Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of both Persona 5 Royal AND Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assualt, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

19. An Icy Awakening! Kitsune Artist part 7

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Hard to believe this is already chapter 19 and we're not even out of the second Palace yet! At this pace, I think it might be a safe bet that this story beats out Hacker's Memory- The Amasawa Files at minimum in chapter count, if not word count (though given that I did a quick bit of math on the 18 chapters I've typed out to this point and if I did the math right, the total estimated word count is a bit over 300,000 words already), and there's still basically 7 and a half Palaces left in the Royal side of the story, plus all the Jails of the Strikers/Scramble side of the story so there's still a LOT of story left.

That said, if I'm right, AND if I can average around 12-15 thousand words per chapter, I can probably easily beat the just over 502,000 word length that Amasawa Files reached. So this is gonna be a long story possibly before much longer! That said, this chapter should be more of Madarame's Palace. Depending on how much of it is taken to get to a certain point of said Palace, there might be other stuff in here as well, but we'll see how far we get in that front. That said, on with the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way shape or form, barring the OC Kusa/Draconis who he created and thus does own, and the credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega and Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 19!

Chapter 19: The Locked Door, The Artist's Shadow and more Awakening! The Kitsune Artist part 7

(In Madarame's Palace, at the 2nd Exhibition Room safe room, with Joker, Skull, Draconis, Panther and Mona)

Joker looked around at the group gathered in the safe room, frowning as he noticed Panther looking a bit distressed, prompting him to walk over to her and speak up.

"Something on your mind, Panther?" Joker asked Panther who nodded.

"This is terrible! Thanks for all the help, Joker. I need to make sure I stay focused!" Panther said as Joker nodded.

"No problem, Panther. And by 'this', I assume you mean what we've seen of the Palace so far." Joker said as Panther nodded. Joker then turned and walked towards the exit of the safe room at which point Draconis spoke up.

"Excellent, we're proceeding with the infiltration. Good call, Joker. The sooner we get through this infiltration, the sooner we can change that scumbag Madarame's heart. Let's keep going." Draconis said as the group nodded and left the Safe Room. After leaving, Joker used his Third Eye to look around for possible hidden paths and blinked as he noticed a jump point in the walls leading down the hall from the Safe Room the group had just left. Joker and the others leapt up the jump point only to stop short as they saw what was on the other side of the wall, making Skull blanch as he spoke up.

"Gah! The hell!? How're we supposed to get past this huge hole in the-" Skull said as Mona cut him off mid-sentence by speaking up.

"Calm down. Look at where the security guard is walking..." Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, probably an invisible floor or something like that." Draconis guessed as Joker and Mona nodded and the group kept moving. After jumping a strong Shadow and defeating it, the group looked around, blinking as Joker sensed a chest in the nearby area, heading to the room on the right first, making Panther blanch as she was presumably the only one who'd seen the signs on the wall, and thus knew these were restrooms. She then spoke up uneasily.

"C-cut it out! I know this is a mission, but do we have to go in here?! This is a girls' bathroom, after all." Panther said as Skull and Draconis blinked at this and the former spoke up.

"For real!? I didn't see any signs to suggest it, and neither did Joker or Draconis." Skull said as Draconis nodded before speaking up.

"Maybe they were easy to miss. But let's make this quick for Panther's sake." Draconis said as Panther nodded gratefully. After opening the chest and claiming the Chakra Choker within, the group checked the room on the left, frowning as it had nothing in it.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm in here. Granted, I suppose it is fair since you boys went into the girls' bathroom that I get to come into the boys' bathroom in turn." Panther said as Draconis and Skull nodded as did Joker and Mona, even if the latter huffed before speaking up.

"Oh come on! Why does the girls' bathroom have a chest in it but not the boys' bathroom!? I didn't think Madarame was also sexist on top of being a scummy conman!" Mona said huffily as Draconis chuckled and patted Mona on the head.

"I don't think that was intentional, Mona-sensei. Most likely Madarame was probably ingrained with the mindset that ladies are a precious treasure and should be respected as such, which on at least that point I can agree with him if that is how he thinks. Because let's be real, no self-respecting man would do less than respect women. But that should go without saying in my opinion." Draconis said as both Mona and Panther nodded approvingly as the latter spoke up.

"I agree, Draconis. Not enough men think like you do. Granted, Joker and Skull might think that way but not really realize it,and I think it's a safe bet Mona thinks that way." Panther said as Joker, Mona and Skull nodded agreement as the group kept moving. After jumping another strong Shadow, Panther went up to level 14. After a bit of running, the group reached another hall, only for the exits to be blocked off with an electric wall barring the exits. Panther blinked as she spoke up.

"Huh...? Is this..." Panther said as a voice could be heard presumably over the intercom.

"Intruders in the Second Exhibition Room! Apprehend them at once!" A voice could be heard over the intercom making both Draconis and Skull scowl as the former spoke up.

"Intruders!? Oh HELL no! How did we get snared in a trap like this and not notice!? This is messed up!" Draconis huffed as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Truth, Draconis! That said, crap, let's get outta here fast! Which way's the exit!?" Skull asked as Mona and Joker exchanged a deadpan look as the former spoke up.

"Does it matter!? They appear to all be blocked." Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Agreed. In that case, our only option is to take out all the Shadows that got spawned in when that voice spoke up. And yes Mona, I did notice that." Joker said as Mona and Draconis nodded approvingly to Joker's response as Panther and Skull nodded their agreement. In the process of fighting off the Shadows, Skull hit level 14 and learned the passive skill Adverse Resolve making him speak up.

"A new move! So, whaddya think?" Skull said as Joker and Panther nodded approvingly as did Mona, while Draconis spoke up.

"Not too shabby, Skull. A bit situational, but not too shabby. Now let's keep going." Draconis said as the group nodded. After the last of the Shadows was defeated, the group found some jump spots, leapt up, grappled across a gap, and found the off-switch for the barriers, immediately hitting it and killing the blockades. At that point, Panther smiled as she spoke up.

"YES! Oh, look! The electric thing's deactivated now!" Panther said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"I think it's called a barrier, but yeah we'll go with electric thing since I was raised to not argue with a lady." Draconis said sagely as Mona nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Well said, Draconis. Anyways, this should let us move forward. Nice work, Joker!" Mona said as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. As the group found another grapple point, they noticed another strong Shadow that they quickly knocked down and weakened a bit before Joker signaled for the All-Out Attack, which came in the form of the group nodding and pelting the Shadow with blows before Draconis lunged forward and raised up his bo staff before slamming it into the Shadow's torso, quickly removing it before sticking two throwing knives into the opening made by the bo staff as Draconis smirked as he spoke up.

"Heh, ain't nothin' to it! Score one more for the good guys!" Draconis said as he did an epic landing after throwing the knives as he flexed and crossed his arms before dipping into a dab as the caption 'The dragon has judged you and you were found unworthy. Goodbye!' flashed on screen with a dragon stretched out under the text just over Draconis' head as the battle ended and the group got some more sooty gear, in this case a Sooty Yorishiro. As a result of the influx of EXP gained from the fight, Mona hit level 14 while both Joker AND Draconis hit level 15, Joker smirking as he leveled up.

"All right! Level up!" Joker said as his stats went up. After the battle, Mona spoke up.

"Well, that's that. Let's hurry up and move on." Mona said as Draconis nodded agreement.

"Agreed. Plus I think Joker said he saw another grapple point nearby so we should look into that." Draconis said as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. After using the grapple point to get on top of a nearby beam, the group darted across it to find themselves in a room where they could hear ominous sounds as Mona spoke up.

"One of Madarame's Will Seeds...let's take it!" Mona said as Draconis nodded.

"Agreed, Mona-sensei! Finally, we're about at the one third mark for this Palace!" Draconis said happily as the others nodded. Joker then cut down the usual vine wall, and the group seized the 'Red Vanity Seed' from its resting place, making Draconis frown as he spoke up.

"Vanity, eh? Well, there goes my theory about these palaces being tied to the seven deadly sins somehow. Oh well, guess I can't be right EVERY time!" Draconis said as Mona nodded as he spoke up.

"I can see how you'd think that though, Draconis, given that the theme of Kamoshida's Will Seeds was Lust, which is one of the seven deadly sins. Assuming the others are in future Palaces, that leaves Sloth, Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath and Pride. And I won't be surprised to see every one of those be a Will Seed theme. Also, our first Will Seed of the Palace...let's keep searching the area! Either way, let's keep moving." Mona said as Draconis nodded approvingly and the group kept moving.

After leaping down and ambushing another Shadow, the group knocked down the Shadows and Joker signaled for an All-Out Attack, which the group obliged on as Ann leapt forward this time at the end, pelting each of the downed shadows with shots from her gun as she dropped to the ground and did a peace sign as she winked while posing and spoke up.

"Aren't we the best?" Ann said as she posed while the screen flashed a caption on-screen that read 'OMG! We are SO awesome!' with a bunch of symbols in the background as the battle ended. As the group took the other door in the room they were in after beating the Shadow, they walked along a hall, eventually stopping as Skull spoke up.

"Hold on, Joker! Don't you think that shiny buildin' over there's kinda suspicious?" Skull asked as the group turned to face where he was pointing, all gaping as they saw the fancy looking door in front of them as Panther spoke up.

"This is amazing! Whoa, it's even gaudier than the rest of the museum..." Panther said as Mona nodded his agreement as he spoke up.

"It definitely looks like something important would be hidden away in there..." Mona said as Skull spoke up.

"Let's go find out!" Skull said as the others nodded and kept moving. As they walked forward, the door split open to reveal many other doors, eventually leading to an area where a glowing red version of the electric barriers that the group had deactivated before was blocking further progress. As the group approached it, Skull spoke up.

"Whoa! The hell!?" Skull said as Panther blanched and spoke up.

"Are these... infrared lasers? There's no way we can get past them..." Panther said as Draconis frowned before he spoke up.

"Not from here, at least. Normally I'd say we could try to find a way around, but as I don't see any grapple points or vents, that might not be an option this time." Draconis said. Mona nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"I agree, Draconis. This level of security only proves there's something worth protecting up ahead." Mona said as the others nodded before Panther blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, there's something written on the sign..." Panther said as she walked over to the sign and looked at it.

"Hmm...it says 'All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it...Please be cautious as it is impossible to open from the outside.' Hmph, how rude." Panther said as she frowned before Skull spoke up.

"So, it's never gonna open!? How're we supposed to get past!?" Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Oh, ye of little faith. Need I remind you we've done the impossible before, or at least seen it. Or would I be wrong to say that outside of the Metaverse, Mona-sensei's other form should be impossible? No offense Mona-sensei." Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"None taken. You make a good point with that. But wait...That door...I think I've seen that pattern somewhere...Oh right! There's no mistaking it! That's the same door I saw earlier!" Mona said as the other four blinked in confusion until Draconis spoke up having realized something.

"Earlier...Oh right, is this related to that time Joker let you out to scope out Madarame's place while I had to keep Skull from getting all of us in trouble because he couldn't quit unintentionally egging on Kitagawa-kun?" Draconis asked Mona who nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely, Draconis! We can discuss what you just said later, but for now...Guys, let's head back!" Mona said as Skull blinked as he spoke up.

"Huh? Why!? And Draconis, I said I was sorry already for that." Skull said as Draconis smiled and spoke up.

"I know, Skull. I was just using that as a frame of reference for when Mona-sensei could've seen this pattern before since it's the only instance I can think of that would fit with him seeing such a pattern. I wasn't trying to call you out or anything." Draconis said as Skull nodded understandingly. Mona looked at Skull and spoke up.

"I think I know which real-world door that's based on. There may be another way to open it! In any case, I'll explain later! Come on, let's go!" Mona said as he darted off, leaving Joker to look at the others as he spoke up.

"Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice but to listen to Mona for the time being..." Joker said uneasily as Draconis spoke up.

"Indeed we do not. Hopefully we get a chance to register that safe room I saw in the previous room before Skull nudged us towards this room." Draconis said. The others nodded and caught up to Mona who spoke up as the others caught up to him.

"Let's head back home for today. We can come back here once we've hatched a plan!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"I agree, but do remember we're on a bit of a time limit here, Mona-sensei." Draconis said sagely as the others nodded agreement. The group then kept moving. Sure enough, the group was still able to move freely so they headed right to the safe room that Draconis pointed out after leaving the blocked path. As they went inside, Skull spoke up.

"Hey...we can use this place!" Skull said as the 'Central Garden' safe room was added to the fast-travel list. Draconis nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed. Not only that, but this makes for a VERY handy spot to return to once we figure out a plan for tackling that blocked path, which we should try to do sooner than later if possible." Draconis said. Joker nodded as he looked at the gathered group before seeing that Skull and Mona looked like they wanted to speak. Joker looked over at Skull and spoke up.

"You all right, Skull? You look agitated." Joker said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Of course I'm agitated, Joker. Dammit! Security's real effin' tight here. We gotta find a way to get that thing open." Skull said as Joker nodded.

"I agree. We will find a way, Skull. Just be patient and keep the faith." Joker said as Draconis nodded approvingly to Joker's words as Joker walked over to Mona. Joker then spoke up to Mona.

"So are you confident that that door is our way forward? Because for all we know, it could be a trap." Joker pointed out. Mona looked at Joker and spoke up.

"Mmm...That door's GOTTA be the right way." Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"Wow, you sound rather confident of that, Mona-sensei. Granted, you're probably right, but should we have a backup plan in case you're wrong?" Draconis asked Mona who shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, probably would be a good idea though I'm pretty sure I'm right." Mona said agreeably. He then looked at Joker and kept speaking.

"Leave it to me, Joker!" Mona said as the group nodded. After a quick fast-travel, the group returned to the entrance of the Palace, where Mona spoke up.

"Well then...We should leave and try to disengage the courtyard security." Mona said as Joker thought about it before speaking up.

"I feel like we didn't get a lot done, but far be it from me to disagree with you, Mona. Let's head back for now." Joker said. As the group started to exit, Mona spoke up.

"Well...I think we're almost halfway through. I'm starting to get a faint sense of the Treasure near here." Mona said as Panther spoke up.

"Oh! That means we're at least making some progress, right? Hey, when do you want to come here next? Let me know when you decide...I'll be waiting!" Panther said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"It didn't feel like we got halfway through that Palace...I mean, we only found one Will Seed so far. I feel like if anything we're a third of the way done." Draconis said as Mona nodded agreeably. The group then headed back to the real world...

(Back in the real world with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Ann and Ryuji)

"How're we supposed to get past that door?" Ann asked the others. Ryuji huffed as he spoke up.

"I dunno...You think there's some kinda off switch somewhere?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up.

"If that were the case Ryuji, I'd think we've have seen it right away or at least Ren would've sensed something." Kusa pointed out. Ryuji huffed but Mona cut in before he could reply to Kusa.

"Looks like this is where I come in." Morgana said as Ann spoke up in surprise.

"Mona?" Ann asked as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Ann! We're back in the real world now! We don't use code names in the real world, remember?" Kusa pointed out as Ann blinked and spoke up.

"Oh that's right! Sorry." Ann said apologetically and Kusa waved it off as Morgana smirked as he spoke up.

"I have a suspicious place in mind." Morgana said as Ann, Ryuji and Ren all blinked at this in surprise while Kusa nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Makes sense...after all didn't you say that Palaces are usually based off of the area they're in, like how Kamoshida's Palace was based off of Shujin Academy to a point?" Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa! And remember guys? This shack is the basis for Madarame's Palace. I actually scouted it out the last time we were here." Morgana said as Ryuji gave Morgana an unreadable look and spoke up, his tone as he spoke conveying how impressed he was with Morgana.

"Whoa...So this was your plan from the start?" Ryuji said as Morgana nodded.

"Correct." Morgana said as Ann huffed and spoke up.

"You only went 'scouting' because you were bored." Ann said as Morgana blinked at Ann's comment as Ryuji spoke up.

"So? Where's this suspicious place?" Ryuji asked Morgana. Morgana smirked as he spoke up.

"It's on the second floor. I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock up there." Morgana said as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, that shack had a second floor? I didn't see any stairs?" Kusa said in surprise as Ryuji and Ren nodded their agreement of Kusa's statement as Ann spoke up.

"If it's locked, that means there's something in there he doesn't want people to see." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"But...don't we wanna be openin' the door in the Palace?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up.

"Yes, and we're gonna do that by opening the real one in front of Madarame's eyes. Basically we're going to change his cognition that the door is unopenable. And yes Kusa, the shack has a second floor. The stairs were just down the hall a bit from where you guys were sitting with Kitagawa." Morgana said as Ann spoke up.

"In other words...when we open the one in Madarame's house, that area in his Palace will open on its own?" Ann asked as Ryuji crossed his arms and spoke up.

"I'm not really gettin' it...Is that gonna work?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up.

"Trust me! There's no chance it won't open! ...I think!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Ignoring your use of 'I think' for now Morgana-sensei, you DO realize there's a couple of things that could pose a problem to this plan of yours, specifically the fact that these two idiots over here got themselves barred from coming around the shack last time we were here and the fact that Kitagawa openly threatened to call the cops if we kept trying to help him?" Kusa pointed out as he subtly nodded his head towards Ryuji and Ren as he said the 'these two idiots over here' part of his comment to signify who he meant, getting a unified cry of annoyance from Ren and Ryuji.

"I'M NOT AN IDIOT!" Ren and Ryuji rebuked Kusa simultaneously before blinking at their synchronicity as Morgana, Kusa and Ann laughed at the duo's speaking in unison. Mona looked at Kusa as he spoke up.

"That's true, Ren and Ryuji aren't welcome in the shack...That said, you understand, don't you, Joker?" Morgana asked Ren, ignoring Kusa sputtering at Morgana using code names in the real world as Ren spoke up.

"First of all Morgana, no code names in the real world! Secondly, it can't hurt to try though Kusa does raise a good point about me and Ryuji not being welcome in there. We might have to work around that somehow." Ren said as Kusa stroked his chin in thought while Ryuji spoke up.

"Well yeah, but..." Ryuji said trailing off as Morgana spoke up in irritation.

"Why don't you trust me!? It's worth a try!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"We, or at least I since I can't speak for the others, trust you Morgana-sensei. You've not steered us wrong yet so far, not counting that little mishap you inadvertently caused us earlier. So I see no reason not to trust you." Kusa said reassuringly, reaching over to gently pet Morgana's head. As Morgana was distracted by purring at Kusa's touch, Ann spoke up.

"But even then, there's still that hefty lock we have to deal within reality, right?" Ann said as Mona spoke up with a smile.

"Oh, that'll be a breeze. Just give me a hairpin and I'll handle it. It will take some time though. Doing everything myself in front of Madarame would be impossible. If only there was someone who could distract him for awhile..." Morgana said, giving Ann a pointed look as he spoke, making her blink as she spoke up, Kusa frowning as he knew where Morgana was headed with that comment and not agreeing with it as Ann spoke up.

"...Huh?" Ann said as Ryuji frowned before he realized what Morgana was getting at and grinned as he spoke up.

"Oh...Ohhh! Man, how are we even gonna get into his house? We'd get reported for sure if we force ourselves in..." Ryuji said, now also looking pointedly at Ann as Kusa winced at Ryuji's word choice. Ann spoke up again with a frown.

"What?" Ann said as Ryuji spoke up, his next words making both Ren and Kusa blanch and then frown as Ryuji spoke.

"I guess the only way is...havin' you go nude." Ryuji said as both Ann and Kusa blanched and the former spoke up in shock, her eyes wide.

"WHAT!?" Ann said as Kusa huffed as he spoke up.

"I can't believe you can speak of that so casually, Ryuji! Same with you, Morgana-sensei. But unfortunately, I don't think there's a better way of pulling off Morgana's plan." Kusa said with a sigh, reluctantly nodding his agreement as Morgana spoke up.

"I know you're not a fan of this Kusa, but there really isn't another choice. And fancy you say that, Ryuji. I was just thinking the same thing." Morgana said as Ann huffed and spoke up.

"This isn't funny! At least Kusa seems to understand how I feel about this even if he is going along with it." Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Of course I do. Believe me, if there were literally ANY other way of pulling off Morgana-sensei's plan, I'd be pushing for that in a heartbeat, but as it stands, we have no other alternatives since Ren and Ryuji aren't allowed inside the shack, and neither Kitagawa-kun OR Madarame know Morgana exists that I know of, so you'll have to just grit your teeth and bear with it. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not letting you do this alone. And Kitagawa-kun DID say I was allowed to accompany you for moral support provided I wait outside the room while you model for him." Kusa said. Ryuji then spoke up.

"Truth, Kusa! And Ann, we're not sayin' you should really get naked." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"As rare as this is, I agree with Ryuji. It's simply the best excuse for you to enter Madarame's house without drawing suspicions...So we'd like for you to play the role of decoy, Lady Ann. And I agree with Kusa's suggestion of having him play the moral support/bodyguard role if needed since like you, he wouldn't look suspicious or out of place doing so." Morgana said comfortingly to Ann who huffed as she spoke up.

"This is way too sudden...I mean, I don't even know where the locked door is." Ann said as Morgana spoke up.

"Don't worry, I'll accompany you." Morgana said reassuringly to Ann as she spoke up.

"But that's still technically only me...and Kusa if we have him play bodyguard/moral support for me. Worst comes to worst, what if I get found out?" Ann said as Morgana spoke up.

"We can run into the Palace! ...Or something?" Morgana said as Kusa facefaulted at Morgana's response as he spoke up.

"No, if that happens, my thinking is we get the hell out of there as quick as we can. Though as long as Ann plays her part convincingly, I doubt we'll have to worry about being found out...at least until we get to the 'open the locked door in front of Madarame' part of the plan. At that point, being found out might be inevitable and possibly unavoidable. Ideally, we can use Kitagawa-kun's apparent interest in Ann to hopefully calm the situation if it comes to it." Kusa said as Morgana nodded approvingly to Kusa's suggestion. Ann smiled at Kusa's suggestion before looking at Morgana as she spoke up.

"Is that really gonna work!? I mean, you're not giving me much confidence in this plan! At least Kusa's ideas are sound and seem like they'd work." Ann said. Kusa spoke up.

"That's because, with all respect to Morgana-sensei, I have been known to have a head for tactics from time to time. And while Morgana is the best thief among us for now, he's not exactly that tactically gifted, given he managed to get himself caught by Kamoshida of all people. Again, no offense Morgana. Besides, if I wasn't capable of adapting on the fly like I am, Ren and I might well have been worse off for it." Kusa said sagely as Ann sighed and nodded as Morgana spoke up.

"None taken, Kusa. Your plan makes sense from a tactical perspective, though we'd have to make sure we lost Madarame and Kitagawa if we ran for it before meeting up with the others." Morgana said as Ann sighed and spoke up.

"True...ugh, do I have to be the bait?" Ann said as Ren spoke up for the first time in a bit.

"Unfortunately Ann, there's no other way. I just don't see either Kusa or Morgana drawing enough interest from Madarame or Kitagawa to be effective distractions, plus Morgana can't be both a distraction and the one unlocking the door at the same time." Ren said reluctantly. Ann frowned at that and spoke up.

"But what if, you know...? Uhh! Um...Nothing." Ann said with a sigh. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up.

"All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, have him take you to that room, then just open the door." Ryuji said as Ann opened her mouth to speak up only for Kusa to beat her to it.

"Hmph, you make that sound so easy, Ryuji. But what if any bit of the distraction goes awry? Like say Kitagawa-kun senses something amiss with his model, or Ann somehow accidentally ruins the plan? This plan is VERY risky for Ann, and even to a lesser extent for myself and Morgana-sensei. This is not a guaranteed thing, you know." Kusa pointed out sagely as Ann nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Yeah, what Kusa said! You make it sound so easy! But if there's no other way, I don't... I don't... Ugh, I don't have a choice...Urghhhh! God!" Ann said as Kusa gave her a gentle but reassuring pat on the shoulder as he spoke up.

"Peace, Ann. I'll do my best to make sure nothing goes wrong while we do this. Just try to think positive and remember that this is for the sake of the mission. For what it's worth, I don't like this either, but it's the only hope we have of completing our mission." Kusa said reluctantly to Ann who sighed and nodded as she spoke up.

"Fine, I'll do it! For justice! And thank you, Kusa. Nice to know at least one of you agrees with me." Ann said with a smile. Kusa smiled as well as he spoke up.

"But of course, Ann. Even if Ren, Morgana and Ryuji don't have that much tact between them, I at least know enough to know to respect a lady's wishes. Not to mention, I protect those I care about." Kusa said as he crossed his arms as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, I feel a bit better now Kusa. And as for you Morgana...Seriously, you better pull this off!" Ann said with a glare to Morgana who spoke up.

