Togawa Sakiko believed in the legend of the "Phantom Thief."
But rather than placing all her hope on others and passively waiting for "salvation," she wanted to find a way to save her life herself.
So, with gratitude for the Phantom Thief who was not present but had given her the courage to resist the many restraints in her life, she changed her clothes and then took out her phone to call Police Inspector Hasegawa.
After the "Kamo Group mass uncontrolled incident," Hasegawa Zenkichi occasionally chatted with Kurusu Akira and Togawa Sakiko via text messages, asking if they had been bothered by gang members or had discovered any supernatural, bizarre phenomena.
As usual, Togawa Sakiko first explained over the phone to the Police Inspector that no such extraordinary "uncontrolled incidents" had occurred in her recent life, and then she began to explain the purpose of her call.
Although it involved complex family conflicts, Hasegawa Zenkichi listened patiently.
Intervening in others' family matters was a troublesome thing for the Police Department.
The relationship of "family" could always provide a protective or educational veneer for many acts that could be considered "crimes," making the entire case difficult to distinguish right from wrong, as everyone had reasonable motives. Even if it went to court, in the end, it would merely result in a lighter sentence, or even just a verbal warning.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, unless there was severe domestic violence or excessive legal violations, the police were generally unwilling and found it difficult to handle such cases.
However, Togawa Sakiko's mention of terms like "gambling" and "debt" did give Hasegawa Zenkichi some ideas that might help her out of her predicament.
"Togawa-san, are you free to come to the Police Department headquarters here in Chiyoda now? I'm working overtime. I'll call a few officers who are skilled in this type of case to help you slowly sort out the causes and consequences of these matters," the Police Inspector said patiently. "It's a bit late now, so just take a taxi. Call me when you arrive, and I can cover the fare for you."
After expressing her sincere thanks, Togawa Sakiko left with some of her identification documents.
She was very lucky; just as she walked out of the apartment building, she happened to see an unoccupied taxi parked by the roadside.
The driver was a young man who looked to be close to thirty, impeccably shaved, dressed in a suit and tie, and wearing glasses, as refined and gentle as a university professor.
He wore white gloves and enthusiastically waved at Togawa Sakiko, who was approaching. "I was just about to take one last passenger before heading home. Are you going to Chiyoda, student? I live in Chiyoda, so I can charge you only a third of the fare and drop you near the station on my way."
As if afraid Togawa Sakiko would change her mind, the driver fumbled to find his driver's license and the professional certification issued by the union, while also showing her the dashcam recording. After all, a pretty young girl traveling alone at night would certainly be afraid of encountering a terrible situation like "the driver is a potential criminal."
Togawa Sakiko looked at the desolate and deserted surroundings, then at the taxi in front of her, and the driver's sincere expression. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled open the car door and got in. "Then please take me to the station in Chiyoda."
The man whose driver's license showed the surname "Maruki" breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great! I didn't expect to save some gas money right before getting off work."
He twisted the car key to start the engine, muttering, "Why are you out alone so late at night? Isn't your boyfriend with you?"
Togawa Sakiko held her phone somewhat cautiously, occasionally glancing at the [Emergency Contact] dial pad on the screen. Faced with such a topic, a girl traveling alone at night certainly wouldn't dare to tell the truth, so she could only learn from Kurusu Akira and "tell a little lie."
"My boyfriend and I agreed to meet by the station. I'm going with him to the Police Department to register a lost residence permit... We've already made an appointment with the Police Department."
Maruki seemed to have not heard the latter part of her sentence at all. His expression was very natural, without any guilt or nervousness. He smiled happily, "Your boyfriend must be a very handsome guy, miss?"
"Mm," Togawa Sakiko responded with a muffled nasal sound.
She didn't dare to explain or refute; having a fake "boyfriend" was definitely the safest answer option.
Soon the taxi was on its way. The scenery outside the car window was like an eraser rubbing over a sketch, blurring the dark green belts into torn, indistinct color blocks, occasionally interspersed with countless white streaks, which were the fleeting afterimages of streetlights.
The driver was very talkative. Compared to Togawa Sakiko's destination, he seemed more interested in the "boyfriend" she mentioned.
"Does he dye his hair? Does he wear glasses? Does he usually like to dress up?"
