August 1st.
Somehow, everyone was rested enough to begin their investigation. The day started with the group gathering at Sendai Station. "Alright!" Ryuji said with a wide grin. "We made it to the station. So let's start lookin' for clues about that smug bastard!"
"You are exceptionally loud in the morning." Akechi said while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Seriously! You're more excited than a grade schooler on summer vacation…!" Futaba groaned.
"Whoa, are you not a morning person, Futaba?" Ann asked. Futaba seemed a little grumpy in the morning.
"…I couldn't sleep much last night." Futaba admitted. "I can't sleep well without my special pillow."
"I suppose that's only natural." Makoto said. "That was our first night sleeping in the RV, it makes sense it would take a while for us to get used to it.
"I slept great." Hifumi said with a slight smile.
"That's because you were laying on my chest the whole time." Ann said.
Sumire didn't say anything. But she was blushing for one reason or another. She glanced at Ann and Hifumi for a second. She heard... "….."
Haru was taking a look around. There were a lot of people wandering about the station. "The station is really busy for a weekday. Maybe because everyone's out from school?"
Sophia then spoke up. "The shopping arcade is only a short walk away. The Tanabata festival decoration are apparently a popular attraction for sightseers."
"Oh, I see." Haru nodded in understanding. "Sendai's Tanabata Festival is coming up soon."
"Seems there's plenty of shops to draw a crowd." Yusuke added. "Perhaps we should try asking around over there."
"We've got plenty of options." Ren said. "And we've got even more people to help ask around as well."
"Yeah, we'll do the same thing we did with Alice." Morgana said. "Let's meet up after we find something." Everyone nodded to that idea. They had a busy investigation day in front of them, the sooner they got started, the better.
.
.
Investigating Natsume in Sendai wasn't exactly a difficult task, but there were often times no one provided any useful information. Akechi learned this the hard way when he got zero helpful hints from people he asked. "How irritating." Maybe he was asking the wrong people, that had to be it. Natsume was the hot topic of Sendai, so someone had to know something. He retraced his steps to the parking area.
Meanwhile, Ann used this chance to drag Hifumi over to the sundae shop. She couldn't resist having some ice cream while they were in Sendai, so they were sitting together, seemingly taking it easy. Ann was eating ice cream and Hifumi had a book in hand. "Mmmf, Fumi, this is sooooooo good. You have to try it!"
"It's a little too early for ice cream…" Hifumi said, glancing up from her book. But she already saw the spoon in her face. Ann was very eager to share with her. Hifumi smiled gently and took a bite. "…It is good." Her cheeks flushed a bit before she went back to her book.
"…I thought we were investigating." Akechi decided to walk in on them, waiting for their little moment to pass because it would be too awkward for him otherwise.
"We are!" Ann said, talking with her mouth full of ice cream. "We're just taking a break."
"Is that so?" Akechi seemed a bit doubtful about Ann at least. He knew Hifumi would at least take the investigation seriously, but he did raise a brow when he saw her reading. "…Is that a book?" He took a closer look and read the title. "Prince of Nightmares? Did you seriously pick it up?"
"…I was curious about it." Hifumi replied. "Besides, if Natsume is truly our target, and this book is the source of everything, I believe it would be prudent to thoroughly investigate its contents!"
"….She said the exact same thing to me when I asked her about it." Ann pointed at Hifumi with her spoon. "But she's been reading it the whole time so…it must be decent? You can't go a step in Sendai without hearing about the book, so she wanted to check it out. I think that counts for a decent step in the investigation!" She wasn't wrong about this, hence why she was puffing her chest out so proudly.
"Is it?" Akechi looked at Hifumi. "I heard this book has been selling quite well in Sendai…and Sendai alone."
"This book is…something I enjoy." Hifumi admitted. "Everything that is written just scratches that itch of mine! In fact, it is actually giving me ideas for different shogi techniques!" Hifumi was really into this book, because rarely did she show such excitement.