"If it's for your sake Lady Ann, I won't stop scratching even if all my claws were to break!" Morgana vowed as Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up.

"Like you'd let your claws break, Morgana-sensei. Don't be a drama queen like that." Kusa huffed as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"That reminds me Kusa...why DO you call him sensei? Yes, he taught us about being phantom thieves, and saved your life, but is that really enough to give you that deep-seated of a level of respect for him already?" Ren asked as Ryuji nodded his agreement with Ren's question as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. If you must know Ren, I call him that both as a sign of respect and because when it comes to being thieves, Morgana here is our teacher, and as such earns the title of Sensei on principle. After all, doesn't Sensei mean 'teacher' or 'mentor', and really you could argue that he's both to a point where it comes to the Metaverse. But also, as cliche as this might sound, I feel bad for the little guy. I mean, he's going around with limited memories, a temporary form, and having to train a motley gaggle of teens like us.

That takes a lot of patience and kindness so if nothing else that alone should earn him our respect and appreciation. I won't deny that he can be high-maintenance at times, but he means well. And THAT is why I call him 'sensei.' That, and I was raised to understand the value of an honorific when one is given." Kusa said with a huff as Ryuji and Ren blinked before nodding in understanding as Ryuji spoke up.

"Fair enough. That said, we'll be countin' on you, Morgana! Don't let Yusuke notice ya, all right?" Ryuji said to Morgana as Ann spoke up with a huff.

"Ugh, if he tries to force my clothes off... I'll tear that house down!" Ann said as Morgana and Kusa exchanged wide-eyed looks of alarm as the latter spoke up.

"At least warn me first if you do so I can grab Morgana and get him out of there so we don't get trapped in there if you tear the house down." Kusa joked. Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Got it, Kusa. That said, I'm really gonna lose it if we do all this and the Palace door doesn't open. GOT IT!?" Ann said huffily as Ryuji spoke up with a smirk.

"We're workin' to get dirt on that guy's crimes either way. It won't go to waste. All right, let's get down and dirty tomorrow." Ryuji said. Ann blanched as she spoke up.

"Tomorrow!?" Ann said in shock. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up.

"Earlier the better." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded in agreement, deciding to voice his opinion at that point.

"I agree. Besides, we are on a bit of a time limit unfortunately, Ann. Or was I wrong that we agreed we wanted this finished before the school clean-up on the 30th to avoid the cleanup overlapping with our mission?" Kusa said sagely as Ann spoke up.

"No, you're right. Um, b-but... will Kitagawa-kun agree?" Ann asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"I dunno, just say something like, 'I really need it to be tomorrow.' That should work, yeah?" Ryuji said with a grin as Kusa huffed.

"Maybe, though that assumes Kitagawa-kun is that desperate to have Ann model for him. For all we know, he might've decided he didn't want her as a model anymore." Kusa said with a shrug. Ann just sighed, shook her head and the group parted ways for the day on that note...

(That evening, at Leblanc)

"Ugh, I'm pretty exhausted from going to the Metaverse...Let's just take it easy here instead of going out." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement as did Kusa. Morgana then kept speaking.

"Okay, leave this to me. I'll get it open right before his very eyes." Morgana said as Ren's phone went off to signal a group chat from Ryuji and Ann.

"You get in touch with Yusuke?" Ryuji sent. Ann smiled as she sent her response.

"Mm-hm. He asked me to come by tomorrow." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Awww yeah, he fell for it!" Ryuji said as Kusa sent a response.

"Just because he invited her over does NOT mean he 'fell for it', Ryuji! Besides, that's only part 1 of the plan accomplished! That still leaves mine and Morgana-sensei's parts to pull off, not to mention Ann's other part. So this is by no means a done deal yet." Kusa sent. Ann sent a response.

"Um, do I... really have to do this...?" Ann sent as Kusa smiled and sent a response.

"Unfortunately so Ann, yes, you do. Not only because it's the only way but because Kitagawa-kun already agreed. At this point, there's no backing out now. We're all-in on Morgana-sensei's plan." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"Kusa's right, Ann. That said, just be careful. Just because I agree with Ryuji and Morgana doesn't mean I approve of you having to undress for a painting." Ren sent. Ann smiled as she read Ren's response, and Kusa even nodded approvingly as he saw it. Ann then sent a response.

"Yeah...and thanks for the support Ren and Kusa." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Man, this is such a pain...We gotta open that door AND have Madarame see it, right?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"What do you mean 'WE gotta open that door', Ryuji!? If by 'we', you mean myself, Ann and Morgana-sensei, then you're right. Otherwise, don't speak like you have a part in this, because for now you and Ren are on standby until we sort out what to do with the two of you." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yeah, Morgana said that'll change his cognition." Ann sent as Ryuji frowned and sent a response.

"I don't get it...Oh, and one more thing. Let us know if any weird shit goes down and we'll be there to back you up ASAP." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"RUDE! You say that like I couldn't handle it if things came up Ryuji! Besides, Ann's perfectly capable of defending herself, and even if she's not, she has me and Morgana-sensei to back her up! That's a pretty solid team right there! As for you and Ren, we'll figure out what to do with you later I guess." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Fair enough, Kusa. And I think Ryuji meant that we'd be there as reserves if needed, not that you couldn't handle yourself. Don't be so quick to jump the gun." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth, Ren! But I apologize Kusa, that was unfair of me to word that the way I did." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Kk, got it." Ann sent as Ren put his phone away before the likely text-fest between Ann, Ryuji and Kusa could continue. As he did, Morgana spoke up.

"A Palace is a reflection of how its owner views the real world. So, if Madarame's cognition of reality changes, it's only natural that his Palace would be affected. And all jokes aside, we really will need Lady Ann to strip for Yusuke. It's the only way." Morgana said as Kusa glared at Morgana before speaking up.

"Perhaps we should take this discussion upstairs so we don't scare Sakura-san's customers too much?" Kusa suggested as Ren and Morgana agreed and headed upstairs as Kusa spoke up, glaring at Morgana as he spoke up.

"I get it's the only way, but do you really need to repeat it like we don't know that, Morgana-sensei!? Even Ann knows she has to strip. But she's not comfortable with it. So can you drop it? And talking about the mission, what're we gonna do with Ren and Ryuji while the three of us are doing our part?" Kusa said. Morgana spoke up.

"For now, nothing. I'll think about that and try to have an answer before we start the plan tomorrow." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded.

"So for tonight, I guess let's do stuff around Leblanc." Ren said as Kusa nodded.

"Fine by me. Assuming she's awake, I might see how Futaba is doing or something." Kusa said with a shrug as Ren nodded.

"Fair enough, and while you do that, Morgana and I can go do something downstairs so you have some privacy with your prospective lady friend." Ren joked as Kusa huffed.

"Oh, shut up Ren! She's still way too emotionally fragile to even think about anything like that! Even if she did reciprocate, if it were to somehow not work out, that could be devastating to her. No, I wont risk that until she's doing much better. So that's not even an option right now as far as I'm concerned. Now take your lame jokes and go downstairs with Morgana unless he wants to curl up on my lap or something." Kusa said as Ren nodded and went downstairs with Morgana. Once downstairs, Ren decided to brew some coffee for the rest of the night. After a bit, Sojiro walked in, seeing Ren brewing again.

"Looks like you're at it again, Ren...How's it going? Here, I'll have a sip." Sojiro said. He then took a sip of the coffee and spoke up after swallowing it.

"Mmm...This taste...It must be Colombian Narino. Let me explain! The high altitude, rainy climate, and soil of the Colombian moutains creates a strong foundation for their high quality coffee. Narino coffee has a creamy, viscous body that coats the mouth with fruity and nutty flavors. That said, the flavor profile is bland. You should practice more to bring out the roast's full potential. Although, I will acknowledge your hard work that you put into practicing as much as you do. That shows me you're serious about learning how to make good coffee, which I appreciate and approve of. I'll keep mentoring you Ren, so keep it up. Too bad Kusa wasn't also interested in brewing coffee, or this could make for some good bonding time for the three of us." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"Kusa, for all that he's patient and loyal, never was much of a coffee drinker. He was always more of a tea or hot chocolate guy, and on occasion he'd drink sodas." Ren said with a smirk as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that sounds like Kusa all right. Also, one day, there will be a flavor of coffee that only you can produce. You have potential, keep training." Sojiro said making Ren gape at the compliment and encouragement Sojiro gave him making him nod and smile at Sojiro as he spoke up.

"I will. Thank you for the encouragement and kind words, Sakura-san. They mean a lot." Ren said appreciatively. Sojiro then left as Morgana spoke up.

"We should rest now, we have a big day tomorrow." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After cleaning up and changing out of the apron, he and Morgana went upstairs where both smiled as they saw Kusa dozing peacefully on the sofa, Morgana leaping deftly and gently onto Kusa's lap to curl up as Ren chuckled and laid down and fell asleep pretty quickly...

(The next morning, on the train with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"I saw someone famous in Shibuya yesterday. That parliamentarian from when I was a kid... Toranosuke something." Kusa and Ren heard a young office worker say to their glasses-wearing friend, who then spoke up.

"Oh, Toranosuke Yoshida. Or as most folks know him, 'No-Good Tora.' He hangs out at train stations giving speeches these days, no one pays him any mind. He used to be a rising star in politics, but wound up involved in scandal after scandal." The glasses-wearing worker said as the young office worker spoke up again.

"Huh... Yeah, I saw him in line for food. It was weird seeing a politician eating at the same place as we do." The young office worker said as the glasses-wearing worker spoke up again.

"In the end...Well, that's probably his new gimmick, right? Pandering to middle-class people." The glasses-wearing worker said sagely as the rest of the train ride proceeded uneventfully...

(Later that morning, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

"Geez...sometimes I see people writing exactly the same things on their essays. Don't think you can get away with copying stuff from some website. I'll know. Got it? Stealing someone's ideas is plagiarism. It's as much of a crime as stealing anything else. It's so annoying dealing with copyright crap these days... Oh yeah, did you know this? You know the Arsene Lupin series by Maurice Leblanc? Leblanc once had a famous detective character from another series appear in one of the Lupin stories. Now then...Amamiya-kun." Kawakami said as Ren looked up to give Kawakami his attention when she called his name. Kawakami kept speaking at that point.

"Do you know the answer? Do you know which author Leblanc borrowed from?" Kawakami asked Ren who blinked for a moment before he recalled seeing a mention of this when he read the book about Arsene as a fun fact and smirked as he spoke up.

"This is it! The answer is Arthur Conan Doyle." Ren said confidently. Kawakami smiled and clapped as she spoke up.

"Well done! Oh, do you like mystery novels? Yes, the answer is the author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. It was the ultimate showdown between the definitive gentleman thief and the famous detective. Apparently, Leblanc changed the name of his version of Sherlock Holmes when Doyle complained. He changed it to 'Herlock Sholmes.' He just moved the S to the start of his last name." Kawakami said as the usual murmurs ensued about Ren. Morgana also praised Ren as his Knowledge went up. Kawakami then kept speaking.

"Both Lupin and Holmes would go on to appear in a number of other works...But those were homages, not plagiarism. Now, Arsene Lupin is synonymous with the idea of a 'phantom thief.' He's recognized all over the world." Kawakami said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Yup! Wow, it looks like some phantom thieves never go out of style!" Morgana said as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school in the classroom with Morgana and Ren)

"Well then, Lady Ann, Kusa and I will head over to Madarame's house." Morgana said as he and Ren went to the hideout...

(At the hideout with Ann, Kusa, Ren, Morgana and Ryuji)

"Ann, Kusa, Morgana, we're counting on you." Ryuji said. Me and Ren're banned from goin' there, so all we can do is wait here..." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up at that point.

"No, you two have something different you'll need to do." Morgana said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.

"Whaddya mean?" Ryuji asked Morgana. Kusa huffed as he spoke up before Morgana could do so.

"Isn't it obvious, Ryuji!? While the three of us are doing our part, we need SOME of us to wait in the Palace." Kusa said as Morgana nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Exactly! You and Ren have to wait inside the Palace, Ryuji. Once that door opens, sneak in and look for some kind of control room. We need to make sure the door can't close anymore after it's open." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Makes sense. After all, would be kind of redundant if we did all this only for the door to close itself up again afterwards." Kusa said sagely. Surprisingly, Ryuji seemed to understand this and spoke up.

"Ohhh, I get it. Mkay, you can leave that to us!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded his agreement and the two groups split to take on their jobs...

