Life Will Change

Chapter 49: Plundering the Pyramid

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~Normal POV

7/26 - Tuesday

They had returned to Futaba's Palace today; after being kicked out yesterday. Morgana had made the stunning revelation that Futaba might not be in control of her own Palace. Something he'd never seen before. He guessed it had something to do with her grief, but her natural instinct to push people away from her was making this harder on them. Akira could tell she was trying but she was still resisting them.

And so they pushed on through. Having to dodge traps, solve puzzles, fight more Shadows patrolling the halls, and literally break through the doors of this girl's heart. All the while Futaba's Shadow was strangely neutral to them. Confirming their assumption that she didn't truly see them as a threat to her specifically. She'd show up occasionally, giving them advice and showing them the way to proceed, but never being clear about how to do so. (This mostly annoyed Ryuji, who seemed to think she was constantly changing her mind about letting them steal her Treasure.) Akira even thought to ask her if she'd seen any other intruders, besides them, and she confirmed she had not. There was no sign of the Black Mask here.

The most grueling ordeal of this Palace was the emotional one. Makoto had already made an observation on how bleak it felt in here, but seeing the inside only confirmed it. This Palace had painful imagery. One mural showing them an image of Futaba being read a note by adults in black suits. And even at one point they found a mural that depicted Wakaba Isshiki's untimely death...

"The emotions of the artist are often depicted in the art they produce," Yusuke said, quietly studying the mural. "...I can sense serious pain harbored in her heart."

Akira studied the image quietly as well. Something about it looked odd. From everything they had been told, Wakaba had been hit by a car after falling into the street. So why was the expression on her face one of shock? And why... did it appear as if she'd fallen into the street by accident?

"Joker, what are you thinking," Ann asked, seeing his thoughtful expression.

Akira didn't reply, he was busy carefully sorting through all the facts. There was no way on earth Futaba had been responsible for her mother's death. She was a loving daughter, and Sojiro had vouched for her on that. And Wakaba, by all accounts from Boss, had been a fiercely devoted mother with nothing but love for her child. Why would a woman who was so fulfilled by her family and her work throw it all away so suddenly? This image suggested it might have simply been a tragic accident. Any tangible clue was likely long gone, or perhaps was only inside Futaba's memories.

For some reason, her distortions were making her believe she was responsible...

"Joker?" Ann tried asking again, "Do you think she's responsible?"

"No. Look at Wakaba in this image. She fell into the street but her expression suggests that it wasn't intentional. It was a freak accident, and Futaba just happened to witness it. That raises two crucial questions: why did she fall, and why didn't she get back up? Pardon my bluntness, Panther, but if she had intended to do this, she wouldn't be shocked by the oncoming car, right? Probably not fully prepared, but not shocked. Let's ignore the fact that the car apparently didn't stop after seeing someone in the road, that's something we have no proof of. But if there's a possibility it was simply an accident on Wakaba's part, why didn't she get back up?"

Makoto thought the idea over for a moment. "...Are you suggesting that she might not have been able to? As in...?"

Akira nodded. "She had to have been dead before the car hit her."

"How?" Ryuji asked. "Boss didn't say she had any health problems or whatever."

Akira closed his eyes to think. There had to be something they were missing... Some piece of the puzzle they'd yet to find... And just when he thought all seemed lost, the answer hit him.