Chapter 28: Irritum
{R}
Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils.
We have decided to make you confess all your sins from your own mouth.
We will take your distorted desires without fail.
From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
That had been the message on the card that Yusuke showed them yesterday when he had finished and that was the message on one of the card's many copies. One of which was given to Madarame, now torn to pieces by him, his face the picture of enraged even from their distance and angle hiding their presence from him. With his mission complete, Yusuke retreated away from the fraud and returned to them.
"Was that satisfactory?"
"It was perfect!" Ann said with a smile.
Ren nodded with a smirk.
Mona popped out. "Yes. The Treasure should be materialized by now."
"So you all ready to go?" Aki said.
"You bet we are!"
Everyone shared a nod, before they went into the Metaverse and took their assigned roles and positions.
(A)
Just as they expected, there were guards in the lower control room to keep an eye on it with everywhere on alert.
"Okay, ready to draw 'em out Rogue?" Skull said.
"You bet." Then she said, "Get ready to hide."
Panther frowned. "Are you sure you two will be able to handle it?"
Skull smirked. "Hey, don't underestimate an ex-runner."
She shared it. "And I'm a whiz with a grapple hook. I don't need to worry about my asthma at all."
"Okay, if you're sure..."
Still, Panther was reluctant as she hid herself, worried over their conditions. Despite the severity of the situation, Rogue couldn't help but be touched and, in hopes of comforting her friend, pulled down her mask to show her grin along with a thumbs up. And it did work, Panther surprised for a second before returning her gesture with a nod and a smile. With that, Rogue stood and said,
"Ready?"
Skull nodded. Then he banged the doors of the room while she followed it up with lightning fired down the hall, making an explosion. With a deep voice as close to the guards' as possible, she said,
"Hey! I spotted an intruder! He's getting away!"
"What?!"
And she ran with Skull, hoping they would be able to distract them for long enough.
{R}
Joker waited by the hook's switch, focusing on his breathing so that his mind wouldn't wander into worries about Mona and Fox at the scaffolding, Panther in the light controls, or Rogue and Skull distracting the guards. He wanted to react as soon as the lights went off so that their chances of success were increased.
The lights were offed.
He pulled.
Then he waited.
"Joker now!"
Then he pushed the lever.
"Did he get it?" he asked.
Fox looked back. "Yes he did."
"Get him down. I'll keep an eye on the door."
Just in case a guard ended up figuring out where they were. Thankfully none came in but Panther, Skull and Rogue just as Fox and Mona came down from the pipes and scaffolding.
"Uh..." Rogue said, staring at Mona.
"What?"
"You sure you can carry that on your back?"
In truth Joker felt the same considering how comically disproportionate it looked for Mona to carry a wrapped painting fours times his height and width.
Still he insisted. "I'm sure. Now let's get out of here!"
So they moved to so just that. However...
"What the?! Why's the door locked?!"
"Did you lock it Skull?!"
"Of course I didn't lock it!"
Rogue huffed. "The guards we lured must've gone back to the control room below and activated all the locks."
"Damn it..."
"Let's find another way."
"Where are we going to find one?"
"That's why we're looking," he said.
Though he had a bit of an idea on where as they went on the scaffolding. And just as he hoped, there was an open window they could reach on one of the platforms.
"Wait? We're going through here?"
"You got any better ideas?"
"All right all right..."
They went out of it, with some manuevering to help Mona through it, and ended up on one of the many roofs of the building. Now the block-like design of the building ended up to their advantage as they used its shape as stairs to descend until they found a doorway similar to the ones in the gold Penrose stairs room. Had it been any other time, Joker would've been more cautious, but there were no other "steps" to go down from and they were pressed for time so he led his team through it. Thankfully his guess was right and it did work like the portal stairs from before, but this one led them right into the garden courtyard between the two museum buildings.
"It seems we managed to escape their siege," Fox said.
"We're not outta the woods yet," Rogue said.
And they continued their escape. However, he heard the distinct sound of meowing before it was followed by,
"I just can't take it anymore! Let's take a look at this Treasure!"
"Huh? Hey wait!" Skull said as they all turned around and saw Mona put the painting down.
