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  April 11th, 2:07 pm
Sniffsonian Museum Atrium

---Music: Investigation ~ Middle Stage 2004 ---

The three of us mingle our way into the crowd of people at the ground floor of the atrium. In no time at all, we look completely incognito as normal museum patrons. Morgana is even able to stealthily meet back up with us, climbing right back into my bag.
"Is the coast clear? Did you guys make it out ok?" Haru asks.
"Yeah, nobody saw us," Morgana confirms.
"Yeah. That was a close call..." Ann remarks, before looking at me. "What were you taking a picture of earlier, Akira?"
I pull out my phone to pull up the photograph. Yusuke and Ann crowd around me to look at my screen, and even Morgana's head peeps out of my bag to check. We all watch carefully as I zoom in and inspect various parts of the pages. I text the pictures to the group chat, as well, so the team back at Leblanc can see as well.
"What made you want to take pictures of this?" Ann asks, "These just seems to be standard records a museum would have."
"From what I can tell..." Morgana begins to speak, narrowing his eyes, "There are dates and times associated with the entries."
"Is this some sort of inventory? It's a large list of names..." Yusuke asks. He takes notice of the same detail that I did. "Wait, that's my painting's name on the list...!"
"Maybe these are some type of logs of when museum items were acquired?" Ann suggests.
"Wait, let's go back to the dates again," I backtrack, "If these were acquisition dates, Yusuke's painting would be in the past. But it has a future date written on it."
"How very peculiar..." Yusuke mumbles as he holds his chin in thought.
"Anyone else have any ideas?" Ann asks open-endedly.
"Futaba's still on the line with Miss Maya's phone. Everyone on our end is focused on listening to Mr. Wright's conversation in the office right now," Haru explains.
  "Maybe when they are finished talking in there, we can hear their thoughts," Morgana shrugs.
"Guess we have to play the waiting game, then, huh..." I realize.
"As long as we're killing time... isn't that your painting over there now, Yusuke?" Ann asks, pointing to a different area near the center of the atrium. The area is roped off just like Hibiki had mentioned earlier, and behind the ropes there are a lot of neatly organized art easels. One of them happens to have Yusuke's painting on it.
Now that I'm seeing it, it certainly is a phenomenal painting. While we wait, I think I'll just observe and appreciate the work that went into it.

---(Music End)---

  April 11th, 2:19 pm
Sniffsonian Museum Atrium

  About ten minutes of tense quiet have passed, and Futaba's sudden voice is almost startling. "Guys, we've got big trouble."
"What? What's wrong?" Ann asks.
It's hard to keep up with Futaba as she's talking so frantically. "Long story short Hibiki kicked Wright out of the office and now a guard is taking them off to be arrested...!!"

---Music: COUNT DOWN ---

*!*
*!*
*!*
"They're heading down the stairs now, you can probably see them on the second floor balcony, heading down your way," she continues.
Damnit. This puts us all on the spot. We aren't exactly allies quite yet, but if those two get arrested... that makes things way too complicated.
We all try to think of what to do, and it's Futaba who finally comes up with a plan and directs it to us. "Try and make some sort of distraction to get the guard's attention!"
Good idea, but... what can we do to get his attention...?
I feel someone grab my shoulder, and turn to see Yusuke holding a very determined face. "Akira, quickly: follow me."
He leads me right to the area his painting is being kept, and the two of us climb under the ropes and presumably into a place we aren't supposed to be standing. "Get ready to do some improvisation," Yusuke explains, bringing us both in front of the easel holding his painting.
Suddenly, he shouts so loud the entire atrium can hear it.

---Music: Last Surprise ---

"OutRAGEOUS. Simply OUTRAGEOUS! YOU, sir, have NO eye for art whatsoever!" Yusuke shouts at the top of his lungs.
  "Security! Security!!" he continues, making as big a scene as possible. "Come attend to this... this tasteless individual! He's insulting my painting!"
Yusuke points directly at the guard holding Phoenix and Maya. "You there, guard! Some assistance, please!"
The security officer lets go of the two of them and begins walking towards us. "Uhhhh, you two aren't supposed to be back there, that area is off limits..." he explains with a slightly hesitant confusion.
Unfortunately, a lot of other security guards from around the massive atrium begin to converge on our location as well. Now WE'RE the ones in a tight spot. However, we accomplished our goal: the lawyer and his assistant are able to get away without being seen.
"What are you people doing back there?" one of the other guards asks.
"Sirs, I'm going to need you to exit the exhibit area," another asserts with authority.
The two of us begin walking away from the painting to leave the roped off area. Now that we're outside of the off limits section, the guards are much less on-edge. They may ask us to leave the museum or something, but we should be in the clear at least...

---Music: My Homie ---

The guards aren't amused but they are confused. "Is... is everything alright now? What seems to be the problem here...?"
"These two are with me, officers!" Ann cheerily interjects, trying to take control of the situation, "We all came as a group. Just a, small disagreement, that's all! And I apologize for my friend, Mr. Kitagawa. He's the artist of that piece right over there. He just gets soooo passionate about his art."
Her charming personality woos the security staff over, and they seem to drop all hostility. "Well... I'm going to have to ask that you don't do that again. We'll have to escort you out of the building if you trespass like that, artist or not," one of them warns us.
With a painfully sweet smile on her face, Ann essentially pushes the two of us out of the atrium. "Absolutely! We understand! We won't do it again! Bye Bye! Ciao!" she speaks as we are dragged out of the atrium.

---(Music End)---

  April 11th, 2:25 pm
  Sniffsonian Museum Interior

As Ann leads us through the rest of he museum's interior, I'm starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Though Ann is taking us back to the front desk to leave, I have a different idea. "Hang on, let's not leave the museum just yet," I say.
She, Yusuke, and I all stop. I unzip my bag to look at Morgana. "I have a job for you."
"Mrrreow?" he purrs as he tilts his head at me curiously.
"I need you to find some sort of way to get into the staff only areas of the building," I instruct, "A ventilation shaft, a security door... anything you can find."
His eyes light up. Morgana has been my partner in crime for years now, and he instantly gets on the same wavelength as me. I can almost guarantee he knows exactly why I'm asking him to do this. I hand him a small notepad and a pen, as well, which he begins to carry in his mouth. "Take these, too. Hope you've kept in practice with your map making."
  "Of course I have!" he winks, and he leaps from my bag to work his way back into the museum, careful to not be seen.
Ann and Yusuke are probably wondering what we just planned, and I'll surely explain to them. But before that, it sounds like Futaba has something to say.

