9/21 Sunday
Days Until Haru is sold off: 20
It would take a bit for them to finish preparing for the final infiltration of Okumura's palace.
After their narrow victories against Kaneshiro and Wakaba, she wanted to make absolutely sure that they were prepared for everything.
Before restocking, however, she wanted to check up on Haru. Making their way through the palace had no doubt been stressful for her, and she needed to make sure that she was doing alright.
She texted Haru, asking if they could meet up later today.
A few minutes later, Haru replied, saying that they could meet at a nearby café.
Satisfied, Makoto grabbed her things and made her way to meet up with Haru.
"Hello, Mako-chan." Haru greeted. "How are… preparations going, Mako-chan?"
"They've been going well, but… now that it's been a day since…" Makoto trailed off. "I want to check up on you. To make sure that you were ok."
"That's very kind of you." Haru beamed. "I'm… managing about as well as I can, given everything that I know now. Although… there are still some questions that I feel like I must ask my father directly… or his shadow, rather."
"That's fair." Makoto acknowledged. "Although I can't guarantee that he'll answer you."
"That's fine. I just have to try." Haru replied. "But, speaking of father… Do you remember that other man we saw with Father when we found the third Will Seed?"
"I do." Makoto nodded. "Come to think of it… he seemed a little familiar."
"He was the man we met at the restaurant." Haru explained. "Takakura-san, remember?"
"Oh, that's right!" Makoto exclaimed. "Now I remember. Did something come up with him?"
"No, but… I'm not sure what to make of Takakura-san, to be honest." Haru confessed. "So I looked into him a bit."
"What did you find?" Makoto asked.
"Well, most of the people I asked said that he would frequently complain about my father." Haru frowned. "But just as many people said the opposite. I'm not really sure who to trust."
"Well, someone has to be telling the truth. Or maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle." Makoto reasoned.
"Yes, I suppose so." Haru nodded. "I'll just have to keep asking… although something I do know about Takakura is that he's a big supporter of my marriage to Sugimura-san. He said that it would be good for both myself and Okumura Foods. He even suggested inviting Sugimura-san to important company meetings."
"That is concerning." Makoto frowned. "But at least we bought you some time in that regard. Don't give up, Haru. I'm sure we can find a way to break up the arranged marriage."
"True… I suppose if someone could just deal with that contract…" Haru trailed off. "But my graduation is coming soon…"
"We'll find a way by then. I promise." Makoto expressed.
"Thank you." Haru smiled. "Before I met you, I hadn't even considered going against my father's wishes and refusing the arranged marriage. I wonder… if my father didn't have a place… would I have gone through with it?"
"I think… you just needed a little push." Makoto stated. "You might not have awakened your Persona, but you could have still rebelled."
"Maybe so." Haru beamed. "Well then, I'd like to thank you and the others… for giving me that little push."
She felt a little closer to Haru.
EMPRESS CONFIDANT: RANK 5
After speaking with Haru a little longer, she went home for the day.
9/22 Monday
Days Until Haru is sold off: 19
As soon as classes ended for the day, Makoto went straight to the student council room to attend the latest meeting.
As soon as they all had arrived, Makoto immediately got to business.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Makoto asked.
"Well, first, I wanted to talk about the sports teams." Daichi began. "The track team has been requesting to get the old coach back."
"The one before Kamoshida?" Makoto asked.
Daichi nodded. "It's something to bring up to the staff, I suppose."
"As for the other sports teams… well, they aren't doing as well." Chiaki informed her.
"Could you elaborate?" Makoto requested. "I know that the volleyball team still doesn't have a coach…"
"Yes, that's true." Chiaki nodded. "They likely won't be able to find a replacement coach until the next school year. But also…"
"What else was there?" Makoto asked.
"That exchange student… Yoshizawa, I think her name was?" Daichi answered.
"What about her?" Makoto asked.
"Apparently the school hasn't been happy with her recent performance." Daichi explained. You see, the rumor going around is that she only got a bronze medal at her gymnastics competition."
"A bronze medal is still good, though, isn't it?" Makoto asked. "That's 3rd place amongst all of the other competitors."
"Guess 3rd place isn't good enough." Chiaki muttered. "Guess they wanted 1st place… anything less than that was useless to them."
"Chiaki…" Makoto whispered.
"Harsh…" Daichi muttered. "But I suppose that it could be true."
Makoto made a mental note to check up on Kasumi sometime in the future. This had to be heavily affecting her.
"Umm… in brighter news, we haven't had any other incidents of people stealing!" Kayo beamed. "Our money is completely safe!"
"Did we ever find out who was responsible?" Daichi asked.
"… I haven't, but hopefully we won't have to deal with any more thefts." Makoto stated. "And about the budget…"
"You investigated…" Akemi whispered.
