June 5th.
There were numerous screens with Madarame's image on them. This was a live video recording of an interview that was happening at this very moment. Japan's greatest artist…had some very disturbing news to share with everyone. Shibuya was buzzing with activity early Sunday morning, but that all came to a stop when Madarame appeared. "What's up with that old geezer?" A passerby questioned, looking up at the large TV screen.
"Is he…crying…?" A female asked.
Madrame was fighting back the tears. He was in the middle of an important press conference, the eyes of every person in Japan on him as he confessed every single one of his sins. "I…I have committed crimes of an artist…I…" He choked on his words, the weight of what he was saying finally crushing him after all this time. "I plagiarized work…!" Snap! Snap! Numerous camera flashes went off as Madarame confessed the gravest sin one could commit in the art world. "I tainted this-this country's art world…a-and even Sayuri!" He couldn't hold it in, his head lowered and he began to sob. "I even…abused my old pupils…and made their work my own! H-How could I…how could I possibly apologize for what I've done!? Ahhhhhh…!" He put his head in his hands and began to cry, completely breaking into tears in front of the entirety of japan. It was ugly and raw, but this was the price of his vanity.
"He's crying way too much, hahah…" The same male pedestrian said. It was hard to take this confession seriously with Madarame's ugly crying.
"And that was from the urgent apology conference from Madarame just moments ago.' The reporter explained. "After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in."
"Wasn't he on TV the other day…?" A woman asked. Madarame had been fairly popular even to those not interested in art.
"Furthermore, on top of charges of abuse to his pupils, Madarame has also been charged with claiming their works as his own. Some doubt the validity that his maiden work, 'Sayuri' was stolen, believing it was used for fraud. This large scale criminal act of theft has come as a great shock to the art world."
"That old man's done for…" Another man said.
"After the conference, Madarame was taken to a police hospital due to his age. However, initial psych evaluations said he is mentally sound and likely responsible for his actions." The reporter continued.
"There's no need to feel sorry for an old geezer like that." One man said.
"But why'd he spill the beans himself? Doesn't that seem weird?" Another man asked. He was asking the right question.
"Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at the exhibit; however it has since gone missing. The police will investigate their relation to the case but they are unlikely to be deemed suspects."
"The Phantom Thieves? They responsible for this old guy apologizing?"
"Oh…! I think I've heard of them!" A woman piped up. "They supposedly steal evil hearts; it's why the culprits apologize!"
"Wait, what?" Another woman couldn't help but chuckle. "Steal hearts? But that's impossible though!"
"I think I've heard of them online too…" The same man said. "They sent out a calling card for real!"
"Oh, so it was like, 'we'll take your heart'? That's pretty cool if true…"
A young man had been watching the presentation. This was the second time the Phantom Thieves had been mentioned and the incident was much bigger than before. "Phantom Thieves, huh…?" He walked off, mulling something over. "How curious…"
Makoto was also watching as well, red eyes narrowing at the news. "Phantom Thieves again…" As someone tasked by Shujin's own principle to figure out the identity of the Phantom Thieves within Shujin, this was a very intriguing bit of information. She already had her eyes on a specific group of people, and now she had to confirm her thoughts to solidify her hypothesis.
Hifumi had also been watching the news, more shocked than anyone else. Considering she was there when the calling card was delivered, it was a huge surprise to learn that…everything about Madarame was true. "So the rumors were true after all…" To stand against a man who had such influence over the art world, that act surely contained more risks than she thought and that…kind of inspired her. "That's amazing…"
"They said a dubious note was posted but they can't even find it? Sounds like the police are slipping."
"…!" That comment snapped Hifumi out of her growing admiration for the Phantom Thieves. Because she just remembered that she was the one who did that. Why? It was out of curiosity but was kind of turning into a bigger deal than she expected. Scurrying away from a growing crowd, Hifumi went to check her bag. She still had that calling card. Why? It was out of curiosity but it was probably a good idea to get rid of it soon…later. But she then had a thought…if Madarame was turning himself in then… "Oh no…Kitagawa…I should go check on him." Before she was concerned because of the rumors, but now she was fully worried since this likely meant Yusuke would be out of a home…
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Ren and his friends were hanging out in the Accessway. "You guys see the news about Madarame! It's just like what happened with Kamoshida!"
"And the mentioned the Phantom Thieves!" Ann perked up.
"Man, this is starting to get interesting…!" Ryuji was on cloud nine after this success. "If we do it right, we can keep changing people's hearts. With this power, we can do more than just getting' back a society...! It'll be a big deal!"
"I think this'll be fun." Ren chimed in.
