Chapter Twenty-Four
The Crimes of Madarame
Wednesday May 18th
Ryuji: I found out something insane about Madarame.
Ryuji: Sounds like a student of his offed himself when he couldn't speak up about Madarame stealing his work.
Chiyo: Shit.
Chiyo: One of the plaque's in his Place listed their age at death…
Ann: That's crossing a line…
Ann: That journalist was looking into Madarame too.
Ann: It could be real.
Ryuji: Someone died though.
Ryuji: And no one's talking about it… I bet it was covered up.
Ann: I wonder if Kitagawa-kun has heard anything…
Ann: It'd be a great if he could help us out.
Ryuji: Ain't that asking a bit much?
Ryuji: After today, he's prolly gonna be on edge about us.
Chiyo: 'Us' being myself and Ryuji, of course.
Ryuji: Well anyway, Madarame's still a piece of crap!
Ryuji: Let's meet up tomorrow. It'll be our first time at the new hideout.
Chiyo: Officially anyway.
Ann: Got it. See you guys then.
Mishima: Kusakabe-san?
Chiyo: Hm?
Mishima: I got a hold of Nakanohara.
Mishima: He said he'll wait for you at Shibuya station after school.
Chiyo waited by one of the escalators while Ryuji and Ann pretended to get something from a nearby vending machine. They'd met up at the walkway as agreed, then took their positions in Shibuya station. It was agreed that it might be less intimidating and eyebrow-raising if only Chiyo spoke with Nakanohara.
As she wanted, Chiyo leaned casually against one of the pillars, reading more from 'The Gentleman Thief.' The first story ended with d'Andrèzy revealed to be Arsene Lupin and with his subsequent arrest. The second story detailed Lupin's heists from La Santé Prison.
"Excuse me? Chiyo Kusakabe?"
She looked up to see a middle-aged man wearing a set of wire-frame glasses with his hair done in a black bowl cut. "Nakanohara-san?"
"You're so young… I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting a high schooler to have a direct line to the Phantom Thieves." He shook his head. "Let me start over, I'm Natsuhiko Nakanohara. I was posted about on the Phantom Aficionado Website a little while ago. The administrator of that website contacted me, they told me to look for a girl who tied her hair back with a scarf."
Chiyo snapped her book closed and placed it back in her bag. "What can I do for you, Nakanohara-san?"
"You may have already heard, but there's someone I wish to trigger a change of heart in. An artist by the name of Ichiryusai Madarame."
"That's an odd request," Chiyo said innocently. Just play the part of an innocent schoolgirl, get as much information out of him as she could. "Madarame's such a renowned artist. You wouldn't happen to know something, would you?"
"I'm…" Nakanohara released a heavy sigh, as though something was weighing on him. "I'm one of Madarame's former pupils. After high school, he gave me lodging at his home, where I thought only about art. I genuinely wanted to be an artist. There was another pupil as well. A very talented young man, several years my seniors, Kenichi Amari."
Her heart skipped a beat. Kenichi Amari, Chiyo recognized that name from Madarame's Palance. His plaque said that he died. She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she remembered Ryuji's text from earlier. Suddenly, Chiyo had a decent idea of where Nakanohara's story was about to go.
"Obviously, Madarame kept tabs on him. Everything he made was claimed as a Madarame original. Amari wasn't the only victim thought…" Nakanohara took in a shaky breath. His gaze kept going from one area of the station to the next, unable to pick a spot. "In response to Madarame's actions… Amari committed suicide."
Kenichi Amari, died age twenty-five.
"He must have been unable to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name," continued Nakanohara. "That was when I disobeyed Madarame's orders and left. But he quickly pressured other parts of the art world, and my life as a painter was destroyed. I tried to turn over a new leaf working at a ward office… but it was no use. My attachment to art warped my emotions. Soon I began getting attached to everything. In the end, I even turned into a stalker…" He started to chuckle mirthlessly, as a ran a hand down his face. His eyes contracting all the while. Chiyo certainly hoped Nakanohara was getting professional help after that visit to Mementos.
"Madarame certainly sounds like someone the Phantom Thieves would take interest in." It took Chiyo everything she had not to look over her shoulder and see if Ann and Ryuji were watching. "Is there anything else they should know?"
"If they're going to do it, can they do it soon? Right now Madarame's sole pupil is a young man around your age."
'Kitagawa-kun…'
"Not only is he a talented artist, but he also owes Madarame for taking him in after his mother passed away." Sighing, Nakanohara squeezed his eyes shut as he ran a hand through his hair. "I actually spoke to him a few times, back when I was still living at Madarame's. I asked him if he found it painful to stay with Madarame… and do you know what he said?"
Dumbly, Chiyo shook her head.
