Now that the Phantom Thieves had a better understanding of their situation, they knew what they needed to do to progress in this Kingdom. It all stemmed from Toshiro's heart, for reasons they could assume, but weren't entirely sure of. But they knew enough to properly progress forward. As they rested before their next operation, Ryuji couldn't help but notice that the TV in the cafe was on. "Huh? A late night poetry slam with Lord Yoshiki? What's all that about?"
"A poetry slam, huh?" Futaba grumbled, already not having a good feeling about this. "It's probably that "I Love Haiku" show he heard about earlier."
"He did leave in quite a hurry, so maybe that's what he's doing now?" Haru suggested.
"This oughta be good." Ichinose was tuned in. Soon, on the screen, there was Yoshiki, sitting in a gaudy studio, holding a piece of paper in hand. "Whoa. Talk about flashy."
"We know where all his money is going." Futaba groaned.
"Let's see..." Yoshiki began. "Next up is a poem by a Mr. Hopelessly i Love with Lord Yoshiki."
"These people need better tastes." Mika rolled her eyes.
"This must be a show where haiku written by all the citizens are presented on air." Makoto surmised.
"Oh Lord Yoshiki. My dearest lord Yoshiki. Oh Lord Yoshiki." Yoshiki read the haiku aloud. There was a long pause before he spoke. "Oho, how very interesting, indeed. I see...you're expressing your utmost love and respect for me by continuously repeating my name. Hoho, how wonderful... And then, he crumpled the paper in his hands, a menacing aura flowing around him. "...Is that what you thought I'd say, you IDIOT!?" The group watching couldn't help but be surprised at this sudden outburst. "Do you think I'm a fool!? This is nothing more than empty flattery! Utterly meaningless! Love! There is no love to be found in such a poem! It doesn't even rhyme!" There was a sudden cut as the program went off air. But it's easy to assume he destroyed the camera in his fit of rage.
"What do you mean he has standards!?" Mika gasped, somehow offended. "I mean, yeah it wasn't good, but still!"
"He's really letting them have it..." Sumire said with a sweat drop.
"At this rate, he's going to burst a blood vessel and collapse before we even fight him." Despite the fact that Yoshiki was their enemy, it felt strange seeing someone with such anger issues.
"...But it doesn't need to rhyme if it's a Haiku." Makoto said quiet.
"That's not the problem here." Ichinose shook her head.
"Haiku have three lines with a 5, 7, 5, syllable structure." Yusuke began. "It's the art of fitting your feelings into a 17-syllable microcosm. This is an excellent opportunity for us. Let us craft poems together, shall we? You're up first, Ryuji!" There was a long silence, until Ryuji realized the spotlight was on him.
"Huh? Why me...!? Uhhhh..." Ryuji was about to put his creative mind at work. "We're the Phantom Thieves...and we're here in this Kingdom...And we're here in this Kingdom." That was all he had. So he turned to Ren. "I got nothing. Baton Pass, RenRen."
"Hm..." Ren stroked his chin, trying to think of something. "...To beat its Ruler." He wasn't really ready for this either.
"That was rather plain, Ryuji." Yusuke shook his head.
"Seems like only fighting is in his brain." Futaba also shook her head, adding more fuel into the fire.
"Why're you pickin' on me!?" Ryuji grunted in annoyance.
"Brilliant eyes of green. Sharpest mind I've seen. With a heart of gold!" Mika said proudly, looking to Hifumi right after. "What did you think, Hifumi-chan? I felt pretty inspired when I made that." Mika's artistic side came out again, for her benefit. She gave Ann an annoying smile
"O-Oh, wow. That was...really nice..." Hifumi had a sheepish smile.
Ann was not going to let this slide. "Most beautiful girl! Sharpest mind in the whole world. And my one true love!" Hifumi's eyes were wide from Ann's haiku. Before she could even muster a response, Ann's final show of affection was a kiss. Hifumi melted into it and leaned into Ann with a soft gaze. With that, Ann gave Mika a smug grin.
"..." Mika narrowed her eyes. Nothing to say, but oooooh, she felt that.
Sophia watched the whole thing and blinked. "...Strange. Mika is super nice to Hifumi, but often taunts Ann. And just now, she seems upset whenever Ann and Hifumi do couple things...does Mika..."
