May 19th.

The school day ended. Hifumi was on her way to the church in Kanda to practice for her next Shogi match. She was going up against one of her seniors soon and needed every bit of practice she could fit in. While waiting for her train to come in, she happened to spot Yusuke, who seemed to be in an extremely bright mood. "Oh…Kitagawa-san. I see you're looking happier than usual today."

"But of course." Yusuke said with his eyes closed. "You recall the inspiration I told you about the other day? I now have the chance to make a panting with her!"

"Oh…that's good." Hifumi said with a slight nod. No wonder Yusuke seemed to be in a good mood today. "I hope it goes well."

"Thank you, Togo-san." Yusuke couldn't wait. This nude painting of Ann was going to be, perhaps his best work yet! At least, that's what he had been thinking ever since Ann contacted him to tell him he was ready. But the whims of fate had something else in store for this budding artist…

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The Phantom Thieves hit a snag in their infiltration of Madarame's museum of a Palace. In order to proceed further, they would have to change his cognition about a certain door in his shack. It needed to be opened in front of his very eyes. This task was handled by Ann and Morgana. While Ann goaded Yusuke closer to the door, Morgana took the liberty picking the lock with his cat paws. A task far easier said than done, but things swayed in their favor. Now, Ann and Yusuke had Madarame in a metaphorical corner, as he attempted to explain away the numerous copies of Sayuri he had in this hidden room.

Morgana noticed that one of the paintings had a different feel to it. It was also covered up. "Lady Ann! That one seems different!"

Anna heard Morgana's whisper and removed the cloth. When she did, everyone's eyes widened. "Huh…?"

"Sayuri…" Yusuke knew. Even though they were surrounded by replicas, he knew deep down in his heart that this was the true one. "This…this is the real Sayuri!" He turned to Madarame in disbelief. "But you just said a moment ago it was stolen…"

Madarame was only backed further into a corner. "That's a replica!"

"It's nothing of the sort!" Yusuke fired back. He would not stand here and be told this lie. "This painting is what's been keeping me going! It's the reason I made it this far. Sensei…don't tell me."

"It's fake…yes! A counterfeit! I heard there was a counterfeit going around so I bought it!" Madarame explained, lying through his teeth.

And Ann wasn't buying it. "You're telling me the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit? That's pushing it."

"You're lying, Sensei…" Yusuke hated uttering those words, but he could not ignore the truth that was in front of him. "Please, just tell us the truth."

Even Yusuke? "You too…?" Madarame was not taking any more of this. He humored these kids long enough and enough was enough. He pulled out his cellphone and pressed a button. "I've reported you to my private security company."

"What!?" Ann thought this was a little extreme.

"I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it'd come in so handy!" Madarame grinned. This was a perfect way to nip this little issue in the bud.

"Let's talk about this…!" Yusuke didn't think such drastic measures were needed.

"You can talk all you want to the police. That includes you, Yusuke." Madarame turned to his pupil.

"Lady Ann, let's run!" Morgana slipped from behind the corner and dashed out the room, with Ann following right behind them.

Madarame was taken aback at the sight of a cat in his home. "A cat…!? Where did it…!? There's no point! They'll be here in two minutes!"

Yusuke just followed behind Ann. Why? He wasn't sure, but he had to go after her. "Takamaki-san…!"

.

.

While Ann and Morgana were dealing with Yusuke and Madarame, Joker and Skull used the chance they created to disable the security within the museum. They were on their way back after confirming that the lasers were disabled. "I hope those two managed to get away…" Skull huffed.

Speak of the devil, a rift opened up above them, Panther, screaming as she, Mona, and Yusuke fell down. "Noooooo!" As Ann yelped, she fell to the ground…in Yusuke's arms! Before it could even been recognized, Mona had fallen onto Yusuke's head, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Aaaaag….Ooooow…" Mona groaned.

"I thought I was gonna die…" Panther groaned, only to realize she was in Yusuke's arms. "Hey! Will you let go already!?" And then she shoved him to the ground. Harder than she intended as he fell over. "Ah! Oh no! Are you okay?! I didn't mean to push him so hard…!"

