I own neither My Hero Academia or the Persona series

Chapter 22

"This place is so crowded…" Morgana mumbled, perched on Izuku's shoulder as he looked around the art gallery.

"Madarame really is popular… I don't know anything about art, but he must be good to draw in this many people," Izuku said, his eyes trailing across the crowd scattered throughout the exhibit.

"Hey, get back in the bag! It'll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you!" Ryuji pointed out. The cat wordlessly obeyed and hid in his usual spot. Just in time too, as the three were suddenly approached by Yusuke Kitagawa. Instead of his school uniform, he wore a gray, pinstripe blazer over a pink knitted shirt.

"You came!" Yusuke exclaimed, an appreciative smile on his face as he stepped up to Ann.

"U-Uh, yeah. Hey."

His reaction to the boys accompanying her was delayed, looking over her shoulder before a resigned frown crossed his lips. "You actually came…"

He's so disappointed… Izuku felt more out of place at the art exhibit than ever.

"Hey man, you're the one who gave us the tickets," Ryuji shrugged with a smirk.

"Try not to get in the way of the other visitors," Yusuke huffed before turning to Ann with an excited grin. "Come, now. Let me show you around. We can discuss the details of the picture I would like to draw too."

Ann was hesitant, but didn't decline his offer. "Well, see you guys later, I guess…." she gave them a small awkward glance before following Yusuke into the gallery.

"Oh no! Is Lady Ann really going to be okay?! What if he pulls her behind some painting and tries some funny business?!" Morgana exclaimed as he popped out of Izuku's bag.

"I said get back in there!" Ryuji hissed, causing the cat to grumble but obey. "Besides, he's an artist. I'm pretty sure Ann could take him. Heck, she'd probably take a chomp out of him."

"Besides, it's really busy here. He wouldn't bring her here if he was going to try… something like that," Izuku said, trying to reassure the cat before looking at Ryuji. "But since we're here now, let's look around."

"Are we really gonna 'appreciate' the fine arts?" Ryuji groaned in disdain, slumping his shoulders forward at the idea. "Can't we just go home?"

"It's worth looking around, at least. If there's a chance that this Madarame is actually the one we heard about in Mementos, we should take a closer look."

Ryuji sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Not like we have anyone else to look at. We can do a once over."

With that, Izuku and Ryuji headed deeper inside, avoiding the massive line crowded against the wall with observers.

"Hm? Hey look," Ryuji pointed out, bringing them to a halt. At the center of the exhibit was a small rest area, where Madarame was currently being interviewed by a reporter and her camera crew. "It's the old man himself."

"Let's listen. Maybe we'll hear more about him," Izuku suggested. The faux blond nodded in agreement. The two inched closer to hear the interview, but stayed just far enough as to not draw their attention.

"-We continue to truly be 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 do you get all of your inspiration?"

"Well, it's difficult to put into words…" Madarame began, giving a sage smile as he spoke. "Much of my inspiration comes from within, welling up inside and rising up like bubbles from a spring within my heart."

"Naturally, you say?"

"Yes. What is important though is to distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame. My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty."

"A shack?" Ryuji repeated.

"Does that mean something to you?" Izuku asked, raising a brow.

"Well-"

"Oh, is that Madarame?!"

Izuku and Ryuji jumped as the attendees started to swarm the lounge area. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by Madarame's entourage with little room to breathe. Calls of praise and adoration for the famous artist echoed from the crowd, paying little mind to either teen as they were crushed between overstuffed bags and flailing arms.

"I-I can't breathe!" Morgana exclaimed from inside Izuku's bag.

"H-Hold on, Morgana-san! W-We have to get out of here!" Izuku grit his teeth as he tried to snake through the audience.

"D-Don't die on us, all right?! Tough it out 'til we get through!" Ryuji said, pushing Izuku's back to help keep their momentum as they moved.

"I didn't know there were so many different styles of Japanese art!" Ann said as she gazed at the part of the gallery before her. "And it all comes from one person?"

"Most artists stick to one style of their own. Sensei, however, creates all of this by himself," Yusuke explained with a gleam of pride. "He's special."

"Ah, Yusuke! There you are."

Ann and Yusuke turned to see Madarame approach them with a gentle smile.

"Sensei!"

"Ah, so you've been entertaining a guest. You're the girl from yesterday, correct?" Madarame asked, turning to Ann. "Have you been enjoying the exhibit?"

"Yes. I don't know how to put it into words, but… all of this art is amazing," Ann said honestly.

"You're sensing something from the artwork. That alone is enough praise for an artist's satisfaction," He turned to Yusuke with a sincere expression. "I believe that the piece you create with her will be beautiful, Yusuke. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have other guests to entertain."

"Thank you for talking with us!" Ann said. With that, Madarame walked off to speak with more of his fans. "You know, I expected an artist this talented to be stuffy and hard to approach. He's actually really friendly."

"Indeed." Yusuke nodded, the two turning back to the art. A particular piece caught Ann's eye, walking up to the wall it was mounted against. Unbeknownst to her, Yusuke flinched at the sight of it.

"Oh, this is it! This is the painting I wanted to see up close!" Ann explained, eyes glued to the details. It was a simple, yet beautifully crafted painting of a sunset, shades of blue representing the consuming darkness as the light began to fade.

"This one..?" Yusuke hesitantly said, slowly moving to stand by Ann and observe the painting.

