Part 23: 5/5-5/6: Hashtag Millennials

Part 22: 5/5-5/6: Hashtag Millennials

Music: Swear to My Bones



You guys weren’t satisfied with being the nastiest group of crime-doers, no. You had to kill opera and late capitalism while you were at it! And then, noticing you had a space left, you added the hashtag for #brand #synergy. #Millennials truly are the sworn enemy of everything good and decent.

Huh, that’s not bad at all.
A good name, for a rookie.
#Millennials. We goin’ with that?




There are tons of rotten adults and all… ...Why not just stick to targeting big names?



Let’s murder every rich person we see.

Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, it’s gotta get on the news, right? Don’t you think more people would believe in us if we did that?
That’s not a bad idea… for you, Ryuji.
True. If we become better known… we might be able to give courage to a lot more people. I don’t really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though.
Let’s narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then.
Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously.
I like that unanimous decision part! It’s like we’re making some kind of pact!




Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out...
I guess we’ll just have to talk more tomorrow.

Music: Interrogation Room




And on top of that, a talking cat told you all this?



Honestly speaking, that all sounds absurd. It’s hard to believe that this is even worth listening to. Still, it can’t be considered nonsense when parts of it align with Kamoshida’s confession. The same goes for the testimonies of the officers who arrested you. ...But so be it. At any rate, you mentioned something more important. These two other accomplices, besides this talking cat thing that appeared in your story… From what you’ve been telling me, they’re students at the same school, aren’t they?

Accomplices? Maaku, you gotta stop confessing shit in between flashforwards, I can’t help you there!

*Ahem* My client would like to retract the statement about accomplices, and add: “Fuck off, pig.”



Very well. I’ll leave it at that. Let’s continue on. There are many more events that I must inquire on. Lies and false accounts are eventually exposed.



A master of Japanese arts. Ichiryusai Madarame. It’s even more incomprehensible than Kamoshida as to why this man was targeted. Where did you come to know him? And how did you learn of his crimes when you weren’t a victim of them? Start by telling me what you all schemed...



Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)



We officially established the Phantom Thieves, so it was totally worth it.




And just like that, we’re poor again.



I hope we can really help people. I’m curious about that Phantom Aficionado Website too. I wonder who made it…
No clue. More importantly, you see the survey on there?



I guess it’s not so bad if you put it that way...
But don’t you just wanna get it higher than that? I bet it’ll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets. It’s pretty damn exciting if you try and think about it like that.
You know, you’re actually right. Well then, let’s keep working hard from this point on!



“Charismatic” is certainly an interesting adjective to pick there.

A former Olympian in volleyball, he confessed to assaulting and sexually harassing his students. Police will be investigating his high school tomorrow to substantiate the claims.
It seems like the police will be coming to your school. Just act like you don’t know anything.

You mean… lie? To the police? Aw geez, I don’t know about this, guys.



Shouldn’t you give it some plant nutrients by now?



These are some reasonably priced nutrients. This ought to bring a bit of life back to this plant!

Maaku gets Kindness +2.

That should do it for a while!



That might not be a bad name!





Music: Aria of the Soul




To think our master would give words of praise…
You better treasure this moment, Inmate!
You have encountered allies who share your aesthetics, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come… Your rehabilitation will soon begin.



I shall explain it to you now… You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin. ...That is the rehabilitation cast upon you.



There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin. Fighting Shadows and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another.
This is all possible because of our master’s guidance, Inmate!
Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well.
When you’re out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!
Spending time with those people… will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them.
If you’ve got time to waste, you’d better visit your contractors, Inmate!
That is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master has mentioned.

Please stop alternating sentences, you’re making me dizzy.



It seems the rehabilitation is going well. This is a truly joyous occasion… I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. ...I have high hopes of you.

Yeah sure, dude, whatever you say.

I feel like my bond with Igor is growing deeper...



Sweet, we can now carry eight Personas instead of just six.

...The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest.
And don’t forget to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!





This is just reiterating what Confidants give you, but also in case you didn’t take the hint with Takemi, not all Confidants start with the story. In fact, we’re going to get a lot more opportunities to form Confidants very soon.



Now that the Phan-site exists, we’ll get various postings showing up on the day transition screen along with our approval rating. Let’s see what else they have to say:

Anon: Is this some kind of cult?
Anon: viral marketing…?
Anon: try and steal it, asshats

…That’s rather disappointing.

Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)




The Big Bang Challenge or whatever. If you go at night, you can eat for only 500 yen.
You gotta eat one of their giant burgers though, right? How can anyone actually finish that? Still… 500 yen is a steal.
A huge burger, huh? Interesting. I bet giving that a go will increase your Guts.

Music: So Boring



The gist is, don’t go around talking about the incident. That’s all. The police are still investigating Mr. Kamoshida, so I can’t say anything myself. As a teacher though, I’m ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that… I’m not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like… well, a normal person. Honestly, it still doesn’t feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them...
The teachers have it rough, huh…?
Oh yeah, I just remembered something I learned about psychology. They say that humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious.
Different personalities…?
Oh, to be clear, I’m not talking about multiple personality disorder. These different personalities can be a different gender or a different age from you. I mean, if you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image… If you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster.

This sounds like some pseudoscience. Are you sure you should be teaching us this?

Oho...
Hm? You all seem more alert than usual. Did I say something wrong? Well, I’m just saying what I’ve heard. It feels like I just now understood what I learned long ago.

“Just saying what I’ve heard” is a really great thing to say as a teacher.

Subconscious personalities… It’s a fascinating topic, and it has a lot to do with us. That teacher’s surprisingly smart, huh?

