2026-01-14: Apologies and Analysis
- Log: Apologies and Analysis
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Goro Akechi
- Where: Hirasaka -- Office Rooftop
- OOC Date: 2026-01-14
- IC Date: Mon Sep 10 2012
- Summary: Walking Lance before school, as they usually do, Tsubasa runs into Akechi... who wants to offer them an apology. But he offers them information alongside it -- and when Tsubasa's questions start getting dangerously close to things Akechi doesn't want questioned, he starts inflaming their paranoia terribly with details from his 'case' about the other side of the NWO. In part due to their earlier paranoia around Julian's rumours, it works... remarkably well.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Does Tsubasa feel any different, a couple of days after they started their hormones?
... kinda hard to say, man. They know about the placebo effect -- enough to know that it's the doctor's word for cope, anyway. They probably don't get any real effects until like... they've at least had two doses of the stuff?
But, you know.
Maybe.
Regardless of that, they must still put on their green and magenta wig and go to school, today. It's a bit past seven in the morning, but they're already in their (boy's) uniform, the bottom half already unbuttoned and tied around their midsection to expose a new fancy green-and-black binder, even though they're not expected to show up 'til eight -- and that's because they're out here, in the streets of the nicer end of Hirasaka, walking their dog before school.
Which is to say: Tsubasa's got their hands shoved in their pockets as they amble along the street after a dog running full-tilt down it.
Lance go nyooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom...
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
It's likely that Lance will all of a sudden nyooooooooooooooooom in an unexpected direction. Dogs do that you know. When they see an interesting post or mailbox or anything touched by another animal at all.
But this time it's because there's someone she knows! Someone who's just around the corner, kneeling down, petting her head. "Ah yes. You are a good girl." A familiar voice.
"Well, it just so happens I have an early morning snack just for you." Out of a knit shopping bag, complete with the logo of his agency, he brings out a package of...
... lean cut wagyu beef!?
When Tsubasa at their slower pace does catch up, they'll see Goro Akechi, squatted down, "Why hello, Seki-kun. I believe it's only good manners if I ask if Lance can have my gift."
Akechi is dressed currently in his school uniform, like he might be on his way, but with the shopping bag full of items and him just happening to have Wagyu beef for Lance, it does perhaps feel a little... planned, to come across their path.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Lance actually tends to avoid other dogs, for all she's friendly to people and other animals. But Akechi? Akechi isn't a dog! He is FRIEND-SHAPED.
She BOOFS, happily, tail wagging a million miles a minute. He didn't even have to bribe her with the francy beef cuts; she's already thrilled to see him. If she had human thoughts, they might sound something like: person! Hello, person! Love me, person!!!
Tsubasa, seeing Lance nyoom around the corner, clicks their tongue against their teeth and ambles off in that direction...
... only to stop and stare, seeing Akechi pulling out some goddamn wagyu beef for their dog.
"Huh," Tsubasa grunts, stoic as ever. "Don't that beat all."
They pause, for a moment -- evaluating the likelihood Akechi would poison a dog -- before they shrug. "Knock yourself out, man. She'll love it." Akechi... did apologise to Ren, after all, which means that this is more likely him trying to apologise rather than targeting their dog to get to them.
Besides, paranoia loses out over Lance getting a sweet-ass treat. Look at how hard her tail is going, man. That thing's gonna wag right off.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Doesn't it?" Akechi answers, with an almost flippant response to Tsubasa's remark, but Tsubasa need not fear. The evidence is apparent. It's still supermarket sealed, and while that might not stop a Detective, it certainly feels unlikely.
Taking off the wrapping, he hands it to Lance. "Well if that's the case... do enjoy yourself." Assuredly he need not hold it out for long.
Not only did he apologize, he also promised Ren he wouldn't go through Tsubasa to get to the Phantom Thieves.
That it would be 'unfair' in a sense, given that Tsubasa had already shared their identity with him.
A brush of a hand over Lance's head and towards one ear as he straightens up, holding his shopping bag with his briefcase. "I don't suppose you'd mind some company? It's high time we had a talk of sorts after all."
He at least doesn't start until Tsubasa gives him the go-ahead. "Though... perhaps we should choose a location just out of earshot of others given the subject matter?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
He assuredly does not: Lance NOMPHS the beef, though she is at least careful enough not to take Akechi'd hand off with it, and happily sits herself down a few steps away and starts gnawing. Wagwagwagwagwagwag...
"She's happy with it," Tsubasa translates, in their usual gruff tone.
Is she really the one being bribed, though?
(Well, maybe. They can't discount that Akechi heard they have a fighting dog and got worried about getting bitten. But man, she only did that once and it wasn't even her fault...)
Still: "Sure," Tsubasa shrugs.
And he asks for a better location, and Tsubasa looks over the buildings -- nicer than the run-down shit in the bad part of town, but still quite old, and...
"Wait here a sec." They head down one of the many alleyways of Hirasaka, grabbing something out of their bag as they kneel by the locked gate of a fire escape running up those office buildings. They're not all that thrilled by Akechi seeing them pick the lock on this thing, but it's the quickest solution; the gate creaks open, and they amble back out of the alleyway. "Got somethin'," they say, a thumb jerking back towards it.
