Part 76: 7/25-7/26: No, You Look Like Shit Makoto

Part 74: 7/25-7/26: No, You Look Like Shit Makoto

Music: The Days When My Mother Was There (Another Version)



C’mon, let’s get inside…

Let’s take a cursory look around the area first.



We can jump down here...



...but all it does is let us slide down pointlessly. Fun, though!



Over on the other side of the area, we see a town off in the distance.



We probably don’t need to concern ourselves with it though. I can sense the Treasure in the pyramid.



Let’s just head up the stairs and enter the pyramid.



Who knows what may await us within… What is your call, Joker? Shall we head inside?
>Let’s go.
OK. We’ll find out more about Futaba’s secrets in here, right?
Indeed. Well, let’s head inside.

Music: The Days When My Mother Was Here



It may be because Futaba’s room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is a relief...
Huh, our clothes still haven’t changed even now. This has never happened to us before.
It is refreshing that she doesn’t see us as a threat… but we are completely surrounded by walls.
I guess this is a tomb… It’s probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let’s explore.



We have to jump across some pillars to cross a gap. Keep this in mind for later.



There’re way too goddamn many...
Don’t ask for too much. You should be happy we’re not being attacked as we ascend. More importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We’re getting pretty close now!
These stairs seem to be headed into the heart of the pyramid. I wonder if that’s where the Treasure waits...
Welp, time to keep climbin’ then. Let’s go.




She did welcome us in here, after all.
Don’t let your guard down, guys. This is a pyramid, so there may still be traps.



I don’t think you can call this the real thing...




Hm? There’s someone there!

Music: Disquiet



That’s Futaba’s Shadow. It isn’t the real her.
Oh yeah, you’ve seen her face. True. This one’s kinda dressed like a queen.
So you’re Futaba Sakura…
……
Hey, where’s the Treasure?
It’s doubtful that you wouldn’t know where it is.
Hey, say something.
Don’t be like that! I’m sorry, Futaba-chan. It’s OK, there’s no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?

*pause*

This is going nowhere.
Let’s just leave her.
Will you guys shut up for a bit!?



Music: Desire

She talked… but…
What’re you sayin’? You want us to steal it, right?
If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might.
That’s rather defiant sounding.
Perhaps this is that “tsundere” thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood.

I don’t want you to steal my Treasure at all, baka!

Considering the state that my Palace is in… ...There is no way that you can steal it.



A series of harsh, angry voices from nowhere begin to yell.

Creepy child…
You killed her!
You’re a plague!
What are these voices?



Murderer!
Why don’t you say something?
Murderer…?
You’re the one who killed her!
It’s all your fault!
This is horrible...
Hey, the hell is this?
Don’t come near me!
Don’t just stand there, say something!
It’s your fault!
Murderer!



What…?



Music: High Pressure



What was that!?



I will remain here. I will do so until I die.




She sees us as a threat now… What’s going on!?




Music: Desire

Creepy child…
You killed her!
You’re a plague!
Murderer!
What’s with that look? Why don’t you say something?
You’re the one who killed her!
...That’s right… I killed Mom. I don’t deserve to be alive… This place is a tomb… I’ll die here...
That’s right! Die!
Don’t come near me!
Don’t just stand there, say something!
It’s your fault!




This is bad—I’m having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and--

Music: Run, Run, Run!



What now!?



BOULDER





Sure hope smashing the shit out of Futaba’s Palace doesn’t mess up her mind or whatever!

Music: The Days When My Mother Was Here




Several walls block the path back up.



Now what!?
Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what’s going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?
I think our best option is retreating for now. This won’t be as simple as we expected. Why don’t we prepare a little more, then come back?



OK. Then let’s retreat for now and return to the Palace another day.



The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterrorism?

Music: Suspicion

In order to stop them, we need to help Futaba Sakura before the 21st. Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th.
Meetin’ up in Shibuya then comin’ here’s a pain, right? Let’s make this place our hideout for a while.



Is everyone fine with this place being our next hideout then?

Everyone nods.

We must take care not to be discovered by Boss.
There’s no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn’t become our graveyard.
Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation. We’re dealin’ with international hackers and lookin’ for a Treasure in a pyramid.
How can you be enjoying this? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know!?
I know that!
That reminds me. While we were in the Mona car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv.

Music: My Homie

Shuddup! It was a great view!

Great defense, Ryuji!

You guys were lookin’ too, am I right!?

No! I mean, my character was, but that’s just because this game is fucked like that.

Indeed. The pyramid’s golden ratio was truly a sight to behold.



I wasn’t staring, Lady Ann. I’m a gentleman, after all.
It’s not that you “weren’t,” but that you “couldn’t” since you were transformed, am I right?



*sigh* Will we be all right like this…?



Finally, a sensible hideout.



Not again...



Music: Desire



Uhhh, okay…




Agh… Ngh…



I’m not sure it’s a great sign when fucking Psychonauts of all things is better at portraying mental illness than your game.

Music: Disquiet




Is doing this really going to help us do something about Medjed?
Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It’d be a shame if our efforts were a waste.
Medjed will definitely make a move.
Alibaba!
I’m checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?
Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated.

