? – The interrogation room
"Another world in which people's distorted cognitions take shape?" Sae summarized. "Stealing treasure to change hearts? And on top of that, a talking cat told you all this?"
"Believe what you will," Akira nodded. "It's all true."
"Honestly speaking, that all sounds absurd. It's hard to believe that this is even worth listening to. Still, it can't be considered nonsense when parts of it align with Kamoshida's confession. The same goes for the testimonies of the officers who arrested you. ...But so be it. At any rate, you mentioned something more important. These two other accomplices, besides this talking cat thing that appeared in your story. From what you've been telling me, they're students at the same school, aren't they?"
"Perhaps…," Akira answered.
"Perhaps? Don't take me for a fool," Sae said as she then sighed. "Very well. I'll leave it at that. Let's continue. The question's not over. If you're making this up, the cracks in your story will prove it."
Sae then pulled out a photo of an older man wearing Japanese clothes while his grey hair is tied in a ponytail, and he had short bearded facial hair. "The next to receive a calling card was this individual – A master of Japanese arts. Ichiryusai Madarame. It's even more incomprehensible than Kamoshida as to why this man was targeted. Where did you come to know him? And how did you learn of his crimes when you weren't a victim of them? Start by telling me what you all schemed..."
"OK, then…," Akira nodded as he continued the story.
5/5 – Thursday
"Well, we spent all our money on the buffet," Morgana said to Akira that evening. "but we officially established the Phantom Thieves, so it was worth it."
"And just like that, I thought we'd be broke," Akira replied as he was in his pajamas on the phone with Ryuji and Ann.
"The Phantom Thieves, huh…," Ryuji said. "I like the sound of that!"
"I hope we can help people," Ann replied. "I'm curious about that Phantom Aficionado Website too. I wonder who made it…"
"No clue," Ryuji answered. "More importantly, you see the survey on there? I dunno how I feel about it."
"Yeah, there was this approval rating thing, but it was only at like 6 percent…"
"Better than I expected," Akira said.
"I guess it's not so bad if you put it that way..." Ann nodded.
"But don't you just wanna get it higher than that?" Ryuji said, "I bet it'll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets. It's pretty damn exciting if you try and think about it like that."
"You know, you're right. Well then, let's keep working hard from this point on!"
As Akira went to bed, Morgana hopped on as well. "From tomorrow on, we're officially the Phantom Thieves. I hope we find a big shot we can target soon."
"Yeah… Real soon," Akira yawned as soon as he already drifted fast asleep.
A moment later, Akira was summoned to the Velvet Room, where Igor and the twin wardens were waiting for him.
"Welcome back to the Velvet Room," Igor greeted Akira. "First off, I'd like to begin by congratulating you."
"To think our master would give words of praise…," Justine said.
"You better treasure this moment, Inmate!" Caroline said to Akira.
"Uh, thanks…," Akira said.
"You have encountered allies who share your ideals, and you have found your place in reality," Igor said. "The time has come…Your rehabilitation will soon begin."
"What exactly is this rehabilitation of mine?" Akira asked. "It's about high time you start explaining."
"I shall explain it to you now," Igor began. "You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into usable power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin. That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."
"Strength? Coming ruin?" Akira repeated.
"There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin," Igor continued. "Fighting Shadows and gaining experience is one way. The bonds you've formed with your allies and the fusion process I taught you prior is another."
"This is all possible because of our master's guidance, Inmate!" Caroline told Akira.
"Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well," Justine added.
"When you're out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!"
"Spending time with those people will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them."
"If you've got time to waste, you'd better visit your contractors, Inmate!"
"That is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master has mentioned."
"Thanks to the contracts you've formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition," Igor said. "It seems the rehabilitation is going well. This is a truly joyous occasion… I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes for you."
I feel like my bond with Igor is growing quite more resonant, Akira thought. But what exactly is that ruin he's referring to…?
The grating sound of alarm rang again as Justine said to Akira, "…The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest."
"And don't forget to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!" Caroline added.
Just when Akira was about to fell asleep, a thought came to his mind once more. What must I accomplish? How do I show what I've decided through my actions?
5/6 – Friday
The next day, during lunchtime at Shujin, Ryuji showed Akira, Ann, and Morgana the posts from the Phantom Aficionado Website on his phone.
"It ain't much, but we've been getting more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website…," Ryuji said as he read some posts. "'I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.' Ugh, deal with that yourself!"
Just then, Ann noticed two female students from before. "Hey, those girls…"
"You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart? I wonder if it's true," One long-haired student said.
"It's got to be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?" Another student replied.
"But look at what happened to Kamoshida."
"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that Shiho girl tried to kill herself."
"Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."
"Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!"
"I wonder if it'll affect our college entrance..."
As the two girls left, Ryuji sighed. "That's probably a normal reaction for now, but…they'll see soon enough! If we can take care of two or three famous guys, people will have to believe we exist."
"So, about those big shots… We don't have any leads yet, right?" Ann replied. "Plus, there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too…"
"Oh, come on…," Akira groaned in dismay. "Can't they just let it go!?"
"Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being," Morgana said. "Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?"
"I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around," Ryuji said.
"And I'll try to dig up some dirt online," Ann added.
"We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't find a target…"
"There, there...," Ann said as she rubbed Ryuji's head.
"I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to…"
Inside the principal's office, Principal Kobayakawa noticed the change in Kamoshida and believed that some students were meddling. As he looked things over, a dignified female student with brown hair in a bob cut came in.
"Excuse me. Did you wish to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?"
"You saw the state Kamoshida-kun was in, didn't you?" The principal asked. "It's as if his personality has completely changed. Something is wrong here."
"I'm not sure I follow..." The female student became confused.
"From what I've heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business. Suppose they did something to him. Who could they be…?"
"Are you saying that these students may have caused Mr. Kamoshida to change…?"
"That is what I wish to know…," The principal said. "Even if it takes some probing into student matters… I would like you to look into this for me."
The female student pondered a bit. "There are indeed many rumors regarding Mr. Kamoshida, but… Do you mean all of this talk about those Phantom Thieves?"
Principal Kobayakwa nodded. "It is undeniable that Mr. Kamoshida has 'changed' in some way. I'd like to have a grasp of the cause. This shall also ensure that I handle the mass media and police accurately. I will continue speaking to Mr. Kamoshida myself. Unless you find whoever did this, these irresponsible rumors will likely never die down. Don't you agree?"
The female student nodded.
"You have been at the top of your class since day one. Your conduct is good, and teachers favor you," The principal continued. "I could write you a recommendation for any college of your choosing, Makoto Niijima."
The female student, Makoto Niijima, was surprised. "Th-Thank you…"
"Your lineage must certainly play a part in this excellence. Your sister is still young, yet she holds an admirable position at the Public Prosecutors Office, no? If something disappointing were to happen here, that wouldn't reflect very well on your sister… Do you understand?"
"…Yes," Makoto answered as she sighed.
"How wise. It's no wonder you're our student council president. I'd appreciate it if you looked into this as soon as possible. I ask that you begin at once."
"Yes. If you'll excuse me then," Makoto bowed as she then turned to leave.
Once Makoto left, Principal Kobayakawa called someone on the phone. "It's me, sir. My apologies for troubling you at such a busy time. Yes, it's about the matter we discussed earlier. I have all bases covered. The investigation will begin immediately. Yes, I will get results… I should be able to update you soon. Well, then, I must be going. Thank you very much for your time…"
After school, Akira, who was waiting for Ann and Ryuji to join up with him, had a thought on his mind while he moped, Rehabilitation. Ruin. What's all that about? It can't be all a coincidence.
Akira's phone suddenly rang as he picked it up to see that it's a call from Ryuji.
"The police are really here…," Ryuji said. "I saw 'em at the entrance."
"I saw them too!" Ann called in as well. "They were talking to the teachers!"
"That change of heart thing's seriously amazing, huh!?"
"I hope they don't find out we're responsible…," Ann replied with worry.
"I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. There's no proof it was us."
"I'm concerned," Akira said. "And yet I'm surprised the school didn't even blab about us being the Phantom Thieves."
"C'mon, don't worry so much."
"But I mean, haven't rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?" Ann asked.
"Kamoshida shouldn't know anything about what happened to him, though," Ryuji said. "We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label."
"I guess that's true..."
"Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life! All right, Akira! We're going to be counting on you!"
"Okay," Akira nodded as he ended the call and hung up his phone.
Just then, Mishima went up to Akira. "…Hey. You look tired."
"I'm fine, but what about you? How're you holding up?"
"Pretty good. By the way, have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"
"I've seen it. Why?"
"I'm the one who started it."
Akira was surprised. "What?"
"Um…," Mishima began to ask. "…You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"
"Double what!?" Akira blinked in surprise. "And…mind backing up a bit?"
"…Sorry," Mishima apologized. "Although… if things are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it. But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"
"That's great, but…" Akira replied. "This is a misunderstanding."
"I'm glad to hear that," Mishima sighed with relief. "It's not just Kamoshida… There are tons of evil adults out there. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something. They can't let this end after just one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So, I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site."
Mishima then showed Akira the Phan-site poll on his phone. It said, 'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves or not?' while it showed about 6.7% of people believing in them. "I want to work on this forum, so it'll be packed with tons of supportive posts. I'd like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! ...Can I, please?"
"Sounds like fun," Akira smiled. "Do what you want. After all, it's up to you."
"I'll live up to your expectations… I promise."
I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
A moment later, Ryuji and Ann heard all that from Akira about Mishima's site. At the same time, Morgana hid under Akira's desk.
"We heard," Ryuji said. "It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."
"So that forum is Mishima's…," Ann said.
"Has he figured out our identities?' Morgana asked.
"He's also catching up on the fact that we're the only founding members of the Phantoms," Akira replied.
"Even so, I think it'll be fine," Ann said. "He seemed to be playing it cool.
"I guess we should have a little chat about this later," Ryuji said. "I mean, Mishima knows!"
"I will say though…," Morgana pondered. "A forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful."
"Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target," Ryuji said.
"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one," Ann added. "Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and—"
Suddenly, Ryuji realized something as he exclaimed, "Wait, oh CRAP!"
"What's with you!?" Ann asked in surprise.
"D-D-Don't we have an exam comin' up!?"
"...Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?"
"It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!"
"I'd rather prefer that than be bad at every subject!"
"Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji," Morgana said.
"What's more questionable is whether or not you're even human," Ryuji replied as he then turned to Akira. "…Good comeback, huh?"
"…Let's discuss this with our fists!" Morgana said to Ryuji angrily.
"Bring it!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Will you two stop it!?" Ann groaned, but then she seemed a little annoyed.
"What's that look about?" Akira asked, noticing.
"It felt like someone was watching me this morning…," Ann answered but shook her head. "Never mind! It's nothing!"
"You worry too much. I mean, you are a model, right?"
"Shuddup! Besides, I wouldn't wanna trouble you..."
"Don't tell me you have problems. If you do, though, I'd be glad to hear it."
"I guess it wouldn't be so bad talking to you about this stuff," Ann said as she took a deep breath. "It's Shiho. I went to visit her in the hospital. She… She said she was sorry. Sorry for not telling me about Kamoshida… about all the things he was doing to her… But it was my fault too. I didn't realize how much trouble she was in… I wasn't there for her… So, I apologized as well."
"She is strong, though," Akira said.
"Isn't she?" Ann giggled. "Shiho's a great girl. I'm glad I finally got to tell her everything I couldn't bring myself to say before. And remember how Kamoshida threatened to take Shiho off the team if I didn't sleep with him?"
"Yeah…" Akira nodded.
"I had only agreed to it so that I wouldn't ruin Shiho's dreams…," Ann continued. "But now that I think about it, he never would have put her on the bench and cost his team games… I seriously should have dared him to try and take her starting spot. But in the end, maybe I just didn't believe in her ability."
"You can't keep blaming yourself," Akira said.
"You think so? I hope we can save people from trouble, just like we did when we changed Kamoshida's heart," Ann said. "Though honestly… I don't even know what 'strong' is. But I'm going to find the answer, I promise."
"We'll find out soon enough together, as friends."
"Really!? Thanks, I feel like I'm a little stronger already!" Ann giggled. "I guess that doesn't count, though, huh? Well… I'll be relying on you. Although, my first modeling gig was as a sub. That was back when I was still in Finland. My parents didn't have enough models for their event."
"Your parents?" Akira asked.
"Oh, haven't I told you? My parents are both fashion designers who put on some seriously extravagant shows. They jump from country to country, so I only really see them for half of the year. Maybe less these days."
"Sounds nice."
"Yeah, I guess I can afford to be pretty relaxed these days," Ann said. "Plus, it would probably be tough being a phantom thief with my parents around, don't you think? Besides, the Phantom Thieves are more important to me right now. That's why I need to get stronger!"
Akira, sensing a heightened motivation from Ann, nodded.
After school, Akira went out to visit Iwai at his airsoft shop.
"That modified gun we had must have been powerful to use during our battles," Morgana told him. "We should ask him about what was inside the bag! And don't freak out, Akira!"
"I'm not freaking out," Akira replied as he went inside the airsoft shop to see Iwai.
"So, what're you here for?" Iwai asked Akira.
"I looked inside the bag," Akira answered.
"I see… So, you took a look inside, huh? That was a custom gun that I modified to make it look as real as possible. I had a customer who was interested in it. You helped me out by smugglin' it out of here so that I didn't get caught by those detectives. You can have that gun if you want."
"Uh, thanks," Akira said.
"You're an accomplice now, so don't snitchin'," Iwai said. "I got everything on my security camera."
"In that case, I want to see more."
"Mind if we talk in the back?"
Iwai led Akira to the back of the shop and began to ask him. "Who the hell are you?"
"You could say I'm a gun enthusiast," Akira answered.
"At your age?" Iwai pondered. "Well, I guess you got the heart of an enthusiast. Heh, you're a strange one, kid." Then, an idea dawned on him. "Wait a sec. This could work. I can grant that wish of yours. But you better have the money because those things are worth hundreds of thousands of yen per unit. Sometimes, they even reach the millions, dependin' on how I feel."
"I'm not sure I follow," Akira replied.
"You're not bluffin', are you, kid? Heh, it may make you more useful if you are. But look, I'm not a bad dude. I've been known to compromise from time to time. For example, you help me out with my business, like smugglin' goods, destroyin' evidence. And as a reward, I'll introduce you to the special menu, with reasonable prices for a punk like you. Whaddya say? Not bad, huh?"
"That is a terrible deal," Akira said.
"You don't know what you're talkin' about. It's a great deal. Have to fight evil with evil. Don't talk to anyone about this. Got it?"
Akira pondered to himself. He and the Phantom Thieves won't get much more powerful weapons. Maybe he should be able to ask Iwai to customize guns for him.
"If it's not too dangerous, I'll do what I can," Akira spoke up.
"That's fine," Iwai said. "You should be grateful."
I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Hanged Man Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
That evening, over by Station Square in Shibuya, Akira saw a speech-giving man he met earlier. It was Toranosuke Yoshida.
"…There have been far too many incidents to ignore!" Toranosuke cried out. "The runaway-train incident, mysterious psychotic breakdowns, a school with corrupt teachers… We have yet to discover the truth of it all! The apathy that permeates society is a direct result of negligence by our government and the media."
Just then, Toranosuke Yoshida spotted Akira. "You're listening quite attentively. Are you interested in politics?"
"I'm just passing by, sir," Akira replied.
"Are you a student? I'm delighted to captivate the interest of someone your age. You have a lot of perseverance for a young person."
"I'm glad to hear that," Akira said.
"Well, if you're interested, I could use your help," Yoshida replied. "I want to change the state of this country. And to do it, I need the power of the youth. I am Toranosuke Yoshida. I used to be a member of the Diet… but no longer."
A moment later, Yoshida continued his speech. "In the past twenty years, I've lost seven straight elections… I'm dwelling on the negative right before my speech. I hope I can count on your help immediately. The lines of what is considered right and wrong in society today have been blurred. With common sense, no longer our guide, we make decisions based on our selfish wants and desires. This has resulted in a deluge of self-centered people who delight in taking advantage of the weak."
More people kept coming in as Yoshida continues his speech.
"However, even in this modern-day and age, it's imperative that we act in the best interests of all. A world where it is acceptable to trample on the rights of others for your benefit. A world where the young exist only to be exploited. It is a world that must be changed!"
"Ah, shut up already!" A pedestrian shouted. "You're just a washed-up politician!"
"If I am chosen to represent the will of the people, then I am fully prepared to…"
"'In the best interests of all!?' Hah! Save your blathering for when you get elected! ...IF you get selected!"
As a few people left, Yoshida turned to Akira. "What did you think of my speech?"
"'The best interests of all?'" Akira answered.
"Indeed. I'd like to believe that I'm capable of giving a moving speech."
"You have my support. In that case, you mind teaching me a bit about giving speeches?"
Yoshida was surprised. "...Teach you how to give speeches? Why?"
"I just feel like it. I want to do what you did just now," Akira said, thinking that some public speaking skills could be helpful to the Phantom Thieves.
"I'd love to help you, though… how shall I teach you?" Yoshida pondered, then he cleared his throat to give out another speech. "While our society appears to be prosperous, many of our young people are quite suffering. They lack jobs, security, savings… The next generation will lead us into the future, and yet they have no plan for how to arrive there."
Just then, a man in a flashy suit called out, "Ugh, so righteous… That annoys me. Enough of your arrogance, 'No-Good Tora'!"
"Wha-!" Yoshida was at a loss for words.
"As if anyone would vote for YOU! Are you planning to embezzle funds again? Or maybe criticize one of your constituents again?"
"No! T-That was all in the past…," Yoshida sighed. "I've gone and done it again."
"Aren't you mad?" Akira asked.
"I can't do that in my situation. Regardless, whenever someone calls me 'No-Good Tora,' I panicked. I went through quite an ordeal 20 years ago. I used to be a member of the National Diet. I was elected during the rise of the 'Kuramoto Children.' Influential Diet members backed us. Twenty years ago, I was inexperienced back then, both as a politician and a human being."
"Is that so?" Akira asked.
"That inexperience led me to be involved in a series of major political scandals," Yoshida continued. "People refer to my blunders as 'No-Good Tora's Three Strikes.' The first was being caught missing a legislative meeting to take a personal vacation. Then, I was accused of embezzling a large sum of money from the party, giving me two strikes. Finally, I called a voter an idiot at an open forum, which resulted in scandal, and strike three. I was out…and branded a washed-up politician."
After finishing his backstory, Yoshida turned to Akira. "Do you want to receive my guidance?"
"Your speeches sounded great," Akira assured.
"I'm happy to hear that," Yoshida replied. "However… Everyone says I have no chance to get elected, so why come to me?"
"You just gotta have confidence in yourself, is all."
"You're doing a good job of cheering me up… The most important part about giving a good speech is believing in yourself. Perhaps one day, I will believe in myself again. But you sure got me there. You're a strange young man, Kurusu-kun."
I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Sun Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
5/7 – Saturday
After school, Akira, Ryuji, and Ann were about to hold another meeting on the rooftop when Akira felt strange as he looked at the less crowded hallway.
"Am I seeing things…?" Akira muttered.
"What, you have a stalker too?" Ryuji joked around, teasing.
"Oh, it's probably nothing."
As they continued heading for the rooftop, Akira looked back at the hallway, noticing someone again. "Oh man, someone's onto us!" He then turned to Ann. "Isn't this bad?"
"Maybe the rooftop will help you blow off some steam," Ann assured.
"Now, I know how you feel about being watched…," Akira groaned in dismay.
A moment later, as they were already at the rooftop, Akira looked around at the view nervously while the others were checking anything they find on the Phan-site.
"None of these posts are any good," Ryuji said, complaining. "Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends. There ain't even a hint of a hint about a new Palace..."
"We can't get everything online…" Ann replied as she shrugged. "Finding a post with a name and location is asking a lot…"
"Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!"
Morgana looked at Ryuji with a question. "Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?"
"...Yeah, you're right. We should probably just hold off 'til exams are done with, huh? We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up emptyhanded if it happens…"
Just then, the rooftop's door opened as Morgana quickly fled to hide.
"Oh…," Ann exclaimed as she sees someone's hand about to reach Akira.
Ann and Ryuji came to Akira's aid, only to find it was a dignified female student with brown hair in a bob cut and abnormal red eyes. She was wearing a black halter vest over her long-sleeve shirt with a turtleneck, a black and red pleated plaid skirt with black pantyhose, and black-brown ankle boots.
It was Makoto Niijima – someone only Ryuji and Ann know.
But when Akira turned to see Makoto, he thought he had caught the sight of a cutie pie who greeted him with adorable eyes and arms crossed. Her gaze was like an arrow of love that shot right into his heart.
Oh…! Akira thought as his eyes grew wide in lovestruck awe as sultry romantic music was playing. Wha… What a meow-velous and beautiful girl! She's the most cutest woman I have ever seen! This feeling… it must be…!
Ryuji noticed Akira's lovestruck stare at Makoto and snapped him out of it. "Hey, uh… are you sure it's her? Or are you just being a little self-conscious?"
"I am not that self-conscious," Akira replied.
"This place is off-limits, you know," Makoto said typically to the trio.
"...We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'," Ryuji replied. "Anyways, what's Miss Council President want with us?"
Makoto looked at the gathering trio. "The troublemaker, the center of gossip, and the infamous transfer student… Hmmm, interesting combination."
Ann, however, seemed annoyed. "Great way to start a conversation…" She muttered angrily as she then turned to Akira. "Careful, Akira-kun. This girl is highly suspicious!"
Makoto ignored Ann and Ryuji as she turned to a lovestruck Akira. "By the way… It seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well."
"Somewhat," Akira stammered as he tried to answer. "I mean, not really."
Makoto abruptly went up to a flinched Akira. "Are you playing dumb with me?"
"N-No, I'm not!" Akira shook his head. "I mean, it's just…your smoldering gaze looks so intense."
Ann sighed as she told Makoto, "It just goes to show how little interaction he had with people, including Kamoshida."
"Yeah," Ryuji nodded in agreement. "You know he's only been here a month or so."
"Hm…," Makoto nodded at those answers as she still looked at Akira. "I saw you from before…and I couldn't help myself from following you since that incident. I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your record. Don't you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida, I mean."
"Well… I wouldn't say that, but…it just happened," Akira tried to reply but then looked at Makoto. "Who are you, anyway? Are you like a VIP at this school?"
"I'm a third-year at this school and the student council president," Makoto introduced herself. "I'm Makoto Niijima. It's a pleasure."
"Niijima…," Akira repeated as he paused for a moment. Remembering Sae at Leblanc the other day, his eyes grew wide in surprise. "Huh!? Do you mean THAT Niijima? That long-haired woman I saw at Leblanc the other day?"
"So…you've met my sister."
Ryuji soon interrupted this talk between the two as he turned to Makoto. "What's all this about? My friend here is an upstanding guy."