Yusuke sat up, and naturally, he was confused about the three people in strange outfits, along with the odd place he was in. "Who are you people…!?"

"C-Calm down, Kitagawa-kun. It's me…!" Panther tried to ease Yusuke's worries.

"Takamaki-san…?" Yusuke recognized her voice. If this was Ann, then… "Then you are…" He mumbled, glancing at Skull and Joker. "I don't recall seeing this cat costume before, though." Naturally, Morgana took offense to this, but he didn't say anything. "Where is this place?"

"We're inside Madarame's heart." Ann explained.

"Inside…Sensei's heart…?" He was standing in it, but trying to rationalize this made no sense. "Takamaki-san, are you okay?"

"You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality viewed through Madarame's eyes." Ann explained.

"This…repulsive world…?" Yusuke glanced around. It was so…excessive and gaudy. He could hardly believe that this is how his teacher, the man he viewed as Father viewed the world. "Just who are you people…?"

"I guess you could say we're a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks." Skull explained.

"We're the Phantom Thieves." Joker said. There was no point trying to hide it since Yusuke was seeing them with his own eyes.

"If everything you said is true, then the Sensei I know doesn't exist. Still…he has kept me safe these past ten years. My gratitude for that just won't disappear." Yusuke shook his head. He was still reluctant to believe what he was seeing.

"You're gonna forgive him!? At this rate…!" Skull was frustrated that Yusuke couldn't see what was right in front of him.

Yusuke then fell to a knee, gripping his head. This had been far too much to take in all at once. "Ngh…I'm…trying to be rational about this, but my emotions are overwhelming me."

This seemed like a good time to go. "Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle!" Mona exclaimed. "The security level is through the roof! We need to get out of here at once!"

"Ngh…" Yusuke groaned, but slowly started to stand up.

"Come on, we have go." Joker said, leading the way back to the exit. They had done what they set out to do; now it was time to leave for the day.

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.

Hifumi sat alone in the Church, practicing some moves by herself. While she did this, she could not help but think about the rumors she heard about Madarame. On the one hand, she knew how it felt to have rumors spread about one's self. That's why she wasn't so willing to talk when Ryuji had asked her the other day. And yet, she couldn't take her mind off of Madarame's response the other day. "…It bothers me…" She mumbled to herself. "It felt so…rehearsed…empty…" Maybe she was simply reading too much into it. Madarame was one of the greatest artists in Japan. Of course there would be rumors. Her better judgement told her not to think about it too much. Still, she did wish that Yusuke would be all right…

Hifumi's train of thought would be interrupted as her mother approached her. "I knew I'd find you here. Still practicing in this old church?" Mitsuyo asked.

"Did you need something, Mother?" Hifumi was just going to ignore that first comment. It was rare that her mother came to her like this.

"Yes. You'll be happy to hear that I've gotten you scheduled for a magazine shoot next week!" Mitsuyo was quite happy about this.

Hifumi, on the other hand, did not seem so pleased. "W-What? Wait, you didn't talk to me about this…?"

"Why would I?" Mitsuyo questioned so fast, so sharply, that Hifumi nearly recoiled from it. "I'm doing all of this for you, so that you can be the greatest female shogi player. I think you should be a little more grateful that I've given you this big opportunity! It's the first step to you being the idol I've always wanted to be."

"But…." Hifumi's gaze averted. She was rather unhappy about this, but whether her mother noticed or not clearly didn't matter. There wasn't much she could say about it anyway. It was clear she didn't have a choice. "…Very well…"

"I'm so glad you see things my way. Once people see you, you'll have more male fans than you'll know what to do with." It was all coming together in Mitsuyo's mind. Hifumi's rise to becoming an idol was a set path! Her daughter would be so famous, and by proxy, so would she for setting everything up! "Oh, and you'll be coming along with me to the TV station at the beginning of June! An exclusive interview with rising star: Hifumi Togo!"

