Akiko kept her distance from the never-ending sea of civilians, making doubly sure that she won't get trampled on if she has to squeeze in a spot by the platform in order to catch her scheduled train to Shujin. It won't be some time before the train comes, she had plenty of time to muse over her thoughts regarding the events of what happened that day.
The tone in Yusuke's baritone voice is not something to joke about when he made good on his threat. She had hoped that her team would've gotten something from him if they had caught him off-guard and get more information regarding his master for the second time. Things had escalated too quickly and took a drastic turn to demand her posing naked for his portrait. If only Akiko had known, she would never have agreed to it. This whole modeling proposition was so damn frustrating.
Although, somewhere in the back of her mind, Yusuke's heartfelt words upon complimenting her beauty, along with her deep concern for him living under such a jerkass like Madarame, endeared her to him. Nobody has ever dared to look past her status as the school delinquent and showered her with such warm praises of her beauty before. Nobody ever dared to ask her out, either. Before and after her life was ruined just because she did the right thing. Hell, her visit to Madarame's Palace on the same day their first attempt to get the truth out of Yusuke was enough proof that the kind-hearted and understanding old man was just a façade to deceive the public.
Remembering what Nakanohara had told her and the others upon their anonymous meeting with him yesterday was quite a shock when the young man repeated the truth of Yusuke's real feelings.
"If I could leave, I would..." she mumbled. "If Yusuke really does think he owes his life to him, why would he say something like that?"
That monster is taking advantage of Yusuke, who has no parents or other living relatives, so he's got no choice but to listen. Akiko refused to ignore how that boy is being treated horribly like the other pupils. According to Nakanohara, one of the pupils had committed suicide when he was unable to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name.
If Yusuke attempts suicide... Akiko grunted, her features squinted when she visualized a scene of the unfortunate painter hanging himself made the pain in her chest hurt like a thousand hornets stung her insides. She mentally smacked herself to get rid of those callous pictures.
Then, she heard the distant sound of footsteps constantly drawing nearer to her direction which made her body posture grow tense. Once the footsteps ended, Akiko slowly shifted her gaze over her shoulder to see who it is... only to relax when she realizes it was only Yusuke Kitagawa himself. Her relief washed away when pretty boy stood across from her with a firm expression.
"So, it's you... you did use this line, now that I remember..." he spoke, until his voice grew sharp with a dead serious warning. "Anyhow, what's with this sudden change in attitude? I was contacted by you last night. You said that you accepted the nude modeling proposition. That's nice, of course... but I hope you aren't conspiring anything."
Ever since her group had made the unanimous decision to change Madarame's heart, it fell upon Akiko to go through with posing naked in front Yusuke. That's because during their exploration of the Palace had led them to a locked barrier resembling a secret peacock patterned door Morgana had found in the shack the other day, which could only be opened in the real world... and in front of Madarame's eyes. She had contacted pretty boy last night to accept his proposition, but the young artist doesn't seem to be entirely trusting of her.
"I could say the same of you." Akiko couldn't help it, but the incident of his threat still lingers, and she stood her ground.
"Do not make a mockery of art! Don't judge us by your worldly standards or whatever nonsense your so-called friends have told you!" Yusuke's eyes narrowed darkly, staring deeply into her own. "I'll call the police if you try anything behind my back. Remember that."
Under normal circumstances, Akiko would've shuddered at his threat like every meek girl would do, especially given her criminal record. However, she wasn't a normal person, and she knew it. Lifting her head, the ravenette glares right back at him with an intense calmness, which sounded eerie to anyone else if they're watching. "We'll see about that," she intoned icily.
Yusuke involuntarily gasped, his pale complexion grew slightly white at her bold words. Nevertheless, he recollected his composure and replied, "That's all I have to say." And with that, he walked away.
"Don't be harsh on the boy," she could hear the soft yet bold feminine voice of her Persona speaking through mind communication. "He's just as much a victim as you are. You're desperate to help him, aren't you?" Akiko nodded to no one but the voice of her rebellious spirit. It's bad enough she was not only against Madarame, but she had pitted herself against Yusuke too. It made Akiko skeptical about whether pretty boy truly met her accidently or really did wait to ambush her with his threat. Most possibly due to Yusuke's blind loyalty to his idol.
