"You know..." Sumire said while having her eyes closed. "What we've encountered so far, it kind of reminds me of a game that Futaba showed me once."
"A game...?" Hifumi blinked.
"Yeah. It's similar to how the paint works here." Sumire lifted a finger up as she tried to explain. "Effectively, you wanted to cover your opponents in as much paint as possible. Eventually they would explode from it. Also, you wanted to use as much paint as you could for erm...turf wars?"
"A game that weaponizes painting? I admit, it does hold my interest..." Yusuke said, intrigued by the concept.
"Futaba said you would say that. She also said you shouldn't get your hopes up either." Sumire said with a nervous smile.
"And you brought this up because...?" Akechi lifted a brow. Games were not his forte, so he hardly had a reason to care.
When Akechi looked at her like that, she felt so nervous. She poked her fingers together. "I was just saying, it was a reminder. I know Futaba would comment on it if she were here right now..."
"I'm surprised you play games with her..." Hifumi admitted.
"It's new...but it's kind of fun." Sumire admitted with a bashful smile.
"Um. Can we focus?" Mika had her hands on her hips. "As riveting as this conversation is, I wanna know what this mouse girl has for us."
"Ah, right..." Sumire nodded slowly, with a bit of a frown.
"Are you alright?" Ren tilted his head.
"Well, I just...I guess I feel a little responsible for what's happened." Sumire admitted. "I couldn't just avoid or ignore what I saw, but we all got sucked into this weird world."
"It's far from your fault." Ren shook his head. "But now that we're here, we have to do what we can. I didn't think we'd be in a world that relates to Guernica..."
"Again, why don't we see what the mouse girl wants. She's waiting for us." Mika said impatiently. "I don't want to be here any longer than I need to be. Plus...I want to learn more about Guernica. If this weird place is related to her..."
"I agree." Yusuke nodded. "The more we learn, the more we learn, the more assistance we can be to our new ally."
"Are you guys done?" The girl in the mouse outfit asked. Everyone nodded. She figured they needed some space to talk and get their bearings, and she didn't want to rush them into anything. But since they were ready. "Okay, let me open up another manhole. It'll be on the other side." So, she did that, spraying the ground to create another manhole. "This way, come on!" She jumped through it, and the others followed.
It was an identical trip as the last one, but they were at least prepared for it. When they landed, they could see yet another image, similar to the one they saw in Yongen. A picture of a mouth with Raoul in its mouth. "Ah, ew!" Mika grunted.
"Yup. This is it. This is what I wanted to show you." The mouse girl replied.
"Another mural..." Akechi stared at it. "Similar, if not identical to the one in Yongen."
"..." Sumire, Mika, and Yusuke stared at the mural. Their expressions were grim.
"Is something wrong?" Hifumi asked.
"I don't like the vibes of this mural." Mika stated with a twisted expression of disgust. "The one back in Yongen gave me that feeling too."
"Mhm..." Sumire nodded in agreement. "I didn't really have the chance to vocalize it at the time, but that mural, and this one now, make me feel sort of ill." She shook her head. "No, that's not quite right. It's more like it's...stirring up something bad inside of me."
"Yes, I get that same feeling." Yusuke eyed the mural intently. "Something within my core is stirring within me. It is not my artistic inspiration, but it demands to lash out the longer I stare at it."
"Alright...why don't we take a breath for a second." Ren said, trying to get everyone to calm down a bit.
"But...this is odd..." Hifumi frowned. "I feel it as well, the more I look at it. But I do not recall getting this same feeling from the other pieces of art."
"Likely because we never had the chance to stand in front of them." Yusuke said. "As much as I yearned to see Guernica's artwork in person, they were cleaned quickly, or in locations I would never be able to reach normally."
"If I stood in front of this for too long, I feel like it would consume me if I let it..." Sumire grimaced.
"No kidding..." Mika shook her head. But she didn't move away from the mural. She just stared at it.
"Seems like you're picking up on it. Guernica's power." The mouse girl said. "You know the awful, ugly feelings that can bubble up in the deepest parts of your soul? Guernica's art has the power to force those feelings ot the surface and make them take over the entire mind."
"Is that a fact?" Akechi was standing, mostly unfazed by the art. "I've been there. So I can't say the presence of this mural bothers me too much."
"I work on those feelings pretty much every day." Mika shrugged. "Still...I don't like this for a number of reasons."
"It's not just an overwhelming reaction to the viewers, either. They go on to spread their own seeds of destruction." The mouse girl frowned. "By the time it's over...they're dead."
"What?!" Mika gasped. "That's insane. That can't be right."
"Using art to kill...?" Yusuke clenched his hand into a fist. That was absolutely something he couldn't abide by.
