AN: Another chapter down. As a small note, I feel like I'm trying a little too hard to include every Phantom Thief's point of view in each story chapter. I was thinking about going back to more Urano but wanted to check with you, the readers, to make sure I wasn't overthinking things.
FF – Thanks KnightmareKnight1. By the way, I was just wondering but is your username a reference to the webcomic Cucumber Quest?
AO3 – Thank you epikachu and SaulAxel. SaulAxel, I really like the Hartmut/Clarissa idea. If I think of it while writing, I'll definitely have Mishima mention two allies on the Phan-Site who are clearly the both of them in their past lives.
epikachu, I imagine Urano sympathizing with Yusuke's love for his hobby but also considering him a weirdo for his fixation on nude paintings. She'd mediate when he and Futaba bicker, but I don't really see the bookworm feeling any maternal instincts toward him. Although, Urano might wish for him to find his own 'Shuu' or 'Morgana' someday.
Museum of Vanity — Part 2
May 16 – Monday
Ryuji Sakamoto's PoV
The Phantom Thieves of Heart took the subway to Shibuya (Urano paid the pet fare for Morgana, causing the not-cat to grumble about not being a pet). Once they reached their station, Urano told them what she'd learned about Madarame and Yusuke. It wasn't much, but the part about the two living in a shack sounded familiar to Ryuji.
"Let's see… I think it was here…" he muttered, scrolling through the Phan-Site on his phone until he found a certain post. "Aha! I knew it! Hey, guys, check this out!"
[A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV. His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog.]
It fit with what they knew about Madarame, though that wasn't saying much given how little they actually knew about him as a person.
"Hey, what do you think about Madarame?" Ryuji asked Urano, hoping their leader would have some insight. "Doesn't he seem suspicious?"
She considered the question for a few seconds, then replied.
"I don't know," answered the bookworm. "We've barely been able to interact with him at all. He seemed polite, but that could've been an act. A celebrity like him would probably be used to putting on a nice face for his fans."
"All we can do for now is meet with Yusuke," concluded Makoto. "If we're lucky, Madame will be present, and we'll have the opportunity to speak with him directly. Even if he isn't, however, we can still probe Yusuke for information. As Madarame's student, he should know his mentor better than anyone."
"Good idea, Makoto," agreed Morgana, oddly enthusiastic. "We can put the screws to that shady artist who dares to leer at Lady Ann."
Ah. The not-cat was still jealous. Ryuji probably shouldn't be surprised, given how often he was the target of Morgana's petty insults.
"Um, I was thinking a more subtle approach," clarified Makoto. She then lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's a good thing nobody else can understand him."
"Jeez, how childish," commented Ann. She paused. "Although, I suppose that means he's acting his age…"
"Your inner thoughts are leaking out again, Morgana," Futaba told the not-cat bluntly.
Urano just sighed and shook her head at the not-cat's antics.
None of the girls seemed particularly pleased with Morgana's immaturity. Ryuji almost felt sorry for the kid. Almost.
Morgana had it coming, considering how rude he usually was to Ryuji. Plus, when it came to earning the ire of the intimidating girls that made up the Phantom Thieves… well… better the not-cat than him.
Makoto Niijima's PoV
"Why don't we start with 'castle'?" offered Ann.
The meeting with Yusuke was a disaster. He got infuriated by their questions about Madarame and denied that his mentor – and legal guardian, apparently – had committed any wrongdoings, although it was clear that he was either lying or in denial.
"Then, what about 'prison'?" suggested Ryuji.
Madarame showed his face, albeit too briefly for them to ask him any questions. He acted so cordially about the rumors surrounding him that it made Makoto and the others second-guess themselves.
"'Jail'! 'Warehouse'! And 'guidance counselling office'! Might as well add 'farm'!"
After Madarame left, Yusuke turned the Phantom Thieves away, explaining that he couldn't paint Ann because he was helping out Madarame today.
"Rage-quitting won't help, Ryuji," stated Futaba. "According to the post, Madarame uses his students to produce paintings, so… 'factory'?"
However, there was a silver lining. As it turned out, the MetaNav had picked up on their conversation. They had the keywords 'Ichiryusai Madarame,' 'shack,' and 'plagiarism,' leaving only the nature of the distortion.
