Chapter Text
The next day, Makoto was called into Principal Kobayakawa’s office. “You wanted to see me sir?”
“Ah, Niijima-san,” Kobayakawa said. “I just wanted to apologize for yesterday.”
“Apologize?” Makoto wondered.
“Yes,” Kobayakawa insisted. “I got a little too heated, and I feel the need to clear the air.”
“I see,” Makoto responded, wondering what this conversation was going to turn into.
“Of course you know I want nothing but the best for these students,” Kobayakawa siad. “I didn’t mean to insinuate that I dislike the Phantom Thieves because they exposed Mr. Kamoshida. I’m just worried. They might think that honest, hard-working people, such as myself, might be a target for their changes of heart. All because I didn’t know about the heinous actions being taken by Mr. Kamoshida. And if they think I might be an acceptable target, who knows who else might fall under that?”
“I see,” Makoto said. “So, your worry is similar to that of Akechi-san’s, right?’
“Why yes,” Kobayakawa said. “That boy sure is smart.”
“Smart enough not to go to school here, apparently” Makoto whispered under her breath.
“Did you say something?” Kobayakawa said.
“Oh” Makoto said, a little embarrassed. She decided to play it off. “It’s nothing. Akechi-san just works with my sister a lot. I feel like I’m a bit jealous because he gets to see her more than I do these days.”
“Why, that’s nothing to feel ashamed about,” Kobayakawa informed her. “I’m sure you’ll be just as successful as your sister once I write you that letter.”
“Oh, right…” Makoto said.
“So, I’m sorry I put all that pressure on you,” Kobayakawa apologized.
“But you still want me to find the Phantom Thieves?” Makoto asked.
Kobayakawa nodded. “I understand, go at your own pace, but I would appreciate it. And so will you.”
“Hm. Thank you” Makoto said. She walked out.
“I knew she’d see it my way,” Kobayakawa said, once he was alone.
Makoto, outside of the office, sighed. “I used to think you were that honest, hard-working person you claim to be. I kind of wish you still were…” She walked off to class.
At lunch, the Phantom Thieves group chat went off again.
Ryuji: Yo. I was just thinking.
Ryuji: While we might be able to look for a new big target, we could do some Mementos missions if we have any.
Yusuke: Isn’t that the opposite of laying low?
Ren: We might as well.
Ren: I wanted to meet up today anyway.
Sumire: Why’s that?
Ren: Something happened last night, and I wanted to talk about that.
Yusuke: Very well then.
Yusuke: The usual place?
Ann: Yeah.
Jose: OK.
Jose: See you after school.
They put their phones away and turned their attention back to class.
After school, Ren and Ann were heading out when Ann’s phone rang. “Oh, sorry. That’s my agent, I gotta take this quick. You go on ahead, I’ll meet you all there.” Ren nodded as Ann walked off to take the call.
Before Ren could continue walking, she came face to face with Makoto. “Ah. Nice to see you, Amamiya-chan.”
Ren was caught a bit off guard. “Likewise” she responded.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to talk with you, is that OK?” Makoto asked.
“Uh, sure” Ren said, feeling unsure about what was happening. “I was going to meet up with some friends. Mind if I tell them I’m going to be a bit late?”
“That’s OK,” Makoto said.
Ren got out her phone and sent the message. “OK.”
“Great. Now, if you don’t mind, could you follow me to the student council room?” Makoto asked.
“OK” Ren said again, still a tad nervous. The two started heading to the student council room.
Morgana opened the bag just a crack. “You don’t think she’s onto us, do you?” he whispered.
“Well, she might be if she hears you” Ren whispered back.
“All she’d hear would be meowing,” Morgana said.
“That’s also a problem!” Ren fired back.
“Are you alright?” Makoto asked.
Ren seemed a little flustered. “Fine.” Makoto seemed curious, but decided to not push it right now. She nodded and continued on. Ren sighed and continued following her. Once the two of them entered the student council office, they sat down across from each other. “Is it just you today?”
“Yes,” Makoto answered.
“You...know I already talked to someone about Mr. Kamoshida, right?” Ren continued.
“Of course,” Makoto said. “I was the one that orchestrated all of that.”
“So, why am I here?” Ren asked.
Makoto kept calm. “I called you here because I want something, and I believe you can give it to me. You, and your friends.”
“Oh?” Ren said, matching her calm demeanor.”And what would that be?”
“Hm. I’d like you and your friends to change someone’s heart” Makoto requested.
“I see,” Ren replied.
“She DOES know,” Whispered Morgana.
Ren decided to not let that remark bother her. “Well, I know I did well on the show with Akechi, but I can’t be expected to be able to convince everyone of whatever you need. After all, I couldn’t even convince Akechi in the end.”
Makoto smiled. “Resilient to the end. I like that in a leader. I guess I have to say it to get you to move. I’m making a request to the Phantom Thieves to change someone’s heart.”
