Deciding to take a break, the sisters go visit their uncles down in Sumaru City. Back in Tokyo, Akechi is having a hard time dealing with the lack of a certain palace.
[10/03, The Present Day]
The next day, both sisters woke up early to get ready for their day trip.
Makoto, who was cranky and melancholic the previous day, woke up with her bruises a bit more faded, and she had a lot more energy to spare.
"It's the Takemi medicinal magic." She said mysteriously when Sae inquired about her sudden rush of energy.
'This Doctor Takemi mentioned again… Why does that name feel so familiar?'
Deciding to not question her sister's peppiness and instead focusing on preparing herself, Sae compiled a series of important documents from work and put them on a usb stick.
Makoto, noticing her high concentration focused stare at the laptop's screen, raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you are not going to work on your day off."
"This isn't for work." The silver haired prosecutor said dismissively.
In response, Makoto crossed her arms. Sae looked up and saw her sister looking down sternly at her. She felt a couple of shivers run down her spine, as she never expected her sister to master the Niijima glare and actually level it at her.
It was incredibly effective. And funny.
"No, seriously. These are some things I wish for Katsu and Tatsu to take a look at." The older woman explained, trying to placate her baby sister.
The younger girl put a hand on her chin, pensively. "Oh, you mean, like a second opinion?"
"Yes. And I don't trust sending these via e-mail. I don't wish to leave an online trace, so I just compiled some things." She said, waving the USB stick in front of her.
Not wanting to leave a trace was most likely paranoid behavior coming from her, but she wouldn't be playing around with the information she was carrying around either, especially since cybercriminals such as Medjed existed and were highly interested in the Phantom Thieves activities.
Makoto looked at her, genuinely surprised. "You're going to ask for help in your cases?"
Sae ran a hand through her hair. "If there is anyone alive on this planet that might decipher some things that flew under my radar, it's definitely uncle Katsuya."
Makoto nodded. "Makes sense."
Sae closed her laptop, then looked at her sister and smiled as she got up. "You're wrong about one little fact, though. This isn't for my work or my boss."
"Huh?"
"It's an independent investigation. At work, they want me to catch the Phantom Thieves. However, I am clearly not letting them get even an inch close to you or your friends, so I must find other ways to counter those bastards."
Makoto looked at her in awe. "So this is to help us?"
"Yeah. I figured I need to put in some work if I'm to be a double agent."
Makoto smiled. "Thanks sis. I truly appreciate it."
The elder sister just grinned. "None of that. Now, come on, we gotta get going."
They used to live in Sumaru City. Makoto was too small, and she probably doesn't remember much of it, if anything at all. Sae did, though.
Sumaru was the hometown of their parents. Their father, Masayuki, was a fresh policeman, bright and brave back then.
Then he met their mother, Natsumi Suou, who also happened to be a very sharp prosecutor. She had once heard that her parents hated each other's guts when they first met, but quickly warmed up to each other after they collaborated to catch a serial murderer.
Her mother's younger brother, Katsuya, was a detective in the Kounan Police Department at the time and he happened to work with the Niijima couple on occasion.
A few years later, their youngest uncle Tatsuya entered the force, following in the footsteps of his older siblings.
Justice & Law Enforcement ran deep in the Niijima-Suou household.
In an ideal world, if her mother never passed away, Sae and Makoto would have studied in Seven Sisters instead of Shujin Academy. She remembers her uncle Tatsuya looking all cool in his school years back when she was still a little girl.
If everything was perfect, would she have become the jaded woman she was today? Would Makoto have flourished even more, by having both sets of parents around to nurture her?
These questions plagued her and always provoked a deep sense of loss in her. Bittersweetness aside, Sae loved Sumaru City.
Before they knew it, they had arrived in town. Kounan ward was in the south, with the ports and the Ebisu beach where the skies were clear and the waters sparkled.. You could smell the sea air nearby, and the sense of freedom that came with the city as she drove by.
She gently nudged Makoto awake as she drove across familiar streets, passing by well known shops like the Satomi Tadashi drugstore and other nostalgic views.
They reached the house in no time. It was their maternal grandparents' home, where uncle Tatsuya lived with his big brother, Katsuya. Neither brother married and preferred to dedicate their lives to work.
It was good to be home.
Their youngest uncle was a handsome man. He had chin length brown hair, combed neatly and parted in half, and warm mahogany eyes, the trademark of the Suou family. Despite being in his mid thirties, the years were good to him.
He came out of the garage to greet them, wiping his hands out in a towel to remove the motorbike oil grease. Their uncle loved to tinker with his motorcycles.
Makoto quickly got out of the car and happily hugged her uncle, uncaring of the grease. "Uncle Tatsu!"
He laughed as he awkwardly kept his hands away so as to not smear her in grease. "Hey Mako-chan! I'm happy to see you too."
His smile widened as he spotted his other niece, who nodded back at him with a warm smile of her own.
"Sae-chan. Had a good trip?" He asked warmly.
"Hi uncle, of course. Where is uncle Katsu?"
"Inside, won't leave the kitchen until everything is perfect."
