Part 147: 11/8-11/9: I Am Become Goku
Part 139: 11/8-11/9: I Am Become Goku
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Anon: Akechi-kun, save us!
Anon: stop shitposting lol
Music: Suspicion
What are your plans after school? Our deadline is approaching. Why don’t we go to the Palace today? 
God, everyone’s on my case about this Palace shit just because we’re all going to jail if we don’t do it. Relaaaaaaaaax.
I see. I won’t press you… However, our opponent is serious too. We have to do something. We can’t fail this no matter what. Please bear that in mind. 
*nods*Music: So Boring
What? You’re asking if the Phantom Thieves would be given a trial if they get caught? Of course they would. All they would need to do is prove a link between the deaths and their activities. In short, they would be put on trial for murder. Hey, Hamiru. Do you know what age you have to be in order to listen in on a trial? 
That’s right. There’s no age restriction to watch trials. They’re open to the public, save for juvenile crimes. In other words, you can go see one yourselves. Well, I imagine the visitors seats will be full if the Phantom Thieves were put to trial. Everyone is dying to know who exactly the culprits are and how they did it. Maaku gains Knowledge +1.
However, their method and how it connects to the murder must be proven in order to sentence them. The methods the Phantom Thieves use far exceed human knowledge. I’d imagine in order to prove it, they’d have to catch them in the act. Hmm… 
……Music: Tokyo Daylight
First thing we’re going to do today is
Iwai isn’t ready.
At a time like this…? I guess if that’s really what you want to do… Is this a part of your grand strategy? 
Hm. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take things a little slower. Um, I need some help with a matter involving Eiko. Are you free? 
Thank you. It’ll be nice to have you with me. Um, I want to dig up some dirt regarding Eiko’s boyfriend Tsukasa before we confront her about him. I was thinking of asking around the red-light district for info. Shall we head over there? 
However, we’ll need solid proof of what he’s doing if we’re going to convince Eiko. I believe some of the promoters around here may know something. As my father always said, finding evidence takes serious legwork. So, this is a unique event among this game’s Confidants, where we have to actually walk around with our partner and talk to NPCs. It’s brief, but there’s nothing else like this in the game, so it’s worth pointing out.
Tch… You wanna sabotage our business? I’d gladly talk some more out back if you want. W-We should get out of here… I think it would be better if we asked someone else… 
Wait… are you high schoolers? 
Heh, what a good joke. You’re exactly the kind of person we like. Come right this way. 
Tsukasa? Ohhh, is he a host or something? Sorry, but I’d never promote for a host club. Are you pranking me? Come on, I can’t talk to you forever. You understand? ...I take it he doesn’t know anything. We should try to look elsewhere. 
For you, the glasses discount, the curly hair discount, the slouch discount, the couples discount… 
Tsukasa? Sorry, we don’t have a Tsukasa discount. Mannn, it took a ton of effort to answer your question. You’ll come to my club to make up for it, right? C’monnn, you’ll get tons of discounts! Don’t follow him! We need to work! ...I’m a little worried though. I wonder if anyone actually has info… 
...You have money though? You seem like a poor young kid.I have like 600k on me, shithead.
Tsukasa? You bastard… You a friend of his!? 
He’s usin’ the sake bottle trick…? Lemme make it clear for you: Get that girl outta there. Tsukasa’s known for wreckin’ lives. He “breaks a sake bottle,” then ends up sellin’ the girls to pay it back. Same thing happened to one of my friends… Dammit! We have proof now. ...Come on, it’s almost time for Eiko’s shift to end. Let’s wait for her in front of the shop. Music: Suspicion
If her shift was about to end, why did she walk in from the right side of the screen instead of from the actual building?
Eiko… Your “boyfriend” is infamous around here for tricking girls into debt, then forcing them to sell themselves. Moreover, he’s probably doing it in conjunction with a criminal gang. You need to get out of there. 