"Yeah. I don't know what it is, but something always… resonated with me about it. I don't know," Ann explained, holding her chin as she tried to nail down her thoughts. "It was like I could feel the painter's anger? I'm not sure, but I can almost sense this… strong frustration coming from it. To think that such a gentle and kind person could make such a piece…"

Yusuke remained silent, his face forming into a glare of displeasure as she spoke.

"Is something wrong?" Ann asked, noticing his discomfort.

"No… don't mind me." Yusuke dismissed, the tone of his voice more strained as he put on a forced smile. "There are better pieces than… this one. Come now, this way."

"H-Hey!" Ann called out, only for Yusuke to already begin walking away. "What's his deal?"

"Man, I thought we were gonna die in there…" Ryuji groaned from his seat on the ground, nursing a sore spot on his stomach. "I swear, that old lady effin' elbowed me."

"At least you weren't in a bag. I could barely breathe until you guys got out of that crowd…," Morgana whined, slouching over Izuku's shoulder and savoring every gulp of air he could get.

Izuku sighed and rubbed his arm. "I hope Ann-senpai is alright. I didn't want to leave, but there were just so many people…."

"She'll be fine. I mean at least we're waitin' for her here, right?" Ryuji suggested, the three having relocated to Shibuya station. "But forget about that for a sec. Remember when Madarame mentioned living in a shack?"

"Oh, yeah. It sounded like you had heard that before," Izuku nodded.

"It could be a coincidence, but… I dunno. Look at this," Ryuji said, holding up his phone for Izuku to see.

"Hey!" The three jumped, looking up to see an irritated Ann stomping toward them. "Why did you guys leave without me?!"

"S-Sorry, Ann-senpai! W-We didn't have much choice!" Izuku answered frantically, his arms swaying sporadically around him.

"Yeah! We didn't mean to! We just…" Ryuji struggled to find an excuse so he instead hoped to distract her, holding his phone up for her to see. "Forget that, look at this! This post on the Phan-site might be related to Madarame."

Ann stopped, her attention suddenly taken by the news. "What's it say?"

"'A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV'" Ryuji began, repeating the words from the post for his friends to hear.

"Plagiarizing?!"

"I didn't think much of it at first, but when I heard Madarame say somethin' about a 'shack', it reminded me of this post," Ryuji explained, looking back down at the thread. "'His treatment of the pupils living with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog. He forced us to live in a run-down shack while he runs off in the night without ever giving us an answer'."

"Abuse on top of plagiarism, huh?" Morgana said with interest.

"If this is all true, it could be a huge scandal," Ryuji said with a bit more excitement than he should have.

"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun is the one who posted this. He is a pupil of his, after all," Ann mumbled in worry, beginning to worry for the eccentric artist.

"Could be, but who knows. It was posted anonymously," Ryuji shrugged.

"Still, this is suspicious. First Madarame is mentioned in Mementos and then this post comes up…" Izuku said, tilting his head down in thought. "It really is feeling less and less like coincidence… But I think we still need more evidence before we jump the gun."

"I feel the same. He really didn't seem like the kind of guy who would be so cruel," Ann agreed, looking conflicted on the matter.

"I don't know. Some people are just really good at hidin' their shitty side. But I see your point," Ryuji sighed, scratching the back of his head. "By the way, what'd you do about that modeling thing?"

"Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info. He also gave me the address to his sensei's atelier."

"He said he lives there, right? That works out for us," Ryuji grinned and jumped to his feet. "Let's go tomorrow! We're off to Madarame's house right after school!"

"Wh-What?! You want me to model tomorrow?!" Ann gasped, bristling at the idea. "I-It's too sudden!"

"What? Nah, I was just suggesting we go talk to Kitagawa."

"O-Oh, that's what you meant. That's alright, I guess." Ann breathed out in relief.

"I hate to do this, Ann-senpai, but… maybe you should," Izuku spoke up, becoming shy at the topic as he rubbed the back of his head. "B-But I only say that because we might need a good excuse to go! I-If we don't have one, we'll look really suspicious showing up out of nowhere…"

"It's true. Plus, if we go snooping around about Madarame like this, he's bound to find out," Morgana agreed. "Sorry, Lady Ann… but maybe we can get away with avoiding it after we ask our questions?"

"W-Wait, what?! So I actually have to say I'll do it, then?!" Ann exclaimed, looking nervous again after hearing that.

"Oh, come on. It's not like you haven't modeled before," Ryuji shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

"Modeling for a photoshoot and modeling for a painting are two very different things!" Ann snapped, stomping a foot in the ground indignantly before looking at Izuku with big puppy dog eyes. "Do I really have to?"

Izuku felt his resolve crumble, his face reddening as he backed away and wrapped an arm around his head to hide from her gaze. "W-Well, i-if it's that much trouble for you, I guess we can just… show up…"

"Aw, come on dude. You gave up way too easily," Ryuji huffed in disappointment.

"Hush! You're not the one that has to pose!" Ann said, glaring at Ryuji from the side before giving Izuku a thankful smile. "At least someone is being considerate of how I feel. Thank you, Izuku."

"Y-Yeah, of course…"

"I can't say I blame him. It is hard to overcome Lady Ann's charm," Morgana said, a dreamy tone to his voice.

"Gimme a break… whatever, then. Let's get goin'. It's gettin' late."

With that, the three headed for their train. As they walked back, a sudden thought came to Izuku, wrestling for the phone in his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asked, peeking over his shoulder.

"Well… Koto-san might not have accepted yet, but I feel like we should keep her in the loop. Just in case she changes her mind," Izuku explained, tapping away at the touch screen.

Izuku: Hey, Koto-san. I know you haven't said yes or no yet, but I thought I'd let you know we may have a big target soon.

As he started to catch up with Ryuji and Ann, he soon heard his phone's text chime.

Koto-san: I see. What's your plan?

Izuku: Tomorrow we're going to visit his house and talk to his pupil. It's a little complicated, but we are trying to make sure that we have the right guy.

"What's she sayin'?" Ryuji asked, he and Ann waiting for Izuku by the line.

"She only asked what our plan was. I don't think that she will-"

*ring ring*

Izuku raised his phone back up, his eyes lighting up with surprise.

Koto-san: Do you mind if I tag along? I want to see how the Phantom Thieves work.

"Man this is so lame. How come phantom thieves like us are takin' the train to our target? I do this to get to and from school," Ryuji grumbled in annoyance as he stood at the center of the car, holding a handrail to balance himself.

After school had ended the next day, the group immediately departed for Madarame's atelier. They had to take the usual train to get there, something that Ryuji was obviously upset about.

"I think it would be wise to keep from mentioning that phrase aloud, Sakamoto-kun."

Unlike before, their group was now joined by Makoto Niijima, who sat next to Ann and Izuku in front of Ryuji.

"R-Right, sorry."

"Thanks again for joining us, Koto-san. We're happy to have you," Izuku said, smiling at the third-year in appreciation.

"Yeah, no kidding. These guys are cool and all, but it's nice to have another girl around," Ann giggled.

"Well, let's not be too hasty. I'm just here to observe and understand the steps you all take when choosing a target for your… operation," Makoto explained, though was nonetheless flattered by their words.

"Well, I suppose we can consider you a thief-in-training," Morgana snarked a bit, poking his head out of Izuku's bag to speak to her. "Just try to keep up, okay newbie?"

"You really do carry him everywhere, huh?" Makoto chuckled, a small bead of sweat forming on her cheek.

"Hey, pipe down! We didn't pay the pet fare!" Ryuji hissed at the cat.

"Hey, who are you calling a pet! I'm the guide here, so you should be calling me 'mas-'"

"Hey, a kitty!"

The five went rigid as a young boy toddled over to them. "Is that a real kitty?"

"Uh, no! It's actually just a toy! It even meows when you press on its head. Right?" Ann quickly said, looking to the others for support.

"O-Oh, yes! This is definitely not a real cat," Makoto said, forcing a smile as she turned to look at Izuku. She wasn't any better at lying then he was.

"You heard 'em, dude. Why don't you give the kid a little demo?" Ryuji said, grinning in amusement as he looked down at Izuku and Morgana.

"Wh-Why you…" Morgana grumbled. Knowing that he was likely beginning to meow in the child's ears, Izuku quickly pressed down on the top of his head, though a little harder than he intended. "O-Ow-I mean-meow~?"

"S-See? Just a cute toy," Izuku said, laughing awkwardly as the boy stared in amazement.

"Oh, come on, dude. You gotta really sell it," Ryuji declared, leaning forward and placing his hand on top of Morgana's head. "In times like these, you gotta button mash."

"Huh?"

Without warning, Ryuji pressed down on the top of Morgana's head with unwarranted speed, causing the cat to release a jumbled and pained set of "meows". When he was done, the cat's head fell limp on the edge of the bag, eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"R-Ryuji-senpai!" Izuku exclaimed, jaw agape ashe stared down at the cat in shock.

"Wo~wee! Again, again!" The child laughed, clapping in excitement.

"A-Ah, sorry kid. But our line is coming up," Ann pointed out, thankful for their timely arrival.

"Aw, okay. Thank you!" The kid said before running off to his mother further down the seats.

"Is… he okay?" Makoto asked, tilting her head to the side as she inspected the nauseous cat in worry.

"I… threw up in my mouth…" Morgana blanched, letting out a dizzy groan.

"Ah, he'll be fine once we get him out in the open air," Ryuji chuckled carelessly.

"I'll make you… pay for this, someday…"

"Man, this is so lame… not only did we take the train halfway, now we gotta walk there?!" Ryuji groaned, the five now hiking on the sidewalks leading to the residential area near Shibuya.

"Stop complaining," Morgana huffed in annoyance.

"It's not like we had a choice. Shibuya is the closest station," Ann shrugged. "The area they live in is pretty pricey, though. Even though it's a shack, they're in a really good neighborhood."

"This might be what we need, though. We should go over what we're going to ask before we get there," Izuku suggested helpfully.

"You guys haven't thought that through yet?" Makoto asked, causing the three to shift a bit in embarrassment.

"W-Well, we did just decide to come here yesterday," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "We haven't had much time to plan it out."

"Do we really need to, though? Why not just ask him straight out if he's been gettin' some really messed up treatment from that old man," Ryuji shrugged.

"If he is the one who put the post on the Phan-site, it might be the easiest way to get the answers we need," Ann agreed.

"But what if he isn't?" Izuku pointed out, holding his chin in thought. "If it wasn't him, then it might be hard to get anything out of Kitagawa-san. We might just make him angry… we should be careful about how we approach this, or it'll be just like with the students we spoke to about Kamoshida, Ryuji-senpai."