(At Madarame's house with Ann, Kitagawa, Kusa and Morgana)

"To think you'd really come... I assumed you were lying when you contacted me." Yusuke said to Ann who chuckled nervously, covering up the low huff Kusa made from outside the room where he stood guard, not appreciating Kitagawa's insinuation about Ann as Ann spoke up.

"I'm sorry it was so sudden." Ann said apologetically as Kitagawa smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, it's not a problem. But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes. So, um...I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety on your part." Kitagawa said, giving Ann an apologetic look as he said that, not seeing the shocked look on Ann's face, or the blanching expression on Kusa's face outside at Kitagawa's audacity. Ann nodded and spoke up in a slight huff.

"That's why I'm here today, dammit." Ann said, moreso to herself than to Kitagawa, who turned around as he heard Ann speak.

"What was that?" Kitagawa asked Ann who chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh no, it was nothing!" Ann said quickly as Kitagawa spoke up.

"By the way...Have you gained some weight?" Kitagawa asked Ann, whose jaw dropped at the question while Kusa blanched at the question as he stood guard. At that point, the camera panned to show Ann looking much bigger than normal, probably due to the copious amount of layers she'd squeezed onto her body. Ann then spoke up.

"You think so? I weigh the same as always...Maybe I'm bloated today?" Ann said as Kitagawa shrugged and spoke up.

"Fair enough. So, then... can you, um... get ready here?" Kitagawa asked Ann who nodded as she spoke up.

"I... need to take my clothes off, right?" Ann asked Kitagawa as outside, Kusa frowned at the question, but knew he had to not react for the sake of the plan, as much as that question annoyed him. Kitagawa nodded as he spoke up, his face slightly flush with embarrassment as he spoke.

"Y-Yes please..." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up.

"OK...I'm embarrassed. Could you look the other way?" Ann asked as Kitagawa nodded and turned around, grunting in surprise as he heard a piece of clothing hit the ground. He then heard another piece hit and blinked, speaking up slightly.

"Oh!" Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up, her words making both Kitagawa AND Kusa squirm as she spoke.

"Phew, that was tight..." Ann said, making Kitagawa shudder in mixed surprise and slight curiosity as he spoke up.

"Tight...?" Kitagawa said to himself in surprise. He briefly let himself picture what was going on behind him before giving himself a mental shake as he spoke up once more to himself.

"No, I'm doing this for art!" Kitagawa said to himself. Ann then spoke up.

"Don't look over here, okay? Hey, your sensei's coming back soon, right?" Ann said, as Kusa resisted the urge to facefault at her words, feeling she was egging Kitagawa on. Kitagawa gulped as he heard another piece of clothing hit the floor and spoke up.

"I believe so..." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up contemplatively.

"Hm...Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely..." Ann said as both Kitagawa AND Kusa's eyes went wide at her question. Kitagawa spoke up in confusion.

"This should be good enough..." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up nervously.

"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" Ann asked as Kitagawa blinked at the question and spoke up.

"A lock?" Kitagawa asked as Ann nervously chuckled and spoke up.

"Uhh, ehehehe, must a girl say more?" Ann said as she threw another piece of clothing to the ground, this one actually landing where Kitagawa could see it, making him blanch as he looked down at it and spoke up with a slightly pink face.

"Wha!? But the only one with a lock is...Sensei's room..." Kitagawa said uneasily as Ann spoke up coyly.

"Then why not there?" Ann asked as Kitagawa blanched and spoke up.

"I can't intrude...Besides, I don't have the key..." Kitagawa said as Ann huffed and turned to speak to the door where she knew Kusa was standing.

"He says he doesn't have the key." Ann said to where Kusa was standing, making Kusa huff and speak up.

"I know, Ann. I can hear what he's saying from out here, you know. And can you not come on so strong? I'm just glad I'm the one standing guard here and not Morgana-sensei! I don't even want to think of his reaction to some of your remarks! Jeez!" Kusa huffed from outside as Morgana spoke up at that point.

"It's okay. That's why I'm here. I'll just use this hairpin..." Morgana said as he headed off with the hairpin he'd been given towards the lock, ignoring Kusa's remark about his reactions. At that point, Kitagawa spoke up.

"Takamaki-san, are you about-?" Kitagawa said, stopping short as he saw the large pile of discarded clothes in front of Ann making him blink as he spoke up.

"You were wearing all this?" Kitagawa asked in surprise, his eyes narrowed in suspicion even as he looked at Ann, not seeing Morgana's head peeking around the corner in curiosity of the proceedings or Kusa crossing his arms with a disapproving look on his face as he stood guard. Ann nodded and chuckled nervously as she spoke up, her words making Kusa groan under his breath as she spoke.

"D-Don't you think it's a bit cold today?" Ann asked Kitagawa who blinked at the question as he responded.

"I suppose so? The sun is starting to set..." Kitagawa said as Ann smiled flirtatiously, causing Kusa to have to hold Morgana back as Ann spoke up.

"Riiight? That's why a change of location would be nice...I-I mean, I'm gonna take it ALL off." Ann said as Kusa and Morgana both facefaulted at this, carefully picking themselves back up afterwards in time to hear Kitagawa speak up.

"True...It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model's mood..." Kitagawa thought to himself, thinking out loud as Ann spoke up.

"Uh-huh! That's right!" Ann said as Kitagawa kept thinking out loud to himself.

"She might be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in a dynamic composition..." Kitagawa thought out loud as Ann blanched and spoke up.

"Wh-What kind of poses!?" Ann asked as at that moment, Kusa was holding Morgana back from running in and attacking Kitagawa. Kusa gently pulled Morgana towards him so he could look him in the eyes as he spoke up, fixing the not-cat with his best disapproving look as he spoke.

"Cool it, Morgana-sensei! I know you want to kick Kitagawa's ass right now, but we need to stay focused on the mission! Now go get up there and work on picking that lock! I can handle things down here!" Kusa hissed so only Morgana could hear, making Morgana nod as he padded off upstairs. Kusa then turned to the door and spoke up so only Ann could hear.

"Ann, you're supposed to be acting. Get back in character!" Kusa hissed so only Ann could hear. Ann nodded and spoke up, her body language changing as she spoke.

"Let's gooo...I was just starting to get in the mood." Ann said as Kusa groaned at Ann's poor acting. She then walked out of the room to follow Morgana making Kusa blink as he followed her, Kitagawa close behind as he spoke up.

"Wait! If you wander around, Sensei will..." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up once more, her voice sounding much more relaxed than before.

"Ohhh... It's sooo hot." Ann said enticingly as Kitagawa blanched and kept speaking.

"W-We really can't use any other room..." Kitagawa said, trailing off as Ann's jacket hit the floor, making him blanch as Ann spoke up.

"Hey, why not this one?" Ann said as Kitagawa darted out of the room, pulling it closed behind him as he called after Ann.

"Please, wait!" Kitagawa said as he chased after Ann, who looked over at Morgana and spoke up so only he and Kusa could hear.

"I'm counting on you, Mona!" Ann said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Ann...ix-nay on the odenames-cay outside of the etaverse-May." Kusa hissed so only Ann and Morgana could hear making her blanch.

"Oops, sorry Kusa and Morgana." Ann said quietly so only they could hear...

(Meanwhile, at the same time, inside the Palace with Skull and Joker)

"Are they seriously gonna be able to pull this off?" Skull asked Joker who shrugged.

"No clue, Skull. But if anyone could do it, it'd be Mona and Draconis. Those two are a formidable team when they work together. So we should trust in them." Joker said. Skull nodded but spoke up anyways, his tone sounding very skeptical as he spoke.

"She was sayin' stuff like 'I'll just seduce him with my acting,' but that sounds out of her league..." Skull said as Joker spoke up.

"That's true, not to mention Draconis and Mona are there so this is probably awkward as all hell for them. But I feel like Draconis could keep Panther on track even if Mona doesn't." Joker said as Skull nodded before speaking up.

"That's true, plus we ain't got one sign this place is gonna open... Isn't Madarame comin' home soon?" Skull asked Joker who shrugged as Skull kept speaking.

"On top of that, even if Mona's able to unlock the door, how's he gonna show it to Madarame?" Skull asked Joker who spoke up,

"That's where Panther and Draconis come into play. Panther's going to lure Kitagawa to the locked room, while Draconis will stand guard from a distance and when Madarame comes home, Draconis will tell him that Kitagawa and Panther went into a locked room on the second floor to do the painting and left him to stand downstairs and wait, which with any luck will send Madarame running, right in time to see Mona unlock the door, thus changing his cognition and opening up the path for us." Joker explained to Skull. Skull nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, but even if they do show it open, any normal person'd just close it right up again. Doesn't that mean we only got a few seconds to get in?" Skull asked Joker who spoke up with a smile.

"Not necessarily. Cognitions don't change right away so we'd have at least a few minutes to get in and out of the room before it closes if it does close back up right away, though I think Draconis, Panther and Mona will buy us enough time to do what we have to do." Joker said confidently to Skull. Skull nodded before rubbing his forehead as he spoke up.

"To be blunt, won't it be a miracle if this works?" Skull asked Joker who nodded and spoke up.

"Maybe a small miracle, but I have faith that Mona and Draconis won't let the plan go TOO awry, hopefully. That said, let's just wait and see since it's really all we can do right now." Joker said. Skull nodded his agreement as he spoke up.

"Yeah...It's almost time." Skull said as Joker nodded...

(Back in Madarame's house, with Ann, Morgana, Kusa and Kitagawa)

"Please, can you just wait and-" Kitagawa said to Ann as she turned to face him with a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"What's past here?" Ann asked Kitagawa who blanched, noticing how little Ann had on and having to make himself focus as he spoke up.

"That's..." Kitagawa said as Ann muttered to herself under her breath.

"So the door Mona mentioned is up ahead..." Ann said to herself as Kusa heard her and groaned at her once more calling Morgana by his code name in front of Kitagawa. Kitagawa then frowned as he spoke up to Ann, looking worried at this point.

"I keep telling you, you can't..." Kitagawa said as Ann walked towards the door and blanched as she saw Morgana still working on the lock.

"You're still not done!?" Ann said to Morgana and Kusa, the latter of which spoke up.

"Well, maybe if we'd remembered that Morgana-sensei currently lacks thumbs in his current form, we'd have been done quicker. Problem is, he's the better lock-picker of the two of us so I can only use my thumbs to help him as he guides them." Kusa explained to Ann as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"What Kusa said. It's hard to do this...with cat paws!" Morgana said as Kusa patted Morgana on the head comfortingly.

"There, there, Morgana-sensei, it's not your fault you got dealt a bad hand by life." Kusa said comfortingly. At that point, Kitagawa walked over and spoke up.

"Is something the matter?" Kitagawa asked Ann, who turned around to face him as she spoke up.

"Oh, ummm... Sooo, what is this room?" Ann said as both Morgana and Kusa groaned at how bad her acting was at that moment. Kitagawa frowned but spoke up.

"It's a storage area for old paintings." Kitagawa said as Ann crossed her arms in interest and spoke up.

"Storage...Hey, Kitagawa-kun, Why don't we...do it in here?" Ann said as Kusa's eyes went wide at her word choice to Kitagawa. Ann kept speaking before Kitagawa or Kusa could say a word.

"I won't be embarrassed if we go somewhere nobody can find us..." Ann said trailing off as she gave Kitagawa a very interested look as Kitagawa blinked before speaking up.

"Only Sensei can go in there." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up in a very coy and suggestive tone, making both Kusa and Morgana shudder at how flirtatious her tone sounded as she spoke.

"Pleeease...? I wanna be alone with you. Somewhere like, quiet. You know, where we won't get interrupted." Ann said suggestively as Morgana spoke up so only he and Kusa could hear.

"Is he really going to buy that terrible act!?" Morgana said as Kusa subtly elbowed him in the side.

"Hush. Focus on your task, Morgana. You need to get that door open. That's what all this was for in the first place, was it not?" Kusa said so only Morgana could hear, getting a nod from Morgana as Ann turned to scowl at Morgana.

"Stay focused!" Ann hissed so only Morgana and Kusa could hear. Kitagawa blinked as he spoke up.

"Hm?" Kitagawa said as Ann turned to him and spoke up, her tone turning somewhat vapid as she spoke.

"Ohhh, it's just so frustrating that my feelings aren't getting through to you! Kitagawa-kun, do you not like girls like me?" Ann asked with a closed-eye smile as Kitagawa sputtered before speaking up.

"N-No, that's not true..." Kitagawa said as Morgana spoke up again.