"Don't you think that's a bit much…?" Hifumi mumbled. It almost didn't seem like it was worth asking. "I mean…of course, Mother…"

"I'm glad you see things my way. I simple wanted to let you know in person! Oh, but you'll have to work on that smile before then." Mitsuyo nodded, making her exit. "Don't stay out too late and I'll see you at home."

"Yes…" Hifumi muttered. That was far from a pleasant conversation as far as she was concerned…

.

.

The Phantom Thieves nearly escaped from the museum, but they were blocked off by several Shadows that appeared in front of them. "The exit is right there…!" Mona sucked his teeth. Cut off at the worst possible point.

"Hahahaha…!" Shadow Madarame laughed as he finally showed himself. A man who viewed himself as the ruler of the art world, dressed a golden robe and facepaint.

"What the…?" Panther had a hard time looking at the ruler of this Palace.

"Hah…!" Skull couldn't help but laugh. "First a king, now some kind of Shogun!?"

"Huh…?" Yusuke blinked slowly. "Sensei…is that you…? That attire…"

"Disgusting." Panther spat.

"My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act." Shadow Madarame explained. "Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home, under a mistress's name of course."

"I'm almost impressed." Joker said, remarking at the setup Madarame created.

"Hahaha! Don't make me laugh!" Shadow Madarame said, laughing. At this moment, he then explained his true feelings on what he thought about art and the pupils he had under him. Art was nothing but a tool to gain money, the real Sayuri was nothing but a painting for him to profit off of. "After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back. Livestock killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!"

"God, it pisses me off…" Skull snarled. "That's your teacher…"

"I can't believe this…" So this was the truth. These were the true colors of the man he owed his life to; was seen as nothing more than a way to make money, that was it. Yusuke was finally shown the truth of his teacher. Those rumors were true. And this was not a truth Yusuke would avert his eyes from.

"But I tire of this conversation." Shadow Madarame stroked his chin. "Men! Dispose of these thieves!"

"You are unforgivable." Yusuke growled.

"Hm…?" Madarame lifted a brow as Yusuke began to stand up.

"It doesn't matter who you are! I won't forgive you!" Yusuke shouted.

"So you repay my years of kindness with ingratitude?!" Madarame had no issue dealing with this.

"Get back!" Panther and Joker yelled.

"Hahahaha…" It was all so funny, he couldn't but laugh. This was the truth of his teacher, was it? "How amusing. It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm…?"

"Kitagawa-kun…!?" Panther wasn't sure where this was going.

"I wanted to believe it wasn't true." Yusuke admitted. "I had clouded my vision for so long. My eyes were truly blind…blind and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!"

"Have you finally come to your senses?"

"…!" Yusuke's eyes widened as a yellow tint appeared within them. His head felt like it was in agony and he started to thrash about uncontrollably.

"How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth. A deplorable imitation. Best you part form that aspect of yourself." As the voice spoke, Yusuke fell to his knees, dragging his fingers along the ground with a small trail of blood coming from them. "Let us now forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I. The world is filled with both beauty and vice. It is time you teach people which is which!" A kitsune masked appeared on Yusuke's face, as he finally brought himself to his feet.

"Very well." Yusuke gripped the edge of the mask with his bloodied fingers, prying it off his face in one fell swoop, a blue pillar of energy exploding around his entire body. "Come! Goemon!" The pillar faded, Yusuke now donning the attire of a rebel. "A breathtaking sight. Imitations though they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil blossom be known…abominations are fated to perish!" Upon uttering that last word, Yusuke swiped his arm to the side, creating a chilling gust of wind that knocked numerous guards off their feet, freezing them over the instant they were blown back.

"Whoa! This impressive…!" Mona stared; wide eyed at the fact they happened to find another Persona user!

Shadow Madarame glanced around at his frozen guards. "Who do you think you are!? The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards!? Kill them all!" And on that command, several more Shadows appeared.

"The children who adored you as father…" Yusuke began with a glare, Shadow Madarame grinning at him. "The prospects of your pupils…how many dreams did you exchange for riches!? No matter what it takes, I WILL BRING YOU TO JUSTICE!"

