Persona 5 Royal: Bitter Fool

by Slasher71

Helping others was never the wrong choice. But the life of Ichihara Tadashi is destroyed when he steps in to help someone. Friends turn on him, his parents push him onto someone they didn't even know away from his home town. Tadashi comes to Tokyo hoping to serve his time and move on with his life. But malevolent forces have other plans for him.

9. Chapter 9 - Noncompliance and Nerves

WARNING, Spoilers for my Persona 4: Last Symphony Fan Fiction. If you are curious that Story is finishd and can be found through my Profile.

Chapter 8 / Noncompliance and Nerves

Sunday / May 8th, 2016 / Shibuya - Beef Bowl Restaurant / Evening
Ichihara Tadashi

Why did I accept this job? It's obvious the manager is trying to maximize his profit by hiring the absolute minimum. What exactly was I hoping to gain here? A little spending cash? Pretty sure I got more yen in the time we spent in Momentos than I'll make here. But then again you can't exactly write down subduing Shadows in Momentos as part of your job history. What a pain in the ass. Then again, I wanted to ensure I had a very normal looking day for a high school student. But what the fuck is normal supposed to be anyway? Makoto was going to likely be very nosey from now on to try and determine what could have caused Kamoshida's sudden change.

Naturally she would be looking for conventional means. Did Kamoshida get threatened? Was he blackmailed? Did something change in Kamoshida's life? Anything that had changed would be under scrutiny. So with all the rumors flying about the school of Ryuji and I confronting Kamoshida… of course her investigation would lead to us. God, this sucks. Makoto was supposed to be my means in which I could feel like just a normal student! Son of a bitch! Am I just fucking cursed or something?

Ugh, not to mention Morgana had taken us to Momentos just yesterday for the first time. I suppose I had agreed to help him back when the whole thing with Kamoshida had started. How the fuck was I supposed to know it would lead to this crap? Persona, Shadows, Palaces, Momentos and the Velvet Room. My life couldn't be more far removed from normal if I tried. Momentos was like a hodgepodge of the general populace Palace. We even managed to steal another person's heart in that place. Some creep of a guy that had been stalking a woman. And he had blamed his distorted desire on a former teacher of his named Madarame. I swear I had heard that name before but I just couldn't put it quite together. By comparison to Kamoshida though, I doubt anyone would notice. Morgana had said something about only people with truly distorted desires would have a Palace of their own. Although any distorted heart left alone could eventually become one.

So many goddamn rules and exceptions to this whole dumbass shit. How had I let myself get wrapped up in this fucking mess? Why couldn't I be selfish another way and just deny helping anyone? Because I would just be fucking lying to myself at that point. And I know that isn't what my Grandfather meant by being selfish.

As much as it bothered me with the way things seemed to escalate, I knew we were actually helping people. And as much as I fucking complained about it, I couldn't argue with those kinds of results. And I had no idea how to categorize that kid named Jose. Because he absolutely did not seem to be human at all. The implications of that being true was not something I wanted to speculate on right now.

At least working could get my mind off of things while it was busy. Now the rush was over and all that was left was a man with black hair. He looked up and… blue eyes? Now that was something you didn't really see everyday. He seemed well dressed, or rather that what he was wearing was relatively new. He had his chopsticks in one hand but a pen and casually wrote on a notepad with the other. That is impressive to be that coordinated or I guess ambidextrous. I was busy just washing the bowls of the patrons that had left.

"I'm impressed. Most normal people would have lost their temper with the way that woman was making demands of you," the man with the blue eyes spoke but he wasn't actually looking at me. He was tapping his pen on the notepad as if waiting for inspiration to strike him.

"It's a waste of energy to get angry, plus I am working," I shrugged and started drying one of the bowls.

"Ah, what is it? The customer is always right?" The man seemed amused. "Forget what you feel and just do your job. Such is the way of how the world works. Shut up, keep your head down and keep your thoughts to yourself."

It's hard to refute those words, as that was just how things typically were. So I replied in kind, "Nothing annoys a boss more than a worker that believes he has the moral high ground."

"And yet there are limits to what is acceptable," the man looked up to me. His eyes for a moment held an inquisitive look but then softened. "A highly opinionated worker might give an impression that the company he works for shares those opinions. Just like those that are sponsored by companies in their work. Your beliefs and opinions can work in opposition to them and ultimately cost them money. And that is what the world really cares about."

"A world run on greed is pretty depressing," I commented.

"The world is run by many things. That is what makes our world complex and varied. Greed and by proxy, sin, is something that adds depth and experience to this world. Tell me, if there was nothing such as sin, what would the world be like?" The man smiled. He certainly was an intriguing individual.

"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully.

"A good answer," the man looked down at his notepad. "A world without sin, means one without desire or passion, without creativity or invention. I would say it is hardly a world at all. Just a place where things simply exist, everything is the same and nothing changes. Would you believe that at one point humanity actually desired such a world?"

"It sounds more like a bunch of people avoiding responsibility," I scoffed and started drying the next bowl. "I don't doubt that people want an easy way out of their situations though."

"People are really selfish in that way. They want all the benefits but none of the work that goes with it. They would rather turn a blind eye to the suffering of those around them, or even their own if it maintains a satisfactory status quo. They want everything to be a guarantee of safety and prosperity. So they can hold on to what's important to them without risk. Nothing wrong with wanting security, the problem is that they don't want to do the work to get there," the man tapped his notepad and then wrote something on it.

"My Grandfather told me to live selfishly. To do what I could to get what I wanted. And then work to remain selfish," I said, not even sure why I had. The man looked up at me as if my words had triggered something.

"Selfish… but applied differently? A word that is typically associated with negative connotations but instead given positive traits. Yes… I can use that," the man shook his head and started writing more on the notepad. He continued to talk but his pen did not stop writing on his notepad. "Your Grandfather sounds like a wise man. To be truly selfish would go far beyond just hoarding your desires but to keep them safe and protected. Love what you love, but protect your way of life so that you can keep on loving. I see… I see. Thank you, I think that was just the breakthrough I needed to get past my slump."

"You're… welcome… I guess?" I put the bowl down and really I just could not figure this man out.

"Oh, right! Where are my manners? My wife would probably scold me for not properly introducing myself after I've taken up so much of your time. My name is Ikakure Kayane. Song writer, composer and, well, I do a lot of things. Do you work here often?" The man was definitely different than most people I had met. He was a creative and I wonder if people that create for a living are just different from most.

"No? Honestly, I came here for a bit of a change of scenery," I admitted. I wasn't sure I wanted to come back, considering the amount of work I had to do. "So you're a songwriter? Do you have to do a bunch of contract work?"

"I've had to negotiate my way around a contract or two," he admitted.

Studying contracts hadn't gotten Tadashi anywhere as of late. A thought crossed his mind. Would learning about negotiations help his ability in the Metaverse? It wasn't out of the question if all aspects of daily life had an affect on our abilities over there. "How does any of that work in the music industry?" I asked and I was legitimately interested, even if I might have ulterior motives. Ugh, God, what the fuck is wrong with me?

He eyed me for a moment but then a tone went off. The man reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, "One second, I need to take this." I nodded as the man turned slightly. "Hey, Rise. How are things going on your end?" I blinked a couple times. Rise? Hold on he said his name was Ikakure Kayane, right? Have I heard that name before? "Is that right? Huh? No, everything is fine here. Just having dinner at the Beef Bowl shop… you know the one on Central street in Shibuya. Yeah, that's the one. No, I'm fine. People only seem to recognize me when you are around anyway. Also did you talk to Mom about that poster? Who is the jerk that used that picture for it? We all agreed on the other one that had all of Synchronicity in it. The other ones are supposed to be for the band's photo book that goes with the limited edition of the new album. Huh? Yeah I know, it's stupid."

I couldn't follow that conversation at all, so I focused on finishing up cleaning the dishes for the moment but kept an ear open to listen to him.

"How's Mizore?" a long pause. "Yeah I know. I just didn't want you and Mizore to be stuck here with all the business of mental shutdowns going on. If you have to come to the city just let Setsuko or Yoko know to make the arrangements. Mm hmm, yeah. Mitsuru has everyone scattered right now. Things have been keeping all of the members busy." Another long pause. "No, don't worry about it. I have it covered here, I actually just got a lead on that front. I'll tell you about it next time, okay? I'll see you in a week or so for rehearsal, alright? Yes, I will keep you updated, I promise. I'll let you go. Say goodnight to our daughter for me. Yep. Uh huh. I love you too. Yes, yes I'll take you out to dinner wherever you want. Just make sure to warn Setsuko she is going to babysit Mizore this time. Yes, yes. We already went through this but I love you too. Okay… hanging up now. Bye." The man pulled his phone away and ended his call. But he had a big smile on his face. He looked at me, "Sorry about that. My wife isn't exactly happy we're apart."