Up the fire escape, of course, is the roof of the office building. No one was using it anyway, this is, like, the bare minimum of trespassing, c'mon. The nice thing is that the door up here is locked by a fire-escape door, so no one's going to come up here; it's about as private as they can get in the middle of the city, save for having a room.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi seems rather unconcerned about the possibility of being bitten, if he does think that. After all, he didn't hesitate to pet Lance when Ichika allowed him to.
"Oh? I couldn't tell." He says as a light joke in that usual smartass style, because obviously Lance is enjoying her snack right now.
"Alright." And Akechi does just that, staying with Lance while they devour the meal. One hand lightly scritch scritching an ear.
"You are going to be so-spoiled by their friends." He asides to Lance while Tsubasa is gone. "Quite the lucky change of fortune for you, wouldn't you agree?"
Then Tsubasa returns and, Akechi nods, heading in that direction. He's probably not trying to get them alone for anything that means ill, after all - if he was, he'd pick the location right?
Control the circumstances.
Tsubasa might ask if he'll hesitate to climb the fire escape with his school uniform on, but he does not. In fact he double times it up the ladder with a sure-footed ease that might make someone wonder if he does a lot of climbing.
More impressively, he seems to do it one-handed, his other holding both a bag and his brief case, in quick motions of one hand remaining stationary to the side. The other pulling up long enough for his feet to climb the rung, before grasping a higher rung.
"I commend you for your choice." Akechi says once Tsubasa is up themselves. "This will do nicely, though will Lance be alright?"
Either way...
"Hmm, how to put this? Perhaps I'll just cut to the chase, before offering context. I sincerely apologize for my oversight, in not updating you on the changes in my current theories."
He says, hand placed against his chest. "You see... I awakened roughly six months prior to our first meeting. At the time, to the best of my knowledge, I was the only person within the Metaverse, discovering it's secrets. Thus - I didn't consider Mental Shutdowns or Psychotic Breakdowns to be related... the next group to enter the Metaverse that I knew of were the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."
Placing a hand upon his chin, "I'd learned soon after that Mental Shutdowns were caused by killing a Shadow within Mementos... at least, that is what certain Rumormongers from the group known as 'Strega' posted on Dark Side of Sumaru. Which caused me to speculate on the Phantom Thieves of Hearts being potentially responsible... Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns have been occurring for two and a half years. Long before I entered the Metaverse. The only possibility is that someone had been there far longer than I. And that 'Changes of Heart'? It made no sense for a new group of Metaverse explorers to have come into that knowledge immediately."
He's at least working them through the context of it, "Which is why I thought the Phantom Thieves of Hearts may have in fact, been there longer than I- utilizing their superior knowledge of that realm to create a new phenomenon. I was mistaken, but it was the only possibility at the time that made sense given the facts..."
Lowering his hand, "I shared with you purely because I wanted you to know that even if I couldn't explain the Metaverse to you - that someone believed you. That I thought this idea would be valuable, to tell you that you were not crazy. And I don't think I was wrong to do so... my oversight is that I never expected you to awaken yourself."
There's a sigh there, "When you shared that you had, months later- my priority was familiarizing yourself with that realm as someone new to that space. I completely forgot to update you that my theories related to the Phantom Thieves being related to the Psychotic Breakdowns had mostly been discarded... because we learned together that someone had been exploring the Metaverse far longer than either of us. That individual shot me, while I was trying to apprehend the Phantom Thieves."
Leaning back, he crosses one arm over his chest loosely, "And there you have it. It merely slipped my mind... and for that, again, I do apologize. It was not my intention to mislead you - I just wanted you to understand that I didn't think you were crazy. That there was someone responsible for what happened to you. My error was in jumping to the conclusion that it was likely the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, but it was the best theory I had at the time."
Well that is a rather thorough explanation, and an apology... but is it enough to make up for it?
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Rouwf, Lance agrees, happily. Omph nomph nomph... they're too busy with delicious steak to try and follow Tsubasa right now.
Luckily, Tsubasa's bag is an over-the-shoulder type deal; they don't need to hold it. (They've had to run from a lot of cops, and you really want your hands free when hopping a fence.) They're a little out of breath by the time they get up here, but... it's probably nothing.
(It's the lung damage.)
"She'll be aight," Tsubasa assures him, as they lean on an air conditioning unit, one foot against the metal. "Used to hangin' tight."
They fold their arms, but their head turns to him, as he issues his apology. They grunt, hearing his timeline. Roughly six months before he met them... that's not the 'nearly eight months' he told them when it happened, right? Unless... well, Tsubasa remembers their first meeting as early June, and their release from gaol as late July... so maybe.
Still... he did say he wasn't aware of his protection, back then.
Their fingers drum, against the scars of their arm, as they evaluate it. Strega was the source of that knowledge...? ... that does line up with Revenge Request, they think. Does that mean... Strega's involved?
Hrm.
... he felt bad for them, huh. He talks about wanting to let them know someone believed them, and Tsubasa's gaze drops, for a moment, down to a dusty rooftop which hasn't been swept for months. (Their fingers still, in the same motion.) "Mm," they grunt, looking back to him again.
