06 May 2018

The last lesson has finally ended so Akira can now spend his time focusing on something vital. Whether that'll be hanging out with friends, or family, possibly slaying some angels etc. He goes to scroll on his phone, only to see a text sent to him by his mummy from half an hour ago.

Mummy: Come talk to us when you have the chance. We need to know everything!

Guess Akira is going to the Gates of Hell tonight. He replies with a thumbs up as a bluenette teen walks to his side, "...Hey." Akira stares at the boy with a curious look. "Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"

The Umbra witch nods, "I've heard of it."

Mishima grins, "I'm the one who started it." Rather abruptly, the bluenette's face is inches closer to Akira's. "Um... You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Although he wasn't stunned by how close the teen's face was to his -Akira swore they could be a few inches from their lips making contact- he calmly requested for Mishima to give him some space. The teen black eyes lower to Akira's chest, realising how this can be uncomfortable for Akira. "... Sorry," Mishima says, moving back to stand with his hands back inside his school pants pockets. "Although... If things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret." He looks to the side in shame, "Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much of a way for me to apologise for it..." A determined look flashes in Mishima's eyes, "But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!" Akira smirks, he can tell Mishima is being genuine so he replies positively and leans back onto his school desk. "I'm glad to hear that."

The bluenette head turns to the class window, "It's not just Kamoshida... There are tons of evil adults out there. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something... They can't let this end after one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems." His head turns back to Akira, "There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site." Rummaging through his right pocket, Mishima displays his phone's screen to Akira. Showcasing the very website with a poll 'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves or not?' and a percentage of six point seven saying yes. Mishima explains, "I wanna work on this forum so eventually it'll be packed with tons of positive posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! Can I, please?"

Ugh, Akira can't say no to this cutie. "It's up to you..."

With a chuckle, Mishima responds "In that case, I'll just do what I want."

Akira can sense abundantly high expectations from Mishima...

I am thou, thou art I...
Thou has acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chain of captivity.

With the birth of the Moon Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power...

Mishima says his goodbye before jogging away, allowing Ryuji and Ann to approach their friend.

"We heard all that," Ryuji confirms. "Geez... It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

Ann states, "So that forum is Mishima-kun's..."

Morgana questions, "Has he figured out our identities?"

Well, for Mishima it wouldn't be that hard to figure out since he was present during Akira's and Ryuji's confrontation with Kamoshida. Then right after that confrontation, Ryuji and Akira had gotten closer and Kamoshida began to act differently. The bluenette teen was smart enough to line the dots together that they must've done something involving Kamoshida. Ann answers Morgana's question, "Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool."

Ryuji swiftly nods, "I guess we should have a little chat about this later."

The cat purrs, "I will say though... a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful."

For a second, the two blondes look at Morgana inquisitively but decide not to question him. Ryuji sighed, "Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target."

"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one. Once we do, we'll have to head into another palace, so we prep our equipment and-" Ann includes, causing Ryuji to step back in realisation.

His eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open, "Wait, oh CRAP!"

Ann, baffled by her friend's sudden reaction, asks "What's with you?!"

"Don't we have an exam comin' up?!"

Oh right, Akira had forgotten about that. Ann sighs, "... Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?"

Ryuji defends, "It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is... English!"

She counters, "I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!"

Morgana jumps in, "Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji."

"What's questionable is whether you're really a human." Ryuji looks to Akira with a proud grin, "Ha! Good comeback, huh?" The male blonde's comeback struck Morgana's nerves.

He growls back, "...Let's discuss this with our fists!"

"Bring it!"

Ann groans at the boy's spat, "Will you two stop it?!"

Thankfully, this ends the boys bickering. Ryuji says, "Fine, I gotta get going anyway... See ya!" he then walks out of the classroom, and Ann goes to sit at her desk. Morgana comments how she looked troubled about something, Akira should talk to her.

It was nice to travel out of Yongen-Jaya during the evening finally. Sojiro had given Akira the keys to Leblanc since he couldn't keep waiting for the teen to come home, so Akira chose to explore Shibuya and see if anything new occurred during the night. Morgana even reminded him about returning the paper bag to the airsoft shop owner; when he entered the store, Iwai told the teen to keep it (just to not associate Iwai with it). This means that Akira gets to keep the 'Riot Police E' pistol. A pistol modified to be more powerful. Morgana wants Akira to ask the man about these modified guns but he didn't think now would be the right time. He can ask Iwai another night, for now, Akira wants to pick up some books to read, items for the next potential palace mission and visit the Gates of Hell. Pretty simple.

"Hey, why are we going into this alley?" The alley in question was one close to the gym on Central Street.

Akira sensed the portal in this direction, the portal to the Gates of Hell. "We're going to see my parents."

Morgana's head twisted from left to right, there was nobody else in sight, "Where are they? Are they running late or something?" As Akira steps into Purgatorio, his feline friend is now able to spot the darkly coloured circle on the ground. He squints to observe tiny unreadable writing in the red smoke pouring out of the portal.

