LucasPP5: First, this is not a long Review. Second, I like long reviews, so no worries.
1- yes. 2- possibly/maybe. 3- thanks.
linksmith1283: Yes. It gets updated once a month.
Samsarian: Thanks
yann0406: Here you go... also, please put more than this in future reviews. It is REALLY unhelpful.
Iron Mario: Yeah... it is worrying laughs
nsilver: We actually have plans.
Guest chapter 9 Jul 12: Well they ARE best friends, it wouldn't make sense for them to be so... aggressive about that sort of things.
UnsanMusho: Considering how close they are and how much they care about each other? Seems reasonable to me. They don't want this to rip them apart or to hurt the other.
codywhite162: Just wait and see
Xerzo LotCN: Yeah, Ren spent most of the groups time leveling the first time around, and Persona fusing as best he could. He got everyone non-story progressive to Rank 8 or so, and his stats where at around 3 or 4
Shooting Star Dragon 3000: Possibly.
HalloweenJackal0w0: Yeah, we have ideas for those sort of interactions coming up soon.
GUIPA: Well, we haven't made it clear what the cup knows yet so...
Firem78910: Personally, I'd argue full on murder since he actively REFUSED to help her.
Ruberforumfree: Whats so wrong with that?
Here are some reviews answered by Ghost:
Firem78910: Trust me, that's going to be brought onto his list of charges.
Vein Bloodborne: Yeah, things are heating up. And yes, the Cup heard him.
GUIPA: Hey, we're going to do our own thing. We're working hard to make it a good story.
Shooting Star Dragon 3000: Not scared, just... Alert.
Xerzo LotCN: Of course, we had to really clarify that. Yeah, first time around Ren wasn't the 'best' he could be, this time he's going for the 'Perfect Man' stats.
Devad the Detective Overlord: We're going to get to them when we get to them.
GunBlade2020: We've got ideas and thanks for looking out for us.
chaosmutated: Thanks for the vocal support.
LucasPP5: Futaba in the harem? Yes. Will Ren reveal the first timeline? shrugs. Thank you for your support.
Disclaimer: We do not own Persona 5. That belongs to Atlus.
Co-written by GhostKaiser23
AUTHOR'S NOTE
And here we are, with the next chapter!
I know it's been a while.
So... here we are with the next step of the story!
Some new gear, some fun hanging out and preparing to get to the next Palace!
IT'S SHOWTIME!
Persona 5 New Game Plus, Joker's Second Chance
Chapter 10: The Corrupt Painter
Ren cracked his neck, having gone around the school's vending machines and picked out some much-needed drinks.
"It's weird you're making this a routine." Ryuji commented.
"Trust me, it's worth it." He responded, before looking at his watch
"If you say so." Ryuji shrugged and groaned "Damn those exams where tough."
"Eh, I did okay. Sorry dude, I've got some stuff to do in Shibuya. I'll be back." Ren admitted and sighed
"See ya man." Ryuji nodded
Ren headed to Shibuya, going to sell off the items in his bag, to split the profits. Also... He needed a job. Well not really but it didn't hurt. But more importantly, he needed the connection with a certain politician. A good man who Ren knew about but didn't interact much with. Toranosuke Yoshida. But one thing he did recall, he came to the Beef Bowl restaurant... he missed the older man, he was a ray of sun shine and the perfect person to talk to about your problems
"Hmm?" The Airsoft owner hummed as he saw Ren enter the shop.
"Hey. Got some stuff to sell." Ren nodded, putting the bag down
"I'll see about that." He answered, opened the bag and his eyebrows lifted as he saw it. "Where did you get this?" He muttered before he stopped himself. "Okay. Let's tally this up." And began to pile up all the things that Ren had brought him, looking at the internet to get the official price on the holed metal.
Ren relaxed and smiled, a bit proud of himself
"Twenty three, four, five." He muttered counting out the metal and other such things. "Silver..."
Morgana wanted to poke his head out of Ren's bag to get a better listen, but it would be a problem if he was caught.
"Okay. That is a solid 4,350 yen. Take it or leave it." Iwaei said after he finished counting
"Thanks. I appreciate it." Ren nodded and took the money.
"Hey Kid, I hope you're not doing anything illegal." The owner asked.
"No, I'm not." Ren answered confidently
"Hey kid, I got a favour to ask." The owner asked, grabbing Ren's attention.
"What is it?" Ren turned around before the door suddenly opened and two figures walked in
"Munehisa Iwai." A detective spoke as Ren saw the bag on the table.
"Yes?" he asked
"We need to talk. And who is this young man?" The second man asked
"I'm actually a..." Ren answered before he was interrupted
"He's a customer. You can check the tapes." He answered. "I've nothing to hide." He passed the bag to Ren, a serious look on his face "Here is your purchase. Have a good day." he added
"Thank you." Ren answered and left, leaving with the bag. Unsure what was inside of it... whatever it was, it was important. He didn't really remember today well. But he did hear Iwaei whisper something as he was leaving
"Don't open the bag."
...
"Open the bag." Morgana said almost right away
Ren looked at Morgana almost immediately and scowled, but he had to admit; he was curious himself...
...
...
He had the Guts for this...
...
...
Ah, why the fuck not? He opened the bag, looking in curiously
Both Morgana's eyes and his widened in shock. It was a gun. An honest to god-!
"Holy crap! Is that real?" Morgana asked in shock
"Wait. No. No, it's not." Ren answered, having a feel of the weight through the bag... and its 'feel'. It didn't feel right. It a a model gun, like the ones they used. Just... A lot better made "It's a model. An especially made model. Munehisa must be holding these back for 'special customers'." Ren answered
"Oooh~" Morgana nodded as he got ideas
"We should wait until those people leave. No sense in getting caught up in something we don't know about." Ren answered
"You never talked to him before?" Morgana asked
"Didn't have enough Guts before. But now... yeah. We can do this." He nodded as he shook the bag "And we might get something good from it."
Ren and Morgana stepped away and hid from the two people who came out of the model shop.
"Damn, we couldn't get him!" The 'concerned' citizen growled as the detective rolled his eyes.
"Calm down, sir." The detective responded, both of them unaware of Ren.
With the two of them out of the way, Ren slipped back inside 'Thank goodness for 'visual blindness'.' Ren thought as he re-entered the store.
"Store's close-Oh. It's you. I figured you'd be gone, Kid." Iwai answered
"Yeah." Ren said, dropping the open bag onto the table
Iwai looked at the bag and then at Ren. "Well. It seems you've got Guts, kid." He commented, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah. What are you gonna do about this?" Ren asked
"... Follow me, kid." Iwai instructed, pointing to his backroom.
Ren didn't know what was going to happen, this didn't happen before... but he wasn't going to back down. So he went with the store's owner into the back room.
Inside the back room, it was a model builder's cramped space. Shelves of various model weaponry and a large crafting table to fix them all up. "What's your deal, Kid? Who are you?"
Ren blinked slightly, keeping his composure. "I'm a model enthusiast. That's all."
"Yeah. Sure." Iwai looked over Ren and then at the door. "Would you be willing to help me out around the store? If you do, I'll let you see some of the 'Special Menu' items I've got."
"Sounds interesting." Ren nodded
"Good. So, you help me with my things. I sell you new things." Iwai answered
I am Thou, Thou are I.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy bonds of captivity.
With the birth of the Hanged Man Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and a new power.
*time skip*
Ren walked back into LeBlanc and sighed heavily, relaxing a little since he had sold his items and also got new means to new weapons. "Ah, you're back."
And on the TV there was a shopping channel "That's right for 5600 Yen, you get the 'Party In A Can' set! A pack of 10 for a group of friends to enjoy themselves!"
"Hmm." Ren hummed as he saw it and began to call.
"What're you doing?" Sojiro asked
"Just ordering something." He answered
"Hello! You've reached the shopping network."
"Hi, I'd like to place an order for that 'Party In A Can' deal you've got." Ren responded
Within a minute or so, Ren had successfully ordered the deal, it would come in the next couple of days. "Y'know, I know you said you've got a job, but that could not have been cheap." Sojiro commented making Ren shrug
"It'll be worth it."
"I hope so. I've made curry, if you're hungry." He added as he took his apron off.
"Thanks!" Ren grinned
*Time Skip*
It was before home-room once again, Ren was walking behind some of his fellow students and unintentionally heard their conversation. "Did you hear? Madarame is back with another masterpiece."
"Madarame?" Ann whispered
"I know, I heard it/about it too." Both Ren and the students in front responded.
"He's got such a way with colours and ways of painting Japanese Style." The student agreed with their friend.
"We'll talk on he roof, Ann." Ren reassured her which confused her for a moment
As they arrived in their homeroom, classes began to go on as per usual, with Ren getting the correct answer once again, based on an artistic piece called the 'Magistrate's Patronage' and soon the group was on the roof
"Okay, so what's going on?" Ryuji asked
"It's about Madarame." Ren answered. "On the way here, we heard people talking about his new opening."
"Madarame... That name. isn't he really famous?" Ryuji asked
"A famous painter. He's hosted dozens of galleries of his work." Shiho informed. "He's supposed to be a genius."
"But something about his name. Didn't that stalker person mention him?" Ann followed up.
"He did." Morgana nodded. "Ren, what're you thinking?"