"I don't mean to offend," Makoto replied. "Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr. Kamoshida. The rumors about that odd, calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."
Ann was surprised as she looked at the others and then back at Makoto. "I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tactless stuff, Niijima-senpai."
"I dunno that it was tactless…," Ryuji muttered, then he spoke out to Makoto. "Anyways, are we done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us."
"At least try to understand my position," Makoto replied directly. "Being forced to deal with this horseplay..."
"Horseplay!?" Ann repeated in anger.
"Ah yes, by the way…," Makoto added. "It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all." She then looked at Akira as she turns to leave. "…I'm sorry to have interrupted you."
Akira stared at Makoto with his jaw dropped, seeing that she looked gorgeous and cute.
"What was that about?" Ann asked bitterly.
"...She's on to us," Morgana said as he came out of hiding. "That girl is rather sharp. We should be cautious of her." He then turned to Akira, who looked frozen. "Akira?"
"Wh-wh-wh-what…," Akira stammered, then he suddenly blurted out in happiness. "What an adorable and pretty girl! Chosen by her peers, she works her hands and fingers to the bone for the common folk. That cute face and smile! That amazingly slender body and consideration for others! And not to mention that nice hair and attire! She cares about the students, and she's so lusciously beautiful to boot… What a goddess!"
Morgana was stunned. "Whoa…"
"I've just met a goddess who's captured my heart!" Akira smiled. "I sense love in the air! I feel a passion from her unlike anything nor anyone else!"
Ryuji was stunned by Akira's lovestruck words that are even weirder than Morgana's. "Dude… You too?"
"I've made my choice. I'm going to support whatever Mako-chan does all the way someday, just like Morgana did with Ann!" Akira said. "A charming and beautiful girl like her has got to have a senpai like me to be by her side, you know!"
"Uh, what?" Ryuji blinked in confusion. "Are you forgetting the fact that she pisses me off? Talk about a pain in the ass…"
"Careful, she might figure us out!" Akira told Ryuji, then pondered to himself. "Besides, I might try and get to know her someday, though…"
Ann couldn't contain herself. "How dare she go after Akira-kun… I've still memorized that face of yours, Niijima-senpai!"
"That reminds me…," Morgana said. "Study hard—especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains. Keep in mind that everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities."
"True," Ann nodded in agreement. "Studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be phantom thieves…"
"I guess you got a point there…," Ryuji sighed. "But man, it's just so lame… I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'..."
"Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you beforehand," Morgana said. "You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all."
"Mission?" Ryuji repeated.
"Follow me."
Moments later, the group was at Shibuya Station as Ryuji got the Phan-site up on his phone. "Okay, I've got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?"
"Look for a post with a full name in it," Morgana replied.
Ann found one post and read aloud, "'I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara.' It says he's a teller at City Hall."
"A government worker's stalkin' someone…?" Ryuji blinked.
"That should be a suitable target," Morgana said. "All right, now get the Meta-Nav ready."
"We're just going to jump right into a Palace? Fine by me!"
"Hey, what happened to all that talk of 'unanimous decision'?" Ann said, then turned to Akira. "What do you think we should do?"
"We need to do this! Let's go!"
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji exclaimed in excitement.
"OK, then. Let's go." Ann nodded.
"We need a name and a place, right? So, the name is..."
"We don't need a location this time," Morgana interrupted. "Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is… 'Mementos.'"
Ryuji was confused. "Huh? What're you tryin' to pull?"
"Just listen to me," Morgana assured. "It should work… I think."
"Geez, that again…?" Ryuji sighed as he said the keyword. "'M-e-m-e-n-t-o-s,' was it?"
"Candidate found," The Meta-Nav chimed in.
"We got a hit!?" Ryuji blinked.
"Just as I thought!" Morgana nodded.
Through Morgana's words, the world started warping distortedly in red and black ripples. Once it stopped, however, nobody was there, even though nothing happened.
"Everyone disappeared!" Ann yelped as she looked around the empty area. "It… kind of feels like I'm walking on air?"
"Is this that Nakanohara guy's Palace?" Ryuji asked.
"Half right, but half wrong," Morgana answered. "This is a type of Palace, but it's different from the normal ones." Then he urged the others to follow him. "Come on, let's head down. The Shadows here lurk underground. I don't quite understand why, but it may be because they're drawn to something."
"Underground? How are we going to get there?" Ann asked.
"How? You use it every day on your way to school. Follow me!"
"Wait up, cat!" Ryuji called out as he, Akira, and Ann follow Morgana toward the subway station. Once there, however, their clothes changed into their phantom thief attire. At the same time, the subway's scenery around them seemed red and very twisted.
"The hell is this place?" Ryuji asked, then he and the others noticed their clothes. "And…Wait, our clothes changed!?"
"Did the Shadows know we're here!?" Ann asked in surprise.
"Yep," Morgana nodded. "Since the moment we stepped in."
"You should've told us!" Ryuji retorted.
"We're still safe right here. I've come to investigate several times. Shadows never come up to this floor. But it's a different story once you go down. This place is positively teeming with them."
"More importantly, what is this Mementos!?" Ann asked. "It's about time you start explaining."
Morgana answered. "Mementos is…everyone's Palace."
The three looked at each other, confused.
"What do you mean, everyone's?" Ryuji asked Morgana.
"A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person's wishes are extremely distorted," Morgana explained. "So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That's where we are now… Mementos."
Ann looked around. "Now that you mention it, this place feels a bit different from Kamoshida's Palace..."
Ryuji turned to Morgana. "When you say shared… you mean they're all put together? Even though they're just strangers?"
"Think of it as the collective unconscious…" Morgana answered.
"The collective unconscious?" Akira repeated, reminiscing. "Oh, that's right. I think you mentioned that back in Kamoshida's Palace."
"I did?" Morgana blinked but then shook his head. "No, never mind. You wouldn't understand that."
"So, what you're saying is…," Ann began to speak. "Using this place, we can even change the hearts of people who don't have a Palace?"
Morgana nodded. "Correct! The steps to do so are slightly different, though."
"But this place looks pretty huge," Ryuji said, scratching his head. "Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin'?"
"It seems the time has finally come…," Morgana said. "Morganaaa…transfoooooorm!"
Suddenly, Morgana leaped up high in the air, and then in the poof of smoke, he turned into a full-sized vehicle!
"Come now, Panther," Morgana said. "Ladies first."
"A car…!?" Ann blinked in surprise.
"More like a bus, actually…," Akira replied, unfazed.
"No way!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training," Morgana explained. "It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform."
"You turnin' into a car is totally different than our clothes changin'!" Ryuji said.
"For some reason, 'cats turning into buses' is an overall cognition among the public."
"Why a bus, though?" Ann asked.
"...No idea," Morgana just answered.
"Wait, why didn't you do this at the castle!?" Ryuji asked, bringing up the point.
"I would have if I could! But the castle was cramped; there were tons of stairs and no way it fits on top of a chandelier!"
Ryuji went on board the transformed Morgana car when Ann noticed and chased him on board. "Hey, Skull! Ladies, first!"
"Stop pullin' me! That's dangerous!"
"Panther! Please be gentle!"
Akira sighed in dismay at their behavior and joined them.
"All aboard! Let's go!" Ryuji exclaimed as he and Ann noticed Akira in the front row.
"Why're you all just sitting back there?" Akira asked. "Mona's a car, remember?"
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere unless someone drives me," Morgana added.
"You can't drive yourself!?" Ryuji asked Morgana in dismay.
"Look likes this is where I come in," Akira said.
"Do you know how to drive?" Ann asked Akira.
"Of course, I do… I mean, I've driven one in a game, and I don't even have a license."
"THAT'S what you're worried about?" Ann asked in surprise. "…Um, safety first, okay?"
"Eh, who cares. We're drivin' a cat car through the Metaverse," Ryuji assured.
"You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me!?" Morgana said to Akira.
"All right then, we'll leave the driving to you!" Ann said to Akira, who turned on a switch down next to the steering wheel.
"What a creepy-ass car!" Ryuji groaned while muttering angrily.
"Don't underestimate my meowtary engine," Morgana said. "We're going full throttle! It's time to fly!"
And with that, the Morgana car was at full driving speed as the Phantoms drove deeper into the depths of Mementos.
"Man… This place does feel like a Palace…," Ryuji said.
"Yeah, I guess it'd be strange driving on the tracks like this in the real world…," Ann replied.
About an hour later, the Phantoms finally found their target, standing in an odd tunnel filled with red fractal designs.
Shadow Nakanohara noticed the Phantoms coming to him. "Who are you!?"
"Are you that stalker!?" Panther asked the Shadow. "Because if you are, haven't you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels?"
"She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her!" Shadow Nakanohara said. "It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's wrong with me doing the same!?"
"You can't treat someone like shit just because they did it to you! What a load of crap..." Skull said. "That's why we're gonna change the hearts of all the rotten bastards like you!"
"There are millions of people who are far worse than me!" Shadow Nakanohara said. "I mean, what about Madarame…? He stole everything from me, but you're letting him off the hook!?"
"Madarame?" Joker repeated as he blinked in confusion.
"...Madarame? The hell's this guy goin' on about?"
"Here, he comes!" Morgana exclaimed as Shadow Nakanohara transformed.
It wasn't easy, but the Phantoms managed to beat some senses into Nakanohara's Shadow.
"I-I'm sorry… Please forgive me…," Shadow Nakanohara apologized. "I-I couldn't stop obsessing… N-Not after this person who I trusted used me and then disposed of me."
"Which person?" Joker asked.
"Are you talking about that guy you mentioned earlier… Madarame?" Skull asked.
Shadow Nakanohara nodded. "I was afraid of being thrown away again like some worthless thing."
"So, some selfish bastard was making you suffer too…," Panther said. "Still, you shouldn't have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess."
"Yes, I know that now. I'll put an end to my love for her…," Shadow Nakanohara said, but then thought of something, "...Hey, you can change people's hearts, right? In that case… Won't you change Madarame's heart!? Before more people fall victim to him..."
Just then, Nakanohara's Shadow glowed and disappeared into a glowing orb, the bud of a Treasure.
"Change… Madarame's heart?" Panther repeated.
"So Nakanohara had a change of heart, right?" Skull asked.
"Most likely," Mona answered.
"But how are we supposed to know if we succeeded?" Panther asked.
"The lady posted the dude's name online," Skull said. "If he does change, she'll probably comment again."
"Hm, you do have a point," Mona replied.
"Either way, training against Shadows down here is the best! It's great prep for our next target!"
"It's also nice to be able to give courage to the people who post their problems online," Panther added.
"Sounds like things are going pretty great for us!" Skull replied.
Before the Phantoms could leave, Morgana wanted to show them something. A few minutes later, they arrived at what looked like an odd dead end. But…
"Just watch," Mona told the others. "This is most likely not an ordinary wall. If my hunch is correct..."
Mona touched the wall, and it suddenly slid open like a door.
"It opened…!" Panther blinked in surprise.
"A new area has been confirmed in the depths," The Meta-Nav chimed in. "Updating guidance information."
"See!? It's just as I thought!" Mona nodded.
"What do you mean?" Panther asked.
"That wall wouldn't budge when I came here by myself before," Mona said. "But it is weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn't it?"
"So, you were thinkin' there's gotta be more?" Skull asked.
"Yeah! Now that Kamoshida's Palace is gone, and people are starting to talk about us. I knew something had to have changed down here!"
"How deep is it? Should we try going further down?"
"Let's not. That's not why we're here today, remember? We've already accomplished our goal," Mona said. "We should head back, and I'll explain more once we're home."
A moment later, once the group returned to reality, Akira started to ponder. "Mementos… Everyone's Palace… I think I understand the gist."
"Uh, I still don't get that place," Ryuji replied, then he turned to Morgana. "What was that wall thing we saw at the end?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Morgana replied. "but that wall must've been there for a reason. It did block us from going in past a certain depth. If Mementos is the public's Palace though… it might be affected by the general public's belief in us."
"Why do you know so much about it, Morgana?" Ann asked.
"My memories are a little foggy in that regard… However, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what."
"No matter what?" Ann repeated in surprise.
"Mementos is not just everyone's Palace; it's the very source of all Palaces," Morgana explained. "It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida's with one ruler simply didn't exist. So, if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I'm certain my appearance will come back to me…"
"You wanted someone to save you too...," Ann said to Morgana.
"I-I just needed pawns."
Ryuji nodded. "I see… So, that's why you came pokin' your nose around with us."
"...I'll help you," Ann volunteered. "I hope you can regain what you've lost."
"I'll… be relying on you guys," Morgana nodded.
"By the way, Morgana…," Ann asked. "Are you a boy? Or might you be a girl?"
Akira looked at Ann. "Why are you asking Morgana that? He's a boy!"
"Yeah, what he said!" Morgana agreed. "...In any case, of course, I'm male! I mean, I…"
"...What is it?" Ann asked.
"No… it's nothing. We're done talking about that!" Morgana said. "Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice."
"There weren't any other outstanding ones, though...," Ann said.
"I bet we'll get tons of 'em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known," Ryuji replied. "The big fish are our main targets, after all."
"First, you need to find a way to get through your exams," Morgana said to Ryuji.
"I gotta study…," Ryuji groaned but turned his game face on. "But man, that Nakanohara guy was a piece of cake! If we take down some kinda big target next, we're going to get famous!"
"Hey! We're trying to help people, not get famous!" Ann said to Ryuji.
"But if people don't know who we are, how're we gonna give them any courage?"
"He's right, you know," Akira replied.
"I don't think you're necessarily wrong…," Ann said. "But should we be doing this at all if we don't have a reason like with Kamoshida?"
"You mean we shouldn't be sticking our noses into other people's business?" Ryuji asked. "I dunno, man. If someone's in trouble, it's only natural to help them out!"
"I mean, I agree with that. And I guess I was glad we were able to solve the stalker case."
"Plus, what good is our Personas if we don't use them for good? Don't you agree?"
"Definitely," Akira answered.
"The same goes for me," Ann nodded.
"Then we don't get much time to be arguing over this either. That Madarame guy bothers me."
"Yeah. But no getting carried away, you understand?" Ann told Ryuji. "And don't do anything to stand out like failing your exams."
"Oh, crap! Speaking of that, I haven't studied at all…" Ryuji groaned.
While the group was chatting, none of them had realized that an unfamiliar stranger about their age was watching them.
5/10 – Tuesday
The following day, Akira was at the train station when he heard a voice. "It looks like you're attending school seriously."
When Akira turned to see Makoto, he got all fluttery and lovestruck inside.
"You also seem pretty close with Takamaki-san if you're both coming together," Makoto continued. "You just transferred here, though… I guess you two click."
"Not really. We're just friends in the same class," Akira replied, distracted by her looks.
"…I see. You seemed a lot closer than that yesterday morning. I heard she was a victim of Mr. Kamoshida but was there all there was to it?"
Akira shrugged at that question.
"Either way, closer inspection should clear everything up… Goodbye."
As Makoto left, Akira couldn't help himself as he sighed lovingly. "Makoto-chan's even got a strategy when it comes to spying on me? I can't believe she's been watching me all of a sudden… She's so cute."
5/14 – Saturday
Early this morning, Ryuji yawned as he joined up with Akira and Morgana. "So sleepy… I ended up pullin' an all-nighter once I realized today's the last day of exams."
"You? Staying up studying?" Morgana blinked.
"Nah, I gave up on the exam. I was playing some games. Then before I know it, it was morning."
"You're failing for sure," Akira said.
"Eh, it'll be fine," Ryuji said. "Nobody's expectin' anything of me, so I don't gotta worry about grades."
Akira laughed a bit. "How lacking are you?"
Just then, Ann showed up as well, yawning. "Morning…"
"Yo, look who else is yawnin'," Ryuji noticed.
"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line."
"Impressive, Lady Ann. You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know," Morgana said, referring to Ryuji.
"Huh? Don't give me that crap," Ryuji said to Morgana. "Your brain's tiny compared to mine."
"Size is meaningless if there's nothing inside, you know."
"What was that!?"
"Ugh, will you please shut up!?" Ann groaned. "You're gonna make me forget everything I memorized!"
Suddenly, Ann paused as she turned around as if she saw something – or rather, someone. "Am I imagining things…?"
"What's wrong?" Akira asked.
"You see a groper or something?" Ryuji noticed as well.
"No, that's not it," Ann replied. "It's… nothing."
As the gang got off the train and heading to Aoyama Itchome for school, Ann looked back over her shoulder nervously while a suspicious stranger was following behind.
"Oh my god, that guy got off!" Ann exclaimed as she turned to Akira. "Isn't this bad?"
"I don't know…"
Ann turned to Ryuji, who stretches himself while yawning, as she then scolded him, "Hey! At least act as you care!"
"Fine…," Ryuji sighed, urging her and Akira to follow him. "Come on."
A moment later, Ann nervously looked around while standing, just when the stranger went up to Ann when he stretched out his hand on her shoulder to talk to her. She turned around in shock as Ryuji and Akira went up to her aid.
But to their surprise, the stalker appeared to be a handsome young man, about the same age as them, with dark blue hair and wore a white gakuran-style shirt with black fitted pants and black loafers, along with multiple keys attached to his belt loop.
Akira and Ryuji blinked for a moment and looked at the young man from bottom to top, only to see that he isn't suspicious at all.
Ryuji turned to Ann in confusion. "Hey, uh… Are you sure it's him? Or are you just being that self-conscious!"
"Ugh, I'm not that-!" Ann yelled at Ryuji while blushing.
"Is there something you want?" The young, unforeseen boy asked Ann.
Ann angrily went up to the young man and pointed at him accusingly. "Now listen here, stalker, that's my line! You were the one stalking me, so stop it!"
"Stalking you…?" The young boy repeated. "That's outrageous."
"I know you've been following me! Ever since the train!"
"That's because…"
Before the young man can answer, a limousine appeared and rolling out one of the limo's windows was an older man in Japanese clothes.
"My goodness… I had wondered why you left the car," The elderly man said. "So, this is where your passion led. All's well that ends well."
It seemed it was all a wacky misunderstanding.
The unforeseen boy talked to Ann. "I saw you from the car…and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei… But thank goodness, I caught up to you."
"Okay…" Ann said, feeling unsure.
Ryuji raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What?"
The unforeseen boy then said to Ann with sudden emotion. "You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you—"
"W-Wait a minute, I—" Ann stammered, not liking where this is going.
"—Be the model for my next art piece!?"
There was an awkward yet oddly silence at the moment as Akira, Ryuji, and Ann slowly began to realize what the dark blue-haired boy was talking about.
"…Model?" Ann repeated in surprise but yet confused.
"All that I've drawn till now has been lacking," The young man said to Ann. "But I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else."
"This man's highly suspicious!" Morgana hissed inside Akira's bag.
"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji asked Akira.
"Nope, it's not shady," Akira replied.
The unforeseen boy was still waiting for Ann's answer. "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?"
"Hold your horses!" Ryuji interrupted. "Who're you, anyways?"
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa," The boy introduced himself. "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."
Ann recognized that name by surprise. "Huh!? Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?"
Yusuke nodded. "The very same."
"You know who that is?" Ryuji asked Ann.
"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world," Ann answered. "But didn't we heard that name the other day in Mementos...?"
Just then, Madarame called out to Yusuke. "Yusuke, come on! We're going to be late."
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there!" Yusuke said.
"That old guy's Madarame…?" Ryuji asked, seeing the older man in the limo.
"Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on an opening day," Yusuke turned to Ann. "Please come by. It'd be great if you could give me your answer regarding being a model then…"
As Yusuke gives Ann tickets, he turned to Akira and Ryuji with a frowned look. "I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too." Then he got into the limo as he turned to Ann and the others. "Well, then, I hope to see you there tomorrow."
The limo then drove off, leaving Ann, Akira, and Ryuji on the sidewalk.
"That guy's easy to read as a book…," Ryuji said as he turned to Ann. "You're not plannin' on goin', are you?"
"...I think I will," Ann answered, leaving Ryuji and Morgana in complete shock. She then looked at the time on the phone. "Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later!"
As Ann ran ahead to Shujin, Morgana muttered to himself over Akira's shoulder in anger, "How dare he go after Lady Ann… I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!"
? – The interrogation room
"You became acquainted with Madarame's pupil by chance?" Sae asked Akira, summarizing. "That's a little too convenient. It makes me wonder if you're telling the truth."
"I am telling the truth," Akira said.
Sae sighed. "But so be it. What I want to know most is your method. It's true that Madarame was an unforgivable criminal worthy of the scorn thrown at him. He was an adult who cultivated his fame and fortune by sacrificing the livelihood of children. But he'd been covering his tracks for years. How did you uncover the truth in such a short span of time?"
"In the Metaverse," Akira answered.
"This 'Metaverse' business again? Fine. Let's suppose that people's hearts can be changed by stealing their Treasure, as you've said. If so, a different suspicion arises. People have gone mad or lost consciousness, never to recover like the subway accident in April. Depending on how you looked at it, that could be taken as a phenomenon for a sudden change of heart too. Were you related to those as well?"
"I don't know…" Akira replied.
"…I see," Sae checked her watch as she turned back to Akira. "Fine. Let's get back to Madarame's case. Keep it concise and stick to the facts."
Akira nodded as he continued his story.
5/14 – Saturday
"Mmmmmm, it's over!" Ann said after school, for it was the last day of exams.
"It's over…," Ryuji groaned as he then turned to Akira. "How about you?"
"I'm just feeling confident that it's over…," Akira answered.
"You traitor!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Anyways, can we stop talkin' about the exams? Like it or not, they're going to come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with..."
Ryuji checked the Phan-site on his phone as he sighed. "...It's no use. There isn't any useful info. The number of posts is gettin' less and less too…"
Morgana popped out of Akira's bag and looked over on his shoulder. "I am not letting this end as a one-hit-wonder, OK?"
"There's no point in getting antsy, though," Ann replied. "I know! Why don't we eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money left over from the other day."
"I want sushi then!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Or domestic raised-eel!"
"We don't have THAT much left," Ann told him.
"Yeah, we already went to a buffet at that hotel," Akira agreed. "What more do you want?"
"Oh, right. There are those tickets to Madarame's exhibit!" Ann said, remembering. "Wait, that's tomorrow."
Morgana looked at Ann in shock. "Don't tell me… Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?"
Ann shook her head. "It's not like that."
"O-Of course not."
"When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice," Ann said. "Plus, we've got free tickets. Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos."
"...Madarame, was it?" Ryuji guessed.
"I'm curious too," Akira nodded. "It may be a coincidence."
"That aside, what should I do about the other two tickets?" Ann asked. "Want to go appreciate some fine arts for once?"
"Fine arts, huh…" Ryuji muttered.
"I suggest we should all go together!" Morgana said. "Appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame."
"Well, if everyone's going..."
"It's settled then!" Ann exclaimed. "Just the phrase 'going to an art exhibit' sounds kinda mature. Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow."
"I'm looking forward to it," Akira shrugged.
