Bab 46: The Final Seed of Gluttony.
Ren followed Kaneshiro through the palace's almost labyrinthine lower levels. With a wide smile on his face, Ren continued to listen as Kaneshiro spoke about how he became successful. However, he changed the story so that he became the boss all by himself. Nodding with admiration, Ren continued to fuel the fire of pride in Kaneshiro's heart.
The security on the last floor was extremely intricate. A maze-like room that resembled a lock, with gigantic walls that went from floor to ceiling, the only way through being a password-locked control panel that separated each of the layers. The walls were a solid, thick metal, that would be almost impossible to break through.
Even though Ren looked down on Kaneshiro for who he was, he was actually glad he had been able to befriend him. As he looked around at the last layer, it would have taken them multiple days in order to get past all of the security, and that was with the chance of getting caught. If any alarms had been raised, they would have been instantly surrounded, and they would have had to run away.
It was a shame that even the last floor of an almost impenetrable fortress would fall to one of the simplest weapons: flattery.
It took some convincing, but after some time, Kaneshiro led him directly towards the treasure room. Hidden in the middle of the maze stood a single secure elevator that led them down to the vault that hid Kaneshiro's treasure.
A white light floated in the middle of the room without a clear shape. From what Mona had told him, the treasure would only manifest once the owner became aware that it was in danger.
The only reason Kamoshida's treasure was already manifested was because he almost had his world crumble around him. The threat of his status as a king being revoked was enough for him to see the treasure as if it were in danger.
"Boss, this is simply amazing!" Ren exclaimed, his eyes gleaming, only to become dejected a few moments later. "It's quite a shame that I won't be able to see it much, though. I truly wish I could work next to you, boss."
Kaneshiro looked at Ren's sad expression before thinking for a moment.
"You know… If you bring me the Nijima sisters…" Kaneshiro proposed, a smug grin unfurling across his lips "I will make sure you become my new right-hand man." Kaneshiro offered with a prideful smile.
"Really? Boss, you're incredible!" Ren responded, enthusiasm renewed. "But that's going to take me some time… Is there any chance you could give me access to this room? Just looking at your treasure fills me with inspiration..."
— — —
Emerging from the vault's elevator with a stoic expression, Ren navigated through the ranks of guards, who parted ways with respectful salutes. Without so much as a glance, he made his way to one of the safe rooms previously claimed by the Thieves. Shortly after, the rest of the Phantom Thieves slipped into the room, their steps muted.
"Well… That was something," Ren remarked, lifting a security access key into view. "Kaneshiro could probably give up his day job for motivational speaking. Considering how much he enjoys speaking about his rise from rags to riches, all thanks to 'his own sheer determination.'" he said, the fatigue evident in his voice.
After expressing how inspired he felt by the treasure, Kaneshiro saw it as an opportunity to 'inspire' Ren further. Initially, Ren was merely annoyed at having to pretend to admire him, but Kaneshiro's relentless yapping nearly pushed him to his limit. Getting the access card was the only thing that made it worth it.
Ann, catching onto Ren's evident frustration, let out a laugh and quickly joined his side, ruffling his hair playfully as she leaned on him.
"What would we do without our leader?" She teased, aiming to brighten Ren's mood. "He's so charming he almost made the shadow of a criminal boss fall head over heels for him." she added, prompting a round of laughter from the group.
A smile broke through Ren's restrained demeanor as he rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.
"But seriously, I doubt we could have done the same." Ann continued, her tone shifting to one of genuine admiration.
Mona, on the other hand, was curious as he looked at the access card. After grabbing it and examining it closely, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Woah, this is the key to the entire palace…" he realized aloud, the significance of their gain dawning on him and the rest of the group.
Gathered in the safe room, the Phantom Thieves attentively listened as Ren shared his insights into the bank's bottom floor. The last thing they needed before they could head home was the final will seed. Ren had a feeling that the last seed was hidden somewhere in the maze that was the last floor, yet because Kaneshiro was next to him, he hadn't been able to explore it freely before.
Thanks to his new security clearance, Ren was able to command even the guards this close to the treasure. After a few strategic repositionings, the Thieves were able to pass onto the final floor, arriving at a room that resembled a lock mechanism.
Makoto, with her keen mind, eventually was able to decipher the location of the seed. After a brief trial and error test, the group eventually stumbled upon the final door, which was covered in bills. Beyond it laid an emerald will seed that glowed brightly. With it being so close to the treasure, this seed would be the strongest source of distortion.
The moment the Phantom Thieves' collective touch graced the emerald will seed, reality unraveled, whisking them into the ethereal plane of Kaneshiro's memories.
There, in the solitude of his lavish club, Kaneshiro sat, an embodiment of wealth and dissatisfaction. Before him lay a briefcase, its contents spilled slightly open to reveal a fortune in yen, a sum most could only dream of. Yet, the expression that marred his face spoke of a deeper, unfulfilled longing.
"This isn't enough…" The words fell from Kaneshiro's lips, a whisper in the wealth that surrounded him.
His fingers toyed with a stack of bills, a physical manifestation of his endless greed and perpetual discontent.
"But this will do for now," he conceded, standing to leave. The money was clutched tightly in his grasp as if fearing it might slip away.
The visions that followed were a dizzying carousel of extravagance and recklessness, Kaneshiro at the center of it all. Each scene bled into the next, painting a picture of a man for whom wealth was both an anchor and a chain. His life was a series of purchases, a desperate attempt to fill the void that luxury could not.
And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the whirlwind of memories came to a halt, depositing the group back in the club, the atmosphere heavy with the scent of luxury and regret. The well-dressed man that bossed Kaneshiro around reappeared, sitting casually as he drank from one of the wine bottles.
"Election season is coming up," he remarked, setting the bottle aside with a sense of finality. "You know what that means."
Kaneshiro, his expression hardened with determination, responded.
"I need to gather more money."
"Campaigning isn't cheap," the man replied, his laughter resonating with an underlying ruthlessness.
He rose, his departure marked by a grandiose vision of the future.
"It's all been leading to this. Once he is in power, everything will fall into place. You'll get all of Shibuya to play with, and we will take over the rest of Japan. Enjoy it, piggy," he said, his chuckle lingering as he left an envelope on the table and exited.
Left alone, Kaneshiro's facade crumbled. Seized by a surge of rage, he hurled the wine bottle against a wall, shattering into pieces and marring the once pristine carpets with wine stains.
"I'm not a fucking pig! I'm the fucking boss!" he bellowed, his outburst giving way to a spree of destruction within the opulent setting.
After some time, Kaneshiro collected himself. Looking at the mess he had made before beginning to walk away.
"Soon... just a bit more, and it will all be mine. Soon, they'll have to show me some respect. The fucking rats around me will have to look up to me for once." he muttered, a blend of ambition and desperation coloring his words as he exited the scene.
The memory faded, leaving the phantom thieves back in the room with the seed. The will seeds they had collected began to resonate with each other, their energies converging in a spectacle of light and motion. The seeds, each a fragment of Kaneshiro's distorted desires, fused together to form a single crystalline skull, now compact enough to rest comfortably in the palm of a hand.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone