~X~
~ May 19 - Madarame's Shack - After School ~
General POV
After school, the Phantom Thieves met at the expressway to review the plan. Then they all set off with Yuki, Ryuji, and Futaba heading into the Palace, and Ann and Morgana went to meet with Yusuke.
Right now, Ann and Yusuke were inside the room while Morgana was hiding just around the door.
"To think you'd really come… I assumed you were lying when you contacted me," Yusuke said while he prepared his painting supplies.
"I'm sorry it was so sudden," Ann said.
"Oh, it's not a problem," Yusuke said. "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 part."
"That's why I'm here today, damn it," Ann muttered.
"What was that?" Yusuke looked up from his supplies.
"Oh no, it's nothing," Ann waved off.
"By the way… Have you…" Yusuke struggled to find a way to phrase the question. "...Gained some weight?"
Yusuke's question made sense. Ann was wearing at least twelve layers of clothing. It was a huge surprise to Morgana that she managed to get that much on.
"You think so?" Ann anxiously said while peeking over the layers. "I weigh the same as always… Maybe I'm bloated today."
"So then… can you um… get ready here," Yusuke said.
"I… need to take off my clothes, right?" Ann said slowly.
"Y-Yes, please…" Yusuke looked away and nervously brushed his hair.
"I'm embarrassed… Could you look the other way?" Ann said, and Yusuke did so.
Ann started taking off the layers, but the amount of them made it hard for her to move her arms. While this would help stall for time, she didn't want to stall for too long. With a bit of effort, she finally took off the first top. With some more effort, she took off more layers.
"Phew, that was tight…" Ann said, relieved to have some breathing room.
"T-Tight?" Yusuke whispered, then shook his head, trying to shake away the impure thoughts. "No, I'm doing this for art."
"Don't look over here, okay?" Ann tried to say playfully but sounded forced. Fortunately, Yusuke didn't notice. "Hey, your sensei's coming back soon, right?"
"I believe so…" Yusuke caught a glimpse of another piece of clothing that landed near him.
"Do you think we could do this somewhere else then?" Ann asked. "A little more atmosphere would be lovely…"
"This should be good enough…" Yusuke said, confused by the question.
"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" Ann said, still trying to sound alluring but still coming off forced.
"A lock?" Yusuke asked, seemingly confused.
"Must a girl say more?" Ann said.
"Wha!?" Yusuke was startled as another piece of clothing flew in front of him. He quickly moved it out of his mind and back to Ann's question. "But the only one with a lock is Sensei's room."
"Then why not there?"
"No, I can't intrude… Besides, I don't have the key…"
Ann sighed. "He says he doesn't have the key," she whispered to Morgana.
"It's okay. That's why I'm here," Morgana reassured. "I'll just use this hairpin…
"Takamaki-san, are you about…" Yusuke turned around and paused. Ann stood in her school uniform with a huge pile of clothes next to her. "You were wearing all this?" he motioned to the pile in disbelief.
"D-Don't you think it's cold today?" Ann said nervously.
"I suppose so?" Yusuke was unsure what to say. "The sun is starting to set…"
"Riiight?" Ann said in an overly sweet tone. "That's why a change of location would be nice… I mean I'm going to take it all off…"
"True…" Yusuke was still unsure what to say. Ann's odd behavior was confusing him. Still, he looked at his canvas, thinking about Ann's words. "It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model's mood…"
"Uh-huh. That's right." Ann played along.
"She may be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in dynamic composition…" Yusuke continued his thoughts.
"Wait, what poses!?" Ann's fake smile instantly fell.
"Lady Ann! Get back in character!" Morgana whisper-yelled at her.
Ann cleared her throat and recomposed herself. "Let's gooo… I was just starting to get in the mood," she said as she left the room. Her overacting completely went over Yusuke's head.
"Wait if you wander around, Sensei will…" Yusuke tried to stop her.
"Ohhh… It's sooo hot," Ann said.
"We really can't use any other room!" Yusuke protested once more. But he noticed Ann's uniform blazer fly and land in front of the door.
"Hey, why not this one?" he heard her call from further in the house.
"Please, wait!" he rushed out of the room, trying to follow her.
He paused as he saw her discarded hoodie further down the hallway. He sighed and picked up the blazer and the hoodie. It would be rude to Sensei to have Ann's clothes strewn around the house.
"T-Takamaki-san?" Yusuke called out. He lost her trail and has no idea where she went.
"Upstaiiirsss…" he heard.
He went up the stairs and found her shirt, tights, and boots. He picked those up as well.
"Please, can you just wait-" Yusuke finally caught up in a hallway. Ann was now wearing a pink tank top and cutoff jean shorts.
"What's past here?" Ann cut him off and went to peek around the corner.
"Takamaki-san, please, you can't-!" he tried to stop her, but she kept moving forward.
Ann looked around the corner and saw Morgana was still trying to pick the lock. "You're still not done!?" she whispered.
"It's hard to do this… with cat paws!" Morgana shouted back, still focusing on the lock.
"...Is something the matter?" Yusuke walked up and noticed Ann's worried face.
"Oh, um," Ann was startled but quickly got back into character. "Sooo, what is this room?"
"It's a storage area for old paintings," Yusuke answered.
"Storage area?" Ann glanced at Morgana who was still working on the lock. "Hey, Kitagawa-kun… Why don't we… do it in here? I won't be embarrassed if we go somewhere nobody can find us…"
"Only Sensei can go in there," Yusuke protested.
"Pleeease…? I wanna be alone with you," Ann playfully said in her forced way. "Somewhere like, quiet. You know, where we won't get interrupted."
"...Is he really going to buy that terrible act?" Morgana wondered aloud.
"Stay focused!" whispered to the cat, then turned back to Yusuke. "Ohhh, it's just sooo frustrating that my feelings aren't getting through to you. Kitagawa-kun, do you not like girls like me?" she swooned, earning another sigh from Morgana.
"N-No, that's not true…" Yusuke stammered. "It's just… we can't go in there! Even if I was allowed, only Sensei has the key!"
The three of them paused when they all heard a door opening from downstairs.
"Yusuke, I'm home!" Madarame called out.
"S-Sensei!?" Yusuke said, startled that Madarame was home.
"Yusuke? Are you upstairs?" Madarame was heard making his way up.
"Alright! I got it!" Morgana cheered as he unlocked the door.
Ann quickly made her way to the door. Yusuke was startled by the sound of the lock hitting the floor and accidentally dropped the clothes. He went around the corner to see what it was.
"Huh?" Yusuke was surprised to see the door open.
It was here that Madarame walked up behind them. "What are you doing there!?" he snapped, glaring at Yusuke.
"S-Sensei!? I-It's not what it looks like!" Yusuke protested.
Ann looked at Yusuke in concern. He looked so frightened while Madarame glared at him. She quickly grabbed him and dragged him into the room.
"WAIT, GET OUT OF THERE!" Madrame shouted.
~X~
~ Museum of Vanity - After School ~
Yuki Emiya
"I mean, why did she do that!? Why admit, on national television, that the person you consider to be your father figure is Kazuma Kiryu, an ex-Yakuza boss? Don't get me wrong, Kiryu is a great man that I also consider to be my father figure. But I would only admit that to people I absolutely trust. I mean, look at how the others in school treat me, and all they know is that I was raised by Yakuza. And if teenagers are like that, you can imagine that adults would be worse.
Tch, actually they were because they forced Haruka to leave Morning Glory. To distance herself from the orphanage so that the public wouldn't find out that the rest of us were raised by an ex-Yakuza and ruin our future prospects.
Haah… And I haven't seen or spoken to her in almost three years."
I finally finished my rant.