"…I read a bit of it. It absolutely hits every weird little niche that Fumi has." Ann said. There was a mixture of fondness and exasperation on her face as she said this. "If Natsume really does have a Jail, I'm going to be so shocked if this book is the key to it all…she's going to be an expert by the time we're done today."
"I see." Akechi had no words. "I'll leave you two to it, then…" Akechi turned and walked off. At least Ann and Hifumi were making some type of headway into the investigation. Any information was good information after all.
.
.
Akechi continued his walk in Sendai, wondering how far the others were in their investigation. His eyes then wandered to something he didn't expect to see all the way out in another city: Big Bang Burger. Mildly surprised, he found himself staring at the building. "…"
"…What are you looking at?" Haru noticed Akechi staring at something. After she asked her question, she followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. "Oh…"
"…I didn't realize there was one all the way out here." Akechi said quietly. He and Haru weren't looking at each other and for good reason. There was always some friction between them, but it was only amplified by the sight of Big Bang Burger.
"…Yes…we did branch out rather far." Haru replied, glancing away from the store slightly. "…What were you thinking about?" She was curious. She didn't know what went through Akechi's mind, and there was still one question she asked him which he never answered. Being in his presence still was unfavorable, but…"
"…" Akechi didn't respond at first. "Just how I'm not hungry." After having said that he started to walk off.
"…Me neither." Haru said with a quiet sigh. Anger and resentment still lingered when she looked at Akechi, but it was also an exhausting and irritating feeling.
"What's the matter, Haru-senpai?" Sumire called out to Haru. She approached with Ren and the two of them looked at her, concerned.
"You look a little down…" Ren said.
"I'm alright." Haru said with a slight smile. "I just wasn't expecting to see a Big Bang Burger here in Sendai, not that I'm surprised." She said.
"Is it more surprising than the one we saw in Hawaii?" Ren said with a slight chuckle. "Might as well step inside. Maybe the people might know something?"
"There was one in Hawaii?" Morgana was not present during that trip, so he had no idea. Regardless, they stepped inside of the Big Bang Burger. It was pretty standard, easily comparable to the one in Shibuya. It really was the same.
While Haru was talking to the person behind the register out of curiosity, Ren's eyes wandered around a bit before he…he saw Lavenza in the corner, working on a burger. "What the…" Curiously, he approached her. There were pickles on the burger which the Velvet Room attendant picked off. "Lavenza?"
"Ah, Trickster…you have arrived." Lavenza said after politely biting into her burger.
"Lady Lavenza?" Morgana poked his head out from the bag. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, it's that girl from before." Sumire took note of this. She remembered Lavenza from the previous incidents. "Wait…doesn't her appearance mean something serious really is going on?"
"That is indeed correct." Lavenza replies. "The Desires of this lace have been stolen as well. The voices of countless hearts are stirring about. At the same time, I can feel the threat of the calamity only growing stronger." She then takes a bite of her burger.
"Calamity…?!" Sumire gasped. That wasn't a word to throw around lightly!
"This is something I thought I should share with the Trickster and all of you, because you have overcome such tribulations in the past." Lavenza says, a bit of a grim look on her face. "I know not the identity of this malevolent force…"
"Stolen Desires would line up with the presence of the Jail here." Sophia spoke from Sumire's phone.
This made Lavenza perk up. She heard a voice but she didn't see anyone. "Who was that…?"
"Oh…" Sumire held her phone out for Lavenza to see Sophia. "That was Sophia."
"Hello! I am Sophia, humanity's companion." Sophia introduced herself to Lavenza with a smile.
"Humanity's companion…how fascinating. I am Lavenza, it is a pleasure to meet you." Lavenza said with wide eyes. She made a realization. "Wait…have you been trapped in this communication device that the humans use? Do not worry, I shall yet you free…" She raised one hand up, immediately going for the nuclear option as she always did. "MEGIDOLO-"
"Wait wait wait!" Sumire pulled her phone back.
"Hold on!" Ren held his hand out for Lavenza to stop. "You don't have to do that! And…you really should stop doing that as your first option.