Ryuji flinched at that, kicking the ground nervously. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that… but then how are we gonna get the info we need?"

"Asking straight out might be your only option anyways, considering that you guys didn't inform Kitagawa of your arrival," Morgana pointed out, Izuku and Ann guiltily looking away from the cat as he said this. "Just try to ask him tactfully."

"There… is another option open," Makoto suddenly spoke up, causing the others to stop and look back at her in question. "Well, considering Kitagawa doesn't know me, why not use that?"

"What do you mean?" Ann asked.

"I'll pretend to be writing a report on Madarame and his history in art. When I heard about your meeting with his pupil, I asked to come along so I could get some insider information on the artist. It might not completely excuse our sudden arrival, but it'll allow me to ask some more personal questions that someone might not be comfortable with answering normally. What do you think?"

Izuku, Ryuji, Ann and Morgana stared at Makoto in complete silence for a few moments.

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked off to the side. "Um… I mean, if you guys wouldn't mind my help…"

"Th-That's a great plan, Koto-san!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Yeah, dude! That's way better than anything we coulda done by ourselves! It's a good thing you're here," Ryuji grinned, giving Makoto a thumbs up.

"I-I could have come up with something… eventually," Morgana said defensively, shifting one paw over the other before giving Makoto an appreciative look. "But still, that is indeed a wise course of action to take. I think we should go along with your plan, as well."

"Score one for the new girl! I'm so glad we brought you along!" Ann cheered, giving a kind smile to the brunette in appreciation.

Makoto felt her cheeks heat up and she folded her hands together. "W-Well, I didn't want to just be here and not give my two cents on the matter, but… I'm glad I was able to help in some way."

"Okay, guys. We'll let Koto-san take the lead on this. Ann-senpai, you might have to help get Kitagawa-san talking too, though. We're counting on you both to get the answers we need, okay?"

"Right! I'll do what I can to support you, Niijima-senpai!" Ann said, raising a hand to give Makoto a high-five. Makoto shyly returned the gesture before flashing the most confident smile she could manage.

"Alright. Leave it to me," She said, the group turning around and beginning to move forward again.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, the group arrived at Madarame's atelier. When Izuku heard the word shack, he wasn't sure what to expect, but he definitely didn't think two people would be living in a building that looked ready to fall over.

The siding consisted of mismatched pieces of rusted, crumpled awnings that were hastily stitched together with nails and bolts. The awning that sat over the front door consisted of a tarp pulled over another piece of rusted iron and the wiring for the overhead lamp was exposed. Even the sliding door was composed of dry, splintering wood laid over a dark paper screen.

"Is that it?" Ryuji blurted, his nose wrinkling as he looked up at the shack.

"This is the right address…" Ann muttered.

"I heard that Madarame was a 'starving artist', but this seems almost over the top…" Makoto said, scanning the house for potential structural weaknesses to worry about.

"Well, let's stick to the plan. Koto-san and Ann-senpai will take the lead on this. We'll try to support whatever you guys say in case he starts asking questions," said Izuku, turning to the others as he spoke.

"Right, gotcha… go ahead and knock on the door, Ann," Ryuji coughed, taking a minute but noticeable step back from the atelier.

"Wh-What? Me? Are you sure it won't collapse if I do?!"

"Careful not to sneeze or we'll blow the whole place down," Morgana chuckled from Izuku's bag.

"Come on, I'm sure it's nothing that bad. Probably…" Makoto trailed off, not fully convinced herself that this was a suitable place for people to live in. The four plus one cat moved to the front entrance, seeing the nameplate with Madarame's nameplate next to the door. With tense swallow, Ann reached an arm forward and pressed the doorbell.

"Who is it?"

It was Yusuke's voice, speaking over an intercom above the bell.

"Sensei is currently out right now. You will-"

"Um, Kitagawa-kun. It's me, Takamaki."

"Takamaki? I'll be right down!"

"So people really do live here, huh…" Ryuji muttered, unsure how the house was able to hold a person's weight.

"He sounded rather excited to see you, Takamaki-san. He must really want you for his painting," said Makoto.

Ann groaned, "You have no idea. Just wait until-"

"Takamaki-san…" Yusuke spoke as he immediately slid the door open. But the moment he caught sight of Ryuji and Izuku, his expression shifted into a glare. "You two… are here as well?"

His gaze then shifted to Makoto, his glare failing for a moment as he raised a brow. "Oh. But you're new."

"H-Hi there. We're terribly sorry to pop in on you without warning. My name is Makoto Niijima, a third-year at Shujin Academy, and their senior," Makoto said, bowing in greeting. Yusuke seemed hesitant, suspicious but still returning the greeting.

"Hello. Yusuke Kitagawa. It's nice to make your acquaintance."

"We're really sorry about doing this so last second, Kitagawa-kun, but Niijima-senpai needed to see you immediately," Ann said, putting on a pleading smile as she tried to do her part.

"She needed to see me? What for?" Yusuke asked, raising a brow a he looked at Makoto.

"You see, I'm actually doing a report on Madarame-sensei. I've been fascinated with his work for some time now and decided to write an essay based on his history as an artist," Makoto said as naturally as possible. "But then Takamaki-kun told me that she actually knew his pupil, and I had to come down and see you. I'm sorry it's so last minute, but my report is due soon and I needed to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Yeah, that's why I didn't contact you about it. Sorry, Kitagawa-kun…"

Yusuke seemed taken back by the news, his expression softening as he placed a hand on his hip. "I see… but why are you two here as well, then?"

