#Nakanohara

[burningartwork]

🖌Page of Wands

Once again, the Suit of Wands governs my feelings & dumps the creative urge on me. lol This time, it's for the Page. Nakanohara, Madarame's former pupil is perfect for this card. The Page is always a premature version of the King of the suit & being Madarame's ex pupil fits the theme. Once again, the cards look away, lying to us about their true nature. Could this be Nakanohara himself or his Shadow, who misplaced his passions & became a stalker? All things Wands are about passions & creativity. Here, you can see ideas coming down to solid ground where he holds his brush. His brush has small leaves budding from it. Will he allow his creativity to flourish & paint a masterpiece, or will he let go of the brush & become stagnant?

🃏UPRIGHT: Inspiration, new ideas, discovery, limitless potential, free spirit, active.

🃏REVERSED: Feeling uninspired, failure to act, redirecting energy, self-limiting beliefs, lazy, impatience.

🌟 Major Arcana here

🃏 Wands:

Ace of Wands

2 of Wands

3 of Wands

4 of Wands

5 of Wands

6 of Wands

7 of Wands

8 of Wands

9 of Wands

10 of Wands

Page of Wands

Knight of Wands

Queen of Wands

King of Wands

🃏 Other Suits :

Cups (Ace)

Pentacles (Ace)

Swords (Ace)

🃏 Bonus cards:

04 - Constellation (Jose)

00R - Faith Reversed

01R - Councillor Reversed

09R - Hermit Reversed

20R - Judgement Reversed

? - Shido - Hunger

[rollthedice-playthecards]

Akira and Goro make some discoveries - one about himself, the other about Okumura Kunikazu's house. That night, the group gains a crucial opportunity.

[aria0fgold]

Gotta love how the Phantom Thieves are both laying low and hiding their identity while also being incredibly bad at it. Like, Mishima I understand, but Nakanohara is a funny lil occurrence, like, that grown ass man was told by the Phansite mod to talk to a teen with a Shujin uniform and a cat.

Proceeds to talk about his troubles (with Ann and Ryuji loudly whispering in the back but that aint stopping my guy Nakanohara) and end it with "Please consider that when thinking about changing Madarame's heart" like he is wholeheartedly convinced that these 3 teens are, in fact, the Phantom Thieves, no questions asked.

[yusuke-of-valla]

The thing about conflicting headcanons re: Yusuke's financial situation post Madarame (ie is he actually poor, does he make money but spends it all on art because he has poor impulse control, is Kosei a money laundering scheme etc.) is that like Yusuke's financial situation is written to facilitate a running gag so it's not consistent.

The school gives him an allowance, but he's also being charged for utilities despite being on a scholarship and so showers in the cold and works in the dark and worries about the electricity bill.

We know he bought those lobsters that one time but realistically how much of his money is being spent on supplies for class vs non-necessities he feels inspired by? Because canvases are expensive and if there's a certain size expectation/requirement you can't save by getting a smaller canvas. So when someone says "he just spends all his money on art" what are we really talking about?

By Strikers he's very excited to have money from an art contest to spend on his friends but was that true during the course of the base game when he was in his slump? Because I have a hard time believing he was even entering competitions

The details don't really make sense because most of these details come from jokes that are never elaborated on into cohesive worldbuilding.

And even if you want to say the issue is just he's got bad spending habits, that's still a situation that would require intervention by an adult probably because uh, no shit?

Yeah of COURSE Yusuke is completely unprepared to live on his own and is incidentally starving himself, he was raised by a dude who convinced him that the only purpose he served was helping his Sensei. In what way would it have benefitted Madarame to prepare Yusuke in any way to live on his own or know how to balance finances, he actively wanted Yusuke reliant on him, because that's how abuse works.

I'm pretty sure Yusuke has never even conceptualized living on his own, and that's not even adding in the detail of Nakanohara being concerned he'd commit suicide if he stayed with Madarame. NO SHIT HE'D BE BAD AT IT? People don't just emerge from the womb capable of money management

In that situation is the proper response really "oh that Yusuke, he just doesn't understand money, it's not a big deal"?

And like regardless, he IS still starving. Like the extent to which you think it's self inflicted aside, he's a 16 year old who will constantly talk about skipping meals and eating sprouts from the park and that sucks. Someone should maybe like talk to him about the root cause of that!

