Part 92: 8/22: This Update Has Been Hacked

Part 90: 8/22: This Update Has Been Hacked

Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)



Boss! Hello!

Music: Alright



Yo, you look tired.
We’ve made ourselves at home.



The site’s main page now displays what is thought to be the mark belonging to the Phantom Thieves… Moreso, the personal information of a Japanese man, a possible Medjed member, was illegally publicized.
Aren’t these the guys people have been up in arms about?
Medjed has yet to issue an official reply. Furthermore, their previously announced cleanse of Japan has remained unimplemented for now. Some speculate that they have taken this series of events seriously and ultimately canceled their plan.

Futaba didn’t really… do much, did she? Doxxed one person and hacked a website.



The group starts giggling and cheering quietly.

What’re you all smirking about…?



Well stop it. You’re gonna drive away all my customers.
After the commercial break, we will be asking guests from various fields about this turn of events.
But there ain’t any customers…?
Can it… My customers are on summer vacation too.

Ha. Poor Sojiro.

Oh crap, I just realized our break’s almost over!
There are still ten days left.
I wanna go somewhere, but we can’t just leave Futaba-chan alone.
Some things still concern me too, like that “research”…



Oh! Did you just get up?
*nods*
Good morning.



It seems she’s cautious of us…
Hey, why don’t we go upstairs? If any customers come, she’ll be even more afraid.
Why don’t you go with them, Futaba? Have fun. It’s about time my regulars show up anyway, so I don’t want you guys loitering around my store.



Oh hey, this asshole again!

The issue I want to make clear is the attitude of the police, and more importantly, the government.



What do you mean?
Are they doing their best to find an effective countermeasure against these Phantom Thieves? Is it not the government’s duty to create a society where its citizens can live without worry?

Hey! Under the Phantom Thieves, you only have to worry if you’re an undesirable!

Unfortunately, the current cabinet is powerless. As such, they should be disbanded. I believe now is the time for me to risk my political career in hope of making a new reality. A new political system that goes beyond parties or factions… An ideal country of peace and order…
This politician seems quite promising.
I have to agree. I hope he can work to ease the anxieties of the elderly.
What do you think, Boss?
Hm? Oh sorry, I wasn’t listening.

Rude!

Music: Interrogation Room




And Medjed was in turn defeated by her real-world hacking abilities? This does correlate to the facts as we know them… If he’s telling the truth, then Wakaba Isshiki didn’t commit suicide… Did a third party target her life with the goal of destroying her research…? Wakaba’s death was two years ago… That also coincides with when the incidents started occurring… Does this other Metaverse user that Madarame and Kaneshiro mentioned… really exist…? Earlier, I briefly mentioned about those psychotic breakdown incidents that have alarmed the public. All of a sudden, people will lose consciousness or become violent… A situation as incomprehensible as that can’t be explained away as “troubled social conditions.” ...I suspect that these cases are all connected to a larger, man-made plot. The method involved always muddled the explication, but your story has virtually confirmed its viability.

Oh man, this is some fresh word salad. Who the fuck uses the word “explication”?

Although, I wouldn’t have expected a new criminal to come to light from your testimony… What did your group think of this other Metaverse user?



How self-centered of you. The Phantom Thieves tamper with people’s hearts without consent. How is that different? Well… no matter how you thought of them, there can be no doubting your resolve. Are those incidents because of you or someone else…? Either way, I will get to the bottom of this.
I feel like my bond with Sae is growing deeper...




Kunikazu Okumura… You should know who he is. ...Considering what happened. Your testimony regarding this incident will be serious. I’m sure you understand why. Answer my next question carefully. What did you do to this Okumura?



Music: Wicked Plan



To think the cognitive version of a person would transform into a such a horrible monster and attack us… That means our enemies aren’t limited to Shadows.
I thought the other people were just victims, like the slaves at the castle or the walking ATMs.
Even though they seem to be alive, they’re only part of the backdrop… the environment. In other words, the Palace ruler determines the form and strength of their cognitions. I would have loved to ask Futaba’s mother how far along she was with her research…
Research, huh… She was lookin’ into that cognitive psience stuff, yeah?
If we put together all the information we’ve gathered up to this point… Abuse of cognitive psience can lead to death, and it may even relate to the psychotic breakdown incidents. Considering the “cognitive” aspect, I sense a strong connection between it and the Metaverse.
On top of that, the research might have been stolen and used by someone else.
You mean those guys that showed Futaba-chan the fake suicide note.
If that is the case, those people are unforgivable.
Hey, Futaba. Is there anything else you can remember?





Futaba comes back, with more food.



C’mon, no fair…
Hey, can I snag a bite?



Futaba stares Ryuji down.

...Meanie.
Why don’t we take a short break?

Music: Suspicion



Even if Futaba is a genius, could she really crush an international hacker organization that easily?