"I'm curious to know if this Madarame has anything to do with the name we heard in Mementos…," Morgana said.
But something made Ann pondered a bit. "I keep thinking about what Nakanohara said… Could he have been talking about the famous artist Madarame?"
"Wait, you think they're the same person?" Akira asked. "Nice catch."
"Well, it is a pretty rare last name," Ann nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, you guys ever heard of someone else called Madarame?" Ryuji asked.
"It's not common at all. If what we heard is true, Kitagawa-kun is studying under a corrupt teacher."
"You mean a teacher who treats people like tools."
"Kitagawa-kun's life is probably pretty terrible..."
"We gotta look into this."
5/15 – Sunday
The next day, Akira, Ann, and Ryuji visited the crowded Teikyu Building, where Madarame's exhibition is held.
"It's so crowded…," Morgana said, feeling uneased.
Ryuji turned to Morgana. "It'll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you, so don't stick your head out too much, all right?"
Just then, Yusuke went up to them, smiling at Ann. "You came!"
"Um…yeah," Ann nodded.
When Yusuke turned to Akira and Ryuji, his mood changed. "You really came."
"What'd you expect when you gave us those tickets!?" Ryuji scoffed.
"Make sure that you don't get in the way of the other visitors," Yusuke said, being pleasant as he then turned to Ann. "Come now. I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too."
"Well, see you guys later," Ann turned to the guys before she followed Yusuke.
"Will Lady Ann be alright!?" Morgana asked, looking worried. "What if he drags her behind some painting and tries something funny?"
"I told you not to come out!" Ryuji said to Morgana as he then turned to Akira. "Are we really gonna 'appreciate' the fine arts? Can't we just go home?"
"We should at least try to learn about Madarame," Akira replied. "Let's look around for a bit."
"I guess we should do a quick pass through it once…," Ryuji began looking around. "Uh… Which way are we supposed to start?" Then he spotted Madarame talking to some reporters. "It's that old man from the other day."
"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination," The interviewer said to Madarame. "You have such expansive styles. It's hard to believe that it all stems from one person… Where in the world does all your inspiration come from?"
"Well… It's rather difficult to put into words…," Madarame answered. "They're naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in the spring."
"Naturally, you say?"
"What's important is to distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame. My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty."
"…A shack?" Ryuji and Akira repeated in unison.
"I see... So, the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty," The interviewer said. "Still, to think we could hear the word 'shack' coming from the great artist Madarame."
"You would understand if you saw it," Madarame replied as he laughed a bit.
"Wasn't the word 'shack' something...," Ryuji pondered when he and Akira heard voices coming further.
"Madarame-san is here!?" A sharp-eyed customer asked happily as she sees Madarame.
"Over there!" An excited customer exclaimed, noticing Madarame as well.
"I'm so glad I came on opening day!" A fangirl exclaimed.
Suddenly, a stampede of crowding fans appeared, wanting to see Madarame.
"Hey, stop pushin'!" Ryuji yelled at the crowd. "There are way too many people!"
"I'm getting crushed..." Morgana screamed inside Akira's bag.
"Anyways, we gotta head for the exit!" Ryuji said to Akira. "Don't die on us, all right!?"
"At least that's the plan," Akira replied.
Elsewhere, Ann was with Yusuke as she looked around the art gallery, looking surprised. "I didn't know there were so many types of Japanese art."
"Usually, one concentrates on their own style," Yusuke replied. "However, Sensei creates all this by himself. He's special."
Just then, Madarame walked up to them. "There you are, Yusuke."
"Sensei!"
Madarame turned to Ann, "Ah, the girl from yesterday. Are you enjoying the exhibit?"
"I don't know how to put it into words… but it's amazing," Ann replied.
"You're sensing something from the artwork… That alone is enough to give us artists satisfaction," Madarame said as he then turned to Yusuke. "I hope this becomes a wonderful piece, Yusuke. Well then, if you'll excuse me."
As Madarame left, Ann said to Yusuke, "You'd imagine artists would be difficult to approach… but he seems friendly."
"Indeed," Yusuke replied, nodding.
Just then, Ann saw the canvas of a fiery red landscape hanging on the wall. "This is it – the painting I wanted to see in person!"
"This one?" Yusuke asked.
"I guess it's the painter's anger? I'm not sure, but I sense this… strong frustration from it," Ann looked at the painting with praise. "To think such a cheerful and gentlemanly person could make such a piece..."
However, Yusuke looked down sadly.
"Something wrong?" Ann asked, noticing.
"Don't mind me. There are better pieces than this one…"
Meanwhile, Akira and Ryuji were already at the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway while rain poured down outside the street. After almost getting crushed by the stampeding crowd of Madarame's fans, the boys and Morgana forced their way out of the exhibition and are now relaxing in the clear accessway connecting the Teikyu Building to Shibuya Station.
"That old lady totally elbowed me…," Ryuji groaned, rubbing his arm a bit, and then pulled out his phone. "…But thanks to that, I remember now."
"Remember what?" Akira asked but then looked around frantically. "Wait, what about Ann?"
"Let's worry about it for now. Let me get right to it. It's about a post online," Ryuji showed Akira the post from the Phan-site on his phone. "…Here, look at this."
Just then, Ann walked up to them with a glare. "Why did you leave without me!?"
"Sorry, but we got dragged into this huge crowd," Akira replied.
"…Eh, anyways. You gotta look at this post too," Ryuji showed the post to Ann. "This post might be about Madarame."
"What's it say?' Ann asked.
Ryuji read the post aloud. "'A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV.'"
"Plagiarizing!?" Ann repeated in shocking surprise.
"I didn't think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing 'shack' and 'Madarame' triggered it," Ryuji said as he continued reading the post. "'His treatment of the pupils who lived with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog...'"
"Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm?" Morgana noticed as well.
"If this is real, it'll be a huge scandal," Ryuji said.
"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this," Ann said. "I mean, he IS a pupil of his."
"Who knows? It's anonymous and all..."
"Surely you jest," Akira said to Ann.
"In that case…," Morgana said. "It's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos may be referring to the same one."
"A man like that doing such a thing?" Ann pondered a bit. "I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this. We need to talk to him in reality."
"And how are we gonna go about that?" Ryuji asked. "Are we gonna explain it all, startin' with Mementos?"
"Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there's the possibility that Madarame will find out," Morgana replied.
"Oh… Yeah, right..." Ann looked down with concern.
Ryuji turned to Akira. "Hey, what do you think about Madarame? Doesn't he seem suspicious?"
"I don't know," Akira answered. "I mean, it's not enough to pass judgment. So, he does."
"I know, right? This all fits way too well to be a coincidence. If this post is legit, ain't this the kinda target we've been waitin' for?"
Ann felt conflicted. "Well, yeah, but… Is it really true?"
"True or not true, the post doesn't lie," Akira replied.
"By the way, what'd you do about the whole modeling thing?" Ryuji asked Ann.
"Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info. And the address to his sensei's atelier."
"He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing," Ryuji jumped up in excitement. "Let's try goin' tomorrow. We're off to Madarame's house right after school!"
"You want me to model tomorrow!?" Ann blinked. "This is too sudden…"
"What? We're just going to talk to Kitagawa."
"Oh, that's what you meant..."
"In any case, we need to find out if that rumor about Madarame is true…," Morgana said to the others. "If it is, this might be exactly what we needed! This is the Phantom Thieves' first target. Let's be careful and make sure we do things right."
The others nodded in agreement.
5/16 – Monday
After school, the group arrived at their destination in a residential area past Central Street in Shibuya. However, once there, they were a bit confused by what seemed to be a substantial shady shack, unlike most modern houses.
"Is…that it?" Ryuji asked.
"We're at the right address…," Ann replied. "The door plate does say 'Madarame.'"
"You ring the bell," Akira and Ryuji both said to Ann in unison.
Ann was surprised. "Me!? The walls won't collapse when I do, will they…?"
"No one sneezes, or we'll blow this house down, okay?" Morgana said.
"Talk about your fixer-upper," Akira said to Morgana as Ann rang the doorbell.
"Who is it?" Yusuke's voice comes out through the speaker. "Sensei is currently busy at the moment."
"Um, it's Takamaki," Ann answered.
"I'll be right out!" The speaker then clicked off.
"People really do live here...," Ryuji muttered.
"Takamaki-san!" Yusuke greeted her happily as he opened the door, but then his mood changed once again when he noticed Akira and Ryuji are with her. "…You two are here as well?"
"Hey!" Ryuji greeted. "Sorry, but we ain't here to talk about the modeling thing. There's something we got to ask you. Is it true Madarame's plagiarizing stuff? He's abusing people too, yeah?"
"Are you serious?" Yusuke asked with exasperation in his voice.
Ryuji showed Yusuke the post from the Phan-site. "We read about it online."
Yusuke leaned forward to read the post on Ryuji's phone. "This…?" Then, his solemn expression broke into a burst of hysterical laughter. "Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? He welcomes pupils into his own home! This is no act of violence; it is charity! If he hated children so much to harm them, he would never allow pupils into his home! And I'm the one residing here and studying under him. I'm saying it's not true, so it's beyond doubt."
"You might be lying about it!" Ryuji replied.
"That… That is utter rubbish," Yusuke shook his head, denying it. "I had no family when Sensei took me in and raised me into what you see now! If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!"
"…You really think that?" Ann asked.
"Yusuke?" A voice appeared, revealing it to be Madarame walking up to see the commotion. "What's the matter? I heard you yelling."
"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!" Yusuke said.
"...Forgive them, Yusuke," Madarame said. "They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety."
Yusuke sighed. "...Understood, Sensei."
"Well, even I doubt that everyone could like a cranky old man like myself," Madarame said.
"That's not what we meant..." Ann stuttered.
"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around. Won't you please keep it down? Now, if you'll excuse me."
As Madarame left, Yusuke turned to the others and bowed. "That was discourteous of me… I'm sorry." Then, he straightens himself up. "...I know! I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting."
Yusuke pulled out his phone and showed Akira, Ann, and Ryuji a painting of a beautiful woman with a sincere smile. "It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece – it's titled 'Sayuri.'"
"'Sayuri'…?" Ann repeated.
"This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist."
"It's so beautiful..." Ann commented softly.
"I don't know all that fine-art stuff," Ryuji replied. "but even I can tell that this is impressive..."
Yusuke turned to Ann. "When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting…"
"Me?" Ann blinked in surprise.
"I wish to pursue beauty like this," Yusuke bowed to Ann as he continued, "And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you; seriously consider my offer." He then turned to head inside the shack. "I'm sorry that you took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope we can discuss this further another time. If you'll excuse me, then."
As Yusuke went inside, Akira and the others looked at each other.
"Those two…seem like nice guys, don't they?" Ryuji said as they left Madarame's shack.
"Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person," Ann replied.
Ryuji groaned in dismay. "Man, right when we thought we found a new target, too..."
"How's the Meta-Nav?" Morgana asked.
Akira pulled out his phone to check the Metaverse Navigator, and to their surprise,...
"Candidate found," The Meta-Nav chimed in.
Ryuji was startled. "Hey, the app…"
"Was it picking up our conversation?" Ann blinked in surprise. "This display… it means that Madarame has a Palace too, right!?" She then made a confusing expression. "But why!?"
"'Madarame,' 'plagiarism'…and then 'shack,' huh?" Morgana listed. "They seem to be the keywords."
"For real, though, what the hell's goin' on!?" Ryuji asked, confused. "Does an old man like him really have a Palace!?"
"Of course he does," Akira replied. "The Meta-Nav doesn't lie, you know."
"We have the person's name and the location," Morgana said. "All that's left is the distortion that Madarame mistakes the shack for to enter his Palace."
"You mean… like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?" Ann asked.
"That's right," Morgana nodded. "Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses."
"It's a bit sudden, though...," Ryuji said.
"Why don't we start with 'castle'?" Ann asked.
"No candidates found," The Meta-Nav chimed in.
"We already been to one," Akira reminded Ann.
"Then, what about 'prison'?" Ryuji suggested.
"No candidates found."
"Ugh, what a pain!" Ryuji groaned, then he tried some guesses. "'Jail'! 'Warehouse'! And 'guidance counseling office'! You might as well add 'farm'!
"No candidates found," The Meta-Nav chimed once more.
Ryuji sighed. "Not a single hit?"
"...Should we come back another time?" Morgana asked.
"A building that's related to artists…," Ann pondered a bit. "If we think from there, what would it be…?"
"A museum, obviously," Akira answered.
"Candidate found. Beginning Navigation," The Meta-Nav chimed in.
"'Beginning Navigation…' Whoa, really?" Ryuji blinked as the area around them began to warp into the ripples of red and black distortedly…and they soon thrust into Madarame's Palace in their phantom thief attire.
"Hey, when did you activate the Nav!? You surprised me!" Morgana said.
"Didn't have much of a choice," Ryuji replied. "I think we just happened to get it right."
"What if I hadn't noticed and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy!?"
"You probably would have figured it out once you started walking on two legs."
"Grr…" Morgana groaned.
"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Morgana?" Ann asked.
Morgana nodded. "Yup. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle."
Just then, Ryuji pointed at where the shack once stood. "Forget that… Look!"
The others all turned around and saw a large, modern museum made of shimmering gold.
Ryuji was surprised. "That shack is seriously some kinda museum!?"
"Let's go check it out!" Ann said as they went on ahead.
As the Phantoms noticed a large crowd standing in line toward the museum entrance, Panther looked at the museum with an uneased feeling. "It's so extravagant…to the gaudy point. It's a museum…right?"
"This is Madarame's?" Skull asked.
"Of course, it is," Joker answered. "Mona, we established this, right?"
"Right," Morgana nodded. "A Palace is a world formed by a person's mind twisted by desires—remember Kamoshida's castle?"
"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though," Panther said. "His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?"
Skull scratched his head. "You got a point. It ain't related to plagiarism or abuse either."
"Let's try looking around," Mona suggested. "Racking our brains here won't do us any good."
"That aside… Ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves!?" Skull asked Joker in excitement.
"Definitely," Joker answered. "They are probably some traps too."
"Now that's our Joker," Mona nodded. "I feel the same way."
Skull nodded in agreement. "Yeah. All those old man's fans were super strong and all."
Mona looked at Skull with an unamused face. "That has nothing to do with this."
Skull looked at the massive line of people. "But man, just look at that insane crowd..."
"Well then, it's time we begin our infiltration!"
"Ugh… Are we going to have to wait in that gigantic line?"
"Don't be stupid. We're not going in the front door."
"But there's a high wall around the building..." Panther pointed out.
"In any case, let's get going!" Mona said as he then looked up at the distorted museum. "This is how he thinks of that run-down shack…? It's overwhelmingly shiny…"
"It's just not hitting me that this is that old guy's Palace…" Panther said.
"That's why we're here, right?" Skull urged. "C'mon, let's go check it out."
Once the Phantoms infiltrated inside the museum and landed in the particular exhibition room, they began to look around their surroundings.
"…It's quiet. Almost too quiet," Mona said, scanning the area.
Suddenly, Panther pointed at a woman's painting, shifting, and the colors are swimming around like a pool of water. "H-Hey, this painting… It's…moving…"
Skull looked at the plaque. "…It's someone's name and age? What the hell?"
"That can't be the title of the painting…right? Do you think it's the artist's name?"
"Check out the other paintings," Joker said as he and Mona looked around at a few paintings. "There's something important about them…"
Skull checked out another painting. "This one's gotta name…and an age."
Panther looked down. "These all look so similar, even down to the composition…"
"OK, there's something seriously uncanny about these paintings," Joker said.
"Hey, this doesn't make any sense…," Panther replied. "Madarame's famous for having a variety of art styles… But all the portraits on display here look the same. This is way different from what was at the exhibition in reality."
"Wait a sec!" Skull exclaimed as he pointed at the painting of a familiar man. "Ain't this the guy we saw in Mementos? The one who was shit-talking about Madarame…"
"Natsuhiko Nakanohara," Mona read the plaque. "His name's written on the plaque."
"Dude, I don't get it! Why's there a paintin' of HIM in here!? And more important, why's his name written under it?"
"You're right…," Panther said. "Doesn't art usually have, like, the title of the piece or the artist's name?"
"This is quite the mystery…," Mona said. "All right, let's keep looking around for now."
But as they looked further, they saw a painting of yet another familiar person.
"What…? No way!" Panther gasped as she recognized the face of that painting – Yusuke's.
"Hey, isn't this the painting of that guy?" Skull asked.
"It says 'Yusuke Kitagawa.' There's no mistaking it," Mona replied.
Panther's eyes grew wide in shock. "Wait a second…What do you think these paintings are?"
"Madarame's pupils, I suppose," Joker answered. "They seemed well-pained, but they aren't patrons."
"I think you're right," Panther nodded.
Skull was shocked. "For real? All of them? But it was only Yusuke when we went to his place before…"
"This must include former pupils as well. Only one remains now…," Mona said. "Taking into account what that Nakanohara guy said earlier, things are getting clearer."
"All of Madarame's former pupils are paintings… What does that tell us about his cognition?" Panther asked with worry.
"Nothing good, I hope," Joker answered.
The Phantoms continued onward when Mona spotted something. "…Look at this."
The others looked to see a spiraling golden sculpture.
"'The Infinite Spring'?" Panther read the plaque aloud. "'A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!'" She then turned to the others. "Hey… This is most likely about the plagiarism, right?"
"No wonder the art styles are different," Joker said. "It's the pupils that did the artwork!"
"Dammit, what a phony geezer!" Skull growled in anger.
"In other words, his pupils are his property," Mona said. "He doesn't even qualify as an artist if this is true. He's stealing the ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood. I wondered about those portraits on display… They must've all be his 'pupils' through his cognition. This even says that they have no worth. Couldn't this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they're useful to him, but the moment they're not..."
"…They'll end up like those paintings we saw?" Joker guessed.
"That's right," Mona nodded.
"He's treating them like slaves or tools!" Panther cried.
Skull couldn't contain his anger. "Why is Yusuke keeping quiet about all of this? He's got no reason to cover this up!"
"He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in...," Panther said.
"But still…!"
"When we were at the exhibit, I praised one of the pieces on display. But… Kitagawa-kun acted strange. Maybe that piece was plagiarized too..."
Skull turned to Joker. "What's the call? Ain't this enough to target Madarame!?"
"I'm still hesitant," Joker answered as he turned to Mona. "What do you think?"
"We should confirm these facts with Yusuke once more," Mona replied.
"Yeah," Panther nodded at that idea.
"Confirm what, though!?" Skull asked impatiently.
"It means we should get solid evidence that such crimes took place," Mona told him.
"What a pain in the ass...," Skull groaned in dismay.
"Besides, there's too much we don't know about Madarame yet."
"True. We haven't seen much of the Palace so far, and this rabbit hole's gotten a lot deeper."
"I'll try contacting Kitagawa-kun," Panther said. "I might be able to get the truth out of him if I accept his modeling offer."
Mona was surprised as he turned to Panther. "Wait, you're gonna do that!?"
"You all better come with me, OK? I'm scared to go alone…"
Joker shook his head. "Seriously? Whatever happened to all that bravery and confidence in you? How can you be a model for photoshoots and magazines, but never a model for art?"
"A famous, renowned artist, huh?" Skull pondered. "This might be tougher than Kamoshida. Well, we'll just prep ourselves until we get confirmation from Yusuke. This is our first mission as real phantom thieves. We're gonna succeed no matter what!"
"Would you forgive someone unconditionally if you owe your life to them?" Panther asked.
"What are you bringing this up for?" Skull asked.
"According to Kitagawa-kun, Madarame isn't a problem."
"What do you mean?" Joker asked.
"I mean, I know Madarame is a bad person, but still… Maybe I'm so hesitant because I haven't met any of his victims."
"Yeah," Skull nodded. "I guess that part's different from what happened with Kamoshida."
"This might be an extreme line of thinking…," Panther pondered. "But if an evil person isn't causing any trouble now… Is there a point in us stepping in?"
"Well… you got a point there. So, we're gonna let Yusuke decide if Madarame's worth going after or not? If it were me, I would never forgive that bastard!"
"I'm tellin' you, Yusuke is going to deny it," Joker said. "Let's just see how he feels."
"I guess we could talk some more after that." Panther sighed as the Phantoms left Madarame's Palace and returned to reality.
That evening, at the attic above Leblanc, Akira was in his pajamas, ready for bed. At the same time, he and Ryuji talked to each other on their phones.
"I just can't forgive Madarame, but what Ann said made me think…," Ryuji said. "To Yusuke, are we just a bunch of thugs?"
"Probably," Akira answered.
Ryuji sighed. "I knew it… It isn't like he thinks it is! It pisses me off just thinkin' about it! Good people have to put up with so much crap while shitty adults do whatever they want. It makes me sick. I'm not wrong, am I?"
"We'll take them down."
"Aww yeah! Don't tell Ann I called you, by the way. Seriously."
5/17 – Tuesday
After school, Ann went up to Akira, Morgana, and Ryuji in the courtyard. "All right. I got a response from Kitagawa-kun. He said he wants me to come over after school today. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do as an art model, though…"
"Just be yourself," Akira assured her. "Or maybe cover yourself in paint?"
"Can you at least try to take this seriously?" Ann scolded.
"Look, you don't gotta go all out for this," Ryuji said. "You're only doing it so you can get dirt on Madarame, remember?"
"That is true," Ann replied. "It sounds like Kitagawa-kun wants this to be a private picture of his, though…"
"He probably changed his plans immediately so that he could get you over there."
"We need to find out from Kitagawa-kun if what we saw in the Palace was true..."
"I'm telling you, he's just going to deny it," Akira said.
"Hey, quiet down," Morgana warned them as he spotted someone. "It's that student council president."
"Where!?" Akira stood up as he sees Makoto talking to Mishima.
Ryuji sighed. "She got hold of Mishima today? It would suck if she noticed us. Come on, let's split up."
"OK, see you later."
A moment later, the boys were at the accessway, waiting for Ann to join them.
"We finally landed a target," Ryuji smiled. "C'mon, let's get some dirt on Madarame. But man… Ann's late."
Just then, Ann ran up to them. "Sorry. I was thinking about some things and didn't notice how much time had passed."
"Thinkin' about what?" Ryuji asked.
"Don't you think Kitagawa-kun has to be protecting Madarame? I mean, they live together, so he'd have to be aware of Madarame's true nature. The only reason I can think for him doing that is that Madarame has something on him…"
"Yeah, that's weird," Ryuji replied. "But that's why we're goin' to check it out, right? You ready to be a model?"
"Yeah, I'm prepared," Ann answered.
"Whaddya mean prepared? Prepared for what?" Ryuji asked in confusion as he turned to Akira. "Something seems different about her to you?"
"Not really," Akira replied as he turned to Ann. "Ann, did you cut your bangs?"
"I didn't cut them," Ann answered.
"Good."
"Well… let's get goin'," Ryuji said. "We gotta talk to Yusuke."
