5/16 Monday
Days Until Legal Action: 24
The entire time she was in class, she couldn't help but worry about Yusuke's predicament.
After classes ended for the day, she decided to call Yusuke to check up on him.
"Makoto, is that you?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes, hello Yusuke." she greeted. "How are you doing?"
"Most of my supplies are at the atelier, and I can't exactly go back there." Yusuke lamented. "There isn't much at my dorm."
"Will you be alright by yourself?" she asked.
"I can manage for now." Yusuke told her. "About the palace…"
"We'll need a few days to stock up on supplies like medicine." she informed him. "If you'd like, I could teach you a bit more about the Metaverse."
"I would appreciate it." Yusuke nodded. "Right now I'm at a restaurant in Shibuya."
"A restaurant?" she repeated. "Umm…"
She didn't want to be rude, but…
"A friend of mine got the meal for me." Yusuke told her, as if reading her mind.
"Ah, I see."
"I'll give you the directions to the restaurant." Yusuke told her.
After texting the directions to her, she set out for the restaurant.
"Niijima-san?! Is that you?"
As soon as she entered the restaurant, she saw Yusuke, as well as another familiar face.
"Makigami-kun?!" she exclaimed.
"Niijima-san, I didn't expect to see you at my family's restaurant!" Naoya said.
"Oh, this is your family's restaurant?" she asked. "I came here looking for Yusuke."
"I'm right here." Yusuke greeted, calling from a secluded table.
"Oh, were the two of you going to talk about the modeling?" Naoya asked.
"Something like that." she lied.
She sat down next to Yusuke.
"So, when will we begin… the operation?" Yusuke asked.
"A few days from now." she informed him. "Ren will be picking up some medical supplies, then we'll finish the infiltration."
"I see… and how do we go about changing Sensei?" Yusuke asked.
"First we secure a route to his treasure, and then we send a calling card." she whispered. "Actually, you might be able to help in that regard."
"Hmm, yes, I suppose I could make something with that." Yusuke nodded.
She continued to speak with Yusuke about any other questions he had about the Metaverse, making sure others couldn't hear, until he had to leave.
"Niijima-san, are you leaving as well?" Naoya asked. "I was hoping that we could work on our martial arts for a bit."
"Oh, sure, I have time." she nodded. "Lead the way."
The two teens went to Protein Lovers, getting a workout in while teaching each other the kata of their preferred martial art.
"Man… aikido is a lot more complex than I thought." Naoya panted.
"And kendo is certainly tiring… but I did have a lot of fun." she smiled.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Naoya grinned. "I've been practicing kendo for years now."
"I can tell. I'm sure you could become a professional if you put your mind to it!" she complimented.
"Oh, no, I couldn't." Naoya insisted. "This is just a hobby, that's all. After I graduate, I'll eventually take over the family restaurant. That's what my parents want for me."
"What your parents want for you?" she repeated. "What about you?"
"What do you mean?" Naoya wondered.
"What do you want to do when you graduate?" she asked.
"Ah, that… well, I guess I'll just take after my parents and get into the food industry with the restaurant." Naoya shrugged. "Never really thought about anything else…"
"That didn't seem like a very convincing answer…" she mused. "Then again, I suppose I'm not very sure of my future either…"
"Anyway, thank you for the lessons, Niijima-san." Naoya expressed.
"You're welcome. Maybe next time we can have a spar." she suggested.
"I'll look forward to it." Naoya grinned.
As they made plans for when they'd next hang out, she felt their bond grow slightly stronger...
TEMPERANCE CONFIDANT: RANK 2
After speaking with Naoya a little more, she went home for the day.
5/17 Tuesday
Days Until Legal Action: 23
After classes ended for the day, she ran into Ren, hoping to ask him about his supplies.
"Hey Ren?" she asked. "Did you get the medical supplies from the doctor?" she asked.
"Was just going to go there today." Ren told her. "We should be ready to go back to the palace by tomorrow."
"Excellent." she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
After saying goodbye to Ren, she left school, wondering what to do for the rest of the day.
"I haven't visited Shiho in a while…" she mused. "I wouldn't want her getting lonely."
She set off for the hospital, hoping that she could pay her a visit.
*Knock Knock*
"Come in."
She quietly opened the door, entering Shiho's room.
"Oh, Niijima-sempai." Shiho said, managing a small smile. "It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Suzui-san." she said, smiling back.
"How's everything been going at Shujin?" Shiho asked.
"Things have been pretty hectic recently." she admitted. "It being exam time certainly doesn't help."
"I can imagine…" Shiho trailed off.
"On the plus side, the school hired a counselor to help talk to the students, especially those that were affected by Kamoshida's actions."