...You seriously came all the way here to tell me that? Ugh, get out of here, Makoto! I’ve had enough of your lying bullshit! I have testimony from one of the promoters in the area. You’re not the first girl Tsukasa has lied to about a “broken sake bottle.” He doesn’t ask for much at first, but the interest piles up. Eventually he’ll ask you to sell your body for money. Please, reconsider this relationship. 
I already have a date planned with him for today. We’re gonna stop by his club. So stay outta my way!
I came a little late after seein’ your text, but I guess you’re already here… Heyo, I know these guys. Wanna hop on over to my club with us? It’s gonna be a total blast! They were saying some bad stuff about you, honey. Like how you get girls into debt and then force ‘em to sell themselves… They’re lying to me, right? Huh? You believe that crap? Listen to me: Nothing like that’s happenin’ here. I’d never lie to you, princess. It’s always “princess” with you. Why don’t you ever call her by her real name, Tsukasa? Or are there too many princesses in your life to remember? 
…… Tsukasa…? Hahaha, what’re you freakin’ out for? You just texted me, remember? I could never forget you, Makoto.
Oh shiiiiiiiit
I knew it. I’m the one who texted you. “I’ll b 5 mins late 2day, bb.” I even added tons of emojis at the end to make sure it seemed like Eiko. Admit it. Every girl you get money from is your princess, right? You can’t even remember names anymore. 
Don’t you see, Eiko? This is who your “boyfriend” really is! B-But… you tricked him! What would you know about love, huh? Tsukasa’s all I have! Just leave me alone, bitch! 
Damn, girl!
Music: Alleycat
You already know the truth, you just don’t want to believe it! Stop lying to yourself! 
Nobody else asks me about my day, or how work is going… Nobody else treats me like I’m special… A perfect girl who lives up to everyone’s expectations could never know how I feel! Stop trying to feed me your honor student bullshit! ...This has nothing to do with being an honor student. I just can’t rest knowing there’s such evil in the world! And I damn sure won’t keep quiet while my friend has her life ruined! (to Tsukasa) As for you… apologize to Eiko! And stay away from her from now on! Huh? You’re really startin’ to annoy me with this shit, you bitch…! Don’t think I’ll go easy on you ‘cause you’re a chick. I’m gonna teach you a lesson you won’t forget.And the facade drops.
Wh-What was that, you bastard…!? 
Wh-What? Dammit… I’ll remember this!
Apparently he doesn’t remember it, because that dude runs straight out of the game never to be heard from again. We’re just gonna let that dude go? No change of heart? He’s probably gonna do this again, you know. ...Whatever.
Ugh… This sucks! 
Was that girl fighting with a host?
They were really going at it…
Eiko… ……
Oh hey, we ended up here. Thought this place wasn’t open during the day.
You know, I have a bad habit of acting in the moment. I can’t help but get swept up in emotion… That’s why I always have to take extra care to keep myself composed. My father was the same way… That’s not the proper way to act though. There’s no telling what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped in. 
How did you ever find somewhere like this…? You know so much. 
It’s hard to believe you’re really a high schooler. You have so much more life experience than me… Honestly, spending time with you and getting to know Eiko has given me a great deal to think about. There’s so much you can miss by living with your head buried between the pages of a book… I thought I knew how the world worked… but the more time I spent with you guys, the more I realized how naive I was. I see now that there are some things I need other people to teach me. ...Do you remember how Eiko said I would flunk a test about love? Well, um… I don’t know how to study that subject.God, you’re a nerd.
...What should I do, Maaku-kun? I should choose my words carefully... I can’t learn about romance by myself...Will he pick up on the subtle signs here…?
NOPE, REJECTED.
People say those kinds of things are destiny anyway, so I probably shouldn’t worry myself over it. And besides, I should at least try to focus on my schoolwork right now. Let’s work hard to achieve our goals together, Maaku-kun. I can sense a strong bond of friendship from Makoto...And that’s all it’ll ever be.