"Oh, well, you know how it is. Gotta make sure that the girls were gettin' around safely and all," Ryuji lamely excused.

"S-Sorry if us being here is a bother…," Izuku bowed in apology.

"I… suppose not. But Sensei isn't here right now and he doesn't take interviews unless scheduled for."

"W-Well, that's why I was hoping to talk to you instead!" Makoto said before he moved to shut the door the door. "I'm sure Madarame-sensei is quite busy and I wouldn't want to waste his time. So I thought I'd get to know him through the eyes of his pupil."

"Ah, now I understand. While I hate to waste your time, I'm not much of one for interviews. I have some of my own work to focus on as well," Yusuke said, causing the four to stiffen. "But I might be willing to make this one exception… but in return…" his eyes shifted to Ann, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I request that Takamaki-san accept my offer to become my model."

"Wh-What?!"

"I don't like using this as leverage, Takamaki-san, but you must understand how serious I am about this," Yusuke said, bringing his hands up to his chest as his eyes shined with excitement. "If you agree to this, I will provide whatever insight that I can to Niijima-san. But that is the only offer I am willing to make."

Ann nervously tugged at the curly locks of her hair, looking at her friends for a way out of this. All she got were sympathetic glances.

"S-Sorry, Ann-senpai…"

"Come on, Ann. Take one for the team!"

Ann took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Okay… I'll do it. B-But not today! I-I need time to mentally prepare for this!"

"That's fine. We wouldn't have time to do it today either way. But knowing that you're on board to do so means everything to me," Yusuke said, giving a genuine smile before turning to Makoto. "Alright, Niijima-san. I'll answer what questions you have about Sensei. We'll have to make it quick, as he'll be back soon and I'll have to give him my aid for the rest of the evening."

"O-Of course! Thank you, Kitagawa-san!" Makoto said, bowing in appreciation before the four followed him inside. Ryuji moved to put a hand on Ann's shoulder, only for the platinum blonde to shoot him a glare and stomp her way inside the atelier.

The group followed Yusuke to his art studio, the artist providing them with chairs to sit in while he took a seat across from Makoto.

"Alright, Niijima-san. Ask away."

"Of course. Alright, where to start…" Makoto began, clearing her throat as she clicked a pen in her hand and prepared to write notes down on a notebook in hand. From there, Makoto began with simple questions such as 'how long have you known Madarame' and 'what kind of teacher is Madarame?'. These weren't the questions they wanted to ask, but Izuku knew that she was using them as a way to get Yusuke talking and lower his defenses. He answered everything curtly, speaking with a certain amount of pride each time he recalled a personal time between him and his master.

"Man, she's really got this down…" Ryuji whispered to Izuku. "I'm half-convinced she actually is interviewin' him for a report."

"Same. Niijima-senpai is pretty amazing…" Ann muttered as she leaned closer to the two from Ryuji's left side.

"Alright, just a few more questions and I'll let you go Kitagawa-san," Makoto said, jotting down the last notable words that Yusuke had given her.

"Ah, good. Sensei should be back soon, so it would be best to wrap this up," Yusuke nodded in agreement.

"Alright, now these next questions are going to sound very personal, Kitagawa-san. Please bear with me and try not to get offended, okay?" Makoto said, crossing her hands over in her lap as she prepared for the final push.

"What… kind of questions could they possibly be?" Yusuke asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well… recently, rumors have sprouted up on the internet about Madarame's treatment of his students. They're accusing him of abusing his pupils and plagiarizing their work."

"W-What?! That's outrageous!" Yusuke stood up from his seat as he declared this. "I am his pupil, in case you forgot, and I say with utter certainty that such rumors are blatantly false!"

"K-Kitagawa-san, it's okay, just calm down…" Makoto put her hands up in hopes of placating him. "I-It's just a few posts that I've seen online while researching Madarame-sensei. I'm not saying he is or isn't…"

Yusuke was silent, his anger slowly dissipating as he looked across the room at his guests. He sat back down in his seat, taking a deep breath as he let himself calm down. "Forgive me, that was… very uncouth. It just displeases me to hear such rumors going around about Sensei."

"I understand. He is your mentor, after all."

"It's much more than that. Sensei took me in as a child when I had nothing. It is because of him that you see the man before you now," Yusuke declared, his voice filled with deep conviction. "I owe him my life."

The four silently glanced at one another when they heard the sincerity in Yusuke's words. Makoto shifted in her chair, sending Izuku a questioning look that asked if that was all they needed.

Izuku nodded in return. There wasn't much left for them to ask.

"Well… I think that's it for my questions, Kitagawa-san. Thank you for taking the time to see me," Makoto said, uncrossing her legs and standing from her seat, Izuku and the others doing the same. "And I'm sorry for bringing up such a subject."

"No, it's… quite alright. I'm glad that I could clear that up for you and hope that it will convince any other nay-sayers," Yusuke said with a nod. His face suddenly lit up as a smile crossed his lips.

"Here, I know. Let me show you something that will sway any lingering doubts in your mind," Yusuke fished into his pockets for his phone, his guests looking at him curiously before crowding around him to see what he had to show.

"Behold… Sensei's maiden work, the Sayuri."