Despite the confrontation, Akiko determined to save the young artist's life. He has a bright future ahead of him, unless Madarame continuously manipulates and abuses him, emotionally, verbally and physically. Her group had been asked to act directly on behalf of Nakanohara to change Madarame's heart. She had to save Yusuke and make him come to his senses, before he ends like his master's previous victims.
"You've got this." Her Persona's voice assured her, boosting the confidence which Akiko needed if she's going to model for Yusuke... nude or not. When the announcement of the train's arrival cut off her thoughts, the ravenette quickly entered the train as soon as it arrived.
The doorbell chimes just as Yusuke was beginning to believe his muse isn't going to show up and had assumed she had cruelly deceived him. He practically sprung from his room and raced to the front door. Sliding it open, he was very relieved and pleased Akiko waiting patiently, exactly on time like she had promised him the previous night. In spite of their rough encounter that morning, Yusuke desperately needed her and mentally cursed himself for doubting her. In fact, seeing her face these last few days had conjured up a little bit of sunshine into Yusuke's cloudy routine.
He gives her a moment to slip off her shoes at the entrance before escorting her back to his studio. Akiko took a deep breath and exhaled softly, keeping her distance from him. It was now or never. Her team is counting on her and Morgana. She placed her bag outside the room and closed the door behind her. This will give Morgana enough time to get out and locate the room where he can pick at the lock with a hairpin that she had given him before coming here.
"To think you'd really come..." Yusuke smiles, busily gathering his supplies or whatever tools is necessarily needed to create his dream portrait. "I assumed you were lying when you contacted me." It's a good thing he visited the arts and crafts store yesterday, otherwise he wouldn't be stocked up and ready to get started.
"I apologize if it was so sudden..." Akiko replied with a voice full of nervousness and uncertainty.
Yusuke doesn't miss it. It's understandable if his muse is feeling rather shy. Most young women aren't confidant enough to model naked, but he firmly believed that once she realized what he had in mind, Akiko will thank him someday for the beauty of his vision. "Oh, it's not a problem. But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes." He'd honestly had nothing else planned other than trying to create more artwork done for his master. "So, um... I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety on your part."
"It's okay..." Akiko assured him. These next words are muttered under her breath, tightening her fists. "That's why I'm really here for, damn it." Madarame is the true reason why she had come here today. To get him to see the open door in order to change the cognition.
"What was that?"
"Oh no, it's nothing!"
Enough said, Yusuke was eager to get started. His artistic fingers were practically tingling in anticipation. "I'd like you to discard your glasses and let your hair loose, please."
"Okay..." Akiko removed the red ribbon holding her black locks in place, watching her curls sway gently like a rippling dark sea. It makes something strange in Yusuke's stomach stir with an odd emotion. Next, she discarded her glasses and placed them on a small table nearby. Gorgeous dark gray eyes sparkled like gemstones, no longer masked by those appalling lenses.
"So, then... can you, um... get ready here?" Yusuke gently pushes her on, which somehow prompts a sudden nervous tension in his voice.
"I... have to take off my clothes, right?"
"Y-Yes, please..."
Akiko takes a moment to consider this. Without her friends to guard her, what else can she do? She once told herself that she would have to do it, whether the cat succeeds or not in his job. "Well, I'm a little embarrassed. I've never been nude in front of others, other than sharing a bath with my younger sister or visiting a bathhouse. So, could you look the other way?"
"Very well." Yusuke obliges. If one must respect a lady's feelings, he should.
Akiko starts undoing the buttons on her blazer, very slowly to save up on time. Her heart was pounding in her chest which eventually reached her ears, so loud that she hoped Yusuke wouldn't be able to hear it and thank goodness he didn't. His attention is sincerely focused on the empty canvas which she had tricked him into believing he would be able to create a work of art? If her actions get him in trouble with Madarame, Akiko hoped she could save him quicker and find a way to make it up to Yusuke someday.