"'If I could leave, I would.' I have no right to say this given my prior cowardice, but I don't want him to follow in Rin's footsteps. He has a bright future ahead of him. Please consider that when thinking about changing Madarame's heart."
Ryuji gave Chiyo a carbonated drink from the vending machine as she surmised everything Nakanohara told her. About Hatsuru Rin's suicide. How Nakanohara's time with Madarame clearly messed him up. And about how he appeared legitimately concerned for Kitagawa. "So are we fully on board with this?" asked Morgana. "It sounds like we don't have the time to deliberate whether or not to change Madarame's heart."
"I say we do it," Chiyo said bluntly. "Someone died because of him, and Nakanohara sounded legitimately concerned that there could be another if we don't act."
"Hell yeah, we do this!" declared Ryuji. "Madarame's just a piece of shit who preys on the weak!"
"Suicide," Ann muttered disdainfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll never let something like that happen! Plus, we finally got to hear how Kitagawa-kun really feels, so I'm in."
"Well, since we've reached a unanimous decision, so I say we head to the Palace and get started," suggested Morgana.
They headed straight for the bench across the street from Madarame's artier. "So, what's Madarame's Treasure going to be like?" Ann asked on the way over. "Another crown?"
"I'd doubt that," replied Morgana. Chiyo kept her hands on the front straps of the bag to keep it, therefore Morgana, from swinging too much. "But my sixth sense will know it when I see it."
"Oh yeah, you go completely nuts, huh?" Ryuji mused, with his hands folded behind his head. "Not really in a hurry to see that again."
"We have to finish this job before the exhibit ends, right?" asked Chiyo. "So that's… When exactly?"
Ann responded, "June 5th."
"We'll carry out the plan after we've sent out the calling card," Morgana reminded them. "So, our infiltration route will need to be set in stone two days prior, on June 2nd."
After they reached their destination, Ryuji booted up the Meta-Nav. Chiyo noticed how she didn't feel so dizzy upon entering the Metaverse anymore. She wondered if it was because they were getting used to it, or if it simply wasn't an issue once an individual uses their Persona more and more.
After the artier was replaced by the golden museum the quartet took off with the intent of retracing their steps. But Joker stopped in place after three steps. She felt as though someone was watching her.
Slowly, she turned around to find Henry standing in front of a blue cell door with his clipboard in hand. Another access point. Joker looked over her shoulder to find the other three on the wall. Skull was helping Panther climb down, and Joker was fairly certain Mona was criticizing Skull's method.
"You're here, too?" Joker asked easing into a conversation.
"My master is simply making things easy for you when you're in the Metaverse like this," Henry said matter of factly. "You better be grateful he's so generous, Maggot."
Exhaling through her nose, Joker opened the door and walked through. She blinked as she walked, and when she opened her eyes, Chiyo was back in her prison garb, in the Velvet Room cell. She had Henry fuse Incubus and Berith to create Hua Po. Then fused it with Saki Mitama to make Kusi Mitama. She finished off the session by fusing Mandrake with Caith Sith for Koropokguru. Afterward, Henry informed Chiyo of the compendium, allowing Chiyo to buy back the Persona she previously sacrificed in fusions.
It begged the question of what Igor and Henry were doing with that money, but Chiyo supposed would help prevent the Phantom Thieves from utterly breaking the economy with the money they were bringing back from the Metaverse.
"It seems you've gotten used to coming here," Igor said as Henry unfanned the tarot cards representing Chiyo's Persona. "You must surely be accustomed to infiltrating Palaces by now."
"I think so."
"You think so?" huffed Henry. "Get with the program, Maggot! Don't you want to avoid ruination?"
"Of course, but-"
Igor cut them off. "Regardless, you have yet to obtain a truly acceptable number of Personas. This is not the full potential of the power of the Wild Card." He paused for a moment and hummed. "I suppose this is a prime opportunity to help further your rehabilitation along. Don't worry… This assignment is not mandatory. Think of it almost as a test of strength."
"An assignment?" asked Chiyo.
"You are simply to bring back the Persona we specify," explained Henry. "Even a Maggot like you should be able to manage it. For your first assignment, you are to bring back a Jack Frost." He quickly flipped through his clipboard. "A Jack Frost with Mabufu. Got that Maggot?!"
"I think so…"
"This will not be mandatory for your rehabilitation," Igor clarified, "but you will be handsomely rewarded for it."
She left the Velvet Room, feeling the new batch of Persona within her, and feeling the absence of the ones she sacrificed.
"Hey! Joker!" Mona hopped from the wall to the box of the truck. "What're you doing standing around for? Get with the program, all right? You're a vital member of the team here!"
"Yeah. Sorry, I'm coming."
"No mourners!"
"No funerals," the other echoed back.
