Chapter 13 / Lies and Truth
Monday / May 23rd, 2016 / Underground Walkway - Current Hideout / Evening
Ichihara Tadashi
With Yusuke joining the team we needed to ensure he would be able to keep up with the rest of us. But we wanted to keep up the momentum, and were able to navigate through Madarame's Palace in short order despite Yusuke being new to his powers. Then again it hadn't been much different for us in Kamoshida's Palace. It hadn't been that difficult when we had gone in and now it was time. The next step was sending the Calling Card. Naturally since it was the first time for Yusuke he had questions.
We all headed to the hideout after my conclusion with my night with Niijima-senpai. My mind was still completely on her though.
"A calling card, hm? Will he take it seriously?" Yusuke seemed skeptical. "He is famous, after all. He has often received slanderous letters till now, as well."
"He'll know best whether the crime written on it is for real or not," Ryuji was right. He would definitely take it seriously because his crime is not one that is widely known. Those aware of it were a very very short list.
"Wait. Are you going to write it again, Ryuji? That last one was questionable at best," Morgana frowned.
"You should do it then, Kitagawa-kun. Make it really artistic and stuff," Ann jumped in.
Yusuke shook his head, "No. It'll end with him figuring it out. He knows my drawing and writing styles all too well."
Ryuji jumped back into the conversation, "Oh, then I'll think it up, and you make it cooler!"
"Designing a calling card, hm... Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist," Yusuke said.
"Don't go overboard. It doesn't matter if people think the Phantom Thieves exist or not. That isn't why we're fucking doing this, remember?" I know if I just let them talk about it, it would only get worse.
"No worries, man. More importantly, it's decided," Ryuji moved away from the rails.
"Great! All that's left is to make the Treasure ours!" Morgana looked at everyone… which was weird since he was sitting in my bag on the ground. "You guys better come fully prepared."
"Don't worry, we got this covered," Ryuji waved, walking off and Yusuke following behind him.
"Yep, not worried at all," my voice was about as flat as it could be for that statement. Ryuji and Yusuke had disappeared from view leaving Ann and Morgan with me. "It wasn't like his card hadn't been effective last time, I guess."
"It's probably a good idea you aren't involved with it anyway. As the leader of the phantom thieves you shouldn't be too involved with all aspects of a job," Morgana pointed out.
"Besides, the more you are able to be a normal student, then maybe you can be the one that keeps suspicion of us in doubt. Or at least that is what I think," Ann said to me as she was adjusting her bag on her shoulder.
"Is that right?" I raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, it wouldn't matter. Everything I do or will do will be under scrutiny regardless. I am on parole."
"Which means that you should likely only be involved in the operations themselves and not everything else on this side," Ann emphasized her point by walking closer to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. "I know you don't exactly favor the word thief. But you know we aren't doing it for that reason. You know the more notice we get as Phantom Thieves, the more important for us is to be careful of our everyday lives. Ryuji on one hand already has a reputation of being out late and causing problems, so him running around wouldn't be suspicious at all. The same kind of goes for me too. I already told you my parents are usually out of the country for different things and I don't have many friends so it isn't unusual for me to be out late for work as a model or other things. I bet Kitagawa-kun is likely similar to me in this regard."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I stick out like a goddamn sore thumb because I'm the fucking new kid and have a criminal record to boot. So that's why I should let you guys take care of everything on this side, right?" I sighed again because I didn't have a leg to stand on to even hope of refuting her.
"That's right, so don't worry about it and leave it to us," Ann smiled. I guess she was trying to comfort me. I can appreciate the sentiment at the very least.
"Heading out then?" I asked her as she pulled out her phone and took a few steps away from me.
"Yeah, I figured I'd get some rest before tomorrow. I'll see you later, Tadashi. You better make sure you are rested up as well," Ann waved as she walked off.
"And then there were two," I sighed as I looked down at Morgana. "Guess we should head home for now."
"Everything alright? You seem kinda restless," Morgana pointed out as I'm picking up my bag that Morgana was in.
"Yeah, maybe. I guess I'm just wondering what had Niijima-senpai rushing out so quickly," I said as I started to move forward. Just one train to get back to Leblanc from here. I started navigating the halls of the station. It was almost automatic now. Funny how quickly I had somehow become acclimated to life in the city, even though my life had been out in a small country town for my entire life. I had experience in the city, sure, but that came because of my time in sports. A lot of good all of that experience would do me.
Life in the city had certainly not been anything like what I had expected. Of course I never considered having to live in the city while on parole for an assault charge I didn't commit. It was pointless to think about that aspect though. I had done enough thinking about it on my end to begin with. And a whole lot of good that had done me.
After navigating the crowds and station I stepped onto my train that would head back to Leblanc and thankfully got to snag a seat. I didn't feel much like reading at the moment but my phone went off indicating a new message.
Makoto: I'm sorry for abruptly leaving so abruptly.
I blinked and double checked the sender. Yeah, this was definitely Niijima Makoto who had sent it. Certainly not a message I would expect for her to send. I understood she had her reasons. Was it a sense of guilt or something else that was leading to her messaging me out of the blue. What had she said? Oh right, her Sister was heading home, right?
Tadashi: I feel like I should be the one apologizing if I made you late getting home.
Makoto: No, it's fine. It was my choice and I was fortunate to find that my sister hadn't returned home yet.
Tadashi: I presume she would not be happy if she learned you stayed out late?
Makoto: I doubt she would approve of me spending time with a boy after school to begin with.
Tadashi: In that case, I feel honored you would agree to spend time with me.
Makoto: I had a lot of fun. And I mean that.
Tadashi: But you are going to be poking around me because of that investigation you are being forced to do, right?
Makoto: Would you honestly answer all of my questions? On your connection to these Phantom Thieves?
Tadashi: Convinced of it already?
Makoto: The fact you don't give me a concise answer is why I don't have a choice.
Tadashi: Do what you have to do, Niijima-senpai. I understand.
I close my phone and sigh heavily. An action I feel I do more and more every day. I couldn't really blame her for suspecting me because she was right. My main concern was why she was being forced to look into it. And why she didn't seem to have the option to say no. Of course, me being coy isn't exactly helping me look any less suspicious but I really didn't want to lie to her.
"That student council president sounds like she has it rough," Morgana commented, who had been poking his head out of my bag on my lap as I had been texting back and forth with Makoto.
