This chapter is dedicated to Etika and all the Joycon Boys.
Akira stared at Ryuji's text.
It seemed off. Then again, he was acting bit off lately.
She had initially thought it was because of exams. She thought maybe going to the art exhibit would perk him up, even a little. But after finding out from a text that he left with Morgana, she knew something was up.
"Ann, we should go meet up with Ryuji." She said, glancing up from her phone.
"Huh? You're not enjoying the exhibit?" The blonde asked.
"Of course I am! But..."
She shows Ann the text.
"They left without us!?"
Akira nodded.
"They're at the station."
Ann sighed and played with the end of her pigtails.
"Ok... Let's go then."
The two headed for the exit, but paused when Yusuke approached them.
"Leaving so soon?"
Ann nodded.
"Sorry Kitagawa-kun, but we should get going."
"Very well. Here, please take this."
He handed both of them a slip of paper. It had a number and an address scribbled on it.
"Please do not hesitate to call me to set up a time."
"Of course." Akira said.
The two bid farewell to him and made their way to the station. Ann looked like she was ready to chew out the blonde boy. Akira, not so much. She had been so distracted at the art exhibit that she hadn't really gotten the chance to see Madarame up close.
Maybe Ryuji had some better luck?
When they all met up, Ann did chew him out. He only responded with a sorry.
Akira had expected more of an excuse than that.
She was worried about him.
Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to interrogate him as he described what her overheard Madarame say. He then showed them a post her found on the Phan-Site.
"His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches them nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog..." He read.
"Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm?" Morgana frowned.
"Do you think Kitagawa-kun posted this?" Ann asked.
"We can't be sure. It's an anonymous post." Akira said, reading over Ryuji's shoulder.
He scooted away from her a bit, hoping she wouldn't notice.
She did though.
Akira didn't comment on it, but didn't take her eyes off him. He didn't meet her eyes once.
Strange...
They discussed more on what to do next and ultimately decided they'd go talk to Yusuke the next day.
Then they each went their separate ways.
"Akira! How could you leave me!?" Morgana whined.
"Sorry about that. I got pretty distracted." She said.
The cat grumbled but seemed to accept the apology. For now.
"By the way, Morgana..."
"What is it?"
"Has Ryuji been acting kinda strange lately?"
Morgana looked up at her.
"Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. He seems kinda... different lately. What do you think?"
Morgana paused.
He had noticed a distinct change in the blonde idiot.
He was zoning out more than usual.
He seemed to shrink a bit whenever Yusuke was around or if someone even mentioned him.
Morgana thought back to when they left the exhibit.
Ryuji had kept his head down after seeing Yusuke with Akira and Ann. He didn't complain about the crowds or how pushy people in the station were.
Even when they made it out of the exhibit, his boisterous personality didn't return.
He just sat down and looked through the Phan-Site quietly as he waited for the girls to come.
It was probably the most quiet Morgana had ever seen the blonde.
"Whatever it is I'm sure he's alright. This is Ryuji we're talking about." He said.
Akira nodded and kept walking.
"I guess you're right."
Saying that saddened her. She hadn't known Ryuji for long but she was worried about him.
I'll ask him about it later.
TAKE YOUR TIME
Ryuji grumbled something under his breath as the train went down the rails. Akira could only hear complaints about taking the train, but it made her chuckle anyway.
"The train is the fastest way to go. Plus, we can take pets on too." Ann said.
"Who are you calling a pet!?"
As if on cue, Morgana's head popped out, his face twisted with a scowl.
"Hey! Back in the bag. We didn't pay pet fare, remember?" Akira said.
"I am NOT a cat!" He spat.
"Dude! Keep it down!" Ryuji said in a hushed tone.
"I'M the one guiding you to your destination! YOU should be calling me master or something!"
"Oh! I'll call you somethin'!"
Ann and Akira exchanged looks of exasperation. The two males kept going at each other, completely ignoring the girls attempts to quiet them.
Instead, a small girl made them fall silent.
She stared directly at the cat in her bag.
Dammit...
"Oooh~ Kitty!"
Akira shot Morgana a glare that he shrank under.
"Shoot..." Ann whispered.
Almost instantly, Akira smiled brightly at the small child. Maybe she could lie her way out of this.
"Excuse me. Is this your kitty, Miss? I heard it go meow." She asked.
She smiled at the small child and gave her a nod.
"This is my stuffed kitty. Isn't he cute?"
The little girl nodded eagerly.
"It meows when you touch its head. See?" Ann added.
The blonde girl pressed down on Morgana's head. Swallowing his pride, the cat let out a weak meow. This made the little girl squeal in joy.