Skull, Oracle, and I were passing the time by talking about random subjects. Eventually, we got to talking about idols, which led Oracle to bring up Haruka. That led to how I know her and how I was kind of upset with her for revealing who she was raised by.
"Damn…" Skull said. "Were you close with her?"
"I've known her my entire life. She was there at Sunflower when I arrived as an infant," I said. "She's my closest friend."
Before we could continue our conversation, the ground started shaking, the lasers turned off, and the door flew open.
"Whoa, looks like they did it," Oracle said.
"We'll talk more about my past later. Let's find a way to keep this door open," I said.
Futaba entered her Persona, and we made our way through. At the end of a hallway was an open room with a red shadow, just standing there.
"Doesn't look like he's gonna move," Skull said.
"The security room is right past him to the left," Oracle said.
"Let's go," I said.
The Shadow exploded and turned into a Nue.
"Thieves!? You cannot go further! You are trespassing on Lord Madarame's territory!" the Shadow shouted.
"Hmph, you guys ain't got nothin' on us!" Skull said.
[Security Shadow] Level: 15
[HP: 2000/2000]
"I'll work on finding its weaknesses," Oracle said.
"Then, in the meantime…" I pulled off my mask. "Sui-Ki hit it with Bufala!"
The Shadow hardly seemed phased. It snapped its fingers, and a heavy weight appeared above Skull.
"Whoa!" he managed to dodge at the last second. "All right! Come on, Captain!" Skull used his Persona to unleash Lunge. "Get wrecked!" Captain Kidd flew forward and hit the Shadow on the head with his ship.
"Let's try this. Fuu-Ki!" the Wind Oni unleashed a Garula. The Shadow took full damage, but it wasn't knocked down.
The Shadow slammed the ground, and a Maeiga formed beneath me and Skull. Neither of us could dodge, and we took damage.
"Tch, Captain Kidd!" Skull hit it with another Lunge.
"Got it! Its weakness is fire attacks!" Oracle called out.
"Then take this. Ares, Gokuentou!"
Ares appeared and used his sword to hit the Shadow with a medium physical attack empowered with fire. This knocked it down.
"Skull, let's go! All-Out Attack!"
"Beat 'em up!" Oracle cheered.
Skull and I leaped into the air. He started wailing at it with a series of swift attacks, and I circled it from all directions while rapidly shooting Ebony and Ivory. Skull and I landed in front of the Shadow, several meters away. With a flourish, I twirled the guns into the usual pose for the charged double shot.
"Jackpot."
Both shots flew forward, and the Shadow exploded on impact.
"The show's over," I twirled the guns again. This time into their holsters on the sides of my hips.
"All right!" Skull pumped his fist.
"Come on. Let's turn off that security," I said, and the three of us headed for the security room.
~X~
~ Madarame's Shack - After School ~
General POV
"Takamaki-san, this is bad!" Yusuke said as he and Ann stumbled around in the dark room.
"I think I found the lights," Ann said. She felt the switch and flipped it on.
The lights turned on to reveal the room was filled with dozens of replicas of the 'Sayuri'. Some were leaning on the walls while others were stored on shelves.
"T-The 'Sayuri'..." Yusuke looked around in horror. "W-What…"
"Why are there so many?" Ann wondered aloud.
Madrame stormed into the room and glared at Yusuke and Ann. "Get out!" he ordered.
"S-Sensei, what is the meaning of this?" Yusuke pleaded.
Madrame's glare softened, and he sighed. He looked at Yusuke looked apologetically. "I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this…" he paused. "Truth be told… I'm in severe debt. I handmade these 'Sayuri' copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine…"
"But why…?" Yusuke looked at his teacher, dismayed.
"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 with terrible artist's block. Because of this distress, some of my pupils handed me their ideas over to me from time to time…
I knew I couldn't keep that up, so I attempted to recreate the 'Sayuri' a number of times. However, it resulted in nothing but replicas… That's when someone came to buy the paintings, knowing full well they weren't original."
Madarame sighed again and stared at Yusuke. He looked like a man filled with regrets. "It's all my fault. I couldn't pay the price of being famous. As expectations for me rose, it reached a point where I had no choice but to keep making them… I… needed money to further your talents… I ask that you forgive your cowardly teacher…"
…
"Oh, he's good…" Morgana whispered to Ann from where he was hiding. "But we know he's lying."
Ann mentally agreed and narrowed her eyes at Madarame suspiciously. Thanks to Futaba, the Phantom Thieves know about Madarame's fortune. Which means the debt is a lie. So, Ann and Morgana know he's putting on a very convincing act. Madarame plays the humble old man well.
Yusuke didn't know better and believed the whole thing. "Please, Sensei, don't-"
"Wait a minute. Something doesn't add up," Ann interrupted. "If the original was stolen, how did you make copies of it?"
Madarame looked surprised and a bit fearful but quickly schooled his expression. "I… happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it… in an art book."
"So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original?" Ann crossed her arms in suspicion. She noticed he hesitated. "Don't people who buy paintings have a keen eye for the fine arts? This sounds like a lie to me."
"What would you know!?" Madarame's face hardened, and he glared at Ann.
"Lady Ann!" Morgana whispered and got her attention. "This one seems different," he pointed to a painting on an easel covered by a sheet.
Ann turned to the painting in question and moved to remove the sheet.
"Wait! Don't touch that!" Madarame went pale as another 'Sayuri' was revealed underneath.
"'S-Sayuri'..." Yusuke moved closer to the painting in disbelief. "This… This is the real 'Sayuri'... But you said a moment ago it was stolen!?" Yusuke turned to his teacher with a hurt look.
"That's a replica!" Madarame said sharply.
"No, it's nothing of the sort!" Yusuke protested. "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!" Madrame desperately denied. "I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!"
Wow. Even Ryuji would be able to tell that was a bald-faced lie.
"So, you're saying the actual artist behind the painting knowingly bought a counterfeit," Ann called him out. "That's really pushing it."
"You're lying, Sensei…" Yusuke clenched his fists. "Please, just tell us the truth…"
Madarame sighed and pulled out a cell phone. "I've reported you to my private security company."
"What!?" Ann said, and Yusuke was shocked out of his determination.
"I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it'd come in so handy," Madarame said.
"Please, wait! Let's talk about this!" Yusuke pleaded.
"You can talk all you want to the police… That includes you, Yusuke," Madarame shot down.
"Lady Ann, let's run!" Morgana shouted.
Morgana bolted out of the room, and Ann followed.
"A cat? Where did-" Madarame started but stopped himself. The cat was not important. "There's no point! They'll be here within two minutes!"
"Takamaki-san!" Yusuke chased after Ann.
~X~
~ Museum of Vanity - After School ~
Yuki Emiya
We turned off the security to the door but had to retreat because the shadows were headed our way. We stopped outside of the previously locked door.
"Phew looks like the shadows didn't follow us," Skull turned to look back at the door.
"Come on. Let's go meet up with-" I started but was interrupted.
"Noooo!" we heard Panther scream from… above!?
Above us, a rift had opened up, and out fell Panther, Mona, and Yusuke. Yusuke was to grab Panther and landed in a crouched position with her in a bridal carry. He started to stand but Mona crashed on his head and bounced off to the side.
"Gah!" the hit forced him to take a knee in pain. He still had Panther in a bridal carry.
"Aagh! Owww…" Mona groaned from his spot on the ground while clutching his head.
"Just dropping in?" I joked.
"Very funny…" Panther said sarcastically. She saw Yusuke was still holding onto her. "Hey, will you let go already!?" She pushed him off, and he fell onto his back. "Oh, shoot! I didn't mean to push so hard. Are you alright?"
