Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 89

Medjed... A hacker group which had declared 'war' on the Phantom Thieves. Feared in the internet world to bring others to justice. Or something like that? No one knows who had been behind that name. Said name was well known internationally, even though they had heard of it. Though Medjed's confrontation with the Phantom Thieves... Honestly, it was something they had kind of forgotten about. Then again, that was because they had been busy with Pipistrello's request and dealing with a Palace of their own. Not just that but work had gotten in the way as well. It was easy to overlook.

Long story short, apparently the Phantom Thieves have dealt with Medjed and that was the end of that. But also not exactly. Ever since the rise in popularity was more than visible. The Phantom Thieves were the new hot topic, not just in Tokyo but all over the world. They sometimes visited international forums and the discussions were something else. In public no one shut up about them, complimenting and praising them. 'They are doing what the police won't!' That's what it usually boiled down to. And... They couldn't exactly disagree. Nor were they really going to. The method seems to work. And yet it isn't that simple either... Maybe people are just intrigued because the thieves are 'mysterious'. That and they are getting it all done quicker. It had been essentially that. A public spectacle, nothing more. At least for everyone who was not looking behind the scenes. And truth to be told, they were not blaming anyone. Not really at least.

Yet all this pressure from the public also meant that the pressure increased. Now, no law enforcement worked with leisure. There was always pressure when it came to convictions. But here is the deal... The tension increased practically tenfold at the workspace. Not just that but the assigned team to the case seemed to be crumbling all over the place.

"Hey, you sure it's even worth finding those guys?" One of them had asked another, a conversation they had just happened to overhear at that time. "Not like anyone is going to care to begin with."

"Oh they're gonna care alright? And they'll make it a riot when we catch those Phantom Thieves. That or they're gonna beg we reveal who they are."

"I'd do it. We won't let some amateurs do our jobs! We gotta catch them no matter what!"

"Justice my ass! There's gotta be something bigger behind this! They're just here to stir trouble!"

"Tell that to someone in public and they're gonna jump you for that."

It was the same old spiel honestly and they... Didn't know what to say to that. Honestly, by now they had decided to keep the thoughts to themself. It complicated things and really slowed down the progress made. After all, anything which could be used as a discussion to gather evidence or get the gears going derailed into 'I hate the Phantom Thieves for doing what we are supposed to do!' or 'Looks like we'll be out of a job soon. Since those thieves can do it better than we can.' Nothing else really. Tension rose rather quickly, especially with the increasing numbers at the Phansite as well as the praise they get in the comments.

'So they are the real deal.'

'The Phantom Thieves are just!'

'Finally! Someone is doing something here!'

'They're not just talk! Unlike this Akechi guy...'

'Got nothing better to do than to downplay them.'

'Threat my ass. The only threat here is his big mouth. Phantom Thieves 4 The Win!'

'Phantom Thieves! Phantom Thieves! '

It was a little overwhelming, to say the least. And the pressure only kept increasing and increasing. Not to mention what Akechi has to go through now... Well, it wasn't necessarily the worst and he seemed to manage it just fine. Even when they had asked him about it.

"Oh, it's not that big of a deal. My own comments just came to haunt me. I have it all under control." He would always say something like that when they had asked if he really was going to be ok. Sure, it's just strangers saying that but it can always end badly if it just keeps going on and on. Also it could make someone lose focus at least. Maybe they were also just thinking too deep into this however. "But... Thank you for looking out for me."

"Huh? Ah, don't do that. We're working together, right? I gotta do my part too."

"I appreciate it. But please, focus on making some progress instead. We can't slack off now."

"Of course not! I'll do whatever I can!"

Yeah, this was far from over. Yet not even they were sure how to react to any of this. Things just kept on increasing... And it all just became more of a pain to deal with, to keep it short and simple.

However, this was all just the beginning. Because from here on out things would no longer be able to stay the same...