"Everyone, watch out!" Makoto cried.
She tried to keep track of the Cleaner and his illusions, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep up with the four of them, especially considering how well they blended into the dark.
Sensing something, she quickly moved to the side, but wasn't fast enough to avoid a cut to her arm.
One of the illusions continued to dart around, slashing at all the Thieves whenever it could.
Yusuke sped himself up to keep up, clashing with the quick illusion. Before he could press the advantage, however, another illusion ran up to him and punched him in the face.
Ryuji spied an illusion at the end of the room, and began running towards it, only to get blown away with another one using ice magic.
"N-No… this can't… stop this!" Makoto cried. "Stop!"
"Too late for that!" the four Cleaners echoed. "I'll cut you down one by one, all because you were stupid enough to challenge me!"
She began to panic as she heard her teammates cry out in pain.
"I have to think!" Makoto exclaimed. "I have to-GAH!"
One of the illusions slashed her leg before grabbing her arm with a crushing grip.
"F-Freila…" Makoto stammered.
Makoto blasted the shadow with nuclear energy, causing them to toss Makoto at the wall.
Makoto slowly got to her feet, her body protesting the entire time.
"I… I need to keep going." Makoto muttered.
She knew that, first of all, she needed to find some way to get rid of the illusions, but that would be nearly impossible as long as the room remained as dark as it was.
Wait…, Makoto mused. What if I…
"Archangel!" Makoto cried. "Makouha!"
The entire room was coated in light, causing the Cleaner to scowl and shield his eyes.
The three illusions faded away as soon as the light touched them, leaving only the Cleaner himself.
"Not bad… but you still won't be able to take me down." the Cleaner claimed.
The Cleaner charged towards her, poised to strike.
Makoto dodged and punched at the shadow, striking its stomach, but the Cleaner hardly flinched, punching her face and knocking her down.
"Urk!" Makoto groaned.
The Cleaner stomped on her leg, trying to stop her from escaping, and raised its weapon above her neck.
Before it could stab down however, the roared in pain as Ren ran up to it and stabbed it in the back.
Yusuke quickly followed, stabbing his sword into the shadow, causing the shadow to step back in shock, allowing Makoto to get free.
The shadow swatted Yusuke away and grabbed Ren off his back before throwing him away.
Before he could charge again, however, Ann and Makoto fired off their strongest spells.
"Freila!"
"Agilao!"
The Cleaner was blasted with two powerful spells, causing a large explosion that covered the room.
When the smoke cleared, however, they saw that the Cleaner was heavily injured, but not down.
"That… hurt a lot!" the Cleaner snapped. "But this… will hurt a hell of a lot more!"
The Cleaner slammed his weapon into the ground again, sending tendrils of dark energy towards them.
Most of the team was blasted off their feet by the dark energy, Ren managing to stay standing due to Arsène's resistance.
Makoto braced herself, but found the attack wasn't nearly as powerful as she thought.
When Makoto glanced down, she let out a gasp when she saw her accessory.
For some reason, the souvenir that Ren had gifted her was glowing.
She didn't have much time to think on it however, as the Cleaner was preparing another attack.
Noticing the lingering burns on the Cleaner, Makoto quickly healed the others and began to issue orders.
"Mona, use wind! Now!" Makoto shouted.
Morgana blasted the shadow with wind, spreading the flames throughout the room and the shadow's body.
"GRAHHH!"
The shadow cried out in agony as it continued to burn, the flames lighting up the room even more.
The shadow made one last ditch effort to strike them, charging forward, but Makoto punched it back with all of her might, ignoring the heat.
The Cleaner continued to burn in the flames before finally dissolving into ooze.
"I-It's over…" Ann panted. "We actually beat him."
"That was a little too close for comfort." Ren sighed.
"Come on, let's keep going." Makoto ordered.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Ryuji yelled.
When she glanced at the others, however, she saw that they were hesitant.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked. "We have to get moving."