"How is that working on him!?" Morgana asked with wide eyes. Kusa hissed in Morgana's ear so only he could hear, smirking as he spoke.

"That's because, if a guy is weak-willed enough, any sufficiently persuasive or attractive female can bend them to her will without even trying if she so chose, as evidenced right there. However, as you and I are both strong of will, that wouldn't work on us. Now get back to work." Kusa said so only Morgana could hear. Ann then kept speaking up as she looked Kitagawa in the eyes coyly as she spoke up.

"Please? We can continue this... inside..." Ann said persuasively as what happened next made Mona's jaw drop and Kusa just huff in annoyance at once more being proved correct in his thinking.

"S-Sure...I mean, no! We can't go in there! It's locked anyway, so..." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up with a cute huff.

"Fine! This is too embarrassing...I'm leaving!" Ann said as Kitagawa blanched and spoke up.

"But..." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up once more, giving Kitagawa a coy closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"Let's just do it in here! Okay!?" Ann said, making Kitagawa wince as he spoke up.

"What do I do?" Kitagawa asked as the door to the shack opened up and Madarame's voice could be heard.

"I'm home." Madarame called out. Kitagawa turned to the sound of Madarame's voice as he spoke up with wide eyes.

"S-Sensei!?" Kitagawa called out as Madarame blinked and spoke up.

"Yusuke?" Madarame said to Kitagawa right as a clicking sound could be heard nearby and Morgana cheered as he spoke up.

"All right, it's open!" Morgana said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"About freaking time, Morgana-sensei! Could you cut that any closer!? Jeez! Between how slowly you pick locks and how bad Ann's acting can be to watch, I don't know which annoys me more." Kusa said, grumbling under his breath as he crossed his arms. At that point, Ann darted inside the opened room with Kusa and Morgana, leaving Kitagawa to gape at this and speak up.

"Huh?" Yusuke said as Madarame walked up and frowned on seeing Ann in the previously-locked room as he spoke up.

"What are you doing there!?" Madarame said as Kitagawa turned and spoke up to Madarame.

"I-It's...It's not what it looks like!" Kitagawa said contritely to Madarame as Ann glared and dragged Kitagawa into the room, ignoring his sputters of surprise as he spoke up.

"Wha-!?" Kitagawa said as he disappeared into the room as Madarame reached an arm out and spoke up.

"Not in there!" Madarame said as he followed the group inside...

(Meanwhile, inside the Palace again with Skull and Joker)

"Ugh, nothin's happenin'... I wonder what's-Hm!?" Skull said, cutting himself off as the lasers turned off and the door opened up, making him gape in surprise as he spoke up.

"It's off! They seriously did it!" Skull said in surprise to Joker who nodded and spoke up.

"I told you they could do it, Skull. Mona's very resourceful, and Draconis can keep anyone on task when he wants to. I knew they'd do it. That said, stay on guard. We don't know what awaits in there." Joker said confidently. Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, right! These could come back on at any second! Let's go!" Skull said as Joker nodded and the two kept moving. As Joker and Skull ran forward, Skull spoke up.

"All right! Okay, let's find the control room, quick! The path's gonna close up if we dick around for too long! But it's just gonna be me and you for a bit if we run into any enemies. You good...?" Skull asked Joker who smirked as he spoke up.

"I admit this is gonna be rough, but we can handle this, Skull. Let's kick some tail!" Joker said confidently. Skull smirked as he spoke up.

"Yeah! I'll be countin' on you!" Skull said happily as the group kept moving. Not long after the two kept moving, they found themselves facing a strong Shadow, making Skull grumble as he spoke up.

"Dammit, already...? Hey, whaddya wanna do?" Skull asked Joker.

"What else? We have to beat it. We don't have time to wait for it to leave or come back later." Joker said as Skull nodded.

"Hey! Yeah...The real problem's the fact that we gotta handle this with just the two of us...Anyways, I'll leave the timing up to you, dude." Skull said. Joker nodded and the two charged at the Shadow who turned to face them as Skull spoke up.

"Sorry! Yo, you're gonna let us through, right now!" Skull said as the Shadow blanched and spoke up.

"Hm!? Who are you!? I see, that attire... You must be the thieves who dare threaten Lord Madarame!" the Shadow said as it turned into a giant monkey as the battle began.

"They got past the security system!? You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Lord Madarame's territory!" the Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"You guys ain't got nothin' on us! I'm more scared of screwing up and having Ann yell at me!" Skull said as Joker's eyes went wide at Skull's usage of the wrong name for Panther as he spoke up.

"Skull! Code names! Remember?" Joker said to Skull who blinked and nodded as the battle started. In no time, Joker and Skull took out the Security Shadow thanks to the fact that Angel's Bless attacks did a lot of damage to the Security Shadow. After the fight, Angel reached level 10 and learned the skill Baisudi. Skull smirked and spoke up.

"Show me that move sometime!" Skull said as Angel got her new move. After the fight, Skull spoke up.

"Agh...Phew...Things're real tough when it's just me and you...It'd be a pain in the ass if we got spotted again. Anyways, let's turn off that security system!" Skull said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. And be glad neither Panther or Draconis were here when you slipped up back there and called Panther's real name out instead of her code name." Joker said huffily to Skull who blanched and nodded.

"Right, right, my bad. I keep forgetting to call her Panther in the Metaverse." Skull said sheepishly as he and Joker proceeded to disarm the security system...

(Back in the real world with Kitagawa, Ann, Morgana, Kusa and Madarame)

"Takamaki-san, this is bad!" Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up.

"Are these the lights?" Ann asked as she reached around and found a switch, hitting it and causing the room to be lit up. As she did so, Kitagawa gasped as he saw what was clearly countless copies of the Sayuri arranged in the room. Kitagawa blinked as he spoke up in surprise.

"What the..." Kitagawa said as Ann blinked and spoke up.

"Isn't this...'Sayuri'? Why are there so many of them?" Ann asked. Kusa frowned as he spoke up, reminding Kitagawa and Ann they weren't alone.

"Good question. If you ask me, which you're not, but I'm offering my opinions anyways, something's very sketchy in this room." Kusa said with a huff as he crossed his arms, reminding Kitagawa that Kusa was there, not seeing the cat perched on Kusa's shoulder as he looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"Amamiya-kun, I think you're right. But this IS my Sensei we're talking about. Surely he has a good explanation for this?" Kitagawa said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Listen Kitagawa-kun, I know you admire and respect your Sensei, and I can't blame you for feeling that way since he did basically raise you so he at least gets that much credit from me, but you have to recognize the facts. And right now, the facts are that he's clearly been copying the Sayuri to either sell en masse or try and get rich quick." Kusa said uncertainly, giving Kitagawa an apologetic look as he spoke. Kitagawa spoke up at that point.

"That's a fair point Amamiya-kun. And Takamaki-san, I have no idea..." Kitagawa said as Madarame walked in and scowled at Ann and Kitagawa, not noticing Kusa and Morgana in the corner as he spoke up angrily.

"Get out!" Madarame said angrily as Kitagawa turned to Madarame and spoke up in shock and confusion.

"Sensei, what is the meaning of this?" Kitagawa asked Madarame who sighed and spoke up.

"I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this...Truth be told...I'm in severe debt. I handmade these 'Sayuri' copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine..." Madarame said as Kitagawa gave Madarame a look of shock as he spoke up.

"But why?" Kitagawa said as Madarame spoke up again, not seeing Kusa giving him a skeptical look in the corner as he spoke.

"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..." Madarame explained as Ann sighed on hearing this as Kusa huffed, not believing a word of what Madarame had to say. Madarame spoke up some more before anyone could speak up.

"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...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 no choice but to keep making them...I...needed money to further your talents... I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher..." Madarame said as Kitagawa walked towards Madarame and spoke up.

"Please don't...!" Kitagawa said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Hold on... Something doesn't add up. If the original painting got stolen, how did you make copies of it?" Ann asked Madarame as Kusa nodded approvingly to her question as Madarame blanched and spoke up quickly.

"I... happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it in an artbook." Madarame said as Ann spoke up.

"So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original? I'm not sure how this works, but...Don't people who buy paintings generally have a keen eye for the fine arts? Hmm, this sounds like a lie to me." Ann said as Kusa nodded approvingly from in the corner with Morgana as Madarame huffed and spoke up.

"What would you know!?" Madarame said, his tone suddenly very angry and confrontational. Ann spoke up again.

"Something just doesn't feel right!" Ann said as Morgana spoke up at that point from on Kusa's shoulder.

"Lady Ann! This one seems different!" Morgana said, nodding his head towards a covered painting in the back of the room behind Ann. Ann turned around and yanked the the tarp off the painting...to reveal the Sayuri, very unmistakably the real thing. Kitagawa gasped as he saw it.

"What? 'Sayuri'?" Kitagawa said as he looked at it and gasped as he spoke up.

"This...This is the real 'Sayuri'!" Kitagawa said before turning to face Madarame in shock as he spoke up in a conflicted and slightly hurt tone.

"But you just said a moment ago that it was stolen!" Kitagawa said as Madarame huffed.

"That's a replica!" Madarame said as Kitagawa waved an arm emphatically as he spoke up, his words earning a measure of Kusa's respect in that moment.

"No, it's nothing of the sort! This painting kept me going...It's the reason I made it this far...Sensei...Don't tell me..." Kitagawa said as Madarame blanched and spoke up.

"It's fake...Yes a counterfeit! I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!" Madarame said as Ann spoke up with a huff.

"So you're telling me the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit? That's pushing it." Ann said as Kitagawa narrowed his eyes in betrayal and hurt as he spoke up.

"You're lying, Sensei...Please just tell us the truth..." Kitagawa said as Madarame spoke up.

"You too?" Madarame said as he pulled out a phone and spoke up.

"I've reported you to my private security company!" Madarame said as Kusa walked out from around the corner and spoke up.

"No offense, Madarame-san, but why would a shack like this need its' own private security company!? Isn't that a bit pricey? And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you yourself just say you're in severe debt? So how then could you afford to pay a private security company if you're in debt? Sounds to me like you're just trying to psych us out! I feel sorry for Kitagawa-kun having to live with an old con-man like you for a Sensei. You dishonor that term with your lies, you know." Kusa said as Ann blanched and spoke up.

"WHAT!?" Ann said as Madarame spoke up with a glare at Kusa.

"For your information young man, it's a company I bought out before I went into debt so they work for me free of charge. That said, I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it'd come in so handy." Madarame said angrily as Kitagawa spoke up.

"Please, wait! Let's talk about this!" Kitagawa said as Madarame spoke up coldly and with an uncaring tone.

"You can talk all you want to the police...That includes you, Yusuke." Madarame said to the group as Morgana spoke up.

"Lady Ann, let's run!" Morgana said as he and Ann darted off, Kusa close behind, though keeping a distance in case he had to get Kitagawa out in a hurry, as Madarame spoke up.

"A cat!? Where did it-There's no point! They'll be here within two minutes!" Madarame said as Kitagawa darted off after Ann.

"Takamaki-san!" Kitagawa said as he ran off after the group, Kusa following close behind him now that everyone was safely fleeing the area...

(Meanwhile in Madarame's Palace with Skull and Joker)

"Yeah, let's go! Welp, let's hurry up and get that shit shut off!" Skull said. Joker nodded as he and Skull kept moving forward, eventually finding the room in question as Skull spoke up.

"Aw yeah! This is the room! So...which one's for the security?" Skull asked as Joker noticed a lit-up monitor nearby and spoke up.

"Probably the monitor that's powered-on and lit up?" Joker said as he pointed to the monitor he'd noticed as he hit the button to kill the security system as a voice on the computer spoke up.

"Disengaging security protocol..." The voice said as Skull smirked and spoke up.

"Sweet! Now the lasers in the courtyard should be off for good. Well, that's mission complete! C'mon, let's get outta here!" Skull said as Joker nodded. On their way out however, they were caught by security, as they heard a voice speak up.

"Hey! Who's there!?" The security called out as Skull blanched and spoke up.

"Crap...! Let's make a run for it!" Skull said as Joker nodded and the two ran off to where the lasers had been disengaged. Skull smirked as he spoke up.

"All right, looks like the security's totally off! Let's get back and meet up with the others!" Skull said as Joker nodded his agreement, darting off with Skull. After a bit, Joker and Skull stopped to catch their breath as the latter spoke up.

"I hope those three managed to get away..." Skull said as right at that moment, the sound of something opening could be heard followed by a familiar voice screaming.

