The Mask Shatters Chapter 9, a persona series fanfic

The Mask Shatters

Chapter 9

"The time has come. The change of heart will occur. Arthur will witness it. Their existence shall be proven. Doubt will become certainty. Indecision? Action."

Author's Note

Y'all thought I was dead, didn't ya?

Nope. Just very preoccupied in my real life. A lot of stuff happened around November of last year, which is when I began to maintain a steady radio silence. Personal life issues, financial issues, relationship issues, mental issues, and employment issues - all of which persist even now. I even got kicked out of my home and am currently living with a roommate (Who is just the best. Shoutout to her! :3)

But, with every bad comes a good. I recently started going to church and reconnected with a good friend from High school in doing so, I am no longer living under a tyrannical psychopath, I've reconnected with my grandfather, I've made new animal friends, I've been learning Czech, and more. :D

I was down for a while, but just recently I decided to pick this back up alongside my modding. I am going to find a decent balance between all of this, and try to continue the story of dear Arthur Frederick Williams.

I will not lie, I believe this forced hiatus may have afflicted my writing negatively, but that is for you to decide! I rather like what occurred in this 10k word chapter, I think it's a nice reintroduction to the story while also advancing the plot and relationships...among other things.

Also, I HEAVILY advise you go back and re-read (or skim) the story up to this point if you feel that you do not remember the plot or where we left off. Such a long time in between chapters is bound to form cobwebs in your memory.

Without further adieu, enjoy the read!

The afternoon was a beautiful, sunny one.

A nice warm feeling from a bright, everpresent sun sitting high in the sky.

People were going to and fro on the streets of Tokyo. More specifically, Shibuya.

Arthur was there, in a bright red and white t-shirt he bought from the underground mall and a black pair of pants, and so was Ichisake, wearing jeans and an orange jacket that seemed to be just for show while also sporting a black fisherman's cap. They were enjoying their Sunday afternoon going about the city and seeing the shops and sights that Arthur had been wanting to see.

Some people, more specifically young people, stopped and looked at Arthur when he passed. They began whispering, and their whispers did not fall upon deaf ears. Arthur heard them, and came to a quick deduction that they were Shujin students. Of course, Arthur had nothing to base this off of. Perhaps they were just surprised to see a young American strolling the streets as if he belonged. Or perhaps they just liked his clothes.

Ichisake didn't seem to care, though. He was busy sipping at some coffee he and Arthur purchased at a coffee shop down the way a bit.

Arthur had one too, and it chilled him to the bone, enough to where there was a nice balance between hot and cold, mild and chilly within his core. If it wasn't for the sun, he would no doubt be shivering by now.

Arthur had spent his morning at home, and was content on staying that way. He had no reason to go out and even though he was excited in the past for this trip, it wasn't really to get out and see the land of the rising sun, but instead to get away from his problems in the home country.

Problems that followed him here.

But Ichisake had changed that. He called Arthur around noon, while Arthur was actually reading up on an article about the artist Madarame and his past works, and during that phone call he practically strongarmed the young American into going out. Promising coffee, fun times, and maybe even a girlfriend as a reward.

Arthur snickered at this, and even now it was a funny thought. Ichisake was recently starting to joke about Arthur's single status, despite his own lack of a companion.

He also promised to buy Arthur a razor to shave off the growing facial hair above his lips. He called him ugly over the phone, to which Arthur couldn't help but agree and the two shared a nice giggle.

They were walking about an area near Station Square, a place that had a happening coffee shop similar to the Stardoe's back in the home country that Arthur was used to. Ichisake claimed it to be great, and he did not lie. Arthur was enjoying it - a nice, silky iced coffee that flowed like water between his lips - and he was enjoying his time with Ichisake.

It was certainly better than sitting at home, at any rate. It didn't matter in the end what Arthur was doing. He was in Japan. He knew he needed to take advantage of that, but the thing is? He didn't exactly know how.

"So where are we going now?" Arthur asked his friend, wary of bumping shoulders with the many people passing by the two on their little walk. The sidewalk was crowded, more so

than the street. Tokyo traffic was a myth true and true.

"Hmmm." Ichisake hummed, taking a deep swig of his coffee. "Good question." He smiled as he trotted along, not daring a glance at Arthur who shot an incredulous look his way.

"Huh…?" Arthur grunted, not sure if he had heard that right. "We…. We don't have a destination? It's, like, three…"

"What, you don't wanna go on a nice walk with your bud?" Ichisake chirped, swiveling around on his heels to look at Arthur. "We got coffee, we got the day off. Let's just see where the day takes us, my main man! You gotta get outta that damn apartment sometime, or are all American shut-ins like you?"

Arthur stopped in place a moment and looked at his friend, not really finding a way to respond to what has been said. Ichisake stopped as well, grinning and showing off his braces to all who wished to see. The young American shook his head, and he picked up his pace once more as he passed Ichisake.

"Well, regardless." Arthur said, keeping his eyes ahead of himself as he walked. "There is a place I'd like to stop off at some point soon."

"Oh yeah?" Ichisake piped up, jogging to catch up with the American. "And where would that be?" He asked quizzically.

"Arthur?" Someone nearby called out, stopping the duo in their tracks. Despite the noise of the Tokyo street, the callout of an American name was clearer than all the noisy music and people around them. Ichisake didn't recognize the voice at first, and simply looked around idly as he tried to spy the owner of the rather feminine voice.

Arthur recognized it almost immediately however, and he smiled subtly as he turned about, eyeing the approach of a young, blonde woman in a black tank top, blue denim shorts that actually looked to have been cut from a pair of jeans, and red sneakers.

"Uh? Did someone…?" Ichisake mumbled, not able to find the source of the voice.

"Ann! What a pleasant surprise." Arthur called back out to her, surprising Ichisake even more as he turned to spot who Arthur was referring to.

"Huh….?" Ichisake grunted, unsure of what to make of Ann's sudden presence.

"I thought that was you, Arthur, but I wasn't so sure. There's so many people around here…" Ann said, coming to a stop before the two young men. Arthur grinned, and nodded as he looked around the large crowd of people going to and fro.

"T-Takamaki-san?" Ichisake stuttered, surprised to see her.

"Yes, I suppose it is a bit difficult to recognize any one person within this large group of people." Arthur chuckled. "But with your looks, someone'd have to be blind not to be able to spot you."

Ann giggled, not at Arthur's assessment, but rather the way he said it. "That's a lot of words, there." She smiled at him, causing Arthur's grin to widen. She turned and glanced at Ichisake, flashing him a very friendly smile. "Oh, hi Miyara-senpai!"