"I think we should call it here." Yusuke said. "We have all received numerous injuries so far."
"Even so, we can't quit when we're so close!" Makoto insisted. "We have to keep going!"
"...No." Ren refused.
"What do you mean no?!" Makoto asked.
"Queen, you're badly hurt." Ren argued. "We're all badly hurt. That shadow did a number on you. Please, at least take a break!"
"I told you, I'm fine!" Makoto shouted. "If you're too tired, then go to the safe room. But I'm going to keep moving!"
Ren shook his head, instead getting in front of Makoto and standing in front of the door.
"Get out of the way, Joker." Makoto warned.
"You can barely stand, Queen." Joker pointed out. "Can you even get past me without falling over?"
"Of course… I can." Makoto muttered.
Makoto tried her hardest to walk over towards Ren, but her body seemed to resist her every step of the way.
"I can… still… keep… go...ing…" Makoto mumbled.
Her legs felt shaky, and she could feel her vision growing blurry.
She felt her knees give out, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Queen, get up! Queeeeeeennnn!"
She awoke to find herself on a couch.
"Where am I…?" Makoto groggily said.
"You're in a safe room."
She looked upwards, seeing Ren looking over her.
"What happened?" Makoto asked.
"You passed out after the battle with the Cleaner." Ren explained. "You must have really gotten hurt during the first."
"Oh. I see…" Makoto trailed off.
"Ren had to carry you the entire way here." Ann giggled.
"W-What?!" Makoto stammered, glancing over at Ren.
"I-It's no big deal." Ren mumbled.
"It is a big deal!" Makoto cried. "I... I…"
She glanced away, not wanting to look them in the eye.
The more that she looked over her actions today, the more that she realized how irrationally she had behaved.
"I endangered all of you with how reckless I was." Makoto frowned. "I nearly got all of you killed! I… I'm so sorry!"
"...Well, it ain't like any of us are seriously hurt. So it's all good." Ryuji grinned.
"H-How can you forgive me so easily?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Cause we're your friends!" Ann beamed.
"E-Even so…" Makoto trailed off.
"I was kinda annoyed at you, but also a little worried." Ann admitted. "We were all tired, but you were pushing yourself so hard…"
"I was pissed too, but… I kinda get it." Ryuji admitted. "I mean, I was just as angry at Kamoshida back then, and I would have been in serious trouble if you didn't show up to help me."
"I… might have been less than friendly in the past back when I was still with Madarame." Yusuke recalled. "So I can understand."
"You've always been there for us." Ren told her. "So let us be there for you."
"Joker… everyone… thank you so much." Makoto said, giving a small smile. "But… maybe someone else should lead. Joker or Mona, maybe?"
Mona shook his head. "I still think that you'd be the best for this, Queen."
"Are you sure?" Makoto asked.
"You've led us this far." Ren said. "I'm sure that you'll be able to lead us the rest of the way there."
"And the rest of you feel the same?" Makoto asked.
The others nodded.
"If you're all calmed down now, then I see no problem with it." Yusuke stated.
"...Alright." Makoto nodded. "Then I'll do my best to lead all of you throughout the palace, and make sure that you're all safe. And if I ever get like that again… please stop me before it gets to this point."
She led the group back to where they had fought the Cleaner, careful to avoid any further battles.
As they exited the other side of the room, they found none other than the final Will Seed door.
Thankful for the little amount of energy it granted, Makoto eagerly snatched the final Will Seed, and they saw another glimpse of Kaneshiro's past…
They saw Kaneshiro, and the Yakuza boss he had spoken to in the previous flashback, except both of them appeared slightly older.
The Yakuza boss scowled, defenseless as Kaneshiro held a gun to his head.
"So… you must have found out, then." the man said. "You found out that it was my boys that ended up killing your parents."
"I've known for a long time." Kaneshiro told him. "That's not the only reason I'm doing this."
"What?!" the older man exclaimed. "What other reason are you doing this?!"
