[22nd of May, Afternoon, Big Bang Burger.]
Assembling the other two thieves in the burger, Akira was sitting next to Shiho on the blue bench while Keigosat on the other side, discussing whether continuing their infiltration or not.
"So... we're going to the palace today?" Akira asked, checking those requested he found interesting and some from Mishima on his phone. "Hifumi texted me earlier that she's open for today."
"Yeah, I think so." Shiho agreed with a nod, turning toward Keigo with a raised eyebrow. "Keigo? How about you?"
However, Keigo answered her with sheer silence, still staring at somewhere behind the duo.
"Keigo?" The duo questioned in unison, ready to get up from their bench when he suddenly spotted someone.
"Haru!" The half-French suddenly exclaimed and rushed away, causing the two to yelp in surprise.
Regaining their composure, both Akira and Shiho turned around and noticed Haru on the other side of the glass wall, even more confused than before. "Okumura-Senpai? Why is she here?" Shiho whispered.
"On top of that, why is Keigo suddenly called her name out?" Akira added, furrowing his brow in pure confusion.
"I can eavesdrop for you, Akira." Moriarty suddenly appeared behind him and said, causing him to yelp in surprise once more.
"Jesus! Moriarty!" The persudo-detective exclaimed. "Can you stop scaring me like this?!"
"Moriarty?!" Shiho, on the other hand, was sunk in pure confusion. "Why are you here? Persona can not stay in the real world or talk, right?"
"Unfortunately, no." Moriarty deadpanned, somehow able to express emotion through his mask. "If my theory is right, Jeanne should be able to come out as well."
"Jeanne? Are you there?"
And low and behold, the crystal woman appeared behind Shiho, crossing her arms and staring at him. "I'm here now, you happy?"
"What's with your bitterness today?" He asked, taking a step away from her. "It's scary..."
"Because I don't want to intervene with Shiho's personal life!" Jeanne exclaimed, earning a shocked face from the two Shujin students. "Also, Ren, Ann, and Ryuji would spot us next to them, and you know what that means!"
"B-But..."
"No 'But'! Now please excuse me." With that said, Jeanne disappeared in thin air and left the two and Moriarty alone, unsure of what to do.
"Uh... Jeanne is... interesting." Akira sweatdropped, turning around to face Moriarty. "And she's right, you should not appear in public... We'll be OK."
"Not you too..." Sighing, the blue gentlemen nodded and disappeared as well.
"Now we know that our Persona can come out and talk." Shiho plainly commented, "What should we do now?"
"I don't really know..." he trailed off, looking down to the ground. "Let's wait for Keigo to come back. It's the only way for now..."
On the other hand, Keigo rushed toward Haru once he saw her, shouting her name in the meanwhile. "Haru!"
"...?" Turning around toward the source of the voice. "Oh! Hi Keigo-Kun."
Before she can even properly finish her sentence, Keigo gripped her shoulder hard and looked at her with a worried look. "Haru, you're OK?"
"I'm fine." Tilting her head in confusion, the wealthy girl looked down in response. "Um... Why are you worried about me?"
"Uh... I texted you after you and your fiance drove away, but you didn't answer me." The half-Franch paused, faking cough as a faint blush crept onto her face. "It's just that... your fiance is not what you think, he's dangerous!"
"I know." She sighed. "But father had arranged for me to marry him... in order to get into politic."
"Wait what?" Keigo exclaimed in disbelief. "You serious?!"
"I don't want to be serious as well." Haru sighed again, still looked down at the ground. "But father has been like this since our grandfather's death..."
"...This is awful." He turned around and remembered the two still waiting for him in the pavilion, quickly turned around and apologized to her. "Oh! I have to go now, texting tonight?"
Pondered for a moment, she nodded with a somber smile. "O...OK."
[Afterschool, The Phantom's hideout]
"Akira is Jester?!" Ren exclaimed in disbelief, pushing up his glasses. "Ann, why would you guess that?"
"Uh... It's just that he's too familiar for some reason." Ann explained, glancing at her teammates. "Back when I was awakening Carmen, he shouted my name."
"Shouted your name?" Yusuke questioned, tilting his head while stroking his chin. "But almost everyone in Shujin knows your name, right? From what you've said, he's a Shujin student after all."
"No." She shook her head, crossing her arms as she explained further. "He specifically called me 'Ann', not 'Takamaki' or something like that."
"Yeah, that's somethin' Akira'd say." Ryuji nodded. "Even I was calling her 'Takamaki' before she joins."