I shook my head, "It's fine. It sounds like you miss her."

"Well our daughter just turned two years old, and we didn't feel safe having her come to Tokyo when all these accidents continue to happen. I'm here mostly for business. Not sure how long it will take," the man named Kayane put his phone away and then pulled out something else. "Tell you what, if you're really interested to learn more about the music industry I'll give you this." He handed me a business card. "My chat ID is on there too, so feel free to send me a line. If things work out we can always get together and talk more about it. But why the interest?"

"I'm in my end years of High School, so I've been doing research into different areas I might go into," I told him and pocket his number. It wasn't a lie actually. I was legitimately interested in what this man could teach me.

"Fair enough, I did the same thing while I was nearing the end of my school life," He got to his feet and put money on the table. "Keep the change. Oh, right… What was your name?"

"Ichihara Tadashi," I answered.

"Ichihara, huh? Alright. Oh and keep the change. Thanks for the conversation, I needed it," Kayane smiled and then walked away. I picked up his bow and noticed a stack of bills he had left and my eyes widened. Did he just leave me a 20k yen tip? "Ichihara, what High School do you attend?"

"Shujin Academy," I answered, still somewhat stunned by his generosity.

"I guess I can understand why you were looking for a change of pace, with all that happened there recently. Well, hope to hear from you in the future," he waved and left the shop.

"Weird guy," I muttered. Where had I heard that name before?

---

Sunday / May 8th, 2016 / Natsu Diner - Shibuya Location / Daytime
Ichihara Tadashi

I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the individual sitting across from me. Mishima Yuuki, my classmate and apparently the creator of the Phantom Thief aficionado website. And he was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

"How have things been? You know, with the… special activities?" he yawned. "Oops, hah, sorry about that. I, uh, haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. I've been staying up managing the Phan-Site all night, every night. I think it's called… PR?"

"You mean that shit you were talking about the other day?" I shook my head. "Why are you talking to me about it?"

Not to mention, PR was definitely wrong. The Phantom Thieves didn't need either this website or someone to handle "public relations" as Mishima seemed to believe.

"Heheh, you wanna know more?" Mishima asked.

"No, I don't," I muttered. "And why should you care either? Why do you even believe that these Phantom Thieves exist?"

He glared at me, "Really?"

"Fuck you, Mishima. Don't act like you're hot shit because of this website," I met his glare head on. This was not a subject I wanted to even talk about.

"Right, of course, they don't exist," Mishima said as if he believed he understood what I meant. Like I was insinuating something else. "Either way, there's no point in taking down bad guys if nobody's gonna know about it. That's why I've started a blog for posts from people you guys saved, while filtering out the haters. We need the Phantom Thieves to be seen in the proper light if we want to make the name popular, right?"

I groaned and scratched the back of my head, "For fuck's sake, Mishima. Do you even know what a Phantom Thief is?"

"The principles the Phantom Thieves represent really resonate with me," Mishima was serious. "I mean, Kamoshida was brought to justice. How could I not be on board with that?"

"You're latching on to an idea. That someone was able to go against someone whom you believed to be untouchable," I shook my head. "Don't come to me with this crap."

He hung his head, "I firmly believe that what they do is something the public should know. And I'm going to do what I can to draw attention to the stuff they do. Even if you don't agree with it. I'm gonna use my Phan-Site to promote the Phantom Thieves, and weed out any negative comments. The Phantom Thieves popularity will be at my mercy… or uh, my fingertips. It's like I'll be the strategic image management representative, so to speak."

"Do whatever the fuck you want, Mishima," I wanted to strangle him. "But I don't want to hear about this shit. It has nothing to do with me."

Mishima got to his feet, and yawned, "Fine. I'm exhausted so I'm gonna head out. And just so you know, I'm going to do what I think is right. And the popularity of the Phantom Thieves is a good thing." He walked out.

"What was that about?" It was Natsukawa Shiori, the dark brown haired waitress and younger sister to the owner Naozumi that came up to the table. Notepad in hand to take my order.

"An idiot with a nonsensical view of justice," I groaned. "He buys into that whole Phantom Thief nonsense going around at Shujin Academy."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that from Haru-chan," Shiori smiled.

"Friend of yours?" I asked.

"Yeah, Okumura Haru, she's a close friend. She comes by often to hang out with Onii-chan mostly. Anyway, she said there were calling cards on the school announcement boards at the entrance. And he stopped coming to school the very next day after they were posted. Kinda makes you think that the Phantom Thieves of Hearts that made that calling card to be real, right?" Shiori seemed interested in it.

"I guess so," I shrugged.

"Seems to me that you could care less. But that man was pure trash. Did you hear his confession?" Shiori asked.

"Yep, he confessed at the morning assembly. Asshole," I remarked. "Oh, sorry."

Shiori giggled, "Believe me, you can't swear that much worse than some of the other regulars I get in here."

I raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like a challenge."

"No, no," Shiori laughed. "Please don't. Anyway, what will it be today?"

"Is your brother working?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's back there. He seems pretty sluggish today. I would wager Haru-chan talked his ear off last night," She giggled.

"Is that normal?" It was entertaining imagining the college student being kept up in such a way. Then again, if I had someone I was close to like that, I could imagine the same thing.

"Only Haru-chan is able to keep Onii-chan's attention into the night, if you catch my drift," she winked.

Oh boy. I scratched my head, "Can I get a nostalgia steak again? And a salad, caesar, if possible."

"You got it. I'll let Onii-chan know you're here," Shiori said before bouncing off.

Okumura Haru? Okumura? As in Okumura foods? Nah, that would be crazy if some big shot daughter like that went to Shujin. There had to be better schools to attend. Although it was a prep school so… maybe not so outlandish. If it was, then maybe it was strange that she seemed to know the Natsukawa family. Well… I suppose it wasn't any of my business.

---

Friday / May 13th, 2016 / Shujin Academy - Gymnasium / Afternoon
Ichihara Tadashi

An assembly during exam week was definitely… unusual. But I suppose nothing was really normal at this school. If my experiences were anything to go off. I watched as Principal Kobayakawa walked to the microphone on the stage. This idiot?

I glanced around and saw that Niijima Makoto also stood further towards the side of the gym. For a moment she looked right at me before looking away. This wasn't unusual at this point. For the last few days I had seen her around on more than one occasion. It wasn't a coincidence though, she was keeping tabs on me.

"Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore. We believe the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we've acquired the services of a therapist. The floor is yours, Doctor…" The principal moved as a man walked across the stage and in front of the microphone stand.

This was a logical hire, considering the events of Kamoshida's confession and Suzui Shiho's suicide attempt. There were likely many people that could benefit from talking about it, but likely wouldn't under normal circumstances.

"Isn't he kind of hot?" Some girl whispered nearby.

The Doctor in question had short wavy dark brown hair. He wore glasses along with the white lab coat. A light blue dress shirt and a blue tie with a pair of tan khaki's it seemed. His stethoscope hung on his neck, but partly tucked in his pocket. "It's nice to meet you all," he said after stopping in front of the microphone

"Whoa, his voice is sexy," another girl whispered.

"My name is-" he stopped then looked at the mic then leaned in and fiddled with it for a moment before he resumed. "My name is Maruki Takuto. Thank you for welcoming me to your school." And then he immediately tried to bow to everyone and instead smacked his forehead into the mic. He grabbed his head and rubbed it. And I stifled a laugh. "No need to be formal with me, though. I'm just here to counsel anyone who's interested. You can even call me Doc, if that would help you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be- Oh… I guess I'm not really good at helping with money problems."

The Principal then pushed the Doctor aside, "Thank you, Maruki-sensei." It was after this that the assembly was then declared finished.

Ann, Ryuji and I exited with the swarm of students and ducked out of the way on one of the less traveled paths.

"You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about our mental health?" Ryuji asked.

"Well, our school's made national news. Maybe they figured they'd look even worse if they didn't do anything for us," Ann shrugged.

"Yeah, it's absolutely a fucking public relations move. Whether or not they actually give a shit about the students is a different matter altogether," I also shrugged.

"And Doctor, uh… Doctor Whatshisname," Ryuji seemed to have immediately forgotten.

"Maruki," Ann supplied.

