A/N: Before the chapter starts, I have to give a quick warning:
In this chapter, and future chapters down the road, there is going to be a character present that isn't revealed until Persona 5 Royal's "Third Semester" Arc. With that in mind, please only read this chapter if you've beaten the Third Semester Arc or have watched gameplay of said arc.
With that out of the way, Please enjoy!
5/18/20XX
Thursday: After School
Shadow Madarame's Palace
"Let us now forge a contract..."
"I am thou, thou art I..."
"The world is filled with both beauty and vice..."
"It is time you teach people which is which!"
"Very well..."
"Come, Goemon!"
Yusuke ripped off his mask and he was consumed in a pillar of blue flames. Once those flames dissipated, however, Yusuke was wearing an entirely different outfit from before. His school uniform was replaced with that of a high-collared, puffy-sleeved jumpsuit with a blue and white sash across his hips and a fox tail hanging from the back of his jumpsuit. His shoes were replaced with motorcycle boots and he had light-blue gloves on his hands.
As for his persona, behind him stood a man with a pompadour wearing a puffy jacket with blue and white sashes tied around his arms and a red and white sash belt with two bells tied to it and standing on high single-toothed geta sandals. In his hand was an opium pipe that could have easily been the size of most if not all of the people in the room.
Everyone was looking at Yusuke with a mix of shock and awe, but the man in the middle looked as resolved as he always had, but this time it wasn't for art... "A breathtaking sight..." He said calmly as he slowly moved his outstretched hand across the field of shadows before him. "Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known... Abominations are fated to perish!"
His hand stopped moving once it pointed in front of Shadow Madarame, which angered the false artist. "Are you mocking my beauty?! You bastard!" Madarame shouted in anger. "Kill him!"
On his order, the Shadows surrounding Madarame transformed out of their security guard looks and into humanoids with wings that all dived towards Yusuke. However, Yusuke wasn't scared in the slightest as he put his hands on the katana that appeared with his new attire and smirked as he quickly unsheathed the blade, his slash letting out a flurry that froze all of his attackers with little to no effort. Seconds later when he quickly returned the blade to its sheathe, all of the frozen foes were quickly diced into pieces and scattered into the icy wind that now filled the room. As an added bonus, the wind also froze over the well that was spawning the seemingly endless horde of shadows, putting a stop to any reinforcements Madarame could've hoped to gain.
"Impressive, dess..." Imp said with her jaw dropped.
"Kitagawa stopped their reinforcements!" Samurai added in equal astonishment.
With the shadows dealt with for the moment, Yusuke returned his persona to its mask and glanced at Shadow Madarame. "I learned much from you, Madarame." He said. "In order to see authenticity, one must be dispassionately realistic. With Goemon by my side... I can now ascertain your true self without reservations!"
Yusuke began to walk towards Madarame to fight him, but as he did, he suddenly fell to his knees in pain, a sight that made Madarame smirk. "Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain." He said. "I'll destroy every chance you've ever had of becoming a true artist!"
"Madarame!"
With that said, Madarame was suddenly picked up by birds and he ascended through the ceiling of the room. "You'll forever rue the day you dared to defy me!"
"Get... back here!" Yusuke shouted as he tried to stand and reach for Madarame, but his strength started failing him, but not before Samurai took his outstretched hand and helped him onto his feet. "Echo, take his other arm."
"Got it!" Echo replied as she ran over to Yusuke and gave him support.
"Even if we beat him here and now, it wouldn't have solved the real problem, dess." Imp said to Yusuke.
"We're gonna change his heart by stealin' his treasure!" Skull added.
"Change his heart?" Yusuke asked.
"That's our objective, as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Echo answered.
As this happened, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the room the Thieves were in. "We should get out of here before we're ambushed again!" Maiden suggested.
"Yeah. We can talk about this more once we're out of here." Warrior replied.
The Thieves agreed and quickly headed to the exit of the Palace with Yusuke in tow.
Thursday: Evening
Bikkuri Boy
Once the group was able to escape the Palace, they regrouped at a local diner on Shibuya's central street. Exhausted, they all ordered drinks before continuing the conversation from the palace. "I turned on my benefactor... But I had no choice." Yusuke lamented aloud to himself.
"Hey. You did the right thing standing up to him back there, Kitagawa." Tsubasa said. "Granted, I won't lie by saying I didn't feel the same as you do when I first went behind his back to try and take him down..."
"You've known about his actions for quite some time, haven't you, Yusuke-san?" Miku asked.
"I'm no fool." Yusuke answered. "Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Who would want to admit that the man that they owed their life to was doing such terrible things?"
"Why didn't you leave?" Hibiki asked.
"Well, he is the one who painted 'Sayuri.'" Yusuke said. "On top of that, I owed him a great debt..."
"You mean 'cause he raised you?" Ryuji asked.
"I... Never knew my father." Yusuke replied. "I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three."
