5/15 Sunday
"So, just to go over this one more time." she began. "You… want to show Kitagawa-kun the Metaverse?"
Ren nodded. "With everything that's in there, even he won't be able deny Madarame's true nature."
"It's a pretty risky plan." Morgana admitted. "But it might be our only shot."
"I think it's a good plan." she smiled. "But maybe we could refine it a bit."
"Refine it?" Ren repeated. "Well, sounds like you've got a plan too."
"I do." she nodded. "I was hoping that we could take out two birds with one stone. Not only could we expose Yusuke to Madarame's treachery, but we could also get rid of the security system in Madarame's palace."
"How are we gonna do that?" Ryuji wondered.
"Ryuji, you're with me." she ordered. "We're going to head over to that security system, and wait."
She turned towards Ren. "Ren, you're going to get Yusuke away from the atelier, and into the Metaverse."
"What about me?" Morgana spoke up.
"We need you to open the locked door in the atelier." she explained. "So that when Madarame sees it open, Ryuji and I will be able to pass through and open it for good."
"That's great!" Morgana praised. "Heh… with you and Joker working together on making plans, infiltrating this palace will be a piece of cake!"
"How much of Madarame's palace should I show Kitagawa?" Ren asked.
"For now, keep him outside of the museum until we take down the security system and regroup." she advised. "We don't want to take any unnecessary risks by bringing him inside, where he could be hurt by shadows."
"Good idea." Ren nodded.
"Alright. Is everyone clear on what their role is?" she asked.
They all nodded, determined to fulfill their role.
"All right. Then let's resume the infiltration!" she exclaimed.
"You think they'll be able to pull this off?" Skull asked.
"We need to have faith in them." she told him.
"I hope that Morgana was right about that door." Skull said. "I guess Yusuke'll be distracted in the Metaverse, but Madarame will probably shut the door as soon as he sees it open."
"Then we'll probably only have a few moments to get through the security system before it comes back up." she realized. "Think you can make it?"
"Heh… you kidding? Of course I can!" Ryuji smirked. "Hope you can keep up!"
"I intend to." she smirked back.
"This is… stupendous! Amazing! Where on Earth did you find a place like this?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Hmm… Kurusu-san?"
Ren quickly made himself scarce as he brought Yusuke outside of the atelier and into Madarame's palace, hiding while keeping an eye on him.
Thankfully, Yusuke seemed to be completely preoccupied with his painting, not moving from his spot in front of the museum.
He waited in his spot, twirling his dagger between his hands to pass the time.
"Joker! Joker!"
After he had waited for a while, he saw Mona running up to him.
"What is it, Mona?" Joked wondered.
"I finally got that door opened!" Mona told him. "And… you'll definitely want to see what's inside. Yusuke too."
"Really?" Ren asked. "I'll go bring him back then."
Ren brought the three of them back to the real world.
"Hmm? When did we get back here?" Yusuke wondered.
"There's something else that I need to show you." Ren said. "Follow me."
Yusuke complied, following along until gasping at what he saw.
"What?! That door is supposed to be locked!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Why is it open now?!"
"Let's investigate." Ren said, running inside.
"Wait, stop, only Sensei can… enter…"
Both boys went wide-eyed when they saw what was inside.
"What the heck?" Ren said. "It's just a bunch of…"
"Copies… of the Sayuri." Yusuke finished. "But why…?"
"Yusuke, what are you doing in there?!"
They both turned around… seeing a furious Madarame at the entrance of the room.
"It's open!" Ryuji cheered. "They did it!"
"I knew that we could believe in them." she smiled. "Now let's get a move on!"
They rushed through the now disabled security system, reaching a room with a single guard.
"Looks like we'll have to get through that guard if we want to get to the control room." Queen noted.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's mess him up!" Skull yelled.
Seeing as there was no way to sneak past them, they opted to charge ahead.
"Halt! You must be the thieves that Lord Madarame was worried about!" the guard shouted. "I won't let you go any further!"
