A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Hard to believe we're already on chapter 15! But we are, and fittingly this chapter should (SHOULD being the keyword here) have the first speaking appearance of a certain blue-haired eccentric artist-to-be. That said, I like that I've been getting at least one consistent reviewer on this story for most of the early chapters, because the feedback (as long as it's either praise or constructive criticism) is always welcomed since it not only lets me get even better as a writer, it also allows me to fine-tune this story to better make it enjoyable to you, the readers. Granted, I've also had a couple of negative/flame reviews, but I just laugh those off since if I let bad reviews slow me down or stop me, I'd not be much of a writer, would I?
Especially since it was from a guest reviewer. Granted, I normally make it a point to paste those reviews to reply to them, but given this one was just the reviewer calling me, and I quote 'shitlorde1988' and saying that my writings are horrendous and saying that Kusa or the OC in this story is an embarrassment, and then going on to post a second review calling me, and again I quote, 'a no-life, brain-dead moron', makes me feel like such a response is unnecessary in this case other than to just tell that reviewer that they're welcome to their own opinions even if I take offense to them. Because let's be honest, even if the reviewer is exceedingly incorrect in calling me a brain-dead moron, and a shitlorde, they're not necessarily wrong about the no-life part.
But then in fairness, I'm sure I'm not the only fanfiction writer out there who focuses hard on their stories to work around their relative lack of a social life. However, I do thank that reviewer for helping to pad my review count, which I will freely admit is something that doesn't often happen with my stories. Nevertheless, I don't let that stop me. I write on despite that because how else does one hone and/or perfect their skills if not through gratuitous amounts of practice? So yeah, while I would prefer it if reviews actually had legitimate feedback and or input in them, I'm not going to turn away reviewers.
Granted, I'd like it if people who reviewed had actual accounts so I could, if I so chose, send them replies to their reviews so I could personally address any input/feedback given in said reviews. I always enjoy hearing from my readers though, so by all means feel free to leave reviews, even if they're just to give your opinions on the story. Those reviews allow me to be able to better improve and refine my writing skills, which in turn means better content for the readers.
And with that little tangent about reviews aside, time to knock out the disclaimer lest I forget it!
Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way, shape or form (bar of course the OC Kusa/Draconis, who he made and therefore DOES own), and the actual ownership of said Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega and Koei Tecmo so kudos and all the credit to them!
That being said, before I forget, just a quick clarification: As I bring the characters into the story, unless I note otherwise, they'll be called by their last name unless they give permission otherwise (like Ann) or don't care about formalities (like Ryuji, Ren and Kusa) for the sake of making the gradual build of character development a bit more realistic. And now, with the disclaimer done, and without further ado, here's chapter 15!
Chapter 15- The Artist and the Quirky Pupil! The Kitsune Artist part 3
(At the train station with Ren, Kusa, Morgana and Ryuji)
The next day, Ryuji stopped Ren and Kusa as they got off the train to change lines for school and spoke up with a yawn.
"Mornin', guys. Ohh, I'm so sleepy. I ended up pulling an all-nighter once I realized today's the last day of exams." Ryuji said. Kusa nodded understandingly as he spoke up.
"That's fair. With that stupid assembly during the week, it's easy to forget the exams didn't end when the assembly happened. Luckily Ren and I study consistently regardless so it makes little difference to us." Kusa said with a nod as Ren rolled his eyes and spoke up.
"Speak for yourself, Kusa. I study, yes, but not to the extent you do. After all, I heard once that too much studying is bad for your social life." Ren said as Ryuji nodded.
"Truth, Ren! But I can't fault Kusa for wanting to be his best, either. Though I don't know how he can handle that much studying and not lose it." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up with a chuckle, looking right at Ryuji as he spoke.
"You? Staying up studying?" Morgana said skeptically as Ryuji chuckled and spoke up.
"Nah, I gave up on the exam. I was playin' some games, and then before I knew it, it was morning." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"While I can appreciate your enjoyment of gaming Ryuji, how do you not realize it's morning until it's morning? I would think you would notice the gradual shift in lighting around you? Unless your room has no windows or something?" Kusa asked, surprised at Ryuji's comment. Ren chuckled at Ryuji's remark and spoke up before Ryuji could answer Kusa's question.
"Yep, gaming sounds like a Ryuji thing to do. I'd say I know that feeling, but I don't really play that many video games. That said, I think that's manly of you to accept your failure even if you do it in such a way as to immerse yourself in gaming." Ren said with a nod as Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up.
"Ren, don't encourage him! At least not to fail anyways! We should be helping him be his best." Kusa said huffily as Morgana nodded approvingly from Kusa's bag. Ryuji shrugged and spoke up.
"Eh, it's what I always do. No matter how many times I fail, nothing's gonna change. And Kusa, just because Ren encourages my gaming doesn't mean he's encouraging me to fail...I think." Ryuji said as Kusa shrugged at that point, nodding his understanding as he spoke up.
"Fair enough. Though maybe don't tell Ann about this, just in case? Not saying she would, but I kinda got the sense she doesn't abide failures." Kusa said with a shrug, before blinking as Ann walked up to the group at that point, as if summoned by Kusa mentioning her name, yawning as she spoke up.
"Morning, guys. Also, I heard my name? And I agree with Kusa, we shouldn't be trying to fail if we can help it. I'm guessing that he was addressing Ryuji with that comment?" Ann said as Kusa chuckled and nodded as Ryuji rolled his eyes and spoke up.
"Oh shuddup! You say that like you're not used to me failing exams, Ann. That said...Yo, look who else is yawnin'." Ryuji said with a laugh as Ann nodded and spoke up, yawning occasionally as she spoke.
"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line." Ann said as Morgana spoke up from in Kusa's bag, Kusa having to fight not to laugh at what Morgana said.
"Whoa...Impressive, Lady Ann. You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know." Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.
"Be fair here, Morgana-sensei. Is it really Ryuji's fault that he got most of the brawn for the group and not as much of the intellect? But to his credit, he's smart in his own way. And if anyone is a monkey, it'd be that dirtbag Kamoshida. I mean, was I the only one who saw how much crap he was tossing around with his words?" Kusa joked. Ren and Morgana nodded as Ryuji chuckled and spoke up, glaring at Morgana as he spoke.
"Truth, Kusa! Also, huh? Don't gimme that crap. Your brain's tiny compared to mine." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"Now hold on, Ryuji! I agree that Morgana-sensei shouldn't give you crap about your intellect, but isn't that a bit unfair to call his brain tiny even compared to yours? After all, if I recall correctly, prior to our awakenings, Morgana-sensei was the one guiding us through that first Palace so I'd say he has at least an average-sized brain, if not slightly bigger than average to pull that off." Kusa interjected before Morgana could speak up getting a grateful nod from the not-cat as he spoke up.
"Exactly! Also, size is meaningless if there's nothing inside, you know." Morgana quipped as Ren, Ann and Kusa all groaned at the bad quip by Morgana as Ryuji stamped his foot and spoke up in annoyance.
"What was that!?" Ryuji snapped at Morgana as Ann frowned at him and spoke up.
"Ugh, will you please shut up!? You're going to make me forget everything I memo-Huh!? Am I imagining things!?" Ann said as she turned around, looking behind her worriedly making Ren and Kusa frown as the former spoke up.
"What's wrong, Ann? You seem bothered." Ren said as Ryuji spoke up.
"What, you see a groper or something?" Ryuji said, making Kusa frown as he lightly slapped Ryuji on the arm.
"Not funny, man!" Kusa lightly rebuked Ryuji with a frown. Ann huffed before speaking up.
"No, that's not it. It's...nothing." Ann said as Morgana frowned as his ear twitched.
"Hm?" Morgana muttered as the group got on the next train together. After they got off, Ann turned around and saw a blue-haired guy following her making her blink as she frowned.
"Hey, that guy got off!" Ann said as Ren and Ryuji blinked as the latter yawned into a shrug making Ann frown.
"Hey! At least ACT like you care!" Ann said as Ryuji sighed before speaking up.
"All right, come on!" Ryuji said as he took Ann's hand, leading her out of the underground as the blue-haired guy that Ann had noticed before followed them up out of the underground, drawing unimpressed glares from Kusa, Ren and Morgana while Ryuji just frowned as he looked the blue-haired male over, taking in his white button-up dress shirt, black jeans and matching colored dress shoes as a bit of an awkward silence ensued as the group stared at the blue-haired male before he finally spoke up in confusion.
"Hm? Is there something you want from me?" The blue-haired male asked in a bit of a polished, almost refined accent making Ann frown as she spoke up.
"That's MY line! YOU were the one stalking ME!" Ann said as the blue-haired male huffed in annoyance at this remark and spoke up with a frown.
"Stalking!? That's outrageous!" The blue-haired male sputtered as the others frowned at him, but as Kusa was getting ready to make a remark, they heard a car pulling up nearby as one of the windows lowered to show an elderly man wearing a yellowish kimono who smiled as he looked at the blue-haired male and spoke up.
"Ah, so THIS is where your passion has led you! I was worried when you leapt out of the car!" The elderly man said to the blue-haired male who spoke up.
"Ah, my apologies Sensei." The blue-haired male said, making Kusa frown a bit at this male's usage of 'Sensei' on the elderly man. But before he could say anything the blue-haired male spoke up once more, turning to Ann with an apologetic glance as he spoke up.