  ---Music: Restlessness ---

"Ok, team, huddle up," Futaba instructs rhetorically, gaining our attention. "I've gotten off the phone with Mr. Wright and Miss Maya, and I've learned some pretty startling information..."
"Let's hear it," I prompt.
"So, whereas you guys found those records... Mr. Wright found a day planner. He also heard some rumors from one of the security guards about Hebi Hibiki having ties to the black market. If Wright's correct in his thinking... it's likely that the day planner was keeping track of Hbiki selling off paintings and other exhibit pieces."
"What's more," Haru interjects, "I think the records Akira took pictures of may actually confirm it. I'm looking at the pictures now... and the list of names includes the names of all of the paintings which have gone 'missing' from the museum. On top of that, the dates listed next to those items seem to match the dates Mr. Wright mentioned in the day planner."
"Mhm," Futaba agrees, "I think those documents were a log keeping track of the things Hibiki has sold or is planning to sell."
"My... my painting is listed here, and it too has a future date..." Yusuke points out, "Does this mean he was planning on selling off my work as well? Why would he go through so much effort to befriend me if he just wants to go behind my back and turn a profit off my work?"
Makoto holds her chin and prepares to explain her theory. "I bet he's trying to reach out to Madarame's pupils because he wants to restore credibility to the paintings. Madarame himself has been proven a sham, but now the public recognizes that it was the students who held the true talent. Any art that can be attributed to any of those pupils like Yusuke would certainly hold a lot of market value."
"I don't get it," Ryuji speaks out, "How is he getting away with this? Are these artists really just ok with, 'whoops, sorry! I lost your painting! My bad!'?"
Yusuke seems to have an idea of what's happening in his head. "I imagine none of my peers are well known or famous, so no one would care if they try to bring attention to foul dealings. Their individual identities don't matter, what matters is that Madarame's most famous paintings can be legitimized once again. All he has to do is confirm that 'one of Madarame's pupils did this,' and the details don't particularly matter past that point."
"Plus," Ann adds, "He's probably paying them money to compensate for the losses. Which is probably a cut of the profit he makes off of their work in the first place, and they just don't know it. What a jerk..."
"Money hardly replaces something that you put your soul into," Yusuke growls. "It makes me sick to know others are being taken advantage of by this man."
"Let's look past even that, though," Futaba continues on. "The list includes a bunch of things other than just paintings as well. And these records go back a few years, too. I think Hibiki has been selling off all kinds of things, regardless of whether they belong to the museum or to someone else entirely."
There's a bad conclusion to be reached here. "So that means he might be selling... the pearl, too."
"That's absolutely what he's doing," Futaba unfortunately confirms, "Look at the picture you took of the last page of the documents. See this entry near the bottom, 'Aurora Borealis?' Hibiki told Wright that's the nickname he came up with for the pearl."
"And look at the date next to it," Haru announces forebodingly, "It's today."
I feel a chill down my spine. "Does he still have the pearl right now?"
"Yes," Futaba answers, "He's keeping it behind a locked door in his office. He showed it to Mr. Wright, so we know he still has it... for the time being."
Yusuke's eyes narrow and he looks to be seriously glaring. "So, that date on the papers... means that today--or tonight, rather--Hibiki plans to sell the pearl off to someone."
"UGH. This blows!" Ryuji groans. "First that lawyer dude gets kicked out, and now we find out the curator's gonna be selling off the one lead we have on solving these murders!"
"Yeah... this is officially a worst case scenario," Makoto sighs. "What can we do?"
We're all quiet for a time as we dwell on how badly this is turning out. After a few moments, we hear Morgana's voice. "Alright, Akira! I'm in the air vents along the ceilings. One way or another, I should be able to access any room in the building now," he begins.
"Hmm? What's he on about?" Ryuji questions.
"Oh, right... you sent Morgana off to do something, didn't you?" Ann recalls.
I nod. "He's scouting the building to make us a map."
"Didn't ya already have a brochure?" Ryuji asks for clarity, I thought that already came with a map?"
"C'mon, Ryuji!" Morgana responds through our earpieces with a hint of tough love in his voice, "Just a map of the rooms available to the public isn't enough for an infiltration. I know I taught you all better than that!"

---(Music End)---

*!*
"But... we told Mr. Wright..." Makoto mumbles.
"I know," I acknowledge, "But I want to have options here. If there's no other way to get the pearl in time... we're going to have to steal it before the curator has a chance to sell it."
  Everyone is silent for a few moments, until Futaba speaks. "I had a feeling things would come to this," she states, with a form of regret suggesting acceptance of the inevitable. "I was... vague, to Mr. Wright and Miss Maya as our phone call neared a close. I felt it in my gut that this situation would lead to an us breaking our word on this, but I didn't tell him anything. I just... said that the circumstances had changed."
"I doubt Mr. Wright would want anything to do with us if he finds out that we plan to break our promise with him..." Yusuke bemoans.

---Music: Unexpected Turn of Affairs (Persona Q) ---

"It might not come to that," Futaba interjects, "I've been looking into the matters that Mr. Wright brought to my attention, about the missing artwork and how the museum staff seems to not be pressuring the law enforcement to look into it at all. Now that we know that Hibiki has been selling on the black market, I've reached a theory. Hibiki probably realizes his thefts and shady dealings will be brought to light if the police investigate the missing art."
"And we can use that to our advantage," I elaborate. "In fact, now that we have dirt on the curator, it's checkmate."
"Remind me to high five you when you get back here," Futaba chuckles, "That's exactly what I was thinking. There's no way Hibiki could possibly try and pursue a stolen object of his, because the investigation could easily reveal his own black market dealings. The focus will be all on him, and Mr. Wright would never have to know we were involved!"
"At least until he uses common sense to realize exactly what happened as soon as he sees that we have the stolen item in our possession..." Makoto grumbles with disdain.

---(Music End)---

"I know, I know that this isn't ideal," I admit with a puff of frustration, "I know we don't want to break the law. But I also know we're running out of time."
"Well, team," Morgana announces, "We've always had a rule, and I'm sure you all remember it: the Phantom Thieves don't act unless we all agree on a target."
Another spell of silence. "Give me some time to finish making this map," Morgana finally asserts, "Once I'm through, we'll all meet back up at Leblanc. Let's just think on this until then."
"Sounds good to me," Ryuji returns, his voice sounding slightly cheery in contrast to everyone else's reservations. It's clear he's still looking forward to the idea of a Phantom Thieves' heist after so long.
"Alright. See you all soon, then," Futaba signs off.
There's going to be a lot to think about on the ride back.

