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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 195: This is Halloween

The next day, as Ren was heading to school, there was a message in the Phantom Thieves group chat. She checked it.

Yusuke: Pardon me. I know today is Hallowen, but does anyone have time to meet after school?

Yusuke: I have a lot on my mind, and I want to discuss it with people.

Haru: Unfortunately, I have to decline.

Haru: There’s an important meeting at Okumura Foods, and I'd like to be a part of it.

Makoto: I can’t make it either.

Makoto: I’m helping someone today.

Futaba: And in case you forgot, I’m busy looking through our notes and contacting Riko and Akechi.

Lena: Oh, be sure to contact Goro first.

Lena: He and I have a date tonight.

Ryuji: Oh, nice!

Ryuji: As it so happens, Ann and I also have a date.

Ann: Yeah, but I’m sure we can help you Yusuke.

Ann: So long as it doesn’t take too long.

Sumire: I can be there too!

Ren: Same.

Ren: And I think if we meet at Leblanc, Morgana can also make it.

Yusuke: Personally, I’d like to meet there as well.

Jose: I’d like to come too, but I promised the theater club something.

Yusuke: Will I see you at the Kosei Halloween party at least?

Jose: Yeah…

Yusuke: I guess I’ll talk to you then.

Jose: Sure.

Lena: I can make it too if we can do it before mine and Goro’s date.

Lena: In case that wasn’t clear.

Yusuke: Alright then.

Yusuke: See you after school.

Ren: See you then!

Ren put her phone away, and continued towards school.

Meanwhile, Futaba was looking through stuff, when she decided to hack back into Akechi’s phone.

???: Greeting Detective Akechi!

???: This is Phantom Thief Alibaba.

Goro: Huh.

Goro: I thought she’d have told you by now.

???: Who are you talking about?

Goro: I gave one of your associates a list of people who I suspect to be Phantom Thieves, and you for sure were on it.

???: Well, maybe you just don’t know my associates then.

???: Because I’ve never heard of this list.

Akechi was frustrated, but didn’t feel like pushing this point at the moment.

Goro: Well, in any case, how goes things on your end?

???: We ran into a few complications.

???: But we shall overcome.

Goro: Do you need my help?

???: Perhaps.

Goro: How may I be of assistance?

???: We need to ratchet up the pressure on the director.

???: He’s planning something, and we need to figure out how to undermine him.

Goro: That seems tricky.

Goro: But I may have a solution.

???: Go on.

Goro: I’ve been tracking down his associates, but none of them have been all too helpful.

Goro: So maybe we should just play into his sense of superiority. We make it look like we aren’t accomplishing anything, and then surprise him when you accomplish your next goal.

???: That…actually works with what we’ve been planning.

Goro: May I ask what that is?

???: Do you still want to arrest us after all this is said and done?

Goro: I see your point.

???: It’s not that we don’t want to work with you further…

Goro: I understand.

Goro: To be honest, I have my own goals that letting you in would complicate.

???: I can imagine.

Goro: Still, I like this balance we are striking.

Goro: Perhaps in another time, another place, we could be good friends.

???: Perhaps.

Goro: Well, good luck on your mission.

???: You too!

Futaba cut off contact with Akechi.

“Hm,” Akechi grinned. “I don’t think I was given wrong information on who ‘Alibaba’ was. Still, I can’t let them know that entirely. I do hope that the director can remain more composed than to let it slip when his back is suddenly against the wall. It’s a bit of a risk, but it’s the easiest way to keep The Phantom Thieves off his trail. Sorry Phantom Thieves, but he’s mine!” Akechi got another message, this time from Lena.

Lena: Hey Goro!

Lena: I’m helping a friend after school, but don’t worry.

Lena: I should be back around 5:30-ish, and I have our costumes ready, so you can just come over.

Goro: Can’t wait! See you then!

Akechi put his phone away and continued onward.

Meanwhile, Futaba sighed, relieved. “I can’t believe he bought that.” She then went back to looking through the various notes Riko had given her.

Afterschool, Yusuke, Ren, Morgana, Sumire, Ann, Ryuji, and Lena met up at Leblanc. “Soooo, what’s this about?” Ryuji asked.

Yusuke hesitated. “...I…know it was the right thing to leave Madarame…but ever since then, I’ve felt torn. When I was living with Madarame, I could think of art purely. But now, I’m being confronted with the reality that if I were to survive in the art world, no, in the world in general, I need to think about other things than art. I have to use my art to survive. In that way, I don’t think I can purely see art ever again. It’s all just a means to an end.”

He looked over at the Sayuri hanging up. “The reason I wanted to come here was to take another look. I have often felt inspired by Sayuri. And knowing its true nature, it’s only more beautiful.” He sighed. “But alas, my mind is so cluttered with the poisonous trappings of everyday life that I don’t think I can create something even half as good.” He looked back at everyone. “So, what do I do?”

Everyone looked at Yusuke. “Um, no offense,” Ryuji said, “but can’t you focus on both?” Yusuke seemed intrigued. “I mean, I started running because I liked it. And I thought if I could be successful enough in track, I could help my mom. So I just kept doing what I loved.”

“Yeah,” Ann said. “Doing what you love is wonderful! I admit that we don’t live in an ideal world, and we do need to focus on how to survive, but if you can do it by doing something you love, then there’s no worry, right?”

“I’m not sure that’s entirely helpful,” Morgana said, “but I get the sentiment. It’s like ‘you’re already doing it, might as well go all in.’ And if a Phantom Thief can’t go all in, well…”

“Huh,” Yusuke said. “I understand.”

“I get that it’s not easy,” Sumire said. “And believe me, even with all the help in the world, there will still be road bumps. But if you are determined to strive forward with your dream, then instead of thinking of the road bumps in a completely negative light, think of how you can use them to your advantage.”

“Yeah,” Lena added. “I mean, I left my home to pursue my dreams. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m still trying. And I’m glad you asked us. Being able to reach out is hard, but I know it’s worth it in the end.”

“Everyone…” Yusuke said.

Ren smirked. “Remember: Kosuke told you to be the best damn artist you could be, right? I bet you’d hate to disappoint him. Or us, for that matter.”

Yusuke started to remember Kosuke’s words after they defeated him. He smirked as well. “Yes. And he told me something else. He said I ‘always had eyes on the bigger picture.’ I guess I just lost sight of it once everything changed. I thought I had to change with it, I suppose I still do, but I think I need to change in a way that suits me, you know?”

“Yeah!” Ryuji said. “Being yourself is what a Phantom Thief is all about!”

“I agree!” Morgana said.

“Hey!” Ann said. “Look at you two getting along!”

“Huh?!” Ryuji and Morgana gasped.

“I mean…We just agree here,” Ryuji said.

“Yeah,” Morgana protested. “It’s not like we’re close or anything.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Sumire said. “After everything we’ve been through, there’s nothing that can tear us apart. And that includes you two.”

“Well…” Ryuji tried to follow up.

“Hm hm,” Lena giggled. “Even if you butt heads from time to time, you’re still good friends in the end, right?”

“Mreeeee…” Morgana groaned, not wanting to admit it, but being unable to lie.

Yusuke chuckled. He took out a sketchbook and started sketching. He soon presented it to everyone. “Behold!” It was a sketch of Ryuji and Morgana being angry with each other, but in the background was them admiring each other. “I call it ‘Tempest Friendship’.”

“What?!” Morgana shrieked.

“You’re…not going to make that into a full painting, are you?” Ryuji asked.

“I might,” Yusuke said. “But I have a lot of other paintings in mind. But this one is nice.”

“I like it,” Ren said. “It’s a commemoration of you getting out of your slump.”

“Yes,” Yusuke said. “But I still need something more. This is nice, but I want my first full piece to be GLORIOUS!”

“I understand the feeling,” Sumire said. “Once you overcome an obstacle, you want to show the world just what you’re capable of.”

“Yeah!” Lena added. “I know you can do it. You can set the art world on FIRE!”

Yusuke chuckled. “Thank you, everyone. I don’t know where I would be without you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Ren said.

Emperor-Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 8

Lena stood up. “Well, I should get going. I need to meet up with Goro to go on our date.” She opened the door. “Bye!”

“We should get going too,” Ann said. “We gotta make sure your costume fits!”

“Co-Costume?” Ryuji said. “I thought we were just hanging out.”

“On Halloween?!” Ann said. “No way! We’re here to have FUN!” She grabbed Ryuji’s arm. “Let’s go!”

“Ah!” Ryuji said, jolting up. “Alright then. Let’s see what you got!” The two of them left.

“I should get going too,” Yusuke said. “I missed last year’s Kosei Halloween Party due to Madarame. I don’t want to miss any more.”

“Take care!” Ren said. She and Yusuke waved at each other as he left. Once he was gone, Ren looked at Sumire. “I’m sorry I didn’t plan anything.”

“Huh?!” Sumire said. “Oh, uh, no, it’s quite alright. Well, I mean…” She sighed. “This is my first Halloween without Kasumi. We always used to do adorable twin costumes. I really liked doing that. I guess I’m not ready to do something big yet…”

Ren grabbed Sumire’s hand. “It’s OK. Just go at your own pace.”

Sumire smiled. “I guess doing a little something with you would be nice.”

Ren chuckled. “I think I know just the thing.” Ren glanced at Morgana. “Are you OK on your own?”

“Please,” Morgana said. “A black cat on Halloween? I couldn’t be more at home. I bet I can find something JUICY!”

Ren nodded. “Just be safe OK? And get back home at a reasonable time.”

“Right!” Morgana said. With that, the three of them left. Morgana headed off in his own direction, while Ren was leading Sumire somewhere.

Meanwhile, Makoto and Eiko arrived at Eiko’s house. “I’m home!” Eiko called out. No response.

“Is no one home?” Makoto wondered.

“No, my mom and brother are home,” Eiko said, pointing at the shoes.

“Oh. Right,” Makoto said. “Sorry…”

“It’s OK,” Eiko said. “You’re the one rescuing me from this after all.”

Makoto smiled. “Right.” They took off their shoes and headed in.

Sure enough, Eiko’s mom and brother were there. Her brother was watching TV, while her mom was baking. “Hi,” Eiko said.

“Oh, Eiko honey,” Eiko’s mom said. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Eiko glared at her, but kept her composure. “Um, this is my…friend Makoto,” she said, remaining civil. “The girl I told you about.”

“Hm?” Eiko’s mom said, looking over. “Oh that’s right. You said you were moving in with her.”

“That’s right,” Eiko said.

“Um, hello,” Makoto said, unsure of what to expect.

“Hm,” Eiko’s mom said. “Well thank you.” Makoto was surprised. “I’m glad Eiko found a friend like you.”

“Um…thanks…?” Makoto replied.

“I know she can be a handful,” Eiko’s mom said, “but I’m sure you’ll manage. From what I’ve heard, you’re quite capable.”

“Oh, she’s really no trouble at all,” Makoto protested.

“I know you’re trying to be polite,” Eiko’s mom responded, “but we both know that Eiko is…how you say, rambunctious. I mean, look at Asahi over there. He gets good grades. He’s popular at school. He’s the leader of the soccer team. You can tell he’s meant for great things. But Eiko? She bends and breaks so easily. She’s a follower by nature. She barely gets by, and is only friends with miscreants. Er, present company excluded, of course.”

“Of course,” Makoto repeated bitterly.

“But hey, maybe with you, she’ll turn her life around,” Eiko’s mom said.

“Well,” Makoto said firmly, “I think that’s the first thing you’ve said that I agree with.” Eiko’s mom looked at her intently. “But you’re completely wrong about Eiko. She’s smarter than you give her credit for. A lot braver and a lot kinder too. But I think she’s being stifled by your expectations. So that’s why she’ll be in my care from here on.” Eiko was stunned by Makoto’s fiery rebuttal.

Eiko’s mom glared at her. “It’s going to be like that, is it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Makoto replied.

Eiko’s mom went back to baking. “Well, whatever. It’s not like she’s going to be my problem for much longer.”

“The fact that you think of her as a ‘problem’ is very much the reason she’ll be gone soon,” Makoto said. “Though I doubt you ever really thought of her as ‘yours’.”

Eiko’s mom grew more bitter. “Did you just come here to argue with me?”

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t,” Makoto said. “This was just a fun bonus.” Eiko laughed, while Eiko’s mom groaned. “I came over to help Eiko pack a little, and then we’re going to catch a movie.”

“Hm,” Eiko’s mom said. “Well, if you leave before you can taste my Halloween cookies, there won’t be any when you get back.”

“We’ll probably grab dinner afterwards anyway,” Makoto said,

“Suit yourself,” Eiko’s mom said. “Like I care at this point.”

“It seems the feeling is mutual,” Makoto said. “Eiko?” Eiko nodded, and they headed over to her room.

On their way, Eiko whispered “Don’t worry. Mom’s cookies suck anyways.”

“And she calls you imperfect,” Makoto whispered back. They shared a giggle before entering Eiko’s room to pack up a little.

Meanwhile, Haru arrived at the boardroom. The members there were shocked, and one of them asked “Erm, Miss Okumura, um, what are you doing here?”

Haru answered with “I know I’m still a student, and I’ve not attended many of these, but now that everything has changed, I wish to take a bigger role in the company. I will start by attending these meetings whenever I can. Of course, I can’t make any policy decisions, but I wish to at least have a voice.”

“But Mis Okumura-”

“Let her stay,” an older gentleman said.

“Takakura!”

“What she said isn’t wrong,” Takakura continued. “Although I wish you didn’t have to worry too much about the company at this stage.”

“I don’t mind,” Haru said. “But as I’ve said before, I’ll inform you of my decision once I come to it. In the meantime, I wish to do whatever I can to help.”

“Very well,” Takakura said. There were some whispers around the table about Takakura’s disposition towards Haru, as well as her father. “Anwyas!” Takakura commanded. Everyone went silent. “If we’re all here, let’s begin.” Everyone nodded. “As you may know, things haven’t been going well since Mr. Okumura’s heart was stolen. But he is no longer a part of this company. We are the future of Okumura Foods, and we have to make sure we salvage this sinking ship. We’re doing all we can to make up for Mr. Okumura’s past transgressions, including that new order that came in just a few days ago, but-”

“Um,” Haru interjected. “What new order?”

Takakura looked at her. “We’ve been ordered to recall and shut down Starfall Coffee.”

“How come?” Haru asked.

“We’re not sure,” another executive said. “All we know is that we’ve been told that there’s a major issue with it.”

“By whom?” Haru wondered.

“The Special Investigations Unit,” another executive answered. “It was found as part of the investigation into your father.”

“Huh,” Haru said. I should tell the others that.

“Anyways!” Takaura said, steering the conversation back on task. “While everything we’re doing to correct the mistakes of the past, it’s imperative that we start thinking about the future of Okumura Foods.”

The future of Okumura Foods, huh… Haru pondered. What do I see for the future?

A little later, Akechi was checking his phone. He saw the news of the Starfall Coffee recall. “Hm. I suppose that was inevitable at this rate. I’m sure he’s already figured something else out by now.”

He arrived at Lena’s house. He knocked on the door. Lena answered. “Goro!” she cheered, leaping into his arms.

“Heh heh,” Goro chuckled. Lena looked up and the two shared a kiss. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve whipped up.”

“Oh right!” Lena said, letting go. “Follow me!” She led him inside. They went up to her room. Lena had two mannequins setup with homemade costumes.

Akechi looked at the masculine mannequin. He saw a formal outfit with a really hairy wig and tail coming off of it. “So, I’m a formal werewolf?”

Lena giggled. “No silly! It’s a couple’s costume. We’re going as Beauty and The Beast.” Lena presented her costume on the feminine mannequin, which was an adaptation of her persona.

“I see,” Akechi replied.

“It’s perfect!” Lena said. “I’ve always loved the story! BUT it works for you as well?”

“Does it?” Akechi wondered.

Lena nodded. “Now we can go out and about in public and nobody will know it’s you because you’re covered in hair.”

“I see,” Akechi said.

“ALSO!” Lena said. “I gave the chestpiece a little bit of padding so you don’t need to wear a binder. I know you shouldn’t wear that all the time.”

“Hm hm. You know, that was quite thoughtful of you,” Akechi said.

“Hm hm. Thanks,” Lena replied.

Akechi smiled. “Well, shall we get changed?”

“Oh!” Lena said, stunned. “Yes! Um, do you need help?”

“I think I can manage,” Akechi said.

“Great!” Lena said.

A few minutes later, both of them were changed and ready to head out. “You know, this costume fits me like a glove,” Akechi noted.

Lena giggled. “Well, you did tell me your measurements.”

“Right,” Akechi said. He offered his hand. “Well then, shall we?”

Lena curtsied. “Let’s. She took Akechi’s hand, and the two of them went off to celebrate.

As they left, Tamako looked on, smiled, sighed, and remarked “Tail as old as time.”

Meanwhile, at Ann’s house. Ryuji was in one of the restrooms. “Does it fit?” Ann called out from outside.

“I think so,” Ryuji said. “It’s a little lose, but I imagine that’s part of it.”

“Yeah,” Ann remarked. “Well come on, let me see!”

Ryuji walked out. He was wearing a slightly ill-fitting green tuxedo jacket and pants, with a maroon shirt underneath, a white bowtie with red polka dots, and a large green hat with a tag sticking out of it reading “In This Style 10/6”. “Hah, this was a GREAT idea!” Ryuji exclaimed. “And this costume is AMAZING!”

Ann giggled. “Thanks.” Ryuji looked at his girlfriend to see her wearing a blue dress with a white apron, black and white stripped stockings, and a black hairband over her head, which was all the way down, since she removed the pigtails. “What do you think of my costume?”

Ryuji smiled. “You look adorable.”

Ann giggled again. “Thanks. So, are you ready to paint the town red?”

“Absolutely!” Ryuji answered. “And I believe that we should party even harder than usual. Not only is it Halloween, but I believe it’s both of our unbirthdays.”

“You’re right,” Ann said. They took each other’s hands and went off to celebrate.

Morgana was walking around town. He saw people celebrating by dressing up and being a little more raucous than usual. Still, he didn’t mind. He loved it when people were having fun. Besides, he was on the prowl for information, and tonight seemed like a night where people were a little more loose-lipped .

Morgana was trekking around when he passed by a police station. He noticed they were throwing out their coffee maker. “Why are we doing this again?” one of the officer’s asked.

“Because,” another officer answered, “the SIU told us to.”

“‘SIU’?” Morgana wondered. “I should get closer.” He stealthed his way to the officers talking.

“I know,” the first officer said. “But it tastes so good!”

“I know Okumura’s Starfall Coffee is good,” the second officer said. “But it’s dangerous.”

“How come?”

The second officer looked around. “Don’t mention this to anyone, but I’ve heard that it’s one of the causes of those mental shutdowns we’ve been looking into.”

“WHAT?!” Morgana shrieked. He slipped from his perch and landed in front of the two officers. He was a little nervous.

The second officer sighed. “It’s just a cat.”

“Yeah,” the first officer said. “Imagine if that was a person. But still, that gives me chills. To think a cup of coffee could make someone go insane. Usually if I don’t get a cup of joe, I go insane.”

“Trust me, you’re plenty insane with or without coffee,” the second officer said.

“HEY!” the first officer shouted. They both went inside.

Morgana sighed, relieved. “I guess…this body has its uses.” He stood up and shook himself off. “I should go home and tell Futaba.” Morgana started heading back.

At Kosei, Yusuke emerged from his dorm room wearing his regular clothes, as well as a set of fake cat ears and cat tail. He moved out to where the party was being held.

Upon arrival, he got a few looks. “Hey, Kitagawa!” said one of the other students, who was wearing a succubus costume. “That’s…an interesting costume.”

“Forgive me,” Yusuke said. “I didn’t have enough money for a full costume.”

“No no, it’s great!” the other student said. “It’s so…you!”

“Why thank you,” Yusuke replied.

“Well, uh, help yourself to some punch,” the other student said. “Oh, and take some sweets too.”

“Hm. Don’t mind if I do,” Yusuke said. As he was getting his food and drink, he turned and asked “Oh, has Jose arrived yet?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” the other student said.

“He told me he was doing something with the theater department,” Yusuke clarified.

“Oh!’ the other student said. “Well, you’ll see him soon then.”

“Huh?” Yusuke wondered.

Suddenly, the front of the room lit up. “It’s starting!” the other student said.