"Noooooo!" Panther screamed as she fell towards Skull and Joker, but what made the latter of the two blink behind his mask was not Panther falling towards them, but rather the person carrying her in a bridal-type carry. It was Kitagawa! Kitagawa grunted as he did a superhero landing with Panther in his arms.

"Ngh..." Kitagawa said only to grunt a moment later as Mona fell and landed on his head bouncing off as he hit the ground. After that, Kitagawa looked up and darted out of the way as another voice could be heard.

"Crap, this is gonna be rough! LOOK OUT BELOOOOOOOWWW!" Draconis called out as he fell towards the group, managing to land on his feet, though not without a wince of his own as his feet took the impact of the landing which wasn't pleasant. Both he and Kitagawa spoke up at the same time at that point.

"GAH..." Draconis and Kitagawa said as Mona spoke up.

"Aaagh...Owwwwww!" Mona said as Draconis saw him and gently scooped him up to look him over.

"Are you hurt, Mona-sensei? That wasn't a fun fall for any of us, but you bounced off of poor Kitagawa-kun's head as you fell, and I can't imagine that was pleasant. No offense, Kitagawa-kun." Draconis said as he recalled that Kitagawa was there. At that point, Panther spoke up before Kitagawa could answer Draconis.

"I thought I was gonna die...Hey, will you let go already!?" Panther said as she shoved herself free of Kitagawa's arms, accidentally punching him in the face in the process, making both Skull and Joker have to keep from laughing at the look on Kitagawa's face as he was knocked to the ground by the punch.

"Hrgh!" Kitagawa said as he hit the ground. Panther blanched as she noticed Kitagawa laid out.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to push him so hard... Are you okay? Wake up!" Panther said to Kitagawa who looked up as he slowly sat up, blanching as he saw the Thieves in their Metaverse outfits and predictably panicked.

"Who are you all!?" Kitagawa asked as Panther spoke up.

"Calm down, Kitagawa-kun! It's me!" Panther said as Kitagawa spoke up in surprise.

"Takamaki-san?" Kitagawa said as he turned to Skull and Joker and spoke up.

"That means you two are...Sakamoto and Amamiya-kun the elder!?" Kitagawa said as he spoke up once more as he noticed Mona in that moment.

"I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume before though..." Kitagawa said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"First of all Kitagawa-kun, he's NOT a cat! He just looks that way because he lost his true form and memories, or so he says. So kindly don't refer to what he has as a cat costume, please." Draconis said dryly as Kitagawa turned to face him.

"That voice...Amamiya-kun the younger!?" Kitagawa asked in surprise, not having noticed Draconis until he spoke up. Draconis nodded.

"Correct, Kitagawa-kun." Draconis said with a nod as Kitagawa spoke up.

"What is this place?" Kitagawa said as Panther spoke up.

"Simply put, we're inside Madarame's heart." Panther told Kitagawa. Kitagawa blinked at what Panther said as he spoke up.

"Inside... Sensei's heart? I'm sorry, Takamaki-san... but are you sure you're feeling okay?" Kitagawa said as Skull spoke up.

"She ain't lyin'. This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothin' but a greed-filled money grubber." Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Skull! Have some tact, man! While you're not wrong, at least try to be considerate of Kitagawa-kun's feelings!" Draconis rebuked Skull as he turned to Kitagawa.

"Unfortunately, Skull here's not wrong. But that's something you'll have to see for yourself before you believe it. And I don't blame you one bit for feeling that way. If it was me, and I'd seen something like this in Mona's heart, I'd be stunned and in disbelief too. So don't feel bad if you're having a hard time processing." Draconis said soothingly as Kitagawa bristled and glared at Skull as he spoke up once more.

"Enough of this rubbish!" Kitagawa said huffily as Panther spoke up with a frown.

"Kitagawa-kun! Didn't it cross your mind that something wasn't right about Madarame!?" Panther asked Kitagawa who winced as he spoke up.

"That's..." Kitagawa said in shock as Panther kept speaking before he could say much else.

"You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Madarame's eyes. ...This is his true nature." Panther said as Kitagawa looked around in horror as he spoke up, seeming to somewhat believe Panther as he spoke.

"This repulsive world? Just who are all of you?" Kitagawa said as Skull spoke up.

"I guess you could say... we're a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks." Skull said as Kitagawa spoke up, his expression one of devastation, horror and grief, plus hints of betrayal and anguish as he spoke up.

"If everything you say is true, then the sensei I know doesn't exist..." Kitagawa said as Draconis spoke up again in that moment.

"Easy, Kitagawa-kun. I know this is a lot to take in, but believe me when I say this is no lie. Your sensei is a dishonorable, deceitful, manipulative, no-good con man who makes a living off of piggybacking off of his students' work then eliminating them when they stop being useful to him. We've seen and heard evidence of this first-hand. But I don't think there's time now to show it to you, unfortunately." Draconis said, giving Kitagawa a gentle but firm pat on the shoulder to try and both comfort and cheer him up a bit. Skull nodded his agreement with Draconis' statement as he spoke up.

"Draconis is correct, Kitagawa-kun. I'm sorry for being so blunt and dickish, but you gotta snap out of it." Skull said as Kitagawa spoke up.

"Still... he has kept me safe these past ten years. My gratitude for that won't just disappear." Kitagawa said as Draconis nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Nor should it, Kitagawa-kun. Back then, when he did that for you, that might still have been the real Madarame that saved you. However, somewhere down that line, he's become distorted by negative thoughts, feelings and/or emotions to the point that he has this 'repulsive world', as you yourself put it, inside of him. And now, his heart needs to be changed, if that makes sense to you." Draconis said to Kitagawa. Skull huffed as he spoke up.

"You're gonna forgive him!? At this rate, you'll..." Skull said as Kitagawa grabbed his chest and dropped to his knees.

"N-Ngh..." Kitagawa said as he dropped to his knees. Panther and Draconis went to his side quickly, the former speaking up.

"Are you okay?" Panther asked Kitagawa who looked up at her and spoke up as he shook his head.

"I'm trying to be rational about this, but my emotions are overwhelming me..." Kitagawa said as Mona spoke up.

"Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle! The security level's gone through the roof! We need to get out of here at once!" Mona said as Kitagawa took deep breaths to try and calm himself, panting as he did so before Joker spoke up, extending a hand to Kitagawa.

"Here, take my shoulder if you need something to lean on. I'm sure Draconis or Panther would be happy to lean on your other side if you need assistance getting out of here." Joker said as Draconis and Panther nodded their agreement of Joker's statement. Kitagawa looked up at Joker in a mix of awe and surprise, with a hint of shame for his previous outburst towards him as he spoke up.

"No, it's all right." Kitagawa said as he struggled to his feet. At that point Mona spoke up.

"We need to get out of here! That said, we have an amateur with us now. Let's try to avoid fighting as much as possible!" Mona said as the others nodded and started their escape. As they got to the Exhibition Room, Kitagawa spoke up once more.

"So this... is inside of Sensei's heart? A vain museum such as this...?" Kitagawa asked as Joker and Draconis both nodded as the group kept moving. After a bit, Kitagawa gasped as he saw a painting he recognized as he spoke up.

"Ah, this painting...!" Kitagawa said as Panther turned to him and spoke up.

"Do you recognize it? We were thinking these might be his past pupils or something..." Panther said as Kitagawa blanched as he spoke up.

"But...why are there paintings of them here?" Kitagawa said as Mona spoke up.

"Technically, those aren't actually paintings. They're the pupils themselves." Mona said as Skull spoke up.

"Madarame saw 'em as objects, so that's what they are in here... Oh, and uh...we found yours too." Skull said as Draconis nodded to confirm Skull's statement. Kitagawa gasped in shock at this but didn't disagree with Skull, to Draconis' surprise. Mona spoke up once more.

"We'll talk more later. For now, let's get out of here." Mona said as Draconis nodded.

"Got it, Mona-sensei. But do try not to scare poor Kitagawa-kun too much? He's already been through a lot." Draconis said simply as Mona nodded and the group kept moving. As the group started to move towards the exit, their path was blocked by Shadows, making Morgana groan as he spoke up.

"The exit is right there!" Mona said. At that point, an ominous laughing reached the group's ears as the ruler of the Palace, or the Shadow of Madarame himself, walked into view, his gold robes making him hard to miss along with his white painted face, making Panther blanch as she spoke up.

"Who is it!? What the-" Panther said as Skull cut her off by speaking up.

"Talk about bullshit clothes! First a king, now some kinda shogun!?" Skull scoffed as Draconis spoke up.

"Technically Skull, I think he's dressed as an emperor, not a shogun. But I could be wrong." Draconis pointed out. At that point, Madarame's Shadow spoke up.

"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame..." Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa blanched as he spoke up.

"Huh? Sensei? Is that you? That attire..." Kitagawa said as Panther spoke up with a huff.

"Disgusting." Panther said as Kitagawa spoke up once more, clearly in disbelief as he spoke.

"This...This is all one big lie, isn't it?" Kitagawa said in shock as Madarame's Shadow kept speaking.

"My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act. Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home... under a mistress's name, of course." Madarame's Shadow said as Draconis and Joker both spoke up, the latter speaking up first.

"This is absurd. Pretending to be some friendly old man, only to actually be a deceptive and manipulative bastard who uses his pupils to get rich...you're despicable." Joker said. Draconis nodded as he spoke up.

"I agree, Joker. Heartless scumbags like him give such noble honorifics as 'Sensei' a bad name. Not to mention, he disgraces that esteemed title by his actions. If not for Kitagawa-kun owing him for taking him in, I'd be inclined to end this miserable excuse for a human being. But that's not the Phantom Thief way at all, so I won't do that. Count yourself lucky that I have honor Madarame, unlike you." Draconis said with a dry sneer as Joker and Skull looked at Draconis in surprise while Mona, Panther and Kitagawa all gave him concerned looks. Madarame's Shadow laughed at Joker and Draconis as he spoke up.

"Hahaha! How naive!" Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa found his voice and spoke up.

"If the 'Sayuri' was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies!? If it's really you, Sensei...please tell me!" Kitagawa said as Madarame's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Foolish child...You still don't see? The painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!" Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa gasped and spoke up in horror.

"What do you mean!?" Kitagawa said as Madarame's Shadow spoke up some more, enjoying the horrified and devastated look on Kitagawa's face as he kept speaking.

"Let me see...How does this sound? 'I found the real painting, but it can't go public. You can have it for a special price though..' Haha! How's that for preferential treatment!? Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!" Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa recoiled as if struck as he spoke up.

"No!" Kitagwa said in horror as Madarame's Shadow kept speaking, ignoring the look of stunned horror on the face of Kitagawa who was now holding himself up with one hand, as he was close to falling to the ground in horror. Draconis moved to help Kitagawa up as Madarame's Shadow kept speaking.

"The value of art is purely illusion. What's the matter with providing that illusion to eager customers? Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!" Madarame's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"You keep goin' on and on about money this, money that...No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!" Skull said as Draconis and Panther nodded their agreement, and even Joker and Mona looked ready to agree with Skull. Panther glared at Madarame's Shadow as she spoke up.

"You're supposed to be an artist, right!? Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work!?" Panther asked Madarame's Shadow who scoffed as he kept speaking, unfazed by Panther's rebuke.

"Art is nothing but a tool... A tool to gain money and fame! You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke..." Madarame's Shadow said as Skull spoke up once more, looking at Kitagawa as he spoke.

"God...Pisses me off...That's your teacher." Skull said as Kitagawa looked up as he spoke up once more at that point, clearly horrified by what he saw.

"But what about the people who believe in you? Who think you're a master artist!?" Kitagawa said as Madarame's Shadow spoke up once more.

"...I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you don't rise against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahahaha!" Madarame's Shadow said gloatingly. Kitagawa growled as he spoke up, his voice slowly gaining hints of anger as he spoke.

"To think I was under the care of this wretched man!" Kitagawa said as Madarame's Shadow spoke up once more.

"You think I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubling artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas...After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back." Madarame's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Why you...you low-down, cowardly worm! Have you no honor!? Picking on those who cannot fight back is the height of dishonor!" Draconis huffed as Kitagawa spoke up, standing next to Draconis as he spoke.

"I can't believe this..." Kitagawa said as Madarame's Shadow spoke up again, glaring at Draconis and Kitagawa as he spoke up.