"That would explain his weird kindness and help he gave to us." Morgana said, climbing on the railing next to Ren. "Maybe we can confront him next time we met in the Metaverse."
"Why Metaverse?" Ryuji questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "We can just interrogate him or something like that."
"He can just lie in the real world." Yusuke said, still pondering about something. "But if we confront him in the Metaverse, he can not lie and claim he's not Jester."
"So in a nutshell, we just push him into a corner and force him to give us a proper answer," Ren muttered, nodding and pushing his glasses again with a smirk. "Not only that, we just accidentally created the perfect time to confront him."
"Accidentally created the perfect time-" Morgana interrupted himself as he realized what he means. "Oh! Yes! That's perfect!"
"What's perfect?" Ryuji asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "How can we just call him? He and his team was working on another palace, right?"
"Yeah, they were working on another palace." Ren widened his smirk, turning his focus on Yusuke. "But we had just secured our infiltration route yesterday, right?"
"Oh yeah! We can send the calling card!" Ann exclaimed in realization. "He and his team are certain to be there!"
"And we can confront them when we steal the treasure." Yusuke added, nodding. "So about the calling card, will Madarame take it seriously?"
"He'll know best whether the crime written on it is for real or not." Ryuji grinned, giving him a pat on his shoulder.
"Wait. Are you going to write it again, Ryuji?" Morgana squinted as a thought came across his mind. "That last one was questionable at best..."
"You should do it then, Yusuke!" Ann grinned, turning to the young artist. "Make it really artistic and stuff!"
"No. It'll end with him figuring it out." He shook his head. "He knows my drawing and writing styles all too well."
"Oh, then I'll think it up, and you make it cooler!" Ryuji grinned, giving him another pat.
"Designing a calling card, hm..." Yusuke pondered for a moment, sweeping some hair away from his eyes and smiled. "Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist."
"All right, you two take care of it then. Finish it by tonight and we'll post it at the exhibit. He can't ignore that." Ren nodded, giving him a thumb up and a reassuring smile.
"You guys better come fully prepared!" Morgana jokingly said, jumping down onto the ground.
[Mitsuyo's palace, 7th floor]
Slicing the final shadow in half and witnessed it dissolved into nothing, Jester turned around and gestured to a red door on the other side. "Let's take a break, it has been quite of a battle."
"Agreed." Swan yawned, stretching her arms outward.
"I need a break as well." Majesty nodded, panting softly while holding both of her hands on her knees. "Battle against shadow is more exhausting than I expected."
"You kinda pushing yourself too far, Majesty." Roi calmly said, giving her a hand. "We know that you want to finish this palace ASAP, but we can't just pushing and pushing."
"Roi's right, my King." Oichi added, appearing behind her. "Just take a break and try not to push yourself too far."
"Oichi... not you too..." The Kimono-wearing thief jokingly said, smiling faintly. "But you're right, let's take a break."
With a nod from everyone, they pushed open the red door and entered the saferoom. Jester and Swan sat next to each other on the chair while Majesty sitting on the other side and Roi sitting on the table itself.
"So, what's about Madarame's palace?" After a long while of comfortable silence, Majesty broke the silence and asked. "Ever since I joined you, it seems that we just abandoned Madarame's palace... "
"It's OK, The Phantom is taking care of that." Jester answered. "I think their infiltration route should be secured by now."
"The Phantom?" She questioned, tilting her head in confusion. "Who are they? Aren't we Le Fool?"
"They are another team of Phantom Thief, and the real one to be exact." Swan explained, causing her to widen her eyes. "You might have never encountered them, but back during Kamoshida's palace, we are hiding in the shadow and helping them."
Taking a long moment to gather her thought, Majesty sighed heavily. "So we are not the only one..."
"Yep." Roi nodded, giving her an apologetic look. "Maybe the next time we got into the museum, we stop hiding in the shadow and fight with them?"
"Maybe." Jester sighed as well, leaning back into his seat. "I was considering that actually. Me, Swan and Panther are long-time friends... maybe we should stop keeping secret from them."
"We can use some help from them as well." He said, leaning forward on his seat. "I know that we are enough to handle most battles, but we still have to be careful about the battle with your mother's shadow."
"We are going to fight mother..." Majesty trailed off, looking down at the ground. "Is this unavoidable?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Swan answered, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder. "The corrupted shadow must be returned to her real self to change hearts..."
Nodding, Majesty suddenly stood up from her chair, causing the other three to take a step back. "Let's go back to the real world, I need some time to gather some thought." She said, walking toward the door.
