5/11 Wednesday
She had gone over her supplies one more time. Their last romp through the palace had nearly depleted all of their supplies. So as she walked into school, she made a mental note to restock before making another attempt.
"If only we had a bit more manpower." Morgana sighed. "Getting through the palaces would be a lot easier with more members."
"Well, at least we have some time to restock before we meet with Yusuke again." she mentioned.
She saw a crowd of students gathering around the bulletin board.
"Another assembly? During exam week?"
"Is it about Kamoshida again?"
"What a pain…"
She glanced at the bulletin board, seeing that there was, in fact, an assembly on the 13th.
"Must be very urgent if they're having it at such an awkward time." she mused.
She went to her class, easily getting through the exam, none of the problems proving to be a challenge with her studies.
"You… wanted to see me, sir?"
Ann Takamaki cautiously walked inside of the principal's office.
"Yes, it's very urgent." the principal said. "This is… about Mr. Kamoshida."
"Oh…"
"I'm sure you've heard about the calling card and these 'Phantom Thieves', right?" Kobayakawa asked.
"I have…" Ann muttered. "But I don't really know who's responsible."
"Then… Do you have any idea of people who knew about Kamoshida's… abuses? As principal of this academy, it is duty to keep you all safe, so anyone in the position to do something, but didn't must be punished."
She was a little skeptical, and yet, she realized that this might be her only chance…
"I think… Niijima knew." Ann whispered. "She knew, but… she didn't do anything. She just let people suffer."
"I see… that is a very serious accusation." the principal said. "Do you have any proof of this?"
"W-Well… no, but…" Ann trailed off.
"Well… might I suggest keeping an eye on Niijima-san and her friends?" the principal smiled. "If you happen to find anything suspicious, you could always report it to me."
"R-Really?" she stammered.
"Of course!" the principal beamed. "I'm willing to do anything I can to make this school a safer environment. With that being said… I was also a bit concerned about the Phantom Thieves."
"The Phantom Thieves? Why them?" she asked.
If anything, she felt thankful towards the Thieves. She had even felt comfortable enough to send a request on the Phan-Site.
"They have quite a few students concerned. They went after Kamoshida before, but who knows who they'll go after now. We cannot allow people to enact justice based on their own rules."
She saw his point, but...
"I don't plan to punish them for the Kamoshida incident, but I should talk to them before this gets out of hand.
That was, of course, a lie. He planned to expel and report them to his superiors, but she didn't need to know that.
"If you happen to find anything out about them, do tell me." the principal requested.
"Yeah…" Ann trailed off. "Is that all?"
Truth be told, she didn't trust the tub of lard as far as she could throw him… which, considering that he was, again, a tub of lard, wasn't very far.
But if there was a chance that she could find the Phantom Thieves, then maybe...
"One more thing." Kobayakawa told her. "There's a few specific students I'd like you to keep an eye on…"
5/12 Thursday
"Oooh, we can do this!"
"Oooh, we can do this!"
"Oooh, we can do th-"
"Quiet!" she hissed at Morgana. "They'll hear you."
Morgana tucked his head back into her bag, hiding away from the other students.
Once again, she blazed through the exam questions, none of them proving to be a challenge.
As soon as exams finished for the day, she saw Ryuji waiting for her outside of the school gate.
"Hey, Makoto, I just thought of this awesome new move!"
"A… new move?" she repeated.
"Yeah, come here a second!"
Ryuji pulled her aside, away from anyone who could overhear the two of them.
"We were strugglin' in the palace before, so I came up with an awesome combo move that help out a bunch." Ryuji bragged.
"Really?!" she gasped. "That sounds amazing! You have to tell me all about it."
"W-Well… I mean, now that you're getting all excited…" Ryuji trailed off, sounding a little embarrassed. "It's… not really that great. It's just kinda somethin' that I came up with after I watched some anime. I was… you know, just joking around. We don't really need to… unless."
"Ryuji, just tell me." she requested. "I doubt it's that bad."
Ryuji sighed, but relented, telling her about his special move.
"It's pretty dumb, huh?" Ryuji nervously chuckled. "We can probably just ign-"
"Sounds interesting." she smiled. "Ok."
"Yeah, I figured you'd… wait, for real?!" Ryuji yelled.
"It sounded really promising to me." she said sincerely. "It sounds a bit like manga I was reading myself."
"Really? What manga?" Ryuji wondered.
She began explaining it to him, a big smirk growing on his face as she did.
