Being in one of Madarame's exhibitions was always a performance. A performance of ignorance, or putting a pleasant demeanor on the entire time as patrons made their usual remarks about the vast variety of artistic styles, or attempting to ignore the complaints of the guests who are obviously only there because someone else had dragged them there and lacked the eye to marvel at even the best works in the exhibition beyond a glance. It's something that Yusuke had gotten used to over the years. He had to learn to put on that mask faster than most of the other younger pupils, since he was always so tall that everyone had assumed he was at least two years older than he really was. An old couple even complimented him on his bold decision to be Madarame's apprentice instead of studying in college, when he still had a couple years of high school left. He takes being seen as older as more positive than anything else, reinforcement that he was behaving correctly in the exhibition.
The younger visitors always stand out more in these settings (something which Yusuke personally did not understand) so it was only natural that a young man around his age struck his eye. Brown hair that shined with almost unnatural health, a trenchcoat that looked a tad bit too large for his figure which contrasted with well-fitted pants that hint at an athletic build. He walked closer to the painting that this young man was examining, the mere fact that the other seemed to actually be taking the art in unlike many of the visitors who seem to make a promenade around the exhibit made this person a subject of interest already. He didn't wear bright colors like most older, cultured visitors tended to do. As Yusuke came closer, the other turned around. The young man's eyes widened a little and he took a step back, as if the painting was Yusuke's actual target.
"Ah, you must be Madarame's pupil. Yusuke Kitagawa, correct?" the young man said with a very soft-toned voice, almost too pleasant in timbre, "I was hoping I might encounter you here, but these paintings ended up stealing my attention."
Yusuke couldn't help but to be a little taken aback, "You were looking… for me?" That was uncommon, to say the least.
"Yes, my curiosity was piqued when I heard that Madarame would house a select number of pupils in his home, and that one in particular might as well had been born and raised there." The other smiled, "Ah, where are my manners? I should at least introduce myself, my name is Goro Akechi."
Goro Akechi. Akechi, Akechi. Yusuke had the feeling that he had heard that name somewhere, probably through the conversations of other students while he was painting in the studio. The others tended to chat while working on their pieces, but Yusuke was absolutely silent aside from the occasional hum or sigh of disappointment. But when he tried to think of the context, he drew a blank.
"Nice to meet you, Akechi. It's a pleasant surprise to see someone who wishes to see me at my teacher's exhibition."
"Ah, there's already so much about Madarame's works and his life available online," Akechi shrugged it off, "But I was interested in learning what kind of life a pupil of a famous artist must live. You must dedicate most of your hours on art considering you are living in Madarame's place for that explicit reason."
"Yes, you could easily sum up my daily life with that, though I would not want anything else."
"Really now? Does Madarame leave you to your own devices for the most part? I presume he checks on you and your progress at least somewhat frequently."
"Indeed, he always makes sure that I have a… decent rate of output." Yusuke should not have answered Akechi that way, for he saw a glimmer in the other's eyes after the slightest of hesitation and it was clear that curiosity was not the only thing that had driven Akechi here. He was about to elaborate, to fix the mistake, but-
"So Madarame cares for quantity, does he? Despite that consideration, I'm afraid I haven't seen anything about your works being on display, or any of the other pupils to be precise," Akechi feigned a slightly confused look, "One would think that Madarame would want to showcase his pupils' works to help expose them to the art world, not to mention prove the merit of his mentorship."
"There's still much that we all have to learn." Yusuke tried to hold back a frown. It didn't work.
"We? I've heard that quite a few pupils had fallen out recently. In fact, I'm not sure if I've heard to any others who are currently under Madarame's tutelage."
"...Committing every moment of the day to art can be difficult. Even I have had my fair share of struggles at times, but it was all for the sake of improving our abilities, I assure you." Yusuke hoped that the other would drop his point quickly, but something in him knew that there was no way that would end this easily.
"Oh I never made a claim otherwise." Akechi grinned. It was the grin of the upper hand, "But it would make sense for an artist who takes his work so seriously like Madarame would be equally serious when it comes to making sure his pupils can create presentable work. Such seriousness can easily become stressful for others."
"Are you trying to insinuate something?" Yusuke's eye twitched.
"Why of course not," Akechi's voice had stayed in that same soft tone the entire time, which was becoming more unnerving than anything, "I can only guess why you would think I had such intentions, however." Yusuke noticed the other's eyes glance at something behind him for a moment. Akechi smiled, "You don't look too inclined to share though. That's fine, I know when it's best not to pry anymore. It was nice meeting you, Kitagawa."
The way Akechi promptly left was suspicious, but Yusuke couldn't say he wasn't happy that the nosy young man quickly took his leave before he really started getting infuriating rather than just irritating.
"Was that a classmate of yours?" Yusuke turned around at the familiar voice.
"No, sensei, just another visitor that happened to be curious." An understatement, to say the least.
"...Ah I see. It's always good to see more youth around fine art. It's a sign that there are some in that generation that have some culture." Yusuke nodded, but it came off feeling rather stiff. Despite being able to put on a decent face in these public events, Yusuke could never quite get used to the way that Madarame talked here compared to how he tended to behave back in the atelier, especially in the mornings when he would often check up on Yusuke's work.
"Look, one of my most recent patrons has arrived," Madarame gestured to an older lady decked almost entirely in a forest green, sans teal flats that clashed with the otherwise passable outfit, "Come Yusuke, it's only polite to introduce yourself to her."
"Of course, Sensei."
The final day of the exhibition had passed and Yusuke finally felt like he could focus his energy back onto his art. Madarame took no time in reminding him that the elder was expecting good work from him, as per usual. The fact that there were no other pupils anymore made the quota rise, however, which added the pressure of working faster while maintaining quality. Yusuke tried to take it as a personal challenge, but the frequency of all-nighters were only increasing and he could barely focus on schoolwork now. Not that his academic scores really mattered, his performance in art was the only thing required to keep his scholarship, and he had no concern over that. His teachers were quite used to his fluctuating scores anyway, aware that school was essentially something on the side for Yusuke, unlike most other Japanese students.
He had just finished his glass of water and sat down, intent on at least painting the background before Madarame returned, when he heard the bell ring. He froze for a moment. Did Madarame forget his keys again? Still, it didn't make sense for him to return so soon already, there was supposed to be an interview today and it had barely been twenty minutes.
The bell rang again. No, it had to be someone else, Madarame never rings a second time so quickly, and often resorts to knocking instead since the doorbell tended to have issues at unexpected moments. But who could it be? He certainly did not expect anyone, and Madarame never mentioned a new pupil or anything of that sort.
A third ring. Yusuke supposed that was his cue. He briskly went downstairs and opened the door before a possible fourth ring, only to be disappointed by what he saw.
"What brings you here?" Yusuke kept the door barely open, enough to keep most of his face visible.
"What a pleasure to meet you again so soon," Akechi smiled. It was the smile of a celebrity, "Though I'm afraid we won't be able to have a nice chat this time. A shame, I would have liked to get to know you better."
"What do you mean?" Yusuke's eyebrows furrowed with suspicion.
"I mean this," Akechi timed himself perfectly so that the warrant notice was produced right on time with the last word. It seemed that he was practiced at this, "The police had gotten evidence of possible abuse. Naturally, I've come here to investigate."
Yusuke's grip on the door tightened. He's here to investigate? Nonsense, there's no way a high school student would be doing anything like this. But to think that Akechi would produce a fake warrant notice, "Ridiculous. If this is an excuse to talk to either Sensei or me, I'm afraid that Sensei's out at the moment and I have an urgent deadline."
Right as the door was about to close, Akechi pulled out his phone, where a video was ready to play, "Look, this footage was given to the police department just the other day." he said and pressed the play button. Yusuke's eyes widened, this was actual footage from inside the atelier, he could tell. One of the former pupils, it must've been Ayami Tanaka, he could tell from the medium length hair and the butterfly pin she always had, was on the floor, learning on the door and sobbing quietly.
" Please let me out… Sensei, please. It's been three days already..." There was a small puddle under her and the hands that clawed at the door were completely dirtied with charcoal and her arms were bruised.
Akechi stopped the video there and put his phone back in his pocket.
"Sorry, but I'll have to stop there. That's not the end of the video, but I would feel bad showing all of this to one of her former classmates without her permission. If you still don't believe me, I can produce a bit more evidence, though I believe you'd be aware of what that would consist of."
Yusuke couldn't believe what he saw. Not so much the actual content of the video (Ayami was a legitimate contender for who had the roughest time during their stay here) but rather how Akechi had gotten footage or any other sort of evidence in the first place. He had heard that there were some rumors spreading about, but from his knowledge, all of them were baseless in that they came from anonymous posts with no hard evidence. But Madarame did have some security cameras around and inside the house, in case of any burglars or particularly bad paparazzi. Had one of them been able to get footage from the cameras without Madarame knowing?
"... So you're actually part of the police?"
Akechi blinked, the first reaction that actually appeared genuine and out of surprise. Akechi then started to laugh, though it was obvious that he was trying to restrain it to an acceptable manner, "I haven't met someone who didn't know who I am for quite a while now. It's quite a pleasant surprise, actually." Yusuke was only more confused, was he supposed to know who Akechi was? He had never paid any mind to celebrities or politics, or most of what comes out the news, actually. Not watching television doesn't help.
"I'm a detective," Akechi continued, "And it is my duty to investigate the situation if anything so unjust seems to have occurred. So I would appreciate it if you'd let me in. There are consequences to not abiding by the search warrant, I hope you are aware."
Yusuke hesitated, but opened the door, not looking at the detective as he waltzed right in.
From the way that Akechi behaved as he made his way around the estate, Yusuke figured that he seemed to act like an actual detective. He wasn't sure what kind of evidence would be found in a search warrant when it came to something like neglect and abuse, but he kept his guard up regardless, desperately hoping that the other wouldn't find anything and make his way out before Madarame returned to complicate matters. He already knew in the back of his mind that his teacher would be upset at him by the time he returns, because there is no way he'll be able to make any decent progress at this point.
Yusuke grew anxious as they went down the upstairs hallway, right towards Madarame's private room. He had no idea what existed inside that locked room, which only made him dread what Akechi might find inside, but considering the situation Yusuke was in right now, he had no real way of stopping the detective from doing his work.
"Hm, seems like this is the only locked door in this place." Akechi's voice rang amused. Yusuke felt his stomach tighten.
"...It's only natural that Sensei would want some possessions under lock and key."
"That goes for everyone, yet he's the only one with the privilege to do so, it seems."
"I don't believe there's a way to get in, I've never even seen the key before," Yusuke tried to think of ways to delay the detective. Madarame would be furious if he caught wind that someone was even near the room, law enforcement or no, "Besides, it's for the more highly-valued artworks. Even if this atelier isn't the most secure, some pieces need to be protected."
"I'm sorry but I'm obligated to look at anything I can to get to the truth of the matter. Have you ever gotten a look at what was inside anyway?" Yusuke didn't respond. He felt like a fool just standing there, feeling his stomach tighten, watching from a short distance as Akechi examined the lock and then took out a lockpick.
"Wh-What do you think you're doing? You can't just lockpick the door!"
"Immoral, I know. But you don't seem to have the key, so I'm left with no choice." As much as he made it sound like he felt obligated to do this, there was an air of artificiality to the way he was speaking.
"You don't sound-... There's really no need to examine these artworks, how could a painting possibly be linked to these ridiculous claims?"
Akechi actually stopped lockpicking for a moment to stare at Yusuke, "Even with actual video footage of neglect where one of your colleagues had no choice but to wet herself, you're in complete denial?"
"I-" Yusuke felt like his words were going to fumble no matter what he does, "I find it impossible that these claims could be connected to an art storage room."
"...Is that so." Akechi messed with the lock some more and finally got it to give in. He turned the doorknob and paused, "There's no need to hide what you're going through, you know."
The sudden considerateness took Yusuke aback, "Excuse me?"
"Usually this would be considered too personal for me to want to intrude but you're doing this because unlike all of the past pupils of Madarame, you literally have nowhere to turn to. You are Madarame's adoptive son, correct?" Yusuke looked downwards in silence.
Akechi continued to talk, not looking at the other boy but at the paint on the door instead, "As a detective… No, as a human being, I think it would be best to admit your caretaker's faults regardless of how much you think you "owe" him. Abuse is always inexcusable, after all." Was that a genuine moment of tenderness or some means of psychologically attempting to coax Yusuke into saying something? There was no way to tell.
He opened the door and reached for the light switch.
In a sense, Yusuke was not wrong. The room only seemed to be filled with row after row of paintings. What made him stop functioning entirely wasn't the presence of artwork, but the subjects of them. Or perhaps, just "subject" would be a more appropriate word, as every single painting appeared to be a mimicry of Sayuri.
"Oh my." Even Akechi had to pause for a moment.
"What… What is this?" Yusuke knew exactly what this was and what this implied, but his thoughts felt like they were simultaneously blocked and diffusing all over the place, bouncing to all different angles.
"Well this certainly doesn't add to the abuse case, but I fear we've seen something also condemnable." Akechi did not waste any more time to start walking around the room, examining and validating that yes, every single painting here appeared to be a fake, "I had heard rumors about this, but did not have any evidence, and I honestly did not expect finding something like this. Certainly changes my plans for the rest of the day." He took out a camera and started taking pictures of the entire scene, including close-ups on some of the fakes.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"I think you know just as much as I do, if not better." Akechi walked down to the corner where there was a conspicuously covered canvas, "I think uncovering this might help us see what exactly is going on."
Another Sayuri.
No, not "another" one, it was the Sayuri. The original that was said to have been stolen all these years ago. What could it possibly be doing here?
Yusuke must've missed the sound of the front door opening, but his ears still picked up on the squeaking of the old wooden stairs. He's here. He's here and they aren't near the door, the door is wide open and they're inside, seeing everything that had been hidden for so many years. He didn't want to look back, to see what Madarame's expression would be once he inevitably comes up here.
"Yusuke! What on earth are you doing in ther-" He heard the old man pause, "... Who is that and what is he doing here, let alone inside the house?"
Akechi looked completely unfazed and took out a badge, "Goro Akechi, sir, I suppose you know that I'm a detective." He then took his badge back in his pocket and produced the sheet of paper again, "I'm here under a search warrant about an abuse case. And yes, I have enough evidence to make this action legitimately. It seems like we've found ourselves a different issue here, though."
"Sensei… Why have you been making all of these replicas of 'Sayuri'?" Yusuke's words felt heavy in his mouth but there was no turning back now, was there, "Especially when you had the original with you?"
"Yusuke, it's not what you think!" Madarame quickly rose to the defensive, "I… I've been afraid to admit it to you but I've actually been dealing with some… financial struggles recently. It's lowly of me, but I've been making replicas of 'Sayuri' to help keep up afloat."
"That's quite bold of you to say, considering that you have an exclusive exhibition on your works in one of Japan's greatest art museums." Akechi stepped closer to the old man, "Then again, it's not exclusively your work, now is it? Perhaps if you shared your profits with all the pupils you plagiarized from, that would lead you to a lack of funds."
Yusuke stared wide-eyed at the detective, who chuckled in response, "Why are you looking at me so surprised like that? Don't take me for a fool, I am a professional detective after all."