"Please…" Morgana begged.
"I am not trapped in here." Sophia replied. "I am an AI. This is the best place for me to be, so that I can assist everyone."
"…I see…" Lavenza was not wise in the ways of technology. She knew how to work a phone, but that's as far as it went.
"I can't say I like where this is going." Haru frowned. This summer vacation suddenly became a lot more serious…but there was something else that caught Haru's attention. Lavenza picked out the pickles on her burger. "Is something wrong with your burger, Lavenza?"
"I feel as if I asked the man behind the counter to remove these things from my meal. But I am uncertain if he heard me or not." Lavenza replied.
"Oh, is that so?" Haru tilted her head. "I can take care of that for you no problem, come with me." She took Lavenza by the hand and walked her to the counter, clearing her throat so the man behind the register could see her. "Excuse me. I believe she asked for no pickles."
"Huh?" The cashier blinked and then stared at Haru. Despite the sweet smile Haru wore, the cashier felt a little intimidated about her presence.
"…Oh, this is gonna be ugly." Morgana would be sweating if he could.
.
.
A bit more investigating around Sendai and the group learned that Natsume himself was doing an autograph signing, which was one of the hot topics of the day. Everyone gathered together at the location in question and it was incredibly crowded; more so than they could have anticipated. "That smug bastard's being promoted all over the place. I feel like I'm goin' insane!" Ryuji groaned.
"Watch your tone." Akechi told Ryuji. "The last thing you want is to invoke the ire of the crowd, or Natsume. You and Ren did quite a good job in getting on his bad side and fast last night."
"What were we supposed to do? Just sit 'n watch!?" Ryuji grumbled some more.
"That's quite a crowd for a book signing…" Makoto took note of just how many people were present.
"Urrrgh…" Futaba groaned. In a crowd such as this, her anxiety was definitely rising. She was not a people person. "There's so many people…I think I'm gonna be sick…"
"Hang in there, Futaba-senpai…" Sumire said. "Here, we can stay close to the back. There aren't as many people there."
"Thanks…" Futaba muttered, staying close to Sumire. At least there was some comfort there.
"Is he gonna give out his keyword for EMMA and change everyone's heart like Alice did?" Morgana wondered. "We should keep an eye on him for now…"
"I wonder if the people here are already his fans…" Hifumi was still holding the Prince of Nightmares Book in her hand. She wasn't going to get it signed, though.
A passionate fan, a woman, was approaching Natsume. "Um, Natsume-san. I just wanted to say thank you for putting out such wonderful work all the time. I was so touched by your work, I ended up buying fifty copies!"
"Yeah, well, I bought a hundred!" A competitive fan suddenly exclaimed. "Some to read, some to collect, some to give out, and some to…"
"My goodness…" Natsume said with a soft chuckle. "Thank you, I'm flattered."
"Reading your book…someone gives me hop. Courage to keep going. I won't rest until each and every one of my friends knows about your book!" Another fan said.
"Well, I have said I wanted my book to reach as many people as possible…" Natsume said, feigning an exasperated expression. "But I can't help but feel a bit guilty, though. Be sure you don't overdo it."
"Ugh…" Hifumi rolled her eyes at the lie he told.
"No, it's okay! I'm helping you because I want to!"
"I heard the reason he started writing novels was for this poor girl who is bedridden in the hospital." A gossiper said. "Supposedly, he wanted her to keep fighting so she could one day see him finish his novel!"
"Oh my gosh! That's so beautiful…he's just so compassionate. It's like he's a saint…"
"I know! That story alone's enough to make me cry! I guess even real life's like a novel sometimes. We have to tell the whole world about Ango Natsume's good deeds!"
There was just a lot of talk about Natsume and eventually the book signing came to an end. They didn't really get anything out of it. "I expected as much…he is really popular." Haru said.
"Do you think that bit about the girl in the hospital is for real?" Ann asked, twirling one of her pigtails. A story like that admittedly did get to her…
"Dude didn't seem like the type, if you ask me." Ryuji said.