Once she tossed her black blazer toward his feet, she heard him grunt in reaction. Next, she pushed her stockings off her legs and rapidly tossed them by his feet. Another shocked reaction escapes from his lips. He sounds so flustered. Akiko decided to test him. "Oh man, that was tight!" She sighed aloud, this time catching his attention.
"Tight...?" Yusuke feels like his heart is going to burst from his chest. Realizing what he had just muttered in his voice was arousal. Worried that when he turns back around, the lower front of his body would be pitching a tent inside his pants. He suddenly felt disgusted as he recollected his true intentions. "No, I'm doing this for art!"
And if it's any indication, Akiko apparently overheard the arousal in his voice and suspected what could be on his mind. The thought of him pitching a tent inside his pants, coupled with a sudden sensation of wetness between her own legs, made her pause in concern. Since when did she feel horny all of a sudden? Yusuke is a nice yet eccentric guy, but is incredibly handsome and equally civil. The thought of him living under the 'care' of that wretched bastard made her concern rise on a whole new level.
"Um, Amamiya-san..." he croaked, unintentionally snapping her out of it.
"Don't look over here!" Akiko yelled the second she had caught his head shifting a turn. Keep him distracted. Maybe get him to take her to the locked room upstairs with the intent of modeling in there. "Hey, your Sensei's coming back soon, right?"
"I believe so..."
"Hm... do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely..."
"This should be good enough."
"But wouldn't a room with a lock be better than this?"
"A lock...?" Yusuke had been so caught him wondering which room she had been musing over when a red and black plaid skirt sails past him, almost close enough to touch his feet. "WHA...!?" His pale cheeks now colored by a red dusting. He recovered enough to reply, "But the only one with a lock is... Sensei's room..."
"Then why not do it there?"
"I can't intrude..." Yusuke's refusal is slightly more firm. He didn't want to be rude, but he needed his muse to understand why he cannot oblige her request. "Besides, I don't have the key..."
"Damn it..." Akiko cursed under her breath. And what's worse is between her legs, her pulse heated and throbbed. She needs to stop acting like a horny tramp. Get the job done... wait, she could use this to her advantage in order to trick him to go the secret door.
"Amamiya-san, are you about..." Slowly, Yusuke turned around to face her and the ravenette's eyes slid downward towards his belt, below the buckle to a stretch of flat black fabric. No tent was pitched.
"Kitagawa-kun, do you not like me?" Akiko tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, which surprised her that she was quite upset at this, as her eyes met his own.
"Huh? Oh, well..." The young artist averted his uncomfortable gaze from her. "N-No, that's not true! My likes and personal interests have little to do with my art. You are only here as a model, not as... as a..." He broke off, swallowing hard.
"You know, I might be a bit more comfortable when modeling nude if I wasn't the only one nude. If you know what I mean." Akiko blinked as she mentally replayed what she had just said, and realized at once that she was no longer acting. She was actually getting into this; the unexpected desire to be painted nude wetting her thighs. UGH! What the hell am I doing!? Her conscious reminded her to why she was there in the first place. To open the secret door.
If she wasn't the only one nude? Does that mean she wants me to get naked too? Yusuke felt his pale face flush a bright red color and the skin beneath his collar began to heat up, stronger than ever before. Oh my...
"Hey, I think a change of location would be nice. Let's do this somewhere else. I mean, you want to keep me happy, right?" Right now, Akiko wore nothing but a cherry red underwear and a matching bra.
"True..." Yusuke registered those words as he thought about what to do, ignoring her queer suggestion of him removing his attire. A miserable model made for an uncomfortable portrait won't do him any good. "It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model's mood..." Envisioning her lying on a mattress with her body exposed made a dreamy grin increase on his lips. "She may even be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in a dynamic composition."
"What do you mean poses!?" Akiko squeaked in shocked concern before she cleared her throat to regain her composure. "Okay, if... if that's what you want... let's go. And after the painting is done... maybe we could have some fun?" The ravenette mentally winced at the sultry tone she had spoken. Now she wondered if she really did want to do this for the Phantom Thieves or if she truly did want to model for Yusuke.
