THE PAP COVER CAME. DUDE I FOUND A GLOSSY PRINT OF THE OG COVER ON MERCARI AND IT CAME IN A SET OF LIKE 15 FOR $6. SO I REALLY AM SO HAPPY.
(I have decided I will not be writing the part with all of Akira's flashbacks. It's time for this book to move forward and get finished and there'll be a final note section when this book finishes)

Third Person (just for this segment)

Akechi shuts the door as he leaves, the sound of it reverberating in a seemingly empty skull. It takes a few minutes for everything to turn over from the Metaverse into the real world. All Akechi has to do is cross the border and step on the right spot...

To the left of Akira's body, the guard's body slowly disintegrates into a cloud of black dust. The little bit of blood that had dripped from the guard's mouth disappears as well, leaving nothing but a shiny, not bothered spot in its wake. 

The body on the table, on the other hand, is no longer bullet-riddled. Instead, Akira Kurusu sits at the folding table, legs crossed and hands folded neatly. He chuckles to himself and looks up to the door, which is being pushed open by none other than Sae Niijima herself. 

...

Monday, November 21st 20XX

Y/N's P.O.V.

"You know, if Sojiro turns that TV any louder, I swear I'm going to go deaf," Futaba announces, plopping herself down on the floor by the stairwell.

"I thought you already were?"

"WHAT? SORRY Y/N, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Phantom Thieves falling silent my ass," Ryuji comments, pulling the noise from downstairs. "I think it's cool they think Akira is dead and- Hey, Ann! What the hell?" He picks up the pink tube of chapstick and throws it back at her. 

"Shut up! We're supposed to be quiet in case of customers!"

"Mmm," Makoto hums. "I heard Sis downstairs, I don't think we'll have to wait much longer."

"I have to say, this floor is definitely less than comfortable to sit on."

"I thought you and Y/N sat on the floor all the time, Yusuke," Haru giggles. 

"Yusuke is too picky for the floor, come on. We're gonna buy a carpet for him," Morgana laughs, adding to the joke. 

""I'll make you all carpets," Yusuke grumbles, shaking his head. 

"It's Niijima! You all can come down."

Like children on Christmas day, we all shuffle in a big group down the stairs to find Akira. I'm surprised one of us hasn't pushed the other down the steps, but I may speak too soon; it's gettin rough between Morgana and Ryuji. 

"Did someone read the script? I forgot to look."

"Nah just play along, Y/N, we got you."

We all come to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, a woman in her twenties with gray hair and a matching suit on waits for us. Haru tentatively tries her luck. "You're... her sister, correct?"

"Makoto told me everything," Niijima replies. She then turns to Futaba and bows her head. "Futaba-chan, I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble this past summer."

"Eh," she shrugs. "It's ancient history now."

"But man," Ryuji starts. "That goddamn detective."

"That's another part of the reason I'm here. I'm going to need to speak to Y/N when all is said and done."

"Is this for what I think it is?"

Sae smiles, though it's an unsure smile. "Unfortunately, yes. Your work is never done."

"Sounds right," I reply. I'm trying to decide if I want to pursue this or tell her I'm out of the spy business. "Then I'll gladly talk to you."

Niijima opens her mouth to say something else, but is interrupted by Sojiro sticking his head in the door. "Look who's here."

Just as he steps in, Akira is behind him, rolling his head on his shoulders. What makes the moment better is the way everyone lights up; specifically Ryuji and the way Morgana leaps from his barstool. 

"Hey, you big bastard!" Ryuji cheers, wrapping his arm around Akira's shoulders and pulls him in for a guy hug. 

"How've you been?" Ann asks, a smile on her face.

"I mean, I died," Akira comments, leading us to laughter. 

"You must be fine if you're joking around like that," Ann's smile wavers, but it stands strong still.

"It truly is a relief to see your face," Makoto mutters, but the relief on her face shining in the setting sun. 

"I bet that moron Akechi don't even know we tricked him yet!" Ryuji whoops.

"Still, how'd you pull all this off?" Sojiro wonders, scratching his head then smoothing his hair down. "Isn't he considered dead?"

"You weren't told anything? I heard my sister brought him here though..."

"Yeah," Sojiro scoffs. "She came over, dumped him from the taxi, and told me to keep him safe. It was right after they announced he had 'died' too.  Almost gave me a heart attack."

"I didn't have time to explain..." Niijima tries, but she's brushed off. I think this is the best thing for her. 

"Hey, shouldn't we tell Boss what really happened?"

"I can give him the budget version," I offer. I don't think anyone takes it too seriously, and that's fine with me. Instead, Makoto takes a breath and brings her hands up. That's the signal we're about to tag team a monologue. 

"We wanted to make out enemy believe the leader of the Phantom Thieves was dead."

"What?"

"A little farfetched, I know," I respond to Sojiro. "It ended up being where we had the enemy kill a fake, Akira's fake, in the Metaverse."