They retraced their steps from the other day, go through the garden, up to the roof, and down the skylight. In the Exhibition Room, they came across their first problem. Infrared lasers had been set up since they were lat in. And one was currently kept in them in. "That wasn't here last time we came in!" moan Skull.
"The rumors might slowly be making Madarame become warier of us," reasoned Mona. "We'll have to find another way out."
"Maybe not," murmured Joker. Her Third Eye made the lasers look bolder to her. A tad more solid than just light. And she could see two streams of light coming from two sets of devices. But there were three devices in total. "We just gotta get down low."
She lead the way under the lasers; steadily inching her legs under the red beams first before she could even try to stand up. Both Panther and Skull opted to trench crawl under it, while all Mona had to do was duck his head. It was easy enough, but Joker doubted any more infrared lasers might not have such a glaring flaw in their setup.
Around the corner, hidden behind one of the displays of a former pupil was the Palace's guard. A masked being dressed in a stereotypical security guard uniform. Joker was able t sneak up on the Shadow, and ripped its mask off. Two little dark green creatures appeared. They were so dark green they were almost black and stood on one leg. They wore a loincloth over their waists and each carried a tiny boomerang in their stony hands.
"It's weak against Wind," Mona advised. A mischievous grin played upon his lips. "So, it's my time to shine. Come, Zorro! Garu!"
As always, when the top-heavy outlaw appeared, it slashed a 'Z' through the air, stirring up a gust of wind. The other three each followed up a physical attack. After one more Garu attack from Zoro, one of the Night-walking Warriors finally went down in a haze of miasma. Its fellow, however, started to panic. "I give up! Please! Just let me live!"
"Join forces with me, then," Joker offered.
Calming down a little, the Night-walker Warrior started chuckling. "It's reassuring that you get what I'm saying. Yes, we both thought the exact same thing." A glow began to surround its body. "My name is Mokoi. I am a Persona who'll be with you from now on. I'm on your side."
Mokoi took on the same of a domino mask, that proceed to fuse with Jokers.
After the battle, Panther nearly walked right into another infrared laser that was likely meant to catch the intruder off guard. Soon after they found themselves in battle with a trio of Hua-Po's. With a round of gunfire, Mona initiated an All-Out Attack, taking them out at once. The cat-creature landed atop a swivel chair with a cigar in his paw and turned smugly towards the others. It would have been pretty cool…if Mona didn't have the appearance and proportions of a Sanrio character.
They battled two more Shadows before they could travel Exhibition Room safely. When they found Nakanohara's portrait, the hallway beyond it was littered with infrared lasers. They couldn't slide under them again. But Mona pointed out a light fixture they could use the grappling hooks on, even if it meant going in between the lasers.
With little choice but to go along with the plan, Joker took a chance and went first with Mona. She was pretty sure Skull was cursing up a storm as he zipped between the lasers. After Panther took a moment to breathe, they went through the door across from Kitagawa's portrait into the lobby, where two Shadow guards were patrolling the room.
Having already gotten the maps last time, they opted to just sneak around the guards this time around and head straight back to the massive statue of Madarame's pupils. The lasers blocking the door were high enough for them to crawl under.
They all paused, looking up at the statue, standing shoulder to shoulder. The last time they saw it, they already knew Madarame thought little about his former pupils, but now, looking at this thing was downright uncomfortable.
Panther heaved a sigh, tearing her eyes from it. "We're in unknown territory from here on out," she said, as though trying to break the silence.
"Security will probably a be a bit more intense from here on out," added Mona. "Let's make sure we don't touch anything unless we're sure there's no trap attached to it."
As if they rehearsed it, Joker, Panther, and Mona turned their heads in Skull's direction. "What're you all lookin' at me for?!"
They traveled up the ramp to the net door and were met with a rather droll hallway as opposed to any more exhibits. There was a door to the left but had metal bars barring it off, so they headed down the hall to the right. At the end of the hall, was a sign pointing them in the right direction, but also more infrared lasers. Mona nearly walked into a low laser line before Joker grabbed him and hopped over it. There was another laser trap they had to duck under before they found a safe room.
When they stepped in, the room briefly morphed into a room in the artier, not unlike the one Kitagawa tried painting in the other day. Joker supposed it meant that Madarame's pupils had some form of freedom in these rooms. Creative freedom, solace from the man himself. As a safe room, there was a large table in the center, with a few computer desks to the left, a yellow couch at the end of the room under a couple of flat screens, and potted saplings with golden leaves. It was likely supposed to be a curator's room.
"Those lasers are starting to piss me off!" Panther started to make exaggerated hand gestures as she spoke. "I mean, I get it, it probably wouldn't be a museum without them. But…"
"It'd be easier if we could turn off the whole system," murmured Joker. "There's gotta be a control system, right?"