"Uh, hey Takamaki-san." He greeted her, surprised she was approaching the two so openly. "Out for a stroll, are you?" He asked, regaining the composure that was jolted by her sudden presence..

Ann suddenly frowned. "Actually, I was just coming back from seeing a friend of mine." She said, causing Ichisake to flinch as he realized who she was referring to. He then looked at Arthur, who didn't seem perturbed by the situation.

"Ah, yeah…" Ichisake slowly said, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry…. How's she doing, Takamaki-san?" The young man asked her, sipping at his coffee as Ann quietly held her arm close in response to the question. "I, er, haven't heard anything… N-not that I knew her, it's just the whole thing….. I'll just shut up."

"Hmm?" Arthur hummed, curious as to what Ichisake meant.

"She's good, Miyara-senpai." She quietly smiled, amused by his stammering. "I suppose you don't know, but she has regained consciousness." She added, the discomfort of question alleviating itself with the mention of her recovery.

"Consciousness…?" Arthur asked, arching a brow at the ramifications of the word.
"Tha-that's good to hear, Takamaki-san!" Ichisake quickly beamed, delighted by the news. "Last I heard she was still in critical condition…"

"Not anymore!" Ann joined him in his glee, raising her arms up in her own display of excitement. "She's still bedridden, though. It will be awhile befo-"

"Pardon my interruption…" Arthur interjected, not quite understanding what was going on before him. "But… What do you mean by "She regained consciousness"? Who is "She"? What happened to her?"

The two went silent, glancing over at Arthur a moment before landing their eyes on one another. Arthur looked between them, and noted how Ann's eyes suddenly shrank, and she looked to the sidewalk as the glee she and Ichisake were sharing suddenly evaporated in the awkward silence.

Ichisake shook his head and clicked his tongue and pocketed a hand as he looked back towards the befuddled American.

"Oh… You… You don't know?" Ichisake quietly asked, uncertain if Ann wanted him to know.

Arthur looked at him, unsure of how to proceed.

"I mean… No?"

"Ah… I suppose that makes sense…" Ichisake nodded, shifting his gaze over at Ann a brief moment before sighing and shaking his head. "You did arrive after that whole nonsense, after all. No one else would want to tell you, either..."

"You remember when I told you, Arthur, that someone else suffered for my cowardice?" Ann suddenly spoke up, catching the swift attention of both boys. "Someone very close to me...?" She deadpanned, making direct eye contact with the American.

Arthur maintained the eye contact, unsure of what to say or how to react. She seemed so serious. Her glee was gone. Her eyes looked sullen, yet before they were vibrant and hopeful. In mere moments, the jubilant Ann that Arthur had come to know so far was absent.

All that was left was an alien personality that said one thing:

"I will never forgive. Never."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words. He was either deaf to himself, or mute to the others. Ichisake was watching him at this point now, too. Not with confusion or surprise, but instead he was expecting Arthur to say something. Indeed, even Ann was waiting for his response. The sharp wit that Arthur had demonstrated to both of them so far had given them expectations, and he was failing to meet them this very second.

He thought hard, trying to remember his past conversations with her.

Trying to remember anything to give him a clue as to what she was speaking of.

But Ichisake decided the silence was awkward enough and had persisted for far too long. He shook his head, grabbing Arthur by his shoulder and jolting him from his deep thought.

"Uh…. Well… I'd say if we're gonna inform him on it, Takamaki-san, we should do it in a nice venue. Perhaps a place where calm heads will prevail…. I'm also rather hungry as it is. Are you hungry, Takamaki-san?" Ichisake asked, trying his best to smile for the two and bring the conversation back to the realm of happy thoughts. "I'm buying."

Ann arched a single brow, turning her gaze on him for a moment of uneasy silence. His offer seemed odd to her. After all, she barely knew Ichisake. The same could really be said for Arthur, but with Arthur she was already on a first name basis with him, Ichisake not so much.

Not to mention the similarities between the two regarded her more towards Arthur than it did with Ichisake.

She was inclined to refuse his offer on that idea alone, but suddenly her stomach began to gurgle. Then, from that discomfort arose a rather serious rumble, catching the two boys off guard as it roared voraciously and echoed in their ears.

She blushed, holding her stomach as she realized she had not eaten anything at all today.

Then, with a quick turnaround in her mind, she smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Sure."

Station Square wasn't a far walk for the trio, but it was spent mostly in awkward silence. Ann did her best to keep up with her American friend as Ichisake led the way. Secretly, although Arthur wasn't fighting it, he was hoping it wasn't anything to do with fast food. Ichisake seemed the type to overindulge... And Ann?

Their last encounter spoke volumes of her intake.

The square seemed unusually crowded for a day like this. A Sunday, bright and sunny like many others before it, and yet people were crowded like it was no one's business.

There even seemed to be an abundance of police officers around, lingering at the edges of the crowds and sticking together like glue. They were muttering to themselves, and watched everyone like a hawk looking for prey.

One even seemed to be sweating, and her knees seemed to have gradually been losing the strength to stand.

Arthur scrunched his brows, unsure of what was about to happen. But this behavior seemed to indicate wariness, but also a surprise that Arthur and Ann seemed to both share.

"What's with the large crowd…?" Ann stopped to ask, looking over to Arthur as if he had an answer.

"There's police here too…" He noted aloud, attempting to mentally discern the ramifications of their presence. "This doesn't seem like a protest or anything, and those officers do not seem to be packing heavy equipment…" Arthur stopped next to her, taking a small step forward in an effort to protect her if something startled the crowd. "Regardless, whatever's about to go down, we should vacate immediately."

"Agreed." She said, quickly speeding up her pace to attempt to match Ichisake's, who seemed not to have realized the gravity weighing on the square he had walked clearly by without a second thought. "I know I've probably said this before, but you're very sharp… Like, I mean, you're too smart for your own good." She mumbled to him.

Arthur chuckled, shaking his head as he tried to keep up with her power walk.

"And you walk fast. Faster than me, and Ichisake complains about that." Arthur said, doing his best to catch up with the young blond woman. "Everyone has one God-given talent, I suppose." He added under his breath, causing Ann to chuckle at his assessment. She quickly slowed her pace for him, glancing over her shoulder as he sped-walked up to her.

She giggled once more, and almost immediately after - as if on cue - Ichisake called out to them.

"Come on, guys! It's over here!" He waved over to them, catching the concerned eye from a few passing adults. Ann and Arthur stopped, casting their gazes over at the young man, who had gotten ahead of them rather fast with almost no effort. Behind him, at the end of their sidewalk, sat a small building with a sign that was written in poor Japanese kanji, indicating it as a Polish restaurant named "Poland's Roadhouse Shazam".