"Livestock are killed for their head and meat! This is no different, you fool!" Madarame's Shadow said as Draconis huffed and spoke up with a glare.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but last I checked art isn't usually a slaughterhouse like you seem to think it is. So your analogy is both factually inaccurate and incorrect. And another thing, Kitagawa here is no fool! He might be blinded by his loyalty at times, and he can be stubborn and strong-willed, but by no means does ANY of that make him a fool! And those are all respectable qualities for someone to have, for the record." Draconis said with a huff as Madarame's Shadow frowned and spoke up.

"I could argue this with you all day, young man, but I tire of this little chat. It's time that I-" Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa huffed and spoke up.

"You are unforgivable." Kitagawa growled out as Madarame's Shadow blinked and spoke up.

"Hm?" Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa spoke up again, his anger now simmering as he slowly got to his feet.

"It doesn't matter who you are...I won't forgive you!" Kitagawa snapped at Madarame's Shadow who huffed and spoke up.

"So, you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude? You damn brat! Men! Dispose of these thieves!" Madarame's Shadow snapped as the Shadows advanced and Panther spoke up, looking at Kitagawa in concern.

"Get back!" Panther said as Kitagawa smirked as he spoke up.

"How amusing..." Kitagawa said as Panther blinked and spoke up.

"Huh?" Panther said as Kitagawa chuckled as he spoke up once more.

"It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm?" Kitagawa said as Panther and Draconis both blanched as they spoke up simultaneously.

"KITAGAWA-KUN!?" Draconis and Panther both asked in shocked unison as Kitagawa kept speaking.

"I wanted to believe it wasn't true...I had clouded my vision for so long...My eyes were truly blind... Blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!" Kitagawa said as he heard a voice in his head.

(Awakening start-Yusuke's Awakening)

"Have you come to your senses?" Kitagawa heard as he grabbed his head in pain.

"Ngh..." Kitagawa said as the voice kept speaking.

"How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth...A deplorable imitation indeed! Best you part from that aspect of yourself!" Kitagawa heard as he cried out in pain.

"A-Aaaagh!" Kitagawa cried out as the voice kept speaking.

"Let us now forge a contract...I am thou, thou art I...The world is filled with both beauty and vice...It is time you teach people which is which!" Kitagawa heard as a mask appeared over his face, much like it had for every other Phantom Thief (except Mona who had already come pre-awakened) as Kitagawa nodded and spoke up, his fingers now dripping blood from where they'd been being dragged across the floor as Kitagawa's headache had intensified as he tugged his mask off much as Panther, Draconis, Skull and Joker all had done previously before turning to the being next to him as he spoke up again.

"Very well...COME, GOEMON!" Kitagawa said as a flash of blue light ensued like it had for Skull, Joker, Panther and even Draconis previously, and when it receded, not only was Kitagawa's outfit different, but he had a Persona next to him, one that brought Draconis strikingly to mind of a hybrid of a samurai and a monk with a decidedly flashy hairdo. As for Kitagawa's outfit, it was mostly dark blue with a matching jacket and pants, with white boots and gloves to complete the look and match his white and red kitsune mask. Kitagawa then did a stomp to steel himself as he spoke up once more, not seeing the stunned and impressed looks on Draconis, Mona and even Joker's faces as he spoke.

(End of Yusuke's Awakening)

"A breathtaking sight...Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle...Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known...Abominations are fated to perish!" Kitagawa said as he and Goemon caused a surge of icy energy to wash over the room, bowling over and/or freezing most of the guard Shadows in their tracks and leaving Madarame to growl as Mona spoke up in awe and shock.

"Whoa, this is impressive!" Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed...who knew Kitagawa-kun had it in him? With all respect to you, Skull and Joker, what we just saw is easily the most badass thing I've seen so far, and given Skull looks like a biker, that's saying something." Draconis said with an amused grin. Madarame's Shadow then spoke up before Kitagawa could answer Draconis.

"Hmph...Who do you think you are!? The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards!? Kill them all!" Madarame's Shadow said as Kitagawa glared at Madarame's Shadow and spoke up once more.

"The children who adored you as 'father'...The prospects of your pupils...How many did you trample upon? How many dreams did you exchange for riches!? No matter what it takes... I will bring you to justice!" Kitagawa said as Joker looked at him in awe as he spoke up.

"You got this, Kitagawa! Let's see what you're made of." Joker said with a nod as Kitagawa nodded and also spoke up as a squad of Shadows materialized.

"Very well...Bring it on!" Kitagawa said as Panther tagged out so that Skull, Draconis and Joker could join Kitagawa on the battlefield as the leader of the Shadow squad spoke up.

"You are in the presence of Lord Madarame! On your knees, intruders!" The 'Henchman Shadow' said as Kitagawa spoke up confidently.

"I learned much from you, Madarame. In order to see authenticity...one must be dispassionately realistic. With Goemon by my side...I can now ascertain your true self without any reservations!" Kitagawa said as the battle began! After a longer battle (in which Skull got knocked out of the fight) Mona reached level 14, though no skills were gained. After the fight, Kitagawa grunted as he went to his knees as the draining from the fight took hold and he spoke up wincing at his own inability to get to his feet as he spoke.

"Ngh..." Kitagawa said as Madarame's Shadow huffed and spoke up, fixing Kitagawa with a disapproving look as he spoke.

"Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain. I'll destroy every chance you EVER had of becoming an artist!" Madarame's Shadow mocked Kitagawa as he growled and spoke up.

"Madarame!" Kitagawa said angrily as he glared at Madarame's Shadow as he spoke up.

"You'll forever rue the day you dared defy me." Madarame's Shadow said as he walked off, clearly bored of the conversation. Kitagawa growled as he tried to chase after Madarame's Shadow, but was forced to a knee by how drained he was from his awakening.

"Get...back here!" Kitagawa said as Panther and the others raced to his side as Panther spoke up.

"Kitagawa-kun!" Panther said as Draconis smiled and spoke up, giving Kitagawa a curt nod of respect as he spoke in a sympathetic/understanding tone.

"Kitagawa-kun, that was incredible! You're much stronger than we all thought! But don't push your limits too much, yeah? Madarame will get his, make no mistake of that! But right now, you're too worn out from the energy you spent to awaken to Goemon to do much besides stand, and that only barely." Draconis said to Kitagawa. Kitagawa nodded in appreciation of Draconis' words as he spoke up in frustration.

"Ugh...Why can't I move!?" Kitagawa said as Panther spoke up.

"Listen, you're totally drained. You can't do much, even if you wanted to!" Panther said as Kitagawa sighed and looked down sadly as he spoke.

"What a disgrace I am!" Kitagawa rebuked himself as Skull spoke up, his tone surprisingly soft and concerned as he spoke.

"C'mon, just listen to her." Skull said as the group helped Kitagawa to a nearby couch so he could catch his breath and recover his strength a bit. Once there, Panther spoke up.

"You've known for quite some time, haven't you?" Panther said as Kitagawa nodded, self-recrimination plain to see as he spoke up.

"I'm no fool. Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. But...who would want to admit that the man they owed their life to was doing such terrible things?" Kitagawa said as he sighed. Panther then spoke up.

"Why didn't you leave, Kitagawa-kun?" Panther asked Kitagawa as he spoke up.

"Well, he is the one who painted the 'Sayuri'. On top of that, I owe him a great debt..." Kitagawa said as Skull nodded in understanding as he spoke up, his voice still soft.

"You mean 'cause he raised you?" Skull said as Kitagawa turned to look at Skull as he spoke up.

"I...never knew my father. I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three. That's when Sensei took me in. I heard he helped my mother when she was still alive." Kitagawa said as Panther blinked as she spoke up.

"Heard...?" Panther asked as Kitagawa sighed as he spoke up once more.

"To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother either. I did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father...but he changed. To think he would treat the 'Sayuri', the very foundation of his art, like that!" Kitagawa said angrily as Skull spoke up understandingly.

"A lot's happened to you, huh?" Skull said as Kitagawa nodded before giving Skull an apologetic look as he spoke up.

"When you had mentioned plagiarism...deep down, I knew you were right. That's why I so vehemently denied you...I was running from the truth. I'm sorry." Kitagawa said as Joker and Draconis both spoke up, Joker speaking first.

"I understand, Kitagawa. It's not an easy thing to accept, realizing that people in a position of authority are abusing that authority for evil intentions." Joker said as Draconis nodded before he looked into Kitagawa's eyes as he spoke up.

"Don't feel you need to apologize for doing what you thought was right, Kitagawa-kun. That's one of the things I admire about you, that you're both honorable and you stick by your beliefs, even if for a time they put you at odds with Joker and Skull here. No one here is going to be mad at you for doing what you felt is right and standing up for those you care about. That's how the rest of us are, even if some of us would rather drag their feet in terms of acknowledging those they care about. Ask Joker here about how slowly he moves towards pursuing those he has feelings for, and he'll tell you that sometimes slow and steady wins the race. But Kitagawa-kun...NEVER feel bad for being yourself.

After all, that's the most precious thing you can be, is true to yourself. Never change that about you. And to be honest, if anyone can understand what you're going through, it's me. You see, like you, I never knew my biological father either. Sure, I called Joker's dad my father since Joker and I have the same mother, but as I found out recently, Joker and I have different biological fathers, and mine apparently didn't even care enough to acknowledge his son's existence.

My mother wouldn't even say who my biological father was which should tell you all you need to know about the guy. Sure, I wouldn't mind knowing who he is one day, if only so I can have a better idea of my lineage on both sides of my family, but as far as I'm concerned, Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, and even mine and Joker's guardian, Coffee Daddy, are all the family I need, aside from mine and Joker's mother." Draconis said as he looked Kitagawa in the eyes with respect, not hearing the shocked gasps from Skull, Mona and Panther at what he'd just revealed. Kitagawa smiled at Draconis as he spoke up, looking at Joker too as he spoke.

"I'm grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time." Kitagawa said as Skull smiled and spoke up.

"You're way too serious, man. That's why you're always gettin' stuck in your own head. Look at me! I just go with the flow." Skull said. Panther smirked as she spoke up.

"For real." Panther said as Mona looked at Kitagawa and spoke up.

"What are you going to do now?" Mona asked Kitagawa. Kitagawa shook his head as he spoke up, honestly unsure.

"I don't know." Kitagawa said as Skull spoke up again.

"We can't help the fact that Madarame's gone and changed. But...we can change his heart. We'll make him pay for his crimes." Skull said as Kitagawa nodded and spoke up.

"That reminds me...you and Amamiya-kun the younger here said something about that 'change of heart' earlier..." Kitagawa mentioned as Skull sighed before speaking up again, looking at Kitagawa as he spoke.

"Have you heard the rumors? The ones about the Phantom Thieves that steal hearts?" Skull said as Kitagawa nodded slowly before looking from Joker, Draconis and Skull to Mona and Panther and back to Skull, Draconis and Joker before speaking up, his eyes widening fractionally as realization set in as he spoke.

"Eh!? Don't tell me..." Kitagawa said as before anyone could answer him, a ton of Shadows spawned in behind the group and Skull blanched as he spoke up as everyone got to their feet, Skull being the first to speak up as the group jumped at the sight of the newly-spawned in Shadows.

"Oh, crap!" Skull said as Mona spoke up in horror, his eyes wide in surprise as he spoke.

"We'll talk later! We need to scram!" Mona said. Kitagawa nodded before blinking as he only then registered the change to his wardrobe, making him speak up in shock.

"When did my clothes change?" Kitagawa said as Skull spoke up, not seeing Panther, Joker AND Draconis all facefault at Kitagawa's question as he spoke.

"You just noticed that now?" Skull asked Kitagawa as Draconis huffed and spoke up, looking at Skull with an unimpressed look as he spoke.

"He took a lot less time to notice it than you did! After all, it took you HOW long after Joker awakened to notice his wardrobe was different? I, on the other hand, noticed it immediately but said nothing until I was sure of what I'd seen." Draconis gently chided Skull. Skull huffed, about to snap at Draconis but Panther cut in.

"Save it for after! Let's go!" Panther said as the group ran off, not stopping until they were out of the Metaverse...

(In the real world, at a diner with Ren, Morgana, Ann, Kusa, Ryuji and Kitagawa)

"...I see. And because of that, this PE teacher's had a change of heart...The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts...to think they truly exist." Kitagawa said as Ren smiled and spoke up after the group had finished basically explaining everything that had happened so far to Kitagawa, minus a few details (such as their trip to Mementos and the specifics on Morgana) looking at Kitagawa with a mixed sympathetic/understanding look as he spoke.

"Well, we're right in front of you, Kitagawa. So believe it." Ren said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, resisting the urge to boo the poorly executed reference by Ren as he spoke.