"If that's how Madarame perceives it, yes," Mona said from the table. "But I'd imagine there are multiple control systems spread out across the museum."
"In any case. We should try to mark where the lasers are on the map. Just to make sure we don't forget."
"Dude, I'm not even sure I can remember all the ones we passed." Skull slouched in his chair, which caused it to roll backward on him. "Let alone how many had opening's on 'em."
Despite his protest, Panther got out the pamphlet from the other day, and Mona started to draw x's roughly where a laser trap was. "I think it's better if we know where they are over where the openings are," he said. "We should be okay with this information."
"If you say so…"
Traveling down the hall they came across more portraits of people on the wall. Joker had a difficult time believing if these were meant to be Madarame's pupils. This many pupils and he was still getting away with his abuse and plagiarism? Then again, Kamoshida had former students from at least two graduating classes come forwards after his confession. Maybe Joker was being overly optimistic.
There were two Shadow guards in the room, they went for the weaker one first. Panther initiated an All-Out Attack with a graceful physical attack from her whip, followed up by a gunshot.
The second, stronger Shadow was a towering oni, white or blue-white, Joker was under the impression that it was made of paper. Their physical attacks barely affected it, nor did any of their Persona attacks. Joker went through Arsene and Kusi Mitama in an attempt to find something to affect it with.
But then it sent an attack in Mona's direction. He started hissing like a cat, teeth bared, and his glare more humorous against his proportions. He started to attack the Shadow in a flurry but then moved to attack Skull. "Dude, I'm on your side!" he shouted.
Skull grabbed Mona by the scruff of his neck and tossed him to the other side of the room. He summoned Captain Kidd and his Zio attack managed to shock the Shadow enough for the Phantom Thieves to do a bit of damage on it. Joker switched between Arsene and Kusi Mitama as they bombarded the Shadow with Persona attacks before it finally went down.
After the battle, Mona walked back to the group, holding his round hand in his stubby arms. "What the heck was that about?" Panther asked, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.
"A status effect," Mona said miserably. What was he, hungover? "Some Shadows have abilities like this…"
"And you didn't think to warn us about them before?" Joker asked as Panther summoned Carmen to help heal the group.
"Well, I thought a status effect would happen to one of you first…"
Beyond the room, they found another hall and another sign to point them in the right direction. They paused briefly at the end of the hall to mark off the new laser locations on the map and were soon brought to a flight of stairs. The map marked the head of the stairs as a second Exhibition Room, that featured more portraits on the wall.
They came across, what looked to be a slight lounge, with a massive golden vase in the center of the room. It didn't really look like much to just sit and stare at, but the Phantom Thieves barely paid it any attention. "H-Hey, wait a second!" Mona called as the gang jogged past the vase. "You're just gonna ignore that golden sheen?"
Joker glanced over her shoulder to find Mona greedily rubbing his paws together, eyeing the vase with such a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Look at that luster…"
"We can't bring that out if we're exploring the rest of the Palace!" Joker said plainly. "And you're starting to act more like a villain than a gentleman thief."
"But imagine how much it'll sell for!" Without another word, he leaped onto the dais the vase stood on."
"C'mon," stressed Skull, "we didn't come here to-"
A high-pitched wail echoed around the room. "That is never a good sign…" Panther uttered nervously.
"Move!" exclaimed Joker.
Her body acted out of instinct, she sprung into a series of backflips. A series of infrared lasers barricaded Mona inside and trapped Panther and Skull. Panther's body stiffened, her hands balled and close to her chin, her eyes darting left to right, looking for a way out. Skull kept his hands close to his sides, like Panther, he was also trying to find a way out.
"Guess I tripped the security…." Mona chuckled mirthlessly.
"And you were the one tellin' me not to trip security," groaned Skull. "So, whaddya wanna do? Run outta here?"
"Bad idea. Best case scenario it ends up drawing too many enemies to us and we're overwhelmed." Joker glanced over her shoulder. The hall behind her was likewise blocked by infrared lasers, but she spotted a vent system she could climb through. "I'll have to find a way to turn it off."
"Okay," breathed Mona. "Be careful. You're on your own if you run into any Shadows."
Joker climbed up the gate, her foot ended up getting caught in it briefly, her shoe slipping on the smooth metal. It was barely an effort to get her foot out. She climbed onto a walkway and eased herself into the air vent. The struggle came when the vent turned a corner. It wasn't too difficult, but it required Joker to let her legs go limp.
At the end of the vent, she found herself on the walkway overlooking a computer terminal, a bay window, and two Shadows.
"Hey, did you hear about those intruders?"
"Yeah, you mean the thieves sneaking around in here? I got a call telling me to change the password, just in case."