The two didn't move, surprised that both a restaurant like this even existed so close to Station Square and Central Street in general and that the name was just so poorly chosen, and looked even worse in written form.

At least Arthur felt that way, but Ann's unsure reaction gave him all the ammo he needed to easily understand what was roaming in her mind.

"Huh…" Ann said, slowly stepping forward.

Meanwhile, Arthur muttered under his breath, with a suddenly amused smile.

"Guess his talent is knowing the city…"

The trio had taken their seats at Ichisake's behest and spent a good while just getting a grasp of the situation. The restaurant had both indoor and outdoor seating, and the two boys - both harboring a sentiment of chivalry within their mannerisms - deferred the options to Ann. She didn't hesitate, with the nice sunny weather above, to choose the outdoor seating. Arthur was fine with it, and Ichisake seemed mildly annoyed but went along with it anyways.

The green and white building sported the flag of the Republic of Poland flying high above the outdoor patio and coupled with Japan's Hinomaru. Everything looked to have a slavic design to it, from the mats beneath the tables to the chairs and umbrellas. It all looked completely foreign to Arthur, who was moreso interested in Japanese styling than that of the Slavs. Ann especially seemed out of her element, as she looked a little perturbed by it all. Even going so far as to call the designs on the umbrellas a little out of her taste.

Ichisake, judging by the way he looked at her when she called them "edgy", seemed to have taken personal offense. He didn't say anything though.

Few people were sitting on the patio, and even fewer employees were to be found. But everything looked clean, nice, organized, and there was a faint smell outside that really stirred something in Arthur's stomach.

Situated across the street was a large big-screen situated on a large building, unobstructed so that it may be seen from any distance in any direction but behind. People were gathered across the street, just like down the street at Station Square, and the police had responded here as well.

It all struck Arthur as odd, and he felt a semblance of unease as he beheld the large gathering of people.

A waitress came by, looking very foreign to all three adolescents sitting before her. She was a petite young woman, wearing a white t-shirt with a Polish symbol emblazoned above the left breast and black shorts under a black skirt with high heels, giving the impression that this was a high-end establishment. She looked to be young, and if Arthur had to guess, she was probably a year younger than him. She sported a bald scalp - to which Arthur couldn't tell if she was naturally bald or if she had a serious, underlying issue - with red lips and bright hazel eyes, an accent that marked her as a native slav and a complete foreigner, and she sealed the deal by speaking in both Czech and Japanese where appropriate.

"Pozdravy, přátelé! Welcome to Poland's Roadhouse Shazam. My name is Viktorie and I'll be your server today. Here are your menus, and if you have any questions just flag me down and I'll be happy to help!" She said in a very bright voice, almost giving off the vibes that this wasn't rehearsed.

Arthur smiled as she spoke, finding the fluency she had in both languages refreshing and also wondered if she was fluent in English. There was also a certain melody that he enjoyed with the Czech language that her soft voice played very well.

Arthur himself had a very basic understanding in the Czech language because of a ne'er-do-well friend back in the US, who was the son of immigrants much like Arthur. Basic greetings, phrases, and explaining that he knew little of their language was to the extent of his knowledge, and he decided to surprise her and perhaps even make her day.

"Ahoj, jak se máš?" He greeted her, causing both Ann and Ichisake to dart startled stares at him.

The waitress named Viktorie seemingly was as startled as them and froze for a moment, not sure if she actually heard him correctly. She looked at him, and when it finally dawned on her that he was speaking the language of her homeland. She very quickly got excited.

"Ahhh, Jsi Čech? Nevypadáš na to…" She asked him. Arthur, however, actually understood very little of it. But regardless, he thought quickly of how to respond and chose one of the few long phrases he knew, one explaining that he speaks little of the Czech language.

"Americký. Mluvím trochu česky. Promiňte."

Ann glanced at Ichisake, not understanding what was going on. But Ichisake didn't notice, he was too busy wide-jawing at the exchange going on before him.

"Ah, ah… American." She said in Japanese this time, still smiling and surprised that he even knew the basic phrases he offered her. Arthur could see her that her excitement had faded slightly.

"Otázka. Mluvit anglicky?" He asked, unsure exactly of how to pronounce the word "Speak" and "Question" in Czech, but she seemed to have understood well enough what he was saying.

"No, I don't speak English." She answered him again in Japanese, shaking her head but maintaining a genuine smile, knowing this was probably the only real way they could communicate. Arthur nodded, smiling as well.

"Well, that's a tad too bad then. Hopefully I made your day!" Arthur flashed a toothy smile at her, to which she nodded as a response.

"I've been here four years. I've yet to meet someone who can even remotely speak the mother tongue." She explained, her customer service smile already having curled into a large genuine grin. She cut her eyes briefly to the ground a moment before chuckling and extending a hand towards him. "I'm… I'm Viktorie Fišerová." She stumbled.

Meanwhile, Arthur's friends just continued to stare, with Ichisake's jaw almost hitting the table with the situation unfolding before them.

"I'm Arthur. Arthur Williams." He shook her hand, surprising her with the grip he had developed over his life.

"Potěšení, Artur." She said as she retracted her hand, her warm smile remaining firmly in place. She then paused, remembering that Arthur had friends with him. Casting a glance to Ann and Ichisake, Viktorie quickly caught herself and stammered in place a moment before deciding it was appropriate to leave them be. "I'll, uh, give you all a while. Take your time." She said, coughing into her hand before shuffling away, embarrassed.

"Alright then…" Arthur said, as if he did not understand what had just happened. Clicking his tongue, and ignoring the stares from his friends, he looked over at the slack-jawed young man. "Well, Ichisake, you brought us here… What do you recommend?" He asked, opening the green menu before him.

"Excuse-the-fuck-me?" Ichisake said, catching even Ann off guard with the sudden vulgarity. "She was basically flirting with you there, and you just brush it off?! What, hello?" Ichisake looked serious, and Arthur slowly sat his menu down as he looked at the belligerent young man. "I mean, goddamn man!"

"Uh… what?" Arthur asked, not entirely understanding what Ichisake was going on about.

"Err…" Ann interjected, slowly turning her gaze on Arthur. "I guess I kinda have to agree with Miyara-senpai here… She had a lot going for her there, did you just not see those signals?"

"Huh….?" Arthur looked at her, not entirely understanding what she was saying. "Signals…?"

