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Chapter 87: 7/25: Just Deserts
This update covers content from Parts 73 and 74 of the original LP.
Anon: No biggie!
Early Morning
Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)
I guess they need to set some rules when the world’s eyes are on us because of the Phantom Thieves. Stuff like “Don’t do anything that will hurt the school’s reputation; spend your summer break quietly.”
(Worried Student) I can’t stay quiet with all this excitement going on. Medjed’s statement was insane! “People of Japan, you must not worship the Phantom Thieves,” they said… It could just be a joke. There’s talk that this could lead to the biggest leak of private data to date. I wonder if they’re gonna target another site… I’m curious to see how the Phantom Thieves react.
It’s what I’m looking forward to most this summer. It’ll be the perfect escape from exam studies. But the Phantom Thieves need to take action. They’re the ones Medjed is after.
By the way, I heard Ushimaru talking about rehearsing his “tight five” to warm us up before the lecture starts.
I crave death!
This is bigger than I thought. We can’t leave this be… Let’s get this assembly out of the way. We have our own business to attend to!
C’mon, let’s go! We’re gonna be late!
Our school’s done for…
I don’t care what the principal has to say.
They’re so stupid! I wish I could change their hearts.
Why not make a post? Our request might be taken…
Anon: this’ll blow up
Anon: shit + shit = shit sandwich
Anon: im staying out of this shit
Anon: Medjed must be bored
Anon: both are crossing the line
Early Morning → Daytime
Music: Wicked Plan
Hello everyone. I did not have an assembly like all of you, but I am doing laundry today, so these are my only available clothes.
Uh… okay?
I think he just wanted to fit in. Didn’t wanna be the only one out of uniform, you know?
Let’s get to business, everyone! It seems like Futaba was listening in on Leblanc.
How did she plant a bug in Leblanc if she can’t leave the house?
…Shut up.
I don’t really get it, but we’ll need her hacking skills to take on Medjed.
We’ll have to trust in her skills, then.
By the way, Morgana… can someone who isn’t evil really have a Palace?
Good or evil is irrelevant. It’s all about warped cognitions caused by strong desires. It’s just that most of the time, those strong desires cause you to harm others.
Music: Suspicion
Still, for someone so young to have a Palace… She must be in a lot of pain.
Auditory and visual hallucinations… Those might be related to some important memories that have been warped by her desires.
So we’re all in on changing her heart, yeah?
She asked us to, after all.
We should still be careful. Being invited by someone to change their own heart is… unusual, to say the least. The Palace ruler could behave erratically, or the distortion could be beyond what we’ve seen before. Is everyone still in agreement?
We don’t seem remotely qualified to untangle someone with this level of trauma, but… Sure, why not? Let’s go for it.
We still need the last keyword. We got the name and the place, so…
The distortion is all that’s left, yes.
Let’s try going to the house.
I’ll be able to remember everything if I turn back into a human, right?
Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)
Cat, why do you always have to make this shit about you?
We’ve got to succeed here. Maybe if we can unravel Futaba’s memories, I can get my own back too…
I’m not following that logic at all.
In any case, it’s not every day you stumble upon a hacker like her around. You really do have a gift, don’t you?
It’s like my life is the extremely rough first draft of a screenplay that got rushed into production. Massive coincidences abound!
You sure live up to my expectations.
I can sense a firm resolve from Morgana…
More infiltration tools, nice.
Hey, they went on without us! Let’s hurry and catch up to them!
Music: Wicked Plan
She doesn’t leave her house, so that should narrow it down… What about—
I give up.
Huh!?
Let’s just ask her.
I mean… I suppose that’s an option. But this seems risky…
It’ll be fiiiiiiiine. I’ll unlock the door, see?
But what if Boss comes home?
Then we’re all dead.
Huh!?
C’mon, let’s go.
Music: Suspicion
*pause*
There’s no answer…
*knock* Futaba-chan. Are you there? I’m sorry for being startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark that I got scared.
*pause*
No reaction whatsoever.
Welp, let’s break down the door.
Let’s save that for a last resort.
*knock* You’re listening, right, Alibaba?
Is it Alibaba?
Why’s she only reacting to that name?
You’re Futaba Sakura, aren’t you?
*pause*
She’s not responding again.