"Wow!"
Ryuji shook his head at the cat.
"Come on man. Can't ya do better than that?" He whispered.
Morgana scowled again.
"Again! Again!" The girl cheered.
"This is-"
Morgana's words caught in his throat as he felt a chill run through his fur. A dark force radiated off Akira. He gulped at he looked at her. She was smiling but her glasses seemed to catch too much light.
He couldn't see her eyes but he knew.
He knew he was in for some deep shit.
Suddenly, his head was assualted. Smashed on over and over.
"ME-OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"
Akira chuckled and smiled kindly at the girl. Ryuji and Ann could barely contain their own chuckles.
"Cool right?" Ryuji asked.
The little girl nodded happily, blissfully unaware of the pain a cat had just endured.
"I just threw up in my mouth..." Morgana whispered.
"Perhaps next time you'll listen when I say get back in the bag." Akira replied.
While he wanted to shot back a retort, it was he who came out of the bag. In the end, he feel silent.
The inter com above them screeched to life.
The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side.
"Well that's our stop. We'll see you later." Ann said.
The group bid farewell to the child and made their way off the train.
"Damn Akira. I didn't expect you to do that to Morgana." Ryuji said.
"It was a spur of the moment thing. Sorry Morgana."
The cat poked out, shaking his little head.
"No, you were right. I shouldn't have come out. That could've made us get into some serious trouble." He said.
"Well, at least we didn't get caught, right?" Ann replied.
Their conversation died when they stopped in front of a house.
Actually, house wasn't the correct word.
Shack seemed to fit it better.
While it was large, it certainly wasn't the nicest house Akira had ever seen.
It looked as if it would topple over if someone sneezed.
Ryuji was the first one to break the silence.
"Are you sure this is the right address?"
Ann nodded.
"This is the address Kitagawa-kun gave us."
"I would've thought a famous artist would live in a much... nicer place." Akira mumbled.
"Now that I think about it, he did tell some reporter he lived in a humble house. But still..." Ryuji said.
The dark haired girl walked up to the door. The nameplate did indeed say Madarame. They were definitely in the right place.
Ann and Ryuji huddled around her. The group stared at the door.
"So... who's gonna ring?" Ryuji asked.
"Not it!"
"Not it!"
"Dammit!"
He frowned and pressed the buzzer.
"If the walls collapse, I'm runnin' for it."
He stepped back a bit.They stood in anticipation, waiting for someone to answer the door.
Eventually, the sound of light footsteps and Yusuke's voice resonated in their ears.
"Who's there? Sensei is currently-"
"Hi Kitagawa-kun, its Kurusu-san."
"Kitagawa-kun, it's Takamaki. We're here."
Ryuji bristled a bit.
"I'm here too dammit..."
Neither girl heard him over Yusuke. He promptly launched into a nice conversation with them, but not without a pointed glare at Ryuji, who wholeheartedly returned the favor.
Yusuke began to attempt to usher them in but Ryuji wouldn't have it.
"Hey! We ain't here to talk about the modeling." He spat.
Yusuke gave him a cold stare.
"Then why are you here?"
Ryuji was unfazed by the look.
"There's something we gotta ask you."
Yusuke sighed.
"What could-"
"Is it true Madarame's plagiarizin' stuff and abusin' people, right?" The boy asked.
Yusuke paused, staring straight at him.
"Are you serious?"
Akira watched Yusuke careful. He seemed to be growing angry and yet...
There was something else.
His eyes were full of emotion. Mostly anger, but there was more to it than that. That didn't stop Ryuji from going on though.
"We read it online." He said.
Instead of getting angry and blowing up like Akira and the others had expected, he erupted with laughter. It started out slow but grew louder by every passing moment.
What the heck?
"This is preposterous. Not only is plagiarism impossible, but abuse? Don't make me laugh."
Ryuji kept pushing but it seemed like Yusuke was adamant about proving his teacher's innocence. The two's voices only seemed to increase in volume as they spoke, neither willing to back down.
It was honestly shocking how loud both we were getting.
Yes, both girls were fully aware of how loud and angry Ryuji could get, but right now it seemed as if he was a completely different person.
"Why's Ryuji getting so riled up?" Ann whispered.
"I have no idea." Akira said back..
The continued going it. She was having trouble keeping up with their shouting fest and was beginning to worry about what attention they were grabbing.
"If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you WILL rue this day!" Yusuke yelled.
Taking the chance, Akira attempts to step in.
"Let's all just-"
Ryuji whipped his head to her attention, glaring at her.
"Butt out, will ya!?"
Butt out?
BUTT OUT!?