"It's hard to say…" Hifumi closed her eyes. "It is all rumor and gossip, so it's not exactly something I can perceive as truth or not…"
"…?" Akechi quirked a brow. He still, technically, was unaware of Hifumi's power to pick up on lies. While she was extremely perceptive, he had no idea about this power and its role in that.
"I don't think Natsume said anything resembling a keyword…" Morgana sighed.
"Could it be that he's not a Monarch after all?" Haru said. She didn't like the idea, but…
"Don't be ridiculous." Akechi shook his head. "That man is the Monarch. The activity surrounding him and his book is far too unnatural for it to be anyone else. Everything we've heard and seen points to that conclusion." Haru didn't respond but she didn't look at Akechi either.
"It's possible everyone here has already had their hearts changed." Makoto suggested. "If that was the case, we probably wasted our time…"
"Meaning he wouldn't need to give out his keyword…" Futaba then glanced over to Yusuke, who had a book in his hand. "Hey, Inari. What are you reading?"
"Ango Natsume's book: Prince of Nightmares." Yusuke responded casually.
"Oh, you bought it too?" Hifumi looked to Yusuke with a smile, holding up her book. "We must have had the same idea! We must discuss it when you finish!"
"…Wh…" Ren looked at Hifumi and Yusuke.
"You bought it!?" Futaba looked between Hifumi and Yusuke. Was this real? Of course it was. The Kosei pair were…truly weird sometimes. It's a fact Futaba often forgot about, but this was a moment that reminded her.
"…Is it good?" Sumire asked. She looked at Ann, who had the most exasperated expression out of anyone right now.
"Not at the moment, no." Yusuke shook his head.
"I'm stuck in a strange opinion. I may not be able to recognize it as good, but I like it…" Hifumi admitted.
"I guess everyone has one of those…" Futaba groaned.
"I simply wanted to check whether the contents of the book was truly deserving of the fervent praise it's received." Yusuke explained his motive for buying the book. It was different than Hifumi's. "And, well…how should I put this? For any creative work, one should be able to feel some sense of its creator's passion. No matter how crude the unrefined the work may be, there should always be some sort of spark present to those engaging with it. I'm not terribly well versed in the literary arts, but I feel nothing when reading this book."
"I cannot place it so eloquently as you could, but I did sort of feel the same way." Hifumi replied. "As much as I enjoy the book, even I can feel that there is something missing from it all. It is written well enough and makes for an engaging read, but…"
"Precisely." Yusuke nodded. "It's as if these words have been taken from someone else and given the more bare-minimum coat of paint possible."
"Are all Kosei students like these two…or is it just them…?" Morgana asked.
"We know the answer by now. It's them." Ren said.
Curious about Yusuke and Hifumi's words, Futaba decided to take a peek. "Lemme see." She stepped forward and Yusuke shifted his book so Futaba could read a few lines. Her eyes skimmed the page. "Oh, wow. This line here's been lifted from an anime from two years ago. The words got changed a bit, but that's definitely it. Sneaky." She kept reading along, finding more and more familiar phrases. "I think I've seen this one before too. And this one…! Sheesh, this one too…"
"That sounds like plagiarism." Akechi remarked. "I commend his ability to make it so blatant about it."
"If the original writers of these lines caught wind of it, there'd be riots online!" Futaba said.
"I can't possibly fathom how such a fraudulent piece of work garnered this much praise." Yusuke scoffed. "That is, unless, the fans had their desires stolen."
"If the book is really as bad as you say, then it really must be the power to change hearts. Lavenza already said such a thing was happening…" Ren pushed his glasses up.
"Lavenza was here?" Makoto blinked.
"If we knew what the keyword was, we wouldn't have this problem." Akechi stroked his chin. "However, I doubt that we'll have any luck asking at random. That may be the worst possible outcome, actually."
"So I guess we're kinda stuck, then…" Futaba groaned. "Have we heard from Gramps yet?"
