AN: I didn't realize how long this chapter was until I finished writing it... Did not expect to beat my record for longest chapter so soon lol
Chapter 15: Museum of Vanity (Part 1)
May 17
Ann: All right, I contacted Kitagawa-kun about modeling for him. Still waiting for his response.
Ryuji: Thanks!
Ann: I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do as an art model though…
Ren: Just be yourself.
Loona: Cover yourself in paint.
Octavia: Ignore what Loona just said.
Ann: XD It's fine, Octavia. But being myself is actually kinda hard…
Collin: You shouldn't stress yourself, Ann. This is just an art model job, nothing like your photoshoots. You don't have to go all out for this.
Ryuji: You're only doing it so you can get dirt on Madarame, remember?
Ann: That's true. It sounded like Kitagawa-kun wants this to be a private picture of his though… Well, I guess I'll let you guys know when he contacts me again.
After school, the Phantom Thieves met up by the vending machines. "I got a response from Kitagawa-kun. He said he wants me to come over after school today," Ann said.
"Perfect! Probably dropped all his plans just to get you over there," Ryuji grinned.
"We need to find out from Yusuke if what we saw in the Palace was true…" Collin reminded the gang.
"Hey, quiet down. It's that student council president," Morgana warned, the gang looking to see Nijima talking to Mishima across the way.
"Yikes… She got a hold of Mishima today?" Ryuji said, sucking in air through his teeth. "It'd suck if she noticed us. Come on, let's split up."
Octavia nodded. "Okay, see you later." With that the gang regrouped back in Shibuya at the underpass. "I don't want to waste any time getting dirt on Madarame. Frauds like him make me sick," the princess said.
"Why's this guy got you so riled up?" Loona raised an eyebrow.
"If you must know, I'm something of an artist myself," Octavia explained. "I'm into taxidermy and have even made a few pieces of my own. We even used a body double that I made so that I could come up to the human world in the first place."
"Taxidermy… isn't that the thing with dead bodies or something?" Ryuji asked.
"Taxidermy is the practice of taking a cadaver, preserving it, and then stuffing and posing the body in a lifelike way," Octavia elaborated. "If you've ever been to a museum where they have animals on display, that's what taxidermy is."
"And you're into that?" Collin asked.
Octavia sighed. "Look, I know it's weird, but I've always had a fascination with exotic creatures, and taxidermy is one of the few ways you can look at such creatures in Hell without being at risk of getting maimed. If my parents weren't so against me having a pet, I'm sure I'd have some sort of great beast to take care of instead, but taxidermy is the closest I'll get."
"So that's why you're so close to Morgana," Ren mused.
"I am not a pet!" Morgana exclaimed.
"But you are cute," Octavia chuckled, giving the not-cat a scratch behind his ears.
"Hey, where's Ann? She's late," Ryuji noted.
It what at that point that Ann joined the group. "Sorry. I was thinking about some things and didn't notice how much time had passed."
"Thinking about what?" Loona asked.
"Don't you think Kitagawa-kun has to be protecting Madarame?" Ann asked. "I mean, they live together, so he'd have to be aware of Madarame's true nature. The reason I can think of him doing that is that Madarame has something on him…:
"Yeah, that's weird," Ryuji nodded. "But that's why we're going to check it out, right? You ready to be a model?"
Ann nodded. "Yeah, I'm prepared.
Loona raised an eyebrow. "Hey Ren, something seems different about her to you?"
"Not at all," Ren shook his head.
"I dunno, I feel like she's got more makeup on or something," Ryuji said.
"Nope, I'm the same as always," Ann replied.
"Well, let's get going," Collin said. "We have to talk to Yusuke."
"Kitagawa-kun seemed really happy when I agreed to be his model. Once he finishes drawing and gets a little friendlier, we should bring up Madarame," Ann explained.
[***]
With that the group went to Madarame's house for Yusuke's art session. Ren, Ryuji, and Octavia took the free chairs in the room while Loona leaned against the wall and Collin sat on a stool. "I thought it would just be you coming, Takamaki-san," Yusuke said.
"Wouldn't you get nervous too, if it was just the two of us?" Ann asked.
"Yusuke, if you didn't know, Ann recently has had a bad experience with a man trying be alone with her in a room," Octavia said. "It's not that we don't trust you, it'd more for Ann's comfort that we support her."
"Are you referring to the Kamoshida incident?" Yusuke asked. "I heard about it on the news recently. Your school uniforms are those of Shujin Academy…" The artist gave a bow to Ann. "I'm sorry if my offer has given you any discomfort, Takamaki-san. I promise that I didn't mean anything untoward in my asking you to model for me. I have absolutely no interest in you as someone of the opposite sex."
"Really, it's fine," Ann said. "You didn't know, so there's no need to apologize."
'The way Yusuke worded that was odd,' Octavia thought. 'I can't tell if that mean's Yusuke is gay or if he just doesn't find Ann sexually attractive…'
"Well then, let's get started," Yusuke said, grabbing his painting pallet and brush. Ann took a pose as Yusuke started to paint. The painter was very focused in his art, to the point that he seemed to zone out and not hear the others as they tried to talk to him.
"This isn't what we planned! We were gonna catch him off guard and make him spill his beans, weren't we?" Morgana asked.
"How were we supposed to know this was gonna happen?" Loona shot back. "Guess we just gotta wait 'til his done… What a fucking pain in the ass…"
"Perhaps I should try going outside this room…" Morgana mused.
"Don't get caught," Ren said.
Morgana chuckled. "Who do you think you're talking to? This is too boring, so I'm going to go scout around a bit." With that the not-cat left the room, Yusuke too in-the-zone to notice as Octavia used some minor telekinesis to crack open the door for Morgana to slip through.
As Morgana went out to do his investigation, Yusuke eventually sighed and stopped painting. "Are you done?" Ryuji asked.
"It's no good," Yusuke shook his head.
"What?" Octavia said.
"I'm sorry… Am I the problem?" Ann asked.
Yusuke looked to her. "No, not at all. It's just… I'm having trouble staying focused today. I'm sorry, but we'll have to resume this another time…"
"Oh hell no!" Ryuji exclaimed. "How many hours do think you made us wait!?"
The gang all stood up, reading to confront Yusuke with their questions. "I'm sorry but… we had another reason to see you today," Collin said. "We needed to talk to you. It's about… those rumors regarding Madarame, your sensei."
"This again," Yusuke stood up as well.
"That painting I saw at the exhibit… You're the one who actually painted it, right?" Ann asked.
Yusuke winced. "That's…"
"I knew it," Ann said.
"Your sensei is seriously messed up. He just thinks of his pupils as tools," Octavia said, crossing her arms and frowning. "That's why he doesn't give a damn if he steals their work… or physically beats them. You don't have to hide his abuse from us, Yusuke."
Yusuke laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"
"You couldn't go against him, could you?" Collin asked. "I'm sure we can help you out though…"
"Stop it…" Yusuke said. "It's just as you all say. We're… our sensei's "artwork." Don't misunderstand me though. I offered my ideas to him myself. As such, it can't be called plagiarism. Sensei is simply suffering from artist's block right now."
"Dude, still…" Loona shook her head.
Yusuke turned away. "Ktiagawa-kun…" Ann tried to reach out to him.
"Then why are you sticking around!?" Ryuji shouted. "All his other pupils ran away! Aren't you the only one left!?"
"What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master!?" Yusuke shot back. "There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!"
"And the other pupils?" Ren asked.
That seemed to make Yusuke flinch again. "…I'm supporting Sensei as his pupil. Where's the wrong in that?" He sat back down. "Don't ever come here again… If you do, I'll sue you for causing a disturbance."
"Hold it! We're not done talking here!" Ryuji shouted.
"Then you leave me with no choice…" Yusuke said, pulling out his phone. "I'm reporting you to the police. I asked Takamaki-san to be my model today, but I don't recall ever calling the rest of you here!"
"What the eff, man!?" Ryuji shouted.
"Ryuji, stop it," Loona said, being unusually calm about all of this.
"Calm down, okay?" Ann said.
"Damnit!" Ryuji cursed.
Yusuke sighed and put his phone away. "I won't report you… but under one condition."
"What's that?" Ann asked.
"I want you to continue to be my model, Takamaki-san," Yusuke said.
"But you said it wasn't working out today," Octavia pointed out.
"That's because I was unconsciously being modest for your sake, especially after finding out about your previous situation," Yusuke explained. "However, I have nothing to worry about anymore. If you're willing to bare everything to me… I will put my heart and soul into creating the best nude painting ever!"
"WHAT!?" everyone shouted at the same time.