"Did… you attend counselling?" Shiho asked.
"They forced me to." Makoto admitted. "It was because… Kamoshida…"
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Shiho nervously asked.
"Well…"
She explained how Kamoshida had called her down to his office one day, and what had transpired there.
"Thanks goodness nothing happened to you." Shiho said, giving a sigh of relief.
"How's everything been going with you?" she asked.
"Things are… better than before." Shiho said. "I still can't walk on my own, but I'm starting to regain a bit of feeling in my leg."
"That's great, Shiho! I'm sure that you'll recover and be back to Shujin in no time!" she encouraged.
"Um… about that…" Shiho trailed off.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"The truth is… I'll be transferring to a different school after I'm discharged." Shiho admitted.
"W-What?!" she stammered. "Why is that?"
"Shujin… holds so many horrible memories for me." Shiho whispered. "I don't think I'd be comfortable going back, even with Kamoshida gone."
"I can't blame you for that." Makoto said. "You have to do what's best for you."
"Thank you for understanding." Shiho expressed. "Still…"
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I'm just worried about Ann." Shiho frowned. "She visited me earlier and… didn't take the news that well. I feel so guilty for leaving her alone."
"It's not your fault, Shiho." she told her. "Nothing that happened is your fault."
"Maybe, but… it must be really hard for Ann." Shiho frowned. "...Makoto?"
"Yes, Shiho?"
"I hope I'm not asking too much, but… could you look out for Ann?" Shiho asked.
"Of course." she promised. "I'll do whatever I can to help her."
"Thank you so much, Makoto!" Shiho beamed. "I really appreciate it."
Shiho's mood instantly brightened, and she could feel her gratitude.
SUN CONFIDANT: RANK 2
After keeping Shiho company for a bit longer, she went home for the day.
5/18 Wednesday
Days Until Legal Action: 22
After making sure that everyone was aware that they would be going to the Palace today, she made her way to Leblanc, her, Ren, and Morgana being the only ones there.
"Hey, Makoto." Ren greeted. "I have some money left over after I got the medical supplies. What should we do with it?"
"Hmm… maybe we could distribute some of it among ourselves for personal use." she suggested. "I have some leftover money as well.
"Sooo, evenly amongst me, you, Ryuji, and Yusuke, right?" Ren asked.
"Hey, what about me!" Morgana yelled.
"What would a cat even buy?" Ren muttered.
"Sushi! Lots and lots of sushi!" Morgana grinned.
"Ok, I guess we'll split it up five ways… with part of it going to Morgana's sushi fund." she said.
They waited until Ryuji arrived, gave him his share, and did the same with Yusuke.
"After all of our supplies were taken care of, Ren and I noticed we had quite a bit left over." she said. "So, I thought to distribute the money to everyone. Thanks for all your help."
"I feel like I should be thanking you, Niijima-san." Yusuke admitted. "This will certainly help, now that I'm on my own."
With everyone gathered together and adequately stocked, they entered the palace.
"Ok, first thing's first!" Mona stated. "We need to come up with a codename for our newest member!"
"A codename?" Yusuke asked.
"We don't want to use our real names in the Metaverse, just in case." Ren explained.
"You have any ideas on what you want your name to be?" Makoto asked.
"Hmm… I'd say Da Vinci." Yusuke suggested.
"Nope. Denied." Skull quickly said.
"What? Why not?" Yusuke wondered.
"That name sounds totally lame, that's why!" Ryuji answered. "You need a cooler codename!"
"It doesn't really matter how cool it is." she sighed. "But maybe… you shouldn't base your codename after an artist. You wouldn't want anything that could potentially be traced back to you."
"Well, with that mask and tail…" Ryuji trailed off, taking note of his foxlike outfit. "I got it! We'll call you Abura-age!"
"Very well." Yusuke agreed.
"Wait, he agreed to it?" Morgana laughed.
"Although… hearing abura-age all the time might make me hungry…" Yusuke muttered.
"Why don't we keep it simple, then?" Ren suggested. "Let's go with Fox. It's the English word for kitsune."
"Oh yeah, that works!" Ryuji grinned.
"Well, what do you think, Fox?" Mona asked.
"It's acceptable." Yusuke said.
"All right, then let's go!" she ordered.
While they were now able to pass by the security measures in his palace, they quickly found that the shadows were now on high alert, and very strong.
"Agi!" she shouted, flinging a fireball that downed an enemy.
"Hey, Queen!" Skull called, pointing to one of the shadows. "Ain't that thing that we fought the other day?"
The demon before them was, in fact, a smaller, weaker version of the shadow they had used their team attack on a few days ago.