  April 11th, 5:40 pm
Cafe Leblanc

We open the front door and enter the cafe to familiar noise of the chiming bell. It's a little later than expected, as it took a while for Morgana to do his mapping. It's getting into the afternoon hours, and I can see dust particles in the air illuminated by beams of light creeping in through the windows. The rest of our crew is sitting at their usual table, but no one is saying anything. I can already tell the atmosphere is tense in this room.
"Welcome back," Sojiro greets, though his uneasy tone slips through his cordiality. "Sounds like you've, er... all reached a pretty complicated crossroad."

---Music: Prologue ~ The Beginning of the Night ---

  Morgana hops out of my bag and onto the table, and all eyes are on him. During his reconnaissance, he had taken the time to put a series of very detailed maps onto paper, each of them drawings of the various floors of the building and the rooms on them. They look almost like blueprints in terms of quality, and I'm left questioning how the heck Morgana is such a great cartographer even though he has cat paws.
"Here's what I have, team," he introduces. "All three floors. Each room. Every vent. All the cameras. The entirety of all of the areas restricted to staff only. It's all here. I know we haven't decided on what we're doing next, yet. But, I'm just letting you know... if we decide to go through with an infiltration, we have the means."
I can hear everyone's breaths as the sun slowly lowers its angle, every so slightly adjusting the direction of the light into the room with each passing moment. However, each moment feels much longer than it is. We're about to approach a very serious discussion.
  Yusuke, Ann, and I walk towards the table where our friends sit. The two of them slide into the booth to join the others, and I take a spot standing at the edge of the table.
"There's no use beating around the bush," I finally announce, grabbing the focus in the room, "If we want to do this... we need to be quick, and decisive."
Futaba takes over, being the most informed out of all of us right now. "Going by what one of the security guards said, it sounds like Hibiki does his dealings after the museum closes. They talked about unfamiliar cars being parked behind the building late at night, which could belong to the buyers. I can't give an exact deadline to when he's going to sell the pearl, but we can assume it will be after the building closes. Either way, we don't have much time."
"We have a few hours to prepare, at most," Yusuke asserts.
After a few seconds of pause in the conversation, I give opportunity to raise concerns. "Team. Are we all for this mission?"
Haru speaks, though her gaze is directed down into the table as she contemplates the situation. "This isn't the Metaverse anymore, this will be breaking and entering in the real world."
"And it'll be dangerous, too," Ann adds, "If we get caught, our lives will be over..."
"How is it dangerous?" Ryuji asks earnestly, "Every time we went into the Metaverse, we could have literally died! If anything, breaking and entering should be a walk in the park! If we get caught or somethin' and get into legal trouble, Makoto's sister can help us out, right?"
"I'd thank you not to trivialize such a heavy situation," Makoto scowls, "Sis isn't just a free pass to get out of jail for breaking the law."
Ann looks at her with concern. "Makoto... you aren't comfortable with this, are you?"
"I'm training to be a police officer... of course I'm not ok with this. Breaking the law with the Metaverse was different. Back then we had the ability to make a difference with special abilities no one else had. And beyond that, we were just high school kids. But now, we're adults, and this... this would just be common burglary. There has to be some other way."
"What if... we try and intercept the buyer?" Haru proposes.
"You mean, get to them before they get to the curator?" Yusuke interprets.
Haru thinks it over. "Though, on second thought, we don't even have a clue who it may be... and exposing ourselves to a complete stranger could be an even bigger risk."
"I wish there were a better way," I admit, "But I really believe the direct approach is the best here. We need to get a hold of this situation, because it's quickly getting out of our control."
"Akira," Makoto addresses me, starting to sound frustrated, "Just stop and think about what it is we're planning to do. We're all going to end up in jail and we'll be criminals for the rest of our lives!"

---(Music End)---

Makoto holds he hand to her mouth to stifle her own speech, but she still seems upset. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put it so bluntly. But you of all people should know how awful it is to get on the bad side of the law."
Despite the overbearing nature of her comment, I cans still smile peacefully. "It's fine. That's why I'm the only one who will be doing this. I've got significantly less of a future to lose than the rest of you."
Makoto's face looks like it's right at the edge of wanting to turn pale. She's completely speechless.
"Ah geeze," Sojiro mumbles off behind the counter a short distance away. "Please don't tell me you're going to get arrested, kid..."
Ryuji leans forward and presses his hands against the table. "What?! You're going in alone?!"
"That much is obvious, Ryuji," Morgana replies, "There's no way we could sneak a group as large as ours into a museum. Even just one of us doing the infiltration will be dangerous."
Ryuji is desperately against this idea. "We can at least, I dunno, stake it out a little bit away from the museum, right? That way we can jump in help if something goes wrong?"
"We'll be nearby, that much is certain," Haru confirms, "But I doubt we will be able to do anything to help if something goes wrong. We'd all be spotted and implicated..."
Futaba closes her eyes and looks rather melancholy. "Moving as a team just isn't realistic. Akira is the best man for this job, to be honest," she explains, before addressing me specifically. "Are you ok with bearing the weight of all this on your shoulders alone?"
"I'm not alone, you all will be supporting me," I correct, "We just need a total agreement from the team that this is the course of action we want to take."
Morgana nods his head. "You already know my answer. Codename: Mona! Boy, I missed that name."
Ryuji looks back and forth among our group. "I'm not feeling so hot about you taking the whole blame if somethin' goes wrong. But I trust you, man! You can definitely pull something like this off. I'm totally down for this. Count me in, Skull is ready to rock!"
Haru nods her head and looks determined. "I'll do whatever I can to help out as well, Akira," she begins, but her sternness melts into chuckling, "It's charming, knowing that I'll be called Noir again."
"Count me in, too," Ann agrees, "That Hibiki guy is a crook, so I'd want to stick it to him either way. You can count on Panther of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!"
"My stake in this is rather personal, as well," Yusuke reminds us, "I'm all for it. My resolve is as strong as it was the day I took on the name Fox."
"You already know I'm game," Futaba speaks out with confidence, "And you know darn well that an infiltration like this is going to need a great navigator. Joker and Oracle... working together once again!"
All eyes turn to Makoto, who is deep in thought and looking rather anxious. I hate to see her like this...
She sighs and seems to steel herself. "I told you I'd support your decisions 100%, Akira. If this is the path we have to take then... just, promise to be careful," she speaks gravely, though her gaze trails off to the side aimlessly, and she's mumbling something, but I can't quite hear it.