"My apologies. I wasn't trying to stalk you. I saw you from the car...and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei...But thank goodness, I caught up to you." The blue-haired male said as Kusa rolled his eyes before speaking up.
"Mm-hmm, I'm sure that's all it was. Have you been the one who's been watching her the last few days? My friend here says she's been feeling like she's been being watched. So was that you? And if so, why? Also, can you really deny her calling you a stalker if you HAVE been watching her? That's not exactly normal behavior, you know." Kusa said with a frown as Ren and Morgana nodded their agreement. The blue-haired male blinked before sheepishly nodding.
"Yeah, that is true. But I only did so out of curiosity, and not of any sort of malicious intent, that I can assure you." The blue-haired male said causing Kusa and Ann to blink before both nodding as they slowly spoke up.
"Oookay then..." Kusa and Ann said in unison before blinking and laughing at the unintentional unison they'd spoke in. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.
"What?" Ryuji said in mixed confusion and disbelief as the blue-haired male then spoke up, looking squarely at Ann as he spoke, and what he said next made both Kusa and Morgana frown as Ren had to fix them both with a look to keep them in place.
"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you-" The blue-haired male started before Ann cut in, looking flustered as she spoke.
"W-Wait a minute, I-" Ann said but the blue-haired model spoke over her as he finished his request, making Ryuji, Ren AND Kusa all facefault at what he asked.
"-be the model for my next art piece!?" The blue-haired male asked Ann who blinked at the question as Ren, Ryuji and Kusa all picked themselves up off the ground, Morgana glaring at the latter slightly since the facefault slightly jostled his bag and tossed Morgana around a bit. Kusa gave Morgana an apologetic look as he spoke up.
"Oh, sorry about that, Morgana. I forgot you were in there. My bad." Kusa said apologetically to the not-cat, reaching his hand up to gently pet Morgana's head by way of apology. Ann then spoke up as Morgana gave a low but contented purr from Kusa's actions.
"Model?" Ann asked as the blue-haired male nodded as he spoke up in an excited, almost passionate tone that had Kusa and Ren frowning as he spoke.
"Precisely. All that I've drawn until now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else." The blue-haired male said as Morgana gritted his teeth as he spoke up.
"This man's HIGHLY suspicious!" Morgana huffed as Kusa chuckled and nodded.
"Couldn't agree more, Morgana. But might as well give him the benefit of the doubt for now, I guess." Kusa said so only Morgana could hear. Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji asked Kusa and Ren who shrugged as the blue-haired model spoke to Ann once more.
"Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" The blue-haired male asked Ann as both Ryuji and Kusa frowned at his insistent tone before the former spoke up.
"Whoa, hold your horses! Who're you anyways?" Ryuji asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Yeah, what he said. After all, isn't it highly rude to be making such an insistent request of someone when you haven't even shown them the courtesy of first introducing yourself? After all, how often do you see someone walk up to a total stranger and ask them out of the blue to be a model for an art piece?" Kusa asked with a frown as Ren and Morgana nodded their agreement of Kusa's point. The blue-haired male blinked but nodded as he realized that Kusa was right and spoke up.
"Ah, that's...actually quite true. My apologies. Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." The now-named Yusuke said as he introduced himself before shoving Ryuji aside to look Ann in the eyes as he spoke up.
"I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist." Kitagawa said as Ren and Kusa frowned at the name 'Madarame', as they were sure they'd heard it before but couldn't quite place where with their half-asleep minds. Ann then gasped in recognition as she spoke up.
"Huh!? Do you mean THAT Madarame!? The one who was on the cover of 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?" Ann gasped as Kitagawa nodded and spoke up.
"The very same." Kitagawa said as Ryuji turned to Ann and spoke up.
"You know who that is?" Ryuji asked Ann who nodded as she spoke up.
"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world. But we heard that name the other day in Mementos..." Ann said as Kusa and Ren both went wide-eyed at the last bit of Ann's explanation as the latter spoke up.
"Oh yeah, THAT's why that name sounds familiar! That's the guy that Nakanohara mentioned took everything from him. But I didn't get that much of a sketchy vibe off of him when we saw him in that car just now." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana nodded their agreement. The car then pulled back up next to the group and parked as the now-named Madarame spoke up, mainly to Kitagawa.
"Yusuke!" Madarame called out to Kitagawa who nodded as he turned to Madarame and spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there!" Kitagawa said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"That old guy's Madarame?" Ryuji asked only to be ignored as Kitagawa turned to Ann and spoke up.
"Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by. It'd be great if you could give me your answer in regard to being a model then..." Kitagawa said as he reached into his pocket and produced enough tickets for the group, before placing them lightly into the palm of a surprised Ann as he kept speaking.
"I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too." Kitagawa said as Ann just accepted the tickets, tucking them away in her purse as Kitagawa nodded and continued speaking.
"Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow!" Kitagawa said before getting into the car with Madarame, which then pulled away. Once it was gone, Kusa and Ryuji both huffed as the latter spoke up.
"That guy's as easy to read as a book..." Ryuji said with a frown as he looked at Ann and kept speaking.
"You're not plannin' on goin', are ya?" Ryuji asked Ann as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"If she does Ryuji, that's for her to decide, not us, as much as I feel like her going is a risky prospect as we know little of this Kitagawa-san other than he's apparently the pupil of a famous Japanese-style artist. Maybe it's just me being apprehensive, but I feel like there was just a tad too much thirst coming off of Kitagawa-san just then. Sure, it might well have been an innocent desire to further his art, but I didn't like the look he had in his eyes when he spoke to Ann. Not to mention, him not letting her get a word in edgewise...I dunno, just feels like he's someone we might have to keep an eye on for the time being if possible." Kusa said as he turned to Ann before he kept speaking.
"And Ann, if you do decide you want to go, I at least hope you won't be foolish enough to go on your own. After all, Kitagawa-san gave you several tickets, so if nothing else, the rest of us can use those tickets as a pretext to accompany you and observe both Kitagawa-san AND Madarame from a distance and try to get a read on them both. Call me crazy, but I get a feeling that one of those two will let us get a better read on the other." Kusa said as Morgana nodded as he spoke up.
"I agree with Kusa, Lady Ann. Until we have a better idea of what Kitagawa is about, we should be cautious around him. And if you do want to go, please don't do so alone." Morgana said as Ann smiled at both Kusa and Morgana before she spoke up.
"I actually think I will go." Ann said as Ren and Ryuji looked at her in surprise, but before either could reply, Ann swore and spoke again.
"Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later. Also, no I wasn't going to go alone if that makes you two feel better, Kusa and Morgana." Ann said as Kusa and Morgana nodded approvingly while running off as Morgana growled and spoke up.
"How dare he go after Lady Ann...I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!" Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.
"First of all, Morgana-sensei, does he REALLY deserve you calling him by his first name? That said, if I EVER start acting at all like he does when I call you Sensei, I give you full permission to either slap or scratch sense into me, since I did NOT like the way he called Madarame 'Sensei', even if I approve of his manners." Kusa said as Ren and Ryuji nodded...
(Flash forward to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker)
Sae frowned as she glared at Joker before speaking up.
"You became acquainted with Madarame's pupil by chance? That's a little TOO convenient. It makes me wonder if you're even telling the truth. So be it. What I want to know most is your method. It's true that Madarame was an unforgivable criminal worthy of the scorn thrown at him. He was an adult who cultivated his own fame and fortune by sacrificing the livelihood of children...But he'd been covering his tracks for years. How did you uncover the truth in such a short span of time?" Sae asked Joker who frowned at the question before speaking up.
"Would you believe me if I said in the Metaverse?" Joker said to Sae. Sae frowned as she spoke up.
"This 'Metaverse' business again? ...Ugh. Fine. Let's suppose that people's hearts can be changed by stealing their Treasure, like you've said. If so, a different suspicion arises. People have gone mad or lost consciousness, never to recover...like the subway accident in April. Depending on how you look at it, that could be taken as a phenomenon for a sudden change of heart too. Were you related to those as well?" Sae asked Joker who frowned as he spoke up.
"Honestly, I don't know. But I don't believe so." Joker said. Sae frowned at this.
"Hmm...I see. Tch...Fine. Let's get back to Madarame's case. Keep it concise, and stick to the facts." Sae said as Joker nodded and continued his story...
(Back in the present with Ren and Morgana)
"Today's the last day of exams, huh?" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as Morgana kept speaking.
"Seemed like some of those were kind of tough. Well, it wasn't too bad. YOu should have gotten a decent score, right?" Morgana asked Ren, who could only shrug...
(That afternoon, after school at the station with Kusa, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann)
"Mmmmmm, it's over!" Ann said happily as she yawned while Ryuji spoke up with a less happy tone.
"It's over...How 'bout you?" Ryuji said to Ren who spoke up.
"It's over...However, I'm not worrying about my scores for now. I did the best I could do, and that's what matters." Ren said as Kusa chuckled as he spoke up.
"Yes well, at least YOU have a reasonable shot to have passed your exams, unlike Ryuji here who might have scraped passes if he's lucky. As for me, I think I did well enough, though I don't expect any particularly high grades, but I should manage at least a high C to low B average with some luck." Kusa said with a shrug. Ryuji blinked at Ren but grinned as he spoke up, liking Ren's answer.
"Oh yeah! I didn't think of that!" Ryuji said as Ann scoffed and spoke up.
