Chapter 16: Art Appreciation

"-ck?!" Jolyne exclaimed, flabbergasted by the strange boy's even stranger request. The hell did being a 'muse' mean?

"Mind explainin' yourself?" Ryuji asked, the Unforeseen Boy was about to open his mouth to respond, when a car pulled up next to the cur and interrupted him. The back window rolled down, revealing an older man with long grey hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Ah, there you are, Yusuke! I was wondering where you had gone off, too!" The man said, and then noticed the people next to Yusuke. "Oh, so this is where your passion led. All's well that ends well, I suppose." He said, and let out a hearty laugh. The boy, now identified as Yusuke, simply turned back to Jolyne, who was still slack jawed.

"I'm sorry. I finally saw you from the car, and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei. My feet had a mind of their own." Yusuke explained. "Please, you're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, will you-" Before he could go any further, Jolyne held up her hand.

"OK, before you say anything else, you gotta answer a few questions. Namely, who the hell are you, and why were you following Ann?" Jolyne asked, gesturing to the still irate Ann.

"Ah, my apologies. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." Kitagawa introduced.

"Alright, so that's question one down. Nice to meet you, I guess." Ann responded. "So why were you following me if you were looking for my friend?"

"And what the hell's that muse thing you were askin' about?" Ryuji followed up.

"Allow me to explain. Recently, my art has been suffering. I've hit what can only be described as 'artist's block', and-"

"Ok, slow down. What's this about art?" Jolyne inquired.

"Oh, my apologies. I appear to have gotten ahead of myself. I am an art student, currently enrolled at Kosei Academy." Kitagawa answered, and Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

"Kosei? Never heard of it."

"Kosei's a school for gifted students, right?" Ann asked, Kitagawa nodding in confirmation.

"That is correct. I am currently enrolled there on an art scholarship, but the past few weeks, I have been experiencing…well, I suppose the closest equivalent is when an author suffers from what they call 'writer's block.'"

"Ok. How do I fit into all of this?" Jolyne asked.

"Last week, I was running an errand for Sensei in Shibuya, when I saw the three of you gathered in the subway. As soon as I saw you, with your unique features and combination of aesthetics, I found myself overcome with inspiration for the first time in weeks. I knew, then and there, that I must make you my muse!" Kitagawa explained, and the car honked its horn.

"Hurry, Yusuke! You're going to be late!" The older man scolded.

"My apologies, Sensei! I'll only be a moment longer!" Kitagawa apologized, before turning back to Jolyne.

"So, what the hell does being a 'muse' mean?" Jolyne asked.

"You would be the source to which I look to in order to draw inspiration for my artworks." He explained.

"So…you're not trying to ask me on a date?" Kitagawa looked taken aback at this.

"Of course not. Why would you think my intentions were so ignoble?" He asked.

Good grief, this guy's weird… Jolyne thought to herself, while Kitagawa spoke again.

"I understand that this is a lot to ask, and you probably have school just as I do. Please, take a few days to consider my offer." With that, Kitagawa fished into his pocket, retrieving three tickets from his pocket. "Sensei has an art exhibition opening at the Kame-Yu department store on Sunday. I will be there to help on opening day. If you could give me an answer in regard to being a model, I would greatly appreciate it." Jolyne still looked unsure, but she took the tickets as Kitagawa looked at the two beside her. "I doubt you two have much interest in the fine arts, but I included tickets for you as well."

"Yusuke!"

"I'm coming, Sensei." With that, Kitagawa bowed. "I'm sorry for any trouble I may have caused you. I hope to see you on Sunday." With that, he got into the car, the window rolling up as the car pulled away.

"Well…not how I saw that goin' at all." Ryuji said after a moment of silence.

"That dude was seriously weird. I just can't believe he was looking for Jolyne, not me…" Ann muttered, and Ryuji cracked a mischievous grin.

"You jealous?"

"Of course not! I just thought it was weird that I'm the one he stalked!" As the two began to bicker, Jolyne uncrumpled the flyer, looking it over. It was an advertisement for an art exhibition at the Kame-Yu in Shibuya, just like the strange boy had said. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until Jolyne noticed the name on the flyer.