“The Kosei Theater Club proudly presents: The Dance to Summon The Pumpkin Prince!” Yusuke’s attention was focused on the makeshift stage. In the middle of it was a big leaf. The various theater kids, dressed as all sorts of Halloween classics, began dancing around the leaf, attempting to summon The Pumpkin Prince.

Soon, two sides formed, and they began giving each other cues to act and react. Slowly but surely, the leaf started to blossom. Once it fully bloomed, there was a pumpkin in the middle of it. The pumpkin slowly got up, turned around, and revealed himself to be Jose in a pumpkin costume. “THE PUMPKIN PRINCE!” the other performers exclaimed. Jose smiled. There was a round of applause.

Later, Yusuke met up with Jose. “I must say, you did an excellent job.”

“Oh, you saw that, did you?” Jose said, embarrassed.

“Indeed,” Yusuke siad. “I feel inspired.”

“Eh heh,” Jose laughed. “Well, I didn’t do a whole lot. They just needed someone short, and I fit the bill.”

“Nonsense,” Yusuke said. “You were the star of the show.”

“Well…” Jose said.

“Don’t be so modest,” Hifumi said. Yusuke and Jose turned to look at her. She was wearing ancient Japanese regal attire. “You did wonderfully.”

“Thanks,” Jose said.

“Pardon me,” Yusuke said. “Are you supposed to be Queen Himiko?”

Hifumi giggled. “You’re the first person to guess correctly.”

“But it’s so obvious,” Yusuke said.

“Well, you look pretty either way,” Jose remarked.

Hifumi chuckled. “Thanks. You know, you look adorable yourself.”

“Eh heh,” Jose chuckled, blushing. “Oh right.” He looked up to Yusuke. “Do you still need help?”

“You need help?” Hifumi wondered.

“Well, I suppose I could tell you,” Yusuke said. “I’ve sorted things out, but more voices wouldn’t hurt.” He explained his earlier meeting to Jose and Hifumi.

“I see,” Jose said. “Well, to be honest, I think I’d mirror what they said. But I would add that doing something like this is a seeminglessly endless task, but doing so is its own reward.”

“If I may,” Hifumi added, “I think the issue you may be having is that, pardon my bluntness, you don’t really have any immediate family members. I know I’m doing shogi for my father, but…”

Yusuke grinned. “I see. While it is true that I don’t have any relatives, I do have friends, and they’re like a family to me. If I can do it for them, then there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“That’s the spirit!” Jose said.

Hifumi giggled. “I could really use courage like yours.”

“Oh right,” Yusuke said. “Do you-?”

“I’ll figure that out later,” Hifumi said. “Tonight, I just want to have fun. Shall we get more punch?”

“Of course,” Yusuke said. The three of them went off to enjoy the party.

Later, Makoto and Eiko arrived at the movie theater. Makoto sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t realize how bad it was at your place.”

Eiko chuckled. “It’s alright. Besides, I loved seeing you put my mom in her place.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to move tonight?” Makoto said. “Because we can skip the movie, and-”

Eiko shook her head. “It’s alright. I can wait until then.”

Makoto nodded. “Well, if you say so. So, what movie do you want to watch?” “Well, it’s Halloween, right?” Eiko said. “So something scary!”

“GAH!” Makoto shrieked. Eiko was confused. “Sorry. It’s just…I don’t take to horror too well.”

“Oh!’ Eiko said.

“But if you really want to-”

“Shhhhhhh,” Eiko said, calming her girlfriend down. “It’s OK. I can watch it on my own time. Tonight is about us!” Makoto nodded. “So, what do you want to watch? Maybe a Buchimaru-kun movie.”

“Well, one isn’t playing until December,” Makoto said. “And that’s a special event showing off the classic Christmas with Buchimaru-kun.”

“Woah,” Eiko siad. “I was joking.”

“Oh, uh…” Makoto said, embarrassed.

Eiko chuckled. “It’s fine. I think it’s really cute that you’re into it. Most people would feel like they’re too cool for it. But I still like it as well. Granted, it has been a bit…”

Makoto smiled. “Thanks.”

Eiko smiled back. “But, is it anything like that, or Buchimaru-kun specifically?”

“Well, I like similar shows,” Makoto said. “But Buchimaru-kun just resonates with me. Always has.”

“How come?” Eiko asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Makoto said. She noticed one of the posters. “Oh look! Like a Dragon is playing! Are you up for some hard-boiled action?!” Eiko was stunned. “Oh. I guess not.”

“No no no no,” Eiko replied. “I, um, I really like that kind of stuff. But I’ve never told anyone because it doesn’t seem ‘girly’ enough, you know?”

“Hm,” Makoto said. “Well, women can appreciate all sorts of things, right?”

Eiko smiled and blushed. “Yeah.”

They went up to the ticket booth. “Two for Like a Dragon,” Makoto said. They got their tickets, and headed in.

Meanwhile, Ren took Sumire up to Shinjuku. Sumire was a little nervous. “Are you sure about this? Shinjuku isn’t known for its restraint.”

“Trust me,” Ren said. “We’re going straight there, spend a little time, and then we’ll be out. Besides, one of my friends runs it.”

“Well, if it’s one of your friends, I trust you,” Sumire said. They held hands as Ren led the way.

They soon arrived at Chihaya’s fortune telling booth. “Ah, hello,” Chihaya said.

“Hi,” Ren said. “This is… There’s no point in me hiding it, is there?”

Chihaya giggled. “I foretold that you were coming with your lover. So unless there is a boy hiding in the shadows somewhere...”

Ren sighed. “No, you got us.” Chihaya giggled again.

“Um, who is this?” Sumire wondered.

“Oh, forgive me,” Chihaya said. “My name is Chihaya Mifune. I’m a fortune teller.”

“I see,” Sumire said. “And a very good one at that, I can tell.”

“Thanks,” Chihaya said. “And your name?”

“Oh, right,” Sumire said. “I’m Sumire Yoshizawa. Ren’s girlfriend.” She bowed.

“Hm hm,” Chihaya chuckled. “So, what brings you here tonight, of all nights?”

“Well, um, Sumire isn’t 100% in the Halloween spirit, but I convinced her to do something a little fun. So perhaps she could have her fortune read?”

“I see,” Chihaya said. She turned to Sumire. “Are you alright with this?”

“Well, if Ren trusts you, I trust you,” Sumire said.

“Very well,” Chihaya said. She and Sumire set up the reading. Chihaya drew three cards. “I see.” She flipped the first one. “The Fool, upright. It tells that you are about to embark on a new journey.”

“Huh,” Sumire said.

Chihaya flipped the second card. “The Faith, upright. This journey will help you realize your true potential and do away with the lies of the past.”

“I see…” Sumire said.

Chihaya flipped the last part. “The Hunger, in reverse. This journey will end once the forces that try to suppress you are revealed to be nothing more than a shadow of lies and deceit. Only then will the truth come to you.”

“Hmmm,” Sumire said. “Well, that was a little intense…” Ren was a little worried. “But it was interesting.” Ren was relieved. “And given your penchant for seeing the truth, I imagine something like that happening.”

“Do you know what it is?” Chihahya asked.

“I have an idea,” Sumire said. “But it’s rather personal…”

“Say no more,” Chihaya said. “Just know I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Thanks,” Sumire said. “Oh, how much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry,” Chihaya said. “This one’s on the house.”

Ren was stunned. “But, um, you know?” Sumire was confused.

“Don’t worry,” Chihaya said. “It will be alright in the end.”

Sumire looked at her. “Are you also undertaking a journey?”

Chihaya nodded. “And I know I’m coming up to a crossroads soon. I just have to believe in myself.”

“Well, you know I’m here for you,” Ren said.

“Me too,” Sumire replied.

“Thanks,” Chihaya said. “I think I’m going to need it.” She turned to Ren. “Especially from you.” Ren nodded.

“Um, if you believe in Ren as much as I do,” Sumire noted, “then I think things will go well for you.”

Chihaya giggled. “Well, I can’t believe in her as much as you do.” Sumire slightly blushed. “But I can tell that Ren is a force to be reckoned with.”

“Well, Sumire’s no slouch either,” Ren said.

“I can see that,” Chihaya said. “And if the two of you are together, then you’d be unstoppable.”

Ren smiled and blushed. “Thanks.”

Fortune-Chihaya Mifune: Rank 6

“So, do you want to stay and watch some other fortunes being read?” Ren asked.

“You should go…” Chihaya said. “Not that you wouldn’t be interested, but Halloween in Shinjuku attracts more of the bizarre crowd.”

“I think she’s right,” Sumire said. “But I had fun.”

“Well that’s all I need to hear,” Ren said. “Bye!”

“It was nice meeting you!” Sumire said.

“Bye bye you two!” Chihaya said. Ren and Sumire left. They shared a kiss before getting on the train.

Ryuji and Ann were still out and about having fun. "Man, this is the BEST Halloween I've ever had! Thanks for dragging me out!"

"Hm hm, no problem," Ann said. "To be honest, I think this is the best Halloween I've ever had too."

"No kiddin'?" Ryuji said. "Well, I know one thing that'll make it even better." "You read my mind," Ann said. The two shared a kiss.

As Akechi and Lena were heading back, Lena leaned on Akechi’s shoulder. “Tonight was fun.”

“Indeed,” Akechi replied. “To be honest, I never really liked Halloween before. I didn’t like some of the costumes I was given, but, well, you know why.” Lena chuckled. “And then after getting big, I didn’t have time or couldn’t get a costume to hide me enough” He looked deep into Lena’s eyes. “But tonight was really fun. And I feel like with you, I can enjoy anything.”

“Oh, stop!” Lena said. They were both blushing.

“This is a really nice costume,” Akechi said. “I wonder what you’ll come up with in the future.”

“Right…” Lena said. Do we have a future? Am I going home? She looked up at Akechi. Or is this my home?

Meanwhile, Akechi was distracted with his own thoughts. I can’t let her know I’ll probably be busy. Once the plan is set in motion, I might not have time for big stuff like this. But I’m sure she’ll understand. I just need everything in place.

He looked back at Lena. He leaned in, and Lena met him for a kiss. “Happy Halloween,” Akechi said.

“Happy Halloween,” Lena replied. The two continued onward.

Once Haru got out of the meeting, she got out her phone.

Haru: Everyone! I have some big news!

Haru: The SIU told Okumura Foods to recall its Starfall Coffee venture.

Haru: Something has to be up.