Everyone understandably complained about the action but...
"Ugh not again..." Rogue said.
Fox grew curious. "Has this happened before?"
"Yeah... Come on, Fox, help me with this."
"Wait."
"Huh?"
...a horrific thought came to mind that he wanted disproved.
"Let's check the Treasure."
"Okay!"
Unfortunately, his fear turned out to be true because instead of Mona purring even more, he was shocked at the stupid looking lineart on a white canvas that was revealed.
"What the...?" Skull said as they all stared.
Except for Fox.
"Look out!"
They all jumped back before the laser cage could trap them with the fake. That was the least of their worries though. Now they didn't know where the Treasure could be and a large amount of guards arrived, splitting into various Shadows before coming at them.
"Joker! What do we do now?!" Panther said as she and the others began to fight off the swarm.
He cursed under his breath as he joined the fray. He had to guess where the Treasure could be within the entirety of the Palace. Unless they somehow missed a secret passage, then Madarame must have moved it to one of the rooms in the museum. But which was the most likely place? The inner sanctum was the safest out of all of them so every other room had equal chance of being the new location. Unless...
Joker felt like smacking his head.
There was only one other place it could be.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
There it was, a painting tucked under the shogun's arm, who looked over them with disdain from his place at the doorway of the gaudy Treasure Hall.
"Damn it! We just had to fall for the oldest trick in the book!" Rogue said, stabbing through a paper dog.
Joker agreed wholeheartedly.
The shogun scoffed as he stored the Treasure into his clothes, disappearing like when they did the same with their own items.
"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art. And it was easy to guess what you were planning on doing."
It was true.
Joker hated they fell for it.
But he was confident they could still turn it around. Shadow Madarame was likely underestimating them right now as he didn't seem to be turning into a more combat focused form like Kamoshida did. So even with the swarm of guards, all they needed to do was down him long enough to take the Treasure from him. But since they didn't have the time to find out his weakness, if he even had one, they would have to rely on a critical hit. And Joker knew just the person fast and precise enough for the role.
"Everyone! Buff Fox! All buffs we have! Those who can't, with me!"
His team gave their answers, though Fox himself was a little confused even as he did as ordered and boosted his own speed. Skull and Rogue then applied theirs on him, a attack and critical boost. As soon as Panther and Mona were back-to-back with him, he said, as low as possible over the din of battle,
"Get ready to clear a path."
"Got it."
"Roger Joker."
It took a few moments, waiting as the flow of battle moved everyone's positions, until...
"Now!"
Joker had pierced through enemies with Eligor, Panther flames burned them and Mona's winds both sliced and spread that fire. As he hoped, Rogue figured out his intent and assisted as well, sending Archangel on them, getting rid of the last guards they needed gone.
"Fox! Go!" his sister said.
The artist dashed through the cleared path. His sword brandished and shined. Madarame froze and stared in shock. One moment Fox was in the battlefield, next he was in front of the Shadow. And for one moment, everything slowed as he watched as Fox, at full speed, with his sword raised right at the shogun's face, swung his katana...
...and missed.
"You fool."
Joker's breath caught.
"Fox!"
Fox was shoved to the ground. Madarame drenched him in dark paint then kicked him. Fox screeched, cluthing his torso as he crumpled. Joker readied to summon Eligor again but flinched as his vision was covered in darkness by the same paint Madarame covered Fox in.
Then he screamed.
"Gyaaaaaaaaah!"
Pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain make it stop make it stop make it stop!
He didn't know what hit him. It could've been a punch. It could've been his current weakness. It could've been just any other kind of elemental magic. Whatever it was, it made his entire body blaze in pain like never before. His ears rung. His skin stung. And his body felt like lead. He gasped for air but even that made it hurt all the more.
And then just as sudden, it was gone.
What replaced it was soreness all over, feeling himself on his knees and someone holding his hands behind his back. He gritted his teeth and fought against the ache to lift his head and examine his surroundings. He cursed to himself for what he saw.
As he suspected, a guard was holding him in place, along with everyone else, who were lined up with him and facing Shadow Madarame. The only one who wasn't with them was Fox, who was downcast while being held captive beside the shogun, still looking at them in disdain.