---Music: Break it Down ---

"Mreow! And that means Queen agrees, too! That settles it!" Morgana announces, "The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are back for one last heist!"
"So the next step is coming up with a plan of attack," Yusuke asserts. "Morgana, these maps should be integral to the operation. Good work, and excellent craftsmanship on the drawings."
"Thanks!" our feline friend smiles, "I've accounted for nearly everything in the building. The only crucial detail missing is the keypad-locked door inside the office that the pearl is likely to be behind."
Ann holds her chin as she considers the situation. "Aren't we kind of leaving the most important part of this mission a little up to chance? What if we can't get in at all?"
Futaba seems to have a solution already. "I do have an old code-breaker device we could use. It's not the fastest or most stylish, since I built it back when I was a kid. But it should get the job done."
"That takes care of the final stretch, but how are we supposed to get Akira in to begin with?" Makoto asks, bringing up a good point.
"There's gotta be some back entrance we can use, right?" Ryuji suggests.
Futaba shakes her head. "Like I mentioned earlier, I overheard Mr. Wright talking to a security guard, and the guard said something about there being suspicious cars being parked around the building. Those are probably the buyers that Hibiki is making the sales to, and I'd bet money they probably park around back so as to not draw attention. Joker may be seen by one of the buyers if that's the case."
"So we have to find an even less conspicuous entrance than the back door, is that right?" Yusuke asks for clarity.
"I have an idea on that front," Morgana announces, "There's a side building near the outside of the food court area. It's nowhere near the atrium or the curator's office, so I doubt any late night guests would park around there."
"How secure is the building?" Ann asks, "Are we talking another keypad? Deadbolt lock?"
"We may not even need to get through any doors," Morgana smiles, "It's only one floor, and there are vents on the roof that Akira could potentially climb through."
"I don't think I can scale a building without a ladder or something to help me get some height," I admit.
Haru seems to be thinking of something. "Morgana, you said the room is near the food court? Is it perhaps related to food storage?"
Morgana nods. "That's exactly what it is. It's a freezer for storing the concessions and food stuff for the museum."
"I can help, then!" Haru speaks cheerily, "Okumura Foods already delivers to this museum regularly. I can make sure that tomorrow's shipment gets sent tonight around closing, and that way there will be a truck parked near there which Akira could maybe use. Is a truck easier to climb on top of than a building?"
"It should be," I nod.

---Music: Investigation ~ Core 2013 ---

"Now there's a plan!" Morgana celebrates, "You can sneak on top of the truck when no one is looking, and from that height you could probably leap the remaining distance to the roof!"
"I'll get in touch with my company's distribution center and get the schedule altered now," Haru nods, and she excuses herself from the table to make a phone call.
Ann looks carefully at the various maps and how they connect. "Next step would be a route through the interior..."
"Are there any staff-only stairwells to make it to the third floor discretely?" Ryuji suggests.
I shake my head. "It seems like the hallways are only on the ground floor. It's probably for delivery to the food court or bringing in new pieces from storage."
"So," Yusuke begins, "We need to take the path that gets us closest to one of the regular staircases."
Makoto points to one of the various paths. "This one leads to inside of a tour area, and the exit of the tour is right by the stairs."
Futaba sports a big grin. "And from there he can just keep taking more stairs and get to the top floor!"
Ann holds her chin. "So that will get Akira to another hub area with a bunch of branching paths to various exhibits. Ugh. Isn't there just a 'main' path that he could take? All of these exhibits in all directions... what a mess. Why does this place have to be so obtuse?"
"Well, I recall Madarame had a hand in the design," Morgana recalls.
Yusuke blinks to think about his old teacher. "Perhaps in his eyes the artistic value of certain displays and exhibits were so great that it justified ensuring that all visitors would have to pass through and see them."
"Or maybe the old geezer was just being a dick," Ryuji speaks with a very sure-of-himself nod.
Yusuke hesitates for a moment. "I... won't contest that statement."
  "So, which path would we go through?" Ann asks.
Morgana taps his paw against the next map paper. "This one. It goes through a wax museum which lets out right next to one of the entrances to the atrium."
Futaba nods her head. "And from there, you can just walk along the balcony to reach the other side of the room, and the curator's office."
"We're forgetting something important, guys," Ann alerts us, "What about the curator himself? If he plans to sell the pearl, he's going to be there, and he's going to be holding on to it."
"Do we know what time he's going to sell it at?" Ryuji asks.
"I believe it said midnight in his day planner," Futaba recalls, "So if we start early enough, we'll have a window of a few hours between the museum closing and the sale."
Yusuke considers the situation at hand. "From 9:00 pm to midnight, hmm. In an ideal world, the pearl will be left within the office as the curator does some other activity to bide his time elsewhere."
"But if he is still in his office? What then?" Makoto posits.
"He'll have to leave eventually," I suggest, "He'll probably go to the bathroom at some point. Or, if not, I could always make a noise outside of his office to draw him out to investigate."
"And what about security guards?" Makoto continues.
"They shouldn't be hard to avoid," I assert, "We have to remember that the curator is secretive about these midnight sales, so he may send some or all of the staff home. I don't anticipate heavy security."

---(Music End)---

Makoto seems focused on what I just said, and my voice lingers in the air for a moment before she replies. "Akira... You're being way too lax about this. This situation is extremely serious!"
"And I acknowledge the severity," I agree, "But I'm not worried. We have a few hours to plan before we move, and the old Phantom Thief in me is rearing and ready to go. I'm just confident that we can pull this off."
"Ok, I'm sorry about the wait, everyone," Haru announces as she returns to the table. "Okumura Foods is going to be making their delivery a day early, and they'll be around nine at night, after the museum has closed."
Makoto closes her eyes and speaks with a tone of reluctance. "Well, we have to get planning then. We know you'll need gear to pull this off. What are we going to equip you with?"
"Our communication network is already set up fine, we've been using it all day," Yusuke reminds us.
"We'll need night vision tech," Ann tells us, "The lights will all be off, after all."
"And a camera, so we can see what you see, Akira," Futaba also proposes.
"Let's combine the two," I pitch, "If we can get our hands on some night goggles, could you modify them to have camera capabilities?"
"We could fasten my wireless webcam to the goggles. I'll do some tweaking with repeaters and amplify the signal so it can broadcast to us. I just... need some goggles, first."

---Music: Layer Cake ---

"I actually know exactly where to go to get a pair," I smirk, "In fact, this even gives me an idea. I can call in a few favors from an old friend, and we can use this to our advantage."
"Oh boy, I love it when you come up with plans!" Morgana cackles before walking up to me and sitting down. "Well, let's hear it!"
The rest of the team lean their heads as well, getting closer to me with high hopes and expectations of what I'm about to say. "Well, there's a hobby shop in Shibuya that you all may remember..."
Alright, now it's just time to iron out the finer details. By the end of tonight, we'll have the pearl, and we'll succeed without a hitch.

  To be continued...

  ---(Music End)---

  ---Music: Victory ---

Would you like to save your game?