"Of course you didn't. But you really should." Ann said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.
"Anyways, can we stop talkin' about the exams? Like it or not, they're gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with..." Ryuji said before trailing off as Ann spoke up in confusion.
"What're you looking at?" Ann asked Ryuji who spoke up.
"The usual site. It's no use. There ain't any useful info. The number of posts are gettin' less and less too..." Ryuji said which Kusa took to mean the Phan-Site, as the group had taken to calling it for short after Ren told them about Mishima's short-hand name for it. Morgana huffed as he spoke up.
"I am NOT letting this end as a one-hit wonder, okay?" Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"I agree, Morgana. We're far more than just some group of one-trick ponies after all." Kusa said getting nods from the others as Ann spoke up.
"There's no point in getting antsy, though. I know! Why don't we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money left over from the other day." Ann suggested as Ren spoke up.
"We can do that, but let's try to keep it on a budget. Kusa here raised a good point that we should try to stretch our finances as far as we can since we don't know how often we'll come into stuff to sell for cash so we should try to make our money last as long as possible to be on the safe side." Ren said as Kusa nodded approvingly as Ryuji spoke up.
"I want sushi, then! Or domestic-raised eel." Ryuji said, ignoring the slightly disgusted look on Kusa's face at the mention of eel, as Kusa wasn't much of a seafood person. Ann huffed and spoke up.
"We don't have THAT much left. Oh right, there are those tickets to Madarame's exhibit! Wait, that's tomorrow." Ann said as Morgana blanched before speaking up.
"Don't tell me...Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?" Morgana asked in horror as Kusa sweatdropped and grabbed Morgana gently to put him at his eye level as he spoke up.
"Morgana-sensei, calm yourself! I'm sure it wasn't love at first sight! Besides, I get the sense that Ann here isn't that into guys anymore and given what that scumbag did to her, I can't blame her one bit for it. So I highly doubt it was love at first sight." Kusa gently but firmly chastised Morgana who blinked but nodded.
"Oh right, that's true. Forgot about that for a moment. Sorry, Kusa." Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and gently patted Morgana on the head.
"It's fine, Morgana. Just remember to keep your head under pressure and you should be okay." Kusa said encouragingly as he sat Morgana gently on his shoulder. Ann smiled at Kusa as she spoke up.
"Exactly, Kusa. It's not like THAT. Besides, Morgana, you know full well I have my eyes on Shiho already." Ann said quietly, lowering her voice as she spoke so only Ryuji, Kusa, Morgana and Ren could hear. Morgana breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke up.
"O-Oh, of course not!" Morgana said happily as Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up.
"We get it, Morgana-sensei! You have feelings for Ann. As long as you acknowledge she likelier than not won't return them then I see no harm in it. But you really should let yourself down now before you end up really getting hurt over it later on." Kusa suggested gently to Morgana who nodded and spoke up.
"Y-Yeah, that's true Kusa. You're probably right. Maybe one day I'll find someone for me." Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and nodded as he spoke up.
"Perhaps. Anything is possible, after all, within reason at least." Kusa said sagely as Ann nodded and spoke up.
"Exactly, Kusa. Anyways, when I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we've got free tickets. Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos." Ann said as the others nodded before Ryuji spoke up.
"Right. Madarame, was it?" Ryuji asked Ren who nodded and spoke up.
"Yeah, that's the name Nakanohara gave us as far as I can recall. And honestly, I'm curious about it too." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"I think we all are, Ren. But we should be patient. After all, if it IS related to that, then, and I really am hoping this isn't the case, that could mean that Kitagawa could be in trouble." Kusa said with a frown. Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"That's true, Kusa. Hrmm..." Morgana said as Ann smirked and spoke up as she looked at the others.
"That aside, what should I do about the other three tickets? Wanna go appreciate some fine arts for once?" Ann asked as Kusa huffed and spoke up.
"For once!? Does Ryuji really not go that often to appreciate fine arts? Honestly, not that surprised by that. Granted, Ren's not much for fine arts either but I like to at least show some appreciation of the arts on occasion, even if it's just to acknowledge the talents of the creators of the art. Granted, back before we came here, I did toy with the idea of taking up writing, though I never gave it any serous consideration since obviously Ren's luck makes such considerations risky at best to ponder.
No offense, Ren. That said, of course we'll go with you, Ann. We're not letting you go near that guy alone until we're sure neither he or his 'Sensei' have nothing but pure intentions. After all, you've already had one dirtbag try to manipulate and use you recently, and I don't want to see that happen to you a second time." Kusa said with a frown as Ann nodded before Ryuji spoke up, looking at Kusa as he spoke.
"Nah, you're not wrong, Kusa. Art's not really my thing to be honest. That said, fine arts, huh..." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up with a smile.
"I suggest we should all go together!" Morgana said as Ren huffed and spoke up.
"Isn't that what Kusa literally JUST said?" Ren asked Morgana who huffed and spoke up.
"Oh, hush! I'm allowed to agree with Kusa! That said, appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded before Ryuji sighed and spoke up.
"Well, if everyone's going..." Ryuji said, trailing off with an annoyed look on his face as Ann smiled and spoke up.
"It's settled, then!" Ann said as Ren spoke up.
"I'd say it should be fun, but as Kusa pointed out, I'm not one for the arts much like Ryuji. So at best, we can only hope this won't be totally boring." Ren said. Ann and Kusa huffed as the former spoke up.
"It'd be worth it once in a while! Sounds lie it'll be useful for Phantom Thieves too, you know? It's decided then! We're going. Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow." Ann said as the group dispersed for the evening...
(Back at Leblanc with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)
"Okay, tomorrow we go to that exhibit with Lady Ann. I'm curious to know if this Madarame has anything to do with the name we heard in Mementos...We can't afford to be late tomorrow. We'd better not go out right now." Morgana said as Ren nodded as his and Kusa's phones went off to signal a group chat, which was from Ann and Ryuji.
"So I keep thinking about what Nakanohara said...Could he have been talking about the famous artist Madarame?" Ann said as Ren and Kusa both sent replies, the latter sending his first.
"Possibly. Madarame's not that common of a last name, is it?" Kusa said as Ren shrugged and sent a response.
"Yeah, that sounds about right Kusa. And probably Ann. Usually it's unlikely that it's a coincidence that we run into a person's name in the Metaverse and then find a person who has that same name in the real world for the two to NOT be related." Ren sent. Ryuji sent a response right after.
"Seconded. I agree with Ren." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response shortly after.
"Great. The name really stood out to me..." Ann said as Ryuji nodded and sent a response.
"Thinking about it, I find myself agreeing with Kusa's point about Madarame not being a common last name. I mean, you guys ever heard of someone else called Madarame?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent her own response before Kusa could send his.
"To your question Kusa, no, it's really not common at all. If what we heard is true, Kitagawa-kun is studying under a corrupt teacher." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.
"I thought not. And dammit, can my instincts not be right for a change?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.
"Probably not, Kusa. And Ann, you mean a teacher who treats people like tools." Ryuji sent as Ann sent another response.
"Kitagawa-kun's life is probably pretty terrible..." Ann sent as Ren and Kusa exchanged a wince as the latter sent a response.
"That's true. Granted the guy did come off pretty strong and off-putting, but unlike Maruki, Kitagawa-kun at least seemed to mean well. And I do like that he has manners, even if he did seem to be coming on to Ann a bit strongly for my liking. I guess even he could be in trouble. And we DID say we'd help anyone in trouble, no matter what." Kusa sent as Ryuji nodded and sent a response.
"I thought the same, Kusa. But regardless of our opinions of Kitagawa-kun, we have no choice. We gotta look into this." Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former putting his phone away and on silent as the latter got into a discussion with Ryuji and Ann about Kitagawa. As that happened, Ren headed downstairs with Morgana to watch the news, where surprisingly the man story was about the exhibit that Madarame was featured in was set to open tomorrow, prompting Morgana to speak up in surprise.
"For real!? Hey, it's that old guy! I didn't think he would actually be famous..." Morgana said as Ren chuckled and nodded.
"Me either, Morgana. I guess for now, since there's not much else to do, you can go hang with Kusa if you like while I study more just for the sake of bettering myself." Ren said as Morgana nodded and did as asked as Ren spent the rest of the night studying before heading up to bed after awhile...
(The next day, at the exhibition with Kusa, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann)
"Oof, so crowded..." Morgana said as he poked his head out of Ren's bag as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.
"It'll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you so don't stick your head out too much, all right?" Ryuji asked Morgana who nodded and ducked back into Ren's bag to hide, right as Kitagawa walked up to the group, smiling at Ann in particular as he spoke up.
"You came!" Kitagawa said happily as Ann blinked and spoke up before Ren, Kusa or Ryuji could say a word.
"Um...yeah." Ann said as Kitagawa turned his gazes onto Ren, Kusa and Ryuji and spoke more, though with decidedly less enthusiasm in his tone than when he was speaking to Ann.
"You really came." Kitagawa said dryly as Kusa and Ryuji glared, the latter speaking up in a huff.
"What'd you expect when you left us those tickets?" Ryuji said to Kitagawa as Kusa spoke up with a laugh.
"Probably he figured Ann would just hold on to the other three and come on her own. Too bad for him, we happen to also enjoy the arts to a degree, or at least I do, so we agreed to accompany her so she didn't have to go it alone. Even though I'm sure Kitagawa-kun here would've been just tickled pink to have one-on-one time with her, I doubt Ann would feel the same way." Kusa said dryly, his gaze conveying how unimpressed he was with Kitagawa in that moment, though it did also hold a small measure of respect as well. Kitagawa huffed.