"Wait! If you wander around, Sensei will..." Even as Yusuke protests, she strolls out of his studio to find the staircase. His muse has mysteriously vanished from sight, and yet he can hear the sound of footsteps down the corridor. "W-We really can't use any other room..." He stumbles after her in shock. Where did this unexpected confidence come from? "Please, wait!"
He rushed down the hall, chasing after the glimpse of black curls as they flowed around the corner to the left. This is not good. Akiko is heading straight to not just any room. But Sensei's room, one which he keeps locked all the time. From what Yusuke can recall, it's a storage room for old paintings. Madarame was extremely protective of this particular room. The reason why, Yusuke had never asked and respectfully dropped it. He found his muse standing frozen just beyond another corner of where the door is.
"Please, can you just wait and-" The frantic young artist hurried down the hallway towards her, intent on stopping her from wandering off and determined to drag her back to his studio.
"What's in here? Can we do it in this room?" Akiko gestured to the door curiously.
"I keep telling you, you can't!" Yusuke sounds slightly hysterical, but then, he does feel a little bit hysterical. If Madarame comes home and finds them here, trouble will occur.
Ignoring him, Akiko approaches the corner and finds her feline friend still working the hair pin into the lock. "You're still not done!?"
Morgana stole a brief glance over his shoulder before resuming the job. "It's hard to do this... with cat paws!"
Now Yusuke is definitely sure that he heard the distant meowing of a cat. It wasn't his imagination playing tricks on him. "Is there a cat around here?" He inched a bit closer to the corner, trying to get past his muse and investigate.
Alarmed, Akiko had to distract him or else Morgana will be discovered. She stepped forward to stop him from moving any closer. "Oh no, that's crazy! You're probably just hearing things! What did you say this room is again?"
"It's a storage area for old paintings. Now, come. Let's go back to my dorm." He firmly caught hold of her arm and lead her back to his room.
"What do I do?" Akiko mumbled. Feeling the dampness still lingering in her heat, her eyes sparkled when the most erotic yet incredibly stupid idea came to her and she offered him another affectionate smile. "Kitagawa-kun, why don't we do it in there? I won't be embarrassed if we go somewhere private where nobody will find us."
"Only Sensei can go in there!" he protested.
"Please, Yu-chan..." she began to discard her underwear right in front of his enlarged eyes. The feeling of nothing but fresh air brushing between her legs almost made her give in to the idea of begging him to be fucked right here, but her teammates were relying on her to complete the mission. "I really wanna be alone with you. Somewhere quiet where we won't get interrupted." Just to make sure she did this out the cat's sight, Akiko unclipped her bra and exposed her breasts right then and there.
"Did you just call me...?" Yusuke stopped short, his now very wide eyes on the firm round shapes of exposed flesh and on the hardened nipples. The girl was a vision. Too enchanted to by the sight before his eyes to hear another meow close by. Her body exposed in the raw... she was exactly how he'd envisioned.
Akiko was perfect.
Truly perfect.
Perfectly a vision of pure beauty.
"You're exactly the model I've been looking for... the model I've been dreaming of..." He responded a little breathlessly. Yusuke can practically hear his heart pounding in his ears and rattling at his chest. Part of him wants so badly to touch her... longed to feel her skin beneath his fingertips forever...
Her dark gray eyes darted downward once more, only this time she wasn't disappointed. Not only was he pitching a tent in his pants, but it was also a large tent. "Well, why don't we do your painting in here? I'll even let you put it in me afterward, if we can do it in this room." Her voice was gentle and sultry, her pose seductive and even Akiko no longer knew if she was talking about modeling for a painting or something else.
Yusuke had to swallow a lump in his throat. He glanced down at where his erection stiffed inside the fabric. None of the girls who flirted with him ever made him react this way. Perhaps there's something different or special about Akiko. When had he suddenly gotten so aroused? The young artist failed to acknowledge her movements drawing closer to him, until they were practically standing toe to toe now. He suddenly felt more primal urges stimulate his body as he realized his chest was just mere inches away from her breasts.