Futaba: Already know!

Futaba: Morgana overheard some police officers talking about it.

Futaba: He said that they heard they were causing the mental shutdowns!

Haru: WHAT?!

Sumire: That’s absurd!

Futaba: Maybe, but nothing about this case is “normal”.

Sumire: I guess you’re right.

Yusuke: Have you talked with Riko yet?

Futaba: Not yet.

Futaba: I was looking over my mom’s notes, and the notes about the director.

Futaba: I lost track of time.

Ren: It’s OK. Now we have something else.

Ren: Something big!

Futaba: Right. I’m on it!

Jose: What else did you find?

Futaba: The director is a very crafty person.

Futaba: His profile is full of twists and turns.

Futaba: I imagine that if he did kill his wife, he’d know how to make it look incidental.

Futaba: As for mom’s notes, I found something interesting.

Futaba: Apparently if you amass enough fame, you can tap into the collective unconscious.

Sumire: Mementos!

Jose: But if whoever killed your mom has these notes…

Futaba: That’s what I figured.

Futaba: We’re not the only ones in there.

Yusuke: Do you think it has anything to do with that body of water?

Futaba: Probably.

Ren: We should check, just to be sure.

Futaba: Right.

Futaba: Anyways, Haru, can you get the schematic for Starfall?

Haru: I don't think so.

Haru: I’m not great with computers to begin with, and I don’t think I’d have access to something like that.

Futaba: Plan B then.

Futaba: Come over, and I’ll give you the Futaba special. I’ll take care of the rest.

Haru: Got it.

Ren: See you all later!

Futaba: Seeya!

Futaba then went to work contacting Riko.

Futaba: Riko!

Futaba: Something big just happened.

Riko: What is it?

Futaba: Did you know that the SIU instructed a recall on Okumura Foods Starfall Coffee?

Riko: I was.

Riko: Sae told me about that.

Futaba: Well, it turns out that it’s because somehow Starfall Coffee is causing the mental shutdowns.

Riko: Oh right.

Riko: The director mentioned that.

Futaba: And you forgot?!

Riko: Forgive me. A lot was happening.

Riko: The fake calling card, Eirs, it was a lot to process.

Futaba: Well, I can’t say I blame you.

Futaba: BUT we have an idea as to how this was being used.

Riko: Go on.

Futaba: Well, looking through my mom’s notes, there’s a special concoction you can make to infiltrate people’s hearts. But you need to get them to ingest the blood of the person infiltrating after they drank it.

Futaba: So I suspect that Starfall Coffee was the means to do just that.

Riko: That seems like a lot.

Futaba: Right, but if this organization is so big to include Madarame, Kaneshiro, Okumura, and Principal Kobayakawa, they may have more numbers at their disposal.

Futaba: You don’t need a lot of blood, you need a lot of people.

Riko: I see.

Riko: Want me to get the schematics for Starfall Coffee?

Futaba: I'm on that on my end.

Futaba: But I do need you to do something.

Riko: What is it?

Futaba: Can you get the file on the murder case involving the director’s son?

Futaba: We suspect that he may have been involved, and that maybe he also murdered his wife.

Riko: Oh my!

Riko: I’m on it!

Riko: Oh, and I have a plan.

Futaba: You do?

Riko: Yeah. I asked Sae last night about what happens if you challenge her.

Riko: She told me that if that happens, she’s confronting the director.

Riko: She believes that once you’re done with her, you’ll meet up with him somehow.

Futaba: So we know where she’ll be.

Riko: And you told me when.

Riko: So all that’s left is to figure out what comes next.

Futaba: Right.

Futaba: Well, regardless, we need a way for Sae to get out.

Futaba: I think I have an idea for that.

Riko: We do need to fish for more information from the director too.

Futaba: Right. Akechi said not to ruffle any feathers until it’s time to strike.

Riko: You’re in contact with Akechi?

Futaba: Tentatively.

Futaba: It’s an uneasy alliance.

Riko: I see.

Riko: Well, regardless, I think I know a way to get some information once things go off.

Futaba: It can't involve us, because we’ll be busy in Sae’s palace.

Riko: Right.

Riko: My plan still works then.

Futaba: Well then, let’s see if our plans can work in tandem.

Riko: OK!

The two of them discussed their plan. Once they finished…

Futaba: Damn! You’re really clever.

Riko: Thanks.

Riko: You’re really smart yourself.

Futaba: Thanks.

Futaba: Now all we have to do is make sure we do well protecting Sae, while also making her see the error of her ways.

Riko: You have my confidence on that front.

Futaba: Thanks.

Futaba: Goodnight!

Riko: Happy Halloween!

Futaba: Happy Halloween!

Riko put her phone away. She began looking through more notes.

Sae came out of her office. Riko looked up. “Oh, how are you doing?”

“I’m feeling great! Sae said. “This upcoming trial will be easy, and soon I’ll have The Phantom Thieves in my grasp. Hm. You know, I saw a bunch of people dress up as Phantom Thieves today. Thinking that they’re heroes.”

“Well hold on,” Riko said. “People dress up as villains too.”

“I guess that’s true,” Sae said.

“Phantom Thieves aside, how do you feel about Halloween?” Riko said. “I wasn’t too big on it as a kid, but when I grew up and could pick what I wanted to dress as, I suddenly got it.”

“A late bloomer, I see,” Sae noted.

“Yeah…” Riko said. “That.”

“Hm,” Sae said. “Well, I’ve always liked Halloween. But lately, I haven’t had the time for it.”

“I see,” Riko said. “It is busy here, huh.”

“Well, there are occasions where things let up,” Sae said. “Last year, I got out of work early and dressed up as a werewolf.”

"Ooo. Spooky," Riko remarked.

“Eh, not really,” Sae said. “It was kind of a last minute thing.”

“Still, I bet it looked great on you!” Riko said.

“Um, yes…” Sae said, slightly blushing. “Anyways, what’s your favorite costume you’ve ever worn?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Riko said. “One year, I wore this immaculate female Vampire costume. It just felt so GOOD, you know?”

“Hm hm. You didn’t need to add ‘female’ to that,” Sae pointed out.

“Oh, uh, right…” Riko said, nervous. “Well, what about you? What was your favorite costume?”

Sae paused. “Don’t laugh.” She sighed. “It was Makoto’s first Halloween. I wanted to dress up as something spooky, but my parents were worried that would upset Makoto. So they made me wear this Buchimaru-kun costume. I hated it. I was miserable for the first few hours.

But then there was a loud noise. My parents were worried that something bad happened to the neighbors, and rushed outside to check on them, leaving me with Makoto. Suddenly, I was alone with her. Carrying her. I was so nervous. I did my best, but I was so unsure of myself.

But you know what she did? She smiled. That was the first time Makoto smiled at me. My parents came back and assured me that everything was alright. They noticed me taking care of Makoto, and I got to do a lot of things. I fed her. I burped her. I played with her. It was nice.

So that’s why that’s my favorite costume. I don’t know why I’m telling you that. Usually, I say it’s the one time I went as the Black Featherman.”

“Hmmm,” Riko said. “You know, I’m partial to Pink myself.”

“I figured you would be,” Sae said.

“But that story was really sweet,” Riko said. “And don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

Sae smiled. “Thanks. Let’s go home.” Riko nodded, and the two headed off. As they were leaving, Sae glanced at Riko. Alright Sae. It’s a deal. Once I’ve captured The Phantom thieves, I’m asking her out!

8 notes · View notes

vgckwb · 3 months

Text

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 193: Sae's Palace: Act 1

As Ren was on the train heading to school, she messaged the group.

Ren: I think we should meet to discuss Akechi’s list, and tackle Sae’s palace today.

Makoto: Good thinking.

Sumire: I’m a little concerned about everything.

Sumire: I mean, this isn’t a usual palace by any stretch of the imagination.

Yusuke: True, but we can’t afford to do nothing either.

Ryuji: I’m sure once we figure out our infiltration route we’ll figure out how to tackle things on this side.

Haru: I think we need some level of contingency.

Haru: I mean, the slightest error, and things will go to Hell in a handbasket.

Futaba: I think any outside factors might need to involve Riko.

Ren You’re right about that.

Ren: I think we should save all of this for when we meet up.

Ryuji: Right.

Ryuji: Seeya then

Ren: Seeya!

Ren put her phone away, and went to school.

After school, the Thieves were at Leblanc. Makoto took out the piece of paper Akechi gave her. “So, this is Akechi’s sus list,” She exclaimed.

Everyone looked over it. “Woah!” Futaba responded.

“I have to admit,” Morgana said, “that Akechi is no slouch.”

“But I’m not on this list anywhere,” Lena said.

“Well, yeah,” Ann said. “I don’t think he has a reason to suspect you.”

“Or maybe he’s blind because of your relationship?” Ryuji pondered.

“I don’t think Akechi would be like that though,” Ren remarked. “I mean, he still suspects me, despite how close we are.”

“Yeah,” Lena said. “I think he’d suspect anyone regardless of how close he is with them.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like he has any hard proof,” Jose said.

“Still, we should be cautious,” Yusuke said. “One false move, and we’ll play straight into his hands.”

“How does he know my online handle?!” Futaba wondered.

“Well, we did see him in Akihabara,” Ann said.

“Yeah, he said he was searching for information on someone who could take down Medjed,” Lena added.

“Hmph,” Futaba pouted. “I guess it’s time for a name change.”

“Hold on,” Ren said. “Maybe not yet.”

“Huh?! Why not?” Futaba wondered.

“If you change your name and contact Akechi, he’ll know you saw this,” Ren said. “If we want to maintain deniability, you have to pretend not to have seen this list.”

“I guess…” Futaba said.

“Do we need to keep in contact with Akechi?” Haru wondered.

“I think randomly severing contact with him would be suspicious as well,” Morgana said.

“Besides,” Sumire said, “we have a lot of things on our plate. As much as Akechi stands against us, we need all the help we can get.”

“I guess that’s true,” Haru said.

“Oh yeah,” Jose said, “how are things coming along looking into what Riko sent you?”

“Well…” Futaba began, “the information my mother gave me will take some time. I understand some of it, but it is a little more advanced than I anticipated.”

“Well, what do you know?” Sumire asked.

“Hmmm,” Futaba pondered. “Some of it is stuff we know. The metaverse, its relationship to the real world, stuff like that. But there’s something I don’t quite understand.”