"If you say so, just make sure that you don't get in the way of the other visitors." Kitagawa said dryly to Ren, Kusa and Ryuji before turning to Ann and continuing to speak.
"Come now. I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too." Kitagawa said as Ann sighed and nodded before turning to Kusa, Ren and Ryuji as she spoke up.
"Well, see you guys later." Ann said as she walked off alone with Kitagawa as Morgana spoke up in horror.
"Will Lady Ann be all right!? What if he drags her behind some painting and tries something funny?" Morgana asked in horror as Kusa spoke up.
"I don't think he could fit behind any of these paintings though. And besides, I feel like Ann can handle herself. Worst case we'll probably hear Kitagawa yelling out in pain after she either decks him or hoofs him in the ol' family jewels, so to speak." Kusa said, ignoring the winces Ren and Ryuji gave as they subconsciously covered the area in question as the latter spoke up, glaring at Morgana as he spoke.
"I told you not to come out!" Ryuji hissed quietly at Morgana. He then turned to Ren with a grumble as he spoke up.
"Are we really gonna 'appreciate' the fine arts? Can't we just go home?" Ryuji asked as Kusa glared and spoke up.
"Ryuji, I get that you don't want to be here, but do you REALLY think that we can just leave Ann here alone with Kitagawa, much less with Kitagawa AND Madarame? Because I wouldn't be surprised if Kitagawa took her to meet his Sensei while he has her alone." Kusa pointed out with a frown as Morgana nodded from inside Ren's bag as Ren spoke up.
"I'm not thrilled about this either, but Kusa has a point. If nothing else, we can use this chance to learn more about Madarame for when we might have to infiltrate his Palace, if he has one." Ren said as Ryuji sagged but nodded.
"True, I guess we should do a quick pass through it once..." Ryuji said before blinking as he realized something before he kept speaking.
"Uh...Which way are we supposed to start?" Ryuji asked as Ren and Kusa shrugged before Ryuji walked forward and blinked as he saw Madarame holding court with a bunch of what looked to be reporters and media, getting Ren and Kusa's attention by speaking up.
"Hm? It's that old man from the other day..." Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa nodded.
"No doubt about it, that's Madarame. Let's listen in on his conversation." Kusa suggested as Ren and Ryuji nodded, doing just that as a reporter spoke up.
"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination. You have such expansive styles, it's hard to believe that it all stems from one person...Where in the world does all your inspiration come from?" The reporter asked Madarame as Ryuji, Ren and Kusa got closer to listen in as Madarame spoke.
"Well...It is rather difficult to put into words...They naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in the spring." Madarame said as the reporter from before spoke up once more.
"Naturally, you say?" The reporter asked as Madarame nodded before he spoke up again.
"What's important is to distance oneself from worldly desires such s money and fame. My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty." Madarame said as Ryuji blinked at this, muttering, 'a shack?' to himself as the reporter spoke up once more.
"I see...So the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty. Still to think we could hear the word 'shack' coming from the great artist Madarame." The reporter said as Madarame chuckled before speaking up once more.
"You would understand if you saw it. Hahahaha..." Madarame said as Ryuji leaned over to speak up so only Ren and Kusa could hear.
"Wasn't the word 'shack' something..." Ryuji said to Ren and Kusa who nodded as Ryuji's sentence was cut off by a cry from nearby.
"Madarame-san is actually here!?" A female customer called out as a male customer answered her.
"Over there!" The male customer said as a fangirl ran up and spoke up.
"I'm so glad I came on opening day!" The fangirl said as a horde of fans swarmed where Madarame was talking to the reporters, causing Ryuji, Ren and Kusa to get shoved aside, much to Ryuji's frustration.
"Hey, stop pushin'! Argh, there's WAY too many people!" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up from Ren's bag, clearly in pain.
"I'm getting crushed..." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.
"Anyways, we gotta head for the exit! Don't die on us, all right!?" Ryuji said to Morgana, ignoring the wide-eyed look on Kusa's face when Ryuji said 'don't die on us'. as the group fled to the exit...
(Meanwhile, with Ann and Kitagawa)
"I didn't know there were so many types of Japanese art." Ann said in awe as Kitagawa nodded and spoke up.
"Usually one concentrates on their own style. However, Sensei creates all this by himself. He's special." Kitagawa said as Ann nodded, noticing as she turned to look at him that he'd changed out his dress shirt for a striped grey button-up dress shirt which he wore open to reveal the white T-shirt he'd worn underneath. Before Ann could reply however, Madarame walked up to Kitagawa and Ann and spoke up.
"There you are, Yusuke." Madarame who turned to Madarame in surprise before speaking up.
"Sensei!" Kitagawa said as Madarame noticed Ann and spoke to her.
"Ah, the girl from yesterday. Are you enjoying the exhibit?" Madarame asked Ann who nodded as she spoke up.
"I don't know how to put it into words... but it's really amazing." Ann said as Madarame smiled approvingly as he spoke up.
"You're sensing something from the artwork...That alone is enough to give us artists satisfaction. I hope this becomes a wonderful piece, Yusuke. Well then, if you'll excuse me." Madarame said as he shuffled off before Ann spoke up in surprise.
"You'd imagine artists would be really difficult to approach...but he seems really friendly." Ann said, trying not to blink as the camera revealed that what she'd thought to be a white T-shirt was actually a white and pink T-shirt under Kitagawa's beige-striped button up dress shirt. Kitagawa nodded as he spoke up.
"Indeed." Kitagawa said with a smile as Ann walked over to another painting, this one showing what appeared to be a sunset view in the autumn, and spoke up.
"Oh, this is it-the painting I wanted to see in person." Ann said as Kitagawa blanched and spoke up.
"This one?" Kitagawa said as Ann nodded and spoke up.
"I guess it's the painter's anger? I'm not sure, but I sense this...strong frustration from it. To think such a cheerful and gentlemanly person could make such a piece..." Ann said as Kitagawa winced at her words, making Ann turn to him in concern as she spoke up.
"Something wrong?" Ann asked Kitagawa who shook his head and spoke up.
"Don't mind me. There are better pieces than...this one. Come now, this way!" Kitagawa said and turned on his heel and walked off, leaving Ann to huff and speak up.
"H-Hey!" Ann said as she dashed off after Kitagawa...
(Meanwhile, at a nearby location with Ren, Kusa, Morgana and Ryuji)
"Ow! That old lady totally elbowed me..." Ryuji said as Kusa winced and spoke up.
"Oof...bony elbow to the gut. Not fun." Kusa said sympathetically. Ryuji nodded and kept speaking as if Kusa hadn't spoken up.
"...But thanks to that, I remember now." Ryuji asked as Ren and Kusa spoke up.
"About what, Ryuji?" Ren said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"That's important too, but what about Ann? We totally left her back there alone with Kitagawa and Madarame! Oof, Morgana's gonna be so livid..." Kusa said with a frown. Morgana poked his head out of Ren's bag blearily on hearing his name to speak up with a frown.
"More like Morgana IS VERY livid with you three! How dare you leave Lady Ann alone like that!? Have you no honor or sense of gentlemanly duty?" Morgana reamed Ren, Ryuji and Kusa as the latter spoke up placatingly.
"We didn't have a choice, Morgana-sensei! We were all getting crushed back there! What good would we be to Ann if we'd gotten trampled trying to keep an eye on her?" Kusa pointed out with a contrite look on his face as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.
"Exactly! That said, well, lemme get to it Ren." Ryuji said to Ren, trusting Kusa to placate Morgana as Morgana spoke up.
"Okay, fair enough. Continue, Ryuji." Morgana said as Ryuji nodded.
"Thank you. Anyways, it's about a post online." Ryuji said as he pulled up the post in question and showed it to Ren, Kusa and Morgana.
"Here, look at this." Ryuji said, holding up the his phone so Ren, Kusa and Morgana could see the display on screen right as Ann walked up to the group, an annoyed look on her face as she glared at the group and spoke up.
"Why'd you leave without me!?" Ann asked the group as Kusa turned to Ann and spoke up placatingly.
"Like I just got done explaining to Morgana-sensei, we didn't have a choice! We listened in on one of Madarame's interviews and nearly got trampled by a huge ass horde of his fans. We were lucky to get out in one piece, especially poor Morgana who nearly got crushed inside Ren's bag from all the fans rushing Madarame." Kusa said placatingly. Ryuji nodded and spoke up.
"Exactly, Kusa! You got it all wrong, Ann! We got dragged into this huge crowd and...eh, anyways. You gotta look at this too. This post might be about Madarame." Ryuji said as both Ren and Ann blinked at this and the latter spoke up.
"What's it say?" Ann asked as Ryuji frowned and read the post.
"A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV." Ryuji read from the post as Ann and Kusa's eyes got wide at this and Ann spoke up.
"Plagiarizing!?" Ann said in surprise as Ryuji nodded before speaking up once more.
"I didn't think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing 'shack' and 'Madarame' triggered it. 'His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog..." Ryuji said trailing off as Morgana frowned and spoke up in an unimpressed tone.
"Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm?" Morgana said as Ryuji grinned before speaking up.