TL;DR: Yusuke's financial situation doesn't make sense because it's not supposed to, so it kind of doesn't matter to me how people headcanon the nature of it, and I fundamentally think it's incorrect to say one option of "poor vs has bad impulse spending habits" is more correct than the other because arguably they both raise the question of "holy shit why is no one stepping in here" if you think about it all the way through

PS. Also I wrote this whole thing because I saw a tweet that was like "one big misconception i see about yusukes character and how he’s treated is people saying “Why doesn’t Joker/Haru give him money when he’s poor?” and the real fact is that he’s not poor (post madarame). He’s just EXTREMELY irresponsible with his spending and spends it all on art," and I was like "idk if that's a misconception really I think a case can be made for both because it doesn't make sense" and then AFTER I wrote it I remebered that I have repository of every Yusuke scene uploaded into my brain and was like "wait if you call Yusuke poor in PQ2 during the Akihiko/Shinjiro/Yusuke quest he'll agree" and then there's also the scene in Tactica where Marie calls him dirt poor and he doesn't disagree with the poor part, just that she insulted dirt

So like my point still stands but I'd ESPECIALLY not call it a misconception to say he's poor when canon material supports it.

[ur-favoriterecord]

Natsuhiko Nakanohara be like: its hard being a single father. Especially when your in your early twenties and your only child is the 17 year old you basically kidnapped.

[diamondverse-swapann]

CHARACTERS YOU CAN ASK FROM DIAMONDVERSE!

This is an Arcana-Swap AU featuring Protagonist!Ann. The list of characters who you can ask about will be down below.

You can ask a character to recount their whole storyline, if you want.

Please don't ask anything spoiler-y or mean. Otherwise, go wild!

If I get enough asks, more characters will be added!

You can ask the Phantom Thieves:

Fool/World!Ann Liekki a.k.a. Diamond

Magician!Futaba a.k.a. Hamham

Lovers!Morgana Kurusu a.k.a. Jaguar

Chariot!Akira Kurusu a.k.a. Knight

Emperor!Makoto Niijima a.k.a. General

Priestess!Sumire Yoshizawa a.k.a. Zinnia

Hermit!Haru Mifune a.k.a. Mystic

Empress!Goro Akechi a.k.a. Marquis

Justice!Ryuji Sakamoto a.k.a. Clubber

Faith!Natsuhiko Nakanohara a.k.a. Wily

Hope!Hifumi a.k.a. Mimi

Apostle!Toranosuke Yoshida a.k.a. Tiger

Or the following of Ann's Confidants:

Councillor!Ichiko Ohya

Hierophant!Chihaya Mifune

Fortune!Sae Fukurai

Strength!"Ernest"

Hanged Man!Sadayo Kawakami

Death!Sojiro Sakura

Temperance!Tae Takemi

Devil!Lavenza Scimia

Tower!Takuto Maruki

Star!Sophia & Kuon Ichinose

Moon!Shinya Oda

Sun!Zenkichi Hasegawa

Judgement!Munehisa Iwai

We even have some extra Confidants! All Arcana are taken from the Osho Zen Tarot!

Awareness!Mika Chishiya

Breakthrough!Momiji Sakamoto

Change!Shiho Suzui

Silence!Amanda Liekki

Courage!Alice Hiiragi

Aloneness!Wakaba Isshiki

Hope to get all sorts of asks from y'all!!!

[queersrus]

HII KIRA KIRA looks at you :] persona names maybe... (feel free to choose from all games, but obviously 5 is the one I know :D)

yeye!! (nick)names from persona 5!!!

Aka, Akan, Akane, Aki, Akim, Akimi, Akimitsu, Akira, Al, Ali, Alice, Ang, Ango, An/Ann/Anne, Aoi, Ama, Amami, Amamiya, Ake, Akechi, Ara, Arai

Car, Caro, Carol, Caroli, Carolin/Carolyn, Caroline, Chi, Chiha, Chihay, Chihaya, Coach

Dem, Demi, Demiu, Demiur, Demiurge, Di, Dir/Dire, Director

En, Ena, Esc, Esca, Escar, Escargo/Escargot

Fu, Futa, Futaba, Fuji, Fujikawa

Go, Goro

Haru, Hi, Hif, Hifu, Hifumi, Has, Hase, Hasega, Hasegawa, Hi/Hii, Hiir, Hiira/Hira, Hiiragi, Hiraguchi, Hy, Hyo, Hyodo