“Crap!” Morgana muttered.
“Well, there’s the Phan-site,” Ren pointed out. “You can use that.”
“Why would I?” Makoto asked. “I’m speaking to their leader right now.”
“That’s a big accusation” Ren stated. “What makes you think that?”
“Well, I could list off all the circumstantial evidence I have,” Makoto began, “but I’m willing to bet that one way or another, you’ll deny it or obfuscate. I’d do the same in your shoes.” She brought out her phone. “So, let’s go to the hard evidence.”
Makoto pressed play. On the phone Ryuji can be heard saying “we busted our asses as the Phantom Thieves to get him to confess!”
“Ryuji…” Morgana whined.
Ren’s face was beat red, and looking down. “So, I assume this is enough then?” Makoto asked.
Ren looked up, smiling. “How do I know that isn’t doctored?”
Just then, Ren’s phone rang. “It’s OK, you can answer it.”
Ren did, worried. Of course, Ryuji was on the other end, and of course he was loud. “Yo, Ann just got here. All we’re waiting on is for you, leader! C’mon! Let’s get to some Phantom Thieving!”
Ren looked defeated. “Are you going to tell me that was doctored too?” Makoto asked, shrewdly.
Ren sighed. “I’ll be over in a few. But there’s a bit of a change in plans. Also, next time we get ramen, you’re paying.”
“Huh? Why?” Ryuji asked.
“You’ll understand as soon as I get there,” Ren replied.
“Um, OK?” Ryuji said back, sensing something was a bit amiss. “...Well, seeya then.”
Ren hung up. “Ugh.”
Makoto chuckled. “Don’t worry, I know how hard it can be to lead something.”
“Thanks” Ren snarked back. She sighed. “Though I doubt you actually have any ill intent towards us.”
“How do you figure?” Makoto asked.
“Because you came to us,” Ren answered. “You could have turned us into the police or something with something like that.”
Makoto was blindsided by Ren's deductive reasoning. “Yes, well, I am my own person, with my own opinions at the end of the day.”
Ren nodded. “Well, we should get going. We don’t want them to wait for the surprise.”
Makoto laughed. “You’re more relaxed about all this than I thought you’d be.”
“Eh, it’s something I’ve gotten used to,” Ren admitted. The two of them headed out.
The rest of the thieves were waiting. “Where is she?” Ryuji wondered.
“Hey everyone” Ren said, slightly nervously.
“Oh Hey Reeeeeeeee…” Ryuji said, as the thieves looked up to see that Makoto was also with her. “What’s she doing here?”
“I don’t know Ryuji, what IS she doing here?” Ren snapped back.
Makoto took out her phone and pressed play again. “we busted our asses as the Phantom Thieves to get him to confess!”
The thieves were surprised. “Ryuji…” Ann said, exacerbated.
“Oh…” Ryuji said, feeling guilty.
“That’s why you’re paying for our next ramen outing,” Ren said. “And don’t think I’m going to go light.”
Ryuji’s face went pale. “I’m...sorry…”
“So what are you going to do?” Ann sniped. “Take this to the principal.”
“Um, why would she be talking to us if she was going to do that?” Sumire asked.
“Sumire brings up a good point,” Yusuke said.
“She wants us to change someone’s heart,” Ren explained.
“Oh…” Ann said, now a bit embarrassed.
“Well, we’re willing to help,” Jose said. “Do you know who?”
“A mob boss,” Makoto said succinctly. The thieves were shocked. “You can do it, can’t you?”
“Of course we can,” Ryuji fired back.
“How are you acting so high and mighty now?” Morgan wondered.
Before Ryuji could angrily retort to the cat that Makoto doesn’t know can talk, Ann said “We’re going to need some more information. Like a name for instance.”
“Oh” Makoto said, taken slightly aback. “Well, we’re not sure yet. Maybe you can help with the investigation?”
“What?!” Ryuji said.
“Need I remind you what I have recorded?” Makoto angrily replied.
“No!” Ryuji whimpered.
“We’ll gladly help,” Sumire said with a smile.
“Excellent,” Makoto said.
Ren turned to Makoto. “So, what information do you have so far?”
“Well, not a whole lot,” Makoto admitted. “But they’ve been scamming school kids left and right. Not just at our school either. But we’ve received multiple complaints, and as student council president, I would like to put a stop to this.”
“I see,” Ren said, impressed with her spirit. “Well, we’ll join this fight.”
“And if you’re successful, I won’t release this audio,” Makoto said.
“Hm. Sounds like we have a deal” Ren said.
“Quite” Makoto agreed.
“Now, uh, if you’d excuse us, we’d like to discuss this as a team” Ren said.
“Oh!” Makoto said, surprised. “Of course.” She bowed. “Have a good day.” She walked off. Once she was far enough away, she sighed. “I guess they don’t fully trust me yet…” She continued walking.