"I wonder how we can get this one to join us?" Queen asked.
"Oh, I have an idea!" Skull grinned. "I saw it in a video game once! Try a motorcycle impression!"
"Skull, what the hell kind of idea is that?! Mona exclaimed.
Would persona's really like her doing a motorcycle impression? Worth a shot, she supposed.
"Lend me your power." she requested.
"Why should me lend you power?" the shadow asked, it's speech not quite correct.
"Well… I can make really cool motorcycle impressions." she said.
The shadow seemed to perk up at that. "Really? You show!"
"Close your eyes…" she commanded.
The shadow did as it was told.
"Well, there's no need to do an impression." she mused. "Not when I can.
She summoned Johanna, revving her up.
"Ooooh!" the shadow exclaimed in awe. "That amazing!"
She did it a few more times before the demon finally agreed to join them.
"Well, that wasn't too bad." she grinned.
"So, what's this one called?" Joker asked.
"Oh, he's Nue." she said.
"Um, yeah, I know he's new, but what's its name?" Joker asked.
"No, Mona, I mean it's a Nue mask." she clarified.
"I know it's a new mask, Queen, but what-"
"Moving on!" she cut him off. "Come on, there are probably plenty of other new shadows to recruit."
"But Queen, didn't you just recruit a Nue shadow?" Ren grinned.
Queen turned, giving Joker an exasperated look, but couldn't resist a few giggles when she saw the innocent grin on his face.
"Are they… always like this?" Yusuke asked.
"Oh yeah. They were the first members of this group." Ryuji told him. "Those two are always planning things or hanging out."
"Hmm… do you think those two are…" Yusuke trailed off.
"Wait, Joker and Queen?! Like… together? No way, man!" Ryuji laughed. "But… now that you mention it…"
The more they trekked through the palace, the more twisted the place seemed. They eventually stumbled upon a giant statue of Madarame himself, along with…
"W-What is this…?" Yusuke gasped.
"It's like… some sort of altar." Makoto whispered.
Several bodies littered the stairs leading up to the altar.
"These are… Madarame's former pupils."
Yusuke realized.
"Hey guys, look over here." Morgana said, pointing to a plaque by the altar.
"Here we praise our most holy lord Ichiryusai Madarame, the one ray of hope in this depraved world. He stands alone as his two adept hands into the future. Glady will we sacrifice ourselves in his name. None shall ever match his excellence.
Makoto watched as Yusuke read the sign, his expression growing angrier and angrier with each word.
"Fox, maybe we should-"
"My mother isn't here." Fox realized. "Why isn't she here?"
"There was that picture of here before." Mona recalled. "There's probably a cognitive version of her somewhere around here."
"I see…" Fox muttered.
"Fox, are you ok?" she asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine." Yusuke insisted. "We should keep moving."
Concerned as she was, she realized that he had a point, and led the group further into the palace.
"Hmm… There's another Will Seed nearby." Morgana noted.
"A Will Seed?" Fox repeated.
"I can explain." she said.
She explained what Will Seeds were, as well as what they saw when they grabbed the first Will Seed.
"So, these Will Seeds will allow us to view a glimpse of Madarame's past." Yusuke said. "Then… I would like to see them myself. I want to know what made Madarame like this."
Seeing the determined expression on his face, there was no way she could deny him.
"Ok, let's do this." she nodded.
It didn't take long for them to find the location of the nearby Will Seed.
"Let's see what this shows us." she mused, picking up the seed.
Once again, they saw a glimpse of Madarame's past, but instead of it being from when he was a boy around their age, he was now a middle aged man, but not quite as old as he was now.
He sat in his atelier, frowning as he looked at a painting he had made.
"Damn it!" Madarame snapped. "This painting isn't good at all!"
Another man stepped into the room, holding a bag of food.
"Is everything alright?" the second man asked.
"It's fine, Akiko." Madarame scoffed. "What is it?"
"I bought some groceries for you." Akiko said. "You don't need to worry about paying me back, but… are you sure you don't want me to get you a fridge to store food?"
"I can't afford to waste money on electricity." Madarame brought up. "I can save money by not buying food that needs to be stored."
"Ichitaro, I'm worried about you." Akiko said.
'I told you, it's Ichiryusai now." Madarame told him.
"Ichiryusai… Ichiryu means 'top-notch', doesn't it?" Akkio asked. "Isn't changing your name to that a little… vain?"
"I will… be worthy of that name someday." Madarame muttered.
An awkward silence fell between the two men before Akiko eventually broke it.
"...I see you're still painting." Akiko noted. "Have you… considered other types of employment? Even something temporary?"