"Nude!?" Ann exclaimed.
"Ah, to think I'd be able to create a nude painting with my most ideal model!" Yusuke said. "Of course, the rest of you won't be allowed in, and I ask you forget about our discussion today, as well. If I don't submit a new piece to Sensei soon, there will be some… inconveniences."
"Nude, meaning it'll be without any clothes, right!?" Collin said, blushing up a storm. "Why are things suddenly escalating like that!?"
"Because those are my terms," Yusuke said simply.
"But that's-" Ann said.
"Wait, ain't that bad!?" Ryuji cut her off.
"Sensei is out during the afternoon while the art exhibit is on, so I can use this place freely…" Yusuke explained. "I should buy more art supplies…"
"Will you give me a second here!?" Ann shouted.
"Of course, I'm willing to wait," Yusuke nodded. "I'll make time according to your plans. But, please come before the exhibit ends."
"No! That's not what I mean! Why are you not listening!?" Ann continued to shout.
"Sensei will be returning home soon," Yusuke noted. "We're done for the day. Takamaki-san, I'll be waiting for you to contact me."
Ann shook her head. "No, no, no! We are not done talking here!"
Octavia turned to Ren. "Hey… What should we do?"
"We have to leave, for now…" Ren shrugged.
"Yusuke got us good this time…" Octavia sighed.
"Don't give us so easily!" Ann whined.
As the gang turned to leave, they opened the door to see Morgana on the other side. "Is Lady Ann done being a model?" he asked.
"…A cat?" Yusuke sat up from his work.
"You moron!" Loona chided, scooping up Morgana and taking him outside. The gang gathered on the other side of the street to discuss what just happened.
"He's out of his mind! I'm gonna have to pose nude if this keeps up!" Ann shouted.
"How dare that Yusuke…!" Morgana frowned.
"The way he said it, it's not gonna be semi, but full-on nude," Loona noted.
Octavia was sure Morgana was blushing under his fur. "F-Fu- F-F-Full nudity? Lady Ann's gonna…"
"Drop it!" Octavia smacked Morgana on the head, snapping him out of it.
"Don't worry, Ann! If we make Madarame confess before the end of the exhibit, you won't even have to come back here and pose nude for Yusuke!" Collin pointed out.
"But Kitagawa-kun thinks he owes his life to him. Is there a need to make Madarame confess?" Ann asked.
"Then, Lady Ann… you're fine with baring it all!?" Morgana exclaimed.
"I am not!" Ann retorted.
"Just be lucky Yusuke isn't sexually attracted to Ann or this would be way worse," Octavia sighed. "Besides, Madarame's no different from Kamoshida. That asshole is using Yusuke, who's an orphan. You think we should just ignore Madarame when we know he's treated his other pupils horribly as well?"
Ann sighed. "No… It is frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-kun is fine with it himself…"
"You can't leave it be because you've endured a lot yourself, with Kamoshida," Collin said.
"Yeah," Ann nodded.
"Anyways, we gotta go after this guy. Madarame's the kind of target we've been waiting for," Ryuji said. "Let's help Yusuke come to his senses too… before he ends up like us."
"Right," Octavia agreed. "We need to look into Madarame first, though. There might be more that hasn't been exposed yet."
"It may become easier for us to investigate his Palace if he's preoccupied with his exhibit," Morgana pointed out.
"Also, there's the thing about me modeling!" Ann reminded them. "Kitagawa-kun said there'd be "inconveniences" unless he submits a new piece. Maybe that's going to be announced soon as Madrame's next work!"
"Does that mean the whole country's gonna see you nude!?" Ryuji said.
"Not necessarily," Ren said.
"Oh yeah. It might not show your face," Loona pointed out.
"That doesn't make me feel any better about it!" Ann shouted.
"We must deal with Madarame, no matter what, before his exhibit ends!" Morgana stated.
"Let's start after school tomorrow," Ryuji suggested, before groaning. "It'll be a pain if Miss President finds us on the rooftop again, so where to meet up… Let's see…"
"We could always us my place," Octavia offered. "It's near Shujin and the train station, so getting over to Madarame's place won't be a pain. It'll be a lot more private than some other options as well."
"Oh, that's way better than what I was going to suggest," Ryuji said.
"Changing our hideout periodically, huh? That's a plan I don't mind backing," Morgana nodded.
Suddenly, a woman with a camera and orange sunglasses walked up to the group. "Hey, can I talk to you kids for a sec?" she asked. "From the looks of things, you don't seem like the ordinary, stalking fans." The gang looked at her weird. "Oh, sorry. I should've been more clear. I'm actually looking for people that know Madarame's pupil. There's this painting, "Sayuri," that was supposedly stolen in the past. But there's this rumor that it was taken by one of his pupils in retaliation for being abused. Have you heard anything about that?"
"Collin knows," Ren said, throwing the cherub under the metaphorical bus.
"Me!?" Collin squeaked. "I don't know anything!"
"I see," the woman sighed. "There's no case unless there's a victim, and if there's no proof of abuse… I can't write either. Looks like I'm back to square one. Sorry for taking your time." She went over to Ren and handed him a business card. "I'm a journalist. If you ever get any leads, mind contacting me here?" Ren accepted the card and pocketed it for later. "See you then," she waved and left the group.
"I guess we should go home for today," Octavia sighed, the gang breaking up to continue the investigation tomorrow.
Ryuji: I found something insane about Madarame. Sounds like a student of his offed himself when he couldn't speak up about Madarame stealing his work.
Ren: That's unforgivable.
Collin: Agreed! Sucide is awful, and driving someone to it… It makes me so mad!
Ann: That journalist was looking into Madarame too. It could be real.
Octavia: Someone died though. No one's talking about it… I bet it was covered up.
Ann: I wonder if Kitagawa-kun has heard anything… It'd be great if he could help us out.
Loona: Ain't that asking a bit much? After today, he's probably on edge about us.
Octavia: Either way, Madarame's still a piece of crap! Let's meet up tomorrow. It'll be you guys' first time at my place- and our new hideout. I'll make sure Loona picks up her stray hair.
Loona: Haha. Very funny, princess.
Ann: See you guys tomorrow.
[***]
Ren: Can you come over? I want to show you something.
Octavia: Sure, I can do that.
Octavia went over to Leblanc that night, meeting Ren outside the building. "So, what did you want to show me?" she asked.
"I found something interesting the day after we officially started the Phantoms," Ren said, pulling out his phone and opening up the Meta-Nav. "Here, watch: "Ren Amamiya", "Leblanc", "Thieves Den"."
"Location found," the Nav said, and in a wave of distortion the two were transported into a Palace, but not the same as Kamoshida's or Madarame's. This one looked like a club lounge of some kind, with a high ceiling and red lines all over the walls.
"What is this place?" Octavia asked.
"Hey pretty lady!" said a voice, making Octavia turn to see Jose with his car, along with a hole in that wall that had been patched up by wooden boards.
"Jose? What are you doing here?" Octavia asked. "And what is here?"
The boy shrugged. "I dunno why I'm here, but I do know that this place was created by the cognitions of people like Ren. Here, all of his memories and emotions coalesce and take form. All sorts of wishes can be granted here!"
"It's kind of like my own personal Palace," Ren explained. "Though I think that only those with Goetia blood can properly enter here. I've seen cognitions of the others, but that's all they are: cognitions created from my memories of them."
"Weird place…" Octavia said, looking around, even seeing a cognitive version of herself! "Freaky, but kinda cool. You know, I bet this would be a great place for you and me to talk about demon stuff."
"My thoughts exactly," Ren nodded. "So then, what sort of thing will we be learning today?"
"Well, since you told me that you could use your Third Eye outside of the Metaverse, I was wondering if you could use your other Phantom Thief powers too," Octavia said. "Like hiding the shadows so well that you can't be detected at all."
Ren gave a hum, walking over to a corner of the Thieves Den. Concentrating, he was surprised to find that he could jump into the shadows and hide like in a proper Palace! "We have to try this out in the real world as well," he said, pulling out the Nav taking them back to the real world. After a few tries, Ren was able to use his Phantom Sneaking abilities here as well.
"There you go! You're getting the hang of these demon abilities," Octavia complimented. She then gave a hum. "I know it's because you're half-human, but appearance wise I don't see as much resemblance between you and Duke Raoul."
"That's my dad, right?" Ren asked. Octavia nodded and pulled up a picture on her phone to show to show Ren. It was one of herself alongside Raoul and Stolas. "Mom doesn't have a lot of photos of Dad, but she told me that I have his smile."
"Yeah, you could totally be a lady killer if you work on that charm of yours," Octavia joked.
"And who's the other demon with you?" Ren asked.
"That's Prince Stolas, my dad and your uncle. Both him and Raoul are children of King Paimon, who's the leader of the entire Goetia clan," Octavia explained.
"You look a lot like your dad," Ren pointed out.
"True, but I have my mother's eyes," Octavia said, pulling up a photo of her mother. "That's Princess Stella… or, I guess just Stella now, since she got a divorce from Dad."
"Oh… Sorry about that," Ren said.
Octavia shook her head. "Don't be. The two of them weren't the best match, and I was only thing keeping them together, I think. I just wish I didn't have to deal with all the family drama all the time. That's why I like working on my taxidermy and other projects…" The princess seemed to remember something then. "Oh, right! I was thinking of ways I could help you out, and I think I know just the way. We've been collecting those accessories in Palaces that give new skills for our Personas, right? Well, I think that with a bit of Goetia magic, I could make us some custom accessories."
"We can use these as a basis," Ren said, pulling out a strange card. "They're called Skill Cards, and I can use them to give new skills to my Personas."
Octavia took the card, inspecting it. "Well, I think I could use a transmutation spell to turn a Skill Card in an accessory, but you'll lose the card and I only have enough magic on my own to do it once per day."
"Sounds good to me," Ren nodded.
Octavia smiled. "Well then, I think that was pretty productive night. Just bring me a Skill Card, and the Phantom Thieves will have a shiny new accessory to play with."
[***]
May 18
Octavia and Loona waited for the others to arrive at the hideout the next day. Once they arrived, Ren told the two that they had met Nakanohara at the train station after getting in contact with him through Mishima. Nakanorhara requested the Phantom Thieves change Madarame's heart, as well as to save Yusuke from him, as the young man had been taken in by Madarame after his mother passed away. Yusuke felt obligated to stay with Madarame, even if he wanted to leave, which just made Octavia want to help him even more. The others agreed, and with the unanimous decision, their mission was to begin soon.
"My fellow thieves, welcome to our new hideout!" Morgana announced, standing on the coffee table. Ren, Ann, and Octavia sat on the couch, Ryuji stood behind the couch, while Loona and Collin sat at the nearby countertop on stools. "Our target this time is Madarame! We all saw that Palace. We'll pay dearly if we assume it's just going to be like the last one. And furthermore… Lady Ann's chastity is on the line!"
"What!?" Ann exclaimed in shock.
Morgana continued, "We'll need to do what we did with Kamoshida. First, we secure an infiltration route in the Palace. After that, we send out calling card. Once the Treasure has materialized, we steal it."
Oh, I got question!" Ryuji spoke up. "Madarame doesn't know that we were doing stuff in the Palace yet. Why are we already getting treated like criminals in there?"
'You're learning, Ryuji. Well done," Morgana complimented. "It must be because he doesn't trust anyone. Any unknown person may as well be an enemy."
"Or maybe he's just super salty from all those rumors that have been spreading about him," Loona grinned.
'Then his Palace being so crazy had nothing to do with us?" Ryuji asked.
"Either way, we should stay on our best behavior," Octavia said. "It'll be harder for us to steal the Treasure if we needlessly increase the security level."
"We need to be careful of Kitagawa-kun this time too," Ann added. "I'm sure that whatever he sees will just get passed on to Madarame."
"That's right!" Morgana nodded.
"What do you guys think Madarame's Treasure will look like?" Collin asked. "I don't think it would be another crown, right?"
"I don't know what it will be, but my sixth sense will know when I see it," Morgana replied.
"Oh yeah, you go completely nuts, huh?" Ryuji said.
"Our time limit is when the exhibit ends," Octavia reminded them all. "That means we have until June 5th to pull this off."
"The fact that the school year goes into June is weird. Japan is weird," Loona shook her head.
"We'll carry out the plan after we've sent out the calling card," Morgana said. "So, our infiltration route will need to be set in stone two days prior, on June 2nd."
"Now listen here. We can't mess this up, no matter what! Okay!?"Ann shouted, with everyone nodding in agreement. With a tap of the Meta-Nav, the Phantom Thieves jumped into the Museum of Vanity for the second time.
[***]
Location: Museum of Vanity
The gang was ready to go, but Joker was summoned to the Velvet Room, which Omen watched him enter with concern. When he came back, Joker explained that he learned about Persona Traits, something that all their Personas now had a well thanks to him learning of them.
"So, our Personas now all have new abilities they can use? Cool," Omen nodded. "Let's get this infiltration started!" The Phantom Thieves entered in through the same skylight they had last time, though something had changed since they last visited.
"Hold on, Joker!" Mona warned, holding their leader back. "It's an infrared laser device. If we touch it, the security will increase!"
"Hold on, there wasn't anything like this last time though!" Skull pointed out.
"The rumors might slowly be making Madarame become more wary of us…" Mona speculated. "Joker! They're not easy to see, but you should be able to do it with your skills. Be careful!"
"Third Eye, don't fail me now," Joker said to himself. Using his Goetia ability, Joker led the gang through the lasers, taking out Shadow guards that stood in their way and picking up new Personas as well. He even got to be fancy by using his grapple hook to pull them through a wall of lasers. After opening a shortcut back to the skylight room, the Phantom Thieves pressed on past the statue.
"We'll be in unknown territory once we go past here, right?" Templar asked.
"The security will probably get a little more fierce as well," Mona nodded. "Make sure you don't touch anything or run into any of the displays, all right?"
"…What're you looking at me for?" Skull asked.
"You should know why, blondie," Lycan rolled her eyes. Going into the First Exhibition Room, the Phantom Thieves stopped in a Safe Room before going on. They maneuvered around a particularly nasty-looking Shadow before finding both a shortcut back around to the start of the area as well as a set of stairs that took them to the Second Exhibition Room.
Upon entering the room, they gang walked past a large golden vase, only for Mona to stop them. "H-Hey, wait a second! You're just gonna ignore that golden sheen? Look at that luster… I know it might be tough to take with us, but don't you think it'd sell for tons?" He hopped up onto the vase's pedestal.
"We're you the one telling us not to touch-?" Lycan began to say, only for a clicking sound to be heard. "Oh shit…"
"He stepped on something!" Templar exclaimed.
"Isn't this bad!?" Panther worried.
"Stand back," Joker said, backflipping out of the way was everyone but him became stuck in a cage of security lasers!
"Oh no, I tripped the security!" Mona realized.
"Urgh, and you were the one making us be careful too… So, whaddya wanna do? Run outta here?" Skull asked.
"No, passing through all of these lasers will draw fare too many enemies to our location!" Mona said.
"But Joker isn't trapped," Omen pointed out. "He can find a way to turn off these infrared lasers for us."
"This is a museum, so there has to be some switch to let the workers avoid the lasers. Find it!" Mona ordered.
"I'll get you all out soon," Joker nodded. He ran around the edge of the room, climbing up onto a higher ledge to avoid the guards. The first button he pressed brought down a security wall and the lasers, freeing Panther and Lycan.
"Let's not do that again," Lycan said. Making their way to the other side of the room, the trio stopped in front of a painting as Joker inspected it.
"I think there's a little space between that painting's frame and the wall…" Panther said.
"Let's move the painting," Joker ordered. He and Lycan took the painting off the wall, revealing a switch was behind it! Once they pressed it, both Skull and Templar were freed, leaving Mona and Omen last.
"Wasn't there a room was passed by before coming in here?" Omen asked. "That must have been a control room! If you go there, I'm sure you can turn off the lasers, Joker."
Looking around, Joker found a vent with his Third Eye that led to a control room, where an open laptop was waiting for them. "I think this is what we're looking for. Turn off the lasers, Joker!" Templar said.
"But… it looks like we need a password to use it," Panther said.
"I bet one of the guards knows it," Lycan said. "Here, I'll just go listen in on their conversation…" The hellhound pressed her ear against the door and focused, listening to some Shadows just outside of where they were.
"Hey, did you hear about those intruders?" one the guards asked.
"Yeah, you mean the thieves sneaking around in here?" the leader replied. "I got a call telling me to change the password, just in case."
"And? What did you change it too?" the Shadow asked.
"Hello," the leader said.
"Huh?" the Shadow tilted his head.
"I said, hello! 07734. If you read the numbers upside-down, they spell out the word hello," the leader explained.
"…Isn't that a little childish?" the guard asked.
"Eh, it should be fine as long as nobody else finds out. It's not like anyone's eavesdropping on us," the leader shrugged. "Anyway, don't forget: when you see the code input, be sure to say hello."
Lycan turned back to the others. "The password is 07734. Give it a shot, Joker."
He nodded and typed in the password, which deactivated the last of the lasers! "Those guys did it…! We're saved!" Mona cheered.
"It looks like it worked," Panther smiled.
"Sweet! Let's go grab Omen and Mona and get moving!" Lycan said.
The Phantom Thieves regrouped near the vase, with Mona giving an apologetic bow. "I-I'm sorry… That was very much unlike me…"
"Sheesh… Weren't you the one telling us not to go around touching shit in the exhibit?" Lycan asked.
Mona looked at the vase. "Urgh, that is true… I can't believe I made such a novice mistake, even for solid gold… But something was drawing me to this vase…"
"It just looks like a regular gold vase to me…" Omen said. "Although I wonder…" She held out a hand to the vase, before jumping in surprise as it burst open to reveal a giant diamond inside! "What is this!?"
"Oh, I see… So that's why I was drawn to it!" Mona realized. "Joker, catch it! I'll explain the rest of this later. Just get after it and attack!" Joker hit the diamond, making a ghostly figure pop out of it. The gang all attacked the Regent, but it was too fast for them and eventually ran away, though it did drop plenty of money in its retreat. "It got away…" Mona sighed.
"What was that?" Panther asked.
"That, Panther, was a rare Shadow that occasionally resides in pricey items. I call them Treasure Demons," Mona explained. "They're great. Not only do they give you a lot of experience, they might be useful for your Personas too. However, they run very fast, and attacks don't deal very much damage to them."
"Hey Joker, I bet with those thieving skills I taught you, you might be able to pick out where Treasure Demons are hiding more often," Lycan said.
"I'll keep that in mind. Let's get going," Joker said. Stopping in the next Safe Room, the Phantom Thieves were next blocked by a wall of lasers, with a hole to the next room leading to… a bottomless pit!?
"The Hell!? How the fuck are we supposed to- wait, that guard is walking on the pit?" Lycan looked confused.
"I think it's just painted on the floor to psyche us out," Mona said. "Let's keep going."
Moving through more hallways and taking out Shadows as they went, the next obstacle the gang faced was an electric fence popping up and blocking the way back. "Intruders in the Second Exhibition Room! Apprehend them at once!" the voice called on the intercom, making Shadows spawn into the room with them.
"Crap, let's get outta here, fast! Which way's the exit!?" Skull panicked.
Hiding in the shadows, Joker snuck around the room an climbed up some crates, grappling over to a nearby ledge and pressing a button, which deactivated the electric traps.
"Nice work as always, Joker!" Mona praised.
Omen suddenly got a shutter. "I think… Yes, I feel like there's a Will Seed nearby!" Following her instincts, the princess led the gang up some stairs to a place where Joker could grapple them up to a narrow walkway. On the other side was familiar vine covered door, and within the blocked-off room was the first Will Seed of the Palace. "There's two more to find from this Palace, and I bet we'll get a good accessory for our troubles as well," Omen mused.
Heading back onto the right path, the Phantom Thieves came across a room that led to a small outdoors area, with a shiny golden building just across the way. "Whoa, it's even gaudier than the rest of the museum…" Panther said.
"It certainly looks like a place where you'd hide something important," Templar mused.
"Let's go find out, then!" Lycan grinned.
Walking down the path, the gang were amazed as the artistic panels opened for them but were just as disappointed to find more security fences blocking their way forward, this time being a mix of both the electric fences and the laser grids. "How I wish all of us could just fly over this…" Templar said.
"Doesn't help that our demon and angel powers don't work as well in Metaverse either," Omen shook her head. "There's no way to get past these lasers…"
"This level of security only proves there's something worth protecting up ahead," Mona said.
"Wait, there's something written on this sign," Panther stated. "All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it. Please be cautious, as it is impossible to open from the outside."
"So, it's never gonna open!? How're we supposed to get past!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Wait… That door… I think I've seen that pattern somewhere…" Mona said. "Oh, right! There's no mistaking it! That's the same door I saw earlier! Guys, let's head back!"
"What are you on, cat?" Lycan raised an eyebrow.
"I think I know what real-world door that's based on. There may be another way to open it!" Mona said. "In any case, I'll explain later! Come on, let's go!"
As Mona ran off, the rest of the team looked to Joker. "I guess we should listen to Mona for the time being," he shrugged.
[***]
Back in the real world, the Phantom Thieves discussed what could be done about the door blocking their way. "That laser grid looked insane. How the fuck are we supposed to get past that?" Loona questioned.
"I dunno… You think there's some kinda off switch somewhere?" Ryuji suggested.
"Looks like this is where I come in!" Morgana said. "I have a suspicious place in mind. Remember? This shack is the basis for Madarame's Palace. I actually scouted it out the last time we were hhere."
"So this was your plan from the start?" Collin asked.
"Correct," Morgana nodded.
"You only went "scouting" because you were bored," Loona rolled her eyes. "So, where's this suspicious place?"
"It's on the second floor. I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock on a door up there," Morgana explained.
"If it's locked, that means there's something in there he doesn't want people to see," Octavia pointed out.
"But don't we wanna be opening the door in the Palace?" Ryuji said, confused.
"Yes, and we're going to do that by opening the real one in front of Madarame's eyes," Morgana elaborated. "Basically, we're going to change his cognition that the door is unopenable."
"I was wondering of something like this was possible," Octavia nodded. "So, if we open the door in Madarame's house, the corresponding area in the Palace will open on its own?"
"Is that gonna work?" Loona asked.
"Trust me! There's no chance it won't open," Morgana affirmed. "…I think! You understand, don't you, Joker?"
"It can't hurt to try," Ren shrugged.
"Well, yeah, but…" Ryuji was unsure about all of this.
"Why don't you trust me!? It's worth a try!" Morgana shouted.
"But even then, there's still that hefty lock we have to deal with in reality, right?" Ann pointed out.
"Oh, that'll be a breeze. Just give me a hairpin and I'll handle it," Morgana said.
"But… you don't have hands…" Collin said.
Morgan paused. "Shoot, you're right. In that case, I'll need your help, Collin. Since you can turn invisible, you can sneak in with me and pick the lock with my instructions. It will take some time though, especially with a rookie doing the deed, and doing it in front of Madarame would be impossible. If only there was someone to distract him for a while…" He looked over at Ann.
"Oh… Oh!" Ryuji said, realizing what Morgana was getting at. "Man, how are we even gonna get into his house? We'd get reported for sure if we force ourselves in…"
"What?" Ann said flatly.
"I guess the only way is… having you go nude," Ryuji said.
"WHAT!?" The girls all shouted.
"Fancy you say that, Ryuji. I was just thinking the same thing," Morgana mused.
"This isn't funny!" Ann shouted.
"Did you both just forget the trauma that Ann went through because of Kamoshida!?" Collin said. "Both of you should feel ashamed for wanting to force Ann into such an uncomfortable position!"
"I get it, as it'd give us Ann an excuse to enter Madarame's house without raising suspicions, and it would keep Yusuke distracted…" Octavia said, before shaking her head. "Still, there has to be a better way. And what would happen if she got found out?"
"We can run into the Palace… or something?" Morgana said weakly.
"You're not giving me much confidence in this plan," Ann scoffed. "Do I have to be the bait?"
"Hm…" Ren wondered.
"Wait, all we really need to do here is trick Yusuke, get to that door, and then open it, right?" Loona said. "Then how about we make a counteroffer to Yusuke? He's an artsy guy, so what if give him something more… appetizing to draw?"
"What are you getting at?" Octavia asked.
"If Ann isn't comfortable with getting nude in front of a guy, then you just need someone that is… like me," the hellhound explained. "All Ann needs to do is convince Yusuke that I'd be a better model for his painting. Then I can distract him while Morgana and Collin open the door."
"You'd be willing to do that for me?" Ann asked. "Thank you so much, Loona."
"Don't thank me yet. You still need to convince Yusuke to take me on as a model," Loona replied. "Hm, maybe we can pull a bait-and-switch on him? We'll go over the call before you make it. If worse comes to worst, you will have to do it, but I think you can convince him to let me take your place."
"I'll do my best," Ann nodded.
"We'll be counting on you two as well, Morgana and Collin!" Ryuji said. "Don't let Yusuke notice ya, okay?"
"Plus, if he does try to do anything to me or Ann, I'll just show him that this girl has claws," Loona grinned, holding up a hand and letting her nails grow out into claws.
"Let's try to get this done as soon as possible," Octavia said. "Ann, you should call Yusuke tonight and see if we can have this arranged for tomorrow. He did say he'd drop everything to get this painting done, after all."
"I'll try," Ann said.