"Kitagawa-kun seemed happy when I agreed to be his model," Ann said. "Once he finishes drawing and gets a little friendlier, we should bring up Madarame."
A moment later, when they were inside Madarame's shack, Yusuke was upset to see Akira and Ryuji accompanying Ann once they're in his studio room. "I thought it would just be you coming, Takamaki-san."
"Wouldn't you get nervous too if it was just the two of us?" Ann asked.
"We're here to keep an eye on you," Ryuji replied. "So, don't try anything perverted, 'kay?"
"Stop making such odd assumptions," Yusuke said. "I have absolutely no interest in her as someone of the opposite sex."
"Uh…what!?" Ann blinked in surprise.
Yusuke looked at Ann. "Is there a problem?"
Ann shook her head. "...No, not really."
"Well then, let's get started."
But about seconds later, things didn't go according to plan as Yusuke tried to focus on drawing while the others wanted to call him out, but he ignored them.
Ann called out to Yusuke. "…Hey, Kitagawa-kun?"
"Don't move!" Yusuke ordered.
"Look, we don't have time for this!" Ryuji said to Yusuke.
"Silence! I'm trying to focus."
"…It's no use," Ann groaned.
"This isn't what we planned!" Morgana said. "We were gonna catch him off guard and make him spill his beans, weren't we?"
"How were we supposed to know this was going to happen…? Guess we just gotta wait 'til he's done…," Ryuji muttered. "What an effin' pain in the ass..."
"Perhaps I should try going outside this room..."
"Sure, just don't get caught, 'kay?" Akira said to Morgana.
"Who do you think you're talking to? It's too boring, so I'm going to scout around a bit."
Once Morgana exited the room and scout around the hallway, he spotted a flashy door that looked like peacock feathers. "It's weird how flashy that door is…" He then spotted a lock on it. "And… is that a lock? A door with a hefty lock… What could be in there?"
Back in the room, Ryuji noticed Yusuke stopped drawing. "Are you done?"
Yusuke shook his head in dismay. "It's no good…"
Ryuji couldn't believe it. "…What?"
"I'm sorry…," Ann apologized. "Am I the problem?"
"No, not at all," Yusuke replied. "It's just… I'm having trouble staying focused today. I'm sorry, but we'll have to resume this another time..."
"Aw, what!? That's too bad…," Akira shrugged as he got up. "Okay, let's go home…"
"Oh, hell, no!" Ryuji exclaimed as he got up from his seat and looked straight at Yusuke. "How many hours did you think you made us wait!?"
Ann got up as well, just as she apologized to Yusuke. "I'm sorry… We had another reason for seeing you today… We needed to talk to you."
Ryuji decides to get to the point. "It's about those rumors regarding your sensei."
"This again…," Yusuke groaned in anger.
Ann looked at Yusuke with concern. "That painting I saw at the exhibit…You're the one who actually painted it, right?"
Yusuke tried to answer but couldn't. "That's…"
"I knew it," Ann muttered sadly.
Ryuji looked at Yusuke as well, telling him straight out. "Your sensei's seriously messed up. He just thinks of his pupils as tools. That's why he doesn't give a damn whether or not he steals their work or physically beats them. I'll make this clear; there's no point in hidin' stuff from us."
Yusuke tried to deny it once more. "I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"You couldn't go against him, could you? Because you feel like you owe him," Ann asked Yusuke. "I'm sure we can help you out, though…"
"Stop it..." Yusuke silenced the others. "It's just as you all say. We're…our sensei's 'artwork.' Don't misunderstand me, though. I offered my ideas to him myself. As such, it can't be called plagiarism. Sensei is merely suffering from artist's block right now."
"Dude, still…" Ryuji tried to speak.
But Yusuke didn't say another word.
Ann sadly looked at Yusuke. "Kitagawa-kun…"
"Then why are you stickin' around!?" Ryuji yelled in anger. "That's exactly the kinda crap Madarame would say to justify what he's doing to you! All his other pupils ran away, and you're the only one left!?"
Yusuke became furious as he turned to the others. "What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master!? There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!"
"And you're okay with this?" Akira asked.
Yusuke stared at Akira. "I'm supporting Sensei as his pupil. Where's the wrong in that?" He then turned to the others. "Don't ever come here again… If you do, I'll sue you for causing a disturbance."
"Hold it! We're not done talking here!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Then you leave me no choice…," Yusuke said as he pulled out his phone. "I'm reporting you to the police. I asked Takamaki-san to be my model today, but I don't recall ever calling you two here!"
Ryuji couldn't believe it as he can't contain his anger. "What the eff, man!?"
"Ryuji! Stop it!" Ann yelled at Ryuji as she turned to Yusuke. "Calm down, OK?"
"Dammit!" Ryuji groaned in dismay.
Yusuke calms down a bit as he put down his phone. "I won't report you… but only under one condition."
"What's that?" Ann asked.
"I want you to continue being my model, Takamaki-san."
"But you said that it wasn't working out today..."
"That's only because I was unconsciously being modest for your sake…However, I have nothing to worry about anymore. If you're willing to bare everything to me..." Yusuke clenched his fist as he proclaimed in determination. "…I will put my heart and soul into creating the best nude painting ever!"
There was an awkward silence around the room until…
"WWHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTT!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"NUUUUUUUDDDDDDEEEEEE!?" Ann repeated in complete shock.
Akira, however, was calmly unfazed. "That's your entire reason? This is, as I would say, absolutely bonkers."
"Ah, to think I'd be able to create a nude painting with my most ideal model…!" Yusuke said, inspired, as he then turned to Akira and Ryuji. "Of course, you two won't be allowed in, and I ask that you forget about our discussion today, as well. If I don't submit a new piece to Sensei soon, there will be some…inconveniences."
"Nude, meaning it'll be without any clothes!?" Ann stammered. "Why are things suddenly escalating like that!?"
"Because those are my terms," Yusuke answered.
Ann couldn't contain herself as she slowly and calmly walked up to Yusuke, dusting herself off. Then she screamed angrily at Yusuke as fire shoots out from behind her while Akira just stood there, being calm and unfazed throughout all of this with Ryuji standing behind him in fear.
"ARE YOU COMPLETELY CRAZY!?" Ann yelled at Yusuke angrily. "After what you said about pursuing beauty, you're asking me to pose NUDE!? That's an invasion of my privacy, you perv! Not to mention embarrassing!"
"Ditto," Akira said, still calmy unfazed.
"Wait, ain't that bad!?" Ryuji asked in confusion.
Yusuke pondered to himself, "Sensei is out during the afternoon while the art exhibit is on so that I can use this place freely… I should buy more art supplies..."
"Will you give me a second here!?" Ann asked, not being calm.
"Of course, I'm willing to wait," Yusuke replied. "I'll make time according to your plans. But, please come before the exhibit ends."
"No! That's not what I mean! Why are you not listening!?"
"Sensei will be returning home soon. We're done for today. Takamaki-san. I'll be waiting for you to contact me."
"No, no, no! We are not done talking here!"
"Hey…," Ryuji turned to Akira. "What should we do?"
"Call it a day, maybe?" Akira answered.
"Yeah…," Ryuji sighed in utter defeat. "Dammit. He got us good this time."
"Don't give up so easily!" Ann yelled at the guys.
Just then, Morgana got back and noticed the commotion. "Is she done being a model?"
Yusuke thought he heard meowing. "…A cat?"
"You moron!" Ryuji picked up Morgana as they left.
A moment later, after they left Madarame's shack, Ann was still upset. "Yusuke is totally out of his mind! I can't believe I'm going to have to pose nude if this keeps up! NUDE!"
"Well, it's your fault for being chosen as Yusuke's 'ideal model,'" Akira replied. "I told you guys he was going to deny it. Our plan failed, and now Ryuji and I are banned from coming here. Besides, I'm not saying he could've asked some other models to do it. It's just common sense."
"How dare that Yusuke…!" Morgana said in anger.
"The way he said it, it's not gonna be a semi, but full-on nude...," Ryuji replied.
"F-Fu- F-F-Full nudity?" Morgana stammered. "Lady Ann's gonna go nude!?"
"Drop it!" Ann barked.
"You know, you won't have to worry about that if we make Madarame confess before the exhibit ends," Ryuji said to Ann.
"But Kitagawa-kun thinks he owes his life to him," Ann replied. "Is there a need to make Madarame confess?"
"Then, Lady Ann… you're fine with baring it all!?" Morgana asked.
"I AM NOT!" Ann yelled once more.
"Madarame is no different from Kamoshida," Ryuji said to Ann. "That asshole is obviously using Yusuke, who doesn't even have parents. You're telling me we should ignore how he's being treated horribly like the other pupils?"
"No…," Ann answered as she looked down sadly. "I mean, it is frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-kun is fine with it himself..."
"And you can't leave it be because you've endured a lot yourself, with Kamoshida," Morgana guessed.
Ann nodded. "...Yeah."
"Anyways, we gotta go after this guy," Ryuji said. "Madarame is still the kind of target we've been waiting for. Let's help Yusuke come to his senses too…before he ends up like us."
"...Right," Ann nodded.
"We need to look into Madarame first," Morgana suggested.
"There might be tons more stuff that hasn't been exposed yet, too," Ryuji said.
"It may become easier for us to investigate his Palace if he's preoccupied with his exhibit."
"Also, there's the thing about me modeling!" Ann spoke up. "Kitagawa-kun said there would be 'inconveniences' unless he submits a new piece. Maybe that's going to be announced soon as Madarame's next work..."
"Does that mean the whole country is gonna see you nude!?" Ryuji asked.
"Probably," Akira laughed for a bit. "Are you still not confident?"
"No way! Hell, no!" Ann exclaimed, then she looked narrowly at Akira. "Wait, are you saying I'm not—!? No, I mean… That's not what this is about!"
"We must deal with Madarame, no matter what, before his exhibit ends!" Morgana declared. "I still can't forgive Yusuke! Demanding to paint Lady Ann nude and then claiming to report us to the police…"
"Let's start after school tomorrow. It'll be a pain if Miss President finds us on the rooftop again, so where to meet up… Let's see…," Ryuji pondered. "I guess that walkway-like place in Shibuya would work. It's near Madarame's place, too."
"…Changing our hideout periodically, huh?" Morgana smiled, liking the idea of moving their hideout from the Shujin Academy rooftop to the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway. "That's a plan I don't mind backing."
Just then, a voice appeared. "Hey, can I talk to you kids for a sec?"
Akira, Ann, and Ryuji turned around to see a camera-wearing woman walking up to them. "From the looks of things, you don't seem like the ordinary, stalking fans."
Ann blinked in confusion. "Uh…what?"
The journalist then apologized, trying to explain. "Oh, sorry. I should've been more clear. I'm actually looking for people that know Madarame's pupils. There's this painting, 'Sayuri,' that was supposedly stolen in the past. But there's this rumor that it was taken by one of his pupils in retaliation for being abused. Have you heard anything about that?"
"Sorry, we don't know about art," Akira replied. "But Ryuji would know."
"Me!?" Ryuji blinked, trying to deny it. "I don't know anything!"
"I see…," The woman nodded as she sighed. "There's no case unless there's a victim and if there's no proof of abuse… I can't write either. It looks like I'm back to square one. Sorry for taking your time."
"It's okay," Akira said. "And you are…?"
"I'm Ichiko Ohya," The woman introduced herself as she gives Akira her card. "I'm a journalist. If you ever got any leads, mind contacting me here?"
"Sure thing."
"See you then," Ohya waved them goodbye.
As Ohya left, Ryuji sighed, "...I guess we should go home for today."
That evening, as Akira went to bed, he received a phone call from Mishima.
"Hey, it's me!" Mishima's voice spoke up on Akira's phone. "Got a minute?"
Akira nodded. "Of course."
"I have some interesting news. Someone who received a change of heart contacted me on the Phan-Site. Said he wants to meet with you to discuss another person who needs a change of heart."
"Another change of heart, huh?" Akira said, knowing it's about Madarame.
"You're better off talking to him in person if you want specifics," Mishima continued. "All I know is his target is a terrible person. And that it might complicate things if he posted the name online. I'll have him wait for you at Shibuya Station after school. The guy's name is 'Nakanohara.'"
"Nakanohara…," Morgana remembered. "That's Madarame's student."
"I told him to approach you. Good luck."
Just as soon as Mishima hang up, Ryuji and Ann called in.
"I found out something insane about Madarame," Ryuji said. "Sounds like a student of his offed himself when he couldn't speak up about Madarame stealing his work."
"Unforgivable," Akira said.
"That journalist was looking into Madarame too," Ann called. "It could be real."
"Someone died, though. No one's talking about it…I bet it was covered up."
"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun heard anything… It'd be great if he comes to help us out."
"Ain't that asking a bit much?" Ryuji said. "After today, he's probably going to be on edge about us. Well, anyway, Madarame's still a piece of crap! Let's meet up tomorrow. It'll be our first time at the new hideout."
"It's that passageway in Shibuya, right? Got it. See you guys tomorrow."
"If the rumor Ryuji just spoke of is true, there have to be other victims...," Morgana said. "Starting tomorrow, our new hideout is the walkway in Shibuya. Speaking of Shibuya, didn't Mishima say Nakanohara would be there now, too?"
5/18 – Wednesday
After school, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana were about to head to their new hideout when a man in a tied suit walked up to them.
"Excuse me…," A man called out as he walked up to them.
"That's Nakanohara," Morgana said. "Mishima told us to meet him here in Shibuya today."
"For real…?" Ryuji blinked.
"...My name is Nakanohara. Natsuhiko Nakanohara, the one who was posted about on the Phantom Aficionado Website," The man introduced himself.
"He seems pretty nice. Doesn't seem like the stalker type," Ann said to the others. "I think the change of heart must've worked."
"The administrator of that website contacted me…," Nakanohara said. "They told me to look for someone in a Shujin uniform with a cat..."
"So? Whaddya want?" Ryuji asked.
"You may have already heard, but there's someone I wish to trigger a change of heart in. ...An artist by the name of Madarame."
That name caught the group's attention as Ryuji said, "Ooh, you think this is it? Is the pupil going to confess his master's secrets?"
"His Shadow did mention Madarame as well...," Ann replied.
"I'm… one of Madarame's former pupils," Nakanohara explained his backstory. "He gave me lodging at his home, where I thought only about art. I genuinely wanted to be an artist… There was another pupil as well—a very talented man, multiple years, my senior. Obviously, Madarame kept tabs on him. Everything he made was claimed as a Madarame original. He wasn't the only victim, though…"
"All right, we got some real proof of the plagiarism," Ryuji said.
"In response to Madarame's actions… that senior pupil committed suicide."
"Suicide…," Ann leaped at that word.
"He must have been unable to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name," Nakanohara continued. "That was when I disobeyed Madarame's orders and left ...But he quickly pressured other parts of the art world, and my life as a painter was destroyed. I tried to turn over a new leaf working at a ward office… but it was no use. My attachment to art warped my emotions. Soon I began getting attached to everything. In the end, I even turned into a stalker."
After finishing his story, Nakanohara turned to Akira and the others. "...I'd like to ask again. Please, make Madarame have a change of heart. Not only for me. It's… to save the life of another man as well."
"What do you mean?" Akira asked.
"Even now, there's still one young man remaining under Madarame's tutelage. I think he's about your age."
"That has to be Yusuke," Morgana said.
"Not only is he a talented artist, but he also owes Madarame for taking him in after his mother passed…," Nakanohara said. "He is the perfect target."
"Aha! So, Yusuke's got no choice but to listen!" Ryuji said with determination.
"I actually spoke to him a few times, back when I was still living at Madarame's," Nakanohara said. "I asked him if he found it painful to stay with Madarame… and do you know what he said? 'If I could leave, I would...'"
"Kitagawa-kun...," Ann looked down sadly.
"I have no right to say this given my prior cowardice, but I don't want to see another suicide! I'd like to find a way to save this young man. He has a bright future ahead of him... Please consider that when thinking about changing Madarame's heart."
As Nakanohara left, Morgana turned to the others, "We've been asked to act directly on behalf of one of Madarame's pupils. It sounds like we don't have the time to deliberate whether or not to change Madarame's heart."
"Let's save Yusuke!" Akira said.
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Madarame's just another selfish adult who preys on the weak!"
"Suicide… I'll never let something like that happen!" Ann said. "Plus, we finally got to hear how Kitagawa-kun really feels!"
"Well, since we've reached a unanimous decision, how about we continue this at our new hideout?" Morgana asked.
A moment later, the gang assembled at the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway.
"My fellow thieves, welcome to our new hideout!" Morgana proclaimed. "Our target this time is Madarame! We all saw that Palace. We'll pay dearly if we assume it's just going to be like the last one. And furthermore… Lady Ann's chastity is on the line!"
"What!?" Ann blinked in surprise.
"He means you have a state of refraining from anything sexual," Akira explained.
"I don't need you to define that," Ann cried.
"We'll need to do what we did with Kamoshida," Morgana continued. "First, we secure an infiltration route in the Palace. After that, we send our calling card. Once the Treasure has materialized, we steal it."
Ryuji raised his hand. "Oooh, I got a question! Madarame doesn't know that we're doin' stuff in the Palace yet. Why are we already gettin' treated like criminals in there?"
"You're learning, Ryuji. Well done. It must be because he doesn't trust anyone. Any unknown person may as well be an enemy."
"Or maybe he's just super salty from all those rumors that have been spreading about him…," Ann said, suggesting.
"Then his Palace bein' so crazy had nothing to do with us?" Ryuji asked.
"Either way, we should stay on our best behavior," Morgana reminds the others. "It'll be harder for us to steal the Treasure if we needlessly increase the security level."
"We need to be careful of Kitagawa-kun this time, too," Ann added. "I'm sure that whatever he sees will just get passed on to Madarame."
"That's right!"
"Hey, what is Madarame's Treasure going to look like anyway? Another crown?"
"I'd doubt that," Morgana said. "But my sixth sense will know when I see it."
"Oh yeah, you go completely nuts, huh?" Ryuji replied.
"Our time limit is when the exhibit ends, right? That means… June 5th." Ann said.
"We'll carry out the plan after we've sent out the calling card," Morgana said. "So, our infiltration route will need to be set in stone two days prior, on June 2nd."
"Now listen here. We can't mess this up, NO MATTER WHAT! OKAY!?"
"This is the first job for the Phantoms," Morgana said. "so let's make sure we do it right!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Once they infiltrated Madarame's Palace while overcoming obstacles, the Phantoms had reached the central plaza with hedges surrounding crisscross of infrared lasers and tripwires set up as walls. Behind them was a large door, decorated by a painting of peacock feathers.
"The hell!?" Skull exclaimed at the sight of lasers.
"Are these… infrared lasers? There's no way we can get past them…," Panther said.
"This level of security only proves there's something worth protecting up ahead," Morgana replied.
"Wait, there's something written on the sign…" Panther looked at the sign and read aloud. "'All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it… Please be cautious, as it is impossible to open from the outside.'"
"So, it's never gonna open!?" Skull groaned. "How're we supposed to get past!?"
"Wait… That door… I think I've seen that pattern somewhere..." Mona recognized the door's pattern, and then it hit him. "Oh, right! There's no mistaking it! That's the same door I saw earlier! Guys, let's head back!"
"Why!?" Skull asked.
"I think I know what real-world door that's based on," Mona said. "There may be another way to open it! In any case, I'll explain later! Come on, let's go!"
When they returned to reality and arrived at Madarame's shack a moment later, Ann began to ask, "How're we supposed to get past that door?"
"I dunno…," Ryuji shrugged. "You think there's some kinda off switch somewhere?"
"Looks like this is where I come in," Morgana spoke up from over Akira's shoulder. "I have a suspicious place in mind. Remember? This shack is the basis for Madarame's Palace. I scouted it out the last time we were here."
"Whoa… So, this was your plan from the start…?" Ryuji asked.
"Correct."
"...I thought you only went 'scouting' because you were bored," Ann stated.
"So? Where's this suspicious place?" Ryuji asked.
"It's on the second floor," Morgana answered. "I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock on a door up there."
"If it's locked, that means there's something in there he doesn't want people to see," Ann said, deducing.
"But don't we wanna be openin' the door in the Palace?" Ryuji asked impatiently.
"Yes, and we're going to do that by opening the real one in front of Madarame's eyes," Morgana explained. "We're going to change his cognition that the door is unopenable."
"In other words," Ann said. "when we open the one in Madarame's house, that area in his Palace will open on its own?"
"I'm not gettin' it…" Ryuji scratched his head. "Is that gonna work?"
"Trust me! There's no chance it won't open! ...I think!" Morgana turned to Akira. "You understand, don't you, Joker?"
"It can't hurt to try," Akira replied.
"Well, yeah, but…," Ryuji said.
"Why don't you trust me!? It's worth a try!"
"But even then, there's still that hefty lock we have to deal with in reality, right?" Ann asked.
"Oh, that'll be a breeze," Morgana said. "Just give me a hairpin, and I'll handle it. It will take some time, though. Doing everything by myself in front of Madarame would be impossible. If only there were someone who could distract him for a while..."
Ann blinked in confusion. "…Huh!?"
"Oh… Ohhh!" Ryuji finally get it as he said overdramatically, "Man, how are we even going to get into his house? We'd get reported for sure if we force ourselves in..."
"What?" Ann looked ticked, eager to know what they're talking about.
"I guess the only way is…having you go nude."
"WHAT!?" Ann screamed in shock.
"Fancy, you say that, Ryuji," Morgana said. "I was just thinking the same thing."
"This isn't funny!" Ann yelled angrily.
"You're telling me!" Akira laughed. "But that's not the case."
"We're not sayin' you should really get naked," Ryuji assured Ann.
"It's just simply the best excuse for you to enter Madarame's house without raising suspicions…," Morgana replied. "So, we'd like for you to play the role of decoy, Lady Ann."
"This is way too sudden…," Ann said. "I mean, I don't even know where the locked door is."
"It's on the second floor," Akira reminded Ann. "Got it memorized!"
"Don't worry, I'll accompany you," Morgana said to Ann.
"But that's still technically only me…," Ann replied. "Worst comes to worst, what if I get found out?"
"Then we'll run into the Palace!...Or something?"
"Is that really going to work!? I mean, you're not giving me much confidence in this plan!" Ann turned to Akira. "Do I really have to be the bait?"
"Yes!" Akira answered. "Good luck with that, Ann."
"Why can't one of you guys go nude!?"
"Because we aren't allowed in, remember?" Akira reminded Ann once more.
"Yeah, and that ain't what he wants," Ryuji agreed.
"Then make it, so he does!" Ann yelled.
Akira shook his head. "Yeah, let me think about—no!"
"Come on. I'm serious here! Can you even imagine the humiliation I'd go through because of Kitagawa-kun and his new piece?"
"Again, it's your fault for being chosen as his ideal model."
"It's not like I ever thought anyone would submit a painting of me naked in front of everyone in the whole country!"