"Ryuji!" Ann gasped.
"Excuse me!? Why the hell are you so pissed!" Akira snapped.
Yelling, snapping, and curses spewed from different mouths. Everyone was angry, but all their reasons differed.
"Yusuke?"
The yelling abruptly stopped. All attention was directed to Madarame, who somehow appeared during their 'conversation'.
He looked around the group in confusion.
"What's the matter? I heard yelling." He asked.
Yusuke pointed an accusing finger at them.
"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!"
Ryuji bristled, mumbling snitch under his breath. Akira elbowed him, hissing a warning to him. Ann moved to try and fix the situation.
"Kitagawa-kun, we-"
"...Forgive them, Yusuke."
Akira blinked at the elderly man in surprise.
She had not expected him to say that. It looked as if the others felt the same as her.
"They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety." He said with a smile.
"... Understood, Sensei."
Madarame chuckled at his pupil.
"It's fine Yusuke. Even I doubt everyone could like a cranky old man like myself."
Akira suddenly felt terrible for coming. Both she and Ann tried apologizing. Madarame only offered a smile and told them not to worry about it.
After asking them to quiet down, he retreated back inside.
What a pleasant man... Could the rumors really be true?
Yusuke bowed and apologized for his behavior. Ryuji didn't say anything but a hard elbow to his side, courtesy of Akira, made him mumble something akin to an apology as well.
Ryuji frowned as Yusuke leaned towards Ann and Akira, showing off something called a Sayuri.
He wasn't really listening anymore.
He felt like shit and acted like one.
To everyone.
Yusuke, Ann, Akira.
He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair.
What's wrong with me?
"He has palace!?"
Ryuji blinked and turned back to the girls.
When did Yusuke leave?
"How can that be? Madarame seemed so humble and kind..." Akira mumbled.
The Meta-Nav reacted to Madarame, along with plagarism and shack.
"I knew it! I knew he was up to no good!" Ryuji said.
They all ignored him, focusing on the phone instead.
"We have the person's name and location. All that's left is the what that Madarame mistakes his shack for to enter his palace." Morgana said.
"You mean like how Kamoshida saw the school as his castle?" Ann asked.
"Precisely."
Akira stared at her phone screen.
"Should we try to guess?"
Ryuji shrugged.
"It's a bit sudden... But we should try anyways."
They tried a ton of things. Castle, prison, jail, barn, guidance office. No hits and they were getting nowhere fast.
"Not a single hit..." Ryuji sighed.
"Maybe we're thinking about this wrong?" Akira sighed.
"Maybe try some artist related words?" The cat suggested.
That's it!
"Museum." She said.
As soon as she said muesum, her phone trilled in her hand. The world around them darkened and shifted.
Beginning navigation.
TAKE YOUR TIME
The shack was no more.
A large gold building stood in its place. It's cubism-like design stretched high into the air. Strange shapes and sculptures were scattered across the roofs and platforms. Japanese writing were etched into the walls, their luster shimmering in the dark. Expensive and fancy cars parked besides the building. Crowds were lined up from the door and far into the distance.
The streets had a shiny metallic tint to it with silver gated fences, separating the cars from the sidewalk.
Akira stared up at the ever-moving dark blue sky.
This was Madarame's palace.
"That shack is seriously some kind of museum!?"
Looking at this place, it was becoming glaringly obvious that the humble elderly man Madarame they met wasn't the true Madarame.
"Let's check it out." Ann said.
With that, the group made their way to the front.
As they drew closer and closer to the scene, the building that seemed extravagant became increasingly gaudy.
"Ugh..." Akira sighed.
"You alright?"
She turned to Ryuji, a slight frown on her lips.
"Yeah..."
They didn't say anything for a moment and went back to looking around.
To say they were awkward was an understatement.
There was too much tension between them. Between Ryuji's off behavior and sudden outburts, Akira didn't know what to think. The same thoughts were floating through the blonde's head as well.
He didn't know why he was losing his cool and snapping at his friend.
It was the first time in a while that he felt close to anyone, and here he was pushing her away.
Dammit...
He stared at the back of her head as they made their way around the museum. They couldn't get through the front with all the security, so they scaled the building, trying to find another way in.
They traversed up walls and over platforms, eventually sneaking in through an open skylight.
The inside was dark and eerily quiet. Like most museums, paintings hung on the walls.
Only these pictures sways and moved on their canvas.
The sight would've been amazing if it hadn't been within a palace.
It quickly became disturbing as they read each painting description. They weren't descriptions. They were names and ages.
"What the hell?" He frowned.
As they ventured through, only these type of potraits hung from the walls.