"Factories don't really scream 'art,' though," pointed out Urano. "Maybe it's something related to artists, like 'art school' or 'art supply store'?"
Unfortunately, they weren't having any luck with their guesses.
Makoto got the feeling that Urano was onto something with her idea about the keyword being related to art.
"But those places are for people who paint," murmured Makoto absently. "If Madarame's really a plagiarist, then his distortion would likely be somewhere full of other peoples' art rather than his own. Somewhere like… a 'museum'?"
"Beginning navigation."
It looked like Makoto's guess was correct.
The Phantom Thieves' first foray into Madarame's Palace proved rather fruitful. They located a partial map of the gaudy museum and discovered The Infinite Spring, a repulsive testament to Madarame's mistreatment of his pupils.
At Mona's suggestion, the Phantom Thieves decided to stop there for today. The abruptness of them meeting Madarame and discovering his Palace meant that Harlequin hadn't had a chance to purchase equipment from Untouchable or restock on medical supplies.
Plus, they still knew barely anything about Madarame and what crimes he'd performed in reality. Panther believed that they could get more information from Yusuke. She suspected that Madarame had already started to plagiarize the art student's works based on the latter's reaction to one of 'Madarame's' works at the art exhibition.
If Panther was right, then Queen could truly empathize with Yusuke. A student blindly obeying an adult that they trusted? Carrying out orders they hated while burying their true emotions? It was just like her former relationship with Principal Kobayakawa, only much worse since Yusuke has been living with Madarame for years.
Queen only hoped that they could get through to the artist and help him before he broke from the mistreatment. If Harlequin hadn't snapped Queen out of her depression… well… Shiho might've been the second Shujin student to attempt suicide.
May 17 – Tuesday
Ann Takamaki's PoV
"…Hey," said Ann, trying to get Yusuke's attention.
"…"
She was finally modelling for him. It was just the two of them… as well as all of the other Phantom Thieves. Ryuji and Makoto's excuse for being there was to prevent Yusuke from doing anything perverted, while Urano and Futaba — leaning into Futaba's fascination with Sayuri — pretended that the latter wanted to see an artist at work and the former was chaperoning her. As for Morgana, he was hiding in Urano's bag like usual.
"Kitagawa?" repeated the model when Yusuke didn't respond.
"…"
However, Ann's efforts to set up this situation would be pointless if they couldn't get any information out of Yusuke, who appeared to have blocked out all distractions in order to focus on painting her.
"You hear her?" Ryuji asked the art student.
"…"
"Are you kidding me!?" complained Morgana, exasperated. "Don't tell me that our plan to catch Yusuke off guard and make him spill his beans is gonna fail because he gets as absorbed in painting as Urano does in reading!?"
…Huh, now that the not-cat mentioned it, Ann could see the similarities between the two. Both were practically obsessed with their respective hobbies.
"What are the odds?" remarked Futaba jokingly.
"So this is what it's like from the outside…" observed Urano, seeming genuinely interested to find out how she acted while reading.
"We can try questioning him once he's done," suggested Makoto, not letting this unanticipated obstacle stop her. As expected of the team strategist.
"What an effing pain in the ass…" grumbled Ryuji.
Ann silently agreed with the former athlete. She'd been insult by Yusuke ('absolutely no interest in her as someone of the opposite sex'? How rude!), ignored by him, and was starting to get restless from holding still so long. Suffice to say, her patience was wearing thin.
"Perhaps I should try going outside this room…" suggested Morgana.
"I'll go with you," offered Urano. She glanced at Yusuke, then at Ann and the others. "If he's really like me, he won't notice I'm gone until he's done, someone stops him, or the light becomes too dim to paint."
"Hold on," said Ann, glancing at Yusuke. He hadn't appeared to have heard their conversation. "What if he does notice that you're gone?"
"Just tell him that I went looking for the bathroom," responded Urano, already on her feet and following the not-cat out of the room.
Urano Motosu's PoV
"It's weird how flashy that door is," commented Morgana. "And… is that a lock?"
The door in question had a gaudy peacock design and looked like it belonged in Madarame's Palace rather than the real world. It also had a hefty padlock on it, preventing us from entering the room.
"Why would Madarame even put such a grandiose door here?" I wondered aloud. "It seriously clashes with the rest of the shack's style."