"If this is real, it'll be a huge scandal." Ryuji said as Ann frowned before speaking up.
"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this." Ann said as Kusa frowned and shook his head before speaking up.
"I doubt that Ann. For one, he seems WAY too respectful and admiring of Madarame to do that. For another, and I apologize in advance for the crassness of my word choice, but going by the way Kitagawa was looking at Madarame, you'd think he thinks that rainbows and sunshine shone out of Madarame's ass. But if what Ryuji just read is true, then not only is Madarame scum, but he has no honor OR decency! And on top of all that, it might confirm our suspicion that Kitagawa-kun could be in danger." Kusa said with a frown as Ren and Ryuji chuckled at Kusa's choice of phrasing for Kitagawa's views of Madarame. Ann frowned as she spoke up again, ignoring Kusa's words as she spoke.
"I mean, he IS a pupil of his." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"Who knows? It's anonymous and all...but I do find myself agreeing with Kusa that this doesn't seem like something Kitagawa would post." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.
"In that case...It's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one." Morgana said as Ann blanched and spoke up.
"A man like that, doing such a thing? I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this. Oh! Actually, we just need to talk to him in reality." Ann said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"And just what do you think that will accomplish? As I recall, Morgana-sensei clearly said before that people usually have no recollection of what goes on in the Metaverse, or Mementos in this case, so I doubt that the real Nakanohara would even know what we're talking about, much less who we are, if we were to talk to him." Kusa pointed out. Ryuji nodded as he added in his two cents.
"And how are we gonna go about that? Are we gonna explain it all, startin' with Mementos?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up.
"I agree with Kusa and surprisingly so, with Ryuji as well. It's not as simple as you make it, Lady Ann. And besides, if we make a move out in the open,there's the possibility that Madarame will find out." Morgana said as he gently but firmly rebuked Ann who blanched and nodded as she spoke up.
"Oh...Yeah, right..." Ann said as Kusa smiled at Ann.
"Cheer up, Ann. You had good intentions with your idea, even if it wasn't necessarily a practical idea." Kusa said comfortingly to Ann who nodded as Ryuji spoke up as he looked towards Ren.
"Hey, what do you think about Madarame? Doesn't he seem suspicious?" Ryuji asked Ren who nodded as both he and Kusa spoke up.
"He does seem quite suspicious." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"I agree. And not just because his and Kitagawa's first run-in with us was a total 12 on the 'sus' radar, so to speak, either. I feel like there's something off with Madarame. And unfortunately, it could be bad for Kitagawa." Kusa said. Ryuji nodded to Ren and Kusa's responses as he spoke up.
"I know, right? This all fits WAY too well to just be a coincidence." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.
"Coincidence? Suuure, if this is a coincidence then Morgana can turn into a freaking tank. Oh wait, that's right, he can't as far as I know." Kusa deadpanned to approving chuckles from Ryuji and Morgana at his dry quip, before the former spoke up, grinning widely as he spoke.
"If this post is legit, ain't this the kinda target we've been waiting for?" Ryuji asked as Ren, Morgana and Kusa nodded while Ann spoke up with a frown on her face as she spoke.
"Well, yeah, but...Is it really true?" Ann asked as Ren, Kusa, Ryuji and Morgana shrugged before Ryuji changed the subject by looking at Ann and speaking up.
"By the way, what did you do about the whole modeling thing?" Ryuji asked Ann who spoke up with a smile as she spoke.
"Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info. AND the address to his sensei's atelier." Ann said, as Ryuji smirked and spoke up, ignoring the skeptical glances Morgana and Kusa exchanged at how bold Kitagawa's giving of his contact info and address was as he spoke.
"He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing. Let's try goin' tomorrow. We're off to Madarame's house right after school!" Ryuji said as Ann looked at him in wide eyed shock as she spoke up.
"Huh? You want me to model tomorrow!? This is too sudden..." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Not to mention, extremely last-minute. While I'm sure Kitagawa-kun would be willing to meet with Ann at such short notice, I don't think he had any such respect or tolerance of myself, Ryuji and Ren so I have no clue how we'd go about accompanying you, if that was Ryuji's plan." Kusa said with a frown as he crossed his arms, Morgana nodding agreement. Ryuji blinked at Kusa's point as he turned to Ann and spoke up.
"What? We're just gonna go talk to Kitagawa." Ryuji said, ignoring Kusa's point entirely as Ann breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke up, also ignoring the huff Kusa gave as she spoke.
"Oh, that's what you meant..." Ann said as the group dispersed for the evening...
(That evening, at Leblanc, with Morgana, Ren and Kusa)
"In any case, we need to find out if that rumor about Madarame is true...If it is, this might just be exactly what we needed!" Morgana said before mentioning the home shopping program being on. Ren and Morgana then headed downstairs to check out the program while Kusa laid on his bed, deciding to see what Futaba was up to. After checking out the program, Ren and Morgana decided on buying an 'Allergy Relief Set' for 1,680 yen.
After that, Ren thought about his options before his eyes fell on the brewing station, remembering that Sojiro had given him permission to try brewing the coffee if he wanted, but to be careful what he used. Morgana spoke up as he looked at the brewing machine.
"Wow! So, this is where the chief brews his famous coffee..." Morgana said as Ren nodded. Morgana then kept speaking up.
"Are you going to try making some coffee?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded and spoke up.
"Sure. After all, Sakura-san told me he was going to show me how to make, and I quote, 'the perfect cup of coffee' as part of our deal." Ren said as Sojiro looked up as he heard Ren's voice.
"Hm? You know how to brew coffee?" Sojiro asked Ren as he saw Ren looking at the brewing machine. Ren nodded.
"Yeah. I had to brew coffee before back at home for my parents' restaurant a few times so I at least know the basics." Ren said honestly as Sojiro nodded.
"I see. Well, help yourself to the beans on the shelves. I'll show you how each kind of bean is different later. All right, I'm headin' out to buy some cigarettes..." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, wisely not mentioning that he didn't think Sojiro was a smoker as Sojiro left. A short time later, Ren finished brewing some coffee, preparing to pour a cup of his finished product as Morgana spoke up.
"Whoa...Mmm! I love the smell of good coffee..." Morgana said as Ren smirked and spoke up.
"Yep. And luckily for me, that happens to be one of the things I'm better than Kusa at, much to his annoyance. But he's got loads of things he's better than me at so I figure fair is fair." Ren said as he finished pouring a cup for himself and sat down to take a sip, pumping a fist at how good it came out.
"YES!" Ren said happily as Morgana spoke up.
"The way you're drinking it makes it look delicious. This coffee has a lot of thought and love behind it, huh...Maybe if you drink it in the Metaverse, it'll heal your wounds too." Morgana said as Ren noded as he got 2 'Leblanc Coffee' items. Morgana then spoke up once more.
"Heh heh...Looks like the chief's gentlemanly charm is rubbing off on you." Morgana said as Ren felt his Charm go up. After that, the door opened as Sojiro walked in, chuckling as he saw Ren sipping a cup of coffee, presumably what he'd brewed, and spoke up.
"Heh, looks like you're doing well. Here, let me have a sip." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and Sojiro took a sip before speaking up.
"Mmm...This aroma and soft richness...You used Blue Mountain, huh..." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, surprised that Sojiro knew that. Sojiro chuckled and laughed as he spoke up.
"Don't be so surprised, kid. I told you I'd show you how each kind of bean is different later, didn't I? Well then, let me explain! This bean is called Jamaican Blue Mountain, or Blue Mountain for short, because the Blue Mountains of Jamaica have a unique climate and volcanic soil advantageous for growing their famous high quality coffee. This coffee undergoes a rigorous inspection process and is harvested in small quantities. This produces a rich coffee with a full aroma." Sojiro said as Ren nodded.
"That's impressive, Sakura-san. You know your stuff when it comes to coffee beans, don't you?" Ren said as Sojiro nodded.
"Yep. And if I have it my way, before too too much longer, you will too. You have potential, but when it comes to your brewing, unfortunately the flavor profile is bland. You should practice more to bring out the roast's full potential. Although, I see you're preparing the cup the way I taught you. I'll acknowledge your hard work." Sojiro said as Ren nodded.
"Fair enough. Thank you for the honest critique, Sakura-san." Ren said politely as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.
"No problem, Ren. You look like a real barista standing at the counter like that. It seems like you're following all the rules and instructions I gave you. I can't believe this kid in front of me is a trouble maker with a criminal record...Well, there's no need to have a lengthy conversation about this. Just keep up with your training." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and went to do the dishes in the kitchen as Sojiro left, after which Morgana sat on a stool and spoke up.
"You have the opportunity to learn, so you should take some time for yourself and keep improving. People would treat you with respect if they knew you could serve great coffee. That said, we should rest now, we have a long day tomorrow." Morgana said and Ren nodded as he finished the dishes and the two headed up to bed...
(The next day, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)
"Hey there. I'm Doctor Maruki, your school counselor. Thanks to the school, I can een talk to you outside of counseling now. I want to talk about how mental health and perception can affect you. Don't worry-I don't want to stress you out or anything. Just relax and listen. How much do you guys know about the emotional mind? See, what's going on in your mind can affect your body pretty significantly. There's proof it can even heal you, depending on your outlook. So, Amamiya-kun the elder!" Maruki said as Ren looked up at Maruki as he heard his name being called as Maruki spoke.