"Let's see what you're made of." Joker said.

"Very well…bring it on!" Yusuke's lips curled up into a malicious grin. He would not allow Madarame to get away with what he had done.

"You are in the presence of Lord Madarame!" The lead security Shadow exclaimed, swinging its hammer around intimidatingly. "On your knees intruders!" It was an even fight; the Phantom Thieves now had 5 members against the 5 Shadows that attempted to corner them.

"I learned much from you, Madarame." Yusuke said. "In other to see ascertain true beauty, one must be dispassionately realistic. With Goemon by my side, I can ascertain your true self!" Yusuke then drew his sword, rearing back as Goemon did the same. The painter slashed forward and his Persona followed suit, a beam of ice following its slash. This was his way of using Bufu, and this frigid slash instantly froze over the small Shadow he aimed at. With it frozen, Yusuke dashed forward, aiming two swift slashes at the Shadow to completely take it down. "Hah!"

"Whoa…" Skull was impressed at how quickly Yusuke picked up on combat. But he wasn't going to be shown up either. "Let's go, Captain!" He roared as Captain Kidd appeared behind him. "Bam!" The captain pointed his arm forward, releasing a bolt of thunder that struck the large, sledgehammer wielding Shadow. It was just like Skull to go for the biggest one, and he'd follow up by sprinting ahead, pulling his large pipe back. "Take this!" Skull swung and landed a direct hit, but the Shadow was far more durable than that. As soon as Skull hit it, it swung back and he was knocked backwards. "Gah!"

"Skull, watch yourself!" Panther chided Skull for being so reckless. "Let's dance, Carmen!" Upon calling her Persona, Carmen whipped her arms forward, acting in a dance of flame. Maragi spread out upon all foes, burning the smaller ones, while the larger one simply grunted in pain. "Mona!"

"Zoro!" Mona jumped forward, letting out a meow as the vigilante Persona swiped its sword in a Z motion, creating a gust of wind that swept up all the small flying shadows. This mini tornado of Garu raged on and Shadow Madarame had to step back from being caught within it. "Joker!"

"Heh…" Joker barely needed the cue. The showoff of a leader jumped into the tornado, using the wind to aid his ascend. He jumped onto one shadow, using his knife to stab it and propelled off of it at the same time, repeating this process until he got to the last shadow. For this one, he was a little more stylish, using his grappling hook to latch onto the tiny Shadow, swinging it down to the ground while pointing his pistol at it. A single bullet was fired, striking the Shadow down and Joker stuck the landing.

"Don't just stand there! Kill them!" Shadow Madarame barked.

"Yes, Lord Madarame!" The sledge hammer Shadow said. It didn't matter if one or two were lost, the result needed to be the same. The Shadow approached Yusuke and aimed a violent swing, but it was far too slow for the now nimble artist."…!?"

Yusuke then appeared in front of the Shadow at blinding speeds, swinging his sword several times before leaping back, pointing his assault rifle at it before firing! It was such a sudden shot the Shadow was knocked down, and once it was, it was held at gunpoint by Yusuke, Panther, Skull, and Joker. "Let's begin!" The four sprang into action, striking the Shadow from all angles with a flurry of attacks. This All Out Attack was the decisive finisher, Yusuke landing the final blow!

"It was fun while it lasted. Goodbye."

"….!" Shadow Madarame was stunned. He just watched these brats clear out his guards without any trouble! It was so hard to find good help these days…!

With the battle over, Yusuke began a slow approach towards Madarame. He wasn't finished….but his body was. Before he could take many more steps, he fell to his knees. "Ngh…"

"Yusuke…you just threw your bright future down the drain. I'll destroy every chance you ever had at becoming an artist!" Shadow Madarame angrily exclaimed.

"Madarame…!" If Yusuke could move his body, he'd…!

"You'll forever rue the day you dared to defy me!" And with that, Shadow Madarame walked off.

"GET BACK HERE!" Yusuke took a few steps forward, only to fall again, on a knee. "Why can't I move…!?"