    Yes No

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

  April 11th, 2:07 pm
Sniffsonian Museum Atrium

---Music: Investigation ~ Middle Stage 2004 ---

The three of us mingle our way into the crowd of people at the ground floor of the atrium. In no time at all, we look completely incognito as normal museum patrons. Morgana is even able to stealthily meet back up with us, climbing right back into my bag.
"Is the coast clear? Did you guys make it out ok?" Haru asks.
"Yeah, nobody saw us," Morgana confirms.
"Yeah. That was a close call..." Ann remarks, before looking at me. "What were you taking a picture of earlier, Akira?"
I pull out my phone to pull up the photograph. Yusuke and Ann crowd around me to look at my screen, and even Morgana's head peeps out of my bag to check. We all watch carefully as I zoom in and inspect various parts of the pages. I text the pictures to the group chat, as well, so the team back at Leblanc can see as well.
"What made you want to take pictures of this?" Ann asks, "These just seems to be standard records a museum would have."
"From what I can tell..." Morgana begins to speak, narrowing his eyes, "There are dates and times associated with the entries."
"Is this some sort of inventory? It's a large list of names..." Yusuke asks. He takes notice of the same detail that I did. "Wait, that's my painting's name on the list...!"
"Maybe these are some type of logs of when museum items were acquired?" Ann suggests.
"Wait, let's go back to the dates again," I backtrack, "If these were acquisition dates, Yusuke's painting would be in the past. But it has a future date written on it."
"How very peculiar..." Yusuke mumbles as he holds his chin in thought.
"Anyone else have any ideas?" Ann asks open-endedly.
"Futaba's still on the line with Miss Maya's phone. Everyone on our end is focused on listening to Mr. Wright's conversation in the office right now," Haru explains.
  "Maybe when they are finished talking in there, we can hear their thoughts," Morgana shrugs.
"Guess we have to play the waiting game, then, huh..." I realize.
"As long as we're killing time... isn't that your painting over there now, Yusuke?" Ann asks, pointing to a different area near the center of the atrium. The area is roped off just like Hibiki had mentioned earlier, and behind the ropes there are a lot of neatly organized art easels. One of them happens to have Yusuke's painting on it.
Now that I'm seeing it, it certainly is a phenomenal painting. While we wait, I think I'll just observe and appreciate the work that went into it.

---(Music End)---

  April 11th, 2:19 pm
Sniffsonian Museum Atrium

  About ten minutes of tense quiet have passed, and Futaba's sudden voice is almost startling. "Guys, we've got big trouble."
"What? What's wrong?" Ann asks.
It's hard to keep up with Futaba as she's talking so frantically. "Long story short Hibiki kicked Wright out of the office and now a guard is taking them off to be arrested...!!"

---Music: COUNT DOWN ---

*!*
*!*
*!*
"They're heading down the stairs now, you can probably see them on the second floor balcony, heading down your way," she continues.
Damnit. This puts us all on the spot. We aren't exactly allies quite yet, but if those two get arrested... that makes things way too complicated.
We all try to think of what to do, and it's Futaba who finally comes up with a plan and directs it to us. "Try and make some sort of distraction to get the guard's attention!"
Good idea, but... what can we do to get his attention...?
I feel someone grab my shoulder, and turn to see Yusuke holding a very determined face. "Akira, quickly: follow me."
He leads me right to the area his painting is being kept, and the two of us climb under the ropes and presumably into a place we aren't supposed to be standing. "Get ready to do some improvisation," Yusuke explains, bringing us both in front of the easel holding his painting.
Suddenly, he shouts so loud the entire atrium can hear it.

---Music: Last Surprise ---

"OutRAGEOUS. Simply OUTRAGEOUS! YOU, sir, have NO eye for art whatsoever!" Yusuke shouts at the top of his lungs.
  "Security! Security!!" he continues, making as big a scene as possible. "Come attend to this... this tasteless individual! He's insulting my painting!"
Yusuke points directly at the guard holding Phoenix and Maya. "You there, guard! Some assistance, please!"
The security officer lets go of the two of them and begins walking towards us. "Uhhhh, you two aren't supposed to be back there, that area is off limits..." he explains with a slightly hesitant confusion.
Unfortunately, a lot of other security guards from around the massive atrium begin to converge on our location as well. Now WE'RE the ones in a tight spot. However, we accomplished our goal: the lawyer and his assistant are able to get away without being seen.
"What are you people doing back there?" one of the other guards asks.
"Sirs, I'm going to need you to exit the exhibit area," another asserts with authority.
The two of us begin walking away from the painting to leave the roped off area. Now that we're outside of the off limits section, the guards are much less on-edge. They may ask us to leave the museum or something, but we should be in the clear at least...

---Music: My Homie ---

The guards aren't amused but they are confused. "Is... is everything alright now? What seems to be the problem here...?"
"These two are with me, officers!" Ann cheerily interjects, trying to take control of the situation, "We all came as a group. Just a, small disagreement, that's all! And I apologize for my friend, Mr. Kitagawa. He's the artist of that piece right over there. He just gets soooo passionate about his art."
Her charming personality woos the security staff over, and they seem to drop all hostility. "Well... I'm going to have to ask that you don't do that again. We'll have to escort you out of the building if you trespass like that, artist or not," one of them warns us.
With a painfully sweet smile on her face, Ann essentially pushes the two of us out of the atrium. "Absolutely! We understand! We won't do it again! Bye Bye! Ciao!" she speaks as we are dragged out of the atrium.

---(Music End)---

  April 11th, 2:25 pm
  Sniffsonian Museum Interior

As Ann leads us through the rest of he museum's interior, I'm starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Though Ann is taking us back to the front desk to leave, I have a different idea. "Hang on, let's not leave the museum just yet," I say.
She, Yusuke, and I all stop. I unzip my bag to look at Morgana. "I have a job for you."
"Mrrreow?" he purrs as he tilts his head at me curiously.
"I need you to find some sort of way to get into the staff only areas of the building," I instruct, "A ventilation shaft, a security door... anything you can find."
His eyes light up. Morgana has been my partner in crime for years now, and he instantly gets on the same wavelength as me. I can almost guarantee he knows exactly why I'm asking him to do this. I hand him a small notepad and a pen, as well, which he begins to carry in his mouth. "Take these, too. Hope you've kept in practice with your map making."
  "Of course I have!" he winks, and he leaps from my bag to work his way back into the museum, careful to not be seen.
Ann and Yusuke are probably wondering what we just planned, and I'll surely explain to them. But before that, it sounds like Futaba has something to say.