...

(yes hi there fast note. I'm gonna skip all of this 'well here's how it happened'. There's a final note section of this book and if anyone wants it explained for the billionth time, I'll put it there, but now we're going to transition into Shido's Palace)

Tuesday, November 22 20XX

"Evidently, it's Shido who's going to win the election," I overhear during the lunch break. If I wasn't sitting here reading a different article, I'd get up and fight. However, I want to see how this is going down. I wipe my fingers on one of the napkins and pull my phone out to pretend to be busy, but if anything, I'll look through Google or something.

The conversation partner, which is a voice I recognize as a feminine voice, speaks up. "I agree. He seems to be the most promising."

"He's definitely got his head on straight; that and the fact our current government is wrapped up in several scandals..."

"Hey," a notebook is placed beside me and a hand placed on my lower thigh. "Lunch alright?"

I sigh and look in Yusuke's direction. "Delicious, actually. I don't know what you picked up but it was fantastic."

"It was something Akira threw together and sent me home with the other day. He was cooking, Boss came home, and I'm under the impression there had to be something done. I found it last night after you went to bed."

My face drops. "How long ago is 'the other day'?"

"Three or so?"

"Was it refrigerated?"

I get a shrug in response and decide if I get food poisoning, it'll be okay. It's fine. Yusuke means well, he just doesn't quite understand that he... means well.

"-I just want to see our society back on the right track..." The conversation from before comes back to my head and pulls me out of my thoughts. 

"They're discussing Shido?"

I nod in response. "Yeah, it seems like it's-"

"Hey, Kitagawa-kun. You were a victim of those Phantom Thieves. Do you wanna see Shido in office? He claims he'll catch the rest of them."

"You know, Takahashi-san, I don't really think as politics are my thing. I am aware of the Phantom Thieves and my placement in terms of the imprisonment of my former sensei, but I feel that I certainly have not suffered in the wake of finding myself here."

"So..." the recently identified Takahashi looks confused. "You wouldn't vote for Shido?"

"No."

...

"We already have 'Diet Building' and 'Masayoshi Shido'. All we need is 'what' he thinks of this place."

"Maybe Mount Fuji," Ryuji throws in Makoto's direction. "Since it's the highest place in the country."

"What about a mansion?"

"No Ann," I find myself almost snapping. "He probably has thirty of those."

"Since he's going to subjugate everyone as prime minister, perhaps a school?"

"What about an arena? Like the Colosseum?" Yusuke follows on Haru's deeper idea. 

"Imperial Palace?"

"Well, whenever he parades through Shibuya and Yongen, he claims he's going to steer the country in the right direction."

"Now that Y/N mentions it, he has said something like that. There's someone coming from the Diet Building, let me see if I can confirm it..." with that, Ann rushes off to a hunchback in a suit, looking like he wished he would die. 

Ryuji watches her go and I watch for a second, then decide to be an antagonist.

"Hey, hey, hey."

"Yes?"

"Yusuke if I punch you in the chest what would you do?"

"Make an unholy sound. Why is this important?"

"Punch him Y/N!" Futaba encourages. "Kick his ass!"

"I feel this is a bad decision for you, Y/N."

"I feel this is a great decision for me." The words come out of my mouth and I ball my fist. Unfortunately for me, my hand is caught and now I have to be angry about it. I cannot punch him in the skinny, yet incredibly attractive chest. 

"Man, I didn't get much of anything. I think what's been overheard is what we have the best luck with. So, what do you think the word is?"

"Before we even get there," Yusuke cuts in. "There's an officer speaking into a walkie-talkie. I think it's time for us to disperse for the day. We're drawing too much attention to ourselves."

...

Wednesday, November 23 20XX

"-What'd you bring back from the rally?" I ask as Akira, Ryuji and Haru come back from the deeper portion of the alleyway.

"Well, I think we should go inside first," Haru suggests. "There's been a development."

"What are you talking about?" Makoto asks. She doesn't receive a response but instead is silently ushered into Leblanc with the rest of us. It's no longer than a few seconds after Morgana adjusts himself on a barstool when the words fall from Akira's mouth.

"Shido is the man that accused me. He is the reason why I'm here."

The cafe goes into an immediate uproar. It's Yusuke's question that shuts us up. 

"What kind of fate brought you both back together?"

"I wish to know that myself."

"Talk about destined connections," Makoto scoffs. 

"Wait," Morgana joins in. "Shido was involved in the cognitive research too, right? This can't be dismissed as just another coincidence."

"Exactly," I agree. "Futaba and I have found ourselves here. There's something bigger than this."

"That begs the question," Sojiro speaks what we're all thinking. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Shido was already a politician then, so what does he have to gain from suing a student?" The answer hits Sae not even a second after her inquiry. "It wouldn't have worked unless he pulled strings to keep his name out of it... Furthermore, he also would've had to pull a few more strings to have that woman give a false claim."