Inhaling her scent deeply, he could smell the warm musk of coffee lingering in her hair. She did mention that she lives in a coffee café. God, how he never knew such a smell can invigorate him. "S-Sure..." his gaze lingered at her body in a daze before he blinked and shook his head. "I mean, no! We can't go in there! It's locked anyway, so..."
Suddenly, Akiko impulsively reached out to grasp his erection, rubbing it through the fabric. "C'mon, Yu-chan! Let's just do it in here, and then you can put it in me when you're done, okay?"
With a shocked shudder, Yusuke tries to resist as he muttered under his breath, "What do I do?" He's a professional artist, and artists don't lust after their models like barbaric heathens. But Akiko... Akiko was... was so...
Unable to take another moment in constraint, Yusuke's hands reached for his belt and undid the buckle, letting his pants drop to his feet. He watched her stare in surprised bewilderment. The thick tent pitched in his boxers began leaking precum. Having mustered up the courage, he pulled down his boxers, revealing a thick, throbbing erection.
Instinct took over as his arms wrapped around Akiko, holding her close to his chest. Yusuke buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scene as he pressed his lips to her incredibly smooth skin. He was ecstatic to finally get physical contact with her, but his cock was still desperately aching for the need to claim her.
Almost instinctively, Akiko wraps her arms round his shoulders and begins rolling her hips against him, to arouse him further. Her nips elicited small whimpers from him, and her grip was beginning to tighten around his shoulders, so she reaches a hand between them, continuing to stroke his cock as his lips make their way to her cheek in a feeble attempt to locate her mouth, moaning in passionate arousal at her touches. Hands reached for the buttons to undo his shirt, feeling electricity rush through her the second she touches his bare skin, and his shirt drops to the floor.
Without realizing it, Yusuke leaned his face towards hers. "M-May I...?"
Akiko found herself lost within those hypnotizing grey eyes of his, aware of what his next intentions are, but the need to refuse had faded long ago. She mirrored his movements, their lips centimeters apart as she breathed, "Please do."
It was clear as day when their mouths touched how new to this Yusuke was at kissing a girl. He had never kissed someone before in his life. Luckily, Akiko took charge and pressed her lips further into Yusuke's. The artist was all too willing to let her guide him, allowing this divine beauty to show an inexperienced boy like him all the wonders of intimacy.
It was when they started their tongue interaction that Akiko realized just how hot her pulse burned and throbbed between her legs. The need to stop this had been brushed off too late and she yearned to enjoy this as much as possible.
It felt so amazing to Yusuke. He felt as if his soul was set free as he relished in the splendor of her warm lips and smooth tongue molding, intertwining with his own. People always talk about kissing being similar to fireworks, feeling that explosion of passion and intimacy when their lips meet. And that's exactly what Yusuke feels.
Their lips parted to catch their breaths as they broke from their deepest, passionate kiss yet. In the midst of their making out, the lovers sink to the floor. Before Akiko could say a word, she felt the artist's hot breath on her neck. Yusuke had lowered his head to suckle on the open skin of her breasts
"AAHHH! What are you… oohhh my..." Akiko surrendered to his assault on her nipples and the throbbing in her pulse made her beg for him to fuck her right here and right now. "More! MOOOORE!"
"Very well." His composed yet passionate expression slowly melts into an uncontrolled grin of pure please. If she desires for more, then Yusuke will be glad to give it to her.
"I'm home!" At the same moment, the front door slid open, and Madarame announced his return.
"S-Sensei!?" Yusuke broke off physical contact with his muse, his newfound fright collapsing his cock's excitement for the failed moment of passion.
Momentarily stunned, both of them crawled back from each other to give them space. The feeling that washed over them was guilt, regaining a lot of their abandoned sanity, as though Madarame's presence had messaged them while knowing what they were up to.
His actions were like a punch to Yusuke's stomach, barely mustering the breath to mutter, "What have I done...?"
"I'm so sorry, Yusuke!" Akiko's face was becoming redder, ashamed and embarrassed by what she had done. "I shouldn't have pressured you into doing this! I'm such a horny tramp!"