"Yusuke-san..." Miku said, feeling sorry for Yusuke, knowing exactly how it felt to lose a loved one to an accident.
"That's when Sensei took me in." Yusuke continued. "I heard he helped my mother when she was still alive.
"'Heard?'" Shirabe asked.
"To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother either." Yusuke said.
"You've been through a lot, huh?" Ryuji said.
"It's just as Kohinata-san said. Part of me realized the truth." Yusuke replied. "That's why I so vehemently denied you. I simply ran away from it. For that, I'm truly sorry."
"No worries, dess." Kirika said. "I'm sure any one of us would've probably done the same if we were in your shoes, so no hard feelings."
"What will you do now?" Miku asked.
"To be honest, I don't know..." Yusuke admitted.
"Well, there is one thing you can do." Tsubasa said.
"What's that?" Yusuke asked.
"Ain't it obvious?" Ryuji chimed in.
"We can change his heart." Kirika added. "By doing that, we can make Madarame atone for his own crimes."
"You mentioned that before as well." Yusuke said. "So the rumors about those 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' are true after all, huh?"
"Believe me, Kitagawa, I was just as surprised as you are when I found out for myself." Tsubasa chuckled.
"Then I guess there is only one thing left for me to ask." Yusuke said. "For the sake of the pupils whose futures he stole, let me join the Phantom Thieves!"
"Now you're talkin'!" Ryuji cheered as he and everyone else at the table tapped their glasses with Yusuke's in celebration.
"I'm glad you're joining us, Kitagawa." Tsubasa said with a smile.
"I'll say. It was startin' to get kinda weird being the only guy in this group!" Ryuji joked. "You better not slow us down, though."
"I'll do my best." Yusuke replied.
"Welcome aboard, Yusuke." Miku said. "Oh, and no more nude paintings, okay? It's already going to be hard to explain to Tachibana-san why all of mine and Hibiki's clothes are gone..."
"Oh, so that was all a plan, then?" Yusuke asked in shock. "Well, I'll admit that was rather daring, Kohinata-san."
"For the record, the clothes thing was Hibiki's idea." Miku said. "Otherwise, we really didn't have any other choice but to do that plan..."
"Regardless, thank you for letting me join." Yusuke said. "And, by the way, Akatsuki-san, right?"
"Y-Yes?" Kirika asked, confused by what Yusuke was going to ask.
"Did you always have those horns and tail?"
Kirika's worried confusion turned into a sigh of relief. "Oh, right. Since you've been to the metaverse, you're able to see my 'accessories' if you will."
"Why would me being in the metaverse affect whether I could see your accessories or not?"
"Oh, you think those are just cosmetic, don't ya?" Ryuji asked, to which Yusuke nodded. "You see, Kirika here's actually a demon. So those horns and tail are hella real."
"Not a demon, dess!"
"Interesting..."
Shibuya: Central Square
With their drinks out of the way, the group decided to finalize Yusuke's addition to the Thieves with one final topic of discussion. "Now that you're a part of the Thieves, you've got to have a codename." Kirika said.
"Personally, I feel like it has to be 'Kitsune.'" Tsubasa suggested.
"Gotta admit, it does make an impact." Ryuji agreed.
"What are you talking about?" Yusuke asked.
"Your Phantom Thief name." Tsubasa answered. "What would you want your name in the metaverse to be?"
Yusuke thought about this question for a moment, before he finally said, "'Da Vinci,' I'd say."
"Nope." Ryuji quickly denied.
"Why not?"
"It's way too cool." Ryuji said, which left everyone confused as to why that was his reason for rejecting it. "Well, you've got that mask and the weird tail... Alright! You're 'Abura-age'!"
While Tsubasa, Miku, and Shirabe all gave Ryuji a disapproving glare, Hibiki and Kirika were trying their hardest not to burst out into laughter. "Very well." Yusuke agreed, which made all parties involved greatly concerned.
"He really agreed to that, dess?!" Kirika gasped.
"That's not going to happen, Kitagawa. Everyone would laugh at you." Tsubasa said, before turning to face Miku and Shirabe. "Any other ideas? Preferably ones made by the more mature among our group?" As she said this, she gave a death glare to Ryuji, Hibiki, and Kirika, who all collectively looked away guiltily.
"I mean, the only other idea I have in mind is calling him 'Inari.'" Shirabe said.
"Well, aside from Yusuke's suggestion and Ryuji's... Childish joke, the relative idea for his name has been centered around his mask and tail. So why don't we just cut out the middleman and just leave it as 'Fox?'" Miku suggested.
"Thoughts, Kitagawa?" Tsubasa asked.
"It's acceptable." Yusuke answered.
"Then it's settled!" Kirika cheered.
"But just because you're a fox, that doesn't give you the permission to try and get all wily on us." Ryuji said.
"Again with your jokes, Sakamoto?" Tsubasa sighed.