Sumire realized where this was going with Sophia spoke. It all suddenly clicked in that moment, and she quickly shushed Sophia. "...It's not nice to expose other people like that." She whispered.
"Okay. I've got it." Sophia nodded, but with a hint of a smile.
Morgana couldn't help but feel some slight jealousy as well, even if that ship has long since sailed for him. "Man. I can't believe you guys are all worked up because of that stupid show. But while we're talking about Haiku, I guess I might as well give it a shot."
"Go for it, kitty." Ichinose said, curious about his talents.
"A true Phantom thief.
Will always elegantly
complete the mission!"
Another!
"Each and every day
whether sleeping or awake
my skills are unmatched!"
"Oh, I must be a genius!" Morgana was patting himself on the back for that one.
"..." Akechi just shook his head. He wasn't going to entertain this.
"Erm." Erina wasn't sure what to think. She wanted to ask with help for hers, but at the same time, her thoughts were all jumbled.
Zenkichi could see that Erina was a little rattled, presumably from their discussion earlier. "You alright, Erina? You're looking pretty tense there." He knew the face of someone who had a lot on their mind.
"Perhaps you're hungry?" Yusuke chimed in. "When I'm hungry, I tend to stand perfectly still to reduce all energy usage."
"You need to buy more food!" Hifumi spoke up.
"No, it's not that." Erina admitted. "I've just been trying to sort out everything that's happened in my head. Like the fact that Yoshiki is Toshiro's father, and that he's probably doing bad things in your world, too."
"If this is the world of Toshiro's heart, there are still so many mysteries..." Makoto mumbled.
"Those things you called Palaces and Jails, and The Streets, if they are created from the cognition of a person, then could this be a Palace I created?" Toshiro surmised.
"The Jails were a product of EMMA and Konoe." Ichinose shook her head. "And the Jails were taken care of when EMMA went offline. If it were a Jail, it would be affecting far more people publicly."
"The Streets was a more condensed version of a Palace. But there wasn't a Treasure. Furthermore, Palaces existed because of someone's warped Desires. Not to confuse that when them being an evil person." Ren said. "Futaba had a Palace, but she wasn't like the rest of our targets."
"The rules are similar, yet different." Hifumi stroked her chin, still leaning into Ann. "The bottom line is, this place affects Toshiro's heart. So if anything were to happen, it would have devastating effects in reality..."
"That does bring up a question I have." Sumire rose her hand politely. "The Legionnaires work like Shadows. But in that case...wouldn't this mean Toshiro-san has a Shadow here somewhere?"
"That's not a bad hypothesis." Zenkichi crossed his arms. "If this world is connected to Toshiro, the chances we see his Shadow in the future seem pretty high."
"But how will it act, is the question." That was what Akechi was worried about. "Most Shadows tend to reflect a person's truest thoughts. They tend to be hostile as well."
"My Shadow was nice to me." Futaba said. "But I don't know if I make a good example."
"At the very least, Marie and Yoshiki both appear as if they're born from my cognition." Toshiro could surmise this much, at least. "Considering how Marie and my father's appearances were based on my point of view, it certainly makes sense. So the other people we've met in this world..." Yuki came to mind, of course. But the most glaring one was Erina, who everyone turned to.
Erina's expression fell. "It's what I've had on my mind this whole time. Who am I, really? If this is the world of Toshiro's heart, and you Phantom Thieves came from the real world...then what about me? Am I one of those cognitive thingies, too?"
"Precisely." Akechi replied, bluntly. "You are, most likely, a cognitive being. It is why I was confused when you attempted to accompany us into our world. You couldn't." Haru then nudged him to be a bit nicer with his delivery, but it was already out there.
"But wouldn't that mean Toshiro knows Erina from somewhere?" Ann asked.
"Based on what we've seen so far..." Ichinose started. "The people who have had a negative influence on Toshiro's live appear as Kingdom rulers. Meanwhile, the people that have had some sort of positive influence on Toshiro's life appear as these rebellious figures. Yuki and Erina."
"That means the Erina that Toshiro knew must've been one hell of a rebel." Ryuji said with a grin. "Maybe that makes this Erina different? You sure you don't remember anything, Toshiro?"