"I'm sick of being a lackey and having to give some of my earnings to you! I want to be the one in charge!" Kaneshiro grinned.
"So that's it, huh?" the man scoffed. "You're just obsessed with money. You started an entire clan war for money."
"Money is power. It's no coincidence that the strongest people in the world are also the wealthiest… and the people that everyone respects." Kaneshiro explained. "Nobody gave a damn about me when I was starving on the streets! But now… I'll make them acknowledge me! I'll make them see how great I am! I… I'll never be poor and powerless again!"
"Heh… I can't believe that I got beaten by a man as pathetic as you." the Yakuza boss grinned.
"What did you say?!" Kaneshiro scowled.
"So who's the one backing you?" the Yakuza boss wondered. "There's no way you were able to organize this whole clan war all by yourself. You must have had someone backing you. Someone who's as rich and powerful as you want to be."
"...I'm surprised that you picked up on that." Kaneshiro smirked. "Not that it'll do you much good at this point."
Kaneshiro smirked as he pressed the gun right to the Yakuza bosses' forehead.
"Any last words?" Kaneshiro asked.
"...Do your worst." the Yakuza boss smiled, fearless in the face of death.
Kaneshiro pressed the trigger, the sound of a gunshot being the last thing they heard before the flashback cut off.
Mercifully, they were spared the gory sight of the Yakuza bosses' brains being blown out, but they still found themselves disturbed by what they had seen.
"He… really killed him." Ann frowned.
"He said that his parents died because of that Yakuza boss." Ryuji muttered. "Guess he wanted revenge."
"Not just that… it seems that his obsession with money was even greater than we had imagined." Yusuke noted.
"Bastard's already got more money than he knows what to do with!" Ryuji snapped. "Why the hell does he gotta keep abusin' people for more?!"
"It must have become a complete obsession for him." Morgana noted. "As well as the source of the distortion that caused this palace to form."
"...I suppose, in the end, nothing's really changed." Makoto stated. "Regardless of his reasons, we can't let Kaneshiro continue to hurt people."
They carefully maneuvered around the basement, dismantling the final security measures before making it to the center of the room, where another elevator awaited them.
"Looks like this one goes down too." Ren noticed.
"How deep does this place go?" Ryuji groaned.
"We'll take it down and see where it goes for now." Makoto said. "Once we see what's at the bottom, we'll decide whether to continue or not."
The others agreed, heading into the elevator together.
What must have been only a few minutes in reality felt like hours to Makoto, the elevator feeling agonizingly slow. Every second she spent in the twisted mindscape of Kaneshiro made her hate it even more.
Thankfully, when the elevator arrived at their destination, they stepped onto the bottom floor to find exactly what they were looking for.
The was a dark, grey room with a few giant golden bars and a constant downward stream of bills filling the room.
In the middle of the room, however…
"There it is!" Ann cried. "There's the treasure!"
"Finally, we found it!" Ryuji grinned.
"Kaneshiro definitely put out all the stops to prevent anyone from getting here." Morgana added, before letting out a smirk. "But he's never dealt with the Phantom Thieves before!"
"So now… all we have to do is send the calling card and take Kaneshiro's treasure." Makoto muttered. "We'll rest up for a few more days, and then… We'll take Kaneshiro down once and for all."
Their work finished for now, the Thieves navigated their way out of the palace, and went home for the day.
6/28 Thursday
Days Until Pics Leaked: 11
School seemed to pass by in a blur for Makoto, as she was far too distracted thinking about a plan for Kaneshiro's palace to focus much on school.
As school let out for the day, she decided to head over to Leblanc for the day to get in some studying and to work out a plan for Kaneshiro's palace.
These days, Leblanc seemed more comforting than home…
When she arrived, Sojiro smiled and told her that Ren was already home.
She climbed up the stairs, giving a small wave to Ren when he saw her.
"Hey." Ren greeted. "What's up?"
"Wanted to get some work done with my study partner." Makoto smiled.
"Sounds great." Ren grinned. "I'll fix you some coffee."