“What is it?” Makoto wondered.

“Well…” Futaba said. “There’s something in there about influencing the metaverse.” Everyone was shocked. “I think it has something to do with that mysterious figure of the SIU director we saw. But the process seems…confusing.”

“Maybe we can help,” Ann offered.

“Yeah, some of us have been doing this for six months,” Ryuji said. “Maybe we’ll know something.”

“Well… Hmmm,” Futaba reacted. “So, from what I understand, if you’re not someone like us who can access the Metaverse, you need this specific formula, and then you need to lace the formula with your DNA somehow, and give it to someone to ingest.” Everyone who was in Futaba’s palace went pale. “But I’m not sure how they would go about doing that.”

“Um, Futaba?” Ren said. “I think we know a way.”

“Huh?” Futaba wondered.

Ren continued, “We saw something like that in your palace.”

“You did?!” Futaba shrieked.

Ren nodded. “So, what happened was, the Will Seeds we found in your palace belonged to your mom.”

“Huh?!”

“Once we had all of them, we saw an image of your mom drinking a concoction, and then dripped some of her blood into your food so you ate it.” Futaba was starting to get dizzy.

“I don’t think she was trying to hurt you,” Ann said.

“Yeah!” Ryuji jumped in. “From what I remember, she was apologizing to you for doing it. She wanted you to be her light, or something.”

“How then?” Futaba said.

“The sphinx,” Morgana said. Everyone looked at him. “The sphinx that took the image of your mom. That was what she left behind in that moment.”

“But why didn’t it make contact in the intervening two years?” Jose said.

“If I had to guess,” Yusuke said, “it probably has something to do with Futaba shutting herself out from the rest of the world.” Futaba smacked Yusuke. “Ow!”

“I think he’s right though,” Sumire said. “Remember, it took three of us to break the shell of the palace with the ballista. I imagine Futaba needing to reach out for help was a catalyst.”

“Plus, it was flying around outside,” Ren said. “I imagine that Futaba being in the pyramid hindered that a little.”

“Hmmm,” Futaba said. “Sorry Inari.”

“It’s fine,” Yusuke said.

“Maybe you could work on some tact,” Makoto pointed out.

“Perhaps,” Yusuke said. “But maybe Futaba working on her social interactions could be helpful too.”

“HEY!” Futaba protested. “I’m TRYING!”

“My apologies.”

“Like she said,” Ryuji added. “Tact.”

“Well…” Lena said, trying to steer the conversation back on track, “maybe we should relay that to Riko. See if she knows anything.”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “It’s one thing to do it to someone you know, but these mental shutdowns are seemingly random at best.”

“True,” Morgana said. “Plus we should check in to see how things are going with Akechi.”

“Right!” Futaba said. “But don’t we have a palace to get into first?”

“You’re right,” Makoto said. “Let’s go.”

They started to leave, when Yusuke said “Hang on.” Everyone looked at him. “Didn’t Riko also send you information on the director?”

“Oh yeah,” Futba said. “Well, to be honest, the information seems, well, rather quaint.”

“Huh,” Yusuke said.

“He seems like he’s almost average,” Futaba said.

“Almost?” Haru wondered.

“Well, he is the leader of the Special Investigations Unit,” Futaba clarified. “Calling someone like that ‘average’ is a bit of a disservice. He has all sorts of connections to all sorts of people.”

“Maybe therein lies the game,” Morgana pointed out. “Maybe in one of his relationships is a secret of his.”

“Maybe…” Ren said. “This is going to sound a little weird, but I know one of his sons was arrested for murdering their wife.”

“I read about that too,” Futaba noted. “But that seemed a little removed from his purview.”

“But…if it wasn’t?” Ren said, trying not to involve Yumeko too much.

“Hmmm. Well, if it wasn’t...” Futaba pondered, “...I’m not sure.”

“Well, what else can you tell us about his family?” Ryuji asked. “I mean, one of his kids murdered their wife. But is that a pattern, or is it just him specifically?”

“It is just him specifically,” Futaba said. “All the rest of his kids are married, and between the five of his kids, the director has 17 grandchildren.”

“What about his wife?” Yusuke wondered. “Do you know anything about her?”

“Yeah. Um, she’s dead,” Futaba said, solemnly.

“WHAT?!” everyone shrieked.

“She suddenly got sick and died,” Futaba said. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“How sudden was it?” Ren inquired.

“What do you mean?” Futaba said.

“Well…without giving too much away,” Ren answered, “I know the grandchild whose mother was killed, and they believe that he played a part in it.”

Everyone was stunned. Makoto spoke up. “So, what you’re saying is…?”

Ren nodded. “Maybe he killed his wife and talked his son through killing his wife too.”

“Hmmmm,” Futaba pondered. “Maybe.”

“Wouldn’t that be hard to prove though?” Jose asked.

“Probably,” Futaba said. “This is all speculation on our part.”

“But we’re not alone in looking through things,” Haru said. “Maybe Riko could figure out something we don’t know if we point her in a direction.”

“I guess that’s true,” Futaba said. “But I think we need to head into the palace first. Perhaps we’ll find something else there that’ll help us make our next move. Besides, I’ve only scratched the surface on these documents.”

“We have a little while as it is,” Makoto remarked. “I think that’s a smart idea.”

Ren nodded. “Then let’s head out.” Everyone else nodded, and they headed off to Sae’s palace.

Upon arrival, Futaba noticed the mysterious figure and analyzed it quickly. “Hmmmm. Still hasn’t gone in.”

“It’s waiting for us to make our move, right?” Morgana said.

“Yeah,” Futaba said. “But you can never be too careful.”

“Perhaps that’s something to think about,” Haru suggested. “We’re not only working to save Sae from Eris, but this guy too, right?”

“Correct,” Makoto said. “But how do we fight something like that?”

“Maybe your mom has something in her notes?” Lena offered.

“Maybe,” Futaba said. “But I’d need to dive REALLY deep into her notes.”

“I think putting off the heist until the last possible moment would be good anyway,” Ren said. “This is going to be different than anything we’ve faced before. We need to be as prepared as we can be.”

“I see,” Futaba said.

“Well, no sense in worrying right now,” Ryuji said. “Right now, we have to make our way through this place.” Everyone nodded. They made their way to the room they found themselves in last time.

They looked at the elevator. “We still need a member’s card,” Jose remarked.

“I doubt they’d just give us one,” Yusuke added.

“Well, maybe we can find one,” Ann wondered. “I’m sure there has to be a place here to get one.”

“Probably,” Futaba said. “I’d wager there’s a back room somewhere.”

“Well then, let’s get looking,” Ren instructed. As they ventured around, they found the back room behind some guards they easily took out.

Plastered all over the walls were slogans and platitudes about how women are superior to men, yet oppressed by them, and with the coming of Sae’s “New World Order” that was going to change. “OooooooooKaaaaaaay,” Ryuji said, nervously.

“So somewhere in here, we’ll be able to get a member’s card, right?” Lena wondered.

“Yeah,” Futaba said.

“I don’t think it’ll be easy to get there though,” Makoto said. “Sis is very protective of things.”

“So we just have to do what we usually do,” Ren said, stretching her arms to crack her knuckles. “Seems simple enough.” The thieves maneuvered through the back rooms of the fashion show.

After going through the deeper parts of the back rooms, Morgana’s ears twitched. “Hold on. I sense a Will Seed in the area.”

“Really?”! Haru wondered.

“Let’s see if we can’t find it,” Ann said.

They ventured on, only to see the Will Seed door behind some bars. “DAMMIT!” Ryuji called out.

“Wait!” Ann said. “Look!” She pointed out a scanner. “Maybe if we get a key card, we can get through.”

“It’d probably be helpful for the rest of the palace as well,” Jose said.

“Perhaps,” Yusuke said. “But we may need to find a plethora of these. Don’t underestimate a palace ruler’s paranoia.”

“Especially one who’s also been taken over by Eris,” Futaba added.

“Hmmmm,” Haru pondered.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt,” Lena pointed out.

“True,” Ren said. “But now we need to find it. Let’s keep moving.” They all nodded, and they kept moving.

Soon, they spotted a powerful-looking shadow. They managed to hide. “Say, do you think that they might have the keycard?” Sumire wondered. “They seem powerful.”

“Well, there's only one way to find out,” Ryuji said. “Unless you think we can get to the place behind them.”

“We could,” Ren said, “But I imagine we’ll cross paths sooner or later. Besides, we’re still relatively close to the Will Seed. Let’s not waste too much time.” Everyone nodded, and bum rushed the shadow. Despite it being a pretty tough fight, the Phantom Thieves won out.

Jose picked up a card. “Look!”

“Way to go Jose!” Sumire said.

“Well done!” Haru added.

“Alright,” Morgana said. “Now that we have that, we should be able to get that first Will Seed.” The thieves nodded, and headed back.

They presented the card, raising the barriers to the Will Seed Door. They pressed themselves further in, opening the Will Seed door and heading in. “Um, are you going to be OK Queen?” Sumire asked.

“Why do you ask?” Makoto replied.

“Well…this is your sister…” Sumire answered. “I know there’s a bit of a distance between you two, but this might get…”

Makoto sighed. “I know this probably won’t be easy, but we have to do this. Otherwise we can’t call ourselves Phantom Thieves.” Sumire needed.

“Well, let’s see what we’re getting into,” Ren said, picking up the first Will Seed.

Suddenly, the voice of a young girl crying started ringing through the room.

“What’s this?!” Yusuke wondered.

Suddenly, a gentle female voice came in. “Sae sweetie. Don’t cry.”

“Mom?!” Makoto reacted.

“But…but you’re…” a younger voice jumped in.

“And that sounds like sis when she was younger,” Makoto clarified.

“I know,” Aki said. “But I don’t want you to be sad, OK? Come here. … I love you. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” young Sae said. “I promise. … I’m going to miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you too. I’ll miss you, Makoto, your father…” Aki replied. “But I’ll always be by your side. … I’m going to need you to look after Makoto OK?”

“OK,” young Sae said.

“That’s my girl,” Aki said. She coughed.

“MOM!” young Sae called out.

“I’m fine,” Aki said. “I’m fine… Listen… There is good in this world. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I won’t,” young Sae replied. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” Aki said.

A door opened. “Alright,” said a man’s voice.

“Dad?!” Makoto wondered.

