Chapter 14

Yu looked around the little airsoft shop, well, this isn't intimidating in the least. It was really out of the way. Going down a dark alley just to find a little store called Untouchable to walk in looking for model guns. The air almost felt like actual armaments were sold here. The apathetic store owner rummaging through a magazine while lazily propping his feet on his counter before the register didn't exactly exude customer appreciation, either.

The whole team gathered yesterday to discuss future plans on Kamoshida. They still had time before expulsion, so Yu wasn't in any hurry. Morgana apparently wasn't either. The cat had the idea they should properly gain access to the essentials first. Medicine, weapons, and it sounds like they'll be more, but the feline seems to enjoy being the enigmatic one. At least he was easier to read than 'Igor.'

Yesterday the cat pushed him to get in touch with the doctor they spotted drinking in Leblanc. The cat also asked to be the residential alarm clock for Yu. They had to meet up with Ryuji today, so he agreed. The teen just wasn't expecting the cat to go all haywire on his face as said 'alarm clock.' Yu didn't want to ruin Morgana's fun so he let him get away with it. Though, the cat'll probably continue doing it as Yu's penance.

As of now, Ryuji and he were now trying to look over the 'weapons' for the next infiltration into the castle. Ann couldn't come since she went to visit Shiho in the hospital, but she requested a whip. So, Yu'll try and not think of the added list of kinks and look for one with more rigidity so as to placate the newest members… impulses… Look, he doesn't know how else to describe it. Who uses a whip as a weapon!? Not even Doctor Jones used his as one, it was only a backup or a means of swinging motility. The only one he knew that had weapon potential was a Flagrum and there's no way in hell that's sold here, and there was no way in hell he'd give it to Ann for that matter. It was sacrilegious on so many scales.

At the very least they were focusing on guns right now, but though the blond teen had invited them, he didn't seem to be doing well. "Do you got any… recommendations?"

The manager looked up from the magazine, toothpick sliding from one end of his lips to the other. His gaze then returned to the magazine. "I dunno. Just buy whatever looks interestin' to you."

Ryuji groveled looking over at Yu and Morgana. "Some customer service."

With a heavy sigh, the store manager relented. "Fine, whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?"

"Uh, automatic?" Yu's face of disbelief went unnoticed by his friend who continued, "Dude, why're you talkin' about cars now!?"

"An automatic is a gun that doesn't need to be cocked more than once." Yu blurted out.

"Caulk? Guns need to be caulked? How would that even work?"

"Not caulk, its… look I'll handle this." Yu turned to address the owner. "We're looking for something special."

Both intrigued and put off the manager looked between the two. "Special how?"

"Authentic looking. Almost as if we have the real deal."

"You a collector? Heh, you're way more interestin' than blondie over there."

Ryuji scowled. "Sh-shut it!"

"Shoulda started by sayin' you two're enthusiasts. I'm always up for helpin' fresh faces." The manager took his boots down and plopped the magazine down on the counter. "Some precautions first, though. Don't go 'round pointing 'em at other people. Keep 'em in a bag or something' in you're outside. Oh, and don't let the fuzz catch wind of you having 'em. I don't need them comin' around here."

Yu's jaw tensed, the image of his uncle coming to mind. He almost forgot. He was, right now, doing something illegal. It may be for the better good, but it still spread a sour taste in his mouth. "Promise." He nodded.

"Better. Now, if you look close, you'll be able to tell these're models. Real guns feel… different."

"Heavier, especially loaded. I'm guessing you use a polymer to synthesize the look."

The owner narrowed his eyes, picking out the toothpick from his mouth. "Whaddya mean I 'use' polymer."

"Well…" Should he say? He eyed the guy's hands nervously. Were those not spots of paint-like substance?

The owner looked down at his hands then back up with a smile. "I see. You're rather sharp. Alright, I make em, got a problem with that?"

"Er… no?"

"Good. So you've actually held one?"

"Yup. I knew a black smith who made me one."

The shop owner's face was stunned. "A black smith made one? For a kid?"

Yu rubbed the back of his neck. "I never used it. I gave it to a detective as a gift. They needed one."

"Hmm." The owner scratched his chin, sticking the toothpick back in his mouth. The dubious look gave way to his thoughts, but he didn't remark further. "So held, not fired."

"I… don't think I could handle that just yet." That blacksmith was defiantly too passionate for his work. He'd give Yu the weapons just because the teen brought him some valuable and rare materials for free. Of course, Yu still had to pay for it, the materials were more for the right to buy it. It was kind of their hush-hush deal. Now that he thought about it, defiantly illegal. So not breaking new grounds at least. Naoto was directly involved too, so no regrets then.

"You lookin' for whatever you gave that detective?"

"Sure. Sounds about right."

"What was it?"

"Hmm." Yu rubbed his chin. He got Naoto a lot of guns. Each more powerful than the last. The last one he got her was a revolver, but that wasn't his style. "Probably an automatic nine millimeter pistol. Not as strong as a forty caliber but it has more ammo."

Morgana hissed into his ear. "There's no limited ammo. So long as we defeat the present enemies it will 'reload' for the next."