Awe swept through them as he presented the image on his phone. It was a beautifully painted woman, her expression carrying deep love. None of them knew what it was, but they could feel the emotion put into the painting.

"It's… so beautiful," Ann muttered, entranced by the image.

"I… I knew about this piece, but I haven't seen it in some time," Makoto said, forced to make a little white lie about her knowledge. She was no less taken back by its beauty than the others.

"I don't know much about this fine arts stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive…" Ryuji admitted.

"So… this was his first piece?" Izuku asked. " It's incredible."

"Yes. This is the painting that inspired me to become an artist. It filled me with such deep emotion the first time that I saw it… the same thing I felt the first time I saw you," Yusuke said, turning to Ann.

She jumped. "M-Me?"

"Yes. I wish to pursue beauty like the Sayuri with my own art. And I hope that I can do so with your aid," Yusuke declared, a sincere smile spreading across his face. "So please understand how serious I am about this painting I wish to create."

"I… I see…"

"Heh. I see you've done well to defend me, Yusuke."

The four jumped, their heads swivelling behind them to see Madarame standing at the door.

"Sensei!"

"Sorry to butt in, but as I came back, I heard your voice being raised. I apologize for eavesdropping, but it was good to hear Yusuke defend me against such rumors," Madarame chuckled kindly, causing the four to nervously shift. "Don't worry, I understand. It makes sense to doubt a cranky old man like myself, I'm sure. But I'm happy to see what emotion you all felt after seeing my work."

"Y-Yes… sorry for asking your student such a rude question…" Makoto said, her right eye shut as she felt embarrassed.

"Think nothing of it. If I can clear the doubts of even one person, that's good enough for me," Madarame laughed again. "Yusuke, whenever you're done with your friends, please come to my studio so we can start our work."

"Of course, Sensei. I'll be right up," Yusuke said, watching his mentor take his leave. "With that, I do believe we're done here. Allow me to show you out."

"N-No, that's okay. Feel free to go and help out your teacher," Izuku suggested, giving an apologetic expression. "We don't want to hold you up. Thank you for seeing us today."

"I see. Well then, I shall do just that. I'm glad I could talk some sense into you all. Takamaki-san, I will be in touch. Be sure to let me know when you're available to model for my painting, will you?"

"U-Um, right. I will," Ann nodded. With that, the group exited the atelier, parting ways with Yusuke and stopping once they reached the sidewalk.

"So… what do you guys think?" Izuku asked.

Morgana hopped out of his bag, jumping on top of a nearby street rail.

"I dunno, man… they both seem like some nice guys to me, to be honest," Ryuji admitted, letting out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yusuke did seem really adamant about Madarame not being abusive or plagiarizing… maybe we really do have the wrong guy," Ann said, feeling guilty of suspecting Madarame of foul play.

"Maybe… well, at least we checked for ourselves. Thank you for your help today, Koto-san," Izuku said, turning to the third-year with a small smile. "Sorry we brought you along for something that didn't pan out. You even ended up doing the most in there."

"No, it's fine. At least I know you guys aren't just picking people as targets without concrete evidence. Not that I would doubt you on that," Makoto chuckled, giving Izuku a small smile in return.

"Before you guys jump off the Madarame bus, why don't you check the Meta-Nav?" Morgana suggested, causing the group to raise a brow in confusion. Izuku did as he said though, pulling out his phone. Only to find that the Meta-Nav was already open.

"Location found. Please enter final keyword to begin navigation."

"What?!" Izuku, Ann and Ryuji blurted, shocked to see that the app was already open.

"Wh-What is it? What's going on?" Makoto asked, walking up beside them to look at the phone.

"I-It looks like the Meta-Nav already has Madarame listed for us. That means he does have a Palace…" Izuku explained, trailing off as his suspicions began to build again.

"So… does that mean the rumors are true?! What the hell is goin' on?!" Ryuji exclaimed, looking at the others in confusion.

"Let's take a look at what we've got so far in the Meta-Nav," Morgana said, Izuku walking over and showing him the entries. "So the trigger words entered so far are 'Madarame', 'plagiarism', and 'shack'... all we're missing is what Madarame envisions the shack to be."

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked, still the least knowledgeable on the subject than the others.

"Well, you see, the Palaces form into how the ruler envisions the place that they exist. Like with Kamoshida, he pictured the school as his 'castle', which materialized an actual castle in the Cognitive World," Izuku explained for Makoto, looking down at his phone in thought. "We have to figure out what kind of place Madarame visualizes the shack to be to him…"

"For real, though, I can't believe that old man really has a Palace… this is so damn strange…" Ryuji grumbled, his foot tapping on the ground.

"Well, let's set aside our doubts for now and try to figure out what the final keyword is," Morgana said, looking around at the group. "So, any suggestions?"

"Hm… well he is an artist, so… maybe it's related to that?" Ann shrugged, unsure if her hunch was right or not.

"Well, that's not a bad place to start. Maybe… an exhibition?" Izuku said, holding the phone up to his mouth as he spoke.

"No entry found."

"Uh… a jail?" Ryuji tossed out.

"No entry found."

"That wasn't really related to art, though," Ann pointed out.

"I know, I was just thinkin' about what that post said about him I guess," Ryuji sighed in disappointment.

"Here, let me try," Makoto said, Izuku nodding as he held the phone up for her to speak into. "If the artist angle does work for us, then perhaps… a museum?"

"Entry found. Beginning Navigation."