"Yeah-wasn't that guy just basically clownin' it up onstage? You really think he'll do us any good?" Ryuji was skeptical of the whole premise of a therapist it seemed.

"Ryuji…" Ann whispered as someone walked up to us. The very individual we were talking about.

"Hey there," Maruki-sensei greeted us. "Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san, right? And that must make you… Ichihara-kun."

All three of us were surprised by his knowledge of us. Well, it only took a moment to think about it. As far as the majority of the school was concerned, we were the top three on the rumor list, and most not flattering. The exception being Ann, who had mostly been dropped out of the rumor mill thanks to Kamoshida's confession.

"How d'you know our names?" Ryuji asked him.

"Well, I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those that had, ah… previous interactions with Kamoshida," Maruki explained. He turned to me, "Ichihara-kun, it must have been especially tough for you after having just transferred here."

"Heh," I shook my head. "That's putting it rather mildly, don't you think? Then again, I'm public enemy number one to most people at the school.

"You got targeted by him after arriving didn't you? From what I can gather, he was likely responsible for spreading your criminal record around. That is definitely more than most people can take," He elaborated a bit more. Yet, he didn't pay attention to my criminal record. Curious.

"So… whaddya want from us?" Ryuji grabbed his attention.

"Ah yes, I'd forgotten… I know I already offered my services to the student body earlier, but would you three be interested in counseling?" Maruki asked.

"Nope, not at all," Ryuji's answer was immediate. Maruki jumped at the speed of it. "How's that surprising?"

"You were just a touch more emphatic about it than I'd expected. Ah! But, if you come to my office, you can have free snacks. All you can eat… would be nice, but there's still plenty to be had. So, how about it?" he offered.

"Are you seriously trying to bribe us with… snacks?" I raised an eyebrow. "How about a bit of honesty?"

He sighed, "To be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Kamoshida. It's in the school's interest… for its students."

"Ahhh, the school's interest, huh?" Ryuji wasn't buying it.

"I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience," Maruki looked around at the three of us. This was all for show, we all knew it, even Maruki himself. Shujin Academy put the effort in to save face due to the actions of one man. "Ah, I know. If you attend my counseling sessions, I'll teach you different ways to improve your mental acuity. Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates. How's that sound?"

"Uh…" Ann was hesitant, as was I. But as Morgana had pointed out in the past, such things could have real effects on our abilities in the Metaverse.

"There's also snacks…" Maruki teased again.

"Alright, alright, enough with the snacks," Ryuji looked at me. "So, which way are you leanin'?"

"I don't see a reason to refuse," I averted my gaze. Let's not mention that not going would also stand out if it was reported to my parole officer. Some sort of non-compliance kind of thing, possibly. Although in a professional sense, Maruki was not at liberty to discuss anything said behind closed doors with patients.

Ryuji sighed, "I guess it'd be more trouble for us if we didn't go."

Ann nodded, "Yeah."

"Really? Then, I guess it's a deal. I'll be in the nurse's office-feel free to come by whenever it's convenient for you," Maruki said.

"Welp, we should get goin'," Ryuji looked to be done with the conversation.

"Okay, I'll see you later," Maruki said. Ann and Ryuji walked past me but Maruki seemed to have something else to say to me. "Thanks for taking my counseling into consideration. Now that we have a deal, I promise I'll do my best to help you."

Then I felt it… the formation of another bond… a confidant with Maruki.

---

Friday / May 13th, 2016 / Shujin Academy - Hallway / After School
Ichihara Tadashi

I know Ann had gone in for counseling. I can appreciate getting it over sooner than later. But I don't think that counseling was a bad idea to begin with. It was why I also planned to visit him today as well.

I let Morgana go… explore or whatever the fuck he does when he isn't with me and I waited in the hallway for a bit. After getting a few texts from Ann I saw her heading towards the stairs.

"Oh, Tadashi, are you heading in next?" she asked.

"Something like that," I scratched my head. "How'd it go?"

"He was… surprisingly easy to talk to. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was expecting but it wasn't bad," Ann said.

"I'm not surprised. Even if he is here just for show, that doesn't mean he isn't good at his job, or doesn't care about people," I sighed. "I'll catch you tomorrow then."

"For sure," Ann smiled before leaving.

Walking over to the nurse office I saw a familiar pony tailed redhead that was my junior.

"Ah, hello, senpai," Yoshizawa greeted me. "Are you here for a session as well?"

"That was the plan," I answered.

"Maruki-sensei is a wonderful counselor. I've actually been seeing him for a while, before he ever came to Shujin," Yoshizawa was smiling. Hmm, well she was an athlete. I can only imagine that the world of gymnastics was stressful. I had only heard about her in that sport due to people talking around the school. I would have preferred to learn it from her though. But her being a first year made it a rare occurrence when we saw each other.

"Oh? I didn't know you two were acquainted," Maruki smiled. "Don't go overselling me too hard though, Yoshizawa-san-I'm really nothing special"

"Well, I need to get going. Please excuse me, senpai," Yoshizawa bowed to me then walked off.

"She's still so formal," I was scratching my head again.

"What say we get started? Come on in," Maruki led me inside and closed the door behind us. "Thank you for coming."

"Well, we did make a deal. Might as well not postpone it," I sighed as I walked in and took a seat.

"Ahaha, well… I'll try to make sure it's worth the trouble," Maruki took a seat. "Well, full disclosure… The school gave me a brief rundown of the circumstances surrounding your transfer here."

"Everyone in the school knows. Even if they hadn't told you, you would have learned it one way or another. I'm past caring about that anymore though," I shrugged.

"Yet you shouldn't have had to deal with that breach of privacy. It must have done a lot of damage to your capacity to become comfortable here," Maruki shifted a bit. "Well I know what has been said about you and the charges on you, but what is your side of it?"

"My side?" I laughed, scoffed at the question. "I don't regret what I did, and given the chance, I'd do it again. People are free to condemn my actions, but I am more than aware that what I did was the correct option."

"I see, even with people telling you the opposite, you stand by your convictions. That's incredibly admirable," he observed me. "I would say you've largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one. I should not-that's really, truly impressive. Even most adults can't reliably manage that. How to put it-You know how everyone has an internal reality? Come conception of themselves they're striving for? Like, wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on… That kind of thing."

"What about it?" I raised an eyebrow with how he was wording this.

"The idealized reality and the one in actuality are often far apart. That gap is responsible for a lot of people's pain. Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be the heroes they wish they could be. You've already been through so much. That kind of suffering is usually enough to twist people up into dark places," Maruki pointed out.

"Oh I'm sure my parents would love to see me go into a self-destructive spiral. They already think I've done that anyway," I looked away.

"That's the point. You're standing up to it, and confronting a tough, painful reality. To me, that's incredibly admirable. Then again, maybe that's a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?" Maruki asked.

"Perspective can do a lot. You have a fresh outlook without a real opinion with the elements involved. You don't know me, so you can be objective with my circumstances. You also don't know Kamoshida and the influence he had on people and how he created an oppressive atmosphere in the school. A refreshingly unbiased viewpoint," I admitted. Even if his coming here was intended by the faculty, I wanted to be careful with him. Plus, if he was one of the confidants then I needed to get to know him one way or another.

"You're a smart guy, Ichihara-kun," Maruki was impressed. "I don't want to keep you for too long. I actually do have a request, if you don't mind."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counselor. It's not quite like counseling-more like a type of psychological treatment. Basically, it's a project to learn more about people's metaphorical hearts. What they think, how they feel. If I get far enough with it I think it'll be able to help a lot of people. I'd like to ask for your help. All you'd have to do is listen to my theories, and then tell me if they spark any ideas or realizations on your end. Please, anytime's good for me-I can work around your schedule," Maruki offered.

"Out of everyone you could possibly ask, you want to ask the guy said to be the number one delinquent at the school?" I shook my head.

"I've also heard you are a diligent student, and that you've never gotten a question wrong when called out in class. No late assignments and great scores on quizzes. Some of the teacher's are concerned you'll blow a lot of their top students out of the water on the exams," Maruki countered. "You also seem to have a good head on your shoulders that isn't easily deceived by others. And if today is any evidence, not afraid to speak your mind."

Research, huh? Never mind that the things he had said had an eerie similarity to Palace's and the Metaverse.

"Fine, I'll help," I agreed. But something in the back of my mind was worried. I ended up trading contact information with him. This man was different than most adults I dealt with. And if I had a bond with him, then I had to explore this right? So why was I so uneasy?