"And? What'd you change it to?"
"Hello."
"Huh?"
"I said, hello! 07734. If you read the numbers upside-down, they spell out the word 'hello.'"
"…Isn't that a bit childish?"
"Eh, it should be fine as long as nobody else finds out. It's not like anyone's eavesdropping on us."
"Oh really?" Joker's voice projected across the room.
The Shadows looked up to find Joker standing in front of the air vent. With her glock in hand, she fired a round at each Shadow, aiming in its general head area. One by one the Shadow's fell back and dissipated into miasma.
After Joker put her gun back in its place, she leaped down to the floor. She booted up the terminal and typed in '07734.' One point and click later a buzzing sound was heard. Through the bay window, Joker saw the laser lights flicker before the grid was shut off completely.
She saw Mona instantly leap off the dais, while Panther started to relax and a visible chill started to run down Skull's spine. "That was way too close!" Panther shouted, exaggeratedly moving her arms now that she could.
Joker unlocked the door and met up with the others. The cat-creature had started to shuffle around guilty. "I-I'm sorry… That was very much unlike me…"
"Sheesh," breathed Skull. "And weren't you the one warnin' against touchin' shit n the exhibit?"
"I know! I can't believe I made such a novice mistake, even for solid gold… But something was drawing me to the vase…"
Curious, Panther approached the dais, studying the vase without touching it. "Looks like an ordinary gold vase to me. Maybe there's something inside…"
With her lips pursed, Panther gently poked the vase. Instantaneously, the vase burst into tiny golden shards, causing Panther to cry out in surprise. A massive pink diamond took the place of the vase. "So that's why I was drawn to it!" exclaimed Mona.
"What is it?" asked Skull.
"I'll explain later, right now we need Joker to catch it!"
Obeying, Joker readied her daggers as the diamond started to move on its own. She caught up to it easily enough and struck the blade of her dagger into it. The diamond quivered slightly, steadily, a pale blue ghost with large yellow eyes emerged from the diamond.
She tore forward, towards the Shadow, striking it with her daggers. She just barely had the chance to dodge when Skull summoned Captain Kidd. The pirate hit the Shadow with the ship it stood on like a skateboard shredding on a pipe rail. Yen coins fell around the Shadow with each hit.
Mona went in for a physical attack, striking it twice with his scimitar, then he leaped back, firing a pelt with his slingshot. The Shadow's diamond fell to the floor and the Shadow held itself up with its clawed hands. "To think you would coerce me into giving in… How brilliant." the Shadow said refinery. Its buggy eyes looked straight at Joker. "My name is Regent. My existence shall become a new part of you."
It stood itself back up, balancing on its diamond as a gentle blue glow surrounded its person. A domino mask took its place, and fused into Joker's mask. Satisfied with the turn of events, Mona flashed Joker a grin. "That was pretty nice considering it was your first time running into a Treasure Demon."
"A Treasure Demon?" echoed Panther.
"That's what I call them, anyway. They're rare Shadows that occasionally reside in pricey items. Fitting name, don't you think?"
"Yet another thing that would have been nice to know sooner," murmured Skull.
"They're great. Not only do they give you a lot of money," he turned his attention to Joker, "they might be useful for your Personas too."
With the grid taken care of, the gang moved on and found another Safe Room. Afterwards, they had to take an alternate route around a laser system and ended up with a floor painting meant to play with perspectives. It was meant to look like someone had just dug a crude hole in the middle of the floor and even added plank across it for added effect. They battled with another Shadow and Joker gained Apsaras in the process.
They quickly discovered that this particular Palace had a restroom, but they found an Ice Ring, which, according to Mona would help its wearer reduce ice damage. It was unanimously agreed that Panther would take it.
Beyond the lobby, they were met with a few more shadows. Eventually, they became trapped by an electric fence, and Shadows specifically searching for them. They were left with little choice but to battle them. Three guards were searching for them, one of them, Joker gained Shiisaa from. With the Shadows out of the way, Joker used her Third Eye to locate the switch to turn off the barrier.
They headed out the most promising way out, which brought them up a flight of stairs, and straight to a battle with another Bringer of Misfortune. Once again, they relied on Skull and Captain Kidd to keep it shocked while the rest of them hit it with whatever they could think of. It wasn't until Joker finished it off with Koropokguru and Bufu that it was gone.
They ended up on a balcony overlooking the room where the electric barrier once stood erect. But Mona insisted on traveling on a light fixture, feeling something on the other side of the room. They ultimately gave in and used the light fixture to climb up and over a wall that previously blocked them off from the room, which Mona was fascinated by. He had lead them straight to Madarame's first Will Seed.
The double doors were roped off; Joker gave Skull one of her daggers to help her saw through them. Once they got the door open, Joker picked the red seed and pocketed it with Kamoshida's crystal.