"You see now Yusuke? This is what happens when you defy me. Now come to your senses and—"
"...hy..."
"Hmm? Speak up, Yusuke, I can't—"
"Why are you like this?!" Fox said, his eyes glistening in anguish. "What made you change?! Is it because you became famous?!"
"Make yourself clear, Yusuke, I have no idea what you mean."
"Can't you understand how it pains me to inquire the crimes of my foster father?!"
Joker flinched and frowned. "Fox..."
"Hmph. Foster father? You really think that of me?" the hideous shogun said. "The only reason why I took you in was because of my ties with your mother."
Fox choked. "What...?"
"She never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing... That's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the art she created—they're my works of art!"
"That's..."
Joker could feel everyone's rage matching his own, despite their state.
"As such, the artistic talents you inherited from your mother was a miscalculation. But it was a delightful one," he said, his smile roiling Joker's stomach. "So I would very much prefer to keep you but since you want to defy me no matter what..." He turned stern and disappointed. "I'll reap you and your friends for all you're worth."
Fox hung his head. "No..."
"Damn it! You didn't even fight us! You just used some weird trick and had your stupid guards hit us!" Skull said, struggling against his captors.
Panther snarled. "How low can you get?"
Joker scoffed. "Incredibly low if he feels no shame in being so brutal and cruel."
Madarame had the audacity to look offended. "You need to do everything you get to the top," he said. "However... I'm not a barbarian. So I suppose I can grant you one gift before you die, especially for a former student of mine—a glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri'!"
And the shogun actually did pull the Treasure out of his clothes.
They stared.
"That's...the real 'Sayuri'...?" Fox said for all of them.
For the most part, it was the same. It was still of a woman in red with her long hair over her shoulder, cherry blossoms blooming behind her and her gaze pointed to bottom left corner of the piece. But instead of a misty cloud in that corner...
...there was a newborn, swaddled baby in her arms.
"This can't be..." Fox said in disbelief. "Mom...!"
Joker froze.
Mom...? he thought as Madarame went on to explain to his pupil.
That painting...was made by Fox's mother? And Madarame wanted to profit from it the moment he laid eyes on it? And not only that, he modified it to hide the baby just so her expression would become mysterious like it was some copy of the Mona Lisa?
"That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"
"Of course they did."
Everyone stilled.
Then they turned to him.
"What was that?" Madarame said.
Joker glared daggers and sneered. "They say evil begets evil. So of course your plagiarized work was noticed by those parasites and no one said anything different."
"Why you!"
Panther joined him. "You deserve it you scumbag! I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like they're objects... You're inhuman!"
Then Skull. "Yeah asshole! You got that awesome painting and you don't even treat it like a treasure!"
And finally Mona and then Rogue.
"Though you have a real Treasure, your skills are no more than those scribbles on that fake!"
"And that's why you're jealous that your students are a whole lot better than you!"
Madarame gritted his teeth and trembled in rage. "You...insolent...brats!" he said. "I tried to teach you respect but you continue to mock me! I should've known... Guards! Execute them!"
"Madarame."
The shogun twitched and snapped at him. "You have no right to sp—"
"You destroy your art once they've outlived their usefulness..." Fox glared with all the force of a blizzard. "Did that include my mother as well?!"
"What...?" Skull said, shocked.
The shogun smirked. "Oh nothing of the sort... She just so happened to have a seizure when she showed me the 'Sayuri'."
Panther stared horrified, as did everyone else. "No..." she said. "...you let her die?!"
Joker gritted his teeth.
"She was physically weak. It would have happened eventually. It was better this way, as that meant I could get her painting with no strings attached."
He eyed his surroundings once again, taking as much of the details in.
"So that means you..." Fox said.
"Yes. The reason I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind the 'Sayuri'. But when you showed your talents at three and agreed to help me, I came up with the idea to steal from brats who won't talk back instead of adults. You truly are my greatest artwork," he said. Then he frowned. "It's almost a shame I have to kill you now."
"Don't you dare act like you care now you asshole!"
The shogun snapped back at them and Joker panicked Rogue would be killed off first. But just as the tension rose to a peak, it broke when a chuckle echoed. And the source was one young artist who had just been told by the man whom he called father that he was just an object to him.
"Yusuke...?" Panther said, all her anger replaced with worry.
Joker was about to ask the same when Fox lifted his head high with a smile.
"I thank you Madarame!" he said, the wind beginning to circle around him. "Every reason I had to forgive you has been erased without a trace at this very moment!"
He shoved his captor backwards, freed his hands and tore off his mask.
"Goemon!"
The rogue samurai flashed forth and an actual blizzard blasted all around him, freezing the Shadows closest to them into statues. Joker broke out of his shackles along with the others.
"Rogue! Mona!" he began.
But they said, "Got it!"
"You don't need to tell me!"
And both summoned their Personas to heal them all.
Joker closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the soothing wind and light before he snapped them open.
The guards that held them were incapacitated. More were coming in for them. And Fox was standing before a gelatinous pool of dark ink where Madarame previously stood.
"Mona! Enemy status!"
"We got more incoming! Even though I think they're the last ones, there's still a lot of them. And Madarame..."
He trailed off.
Not that Joker blamed him.
"What the hell?!"
From the depths of the dark ink...
"All you good-for-nothings... Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want..."
...four giant floating paintings—two eyes, one nose and one mouth—emerged.
"I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!" the paintings, Madarame, said. "I'll paint all over you!"
The eyes spurt out blank ink.
Joker's breath caught.
"Everyone. Dodge!"
"Woah!"
Thankfully they did.
Fox brandished his sword. "You're no god... You are not even a rotten artist!" he said and got into position. "You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"
And proceeded to fight against the abomination of paintings.
"Everyone! Same party combos! Backup! Hold off the guards! Starters! Focus on Madarame and assist Fox!"
His team shouted their affirmatives and Rogue used a spotlight to have most of the guard Shadows focus on her and Skull. For a brief moment, Joker allowed himself to worry for his sister, then snapped his attention on painting Madarame, which he definitely needed. All the pieces had their own individual weaknesses and seemed to absorb the energy from certain types of attacks, so Joker had to coordinate the timing of everyone's actions. And not only that, they couldn't always avoid the black paint that made them weak to everything. It was especially worrying when some of the Shadows Rogue and Skull were distracting broke off and tried to hit the now vulnerable teammate.
Joker would always take the hit aimed at the others if he wasn't already covered.
But, eventually, after much beating and even more coordination, Fox struck the last blow and the paintings fell, melting into black goop before reforming into a kneeling Madarame.
"Damnit... I'm the great Madarame... The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit!" he said. "I'm not someone worthless brats are allowed to defy!"
"Enough of your egotistic ranting!" Fox said. "Taste the wrath of all those you've preyed upon!"
"All-Out Attack!"
The man screamed as they all struck multiple times. But as he thought, that didn't down the shogun, who was merely bruised and absolutely pissed.
"I'm the great artist Madarame! If you brats can't fathom that... Then you'll witness it for yourselves!" He held out his hand. "Behold my master craft!"
"Everyone on guard!" Joker said as he readied to dodge or parry whatever Madarame did.
But instead of an attack, lines of paint coalesced into four copies of him. Joker scoffed. Of course he could make duplicates of himself. Though each of them was in different color and...surrounded with an appropriate natural phenomenon.
Could they be...?
He tested to see if the green and wind cloaked one was weak to electricity and it squealed in agony when it got hit by it.
Joker smirked.
"Panther! Aim for blue! Then baton pass to Fox!"
"You got it!"
The fire specialist did as ordered, burning the ice shogun before passing to Fox.
"Keep the chain going!"
"As you command!"
The gold shogun stood shocked as in mere seconds, everyone passed their powers to each other until Joker passed it back on Fox.
"Stop this! Is this how you show respect to the one who raised you?!" Madarame said.
"Silence!" the young artist said. "Don't waste your breath!"
Then struck the shogun's leg, making him kneel with a scream and they took that chance to do another All-Out Attack. He still wasn't down though so they once again had to deal with his copies. Joker cursed. They weren't going to be able to deal with this forever, and neither Rogue and Skull against all those Shadows. But just as he was devising how to finish soon when the third wave was made, instead of all of them healthy and glaring at them...
"Hey, something seems wrong! Could he have...?"
...there were some that were asleep and clutching themselves as if injured.
"What?! I, the great Madarame...made an error?!"
Joker smirked.
"Oh poor Madarame... It looks like you're not as perfect as you thought."
Fox scoffed. "So this is the true limit of your skill... How infantile," he said. "To think you'd fail to produce even one of your counterfeits—please don't disappoint me further!
"Stop it, you brats, or else...!" Madarame said, finally starting to sound desperate.
"You think we'll be daunted by such threats?!"
"Couldn't have said it any better," Joker said.
With the shogun now not putting up a brave front and his clones near worthless, they spent more time attacking him overall instead of his copies. The man screamed, complained and tried to fight back. But his only offense, his clones, were annihilated before they could come to his aid. And, before Rogue and Skull ran out of stamina, Fox struck the last blow and sent him sprawling on the ground, knocked out.
With Madarame out of the picture, him and the starters assisted the backup team until all the Shadows were finally destroyed, after they waited a few moments to be sure that was the case. When it was, they all relaxed and Rogue sighed in relief.
"You cut it real close there, Big Bro."
He gave a teasing smile. "A phantom thief should always make an entrance."
His sister laughed in fond exasperation, the others following suit, including him. They copied her once again though when she glanced away and frowned.
"Great. He's awake," she said. "Please don't tell me we have to fight him again."
Everyone gasped and turned to see Madarame crawling away.
"Madarame!" Fox said, preparing his katana again.
But Mona said, "Don't worry. He's too injured. He won't do anything more."
And he calmed.
But still, Joker said,
"Go. You should be the one to get the Treasure."
Fox met his gaze, surprised for some reason. Joker just returned it with an amused and comforting smile. That reassured the artist and he nodded before making his way to the pathetic man. But just in case, he gestured for the others to follow him as he tailed Fox, making sure to be a meter or two away from the artist, who was noticed by his "prey".
"N-No one cares for true art...!" Madarame said as he fell on his back and held his hands out to placate them. "All they want are easily recognizable brands! I'm a victim in this too! Wouldn't you agree?"
"Excuses now?" Skull said, not impressed.
"Again?" Rogue said, equally unimpressed.
He, Panther and Mona didn't bother to deign him with a response. Though his reason for it was because if anyone deserved to talk to Madarame right now, it was Fox. But when the Shadow said,
"The art world revolves around money after all... You can't rise up without any... Yusuke, you understand don't you?! Being a poor artist is truly miserable! I just didn't want to return to that life!"
Joker frowned as he felt Rogue tense and look away, no doubt thinking of the poverty she lived in before they met. He grabbed her hand to comfort her and she squeezed back in answer. As annoyed as he was at Madarame making excuses for his actions, he could at least understand how he became this way, how terrified he was of that life and his determination to not return to it, even if he held no sympathy for him anymore.
Just like Fox.
"A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art!" he said as he grabbed the front of his clothes. "You're done for—along with this whole wretched world!"
Fox reached inside the man's coat and he shireked.
"No! Please...just don't kill me!"
Fox frowned as he pulled out the "Sayuri" before he threw the man back down, the shogun coughing from the abrupt impact. When it seemed he regained his breath, Fox said,
"Return to yourself in reality and confess to your crimes—all of them."
Madarame slowly turned his shocked gaze on them. "Y-You're...not going to kill me...?"
Joker frowned, offended and worried that he would say that.
Fox just shouted, "Swear it!"
And he whimpered. "All right all right! I swear!"
"Good."
And with that, they thought they were done. But before Joker could ask Mona to turn into the Monamobile, Madarame looked to and fro in fear and said with a trembling voice,
"Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?"
And they froze. The others were confused as they tried to make sense of what Madarame meant. Joker, however, felt horror grip his heart and throat. There had been someone else in this Palace, just one person...
...and a Shadow that had scoffed at facing the six of them was terrified.
But once again they had no chance to dwell on it as the Palace finally shook.
"Mona! Transform!"