"No! It's my fault! I was supposed to paint you nude, not to engage in intercourse through nudity! What I do is for the sake of art! I have turned my back on my name as an artist!"
Whilst they spoke, Yusuke put on his shirt and put his boxers back on, pulled up his pants and fixed the buckle back in place, and Akiko had swiftly snatched up her undergarments and fled out of the room, hurrying around the corner to find Morgana. It feels stupid to get down and dirty with a handsome artist, but she's got a mission to complete.
"Amamiya-san, come back!" Yusuke pleaded, but his whispered calls fall on deaf ears. Seeing which corner she had fled to brought terror to the young painter. What will happen to his precious muse if his guardian catches her in a room she has no business being in? He wastes no time in pursuing her.
To his shocked dismay, the door to the storage room is open. The ravenette had put on her bra and underwear rather quickly, having somehow unlocked the door and entered the storage room to look around, despite the darkness. "Huh? Aki-chan, what have you done?" Yusuke will probably feel embarrassed later for calling her that nickname.
A shadow fell over the young artist's form as Madarame rounded the corner and in Yusuke's sight. Fear and panic crept into his soul. "What are you doing there!?" he demanded sharply, realizing exactly which room the perceived intruder was standing in.
Yusuke flinched, whirling around to try and calm his Sensei before things got worse. "It's... It's not what it looks like!" Without thinking, Akiko darted forward and grabbed his arm, dragging him backwards. "Wha...!?" Yusuke cried, stumbled blindly into the darkness.
"Not in there!" Madarame's enraged voice called after them.
Despite his clumsy stumble, Yusuke manages to stay on his feet. He looks around for his muse, but the room is so dark that he can't see her. "Amamiya-san, this is bad!" He can't imagine how bad the punishment will be for this.
"Are these the lights?" Luckily, Akiko found the light switch and illumination flooded the entire room.
It became clearer to them upon finding every canvas in the room contained the same image of the painting Yusuke has always loved; a copy of the painting Sayuri. It was very strange, though. Sayuri was said to have been stolen, but how can there be a room filled to the brim with multiple copies?
"What the...!?" he gasped in shock and disbelief.
"Isn't this Sayuri, the one that was stolen? Why are there so many of them?"
"I have no idea..."
"GET OUT!" By then, Madarame's presence ignites the tension in their stomachs. The horrid glare on his wrinkled features makes the boy's insides go nauseous.
Nevertheless, Yusuke stands his ground and desired an explanation. "Sensei, what is the meaning of this?"
For a moment, Madarame glares at them, but then he just sighs heavily, looking every bit the sheepish, self-depreciating gentleman, he always is out in public. "I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this... Truth be told... I'm in severe debt." He opened one eye as he goes on, an act which Akiko's sharp sight notices. "I handmade these Sayuri copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine..."
"But why?"
"The real Sayuri was stolen by one of my pupils long ago. I assume they begrudged my strictness. That moment was quite a shock for me... Since then, I've been mired in a terrible artist's block. Because of this distress, some of my pupils handed their ideas over to me from time to time..."
This is nothing but a phony explanation of a forgery to cover debt, a story which Akiko clearly didn't believe a word of. She noticed at the corner of her eye where a purple sheet covered one of the paintings on an easel. Is there something special about it?
"I knew I couldn't keep that up, so I attempted to recreate the Sayuri a number of times. However, it resulted in nothing more than replicas. That's when someone came to buy the paintings, knowing well they weren't original." Madarame winced, shaking his head shamefully... or pathetically in Akiko's perspective. "It's all my fault. I couldn't pay the price of being famous. As expectations for me rose, it reached a point where I had choice but to keep making them. I... needed money to further your talents... I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher."
Of course Yusuke would forgive his master. "Please, don't..." He couldn't hold it against him for keeping him in the dark.
"Hold it! Something doesn't add up!" The boy is barely close to embracing his master when Akiko interrupts the moment, radiating cold fury. "If the original painting got stolen, how did you make copies of it?"
Madarame seemed shocked by the directness in her voice. "I... happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it in an artbook."