"Uh, guys?" Jolyne said, drawing the two out of their bickering. She held the tickets towards them, pointing at the name. Ryuji and Ann leaned forward, reading the contents.

"'Come enjoy the works of…Ichiryusai Madarame?'" Ann read aloud, and their eyes both widened.

"Wait, wasn't Madarame the name that Nakanohara's Shadow mentioned in Mementos?" Ryuji asked, and Jolyne nodded. "Think it could be the him?"

"Well, on one hand it's not exactly a common last name. On the other, it'd be one awfully big coincidence…" Ann contemplated.

"You're not seriously thinkin' about goin' to that thing, are you?" Ryuji asked, and Jolyne pursed her lip as she thought for a moment.

"…I think I will." Jolyne responded, but before she could elaborate on her decision, Morgana stuck his head out of his bag.

"I think it's worth looking into later. Aren't you three forgetting something?" He chimed in, and they had to think for a moment…

"Oh crap, exams!"

"We're gonna be late!"

"Run for it!"

Saturday, 5/14/20XX, After School, Shibuya Underground

"It's over!" Ann cheered, stretching her arms behind her head.

"It's over…" Ryuji sullenly groaned, his entire face downcast.

"Gimme a break…" Jolyne groaned out, rubbing her temples to alleviate the migraine in her head.

"You two need to get your act together! You could have avoided this if you'd studied a little more!" Morgana scolded from inside Jolyne's bag, and Ryuji just sighed as he pulled out his phone.

"No sense complainin' about it now. Like it or not, they'll come back graded next week." He sighed out, beginning to idly drag his thumb across the screen.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Jolyne asked.

"The usual site." He answered, and let out another sigh. "It's no use. There ain't any useful info in any of these, and the number of new postings are getting less and less every day."

"I guess everyone's already getting ready to move on." Ann stated, and Morgana scoffed.

"I refuse to let us become one hit wonders!"

"There's no use getting antsy. Oh, I know what we can do!" Ann exclaimed. "We've still got a little money left over, so why don't we go eat lunch somewhere?"

"Oooh, I want sushi! Or domestic raised eel!" Ryuji chimed in, and Jolyne sighed.

"Good grief, it's always food with you two…" She muttered, when something clicked in her head. "We've still got those tickets to that art exhibition."

"Well, yeah, but that's tomorrow. Besides, I'm still a little weirded out by that Kitagawa guy…" The blonde model replied, and Morgana's feline face twisted into a scowl.

"That damned Yusuke…I'll never forgive him for causing Lady Ann such distress!" He sneered out.

"I dunno, he seemed more…awkward than creepy." Jolyne replied, and Ryuji adopted a teasing grin.

"You fall in love with the guy already?" He teased, and Stone Free's arm manifested to whack him on the back of the head. "Ow!" He groaned out, but noticed, that, as the arm disappeared, Ryuji thought that it had seemed solid, rather than the silhouette he had been able to see before…

"It's not like that, smartass." Jolyne retorted before Ryuji could think about it anymore, and out of the corner of his eye, Morgana could have sworn Ann looked almost…relieved? "Like Ann pointed out earlier, Madarame isn't exactly a common last name, and it's our only lead on what Nakanohara's shadow said in Mementos."

"That's a good point…"

"I saw a special about that Madarame guy on TV, and his art's like, really good. So even if that lead doesn't go anywhere, we'll at least be able to see some nice art." Ann stated. "Besides, who knows the next time you'll get free tickets to something like this."

"And who knows? Maybe appreciating a little fine art for once will actually make you smarter." Morgana jeered. "Appreciating the fine arts build character. Any Phantom Thief who can't identify an original piece of artwork is unworthy of the name!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go!" The former track star responded. "Sheesh, fine arts…I don't see what's so fine about 'em…" he grumbled to himself.

"It's settled then. I'll meet you guys at the exhibit entrance tomorrow." Jolyne stated, and Ann giggled.

"'Going to an art exhibit' sounds kinda mature…" She said to herself, but Ryuji just groaned.

"This is gonna be lame…"

Yongen Jaya

The bell above the door of Leblanc rang as Jolyne entered the empty restaurant. "Welcome home." Sojiro greeted from behind the counter. "How'd exams go?"