"Rough, huh?" I said as we heard the announcement of our stop coming up. "She's being pressured by someone, but honestly I don't feel like that is all there is to it. Well, hopefully it doesn't go too far beyond her following me around or whatever. No point in worrying too much about it when I don't know if I should be or not."
"That's true," Morgana replied as the train came to our stop and we finally made our way to Leblanc. "We should stay focused for tomorrow."
A short walk from the station and a turn down the street and we were stepping into Leblanc. And to a sight I hadn't expected.
"Ikakure?" I blinked as I saw two individuals sitting at a booth and one holding a child.
Kayane smiled when he saw me, "Good afternoon, Ichihara."
It shouldn't be odd that I am seeing him. He did ask me about the café I was residing at and I didn't hide it. I walked in and next to the table.
"Is this who you were talking about then?" The woman sitting opposite of him had copper colored hair that was currently pulled back into a simple ponytail, likely so it would be out of the way. Next to her was a young girl that had to be only a couple years old. Her hair was similar to the woman, but the hair was darker making it closer to almost burgundy color. I couldn't help but notice that the eyes of the girl were identical to Kayane. Blue as an azure sky.
"Let me introduce you," Kayane looked at me before indicating the woman. "This is my wife, Rise and that little one is our daughter, Mizore. Say hello, Mizore-chan."
The little girl waved at me, "Hello." Her tone instantly made me feel a bit more relaxed than I had been.
"Nice to meet you Mizore-chan," I smiled and gave a small wave back before looking to Kayane's wife. "And a pleasure to meet you as well Ikakure-san."
She offered me her hand, "I've heard quite a bit about you, Ichihara-kun. My husband seems to think you are more interesting than all the other people he's met in this area."
"Is that right?" I eyed as I shook her hand before looking back to Kayane. "So what brings you here? Bored?"
"Hmm... Yeah I think that is a good way to put it," Kayane chuckled to himself. "My wife wanted someplace quiet to meet up and I thought that a café like this would fit the bill, and it is a nice location. Pretty good curry too. Maybe seeing how the results of your date went."
I groaned, "No one is going to let that go, are they?"
"Judging from that response it sounds like you had a good time," Kayane chuckled.
I look over my shoulder to see Sojiro is dealing with a customer at the bar so likely he wasn't able to hear this conversation. "I'm sure my guardian would be pleased to hear your compliments on the curry though. Well, I won't get in your way."
"Mommy, I want Daddy!" the young Mizore was putting her hands up. Looks like she wanted Kayane to take her.
"I suppose I do want to spend time with the family. I haven't been given a lot of time to do that lately," Kayane's smile seemed to have a hint of something else in it. Sadness maybe?
"You suppose? Says the guy who called me at about one in the morning because he was restless and wanted to see me. And woke me up, I should add," Rise was teasing her husband as she was standing up. "Alright, Mizore you can sit with Daddy."
"Yay!" Mizore scooted her way to the edge of the booth and with the help of Rise was moved over to Kayane's side. But then Rise forced Kayane to scoot over as she pushed herself into the seat as well. Mizore was now clutching Kayane's side.
"How about you sit down for a bit?" Kayane suggested indicating the now free side.
I shrugged and put my bag on the ground and slipped into the booth across from them. "A bit of an odd place for two music idols to be at isn't it?"
Kayane chuckled, "Someone has done their homework. Or you've known all this time and haven't decided to bring it up." Meanwhile, his daughter was resting against Kayane and looked like she was about to fall asleep.
"I figured you had enough fans that would go crazy about seeing you," I commented. I had been pretty surprised when I made the connection to who he was. "Doesn't Synchronicity have a new album coming out in a couple months? Seems kinda odd that you've been around here and away from your family."
"It isn't really his choice. Kayane actually has a couple of jobs that he does, so he's here in regards to one that doesn't have anything to do with Synchronicity," Rise was the one to explain. "He probably told you before why we weren't with him."
"Yeah, mental shutdown cases are happening in the city. Considering a lot of people have been injured or killed because of it I can understand that," I nodded as I relaxed a bit in the seat. "So I guess you and Mizore-chan will be leaving soon?"
"Yeah, we have a friend picking us up later tonight," Rise confirmed. "So what do you enjoy doing Ichihara? Kayane seems to think school is a boring affair for you."
"I guess so. I was forced to come here, and even though it's a prep school, my class is a bit behind from what I was studying at my last school. I didn't have to study that intensely and I still topped my class in the mid-term. That might sound like boasting but I'm really not," I admitted and shook my head just thinking about what had happened since I arrived in Tokyo.
"And yet you were still two points behind the Student Council President and even had a date today with her as a result of that wager you made," Kayane was quick to point out. "Well it wasn't a real date though."
"There wasn't any romantic intent on my part to begin with," I was tired of trying to convince people on that part. "I was just worried about her."
"It doesn't always start with romantic intent you know," Rise added with a smile.
"Oh? You want to tell him about us now?" Kayane shared a look with his wife. I felt like the two were having a more complex conversation than I could understand. It was easy to tell that the two of them knew each other much more intimately than maybe even most husbands and wives ever could. One glance between the two of them could probably hold a whole conversation without saying a word. "I was not in a good place when I met Rise. And she knew quite a lot about me before I even realized who she was. To put it simply, she saved my life."
"Saved your life?" I raised an eyebrow.
"From suicide, essentially. There were complications but if it wasn't for her and my friends, I would be dead. She did more for me than I could ever properly express with words," Kayane explained but it was still vague. Sounds like it had been a complicated time in his life. Or for both of them.
"It was important for both of us," Rise stepped in. "The point being, I wanted to help him, because I was worried about him. It isn't like I sought Kayane out because I was attracted to him first. You have to be careful when you decide to help someone. If you keep involving yourself in her life, it's possible you will become more invested in it and then before you know it… your emotions and stance will change. That's no reason to turn your back on someone though."
"I know that. It just feels like it's a goddamn waste of time to think about what if's and just do what I can," I commented as my phone started to beep. Maybe I should watch my mouth a bit considering they have a kid with them. "Oh, sorry about my language…"
"Don't worry about it. I told you, he's got a good head on his shoulders," Kayane commented to his wife. "Sorry to hold you up, Tadashi-kun. You don't need to entertain us any more than you have. Thanks for taking the time though."
"Yeah, I need to take this," I said as I pulled out my phone and made my way out of the booth. "It's been nice to meet your wife and daughter. I hope you can come by here again the next time you're in town."