The shadow formed into a large yellow beast with black stripes and face, a white mane, and a snake for a tail.
"Hah! We ain't afraid of you!" Skull yelled.
Skull shot a bolt of lightning at the shadow, dealing a small amount of damage.
"Skullcracker!" the beast roared, slamming his fist into Ryuji's face.
"Ugh… of all the names you could have called that attack…" Skull grumbled.
"Hua Po!" she yelled, calling a red fairy to her side. "Agi!"
She shot a ball of fire towards the beast, bringing it to its knees.
"Now, Skull!" she shouted.
They quickly tried an All Out Attack, only to find it had little effect when there was only two of them.
The shadow stood up, swatting her away with its large paw.
"Ugh… we've barely put a dent in him!" she muttered.
"Then let's use our special move!" Skull suggested.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "We haven't had the time to practice it."
"Don't worry, we've got this!" Ryuji shouted. "Let's rock, Fist of the Phantom S-"
"That's not my name!" she protested. "Now stay focused!"
Both Thieves ran towards the enemy, Queen hitting them with an aerial kick, landing behind them.
Skull jumped into the air, slamming his weapon on the shadow's face before hitting them with it again.
The shadow tried to counterattack, but she quickly went back on the offensive.
"ATATATATATA!" Queen shouted, assaulting the shadow with a flurry of punches.
"Is that all?!" the shadow mocked as her barrage ended. "Your fists couldn't hurt a fly!"
"You're already dead." she calmly said.
"What?!" the shadow asked, before roaring in pain.
The shadow's body began to rupture, before it burst into black ooze.
"I know I said it before, but damn, you really are the Fist of the Phantom Star…" Skull muttered, before handing her a soda. "Here, take this."
She looked it over before crushing the soda in her hand.
"Don't we have anything healthier?!" she snapped.
"R-Right away, Ma'am!" Skull stammered, giving a small bow as she handed her some water.
She took a moment to calm down before drinking the water. "Sorry… I suppose that was the adrenaline speaking." she apologized. "That attack was certainly intense."
"Hell yeah!" Skull grinned. "It was even better than I thought It'd be!"
"It was a good plan." she smiled. "Now then, let's find that security system."
"Sensei, what is the meaning of this?" Yusuke desperately asked.
Madarame sighed. "I suppose that I can't keep quiet about this anymore. The truth is… that I'm in severe debt."
"Debt?!" Yusuke gasped.
Madarame nodded. "I got involved… with a bad crowd many years ago when I was desperate for money. Now they're constantly threatening me to keep paying them, or they'll tell everyone about our deal. I handmade these "Sayuri" copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine."
"But why?" Yusuke asked.
"The real Sayuri was stolen from me by one of my previous pupils…" Madarame sighed. "That moment was so shocking to me… I've had artist's block ever since because of that incident. Because of this, some of my students would hand their ideas to me from time to time..."
"Hmm…" Ren trailed off, thinking over his story.
"I tried to recreate the Sayuri many times." Madarame continued. "But all that came of it was replicas… but then someone came to buy these paintings, knowing that they weren't the original."
"To scam others?" Ren guessed.
"Most likely…" Madarame trailed off. "It's all my fault. I had no choice but to keep making them in order to pay off my debt… and to further your talents, Yusuke. Please… forgive your foolish master."
"S-Sensei…" Yusuke stammered. "Sensei, I understand. There's no need for-"
"Hold on a minute." Ren interrupted. "How did you make copies of the original if it was stolen?"
Madarame's eyes widened, clearly not expecting his story to be questioned. "Well… I found a very detailed photo in an artbook."
"You sold copies of a photo?" Ren scoffed. "If someone was into expensive art, I can't imagine they would fall for that."
"They… would know where to look for signs of forgery…" Yusuke realized.
"You're lying." Ren accused.
"What would you know about art!" Madarame snapped, beginning to lose his composure.
"Ren…" Morgana hissed. "Look under there."