"He said he'd be here by tonight. Maybe he'll have something?" Ann said. She didn't have an idea, though.
"All right then. I guess we should go ahead and wait for Inspector Hasegawa, then." Makoto said.
"Are you really going to trust him? I understand you're conspirators and all…" Akechi said.
"We are aware that we cannot trust him entirely." Hifumi responded. "But we are all in this together. He agreed to that as well."
"But we have to do something about this situation all the same." Haru said, looking Akechi right in the eyes. "Besides, this wouldn't be our first time working with someone who hides a knife behind their back."
"…" Akechi couldn't help but let out some kind of noise. Was it an amused noise or a scoff? It was hard to say, but Haru's remark was a fair one. "…Fair enough." And so, the others started to walk off.
"Wait, Ren…" Yusuke stopped Ren.
"What's up?" Ren turned to Yusuke, curious.
"…Why do you think Natsume wrote this novel?" Yusuke asked.
"…Who knows?" Ren didn't have an answer for that. "Why? What were you thinking?"
"In all honesty, I'm not so sure myself." Yusuke replied, uncertain. "No matter how much praise your work receives, if it was built on the backs of others, then you cannot truly praise your own. Those compliments will surely ring empty. Anyone in the arts should know this. That is why I don't understand. What was he thinking when he wrote this novel?" That question was eating away at him more than he expecting…
"We're leaving you behind." Akechi told the two of them, irritated that they were just standing in place.
Realizing he was holding them up, Yusuke quickly apologized. "My apologies. It wasn't my intention to hold you up. Let us be off, Ren."
"…Yeah." Ren nodded slowly.
.
.
It was late in the evening when Zenkichi finally arrived and he stepped into the RV. Akechi was just leaning against the door outside, keeping his word to Haru by not stepping inside as per her wishes. He preferred this anyway. "Pretty nice place you've got here." This was his first time seeing it. "And I gotta say, I didn't expect Sendai to be on the agenda. How'd you know there was a Jail here?"
And it was time for another episode of making Zenkichi question his sanity. "So…about that…" Ann began.
"I smelled it." Sophia responded.
"….." Silence filled the air of the RV. "You…smelled it?" Zenkichi repeated.
"Anyway!" Makoto chimed in, taking Zenkichi's attention before he lingered on that for too long. "Have you learned anything new?"
"Ah, right…" Zenkichi snapped out of it. "Ango Natsume, right? Yeah, he's suspicious alright. His book has been selling like hot cakes, but only here in Sendai. Most of the other stuff I've heard lines up with what you guys told me. Anyhow, I did some asking around and here's what I found. Apparently, everyone in Natsume's little fanclub becomes friends with him through EMMA."
"And thus their Desires get stolen." Akechi comments. "Let me guess: they begin buying his book in a frenzy, even going into debt because of it?" It was the same song and dance with Alice, so it logically tracked that the same thing would be happening here. "It was the exact same with Alice."
"Bingo. You're as quick on the uptake as they say." Zenkichi nodded to Akechi. "The method might be different, but he very well may have the same powers as Alice Hiiragi."
"Which means we're really in trouble unless we can get his keyword…" Morgana said.
"Can't we just nab the shithead and make him cough it up?" Ryuji suggested.
"Your lack of awareness astounds me." Akechi shook his head. How could Ryuji say that kind of thing with an officer right there!?
"You do that and I'd have you arrest for assault." Zenkichi replied, his tone lowering to show he would follow through on this as well. "You can ramble about the Jails all you want. Best-case scenario is you getting dragged off to a mental institution."
"Please do not mind him." Hifumi waved her hands in an effort to defend Ryuji. "He is just mildly irritated about seeing and hearing about Natsume all day. Ryuji would never do such a thing. Right." Her tone dipped a bit. The last thing she needed was Ryuji to cause them more trouble.
"I-I wasn't serious…" Ryuji backed down immediately. Hifumi's Shogi Mode still scared him sometimes.
"Well, we're Phantom Thieves, so going at it directly's not preferred anyway." Haru stated.
"Ah, there goes Beauty Thief. Always tryin' to be elegant and subtle and stuff." Futaba teased.
"Beauty Thief?" This was the first time Akechi was hearing about this.
"Beauty…what?" Zenkichi blinked.
"Beauty Thief." Ren said, gesturing to Haru.
Haru, of course, did not exactly appreciate this, but at the same time, she panicked. "My name is Beauty Thief!" Said just like she did when she first introduced herself to the Phantom Thieves.
"…She really called herself that?" Akechi had no words. "….well…."
"…Um, I think we should be focusing on getting Natsume's key word." Sumire wanted to get the conversation back on track. Even if she thought Beauty Thief was cute.
"That's where I come in." Zenkichi said smugly. "You guys better thank me for this."
"For…what?" Makoto stared at Zenkichi.
"Natsume's holding a party tonight in celebration of Prince of Nightmares passing over a million in sales." Zenkichi explained. "And I just happened to get enough invitations for all of you. Which means…"
"I wonder how many strings you pulled for this." Akechi said sarcastically.
"We're crashing a party?" Ann blinked. "…Will there be food?"
"Oh, that sounds fun as hell! Don't ya think, Ren?" Ryuji was all for this.
"I don't have anything to wear…" Ren said while looking at himself.
"Nobody's gonna care what you're wearing." Zenkichi rolled his eyes. "Just pretend you work in the industry or something. So, glad we struck a deal?" The Inspector had an aura of confidence about him. As long as he continued to provide support for the endeavors the Phantom Thieves needed, he was certain he would gain their trust.
"You did pretty good, Gramps!" Futaba beamed.
Yeah, nice one, Gramps!" Ryuji grinned.
"Thank you for your assistance, Gramps." Hifumi nodded.
"It's a big help, Gramps-san!" Sumire said.
"Thanks, Gramps." Ren added.
"I must admit, I am seeing you in a whole new light now, Gramps." Yusuke said with his eyes closed.
"Yeah, you really came through, Gramps!" Ann snickered.
"I knew we could count on you, Gramps-san." Haru said, making sure Akechi could hear that gratitude in her voice. So far she trusted Zenkichi way more than him.
Zenkichi was deflating as an RV full of teenagers continued to call him an old man. This was really demoralizing. "Come on, guys. At LEAST call me by name."
"Don't feel bad, Gramps." Sophia said, adding the final nail in the coffin.
.
.
Thanks to Zenkichi's help, the group was able to infiltrate Natume's party. It was packed. "Thank you all very much for coming today." Natsume told everyone. "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy yourselves."
"He's here after all." Akechi stroked his chin. "That settles one issue. Getting the keyword from him directly poses another issue…"
The group was keeping a close eye on Natsume from a short distance. He was with a group of people. "Congratulations, Mr. Natsume. Truly." His editor spoke.
"It's all thanks to everyone working so hard to push sales." Natsume said confidently. "All I did was write."
"Oh, you're too modest." The Editor laughed.
"It really is impressive how you've done, considering the amount of competition there is." Another Editor said. "I know we tried to promote you early on as the grandson of the renowned writer, Sogo Natsume, but, uh…I never would've expected you to perform this well!" Truly, the man was astounded by Natsume's success. It went well beyond his expectations.
"The words on the page matter little." Natsume said with his usual arrogant tone. "If there's something worth talking about, the people will always flock to it. From there, all one needs to do is craft a little story into it, and viola. For example, take that origin story about how I started writing because of some poor sick girl in the hospital."
"Pardon my asking, but is that story really true, Mr. Natsume?" An editor asked.
"Ahahaha, I'm afraid that's my little secret." Natsume chuckled coyly. "Truth…ficition…does anyone really care?"
"…." Hifumi looked a little irritated.