"We will if we can," Rise assured me. "Have a good night, Tadashi-kun."
"We should probably go too," Kayane commented as I was picking up my bag.
"I don't think your little girl is going to let you," Rise giggled. "Mizore has a death grip on your shirt."
I couldn't help but smile as I checked my phone and headed upstairs to my room. I was welcomed by a group chat that had already gone for a bit without me.
Ryuji: Yo, I tried changing the chat icon.
Ann: Looks the same to me.
Ryuji: Maybe it's just for the group and doesn't show up here...
Ryuji: Well, you should take a look later.
Ryuji: It's the Phantom Thieves logo I had Yusuke draw for us.
Ryuji: The calling card turned out great 'cause of him too.
Ryuji: Anyways, this is the first job for the Phantom Thieves. We really can't screw this up, k?
Ann: I know.
Ryuji: And make sure Yusuke gets a lot of rest today, OK?
Ann: Yup.
Ryuji: Welp, see y'all tomorrow!
Tadashi: I just got here and the conversation is already over?
Ryuji: Snooze you lose, man!
Tadashi: Really? "Snooze you lose?"
Ann: Pfft, lol.
Ryuji: Shut up!
Tadashi: Yeah, yeah, see you tomorrow.
Ryuji: Later!
Ann: See you in the morning, Tadashi.
I had put my bag down and Morgana had jumped free. I guess I should grab some food, but I have to do something else for tonight.
"Hey, Morgana, how about we make some more tools after I grab you some dinner?" I asked casually.
"Sounds like a plan. Best to be as prepared as we can be," Morgana nodded in agreement.
We were going to be stealing Madarame's Treasure tomorrow. Strangely that part of the day wasn't what concerned me. It was the fall out of what would happen after. How would things go from that point? If Madarame confessed to his crimes, how would the world react to the Phantom Thieves striking again? Would more people believe that the Phantom Thieves exist? And that was not really a good thing to begin with. The Phantom Thieves of Heart... Changing the hearts of those they target to confess their sins. It wasn't natural, it was an unbelievable ability. It defied the logic of the natural world. But maybe this was the true nature of the world. And if so… there was still a great deal more we didn't know.
The Metaverse was fucking terrifying thinking about it. A place tied to the unconscious of humanity. Able to literally change how a person acts. Taking away an individual's ability to choose for themselves. That thought was what conflicted me so much. Anyone that we target needs to have a significant reason as to why we target them. To me, they had to be individuals that weren't just bad people, but people that took choice away from others. I had to believe that doing so made them lose their own ability to choose. By forcing a change of heart, they would have no choice but to pay for their sins.
It still didn't change the fact that the power we held scared me. More than I would ever want to admit out loud. It isn't that I regretted our actions. No fucking way would I ever say what we did to Kamoshida was a mistake. And Madarame is the same. But, all of this was a power I never asked for, that I never wanted. Goddamnit.
I was going to head back downstairs to grab Morgana some dinner. I stopped at the top of the stairs as a thought came to me. What would Makoto think of this? What would her opinion be of the Phantom Thieves? I suppose it didn't matter, as long as she was investigating the Thieves I imagine I would find out.
After going up I started making some tools while Morgana ate and watched over my work. And I gave him a recap of my time with Makoto that he might not have seen or heard. It was nice to be able to unwind and just talk about it. Because parts of it had felt like a dream. But there was something else that crept into my mind.
The other thought that came to me was one that terrified me more than anything else. Did anyone else know about the Metaverse? And what did they do with that knowledge? And what would they do… if they found us?
Tuesday / May 24st, 2016 / Madarame's Palace / After School
Ichihara Tadashi
Of everything I can do I'm responsible for pulling a lever? I suppose I should be grateful I don't have to do the more difficult aspects of this heist. Though I have strong doubts it will be that easy for us to just snatch the Treasure and leave. Nothing ever happens that easily after all.
"It's finally time," Ryuji commented as we all walked into the upper control room area. Actually I'm not sure what the room was supposed to be called but it did have some controls in it so calling it a control room made sense to me.
"Yeah, so can you stop talking about the reactions you've read on the Phan-site about the calling card and fucking get serious? I really don't want to hear anymore about it. The calling card doesn't mean a goddamn thing if we fail here," I groan and shake my head. Ryuji was far too concerned with that stupid website.
"Dude, can't you get a little bit pumped about it? I mean we got people that believe in us now," Ryuji seemed proud.
"Believe in what exactly?" I just glared at him then shook my head. "We aren't here for them. We're here to protect people from being future victims and maybe give solace to those already victimized by Madarame. We are not here for a bunch of fucking nameless people on a goddamn website."
"Let's focus on the job," Morgana said. I think Ryuji was likely just enjoying the notoriety we get from that recognition on the Phan-site but I could care less. I hadn't even been on that site more than when it had been shown to me by Mishima. Why should I? Especially when Mishima was just texting me information about Mementos targets and Ryuji wouldn't shut up about it.
"There will be no turning back once we begin the operation," Yusuke was driving us back onto task.
"And if worst comes to worst, we might have to fight," Ann said, obviously not looking forward to the possibility.
"It's best to assume the worst is going to happen, so everyone needs to be on alert when pulling off their part, okay?" I took the chance to give a reminder to everyone.
"Then does that mean you're ready, Joker?" Morgana asked.
I nodded, "Let's get started. Everyone, head out to your positions." I gave the order and with that we all split. Ann and Ryuji left through the door we just came from to head to the security room downstairs and Morgana and Yusuke climbed up to the rafters access in the room. This left me alone. I sighed as I moved to the lever on the wall that controlled the hook that dangled over the Treasure. It was too easy of a setup. Ann and Ryuji would cut the power and at that moment I would lower the hook that would have Morgana attached to it. In the dark he could snatch the Treasure and then I would pull him back up and just like that we'd have it. It sounded way too easy. I highly doubt it would even be close to that simple. Then again I'm probably just paranoid. But taking that possibility into consideration was what I was supposed to do as the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
I wondered if my Grandfather would have stood at my side to defend me with what happened against that man. Whoever he had been had a significant amount of weight to throw around so likely such a gesture would only have troubled my Grandfather. No, it was better that my Grandfather didn't have to be around like this. To see his own son turn his back on his child. Ha, I hope my Father is ready for the afterlife and what Grandfather will say to him. What was family supposed to be anyway? People that are always there for you? People that believe you when others don't?