"Listen, you're totally drained…!" Panther said. "You can't do much right now, even if you wanted to!"

Skull crouched down next to Yusuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon man…listen to her."

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.

There was hardly time to sit and chat. The Thieves had to make a hasty exit after learning a little about Yusuke and his doubts about Madarame from the very beginning. They met up at the café in Shibuya, all sitting together as they discussed today's events. They had just told Yusuke the story from the very beginning, about the Metaverse and everything. "I see…and because of that, this PE teacher had a change of heart. To think Phantom Thieves who steal hearts really exist…"

"Is it hard to believe?" Ren asked. This was the type of thing that was difficult to believe if you didn't see it with your own eyes.

"No, I believe you." Yusuke responded. "There's no need for common sense to blind me after seeing a world like that. So your plan with Madarame-sens…" He had to correct himself. "With Madarame, is to force a change of heart, correct? Let me join as a member of the Phantom Thieves." That request caught everyone off guard. "Had I opened my eyes to the truth earlier, this could have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others' whose future as artists were robbed. That…is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was in some manner, my father."

"Civil, huh…?" Ann mumbled.

"That's fine with me. We're gonna take care of Madarame anyways." Ryuji said.

At this moment, Morgana poked his head out from Ren's bag. "He may have a mental shutdown if we do this. We have ways to prevent this, but they aren't failsafe. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. If someone like me makes an objection, it'll only be snubbed out. We have no other option but this." Yusuke was firm in this conviction.

"It's a deal then." Morgana grinned.

"We have a new member in the Phantom Thieves then!" Ann was excited about that. "I hope we get along, Yusuke."

"You better now slow us down." Ryuji remarked playfully.

"I'll do my best." Yusuke nodded.

"Oh, and no nude paintings." Ren remarked.

"Oh…so that was a plan? You're quite bold, Takamaki-san…" Yusuke didn't think it was all a ruse.

"It wasn't my idea! It was theirs!" Ann cried.

"What else were we supposed to do!?" Ryuji retorted. "He kept going on an' on about the nude modeling!"

"I haven't given up on that yet." Yusuke grinned.

"Give it up!" Ann huffed. "…Speaking of, what about Madarame? Yusuke and I were in a pretty tight spot."

"I contacted him before I came here." Yusuke said. "It seems he believes I continued pursuing Takamaki-san, and as you all explained, it seems he knows nothing about his Shadow. He was complaining to the security company about how they couldn't even catch a single high school girl. He's still serious about taking legal action against everyone."

That was bad news. "Talk about bein' on guard…" Ryuji grumbled.

"Legal action? He's being way too desperate…" Ann sighed. Things just went from bad to worse.

"Maybe he has more secrets?" Ren suggested.

"If he were to act, it would have to be after the exhibit. Any scandal during would be his loss." Yusuke clarified, meaning that they had time at the very least.

"It looks like we'll have to force a change of heart before then to dodge this 'legal action' thing. So we'll have to complete our infiltration before the exhibit is over!" Morgana declared and everyone agreed.

After a few seconds of silence, Yusuke spoke once more. "…By the way, what is this?"

"…A cat." Ryuji explained.

"But it's…talking…?" That didn't exactly clear anything up for the artist.

"You got a problem with that!?" Morgana asked, ready to fight.

"No, not really." Yusuke shrugged.

"What? Why not!?" Ryuji found his reaction pretty tame.

"He's just on another wavelength from other people…" Ann laughed nervously.

"Do you wish to draw me? You better get my good side." The cat said confidently.

"Hm…" Yusuke then leaned over, extending his hand.

Morgana assumed Yusuke's hand was coming towards him. "Hey, don't touch me like th-…!"

And Yusuke's hand went to the button to call a waiter over. "I was thinking of ordering some black bean jelly."

"I bet he got that idea from a black cat…" Ryuji muttered.

And it was at this moment Yusuke made a horrible realization. "Oh…! I didn't bring any money…."

Ann couldn't defend that. "Never mind. He's just weird."