Someone who'd been exploring the Metaverse for longer, huh...
"Not sure ya timeline adds up," Tsubasa scowls, "... but I guess it might. Felt like I knew ya for a month or so, not two..." They shake their head, and shrug a shoulder. "... anyway."
They're still suspicious; suspicious enough that they don't quite meet his eyes, looking down at their rough fingertips instead. (Their nails are electric blue and white, matching their makeup.) "It's stupid, but, like... it mattered to me. Fuck, man... even now I'm workin' with Uchida-san an' shit... I was thinkin' I wanted to help people like you did. Tch..." Their tongue clicks to their teeth, again, scowling. "... maybe I'm still fuckin' dumb, but I guess I buy it. Said a whole lot a words to get to th' point... but I guess that don't mean ya lyin'. Mighta been it was botherin' ya." Not everyone, Tsubasa supposes, is a politician. "So... it's cool, man."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi has good reason to be concerned for Lance - even if she's good at hanging tight, strays are picked up and euthanized for very little reason other than population control. However, when Tsubasa indicates that they're good at it, he merely nods.
He does nod at Tsubasa's statement that his timeline might not add up, "That's entirely possible. I take notes mostly when it pertains to a case. So I might be off in my timeline." At least he admits it's possible!
But internally he's deciding to shore up this story a tad more, if it's so easy for someone to casually pick it apart.
"... I see. Well I certainly can't blame you for working with Kuzunoha. After all, we're on opposing sides now that you're with the Phantom Thieves."
They are his competitors in a sense, though not even nearly as high profile, however... "Well perhaps it was a bit unnerving for me." He admits, towards the point in question that it was bothering him.
"As you say then." He nods at the 'it's cool', "I made a promise to your leader that your identity will remain safe. If I were to eventually decide the Phantom Thieves need be arrested - then I would not go after you, or through you to get to them. On that you have my word as well."
He even holds up a hand, as if for effect, "Though, if you're with them when they're arrested, well - that would be a different story." He admits as he drops that hand soon after.
At least he's outlining terms at least, for that awkward aspect of things.
"It would hardly be fair to use what you shared with me when you were new to my advantage."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Hey, man, Lance has a collar, she's totally not a stray!
But, indeed, she too knows how to run from the cops. The dog cops.
"... could be," Tsubasa scowls. There's an awful lot of things that could be, around Akechi, but...
... this isn't just about them, is it? Whatever's going on with Ren and Akechi... it's something they shift based on how Akechi's treating them. And even if they're suspicious... are they suspicious enough to shove a crowbar between them and lean on it?
"So we jus' sayin' it?" Tsubasa asks, when Akechi names them. "Cool. Easier that way." Their fingers renew their drumming, against their arm. "... Uchida-san said I got talent," they add, breaking their gaze again.
And they nod, just the once, when he supposes it was unnerving.
His terms... "Cool," Tsubasa nods. "... I get it. Playin' with fire," and it's an adage which cuts both ways, coming from them. "Tryin' to avoid more shit on me rap sheet... could say that's a weird place to come at thievin' from." And Akechi can surely guess why they'd want to avoid any more convictions, based on what they just said about his profession. "But findin' whoever's causin' these Psychotic Breakdowns... that's what's most important to me. It's the right thing to do. Even if I fuck up me criminal history for it, ain't like I'm fucked or nothin'." Shinobu is living proof that there are options open to them, even if they don't manage to keep their nose as clean as a background check would like.
"So... cool you bein' fair," they offer, with a shrug.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Could be. And entirely impossible to corroborate, unless one could speak to the man in the Black Mask to be a witness.
Which means, it's impossible, doesn't it?
"I see no reason to be delicate about it." Akechi replies with a casual ease. "We know who each other is beyond the shadow of a doubt. For the others- well, I'm quite certain, but not in the same way."
Which does beg the question then. Why hasn't he just arrested them all? He did say if he decided they needed to be arrested...
... what's stopping him from deciding that?
"Yes, I agree. All of you ought to be a bit more discreet for that matter. Nearly all of you are victims of people who have suffered the Change of Heart Phenomena. It would not take much for corrupt officers of the law to see the correlation of all of you hanging out together... and while they could not establish causation in a court of law...?"
He shifts back into a more guarded pose, "You and I both understand that it's a rare few who would actually care if they can prove it."
Whichhhhh rather confirms that he definitely knows, just not in the same way as Tsubasa. "As for the Psychotic Breakdowns... I'm considering ways by which we might bring the suspect in. I did see him take on the Phantom Thieves without breaking a sweat after shooting me - and your Leader seems to have had a separate encounter which convinced him that should we confront him head on, we'd all end up dead."
A hand is placed upon his chin, "I find it surprising that he's so far above all of us, though perhaps that's the benefit of two and a half years of experience with the Metaverse..."
He trails off, as if considering the dilemma.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Hm. Guess so." It does beg the question; though Tsubasa notes, as Akechi keeps speaking, that the question begged is answered, and quite neatly.
He's a talented speaker. Might have given them a run for their money, when they were the star of Debate Club.
"Sure," Tsubasa shrugs. "If they was me only friends." And if they were looser of tongue, they might cite Ichika's gang, here -- or their other friends from Kasugayama -- or Pernelle, the world's best bird -- or the adults they know. ... but they haven't forgotten everything from when they were actually part of clubs, either. "But I know 'bout dirty cops. Yeah. I was gon' have that problem no matter what I did, tho'."
Tsubasa doesn't know -- though Akechi very well might -- that the Tokyo Police Department brought Hanzou in for questioning, only to find that his legal defence was tight enough they had to release him with a warning. Tsubasa is, by reasonable metrics, a disabled child; it's not unthinkable that their parents would want to protect them as long as they could. (Emancipation isn't really considered a legitimate option, anyway.)
... and while they do have credible officer's reports on Hanzou's abuse, Tsubasa's psychosis is a matter on the record. When he says that they're sick... enough people listen, despite the best efforts of good cops.
Still... the suspect. The apparent suspect, Tsubasa reminds themself; Akechi's been wrong before. "Ch, fightin' two lots ain't that impossible," they shake their head. "I ripped th' Thieves a new one after fightin' that fuckin' cognitive Hajime, an' if I hadn't got jumped by that prick hidin' out an' waitin' for me to get distracted after I laid him out, mighta left you with less targets. All that took was bein' mad as hell." Is anger really that powerful...? "If ya gave me two years an' change, yeah, prolly wouldna got jumped."
But is that insight, or is it arrogance?
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Well, he has an advantage of this being his realm when it comes to debate. With enough preparation and experience... perhaps Tsubasa Seki would be the Debate King again!
"Right, I was saying that more for their benefit than your own. Though- as you well know, certain members have become closer with Kawase-san's gang as well."
He means Ryuji. He's talking about Ryuji.
"It's true that they'll be watching you." He indicates when it comes to them saying they'd have that problem, "Tokyo is... safer than Sumaru City in that regard. But not so much as one might hope."
At least he can speak so frankly about the corruption among the police. As for Hanzou- well, he sees no reason to bring that up yet.
"You say that, but were the Phantom Thieves trying to speak to you - reach out to you at the time?" Akechi replies, like he knows very well that would be their way, "You joined them, so I would presume so. I do not feel this culprit would hold back in the same way... from what I saw, if he decides to kill someone, he would do just that."
A beat.
"Feelings like that can be a powerful tool in the Metaverse when one... cuts loose, but can you assume his own feelings are not just as powerful in their own right, if not perhaps moreso?"
It's a good question, at least, "It's best you not underestimate him, I feel. He may have abilities that the rest of us can't even begin to speculate about... and as we gain in strength, it hardly means he isn't doing the same."
-=-=-
~Earlier in Mementos: 4:34 AM~
"YOU GODDAMN STUPID PIECES OF SHIT! PERSONA!"
A tremendous number of Shadows, Dakinis and Parvatis, Valkyries and Baphomet all are sliced to ribbons, splattering the corridor in short lived ichor.
Loki would like to learn: ??????
Forget Skill?
>Guillotine Blade
"Hehehe- AHAHAHAHAHA- Now that's what I'm talking about!"
-=-=-
Don't worry about what ?????? is, I'm sure it's fine.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Perhaps... but they wouldn't count Akechi out, even if they had that experience.
Something gives Tsubasa the impression that counting Akechi out is a bad idea.
Their scowl deepens, when Akechi alludes to Ryuji. It's not a direct threat, or anything, but... still, they're paying more attention, now.
"Cops is cops," Tsubasa shrugs. Sure, there are a few good apples, but...
Y'know. Tsubasa can describe them as the good apples. There's a couple of assumptions about the quality of the bunch, there.
Still... Akechi speaks more about this mystery opponent, and Tsubasa shrugs. "Sure. Jus' didn't give no shits... 'til that bastard Hajime jumped me from behind an' forced a flower down me throat, tryin' to turn me inta that woman down there." Into Cognitive Tsubasa, they mean. ... they still struggle to identify with that wretch. "After they saved me... that's when I heard 'em out."
They wonder, to themself: would they have killed the Phantom Thieves, if Ichika hadn't intervened...?
...
They're uncomfortable answering that question.
"Hm," is the sound that echoes up from their belly, through their constricted chest, and past their gravelly throat.
"You admire him."
That's the first thing that strikes them... hearing Akechi estimate his threat so highly.
"... nah. I ain't underestimatin' shit. Jus'... don't reckon it's unreachable. All ya gotta be is real fucked up... tells me this guy's been wronged, too. Prolly got real ironclad belief in bein' right, if he ain't listenin' to shit... that, or he's jus' that fuckin' mad. Prolly not workin' alone, neither... but if he ain't, he ain't th' Boss, I reckon. Tch... but if he's still gainin', too..." Tsubasa's brow knits, as they embrace their paranoia. "... he workin' towards somethin' he's gon' need to fight about?"
They probably shouldn't be working through their thoughts with Akechi as if he's some kind of ally in this -- except -- he still kind of is, isn't he? He wants to find the root cause of these Psychotic Breakdowns, too. Even if he's talking about catching them, too... the important thing is that the culprit doesn't get away with it, right?
(It's probably fine.)
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Well it doesn't take many bad apples to spoil a barrel. What about when the majority of them are bad apples?
"I see... I did catch sight of his Cognition in the Palace. What a despicable person..." He grimaces at the thought of a flower shoved down Tsubasa's throat, "... as well as Kamiya-san's cognition of you."
He looks away, not exactly happy about the memory.
'You admire him.'
They picked that up? "I'd say it's more accurate to say I have a healthy respect for a worthy opponent." Akechi says as he looks back, "I have no admiration for a serial killer mass murdering people and ruining lives for his mysterious ideals. Though I suppose I respect him more than the Joker Killer..."
This slight sour look on his expression indicates that the Joker Killer is... personal, in a way.
"... a man who dismembers children and leaves the pieces to find by a shrine - and sets fire to orphanages isn't worthy of respect."
Ah. Well, those might be details Tsubasa didn't know about Sudou at least.
"Perhaps... he certainly seemed to be an adherent to the idea of Might makes Right... though it's difficult to say. Our interactions thus far have been limited. Mostly he was timing the Phantoms to 'see if they could impress him' by how long they'd last."
A hand to his chin, "There is however a potential link to the organization known as the 'New World Order'. I see little reason he would be stalking around in Principal Kobayakawa's Palace other than to keep an eye on his activities... and the man was accepting bribe money in exchange for following the directions of a mysterious benefactor..."
His eyes flick towards Tsubasa, "It is my current theory that the New World Order was using Shujin Academy to create Palaces... by cultivating an environment miserable for the student body. Since it requires truly distorted individuals... then, the man in the Black Mask would grant them total control over their lives. They can recruit them if they are amenable- keep tabs upon their loyalty through questioning the Rulers... and if they became a problem..."
...
"... Well, I think that goes without saying."
Mental Shutdowns, Psychotic Breakdowns... anything goes, once someone has a Palace.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa gets -- well, they're already quiet, so it can't be said that they get quiet when Akechi invokes their own cognition-self directly. Still, there's a quality to their response, even nonverbally; the way their eyes widen, to show more of the whites of their eyes, the way their nostrils flare and their lips press together.
"..."
Their arms shift, where they've folded over their chest, a little higher, as if to cover themself.
"You saw that... huh."
They're not happy about the memories... either.
But they did, indeed, pick that up; it's hard for Tsubasa to imagine someone talking up a foe that much with no regard for their strength at all. "Tch... they're both pieces a shit," they shake their head, lip curling over their teeth in a sneer. And perhaps that makes sense; both of them trapped Tsubasa in fire, after all.
Still... those are new details about Sudou, and Tsubasa files them away. They'll tell Ichika, later... she's been investigating.
"I guess if you're that good," Tsubasa supposes, "you gotta get ya kicks where you can find 'em... but if he is that good, how would anyone at our level be impressin' him? Tch..."
Their frown deepens, as they meet Akechi's gaze; clearly suspicious, but not necessarily of him, right now. "... th' New World Order, huh." They don't sound surprised to hear the name -- or sceptical, an equally likely reaction from Tsubasa -- which says a lot, really. "You reckon Shujin's a cradle, huh...?"
Tsubasa grunts, looking back down. "... but if that's true, either that guy's been operatin' for way longer than two years... or he ain't th' first one workin' at it. All those Palaces... they was adults, man. Unless..." The drumming of their fingers intensifies, now grasped at their upper arm. "... maybe those guys... they came by it more by accident. Someone brought 'em together... an' now they're lookin' to formalise th' pipeline. An' Shujin pumps out a shitload of people on th' top... it's one a them fancy prep schools. You get a grip on 'em when they're still kids what don't know shit..."
It's hard to tell, when the blood's drained from their face; it's something Akechi needs to evaluate through their strained tone, the edge of fear in their intense gaze.
"Shit."
All a sudden they're re-evaluating all their charts, all their data points. They knew it was bad -- knew it was real bad -- but this? Something like this is -- nothing less than engineering total societal control, and --
and --
it's not just that they're in the government
or the police force
or private business
it's
engineered.
"You think... it's just Shujin?" Tsubasa asks, slowly.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"I did. I tried to divert attention away her... but it's possible that Akabane-kun and Sergeant Suou connected the dots as well." Akechi explains the circumstances before nodding to agree. "I wouldn't be bothered by how absolute scum of the earth like those two- see you. They were two truly warped individuals."
As for the one in the Black Mask, Akechi places a hand to his chin again and looks troubled. "Without encountering him again, I can only speculate but- perhaps he doesn't expect to be impressed by your current strength. Instead, he's hoping to inspire all of you to try and rise to be on his level. For what reason... I have no idea, but perhaps he simply craves an actual challenge."
He grimaces though at Tsubasa's choice of phrasing, "'Cradle'... That's a rather apt word for it yes. Cultivating the next generation of Japanese young adults to be vulnerable to their methods."
Tsubasa though pokes a hole in that theory and Akechi counters, "Not necessarily. If they're attempting to influence formation of Palaces - they may be capitalizing on a phenomenon that... exactly." He says he agrees on it being accidental, "Let us presuppose this individual gained access... two and a half years ago."
As he leans back, he crosses his arms again, "Does that mean then that Palaces only began to form around that time- or had they already been doing so before anyone ever gained access to the Metaverse? I can't say why I was given access roughly eight months ago. Perhaps this individual is the same way someone who came upon it by happenstance, and informed others so that they might take advantage of it..."
He can see the paranoia building in Tsubasa Seki, and all it requires is for him to tell them the truth. The New World Order is more powerful and further reaching than they know, with their claws in so many institutions.
"... I don't. I believe it's much further reaching than that, within the Police Force, our Institutions... the business and financial world... and yes, Politics as well. We know the Foreign Minister is the leader of the New World Order, which rather implies how far-reaching their activities might be..."
He places a hand to his chin, "It's rather likely that the politician you were working for before was the person who displeased them... not you."
A beat.
"But your Shadow was in Mementos at the time, which made you vulnerable to whatever methods they utilize to create Psychotic Breakdowns. You were simply their catspaw... in a sense, and your life and reputation were collateral damage to get at someone else."
Oh. It's not like Tsubasa was even their target. They were just... utterly unimportant. All their pain, their suffering... was just an inroad to strike at at Kenta Nakajima.
Nothing more.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"..." Tsubasa has nothing they can say to the shame of more people seeing -- a woman shaped like them -- like that. "... thanks," is what they muster, at length.
At least Eiji's gone. And Hajime...
... well, he's not connected.
"I won't forgive him just 'cuz he's bored," Tsubasa glowers, thinking of the Black Mask. Their voice is wound a little tightly; perhaps they're so sensitive to the idea that there might be positive regard to that man because of how thoroughly he ruined their life. Thinking about that is bad enough, but...
But 'cradle' is an apt word, and Tsubasa's sweating, under all that concealer, even though the morning hasn't had enough time to heat up.
"Cultivatin'... more like a cult."
Their mind spins through it, like it's going too fast for them to even keep up with, but their words remain slow. "Wait. Two an' a half years... July, twenty-ten. Now we in September, twenty-twelve... that timeline... woulda mean I was one a th' first. Four months int' it... 'round then."
Their fingers tighten, digging into their arms as they come to grips with how bad it is. "Sudou-kakka," and they use the proper honourific for a cabinet minister, which might be about as surprising as the fact that a teenager knows who the foreign minister is. "Those people... they..."
Tsubasa's breathing a little more heavily, now.
"Nakajima-san," and he's been stripped of his position as a politician with his new appointment to prison, so -san is being generous, really; if he were working, it really ought to be -sensei. "He... weren't willin' to cave to dirty money. Actually gave a shit... but I... I weren't no one, man. Some... fifteen-year-old intern... that's all."
But Akechi suggests their Shadow was in Mementos, and their gut twists. "I... that shit with Shujin... it was workin' on me?" They ask, quite tense. "That easy? I... I weren't that twisted up back then, man, I was jus'... it weren't that bad, then, like..." It was, though. Growing up under a narcissist alone would have made them fertile soil for a distorted Shadow, always justifying how it had to be their fault.
"An' 'cuz a... 'cuz a that Shujin shit, I was... fuckin'... convenient? What the fuck, man...?" There's more white to their eyes than not, as they look to Akechi. "How -- how you know all that?"
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"No one should forgive him for what he's done." Akechi says evenly, with a certain ironclad resolve. It sounds like what someone who cares about Justice might say...
One of the first, they put it together. Akechi nods, "Yes, yes it would." He agrees, "Give or take a month." He's being sincere and there's no way he's being petty about Tsubasa calling out his story for being a month off.
No chance at all.
"Yes, that's the impression I got as well, once I looked into your case more." Akechi says of Nakajima, "What happened to him and yourself... was no Justice at all."
There's a shake of his head, "No - I'm not saying that Shujin was doing anything more than placing children in a... to extend the metaphor... a 'nursery' of misery. It created the correct conditions. Here is the reality..."
He reaches into his pocket, and takes out his phone, "... if you were to input a name of any random person within Tokyo, I would give it perhaps 1 in 4 odds that the Metaverse Navigator would respond. Why do you think that is?"
He asks the question, and while he waits for the answer- he continues anyway, "It's because it's... something about a negative environment, or a negative mindset that influences why someone's Shadow is something you can locate within Mementos."
He details that out to them before continuing, "Your Shadow was almost certainly was in Mementos because of your family situation - and your struggles with gender identity. And the fact it could be located - means that it could be influenced by whatever means they have to create the Psychotic Breakdown Phenomenon."
It's all starting to come together, isn't it? "A negative environment - a negative mindset. Something about that has the possibility of placing people's Shadows within Mementos eventually. I learned that through conducting several trials... for that I input the names of everyone at Kasugayama High in the Navigator, one by one. Then several months later- I did it again, focusing on those who were rumored to going through particularly troubled circumstances. It responded to more names than it had previously... indicating their Shadows were in Mementos now, when they weren't present before."