"Is it alright if I asked for a forty cal?"

The shop owner blinked. "I'm not sellin' real ones."

"I know." Yu didn't even budge.

"…Okay. I'll see what I got."

After a few minutes of discussion and viewing the 'guns', Yu purchased everything he was going to and once they were outside Ryuji's face was in his, "Dude. You bought an actual, freakin' gun?"

"Not so loud." Yu looked about them. They were lucky no one else was in the alley.

The blond threw his arm around his friend. "Is it alrigh' if I get on this deal?"

"I don't have contact with the guy anymore, and there's no way I'd give you one."

"Naw, I just wanna hold one." The teen sighed and let him go. "Regardless, we got what we needed. Man, bringin' you along was great."

"I'd say." Morgana popped out of the bag. "I could've sworn you've gone weapon shopping before." He looked suspicious.

Yu pushed in his glasses, sweating from his brow. "Must be… you're imagination." Every time he makes strides to hide his past everyone just notices something else that pried back that vital veil he was setting up.

"Look, we won't judge you." Morgana sighed. "Have you bought these things before?"

"Not… exactly." Yu swallowed. "Just swords, knives, a few pistols, and shoes."

"Shoes?" Ryuji blinked.

"They wouldn't fit you."

"I wasn't askin!?"

Morgana looked up in thought. "So you've bought this kind of stuff before."

"Sure." He was not going to explain why.

"Man, every time we do something you go around like a pro. It's like I don't need to teach you anything."

"Wait, no." Yu's heart began to race. "I have no clue about palaces, breaking into things, or what to do when we're in there. I'll admit I've been in fights before." That was a hit to his image. "But I'm not that special."

The cat didn't seem all that convinced, but he didn't look to be curious. "Well, we've got our tools. Now we need some better stuff."

"Huh? Better what?" Ryuji leaned in.

"Don't you mind. It's just me and this guy."

Yu slowly looked over at the cat. "Wait. Are we going back to that-?"

"Yup. You need a second visit." The cat's smile was less than cute.

"Why? I just went yesterday."

"But what about that special medicine we heard so much about?"

"…You just like bossing me around, don't you."

"Maybe."

Ryuji slowly backed away. He didn't know what was going on and he didn't want to be a part of it.

\|/

Yu fumbled on his feet, shaking off the stars sparkling around him. That doctor agreed to give him that medicine, but only if he would undergo experimentation with her new drug. Right now, he was feeling like he was struck by a car then given an insta-heal potion.

The cat was all too happy about his predicament. Morgana hummed to himself in the bag, "Now that that's taken care of, we can begin working on our infiltration tools."

"There's more?"

"Of course. We only have weapons and medicine. We need lockpicks, smoke bombs, and other things. Phantom Thieves need to be well equipped to deal with the various threats of the Metaverse."

"I don't know how to make-."

"I'll teach you of course."

"Of course."

Yu pushed open the door to Leblanc and walked in with heavy shoulders. As he walked up to the counter, the last customer turned to Sojiro who was behind the counter. "Boss, did you hear? Apparently, that subway driver from the accident was acting really odd during his testimony hearing."

The café manager crossed his arms, no change in his expression. "You talking about that psychotic whatever thing people're going on about?"

The psychotic breakdowns? Yu planted himself on one of the stools and looked back and forth between the two as they spoke.

"Yeah, I heard it completely alters your personality. The news is saying the driver couldn't even speak when they tried asking him questions."

"There's no way a preposterous story like that could be true." He looked down at his wristwatch then back to his customer. "Oh and sorry, but we're closing soon."

Yu snorted at his claim.

"Hmph, how rude. This must be why you don't get many customers. Your coffee's actually not half bad. The beans must be lamenting the sorry state of this store."

"Thanks for stopping in. Please come again." Sojiro's tone didn't match his words.

"Hmph. I only say this out of politeness, but… thanks for the coffee." The man got out of the booth and strolled over to the door. The door shut with a jingle and the two were alone again.

Sojiro repositioned his glasses with a sigh. "Sheesh, what a pain." He made eye contact with Yu. "What do you want? If you're so tired go on upstairs already."

"How's business?"

"Shut it." The man seemed to catch the sarcastic undertones. "It's all good as long as the shop doesn't fail. I'm not gonna go wearing a fake smile."

"What if it does fail?"

Undeterred the manager just shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'll end up living out on the streets. As long as I'm here, the world leaves me be. No annoyances or troublesome people to deal with. It's like my own personal hideaway. I'd be kinda screwed if I lost it, but I guess you would be too. So, you better at least try and be useful around here."

Yu frowned, but didn't respond. Sounded like he was going to be thrown around some more. He didn't need the extra responsibilities, especially since he defiantly needs to get a part-time job. He did promise Morgana some good tuna, after all and it looks as though he'll be in charge of most of the Phantom Thieves finances. Thank god he was in charge of that back in Inaba. He actually developed a system that should help.

"Anyway," Sojiro strolled around the counter and took the dishes the customer left, "I'm leaving now. Don't cause any trouble."