"No point in asking him." Mika replied, but not even in an annoyed tone this time. She was just speaking from experience of The Streets. "If it's anything like with Guernica, his memory isn't going to return for a while. The fact we're getting bits and pieces at all is something. It feels like a setup, if you ask me."
"A setup...?" Sophia turned to Mika. "What do you mean?"
"I know this tactic. If there is some passive higher being trying to break this guy, then it's doing it piece by piece." Mika explained with a dismissive hand wave. "It's going to wait until this guy is at his highest, and then it's going to slam him with something horrible to bring him down. I do that to other models sometimes when I think they're a threat."
"D. Don't admit that so casually!?" Toshiro's eyes were wide. Now Mika has planted the seed of the worst case scenario! "I'm not a threat!"
"Hey, that's just how these things worse. So prepare yourself." Mika replied dismissively.
"That's no help at all." Erina admitted with an exaggerated smile. But all of this was confirming was that she...wasn't real. Not in the sense that she was hoping for. Suddenly, her existence was called into question, and she had a bunch of confusing feelings about it. It wasn't something she thought about until this very moment.
"Hey." Zenkichi spoke up. "There's one thing about you that I can say with absolute certainty, Erina. Your desire to help people is real. If it weren't for you, we'd be up the creek against Marie. Don't take your existence for granted. Because there is a strong core in there. You've a foundation for something that doesn't go down so easily."
"Ah...Zenkichi..." Erina was a little stunned at those words.
"Yeah, it doesn't matter at the end of the day." Ren replied with a smile.
"There's not a single doubt in my mind that Erina's our partner! And that's all that matters!" Ryuji grinned. "She's a part of our team at the end of the day!"
"I agree!" Sumire spoke up. "The things you've done for us are real. So don't go thinking about all of that, okay? The things you do matter."
"Guys..." Erina felt tears in her eye. Truthfully, she still felt a little uneasy about her existence, but the others helped quelled those worries for now. "Okay. Of course I'm going to keep helping you all! Yoshiki is totally going down!"
For a moment, it happened again. Toshiro saw Erina differently. It was like a brief flash of something long forgotten, how her hair turned brown, and for a moment he swore he could see both of her eyes. He shook that off, however.
A little bit of time passed. Now that everyone was able to take a break, Toshiro thought it was high time they started to get to work.
"Is everyone feeling well rested at this point?" Toshiro asked everyone.
"Yes, we are." Makoto smiled. "Especially thanks to Yuki-san's delicious tea."
"Oh, you're welcome." Yuki said with a faint giggle.
"Excellent." Toshiro said. "Before we get into the details, though, let's go over the current situation. Sakura-kun, Ichinose-san, please tell everyone what you told me."
"Yes, sir." Ichinose said, leaning back into her seat. "Futaba-chan and I were able to hack into the cameras and disable most of them. However, we soon found that the main control system is, predictably, within Yoshiki's castle. This is likely why they were able to gain control of the monitor so soon."
"So, the town's cameras are down for now." Futaba raised a finger. "But we should expect them to get them up and running again soon."
"Then we'll take this opportunity to charge in and -!" Erina then stopped herself. "Wait, no. that's not going to work, is it?"
"Well, how about that. She's learning." Akechi was, daresay, proud of Erina for not running headfirst into danger. It was less of a headache when she actually thought about her actions first.
"Yeah, that love general is crazy, but he's no idiot." Futaba frowned. If only things would be that simple!
"Figuring out how to proceed was the tricky part." Hifumi lifted a finger. "Getting around the cameras in the castle will not be an easy feat, especially with forces as meager as our own. We do not have the added benefits of the Rebel Corps at the moment, so we are vastly outnumbered."
"I have an idea. But for it to work, we're going to need a lot more manpower than we currently possess." Toshiro said. "We need a way to fool Yoshiki's cameras. Yuki-san, your word seems to carry a lot of weight with the townspeople." Toshiro turned to Yuki. "Can you ask the people we just freed to help us?"
Yuki looked surprised at this request. "Well, that's..."
"That won't be difficult, will it?" Ren asked.
To that, Yuki shook her head. "Asking them won't be the issue. But I think it would be better if you saw for yourself. It should still be safe since the cameras are down. Let's hurry."