They went inside the house and spotted their other uncle, captain sideburns, very much invested in his cooking. He miraculously didn't have his tinted red glasses on his face.
As he noticed their arrival, he smiled. "Ah there are my beautiful nieces."
Sae mouthed a 'hey uncle' as Makoto barged in to get close to Katsuya.
The younger girl beamed as she noticed the things he was decorating "Hi uncle! Are those buchi-cookies!?"
"Of course. Only the best for the little panda." He said as he gave her a head pat.
Makoto pouted at the nickname but then clapped her hands and tried to touch the cookies.
Katsuya just slapped her hand away, gently and playfully. "Tsk tsk, only after lunch young lady."
Makoto crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine."
Tatsuya, who was behind them, grinned. "Come on Mako-chan, I wanna show you my latest project. I think you are going to love it."
Makoto's attention was taken by their other uncle, and she eagerly followed Tatsuya to the garage.
Their voices drifted away as they chatted animatedly and distanced themselves from each of their elder siblings respectively.
"Baby siblings, am I right? Always running off on their own adventures." Katsuya said, eyes full of mirth.
Sae sighed with a fond exasperation. "Tell me about it. Do you need any help, sir?"
"No need, you are the guest here. Just sit down and relax."
They spent a few moments in silence as Katsuya continued to work on his cookies and Sae observed with a nostalgic smile.
"You seem quite relaxed. I admit it's been awhile since I saw you like this." He muttered, content as he briefly glanced at her, then returned to his task.
Sae kept looking at the cookies, the cute panda smiles reminding her so much of Makoto.
"A lot has happened. I had a very… Transforming weekend."
"How so?" He asked as he finished decorating the last panda face, and went to work on other tasks.
"It made me realize that things at the SIU, and at home, were less than ideal."
Her uncle snorted. "I could have told you that about the SIU as far as a year ago. But what exactly was the issue at home?"
Sae swallowed dryly.
"I..." She started with some difficulty, pausing to gather her thoughts. Then she continued. "I haven't been treating Makoto right these past few months. Perhaps for even a year now. I think the last time I was semi decent to her was back on her birthday in April."
Katsuya paused his work and considered her words. He turned to face her with a serious look. "Be honest with me, Sae. Did you do something against your sister?"
She looked away, ashamed. "Yes..."
"Is that why Makoto is all bruised? That hardly looks like an accident." He asked sternly, misinterpreting her confirmation.
Sae froze at his reaction. Did her uncle think she hit her sister…?
The woman was jolted into protesting, alarmed at the mere implication.
"Sir! I would never lift a hand to physically hurt Makoto. I'd rather die!" She said, genuinely horrified.
She felt her uncle relax as he heard the genuine horror and disgust reflected in her voice.
"Good. I didn't think you'd do that, but I just had to make sure." He explained.
"I swear it, she had an accident." She reassured him.
Sae felt hurt at her uncle's initial deductions, but she could not blame him. Despite loving both her and Makoto equally, Katsuya was a fair man and he often instilled in her the importance of prioritizing Makoto while she was in her care. He would have never let her keep guardianship otherwise.
Katsuya seemed to be in deep contemplation. "Then tell me what the actual problem is."
The young prosecutor hugged herself. "I don't know what happened to me along the way, uncle, but it seems like I had lost sight of things. Kaneshiro and the mental shutdown cases… They put this huge pressure on my shoulders. I felt like the world was being unfair to me, and that I just needed a win. I just… Wanted to be at the top at all costs. I was tired of being crushed and pushed aside."
He sighed, then stayed silent, waiting for her to elaborate more.
She wiped out a stray tear from her eye. "And Makoto… I made her the outlet of my anger and stress at home by lashing out at her verbally, while also ignoring her for months. It was absolutely barbaric and wrong on my part, and now I feel awful because Makoto has developed these feelings of worthlessness and insecurity thanks to my actions." She said, her voice shaky with regret.
He stared at her face for a long time, then cleaned up his hands and approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You know, when you were just a baby, your mother was busy with her own life and her newly discovered motherhood, so it fell to me to take care of Tatsuya after things with dad went south." He started.
She looked up at her uncle, curiosity sparking in her eyes.
He continued. "I felt like your mother had turned her back on me, and that Tatsuya was too young to understand it. That nobody would do anything to help our father, so it fell on me to do something. I decided to let go of my dreams of becoming a pastry chef… And I worked obsessively to become a police detective. All to find justice for dad."
He sighed. "It was much like your situation with Kaneshiro, I kept pushing everyone away and working hard, day and night. Your uncle Tatsuya and I were always at odds because of my clear neglecting of his feelings, even though I tried my best to be what he needed."
"Then one night, your mother pulled me aside and we had a very important conversation. Do you know what she told me?"
Sae's gaze was inquisitive. He smiled.
"She reminded me that just because I felt I was alone, It didn't mean I was alone. That I had her, your father, and Tatsuya to share my burdens with. That life could be simpler, and better, if I didn't walk everywhere alone carrying the weight of the world."
The corner of his lips lifted.
