Hey UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona… earlier than expected. To be honest, for dramatic effect, I split the chapter in half. Anyways, let's get onto the reviews.
To Autistic-Grizzly: 1) Yep, because Far Cry 3 randomly popped into my mind while writing another disturbing Haru fact. 2) Yes, Kozmo Land is based on the Kozmo archetype from Yu-Gi-Oh! If you see a UknownHero on Master Duel playing a HERO deck, that's me. To elifotero: If you see chapter isn't available, that's a glitch on the side of the site. Nothing I can do. To pinkpierocks: Or so you'd think.
Eh, let's just get into it now. Time for a breakdown.
Load Game… Start!
Chapter 144: Chaos Among Orders
(10/11, Evening)
(Destinyland, Diamond Palace Restaurant)
When Okumura collapsed, so did the Thieves' hopes that they were surviving the year.
At that moment, nobody dared to move or to speak, as if it was the last barrier before the scene they had witnessed became reality. Aside from the sounds of the stalls and rides of Destinyland, there was deafening silence in the air.
...
...
...
Finally, Asuka dropped her phone on the table.
It had only been a few seconds, but it felt like hours before they truly processed what they just saw.
Haru shot up from her seat as she gasped at the feed in shock. "F-Father!" She exclaimed.
"The hell!?" Ryuji got out, baffled at the scene as well.
"W-What happened!?" Asuka exclaimed.
"That...That never happened before, right?" Yumi whispered, sounding so scared and vulnerable at that very moment.
"Wh-Why did he collapse?" Ann gasped out.
"That didn't look right at all...Don't tell me...!" Makoto muttered, her hands shaking while staring at the screen.
"Morgana, what the hell is going on!?" Homura demanded while glaring at the not cat.
"I-I don't know!" Morgana exclaimed in a panic. "He got shot, sure, but he didn't...we stole his Treasure, we saved his life...he shouldn't have done that!" He then stated before declaring.
While everyone was panicking, the eldest thief soon noticed the shivering and traumatised hacker. "Futaba?" She soon got out in worry.
"I-It's like...oh god..." Futaba mumbled out.
"F-Futaba-chan!?" Asuka then exclaimed as everyone quickly focused on the orangette, who looked seconds away from hiding under the table.
"This is like...when my mom...what happened to my mom before she..." Futaba managed to get out before covering her ears. Everything was too loud and bright and everything was coming back way too-
"HEY! Get a hold yourself, dammit!" Ryuji shouted out, nearly going for a slap but Makoto stopped him before he activated the white haired woman's sisterly/protectively murderous instincts. At least it managed to get the girl to start calming down.
"A...mental shutdown?" Akira got out with widened eyes.
"But his Shadow lived! We made sure of that before his Palace blew up!" Miyabi reminded angrily. "What the actual fuck!?" She then got out in confusion.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Eh?" Haru got out as she took out her phone and answered the phone. "...Oh thank God!" She suddenly cried out in panicked relief.
"Haru?" Makoto got out in concern.
"H-He's being rushed to the hospital! He isn't...he's not..." Haru tried to inform the group, but she was too frazzled to tell them. "I-I need to go. I'll talk to the staff before I leave. Feel free to take your time..." She then informed and requested.
"No way in hell!" The Leader however responded. "You're not dealing with this alone, Haru." Akira declared as the others nodded in agreement.
"It is kinda our fault after all..." Ann muttered.
"Guys..." Haru breathed out before nodding. "...I'll get us transportation to the hospital for all of us." She soon decided as she dialed on her phone.
"Please...Please be okay..." Asuka prayed before the Thieves dashed as fast as they could to the exit.
(Asakusa, Hanzo Academy, Eites Room)
The Hanzō students, both the Elites and the New Wave girls, were watching the broadcast intently. They had to know what was going to happen when they heard Okumura was going to confess something.
After everything they've learned and seen themselves, it was supposed to be a moment of catharsis. To see the man who sold off his own daughter to suffer the consequences and pay for his crimes.
But they never expected for justice to be served like this.
"...What just happened?" Yagyū got out. "What in the world just happened!?" She then questioned.
"Oi oi oi! Don't tell me that hacker's group did something!?" Katsuragi declared.
"Okumura-san!" Ikaruga exclaimed in a panic. "Oh god, Haru!" She then added in concern.
"I...don't think I could sleep after seeing that." Seimei admitted, feeling very wide awake now.
Hibari and Muramasa were quivering, crying and clinging to each other for support.
"Read the room, Hijikata..." Ayame chastised the other girl as soon as she saw her preparing her hammer.
"Things are going to get hectic now." Hijikata replied as she started weapon maintenance on it. "The likely closest shinobi school to ground zero and the one that botched the contract. We're going to be working very hard in the near future." She then explained.
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be raising the others' spirits right now." The bluenette snapped with a glance towards the pinkette and her robotic teammate.
"Whoa, Seimei is pissed..." Katsuragi got out in shock.
"Wait, is Asuka-senpai gonna be okay on her own?!" Fūma asked in worry.
"Asuka is strong. Don't worry about her." Katsuragi assured the first year. "But...Haru..." She then muttered.
"...She did put his name on the site..." Ikaruga revealed.
"Someone call her!" Fūma shouted.
BZZT! BZZT!
"!" Ikaruga's eyes widened at that moment as she took out her phone. "Haru-san!" She exclaimed, seeing it was a text from her Melon Peaches sister.
"She texted you?" Ayame asked.
"No, it's the Queen of Sheba!" Ikuraga snapped at the shopkeep shinobi.
"This is not the time for jokes or sarcastic replies! What does it say?" Seimei snapped back before asking.
Ikaruga grimaced. "She says that he's being sent to their hospital and she's on her way there, but she doesn't know exactly if he's..." She answered before trailing off, not wanting to say it in case it came true.
"So there's still a chance he might make it." Yagyū concluded. Not great, but definitely not as bad as it could be.
"Haru-chan..." Hibari got out in concern.
"...We need to go back to Tokyo." Ikaruga decided.
"After this, I don't think we'll have much of a choice." Yagyū soon stated. "A confession is one thing, but something like that..." She continued before trailing off.
"And the Evil will stop at nothing to obtain it." Hijikata concluded with narrowed eyes.
"...So we'll have to stop them." Muramasa concluded.
"...It's war." Ikaruga whispered in a sour tone...before her eyes then widened in realization. "Which means...they would also have to have seen it too..." She thought to herself, the image of a golden blonde haired girl, a silverette with drill-like curls and a brunette in a Hannya mask flashed in her mind with each of them armed with their weapons.
"...Well, fuck." Katsuragi could only say, realizing her plans for love and threesomes was on hold for now.
"Moh..." Hibari whined.
Things were about to become more difficult for them now...
(Staff Room)
Meanwhile, the gray-haired instructor of the school had just witnessed something awful...The mental shutdown of Hanzō Academy's former client: Kunikazu Okumura.
Even worse was the fact that some people were rejoicing over this spectacle...
All that could make this night worse would be the inevitable phone call demanding explanations...
BZZT! BZZT!
Speaking of which...
Kiriya sighed as he settled at his desk, knowing this wasn't going to be pretty as he answered the phone. "Good evening, Takakura-san." He greeted the caller on the other end of the phone.
"Kiriya-san." The man over the phone simply responded. "You saw what just happened, correct?" He then questioned in a serious tone.
"I did." The Hanzō instructor replied in an equally serious tone.
"Then, I'm sure you know why I'm calling you tonight." Takakura replied over the phone. "As much as I am ashamed to say this, but we will be informing the higher-ups about Hanzo Academy's failure to prevent this incident from occurring." He soon informed. "It...seems unlikely that your school will be receiving another bodyguard mission for a long time if at all." He concluded.
"Considering all of the events that have happened previously: the break-ins, the vandalism and the slander; I can understand your reasoning." The instructor admitted. "Even the recreation of a movie scene to deliver their Calling Card." He then added.
"Again, I apologize for this, this was also made as a unanimous vote among the rest of the board." Takakura soon revealed. "...As well as their decision for...drastic measures." He then vaguely informed.
"Once again, I understand." Kiriya replied, feeling a bit disheartened about the development. "I will inform my students of this development immediately." The instructor added.
"Very well. Send my condolences to your students. Especially Ikaruga-san. I'm sure that what has unfortunately transpired will hit her especially hard. Make sure that she has adequate time to handle this turn of events." The Okumura executive responded and requested.
"I will." Kiriya responded with a nod.
Of course, both executive and instructor had a feeling the Good Shinobi Council would say otherwise, but at least the sentiment and concern for one of Haru's friends was there.
"Goodbye, Kiriya-san." Takakura replied.