He stares at Akira for an explanation, the Umbra witch says "This a portal made by my uncle to quickly travel to his bar; the Gates of Hell." The Umbra witch steps on the circle, teleporting himself and Morgana.

The cat's mouth makes a sound of surprise as he observes his new scenery: The lights were lit a deep shy purple, tables were positioned in a neat fashion, a dark phonograph record player resting beside the bar where a daunting man was behind the counter and two beautiful women sat on bar stools next to one another. The raven-haired woman turns first to smile at Akira, allowing Morgana to identify her as Akira's mother. Dawning a vastly new style than he had previously seen her in. She wore a skin-tight black bodysuit with various silver details on her chest marching down to her stomach and her heels. The other wore a bold red biker suit with thigh-high matching coloured heeled boots, her hair drifting all the way down to where her knees bent on her seat.

Bayonetta gets out of her seat, "Finally! We were wondering when you'd show up." As the mother and son meet halfway, her mouth takes the shape of a circle upon noticing the animal poking their upper body out of Akira's bag. Bayonetta smirks with interest, "Little Kiki, when did you get this adorable creature?"

Before Morgana could introduce himself -even though he knows she won't understand him- Bayonetta's hand softly strokes his head making him purr. Jeanne turns on her stool to smile at her son.

Akira answers, "This is Morgana, I actually met him in the Metaverse..." His mummy continues to pet Morgana blissfully, and Jeanne gives a questionable look.

"The Metaverse? You met the cat there?" Akira nods, slowly sliding his bag off his shoulder to let his mummy pick up Morgana. He breaks out of his pleased state to meow in surprise at being held by this beautiful woman.

Bayonetta comments, "What a handsome fellow!" The two pace up to the bar, Rodin finishes a drink and slides it in front of Akira. He sits beside Jeanne while Bayonetta stands holding Morgana similar to a baby.

Morgana laughs in pride at the compliment, "Why thank you, Mrs Kurusu!" He glances at Akira, "Your mom is such a charmer."

The young witch shakes his head before taking a small sip from his orange drink. Its fruity taste swims around in his mouth. Jeanne says, "Well, care to tell us about Kamoshida's confession? We've heard about it on the news but we want to know how you're feeling."

In all honestly, Akira felt proud about changing Kamoshida's heart. Even though there was a small concern about how Kamoshida reacted to the change of heart -the man willing to kill himself to atone- the young teen mostly felt proud. "I feel... good. Thanks to us, Kamoshida won't hurt anybody anymore." Bayonetta places Morgana on a bar stool next to hers, he soon slides out of his comforting state to swiftly jolt upon laying eyes on the barman. Morgana examined the man's dark clothing and tattoos on his head; He had a scary aura around him. Akira said his uncle was the bar owner but Morgana couldn't see the family resemblance. He couldn't even tell if Akira's mom and the owner were brother and sister. Was this more of a found family type of situation between them? "After Kamoshida's confession in the assembly, we talked and decided to celebrate at a fancy restaurant for our first successful mission. During our celebration, we all agreed to continue our work as Phantom Thieves to help others who can't fight back."

Bayonetta calmly stares at her son, satisfied by her son's noble nature. She was rather intrigued by this Metaverse Akira had delved into, maybe she could join him and his friends during these 'missions'. Rodin finally speaks up, "Guess you're gonna look for your next target then." It sounded more like a statement than a question, "Be careful of who you mark as the next target, don't be hittin' big tycoons you can't handle."

Akira nods in agreement, "Of course... We just need to find a way to locate someone's palace somehow."

Morgana recommends, "I think we should wait until you finish your exams to look for a target. We should focus on one thing at a time." Rodin stares down at the cat, which goes unnoticed by the feline.

With a raised eyebrow, Jeanne remarks, "Your cat is quite talkative."

"I'm not a cat!" Morgana growls, ending his sentence with a pout.

The young witch smirks, "He sure is," He gently pats the top of Morgana's as he jokingly says, "Sometimes he can be a bit bossy too. At night, Morgana always meows at me until I go to bed."

Morgana pushes away from Akira's hand with a grumble, "Akira!"

Upon hearing the name of Akira's cat again, Bayonetta glances to the side in thought. She mutters his name with a confused tone... Why does that name sound so familiar? Has she met a Morgana before? It felt as if that name brought back a very distant memory from a very distant life...

With a minor shake of her head, she changes the subject of the conversation, "So, little Kiki, care to explain what being in the Metaverse was like? Is it similar to being in Purgatorio?"

This enables Akira to rant about what it was like inside the Metaverse/Palace, along with Morgana assisting him with properly explaining the concept. Though one person in the room is well-educated on that matter, he lets his nephew and the questionable cat discuss the Metaverse. Rodin will divulge more information when he feels he needs to. During the explanation, Bayonetta's and Jeanne's interests peak when their child mentions how he even encountered angels and demons in this Metaverse. It makes them wonder how long the Metaverse has existed if angels and Infernals already found a way to enter this world. When they have time, the two witches will research more about the Metaverse.

After Akira finishes explaining the Metaverse and what a Palace is, Bayonetta questions, "How are your friends dealing with this?"

He lets out a quiet chuckle, thinking back to their reactions upon entering the Palace, "They dealt with it pretty well... though Purgatorio might've been a bit easier for them to understand." Akira raises his drink to take another sip.

"Purgatorio?" He freezes once he realises his error, "It seems you've been brandishing our Umbran ways," Bayonetta shares a glance with her wife "Doesn't it Jeanne?"

Swiftly, Akira justifies why he allowed his friends to join him in Purgatorio, "Ryuji, Ann and Morgana are trustworthy. They wouldn't-"

Jeanne playfully rolls her eyes, "We're not concerned about that, Akira." The teen's anxiety dies down, "We just hope none of our friends upstairs would like to visit your friends."

Akira's body jolts in realisation; what if angels could encounter his friends now they've been exposed to Purgatorio? Would they even be able to defend themselves if angels go after them? Morgana tilts his head, mainly questioning why holy angels would even have the desire to search for Ryuji and Ann. Compared to Akira and himself, they wouldn't been seen as big targets (No offense to Lady Ann of course). Morgana wonders what the angels' goals would be to try and capture the Phantom Thieves... Then again, he doesn't want to find out by letting them win a battle.

Rodin calms his nephew's worries, "If they ever were to say hello, I'd take care of them."

"Really?" Rodin nods at Akira, making him form a relieved smile "Thank you, Uncle Rodin. I'll repay you when I can." Knowing Rodin -the most powerful being Akira knows- will watch over his friends grants the witch some peace. His friends will surely be safe from angels when Rodin watches out for them. The group continue to discuss various things -work, school, recent new events- before Morgana notices the time.

He nudges Akira with his right paw, "I think we should leave now. It's getting late."

Under his breath, Akira mutters "Right," before getting out of his seat. "I gotta get going now... Don't wanna be late for school tomorrow."

His mother nods before leaning forward to be given a goodbye kiss on her cheek, "Sleep well, Akira." The young witch opens his bag enough for Morgana to jump into.

Akira kisses his mummy goodbye, she smiles and says "Good luck tomorrow." He waves goodbye to his uncle before leaving the Gates of Hell and heading home.

07 May 2018

The Phantom Thieves posted themselves back on the school rooftop, they have still not found a target from the website. A majority of posts were of people complaining rather than raising a reasonable threat for the group to take down. They should just wait until exams are finished so they can look for a target themselves. Though their conversation halts upon the rooftop doors being pushed open.

Morgana swiftly jumps out of sight from this new party, who happens to be the student council president. "This place is off-limits, you know." She seemed calm and collected, from a single glance you could tell she was a respectable and astute student of this school.

Ryuji sighs, "...We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'. Anyways, what's Miss Council President want with us?"

She lists off the titles the three students are known for in the school and comments "By the way... It seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well." She looks at Akira, clearly waiting for his response.

He shrugs his shoulders, "Not really."

Akira's best friend comes to his defence, "Yeah, y'know he's only been here a month or so."

The Council President hums, "I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record Don't you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida, I mean." She was trying to get something out of Akira. As if she was interrogating the boy about a crime she assumes he committed.

There was a moment of silence before Ryuji leaned forward in his seat, "What's all this about? My friend's here an upstanding guy."

"I didn't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr Kamoshida. The rumours about that odd calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."

The blondes share a glance, Ann speaks up first "I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tackless stuff, Niijima-senpai."

Ryuji follows up, "I dunno that it was tactless... Anyways, we done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us."

Niijima's eyebrows knit together, "At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay..."

Ann exclaims, "Horseplay?!"

"Ah yes, by the way... It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all." Niijima begins to walk towards the rooftop doors, "... I'm sorry to have interrupted you."

Once the doors close behind her, Ann stands to question why the Council President confronted them. Morgana, on top of everyone else, states she's on to them so they must be cautious around the Council President. Then, he offers to show the group something interesting and tells them to follow him. Which leads the three teens beside the entrance of the Shibuya underground mall/station. Instructed by Morgana, Ryuji takes out his phone to go onto the Phantom Aficionado Website. He looks for a post with a full name; Natsuhiko Nakanohara, a stalker. Morgana directs Ryuji to open up the Meta-Nav and enter the keyword 'Mementos'. Once the App heard the word 'Mementos', the world began to shift around them. Their becomes black and red as everything twists and contorts to look uneven. When their vision clears, the crowds of people have vanished leaving Shibuya as a ghost town. Morgana directs the team to head down so he can fully explain what's happening.

They stop ahead of four escalators and swiftly realise they are in their Phantom Thief clothing and Mona has changed into his other form. Mona begins to explain what Menmentos was; the public's shared palace. A palace for individuals to have a collective unconscious.

Skull gazes back to the escalators, "But this place looks pretty huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin' ?"

Mona crosses his arms, "It seems the time has finally come..." The teens curiously stare at Mona as he poses, "Morganaaaa... Transfoooorm!" He leaps into the air as a puff of smoke appears. The smoke soon evaporates to show Mona has suddenly turned into a van. His team members are taken aback, "Come now, Panther. Ladies first."

In response, Panther gasps, "A car...?!"

Skull was in disbelief, "No way!"

Mona clarifies, "This comes from the way cognition materialises in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training. It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform."

"You turnin' into a car is totally different than our clothes changin'!"

Mona continues, "For some reason, 'cats turning into buses' is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public."

Panther tilts her head, "Why a bus though?"

"...No idea."

Skull stomps on the ground, "Wait, why didn't you do this at the castle?!"

With a groan, Mona responds "I would have if I could!" The teens begin to open the doors to the Mona van, "But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!"

Joker, Skull and Panther jump into the back seats... only to realise they still need someone behind the wheel to push Mona onward. Panther looks to their leader, "Do you know how to drive?"

He glances to the side, "I've driven a motorcycle once..." Then again, that almost resulted in him crashing into the back of Uncle Enzo's car.

Mona warns, "You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me?!" Joker gets out to open the driver's door, he sits in the driver's seat and turns on the van's ignition. Skull hops over the seats to sit next to his leader. As Joker drives onward, he reads a sign above the railway. They are going through the Path of Qimranut Area One. Joker drives through the various tunnels, some leading to dead ends, shadows and even some treasure chests. Some of the shadows weren't strong so a couple of battles Joker enforced had ended within 2 minutes or less. At least these short battles were enhancing the thieves' fighting skills. Eventually, they encounter a segment of what Mona says to be strong distortions the set railways spiral into. Their target was inside the wavy mysterious hole of red and black. Mona claims that the target is inside, he jumps inside to land in a new area. A couple of feet ahead of them was a person with dark shadows surrounding their body. It had to be Nakanohara's shadow.

The Phantom Thieves confront the shadow, who attempts to defend his stalking by claiming his girlfriend treated him terribly so he can do the same to her. He even mentions an individual named Madarame as somebody who's far worse than himself. Shadow Nakanohara shifts out of his 'human' form to dissolve into an Obariyon; the 'piggyback monster' of Japan. Joker attacks first, using a Bufu skill from Jack Frost as Morgana follows up with a Garu skill.

Shadow Nakanohara manifests a sledgehammer, swinging it in Panther's direction. It takes a good amount of health from her, she allows Carmen to heal her while Skull summons Captain Kid to perform a Zio attack. Discovering the shadow's weakness, Nakanohara's body flops onto the ground allowing the thieves to do an All-Out Attack. Their enemy still stands, hopping from one foot to the next with his cheeky grin on display. Joker swaps Jack Frost for Berith to use a stronger physical attack, shadow Nakanohara's health is now very low.

With Mona's melee attack and Panther's Agi skill, the Phantom Thieves defeat the shadow, permitting shadow Nakanohara to return to his 'human' form. He stares at the group dejected, "I-I'm sorry... Please forgive me... I-I couldn't stop obsessing... N-Not after this person I trusted used me and then disposed of me."

Curiously, Akira questions the shadow, "Which person?"

Skull asks, "Hold on, are you talkin' about that guy you mentioned earlier... Madarame?"

Shadow Nakanohara's head lowers, "I... was afraid of being thrown away like some worthless thing."

Panther mumbles, "So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too... Still, you shouldn't have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess."

"Yes, I know that now. I'll put an end to my love for her..." There was a pregnant pause before he took a step forward, "...Hey, you can change people's hearts, right? In that case... Won't you change Madarame's heart?! Before more people fall victim to him..."

The Phantom Thieves aren't able to even think of answering the shadow as he suddenly disappears, leaving an unknown shiny object floating in the air. Like always, Mona is able to explain what this mysterious object is. It's the bud of the treasure, if they left the small treasure it could possibly blossom into a Palace. He urges Joker to take it which their leader does with no hesitation. Gripping onto the shiny item, it takes the form of a bracelet with a star charm dangling from the metal. Written on the star was 'Attachment Pearl'. They seem to have been successful in changing Nakanohara's heart; the best way to confirm this was to wait for the woman who posted her request to leave a reply online. Since Mementos benefits the team with training to fight various shadows and find treasures they can sell in the real world, Joker suggests they stay a little longer to inspect more of the tunnels. Mona agrees and mentions he wants to show one more thing to the team.

After a couple more battles with fairly weak shadows, they eventually find the platform to head down to Area 2. Area 2 has a larger platform with railways on each side where trains with noteably ruby windows pass by at high speeds. At the end of the platform was an odd wall stained with intricate designs with bright red lining. Skull questions why it's a dead end, only for Mona to reply it wasn't an ordinary wall. He places his right paw against the wall and not a second later the ground slightly shakes. The three teens observe their surroundings, at first worried it is going to be a shadow causing the ground to shake, however, they look back to the creepy wall. It was gone. The Metaverse Navigator activates, informing them a new area has been opened and new guidance has been downloaded. According to Mona, the wall was opened due to Kamoshida's palace vanishing and people talking about the Phantom Thieves. Panther asks if they should adventure deeper though Mona shuts down the idea since they have completed their goal and he wants to explain more when they're out of Mementos.