"Let's keep pushin' on then!" Ryuji then sat up. "As for me, I just hope we keep getting more and more famous!"
"Something like this happening twice is a big deal." Morgana piped up. "There's no way they can write this off as a coincidence."
"If we keep doing this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to people who need it!" That's what Ann was most excited about.
"…I do wonder what happened to that calling card we went, though." Yusuke muttered. It seemed a bit odd that the news went out of their way to report it had vanished, leaving little proof of its existence, just like the Phantom Thieves themselves. As he mused this thought, he noticed two officers approaching the group. "We may want to quiet down a little." He told the others.
"Eh? Do you know them?" Ann asked.
"You moron! Those are attendance officers…!" Ryuji whispered.
"Hello there," the officer with sunglasses spoke. "May I speak with you all for a moment?"
"Ah, yes! How can we help you…?" Ann panicked and she instantly shifted to her 'acting' state.
"That monotonous acting of hers never fails to send a chill down my spine…." Morgana mumbled.
"What are you all doing here? Are you friends?" The one wearing sunglasses spoke.
"Yeah, we're just deciding on where to go for lunch." Ren responded.
"Y-Yup! We're just going to get some tea…!" Ann said nervously.
The two cops looked at each other before relenting. "Well, all right. Just don't stay out too long. The news about that artist has caused quite the stir and there have been some odd happenings lately."
"We'll be careful!" Ann said with a forced smile. With that, the officers left.
"Man…it's still light out." Ryuji scoffed. "Those guys must have way too much time on their hands."
"Hey!" Ann turned to Ren. "Don't go making stuff up on the spot like that! I totally panicked cause of you!"
"Sorry, had to act fast." Ren shrugged his shoulders. They managed to weasel away from any suspicion, but that was a warning that they were going to have to start being more cautious in the future.
"From now on, we'll need to be even more cautious than before." Morgana had to point that out. "Look at us. The victims of both incidents meeting up!"
"You think…people might be listening to us?" Ann asked.
"Eh, I don't think so." Ryuji shook his head, brushing that possibility off. "Look around. We're the only people worryin' about it."
"I…guess you're right…" Ann looked away. Still, it wasn't something she felt like she could outright ignore.
"By the way, Yusuke," Ryuji turned to their new member. "Were you able to get anything out of Madarame. You know, about the guy with the black mask and stuff?"
"Well, I tried probing him for answers, but he doesn't even understand what happened to him to begin with." Yusuke said.
"Well, it's not like he actually saw his desires get stolen and all…" It made sense to Ann.
"It's rumored that he may be sent to prison. In that case, gaining information will be difficult…" Yusuke said.
"So what are you going to do now?" Ren asked.
"I'll be leaving that house. I can't draw in such a place." Yusuke said.
"But…do you have a place to go?" Ann was a bit concerned.
"I can stay in the school dorms free of charge thanks to my fine arts scholarship." Yusuke said casually.
"A scholarship!? You're that good!?" Ryuji was pretty surprised to hear that.
"Although, Takamaki-san's house would be good as well." Yusuke said again, still causally.
"Wait, WHAT!?" Ann's eyes widened. Why was he so insistent on this?
"You know, you could ask her to model for you whenever ya want…" Ryuji's grin widening, enjoying the potential scenario.
"You moron!" Ann grumbled. She was so tired of this.
"Then again, now that Yusuke is living alone, it'll be easier for us to meet whenever we want." Ryuji saw the positives of this.
"We should probably wait until things calm down first." Yusuke pointed out.
"I agree. We don't want to stand out too much." Ren added.
Ryuji let out a small sigh. As much as he wanted to jump back into action, he knew full well that wasn't going to happen so fast. "It'll probably be some time until we find our next target again."
"And we'll be leaving that up to you, Ryuji." Morgana said.
"Until then, we should act like normal students." Ann suggested. The less they stood out the better.
"Guess it's just more prep 'til then." With that said, Ryuji started to walk off and they all began to head their separate ways.
But as they walked off, they were being watched from afar. Makoto was keeping an eye on Ren and his friends; while she was too far away to hear their conversation, she was simply taking note of his friend group. First Ryuji, then Ann…and now Yusuke. All of them were involved with the past two incidents… "Yusuke Kitagawa…"
At the same time, Hifumi happened to notice the same sight, though she wasn't actively spying on them like Makoto was. She was just looking to see if Yusuke was in the area, and there he was, hanging out with that group again. "Those people again…?"
.
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At the Prosecutor's Office, Saw and the SIU Director were watching the news as well. It spread far and wide, really spreading the renown of the Phantom Thieves. "The suspect has repeatedly testified that he does not have any recollection of his actions." The newscaster said. "A full examination will be made to determine the details and motives."