Ren brewed some coffee for her, and the two study partners quickly finished their work.
"Um…" Makoto trailed off. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright." Ren answered. "Tired, and a little sore, but I'm fine. What about you? You were really exhausted by the end of the palace."
"I still feel like that, to be honest…" Makoto sighed.
"Well, then it's a good thing that we're taking a few days off then." Ren said.
"Yes, I suppose so." Makoto nodded. "It'll give us a little bit of time to make all of the calling cards and any other preparations that we need to make. But, um… Ren?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Makoto asked. "I can't help but worry…"
"You… don't have to worry about me." Ren mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
Ren pulled out the charm she had given him back in Hawaii.
"I'll be fine!" Ren grinned. "I have my good luck charm."
"The charm that I gave you?" Makoto asked.
"These accessories always seemed to have some sort of effect in the Metaverse." Ren explained. "I'm not sure what this does, but I'm sure it'll be something great."
"Come to think of it, my charm seemed to help out while we were fighting the cleaner." Makoto realized.
"Really?" Ren asked. "That's great! I'm glad that ended up helping you."
"Thanks again for the gift." Makoto whispered. "Just… make sure that you get some rest too, ok? I… worked you and the others so hard…"
Ren frowned. "Makoto… no, that's not what's happening. It's… not just the palace infiltration that's made me so tired."
"Then what is it?" Makoto asked. "Why are you feeling so tired?"
"I've been really busy lately." Ren told her. "I've been helping out a lot of people."
"Helping them with what?" Makoto asked, curious.
"Well, there's Takemi-san with her medical tests, and Kasumi with her gymnastics practice, and also…" Ren trailed off.
Ren continued to tell her about all of the people he had been helping, and even how it had been beneficial for their efforts as Phantom Thieves.
Still… It felt like quite a lot.
"I'm glad that you've found some new friends and acquaintances." Makoto began. "But… I'm worried that you're spreading yourself too thin. Balancing all of this must be exhausting."
"They need my help, Makoto." Ren insisted. "I can't ignore them."
"But surely, they'd understand if you took a few days off, right?" Makoto asked.
"I-I-I don't know, um…" Ren muttered. "I…"
"Ren, I'm sure it's fine." Makoto told him. "Take a few days to relax, ok? Until we go back to Kaneshiro's palace again, at least."
"Is… that an order?" Ren asked.
"Well, I could make it one." Makoto pointed out.
Ren let out a small laugh. "Alright. I guess I'll take a little break. But, um… Makoto?"
"Yes, Ren?"
"Why are you so concerned about me?" Ren asked.
"Because I… I... care about you." Makoto stammered. "You're very special to me… a-and so are the others too! I don't want you getting hurt."
Ren seemed surprised, but soon flashed a large, pure smile at her.
"Thank you, Makoto." Ren replied. "That really means a lot to me."
For some reason, his smile seemed… more genuine than it normally looked.
Ren's gratitude clearly shined through.
FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 7
They talked for a little while longer before she went home for the day.
6/29 Friday
Days Until Pics Leaked: 10
Unlike their previous targets, there wasn't a reliable way to know where Kaneshiro's location would be. Because of that, they would need to find some way to ensure that Kaneshiro would find their calling card.
Knowing that Kaneshiro's yakuza group had business in Shinjuku, she figured that it might be good to check there, so after classes ended for the day, she immediately went to Shinjuku.
"Where on Earth would Kaneshiro and his underlings go to around here…" Makoto muttered.
She did find a few alleyways and busy areas that seemed promising, but she needed to be one hundred percent sure that Kaneshiro would see it.
Maybe we should just print a bunch of calling cards and place them everywhere, Makoto mused.
As she thought it over, she noticed a familiar face entering a nearby bar.
"That's Matsuoka-san!" Makoto realized.
She followed him into the bar he had entered, noting that it was the same one that she had talked to him in before.
She sat down next to him at the bar, the man sighing when he saw her.