"...She needs some time, it's understandable." Roi sighed, following her toward the door as well. "Jester, Swan, you coming?"
Glancing to each other for a brief moment, the two nodded and followed them back to the real world as well.
[Evening, the front door of Akira's apartment]
"OK... What just happened."
Akira sweatdropped, sighing and pinching his nosebridge. In front of him is a pile and pile of delivery boxes with red stripes and an upside-down apple logo with 'NERV Delivery' written on it. And unfortunately, blocking his apartment's front door.
Unsure of what to do, he turned around and walked toward his neighbor's door behind him. However, some voices from the apartment startled him.
"Asuka, put it over here!" A boy's voice called out, following by some sound of moving a sofa.
"OK... Moving sucks... right, Baka-Shinji?" 'Asuka' sighed.
"Yeah, and with all those boxes outside..." 'Baka-Shinji' trailed off. "Misato-San, you said that Rei, Mari, Touji and Kensuke are moving here sometime later, right?"
"Yeah... how can this apartment enough for eight people to live in here?"
"Hikari is coming too."
"Huh?! You serious Asuka?"
"Of course I am, Baka-Shinji!"
"Uh... You don't need to be this hostile to him, Asuka."
Quickly snapped himself from eavesdropping his neighbor's conversation, Akira rang the bell and gained their attention. "Who's there?" 'Asuka' asked.
"I'll get the door." 'Baka-Shinji' said, walking down to the door and quickly opened it. It was a young boy with medium-length straight brown hair and grey-blue eyes, and he's about a similar age as Akira himself.
"Uh... Greetings." Akira awkwardly introduced, waving politely to the young boy. "I am your neighbor and... your boxes are blocking my apartment's door."
Peeking to the door behind him, the boy quickly apologized to him. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Before Akira can say anything, a young girl with long reddish-orange hair and blue eyes suddenly walked up to him from behind, clearly unimpressed with his apology. "Can't you just stop apologizing for a second, Baka-Shinji?"
The young boy called 'Baka-Shinji' paused for a moment, turning around and frowned. "But it's our fault that our neighbor's door gets blocked."
"Still, I'm sick with you constantly apologizing!" The redhead retorted, crossing her arms.
"Asuka, we've talked about this!"
seeing the argument between them start to escalate, Akira swiftly coughed, interrupting them. "Um... can we just deal with those boxes first?"
"...Oh, sorry about that." The redhead apologized, dragging the boy by his ears to put those boxes away.
"...You two seem to be close." Akira commented at her action, gaining a death glare from her. "Uh..."
"We have been roommates for over a year now..." The boy trailed off, sharing a look with the girl before turning back to Akira. "We actually just moved here today."
"I heard that." The persudo-detective nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since we're going to be neighbors... How about that we introduce ourselves?"
"Introduce ourselves?" The two new arrivals glanced at each other for a moment, but shrugged at the end. "Fine."
"Let me do it first." The redhead cleared her throat, putting her arms on her hips. "I am Asuka Langley Sohryu, nice to meet you."
"Shinji Ikari." The boy now named 'Shinji' quietly introduced, giving Akira a small smile. "Nice to meet you too."
"Uh... I am Akira Ichijou." Akira awkwardly introduced himself, holding a hand out toward them. "uh... Nice to meet you two!"
Sweatdropping, both Shinji and Asuka shook his hand. "This is awkward..." Asuka remarked, sighing.
"I know." Shinji agreed, glancing at the door of Akira's apartment. "Uh... Ichijou-San, now that your door is cleared from our boxes..."
Turning back at the door to his apartment, he gave them a small smile before entering his home, leaving the two alone in the corridor.
"He's kind, but a bit weird." Asuka commented, giving Shinji a questioned look. "What do you think about him?"
"Same as you, Asuka." Shinji shrugged, walking back to their apartment with Asuka following him.
[23rd of May, after school]
The calling card has been sent.
Madarame's exhibition has been covered with an almost identical calling card to Kamoshida's. Everyone has seen it and murmuring was all over this exhibition now.
"Pardon me, sir." An exhibit staff walked up to Madarame, taking him to the side. "There's a matter we need to notify you about..."
The elderly artist nodded before turning to his associates. "Please excuse me for a moment." He said with an polite wave, following the staff to side. The thieves watched from afar, trying their best to act like normal.
"What is it...?"
"We found this outside..." The staff trailed off, hesitantly handed a calling card to him.