"He would do anything. We're talking about a man who ordered a hit inside a police station."

Sojiro comes back to the conversation following Yusuke. "He can't sit still until he crushes whoever opposes him, no matter how trivial. He's always been that way."

"What a piece of shit!" Ryuji grumbles. "'Children are the future' my ass! What he's sayin' and doin' are completely different!"

"But now that we know who did it, can't something be done about Akira's record?" Ann's thinking a little further ahead of us. 

Sae sighs. "Once the courts have made a judgment, overturning the decision will be difficult. It'd barely be possible even if proof of innocence is presented and Shido admits to his crimes."

"At any rate, we need to trigger a change of heart in him."

"Be that as it may," Makoto cuts her glare back to the blue-haired gay boy. "Shido's outside appearance and his true face are wholly different."

"You know, you're absolutely right. Thank you, Makoto, but everyone knew this. Hypocritical is a word that no longer fits him. He's just two different people at this point."

I hear a "Jesus, Y/N" from across the table and choose to ignore it as Haru begins speaking her mind. 

"He speaks about the good of the country... it makes me wonder what truly lies in his mind."

"That man's ambition is to rise in the world. He only thinks of the weak at stepping stools for his success." Sojiro shakes his head. 

"He treats himself as an elite man while looking down on others... That's the worst..." Ann does the same; she shakes her head and crosses her arms. 

"I assume the keyword for what he believes the Diet Building to be is despicable too."

I'm sitting here out of the way still under the impression it has to do with a boat, but that may just be me.

"It must be something self-centered and completely different from politics."

"Someone like him needs to be punished as soon as possible!" Haru slams her fist down on the table. It echoes in the room and brings everyone to a hush for a handful of seconds.

"Let's head to the Diet Building again after school tomorrow. I feel we'll get it this time!"

With Ryuji's words, the meeting is more or less dismissed and we're set on our own for the day. 

Thursday, November 24 20XX

"-So you convinced your teachers to let you wear pants during your classes?" Haru folds her hands and looks at me with curiosity. 

"No... I wore knee socks then changed into jeans before I left. It's November in Tokyo; it's windy as shit and I'm not playing this game."

"Shouldn't you wear dress pants?"

I roll my eyes away from Makoto's criticism. "I could, but Kosei really doesn't offer up dress pants. And I don't fit Yusuke's size, so that was out of the question."

"Come on Makoto, leave her alone. I think she looks slick...."

"Futaba I think you're incredibly gay."

"I think I agree with Ann. That's gay Futaba," I laugh.

"Suit yourselves. I just know it when I see it."

"Ladies, I think you all hit on each other quite enough."

"Morgana I think you should shut up." That means Akira and Ryuji have arrived, with Yusuke dragging a cat in a jumpsuit behind him. 

"We shouldn't stick around for very long, in case people are watching," Ann advises, looking around quickly. There are a couple guards moving about, but no one is taking anything too seriously. 

"Akira, do you remember anything from when you were... leading into your arrest?" I ask, hoping the question isn't too much. 

His eyes glaze over as he thinks back to whatever occurred during the evening prior to his arrest. I feel like, if you look really hard, you can watch the memory play over; stinging him one more time. 

"Steer."

"Steer?" Morgana confirms.

"Y/N's right. It has to be a boat."

No one believes it; solely because it makes no sense. A tomb, a sweatshop and a casino... at least, those are the ones I've been here for, so why something so bland as a boat?

"Get closer to the wall, just in case. Someone try it. Try cruiser."

The world dips into a shade of magenta and changes everywhere around us.

...

"Nothing goddamn changed." Ryuji scoffs and puts his hands in his pockets. "We went in, right?"

"The guards are gone," Makoto observes. "But it's difficult to tell for certain otherwise."

"Morgana changed. We're definitely in." I jerk my thumb back in the cat's direction. 

"Ohhhhh," everyone choruses. "Huh."

"The Diet Building remains the same," Yusuke comments.

"Yeah, but now the gates are open," Haru points out.

"Let's go take a look," Ryuji makes the decision and we split into groups. 

I follow the guys around the longer side of the Diet Building while Ann leads Makoto, Haru and Morgana down the front side. There isn't much to see; it's concrete and then bricks, all aged significantly. 

"How's it look over there?" Ann calls.

"Not much to see!" Akira yells back.

Futaba says something apparently, which leads to my group being beckoned toward the front of the Diet Building. We break into a run, with some newfound win blowing against us. Futaba stands, a breeze hitting her and clutching what I assume is her tablet. 

"My God..." I whisper. 

My jaw drops in time with the others. We stand on a boat; looking into a great sea in the sunset. The buildings that surround the Diet have sunk; shimmering as the water splashes on either side of the ship. 

"Well," Akira mumbles. "It looks like it's showtime."

I'mma write more later. Also, happy 30K! Thank you all for reading!