Heeyyyyyy, it’s my girl Lala! Stick around, why dontcha?
It’s like a nice spritz of lemon in the air. Makes me think back to when I was just a wee girl... R-Right. Well, we should be going… Thank you again for today. I’ll see you later… Music: Beneath the Mask
It’s definitely easier for the younger generation to win at speed shogi. Though wait, there is one exception. 
I’ve been waiting for you! Can we talk? 
Yes! Please sit down!Music: What’s Going On?
The chairman turned himself in! It’s even shown up on the news! 
It all happened so suddenly too. He confessed all of his crimes… The police came to question me after that, but they ultimately concluded that I’m innocent. Apparently the chairman took full responsibility for the ADP and admitted he was brainwashing all of its members. Oh, and speaking of members, some of them said they’ve stopped using the Holy Stones because of my advice. It was all the clients you sat in with, Hamiru-san! You know, I never saw this as a possible outcome in my readings. Not only have the fates of the ADP members improved, but even my own has begun to shift… It’s almost like this curse that’s followed me ever since the villagers called me a monster… has passed. 
Right, I remember. Strong conviction is the only way to change fate. That reminds me, my readings told me I would accomplish my objective with the aid of the Trickster… But I’m not sure what exactly that was supposed to mean… It’s such a mystery… That aside, the ADP is finished. Nobody else will be deceived. Oh, I just realized something… Remember how I told you how the chairman knew I was a runaway? Well, I was wandering around te city with luggage at my side. Anyone could have figured that out, huh…? *nods*
I know how fragile I was back then… but it’s still embarrassing to think I let myself believe he was a psychic! But… I guess some men are good at knowing when a woman is vulnerable. Are you one of those men, Hamiru-san…?
I don’t what you’re trying to say, and I vehemently deny it.
The truth is, there’s actually something else besides the chairman that I want to talk to you about. 
This is so embarrassing… 
Hmm, what an odd question. While I find the strange sexual undertones of my relationship with my homeroom teacher to be more than a little revolting, this isn’t a topic I have considered thoroughly. However, now that I set my mind to it, I find that there’s something… liberating about the idea of being with someone with more life experience than myself, however marginal the difference. It should also be noted that we as a people normalize May-December romances of the female/male persuasion, yet the opposite has been thoroughly stigmatized. I suppose there’s no harm in working to reverse that unsightly trend, now is there? So I must say that yes, if the opportunity arose I would not necessarily cast aside the possibility of dating outside of my age bracket. At least, once I come of age. I’m still seventeen, I’ll have you know, and it wouldn’t be right to begin such a relationship until then. But, this is all strictly hypothetical and I have absolutely no idea why you would ask such a question. Also, girls my age have cooties.
Sure, that’s close enough.
I-I mean, how interesting… Oh, sorry! If we have time to waste talking about nonsense like that, we have time to read fortunes, right? I can sense a strong resolve from Chihaya... 
Most importantly, the other members of the ADP are still confused as to what exactly is going on. So… I need to set things straight. This is partially my fault, after all. Right… The real battle starts now. ...It’s getting late. I should close up for today. Good night, Hamiru-san. 
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Anon: 30 million yen OMG XD
Anon: that freaked me out omg
Anon: they’re running loose rn...
Music: Suspicion
Masayoshi Shido. He’s the only one. He’s the only one that can stand up for what’s right—the only one who will make good on his word. That’s the kind of person we need leading this nation, especially in times like these. 
Shido leads the United Future movement, right? He was right—if we’d taken the Phantom Thieves seriously from the start, they’d be behind bars by now. Which’ll come first, do you think? Regime change or the apprehension of the Phantom Thieves? ……Music: So Boring
It’s kinda tough to say that for sure though.
Maybe, but we can’t lose heart before we’ve even done anything. If we do that, we’ll just mess everything up, even the parts we can definitely succeed in. 
