"You guys and your damn co-op—did something go wrong or what?" Kazawa slapped the bar counter, clearly frustrated.
Hikaru Hoshikawa was already the sixth Tarot Kazawa had obtained, yet he found that the usual co-op dialogue strategies that worked on others completely failed on Hoshikawa.
Logically, if Hoshikawa had a Tarot card, then back on the day Kazawa met him—when Hoshikawa chose to grab Kazawa's extended olive branch—it should've triggered the event.
Even assuming the condition was something like "a deal or contract," it should've been fulfilled the moment Hoshikawa agreed to his plan.
Could this be a time-limited mission?
Was it about whether Kazawa could move Hoshikawa's heart and get him to stay within a certain window?
Having just summarized a set of tactics only to see them immediately fail was maddening for someone like Kazawa, who loved to plan both short and long-term strategies.
"If you can't figure it out, stop overthinking," Leon said with a laugh, finding his mental spiral amusing. He leaned on the bar, chuckling. "At least someone's finally joining you in the cognitive world—that's gotta count for something, right?"
"I mean, you're not wrong…" Kazawa sighed, resting his chin in his hand.
Naturally, Hikaru Hoshikawa hadn't awakened to his Persona. Whether there were other Persona users in this world was still a mystery.
So far, the only known way to enter the cognitive world was via the Metaverse Navigator app. Kazawa hadn't found any alternate methods—no black cat with a white glove showing up claiming to be family—so as far as he knew, he was the only one who could freely go in and out of the other world.
But anyone familiar with Persona 5 would know: the Metaverse app's "transport" function works within a radius. All the Phantom Thieves were dragged in one by one just by being near the user. Even when the snitch captured the protagonist, he used the app to pull the cops into the Metaverse too.
In other words, as long as Kazawa didn't mind exposing his abilities, he could bring others along to beat up Shadows.
Since Hoshikawa already knew Kazawa = Joker, there was nothing to hide. Kazawa was confident—like how Hoshikawa accompanied him to fake that interrogation video inside Amuro Tooru's Palace.
Looking at it that way, it was just another set of chopsticks at the dinner table—no big deal. He was already planning to accommodate the Miyano sisters anyway...
Feeling relaxed, Rich Boy Kazawa shrugged arrogantly and knocked his empty glass against the bar. "I want something else now. Give me a Margaret King—tequila and gin. You can make it, I know you can. Gimme, gimme."
"Ease up a bit, you're seriously becoming an alcoholic." Leon shook his head helplessly but still started mixing the drink.
"I earned this drink fair and square—why shouldn't I enjoy it?" Kazawa said righteously. "Make it two!"
—
While the bar was alive with laughter and chatter, Rei Furuya's Mazda tore through the streets and arrived at the Public Safety Bureau.
"What?!" Furuya's subordinate, Yuya Kazami, slammed the table and staggered, dizzy from the news. His vision darkened. "The operation's canceled?!"
What could be more painful than a mountain of work and sleepless nights?
The answer: after staying up for days working nonstop, your boss tells you, "Sorry, project's scrapped."
"Why…" Kazami clutched his chest, afraid he might drop dead from a heart attack. He hadn't slept in three days, and now his mind was completely fried.
Furuya, who also hadn't slept much, frowned in confusion. "Why what? The issue's been resolved. So of course the operation doesn't need to continue."
Kazami bit his lip and muffled a cry of pure anguish.
All the calls, the rotating surveillance teams, rescuing captured colleagues after they were spotted yesterday… what was it all for?
Kazawa Akira, you bastard!
If you already had a plan, why didn't you act earlier?!
Kazami collapsed into the chair like a dying soul, realizing a horrifying truth: this meant Kazawa wasn't leaving Tokyo. Not only that, he'd become his boss's new subordinate. They were coworkers now—just in different departments…
This walking disaster would need his ongoing support, ongoing communication, ongoing…
Kazami felt his very soul fade to grayscale.
"You look exhausted, Kazami. Once you're done with this, take a break," said Furuya, finally catching on. He patted Kazami's shoulder. "Send this batch of data to Zero Division. Lock the files in the encrypted archive. Any use, viewing, or copying must leave a digital trace… you know the drill."
Despite getting even less rest and spending the past few days on the run, in high-speed chases, and fighting for his life, Rei Furuya just looked mildly tired. Meanwhile, Kazami looked like he might literally drop dead. Where did his boss get this bottomless stamina?
Worse than toxic overtime was having a boss who thrived on it—someone who crushed everyone else under his sheer work ethic and had no clue why others couldn't keep up.
Kazami gloomily accepted the external drive.
Inside were several documents with ridiculously long titles full of technical jargon, a couple of procedural manuals, and a box of medicine. He glanced through the files without understanding much, then turned his attention to the pillbox.
"Encrypt it. Highest priority. Spare no effort," Furuya said grimly. "Find a trustworthy lab and try to analyze the compound. This is the antidote to the Organization's mind-control drugs."
"Mind control…" The term snapped Kazami's exhausted attention back into focus.
"The Kazawa couple's research—turns out it really was in Kazawa Akira's hands." Furuya's regret was obvious. "Both were homegrown Japanese researchers. But their work didn't have commercial value, and it went against mainstream science. They couldn't get funding or support… so they were discovered and controlled by the Organization instead."
How ironic.
As Furuya reviewed the data Kazawa had sent, his mind churned with thoughts.
He now completely understood why Kazawa was so guarded about his parents' legacy.
Even just this batch of reagents and medication could cause major upheaval if not securely encrypted and protected. And it was clear Kazawa knew much more—this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Furuya strongly suspected Kazawa's abnormal ability to learn was connected to all this.
Like Kazawa had said—it was Pandora's Box. A miracle terrifying enough to drive the world mad.
With that in mind, Furuya stood up and called out to Kazami, who was staggering toward the door like a zombie.
"We need to investigate the Kazawa couple's research and treatments within Japan," Furuya said. He didn't mention Kazawa's own abnormalities. "We need to take a fresh look at Kazawa Akira's childhood medical records."