"Eh, less said the better." Jolyne responded, and instead of scolding her like she expected, Sojiro just chuckled.

"Trust me, I know the feeling. Tests were never really my strong suit when I was in school. Just make sure you study a little harder next time." He instructed.

"Got it, Boss." His ward responded, the restaurateur looked around his empty shop.

"Not really anyone here, and it's a little too early to close up shop…" Sojiro muttered to himself, stroking his goatee. "Say, remember that conversation we had a while ago?"

"You mean the one where you asked for me if I wanted to help out around here?" Jolyne asked, and he nodded.

"I know we've both been busy since then, and you're probably tired from your exams. But if you're up to it, I can get you started while it's empty in here." Sojiro asked, and Jolyne had to think for a moment. Sure, she was a little wiped from the exams, and they had the art exhibition tomorrow, but she still had a bit of energy left.

"Sure, why not." The Stand User replied, and her guardian smirked.

"Alright then. Go ahead and get changed, and I'll get everything set up in here." A few minutes later, Jolyne was standing behind the counter, dressed in a long sleeved eggshell colored shirt, a pair of jeans, and an dark green apron.

"Alright. Now what?" Jolyne asked, and Sojiro folded his arms.

"Now then, since you're going to be working in my store, I'll need to hammer the basics into you. You know what I'm talking about, right?" He asked.

"Making coffee, right?" Jolyne responded, and Sojiro nodded.

"That's part of it. The store's not exactly the busiest around here, but I'm real particular about how we make coffee. A customer tells me you made them a bad cup, I'll kick you out without a second thought. Got that?" For a second, Jolyne thought that Sojiro was joking, but that notion was dispelled when she saw the stern glare.

"Y-yes, Boss."

"Good. Now, the other part of it is small talk. In a place like this, good coffee and good conversation go hand in hand. If you properly engage with a customer, and make a rapport with them, the more likely they are to come back and become a regular." Sojiro explained, and Jolyne just nodded along as she listened intently. As soon as he finished his explanation, the bell above the door chimed.

"Excuse me, is this place open?" A young voice asked. The two turned to see a boy about a year older than Jolyne, with shaggy brown hair and reddish brown eyes. He wore a tan colored coat with black buttons over a black and white tie, black gloves, and black pants.

"I know it might not look like it, but we're still open for business." Sojiro replied, the boy smiled slightly as he walked over and took a seat at the bar. "What can I get you?"

"Coffee. Black, with two sugars please." Polite Boy replied.

"Coming right up." With that, Sojiro pulled Jolyne close to him. "You know how to make coffee, right?" He whispered into her ear, and Jolyne nodded. "Good. Something like this should be a good chance for me to see what you can do. Remember, conversation is key." With that, he patted her on the shoulder, and backed away. Jolyne took a rough swallow, before she went to work. As she poured the beans into the siphon and turned it on, the transfer student remembered her guardian's advice, and turned to the boy.

"So…you're a little younger than the people I normally see in here. How'd you hear about this place?" Jolyne asked after a moment of silence.

"I heard about this place from someone I work with. He wouldn't stop raving about this place's coffee, so when I ended up with some free time, I figured I would check it out." The polite boy replied, and her eyebrow perked up at this.

"You have a part-time job?" She asked, he lightly chuckled.

"I suppose you could call it that." The young customer responded, before his eyes travelled over to the television screen. Jolyne followed his gaze, seeing the headline "KAMOSHIDA INVESTIGATION CONTINUES". "How disgraceful. To think a man like that would be placed in a position of power like that…" He muttered to himself, just audibly enough for Jolyne to hear.

"Are you interested in all that?" The barista-in-training asked, getting a nod.

"Ever since that man confessed like he did. I can only imagine what his students had to endure. However, it's his confession that interests me more than anything." The boy said, folding his fingers together and placing them just under his chin. "By his own admission, this Kamoshida had been abusing his students like that for years. Yet because one of his victims tried to take her own life, he suddenly felt guilty and gave up his power like that?" He monologued, Jolyne listened intently as she brewed the coffee.

"Maybe since that was the first time someone had done something like that, he felt guilty enough to confess?" Jolyne suggested, he tapped his chin.