"You might recall the artist, Ichiryusai Madarame's confession on TV not too long ago. Surely you remember." The moment Natsume mentioned Madarame, it took all Yusuke had to not so obviously turn in his direction. "His signature piece…what was the name of it?"
"Oh, you mean the Sayuri?"
"Ah, yes, that's it. The Sayuri." Natsume could barely remember the name of it without help. "That piece was certainly lauded as the pinnacle of beauty of the time, but if you ask me, the only place it belongs now is in the trash."
"That dick…!" Ryuji growled.
"The trash..!? How rude…!" Haru gasped.
"He has no idea what was put into that painting. Who does he think he is!?" Ann was growing angry as well. Natsume's callous remark angered her.
"…Yusuke…?" Hifumi glanced at Yusuke, whose expression fell slightly at such cold words to his mother's final painting.
"I'm alright." Yusuke nodded. "I have a favor to ask. Do you mind if I handled this one? I promise I get the keyword from him."
"Are you sure?" Sumire looked to Yusuke worriedly. She was more concerned with how he was feeling over anything else.
"Don't cause a scene." Akechi stated. "At least not before you get anything useful."
"But…" Ryuji tried to object.
"I do not think he would share with you." Yusuke was blunt, but honest and pragmatic about it. "You and Ren did anger him the other day. Akechi and I were to the back of the group, and it was dark out at the time, so there is a good chance he would not recognize me."
"Yusuke might be our best shot here, then." Morgana had to agree to that.
"Pry that keyword from his still beating heart." Hifumi said…perhaps a bit too eagerly.
Yusuke approached Natsume and his group, making sure to have his copy of Prince of Nightmares at the ready. "Pardon me for interrupting, Natsume-san. But I happen to be a big fan of yours."
"Hm? Who are you?" One of the editors stared at Yusuke with a deadpanned expression.
"Forgive me, was hoping I might trouble you for an autograph…" Yusuke told Natsume.
"Hey! Mr. Natsume is a busy man! You can trouble him later!" Another man said.
Natsume interrupted with a laugh. "Come now, a single autograph is no trouble at all." Although he would rather it was a woman, a fan was still a fan. So he took his pen out and signed Yusuke's book.
"Ah, to receive an autograph from the great Ango Natsume himself…this honor is truly more than I deserve…" Yusuke's tone was a bit shaky.
"…How is he half decent at this?" Ryuji whispered to Hifumi.
"To be honest, I hear him speak this way a lot at school so…." Hifumi trailed off. Still, being in the vicinity of such lies always did set off her powers, for better or worse. Sometimes it was an irritating feeling.
"Nonsense, don't sell yourself short." Natsume waved his hand dismissively. "It's readers like you that allow writers like me to keep writing.
"Ah, that's a wonderful way of looking at it." Yusuke nodded. "By the way…do you use EMMA?"
"Of course I do." Natsume nodded. "How could I not with how….convenient it is?"
"If you don't mind, could you please add me to your friends list?" Yusuke asked. "It would be a privilege to be closer to the one I respect so greatly."
Natsume chuckled. "Not at all. My fans and readers mean the world to me. My keyword is Prince of Nightmares."
"I should've guessed." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose overhearing this. It was so obvious in hindsight. He should've tested it the moment it crossed his mind, but the simplicity of it was painful…
"Thank you, you can expect to see me in your requests soon." Yusuke said. The mission was complete. "Now, there is just one more thing. I overheard you and your entourage mention the Sayuri earlier…if I'm not mistaken, you said it should be thrown in the trash, as though it were some cheap attempt."
"Oh, so you heard me, did you?" Natsume chuckled once again. "Well, I figured that someone of your taste would agree with me? In the end that painting only held value because of whose name was attached to it. The Sayuri had…"
"The Sayuri was painted by my mother." Yusuke cut Natsume off. The act was over. He got the keyword so now he could vent his thoughts. When Natsume heard this, he and his entourage gasped loudly. "This may be unprofessional of me, but professionalism be damned. My mother painted the Sayuri at the cost of her own life. It is her final masterpiece. That painting was crafted with a love that simply cannot be found anywhere else. Don't you DARE lump it in with that soulless drivel you cobbled together from authors far more talented than you!"'