"That's what you pay attention to?" replied Morgana, incredulous. "Not the fact that there's obviously something really important to Madarame behind the door?"
"I know that," I replied defensively. "I just thought it was strange. I mean, why would Madarame bother getting a door like that when he and his students are the only ones who'll ever see it?"
"I bet the room's contents are strongly connected to his distorted desires," answered the not-cat. "If he associated the two things strongly, then he may have subconsciously chosen the door because it resembled his Palace's style. Or maybe it's the opposite, and Madarame's strong attachment to the room and its contents influenced the design of his Palace."
Did his Palace's design influence Madarame to buy that door, or did that door and the room beyond it shape his Palace's design? It sounded like a real 'the chicken or the egg' situation. I didn't really care enough to try and figure out the answer, though.
On the bright side, explaining Metaverse stuff seemed to put Morgana in a good mood. He puffed out his little not-cat chest in pride, which was cute.
I guess Morgana still had some lingering concerns about his contributions to the Phantom Thieves. Maybe I could find a way to let him contribute?
"Either way, the contents of this room are important to Madarame," continued the not-cat. "We absolutely need to see what's inside there now!"
Like picking the lock on this showy door.
"Okay," I said before realizing something. "…Wait, do you have a lockpick on you?"
"…We absolutely need to see what's inside there during our next visit."
After wandering around the shack a bit more and finding nothing of note, the two of us returned to the room.
"If you're willing to bare everything to me…" said Yusuke as we reached the doorway. Nobody had noticed our presence yet. "…I will put my heart and soul into creating the best nude painting ever!"
"WHAT!?" exclaimed Ryuji in disbelief.
"N… nu…" stuttered Makoto, her face turning crimson.
"Nude!" finished Ann, aghast.
"NSFW!" cheered Futaba.
(I would definitely need to give her a talking to later. But first…)
"The rumor was true!?" I cried, causing all eyes to turn my way.
"Rumor!?" shouted Ann, her voice containing a mixture of shock, confusion, and anger. "What rumor!? Why did you say anything before now!?"
"A friend who also goes to Kosei said that she heard a rumor about Kitagawa asking classmates to model nude for him," I explained hastily. Sensing Ann's fury grow, I hurriedly continued. "But I never thought he'd be shameless enough to ask you about nude modelling with all of us around!"
My answer pacified Ann, albeit at the cost of incurring Yusuke's ire.
"How dare you!" yelled the artist, incensed. "There's nothing shameless about my desire to paint the beauty of the human form!" Yusuke then narrowed his eyes. "…Come to think of it, just where have you been?"
"The bathroom," I replied automatically. "Although, I got a bit lost searching for it."
"…I suppose I never showed you where it was," conceded Yusuke, though with a doubting look on his face. After a few seconds, however, he brushed his skepticism aside and gave Ann a serious look. "Anyway, those are my terms."
The model tried to protest, but Yusuke refused to take no for an answer. As the artist turned his attention to his upcoming nude painting, I surreptitiously picked up Morgana (who had been making a face like a crashed computer since Yusuke declared his intention to make a nude painting of Ann) and slipped the not-cat in my bag.
Still, I could help but wonder… What the hell happened while I was gone!?
Futaba Sakura's PoV
"How dare that Yusuke!" shouted Morgana. "He deserves a bloody carnival!"
"So we're in agreement, then?" asked Urano, sporting a familiar dark smile.
After Yusuke had shooed them out, the two had demanded an explanation about what happened while they were gone. Suffice to say, they were both furious.
"He's totally out of his mind! I'm gonna have to pose nude if this keeps up!"
Futaba bit back a comment about how, if that really did happen, she wouldn't mind watching another of Yusuke's painting sessions. The hacker's survival instincts were screaming at her not to draw Urano and Morgana's wrath.
"The way he said it, it's not gonna be semi, but full on nude…" added Ryuji, clearly lacking all survival instincts.
The bookworm – and Ann – gave him a withering glare, while the not-cat began glitching out at the thought of Ann fully nude.
"F-Fu– F-F-Full nudity…? Lady Ann's gonna…"
(To be fair to Morgana, Futaba was barely holding in a perverted chuckle. If this were an anime, both of their noses would be bleeding by now.)
"Drop it!" yelled Ann. She and Urano shifted their glares from Ryuji to the not-cat.
Throughout all of this, Makoto remained as silent and red as the original protagonist of the Pokémon Adventures manga.
Ichiko Ohya's PoV
"Hey, can I talk to you kids for a sec?" asked Ohya, approaching a group of high schoolers and a middle schooler hanging around outside of Madarame's home. "From the looks of things, you don't seem like the ordinary, stalking fans."
Ohya's journalistic instincts told her that these kids had a big story, and she'd never been wrong before.
(Even if her boss kept trying to convince her otherwise about Kayo…)
Given their proximity to his house, Ohya's first guess was that they knew something about Madarame. Unfortunately, they weren't able to provide her with any information about his alleged abuse or the theft of Sayuri.
Then, Ohya recognized the school uniforms that they were wearing. How could she not, when Shujin had been in the headlines so recently? Could some of these kids be victims of Kamoshida? Or perhaps they had information on the so-called 'Phantom Thieves of Heart'?
Whatever the case, Ohya knew better than to drive them off with questions about a potentially sensitive subject. Instead, she simply gave them her business card and asked them to contact her about any leads. That way, they would talk about Kamoshida when they were ready.
"See you then," said Ohya cheerfully as she left.
Her boss would be mad about not striking while the iron was hot, especially given how unusually fast public interest in the disgusting gym teacher was fading, but – unlike him – Ohya wasn't an asshole who would upset children just for a story.
Hopefully, whatever information they gave Ohya would be enough to pacify that asshole's rage. Considering that she was currently assigned to 'entertainment,' he'd get very angry if the story she brought him wasn't something major.
Sure, there was a chance that the kids wouldn't contact Ohya, but she wasn't too worried about it. Having once been a high schooler herself, Ohya knew how likely it was that one of those kids would approach her and share exclusive information for thrills or to make themselves feel important.
Granted, that urge to fulfill one's desires wasn't age exclusive. It was more of a Devil that lived in everyone, which they all had to learn to balance with their commitments – to others and to society. Although, God knows how many politicians, businessmen, and other scumbags simply became slaves to their desires and made things worse for everyone.
…Like whoever made Kayo disappear and ruined her reputation. Yeah, Ohya would expose that scumbag (or scumbags) if it was the last thing she did.
.
"…Ichiko Ohya, huh?" whispered a bookworm, staring the reporter's business card. "The way she stared at our uniforms wasn't very subtle, but she didn't ask us any questions about Kamoshida. Maybe I should hold onto this…"
It would be a while before Ohya learned just how much of a jackpot she'd hit, and simply by showing basic human decency (which was, admittedly, an increasingly rare commodity among reporters).
May 22 – Sunday
Morgana's PoV
Despite the initial freak-out over Yusuke demanding that Lady Ann pose nude for his painting, the Phantom Thieves didn't enter Madarame's Palace immediate.
Once she'd regained her composure, Makoto had served as the voice of reason reminded everyone that, unlike with their initial foray into the museum, they would need to prepare before performing a deep dive into Madarame's Palace.
Obviously, Lady Ann, Urano, and Morgana had protested the delay, but the team strategist countered with the importance of proper preparations, how being emotional would have a detrimental effect on their ability to be stealthy, and how close the fight against Asmodeus had been.
Lady Ann and Urano had calmed down and accepted these arguments, while Morgana continued to protest… until Makoto revealed that all her arguments were based on those the not-cat had used back after Shiho's attempted suicide. Morgana conceded after that, though it didn't make waiting any less frustrating.
As such, the next several days were spent prepping. Morgana watched Urano as she made visits to Takemi's clinic and Untouchables, spent time hanging out with several different people (which she claimed would somehow enhance her Personas), and made a visit to the mystery room to update her Personas.
The not-cat's impatience grew with every passing day spend outside of the Metaverse… or rather, with every passing night that Morgana had that same terrible dream.
(It couldn't be true…! It couldn't! He was human!)
The not-cat's fear and stress were growing, and it was only a matter of time before Urano noticed. Once she did, the bookworm would undoubtedly interrogate him about it until he spilled everything.
(The only reason Urano hadn't noticed so far was because, even though she woke up before Morgana, her habit of immediately burying herself nose-deep in a book meant that she never noticed him waking up in a panic, taking several minutes to calm down, and putting on a mask of normalcy before forcing her to get moving.)