"Let's get down and dirty tomorrow!" Loona said with a grin. "Oh, this is going to be fun…"
Loona: You get in touch with Yusuke?
Ann: Mm-hm. He asked me to bring you by tomorrow.
Ryuji: Aw yeah, he fell for it!
Ann: I'm surprised that he agreed to it. He said Loona could capture the "modern gothic essence" or something like that? He still wants me to stick around, though, to "make sure your friend doesn't cause any trouble."
Loona: Hope you boys are ready to see me bare it all!
Octavia: Collin and Morgana will be distracted with the door, so they won't see anything. The rest of us will be in the Palace waiting for you four.
Loona: They will once the painting is done.
Collin: Wait, I thought you were just distracting him?
Loona: And the best way to do that is to go along with it, so…?
Ren: Just be careful.
Ann: Yeah…
Ryuji: Man, this is such a pain… We gotta open the door AND have Madarame see it, right?
Octavia: Yeah. Morgana said that'll change his cognition.
Ryuji: I don't get it…
Loona: Whatever. If anything weird happens, I'll just go full hellhound on Yusuke and knock him out.
Octavia: Please don't use your demon powers on him…
Loona: No promises!
Ann: I'll keep Loona in check, don't worry.
Loona: You're goth no fun…
[***]
May 19
After school, the gang met up at the hideout to set their plan in motion. Rain fell softly outside as they went over what they set out to do: Loona and Ann distract Yusuke while Morgana and Collin pick the lock on the door. Once that's done, Loona just has to keep Yusuke distracted long enough for Madarame to come home, at which point Ann gets Madarame to see the unlocked door which will hopefully unlock the door in the Palace. Ren, Ryuji, and Octavia will wait in the Palace to confirm that it works. From there the three of them will find the control room and make sure the laser gates can't open anymore.
The gang split off from there, with Ren, Ryuji, and Octavia entering the Metaverse while Collin and Morgana snuck into Madarame's home behind Loona and Ann. Yusuke was ecstatic to have his muses over, taking them to his art room as he prepared his paints. "To think you'd really come… I assumed you were lying when you contacted me," Yusuke admitted.
"I'm sorry it was so sudden," Ann apologized.
"Oh, it's not a problem," Yusuke assured her. "But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes. So um… I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety on your friend's part."
"That's why we're here today, damnit," Loona muttered.
"What was that?" Yusuke turned to face her.
"Nothing!" Loona said quickly. "Let's just get this painting over with."
"I'll admit, I was unsure of Takamaki-san's suggestion of having you take her place for his painting, Nyx-san," Yusuke said, eyeing her over. "But upon closer inspection, I do think your unique and avant-garde style will bring something special to this painting rarely seen in Japanese art."
"Just make sure you get my good side," Loona said.
"So, then… can you, um…" Yusuke looked flustered now. "Get ready here?"
"She… needs to take her clothes off, right?" Ann asked.
Yusuke turned away. "Y-Yes please…"
'God, you're both so nervous about this. Aren't you the one that wanted a nude painting?' Loona thought.
"I'll just… look the other way," Ann said, quickly facing the wall as her face became tinged with red. Yusuke turned away as well, while Loona just rolled her eyes.
"I'm stripping now…" the hellhound announced. She had switched into her casual clothes for an easier strip down, Loona starting by pulling her top off and tossing it aside. She took delight in Yusuke flinching as her top landed by his feet. Next came her shoes, followed by her shorts and panties, each causing Yusuke to make strange noises as she purposely tossed them his way. "Phew, that was tight. Do you want me to keep my accessories on or not?" Loona asked.
"Tight…?" Yusuke hung on those words, before shaking his head. "No, I'm doing this for art! And yes, remove your accessories as well."
"I'll just keep staring at this wall…" Ann said. "Hey, you're Sensei's coming back soon, right?"
"I believe so…" Yusuke replied, seeing Loona's stocking and gloves hit the floor next.
"Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely…" Loona suggested.
"This should be good enough…" Yusuke said.
"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" Loona said, hanging on her words to try and entice the artist.
"A lock?" Yusuke scratched his head.
"Must a girl say more?" Loona said in a sultry tone, before tossing her choker away.
Yusuke flinched again. "But the only one with a lock is… Sensei's room…"
"Then why not there?" Loona asked.
"I can't intrude… Besides, I don't have the key…" Yusuke replied.
"Of course he doesn't have the key…" Ann muttered.
"That's why we're here," Morgana whispered. "I'll just have Collin use this hairpin…"
"Nyx-san, are you about done?" Yusuke asked, turning around.
"Well, I'll just let you two be alone for this while I stand outside!" Ann said, stepping out of the room and closing the door. As she let out a sigh she didn't know she had been holding in, she looked to see Morgana and Collin standing there, with the angel's face as red as a tomato. "You okay, Collin?"
"I didn't expect for her to go through with that…" Collin said. "Lord forgive me for staring a woman's body like that. Please don't tell Loona that I saw her undressing, Ann."
"Something tells me she wouldn't care…" Ann sighed. "But my lips are sealed."
Back in the art room, Loona stretched out her body, showing off all of her curves before leaning over the stool. "So then, Yusuke, are we going to get started or not? Your sensei is going to be here soon, right?"
"R-Right…" Yusuke said, before taking an inquisitive stance. "Would you be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in a dynamic composition?"
"Pose like… this?" Loona said, copying a pose she'd seen in an X-rated magazine.
"Perhaps not that exotic…" Yusuke turned away from her again.
"Just trying to get the mood," Loona laughed, positioning herself into a more natural pose.
"Wait! Hold that pose," Yusuke exclaimed, grabbing his pallet and brush. "Yes, that will do just fine."
With the distraction now in place, Ann kept and ear out for Madarame's return so she could give Loona the signal. "We're counting on you, Mona and Collin…" she said to herself.
[***]
Location: Central Garden
"They seriously gonna be able to pull this off?" Skull asked as they stood outside the gates.
"Lycan was a secretary at her last job, so keeping people busy in conversation is something she's good out, hopefully," Omen said. "I'm more worried about if Templar will be able to pick the lock, even with Mona's help…"
Skull nodded. "Plus we ain't got one sign this place is gonna open… Isn't Madarame coming home soon? On top of that, even if Templar's able to unlock the door, how's he gonna show it to Madarame? And then even if they do show it open, any normal person'd just close it right up again. Doesn't that mean we only have a few seconds to get in?"
"I believe that Panther will find a way to make it happen," Omen said. "But it will be a miracle if this works."
"Let's just wait and see," Joker said.
"…It's almost time," Omen noted, checking her phone's clock.
[***]
"Come on, Collin!" Mona whispered, watching as the cherub struggled with the hairpin.
"I'm sorry, I've never had to pick a lock before!" Collin apologized.
"Don't give me apologizes, give me results!" Mona shouted.
Down in the art room, Yusuke was hard at work painting Loona's portrait, the hellhound posed in a way that showed off her body in a tasteful manor. 'You know, this isn't so bad,' Loona thought. 'Maybe after this is over, I can get Blitz to steal the painting for me. It'd be nice to have a keepsake from all this Phantom Thief business, and I know Blitz would be pissed knowing that a boy saw me naked… Yeah, let him be mad about it!'
"I must say that you've been an excellent model so far, Nyx-san," Yusuke said. "Yes… this will be one of my finest works so far. We should be done before Sensei gets home."
As he said that, Ann gave a small knock on the floor, which was the signal that Collin had successfully picked the lock. 'Took him long enough,' Loona thought. "You know, if your Sensei gets home before we finish, we could always move to a more… private location. Maybe that room with the lock you mentioned? I could even give you a 'good time' if you know what I mean…"
Yusuke became flustered. "I'm sorry, but even if we were allowed in that storage room, I don't have the key to the lock."
"Storage…" Loona said to herself, before standing up and grabbing her clothes. "Then we'll just have to finish this painting another day. I don't think I could handle being naked in front of two guys at once…"
"As I said, only Sensei can go in there," Yusuke said weakly.
Loona blew some hair out of her face. "Maybe my feelings aren't getting through to you… or are you just not into girls like me, Yusuke?"
"N-No, that's not true…" Yusuke said.
"Then let's just move this to a more private show," Loona said. "Because if you don't move us somewhere else before your sensei gets here, I'm leaving."
"But…" Yusuke tried to say.
"Let's just go, okay!?" Loona said, getting annoyed by his stubbornness.
"What do I do?" Yusuke muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the front door of the house was heard opening, followed by Madarame announcing, "I'm home."