"Any ideas? What do we call the phenomenon where believing in a treatment's power is enough to improve your condition?" Maruki asked as Ren smiled, knowing this from the one time that it'd happened to Kusa and spoke up in confidence.
"This is it! The answer is 'the placebo effect'." Ren said confidently as Maruki clapped and nodded as he spoke up.
"That's right! Yup, that's correct, Amamiya-kun the elder. Some people specify that placebos don't actually have any curative properties. But even if the medicine does nothing chemically, it an affect your perception and help you feel better. On the other hand, if you don't trust the medicine to begin with, it might make you feel even worse...We call that a nocebo." Maruki said as the usual mutters ensued about Ren's intelligence as Ren's Knowledge increased. After that, Maruki kept speaking.
"Hmm...That's just one example, but my point is that our minds and bodies are more connected than we think. So remember not ot push yourself too hard. Remember, your mind needs time to rest too. And it's my job to help with that, so...Come by the nurse's office whenever you're feeling down." Maruki said as Morgana spoke up.
"Hmmm...The mind affects the body, huh...? You think I'll change back into a human if I just believe in it hard enough?" Morgana asked Ren who shook his head with a chuckle.
"I doubt that, otherwise Ryuji could just believe in getting perfect marks hard enough to do so." Ren pointed out calmly making Morgana nod at the point.
"Fair enough." Morgana said as the rest of the class passed without incident...
(After school, on the train with Ryuji, Ann, Ren, Kusa and Morgana)
"Phantom thieves goin' by train...This ain't any different from how I get home from school, y'know." Ryuji said as Kusa rolled his eyes as he spoke up from where he was sitting between Ren and Ann.
"Ryuji, ix-nay on the talk of antom-phay eives-thay on the ain-tray." Kusa huffed as Ann nodded as she spoke up.
"Exactly, plus the train is the fastest way to go-plus, we can bring pets on here." Ann said as Morgana huffed from in Ren's bag as he spoke up.
"HEY, who're you calling a pet!?" Morgana said huffily as Ryuji hissed quietly at Morgana after he spoke.
"Dude, be quiet! We didn't pay the pet fare." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.
"That's because Morgana-sensei ISN'T a pet!" Kusa pointed out sagely as Morgana nodded before glaring at Ryuji as he spoke up, making Kusa groan at what he said next.
"I'm the one guiding you to your destination! You should be calling me 'Master'!" Morgana said angrily as Kusa spoke up.
"First of all, Morgana, no one here is calling you 'Master'. Secondly, ignore Ann and Ryuji. They mean well but don't always think before they speak, Ryuji moreso than Ann." Kusa said quietly as he tried to placate Morgana. Unfortunately for the group, their arguing caught the attention of a little girl who heard Morgana meowing and walked over before speaking up, smiling at Morgana as she spoke up.
"Ooh, kitty!" The little girl said as Kusa nodded approvingly to how perceptive the little girl was as Ann blanched and spoke up at this point.
"Er, shoot...!" Ann said quietly as the little girl looked at Ren as she spoke up.
"Is that your pet, Mister? I heard it meowing!" The little girl asked Ren as he spoke up, his words getting him glares from both Kusa AND Morgana for what he said next.
"Technically, it's just a creature." Ren said off-handedly, to an approving nod from Ryuji as the little girl looked at Ren and spoke up, not seeing Kusa subtly flick Ren AND Ryuji both in the backs of their heads, getting muted yelps of pain from both of them as the little girl spoke.
"What's a crea...ture? Isn't that a kitty?" The little girl asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up, giving Ren, Ryuji AND Morgana a pointed glare that said 'let me do the talking!' as he spoke.
"Yes, that's exactly right, little one. Morgana here is a kitty. But he gets kind of touchy about being referred to as such so we try not to use terms like 'pet', 'kitty' or 'creature' around him, even if my friends here are too dumb to remember that little fact. But never mind that for now. I take it you were curious about Morgana when you heard him meow, isn't that right?" Kusa said, making Morgana AND Ann turn to him in shock as the little girl nodded.
"Yeah, that's right. Morgana is very cute." The little girl said as Ann tried to dissuade the little girl by speaking up.
"It's, um... a toy! It meows when you press on its head." Ann said as Kusa huffed at Ann as he spoke up.
"That's not only not true, that's factually inaccurate. Most toys only make noises if you pat them on the stomach or the hand, places like that. But more importantly, Morgana is no toy." Kusa said reprovingly as Morgana nodded gratefully to Kusa as both Morgana and Kusa blanched as Ryuji spoke up, looking at Ren.
"You heard her, Ren. Press on its head." Ryuij said as Morgana huffed and spoke up.
"This is ridic-" Morgana said as Ren put his palm down firmly on Morgana's head, getting disapproving glares from both Kusa AND Morgana as he did so.
"M-Mewww..." Morgana said reluctantly after Ren pressed on his head, as Kusa frowned. The little girl squealed quietly as she spoke up.
"Wowee! Again! Again!" The little girl said excitedly, as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"I don't know what these three have you thinking, but Morgana here is not a toy! And he's certainly NOT meant to be pressed on that hard!" Kusa said, glaring at Ren as he gently scooped Morgana up out of Ren's bag and placed him onto his own lap, looking at the little girl as he spoke up.
"If you want to come over here and watch, I can show you how someone like Morgana is meant to be treated." Kusa said as the little girl nodded and walked over to him as he glared at Ren.
"And I'm SURE you were going to be gentle when you pressed on Morgana's head, weren't you Ren!?" Kusa hissed pointedly into Ren's ear as he turned to the little girl.
"Now, as you can see, Morgana is a kitty, as you said, so as such he should be handled gently and with the utmost care. Observe." Kusa said as he gently yet delicately ran his hand over Morgana's head and fur in a soft yet comforting fashion, eliciting a contented purr from Morgana as the little girl watched, Ren muttering to himself about pressing gently as Kusa petted Morgana, who was happily purring as the little girl watched. Morgana then looked up at Kusa and smirked as he then started lightly meowing for the little girl, to her amused giggles and Kusa's fond rolling of the eyes at how much of a ham Morgana could be. The little girl giggled as she spoke up.
"Ahaha, it's so cute! I wanna hear it again!" The little girl said as Kusa nodded before having an idea of his own and after quietly hissing in Morgana's ear for him to play along, he looked at the little girl.
"I can do that, or better yet, I could let you pet him if you wanted. Would you like that?" Kusa asked the little girl who nodded excitedly as she walked up and Kusa nodded, gently placing the little girl's hand on Morgana's head.
"Now, just run your hand very gently along Morgana's head and back, but be careful not to pull too much as you pet him, since he's a bit touch-sensitive." Kusa said as the little girl nodded, gently petting Morgana who smiled and after Kusa winked, purred and made cutesy meowing noises as Ryuji spoke up with a grin.
"Dude, the cat's droolin' on Kusa's lap..." Ryuji said as Kusa glared at Ryuji and spoke up.
"Shut up, Ryuji. So what if he's drooling a bit? Clothes can be washed! Sore cats' heads can NOT be washed or healed, especially if a certain pair of idiots thought about button mashing him. Which I'm glad I grabbed Morgana when I did, because I wouidn't be surprised that you two would've done that." Kusa said angrily under his breath to Ryuji as he glared at Ren and Ryuji before turning back to the little girl who was happily smiling as she petted Morgana before the loudspeaker came on.
"The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side." The train announcer's voice could be heard over the intercom as Ann looked at the little girl apologetically before speaking up.
"Sorry to break up your fun with Morgana, little one, but this is our stop." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"That's correct. But at least you got to have some fun with him, right?" Kusa asked the little girl who smiled and nodded.
"Indeed! Hopefully you and your brother take good care of him!" The little girl said as Kusa and Ren looked at each other before Kusa nodded and spoke up with a smile.
"But of course we will, little one. Gentlemen like ourselves would do no less." Kusa said with a nod as Ryuji and Ren rolled their eyes as Ann looked at the little girl and spoke up as she smiled.
"Sorry, but we gotta go now. Nice talking to you though! Bye bye!" Ann said as the little girl nodded and spoke up.
"Mm-hm! And thank you mister, for letting me pet Morgana! Bye-bye!" The little girl said as she turned and walked away as the group got off the train in Shibuya...
(In Shibuya, with Ryuji, Ren, Ann, Morgana and Kusa)
"So, which line do we gotta transfer to?" Ryuji asked as Ann spoke up, seeing Kusa glaring at Ren and Ryuji and deciding to speak up before Kusa could really tear into the two.
"Doesn't look like there are any stations close by to that address...If anything, this is the closest station." Ann said as Kusa smirked and spoke up, giving Ryuji and Ren a glare that made both of them exchange a terrified glance with each other as he spoke.
"Good, then that means we have to walk there, which also means I have time to impress on Ryuji and my idiot brother why manhandling someone like Morgana in front of an impressionable child is a VERY bad idea." Kusa said, the look in his eyes making both Ren and Ryuji wince in fear as Morgana smirked happily from inside Kusa's bag where he'd been placed after getting off the train as he watched Kusa prepare to light into the two. Ann shrugged and spoke up.
"True, but to be fair, you flicking Ryuji and Ren on the backs of their heads like you did isn't exactly setting a good example either." Ann pointed out as Kusa nodded.