"A letter?" Madarame asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"It's...uh..."
Madarame accepted the calling card, giving it a close examination. He furrowed his brow as he saw the logo- A red and black tophat with a white mask with a fire-like edge under it. He flipped the card around, noticing the message on it.
"'Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From Phantom Thief of Heart- The Phantom...'" The staff recited nervously, glancing at the artist with worry.
"Who's doing is this...?!" He asked sharply, tore the calling card into pieces as he darkened his face.
"We don't know!" The staff stammered, taking a few steps back un fear. "The same letter has been posted everywhere..."
"What about the security cameras?!"
"There were no signs of the culprit... All we saw was a cat in the recordings..."
Glaring harshly at him, Madarame exclaimed in rage. "Remove these at once!"
The staff nodded his head hastily. "Of course! But um..."
"...What now?!"
"It's about this affecting the exhibit...We believe it's just a prank, but what of the mass media?" The employee whispered, taking a step closer and covering his mouth from the onlookers.
"Are you insinuating that this slander is true...?"
"Of course not!"
The air suddenly fuzzed like TV static, and Madarame was replaced with his shadow self. "It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it?" He growled, voice distorted. "Well, it means nothing...They'll only be able to do as they please until this exhibit is over..." With a flash, the world turned back to normal.
"Will that do...?" Yusuke asked uncertainly, turning around to his teammates.
"Yup! It was perfect!" Ann nodded with a smile. "The composition was way cooler too!"
"The Treasure should appear right about now." Morgana said, peeking out of his bag.
"You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man." Ryuji muttered, glancing at the old artist before turning back to his team. "Anyways, d'you guys check online? People are already talkin' about that callin' card."
"We'll show 'em...We're gonna surprise 'em all!"
"Yeah." Ren nodded, pushing his glasses. "Remember, we only got one chance. We're going to count on each other."
"Right back at you." Ann replied with a thumbs up.
Smiling faintly, the leader nodded. "Yeah, let's do this."
On the other hand, the four thieves of Le Fool were gathered in front of Madarame's shack once they heard about the news of the calling card. Akira was holding his phone with the Meta-Nav opened, readied to enter the museum.
"I didn't expect them to be this early." Keigo commented, leaning at the steel fences behind him. "But in all and all, are we going to unmask ourselves?"
"Mostly." Akira replied, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Ann is going to kill me after this..."
"You're not alone on this one." Shiho muttered, taking a step closer to his side. "How would Ann react to us being Persona user..."
"It's not important right now." Hifumi said, causing both teens to give her a confused look. "I know I am the new one here... but should we finish the business about Madarame first?"
"You're right." The persudo-detective nodded, pressing the navigation button and sent themselves to the Metaverse.
[Madarame's palace]
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Jester looked up at the museum. The usual golden exterior of the build was now accompanied by a red tinge. "The atmosphere is... different." Majesty remarked, looking around the museum itself.
"Yeah, not only that it's on high alert, it's produced by a totally rotted person." Swan answered. "Hey, at least it's your first time to experience a heist."
"Anyway, we should get going." Jester announced, taking his grappling hook out. "Let's go."
They fired their grappling together and pulled themselves to the garden outside. Instead of dropping in through the opened window like usual, they sprinted on the rooftop to the open courtyard near the treasure hall.
They were about to continue on when Roi noticed the other five thieves down at the courtyard, quickly stopping his teammates from jumping to the next building. "Hey! It's them!"
Quickly hiding in the ledge of the building, the four watches. "Uh... Jester," Majesty whispered, pointing at Mona down with them. "What is that cat?"
"It's Mona." Jester shrugged. "There are many things weird about the Metaverse, and Mona is one of them... So just don't question that."
"I see." She nodded hesitantly, turning her attention back at observing The Phantom for now.
Glancing back at the treasure hall and how empty that is, Fox turned back to his teammates. "It seems we managed to escape their siege."
"Hope so." Joker said, leading the group a little further before Mona suddenly stopped.
"Mrrr... Meowww..."
"Dude..." Skull sweatdropped. "Why's Mona gettin' excited now of all times...?"
"I just can't take it anymore! Let's take a look at this Treasure...!" Mona drooled, dropping the portrait on the floor and unfurled the fabric around it, exposing the back of the frame. "Treasure!"
The others watched, curiosity overtaking their need to escape.
Grinning, Mona turned the portrait over and his face fell. "You've got to be kidding me." Instead of any beautiful portrait they were expecting, it was a portrait made up of Japanese syllables, mocking the thieves.
"This is the Treasure?!" Skull exclaimed, widening his eyes in disbelief.
"We're bamboozled, great..." Joker sighed, putting his hands on his hips.
Hearing static starting to buzz around them, Fox snapped back to his sorrounding and noticed the poles poked up from the ground. "Get back!" He warned, and they quickly jumped back away from the portrait, just in time for them to avoid the electric field.
"Not only we've been bamboozled, but it was also a trap all along." The leader sighed, internally cursing to himself.
"Meddlesome vermin."
They turned to see Madarame enter the courtyard from the treasure hall with a few guards around him. The thieves quickly regrouped together, ready for a battle.
"This is not good." Swan whispered to herself, aiming her sniper rifle to the shadow, turning off the safety.
"Don't shoot him." Jester said, putting his hand on the barrel. "He seems to have something to say."
"Is this what you're looking for?" Madarame jerked his chin at one of the guards who held a golden frame in its arm.
Mona glared at him. "What nonsense that you used a mousetrap on me!"
Skull clenched a fist. "So you had a fake prepped, huh?!"
"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art." The shadow explained coolly, lifting a brow.
Clenching his fist tight, Fox took a step forward. "What made you change like this?! Is it because you became famous?!" He shouted, staring at his former mentor with sadness. "Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father?!"
"...Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother." Madarame replied. "That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing...That's why I decided to look after her."
"No..." Majesty's eyes widened in horror, realizing where it's going. "This can't be..."
"Jester, when are we going to finish this human trash." Swan asked, turning at her leader.
"I want to finish him right now and right here too..." Jester admitted, lifting his hand from her sniper rifle. "But if we just kill his shadow... it'll just turn into a mental shutdown..."
She internally cursed to herself, lowering her rifle. "You're right..."
"That's right." Madarame grinned viciously, spreading his arms out as if he's making a proud statement. "Your mother and the artwork she created- they're all MY works of art!"
"How low can you sink...?" Panther glowered.
"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die- a glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri'...!" The shadow chuckled darkly, gesturing to the guard.
"Genuine...?" Fox froze.
The guard Madarame gestured walked forward, lifting the portrait in the air for everyone to see. It was an almost identical portrait to the 'Sayuri' they had seen, but the mist clouding her lower body was gone. She was holding a baby with care and love, smiling down to him.
"That's... the real 'Sayuri'...?" Fox breathed, observing the painting with wide eyes. "This can't be...!" He flinched as the truth hit him hard. "Mom...!"
"Huh?!" Skull gasped, the others also stared at him in surprise.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Joker trailed off, turning back to the portrait.
"Indeed it is." Madarame confirmed with a nod, smirking viciously. "This was painted by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind."
"That is the truth behind the mystery of 'Sayuri's expression!"
"This is straight-up disgusting..." Majesty said darkly, holding her semi-automatic rifle.
"You stole something THAT personal...?!" Skull snarled, stomping his boots and cracked the tile beneath.
"I knew at first glance. I knew it'd be a huge success if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!" Madarame only smirked to them in response.
"But the baby in the picture..." Fox stared at it silently, eyes still widened. "Why did you paint over it...?"
"...It was all to stage it." The shadow answered coolly. "If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery..! That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"
"I always felt something was off about all this... Now I know what it is." Panther glared at him, shaking her head in disgust. "If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn't even think about replicating it for profit!"
"You don't love art at all!"
"Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!" Mona nodded in agreement, taking a step forward.
"It makes me laugh, asshole!" Skull growled. "To hear you think of yourself as a real artist, when you've been stealin' from real ones for years!"
"So you'll defy me no matter what..." Madarame sneered. "Well then, since you're my work of art, Yusuke, I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future...Along with those insolent friends of yours there."
"I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like they're objects... You're inhuman!" Panther exclaimed in anger.
However, Fox stood still as he came with a realization. "I've heard that you destroy your "art" once they outlive their usefulness... Did that include my mother as well?"
"No...!" Everyone stared at him in shock, a chill going down their spines at the thought.
"Everyone, ready to jump down at any moment." Jester whispered to his teammates, pulling out his revolver. "I don't like where he's going to..."
"She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me." He revealed, giving them the widest smirk he had ever done. "That's when a thought crossed my mind...If I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached."
"You let her DIE?!" Panther exclaimed, covering her mouth in horror.
"She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure. Above all, Yusuke," Madarame chuckled, turning to his pupil. "Didn't you think it was odd that I discovered your talent when you were only three?"
