CHAPTER 16:
MADARAME'S PALACE
The next day, after school had finished, Harry brought Hedwig over to meet Ann. Akira and Ryuji turned up, but they would wait nearby until Kitagawa was done. Futaba had relayed to Ann that they wanted to avoid pushing Kitagawa too far, let alone Madarame. Futaba listed various cases of those in abuse staying with the abuser for various reasons, and this at least had Ann agreeing, albeit reluctantly. And there was always the possibility of Kitagawa being a willing accomplice too.
Hedwig, thankfully, stayed on Ann's shoulder as she posed with a broom handle and a tray, to represent Athena's spear and shield respectively. Harry looked around the room of the so-called 'atelier' with a sceptical eye. The residence was little more than a large shack, barely-furnished, the outer walls mostly made of metal sheeting, the floorboards bare. He found his disquiet at the situation deepening. It was reminding him of the Dursleys a touch too much.
Meanwhile, Kitagawa was clearly in his element, and the sketch he was making of Ann in Grecian armour and robes was actually quite good. He called it 'Athena Glaukopis', 'Glaukopis' being one of the Greek goddess Athena's many epithets, relating to the owls she was associated with. For all that Harry disliked the artistic teenager, he was quite a good artist.
After a moment, Kitagawa nodded, satisfied. "A good first session," he said. "Thank you, Miss Takamaki. And thank you too, Mr Potter, for remaining silent and unobtrusive, to say nothing of allowing your owl to be part of this."
"Hey, as long as you're not actually perving on Ann, that's fine. That sketch is pretty good, actually," Harry said, even as Hedwig flew over to him. He hadn't had any further dreams involving her humanoid self, Godwin, but they hadn't been to Mementos or the Metaverse since.
"I daresay it is more than just 'pretty good', but your honest praise is noted," Kitagawa said.
"Still, to think this is your home," Harry said, looking around, before deciding to probe gently. "I hope Madarame is treating you all right."
"…And what's that supposed to mean?" Kitagawa asked sharply.
"We're just concerned about your welfare, Yusuke," Ann said. "Not many people would willingly live like this." She indicated the room they were in.
"Ah. My apologies, but I do get a little defensive when people demean and decry my teacher," Kitagawa said. "Our lifestyle is, I will admit, somewhat…eccentric to those with an outside viewpoint, to say nothing of austere, but it does help foster the artistic spirit. It's something outsiders may not understand."
"As long as he's not hurting you," Harry said. "I grew up with abusive relatives, it's a bit of a sore point with me. Sorry."
"No, no, I understand. You are merely concerned for me," Kitagawa said with a magnanimous wave of his hand. "But I do ask you to understand that my affairs are my own, just as I am sure your affairs are your own. And my teacher took me in after my mother perished, raised me to become the man I am today. You'll forgive me for defending him."
"Now, now, Yusuke, as you rightly point out, they are merely concerned about your welfare," Madarame said, entering the room. "It's possible that they may have heard rumours, maybe through that friend, Miss Sakura. She has been researching an assignment on me, after all, and maybe she found some of those…what do they call them these days? Internet trolls, I believe, spouting jealous abuse when they lack perspective. You can't blame them for sincere worrying for your welfare." He turned to Harry. "And if you did grow up with abusive relatives, I apologise if these living conditions cause you concern. Alas, many things about the human condition are universal, fair and foul."
"As long as you treat him well," Ann said, giving a brief bow. "Sorry if we caused you any problems, sir."
Madarame chuckled. "I find it very easy to forgive my student's new muse. Actually, I heard about that nasty business with that PE teacher at your school, Kamoshida, was it? What an appalling man. And yet, he was once a lauded athlete. Which only goes to show that vice can lurk beneath a gilding of virtue, and yet, the reverse can be true, that shining and glorious gold lurks beneath hideous tarnishing…"
They said their goodbyes, before leaving the house, convening with Akira, Ryuji, Morgana, and a newly-arrived Sirius a little further away, Hedwig flying back home. "Did he do anything, Ann?" Ryuji said as they pulled up Futaba on speakerphone.
"Nothing bad, I promise," Ann said. "Kitagawa was a gentleman, mostly, and so was Madarame. Kitagawa got a little defensive when we gently probed him about his living conditions, but nothing too bad, and Madarame seemed gracious about any rumours about him, and he guessed Futaba may have read about them online. I didn't want to probe any further, though. Madarame seems to be a foster father to Kitagawa, and he won't hear a bad thing about him."
