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Chapter 59: 6/20: Ghost Riding The Pope
This update covers content from Part 53 of the original LP.
Evening
Music: Desire
I didn’t mean to drag you in like this…
Yeah, no idea what you were thinkin’ there.
I was stupid…
Absolutely. What did you imagine the outcome would be?
Hey guys, maybe shut up and lay off for a second.
Huh? But you were the one who’s been the most pissed off at Niijima this whole time, weren’t you? You said something like, “I hope that stuck-up bitch dunks her face into a deep frye—”
Hahaha, ignore him!
Read the room, idiot!
I was so caught up in trying to be useful…
All right, enough of the blame game! What’s done is done!
No, let’s keep turning on each other, and while you’re all distracted I’ll knock out the one determined to be most responsible and harvest their organs for quick cash. It’ll solve all of our problems at once!
And only create like, a few dozen more!
Exactly! We’d be stupid *not* to do it!
I’m going to cause trouble for Sis too…
She’s going to have to invent a whole new genre of emotional abuse after this debacle…
Sis?
My older sister has a commendable job, and she’s a much more remarkable person than me… A lot happened after we lost our father three years ago, so it’s just us living together… But I’m still a child, so all I am is a burden to her…
I have no further questions about your sister. I am sure she will never become relevant to our lives in any fashion.
…… …And that’s why you were so reckless?
I just wanted to be useful in some way to someone…
Y’know, I might not get your whole situation, but ain’t it a bit off saying that you’re useless to her?
Useless… Useless… Useless…
*whimper*
(to Ann) In particular, I have to apologize for what happened to you.
Eh?
Now that I think on it, the truth about Kamoshida must’ve been covered up by the whole school.
With the sole, notable exception of the one teacher I hang out with. She’s inexplicably innocent.
I had my suspicions, but… I couldn’t do anything about it. …No. I *didn’t* do anything. Had I cared enough, I could’ve done something…
……
People like me… must really be what others call scum of the earth.
Trust me, if you really were, you wouldn’t think of yourself that way.
…Huh?
I’m the same. It’s just like you said before: I was closest to Shiho, but I didn’t do anything…
In fact, I said and did several things to accidentally make it worse! Whoops!
Besides, Kamoshida’s the one to blame. Shiho understands that… and I do too.
Takamaki-san…
You didn’t have a place to belong either… Isn’t that right?
Me… either?
We won’t let anyone fall victim again. Now, what should we do from here?
I’ll do something about the money! So can we please just drop the case with Kaneshiro?
What the hell are you saying!? Even if he didn’t have dirt on us, this was your idea! We need to do this to protect the students of Shujin, remember!?
Besides, I highly doubt you have that kind of money just lying around, and it won’t do for you to keep rushing into things like you did today.
Yusuke, what would you know about money?
If only we could do something about that bank…
Ryuji!
Yo, shut the fuck up, dude!
There’s a great little moment that proved just a bit too difficult to properly capture here where Ryuji realizes his blunder and just scratches his head trying to deflect attention, it’s pretty neat.
Bank?
Oh, right, the bank!
Music: Suspicion
She isn’t useless at all! She may be our key in! Hear me out, you guys!
Our key in? What do you mean?
Why is Hamiru’s bag cat just standing there, and why are you now talking to it?
Wait. You know about Bagcat!? Why didn’t you tattle on me?
To be honest, seeing you carry that thing around was pretty adorable.
We’ve become Kaneshiro’s targets. That means we’ve become customers of Kaneshiro’s bank!
I see. The reason why we couldn’t enter before was because we weren’t considered his customers…
I’m not sure we ever actually established this, but alright!
And wouldn’t you say that she in particular is a special customer?
…In what way? I guess she’s seen Kaneshiro’s face, but that’s all I got, and we’ve all seen his face now too.
Let’s take her with us. She is responsible for our current situation.
Whoa, I don’t follow this at all…
Ryuji, that’s normal.
She risked her life doing something so reckless. At the very least, she has the right to know. Won’t you come with us?
What? …Wait. To where?
Yeah, where are we goin’?
Beats me…
Guys, please. The cat all but said it outright.
(to Fox) A canine!?
It’s Fox…
Be quiet. The Shadows are going to notice us.
A monster cat!?
Man, Mona gets that one a lot.