"Possible, but unlikely. A man like Kamoshida would have no compunctions about the impact his actions had on his victims. And then there was that strange message, the one that seemed to display intimate knowledge of his crimes." He stated, Jolyne dryly swallowed.

"Maybe that was from one of his victims, someone who had decided they'd had enough of seeing him run around with no consequence." She replied, and the boy raised an eyebrow.

"It seems I'm not the only one with an interest in this case. I thought so as well at first, but the more I thought about it, the more questions that arose. If they wished to accuse him, they simply could have gone to the police, or if they wished to blackmail him, whoever it was could have done so privately. Instead, they chose to ensure that attention would be drawn to it, including picking an extravagant alias. 'These Phantom Thieves'…what was their goal? Why did they chose to accuse him that way, and what made Kamoshida confess the way he did?" The polite boy pondered, and Jolyne slightly grimaced. This guy was sharp.

"My guess? Kamoshida felt the walls closing in, and figured he'd have a better chance if he confessed himself." Jolyne answered, and the Polite Boy's lips flattened into a line as he thought that over, while Jolyne began pouring the coffee into a cup.

"Maybe…" He muttered out, before he saw Jolyne drop two sugar cubes into the coffee cup and begin to stir it. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to ramble on like that."

"Don't worry about it. Here you go." The secret Phantom Thief responded, setting the coffee cup down in front of Polite Boy. A gloved hand picked it up, and he lightly sniffed the aroma wafting out of the cup. Seemingly satisfied with the scent, he slightly blew the hot liquid, before taking a sip.

"Mmmmm, delicious…" Polite Boy gasped out. "Not bad for your first attempt." He complimented, and Jolyne's eyes widened.

"How did you-"

"Know it was your first day? I simply noticed your body language." He responded, and Jolyne raised an eyebrow.

"Were you checking me out?" She asked, and the boy slightly blushed as he let out a chuckle.

"Nothing so indecent as that. Let's just say that noticing small details like that is important in my line of work." He responded, taking a lengthier sip of his coffee this time. "You seemed awfully knowledgeable about that incident. If you don't mind me asking, what's your interest?" He asked, continuing to drink his coffee.

"I…have a friend who goes to Shujin. She told me all about it." Jolyne fibbed, not wanting to give away too many personal details to the complete stranger.

"I see. Well, hopefully, the matter will resolve itself soon enough." The polite boy stated as he finished his coffee, and fished a few yen out of his coat. "The coffee was delicious, and the conversation was…stimulating." He said, getting out of his seat and heading towards the door, before looking back at Jolyne. "I believe I may come here again sometime soon." And with that, Jolyne let out a sigh of relief.

"Good grief, why do I keep meeting so many weirdos this week?" She muttered to herself. No doubt about it, that kid was almost scary smart, displaying a better grasp of the Kamoshida situation as most of the people at Shujin.

"Not bad." Sojiro said from behind Jolyne, causing her to jump. In her conversation with the Polite Boy, Jolyne had forgotten that her guardian had been behind her, silently evaluating her coffee making. "You engaged with the customer, and it looks like you may have gotten us a new customer. On top of that-" Sojiro went over to the coffeemaker as he spoke, pouring himself a small cup of coffee and taking a sip. "-for your first cup of coffee, this isn't half bad, just like he said. You might just have a future at this after all." He praised, Jolyne gave a slight, sheepish smile as she scratched the back of her neck.

"Thanks, Boss." She replied. Getting praised from her guardian didn't feel half bad.

Rank Up! Hierophant Rank 3!

"Now, next I'll show you how to-" Sojiro started to say, when the bell above the door rang. "Looks like that'll have to wait…" Sojiro spun around. "How can I help..." He started to say, before he saw the person's face and stopped cold. "You…"He gasped out, looking like he had just seen a ghost. Jolyne looked to the door, seeing a man around Sojiro's age with his arms folded.

"Hello there! It's been quite a while, Sakura-san!" The man greeted. "I heard you opened up a shop, so here I am! It wouldn't have hurt to mention it to me, though. Gotta say, picking a location right by the subway was a stroke of genius! I can see what Wakaba saw in you." The man jeered, and Sojiro narrowed his eyes.