"Fuck it," Loona said, bolting out of the room a down the hall towards the upstairs. Ann quickly followed behind her, then Yusuke soon after.
"W-Wait!" the artist shouted as he pursued the two girls.
"Yusuke?" Madarame called, moving to where the noise was.
As Loona made a mad dash to where she could smell Morgana and Collin, she didn't expect for the cherub to be standing outside the doorway as she ran inside. The scene almost seemed to move in slow motion as Loona rammed right into Collin, making her trip and drop her clothes as she fell on top of the cherub, giving him a face full of cleavage.
'Just let me die here…' Collin thought, knowing that he was as good as dead for what was happening.
"Get off me!" Loona shouted, pushing herself up off the floor and blushing up a storm. "I expected to get felt up today, but not by you!"
Collin started to mutter out rapid apologies as Loona quickly put her clothes back on, only to look around the room in confusion. "What are you doing here!?" Madarame called as he came around the corner with Yusuke and Ann.
"It's… It's not what it looks like!" Yusuke pleaded, knowing how bad it looked to have two women, one of them in a state of undress, inside his sensei's house without him knowing. Ann just sighed and dragged Yusuke into the storage room, forcing Madarame to follow.
"Not in there!" Madarame said.
[***]
Location: Central Garden
"Nothing's happening…" Skull whined. "I wonder what's-"
The door in front of them suddenly opened, followed by the laser gates deactivating. "It's off!" Omen exclaimed. "They seriously did it!"
"They're amazing," Joker nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, for real!" Skull agreed. "Okay, let's find that control room, quick! The path's gonna close up if we dick around for too long! But it's just the three of us for a bit. You guys ready?"
"Let's kick some tail," Joker replied.
"Hell yeah!" Omen cheered. Heading inside the building, the three Phantom Thieves found a red-suited guard waiting for them. "That didn't take long at all… You ready, Joker?"
"Let's beat it down," he nodded.
"Yo, you're gonna let us through, right now!" Skull shouted at the Shadow.
"Hm? Who are you!?" the Shadow asked. "I see, that attire… You must be the thieves who dare threaten Lord Madarame!" He transformed into his true form, a giant gorilla-like demon with tiger stripes and a white mane. "They got past the security system!? You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Lord Madarame's territory!"
"You guys ain't got nothing on us!" Skull taunted. "I'm more scared of screwing up and having Ann yell at me!"
"Garm!" Joker called, summoning the guardian of Hel to his side. The hellhound Persona used Agi on the Security Shadow, knocking it down.
"Let's hold off on the All-Out Attack, seeing as we don't have a full party," Omen suggested. "It's health is still too high for us to take down with a single team attack."
"Then I'll just hit it while it's down. Let's go, Captain!" Ryuji shouted, summoning his Persona to Headbutt to deal some major damage. The Shadow got back up after that and tried to use Skull Cracker, but Omen simply dodged out of the way.
"Hua!" Omen called, using her Persona to cast Gry and knock the Shadow down once more. "It's weak. Time for some brutality!" the princess shouted. The trio went in for an All-Out Attack, which defeated their enemy with spectacular flourish.
"Phew… Things are a lot tougher when it's just the three of us…" Skull said, wiping sweat from his brow. "It'd be a pain in the ass if we got spotted again. Anyways, let's turn off that security system!"
[***]
"Takamaki-san, Nyx-san, this is bad!" Yusuke said in distress.
"Are these the lights?" Ann asked, flicking a switch on the wall. As they came on, the group gasped as they say countless recreations of "Sayuri" laying around the room.
"What the…" Yusuke said in shock.
"Isn't this… "Sayuri"?" Ann asked. "Why are there so many of them?"
"I have no idea…" Yusuke said, genuinely not knowing the answer.
"Get out!" Madarame ordered.
"Sensei, what is the meaning of this?" Yusuke asked.
"I suppose I can't keep quite now that you've seen this…" Madarame sighed. "Truth be told… I'm in severe debt. I handmade these "Sayuri" copies and have been selling then through a special connection of mine…"
'Could he be referring to that Goetia I saw at the exhibit?' Collin wondered, the cherub still invisible, even if Loona now had him in a death grip.
"But why?" Loona asked, thankfully now fully clothed once more.
"The real "Sayuri"… was stolen by one of my pupils long ago. I assume they begrudged my strictness…" Madarame explained. "That moment was quite a shock for me… Since then, I've been mired in a terrible artist's block… Because of this distress, some of my pupils handed their ideas over to me from time to time… I know I couldn't keep that up so I attempted to recreate the "Sayuri" a number of times. However, it results I nothing more than replicas… That's when someone came to buy the paintings, knowing well they weren't the original…" He shook his head. "It's all my fault. I couldn't pay the price of being famous. As expectations for me rose, it reached the point where I had no choice but to keep making them… I… needed money to further your talents… I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher…"
"Please don't…!" Yusuke approached his sensei.
"Hold on… Something doesn't add up," Ann said. "If the original painting got stolen, how did you make copies of it?"
"I… happened to find a finely details photograph of it in an artbook," Madarame replied.
"So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original?" Loona said. "I'm note I know how this works, but don't people who buy paintings generally have an eye for the fine arts? This sounds like bullshit to me."
"What would you know!?" Madarame shouted.
"Something just doesn't feel right!" Ann said.
"Lady Ann!" Morgana whispered, hiding out of sight. He eyed an easel covered by a purple cloth. "This one seems different!"
Ann and Loona turned to the easel, with the blonde removing the cloth to reveal…
"Sayuri"?" Yusuke gasped. "This… This is the real "Sayuri"!" He turned back to Madarame. "But you just said a moment ago that it was stolen!"
"That's a replica!" Madarame said, but Loona could see a nervous sweat starting to build on his face.
"No, it's nothing of the sort!" Yusuke shook his head. "This painting kept me going… it's the reason I made it this far… Sensei… Don't tell me…"
"It's fake… Yes, a counterfeit! I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!" Again, Loona could smell the lies on his breath.
"So you're telling me that the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit? That's pushing it," Ann scoffed.
"You're lying, Sensei…" Yusuke glared. "Please, just tell us the truth…"
"You too?" Madarame said. He pulled out his phone and waved it around. "I've reported you to my private security company!"
"What!?" Ann exclaimed.
"I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it'd come in so handy," Madarame said smugly.
"Please, wait! Let's talk about this!" Yusuke pleaded.
"You can talk all you want to the police… That includes you, Yusuke," Madarame said.
"Let's get out here!" Loona shouted, grabbing Ann's arm as she ran out of the room, holding the still-invisible Collin and prompting Morgana to follow them.
"A cat!?" Madarame exclaimed. "Where did it- There's no point! They'll be here within two minutes!"
"Takamaki-san! Nyx-san!" Yusuke shouted, running after the two girls.
[***]
Location: Treasure Hall Lounge
"Let's get to that control room!" Omen said. Looking over to the side, the gang quickly found a security office. "This looks like the place. And I bet that the one computer that's on is the one we need to use."
Joker went over and opened up the security files, finding the right ones to turn off. "Disengaging security protocol," the terminal said.
"Sweet! Now the lasers in the courtyard should be off for good," Skull grinned. "Well, that's mission complete! Come on, let's get outta here!" As the trio left the security room, they could hear Shadows moving their way to investigate. Once they were back out in the Central Gardens, they saw that the security gates were now completely down. "I hope those four managed to get away…" Skull said.
"No!" Panther shouted, falling out of the sky alongside Lycan, Mona, and Yusuke. Yusuke managed to catch Panther, while Lycan was still holding Templar. The hellhound and cherub both realized they were still holding tight to each other and quickly broke it off. As for Mona, he fell right on top of Yusuke, knocking the artist to the ground.
"Well, shit…" Omen muttered. "You okay, Mona?"
"Ow…" the not-cat groaned out.
"I thought I was gonna die…" Panther said, before looking at Yusuke. "Hey, will you let go already!?" She pushed him off with a forceful palm strike, knocking Yusuke onto his back. "Oh, no! I didn't mean to push him so hard… Are you okay? Wake up!"
Once he recovered, Yusuke looked around at the gang in shock. "Who are you all!?"
"Calm down, Kitagawa-kun! It's me!" Panther said.
"…Takamaki-san?" Yusuke said, looking past the mask to find her. He looked at the others. "That means you two are..." He raised an eyebrow at Mona at the three other-worlders. "I don't recall these animal costumes before though… What is this place?"
"We're inside Madarame's heart," Panther explained.
"Inside… Sensei's heart?" Yusuke repeated, finally standing up. "I'm sorry, Takamaki-san… but are you sure you're feeling okay?"