They didn't bother retracing their steps, instead opting to head for, what the map labeled as the Central Garden. The Garden entrance tried so desperately to be grandiose that it shot the moon and rounded right back to gaudy. Too much gold haphazardly thrown everything, not enough blue to complement it.
Panther audibly blanched. "It's gaudier than the rest of the Palace."
"It definitely looks like something important would be hidden away in there," Mona said, pointing at the blue screen door with bamboo trees printed on it.
"Which means we're on the right track, right?" inquired Skull.
"Looks like it," Joker said, taking the map from Panther. "But this looks about as far as the map goes. This can't be as deep as the Palace goes, can it?"
"Even if it's not, we don't have much choice but go on."
"Yeah, I know."
Heading through the screen door, it separated on its own, revealing several lines of similar doors. At the end of the line, they came to the centerpiece of the garden where there was a massive grid of electric fencing. "The hell?!" Skull cried out upon coming to a stop. "How're we supposed to get through all that?!"
"I don't think we can," said Panther. "Just look at them, the power's probably amped up all the way to eleven."
"This level of security only proves there's something worth protecting up ahead." Morgan crossed his stubby arms over his chest in thought. He stared straight ahead at the double door with golden peacock feathers against a rich blue background.
"Hold on," Panther walked up to a plaque. "There's something written on the sign… 'All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it. Please be cautious, as it is impossible to open from the outside.'"
"Well that was helpful, but not really," snarked Joker. She scrutinized the area; if they had a way to just climb around the fencing, maybe they could get in through one of the windows. But there was nothing to climb up, or anything for the grappling hooks to latch on to.
"I think I know how we can get in," Mona announced. He pointed a paw at the door. "I saw a very similar pattern on a door in the real world. There may be another way to open it! Let's head back for today, I'll explain everything then."
"You seem to save a lot of explaining for later, cat," Skull said drolly.
"I am not a cat! And this time there's a pragmatic reason. We don't want the Shadow's overhearing us, do you?"
"Fine, fine…"
"Alright, Morgana, what's your plan?" Ann asked as soon as they returned to the real world.
Ryuji added snidely, "You'd think there'd be some kinda off switch somewhere?"
"There likely is," Chiyo agreed. "But it's beyond the door like that sign said."
"And that's where I come in," Morgana said boastfully from Chiyo's bag. "I have a suspicious place in mind."
"Well?"
"Remember how this shack is the basis for Madarame's Palace? And remember how I scouted it last time we were here?"
"You mean you went snooping," Chiyo said bluntly.
"It wasn't snooping it was reconnaissance!"
"So snooping."
"Anyway. On the second floor, I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock on a door up there."
Ann brow immediately rose. "If it's locked, then that means there's something in there Madarame doesn't want people to see."
"But don't we wanna be openin' the door in the Palace?"
"Yes, and we're going to do that," Morgana assured. "By opening the real one in front of Madarame's eyes. Basically, we're going to change his cognition that the door is unopenable."
"So we open the doors equivalent in the real world and it opens the one in the Palace," Chiyo surmised. "But how do we deal with that lock?"
"Oh, that'll be a breeze. Just give me a hairpin and I'll handle it."
"Then what was the point in teaching me how to- Ah!"
"Well, Morgana is the least noticeable of the four of us," Ann offered.
"Thank you, Lady Ann," Morgana purred. "It will take some time though. Dong everything by myself in front of Madarame would be impossible." He listed his head to the side, pretending to think. "If only there was someone who could distract him for a while.."
"Oh, yeah…" Ryuji stressed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Man, how are we even gonna get into his house? We'd get reported for sure if we force ourselves in…"
"What?" Ann asked nervously.
"We'd probably have to be invited in." Chiyo refused to meet with Ann's gaze. "But how're we gonna do that?"
"What?"
"I guess the only way is," Ryuji shrugged in an exaggerated fashion, "havin' you go nude."
"WHAT?!"
"Fancy you two should bring it up," said Morgana. "I was just thinking the same thing."
"This isn't funny!"
"Look, we're not sayin' you should really get naked," Ryuji conceded.
"It's just a means of distraction," Chiyo added. "Just get in through the door and start talking crazy if you need to."
"This is too sudden," whined Ann. "I don't even know where the locked door is."
"Not to worry," Morgana said valiantly. "I'll accompany you."
"But that's still technically only me. Worst comes to worst, what if I get found out?
"We can run into the Palace! …Or something?"
"Is that really gonna work?! I mean, you're not giving me much confidence in this plan!" Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and sighed. "Do I have to be the bait?"
"I don't think we have much of a choice," said Chiyo.