He stares at Tsubasa for a time, "While it's a merely a theory... once you have the pieces of the puzzle I just detailed to you, and think of what an individual connected to the New World Order would be doing with these Mental Shutdowns and Psychotic Breakdowns- it rather makes sense, doesn't it? They'd have no reason to go after you... an intern..."
He trails off, allowing Tsubasa to continue putting it all together.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Too right," Tsubasa snorts. Would they feel differently, if...
... well, maybe not. They're someone who was only talked down after they were saved from a fate worse than death, after all.
Still... give or take a month. "So -- three months, maybe," they immediately take the worst possible interpretration, and it speaks volumes to their present state of mind.
"He cared about that shit," Tsubasa says, of Nakajima and justice. "Fucked him up..."
... but it's not like Tsubasa doesn't care about justice, even if they're cynical.
Akechi insists it's nothing concrete -- but Tsubasa's already thinking about the radio waves coming off of Julian's phone. If they did it once, why wouldn't they do it again? The counselor doesn't even know. He insists nothing's wrong... but why would everyone be feeling so weird if there was nothing wrong?! Of course there's something wrong!
"That negativity... ain't just... passive," Tsubasa insists, their voice tight, as they clench their arms. "Th' phones -- it's in th' phones, man. It's all about the fuckin' phones."
Are they paranoid about the Meta-Nav, appearing out of nowhere? Or...
... whatever it is, they're getting further from reality, despite Akechi insisting on coming back to it.
Still -- they were bad not because of the phones -- but because of something intrinsic to their home and person. "No, man. It's -- it's th' fuckin' phones. Fucked up sayin' -- people who ain't done shit but cop shit end up there. You got bad people showin' in Mementos, not... people ain't done shit." Not victims, oh no, certainly not.
You need to be a real fucked-up guy to have a Palace, right? It matches all the data Tsubasa has. Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Eiji... all monsters.
Right?
But it gets worse. How does it keep getting worse?
"What, so... turned me name up?" Tsubasa asks, scowling, when Akechi admits to his experiment. "What'd I tell ya, huh? What ya find out there? If you know all this shit 'bout me I wouldn't say if I had me filters -- least ya do is tell me." They're skipping over even more words than normal, which isn't a good sign...
... though it's still not the worst sign.
No: that comes next, when Tsubasa's given the space to put it all together. Their scowl fades, but there's nothing underneath it. "So, they used a disturbed intern to bring Nakajima-san down," they say, and their diction improves drastically in the telling. "But Kenta Nakajima was a local politician for Yongen-Jaya... not an incredibly influential man. Three months into his rampage, the Black Mask would have still been developing his skills... and still gaining trust in the organisation. That's why he went after someone like Nakajima-san... at that stage, he was still in the process of proving himself. Still... figuring out what he could do. All the cases of insanity I found... in the three months before then... only a few of them survived before I did. Was it really an accident that let me stand here now...? Nagasawa-san knew to pull me out of there," Kurou Nagasawa, that is, a political assistant working for City Hall, and also a member of the NWO... something Tsubasa might have figured out, by now, if that's anything to go by. "If that man is someone who wants a challenge... did he let me live? But... that doesn't make any sense. Back then, I was just an intern... I wasn't even an outcast."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Hmmm. It's not impossible... but I think it's unlikely. The Meta-Nav seems to appear to people who have the potential to become Persona Users. Though I have no idea why the gap between - for instance, myself and the Phantom Thieves - or the one in the Black Mask and myself for that matter. I checked the phones of all of the Palace Rulers the Phantom Thieves brought down, not a single one had the Meta-Nav."
Still, he does seem to be giving it some thought, because even he doesn't seem to know how they're passed around, or why. "Hmmm." He seems troubled, falling into silence for a while.
Though as Tsubasa breaks the silence about his explanation, "... Yes." He admits, "Your Shadow was in Mementos at the beginning of my experiment... and it of course vanished when you awakened as Phoenix. However, I did go to ask your Shadow about it's Psychotic Breakdown."
His stance shifts into a more guarded one, given the touchiness of this subject for Tsubasa, "It's memory was muddled at best. It remembered some individual showing up prior to the fire... but no further details about what they looked like, or what happened. This is part of why I began to suspect a culprit behind these incidents..."
Tsubasa then details all of what they believe about the incident. A local politician for Yongen-Jaya, not an incredibly influential man. Akechi looks upon them with a sort of wonder as they work through it.
"Perhaps you should consider working for Kuzonoha in the long term... you could be quite the Detective, if you applied your talents." Akechi praises them, for their deductions, "Yes, I do believe the same, that he worked his way up, and that he was nowhere near as powerful at that time. Well done."
However, Tsubasa brings up one large inconsistency and he echoes the question in his own way, "Why let you live? I'm not certain." His tone becomes speculative again, "Perhaps Psychotic Breakdowns are not fully under their control or it might be whom he kills with Mental Shutdowns is to make a certain statement for the people he works for... of the price one pays for defiance."