Strange questions were thrown out one after another, but he didn't seem to care what Togawa Sakiko answered at all. He drove on, making guesses to entertain himself.
By piecing together a few questions, he subtly pieced together the image of the band's rhythm guitarist who had left a deep impression on Togawa Sakiko: no dyed hair, wears glasses, doesn't like to dress up, handsome, excellent grades, knows a lot, seems to be able to talk about any topic, has an impeccable work ethic, and is far more mature than his peers, and very responsible...
As he spoke, the driver seemed to be moved himself. "Miss, you are truly lucky to have such an excellent boyfriend."
Togawa Sakiko still dared not answer his questions.
The driver laughed happily to himself, then stopped trying to make conversation with the passenger in the back.
The road at night was wide and almost devoid of other vehicles, allowing for a swift, lightning-fast drive.
The journey from the North District to Chiyoda took a mere sixteen minutes.
When the taxi arrived at the station, Togawa Sakiko opened the door and got out as if escaping.
But when she went to pay, Maruki waved his hand to stop her. "You don't need to pay the fare. After all, it's a ride home, and if I charged a high school student more, I'd actually feel uneasy... Oh, if I don't charge, you might feel uneasy too... Well, please give me five hundred yen, so I can have a gyudon at Yoshinoya near my home later."
Togawa Sakiko bowed apologetically and thanked him.
Maruki, however, seemed unconcerned. He took the five hundred yen coin from her hand and then showed a blessing-like smile, "Be careful on your way."
"Also, your boyfriend is very excellent, please cherish him well. If you encounter any frustrating emotional issues in the future, please give him more understanding and tolerance, in short..."
"You must live happily, miss."
He rolled down the car window completely, operated something on the car's computer, then stepped on the gas and drove away.
Faintly, one could hear an old Showa golden oldie playing in the taxi, seemingly singing lyrics about happy life and fulfilling life.
What a strange person.
Togawa Sakiko watched the taxi disappear into the vast traffic in the distance, completely merging into the prosperity of Tokyo's night, feeling a strange sense of similarity and familiarity.
She seemed to have seen that driver before in some research paper or on the front page of a newspaper reporting a scientific success.
But... why did she always feel that what he said along the way had a strong, inexplicable sense of incongruity?
Togawa Sakiko patted her face and quickly stopped caring about the driver from Chiyoda whom she had only met once.
Tokyo was too big; they would probably never have the chance to meet again.
She took out her phone, preparing to search for the Police Department's location in Google's navigation software.
Huh?
Togawa Sakiko was somewhat surprised to find that the "Metaverse Navigator" on her phone's home screen, which she had never been able to delete before, had disappeared.
Opening her message inbox, she found that after her phone system automatically updated last night, it had sent an update log, which included a sincere apology from the carrier and even gave her four hundred yen off her plan fee.
Now she could choose to selectively forget.
Togawa Sakiko was currently at "Tokyo Station" in Chiyoda, and the Police Department headquarters she needed to go to was located in "Kasumigaseki," in the Kanda area of Chiyoda Ward.
The walk from Tokyo Station to Kasumigaseki was about 1.5 kilometers.
Following the navigation's directions, she soon ascended a pedestrian overpass. Occasionally looking up, she could see a Morfonica concert advertisement playing on a nearby business building.
This band, launched by Tsukinomori Academy, had recently gained a lot of online buzz, and many girls at her current school, Haneoka High School, were loyal fans of Morfonica.
Occasionally, someone would anonymously search for Togawa Sakiko, a former Tsukinomori student, on Line, asking for contact information for Morfonica members. Of course, she firmly refused them all.
Because she really did have it.
Last time she saw their concert in Shibuya, after the curtain call, she went to get autographs and merchandise—she didn't expect the lead singer to recognize her!
Then the other party enthusiastically added her on Line.
This incident made the several band girls who went to get autographs with her extremely envious.
Togawa Sakiko looked at the stage on the screen with some longing, but as she walked down the overpass and continued towards Kasumigaseki, the concert stage image receded far behind the commercial center.
Such a divergent path.
It was as if she was constantly sinking deeper into an inescapable mire, while the stage she had longed for, even across a vast distance, still emitted a light that felt scorching.