"Fair enough, Lady Ann, but the truth of the matter is that Madarame does have a Palace. I think our next step is to investigate the nature of the Palace for ourselves," Morgana said.
"So this is a basic recce of the Palace, right?" Sirius asked.
Akira nodded. "We're not bringing Futaba in because I didn't want Sojiro to get suspicious or anxious about her travelling with us. Once we enter the Palace, we can effectively re-enter it from anywhere in the city, like it's a fast-travel system. But she'll still be supporting us from her room, we hope."
"How's that?" Harry asked.
Sirius held up a familiar-looking mirror. "I created a new Communications Mirror, after my old one broke. Phones don't work in the Metaverse, at least for calls, but maybe a Communications Mirror might. Futaba's got the other one. Now, we've got most of the keywords, but we haven't got the final one for this Palace, though Akira has some ideas."
"I was thinking either a gallery or a museum," Akira said, before the MetaNav chirruped. "Okay. Buckle up, here we go…"
The Palace appeared to be a massive, opulent and gaudy museum at night, with large queues of people lining up near where the Phantom Thieves appeared. "He's compensating for something," Akira snarked, before he looked at his clothing. They'd all changed into their Phantom Thief outfits. "He must see us as a threat already."
"Is that at all surprising?" Morgana asked. "His humble act could be a front for some paranoia about getting caught."
"True, but I'm not really seeing anything relating to plagiarism or abuse yet," Ann said. "And isn't his work already at museums worldwide?"
"What's the saying? The proof of the pudding is in the eating," Harry said. "Padfoot? Does that mirror work?'
Sirius nodded. "It's a bit wonky, but we've got a connection."
"Yep. Cross-dimensional communications for the win!" Futaba said from the mirror, her voice warped and flanging slightly. "Just keep in mind, I can't support you with my Persona. All I can give you from here is information analysis and some perspective, to help with Morgana's. Bright side is, I have an internet connection here, so I can look up stuff while you're in there if you find any evidence…"
They snuck into the museum via a skylight in the roof, to find themselves in a gallery, eerily absent of guards, and filled with laser gates that were thankfully inactive. The gallery, oddly enough, seemed to be populated by portraits of people. The portraits themselves had an eerie shimmering effect, and had a style that rendered them all but faceless, but otherwise weren't that remarkable…until Futaba, who had been asking them to give her the names written below the portraits, dropped a bombshell.
"I think these guys are all former students of Madarame," she said. "I've been doing some searches, and a couple of the names you gave me do show up on the forum posts I've mentioned. I think the proof is if you find portraits of Nakanohara…and Kitagawa."
"I've found Nakanohara," Akira announced as they found the portrait of the stalker they had taken on in Mementos. "Your hypothesis is looking pretty good, Oracle."
"Hey, check this out!" Ryuji called out from further away. They hurried to find him and Ann standing in front of a blurry portrait of Kitagawa, though his face was at least distinct.
Harry frowned. "Okay, Mona, Oracle, can I ask what sounds like a stupid question? If Madarame really is plagiarising his students' work and abusing them, why have these portraits here?"
"If the allegations are true, Madarame is well aware that he is plagiarising his students' work," Morgana remarked. "Some people like that would be content to forget their victims, but Madarame is probably paranoid enough to want to remember them, not to memorialise them, but to ensure he keeps an eye on them in case they attempt to attack him. Of course, it might be out of guilt, we don't know for sure."
"Hmm. Do you think Palaces have any link to the memory palaces formed by the method of loci, Mona?" Futaba asked.
"Method of the what now?" Sirius asked.
"I think I've heard of this one," Ann said. "I once read the Thomas Harris books about Hannibal Lecter. Scary stuff, but Hannibal Lecter had what is known as a memory palace. The method of loci basically is a mnemonic technique whereby you use a building in your own mind as a means of organising your memory, to help you remember stuff."
"That's right, Lady Panther," Morgana said. "And Oracle's right, some Palaces can be partly influenced by things like a method of loci."
"Hey, I remember seeing that stuff in that show Sherlock," Ryuji said. "So, this gallery might be because Madarame wants to remember his pupils, in order to avoid being attacked by them?"
"Yep, got it in one, Skull," Morgana said.
"Maybe Occlumency has similar techniques," Harry mused.
"Well, let's look for any further clues," Akira said.