"It wasn't plagiarism, I was only helping with suggestions as Sensei is in a bit of a creative block at the moment."
"I may not be an expert in fine art, but I find it quite hard to believe that verbal suggestions can give an artist such a wide variety of styles during a supposed "creative block." And that said "creative block" did not prevent his recent works from suffering in quality. But that's beside the point."
Akechi walked to where Yusuke was and let a gloved hand rest on the artist's shoulder. The stare from those terra-cotta eyes made Yusuke shiver a little, "I know that your instinct might be telling you to defend this man, but you should ask yourself if it's really worth it. Would it really hold up to your sense of justice?"
Before Yusuke could even begin to string together a response, Madarame intervenes, "Sense of justice? What rubbish. All you have been doing right now is making false accusations and trying to get my own pupil to turn against me! I don't care if you're a detective, if you don't drop these baseless claims right now I'm going to have to phone in security."
Akechi's hand dropped from Yusuke's shoulder in order to look at Madarame properly, "I think this room is evidence enough of art fraud. I also have evidence of your atrocious abuse of Ayami Tanaka, who is currently in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt not long after becoming homeless. I doubt it will take me much to find something concrete that points to plagiarism and the like."
"Not just fraud, but abuse and plagiarism too?" Madarame's voice became more enraged, "Yusuke! You let this boy just waltz around the house looking for something to throw me in jail for? Do you really hate your mentor and caretaker that much?"
His gut wanted to react immediately, to appease Madarame and deny any such ill intent. Yet he had no words to say. All of the attention was on him right now: Madarame's glare of anger, betrayal, and expectation blended into a thick, toxic mixture; Akechi's calmer, almost pleasant stare, which made it seem like he already knew exactly how this was going to end and was just waiting for the pieces to move.
"Yusuke!" For a moment, Yusuke could've sworn that Madarame looked different at the moment of the shout, yellow-eyed with white face paint.
You know the truth, don't you? The thought went through his mind, Or are you not willing to admit it unless Madarame confesses it himself? You're no fool, look at him.
He did, and the yellow eyes and white face paint were back. Not only that, but Madarame's entire appearance changed from his normal, humble attire to one of extreme gaudiness, with golden robes that reeked of corruption.
"I don't think you'll be able to rely on him to deny your crimes anymore." Akechi smiled.
"Sensei, has all of this really been-"
Have you finally come to your senses?
It had finally come to Yusuke's senses that this was not necessarily his own thoughts. There was the sense that this was coming from somewhere above.
At that moment of realization, a sharp pain ran right through him. Where? Everywhere? Mostly the head but that didn't make the rest of his body feel any better. He gripped his head but the pain (and now nausea) only built up and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor.
Out of the background noise that was the clamor that came from Madarame and Akechi, the voice resonated in his head again.
How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth...A deplorable imitation indeed...Best you part from that aspect of yourself! He was on his knees? His hands were on the floor now too, clawing into the ground to the point that blood started to smear on the wood. The breaking of the skin helped clear Yusuke's head momentarily, and he turned his head up. Madarame seemed to be backing up to the opposite side of the room, while Akechi was cornering the old man down, saying something and glancing down at Yusuke with a smirk. Yusuke wanted to shoot that cocky expression down, but another wave of pain tore that thought down and he screamed, shutting his eyes.
Let us now forge a contract. Contract? He wanted to shout, demand an explanation of what in the world was going on but he was afraid that the next time he opened his mouth, it wouldn't be a wordless scream, but vomit.
I am thou, thou art I... Yusuke tried to breathe, but he felt like the vomit might come out at any moment now and a fuzzy feeling started to manifest from the jawbone up.
The world is filled with both beauty and vice… Blotches of dark blue were invading his sight, slowly taking over the visage of Madarame pulling something out. Gold? A Phone? The blotches were darkening to a black now and he could barely feel his last breath as he felt consciousness slip away.
It is time you teach people which is which!