"I mean, yeah, she was bald, but she wasn't bad looking!" Ichisake piped up, garnering a slightly disgusted look from Ann with his crass assessment. "And a foreigner, too! You guys have a lot in common. What the hell, man?"

"I'm not entirely…." Arthur began murmuring to the two, still unsure of what the whole fuss was.

"Hold on, another thing." Ichisake said, stopping him with a risen finger. "What the hell's up with the Polish? I thought you were Irish?" He added.

Arthur looked at him a moment, unsure if he was truly perturbed, slightly disappointed or even just joking. Regardless, it mattered little. He could only see a real surprised look dominating his friend's face.

Ann scoffed at Ichisake for a moment, still stuck on his assessment of the young Czech woman's beauty before silently agreeing with him on the idea Arthur knew the Polish language. Then, she rose a brow, not even knowing he was Irish.

"Irish…?" She asked, surprised. Both men ignored her.

Arthur, finding a sudden amusement by the two and finally understanding what they were on about earlier, looked smirked and sat his menu down finally, shaking his head as he opted to correct the both of them. "First of all, Ichisake, that was not Polish. It was Czech. Similar, but not the same. She was Czech, not Polish." He explained, all while Ann and Ichisake silently listened. "Second, I'm not fluent in it. I just know some basic phrases and pronunciations. I, uh, was well connected back in the home country. When I recognized her obvious native language, I chose to speak it using what little I knew to give her a smile. These small things can really make someone else's day." Arthur said, causing Ann to smile at the good-natured move he had made.

"That was nice of you, actually." Ann piped up, to which Arthur nodded a thank you towards her. "But I still felt it was kind of an unnecessary flex, I mean…." Ann said, giving a slight rise to her brow as she spoke, unsure if he was speaking the entire truth there.

"Was it? I mean, I just prefer to make others happy where possible and within my capabilities, so…" Arthur shook her off, bringing the menu back up to his eyes. Ann and Ichisake exchanged glances for a moment before she shrugged and turned away. Ichisake wasn't keen on giving this up, though.

"Are we just gonna ignore the fact that he seemed oblivious to the-" Ichisake began, looking at Ann for confirmation, but she didn't even look at him. Instead, she began scanning the menu before her just as Arthur had begun doing. Ichisake, defeated, just sunk in his seat and quickly muttered "You know what, forget it. He'll fucking figure it out."

"So sharp, except for where it counts it seems…" Ann added, having been listening to Ichisake the whole time. Ichisake, disappointed in his close friend, simply muttered a curse before pulling out his phone.

Arthur didn't take notice, however. He was busy perusing the menu before him. Everything on there was in two dialects, Polish and Japanese. Many pictures of the cuisines and descriptions littered the menu in a neat format that Arthur really didn't expect.

Especially out of a place that he never even heard of before.

Looking at the prices, he was surprised to see that most of the dishes cost a stark four thousand yen or more, but it seemed they also accepted Polish złoty. A little disclaimer even said they would exchange the currency for yen. He glanced up at Ichisake, who didn't seem concerned to even read the menu.

But, considering he knew of the place, it was probably fair to assume he knew what he wanted already.

"This seems rather pricey, Ichisake..." Arthur lowly said, not even eliciting a reaction from the young man. Even Ann agreed, sucking in air as she looked at one of the lunch "deals".

"Yikes, this is six thousand and five hundred-fifty!" She yelped, gulping as the price even seemed steep for her. "Miyara-senpai…"

"Relax, you two." Ichisake said, pocketting his phone and stretching his arms outwards. "I told you once already, Arthur, my parents are police officers. They get some hefty checks. That and my father was a member of the S.D.F. So, he gets some income from that as well. Bottom line, price isn't an issue…"

"They just don't care that you are spending a fortune here?" Arthur asked, unfamiliar with even the basis of that concept. Ichisake nodded a confirmation, which itself elicited a surprised blink from Arthur.

"Well, either way, Miyara-senpai… I can't make you pay for my meal. That's just too expensive…"

"Relax, Takamaki-san." Ichisake flashed her a smile, revealing the shiny braces on his crooked teeth. "It's the least I can do since you've been giving my buddy a chance. Something the other students aren't keen on doing." He added, to which Ann nodded and smiled. "How did y'all even become friends though?" He asked, unsure of the exact relationship between the two.

He paused, an evil thought entering his mind. Flashing his eyes between the two, a sly grin formed with a small, scary chuckle as he jokingly asked "Oh… Is theeeerrrrre somethiiiiing elssssse going on?" He asked, raising a brow and going "Eh, eh?".

That was enough to give both Ann and Arthur an immediate pause.

"W-what?!" Ann suddenly blurted out, surprised Ichisake even asked the question. "W-what do you mean by that?!" She asked, giving Ichisake a good chuckle as the young blond's cheeks flushed a cherry red, and her loud voice attracted the attention of passersby, members of the crowd from afar, and even Viktorie, who stood by the front doors attending to another customer.

"No, Ichisake." Arthur sighed as he shrunk in his seat and slammed his eyes shut, basically condemning his joke. "We're just friends. Neither of us are interested in the other, of that I can assure you."

"Yes, exactly! That's all we are!" Ann quickly joined in, narrowing her eyes on Ichisake with her cheeks the color of fury. "Just friends! Nothing more! Friends only!"

Ichisake, amused by his own antics and even more with Ann's almost unreasonable reaction, guffawed almost to the point of choking on his own lack of air and a face colored like a ripe tomato. The spectacle caught the continued attention of the nearby passersby and staff, and at one point throughout the laughter a nearby woman with a laptop simply shut her computer down and immediately vacated. An annoyed look plastered on her face.

It took him a few moments, but when he finally regained the ability to breath normally - at this point Ann's cheeks had calmed and Arthur's annoyance had subsided - he steadily breathed out "Relax, Takamaki-san, it's just a joke." He then looked to Arthur, who was deadpanning at him still. "Does… does she get this flustered all the time?" He asked, still suffering from a decent lack of air.

"Drop it!" She demanded. Ichisake, deciding enough was enough, quickly raised his hands up and complied, still chuckling and grinning at his own jab.

Arthur just sighed and looked back at the menu he held, still doing his best to decide on what he wanted. Ann did the same, still blushing at the idea of even having a crush on Arthur. To her, it was unrealistic. She barely even knew him.

While they all sat there in a continued silence, Ichisake continued to mull over his previous question, darting his eyes between the indecisive duo sitting with him. Eventually, when it seemed that Ann had calmed herself to see reason, he voiced his previous question aloud.

"So, in all seriousness, how did this friendship bloom?" He asked.