"Ren, if you're going to reference Naruto like that, never do it that badly again. That said, I know it's a lot to take in Kitagawa-kun, but it's all true." Kusa said to Kitagawa after huffing at Ren. Kitagawa nodded as he spoke up, giving the others a nod of respect/understanding as he spoke.

"Indeed. I have to believe your words. Especially after seeing a world like that...So, your plan with Madarame-sensei...with Madarame is to force a change of heart, correct?" Kitagawa asked as Draconis nodded to confirm that was the case. Kitagawa smiled before he spoke up once more, his words shocking everyone present (sans Kusa who had a feeling Kitagawa would ask this sooner or later) as he spoke.

"Let me join...as a member of the Phantom Thieves." Kitagawa said as Ann, Morgana, Ryuji and Ren all blinked as Kitagawa kept speaking while Kusa smiled happily as Kitagawa kept speaking.

"Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others whose futures were robbed, as well. That...is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was...in some manner, my father." Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up.

"Civil, huh." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up with a smile.

"Sounds fine to me. We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up, Kusa's eyes going wide as he realized that Kitagawa might not have registered Morgana speaking previously and being wary of a possible bad reaction from Kitagawa.

"He may have a mental shutdown if we screw up. We have ways to prevent that, but they aren't fail-safe. ...Remember how we mentioned this on our way here?" Morgana said to Kitagawa who nodded as he spoke up.

"Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. He has connections to many organizations. If someone like me raises my voice, it'll only be snubbed out...We have no option but this." Kitagawa said as Ann looked at Kitagawa in shock as she spoke up.

"Kitagawa-kun..." Ann said in surprise. Morgana then spoke up again as he smirked at Kitagawa.

"It's a deal then." Morgana said as Ann spoke up happily, smiling at Kitagawa as she spoke, ignoring the slight frown her next remark got from Kusa.

"We have a new member in the Phantom Thieves now! I hope we get along, Yusuke!" Ann said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"I know we're all getting along now, but last I checked, Kitagawa-kun here hadn't given us leave to address him on a first-name basis yet, so isn't that a bit presumptuous to change that now, Ann?" Kusa chided Ann as Kitagawa chuckled and looked at Kusa as he spoke up with a slight smile and a nod of respect aimed at Kusa, clearly amused by the formality and politeness the younger male was showing as he spoke.

"No, that's quite all right. After all, if we're going to be working together, there's no reason that we should be calling each other by surnames. After all, if we're all working together, that makes us more or less equals. In that spirit, I have no issue with you all calling my by my first name, when it's just us that is, at least for now." Yusuke corrected Kusa who smiled as he spoke up once more, giving Yusuke an understanding look as he spoke.

"I see...Very well then, if you're sure, Yusuke. And welcome to the Phantom Thieves." Kusa said with a smile to Yusuke as Ryuji spoke up.

"You better not slow us down." Ryuji said to Yusuke who nodded as he spoke up.

"I'll do my best." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up once more, fixing Yusuke with a pointed look as he spoke, ignoring Ann and Kusa wincing at what he said next.

"First of all, so we're clear, no more nude paintings unless the model consents to them. That said, welcome aboard Yusuke." Ren said as Kusa huffed and slapped Ren on the arm as he spoke up, frowning at Ren's rebuke as he spoke.

"Ren, be nice! Besides, they never finished that anyways! That may have gotten a teeny bit derailed before it could finish. So don't worry about that, Ren." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded his agreement with Kusa's point as he then looked at Ren and spoke up, happy to be part of the group and eager to learn as he spoke.

"Thank you. I ask that you coach me well." Yusuke said as Kusa laughed and spoke up, seeing the eagerness in Yusuke's expression which he approved of, smiling at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Yusuke. Between myself, Morgana-sensei and Ren, you'll be getting coached very well." Kusa said with a smirk. Ann then spoke up with a giggle, her next words making Ren and Kusa wince as she spoke.

"Oh, that reminds me. I wonder what's going on with the real Madarame. Yusuke and I, along with Morgana and Kusa, were in a pretty tight situation..." Ann said as Kusa groaned as he recalled what he, Ann, Morgana and Yusuke had been through previously as he spoke up, wincing in recollection as he spoke.

"Aw crap, that's right. He did call his private security team on us. I forgot about that!" Kusa said in annoyance. Yusuke smiled as he spoke up, chuckling at Kusa's wince, clearly amused by his reaction as he spoke.

"Actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing Takamaki-san. And, just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his Shadow." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up, blinking as she spoke.

"What did he say?" Ann said as Yusuke spoke up with a chuckle, giving Ann an amused grin as he spoke.

"He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch a pair of high-schoolers and a cat." Yusuke said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, deciding to correct Yusuke on what exactly Morgana was as he spoke.

"Okay, let's get something straight right now Yusuke. If we're going to be working together, first rule you need to be aware of: NEVER call Morgana a cat, even if he looks like one at the moment. As I said before, he lost his real form and memories due to distortions in the Metaverse from what he himself said. So for now we count him as a human trapped in a temporary form until he gets his true form back. Got it?" Kusa said to Yusuke who nodded.

"Understood. Apologies for that bit of unintentional rudeness, Morgana." Yusuke said as Morgana smiled and waved it off.

"It's okay, Yusuke. You didn't know so I'll let it slide...this time." Morgana said as Kusa nodded approvingly. Yusuke then kept speaking.

"However, he's still furious about it, and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone." Yusuke said as Ann, Kusa, Ryuji and Ren all gaped as Ryuji spoke up.

"Talk about bein' completely on guard..." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Legal action...He's acting way too desperate. Maybe he still has more secrets." Ann said. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up.

"If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during the show would be his loss." Yusuke said as Ann huffed and spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Right when I think the talk about being a nude model is over, this happens!?" Ann said as Morgana spoke up, giving Ann an encouraging/understanding look as he spoke.

"We'll have to force a change of heart before then, if we're to dodge this 'legal action' thing. Looks like our plan must be accomplished while the exhibit is still open!" Morgana said. Yusuke then blinked as he spoke up, seemingly only really noticing Morgana when he heard the not-cat speak, giving the group a confused look as he spoke.

"By the way..what is this?" Yusuke said as Ryuji noticed Yusuke looking at Morgana and spoke up, ignoring the glares his response got from Kusa and Morgana as he spoke.

"Huh? A cat." Ryuj said as Kusa glared at him before speaking up in a dry tone, only just resisting the urge to punch Ryuji for being stupid as he spoke.

"Not funny, Ryuji!" Kusa huffed as he turned to Yusuke, giving Yusuke a nod as he spoke up to explain about Morgana, looking at Yusuke as he spoke.

"That, Yusuke, is Morgana, the original Phantom Thief and I guess you could say he's our group's Sensei, and unlike your Sensei, Morgana here is actually worthy of that honorific. He may mess up from time to time, but he's a good guy where it counts and a valuable ally I'd trust to have my back." Kusa said by way of an answer to Yusuke's question about Morgana, who smiled appreciatively at Kusa's description of him. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up once more, understanding Kusa's explanation and giving the younger Amamiya brother an appreciative nod as he spoke.

"Fair enough, but be that as it may, it's talking." Yusuke said as Morgana huffed and spoke up before Kusa could stop him, giving Yusuke an annoyed glare as he spoke.

"You have a problem with that!?" Morgana asked Yusuke as Kusa smiled and gently petted Morgana on the head to calm him before he spoke up, giving Morgana a pointed look as if to say 'go easy on Yusuke, he's new!' as he spoke.

"Relax, Morgana-sensei. Yusuke probably didn't mean anything by what he said. I believe I told you before your being stuck in that form would cause some confusion in people when they see and/or hear you speak for the first time? So this would fall under that." Kusa gently chided Morgana as Yusuke chuckled and spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"No, not really." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up in surprise, blinking at Yusuke's response as he spoke.

"Why not?" Ryuji asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up, frowning at Ryuji's remark as he spoke.

"Because, unlike you most of the time Ryuji, Yusuke here is a smart man who can understand the truth when he sees it." Kusa said dryly as he came to both Yusuke and Morgana's defense as Ann spoke up, sighing as she spoke.

"He's just on a different wavelength from other people." Ann said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up, giving Yusuke an understanding look as he spoke up in his defense.

"Perhaps, but that's not a bad thing at all." Kusa said. Ann and Ryuji just sighed as Morgana spoke up, looking at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Do you wish to draw me? You better bring out the best of me, in that case." Morgana said confidently as Kusa groaned, frowning at the not-cat's ego being stroked as he spoke.

"Oh jeez, and here comes Morgana-sensei's ego being stroked...as if he needs that. I know I tend to inflate it a bit myself when I give him affection, but I try to keep it in moderation." Kusa said with a huff. Yusuke looked at Morgana in intrigue as he spoke up, giving Morgana an appraising look as he spoke.

"Hm..." Yusuke said as he reached towards Morgana who huffed as he spoke up, giving Yusuke a confused look as he spoke.

"Hey, don't touch me like-" Morgana said only to cut himself off and blink with Ryuji, Ann, Ren and Kusa as Yusuke pushed the button next to Morgana and spoke up to all the looks he was getting, his response making Ren, Kusa and Ryuji blink and the latter huff as he spoke.

"I was thinking of ordering some black bean jelly." Yusuke said as Ryuji huffed as he spoke up under his breath, frowning at Yusuke as he spoke.

"I bet he got that idea from a 'black cat.'" Ryuji said, careful not to let Kusa hear him, though if the frown Kusa gave him was any indication, he failed at it. Yusuke blinked and gasped as he spoke up.

"Oh! I didn't bring any money." Yusuke said as Kusa and the others facefaulted at this before Ann spoke up, shaking her head as she spoke.

"Never mind. He's just weird." Ann said as Ren and Ryuji laughed as the group continued bonding for awhile longer before heading their separate ways for the evening...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

"I hope you're not up to no good." Sojiro said to Ren and Kusa as they walked into Leblanc. Sojiro then looked mainly at Ren as he kept speaking.

"Don't forget you're still under probation, got that? One misstep and you're finished." Sojiro said as Morgana spoke up, shaking his head in a disapproving way as he spoke.

"No good? No, no, no! What's wrong about changing the hearts of criminals? We're doing the right thing." Morgana said huffily as Ren and Kusa's phones went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji and Ann, but oddly enough Yusuke was absent from the chat.

"Legal action? This ain't funny." Ryuji sent as Ren and Kusa frowned as Ren sent a response.

"I agree, it sounds quite problematic, especially given some of us are on probation at the moment." Ren sent. Kusa laughed and sent a response.

"In other words, you mean yourself, Ren. And why haven't we added Yusuke to the chat yet?" Kusa sent. Ryuji sent a response.

"If the police hear about this, they'll totally get in touch with the school. We'll get expelled for sure this time." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"School would be the least of our worries... We'd end up arrested. Unlawful entry, defamation..." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Guess that means we really can't afford to eff it up this time." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Honestly Kusa? Ryuji and I forgot to add Yusuke this time. That said, yeah, from here on out is what really matters. Let's do it!" Ann sent as Ren put his phone away as Ann, Kusa and Ryuji kept chatting as Morgana spoke up.

"We just need to change his heart before he presses charges, Try to focus on that problem for now." Morgana said as Ren nodded, leaving Kusa and the others to text as he planned out the Thieves' next move with Morgana...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And man was it a long one! But I got quite a bit more into it than I planned on! Not only did a good bit more of Madarame's Palace get done, but I even fit in Yusuke's awakening, his unofficial acceptance into the Phantom Thieves, the first appearance of Madarame's Shadow and even a bit of character development of a sort for Kusa. So hopefully this chapter is one everyone enjoys!

Next chapter will be chapter 20, which is a point I've only ever reached in two of my other stories before this one, and one of them was deleted for a rewrite that never happened because I forgot to do it, so that happened. Anyways, next chapter will probably be the rest of Madarame's Palace, and maybe the battle with Madarame's Shadow as well as some post-battle stuff (possibly including the park cleanup scene that includes re-appearances by a certain student council president as well as a certain red-headed gymnast that Ren may or may not be smitten with, with Ren getting some much-awaited bonding time with the latter) so that's some stuff for you to look forward to I'd say!

Though the cleanup might be pushed to chapter 21 if there's not room next chapter, but we'll see. Either way, until then, feel free to leave a review with your thought/opinions/feedback on the story so far or just drop me a PM with it, I appreciate and welcome the input from readers either way. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!