If that is the case, then family was something I didn't have in my life. A stray thought entered my mind. No, it was a name. Niijima Makoto, the student council president might know what it's like. She had her Sister, but it seemed both her parents died… and I hadn't heard anything of her having Grandparents. Maybe she did but they weren't nearby to affect her life. Her day to day was filled with school and the expectations put on her by the ones around her. She was under a great amount of stress. I think I saw that most in the final moments in the Beef Bowl Shop. For a brief amount of time I hope I was able to make her forget about her responsibilities, but they were never really gone. And the two of us were stuck in a rut because of our positions. I knew she was searching into the cause behind Kamoshida's change of heart, but she wasn't going to find an answer that makes logical sense. And as long as I was uncooperative she wasn't going to make much progress on it. Not without luck. How could I help her? No, I guess the real question was if I was able to help her to begin with.
"Joker, now!" Fox said just as the power went out.
I pulled the lever down. and waited. I counted it down in my head. Judging on the movement speed of the chain and the distance away it would only take around five to six seconds for Morgana to be able to grab the treasure. Giving him only a few more seconds after that. I flipped the switch back up, and hoped that Morgana had enough time. The emergency lights flipped on only a moment later and soon the door was opening as both Ann and Ryuji were coming back in.
"Do we have it?" Ryuji asked and caught his breath.
"You alright?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, no problem, I just had to lead someone on a wild goose chase. But I managed to shake him," Ryuji grinned.
"Well we should probably detach Mona from the hook, especially if he's holding the Treasure," I commented before running over and vaulting up to the entrance to the rafters. I quickly jumped across to where the hook was just as Morgana reached the top.
Morgana was laughing, "How's that for a skilled plan?"
"Yeah, good job. But we're only half done you know," I commented as Yusuke moved forward to pull Morgana off the hook.
"That was amazin', Mona," Ryuji gave him a clear compliment. Meanwhile there was definitely commotion going on down below.
"Probably wouldn't be a good idea to head back down where we came in from. Most of the doors will probably be locked down to trap us here," I commented as I watched guards scattering out of the main room below us. I had noted the window that was up here earlier. "Hope you guys are ready for some acrobatics."
"Ah, man," Ryuji must have watched where I was looking.
"I'll take the lead, so if I fall to my death, you'll know not to follow," I said as casually as possible as I jumped to the platform that was in front of the window.
"Not funny, Joker," Ann comments as she follows behind me. I jumped up to the window sill and looked back at her.
"I know, I'm a sick individual," I chuckled and then jumped out. Surprisingly the roof was much different than I expected. I hadn't exactly paid close attention to how the building looked at the top. There was more than enough room to move around. The others quickly followed out, and Morgana had the Treasure tied to his back. It was obviously the size of a painting. Just made you wonder exactly what the painting would be of. It wasn't too surprising I suppose, considering Madrame was an artist… or had been one at some point in his life. His distortion would take the shape of what caused the distortion to begin with. I had a feeling that knowing would be hard for Yusuke.
I started jumping down to lower platforms again and again. There was just enough height for it to not be an issue. At least for a while. But then we ran out of options and we found a doorway. One that was similar to the teleporting ones we had experienced in one portion of Madarame's Palace. There wasn't much point in turning around so without much fanfare we all jumped in. Surprisingly we came out in the Central Garden, through similar archways that had resembled those same teleporters we had found further in.
"It seems we managed to escape their siege," Yusuke commented as we moved towards the entrance of the Garden.
Morgana was suddenly making a lot of noise. I noticed he was pulling the Treasure off his back. "I can't take it anymore! Let's take a look at this Treasure!"
Normally I would object to this and try to push them to keep moving. But something felt off this whole time to me. It had been too easy to retrieve. "Let's confirm its contents before we escape."
Ann seemed surprised but nodded after a moment. Morgana put the Treasure on the ground and started to unwrap the purple cloth that covered it.
"Treasure!" Morgana said as he pulled that last of the purple cloth free and revealed the Treasure. "Hrm!?" It was about what I expected… it was less an artwork and looked more like a screwed up emoji. And I doubt something that looked like this would be the source of Madarame's desires.
"THIS is the Treasure!?" Ryuji was hardly shy of expressing his shock. Then something moved.
"Get back!" Yusuke called out.
I back flipped out of range just as everyone else jumped away from the Treasure and three poles jumped up and arced electricity between them. I turned to see we had a new guest. Shadow Madarame.
"Meddlesome vermin," he muttered as he came in with two of his Shadow guards at his side. One of them was holding something. "Is this what you're looking for?"
So he had swapped out the Treasure with a fake. Considering all he has done, such a move was basically something that fit him. "What nonsense that you used a mousetrap on me!" Morgana seemed annoyed.
"So you had a fake prepped, huh!?" Ryuji called him out. Well it didn't matter if Ryuji was a bit slow on the uptake.
"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art," Shadow Madarame scoffed.
"What made you change like this!? Is it because you became famous!? Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!?" Yusuke wasn't mincing words. I could only imagine how much he wanted to say to this man. The man that a part of him wanted to respect and admire, but now he was seeing him for who he truly was, and that the man he thought had talent and respect was nothing like that. He was a petty criminal that used others to do work he couldn't or wouldn't take the chance to do himself.
"...Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing. That's why I decided to look after her," Madarame looked to take a different tone. Had he been jealous of Yusuke's mother's passion? "Your mother and the artwork she created-they're all MY works of art!"
He stole Yusuke's mother's work?
"How low can you sink...?" Ann commented.
"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die-a glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri'...!" Shadow Madarame lifted his chin up, perhaps so he could look down on us in a way. But the 'Sayuri' was the painting that got Yusuke to want to become an artist. Was Madarame saying it was painted by Yusuke's mother and not him? Shadow Madarame gave a nod to the guard holding the Treasure and then the guard held it up for all to see.
This was the genuine Sayuri? Or rather the one before Madarame had modified it. In the one presented to the world, the woman was looking down and part of the appeal was that there was no indication as to why the woman in the painting had the expression she did. But this one did not have a mystery. In place of the cloudy blue and gray that was in the original one the world knew of...this one had a baby in the woman's arms. No one would ever mistake what that expression on the woman's face meant seeing that. It was one of love and concern for her child. One that any mother would have for their baby.
"That's the real 'Sayuri'...?" Yusuke shook his head. "This can't be...! Mom...!"
So, I was right. I had thought as much. Sayuri was in reality… Yusuke's mother.