The blonde suddenly jabbed a finger in Chiyo's direction, suddenly irritated. "Why can't you go nude if your all for this plan?!"
"Because Kitagawa-kun doesn't want me."
"Then make it so he does!"
"How?"
"I don't know!"
Ryuji started waving his hands. "All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, have him take you to that room, then just open the door."
"You make it sound so easy!" Her shoulders fell in defeat. "But if there's no other way… I don't have a choice… Fine, I'll do it! For justice! But we better be able to pull this off!"
"If it's for your sake Lady Ann, I won't stop scratching even if all my claws were to break!" Morgana declared valiantly.
"We'll be countin' on you, Morgana!" cheered Ryuji. "Don't let Yusuke notice ya, all right?"
Shivering, Ann wrapped her arms around herself. "If he tries to force my clothes off, I'll tear that house down! I'm really gonna lose it if we do all this and the Palace door doesn't open. Got it?"
"We're workin' to get dirt on that guy's crimes either way. It won't go to waste. All right, let's get down and dirty tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Earlier the better."
"We still don't know what's beyond that door," Chiyo agreed. "There could be more to the Palace."
Ann suddenly paled. "Um, b-but…will Kitagawa-kun agree?"
The bleach-blond shrugged lazily. "I dunno, just say something like," Ryuji put on his best falsetto, "'I really need it to be tomorrow.' That should work, yeah?"
Both girls brought a hand to their faces, Ann pacing her palm over her eyes, and Chiyo pinching the bridge of her nose.
Chiyo didn't head straight for Leblanc after the gang parted ways. Instead, she headed straight for the Velvet Room access point by Untouchable. This particular job sounded like timing was going to be everything, so Chiyo couldn't waste time stalling to fuse her Persona's together. Best get it out of the way now.
In the Velvet Room, she fused together Mokoi and Kusi Mitama for Jack Frost. Regent and Koropokguru for Sudama, then bought back Succubus to fuse with Apsaras into Orobas.
Henry studied the tarot cards in his hand before he pulled out the Magician card. "This Persona…" he murmured. "It seems you have created the specified Persona. I suppose I'll take it. It was what was asked of you."
"So I did good?" asked Chiyo.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Maggot! Your Personas are still rather weak, don't go patting yourself on the back just yet." He started to pace in front of Chiyo's cell door. "Though you did do what was asked of you, so you could complete your rehabilitation."
He continued his pacing, not looking at Chiyo. "I'd like to offer you the use of a new facility to help you along."
Chiyo couldn't help the snort. Henry, who seemed to act all big and tough, was acting like he was even younger than he looked. It was kind of endearing. "You laughing at me, Maggot?" snapped Henry.
"What? You're being cute."
The boy's face started flushing. "Know your place, Maggot! I simply enjoy the satisfaction of seeing your rehabilitation progress. What sort of warden would I be otherwise? Rather, I find it upsetting that you would see such a matter as a source of amusement." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd advise you to remember you're the one locked up, Maggot.
"Now, getting back on track, if you have the will to continue your penal labor, I can grant your greater freedom within this prison."
"Freedom?"
"Don't get too excited, Maggot. We're not unlocking your cell anytime soon. It's simply a deal between the two of us. You'd do well to accept, you're hardly in a position to do otherwise."
Chiyo shrugged her shoulders lazily. "Guess I accept."
"Good." Henry grinned haughtily. "Now's the time for me to relay your net task. When you're able to, bring an Ame-no-Uzume with the skill Frei. Don't take too long to complete it, Maggot."
She walked into Leblanc rotating her right shoulder, between it being her dominant hand and the shoulder she carries Morgana on. Perhaps she should ask Takemi when her shoulder pain became concerning. "Hey, you got anything going on this evening?" Sojiro asked from behind the bar. Chiyo simply shook her head no. "Why don't you get changed, and I'll show you a thing or two?"
"Sure." She hurried upstairs. Sojiro could hear a bit of rumbling in Chiyo's rush before she came barreling downstairs. He waited until after she got her apron on, unfortunately, that took a few minutes due to Chiyo fumbling with the knot behind her.
"Now then," he said when she had finished, "I know we've already done a bit of brewing. But since you're gonna be working in my store, I'll need to hammer home the basics. You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"Brewing coffee, or working at the store?"
"Yes. This store's not the busiest around, but I'm real particular about how we make coffee here. And I'll kick you out no questions asked if you serve a bad cup, you got that?"
Chiyo's face paled. "Um…"
"Let me tell you, So-chan definitely does things right with his coffee," said a female customer from one of the booths. "It goes so well with his special curry, I can't help but order the set meal every time."
'So-chan?!' Why did Chiyo get the feeling Sojiro would kick her out if she called him that.
"What can I say," Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck, "each of my regulars gets an experience personally tailored to them."