---

Saturday / May 14th, 2016 / Aoyama-Ichome - Path to Shujin Academy / Early Morning
Ichihara Tadashi

I stood protectively in front of Ann along with Ryuji as a young man that had to be close to our age stood in front of us. He had dark blue hair and had a markedly different looking uniform. Clearly he wasn't a student of Shujin Academy so he had to be from somewhere else. For a while now, Ann had felt as if someone had been following her. She had told me about it but when we looked around before it hadn't really found us anything. That was different today. Her stalker had decided to approach her, but not before Ryuji and I had ensured he couldn't get close to her.

"Step back," I glared at him.

"Why are you stalking me?" Ann asked.

"Stalking?" he shook his head. "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."

"Way to not answer a question," I muttered under my breath.

"What?" Ryuji shook his head.

"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time. Please, won't you-" he stepped forward.

"W-Wait a minute, I-" Ann immediately started to refuse but the young man spoke louder.

"-Be the model of my next art piece!?" he boldly proclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow. Ann mirrored the same words I said, "Model?" I think I understood. I've met a lot of creatives recently.

"All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else," the young man spoke.

"This man's highly suspicious!" Morgana's head came popping out of my bag that was on my shoulder. Please, Morgana...keep your dumb ass in the bag for now. Proclaim your unhealthy attraction to Ann some other time, okay?

"Look it's fine to be passionate about your work," I scratched the back of my head. "However, you are completely lacking in tact."

"How do we know you ain't trying to recruit her for some shady business?" Ryuji added, and the two of us were still standing in front of Ann to protect her.

"I am simply an artist that is looking for defined beauty. Please, will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" the young man asked.

"Hold your horses. Who're you anyways?" Ryuji stood his ground to keep him away from Ann.

"Oh, where are my manners?" he eased up. "I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is Kitagawa Yusuke. I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

"Huh? Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?" Ann asked.

"The very same," Yusuke nodded.

That name again. Madarame. Hearing it again was somewhat like a splash of cold water. The other time we had heard it was in Momentos. Ryuji and I looked back to Ann.

"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world," she explained then her voice dropped. "But we heard that name the other day in Momentos..."

Good, that got all of us on the same page. That lined up with what we had heard too. Madarame was an artist. I couldn't really remember what the guy said Madarame was doing, but he had asked us to change his heart. A request made by someone in Momentos was weird in its own right. Though I felt the request was more earnest considering that we were in Momentos.

"Yusuke," someone called out. It turned out to be a man in the back of a black sedan type car that was parked nearby.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there," he called out.

"That old guy's Madarame?" Ryuji looked over to the car. Seemed like it.

"Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by. It'd be great if you could give me your answer in regard to being a model then," Yusuke then reached into his pocket and offered me what looked like tickets. "I'm unsure if you are interested in the fine arts, but your friends may come as well."

"Thanks for the consideration, have a good day," I said politely as he nodded and walked towards the car. He then entered the sedan and then it drove back into the street and out of view. I turned to Ann and handed her the tickets. "That was interesting, to say the least."

"That guy's as easy to read as a book," Ryuji shook his head. "You're not plannin' on goin', are you?'

"I think I will," Ann said after a moment.

"I'm going with you," I added.

She looked at me with a slight smile, "Thanks." Ann pulled out her phone, "Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later." Ann ran off.

"How dare he go after Lady Ann. I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!" Morgana stuck his head out of my bag again.

"Give it a rest, Morgana," I took a couple steps and stopped.

I honestly didn't get the feeling that Yusuke was actually all that dangerous. Still, he was a pupil of Madarame? A famous painter? It was far too convenient for it to be just a coincidence. First the individual in Mementos and now this? The timing of it was suspicious as fuck and at a time where we were being investigated by Makoto. There was nothing suggesting that Madarame had done anything wrong, but someone wouldn't ask for that without a reason. That had to be what Ann was thinking too. The best way was to see if anything came up by looking just a little bit closer.

"Ah, crap. We gotta hurry dude," Ryuji said as he took off and I did so after him. For the moment I needed to shift my focus back to the midterms. I had done well up to this point. I better not slack off now before the finish line.

---

Saturday / May 14th, 2016 / Cafe Leblanc - Tadashi's Room / Evening
Ichihara Tadashi

Exams are over for now. I felt pretty good about it all the way through. None of the questions stumped me and I was pretty confident with all of them. In a contest like this though it was more about retention. In a test with a wide variety of subjects it was often a mistake for people to focus on what they had problems with but then it led to simple mistakes on questions they believed they knew well. It was best to keep your studies equally as varied and not focused on any particular subject. Well, it works better for some than others. More than likely it is about finding the best method that works for you as an individual. Ryuji didn't seem to put much effort into it and Ann put in a good amount but it didn't seem like she cared to get a high score.

I had just always loved to learn. I originally never tried to get the top score, I just did. Before I knew it I had put a more conscious effort into it to maximize how I study. So I was always studying the right material. The problem was that I often found myself ahead of my class as a result as I couldn't help but move ahead. Because I just went at a faster pace. I frown, how pompous of me. The main reason I had taken such an interest in studying had to do with my involvement with baseball. I maximized my time to effectively ensure I wouldn't have problems staying on the team. If I focused too much on baseball then my studies would slack and add unneeded stress. I'm sure my once close friend Atsuhiro back in Takayama would have some choice habits about how I managed to stay on top of all of that. He had been pretty vocal about how he hated how effortless I made it look. Nevermind how much actual effort I had put into it. Fucking asshole.

My phone buzzed so I pulled it out of my pocket and opened it.

Ann: So I keep thinking about what Nakanohara said...

Oh, right, that was the name of the guy we chased down inside Momentos. He was the one that had mentioned the name Madarame to us.

Ann: Could he have been talking about the famous artist Madarame?

Tadashi: That sounds about right. I don't believe it's a coincidence.

Ryuji: Seconded.

Ann: Great. The name really stood out to me.

Ryuji: Yeah I mean, have you guys ever heard of someone else called Madarame?

Ann: It's really not common at all.

Ann: If what we heard is true, Kitagawa-kun is studying under a corrupt teacher.

Ryuji: You mean a teacher who treats people like tools.

Ann: Kitagawa-kun's life is probably pretty terrible.

Ryuji: We gotta look into this.

Tadashi: That's fine, but don't jump to conclusions. We'll investigate for now but be careful.

Tadashi: Niijima-senpai is still keeping an eye on us.

Ann: That's true. Watch yourself, Ryuji-kun.

Ryuji: Why ya gotta make this about me!?

I sat down on the couch up in my room and shook my head. I was exhausted. The midterms were over and my brain finally felt like it could rest. I guess I could allow myself to relax a little bit. I looked at my phone and opened the chat log. I moved on to my last conversation with Makoto. How much further was she going to delve?

I started typing a new message to Makoto before I realized it.

Tadashi: Feeling confident with your midterms?

Makoto: Of course. I am positive I've done well.

Tadashi: Even with your investigation cutting into your time?

Makoto: I am quite good at managing my time effectively.

Tadashi: I never said you weren't.

Tadashi: Should we meet up after the tests have been posted?

Makoto: I have no problem with that.

Tadashi: Alright, I'll message you after the scores are up.

I didn't expect her to message me back after that. She was being curt, polite but that was it. Any hint of playfulness she had before was gone. She was all business. I fucking hated it. And I don't think it was going to go away with just a joke or a fun time. If she is like that when we meet up to talk about the results I'll just call her out on it and postpone the result of our competition. I'm not going to spend any goddamn time with her if she wasn't actually going to be able to enjoy herself in any way. It was a complete waste and not why I had started the whole wager with her. She was supposed to be my link to a normal school life. Now the ridiculous Phantom Thieves was here to fucking ruin every aspect of my life.

Makoto... She was going to be looking into my activities and anyway I could be connected with the incident of Kamoshida. I wonder exactly how she was going to do that. She had already figured she couldn't confront me directly about it. Or she was scared too. Still if she wasn't going to be upfront with me, then I wouldn't be with her either.

She had to have a reason for it. And whatever that reason was… that was what bothered me the most.

---

Sunday / May 15th, 2016 / Shibuya - Department Store / Daytime
Ichihara Tadashi

Nothing from Makoto. I shoved my phone back into my pocket as Ann, Ryuji and I made our way into the art exhibit. Well, Morgana was here too, but in my bag. There was an odd feeling that came with being with Ann and Ryuji on a day off. Ann had a red jacket with tan sleeves, it was like an American letterman jacket. Ryuji had on a mostly purple jacket with red and white stripes going down his sleeves. I guess that made me look pretty boring by comparison. I held a monochrome look with a black jacket and white undershirt. Not that I was a huge stickler for fashion to begin with.