"She ain't lying. This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothing but a greed- filled money-grubber," Skull said.
"Enough of this rubbish!" Yusuke shouted.
"Dude, did it never cross your mind that something wasn't right about Madarame!?" Lycan shot back.
He looked to her. "Nyx-san? You're-"
"A hellhound, yeah, and she's a demon princess, and he's a cherub," Lycan rolled her eyes.
"Look, you may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Madarame's eyes," Panther explained. "This is his true nature."
"This repulsive world?" Yusuke questioned, looking around. "Just who are all of you?"
"I guess you could say… We're a group that changes the hearts of the wicked to make them repent for their sins," Templar replied.
"If everything you say is true, then the sensei I know doesn't exist…" Yusuke looked down.
"You gotta snap out of it," Skull said.
"Still… he has kept me safe these past ten years. My gratitude for that won't just disappear," Yusuke said.
"You're gonna forgive him!?" Skull exclaimed. "At his rate you'll…"
Yusuke suddenly let out a noise and fell to the ground. "Are you okay?" Omen asked, kneeling down next to him alongside Panther.
'I'm trying to be rational about this, but my emotions are overwhelming me…" Yusuke said.
"Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle," Mona said. "The security level's gone through the roof! We need to get out of here at once!"
Yusuke just panted as his body and mind went to war with each other. "Here, lean on my shoulder," Joker offered a hand to the artist.
"No, it's all right," Yusuke shook his head, before standing up.
"We need to get out of here!" Mona said. "That said, we have an amateur with us now. Let's try to avoid fighting as much as possible!"
"Yusuke, stay close to Joker- er, I guess you know him as Amamiya-kun," Omen said. "He'll keep you safe in the shadows." Yusuke just nodded, with the gang running back into the museum proper to make their exit. As they went past the portraits of Madarame's past students, Yusuke couldn't help but stare.
"So this… is the inside of Sensei's heart?" the artist asked. "A vain museum such as this…?" He stopped by one of the portraits. "Ah, this painting…!"
"Do you recognize it? We've basically confirmed that these are most likely his past pupils," Omen said.
"But… why are there paintings of them here?" Yusuke questioned.
"Technically, those aren't actually paintings. They're the pupils themselves," Mona explained.
"Madarame saw 'em as objects, so that's what they are in here… Oh, and… we found yours too," Lycan said. She wouldn't admit it, but she was starting to feel pity for Yusuke and his situation now.
Yusuke just looked away. "We'll talk more later. For now, let's get out of here," Mona said. As they got to the room with the statue, Shadows suddenly appeared to block the way. "The exit is right there!"
An evil laugh was heard, which made the gang turn around to see Shadow Madarame standing there with more guards. His Shadow-self wore gaudy golden robes, his face done up in traditional Japanese makeup, complete with a large topknot. "Talk about bullshit clothes! First a king, now some kinda shogun!?" Skull scoffed.
"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame…" Shadow Madarame greeted.
"Sensei? Is that you?" Yusuke asked. "That attire…"
"Disgusting," Panther sneered.
"This… This is all one big lie, isn't it?" Yusuke questioned.
"My usual ragged attire is nothing more than an act," the shogun explained. "Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home… under a mistress's name, of course."
"Some setup you've got," Joker snarked.
"Ha-ha-ha! Don't make me laugh!" Shadow Madarame said.
"If the "Sayuri" was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, who made copies!?" Yusuke demanded answers. "If it's really you, Sensei… please tell me!"
"Foolish child. You still don't see? The painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!" the shogun explained.
"What do you mean!?" Yusuke gasped.
"Let me see… How does this sound? "I found the real painting, but I can't go public… You can have it for a special price, though…" He laughed. "How's that for preferential treatment!? Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!"
"No!" Yusuke fell to the ground in shock.
"The value of art is purely illusion. What's the matter with providing that illusion to eager customers?" Shadow Madarame argued. "Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!"
"You keep going on and on about money this, money that…" Lycan growled. "No wonder you ended up with his disgusting museum!"
"You're supposed to be an artist, right!? Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work!?" Omen shouted.
"Art is nothing but a tool… A tool to gain money and fame!" the shogun explained. "You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke…"
"God… Pisses me off… That's your teacher," Skull said.
Yusuke looked up at that Shadow. "But what about the people who believe in you? Who think you're a master artist!?"
"I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I 'd advise you don't rise against me," Shadow Madarame warned. "DO you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down?" He laughed.
"To think I was under the care of this wretched man!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"You thought I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas… After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back," the shogun explained.
"I can't believe this…" Yusuke muttered.
"Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!" Shadow Madarame shouted. "But I tire of this little chat. It's time that I-"
"You are unforgivable," Yusuke glared, making the shogun face him again. "It doesn't matter who you are… I won't forgive you!"
Shadow Madarame sneered as Yusuke stood up tall again. "So, you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude? You damn brat! Men! Dispose of these thieves!"
"Get back!" Panther warned Yusuke.
"How amusing…" Yusuke said with a small smile, much to the confusion of the others. As Yusuke started laughing, Omen felt something welling up inside the artist. "It seems truth is stranger than fiction, hm?"
"Kitagawa-kun?" Panther asked.
"I wanted to believe it wasn't true… I had clouded my vision for some long…" Yusuke said. "My eyes were truly blind… Blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!"
"Have you finally come to your senses?" a voice said, Yusuke's eyes turning yellow as presence filled his mind.
"Looks like someone has found his will of rebellion at last," Omen said with a smile.
"Indeed, Aeon," Hua said in agreement.
Yusuke grabbed his head in pain as the voice spoke. "How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth… A deplorable imitation indeed… Best you part from that aspect of yourself!" Yusuke fell to the ground, dragging his hands on the ground so hard that his fingers began to bleed. "Let us now forge a contract… I am thou, though art I… The world is filled with both beauty and vice… It is time you teach people which is which!"
A mask appeared on Yusuke's face; a kabuki masked styled after a kitsune. "Very well… Come, Goemon!" With stylish flair Yusuke ripped off his mask, revealing his Persona to be a larger-than-life Japanese man in traditional Kabuki theater attire holding a giant smoking pipe as a weapon. Yusuke's clothes had changed as well, wearing a ninja-like outfit with a large popped-up collar. "A breathtaking sight… Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle… Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known… Abominations are fated to perish!"
"Whoa, this is impressive!" Mona said, watching as Goemon gave off an icy blast of wind.
"Who do you think you are!?" Shadow Madarame accused. "The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards!? Kill them all!"
As Shadows appeared to fight the Phantom Thieves, Yusuke stepped forward. "The children who adored you as "Father"… The prospects of your pupils… How many did you trample upon? How many dreams did you exchange for riches!? No matter what it takes… I will bring you to justice!"
"Let's see what you're made of," Joker said, taking a stand next to their new ally.
"Very well, bring it on!" Yusuke said, a mad grin on his face.
"You are in the presence of Lord Madarame!" the lead Shadow said. "On your knees, intruders!"
"I learned much from you, Madarame. In order to see authenticity… one must be passionately realistic," Yusuke said. "With Goemon by my side… I can now ascertain your true self without any reservations!"
"Those Tengu are weak to Ice magic!" Omen noted, bringing up her staff. "Think you got this, Yusuke?"
He nodded. "Come, Goemon!" With a quick Bufu spell he knocked two of the Koppa Tengu down, before passing the baton to Joker to knock over the other two. From there, Lycan and Templar used their guns to finish off the Tengu, leaving only the lead Shadow to be dealt with.
"Take this!" the Shadow shouted, using Skull Cracker on Templar, leaving him dazed.
"Hey, take this, asshole!" Skull shouted, using a Headbutt on the Shadow.
"Templar, I'll heal you up!" Panther called, summoning Carmen to cast Dia on the Cherub.
"Why don't you go down!?" Omen shouted, casting Gry.
"I don't think our magic will affect it," Joker said, calling on Imp to try and cast Dormima., only for that attack to be blocked. "And status effects are out of the question."
"Let me try," Yusuke said. Calling on Goemon, the Persona used Giant Slice on the Shadow, which landed a critical hit and knocked him down! With that the gang jumped in for an All-Out Attack, with Yusuke striking a pose. "It was fun while it lasted. Goodbye." With the battle concluded, Yusuke tried to approach Shadow Madarame, but fell to his knees in exhaustion.
"Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain," the shogun said. "I'll destroy every chance you've ever had of becoming an artist!"
"Madarame!" Yusuke spat out.
"You'll forever rue the day you dared defy me," Shadow Madarame said before walking off.
"Get… back here!" Yusuke tried to get up, only to fall again. Panther and Lycan managed to catch him before he completely collapsed.