"Niijima-san…" Mitsuhide muttered. "What are you doing here?"
"I was doing a bit of investigating in the area when I saw you enter this bar." Makoto answered. "I was wondering if you had any information for me…"
Mitsuhide sighed, getting the bartender's attention.
"Lala-chan, get me something strong." Mitsuhide ordered. "I'm going to need it."
She patiently waited for Lala-chan to fix Mitsuhide his drink, watching as he took the first sip.
"You really shouldn't keep coming here." Mitsuhide scolded. "It's not safe for you."
"I told you before that I'm trying to protect the other students." Makoto stated. "Someone has to be there for them."
"...What would you ask me to do?" Mitsuhide asked.
She thought for a moment how to explain this without giving any away, eventually setting on something.
"Well, I was curious if you had any idea where Kaneshiro's yakuza family hangs out." Makoto replied. "If I had an idea of where they usually show up, I could warn the other students about that."
"Well... they're pretty bold. They'll try recruiting even in broad daylight." Mitsuhide told her. "But they mostly hang out in alleyways and less populated areas of Shibuya."
"I see… I'll be sure to tell the other students that." Makoto nodded.
Now she had an idea on where to place the calling cards. She was sure that Kaneshiro's underlings would bring one of them back to him.
"Just be careful, all right." Mitsuhide advised. "I wouldn't want anything happening to you. Not sure I'd be able to face your sister or old man if something did."
"How well did you know my father?" Makoto asked.
"We weren't super close or anything, but we did work together on a few cases." Mitsuhide explained.
"Maybe you could tell me a little more about him." Makoto requested. "Some stories from his days as a police officer, maybe?"
"He was a good man. Kind, and with a strong sense of justice. Always looked out for others too. Most of the other officers respected him." Mitsuhide stated. "I remember that he was always talking about how proud he was of his daughters."
"That's… good to know." Makoto smiled. "Thank you. It's good to know that he was well liked."
"Well… there were some people who weren't very fond of him." Mitsuhide muttered. "Having such a strong sense of justice wasn't seen as a good thing to… some of the dirtier cops."
"Dirtier cops…" Makoto trailed off, frowning.
"It's a real shame what happened to him." Mitsuhide sighed. "We needed more officers like him. Like your father and…"
"Hmm?"
"It's… nothing." Mitsuhide sighed.
It seemed he was about to talk about someone else, but she didn't want to pry too much.
"I'm here most days after work." Mitsuhide mentioned. "If you're going to go to Shinjuku anyway, I'd rather you be somewhere safe. I've got plenty of stories to tell."
"I might just take you up on that offer." Makoto smiled.
She could feel their bond growing.
DEVIL CONFIDANT: RANK 2
After speaking to Mitsuhide for some time, and watching him go through several drinks, she went home for the day.
6/30 Saturday
Days Until Pics Leaked: 9
As classes ended for the day, she realized that she needed to make sure their armor and weaponry was as good as possible for the final fight with Kaneshiro.
And in order to do that, she would need to take another trip to Untouchable.
She entered the store, Iwai immediately standing up as he saw her.
"Hey kid, perfect timing." Iwai greeted. "I needed a favor from you."
"A favor?" Makoto repeated, eyebrow raised. "What kind of favor?"
"I'm gonna meet with a guy at the diner soon." Iwai told her. "I need you to sit close by. When I start coughing, call me, ok?"
"...Alright." Makoto nodded. "But after this, I need to do some shopping."
"Pull this off, and I'll give you a discount." Iwai promised her. "Now come on, let's go."
She followed Iwai to a nearby dinner, where she sat at the table next to him and ordered a drink.
A few minutes later, she noticed a thuggish-looking man sitting at the same table as Iwai.
"A dinner?" the man muttered. "I thought only old farts came here."
"Hey, don't knock this place." Iwai said. "It's pretty decent, and cheap too."
"Heh… can't believe the guy who once beat fifty members of a rival gang is now just spending his days relaxing at dinners and running a little toy shop." the man grinned.