"W-Wait, beginning navigation?!" Ryuji exclaimed. Without further warning, the world around them began to warp. Makoto was especially disoriented by the shift in scenery, the sky's hue changing from the soft orange of a sunset to that of a moonlit night. Looking around, she realized that the others had transformed, seeing Izuku in the outfit he wore the day he took her into Mementos.

"What the-hey! Warn me before you guys travel to the Metaverse next time!" Morgana complained, having trouble balancing on the street rail now that he was back on two feet.

Ryuji shrugged. "We didn't do it on purpose. It just kinda took us here once Niijima-senpai said the keyword."

"W-Wow… so all of your outfits changed, too," Makoto said, moving closer to Ann and Ryuji and inspecting their new outfits. "I hadn't thought of what kind of changes your wardrobes would go through despite seeing Midori in his outfit. I have to say though, Takamaki-kun… I wasn't expecting something so… daring?"

Ann hugged herself to cover her chest. "L-Let's not talk about it! I didn't really have a choice in the matter…."

"Guys, look. The shack changed…" Izuku pointed out, causing his teammates to look back at where the scrap pile atelier once stood. In its place was a sprawling complex composed of prisms of all kinds stacked atop one another. The building seemed to glow shades of bronze as gold, wispy detailing crept its way around each and every window, which all emitted blue light. A high wall composed of blocks arranged to rise and fall like a wave wrapped around the place. Searchlights shot into the darkened clouds above, as if to flag down more guests than the veritable army of attendees already present..

"Dude, how is that crummy shack this fancyass museum?!" Ryuji blurted, eyes scanning the museum up and down.

"Wow… It's so extravagant… to the point that it's gaudy," Ann said, her voice filled with disappointment.

"So this is a Palace… It's far different than that Mementos place you brought me to," Makoto mused, holding her chin in interest as she inspected the design.

"Yeah. This is a lot different than Kamoshida's Palace," Izuku said, crossing his arms in thought.

"Remember, a Palace is a reflection of their owner's desires. The setting will vary between rulers based on how they see themselves and where the Palace exists," Morgana explained.

"But… Madarame's artwork is on display in a bunch of different museums in reality, too. His exhibit was popular and tons of people already respect him. It seems really weird that he'd fantasize about a museum, too," said Ann.

"You got a point. It ain't related to plagiarism or abuse, either," Ryuji agreed, crossing his arms over his chest before looking at Makoto and Izuku.

"It's hard to say… we don't have enough information to really answer that," Izuku sighed, tilting his head down as he tried to determine the answer himself.

"Maybe… there's something he wants to show people but can't?" Makoto guessed, drawing the other's attention to her. "This is just a theory, so don't quote me on it, but perhaps he wants to display something that wouldn't be acceptable to the public."

"Huh. Interesting theory, newbie. Still, there's no use racking our brains about it until we confirm it for ourselves. We should try looking around," Morgana suggested, earning nods of agreement from the others.

"That aside, though… ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves?" Ryuji pointed out, grinning in anticipation.

"I-I suppose if we were thieves in the more literal sense," Izuku chuckled. "But don't let your guard down. Aside from Shadows, we'll probably have to deal with some kind of security system if it's anything like a real museum."

"Right, right. I'll keep my eyes open," Ryuji nodded before turning to examine the faceless crowd lined up outside the front entrance. "We're not gonna get in line to try and get in, are we?"

"What? What kind of phantom thieves would we be if we used the front entrance?" Morgana snapped. The idea alone seemed to irritate him. "We'll have to find our own way in. Besides, I doubt security would let us in looking like this, anyway."

"A-Ah, right, good point."

"Heh. You guys are really into the whole 'thief' aspect. I'd almost think you were more interested in stealing treasure than anything else," Makoto giggled in amusement, smiling as she looked over at Izuku.

"Y-Yeah, they really like to get into the role," Izuku laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"So, how will we proceed from here?"

"Well, we'll…" Izuku trailed off, his lips curling down into a frown. "Um… well, the rest of us will go into the museum to stake it out, but…"

"But..?" Makoto began before widening her eyes in realization. "W-Wait, no! You're not going to leave me, are you?!"

"Oh, right. I totally forgot about what we'd do with you…" Ryuji muttered honestly.

"I'm sorry, Niijima-senpai. You probably have to stay behind," Ann said, feeling a bit awkward having to tell her this.

"B-But why?! I've come this far, haven't I?"

"We're sorry, Niijima-san. But like you said, you're not a true member of the team yet. Not to mention you don't have a Persona to protect yourself with," Morgana pointed out.

"I-I'm sorry, Koto-san. I wasn't expecting us to go into the Palace like this today," Izuku explained. "But it really will be dangerous for you to come with us with Shadows moving around.".

"B-But I wanted to see how you guys operate!" Makoto pushed, panic crossing her expression. "A-And besides, you know I can handle myself! Not only have I kept up my training in Aikido, but you know that my Quirk should be enough to protect me!"

Izuku opened his mouth to argue, but saw her point in that. "Well… that is true… But…"

"Oh, right. Izuku never did tell us what your Quirk is," Ryuji pointed out with interest. "What exactly can you do?"

Makoto smiled at the question, raising her hands and pulling her leather gloves off. Looking around, she spotted a car on the street in front of the museum, walking up to it and placing her right hand on the surface. The group followed after third-year brunette and intently watched her every move.

