7/25 Monday
The first thing that she did upon waking up was to message the others about the keywords.
Now that they knew them all, they would finally be able to help Futaba.
However, she felt that she still needed to make a few more preparations before she felt comfortable tackling another palace.
The first thing she thought to do was to fuse some stronger Persona.
When she walked out of her room, she saw Sojiro sitting down at the table, two plates of breakfast already prepared.
"I usually bring Futaba's meals up to her room." Sojiro explained.
"Then… is that for me?" Makoto asked.
"Of course." Sojiro nodded. "Come on, before it gets cold."
She sat down at the table, eating her breakfast.
"You know, I don't normally have company over." Sojiro commented. "It's nice."
"Yes… you don't feel so… alone." Makoto whispered.
"…Everything going ok at home?" Sojiro asked.
"It's… fine." Makoto lied. "I'm fine."
"…Well, like I said, my door's always open." Sojiro offered.
"Thank you…" Makoto trailed off.
They spent the rest of breakfast engaging in small talk, from school to exams to work, all while ignoring the topic of Futaba, which played heavily on both of their minds
After thanking him for the meal and for letting her stay over, she left Sojiro's home.
She made her way to the nearest Velvet room, only to see the twins waiting for her.
"Hey Inmate!" Caroline shouted. "We need you to show us something!"
"Show you something?" Makoto repeated. "What do you want to see this time?"
"We wish to see a place that hones the body and spirit." Justine explained.
"Trainees gather there to push their limits to the next level." Caroline explained.
"I did not expect something akin to a rehabilitation center on this side." Justine admitted. "As wardens, we must see this place for ourselves."
"Are you… talking about a gym?" Makoto asked.
"I see, so you do know where it is!" Caroline grinned. "Then get ready for a special training session, Inmate!"
"If you're not able to keep up, you might just end up dead." Justine smiled.
She really didn't like the sound of that…
She reluctantly led them over to the nearest gym.
"So, this is the training area…" Justine noted.
"It's pretty different from how I imagined it." Caroline added.
"Indeed. I imagine there's be much more spikes and chains." Justine frowned.
"It's just for exercise, not for torture." Morgana frowned.
"Hmm… Inmate, what's that device over there?" Caroline asked, pointing towards the back.
"That's a treadmill." Makoto explained. "I'll show it off for you."
Makoto got on the treadmill and set it up, starting off slowly.
"I see… so, by walking against this treadmill, you can increase your strength of your legs." Justine noticed.
"But there's no way that you'll get proper training in when you have the speed set so low." Caroline smirked.
The twin wardens went up to the treadmill and raised the speed to up to near max.
"W-Wait, hold on!" Makoto gasped.
She desperately tried to keep up with the increased speed of the treadmill, running like her life depended on it.
And knowing the twins, it probably did.
Somehow, she managed to survive, nearly collapsing as soon as got off the treadmill.
"C-Couldn't… we have… started with a warmup?" Makoto stammered, trying to catch her breath.
"That was the warmup!" Caroline sadistically grinned.
"Get ready for the rest of your training." Justine smiled.
Makoto gulped.
The rest of the day was filled with grueling exercises, from push-ups with the twins on the back, to pull-ups with them hanging onto her, and many more, each one more exhausting than the last.
Finally, just when she was about to collapse…
"Alright Inmate, that's enough." Caroline said.
"It seems we underestimated this 'gym'." Justine smiled. "It proved to be quite effective for furthering the inmate's rehabilitation."
"Maybe we should have some of this equipment installed in the Velvet Room." Caroline grinned.
"I'm not sure how much more of this I can take…" Makoto trailed off.
"Quit your whining, Inmate!" Caroline snapped. "It's not hard, you're just weak."
"Still, you do have a surprising amount of perseverance." Justine noted. "I didn't think that you'd still be standing."
"Well…" Makoto smiled. "You'd be surprised what humans can do in the face of adversity. I… have to get stronger so that I can protect all of the people I care about."
For a moment, the twins seemed unsure of what to say.
"…Well, then I suppose we'll let you have access to more features in the Velvet Room." Justine said.
"But don't even think about slacking off!" Caroline warned.
"I won't. Thank you." Makoto expressed.
She could feel her bond with the twins growing stronger.
Strength Confidant: Rank 5
She went with them back to the Velvet Room, and after she was satisfied with the Persona that she had fused, she went home for the day.