"First Kamoshida from Shujin Academy and now Madarame…" Sae turned to the Direction. "I've found a number commonalities between the two. First, they were sent a calling card before their change of heart."
"I see…But isn't tying their involvement to the Psychotic Breakdowns jumping to conclusions?" The Director questioned. "Furthermore, the police will frown upon you stepping into this." The old man had to remind Sae of her position.
"Now isn't the time to worry about things like jurisdiction and honor!" Sae respectfully shot back. "We need to dig deeper and find a correlation between the incidents over these last two, three years!"
She made a point. The Director was aware of this and didn't have a good reason to deny her of this, as annoyed as he was internally. "Very well. But you must not let this interfere with your regular duties."
Sae cracked a small smile. "Thank you sir." This was the break she needed to get started. Now all she had to do was win. With this positive, she left the Director's office.
As soon as that door closed, the Director sat back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. "That damned woman just had to get involved!" How frustrating. Nobody was more stubborn about this case than the one person he didn't need involved. "Not only are there those Phantom Thieves to worry about, but if that is exposed…!"
"And I understand that these abnormal incidents have caused some anxiety throughout our country." The voice of the ruling party member for the Diet spoke. He was being broadcast and this caught the Director's attention. "This situation must be approached with the utmost seriousness. I will continue to put forth great effort, so that every citizen can live with peace of mind."
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After texting the group one last time to thank them one last time, Yusuke was leaning against a wall, not really doing anything in particular but just standing there. Madarame's change of heart did have a great effect on him. After learning all he did about the man he thought of as a father, he had some thinking to do. He was honestly wondering if Madarame even cared about him at all. Yes, he did apologize directly to him that day, but still… "Ah…"
Hifumi finally found Yusuke. She didn't want to outright admit she was following him…because that was weird, and she was already an outcast at school and in the shogi community. So she acted as natural as she could. "Oh, Kitagawa-san. I didn't expect to see you here."
"Hm?" Yusuke looked towards Hifumi. "Togo-san. Good afternoon." He acknowledged her.
"I…um…I saw the news." Hfiumi had to get straight to the point; otherwise she'd be beating around the bush. "I'm so sorry to hear about all of that."
"I see…" Yusuke figured the students of Kosei High had already seen the news about Madarame. The fact he was Madarame's pupil already made him somewhat of an outcast. "You do not have to apologize. This was the result of Madarame's own actions."
"But are you okay?" Hifumi asked. "I know it's not…my place to pry too much. But it feels wrong not to worry about you after what was revealed."
Yusuke was a bit stunned. He didn't expect anyone to show any concern for his wellbeing outside of his new friend group. But he was able to respond with a slight smile. "Do not worry. I think I will be okay."
It was a little convincing. Hifumi let out a small sigh and gave a tiny smile of her own. "If you insist. I…uh…I'm also very sorry to hear about your art." She was referring to the plagiarism. There couldn't be anything worse than a situation where your work was praised under someone else's name.
To that, Yusuke let out one of his dry laughs. "I thought I was helping him out of the kindness of my heart. But it turns out he was simply using me for profit. Once I realized that, I couldn't look at him the same. I wasn't the only one he did this to…but I am glad that he came out and admitted his crimes."
"Using for profit…" For some reason, that part stuck out to Hifumi. It resonated with her a little bit, but when she had those awful thoughts she shook them away. "I…I don't know if I have any room to say this, but I'd like to think it wasn't so black and white…that deep down he did care for you beyond your artistic talent…" Why did she say that? She was projecting and she knew it, but at the same time, it did feel a bit wrong to leave Yusuke with the impression that Madarame never cared. There was simply no way to tell at this point, but it was better than nothing? "Anyway, I just wanted to see if you were holding up well. I should really be going myself."
"I understand…thank you for coming to speak with me. I appreciate it." Yusuke nodded.
"I'll see you in school." Hifumi gave a curt bow and went off, leaving Yusuke alone.
"…Beyond my talent, huh…?" Yusuke pondered those words. Was that true? If he was to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he'd like that or not at this point. He just…needed some more time to think this out.
Hifumi rounded a corner and let out a small sigh. "I shouldn't have said those things…I might have confused him more, but I just wanted to help…"
.
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Despite some initial protest from Morgana, Ryuji managed to get Ren and Morgana along to play some darts. The free coupons he had were for a place in Kichijoji, a bit outside of their standard pass. But it was a small price to pay for the fun of darts. "Wow…this place is huge." This was Ren's first time to this popular area, so naturally he was pretty shocked about it.