"If the dots connect... Madarame might be a thief." Ren answered, recalling memories he had from his first time around which shocked and confused everyone
"Are you serious? That's a huge accusation, Ren." Shiho spoke up
"I know. Which is why we're going to have to check if it's true." Ren answered, trying to give validation to the claim.
"You mean Mementos? Or the app?" Ann asked
"The app. But we need his keywords." Ren answered
"'Keywords'? Oh, the means to get into the palace. Sorry, I blanked for a second." Shiho apologised
"It's okay, Lady Shiho. It's a lot to take in." Morgana answered
"What can we do?" Shiho asked
"... Go home? Prep?" Ren suggested.
"How about we go to Big Bang Burger and just hang out?" Ryuji offered
"Sure." Ren nodded. "My treat." He added. "Oh, before I forget. Here's each of your cut."
"I could go for a jumbo moon cone." Ann commented
"I'm gonna try the Big Bang Challenge!" Ryuji cheered "I'll win, easy."
"Err, are you sure? That challenge might be taxing for you." Morgana commented while Ren smirked
"Heck yeah!" Ryuji responded. "I'm gonna take down that challenge!"
*time skip*
The group left the school, heading towards Tokyo via the train station "What a day." Ryuji mumbled as they were walking out of the train station, where a man wearing a pale light blue shirt was walking behind them.
Ann frowned, looking over her shoulder suddenly. She saw a man with black short-hair and a blank looking face and an intense look.
"Ann, what's up?" Shiho asked
"I think someone is following us." she said simply
Ren's eyes widened slightly as he had a good feeling about who it was. "Keep walking. When we get outside we'll catch him."
The others nodded, following their leaders orders
With each step, the figure behind them seemed to get closer and closer. Until the four exited the train station's stairs and immediately turned around, catching the person in the act of raising their hand in a grabbing manner
"What's your deal, dude?" Ryuji accused him.
"Are you a groper?" Shiho asked, getting her phone out to call the police.
"What? No, I just wanted to ask you something." The young man answered calmly.
Ren was silent, looking at his weird yet amazing friend
The young man had short and straight black hair, dark eyes, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers. He seemed to be a little older than the group. "What is it?" Ann inquired, thinking that he was a stalker.
"I want... You both..." The man answered timidly
"What did you say?" Ryuji snapped, raising a fist.
"To be my art models!" He responded passionately.
...
"Huh?" The group, except Ren asked
"I am an artist. Upon seeing you both, I wanted to paint you." The man explained
"That's creepy!" Ann recoiled
"And we don't even know your name." Shiho followed up
"Forgive me. I tend to be a bit blunt. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." Yusuke finally introduced himself. "I am apprentice to Ichiryusai Madarame."
"Nice to meet you." Ren nodded
"Wait, 'Madarame'? The painter?" Shiho asked
"Yes, he is my-" Yusuke began to explain before a black limo drove up, which caught his attention.
"Ah, Yusuke. There you are." A kindly-looking old man with tied back greying hair and a pointed beard spoke up, as he rolled down the window. From what could be seen, he was wearing much older clothing, mostly a yellow yukata with a faded white shirt underneath. "I was wondering where you had gotten to."
Ren's hand instinctively clenched, almost breaking a finger
"Master. I'm sorry, but I was-." Yusuke tried to explain
"It's alright, the muse appears when inspiration strikes." Madarame calmly smiled and understood "But we need to go now."
"But, Master." Yusuke asked before nodding and sighed. "I understand. Until next we meet."
"They guys weird." Ryuji said
"Yeah. He's very... 'blunt'." Shiho agreed
"I can't believe he's Mr Madarame's apprentice." Ann agreed
"Ren? You okay?" Ryuji asked
"I'm fine." He answered, calming down as he saw Madarame leave... but the anger was there. How dare that asshole do all of that to his friend?
"Ren." Morgana whispered as he saw how frustrated he was.
"We should go." Ren whispered.
*time skip*
"Ryuji!" Ann gasped in horror
"No, don't go out like this! You can't!" Shiho added
"I can't do it. I can't... This is the end." Ryuji whined
"No! That's not the Ryuji I know! You can do this!" Ann encouraged
"It's impossible! It's too big!" Ryuji said in defeat, his head against the table
...
And we zoom out to see the group at BigBang Burger, with Ryuji trying the challenge and not even half way through the burger
"And time." the waitress said as she came back
Ryuji was crying in defeat, the Big Bang Burger had bested him.
"You did your best." Ren patted his back out of respect and pity with an empty plate before him. And he had started after Ryuji
"I-Im. Poss. I. Bleh." Ryuji struggled to say the word, before passing out on the table.