"Natsumi and I organized our ideas. She supported me and Tatsuya all the way, and together with your father and a group of good friends I had met, we solved a troublesome situation we were all burdened with. After all was said and done, things finally looked up for me, and Tatsuya, your mother and I grew closer as siblings again." He said with a nostalgic, wistful face.
Then he smiled fondly. "Your uncle Tatsu even became a police officer because of your father and I."
Sae has no recollection of what crisis he spoke of as she was merely a eight year old child at the time, while Makoto was just a baby, so both were shielded from whatever issue the adults were facing. But she knows it must have been profound as she remembers how tight knit her uncles, mother and father were as a family unit. Before her mother's death and her father's obstinate decision to move to Tokyo to get away from the pain of losing his late wife, they were all constantly in each other's presence raising her and Makoto together.
"Uncle…"
"You are not alone, Sae. You have me, Tatsuya and Makoto. We are your family, and we very much love you and we'd do everything in our power to make sure you are happy."
He gently squeezed her shoulder.
"Now you just gotta go and do the same for your sister. Be there for her and earn her forgiveness. Be that good big sister you always used to be before all this mess."
"I will, uncle. I swear it." She said with utter conviction as she wiped away her tears.
He gave her a head pat, uncaring if she was a grown ass adult.
He smiled "Good. And if the burdens on your shoulders become too much, you have your old uncles here."
Her younger uncle's garage was a mayhem full of Motorcycle parts and tools. It would always irk the neat freak inside Makoto whenever she'd come here, but she could withstand it for a time because she enjoyed spending time with him.
Her uncle was a motorcycle aficionado, and she supposes Johanna took her idea of rebellion from him.
She was sitting on a makeshift bench, watching her uncle work on a beautiful customized second generation Suzuki Hayabusa, known as one of the world's fastest motorcycles.
"That's a real beauty uncle. May I go on a test ride when you are done?" She asked with a mischievous grin.
He smiled back at her childlike enthusiasm. "If your sister doesn't freak out, sure."
She looked slightly pained at hearing Sae's name. He noticed it.
"Is everything alright? Tatsuya asked neutrally.
"I… Of course." She said quietly.
He stopped whatever he was doing and sat down on the ground, facing her. "You don't sound too sure."
She sighed. The younger girl felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of throwing her sister under the bus. Makoto knew she had been shielding Sae and avoiding telling her uncles the extent of her big sis' neglect out of fear of being moved away from Tokyo to Sumaru, since she felt like it was a temporary issue and that Sae would be herself again.
That, and not wanting to be parted away from her friends, is why she kept quiet.
However, Tatsuya always had felt like a safe shoulder to cry on and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to at least acknowledge out loud the former issues between them in some manner now that Sae was willing to repent.
"Plase, don't be angry with sis, okay? But…Things have been difficult at home…" She confessed.
Tatsuya held a disappointed but unsurprised look on his face. "What has she done to you?"
"For several months, Sae and I had a strained relationship. She ignored me and sometimes, she would lash out at me. I learned to avoid her in response, but it only escalated things to a point that we both had a wake up call of sorts."
Makoto looked away, remembering the whole debacle that was her sister's palace.
Her uncle had a grave look. "Is that why you are all bruised?"
Makoto's eyes widened in surprised remembrance, since she apparently forgot she still looked pretty roughed up.
"Makoto, look at me." He prompted her firmly, but gently.
She hesitantly did as he asked.
"Did your sister hit you?"
Appalled, she immediately defended her sister. "Of course not, sir! I had an accident!'
No, Sae didn't hit her. It was the shadows in her palace, right? It wasn't Sae's fault, It was Makoto's own. But how to explain to her uncle those supernatural facts?
Tatsuya gave her an unconvinced look. "Makoto, your eyes are bruised, and so are your arms. You might look like you recovered from the worst, but still, I'm a policeman, and I can tell when someone was hit. You can tell me."
"Sir, please, believe me. Sae would never hit me. She has not hit me. Ever. You know I practice aikido, right? I had a sparring mishap. It was nothing more than that." She said with confidence as she found a plausible excuse.
He stared at her face as if to detect a lie, then shook his head as he realized she was being truthful.
"This better be it, or I'm having some serious words with your sister." He warned sternly.
"I understand. Thanks for worrying on my behalf uncle, but I swear to you on my parents souls, it wasn't sis." She said earnestly.
He nodded. "Alright, I believe you. That being said, are you and your sister still on bad terms?"
"Not anymore. After a few discussions and airing out some problems, I think we sort of made up. Right now, we are getting along well, and I'm really happy, but… I don't know uncle, I'm afraid it won't last and she'll go back to ignoring me after a while." She said fearfully.
He seemed to contemplate her words. "Your sister can be difficult. And we know she is not someone that easily admits that she is wrong, so if both of you made up, and she is truly regretful, then you just have to give it time, and she will show it."
He then stared at her in the eye, with an attentive and honest expression of concern. "Just please, promise your uncle that you won't let your fears consume you, since you can't be sure the worst scenario really is going to happen. You can't bottle things up forever, Mako-chan."