When they make it back to the entrance, they are met with a bright lemon-coloured surprise. They seem not to be the only ones exploring Mementos.

"Hey..." Morgana's voice breaks the silence in Leblanc. Akira's head raises as his hand stops writing in his revision book, staring at his feline friend with an inquisitive stare. Just minutes ago Morgana was encouraging the teen to study for upcoming exams, now he is interrupting Akira. "If it's alright, can I ask about your family?"

Dropping his pen, Akira answers "Sure," As long as it isn't a rude question about his family.

Morgana smiles, "Thanks, I'll be quick since you're in the middle of studying." Akira hopes it will be quick. "How big is your family exactly? I mean, you have two uncles and a mom, right? Was that bartender one of your uncles cause...?" Now Akira understands what his friend was getting at. Honestly, the teen couldn't blame Morgana for being somewhat confused; Akira's family was very unique after all.

Akira shakes his head, "I have more than two uncles and one mummy-" Morgana tilts his head at the last part, "- You've already met Uncle Rodin at the Gates of Hell and heard about Uncle Luka but there's also my Uncle Enzo."

Bewildered by this new family member, Morgana repeats the name "You haven't mentioned him before."

The young Umbra witch nods, "That's mainly because he is still at home. Uncle Enzo has got his own family there and his business to take care of. He doesn't come to the Gates of Hell as often as the others."

Morgana nods, "Ok then but... you said more than one Mom." He gasps, "Do you have two?!"

A small laugh leaves Akira's mouth, "You're makin' sound like it's something super rare... But yeah, I have two. You've already met them."

It took a second for Morgana to realise who the other parent was... The white-haired woman from the Gates of Hell. She must be his other mother. Two female Umbra witches who trained Akira in the man he is now. Morgana thinks about that fact -his parents being Umbra witches- and an idea pops into his head. Possibly, if Akira can bring his parents into the Metaverse for a split second, Morgana could ask them more about Umbra witches. They'll have more experience than Akira so maybe their answers can spark something in Morgana's head. Something to truly remind him of who he is. "Would it be alright if I could meet them again?" Akira tilts his head, "I know, it sounds rather crazy... but I just wanna know more about Umbran witch history. Could you ask them if they'd be willing to talk about it?"

Akira's eyes scan over his book, deep in thought before letting out, "I'll ask them when I can." He picks up his pen and continues to study, finishing the conversation. Morgana silently thanks the teen and stays silent for the last 25 minutes.

13 May 2018

In the middle of exam week, the school thought it would be a good idea to have an assembly and disrupt the students' schedule. Yet it might be a good thing since they're introducing a student councillor for the students to talk to for support. It's a little late to bring in a councillor but at least they're trying to help their students (or trying to regain their reputation after the Kamoshida fisaco). The councillor wore glasses whose frames were neither too thick nor thin. His short and soft locks were somewhat shaded in a brown caramel, the right partly covering the same side of his face. From looking at him, people could feel safe around this man. His introduction to the student body was clumsy but honest, he seemed genuine in supporting the teens with their mental health. Dr Takuto Maruki was going to be the school's councillor for a long period of time.

Once the assembly was over, Ann and Akira began to lumber back to their classroom yet stopped when they heard Ryuji behind them. He talks about the doctor and mentions how he was 'clowning' it up onstage and how he can do any good for the students. As if he heard his name, the doctor himself was suddenly walking up to the group.

Maruki greets the teens and asks if any of them would be interested in counselling. Although Ryuji was quick to deny his services, Ann seemed a tad apprehensive while Akira was willing to have a session with Maruki. The doctor mentioned during his counselling sessions he can teach ways to improve their mental acuity. To improve their concentration or to control their nerves. Enhancing his mental acuity could aid the Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse as well. This led to Akira walking into the practice building and locating the nurse's office. The office door was open with Maruki standing in the doorway and a red-haired student standing in front of the man.

As Akira gets closer to the duo, the student notices him first, "Ah, hello." It was the girl from the train, Yoshizawa (If Akira remembers correctly) "Are you here for a session as well?"

The young teen nods, "That's right."

She smiles up at Akira, "Is that so? Dr Maruki is a wonderful counsellor. I've actually been seeing him for a while, before he ever came to Shujin."

Dr Maruki joins the conversation, "Oh? I didn't you know you two were acquainted." He focuses on Yoshizawa, "Don't go overselling me too hard though, Yoshizawa-san- I'm really nothing special."

A minor giggle spills out the redhead's lips, "Well, I need to get going. Please excuse me." She bows and leaves the two. Akira waves as she leaves and Maruki moves to the side to allow enough space for Akira to enter the nurse's office. They sit on individual small couches and Akira explains what happened before Kamoshida's change of heart. Maruki informs Akira that the school has given him a rundown of his transfer.

With a wave of his right, Akira responds, "It's all in the past."