Nodding, Yu got up on his feet and marched up the stairs to his 'room.' He set his bag down where Morgana leapt out and hopped to the floor. "Do you have anywhere to work with tools?"

Casting a look around, Yu spotted the desk under the tarp. He walked over and pulled the material off. Dust was flung into the air, showering the sky with a dusty fog. Waving it away, Yu picked the books resting on the desk and plopped them down to the side. He pulled out the wooden chair and planted his behind into it. "This should work."

"It'll do for now." The cat jumped up onto the desk and dropped some materials from his mouth. "Here. Use these to make some lockpicks."

"Lockpicks, huh." He lifted the material and inspected it. He had no clue what it was, but it certainly was firm enough to pick a lock. The only jobs he had that resembled this were when he made origami cranes and toy models. He found that he was quite dexterous, but even this seemed more advanced than he's used to.

His phone bleeped and he pulled it out. "A text."

"You need to focus."

"It's important to take breaks once in a while."

"You didn't even start yet!"

Yu pulled up the message. "It's from Ann. She's back from visiting Shiho."

Morgana sat down, a sullen look on his features. "How is she?"

Yu lowered the phone down to the desk. Morgana walked over and sat looking at the screen.

[Ann] So. I went to see Shiho in the hospital…

[Ren] How was she?

[Ann] Her condition is stable.

[Ann] They don't know when she'll regain consciousness though.

[Ren] I'm sure she'll make it.

[Ann] Yeah

[Ann] She'll get better. I know it.

[Ann] I just need to believe in her.

[Ann] But… I'll never forgive Kamoshida. He's going to pay for what he did, no matter what.

Morgana sat back, looking helplessly at the phone. "Lady Ann. She's so strong."

Yu watched as the cat went wandering in the labyrinth of his own thoughts. As much as he wanted to, Yu couldn't tell them anything about what he went through. Even though he knew exactly how Ann was feeling. After Nanako was kidnapped, the gang was able to save her. But the six-year-old was rendered critical. Yu remembered sitting next to that hospital bed, hearing how the doctors could do nothing but relieve her pain. The days he spent thinking, saying that his little sister was going to be alright, but in the back of his mind the fear and doubt ate away at him. It all came to head when Nanko then died right in front of him. By some miracle, she somehow came back, but he still remembers the crushing sensation as he held the dead girl's cold hand.

He looked down at the material and began fiddling with it. "How am I supposed to turn this into a lock pick?"

Morgana snapped to attention. "Oh, right."

The non-cat walked over and began instructing him to the best of his abilities. Yu made one pick in the course of ten minutes, his slow and meticulous work trying to make sure everything was done properly before moving on. As he began to carefully carve the second one, he looked over at Morgana. The cat sat near the edge of the desk in watch, perking up upon making eye contact. "What's up?" He asked.

Yu looked down at the craft, his hands slowly easing into it to find the best angle. "You remember what they were talking about downstairs."

"What about?"

"The psychotic breakdowns. About the driver the police couldn't understand."

"I remember the boss saying it was nonsense."

"There's been far too many of them to be random events. So, I was wondering if… you know how you said we could kill Kamoshida. Is that what he would turn into?"

Morgana pondered his words, looking around the room. "I would guess so. He'd be an emotionless shell. The vague description we heard would match that a little."

"So… what if someone is already going through people's palaces and rendering them as empty husks. Causing these breakdowns. Is that possible?"

"Not very likely. They'd need that strange app you guys have."

"Except you don't."

"True, but I'm special. Any other human wouldn't be able to."

"Right, cause you're human."

"What does that mean!? I am human!"

"Uh-huh, I'm not disagreeing."

"I can hear your tone of voice, you know!"

Even if his question remains unanswered, the cat did give him something else to ponder. How does this strange person enter the Metaverse? Does that strange person exist or is there something haunting the other world. The thought of a certain chain clinking demon froze his heart. He didn't want to fight that thing again, but since it had no qualms trying to kill everyone it may be the culprit. With too little information, Yu refocused his attention back to the lock pick.

With one final chip, he lifted it up. Morgana settled down looking at it. "You finished? Great!" Giving it a proper inspection, he nodded his approval. "We should be able to use this."

Yu gave a firm fist pump in pride. Sure, it was a little rough and probably will break after one use, but it was still an accomplishment for an amateur. Something new was rather nice. Maybe… this is what it felt for Naoto when she worked on her little crafts. Looking down at the little tool sadly he imagined his girlfriend sitting at her little desk, playing with her tools and carving out something far more splendid than this. What he would give to have such an item, to even see her work again.

"Alright. We should be ready now." Morgana sat back with a serious expression. "We're heading into the Palace tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

Jumping Yu shot the cat a panicked look. "Tomorrow? I've worn myself out running around all day! I even have Mystery Drug X bouncing in my bloodstream!"

"Good night." The cat sung with a warm tune.

"You little-!"

Morgana sprung up and landed on the wooden beams extending over him. He laid down with a smug grin and closed his eyes. Yu could only stare up after the feline with popping veins in his head. Damn cat.