"Can I take your order?" He almost growled out, and Jolyne saw that his hands were both clenched.

"No small talk? I forgot how cold you could be, Sakura-san." The man stated, and sniffed the air. "Oh, this smell…this brings back memories! I see you're still making that curry, huh? Guess you're still not over her, huh?" Sojiro's hands were beginning to shake.

"What's your order, sir?" Sojiro asked, almost hissing out the last word. The man just chuckled at that.

"I just dropped by to check in. I'll come see you again soon, though. Bye!" The man said, and left the café. As soon as the door shut, Sojiro's face twisted into a sneer.

"How the hell did he find out about this place? Damn bastard…" The restaurateur muttered to himself.

"That guy seemed pretty sketchy." Jolyne stated, and Sojiro chortled, a small smile reappearing back on his face.

"Heh, you're pretty sharp. Let's just say…he's someone I never wanted to see again. Don't worry about it." He responded, turning back to Jolyne. "Anyway, if you have time for questions, you have time to be learning about the different bean types. You're not any use to me if you can't learn the ABCs."

"How many different bean types could there be?" Jolyne asked.

"More than you'd think. First, there's-" Sojiro began to say, when the clock on the wall chimed. "Sheesh, that time already? Well, not much we can do about it. C'mon, let's start closing up." He instructed, and Jolyne just nodded.

Sunday, 5/15/20XX, Shibuya

The Phantom Thieves entered the exhibit, Ryuji letting out a low whistle at the crowd that had already gathered inside. "Damn, wasn't expecting this big of a turn out here…" He said, Morgana pushed himself out of Jolyne's bag, steadying himself on her shoulder.

"So crowded. This Madarame must really be talented to draw a crowd of this size…" Morgana mused, Jolyne elbowed the bag.

"Hey, keep your head down. It'll be a pain in the ass if anyone sees you." She ordered, Morgana reluctantly obeyed as Ann looked around.

"Wow, these are way better looking in person. TV doesn't do it justice…" She muttered out, looking at the paintings on the walls.

"You came!" A familiar voice called out, and the three turned to see Kitagawa approaching them, now dressed in a grey jacket over a pink shirt. "And…you came." He was obviously less thrilled to see Ryuji and Ann than he was to see Jolyne.

"What'd you expect when you gave us those tickets? Ain't like we got anything else going on." Ryuji responded, but Ann nudged him in the ribs.

"Ignore him. We're grateful you decided to invite us, Kitagawa-kun." She said.

"Just make sure that you stay clear of the other visitors." He instructed, then turned to Jolyne. "Please, allow me to give you a tour. I'd like to talk more about the picture I would like to draw." He offered, and Jolyne turned back to her friends.

"Well, see you guys later." Jolyne bid farewell, before following Kitagawa into the exhibit, leaving Ryuji and Ann alone.

"Ugh, we really gotta do this? Can't we just go home?" Ryuji groaned out.

"Not like we have anything else to do. Might as well appreciate some fine art while we're here." Ann scolded, and tapped her chin. "Now where are we supposed to start…?

Meanwhile, Yusuke was leading Jolyne through the exhibits, who was taking in all the different paintings on display. "Damn, I didn't know there were so many types of Japanese art." Jolyne commented, and Kitagawa nodded.

"Usually, one artist chooses to concentrate and refine one particular style. However, everything you see here was created by Sensei himself." Yusuke explained.

"Ah, there you are, Yusuke!" A voice called, and Jolyne turned to see the man from the car the other day approaching him.

"Sensei!" Kitagawa greeted, and the man, who Jolyne assumed to be Madarame, turned to Jolyne.

"Ah, you're the girl from the other day." Madarame greeted. "How are you enjoying the exhibit so far?"

"I don't really know how to put it into words. All of this is honestly kinda amazing." Jolyne replied, and Madarame chuckled.

"You're sensing something from the artwork. That alone is enough to bring me great joy." The artist said, and turned to Yusuke. "I believe this will be a marvelous piece, Yusuke. I look forward to seeing it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've dodged the media long enough." With that, Madarame turned and left them.