"It's so crowded," Morgana commented from over my shoulder.

"It'll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you, so don't stick your head out too much, all right?" Ryuji quickly said to Morgana. Surprisingly Morgana shuffles back into my bag, but I think it was more in response to our upcoming visitor.

Kitagawa Yusuke walked over, his outfit was a bit more refined than yesterday. A white undershirt and light gray suit jacket but he approached straight towards Ann. I stepped in the way.

"You came," He had clear enthusiasm but obviously did not like me getting in the way.

"You did offer the invitation to all of us, after all," I said, eyeing him. I really didn't get a dangerous feeling from him, but he had zero idea on how to act in front of a girl. His social skills were something that needed work.

He nodded, "Indeed."

"Tadashi," Ann whispered to me. I turned to her. "I'll go with him and see if I can find out anything."

"Are you sure? I don't think he's dangerous but he's kinda lacking in self awareness of personal space," I whispered back to her.

"I know. But I'll be fine. I think I can get more from him that way," Ann assured me.

"That might be so but..." I saw the look in her eyes. She really wasn't going to budge on this. "Just... Be careful."

"Don't worry, I got this covered," she playfully winked at me and pointed towards her purse. I could see that she had brought something with her. Well, that's one way to protect yourself. It wasn't a be all and end all solution but I could concede just this once. I didn't have to fucking like it though. She moved past me to Yusuke. "How about you show me around? You would likely be an excellent guide to your sensei's gallery, right?"

"Of course. I'd also like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too," Yusuke seemed satisfied.

"Well, see you guys later," Ann said with a tiny wave and then walked away.

"Will Lady Ann be all right!? What if he drags her behind some painting and tries something funny?" Morgana popped back out of the bag.

"That would be a mistake on anyone that tried to do something to her," I chuckled to myself. She had a can of mace. Or something like it at any rate. And it was a self-defense spray that could be carried in Japan...the only thing is you had to make sure you didn't severely injure someone. As it could be pretty bad depending on where they get hit with it. Well, I don't think she would need it but at least she had something. I know she is cautious and wouldn't willingly put herself in a bad situation. That didn't mean I wouldn't fucking ring Yusuke's neck if anything did fucking happen.

"I told you not to come out," Ryuji came over and shoved Morgana back into my bag. "Are we really gonna 'appreciate' the fine arts? Can't we just go home?"

"And make Ann do all the work? We can at least learn something about Madarame," I said and shifted the bag on my shoulder. Not to mention be close by just in case something did happen.

"I guess we should do a quick pass through it once," Ryuji's shoulders slumped and turned towards the exhibit. "Uh... Which way are we supposed to start?"

Ryuji was definitely a fish out of water in this situation. It wasn't like I was in my element either though. We walked a few paces but stopped when we saw some reporters and cameras standing in front of them was an old man.

"It's that old man from the other day," Ryuji comments. Yeah, it was likely Madarame himself. It isn't like reporters would flock in front of just any old man.

"We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination," the female reporter said to the old man. "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?"

Ryuji and I casually walk a bit closer to hear better.

"Well... It is rather difficult to put into words. They naturally welled up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in a spring," the old man, who was obviously Madarame, said. Wow, that sounded incredibly pompous as hell. I glanced around the room and really the styles from painting to painting just weren't consistent at all. Yet he said it was him and his inspiration was just that easy?

"Naturally, you say?" the woman prompted him to continue.

"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," Madarame answered.

"..A shack?" Ryuji repeated. Yeah, I noticed that too. It stood out.

"I see... So the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty. Still, to think we could hear the word 'shack' coming from the great artist Madarame," even the interviewer woman had taken notice.

Madarame seemed amused though, "You would understand if you saw it." He chuckled.

"Wasn't the word 'shack' something..." Ryuji was thinking.

"Madarame-san is actually here!?" Suddenly a woman came moving up. Her words had an immediate effect on the crowd around us.

"Over there!" a man called out.

"I'm so glad I came on opening day!" a crowd suddenly came rushing around Madarame. Ryuji got swallowed up as I barely managed to jump back to the side.

"Careful, crowds are ruthless," a hand on my shoulder and I looked over my shoulder to see a man with black hair and dark sunglasses on, even though he was inside. He leaned in and pulled up his glasses to reveal blue eyes. I recognized him immediately.

"Ikakure-san? What are you doing here?" I asked him, and was surprised to see him here. I had seen him a couple nights ago and also had that same connection start with him as I had with others. Confidants were how Caroline and Justine had put them. Something about my relationship with them would give me a benefit to my powers of Persona. I had created a number of these bonds but I hadn't put much thought into them up to this point. Something I had started to consider more. Now that I think about it, I had also started one with Natsukawa Naozumi at the Diner here in Shibuya as well.

"Work related, mostly," he shrugged. "Let me ask you something. When you look at an individual's line of work, there is always something that ties it together. What do you think ties all of these together?"

"His signature?" I scoffed. Although as I looked around the room at the different art pieces I might have unintentionally made a point.

Kayane laughed, "I think in this instance we can agree to that. Even if you change styles, there is something about an artist's paint strokes and other minor things that make something undeniably your creation. Music is the same way. If you listen to a specific composer and compare the work over their lifetime you will see similarities throughout all their creations. Regardless of the tempo or intention of a song, there are notes, tendencies that just seem to show themselves along the way."

"So, you don't believe he did all of these works?" I found myself asking him.

"Who knows," Kayane mused as he put his hands behind his head and had a wistful tone. "All I can say is that there isn't anything lower than stealing someone else's creation."

"Hey there, Onii-chan," a woman with short dark brown hair appeared and was wearing a black dress that only went down to her thighs. She looked at me and held a smile, "Friend of yours?"

"Yoko, this is Ichihara Tadashi. A high school kid I agreed to teach him the basics of negotiations," Kayane introduced his apparent sister. "Ichihara, this is Kasamatsu Yoko, my sister."

"It's nice to meet you," I gave a short bow. I noticed that Ann wasn't too far away. And Madarame was approaching her and Yusuke. I guess he got away from that crowd somehow. Considering it is his showcase I was surprised he would find any free time at all.

"Take Onii-chan's lessons with caution. He's never won an argument with his wife," Yoko was giggling and I couldn't help but smile at myself. She then looked back to her brother, "Sorry it took me so long. It's been a while since I've been to Tokyo."

"I thought you were here for work?" I asked Kayane as the thought came to me.

"I did say, mostly," Kayane chuckled. "Yoko and I actually work together."

"Speaking of work, Mitsuru-sama wanted you to call her," Yoko added as Kayane's words seem to trigger the thought. Kayane seemed to have a lot going on in his life. I likely shouldn't stick around longer than needed. Kayane's comments had already given me enough to consider.

"I should probably get going. I'm actually here with friends so I should probably go locate them," I said after a moment.

"Take care of yourself then, Ichihara. Let me know when you're free," Kayane said as I started to leave the siblings.

"Hope to see you again, Ichihara," Yoko chimed in as I gave a final small wave and walked away.

"Why do you think Ikakure-san was here?" Morgana asked, popping up out of my bag once more. "Seems weird for a pop star to come here."

Ikakure Kayane was one of the main singers of the band Synchronicity, along with his wife, Ikakure Rise. Formerly Kujikawa Rise… once the idol known as Risette. Apparently, during her break a few years ago she met Kayane and ended up starting a new project with him. When she appeared back in the public eye, it was under the band Synchronicity where she would share the stage with Kayane, both of them as singers. Making them rather popular with a much different audience. Kayane and Rise both had separate fan bases it seemed... but there was also a section that cheered for the both of them. The band had brilliantly played up to this providing solo songs for Kayane and Rise both to appeal to each of those sections of fans. And then they also had the duets but those tended to be their most popular songs. Either way, it was incredibly curious as to why he was in Tokyo. And him saying he's here for work just seemed weird to me.

Then again I had met him while working at that Beef Bowl restaurant. And he seemed to be focused on a notepad… and I had seen that same notepad again when I met up with him a couple nights after that. Maybe I'm just overthinking it. I shook it off and headed out to try and find Ryuji.

"Hold on! Tadashi!"

I heard a familiar voice. I didn't have to turn as I felt hands grabbing my left arm and noticed the blonde wavy hair that could only belong to Ann.

"Let's get out of here," Ann said and so I nodded and picked up my pace and we quickly left the department store. "I don't know what it was but I just felt like I needed to leave."

I could understand that. We made a break for our new location of our headquarters. Ann let go of my arm as soon as we were away from the crowd and we saw Ryuji sitting against the railing.