With a shake of his head, he frowns, "Unfortunately without more information, it's difficult to understand his mindset. Why let anyone live at all? Why not actively come after the Phantom Thieves - or other Persona Users? Why didn't he attack me previously - yet when he attacked the Phantoms, why would he shoot me first? Assuredly he'd come across me exploring the Metaverse previously while I was alone. With his ability to move undetected, he could likely kill many of us before we even realize someone is there... so why doesn't he? At this point... I can't say, there are too many mysteries about his psychological profile."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Ain't jus' that," Tsubasa insists, on the Meta-Nav, though of course they can't explain what else it is. They just know, man. See? Even Akechi's thinking about it...
Akechi might be right to be wary, but... right now, Tsubasa's not in any position to spring up and punch him. (They're not thinking about how well he took care of the thugs at Kasugayama right now, either, though.) "Scrambled on the inside, huh," they grumble, when Akechi relates their Shadow's response. Still... 'someone' came to them...
Which means it must involve someone coming to their Shadow, right?
Shedding their own gruff exterior doesn't feel nearly the same as when Ichika does it -- and it wouldn't, really; they've had their armour longer, and it serves a somewhat different purpose. (Mrs. Ichika's Mom is a nice lady, Tsubasa remembers, dully.) "... if I can, I was going to," they say, of their detective's ambitions, without much feeling in their voice, either way. "But maybe that's preordained, too..."
They can't be sure. They can't be sure.
"... father wasn't working for them back then." That's what they have to say about defiance. "And Nakajima-san certainly wasn't. So... it couldn't be a punishment." They don't entirely realise what they've revealed about Hanzou, there.
There's more than one way to shut down.
Still -- why. Why, why, why. And when Akechi mentions how he should have found him when he was wandering the Metaverse alone, Tsubasa looks up to him, again.
"Do you think he ever operates without his Mask?" Is the question Tsubasa asks, then. "There was a boy. Ryouhara... I didn't detect him, when I was alone, either. Not as powerful as you say... but if it's not just anger, maybe he can hold himself back."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Tsubasa insists it's not just that, and Akechi gets the impression that it's best just to let them have this one without further complaint, unless it gets really off the rails.
"Well, I think you'll be quite the asset for them..."
Akechi almost doesn't have the good grace to look startled, but he manages to pull it off, "... your father? He works for them now?"
Fucking careless piece of shit
He notes that one down, but he's not going to TELL Shido about this one, because him being ordered to waste him so close to this conversation would make it quite obvious.
No, better the NWO find out on their own how incompetent he is.
"Hmmm. One can suppress their cognitive outfit with training- though it would be nigh impossible in a scenario of overt hostilities." He seems to be ruminating on the matter, "But with this one, we can't rule out that his understanding of our 'accoutrements' as it were is much greater than our own... it could be..."
Akechi does decide that it's too dangerous to hold back one piece of information, as it could be seen as malicious.
Ren knows about it, as do other people, "For the sake of full disclosure, I have a similar ability as well. It relates to Robin Hood's 'narrative' of being an outlaw who ambushed corrupt nobility and church officials... however, it is likely not even as powerful as this 'Ryouhara'."
There - now even if it puts him on the suspect list, it's less suspicious than concealing it.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I don't have proof," Tsubasa admits, mildly. "But I'm sure. He was no one before my breakdown... they even demoted him after it happened. Soon after that, someone must have noticed him... he started being promoted, all the way to the top. He has influence with the police... and he was so worried about me embarrassing him that he wanted me dead."
They can't hear Akechi's thoughts, though. That's not how it works, so they have no clue how much they've embarrassed him just by associating him with the Order.
But it is possible to suppress the outfit. Tsubasa tilts their head, raptor-like. "So it's possible. If you can do it, someone like the Black Mask would be even more advanced... that Ryouhara is a ninja. Leader of the ninjas, I suppose... it makes sense he would be able to disguise himself." Akechi seems to be home free, at least for the moment -- Tsubasa's too busy hooking onto Shiryuu that they don't evaluate his capacity to hide himself nearly as thoroughly. "He threatened to kidnap me. If he left me alive, maybe it was for a purpose. Someone like that might have experiments running for years..."
Tsubasa pushes off of the air conditioning unit, unfolding their arms. "... I need to think. I'm going home. Thank you for the information."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Hmmm. Well, keep an eye on him. If you find any definitive proof or- figure out who he reports to, then let me know and I'll see what can be done to locate his superiors."
Self-important pissant
"... Yes, I agree." Before he raises an eyebrow as if in incredulity, "A... ninja."
Fucking Ryouhara can't even clean up their own goddamn mess
"Well that would explain certain Persona Users that I've noted as being present in certain battles." He says, as if trying to accept this 'new' information.
"Yes, that would fit." Before he echoes it again, "... Ninjas. What a world we live in..."
Very charming, he's floored by the existence of ninjas that he definitely didn't know about.
"Kidnap you?" His expression turns grave, "Well... I'll keep an eye out for this man, just in case."
Tsubasa turns to leave and- "You're welcome. And once again... I'm sorry for the way things turned out..."
He stays there on the rooftop for a while longer, considering matters, before hiking up his bag and briefcase, he turns to mount the fire escape ladder, and uses a single hand for a guided, controlled descent down the ladder before stopping.
Even if he wouldn't admit it. He's perhaps a touch put out that they didn't ask him about how he became so good at climbing.
It was the first time he'd been able to show off his skills to anybody in some time...