Yuuske softly groaned and slowly sat up. He looked around and was startled to see what he thought were strangers. "Who are all of you!?"
"Calm down, Kitagawa-kun. It's me," Panther said.
"...Takamaki-san?" Yusuke said as he slowly stood up. Then he turned to me and Skull. "That means you two are…" then to Mona. "I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume though…"
"Hey, don't forget me up here!" Oracle called from her UFO.
Yusuke looked at it, bewildered, but shook his head and looked around. "What is this place?"
"We're inside Madarame's heart," Panther said.
"I'm sorry, Takamaki-san… but are you sure you're feeling okay?" Yuuske looked at her like she was the one who hit her head.
"She ain't lyin'. This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothin' but a greed-filled money-grubber," Skull said with his usual bluntness.
"Enough of this rubbish!" Yusuke reflexively snapped. "You're… You're wrong…"
"Kitagawa-kun! Don't you remember what just happened in the locked room?" Panther protested. "It had to have crossed your mind that something was not right about Madarame!"
"That's…" Yusuke stared dejectedly at the floor.
"You may not want to believe it, but take a look around you," I spoke using my Charisma. "This is the world as Madarame sees it. This… is his true nature.
Yusuke took a closer look around. It was easy to tell he did not like what he saw. "This repulsive world… Just who are all of you?"
"I guess you could say… we're a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks," Skull said.
Yusuke looked back down in despair. "If what you say is true then the Sensei I know doesn't exist… But… he was the one who took care of me for all these years… I-I just can't… Ngh!" Yusuke suddenly fell to his hands and knees, breathing hard.
"Kitagawa-kun!" Panther rushed to his side. "Are you okay!?"
"I-I'm trying to be… rational about this… B-But my emotions are… overwhelming me…" Yusuke struggled to breathe.
"It looks like he's on the verge of a panic attack," Oracle said then winced, probably thinking of her own panic attacks.
I get it. Seeing this Palace, his idealized image of Madarame is breaking down, and he's trying to cling to it. But, at the same time, he knows he can no longer ignore the truth about his teacher that he willfully ignored when it's everywhere to see. Those two sides are warring with each other and Yusuke has no idea what to think.
"Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle," Mona cut in as a red glow started coming from everywhere. "The security level is through the roof! We need to get out of here!"
I nodded, then turned to Yusuke. "Do you need help?"
"No,,, I'm fine," he slowly got up as Panther seemed to have helped him calm down a bit. "Just lead the way."
We all moved quickly yet carefully to the entrance of the Palace. Yusuke was able to keep up but he couldn't help but look around the place with a disheartened expression.
"This… is the inside of Sensei's heart…?" he said dismayed. "A vain museum such as this…?"
Soon, we passed by a painting that made Yusuke stop.
"Ah, this painting…!" he stared in disbelief.
"Did you know this person?" Panther asked. "We were thinking these were Madarame's past pupils."
"But, why are there paintings of them here…?" Yusuke asked.
"Technically, they're not paintings. They're the pupils themselves," Mona explained.
"Madrame saw them as objects, so that's what they are here," Skull continued. "Oh, and… uhm, we found yours too."
"..." Yusuke stared at the painting.
"We'll talk later. For now, let's get out of here," Mona said, and we continued on.
~X~
We made it to the circular room that had the Infinite Spring sculpture. Yusuke took notice of it but didn't comment on it. As we neared the exit, a couple of Shadow Guards spawned in and blocked our path.
"Darn, the exit's right there!" Mona said in frustration.
We prepared for a fight but a sinister laugh from behind us made us turn around. What we saw surprised the hell out of us.
"S-SENSEI!?" Yusuke shouted in disbelief at what he was seeing.
Shadow Madarame's appearance was a far cry from the humble grandfather look he had in the real world. 'Ostentatious' wouldn't even begin to describe it. He was wearing this shiny gold robe over an equally gaudy gold kimono, complete with golden socks and sandals. His face was covered with white foundation, black accents, and red lipstick. His hair is in a high topknot that resembles a paintbrush.
All in all, he looked like an extremely flashy shogun from Feudal Japan.
"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame!" Shadow Madarame spread his arms and declared with two Shadow Guards flanking him.
"Disgusting," Panther said.
"Ugh, you said it," Oracle agreed.
"Tch, first a king, now a shogun?" Skull remarked.
"S-Sensei… is that you? That attire…" Yusuke took a shaky step forward. "It- It was all one big lie, wasn't it?"
"Hmph. My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act," Shadow Madarame scoffed. "Besides a famous person living in a shack? I have another home… under a mistress's name, of course."
"So, you've been living a double life… That's where the money you make off your plagiarism goes," I scowled.
I wanted to ask him about that 30% he sends somewhere else, but I highly doubt he'll answer truthfully. I need to be in a position of power to get a straight answer and this isn't it.
"Ha, perceptive, but do really believe plagiarism alone could afford such wealth?" Shadow Madarame said.
"The 'Sayuri'," Yusuke said in realization. "The counterfeits you made in the storage room! But I don't understand… If it was stolen… why was the real one locked away in your storage room? Why make all those copies?"
"Foolish child! You still don't see?" Shadow Madarame gloated. "The painting being stolen was just a fake rumor I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!"
"I get it now," I spoke up. "With everyone believing it was stolen, you could sell all of those counterfeits. All you would have to do is say something like, 'I found the real painting, but I can't go public. I'll sell it to you for a special price.' No one would know it's a fake. And even if they did figure it out, it would be too late. You would already have the money and have covered your tracks."
"Hahaha!" Madarame laughed out loud. "That's exactly what I did! How'd you figure that out?"
"I knew someone who allegedly pulled off a similar scam," is all I said. Thanks, Neal Caffrey. "With that scam, you'd be set for life."
"Haha. The art snobs ate up that excuse and paid good money for it," Shadow Madarame gloated again.
"N-No!" Yusuke collapsed to his knees as the image he had of his mentor crumbled before his eyes.
"The value of art is purely an illusion. What's the matter with providing that illusion to eager customers?" Shadow Madarame said.
"You keep goin' on and on about money this, money that…" Skull scowled. "No wonder you ended up with a disgusting museum!"
"You're supposed to be an artist, aren't you!?" Panther yelled. "Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing your students' works!?"
"Art is nothing but a tool… A tool to gain money and fame!" Shadow Madarame declared. "You've helped me greatly in that regard, Yusuke…"
"God, this guy is a real piece of work…" Oracle said.
"But what about the people who believed in you?" Yusuke struggled to look at his teacher. "Who thinks you're a master artist!?"
"I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke," Shadow Madarame frowned at him. "If you wish to succeed in this world, I advise you not to go against me," he threatened. "Do you really think you can find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahaha!"
"To think I was under the care of this wretched man!" Yusuke glared at Shadow Madarame in contempt.
"You think I took you in out of the goodness of my heart?" Shadow Madarame chuckled. "Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas… After all, it's much easier to steal from the futures of children who can't fight back."
"I can't believe this…" Yusuke mumbled to himself.
"Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!" the Shadow sneered at us all. "But I tire of this little chat. It's time I-"
"You are unforgivable!" Yusuke interrupted and slowly stood up. "It doesn't matter who you are… I won't forgive you!"
"So, you repay my keeping you around all these years with ingratitude? You damn brat!" Shadow Madarame snarled at us. "Men, dispose of these thieves!"
"How amusing…" Yusuke chuckled bitterly. "It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm? I wanted to believe it wasn't true… I had clouded my vision for so long… My eyes were truly blind… Blind, and unable to see the true self of this one horrible man!"
~X~
General POV
"Have you finally come to your senses?"
A voice said from deep within Yuuske's mind. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees as he was struck with a horrible migraine.