"I did." Makoto nodded. "But as far as I can tell, the extra uniforms and swimsuits were just an honest mistake."
"I see… that's good." Akemi mumbled.
Chiaki didn't say anything, but Makoto could practically feel her narrowing her eyes.
"Great!" Kayo grinned. "Everything's been resolved!"
"So, onto our next order of business." Daichi continued.
"… The festival." Akemi brought up.
"Yes, of course. The school festival." Makoto nodded. "Do we have the funding secured?"
"We do." Daichi answered. "We still have to make plenty of preparations for the festival, but funding won't be an issue."
"Good to know." Makoto smiled. "Let's work out some basics today and meet up again closer to the festival date."
Everyone agreed, and after discussing some basic details about the upcoming school festival, she ended the meeting.
As soon as the meeting ended, however, Chiaki approached her.
"Makoto." Chiaki greeted.
"Is everything ok, Chiaki." Makoto asked. "You were a little quiet during today's meeting."
"I just have a lot on my mind. That's all." Chiaki frowned.
"Is it about those loan sharks?" Makoto asked.
"Tch… yeah, it is." Chiaki admitted. "Lala-chan's been paying me well, but there's still no way that I'm going to be able to pay off of that debt."
"Why not?" Makoto asked.
"The interest is just piling up faster than I can deal with." Chiaki sighed. "Of course, that's probably on purpose. They want to have me in their debt forever."
"Is there nothing you can do?" Makoto asked.
"The only other option was to make 'deliveries for them'." Chiaki sighed. "I imagine that whatever is being delivered is drugs or something like that, so I'd rather not get involved."
"Of course." Makoto nodded. "I… might have some way to help you, actually…"
"Mmm… before, I didn't want to accept your help, but now I don't really have a choice." Chiaki sighed.
"You seemed to really resent me before." Makoto brought up. "Why was that?"
"Tch… it's a little embarrassing to admit now, but I was annoyed that you were always ahead of me in exam scores." Chiaki admitted.
"That's it?" Makoto asked, confused.
"I was obsessed with being number 1." Chiaki told her. "I would study whenever I could, doing whatever I could to be the best. I would get into a great college, get a well-paying job, and… that would be it, I suppose."
Makoto frowned. "There's more to life than that, you know?"
"Yeah, I know that, obviously." Chiaki scoffed. "But… well, my parents really installed that sort of mindset within me. Especially my dad."
"You father, huh…" Makoto trailed off.
"I… didn't tell you the full story about my parents, did I?" Chiaki muttered.
"You said that they aren't with you anymore." Makoto stated.
"Well, that's true but… there's more to it than that." Chiaki said. "My father was an office worker, always working long hours with tons of mandatory overtime."
"I see…" Makoto nodded.
"And he was also drinking with his bosses often." Chiaki told her. "He hoped that it would help him earn a promotion. The problem is… eventually he started developing an addiction to alcohol."
"Was it to cope with the demands of his job?" Makoto asked.
Chiaki nodded. "It… affected how he acted at home. He came home late and very drunk. I would go and take my little siblings away while my mother dealt with him."
Makoto bit her lip as she continued listening to Chiaki's story.
"They… would argue a lot." Chiaki told her. "Sometimes it was verbally… and other times I would hear the sounds of things breaking. When I would get up for school the next day, I would see my mother nursing bruises on her face. She never told me where they came from, but I was able to put two and two together."
"I'm so sorry…" Makoto whispered.
Chiaki shrugged. "It's not like you did it yourself. Anyway, my father, despite all of the time he spent at work, didn't get the promotion that he was hoping for. That… caused him to start drinking even more. Eventually, that and the lack of sleep that he was getting started to negatively affect his performance at work, and he was fired."
"That must have been hard on all of you." Makoto replied.
"Yeah. My father never really recovered from that. To him, his career was everything to him. Life was all about how well you did at your job. To be a productive member of society, and not… getting into debt. So he just couldn't go on afterwards. A few months after he lost his job, he just got up and left. A few days later… they found his body in some woods."
"Did he…?" Makoto trailed off.
"He hung himself." Chiaki finished. "I suppose that he couldn't deal with the pressure. Neither could my mother. She dropped me and my siblings off at our grandparents' house, and we never saw her again."
"Chiaki… I…" Makoto whispered, not sure how to respond.
"Sorry for dumping all of that all of you." Chiaki apologized.
"It's alright." Makoto answered. "I wanted to help in the first place.
"Well, thanks for listening." Chiaki said. "It was nice to get all of that off of my chest."
She felt a little closer to Chiaki.
TOWER CONFIDENT: RANK 7
"By the way… about those loan sharks… how do you plan to deal with them?" Makoto asked.
"I… don't know." Chiaki admitted. "I might have looked into them a bit. The two of them run a small sarakin company."
"Sarakin?" Makoto questioned.
Chiaki nodded. "Moneylenders that make unsecured loans at high interest rates. From what I understand, being in debt, and needing to borrow money were, and still are… considered very shameful."
"And I imagine that these moneylenders took full advantage of that." Makoto deduced.
"Yeah." Chiaki said. "Their offices would be located in out-of-the-way buildings so that you wouldn't have to deal with the shame of seeing other people see you go into a lending office. But they'd use all sorts of unethical methods to get people to pay. They'd show up at funerals and weddings, set up a loudspeaker in front of homes to broadcast that the person was in debt and wasn't paying, and…"
"And?"
"Well, a lot of them had connections to crime organizations, like Yakuza." Chiaki muttered. "I imagine that they… helped… with the collection process."
Makoto scowled.
"Back then, it was a lot of people's only option too." Chiaki sighed. "Banks were a lot less likely to lend to anyone that didn't manage a big business and had lots of collateral."
"You've certainly done your research." Makoto noted.
"I had to." Chiaki replied. "Thankfully, the government started cracking down on sarakin a while ago. Interest rates were capped, and their methods of getting payment or contacting clients were restricted."
"But those two don't seem like they'd follow those rules." Makoto assumed.
"Yeah, but… I don't know what to do. Heh… I had to swallow every last bit of pride I had to admit that we were in debt." Chiaki darkly chuckled. "But it's still hopeless."
"Chiaki…" Makoto whispered. "Do you… know the names of those two?"
"Their names?" Chiaki repeated. "Their names are Kin and Yu Samejima."
Makoto nodded. "Thank you. That's good to know."
"Hold on, why the hell are you asking, Niijima?!" Chiaki exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're going to confront them yourself!"
"Don't worry, I was just curious, that's all!" Makoto lied.
"Uh-huh. You really expect me to believe that." Chiaki frowned. "I'm not an idiot."
"Well, uh…" Makoto trailed off, trying to think of an excuse. "There's an officer that I know that frequents Lala-chan's bar. Also, my sister does work for the SIU. I was just considering if any of them might be able to help out."
"Oh…!" Chiaki gasped. "That might work, but still… those two are really good at covering their own tracks. I'm not sure if you'd be able to find anything on them."
"In that case, I'll try to think of another plan." Makoto promised. "I'll do everything that I can to help you, alright?"
"Heh… somehow, I feel like I can actually believe in you." Chiaki smiled. "But seriously, don't do anything reckless for my sake, got it?"
"I promise." Makoto assured her.
Now knowing what she had to do, she made her way home, already making preparations for their next trip to Mementos.
9/23 Monday
Days Until Haru is sold off: 18
She wasted no time in calling everyone, explaining the situation with Chiaki to them.
Thankfully, everyone was able to make it to the meeting, even on such short notice.
"Is everyone in agreement that we should target those two?" Makoto asked.
Everyone nodded, fully in agreement.
"I never knew that all of this was happening to the student council." Ren said.
"We'll have to be careful, though." Morgana cautioned. "We're dealing with two targets at once."
"Doesn't matter how many targets there are!" Ryuji boldly announced. "We'll take them all down!"
"Yes, of course." Haru nodded. "Let's deal with this quickly."
"I'm sorry, Haru. I don't want to make it seem that we're ignoring your problem." Makoto expressed.
"That's alright." Haru replied. "It would be selfish of me to demand all of your attention."
"Is everyone good to go?" Ren asked.
Seeing everyone agreeing, she clicked on the app, sending all of them into the Metaverse.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination.
The moment they arrived, they found the two brothers already waiting for them.
"Eh? Who the hell are you punks?" one of the brothers asked.
"Hold it, Kin." the other brother warned. "These might be those Phantom Thieves that everyone's been talking about."
"Seriously, Yu? These brats?" Kin muttered.
"Kin and Yu Samejima, correct?" Makoto asked, narrowing her eyes. "You're the ones responsible for scamming all of those people like Chiaki, aren't you?!"
"Heh, so what?" Yu asked. "It's not our fault that they can't pay back their loans. They shouldn't have borrowed money from us if they didn't think that they'd be able to pay it back."
"It wouldn't even be a problem if they were responsible with their money in the first place." Kin smirked.
"Shame, shame, shame." Yu snickered. "That's all those debt-ridden irresponsible parasites got from others, and it's all they deserve."
"Shame and money makes the world go round, after all." Kin grinned.
"Don't give us that crap!" Ryuji snapped. "We know that the only reason they needed to borrow money in the first place was because you scammed them!"
