Disclaimer: Fate and Persona are owned by different companies and I hold no ownership and all that jazz.
8/24
Phantom Meme-bers
MemeQueen: Emergency Meeting!
Pirateboi: Tabs, its like 4 aint anyone goin to be up this early.
MemeQueen: Oh I'll make sure of it!
Makoto: Futaba, what happened?
Tricky&Kitty: Futaba, why did my phone alarms go off?
Catburglar: Futaba I swear to god this better be important.
MemeQueen: Anyway, the Pudding Principal finally mentioned something important!
Art: Oh, is it already 4 am?
MemeQueen: Anyways! Big News Everybody! Important! Head to Leblanc when you wake up! All hands meeting!
Tricky&Kitty: Tabs, fine, if ya'll can swing by in a few that would work. I'll whip up some breakfast curry.
MemeQueen: Fine. but everyone has to be here!
"If that Gremlin wakes me up that early one more time, I swear I'll hide her ramen cups." Hakuno sighed at Ann's complaining. "I haven't even seen 4 a.m. since school got out!"
"Ann, it wasn't that early," she shrugged. At least it wasn't 2 a.m." They didn't leave when they got the text; it took them a few hours to get ready and, well, wake up. The sun was barely peaking above the sky, giving the cafe a nice orange glow.
The bell dinged softly as they entered the cafe.
"If she dares to wake me up that early I swear I'll…" Ann snarled, "I'll… take her to one of my modeling gigs and make her stand up with me." That… wouldn't be a threat to anyone except for Futaba. She tried her best to imagine their Hacker at one but couldn't.
"She is not that reckless." Yusuke's tired voice came from the nearby booth, "Morgana's claws would find their mark if she awakened Akira that early; at least they did with me." He almost blended in, she could see evidence of paint smudges and pencil shavings around him.
"Yusuke" Ann sighed, "How long have you been here?"
"It has been… two days? The flash of inspiration graced upon by our glorious Leader and Ryuji has not left me… nor has Boss's and Akira's sweet nectar."
"Phrasing Yusuke phrasing." Akira yawned as he descended the stairs, "Tabs is up in the attic, I'll pour some coffee, I think Boss left us some curry to…."
"I shall assist." Akira gave the artist a pointed look before sighing.
"Fine. Just help me plate it and you can have your normal double serving…" Yusuke's eyes lit up as he dashed behind the counter.
Futaba was lying on Akira's bed, her laptop on the table alongside a projector. Ryuji was already there helping put up the projector screen. "Futaba, why do you even have this?"
"Got it cheap online, tried gaming on it once, looked terrible, and my room's too small. Figured I could set it up here, and I got a Vid to show the class, and that thing won't cut it." She lazily pointed at Akira's old CRT.
"Maybe we can do a movie night in the future? I doubt Sojiro would mind." Hakuno sat down beside her friend who stammered for a moment.
"That would be awesome, some cheesy flicks, think Makoto would let us stay up all night?" Ryuji was excited at the least. Morgana's appearance on her lap didn't surprise her as she began to pet the not-a-cat.
"As long as you all go to bed early!" Morgana hissed. "It's hard enough to get Akira to sleep."
"Ok, Momna." Ryuiji snickered.
"Don't. Fight. Not this early." Ann sighed as she rubbed her temples, as Akira, Yusuke, and Makoto ascended the staircase with coffee and plates of curry.
"Did you get me some hot chocolate?" Ryuji asked as Akira nodded and placed it in front of the faux-blonde. Seeing everyone comfortable Hakuno nudged their enigmatic hacker.
"Futaba?" Hakuno glanced down at the small hacker, her glasses hid her eyes, "So what did you find?" Futaba grumbled as the projector spun to life.
"You'll see…" The screen took a moment to warm up, as it flickered on, while a third of the screen was covered in gold, their Principle was still clearly visible.
"Yes, yes I know and I'm doing the best I can."
"Man, his voice makes my skin crawl." Ann shivered, "He is such an ass."
"Sorry, Hyouma didn't mean to bring shame to your family." There was yelling on the other end of the line, "I mean… Mr. Sagara, I am terribly sorry." More hushed whispers from the other end of the line, "Yes… I know you can replace me, but! I have my best looking through all the records of those that could have been involved with both Kamoshida and Kaneshiro's gang…" Futaba pressed pause.
"So he was involved with Kaneshiro…"
Hakuno could see Makoto's clenched fist. She had a strong inkling but to hear it completely…
"Are we surprised? The dude hired Kamoshida." Ann spat out his name with reasonable vitriol. He was scum.
"Doesn't sound like he is high in their group," Hakuno pointed out, he was constantly submissive to this… Anderson person, why did the name sound familiar? "He is probably one of the lowest members, I don't think he knows a lot."
