The next day…
"Good morning, Minato-kun and Ken-kun." greeted Haru politely to both Minato and Ken when she and her brother, Hanzo saw them walking by themselves toward Shujin in front of them.
"Hm? Oh, good morning to you two, Haru and Hanzo." greeted Minato politely back to both Haru and Hanzo as he and Ken turned to glance at them.
"Good morning." greeted Ken politely to them as well.
"Yeah, good morning, you two. So how's the art exhibition of Madarame-san that you and your friends went to yesterday? Is the artworks of Madarame-san's good?" asked Hanzo curiously to Minato after he greeted him.
"Yeah, I guess you can say that, Hanzo. All of the artworks look great and beautiful even though they're different artworks and how did you know that I went to the art exhibition of Madarame-san's with my friends yesterday? Were you nearby and saw me and my friends went into the art exhibition?" replied Minato before he asked Hanzo a question while both Ken and Haru watched in silence.
"Yeah, you're right, Minato. Yesterday I was helping Haru in buying some flowers and vegetable seeds from a shop and after I bought the seeds and left the shop, I saw you and your friends went into the art exhibition of Madarame-san and that's not all, I also saw that you and your friends had 3 more people with you all, one of them have the same hair colour like you and you 2 were being close to a tall guy who looks similar to you. Who is the person who had the same hair colour like yours and is the tall guy a friend or a close relative of you two, Minato?" asked Hanzo.
"The latter to your questions, Hanzo." replied Minato.
"Oh, so they're both close relative of yours, we've no idea, Minato-kun." said Haru in surprise at Minato.
"Well, now you and Hanzo know about his relatives, Haru." said Ken as he, Minato, Haru and Hanzo arrived in Shujin and they ended their conversation, walked up the steps into Shujin and head to their class.
XXXX
In class-D on the second floor…
"Oh yeah, the great artist Madarame is holding an exhibition in Shibuya right now, isn't he?" said Inui-sensei to the students after he stopped his lecture. "I've gone to see his works a number of times. Goodness, are they magnificent! The moment I saw them, I knew he was something else."
"If only you and the students in here knew that all those beautiful artworks weren't actually painted by that phony artist, Madarame." thought Akira quite darkly about Madarame before he think back to when he decided to check more website rumors about Madarame plagiarizing other people's artworks on his phone in his attic room last night and managed to find and read some more.
"By the way, you seem far removed from the arts, Kurusu-kun." said Inui-sensei as he glance at Akira (which snapped him out of his thoughts as he glance at Inui-sensei). "Do you know who created the piece which sold for the highest price back in the 20th century?" asked Inui-sensei.
"Van Gogh." replied Akira without hesitation.
"That's correct. It seems you know a thing or two after all." said Inui-sensei with a slightly impressed look on his face at him as he briefly clapped his hands. "That piece was purchased for the equivalent of 18 billion yen, and it sold for even more later. However, since the turn of the 21st century, a new record has been set practically every year."
"Hey, did you know that? I had no idea!" said a black-haired student.
"Maybe he's actually a smart student? I'm kind of surprised." said a brown-haired student to the black-haired student. "Oh, shoot! The teacher's glaring at us!"
"Wow, you did good in answering thay, Akira! Looks like all your studies for the exams of the past few nights have paid off!" whisper Morgana proudly to Akira.
"Thanks, Morgana." Akira whisper back to him as he briefly glance down and smiled at him.
"People put a serious amount of passion and money into art. If I had that kind of money, I wouldn't mind having a painting or two myself, hahahaha…" said Inui-sensei before he chuckle a little.
"Seems like art can make you a tidy sum. Let's see with our own eyes whether or not the accusations of him stealing art are true. You're meeting Lady Ann and the others after school, right? Let's go when class let out!" whisper Morgana firmly to Akira (who nodded to him).
XXXX
A few hours later…
After school ended for the day, Akira, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Minato and Ken head toward the station, got onto the train heading to Shibuya and Akira, Ann and Ken managed to find and sat down on some empty seats while both Ryuji and Minato had no choice but to stand in front of them.
"Guess today you weren't quick enough to get a seat for yourself, huh, Minato?" said Pharos teasingly to Minato.
"Be quiet, Pharos." said Minato in slight annoyance at Pharos.
"Phantom thieves goin' by train… This ain't any different from how I get home from school, y'know." grumbled Ryuji sullenly to them.
"Or what? Would you rather take a taxi or walk from Shujin Academy all the way to Shibuya? Is that what you want?" suggested Akira mischievously to Ryuji.
"Yeah right, Kurusu." said Ryuji as he scowled at Akira and briefly shake his head at him.
"You sure? It could be good exercise for you, Ryuji-kun." said Ken in amusement to Ryuji.
"No way, senpai!" said Ryuji as he scowled at Ken.
"The train is the fastest way to go. Plus, we can bring pets in here." said Ann.
"Lady Ann, please don't call me a pet." sighed Morgana as he popped out of Akira's bag and glance in slight dismay at Ann.
"Morgana, please be quiet and get back inside my bag before someone else see you." said Akira as he glance down at Morgana.