"Man, you really are the Fist of the Phantom Star, huh?" Ryuji grinned.
"...I'm never escaping these nicknames, am I?" she sighed.
"So, you really think that my idea was cool?" Ryuji wondered.
"I do." she nodded. "I think we should try it out."
Suddenly, a bright light started shining from her backpack.
"Ah! What's going on?!" Morgana cried.
She quickly reached into her bag, pulling out the object in question.
"This is the star that Jose gave us…" she trailed off.
"Oh! It's like a shooting star, yeah?" Ryuji grinned. "Maybe it's granting our wish to get this awesome move to work!"
"You might be right…" she said, staring at the star as it's light began to fade.
"We gotta try it the next time we're in the Metaverse!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Aw man, now I'm super hyped!"
She listened to Ryuji go on about their special move for a while before heading home.
As she approached her apartment, a voice called out to her.
"Hey inmate!"
She whipped around, seeing the twins standing near a velvet room door.
She looked around, seeing that nobody else seemed to notice the door but her.
"What are you waiting for, Inmate?!" Caroline snapped. "Get in here!"
Curious as to what they wanted, she followed their demands, traveling back to the Velvet Room.
"Have you obtained the Persona that we requested from you?" Justine asked.
Right. The Jack Frost with Mabufu…
"I have it with me." she nodded.
The twins took a moment to look it over, before nodding approvingly.
"You said they have Jack Frost in your world." Justine recalled. "We would like you to bring us to him."
"You mean… like in a store?" she asked. "Well… ok."
She glanced at Igor one more time before, who gave his approval, before exiting the velvet room with the twins.
"And this is a store!" she told them. "Specifically, a toy store."
Much like actual young children, the twins were brimming with curiosity, wanting to know about everything that caught their eyes in her world.
"A toy store?" Justine repeated.
"Yes. There are all kinds of different stores that sell various products. This one specializes in toys, like the plushies I told you about." Makoto explained.
"Show them to us now!" Caroline ordered.
She led them through the aisles until they reached the section where the familiar mascot was.
"W-What the?!" Caroline gasped. "You turned Jack Frost into some plush toy?!"
"N-No, it's not the real Jack Frost!" she exclaimed. "It's just a plush that someone made. It's completely fake!"
The twins looked at the toy again, frowning when they saw that it currently lay on the top shelf.
"Justine! It's time!" Caroline cried.
"What are they planning?" Makoto thought
"Caroline. Commence Tower Formation!" Justine ordered
"I'm on it!"
Caroline climbed atop Justine's shoulders, trying to reach the top shelf.
Oh. That's what they were planning.
She effortlessly grabbed the plush and handed it to the twins.
"We didn't need any help, inmate!" Caroline snapped.
The twins attempted to take the plushie out of the store, so she quickly ran to stop them.
"W-Wait!" she stammered. "You can't just take it out of the store! You need to pay for it!"
"Pay? What do you mean?" Justine wondered.
"Things in a store cost money." she told the wardens. "You need money in order to buy them."
"So, you take the mythological creatures and gods of various cultures throughout history, and find a way to profit from them." Justine observed.
"You humans sure are greedy!" Caroline smirked.
The twins continued staring at the plush toy in their hands.
"Do you… want me to buy it for you?" she asked.
"W-Were not children, inmate!" Caroline snapped. "We don't care about toys!"
"We simply require it for… research purposes." Justine excused.
"...If you say so." she said, trying to hide her amusement.
She bought the plush toy for the two girls, and the three of them returned to the entrance of the Velvet Room.
"This has been quite the valuable experience." Justine smiled.
"You need to bring us other places to, inmate!" Caroline ordered. "After you finish our other assignments, that is!"
As the twins began instructing her on the next Persona that they wanted her to bring them, she felt the voice whisper to her again… she still wondered who they were…
I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Strength Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…
STRENGTH CONFIDANT: RANK 1
After the twins finished instructing her, she headed home for the day, hoping to relax after a long day of exams.
5/13 Friday
Exams once again passed by without issue, but instead of going home afterwards, she had to go to the assembly instead.
She found a spot amongst the crowd, watching the principal stand up on the podium, clearing his throat.
"Due to recent events, many of you have voiced concerns that I simply can't bear to ignore!" Kobayakawa began. "We believe that the mental health of our student body is of the utmost importance, so we've acquired the services of a therapist.
That caught her attention. While she doubted it was with the best of intentions, having a therapist at the school would certainly be helpful.
"The floor is yours, Doctor." the principal said before stepping away from the mic.