“I think we should let mom rest,” Nobuyuki said.

“But-” young Sae interjected.

“It’s alright sweetie,” Aki said. “It’s alright.” There was some silence, followed by a set of footsteps.

Young Sae started to cry again. “Mom! How could this happen?” She sniffled. “I’ll watch over Makoto. But that can't be everything! So for you mom, I’m going to be the best defense attorney the world has ever seen! So don’t you worry!”

“Huh?!” Ryuji wondered.

“Sis…?” a young Makoto asked. “Is everything alright?”

The sound of young Sae lifting young Makoto up filled the room, followed by young Sae saying “Everything will be fine. Because no matter what, I’ll always be there for you.”

The voices came to an end. “Huh,” Futaba reacted. “That was…something…”

“Yeah…” Lena added.

“But, um, what did she mean by becoming ‘the best defense attorney’?” Ryuji wondered.

“She’s a prosecutor, right?” Haru wondered.

“Well…” Makoto explained. “My mother was a defense attorney. And for a while, my sister wanted to be a defense attorney just like her.”

“What happened?” Jose asked.

“It's a little fuzzy, Makoto said, " but I think around the time my dad died, my sister wanted something a little more respectable and steady, since she also had to take care of me. She didn’t want anything weighing her down.”

“Well, I suspect that the existence of this palace proves that something is weighing her down,” Sumire said.

“I agree,” Makoto said. “Which is all the more reason to steal her treasure.”

There was a solemn silence before Ren instructed, “Let’s keep moving.” They all left, and kept pressing through the palace.

Soon, they came across another door that required the keycard. Once it was opened, “Ann rejoiced “Yay! It’s open!” They found themselves face to face with a vent.

Just outside the window were two tough looking guards. “Glad we don’t have to go through them,” Ryuji remarked.

“Being a thief has its advantages,” Morgana said. They all began sliding through the vent to get to the control room on the other side.

“Alright,” Futaba noted, “the terminal we need is just beyond there.”

“There seems to be someone guarding it,” Lena pointed out.

“Well, we can’t avoid every fight,” Morgana lamented. “Let’s make this quick.” The thieves ambushed the guard and took him out.

“BOOYAH!” Futaba called out. “Now it’s my time to shine!” She approached the terminal and began cracking. Once she finished, she presented two things. “First off, here’s a map of the building.”

Ren grabbed it. “Thanks.”

“But also…” Futaba hyped up. “Ta-da! A member’s card!”

“Good work, Oracle!” Yusuke congratulated.

“Thanks,” Futaba said. ��I didn’t know what name to give it, so I went with Taro Tanaka.”

“Um, isn’t that a bit obvious?” Ryuji wondered.

“Well, they know we’re here,” Jose pointed out.

“True,” Futaba said. “She is practically challenging us. Then again, better to be safe than sorry. Hold on.” Futaba got to work making another card. “OK, this one belongs to a Shinji Nakanomatsu. How’s that?”

“That works,” Ryuji said.

“Um, maybe we shouldn’t make too many,” Haru said. “They might get a little suspicious.”

“Good thinking,” Futaba said. “Noir! Take the Taro Tanaka card and get rid of it.”

“Huh?!” Haru wondered. “Why me?”

“Well, this kind of stuff usually falls on the newbie of the group.”

“Hey come on,” Ren said. “We’re all equals here.”

“It’s OK, Joker,” Haru said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Ren was a little surprised, but said “Well, if you’re OK with it.”

“Great!” Futaba said, handing over the Taro Tanaka card.

“Look!” Ann said, pointing out another airvent. “We can escape through here.”

“It’d be easier than going through that whole area again,” Lena pointed out.

“Well then, let’s go!” Sumire called out. “We’ve got an elevator to catch!” They all flowed through the air vent, and with a hop, skip, and a jump, they were back to the floor with the elevator.

Once there, Ren took out the card and said “So we just present this, and…”

The elevator dinged. “Member’s Card Accepted! Floor’s Accessible: The Ground Floor (current Location), The Member’s Suit.”

“Didn’t she say she wanted to meet us in The Exclusive Member’s Suit?” Jose wondered.

“I could only do so much,” Futaba said. “You couldn’t get an Exclusive Member’s card from the back terminal.”

“Still, we can move up,” Ryuji said. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

“Good point Skull!” Ann said. “We just gotta keep pushing forward!”

“Well then, let’s push,” Ren said. They got onto the elevator and headed up.

Once they got to the Member’s Suit, they walked off and saw Sae, Riko, director Ono, and Sae’s guards. “Sis?!” Makoto yelped.

“Hm hm,” Sae chuckled. “We didn’t expect you to get this far.”

Sae’s Shadow manifested itself. “But then again, you pesky thieves always seem to outmaneuver Us.”

“Oh great,” Ryuji remarked. “More of this.”

Jose stepped up. “Do you wish to fight us here and now?!” he declared.

Sae laughed. “Silly thieves. You aren’t worth Our time yet.”

“You need to PROVE yourselves!” Shadow Sae said. “Otherwise, We won’t have a show on our hands. And We wouldn’t want that.”

Sae turned to Riko. “How are renovations coming along?” “Renovations are complete on this floor,” Riko answered. “They should be complete on the other floor soon.”

“Excellent!” Sae said. She turned to Ono. “You!” She yanked on his leash. “Lick Our feet!” The director whimpered. He got on his knees and did what he was told. Sae turned back to the thieves. “Right now, you aren’t even worth THIS much.”

“WHAT?!” Ann yelped.

“However, if you manage to make it through Our gauntlets,” Shadow Sae said. “Then We’ll challenge you.”

“Hm,” Ren smirked. “You continuing to underestimate us will be your downfall.”

“Tch!” Sae sneered. “You may have gotten lucky before. But you’re on OUR turf now!”

Shadow Sae jumped in. “So think twice before making your silly declarations!”

Sae snapped, and in the blink of an eye, she and her pose were on the elevator. “We’ll see you around. If you’re strong enough!” The elevator went up.

“And she’s gone,” Yusuke said.

“She’s getting on my nerves!” Ann remarked.

“Tell me about it,” Ryuji agreed.

“Well, like it or not,” Morgana said, “and I personally vote ‘not’, she IS right. This is her palace, and by extension, her rules.”

“Well yeah,” Ryuji said, “but I don’t want to lick her feet.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to,” Sumire said. “So long as we prove ourselves.”

“But what does that mean?” Haru asked.

Jose looked over. “There’s a kiosk over there,” he noted. “Maybe they have an answer for us.”

“Well, I don’t think we have anything better to work with at the moment,” Ren said. They made their way over to the kiosk.

“Ah, greetings!” the kiosk manager said. “We’ve been expecting you!”

“You have?!” Makoto wondered.

“Indeed,” the manager said. “As appreciated guests, we will grant you 1,000 Fashion Points. You may earn more through our Fashion Gauntlets.”

“Sae did mention something about that,” Yusuke noted.

“What can we get with these Fashion Points?” Makoto wondered.

“Why many things,” the manager answered. “Our most coveted prize is an Exclusive Member’s Card for a reasonable 50,000 Fashion points.”

“FOR REAL?!” Ryuji called out.

“50,000 hardly seems ‘reasonable’,” Sumire pointed out.

“Well those are the rules,” the manager said. “Take it or leave it. We also offer a loan service where we can let you borrow points up to your total amount.”

“I don’t wanna mess with that,” Ryuji said. “It seems troublesome.”

“Only if you can’t manage to pay it back,” the manager said.

“So, what would you recommend?” Ren asked.

“Well, on this floor, we have the Accessory Room and the Attitude Room,” the manager said. “For beginners, I’d recommend the Accessory Room.”

“Thank you,” Ren said. Ren motioned her group to regroup away from the kiosk. “So, it seems like we should do the Accessory Room first.”

“Are you sure we should be following the lead of some weird, conjured kiosk guy?” Ryuji wondered.

“I don’t think brute forcing our way through this palace will get us anywhere,” Morgana noted.

“Besides, it seems like Sae wants to challenge us,” Sumire pointed out.

“So we just take the challenge?” Lena asked.

“Seems like it,” Jose said.

“Hold on,” Ren said. “While I believe that taking on these gauntlets is the easiest way to proceed, I don’t think it’ll be easy.”

“What do you mean?” Futaba asked.

“Joker’s right,” Makoto said. “My sister may have invited us to challenge her, but since this is her home turf, she has no intention of fighting fair.”

“Well lucky for us, neither do we,” Yusuke remarked.

“So…we just have to cheat our way through this place?” Jose wondered.

“It’s probably better than playing it straight,” Ryuji noted. “No offense, but I don’t know how I feel about an ‘Accessory Room’ or an ‘Attitude Room’.”

“Yeah,” Ann remarked. “I know this is a warped fashion show, but this seems like a little much.”

“Remember, it used to be a casino,” Morgana said. “Maybe it has some of its old trappings.”

“So, it’s still luck-based?” Sumire wondered.

“I guess fashion is to to some extent,” Ann said. “But I feel like there’s something else going on here.”

“Well we won’t know for sure until we keep exploring!” Futaba said. “Sometimes the only way out is through.”

“Indeed,” Yusuke agreed.

“So the plan is to investigate and cheat if possible,” Ren surmised. “Alright, let’s move out!” They nodded, and moved on over to the Accessory Room.

Before entering, they stopped by the sign. Futaba took the time to read it. “‘Accessory Room Rules: Enter one of the chambers and offer a minimum of 25 Fashion Points. The judge in the room will ask if you are going minimalist or showy with your accessories. You then roll three dice. If you roll a 9 or lower, your style will be minimalist. If you roll a 10 or higher, your style will be showy. If you match your style selection with the dice roll, the judge will reward you with twice as many Fashion Points. If you don’t match your style selection with the dice roll, the judge will keep the Fashion Points you offered. A roll of three sixes will win no matter what, and also offer three times the amount of Fashion Points.’”

“That seems like a load of BS!” Ryuji called out.

“Maybe,” Ann said. “But it feels real to an extent.”

“I agree,” Makoto said. “Women, especially in high power positions, have to adhere to certain standards. If you don’t accessorize enough, people will look down on you for ‘abandoning your femininity’. But if you accessorize too much, people will say you’re ‘gaudy’ or ‘trying too hard’.”

“Woah!” Ryuji reacted. “I had no idea.”