Ann, still annoyed at his crude joke from earlier, shot a brusque glance his way. "We just realized we both had a lot in common, is all."

Arthur nodded a confirmation, still browsing the menu before him.

"Mmm, well. I'm happy to hear that. This guy really deserves it after the unfair situation he found himself in here…" Ichisake smiled, happy to know that at least one other person was treating Arthur well. "As for you, Takamaki-san, I would like to offer my congratulations to Suzui-chan if you wouldn't mind passing it along." He added, eliciting a warm smile from Ann. She nodded, and Arthur quickly glanced up from his menu and met her eyes.

"OK, I hate to be nosy. But this was Ichisake's idea after all…" He said, closing the menu and laying it flat before him. "What's the situation, exactly, with your friend, errrrr, S-Suzui-san?" Arthur asked, unsure of how to exactly pronounce her name. "Is-is that her name?"

"Yeah…" Ann solemnly said, her smile slowly fading.

Arthur, noticing the sudden change, relented his decision to even pry and attempted to retract his question. "I'm sorry, I-err, I'm just curious is all. We don't have to talk about it…"

"No, man." Ichisake interjected, leaning back in his seat as he answered for Ann, who actually did not seem to mind it. "How much do you know of the whole… Kamoshida business?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Ann watched Arthur, curious as well to how much he really knew.

"Er…" He hummed, knowing that he had already given the answer to his friend before. "I know he was a teacher… He abused some students, got others in trouble…" He listed off, glancing over at Ann as he spoke. "Tried to get you to sleep with him… From what I heard, he's as detestable as they come."

"Yes, but…" Ichisake started.

"You don't know what he did my friend, Shiho… Do you?" Ann interrupted Ichisake, her voice sunken once again. It seems this topic is not an easy one for her. Pausing, she closed her eyes and thought for a good moment. Arthur watched her closely, realizing quickly what Ichisake intended with the recap. "Can you take a guess?" She asked finally, her eyes still closed.

"Uh…" Arthur stammered, unsure of what to say. "A… beating?" He answered with an unsure inflection.

Ichisake bit his tongue, surprised that Arthur didn't even know. Ann slowly rose her head, opening her eyes as she looked to the clear sky above. Clicking her tongue, she remained silent for a good few moments, gathering the courage to speak it aloud.

Arthur watched, a sudden ping of guilt falling over him as he realized that - not only was he wrong - but he was forcing her to relive the experience. Whatever had happened seems to have left a terrifying mark on her, and Arthur knew all too well the pain of reliving a painful moment in life.

All too well…

After a few moments of silence, she brought her eyes to meet Arthur's. There, they met with eye contact. And calmly, slowly, and quietly, she uttered the only explanation he needed.

One that he wished he had never heard.

"He raped her."

Arthur froze as the words fell upon him like an anvil suspended by rope. Ann's eyes were serious, and he could even spot her lips quivering as his question brought her back to the event. Ichisake crossed his arms, lowering his head in an attempt to disassociate. He knew any joking jab he could offer could potentially, and swiftly, be met by a slap from Ann.

Arthur wasn't sure what to say, but Ann's continued observation told him that she awaited a reply. He believed he's fallen on hard times in his life, nightmares and his homelife included, but the word "rape" brought with it the idea of an unsalvagable life afterwards.

Putting two and two together, he realized quickly what followed.

"So… in response… She…"

"Yes." Ann said, covering her eyes with the palm of her hand. Whether it was to hide tears, or hide her face entirely, wasn't known to Arthur. But he could hear her voice breaking. "She jumped off the roof of Shujin, but survived. She was in a coma for the longest time."

"Stop." Arthur said suddenly, reaching over the table and grabbing her shoulder. She jumped, the hand covering her eyes falling to her lap, surprised by the quick movement. Even Ichisake went wide-eyed, unsure of what to make of his actions. "There's no need to keep this going. I understand now." He added calmly and warmly.

Ann blinked, meeting Arthur's green eyes. She was indeed tearing up, and it was obvious to Arthur than any further mental commotion would cause a scene no one here wanted to see.

"I know the pain you feel, Ann. Perhaps not the exact pain, but I know what it's like to feel like you've lost someone close to you. I know it all entirely too well. Stop talking and collect yourself." He told her, to which she sniffed and slowly nodded.

Letting go of her shoulder, he lowered himself back down in his seat and let his eyes fall to his lap. "Godless bastard…" He murmured, a smidgeon of anger entering his mind at the thought of Kamoshida's actions.

"And that's when the Phantom Thieves made themselves known…. Although you already knew that already…" Ichisake interjected, attempting to alleviate the tension caused by the emotion running rampant. Try as Ann might, it was clear that this memory had not yet healed, and she still had a long road ahead to recover from it.

"I see… So they took him down? The rape of Suzui-san was the tipping point, yeah?" Arthur concluded, raising a hand to his stubbly chin. "Hmph."

"Well…" Ann piped up, her voice quite shambly. "There was… there was also this thing going around school… He was going to get a few kids expelled… Uh, Ren being one of them."

Arthur looked at her, but kept quiet.

"The Phantom Thieves…" Arthur thought. The name reminded him of the bizarre old man's recent words - Igor's words. His concerning words that Arthur does not know how to act on.

"Seek the Phantom Thieves, dear Arthur. Find them, before it is too late."

Arthur knew that understanding your target was one thing, but knowing them and locating them is another thing entirely.

He scratched his chin, the information he received kindling his interest in the Phantom Thieves once more. Nights' prior, Igor bade him to hustle up in his search, as apparently - with some evidence existing to back this up - Makoto Niijima was on the search as well, and apparently further ahead than him. However, Arthur was unsure of how to go about it.

Research does nothing when you know all there is to know online, and asking questions is difficult when you are a pariah. Ichisake only knows so much, Ann is likely in the same boat, and Ren?

Ren is an intelligent student, but he likely knows very little as well due to his equally as bad pariah status.

Then there was Makoto…

Arthur, as intelligent as he was, wasn't one to rely on chance but rather logic. He could approach Makoto. He could offer questions to gain insight. He could snoop on her business to gain the knowledge she has. But if Makoto was as intelligent as Igor claimed she was, she would catch onto Arthur as easily as he caught on to her interrogation attempt the other day. Makoto, the enemy, was definitely not an option.

He sighed and lowered his head into the embrace of his palm, catching Ann's attention. Ichisake, however, had been noticing Arthur's visible mood for the minutes he's been in it now, and was completely unsure of what to make of it..

Arthur was back at square one, without a clear path forward to find the Phantom Thieves.