Jeez, Makoto, what a mean thing to say.

Hey, Alibaba! Can you really do something about Medjed?
Of course.
Unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that.
Your work will be rewarded. I promise. Besides… You have no other option, do you?
I suppose that’s true...
Can you do stuff like take down a server? Show us.

Fuckin’ Ryuji, man.

Hey! Don’t start any trouble.
That’s all it would take to convince you? All right, I ask that you take care of this quickly. Until then.
Wait! Are you ditching us again? This is troubling, but… we need to do what we can at the moment.
I have concern for Futaba herself during all this.
Man, why’d this have to be during summer vacation?
We don’t have any other choice.
Maaku-kun. As always, we’ll leave it to you to call us together.
The sight of her Palace bothers me too… We have to do this.

Music: Beneath the Mask




oh no whatever will we do

I try to access the URL, but it says that page doesn’t exist!

Mishima forgot to pay his fucking domain hosting again, christ. Which reminds me: if the Phantom Thieves are exploding in popularity, how’s he paying for all that bandwidth?



I’d never do such a thing! It has to be Medjed’s doing! Is this supposed to be some kind of penalty for cheering for the Phantom Thieves!? But wait, they’re totally jumping the gun! There’s still time until the cleanse! Hold on, something came up. “Is this proof enough for you…?”



Well, uh… it looks like everything’s back to normal. Sorry for making a fuss about all this… I’m going to try and look into it a little more though. See you.

Oh, Mishima, you poor sap.

Was that Alibaba proving what she said earlier? Talk about a crazy thing to pull off...



The Medjed homepage has posted a declaration of victory and an announcement of their next crime. This is thought to be yet another provocation against the Phantom Thieves, who have yet to respond.
They’re really getting carried away… Well, just you wait.




Music: Tokyo Emergency



We need her to help us take down Medjed, got it? OK, then—let the plan commence!






Not sure why we’re getting this tutorial now, but OK.

We could fuck around for three weeks, or we could just go into the Palace now and get it over with. So let’s do that.




We won’t get a chance later on tonight, so we make sure to feed our plant now. Maaku gains Kindness +3.




I’m allowed to get a little smug after placing in the top ten.

Oh? You have a good look on your face. You can have this. Look at your face with it.



Uhhh, thanks. I was expecting like, money or something like from Dojima, but this is… fine, I guess.

You actually are pretty smart, huh. You showed me. Studying is good and all, but men need to keep up their looks too. Looking clean is important.



That’s actually not terrible, it’s just that we’re going to spend most of the rest of the game with most if not all of the characters wearing SP Adhesive 3s at all times, so it’s kind of a waste.



Really? I guess young people these days have more backbone than I thought. Remember? When we were young, we’d speak out and take a stand against those in power, too.
That’s true, but… I don’t know if we can trust them.



The international hacktivist group Medjed released a statement earlier...
Yeah, and I couldn’t read it ‘cause it was in English. Well, it doesn’t really matter to me.



We head over to the second-hand store looking for that console he was selling earlier.




We buy it and this shitty gambling game.



They’re people who use computers to do bad things, like steal people’s secrets.
Are they like the Phantom Thieves? Who do you think’d win in a fight, Kotaro?
*whine*

Music: Tokyo Daylight



God, Makoto, you’re hanging out at school during break? NEEEEERD.

Before we talk to Makoto, take notice of the deadline. First, “The Cleanse” is just amazingly melodramatic, even considering the consequences. Second, we have twenty-six days until the deadline, which is downright ludicrous.




Okay, so previous Persona games dealt with summer vacation by kind of sidestepping it: instead of letting you hang out with school-based Social Links in a different context, they just went “fuck it” and decided not to let you advance those Links at all. They also totally divorced most party members’ Links from a school context to get around it, though ironically they didn’t quite do it enough; an infamous example of which being Kanji’s Social Link, which had to be initiated by talking to a random school NPC, failure of which to do so before vacation started would lock you out of his Link for the duration.

Anyway, here they deal with it by… mostly not letting you form Confidants with your classmates, and relying on contrivance for the rest. None of them save Kawakami require a school event to initiate (though later ranks of her Confidant have brief events that take place during school hours, which are obviously unavailable during break) Mishima is the only non-party member classmate in the game with a Confidant, and his takes place entirely at night, so it’s a non-issue. The only Confidants with events that take place at school are Ryuji and Makoto (as well as a later character, and one of Ann’s later ranks, but the former can only be initiated after summer break ends, and I don’t really count the latter), and the game explains their events by not really explaining them. Examining the (ajar) school gate during summer vacation will tell you that some students are likely inside for clubs… and that’s it. Eiko and Ryuji’s former track teammates are just… hanging out at school during summer break, I guess. Whatever.

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. Oh, so I spoke with Eiko and she said her boyfriend was OK with the double date idea. She asked me to show her your picture though…

Wait, what? We’ve met.

Apparently, um… she thinks you look a little lame… She told me that my boyfriend isn’t in the same league as her Tsukasa… I was going to disagree, but you are a bit disheveled at times…

Well, thanks for sticking up for me, Makoto. So dependable, you.