"Congratulations." the waitress nodded to Ren "This is the second time you've managed the Challenge." And passed over a medal to him, the second one he had acquired from his date with the wins.
"Thank you." he smiled
"What?!" the forms gasped
"What?" Ren asked as he clipped the medallion on his uniform. The '1st Mate Badge', the successor to the '2nd Mate Badge' he got from his date.
"You've won the second badge? That's supposed to be nearly impossible!" Shiho responded
"... I was hungry." He shrugged.
"... You're incredible." the two commented
"Where does he put it all though?" Morgana joked
Ren just chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "You going to be okay, Ryuji?"
"I'll be fine. Need to walk it off." He waved defeatedly.
"You'll be alright." Ann patted his back.
"I just thought; do you think we'll see that... what's his name? Yusuke; again?" Shiho asked, snapping her fingers as she remembered his name.
"I should think so, there's that art gala going on, right?" Ren answered
"Yeah, but it's not like the dude gave us tickets." Ryuji grumbled.
"And we don't know where he lives either." Ann added
"I'm suspicious of that Madarame guy though." Ren added
"But he's a respectable artist." Shiho responded
"And Kamoshida was a 'respectable PE teacher'." Ryuji countered. "If you've got a funny feeling of that guy, Ren. I trust it."
SLAP!
"Ow! Hnn! The hell?" Ryuji grunted as he was slapped on the back of the head.
"Y-You may be right Ryuji. But that was a low blow." Ann admitted
"Could you not have done that with just words?" Ryuji responded, rubbing his head.
"I'm sorry. I just-" Shiho apologised
"Don't apologise, Lady Shiho. Besides, Ren is right. Madarame seems like he's hiding something." Morgana commented
"Yeah, but what?" They asked together.
"What do we know about him?" Ren spoke up, although he already knew the answer.
"He's a big-shot in the art world." Ryuji began, raising his first finger.
"He's got many different styles of Japanese Art." Shiho raised two fingers. "His most famous piece is called 'Sayori'."
"And he's taken on many students and apprentices in his career, helping them grow." Ann finished off, raising three fingers.
"One of them being the former stalker we met and now his latest pupil, Yusuke." Ren pointed out, connecting the dots.
"Jeez, we really need a corkboard or something to keep track of this." Ryuji commented.
"If we do that, we might be found out." Morgana answered
"Yeah, guess you're right." Ryuji leaned back and let his burger go down. "Oooooh~ my stomach."
"Give it some time. You'll be alright." Ren reassured him. "In the meantime, we need to know what Madarame's like. His home, his work. Anything."
"You've got it, we'll do that when we get home." Shiho answered
*Time Skip*
Ren was meeting up with his friends at the train station, hoping that they would meet up with Yusuke again, but since he never gave the address, they had to find it the hard way. "Everyone ready?"
"Yeah, but I don't know where this house is. It's a good hour away from here." Ann spoke as she looked on her phone for Madarame's home.
"Damn." Ren huffed
"Guess we're walking." Ryuji groaned as they followed Ann with her phone.
True to her word, it took an hour to walk to Madarame's home. It looked like an absolute shack, no painted walls, old wood, brass plate plaque with the name 'Madarame' on it.
"That. Took. Forever." Shiho groaned
"Welcome to my training schedule." Ryuji joked
"Wow." Ren sighed
"It's... decrepit." Shiho whispered
"Kinda weird, right? It looks crappy next to all these houses." Ryuji commented
"I think that's the point." Ren answered, comparing it to Madarame's heart.
"Huh?"
"Never mind. It's nothing. Just thinking out loud." Ren responded
"Dude, you've been a little on edge since seeing that guy. What's wrong?" Ryuji asked
"I think Ren means we should be careful; remember that person from Mementos and how he implicated Madarame?" Morgana answered
"You mean how he 'stole everything from him'?" Ann asked
"Exactly." The cat nodded. "Sometimes appearances reflect actions."
"Is this some more meta-context crap?" Ryuji groaned
"If it's all the same... I kind of need to put my feet up. I'm glad I wore sneakers." Shiho asked
"Same." Ann admitted
"... So, now that we're here; what should we do? I'm not up for walking back just yet." Ryuji asked
"We should talk to Yusuke. I think it might be a good idea to say 'hi' now that he's seen us." Morgana added
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ann sighed gently
"But he looked seriously intense though." Shiho responded
"Yeah, something's off about that guy." Ryuji added
"I think he's just passionate about art. Like how you're passionate about running." Ren explained.
"... Huh. Never thought about it like that." Ryuji responded
Shiho took the initiative and walked to the front door of Madarame's home. "Excuse me, is there anyone in?" She asked as she knocked on the front door gently as she felt like too hard a hit would collapse the door down.
