Why hadn't she said anything?
Why hadn't she done anything?!
"Thinking like that won't help…" Makoto sighed. "I just hope everything turns out alright…"
She had texted Eiko a few times to see if she was doing alright, but she hadn't replied yet…
"I just hope she's ok." Makoto sighed.
For now though, she would check in with some of her other allies and friends.
She glanced at her phone, watching the video on it.
An online broadcast of a shogi match… With announcers commentating on the gameplay.
Hifumi had told her that today would be the day the match would finally be held.
This time, her opponent wouldn't be throwing, and neither would she. It would be a completely fair fight.
"Is this the end of the Phony Princess?!" one commentator remarked.
"She's getting pushed back quite a bit. It's only a matter of time now…"
She could see the nervousness in Hifumi's expression. She was quickly put on the backfoot.
"Keep calm…" Makoto whispered.
She knew that she couldn't hear, but she hoped that, somehow, her words would reach her.
Hifumi nervously went to make a move, but stopped herself.
She took a deep breath, the nervous expression slowly becoming a more focused one.
Her eyes scanned the board and pieces once more, lingering for just a moment on one spot.
And then, she struck.
"Oh, now THAT was a masterful play!" one of the commentators exclaimed, genuine surprise in his tone.
"Perhaps her skills ARE the genuine article?" the other commentator wondered.
Makoto let out a smile as she saw the brilliant move that Hifumi had made.
She might just be able to stage a comeback.
The match continued, and while Hifumi played well, her opponent was a pro for a reason, and played much better.
"Oh no, that's not good. The next move will surely result in a checkmate." the commentator realized.
"I'm thinking "Phony Princess, Real Defeat" as the headline of our next article." the other commentator mocked.
Hifumi looked troubled, scanning the board for anything that could possibly get her out of the situation she was in.
"... I concede." Hifumi stated.
The match ended, a round of applause ringing out for the winner.
A few minutes later, Hifumi came to sit by her in the lobby of the building where the match was being held at.
"... I was utterly destroyed out there." Hifumi sighed. "It was as if I was a tiny ant challenging an elephant. As a shogi player, I should know my limits."
"You still performed incredibly well." Makoto complimented. "Much better than most people thought you would do."
"Thank you, but…" Hifumi trailed off. "That was still the first time I have ever forfeited a match…"
Hifumi glanced at the ground in shame.
"I felt terrible… I didn't want to hurt the pieces any longer…" Hifumi admitted.
She was certainly taking the loss hard.
"Well…" Makoto trailed off. "A Queen… sometimes has to make tough decisions. To make a… strategic retreat to prevent further harm to the people under her command."
It had been the right decision.
She was definitely sure of that now, even if, like Hifumi, she felt distressed at the fact that she had to make that decision.
"You remember." Hifumi replied, a small smile returning to her face. "One must lose with grace… With dignity until the very end, as a queen should…"
Hifumi let out a breath, looking forward.
"I know that deep down, but I confess that I am confused. I mean, I'm certainly disappointed that I lost… But I still feel happy, as if a demon has been purged from me."
"Really?" Makoto asked.
Hifumi nodded. "The moment I realized that victory was impossible, I felt a strange peace."
"I wonder if it's because that was the moment it really sank in that your matches weren't fixed anymore." Makoto theorized. "Not living that lie your mother crafted must feel very freeing."
"You might be right." Hifumi smiled. "What's important is what I do from this point on…"
"And what will be?" Makoto wondered.
"My goal hasn't changed. I will strive to be the greatest shogi player I can be." Hifumi beamed. "And, of course, to be the greatest teacher to you as well!"
"I'd like nothing more." Makoto smiled back.
She could feel the bond the two of them shared growing stronger…
STAR CONFIDANT: RANK 9
After playing a few more games with Hifumi, she went home for the day.
12/3 Tuesday
Days Until Ballot Count: 16
As she ran another check over their current supplies at this point, she realized that their weapons could stand to be improved. It hadn't been that long since last upgraded everyone's weapons, but she was sure that Iwai's shop would have something for them.
Maybe… If she had gotten those weapon and armor upgrades, things wouldn't have…
She shook her head. "There's no point in dwelling in the past right now."
All she could do now was to do her best to prevent another incident like that from happening again.
With that in mind, she made her way over to Untouchable.
The moment that she arrived, Iwai immediately called her over to the back room, apparently having some business with her.
"There you are." Iwai nodded. "You're exactly the person I was hopin' to see."
"Did something come up?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"It's about Tsuda." Iwai told her. "And it's… the strangest thing. He rang me up a while back. Told me to forget everythin' he was threatenin' me with. I honestly thought it was some kinda joke at first, but I ain't seen or heard from him since."