Rival gang?, Makoto mused.
"You don't have to exaggerate." Iwai sighed.
"Well, it was still impressive." the man said. "So, what'd you want to talk about, Mune?"
"Err… how's Tsuda doing?" Iwai asked.
"Same as always. Why?" the man asked.
"Oh, I just ran into him the other day." Iwai replied.
"I thought the two of you cut off ties when you left the family." the man stated.
"Well, that was a long time ago." Iwai stated. "I figured that it was about time to bury the hatchet. But I can't just go up and talk to him..."
"Heh… still tryin' to follow the old code of honor, huh?" the man replied. "Alright, I'll tell him you want to meet up."
"Masa, you idiot. I want it to look like a coincidence." Iwai argued.
"In that case, Shibaura might work." Masa suggested.
Iwai took a sip from his drink and nodded before letting out a cough.
She was so engrossed in the conversation that she nearly missed it.
She scrambled to grab her phone and call him.
"Eh? You sick or something?" Mune asked.
"Nah, drink just went down the wrong pipe." Iwai lied.
Iwai answered his phone.
"Hello? Yeah, how's it going?" Iwai asked.
Before she could wonder whether to respond or not, Iwai continued talking.
"What? Your order's all wrong? My bad, I'll get right back and take care of it." Iwai said over the phone.
Iwai turned to Masa. "Sorry. Work shit. Let's talk some other time, yeah?"
"Sure thing, Mune." Masa nodded.
As Iwai left, Masa pulled out his phone, and she heard Iwai's voice from her phone.
"Don't hang up." Iwai ordered.
Makoto narrowed her eyes. "What was all that talk about 'leaving the family' and-"
"Never mind that." Iwai cut her off. "Just be quiet so that I can hear what Masa's saying.
She obeyed, listening in herself.
"Yo Tsuda, it's Masa. Masa greeted over the phone. "Ol' Mune was askin' about you. I did just as you told me. He probably heard about that deal of yours and now he's tryin' to squeeze some cash outta you..."
She didn't know what exactly this situation was about, but she really didn't like it…
Masa left soon afterwards, leaving her alone in the dinner.
"A deal, huh…?" Iwai asked. "Something strange is goin' down."
"What was that all about?" Makoto asked.
"I'll tell you another time." Iwai promised. "You did pretty good today, so thanks. Got everything ready for you at the shop. You can bring the dinner receipt so I can pay you back, too."
"Oh? Well, thank you." Makoto replied. "I'll meet you back at the shop."
She still wasn't sure what she was getting herself involved in, but now it looked like they'd have to work together.
HANGED MAN CONFIDANT: RANK 2
She returned to Untouchable, Iwai paying her back for her drink.
As she browsed through his collection and modifications, however, she realized something.
"Wait… that man at the dinner…"
"You mean Masa, right?" Iwai asked. "What about him?"
"He calls you Mune, doesn't he?"
"It's short for Munehisa." Iwai grunted.
"So the two of you are…" she trailed off.
"Don't say it." Iwai grumbled.
"Masa and Mune! Masamune!" Makoto giggled. "What, is that model sword that you're carrying at your shop too?"
"Hilarious." Iwai deadpanned. "Just hurry up and pick out a gun."
After looking around a little more, she purchased the best equipment and weaponry she could before returning home.
Before she went to bed for the day, she pulled out an old photo album that Sae had left in a random drawer. A photo album that, judging from the dust on it, hadn't been touched in a while…
She opened it to find a picture of her and her father together. Smiling. Happy.
"Father… tomorrow, it'll finally be over. Both of our toughest battles will finally be over." Makoto whispered. "I promise that I'll finish what you started. Please, give me strength…
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 7
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 5
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 4
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 5
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 4
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 4
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 4
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 4
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 2
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 2
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 2
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 2
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 2
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 1
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 3
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 2
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 3
THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 3
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 4
Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 4.5%