"Tadashi, you get pulled off by the crowd too?" Ryuji asked.

"Something like that," I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Ann felt like getting out of there anyway."

"Well anyways, I found an interesting post on the Phan-site. I think it might be about Madarame," Ryuji was holding up his phone.

"What's it say?" Ann asked.

"A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV," Ryuji read the post.

Ann blinked, "Plagiarizing?"

"I didn't think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing 'shack' and 'Madarame' triggered it," Ryuji looked back to his phone and started reading from the post again. "His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog."

"Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm?" Morgana said.

"If this is real, it'll be a huge scandal," Ryui got excited.

"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this," Ann thought for a moment. "I mean, he IS a pupil of his."

Unlikely just based on the interactions we've had with him. But Yusuke had hardly been Madarame's first pupil. "Well all the posts on the Phan-site are anonymous to begin with, so it is hard to know what this source came from."

"It's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one," Morgana said, popping up from my bag as I set it on the ground.

"A man like that doing such a thing?" Ann must have compared this to her interaction with the old man. "I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this. Oh. Actually, we just need to talk to him in reality."

"And how do we go about that? Are we gonna explain it all, startin' with Mementos?" Ryuji shook his head.

"Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there's the possibility that Madarame will find out," Morgana added.

Ann had a point though, we needed something solid to tell if what we heard was true. But something about all of this did feel off. Running into Kayane here had pointed out another oddity about it. That all his different art truly were unique from one another. That in itself was a red flag, and also why Kayane had been throwing out suspicion. Plagiarism would answer that suspicion. If that was the case, then Madarame had been exploiting his pupils for quite a long time. And likely throwing his weight around in the art world to squander his pupils from ever succeeding and to ensure any pupil would have no ground to stand on if they ever made such a bold claim against him.

"He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing," Ryuji's voice broke my concentration. I must have zoned out of the conversation. "Let's try going tomorrow. We're off to Madarame's house right after school."

"Huh? You want me to model tomorrow?" Ann's eyes widened. "This is too sudden..."

"What? We're just gonna talk to Kitagawa," Ryuji shook his head.

Ann sighed, "Oh, that's what you meant."

"I think we're all a bit high strung after that mess in there. Why don't we call it a day?" I said.

"Yeah, good call," Ryuji agreed. "Well, see you guys tomorrow then." Ryuji jumped up and was gone.

"Think he has someplace to be?" I raise an eyebrow seeing my friend take off so quickly. I looked at Ann who seemed to be lost in thought. "Hey, you okay?"

She looked at me, "Tadashi, do you think I'm attractive?"

I blinked at the sudden question. It was unusual for sure. But something about this felt important, "Is this a trick question?" I decided to respond with a lighter tone and raised an eyebrow at her..

"I'm serious Tadashi," Ann gave me a look, obviously wanting me to be honest with her.

"You're beautiful, Ann. People go out of their way just to steal glances at you. You stand out and I don't mean because of your hair color or anything else. The way you carry yourself has an allure and pull that is hard to really describe. Calling you simply attractive would be an understatement," I answered with full honesty. "I'm sure Morgana would love to shower you with praise."

"Lady Ann, there isn't a woman alive more attractive than you," Morgana spoke up.

"Too much, tone it down a bit," I commented. I drop back to a more serious tone, "What's wrong, Ann?"

"How can you say all of that with a straight face?" Ann turned her gaze a bit, blushing.

"I was just being honest," I told her.

"The way Kitagawa-kun was talking he made it seem like I was some Goddess of beauty that was gracing the world with her presence. I do modeling already but… modeling for a painter?" Ann brought her left hand up to her right arm and her eyes looked to the ground. "It doesn't feel right. There is something about being painted that feels like it has more weight, more impact. Modeling for magazines is one thing, but being the subject of a painting brings a whole different criticism to my body that I'm not comfortable with. Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"Without question," I didn't hesitate.

"You'll be there right? Can I count on you, Tadashi?" Ann looked at me. She really was shaken up about this.

"I'll be there. You don't need to worry," I assured her. She seemed to relax. "Want to grab a quick bite to eat before heading home?" I picked up my bag with Morgana. Morgana had been oddly quiet in our conversation.

"I dunno. I think I might just head home," Ann did seem exhausted but I pressed anyway.

"It's my treat," I smiled.

"Then I'm in," Ann smiled back and moved next to me as we started to walk towards the direction of Central Street. Offer to buy lunch and she's all over it. Still... I couldn't help but feel off about that conversation. Was being the subject of a painting bothering her? Or was Yusuke going to ask her to go… no… couldn't be.

Probably best I don't think about that or I'll want to kick Yusuke's ass. "Can I just say something about this whole fucking thing though?"

"Pretty sure I know what you are going to say but go ahead," Ann said as we headed over to the central street where Natsu Diner was located. I was leading the way.

"I don't want you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. Don't let Ryuji pressure you just to get dirt on Madarame. I don't think Yusuke is the type, but if he touches you in any way… I'm going to send him to the fucking hospital," I don't hold my intentions back from her.

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered by you wanting to be protective of me or not," Ann followed me as we made our way up the stairs to central. Wouldn't take long to actually reach the Diner. "I would rather you not injure someone unless the situation called for it."

"I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself…" I started but she stopped me.

"You have a short fuse, Tadashi. But it isn't like you get angry for no reason. Honestly, it is a part of you I'm actually attracted to," Ann stepped towards me and grabbed my arm. "We all want someone there to agree with us, to want to stand by our side and protect us. No one likes having to fight on their own. That goes for you too."

Well… if that doesn't hit my issues on the fucking head. Son of a bitch, was that what I was worried about? No, I really was worried about Ann herself. "I guess I'm just getting ahead of myself."

"It isn't like I'm comfortable with it either," Ann said as we were now approaching the Diner. "But if there is anything to those rumors… I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"I know. You've made your point loud and clear," I told her as we finally arrived and entered the Diner.

"Ooh, it's Ichihara," it was Natsukawa Shiori, the waitress that always seemed to be working when I came in. "A different girl with you today? You aren't some sort of playboy are you?"

"A playboy?" Ann raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just playing with him. He usually comes in here alone to study," Shiori smiled.

"Thanks a lot Natsukawa-san," I sighed as she directed us to one of the booths. As Ann and I sat down, Shiori put some glasses of water down. She then excused herself to give us time to look at the menu.

"She seems fun," Ann commented.

"She likes to tease.. A lot," I shake my head. Honestly, even though I've been coming regularly she always has to fucking tease me. The old me that was the baseball star likely wouldn't have come back because of it… but now… Maybe it was because Shiori was so friendly that I kept coming back.

"Did you come here with Niijima-senpai then?" Ann asked instead.

"Yeah, just to clarify our conditions for our competition," I answered, wondering where she was going with this.

"You told me about it before, but what made you want to compete with her?"

I suppose that was a fair thing to ask. I don't think I ever told her my motivation for it. "I just like to learn, and I'm competitive by nature. I was a baseball player in my hometown, one of the best. And I kept running into her at the library so I just brought it up. I was more surprised she was susceptible to it than anything else. I figured she would say no, but she didn't."

"It is a bit surprising. Most talk about her around the school just talks about how focused and responsible she is. And that she doesn't really have any friends," Ann looked to be more relaxed now at least.

"Yeah, I've heard that," I also had thoughts that there was definitely a reason for her reputation being that way. "Despite that, people voted for her to be Student Council President. She doesn't have any friends but she is popular enough or well known for her hard work that she got the votes. Seems odd to me."

"It is kind of odd now that I think about it. I don't remember her campaign being all that intensive either. A lot of people just felt that her being Student Council President made sense."

I never really paid attention to that stuff back in Takayama. I'm sure Kazuha would get that position if she went for it. Kazuha… that's a name I haven't thought of recently.

"Ichihara, it's good to see you again," it was Shiori's brother Naozumi. The one I had started a bond with a while ago.

"Natsukawa, it's been about a week since I saw you here," I greeted him and he seemed somewhat receptive to my greeting.

"Same reason as you. Had midterms for college. Unlike you, I was instructed to stay away from the Diner and to go home to study properly. If I didn't I'm pretty sure Haru would make me pay one way or another," Naozumi sighed. From what I knew of him Haru was a close friend to him. And one he talked about often.

"How goes the Diner? Your sister indicated last time that things have gotten busier. Which sounds about right. I have noticed more people here," I know this is just small talk but I haven't really tried to approach him ever since the bond was formed.