Morgana pointed to a covered up painting, Ren quickly grabbing the cover and tossing it to the side.
The painting beneath the cover was none other than the Sayuri itself.
"This… is the real Sayuri…!" Yusuke gasped. "Sensei, you just said that it was stolen!"
"That's just another replica!" Madarame excused.
"No, it's nothing of the sort!" Yusuke argued. "This painting… was my inspiration… it kept me going… It's the reason I became an artist. Sensei… please, don't tell me…"
"It's a fake!" Madarame insisted. "I heard that there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!"
"You're saying you bought a counterfeit of your own artwork?" Ren asked. "Give me a break."
"Sensei… you're lying." Yusuke accused. "Sensei, please, just tell me the truth…"
"Even you're turning your back to me, Yusuke?" Madarame asked. "After everything I've done for you?!"
Madarame pulled out his phone, dialing a number on it.
"I've reported you to my personal security company." Madarame told them. "I never thought that it would come in handy for something like this."
"Hold on, let's talk about this!" Yusuke pleaded.
"Save your talking for the police, Yusuke!" Madame dismissed. "And you can say goodbye to your position as my apprentice… and your scholarships."
"Ren, we need to move!" Morgana yelled. "Let's take Yusuke and hide in the Metaverse!"
Ren nodded, grabbing Yusuke's arm, running out of the room, Morgana following behind them.
"It's too late! They'll be here any minute now!" Madarame shouted.
Ren ran out of the house as fast as he could, quickly bringing them back to the Metaverse...
"Hell yeah! Looks like the security system's down for good!" Ryuji grinned.
"Now we just need to let Joker and Mona know what happened." she added.
"Hope they got out ok." Ryuji said.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!"
Queen and Skull looked up, quickly getting out of the way as they saw Yusuke and Ren falling from the sky.
"Oof… at least something broke my fall." Yusuke muttered.
"Get off me!" Mona yelled.
Yusuke quickly got up, going wide-eyed as he saw Mona under him.
"D-Did that thing just talk?!" Yusuke stammered, before looking around. "Wait, who are you people?!"
"Kitagawa-kun, please calm down." she stressed. "It's us."
"Niijima-san?" Yusuke gasped, recognizing her voice. "So… the one in the black coat must be Amamiya-san. And you…"
"Yeah?" Skull asked expectantly.
"...Who are you again?" Yusuke wondered.
"WHAT?!" Ryuji yelled. "Oh come on! How come you don't remember me?!"
"Isn't it a good thing he doesn't know your real identity?" Mona brought up.
"Oh yeah." Skull admitted. "I'd be a pretty bad Phantom Thief if everyone knew my identity."
"Skull!" she snapped.
"What… oh shit!" Skull realized.
"The Phantom Thieves…" Yusuke muttered. "I heard a few rumors about them… wait… are you going to change my heart?!"
"It's not your heart we're after… it's your master's." Makoto classified.
"Right now, we're inside of Madarame's heart." Ren told him.
"Inside Sensei's heart…?" Yusuke repeated.
"This is what that bastard truly feels." Skull told him. "He's just a greedy abuser, that's all."
"That's enough!" Yusuke snapped.
"You were there when we saw inside of that storage room, right?!" Ren countered. "You know something isn't right with him."
"Then… is it really true?" Yusuke whispered. "This repulsive world is… but no, he's kept me safe all these years… and yet..."
Seeing Yusuke begin to panic and break down, she quickly rushed towards him, catching him before he fell to his knees.
"Hey, hey, easy now." she softly said. "It's ok. We're going to bring you somewhere safe, ok?"
Joker helped her, carefully helping Yusuke up and having him lean on him for support.
"Good thing Joker's here. He's so considerate." she thought. "Curse my spiked shoulder pads…"
"Alright, be careful, everyone." Mona said. "We don't want to get into any fights when Yusuke's with us."
Carefully, they snuck their way through the palace, none of them saying a word until they reached the room filled with painting's of Madarame's former pupils.
