Sorry for the long wait.
There's a kind of subtle clue here for the endgame if you squint.
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Akihiko probably shouldn't have been on this case, and both he and Kurosawa knew it. He was too close to the suspect. He WAS a suspect! Yet he'd gladly send his own ass to jail if it would ease some of the pressure on Mitsuru.
Kurosawa said nothing, knowing that it was a lost cause. They made yet another trip to Inaba with its stick-in-the-mud police force and then Akihiko excused himself to see if he could find Naoto. Another Persona-user with access to case files would come in handy. Asking the ape at the front desk was out of the question, so he just wandered through town. Junes seemed like the obvious place to find anyone you were looking for, and before he realized it, Akihiko had arrived at its front doors. He couldn't say he was surprised to see Mitsuru getting a migraine and an oblivious Aigis standing there.
Mitsuru looked tired. She usually did a pretty good job of hiding how stressed she was from most people, but it was starting to take its toll. Not for the first time did Akihiko wish he knew anything about business so he could take some of her workload off her shoulders. But Mitsuru always took everything on by herself. The few times she'd spoken with him this past week, she seemed distant and preoccupied. Hopefully Kikuno was making sure she ate and slept.
Akihiko showed off his stellar conversational skills again. "Hey."
Aigis was having a robot day. "Akihiko-san. We, too, have arrived in Inaba."
In lieu of something vulgar like no shit, Mitsuru removed her hand from her face and played dumb with the air of a children's TV host. "Why, so we have! Did you know that, Akihiko?" There was a vein visibly throbbing on the side of her head. That must've been a long car ride.
It was still funny. "Imagine that!"
"But Mitsuru-san, it is nearly 4 pm. You are going to be late for your appointment at Mount Fuji."
Mitsuru looked confused for a moment, and then understanding made its way across her face...followed by exasperation. "Aigis," she said slowly, as if speaking to a child, "why don't you go and make sure someone hasn't hijacked my underwear again?"
Aigis failed to pick up on this. "Understood!" She marched off happily.
"The hell?" Akihiko blurted out.
"Don't. Ask." Mitsuru replied through clenched teeth. She had a death grip on her phone as she stabbed it with a fingernail. "Where on Earth is Shirogane?"
"Well, she's not at the precinct, I was just there." A horrible thought occurred to Akihiko. If Mitsuru had been talking to Naoto, and she was sleep-deprived and in a sour mood... "So, uh, I guess you've probably heard-" He didn't get very far before the sound of a helicopter drowned him out.
Goddammit, can't they just take a car?
Mitsuru squinted as if her eyes hurt. Should I start a sigh count for today? Then – predictably – she sighed. She'd been sighing more these past few months than she'd ever had since he'd met her. Was it weird that he noticed? "I told her to take the car. Inaba already considers me a grandstanding eccentric as it is." She met Akihiko's eyes directly for the first time that day. "What were you about to say earlier-"
The helicopter circled back around, because it wasn't nearly annoying enough the first time. It looked like Kikuno couldn't find a place to land and just decided to airdrop Operatives on their heads. They descended with Yukari and Junpei yelling at each other in typical fashion and Labrys supporting a dizzy-looking, green Fuuka.
"I don't know why I even told you in the first place," Yukari was saying, "You probably don't even remember your own birthday!"
"Course I do! It's..." Seriously, Junpei? "It's...not important right now, Yuka-tan, we're on a mission!" Junpei struck his ridiculous pose again. "Fear not, Mitsuru-senpai, the Shadow Operatives' lethal weapon came prepared to kick ass, unlike some other people I won't name! Ahem! So...what are we doin'?"
"Shirogane has contacted me regarding new information about last month's incident." Mitsuru put on her business voice, and everyone snapped to attention.
"Is it Sho-kun?" Labrys was quick to ask. "I've been lookin' everywhere for him! He ain't been back to his house in weeks..."
There she goes again! Where does a robot get off hassling Akihiko for always thinking about Mitsuru when she keeps thinking about a psychopathic punk ass guy? Minazuki didn't give a shit for Labrys or any of them! What was the deal with Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons fixating on someone? Aigis and Makoto, that he could sort of understand, but Minazuki didn't have Death cohabiting his body...
...did he?
The conversation had continued without him, and everyone began heading to the elevators (though Fuuka paled at the words "food court" for some reason). Akihiko would have been the last to leave if not for an unusually contemplative teen staring at the ground instead of the dog trying to get his attention.
"Hey, Ken, didn't see you there!" Ken's head snapped up at Akihiko's words, and the guilty, haunted look on his face made him look even older than he already did. "You all right?"
"Oh...Sanada-san. I, uh...yeah, sure."
Koromaru was herding them forward, so they hurried to catch up to the rest of the Operatives. He may not have been able to speak, but the looks he kept giving Akihiko let him know that something was up with their youngest member.
Well, if it's girls, I sure as hell can't help you. Mitsuru occupied a good 80% of his brain, yet she had no idea because she'd been asleep when he finally told her. They hadn't spent any time together since then, so he couldn't try to let her know how he felt. He didn't even know how she felt, come to think of it. She'd been happy to have him around when she was out of it, but once she was back on her own two feet again, she walked away from him. Should he even bother?