"How foolishly you have averted your eyes from the truth…
A deplorable imitation indeed…
Best you part from that aspect of yourself!
Let us forge a new contract…
I am thou. Thou art I.
The world is filled with both beauty and vice…
It is time to teach people which is which!"
.
"Very well…" Yusuke slowly stood up as the headache subsided. A fox mask appeared on his face in a flash of blue fire. He was glaring at Shadow Madrame who was visibly shaken. "Come… Goemon!" he tore off the mask and was surrounded by an explosion of blue fire.
When the fire cleared, Yusuke was in his Phantom Theif outfit, and his Persona was behind him. He narrowed his eyes at Shadow Madarame and his guards in front of him.
"A breathtaking sight…
Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle…
Though the flowers of evil bloom, be it known…
Abominations are fated to perish!"
.
Yusuke swiped his hand across, and a wave of cold shot out. This froze and shattered the Shadow Guards.
"Woah. Incredible!" Mona said in awe.
Shadow Madarame stepped back and glared at the Phantom Thieves. "Hmph. Who do you think you are!? The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards!? Kill them all!" five more Shadow Guards spawned around him.
"The children who adored you as a father… The prospects of your pupils… How many did you trample upon?" Yusuke said. "How many dreams did you exchange for riches!? No matter what it takes… I will bring you to justice!"
"Kitagawa," Joker smirked at Yusuke. "Show him what you got!"
"I am ready!" Yusuke said with a confident smile.
"You are in the presence of Lord Madarame!" said the Henchman Shadow. "On your knees, intruders!"
"I learned much from you, Madarame," Yusuke said. "In order to see authenticity… one must be dispassionately realistic. With Goemon by my side… I can now ascertain your true self without any reservations."
,
"I already scanned the Shadows," Oracle informed. "Those tengus are weak to Ice and Bless, and that Henchman Shadow has no weakness. Also, it is strong against Fire, Bless, and Curse. And also repels Wind."
"Got it. We'll keep that in mind," Joker said and started giving out orders. "Skull, Panther, Mona, focus on the big guy. Kitagawa and I will clear out the tengus."
"Right!"
"Okay!"
"Go!" Joker ordered.
Yusuke and Joker charged in front. He started hitting the tengus with Bufu as Joker switched to Jack Frost and hit them all with Mabufu. Their combined assault and the fact that Joker is over-leveled made quick work of them.
Skull, Panther, and Mona charged past to engage the big one.
"Kitagawa, let's keep hitting it with ice!" Joker ordered, and he nodded.
A minute later, Yusuke was able to Freeze the Shadow.
"It's frozen!" Oracle called out. "Hit it with a physical attack!"
"Right! Let's do it, Captain!" Skull shouted and hit the Shadow with Headbutt.
"Goemon, strike!" Yusuke shouted.
The two Persona attack at the same time. Captain Kidd hit the Shadow in the head with his ship, and Goemon delivered a Giant Slice across its body. The Shadow was hit hard and was knocked down.
"Let's go! All-Out Attack!" Joker called out.
Everyone charged forward and hit the Shadow with a flurry of physical and magical attacks from every direction and Joker dealt the final blow with a Zantetsuken. The Shadow, now defeated, dissolved into nothing.
With the battle over, everyone turned to Shadow Madarame who glared at them. Yusuke attempted to step forward, but he collapsed to his knees feeling all of his strength leave him.
"Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain!" Shadow Madarame snarled. "I'll destroy every chance you have of being an artist!"
"Madarame!" Yusuke glared with determination.
"You'll forever rue the day you dared to defy me," with his piece said, Shadow Madarame retreated.
"G-Get… back here!" Yusuke swiftly got up and took a couple of steps before he fell back to his knees.
"Kitagawa-kun!" Panther and the rest of the Thieves rushed to his side.
"Urgh… Why can't I move!" Yusuke struggled.
"You just awakened to your Persona," Panther explained. "It totally drained you."
"What a disgrace I am…" Yusuke shook his head in defeat.
"Hey, uh, guys?" Oracle spoke up. "We need to get out of here. Guards are on their way."
As if to prove her right, several Shadow Guards spawned in.
"Shit! Already!? Time to go, cat!" Skull picked up Mona by the head.
"Hey! What are you-"
"YEET!" he threw Mona toward the exit.
Mona transformed into a van in mid-air and crushed the Shadows where he landed.
Skull and Panther helped Yusuke into the van as Joker quickly got into the driver's seat.
"Floor it, Joker!" Panther shouted.
Joker did indeed floor it, causing the van to do a burnout before quickly taking off. She crashed into a couple of Shadows, knocking them out of the way as Oracle followed close behind in her Persona. The van flew through the air as it smashed through the museum's front doors, over the cognitive patrons and Shadow Guards, and sped off to the barrier back to reality.
~X~
~ Big Bang Burger - After School ~
Yuki Emiya
After exiting the Palace, we took Yusuke to Big Bang Burger since he was hungry. This would also give us the chance to talk. As everyone was eating or getting their food, I discreetly drew some runes to create a Bounded Field around our table.
Basically, it created a silencing ward similar to how I used the Berkano rune to make a sound bubble. Making a Bounded Field instead of using a simple rune is much more versatile, and this helps me train my Rune Magic faster. If I want to turn off the Field then I can simply stop powering the runes.
Eventually, everyone was settled after eating a bit, and now it was time to start talking to Yusuke.
Ann decided to start the questions. "You've known about Madarame's crimes for quite some time, haven't you?"
"...I'm no fool," Yusuke sighed and looked down. "Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. But… who would want to admit that the man they owed their life to was doing such terrible things?"
"Why didn't you leave?" Ann asked.
"Well, he was the one who painted 'Sayuri', my greatest inspiration. On top of that, I owe him a great debt," Yusuke explained.
"Because he raised you?" Ryuji said.
"I… never knew my father," Yusuke replied. "I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three."
"Hmm…" Futaba looked down and looked to be thinking about something. I guess hearing about a single mom who raised her child, made her think of her own mom.
"That was when Sensei took me in," Yusuke continued. "I heard he helped my mother when she was still alive. But, to be honest… I don't remember much about her… I did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father… but he changed. To think he would treat the 'Sayuri,' the very foundation of his art, like that!"
"You've been through a lot, huh?" Ryuji said.
"When you mentioned plagiarism… deep down, I knew you were right," Yusuke sighed again. "But… I chose to run away from the truth. I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's all good," Ryuji said. "You don't gotta apologize so much."
"What are you going to do now?" I asked.
Yusuke closed his eyes and stayed silent. He looked to be thinking. He soon opened them. "I recall earlier that you said you 'changed people's hearts'. What did you mean by that?"
"Have you heard the rumors?" Ryuji said. "The ones about Phantom Thieves who steal hearts?"
"Phantom Thieves…" Yusike mused, then he looked shocked. "Wait, you're the Phantom Thieves?"
"That's right," Ryuji smirked.
Then Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, and I went on to tell him about the Kamoshida Heist.
"...I see. And because of that, this PE teacher's heart changed…" Yusuke said. "The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts… To think they truly exist…"
It's a good thing I set up that Bounded Field because I'm pretty sure we would've been overheard.
"And what about…" Yusuke looked to Futaba. "I apologize, I never asked for your name."
Futaba looked up from her food. "Futaba Sakura," then she went back to her food.
"Thank you," Yusuke said. "I noticed you were not mentioned in the story. When did you join this group?"
Futaba didn't reply, and after a few moments, Yusuke turned to us.
"Have… I done something to offend her?" Yusuke asked, a little worried.
"Nah, don't worry about it," I said. "Futaba's shy. Give her some time, and she'll warm up to you."