A brown-haired man in glasses and a white lab coat walked up the mic, giving of an easygoing air.
"It's nice to meet you all!" the man greeted.
The man frowned, adjusting the mic, thinking that there must be something wrong with it.
"My name is Takuto Maruki." the man said. "Thank you for welcoming me to your school."
Maruki tried to give a bow… only to bang his head against the microphone, causing a bunch of laughter amongst the crowd of students.
"A-Anyway, there's no need to be formal with me. I'm just here to help anyone who's interested." Maruki said. "If it makes you comfortable, you can even call me Doc. I'll be willing to assist you with any problems you have… although, I'm not really good with helping with money problems.
The crowd started laughing once again, and even she couldn't help but give a small smile.
He seemed a little silly and clumsy, but after Kamoshida, that silliness was a welcome change of pace.
"...Thank you, Dr. Maruki." the principal said, "Now then, in other news…"
After the assembly had ended, she met Ren and Ryuji near the exit.
"Tch… like this place really gives a shit about our mental health." Ryuji scoffed.
"While he was likely only hired to save face, hopefully Dr. Maruki will be able help out anyone who was affected by Kamoshida." she said.
"Yeah. That's what's most important." Ren nodded.
"Yeah, but I don't know about that Doctor… um, whatever his name was." Ryuji muttered. "He was just clowning it up onstage. Could a guy like that really be helpful to us?"
"Ryuji…" Ren hissed.
Ryuji turned around, seeing Maruki himself approaching them.
"Hey there." Maruki greeted. "Sakamoto-kun, Amamiya-kun, and Niijima-san, right?"
"How come you already know our names?" Ryuji asked, his gaze filled with suspicion.
"Well, I was informed of several students before my tenure here." Maruki frowned. "Specifically… students involved with Kamoshida."
"I suppose that makes sense…" she sighed.
"I know that I already offered my services to the entire school during the assembly, but I wanted to ask you three personally if you were interested in counselling." Maruki asked.
"Nope. Not interested." Ryuji quickly said.
"H-Huh?" Maruki stammered.
"Is that really surprising?" she asked.
"I wasn't expecting such an immediate refusal." Maruki admitted. "Oh! But, if you come to my office, you can get free snacks!"
"We ain't little kids!" Ryuji snapped.
She shook her head. "Do you really believe that that's all it will take to get us to-"
"Snacks?!" Ren gasped. "...Tell me more about these snacks."
"Renren, no, it's a trick!" Ryuji yelled.
Maruki frowned again. "To be frank, I've been ordered to provide counseling with any students who were involved with Kamoshida. It's… in the school's interest and the students."
"The school's interest, huh?" Ryuji scoffed. "Just like how it was in 'the school's interest' to ignore Kamoshida's victims until his crimes got on the news?!"
Maruki winced. "I know that asking you to trust a complete stranger like it is a tall order, and that mandatory counselling isn't very helpful, but I really do want to make this worthwhile for you. Maybe… I could teach you ways to improve your mental acuity."
"Mental what?" Ryuji asked, confused.
"I could help you hone your concentration on exams, or not get nervous on dates." Maruki explained. "How does that sound?"
"Mental acuity…" she mused. "That could be useful… for exams, of course! And for in the Metaverse!"
She had to admit that she was suspicious of his motives. Was he only doing this because he was ordered to, or did he really care?
"Annnd I've got snacks!" Maruki chimed.
Ren immediately perked up. "We accep-"
"Would you quit it with the snacks!" Ryuji snapped.
"I accept." Makoto said.
"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Don't tell me you want his snacks to, Makoto!"
"It's not that." she denied. "It's just that it would be more trouble if we didn't go."
"Guess you've got a point." Ryuji relented.
"Really?" Maruki asked, pleasantly surprised. "Well, I'll be in the nurse's office, so stop by whenever you like!"
"Thank you for taking my counseling into consideration." Maruki smiled. "Now that we have a deal, I promise that I'll do my best to help you.
As Maruki thanked her for her cooperation…
I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Councilor Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…
COUNCILLOR CONFIDANT: RANK 1
"Hey, what's the hold up?" Ryuji called.
"I need to get going." she said, excusing herself.
She caught up to the boys, walking back to class with them.
"I know that they're gonna force us to go to counselling, but can we really trust that guy?" Ryuji muttered.
"I'm not sure." she admitted.
"Well, I'm willing to go first." Ren shrugged. "I figure that the staff really has their eye on me, so I should just get it over with."