Natsume was completely aghast at Yusuke's words. "….?!"
"Hey, you can't…!"
"I merely spoke the truth." Yusuke said before walking back to the others. "We got what we came for. Let's head outside." And without a word, the group left the venue.
"….." Natsume watched Yusuke leave with his friends, seething and fuming from his words. "Soulless drivel!? What the hell does he know!?"
"I-It's alright, Mr. Natsume!" The main editor quickly said. "He's just looking to blame you for something because he's jealous of your genius…! Don't let him get to you!"
"SHUT UP!" Natsume barked, startling everyone around him. "Hmph. No matter…he'll come around just like the rest." After all, Yusuke did ask for his keyword. So as far as Natsume was concerned, the man who just berated him was about to become another one of his die hard fanatics. That was a victory in his book….
.
Once outside, Yusuke turned to the others. "My apologies. I simply could not hold myself back. It seems I have much to learn."
"Dude, don't sweat it. Everything worked out. We got the keyword, so we're all good." Ryuji said.
"Yeah, I was totally impressed with how you stood up to him!" Ann said with a soft smile.
"You certainly placed him in check with your words alone. He hardly had a response to your strong offensive." Hifumi said.
"At least you held yourself back until after you got the needed information." Akechi crossed his arms.
"Yeah, we loved seeing you stick it to that creep, Inari!" This was one of the few times Futaba was proud of Yusuke.
"And now that we have the keyword, we can head into the Jail!" Sumire said. "I can't believe how easy it was in hindsight…"
"Anyone could guess…but that's hindsight." Ren said while adjusting his glasses. "So, where do we enter the Jail? That's the next issue…"
"Sendai Station. The smell isn't as strong there, so the security must be more lax." Sophia said.
"So we have our infiltration point." Morgana said. "We've got everything we need. Tomorrow, that Jail's getting a visit from the Phantom Thieves!"
"To battle…" Hifumi said. The others started to walk off, but Sophia stopped Sumire and Ren.
"Hey…." She spoke to the both of them. "Yusuke seemed rather calm just now, but he seemed sad too…why was that?"
"He's an artist, too." Ren responded to Sophia. "And…he definitely felt insulted about that Natsume said about his mother's painting. It means a lot to him, after all."
"I know I would be sad if someone insulted something I cared about, like my sister, for example." Sumire said.
"Oh, I see…" Sophia said in understanding. "So when someone disrespects something important to you, it makes you more sad than angry?"
"It's a mix of both." Ren said.
"Yusuke seemed to feel that way. I think I understand him a little better now." Sophia nodded to both Ren and Sumire. "Thank you."
.
.
August 2nd.
It was bright and early. The group sat outside the RV and Ryuji was the last one to come down with a yawn. "So tired…."
"Snap out of it, Ryuji! We're about to head in!" Morgana groaned.
"I know, I know…" Ryuji was busy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I was so excited last night I couldn't sleep."
"Yes, you kicked me in your sleep. Several times." Akechi said with annoyance. Stuck in the tent with that group was an awful fate for him.
"What, you think it's Christmas morning or something!?" Futaba rolled her eyes.
"Any idea how big this place is? Can you tell, Sophia?" Makoto asked the important questions.
"I'd say it's quite big. It nearly spans all of Sendai." Sophia reported.
"That's quite big…" Haru realized they were in for the long haul.
"Considering what's been happening in the city, it's no surprise. But that all ends today." Yusuke said firmly.
"That is correct. We are going to be Natsume's Nightmare now!" Hifumi had a lot of energy this morning.
"Oh, Fumi…we really have to have a talk when this is over." Ann said with an exasperated laugh. Maybe letting Hifumi buy Prince of Nightmares was a bad idea.
"Get your game faces on, everyone." Ren said while pulling out his phone. "We're heading into Sendai Jail now. Let's get started."