Madarame scowled. "What are you talking about?"
"The art world is not as beautiful as you think." Akiko said. "The pure beauty that you seek may not exist."
"Are you just here to tell off your friend?!" Madarame snapped.
Akiko frowned. "No, I just-"
"I know what you're doing." Madarame cut him off. "Occasionally, I compare myself with people my same age. They have families, established careers… and I look at myself, and wonder where the hell I went wrong. And yet, I still want to be a painter."
"Even so…" Akiko trailed off.
"I know. I'm not a young boy anymore." Madarame acknowledged. "I'm a poor, debt-ridden middle-aged man. And yet, all I can do to repay my debt is to succeed with my paintings, because it's all I know how to do! It's too late for me to go back!"
Akiko didn't respond.
"Just watch… one day, I'll reach the top of the art world with my own strength alone." Madarame insisted.
"I see…" Akiko finally said. "Then I won't bother you about it anymore."
Akiko left the room, leaving Madarame by his lonesome.
"Why me…?" Madarame muttered, burying his head in his hands.
"So… Madarame really was in dept." Yusuke noted.
"It seems like it." she agreed. "That might have been part of what pushed him over the edge to become what he is today."
"Hey, Fox, do you know who that other man was?" Joker asked.
"He seems… vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place my finger on it." Yusuke admitted.
"Well, there's one more of these Will Seeds, so that'll probably make things a little clearer." Skull pointed out.
With this new information in mind, the Thieves ventured further into the palace.
"Right there." Morgana whispered. "The treasure is right there."
"And so is Madarame…" Yusuke muttered.
"But it's surrounded by more of those inferred lasers." Joker pointed out.
"Then there's gotta be another control room nearby!" Ryuji said. "Let's go and find it!"
Sure enough, they found a control room close by that controlled the lights, as well as a crane directly above the treasure.
"Say Queen, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mona asked.
"If we have someone turn off the lights in the control room, we can have someone else operate the crane and grab the treasure." she noted.
"Exactly!" Morgana grinned. "And that'll be our path to the treasure!"
"We still have another Will Seed to find." she pointed out. "We should probably grab it before we leave."
After exploring for a bit longer, they found the door to the last Will Seed, a single guard standing in their way.
"Hold it right there!" the guard shouted. "You must be the intruders! I won't let you escape here alive!"
The guard formed into a giant blue statue, flashing a brilliant light that exploded in front of them.
"Urgh… this one's pretty tough." she muttered.
"Don't worry, I've got this!" Ryuji yelled, slamming his weapon into the shadow.
...Only to realize it had no effect.
"The hell?!" Ryuji gasped. "It didn't do anything!"
"It's immune to physical attacks?!" she exclaimed. "Alright, everyone, try magic!"
Ren and Yusuke cast Eiha and Bufu spells respectively, and they proved to be much more effective.
"Suzaku!" she called. "Frei!"
She shot a nuclear blast at the enemy, dropping it to the ground.
"Everyone, All Out Attack!" she called.
They rushed the shadow, dealing a significant amount of damage, but not enough to bring it down for good.
The shadow quickly got up, shooting blasts of bright pink energy at them.
She wasn't sure what it was, but knew she probably didn't want to get hit with it.
"That was cl-AHH!" she cried, feeling a sharp pain in her side. "J-Joker?!"
Joker had just slashed at her with his knife.
"Joker, what the hell?!" Skull yelled. "Have you lost your effin' mind?!"
Joker turned to him, a dead look in his eyes.
"I think that shadow must have brainwashed him somehow!" Mona exclaimed. "We need to help him!"
"I'll fend off the shadow." Yusuke offered, Ryuji right behind him.
As they dealt with the shadow, she confronted Ren. "Joker, it's me, Queen! Fight it, Joker! I know the real you is still there!"
Her words had little effect on him, however, as Ren continued slashing at her.
"Queen, do you have something that can cure his brainwashing?" Morgana asked.
"Let's try this! Makami!" she shouted, summoning one of her newest Persona. "Energy Drop!"
Restorative energy engulfed Joker's body, snapping him out of his brainwashing.
"W-What… happened?" Joker muttered.
The shadow tried to brainwash them once again, but Morgana quickly moved to intercept him.
"Let's see how you like this!" Morgana yelled. "Pulinpa!"
The shadow became confused, too disoriented to attack them.
"Garu!" Mona shouted, blowing the shadow to the ground.
"Let's rush it again!" she commanded, the group performing another All Out Attack, bringing the shadow down for good.
"That one was pretty tough." Ren sighed, before glancing at Makoto. "Wait, Queen, what happened to your side? How did you get slashed?"
