middle school.
"Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along. I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake. But for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him. I'll do whatever it takes," Takamaki looked at me.
I blinked as I felt something I had only felt a couple times before this point. This was another confidant that Igor and the Warden twins had talked to me before. Which means I had one with Ryuji, Takamaki and even Igor. This power… it concerned me a lot. I shook it off.
"Just let me know when you're heading back in… Oh wait. We don't have each other's info. Hey, give me your number and chat ID. And, um," Takamaki pulled out her phone and the three of us made sure we had each other's numbers. She looked up at me, "I'll be counting on you, then. Same goes for you, Morgana."
"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann," Morgana said. Then with a slight wave, Takamaki walked away. "What a kind girl… Such admirable consideration for others… And the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal… She cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot… What a girl. She's captured my heart."
"Dude," Ryuji shook his head. "You know, it'd be better if this group could get together quickly from now on…"
"True. Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things," Morgana suggested.
"A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that," Ryuji smiled.
"The school rooftop would work. It seems like nobody goes up there. For the time being, that will make the perfect hideout. I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world," he declared. "That being said, I'll need someone to take care of me."
I knew where this was fucking going.
"I'm personally nominating you, Tadashi. You should feel honored," Morgana said.
Of fucking course.
"This's all you. There's no way I can at my place," Ryuji added. "Well, we now have our hideout, so let's meet there tomorrow!" He ran.
Coward.
"I don't mind you staying with me, Morgana. But as far as everyone else is concerned you're just a cat," I told him.
"Yeah, I get it," Morgana assured me.
I sighed as I started walking towards the subway, "Just what is even going on in my life anymore?"
As I got into the train and managed to get a spot to stand near the door, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and opened the screen to see a message from Takamaki.
Takamaki: Thanks for everything today.
Takamaki: You saved me, and I didn't even thank you properly.
Tadashi: Don't worry about it.
Takamaki: I can't.
Takamaki: Anyway, I wanted to let you know.
Takamaki: See you tomorrow.
Tadashi: Yeah, make sure to get some rest.
Takamaki: I will.
I put the phone back in my pocket as I looked out the window as the subway train traveled. One day at a time, right? I wonder what my Grandfather would have said about this whole mess. Would he have agreed with the things I've done? Was making friends and trying to do what's right here the best option? My Persona, Arsène, had made it clear to stick with my convictions. And because of that I had the power to oppose this sick situation.
But my heart couldn't forget the dreams I had lost before coming to Tokyo. That's why I wanted to bring down Kamoshida now. Because he was taking away people's futures to satisfy himself. And I'll be damned if someone is going to do to other people what had already happened to me.
Saturday / April 16th, 2016 / Shujin Academy - Rooftop / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
"That's about the gist of it," I finished up a brief summary as to everything that had happened up to this point. I was standing against one of the HVAC units, the school's air conditioning, as we talked. Takamaki sat on top of one of the discarded desks that was up here, and Ryuji on a chair nearby. Morgana was also sitting on a desk closer to where I was. "Like what I mentioned yesterday, supposedly, stealing this Treasure in Kamoshida's castle will make him confess to his crimes. Either way, it isn't like we have much of a choice."
"The other teachers and adults are turnin' a blind eye to the situation. And no one's gonna believe us if we went to someone. So really this is our only option," Ryuji commented.
"We'll want to be fully prepared. If we can get some better equipment that would be ideal. Tadashi and I are going to work on getting some medication supplies," Morgana spoke up.
I raise an eyebrow, "Are we now? Do you want to maybe explain this all to me before you announce your plans? You're lucky the Boss was okay with me having you at Cafe Leblanc."
"This is necessary for our success, Tadashi," Morgana insisted.
"Then can we maybe discuss this and come to a consensus...you know...like a fucking team," I let out a sigh.
"Right, sorry. I will admit I am just anxious. But I want us to be fully prepared," Morgana apologized.