"And you lured them into a predatory loan… truly deplorable." Yusuke declared.
"One does the scamming, and the other, loans." Makoto summarized. "But we won't let you hurt anymore people! We'll put a stop to this!"
"I'm surprised you even found out about us." Yu frowned. "Thought that brat and her family would have too much pride. More pride than sense, I thought."
"And more pride than money." Kin added. "Figured we'd have to send some of Tsukasa's boys to get them to pay."
"...What?!" Makoto gasped, eyes widening.
She glanced over, seeing Ren with narrowed eyes.
"Forget that! If you think you can beat us, then just try it, brat!" Yu shouted.
The two brothers became engulfed in a sinister aura, morphing into a two headed dog.
"Now die!" They shouted.
They immediately shot out a massive fireball, the group narrowly jumping out of the way.
"Fox, freeze it!" Makoto commanded.
Yusuke nodded, firing off a Bufula spell at the enemy.
"To the right!" one of the shadow's heads shouted.
The shadow dodged the Bufula before firing back with a fireball.
The flames exploded onto Yusuke, knocking him to the ground.
"Mona, heal him!" Makoto commanded.
The shadow didn't stop its assault, however. It started charging straight towards Yusuke and Morgana.
"Stop!" One of the heads shouted.
The shadow stopped in its tracks, narrowly avoiding charging headfirst into an Eiga spell that Ren had fired off.
Makoto scowled, seeing that their teamwork would make them tough to land a solid blow on.
"Skull, with me." Makoto ordered.
"Got it." Ryuji grinned.
"Mothman!" Makoto called.
She summoned one of her latest Persona, which for some reason caused Futaba and Ren to loudly cheer.
Makoto and Ryuji shot Zionga after Zionga after the enemy, the shadow dodging blow after blow.
One head would keep an eye on the Thieves themselves, while the other one would keep an eye out for oncoming attacks.
Growing confident, the shadow suddenly began to rush them down.
"You're dead!" both heads cried.
Ryuji brought up his club in front of his face, barely holding back the shadow's snapping jaws.
Thankfully, Makoto had a plan.
"Tentarafoo!" Makoto shouted.
The new technique caught the shadow off guard, only one of the heads able to look away on time.
"Zap them!" Makoto shouted.
The shadow quickly retreated, trying to escape the resumed onslaught of lightning coming from Ryuji and herself.
"What way are they attacking from?!" one of the heads shouted.
"U-Uh… -right… right?" the other head muttered.
The shadow dodged to the right… only to be blasted with lightning.
"What the hell?!" one of the heads barked. "You said dodge to the right!"
"Did I?" the other head, still dazed, muttered. "Maybe I meant my right?"
"WE HAVE THE SAME RIGHT, YOU DUMBASS!"
The two heads began to snap and argue at each other, providing the perfect opportunity.
Ryuji blasted the shadow with lightning once more, stunning them long enough for Makoto to land a powerful punch, knocking the shadow to the ground and finishing it off.
The shadow dissolved into black ooze once again, revealing the defeated brothers.
"H-How?!" Kin exclaimed. "How did we get beaten by these guys?!"
Makoto slowly approached them, causing the brothers to panic.
"W-What are you going to do to us?!" Yu stammered.
"Nothing… as long as you cooperate." Makoto answered. "Do you realize all the pain your actions have caused other people?! People like Chiaki and her family?!"
"W-We just wanted some easy cash!" Kin replied. "C-Come on, there are thousands of scammers in Tokyo! W-We-"
"I'm not interested in your excuses!" Makoto shouted, taking a threatening step forward.
"O-Ok, ok, ok! We'll call off all of the debts! We'll return all the money we're taken!" Yu cried. "P-Please, no more!"
"You'll also turn yourselves in and confess to all of your crimes!" Makoto added.
"Yes… of course…" Kin agreed.
"We're sorry for everything…" Yu nodded.
"Also… this Tsukasa you mentioned. Who is he?!" Makoto exclaimed.
The two brothers froze.
"We… we c-can't tell you!" Kin stammered.
"He'll send his men after us if we talk!" Yu shouted.
Before they could say anything else, the two brothers vanished, signaling that their work was now done.
"Thank you, everyone, and good work." Makoto said, smiling at the ground. "Now then, let's get going."
With all of their targets for the day taken care of, Makoto and the others returned to the real world, exchanging goodbyes before all of them went home for the day.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 9
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 8
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 8
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 7
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 6
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 7
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 8
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 7
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 6
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 6
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 6
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 4
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 4
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 4
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 6
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 5
THE LOVERS -Phantom Ann Takamaki: Rank 6
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 3
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 6
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 4
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 4
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 6
THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 5
THE COUNCILOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 6
Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 79.2%