Togawa Sakiko tried her best to find routes with streetlights and cameras, or at least places with more pedestrians. Even though she had found the courage to face her family's difficulties from the gratitude and admiration of the "Phantom Thief," it still didn't change the fact that she was just a defenseless first-year high school girl.
Walking alone at night was dangerous; even running away might not be effective, so she had to be very careful to keep herself under the constant attention of the public security system.
At this moment, she couldn't help but think, if only she really had a boyfriend, as Maruki said, who was going to the Police Department with her...
The street ahead was very noisy, as if an electronics store was having a large-scale discount event, with LCD televisions selling for half their original price, and a lucky customer lottery.
As Togawa Sakiko passed by, an enthusiastic store clerk immediately handed her a lottery ticket.
Being pretty had such benefits: when sampling food at a mall, people would actively ask if she wanted another serving, and any free event tickets would be eagerly given to her—this was, of course, good for the store's business. Goods or events patronized by a beautiful girl must have something particularly attractive, right? Passersby would then, with such thoughts, become the "foot traffic" the store needed.
At this moment, a group of elderly people were waving banknotes, crowding the storefront so tightly that not even water could pass through. The host, holding a microphone, was sweating profusely as he dealt with their excessive enthusiasm. Turning around, he saw Togawa Sakiko, who had taken the lottery ticket, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He frantically tried to dissuade Togawa Sakiko, who was about to leave, "Miss, can I ask you to come back for a moment? The lottery tickets can only be used in tonight's event!"
Togawa Sakiko looked troubled, glancing around, wanting to give the lottery tickets in her hand to a random passerby.
Suddenly, a short-haired girl rushed out of the crowd and quickly ran in front of Togawa Sakiko.
"Hmm...?" Togawa Sakiko held the lottery tickets, feeling a bit at a loss, but still handed them over.
Did she want one more chance to draw that badly...
Just as Togawa Sakiko was confused, the short-haired girl took a frightened step back, her eyes fixed on something behind her, as if she had seen a terrifying creature.
Togawa Sakiko immediately turned her head instinctively.
Invisible hands seemed to reach out from the darkness, tightly covering her mouth and nose.
Ten fingers dug into her face, then suddenly clenched—
The ability to think was instantly stripped away.
Togawa Sakiko's vision went black, and she lost all perception of the outside world.
Yajima Yuzuki, with a look of "surprise" on her face, embraced Togawa Sakiko, then quickly apologized to the noticing crowd.
"My friend suddenly had something private to tell me, sorry to bother everyone."
She casually gave the lottery ticket to an old man, then immediately put her arm around Togawa Sakiko's shoulder, leaving the electronics store as if they were very close.
No one noticed that as the two girls passed the green belt, a glowing object flew out and landed deep in the grass.
This area happened not to be covered by cameras, as all cameras were installed inside and outside the electronics store.
After a while, a person dressed as a cleaner, holding an opaque nylon bag and a pair of tongs, rummaged through the grass, then picked out the phone face down and carefully put it into the nylon bag.
...
"If we do this, will that monster really come for us?"
"Don't worry, it definitely will."
When Togawa Sakiko regained consciousness, she heard two women talking in front of her.
She was strapped into the seat by a seatbelt, and outside the car window was the pitch-black night view of what seemed to be the city's outskirts.
"Then what about her, just kill her directly?"
"Lord God strictly forbids harming this girl." The short-haired girl, sitting in the driver's seat, turned the steering wheel, her tone impatient.
"She is the Devil who can build a Tower of Babel for the Fool in the future!"
"So what? Is it going to be your turn to fight the Devil in the future?" Yajima Yuzuki said with a cold laugh, "The wisdom of Lord God is not something mortals like you and I can fathom! Doing so will only make the Fool completely lose control!"
The well-built woman in the passenger seat was full of unwillingness, "Loss of control? It's because we've been so restrained that we haven't been able to complete the 'sacrifice' necessary for awakening. We've finally touched the true face of the world, are you willing to remain weak forever?"
Yajima Yuzuki slammed the steering wheel in frustration, emitting a harsh horn sound.
"According to the 'Prophet' in the organization, we have already caused two consecutive world-line regressions by prematurely killing these future Persona users!"