Ryuji looked at Ann. "All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, have him take you to that room, then just open the door."
"You make it sound so easy!" Ann replied. "But if there's no other way… I don't…I don't… I don't have a choice…"
"Just do it!" Akira said. "Stop being a chicken over such things and woman up for once!"
"Urgh! God!" Ann yelled. "Fine, I'll do it! For justice! Seriously, you better pull this off!"
"If it's for your sake, Lady Ann, I won't stop scratching even if all my claws were to break," Morgana said with determination.
"We'll be countin' on you, Morgana!" Ryuji said. "Don't let Yusuke notice you, all right?"
"If he tries to force my clothes off… I'll tear that shack house down!" Ann angrily said. "I am really, REALLY going to lose it if we do all this and the Palace door doesn't open. Got it!?"
"We're just workin' to get dirt on Madarame's crimes either way. It won't go to waste," Ryuji replied. "All right, let's get down and dirty tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!?" Ann repeated.
"Earlier, the better."
"Um, b-but… will Kitagawa-kun agree?"
"I dunno, just say something like, 'I really need it to be tomorrow.' That should work, yeah? We're countin' on you two. Akira and I are banned from goin' there, so all we can do is wait there…"
"No, you two have something different you'll need to do," Morgana said.
"Really?" Akira blinked in surprise.
"Whaddya mean…?" Ryuji asked.
"You have to wait inside the Palace. Once that door opens, sneak in and look for some kind of control room. We need to make sure the door can't close anymore after it's open."
"Ohhh, I get it," Ryuji nodded. "Okay, you can leave that to us!"
5/20 – Friday
"To think you'd really come…," Yusuke said to Ann the next day. "I assumed you were lying when you contacted me."
"I'm sorry it was so sudden," Ann apologized.
"Oh, it's not a problem. But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes. So, um… I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety on your part."
"That's why I'm here today, dammit," Ann whispered to herself.
"What was that?" Yusuke turned back to Ann.
"Oh no, it was nothing!"
"By the way…," Yusuke noticed something different about Ann. "Have you gained some weight?"
In the most uncomfortable position, Ann was wearing multiple clothes. "You think so? I weigh the same as always… Maybe I'm bloated today?"
"So, then… can you, um… get ready here?"
"I… need to take my clothes off, right?" Ann asked.
Yusuke nodded. "Y-Yes, please..."
"I'm embarrassed. Could you look the other way?"
As Yusuke looked away, clothes started landing on the floor one by one.
"Phew, that was tight..." Ann sighed.
"Tight…?" Yusuke repeated, but he shook his head. "No, I'm doing this for art!"
"Don't look over here, OK?" Ann warned. "Hey, your sensei's coming back soon, right?"
"I believe so..." Yusuke answered.
"Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely..."
"This should be good enough..."
"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" Ann asked.
"A lock?" Yusuke repeated, confused.
"Must a girl say more?"
More clothes keep landing near Yusuke, who suddenly realized what Ann meant. "Wha!? But the only one with a lock is… Sensei's room…"
"Then, why not there?"
"I can't intrude… Besides, I don't have the key..."
Ann whispered to Morgana, "He says he doesn't have the key."
"It's OK. That's why I'm here," Morgana replied. "I'll just use this hairpin…"
Yusuke sighed. "Takamaki-san, are you just about—" But when he turned around, Yusuke can see Ann still in her Shujin clothes. "You were seriously wearing all that?"
"D-Don't you think it's cold today?" Ann asked with a fake smile.
"I suppose so? The sun is starting to set...," Yusuke said.
"Riiight? That's why a change of location would be nice… I mean, I'm going to take it all off."
"True…," Yusuke replied, then he said to himself. "It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model's mood..."
"Uh-huh! That's right!"
Yusuke then pondered some more. "She may even be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in a dynamic composition..."
"Wh-What kind of poses!?" Ann asked suddenly.
"Lady Ann! You have to act!" Morgana urged Ann to focus. "Get back in character!"
"Let's goo… I was just starting to get in the mood," Ann fake smiled as she walked toward the halls, leaving behind a trail of her clothes.
"Wait!" Yusuke tried to stop her. "If you wander around, Sensei will…"
"Ohhh… It's sooo hot."
"W-We really can't use any other room..." Yusuke noticed Ann's jacket landed on the ground as she tried to entice him further.
"Hey, why not this one?"
"Please, wait!" Yusuke soon ran after her.
"I'm counting on you, Mona!" Ann whispered under her breath.
At Madarame's Palace, Joker and Skull were still waiting at the same wall of lasers guarding the giant door like last time. Joker stood up while Skull sat down for a bit.
"They seriously gonna be able to pull this off?" Skull asked.
"They better," Joker replied. "Ann is playing the decoy."
"She was sayin' stuff like 'I'll seduce him with my acting,' but it sounds out of her league…"
"You're tellin' me," Joker sighed.
"Plus, we ain't got one sign this place is going to open… Isn't Madarame comin' home soon? On top of that, even if Mona can unlock the door, how will he show it to Madarame? And then, even if they do show it openly, any normal person just closes it right up again. Doesn't that mean we only got a few seconds to get in?"
"That's why we're heading to the control room to make the door openable."
"To be blunt, won't it be a miracle if this works?"
"Don't be such a downer, Skull. It'll work."
"I wanna think that too, but… It's almost time."
Back in reality, Yusuke was catching up with Ann through the halls. "Please, can you just wait and listen?"
"What's past here?" Ann asked, swaying around as she walked even further.
"That's..."
Ann peeked over to see the peacock door. "So the door Mona mentioned is up ahead..."
"I keep telling you; you can't go in there!" Yusuke said, trying to warn her.
Ann then noticed Morgana is currently working at opening the lock. "You're still not done!?"
"It's hard to do this with cat paws!" Morgana complained.
"Is something the matter?" Yusuke asked Ann in confusion.
"Oh, ummm…," Ann turned to Yusuke. "Sooo, what is this room?"
"It's a storage area for old paintings."
"Storage…," Ann muttered to herself, then turned to Yusuke. "Hey, Kitagawa-kun… Why don't we…do it in here? I won't be embarrassed if we go somewhere nobody can find us..."
Yusuke shook his head. "Only Sensei can go in there."
"Pleeease…? I want to be alone with you. Somewhere like, quiet. You know, where we won't get interrupted."
Morgana glanced over. "…Is he really going to buy that terrible act!?"
"Stay focused!" Ann angrily hissed at Morgana but then turned back to Yusuke with a fake smile. "Ohhh, it's just sooo frustrating that my feelings aren't getting through to you! Kitagawa-kun, do you not like girls like me?"
"N-No, that's not true...," Yusuke answered.
"How is that working on him!?" Morgana said.
"Please? We can continue this…inside…," Ann continued.
"S-Sure…," Yusuke answered. But he snapped himself out of it as he shook his head once more. "I mean, no! We can't go in there! It's locked anyway, so..."
"Fine!" Ann pouted. "This is too embarrassing… I'm leaving!"
"But…"
"Let's just do it here! OK!?"
Yusuke was unsure as he muttered to himself. "What do I do?"
Just then, a voice appeared as the front door opened. "I'm home."
Yusuke recognized that voice. "S-Sensei!?"
"Yusuke?" Madarame called out.
"All right, it's open!" Morgana cheered as the lock clicked open and fell on the floor.
"H-Huh?" Yusuke thought he heard something.
"What are you doing in there!?" Madarame asked as he noticed Yusuke, Ann, and the lock.
Yusuke turned to Madarame as he tried to explain. "I-It's not what it looks like!"
But Ann quickly grabbed Yusuke and pulled him back through the opened door.
Madarame's eyes grew wide in fear. "No, not in there!"
Back at Madarame's Palace, Joker and Skull were still waiting.
"Nothing's happening…," Skull sighed. "I wonder what's keeping them?"
Suddenly, the lasers turned off, and the door finally slid open.
"…It's off! They seriously did it!" Skull cheered as he and Joker high-fived.
"What a surprise…," Joker replied. "Anyways, stay on guard."
"Let's go!" Skull smiled. "The path's gonna close up if we dick around for too long."
"OK, let's go kick some tail!" Joker nodded as he and Skull went up ahead.
Suddenly, they find themselves face-to-face with a Security Guard Shadow. "...You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Lord Madarame's territory!"
"You guys ain't got nothin' on us!" Skull said. "I'm more scared of screwin' up and havin' Ann yell at me!"
"Let's just hurry this up and turn off that security system!" Joker assured him as he and Skull managed to defeat the Shadow and continued forward.
"Takamaki-san, this is bad…!" Yusuke said as he and Ann were in a dark room. "What is going on? We really shouldn't be here…"
"Are these the lights…?" Ann mused aloud as she pulled down a string and the light bulb flickered.
"You are seriously not answering my—" Yusuke suddenly paused as he and Ann looked around to see many canvases of 'Sayuri.' "What the…"
"Isn't this… 'Sayuri'?" Ann asked. "Why are there so many of them?"
"I have no idea...," Yusuke replied, slowly in shock and disbelief.
Just then, Madarame stormed in. "Get out!"
"Sensei, what is the meaning of this?" Yusuke asked Madarame.
Madarame sighed. "I suppose I can't keep quiet now that you've seen this… Truth be told… I'm in severe debt. I handmade these 'Sayuri' copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine..."
"But why?" Yusuke asked.
"The real 'Sayuri'…was stolen by one of my pupils long ago," Madarame replied. "I assume they begrudged my strictness. That moment was quite a shock for me… Since then, I've been mired in a terrible artist's block… Because of this distress, some of my pupils handed their ideas over to me from time to time..."
Ann pondered a bit, looking at between the copies and Madarame.
"I knew I couldn't keep that up, so I attempted to recreate the 'Sayuri' a number of times," Madarame continued. "However, it resulted in nothing more than replicas… That's when someone came to buy the paintings, knowing well they weren't original…"
"Sensei…," Yusuke looked sadden.
"It's all my fault. I couldn't pay the price of being famous," Madarame shook his head. "As expectations for me rose, it reached a point where I had no choice but to keep making them… I needed money to further your talents… I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher…"
"Please don't…!" Yusuke said to Madarame.
"Hold on… Something doesn't add up," Ann interrupted as she spoke up to Madarame. "If the original painting got stolen, how did you make copies of it?"
"I… happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it in an art book," Madarame answered.
"So, you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original? I'm not sure how this works, but… Don't people who buy paintings generally have a keen eye for the fine arts?" Ann crossed her arms. "This sounds like a lie to me."
"What would you know!?" Madarame asked with a scowl.
"Something just doesn't feel right!"
"Lady Ann!" Morgana, who peeked out from behind, called out to Ann as he pointed at a purple sheet over an easel. "This one seems different!"
Ann yanked the sheet, revealing yet another 'Sayuri.'
"'Sayuri'?" Yusuke blinked in surprise. "This…This is the real 'Sayuri'!" He then turned to Madarame with a shocking expression. "But you just said a moment ago that it was stolen!"
"That's a replica!" Madarame said, protesting.
"No, it's nothing of the sort!" Yusuke protested. "This painting kept me going… It's the reason I made it this far…" Then, he shook his head in dismay. "Sensei… Don't tell me..."
"It's fake… Yes, a counterfeit!" Madarame said. "I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!"
"So, you're telling me the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit?" Ann asked, not convinced. "That's pushing it."
"You're lying, Sensei...," Yusuke said to Madarame with a painful expression. "Please just tell us the truth…"
"You too?" Madarame stared as he then pulled out his phone, dialing a number. "I've reported you to my private security company!"
"What!?" Ann blinked in shock.
"I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it'd come in so handy."
"Please, wait!" Yusuke said, pleading. "Let's talk about this!"
"You can talk all you want to the police… That includes you, Yusuke."
"Lady Ann, let's run!" Morgana cried as he darted out from behind the shelves, heading out the door, with Ann followed suit.
"A cat!? Where did it—" Madarame exclaimed in surprise but shook his head. "There's no point! They'll be here within two minutes!"
Yusuke ran after Ann. "Takamaki-san!"
Back at Madarame's Palace, Joker and Skull disengaged the security protocol.
"Disengaging security protocol," The terminal's voice chimed in.
"Sweet! Now the lasers in the courtyard should be off for good." Skull said.
"Now, we can just get back and regroup with the others!" Joker replied.
"Well, mission complete! Come on, let's get out of here!"
The two turned and ran back to the center plaza courtyard, seeing that the lasers are gone and the door still wide open.
"I hope those two managed to get away…," Skull said.
But as they continued, Joker and Skull stopped at the moment when they heard a familiar scream. "Noooooo!"
Joker and Skull looked up to see a red and black ripple, and to their surprise, Panther and Mona warped into where they are – with Yusuke on board!
Yusuke grabbed hold of Panther in his arms and landed miraculously on his feet. But then, Mona bounced off Yusuke's head with a solid thunk and hit the courtyard floor hard.
"Aaagh… Owwwwww!" Mona groaned. "That was close, but at least we managed to escape."
"I thought I was gonna die…," Panther whimpered but then looked at Yusuke as she yelled at him all of a sudden. "Hey, will you let go already!?"
Panther angrily shoved Yusuke hard as he toppled over to the ground.
"Oh, no! I didn't mean to push so hard…," Panther said as she went up to Yusuke, trying to wake him up. "Are you OK? Wake up!"
"Wh-wh-why is he here!?" Skull asked as he looked surprised to see Yusuke. "Wait, what is he doing here? We never said he could tag along."
"I take it that it didn't go well?" Joker asked the others. "What kept you!?"
"Let's just said there was a hard time picking the lock with cat paws, and Yusuke bought Lady Ann's terrible act," Mona said.
Skull turned to Panther. "Seriously!? What was that terrible acting about!?"
"It was the best I can do, so don't take it out on me!" Panther snapped.
As Yusuke slowly opened his eyes to see the Phantoms, he was startled. "Who are you all!?"
"Calm down, Kitagawa-kun! It's me!" Panther said, revealing herself to be Ann.
"...Takamaki-san?" Yusuke blinked in surprise, looking at Panther. He turned to Joker and Skull, who he recognized as Akira and Ryuji. "That means you two are…"
Yusuke turned to Mona, unfazed. "I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume before, though…"
"I am not a cat!" Mona angrily said to Yusuke as he pointed at him accusingly. "And how dare you ask Lady Ann to go nude for your painting!?"
"Could you shut up about the whole nude thing for five seconds?" Panther yelled.
Yusuke looked around the strange surroundings. "What is this place?"
"We're inside Madarame's heart," Panther answered.
"Inside…Sensei's heart?" Yusuke repeated in confusion as he slowly got up and turned to Panther. "I'm sorry, Takamaki-san…but are you sure you're feeling OK?"
"She ain't lyin'," Skull told Yusuke. "This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothin' but a greed-filled money-grubber."
Yusuke pointed at Skull accusingly. "Enough of this rubbish!"
Panther started to ask Yusuke straight out. "Kitagawa-kun! Didn't it cross your mind that something wasn't right about Madarame!?"
"That's...," Yusuke looked away once more with a painful expression.
Panther looked at Yusuke sadly. "You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Madarame's eyes. ...This is his true nature."
"This repulsive world?" Yusuke looked around, then looked back at the others in their phantom thief attire. "Just who are all of you!?"
"I guess you could say… we're a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks," Skull answered.
Yusuke looked down sadly. "If everything you say is true, then the sensei I know doesn't exist… I mean, this can't be his heart. This world lacks any sense of taste."
"You gotta snap out of it," Skull said. "He's way more obsessed with money than art. What you see here is how he really views the world."
"Still… he has kept me safe these past ten years," Yusuke replied. "My gratitude for that won't just disappear."
"You're going to forgive him!? At this rate, you'll end up like those pupil paintings."
Just then, Yusuke suddenly collapses to his knees.
"Are you OK?" Panther asked.
"I'm trying to be rational about this," Yusuke replied. "but my emotions are overwhelming me…"
"Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle," Mona spoke up. "The security level's gone through the roof! We need to get out of here, at once!"
"Good point, let's go!" Joker nodded as he turned to Yusuke. "You wanna lean on my shoulder?"
"…No, it's all right," Yusuke replied as he and the others went on forward.
"We need to hurry out of here!" Mona said. "That said, we have an amateur with us now. Let's try to avoid fighting as much as possible!"
As they backtracked through the Palace, Yusuke became quiet as his eyes grew wide in shock when he sees more of the area, filled with wavy paintings.
Yusuke looked around in shock. "So, this…is inside of Sensei's heart? A vain museum such as this…?" Then, he noticed one art painting in particular – one of a young woman with downcast eyes. "Ah, this painting…!"
"Do you recognize it?" Panther asked. "We were thinking these might be his past pupils or something..."
"But… why are there paintings of them here?"
"Technically, those aren't actually paintings," Mona answered. "They're the pupils themselves."
"Madarame saw them as objects, so that's what they are in here…," Skull said to Yusuke. "Oh, and uh… we found yours too."
Yusuke remained silent.
"We'll talk more later," Mona said. "For now, let's get out of here."
About a second or two later, the Phantoms and Yusuke managed to reach the area where 'The Infinite Spring' is held. But just before they were almost to the exit, Shadows in the form of security guards with heart masks blocked their path.
"The exit is right there!" Mona exclaimed.
Just then, they heard a burst of maniacal laughter echoing through the area, and they all turned to see the Shadow of Madarame, accompanied by more Shadows.
"Who is it!?" Panther stuttered as she and the others see Shadow Madarame wearing a golden kimono, a Japanese topknot, and even some makeup on his face. "…What the—"
"Aaah…!" Joker exclaimed in surprise. "Talk about insane clothes!"
"More like bullshit clothes!" Skull replied. "First a king, now some kind of shogun!?"
"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame…," Shadow Madarame greeted the Phantoms dramatically.
"Huh?" Yusuke looked at Madarame's Shadow. "Sensei? Is that you? That attire…"
"Chill, Yusuke, that's not your 'sensei,'" Joker gestured to Yusuke. "That's just his Shadow. His true, suppressed self."
"Disgusting," Panther growled in anger.
"This… This is all one big lie, isn't it?" Yusuke asked.
"My usual ragged, commoner attire is nothing but an act," Shadow Madarame said. "Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home…under a mistress's name, of course."
"Tell me it's not true," Yusuke said in utter shock.
"However, it seems now you all know too much," Shadow Madarame said as he turned to the other intruders. "And I cannot allow you to leave here alive."
"Some setup you've got on," Joker said to Shadow Madarame. "I'm almost impressed."
Shadow Madarame laughed. "Don't make me laugh. You're as naïve as you are foolish!"
Yusuke looked at the Shadow of Madarame in shock as he asked some questions. "If the 'Sayuri' was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies!? If it really you, Sensei…please tell me!"
"Foolish child. You still don't see?" Shadow Madarame mocked. "That painting being stolen was just a false rumor that I spread. It was all a perfectly calculated staging!"
"What do you mean!?" Yusuke asked.
"Let me see… How does this sound?" Shadow Madarame recalled. "'I found the real painting, but it can't go public… You can have it for a special price, though...'" Then, he started to laugh. "Haha! How's that for preferential treatment!? Art snobs will eat it up and pay good cash at that!"
"No!" Yusuke's voice quivered as he collapsed to his knees.
"The value of art is purely a subjective illusion," Shadow Madarame continued. "Thus, this is a legitimate business transaction! What's the matter with providing that illusion to eager customers? Art has no objective value; this is purely business! Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!"
"You keep goin' on and on about money this or money that…," Skull said to Shadow Madarame. "No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!"
"You're supposed to be an artist, right!?" Panther asked Shadow Madarame in anger. "Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work!?"
"Art is nothing but a tool… A tool to gain money and fame!" Shadow Madarame said with a smile. "Besides, artless simpletons are the ones who should be ashamed. They can't distinguish a genuine piece from a fake. But they're happy to throw money at me for the trifling works of my pupils. That is, as long as it has my name on it!"
"What are you saying…?" Yusuke asked as he became even more shocked.
Shadow Madarame looked at the kneeling Yusuke. "You helped me greatly as well, for you've been a great asset to me, Yusuke..."
"God… Pisses me off…," Skull gritted his teeth as he then turned to Yusuke. "I can't believe that's your sorry excuse of a teacher."
"But what about the people who believed in you? Who think you're a master artist!?" Yusuke asked Shadow Madarame. "The 'Sayuri' was everything to me. I chose this life after being captivated by that work. Answer me! Why have you forgotten true art!?"
"What do you know about art!? I'll shall put an end to this arrogant drivel for good," Shadow Madarame said. "…But I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you don't rise up against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahahaha!"
Yusuke winced in pain. "To think I was under the care of this wretched man!"
"Did you really thought I took you into my home out of the goodness of my heart?" Shadow Madarame taunted. "Plucking talented yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas… After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back."
Yusuke shook his head. "I can't believe this..."
"I took you in to exploit your talent, to harvest the fruit, to raise you like livestock, whose only purpose to be led to the slaughter. Livestock are even killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!" Shadow Madarame then shook his head. "…But I grew tired of this little chat. It's time that I finish the job!"
"You are unforgivable," Yusuke spoke up as he stood up slowly. "It doesn't matter who you are… I won't forgive you!"
"So, you repay me keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude? You damn brat!" Shadow Madarame turned to his security guards. "Men! Dispose of these thieves!"
"Get back!" Panther ordered Yusuke as she and the other Phantoms are in their fighting stance against the Shadows.
"How amusing...," Yusuke said as he chuckled a bit. "It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm?"
"Kitagawa-kun!?" Panther looked at Yusuke in surprise.
As the other Phantoms turned to Yusuke, there was silence.
"I wanted so hard to believe that it wasn't true… I had clouded my vision for so long...," Yusuke muttered to himself as he shook in anger. "My eyes were truly blind… Blind and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!"
Just then, a voice echoed within Yusuke's head and mind.
Have you finally come to your senses?
Yusuke's eyes suddenly turned yellow while the pain coursed right through his head as he held on while the voice inside him continued.
How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth…
You're a deplorable imitation indeed…
Best you part from that aspect of yourself!
"A-Aaaagh!" Yusuke screamed in pain as he collapsed to the floor. His nails then started to bleed when he dug them to fight through the pain.
Let us now forge a contract…
I am thou, thou art I…
The world is filled with beauty and vice…
It is time you teach people which is which!
Blue flames engulfed Yusuke, and a white kitsune mask appeared on his face.
"Very well…," Yusuke said as he got up and reached for the mask to ripped it off of him while calling out his Persona. "Come, Goemon!"
In the same blue pillar of flames of light, Yusuke's clothes changed into a black high-collared puff-sleeved jumpsuit with a striped sash across his hips, white boots, blue gloves, and a tail.
Behind him was his Persona, Ishikawa Goemon, taking a fighting stance.
"A breathtaking sight…," Yusuke said as he gestured to the Shadows. "Imitations they may be, but together, they still make a fine spectacle... Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known… Abominations are fated to perish!"