"W-Wait… this painting…" Yusuke stammered.
"Right. I was curious about this." she admitted. "This person's name is Yua Kitagawa. Is she…?"
"My mother." Yusuke whispered. "She died when I was very young, so I don't have many memories of her. Madarame did tell me her name, at least."
"Kitagawa-kun…" she whispered, sympathizing.
"Come on, the exit is right through here!" Mona called.
As they ran for the exit, however, several shadows appeared, blocking their path.
"Damn it, they caught us!" Ryuji muttered.
"Hahahahaha!"
A maniacal laugh caught their attention, all of them turning around.
"S-Sensei?" Yusuke stammered.
Madarame stood before them, only now he wore fancy makeup, and robes colored gold. His hair was styled into a topknot resembling a paintbrush.
"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame!" the shadow greeted.
"These are the intruders that I told you about, Sensei."
The cognitive Yusuke walked in front of Madarame, scowling at them.
"W-What… who are you?!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"I am Madarame's pupil." the cognitive Yusuke said. "I exist to fulfill my master's wishes."
"And what about your own wishes?" Ren asked. "Don't you want to become an artist too?!"
"I am simply a tool of my master." the cognitive Yusuke answered. "I have no will of my own."
Yusuke gasped as he heard the words of his cognitive self. "Sensei… this is all one big lie, isn't it?"
"My usual rags are nothing but an act." Madarame admitted. "And you know I don't live in that shack, Yusuke. I have another home, under a mistress's name."
"So, all of your humility and kindness from before was just an act." Queen noted. "You're nothing but scum."
"Sensei, is this really how you see me?! How you see the world?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "And if the Sayuri was stolen, why was it in the storage room with so many copies?!"
"What a foolish child you are." Madarame muttered. "Can you still not see the truth? The painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread!"
"A-A rumor?!" Yusuke stammered.
"I would tell every buyer that I had found the real painting, but that it couldn't go public… but I'd offer them a special price. Art snobs ate it up, and paid good money too!" Madarame grinned.
"N-No…" Yusuke whispered, falling to his knees.
"The value of art is simply an illusion." Madarame said. "I'm simply providing that illusion to eager customers."
"The only thing you give a shit about is money!" Skull accused.
"You don't care one bit about any of your pupils, or feel any shame about your plagiarism." Joker added.
"My art, my pupils… they are nothing but tools to gain money and fame!" Madarame declared.
"B-But what about the people who look up to you as a master artist?!" Yusuke asked, his voice breaking.
"If you wish to succeed in this world, you had best not rise against me, Yusuke." Madarame warned. "You would never find success with my objection holding them down."
"Do you have any idea how many lives you've ruined?! How many dreams you've crushed?!" Queen yelled.
"They were of no more use to me. Each one eventually became just another broken tool." Madarame scoffed. "Thankfully, tools can be easily replaced!"
"Was… I too, just a tool?" Yusuke asked.
"A talented, yet troubled artist… you were the perfect pupil to take ideas from… and you couldn't even fight back." Madarame gloated.
"I… can't believe this." Yusuke muttered.
"You are no different than a scapegoat cast into the desert!" Madarame snarled. "Nothing but a sacrifice for the God of the art world!"
"Unforgivable…"
"What was that?" Madarame asked.
"You are unforgivable." Yusuke repeated. "God or not, it doesn't matter… I won't forgive you!"
"So this is how you repay me for raising you for years?!" Madarame yelled. "You insolent brat! Guards! Dispose of these thieves!"
"Yusuke, get behind us!" Queen ordered. "...Yusuke?"
"I wanted to believe that it wasn't true…" Yusuke muttered. "I had clouded my vision for so long… but I can deny the truth no longer. It seems that the knowledgeable and kind sensei I once knew is no more!"
Madarame's eyes widened, but he said nothing.
"Have you finally come to your senses?"