“Of course not,” Morgana said. “Us men don’t have to worry about that.”

“But that sucks!” Ryuji said.

“I will admit, it is a little difficult at times,” Ren interjected, “but I find it fun when you find JUST the right accessories and show it off.”

“TOTALLY!” Ann agreed. “When you find make-up that REALLY compliments you. There’s nothing like it!”

“Indeed,” Yusuke agreed. “Why, not too long ago, I found some really good blush that brought out my cheekbones REALLY nicely.”

“Wait, you do this stuff too?” Ryuji said.

“Only a little,” Yusuke said. “I don’t go all out or anything, but if it looks good on me, I’m willing to try something.”

“Actually, a good number of guys at Kosei use make-up and other accessories regularly,” Jose said. “Although, some of it is for the theater department.”

“Huh,” Ryuji pondered.

“You know, you should be a little more well-versed in this area, Skull,” Futaba teased. “You know, after your little stint in Shinjuku.”

“Oh yeah!” Haru giggled. “You looked so good in those pictures.”

“Hey!” Ryuji barked. “Those guys handled my outfits and stuff, while Joker did my makeup!”

“I guess that’s true,” Futaba said.

“Buuuuuut it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little bit,” Ann said. “I mean, if you come to one of my fashion shows, knowing a little something could be beneficial.”

“Well…” Ryuji said. “Maybe… But only if I don’t have to get into it!”

“Deal!” Ann said.

“Anyways!” Makoto said. “It seems like this is probably rigged.”

“Or left up to chance at best,” Lena said.

“So we have to figure out a way to tip the scales in our favor!” Makoto continued.

“Lucky for us, that’s our specialty,” Ren said. “Let’s have a look around.” The team moved out through the area.

On one end, Haru reported “I found a door to a back area. But it is locked, and there’s no way to open it from this side.”

On the other end, Jose said “I found a vent! Perhaps we can sneak in this way.”

“Good finding, Sunshine!” Ren called out. “It seems like no one’s watching, so we can go!” One by one, they funneled through the vent, and found themselves in the back room.

“Alright!” Ryuji cheered. “Now all we gotta do is find some way to rig the game!”

Makoto nodded. “Let’s go!” They made their way through the back room of the Accessory Room.

After some trekking, they managed to make it to the room behind the chambers. “So, this is it: the belly of the beast!” Yusuke remarked.

“Hang on!” Lena observed. “Look!”

She pointed out the shadow behind the scenes. “They think they’re going to stylize just right. NOW! Take it all from them!”

“So they really are cheating,” Futaba muttered.

“Sis…” Makoto said, worried.

“Well, now that we’re here,” Ren instructed, “we can turn the tables. Right, Oracle?”

Futaba nodded. “Should be easy enough.”

“But first,” Sumire said, “we have to deal with the current cheaters!”

Ren nodded. “MOVE!” They rushed the shadow behind the cheating. With the successful ambush, they managed to take out the shadow relatively easily.

“Alright!” Ann shouted.

Ren looked at the console. “Oracle? Would you like to do the honors?”

“Heh heh heh! With pleasure!” Oracle said. She began hacking the console. Once she finished, she turned to the others and said, “OK! I thought it’d be weird to rig all of the games, so I only rigged one of them, and the rest of them have the normal odds. I went ahead and marked the room on the map for us.”

“Good thinking,” Makoto said. “If sis finds out, she’d probably send everyone to deal with us. And we couldn’t handle that.”

“Well, since we know which one will be helpful to us,” Morgana said. “Let’s play the game!” They nodded, and left.

At the end of the hallways, Haru found a locked door. “Oh! I think this is the door I noticed on the other side. And look! There’s a keycard reader!” Ren nodded, and opened the door. They were back in the Accessory Room front area.

They made their way to their own personal cheating chamber. “Alright, let’s see how this goes,” Ren said. She went up to play.

“Good evening,” the judge said. “How many Fashion Points are you putting on the line today?”

“1,000,” Ren answered.

There were audible gasps. “Heh heh,” the judge said. “Somebody’s confident. No matter, I’m always willing to serve some humble pie. Now tell me, how do you plan on stylizing today?”

“Let’s go flashy!�� Ren said.

“Bold in every sense of the word, I see,” the judge said. “Let’s see if you’re bold enough.” The dice rolled. It landed on triple six. “Urgh! I don’t believe it!”

Ren chuckled. “My winnings?”

“Er, of course madame,” the judge said. Ren’s Fashion Points now accumulated to 3,000.

“Good,” Ren said. “Now again.”

“You think you’ll get lucky twice in a row?!” the judge said. “There’s bold, and then there's foolhardy!”

“Are you saying no?” Ren intimidated.

“Er, of course not!” the judge said. “Still flashy?”

“You know it,” Ren said.

“Very well,” the judge said. The dice rolled. Triple six again. Ren’s Fashion Points now were at 9,000. “I don’t believe it…”

Ren giggled. “Well, you take care now.”

“Er, yes,” the judge said. The thieves left.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” Ryuji whispered.

“I think we need to keep looking around,” Ren said. “If we wanted to just get through the palace, maybe, but our aim is a little more than that.”

“Right,” Ryuji siad. “Let’s move on to the, ummm, Attitude Room, I guess.”

“I am unsure of how this will work,” Yusuke said.

“”Yeah,” Lena said. “What do you think it means?”

“I think it’d be better if we just go,” Ann said. “It’s not worth it to just stand around speculating.” The others nodded, and they headed out.

Once they got to the door to the Attitude Room, Futaba read the sign. “‘Attitude Room Rules: Approach an Attitude Machine, insert the required Fashion Points, and pull the lever. If you get three matching moods, you win. If you don’t get three matching moods, you lose. Rewards are dependent on what mood you get.”

“The Hell?!” Ryuji said. “This is JUST a slot machine! And what do they mean about having ‘matching moods’?”

“Well,” Makoto jumped in, “women are sometimes considered moody by their male peers. If they display different moods throughout the day, it looks bad on them. I guess this is a reflection of that?”

“But if this is how women are treated,” Lena wondered, “why is Sae subjecting us to it?”

“I imagine that she’s been subject to it on too many occasions to count,” Makoto lamented.

“Oh…” Lena said.

“But also,” Futaba interrupted, “maybe this has to do with her ‘New World Order’. Maybe once she’s in charge, she’ll subject men to this kind of treatment.”

“Hmmm,” Yusuke pondered. “I think that’s a fair assessment. I mean, you’ve seen how she views the director now.”

“Right…” Makoto said.

Ryuji and Morgana jolted. “Umm, I don’t wanna do that…” Ryuji said, nervously.

“Y-Yeah!” Morgana said. “Let’s save Sae!”

“Oh brother…” Futaba whined.

Haru giggled. “Don’t worry your pretty little heads. Everything will be fine.”

“Thanks…” Ryuji said.

“Anyways, we should get going,” Ren said. They entered.

Once inside, they saw a bunch of “Attitude Machines”. “So, do we just play them?” Ann wondered.

Ren shook her head. “They’re probably rigged too. Besides, if we were guided to the Accessory Room first, there’s probably something juicier than these in here.”

“Good thinking,” Sumire said.

Ren nodded. “Let’s explore the area a little.” The thieves nodded, and went about searching the area.

At the end, they spotted a door. “Hmm,” Jose pondered. He walked up to it and tried opening it. “It’s locked.”

“Well, there’s probably another way in,” Morgana surmised.

Jose nodded. “Maybe another air vent somewhere.”

“Let’s look for one,” Ann suggested. They went back and found one on top of one of the walls. They snuck through, and found themselves in more back rooms.

“Well, here we are again,” Ryuji remarked.

“Third verse, same as the first,” Lena added.

“Well, let’s not just stand around,” Ren instructed. “Let’s move!” The thieves moved through the back rooms with ease.

As they were going through, Morgana noticed something. “Hm? I think the second Will Seed is around here somewhere.”

Ren nodded. “Let’s keep an eye out.” They searched around, and soon found it. They entered.

“I wonder what we’ll see next,” Jose pontificated.

“I don’t know,” Lena said. “But I doubt it’ll be as heavy as last time.”

“We can only hope,” Yusuke said. “But I don’t assume it’s anything good.”

“Well, we still have to face the music anyways,” Makoto said. “Right Joker?”

“Right,” Ren replied. She went up and grabbed it.

“Hello there,” the director’s voice rang out.

“The director?” Futaba said.

Sae’s voice picked up. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“Isn’t that her boss?” Haru wondered.

“Maybe this was from before,” Yusuke rationalized.

“You must be Sae Niijima,” the director said. “My name is Hiroto Ono. I’m the director of the Special Investigations Unit at the prosecutor’s office, and a friend of your professor’s. He’s told me quite a lot about you.”

“What does it concern you?” Sae mouthed back. “I’m studying to become a defense attorney.”

“Of course, of course,” Ono said. “I’m familiar with your mother as well. Why, I’ve fought her court more times than I can count. … I’m…sorry for your loss.”

“It’s fine,” Sae said.

“But back to my original point,” Ono said. “While it is true that you are studying to become a defense attorney, it might be beneficial to work in the prosecutor’s office for a little while.”

“Why do you say that?” Sae asked.

“Come on!” Ono retorted. “I know you’re no fool. You know that prosecutors have a 99% success rate in this country.”

“Is that true?” Ryuji wondered.

Makoto nodded. “It is very stacked in the favor of the police and prosecution.”

“But that doesn’t seem fair!” Ann protested.

“It’s not,” Makoto said. “But sis has told me she wanted to remedy that.”

“Still…” Ann said.

“Your point?” Sae’s voice continued.

“Well, I’m just saying,” Ono replied, “you might not get a foothold in if the odds are stacked against you. It’d be worth it to establish yourself a bit beforehand to help show confidence. Not to mention it’s a little more secure than just starting off as a defense attorney.”

“What’s in it for you?” Sae wondered.

“Hm,” the director grinned. “I know just how talented you are. I don’t want a mind like yours to be wasted, whether it’s playing for my team, or the enemy.”

“So, you consider defense attorneys to be the enemy,” Sae sniped.

“It’s a playful rivalry,” Ono said. “Here. This is my card. I don’t need an answer right away, but I’d like to hear from you.”

“Thanks,” Sae said.

“Well, so long,” Ono said. “Oh, and good luck on your test.”