"What?!"
With the matter of Yusuke's codename settled, Miku let out a big yawn. "Well, today sure has been exhausting. I think it's about time to call it a day and continue our infiltration of Madarame's palace again tomorrow."
"I couldn't agree more, Kohinata." Tsubasa said. "And don't worry about the clothes issue. Kitagawa and I will bring them to your home after school tomorrow."
"Thank you for that." Miku replied as she and Hibiki started walking back home. "Well, see you all tomorrow!"
5/19/20XX
Friday: After School
Shujin Academy
The next day, everyone went about school as usual. However, once the final bell let everyone out, Miku got a text from someone. When she went to see who it was, it was a message from Dr. Ver
Ver: Hello, Kohinata-san! I hope you're doing well.
Miku: Hello, Doctor! I've been doing well, thank you for asking.
Ver: That's great to hear! While we're on the subject of your wellness, has there been anything that's been bothering you as of late?
Miku: I can't say there really has been.
Ver: Well, regardless of that, I'd be happy to talk with you again. Would you happen to have time to come by and chat for a moment before you leave for the day?
Reading this last text, Miku thought to herself for a moment. Just as she was lost in thought, Hibiki walked up behind her. "What's up, Miku?" She asked.
"Oh, Dr. Ver was just texting to ask if I could come by his office for a bit." Miku said. "I want to, but I know we promised Tsubasa and Yusuke we'd help them get our clothes back to your place before the infiltration later today..."
"Right! I knew I was forgetting something important!" Hibiki gasped. "It was a good thing we both still had our school uniforms available."
"What should I do?" Miku asked.
"Just leave the clothes thing to me, Miku." Hibiki said, patting Miku on the back. "I can handle showing them the way to our house while you talk with the doctor."
Miku smiled. "Thank you, Hibiki! I owe you one!" She said. "By the way, have you stopped by the doctor's office yet?"
"Not yet..." Hibiki admitted. "I've been so busy between practice and... you know what... that I haven't had the chance to stop by." She whispered the second part to make sure no one would overhear them talking about their Phantom Thieves work. "But I promise, once we have everything settled with Madarame, I'll go the first chance I get!"
"Sounds good to me!" Miku said as she sent another text to Ver.
Miku: I should have some time to stop by.
Ver: Great! I'll see you in a moment, then!
"Well, I'd best not keep him waiting." Miku said.
"And I better not keep Tsubasa and Yusuke waiting!" Hibiki agreed as she ran for the staircase. "See you later, Miku!"
With the plans settled, Miku walked to Ver's office, the latter being ecstatic to see her. "Ah, Kohinata-san! Perfect timing!" The doctor said. "I just finished a counseling session, so I'm free to talk with you!"
"Well, that's great to hear!" Miku chuckled. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I was hoping I could get your input on something." Ver said. "Please, come into my office!"
Shujin Academy: Dr. Ver's Office
Following the therapist into his office, Miku and Ver sat down in the same seats they sat in during their last conversation. "I've been having a lot of students coming in ever since I arrived here." Ver said. "If I'm being honest, it's kind of a relief."
"What do you mean by that?" Miku asked.
"That whole mess that happened with Kamoshida was the reason why I'm here, after all." Ver said. "They warned me ahead of time that a lot of students had been impacted, so I knew there would be a lot of free-floating anxiety. But when I actually got around to talking to everyone, I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the things on everyone's minds were things like college entrance exams or relationship problems. In other words, your typical high-schooler's worries."
"Well, that sure sounds like an interesting difference from what you expected when coming here." Miku replied.
"Indeed." Ver agreed. "Although, some of the students did open up about deeper issues as you had, but not the majority. Some students were still struggling with the scars for that incident, yes... But at the very least, I'm glad the ones who came to me have taken some steps towards recovery."
"So they have, huh? That's a relief to hear." Miku said. "Considering everything that happened, I can only imagine what kind of effect Kamoshida had on the students he abused..." Her thoughts turned to the day that Shiho nearly killed herself, the incident that initially made Shirabe join herself, Hibiki, Ryuji, and Kirika as a member of the Phantom Thieves, as well as the talk she had with Ann at Big Bang Burger the days prior to that incident.
"Well, that's not to say I've gotten a sense of every single student's emotional state, that'd take some more time to fully grasp. Regardless, I hope my worries end up being groundless after all." Ver continued. "I know I'm not the most reliable guy, but remember that you can always talk to me too if something's bothering you. I am the counselor here, you know. If nothing else, I'm told that I'm a good listener."
Miku chuckled. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Having said that, it's a little awkward that I have to ask for your help, but..." Ver sat up in his seat. "You remember how I asked you to help me with my research?"
"Of course." Miku nodded.
"I said you'd be helping with my research, but don't worry. It won't be anything too difficult or intensive." Ver said. "I just need you to listen to what I have to say, and work through some questions with me."