"Something tells me this isn't going to go well." Ann already had a bad feeling about it.
.
.
Yuki led the group outside, where a group of townspeople were congregated. They were pretty tired after being freed from captivity. When they saw Yuki approach, they did stand to attention. "Lady Yuki! And those people behind you are...?"
"Ah, yes." Yuki gave the citizens a slight smile. "These are the travelers responsible for your freedom."
"Thank you, thank you!" A tired citizen exclaimed with glee. "We owe you so much."
"I finally got to see my child again. Now we can go back to our quiet lives." Another citizen said happily.
"Um, actually, there's something I wanted to mention..." Yuki hesitated a little bit. She wasn't sure how to ask. "..."
"Yuki-san, if I may?" Erina said, stepping forward with a smile. "I'm truly glad to see you all safe. You have my word that this will never happen to you or your families again. And to do that, I'd like to ask for your help in defeating Yoshiki once and for all!"
When she said that, the mood shifted.
"D-Defeat, Lord Yoshiki?"
"N-No, that's impossible. The Aizen Squad will have our heads if we defy him!"
Erina sort of expected this response. But she was going to keep pushing on regardless. "Leave them to us. We have man reliable comrades ready to fight alongside us. But we also can't succeed without your help. So, what do you say?"
"T-That's..."
"Well...I'm not sure what the others are going to say..."
Erina's brow furrowed. She could feel the urge to rebel within them, but the citizens were suppressing it! She had to draw it out of them somehow. "You've all realized that Yoshiki's so called 'love' is a façade, haven't you? You all SAW the footage of what the people who are taken away are forced to deal with. If everyone rises up and takes a stand, we can end all of this!"
...
"It's true that our present lives are not easy..."
"And the times are difficult at present..."
"So you agree!" Erina felt momentum.
"Maybe, but...but...at least we're able to go on living!" Erina's eye widened at this.
"We've got no power to begin with, anyhow. There's not much we can accord to want. And as long as we stay quiet, we're somehow able to scrape by."
"And what happens it we fail? Just thinking about how we might suffer more frightens me to no end..."
"So you see...we would rather...we would rather you just let us be."
"There's no other choice. We just have to accept things as they are."
The various citizens speaking similar thoughts made Erina sigh. "There's no way..."
"I think I'm starting to realize what these citizens represent." Hifumi crossed her arms, and then looked at Toshiro. "I seem to recall you saying something similar when we first met."
"..." Toshiro glanced to the side. Being smacked with that realization hit like a truck. He remembered those words as well.
"So that's how it is." Zenkichi let out a small sigh.
"They accept the pain in their lives, fearing that resisting would only make things worse. Yoshiki takes advantage of their weak mindsets to control them." Yuki clenched a hand into a fist. Seeing the people like this was hard for her.
"Yuki-san..." Makoto frowned at this.
"But this isn't right!" Erina shook her head. "Suppressing all your hopes and dreams, living in fear, crying every day...can you really call that living!? Somewhere, deep inside, I know you realize things can't go on like this! Take a stand and fight with us!"
"W...We have to think about it..."
"But you can't jus-!"
"Erina, calm down." Zenkichi said. "You won't make progress if you push them this way."
"But...!" Erina started, only for Toshiro to step forward. "Erina, would you allow me?"
"Toshiro?" Erina blinked.
"My friend here is quite dependable, but she has a tendency to be quick to passion." Toshiro said with a slight smile. "Look, I'm afraid of fighting too. And being told to do so when you're already in an powerless situation is absurd. Those who already possess strength will tell you not to be afraid, and that you need to stand up for yourselves."
"Hey, that's not what Erina said...!" Ryuji grunted.
"Hold on." Zenkichi tilted his head slightly. "Let's see how he does here."
Toshiro continued on. "I understand how you all feel. For a long time, I was more of a coward than anyone. I was always looking for an excuse not to fight. In fact, the fear is still there. And if I'm being perfectly honest with you, I'd much prefer not to fight."
"That's exactly how we feel! We just want to keep things as they are!" A citizen exclaimed. Finally, someone who understood their position-!