And with that, the man on the other side of the line hung up.
Kiriya placed the phone back on the receiver before sighing. "Those Phantom Thieves..." The instructor mused as he got out of his chair to tell his students.
(Gessen Academy, Elites Room)
Meanwhile, the Gessen Elites were also in the middle of watching the confession when the occurance happened.
"Holy shit! What the hell was that!?" Shiki exclaimed. "Is he okay!?" She then asked in a panic.
"Of course he isn't!" Yozakura replied as she covered the eyes of their youngest member.
"Moh! I wanna see!" Minori protested as she tried to pry the blunette's hands away.
"Tr-Trust me, you don't..." Murakumo stammered out.
Then, the reality of what the brunette witnessed hit her like a runaway bullet train.
"Oh my god..." Murakumo breathed out. "Haru..." She then muttered in concern for her Melon Peaches sister.
"H-Haru-san just lost her father..." Yozakura got out, her eyes dilating. "...She's like us now..." She then muttered as her arms fell to her sides.
Minori started to tear up despite the cute technical difficulties image on the screen.
"Those Thieves..." Yozakura muttered.
"Unforgivable..." Murakumo mumbled.
There was no question what the Elites of Gessen would do next...
(Shinagawa, Aquarium)
Haruka and Tsumuji were hanging out at the aquarium...Or rather, just finishing up their exhibition as they were in the gift shop browsing its (incredibly overpriced) wares.
"Tsumuji, what are you doing?" Haruka asked the maid as she was looking down at her phone, standing in the middle of the aisle.
"You didn't see the news? The CEO of Big Boob Burger is holding a conference. The Phantom Thieves totally gave him a change of heart!" Tsumuji, wearing her usual maid attire, informed as she showed her mistress the livestream.
Haruka however sighed. "Are you still planning to call them that?" She questioned.
Tsumuji however glanced down at the blonde's bust. "Don't say it's not accurate with how your bust is now the same size as Murasaki-sama's, Haruka-sama." She responded.
"Well, can you at least stand to the side? I want to get something for Da- Um...Akira-kun." Haruka internally cursed at herself. She wasn't that person anymore to insist on calling her precious person darling, like an obsessive stalker or something (which she was, admittedly, but those days were behind her).
"You're not gonna catch the broadcast, Haruka-sama?" Tsumuji soon questioned, wondering why wouldn't the girl bask in yet another victory for the Phantom Thieves.
"After I'm done here." Haruka responded as she moved past her maid and looked at the plushies. "Hmmm, dolphin or sea sponge..." She then wondered.
"I would go for the dolphin." Tsumuji suggested.
"But the sponge has glasses!" Haruka squealed at its cuteness. "And it's so yellow and porous!" She then added.
"That's some nautical nonsense, Haruka-sama. And it is obviously based on that American cartoon character that took over an entire channel and now only show it non-stop to the detriment of that network." Tsumuji sighed before looking at her phone again. "Ooh! It's starting!" She then announced as she put on some cheap headphones.
"Ah! Is that a psychrolutes marcidus!?" Haruka gasped as she spotted yet another plushie. "Hmmm, if I could get one and harvest its cells-" She then muttered, her mind going back to work on her cure.
"Uh, Haruka-sama, you might wanna see that broadcast now." Tsumuji suddenly spoke.
Haruka got a little miffed that she lost her train of thought. "Tsumuji, what are you talking ab- WHAT THE!?" She soon began, only to catch a truly horrific sight.
The doctor in training was pretty sure vomiting black stuff wasn't a natural occurrence.
"Aw, those're some really cute cats! That black-and-white one on the left reminds me of..." Tsumuji cooed out, appreciating the technical difficulties screen before seeing her mistress's look of alarm. "...I mean, what? Did that rich guy just die!?" She soon questioned in realization.
"T-The Phantom Thieves do this?" Haruka questioned in shock.
"I'm assuming." Tsumuji responded. "I didn't know they could do that." She then remarked.
"...They shouldn't. Or at least, they wouldn't." Haruka stated. "This is not good. This is going exactly the way that hacker wanted..." She then muttered.
"I thought they only wanted a change of heart." Tsumuji then got out. "Maybe this is how the Phantom Thieves screw them over!" She then accused.
"By killing their target!?" Haruka incredulously asked.
"Hey, we don't know the method to their madness." Tsumuji pointed out. "Wonder if this happened with their other victims..." She then muttered as went to check the Phan-site to see their reactions.
Haruka meanwhile narrowed her eyes, knowing foul play was going on.
(Hebijo Academy Remains, Elites Common Room)
Meanwhile, in the ruined shinobi school grounds...
Ashiya clutched her miniature Demiurge effigy made out of rubble and sticks. "That's...not good..." The redhead managed to stammer out.
"...What in the actual fucking fuck just happened?" Ryōbi gawked in disbelief, squeezing onto Bebeby in disbelief.
"No way..." Ibuki gasped.
"Pfffft!" Bashō spat out her hot herbal(?) tea into the equally horrified blonde twin's face.
"U-Urk. M-Miyabi..." Imu choked out in concern for her friend who was now at ground zero for the biggest shinobi war in modern history.
Sōji, on the other hand, smirked. "Good. Glad they finally botched one of their jobs." The blonde commented with a venomous giggle. "I was getting sick of their little perfect winning streak." She then added.
"They tried to avoid setting off the trap, but it seems that Okumura was fated to fall victim regardless. In all honesty... I never really had any faith in the Phantom Thieves anyway." Chitose muttered before narrowing her eyes at the strawberry blonde. "Also Sōji, shut the hell up." She then hissed out.
"You're not helping with your dumbass cynic fatalist attitude either." Ryōbi quietly muttered.
"So, that was a shutdown right?" Ryōna finally managed to squeak out.
"Y-Yeah..." Bashō agreed with a wince. "...The hacker got what they wanted..." She then realized.
"Hah! Well, I'm ready and raring to go deal with some Thieves. I'll get to the bottom of this whole mess and show Homura and Miyabi how it's truly done." Sōji boasted with a cackle. "Homura had six months while Miyabi had three to complete the mission and both have given us nothing. No, I'd say they have given us less than nothing! I think it's high time for someone else to pick up the slack." She then reminded the other Hebijo Elites with narrowed eyes.
"Shut up Sōji..." Chitose hissed once more.
"Much as I hate to agree with God's Shittiest Creation, she does have a point regarding Homura and Miyabi." Ryōbi sighed out.
"Don't give her an ego that requires its own government due to its size." Ryōna deadpanned.
"Oi, Sōji. We have to wait for orders first before anything." Imu reminded her. "Crap, I really hope Dōgen doesn't show up..." She thought to herself out of concern for her sister and her friends.
She knew that if Dōgen did appear, it would end very badly for them...
(Rise's Apartment)
Daidōji, Rin, and Rise simply stared at the screen while lounging on their couch wearing casual clothes, wide eyed at what just happened.
"You're kidding me! Is October just cursed for Persona users!?" Rise got out in shock. "H-How?!" She then stammered out.
"Asuka..." Daidōji murmured.
"Homura..." Rin muttered.
"What did you do!?" Both of them got out in dead serious yet panicked unison.
They knew they'd have to get explanations from them as soon as they could.
(Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo Mirage Apartment Complex)
Senki Shu had been enjoying their pizza while watching a documentary about lawsuits and casinos (except for Miki who could only forlornly look at the very tasty looking food while silently cursing Maki) when the interrupting urgent broadcast had somewhat dampened their mood as they then watched what happened and going wide-eyed as a result.
"So...Okumura confessed." Maki eventually got out.
"Looks like it." Yuki replied. "Hmm...You look unusually pensive there Miki-chi..." She then added as she looked at the stunned pinkette.
"Sorry, I was just caught up in my pre-Senki Shu days long before I met Reki-chan..." Miki managed to get out. "I thought the Phan-Site did things differently compared to the Revenge Request website that my former teammate from Strega, Shirato-san, ran before I got my current name..." The pinkette wondered and explained.
"He...He just had a mental shutdown...right? Right!?" Reki meanwhile asked in confirmation.
"Yeah...actually that was just like what Strega did to people..." Miki revealed in a serious tone.
"Your methods were different though." Maki recalled as the pinkette nodded.
"Mhm. Get the request off the website, wait until the Dark Hour, find the target's transmogrified casket, yank them out of it and then kill them." Miki hummed out and recited.
"The idea of an extra hour after midnight but before 1AM still baffles me." Reki confessed.
"Well it was a man-made occurrence at the time." Miki pointed out.
"Because of some mad experiment that went wrong." Hyōki sighed out. "Why is that a recurring theme with us...?" She then asked herself as she briefly glanced at the brunette and the pinkette.