"He's right so be quiet because we didn't pay the pet fare." said Ryuji as he look around at the other passengers with a worry look on his face.
"Excuse me? I'm the one guiding you all to your destination! You all should be calling me "Master"!" exclaimed Morgana as he scowled at them all.
"Seriously, Morgana?" thought Minato as he shake his head at Morgana.
"Ooh, a kitty!" said an innocent little girl as she suddenly approach them and glance at Morgana with a smile on her face.
"Er, shoot…!" said Ann as she glance in surprise at the little girl.
"Is that your pet? I heard it meowing!" asked the little girl excitedly to Akira.
"Uh, no, you got the wrong idea about this one. It's just a stuffed toy." Akira lied to the little girl.
"Yeah, it's just a toy. It meows when you pressed on it's head." said Ann as she smiled and nodded nervously to the little girl.
"Yeah, what they say." said Minato in quick agreement with both Akira and Ann to the little girl.
"Wow, aren't you guys quite the quick thinkers?" thought Ken in more amusement in his mind at them.
"You heard her, Kurusu. Press on it's head." said Ryuji as he glance at Akira with a grin on his face.
"This is ridic-" said Morgana indignantly to Ryuji before he got cut off by Akira pressing his hand gently on his head. "Me-Mewwww…" meowed Morgana.
"Woweeeee! Again! Again!" said the little girl as she jumped excitedly.
"Uh, well…" said Akira as he and Morgana sweatdropped a little at the little girl's excitement.
"Maybe next time, little girl. Why don't you go back to where your parents is so that they won't be too worry about where you are." said Minato softly to the girl.
"… Alright then." said the girl reluctantly to Minato before she turned and walked away from them.
"Thanks for telling her to go back to her parents, Minato." said Morgana thankfully to Minato for sending the girl away.
"You're welcome, Morgana." said Minato to Morgana before they heard a woman's voice announced to them that they've arrived in their next stop and the doors will open on the left side.
"Oh, looks like we've arrived at our stop, you guys." said Ann to the guys as the train stopped in the station and opened the it's left doors.
"Well then, let's go." said Akira as he and his friends stepped out of the train into the station before they walked out of the station, went into and walk past Central Street toward the residential area and they began to look around for the shack building where Yusuke and Madarame live in.
XXXX
Meanwhile, inside the SIU director's office...
"Suguru Kamoshida… Former Olympian… Teacher at Shujin Academy… Reason for turning himself in is… a heavy conscience, huh…" muttered the SIU director to himself before he leaned back in his chair. "The human mind doesn't change that easily… let alone their natural temperament." added the SIU director even more to himself before he stood up from his chair, walked toward and stopped to look out and down at the dozens of houses, shops and other buildings below through the window. "Shujin Academy… Seems doubtful… Perhaps I'll have someone look into this, just in case and discreetly so that it doesn't attract the attention of a certain estranged heir to the Fujiwara clan, I hope…"
XXXX
After a while of Akira and his friends searching around the area for the shack building, Minato finally found where it is and tell them about it and they stopped in front of the shack building (which turns out to be a very old and rundown building built with dozens of different cuts and sizes folded sheet of slightly rusted brown and grey metals nailed onto each other around it unlike the other modern-looking houses surrounding it).
"Is… that it? Are you sure that this is the place, Minato?" asked Ryuji hesitantly to Minato.
"Yes, I'm sure and it's what Yusuke told me, Naoto and Ann yesterday, Ryuji." replied Minato firmly to Ryuji.
"He's right because we're at the right address and the door plate does say "Madarame"." said Ann as she glance at the door plate with the name "Madarame" hanging on the wall outside the house.
"Uhhh, in that case… you go ring the bell, Ann." said Ryuji as he briefly raised and swung his right arm around a little.
"Me? Fine then. I hope that the walls don't collapse if I ring the bell…" sighed Ann.
"No one sneeze or we'll blow this house down, OK?" said Morgana teasingly to Ann (which make her scowled at Morgana) and the others.
"What a lame joke, Morgana." mutter Minato under his breath at Morgana's lame joke as Ann raised her hand and pressed the doorbell on the wall next to the front door.
"Who is it? Sensei is currently-" said the voice of Yusuke from the speaker below the doorbell.
"Hello, it's me, Takamaki, Kitagawa-kun." said Ann toward the speaker.
"I'll be right out!" exclaimed Yusuke's surprised voice to Ann through the speaker before it went off.
"People really do live here…" said Ryuji disbelievingly as he briefly scratch the back of his head before the door to the shack opened up to reveal Yusuke (who smiled when he saw Ann then Minato).
"Takamaki-san! And you too, aniki-" Yusuke happily greeted them both before he noticed Akira, Ryuji and Ken standing behind them and he narrowed his eyes at them. "…You three are here with them, as well?"
"Yes, what's wrong with that?" said Ryuji as he narrowed his eyes at Yusuke.
"Yusuke, didn't I already tell you to be nice to them yesterday?" said Minato in disapproval at Yusuke.
"Yes, you did, aniki. I apologize for my behavior to you three." said Yusuke apologetically to Akira, Ryuji and Ken.