Once Makoto was fully gone, Ann smacked Ryuji across the head. “Ryuji!”
“Ow! Sorry!” Ryuji said.
“No, I should apologize,” Ren said. “I should have known something was up.”
“Come now, it’s no one's fault,” Yusuke said.
“Besides, if we change this guy’s heart, then everything will be OK” Jose chimed in.
Ann groaned. “I guess…”
Ryuji similarly groaned. “I’m sorry…” he muttered again.
“So then, what’s the game plan?” Sumire asked.
“Well, we’d have to figure out who this mob boss is,” Ren pointed out.
“Do you think anyone knows in Mementos?” Ryuji asked.
“Even if they did, I might advise against it,” Morgana said. “That Makoto person seems keen to keep an eye on us. If we were to go through Mementos, we might have to explain more than she already knows.”
“I guess you gotta point there” Ryuji sighed.
“Still, you shouldn’t underestimate what you can get from this world,” Jose said.
“Jose and I will ask around Kosei to see if anything has come up there,” Yusuke explained. Jose nodded.
“We can ask around Shujin,” Sumire added. “And I can see what I can get at practice.”
Ren looked at her bag. “You wanna see if you can get anything tonight Morgana?” Ren asked.
Morgana popped out fully. “Well, I guess there’s no harm in trying.
“Great, so it seems like we have a plan then,” Ryuji said. “I guess all that’s left is to execute it.”
“Wait!” Ann said. She turned to face Ren. “What happened last night?”
Ren was surprised. “Oh, right. I did say I wanted to discuss it.” She proceeded to explain her meeting.
“Woah!” Ann said.
“Grah!” Ryuji said. “Usin’ people like that. Pisses me off!”
“Why didn’t you tell me last night?” Morgana wondered.
“Well, I figured it was best for the group,” Ren answered.
“Why should we believe her when she says that she hasn’t corrupted anyone?” Ryuji asked.
Ren sighed. “I believe it because lying about this isn’t Eris’s style.”
“But she’s all about chaos, isn’t she?” Jose wondered.
“Yeah, but her brand of chaos is obvious,” Ren explained. “She wants people to see what she’s wrought. She’d tell me to watch me squirm as I couldn’t do anything rather than lie, because if the truth is chaotic enough, it might make me think about joining her team.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Ann said.
“Still, it sounds as if Eris herself has the same resentment toward the people with palaces and such,” Yusuke noted.
“Yeah, I get that feeling too,” Ren said. “But she’s not doing all too good a job at endearing me to her side either. Her end goal might be similar to ours, we both want to expose the evils of society, but I cannot condone the way she’s doing it.”
“Well said,” Jose replied.
Sumire looked at her feet. Ren noticed this. “Sumire?”
“Huh?” she said, looking up. “Oh, sorry. It’s just… I’m wondering if I would have been someone Eris targeted… Or if I’d have a palace myself…”
“Sumire…” Ren said, gently.
“I was in a really bad place until recently,” Sumie said, tears starting to form. “Just the thought of one false move, and I’d be your enemy. I’d hate that.”
The thieves were stunned silent for a minute. “Hey” Ren said, walking over and lifting Sumire’s head up. “We’ve all had our share of bad days.”
“Yeah” Ann said. “And besides, who says we only fight people we dislike? I mean, I fought my best friend.”
“And I fought a fellow student, as well as someone I respected,” Yusuke added. “And once the battle was over, we respected each other again.”
“Yeah” Ryuji said. “Friends don’t have to agree on everything all the time. But if you’re still friends at the end of it, everything’ll be fine.”
“Even though I’m not all too well-versed with humanity yet, I can still see the power friends like these have” Jose said. “And as long as you have us, you don’t have to worry.”
“Yeah!” Morgana laughed. “If you need to talk to any of us, just let us know.”
Sumire smiled. “Thanks guys.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I guess I’m a little more nervous than I thought. I have a big gymnastics meet coming up, and I think it’s starting to get to me.”
“Really?” Ren said. “Are you up for it?”
Sumire giggled. “Coach thought the same thing. She said she could get me out of this one if I needed it.” Sumire grew determined. “But I feel like I'll be ready for it.”
“Well then, looks like we’re going to need to clear our schedules” Ren said.
“Huh?” Sumire said.
“If we’re going to cheer you on, we’ve gotta show up,” Ren said.
“Oh, um,” Sumire started getting flustered. “You don’t have to.”
“Nope. We’re not taking ‘no’ for an answer” Ann said.
“Yeah! If it’s important to you, it’s important to us” Ryuji said.
Sumire started crying again, this time with tears of joy. “Thank you everyone.” She checked her phone. “Goodness, it’s getting a bit late. We should get going soon.”
Ren chuckled. “Yeah, alright.” The thieves left their hideout and headed home for the evening. Just as Eris said, trouble came knocking, but they knew that together, they could overcome it.