Rogue got in the driver seat and the rest went in their usual spots. The only one who took longer than usual was Fox, who Madarame seemed to call out for as they sped off.
"Everyone! Hold on!" Rogue said with excitement.
"Hold on?! What you mean—gah!"
What his sister meant was brace for the bumps from the stairs they would descend and the screaming cognitive guests they had to rush past as they exited through the front door this time. Even if they were just fakes, Joker was still glad they didn't run any people over when they tumbled and crashed on the sidewalk across Madarame's shack.
"The destination has been deleted."
Ryuji groaned. "Why didn't you warn us...?"
"I...did...ugh..." his sister said.
Mona said, "Is the Treasure safe?!"
Ren pushed himself up just as Yusuke said, his voice somber and tender,
"Yes..."
Ren sighed in relief. "Good. But before anything else, let's get out of here," he said as he first helped up Aki then Ann.
"I agree. Let's head back to the hideout."
It was a drag to get there, their exhaustion from their exertion hitting them then. But they pushed on, Ren grabbing drinks on the way, and only allowed themselves to relax once they arrived. They remained in respite for a while, all of them sans Ryuji immediately downing their drinks, before they inspected the Treasure in Yusuke's hands, not that they really needed to. The "Sayuri" was the same as when its previous owner first revealed it to them in the Palace, a beautiful masterpiece.
"I like this one better than the other one," Aki said, peering at it over the artist's shoulder.
"Yeah me too," Ann said with a slight smile.
Ren smirked just the slightest as he leaned over to see as well. "And not just because it's not the one Madarame 'made'?"
She chuckled. "Well that too, but mostly 'cause it lools even more beautiful with the baby there."
"You truly feel so?" Yusuke said, glancing at them both.
"Yup."
"Mmhmm."
"Definitely."
"If Yusuke's got no problems with the Treasure, then I guess this mission's a success," Ryuji said, finally opening his drink. "All that's left is seein' if he has a change of heart or not." He took a swig of it. "Ugh, so bitter...why'd you get it black?"
Ren ignored him when the artist did the same and said, his voice laden with a swarm of emotions,
"The 'Sayuri'..."
"Are you all right?" he said.
"Need anythin'?" his sister said.
Ryuji though said, "You're not gonna get all teary eyed and say stuff like 'Mom!', are you?"
Both Ren and Aki snapped glowers on him.
Aki held her tongue while he said, "What's wrong with that?"
To Ryuji's credit, he just flinched and said, "Uh nothing...just, people will stare."
And their annoyance left their countenance.
"That is true..."
Though Ren didn't like it, much like Aki did, making that clear with her heavy sigh.
Yusuke shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort. It's just..." He chuckled. Though it was tinged with sorrow, it still held amusement. "Of all the things to be the source of Madarame's distorted desire, to think that it would be this painting..." He shook his head as if to dispel his words. "The only saving grace is that my mother won't know what had transpired."
That...was one way of putting it, one that Ren was saddened by, even though it was the truth.
"Indeed. The genuine painting at his atelier has been altered after all..." Mona said, similarly downtrodden. "Ironic as it may be, this one is her true self portrait now."
Ann said, "And...although it took some time, it's in your hands now, Yusuke."
And Yusuke's small smiled turned warmer and wider. "...I'm thankful for it, to be able to have my mother's greatest gift...and see her visage," he said. "There's no way I that would remember her face clearly... I was right about the rush of emotion I felt when I saw this painting."
Aki chuckled. "Means she loved you so much that you still remember that."
Ren smiled. He found the thought heartwarming.
Though the moment of levity lessened as Yusuke then said, "However, it's impossible for this painting to be acknowledge by society anymore."
"That's a shame..." Ren said, because not only did he did agree with Aki, Yusuke's mother derserved to have her magnum opus shared to the world.
"Yeah... Though I've been wonderin', was Sayuri your mom's name?"
"I don't believe so... Even if I don't know much of her, I do know Madarame merely used the name because he thought it fitting."
"Huh..."
"Besides, it'd be obvious he plagiarized her if he used her name," Mona said.
"Oh. Right..."
"Still, I must inherit my mother's wishes and improve myself further."