There was a long silence before Sae went “Hmmmmmmmmmm.”

The voices ended there. “Well, it wasn’t as heavy…” Yusuke said.

“But I don’t feel good after listening to that,” Lena finished.

“So, the director wanted to bring her in,” Makoto said.

“You didn’t know?” Morgana said.

“Well…” Makoto said. “I don’t know all the specifics. But I know that she and the director began talking when she was in college.”

“So, that was her in college then,” Jose said.

“I believe so,” Makoto said. “From what I know, she decided to go along with it, but assured us that it was only temporary.”

“‘Us’?” Ryuji wondered. “Has Sae’s Shadow form infected you too?”

“No!” Makoto said, angrily. “I meant…me and my dad.”

“Ah,” Ryuji said. “Yeah, that makes more sense.”

“But she’s still a prosecutor,” Sumire remarked.

“Again, that’s because of my father’s death,” Makoto said. “Like I said, keeping this job was more secure for her after his passing. Not to mention taking care of me.”

“Queen…” Haru said, mournfully.

“Well, it seems like this whole thing is taking its toll on her,” Morgana said. “So we gotta free her from her chains!”

“Hm,” Ren smirked. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. Let’s keep moving.” The thieves nodded, and moved on.

They soon found a strange terminal. “Oh hey!” Ryuji said. “Can you crack this Oracle?”

“I’ll take a look,” Futaba said. “Hmmmm.”

“What is it?” Jose asked.

“It looks like,” Futaba began, “this is part of a network. It’s not on right now, but it seems connected to a greater system. I think if I can activate it, I can make the necessary arrangements.”

“But we need to activate it first…” Ann said.

“Correct,” Futaba replied.

“Let’s keep this area in mind for now and keep going,” Ren said. The thieves moved on.

They soon found another air vent that let them out in a room with a giant “Attitude Machine.” “Woah!” Ryuji said. “THAT’S a big machine!”

Lena was surprised. “It costs 5,000 Fashion Points to just play it?!”

“Yeah, but look!” Jose assured her. “If we win the jackpot, we get 50,000 Fashion Points!”

“IF we win,” Makoto said.

“Well, let’s see if we can’t crack this,” Ren said. The thieves began their search.

They soon found a terminal on the side of the machine. “Alrighty then!” Futaba said. She began cracking. “Hmmmm. Ah! I see!”

“What is it?” Yusuke wondered.

“THIS is the main terminal,” Futaba said. “From here, I can activate the other terminals.”

“And from there, you can hack this machine?” Makoto wondered

“Precisely!” Futaba answered.

“I take it the one we found in the back room is one of them,” Sumire said.

“Correct!” Futaba said. “The other one is at the front of the Attitude Room.”

“Well then, let’s activate those terminals,” Ren instructed. They decided to head back to the front first.

On their way, they found the locked door Jose tried to open. “Huh,” Jose remarked. Ren unlocked the door. “How peculiar.”

“Well, I guess they don’t let just anyone back here,” Makoto said.

“True,” Yusuke said. “Even if it is rigged, the chance at that many Fashion Points is too much to just give away.” They kept moving.

They found the terminal at the front. “How’d we miss this?” Ryuji wondered.

“I assume it’s designed to blend in,” Makoto said. “We were so taken in with what this room is that we didn’t notice it.”

“Well now that it’s here, it’s mine!” Futaba said. She began hacking. “Alright! This terminal is under my control!”

“Now time for the other one!” Sumire cheered. They made their way back into the back rooms and found the other terminal.

“Alright!” Futaba said. She hacked away. “BOOYAH! Both terminals are now mine!”

“So, what now?” Lena asked. “Do we just spin and win?”

“Not quite…” Futaba admitted. Everyone was confused. “I could only get the giant ‘Attitude Machine’ to be 8:2 odds of paying out,” she admitted.

“So, it’s just left up to luck?” Makoto said.

“Well, the odds are in our favor,” Sumire said. “All we need now is just a little faith.”

Ren nodded. “Let’s head over to the machine now and press our luck.”

“Maybe don’t phrase it like that,” Morgana said. Regardless, the thieves moved out.

Once they got there, the thieves stood and stared at the machine. “Do we pull it?” Lena wondered.

“We have no other option,” Sumire said. “Joker?” She gave Ren a peck on the cheek. “You do the honors.”

Ren nodded. “Thanks for the luck, sweetie.” Ren inserted 5,000 of her Fashion Points and spun the machine. The first slot landed on a 7, with the word “Themselves” inside. “Huh?” Ann wondered.

“I guess the ability to ‘be themselves’ is the jackpot,” Makoto said.

“That’s…depressing…” Ryuji said.

The second 7 came up. “Could it be?” Yusuke wondered.

The third 7 arrived. “WE DID IT!” Lena cheered. The noise rang through the Attitude Room.

Ren smiled. “Well, it seems like if we stay here longer, we may get caught.”

Morgana nodded. “We have enough. Let’s move.” The thieves all left the Attitude Room, and gathered in the lobby of the Member’s Suit.

Ren approached the kiosk. “Hello there.”

“Hello,” the manager said.

“We’d like an Exclusive Member’s card,” Ren said.

“Do you have the Fashion Points?” the manager asked.

“Certainly,” Ren said, presenting her card.

The manager looked it over. “Very well then.” He got out a card. “Here you are.”

“Thank you,” Ren said, with a smile. She turned to her team. “Let’s move.” They started making their way to the elevator, only to see a powerful shadow sanding in their way.

Over the speakers, they heard Sae say “My my my. You really are a tricksy bunch.”

“But still,” Shadow Sae remarked, “you’re no match for Us!”

Ren grew determined. “Is this part of your ‘test’ too?!” she asked.

“Hm hm hm,” Sae chuckled. “You’re more clever than I first thought.”

“Heh heh heh heh,” Shadow Sae said. “Cheat as much as you want! But when faced with a real opponent, you can’t afford to back down!”

Makoto steeled herself. “Why are you doing this?!” she called out.

“Why?” Sae answered. “WHY?! Because once you VERMIN are dealt with, We can FINALLY make the changes this godforsaken country NEEDS!”

“We want that too!” Makoto pleaded. “We can help if you just listen to us!”

“THAT’S NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE!” Sae snapped.

“Yeah,” Shadow Sae agreed. “If you want to prove yourselves to Us, go ahead! But We won’t listen to you miscreants until then!”

“Sis…” Makoto saint, resigning herself. She took a deep breath. “Well, if it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight YOU’LL GET! BRING IT ON!” The thieves challenged the shadow. Despite the shadow’s overwhelming power, the thieves managed to win the fight.

“Damn Queen,” Futaba remarked. “Are you doing OK?”

“I’m fine,” Makoto said. She sighed. “Well, as fine as I can be.”

Haru placed her hand on Makoto’s shoulder. “I know it’s difficult.”

“Noir…” Makoto said. She sighed again. “Thanks.”

“Well, now that that’s sorted,” Ren said, “let’s move on up.” The thieves nodded, and made their way to the elevator.

Ren presented the Exclusive Member’s Card. “Exclusive Member’s Card Accepted. Floors Accessible: Ground Floor. Member’s Suit (current floor). Exclusive Member’s Suit.”

“I don’t suppose that even when we get up there, we’ll just get to meet with Sae,” Yusuke remarked.

“I don’t think so either,” Makoto said.

“Well then, we just gotta work our magic again, I suppose,” Sumire said.

“But what kind of trapping will we find in the Exclusive Member’s Suit?” Lena said.

“No use in speculating,” Ren said. “Let’s just move on up.” They got in the elevator and rode up to the Exclusive Member’s Suit.

Once there, Ren and company noticed a big wall and an attendant. “Welcome to the Exclusive Member’s Suit,” the attendant said. “Do you have a reservation?”

Ren was confused. “Well then,” Makoto said. “Let’s go.” She started walking.

“Wait!” Ren called out, grabbing her arm.

Then, something very peculiar happened. Makoto turned back, but she was phasing through the attendant. “What?”

Everyone else was freaked out. “WHAT IS THAT?!” Ryuji yelped.

“Is something the matter?” Masked.

“Um, Queen?” Futaba asked. “Do you see a giant door?”

“No?” Makoto said. “Do you?” Everyone nodded. “Huh.”

“You, um, also,” Morgana said, “kind of…in…someone…”

“What?!” Makoto yelped.

Ren pulled her away. “So, we see someone guarding a giant door. But not only do you not see it, it doesn’t even seem to register for you.”

“How very odd,” Yusuke said.

“Why do you suppose that is?” Jose asked.

“Hmmm,” Morgana wondered. “I think it has something to do with Sae’s cognition.This must be a part of the real world we don’t have access to, but should.”

“And also,” Haru continued, “a part of the world where Queen DOES have access to.”

“Right…” Lena said. “But what fits the bill here?”

“Well, we know this place is a courthouse,” Ren said, thinking aloud.

“That’s it!” Makoto said. “This area must represent the courtroom itself! I’ve watched my sister work before, but I don’t think anyone else has been in the courtroom.”

“So, we just gotta watch a court case?” Ryuji said.

“I guess so,” Futaba said.

“Not only that,” Morgana pointed out. “We’ve gotta watch a trial Sae is running. SHE needs to see us there.”

“Oh yeah…” Ryuji said.

“Maybe we can ask Secretary when her next trial will be,” Sumire said. “If we’re lucky, we can catch it.”

“Hm hm. Excellent idea Violet,” Haru said.

“Plus, you can compare notes, Oracle,” Ren said.

“Right,” Futaba nodded.

“So, for now, we gotta head out,” Makoto said, “and come back in once we’ve seen a trial.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lena said.

“Well then, let’s go,” Ren said. They headed back down the elevator.

On their way down, Haru wondered. “Hmmmm.”

“What’s wrong, Noir?” Lena asked.

“I’m just curious,” Haru answered. “We only saw two of the Will Seeds. I wonder what else lies in store.”

“Oh,” Lena said.

“Do you have any idea, Queen?” Morgana said.

“I imagine it has something to do with my father’s death,” Makoto said. “But I don’t think I can give specifics.”

“Sorry,” Morgana pouted.

“You’re fine,” Makoto said.

“Well, that’s just another mystery we’ll have to unravel,” Ren said. “For now, let’s rest up, and prepare for what’s to come.” With one last group nod, the thieves left the Fashion Show, and headed out into the real world.

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