Seconds later, the door opened and revealed Yusuke. Slightly dirty from using paint and charcoal on his hands and cuffs of his shirt. "Oh, it's you. And your friends. What are you doing here?" He inquired, honestly confused.
"We err." Shiho began to fumble
"We thought about what you said and we wanted to come to visit and talk." Ann explained. "After all, your passion for art and selecting us as your models got us interested."
"Whoa. They're ballsier than we are." Ryuji whispered to Ren, making him chuckle.
'You don't know the half of it.'
"Yes, of course. Please, come in." Yusuke offered, letting the two come in and closed the door on Ryuji and Ren.
"The hell?" Ryuji snapped
"Don't get too wound up." Ren responded and knocked on the door.
"Oh, I didn't see you there." Yusuke apologised, looking at both Ryuji and Ren with half-enthusiastic eyes.
"Mind if we come in too?" Ren asked
"I suppose." He sighed
"Our friends are just nervous. They want familiar faces here is all." Ren explained "This is their first time and all."
"Oh. Is that right?" Yusuke answered. "Please come in then. I apologise if I cannot offer you much for drinks or food."
"It's no problem." Ren answered as they entered.
Inside they saw that the home was so old and broken down it looked like a small breeze would knock it down. Letters upon letters stacked up on a table to the side. Shoes tucked away into, what looked to be, a mouse hole. Sturdy doors to all rooms with one open to an artist's workshop.
"Wow~, look at all this." Shiho whispered in awe, seeing the canvases and near-completed products.
"They're beautiful." Anna agreed
"Thank you, but they're nothing but trifles. Thank you for agreeing to be my models." Yusuke appreciated the praise.
"Wait, this book." Shiho asked as she saw a dog-tagged page showing a beautiful painting of a woman wearing a red shirt looking down with a gentle stare, behind her was a slightly blossomed sakura branch. Under the woman was a brush of blue clouds with some lettering to the side.
The blurb of the painting cited ''Ichiryusai Madarame's greatest and most influential work: Sayuri'; immediately followed by a lengthy description of its creation and history.
"Ah, 'Sayuri'. My Master's greatest work. However, it's lost." Yusuke admitted
"She's so... sad. Or happy. I could never tell." Ann commented, engrossed in the picture.
"I felt the same way when I first saw it." Yusuke responded, showing his passion for art.
"Hmm. She looks lost, if you ask me." Ryuji commented as he saw the picture.
"Don't you have an eye for art, Ryuji?" Shiho frowned.
"It's not like that! Dude, help me out here." Ryuji turned to Ren
"Art's subjective." Ren answered. "Ann can't tell if it's joy or sorrow. Ryuji sees loss."
"Exactly! So many complex emotions in Sayuri's gaze." Yusuke answered.
"Personally? I see love and hope." Ren said knowingly
"'Love and hope'?" The group asked in shock at Ren's insight.
"I didn't know you were a fellow member of the arts." Yusuke asked in shock, realising he had made a blunder treating Ren so dismissively.
"I just know what I like. I'm no expert." Ren answered
"Not to sound rude but... you wanted us as your models?" Shiho asked
"Yes, yes of course. Excuse me." Yusuke responded, getting a pair of padded stools for the two to sit upon. "If you could sit here, please."
"We need to go over details about this." Ren said, acting professionally and keeping their cover. He hated doing... this to Yusuke but they had no choice. The original meeting the first time around was crap so he had to play it smart, and he knew all of his old friends tells "I mean if they are to be your modals we need time, the pay rate and info about the project. And to be assured you won't screw them over, there are some terrible people out there after all and my friends have been scammed and taken advantage of before."
"Oh, of course. I will pay for their time to be my models." Yusuke nodded as he saw Ren's professionalism
'Whoa.' The three thought in shock.
'Dude. The hell?' Ryuji asked himself.
"How much will it be?" Yusuke asked.
"What's the job?" Ren asked back and turned to Ann and Shiho, letting them be involved
"I want to paint them as nude models." Yusuke answered simply
"PTTT!" Ryuji spat out his laughter to the floor, making Ann and Shiho blush
"I think that might be too much." Ren responded
"I suppose." He sighed before he stood up, standing dramatically with passion in his eyes
"But what about if I let you pose in clothes first? Would that be alright?" Yusuke asked
"Sure. Clothes are fine." Ann nodded since she was a model it was easier for her.
"O-Okay." Shiho agreed as the two sat down.
"How long is it gonna take?" Ryuji asked
"Not long I imagine." Yusuke answered
"So... What can you tell us about Madarame?" Ren asked
"My Master?" Yusuke asked. "Well, he's a great man. He took me in when there was no-one else."