I’m noooooot!
That’s Morgana, the cat that was in Maaku’s bag. This is what happens when we come here.
Codenames, guys! Christ!
That voice… Takamaki-san? Where are we?
We’re inside Kaneshiro’s… well, the “world” inside his heart.
…What?
It’s another reality in which Kaneshiro’s distorted desires have materialized.
…Another reality?
It’s floating in the air!? Th-This is reality!? My goodness… ……
Guys, we broke the cop.
I’m sorry, it’s just… But since this really exists, I can’t doubt it…
Or you could just be having a psychotic break! Not to be confused with those psychotic breakdowns that have been on the news, of course. Generally much less taking your pants off at Denny’s.
A reality that one’s heart shows… Is it like the application of optical illusions in social cognitive psychology?
Zuh???
NEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRD!
That may be like overwriting their cognition… I think I kind of get the logic behind it…
(to Mona) Ain’t she more amazing than you?
After how long it takes you to get *anything*, Skull, I’d say you don’t have much room to talk here.
Then does that mean there’s an ATM version of myself somewhere in this world too?
Perhaps. Regardless, we can change Kaneshiro’s heart and make him confess if we steal his Treasure. …If it all goes well, that is.
We’ll make it go well. Everyone’ll notice us for sure if we take someone like Kaneshiro down!
Our justice will also become resolute.
Think we’d be able to give courage to those in need if it happens!?
For the sake of those in need, huh… You sound like my father.
Your father?
…No, don’t mind me. You want to go to that bank, right? Let’s go then. If I’ve become a customer of that bank, then they’ll have to let me in.
Music: Disquiet
It came to us!
It’s just as I calculated!
I thought that I’d be able to get in since I have the same identity as such customers. I’m Kaneshiro’s source of revenue, after all.
But this was *my* plan…
But wow… This place is huge.
I rarely gotta go to the bank, so… this’s makin’ me kinda nervous.
Being in a bank with costumes like these is so obvious—we’re totally robbers.
You got that right…
It seems there will be a lot of Shadows from here on.
Huh? What’s that about?
Enemies attack us here.
I see… I’ve trained in aikido. Don’t worry; I can defend myself.
Uh, yeah, that’s not gonna do shit against these guys.
We have to go in from the front, don’t we? I’m an honorary customer, so I better act like one. …I *will* be useful for you guys.
Alright, just settle down there, sport.
Music: Price
Well, aren’t you eager?
You know, we don’t actually *have* to go in today. We could just, like, come back. We know this will work in the future, and it’s already, like, 8:30.
Nonsense! We have to cause a huge disturbance and alert the Palace ruler!
Right, right. I guess I was hoping we could, like… skip that part?
……
…Joker, what the hell are you talking about?
Dammit… I’m not gonna get home in time for my stories…
Music: Disquiet
I had a feeling this would happen.
Come at us!
No no! Wait!
Wasn’t it your idea to walk in like a normal customer? Besides, I just told you that your martial arts training won’t work!
She’s one of Kaneshiro’s customers.
I’d like to speak with the bank president.
Excuse me, but do you have an appointment?
I need to talk to him. Now let me through!
Yo, banks have presidents?
Yes, but not the political sorts—in theory.
Music: Price
I strongly advise that you do not attempt to go elsewhere.
Huh… Ostensbily polite word choice, but with just a *hint* of menace behind them… They hold our lives in their hands, and they know it.
That’s a bank for you.
Really love that the “Days until Reported to Police” countdown is still there, by the way. The idea that Makoto is still about to turn us in after all this is very funny to me.
Music: Tension
That comes to three million yen in total. You’re here regarding that, correct, Miss Beautiful President?
Extremely goddamn skeevy hearing this grown-ass man refer to Makoto like that. Wait, no. What’s the one beyond “skeevy”? It’s that one.
You gonna call it off then?
Skull, come on man. You can’t be this dumb. I’m not going to let you be this dumb.
No—a loan. The interest rate is ten percent a day.
Ten percent interest a day… Um… Uh… That means… One day is…
Panther, you too!? It’s extremely easy to figure that out!
It’s three hundred thousand yen.
Well, la-di-da, look at Little Miss Math Wizard over here, calculatin’ all these fancy numbers in her head like that!
