"So, in other words, you failed your mission, correct?"
Akechi scowled. The last thing he wanted was to be chastised by this man.
"There were… some unforeseen complications." Akechi excused.
"You knew that the Phantom Thieves would be there." the man replied. "There was nothing 'unforeseen' about it. You failed. Simple as that."
Akechi frowned. He was sure that it was only blind luck that had allowed 'Queen' to survive against him.
And yet, because of her, he had completely screwed up his mission to kill Okumura and pin his death on the Phantom Thieves.
"I've accomplished all of the previous missions you've given me." Akechi pointed out.
"And yet, you've failed one of the most important ones." the man countered. "And now Okumura is going to confess everything at a press conference!"
Akechi held back his anger, taking a breath.
"I can salvage this." Akechi insisted. "If I could just obtain some information on Okumura's security detail…"
"Damn brat." the man scoffed. "You don't think I haven't already had that looked into?"
"Then…?"
The man pointed to a small file on his desk.
"The information is in there. I trust that you know what to do?" the man said. "Do not fail me again, or the consequences will be dire. Do you understand?"
"… Yes, I understand. It will be done, Shido-san." Akechi answered.
10/7 Sunday
She quickly gathered the team together, ready to take on their next target.
She had considered bringing Eiko along for the fight, but ultimately decided against it.
As they had no major targets at the moment, she had the luxury of being able to take Eiko's training slowly.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks, after all.
"So, this guy's been abusing his younger brother, huh?" Ryuji muttered.
"Yes, that would appear to be the case." Yusuke nodded.
"Then let's give him a taste of his own medicine and beat the crap out of him!" Ryuji shouted.
It was understandable that Ryuji would feel strongly about this too. It probably seemed all too familiar to him.
"All of our supplies are ready." Ren informed her. "We're ready to go whenever."
"Alright then. Let's get moving." Makoto commanded.
Their target was deep into the lower floors of Mementos. Deeper than they had ever gone before. And yet, Morgana claimed that Mementos went even deeper.
She could only wonder what lay at the bottom…
Finally, they arrived at their destination, a red and black portal that no doubt led to their target.
Entering the portal, they saw Kazuya on the other side, a sinister aura surrounding him.
"Huh? Who the hell are you guys?!" Kazuya snapped.
"Kazuya Makigami." Makoto called. "For the abuse of your younger brother and your thievery, we will change your heart.
Kazuya let out a laugh. "So, Naoya snitched, did he? Even after I told him what would happen if he did? Guess I'll have to smack him around reeeeeal hard this time!
"So, is it all true then?" Yusuke asked. "All the accusations about you?"
"Yeah, I'm the one who's been abusing Naoya, and running that thief ring that's been stealing from all those businesses." Kazuya smirked. "But so what?"
"So what?! That's your own brother?!" Makoto snapped.
"Who cares about that little brat!" Kazuya shouted. "I'm much better than he'll ever be!"
"And yet here you are, stealing from hard working business owners. If you were really as superior as you claim to be, I doubt you'd have to resort to theft."
"… What did you say?" Kazuya snarled.
"I'm saying that you aren't as superior as you think you are." Yusuke blunty said. "And because of that, you're lashing out at others, instead of trying to improve yourself."
"Shut the hell up!" Kazuya snapped, Yusuke's words having touched a nerve. "You don't know anything about me!"
"We know enough to know that your heart has to be changed." Makoto glared.
"You don't have any right to judge me!" Kazuya snapped. "You're just a bunch of Thieves!"
As his anger rose, black, shadowy ooze began to pool around him.
"I'm… I'm better than you! Better than everyone! BETTER THAN NAOYAAAAAAAA!"
Kayuza's body began to morph, transforming into a blonde haired demon emerging from a large rock.
Kazuya spun a large knife in his hand, preparing to attack.
"I'll show you all… how much better I am!" Kazuya roared.
Kazuya unleashed a deadly heat wave, the group quickly dodging out of the way.
"Queen Mab!" Makoto called. "Mazionga!"
Her Persona shot out multiple bolts of lightning, but Kazuya quickly countered by firing off a blast of nuclear energy.
The resulting explosion allowed the other Thieves to close in, attempting to overwhelm Kazuya with physical attacks.
Try as they might, however, most of them were unable to score a hit on Kazuya, his natural agility allowing him to dodge all of their attacks.
"Pretty fast for a guy stuck in a rock." Ren grumbled.
"Then allow me." Yusuke said, facing Kazuya head on.
"Hah! And what the hell are you going to do?!" Kazuya exclaimed. "You're no match for me!"
"We shall see." Yusuke calmly said.
Yusuke charged forward, matching Kazuya blow for blow, eventually getting into a deadlock.
"Everyone, fire!" Makoto shouted.
Makoto fired her gun, the others immediately doing the same while Kazuya was distracted.
Kazuya quickly jumped back, but couldn't avoid taking some damage in the process.
While the bullets did little damage overall, Kazuya looked enraged that he had been struck at all.
"Youuuu….!" Kazuya glared.
"Hrmp… as I expected. You are no match for us." Yusuke scoffed.
"What was that?!" Kazuya snapped. "I've been keeping up with you this entire time?"
"That…" Yusuke began. "… Was just the warm up."
Yusuke cast Sukukaja on himself, rushing Kazuya down much faster than before.
"Shall we begin in earnest?" Yusuke glared.
Yusuke's subtle, tranquil rage was a sharp contrast to Kazuya's easily visible rage.
At one point, Yusuke and Kazuya started at each, neither moving an inch.
Yusuke shifted his feet an inch, Kazuya beginning to strike.
Yusuke met his attack, blocking his strike and using the momentum to land a hit on his side.
The two moved past one another, but quickly turned to look upon each other once more, Kayzuya's eyes filled with hatred.
"That move…!" Kazuya realized. "That's Naoya's… how dare you!"
Completely enraged, Kazuya began to wildly swing his knife, which easily allowed Yusuke to find an opening and land a critical blow.
"Queen, now!" Yusuke shouted.
"Right!" Makoto replied, the two of them preparing to unleash a combination attack.
Yusuke fired off powerful chilling winds, overwhelming Kazuya until he had been completely encased in a block of ice.
Yusuke wasted no time unleashing his blade, striking at the block of ice with a whirlwind of blows.
Soon enough, Yusuke had created a perfect ice sculpture of Kazuya.
"And now, the finishing touch!" Yusuke shouted.
Yusuke leapt into the air, stabbing his sword into the sculpture, like a chisel into a block of marble.
Makoto quickly followed up, slamming her fist into the bottom of the sword's hilt.
The ice began to crack more and more, before the entire sculpture shattered, Kazuya crying out in pain as he collapsed to the ground.
His energy completely spent, Kazuya slowly began morphing back into his regular form.
"Damn it! Why?!" Kazuya cried. "Why do I have to lose?! Again and again and again!"
"Again and again?" Makoto questioned. "What are you talking about?"
"It… wasn't fair!" Kazuya snapped. "Naoya… he was always better at everything! Fencing, kendo, academics… everything! Why did he have to be the one to get all of the praise?!"
"So the entire reason you did this was because you were jealous." Yusuke muttered, shaking his head. "How pathetic."
"Hah… I guess I am, huh?" Kazuya muttered.
"Even if you did feel inadequate, that didn't give you the right to abuse your own brother." Queen snapped.
"Yeah… you're right." Kazuya muttered. "But… What should I do now?"
"First of all, you have to return all of the money that you've stolen from other businesses." Yusuke began. "And secondly, you'll have to apoligize to your own brother for all the abuse you've inflicted onto him."
"Y-Yeah… I'll do that." Kazuya whispered. "He didn't deserve any of this. I'll… be sure to tell him that…"
Kazuya's body slowly began to disappear, leaving behind nothing but his treasure.
Makoto glanced at the treasure lying on the ground of Mementos.
It was just a simple key.
"What could this be for?" Makoto asked.
"Naoya would probably know what that key goes to." Yusuke theroized.
"Hmm… yes, he probably would." Makoto agreed. "Then we should show it to him when we see him next."
"Agreed." Yusuke nodded.
Their target taken care of, everyone left the Metaverse and went home for the day.
10/8 Monday
After classes ended for the day, she gathered some papers that the vice principal had asked for her to get. On her way to deliver them back to the vice principal, however, she overheard him in a conversation.
"Dr. Maruki, isn't there something that you'd be able to say to her?" the vice principal asked. "She was a former patient of yours."
"A former patient. Are they talking about Yoshizawa-san?" Makoto wondered.
"I just think that it would be best if you weren't so hard on her." Maruki sighed.
"The reason that she gets special treatment is that she's supposed to be representing the school as an honor student." the vice principal argued. "If she doesn't perform adequately, her status will be taken away. We can't afford to just treat her with kid's gloves forever. It's not as if she's going to be expelled."
"I know, but she'll just suffer from unnecessary anxiety with that hanging over her head." Maruki reasoned.
"Even so, we brought those two sisters in to improve Shujin's standing, but at this rate, we might just end up suffering even more. We already lost Kasumi in a tragic accident, and the younger sister hasn't been performing well either."
Makoto raised an eyebrow. Lost Kasumi? But Kasumi was here at Shujin. And what was this about a sister…?
"Sir, please, not so loud." Maruki stressed.
"Ah, yes… pardon me." the principal sighed. "I don't suppose… you could do something about… that, could you?"
"...It'll be fine." Maruki insisted. "I'm sure… that if she listens to me, everything will be fine."
"I hope so." the vice principal sighed. "Things have been bad enough already this year. We don't need any more scandals or failures."
Hearing footsteps, Makoto quickly backed up from the door before knocking on it.
"Sir, are you still in there? I brought the papers you asked for." Makoto said.
"Ah, Niijima-san. Come in!" the vice principal replied.
She walked into the room, placing the papers on a desk.
"Thank you, Niijima-san." the vice principal expressed.
The vice principal left the room, leaving just herself and Maruki.
"Ah, Niijima-san, hello." Maruki greeted.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Maruki." she replied. "Is… something the matter?"
"Oh, um… it's nothing." Maruki insisted. "But… would you have time to come to the nurse's office?"
"Sure, I have time." Makoto answered. "Lead the way."
As the two of them walked to his office, Maruki struck a conversation.
"You know, I just need to get some of my things in my office, but after that… would you like to come to a buffet with me?"
"A buffet?" Makoto asked.
"I recently found a nice-looking buffet held in high regard." Maruki explained. "I've been making a lot of progress on my paper thanks to you, so I thought this would serve as a nice reward."
"Really? Well, sure. I'd love to." Makoto answered. "Let's go."
"Great." Maruki smiled. "We should probably head over there before they become too busy."
The two of them went over to the buffet, Maruki insisting that she eat as much as she wanted.
"Say, Niijima-san, would you mind if I asked you something while we eat?" Maruki asked. "It's about my paper."
Before he could ask his question, however, his eyes widened as he looked behind her.
"Shibusawa? Is that you?" Maruki gasped.
A man around Maruki's age turned to face them, a surprised look on their face.
"Maruki?" Shibusawa questioned.
"What are you doing here?" Maruki asked.
"That's my line. I didn't think I'd find you at a nice restaurant like this." Shibusawa smiled.
"Is this a friend of yours, Dr. Maruki?" Makoto asked.
"Oh, um… I really should probably introduce you two, huh?" Makuki replied.
"I'm… sorta his pupil." Makoto answered for him.
"Pupil? Are you teaching her something?" Shibusawa asked.
"Err… well, not exactly… anyway, this Makoto Niijima." Maruki introduced.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Shibusawa." the man greeted.
"It's nice to meet you two." Makoto replied. "How do you and Dr. Maruki know each other?"
"He was one of my colleagues back in college." Maruki answered. "He actually recommended that I pursue a counseling career."
"And so hear that it's been going well for you." Shibusawa mentioned. "It's a big relief, honestly. You're very compassionate, but a little too carefree at times."
"You don't have to mention that…" Maruki sulked as Makoto let out a giggle.
"Well, anyway, how have you been? What have you been teaching your pupil here?" Shibusawa asked.
"Oh? Aren't you here with others?" Maruki asked.
"Eh, it's fine. They won't mind me being away for a bit." Shibusawa dismissed. "And besides, you really think you two are going to tackle that much food on your own?"
"Hahaha… I guess I did get quite a lot." Maruki admitted.
Shibusawa sat down next to Maruki, the three of them engaged in conversation.
"Ah, so you're a student at Shujin Academy." Shibusawa said. "There's been a lot of news about that place this year."
"There certainly has." Makoto agreed. "The school did try and in a few transfer students that they felt would increase their standing, but I heard that there was an… incident, and one of them couldn't attend."
She glanced over at Maruki, attempting to gauge his reaction. It was barely noticeable, but Makoto saw him stiffen a bit at the mention of an incident.
"Say, Shujin is where you're counseling now, right?" Shibusawa asked Maruki.
"Only part-time." Maruki asked.
"So, is this some sort of private counseling session?" Shibusawa asked.
"Well, I've been helping with his research, so he decided to reward me." Makoto explained.
"Research?" Shibusawa repeated, surprised.
"Yes, my paper is nearly finished now." Maruki grinned.
"Congratulations." Makoto replied.
"I should be thanking you! You helped me quite a bit!" Maruki praised.
"Your paper… so, you're still working on that after all this time." Shibusawa muttered.
"Yeah. I'm still at it, even after everything that went down." Maruki nodded. "I'll finish it, no matter what."
"Ha… as stubborn as ever, I see." Shibusawa chuckled.
"Is… that a compliment?" Maruki asked. "Well, anyway, it's not 100% finished yet. It still hasn't even gone through peer review."
"Oh, really? Well, in that case, I'd be happy to review it for you." Shibusawa offered.
"H-Huh?! Really?" Maruki gasped.
"Sure, why not?" Shibusawa grinned. "I mean hey, this is like a celebration, right? So this meal's on me!"
"Oh, I couldn't do that. I'm supposed to be treating Niijima-san." Maruki answered.
"It's alright." Makoto insisted. "I think it would be nice to celebrate."
"That's right!" Shibusawa grinned. "So let's go for the second round."
The three of them ate quite a lot, celebrating Maruki's achievement.
"Boy, what a feast." Maruki commented. "I think I've hit my caloric intake for an entire week."
"Yeah, I might get an earful for piling on the pounds." Shibusawa laughed.
"An earful? From who?" Maruki asked.
"My fiancé." Shibusawa explained. "We're getting married soon."
"Oh, congratulations!" Makoto expressed.
"M-Married?!" Maruki gasped.
"Yeah… now you're the only one from school who's still flying solo." Shibusawa replied.
"Ah, well…" Maruki muttered.
Shibusawa frowned. "Hey, are you still thinking about… never mind."
"… It's alright. You were going to ask about Rumi, right?" Maruki asked.
"Rumi?" Makoto repeated.
"She was my girlfriend back when I was still in college." Maruki explained. "I was a little too spineless back then, and we ended up breaking up."
She glanced at the expression on Shibusawa's face. It was like he wanted to say something, but was holding something back.
There must have been more to Maruki's story…
"O-Oh, it's not like anything bad happened." Maruki insisted. "She's doing quite well for herself, last I checked. It's just… well, as you said, things have been really hectic at Shujin this year, so I'll probably wait for things to settle down before, well, I'll settle down."
"I see…" Shibusawa muttered. "Sorry for bringing that up. Why don't we wrap things up here? I'm glad that you've been doing well!"
Shibusawa turned towards her.
"Hey, Niijima-san, could you keep an eye out on this guy for me? It's rare to see him open up like this."
"H-Hey, I'm not some sullen kid." Maruki protested. "But yes, I really should express my thanks to you, Niijima-san. Thank you very much!"
She could feel Maruki's gratitude.
COUNCILOR CONFIDANT: RANK 8
As Maruki said goodbye to his friend, she quickly caught up to him so that she could speak to him in private.
"Dr. Maruki, there was one last thing I wanted to ask." Makoto requested. "You… you've been working on that paper before you came to Shujin, right?"
"Yes, exactly." Maruki nodded.
"But you had patients even back then, right? Like Yoshizawa-san, right?" Makoto asked.
"Yes, but I can't really give too much information about that." Maruki initiated.
"I see…" Makoto muttered. "I was just curious. Thank you, Dr. Maruki."
With a lot still weighing on her mind, she excused herself before heading home for the day.
10/9 Tuesday
As her classes ended for the day, Makoto checked her phone to see that Futaba had messaged her.
Futaba: Makotooooooo! You need to help me with my promise list right now!
She smiled, texting Futaba that she'd help her before heading out to meet her.
The moment that she had arrived at Leblanc, Futaba began to speak to her about what was happening next on her promise list.
"Ok, so next up would be to learn more about my generation. Actually, I think I can do the next one at the same time." Futaba realized. "It's to hold a conversation with someone around my age."
"Well, I could invite some of my friends over to a diner. What about that?" Makoto suggested.
"Oooooh, good idea!" Futaba nodded. "Let's do that.
Makoto began to think about who she could invite.
Naoya was probably busy dealing with his brother, so it might be a bad time.
Chiaki… might be a bit too intense for Futaba right now.
Hifumi… was Hifumi.
"Takayo then." Makoto said to herself. "I'll invite her."
She texted Takayo, telling her about the situation and asking her if she would be able to
Takayo: Oh, sure, that's fine. I was actually meeting with Mishima to discuss some things. Is it alright if he's there too?
Makoto: That should be fine.
After Takayo told her where they'd be meeting up, she left Leblanc with Futaba.
When the two of them arrived at a nearby cafe, they saw that Takayo and Mishima were already engaged in a conversation.
"You understand, right? Don't go saying crazy things like how you're going to 'purge' the nonbelievers on the fansite again!" Takayo scolded.
"S-Sorry." Mishima muttered. "I just saw some of the comments insulting the Phantom Thieves… and you too, so…"
"O-Oh, w-well… I'm happy that you were trying to defend me, but that's not really the way to do it." Takayo whispered. "I was… really worried about you Yuuki-kun…"
"Really? You were worried… about me?" Mishima asked.
"Y-Yes, obviously!" Takayo stammered. "I-"
"Um… am I interrupting anything?" Makoto asked.
"Bah! M-Makoto!" Takayo gasped. "Ah, no, it's nothing…"
"Do these two go to Shujin too?" Futaba asked.
"Yes, that's right." Makoto nodded.
"So, uh, you just wanted to have a regular conversation?" Takayo asked. "We can help with that!"
"Thanks! You're so nice." Futaba complimented. "My name's Futaba Sakura, and don't you forget it!"
"Nice to meet you, Sakura-chan!" Takayo greeted. "I'm Takayo Tachibana, and this is Yuuki Mishima."
"Hehehe… it seems help always comes when I need it most!" Futaba grinned. "I must have raised my luck stat really high!"
"I… don't know if luck is something you can raise." Makoto commented.
"Are you kidding? I could probably roll a Nat 20 if I wanted." Futaba bragged.
"So, you wanted to know more about our generation, Sakura-chan?" Takayo asked.
Futaba nodded. "Youth… the unknown frontier!"
"Where should we start… that doesn't sound easy to explain…" Mishima frowned.
"Maybe start talking about your hobbies." Takayo suggested.
"Right, ok." Mishima agreed. "So… Do you like computers?"
"Oh yeah, I'm always online." Futaba said.
"Me too. Oh, and so is Takayo-chan too." Mishima explained.
"The internet is the best place to get and post news." Takayo explained. "Though a part of me does like newspapers and magazines too."
"I mostly stick to forums myself." Mishima explained. "What about you? Do you do the same, or are you more into streaming? Cause that would be really poggers!"
"Woah, I've never heard someone say that in real life before… poggers!" Futaba exclaimed.
"W-Wait, that's all you took from the conversation?" Mishima asked.
"… Takayo, what does poggers mean?" Makoto asked.
"I'll, uh, tell you some other time." Takayo groaned.
"It's a good thing these two NPCs were able to spawn in!" Futaba grinned. "I bet I gained a lot of EXP from fulfilling those two promises!"
"NPCs…?" Takayo muttered.
"That's a good thing, right Futaba?" Makoto asked. "Your, um… EXP?"
"Yeah, exactly!" Futaba grinned. "Mission accomplished! Thanks for bringing me, Makoto!"
She felt a little closer to Futaba.
HERMIT CONFIDANT: RANK 5
"Now Let's Extremespeed back to Leblanc so that I can fill out my CurryDex!" Futaba exclaimed.
"One moment, Futaba." Makoto requested. "I have to talk to Takayo for a moment."
Futaba waited nearby as she walked back over to Takayo.
"Oh, I can leave too." Mishima said. "See you later, Takayo-chan."
After he left, Makoto spoke up.
"How's everything been going with… you know who?" Makoto asked.
"He hasn't bothered my or my family lately." Takayo stated. "Did you…?"
"Yes, I took care of it." Makoto told her.
"Thank you…" Takayo whispered. "Thank you so much. I'll be sure to pay you back however I can!"
"You don't have to feel indebted to me, but if you don't mind, Takayo… I have another favor to ask you." Makoto said.
"Sure thing, Makoto!" Takayo beamed. "Whatever you need!"
"I want you to look into Yoshizawa-san, if possible." Makoto requested. "I'm… a little concerned about her."
"Concerned, huh…" Takayo repeated. "She wouldn't be…"
"Not a target, but… well, if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to accept, but…" Makoto trailed off. "I was hoping you could look into any family that she had… and maybe any incidents that she was involved with."
"I see… well, it might be a bit difficult, considering that she's not a public figure, but I'll see what I can do." Takayo promised. "And thanks again… for everything."
"Anytime." Makoto smiled.
"Makotooooo! Hurry up!" Futaba shouted from outside of the cafe.
"Thanks again." Makoto said, waving goodbye before going to see Futaba.
After discussing future plans with Futaba for a little longer as they walked back to Leblanc, she decided to go 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 8
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 7
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 7
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 6
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 5
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 5
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 5
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 7
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 5
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 7
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 5
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 7
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 8
Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 90.3%