"So that's Madarame?" Jolyne asked, and Kitagawa nodded. "He seems so easy to approach. Unlike some other artists I know…" Images of a certain mangaka that always seemed to have a stick up his ass flashed through Jolyne's head.

"Indeed." The strange art student replied, and something caught Jolyne's eye.

"Whoa…" She began walking towards a painting on the wall. It was an abstract painting, with flecks of red and yellow across a dark green backdrop, almost reminiscent of tree leaves in the fall. Kitagawa followed her gaze, and his eyes widened.

"That one…?" He muttered out, walking next to her. He roughly swallowed, before he spoke again. "This painting…it speaks to you?" Jolyne nodded at this. "If I may ask, what about it speaks to you?" Kitagawa asked, and Jolyne pursed her lips

"I guess…it looks to me like it's the painter's anger. I feel a strong frustration from it." She explained, and softly chortled. "Guess even guys like Madarame have stuff they bottle up…" Outside of her field of vision, Kitagawa's eyes became downturned.

"…yes, even Sensei has his issues. We all…we all have our own inner turmoil." He sullenly responded. "There are better pieces than this. Come now, this way…" He beckoned, and from inside the transfer student's bag, Morgana took note of Kitagawa's reaction.

Meanwhile, Ann and Ryuji were wandering around the art gallery. Ann looked pretty interested in the paintings on the wall, while Ryuji looked like he would rather be anywhere else. "Oooh, I saw this one on that TV special. It looks a lot prettier in real life…" The blonde model said, staring at a wave painting.

"If you say so. This stuff all looks the same to me." Ryuji stated, when he caught something out of the corner of his eye, just by where they were standing: a cluster of reporters, all surrounding Madarame. "Hey, that him?" Ryuji asked as he pointed to the crowd, and Ann nodded.

"Yeah, that's the guy who was on TV the other day." Ann answered, and the two moved slightly closer so that they could hear what the reporters and Madarame were saying.

"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination, Madarame-san! You have such an expansive range of styles, it's hard to believe that it all stems from one person! Where in the world does such inspiration come form?" One of the reporters said, and Madarame scratched his chin.

"Well, that's rather difficult to put into words. I suppose my inspiration naturally wells p within my heart, floating upwards like bubbles in a hot spring." The elderly man replied.

"Your paintings have been reported to sell for millions of yen all around the world. I'm sure you're able to afford to wait however long you need for inspiration to come." Another reporter said, but Madarame shook his head.

"I believe it's important for one to distance themselves from worldly desires such as fame and money. My atelier is but a modest shack, more than enough to pursue true beauty. I only keep enough money to support myself and the pupils living under my roof, and donate the rest to programs designed to elevate young artists." Madarame explained, and Ryuji's ears perked up at that.

"A shack…?" He muttered to himself as the interview continued, and Ann listened intently.

"Huh. I never would've guessed living like that would be a good way to get inspiration. I guess if it works for him, though…" She mused, when Ryuji took off towards the exit. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I gotta check something. Come on!"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the gallery, Kitagawa was still leading Jolyne through the exhibit, showing her the various paintings Madarame had done, where he would inform her of the meaning of the paintings and what had inspired Madarame to create them. "Well, I'm certainly impressed. I gotta say, I never would've thought too hard about all this stuff otherwise." Jolyne commented, and Kitagawa merely nodded.

"I'm glad that I could inform your viewpoint. Now, about the reason I invited you here…" The young artist said, and Jolyne sighed. She supposed she couldn't put it off forever.

"So what exactly is it you want me to do?"

"Like I said before, I wish for you to be the muse for a painting, preferably a portrait."

"So what, basically be a model?" She asked, and the blue haired boy's eyes lit up at this.

"Yes, exactly!" He replied, and Jolyne sighed.

"I dunno. I've got enough on my plate as it is, so I need to think about it." She replied, but he just nodded.

"I had been hoping I could convince you today, but I understand if you have not reached a decision. Here, let me give you my contact information, and-" Kitagawa started to say, when he just stopped and blinked a few times. "Oh dear."

"Something wrong?" Jolyne asked, and Kitagawa dryly swallowed.

"This is rather embarrassing, but…I don't believe I ever learned your name." He admitted, and Jolyne blinked a few times.