  ---Music: Restlessness ---

"Ok, team, huddle up," Futaba instructs rhetorically, gaining our attention. "I've gotten off the phone with Mr. Wright and Miss Maya, and I've learned some pretty startling information..."
"Let's hear it," I prompt.
"So, whereas you guys found those records... Mr. Wright found a day planner. He also heard some rumors from one of the security guards about Hebi Hibiki having ties to the black market. If Wright's correct in his thinking... it's likely that the day planner was keeping track of Hbiki selling off paintings and other exhibit pieces."
"What's more," Haru interjects, "I think the records Akira took pictures of may actually confirm it. I'm looking at the pictures now... and the list of names includes the names of all of the paintings which have gone 'missing' from the museum. On top of that, the dates listed next to those items seem to match the dates Mr. Wright mentioned in the day planner."
"Mhm," Futaba agrees, "I think those documents were a log keeping track of the things Hibiki has sold or is planning to sell."
"My... my painting is listed here, and it too has a future date..." Yusuke points out, "Does this mean he was planning on selling off my work as well? Why would he go through so much effort to befriend me if he just wants to go behind my back and turn a profit off my work?"
Makoto holds her chin and prepares to explain her theory. "I bet he's trying to reach out to Madarame's pupils because he wants to restore credibility to the paintings. Madarame himself has been proven a sham, but now the public recognizes that it was the students who held the true talent. Any art that can be attributed to any of those pupils like Yusuke would certainly hold a lot of market value."
"I don't get it," Ryuji speaks out, "How is he getting away with this? Are these artists really just ok with, 'whoops, sorry! I lost your painting! My bad!'?"
Yusuke seems to have an idea of what's happening in his head. "I imagine none of my peers are well known or famous, so no one would care if they try to bring attention to foul dealings. Their individual identities don't matter, what matters is that Madarame's most famous paintings can be legitimized once again. All he has to do is confirm that 'one of Madarame's pupils did this,' and the details don't particularly matter past that point."
"Plus," Ann adds, "He's probably paying them money to compensate for the losses. Which is probably a cut of the profit he makes off of their work in the first place, and they just don't know it. What a jerk..."
"Money hardly replaces something that you put your soul into," Yusuke growls. "It makes me sick to know others are being taken advantage of by this man."
"Let's look past even that, though," Futaba continues on. "The list includes a bunch of things other than just paintings as well. And these records go back a few years, too. I think Hibiki has been selling off all kinds of things, regardless of whether they belong to the museum or to someone else entirely."
There's a bad conclusion to be reached here. "So that means he might be selling... the pearl, too."
"That's absolutely what he's doing," Futaba unfortunately confirms, "Look at the picture you took of the last page of the documents. See this entry near the bottom, 'Aurora Borealis?' Hibiki told Wright that's the nickname he came up with for the pearl."
"And look at the date next to it," Haru announces forebodingly, "It's today."
I feel a chill down my spine. "Does he still have the pearl right now?"
"Yes," Futaba answers, "He's keeping it behind a locked door in his office. He showed it to Mr. Wright, so we know he still has it... for the time being."
Yusuke's eyes narrow and he looks to be seriously glaring. "So, that date on the papers... means that today--or tonight, rather--Hibiki plans to sell the pearl off to someone."
"UGH. This blows!" Ryuji groans. "First that lawyer dude gets kicked out, and now we find out the curator's gonna be selling off the one lead we have on solving these murders!"
"Yeah... this is officially a worst case scenario," Makoto sighs. "What can we do?"
We're all quiet for a time as we dwell on how badly this is turning out. After a few moments, we hear Morgana's voice. "Alright, Akira! I'm in the air vents along the ceilings. One way or another, I should be able to access any room in the building now," he begins.
"Hmm? What's he on about?" Ryuji questions.
"Oh, right... you sent Morgana off to do something, didn't you?" Ann recalls.
I nod. "He's scouting the building to make us a map."
"Didn't ya already have a brochure?" Ryuji asks for clarity, I thought that already came with a map?"
"C'mon, Ryuji!" Morgana responds through our earpieces with a hint of tough love in his voice, "Just a map of the rooms available to the public isn't enough for an infiltration. I know I taught you all better than that!"

---(Music End)---

*!*
"But... we told Mr. Wright..." Makoto mumbles.
"I know," I acknowledge, "But I want to have options here. If there's no other way to get the pearl in time... we're going to have to steal it before the curator has a chance to sell it."
  Everyone is silent for a few moments, until Futaba speaks. "I had a feeling things would come to this," she states, with a form of regret suggesting acceptance of the inevitable. "I was... vague, to Mr. Wright and Miss Maya as our phone call neared a close. I felt it in my gut that this situation would lead to an us breaking our word on this, but I didn't tell him anything. I just... said that the circumstances had changed."
"I doubt Mr. Wright would want anything to do with us if he finds out that we plan to break our promise with him..." Yusuke bemoans.

---Music: Unexpected Turn of Affairs (Persona Q) ---

"It might not come to that," Futaba interjects, "I've been looking into the matters that Mr. Wright brought to my attention, about the missing artwork and how the museum staff seems to not be pressuring the law enforcement to look into it at all. Now that we know that Hibiki has been selling on the black market, I've reached a theory. Hibiki probably realizes his thefts and shady dealings will be brought to light if the police investigate the missing art."
"And we can use that to our advantage," I elaborate. "In fact, now that we have dirt on the curator, it's checkmate."
"Remind me to high five you when you get back here," Futaba chuckles, "That's exactly what I was thinking. There's no way Hibiki could possibly try and pursue a stolen object of his, because the investigation could easily reveal his own black market dealings. The focus will be all on him, and Mr. Wright would never have to know we were involved!"
"At least until he uses common sense to realize exactly what happened as soon as he sees that we have the stolen item in our possession..." Makoto grumbles with disdain.

---(Music End)---

"I know, I know that this isn't ideal," I admit with a puff of frustration, "I know we don't want to break the law. But I also know we're running out of time."
"Well, team," Morgana announces, "We've always had a rule, and I'm sure you all remember it: the Phantom Thieves don't act unless we all agree on a target."
Another spell of silence. "Give me some time to finish making this map," Morgana finally asserts, "Once I'm through, we'll all meet back up at Leblanc. Let's just think on this until then."
"Sounds good to me," Ryuji returns, his voice sounding slightly cheery in contrast to everyone else's reservations. It's clear he's still looking forward to the idea of a Phantom Thieves' heist after so long.
"Alright. See you all soon, then," Futaba signs off.
There's going to be a lot to think about on the ride back.