Hm, you actually said something wise for once. You wanna fight!? 
You two get along so well. Haru ships it.
Uh, how so? That is an outrageous claim. That’s what I should be saying! 
Come on, stop it. Let’s try to keep tensions low. We’re all feeling anxious. Even you, Makoto? Yes. It can’t really be helped this time. That’s not how I raised you. Get a hold of yourself, Ryuji! Why’re you singling me out…?Looks like tensions are high because I’m a huge dumbass who refuses to go to the fucking Palace!
Music: Tokyo Daylight
Why, it’s everyone’s favorite up-and-coming politician… Masamune… Shindou! ...I’m bad with names.
Iwai’s finally ready.
Huh…? You sure we’re gonna be OK not headin’ in? 
...Eh, I guess it ain’t gonna hurt gettin’ a change of pace. 
C’mon, let’s go. I got something I wanna talk to you about durin’. 
Aw yeah! Let’s grab some ramen after we finish trainin’ then! Ryuji Rank 10 (I’d watch this)
Music: Sunset Bridge
By the way, the track team’s up and runnin’ again. Yamauchi got taken down pretty quick. You know Takeishi’s mom is the PTA prez, right? He told her everything. After that, she came stormin’ in with the other parents and forbid the whole scoutin’ plan. Wish I coulda seen the look on Yamauchi’s face. I mean, the school can’t ignore the PTA. And as a result, the track team’s back. Our old coach’s fillin’ in for now. 
I think they might even go far in the meet. 
Aw crap, the ramen’s gonna get soggy. Let’s eat! 
I couldn’t stand how much they hated me. It only just made me think of how stupid I was…And to be fair, you are very stupid.
Most of all, it made me remember how I lost my place with them. Hey, this ain’t like me, but… I managed to change ‘cause you were here helpin’ me. I got you all wrapped up in this shit, but you stayed with me ‘til the bitter end. ...You didn’t abandon me. So… thanks, man. 
Hahaha… ...It’s funny, huh? This started out as us trainin’ for the Phantom Thieves. How’d it end up like this? Either way, it’s my turn now. If anything comes up, you tell me. I’ll help you with whatever you need. *nods* *nods* I feel a strong bond with Ryuji…
Music: The Spirit
Second Awakening? Wuzzat? Eh, I’ll figure it out later.
Ryuji is probably one of the better main characters of P5, which isn’t saying as much as I’d like it to. That said, he’s a great dude and Max Mittelman plays him to perfection.
Music: Swear to My Bones
Oh shit, this track is killer.
That’s some nasty dandruff, bro.
Oh hey, Mr. Pirate!
Uhhhhh
Where’d the pirate go!?
OH MY GOD
Oh shit, it’s legendary hero of Journey to the West Sun Wukong! Wukong, also known as Seiten Taisei, is the main protagonist of that famous story. Seiten Taisei itself is a Japanese translation of the Chinese name “Qitian Dasheng” (which should be familiar for you FFXIV players this patch), a title Wukong gave to himself meaning “Equaling Heaven Great Sage.” He is also known as Son Gokuu. No, really. Journey to the West inspired a whole lot of OG Dragon Ball.
I can’t tell you much about the character of Seiten Taisei because this summary of his deeds is very long, but he got into a ton of mischief, wreaking havoc until Buddha imprisoned him under a mountain, where he remained until being saved by a monk named Xuanzang.
There’s a subtle link between Ryuji, Captain Kidd, and Seiten Taisei, and extra credit goes to the first person to tell me what it is.
Music: What’s Going On?
DUDE SHUT THE FUCK UP OH MY FUCKING GOD
I’ll be countin’ on you, Leader. And you can count on me too! Hey, now that we’re all fueled up, wanna race to the station? 
When we get our party’s ascended Personas, they learn an Evade skill that will triple their Evasion against their weaknesses. We slot in Evade Wind for Bad Beat.