Makoto tucked a stray hair behind her ear and nodded. "I guess you're right, uncle Tatsu."
Tatsuya sent her a reassuring smile, then resumed working on his motorcycle.
"So, other than Sae-chan being a pain in the ass, how is life in Tokyo?" He asked, not long after.
She chuckled involuntarily at his playful jab at Sae.
"It's interesting… I actually made some friends this year." She replied with a small smile.
Her uncle looked up with interest. "That's great, kiddo. Tell me all about them."
"Um, right. There is Ren-kun, who is a second year transfer student. He is from the countryside, and uh… We are dating." She said hesitantly.
"Really? Well, that is nice. I hope he treats you well." Tatsuya replied supportively.
She gave him a genuine smile. "Yes. He is great. I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend."
"I'm glad to hear it. Pass me that wrench, sweetheart."
Makoto complied with his request, then continued to talk about her friends.
"Then there are my other friends. Ryuji-kun is a bit of a hyperactive puppy, and I wish he had better grades. But still, he is a nice guy. Everyone treats him and Ren-kun like delinquents, but they are some of the most considerate and nicest boys I have ever met in my life."
She smiled, remembering the good times her boyfriend and the blonde had during their team shenanigans.
"Ann-chan has sort of become my best friend. She is a model, and is very kind and upbeat. We spend a lot of time together when I'm not swamped in council duties. Ann sort of hated my guts at first, but then we became a bit inseparable." Makoto said, laughing.
"Futaba-chan is like an adoptive younger sibling to Ren, but she treats me like her big sis too. It's actually pretty nice to be the big sis for once, and I always do my best to look out for her. She is a bit of a shut-in and Ren-kun and I have been doing our best to help her break out of her shell."
"Yusuke-kun is a little eccentric, a bit old fashioned too but he is very talented. His works as an artist are amazing. He is awful at budgeting and I have been trying to help him with that. I enjoy his company a lot when I need a break from all the crazy conversations with Ryuji and Futaba."
"And then there is Haru-chan. She is in my class actually and we sort of knew each other only by passing, but I wasn't very close to her. Recently our group connected with her and she is now part of our little gang. She maintains a garden on the school roof."
Then she let out a laugh. "I guess I should also mention Morgana. He is Ren-kun's cat. A bit of a troublemaker but we all love him."
"That's quite the diverse group you got there, little panda. They all sound like great kids."
"They are the best. They changed my life for the better… Before meeting them, I never really made any friends in Tokyo. And everyone from preschool in Sumaru sort of forgot about me, so I was mostly alone with sis and dad all these years…" She said wistfully.
"You should definitely enjoy your last year in school. All the friends and experiences you have in your school years can change, but if you truly treasure them, then you can carry them with you forever."
For some inexplicable reason, her younger uncle looked slightly sad.
But then he recovered, and sported a small, nostalgic smile. "Never let them go, Makoto."
Exhaustion had led to sleep and eventually, Goro was up and running again. He spent the entirety of Sunday seething, but there was nothing else he could do.
It was now Monday and he wasn't set to see Niijima again at work until Thursday.
He had considered calling her and asking if she needed any kind of assistance, but it would come across as too suspicious, given that she wouldn't be doing anything until she was back on duty properly.
So he wouldn't be seeing her for a while. He wondered what she was doing now that her heart was reformed.
'Probably bonding with her doormat little sister.'
At that thought, he scoffed. Goro wondered if Makoto would be able to hide her Phantom Thief activities from Sae for much longer now that the prosecutor wasn't so laser focused on working.
It was likely that with their stupidity and carelessness, they would be quickly found. Goro himself easily took pictures of the Phantom Thieves entering Okumura's palace in broad daylight.
He stopped walking, and froze as he reconsidered his own stray thoughts.
…What IF Niijima followed her sister's trail? If she entered the metaverse and awoke to a persona, then-
'Then OF COURSE she would no longer have a palace.'
He shivered. She was too stable. Pensive and doubtful, yes, but not regretful, crushed, or simpering, as it was customarily seen in change of heart victims.
'Which would make sense if she had a persona.' A macabre voice not unlike his own echoed his considerations.
Did it mean her palace could crumble? It would make sense, wouldn't it?
'There is no way. If Niijima knew of the metaverse, she'd have arrested Amamiya by now.'
He immediately discarded such a ridiculous notion. He had bigger problems to contend with.
There is no way she had a persona. It was simply too absurd and childish to think so.
The Suou-Niijima family finally sat down to enjoy their lunch, courtesy of Katsuya who cooked all their favorites. Makoto seemed really happy to be surrounded by their uncles, and spent most of the time laughing instead of eating.
Sae enjoyed the peace as much as she could in the company of the people she loved. It had been a long time since she could say she had a good time like this, which also had her feeling bittersweet.
After lunch, they had a bit of a dessert break. Makoto, who usually wasn't a fan of sugar, was happily munching away some buchi-cookies, a treasure from her childhood.
Sae, who was the actual sweet tooth out of the sisters, enjoyed some treats of her own too, by eating a delicious piece of frosted strawberry cake.