  April 11th, 5:40 pm
Cafe Leblanc

We open the front door and enter the cafe to familiar noise of the chiming bell. It's a little later than expected, as it took a while for Morgana to do his mapping. It's getting into the afternoon hours, and I can see dust particles in the air illuminated by beams of light creeping in through the windows. The rest of our crew is sitting at their usual table, but no one is saying anything. I can already tell the atmosphere is tense in this room.
"Welcome back," Sojiro greets, though his uneasy tone slips through his cordiality. "Sounds like you've, er... all reached a pretty complicated crossroad."

---Music: Prologue ~ The Beginning of the Night ---

  Morgana hops out of my bag and onto the table, and all eyes are on him. During his reconnaissance, he had taken the time to put a series of very detailed maps onto paper, each of them drawings of the various floors of the building and the rooms on them. They look almost like blueprints in terms of quality, and I'm left questioning how the heck Morgana is such a great cartographer even though he has cat paws.
"Here's what I have, team," he introduces. "All three floors. Each room. Every vent. All the cameras. The entirety of all of the areas restricted to staff only. It's all here. I know we haven't decided on what we're doing next, yet. But, I'm just letting you know... if we decide to go through with an infiltration, we have the means."
I can hear everyone's breaths as the sun slowly lowers its angle, every so slightly adjusting the direction of the light into the room with each passing moment. However, each moment feels much longer than it is. We're about to approach a very serious discussion.
  Yusuke, Ann, and I walk towards the table where our friends sit. The two of them slide into the booth to join the others, and I take a spot standing at the edge of the table.
"There's no use beating around the bush," I finally announce, grabbing the focus in the room, "If we want to do this... we need to be quick, and decisive."
Futaba takes over, being the most informed out of all of us right now. "Going by what one of the security guards said, it sounds like Hibiki does his dealings after the museum closes. They talked about unfamiliar cars being parked behind the building late at night, which could belong to the buyers. I can't give an exact deadline to when he's going to sell the pearl, but we can assume it will be after the building closes. Either way, we don't have much time."
"We have a few hours to prepare, at most," Yusuke asserts.
After a few seconds of pause in the conversation, I give opportunity to raise concerns. "Team. Are we all for this mission?"
Haru speaks, though her gaze is directed down into the table as she contemplates the situation. "This isn't the Metaverse anymore, this will be breaking and entering in the real world."
"And it'll be dangerous, too," Ann adds, "If we get caught, our lives will be over..."
"How is it dangerous?" Ryuji asks earnestly, "Every time we went into the Metaverse, we could have literally died! If anything, breaking and entering should be a walk in the park! If we get caught or somethin' and get into legal trouble, Makoto's sister can help us out, right?"
"I'd thank you not to trivialize such a heavy situation," Makoto scowls, "Sis isn't just a free pass to get out of jail for breaking the law."
Ann looks at her with concern. "Makoto... you aren't comfortable with this, are you?"
"I'm training to be a police officer... of course I'm not ok with this. Breaking the law with the Metaverse was different. Back then we had the ability to make a difference with special abilities no one else had. And beyond that, we were just high school kids. But now, we're adults, and this... this would just be common burglary. There has to be some other way."
"What if... we try and intercept the buyer?" Haru proposes.
"You mean, get to them before they get to the curator?" Yusuke interprets.
Haru thinks it over. "Though, on second thought, we don't even have a clue who it may be... and exposing ourselves to a complete stranger could be an even bigger risk."
"I wish there were a better way," I admit, "But I really believe the direct approach is the best here. We need to get a hold of this situation, because it's quickly getting out of our control."
"Akira," Makoto addresses me, starting to sound frustrated, "Just stop and think about what it is we're planning to do. We're all going to end up in jail and we'll be criminals for the rest of our lives!"

---(Music End)---

Makoto holds he hand to her mouth to stifle her own speech, but she still seems upset. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put it so bluntly. But you of all people should know how awful it is to get on the bad side of the law."
Despite the overbearing nature of her comment, I cans still smile peacefully. "It's fine. That's why I'm the only one who will be doing this. I've got significantly less of a future to lose than the rest of you."
Makoto's face looks like it's right at the edge of wanting to turn pale. She's completely speechless.
"Ah geeze," Sojiro mumbles off behind the counter a short distance away. "Please don't tell me you're going to get arrested, kid..."
Ryuji leans forward and presses his hands against the table. "What?! You're going in alone?!"
"That much is obvious, Ryuji," Morgana replies, "There's no way we could sneak a group as large as ours into a museum. Even just one of us doing the infiltration will be dangerous."
Ryuji is desperately against this idea. "We can at least, I dunno, stake it out a little bit away from the museum, right? That way we can jump in help if something goes wrong?"
"We'll be nearby, that much is certain," Haru confirms, "But I doubt we will be able to do anything to help if something goes wrong. We'd all be spotted and implicated..."
Futaba closes her eyes and looks rather melancholy. "Moving as a team just isn't realistic. Akira is the best man for this job, to be honest," she explains, before addressing me specifically. "Are you ok with bearing the weight of all this on your shoulders alone?"
"I'm not alone, you all will be supporting me," I correct, "We just need a total agreement from the team that this is the course of action we want to take."
Morgana nods his head. "You already know my answer. Codename: Mona! Boy, I missed that name."
Ryuji looks back and forth among our group. "I'm not feeling so hot about you taking the whole blame if somethin' goes wrong. But I trust you, man! You can definitely pull something like this off. I'm totally down for this. Count me in, Skull is ready to rock!"
Haru nods her head and looks determined. "I'll do whatever I can to help out as well, Akira," she begins, but her sternness melts into chuckling, "It's charming, knowing that I'll be called Noir again."
"Count me in, too," Ann agrees, "That Hibiki guy is a crook, so I'd want to stick it to him either way. You can count on Panther of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!"
"My stake in this is rather personal, as well," Yusuke reminds us, "I'm all for it. My resolve is as strong as it was the day I took on the name Fox."
"You already know I'm game," Futaba speaks out with confidence, "And you know darn well that an infiltration like this is going to need a great navigator. Joker and Oracle... working together once again!"
All eyes turn to Makoto, who is deep in thought and looking rather anxious. I hate to see her like this...
She sighs and seems to steel herself. "I told you I'd support your decisions 100%, Akira. If this is the path we have to take then... just, promise to be careful," she speaks gravely, though her gaze trails off to the side aimlessly, and she's mumbling something, but I can't quite hear it.