"I see," Yusuke said and moved on. "So, you're plan with Madarame-sensei- with Madarame is to force a change of heart, correct?" We nodded in response. "Then let me join… as a member of the Phantom Thieves."
"What?" one of us said out loud.
"Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided," Yusuke said. "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."
"Sounds fine to me," Ryuji said. "We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways."
"I have no problems with it," I said. I looked to Futaba for her opinion, and she simply shrugged.
"Just a warning, he might have a mental shutdown if we're not careful," Morgana warned. "We have ways to prevent that, but they're not foolproof. Do you still want to go along with it?"
"Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb," Yusuke said. "If I say anything, I would only be snubbed out. We have no other option."
"Alright then. It's a deal," Morgana nodded.
"That reminds me… I wonder what's going on with the real Madarame," Ann said. "We were in a pretty tight situation earlier."
"Actually, I contacted him before we came here," Yusuke informed. "He was complaining to his security company that they couldn't catch one high school girl. He's still furious and said he plans on taking legal action against everyone."
The others were shocked at that.
"Man, talk about bein' on guard…" Ryuji grumbled.
"Does he still have more to hide if he's acting so desperately?" Ann wondered.
"If he were to act, it would be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during it would be a loss for him," Yusuke said.
"After the exhibit…" I tapped my chin in thought. "That means our deadline is still the same…"
"That true…" Morgana mused. "Looks like our original plans haven't changed. We'll go through with a change of heart while the exhibit is still open."
"By the way…" Yusuke glance at Morgana. "Is that cat talking?"
"Don't call me a cat!" Morgana protested. "And you got a problem with me talking?"
"No, not really," Yusuke took a sip of his soda.
"You're… on quite a different wavelength," Ann remarked.
"Hm…" Yusuke said, then stood and turned to walk away.
"Huh? Where are you going?" Ann asked.
"I want to sample this 'Iced cream' they have," Yusuke said. Then he jumped in shock. "Oh… I forgot. I didn't bring any money."
Everyone except me sighed at his antics.
"Then how'd ya buy your food?" Ryuji motioned to Yusuke's meal.
"I bought it for him," I chuckled and stood up to buy some ice cream.
~X~
~ Café Leblanc - Evening ~
It was just after closing time at Leblanc at this point in time. I was sipping some iced green tea and watching a trivia game show to up my INT. Futaba was sleeping softly in one of the booths. She was exhausted from today's infiltration.
Sojiro just finished cleaning up the café for the day. "I guess you two had fun out today?" he glanced at the sleeping Futaba.
"It was certainly an active day," I said.
"Right then, I'm done cleaning up. I'm going to carry Futaba home. Can you lock the door behind me?" Sojiro asked and made his way to Futaba to pick her up.
"Sure thing, Boss," I followed behind him and locked the door as he left and sat back down at the counter.
"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Morgana hopped onto the chair next to me.
"I think it's time I cracked open those magic books Rin gave me," I said. "I'm going to need all the advantages I can get when I start closing the portals."
"What do you mean," Morgana tilted his head.
"Oh, right, You weren't there," I realized.
I had gotten so used to Morgana being by my side that I forgot he wasn't with me when I told Rin everything. I spent some time catching him up on the portals.
"Huh… So, you're really going through with that?" Morgana asked.
"Right now, I'm the only one who can, and we have a deadline of two, maybe three years," I explained. "The sooner we solve this, the better."
"And what about our Phantom Thief business?"
"I… have a feeling I can juggle both," I said. "Don't worry. I'll still help you find your origins."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Morgana shook his head. '"I'm worried you might be taking too much responsibility."
"I'll be fine," I smiled. "I have you, Saber, Sebas, Rin, and whoever she brings along. At least I don't have to do this alone."
"That's true…"
"Now come on. I got some sushi with our name on it," I took out some convenience store sushi and some magic book from my inventory. "I have a feeling you'll be staying up with me while I play around with magic. So, we'll hang out down here and have the TV on."
I placed the sushi and books on one of the booth tables and lowered the blinds on the window and door. I took a seat, sure I had a good view of the TV, and almost got started on the first book when someone called out from my soul.
"You know… You have a number of mages you can summon," Merlin said. "I'm sure there's at least one of us that would love to teach you."
"You, for example?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, if you're asking…" Merlin trailed playfully.
"I didn't ask." I shook my head in amusement. "But I'll take you up on your offer."
I pulled off the metaphorical mask, and Merlin appeared in a swirl of blue dust. All of my books floated in front of her where she could see, and she looked to be speed reading through them,
"What the heck, Yuki," Morgana said.
"Merlin said she wanted to teach me," I shrugged.
"B-But, how did you summon your Persona in the real world!?" he stammered in surprise.
"I learned back in Singularity F," I tiled my head. "I never told you?"
"No! This never came up!" he shouted.
I thought back from Fuyuki 'til now and… he should've known. "But you met one of my Personas. I've summoned Aphrodite multiple times to watch over Rei."
"I thought she was just a regular person you hired," he said, then seemed to blush. "Though I guess that explains why she's so beautiful."
"Why would I hire someone when I have secrets to keep in that house, and my Personas are more than willing to help me out?" I looked at him.
"I don't know," Morgana shrugged.
"Alright, I believe I know where to start teaching," Merlin said, and Morgana and I focused our attention on her. "The curriculum for magic schools hasn't changed much in the past millennium since I last taught at Hogwarts," she tilted her head in thought. "That's a little disappointing. One thousand years is more than enough time for things to change," she shrugged. "I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. These books only cover the basics and low-tier spells. There's more to read about."
I should have asked about my lessons, but she said something that caught my attention more.
"You taught at Hogwarts?" I had to ask.
"I did," she confirmed. "I believe it was around the middle of the 11th century I taught there."
"Wait, then why are all the wizards under the impression you were born in the late 10th century when they knew you served my grandfather (boy, wasn't that weird to say) who lived in the late 5th century?" I asked.
"Ah, that. Well, hehe." she chuckled. "That's a long and funny story."
"...It is also a funny story on why they all think you're an old man?" I raised an eyebrow.
This time, she fought to keep her laughter under control. "I-I'll tell you some other time. Now, onto your lessons. I think we'll start with Charms so get your wand out. I'd rather start with potions, but, unfortunately, we have no cauldrons or ingredients."
I pulled my wand from my shoulder holster that I've worn since I bought it.
"We'll start with the Wand-Lighting Charm-" Merlin started before a bright light caught her attention,
The moment she said the spell name to try, I immediately did the wand movement and whispered the spell. A bright light started shining out from the tip of my wand. At this point in time, I would like to thank the fact I spent all those hours in my past life researching Harry Potter lore.
…Some fanfics may have helped too.
…Along with the Gamer System,
"Try the Levitation Charm next," Merlin motioned to a coffee mug on the counter.
I easily cast the spell and floated the cup toward me. Morgana looked really fascinated just watching us cast magic in reality and not in the Metaverse through our Personas.
"Huh, it seems you're a natural. I saw no wasted movements and heard no mispronunciations. it was perfect," Merlin had a small smile. "At this rate, we might go through all of the first-year spells and move on to the second-year spells before the night is over."
~X~
~ May 20 - Shujin Academy - Lunchtime ~
"Hm?" I noticed a group of students that were gathered around the bulletin board.
"Looks like the test scores are out," Morgana peeked from my bag. "Want to see how you did?"
Thank God the school let me take the test despite missing all the days. That was what I did at school the past few days. The downside is that I'm behind on my schoolwork and need to play catch up.
I nodded and walked toward the board. Students noticed I was coming and actually parted like the Red Sea for me. Of course, they were also whispering about me.