"This doesn't make sense... Madarame's famous for having a variety of art styles... But all the potraits on display look the same." Ann mumbled.
"Totally different from the art exhibit." Akira agreed.
"Wait a sec!"
The girls turned to Ryuji, who was staring at one of the portraits. As they drew closer, the man in the portrait began to look familiar.
"Ain't this that guy from Mementos? Ya know... the one shit-talkin' Madarame?" He asked.
And indeed he was.
Same face. Same hairstyle.
Definitely the man from Mementos.
Morgana confirmed this once he read the name.
"Natsuhiko Nakanohara..."
Ryuji scratched his head in confusion.
"I don't get it! Why's there a paintin' of him in here?" He asked.
"Isn't it weird that his name is on a plaque?" Akira asked.
"Yeah... Isn't it usually the artist's name or the title of the piece?" Ann nodded.
Ann was right. It was rather strange and the eerie feeling that something was very wrong creeped up their backs. They went on, exploring and searching the area and art.
"No way!"
Akira turned to remind Ann to keep her voice down, but the words died in her throat.
She stared in shock at the portrait.
It was a painting of Yusuke.
"Isn't it a picture of-" Ryuji mumbled.
"Yusuke Kitagawa. There's no mistaking it." Morgana said, looking at the plaque.
And that's when it hit them.
These paintings weren't just any kind of art. They were portraits of every pupil Madarame ever had.
If what they were thinking was right, Madarame was using all his students and passing their work off as his own.
They continued investigating the museum. The deeper they ventured in, the more their suspicions were confirmed. They traveled up golden stairs and around guarding shadows.
Ryuji could see the visible distaste on Akira's face as the stumbled upon a lustrous gold statue. It was a strange piece of abstract art that made strange swirls and had unintelligible figures made into it.
"The Infinite Spring. A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds." Ann said, reading off a plaque.
Akira's nose continued to scrunch up beneath her mask as Ann continued reading.
"These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living."
"That's so..." Akira muttered.
She couldn't even find the words to describe it.
"This must be about the plagiarism stuff... Dammit! What a phony geezer." Ryuji said.
Akira could feel rage growing within her.
Yusuke saw this man as his idol. He held such a scumbag at high regard.
Did he know his teacher was doing this?
Was Yusuke being used too and just keeping quiet?
"In other words, his pupils are his property. He doesn't even qualify as an artist if this is true." Morgana said.
Was his entire career based off lies?
"He's stealing the ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood."
What an asshole... Either give up your art to an undeserving man or live on the street.
"I wondered about those portraits on display... They must be all his "pupils" through his cognition." He continued.
He's just abusing them. Hiding behind the facade of a humble and kind man.
She suddenly thought back.
Damn brat! I'll sue!
She clenched her fist.
I won't let Yusuke suffer and hide his abuser from justice.
I'll do anything to save him.
Hey guys! This story isn't dead but I totally am. All jokes aside, I'm very sorry that it's taken so long to update. I had planned to update by at least July 28th (my birthday) because it's a long standing tradition of my own to update on my birthday. But I've been held up with my intense summer classes and my own lack of enthusiasm to write.
You never understand writer's block until you get it.
Props to adeanrebel for calling me out and telling me 2 weeks had passed, like 6 weeks ago. I appreciate it.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've decided to make Ryuji more prominent in the Madarame arc as he's struggling with not being the main man of Akira's life. Now questions.
Are you going to make the mafia P5/Female rendition of P4?
Yep. Expect the first chapter of the mafia story to come out later today or tomorrow. As for the P4 one, I think I will but want to finish this story first. Keep your eyes open for that.
Do you plan on putting Kasumi from P5 Royale?
I actually am not. I feel like I don't have much of grasp on her as a character since the game didn't come out yet.
If you didn't ship Ryuji with male or female Akira, who would he be with?
I think with Makoto. I kinda shipped them initially. He's into motorcycles, she drives one. I also like the whole uptight and regal characters going with delinquents/bad boy dynamic.
Any video games you're currently playing/looking forward to? What games do you play the most?
Just finished fire emblem three houses. Golden deer route finally finished and you know I married my boy Claude. I'm looking forward to Astral Chain, Code Vein, and Oninaki. As for what I play the most, I guess Splatoon 2 and fire emblem?
When do you plan on having Ryuji and Akira get together?
Let's just say it'll be very soon.
Thanks for reading! Also a heads up, I am going back to college soon so updates will be all over the place. Sorry in advance.
In remembrance of Desmond 'Etika' Amofah. Thank you for all you did for me and your fans.
Joycon Boys Forever
Rest in Peace
6/25/19