"Still, how about those you didn't target? How did the Dark Hour affect them? Could you give us a refresher on that so that we're all on the same page?" Yuki asked the pinkette.
"Apathy Syndrome." Miki answered. "I never suspected it would resurface after all this time though...no one should even remember it." She then confessed in a dead serious tone.
"Though it just reduced people to a vegetative or occasionally a zombie-like state called The Lost from your experiences, right?" Reki recalled. "It didn't turn people crazy or outright kill them like the others we've been hearing in the news over the past two years." She then noted.
"It's slightly different this time, but there's doubt about it that this is the same thing." Miki confirmed.
"More pieces are coming together. I think I'm more certain about what me and Miki discussed not too long ago being the truth..." Reki thought to herself. "I should bring this up with the others when I can..." She then decided in her head.
"Still, the broadcast... Ugh, I've killed quite a few shinobi, mostly out of either self-defense or blind anger, but what happened to Okumura is still a gruesome way to go..." Hyōki revealed with a grimace.
"Worse is that the crowd was celebrating it and laughing at it like it was some kind of game, some kind of cruel JOKE with all those strings of 'wwwwwwwwwww'. That's sick and twisted, even by the standards of what we've done and what's happened to us!" Yuki spat out in disgust as she slammed her fists on the coffee table, nearly breaking it and sending their takeout food, which consists of pizza and soda-filled cups, flying.
Hyōki meanwhile narrowed her eyes and nodded. "He did have a shutdown though..." She responded. "...The Phantom Thieves are gonna get blamed for this...like what the hacker that hacked the Phan-Site wanted..." She then stated in a dead serious tone.
That in turn got the attention of the others as they looked at their Leader with widened eyes. "Oh shit..." Yuki got out in realization.
"Shinobis are going to flock here like vultures to a carcass..." Maki sighed out.
"All going for the Phantom Thieves when they didn't even do it." Miki stated. "And you know that this alleged 'Conspiracy' would have quite the incentive too ..." She then assumed
"The hacker set them up to be the fall guys..." Reki concluded. "Damn it, this is just what happened to me..." She added.
"Not their fault..." The blonde droned out in a daze with a blank look in her eyes as she started running out of steam. "They tried their best...only to get victimized to fit the narrative..." She then mumbled out as the brunette wordlessly pulled her into a hug to help calm the panicking blonde down.
SQUISH!
"...Who the hell did it though...and how?" Hyōki muttered with narrowed eyes.
"Someone who had a lot to gain from their downfall..." Reki plainly stated
"Wait...are we all fans of the Phantom Thieves?" Yuki eventually asked, snapping out of her anger though she was still sobbing into the brunette's bust.
"It would seem so." Miki got out with a giggle more out of awkwardness and nervousness than actual humor. "Two groups rejected by society for their efforts to make the status quo better via unconventional methods..." She then added.
"I just hope not everyone will be fooled by this..." Maki sighed out. "Still... I hope things change with Okumura Foods now..." The brunette quietly mumbled, glancing down towards her breasts.
"We can only hope." Hyōki replied with a shiver. "She's coming for sure now. I can definitely feel it." She thought to herself as she wobbled a little with a wince. "That medication. . I'm feeling its effects more frequently now..." She mentally concluded, a hint of concern and fear from this occurring.
"Hyōki-chan?" Miki called out in concern.
She feared succumbing to its effects right in front of him...
"I'm...fine. I think we should have an early night. Tempers are flaring a bit here, people are reliving past traumas and we need to be calm and rational before the storm hits." The ravenette replied and explained.
SQUISH!
Only for the pinkette to embrace the young Leader in a hug. "There there..." Miki soothingly cooed out.
"Moh...I'm fine. It's Yuki and Maki that need the morale boost more than me..." Hyōki responded, putting on a brave face.
"You're worried about her coming, right?" Miki however assumed.
"I'll just defeat her again like I did the last two times... We only vacated the estate because it was more pragmatic to bail." The ravenette stated with a deadpan look in her eyes. "But...it was good we came here to Tokyo." She then added.
"Cause of Ryuji?" Miki assumed in a more playful manner.
Hyōki merely gave her a look that said she wanted to kill her, though she was blushing like mad.
Then something immediately sprung to the ravenette's mind at the mention of the dyed blond.
"...Well, fuck." Hyōki thought to herself, realizing her plans for love and threesomes was on hold for now.
"Hey, you two. Maki-chi suggested we hit the bathhouse to unwind before we get to bed." Yuki revealed. "You comin' with?" The blonde then asked.
The two in turn sighed to that. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Hyōki breathed out.
"Mhm..." Miki hummed out in agreement, releasing the young Leader from the hug as they soon headed out.
The five girls of Senki Shu definitely needed this...
(Shibuya, Station Square)
They were standing in the middle of the bustling crowd in Shibuya, looking at the large screen on top of a building showing Kunikazu Okumura's live conference to the public eye.
"You know, we could just go to a rooftop and see the whole thing, away from the crowds." Renka started, feeling wary with the ground around her. "Starting to feel tight from the people walking around here." She then added.
"You'll live." Senkō replied in a flat tone.
"The only thing I'm worried about is getting groped here." Renka got out with a sigh along with crossed arms under her chest. "Like the ones happening in that long train." She then added.
"Wait, what?" Hanabi began, glancing at her. "Getting groped?" She then asked, sounding a bit concerned.
"Don't worry that empty little head of yours over trivial details." Senkō replied with crossed arms. "Perverts are now a part of everyday life here in Japan." She then added.
"Now, now. That wasn't very nice." Gekkō chastised her elder half-sister.
"It's actually more like a black hole. She gets dumber the longer she's alive." Kafuru soon chimed in.
"Kafuru-chan, you meanie! I am completely okie-dokan! Both physically and..." Hanabi declared and started saying before pausing.
"..."
"..."
"Uh, Hanabi-san?" Kagura got out, glancing at said girl.
"...Mentally!" Hanabi soon chirped before blinking. "Eh? What are we talking about again? Hey look! A butterfly! Hiiiiiii~" She then asked before suddenly greeting.
"...That's a moth, my dear." Sayuri corrected with a sigh as she watched the girl chase after the bug.
"Whoever she gets with, they are gonna have really stupid children..." Senkō deadpanned. "Are we sure we shouldn't send her to school?" She then asked.
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm really good with gunpowder." Hanabi replied while pouting.
"Hanabi-chan must have some level of skill and knowledge to make flawless fireworks..." Gekkō pointed out to her half-sister.
"And according to Renka-san, she also has a bad habit of exploding whenever she gets stumped." Senkō sighed out.
"Uuuuu..." The middle Mikagura sister whined.
"Hey, it's starting." Kafuru started, earning everyone's attention.
Hanabi went excited. "Get ready for a celebration!" She then declared with pumped fists.
"Hey, we're in public! Don't set off anything!" Naraku hissed out.
"I have not personally seen a Phantom Thieves target confess live. This will be interesting." Fubuki admitted, gazing at the large screen of the building in front of them.
"I agree." Sayuri agreed with a nod, gazing at the large screen as well as taking a hit from her long smoking pipe. "These Thieves...what power do they hold over their victims?" She then wondered aloud.
Meanwhile, Kagura stared at the screen silently.
Everything seemed normal, apart from some of the concerning confessions made by the CEO, until he started vomiting some strange black stuff from his mouth profusely before collapsing.
"DOKAN!" Hanabi happily cheered as she set off a small rocket...before actually processing what she just saw. "...Wait, EEEEEEEEH!?" She began before exclaimed in shock.
"That...was not supposed to happen..." Senkō noted, seeing what happened. "I've seen other confessions, and they were nothing like this..." She then noted.
Gekkō grimaced. "That looks painful." She remarked.
Fubuki's eyes meanwhile widened, feelings of shock and disbelief spreading within her.
"Wha-? HUH!?" Renka gawked.
"Did he just...?!" Gekkō began to question.
"He exploded from his mouth!" Hanabi exclaimed.
"He's dead!" Senkō also exclaimed.
"Kagura-sama, avert your eyes!" Naraku called out as she tried to obscure the Yōma slayer's vision, but it was too late by then.
"Kagura-chan's a big girl. She can handle it." Gekkō replied.
"...Is that the true power of the Phantom Thieves?" Fubuki whispered in awe.
"...R.I.P." Kafuru let out, unable to stop herself.
"...Guys...what just happened?" Renka began, worry and fear etching on her face.
"...The beginning of war, my dear child." Sayuri answered with a grave look on her face.