The elevator was just big enough to stuff everyone in, and Akihiko ended up near Mitsuru for the entirety of the ride. He watched her eye his chest before turning away with flushed cheeks, and could not stop himself from grinning. As soon as they got this Tsukuda shit over with, he was going to tell her.
She really didn't need this today.
Akihiko had shown up so unexpectedly that Mitsuru hadn't even had the chance to message him. She supposed it made sense; if he was working with Kurosawa once again, then chances were he had the same information that Shirogane was supposed to be supplying her with. One look at his eyes told her it wasn't going to be good news. But he hadn't been able to tell her, either, because Kikuno enjoyed dramatic entrances. She'd neglected to care that Mitsuru needed time to prepare herself before addressing her Operatives. Appearing to speak extemporaneously was a carefully crafted act.
What was making matters worse was that she was currently jammed into an elevator dangerously close to Akihiko, and it was making her mind go fuzzy. How long had it been since they'd been close enough to touch? Thankfully, he was wearing a shirt...but he'd rolled up the sleeves. His hair was tousled, as if he'd been running his hands through it in frustration. He had to tell her something upsetting, and he'd do anything to avoid it.
Mitsuru just hoped she could tear her eyes away from his chest long enough to pay attention to whatever it was he had to say.
Several Investigation Team members were waiting for them in the Junes food court, but Shirogane wasn't one of them. She had apparently been detained for quite some time, judging by Tatsumi's angry posture. Quiet, quirky Amagi and gregarious Satonaka sat opposite him with several of those grins Iori usually wore when he was terrorizing Yukari – which meant they were likely ribbing him about Shirogane. How this young man came from such a kind but cunning mother, she'd never know. Narukami had returned to Tokyo, and Kujikawa was no doubt working, so that left...
"They're here!" a voice cried out, "Yuka-chan, Fuu-chan, Labby-chan, Akky and MITCHAAAN!"
Teddie came barreling across the food court as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him. But he wasn't looking where he was going, and he tripped over a soda can, taking flight like an untied balloon let go too early. Everything happened so fast that they could only watch in horror as he careened through the air...right towards Akihiko and Mitsuru.
SLAM!
She didn't know if she was seeing stars or Teddie's sparkles. The gum-covered, cigarette-littered ground came up to meet them as Teddie toppled them over like dominoes. Mitsuru was fortunate – Kikuno's coat saved her from serious injury – but unlucky Akihiko had landed face-first in Mitsuru's cleavage.
"SHIT!" his muffled voice came from between her breasts, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" He picked his head up and the primal fear in his eyes was evident. "Please don't kill me!"
Mitsuru was dizzy for more than one reason. Akihiko was on top of her...and he was just as warm and muscular as she'd remembered from those tumultuous nights together. He was so afraid that she could feel him breathing, and it was not helping her in the slightest. Thank god he had worn a shirt! All she could do was stare at him and remember how attentive he had been...how safe he had made her feel. He still smells wonderful... Akihiko, too, looked as if he had remembered being in this position before.
"What the hell, Teddie! That is not how you greet people!" It sounded as if Hanamura was just a second too late to stop the Shadow as he inadvertently caused the both of them a flashback.
"Senpai, are you all right?" Yukari's voice came from her left, reminding Mitsuru that she'd been gaping like an idiot for at least three straight minutes.
She shook the memory from her head and groaned. "I've always known that you were hard-headed, Akihiko," she said, "You did not have to prove it."
Akihiko was not amused. "You think you've got problems?"
"GROUP HUG!" giggled Teddie as he remained on top of Akihiko, which could not have been comfortable OR comforting.
"Why does this keep happening?" lamented Mitsuru.
"At least we're dressed this time?" Akihiko murmured to her.
Mitsuru immediately turned bright red, even older memories resurfacing. She was making quite the habit of finding herself in compromising positions with Akihiko. "A Shadow was to blame then, as well."
Teddie had unfortunately noticed her discomfort. "Are you being squished, Mitchan? Akky was lucky to have such a soft, bouncy landing!" His eyes narrowed, and he began making grabbing motions with his paws. "You should always get your airbags checked after a crash! Allow me!"
Akihiko immediately brought his arms up to shield her from Teddie's groping. "NO!" This had the unintended effect of making everyone around them laugh.
"I think Akihiko-san's taking that job for himself!" Iori quipped. Now Akihiko had gone a brilliant shade of red to match.
It wasn't unusual to suddenly be picturing that in her head, was it? As embarrassing as it was, Mitsuru had to admit that she'd wondered, during their evenings together, what it would feel like if Akihiko put his hands somewhere else.
The pile of people shifted, and...she wasn't the only one imagining it. "Akihiko?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?"
Mitsuru inhaled shakily and tried to choose her words carefully. "Tell me that's your Evoker."
The food court exploded in hysterical laughter. "OH MY GOD!" Yukari shrieked.
"DUDE!" echoed Hanamura.
"Well, you lay on a girl, it's gonna 'evoke' something!" joked Iori.
"Oh, yeah, real mature, ya little perverts!" Labrys had embraced her Student Council President persona.