"Right?" Ryuji said with a knowing grin. "There should be a lot of shops here even Shibuya doesn't have…not that I'd know."
"Let's go find out." Ren said with a nod. This could be fun!
"Just try not to stand out too much." Morgana warned.
"It'll be finnnnnne! You worry too much." Ryuji waved Morgana's concerns off. "There's no way anyone will be looking out for us specifically!"
Speak of the devil…because the trio had an uninvited guest tailing them from Shibuya. Makoto was determined. She brought along a romance manga, keeping it placed near her face to seem less suspicious. Little did she know she looked incredibly suspicious right now, but that wasn't important. "…"
Ren and Ryuji were taking a grand tour of Kichijoji. They had all day after all. There were some pretty interesting shops along the way. "Don't forget to go to main street. That's where the darts place is." Ryuji said.
"Yeah, I know." Ren replied.
Morgana kept his head poked out of the bag. Since he was ultimately looking behind them, he noticed Makoto slowly creeping up on them, yet remaining at a cautious distance. "Hey guys, I don't want to alarm you, but we have a guest."
"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Ryuji started to turn around.
"Don't look so suddenly!" Morgana warned. "She'll notice."
"She?" Ren slyly looked back, noticing Makoto. "…Oh, it's Niijima…?"
"Seriously?" Ryuji rubbed the back of his head. "Don't tell me she really followed us all the way out here."
"I'd be lying if I said she wasn't doing the same to me at school…even in Shibuya sometimes…?" Ren adjusted his glasses. "She's really intent on spying on us."
"What are we gonna do about her? It's not like we're doin' anything suspect." To Ryuji, this was a pain in the ass.
"I got this." Ren had an idea. With another push of his glasses, he turned and started to walk in the opposite direction, where Makoto was.
"…!" Makoto brought her manga up to her face. "Did they notice me…!? But I've been careful….!" Not really. She was pretty bad at this. But she still held her breath…slowly lowering the manga to see Ren standing in front of her. "…H-Hello. What a coincidence to see you here…!" She was trying very hard not to mess this up.
"Yeah, I didn't know you were coming here too." Ren said calmly. "What brings you along?"
Oh no. She had to lie. Somehow. Makoto frantically glanced around for anything that could give her an excuse. "J-Just running some errands…that's all…! Student Council President things…!" This was a disaster and she knew it.
"Oh, well…if you have time, wanna play darts with us?" Ren gestured to Ryuji, who just gave a half smile out of courtesy. "That's why we're here."
"D-Darts?" Is that really it? Did Makoto tail them for nothing?! Well… "N-No thank you! I uh…must be going now. Just remember to show up for your classes!" With that, Makoto hurried off.
"Wow, nice move." Morgana snickered.
"Did you chase her away by inviting her?" Ryuji couldn't believe that worked.
"I didn't think it would actually work." Ren admitted. "But she sure ran off fast…"
"Good. Didn't want her tailing us anyway." Ryuji said. "C'mon, the place is this way!"
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Date: ?
Ren finished wrapping up the story about Madarame. Sae was still skeptical about it all, mostly how he described the buildup to the situation and all. "So after Shiho Suzui, you did it again for someone you barely knew? You were sent away twice, almost reported to the police, and yet you still wanted to save him? This time you ended up in a museum instead of a castle this time…are you still going to maintain this rubbish changing someone's heart by stealing their Treasure?"
"Take it as you will. I'm telling the truth." Ren looked Sae dead in the eye. His story was far from over after all.
"Mm…" Sae shrugged it off. "Very well. We'll find out the truth about your methods when your conspirators are in custody. Now then, tell me about this new member of your group." Ren didn't answer. "There's no point in being stubborn, it will only damage your position. The identity of Madarame's pupil can be discovered with a little investigation."
With how Ren was telling the story, he was making absolutely sure he did not directly name drop anyone. Because of this, Sae's only option was to deduce their identities, but that meant nothing if Ren himself didn't out them, and clearly he had no plans to outright admit anything. "Go ahead. I'm not telling."
"So you won't sell out your accomplice…" Sae sighed quietly. Ren was really stubborn about this so it was time to move on. "Fine, there's still more I want to hear. It was around this time that the Phantom Thieves started to gain popularity. Lies like 'the Phantom Thieves saved me too' and 'I received a calling card' flooded the internet. For heaven's sake all those lies made the collection of intel take nearly ten times longer." Sae the reached for her folder, opening it up to the next target the Phantom Thieves took down. "Now, your next target was this man…Junya Kaneshiro. Even the police had trouble apprehending him…so tell me: how did you take down such a well-guarded criminal?
Tell me everything."