With a wave of his power, Yusuke and his Persona wiped out the Shadows with ice.
"Whoa, this is impressive!" Mona exclaimed excitedly.
"You dare mock my beautiful creations!?" Shadow Madarame barked. "Who do you think you are!? The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards!? Kill them all!"
More Shadows appeared as Yusuke turned his gaze towards Shadow Madarame. "The children who adored you as 'father'… The prospects of your pupils… How many did you trample upon? How many dreams did you exchange for riches!? No matter what it takes… I will bring you to justice!"
"Let's see what you're made of," Joker said to Yusuke. "You got this?"
"I am ready!" Yusuke grinned as he and the Phantoms managed to take down the Shadows one by one together.
Goemon vanished into a kitsune mask on Yusuke's face after the fight as he approached Shadow Madarame. "I learned much from you, Madarame. In order to see authenticity… one must be dispassionately realistic. With Goemon by my side… I can now ascertain your true self without any reservations!"
"Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain," Shadow Madarame said. "I'll destroy every chance you've ever had of becoming an artist!"
Yusuke looked at Madarame's Shadow in anger. "Madarame!"
"You'll forever rue the day you dared defy me!" Shadow Madarame proclaimed as he then took his leave.
"Get back here!" Yusuke tried to go after Shadow Madarame, but he collapsed.
"Kitagawa-kun!" Panther cried out as she and the others went up to him.
"Why can't I move!?"
"Listen, you're totally drained. You can't do much, even if you wanted to!"
"What a disgrace I am!"
"C'mon, just listen to her," Skull said to Yusuke as he and Joker help him up.
A few minutes later, the Phantoms were in another location, where Yusuke was on a couch as he gazed down on the floor in shame while the others stood.
"You've known for quite some time, haven't you?" Panther asked Yusuke.
"I'm no fool," Yusuke answered sadly. "Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. But…who would want to admit that the man they owned their life to was doing such terrible things?"
"Why didn't you leave, Kitagawa-kun?" Panther asked.
"Well, he s the one who painted the 'Sayuri,'" Yusuke answered. "On top of that, I owe him a great debt."
"You mean because he raised you?" Skull asked.
"I…never knew my father. I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three. That's when Sensei took me in. I heard he helped my mother while she was still alive."
"Heard…?" Panther repeated.
"To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother, either," Yusuke continued. "I did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father… but he changed." He then clenched his fist in anger. "But to think that he would treat the 'Sayuri,' the very foundation of his art, like that!"
"...A lot's happened to you, huh?" Skull said.
Yusuke then turned to Joker and Skull. "When you had mentioned plagiarism… deep down, I knew you were right. That's why I so vehemently denied you… I was simply running from the truth. I'm sorry."
Joker sighed. "I understand. I get what you're going through, but we've all been through something rough like that. So, no worries!"
"Thank you. I'm grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time."
"You're way too serious, man," Skull said to Yusuke with a smile. "That's why you're always gettin' stuck in your own head. Look at me! I just go with the flow."
"For real," Panther smiled at Skull.
"What are you going to do now?" Mona asked Yusuke.
"I don't know..." Yusuke answered.
"We can't help the fact that Madarame's gone and changed," Skull said. "But…we can change his heart. We'll make him pay for his crimes."
"That reminds me, you mentioned something about that 'change of heart' earlier..."
"Have you heard the rumors? The ones about the Phantom Thieves that steal hearts?"
Yusuke looked at each member of the Phantoms, recognizing their familiar faces. Then, it dawned on him. "Don't tell me…"
But before Yusuke could react or respond, more Shadows suddenly appeared.
"Oh, crap!" Skull exclaimed.
"We'll talk later! We need to scram!" Mona said.
Yusuke then noticed his new attire. "When did my clothes change?"
"You just noticed that now?" Skull asked, dumbfounded.
"Save it for after! Let's go!" Panther said as she and the Phantoms escaped out of Madarame's Palace.
As the gang returned to reality and settled down at a nearby local restaurant in Shibuya, they told Yusuke everything.
"…I see," Yusuke nodded, getting the gist of things. "And because of that, this PE teacher's had a change of heart…" Then, he mused aloud. "The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts… To think they truly exist."
"We're right in front of you," Akira replied. "Is it so hard to believe?"
"No, I indeed believe you…," Yusuke said. "There's no need for common sense to blind me. I have to believe your words. Especially after seeing a world like that…" He then looked at the others for confirmation. "So, your plan with Madarame-sensei—I mean, with Madarame is to force a change of heart in him, correct?"
"Yep," Akira answered as the others nodded.
"Then let me join… as a member of the Phantom Thieves," Yusuke proclaimed. "Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well. That…is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was… in some manner, my father."
"...Civil, huh," Ann muttered.
"Sounds fine to me," Ryuji said. "We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways."
"He may have a mental shutdown if we screw up," Morgana said to Yusuke. "We have ways to prevent that, but they aren't fail-safe. ...Remember how we mentioned this on our way here?"
"Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. He has connections to many organizations," Yusuke said. "If someone like me raises my voice, it'll only be snubbed out... We have no option but this."
"Well, it's a deal then," Morgana nodded.
"We have a new member of the Phantom Thieves now!" Ann said with a smile. "I hope we get along, Yusuke!"
"You better not slow us down," Ryuji smiled as well.
"I'll do my best." Yusuke nodded.
"Welcome aboard," Akira said.
"Thank you. I ask that you coach me well."
"Oh, and…," Akira added as he giggled a bit. "Don't do any nude paintings."
Yusuke looked at Ann. "So that was all a plan? That's quite daring, Takamaki-san."
"It wasn't my idea – it was theirs!" Ann protested, pointing at Akira and Ryuji accusingly.
"What else were we supposed to do!?" Ryuji replied. "It's his fault for going on and on about the nude modelin' thing!"
"I haven't given up on that yet, though," Yusuke said.
"Give it up! I have my rights!" Ann told Yusuke. "And I'm not posing nude! Ever! Try and make me do it again, and I'll make you regret it."
"Sure," Yusuke quickly answered with a straight face.
"Oh, that reminds me…," Ann mentioned something. "I wonder what's going on with the real Madarame. Yusuke and I were in a pretty tight situation…"
"Actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing Takamaki-san. And, just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his Shadow."
"What did he say?"
"He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch one high school girl. However, he's still furious about it and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone."
That information shocked the others as Ryuji said, "Talk about bein' completely on guard..."
"Legal action…," Ann repeated in surprise. "He's acting way too desperate. Maybe he still has more secrets."
"If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over," Yusuke said. "Any scandal during the show would be his loss."
Ann sighed in dismay. "Right when I think about being a nude model is over, this happens!?"
"We'll have to force a change of heart before then if we're to dodge this 'legal action' thing," Morgana said. "Looks like our plan must be accomplished while the exhibit is still open!"
The others nodded in agreement until Yusuke noticed Morgana. "By the way, what is this?"
"A cat," Ryuji answered.
"But it's talking."
"You have a problem with that!?" Morgana asked angrily.
"No, not really," Yusuke answered as nothing fazes him.
Ryuji blinked in surprise. "Why not?"
"He's just on a different wavelength than other people," Ann said.
Morgana turned to Yusuke with a smile. "Do you wish to draw me? You better bring out the best of me, in that case."
"Hm…," Yusuke reached out his hand even further.
Morgana hissed, thinking Yusuke will touch him. "Hey, don't touch me like—"
But Yusuke reached his hand out to press the call button. "I was thinking of ordering some black-bean jelly."
"I bet he got that idea from a 'black cat'..." Ryuji muttered to himself.
"Oh…!" Yusuke blinked for a moment. "I didn't bring any money."
"…Never mind. He's just weird." Ann sighed.
"About that 'legal action' part? This ain't funny," Ryuji said.
"Sounds problematic," Akira replied.
"If the police hear about this, they'll get in touch with the school. We'll be expelled for sure this time."
"School would be the least of our worries…," Ann said. "We'd end up arrested. Unlawful entry, defamation..."
"Guess that means we really can't afford to eff it up this time."
"Yeah, from here on out is what matters. Let's do it!"
With everything settled down and Yusuke now joining the team, they all went home for the evening.
5/21 – Saturday
After school, Akira saw the Velvet Room entrance. He walked through the door as he felt a slight sense of lightheadedness and reflexively closed his eyes. Opening his eyes, he was in his usual position and the same prison clothes as he sat down to see the twin wardens.
"It seems you have brought a fair amount of multiple Personas within yourself," Justine said to Akira. "We are quite impressed."
"So, I have," Akira nodded in satisfaction, then asked. "Guess that's what the power of the wild card does and all. But what will come of it, anyway?"
"It is proof that your rehabilitation proceeds apace."
"Not that I'm surprised, Inmate," Caroline said to Akira. "Though I guess you deserve at least some praise for finishing your penal labor. You might actually complete your rehabilitation..."
"In order to promote that process, we would like to offer you the use of a new facility," Justine added.
"Thanks, I suppose," Akira nodded.
"Hmph. Now that's rather strange," Caroline looked at her twin. "It's rare to see you smile, Justine."
"You are the smiling one, Caroline. Did something happen to make you so joyful?"
"Me…? That's not true. It's not!" Caroline tried to deny it but then looked at Akira. "Hey, are you laughing at us!?"
"Maybe," Akira answered with a smile. "It's just…you guys have a cute smile."
"Know your place, Inmate…!" Caroline exclaimed.
"As wardens, we simply feel satisfaction in seeing your rehabilitation progress," Justine said to Akira. "...That is the extent of it. I find it upsetting that you would see such a matter as a source of amusement."
"It's like you forget where you are, Inmate. You've got some real guts, though!" Caroline said. "With that spirit, you should have no trouble making progress!"
"Very well then… If you have the will to continue your penal labor, we can grant you greater freedom within this prison. It is a deal between us, the wardens, and you, the inmate."
"Not like you have the right to turn it down, though! Hard work is what you're meant to do, Inmate!"
"Of course," Akira said, making a deal with Caroline and Justine. "I'll live up to that."
"But don't think for one second that it means we're going to be lenient with you," Justine told Akira as she added. "Unless you're rehabilitated, you shall remain a prisoner here at all times!"
"Okay, then," Akira nodded as he then heard a similar voice echoed within him.
I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Strength Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
"The Strength Arcana," Akira muttered as he sees a hovering card of the Strength Arcana toward the twin wardens as it bursts into light within them. "It represents inner strength and determination, as well as physical strength."
As he said goodbye to the twin wardens, another slight feeling of lightheadedness passes, and Akira returned to reality and went home to Leblanc for the evening.
5/23 – Monday
The next day, after school, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, and the recently-joined Yusuke were at the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway, planning their next move on Madarame.
Morgana turned to Yusuke. "Yusuke, we still need to explain the basics to you, didn't we?"
"Oh, you mean about the Metaverse and the Nav," Ann replied. "Yeah, I guess that stuff is pretty important."
"Please elaborate," Yusuke leaned in to listen.
"OK, let's start from the beginning," Morgana said as he began the lecture. "First, the Metaverse spots where we act as the Phantom Thieves are called Palaces. Palaces are worlds that take form from someone's cognition… A materialization of their reality."
"So, do we each hold Palaces within ourselves as well?" Yusuke asked.
"No, not just anyone will have one. It's primarily those with strong, distorted desires…"
"They basically gotta be criminals," Ryuji added. "Real bastards like Kamoshida or Madarame."
"On the other hand, Palaces can't exist within Persona-users," Morgana explained. "It's just impossible for them to form. Basically, your Persona is the true feelings of your heart, which arise from accepting your inner Shadow. And since you have full control of your emotions, there's no way your desires can get distorted."
"S-So, that's how it works...," Ann said, surprised.
"O-Obviously, I knew that…!" Ryuji replied. "Oh yeah, and we use the Metaverse Nav app on our phones to get into that world!"
"It's pretty simple," Ann said. "Just say a person's name, location, and distortion, then you're in."
"Location…?" Yusuke repeated.
"Uhhh, so like Madarame's would be 'shack,' then his distortion is that he thinks it's a 'museum.'"
"How do you know what their Palace is going to look like if you have never set foot in it before…?"
"That part's kinda like a quiz or something," Ryuji scratched his head. "It'll probably get pretty tricky from here on out too."
"Hm, I feel as though I have a good grasp of the basic concepts. If anything arises which I fail to understand, I'll rely on those more experienced than myself."
"Yeah! I gotcha covered, newbie!" Ryuji insisted.
"Uh… You should probably ask Morgana if you need anything," Ann said to Yusuke.
"Thinking back to Madarame though…," Morgana said. "I can't believe he'd consider pressing charges."
"Yes, I've never seen him show such anger before," Yusuke replied. "He is most likely quite serious about that."
"What should we do…?" Ann asked. "There's no way we'll be able to win if that happens."
"He likely won't act on that threat until the final day of the exhibit: June 5th. Simply put, I doubt he would be so foolish as to taint his name with a trial during his exhibition."
"All right, so we just gotta steal Madarame's heart by then," Ryuji said. "There's no way we're going to let him press charges… We'll show people who he really is!"
Once they had warped back to Madarame's Palace to secure an infiltration route, Mona spoke up. "Oh yeah. We haven't decided on the new recruit's code name yet."
"It has to be 'Kitsune.'" Panther suggested. "You know, with that kitsune mask and everything."
"Hell yeah," Skull said, nodding. "That really leaves an impression."
"Are you talking about me?" Yusuke asked.
"What do you want your name over here to be?"
"I'd say 'Da Vinci.'"
"Nope," Skull shook his head. "Well, you've got that mask like Ann said… and there's that weird tail..." Then, it dawned on him. "All right, you're 'Abura-age'!"
Joker looked at Skull with an unconvinced face. "Skull, you do know that is the name of a food product made from soybeans. Did you seriously give him a code name after that?"
"How about 'Deep-fried Tofu'! Foxes like tofu, right?"
"Snrk…!" Mona almost laughed.
"Very well," Yusuke said.
Mona blinked in surprise. "He's agreeing to it!?"
"It's decided then: Abura-age!" Skull proclaimed.
"Nuh-uh! Not happening!" Panther said. "Do you have any ideas, Joker?"
"That's easy," Joker replied. "'Fox.'"
"Ohhh, just keep it literal, huh? Sounds good to me," Skull said.
"What do you think, Fox?" Mona asked.
"It's acceptable," Yusuke nodded.
"It's set then. Let's go," Skull clenched his fist.
Joker then turned to Fox. "Are you sure about this?"
"Madarame has not stolen others' art," Fox replied. "He's preyed upon the talents and futures of many. I can't let this rest until the score has been settled between us." Then, he turned to Joker and the others. "Don't worry. This is a decision I made after much thought."
It wasn't long before the Phantoms infiltrated Madarame's Palace even more further. In the next hall, they see a giant statue of Madarame's Shadow.
"To think there even exists a thing such as this here….," Fox said. "It's nothing short of an abomination."
"I guess Palace rulers like makin' statues of themselves," Skull replied.
"It was the same with Kamoshida," Panther said. "I guess this one's a little better-made, though."
"I-Is that so…?" Fox asked.
With the help of another pamphlet with the rest of the map, the Phantoms learned that the most suspicious spot is the main hall, where the Treasure is. So, they managed to pass through the lounge and the gallery to reach there by going through a series of mazes and surprises, including giant paintings and countless others. They even inspected and almost followed the photographs of 'Sayuri' once the Phantoms find themselves in a golden void full of archways leading to a disjointed path.
It wasn't easy, but the Phantoms entered a new area. They hid to see Shadow Madarame standing behind a pedestal where the multiple lasers also block the Treasure's hazy form.
"There it is…," Mona pointed at the Treasure.
"Doesn't it look a bit hazy?" Panther asked.
"For the time being. Once we send the card and make Madarame aware it'll be stolen, it'll materialize like 'Yoohoo!'"
"I wonder what form it will take..." Fox pondered.
"Who knows? Bet it's something like a self-portrait," Skull replied.
"The source of what distorted Madarame's reality this much..."
"So, what now?" Skull asked Mona. "Think it's safe to say we got our route set?"
"We know where the Treasure is, but I'm not sure that we've necessarily secured the route..."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"You must be talking about the infrared lasers surrounding it." Fox guessed.
"That, and the outer perimeter is swarming with guards. Forcing our way through will be difficult."
"So, we'll need to find a way to steal it too…," Panther sighed. "This is tougher than it was with Kamoshida…"
"We just have to make one final push," Mona said as he and the other Phantoms noticed a control room further ahead and went inside.
As they did, they shut down the main power, then when the backup generators turned back the lights on, they opened the shutters. They later walked on the catwalks above the hall, noticing a crane with a hook.
"This could be useful…," Mona pondered.
"Do you plan on descending on that hook? Would they not spot you the moment you're lowered down?" Fox asked.
"Not necessarily. There's something I can do to make sure that doesn't happen."
"How about using the darkness?" Joker suggested with ease.
"Exactly! That's our Joker!"
"Oh right,…," Panther said. "We were able to turn the lights off over in that other control room!"
"Only for a few seconds, though," Fox replied. "There would not be enough time to make it all the way here."
"That's why we're going to split up the tasks and work together to pull off this heist!" Mona said. "One person will shut the power off here, one person will lower the crane, and I'll grab the Treasure!"
"You sure that's gonna work?" Skull asked. "Seems to me like they'd realize what's going on at some point."
"Sometimes, bold moves have the greatest payout. Unless someone has a better idea?"
"That plan sounds good to me," Joker said.
"Well said, Joker! You now understand what being a phantom thief means! Well, it's settled. Our infiltration route is secured!"
"You gotta be kiddin' me…," Skull said.
As the Phantoms exited the Palace, Skull spoke up. "I'm still kinda worried…but we gotta do this!"
"I cannot even begin to fathom what Madarame's Treasure may be…," Fox replied.
"Either way, we'll steal it for sure," Panther assured him.
5/25 – Wednesday
The next day after school, Akira went to visit Tae Takemi at the clinic.
"How's everything, Takemi-san? You seemed popular," Akira said.
"It's all thanks to you," Tae replied. "There's been a lot of talk going around town about me, started by that girl and her dad… They've been telling everyone that I can make all these amazing medicines and remedies. So now, the number of patients I'm seeing has increased dramatically. I don't know what some of these people are thinking, though. I've had a lot of crazy requests."
"Really? Like what?" Akira asked.
"Like yesterday, a patient requested a 'sweet-smelling' compress. And the other day, I had a request for a 'cold-buster.' Ha! A drug like that deserves a Nobel Prize. Other suggestions have included hair and skin tonics. I even had to do a consultation about a cat. Sheesh. It's not like I'm some kind of genius doctor."
"Having fun?" Akira asked.
"No," Tae answered. "This is all interfering with my development. I'm only interested in completing my new drug. That's my role as the Plague. I'm not suited for all this other stuff."
"I hope it suits you."
"Well, you're entitled to your opinion," Tae replied. "But a 'town doctor,' huh…? That sort of lifestyle profession might've been possible for me at one time, but now…"
"Town doctor," Akira repeated. "A nice little ring to it."
"Oh yeah, about those clinical trials… With so many new patients, it's taking longer to analyze the data, so I'll need to catch up. This is a bit on the stronger side, but I'm sure you'll be OK."
"Glad to hear that," Akira nodded.
5/26 – Thursday
"We can now take him down, yes?" Yusuke asked.
"Madarame's going to be a changed man," Morgana replied. "There won't be any way to revert it, though. Are you sure you're OK with that?"
"I have thought it over carefully," Yusuke replied. "And I cannot think of a future in which he does not pay his dues. He has preyed not only on the art world but on countless talents, so I humbly request your help."
"All right," Akira said. "Just don't get too worked up."
"I apologize for making you do this..."
"Not at all. We just didn't want to impose if you weren't feeling up to it, Yusuke," Ann replied. "But if you're already determined to do it, then there's nothing more for us to say."
"If I recall, our next step is sending a 'calling card,' correct? What a sway maneuver."
"It's not about acting cool," Morgana said. "The calling card is a way to trigger a change in his cognition."
"A change in cognition…," Yusuke repeated. "That reminds me, you went through some trouble regarding that before…"
"Ah, you must be talking about when we forced open that security gate in the courtyard."
"The Palace is a cognitive world," Ann tells Yusuke. "So, changing its ruler's cognition changes the topography! ...I think!"
"Very nicely put, Lady Ann!" Morgana smiled. "This will be a vital tactic from here forward."
"Actually, may I ask a fundamental question?" Yusuke asked. "You continue to mention cognition quite readily… But why does that world, formed from materialized cognitions, even existed to begin with?" Then, his eyes grew wide in anticipation and realization. "Don't tell me… Has it always existed while we go on about our daily lives? Is it completely oblivious?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Morgana answered. "At the very least, I know it existed before the Kamoshida incident…but that's all."
"I see…," Yusuke said.
"Crap, he caught me off guard with that…," Ryuji said as he scratched his head. "It's kinda weird thinking there might be other worlds we just don't know a damn thing about…Did that ever cross your mind, Akira?"
"Of course, it did," Akira said. "But I think you watched too much TV…"
"Don't be so anxious," Morgana said. "You don't even know everything about the city you live in, after all. All that's important is that we know how to make use of that world and how to traverse it."
"About the calling card," Yusuke began to ask. "Will Madarame take it seriously? He is famous, after all. He has often received slanderous letters till now, as well."
"He'll know best whether the crime written on it is for real or not," Ryuji smiled.
"Wait," Morgana halted Ryuji with a narrowed look. "Are you going to write it again, Ryuji? That last one was questionable at best."
"You should do it then, Yusuke!" Ann insisted. "Make it artistic and stuff!"
"No. It'll end with him figuring it out," Yusuke said. "He knows my drawing and writing styles all too well."
"Oh, then I'll think it up, and you make it cooler!" Ryuji said.
"Designing a calling card, hm…," Yusuke smiled. "Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist."
"It's decided then!"
"Great! All that's left is to make that Treasure ours!" Morgana said. "You guys better come fully prepared!"
The others nodded in agreement.
5/27 – Friday
On the following day at the Teikyu Building, Madarame talked with some fans when the exhibit staff walked up. "Pardon me, sir. There's a matter we need to notify you about…"
"Please excuse me for a moment," Madarame excused his fans as he then turned to the staff. "What is it?"
"We found this outside…," The guard said, showing Madarame a red card.
"A letter?" Madarame asked.
"It's…uh…," The guard cleared his throat to read the calling card. "'Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to steal the ideas of his pupils shamelessly. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, The Phantoms…'"
Madarame was furious as he crumpled up the calling card. "Whose doing is this!?"
"We don't know!" The guard answered. "The same letter has been posted everywhere…"
"What about the security cameras!?"
"There were no signs of the culprit… All we saw was a cat in the recordings…"
"Remove these at once!" Madarame ordered.
"Of course!" The guard bowed, but then he paused for a moment. "Um…"
"...What now!?" Madarame asked impatiently.