"Who did you lose?" Ann sniffed, thinking his sudden reticence and frustration stemmed from thoughts of what he had said to her.

"Huh…?" Arthur stirred, Ann's words bringing him back from the brink in the world of thought. "W-what?" He blinked, glancing between Ann and Ichisake

"You kinda zoned out there, man. You alright?" Ichisake asked, giving Arthur the realization that he had been absolutely quiet for a good few minutes at this point. "Were you thinking about-" He started, before realizing it may not have been something Arthur wanted to talk about. He remembered past instances of him trying to learn of his family life, only to be shot down with a simple brush off. "Eh, nevermind."

"Arthur?" Ann asked, looking at Arthur directly. She was very concerned about what he had said, so much so that she didn't even seem perturbed anymore by what just went down. "You… lost someone?" She asked again, cocking her head at the question she herself presented.

Arthur just looked at her, but no words came out of his mouth. Instead, he was blank. His eyes quickly sulled, almost looking distant.

Arthur slowly shook his head, denying her a true answer.

But this behavior was something that didn't go unnoticed by Ann. Frowning, she opened her mouth to speak further, but was stopped by the sudden approach of their waitress.

Pen and paper in hand, Viktorie suddenly appeared almost from thin air, and a smile was plastered on her young face. Her soft, slavic voice caught everyone's attention, and quickly jolted Arthur from his reticence.

"Have y'all made a decision?" She asked, noting the closed menus before two of them. Ann still had hers open, and hadn't actually taken the time to make a final decision.

"Uh, no. We're still deciding, sweetheart." Ichisake said, ignoring the drama that went down only moments prior. Ann, developing a fake smile to hide the tears of moments passed, confirmed Ichisake's words.

"Yeah, I don't know about Arthur here, but I'm still deciding as well."

Viktorie glanced at Arthur, who for a moment didn't exactly know how to proceed, considering that some emotion had run rampant. Nervously, he grinned and looked up at her as he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

"Good afternoon, people of Tokyo." A booming voice suddenly called out, silencing many voices near and far - no less Arthur's. "This is your anchorman, Nishihara, with Yomiuri Shimbun, coming to you live to cover an emergency press conference that concluded mere moments ago…"

There was a sudden silence that followed, with the rumbling of the city going under with the announcement booming from ear to ear. Police began to form ranks around the crowds, breaking away from their huddled, tightly knit groups at the corners of the public. People stopped in their tracks to gaze skywards. And some vehicles seemed to have pulled off to the side so the driver and the other occupants could listen in unimpeded.

The restaurant doors opened, and as the trio glanced over to see who was leaving, they were surprised to witness even the staffing of the restaurant quickly filing out onto the patio, with some customers joining them, to listen in on the broadcast.

"Huh….?" Ichisake hummed, not quite understanding what was happening.

Arthur looked at his friend, realizing quickly that the booming voice was coming from the big screen across the street. Shifting his eyes skywards, Arthur watched as the newsman on screen shuffled papers before him as kanji writing flew about on the screen; ads and other news stories that will be covered later in the day.

"We apologize for the inconvenience we are causing with this interruption in your regularly scheduled programs but please, bear with us. The Japanese art world is currently in a state of destabilization and shock, as around ten A.M., a national master artist - having scheduled an emergency press conference to discuss plagiarism and its effects on the art world - confessed to grievous crimes that will likely land him in prison for many, many years."

Ann seemingly perked up for a moment with that being said, and she quickly glanced between the two boys. Neither were interested in her, as the sudden breaking story before them caught their attention complete and absolutely.

Quietly, she lowered her head. A small smirk sprouting, and a bright glint shining in her clear blue eyes.

"For those of you who were either waiting or missed the conference, we have obtained a copy to show you all." The anchorman said. "Be warned that the contents may be extremely upsetting to many of you, and we cannot be held accountable for how you react."

Viktorie's hands fell to her sides, and Arthur found himself further intrigued by these developments.

What was so important they had to interrupt programs, from the sounds of it, nationwide to cover this? A master artist confessing to a crime? Arthur had imagined many successful people being involved in shady business, it wasn't an uncommon conception. But even the anchorman seemed visibly troubled by what he was reading as, while he maintained a steady voice and composure, his eyes were wide and sweat seemed to be dribbling down his forehead.

Arthur huffed, wondering what the trouble actually was.

Leaning back in his seat, he watched as the video feed switched from the anchorman to a recording of an old, white haired man sitting before a plethora of microphones, with cameras sending off flashes of light before him.

Tears were streaming down his eyes.

And he seemed to be trembling in place as he cleared his throat and readied himself to shakily speak to everyone present in the recording.

It was of the master artist, Madarame.

Tears rolled down the man's cheeks, dripping from his eyes in a painful display of mental hardship.

His lips quivered as the cameras took in every second of this most embarrassing, and criminal, moment.

Flashing lights, cold studio air, salty tears. It was all a terrible combination for the elderly man named Madarame.

Voices murmured near and far in the room; worrying voices that foretold coming ruin to the man.

He knew none would immediately forgive him for what he was about to say, and in the next few hours he would see nothing but bars and concrete walls.

If not for the rest of his life…

He found it hard to speak, and his breathing grew more erratic as the seconds dragged on. But everyone was watching, and the areas where this was being broadcast live, the amount was doubled if not tripled.

He lowered his head in shame, clenching his eyes shut as the flashes of light blinded his weary, salty eyes.

His colleagues were watching.

His mistress.

Buyers.

Former pupils.

Yusuke…

He swallowed nothing but dry, stale air. Letting out nothing but a fearful whimper as he rose his head to meet the eyes of the press.

"Forgive me, Yusuke…" He mumbled as he adjusted the microphone in front of him. It did not seem to pick up his words, much to his quiet chagrin.

He then cleared his throat, quieting the spectators around him. Their voices slowly ground to a halt, and soon the room was filled with nothing but the echoing of Madarame's erratic, troubled breathing.

For a second he remained silent, breathing through his teeth as he observed everyone before him. Eyes were wide, brows were risen, and the same flashes of light from the present cameras remained a constant. Satisfied that the crowd he was going to receive was at its highest, he slowly shook his head before shakily greeting everyone.

"H-hello… T-thank you all for… for coming… I know… I really know this was last minute, but there is an a-a-announcement that I must make…" Madarame stuttered out, as if afraid of some bad tidings. He sniffled, quivering in his seat as the audience watched. For a moment, lowered his head, shivering and whimpering. The microphone was catching it all.

Then, in an attempt to hide himself, he placed his head firmly in the grasp of his hands and quietly devolved into a macabre of sobs, the likes of which Arthur was only too familiar with himself.