"You just want the snacks, don't you?" Morgana smirked, peeking out of her bag.
"W-Well… I guess there's that too…" Ren muttered.
She let out a giggle, while Ryuji groaned.
"I suppose I'll do it today as well." she said. "What about you, Ryuji?"
"Eh, I'll get to it eventually." Ryuji muttered. "Let me know what he's like, yeah?"
"Just don't go shouting about our identities." Morgana grumbled.
"Come on, that was one time, cat!"
The three thieves (and cat) continued walking to their classrooms, ready to finish up their classes for the day.
"Yes? Come in!"
Ren stepped into the office, glancing around.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming." Maruki greeted. "Care for a snack?"
Ren nodded, sitting on the couch before munching on some cookies and sipping from a juice box.
"So…is there anything that you'd like to discuss?" Maruki asked.
Ren shrugged. "Didn't the school already tell you everything about me? The rest of the staff knows."
"Well… yes." Maruki admitted. "Full disclosure here… the school already told me about the… circumstances that led to you attending here."
"Well, at least he's honest…" Ren mused.
"But even if I did hear about the original incident, I'd really like to hear your side of the story." Maruki requested.
"My side?" Ren repeated. "Well… ok, I guess I could tell you."
"If it brings up any troubling memories, or if you don't want to, you don't have to." Maruki told him.
Ren shrugged. "It's fine. I've told it so many times before already."
Ren told him everything he could recall about the events of that night.
"I see… what a horrible situation." Maruki sympathized. "It must have been rough at home."
Ren's smile fell for just a moment, but quickly came back.
"A lot of the other students know as well." Ren said, changing the subject. "Kamoshida… he got one of his athletes to leak my record, and a lot of rumors started getting spread about me. Even tried to get me expelled because he didn't like me."
"I see… that must have been very hard for you, especially during an already stressful exam week." Maruki assumed.
"Nah, I'm fine." Ren shrugged. "It doesn't really bother me at all."
"Really?" Maruki asked. "That's quite surprising. Most people wouldn't be able to take something like this in stride. But I imagine it would still be better if there weren't any rumors… wouldn't it?"
"Yeah… I wish I had never gotten this assault charge or had these rumors…" Ren sighed. "But… It's in the past now. I've made a few friends, even."
"That's great!" Maruki exclaimed. "I'm glad to see that you're making the best of your situation."
"I'm doing pretty well, all things considered." Ren grinned. "So… hopefully we can wrap this up soon."
"Are you sure that there's no way that I can make this more worthwhile for you?" Maruki asked. "I did offer advice for concentration, exams, and dating."
"I think I'm good on exams… and most of the girls here seem to be afraid of a 'dangerous criminal' like me." he said, chuckling to himself.
Maruki took out a notepad, writing something down. "Well, if it ever does start to bother you, then feel free to come to me. Bottling in feelings like that can't be good."
"Yeah… I'll keep that in mind." Ren said.
"I still have to commend you for taking this all so well." Maruki praised. "A lot of people wouldn't be able to handle something like this, or they'd have to come up with ways to cope."
"Cope?" Ren repeated.
"As much as we try to deal with what happens in life, it can be a little hard to ignore, right?" Maruki asked. "So at times, we come up with methods to cope with an unfair reality."
"What do you mean?" Ren wondered. "That doesn't sound good…"
"Coping isn't necessarily a bad thing!" Maruki insisted. "There are bad ways to do it, sure, but there are positive ways as well. Like sometimes, we try to keep an optimistic attitude or seek support.
"...And occasionally, we use humor as a coping mechanism as well." Maruki brought up. "We use jokes, sarcasm, smiles, or self-deprecation to cope, or to hide our true feelings."
Ren said nothing, his lip quivering ever so slightly.
"Amamiya-kun?"
"...I'm not really sure about any of that, Doctor." Ren said.
"Oh, of course! Sorry, I was rambling." Maruki apologized.
"...Doctor, I can trust you to keep everything to yourself, right?" Ren muttered. "I'm a little skeptical of the school's intentions with making me go to counselling."
"I suppose I can't blame you for that." Maruki sighed. "But I promise that as long as you aren't presenting any danger to yourself or others, everything in this room will stay completely confidential."
"Then…?"
"I'll tell the staff that you attended counselling, but not what we discussed." Maruki promised.
"...Thanks, Doc." Ren smiled.
"Of course. Feel free to stop by again if you'd like." Maruki offered. "I only want what's best for you."
