Part 96: 8/29: And While You’re At It, This One Too

Part 94: 8/29: And While You’re At It, This One Too

Music: Break it Down



There’s a lot of people here… Are you OK, Futaba?
(nervously) I’m fine. You guys are here.
It’s almost lunchtime.





Why don’t we eat lunch too?
I’ll go get some stuff for us then.




My staple food.

Music: New Beginning



What’s up Makoto? You ain’t eatin’ much.
Oh, um…
Not feelin’ well or something?
You just don’t get it, do you, Ryuji? When a girl’s in a swimsuit, she wants to look as slim as possible. Still, you’re worrying too much. Did you make sure to eat breakfast?
Mona lacks tact.
So, whadda we do now? Should we play some beach volleyball?
Oh, sorry. Us girls already made plans to ride a banana boat.
We could only rent a three-person one. Sorry.
Wait… Then what about us?
Keep an eye on our stuff.
Hell no! Why you gotta treat us like that!? We’re celebrities makin’ headlines! You should treat us better!

Uh, they’re also “celebrities makin’ headlines,” Ryuji. I don’t think they owe you anything.

I do think they’re not bad in the Metaverse, but in reality… Strange, isn’t it?
They can steal treasures, but they don’t seem like they can steal a girl’s heart at all.

Please don’t lump me in with Ryuji.

B-But… Lady Ann…



Oh, sorry. We’ll go now.



Banana! Banana! Ugh! The sea is hot!
Wait up! It’s dangerous if you run around like that!
Here comes a good wave!



We risk our lives bein’ Phantom Thieves. There’s no way we’re the same as other guys around here.

Shut up, dude! How many times do we have to fucking tell you?

Shouldn’t we be havin’ more good times in reality too!?



We’re special, man. Don’t you agree, Yusuke?
Well… if you put it that way, you may be right.
Ann and the others don’t get it ‘cause they’re always around us.
Hey, how do we get Lady Ann to notice how amazing we are as Phantom Thieves?
Well, we gotta steal… you-know what.



You moron, that’s a crime. What we’re gonna steal in reality are… girls’ hearts.
I see. I just need to prove my skills in reality as well...
Let’s steal all the hearts with the skills we’ve honed as Phantom Thieves! I’m sure girls will be all over us, considering the vibes we give off!
Very well, let’s do this. Pulling off our work in reality doesn’t sound bad.
It’s settled then. So… Mona, you’re in charge of watching over our stuff, OK?
Huh?
All right, let’s hurry up and go.



All right, Operation Babe Hunt 3.0, let’s do this!



The approach...




...and denied!





This one seems receptive!



Suddenly, a wild boyfriend!



Back off before he kicks our ass!



Oh yeah, corner her by the water, this’ll go great.





Welp, we suck.

Music: Alleycat



I dunno… The ocean just looks kinda bland to me…



C’mon, it ain’t over yet! I’m goin’ for a miracle comeback!
Hm… I’ve sensed a presence staring at us for some time now. Are we being followed?




Yusuke can read further down the page and wants nothing to do with the next scene. What a smart boy.



Hmm?

Music: Everyday Days



Ah christ

What’re you doin’ here!?
Oh my! I can’t believe we’ve been reunited in such a stunning place!
Smells like destiny to me!



So, which of us do you think is more manly?
Wh-What’re you talkin’ about…?
Oh dear, your time is up! Sorry, but it was a trick question. The correct answer is… We’re both lovely!

Music: High Pressure

You interfered with our duties by not answering the question! I sentence you to… stripping! Oooh, my fashionista skills would be perfect for this! Hands behind your head!



The suspects are escaping! Catch them!

Goddammit, Hashino. Well, at least that’s the last time we ever see those two in the main story!



By the way, where’s Yusuke?

Music: My Homie



Oh hello. Lobsters. Of course.



While you were busy with your interrogation, I found these beautiful specimens on sale. And so, I decided to spend the last of my money on them.
Man, you’re real hopeless when it comes to cash… Wait, you were watchin’ us!? Why didn’t you help!?
Apologies, but I was entranced. The moment I set eyes on this distinct shape, I was in love. I haven’t had my core shaken as vigorously as this since the first time Ann entered my gaze.
Good for you…



C’mon, don’t lie to us, baby. How about you come for a nice cruise on our boat?
There’s going to be a party too. Tons of celebrities and industry people will be coming along.
Are you even listening to us!?



Huh, so you were serious about being here with friends.
That’s what we’ve been saying from the start!
Don’t you find it boring spending your time with kids like them?
It’s far more interesting than anything involving you two.
What was that?
Hey, let’s just let the children have fun with fellow children. We’ll be going now!



Thanks for coming in like that. Those guys just wouldn’t stop pestering us.



To be honest, I was nearly at my wits [sic] end.
By the way, where are Futaba and Morgana?



I was wondering about that myself.




We did tons of stuff today. All in all, I guess comin’ to the beach was pretty worth it.

Yeah, we got shot down repeatedly, almost got sexually assaulted, and chased off some creepy older dudes harassing our friends. What a great day.

Music: Alright (Elp Version)



WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOBSTERS, I DEMAND TO KNOW

Agreed. Let’s pack up.
Futaba seemed fine in the crowd too, so it looks like she’s overcome her last exercise.
Hey, Futaba. We’re goin’ home. Stop standin’ around and help us.




Music: Alleycat

All this time, I thought that it was my fault that my mom died.
Uh-huh...
It’s because everyone said that I killed her. Everyone looked at me thinking I was a murderer. I ended up hating this world. That’s why I shut myself in and covered my ears. I wished… I wished my mom would come back to life. Sometimes, I’d wake up and think it was all a dream. But nothing had changed in the world. That’s why I’d sleep again. It’d be a repeat of that…
Ah…



How she’d work late into the night. How she’d wake up early and make me a boxed lunch every day. How she’d do her best to further her research. How she’d scold me for peeking at her notes.
It was cognitive psience, wasn’t it?
“The cognitive world can become distorted through desires. If it becomes distorted, a person begins exhibiting problematic behavior in reality. That cognitive world disappears when you remove its core, and further problematic actions stop.”
Isn’t that about Palaces…?
That’s the Metaverse! She knew about that?
It made no sense back then, but now I understand, after it actually happened to me. All I thought about was my mom. I was trapped in a cognitive labyrinth. I couldn’t get out of it. There was nothing I could do by myself.
That’s why you asked us to steal your heart? That’s a huge jump in logic in so many ways!
At first, I didn’t believe the rumors about the Phantom Thieves… That they steal hearts. But I overheard you accidentally. I learned that you were near me.
Overheard? Ah, the bug… So why were you listening in on Leblanc in the first place?
I had to keep an eye on Sojiro. Make sure he was actually working.

That’s a really dumb reason!

Talk about an awful hobby…



I thought, maybe the Phantom Thieves could cure my heart.
You could’ve just told us from the start…
You might’ve been wary of me if I asked out of nowhere. And besides, you could’ve been bad guys. That’s why I cautiously got in contact with you. I checked many times to see how you’d react.
Yes, you had us twisted around your little finger.
But, Futaba, you didn’t talk to anyone besides Boss for a long time, right? You must’ve needed a lot of courage to contact the Phantom Thieves.
...There were two reasons for it. One was Medjed’s taunt. The Phantom Thieves were so pitiful, it frustrated me. I would’ve been in trouble if they got disbanded too…
Indeed. You were our only hope.
The other was what I heard through wiretapping Leblanc. Sojiro was being blamed with lies, like abusing me… He was being threatened to spill everything about my mom…
Talk about makin’ shit up.



“Man, I wish I could find whoever did that and kill their whole family” – Ryuji, probably

It made me dad, and it hurt. I thought, I have to save Sojiro. I gotta do something.
So that’s why…



I didn’t think you guys would be taking such risks for me. I didn’t think you’d worry about me so much. I’m sorry that I acted like I doubted you guys.
Do you believe in us now?
Yeah. I can tell. You aren’t bad guys. That's why I have a request. Let me join your team.
There’s nothin’ to join. You’re already one of us.
I’ll be honest. Changing people’s hearts isn’t my goal. I want to learn what happened to my mom… The reason why she was killed.
Killed…?
It was written in her notes. Should the self in the cognitive world die, the self in the real world would lose consciousness…
Is this about mental shutdowns?
Then, the criminal that Kaneshiro mentioned…
Yes, that could be the case. I don’t like pursuing this line of thought, but perhaps your mother’s Shadow was…
I don’t know for sure… But, right before my mom died, she didn’t seem right.
In what way?
No matter how much I talked to her, she wouldn’t answer back. And she didn’t jump into the road. It was more like she collapsed and fell in… That’s why I thought what was written in the notes was real and looked into it. I read books, checked theses that were released online… I even snuck into the networks of various research labs to look at their classified data.
That’s why you’re good at hacking. ...What kind of brain do you have?
But, I didn’t figure anything out. My mom’s research was nowhere to be found.



I bet it’s them… Those adults in the black suits who read the fake suicide note.



Futaba…
If I stay with you guys, I think I can find out more about that world. Then eventually, it might even lead to those men in black. It’s a super-personal reason why I wanna join you… Is that OK? Or would I just be dead weight?
If anything, you’re dependable. Ain’t that right, Mona?
Why are you looking at me? Are you trying to say I’m inadequate!?
Well, she was more useful than you, as a matter of fact.
Hey, that’s inexcusable!
This is what our Phantom Thieves are like, but I hope we get along, Futaba.
Thanks.