They took a pamphlet that had a map of most of the museum in a nearby reception area, before heading into a vast open area with a gaudy sculpture, banners showing Madarame's face hanging from the ceiling. It was cast in what looked like gold, spiralling outward, with figures melded with it. And at this, the Phantom Thieves stopped and stared.
Ann frowned as she peered at the placard. "The Infinite Spring, it is called. And there's more, a description here…A conglomerate of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds." Her eyes widened in shock, and her hand flew to her mouth in horror. "These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the remainder of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living," she hissed in horror.
"That's sick," Ryuji muttered. "This has got to be about the plagiarism, right?"
Akira nodded. "I think it's safe to say Madarame is not a good person now, not with this."
"I know," Harry said. "But because of Oracle's Palace…there was a chance that he just had something wrong with him, not that he was evil. But this…if this really is what he thinks of his students…bastard. He's worse than Lockhart. At least Lockhart didn't treat those he stole from like slaves."
"He also nearly left you and Ron to die, Godric," Sirius pointed out.
"Yeah, but Madarame is still pretty bad," Futaba said. "I've managed to find more of his students from the names you sent me. And…well, one of them definitely committed suicide. It's pretty damning, at least for our purposes."
Ann cringed, as did Ryuji and Akira. Harry realised they had to be thinking of Shiho, their friend who attempted suicide after being raped by Kamoshida. It must've been bringing back bad memories.
"Either way, he sees his pupils and their output as his property," Morgana said solemnly. "He doesn't deserve to be called an artist. If this is true, he demands their ideas in exchange for securing their livelihood, and if what Nakanohara claimed is true…he discards them once they are of no use anymore, or defy him."
"Why the fuck is Kitagawa keeping quiet about this?!" Ryuji snapped. "Why is he covering for Madarame?!"
Harry sighed. "Think about it. He told Panther and I that Madarame raised him. He's probably accepted this because he doesn't know any better, or maybe Madarame has sheltered him from this. Given how defensive he was when we so much as began prodding him about his living conditions, how do you think it's going to go if we start making such accusations, especially without proof?"
"Exactly," Akira said. "Either Madarame kept him secluded from his other students, or Kitagawa has simply become used to it, normalising it. I doubt the online allegations Oracle is digging up will hold up anyway."
"Nope. I did some research too. Madarame has got some pretty scary lawyers on speed-dial, as well as a private security firm. And his reputation in the art world as both an artist and a critic have too much sway. He's also got a major presence in art academia too, one he may have actually earned if he didn't plagiarise his papers from his students too. I actually get the impression he wrote them himself, so if nothing else, his academic career is probably his sole virtue," Futaba said.
"…I think one of the pieces at Madarame's exhibit was Kitagawa's own," Ann said quietly. "I praised it, and he looked conflicted."
"Well…I reckon this is enough to take on Madarame," Akira said. "However, I want to tread lightly, at least outside this Palace. Because we directly confronted Kamoshida after Shiho's suicide attempt, Skull and I nearly got expelled. I don't want to take any unnecessary actions that will antagonize either Madarame or Kitagawa, lest it means we have to work against the clock again. If Kitagawa asks you to do more modelling, Panther, do not probe any further into his living situation or Madarame's other students. Instead, gain his trust and let him open up to you. Madarame may have treated us well before, but we know he's a snake in the grass, and Kitagawa is defensive of him, regardless of his own character."
Morgana sighed. "Honestly, I would've preferred to have confirmed it with Kitagawa, but you're right, pushing either of them too hard is a bad idea. But we also need more info about Madarame. Oracle…can you start by seeing when certain artworks by Madarame made their debut, and if any of his students left him at around the same time?'
"Sure. I'll see if I can find more information about Kitagawa's mother. Madarame made his debut with the Sayuri, right? Maybe that was plagiarised too?"
"Well, we have an idea about what to do, at least," Sirius said. "Should we press on?"
"No, let's call it a day," Morgana said. "We've confirmed our suspicions that Madarame is not a good person, we can begin going through this Palace another day. We can use the map as a means to plan a more thorough expedition, so we can secure the infiltration route and steal his Treasure. Do you agree, Joker?"
Akira nodded. "In addition, I'd rather have Oracle in person for an extended infiltration. She showed her skills in Mementos, I'd breathe a lot easier knowing we have her more direct support…"
"So, what are your thoughts on Kurusu now?" Sae asked her younger sister as they had dinner.