"The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind 'Sayuri.'"
"You killed her...!" Fox growled darkly, clenching his fist tightly till his nails pierced through his gloves.
"The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation though." He continued. "If I'm to steal ideas, it's much easier robbing the future of brats who won't talk back than adults. It's thanks to you that I came up with the idea."
"You have my gratitude."
"That's it, we're going now." Clenching his revolver's handle hard, Jester took a few steps back before sprinting forward at full speed, jumping off the rooftop. Nodding, the other three followed as well.
Aiming at the head of that one guard who was holding the portrait, Jester and Swan fired their guns in unison and hit straight in the head of that guard. Causing everyone to pause in surprise.
"What just happene-" Before Skull can finish his word, the four thieves of Le Fool landed in crouching position between them and Madarame, weapons in their heads.
"Even more petty intruders..." Madarame commented, anger slowly crept on his face.
"Madarame... I thought you were just an old man with too much greed..." Jester whispered darkly, standing up to face him. "How could've I guessed, you're even more disgusting than that."
"In some way, you're just as bad than Kamoshida." Swan glared at the shadow, pulling out her saber. "No... Even worse."
"In my entire life, I've never witnessed someone as rotten as you." Roi commented, unsheathing his longsword. "What a god damn surprise."
"You're going to pay for what you've done." Majesty clenched her Naginata, pointing straight at the shadow. "For sure!"
"That just escalated quickly." Joker sweatdropped. "But didn't expect you to just come out from the shadow, Jester."
"I'm just too mad at this A-class human trash." Jester replied, holding his scythe right at Madarame's face. "This trash let someone's mother die for money and fame, how could I hold myself together?"
However, the response only came as Fox's dark chuckling. "I thank you, Madarame...!" He glared at him, eyes burning in rage. "Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist... You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"
"All you good-for-nothings...! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want..." Madarame sneered in response, black goos start to appear around his feet. "Those who have the connections make the rules; those who don't, follow them."
"Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene!"
His face distorted into an ugly sneer, his red lipsticks spread thinly on his lips. "I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!"
"This isn't good." Mona warned. "Get back!"
The thieves stepped back, watching as the artist began to laugh maniacally. His mouth began to get wider and distorting his features. And he transformed into four portraits, with two eyes, a nose, and a giant mouth. "I'll paint all over you!"
"Now...let's begin, you vermin!"
Panther shifted his focus from the monster to Jester, taking a deep breath before shouting to him. "Let's finish it together! jester... no, Akira!"
Jester froze, pausing a moment before smiling to himself, turning back to her. "Yeah, let's finish this, Ann."
"So it's you all along..." Skull trailed off, widening his eyes in realization as he noticed Swan's worrying face. "Wait, Swan... You're Suzui?!"
"Huh?!" Panther yelped, eyes open wider as she also finally realized who they're looking at. "Shiho?!"
"Yeah, it's me." Swan sighed, gripping her saber with both hands. "But let kill this a-hole first, OK?"
"Of course." Joker nodded, swing his dagger in his hand.
And with that, the fight with Madarame began.
With that, chapter 19 had finished! Thank you for reading!
So we left this off with a cliffhanger... sorry 'bout that. Now both Swan and Jester's identity has been revealed, they are going to have a long talk with Ann after the battle... A really long one.
Also, a small (but not too small) Evangelion cameo! The cast of Evangelion is not going to be a much as a something like a crossover, most likely to be a side character with some interaction with Akira and others. And mostly only featured Shinji and Asuka. Since Persona 5 is most likely to set in 2016, that makes them 15 in this story and a first-year in high school... Maybe they'll transfer to some school we familiar with, or not.
And now here's a question from a review earlier!
Chance Green G King: So uhh... About whether making someone's Persona unusual like Johanna(on design-wise), it's very possible since it'll be kinda boring if every member's Persona is human-like in Le Fool. But it'll be difficult to figure something to be a model of a Persona. (Johanna as a bike and Necronomicon as a UFO, what other cool things you can think of as a Persona?)
However, if what you mean is like something not based on humans, like using... The vampire as a Persona or like a werewolf (Or like Necronomicon which based on a book in Cthulhu myth.) It's more unlikely because there are many characters and historical figures to choose and fit the 'rebel' theme. Thus I'll more likely to choose a real person or a character to be the base of those personas.
Anyway, thank you for your question!
And with all that said, hope you like the story so far, reviews are welcome!