"Even that aside, from what I've heard about Guernica, there's just no way she'd do anything like that." Mika was fervent in this, which surprised Hifumi. Rarely did Mika actually stick up for someone.
"I have to agree." Akechi said while giving it some thought. "The Guernica that's been discussed on the news seems a far cry different than the one we've encountered here. I've heard that rage is Guernica's primary driving force, which guides her to her artistic sites."
"I've read that too. It's her anger towards society and the privileged." Mika said knowingly. "More so how the underprivileged ones have to suffer, while the higher ups get to lounge about. It feels almost...personal in a way. But regardless, it's why she's more than happy break a few laws to get her artwork up. It's also why people love her art so much. She's also called...the People's Punk."
"You know a lot about this." Ren didn't think Mika of all people would be interested in something like this.
"Duh. I'm a fan." Mika huffed in response. God, Ren was so annoying... "But going back to my original point, the Guernica we fought earlier...that was just some freak. It's hard to believe that was the same person..."
"If this is her cognitive world..." Yusuke trailed off.
"No!" The girl shook her head vehemently. "That's all wrong! Guernica's personality only changed when she lost the most important thing to her! That's why...!"
"What was important to her?" Hifumi tilted her head. All eyes were on the mouse girl now.
"The first statement she ever painted. Somehow, somebody stole it from her and broke it into three parts." The girl replied. "So that's why Guernica is like how you saw her. Please, help me! You have to steal Guernica's first statement back!"
"What should we do?" Hifumi looked to the others. Even with the situation explained to them...
"I'm not so inclined to help immediately." Akechi said bluntly. This did make Sumire, Ren, and Yusuke look at him. The mouse girl tensed up a bit. "I'll cut straight to chase. You said you didn't know whose side we were on, but that extends to you as well. We are not here because we want to be. Whose side are you on? Are you the one that brought us here. Your answers will determine our cooperation."
"No chance of you softening that blow even a little bit, huh?" Ren asked.
"Nope." Akechi replied while shaking his head.
The girl let out a sigh. Their skepticism was fair. "Okay, I'll tell you everything. I wasn't the one that brought you here. It was Guernica. To be more precise, it was one of the last things she did before she finally snapped. Guernica has always been a fan of the Phantom Thieves. In fact, it's actually more of a kinship that she felt."
"She was a fan of us?" Yusuke was intrigued, but in a way...it made sense.
"She's been fighting herself, on the inside. It took everything she had to paint that mural ni your world! Her last cry of desperation was to you, Phantom Thieves." The girl said, desperation laced within her own tone as well.
"How lucky for her..." Hifumi said while letting out an exhale. "If not for the circumstances, we may have missed this cry for help entirely..."
"So she wants the Phantom Thieves to save her...simple enough." Mika shrugged.
"But she's not just trying to save herself." The girl said. "If she falls to the madness...she'll even begin producing her deadly art in your world!" And this was the crux of the matter. The piece of information that made everyone's eyes widen.
"...Art with the power to kill..." Yusuke could hardly believe the notion of it happening in reality. "But surely such a thing shouldn't be possible..."
"I wouldn't scratch that off the list..." Ren said said gritting his teeth. "We saw what Jails could do to people...they were pretty bad. Something like this...isn't too dissimilar..."
"Everyone's hearts are connected. Guernica has the power to take the very image of death and..." The girl was attempting to find a way to explain it. She couldn't, but the Phantom Thieves were already plenty versed in this. "I can't explain it, but I'm telling you, she can do it! I'm sorry I can't put it into words."
"We believe you." Hifumi said while placing her arms behind her back. "We understand."
"When it comes to trust, that is far from my area of expertise. I am quite new in that field, actually." Akechi admitted, deferring the decision to Ren, since he was the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
"You already know what I'm gonna say." Ren gave a smile towards everyone. Mika wasn't so receptive to the idea of listening to Ren, and Akechi let out a small sigh. This was about what he expected. "Let's help her."
"Hehe..." Sumire giggled in response.
"I knew you would say that." Akechi gave a small, indifferent shrug. "In the end, helping her out is probably to our benefit as well. I don't see how we'll be getting home otherwise." His approach was from a more pragmatic point of view, but someone had to be the straight laced one.
The girl looked ecstatic and hopeful. "You're really going to help me? Thank you! Thank you!"
"Yeah. I can't sit back on something like this." Mika said firmly. The fact she said this was a bit surprising. Everyone looked at her. "What?"
"This feels like the part where you'd claim someone is a fraud and post it on your socials again..." Ren said.
"N-Not to be rude, but..." Sumire was not going to forget Mika's track record.