"Makes sense, a Principal doesn't have loads of power," Morgana's smile showed all his teeth, "Poor luck if he got caught by us without even investigating his Palace though~"
"A… source I have said that only Teachers and Maintenance workers have been coming and going into the School. Unless he is doing it himself…" Akira added.
"Mhm, if he hired anyone he hasn't mentioned anything in his office." Futaba pointedly watched the screen before pressing play again. "Terrible liar, 0/10."
"Yes, yes I know, please just give me some more time, once School's back in session I have a surefire way to weed them out." There was a pause, "Yes, well, my idea is simple, I have a few members of the Student Body acting as moles, the Student Council President may be useless at it, but I have high hopes for Ms. Kishinami and Ms Yoshizawa."
Hakuno tilted her head slightly, "I'm a mole?" Is that what he thought of her and Makoto? Hakuno noticed Ryuji and Ann whispering to each other.
"I'm paw-sitively certain you are not?" Futaba groaned, "Although this Yoshizawa…" Yusuke's eyes narrowed, "Is she a legitimate concern?"
Akira sighed, "No, not really. She's in Hakuno's class and is a Gymnast, if she has been investigating us she is doing a horrible job at it, worse than Makoto was, I hang out with her occasionally she is weird but not a bad kid, just... weird."
Makoto glared at Akira, "I did find you guys though… And I am thankful for it, even if… my stealth skills need a bit of work." She mumbled the last part, an upside-down manga was still not stealthy...
The Principal winced as he moved his phone away from his face, "I understand, thank you for the leniency." They could hear the phone click as the principal slammed his hands onto the desk. "Damn it, I knew it was a red flag when my sister introduced me to that man… to think they want to take me away from this? I earned this!"
The video ended, and a large THE END flashed on the screen before it went dark.
"Other than him rambling on about him deserving to be Principal and how nothing that's been happening is his fault for the next hour or two, dude was practically crying at the end."
"Oo, Can you send me that?"
"Ryuji…" Ann sighed.
"So, this… Hyouma Sagara, will be our next target then?" Hakuno nodded to Yusuke's proposal they needed to stop the Black Mask. "With you three being assaulted by the Black Mask, we need to catch him as soon as we can."
Akira shifted in his seat, "I agree, Futaba did you find anything about him?"
Futaba groaned, "Ugh, no. At least I don't think so, there are a few with that name tied to the Department of Education, a few lawyers, and a Director and some dude's Brother that sells books."
"I… know of one." Ryuji was tapping his leg as everyone's eyes were drawn to him, "Maybe? I gotta ask my Mom about it, but the name sounds familiar." Ryuji scratched the back of his head, "Like really familiar, let me text my mom."
"Huh, this feels weird, to be honest." Ann said, "Us like actually going out and searching for a Palace, all of the others we were kind of forced into." That was… oddly true, even Kaneshiro's Palace had a bit more urgency due to his gang going after Shujin students.
"Yes, I am just glad we finally got a lead." Makoto sighed, "If we can stop the Black Mask things should be easier."
"We still have to take care of those who worked with him," Akira added, "Climb the ladder and find who's giving the orders, I don't think he leads them, maybe as an enforcer of sorts."
Hakuno frowned, "Once we start going after them, the Black Mask will show up, with how public our Calling Cards have to be it would be expected for him to try and catch us off guard." Her leg and arm were already mostly healed from their last encounter, but Recover didn't heal her as fast as she had expected. Persona users are strange...
And… Hakuno doubted that the Black Mask wouldn't have figured out everyone's Palace connected to him. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have plans to cut his losses.
"Not to change the subject," Makoto frowned, "School does start in a week, does everyone have their homework done?"
Ann's smirked, "Of course, Makoto~" Ryuji and Akira flinched. "Finished it last month." Hakuno nodded in agreement.
"Wait! You do!?/Confidants take time." Makoto's eyes gleamed at the two boys while Yusuke just shrugged.
"I am set to finish the last piece today, ah on that note." Yusuke rummaged in his bag, "Tomorrow I will be taking my latest work that will be displayed in an art gallery in Ueno I would be honored if you all would be able to meet me there."
Ryuji's phone buzzed.
"Oh! It's uh 'Advocate Hyouma Sagara with the Education Policy Bureau'! He left his card with my mom, the arrogant prick, that has to be our dude! He's the lawyer that talked to my mom and convinced us that we can't do shit bout Kamoshitbag." Hakuno grimaced, that was one way to know of him.
"Hmm…" Futaba nodded, her fingers dancing on her keyboard, "That… might just be him, his second wife seems to be Pudding Man's sister. Would be in the position to help him get his job."
"I got a hit now keyword time," Akira said as he stood up.
"Wait, let's split up for this." Hakuno frowned at Makoto's suggestion, "As long as we are in the real world it would be more suspicious if we went together, and it lets me help you two do your homework. You five should be able to- wait no that would be a terrible idea."
Hey! Well, actually yeah it would be bad for the five of them to go without Makoto or Akira. She can't imagine it going all too well, while they wouldn't be caught they might not… find the information they are looking for. Hakuno was fairly sure they would lose Yusuke as well...
"Well, the Policy Bureau's building is at the MEXT in Chiyoda. Maybe we can swing by tomorrow and brainstorm?" That… wouldn't be too bad, Akira's ideas usually ended well for them after all.
The downstairs bell rang. And Futaba yawned.
"There's Sojiro," Futaba jumped up, "Cause I don't get homework I'm going make like a leaf, G'nite!" Futaba flew down the stairs. Huh, she wanted to hang out with her today but…
"Hakuno, I was wondering if you would mind assisting me with a manner?" Hakuno tilted her head before nodding at Yusuke.
Hakuno flooded the small bowl with magical energy causing it to crack and just barely a few pieces began to fall off.
"Stop!"
Removing her magical energy from the bowl Yusuke nodded to himself, pouring a small amount of urushi lacquer infused with a small amount of gold glitter into his Mystic Code letting it duplicate, before beginning to slowly cover the shards in the glittery paint.
Kintsugi was honestly not something she had ever done, but watching the Artist work was calming. Perhaps she should give it a shot one of these days. He intensely focused on the fragments, giving her a few moments to herself.
Taking a moment to stretch, Hakuno glanced around his dorm and noticed all the paintings. They all were in one form or another magnificent, the Artist's art block seemingly non-existent anymore, although she was curious about the paintings of the Palace Rulers they had encountered.
The bug Kaneshiro hiding behind his goons and his large Pig Mech, The Sphinx Wakaba in all her rage, the Wolf Vánagandr in its corrupted madness, and the final…
Herself.
Although… she still didn't know how to feel about herself being there. Or as her Shadowed Body said, "I may not be you. But you are me." The piece was unfinished, it lacked the detail as the others did.
"Ah… my apologies, I had forgotten to put that one away."
Hakuno hummed at Yusuike's utterance, "It's fine."
"The… Body as you call her, she spun a web that tried to capture you, and yet… All I felt when watching her fall was sorrow and desperation." That… looking back on it, that was true.
Was she too hasty in trying to kill her?
Could she have found a way to save her as well as herself?
Could she have become her Persona like Futaba's Shadow did?
Hakuno knows that Body wasn't fully her, at least… not anymore she had grown right? She was only a small aspect of who she was before, from Lunar Seraph but… next time… If there ever was a next time. Maybe she would try and get them to talk, not... a battle to the end wasn't she more than the Living Or Dying by the Sword at this point?
If they had more time to think maybe things would have been different.
Or… maybe it was foolish to think of an impossible future Body was dead.
Deleted from this world and sent to wherever Fragments of the Self go when they die.
"But… I am unsure of how to complete it, I feel like…" Yusuke sighed.
"Something is missing?"
Yusuke's expression saddened, "Yes, But… I am unsure. You're… Body was certainly a unique existence," Hakuno knew not to take the comment in the way implied, "A Shadow but not, A fragment of a world so far off from ours just trying to survive in a world with tactics that we could not accept…"
Hakuno sighed, taking her eyes off the piece.
"Yusuke… it fell apart."
"Ah." He twirled around, the bowl's lacquer unable to hold itself together and collapsed, "It seems so…"
Author's Notes: Well, the next arc coming along. Hope people didn't forget the bug in the Principal's office.
Now, the reason they didn't explore Mr. Pudding Man's Palace is a few reasons, mainly due to how low the man would have to be in the hierarchy of the conspiracy. Even with their limited knowledge of who all involved, they do know that a lot of money is moving around (Kaneshiro and Madarame), and being a Principal isn't a job that could hide it at all and he wouldn't have the well information.
And while you do uncover hidden things of a Palace Ruler in their Palace, there is still a good chance that his link to the Conspiracy wouldn't be strong enough to appear in a way they would be able to see. And anything that did might have been something they might have overlooked so a bug in his office to listen in on his conversations made more sense at least it did to me.
And well, if they did change his heart it would look suspicious as the whole two people from Shujin, plus Haru's fiance and all the other Mementos Targets from Shujin, and they do know Akechi is somewhat on to them so it would be risky to change it for a low-level member.
Anyway, I hope my explanation was good enough, if you have any questions about things I always respond to Ao3 messages and will try to respond more to my reviews on the next chapter and things.
Anyways~ Cya next time!