"Kitagawa-kun!" Panther gasped.
"We got you, fox boy," Lycan said.
"Why can't I move!?" he asked.
"You just came down from the adrenaline of gaining a Persona. You can't do much, even if you wanted to!" Omen said.
"What a disgrace I am!" Yusuke shook his head.
"Come on, just listen to her," Skull said. The gang moved over to some nearby chairs out in the lobby.
"You've known for quite some time, haven't you?" Panther asked.
"I'm no fool. Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair," Yusuke explained, head down. "But… who would want to admit that he man they owned their life to was doing such terrible things?"
"Why didn't you just… leave?" Templar asked.
'Well, he is the one who painted the "Sayuri." On top of that, I owe him a great debt…" Yusuke explained.
"You mean 'cause he raised you?" Lycan guessed.
"I… never knew my father. I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three," Yusuke said. "That's when Sensei tool me in. I heard he helped my mother while she was still alive."
"Heard…?" Panther questioned.
'To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother either. I did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father… but he changed," Yusuke continued. "To think he would treat the "Sayuri," the very foundation of his art, like that!"
"A lot's happened to you, huh?" Skull said.
'When you had mentioned plagiarism… deep down, I knew you were right," Yusuke admitted. "That's why I so vehemently denied you… I was simply running from the truth. I'm sorry."
"We all understand," Joker replied.
Yusuke smiled. "I'm grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time."
"You're way to serious, fox boy," Lycan chuckled, giving Yusuke a slap on the shoulder.
"That's why you're always getting stuck in your head," Skull added. "Look at me! I just go with the flow."
"For real," Ann chuckled.
"What are you going to do now?" Mona asked.
"I don't know…" Yusuke shook his head.
"We can't help the fact that Madarame's gone and changed," Omen said. "But… we can change his heart and make him pay for his crimes."
"That reminds me, you mentioned something about that "change of heart" earlier…" Yusuke said.
"You heard the rumors about the Phantom Thieves that steal hearts? That's us," Omen said with a grin.
"You mean…?" Yusuke started to say, only for Shadows to suddenly appear.
"Shit!" Lycan cursed.
"We'll talk later! We need to scram!" Mona ordered.
It was then that Yusuke realized his was in an entirely different outfit. "When did my clothes change?"
"You just noticed that now?" Lycan said, exasperated.
"Save it for after! Let's go!" Panther exclaimed.
The team made a break for it, escaping back into the real world.
[***]
After all of that, the Phantom Thieves and Yusuke met up in a local diner Ren knew about. There they explained everything to Yusuke: The Metaverse, Palaces, Morgana, and the fact that both demons and angels were real and working alongside humans to enact changes of hearts. "…I see," Yusuke said. "And because of that, this PE teacher's had a change of heart… The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts, and the realms of Heaven and Hell… To think they truly exist."
"We're right in front of you," Loona said, letting her hellhound ears pop out for a moment.
"Is it hard to believe?" Ren asked.
Yusuke shook his head. "No, I believe you… There's no need for common sense to blind me after seeing a world like that. So, you plan with Madarame-sensei-" He paused. "With Madarame, is to force a change of heart, correct? Let me join… as a member of the Phantom Thieves. Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well. That… is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was… in some manner, my father."
"Civil, huh," Octavia repeated. 'If Dad or Mom had a Palace, would I be as strong as Yusuke to stand against them and change their hearts?'
"Sounds fine to me," Loona nodded. "We were gonna take him down anyway, if you helped out or not."
"He may have a mental shutdown if we screw up," Morgana warned.
"We have ways to prevent that, but they aren't fail-safe," Collin added. "I think we mentioned that earlier on the way here?"
Yusuke nodded. "Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. He has connections to many organizations. If someone like me raises my voice, it'll only be snubbed out… We have no option but this."
"Kitagawa-kun…" Ann breathed.
"It's a deal then," Morgana smiled.
"We have a new member in the Phantom Thieves now!" Ann cheered. "I hope we get along, Yusuke!"
"You better not slow us down," Ryuji said.
"I believe in you!" Collin added.
"I want to see you use that katana again. You were a badass back there," Loona grinned.
"I'll do my best," Yusuke smiled.
"Welcome aboard," Ren said, shaking the artist's hand.
"Thank you. I ask that you coach me well," Yusuke said, returning the gesture.
"Oh, that reminds me… I wonder what's going on with the real Madarame," Ann pondered. "We were all in a pretty tight situation…"
"Actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing you two," Yusuke explained. "And just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his Shadow."
"What did he say?" Loona asked.
"He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch two high school girls," Yusuke replied. "However, he's still furious about it, and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone."
That got the group worried. "Talk about being completely on guard…" Ryuji shook his head.
"Legal action… He's being really paranoid," Collin said. "Maybe he still has more left to hide?"
"If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during the show would be his loss," Yusuke explained.
"And we didn't even get to finish my portrait either," Loona sighed.
"Really, that's what you're worried about?" Ann questioned.
"What, I was getting into it," Loona defended.
"We already had our deadline set for before the exhibit ends, but now we must do it to make sure this "legal action" isn't taken against us as well," Morgana said. "Looks like our plan is still… well, following our plan!"
Yusuke looked at Morgana. "By the way… what is this? You didn't mention Morgana as being a demon or angel, so what is he?"
"A cat," Ryuji and Loona said together.
"But it's talking," Yusuke pointed out.
"You have a problem with that!?" Morgana glared.
"No, not really," Yusuke shook his head. "I find that more mundane after realizing that the afterlife truly does exist."
"He's on a different wavelength from other people for sure," Octavia chuckled. "By the way, Yusuke, I know that you're a painter but… what's your opinion on taxidermy as an art form?"
"Ah, so you're a connoisseur of the arts as well!" Yusuke said. "I'm sure we can have many lively discussions about various art movements!"
"Hey, I still want to have my portrait done!" Loona exclaimed.
Yusuke turned to her. "Hm, perhaps we can still do that, but would it be fine for me to redo it in your true state. I find your fur patterns as a hellhound fascinating, even more so than your appearance as a human…"
"Sure, why not? I prefer the fur to this disguise anyway," Loona shrugged. "Hey, does anyone else want some food?"
"I was thinking of ordering some black bean jelly," Yusuke mused.
"I bet he got that idea from a "black cat"…" Ryuji muttered.
"Oh! I didn't bring any money," Yusuke realized.
"Never mind. He's just weird," Ann sighed.
"Be lucky you have a princess as a friend now, Yusuke," Octavia shook her head, taking out her credit card.
Confidant Rank Up
Confidant: Octavia Goetia
Arcana: Aeon
Rank 2 Description: You showed Octavia the Thieves Den, and she taught you to use Phantom Sneak in the real world. She seems worried about her parents.
Rank 2 Ability: Charm Maker- Once per day, Octavia can use a Skill Card from Joker and craft it into an accessory to be used by the Phantom Thieves.
Author's Note
This chapter was super fun to write. I already love Yusuke for his eccentric personality, but getting to have him interact with the HB characters is a treat. I didn't go into this chapter thinking that him and Loona would get along, but I guess the hellhound is just so used to dealing with people like Blitzo that Yusuke's quirks don't really faze her (also her being voiced by Erica Lindbeck might be a part of it, who knows?)
Also, we get a big change with Loona being the one to model for Yusuke, and our hellhound even goes through with the nude posing! I think Loona would totally go for something like this, if only just because she knows that Blitzo would flip if he found out his daughter got naked in front of a boy. And poor Collin, he did not expect Loona to go that far, did he?
Octavia gains a rank in her Confidant, and yes, I am making the Thieves Den canon to this story. The game itself describes it as a Palace for the Phantom Thieves, and Morgana even explained last chapter that even good people can have them, so I decided that the Thieves Den will be Ren's personal Palace space for him to relax in. Octavia also unlocks the ability Charm Maker, which would let you create accessories out of Skill Cards. You could probably make some broken setups with this ability if you combine it with Yusuke's card creation and duplication skill.
Finally, I want to tell you what Persona Traits our HB party members would have:
- Octavia (Hua): Warrior Sense: Gives a slight chance that party members will avoid magic attacks (does not work on status moves)
- Loona (Madame Queen): Double Dog Dare: Increases allies' chance of inflicting Confuse/Fear/Despair/Rage/Brainwash by 25%
- Collin (Zaphnath-Paaneah): Shining Cloak: Gives a slight chance that party members will hang on with 1HP after being attacked with a move that would knock them out (does not work on instant death spells/skills)
Next time we'll be finishing up the infiltration with Yusuke by our side, so I'll see you all then!