While Ryuji’s stats won’t go up when he gets his second Persona, he will gain a resistance to Fire and Null Electricity.
Music: Beneath the Mask
The challenging party’s got a lot of good politicians, so their chances were slim to begin with. 
Now, after the psychotic breakdown stuff, people are putting their hopes in that one party leader. Well, right now, there isn’t anyone better. Guess you can’t blame them for hoping. 
The prime minister has once again emphasized that he will protect the safety of the people. Few, however, support him. If it comes to an election, the ruling party will fight an uphill battle. 
They’re at their lowest approval rating ever… Ours isn’t so great, either. 
I didn’t say a word about you guys to those dumb cops!Nice, Mishima. Next time, you might even throw in a little profanity! Or not, baby steps, whatever works for you.
By the way, I wanted to talk to you about something… Are you free? This final rank of Mishima’s Confidant is only accessible after completing a certain number of the requests he gives you. Thanks to our most recent trip to Mementos, we have enough.
I just want to relax a bit… Let’s head over to the park. Mishima Rank 10
How I’ve changed. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to run away back when I saved him. So, I was thinking why that may have been. 
Honestly, I was pretty desperate at the time, so I don’t remember much… Are you gonna talk about how you peed your pants again?
Music: Sunset Bridge
But in the back of my head, I was thinking what you would do in that situation, Hamiru. I mean, you put yourself on the line to stop Kamoshida, and probably other villains too. So, I thought there had to be something I could do myself. 
I wanted to go from the dull nobody everyone messes with to the famous world-renowned hero. But you helped me realize something important. Heroes aren’t heroes because they’re famous… It’s because they fight for other people. *nods* Looking back on it, what I really wanted to change was the weak me. The me on the volleyball team who let wrongdoing go unpunished, even though I knew it was unjust… The cowardly me who looked the other way when people I knew were in need of help… ...Tell me the truth. I only changed because you stole my heart, right? 
You think I’d still be hanging out with you if I had done that?
Is that so…? …… No, you know what? You really did change my heart.Goddammit, Mishima, take the win.
All this time, I’ve been looking up to the Phantom Thieves, pretending to be a collaborator… And now I’m finally able to stop pretending… Truth be told, I had given up. I accepted that I was a zero… That my existence was meaningless. But I’ve learned. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change myself. Whether I sulk about my inability to do anything, or hang my head high and look to the future… My perception shapes the boundaries of my world. It all comes down to what’s inside my heart. *nods*Wow, man. That was almost deep.
I might still mess up every so often, but as long as you’re here, I’ll be able to stand up again. So I may not be the best person around, but you can feel free to rely on me at least sometimes! And… no matter what the world says, I’ll be rooting for you… just like you were for me!
Music: The Spirit
And we finally get the ultimate prize of Mishima’s Confidant, full experience for backup party members. It’s not that great since the experience scaling in their favor is rather generous anyway and so they’re never too far behind, but it’s still nice.
Mishima is… complicated. Not a great person, but ultimately not a terrible one either. Probably one of the most realistically-written characters in the game, including all the ways in which he’s kind of shitty. He’s voiced by Sean Chiplock, who voiced Subaru in Re: Zero, Santa in that remake of 999, Revali in Breath of the Wild, and he was also Replacement Liam O’Brien in SMTIV: Apocalypse.
Music: Sunset Bridge
That’s all I can really do for you right now… But I’m working on that documentary too. I even plan on making it into a book someday. I’d bet anyone who reads about the Phantom Thieves would find the hidden courage within themselves. Maybe that means I can use that book to change people’s hearts! 
All right, I’m on it! Oh, but before that… I’m hungry. Come on, let’s grab a bite to eat on the way home. Maybe a buffet…? Wait, no. We should save that for after I get all my book royalties! Heheh, you’d better be looking forward to it! Bye, Mishima. You were… interesting.