"Sounds simple enough." Miku said.
"But let's see... Maybe I should start at the beginning." Ver continued. "I can tell you a little about what this research is for. What I'm studying now is pain felt in the mind. Or, to be more precise, pain felt in the heart."
"'Pain felt in the heart'?" Miku wondered aloud.
"Some specific examples include the pain of someone saying hurtful things to you, or being separated from those you love..." Ver stated.
"I see..."
"Maybe this would be easier to explain: Pain defined by abstracts, like trauma or stress." Ver said. "Bodily, physical pain can be thought of as something necessary. An autonomic response to injury, illness, et cetera. But what about pains felt within one's heart? That pain isn't born from any tangible problem in our bodies, right? It's something strange and immaterial."
"I guess it goes to show that there are a lot of mysteries in our own hearts and minds." Miku commented.
"Exactly!" Ver replied. "It's these mysterious internal, psychological pains that I want to learn more about. If that makes sense."
"Makes sense to me."
"Now then, this is my question to you, Kohinata-san." Ver said. "When do you truly feel pain in your heart?"
Miku thought about this question for a moment. "Well, as you mentioned earlier, being separated from a loved one is definitely a time that I truly feel pain in my heart." She said.
"That makes sense. Sometimes, losing the people closest to you, be it through death or something like moving somewhere far away from you, that pain can continue to grow the longer they're gone..." Ver stopped for a moment, almost as if to reminisce on someone he once knew, but he quickly snapped back to reality and cleared his throat. "It can be rough. It doesn't feel good to struggle with pain in your heart."
"Right."
"But with that in mind... How about the pain of a broken heart, then?" Ver asked. "After all, that kind of pain is only born because we fall in love, right? Do you have any thoughts on this kind of pain, Kohinata-san?"
"Well... Personally, I hope to never feel this kind of pain, considering who I am in love with..." Miku could feel herself blushing when she talked about this, but she took a deep breath and continued talking. "...But, depending on the situation, it could be for the better that someone experiences heartbreak. It could take you down the path to finding someone else to love, like lighting a new candle after the other's flame dies, if that makes sense."
Ver chuckled at Miku's answer. "I never took you for a poet."
Miku chuckled in response. "Well... I guess the way some friends of mine talk kinda rubbed off on me..."
"But it's a wonderful sentiment, and a very positive outlook on the topic." He said. "Internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Though some say it's always coupled with other feelings... And I agree, of course. It's a fair assessment."
"Thank you."
"Though, personally speaking... I'd think, if pain can be avoided, then it should be. If I had the choice, I'd make it so it wouldn't exist altogether..." Ver looked down at the table as he said this, before looking back at Miku. "Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect, and in a way, they're far more complex than physical injuries."
"Tell me about it..." Miku said internally, knowing the effects such wounds had on her teammates from both Kamoshida's and now Madarame's Palaces.
"That's why I'm doing this research: To save people who are suffering from internal pain they keep holding onto." Ver continued. "You helped me realize that purpose again. Thank you, Kohinata-san."
Miku was confused. From her perspective, all she did was answer Ver's questions genuinely. "Did... Did that help?"
"Of course!" Ver answered. "Thanks to you, I can articulate my thoughts for once."
"Well... I'm glad to have been of help, Doctor!" Miku said.
"Okay, I think that'll do for today." Ver said as he got up from his seat, but as he did, a confused expression adorned his face. "Hmm... Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something...?"
"Umm..."
"Oh, right! Your mental training!" Ver gasped as he remembered the deal himself and Miku had made. "I'm terribly sorry for forgetting, Kohinata-san!"
"It's alright." Miku said. "It's just good that you remembered our deal."
"Right. After all, it's the least I can do since you're willing to help me with my research." Ver said as he sat back down. "Now then... how about something like this for today?"
With Miku's end of the deal kept up, it was now time for Dr. Ver to help her out. And so, the Doctor taught Miku another technique for mental discipline, gave her some of his office snacks, and then the two parted ways until the next time their paths crossed.
Friday: After School
Shadow Madarame's Palace
After her meeting with Ver, Miku met up with the Thieves and reentered the Palace, continuing where the group in charge of making sure the doors stayed open left off: At a set of giant paintings that you could step inside of. Despite what seemed like an elaborate maze within another dimension at first, the group soon found themselves able to easily reach the other side with little trouble. "Awesome! We go through without gettin' lost!" Skull cheered.
"You had a hard time with such a simple trap?" Fox asked. "I would've assumed that having someone like Samurai at your side would've made this easy for you."
"In my defense, Skull and Warrior elected to try and solve it themselves while they had Maiden and I on lookout." Samurai said. "They wanted to try and see if we could get further than our original goal, but alas, they had trouble."
"Skull, why did you think that not having the artist of the group maneuver this puzzle was a good idea?" Echo asked. "I'm asking you because I seriously doubt Warrior would make a choice that dumb."
"Well in my defense... Yeah, I got nothin'..." Skull sighed, knowing that, no matter what he said to defend himself, it'd only backfire twice as hard.
After judging Skull's poor tactical skills, the group continued through the palace, eventually finding their way to the treasure room. Unlike Kamoshida's hoard of gold and jewels, Madarame's treasure room was heavily guarded, to the point that even the man himself was keeping a close eye on said treasure. "There it is." Imp said, using her powers to make the group invisible as long as they kept in contact with her.
"Doesn't it look a little hazy?" Maiden asked.
"How odd..." Fox added.
"Do all Palace Treasures look this way usually?" Samurai asked.
"For the time being, dess." Imp said. "But, once we send the card and make Madarame aware that it'll be stolen, it's gonna materialize and be all like 'Look at me! I'm a Palace Treasure, begging to be stolen dess!'"
"I wonder what form it'll take..." Samurai wondered.
"If we're puttin' money on it, I bet it's something like a self-portrait." Skull guessed.
"The source of what distorted Madarame's reality this much..." Fox thought to himself.
"So, what now?" Warrior asked. "Think it's safe to say we have our route set?"
"Not quite, dess." Imp said. "Sure, we know where the treasure is, but we don't exactly have a good idea as to how we can get said treasure."
"What makes you say that?" Skull asked.
"You must be talking about the infrared lasers surrounding it." Fox pointed out.
"Well, that and all of the guards swarming the perimeter." Imp replied. "We can't exactly just swing in and take it like last time with all of them there. And going in guns blazing would be suicide."
"So we'll need to find a way to steal it that would attract the least amount of attention, then." Samurai stated. "We have time before Madarame will take action against Kohinata and Akatsuki for what they did yesterday, so I'd advise we come back again tomorrow to figure out everything we can about this room so we can steal the treasure without fail."
"I second that plan." Echo added. "After all, like Samurai said, we have the time to plan. Might as well make the most of it."
"Sounds good to me, dess." Imp said. "Well, if we're all in agreement, we might as well head back to the entrance."
5/26/20XX
Friday: Early Morning
Shibuya Station
The next day, the Thieves returned to the Palace and investigated the room with the Treasure as thoroughly as they could. Once that was settled, they took the next week to prepare as much as they could on their ends for that next weekend, where they planned to send the calling card. However, on their way to school, Miku and Hibiki came across a familiar brunette-haired senior. "Kanade-Senpai?"
"Oh?" Kanade said as she turned to face the girls. "Wassup! Fancy seeing you two here!"
"I mean... We take this train to school..." Miku said.
"Right, right... I'm so used to runnin' into ya at school that I forget that you girls live in Shibuya." Kanade chuckled.
"Kanade-san? Do you know these two?" Another brunette-haired girl asked Kanade.
"Oh yeah! I forgot that you haven't met these two yet!" Kanade said. "Hibiki, Miku, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine: Kasumi Yoshizawa."
"Yoshizawa?" Hibiki asked. "Are you related to the Gymnasts at Shujin I've heard people talk about?"
"Well, Hibiki-chan, she is one of the Gymnasts at Shujin you've heard people talk about." Kanade chuckled.
"Oh!" Hibiki gasped. "I'm so sorry, Kasumi-san! I didn't realize!"
Kasumi chuckled. "No need to apologize, Hibiki-chan." She said. "To be honest, it's nice not having someone recognize me at first."
"I feel ya there, Kasumi-san." Kanade said. "That's why it was a breath of fresh air getting to know Hibiki-chan here, as well as her best friend Miku-chan."
Hibiki started to blush at the compliment. "Kanade-Senpai, you don't need to say things like that..." Hibiki chuckled nervously.
"Well, a friend of Kanade-san's is a friend of mine." Kasumi said. "It's nice to meet you two."
"Likewise, Kasumi-san." Miku said.
Suddenly, as the girls finished greeting each other, a girl slightly younger than Kasumi walked up to her. "Oh, there you are, Sumire!" Kasumi said. "Where were you? I tried calling you, but you didn't answer."
"Sorry about that..." Sumire apologized. "My alarm didn't go off and I tried calling you to say that I was on my way, but my connection was unstable."
"We really need to get you a new phone." Kasumi sighed, knowing how much trouble that thing's caused her recently. "But it's a good thing you arrived when you did. Kanade-san was just introducing me to some friends of hers: Hibiki Tachibana and Miku Kohinata."
"Oh! Sorry! I didn't see you two there." Sumire said, having just noticed the duo standing next to Kanade. "Hello, my name's Sumire Yoshizawa. I'm a first year at Shujin. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Sumire-chan!" Hibiki greeted the younger Yoshizawa. "It's nice to see Kanade-Senpai has some cool friends!"
"I mean, I thought that was already obvious with you and Miku-chan as my friends, Hibiki." Kanade said.
"Well, besides us, obviously!" Hibiki chuckled.
Suddenly, just as the group was getting to know each other, the train arrived at the station. "Oh, looks like the train's here. See you around Shujin!" Kasumi said.
"See you there!" Miku and Hibiki called out as the Yoshizawa sisters went ahead to board the train.
"See ya 'round!" Kanade said. "Well, since you're here Miku-chan, mind if I asked for you to come by the boxing club room after school? Been a minute since our last training session."
"Oh, sure!" Miku said.
"Great!" Kanade cheered. "Wanna join us, Hibiki-chan?"
"I'd love to, Senpai, but I'm afraid I have something I need to do after school, sorry." Hibiki said.
"No worries, just figured I'd ask if you weren't busy." Kanade replied as she started walking towards the train. "That bein' said, we better get on that train before it leaves and we're late." With that being said, Miku and Hibiki followed Kanade to the train.
Friday: After School
Shujin Academy
As previously promised, Miku met up with Kanade at the boxing club room so that the two could train again. However, after walking with the former to meet with the latter, Hibiki started walking towards Dr. Ver's office. On her way, she ran into Ryuji. "How's it goin', Hibiki?" He asked.
"Oh, I'm doing okay." Hibiki said. "Just went to walk with Miku as she went to her training session with Kanade-Senpai."
"Ah, cool." Ryuji said. "But now I'm curious. What're you up to now? Usually you're either with Miku or your trainin' with Kanade."
"Well, I figured I'd stop by Dr. Ver's office for that counseling session the school wanted all of us to do." Hibiki said. "I just figured, Miku trusts him, so why not give it a shot, y'know?"
"Ah. Gotcha." Ryuji said. "Well, have fun with that."
"Have you gone to him yet, Ryuji?" Hibiki asked.
"Yeah." Ryuji answered. "Gotta admit, at first I figured he was just here as an attempt for the school to find the Phantom Thieves, but he's alright. A bit weird, but he could be worse."
"That's good to hear." Hibiki said. "Well, I better not waste anymore time if I want to catch him before he leaves today. See you later, Ryuji!"
Shujin Academy: Dr. Ver's Office
Much like any other day, Dr. Ver had just finished up the last of his scheduled sessions and was just about done finishing up his notes for the day. However, just as he had finished writing down the notes for one of the students that came in today, he heard a fast knock at his door. "It's open!" Ver said to what he could only assume was another student.
Much to his prediction, it was another student. Hibiki opened the door, looking completely out of breath. "Hello! Is it... Too late for a... Counseling session?" She asked between breaths.
"Actually, you arrived at a perfect time." Ver replied. "You're Tachibana-san, right?"
"Yep!" Hibiki answered. "I've been meaning to stop by for a while now, but I've been so busy between Boxing club and other things outside of school that I keep forgetting to come by. Sorry about that!"
"It's quite alright. If anything, I'm just glad that you stopped by at all." Ver reassured Hibiki. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you a drink before we start?"
"Yes, please. Sprinting over here has made me really thirsty." Hibiki chuckled.
Doing as Ver asked, Hibiki took a seat in the armchair closest to her as Ver sat down on the couch, placing a bottle of water and a box of apple juice on the table next to them. "So... How does this work?" Hibiki asked. "I mean, I know that students come in here to talk about things all the time, but I'm not entirely sure how this works outside of that. Sorry if that doesn't make sense..."
Ver chuckled. "It's okay. You're not too far off the mark, though." He said. "You can talk to me about whatever you're comfortable talking about. I won't force you to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable. Of course, if you don't have anything you wish to talk about, you can always just take a few snacks and go about your day. Haha..."
"It's okay. If Kanade-Senpai and Miku say you're a good counselor, then I trust them enough to know it's okay to talk to you." Hibiki said.
"You're pretty close to Kohinata-san and Amou-san, aren't you?" Ver asked.
"Yes." Hibiki answered. "Of course, I owe Senpai a lot for my skills as a boxer, but she's also one of my best friends since I started school at Shujin last year."
"Interesting..." Ver said. "From the many times I've seen you throughout Shujin, I would've figured you'd be everyone's friend with how kind you are to other students."
"Honestly, I have Kanade to thank for how outgoing I am today." Hibiki replied. "But when I first started at Shujin, I was pretty much kept to myself a lot of the time."
"If you don't mind me asking, why was that?" Ver asked.
"Well, that's because, when I graduated junior high, my best friend had to move away because of her parent's work." Hibiki said.
"I'm guessing that was Kohinata-san?" Ver asked.
Hibiki nodded. "Back then, when I was younger, my father died in a work-related accident. I wanted to be strong for my mother, and I didn't want anyone else to worry about me either. But Miku could tell how I really felt." Hibiki said. "Thanks to her, I was able to let out all of the pain I was holding back."
"I see." Ver said. "So when she left, you felt that you had lost that sense of comfort, causing you to become a lot less outgoing before you met Kanade, right?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Hibiki answered. "I mean, of course I was still able to call Miku every now and then, but it didn't feel the same as it had back then."
"It makes sense that it didn't feel the same when you went from being so close to so far away from one another." Ver said. "But now I have a couple questions for you, that is, if you're comfortable answering them?"
"Sure thing."
"Well, based on what I've heard from Kohinata-san, the two of you are now living together. Is that right?" Ver asked.
"Yes."
"With that in mind, along with the things you've told me about your relationship prior to your time at Shujin, do you feel the same comfort with Kohinata-san as you had back then?"
"Well, yes and no." Hibiki answered. "By that I mean, while I do feel the same comfort that I did back then when being around her, I now know how she felt back when I was grieving for my father."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know how to describe it well, but after what happened to her parents, I have this feeling to always do whatever I can, whenever I can, to make her happy." Hibiki said. "And this feeling's doubled by the fact that she did the same for me back when we were in junior high."
"Sounds to me like you're empathizing with Kohinata-san's situation, and that empathy is what's driving you to be the best person you can be for her." Ver stated. "Regardless, that just shows that Kohinata-san's had an effect on you to always do good for others, even if there was a time between her moving away and you meeting Amou-san that you were more reserved than before."
"Huh... I guess I never thought about it like that." Hibiki said. "Honestly, even before my dad died, I was always trying to be nice, but now that you mention it, I've been wanting to do more than just be nice to people. I want to be able to look people in the eyes and tell them that everything's going to be alright like my father always did for me. Giving them hope in a time where they really need it most, y'know?"
"That's definitely a good way to look at things, Tachibana-san!" Ver agreed. "But that leads me to my last question, do you miss your father, Tachibana-san?"
Hibiki was quiet at first, which made the counselor fear that he may have gone too far with his questioning, but Hibiki nodded. "Yeah. I miss him greatly." She answered in a more somber tone than before. However, that somber tone, and the frown that came with it, quickly turned into a smile. "But, in a way, I know that he's watching over me. And as long as I remember the words my father always said to me when I was little, then I know he'll always be there when I need him most."
"It's alright. Everything is just fine."
"Your father sounds like he was a wise man, Tachibana-san." Ver complimented. "I'm glad you're able to remember him in a good way with those words."
"Thank you, Doctor." Hibiki said. "And thanks for letting me come talk to you, too."
"Hey, if you ever feel like there's anything you need to talk about, my door's always open, as long as I'm not talking to another student at the time." Ver said. "Of course, like I said before, if you ever just want to stop by and grab a drink or some snacks, that's fine as well."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Th-The talking thing, I mean." Hibiki replied as she got up from her seat. "Well, I should be going. Miku and Kanade-Senpai are probably wrapping up their training session soon, and I don't want to keep her waiting."
"I didn't realize Kohinata-san was interested in Boxing." Ver said.
"She isn't. I just asked Senpai if she could teach her some things for self-defense reasons." Hibiki clarified. "But between you and me, she'd be great at it if she did go pro."
"Huh... Neat." Ver said. "Well, I better not keep you any longer than I have then. See you around, Tachibana-san."
"See you around, Doctor!"
With that said, Hibiki left Ver's office and was about to start sprinting back to the boxing club room. That is, until she saw Miku waiting outside the office. "M-Miku!?" Hibiki gasped. "But I thought-"
"I just got done with Kanade-Senpai's training for the day." Miku said, answering Hibiki's question before she asked it. "It was a shorter session than last time because she had something she needed to do, but since we have something we need to finish preparing tonight, that's fine by me."
Hibiki was confused at first, but then, a lightbulb went off in her head. "Oh, right! We need to finish preparing our route for Madarame's Treasure-"
Miku covered Hibiki's mouth. "Not so loud, Hibiki..."
"Right... Sorry..." Hibiki said, with Miku's hand still over her mouth. "Should we go meet up with the others, then?"
"I texted them before I got here, they'll be waiting for us at the train station." Miku answered. "Ready to go?"
"Yep!" Hibiki said.
"Alright." Miku replied. "Let's do this!"
Friday: Evening
Shadow Madarame's Palace
Once the Thieves had gathered, they went straight to the Palace. Having already done everything they could do, they felt like they had a good idea as to how they wanted to go about stealing Madarame's treasure. And so, in a nearby safe room, the Thieves discussed their next move. "Alright. I think it's safe to say that we have everything about this area marked down to a T." Echo said. "All that's left is to discuss what our calling card will say."
"A calling card, hm?" Fox thought. "Will he take it seriously? Considering the fact he's received slanderous letters before due to his fame, it makes me worry..."
"He'll know best whether the crime written on it is for real or not." Skull reassured Fox.
"Wait. Don't tell me you're going to be the one to write it this time too." Imp said worriedly. "That last one was, well, questionable to say the least, dess."
"Why not have Samurai or Fox do this one?" Warrior suggested. "They could make it all artsy and stuff, too!"
"That wouldn't be a good idea, I'm afraid..." Fox said.
"I have to agree with Fox on this one." Samurai added. "Madarame knows our drawing and writing styles too well. He'll know immediately it was us."
The room went silent, thinking about how to go about the calling card this time around if neither Fox nor Samurai could be the ones to do it. But, at that moment, Skull came up with an idea. "What if I thought it up and you guys made it cooler?"
"Designing a calling card... Interesting." Fox thought with Skull's suggestion in mind. "It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist."
"It's decided then!" Warrior cheered.
"Great!" Imp cheered as well. "All that's left is to make the treasure ours dess!"
"We'll let you three handle finalizing the card." Echo said to Skull, Fox, and Samurai.
"Once it's done, give it to me." Imp added with a mischievous grin on her face. "I have an idea as to how I want him to find it."
5/28/20XX
Sunday: Daytime
Madarame Art Exhibit
Tsubasa, Yusuke, and Ryuji went straight to work on the calling card, working on it for the majority of that Saturday and giving it to Kirika that evening. After their end of the plan was finished, Kirika sent a message to the others over text:
Kirika: The calling card has been set! Now, we wait for him to see it tomorrow.
Yusuke: May I ask where you left it?
Kirika: The only place that made the most sense to leave it: At his Art Exhibit.
Tsubasa: And you're sure this will work, Akatsuki?
Ryuji: If it's anything like last time, it's definitely gonna work.
Kirika: You'll be able to see for yourself at the exhibit.
Trusting Kirika and Ryuji's words, Tsubasa and Yusuke went to the Art Exhibit and kept a close eye on Madarame. At first, there was nothing more than people talking to him about his works, but then, a man came running over to Madarame, looking deeply concerned. "Sir, can I speak to you for a moment?" He asked. "There's a matter we need to notify you about."
"Please excuse me for a moment." Madarame said to the people he was currently talking with before walking off to the side with the staff member. "What is it?"
"We found this outside..." The staff member said as he held out a card with a well-designed logo of a red top hat on it to Madarame.
"A letter?" Madarame asked, which immediately caught the attention of both Yusuke and Tsubasa who listened even closer as he took the letter and began to read it aloud.
"Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts."
After reading the letter, Madarame became upset and proceeded to crumple up the card in his hand before turning back to the staff member. "Whose doing is this?!" He asked furiously.
"We don't know!" The staff member answered fearfully. "But the same message has been posted all over the venue."
"What about the security cameras?!"
"There were no signs of a culprit..." The staff member said. "One moment, there was nothing, but after a mysterious cut in the recordings, they all appeared out of nowhere..."
"Remove these at once!" Madarame shouted.
"Y-Yes, sir!" The staff member said as he ran to do just that.
Suddenly, from the perspectives of Yusuke and Tsubasa, everything went black except for them and Madarame, who was now dressed as he was in his Palace.
"It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it?"
Shadow Madarame wondered.
"Well, it means nothing... They'll only be able to do as they please until this exhibit is over..."
Once things returned to normal for the Thieves, Tsubasa and Yusuke walked over to a set of stairs near the exhibit hall, where the others were waiting for them. "Will that do?" Yusuke asked.
"Yep! It was perfect!" Hibiki answered. "Not to mention the composition was way cooler, too!"
"You both did an amazing job." Shirabe said, complimenting Tsubasa and Yusuke.
"Thank you, Tsukuyomi." Tsubasa replied.
"The treasure should have appeared by now, dess." Kirika added. "The effect of the calling card lasts about a day."
"You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man." Ryuji said, mocking Madarame aloud. "Let's let 'im have it!"
"You have no reservations about this either, right, Yusuke? Tsubasa?" Kirika asked.
"Of course not." Yusuke answered.
"For all of the people whose dreams have been crushed by Madarame, this must be done." Tsubasa added.
"Alright team..." Miku said as she stood up from the staircase she and the others were sitting on. "...It's showtime!"
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
So, as revealed at the end of last chapter, Yusuke is staying as a member of the Thieves in this story. I mainly did this because I had some ideas in mind for Yusuke and Tsubasa's relationship that would've been difficult to do by only having the latter join.
Now for the explanation for the spoiler at the top, yes, both Yoshizawa siblings are alive in this version of the story. For anyone unaware, Sumire isn't mentioned by name until the Third Semester and same goes for The Real Kasumi (That being the one who is a brunette).
So why am I putting them both in my story? Well, they're connected to Kanade's backstory (the important bits of which I am not going to say now, but they will be told at the appropriate time in the story.) But I will say this, they are good friends.
With that out of the way, thank you all for reading this chapter. I shall see you in the next one!