"Indeed it is. This was painted by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of 'Sayuri''s expression!" Madarame was saying it as if it was his greatest accomplishment.
"You fucking bastard," I couldn't help but growl.
"You stole something THAT personal...!?" Ryuji was definitely getting angry as well.
Shadow Madarame continued and ignored our anger, "I knew at first glance. I knew it'd be a huge success, if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!"
"But the baby in the picture... Why did you paint over it..." Yusuke's voice was level, but he had to be angry.
"It was all to stage it. If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery. That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing," Madarame was proud of what he had done. Proud to capitalize on someone else's work. The fucking asshole deserved to be dragged through the mud so he knows what it's like.
"I always felt something was off about all this. Now I know what it is. If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn't even think about replicating it for profit! You don't love art at all!" Ann accused the man flat out.
"Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake," Morgana pointed out to the fake. The electrical poles had disappeared in the meantime. I could only imagine that Shadow Madarame meant to face us himself now. Just as the Shadow Kamoshida had.
"It makes me laugh, asshole," Ryuji added.
"So you'll defy me no matter what. Well then, since you're my work of art, Yusuke, I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future. Along with those insolent friends of yours there," Shadow Madarame glared at all of us.
"I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like they're objects. You're inhuman!" Ann was enraged with it, and so was I.
"Fox?" Morgana called out to Yusuke. He was standing there just looking at the ground, silent.
After a moment, he spoke. "I've heard that you destroy your 'art' once they outlive their usefulness. Did that include my mother as well?"
"She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. That's when a thought crossed my mind. If I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached," Shadow Madarame grinned.
"No... You let her die!?" Ann exclaimed.
"You Mother Fucker!" I tightened my hands into fists.
"She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure. Above all, Yusuke, didn't you think it was odd-that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind 'Sayuri.'" Shadow Madarame had pushed us all to the limits of our temper.
"You killed her...!" Yusuke's anger was definitely showing through. And it definitely should. If I clenched my hands any harder I was going to draw blood on my palms with my fingernails even with my gloves on.
"The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. If I'm to steal ideas, it's much easier robbing the future of brats who won't talk back than adults. It's thanks to you that I came up with the idea. You have my gratitude," Shadow Madarame had basically told us everything we could ever want to know. Everything for Madarame and Yusuke revolved around Yusuke's mother, her painting and death. It all originated from that point in time. This son of a bitch was going to get a beating to an inch of his Goddamn life! And I was going to enjoy every damn second of it.
Yusuke starts laughing, and not in a humorous way...but more like a madman. No, I think I understood it better than most. Yusuke then glared at the Shadow, "I thank you, Madarame. Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment. You aren't some rotten artist... You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"
"All you good-for-nothings...! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want... Those who have the connections make the rules; those who don't, follow them. Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!" Madarame was building up power. I guess it was time to finish this, once and for all.
I stepped back as I brought out my knife from my sleeve as the rest of them did the same, brandishing their weapons. The Shadows as well as Madarame and the Treasure all seemed to melt down into a pool of black paint and then what emerged was four separate paintings that floated in the air. Two eyes, one nose and a mouth. It laughed and stared down at us. "I'll paint all over you! Now... let's begin, you vermin!"
"You used others for your own despicable desires, Madarame... you aren't even worth the art you 'create'...!" Yusuke said as he brought up his katana.
Okay… what to do? Eyes first? I mean, do they actually function like eyes? Ah, hell… I don't know what the fuck to do. "Morgana, back us up. For now, everyone test out your attacks on the eyes." I gave the order as I switched my Persona to that of the Sun Suzaku and released that attack of Mafreila. The nuke attack hit all of the paintings. I guess that was somewhat hypocritical considering I told them to focus on the eyes. Still, it had mixed results. Some of the paintings took the hit and reeled back, but one instead seemed to be healed from it.
"Watch it! Their weaknesses and strengths are different," Morgana warned the others. Yeah, thanks for the obvious.
Ann, Ryuji and Yusuke all released their own attacks and stayed focused on the eyes. Ryuji and Yusuke opted for physical attacks while Ann launched fire. Turns out physical seemed the best way to go against the eyes at least. With that in mind I swapped Persona's again. This time to Matador and unleashed a flurry of hits against the paintings. Both the eyes fell but it left the nose and mouth. The paintings were undisturbed by the defeated eyes. The nose buffed the mouth's attack. Then the mouth rushed towards me. I jumped back but the teeth managed to get hold of my arm and bit down. I stabbed into the lip to make it release me but it had done its work.
"Jesus, that fucking hurt," I mutter as my left arm was limp at my side. Ann came rushing over and used the healing skill, Dia to heal my arm. Thankfully it hadn't dislocated my shoulder or anything like that, but with that the wounds in my arm closed.
"Be careful." Ann said.
"Right," I said as I saw Ryuji and Yusuke switch to their elements to pummel the nose into nothing.
"Hit the mouth with magic!" Morgana advised.
I switched back to Suzaku and hit the mouth with another nuke skill, followed by Ann's own fire attack and the mouth quickly fell.
The painting fell to the ground and dissolved into black paint again, and emerged from it was Shadow Madarame, "Dammit... I'm the great Madarame! The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit! I'm not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy!"
"Enough of your egotistic ranting! Taste the wrath of all those you've preyed upon!" Yusuke was aiming his assault rifle at Madarame. All of us with our guns pointed at the Shadow.
"You're not the one that gets to decide that. It's something all people like you need to learn. Not everyone is going to just stand by and put up with your bullshit!" I said as we all rushed in and quickly pummeled the hell out of Shadow Madarame before we were suddenly pushed back.
"I'm the great artist, Madarame! If you brats can't fathom that… Then you'll witness it for yourselves! Behold my master craft!" Shadow Madarame then let loose some sort of skill, and appearing at his side were… huh?
"Wha-!? He made copies of himself?" Morgana's voice called to us. "Ha, I see. Creating duplicates IS his specialty."
Four duplicates, but their robes had different colors. I swapped my Persona in response and took a guess. Unleashing a Garu attack at the copy in a dimmer yellow than the main one and causing it to fall to the ground. I tapped in Ryuji and he stepped up to release a Zio on the green robed copy, where he then passed on his turn to Ann, she released an Agi spell at the blue robe before finally giving Yusuke his turn in the baton pass and unleashed a Bufu on the red robed figure. Then without wasting a step, charged in and let Goemon hit the main Shadow Madarame be hit by a powerful physical attack, causing them all to collapse.