---Music: Break it Down ---

"Mreow! And that means Queen agrees, too! That settles it!" Morgana announces, "The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are back for one last heist!"
"So the next step is coming up with a plan of attack," Yusuke asserts. "Morgana, these maps should be integral to the operation. Good work, and excellent craftsmanship on the drawings."
"Thanks!" our feline friend smiles, "I've accounted for nearly everything in the building. The only crucial detail missing is the keypad-locked door inside the office that the pearl is likely to be behind."
Ann holds her chin as she considers the situation. "Aren't we kind of leaving the most important part of this mission a little up to chance? What if we can't get in at all?"
Futaba seems to have a solution already. "I do have an old code-breaker device we could use. It's not the fastest or most stylish, since I built it back when I was a kid. But it should get the job done."
"That takes care of the final stretch, but how are we supposed to get Akira in to begin with?" Makoto asks, bringing up a good point.
"There's gotta be some back entrance we can use, right?" Ryuji suggests.
Futaba shakes her head. "Like I mentioned earlier, I overheard Mr. Wright talking to a security guard, and the guard said something about there being suspicious cars being parked around the building. Those are probably the buyers that Hibiki is making the sales to, and I'd bet money they probably park around back so as to not draw attention. Joker may be seen by one of the buyers if that's the case."
"So we have to find an even less conspicuous entrance than the back door, is that right?" Yusuke asks for clarity.
"I have an idea on that front," Morgana announces, "There's a side building near the outside of the food court area. It's nowhere near the atrium or the curator's office, so I doubt any late night guests would park around there."
"How secure is the building?" Ann asks, "Are we talking another keypad? Deadbolt lock?"
"We may not even need to get through any doors," Morgana smiles, "It's only one floor, and there are vents on the roof that Akira could potentially climb through."
"I don't think I can scale a building without a ladder or something to help me get some height," I admit.
Haru seems to be thinking of something. "Morgana, you said the room is near the food court? Is it perhaps related to food storage?"
Morgana nods. "That's exactly what it is. It's a freezer for storing the concessions and food stuff for the museum."
"I can help, then!" Haru speaks cheerily, "Okumura Foods already delivers to this museum regularly. I can make sure that tomorrow's shipment gets sent tonight around closing, and that way there will be a truck parked near there which Akira could maybe use. Is a truck easier to climb on top of than a building?"
"It should be," I nod.

---Music: Investigation ~ Core 2013 ---

"Now there's a plan!" Morgana celebrates, "You can sneak on top of the truck when no one is looking, and from that height you could probably leap the remaining distance to the roof!"
"I'll get in touch with my company's distribution center and get the schedule altered now," Haru nods, and she excuses herself from the table to make a phone call.
Ann looks carefully at the various maps and how they connect. "Next step would be a route through the interior..."
"Are there any staff-only stairwells to make it to the third floor discretely?" Ryuji suggests.
I shake my head. "It seems like the hallways are only on the ground floor. It's probably for delivery to the food court or bringing in new pieces from storage."
"So," Yusuke begins, "We need to take the path that gets us closest to one of the regular staircases."
Makoto points to one of the various paths. "This one leads to inside of a tour area, and the exit of the tour is right by the stairs."
Futaba sports a big grin. "And from there he can just keep taking more stairs and get to the top floor!"
Ann holds her chin. "So that will get Akira to another hub area with a bunch of branching paths to various exhibits. Ugh. Isn't there just a 'main' path that he could take? All of these exhibits in all directions... what a mess. Why does this place have to be so obtuse?"
"Well, I recall Madarame had a hand in the design," Morgana recalls.
Yusuke blinks to think about his old teacher. "Perhaps in his eyes the artistic value of certain displays and exhibits were so great that it justified ensuring that all visitors would have to pass through and see them."
"Or maybe the old geezer was just being a dick," Ryuji speaks with a very sure-of-himself nod.
Yusuke hesitates for a moment. "I... won't contest that statement."
  "So, which path would we go through?" Ann asks.
Morgana taps his paw against the next map paper. "This one. It goes through a wax museum which lets out right next to one of the entrances to the atrium."
Futaba nods her head. "And from there, you can just walk along the balcony to reach the other side of the room, and the curator's office."
"We're forgetting something important, guys," Ann alerts us, "What about the curator himself? If he plans to sell the pearl, he's going to be there, and he's going to be holding on to it."
"Do we know what time he's going to sell it at?" Ryuji asks.
"I believe it said midnight in his day planner," Futaba recalls, "So if we start early enough, we'll have a window of a few hours between the museum closing and the sale."
Yusuke considers the situation at hand. "From 9:00 pm to midnight, hmm. In an ideal world, the pearl will be left within the office as the curator does some other activity to bide his time elsewhere."
"But if he is still in his office? What then?" Makoto posits.
"He'll have to leave eventually," I suggest, "He'll probably go to the bathroom at some point. Or, if not, I could always make a noise outside of his office to draw him out to investigate."
"And what about security guards?" Makoto continues.
"They shouldn't be hard to avoid," I assert, "We have to remember that the curator is secretive about these midnight sales, so he may send some or all of the staff home. I don't anticipate heavy security."

---(Music End)---

Makoto seems focused on what I just said, and my voice lingers in the air for a moment before she replies. "Akira... You're being way too lax about this. This situation is extremely serious!"
"And I acknowledge the severity," I agree, "But I'm not worried. We have a few hours to plan before we move, and the old Phantom Thief in me is rearing and ready to go. I'm just confident that we can pull this off."
"Ok, I'm sorry about the wait, everyone," Haru announces as she returns to the table. "Okumura Foods is going to be making their delivery a day early, and they'll be around nine at night, after the museum has closed."
Makoto closes her eyes and speaks with a tone of reluctance. "Well, we have to get planning then. We know you'll need gear to pull this off. What are we going to equip you with?"
"Our communication network is already set up fine, we've been using it all day," Yusuke reminds us.
"We'll need night vision tech," Ann tells us, "The lights will all be off, after all."
"And a camera, so we can see what you see, Akira," Futaba also proposes.
"Let's combine the two," I pitch, "If we can get our hands on some night goggles, could you modify them to have camera capabilities?"
"We could fasten my wireless webcam to the goggles. I'll do some tweaking with repeaters and amplify the signal so it can broadcast to us. I just... need some goggles, first."

---Music: Layer Cake ---

"I actually know exactly where to go to get a pair," I smirk, "In fact, this even gives me an idea. I can call in a few favors from an old friend, and we can use this to our advantage."
"Oh boy, I love it when you come up with plans!" Morgana cackles before walking up to me and sitting down. "Well, let's hear it!"
The rest of the team lean their heads as well, getting closer to me with high hopes and expectations of what I'm about to say. "Well, there's a hobby shop in Shibuya that you all may remember..."
Alright, now it's just time to iron out the finer details. By the end of tonight, we'll have the pearl, and we'll succeed without a hitch.

  To be continued...

  ---(Music End)---

  ---Music: Victory ---

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