"You know uncle Katsu, you should come visit us in Tokyo sometime. I know you love curry and there is this fantastic place in Yongen-Jaya that has the best coffee and curry in all of Tokyo." Makoto said gushing at Leblanc.
"She is right. Also, her delinquent boyfriend lives in the attic of the coffee shop." Sae carelessly chimed in.
Katsuya's eyebrows were lifted. "Delinquent boyfriend?"
"Attic?" Echoed Tatsuya.
Makoto glared at Sae for her dick move. "Ugh, sis…"
Sae just winked and smirked back at her.
Katsuya crossed his arms and tutted, turning to Sae. "I know I said we needed a delinquent in the family, but that was a joke."
Makoto huffed, clearly ready to defend her boyfriend. Sae actually beat her to it by signaling to Makoto to sit down and calm down.
"It's fine. He isn't a bad kid, but he was framed and is now on probation for the year."
She sent Makoto a reassuring look, and continued. "I believe a high profile person got extremely pissed off and pinned it all on the kid. All in all, just a case of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
Katsuya looked irritated at hearing the level of the injustice suffered by the boy. "Tch. That actually pisses me off. It's always some asshole trying to prey on the vulnerable."
"Tell me about it." Sae commiserated.
"Sis… I didn't think you'd vouch for Ren-kun." Makoto said, looking blissfully happy at her support.
Her sister looked at her gently. "Even though I personally don't like the boy, you seem to be attached to him, so I will just have to support you."
"Well, my interest is piqued. I'd like to meet this kid one day." Tatsuya said, smiling.
"I think you guys would get along well." The younger Niijima replied eagerly.
Katsuya nodded as he ruffled Makoto's hair. "Well, that sounds good. I'll check this cafe Leblanc next time I'm in Tokyo."
Makoto beamed at her uncles. "You won't regret it!"
Akechi kept pressing on, exiting the Shibuya train station, and right into Central Street. He had some appointments in the area, which annoyed him to no end, but he had no choice but to keep going for the sake of his front as the Detective Prince.
He, however, paused as he noticed something peculiar not too far by glancing at the windows of an establishment.
It seemed Amamiya and his cronies had just finished their school day and were merrily hanging out and having fun at a Big Bang Burger joint. He spied the criminal at the center, with Sakamoto and Kitagawa on either side of him. The attic trash was wiping some tears of amusement from his eyes as he watched Sakamoto go absolutely red in the face. The blonde's eyes bulged as he had tried to finish a disgustingly massive amount of food that was in front of him.
The other boy, Kitagawa, kept eating his food in a strange, ritualistic and methodical way.
'They're such pigs, no manners at all.'
Unfortunately, before he could make an exit, Amamiya seemed to notice him.
"Hey, Akechi-san!" He heard Amamiya shout and wave at him.
"...Amamiya-san. Hello." Akechi said politely as he entered the restaurant area and approached them.
"Hey man." Sakamoto said with his mouth full, and a depraved amount of rude familiarity that had Goro annoyed.
Kitagawa just gave him a nod, but said nothing as he continued to eat his food in his rabbit style.
"We're just hanging out a bit, feeding our boy Yusuke and seeing if Ryuji can complete the Big Bang challenge." Amamiya said as he chuckled at his friend's misfortune.
Goro's expression was that of a barely concealed disgust as he turned to the blonde delinquent. "That does not sound very healthy. You're going to face heart problems by consuming so much cholesterol."
Sakamoto snorted as he elbowed Amamiya. "Can you believe this guy?" Nobody ain't gonna die from a couple of burgers, my dude."
Goro's eyebrows rose as Sakamoto, who himself looked on the verge of having a stroke from eating so much, said that to his face.
"Please refrain from calling me 'your dude'. I don't like it very much. And I meant it as a display of concern, you know, a basic decency that every human being should have by default."
"Man, you really take yourself way too seriously. It was just a joke, dude, learn to take it." Sakamoto responded uncaringly.
A large amount of irritation settled inside Goro at the disrespectful, crass manner portrayed by Sakamoto against him. He looked at Amamiya, but the other boy had his usual poker face on and did nothing to curb his minion's behavior.
Goro cleared his throat. "Regardless, I am on my way to attend rather important appointments."
"Hey, you sure you don't wanna hang around for a bit? We don't mind." Amamiya said in a disgustingly honest, nice and friendly manner.
Goro held in the urge to sneer. "My apologies, but I fear I cannot waste another moment. We can leave it to some other time, perhaps."
"Well, if you are sure." Amamiya replied simply.
Goro nodded to them and swiftly left their presence, seething with every step forward that he took.
As he heard Amamiya resume his laughter and cheers at Sakamoto's stupid actions, he wondered if that was what it was like to have friends his own age.
He clenched his fist with massive force and continued to put some distance between himself and them, ignoring the disgusting scene he just left, and the spark of pitiful jealousy it ignited within his heart.
Makoto was out, having the time of her life taking a test drive on her uncle's newest custom Motorcycle.