"Ugh. Stop this… Is this how you show your gratitude to the man who raised you!?" Shadow Madarame said.
"Silence! Don't waste your breath!" Yusuke growled back. As he unleashed another attack.
The Shadow Madarame quickly began to replace his duplicates as we defeated them. But they seemed random on what appeared. They hit hard, but I was able to make sure people were doing alright with the amount of medicine I had stocked up from Takemi-sensei. This was clearly going to be a battle of endurance.
We beat down another set.
"Damn it! Damn it! Don't you know what will happen by defying me?" Shadow Madarame was still trying to act like he was in control. When the truth was quite the opposite.
"You think we'll be daunted by such threats!?" Yusuke pressed the attack.
We didn't get long to hurt him before he went back into the pool of black paint and was replaced once more by the four paintings. "Grrr... impertinent brats! It seems you need a good whipping to make you understand!"
"Keep it up guys. Assume the weaknesses haven't changed," I ordered. We quickly went right back to work. This time I was much more prepared when the mouth attacked. This time his attacks were more widespread though, and because I had Morgana focused on support I took up healing duties so Ann could focus on attacking. Ann, at one point, had gotten covered by black paint by the nose. We had no idea what it was but we quickly found out that it had made her intensely vulnerable. The mouth had nearly taken her arm if it hadn't been for Ryuji and I jumped in to pry it off of her. I had quickly used my best healing skills to close the wounds while Ryuji and Yusuke distracted the paintings. It was a scare but we recovered and Ann was back and wanting payback. Once more we knocked down the paintings and got the real Shadow Madarame to appear thanks to Ann's renewed fervor. However, just as quickly he took a few hits from us and then disappeared back into the black paint. The four paintings appeared again for the third time.
"He's changed again," Morgana was trying to come up with something. "What do we do!?"
Yeah, continuing like this was pointless. If there was... paint? Yeah...there were buckets of paint nearby. they had been here in the Garden since the first time we had come through here. If it was similar to the black ink it was using to form into the paintings...maybe it would change the situation? It was worth a shot, "That paint over there."
"Isn't that the same thing Madarame's been using?" Morgana came to the same conclusion as I had. If it was similar to what he had done to Ann, then it would turn this fight on its head. "Let's try covering him with paint."
"Fox, I'll leave this to you. Make sure you cover all of them," I said looking at Yusuke.
"Just wait for my signal," Yusuke said before he ran off and Ryuji and I jumped in to attack.
"Keep him distracted until Fox is ready. It doesn't matter if it hurts him or not," I gave orders to the others. We continued to press the attack. I unleashed a nuke attack with Suzuka before switching to Orobas and letting a wide fire attack go. Ann, Ryuji and I pressed the attack again and again while Yusuke moved into position.
"Take this!" Yusuke rushed in with a bucket and a large brush that I imagine he had found. He splashed the contents of the bucket onto the paintings and then covered missing spots with the brush the next instance, before discarding both and jumping back next to us with his sword in hand.
"Wh-What the...!? My powers... They're suddenly draining," the Paintings were in a panic.
"Good," I switched to Matador. "Rampage!" Matador rushed and a flurry of strikes on all of them downed the paintings with minimal effort. And coming up from the black paint was Shadow Madarame.
"Ngh... D-Damn brats..." Shadow Madarame glared at us. "Even if you cry for help someday... you'll regret this. No adult will help you..."
"Adult? Just what exactly is an adult, anyway? I never needed help. I will do all of it under my own power. And so will all of my friends here," I said as I met his glare head on.
"You brats!" He then summoned more of his copies but something was clearly wrong with them. "I… what? But how?"
"It seems like you can't make a perfect copy all the time," Morgana called out.
"Hmph, even your copies are subpar. Do not disgrace me any further than you have," Yusuke shook his head as we all pressed to attack this time, taking out the copies with relative ease.
"Fox, now!" I yelled as I finished my own attack.
"I hope you're prepared to go down, Madarame!" Yusuke called out as we quickly rushed in. We didn't relent. And after our all out attack… Madarame fell to the ground. No more black paint to retreat to… no more power to create copies… he had been defeated.
"Eek...!" Madarame stumbled back and scattered to collect his Treasure that was behind him. The gold framed genuine 'Sayuri' that he had gone on to modify for his own benefit. Allowing Yusuke's mother to die just so he could claim it for his own without anyone around to say otherwise. Then took Yusuke in simply so he could watch over him and assure that the child would never learn the truth. This man deserved no mercy from us… much less Yusuke. So I said nothing as Yusuke approached the man who he had considered his adopted Father. The one individual that he wanted to believe would be family. But that lie had been exposed for what it is. Now it was up to Yusuke exactly what would happen from here. Madarame continued to talk to begin pleading for his life, "No one cares for true art... All they want are easily recognizable brands. I'm a victim in this too! Wouldn't you agree?"
"You are a victim?" I shook my head. "You gave up the fight and allowed yourself to become a victim. And you think that justifies you ruining the lives of others? For letting a woman die? You are not a victim. You're just a fucking scumbag and murderer that exploited people because you didn't have the guts to express yourself with your own art!"
He shook his head, "The art world revolves around money after all... You can't rise up without any money. Yusuke, you understand, don't you? Being a poor artist is truly miserable. I just didn't want to return to that life."
That was his motivation for all of this? He saw his golden ticket to success and fame...to money. He gave up art because he feared he would never be recognized for his work. In the end, he was nothing but a coward.
"A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art. You're done for, along with this whole wretched world," Yusuke had clutched the front of Shadow Madarame's gold kimono, and it terrified the Shadow.
"No, please! Just don't kill me!" the Shadow pleaded.
After a long moment Yusuke threw the Shadow back and released his grip. The Shadow quickly caught his breath. Yusuke looked down at the prostrated Shadow, "Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes-all of them."
"Y-You're not going to kill me?" Shadow Madarame looked surprised.
"Swear it!" Yusuke demanded a response to his conditions.
"All right... All right!" Shadow Madarame nodded. "Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?"
I blinked. What did he say? Other one? A black mask? I immediately scoped our surroundings, but there weren't many places to hide here...even up above was within visual sight of us. I turned back and stepped forward, "Who? What black mask?"
"Wait, who's he talking about?" Ann spoke up.
"It can't be. There was another intruder besides us within this Palace?" Morgana was shocked too. This wasn't good.