Ichi, Ichiko, Ichiryu, Ichiryusa, Ichiryusai, Igo, Igor, Iss, Isshi, Isshiki, Ichino, Ichinose, Iwa, Iwai

Jo, Jose, Jun, Juny, Junya, Jyu, Jyun, Jul/Jule, Juli/Julie, Julia, Julian, Just, Justi, Justin, Justine

Kas, Kasu, Kasumi, Kaz, Kazu, Kazuya, Ko, Kob, Koba, Kobaya, Kobayaka, Kobayakawa, Koto, Kotone, Kumi, Kun, Kuni, Kunik, Kunika, Kunikaz, Kunikazu, Kuo, Kuon, Kiu, Kiuchi, Kita, Kitaga, Kitagawa, Kamo, Kamoshi, Kamoshida, Kawa, Kawakami, Konoe, Kage, Kageya, Kageyama, Kane, Kaneshi, Kaneshiro, Kat, Kata, Kataya, Katayama, Kabu, Kabura, Kaburagi

Lala

Mak, Mako, Makoto, Mari, Mariko, Masa, Masayo, Masayoshi, Mer, Mero, Merope, Mi, Mika, Miya, Miyako, Morg, Morga, Morgan, Morgana, Moto/Motoh, Motoha, Mune, Munehi, Munehis/Munehise, Munehisa, Mish, Mishi, Mishima, Maru, Maruki, Maki, Makigami, Mifu, Mifune, Mada, Madara, Madarame, Mon, Mont, Monta, Montag, Montagne

Nao, Naoya, Nat, Nats, Natsu/Natsuh, Natsuhi, Natsuhiko, Noge, Nii, Niiji, Niijima, Naka, Nakano, Nakanohara, Natsume

Od, Oda, Oku, Okumu, Okumura, Ohya, Owa, Owada

Pres, Presi, President

Ren, Ru, Rufe, Rufer, Ruferu, Rumi, Ry, Ryu, Ryuji

Sada, Sadayo, Sae, Sei, Seiji, Shadow, Shi, Shibu, Shibus, Shibusa, Shibusawa, Shiho, Shin, Shini, Shinichi, Shiny, Shinya, Shu, Shuz, Shuzo, Si, Siu, So, Soji, Sojiro, Soph, Sophi/Sophie/Sofi/Sofie, Sophia/Sofia, Sugi, Sugimura, Suguru, Sumi, Sumir, Sumire, Saku, Sakura, Su, Suz, Suzu, Suzui, Shira, Shirato, Shiratori, Saka, Sakamo, Sakamoto, Shido

Tae, Tak, Taku, Takuto, Tom, Tomoko, Tor, Tora, Torano, Toranosuke, Take, Takemi, Tan, Tana, Tanaka, Tsu, Tsuda, Taka, Takama, Takamaki, Togo

Ubu, Ubuka, Ubukata

Wakaba

Yu, Yuki/Yuuki, Yukimi, Yusu, Yusuke, Yuji/Yuuji, Yosh, Yoshi, Yoshida, Yoshiza, Yoshizawa

Zen, Zenki, Zenkichi

[crescentmoonteas]

Two questions:

Does the Protag Haru AU have a proper name? I may or may not make a TvTropes page on the AU, and I need a name for it

So… does someone take the place of Natsuhiko Nakanohara, the guy who tells you to change Madarame's heart in canon, during Futaba's arc in the Protag Haru AU? If you haven’t decided yet, I feel like Kana Magario (the unseen friend of Futaba who's parents are assholes) would be a good choice

omg a tvtropes page?!?!? you know one of my life goals is to have someone make a TVT page about something I worked on 😭 I'll let you know when Jazzy and I settle on a proper name!!!

also you are a GENIUS!!! Kana would be the perfect person!!!! adding this to my google doc as we speak (still need to sort out Futaba's arc but I'm getting there!)

[minkhollow42]

WIP Wednesday

Some time-loop shenanigans, in which the entire PT team (aka 'full OG squad plus Shiho') have met up to take that first dive into Mementos for this round.

“Request’s up on the site, so we should be good to go,” Ryuji says.  Then he treats Yusuke to a startlingly guilty look.  “Did we, uh… ever tell you how we got on Madarame’s trail in the first place?”

“I know you talked to Nakanohara-san, and he was willing to say what I couldn’t yet.”

“Yeah.  So… there was a step before that.”

The rock plummeting into Yusuke’s stomach isn’t only because Akira chooses that moment to activate the Nav.  It stays there until they find the distorted pocket trying to bud off from the rest of Mementos, and Akira turns from Mona’s driver’s seat to face him.

“Fox, if you want to sit this one out, none of us will think less of you.”

Yusuke shakes his head.  “If I could face Madarame, I can face this.  Besides, I think I need to.”

Nakanohara-san, it transpires, has been stalking his ex-girlfriend.  His Shadow speaks about her the way Madarame speaks of his students, down to saying she has no right to be free of him and prospering on her own terms; the only difference is that he lacks the power to do more than terrorise her.  Somehow, he’s still self-aware enough to know that Madarame is the root of the problem, if not that he himself has become a symptom of the disease.

The battle is swift, and the Shadow shows no signs of recognising Yusuke.  He’s not sure how to feel about that, especially knowing he told the others last time that he was worried for Yusuke’s own sake as much as he was about Madarame’s wider pattern of abuse, but it does make for fewer distractions in the moment.  Besides, he has had a bit of a growth spurt since Nakanohara-san left the atelier.

With that unpleasant deed done, they press as far down into Mementos as they currently can.  Yusuke is trying not to think about what’s lying in wait for them at the very bottom, and he suspects everyone else is, too.  They’ll have to discuss it eventually, if only to go in with a better plan than ‘see what happens’ come December, but it may first be helpful to know why they’re repeating the year, if they can.

“That’s a wrap,” Akira says, when they reach a barrier door that won’t budge.  “Good work today, guys.  I’ll be staying home to study every night until midterms are done, and anyone who wants to come over is welcome.”

“And none of you have any excuse for failing,” Makoto adds.  “Fury, if you’re still feeling behind because of the volleyball practice schedule, we’d be more than happy to help you catch up, but everyone else has done this once before, so I expect passing grades when the lists go up.  Understood?”

Ryuji visibly wilts as he nods, but Ann looks determined to meet the challenge.

[kirexa]

Nakanohara knew who the pthieves were the whole time did everyone forget about that

[ultimatecutenesspeaks]

UB: That guy Nakanohara mentioned?

???: Hm? Oh, yes. He is my teacher, and quite a remarkable one.

Ann: Look, dude. We've gotten stuff like this from a teacher at our school, and we do not want a repeat of that. So get out of our faces before I deck you into oblivion.

[rollthedice-playthecards]

A.R.R. kicks off its second arc with a trip to Mementos - two targets this time!

Oh, and there are two cameos and Jose.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 46: Sunset, Sunrise

On the final day of Madarame’s exhibition, a surprise press conference was called by Madarame himself. As it started, Madarame was crying his eyes out. “People of Japan! I have to apologize!” He cried out. “I am not worthy of your admiration. The artist Madarame is nothing more than a sham. Most of my masterpieces, including the Sayuri, are not my own. I robbed my students of their art, and claimed it as my own. To keep this all under wraps, I intimidated my students, and I sometimes even abused them.”

Everyone present at the press conference was shocked. Meanwhile, Madarame’s eyes continued to flow like faucets left on. He continued speaking. “In fact, the real author of the Sayuri died before they could claim it as their own. I took it in an act of desperation, and jump-started my meteoric rise to the top of the artwork on the backs of my students, who are more deserving than I am.” He continued to cry his eyes out. Members of the press tried to ask further questions, but Madarame had lost control of himself and continued bawling.

Meanwhile, several people were watching the press conference on the big TV in the Shibuya crossing. It cut to a reporter reporting from a desk. “This shocking confession comes soon after Madarame’s home was broken into. The burglar in question was a former student of Madarame’s. However, as part of this confession, Madarame has decided to drop all charges against said student.

Furthermore, a little while after the break in, Madarame’s exhibit was the target of this message; A letter supposedly sent by The Phantom Thieves. This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened. While there are many who still are skeptical of the existence of these thieves, some are beginning to think that such a group may be real.

Needless to say, Madarame has been put under arrest. Due to Madarame’s age, he is being taken to the hospital for a full assessment of health. Once complete, he will be tried and sentenced.”

Among those watching at the Shibuya crossing was a boy in a coat and shoulder-length brown hair. “Phantom Thieves.”

Makoto was also watching. “The Phantom Thieves. Again. Hm.”

Another person in the crowd was Nakanohara, the person who led the Phantom Thieves to Madarame in the first place. He let out a single tear, as he quietly said “Thank you, Phantom Thieves.”

Meanwhile, the thieves were at their hideout. “Alright! Another success!” Ryuji shouted.

“Ryuji!” Ann said. “Not so loud!”

“Sorry” Ryuji said. “But more people are talking about us, eh.”

Yusuke looked onward. “Are you doing OK Yusuke-senpai?” Sumire asked.

Yusuke snapped out of his stupor. “Huh? Oh. Yeah.”

Everyone looked at him. “What’s up?” Ryuji asked. “I thought you’d be more excited.”

“Well… How do I put this?” Yusuke asked. “I’m glad that Madarame is finally paying for his crimes...but…” He sighed. “Living with Madarame, and everything that came with it is everything I’ve ever known. It’s just weird is all. I feel like what’s in front of me is this blank empty space.”

“Oh, uh, sorry” Ryuji said.

Sumire placed a hand on his shoulder. “I get it. That kind of thing can be hard. But it can bring about new good things too.”

Yusuke smiled. “You’re correct. In a way, that blank empty space is much like a canvas just waiting for a masterpiece.”

“I hope there’s room for us in that masterpiece you call life” Ren remarked.

“Hm. Of course” Yusuke said. “I cannot thank you enough for everything you did. Therefore, I humbly request to be a permanent member of the Phantom Thieves.”

Everyone else was surprised. “You don’t have to request anything,” Ren answered, smiling.

“Yeah, as far as we’re concerned, you’re already one of us,” Morgana added.

“I thank you,” Yusuke replied.

“So, ummmm” Ann said. “Do you still want to paint me?”

“Hm?” Yusuke said. “Well, I wouldn’t say that’s out of the question, but I don’t think now’s the best time to do that.”

“Right,” Ann said. She smiled. “Well, if you need me, you just have to call.”

“Just make sure you don’t do too good a job,” Ryuji said. “Otherwise the professional photographers she deals with will have your head.”

“Ryuji!” Ann said, shoving him playfully. Ryuji laughed.

“My, what a marvelous couple” Yusuke said.

Ryuji and Ann looked at him and turned cherry red. “What are you talking about?” Ryuji said, nervously.

“Y-Yeah. We’re just friends” Ann insisted.

“Really?” Yusuke said. “Huh. I guess I’m seeing the world in new ways. I apologize.” Ren and Sumire shared a snicker. Meanwhile, Morgana was frazzled. Jose noticed this and started scratching his ears. As much as Morgana didn’t want to enjoy it at that moment, he couldn’t help but smile.

After Morgana was placated, Jose stopped, turned to Yusuke, and said “So, do you need help moving into the dorms?”

“Hmmm” Yusuke thought. “Well, there’s a swath of police over at Madarame’s as we speak, collecting evidence. I assume that whatever’s left will be ‘my’ stuff, and I don’t know how much that is for sure though.”

Well we can go over and check it out” Jose said, optimistically.

“I’d like that,” Yusuke said.

“Wait!” Sumire interrupted. “If the police are there, will they find the treasure?”

Everyone was alerted, as no one had thought of that. Well, aside from Yusuke. “While I don’t know what on the periphery is mine versus Madarame’s, I know for certain a few things are, and the real Sayuri is hidden among them. We should be fine.” Sumire sighed a sigh of relief.

“So, what’s gonna happen to Kosuke?” Ann asked. “The news said that Madarame had dropped all charges against him.”

Yusuke nodded. “He actually contacted me soon after that, but before we all met up here. He said he was going to move to Sendai to start over.”

“I’ve been there before for some gymnastics competitions, '' Sumire said. “It’s quite lovely.”

“But, uh, what’ll he be doin’?” Rji asked.

“Apparently, another one of Madarame’s former pupils lives there,” Yusuke said. “He’s going to move with him, and he’s talking about this with the boss of his security company for a possible transfer.”

“I see,” Ann said.

“So, what do you think about the Phantom Thieves’s popularity now that we took down another baddie?” Ryuji asked.

“Hmmm” Ren thought. “Well, I think we can get deeper into Mementos now,” she remarked. “But as for what people think, it’ll take time.”

“Huh,” Ryuji said.

“So, how does this work now?” Yusuke said. “Do you have another target in mind?”

“Not really,” Morgana said. “Finding people to change their hearts requires legwork. And there’s no guarantee that the person would have a palace.”

“Meaning he pushes that onto us” Ryuji snided.