What are you talking about, Makoto? This is anime. Of course she could.

The one who taunted the Phantom Thieves was a guy in Japan. I knew the Medjed members in Japan weren’t anything special, so I wasn’t worried.
How do you know that?
‘Cause I’m the founder.



Theeeeere we go.

Um… what do you mean? Should we take that literally?
Yep. It was only me at first, back when I was referred to as the hacker of justice. But since I stayed anonymous, a buncha guys from all over the world started using the name.
And those were the ones committing cybercrimes.
It was a hassle to expose all of them, so I just left them be.
Uhhh… so Futaba was the true Medjed, and we were freakin’ out over some weak-ass dipshits?

Yep. Seems like the threat has been completely undermined!

You should’ve told us from the start, Futaba.
I discarded the Medjed name a while ago. I’m Alibaba now.
Futaba, what do you want to do now? Since you know our secret, we’d like you to join our team.



Simple enough!

Just like that…?
This may even ensure our investigation of Mementos goes along smoothly.
Well… I guess.
Well, Futaba’s real amazin’! She’s gonna be a big help for us, huh?
Say, Futaba. How did you find out about us?
Secret.
Where did you learn to hack?
Private.
When did you obtain the Nav?
I refuse to answer.
Futaba-chan sure is unique… Still, it’ll be a problem if she doesn’t open up to us some more.
At the very least, we need to be able to communicate normally with her.
What should we do?



Music: Alright

How?
First, we’ll need to help her open up to us. If we each spend an entire day with her, maybe she’ll get more used to being around us.



I see. We do have the time, thanks to summer vacation.
We can begin tomorrow.
Let’s go to the beach! There’ll be tonsa people there, plus we got totally dried out in that desert.
That’s a great idea! I forgot I hadn’t gone to the beach yet!
Uh, excuse me…?
I’ll come by tomorrow. See you then.
Let me help as well. I don’t have anything planned.
Thanks. We can set a schedule with everyone else depending on when they’re free.
OK!





Futaba grabs Morgana’s face and begins pulling on it.

Music: Disquiet



What a weirdly patronizing and sexist thing to say, Akechi! Wow!

How can I stay calm about this!?
I understand how you feel.
Thanks to the incident with those hackers, people are calling us incompetent. And on top of all that, the Phantom Thieves are claiming justice is on their side. Don’t make me laugh.
Medjed was dealt with by either the Phantom Thieves themselves, or some avid supporter. There are no tracks whatsoever, so they must be quite skilled… Either way, the general public recognizes the Phantom Thieves as the subjugating party.
They’re gaining support and influence much faster than we could have anticipated…
It is indeed an abnormal situation. I’m beginning to suspect mass manipulation of some kind… It’s even possible that a powerful person is behind them, plotting the psychotic breakdowns…



It’s rare to hear you speak in that tone.



Music: Beneath the Mask




They were saying how awesome they think the Phantom Thieves are!
I’ve heard things too. It’s becoming a huge topic of conversation.



Yeah, it’s really all thanks to Alibaba. You were a great help.
It was nothing.
Oh, that reminds me… Remember that stuff about ATMs and banks just stopping? That wasn’t Medjed, was it?
Nope, that was totally separate.
So people were overreacting to mere coincidence?
Either that or those rumors were never true to begin with.
Hm, you seem to be quite talkative in these conversations.
Is that so? I’ll shut up then.

Great job, Yusuke.

:|
……?
>:C
I don’t think I get it, but I’m pretty sure she’s angry…
You gotta apologize, Yusuke.
Me? Why?
:U
Hey, is this really going to be OK? I’m worried about how things will be from now on…





There’s no doubt about it! I mean, they took Medjed down. Even the guys who had been criticizing the Phantom Thieves basically have to accept them now! The news has been spreading like wildfire too. I’ll give it an extra boost on my site as well. I bet the approval rating will be through the roof tomorrow. Look forward to it!
...Why is he of all people getting excited about this? Well, the news really did draw a lot of attention. I can’t wait to see what happens.



So, our current sub-objective next to “Prove your justice to society” is “Rid Futaba of her unease.” Simple.

Anyway, this is one of the rare instances where we have our day consumed but not our night. For the next several days we’ll start in the attic, yes, but we’ll actually have the freedom to leave, holy shit! However, we’ll be spending our days helping Futaba because the game doesn’t want us going to Mementos right now until Futaba gets her codename she needs our guidance.



Even so, we should keep at it.



Temperatures are rising across the country, marking the hottest days we’ve had this summer. Today’s temperature is at a record high, and many are escaping the heat by playing in the water. Throngs of people could be seen at the beach near the city, enjoying the summer weather.
You have to go to the beach in the summer! We should go!