"The first time, that other world clown tried to assassinate the Hanged Man, and he completely failed, not even the death regression ring could save him! And the second time, you, on your own initiative, arranged a plan to nip her awakening in the bud in the 'base' where the Lover was about to be imprisoned, not only causing the world to restart again, but even indirectly leading to the birth of a 'Time Reverser'!"
The woman in the passenger seat was silent for a while, "Then what should we do? Is the mission just to take her out as bait to distract the Phantom Thief?"
"Of course, it's to find a way to make her permanently lose the chance to awaken her Persona." Yajima Yuzuki took a deep breath, "In the interpretation of the Tarot, the Devil has a position that mirrors the Lover. We cannot let her awaken her power according to the trajectory of fate."
"Don't you care that she's listening to you in the back?"
"She'll completely forget all of this soon." Yajima Yuzuki said indifferently.
"To delete her..."
"Oh, yes, the scythe bestowed by Lord God has one last use left. We're going to take away all the friendship she's built with the Phantom Thief so far, and all memories that might involve 'resistance' and 'pain'... Of course, finally, we'll go to Kaneshiro's casino and clean up her father, who accidentally had his desires twisted by Kaneshiro's Palace and became a scumbag. Then we can let her return to a peaceful life, hmph, sounds truly blissful."
Togawa Sakiko, unlike Awa Subaru, did not have a rich accumulation of ACGN knowledge and could not fully understand their statements, but she still understood some terrifying truths that made her feel immense anger and hatred.
She wanted to scold them, but from her incredibly sluggish perception, she found that her mouth seemed to be taped shut, only able to make muffled sounds.
Yajima Yuzuki said arrogantly, "Stop whimpering in the back, Miss Togawa, this is the normal life you've always dreamed of."
"Once your father 'disappears', we will also handle those debts for you."
"Next, you might receive a transfer invitation letter from Tsukinomori. Of course, you can choose to refuse it yourself and continue your current school life, or you can return to that music school full of young ladies... Whatever choice you make, you definitely won't remember our conversation today."
The woman in the passenger seat said, "We are already far from the city. Quickly prepare to use the 'scythe' to harvest her current despair, along with all emotions and memories that transcend the ordinary! Otherwise, the Phantom Thief will really catch up!"
"Sagawa! Don't tell me what to do!"
Despite scolding her, Yajima Yuzuki still turned the steering wheel and parked the car in an abandoned factory.
She opened the car door and, with Sagawa, somewhat roughly dragged Togawa Sakiko out of the back seat.
She had already used her Persona to administer a "poison" that made Togawa Sakiko "lose strength," so she wasn't worried about her struggling or resisting.
Togawa Sakiko couldn't even commit suicide and could only be led into the factory with her hands held by the two Persona users.
On the way, she could hear the meowing of stray cats.
Entering the spacious factory, she was kicked to the ground by Yajima Yuzuki, and dust quickly covered her body.
Then Sagawa closed the factory door, and a cloaked human-shaped Persona emerged from behind her, then touched the door, making it "unnoticed."
Sagawa's Persona possessed the ability to "make things lose their presence." She had been hiding in the shadows earlier, using her Persona to help Yajima Yuzuki conceal her sneak attack on Togawa Sakiko.
In the previous cycle, she also relied on this method to disguise herself as an ordinary person, thus deceiving Kurusu Akira's intuition, which had been somewhat weakened in reality.
"It's about to begin. Stand back, and make sure you're not affected."
Yajima Yuzuki cautioned, then kicked Togawa Sakiko in the stomach. As the girl let out a painful whimper, almost losing consciousness, she bent down, extended both hands, and clasped the girl's slender neck, then slowly applied pressure.
Just before Togawa Sakiko was about to faint, she would twist the wristwatch, unleashing the power to manipulate memories sealed within it.
Just like erasing Shinba Takakiyo's memories, she would erase all the extraordinary possibilities that had accumulated in the girl, Togawa Sakiko, until now.
...
With a thunderous roar, the sound of the train whistling through the Tokyo Mementos tunnel came to an abrupt halt.
Because Arsene slammed it to a stop with one hand.
Kurusu Akira jumped onto the platform, compared it to its layout in reality, and immediately ducked into the nearby "maintenance workshop," then began to surface from the Mementos—
This was a technique he developed after gaining partial control over the Velvet Room from Igor in his previous life. By utilizing the Velvet Room, a realm existing in the gap between the "consciousness" and "material" worlds, he could, by expending enough mental energy, break through the barrier between "consciousness" and "matter" and forcibly enter a Palace or return to reality.
The longer one operates in the Mementos, the greater the price one has to pay to break through the barrier.
Kurusu Akira called this ability to perform spatial jumps in reality through the world of consciousness "Mind Warp" based on the settings in StarCraft.
The farthest Mind Warp he could achieve was from Tokyo's Okutama District to Taito District in one go, a distance of seventy kilometers that almost completely exhausted his mental energy.
Fortunately, the eight-kilometer distance between Yongen-Jaya and Kanda wasn't too far.
Kurusu Akira easily appeared in a somewhat messy restroom.
'Why is it a women's restroom?'
He pushed the door open and looked around; luckily, no one was there.
Then he walked out, calmly took out his phone, and confirmed his location.
Togawa Sakiko's phone location was indeed in the women's restroom.
He was silent for a moment, then began to push open doors one by one to check.
It wasn't the first time he had encountered such an awkward situation.
But as a battle-hardened Phantom Thief, even if he mistakenly entered a women's restroom, he could complete all actions without changing his expression, then walk out and wash his face with cold water by the sink.
This powerful psychological fortitude was the reason he was invincible.
Kurusu Akira quickly found Togawa Sakiko's phone in the furthest corner, and next to it were several strange metal objects emitting communication signals similar to a phone.
The Phantom Thief's face immediately turned ashen.
Just then, he heard women talking outside the restroom, so he quickly ducked back in, grabbed the phone and devices from the floor, and re-entered the Mementos.
Fortunately, he had only wasted four minutes so far.
There was still a chance to find Togawa Sakiko's whereabouts—
He would absolutely not ask Awa Subaru to use her "Time Rewind" ability unless it was absolutely necessary.
After all, experiencing the feeling of death completely was more torturous than any other form of torture.
Kurusu Akira looked at the Mementos's railway tracks in front of him and unhesitatingly began a new round of "hitchhiking."
...
The intense feeling of suffocation caused Togawa Sakiko's consciousness to continuously blur.
Her vision gradually plunged into a dark abyss.
The dual physiological and psychological fear seemed like a cold tide crashing in from all directions.
She lay on the ground, icy cold water continuously washing over and submerging her body, seemingly about to steal all her warmth.
Her thoughts became sluggish and chaotic, and various memory scenes began to fade.
Togawa Sakiko struggled to open her eyes and could actually see another herself reflected in the dark water that completely covered her.
She was also "Togawa Sakiko."
She wore a beautiful performance outfit, as if she was going to a spotlight-filled stage, her face full of happiness and joy, smiling so sweetly and lovely, just like when she played with her first band members in junior high...
What was that song called?
She couldn't remember it at all anymore.
"Togawa Sakiko" thus moved further and further away, taking those memories she cherished as treasures towards a completely unknown and terrifying place.
Just like that, even that song... that song whose name she could no longer recall, was going to be completely taken away.
So unwilling...
All the complaints, anger, and disappointment towards her father began to gradually fade.
Really so unwilling...
A wave crashed against Togawa Sakiko's face, surging in darkness, like a glimpse of a similarly dark young man suddenly turning his head, his eyes burning with azure flames, coupled with a white nightingale mask, becoming an image about to be completely faded away.
You have already abandoned too many precious things for the sake of life.
So, let's say goodbye.
The Phantom Thief's phantom seemed to say this, then turned and left with that "Togawa Sakiko" without any lingering attachment.
No... Togawa Sakiko almost collapsed, struggling to get up.
As if in response to this fervent emotion that surpassed her entire life so far, the surrounding seawater suddenly became turbulent, and a power as hot as fire actually emerged within her almost rigid body.
She stood up from the seawater, stretched out her hands with all her might, and ran towards the Phantom Thief's phantom, but her palm passed through the Phantom Thief's body the moment it touched him—
Togawa Sakiko pushed down her other self, pressed her into the cold seawater, and choked her throat.
And the Phantom Thief's phantom stood behind her, his face seemingly showing a relieved and satisfied smile.
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