(Roppongi, Caduceus)
Four taxis suddenly pulled over on the curb in front of the hospital, and the car doors opened, revealing the Phantom Thieves who had just reached their destination.
"Thank you, sir." Akira got out as he paid for the fare for the friends who went on the same taxi as his own. After that, he then got out and noticed that some of his friends also paid for their own fares on their own respective taxis as well.
With no hesitation, they began to jog towards the hospital before eventually entering the premises. As they did, they noticed that the whole lobby had a professional-looking design and people were strolling around, entering and exiting the place and going on with their day.
"Caduceus." Asuka got out.
"Whoa, this place is fancy..." Ryuji eventually muttered out.
"Fancy is an understatement." Yusuke got out.
"Well, the organization is very well-funded after eliminating H5 influenza in 2011. They're close to curing AIDS by the end of the year." Makoto informed. "I assume that Okumura Foods funds them as well?" She then deducted.
"Yes. It's where their hospital food comes from." Haru replied with a nod.
"I don't think even the best doctors can help your father though..." Homura thought with a frown before checking the time. It had been only an hour since the incident, and they would've been here sooner if the traffic was better. In all that time, they had to stop Haru from having a panic attack or shutting down on them.
They then briskly reached the concierge up front to ask for some information regarding their current problem today.
"Excuse me, miss. Do you have a patient here named Kunikazu Okumura?" Akira immediately asked the lady behind the concierge.
"Kunikazu Okumura...let me check...yes, we have a patient by that name who just arrived an hour ago." The receptionist responded and informed. "But if I may ask, why do you all want to see him? From the looks of your group, you don't look like relatives of him." She soon questioned and stated.
At that moment, the fluffy haired girl approached the counter. "Hello miss. My name is Haru Okumura, Kunikazu Okumura's daughter." She introduced herself in a calm manner. "Please miss, I want to visit my father's room." She soon requested.
"Sure, of course." The receptionist responded. "And, do you want them to accompany you?" She then asked, gesturing towards the other Thieves.
"Of course." The fluffy-haired girl replied.
"Alright then. Okay...wait for a moment...here, room E-2." The receptionist agreed and eventually responded. "Fifth floor and then make a left. Simply find the correct label above the doors of each room before entering." She then added to her explanation.
"Thank you." Haru responded with a nod before the group began heading for the instructed room.
"Should we take the elevator or the stairs?" Yusuke suddenly asked.
"Let's check it for ourselves first." Makoto replied, going on ahead to the elevators as the rest of the Thieves followed her.
When they reached the elevators, they noticed that the LED displayed above one elevator showed the number 13, the other was number 18.
"Oh no, it's on the 13th and 18th floors." Haru stated as she noticed. "We have no time to wait for it to come down here." She then added in a slight panic.
"Stairs it is then." Miyabi soon decided.
The Thieves excluding Futaba, Miyabi and Haru however had twitchy eyes to that decision.
"Oh come on! It's on the fifth floor! I don't wanna make my feet go kaput!" Futaba complained. "Elevator, pleeeease?" She soon whined.
"No complaining Futaba, now is not the time." Miyabi however ordered. "We need to keep the big ones available for the staff with gurneys if they need it." She then explained.
The orangette sighed in defeat at that. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Futaba mumbled. "We're in a tight spot, so yeah, now's not the time." She then added.
Miyabi's eye however twitched to that. "Don't give me that sass again, young missy." She ordered in an instinctively maternal tone at the orangette.
"Can I just piggyback on you?" Futaba requested. "Maybe sit on your shoulders?" She then added.
"No." Miyabi bluntly replied. "It will be good exercise for you." She then added.
Futaba simply pouted. "Uuuuugh..." She groaned out.
"Come on." Miyabi groaned. "Now is not the time..." She then added in a dead serious tone.
"Can't waste time." Akira stated as he went to the stairs. "Let's go." He then ordered, getting nods of agreement from the others.
After a while of getting up the stairs step by step, the group finally reached the fifth floor after a while of going up the stairs...all except the orangette who was still in the middle of the staircase, looking exhausted.
"Final stretch, young lady." Miyabi sighed out. "Come on." She then encouraged.
"I can't...go any further..." Futaba protested as she collapsed. "Carry me..." She mumbled out.
"Ugh. Fine." Miyabi sighed out as she hoisted the orangette over her shoulder. "Your training will resume after this, missy. You will be in proper shape when I'm done with you." She then declared in a motherly tone. "And do not take the opportunity to grope my ass either, young lady." She soon ordered.
Futaba simply groaned in response, but didn't even try to do anything.
With that, the group proceeded through the floor, searching for the heiress's father's room.
"Hey guys, is that E-2?" Ann got out, pointing a finger at a door ahead of them, who had a nurse waiting outside of it. The placard above the door displayed E-2.
"That's E-2, alright." Makoto agreed with a nod, prompting everyone to jog towards the door.
The nurse perked up, noticing the approaching group. "Hey, excuse me, you're not allowed to come in he-" He began as he was about to block them from proceeding.
"Wait, nurse! I know that young lady." The doctor pointed out. "She's the patient's daughter. Haru Okumura, am I correct?" He then recalled.
"Yes, it is me. And these are my friends here." Haru responded. "Can we come in?" She soon asked.
"Sure. Just remember to behave yourselves." The doctor instructed.
"Thank you." Haru responded in relief as the group entered the room, seeing the comatose man. "Father..." She muttered.
"He looks so peaceful." Morgana whispered.
"He looks dead." Miyabi bluntly commented only to feel someone elbow her in the stomach. "Oof!" She grunted.
"Not. Cool." Ryuji pointed out while rubbing his elbow.
"How is my father doing, sensei?" Haru asked.
"I...I have to be frank here. His chances for recovery are slim." The doctor regretfully informed the group. "We scanned his brain to check if his brain cells are consuming sugar and unfortunately they're way below the 47% brain activity threshold. We also detected some signs of brain damage, although we can't confirm the cause right now. We'll need to run further tests, but my diagnosis is that he'll be here for a very, very long time." He then stated.
"He may as well be dead." Homura thought in a saddened tone.
"No no no no...H-How...?" Asuka mumbled out as tears started to fill her eyes. "How could this happen...? After everything we've done." She thought. "I failed..." She then got out.
The tan skinned girl however placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "No you didn't, Sis..." Homura muttered.
"It would be more accurate to say that we failed." Yusuke stated.
"Yusuke-san..." Yumi muttered in a chiding manner, although she was just as ashamed.
Miyabi just remained silent, not wanting to pay for repairs to the walls and replacement of the furniture.
"We've done everything we could, but now it's just the waiting game." The doctor then stated.
"Thank you, Stiles-sensei." Haru got out with a bow. "Do you mind leaving us alone?" She then requested.
"Of course. However, I must remind you that visiting hours will end at 10." The doctor replied and reminded.
"Two hours. I understand." The heiress repeated and stated with a nod.
"Just use the call button by his bedside should something occur." The doctor then instructed.
"We will." Haru nodded as she watched the doctor leave.
Suddenly, everyone was silent, with nothing but the faint beeps of a heart monitor.
"I heard that coma patients can still hear things." Akira spoke up. "Is that true, Miyabi?" He then asked, turning to the white haired woman.
"Yeah, a little." Miyabi answered. "It's like...being awake but not being able to open your eyes no matter how hard you try. Dreaming but... not." She then elaborated.
"So...he can hear us?" Makoto assumed, glancing at the bedridden CEO.
"Maybe. I don't think it's universal." Miyabi shrugged. She didn't exactly know anyone else who woke up from a coma.
"...Father, please...I...I didn't want any of this to happen..." Haru sobbed. "You sold me off to some smug bastard, abused your position, used and tossed my friends like they were nothing, traded lives for power...but I still love you. Please, wake up." She then added with bits of tears forming in her eyes.
The others simply looked on with sorrowful looks. Some knew the pain of losing a loved one, others just felt sad for the girl, but it was quietly agreed upon that she deserved none of this to happen.
"Would it be better if we just...pull it?" Miyabi quietly suggested. "I mean...what's the point if he's just gonna stay like this?" She then added.
"Miyabi-chan!" Asuka chided. "We can't do that!" She then declared.
"Well, it's better than waiting for him to die." Miyabi argued.
"But he could still wake up." Ann pointed out.
"You heard what the doctor said!" Miyabi snapped. "We fucked up! We let this happen! We...We failed! At the very least...he won't suffer any longer than he needs to." She then got out.
"Miyabi, it's not your decision." Akira reminded in a cold manner. "And hey, Haru, Miyabi did not...mean...that..." He then hesitantly started before trailing off.
Everyone soon noticed Haru clenching her fists as hard as she could to the point that she might wound her own hands while coldly staring at her own bedridden father.