Were we listening to the same thing? Am I crazy or is everything she just said batshit? I feel like she’s about to divine my aetheric resonance or some shit.

It feels like gaining that Knowledge made me a bit smarter...

Maaku gets Knowledge +1—wait, what

Music: Break it Down



“I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.” Ugh, deal with that yourself!



Hey, those girls...



It’s got to be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?
But look at what happened to Kamoshida.
He probably just couldn’t keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself.
Yeah, you might be right. I guess there’s no way they really exist.
Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!
I wonder if it’ll affect our college entrance...



If we can take care of two or three famous guys, people’ll have to believe we exist.
So about those big shots… We don’t have any leads yet, right? Plus there’s that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too…
Looks like you’ll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being. Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?
I’ll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin’ around.
And I’ll try to dig up some dirt online.
We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can’t even find a target…
There, there...
I guess sometimes things just don’t go the way we want ‘em to…

We’ve been looking for exactly one day, you guys. Relax.

Music: Disquiet




You saw the state Kamoshida-kun was in, didn’t you? It’s as if his personality has completely changed. Something is definitely wrong here.



I’m not sure I follow...
From what I’ve heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business. If they did something to him… Who could they be…?
Are you saying that these students may have caused Mr. Kamoshida to change…?
That is what I wish to know… Even if it takes some probing into student matters… I would like you to look into this for me.
It is true that there are many rumors regarding Mr. Kamoshida, but… Do you mean all of this talk about those Phantom Thieves?
It is undeniable that Mr. Kamoshida has “changed” in some way. I’d like to have a grasp of the cause. This shall also ensure that I handle the mass media and police in the correct fashion.
Oh…
I will continue speaking to Mr. Kamoshida myself. Unless you find whomever did this, these irresponsible rumors will likely never die down. Don’t you agree? You have been at the top of your class since day one. Your conduct is good, and teachers favor you.



Another Niijima!? Uh-oh. I can only handle so many oddly translated interrogations.

Th-Thank you…
Your lineage must certainly play a part in this excellence. Your sister is still young, yet she holds an admirable position at the Public Prosecutors Office, no…?



If something disappointing were to happen here, that wouldn’t reflect very well on your sister… ...Do you understand?



How wise. It’s no wonder you’re our student council president. I’d appreciate if you looked into this as soon as possible. I ask that you begin at once.
Yes. If you’ll excuse me then.



It’s me, sir. My apologies for troubling you at such a busy time… Yes, it’s about the matter we discussed earlier… I have all bases covered. The investigation will begin immediately… Of course… Yes, I will get results… I should be able to update you soon… Well then, I must be going. Thank you very much for your time…

The person on the other end abruptly hangs up.



The principal sits, dejected.

Music: Break it Down



I saw them too! They were talking to the teachers!
That change of heart thing’s seriously amazing, huh!?



I’m shocked the whole school isn’t blabbing about us obviously being the Phantom Thieves.

C’mon, don’t worry so much.
But I mean, haven’t rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?
This world’s Kamoshida shouldn’t know anything about what actually happened to him though.
Still…
We did what was right. Don’t go freaking out over some label.
I guess that’s true...
Man, I really can’t wait to keep living this double life! All right, Maaku! We’re gonna be counting on you!

Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)



Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?



I’m the one who started it.




...You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren’t you?

Fuck. Well, it was nice for the one day we managed to keep that secret. Wait, maybe we can salvage this. Think Morgana knows anything about getting rid of a body?



...Sorry. Although… if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn’t much of a way for me to apologize for it...




This guy really needs to take a hint.

That’s… all I needed to say. There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida. But I’m sure the Phantom Thieves will do something… They can’t let this end after just one target. That’s why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves’ next move. So I’ve also implemented an anonymous poll on the site.



I… hope someday my forum is filled with supportful posts. I’d really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves’ acts of justice! ...Can I, please?



If it’ll shut you up about it, sure.

Yeah, I will.



Music: Interrogation Room




...Someone who enthusiastically cheered the Phantom Thieves on. Perhaps they were quite close… ...What do you have to say to that!?

Okay, for one, you’re asking me if I know the person running my fansite. It just so happens that I do, but that’s irrelevant. It’s an absurd question. Also, how do you not know who Mishima is? If we’ve gained any sort of notoriety, and judging from this framing device we have, surely you’ve already looked into the Phan-site? You know that you can just run a fucking whois on that, right? Unless Mishima’s hiding behind eight proxies, scrub.

Music: The Spirit




Oh shit, it’s what P3 and P4 were sorely missing, the ability to have backup party members gain experience! Spoiler, I guess: we gain more party members. It’s not 1:1, but it’s still great.

The Moon Arcana represents illusion, fear, and insecurity, as well as confusion and unhappiness. It’s a card of mystery and the subconscious.





Geez… It was a little awkward tryin’ to figure out when to walk over here.
So that forum is Mishima-kun’s…
Has he figured out our identities?
Even so, I think it’ll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool.
I guess we should have a little chat about this later.
I will say though… a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful.



Anyways, we gotta get lookin’ for a new target.
And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one. Once we do, we’ll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and--




Music: My Homie

D-D-Don’t we have an exam comin’ up!?
...Judging by that reaction, I’d assume you’re going to struggle this time too?
It’s not like you’re any better! All you’re good at is English!



Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji.
What’s questionable is whether you’re really even a human.



A+, Ryuji.

...Let’s discuss this with our fists!



Will you two stop it!?

We still don’t have a target, and now exams are coming up! Seems like we have a lot on our plate right now. And here I was thinking the buffet was last update, hyuk hyuk!