Captain Blues: Ahoy-hoy! I said everything I needed to say in the last AN so let's just stop the Grandstanding and Hot-Dogging and get to the show!
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Thirty–Two
[Opening Scene: Shibuya - Leblanc Café (Morning)
Theme of LeBlanc Café: Beneath the Mask from Persona 5]
"Alright, gang, we need to talk about what happened yesterday," Ren said once everyone was awake.
"Dude? So early, though?" Ryuji yawned as he placed his head on Ann's right shoulder, which caused her to look slightly flustered, much to the amusement of Ren, Haru, and Shiho. "I mean, it's like 7:45 A.M."
"Yeah, Ryuji is right. Is too early," Morgana whined out.
"Yeah, but we did need to talk about this, and it's important," Ren explained. "First thing's first. Mishima just informed us that the woman we helped when we changed Nakanohara's heart which is good. But we have to address what he said."
"Yeah, about Madarame," Ann said. "It's so weird because the other day, Ren and I bumped into a student of his. Yusuke, I think his name was."
"It was," Ren said. "But recall the Shadow's words. "He stole my art, my dignity, and my self-respect." Those were the words he said, and after the battle, he told us that he would only continue to abuse and use those under his care."
"Madarame is a highly respected artist," Haru said. "He helped my father design the art for Big Bang Burger itself."
"But the shadow repeated this even after the change of heart," Morgana said. "And when that happens, they are at their most honest. There must be something more…."
"Alright, then it should be simple. Find this Yusuke kid, have him tell us the truth, and we can nab him," Ryuji said.
"But do we even know if he has a palace?" Shiho asked.
"He has to if he's this big of an asshole," Ryuji said.
"Which we don't know yet…We should investigate…." Ren paused as he heard a familiar chime ring out on his phone. "Hold on…" Ren said as he lifted his hand, placed the phone on speaker, and replied, "Hey, Mishima-san. What's up?"
"H-Hey Ren-kun. I have someone t-that wants to meet with the Phantom T-Thieves directly. It's regarding this Madarame guy," Mishima announced.
The thieves glanced at one another with surprise.
"Interesting…And he wants to meet in person?" Ren asked.
"Yeah. I-I don't know if that is allowed, but…I haven't a-answered yet…" Mishima stammered out.
"Hmmm, give me some time to think on this, and I will call back, okay?" Ren asked.
"Mhmm. Y-You got it, Ren-kun!" Mishima exclaimed before he hung up.
"Man, it astounds me how much of a fanboy that little moe sounds like when it comes to you," Ryuji said with a good-natured grin.
"Not just me. To all of us. We're his heroes," Ren softly said. "But that's beside the point. What is the plan? Do we meet him?"
"Hmm, I doubt this is a trap," Shiho said. "I think we should."
"But I don't think it should be all of us," Morgana said. "Just Ren and Lady Ann since they kind of have the jump on this already with meeting someone close to him."
"That's a fair point, but I'll tag along as well, but I'll be more in the shadows to keep an eye out. No sense in leaving them without backup," Haru said.
"I was going to offer the same thing," Ryuji said with a grin. "But I think you've got it, Haru-chan."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Haru shyly said.
"Then it's settled," Ann stated after a nod to Ren.
Ren nodded and picked up the phone to dial Mishima.
It took one and a half-ring for him to answer.
"Tell him to meet us at Big Bang Burger after school," Ren said. "And if you can…Can you be the moderator of this meeting?"
[Scene Change: Shibuya - Shujin Academy Gym (Afternoon)
Theme of the Troubled: Seven Sisters High School B from Persona 2: Innocent Sin]
Makoto jabbed at the large black body bag with Sae's picture on it for extra incentive with a shout. She knew she shouldn't be upset with her big sister, but Makoto truly felt it was out of line for what Sae had said to her.
"The only reason you have time to think about things like this is because you have the luxury to."
Makoto twisted her body and landed a roundhouse kick to the side of the bag as anger continued to gnaw at her. She had no right in besmirching their father's memory due to asking a mere question.
She had no right in hurting here the way she did.
"You don't have to do a single thing, and yet, you are provided with food, clothes, a home."
Makoto landed a jab at the midsection of the body bag, then twisted her body and landed an elbow to the upper section of the bag before turning her body and kicked the picture of Sae.
"I've had no time to think on such ridiculous thoughts. Would dad have been happy with them busting the case of the Fallen, Pedophilic Olympic Gold Medalist? I don't care. He died upholding lofty ideals of honesty and righteousness, leaving us to handle everything else. I'm sorry, I mean he left me with everything else."
Sae had no right insulting their father.
"Isn't it time you grew up and acknowledged our situation?!"
Makoto aimed another punch at Sae's picture as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
"While you are having idiotic thoughts and flights of fancy with that juvenile delinquent, I am trying to secure our future!"
The anger she felt began to give way to sadness as the next jab was noticeably weaker than the previous one, the tears now blurring her vision.
"Right now, you're proving to me how useless you are to me!"
Makoto fell to her knees, unable to stop the tears from falling.
"All you do is eat away at my life of me like a parasite!"