"It's about this affecting the exhibit…," The guard answered. "We believe it's just a prank, but what of the mass media?"
"Are you insinuating that this slander is true?"
"Of course not!"
And so, the calling card's effect caused Madarame's Shadow to raise his Palace's security level as he muttered to himself, "It's those damn brats' doing. Well, it means nothing… They'll only be able to do as they please until this exhibit is over..."
As the real Madarame left, Yusuke, who was accompanying him, turned away and walked up to the others. "Will that do?"
"Yup! It was perfect!" Ann smiled. "The composition was way cooler too!"
"The Treasure should appear right about now," Morgana said.
"You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man," Ryuji said to Madarame, then he turned to the others. "Anyways, did you guys check online? People are already talkin' about that callin' card. We'll show them… We're going to surprise them all!"
"I'm sure you know, but we only get one shot to pull this off!" Morgana reminded them.
"I'm counting on you guys," Akira said. "Let's do this. It's do or die."
"We'll be counting on you too," Ann replied.
"You have no reservations about this either, right, Yusuke?" Morgana asked.
"Of course not," Yusuke said. "...We'll do this."
Once the Phantoms transitioned to Madarame's Palace, Fox started to look around, "The atmosphere in here seems significantly different…"
"We did declare war on him by sending that calling card," Skull replied.
"But there's nothing to fear," Mona said, reassuring the others. "We've secured a route, and we're ready to go. We'll take the Treasure in style!"
"There will be no turning back once we begin the operation," Fox said."
"And if worst comes to worst, we might have to fight…," Panther replied.
"That's right. Are you ready, Joker?" Mona asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Joker answered, nodding.
"OK! Everyone, to your positions!"
The plan was put into action as Skull and Panther crouched down outside the control room to see a Shadow inside, standing guard.
"There's an enemy inside, just as expected...," Panther said.
"I mean, we've done a ton in here," Skull replied. "It ain't surprisin'. Anyway, I'm going to try and draw it out, so I'll leave the switch to you guys."
"Will you be OK…?" Panther asked. "What if it catches up to you…?"
"Heh, don't underestimate an ex-runner. I'm definitely going to shake it off…!"
Skull knocked on the door and yelled out, "Heyyy, there's some weird people over heeere! Hey, I need some help!" He then took off as the security guard gave chase.
"You better make it, Skull…!" Panther muttered as she slipped into the empty control room and looked out the window to see Shadow Madarame still standing behind a warped canvas, surrounded by infrared lasers, just like before.
Above Shadow Madarame, Fox was standing on the catwalk, tying up Mona to a hook. "Is this good?"
"Yeah, it's perfect!" Mona answered.
"You seem to be enjoying this."
"Only the best can appreciate these critical moments. Plus, this feels like we're really phantom thieves!"
"We'll be counting on you, Mona. And Panther as well," Fox said as he then turned and waved to Panther, giving her the signal.
Panther noticed the signal already. "That's Fox's signal! That means they're ready to go!" She then turned off the whole lights.
"Joker, now!" Fox called out.
"On it!" Joker nodded as he pulled the lever, activating the crane to lower Mona. And just like that, Mona grabbed the canvas-covered Treasure.
"Sorry for the wait!' Panther apologized as she and Skull regrouped with Fox and Joker.
"My bad! It took me ages to get that guy off my trail!" Skull said.
"More like a minute," Joker corrected.
"Wait, where's Mona?" Panther asked.
Just then, Mona appeared as he kept a grip hold on the sheet-wrapped painting. "Hehehe! How's that for a qualified plan?"
"That was amazing, Mona!" Skull exclaimed. "So? What's the Treasure turn out to be? I'm guessing it's a painting based on the shape."
"We can look into that later," Fox said. "For now, we must escape."
"Yeah, it's time to go!" Mona agreed as he tied the painting to his head.
It wasn't long before the Phantoms leaped across a window that led them outside and onto the roof, seeing the cognitive city in the distance. Then, finding themselves at an archway and ran down the stairs from inside, they made it to the courtyard.
"I knew it!" Mona said. "All that security would've been meaningless if it just led back inside!"
"It seems we managed to escape their siege," Fox said.
Just then, Mona meowed all of a sudden. "Mrrrr… Meowww…"
"Dude…," Skull groaned. "Why's Mona getting' excited now of all times?"
"I just can't take it anymore! Let's take a look at this Treasure…!"
The Phantoms gathered around as Mona tossed the sheet away and closed his eyes in full hope and excitement. "Treasure!"
However, when Morgana opened his eyes, his smile faded as he and the others were confused and shocked. "Hrm!?"
The Phantoms were stunned to see that it wasn't the Treasure at all. It was a fake, in the form of a simple painting of Henohenomoheji on the canvas.
"THIS is the Treasure!?" Skull said in confusion.
Just then, Joker and Fox noticed the security grid rising as they heard a mechanical sound.
"Get back!" Joker and Fox shouted in unison as the Phantoms leaped away from the electric trap between the four poles.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed. "Meddlesome vermin!"
The Phantoms turned to see Shadow Madarame, accompanied by two Shadows. He turned to the golden-framed painting being held by the left Shadow. "Is this what you're looking for?"
"How dare you try to trap me like some kind of mouse!" Mona yelled angrily.
"So, you had a fake prepped, huh!?" Skull asked.
"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art," Shadow Madarame said.
Fox looked at Shadow Madarame. "What made you change like this!? Is it because you became famous!? Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!?"
"...Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost sight of her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing… That's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created – they're all MY works of art!"
"How low can you sink?" Panther asked in anger.
"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die. It's the least I can do since you'll soon be dead," Shadow Madarame proclaimed dramatically. "Behold the real Treasure, the first painting that brought me fame and influence! The glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri'!"
"Genuine…?" Fox repeated.
The left Security Guard Shadow stepped in and held up the Sayuri painting, the same, beautiful woman with a serene smile clad in red, just like the copies. This time, a baby was held in her arms.
Skull looked at the painting in surprise. "Is that..?"
"The 'Sayuri'? It looks different," Panther said. "There's no smoky stuff around her chest."
"And she's holding a baby," Fox added.
"So, that painting is Madarame's Treasure," Mona said as if he were to guess.
"This portrait is the last work of a female student of mine," Shadow Madarame said. "It's the only self-portrait she'd ever painted. The work instantly captivated me. I was in awe of her skill and wit." He then turned to the painting. "This is 'Sayuri''s natural form. Her face was overflowing with affection with yet a hint of grief. The world applauded that mysterious expression. A reflection of her complicated state of mind."
"That's…the real 'Sayuri'?" Fox took a shaken step. "This can't be! Mom…"
"Huh!?" Skull and Joker heard Fox in shock. Could that be…?
"Indeed, it is," Shadow Madarame answered. "This was painted by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes for the son she would leave behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of Sayuri's expression!"
"You stole something THAT personal!?" Skull asked in anger.
"I knew at first glance – from the very beginning, of course. I just thought I knew it would be a huge success if I added a little touch to the painting and announced it under my name!"
"But the baby in the picture… Why did you paint over it?" Fox asked.
"...It was all to stage it," Shadow Madarame answered. "If the baby is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery! I knew that it's what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"
"I always felt something was off about all this… Now I know what it is," Panther said as she looked at Shadow Madarame in anger. "If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn't even think about replicating it for profit!" She then stomps her foot. "You don't love art at all!"
Mona nodded in agreement. "Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!"
"It makes me laugh, asshole!" Skull said.
"So, you'll defy me no matter what…," Shadow Madarame said as he then turned to Fox. "Everything your mother created belongs to me. Her work has served my career quite handsomely. All of my pupils shared this contract, and that includes you, Yusuke. And make no mistake about it. Since you're my work of art, I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future. I'll paint over any work that gets in my way. ...Along with those insolent friends of yours there."
"I like to see you try painting over us!" Skull exclaimed.
Panther shook her head in disgrace. "I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like objects… You're inhuman!"
Mona turned to Fox, looking a bit confused. "Fox?"
"I've heard that you destroy your 'art' once they outlive their usefulness…," Fox spoke up as he started to ask one question to Shadow Madarame. "...Did that include my mother as well?"
That question shocked the other Phantoms as they turned to the Shadow for that answer.
"She was in such poor health," Shadow Madarame said. "One day, she just so happened to have a seizure right in front of me. That's when I had an interesting thought that crossed my mind… If I didn't call for help and leave her be, I could've obtained her painting without any strings attached."
Panther was shocked. "No… You let her die!?"
"She was weak. No one would ever doubt that if she just dropped dead because of that seizure," Shadow Madarame replied. "Above all, Yusuke, did you really think it was odd—that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind 'Sayuri.'"
"You killed her…!" Fox said in anger.
"At first, I did that so you wouldn't discover the truth. However, the artistic talents you inherited from your mother were an unexpected pleasantry. But they just so happened to be a delightful miscalculation, though. And that's when it dawned on me. If I were to steal ideas, it's much easier to steal and rob the futures and dreams of brats who won't talk back than it is adults. You see, it's all thanks to you that I came up with the idea. Yusuke, you have my gratitude."
But Fox chuckled a bit, then he laughed.
"Yusuke?" Panther turned to him with a sad look.
"I thank you, Madarame!" Fox said to the Shadow. "Every reason for me to forgive you has now disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist… You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"
"Shut your mouth!" Shadow Madarame yelled in anger. "Why all you good-for-nothings…! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want…"
Just then, the red and black aura-like flames swirled around Shadow Madarame, and everything started to rumble – the same oddly transformation that happened to Kamoshida's Shadow.
"Only those who are the rich and influential have the connections to make the rules; those who don't follow them," Shadow Madarame said, proclaiming. "Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!"
"I think we made him mad!" Joker exclaimed.
"This isn't good!" Mona said as he warned the others. "Here he comes, everyone! Get ready!"
Shadow Madarame laughed as he transformed into four floating picture frames – two bulging eyes, one twitching nose, and one holding his laughter. "I'll paint all over you!"
Shadow Madarame's ultimate form was of Azazel, representing the sin of vanity.
"You used others for your own despicable desires, Madarame…," Fox said to Shadow Madarame with a determined proclamation. "You aren't even worth the art you 'create'!"
"I'm not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy!"
"You still have the nerve to say such things!?" Fox said in anger. "You will fully taste the wrath of those who were preyed upon by you!"
Although it was difficult to admit, the Phantoms managed to overcome Madarame's Shadow. They engaged an all-out attack once more, and at his defeat, Shadow Madarame reverted to his standard form.
After the heated battle, Fox stepped up to glare down at Shadow Madarame, who cowardly scooted back, still holding the genuine, untouched 'Sayuri' painting – the Treasure.
There was absolute silence between the two while the other Phantoms watched.
Shadow Madarame sighed in defeat. "No one cares for true art anymore… All they want are easily recognizable brands! I'm a victim of this too! Wouldn't you agree!?"
Skull rolled his eyes. "Excuses now?"
"The art world revolves around money after all… You can't rise up without any money…," Shadow Madarame continued. "You understand, don't you, Yusuke!? Being a poor artist is truly miserable! I just didn't want to return to that life!"
Fox grabbed Shadow Madarame by the robe's collar. "A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art! You're done for—along with this whole wretched world!"
Shadow Madarame shrieked. "No, please! Just…d-don't kill me!"
But Fox let go of the Shadow. "Return to yourself in reality and confessed your crimes – all of them!"
"Y-You're not going to kill me?"
"Swear it!"
"All right… All right!" Shadow Madarame shrieked once more. Then, he looked around. "But wh-what about the other one, though? The one with the black mask?"
"Hm?" Fox blinked in surprise.
"Who?" Joker asked Shadow Madarame in confusion.
"Even if you don't kill me, there's still another one…with a black mask," Shadow Madarame replied.
"A black mask?" Panther repeated. "Wait, who's he talking about?"
Mona gasped as his eyes grew wide in shock. "It can't be… There was another intruder besides us within this Palace!?"
Suddenly, everything in Madarame's Palace began to tremor and shake.
"There's no time! Hurry!" Skull exclaimed.
Mona leaped up to transform into his vehicle form as the team got on board. "Get on!"
Fox, carrying the Treasure, turned to join the others as Shadow Madarame asked in plead, "Hey, Yusuke… What should I do?"
"...Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once," Fox answered.
"Yusuke!" Panther called out to him as Fox hurried on board the Mona car.
As the Mona car sped off, Shadow Madarame trembled as he started to fade. "No, wait! Please! Yusuke! Yusukeee!"
And with that, the Shadow faded away, along with his distorted Palace.
"The destination has been deleted," The Metaverse Navigator chimed in once the group returned to reality, right in front of Madarame's shack.
"It would be bad if people started getting suspicious of us," Morgana said to the others. "We should leave at once."
"Yusuke, c'mon," Ryuji called out, urging him to follow the others.
"Right...," Yusuke nodded. "Goodbye, Sensei."
A moment later, the gang were already at the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway. Akira, Ann, and Yusuke stood up while Ryuji sat down with a drink in his hand.
"I guess the mission was a success. All that's left is to see if he had a change of heart or not," Ryuji said as he drank his drink but then groaned. "Ugh, so bitter… Why'd you get it black?"
"The 'Sayuri'…," Yusuke muttered, looking at the untouched painting.
Ryuji turned to Yusuke. "You're not gonna get all teary-eyed and say stuff like 'Mom…!' are you?"
"To think that this painting was the source of Madarame's distorted desires," Yusuke said. "The only saving grace is that my mother won't know of what transpired…"
"The genuine painting at his atelier has been altered, after all…," Morgana replied over Akira's shoulder. "Ironic as it may be, this one here is her true self-portrait now."
"...It's a wonderful painting," Ann smiled at Yusuke. "And… although it took some time, it's in your hands now, Yusuke."
"...I'm thankful for it," Yusuke said. "However, it's impossible for this painting to be acknowledged by society anymore..."
"That's a shame," Akira sighed. "It's not a bad thing."
"You may be right…," Yusuke nodded. "Seeing my mother's expression here, it's doubtful that she would've wished for fame."
"Was 'Sayuri' your mom's name?" Akira asked.
Yusuke shook his head. "No doubt it's the name of any woman in particular. I bet it was to make it more mysterious – just a part of Madarame's foolish staging."
"It would've been obvious that he plagiarized it if he'd used the real name," Morgana said.
Yusuke looked at the painting. "So, this is my mother… There's no way that I would remember her face clearly, but I was right about the rush of emotion I felt when I saw this painting."
Just then, Ryuji went to get another drink. And when he did, he had already burped – right in front of Ann's face.
"Stop that!" Ann screamed at that.
"You're so vulgar, Ryuji," Morgana said in dismay.
But Akira suddenly laughed at the moment. "I have no idea what was the point of that burp. No wonder you're the brawns of the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji."
"The brawns…?" Ryuji repeated, surprised.
Akira turned to Ann. "And while Ann may be a model, she always keeps feeling worried or maybe sorry for those who are the victims of selfish adults, so she's like the heart."
"I'm the heart?" Ann smiled at that remark.
Akira then looked over at Morgana. "And Morgana's like the expert when it comes to the Metaverse and Mementos."
"I'm the expert, huh?" Morgana smiled as well.
Ryuji turned to Yusuke. "So, what're you going to do now? We're going to keep targetin' big shots."
"...Why do you do such things?" Yusuke asked.
"It's to get back at scumbags and like… society in general? We also wanna give courage to the people that are suffering because of selfish adults."
"Courage, hm… What good does that do?" Yusuke asked as he pondered a bit but then realized what they meant. "You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?"
"Probably…," Akira sighed. "I mean, we just kind of assumed it would."
"There's no knowin' whether it'll turn out good for everyone or not," Ryuji said. "Still, we won't know unless we give it a try."
"...In other words, it all depends on the person, hm?" Yusuke said. "Then the same can be said about myself right now. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act. Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire."
"You really only think about art, huh? You're impressive," Ryuji smiled.
"I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?"
"No worries, I've got us covered!" Ann winked while smiling. "Plus, we have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously."
Morgana turned to Akira. "How about it, Joker? We can give our calling cards a lot more oomph if we have Yusuke on our team."
"Sure, he'd make a great member," Akira nodded.
"I will try and live up to those expectations," Yusuke nodded.
"At any rate, I'm curious…," Morgana said. "Another intruder besides us, huh?"
"Our only clue's a black mask," Ann replied. "so that doesn't necessarily mean it's just one person, right?"
"But there's no way to check anymore. The Palace is gone," Ryuji said.
"I'll try probing Madarame," Yusuke said. "I may be able to learn something from him."
"Are you sure?" Ann asked. "I mean—"
"I'll contact you all if anything turns up."
"We should probably exchange our contact info with you then."
After exchanging his phone number and chat ID with the others, Yusuke started to smile. "An artist and a phantom thief… It seems I'll be engaging in two trades from here on. Very well. You only live once, after all." Then, he pondered to himself. "Still, the incident about this other intruder does concern me a little..."
"We all did our best," Ann said with ease.
"Allow me to express my thanks once again," Yusuke said to the others. "Because of you, I was able to retrieve the painting that had been filled with my mother's love."
"Hearing you say that makes the whole thing worth it, Yusuke!" Ryuji said.
"Seriously. I wasn't sure you'd want to change Madarame's heart," Ann replied.
"I'm sorry to have worried you," Yusuke apologized. "But I have no regrets about it now."
"And the change of heart WILL happen this time, right?" Ann asked.
"Yeah. We did it just like with Kamoshida," Ryuji assured the others.
"By the way, I'm curious about what he said at the end."
"You mean about the other intruder besides us? It was something about a black mask, yeah?"
"That may have been nothing more than a lie," Yusuke said. "Madarame was quite deranged at that point, after all. For now, we should wait for his change of heart in peace."
That evening, as Akira was getting ready for bed, Morgana smiled with glee. "Not only have we dealt with our second big target, we even have a new addition to the team! Goodness, things are going so well!"
"It's all thanks to you," Akira replied. "But we can't get too cocky."
"That's true," Morgana nodded. "Still, let's honestly be happy about it right now. But I have to say. You sure are something special. This is our fifth Persona-user. It'll help broaden our battle strategies as well. Besides, having an eye for beauty is a must for phantom thieves. We're lucky to have Yusuke. An artist is a talent you rarely come across. I mean, he IS a bit strange, but still…"
Morgana then pondered about something. "An artist, huh… What kind of person do you think I was? There's no way I'd turn out to be some bad guy in the end, right? I get so engrossed with the embodiment of human desires. And that's not all. When it comes to the Metaverse, I'm the only one who can transform into a car… I'm special, but it's still odd. Who could I actually be?"
"A human," Akira answered. "You said so yourself."
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
"What a half-assed answer," Morgana sighed. "Well, you're right. There's no way a dashing, honorable rogue who has honorable aspirations like me could be evil."
Morgana began to fantasize about his ideal human form. "A man who saves those in trouble in the west while punishing evildoers who may lurk in the east! A man who chastises people that smoke inside in the south while saving bullied cats in the north. A man who has a sturdy body and vows always to do one good deed a day, be it rain or shine."
"That's kind of…impressive," Akira said.
"I'm that kind of ideal person… Or so I hope," Morgana replied. "So if I turn back to being human… surely she'll take notice of me, won't she?"
"You like someone?" Akira teased a bit but then realized who he's talking about. "Wait, you're talking about Ann? I'm not sure, but she and Ryuji always bicker at each other from my point of view. I mean, they're both a bit blonde and went to middle school, so probably…"
"R-Right! Of course, that's the case!" Morgana said. "Wait, Lady Ann and Ryuji…together!? Don't be ridiculous! Besides, people chase me when it comes to love!" He then sighed dreamingly. "Where should I go when I become human? I wonder where she'd like to go… An amusement park, a movie theater, a fancy cafe, shopping… What do you think?"
"I have no idea," Akira replied as he feels like his bond with Morgana grew deeper.
As Akira suddenly woke up, he finds himself being summoned to the Velvet Room, where Igor and the twin wardens, Caroline and Justine, were waiting.
"You have expelled one who was stained in vanity," Igor said to Akira. "You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation. It's a delightful thing, indeed."
"Our master is pleased," Justine said. "You should be honored, Inmate."
"I already am," Akira replied.
"However, that man's remarks are concerning.," Igor said. "It seems another has made their way into the Metaverse."
"Who could it be?" Akira asked.
"That is beyond my knowledge…," Igor replied. "But your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly. ...That is for certain. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. ...I have high hopes for you."
Akira nodded, feeling his bond with Igor growing deeper.
5/29 – Sunday
The next day, Akira and the others were chatting with each other.
"So, I've called you here today about Madarame's state," Yusuke spoke up first. "For the time being, he hasn't suffered a mental shutdown. Other than that, his demeanor seems to have softened a bit. Is that…the change of heart?"
"It could be," Akira answered.
"I see… I was curious and looked into Kamoshida as well. It's as if he was an entirely different person. Will the same be true for Sensei?"
"Yep," Akira nodded.
"That's all I wanted to tell you."
"How is Madarame?" Ann asked Yusuke.
"Nothing at the moment. He is still bedridden."
"Wait a second…," Ryuji spoke up. "You think this was too much for that old bastard's heart?"
"There's no need to worry," Yusuke assured the others. "His life doesn't appear to be in any danger."
"I hope we didn't eff up on our first official mission… Can Madarame talk at all?"
"So far, all he has said to me is, 'I'm sorry.' I haven't been able to speak to him since, though. He is in no state to hold a conversation."
"For real?"
"If he ends up taking legal action against us, our leader will be in big trouble!" Ann said while looking at Akira.
"Ugh…," Akira groaned. "You don't need to remind me of that."
"You're under probation, correct?" Yusuke asked Akira. "That would be problematic…"
"We're gonna be okay, right?" Ann asked the others.
"For sure," Akira answered. "Jeez, stop panicking already. It's annoying that you guys freak out over things every time we do this."
"If Akira says so, I'm sure it's true!" Ryuji shrugged.
"I will contact all of you if any progress is made," Yusuke said.
"Let's just wait for the change of heart for now."
"Yeah…," Ann nodded. "Well, we'll be waiting for your updates, Yusuke."
5/30 – Monday
The next day at Shujin, Ryuji walked up to Akira. "There you are!"
"What is it, Ryuji?" Akira asked.
"I need your help with something… I found this flyer stuffed in the mailbox." Ryuji showed Akira the flyer. "'Housekeeping service'! It says that a cute maid will anything for you! A maid, dude! A MAID! Who'll do ANYTHING for us! Right?"
"What are you saying? What do you want me to do?' Akira asked.
"…You're a guy, right? You know what I mean! Let's give it a try. Luckily, a guy from my complex just moved out, so now there's a vacant room there for the taking. And the key is right behind the mailbox so that we can get in anytime."
"Are you serious?" Akira asked.
"The landlord seriously doesn't care," Ryuji said. "The place is all set, so let's go!"