Dr Maruki inquires, "Did you have to force yourself to accept everything that happened...? No, that doesn't seem to be it..." He takes a moment to think before saying, "Now that you've told me more about yourself, I think I've realized something. It seems like you've largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one. I should note- that's really, truly impressive. Even most adults can't reliably manage that." Akira's head twists to the side in confusion, the doctor notices and continues,

"How to put it- You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some 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. But that idealised 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. But you- 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?"

Akira shakes his head, "But it sounds right."

The corners of Maruki's lips turn upwards, "Not even any deflecting self-deprecation! You really are strong, Kurusu-kun. Well, let's see... Sorry, this went on longer than I expected." He leans forward in his seat, "Somehow, the conversation just took on a life of its own, I guess... Hey, I've actually got one last request, do you mind?"

Akira shakes his head, "Not at all."

"I'm actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counsellor. It's not quite like counselling- 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! So...?"

He's waiting for Akira to give his answer. While this does seem like interesting research, Akira can't get involved without knowing more, "I'll need more details."

Dr Maruki leans back, his eyes widen somewhat, "Oh, sorry! Ug, I guess my point is... I'd like to ask you to help with that research! 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! Any time's good for me- I can work around your schedule. And uh... I've got a lot of snacks, too! You can have them! They're yours!"

The young teen chuckles at the man trying to use snacks once again to motivate Akira to be engaged. "Well, okay."

His answer brightens Dr Maruki's mood, "Really?! YES! You're a lifesaver! Let's see... I know! Maybe I could teach you some tips for mental training? I happen to know a lot on the subject. I'm sure I can cook up a special regimen for you. If you're dedicated enough, I'm sure you could draw out your full potential!" Akira just nods in agreement, "Okay! I guess that's our second deal." The two trade their contact information and Dr Maruki begins to talk about mental training and presence. Making Akira's mind feel stronger.

14 May 2018

It was early in the morning, Ryuji and Akira met together by their train's platform and talked about their exams. Ann soon joined the boys but she seemed distracted by something else behind her. Morgana notices something behind the group -or more especially Ann- yet they get on the train as normal. When they make it to their stop, Akira walks in front of Ann while Ryuji guards from the back. Ann's eyes kept scanning the crowd, searching for the individual that has been stalking her. It wasn't until they were going up on an escalator that Ann spotted a guy who seemed to be following them. Quickly, the teens head up and divide a small plan to catch the stalker. Ann stationed herself on the street alone, doing her best to direct her gaze from behind her. She could hear the stalker's steps getting closer. The stalker reaches out to Ann, only to fall back upon Ryuji and Akira blocking her from his reach. Ann turns to see who has been watching her these past few days... It was a boy. A teenage boy.

Ryuji and Akira looked him up and down, Akira could sense the teenager wasn't intent on harming or harassing Ann. However, it doesn't explain why he was following her. Before the young teen could explain, a black car pulled up beside them. The back passenger window rolls down, exposing an elderly man smiling at the blue-haired teen. He comments on how he wondered where the teen wandered off to and lets out a boisterous laugh.

The unforeseen boy's head casts down, resting his left hand on his heart, "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." Stiffly, Ann drags out an 'okay', not fully sure how to respond. Ryuji responds with confusion and Akira stays mute, wanting to hear more from the teen. "You're the woman I've been searching for all this time please, won't you-"

Ann interrupts, worried this is leading to some crazy declaration "W-wait a minute, I-"

"-Be the next model for my art piece?!"

...Well, that was unexpected.

Ann questions his request and he goes into depth about his appeal for Ann as his model "All that I've drawn until now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else."

Morgana shouts out, "This man is highly suspicious!" Akira knows his friend is mainly saying that out of jealousy and protectiveness of his 'Lady Ann'.

Though he isn't the only one to be suspicious, Ryuji adds "Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?"

The blue-haired teen ignores Ryuji and stays focused on Ann, "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" This guy is very insistent on getting Ann as his model.

Ryuji takes a step forward, "Hold your horses! Who're you anyways?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei's High Fine Arts Division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." Rather abruptly, Yusuke presses past the bold blonde teen to be closer to Ann. She backs away in surprise, "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

Ann's eyes widen in surprise upon Yusuke bringing up the name Madarame, "Huh?! Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?"

"The very same."

Ryuji tilts his head at his friend, "You know who that is?"

She answers, "He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognised all over the world." Then she quietly mutters, "But we heard that name the other day in Mementos..."

The old man -assumed to be Madarame- finally speaks up, calling out to Yusuke, urging him to hurry and get back inside the car. Before leaving, Yusuke invites Ann to a Madarame exhibition he will be helping out to give him an answer regarding being his model. At least he was nice enough to offer the tickets to Akira and Ryuji too. The group watch as he goes into the car and it drives away.

Ryujis sighs, "That guy's as easy as to read as a book... You're not plann' on goin', are ya'?" He questions Ann.

"...I think I will." Ann takes out her phone and swiftly says, "Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later." She jogs towards school, leaving the boys surprised by her answer.