Sae was in the living room, absentmindedly looking at the trinkets and knick knacks her uncles had around. Her gaze strayed towards a family photo that had all of them: her uncles, her parents, Makoto, and herself.
She picked it up.
It was a photo taken in front of Ebisu beach, with the whole family enjoying some summertime bonding. Her mother, Natsumi, was in the center of the photo, wearing a beautiful sundress and smiling softly at the camera as she tenderly held in her arms baby Makoto, who also had a gummy smile of her own with her chubby hands excitedly reaching forward.
On her mother's right was a teenaged Tatsuya, smiling and pointing his hand forward to make Makoto pay attention to the camera. On the far left, beside Sae's dad, was a youthful Katsuya with his trademark sunglasses on, as he crossed his arms with a quiet smile and proud uncle look.
Finally, there was Masayuki, Sae's father, who was beside his beloved wife in the center, laughing boisterously as he proudly had his eldest daughter clinging on to him on a piggyback. Sae herself was holding tightly onto her daddy's shoulders as she too grinned innocently and happily.
"I remember that day. Masa complained about not wanting to get dirtied with sand all day, and your mother kept scolding him to shut up and to keep a firm eye on you." Katsuya said, standing next to her and laughing fondly at the memory.
Sae chuckled. "Dad has always been stubborn."
Tatsuya, who was sitting on the couch and playing with a zippo lighter, chimed in. "True, but you're pretty stubborn too, Sae-chan."
The silver haired woman rolled her eyes at Tatsuya. "Shut up uncle, you're like that too."
"Touché." Her younger uncle said, chuckling.
Her attention returned to the picture. Tracing over the face of her mother, Sae felt her heart clench. In the picture, she looked youthful, and was painfully identical to her baby sister, if Makoto had longer hair.
"Your sister and her are very alike in looks. But I dare say, personality wise, you're much more like sis." Katsuya said gently as he observed her looks of longing.
"I miss her so much. I wish she were here to guide me and Makoto…" She whispered as she put the picture back in its rightful place as her heart hurt.
Remembering their loving big sis, the uncles looked just as saddened.
After a moment of respectful contemplation, Sae sighed and decided to change the subject. She fished out a usb stick and handed it to Katsuya.
"What is this?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"A call for help. And some things I wish for you and uncle Tatsu to go over together."
Katsuya and Tatsuya shared curious glances.
"I wish to start a third party, discreet investigation, and I want you to personally spearhead it." She said as seriously as possible.
Both brothers looked grave at her statement.
"This could be dangerous, Sae. You're breaching all your official capacity if you do this. We have proper channels for that." Spoke Katsuya.
"I know, sir, but I no longer trust my superior, and I fear corruption inside the SIU."
She also glanced at Tatsuya.
"Uncles, I have no one else to turn to. Please."
Katsuya stared at her for a long time.
Breaking the silence, Tatsuya got up and put his hand on her shoulder. "You can count on me, Sae."
The other brother sighed. "Fine. But don't go around poking a hornet's nest unwarranted, kid."
She looked relieved, then smiled. "No promises, sir."
Her memory of Sumaru was very fuzzy, as she was a really small child back when she lived in it. She does remember a few landmarks, and could recall a friend or two from preschool, but the memories were hazy and tinged with a bit of nostalgia and the distortions of time.
At that moment, however, her memory was sharply restored as she drove her uncle's powerful beast of a motorcycle across the streets of Rengedai. Makoto felt free, and happy, and most importantly, herself. Of course, she wasn't breaking any traffic laws and drove responsibly, even though a part of her wanted to speed up like the devil and reach new highs.
The young Niijima wishes she had a motorcycle of her own.
Makoto drove past Honmaru Park and took a sharp right, speeding behind Seven Sisters High. She wondered as she kept going if her life would have been different if she was still living in Sumaru, and studying here.
'But then I wouldn't have met Ren-kun and the others.'
Her musings were broken as she noticed she reached a more remote part of town, with Mount Iwato just before her.
Not soon after, she had reached the infamous Alaya Shrine.
This place was a legend in the town, with rumors of some cursed and macabre things happening here, way before she was born. Makoto, who was terribly afraid of ghost stories, would stare wide eyed at her big sis whenever Sae told her some awful horror story related to the shrine when they were kids.
Strangely enough, at that moment she felt an odd sense of peace. A small, golden butterfly went past Makoto. Her eyes widened at witnessing its beauty, and she blinked.
The next second, the butterfly was gone.
Makoto ascended the steps to the temple and kept going until she reached its courtyard. In her heart, she could sense the tragedy and the weight of this place.
"I didn't expect to see anyone else here, in this place." A gentle voice spoke out, startling Makoto.
"Umm, w-who's there?" She asked as she looked around, afraid of it being a ghost.
A melodious laugh followed, and the owner of the voice revealed themselves as they emerged from behind a tree and sat on the front steps of the shrine house.
It was a gentle looking middle aged man that instantly reminded her of Yusuke. He seemed rather calm and soft. If he was a weirdo just waiting for Makoto to bring her guard down, though, she could easily break his arm.