"Can you tell me the key to that wonderful flavor, So-chan? I'd love to make it at home sometime."
"Sorry, that's a trade secret. You're free to try and guess based on the taste though."
"Cheapskate." The woman pouted. "Keeping secrets from me even though you know your food's already stolen my heart…"
"How about a nice dessert then? It's only three hundred yen."
"I'd love to, but I'm certain even your desserts would go to my thighs." The woman placed a bit of money on the table as she stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Until next time, I suppose."
Chiyo watched the woman's retreating figure until she exited the shop. Then she gave Sojiro her best shit-eating grin. "'So-chan?'"
"Don't you start." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a brief look that more or less confirmed Chiyo's suspicions. "Now, when you run a shop, you get all sorts of customers. Knowing their personalities is absolutely vital. That's what being in foodservice is all about."
His ward nodded once; the bell over the door chimed. Sojiro whirled around, ready with a greeting when any jovial feelings dissipated in an instant. A portly, middle-aged man stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest and a baseball cap atop his head. "You…"
"Hello there! It's been quite a while, Sakura-san!" the man said jovially. "I heard you opened up a shop, so here I am! It wouldn't have hurt to mention it to me, though." The man paused for a moment to scrutinize the shop. "You've got a real nice location here. Right by the station and everything."
"Your order?" Sojiro asked coldly. Chiyo didn't like the aura around him. He wasn't even bothering to hide his contempt for this man and she got the sense that she would have liked to do something to him if the law allowed.
"No small talk?" the man asked, fringing hurt. "That's cold. Oh, but this smell…" The man took a whiff. "Sure brings back memories! You're still making that curry, huh?"
The man flashed Sojiro a smarmy grin, the kind of look that was saying more than what was actually being said. But what the man was trying to say, Chiyo had no idea. Who was this guy, a brother? It might explain why Sojiro looked like he wanted to pummel this man.
The man crossed his arms again, shaking his head. "I guess you haven't gotten over her yet."
"Your order, sir."
"Haha! So pushy. I just stopped in to say hi today…" He gave Sojiro another smarmy grin. "But I'll be back again soon enough. Bye!"
The atmosphere in the shop remained heavy until the man left. As soon as the door closed, Sojiro released a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know where he caught wind of this place."
"It uh…" Chiyo wasn't sure if she was overstepping. "Kinda seemed to me like he wanted something from you."
"Guess you do have an eye for some things after all," Sojiro said, lightening up. He turned his attention back at her. "Anyways, if you have time for questions, you have time to be learning about bean types. You're not gonna be any use to me if you can't pick up on the ABCs sometime soon."
"You don't stay cheery for long, do you?"
"And you can't go five minutes without being smart. I think that makes us even. Come on, boys like a girl who knows about coffee." He mulled over what he just said. "Don't they?"
"I don't know. I've never been a boy. You'd know that better than me."
"Hey, the boys of your time are far different from the boys of my time. Either way, I'm gonna teach you right. That way I'll be able to sit back and relax while you work."
"Couldn't afford a part-timer?"
"Another thing to keep in mind when running a store, not everyone's going to appreciate that smart mouth of yours." The clock on the wall started to chime. "Is it time already? All right, let's start closing up. And no slacking off, you got it?"
Sojiro had Chiyo sweep and mop the floor before he left. Alone, Chiyo went upstairs to grab her clothes. She'd just changed into something more comfortable when her phone alerted her to an IM.
Ryuji: You got in touch with Yusuke?
Ann: He asked me to come by tomorrow.
Ryuji: Awww yeah, he fell for it!
Chiyo: So we're committed to the plan then.
Ann: Um, do I… really have to do this…?
Chiyo: Can you think of another way to stall while Morgan's working at it?
Chiyo: Like, I dunno maybe sprouting useless facts no one cares about?
Ryuji: Man, this is such a pain…
Ryuji: We gotta open that door AND have Madarame see it, right?
Ann: Yeah. Morgana said that'll change his cognition.
Ryuji: I don't get it…
Ryuji: Oh, and one more thing.
Ryuji: Let us know if any weird shit goes down and we'll be there to back you up ASAP.
Ann: kk, got it.
Ann: Oh, Chiyo?
Chiyo: Hm?
Ann: You wouldn't happen to have a few clothes you don't really care about I can borrow, do you?
Chiyo: ?
The Tower Rank 1
The Hierophant Rank 2
Authors Note: And here's Henry's arcana. My goal was always to try and make Henry his own character. He shouldn't be Caroline and Justine but male (thought he likely resembles Justine in personality). Plus, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the character I'm going for really doesn't fit the Strength Arcana. But if Henry's the Tower, what about Oda? Who's the Strength now? Hmm…