After the group of friends had discussed their exams and the plan to visit the art exhibition tomorrow, they departed from the train station and headed home for the rest of the day. Except for Akira, he had received a text from his Uncle Luka asking if they could meet up by the train that transports to Yongen. Although Morgana is hesitant -the two will need their sleep for tomorrow- Akira insists they meet up with his Uncle. Sticking out like a sour thumb, Akira's eyes land on the tall man who's flipping his hat in the air out of boredom. The teen calls out to his relative, Luka grins and puts his hat back onto his head. Opening his arms for a hug, Luka's voice happily announces Akira's name. Luka wraps his arm around the teen, unknowingly crashing the cat inside Akira's bag into their hug.

Causing Morgana to meow and shuffle around inside the bag loudly, "Hey! Watch it!" Akira pulls back as Luka lets out a confused 'huh'. His eyebrows raise in surprise at the pouting black cat.

He eyes the cat in his nephew's bag and chuckles, "Wow kid! I thought your mother said no pets until you got your own place?" Luka stretches his index finger to Morgana, supposedly to poke him, only for the cat to pout and hiss at him.

Akira shakes his head, "Morgana's not a pet, technically." He mutters the last part, "I found him nearby the school and seemed to be abandoned." His head twists to view Morgana still pouting at his Uncle.

Morgana grumbles, "Your Uncle seems ludicrous."

The Umbra witch ignores his friend's comment, "So Cheshire, why did you want to meet up?"

Luka replies, "Well, to be honest, Akira, I have a favour to ask you?" Usually, it would be the other way around, "You remember asking me about adding Kamoshida's victims?" Akira nods with a small hum, "Do you think there'll be some students willing to give me their account on the Phantom Thieves? They're obviously connected with Kamoshida and it might help me figure out more of this Metaverse business."

Akira shares a look with Morgana, who takes a few seconds to think before saying "...Oh! What about that Mishima guy? He seems to be on the Phantom Thieves side."

With a smile, Akira answers his Uncle "I know someone who might be willing. I'll give you his number."

"Great, Kiki!" After giving Luka Mishima's number, they head to the backstreets of Youngen-Jaya to do some shopping. They originally planned to go to the movie theatre but it was unfortunately closed down. It wasn't long before the duo left the store with a bag full each, mainly containing essentials such as food and hair products. The two were enjoying each other's company until Akira sensed someone lurking close by... so did Morgana.

Repeatedly, Morgana's paw pats the teen's shoulder, "Hey, can you feel that Akira?" The teen turns his attention away from his Uncle to glance at Morgana. Luka was not too far in front of them, looking around Youngen to observe the buildings as he talked about something Akira wasn't too interested in.

The Umbra witch grins cheekily, "What? Your paw?"

Morgana groans, "No, not me! I mean, I can feel... something strange." Akira's nostrils were filled with the stench of Sulphur upon turning his head in the direction of the street between the movie theatre and clinic. It seems his friends from down south have decided to come out and play.

Luka turns back to face his nephew, "Oh! I forgot to tell you but I'll be leaving Japan for a while around the start of June. Some stuff came up..."

Akira's eyes widen somewhat upon remembering his Uncle was to originally leave in a couple of weeks, "R-right, I'll still see you at Uncle Rodin's won't I?"

The older man beams, "Of course you will!" He brings Akira closer to his left side, "It ain't like I am leaving you behind. I'll visit when I can alright." Offering a swift side-hug, Luka says goodbye to Akira and mentions they'll talk another day.

Morgana -who has been staring between the clinic and theatre for all this time- gasps at the sight of something lurking in the streets. Though he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was... the thing was translucent. As if it was a ghost. The creature was somewhat humanoid with a very thin physique but large hips. At the end of its lanky arms were sharp claws containing a large scythe's handle. Its back was turned from the two, seemingly searching for something. Morgana recognises this creature, "Hey, isn't that thing a Hideous infernal?!"

With a nod, Akira answers "It is, though they usually travel in groups so we should be careful." He begins to approach the infernal with drawn-out steps, "Let's go and say hello."

"Wait, Akira!" Morgana pauses upon feeling himself enter Purgatorio, now viewing the Hideous in all its glory. Akira gently places his bags onto the ground, far away from where the infernal was.

Pulling out his No Place Like Homes set, Akira catches the infernal's attention, "Decided to come out and play my friend?" Hideous faces the Umbra witch with a loud squawk, not expecting to find the young Umbra witch.

Morgana bites his bottom lip, he wants to help his ally in battling the infernal. Yet he is well aware in his current form- Morgana would be a hindrance for Akira. He hops out of Akira's bag, landing on the ground beside the teen, "I wish I could help... but I can't really do much in this form without Zorro." After announcing his persona's name, a blue light leisurely surrounds the cat. The male feline circles himself, the blue light is around him; it's similar to the flame from calling upon Zorro. Akira stares at his friend questioningly, unfortunately, he isn't able to focus on Morgana for long as the Hideous swings its blade at Akira. He bounces back, activating Witch Time to circle the infernal and kick them away. Hideous tumbles -its body rolling onto the ground- while Akira rushes to the bright flame covering his friend from view. He calls out to Morgana only for the flame to react instead of his friend replying back.