Much to their surprise, the skin of her right hand took on a steely matte hue. Raising her hand back up for them to see, she pulled her sleeve down, revealing that the rest of her arm had changed as well.

"My Quirk is called Absorption. With my right hand, I can place my fingertips on any inorganic matter and absorb the properties of whatever I touch. Metal, cement, plastic, you name it. So long as it isn't some sort of living thing like people or plants, I can absorb that material and turn my body into it."

"Wh-What~?!" Ryuji, Ann and Morgana gaped.

"It's an amazing Quirk, right?!" Izuku exploded, his eyes awash with admiration as he lost himself in the moment. "But that's not all! She can also-"

"Ah ah, no spoilers, Midori," the green-haired teen curled his lips in before he could blurt anything else. She walked over to one of the helix-shaped lamp posts, her audience following close behind. Makoto raised her left hand, touching one of the lightbulbs. She used her still-metallic hand to break the stained glass, revealing the small circuit at the center that generated the light.

Makoto reached forward and touched the open circuit directly. Instead of getting shocked, her fingers tightened around the wire as sparks started to crackle around her hand. The other lights on the post began to flicker and dim until she finally Makoto released the circuit.

"And… with my left hand, I can absorb energy."

Holding up her left hand for them to see, three thieves felt their jaws slacken as electricity streamed between her fingers.

"I can pass the energy I absorb throughout the rest of my body, even while maintaining the characteristics of something I absorbed with my right hand," Makoto let the electric current move through her body and into her right hand, the metal sparking as the electricity wrapped around her fist.

"I only have two weaknesses. I can only maintain this for a minute before my body returns to normal. I can't absorb more than one thing at a time with each hand, so if I have metal already absorbed, I can't absorb cement on top of it. Still, I'd say that my Quirk qualifies for being strong enough to protect me."

"Holy shit… for real?" Ryuji muttered.

"Your Quirk is… incredible!" Ann exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as her shock passed.

"I thought Ryuji's wasn't so bad if it wasn't for his bum knee, but… yours certainly takes the cake," Morgana said, staring at Makoto in disbelief.

"Koto-san could have become a Hero with a Quirk like hers. It really is amazing," Izuku nodded, but the frown on his face only spread as he looked down. "B-But still… Even with that…"

"Aw, come on, dude. I think she'll be fine in there!" Ryuji pitched in, patting Izuku on the shoulder. "Besides, we're only stakin' the place out right now, anyway. It's not like we're goin' for the Treasure right now, right?"

"W-Well…"

"Plus, this might be a good chance to see how Makoto holds her own against Shadows. As a potential phantom thief, she should know what kinds of threats we'll be dealing with," Morgana pointed out this time, deciding to support the decision.

"Yeah, Izuku. I think we should give her a chance. Niijima-senpai has been really helpful so far, after all," Ann said, pitching in the Makoto camp this time. Izuku's eyes darted between his teammates. He could see their points but his thoughts were still riddled with doubt.

"Midori… you asked me to join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts," Makoto began, walking up to the green-haired teen and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And while I have my reservations, I'd be lying to say that I'm not becoming more and more interested in joining you. So please, let me have this chance to show you that I can pull my weight. I'll follow your instructions and I won't get cocky."

Izuku stared back at Makoto, worry lingering in his eyes. Despite his concerns, Izuku took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright, Koto-san. You can come."

The team cheered in response and Makoto gave Izuku an appreciative grin.

"I won't let you guys down."

"I… I believe you. Just don't underestimate any of the enemies we see in there, okay?" Izuku said before turning around, leading the group to the front wall. "Alright, everyone. Let's do our best to scout the Palace out."

"Yeah!"

Makoto trailed behind the others, allowing them to guide while she listened for their instructions. The last thing she wanted was to get in their way, especially on her first "mission" with them.

I promise that I'll be useful, Midori.

To be continued…

Thanks as always goes to my beta reppuzan who even during school time is helping me out. Means a lot man.

Before we get to the AN, I just want to say WOW! We've surpassed the 1000 mark in follows AND favorites! I can't tell you how stunned and joyed I am to see that. When I started this story, I had no idea what kind of popularity it would pick up. But here we are. Thank you all for supporting and enjoying this story as much as you all have as I've been really happy to bring it to you. For those on FFN that don't know, I'll be releasing a one-shot for this story as celebration.I've just put it on the backburner for a bit due to focusing on my main stories and school. I'm thinking of taking a brief break from the main stories I write to give a little focus to my side projects. So while it might not be real soon, expect it in the near future.

Alright, and there we have it! Chapter 22! I do hope you all enjoyed that little runthrough and do apologize for cutting it a bit short. I wanted to make sure all the juicy bits coming up in the story revolving around Madarame's Palace were focused together, and thought this would be the best place to cut it rather than wait another two thousand words to look for an appropriate point to do so.

As you all saw, we made some good progression story-wise on the Madarame Palace. We can finally get moving along and start jumping into the action now that Kamoshida is behind us. Considering that there's a lot less to introduce and cover story and character wise in this arc, I doubt things will move as slowly as they did with Kamoshida's arc which I know was a small point of contention for you guys. But don't worry guys, I have a good feeling about the pace in this arc.

PS. Just to clear this up, the inspiration for Makoto's powers came from Absorbing Man, not Kevin Eleven, who didn't even enter my mind when thinking of her powers.

Anyways, that's all for now, thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind!