Chapter 14: A Classic Thieving Caper

May 14

The Phantom Thieves were all confused by the boy's offer to Ann. "…Model?" the girl said, confused.

"All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else," the boy explained.

"This man is highly suspicious!" Morgana said.

"He's not hitting on her, cool down," Octavia whispered, pushing the not-cat back into Ren's bag.

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji questioned.

"Will you cooperate with m? What do you say?" the boy asked.

Loona pushed him back. "Back up, jack. Who the Hell are you anyways?"

The boy straightened up. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second year at Kosei High's fine arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

"Huh!? Do you mean that Madarame? The one who was on "Good Morning Japan" the other day?" Ann asked.

"The very same," Yusuke nodded.

"You know who that is?" Collin asked.

"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world," Ann explained.

"Didn't we hear that name yesterday in Mementos?" Loona pointed out.

"Yusuke!" Madarame called from the car.

"I'm sorry, Sensi. I'll be right there!" Yusuke apologized to his mentor.

"That must be Madarame, then," Octavia said.

Yusuke turned his attention back to Ann. "Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by. It'd be great if you could give me your answer to being a model then…" He pulled out some tickets and handed them to Ann before giving a stare to Ryuji. "I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too. Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow!"

Yusuke then got in the car with Madarame and left, leaving the gang on their own. "That guy's as easy to read as a book," Loona said, shaking her head. "You're not planning on actually going there, are you Ann?"

"…I think I will," she responded.

"What!?" the others exclaimed.

Before they could think about it, Collin let out a gasp. "Wait, it's almost time for class! We've got to go!"

As the cherub ran off, Morgana popped back out of his bag. "How dare he go after Lady Ann… I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!"

"Chill out, Morgana," Octavia sighed. "I'll be there to make sure he doesn't do anything untoward to Ann. Let's just get to school and finish out exams."

[***]

"It's over!" Loona exclaimed as the group met up in the subway station after school.

"It's over…" Ryuji moaned in despair. He looked to Ren. "How about you?"

"I'm feeling confident," he replied.

"You traitor!" Ryuji accused. "Anyways, can we stop talking about the exams? Like it or not, they're gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with…"

"What are you looking at?" Ann asked, peering over Ryuji's shoulder to get a look at his phone.

"The usual site," Ryuji replied. "It's no use. There ain't any useful info. The number of posts are getting less and less too…"

"I am not letting this end as a one-hit wonder, okay?" Morgana said.

"There's no point in getting antsy, though," Octavia said. "How about we all go get lunch together? My treat."

"I want sushi, then! Or domestic-raised eel," Ryuji exclaimed.

"Good think Octavia's paying then, because our PT budget isn't that big," Loona said. "Hey Ann, are you still planning on going to the art exhibit tomorrow?"

When Ann nodded yes, Morgana got stirred up into a panic. "Don't tell me… Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?"
"It's not like that," Ann sighed.

"Morgana. Chill," Octavia said, giving the not-cat some comforting pets. "Not every guy that Ann talks to is a potential love interest."

"When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we got free tickets," Ann explained. "Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos."

"Madarame, was it?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm curious too," Ren added.

"Oh, I just realized I only have two other tickets," Ann noted.

"I can pay for any other tickets," Octavia offered.

"We can't be relying on your bottomless wallet for everything, princess," Loona said. "Besides, not all of us have to be there anyway."

Ann turned to her friends. "So, who wants to go apricate some fine arts for once?"

"Ren should go for sure. He is the leader after all," Morgana said. "Plus then I can sneak in with you guys without paying! Besides, appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame."

"It's pass for me," Loona said. "You can hang out with me, Ryuji. I wanna see how tough you are outside of the Metaverse."

"Training with a badass hellhound? Count me in!" Ryuji grinned.

"Then I'll take your other ticket, Ann," Collin said.

"And I'll just pay for my own," Octavia added.

"It's settled then!" Ann nodded.

"It should be fun," Ren smiled.

"Just the phrase "going to an art exhibit" sounds kinda mature," Ann said, giddy with excitement. "Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow." With that, the group slit off for the day with their plans for tomorrow settled.

Ann: So I keep thinking about what Nakanohara said… Could he have been talking about the famous artist Madarame?

Ren: That sounds about right.

Ryuji: Seconded.

Collin: Third-ed?

Octavia: Agreed. It's not like Madarame is a common name in the first place. It kinda stands out.

Loona: Even just a quick web search doesn't give a lot of results besides this guy. It's definitely him.

Ann: If what we heard is true, Kitagawa-kun is studying under a corrupt teacher.

Ryuji: You mean a teacher who treats people like tools.

Ann: Kitagawa-kun's life is probably pretty terrible…

Collin: We must look into this!

[***]

May 15

The rain fell softly outside as Ren, Ann, Octavia, and Collin all arrived at the art exhibit. Already there were many people enjoying the artistry on display. "So crowded…" Morgana noted.

"Let's try to keep a low profile, Morgana. We don't want you getting kicked out when you're our best infiltrator," Octavia said.

"On it!" Morgana whispered, before hunkering back into his bag.

"You came!" Yusuke greeted, walking up to the group.

"Um… yeah," Ann replied.

Yusuke looked to the others. "You really came."

"Um, well, you did give us free tickets…" Collin mumbled.

"Your loud friend isn't with you," Yusuke noted. "Very well then. Make sure that you don't get in the way of the other visitors." He turned back to Ann. "Come now. I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too."

"Well, see you guys later," Ann said as she went off with Yusuke.

"Will Lady Ann be all right!? What if he drags her behind some painting and tries something funny!?" Morgana worried.

"Morgana, focus on the mission," Octavia chided. "And be discreet. Let's just appreciate some fine art and gather any information we can."

"Yes, let's learn about Madarame," Ren nodded.

"I'm interested in seeing what his art is all about," Collin said. "I've never been that into Japanese paintings, but maybe this exhibit will change my mind. So… which way are we supposed to start?" The cherub moved further in; his attention being drawn to where Madarame was giving an interview. "The guy from the car yesterday. Madarame…"

"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination," the reporter said. "You have such expansive styles, it's hard to believe it all stems from one person… Where in the world does all your inspiration come from?"

"Well… It is rather difficult to put into words…" Madarame responded. "They naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in the spring."

"Naturally, you say?" the interviewer asked as Ren and Octavia joined Collin to listen in.

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

"A shack?" Collin questioned.

The reporter nodded. "I see… So the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty. Still, to think we could hear the word "shack" coming from the great artist Madarame."

"You would understand if you saw it…" Madarame laughed.

"The word "shack" is sticking in my mind now… I feel like it's important somehow…" Octavia noted.

"Madarame-san is actually here!?" a fan said, suddenly running up.

"Over there!" another fan pointed out.

"I'm so glad I came on opening day!" yet another fan cheered. Soon the entire main floor was flooded with Madarame fans, leaving the Phantom Thieves to getting pushed out towards the exit.

"I'm getting crushed!" Collin screamed, getting swallowed up into the crowd.

"We'll meet you outside!" Octavia called.

The cherub was helpless as he was pushed around, getting comedically trampled as the tide of fans washed over him. Collin eventually was spat out of the crowd, shaking his head as tiny versions of Keenie and Cletus circled his head. Shaking the confusion off, the cherub looked to see that he was now in the same area as Ann and Yusuke.

"I didn't know there were so many types of Japanese art," Ann admitted. Collin used his angelic powers to turn invisible as to hide and make sure Ann was alright.

"Usually one concentrates on their own style. However, Sensei creates all this by himself. He's special," Yusuke explained.

"There you are, Yusuke," Madarame said, coming up to his student.

"Sensei!" Yusuke exclaimed.

Madarame looked to Ann. "Ah, the girl from yesterday. Are you enjoying the exhibit?"

"I don't know how to put it into words… but it's really amazing," Ann replied.

Madarame nodded. "You're sensing something from the artwork… That alone is enough to give us artists satisfaction. I hope this becomes a wonderful piece, Yusuke. Well then, if you'll excuse me." The artist then walked off to attend to other business.

"You'd imagine artists would be difficult to approach… but he seems really friendly," Ann said.

'I'd have to agree, but there is something strange about him,' Collin thought.

"Indeed," Yusuke nodded.

Ann then looked over to see a painting on the wall, her eyes going wide. "Oh, this is it- the painting I wanted to see in person," she said.

"…This one?" Yusuke asked, Collin picking up a strange tone in the boy's voice.

"I guess it's the painter's anger? I'm not sure, but I sense this… strong frustration from it," Ann said, staring into the painting's reds and blacks. "To think such a cheerful and gentlemanly person could make such a piece…"

"I agree, child," said a voice as smooth as ice. Ann looked to her side to see a man dressed in a gaudy furred coat, his hair pointed back and colored ice blue. "I didn't know your kind could pick up on such emotions." The man hummed before nodding to himself. "Yes, I do believe that I shall ask Madarame if I could buy this piece off him. I am a connoisseur of his art, after all. I think my dear sister would appreciate it. It reminds me of her, the anger and frustration." The man laughed, before turning to walk off. As he did so, he paused and frowned, looking directly where Collin was hiding.

'Can he see me!?' Collin gasped, quickly zipping away to hide from the man's gaze.

"Huh, must be my imagination," the man shrugged.

Collin let out a sigh of relief as the man left. 'I could feel his icy stare on me. In fact his whole aura reminded me of Octavia's… Was that man a Goetia in disguise? If so, the fact that he seems to have a working relationship with Madarame is concerning…'

"Something wrong?" Ann asked Yusuke, noticing distress on his face.

"Don't mind me," Yusuke replied. "There are better pieces that… this one. Come now, this way!"

"H-Hey!" Ann exclaimed as Yusuke walked off, moving to catch up with him.

[***]

"I think that old lady elbowed me…" Octavia grumbled, rubbing her side. She, Ren, and Morgana had moved to a nearby overpass to regroup. "But I do remember something now."

"What is it?" Ren asked.

"There was a post on the Phan-Site… Here, look at this," she said, pulling up said post on her phone for Ren to look at.

"There you are!" Collin said, coming up to the three with Ann.

"Why'd you leave without us!? Ann accused them.

"There was a mob of fans that pushed us out of the exhibit. And I really wanted to look at some of those pieces in-person as well…" Octavia sighed. She pointed her phone to Ann. "But here, you should see this too. This post is most definitely about Madarame."

"What's it say?" Ann asked.

"A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV," Octavia read.

"Plagiarizing!?" Colling exclaimed.

"I didn't think about it at first, but hearing both "shack" and "Madarame" together reminded me of this post," Octavia explained. She continued reading the post. "His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog…"

"Abuse on top of plagiarizing, hm?" Morgana mused. "If this is real, Madarame could get in big trouble and cause a huge scandal."

"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this?" Ann questioned. "I mean, he is a pupil of his."

"Unfortunately, all posts on here are anonymous, so we'll never know," Octavia shook her head.

"In that case… It's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one," Morgana stated.

"A man like that, doing such a thing?" Ann questioned. "I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this. Oh, actually, we just need to talk to him in reality."

"How would we do that without explaining Mementos?" Ren asked.

"Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there's a possibility that Madarame will find out," Morgana pointed out.

"Oh… Yeah, right…" Ann sighed.

"I think Madarame is suspicious as well. What do you think, Ren?" Collin asked.

"He does," Ren replied.

"This all just fits too well to be a coincidence," Collin said. "Also there was a man at the exhibit who had a demonic aura similar to yours, Octavia."

"You think Madarame made a deal with a Goetia?" she asked.

Collin shook his head. "The way the man was talking, it sounded more like he just did business in buying art from Madarame. But I know that demons usually don't take interest in good-intentioned humans, so…"

Ren gave a firm nod. "If this post is real, then Madarame might be the big target we've been waiting for."

"Well, yeah, but…" Ann said. "Is it really true?"

"By the way, did you get anything else out of Yusuke about what his modeling thing was about?" Collin asked.

"Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info. And the address to his sensei's atelier," Ann explained.

"He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing," Octavia said. "Let's get Ryuji and Loona and meet up tomorrow. We can go to Madarame's house after school."

"Huh? You want me to model tomorrow!?" Ann exclaimed. "This is too sudden…"

Octavia shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean. We're going over there to talk to Yusuke."

Ann let out a sigh of relief. "That's what you meant…"

"It's decided then," Morgana nodded. "Tomorrow, we find out if that rumor from Mementos is true!"

[***]

Loona: Hey, remember that deal we made? If you want to learn how to be a real thief, meet me near the movie theater by your place. We'll go somewhere else to train after that.

With permission to go outside now, Ren met up with Loona, the hellhound leading them to the subway platform and into the underground mall at Station Square. Once they arrived, Loona found an empty wall and leaned against it, gesturing for Ren to do the same.

"Training with Ryuji went well today," Loona said. "I totally kicked his ass in a race, too. Bet he didn't expect my demon abilities to carry over to my human form, did he? Still, I bet he didn't notice that I caught how he was limping by the end of it. I know Kamoshida fucked his leg up, so it's not his fault, but he's still being stupid to push himself like that."

"Ryuji wants to improve himself, both in real life and as a Phantom Thief," Ren said. "He's also taking heat from his former teammates on the track team."

"Guess life just has a way of screwing over the less fortunate, doesn't it?" Loona shook her head.

"What do you think of the other Phantom Thieves?" Ren asked.

"Ann is fine, I guess. Morgana can be annoying. And Collin… he's useful, but a wimp," Loona said. "Besides you and Octavia, Ryuji is the only one that might have my respect, but only because he knows how to throw down."

"You two are similar," Ren mused.

"What? No, we're not!" Loona exclaimed, before sighing. "Look, the only way to survive in Hell is to be biggest, baddest motherfucker out there. I had to make myself tough to survive in the orphanage. But I guess being tough is something about Ryuji that is like me, kind of." She shook her head. "Hey, we're here to teach you about thieving, right? So here's a question for you: out of the people around here, which are the best to steal from?"

Ren looked around. Immediately three people stood out to him: a woman talking on her phone with her purse open, a homeless man with a sign, and a kid looking into the window of the sports store. "I would say… the woman on her phone?" Ren guessed.

Loona nodded. "Yep. She's off in her own world right now, that with just a slight of hand you could reach in and steal from her purse. Kids tend to be more alert than people give them credit for, and that homeless guy… I might be a demon, but I'm not going to make that guy's day even worse. When you're at the bottom, you already get ignored, so why curb-stomp him more?"

"Didn't know you cared," Ren said.

"I don't," Loona scoffed, crossing her arms. "Anyways, we're not going to steal from people today. Instead, I want to focus on what people leave behind. Loose change, dropped wallets, misplaced items, that sorta thing. If someone leaves something behind, it's free merchandise for people like us that take notice of." She sighed. "Although if this was Hell, we could go raid the convivence store, but Octavia told me not to get us into more trouble. Such a pain…"

The two spent some time together people watching, with Loona pointing out dropped items that were free for the taking. 'I feel like training my focus with Loona has made me more Proficent…'Ren thought to himself.

As the leader of the Phantom Thieves went home, Loona gave him a call just outside his door. "Hey, good job today. Better hold that compliment close, because I don't give them out much," the hellhound said. "By the way, I noticed how focused you got at times. Were you zoning out on me?"

"No, just using my Third Eye," Ren replied.

"That one of your demon skills?" Loona asked. "Hey, if it helps you pick out out-of-place stuff, then use it. I'm sure it'll help out in the Metaverse to help us get more loot as well. Anyway, night."

"Good night to you as well, Loona," Ren said, hanging up and heading inside.

[***]

May 16

"Hey there. I'm Dr. Maruki, your school counselor," Maruki greeted the class. "Thanks to the school, I can even talk to you outside of counseling now. I want to talk a little about how mental health and perception can affect you. Don't worry- I don't want to stress you out or anything. Just relax and listen."

'This should be good,' Octavia thought.

Maruki continued his lesson. "How much do you guys know about the emotional mind? See, what's going on in your mind can affect your body pretty significantly. There's proof it can even heal you, depending on your outlook. So, Goetia-kun!"

"Wha-?" Octavia sat up straight in surprise at being called on.

"What do we call the phenomenon where believing in a treatment's power is enough to improve your condition?" Maruki asked.

"Uh…" Octavia's mind was blanking on the subject.

"Placebo," Ren whispered.

Octavia looked to her cousin, giving a small smile before answering. "The placebo effect, right?"

"Yup! That's correct," Maruki smiled. "Some people specify that placebos don't actually have any curative properties. But even if the medicine does nothing chemically, it can affect your perception and help you feel better. On the other hand, if you don't trust the medicine to begin with, it might make you feel even worse… We call that a nocebo."

As the class began its usual muttering, Octavia thought about the placebo effect. 'I wonder if part of the reason Hell is so bad is because we always expect the worst of others… Maybe being more positive would help us in the long run…'

"That's just one example, but my point is that our minds and bodies are more connected than we think," Maruki continued. "So it's important not to push yourself too hard. Remember, your mind needs time to rest too. And it's my job to help with that, so… Come by the nurse's office whenever you're feeling down."

[***]

After classes were done for the day, the Phantom Thieves hopped on the subway to head over to Madarame's place for investigation. "Phantom thieves going by train… This ain't any different from how I get home from school, y'know," Ryuji said.

"The train is the fastest way to go- plus, we can bring Morgana with us," Octavia said.

"That's right!" Morgana said, popping out of his bag.

"Keep it down, cat!" Loona growled. "We don't need to cause a scene."

"I'm the one guiding you to your destination! You should be calling me "Master"!" Morgana stated.

"Oh, kitty!" a child said, suddenly coming up to the gang.

"Shoot!" Ann cursed.

"Is that your pet, Mister? I heard it meowing!" the kid said.

Morgana would have said something, but Ren covered his mouth. "You're imagining things," Ren said.

"But I see its head popping out of your bag. Isn't it a kitty?" the kid asked.

"It's, um… a toy!" Collin suddenly blurted out. "It meows when you press on its head!"

Loona and Ryuji gave Ren knowing grins. "You heard him, Ren. Press on its head," Ryuji said.

"This is reidic-" Morgana stated to protest, but Ren pushing down on his head, the not-cat forcing out a meow to keep up the act.

"Wowee! Again, again!" the kid cheered.

"You got it!" Loona said, putting her hand over Morgana's head. 'Time to button mash,' she thought sadistically, rapidly pressing on the mot-cat's head and making him meow repeatedly. Morgana's eyes were left spinning afterwards, vomiting a bit in his mouth.

"That's so funny! I wanna hear it again!" the kid laughed.

"I just threw up n my mouth…" Morgana moaned.

"Seriously?" Octavia shook her head, giving a glare to Loona who just returned a shit-eating grin.

"The next stop is Shibuya," the train intercom said. "Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side."

"Oh, this is our stop!" Ann said to the kid. "Well, see you later! Bye-bye!"

The kid said her goodbyes before going back to her parents. Once they got to Shibuya, the Phantom Thieves got off and entered the station. "So, which line do we gotta transfer to?" Ryuji asked.

"Doesn't look like there are any stations close by to that address…" Ann noted. "If anything, this is the closest station."

"What!? Then we gotta walk the rest of the way!?" Ryuji exclaimed in disbelief. "What kind of phantom thief takes the train, and then walks to their destination!?"

"Stop your complaining," Morgana chided.

"It's supposedly a shack, but this is the neighborhood he lives in… As expected of a famous artist," Ann said. "Looks like the fastest rout is to get to the station square then go to Central Street. Let's move!" The Phantom Thieves soon left the station and headed above ground to Central Street, with Ann noting that they needed to head over to the residential district. Making their way over there, the gang soon found a shack-like structure in the area.

"Is… that it?" Collin asked.

"We're at the right address…" Ann replied. "The door plate does say "Madarame.""

"Uh…. You ring the bell," Ryuji said.

Ann looked at him. "Me!? The walls won't collapse when I do, will they?"

"No one sneeze or we'll blow this house down, okay?" Morgana joked.

The group went up to the door, with Ann ringing the bell. "Who is it?" Yusuke's voice asked over the intercom. "Sensei is currently-"

"Um, it's Takamaki," Ann cut him off.

"I'll be right out!" Yusuke replied.

"People really do live here…" Ryuji mused.

"Dude, there's worse places in Hell that look exactly like this but for whole city blocks. I'm not impressed," Loona said.

Yusuke soon opned up the door. "Takamaki-sa-" His gaze hardened as he saw the others. "You all are here, as well?"

"Hey…" Collin waved nervously. "We're not actually here about the modelling thing- sorry for deceiving you! There's just something else we have to ask you…" He looked to Ryuji to continue.

"Is it true Madarame's plagiarizing stuff? He's abusing people too, yeah?" the blonde asked.

"Are you serious?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"We read about it online," Loona elaborated.

"This…?" Yusuke stated laughing. "Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse! He welcomes pupils into his own home! This is no act of violence; it's charity! And I'm the one residing here and studying under him. I'm saying it's not true, so it's beyond doubt."

"You might be lying about it to cover your "Precious Sensei's" ass!" Loona shot back.

Yusuke's gaze seemed to falter. "That… That is utter rubbish." He got intense again. "I had no family when Sensei took me in and raised me into what you see now! If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!"

"…You really think that?" Ann questioned.

"Yusuke?" Madarame said, suddenly coming to the front door. "What's the matter? I heard you yelling."

"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!" Yusuke exclaimed.

Madarame shook his head. "Forgive them, Yusuke. They must have heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety."

Yusuke seemed to calm down at that. "Understood, Sensei."

"Well, even I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone," Madarame mused.

"That's not what we meant…" Octavia said.

"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around," Madarame said. "Won't you please keep it down? Now, if you'll excuse me." He went back inside his house, while Yusuke gave a sigh.

"That was discourteous of me… I'm sorry," the student apologized. "I know! I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting. It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece- it's titled "Sayuri.""

Yusuke pulled out his phone and showed the Phantom Thieves the "Sayuri", a painting depicting a Japanese woman in red standing in the middle of a fog, a tree branch behind her and the full moon in the background.

"Sayuri"…?" Octavia repeated the name. 'It is a beautiful painting. Though something about it feels… incomplete?'

"This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist," Yusuke explained.

"It's so beautiful…" Ann said.

"I don't know all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive…" Ryuji said, Ren giving an agreeing nod.

"When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting…" Yusuke said to Ann.

"Me?" Ann questioned.

"I wish to pursue beauty like this," Yusuke said, closing his eyes and smiling. "And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you: seriously consider my offer. I'm sorry that you took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further anther time. IF you'll excuse me, then."

Yusuke then went back inside, with the Phantom Thieves moving across the street to discuss the events. "Those two… seem like nice guys, don't they?" Collin asked.

"Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person," Ann suggested.

"I don't think so," Octavia shook her head. "Remember how no one knew about Kamoshida's nasty side before we exposed it. What if it's like that?"

"You may be onto something," Morgana said. "People use different faces all the time. How's the Meta-Nav?"

Ren pulled out his phone and opened the Meta-Nav, the gang surprised when it reacted. "Was it picking up our conversation?" Collin wondered.

"Guess you don't have to worry about only the government listening in on our conversations," Loona joked. "But hey, this means that Madarame does have a Palace!"

"But why!?" Ann questioned.

"Madarame," "Plagairism"… and then "Shack," huh? These seem to be the keywords," Morgana noted.

"For real though, what the hell's going on!?" Ryuji exclaimed. "Does an old man like him really have a Palace!?"
"Like I said, everyone has a hidden side, a Shadow, even us," Octavia said. "Don't be surprised by who does have a Palace. Just the face that Madarame has one means that his desires are distorted in some ways, even if the rumors aren't true."

"We have the person's name and the location," Morgana said. "All that's left is the "what" that Madarame mistakes this shack. For to enter his Palace."

"You mean… like how Kamoshida thought the school has his castle?" Ann asked.

"That's right," Morgana nodded. "Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses."

"It's a bit sudden, though…" Collin noted.

"Why don't we start with "castle"?" Ann said. The app gave a negative result.

"Then what about "prison"?" Ryuji suggested. The same negative result. "Ugh, what a pain! "Jail"! "Warehouse"! And "guidance counseling office"! Might as well add "farm"!" None of those worked either.

"You're thinking about this too hard," Loona shook her head. "Madarame's an artist, right? So, what's the most stereotypical place that his Palace could be?"

"An art school?" Collin suggested. "Oh, or an art supply store!"

"A museum," Ren said, the world flashing a bit as he said it.

"Looks like we have our target," Octavia said, watching as they entered the Metaverse once more.

[***]

Location: Outside the Museum of Vanity

"Hey, when did you activate the Nav!? You surprised me!" Mona exclaimed, looking surprised as everyone else had changed as well.

"It activated on its own after we got the correct keywords," Joker said. "Not much of a choice. "

"What If I hadn't noticed, and then I wandered off and got caught by an enemy!?" Mona shouted.

"Probably would have figured it out once you started walking on two legs," Skull shrugged. Mona just gave a grown and crossed his arms.

"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Mona?" Omen asked.

"Yes. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle," Mona explained.

"Forget that… Look!" Lycan said, pointing across the street. Everyone turned and was surprised to see that in place of Madarame's shack was a glittering golden building. "That shack is seriously some kind of museum!?"

"Let's go check it out!" Panther said, everyone nodding in agreement to that. As they went towards the entrance, Omen noted that there was a long line of cognitive people hanging around, waiting to get in. "It's so extravagant… to the point that it's gaudy. It's a museum… right?"

"This is Madarame's?" Templar said in disbelief.

"Well, a Palace is a world formed by a mind twisted by desire- remember Kamoshida's Castle?" Mona explained.

"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though," Omen pointed out. "His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. So them, why exactly is his distortion a museum? I guess we won't know until we go inside."

"It doesn't seem related to plagiarism or abuse either…" Lycan shook her head.

"Let's try looking around. Racking our brains won't do us any good," Mona said.

"Move out, Phantoms," Joker ordered, the gang falling in line as infiltration began.

"That aside… Ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves!?" Skull grinned wildly.

"There are probably traps too," Ren added, a confident smirk coming to his face.

"Yeah. And his fans were strong as well so his Shadows will most likely be tougher than the ones in Kamoshida's Palace," Omen warned.

"Good point," Mona nodded.

"Man, look at this insane crowd…" Skull said, staring back at the line. "Are we gonna have to wait in that gigantic line?"

"Don't be stupid. We're Phantom Thieves, so there's no way we're using the front door," Lycan shook her head.

"But there's a high wall around the building…" Panther pointed out.

"We'll just have to find our way up over it them. In any case, let's get going!" Mona cheered. As the Phantom Thieves started looking for an alternate way into the museum, the not-cat took another look at the building. "This is really how he thinks of that run-down shack…? It's overwhelmingly shiny…"

"It makes me think of my uncle's palace in Hell- a real mansion, not a Palace-palace," Omen said. "Let's keep going and see what this place is all about."

As they went further in, the security was focused on the front entrance as it was announced that the museum was closing for the day, meaning that it was the perfect time for the Phantom Thieves to sneak in. The gang made their way around the outside and through the nearby garden, hopping on top of pillars until they reached an area where they could climb on top of the roof. Once there, Joker found an open skylight, when the Phantom Thieves used to descend into the museum proper with the help of one of Mona's many tools, in this case, a rope.

"…It's quiet in here. Almost eerily so," Mona said once they were all in.

"H-Hey… This…" Panther said, looking at the paintings on the walls. "It's… moving…"

"Come on, Panther, we're in a Palace. This kind of shit is normal," Lycan scoffed.

"The Palace reflects its ruler's heart… We may want to check these paintings out," Mona suggested.

Joker walked over to the painting. "There's a description here. Let's see… It's a person's name and age, presumably whoever this painting is depicting."

"That can't be the title of the painting… right?" Panther said. "Do you think it's the artist's name?"

'She can't still be in denial at this point,' Omen thought. "Let's check the other paintings too. I think there might be something important about them… The Phantom Thieves went further in, passing walls and walls of paintings, all of them depicting people with names and ages attached. The big thing off about it all was…

"Hey, this doesn't make any sense… Madarame's famous for having a variety of art styles…" Panther pointed out. "But all the portraits on display here look the same… This is way different from what was at the-"

"Wait a sec!" Skull said, cutting her off. He pointed to an nearby painting. "Ain't that the guy we saw in Mementos? You know, the one that was shit-talking Madarame…"

"Natsuhiko Nakanohara. His name is written on the plaque," Templar read.

"Dude, I don't get it. Why's there a painting of him in here!?" Skull asked. "And more important, why's his name written under it?"

"You're right… Doesn't art usually have like, the title of the piece or the artist's name?" Panther said.

"You still don't get it?" Omen shook her head.

"Then why don't you explain it, princess?" Lycan asked.

"These people were all Madarame's students, at one point or another," Omen explained.

"That might make sense," Mona nodded. "Let's keep looking around for now, though."

As they moved further in, Omen took notice on a solitary painting. "I knew it," she said. "Look, it's a painting of Yusuke, who just so happens to be Madarame's most recent and current student."

"It says "Yusuke Kitagawa." There's no mistaking it," Joker nodded. "You're guess was right, Omen. These painting are all Madarame's pupils."

"I think you're right," Templar agreed.

"For real? All of them? But it was only Yusuke when we went to his plae before…" Skull said.

"This must include former pupils as well. Only one remains now…" Mona guessed. "Takng into account what that Nakanohara guy said earlier, things are getting clearer. All right, let's keep investigating. We need something to further confirm our deductions."

'Glad we're all on the right track now,' Omen thought. As the infiltration continued, Joker found a brochure rack that contained a few pamphlets that turned out to be a map of the museum, though it only showed half of the museum. "Why do I get the feeling that every Palace is going to annoyingly split the map up into two parts?" the princess sighed.

In a nearby locked chest (that Joker used a newly made lockpick to open), Mona got himself a new sword, as well as pulling out an odd charm. "What's this? It looks like a sigil of some kind," the not-cat said.

"Wait… that's a demonic rune!" Omen recognized. She took the runestone and held it up to her staff, grinning as the orb of darkness within changed to that of an electric plasma ball. "Yes, my staff can interact with these runes, making my staff have different effects. I'm sure this rune will bring a shock to any Shadows we come across!"

Going past the help desk, the next room held a giant gold statue inside, depicting a swirl of gold that seemed to be sucking people into it. "The Infinite Spring"?" Lycan read. "A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!" What bullshit is that!?"

"Hey… This is most likely about the plagiarism, right?" Panther asked.

"Damnit, what phony geezer!" Skull cursed.

"In other words, his pupils are his property," Mona summarized. "He doesn't even qualify as an artist if this is true. He's stealing the ideas of talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood."

"This just further confirms that those portraits are all really how he perceives his "pupils"," Omen said, a frown coming to her face. "This even says that they have no worth. Couldn't this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they're useful to him, but the moment they're not…"

"He's treating them like slaves or tools!" Lycan shouted in disgust.

"Why's Yusuke keeping quiet about all this? He's got no reason to cover it up!" Skull said.

"He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in…" Templar pointed out.

"But still…!" Skull argued.

"When we were at the exhibit, I praised one of the pieces on display. But… Kitagawa-kun acted strange," Ann recalled. "Maybe that piece was plagiarized too…"

"What's the call?" Lycan asked Joker. "IS this enough for us to take the old man down!?"

"What do you all think? It's a ground decision, after all," Joker asked.

"We should confirm these facts with Yusuke first," Mona said.

"Yeah," Panther and Templar agreed.

"Confirm what, though!?" Lycan shouted.

"It means we should get solid evidence that such crimes actually took place," Mona said.

"What, and having a Palace isn't enough?" Omen said. "I thought you had to have distorted desires to have a Palace. Doesn't that mean only those with bad intentions? The fact this place exists at all is proof enough for me."

Mona shook his head. "And desire strong enough can make a Palace, as long as the person with it holds that feeling in their heart. Even in the most altruistic or kindhearted person could have a Palace if their desires are distorted enough."

Omen grumbled, turning away and crossing her arms. "Fine, we'll ask Yusuke then. What a pain in the arse…"

"Besides, there's too much we don't knw about Madarame yet," Mona added.

"…Ugh, he's right," Lycan growled.

"I'll try contacting Kitagawa-kun," Panther said. "I might be able to get the truth out of him if I accept his modeling offer."

"Wait, you're gonna do that!?" Mona said in surprise.

"You all better come with me, okay? I'm scared to go alone…" Panther insisted.

"Famous renowned artist, huh? This might be tougher than Kamoshida," Skull mused. 'Well, we'll just prep ourselves until we get confirmation from Yusuke. This is our first mission as real phantom thieves. We're gonna succeed no matter what!"

With that, the gang left the Palace and split off, waiting for tomorrow for their next move.

Ann: Would you really forgive someone unconditionally if you owe your life to them? I'm not so sure anymore.

Loona: Why are you bringing this up?

Ann: According to Kitagawa-kun, Madarame isn't a problem.

Ren: Is something wrong?

Ann: yeah, a little. I mean, I know Madarame is a bad person, but still… maybe I'm so hesitant because I haven't actually met any of his victims.

Collin: I understand that. We had first-hand experience at how awful Kamoshida was. That isn't the case with Madarame.

Ann: This might be an extreme line of thinking… But if an evil person isn't causing any trouble now… Is there really a point in us stepping in?

Octavia: That line of thinking is how some of the most heinous acts are allowed to go on in Hell… but I see where you're coming from, Ann. So, we're gonna let Yusuke decide if Madarame's worth going after or not? If it were me, this wouldn't be a question.

Ryuji: Yeah, I'd never forgive that bastard!

Ren: can you ask Yusuke, Ann?

Ann: Kk, go it. I guess we can talk some more about this after that. OK. Let's meet in Shibuya after school tomorrow.

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Loona Nyx

Arcana: Twilight

Rank 2 Description: You took part in people watching with Loona. She taught you how to spot loose items and who was best to steal from.

Rank 2 Ability: Smash 'n' Grab- breakable items in Palaces now yield more money and rarer items

Author's Note

With how big of a group the Phantom Thieves are at this early point in the story, it doesn't make sense to have them all always doing everything together, so I decided to have Ryuji and Loona sit out the art exhibit. Not a lot changes there, but Collin does almost have a run with a human-disguised Andrealphus. He seems like the type of guy that would be interested in human art, and what better art for a demon to want than that created by a corrupt man and his student's suffering? Good thing Octavia got shoved out of there too, or else she might have been caught...

Loona gets her Rank 2 Confidant here, with Ren learning a new skill from it, Smash 'n' Grab. To elaborate on it, when you're going through Palaces you can use your Third Eye to see yellow objects that you can break for treasures that you can sell at Untouchable for cash. With Loona's skill, those breakable objects can award high value items to sell as well as the occasional item you can use in dungeons like HP and SP restoratives. Very useful to get early game!

Finally, the Phantom Thieves make it to the Museum of Vanity. While usually bundled with Pride, in Persona 5 Vanity takes its own form in Madarame's Palace. I feel like as an artist herself Octavia would take issue with Madarame's actions, and that's why I'm having her side more with Loona and Ryuji this arc in being more gung-ho about taking him down. Octavia is still a mediator of the group alongside Ren, but even our princess can have her biases from time to time.

Next Time: The investigation continues, and a certain famous scene in this arc gets a twist you didn't see coming!