"So you stalked my friend, tracked me down, and invited me here, and you never even learned my name?" Jolyne asked, and he just sheepishly nodded. However, instead of chastising him, Jolyne just laughed. "Good grief, it never ends…" She just laughed out, before calming herself. "Name's Jolyne Cujoh." She replied, and Kitagawa lightly smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cujoh-san."

After they had exchanged contact information, the leader of the Phantom Thieves went off in search of her friends. Not finding them in the gallery, she left the exhibition hall to find them waiting just outside the exhibition hall, with Ryuji browsing on his phone. "So how far did he make it?" Jolyne asked.

"We made it almost halfway through, before he ran off." Ann replied, and Jolyne let out a low whistle.

"I'm impressed. I thought he was going to be gone in 10 minutes." She commented.

"So how'd it go with Kitagawa? He didn't try to pull anything creepy, did he?" Ann asked, and Jolyne shook her head.

"Nope. He just showed me around the exhibit, and tried to convince me to do that model thing again. I actually met that Madarame guy, too." Jolyne answered, Ann's eyes widened.

"Wait, you mean you actually spoke to him?" She asked, the transfer student nodded. "What was he like?"

"He seemed pretty nice. I expected a guy like that to have a big ego, but-"

"There it is!" Ryuji exclaimed, cutting Jolyne off as he looked up from his phone. "Oh, Jolyne's back."

"Thanks for noticing. What's up with you?"

"Well, we overheard Madarame talking with those news guys, and somethin' he said reminded me of a post I saw online the other day. I just found it." Ryuji explained, and began to read off his phone. "'A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's works. The persona he shows on TV is merely an act.'"

"And? Madarame's not the only famous artist in Japan." Jolyne stated.

"There's more. 'His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He forces them to live in squalor in a shack, claiming that it's for them to find inspiration, while he lives in a mansion, only barely giving them enough money to survive. All the while he teaches them nothing, bossing them around like their dogs.'" Ryuji read off.

"Abuse and plagarism? That's quite a combo…" Ann muttered out. "You don't think Kitagawa-kun posted this, do you?"

"Hard to tell. It's all anonymous and stuff." Ryuji replied. "Mishima's the admin for this thing, right? Think he could help us out?" Jolyne tapped her chin for a minute.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask. I just can't believe that a guy like Madarame could be capable of having a Palace. He seems as far from Kamoshida as you could possibly get." She mused, and that's when Morgana popped out of her bag.

"I definitely think there's more to it beneath the surface." The Not-Cat chimed in. "Just because someone appears nice, doesn't mean they're free from having distorted desires. That man you met in there could merely be a façade." Morgana stated. "Besides, there's something else that's been bothering me. Remember that painting we saw in there?"

"You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"You know the one I'm talking about! The one that stood out to you after we talked to Madarame!" He replied, causing Jolyne to remember what he was talking about.

"What about it?"

"You were too busy looking at the painting too notice, but there was something about Yusuke's reaction that bothered me. When you were talking about how Madarame was the one who painted it, it almost looked like there was something he wanted to say, but he stopped himself before he could." Morgana explained, his feline brow furrowing above his bright blue eyes. "Given Yusuke's reaction, and the nature of that message, I think that Yusuke is the one who really painted that picture." He stated, Jolyne's eyes widened.

"Wait, are you serious?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I'm willing to bet money on it." He stated, and Ann's brow furrowed.

"All this stuff is definitely worth looking into."

"This all fits way too well. Madarame's exactly the kind of target we've been looking for, but where do we even start?" Ryuji asked. "I don't even know where we would even begin to start askin' about this stuff. Ain't like we can just ask Kitagawa straight to his face…" He muttered out, and a light went on in Jolyne's head.

"That…might be easier than you think." She said, and the other Phantom Thieves looked to their leader. "He asked me again if I wanted to be his muse, and I told him I'd think about it, so he gave me his number, and the address for his atelier."

"Didn't Madarame say he lived there?" Ann asked aloud, and Ryuji grinned.

"Alright! Let's go tomorrow, and stake the place out!"

"Sheesh, you're so gung ho…" Ann muttered out.

"I agree. Let's head there tomorrow."