"That's only for people I don't like!" Mika huffed. She wasn't offended, because she completely understood why they thought this. "This is different. I actually want to help Guernica. I don't know why she's like this...but it doesn't sit right with me. And don't ask me why! I just want to, alright!?"
"O-Okay...!" Sumire said with a slight sweat drop. She wasn't used to Mika being intentionally helpful of her own volition, but clearly the two faced model didn't want to dive into her motivations either. So, Sumire was just happy that Mika was willing to help.
"Then I will help you, help her." Hifumi said with a smile. It was rare that Mika actually wanted to help someone. In fact, the only person Mika was more than willing to help was...Hifumi.
Mika's angered expression quickly vanished, and she smiled at Hifumi. "I knew I could count on you, Hifumi-chan! You're the best~!" Another reminder that Hifumi was the only person that could get an amicable Mika.
"I guess you do have a heart in there after all." Ren joked. But Mika was quick to remind him that they weren't that close, and she held her claws up with a glare. With the message received, he backed off. "What about you, Yusuke? You've been oddly quiet."
'I've just been thinking." Yusuke said whole closing his eyes. "Obviously, I want to help Guernica as well. The more I think about the situation, the more I feel as if it's possible that Guernica is being controlled somehow."
"Controlled?" Sumire blinked.
"Yes." Yusuke nodded. "When someone creates art, they are bearing a part of their soul out there for the world to see. If we are to believe our new friend here, then I want to believe that Guernica is a good soul, and that her art is not evil. However...someone could be attempting to use her art and her soul for evil, and that is something I cannot abide by. I will not stand idly by as someone's art is used for nefarious purposes. Not again."
"I thought you might say that." If anyone was going to have an opinion on this, Ren was certain it would be Yusuke of all people.
"The Phantom Thieves really are as good as she believes..." The mouse girl let out such a relieved sigh. They all wanted to help, for a number of reasons. "Okay - let's go and get Guernica's statement back!"
"Yeeeeah!" Sumire beamed. "Oh, wait! Before we continue...can we have your name?"
The girl blinked. "Oh! I didn't introduce myself? My mistake! My name is Luca. As for my identity...I'm just someone who really wants to help Guernica." Luca said with a resolute tone. Akechi wasn't unconvinced, but that vague introduction caught his attention. Best not to press for now.
"A pleasure to meet you, Luca." Yusuke crossed his arms and nodded.
"You mentioned three pieces?" Mika asked.
"Oh, right." Luca nodded. "Guernica's statement was broken into three slabs. Which means we'll have to track down all three of them. I know where they are, but I could never get close enough on my own."
"Three of them? I guess we're in this one for the long haul." Akechi surmised.
Luca balled her hands into excited fists. "C'mon, this'll be a cinch for the Phantom Thieves! I'm opening another manhole, are you ready?" That was a rhetorical question. Luca created another manhole, transporting the Phantom Thieves once again.
.
.
The group returned to the outer area of The Streets, perched atop a building for a bird's eye view of the area. As they expected, security was tight. Luca was the first one to notice this. "The graffiti is just past here, but it looks like security has gotten even tighter..."
"A reasonable response." Crow said while peering down below. "They are aware of the intruders."
"There's a lot of paint around too." Violet pursed her lips. "If we make a wrong move, we'll be in a lot of trouble. What should, Joker-senpai...?"
"We should be able to sneak past them." Joker said while scouting the area. "And we do have a sizable party with us. We can avoid combat, but we can also use a distraction in case something goes pear shaped."
"You are not using me as a distraction." Viper hissed, needing to make that absolutely clear.
"Er...Joker?" Luca looked at the others. This was the moment she realized she didn't actually know their names.
"Oh, that's right. We didn't introduce ourselves." Fox placed his hand on his mask. "While we are in these uniforms, we call each other codenames. I am Fox, that is Joker, Crow, Viper, Dragon, and Violet." He went by them in that order.
"They are based on our masks, after all." Dragon pointed out. She wasn't looking at everyone, though. She was still looking at the layout of their current battlefield. Hopefully they wouldn't have to do battle. Combined with the sheer number of enemies patrolling around...All of that paint on the ground was an issue...
"Ooooh, coool!" Luca beamed, seeming excited about these codenames. The Phantom Thieves were even cooler than she thought! "I'm totally going to use those! I'll keep an eye out for you guys!"
"You guys ready?" Joker looked at the others. They nodded. "So, Dragon? What's the plan?"
Dragon was going to serve as their tactician, since they were lacking the likes of Queen and Oracle to back them up. Luckily for them, Dragon had faith in her own tactical prowess. This was just business as usual for the Phantom Thieves as well. "I believe I know exactly what we need to do. Phantom Thieves...on my mark!"
The operation to save Guernica's heart was set to begin!