As he continued, Ren held back his anger, knowing full well why Madarame took him in. His hands clenched softly, but kept himself blank
"He helps me achieve my dreams of becoming a famous painter, I live and breathe art each day." Yusuke continued
"There's been some weird rumours about him. Do you know who might be the one who started then and why?" Shiho asked nervously
"Rumours? You mean the ones saying my Master is a fraud?" Yusuke asked
"Yeah, we heard something like that." Ryuji commented
"Jealous peers." Yusuke answered. "They don't understand his genius."
"Really?" Ren asked, keeping the act up "Why would they do that?"
"They just. As I said, they're jealous." Yusuke answered. "Many artists have failed to make their mark on their world."
'What to do?' Ren thought
"If that's all... I'd like to paint." Yusuke added, turning to his canvas
"Mew, meow, meow, mew." Morgana's voice mewed
"Is that a cat?" Yusuke turned to Ren
"I heard that Madarame stole paintings from people. Passing them off as his own?" Ryuji asked
"Who told you that?" Yusuke asked, turning his head at Ryuji.
"The rumours. Or is it just more people spouting nonsense?" Ryuji responded, giving Ren enough time and distraction to let Morgana out of his bag and let him look around. "I mean one person spreading it around said he was a student of the guy."
"My Master has had many students, yet none of them complained or said anything." Yusuke answered, still defending him.
"Calm down Yusuke, we aren't accusing of everything." Ren assured
*elsewhere*
In the corridor, Morgana was softly walking around, seeing the house for what it was... and knew the layout from before. Though faint a memory it was. 'Where is that?' He thought before he saw it. "Door!" He smiled. "I can get it open... But we need to plan." He looked around, his tail flicking
'What to do, what to do. I should head back.' He thought. 'Maybe if I undo the lock but make it look like it's still connected?'
Morgana's tail waved back and forth, jumping on top of the door. And from there, he had a clear view of what was inside. And means to get past the lock "Here we go." He smiled...and saw what was inside. Darkness. But the cracks of the door gave a little light, where Morgan's natural vision showed the edges of canvases. "Oh god. I remember now." He whispered.
*with the others*
"How's this pose?" Shiho asked as she and Ann were sitting back to back with each other since it was the most 'stylised but comfortable'.
"Perfect, thank you." Yusuke answered as he continued to sketch.
'Wow... They really are beautiful.' Ren thought
"Dude, you sent him off right?" Ryuji whispered to Ren, to which he nodded. "Sure hope he knows what he's doing."
"Of course I do. I'm in my element." Yusuke heard the second part "No do not distract me, please."
"Sorry." Ryuji apologised.
'Morgana, be careful.' Ren thought to himself, netting his fingers as he leaned back.
*with Morgana*
In the other room, Morgana was working diligently in the dark. Managing to open the lock without much issue. But it was the padlock on the other side that was the problem. 'Okay, gotta get back to the others.' He thought and clawed his way to the crack in the door. His ears perked up, hearing someone enter the front door 'CRAP! It's Madarame!' He thought, stuck between the crack and the hall. He would have to pray on his luck to get out.
"Yusuke, I'm-Oh. Guests?" Madarame called out before getting on the defensive.
"Ah, Master." Yusuke interrupted, getting up and walked to his Master.
'Oh great! I'm stuck here!' Morgana thought in worry, thinking he'd have to stay behind until they went to sleep and could *not* wait that long.
"Hello, Mr Madarame, Sir." Ann's voice spoke.
'Lady Ann!' He thought, thinking that Ren and the others would follow suit and began to crawl, seeing the crack through the wall and door, seeing the open bag next to Ren's feet. 'Yes!' He rushed in, entering his best friends bag
"We're your protege's models." Shiho explained
"Oh yes. I remember now. You certainly have a good eye, Yusuke." Madarame smiled cordially
"Thank you." he nodded while Shiho covered herself
"But for now, it's time for you to leave." Madarame asked
"Are you serious? We just got here." Ryuji commented
"I'm sorry." Yusuke apologised
Ren was silent, biting his tongue
"Can we pick this up at a different time?" Ann wondered
"Of course. You'll have to come to the museum, I've got a gala coming up and hopefully, you'll be there." Madarame answered "You are all invited."
"Really? Thank you, Mr Madarame." Shiho bowed politely.
"Here, let me get them for you." He offered and left to get the tickets, only momentarily to come back and hand them over. "I hope you enjoy my work." He smiled
"We do as well." Ann nodded
The group took the tickets and headed outside, seeing as they weren't welcome here. "Is it me, or was that guy a little pushy?" Ryuji asked as he had the ticket in his hand.
"A little." Shiho nodded
"Morgana, did you find anything?" Ren asked the cat thief.