"Maybe someone caught wind of what he was up to and made him dial back on the threats." Makoto considered.
"Doubt it. At least, I don't think it was a member of the clan." Iwai mentioned. "He actually seemed real sincere over the phone. I thought that was just a trick too, but again…"
"You haven't heard from him since then." Makoto repeated.
"Y'know, for a moment, it was almost like I was talkin' to the old Tsuda somehow. My sworn brother." Iwai sighed.
She was surprised, as it was rare that Iwai let out even a hint of emotion aside from a gruff annoyance, although it was gone as soon as it appeared.
"Hey, you think that a guy can really go through a drastic change like that so quickly?" Iwai asked.
"Hard to say… It's not impossible, and we don't really know everything that happened behind the scenes." Makoto stated.
"That's not really much of an answer." Iwai grunted. "But I guess I ain't really one to talk, considerin' that I'm his sworn brother n' all."
"Well, in any case, if he is being sincere, then that's pretty good, isn't it?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, it's a real load off my shoulders." Iwai nodded. "Still, somethin' fishy is still goin' down… Well, I suppose I'll just have to deal with that later."
"Just be a bit more careful, please." Makoto stressed.
"Hmm… Come to think of it, now that the whole mess with Tsuda's finished, our deal's prolly through, huh?" Iwai realized. "Heh, your end of the bargain was helpin' drive Tsuda away, and we ended up doin' that and more."
"Over, huh…" Makoto trailed off.
Despite everything, she was a little sad at the thought of things ending here.
"Course… If you wanna keep workin' here from time to time, I definitely won't say no." Iwai said. "But I understand kids these days have all sorts of commitments…"
"Well… I suppose that I could consider it." Makoto said, her tone amused.
Iwai smirked. "Heh, don't give me that attitude. I know that you wanna come back. Just don't go expectin' me to make the job any easier for you though, y'hear?"
"I wouldn't expect you to." Makoto replied.
"I'll be countin' on you, kid. Err… I mean, Niijima."
She could feel the bond between them growing ever stronger.
HANGED MAN CONFIDANT: RANK 8
After helping out Iwai with some work, as well as purchasing some new weapons, she went home for the day.
12/4 Wednesday
Days Until Ballot Count: 15
She had spent some time attempting to work out a stronger plan of action for Shido's palace.
No matter what she could think of, however, she found her plans would always come up short.
She tried again and again to think of a fool-proof plan that would have them be able to take Shido's treasure without any risk of failure or harm.
It was becoming clearer and clearer that such a plan didn't exist.
"Maybe I should take a small break…" Makoto sighed. "Take a minute to clear my head."
She quietly made her way over to Crossroads, sitting in the corner as Lala got her some water.
"Seems like there's something on your mind, dear." Lala noticed.
"A lot of things, really." Makoto sighed. "I just wanted to take a moment to clear my head."
"Well, let me know if you ever need to talk about it." Lala told her.
"Thank you, Lala-chan." Makoto expressed.
She glanced around the bar, seeing that Chiaki wasn't working today.
"Your friend was worried about you. It's been a while since you've been here." Lala mentioned.
"I suppose so…" Makoto admitted. "She was really worried?"
"Oh, she'd never admit it but… but it was written all over her face." Lala told her.
She let out a smile. That certainly sounded like Chiaki. She just wished that she would actually be able to visit her…
As she took a moment to relax, she saw a familiar face enter the bar.
"Been a while…"
Immediately, the man sat down next to her, a troubled look on his face.
"Matsuoka-san." Makoto greeted.
"... Afternoon." Mitsuhide greeted in return.
The officer sat down right next to her, but there seemed to be something off about him.
"Is something wrong?" Makoto asked.
"... Did you hear what happened to the Phantom Thieves?" Mitsuhide asked.
"I did…" Makoto trailed off, careful with her response. "They captured one member, and then…"
"They died." Mitsuhide nodded. "The official statement put out by the police was that it was a suicide after stealing an officer's gun, but…"
"But what…?" Makoto asked.
"Nothing." the man shook his head. "It's nothing…"
Maybe it would be best if she steered clear of this conversation topic.
"Hey, this might be… irresponsible of me to ask you, but…" Mitsuhide trailed off.
"What is it?" Makoto asked.
"What did you think of the Phantom Thieves?" Mitsuhide asked. "Or, rather, do you think a group like that is always necessary."
"Always necessary?" She repeated.
"Yeah… Like, always looking over society, keeping a close watch over all of us." Mitsuhide explained. "Making sure that no one ever steps out of line."