Just then, a familiar voice appeared. "…Hey, I heard that!"
Akira and Ryuji turned around to see Mishima walking up to them.
"Um, can I, uh… Get into this, too?" Mishima asked.
"Oh-ho! You mean you're into this kinda stuff?" Ryuji smiled. "Wow! Okaaay…"
"I-I'm not into it! It's just for research!"
"Research?" Akira repeated.
"What does it mean that they'll do anything? And do the maids look precisely as they're advertised? We need to determine whether or not this company just pretends to offer housekeeping services!"
"Just tell us the truth," Akira said, not convinced.
"I…I want to punish the bad guys! And to do that, I have to see it with my own eyes!"
"Yeah, we gotta see it with our own eyes. Every little detail,…," Ryuji snickered. "We'll have to do this at night, so let us know when you're ready."
"So, what's the code name for this operation? Hmmm…," Mishima pondered, then an idea hit him. "Since we'll be watching them, it should be like… 'Operation Maidwatch'!"
"That's epic!" Ryuji exclaimed excitedly. "Nice! I like that!"
"I suppose so…" Akira shrugged as he then looked at Mishima. "That aside, what were you doing before you overheard our conversation about maids?"
"I was just looking up ideas for the Phan-site," Mishima answered.
"Oh, right, the Phan-site," Akira remembered.
"You know, for Phantom Thief Afficandos. It's gotten pretty popular. After Madarame finishes his conference, the interests will get kind of exploding. I'm hoping it's a huge hit. It's my life's work! It's my mission!"
"Right…" Akira nodded while laughing a bit.
"So, we're executing Operation Maidwatch tonight for sure, right?"
Akira sighed in dismay. "All right…"
"Sweet, I've been waiting for this! We're meeting over at Sakamoto's place, right?"
"Yep," Ryuji nodded. "Time for the operation! Time to maid watch!"
"Maid watch!" Mishima repeated with excitement.
"Maid watch…," Akira repeated with utter nervousness and dismay.
That evening, Akira, Ryuji, and Mishima were already in the vacant apartment.
"S-So, we're gonna do this, huh?" Mishima asked nervously. "You think it'll be OK?"
"Operation Maidwatch, bro!" Ryuji reminded the others. "If it turns out to be sketchy, we can just bail. The apartment's vacant, so it's not like we'll be messing with anyone's home."
"That's smart…for you," Akira replied.
"To think… Sakamoto has a brain," Mishima said. "But if that's the case, then…"
Mishima and Ryuji turned to Akira.
"What?" Akira asked.
"Okay, give them a call!" Ryuji said.
"Why don't you do it, Mishima?" Akira asked him.
"M-Me!?" Mishima blinked. "I'm not good with that kind of stuff! Seriously! Please, Akira-san!"
"Fine… I'll give it a call…," Akira sighed as he dialed a number on his phone.
"Thank you for calling!" A man's voice appeared on the phone. "This is Victoria's Housekeeping! I take it you're interested in our services, then?"
"S-Services!" Mishima repeated.
"Is there anyone, in particular, you'd like to request?"
"A-Anyone we want to request!?" Ryuji repeated as he started to panic at first, but he then turned to Akira. "What should we do, man!?"
"No preference," Akira answered on the phone.
"Very well! Let's see here…," A man's voice chimed in on the phone. "We have a maid available in… 20 minutes. May I ask for your address?"
Ryuji couldn't contain his excitement. "Shit… This is happening…"
"A maid's services…," Mishima pondered. "Hey… What should we have her do? I was thinking we start with some cooking. Of course, I wouldn't mind some of the other services either…" Then, Mishima realized something. "Wait a minute… Are high school students even allowed to use this type of service?"
"Huh?" Ryuji blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean, 'Huh'? You didn't check?" Mishima cried. "You should've researched it! What if they find who we are!?"
"Was I supposed to do all the research?" Ryuji asked. "H-How should I know!? But why would our age matter when it comes to housekeeping?"
"After all the things you gave us for being prepared, now this!" Akira said. "I'm already freaking out right now!"
"We would've been screwed if your number had shown up on their caller ID..." Mishima said as he and the others heard a doorbell.
The boys turned to hear who it was when they listened to a woman's voice.
"Good evening… I'm from the housekeeping service."
"What!? Already!? She's five minutes early!" Mishima exclaimed as he turned to Akira and Ryuji. "What do we do!? I'm not mentally prepared!"
"Oh, the door's unlocked? Um, may I come in?" A woman asked.
"I-I can't do this!" Ryuji said. "My stomach's actin' up! And my hands are all sweaty!" He then turned to Akira. "Okay, you handle the rest. …And don't let her find out you're a high school student."
Akira was stunned. "This was YOUR idea, Ryuji, and now you're gonna bail!?"
"Don't worry. I've got your back and stuff!" Ryuji assured as he pointed at the window behind them. "Just… From way back! Like, from the balcony!"
"Wh-What? I can't do this either!" Mishima said. "Akira, we'll leave it to you!"
Ryuji and Mishima fled to the balcony, leaving Akira all alone.
"I'm coming in now!" A woman called out as she opened the door and came into the apartment to greet Akira. "There you are! Good evening, master. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Suddenly, Akira thought he heard a familiar voice. That voice…
"My name is Becky from the housekeeping service," Becky introduced herself. "And I'll be your maid for the evening."
It sounds just like her, Akira thought. But there's no way…
"I'm here to fill your tired heart with all the lovely energy I can muster," Becky said.
"Nice to meet you," Akira responded.
"We're going to get along so well!" Becky said. "Oh my… how thoughtless of me! I should explain our services to you, Master! What would you like me to do today? The basics include cooking, cleaning, laundry… But there are 'other services' we provide if you desire."
Just then, Becky tried to get a closer look at Akira. "You look young, Master… Are you…perhaps…in high school?"
"I'm a dad," Akira answered.
"Your skin's so healthy!" Becky said as she began to grow suspicious. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
Akira grew silent at that question, but he didn't answer.
"Hmmm, I guess I'll wait to provide those 'other services' until you've matured a bit," Becky said. "Sooo… I'll be going now."
Suddenly, Ryuji's voice popped out. "Wh-what!? No!"
"Quiet!" Mishima hissed as his voice was heard as well.
"Who was that? Is someone there!?" Becky asked as she heard voices.
"Oh no!" Mishima groaned.
"Run, Mishima!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Right behind you!"
As the voices faded, Becky thought she recognized them. "Mishima? Sakamoto-kun?" She then turned to Akira. "…And that means you're…!? Did you request me specifically?"
"What do you mean?" Akira asked, surprised. "Wait, so that means… Are you…?"
"Oh no, it's all right. How would you know? This is our first meeting. Yes, the first time ever, Master."
There was an awkward silence as Akira recognized that maid's familiar voice and face right away. "Ummm…Ms. Kawakami? Is that you? That outfit…"
There was no mistaking it. Becky from the housekeeping service…
…was actually Ms. Kawakami from Akira's homeroom class, in a maid outfit.
"Ugh, this is unbelievable…," Kawakami sighed in dismay. "Yes, it's me… It's your homeroom teacher, and I'm in a maid outfit."
"This…This is an awkward situation, isn't it?" Akira said. "A profound tragedy on every level."
"I'm so done…," Kawakami groaned as she muttered to herself. "I can't believe I got caught by some of my own students... I should've taken a job outside of the city. But I needed it to be close to the school so I could go there after I finished work…"
Kawakami looked at Akira. "...Who did you hear about this from?"
"Um, well…" Akira wanted to answer, but he couldn't tell her it was Ryuji's idea.
But Ms. Kawakami guessed it out. "Oh! It was Ms. Chuno, wasn't it!? That harpy!"
"Who?" Akira asked in confusion.
"Ms. Chuno, the English teacher…," Kawakami answered. "She's always been snooping on all the teachers ever since that incident with Mr. Kamoshida. ...Are you going to tell Ms. Chouno about this?"
Akira shook his head. "No, of course not!"
"Doesn't seem like you're playing dumb…," Kawakami said, pondering. "In any case, I'll get in big trouble if this happens." Then, something gave her an idea as she looked at Akira. "Hey, if you're going to side with a teacher, side with me. I'm in charge of your class, after all. And if you promise not to tell Ms. Chouno about this, I'll do anything for you!"
"Anything?" Akira repeated. "Okay, student's honor and stuff! But can we please forget this ever happened? This is all too awkward…"
"Good, you read my mind. Besides, it won't be good for either of us if someone finds out that you called a maid service. It IS best if we both forget this ever happened. I'll just treat this as if you had canceled it, so you won't have to pay anything, okay?"
"Okay," Akira nodded.
"On that note, I'll be leaving!" Kawakami said as she left the room. "Don't say anything about this at school, okay!? Just act as if nothing ever happened!"
6/1 – Wednesday
"I assume you're all curious, so I'm sending you an update, just in case," Yusuke said to the others. "Madarame's still bedridden. He hasn't spoken a single word. My apologies for not being able to provide anything more said…"
"Come on. It's not your fault. Don't worry about it," Ryuji replied. "Although, it's already June…"
"The exhibition will be ending soon…," Ann said.
"You'd best cross your fingers," Akira agreed.
"At least it doesn't seem Madarame has a mental shutdown," Ryuji said. "But there's no point if he doesn't have a change of heart and call off that legal action bullshit."
"Was this how it was when you defeated Kamoshida?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah, Kamoshida was out of school for a while," Ann said.
"Either way, there has been no tangible progress," Yusuke replied. "It appears only the target themselves can tell whether or not their heart has changed."
"It's a goddamn pain in the ass," Ryuji sighed. "We just gotta hear from Madarame himself what the deal is."
"Yeah, there's nothing we can do…," Ann agreed. "Let's just try waiting a little longer."
After their phone conversation, Morgana spoke up to Akira about something. "That was a shocker. Your homeroom teacher was moonlighting as a maid?"
"Yeah, I don't believe it either," Akira replied.
"You think you should ask her about it?"
"I don't know… but what's the deal between Ms. Chuno and Kawakami?"
Just then, as Akira was about to head home after school, he saw two teachers talking.
"No! We're not finished talking yet!" Ms. Chuno said to Kawakami. "There's been a series of scandals on this campus. We're all being called into question. And yet you leave work earlier than anyone—and you barely make it to the faculty meetings! Explain yourself! Don't tell me you're out running around at night!?"
"Kawakami's being grilled by Chouno," Morgana whispered to Akira. "She said she'd do anything if we helped her out, so let's clear up Chouno's suspicions."
Akira nodded as he hollered out to get the two teachers' attention. "Hey, Ms. Kawakami! Do you have a moment?"
Ms. Chuno turned to see Akira. "Aren't you that transfer student from her classroom?"
"Yep," Akira nodded at that answer. "I have a question for Kawakami."
Kawakami was surprised. "Oh! Y-You have another question!?"
"...Another question?" Ms. Chuno repeated.
"Th-That's right! Akira-kun's questions are complicated, so I take time at night to help him..."
"So you're giving individual lessons outside of school hours, hm?" Ms. Chuno pondered, then she cheered happily. "What passion! Such an ideal teacher! A passionate teacher is exactly what we need at this school. I'm sorry for suspecting you. Well then, keep up the hard work, you two."
As Ms. Chuno left, Kawakami turned to Akira. "She just convinced herself… But that did clear up her suspicion, so… thanks."
"You're welcome," Akira replied. "You were in trouble, so…"
"Well, I can't talk about this at school…," Kawakami said as she gives Akira her phone number. "This is the address and phone number of my night job. Just be careful that it doesn't show up in your call history, though, okay?"
As Kawakami left, Morgana chimed in. "Nice going, man. No call history means a public telephone. Let's call from Leblanc's yellow phone next time you're free at night!"
"Are you sure?" Akira asked.
"Well, if you use it, you won't leave proof in your call history! This is all for the good of the Phantom Thieves, right?"
"Of course," Akira nodded.
That evening, after school, Akira showed his homeroom teacher his attic room.
"So, this is your room, huh?" Kawakami asked, looking around as she was still in her maid uniform. "How do I put this?"
"It's not much, Ms. K," Akira replied. "But I thought it could use a little maid's touch."
"I see… Never mind," Kawakami nodded. "So, what kind of kid are you? The way you opposed Mr. Kamoshida, I'd say that you're earnest and have a strong sense of justice. That being said… you called a maid service and requested me?"
Akira sighed. "Let's just say…I was lonely."
"I see… Oh, that's right. You have a criminal record…" Kawakami muttered but then had an idea with a smile. "Okay, then how about this… I'll let you skip classes a few times. It's tough not having any place where you belong, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Akira nodded. "It is tough."
"However, I reserve the right to change my mind if your grades drop. And in exchange, you won't tell anyone that I'm moonlighting as a maid. Sound good?"
"I promise," Akira answered as he made a deal with his homeroom teacher. "My lips are sealed."
"Then, it's a deal!" Kawakami smiled.
I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Temperance Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
Hovering below an unnoticed Kawakami was the Temperance Arcana card. It bursts into pearls of light within her, as Akira thought. The Temperance Arcana represents concepts like patience, balance, moderation, or reversing the opposite, signaling excess and imbalance.
"Well, I guess I should get going," Kawakami said to Akira. "Oh, please request me if you need any help with your housework, OK?"
"Why?" Akira asked.
"C'mon, we know each other's secret, and it would put my mind at ease… Besides, I'm, uh… I'm considered over the hill for this type of job, so I don't get requested that often…"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm not allowed to work overtime during weekdays, so I rush to my part-time job after class ends. On my off days, I have to prepare pop quizzes and homework assignments… And today, I had to clean bathtubs and walk dogs before coming here. There's no time to rest…"
Kawakami then sniffed around the attic room. "Speaking of pets, this room smells like a cat… I was surprised that you requested me. I didn't think you actually would." Then, she grew a suspicious glare look at Akira. "You weren't expecting to do anything weird with me, were you?"
"What!?" Akira blinked in surprise as he shook his head. "No, of course not! My heart belongs to someone else."
"Well, as long as you understand," Kawakami sighed. "I know I'm in a maid outfit, but I'm still your teacher, so don't get any funny ideas. Besides… I try not to get too involved with my students."
"That's, um, good."
Kawakami yawned. "…I need a nap… Sorry, just give me five minutes… Maybe ten after I clean up the place..."
"Okay, then."
A moment later, after cleaning up the attic room and a nap, Kawakami felt refreshed.
"Thank you very much!" Kawakami said to Akira. "I assume you make a lot since you can afford a maid service." Then, her smile faded as she added, "But be mindful of how you spend it. You shouldn't be wasting it on services like this."
"This is all for you," Akira said. "I'm doing you a favor after all, right?"
"I appreciate you are requesting me," Kawakami replied. "However, you are my student, so if we were to get involved further, things would get complicated. Well, I did warn you! The rest is your responsibility! You're a high schooler, after all. I'll see you later, 'Master'!"
And so, Kawakami left Leblanc as Akira waved goodbye.
6/5 – Sunday
The next day at Shibuya, the jumbo screen showed Madarame at a press table…in tears.
"What's up with that old geezer?" One pedestrian asked.
"Is he crying?" Another asked in confusion.
At a press conference that he announced he's holding, Madarame began to speak up in a confessing tone out of guilt. "I… I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. To plainly put it… I, um… plagiarized work..."
Camera lights flashed as Madarame continued on his confession. "I-I tainted this…this country's art world…and…even the 'Sayuri.'" Then, he began to burst into tears. "H-How could I possibly apologize to everyone for what I've done…"
As the video ended, the newscaster began to announce, "...And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago. After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in."
More people speculated as one citizen asked, "Wasn't he on TV the other day?"
"On top of abuse charges to his pupils, Madarame is under suspicion of claiming their works as his own," The newscaster continued. "Some doubt the validity that his maiden work 'Sayuri' was stolen, believing it was used for fraud. This large-scale criminal act has caused a great shock to the art world. After the conference, Madarame was taken to a police hospital for interrogation due to his age. However, initial psych evaluations state that he is mentally sound and likely responsible for his actions."
"There's no need to be nice to an old geezer like that," A pedestrian sighed.
"Why'd he spill the beans himself?" Another citizen asked. "Doesn't that seem weird?"
"Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit," The newscaster said. "The police will investigate their relation to this case, but for now, did not identify them as suspects."
More people murmured in absolute surprise as one bystander repeated, "Phantom Thieves? Do these bandits have somethin' to do with that old geezer's apology?"
"Ohh, I've heard of them before. Supposedly, they steal evil hearts; it's why the culprits apologize."
"Wait, what? Steal hearts? That's impossible, though."
"But I feel like I saw somethin' about that online too. They had totally sent out a calling card for real."
"So it was like, 'We're going to take your heart?' That's impressive if someone did that."
Among the crowd, one perceptive young man watched the news. "Phantom Thieves, huh?"
Elsewhere, an equally sharp Makoto saw the news as well as she muttered angrily and looked down, "Phantom Thieves again…"
Meanwhile, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, and Yusuke were already at the accessway as Ryuji said to the others happily, "You guys see the news about Madarame!? It's just like what happened with Kamoshida!"
"And they mentioned the Phantom Thieves!" Ann smiled.
"Man, this is startin' to get interesting…," Ryuji agreed. "If we do it right, we can change people's hearts. With this power, we might be able to do more than just gettin' back at society. It'll be a big deal!"
"I don't know…," Akira said, feeling weary somehow.
"Come on, let's keep pushin' on then!" Ryuji reassured Akira. "As for me, I hope we just keep gettin' more and more famous!"
"Something like this happening twice is massive too," Morgana said. "It's too great a coincidence to occur normally."
"If we continue doing this, we'll definitely give courage to everyone who needs it," Ann said.
Just then, Yusuke noticed two men. "...We may want to quiet down a little."
"You know them?" Ann asked.
"You moron! Those are attendance officers!" Ryuji muttered angrily to Ann.
An officer with sunglasses greeted the group. "Hello there. May I speak with you for a moment?"
"Ah! How can we help you?" Ann asked, acting naturally.
"That acting of hers never fails to send a chill down my spine," Morgana cringed.
"What are you all doing here?" The officer asked. "Are you friends?"
"We're delinquents," Akira answered.
"What did you say?" A cop asked.
"A-Ahaha!" Ann fake laughed as she covered Akira's mouth. "Th-That's a joke! Akira-kun doesn't get much sleep last night."
"Well, all right," An officer said. "Just make sure you disperse before it gets too late, OK? There have been some odd happenings lately, and the news about that artist has caused quite the stir."
"We'll be careful!"
As the men left, Ryuji took a sigh of relief. "It's still light out… Man, those guys must have way too much time on their hands."
Ann let go of Akira's mouth as she told him angrily, "Hey, don't go making stuff up on the spot like that, OK…!? I totally panicked 'cause of you!"
"I don't care if you're panicked," Akira replied. "Weren't you the one who said that we're trying to help people, not become famous?"
"Oh, yeah… I remembered…"
"What I mean is, we can't let the cops or someone on the side of the law figure us out. We have got to stay hidden."
"I agreed as well," Morgana said. "...From now on, we'll need to be even more cautious than before. Look at us! Right after the second Thieves incident, both prior victims are meeting up."
"Wait, you mean people might be listening to us?" Ann asked.
"Eh, it'll be fine," Ryuji assured the others. "Look around. We're the only people worryin' about it."
"I guess you're right..."
Ryuji turned to Yusuke. "By the way, Yusuke, did you able to get anything out of Madarame? Remember how he was talkin' about that suspicious person in the black mask?"
"Well…," Yusuke began to answer. "I pressed him for answers, but he doesn't even understand what happened to him, to start with."
"It's not like he actually saw his desires get stolen, after all," Ann replied.
"It's rumored that he may be sent to prison," Yusuke said. "In that case, gaining information will be difficult..."
"So, what're you gonna do now?" Ryuji asked.
"I'll be leaving that house," Yusuke said. "I can't draw in such a place anymore."
"Do you have somewhere to go?" Ann asked.
"The school dorms. I can stay there free of charge, thanks to my fine-arts scholarship."
"A scholarship!?" Ryuji repeated in surprise. "Wait, you're that good?"
"Although Takamaki-san's house would do as well."
Ann blinked in surprise at that idea. "...Wait, WHAT!?"
"You know you could ask her to model for you whenever you wanted!" Ryuji smiled.
"You moron!" Ann growled in anger at Ryuji.
"Hate to say this, but I think it would be a funny punishment for Ann's terrible acting," Akira said. "Same goes for your chances of painting her nude like one of those French girls, Yusuke."
"Quit reopening that!" Ann yelled. "And was that supposed to be a movie reference!?"
"Then again, now that Yusuke'll be livin' alone, it'll be easier for us to meet up whenever we want," Ryuji said.
"For the time being, we should wait and see how this case plays out," Yusuke added.
"And it'll probably take some time findin' a target as big as Madarame."
"Anyway, we should act like regular students while we look for our next target, OK?"
"We'll be entrusting that to you again, Ryuji," Morgana said.
"All right. Guess it's just more prep 'til then," Ryuji said.
As everyone disbanded and left the accessway, none of them had realized that Makoto Niijima was there in the distance, listening to their conversation.
"Yusuke Kitagawa…," Makoto muttered as she left.
Akira suddenly looked over his shoulder, feeling like he was being watched again, but no one was there. "Not again…"
Elsewhere in the SIU Building, Sae Niijima and her superior watched the news about Madarame's confession on the same day.
"…The suspect has already testified that he doesn't have any recollection of his actions," The newscaster announced. "A full psychiatric evaluation will be performed to investigate the crime's details and motives further. The authorities have opened an investigation into any possible connections but haven't yet brought any charges."
"First Kamoshida from Shujin Academy, and now the artist Madarame," Sae muttered. "I've already found and identified multiple points of commonality similarities between the two. For example, both were sent a 'calling card' before their sudden and unforeseen changes of heart."
"I see…," The SIU Director nodded. "But still, isn't tying their cases to the series of psychotic breakdowns jumping to conclusions? It seems quite a leap. Furthermore, the police will hardly frown upon you stepping into this…"
"Now isn't the time to be worrying about things like jurisdiction and honor!" Sae said to her boss. "I don't believe we can afford to concern ourselves with petty matters of territory or face right now. We need to dig deeper and investigate all of the incidents from the last two or three years as one single, connected case!"
The SIU Director sighed. "Very well. I leave it to you… However, you must not let this interfere with your regular duties."
"Thank you, sir."
As Sae left, the SIU Director nearly frowned. "First that unknown group, now that aggravating woman… She just had to stick her nose into this! Best do something sooner rather than later. Not only these Phantom Thieves are there to worry about, but if that is exposed…"
While the SIU Director called someone, a ruling party member appeared on TV. "I understand and know well the incidents have caused some anxiety throughout the country. We cannot stand by idly by. Something must be done! This situation must be approached with the utmost seriousness. I shall continue to put forth a great effort so that every citizen can live with peace of mind, in safety and security."