"That's fair, but as far as I know, that little girl didn't see me do that, unlike when she saw Ren put his hand down hard on poor Morgana's head and hurt him with how hard he pushed down. I could almost sense Morgana's discomfort with how hard Ren was pressing. And I'm going to say it right now. If you two were really thinking about button-mashing him for that girl, be glad I stopped you because I might have been sorely tempted to help Morgana kick both of your stupid asses on principle. Now next time, think before you improvise badly! GOT IT!" Kusa said to Ren and Ryuji, raising his voice more than intended on the last two words as Ren and Ryuji fearfully nodded.
"Good, as long as you understand that, then I forgive you both. But just the same I think I'll keep Morgana-sensei in my bag for the rest of our trip to be safe, if he's okay with it." Kusa said as Morgana nodded before speaking up.
"I'm fine with that, Kusa. And thank you for stepping in back there. I can't believe that not only were Ren and Ryuji probably about to button mash me, but that Lady Ann compounded it by calling me first a pet, and then a toy! A TOY!" Morgana said huffily as Kusa gently petted him comfortingly.
"It's okay, Morgana. You're safe now. And I think Ann only said what she did because she panicked when that little girl called you 'kitty' like she did. On that note, I apologize for basically letting her think you were a cat that whole time, but it was the most viable explanation and as she was so young, I didn't think she'd understand it if I said you were cursed to look like a cat, not to mention how much it might have scared her." Kusa said huffily as Morgana nodded understandingly and spoke up.
"I get it. And at least you apologize right away when you do it. So I don't mind it when YOU do that." Morgana said as Kusa smiled happily as Morgana ducked back into his bag as Ryuji huffed and spoke up at what Ann had said.
'What!? Then we gotta walk the rest of the way!?" Ryuji said as Kusa chuckled and nodded.
"Yep. Besides, this is good exercise for our legs. You'd be surprised how toned walking can make a person's legs look." Kusa said sagely as Ann nodded while Ryuji kept speaking.
"What kinda phantom thief takes the train, and then walks to their destination!? OW!" Ryuji said, the 'OW!' coming after Kusa once more flicked him upside the head.
"Idiot! Quit talking about that so loud!" Kusa huffily said so only Ren, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann could hear. Morgana nodded his agreement as he spoke up.
"Exactly! And stop your complaining." Morgana said as Ann spoke up.
"It's supposedly a shack, but this is the neighborhood he lives in...As expected of a famous artist. Looks like the fastest route is to get to the station square and then go to Central Street. Let's move!" Ann said as the others nodded. After a bit of walking, the group stopped at the entrance to Central Street as Ryuji spoke up.
"You sure it's this way? I don't remember seeing a house." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.
"It's supposed to be in a residential area past Central Street. We'll have to walk a bit though. Okay, let's get going!" Ann said as the group kept looking for the shack...
(Meanwhile, at the same time in a different location)
"Suguru Kamoshida...Former Olympian...Teacher at Shujin Academy...Reason for turning himself in is...a heavy conscience, huh...The human mind doesn't change that easily, let alone their natural temperament." An old man in a suit said to himself as he got up and looked out a window which had a great view of the city as he kept speaking to himself.
"Shujin Academy...Seems doubtful...Perhaps I'll have someone look into it, just in case..." The man said to himself...
(Back with Ren, Ryuji, Morgana, Ann and Kusa)
"Is...that it?" Ryuji asked as the group eventually arrived at a very worn-down looking building which was just past Central Street. Ann nodded as she spoke up.
"We're at the right address...The door plate DOES say 'Madarame'." Ann said as Ryuji shrugged and spoke up.
"Uhhh...You ring the bell." Ryuji said to Ann who blanched as she spoke up.
"Me!? The walls won't collapse when I do, will they?" Ann said as Kusa laughed before speaking up with a smirk.
"Nah, I doubt that. This place looks old, but I don't think it's THAT old, Ann. And if it is, then it should've been condemned a long time ago if the walls would collapse that easily in the first place since that's a health and safety hazard in and of itself." Kusa said sagely as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.
"No one sneeze or we'll blow this house down, okay?" Morgana joked as Kusa laughed.
"What do you think this is, Morgana-sensei? The Three Little Pigs!? Granted, Ren or Ryuji could probably be a passable Big Bad Wolf just from how much they puff their egos up, but I doubt either of them can blow a house down. Though that would be impressive if they could do that." Kusa said laughing as he ignored the glares on Ren and Ryuji's faces as Ann giggled at Kusa's quip as well as Morgana's joke as the group approached the house and Ann rang the doorbell as a familiar voice answered the doorbell.
"Who is it?" Kitagawa called as he got to the door. He spoke up pre-emptively before checking the peephole, figuring it was more reporters.
"Sensei is currently-" Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up hesitantly.
"Um, it's Takamaki." Ann said as Kitagawa's eyes went wide in surprise as he quickly spoke up.
"I'll be right out!" Kitagawa said as Ryuji spoke up.
"People really do live here." Ryuji said as Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up.
"No shit they live here, Ryuji. The nameplate is there for a reason, you know." Kusa pointed out dryly. Right then, the door opened up, revealing Kitagawa who blinked as he saw Ann wasn't alone as he spoke up.
"Takamaki-sa-" Kitagawa said, stopping short as he saw Kusa, Ren and Ryuji and spoke up.
"You three are here as well?" Kitagawa said as Ryuji spoke up.
"Hey." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.
"Greetings. Apologies for the unplanned arrival, but you can understand Ann here being understandably reluctant to come out here on her own when it's for someone she barely just met. So I hope you're not too upset that we're here to give her moral support." Kusa said as Kitagawa fixed Kusa with an appraising glance, trying to size the other male up as Ryuji spoke up, making Ren and Kusa groan.
"Sorry, but uh... we ain't here to talk about the modeling thing. There's something we gotta ask you." Ryuji said as Kusa turned to glare at Ryuji.
"I was getting to that! There's a reason why things have a proper time and place, after all." Kusa hissed at Ryuji before turning to Kitagawa.
"Sorry about that, but unfortunately he is correct. While it is true we're here to speak to you, that doesn't mean Ann here hasn't considered your offer. She's just still mulling her answer over. And I think you could understand her hesitance to do something like this considering Ann here been through kind of a rough time recently, but I won't go into the details out of respect for her privacy. Just know we're only here to provide her support." Kusa explained politely to Kitagawa who blinked before speaking up.
"I...see. And what was it you wanted to ask me?" Kitagawa asked as Ryuji chose that moment to speak up, making both Ann AND Kusa groan as he spoke.
"Is it true Madarame's plagiarizin' stuff? He's abusin' people too, yeah?" Ryuji asked, making Kusa swear profusely under his breath at Ryuji's severe lack of tact as Kitagawa blanched and spoke up.
"Are you serious?" Kitagawa asked as Kusa winced and spoke up.
"I think what he meant to say is that we've heard rumors to that effect, but because of the concerning nature of said rumors, we figured, or at least I figured, it might be more prudent to get both sides of the story as opposed to blindly believing potentially slanderous lies about a well-renowned master of the arts like your Sensei is. I apologize for my friend's lack of tact. I'm quite sure it's a condition he has so it's really not his fault." Kusa said, hoping to smooth Ryuji's outburst over, giving Ryuji a warning look as he spoke.
"We read about it online." Ryuji said simply as he held up the post in question which Kitagawa walked outside to read before glaring at Ryuji as he spoke up.
"This...?" Kitagawa said before laughing out loud as he spoke up.
"Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? He welcomes pupils into his own home! This is no act of violence, it's charity! And I'M the one residing here and studying under him. I'm saying it's not true, so it's beyond doubt." Kitagawa said as Kusa frowned before speaking up.
"It's not true that you know of, I'm sure. But do you see what your Sensei does at every moment of every day? Because I'm sure there's moments where he does things you don't know of because you're not around to see them. But I respect your loyalty to your Sensei, Kitagawa-kun. I truly do. I just hope your faith and trust in your Sensei is well-placed. After all, as you probably are well-aware, the term 'Sensei' is not one to be used lightly.
However, given you call Madarame that title, I assume you're well aware of how significant such a title is. So I won't waste your intelligence or time with that explanation. What I WILL say though is that even if you don't think so, we only came here with the best of intentions. After all, they say that one can only make an informed decision if one knows both sides of the story or all the facts." Kusa pointed out calmly only to groan when Ryuji got in Kitagawa's face to speak up.
"You might be lyin' about it!" Ryuji said bluntly as Ann and Kusa both groaned at his outburst.
"RYUJI!" Ann and Kusa both rebuked Ryuji as Ren frowned before speaking up.
"Why are you both snapping at Ryuji? He's only trying to help open up Kitagawa-kun's eyes isn't he?" Ren said as Kusa leaned in close to hiss into Ren's ear.
"Perhaps dear brother, but everything has a time and a place." Kusa said pointedly into Ren's ear as Kitagawa blinked before speaking up.
"That...That is utter rubbish. I had no family when Sensei took me in and raised me into what you see now! If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!" Kitagawa said as Ann spoke up in surprise.
"You really think that?" Ann said as Madarame walked out and spoke up in surprise.
"Yusuke? What's the matter? I heard you yelling." Madarame said as Kitagawa turned to Madarame and spoke up.
"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!" Kitagawa said as Madarame merely shook his head and spoke up.