"Atta boy," Aki said.
And then the moment was ruined with a burp from Ryuji...right in Ann's face.
"Stop that!" the victim said.
Mona said, "You're so vulgar, Ryuji."
Ren glowered. That was incredibly rude.
Aki just laughed.
He glowered at her.
She raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry sorry! I just thought it was funny that Ryuji broke the mood!"
"As expected of him..."
The faux-blond was a bit miffed but still said to Yusuke, "Anyways...what're you gonna do now? We're gonna go back takin' out big shots."
Oh right. Ren frowned. He had forgotten their terms of agreement meant their alliance was temporary... It just felt as if he was part of the team already. Ren personally wanted him to stay because of that but... He looked to see the artist contemplate. ...that was his choice to make.
"Why do you do such things?" the artist said.
"Uh...we kinda told you before it's 'cause we wanna change hearts of bad guys," Aki said, confused.
"Then why do you do that? You don't need to do this."
Ren flinched. That was true but...
"We want to help people."
"Yeah. We're the only ones that can get back at scumbags like this," Ryuji said.
"Like those rotten adults..." Ann said.
"Yeah. We also wanna give courage to the people that're sufferin' cause of 'em," Aki said.
"Give courage hmm... But what does that do? You mean the courage to stand up for themselves? Will acquiring that make them happy?"
Once again, Ren flinched at the observation. But this time, he said, much less sure,
"We...won't really know."
Ann nodded. "Right. We can only just give it a try."
Aki said, "And if we do manage to give 'em courage, maybe it'll give 'em the nudge to start believin' that they can make their life better."
"So in other words...it depends on the person, hmm?"
"Yeah. Everyone's different after all."
Ren nodded.
The blue haired boy smiled and chuckled. "I see... The same can be said about myself. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act." Then he said, "Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it might expand my artistic repetoire."
Ren felt like sweatdropping. Aki had a similar expression.
"You really only think about art, huh?" Ryuji said. "You're impressive."
As if to further hammer that point, Yusuke said, "Well, I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?"
Ann was quick to reassure him. "No worries! I've got us covered!"
Aki was quick to quip at her. "I wouldn't really call you elegant, Ann..."
"Hey!"
But as amusing as it was for Aki to tease her, he didn't want things to derail, so he said,
"You still remember our rules, yes?"
"Yes I do."
"So how about it Ren? Will you let him join us?"
"What are you talking about?" he said. "He's already on our team."
"Ha! Exactly what I was thinkin'," Aki said.
Yusuke was astonished but soon was grateful as he said,
"Thank you."
After that though, almost as if to prove himself, the artist reminded them of that odd line from Madarame about there being someone with a black mask in his Palace. Yusuke said he would try and probe him for information on that and thus it reminded them that they hadn't shared contacts with the blue haired boy, which they rectified. That of course meant he would return to his residence, where his "master" lived. They grew concerned for him, especially Ann, but he insisted he would be fine and left. If it had been anyone else, Ren would've assumed they didn't care about their concerns, but this was Yusuke, and if he was unfazed, he simply was. Nothing more, nothing less.
Still, he couldn't help but worry about it, just like Ann seemed to be, on top of the revelation someone else besides them was in the Palace...
...and that they struck fear into the distorted heart of a Shadow.
So he shouldn't be surprised that Aki said,
"Make sure you sleep early guys."
"Yes! That's very important!" Mona said, the picture of seriousness.
"Huh? Why?"
"We got the clean up to do tomorrow, 'member?"
The blonds stared.
"Oh come on! I was hopin' to relax after school tomorrow! Ugh..."
Ren laughed. Aki side-glanced him with an amused glint in her eyes.
Yes. That was a more immediate, and manageable, concern to worry about.
Author's note: "Taste the wrath of all those you've preyed upon!" is still one of my favorite lines from Yusuke among the many, many others he's said that I like. Anyways. Irritum is a Latin word that can mean "vanity", but it also means invalid, worthlessness or nothingness far as I know (which isn't much admittedly). Considering that vanity is usually "vanitas" yet irritum seems to be the "translation" Persona 5 goes for, I have a feeling that the other meanings are why they went for it.