"Oh, shoot. Here she comes…"
"I heard she skipped school on exam days."
"I can't believe they still let her take the tests."
"She must've failed badly."
"I heard the police showed up looking for her."
"I bet she did something with the Yakuza…"
I took a subtle glance at the guy who said that last one and released a small, concentrated blast of Killing Intent. He literally jumped a foot in the air and fell on the person he was whispering to. I had to try very hard not to smirk, or more rumors would pop up.
I traced my finger along the names until I found mine at the very top.
This time, I let out a smirk, and I could feel everyone's shock and surprise because they could see where I was pointing.
I got curious and looked at some other scores. Ann did good. She was right on that border between average and above average. Ryuji… Well, I'm sure he tried his best. I took a look at Nijima's and saw that she had the top score of the third-years.
I walked away, slightly savoring the looks of shock on the students' faces.
"Well done, Yuki. You sure showed them." Morgana complimented.
[Hidden Objective Complete]
- Score the top score on your exams. [x]
Rewards: +5 INT, 3 Gacha Tickets.
~X~
~ Kamurocho - Yagami Detective Agency - After School ~
"So, this is the place?" Morgana said.
"Yup," I said.
Morgana and I were standing in front of a door, inside of a building on Nakamichi Street. The front had tells who works there.
Takayuki Yagami
Private Investigator
Interestingly, the name was in Japanese, but the job title was in English.
"Are you gonna hang around for this or…" I asked Morgana.
"No, I think I'm going to explore," he hopped out of my bag and left to go somewhere.
I shrugged. He can take care of himself.
I opened the door and walked in. This place… definitely had a certain charm to it. I saw Yagami was sitting at his desk, typing on his laptop. When he heard the door open, he looked up and saw me.
"Emiya-san, you have perfect timing," Yagamai said with a small smile. "I was just about to call you."
"What for?" I asked while taking a seat on a sofa.
"I just got a case that would be a good one for us to start with," Yagami said. "Get your feet wet, so to speak."
"What's the case?" I leaned forward in interest.
"A wife believes her husband is cheating on her. She wants to hire me to see if it's true," Yagami explained. "Get this, She already hired another private detective, and he told her that her husband is not cheating on her."
"Then why is she hiring you?" I asked.
"She said something's not sitting right with her and wants a second opinion," Yagami said. "We'll find out more soon. She's coming in about 20 minutes to talk in person."
"Huh. So, how'd you become a private detective?" I asked to pass the time.
"It wasn't my first choice. I was actually a lawyer until about a year ago," Yagami said.
"Really? How come you're not acting as a lawyer now?"
"It's… a long story," Yagami said. It looks like he's not ready to talk about his past. "What about you? What's a bit of you're past like."
"Ha," I chuckled a bit at the thought of someone asking a fifteen-year-old about their life story. From Yagami's twitching lips, he finds it funny too.
I didn't tell him much. Just that I'm from Okinawa but grew up in Tokyo, and I came back to go to high school.
Soon enough, the client arrived.
.
The client was an attractive woman. She looked to be in her late twenties, with a black bob haircut. She was dressed in a white blouse, a dark blue blazer, and a brown pencil skirt.
When she came through the door, Yagami got up from his desk to meet her there.
"Excuse me, I'm Megumi Hashimoto," she bowed to Yagami in greeting.
"Hashimoto-san, I've been expecting you," Yagami bowed back. "Please, have a seat." he motioned to the couch. "Also, this is Yuki Emiya. She's my… part-time assistant."
I bowed to the client and she bowed in return.
The client took a seat on the sofa, Yagami sat on the armchair across from her, and I leaned on his desk as there was nowhere else to sit. I saw a notepad on the desk, so I picked that up and a pen to take notes.
"You mentioned wanting to investigate your husband on possible infidelity," Yagami began. "Do you have a reason to suspect him?"
"Yes…" she took a deep breath. "It's not a first-hand account, but I'm told he's seen walking around with another woman, holding her hand."
"Would you say this witness is reliable?" Yagami said.
"Not with absolute certainty, no…" Hashimoto pinched the bridge of her nose. "But lately… my husband has been acting cold and distant. So, even if this is just a nasty rumor, I can't help but feel like I need to find out the truth."
"I guess that's understandable," Yagami nodded. "And according to your request, you've had another P.I. look into this as well?"
"Yes. His name is Suguru Oka. He runs Oka Detective Agency," Hashimoto confirmed.
"Hmm…" Yagami looked to be thinking. He's probably trying to remember if he knows that name. "And this… Oka-san, he told you he found no evidence of infidelity on your husband?"
"Yes, but…" she said uneasily. "Something about it doesn't seem right."
"How so?" I asked automatically.
Hashimoto looked at me in surprise, like she forgot I was here. Yagami looked happy I was engaged in this interview.
"Well… Sorry, it's just a gut feeling I have," she hesitated.
I nodded slowly. Hashimoto might've noticed odd things about her husband, but she can't think specifically of what it is. Or, maybe this Oka-san came across suspiciously to her.
…Eh, too much speculation that doesn't mean much in the end. Back to listening.
"That's why I want a second opinion," Hashimoto continued. "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I have to be certain."
Hm… She looks like she wants to trust her husband, that there's no way he would cheat on her. But ever since this seed of doubt was planted, it's been hard for her to tear it loose. At least, that's the impression I have.
"I understand," Yagami said. "And do you have any pictures of your husband? I'll need to be able to identify him."
"Certainly," she handed over a photograph. "His name is Takefumi Hashimoto."
The picture showed an average man with short black hair and wore a gray suit with a red tie.
"Can I ask what he does for a living?" Yagami said.
"He owns a real estate company here in Kamurocho."
Real estate? If he's successful, he's got money to burn.
"Considering all that… Will you accept, Yagami-san?" Hashimoto asked, a little worried.
"Yes, I will. But there's one thing…" Yagami said. "I'm happy to give my perspective on this, but you have to know, it could very well turn out just like last time. Is that something you can accept?"
"Yes. If it's the truth, I'll accept it," Hashimoto says, and I can tell she means that. She looks like she's really hoping this is just nasty rumors and there's no cheating going on.
"Great. It'll cost 80,000 yen. Does that work for you?"
"Of course. I just want you to find out the truth and put this behind me, one way or another," Hashimoto bowed in gratitude at his accepting her case. "My husband's real estate company is called Kiguchi Real Estate on East Shichifuku Street. Thank you, Yagami-san."
All of us stood up. Hashimoto and Yagami bowed in farewell, and she left the office.
"All right, Emiya-san. No time like the present. Let's go."
~X~
"So, what do you think of this so far, Emiya-san," Yagami asked.
"I think I'm pretty bored right now," I said dryly.
Yagami and I were waiting outside close to the building where the real estate office was for our target.
"Heh," Yagami chuckled. "I meant this case so far. Think there's anything to find?"
"Well, the client came across to me as truthful and seems to be hoping we find nothing."
"That was my impression, as well," Yagami nodded in agreement. "We'll see as this case goes on."
"You know, there's a good chance this case we'll several days," I said. "There's no way I can help keep surveillance on this guy all the time."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I know you're still in high school and have other obligations. That's why this is a part-time position."
"Which will help you keep an eye on me in case the bomber calls again," I pointed out.
"Well, yeah. I don't like the idea that a serial bomber is playing games with a high school student," Yagami crossed his arms in annoyance at the thought of the mystery bomber.
"Hmm. I'm curious. How many cases do you get where you tail potentially cheating spouses?" I asked.
"More than you think," Yagami shook his head. "Divorce and infidelity cases are the number one cases people in my line of work get."
"Any of those interesting?"
"Well… there was this one-"
Before Yagami could start the story, our target came out of the building.
"Hey, there he is," I interrupted.
"All right, let's see where he's going," Yagami had his eyes on the guy. "This is a good chance to practice your skills for tailing people."
"Uh-huh…"
"Okay, the first thing you need to do-" Yagami abruptly stopped as he noticed I was no longer next to him. "What? Emiya-san? Where'd she go?
When Yagami turned back toward the target, he was moving down the street. Yagami soon saw me slowly walking on the sidewalk across the street.
"When did she get there?" he questioned, then shook his head. He had a target to follow, and I looked to know what I was doing.
Thanks, Presence Concealment.
~X~
Our target eventually led us to the intersection of Theater Ave and Shichifuku St. I don't know why but the guy annoyingly took a long way around. But anyway, he met up with a woman who was, most definitely, not his wife.
I glanced at Yagami who was hiding across the street, and he motioned his head to follow them. That is what we did until we came to this small parking lot just north of the batting cages.
Yagami and I were hiding behind some vans, keeping our eye on them. Then the woman started to hug the target's arm intimately, and they looked to be flirting. Looked pretty sus.
Oh! She's going in for a kiss!
I saw Yagami get his phone ready to take a picture, and I did the same. With the evidence of infidelity, Yagami decided we should retreat. We stopped in front of the batting center to take another look at the photos.
"Yup, these photos are good enough to prove infidelity," Yagami nodded at the photo I took.
"Hey, Yagami-san," a voice said from behind us. Yagami and I turned to face the source. "You and your… partner get any good photos today?"
The one who talked to us was a man with this… weird hairstyle. I'm not sure how to describe it. He wore a red button-down shirt, a light beige jacket, dark beige slacks, and this… lime green tie with red and yellow horizontal stripes? What? That is the worst tie I've ever seen. Oh, he also had aviators and a tan fedora with a dark red band.
All in all, tacky didn't even begin to describe this guy. He looked like a wannabe detective.
…Oh, I think I deduced who this is.
"Ha, turns out predators are most vulnerable when they're stalking prey," the tacky guy remarked. "You learn something new every day."
"...Who're you? Were you tailing me," Yagami said guardedly.
"I'm in the same line of work as you, actually," man said.
"...You're a detective?" Yagami said with a little disbelief.
"Yup. Name's-"
"Suguru Oka," I interrupted him.
Oka looked at me surprised and then smiled. "That's right. It seems my reputation precedes me."
"Not really," I crossed my arms and stared at him. "You're the only other detective connected to our client and our target."
"Wait, The guy Megumi-san hired first to investigate her husband?" Yagami said.
"Sure am. And you're Yagami-san. I've heard a lot about you," Oka then glanced at me. "Though I didn't hear you got a teen following you. What's up with that?"
"Why were you tailing us?" Yagami ignored Oka's question.
"Well, that shouldn't be much of a surprise," Oka said. "The lady's husband hired me. He knew his wife wasn't satisfied with the investigation, and so hired me to watch her."
"Wait, wasn't the wife the one who hired you to find out if her husband was cheating in the first place?" Yagami asked in confusion. "If that's true, how'd you end up working for him?"
"C'mon Yagami-san. Don't you get it?" Oka looked smug. "I was re-hired by the husband."
"Re-hired?" Yagami raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You sold out Megumi-san." I suddenly declared.
"Now how do you figure that?" Oka smirked, and Yagami looked at me to see where I was going with this.
Haah, I was right. Listening to this guy… he really is as sleazy as he looks.
"You really did find evidence of infidelity. But instead of going to Megumi-san, you went to her husband and told him everything. Especially the fact that you have the proof," I glared at Oka.
"Well, well. Look at the big brain on you. You seem better than Yagami-san at this," Oka said half mockingly. "You're right, kid. Why give the pictures to her when I can make double selling them to her husband."
"More like blackmail him," I glared harder, and Yagami turned his eyes to Oka in suspicion.
"Hey, this may come as a shock to a couple of daisies like you two, but sometimes keeping food on the table means getting your hands dirty," Oka rubbed his hands. "You'll starve at your rate, Yagami."
"I think I'm doing fine," Yagami retorted.
"Look, let's talk business. I only told you all that because I got a plan," Oka said. "Those pictures you two snapped is money for the three of us. Good money. Leave them with me, and I can guarantee I can get at least 500k."
"Wait… You want to sell these pictures to the husband?" Yagami blinked at the guy.
Hah. More like blackmailing the husband again.
"Exactly. I'll tell him I had to buy them from his wife's second detective, and I'll mark 'em up good," Oka tried to sound suave but, once again, came across as sleazy. "And I'll split it 50/50. That's a 250k payday. I'd say that's fair."
",,," Yagami didn't say anything, and I turned to him in shock as it seemed like he was actually considering this.
"Think about it, man. Wouldn't his wife be better off not knowing the truth, anyway?" Oka kept trying to convince him. "You can't tell me you don't need a payday like that. So, come on. Whaddya say?"
"There's nothing to consider," Yagami said resolutely. "Guy like you belongs in a street gang. Not a detective agency. Any detective who sells their own clients short doesn't deserve the title."
"That's a real shame. Here I was thinking we could be best buds," Oka shook his head in fake disappointment.
"What gave you that idea?" Yagami scoffed. "You're giving the whole profession a bad name, and I want no part of it."
"Well, if you're gonna hardline me, you leave me no choice…" Oka showed his first sign of irritation. 'I'm taking those photos one way or another."
Oka waved to someone behind him to come over. Four guys who looked to be street gangers walked up behind him.
"...Tch," Yagami clicked his tongue, and I got ready for a fight.
"Lying, bribes, blackmail, 'excessive' force… It all comes with the territory, my friend," Oka said aggressively. "You've got a lot to learn… So let me be the teacher this time! I'll show you how detectives have to live!"
Yagami and I got ready for a fight.
Oka and two of the gangers went after Yagami while the other two went after me.
One of them got to me first and went for a roundhouse kick to my waist. I was able to raise my leg high enough to block it and then kicked out to hit the knee of his planted leg. This forced the guy off-balance and he fell to his hands and knee.
I wanted to follow up, but the other guy followed up with a huge left haymaker. I blocked from his inside wrist and then hit him with a quick right hook to the face, which stunned him. I hit him next with a right backhand, and he fell to his knees. I finished him off with a left roundhouse kick to the head, knocking him out of the fight.
The first guy tried to rush me, but I recovered from my attack too fast for him. He tried to hit me with a left, but I grabbed his wrist with my right hand and punched him across the face with my left. I then swept the front of his legs backward while pushing his upper body forward, causing him to fall flat on his face. The fall seemed to knock him out.
I turned to help Yagami, but I saw he already defeated two gangers and just hit Oka with a huge palm strike to the chest.
Oka flew back and landed on the ground, groaning. He slowly got onto a knee, but it was clear he was done fighting.
"What was that about showing me how detectives live?" Yagami taunted.
"Y-You two beat all these guys!? What the hell!?" Oka wheezed.
"This whole mess will be in my report," Yagami stated. "Don't come crying to me when your rep is too shot to get any work. Far as I'm concerned, you brought this on yourself."
"Damn you…" Oka groaned and limped away.
"Damn, that was more trouble than I expected," Yagami sighed.
"At least we got enough evidence," I sighed as well.
"I'll give Hashimoto-san a call to let her know we have something," Yagami pulled out his phone.
I kept quiet and listened to the conversation. Hashimoto was upset at the bad news. She wanted us to be there to confront her husband because she was afraid he would try to weasel his way out somehow. Yagami agreed to meet them at his office. So, off we went to finish this case.