To make things worse we felt everything start to shake. The Palace was going to fall apart. Dammit! This meant we wouldn't be able to look for any clues about this Black Mask. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Now you're telling me that there is someone else running around in Palaces and Momentos? This was a bunch of bullshit.
"There's no time! Hurry!" Ryuji shook me out of my thoughts.
Morgana then jumped forward and turned into the van he takes form as in Momentos. This would definitely be a lot faster. "Get on!" Morgana called out.
Ann and Ryuji jumped in. Yusuke gathered up the Treasure and I waited for him. Shadow Madarame called out to Yusuke one more time.
"Hey, Yusuke... What should I do?" Shadow Madarame asked, desperate.
"Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once," Yusuke said simply. He then started to walk away.
"No, wait! Please! Yusuke! Yusukeee!" Shadow Madarame called out. I got it. I guess a part of Madarame really did care for Yusuke. If I imagine he did have guilt for what he had done, but he had shoved it down and his distorted desire made him too far gone to ever atone for what he had done. I could only believe that despite Madarame maybe using Yusuke for his art… a part of him would always do what he could for Yusuke.
"Sorry, Madarame. You realized much too late what you have done. This is the only path left to you," I said to him as Yusuke jumped into the Morgana van. "If any part of you has ever cared for the boy you took in...then do what's right and confess to all you have done." I hopped into the driver's seat and hit the gas. Then we left the Palace and the Metaverse behind.
Thankfully the escape hadn't been as rough as the one out of Kamoshida's and we exited without a problem. Then we were all standing outside Madarame's shack in our school uniforms. I pulled out my phone and turned the screen on.
"The destination has been deleted," the woman's voice of the Metaverse Navigator informed us.
Morgana hopped up onto my shoulder from my bag, "It would be bad if people started getting suspicious of us. We should leave at once."
"Yusuke, c'mon," Ryuji had forgone his last name it seemed. Well, that was just like him I suppose.
"Right," Yusuke was holding the treasure in his hands. He looked at the shack once more, "Goodbye, Sensei." No doubt, this was the final respect he would give the man who had been his foster father.
We all made the long walk back to our secret headquarters at the station. It didn't take us very long, but just as a precaution we had all split up and taken slightly different routes to get there. Making sure no one had followed us before we finally reconvened at the underground walkway. Then we all finally relaxed.
"I guess the mission was a success. All that's left is to see if he had a change of heart or not," Ryuji sat down against the railing and took a drink from the can he had in his hand. "Ugh, so bitter... Why'd you get it black?" I guess Ann had gotten them drinks on the way here.
And from the look on Ann's face it might be payback from the time he had gotten drinks for them.
"The 'Sayuri'," Yusuke breathed looking at the Treasure. The original version...more like the true version of 'Sayuri'.
"You're not gonna get all teary-eyed and say stuff like "Mom!" are you?" Ryuji was trying to keep it away from a more serious conversation. Considering everything today I can appreciate that.
"But you know it is his mother," I pointed out.
"To think that this painting was the source of Madarame's distorted desires. The only saving grace is that my mother won't know of what transpired," Yusuke had a slight smile on his lips. I guess he truly did take that as a comfort. Although Yusuke never knew his parents...I guess that doesn't stop you from loving them. I wish I could say the same about mine.
My parents were too dull...too normal to ever have done anything with their lives. All they wanted was a normal everyday life...and a son they could brag about. Once they lost that, they couldn't get rid of me fast enough. In this regard I would consider Yusuke lucky to never be able to experience that. Although Madarame had been his foster father… so I guess he can understand part of it. The four of us were all similar in this regard. Ann's parents were overseas...leaving her to her own devices. Ryuji was seen as a delinquent and his Father was a drunk. It probably didn't leave him with that good of a relationship with his Mother. And Yusuke now didn't have a guardian at all. And Morgana… well who knows what the hell he was. Fuck if we don't make one hell of a dysfunctional group.
"The genuine painting at his atelier has been altered, after all. Ironic as it may be, this one here is her true self-portrait now," Morgana was right. The original would never look like the one Yusuke had in his hands again.
"It's a wonderful painting," Ann smiled. "And although it took some time, it's in your hands now, Kitagawa."
"Your mother did paint it for you," I added.
Yusuke nodded, "I'm thankful for it. However, it's impossible for this painting to be acknowledged by society anymore."
"That hardly matters. I'm curious though. Is Sayuri your mother's name?" the question popped out. I had been wanting to ask for it for a while.
"No. I doubt it's the name of any woman in particular. I bet it was to make it more mysterious-just a part of Madarame's foolish staging," Yusuke answered. That made a lot of sense. I figured it was what it was but I wanted to confirm it to put this whole thing to bed.
"Well, it would've been obvious that he plagiarized it if he had used the real name," Morgana said. That wasn't actually true but I'll let it go, I was satisfied with the answers I got.
"So this is my mother. There's no way that I would remember her face clearly. But I was right about the rush of emotions I felt when I saw this painting," Yusuke smiled.
"Did you know there was actually a study done that children that are separated from their mothers in their youth will know almost instinctively who their mother is when they meet her later in life?" I decided to spout something I had read in a scientific journal. "It isn't a hundred percent, but I think it's kind of messed up to have research like that actually exists."
"Is that right?" Yusuke seemed to understand my intent and chuckled a bit.
Ryuji stood to his feet and burped, I guess finishing the can of coffee he had.
"Stop that," Ann glared at him.
"You're so vulgar, Ryuji," Morgana shook his head.
Ryuji ignored them and looked at Yusuke, "So, what're you gonna do now? We're gonna keep targetin' big shots."
"Way to speak for the whole group, Ryuji," I said. "We're only going to target ones that deserve it. Big or small."
"Why do you do such things?" Yusuke asked.
"It's to get back at scumbags and like... society in general. We also wanna give courage to the people that're sufferin' 'cause of selfish adults," Ryuji seemed unsure how to properly explain his reasons. I would hardly clump it all together as the group's desires though.
"Courage, hm... What good does that do? You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?" Yusuke was curious about it. Ryuji didn't have an answer.
"Do you believe you would be happy if you remained ignorant of Madarame's actions?" I countered.
"I don't know," Yusuke admitted.
"We can't really know, and facing the reality of our situations is never easy. Maybe it won't make you happy at first. It might even seem impossible to get there ever again. But I believe over time… life will have more meaning. And it would only propagate a world where men like Madarame will use and step on people that are too content with just surviving day to day, without ever standing up for what they believe in. Even if it means forcing people to face that, I believe it is for the better. Nothing is gained from stagnation and unquestioning compliance. It's why individuals with power continue to get away with what they do… by people too afraid to fucking act," I told him.
"Yeah. There's no knowin' whether it'll turn out good for everyone or not. Still, we won't know unless we give it a try," Ryuji backed me up.
"In other words, it all depends on the person, hm? Then the same can be said about myself right now. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act. Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire," Yusuke smiled. I guess that couldn't be denied. Considering how different Kamoshida and Madarame's Palaces had been...who knows what else we might see.
"You really only think about art, huh? You're impressive," Ryuji complimented him.
"Well I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?" Yusuke said and more or less stated he was joining the Phantom Thieves from now on.
"No worries! I've got us covered," Ann chipped in. "Plus, we have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously."
"How about it, Joker?" Morgana asked. "We can give our calling cards a lot more oomph if we have Yusuke on our team."
"Please stick to my actual name outside the fucking Metaverse," I grumbled and scratched my head. I looked at Yusuke, "If it's what you want to do, I won't stop you. Just understand there are risks by continuing to do this. You have the option to leave and live a normal life without Madarame's influence. None of us would blame you for doing that. Honestly, I'd prefer it."
I wish I could back out, and not look back. If I was a lesser person then maybe I would. Ann had faced me head on. Had basically told me I was being a coward and that turning my back on these powers and abilities would be an insult to what my Grandfather had taught me. And she was right. I knew that from the bottom of my heart. But I had my reasons to hold onto those beliefs as strong as I did. Just as Ann and Ryuji had their own reasons for wanting to stick with the Phantom Thieves.
"I can tell why you are the leader. Do you always show such concern for your comrades?" Yusuke was smiling.
"No, I'm just a selfish asshole," I said flatly.
"Tadashi will always do what he believes is right. Regardless of what anyone says. He cares about others, even if he wants to deny it," Ann said as she moved next to me and looked at Yusuke. "He is just emphasizing that this is dangerous. It's possible something could happen to us along the way. But I also strongly believe that what we do is right. We all do."
"Well then, please, count me among your ranks," Yusuke said after a moment.
Morgana steered the conversation again after that, "At any rate, I'm curious. Another intruder besides us, huh?"
"Our only clue's a black mask, so that doesn't necessarily mean it's just one person, right?" Ann brought up a good point. Just because the Shadow Madarame had seen a solitary black mask doesn't mean he had seen others that might have been working with the black mask.
"But there's no way to check anymore. The Palace is gone," Ryuji stated.
"I'll try probing Madarame. I may be able to learn something from him," Yusuke suggested.
"Are you sure? I mean..." Ann looked doubtful.
"I'll contact you all if anything turns up," Yusuke added.
"We should probably exchange our contact info with you then," Ann said and we all pulled out our phones. We quickly exchanged information with Yusuke.
I doubt Yusuke would learn anything. An individual isn't aware of what happens in their Palace after all. Still, it meant that I should be more paranoid than I already was with people we encountered in reality. No doubt that people would be looking into the Phantom Thieves… and someone aware of the Metaverse would be more than equipped with the knowledge to find us.
"An artist and a phantom thief... It seems I'll be engaging in two trades from here on. Very well. You only live once, after all. Still, the incident about this other intruder does concern me a little," Yusuke said.
"Let's drop that for now," I said and shook my head. Seriously, am I the only one bothered by the word thief? I don't believe anything I've ever done to be wrong. I would never want to disappoint my Grandfather. But I'm sure he would have believed in me. "I'm fucking heading home." I gather up my bag. "Good job everyone."
I had enough for today. And even as Morgana protested and said goodbye to the others from the inside of my bag I walked off. Right… or wrong… I didn't have the right to make those decisions. But these people we targeted took that right away from others. So I was more than happy to extend the same fate they gave the others. I would take away their choice, and force them to pay for the crimes they committed. For the rest of their goddamn lives.
A/N:
One of the most important aspects of Tadashi as a character is his fear of the power that the Phantom Thieves have, and one of the things that define him. I truly do think that one of the most underestimated aspect of humanity is it's ability to choose and have the power for that choice to be meaningful, regardless of the nature of that choice. As Tadashi points out in the first section of this chapter, they are forcing the "villains" to confess to things that if nothing had changed might never had admitted to. But it also points to another aspect to the entire plot of the game. And that it is the source of Palaces, the distorted desires.
There is a lot of good discussion about this to be had and leans to the supernatural part of the series and moral discussion about if the villains were victims as well. This leans towards the timing of the Metaverse and how active it might have been a factor leading up to the start of the story. As all things tend to be in this series, the Metaverse would be something that always existed but not always a huge factor until something started to twist its purpose. Persona 3, the existence of Nyx was always there but the scales changed with what the Kirijo Group had attempted to jump start The Fall, and set things in motion. Persona 4 was started because of the split of Izanami and the different aspects trying to prove a point. But that kind of is what most of them are. Even the original Persona 1 and 2 games were more about Philemon and Nyarlathotep wager on if humanity could become "enlightened" beings.
From Tadashi's perspective he narrows it down to something specifically that he can't abide with, and that is removing people's ability to choose for themselves. He recognizes that some people aren't really confident enough to speak up for themselves, or act when they should. And that there are those that will exploit them. As was the theme of the game, about societal demands, and feeling trapped, or imprisoned by those expectations. In a lot of ways it correlates to how there is so much that one individual can't fight against in their life. People with power, influence and money, and how they can in a lot of ways ruin a peoples life, and this game is that fantasy of fighting against that. But also about how power corrupts. I imagine for Madarame, who is framed like he did most of it intentionally, I have to think that maybe the first time he claimed someones art as his own that he was at his wits end. Maybe he had been creatively bankrupt because he couldn't make ends meet. But then he was able to see success when one of his students produced something amazing. Then he tried it again, then again, each one working out. Then at some point in there is when that desire twisted and distorted.
Ultimately I think the Metaverse turned their desires up to eleven, but every one of them started with very normal and maybe desperate situation that they very consciously made that choice. None of them are innocent, but the escalation likely only got worse as time went on because of the distortions.
With Madarame's Palace out of the way, the story is going to be shifting with a lot more presence of Makoto. I hope you'll enjoy it. See ya next month.