Does she not like us saying her name?
Please hear us out. We need to speak with Futaba, not Alibaba. We can’t steal your heart until we understand more about you. You don’t have to come out, just answer our questions.
OK.
You’re up, Maaku.
Of course. I’ll use my winning personality to coax the answers out of her.
Right, sure, whatever.
What do you want to know?
>How is it living in this house?
It’s painful…
>If it’s painful, why not leave?
I can’t leave this place. I’m going to die here.
Wha… Die?
>Die? Why do you say that? And how does that make you *feel*?
You’re not her psychiatrist, man!
I’m definitely going to die here.
This place is my tomb.
Tomb?
You think that’s it?
Try entering “tomb.”
I feel like we could have gotten this answer eventually if we’d actually tried guessing.
Silence! I’m using the Nav! *ahem* “Tomb.”
Input accepted. Searching for route to destination.
We got it…!
Was that enough?
Yes, you’ve been a great help. You will still help us if we do this, won’t you?
Of course. We made a deal.
Not here, dumbass!
Can we at least get our shoes fir—
Our clothes didn’t change…
Well, yeah. She invited us in. She doesn’t see us as a threat, so…
But where’s the tomb? It’s scorching out here!
Futaba must really want to keep people away to create such a vast desert.
All right, enough gabbing. Let’s find the Palace already, yeah?
Is it that way?
Let’s make our way over there.
It’s a little far to walk, though!
Don’t worry, I have a solution to that! TRANSFORM!
Sand is famously easy to drive a car on. This should go great.
All right! Let’s roll!
Video: Through the Desert
Just a reminder that the entire diversion regarding the assembly and Yusuke’s laundry was to explain away a potential plot hole regarding the characters being in their uniforms for this cutscene. This game’s development was kind of a mess, huh?
Music: Treading On Scorched Sand
Does this scene have anything important in it? I can’t remember…
I’ll take that as a no.
Ryuji was holding out on us! He had shoes this whole time!
Ryuji kindly shares his hookup on shoes with the rest of the group before we arrive. How nice of him.
To think her Palace would be a pyramid…
Music: The Days When My Mother Was There (Another Version)
Hey, a pyramid’s a tomb, right?
Yes. It’s a pharoah’s tomb.
That’s how it’s mostly known. There are a variety of theories on it. For instance, it’s even said to be a device for reviving the dead.
Reviving the dead, hm…?
Oh, like her mom, I get it!
What!? God, Makoto, you’re like two steps from admitting you’re actually one of those racist dumbasses who thinks they were built by aliens.
As much as I love whatever this argument is about, can we just head inside? I’m gonna melt…
Music: The Days When My Mother Was There
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.
I can sense the Treasure at the top!
It seems to be at the heart of the pyramid…
Welp, time to keep climbin’ then. Let’s go.
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.
She’s also got glowing yellow eyes, genius.
Also, I take exception to the “dressed like a queen” comment.
……
Yo, Futaba. Where’s the Treasure?
*silence*
Yeah, we’d prefer to get in-and-out here with minimal strife, so we’d greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.
Hey, say somethin’.
*silence*
Maybe she’ll respond if we start shaking her violently. Here, I’ll start…
Don’t be like that!
Don’t be like what?
Like Ryuji, I assume.
I’m sorry, Futaba-chan. It’s okay, there’s no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?
*silence*
*sigh* This is going nowhere.
All right, this has been a bust. Let’s just leave and look ourselves.
Shut up and stop antagonizing her!
Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you come?
Music: Desire
She talked… but…
It was extremely ominous, yes, we heard.
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.
…No, Yusuke. …Where did you even learn that word? You don’t seem like you’re into those kinds of shows.
Considering the state that my Palace is in… ...There is no way that you can steal it.
What are these voices?
Murderer?
This is horrible…
Hey, the hell is this?
Well, it seems to me to be a badly conceptualized portrayal of trauma, where instead of actually trying to properly depict the psychology of the matter, they’ve rifled through box of outdated mental illness tropes and picked out the ones they thought would work. This is why we hire consultants, folks!
…That’s right. I did it.
What?
I am the one who killed my mother.
Plot twist!
I don’t think that was literal, dumbass.
Music: High Pressure
What was that!?
I will remain here. I will do so until I die. *disappears*
She sees us as a threat now… What’s going on!?
Music: Desire
And then Futaba hears all the voices again, yadda yadda, I already put them all in the images so I’m not transcribing them again.
...That’s right… I killed Mom. I don’t deserve to be alive… This place is a tomb… I’ll die here...
I lied, there is one new voice she hears now: “That’s right! Die!”
No…! Someone help me…
Eh, we seemed due for some bullshit complication like this.
This is bad—I’m having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and—
Hmm, yep, right on schedule.
Oh crap…! Bad, bad, bad! Ruuuuuuuuuun!
Music: The Days When My Mother Was There
Door locked behind us? Okay, that’s three misfortunes. I think we’re safe for now.
Now what!?
Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what’s going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?
This just got far more complicated… We should retreat for now and make preparations to return later.
Yeah, okay. …Wait, don’t we have to return to where we entered the Palace to leave?
Yeah, and…?
Well, we entered in the middle of a featureless desert with nothing around for miles.
……
Hope you guys remember which direction we came from!
(The real answer is probably just that the Nav tells you where you entered, honestly)
Daytime → Evening
The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterrorism?
Music: Suspicion
We need to help Futaba before the 21st in order to stop Medjed, so our deadline will have to be the 19th in order to save enough time.
If we’re just gonna come here anyway, let’s make this place our new hideout instead of goin’ to Shibuya first.
You guys know sound carries in here, right? There’s a real good chance Sojiro finds out what we’re doing.
Eh, dude’s old, he probably can’t hear too good.
By the way, Ryuji. Be aware that I will enact vengeance for you creeping on me earlier. Not now, but when you least expect it.
Huh!? Wait, Maaku was doing it too!
Yeah, I dunno why I did that. It was as if some strange force was compelling me to, as if I was a wholly different person for the entire time we were in the Monabus… It’s almost like I was a poorly written character being handed off between different writers or something…
Yeah, nice try. You’re going down too.
Fuck.
At least Yusuke wasn’t looking down my goddamn bra.
I’m not actually sure that Yusuke knows what sex is.
Music: Desire
Agh… Ngh… Mom…
…Man, this game is fucking stupid sometimes.
Music: Beneath the Mask
Will Medjed truly follow through on their threat? Perhaps it’s a false alarm.
They’ll definitely act.
Alibaba!
>You don’t have to barge into our group texts unannounced, you know. You could just ask to be included like a normal person.
Don’t really think you’ve got any business telling people to “act normal,” dude.
Sounds boring. But that’s irrelevant. How much longer will this take?
Your heart ended up posing more of a problem than we anticipated.
Tough nut to crack, that one.
Yo, Alibaba! Can you really take down Medjed?
Yes.
Prove it. Take down a server or something.
Ryuji!
Please don’t start any trouble.
If that will convince you, then very well.
Oh dear…
I go to the page and it says the site doesn’t exist! My livelihood! It’s gone!
>Oh, I see. Funny prank, Futaba.
Huh!? What are you talking about? Anyway, I think Medjed did this! But we still have time until the cleanse! Wait, something came up! “Is this proof enough for you…?” Huh? What could it mean? Oh!
>Mishima, you’re spamming my texts. Calm down.
The site’s back, actually… I dunno what that was about, but I’m gonna look into it, okay?
Was that Alibaba proving what she said earlier? Talk about a crazy thing to pull off...
Maaku gains Kindness +3.
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.
We’re going to make some curry for the Palace.
Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)
…This curry sure has a lot of ingredients, doesn’t it? Did I see you put fruit in there?
Huh… I never knew apples would go so well with spicy curry.
Sounds pretty good, now that I think about it. Man, I’m hungry.
You throw it all together with such gusto. Could it be that the secret ingredient is… confidence?
No, that’s stupid. Maaku gains Guts +1.
Nice! The curry’s smelling good… This’ll definitely be a hit!
Maaku eats a bite, then immediately wolfs down more and more.
That recipe sure has some love and care behind it. Try eating it in the Metaverse. Maybe it’ll heal your wounds.
There may come a time you’ll be asked to serve it to someone. Wouldn’t hurt to hone your skills. We should rest for now. Got a big day tomorrow.