"Not as good as it needs to be, but it is on the upswing. Even though I'm going to college for business you can't make adjustments or plan for the long haul when you take over a business that is already on a down swing," He grumbled under his breath. "Sorry not something I need to complain to you two about."

"It doesn't bother us. But I thought Natsu Diner used to have a lot of locations," Ann said.

"It did. A lot happened. After my Father died, Okumura Foods essentially bought us out in a hostile takeover. Thankfully we managed to cut a deal so we still have four places left open. But we're nothing like we were before. And most of our other places got turned into Big Bang Burgers. Sometimes I feel like they still have it out for us. The media company we were paying for advertising wasn't actually getting us any views. I suspect it was Okumura Foods pressuring them, but either way we've switched it up. I'm sure Shiori told you about some of it. But we just hand out flyers and use a social media presence for our advertising. It is taking more time but I think we're building it more and more all the time," Naozumi sounded proud but also frustrated.

"Doesn't sound like it is going as fast as it needs to," I commented.

"No," He admitted. "Shiori and Haru are optimistic, as is my Mother, but keeping all four locations going will be rough if there isn't a significant increase in customers per week. Our family diner has never been about making a profit. It was always about the atmosphere and providing a place where people could be comfortable and safe. I like to think your continued patronage at least proves that someone enjoys this place."

"I do and I'll keep coming back as long as you're open," I told him.

"You know, you could also try and do some one day events. Maybe like endless fries or buy two entrees and get a third free for a group or something. It would be a good way to get more people to come in, right?" Ann made a sudden suggestion.

"Not a bad idea, Ann. Plus something like french fries aren't that expensive to make, right?" I asked Naozumi. He looked thoughtful.

"That… could work. It's definitely a good place to start. Fries themselves are a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of other foods we offer," he shook his head. "I greatly appreciate both of your thoughts on this and will consider it for the future. What can I get for the two of you? And anything you want to drink. The drinks are on me today."

I felt my bond with him increase. What an odd guy. Still... This was a nice change of pace instead of having to think about Madarame.

"In that case, I want one of your strawberry shakes… with extra strawberries," Ann said with a grin.

Why am I not fucking surprised?

---

Monday / May 16th, 2016 / Shibuya - Residential Area / After School
Ichihara Tadashi

It's a goddamn dump. Why would a world famous painter live here? I don't fucking buy it.

"Is... that it?" Ryuji seemed doubtful too.

"We're at the right address," Ann herself did seem hesitant to believe it as well. She stepped forward to check the door. "The door plate does say Madarame."

"Uhhh... You ring the bell," Ryuji didn't want to get close to the place.

"Me!? The walls won't collapse when I do, will they?" Ann didn't like this.

"No one sneezes or we'll blow this house down, OK?" Morgana seemed amused. Yeah that's just what we needed. The big two story house made of seemingly aluminum to just fall over as we approach.

"Yes, I'm sure that a house in a country where tsunamis and storms are frequent that a flimsy house would miraculously survive. Give me a fucking break," I deadpanned.

We moved forward and I stayed close to Ann as she rang the doorbell. I wonder how this was going to go.

"Who is it?" The voice of Kitagawa came through the intercom on the door. "Sensei is currently-"

"Um, it's Takamaki," Ann was nervous. Considering what she had said to me yesterday it didn't surprise me.

"I'll be right out," Kitagawa couldn't seem to say it fast enough.

Ryuji scratched his head, "People really do live here."

"What? People can't live in a tin can?," I commented. Actually seeing it in person and what we had heard Madarame say at his exhibit matched up. Still something about the words of Madarame and his overall composure didn't sit right with me. He was a world famous painter for cryin' out loud and he lived in a shithole like this? I'm sorry but if you have a big name like his then someone is going to be paying you big money. You don't live in a place like this without a reason. None of this made me feel any better about the situation.

"Takamaki-san..." Kitagawa opened the door and stopped when he saw Ryuji and I. What the fuck did he expect? As if I was ever going to let him be alone with Ann. Even if I am confident that Ann could protect herself, there are always factors that can be out of your control. So fuck you, Kitagawa Yusuke. "You two are here, as well?"

"Hey," Ryuji said casually. I simply stayed close to Ann. "Sorry, but we ain't here to talk about the modeling thing. There's something we gotta ask you. Is it true Madarame's plagiarizin' stuff? He's abusin' people too, yeah?"

I sighed. Once more Ryuji has the subtlety of a wrecking ball. He's the kind of person that I would ask to hammer in a nail and he'd break the wood instead. I suppose on the bright side it makes this whole process a bit faster. Kitagawa's eyes darted to the ground only for a second before his expression changed and looked at Ryuji.

"Are you serious?" Kitagawa's tone indicated he didn't believe what Ryuji had said. Or rather that he would be so blunt about it. Or… something else...

"We read about it online," Ryuji elaborated and pulled out his phone to show Kitagawa the post in question.

Kitagawa took a few steps outside towards Ryuji, "This...?" He laughs looking at the phone and then shakes his head. "Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? 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 lyin' about it," Ryuji didn't even flinch under Kitagawa's raised voice. It was a reaction we had expected could happen though.

Ryuji said the right words because Kitagawa looked away from him. "That... That is utter rubbish." However, the voice was distant and didn't have the energy from before. He quickly shook that off, "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 couldn't believe it. Really, we had already heard everything we needed to hear to confirm what was happening in my eyes. He was denying it too strongly, and the way he averted his eyes was enough to convince me.

"Yusuke?" Madarame himself appeared at the open doorway. "What's the matter? I heard you yelling."

"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!" Kitagawa turned and looked outraged. Was he...lying to himself about the situation?

"Forgive them, Yusuke," Madarame gave a light smile. "They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety."

Kitagawa opened his mouth as if he would object but stopped and then sighed, "Understood, Sensei."

"Well, even I doubt a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone," Madarame seemed amused. He was taking the situation in stride. And of course he would...even if he is guilty of doing what we've heard...we couldn't prove it anyway. Not without the help of his pupils actually wanting to speak out against him. And it seemed Kitagawa Yusuke was not going to be one of them.

"That's not what we meant..." Ann said after a moment.

"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around. Won't you please keep it down?" Madarame gave a slight smile. And the request was quite a normal one. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

The old man disappeared back into the shack of a house. He was confident. I wonder why. Maybe he was just an arrogant son of a bitch. That would sit more in line with everything we had heard.

Kitagawa took a moment and then spoke once more, "That was discourteous of me... I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. We weren't exactly subtle about bringing the subject up either," I gave a half apology. Not sorry for asking, just on how we got there. Really needed to work with Ryuji on thinking before just diving into a topic.

"Ah, I know. I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting. It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece-it's titled, Sayuri," Kitagawa pulled out his phone and opened a picture before showing it to us. A woman with dark hair, a red shirt...and she seemed to be looking down at something with an expression that...well I'm not sure what that expression meant. There was also a branch of a tree behind it and what looked like a setting sun. Below was a grayish blue cloud-like area and of course, Madarame's signature.

"Sayuri?" Ann asked.

"This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist," Kitagawa proudly explained.

"It's so beautiful," Ann commented.

"I don't know all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive..." Ryuji said.

I decided to keep my mouth shut. Maybe it was the Third Eye ability but something about seeing this painting felt… off. It felt like Kitagawa was being honest this time, but that didn't change how fucking off it all felt.

Kitagawa looked at Ann, "When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting."

"Me?" Ann didn't like the change of topic. But I think I understand Kitagawa Yusuke a bit better now.

"I wish to pursue beauty like this. And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you: seriously consider my offer," Kitagawa gave a small bow. "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." Then he went back in and closed the door behind him.

Kitagawa wasn't a bad guy at all. If anything I believe wholeheartedly that he simply wanted to draw Ann. No hidden intentions whatsoever. He hadn't been lying about why he became an artist. Just like the times before, Kitagawa didn't feel dangerous to me. Madarame though… that was a different story. And the only reason I remained uneasy in this goddamn situation.

The three of us moved across from the shack and Morgana jumped out of my bag, over my shoulder and onto a nearby railing. Ryuji casually leaned against the same railing while Ann stood close to me opposite Ryuji and Morgana.

"Those two... seem like nice guys, don't they?" Ryuji said.

"Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person," Ann sighed.

I shook my head, "No, I think we have the right damn person."

"Huh? Really?" Ryuji looked at me.

"Check the Meta-Nav," Morgana suggested.

I pulled out my phone and the moment I unlocked the screen the Metaverse Navigation app was already open, and the voice gave a confirmation, "Candidate found."