Makoto sat there with her head bowed as teardrops fell to the blue mat beneath her.
"The students think of you as the school's guard dog, the teachers and principal think you are their pet, and now Sae-Nee finds you useless to her. Don't you think that explains what you are in the grand scheme of things to everyone, my beautiful Mako-chan?"
[Theme of Thy True Self: Bomb Shelter from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]
'I'm….' Makoto thought before she grew silent. '…Not worthless…'
"You don't even sound like you believe those words…Well, do not fret, my dear Mako-chan…I don't find you useless…." The dark voice whispered in her ear.
Makoto looked at the mirror behind the punching bag as the lights flickered again, and there she saw the dark version of herself, her arms wrapped around her waist and her head resting in the crook of her neck, her yellow eyes glowing with a hidden meaning.
"Don't you think you should prove your worth somehow?" The shadow asked with a growing smirk. "You know what you have to do…The Principal needs a dog. An excellent dog who will turn in the Phantom Thieves. Don't you think that will prove the students wrong? Would prove Sae-Nee wrong?"
'I…I can't,' Makoto thought weakly. 'I'd be betraying…Ren….'
"Ren…The Delinquent of Shujin and the person that is causing a war between your mind and heart…." Her shadow whispered as one hand caressed Makoto's cheek as another tear fell. "The one that has returned a flicker of light that was thought to be snuffed out long ago. A light that reminds you of our brave and just father."
"It's his eyes, isn't it? Those eyes that shine with determination and conviction that makes you willing to hide all of his secrets willingly…." The Shadow murmured before she bit down on Makoto's neck, which caused a sharp gasp to escape Makoto's mouth.
'Yes…' Makoto groaned out in pain.
Her shadow chuckled in her ear and murmured, "How long will you keep the secret of the Delinquent of Shujin and his friends before your need to be useful and high marks outweighs the desire for him…I look forward to seeing how much you'll crack…."
The shadow then placed a tender kiss on the area she had bit down previously. "And when you decide that your usefulness outweighs your fantasies of his stormy eyes glancing your way…I will be waiting because I am your shadow, thy true self. And I'll always be here for my pet…."
The shadow left, and Makoto quickly reached up and was shocked to feel tenderness where she was bitten.
Whatever was happening, it was affecting more than her mind.
[Scene Change: Shibuya - Church (Afternoon)
Theme of Church: Theater Closing from Persona Q2]
Hifumi didn't know how long she sat here in the church.
It had been a day since she saw her dark reflection. The minute school let out, Hifumi rushed straight to the church.
Was that reflection a demon to torment her? Or was it something more insidious?
Hifumi knew that talking to her mother was off the table because her mother would worry far more about how this would look to the public versus her feelings on the manner. Instead, she reached out to Haru.
Haru.
The girl that had somehow wiggled her way into her heart without any difficulty. Hifumi still wasn't sure about her feelings or her relationship with Haru.
They were friends, yet they kissed one another almost every time they saw each other, and Hifumi liked it. No, like was an understatement. Hifumi cherished each time her lips met with Haru's.
It made Hifumi feel whole.
Was she in love with Haru? Hifumi didn't know, but she wouldn't be upset about it if Haru were up for exploring this new ground.
Hifumi sighed out as she heard the familiar ringtone of her mother texting her. She pulled out the phone and read it.
Mom: Hifumi, you have a photoshoot tomorrow with the rather beautiful Takamaki Ann for the joint issue of "Beauty and Brains" magazine. It is at 4:30 P.M. Do not be late.
Hifumi let out a hopeless sigh.
"Boy, it sure is tough to be you, Champ." The dark voice suddenly said, which caused Hifumi's eyes to widen in terror.
[Theme of Thy True Self: Bomb Shelter from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]
"Relax, will you? I'm not some demon that's out to possess you. I told you before. I'm your shadow. Thy True Self and I get the notion that you aren't happy regarding my message?"
'I…No. I am not,' Hifumi stated.
"Well, of course not. I mean, our mother is treating us like a damn show horse," The voice said with annoyance.
'That's not true….' Hifumi muttered.
"Come on, Champ. We're smart but don't you see that we're being set up for a life of fame and fortune, things we both know we don't deserve? I mean, our father was set for superstardom before he died. Mom's meal ticket was gone, and that left us to pick up the slack. We even suspect that she was fixing the matches after your underserved win yesterday. Aren't you mad?" The voice asked.
Hifumi flinched and forced the tears that she wanted to escape back.
She would not cry.
Not here.
Not now.
'Mom needs us,' Hifumi stated, but the shadow laughed. 'She does,' Hifumi argued. 'She says that every day.'
"She needs an indentured servant Champ, not us…." The voice said. "And the sooner you realize that the better off we can be because while you're okay with her controlling every little thing we do…Sooner or later, we both know it's going to escalate until we wind up whoring our bodies at her whim. Come to think of it, we already here with these photoshoots. But hey, at least Mom "Needs" us, right?"
Hifumi remained silent as the presence of the voice faded away.
And it was then Hifumi began to weep.