Yusuke's eyes took on an eerie glow, and he clutched his head in pain as he fell to his knees.
"How foolishly you averted your eyes to the truth… a deplorable imitation indeed… best you part from that aspect of yourself!"
"AARRRGH!" Yusuke cried out in pain.
"Let us now forge a contract… I am thou, thou art I...
Yusuke dragged his fingers on the ground, leaving small trails of blood behind each one.
"The world is filled with both beauty and vice… it is time you teach people which is which!"
Suddenly, a white and red mask appeared on Yusuke's face.
"...Mona, is he…?" Queen trailed off.
"I think so!" Mona answered.
"Very well." Yusuke calmly said, gripping his mask. "Come, Goemon!"
Yusuke ripped off his mask, an elegantly dressed and pale faced man appearing before him, wielding a pipe.
"Woah! This guy's got a Persona too!" Ryuji gasped.
"...Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known… Abominations are fated to perish!" Yusuke declared.
His Persona, who they now knew as Goemon, blew into his pipe, releasing chilling winds onto their foes, freezing them and the cognitive Yusuke solid.
Using the sword that had materialized at his side. Yusuke sliced the frozen cognitive version of himself in two.
"Your imitations are nothing in the face of the original, Madarame." Yusuke boasted.
"Grr… Where are my guards?!" Madarame roared. "Kill them all!"
Five different guards appeared by Madarame, manifesting into shadows. Four of them turned into flying, tengu-like creatures, while the fifth turned into a creepy looking blacksmith.
"No matter what it takes… I will bring you to justice!" Yusuke promised.
"We're right behind you!" she promised.
"Very well." Yusuke grinned, before turning towards the enemy. "Bring it on!"
The blacksmith immediately charged forward, it's sledgehammer clashing against Yusuke's blade.
She tried to approach to help him, but quickly found herself on the defensive as the other shadows bombarded them with wind spells.
"Apsaras!" she called. "Wind Wall!"
Her persona created a barrier, eliminating any weakness the team had to wind.
"That helps, but we still can't get close without them blowing us away." Mona muttered. "And my Garu spells aren't doing much back to them.
"If we can't blow them away with wind, then maybe…" she mused.
She snuck a glance at Yusuke, seeing that he was losing ground quickly against the blacksmith shadow.
"Wait!" she realized. "Yusuke, blow ice into the air again!"
Yusuke nodded, putting distance between himself and his foe before having Goemon blow into his pipe again.
Icy wind slammed into the other shadows, blowing them around until they crashed into the walls and fell to the floor.
"Everyone, now!" Makoto commanded.
Skull and Mona rushed to the downed foes, taking out one each, while Ren and herself fired at them from a distance.
With the other shadows dealt with, Mona healed the group's wounds as Ryuji and her rushed to assist Yusuke.
"How dare you thieves defy the great Lord Madarame!" the shadow yelled.
"There ain't nothin' great about him!" Ryuji argued, striking at the shadow.
The shadow was strong, however, and it easily managed to fend off the three of them with its weapons.
"Tarunda!" Ren shouted, trying to weaken the enemy.
It's offensive power now lowered, the shadow began to struggle to block or parry their blows with its weapon.
"Goemon, strike!" Yusuke commanded.
Goemon struck with the tip of his pipe, cutting the shadow's hammer, and the shadow itself, in two.
"That's the last of the guards!" Mona cheered.
"Mada...rame… I'll…" Yusuke trailed off, before falling to his knees.
"Kitagawa-kun!" she gasped, rushing to his side.
"You've just thrown your bright future down the drain!" Madarame snarled.
"A bright future?! You ruin your pupil's futures whether they stay with you or not!" Ren snapped.
"Silence!" Madarame demanded. "I'll ruin any chance he has of being an artist!"
"Madarame!" Yusuke snarled.
Yusuke tried to chase after Madarame, but found himself unable to move.
"W-What's wrong?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "My wounds are healed, so why can't I get up?"