~X~
"...And that's my report," Yagami finished as he put away his phone after showing the incriminating photos. "I think it's safe to say your husband is cheating on you."
I couldn't help but feel bad for Megumi-san. The woman had her head down as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Meanwhile, her husband was sweating bullets, his eyes darting side to side as if trying to find some way to escape the room.
"Hah! This is… ridiculous! It's a completely innocent kiss!" Takefumi-san immediately tried to downplay the photos. Hard to do when the 'kiss' he was talking about was pretty steamy. "Megumi, I know it looks bad, but you still trust me, don't you?"
"Sir, does the name 'Suguru Oka' ring any bells?" Yagami cut in the guy's excuses. "He's another P.I. I believe you're familiar with."
"...No?" Takefumi-san looked nervous again.
Hah. That is the most obvious lie I ever heard.
"No? You paid the man to dispose of the evidence he had against you, did you not?" Yagami said leadngly. "There no use lying about it."
"...Ngh… No! No, no, no! I don't know anything about this!" Takefumi-san vehemently denied it.
"So, I was played for a fool twice…" Megumi-san whispered. This is the first time she spoke since we started this confrontation. "By the other investigator and you," she looked at her husband with tear-filled eyes. "To think I trusted you!"
"Ah, no! You got it all wrong!" Takefumi-san still tried to deny.
"I trust you can handle the rest, Hashimoto-san?" Yagami said.
"...Yes, I have a lot to think about," Megumi-san forcefully turned away from her husband and to Yagami. "Thank you for everything, Yagami-san, and Emiya-san," she then stood up and quickly left.
"W-Wait! Let's not do anything hasty, Megumi! It was just one mistake!" Takefumi-san chased after her. "You've gotta forgive me, Megumi!"
…
"Well, that's the end of that case," Yagami stood up and stretched. "So, how was your first case?"
"I'm surprised we solved it in one day," I said.
"Yeah, usually infidelity cases take a week or two of surveillance," Yagami nodded. "You handled yourself pretty well."
"I could've done without the fight in the end," I sighed. "But… well, this is Kamurocho."
"Hm, true," Yagami nodded. "By the way, how did you figure out Oka's scheme with the husband?"
"I've seen private investigators like Oka before. Figuring out he was dirty was pretty easy," I started gathering my things. "You meet different kinds of people when you grow up around Yakuza."
"Yakuza?" Yagami looked at me questioningly.
"...Tch," I clicked my tongue. Can't believe I let that slip. "Maybe I'll tell you one day."
"All right," Yagami shrugged and let it go.
"See you next time," I said farewell and left.
[Judgement Confidant (Takayuki Yagami) has reached Rank 2.]
~X~
"Hey, you finished for the day?" Morgana walked up to me as I exited the building. He decided to explore as I did detective work.
"Yup, already helped solve my first case," I placed my bag down for him to hop into.
"That quick?" he hopped in.
"Yeah, we got lucky," I stood and started to walk onto Nakamichi Street.
"Megumi, please stop!"
"Would you look at that, there they are," I pointed down the street to where Takefumi-san was still chasing Megumi-san.
"What's up with him?" Morgana asked.
"Those two are husband and wife. Yagami-san and I just showed the wife evidence of her husband's infidelity," I explained.
"Ouch," Morgana said. "Should we go stop him? It looks like he won't leave her alone."
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."
I jogged down the street to catch up with them. Just in time to see Takefumi-san grab Megumi-san's right wrist and pull her arm so she was forced to stop and face him.
"Megumi, please, listen to me!" Takefumi-san pleaded.
"Let go of me!" Megumi-san tried to pull her hand free, but her husband gripped harder.
This is when I caught up.
"Arrghh," Takefumi-san yelped in pain. I grabbed his wrist and squeezed the sides, forcing him to let go. Then I changed my grip on his wrist and twisted it and his arm to the inside, forcing him to stumble in the direction I twisted to relieve some pain. Once he backed off from his wife, I placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away while letting go of his wrist to let him stumble back.
"That's enough, Takefumi-san. Go home," I said sternly, eyes narrowed at him.
"Argh. I know you," Takefumi-san said as he held his wrist. "Y-You worked for that detective! I-I'll sue you for assault for placing your hands on me!"
…
Woah… Deja Vu… Why does this scenario feel familiar?
I crossed my arms, unimpressed. He's grasping. Trying to find some way to get back at me and Yagami for getting him in this mess.
Fool. If you didn't want to be in this situation, you shouldn't have cheated on your wife in the first place. Before I could retort, someone spoke up.
"No, I don't think you will," a voice said from the side.
I looked to see who it was and was immediately floored. However, I tried hard to not let the shock and recognition show on my face.
Standing there was a male, about 17 or 18 years old. He has shaggy, neck-length brown hair with bangs and reddish-brown eyes. He's wearing a tan peacoat with black buttons, a striped black and white tie, black pants, black gloves, and black loafers. Lastly, he was carrying a silver briefcase in his right hand.
Damn, I didn't think I'd run into Akechi here!
~X~
Social Links:
? - -̴̢̾̅̚͜͝ͅ-̶̨̙͉̗̈̈́͐͝͝-̴̖͎̯̦̝͔̔͠-̵̡̈͋̓̓͒̕͝ (Phantom Thieves of Hearts) - Rank 2
0 - F̵͎̓ơ̷̥o̴̥̐l̸̫̍ (Igor) – Rank 3
I - Magician (Morgana) – Rank 2
V - Hierophant (Sojiro Sakura) – Rank 3
VI - Lovers (Ann Takamaki) – Rank 2
VII - Chariot (Ryuji Sakamoto) – Rank 6
IX - Hermit (Futaba Sakura) - Rank 2
XIII - Death (Rei Emiya) - Rank 2
XIV - Temperance (Artoria Pendragon) - Rank 2
XVII - Star (Issei Hyoudou) - Rank 3
XX - Judgement (Takayuki Yagami) - Rank 2
~X~
Author's Note:
Chapter 18 is finally done.
This took so long because my laptop decided to just completely stop working on me. I ended up having to buy a new laptop, and I lost almost all of my story files and notes. That was very demoralizing.
Thank God I switched to using Google Docs to write my chapters. I also used Evernote early on to plan my story but stopped using it after a while. So, I still have those, but those notes are pretty old as I saw story arcs in there that I know I ended up scrapping.
So, the next chapter won't be for quite a while as I try to remember my plot and other notes. Basically trying to rebuild my database.
At least I know the next chapter is more Palace exploration.
.
On an unrelated note, a bit of fun trivia about me brainstorming the plot.
Going over my old notes, I found a first draft I wrote and Yuki was supposed to meet Gaia after Singularity F. I completely forgot about it. Apparently, in my original version, Gaia was supposed to be the one to help Yuki solve the portal crisis and not Rin. I ended up switching it to Rin because I had no idea how to write Gaia, and because of that, had no idea where the plot would go. With Rin, the ideas came easier and made more sense.
It's interesting going over old notes and drafts, wondering what I was thinking back then. Like, what the hell was I thinking skipping the Kamoshida Arc the way I did? It seemed like a good idea at the time. Not so much now.
As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.
(Preview)
"Well, now that business is over with, I realized I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Goro Akechi."
He held out his left hand, and I shook it.
(x)
"Alright! You're Abura-age!"
"Snrk…"
"Very well."
"He agreed to it!?"
(x)
"Stay out of my business, Devil…"
(x)
"Yo, Issei! Where've you- HUH!? You were with a hot girl!?"
"Oh no… Why do they have to show up now…"
"Who're they?"
"They're-"
"76-56-78"
"...They're dead. That's who they are…"
"E-Emiya, please wait!"