One of the rare times to be glad of being a massive tomboy.
"Peace. I guess I just didn't expect anyone else to wish to come to this forgotten place." He said simply, at her startled looks.
"Um, my apologies for the intrusion, sir." She said politely, putting both hands in front of her.
The man laughed gently, his kind and warm voice helping her concerns melt away. "Sir makes me feel quite old. My name is Jun Kashihara."
Makoto laughed a little awkwardly. "Oh, I'm Makoto Niijima. Nice to meet you Kashihara-san."
The man smiled kindly. "Well met, Niijima-san. I have been coming to this temple for several years now. I find that it calms me down from time to time."
"That sounds nice. Strangely enough, I felt the same and just felt like stopping here. And I'm usually very afraid of places that look haunted like this." She said sheepishly.
After the initial shock, Makoto relaxed, and just felt comfortable holding a conversation with the kind looking man.
The man's eyes were soft and understanding. "It's strange isn't it? This place has the ability to draw certain kinds of people to it, and there is a certain holiness imbued in its grounds. I suspect that not many are worth witnessing it."
Makoto contemplated his words and found them rather fitting. "I suppose so. It does feel like it is a secret, sacred place."
He smiled. "It does, doesn't it?"
The girl however, hugged her arms. "But if that is the case, I don't feel like I'm worthy of being welcome here. It might be a bit arrogant for me to say so."
Jun chuckled kindly. "Those who are often worthy of many heavenly blessings tend to be the humblest. Even the stars shine upon their lack of hubris."
Makoto shook her head. "I haven't been a very honest person. Lately I find that I have been breaking the trust and confidence of many people I cared about because I feared disappointing them in the first place. And it only ended up with me disappointing them anyway."
The gentle man considered her words. "You seem like a bright young woman. Perhaps you should not carry such self-flagellating burdens, as time and perspective can give you the tools to fight any challenges ahead. Be kinder to yourself, Niijima-san."
Jun's caring, heartfelt words moved something inside Makoto. Could she do it?
Be kind to herself?
She was interrupted from responding with her phone chiming. She sent the man an apologetic look, which he just waved away, and she took the call.
"Hey sis."
"Hey Mako, where are you now? We should get home soon." Sae's voice echoed from her phone speaker.
"I'm not too far from Seven High. It's pretty nice over here." She said vaguely.
She could hear her big sister sigh from the other side. "Please tell me you're not going to decrepit old shrines on your own."
"Um, sorry sis. I'll return shortly." She replied instead, deflecting the question.
She heard her sister let out a chuckle.
"I hope it was at least nice to explore. Anyways, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Be careful on your way back."
"Okay. Be there soon." She responded quickly.
"Alright. Love you."
Makoto looked happy hearing her sister's words. "Love you too sis, bye."
The young brunette turned to the older man, and bowed politely. "It was nice to meet you, Kashihara-san. And thank you, for your considerate, kind words earlier."
He nodded with a warm smile on his face. "It was nice to meet you as well, Niijima-chan. And no problem at all. Take care."
"Thank you sir, have a good day." She replied, then made her way down the stairs that led to the shrine.
Unbeknownst to Makoto, a golden butterfly once more blinked into view and followed her, then gently faded as she sped away from the shrine.
Once Makoto arrived safe and sound, other than sporting a windswept hair and a pensive face, it was time for the girls to return to Tokyo.
Katsuya's thoughts strayed back to the usb stick in his pocket, but he quickly avoided thinking of work - and possible conspiracies - when he was just savoring all the seconds he still had in the presence of his late sister's kids.
God, he missed Natsumi. She would be so proud of her daughters.
Katsuya adjusted his tinted glasses and approached his nieces. He put an elegantly wrapped tupperware on Makoto's hands.
"Here, some Buchi cookies to take home. Make sure to share them with your friends." He teased her.
"Thanks uncle Katsu! My friend Ann will love them."
Katsuya smiled at his younger niece's cute enthusiasm and gave her a head pat, then turned to Sae.
"You take care as well, Sae. I'm just a phone call away if any of you need anything, even if it's something you may think it's silly." He said firmly and paternally.
Sae gave him a warm smile and nodded respectfully. "I will sir. Thank you for making time for us today."
He shook his head. "None of that. I'll always have time for my dear nieces."
He put his hand gently on her shoulder and squeezed, then stepped back to give his brother space to also give their nieces his goodbyes.
"Tell your friends I'm looking forward to meeting them all when I visit Tokyo sometime next. I'm very happy that you're happy, Mako-chan." Tatsuya said gently.
"Thanks uncle Tatsu!"
His brother then turned to Sae, putting his hands on his pockets.
"And you, don't be such a stubborn grouch, you have my number too if you ever need to vent about something." Tatsuya said as he teased his eldest niece.
Sae huffed in response, but then smirked at Tatsuya. "Well, and you don't go around breaking any traffic laws, Tatsu."
Tatsuya laughed and gave Sae a pat on the shoulder.
Katsuya smiled seeing his baby brother and nieces in high spirits.