[Scene Change: Shibuya - Big Bang Burger (Afternoon)
Theme of Big Bang Burger: Big Bang Burger March]
"Thanks for meeting us here, Mishima," Ren said with a small smile with Haru and Ann behind him.
"Is he here?" Ann asked.
"Yes, h-he is Ann-san. Please, follow me this way," Mishima stammered as he led Ren and Ann towards the far end booth, where they passed by a person in a booth with a newspaper hiding their face.
As they neared the booth where Nakanohara sat, Ren and Ann took out a pair of blank what masks and placed them over their faces to keep their identity a secret, while Mishima put his hood over his head to shadow his face.
It was both Shiho and Ryuji's idea for this, and while the duo felt stupid about wearing them, they understood why it had to be done.
The pair sat down across from him while Haru sat two tables away with Morgana in Ren's bag to keep a lookout.
He immediately bowed his head. "Forgive me for requesting to meet you like this."
Ren looked to Mishima, who nodded and said to Nakanohara, "They wish to know who you are."
[Theme of Request: Event Scene A from Persona 2: Innocent Sin]
"I…I am Natsuhiko Nakanohara. I was the one who was posted about on the Phantom Aficionado website. I truthfully wasn't expecting to be able to meet you like this. But I have a request…."
Ann nodded slowly, which triggered the man to continue.
"You may have heard already, but there is someone I wish to trigger a change of heart to an artist by the name of Madarame." Nakanohara began. "I was a former pupil of his. It was great at first. He was kind, considerate, and helpful. He even gave me lodging at his home. I was excited about being the pupil of an esteemed artist like him. There was another pupil as well. Very gifted. Hell, he could be a prodigy."
Ann and Ren shared a glance before they looked back at the man to continue. "Madarame…He kept tabs on everyone but especially anyone he deemed worthy. Anytime anyone made a piece that looked worthwhile, he would claim it as his own."
"P-Plagiarism…" Mishima whispered with a frown.
The man nodded and said, "There was another man there who was also extremely good that Madarame did this to…In response to his actions, the man committed suicide…."
Ann flinched at this, and Ren placed a hand on hers.
"That's dreadful, but why?" Mishima asked.
"He must have been unable to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name…We all did…." The man said.
"That moment was when I decided to stop and publish my work under my name, but because of his pedigree, Madarame was able to pressure other parts of the art world to either ignore or slander my work…."
"And in turn, my life as an artist was destroyed…I tried to turn over a new leaf, but that didn't work…As you guys probably know…." Nakanohara finished.
The duo confirmed this with a nod.
"That prodigy, Kitagawa Yusuke, is still there slaving away to Madarame's will because he took him in after his mother died when he was a child. I have no right to ask of this, but I implore you," The man bowed low enough for his forehead to rest against the table. "Please change Madarame's heart before that young prodigy commits suicide as well. His future is too bright to allow that man to bury it…."
"We'll do it," Ren said without hesitation.
The man looked up with happiness in his eyes. "Thank you, Phantom Thieves. You guys are heroes. I promise no one will ever know about this day," Nakanohara swore.
The man gave another deep bow to Ann and Ren before bowing to Mishima and walked out of the restaurant.
Haru soon stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Ann, Mishima, and Ren also got up and walked out.
[Theme of an Officer: Suspicious Person from Persona 5]
As the group of teens walked out of Big Bang Burger, the figure lowered the newspaper to reveal Zenkichi Hasegawa, who narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
He had just been there to read the paper and eat, but who would have guessed he would hear about the Phantom Thieves here?
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to see the three of their faces due to how fast they entered exited along with their hoods, but he saw the man they had spoken to and now knew his name and the names of a potential target and victim.
So now, his mission was to find Nakanohara Natsuhiko, figure out what was going to happen to this Madarame character, and potentially bring Madarame in himself due to the potential abuse of this Kitagawa Yusuke.
His phone then rang, and he saw the face of his beautiful daughter and smiled.
He would make contact with Sae after talking to his daughter.
[Scene Change: Shibuya – Okumura Residence (Evening)
Theme of Okumura Residence: Have a Short Rest from Persona 5]
"That guy sounds like total trash," Morgana muttered as the Phantom Thieves sat in Haru's living room.
"I can't believe Kitagawa-san is under the control of that…person…." Haru said softly.
"That's sounds crazy as hell," Ryuji said.
Shiho nodded with a frown.
"Well, gang, we know what is going on. I don't know about any of you, but I consider this mission accepted," Ren said.
"I do too," Ann said. "I've seen what a person pushed to suicide would do…I don't want ever to see that again…."
The group nodded.
"Then it's decided. We go after Madarame and free Yusuke," Shiho said.
"And thanks to our previous meeting, we have a way in," Ren said as he held up Yusuke's business card, which had his number on it with a smirk.
Captain Blues: So, a lot to cover. The situation with Makoto and her shadow is getting worse while Hifumi's continues and an appearance by Zenkichi Hasegawa, who inadvertently now has a lead into the Phantom Thieves. What will happen next? Well the investigation into Yusuke and thankfully, they already have a card to reach him. So Ren, you have a lot of work cut out for you. Until the next chapter, I'm setting sail.