Miyabi soon winced as she looked away in shame. "Sorry..." She muttered in a guilty manner.
Haru, however, shook her head. She didn't feel like blaming anyone. "...I...I thought I was ready." She suddenly confessed, clutching onto the rails of his bed so hard they buckled. "I was ready to lose him. To see my father take himself to prison. T-To lose everything I know...but not this...not any of this!" She then cried out.
"Haru..." Asuka mumbled.
"Hey, let it out." Homura suggested.
Haru tried to take some breaths to calm herself down, but it was futile. She had to let it out.
"Ah...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The Thieves winced. It was the ugliest cry they've ever heard.
"IS THIS JUSTICE!? IS THIS HOW YOU ESCAPE YOUR FATE!? IS THIS...JUST ANOTHER WAY OF TEACHING ME A LESSON!? IS THIS MY PUNISHMENT!?" Haru screamed at the top of her lungs, glaring tearfully at her father's motionless body. "WAKE UP, YOU CORRUPT ASSHOLE AND FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS!" She soon demanded as she then began to reach out to him.
"Haru!" Akira called out as he held the girl back from grabbing her father.
"Are the walls here at least soundproof?" Ann managed to ask, feeling a bit shaken by the heiress's voice.
"Dude, even if they were, she prolly woke up everyone on the floor..." Ryuji responded.
The fluffy-haired girl continued to scream hoarsely in-between heavily panting and sobbing. Her normally well-kept face was all splotchy and flushed with tears and snot as she continued to loudly vent her emotions while her pristine hair was in complete disarray as parts of it stuck to her face.
Eventually, though, she ran out of steam and collapsed into the arms of both Yumi and Miyabi, quietly sobbing in between hiccups, panting and weak coughing.
"D-Don't leave me alone..." Haru whispered hoarsely with her voice barely audible, having nothing left to give from the exhaustion of venting her emotions so passionately and violently.
"...At least he's alive. It could be way worse." Homura comforted their newest ally. "And guys...I think we all know who the assassin is..." She then stated in a serious tone.
"Yeah. We do." Akira stated with a nod.
"Yeah..." Ann got out in agreement.
"For real." Ryuji replied.
"Mmm." Asuka hummed out.
This however surprised and confused the others to this sudden declaration.
"What?" Makoto got out.
"You have an idea who?" Yusuke questioned.
"Who is it?" Yumi soon asked with narrowed eyes to this new information. "Why didn't you tell us?" She then demanded.
"It happened months ago and we didn't want to jump to conclusions. We already hated him, it would be bad if we treated him any differently." Homura mumbled. "Akira, did you get any definitive proof?" She soon questioned.
"No, but we can no longer ignore the possibility." Akira replied with a shake of his head. "That pancakes comment really screwed him." He then added.
"...Pancakes?" The others got out in confusion to the word being used.
"..." Asuka then lowered her head. "...The Second Detective Prince..." She soon revealed.
"Wait...Akechi-kun? You think he's Black Mask?" Makoto guessed. "Are you sure about that?" She then asked.
"Well, he's the only Persona-user we know exists outside of this group so..." Ann answered.
This however confused the others even more. "Excuse me but, how do you know Akechi-kun's a Persona user?" Haru soon asked.
"It was way back, before we did the...um...what Palace was that again?" Akira started to explain as he snapped his fingers a couple of times.
"Kaneshiro's." Asuka answered, causing the advisor to wince.
"Ah, yes. Kaneshiro's Palace. We were on a really bad field trip to some TV Studio." Akira began.
"Wait, I remember that...it's you, you were the one that made that passionate speech about the Phantom Thieves." Haru realized.
"Yep, that's the day." Akira replied as he continued. "The day before, we took a bathroom break beforehand and we started talking about going to the amusement park." He then revealed.
"You mean the one they're eventually planning to tear down for..." Haru started, but trailed off at the end with a blush.
"Yeah, I was talking about Dome Town, soon-to-be...ugh...Bootyland..." Akira groaned.
"Again, I'm gonna have to talk to Yomi about that..." Homura grumbled in annoyance while pinching the bridge of her nose.
Miyabi meanwhile placed a hand to her chin to that in a thinking manner. "I think Imu mentioned something about that, one of the girls at Hebijo in the group she's making for me planning something like that." She then revealed. "Some girl named Ryōbi or something doing it with a penpal of hers." She then added, unaware of the Leader sweatdropping to that.
The tan skinned girl's eye twitched. "Oh god, there's more than one?" Homura asked in disbelief.
"...Can we-" Futaba started to speak up, only to be shut down.
"No, we are getting off topic." Akira replied as the others nodded in agreement. "Anyways, then Morgana talked about how that dome looked like a pancake and that's where our favorite detective came in." He then continued the story. "From there, we had our first chat, leading to mentioning that he thought he heard one of us talk about eating pancakes." He revealed.
"Again with pancakes." Yumi started. "What do they have to do with this?" She soon asked as the others nodded in agreement.
The Vice Leader then took a deep breath. "Mona-chan was the only one who mentioned pancakes when we first met him on the trip to the TV station." Asuka then explained. "And since Goro-kun heard Mona-chan talking, it means he has already been in the Metaverse and heard him." She soon declared.
"Which means he's been following us, at least into Palaces." Homura added.
"Then why didn't we detect him?" Miyabi asked.
"If he really has been doing this for way longer than us, he'd have more tricks up his sleeves than we do." Morgana explained. "And that's not discounting that he might have a team behind him. Maybe not Persona-users, but he definitely has help."
"So...are we all for making Goro Akechi our primary suspect for Black Mask?" Makoto cautiously asked.
"...I still think we need undeniable proof." Yumi however got out. "As easy as it would be to pin the blame on him, there is still a possibility he is innocent." She then explained, as the others nodded in agreement.
"Well, that should be easy." Akira replied. "We exchanged numbers after my whole rant thing. Futaba should have access to his phone's mic and stuff." He then revealed.
"I do, but I barely got anything interesting from it. Not even info on his Phantom Thieves leads." Futaba sighed out and informed. "He really likes ordering from Pizza-La though." She then revealed in a nonchalant manner.
"Well, he isn't a foolish person who would leave that kind of stuff on his phone." Yumi pointed out.
"...Wouldn't a detective have two separate phones?" Asuka asked. "One for personal use..." She then started.
"And one for business." Akira continued. "Maybe he has more. He does make enough money to have multiple phone plans at once." He soon deducted.
"I...I would have a better chance if I had more access to it." Futaba responded.
"We just need to get access to the phone he uses to conduct his hits and we can get all the proof we need." Makoto concluded.
"Out of curiosity... Did you get a good idea of what that Persona-user who attacked us in the Palace looked like?" Akira asked. "Think of it like a profile they use when seeking someone elusive in a police investigation." The Leader explained.
"Looked unquestionably male. Sounded male too despite the voice filter." Miyabi recalled.
"Hai. He was left-handed as well." Asuka added with a frown. "It was hard to tell but he seemed to favor that side a little more than his right." She then recalled.
"He looked about 178cm tall without the helmet based on my best guess." Yumi assumed and concluded.
"Wish we could've taken that thing off and exposed him for the psycho he is, but the bastard attacked us at our weakest." Homura bitterly got out.
"Thoughts, Joker?" Morgana asked.
"I'm more certain now that Akechi is our guy based on that info but we need a smoking gun, figuratively speaking, to be absolutely sure." Akira decided.
"Agreed." Yusuke replied with a nod.
"I agree with that decision, Akira." Makoto added.
"No matter what...someone is going to pay for this." Akira promised.
"But will it be us...or them?" Homura questioned with narrowed eyes.
"That...will depend on our strategy." Akira simply replied, his eyes somehow looking shadowed with seriousness.
"...I-I can't stand to stay here any longer." Haru mumbled while rubbing her eyes red.
"Yeah. There's nothing we can do here." Makoto agreed. "We can deal with this in the morning." She then added.
"Man, school's gonna be a serious bitch." Ryuji grumbled as the Thieves left the room.
"I don't wanna think about school right now..." Ann stated in addition, rubbing her head out of stress. "Hell, I just wanna stay home." She then confessed.
"That's not really an option for most of us." Akira pointed out as the group passed a janitor along the way before turning around a corner to reach the nearby staircase.
"Maybe Haru-chan can take the day off." Asuka suggested. "The school will understand." She then added.
"If they don't, I'll make them understand." Homura growled.
"Hey, can we use one of the big elevators this time, please?" Futaba asked.
"I don't see why not." Yumi responded with a shrug.
"Let's hope it's gonna fit all of us. And hopefully no one else is riding with us if it gets cramped." Ann stated. "I'd rather have you guys than some random stranger groping me, accident or not." She then added.
"They're big enough for staff to wheel a gurney with a patient on various IV drips and monitoring equipment with a couple of people pushing it when they need to conduct tests on a different floor." Miyabi reminded them. "It'll fit all of us no problem." She then reassured.
It was quite a long walk through the plain-white hallway just to reach the elevator with the staircase beside it.
The Thieves soon stopped in front of the elevator, with their Leader pressing the button to go down. After that, they began to wait for the elevator to arrive on their floor...
And wait...
...
And wait...
...
...
"Hm. Something doesn't seem right." Makoto suddenly hummed out and confessed as they were still waiting for the elevator.
"What do you mean, Mako-chan?" Haru asked in a worried manner.
"Just...I feel like we're missing something or...I don't know." Makoto confessed in an uneasy tone.
"...Yeah, I'm starting to get that feeling too." Ryuji soon got out. "Weird." He then admitted.
"Shinobi instincts kicking in?" Futaba assumed, rubbing her arms while hugging. Her look was showing that she's not trying to joke or anything.
"That is called paranoia." Makoto deadpanned, earning a deep, wary breath from the orangette.
"It pays to be paranoid when in our line of work." Yumi noted. "After all, there could be an assassin just around the corner." She then stated.
"...Around the...corner..." Miyabi slowly repeated. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "...Oh shit." She soon swore before she started running.
WHOOSH!
"M-Miyabi!?" Makoto got out in panicked confusion.
"What the-!?" Ryuji got out in shock. "The hell she runnin' back for!?" He then asked in confusion.
Akira then realized what was going on before following the woman in a dash as well. "Guys, we gotta go! Now!" He immediately ordered as he followed the white haired woman.
"W-What?! Where?!" Ryuji asked in confusion.
"Can someone explain-" Makoto panickingly requested.
"No time! Okumura's room!" Akira shouted out
Haru's eyes immediately widened as she went pale at the face in realization. "...No! FATHER!" She exclaimed in a panic.
It was at that moment, the other shinobi caught on as well and started running as fast as they could, disappearing in a blink.
When Miyabi arrived at the CEO's room, she tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Fucking son of a...!" She swore out.
"Miyabi!" Akira called out as he skidded around the corner, just as the other shinobis in their group ran past him.
With no time to waste, Miyabi held the door a little tighter.
"Hey, what's all this? Don't run in the- WHOA!" A male nurse exclaimed in surprise as he was nearly run over by the other Thieves who managed to catch up.
"Sorry!" Makoto apologized, although none of them did stop dashing down the hall to help the poor guy, just as the white haired woman and the light-grey haired girl got into position to force the door open.
"On three!" Yumi hissed out.
"One." Miyabi started.
"Two." Yumi continued.
"Three!" Miyabi concluded as...
CRASH!
"HAH!/YAH!" Miyabi and Yumi grunted as they forced the door open to get into the room, followed by the Leader.
As the first people barged in, they noticed a shocking sight: An adult male posing as a janitor, holding a syringe near Okumura's wrist.
"Assassin!" Homura growled.
"Dammit!" Akira immediately swore at the sight, pulling out his hidden knife and threw it at the man, the handle hitting the intruder on the wrist which caused him to drop his syringe on the floor.
"Che!" The man got out in annoyance.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BASTARD!" Miyabi demanded as she tackled the assassin out the window.
CRASH! SHATTER!
"Holy effin' shit!" Ryuji exclaimed as he instinctively covered his face.
"He's still alive!" Akira meanwhile informed as he examined the comatose man and his heartbeat monitor. Looking down, he saw the syringe on the floor, filled with some sort of black liquid. He instinctively raised his foot, only for the light gray haired girl to stop him.
"Akira. Don't." Yumi got out in a firm manner.
It took a second for the Leader to realize that maybe crushing the syringe with an unknown substance wasn't a good idea.
"Haru-senpai, stay here with your father and call the police!" Homura quickly ordered before the shinobi chased after the assassin.
"A-Alright." Haru stammered out as she took out her phone and did as requested while Yusuke hit the call button for a doctor.
"There could be backup..." Makoto warned.
"Don't worry, we'll be there to back her up too." Asuka reassured. "If there are any follow up assassins, you know what to do." She then added.
"Got it, Vice Leader. Now GO!" Ryuji shouted out as the shinobi jumped out the window.
"SHINOBI TENSHIN!" The four got out in unison.
Quickly thinking, the assassin in janitor's clothing effortlessly leapt onto a nearby building's fire escape, forced the window open, and started running down the stairs.
(Roppongi, Big Bang Burger Machinery Storage Warehouse)
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Quickly following him, the four watched as he effortlessly vaulted over a high chain-link fence topped with electrified barbed-wire.
Three of the four shinobi-in-training cleared it with no problem, but...
ZAP! THUD!
"Miyabi-chan!" Asuka called out in concern as the white-haired woman lacerated her calf on the top and landed awkwardly on the other side.
"I'm fine! Capture him before he escapes!" Miyabi called out the order as she limped a little behind the other three. Luckily, she wasn't bleeding badly enough to leave a trail behind her.
The assassin grunted as he knocked a door off its hinges before running inside, soon followed by the four kunoichi.
"Damn it! I can't see a thing!" Homura hissed under her breath as they followed him through the darkened warehouse with only the light of outside street lamps giving them a faint visual on the fleeing shinobi.
"We can see enough to watch his movements." Asuka whispered back.
"Split up." Yumi quietly instructed.
The chase was brief and the assassin was soon pincered in the centre with the four shinobi blocking his escape.
"Nowhere to run now." Asuka spoke as they closed in on the assassin.
Miyabi meanwhile brought her katana out as dark energy radiated from it. "We know you were sent by someone." She soon accused. "A coma isn't enough for them?" She then questioned.
"My client doesn't like loose ends." The assassin simply responded.
Asuka frowned. "Look, we don't have to fight. We can work something out, but only if you come with us quietly. No one has to die tonight." She then spoke to him, gripping her two wakizashis tight.
"You have no idea who you're talking about, you naive fool." The man soon got out. "I've seen what they're capable of. There is no hope for any of you to stand against them." He then warned.
"Don't think so lowly of us." Yumi demanded.
"So, are you gonna be smart and surrender or be dumb and eat shit?" Homura questioned.
The assassin paused before raising his hands. "...Fine, I surrender." He relented.
"Good move." Homura got out, sounding a little impressed that the man had at least some self-preservation instinct. Soon, she stepped forward and...
Click!
Suddenly, they all heard something that put them on edge. "Huh?"
"What?!" Miyabi gawked. "Oh, son of a-" She soon groaned out when they realized they had walked right into a trap.
It was so dark, they couldn't see that the assassin had intentionally set off a tripwire by his own foot.
"Perish." He called out as he ducked for cover in a nearby locker as a set of machine gun turrets with night-vision targeting took aim at the girls before firing.
Whirrrrr... RATATATATATATATATATAT!
The warehouse was soon filled with the sounds of gunfire, things breaking and the sounds of girls screaming in agony for several painstaking minutes.
Soon, the screams stopped which was followed by the gunfire ceasing as the turrets switched off.
Exiting his makeshift cover, he squinted his eyes to check if there was any movement in the dark, maybe one of them managing to survive. However, there was nothing to see but slightly glints of light coming off the bullet casings. "Sorry, but that is a better fate than what they would do to you all. I hope we meet again on better terms in the next life, you foolish fools who were too busy being foolish." The assassin got out in an apologetic tone, giving a quick prayer before-
"How about this life?" Homura asked as she kicked the locker over and pulled him out by the throat.
"!" The man choked as he was thrown into some crates. "Huh?" He gawked, confused as he tried to see who attacked, only to get a haymaker to the face.
POW!
"AH!" The assassin yelped in pain, his voice nasally from a broken nose, before he was pulled up onto his feet. "W-What!?" He then exclaimed, seeing the very alive girls in front of him, with the only damage taken was to their clothes.
"Did you really think it would be that easy to take us out?" Yumi questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Amateur." Homura scoffed.
"...Um, I surrender?" The shinobi asked.
Asuka shook her head as she brought out her katana as it glowed green with some earth hovering around it. "...No, you lost your chance." She responded in a merciless tone.
WHAM! SLICE! CRACK!
"AAAAGGGGHHH!" The assassin screamed in pain as he was pelted with rocks, some which were embedded into his limbs now, before the girls took their turns beating him to a bloody pulp. A few broken bones and a swollen eye later, they stopped.
"You should've taken our offer the first time." Asuka soon stated in a dark, dead serious, no nonsense tone.
"Now you better tell us who hired you or I'll pull out your nails one by one until you do." Miyabi threatened as she tightly gripped the man's clothes.
The man spat blood onto her face in defiance. "You...are making...a big mistake..." He grunted out.
"Meh. Not the first time." Homura countered in a dead serious tone. "Now talk if you know what's good for you." She then threatened.
"They...will..." The assassin struggled until, suddenly, his eyes widened. "AAAAHHHH!" He soon screamed in pain.
"Huh?" Asuka gasped, snapping out of her dark state to witness this. "W-What's happening to him!?" She gawked in fear.
"Something's glowing on the back of his neck!" Yumi informed.
"What!?" Miyabi gasped, realizing what was going to happen. "No...NO!" She got out in shock and anger.
"You...won't...!" The assassin managed to get out in-between coughing. "A-Ack!" He choked out as black sludge started to pour out from his face.
"A-Again!?" Asuka exclaimed in a panic.
"Fuck..." Miyabi muttered as let go of the dead assassin, his body crumpling to the ground. "Fuck! That was the Yoke technique!" She soon informed in a panic.
"The kill switch..." Yumi whispered.
"They know shinobi." Asuka got out.
"...Goddammit. Did Dōgen send him!?" Homura growled and questioned. "They planned to kill him and frame us even if he succeeded!" She then declared in disgust.
"Ah! As soon as he reported the death of Okumura, they would've killed him to tie up loose ends and then the news would handle the rest and stoke an Anti-Phantom Thieves sentiment." Yumi gasped and declared in realization.
"Moh..." Asuka whined in frustration. "They really did have us figured out from the beginning..." She then muttered.
"Not everything hopefully..." Homura muttered.
"This...This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?" Miyabi realized as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"If it's going to get better soon." Yumi muttered with a frown.
The Vice Leader stared at the corpse before shaking her head and closing his eyes. "We need to get back to the others." Asuka soon stated.
"But what do we do with the body?" Yumi asked. "We can't just leave it here." She then pointed out.
"Ugh, we can't just dump it somewhere and burning it will take too long and cause a horrible stench." Miyabi muttered out.
"...We can enter Mementos from anywhere, right?" Homura suddenly spoke up.
To that question, the other girls' eyes widened in shock. "..." They didn't say anything as they took out their phones.
Miyabi silently sighed in relief at getting quick healing for her leg.
(Caduceus, Staff Break Room)
Asuka felt tired. She had just watched a person die in front of her eyes.
Shinobi walked the line between life and death every day, her teachers and grandfather had told her, but being faced with it for the first time...it just drained her. It wasn't helped by everything that happened afterwards too.
"Hey." Asuka greeted in a soft tone as she stepped into the room.
"Hey." Akira lethargically replied, barely raising his head to meet the Vice Leader's tired eyes.
And that was pretty much the end of any conversation as the Thieves simply processed what had happened tonight.
It had been two hours since the incident. The police arrived about ten minutes after Miyabi and the shinobi faced the assassin and began questioning everyone, particularly the group of kids who happened to predict the near assassination of Kunikazu Okumura. The shinobi snuck back into the hospital during the questioning of the staff, where they quickly worked together to make up convincing enough excuses to get the police off their backs.
As they were being interrogated, the group had been allowed to privately use one of the hospital's break rooms to help them rest and recover as they looked quite troubled by the whole experience.
If only they knew.
"...Sitrep." The Leader suddenly ordered.
"Huh?" Ryuji got out.
"I want a sitrep on what the hell just happened." Akira scowled.
"The police are guarding Okumura's room. Only Haru, his doctor and a veteran nurse that the aforementioned doctor has vouched for are allowed in." Futaba informed, anxiously tapping her heel on the floor. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap. I am not prepared for this..." She then muttered.
"Futaba, calm down." Akira reassured her. "You make sure the security footage is fine for us?" He then asked.
Swallowing, the hacker nodded. "I-It was already tampered with when I checked." Futaba reported while fiddling with his phone.
"Anyone see us?" The Leader then asked.
"All they saw was us running down the hall." Futaba answered.
"Do we have privacy now?" Miyabi soon asked.
"That's already done." Futaba confirmed.
"Anyone listening?" Homura then asked.
"We're the only people on this floor. No one should be listening to us." Makoto informed.
"Double check." Akira ordered.
Yusuke nodded to that before stepping outside. A few minutes later, he came back. "We're good." He got out.
Now that they were sure that they were safe, Ryuji was the first one to speak. "So, you catch the assassin guy?" He asked.
"Yeah, but he's dead now." Homura answered in an emotionless tone.
The other thieves couldn't help but wince. "...You kill him?" Haru asked in a quiet tone.
"No. Yoke technique." Miyabi answered, causing the other Thieves to flinch. "Which means Dōgen sent him. He's obsessed with that technique." She then stated.
"Shit." Ryuji muttered through clenched teeth.
"Did you at least get info out of him?" Akira questioned as he frowned.
"Nope. The bastard died before he could tell us anything." Miyabi replied with a sigh.
"Oh my god..." Makoto got out as she covered her mouth.
Miyabi then turned to the fluffy haired girl and gave a small bow. "Sorry Haru..." She soon apologized.
"It...It's okay. At least you saved my father." Haru replied.
"No. We didn't." Miyabi mumbled in a depressed tone. "He's still comatose and there is no way he's waking up anytime soon 'cause I wasn't fast enough to stop Black Mask and..." She then got out in an ashamed tone.
"Miyabi-san..." Yumi muttered as she placed a hand on the white haired girl's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself." She then got out.
"But now we know that Dōgen guy has a possible connection to Black Mask and his employer..." Morgana soon reminded in a dead serious tone.
"Damn it, killing him just got a lot harder." Homura grumbled.
"Any idea what was in the syringe the guy had?" Homura asked.
"The doctors are testing it right now, but likely nothing good." Yumi informed the group.
"Wouldn't, like, an air bubble in between the toes would have sufficed?" Futaba soon recalled a little internet factoid.
"...It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to assume it would replicate Okumura's collapse but guarantees his death." Yumi assumed with a frown.
"You really think so?" Ann asked.
"They have a two year headstart on us, plus Wakaba Isshiki's research." Homura reminded.
Morgana soon sighed. "...Sorry, I...I wish I..." He apologized and then tried to say.
"Morgana, we are not going through this again." Akira cut the not cat off. "You're good, the best even, when it comes to being a proper Metaverse Thief. You were the one that formulated the idea to get through that security system in Madarame's Palace after all. But...even you wouldn't be able to see this coming. It's okay." He then added in a comforting tone.
"Can you at least guess what happened to his Shadow?" Makoto asked.
"Well...we know that if a Shadow dies, so does the real self. My guess is that getting shot with a real gun must've damaged his mind in such a way that shut down a few vital functions." Morgana guessed.
"Then why didn't he collapse sooner?" Ryuji asked.
"I mean, the effect of their Palace collapsing does vary from person to person." Morgana recalled.
"Kamoshida put himself on unpaid leave as soon as his treasure was taken." Asuka recalled.
"Madarame became bedridden after his change of heart." Yusuke soon stated.
"While Kaneshiro turned himself in the very next day." Makoto then reminded.
"And I was practically unconscious for a month." Futaba concluded.
"May I inquire where you...got rid of the body?" Yusuke asked.
"Metaverse." The four soon replied in unison.
"Dumped it in the ocean at Miura Beach." Miyabi revealed.
"Oh." Akira got out as the not cat choked on air from gasping too hard. "That's...creative." He awkwardly got out. "But now the police don't have a culprit. Unless you wanna head back and dump it in front of a police station." He then suggested.
The tan skinned girl however shook her head to this suggestion. "Too risky. They'd probably trace it back to us...or the Conspiracy will pin it onto us anyway with some reasoning that he was a brave janitor that took the hit for Okumura when the Phantom Thieves tried to finish what they started." Homura responded in a dead serious tone. "Especially when the Yoke technique resembled a shutdown." She then explained, causing the non-shinobi to wince.
"...Dammit." Ann cursed. "Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! FUCK ALL OF THIS HORSESHIT!" She swore in absolute frustration.
"Let it out." Morgana hesitantly added with a sympathetic wince.
"...Useless..." Makoto whispered to herself as she lowered her head in shame.
"...What are we gonna do...?" Futaba whimpered as she curled up in her seat.
"I think...for now, we should just...go home." Akira answered somberly. "It's nearly ten anyway, so visiting hours are ending soon. I know Boss will be pissed if we get home late." He then added.
"Yes, that is a good idea. After everything, I feel tired." Haru managed to speak, sounding a bit tired just as she said.
"Haru-san?" Yumi however got out in confusion. A sentiment shared with the others as they looked at the heiress in surprise.
"I...I don't want to stay here." Haru hesitantly confessed.
"But...it's your father, Haru-chan." Asuka got out.
"..." Haru's eyes were soon covered by shadows and the others could tell that she couldn't stand watching her father waste away.
It was a monument to their, her failure.
"...You wanna stay at our place?" Asuka soon offered instead.
"No, I'll be fine going home by myself. I'll arrange transportation for everyone." Haru assured while shaking her head. "Please have a good night, everyone." She soon got out before heading out the door.
"Haru-chan..." Asuka quietly got out as she saw the fluffy-haired girl call for a company limo to take her home.
(10/12, Midnight)
(Hebijo Academy, Dungeons)
There was a definite unease in the dungeons as the four prisoners were lying wide awake on the hammock they had assembled while snuggling together for warmth since they dungeons were getting colder.
They had heard a lot of laughing, celebrating, shouting and hollering earlier from outside and it had definitely tipped them off that something's not right.
But now it was eerily quiet. Not even the bugs were moving.
Even the air had gone completely still.
Not a single sound apart from their breathing.
"What...do you think happened?" Yomi asked.
"You've asked that at least five times already, Yomi-oneechan." Mirai pointed out. "Something major must've happened up top." She reminded the blonde.
"Ah..." The blonde sheepishly got out.
"The tension and lack of sleep is definitely making us nervous." Hikage sighed out. "But, I have a gut feeling we may find out sooner rather than later." She then added as she continued petting the puppy in her bust.
Poochie only whined in sympathy.
"Yeah, it's...concerning..." Murasaki replied while stifling a yawn.
"Is it me or has the air changed a bit?" Yomi soon asked. "Like something really bad is about to happen and we're about to get dragged into it whether we want to or not...?" The blonde then added.
"Don't jinx it..." The ravenette groaned.
Suddenly, as if right on cue, something was tossed into their cell and landed with a soft thud. A peace offering.
"B-Bebeby?" Murasaki gasped, her eyes widening in horror.
The girls looked up to see who had given them Murasaki's precious plushie...and instantly felt a sense of dread as footsteps echoed loudly into their cell. "You're..."
"Dōgen." Hikage growled as everyone instantly went on guard as they leapt from the hammock.
"You know, this isn't the first time we've had traitors." The dreadful-looking man remarked as he adjusted his suit. "However, none of them lived for more than a week. That is...until now."
"Because you allowed it." Mirai flatly replied.
"No, because you are strong with so much potential in your hands." Dōgen responded. "Even the new Elites are nothing compared to all of you here." He then stated.
"How the hell did you get Bebe-tan!?" Murasaki asked in shock.
Dōgen raised an eyebrow in amusement "Is it not obvious?" He asked. "It was yours. I simply took it back for you. Consider it a peace offering." He then revealed.
"What did you do to Ryōbi and Ryōna?" Hikage asked with narrowed eyes.
"Well...they had to be punished for taking your things." The investor soon stated. "Thieves...such scum of the Earth. Beneath the might of shinobi." He then insulted and declared.
"You...You bastard!" Mirai cursed. "They weren't involved with us!" She then declared.
"Oh, I was suspecting they were your friends." Dōgen replied with a smirk. "Don't worry, I haven't harmed them...yet. But they are paying for their crimes." He then informed and revealed.
"What did you do!?" Yomi questioned in an accusatory manner.
"Oh, nothing much." The investor replied with a dismissive wave as if it wasn't important. "If you really must know though, I simply visited a family member of theirs and decided to put her in my care until they make up for stealing your property."
"Family member...?" The purplette asked with widened eyes.
The Crimson Squad's eyes widened as they realized what he was implying.
He had stolen their sister.
"Bastard!" Mirai spat out.
"Don't worry. She is safely stored away and away from harm." Dōgen assured. "But they will need to earn her back. Consider it insurance."
"When we-" Hikage began as she tried to pry the bars apart, but to no avail.
"If!" Dōgen interrupted, causing the Crimson Squad to flinch. "Remember, you have no power here. It would be best if you take a deep breath, or else I might do something you'll regret." He soon informed in a smug voice.
"Grrr...!" Hikage growled before stopping herself. She took Dōgen's advice and calmed down before she faced the man.
"Our new batch...They all looked up to you, you know?" Dōgen informed the quartet. "So when I informed them of the news, you can imagine how heartbroken they were to now know their heroes were nothing but shams."
"Ugh. Like we care." Hikage scoffed. She knew that they were lies (unless he only talked to Sōji). "Now, is there any reason why you're here, or do you just like perving on naked teenage girls?" She then asked and accused.
"Do not flatter yourself. You all are simply too...wild for my tastes." Dōgen brusquely replied. "Trust me, I have seen a lot of nude women in my time, both young and old, but they're definitely not worthy of my time, and I would never stoop that low."
Murasaki gagged while the Crimson Squad trio simply furrowed their brows at the school's main investor.
"No...no...I am here with an offer." The investor revealed with a welcoming gesture. "Do this little task for me, and you shall walk away free. You have my word." He explained and promised.
"We don't do deals with the devil." Murasaki harshly responded almost immediately.
"You haven't even heard my request." Dōgen got out, sounding rather amused. "For all you know, it's for the good of humanity." He then pointed out.
"An Evil Shinobi doesn't care for that." Hikage countered. "We're selfish, only out for ourselves, our only motivation is our survival, not of others."
"All true, I suppose." Dōgen admitted in agreement.
"Which means...you get something out of this." Hikage deducted as she narrowed her eyes. "And the fact you're dealing with a bunch of traitors means you're desperate. You could've just brainwashed us into doing what you want instead of asking us, but here you are. Bargaining."
Yomi meanwhile glanced at the purplette for a moment, but said nothing as they all glared at the man.
"Hm. It seems the time spent here has given you a few IQ points." Dōgen muttered under his breath. "You are correct. Brainwashed slaves are...unavailable and unviable to me as of right now, and the situation calls for us to work together."
"You really are that desperate." Yomi remarked.
"No no, just...cautious. And remember, I could end all your lives right now." Dōgen responded and reminded. "So, are you willing to listen to me?" He then questioned.
"..." The Crimson Squad members all looked at each other, silently gathering their opinions from one another before nodding. "...What do you want, Dōgen?" Hikage spoke for the group.
"Simple." Dōgen began as a vile smirk began to appear on his face. "You will be working with Imu and the twins on an assassination mission. You will be given all your tools and equipment, no strings attached, and free to do as you wish within reasonable restrictions. However, you will not get any other support. Once everything is done, you shall be allowed to walk away." He then explained in a clear and consistent manner.
"How long do we have?" Mirai had to ask.
"Hmmm...until the next school year starts. An appropriate amount of time given how elusive this target is." Dōgen answered.
It seemed all standard enough, but they were still suspicious of the man, knowing he had some sort of ulterior motive behind his words. "It sounds too good to be true." Yomi pointed out with a skeptical look on her face.
"It is, but I am an honest man." Dōgen responded in a polite manner. "Do not worry, I will keep my word. Their death in exchange for your lives. A fair trade, is it not?" He then stated.
Crimson Squad did not believe him for a second, but they let him think they were buying it. "Hebijo will not come after us, correct?" Murasaki pressed.
"I cannot control what each individual does, but I shall not encourage it." Dōgen answered.
Any shinobi worth their salt could tell that the man was lying through his teeth, that he would destroy them once they had completed their objective, but faced with the choice of being executed later or now...they really had no choice.
"...Who...is the target?" Murasaki hesitantly got out with a determined yet reluctant look on her face.
The man soon soon smirked upon being asked that. "The most wanted criminals as of tonight," Dōgen answered as he slid over a printout of a news website.
On it, it was as clear as day on who he wanted dead.
Big Bang Burger CEO Assassination Failed, Phantom Thieves Prime Culprit
"I want you to kill the Phantom Thieves." Dōgen revealed.
Save Game… Quit!
Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:
Leadership- Paragon (Level 5)
Knowledge- Sage (Level 5)
Proficiency- Transcendent (Level 5)
Diligence- Rock Solid (Level 5)
Courage- Heroic (Level 5)
Homura/Yang's Development Stats:
Maturity- Sagacious (Level 5)
Knowledge- Sage (Level 5)
Femininity- Onnarashii (Level 5)
Elegance- Yamato Nadeshiko (Level 5)
Understanding- Saintly (Level 5)
Whew! Done! And thus the Phantom Thieves have gotten into trouble, but still managed to prevent Okumura's death, even if he is in a coma. Next chapter is the aftermath… and the rumblings of war on the horizon.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!