As she lied down in bed, Morgana tried to strike up a conversation with her.
"Um… hey, Makoto!"
"What is it, Morgana?" she asked.
"It's just… I've been thinking." Morgana frowned. "The reason why Futaba is the way she is is probably because of her memories of her mom."
"Yes, that's probably it." Makoto nodded.
"It got me thinking about my own memories." Morgana frowned. "Maybe if we can help her out, we could get back my memories too!"
"I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before we get your memories back." Makoto encouraged.
"Yeah… it has to be." Morgana nodded. "With you helping, I'm sure It'll be no problem at all."
"You think so?" Makoto asked.
"You seem to be pretty good at finding talented people and bringing out the best in them." Morgana pointed out. "Like other Persona users or an expert hacker like Futaba."
"I'm… probably just getting lucky." Makoto humbly said.
"Well, either way, you're really living up to my expectations." Morgana grinned. "Although… if we're gonna be partners, we're going to need something that only we can do."
"Like what?" Makoto asked.
"I think that we need a new special move!" Morgana
"Maybe… you'd be able to transform into a different vehicle?" Makoto suggested.
"I don't know about that…" Morgana trailed off.
Suddenly, the star that Jose had given her started to glow.
"What's happening?" Morgana gasped.
"Jose said something about this star being able to grant wishes." Makoto recalled. "Maybe we'll be able to pull off that special move now."
"That's amazing!" Morgana exclaimed.
They discussed their latest technique for a little while longer before heading to bed.
She could feel her bond with Morgana growing stronger.
Magician Confidant: Rank 6
7/26 Tuesday
Amidst everything that had been happening, she had nearly forgotten that she was now officially on summer break.
Not that there was any time for her to celebrate.
She quickly texted the others in the group chat, letting them know that it was time to change Futaba's heart.
They all gathered together in front of Sojiro's home, entering the Metaverse.
Their location was far bigger than they imagined. Scorching desert sands spread out as far as the eye could see, without a single landmark in sight.
The only path forward was a lone dirt road.
"Well Mona, you know what to do." Ren commented. "Maybe you can change into a catillac."
"…I should make you walk." Morgana grumbled, beginning to transform.
They all hopped inside, Makoto driving him through the desert.
Even after driving for about 15 minutes, however, they still found nothing but sand.
"Where could the palace possibly be?" Yusuke wondered.
"I don't know, but I hope we find it soon." Ann groaned. "It's soooo hot in here…"
"Come on, Mona, don't you have AC or somethin'?" Ryuji groaned.
"Maybe if I try blowing air." Morgana wondered.
"Eww, no!" Ann complained.
"I'm sure it won't be much longer now." Makoto encouraged. "Just hold on a little longer, everyone…"
It did, in fact, take much longer.
"I spy, with my little eye…"
"Sand." Ryuji mumbled.
"Yeah, you got it. Guess that was pretty obvious." Ren muttered.
"You know, I was wondering why she has a palace." Ann said. "I mean, she's not a criminal like our last targets."
"All you need to have a palace is to have intense distorted desires." Morgana explained. "Normally it is criminals that have that, but Futaba's trauma could have also caused this."
"That's horrible…" Ren trailed off.
"All the more reason to help her." Makoto stated.
"Just hope that we can find the treasure soon." Ryuji frowned. "Maybe we should turn around."
"Wait, look over there!" Ann cried. "I see… a town! And a pyramid too!"
"A pyramid?" Makoto repeated. "That must be our destination."
"Ah, I suppose a pyramid is very much like a tomb." Yusuke nodded.
"Hopefully it's a little cooler there." Ryuji muttered.
They parked in front of the pyramid, finding an entrance right in the front.
One by one, they carefully stepped inside the pyramid.
The inside of the pyramid was much cooler than the outside, giving them some much needed relief, but it also gave a very foreboding atmosphere.
"Woah, it's so nice in here!" Ann grinned.
"Maybe Futaba's room has air conditioning." Makoto theorized.
"Say… why are we still in our normal clothes and not our Phantom Thief clothes?" Ryuji asked.
"I'm guessing it's because Futaba doesn't view us as a threat." Morgana explained. "Hopefully things stay away that way."
"Yeah, I don't see any enemies nearby." Ren realized.
"Hang on, I can sense the treasure!" Morgana exclaimed. "It's right up those stairs!"
"For real?!" Ryuji asked. "That's all? This is too easy!"
After walking up a few flights of stairs, however, a saw an orange-haired girl in front of them, wearing a Pharaoh's outfit.
"F-Futaba? Is that you?" Makoto asked.
"That must be Futaba's shadow." Morgana remarked.
"Oh yeah, must be." Ryuji nodded. "She's dressed like some kinda queen or somethin'."
"She would probably know where the treasure is, right?" Ren whispered.
"Oh yeah!" Ryuji exclaimed, before walking up to her. "Hey, where's the treasure?"
Futaba didn't respond.
"Hey, come on, why aren't you talkin'?" Ryuji frowned.
"Stop being so pushy!" Ann scolded, before turning to Futaba. "It's ok, Futaba-chan. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"We want to help you." Makoto softly said.
Futaba still said nothing.
"This is going nowhere." Yusuke bluntly said.
"I mean, if she ain't gonna say anything, we could just go around her." Ryuji suggested.
"Will you two be quiet!" Ann snapped.
"Plunderers of my tomb…"
Everyone quickly looked at Futaba, who had finally responded.
"… Why have you come here?" Futaba asked.
"Don't you remember?" Ren asked. "You asked us to take your treasure."
"If you wish to take it, then try as you might." Futaba said.
"Why's she acting all defiant now?" Morgana frowned.
"With the state that my palace is in, stealing my treasure is impossible." Futaba claimed.
"Oh yeah?!" Ryuji shouted. "We'll be the judge of t-"
"Murderer!"
"Monster!"
"You killed her!"
Several voices began screaming and shouting around them, causing the walls of the palace to rumble.
"What's going on?!" Ren exclaimed. "Where are those voices coming from?!"
Futaba dropped to her knees, clutching her head in pain.
"Murderer…?" Makoto whispered, frowning at the voices.
"What the hell is this?" Ryuji muttered.
"Whatever it is, it's awful." Ann replied.
Suddenly, Futaba rose to her feet, and then started to float in the air.
"That's right. I killed her…" Futaba whispered. "I am the one who killed my mother."
"Futaba-chan, don't say that!" Makoto cried.
"She's right, Futaba-chan! Whatever happened isn't your fault!" Ann agreed.
"I… will remain here." Futaba whispered. "I will remain here until I die."
In a flash of brilliant blue flames, they were automatically changed into their Phantom Thief outfits.
"This isn't good!" Morgana cried. "She views us as enemies now!"
"Don't panic, everyone!" Makoto yelled. "We just need to regroup and-"
*Rumble Rumble*
"What's going on now?!" Yusuke exclaimed.
A loud boom echoed across the tomb as a gigantic boulder fell a few flights of stairs above them.
"Oh crap, run run run run!" Morgana cried.
They ran as fast as they could, narrowly avoiding the boulder as it fell into a large pit.
"T-That… was waaaay too close." Ann stammered, panting from exhaustion.
The tomb rumbled again, and they saw a large door closing in front of them, preventing them from going back up the stairs.
"Now what?" Yusuke asked. "With the door closed, we won't be able to get back to Futaba and ask her more questions."
"Let's regroup for now." Morgana suggested. "This palace isn't going to be straightforward, so we need to come up with a plan."
"Agreed." Makoto nodded. "Let's go outside for now."
They finally exited the pyramid, arriving back at the other entrance.
"Geez, I never thought that I'd be glad to be back in this heat." Ann sighed.
"So much for this being an easy heist." Ren muttered. "So what's the plan, Queen?"
"Let's take a break for now." Makoto suggested. "We accomplished a lot these past few days."
"Are you sure, Queen?" Ryuji asked.
"Yea, I am." she nodded. "I… don't want to overwork everyone."
"All right, sounds good." Ren nodded approvingly.
After making sure that everyone was ok, they left Futaba's palace, hoping to regroup and finish it up next time.
They went back to Leblanc, hoping to plan their next move.
As they began to discuss their plan, they turned on the news, hoping that they would be able to learn something.
"Medjed has stated that they plan to make their move on the 21st of August." the newscaster explained. "A date that is fast approaching. The Phantom Thieves have not taken any notable actions at this time."
"The 21st, huh…" Makoto muttered. "So, we have a little less than a month."
"It seems like a long time, but Futaba's palace was a lot more complex than we thought." Morgana pointed out.
"At least we can start using Leblanc as a base." Ren mentioned.
"We'll just have to be careful that Boss doesn't discover us." Yusuke brought up.
"It's like our own secret base! That's so cool!" Ryuji grinned.
"We'll have to do lots of planning to get through the pyramid." Morgana said.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want that palace to become our tomb." Ren added.
"Talk about an exciting summer vacation." Ryuji grinned. "Takin' down some international hackers and stealing a treasure from a pyramid!"
"How can you be excited by this?!" Ann snapped. "This is a crisis! This'll decide whether our group continues or not!"
"But if we manage to take these Medjed guys down, we'll be famous!" Ryuji argued.
"Don't forget about Futaba." Makoto pointed out. "We're doing this to save her."
"I-I know that!" Ryuji exclaimed. "I was just sayin' that I'd be nice to get some recognition."
"Well, first of all, we need to steal Futaba's treasure." Makoto replied. "So we'll start meeting here and discuss our plans, alright?"
Everyone agreed, the meeting going for a little while longer before she called it off.
As everyone began to go their separate ways, however…
"Ann, Yusuke, can I talk to you two for a second?" Makoto asked.
"Oh, sure." Ann said.
"Did you need something, Makoto?" Yusuke asked.
"I know that we're very busy dealing with Futaba, but there are some things I need the two of you to do when you have some spare time." Makoto requested. "I don't want you two to get overwhelmed, so if it's too much-"
"It's ok, Makoto. I'm sure that we can handle it." Ann promised.
"Well… alright. I know that we're on summer break now, but I was hoping that you'd do a favor for me…"
After she finished speaking with Yusuke and Ann, she went home for the day.
After taking stock of their remaining supplies, she drifted off to sleep…
Shortly after the others had already left, Sojiro returned with some groceries, going back behind the counter.
Ren nervously walked up to him, wanting to talk about a more… personal matter.
He wasn't sure if now was the best time, but it was something that had been bothering him for a while…
"Hey, um… Boss?" Ren asked.
"Yeah?"
"I, um… uh… you have… lots of um… experience with…"
"Hahaha… you want advice on how to woo a girl, then?" Sojiro grinned.
"That's… I'm just asking for a friend!" Ren insisted.
"Sure you are." Sojiro chuckled. "Well, go tell your friend of yours this…"
Ren listened intently as Sojiro told him advice.
"Relationships… are like coffee." Sojiro claimed.
"…Excuse me?" Ren muttered.
"Hear me out." Sojiro said. "You wouldn't want any of that instant coffee, would you? It takes no time or effort to make, but it tastes like crap."
"I guess, but…"
"But if you put in the time and the effort to make a good blend, it'll taste much better." Sojiro smiled.
"I... um… still don't understand." Ren frowned.
"Even if you find someone you enjoy spending time with, relationships aren't all fun and games, you know. You have to put in a lot of effort in order for them to work."
"Like… coffee?" Ren asked
"Exactly." Sojiro nodded. "You have to put in effort, and support your partner when they're at their lowest."
"Y-Yeah, of course." Ren stammered. "Of course I, err… I mean my friend will do that."
"Well, you also want to make sure you're not the only one putting in work." Sojiro continued. "You want someone able to support themselves and you at your lowest."
"Oh… ok, I think I got it…" Ren nodded.
"Heh… relax, kid. Don't forget to have fun, ok?" Sojiro advised. "… One of the girls is Niijima-san, right? I'm sure she'd say yes to a date."
"Thanks… wait, hold on!" Ren exclaimed. "I never said…"
"Kid, everyone can see it." Sojiro chuckled. "It couldn't be more obvious."
"O-Oh. Well, thanks for the advice." Ren mumbled. "I'm… glad I have someone I can talk to for advice." Ren said. "I never really… had someone like that before."
"… Well, if you ever need any more advice, you can come to me, ok?" Sojiro offered.
"Thanks, Boss." Ren smiled.
Shortly after, Sojiro closed up shop, and Ren drifted off to sleep.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 7
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 6
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 5
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 6
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 5
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 5
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 6
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 5
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 5
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 4
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 3
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 2
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 2
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 1
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 3
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 3
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 3
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 5
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 3
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 2
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 4
THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 4
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 5