"It's okay." said Akira.
"Hey. Sorry, but we ain't here to talk about the modelling thing. There's something we gotta ask you. Is it true Madarame' plagiarizin' stuff? He's abusin' people too, yeah?" said Ryuji bluntly to Yusuke, getting down to business and ignoring both Minato and Ken scowling at him now.
"Are you serious?" asked Yusuke flatly to Ryuji.
"We read about it online. Here, check it out of you don't believe us." replied Ryuji before he pull out his phone, turned it and showed the Phan-site forum post to Yusuke.
"This…?" said Yusuke as he walked closer to glance at the Phan-site forum post on Ryuji's phone with his arms crossed before he raised and pressed his hand against his forehead and started laughing. "Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? If he hate childrens so much to harm them, he would never allow pupils into his home! And I'm the one residing here and studying under him. I'm saying it's not true, so it's beyond doubt." said Yusuke, defending Madarame while his right eye twitch a little.
"Gotcha." thought Akira as he noticed Yusuke's right eye twitch a little.
"Are you really sure about that, Yusuke? What if the rumors about him plagiarizing and abusing you and the other pupils are true? Surely that must have crossed your mind a few times." said Minato with an empathetic look on his face to Yusuke.
"I agreed." said Ken in agreement with Minato.
"Yeah! What he said!" said Ryuji in agreement with Minato as well.
"That… That is utter rubbish and I can't believe that you'd say that to me, aniki." said Yusuke hesitantly as he look away with a frown look on his face before he glance back at them. "After I lose my mother while you, aneki and itoko were far away from me, aniki, Sensei took me in and raised me into what you and your friends see now! If you and your friends don't believe and continue to ridicule the man I owe my life too, then you all will rue this day!" snapped Yusuke as he glared angrily at them.
"The nerve of him! Talking like that to you, his aniki and one of the only family members he have left and your friends!" snapped Pharos in disapproval at Yusuke snapping and glaring angrily at Minato and his friends.
"Calm down, Pharos. I'm sure there's a reason to why he's acting like this." said Minato calmly to Pharos.
"…You really think that?" said Ann in disbelief to Yusuke before Madarame emerged and walked out of the shack.
"Yusuke! What's the matter? I heard you yelling." asked Madarame as he frowned at them (which make them had surprised looks on their faces when they saw him appearing and coming out).
"These people are slandering you with online baseless rumors while my aniki believed and told me that the online baseless rumors about you is true!" replied Yusuke as he glance at Madarame.
"…Forgive them and your aniki, Yusuke." said Madarame as he shake his head and smiled lightheartedly to them. "It's not their fault that they're worry and came to see you because of those baseless rumors about me."
"…Understood, Sensei." said Yusuke reluctantly to Madarame as he lowered his head to look down at the ground.
"Well, even I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone." said Madarame before he chuckle a little.
"That's not what we meant…" said Ann hesitantly to Madarame.
"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbours around. Won't you all please keep it down? Now, if you'll all excuse me." said Madarame sternly to them before he smiled at them again, turned around and went back into the shack while Yusuke glance at them with a grimaced look on his face before he bowed to them.
"That was discourteous of me… I'm sorry for snapping at you and your friends, aniki." said Yusuke apologetically to Minato and his friends before he got an idea and perked up. "I know! I think you all will be able to believe in Sensei if all of you saw that painting." said Yusuke as he pull out his phone, turned it on and showed them the painting of a long black-haired, red dress beautiful woman in front of a yellow moon and a thick-looking branch, with her face looking gently and lovingly down at something while the bottom half of the painting is covered with pale purple mist and with Madarame's watermark on the left side of the painting. "It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece- it's titled "Sayuri"."
"Sayuri"…?" said Akira.
"This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist. So what do you think, aniki? Isn't it an impressive and beautiful artwork?" said Yusuke.
"Yeah, it truly is, Yusuke." said Minato in agreement with Yusuke. "And I've a suspicion feeling that this one isn't drawn by Madarame either. If I can find the proof somehow…" added Minato suspiciously in his mind.
"An impressive and beautiful artwork indeed and you may be right about this one not drawn by him, Minato." said Pharos in agreement with Minato.
"It's so beautiful…" said Ann in awed at the painting.
"Yeah, it truly is." said Akira in agreement with Ann.
"Definitely." said Ken.
"I don't know all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive…" said Ryuji.
"When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting…" said Yusuke as he put his phone back into his pocket and nodded to Ann.
"Really? Me?" said Ann hesitantly to Yusuke.
"I wish to pursue beauty like this." said Yusuke as he smiled gently then bowed politely to Ann. "And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you; seriously consider my offer."
"…Well, I think I need some time to think about it, Kitagawa-san." said Ann.
"I see and take your time thinking about it, Takamaki-san." said Yusuke as he glance and smiled gratefully to Ann. "And I'm sorry that you all took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you all will excuse me and I'll see you again, aniki." added Yusuke before he bade farewell to them, turned and went back into the shack and closed the door behind him.
After Yusuke went back into the shack, Akira and his friends then turned and left the shack, walked across the street and they stand or leaned against the sidewalk railing.