"…He's very closed-off, and I still think he is hiding something, along with his friends," Makoto said. "But...I can understand why he is wary. Someone leaked his record on social media. And he seems pleasant enough, to say nothing of intelligent. I feel like I made some progress myself while studying with him."
"Good. Do not misunderstand me, Makoto," Sae said. "He is on probation, and for assault. One significant mistake, and he's off to juvenile detention. And honestly, being cautious around him is prudent. But…it does not hurt to keep an open mind, to some degree. Probation exists to give the person under probation a second chance. Whether he deserves it or not…well, that is up to him. I asked you to give him that chance partly because, given how much his peers are no doubt giving him trouble, it would help to have at least someone in authority give him a chance. That can help him stay on the straight and narrow, or else give him enough rope to hang himself with. What concerns me is what happened with that PE teacher. Did anyone approach you on the matter of Kamoshida and his abuses?"
"Nobody did, not with any serious allegations, Sis. I occasionally heard rumours, and I actually believed he was physically abusing the students, but I couldn't take anything to Principal Kobayakawa based on mere rumour, and he waved off any concerns about the physical abuse at the time," Makoto said. "Especially not with a teacher who was a respected Olympic athlete. And I knew nothing about the sexual abuse."
"I understand," Sae said. "And you have much on your plate with your own studies, Makoto. I'm sure many within the school body see you as a sycophant. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if Kobayakawa was involved in covering things up. That man was more of a politician than an educator. What concerns me are the reports of those 'calling cards' prior to Kamoshida's confession. And how was Kamoshida made to confess?" Sae shook her head. "The only bright side is that a monster wearing the skin of a man is now behind bars, and given what he did to those students, especially that Suzui girl, he deserves it."
"…Sis, ever since Mr Black appeared, you've changed. I mean, it's not a bad thing, but…you're here more often, and you're a little less…" Makoto pursed her lips, as if trying to find the right word, at least to avoid causing offence.
Sae scoffed. "The word you're looking for is 'cold', Makoto. I…I know at times I haven't been the best guardian I can be for you. After our father died in pursuit of his own ideal of justice," she spat out the word as if it was an expletive, "I have had to work hard to ensure our well-being. And investigating these Mental Shutdowns have been something of a strain. How do you investigate something when there's seemingly no known cause, no link between the victims, not even a terrorist group claiming responsibility? But…when Sirius showed me that magic exists, it made me realise there is something to a seemingly supernatural explanation, which relieved me, as irrational though it sounds. And his story about his wrongful conviction…while it could be a story, I couldn't find his name in any criminal database. You'd think criminals would come up with some more mundane explanation. It also made me think about where I was taking my life. Success is what is needed in life, but we need more than that to live." Sae tapped the table pensively. "Still, I hope he and Potter are staying out of trouble…"
CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:
So, here you have it. Madarame's Palace has been infiltrated, and the Phantom Thieves have a plan.
Now, one thing that pissed me off was how Morgana demanded that they try to get more information from Yusuke. After how defensive Yusuke got before, I'm sure Morgana would've realised that was a bad idea. With Futaba involved in information gathering, however, Morgana feels that they know enough to make progress, and while they may cultivate Yusuke to try and get him to let things slip, they're not going to push him into a corner like in canon.
I hope you like the extra scene with Sae and Makoto. I've admittedly been neglecting them in this story, but I wanted to change that, and to show Sae's gradual character development, thanks to Sirius' influence, both conscious and not.
Now, before I go, someone recently PMed me (instead of leaving a review with that question) as to whether this fic is based on Royal. I mentioned Dr Maruki in a previous chapter, but for any fans of Maruki, he'll make his proper debut in the next chapter. Sumire/Kasumi won't make an appearance until later. She's kind of a non-entity, as far as I am concerned.
Review-answering time! mc2the2nd: I'm not cutting him any slack. Even with the different societal norms, it's clear that Ann, Morgana, and (depending on choices) Joker are not okay with Yusuke's demands. Plus, the game still treats this like a bad thing, that Yusuke is in the wrong, and remember, Futaba's Confidant mission in Mementos basically revolves around stopping Kana's parents from doing something similar.
Aust Sakura Kryzor: I'm fine with spoilers, and honestly, I'm still making my way through the slot machine area. I broke off playing it for now due to burnout, and have been looking at other games (like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, along with Shin Megami Tensei III and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age), and I'm not sure when I'll go back to it. It still says a lot when I find Akechi a more interesting character than Yusuke.
No numbered annotations this time.