"Please, calm down, Kitagawa-kun." she insisted. "You must be exhausted after awakening to your Persona."
"But-"
"You'll get another chance, don't worry." Joker told him. "Let's head somewhere safe."
"What a disgrace I am…" Yusuke muttered.
"Don't think like that, man." Skull advised. "We wouldn't have been able to beat those shadows without you."
Yusuke frowned, but conceded, the group leaving the Metaverse.
The group had gone to Leblanc after exiting the Metaverse, giving Yusuke a basic rundown of it and waiting to hear his story.
While the others waited upstairs, Ren stayed to talk to Sojiro.
"Hey Boss, do you mind if my friends stay over for a bit?" he asked.
"Just don't cause too much noise." Sojiro grunted.
"And if it's not too much trouble, could you cook up some curry for Kitagawa. He...can't pay for it, but I can pay for him." Ren offered.
"He's another one of your friends, right?" Sojiro asked.
"Yeah...I guess so." Ren smiled.
"...Tell you what. Do the dishes tonight, and it's on the house." Sojiro told him.
"R-Really?" Ren asked, surprised. "Um, sure, thanks, Boss!"
"Make sure he cleans the whole plate." Sojiro ordered. "Kid looks like a string bean."
"Got it!"
Ren ran up the stairs, where the others were waiting.
"Ok, Boss'll leave us alone for a bit as long as we're quiet." Ren told them.
The group had gone to Leblanc after exiting the Metaverse, ready to hear Yusuke's story.
"Did you know about the plagiarism?" Makoto asked.
"I'm no fool." Yusuke stated. "Shady individuals have been coming over for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. He hardly fed us, and we were all forced to lie on the floor in the same room for sleeping, without even a single bed."
"That's awful…" Makoto whispered.
"Even so… I owed my life to him. He raised me after my mother died in an accident. I couldn't admit that he did all of these terrible things, even if the evidence were right in front of me." Yusuke sighed.
"The fact that he raised you… he probably held that over you a lot…" she assumed.
"Yes… he did." Yusuke nodded.
She felt... conflicted over his story. It wasn't that she didn't believe it or that she didn't sympathize.
It was more like… a part of her felt that his story reminded her a lot of her own story, from losing his parents at a young age, to the type of relationship he had with his guardian.
"No… it's not like that at all." she told herself. "Sis and me… we get along perfectly. Sis would never break the law or do anything amoral."
There were times, of course, where her sister would yell at her or remind her how much she does to support her… but that was because it was her fault for angering her.
"Niijima-san?"
Yusuke looked at her in confusion.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. And you can call me Makoto if you'd like. After going through something like the Metaverse, we're all pretty close."
"Do the rest of you feel the same?" Yusuke asked.
Ren and Ryuji both nodded.
"I see… then, thank you for showing me the truth that I ran from for so long." Yusuke said.
"What are you gonna do now?" Ryuji asked.
"I… don't know." Yusuke shrugged. "But… can you truly change the hearts of people like Madarame?"
"We can." she confirmed. "Perhaps you've heard about Kamoshida? The former P.E teacher at our school."
"I have." Yusuke confirmed. "If you really have the power to change hearts… then I would ask you to let me join as a member of the Phantom Thieves. For the sake of all the other pupils who had their future's ruined, I must stop Madarame."
"Well, sounds good to me." Ryuji grinned. "I mean, we were going to go after him anyway. What about you, leader?"
"I want to let you know that this is very dangerous." she warned. "Life threatening, even."
"And we need to do things very carefully." Mona added. "If we screw up, Madarame could suffer from a mental shutdown."
"Given his grip over the art world… I believe that this is the only way to stop him." Yusuke said.
"I see. Then welcome to the team, Yusuke." she smiled. "Oh, um… it's ok if we call you Yusuke, is it?"
"That would be fine." Yusuke told her. "However… did that cat just talk?"
"What a delayed reaction…" she mused.
"You got a problem with that?!" Morgana snapped.