"Do guys ever grow up, or do they just get bigger?" Satonaka complained, seemingly missing her gaffe. Amagi didn't, however, and she snorted like a bull before dissolving into giggles. This had the added effect of turning Satonaka red as she pulled her jacket collar over her face and swatted a delighted Hanamura.
Akihiko looked terrified as he gulped. "That's...my...Evoker?"
They both knew it wasn't the truth, but, "I choose to believe that."
"Thank you," squeaked Akihiko.
From her vantage point, Mitsuru could see the elevator opening and feet coming in their direction before halting. "Are we...interrupting something?" Shirogane asked. What a sight they must look to her.
Wait. We?
Mitsuru craned her neck to find the detective and...oh, dear.
Shirogane was indeed not alone.
Dojima stood next to her, an unreadable expression on his face as he surveyed the scene. There was no way this was not going to end awkwardly. Once again, Mitsuru gave her silent thanks that Nanako was not with them as well.
"Good afternoon, Detective Dojima," Mitsuru desperately tried to inject some seriousness into her voice, "I understand that there's been a break in the warehouse case?"
"Uhh...y-yeah. You know what, Shirogane can tell you all about that. I...think I'm just gonna grab something from home, Nanako might have left something in the fridge..."
"Please give her my best."
"...Right." Dojima wandered off shaking his head. Well, that couldn't have gone worse. Could they ever come to Inaba without causing an incident?
Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Now that my both my coat and my reputation have been completely soiled, I would very much like to get off the ground before we end up on the evening news."
"Yeah, c'mon, no more goofin' around." Labrys plucked Teddie off Akihiko's back effortlessly, ignoring his plaintive whine and flailing attempts to hug her instead. Akihiko sighed gratefully and leapt to his feet, but he was at least gracious enough to offer Mitsuru a hand. They both quickly let go and tried to ignore the fact that they'd been holding hands.
The boys were still chuckling to themselves, but Mitsuru realized with a start that Tatsumi had been eerily quiet. She found him staring at Shirogane, lost in thought. The detective wore an expression that suggested an embarrassing memory between the two of them as well.
"Nao-chan!" Teddie's libido would not be stopped. "That is a beary serious face."
"This is a very serious matter, Teddie," Shirogane deflected him, "Public Safety has a plethora of charges to pin on both Mitsuru-san and the Shadow Operatives."
"Yeah, it's one hell of a list," Akihiko cut in, "About the only things they're missing are jaywalking and tax evasion."
"They don't still think Senpai kidnapped all those kids, do they?" asked Yukari.
"Our only evidence to the contrary has quite literally walked away," Shirogane explained, "Without Minazuki or Tsukuda-san's testimonies, we have no proof."
And that's my fault. Mitsuru had always believed she was doing the right thing. After meeting Strega, she was determined that neither she nor any member of SEES would ever take another's life. Yet Tsukuda had pushed her to her limit and forced her to stop him by any means necessary. Her anger had gotten the better of her. But was she really just as bad as her grandfather? The only person Mitsuru had killed was a man who was gleefully killing others – a man who, by all accounts, was already dead. Tsukuda had admitted that he'd murdered the other scientists. He would have murdered everyone in that room if he'd had the chance. He HAD to be stopped. She was acting to save the lives of innocent children. If many lives could be saved at the cost of one...was that not the best course of action?
"So we need to find this damn kid, especially since-" Akihiko had been about to say something before the Investigation Team's phones all went off at once.
"Rise-san?" Shirogane answered hers – to the consternation of Akihiko, who seemed ready to punch something if he kept getting interrupted.
It took the teens several moments to realize that everyone was not on the same page as they ignored the Shadow Operatives in favor of texting. "Uh, guys, we didn't get anything," Iori had to point out, "Is this about your math homework, or...?"
"My apologies. Rise-san has alerted us to something on the news," Shirogane explained.
Hanamura's phone continued to chime. "Yu found it too," he added, "C'mon, I'll change all the TV sets in Electronics."
There were now too many people for one elevator, so Mitsuru hung back to try to catch Akihiko's attention. Instead, Labrys caught her. "Hey, where's Aigis at?"
"Most likely, guarding my lingerie." Before Labrys could react, Mitsuru quickly added, "Don't ask." Aigis was no better at cellphones than her sister was, but Mitsuru fired off a text to her, anyway. If the Amagi Inn had a television on, she more than likely had caught whatever had Kujikawa alarmed.
When they reached the electronics section, they were surprised to find a small crowd had already amassed. It seemed changing the channel wasn't necessary, as the news had cut into every station.
"We urge you to remain indoors and contact the Inaba police department immediately if you notice any suspicious persons," a reporter said. "Once again, breaking news: a convicted murderer has broken out of prison-"
"Oh, don't even tell me!" Hanamura exclaimed.
But the plea went ignored as a very familiar mugshot appeared on the screens. "Police are on the lookout for last year's serial killer – Tohru Adachi."
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Can you tell I hate the helicopter scenes in Ultimax?
Junpei's going to have the first SO birthday in 2020. I guess if he had more of a following, we'd have Junpei January or something.