Hm, this is a problem...



This is Rank 5 Charm, by the way. We’re at Rank 3. This is one of the most infamous stat blocks in the game because it’s so early, so severe, and it comes out of fucking nowhere.

Eiko… I need to meet her boyfriend somehow and make sure he’s not scamming her...



Why is the director harassing us? We’ve been getting a lot of viewers!
That’s why I wanted to stop going against them. At least this showdown is in the headlines…
Tch, we’re not high school reporters! Do you want the other news stations to get the real scoops before we do?



Ahhh, I can feel it! The power of the Sun God flows through me…
However, the brighter the light, the larger the shadow. Darkness grows in the people’s hearts! The most extreme of this is Medjed! The incarnation of ill will, born from the surge of darkness!



But the Phantom Thieves will surely win, so I give you my ballad… “Manly Firework”! Emails, videos, secret diaries/Things I don’t want people to see/Close up those Etchu loincloths/The fight is close at hand/Some things men can’t give away/Push through and bloom/Protect the final fort/Don’t lose everything/ That was Japanese rock! What’d you think?



Yeah, it flows through my rock n’ roll soul! Gotta let it guide me wherever it goes!



I heard that they can get through any kind of internet security. That’s actually pretty impresssive. Maybe I’ll join them and have them get me Akechi-kun’s number...
Oh, you…

Oh, you, always creeping on high schoolers!




It’s more like… my memory is hazy. Like I’m in some dream… It’s as if my brain… or the world itself gets completely rewritten… Could the Phantom Thieves have done something to me? No… there’s no way...



There’s certainly nothing we can do. It’d be awful if Medjed set their sights on our company.
Exactly. Higher-ups like my hubby are who need to step in if things go south.
Sometimes, I’m relived my husband hasn’t climbed in the ranks.



To enter the depths of a woman’s heart, you need a password. It’s what we call honeyed words… However, true pick-up artists never resort to force. We touch women’s hearts with skill alone!
S-Senpai… You’re too cool…!



You’re a phantom thief, aren’t ya? They’re all the rage now! Find out more… after these messages!



Haha, whoa! You’re really into this! You really put the “fan” in phantom thief, don’t you? Just between you and me… Did you know the Phantom Thieves are recruiting right now? That’s right, phantom thief lessons are 90% off right now! We even offer easy payment plans!



Whaaat!? Don’t get so full of yourself! You gave me false hope for a minute there! Idiot kid, get outta here! As if someone like you could become a phantom thief!



I placed my shop on the street so I can see people walking by, but I’m about to melt… Well then, shall I read your fortune in detail…?



OK. Please take a seat.




This is where we actually see the “needs to come from an All-out Attack” condition of Money Reading. Still, it’s well worth it.

Reading your money fortune will cost you 5000 yen. Is that OK?



OK, let’s read your money fortune.



Hm… fate… Is this… money…? This tells me that, ultimately, you’ll obtain more money than usual. Hopefully you have a payday coming soon.



That’s all for today’s money fortune reading.



Music: Butterfly Kiss



Next and final detour, Takemi’s.

...But you don’t seem too concerned about it. So, what are you here for today?




We want to get one more SP Adhesive 3, as well as more full HP revives and Relax Gels. Relax Gels are single-target cure Despair/Rage/Brainwash/Fear/Confuse, and while Makoto has Energy Shower which does the exact same thing but multi-target, we need a backup plan for when she gets hit with one of those status effects.

Music: Tokyo Emergency





Music: Suspicion



Oh yeah, all the other ones until now have just been normal cities outside of the distortion itself.
Thanks to that, we didn’t even know we were in a Palace our first time goin’ into Kamoshida’s.
That’s still part of the Palace though. The city may not have been distorted, but it was still cognition. The Palace rulers may have been criminals, but they were social enough to know the city layout. But Futaba probably doesn’t… In fact, I’d be she isn’t even interested in the outside world.
Hence why the whole thing is a bleak desert… Understandable, considering her lifestyle.
I doubt many famous criminals are shut-ins like her though. Hopefully that means we won’t have to go through all this desert business in the future.
That might not necessarily be the case. Many upper-class citizens travel by limo or plane, so they don’t know or care about city life...
A plane…!? Damn, that sounds pretty good! I mean, wouldn’t you wanna go to a Palace wayyy up above the clouds if you could?



I think a flying bank is quite enough, thanks…
I have to say though, the topic of the area outside the distortion is fascinating. Depending on the criminal, there may be an exact replica of Tokyo within their Palace. I would love to examine the aesthetics of such a strange place at least once.

Why? It’d just be Tokyo.

You don’t got a damn thing but art in that head of yours, huh?
But it’s true that an observant criminal could have a true to reality city in their Palace. ...Although even if such a place did exist, it’s not like we’d have any use for it.

Music: Tokyo Emergency



Well, next time we’ll head straight into the Palace, knock that out quick, and keep going, with no other bullshit getting in the way. I know a lot of you guys liked making fun of me when that last bullshit happened, but no more, okay? We’re not doing that again. I slave over a hot keyboard making updates for you guys, so don’t compla





”hey guys”