"To be honest… I don't think so." Makoto told him. "At least, I don't want them to be."
"Really?" Mitsuhide said, surprised at her response. "I was under the impression that you really supported them.
"It's not that I don't, but… I think that we have a justice system for a reason. Ideally, it's supposed to be as impartial and fair as possible while also defending the innocent and stopping the unjust." Makoto said.
"In theory, yeah…" Mitsuhide trailed off.
"But people aren't perfect, and because of that, neither are the systems they create." Makoto said. "Crimes get ignored or overlooked, victims are silenced, and horrible people rise above the law. And then, the amount of corruption continues to grow more and more until it becomes impossible to stop through normal means."
"And that's when the Phantom Thieves come in, right?" Mitsuhide assumed.
"Ideally, they would never have to get involved. But yes, in that particular situation… I think that it would be good if we were to have a group like them around." Makoto reasoned.
She had had a lot of time to think about what Justice and the Phantom Thieves meant to her during the time they were making their way through her sister's palace, her time confined to a bed, and even now…
"Long-term, though… I don't think a group like that would be good, overall." Makoto stated.
"Really? Why's that?" Mitsuhide asked.
"Well, with the amount of power that they would have, I don't think it would be good for them to be the judge, jury, and executioner all the time." Makoto stated. "I just don't think that such a small group having that much power all the time is a good thing. That… would be the type of thing they would fight against, I would think."
"I see what you mean." Mitsuhide nodded. "But now I can't help but wonder if those Phantom Thieves thought that things were in such dire straits that they had to interfere."
"It's hard to say." Makoto muttered. "I wonder how the other members are doing right now, and any other allies they might have."
"Other allies?" Mitsuhide wondered.
"Oh, well, I can't be sure, but I imagine that they must have had some help from ordinary people with strong senses of justice." Makoto smoothly stated. "People who were determined to do whatever part they could in order to help bring about justice."
"Mmm… Suppose they probably did." Mitsuhide nodded. "Course, with how popular and how much attention they got, they must've also attracted the attention of some nasty people in high-up places."
Right. He had mentioned that potentially happening to them at some point.
"The leader of the Phantom Thieves… Do you really think that they…" Makoto trailed off.
It might have been just simple curiosity, but she thought to gauge his reaction to her question.
He seemed to immediately get her implied question.
"… As an officer, I feel the need to tell you to believe the official story. Believe that everything was done by the book." Mitsuhide whispered. "But deep down… I can't help but wonder."
So he had his doubts as well…
"Oi! Mitsuhide-san!"
They both turned, seeing Mitsuhide's partner standing at the door.
The older man immediately walked over to them. She tried to make herself seem smaller, not wanting to be noticed.
"We need to talk." Kuze informed him. "It's very important."
"Did something happen?" Mitsuhide asked.
"Just come with me." Kuze ordered. "This'll need to be a private conversation."
"Alright. I understand." Mitsuhide nodded, following Kuze out of the bar.
Right before he did, however, she felt him subtly hand her a tiny case.
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" she thought to herself.
Quietly and carefully she followed them, hiding just barely in earshot of them as they stopped in a back alley.
"Listen to me…" Kuze began. "We know what you've been up to."
"What do you mean?" Mitsuhide asked.
"You know exactly what I mean!" Kuze snapped. "The way that you've been snooping around, asking questions, pouring over old cases… Did you really think that no one would notice that?"
"Aren't those really bad traits to have in a police officer?" Mitsuhide asked.
"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Ever since that Kaneshiro case, you've been acting up more and more." Kuze pointed out.
"Well, I suppose that… When he admitted to killing Masanori-san, and through such strange methods… I just couldn't help but wonder." Mitsuhide admitted. "Wondered, if maybe, there were other strange cases at that time that-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." Kuze interrupted. "There are so many old cases that you'd have to go through, and most of the evidence or testimony would be worthless now."
"Sure, but there's gotta be something." Mitsuhide reasoned. "Maybe even another officer-
"Mitsuhide, enough!" Kuze sharply interjected. "I told you to drop this. Even if it weren't the case, it wouldn't be worth it to reopen those cases."
"... And why's that?" Mitsuhide asked.
"Don't you remember how much flack we got when it was discovered when Kaneshiro confessed to all those crimes we weren't able to solve?" Kuze asked. "We can't have a repeat of that incident. The public places too much trust in us! Even if we did reopen a case and solve it, the fact that we got it wrong in the first place will erode that trust."
"So it's just better to just leave them unsolved?!" Mitsuhide snapped.
"In this case… yeah." Kuze stated.
"Wha-"
Makoto repressed the urge to gasp.
"'Listen…" the man trailed off. "I'm telling you this because I care. That's why I'm giving you a warning. All these mental shutdown and psychotic breakdown cases… you know that they don't want us looking too deep into them. Just let that Detective Prince handle it."
"And if I don't?" Mitsuhide asked.
"Then you might have an unfortunate accident happen to you." Kuze muttered.
"... Is that what happened to Masanori-san?! To Masako?!" Mitsuhide exclaimed.
Mitsuhide stepped forward… and then stopped cold.
"Didn't I just tell you to stop asking questions?" Kuze asked.
Mitsuhide stood frozen in shock as Kuze held his gun at him.
"What?! He's going to get shot!" Makoto thought.
She frantically glanced around, trying to find something that might help him out.
"What the hell?! You can't just recklessly wave your gun around!" Mitsuhide snapped. "What kind of country do you think this is?!"
"I should ask you the same thing. You think there's criminals and conspiracies everywhere." Kuze argued.
"Not exactly doing much to convince me otherwise…" Mitsuhide grumbled.
"I'm not here to convince you of anything. I'm here for the key." Kuze demanded.
"So, you do know about that, huh?" Mitsuhide frowned.
"When Masako-chan passed, the others were worried about you. Worried that you'd be a liability. That you might try and find out the truth." Kuze stated. "And that's why I became your new partner. To make sure you didn't try anything funny."
"Always figured as much. Just… didn't have it in me to do anything about it for the longest time…"
"Should've stayed that way. Would have made things a lot easier for the both of us." Kuze muttered. "The key… now!"
"Yeah… Alright, alright, just put the gun down." Mitsuhide reasoned. "It's in my left pant pocket."
Kuze searched Mitsuhide's pocket, gun trained on him the entire time.
"There we are." Kuze grinned. "I knew that you'd behave yourself in the end."
Kuze pulled out the key and placed it in his own pocket.
"You know, it was a lot of fun working together, so why don't we just forget any of this ever happened, eh?" Kuze smirked. "... Cause you know what'll happen if you don't."
Kuze backed up several steps before finally putting the gun away and leaving the area.
The moment he did, Mitsuhide quickly leaned against a nearby wall, heavily breathing.
"M-Mitsuhide-san! Are you alright?" Makoto stammered.
"Y-Yeah, I'm good." Mitsuhide sighed. "Kuze didn't hurt me or anything."
"I'm sorry…" she expressed. "Because of him, that memento of your old partner…"
"Don't worry about that. Do you still have that case I gave you?" Mitsuhide asked.
"Yes, that's right, but… oh!" Makoto gasped.
When she opened up the case, she saw that there was an exact copy of the key.
"That's the real one. I had a bad feeling that Kuze knew something, so I hid it. Sorry about that."
"It's alright." Makoto insisted.
"Thank you for hiding it for me. I'm not sure what I would have done if I lost it…" Mitsuhide sighed.
She could feel his gratitude coming through.
DEVIL CONFIDANT: RANK 7
"Still, it's only a matter of time before Kuze realizes that's a fake." Mitsuhide frowned. "There's no way he'll let me go after that. I just… don't know what to do…"
Another sigh.
"Guess I should have known better…" Mitsuhide sighed. "Thinking I could ever accomplish anything."
"Please, don't think like that." Makoto insisted.
"But what can I do? I've kept this key for so long… I guess a part of me was waiting for the perfect moment to reveal it, but now…"
She thought for a moment, wondering how to tackle this situation.
It didn't take long for her to reach a conclusion.
"What's his full name?" Makoto asked.
"His full name? Why do you ask?" Mitsuhide wondered, clearly confused.
"I'm just curious… that's all." Makoto lied.
"Promise me that you won't do anything reckless, ok?" Mitsuhide pleaded. "And, I mean, it's not like you can go to the police…"
"I promise." Makoto replied.
"... Kanetake Kuze is his full name. I'm not sure what difference it'll make, but again, please don't do anything reckless."
"I understand." Makoto nodded.
Her next course of action in mind, Makoto went home for the day, ready to let the rest of the team know all about their next target.
12/5 Thursday
Days Until Ballot Count: 14
The others had readily agreed to help Mitsuhide, all of them venturing back down into Mementos.
All of them… Except for Eiko.
They had reached what Morgana thought to be some of the deepest parts of Mementos. It seemed as though they might finally reach the bottom soon, just as their own journeys would come to a close.
Come to a close…
Was that what was going to happen?
Facing their biggest target yet, it might be time to start thinking of their futures…
"He's right up ahead, Queen." Morgana called.
"Right. Let's do this."
They all moved forwards, seeing Kanetake there waiting for them.
"Eh? Who are you brats?" the officer asked.
"Kanetake Kuze…" Makoto began. "For your crimes, corruption, and coverups, we will change your heart."
"Change me… Hold on, don't tell me… Y-You're those Phantom Thieves!" the officer shouted.
He took a hard look at her, shock on his face as he did so.
"I-Impossible… You're the leader?! You're not supposed to be…"
"Mishaguji!" Makoto called.
A giant, pale white creature holding a spear in front of her, towering over the shadow.
"Surrender." Makoto commanded.
"... Arrogant little brats. Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" Kanetake snapped. "Everything was fine before you stepped in! People believed in us, and all of the institutions of this country. They believed that they were free of crime and corruption."
"But that wasn't true!" Makoto shouted. "There were still people who were suffering because of this conspiracy!"
"A few people here or there don't matter, as long as the rest of the country still believe that everything is fine." Kanetake argued.
"But it's not fine." Ren replied. "There are so many people in power that are abusing the system for their own benefit. So that's just a delusion they created…"
"... Well, maintaining that 'delusion' for those in power, no matter what the cost, is the job of a police officer." Kanetake muttered. "And anyone who threatens that, be they fellow officers, or criminals like you, have to be dealt with!"
Kanetake dissolved into a red and black ooze, reforming with surprising speed.
Her instincts screaming at her, Makoto immediately jumped back, narrowly avoiding getting skewered.
"He's fast…" she muttered. "Fox, speed us up now! Joker, slow him down.
"Understood." Yusuke nodded, boosting the speed of the entire team.
Joker, however, was blasted by a beam of light he could land a blow.
Kanetake zipped around the room at lightning speeds, preventing them from being able to target him.
"Everyone, be careful!" Makoto shouted.
One by one, the shadow began to stab and bash the Thieves, who were only just able to get away, but not without injury.
"Little brat! The only thing standing between justice and corrupted crimes in cities are officers like me!" Kanetake shouted, continuing his assault.
"Well, from a certain point of view he's right…" Ren snarked.
"Focus…" Makoto muttered.
She opened her third eye, just barely able to keep track of him.
His blood red armor zipped through the arena, his shield and spear at the ready.
"He's aiming… for me!" she thought, preparing for his assault.
But even with her heightened awareness, she could just barely match his speed, and even then, he was slowly starting to slip past her defenses.
She barely blocked an attack, his strength equally as fierce as his speed.
"How's a little girl like you… gonna beat an officer of the law?!" Kanetake snapped.
Glancing to the side, Kanetake quickly leaped back, narrowly avoiding a gunshot from Ren.
"Joker… on my command, slow him down." Makoto ordered.
Joker nodded, and once again, she waited for him to strike.
5 seconds… 4… 3… 2…
He was about to strike!
"Rangda!" Makoto shouted.
She switched her Persona right as the officer was about to strike.
"Ahh!"
Too close to stop his attack, Kanetake shouted in pain as the force of his attack was reflected right back at him.
"Now, Joker!" Makoto shouted.
Joker slowed the shadow down with Sukunda, right as he was recovering from the damage he had just taken.
"Not one for strategy, are you?" Makoto mocked. "You're just some dumb muscle for the conspiracy. A stupid pawn."
"How dare you! You little brat!"
Taking the bait, Kanetake immediately charged, seemingly not realizing that his speed had been lowered.
She waited for just the right moment before dodging his blow.
She struck back with her fist, landing the finishing blow to his chest and denting the wall with his body.
"ARAAAGHHHHHH!" Kanetake roared, the last of his energy having left him.
The shadow dissolved into nothingness once again, reforming into Kanetake.
"I… I lost… I can't believe it…" Kanetake muttered.
"Listen here." Makoto commanded. "In a few weeks, you're going to confess to all of your crimes and cover ups, got it?"
"R-Right… I understand…" the officer trailed off.
"And don't even think about threatening Mitsuhide-san, or any of your fellow officers again!" Makoto continued.
"Of course… And I'll… return the key too…" Kanetake muttered.
The shadow faded away, and with their job finished for the day, the Thieves left Mementos and returned to the real world.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 10 MAX
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 9
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 9
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 9
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 8
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 9
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 10 MAX
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 9
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 10 MAX
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 9
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 9
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 7
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 8
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 7
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 10 MAX
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 8
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 10 MAX
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 7
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 9
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 8
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa?: Rank 6
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 8
THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 7
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 9