"I got a line for weapons. Possibly. It's a chill place. If you want, we can meet up and head there tomorrow," Ryuji suggested.
"I won't be able to tomorrow," Takamaki said after a moment.
"Oh? What's up?" Ryuji asks.
"I'm going to be visiting Shiho," Takamaki explains.
"Ah, okay. In that case we'll make sure to grab stuff for you too," Ryuji doesn't skip a beat. And our understanding of it makes Takamaki smile slightly.
"Let's not rush this. We only have one shot at this. We have until May 2nd. We can't afford to make mistakes," I say after a moment.
"Yeah, as long as we're making progress let's try to keep things relatively normal," Takamaki says and gets to her feet. "Is that it for today then?"
I nodded, "Yeah, we'll meet again once we are more prepared. Then we'll infiltrate the castle and go as far as we can."
"Sweet deal. I'm gonna head home then. Oh right. I'll text you later with where to meet up in the mornin'." Ryuji got to his feet and left the roof.
It left it with just Morgana, Takamaki and I together.
"Say, Ichihara... I wanted to thank you for your help," Takamaki said after a moment.
"Me? I didn't do much of anything. In the end it was your power that was able to rise to meet the challenge. Nobody else," I could only assume she was talking about what happened then. But from the looks of it, she might not be referring to that.
"Morgana, could I ask you to give us a moment alone?" Takamaki asks suddenly, which causes me to raise an eyebrow. I guess we had spoken alone before so maybe she was just more comfortable with me overall?
"If that's what you want, Lady Ann," Morgana hopped off the table. "I'll just go for a walk. Just don't leave without me, alright?" He looked at me. I'm confident that he wanted to be here as well.
"Yeah, sure, sure," I said before Morgana strolled off. I looked to her when we were finally alone, "Something wrong?" I was somewhat conscious of this fact. Takamaki was one of the best looking girls in our class. Any normal guy would want this kind of situation but my thoughts were focused on what she wanted to talk about.
"Everything is wrong," Takamaki spoke somewhat softly. "What Kamoshida did to Shiho, is unforgivable. When I start to think about it...I just can't concentrate."
"I don't blame you. If he really touched her… if he fucking drove her to feel so bad that she wanted to end her life... Or the fact that he was using you, and likely put his hands on you at one point. Armed with that kind of knowledge I'm not sure I could hold back against him. Then again, what good would that do? Suzui would still be in the hospital and I would be in a jail cell. And at worst Kamoshida would just walk away with an injury and just more fuel to scare students about crossing him. More people would become victims. It would just become a vicious cycle of pain and anguish. And believe me, I want to fucking deck the guy. And then beat the shit out of him until there is nothing but an unrecognizable pile of meat," I let the words come out so easily. I was just so angry at the mere thought of that asshole touching anyone. To me, there was no greater sin that someone could do to another, than take away their ability to choose.
Takamaki giggled, and the sound made me look up at her and found a smile on her face. "You see, it's this. This is the reason I had to thank you. I think Sakamoto already told you. But he, Shiho and I used to be in the same class back in middle school. He's the same he's always been, quick to anger and wears his emotions on his sleeves. Honestly, he's hard for me to handle sometimes. But you… you're different. You're quiet in class, you're respectful to everyone, and smart. People have this image of you being such a bad person, and they are so willing to believe it that they don't even see how you really act. Yet you don't care what they say, you just… keep being you."
"I'm not sure this explains why you had to thank me," I raise an eyebrow in response..
"I was getting to it," she laughs a bit before going to her explanation. "You don't ignore when something wrong is happening in front of you. That's why you chased after me a couple days ago. You actually wanted to help me. You could have ignored me, could have just shrugged it off. A part of me just wanted to write that off because you just think I'm hot and trying to give a good impression. But that's not it, is it?"