The girls soon entered their car and readied themselves. With a final wave from Makoto, and a nod from Sae, the girls left.
Both brothers watched as they went away. Katsuya soon sighed as he lost sight of them.
"I hope they will be alright."
"You gotta give them some credit, Katsu. They're strong girls." Tatsuya said, clapping his big bro on the back.
The older man snorted. "I guess so, huh? Now come on, we need to discuss the time bomb our dear niece just left in our laps."
Katsuya clapped Tatsuya a bit too strongly in the back, and as his baby brother gave him the stink eye for the too strong clap, he hoped that whatever Sae had given them to analyze wouldn't just put her, or them all, in any more danger.
Goro finished all his appointments and returned to his dingy, sad and small apartment by the end of the day.
Opening his fridge, he noticed that he had nothing decent to eat or to prepare.
Maybe he should've stayed around with Amamiya and his friends and at least eaten something for the day. Now he was fucked unless he ordered something.
He was just about to do exactly that when he got rudely interrupted by an incoming call.
From Shido.
Cursing under his breath, Goro tried his best to ease his nerves, then he accepted the call.
"I'm listening." He spoke stiffly. They had a habit of speaking coded, without mentioning each other's names to the best of their abilities.
It was just another way in which he was not directly acknowledged.
"Give me a report of your activities." The other man spoke in his usual cold, entitled asshole voice.
"We are ready and set for getting rid of Okumura. I am just waiting for the right opportunity to perform the shutdown as we have discussed." The detective spoke succinctly.
From the other side of the line, he heard the man grunt. "Excellent. Now about that Niijima woman, give me an update. How is her palace activity?"
Akechi paled and leaned against his fridge's door.
"About that… Sir, I might not have good news." He started hesitantly.
"Elaborate." The man ground out with a threatening tone of voice.
"Her palace is no longer in place."
"What? She no longer has- Goro, fucking explain yourself this instant!" The man barked imperiously.
"Don't say my first name." The boy hissed in retaliation.
"No, listen to me, you little shit. I will fucking say your name if I want to. Now tell me, you bastard, what the fuck happened?"
Goro's knuckles got white as he held his phone forcefully in response to hearing the word bastard being spouted by his disgusting father's filthy mouth.
"I am still investigating, but I don't believe she was targeted by the Phantom Thieves. There was no calling card, and she isn't a simpering mess."
"Could she have stumbled upon the metaverse and got one of those creatures?"
Goro swallowed dryly. He had that same thought several hours ago, but didn't want to believe it.
"A persona? Unlikely. It is more plausible that she just had second thoughts and changed naturally."
"This is not good. That woman is the only high ranking SIU prosecutor not in our pockets. What the fuck is director Ishikawa doing about his minions? I might have to order a hit on her if she starts to suspect anything."
"Sir, with all due respect, that is a foolish endeavor. If you kill Niijima, you will cause a disruption in your operations. Whether you like it or not, the woman has been our most useful ally, even if she is completely unaware of the fact. Just leave it to the director to keep her on a leash."
"Tch. You sound like you're giving excuses for keeping this bitch alive."
Goro gritted his teeth. "It's not an excuse, it's called strategic thinking. I will rethink our steps."
"You know, this fucking stupid plan of using her palace as a bait for those brats was YOUR idea. Right now I am more inclined to discreetly give hits to their families and dispose of them one by one."
"Sir" Goro stressed with disdain. "If you do that, you will only make them alert and more hostile. What we need is to discourage them from acting by simply taking out their leader first. They will lose morale that way, and THEN we can pick them, one by one while their attention is averted."
The man kept silent. "And how do YOU plan on doing that? You no longer have Niijima's palace for this foolish plan you have proposed."
"I don't need her palace. I will figure something out."
"See that you do. Because if you don't, there will be consequences. Is that clear, boy?"
"Crystal, sir." He seethed in response.
"Good dog." The man said maliciously.
Without waiting for a response, Shido hung up the call.
Goro's hand trembled as he clutched his phone, and righteous anger cursed through his veins.
He hated it. HE HATED IT.
Dealing with that man was always a torturous exercise in self restraint. He had to keep his facade all the time but sometimes he would crack and expose his vulnerabilities.
And Shido KNEW. He had to know he affected Goro that way.
Calling him dog, boy, bastard, among other demeaning names as if eager to provoke a reaction out of him.
Goro was sick of it. He almost felt the urge to do something drastic.
Like going into his palace at that instant and killing his father right away.
How sweet it would be to just make his shadow cry for mercy, to beg like a fucking mutt, to plead for his disgusting, worm-like life.
It would be grand, and glorious, and-
…
And then it would be too early.
Goro felt an unnatural sense of calmness settle inside him.
It was too, too early. He had to wait until Shido was elected, when his father reached his maximum height, at the top, so he could topple the tower and make his fall into a violent, brutal crash.
He would destroy Shido completely, but not right now.
For now he would lick his wounds, and tomorrow, he would start a new plan to take down the Thieves.
But even as he tried to reassure himself, Goro couldn't help but feel like things were, in fact, not going to be alright.
To be Continued…