Ren exited the room, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I'm doing perfectly fine… that's what he wanted to hear… right?"
With classes over for the day, she headed to the nurse's office, hoping to get her counselling session finished as soon as possible.
When she arrived, however, she was surprised to find another student already there.
"Oh, Sempai!" the girl greeted. "Are you here for a session as well?"
"Yes, that's right." she nodded. "If I recall, you're-"
"Kasumi Yoshizawa! You know her, Niijima-san?" Maruki asked.
"We met briefly before." she explained.
"Dr. Maruki is a wonderful counselor." Kasumi praised. "I've been seeing him for a while, even before he came to Shujin."
"She goes to counselling too..." Makoto mused. "She seems very cheerful, but I suppose I don't know her that well."
"Don't go overselling me too hard, Yoshizawa-san." Maruki sighed. "I'm really nothing special."
"Don't say that. You've helped me out so much!" Kasumi beamed. "Well, I should get going. Please excuse me."
"Well then, shall we get started?" Maruki asked, turning towards her.
She nodded, following him into his office and sitting down on the couch.
"Firstly, I wanted to thank you for coming in today." Maruki smiled. "Snack?"
"Wha- oh, no thank you." she declined. "I hope you aren't too busy at the moment."
"Oh no, anyone's welcome to stop by any time!" Maruki told her.
"I see… um, I'm sorry. I've never been to a counselling session before." she confessed. "I'm not really sure where to begin."
"That's all right." Maruki assured her. "I know that a 'Counselling Session' sounds very serious, but we can talk about whatever you want."
"...But I imagine that you'd prefer to speak about Kamoshida, correct?" She asked.
"Oh, well…"
"That's fine." she told him. "You don't need to be concerned about me. Feel free to discuss whatever you want with me."
"Um… ok, them!" Maruki stammered. "I'd want to say that the school has already told me a bit about you. From what I've seen about your grades and conduct, you seem like the ideal honor student!"
"No… that's not it at all." she shook her head. "To be honest… I've felt so overwhelmed lately. All my life, I've had to rely on others."
"Feeling overwhelmed at such a crucial part of your life is completely understandable." Maruki told her. "And getting help isn't a bad thing at all. It's wonderful that you have such a support system."
"I suppose so… I felt so powerless during the Kamoshida incident… like I had failed everyone."
"It's not good to shoulder such a big burden." Maruki frowned. "The staff should be protecting the student body, and shouldn't be relying on them so much."
"Yes… I suppose I realize that now." she whispered.
"When the school told me of your circumstances, they also told me about… how you live alone with your older sister." Maruki admitted.
She nodded. "Our mother died when I was very young. I… don't remember much about her, but Sis loved her dearly. And our father…"
"Do you remember more about him?" Maruki asked.
"I do." she said, smiling fondly. "But… growing up without them has been tough on me and my sister. Maybe… it's part of why I was so… uptight and unapproachable back then."
"What about now?" Maruki inquired.
"I think I'm a bit better now." she said. "I… have some very dear friends who I know I can trust. But things are still so overwhelming. Becoming more independent is freeing, but I can't help but be a little nervous about my future."
"That's understandable, but there's no rush. There's plenty of time to plan out your future and pursue your dreams." Maruki assured her. "In fact, I'm even older than you, and I still have plenty of dreams!"
"Really?" she asked.
"I'm doing a bit of research into more psychological treatments. Things like learning about people's hearts. What they think or feel." Maruki explained.
"That's certainly interesting." she said.
"I'm glad you think so… maybe, in another session, I can talk about it more with you." Maruki offered. "It might help you come up with your own dreams about your future, or, at least, teach you some nice ways to train yourself mentally."
Did this have something to do with his counseling? It seemed odd, but she wouldn't turn down more mental training.
As the session continued onwards, she felt more and more at ease with the doctor. He really did seem to care.
COUNCILLOR CONFIDANT: RANK 2
"Thank you for the session." she expressed. "I feel a little at ease now."
"Glad to hear it." Maruki grinned. "Feel free to stop by again sometime."
"Maybe I will." she thought to herself, smiling.
With her session over, she headed home for the day.
5/14 Saturday
"And… it's over!" she beamed, happy to finally be done with exams.
"It's over… it's all over…" Ryuji groaned.
"You did get some studying in… right, Ryuji?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Heh… he probably spent all night playing video games!" Morgana laughed.
"How did you k- I mean shut up, cat!" Ryuji snapped.