"Yeah. And you're not going to believe it." Morgana nodded as they walked away from the shack of a house.
"Why? What is it?" Shiho asked
"Canvases. Dozens of them. I could only see a brief glimpse of the paintings on them." He answered
"That's weird." Ryuji shrugged
"Is it?" Shiho wondered. "Maybe they're incomplete pictures or keepsakes."
'Oh, you sweet innocent thief.' Ren sighed and subtly shook his head, knowing what it was. "Then why lock them up behind a padlock?" He pulled his phone out, debating on unlocking the palace "His home is like a..." he muttered before he stopped, noticing a familiar reported heading towards them
"Excuse me, you just came from the Madarame estate." The woman spoke. She had short black bob-cut hair, wearing a pair of sunglasses, a black shirt with long white sleeves, blue jeans and sneakers.
"Yes?" Shiho asked as she covered her chest, feeling small compared to the woman's larger breasts in the tight white top
"Could you spare a few minutes for an interview?" The woman asked. "To quell some rumours surrounding Mr Madarame."
"We don't really know him." Ren shrugged
"So you haven't heard the rumours of him plagiarizing work." She asked
"Plagiarism?" Ann double took "Really?"
"There have been rumours and people saying that their work has been stolen by Madarame. However, he's silver-tongued and says that all his work is his own." The reporter answered
"Er... who are you?" Ryuji asked
"Oh, here." The reporter passed over some business cards. "I'm Ichiko Ohya, ace reporter." She smiled
"Nice to meet you." Ren smiled
"Likewise." Ichiko responded. "Guess I'm gonna have to find someone else to get some real info on." She gave a jokey flirty wink before she left, a serious look on her face once again
"... Reporter or not, she was a little creepy." Ann muttered
"Really? She was hot!" Ryuji responded
SLAP!
"OW!"
"Ryuji! Have some class!" Shiho huffed.
"What? She was! What is this some 'high-horse' thing?" Ryuji asked
"Ryuji. Don't get worked upon it. Things like this never go well for guys." Morgana sighed
"Yeah." Ren nodded before he smiled at the two girls
"Ahem. But. Err. She-she might have something." The girls blushed and tried to direct the conversation.
"Yeah, I mean, this is the... third time someone's mentioned 'theft of art' and 'Madarame'." Shiho agreed
"Wait, the Metanav." Ryuji thought and pulled out his phone. "What if it's like this?"
"What are you talking about?" Ann asked
"Okay, 'Madarame'. 'Plagiarism'." Ryuji tried to explain and listed off words for the MetaNav.
PING!
PING!
"Whoa! Those worked!" Ryuji backed up in shock.
"But what does he see as his distortion?" Shiho asked
"It's getting late. Should we be doing this now?" Ann asked
"Yeah, we should head back." Ann agreed.
"Meet back at the 'hideout'?" Shiho asked
"Yeah. See you guys tomorrow." Ren nodded
"Later guys!" Ryuji waved
*Time Skip*
"Ah~." Ren sighed in relief, sitting in a seat in Cafe LeBlanc and began to eat the delicious curry. Everyone had left, leaving just himself and Morgana
"How's your dinner?" Ren asked Morgana, who was tucking into a plate of fish.
"Hmm~, delish!" He smiled
"That's good." Ren chuckled
"Ren. Do you remember what Madarame's got in that locked room?" Morgana asked, licking his paw and brushed his face.
"Yes. Copy's of the Sayuri." Ren nodded, leaning back against the door "So, you got in?"
"About seventy per cent, that large padlock on the front is still the problem." Morgana answered.
"Darn." Ren hissed, sitting back in his chair. He looked up and gave a deep sigh "You hear that Fuutaba, any ideas?" he asked casually
"Huh? Fuutaba? She's still listening in?" Morgana realised.
"Yeah, I know she is." Ren nodded as his phone buzzed
"Who is it?" Morgana asked
"Three guesses." He smiled and answered the phone. "Hello?"
Joker: Hello?
Unknown Number: How did you know about me?-
Joker: Shiho and Sojiro said your name. Realising you where Sojiro's daughter was a simple 2+2. As for how I knew you where there? Spotted the tiny cameras. Sojiro never reacted to anything so it had to be you.
Unknown number: ... Shoot. Looks like you know me then.
Joker: Also you've heard enough from us. So, back on topic, any ideas? I ask because we need to steal this guys heart quickly.
Unknown Number: ... Madarame. That was his name, right?
Joker: That's right.
"What's going on, Ren?" Morgana asked
Unknown Number: Your cat is getting anxious. Is it alright?
Joker: He's fine, just worried.
Unknown Number: Fine. Madarame seems to have a lot of pride and vanity in his work, people claiming that his work is theirs.-
Joker: We know that. Anything else? Any proof?