"Forgive them, Yusuke. They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety." Madarame said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Precisely, sir. We were merely trying to get both sides of the story, as it were, on these rumors since these are some pretty serious allegations leveled against you, and something like that would be pretty crazy to believe so we're trying to do our due diligence by ensuring there's no truth to these rumors, both for Kitagawa's sake and that of your reputation, Madarame-san." Kusa said respectfully. Kitagawa turned to Madarame after blinking at Kusa's response and nodded as he spoke up.
"...Understood, Sensei." Kitagawa said as Madarame chuckled before speaking up.
"Well, I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone." Madarame said as Ann spoke up.
"That's not what we meant..." Ann said as Madarame spoke up before anyone else could speak up.
"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around. Won't you please keep it down?" Madarame asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Understood. We'll try to keep it to a minimum, sir. We weren't trying to disturb anyone after all." Kusa said apologetically as Madarame nodded.
"I understand. Now, if you'll excuse me." Madarame said as he disappeared back inside as Kitagawa turned to the others, looking at Kusa in mixed surprise and respect at how he'd spoken to Madarame. He then bowed and spoke up to the group.
"That was discourteous of me...I'm sorry. ...I know! I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting. It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece-it's titled 'Sayuri'." Kitagawa said as he pulled out his phone and showed the group a picture of a painting as Ann spoke up.
"...'Sayuri'?" Ann asked. Kitagawa nodded as he spoke up once more.
"This is the painting that inspired me to become an artist." Kitagawa said as Ann gasped before speaking up.
"It's so beautiful..." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"It's also oddly blurred out at the bottom. I get that that's probably a cloud, but why does that part give me the sense there was something else there originally?" Kusa asked skeptically as Ryuji spoke up.
"I don't know all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive..." Ryuji said as Kitagawa nodded before looking at Ann as he spoke up.
"When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting..." Kitagawa said as Ann blinked and spoke up in surprise.
"Me?" Ann asked as Kitagawa spoke up with a nod.
"I wish to pursue beauty like this. And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you: seriously consider my offer. I'm sorry that you took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you'll excuse me, then." Kitagawa said as he went back inside and the group moved across the way as Ryuji spoke up.
"Those two...seem like nice guys, don't they?" Ryuji said as Ren and Ann nodded, the latter speaking up.
"Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person?" Ann suggested as Kusa laughed before speaking up.
"Perhaps, though I did get the sense that Madarame was dodging the subject when I brought up getting his side of the story. No one innocent would feel the need to do that, so that suggests to me that he's not innocent. To what extent his guilt spreads, I can only guess, but the fact remains he is at least somewhat guilty. So I think he's someone to observe for now. And I apologize for my outbursts before, you two, but I had to play the part so he wouldn't get too suspicious even though Ryuji nearly blew it several times. But in the end he didn't suspect a thing, I think." Kusa said. Ryuji and Ren waved off the apology as the former spoke up.
"Man, right when we thought we found a new target, too..." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up while itching his head.
"How's the Meta-Nav?" Morgana asked as Ren pulled out his phone, and what it said surprised everyone.
"Candidate found!" The phone said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up in shock.
"Hey, the app..." Ryuji said in surprise as Ann spoke up.
"Was it picking up our conversation?" Ann asked uncertainly. She then frowned as she looked at the readout before speaking up again.
"This display... it means that Madarame has a Palace too, right!?" Ann asked. Ryuji and Ren nodded as Ann spoke up in shock.
"But why!?" Ann asked as Morgana spoke up.
"Hmm...'Madarame', 'plagiarism', and then 'shack', huh? These seem to be the keywords." Morgana said as Kusa nodded his agreement as Ryuji spoke up.
"For real though, what the hell's goin' on!? Does an old man like HIM really have a Palace!?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up.
"We have the person's name and the location. All that's left is the 'what' that Madarame mistakes this shack for to enter his Palace." Morgana said as Ann spoke up.
"You mean... like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?" Ann asked. Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"That's right. Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses." Morgana said. Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"It's a bit sudden, though..." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.
"Why don't we start with 'castle'?" Ann suggested as both Kusa and Ren rolled their eyes, doubting that would work again.
"No candidate found." Ren's phone said as Ryuji spoke up.
"Then, what about 'prison'?" Ryuji suggested.
"No candidate found." Ren's phone repeated as Ryuji spoke up.
"Ugh, what a pain! 'Jail'! 'Warehouse!' And 'guidance counselin' office'! Might as well add 'farm'!" Ryuji said as the phone denied him.
"No candidate found." Ren's phone repeated once more as Ryuji spoke up.
"Not a single hit?" Ryuji said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.
"Should we come back another time?" Morgana suggested. Ann spoke up while ignoring Morgana's question.
"A building that's related to artists...If we think from there, what would it be...?" Ann asked as Ren and Kusa exchanged surprised glances as they both thought of the same thing and spoke up as one to voice their thought.
"Museum/A museum." Kusa and Ren both said at the same time, blinking at their synchronicity, though this time no one laughed as their synchronicity got results.
"Candidate found! Beginning Navigation..." Ren's phone said as Ryuji blinked in surprise as he spoke up.
"Beginning navigation!? Whoa, really!?" Ryuji said in shock as the group was sucked into the Metaverse at which point Morgana spoke up.
"Hey, when did you activate the Nav!? You surprised me!" Morgana said as Kusa blinked while Ryuji spoke up.
"Didn't have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right." Ryuji said by way of explanation as Kusa winced and spoke up.
"I think Ren and I both did unintentionally..." Kusa said in disbelief as he put his hand to his face, only to blink as he saw he was wearing his Phantom Thief attire making him yelp.
"Wait a minute, did we change clothes into our Phantom Thief attire!?" Kusa said in surprise. Morgana ignored his question to speak up.
"What if I hadn't noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy!?" Morgana asked as Ryuji spoke up.
"Prolly woulda figured it out once you started walkin' on two legs." Ryuji said as Morgana growled.
"Grrr..." Morgana said as Ann looked at Morgana and spoke up.
"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Morgana?" Ann asked as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"Yes. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up, realizing what Kusa had been trying to mention before.
"Forget that...Look!" Ryuji said as the group turned to see the massive museum standing behind them where the shack previously stood as Ryuji kept speaking..
"That shack is seriously some kinda museum!?" Ryuji asked as Ann spoke up.
"Let's go check it out!" Ann said as the group headed towards the Palace...
(At the Palace, with Skull, Mona, Draconis, Joker and Panther)
"It's so extravagant...to the point that it's gaudy." Panther said in mixed disgust and surprise. She then kept speaking.
"It's a museum...right?" Panther asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.
"I do believe so, Panther. Otherwise why would the Meta-Nav react to Joker and I both saying 'museum' when we did?" Draconis pointed out sagely as Skull blinked and spoke up.
"This is Madarame's?" Skull asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.
"Well, a Palace is a world formed by a mind twisted by desire-remember Kamoshida's castle?" Mona asked. Draconis huffed as he spoke up.
"Unfortunately so, yes we do." Draconis said dryly as Panther spoke up.
"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though. His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?" Panther asked as Skull crossed his arms and spoke up.
"You got a point...It ain't related to plagiarism or abuse, either." Skull said as Mona spoke up.
"Let's try looking around. Racking our brains here won't do us any good." Mona said. Skull nodded and spoke up.
"Right. ...That aside, ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves!?" Skull said as Joker frowned as he spoke up.
"Pretty sure that's true, Skull. However, at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if the place was riddled to the sixes with traps as well." Joker said. Skull nodded his agreement as he spoke up.
"Yeah. All those old man's fans were super strong and all." Skull said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.
"That's very true, Skull. Poor Mona here probably still has scars from how close he came to getting crushed that day. Sorry again for not making sure you were better secured, Mona." Draconis said as Mona spoke up.
"Don't worry about it, Draconis. We all got out okay in the end, did we not? So I'd say all's well that ends well in that instance." Mona said as he blinked and kept speaking.
"That said, that has nothing to do with this." Mona pointed out as Skull spoke up once more.
"But man, just look at that insane crowd..." Skull said as the group nodded as Mona spoke up with a grin.
"YES! Well then, it's time we begin our infiltration!" Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.
"Ugh...Are we gonna have to wait in that gigantic line?" Skull asked as Draconis facefaulted at Skull's question before huffing as he spoke up.
"Are we...? No we're not gonna have to wait in that line? What kind of phantom thief goes in through the freaking front door anyways? Did you learn NOTHING from Madarame's Palace? We ALWAYS look for another way in! Right, Mona?" Draconis said as Mona nodded agreement and spoke up.
"Precisely, Draconis! No self-respecting thief uses the front door, Skull." Mona said as Panther spoke up.
"But there's a high wall around the building..." Panther pointed out as Draconis chuckled.
"And that, Panther, is why we look around. But if all else fails, that's what Mona gave Joker and I grappling hooks for, is it not?" Draconis said with a dry-sounding chuckle as Mona nodded.
"Exactly right, Draconis. We'll just have to find our way up over it then. In any case, let's get going!" Mona said as the group nodded, preparing to infiltrate their second Palace...
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: And boom! Another chapter done and dusted! I'll be honest right now, I got quite a bit more into this chapter than I was expecting to get. The group has now officially started infiltrating their second Palace of the game, but will it be smooth sailing for them? Only time (and future chapters) can answer that question. That aside, hopefully people are enjoying the story so far! Feel free to either leave a review or PM me with your opinions of the story and/or feedback, I welcome both, and until next update, sithlorde1988 out!