"I think I did pretty good." Ren said. "I was able to figure most of it out, at least."
"L-Let's stop talkin' about the exams!" Ryuji insisted. "We need to go back to Madarame's place!"
"I suppose you're right." she nodded. "Let's go, then."
"I thought that you would have come alone…"
Yusuke grumbled to himself as they sat down in the room.
"I didn't feel comfortable coming here alone." she admitted.
"We're here to make sure you don't try anything perverted." Ryuji bluntly stated.
"Nonsense." Yusuke scoffed. "I have no attraction to her as a member of the opposite sex."
"He's… certainly straight to the point…" she thought to herself.
She placed her bag down, Morgana stealthily climbing out so he could scout out the area.
Numerous times, they tried to engage Yusuke in conversation, but he was far too engrossed in his painting to respond.
"Hey, uh… you almost done there?" Ren asked, getting a little impatient.
"No good…" Yusuke muttered.
"No good?! What are you talking about?!" Ryuji yelled.
"The painting is no good…" Yusuke muttered.
"I'm sorry… is it my fault?" she asked.
"No, it's not that…" Yusuke sighed. "I just… haven't been able to focus recently and-"
The sound of his stomach rumbling interrupted him.
"Oh, you're hungry? Guess we've been here a while." Ren said. "I guess we could take a break for a meal."
"I had a small breakfast, and haven't eaten since then." Yusuke explained.
"For real?! Dude, I'd have dinner at this point normally!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Sensei told me that only when an artist abandons all other desires can they truly focus on their art." Yusuke explained.
Immediately, her expression turned from confusion to horror.
"Y-You mean you always skip meals?!" she exclaimed. "Your body needs that energy, Kitagawa-kun! You could get sick… or worse."
"But… sensei said…"
"Who the eff cares what he said!" Ryuji snapped. "He's abusing you!"
Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "This nonsense again!"
She showed him the picture she had taken at the gallery. "This painting we looked at… you painted this, didn't you?"
Yusuke said nothing, instead turning away with a conflicted look on his face.
"Your silence speaks volumes." Ren said. "If you painted this, why is it in your sensei's gallery?"
"Your sensei's real screwed up!" Ryuji added. "His students are just tools to him! He doesn't give a damn about stealin' their work or starving them!"
"I… I don't have any idea what you're talking about!" Yusuke insisted.
"We can help you, Kitagawa-kun." Makoto gently said. "You don't need to be afraid."
"Stop it…" Yusuke muttered. "It may be true that… we provide his artwork… but I offered my ideas to him myself. My sensei… he's been suffering from artist's block. We want to help him..."
"Who's 'we'?! All his other pupils ran away!" Ryuji argued.
"What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master!" Yusuke countered. "There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!"
"And what about his other pupils?" Ren asked. "Would they agree with that?"
"...We're through here." Yusuke said. "I asked Niijima-san to be my model, but I don't recall calling the two of you here."
Yusuke pulled out his phone.
"You leave me no choice but to call the police and have escort you out of here." Yusuke threatened.
"What the hell?!" Ryuji roared.
"Everyone calm down!" she pleaded. "Kitagawa-kun, please reconsider."
"They're causing a disturbance." Yusuke countered.
"Hang on, let's make a deal!" Ren said. "If you let us go… I'll show you a place with scenery you've never seen before! A place where you can paint an incredible painting."
"...Is that so?" Yusuke asked, now very interested. "And what if I find it to be unsatisfactory?"
"Then we'll never bother you or your sensei again." Ren promised.
"...Very well. When can you show it to me?" Yusuke asked.
"Is everyone free tomorrow?" Ren asked.
Seeing they all nodded, Ren grinned. "We can do it tomorrow then."
"Sensei will be at the exhibit until about 2:00 in the afternoon." Yusuke told them. "We could start a little before then."
"Perfect." Ren replied. "See you then."
As they walked out of Madarame's atelier, she couldn't help but wonder what Ren was planning.
When they got to the exit, they saw Morgana waiting for them.
"I found it guys!" Morgana grinned. "There was a locked door that I'm sure relates to that security system!
"Excellent!" Ren smiled. "Say, Morgana, you can enter the Palace by yourself, right?" Ren asked.
"Yes, I can! I can enter even without a phone!" Morgana bragged.
"What are you planning, Ren?" she asked. "What do you plan to show Kitagawa-kun?"
Ren seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before letting out a smirk.
"Simple. We're going to show him Madarame's palace."
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 1
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1
THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1
THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 2
Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 7.1%