"No, not really." Yusuke shrugged.
"Dude's on a totally different wavelength." Ryuji muttered.
"Has Madarame contacted you at all?" Ren asked.
"He told me that he'll be pursuing legal action against us." Yusuke told them. "But he'll wait until after the exhibit ends to avoid any controversy. We probably have… until the 5th of June."
"We'll have to change his heart before then!" Morgana declared.
"Hey kid!" Sojiro called. "Curry's ready."
"One second, guys." Ren said, going downstairs.
A few seconds later, Ren came up holding an extra-large serving of curry.
"Here, eat this." Ren told Yusuke. "You're probably really hungry after what we did today."
Yusuke seemed to hesitate for a moment, but the aroma of the dish proved too tempting, as he quickly scarfed it down.
"This… is delicious!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"No one can resist Boss' curry." she smiled.
Yusuke quickly cleaned his plate of every last bit of curry, letting out a satisfied smile as he did.
"I can't imagine that you'll head back to live with Madarame." she pointed out. "Do you need a place to stay?"
"I can stay in my dorm at Kosei." Yusuke informed them. "However, the reason why I can afford to stay there is because of my scholarship. Madarame will likely have me expelled with Kosei after the exhibition finishes."
"I promise that we'll change his heart in time." she assured him.
"Thank you." Yusuke nodded. "Where shall we meet up then?"
"Well… why not here?" she asked. "This seems like a good spot to plan, don't you think?"
Ren nodded. "Sounds good. Just need to make sure Sojiro doesn't hear us."
After confirming the details of the meeting place and exchanging contact info with Yusuke, Ryuji and Yusuke left for the day.
"Ren… you were worried about Yusuke, weren't you?" Makoto asked. "That's why you asked Boss to make him some curry."
"Yeah… I was really concerned when he mentioned only eating one meal." Ren admitted.
"You're a really kindhearted person, Ren." she complimented, a warm smile on her face.
"T-Thanks." Ren stammered. "You're, um, really kind too."
"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow, Ren."
She waved goodbye, heading home for the day.
In the depths of Madarame's Palace, a lone masked figure traveled to the treasure hall.
"Madarame!" the man shouted. "Come on out!
Instantly, he found himself surrounded by guards.
"Tch… what a waste of my time." the masked man muttered. "PERSONA!
Suddenly, an explosion of almighty energy engulfed all the guards, destroying them in an instant.
"W-Who are you…"
The masked man glanced around until he laid eyes on the trembling form of Madarame.
"Kaneshiro sends his regards." the masked man grinned, relishing in the shadow's fear.
"W-What?! You work for him?!" Madarame stammered.
"Not really… it's more like they hired my services for the moment." the masked man answered.
The masked man approached, drawing his weapons.
"You know what will happen if you don't pay, right?" the black masked man said.
He pointed his pistol right at the shadow's head.
"P-Please don't shoot! I told them that I'd have the money soon!" Madarame shouted. "Just as soon as the exhibition is finished."
"...I'll hold you too that." the masked man muttered. "Don't make me have to come back here."
"Why did he hire you, anyway?!" Madarame exclaimed.
"...I don't think you're in the position to be asking questions." the masked man pointed out. "But I am, so you'd better answer the question I have for you. I heard some voices yelling and what sounded like a battle while I was passing through. New guards?"
"Intruders! I don't know how they got inside of here!" Madarame yelled. "Wait, they're not with you, are they?!"
"Interesting… more people who can enter the Metaverse..." the masked man trailed off.
"What?!"
"Nothing to concern yourself with." the masked man stated. "What you should be concerned with is whether you'll have the money on time. Because if you don't..."
Suddenly, the masked man swung his blade, stopping it mere inches away from Madarame's neck.
"...You know what'll happen."
As the masked man walked out of the room, the shadow fell to their knees in fear.
"I should have never gotten involved with those Mafia types…" the shadow lamented.
The masked man left the palace, laughing maniacally to himself...
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 7.3%