The one thing that made this wait bearable was when the Phantom Thieves met up with Natsuhiko Nakanohara, the ex-stalker who had initially put Madarame on their radar. Taking action soothed Morgana's anxiety, even if it was horrifying to learn that one of Madarame's former pupils committed suicide and that Yusuke could be next.
(And to think, Morgana had been treating the artist so pettily. Sure, Yusuke still deserved some of the not-cat's ire for demanding that Lady Ann model nude, but even before then, Morgana had…)
Finally, after five days had passed, the Phantom Thieves of Heart reentered Madarame's Palace.
"Remind me again… Why can't we do that costume changing thing you guys told me about?" asked Panther. She pouted cutely. "It sounded really cool. I wish I could've tried it out at Kamoshida's Palace…"
It hadn't been any trouble to reach The Infinite Spring. Between their upgraded equipment and Harlequin's new Persona (should Mona be flattered by Neko Shogun?), the Phantom Thieves didn't even need to touch their freshly topped-off supply of medicines.
"Mode Changing turns your phantom thief outfit into an outfit that fits the Palace thematically," answered Mona. "It was possible in Oracle and Kamoshida's Palaces because everyone had a clear idea of what desert and castle outfits would look like, even if they weren't consciously thinking about it at the moment of transformation."
After that, the group entered uncharted territory. The enemies were tougher, and there were a number of traps set up to capture intruders. Mona made sure to let Skull know that he had to be careful to avoid carelessly triggering a trap.
"Yeah," said Harlequin, agreeing with Mona. "And I don't know about you, but I don't have a clue what 'Museum Mode' would look like."
Pathetically, Mona failed to take his own advice. The not-cat got entranced by a golden vase and ended up activating an infrared laser grid. If not for Queen pushing Harlequin out of range before the lasers went up, they would've had to pass through the lasers, upping the security level to the point where they'd have no choice but to flee the Palace before they got mobbed by Shadows.
"…I guess that makes sense," admitted Panther sulkily.
And then, after everybody else had gotten loose, worked together to disable the lasers, and bailed Mona out of the mess he'd caused, it turned out that the not-cat had been drawn to the vase because it contained a Treasure Demon.
"There's always next time," offered Queen.
None of the others were drawn to Treasure Demons. None of the others became mesmerized by Treasures. Was… was Mona really a human? Or was that simply a fantasy he'd deluded himself into believing?
"Ooh! I know!" exclaimed Oracle. "What if Panther makes herself look like the Birth of Venus?" The hacker got a perverted look on her face. "Mwhehehe!"
Harlequin had said that Mona was an important member of the Phantom Thieves whose expertise in infiltration was indispensable to them… but was that really true? He was still weaker than everyone else, he'd taught Harlequin virtually everything he knew about the Metaverse and crafting infiltration tools, and he – the so-called expert – had almost caused a disaster by bungling into an obvious trap.
Harlequin was doing what she could to fulfill Mona's possibly-unachievable goal, and he was repaying her with nothing but trouble. Did he even deserve to be a part of the Phantom Thieves?
"Whoa!" shouted Skull, distracting Harlequin from scolding Oracle. "The hell!?"
The Phantom Thieves found themselves before an impassable barrier of infrared laser, with a familiarly-gaudy door located behind them. The others were troubled by this obstacle, but Mona felt a flicker of joy.
The universe had given the not-cat the perfect chance to redeem himself for the Treasure Demon blunder and prove that he belonged here! This was Morgana's moment to shine!
('Or prove he was nothing but a burden to everyone he cared about,' a traitorous part of the not-cat's mind whispered.)
AN: I don't want to spoil things too much, but big things are happening next chapter. As a tidbit, I'll confirm that there will be Museum Mode transformations.
Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 6), Igor (Fool, Rank 4), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 10), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 10), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 3), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 3), Makoto Niijima (High Priestess, Rank 3), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 1), Caroline and Justine (Strength, Rank 2), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun, Rank 3), Ann Takamaki (Lovers, Rank 10), Haru Okumura (Empress, Rank 1), Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance, Rank 1), Hifumi Togo (Star, Rank 2), Chihaya Mifune (Fortune, Rank 1).