The viewers watched, some out of pity due to his age, and others out of disgust that a grown man was acting so outlandish. But either way everyone kept silent as they allowed the elderly artist to cry into his hands. This went on for a good few moments before he quieted himself, bringing a sleeve up to his face to wipe away what tears remained before revealing himself once more to the camera.

"I… I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist…" He claimed, doing his best to stifle anything that would impede his confession. "Plainly put, I, err, I plagiarized work… from people that… that are immensely more talented than I!" He admitted, slapping the table before him in a fit of despair. "From pupils that looked up to me and called me their father!" He raised his voice, as if condemning himself. "From people that have died, and people that…. Oh God…!"

Tears began streaming even more steadily from his eyes, becoming visible even on the video footage.

"A good number of them have even committed suicide because of my actions!" He added, before lowering his head at the realization of what he had just said. "They're dead! Oh God! They're dead! And it's all because of me! I've even let a friend die just so I could steal her art for my own gain!" He began yelling, slamming his eyelids shut as the tears became an impromptu waterfall. "I've stolen countless art pieces! Claimed them all as my own! Made… countless yen off of them! Me! I did it! I did it all! The rumors about me are correct and true to the very letter of honesty!" He quickly admitted, doing his best to avoid stuttering and stumbling through his sobbing reflexes.

Cameras began to flash bright lights like no other as he paused to let out countless tears and sounds of what sounded like something one would hear from a T.V. drama. People began muttering, not just in the studio, but all across the country. One could almost feel the ground shake from such a disturbance.

"I-I-I tainted this country's art world…. With my falsehood! My lies! My greed! All for the sake of my own vanity! Even "Sayuri", my most famous of "works"! All lies!" He basically screeched into the microphone, sobbing all the while and flooding his podium with tears. "H-how…. H-how could I possibly….even begin….to apologize to everyone for… for…. For what I've done?! Oh God! Someone call the police! Call one-one-ten! Somebody?! Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase!"

He couldn't take it anymore, the despair was too much to handle, the water flowing like a river out of his eyes made it impossible to see, and the pain he found himself in for the crimes he committed and the trouble he's caused was too much on his psyche.

He might as well have been suffering a mental breakdown at this point.

He wailed and sobbed, all the while people took pictures and recorded what was being said. People called out for questions, asking for further elaboration and incriminating words, but he ignored them, and the crying…

The crying continued.

Almost to the point where his voice was almost nonexistent - a scratchy, pained mess caused by the need to come clean all of his crimes.

If one thing was certain about all of this, however…

It was that Madarame was done.

The whole restaurant was silent.

Viktorie.

Ann.

Ichisake.

The staff and patrons.

Even Arthur.

"...And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago…"

Crowds began murmuring from afar, and the police remained as wary as before in the event the more bellicose members of the community decided to show their anger in force.

After all, people in the world have rioted for less.

Arthur, amazed that such a confession came from the mouth of someone so respected, so admired, so well spoken… The idea that he, a harmless looking old man, committed such atrocious crimes. Such horrible things seem to be able to be committed by anyone with the will to do so.

One of the patrons opened her mouth, snickering. "He's crying like a goddamn bitch…"

Another countered her claim. "Yeah, but after the shit he claimed he did? That should weigh on anyone's conscience. Anyone with a heart, that is."

"On jest oszustem!" One of the Polish staff members announced to his co-workers, gaining mild murmurs of approval.

Arthur wished he could speak Polish, but somehow, he knew it wasn't a declaration of support.

Glancing over at Ann and Ichisake. He realized that the braced young man was still staring at the big screen as well, nothing but surprise in his eyes. Perhaps not at what had occurred, but rather what was said. While Ann smiled underneath a veil of visible pride.

"Huh…?" Arthur hummed, unsure what she had to smile about. She wasn't even looking at the big screen.

The reporter continued, shuffling the papers in his hands as he read them aloud. "After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in."

"Request. Heh, more like a demand. It's likely they're getting a warrant for his arrest even now…" A patron spoke up, shaking his head at the turn of events. "Goddamn it, I really liked his work too."

"Not an art buff myself, but crime is crime. He's definitely gonna be a snack in prison." Someone else responded, snickering at his own jab.

"Żona będzie zdenerwowana. Lubiła pracę Madarame." A Polish speaker spoke up, catching the attention of another staff member. They nodded, responding to them in a low tone that no one else could hear.

The reporter continued reading what was he seeing, although clearly upset at the news just as most others were. Reading off various repercussions and police activity in response to the confession. But one thing he said regarded Arthur more seriously. Enough to make him think that this was more than just a random act of a heavy heart in need of release.

"Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit only days ago. Police are currently investigating their relation to Madarame, but have currently not listed them as suspects."

Arthur's brow rose, and Ann's smile seemed to have grown wider.
"Phantom….Thieves…?" Arthur murmured.

Somewhere, in the vast city of Tokyo, on a crowded street of Shibuya, stood a well mannered young man in a blue and white, diamond patterned vest over a plain white shirt. He stood watching the screen above play out a confession that occurred merely moments ago. A glimmer in his brown eyes shined, and he placed a gloved hand on his chin in disturbed thought.

"Phantom Thieves, huh?" He murmured, scrunching an eye over the thought of these supernatural bandits.

Nearby, a young red-eyed girl with a personal stake in the business of the Phantom Thieves was watching as well, surprised that such a phenomenon had occurred once more. A dark teal coat and black leggings, she shook her head at these new developments.

"Phantom Thieves again…"

Around the corner, in Shujin-approved sweatpants and a sports bra, her hair in a ponytail and sweat dragging by her green eyes, a student out for a jog watched as the confession ended, and she found no end to the surprise blooming in her mind.

"So they are real…"

Her thoughts quickly turned to that of a troublesome American, and a stray thought regarding the idea they could help him roused in her mind.

Somewhere else, miles from Shibuya, in a desolate classroom and surrounded by papers to be graded and a diet soda, sat a cranky, old white haired man with large rimmed glasses. He was relaxing in his seat, listening to a portable radio set next to his work. A pen twirling in between his fingers, and his soda-smacked lips sounding off with the click of his tongue at the conclusion of the broadcast.

"Phantom Thieves? Seriously? What goddamn nonsense is this…?"

Elsewhere, in a large conglomerate building, high up in a lone office sat a weary man. A white polo and black slacks, sitting in a chair surrounded by paperwork from various upcoming events and even a couple resignations from his department. He had the tip of his pen in between his teeth, nervously chewing as the T.V. in the corner of his office displayed the confession.