Unknown Number: None that I can find right now. Give me a minute.
A few seconds passed as Ren looked at Morgana who was looking back hopeful at him.
Unknown Number: I might have something. Some time ago he had a girlfriend, looking over the name I found a place in her name. It's extravagant.
Joker: A girlfriend? Everything I've heard about him says he was single and lived like a hermit.
Unknown number: Well, it was very 'hush, hush' but they got together for a brief time. But she was married.
Joker: Married? Okay, tell me everything you've got.
Unknown Number: ... Sorry for the wait, had to look it up. Basically, the woman was the wife of an art museum curator who was intrigued by his most famous work, they developed a 'friendship' before she was caught out. She is now living with him in secret in this little hideaway
Ren double-took in shock and looked at Morgana. "Holy crap. He's terrible."
"What? What's going on?" Morgana asked. Ren informed the cat about what Madarame was doing and what he had done. "Seriously?! I thought he was bad before! This is even worse!"
"I know, Morgana." Ren answered, stroking his head.
Unknown Number: ... Your cat's a little cutie.
Joker: Yeah he is. Thank you Alibaba. And if you need help, just tell me.
Seconds passed, almost into a minute.
Unknown Number: How did you know my handle?
Joker: You're smart. And you've been listening to me for the month I've lived here. I know you can work it out.
Unknown Number: I guess you're right. Sure. Give me time.
And then the texts stopped.
Ren put the phone down and relaxed, softly smiling
"So? Is she going to help us?" Morgana asked, leaping into his lap.
"Yeah, she has." Ren nodded, grinning softly
"I just hope we can get this sorted out quickly." Morgana hoped "... Time for bed though, Joker."
"I know, I know." Ren nodded and yawned, heading to bed. He walked up, got changed and laid down. He wrapped himself up, feeling Morgana curl up bu his legs "Night buddy."
"Night." Morgana yawned
The two closed their eyes, letting themselves slip into the realm of dreams...
*In Ren's Dreams*
Ren was slowly waking up into the Velvet Room, seeing which one it was...and it was the Clock Tower.
"Oh thank goodness." he sighed and smiled as he felt a familiar weight hugging him "Hey Lavenza."
"Welcome back, Joker." She smiled as she went over and hugged him. "I was getting worried you wouldn't come back."
"As if I'd leave you." he smiled and kissed her forehead softly "Hi Igor, sir."
"Welcome back, Trickster. I have seen your progress. And I'm pleased to see you grow." Igor smiled
"A bit better, yes." he nodded calmly
"May I say, much better than before. Your choice to protect Shiho has made ripples." Igor informed him.
"Good or bad?"
"Both." Igor answered. "Good ripples because of how much you have protected her and helped her change her fate. Showing her the hidden strength that she had and realised it. But bad...for these ripples have changed courses of the future. Shiho will never change schools, she will not be in the hospital; the future is unclear. And it may grab the attention of *it*."
"Wait... What?" Ren gasped
"The Grail. It might've caught wind. But I cannot be certain, it may be to proud to notice." Igor answered
"Wait... My changes in history might alert it? !"
"I will not lie, it's possible. But with its sights on 'creating his perfect world', he might just ignore your changes as it doesn't change the overall plan." Igor clarified.
"As long as you keep them subtle."
"I'll do my best. But considering what I've been doing...I'll try." Ren answered
"Good. I'm glad that we could have this talk, not speaking to you has been very trying." Igor answered
"I bet it has." Ren chuckled nervously. "And I appreciate you telling me this."
"Naturally." Igor nodded
"Maybe I should join you in your adventures then, Trickster." Lavenza chuckled
"Yeah. Can she?" Ren smiled, almost sounding like a kid, though he was joking.
"I am afraid not." Igor smiled
"Darn." Ren snapped his fingers in a jovial manner. "Sorry, Lavenza" He apologised
"Oh." she pouted
"It doesn't mean that you can't go on dates, Lavenza. I know you've been pining for him." Igor added
"I don't hide it." she admitted
"Well while I am here, it would be smart to fuse up and get a new assortment of Persona."
"An excellent idea. Now, choose wisely." Igor smiled as Ren's Persona list was before him and saw the many faces and forms he could summon.
"Oh, I know." Ren smiled, opening the book. "Now. Let's begin." Giving his infamous 'Joker Smile'.
CONFIDANT RECAP:
Fool: Rank 10
Magician: Rank 10
World: Rank 4
Lovers: Rank 3
Lust: Rank 3
Death: Rank 2
Strength: Rank 3
Chariot: Rank 3
Hierophant: Rank 3
Moon: Rank 1
Hanged-Man: Rank 1