It’s not worth going to any beaches in Japan. They’re cramped and dirty; there’s jellyfish…
What about a beach outside of Japan? Let’s go on a vacation on a tropical island!
We don’t have to go now, right? It’s absurd to go somewhere hot in the middle of summer.

I don’t even like the beach or being outside in general, but holy shit, SEVER.



Mine say the same thing! My mom said not to get all proud and arrogant and stuff…
Yeah, right. Don’t listen to her. Grown-ups lie all the time.
I know! My parents were supposed to take me to the zoo the other day, but they broke their promise!



I wonder how they pulled it off… They really are amazing, huh.
Hey-ey, whatever happened to that Akechi dude? The Phantom Thieves buried that guy—total annihilation!



We should be relieved that nothing happened. What’s more ominous is the Phantom Thieves.
How so? I thought they did well this time…
Gaining power moves one closer to becoming an authoritarian. That’s just the way of the world.

FULL ANARCHY NOW



Yes, I think so. Nothing bad actually happened, so it looks like we’ll all be safe.
They admitted their wrongdoing on their own. If our superiors could do that too, it’d be real nice.
Hahaha, that’d be great. It’d be even better if that happened in every company.



The Phantom Thieves are awesome! They’re like a manga come to life! But, I mean—we can’t rely on them for everything, right?
Huh? Why not? Stop lecturing us!




You were listening, huh? Scram if you don’t wanna get hurt. The more you struggle and resist in vain, the worse your pain and suffering, you know? Though, it’s always more fun for me when the other guy struggles… *chuckle*



They’re really somethin’ else. I wanna apprentice with ‘em.
I’m glad you’re finally getting it.
Yup. Lemme get ya somethin’ nice from the gift store back home—to show I’m sorry.
I take it back. You clearly don’t get it yet!



This is your chance to meet those mysterious superheroes, the “Phantom Thieves!” You interested?



Relax, this’ll only take a second. Just a few seconds, OK? We’re celebrating Medjed’s fall with a party event: An Evening Chat with the Phantom Thieves. Of course, the Phantom Thieves will show up as well! It’ll be a fancy dinner at not a bad price!



What? You scared of the Phantom Thieves showing up? What are you, chicken? Well, in that case, go home already, kid! Geez, I’m wastin’ my breath here!



He must be hurting so much inside. I wish I could cheer up my dearest Akechi-kun…
“My Akechi-kun,” my ass. Your sparkly eyes are hilarious next to your five o’clock shadow.
You’ve got nose hair sticking out too, you bushy-haired beast!

Ugh.



It’s a heavy burden, making my dream—OUR dream—come true. I was unable to shoulder that.
Yeah… I gotta work hard to make our dreams come true. You’re right, Mr. Asakura. But I know I can do it!

Music: Crossroads







Let’s talk to the same guy as last time.



I’d like to ask for a young person’s opinion on the recent fluctuation in stock prices…
...Well, you might as well humor him.



Maaku gains Knowledge +2.





I talked to a drunk guy and learned so much that I am literally incapable of getting any smarter.



G-Good evening…
Oh, my… You look quite exhausted. Here, have a seat.



As soon as I talk back, he makes sure I know I’m lower than him. He insinuates he’ll demote me… After that, I’ll overhear him talking about me, calling me useless while I’m at work… And everything I’ve done, all the results I’m getting… Somehow, he’s taking all the credit.
That is the worst kind of workplace abuse. I cannot believe that man…
So many people have quit because of stress. And yet, the higher-ups all ignore it. Of all the terrible bosses I could get in the world, why did mine have to be Shinsuke Kishi? *sigh* Hey, Lala. I wish the Phantom Thieves could do something and help me with this…
Like how? Are you going to ask them to steal all your stress away?
Hahaha… No. I guess it’s impossible. But it’s nice to think about…







Maaku gets 5400 yen.



Music: Aria of the Soul




It seems you freed the heart of a frenzied girl and saved her from her haunted past. *chuckle* Another step has been taken to rehabilitation… You are progressing quite nicely.
Our master bestows words of praise upon you! You’d better feel honored!
By the by, more curious information has found its way to your ears.

At times it can feel like the translators really wanted to use a weird word or choice of phrase that ends up sticking out badly. “By the by” is not a thing an actual human would ever say, and don’t be a smartass and reply to that with “Igor isn’t human.” It’s creepy and weird in a completely separate manner from his own creepy, weird self.

A scientist’s research… It seems that world may secretly be known after all. Furthermore, that very research has been stolen and is now used by those with malicious intent… I wonder how this will change the approach you take toward your rehabilitation…



I believe I told you we would spare no expense in cooperating with you. Allow me to grant you a new power worthy of your current self.

Note: the game developers may have forgotten to add new power.

Though you have my aid, be sure not to let your guard down. Otherwise you may get swept off your feet…
I feel like my bond with Igor is growing deeper…



...We shall meet again in the near future.
Time to go, Inmate!