"Wait, you don't remember, dude?" Skull wondered. "That thing brainwashed you, and you started attackin' us!"
She winced at Skull's bluntness, frowning when she saw the shocked expression on Ren's face.
"I… did that?" Joker muttered.
"Joker, it wasn't your fault." she insisted.
"I hurt you!" he stressed.
"You weren't yourself." she argued. "I'm not blaming you. Let's just put this behind us, ok?"
Ren didn't seem convinced, but he didn't argue.
"We should probably get the next Will Seed now before more guards come." Mona told them.
She nodded, heading into the room, and picking up the Will Seed…
Once again, they had a glimpse into the atelier, but now they saw Madarame looking much closer to his current age.
Alongside what appeared to be Yusuke's mother...
"Yua, are you sure you're in a good enough condition to be painting right now?" Madarame asked.
"I just want to finish this…" Yua responded. "I'm almost finished with the Sayuri."
"When you first asked for my tutelage, I never expected you to stay so long." Madarame said. "Right from the beginning, you were trying to perfect that painting."
"I was." she recalled.
"There was a man who came by the other day." Madarame told her. "Said that they would pay a large sum of money for the painting."
"It's not for money." Yua told him. "It's for something much more important."
Madarame glanced at the painting.
"It's beautiful." he complemented.
"R-Really?" Yua stammered.
Madarame nodded. "I've seen many paintings in my time. I know when I see excellent work. I especially love the woman's expression. So warm and full of love."
"I'm glad." she smiled. "I… know I won't live much longer. That's why… I want to leave something behind to my son. Something that conveys how much I loved him."
"Ah, young Yusuke, right?" Madarame grinned. "I remember you brought him over a few times. He must be… goodness, a year old already, right?
Yua nodded, a small smile on her face. "Time flies so fast. He just called me mama for the first time the other day. I was so happy."
"Now I see why this painting is so important to you." Madarame noted.
"Is there anything that could be improved, you think?" she asked.
Madarame looked over the painting for a few moments. "I… can't find a single flaw."
"You can't?!" Yua exclaimed, eyes widening. "I thought for sure you would have some criticism… but instead, you've given nothing but praise.
"This art is first-class." Madarame said, before whispering to himself. "Perhaps… even better than my own."
"Did you say something?" Yua asked.
"Oh… it's nothing." Madarame said. "It's getting rather late, however. You should be heading home soon."
Right as he said that, however, Yua collapsed from her chair, falling to the ground.
"Are you alright?!" Madarame exclaimed.
"I-I don't feel well…" Yua groaned. "M-My medicine…"
"Hold on, I'll grab it!" Madarame called.
As he went to grab the medicine, however…
"And yet, all I can do to repay my debt is to succeed with my paintings, because it's all I know how to do! It's too late for me to go back!"
His words from so long ago came rushing back to him.
"I was offered… so much money for that painting." Madarame muttered to himself. "I could…"
He glanced over towards Yua, who was now drifting into unconsciousness.
"In order to survive and pay off my debt, I had to take on apprentices." he said. "Lying to myself by saying I could be happy that way. But how can I be happy when I'm not at the apex of the art world? How can I be happy when my own apprentices are surpassing me?!"
As the last signs of life left Yua's body, Madarame pulled out his phone to contact the man who wished to purchase the Sayuri…
She was speechless. What she had just saw… there were no words to describe it.
"Holy shit…" Skull muttered.
"He… he left her there to…" Joker trailed off.
As the initial shock wore off, she quickly turned to Yusuke, seeing the horrified look on his face.
"No…" Yusuke whispered. "No… this isn't… this has to be a lie! Madarame, my mother… and the Sayuri… it's all a lie!"
Yusuke began to tremble, clutching his head.
Immediately, she ran over to him, trying to offer any comfort she could.
"It's ok, it's ok." she gently said.
She was unsure what to say, or even if there was anything she could say to help him, considering he had just witnessed the death of his mother.
"Time to leave, everyone." she gently said. "We'll talk more about this later."
They went back to the entrance of the palace, heading to the real world.
When they arrived, the first thing she noticed was the vacant stare in Yusuke's eyes.
"Yusuke?" she asked. "If you need to speak, I can-"
"My apologies." Yusuke said. "I… need some time to think. I thought I was ready to face the truth, but…"
"It's alright." she assured him. "Take as much time as you need."
An air of melancholy seemed to around the entire group as they went their separate ways, all of them disturbed by what they had seen.
When she got home, she saw that Sae was working late, so she made sure to text her sister that she loved her before she went to bed, holding Mona close to her for comfort.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 2
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1
THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 2
Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 7.3%