"So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original? It would've been difficult to do so if this photo was small. I'm not sure how this works, but... Don't people who buy paintings generally have a keen eye for the fine arts if they deduce what is real and what is fake? They would've bragged about it on the internet to everyone. Nobody would be willing to buy a fake." Akiko frowned grimly, her tone grew deadly serious. "I'm not buying it. Everything you told us sounds like a lie to me."
"What would you know!?" Madarame snapped back at her, narrowing his eyes at her. The sheepish, self-depreciating gentleman act was immediately gone.
Even Yusuke was disgusted by the accusation of his muse's insult. "That's enough, Amamiya-san!"
"Something just doesn't feel right!" Akiko tried to make pretty boy see reason.
Thankfully, Morgana is on her side. He whispered from behind a rack, gesturing to the object covered by the sheet. "Akiko! This one seems different!"
Turning around, Akiko pulls the cover off and it slipped to the floor. Underneath the sheet revealed an easel containing yet another Sayuri, except this isn't one of the replicas. Yusuke would recognize the real thing anywhere.
"Sayuri?" The bluenette took a step back, shocked. He approached, scrutinizing the masterpiece with a keen eye. Yep, definitely the real deal. "This... This is the real Sayuri..." How could this be? Why is it here? He turned around to stare at his master. "But you just said a moment ago that it was stolen!"
The old man's features scrunched up as a few beads of sweat roll down his forehead. "That's a replica!" Madarame hurriedly defends himself and the boy is just talking nonsense.
"No, it's nothing of the sort!" Yusuke shouted, a scowl of hurt and betrayal seeps on his pale face. "This painting kept me going. It's the reason I made it this far." A dreadful suspicion crossed his mind. If what Akiko and her friends tried to warn him of is true... "Sensei, don't tell me.."
"It's fake... Yes, a counterfeit! I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!"
"Oh, shut up!" Akiko cuts him off, glaring skeptically. "You're telling me the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit? That's a lame fabrication."
"You're lying, Sensei." Yusuke's scowl darkens even further. He wanted no more lies. All he desired now is the truth. "Please, just tell us the truth."
"You too?" Madarame's angered tone sparks with the rage which usually precedes with either a lecture or a punishment. And then, he whips out his cellphone and pushes a few buttons, brandishing the object like a gun in hand directly at Akiko. "I've reported you to my private security, wrench!"
"WHAT!?" The girl's eyes widened in horror.
"I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it would come in so handy." The smug grin on Madarame's face was enough to make the nausea in Yusuke's stomach develop faster.
"Please, wait!" Yusuke mentally envisioned his precious muse behind bars and it terrifies him more than ever. Never did he ever care for another human being not since all his fellow artists had gone from his life, but with Akiko being threatened like this... He bravely places himself between his muse and his mentor, in case he needs to stay prepared to get between them physically if his mentor raises a hand to her. "Let's talk about this!"
"You can talk all you want to the police..." But all sense of reasoning with this man proved fruitless as Madarame declares the last bit with a callous sneer, "That includes you, Yusuke!"
Yusuke freezes, paralyzed. His Sensei can't do this to him, after everything he's done for him. All he wants is for his teacher to listen and not do anything rational like this. A cat meows, then it appears out of nowhere, throwing his small body against Madarame's legs, causing the old man to stumble back and collapse. So there IS a cat in the house, but where did it come from? The feline darts out of the room, followed by Akiko, who wastes no time in making a run for it.
"A cat!? Where did it-" Briefly startled, Madarame recollected himself by searching for the phone he had dropped. "There's no point! They'll be here within two minutes!"
"Amamiya-san!" Yusuke doesn't know why, but the instinct to go after her kicks in. Fear for her safety is all that matters now. He can barely keep up with her, slightly paralyzed by everything that's happened. To his relief, Akiko is waiting in the hallway for him. She is holding her phone, anxiously waiting for his arrival.
Akiko gazes at the door for a moment, then back at him with a dreadfully concerned frown. Before Yusuke could say anything, she grabs his hand and touches a queer red and black app on her phone, to which a woman's monotone voice speaks aloud for him to hear.
Beginning navigation.