There’s no need to be alarmed. I have a more manageable option for people like you.
That was your plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?
Quite the impressive insight… Niijma-san. …Or should I say, the younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor Sae Niijima?
Ah, shit, she comes from a whole family of cops! This was a bad idea, guys!
How do you know that!?
Please don’t underestimate our intelligence network. My, what wonderful goods have come falling into my lap.
Don’t be ridiculous!
Young women are such great assets. They lack strength—be it social, physical, or mental. They lack physical strength and are dumb. It’s as if they only exist to be devoured by the strong. That just might be the rule since the dawn of history.
You truly are despicable…
You better be ready, Kaneshiro! We’re gonna snatch your Treasure from you!
Don’t make me laugh, you petty thieves. My citadel has the highest security installed in it.
Suddenly, Shadows!
Anyone will do anything for money. I’ll rob you of your lives as easily as you breathe air. *snicker*
Music: Keeper of Lust
This fight could be kind of annoying in the vanilla release, and it’s still a bit of a pain in Royal, but we have more tools to deal with it now. Remember, the Oni Shadows lack weaknesses. However, Technicals are so much better in Royal that a pretty good strategy I found here was to hit them with Fire/Ice/Electricity (and hey, we brought Panther/Fox/Skull, how about that?) and just hope to get an ailment to stick. If you can knock them down from there, a Baton Pass over to Fox for Rising Slash will shred them, despite their resistance to Physical.
A lucky All-Out Attack takes this wave down for the count.
The target is still alive! We must deal with them at any cost!
So now, once again, we are faced with two more Oni, and our health is looking a little low, especially Panther’s.
I don’t think I ever showed off Champion’s Cup, the skill from the Crystal of Lust Jose upgraded, but here it is.
An Attack boost to go along with the Diarama, nice.
Not too shabby.
Don’t let them escape! We must take them down!
Hired with money as opposed to *what*, dude?
We’re in trouble at this rate! Let’s run!
Music: Run, Run, Run!
Could those have been the Personas you mentioned…!?
Does now really look like the time to be asking that!? We need to retreat! Makoto, make sure you don’t get separated from us!
Music: Desire
There’s no end to them!
Guys!
…Motherfucker, *what*!? I *live* here. You’re literally thieves. How am I the one sneaking around?
However, I do thank you for providing me with such wonderful goods. …It’s time you disappear.
Managing a bank is tough as it is. So it’s my policy to kill clients who are more trouble than they’re worth. Having one impertinent brat disappear is enough to set an example in that other world.
Please stop!
Oh, I wouldn’t damage an asset like you. They’re dead men walking, but you’ll be just fine. Your sister is quite a beauty though. I’ll make sure to make her my personal slave. Once I get bored, I’ll just sell her off. Oh, poor Sis…
Really didn’t need the weird gross sex shit to wanna pound this guy’s face in. Honestly, it’s just kind of overkill.
What are you even talking about, dude? Are you criticizing this guy’s big dumb villain speech?
I mean, I guess, yeah. This guy seems kind of like a chump, honestly. We’ve only met him the once and know pretty much nothing about him. I’m just finding it hard to get properly *invested* in this one beyond basic rage. It’s like he’s trying to make up for the lack of interaction we’ve had with him by going straight into the mustache-twirling. It all just feels so impersonal, you know?
I see your point.
Maybe not the *worst* Palace ruler so far, but definitely the *least*.
Oh my god, shut up.
Then you’d better start taking customers tomorrow. All you gotta do is endure it and do as you’re told.
Endure it… Do as I’m told…
You’ll earn three million yen in no time. Although, your life and everything along with it will be a complete wreck by then!
I’ve been listening to you go on and on…
Music: Awakening
Huh?
Video: Makoto’s Awakening
Very well. Let us proceed with our contract at once.
Please… Never lose sight of it again.
Music: Will Power
A Persona…?
No, dude… That’s a bike…
I’ve never seen anything like it…
Line Changes!!!!!
During the first meeting with Shadow Kaneshiro in the conference room, the original game featured the line: “Young women are so useful. They lack physical strength and are dumb.” That (terrible) line is now “Young women are such great assets. They lack strength—be it social, physical, or mental.” It actually properly conveys the meaning now, in addition to not being awkward as all hell!