"These guys again? What's this about…?"

Further up in the building, in a department much different from her admirer's own, in an office befitting of a manager, sat a woman with a punk haircut yet possessing a fair and friendly personality. In a black jacket, and an energy drink in hand, she watched the confession unfold on the T.V. before her.

"Huh…"

Below, in the streets of Tokyo, walked an inconspicuous individual. In a beige polo and blue jeans, and donning a tan fedora that hid his face well from passing observers, he walked alongside the passing vehicles without even offering a glance up from his phone. A cigarette burning in his mouth, and smoke billowing from between his lips, he witnessed the confession in its entirety.

It nearly caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

Frowning, he swore at the idea of these phantom highwaymen even existing in the first place.

"What sort of trickery is this…?"

Shaking his head, he walked on.

But deep in his mind, dubious thoughts regarding these, as he thought, blooming villains would not cease to tug at him.

The murmurs failed to falter all around, even to the point that it was no longer inconceivable to think that the whole city was shaking with the quiet murmurs of the populace. Even Ichisake seemed taken aback at the sudden mention of the Phantom Thieves.

"Phantom Thieves, eh?" Ichisake mumbled to himself. "Huh…" He crossed his arms.

"The Phantom Thieves again…." Arthur thought, darting his eyes to the ground below. The words of a bizarre old man chambered their way into visual thought for Arthur. Even now, he could picture the old man - Igor, as he called himself - chuckling in his deep, malevolent sounding voice and demanding action be taken upon this revelation.

"Seek the Phantom Thieves, dear Arthur."

"The teacher, and now an artist, huh?" Viktorie murmured to herself, holding her notepad up to her chest as she gazed to the big screen beyond. "This isn't a prank… Not this time…" She told herself.

"Hey…. It's just like that calling card said… R-remember, Arthur?" Ichisake, suddenly excited, pointed at Arthur. Arthur, taken aback by the callout, jumped in place from the sudden movement. Noticed by Ichisake and Viktorie, the latter of whom giggled at Arthur's reaction, the young man added "Kind of uncanny, really…"

Arthur sat there a moment, confused as to what Ichisake was referring to before soon realizing what his meaning was. Not so very long ago did Ichisake, Ann, and Arthur share a lunch period together. It was then that a calling card addressed to Madarame was discovered and reported city-wide via various media outlets.

Arthur had actually forgotten about that, as at the time he had not taken Igor as seriously.

But situations change easily, even for the unprepared.

"No kidding…" Was all Arthur said, not taking his eyes off of the big screen above.

"I'll…" Viktorie mumbled slowly, noting everyone's change in attitude with the situation, and it seemed to Arthur that even she was shocked over what she had just witnessed. "...Give you all more time…"

She then quietly, and awkwardly, shuffled away to leave the trio alone at their table.

Ichisake watched, and clicked his tongue as he noticed the sudden change in her attitude.

"Guess she likes art." He shook his head before leaning forward on the table towards Arthur. "I don't know what to think about this shit, honestly… Real or not…? I don't know…"

Arthur, noticing the hesitation his good friend had obtained through all of the recent hysteria, smirked. He hadn't ever really gotten a proper opinion out of the young man. "You telling me you don't really think much of those Phantom Thieves?"

"I'm saying I don't know what to think." Ichisake looked up at him, deadpanning a rather serious eye that was different for him. "If they're real, cool. It seems they are doing some good stuff… But… Look around you, man." He gestured to the hysteria surrounding them, mild as it was. "This is what they are causing. One time was fine and dandy, but it seems they're gonna keep on doing this… It's causing some real unneeded trouble around here. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they themselves caused those issues with your transfer, my friend."

"Well, we never did figure out if they are indeed what caused it," Arthur crossed his arms. "But I get it."

"Imagine if this keeps up…" Ichisake mumbled, pressing a firm hand against his cheek. "Mmm, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

Arthur nodded, understanding Ichisake's stance on the situation and even the idea of the Phantom Thieves in general. It was understandable, and not unfounded. Looking around, this very conference sparked outrage not just in the general area, but even at Station Square. Arthur could only imagine the commotion occurring elsewhere within Tokyo, and even Japan itself.

And it was all caused by the Phantom Thieves.

Arthur shuddered. People in America rioted if their football team lost… So what of Japan if icons like Madarame confessed their crimes?

Arthur huffed, finding the prospect frightening indeed.

It was just then Arthur realized Ann wasn't even paying attention to the two anymore.

She was busy tapping away at her phone, smiling devilishly at whatever it was that was captivating her attention.

"Ann…?" Arthur asked her, noting the quick replies she was receiving from, what looked like, three separate people. "What part of this makes you smile?" He asked. Ichisake glanced over at her as well. He was equally confused.

"Something amazing just happened." She simply said, without even attempting a glance up from her phone.

On a steel bench sat a lone, young man.

In his early twenties, hidden under a hood and sporting a dark blue jacket, he watched the screen above as the old man named Madarame balled his eyes out in what seemed like personal trauma and regret. Lights flashed, flickered, and questions sprang into the air.

The people around him watched. Some in disgust, some in despair - for this "master artist" was nothing more than a master fraud.

In his hand was a book of foreign origin, and slowly he sat it in his lap as the confession continued. It enraptured his attention, and slowly he cocked his head as Madarame demanded to be arrested by the authorities.

The Station Square of Shibuya lit up with words of varying emotion and length, and some people nearby meekly shuffled in place as their hero - their icon - fell apart at the seams.

The local police even seemed unnerved, which did little to stimulate the young man's faith in their ability to control this crowd.

This sudden confession - this "change of heart" - was enough to rock the very foundations of the capital city of Tokyo, and this young man found the intrigue enlightening.

As if he was learning something new all over again.

The news reporter returned to visibility, and began reading obviously from a teleprompter. The young man, his interest in this suddenly fading and the feeling of his safety in this stirring crowd evaporating - deigned to leave and find a better place to read quietly. Slowly, he closed his book and marked his place with a single small insignificant card, tattooed with a bizarre design.

The young man looked up, blinking at the mention of the phenomena known as the Phantom Thieves. This wasn't the first time he had heard of them, and mention of their activity always sparked interest in him.

Setting his book to the side, he stood up and took in the words of the reporter in their entirety. However, the reporter didn't mention anymore of the Phantom Thieves, and only continued with the charges Madarame was likely to face.

None of it interested him.

But the mention of these Phantom Thieves ignited a spark of curiosity in his mind, and he lowered his head with an inquisitive hum.

"Interesting…"

Post-Chapter Author's Note

Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.