"Was it picking up our conversation?" Ann came closer and grabbed my arm looking at my phone. "This display... It means that Madarame has a Palace too, right? But, why?"

"Madarame, plagiarism and then shack, huh? These seem to be the keywords," Morgana might have heard the app confirm these things when they came up in the conversation. My phone was usually in my jacket pocket so I had kept it going during the whole situation to see if anything would cause a hit. Turns out I had made a good damn call.

"For real though, what the hell's goin' on? Does an old man like him really have a Palace?" Ryuji looked doubtful.

"I doubt there is an age limit on who can and can't have distorted desires," I felt my eyes twitch. Honestly, Ryuji, do you think age has anything to do with fucking desires? I would say that the older you are, the more twisted some desires can become. I think Kamoshida was proof enough of that.

"We have the person's name and the location. All that's left is the 'what' that Madarame mistakes this shack for to enter his Palace," Morgana seemed knowledgeable about it. It had been a little curious as to how Ryuji and I managed to enter all that data into the app for Kamoshida's Palace. The app had also continually re-installed itself and opened on its own too. I swear it had a personality of its own.

"You mean... like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?" Ann asked.

Morgana nodded, "That's right. Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses."

"It's a bit sudden, though..." Ryuji scratched his head.

"Why don't we start with 'castle'?" Ann said.

"No Candidates found," the app called out.

"Then, what about 'prison'?" Ryuji suggested.

"No Candidates found," the app reported.

"Ugh, what a pain," Ryuji then spouted a bunch in rapid succession. "Jail! Warehouse! And guidance counselin' office! Might as well add farm!"

"No Candidates found," the app reported.

I raised an eyebrow, "Guidance Counselor Office? Bad memories, Ryuji?"

"Shut up," Ryuji glared.

"Should we come back another time?" Morgana was losing energy in this endeavor it seemed.

"A building that's related to artists... If we think from there, what would it be?" Ann was looking at me so I thought for a moment.

"Hmm… it wouldn't be too obvious… some place that artists maybe want to be displayed at? Like… a museum?" I suggested.

"Beginning navigation," the app confirmed the word.

"Beginning navigation? Whoa, really!?" Ryuji said as the world distorted around us and we were pulled into the Metaverse. After a moment we appeared in the same place but our clothes were changed.

"Hey, when did you activate the Nav!? You surprised me," Morgana seemed to nearly fall off the rail with the sudden change in form.

"Didn't have much of a choice. Tadashi looks to have nailed it so it pulled us in," Ryuji shrugged.

"What if I hadn't noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy?" Morgana complained.

"Don't be so goddamn dramatic, because that didn't happen," I shake my head.

"And you prolly woulda figured it out once you started walkin' on two legs," Ryuji pointed out something that should have been obvious.

"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Morgana?" Ann seemed curious about it.

"Yup. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle," Morgana said. That was actually really interesting. So if the distortion was the same as it was in real life there would be zero difference? That seems… fucking dangerous actually.

"Forget that... Look!" Ryuji pointed behind me. I turned and saw… a building that was mostly gold in color. "That shack is seriously some kinda museum?"

"We should go check it out," Ann said as we all moved a bit closer to the building. "It's so extravagant, to the point that it's gaudy."

"The closer we get the more I feel like I'm going to get a goddamn headache just looking at the fucking thing," I mutter.

"It's a museum... right?" Ann was wondering.

"This is Madarame's?" Ryuji shook his head.

"A Palace is a scenery driven by desires, just like how Kamoshida's Palace was a castle," Morgana gave a brief recap of what we should already know, but this was so ridiculous it was nice to have a reminder that yes, it really was what we were seeing.

"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though. His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?" Ann made a good point.

"You got a point. It ain't related to plagiarism or abuse either," Ryuji wasn't confident about the connection either. Still plagiarism was one of the keywords that the app had taken to find this place. So likely the outside was hardly an indicator of what we would find inside.

"Let's try looking around. Racking our brains here won't do us any good," Morgana prompted us.

"Right," Ryuji then stretched a bit. "That aside... Ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves?"

"You just had to fucking say thieves didn't you? Breaking and entering… stealing. I mean how do you classify stealing someone's distorted desire anyway? That would definitely break my parole which would mean being thrown into juvenile hall for the rest of my goddamn youth. Can throw away any potential future I thought I might have fucking had," I grabbed my forehead and I just think about all the consequences for this. Not to mention the word thief! A thief! I'm not a damned thief! Or I thought I wasn't. Except we totally did steal Kamoshida's desire and then I personally sold the medal. Oh, God and then I took that paper bag from Iwai at the Airsoft store… Oh man, I've done some shady things. Am I just now cursed to fall deeper and deeper into a life of despicable acts and just keep escalating my crimes? Why me? Why me? Why me!

"Um...Ryuji, I think you broke him," Morgana commented.

"Maybe we shouldn't use the word thief," Ann said.

"What else are we supposed to say? I mean we're here to steal a Treasure," Ryuji was unsure what to say. "We are the phantom thieves."

"My life is over… given in to a life of crime..." I continued muttering. I don't know why this triggered my pseudo breakdown but I'm just fucking frustrated on what my life has become.

"Tadashi, snap out of it," Ann walked up and put her hands on the side of my face and forced me to look into her eyes. I can see it, the concern she has for me… as well as minor irritation. "We have a good reason for doing this. Kitagawa could be suffering."

"Yeah," I took a deep breath. "Game face time." Ann let me go as I straightened my posture. The front entrance was a no go. But my Third Eye ability told me I could jump on the back of a nearby truck and over the wall to sneak inside. Just like a thief. Fuck me.

---

A/N:

People that are familiar with my P3 Momento Umbrae and P4 Last Symphony stories probably saw this coming but for those that don't know, Ikakure Kayane is an OC main character of Last Symphony and ended up married to Rise at the end of that story. (I gave a spoiler warning at the top of the chapter so I assume you came here of your own volition.) As a matter of fact, the scene of Kayane's appearance is the same one in the Epilogue of Last Symphony. So if it sounded familiar it should! Since that conversation was done from Kayane's perspective you actually know what Rise is saying to him. It was kind of a fun thing since at the time I had already started writing Bitter Fool. His inclusion here is driven by a couple of things. Let me kinda go into it.

Strangely for a series that is connected, and where the first 3 games (Counting P2 Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment Not P3) that had characters from P1 show up as party members and more direct continuity and then Persona 3 and forward where those connections were ripped out in main series, instead relegated to more cameo mentions. Persona 3 had a couple references, such as the Kirijo Group started as part of the Nanjo Group, which is a company that is run by P1 character Nanjo Kei. But it was just referred to but never expanded upon. There is also the show Trish's Who's Who show on the TV you can check which will describe where some of those characters are now. The problem with that is that they don't even bother to name drop them and became more of a "If you know, you know" kind of thing. I know the English release of Persona 3 replaced the Hermit Social link to be an Innocent Sin reference to Tatsuya and Maya, but in the Japanese version this wasn't the case and the names were Nakajima and Y-ko and was a reference to the original Megami Tensei game. So in order to maintain some level of obscurity but be character names fans of the seiries would know they changed it as the original Megami Tensei game hadn't been released in the West and to my knowledge neither Megami Tensei 1 or 2 have released elsewhere.

Persona 4 continued that trend with being removed from previous events. They did reuse part of Persona 3 for part of the game, with some minor references and some P3 minor characters showing up. But no return of previous characters. Not until the spin-off Persona 4 Arena, but I'm referring to just the main games. Persona 5 only gave us posters and a few references on the in-game TV. Mostly of Rise, and Kaname (more a direct reference to the spin-off P4 Dancing All Night) Which I also used in this chapter of Kayane saying he wasn't happy that they chose that poster for Synchronicity's newest album promotion.

Why do I bring all this up? I realize that things changed when Persona 3 came out. It was just overall a different style of game than P1/P2, but the omission from any inclusion of the events of previous games made me wonder why that part of it had changed. I understand the logic here and it's mostly to get new players (and was definitely a good call overall). But that deeper connection was something that I wanted with the following games. I do plan to create a deeper connection through Persona 5 with my previous work. And will also be adding more from P1/P2. Which will likely feed to my eventual return to my sequel to Momento Umbrae (this is still my plan! But there was a lot I wanted to finish before I went back to it) So yes, this is just me saying... expect more from my previous stories to show up more as Bitter Fool continues.

Also an interesting note... it will be 10 years since I uploaded the first chapter of Momento Umbrae in July 2025. Crazy. Maybe I should do something to celebrate it... HMMM