The bright light dissipates, thankfully Morgana wasn't hurt by the sudden flame. However, the flame had certainly had a vital impact on the cat. He was now in his 'Phantom Thief' form. In shock, Morgana looks down at himself "Huh?! How did I..."

Hideous gets up and stares at its foes before bending its back. Letting out a loud high-pitched roar to the sky. Akira and Mona push their focus onto the infernal, watching 4 red and smoky rings form around it. Jumping out of the portals were more Hideous' wielding various weapons. Aiming his guns at the infernals, Akira declares, "Ask questions later." He charges towards the first Hideous, firing rapidly at the infernal. Two Hideous' -both using chainsaw swords- sprint towards the Umbra witch and raise their swords. Yet the Hideous' are unable to get close thanks to Mona calling out his persona. Zorro materialised behind the furry feline and swung his sword, a gust of wind blowing the infernals back. Mona's face brightens with pride, he has summoned Zorro into the real world! He even has his slingshot and sword; now he can actually support Akira in fighting these creatures.

Once Akira was close enough, he threw multiple punches against the Hideous' chest before ending with a wicked weave punch. Launching the Hideous out of the group of infernals. Noticing a streak of red underneath his feet, Akira backflips merely dodging a Hideous's gunshot. Within Witch Time, the Umbra witch races to the second Hideous brandishing a firearm. Fluctuating between Hunk and Zeke before lashing out three kicks. As Witch Time finishes, Mona leaps towards the Hideous out of the group, raising his curved sword and slicing through the infernal. Killing it in an instant; its body slices into large pieces and topples to the ground.

As Mona turns to assess how many enemies are left, he falls back upon feeling a solid metal smacking him across the head. Once his stance is stable, Mona gazes up at his attacker, it is a Hideous revving its chainsaw mere moments away from him. Mona closes his eyes and uses his sword's wide blade road to cover his face from the attack, seconds go by as he realises there's no impact. Removing his sword from his view, the feline observes Akira standing in front of him and the Hideous to be further away. Noticing a Hideous preparing to aim his shotgun towards his friend, Mona jumps onto his feet and swaps his sword for his slingshot. As Morgana shoots at the Hideous -making it miss its shot at the Umbra witch-, Akira focuses on the infernal that was about to slice through his ally. With a harsh kick to its chest, Dorothy unloads multiple bullets with Glinda following. Completing his assault, Akira lifts himself in the air, spinning 360 degrees while bullets fly in various directions. Which somewhat dazes the Hideous.

Mona calls out Zorro, letting his persona execute a Garu skill and eliminating the Hideous. The sound of a high-pitched squawk makes Mona turn and luckily he is able to bounce back from the blades of the Hideous' chainsaw. Taking out his curved sword, Mona repeatedly slashes the infernal ending its time on earth with a swing across its head. Mona's chest heaves up and down, blatantly getting tired from these constant quick movements. Thankfully, Akira felt intense Umbran magic coursing through his body.

He knew what to do to win this battle swiftly, with the click of his fingers, an ancient device was summoned behind the last firearm-wielding Hideous. The infernal looks back, a large iron maiden standing menacing behind it. The device's chest was wide open to show off its sharp spiked chamber. There was no time for the Hideous to react as it was pushed into the maiden by the bottom of Akira's right foot. It attempts to break free but the device is quicker, closing its doors to crush the infernal. Before exploding, the iron maiden burps full from its 'lunch' eliminating the Hideous.

To kill the last Hideous, Akira performs one of the first combo attacks his mum had him learn. Akira rushes at the Hideous displaying its chainsaw, he sends two heavy punches against the infernal before slamming it to the ground with a kick. The Hideous' face collides with the ground, squawking in pain. Raising his right arm, Akira strikes the air to summon an infernal punch from underneath the infernal killing it with the final blow. The battle was over.

The Umbra witch glances at his feline friend, whose eyes have turned into large white dinner plates flat facing Akira. "You- you just summoned a torture device?! That was an Iron Maiden, right?!"

Swiftly, Akira replies "It's another part of my Umbra witch training."

Mona forms a straight-faced expression, "Of course it is... I shouldn't be surprised anymore. You're like the jack of all trades."

A minor giggle leaves the witch's mouth, "I guess so..." His eyes widen upon realising what they've glossed by, "Wait, you summoned Zorro!" He crouches down to Mona's eye level, "This is amazing!"

The corners of Mona's mouth turn upwards, "Indeed it is! Does this mean Ryuji and Ann could use their persona in Purgatorio as well?"

Akira shrugs, "It's most likely... A couple of days ago I managed to summon Arsene in Purgatorio."

Mona hums in thought, "Interesting, maybe one day we can all go into Purgatorio and test our abilities." Akira nods in agreement, "For now, we should leave Purgatorio and get to Leblanc, we'll need to get up early in the morning for that art exhibition." Akira nods in agreement, drawing out the portal for them to walk back into the real world. The young teen picks up his shopping bags and walks alongside Morgana through the portal.