Music: New Beginning

Let’s leave those two be… Why don’t we lose no time and decide on Futaba’s code name?



Um, did you hit your head? You’ve already referred to Makoto as Queen in a text chat.

It’s not cool if we called [sic] each other by our real names.
Joker, Skull, Mona, Panther, Queen… And I’m Fox.
In Futaba’s case… “Hacker” wouldn’t be right, would it?
“Mech”?
“PC”?
No.
Why don’t we go literal and call her “Goggles”?
Super lame. You’ve got no taste, kitty.
Haha, in your face!
(to Maaku) Do you have any good ideas for Futaba’s code name?



That’s you.
What would you want it to be, Futaba?
Hm… “Oracle.” With my vision, I’ll guide you all to victory.

In the original Japanese her name was “Navi,” but I guess Nintendo’s got the copyright locked down on their own annoying helper character names (do not @ me I know that’s not the actual reason).

Sounds great.
Then, Futaba’ll be Oracle.
But man, I never even dreamed that the rumored Phantom Thieves would be so close!
Same goes to you. To think you’d be the daughter of a Metaverse researcher… Talk about a mysterious fate.
Should we get going then?
Yup! Let’s go home!

Music: Desire



This should spur the Phantom Thieves’ support even more now. …… I agree. There are effective ways to use the Phantom Thieves… Now would be the best time to dispose of unnecessary trash… ….whether they’re connected to us or not.

Music: Beneath the Mask



I hear you’ve been keeping her company for the past few days. I appreciate it.



This is no longer a matter we can ignore.
Especially cause they might be the one who killed Futaba’s mom.
To be honest, I had considered the idea that they might be behind only the rumored psychotic breakdowns… But now it appears as though this person is killing people as well.
Technically, they’re making people have mental shutdowns, which then cause them to die.
That’s what happens when you kill someone’s Shadow, yeah?
Mm-hm? We were worried about it back with Kamoshida and Madarame, remember?
Psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns… It would make sense if the same person was behind them. The news never talks about the victims dying, so people only know about the breakdowns.
So this shit’s seriously a case! If that’s for real, whoever’s doing it is some kinda assassin!
I’m gonna beat the crap outta them…
I would suggest we be more cautious going forward as well. We still don’t know much, even about our Metaverse Nav.



Fuck, let’s just tell them about Igor.

A dream? You still half asleep, dude?

Fuckin’ Ryuji!

I wonder if that criminal is using the app too…
Futaba, this seems like your area of expertise. Do you know anything about it?
No, I’d never even heard of it before. I mean, it’s not really even an app. It’s more like… a mysterious app-like thing.
I see…
It’s OK though. I might not know much about the Nav, but I can still navigate you guys on the path to victory! I’ll guide you to whatever criminal you’re looking for. Mwehehe… You can rely on me!
Awesome, dude! You’re way more reliable than Mona!
Dammit, Ryuji… You always find the worst possible thing to say!

I feel kind of bad for this fucking cat, constantly getting shit on by Ryuji.



#Millennials’s popularity is still going strong. Merchandise of them has even been produced, and sales have been very good due to their appeal. With their popularity still rising, this Phantom Thieves boom will continue for a while yet.
They’re calling it a phantom thief boom! I’m so proud of us!



I don’t feel like my bond with Sojiro will deepen just yet...



Put your stuff down, and grab an apron. Don’t forget to wash your hands.

Music: What’s Going On?



I did just as he told me...



I feel like my bond with Sojiro will grow stronger soon...
Hey, thanks for helping out.

Music: Desire





That black thing was… me? ...That can’t be true. I’m supposed to be human… I should be… If we get rid of the distortion in the depths of Mementos, I’m sure-- I’m sure it’ll all be fine…!




Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)

Oh, um… ...My sunburns were hurting, and that woke me up! I was absorbing all the sunlight because I’m black. Don’t you get it?



You’re thinking that my entire body’s covered in fur, aren’t you? I’ve got none on my pads! By the way, it’s not like I’m bothered by this or anything… But hypothetically speaking, OK? What would you do if I turned out to be some weird… thing?



That’s… well… If what I saw from earlier is true, is it OK for me to stay with the Phantom Thieves…? And even if I’m with the team, I’m useless at the moment… It’s nothing. Well, I’ve gotten pretty used to my life as a cat too. And to be frank, this storage room isn’t bad either. Then again, I can’t wait to turn back to being a human so I can move out. Maybe I’ll live a life of luxury in a suite on the highest floor… …… But rather than becoming some weird thing, maybe staying as a cat isn’t so bad either… You and me made a deal, yeah? That means I can stay here… Isn’t that right?



Thought so… Don’t forget what you just said, OK?
I feel like my bond with Morgana is growing deeper...




Night.



Poor kitty.;