"But then, I decided to take a stand." Toshiro's words surprised the citizens. "Because no matter how badly I want to run from my fear, I don't want to lie to myself anymore. I'm not telling you to be strong, and there may not even be a need to fight beyond your means. But at the very least, why not make an attempt to stop lying to yourselves."
"Heh..." Erina couldn't help but slight grin on her face at Toshiro's words.
"Wow, maybe he's not half bad at this after all." Ichinose said with a faint chuckle.
"And after...if you still feel a desire to change the present, we're ready to do so alongside you. Those you see here with my have hearts of great strength. They will grieve, and rage, and give their all for those who suffer! If you help us today, I promise you they will do the same! Right, Joker?"
"Without a doubt." Ren said with a firm nod.
"Yeah, no way we'll lose to Yoshiki!" Ryuji exclaimed. "If you think Yoshiki's scary, we've got some people on our team that'll make him look tame." His gaze went to straight to Makoto when he said that.
"Why did you look straight at me!?"Makoto felt a little offended, as if she didn't know how to intimidate someone at times.
"Oh, I was looking at Haru and Hifumi as well." Ryuji said.
"They're all pretty good people to have on our side." Yusuke nodded.
"Yeah guys, you don't have to be afraid of big ol' Uncle Love!" Ann smiled a sweet smile.
"We will do everything we can to defeat him!" Sophia lifted her hand into the air. "That is a promise."
"That's all I had to say to you. The rest, you'll have to decide on your own accord." Toshiro told the pensive citizens. "There's no need to give a decision now. But I would like you to give it some thought. I appreciate you taking the trouble to come out here. Now, I'm sure you're all quite exhausted, so please rest up and..."
Before he could finish...
"I want to help!" The silk shop owner spoke up, surprising everyone.
"Isn't that the one that made us disguises?" Mika asked.
"Yeah..." Sumire replied.
"I'm afraid of fighting, too...but I don't want to go on living a lie anymore!" The silk shop owner said, determined. "If we don't take the opportunity given to us now, I don't see us getting another one! I'm more afraid of that than I am of any pain I might be put through by Lord Yoshiki."
"Yeah...I see your point..."
"If you still have us, we'll give you support..."
It only took one person to shift the tide. But the citizens were suddenly more willing to lend their support now that someone was willing to take a stand and fight. "I'll spread the word and ask people to believe in you this time!" A citizen spoke.
Toshiro appeared the most surprise. He honestly wasn't sure if he would get through to them, especially so quickly. "Everyone...I'm sorry. No, that's not right. I should be saying thank you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
"..." Yuki didn't say anything, but she did smile.
The scene broke up and the citizens split off. When Toshiro returned to the group, he was met with mostly positive responses. "That wasn't too terrible." Akechi said. It was rare he actually gave a compliment, but the situation that unfolded was worth it. "I'm surprised you were able to convince them so quickly, but perhaps that was the expected outcome to begin with."
"So was I." Toshiro admitted.
"I guess that kind of persuasion comes with the job?" Ren asked, only slightly jokingly.
"No, it's not that." Toshiro replied. "I was the kind of politician who only read off scripts other people prepared for me. What you saw just now...I was only speaking my mind."
"Then that means your hearts really connected with them." Yuki said with a gentle smile.
Toshiro was a little flustered when Yuki said that. "N-No, I don't think it was anything like that. Perhaps they just got swept up in the moment."
"Take credit for something for once, will you? Geez." Mika rolled her eyes. Toshiro deflated a little bit. At least she wasn't being as harsh as she usually was towards him. Was this improvement, or did she really just not bother for once? He could never tell with her.
"In that case, it is time to move onto the next phase of our plan!" Hifumi said excitedly. They were steadily gaining momentum now. "As Yuki-san told us before, there are multiple Aizen Squad bases scattered about the Kingdom. They have people working under forced labor there as well."
"So our operation begins by taking out the remaining bases! We'll be killing multiple birds with one stone this way." Ichinose added. "We'll destroy enemy forces while freeing citizens. If Toshiro's rousing speech continues to spread throughout the people. I suspect we'll have more manpower than we'll know what to do with."
"So we finally have a course of action? Excellent." Yusuke was glad to hear this.
"So that settles it, then!" Ren felt a smirk crawl onto his lips. "Our next operation...taking down the Aizen Squad in their own homes."