"You are attractive, Takamaki. Let's not split hairs on that front," I shook my head, I wasn't going to deny that I had thought of it a few times. But she was right, it wasn't why I had gone after her. I looked away from her and then up into the sky. "My Grandfather once told me that life isn't about success or accomplishment. It isn't even about helping people. He said it was about being selfish." I laughed. "Of course, I had to ask him what he meant by that. My Grandfather was someone who willingly volunteered for things, helped out a lot of people and did things that made him look like a really selfless individual. You could look at all the things he's done and wonder how if anything he did was selfish at all. But he told me, you can't spend your fucking time looking for approval from the world. Your parents, your friends or even your lover. All you can do is be selfish. And every night you go to bed you should be able to look in a mirror and be proud of all the decisions you've made. No matter what anyone else says… at the end of the day the only opinion you should care about is your own. So as long as you do everything you believe to be right, then there is no reason to be ashamed of fucking anything. Funny, it wasn't until after both my Grandparents passed away that I finally figured out what he meant by all of that."
Takamaki smiled and considered my words before she spoke again, "You know, Shiho was worried about you. Worried that the rumors would get to you."
"I know, she told me," I said with a smile. "I got to talk to her. The same day we went to the diner."
"Looks like she didn't need to worry," Takamaki seemed to relax a bit more after a moment. "All of this is kinda unbelievable."
"We will make this right, Takamaki," I promised her.
"Please, call me Ann. And again Thank You. If it wasn't for you, I might have allowed myself to just stand by and do nothing. And you're right. We'll do this together. We'll make Kamoshida confess to everything, one way or another. Alright, Tadashi-kun?" Ann then offered me her hand.
"Yeah, we will. Ann-san," I took her hand. I wonder why I had decided to tell her about that part of myself? My Grandparents were the best thing in my family. Now I only had a Mother and Father that barely talked to each other… much less me. Well, forget about that shit. We had a goal in mind. And we better goddamn achieve it… or I will just be spending the rest of my fucking life in juvenile hall. I wouldn't really regret it if it came to that, all things considered. Still...Ann and Ryuji were my friends, right? Could I really trust them? I guess only time would tell. To be able to trust someone again… That would make all of this bullshit actually worth it.
A/N:
As much as Tadashi wishes he could turn his back on the situation, he isn't that kind of person. With Ann joining, and the things that have happened, he has at least committed himself to seeing the situation with Kamoshida being dealt with.
Ann is one of my favorite characters, although I do feel she is often over sexualized in different places in the game. Morgana fawning over her can be a little irritating at certain points in the game. Especially at the beginning of the game where she is dealing with sexual harassment as are a lot of the girls that she interacts with. And then with what happens to Shiho on top of all of that, it can definitely feel like at times it can be a bit tone deaf.
Still the ordeal with Kamoshida and these kinds of issues are the things that the Persona series shouldn't shy away from and should really delve deep into the effects it has on people. I do think the game does handle it marginally well but also doesn't go too much into detail. Obviously there is age ratings and things of that nature to consider. But its the human and society problems that are the core of Persona. A lot of Persona 5 is looking at the world in a socioeconomic way. How does the public react to scandals like this? What does society side with? The main crux of how the game is presented is by constantly reminding the player of public opinion on the Phantom Thieves. It does it with the use of the Phantom Thief website and the use of TV news channel. As well as the characters themselves tracking news and internet trends. I also think that in service to that kind of story they miss a lot of the human element.
Is what Ann experiences with Kamoshida something she would easily be able to not just confront but move past? Would she continue to feel comfortable working part time as a model? And what about her relationship with Shiho? How responsible would she feel for Shiho's suicide attempt? Once that anger with Kamoshida is gone, what does she really feel for what her friend went through?
It isn't easy to convey that kind of internal struggle. Anyway, I've rambled on enough. I hope that my own representation and changes to these scenes can provide a glimpse into those kinds of difficulties. In a way that is respectful to my own friend who went through some difficult and similar circumstances.
Hope you enjoy the latest chapter here and will see you next month.