“Hey I found one person,” Morgana said.

“By almost getting kidnapped!” Ryuji retorted.

“That’s not the point!” Morgana said.

“Morgana stays with me most of the time” Ren said, trying to cool tempers. “So while he could go off and find leads, he’s better off staying with me in case anything happens.”

“Yeah!” Morgana said, only mostly confident in himself.

“...I guess that’s fair,” Ryuji relented.

“We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, senpai,” Sumire said, giggling. Yusuke noticed Sumire’s slight blush, but decided not to make another remark, on the chance that it would spark another awkward moment.

“So” Jose interjected, “while we’re waiting, do you want to head over to the shack to grab your things now?”

Yusuke nodded. “Unless we have other business to attend to.”

Ren shook her head. “I just wanted us to meet up to make sure the confession went smoothly.”

“I certainly think it did,” Yusuke said.

“Oh yeah” Ann said. “Did Madarame ever say anything about the people he’s worked with?” Ann said.

“Sadly no” Yusuke said. “He was more caught up in his own dealings, rather than this apparent group.”

“I see,” Ann said. Ann was shaking a little, hesitant to ask what else was on her mind. “Well, did he give a reason as to why he said he let your mom die when according to the Will Seeds he didn’t?”

Yusuke grew more serious. “No, but I’ve been thinking about that. I think it has something to do with Madarame’s vanity. He has to be the most of whatever he’s embodying. He’s either the best artist of the modern age, the most heinous man he can be, or, as evidenced by the confession, the most remorseful. Him saying he let my mom die is his way of aggrandizing his own villainy.”

“Woah,” Ryuji said. “That’s...a lot.”

“Indeed,” Yusuke said. There was an awkward silence. “Well, we should get going, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Ren said.

“Hey, maybe we can find out if the police know anything,” Jose said, shifting the conversation. “Either about Madarame’s contacts, or any possible future targets.”

“My, you’re quite the thinker,” Yusuke said. “Very well. Let’s head off. Until next time!”

“Later” Jose said. The two of them headed to Madarame’s shack. The rest headed home for the evening.

Once the police left, Yusuke and Jose messaged the group.

Yusuke: I’m afraid we’ve had no such luck.

Ryuji: Wha?

Jose: While we were with the police, we didn’t hear anything about Madarame’s contacts.

Yusuke: We did hear some mumblings about drugs getting passed around Shibuya, but that’s about it.

Jose: No name, no nothing.

Ann: Well, that kind of stinks.

Ryuji: Do you think the police might be involved with the people Madarame was talking about?

Ren: As someone who was wrongfully arrested, I wouldn’t put it past them.

Yusuke: Hmmm.

Yusuke: Well, I don’t know if it would have come up much anyway.

Yusuke: Nothing about Madarame's palace was about this cabal anyway.

Sumire: So, stealing his treasure wouldn’t reveal much about it?

Yusuke: Precisely.

“That’s not a bad call, actually,” Morgana said.

Yusuke: And if the police are in on it, that part might get swept under the rug.

Ryuji: So, we’re basically back to square one?

Ren: Not quite.

Ren: We’re still the Phantom Thieves. So long as we’re out and about, we have the power to undermine whoever is abusing the metaverse.

Ryuji: I see. So we’ll be a constant thorn in their side! I love it!

Ann: But maybe we should be careful.

Ann: I mean, if these people are causing the mental shutdowns, and possibly have the police in line, then we’re dealing with some really heavy hitters.

“That’s true…” Morgana said. “Lady Ann’s so smart.”

Ren: Morgana says you’re smart Ann.

“What?!” Morgana said, panicking.

Ann: Tell him thank you. Morgana started blushing and muttering unintelligibly.

Yusuke: While that may be true, there are a lot of people who still don’t believe in us yet.

Yusuke: I’m sure if we can play our cards right, we can use that to our advantage as well.

Ryuji: I hear that. We gotta make sure that they'll never see us comin’!

Ren: We can’t forget about Eris and her deal as well.

Ann: Right.

Jose: Isn’t Eris’s whole thing to build us up to either side with her or fight with her?

Ren: Well, yeah. But it’s still important to remember that.

Ren: Besides, Eris is the emissary of chaos. She won’t hesitate to disrupt anyone’s plans so long as it suits her needs.

Ann: Yeah.

Ann: So the best thing to do is keep a steady head.

Ren: Yeah.

Yusuke: Well, sorry we couldn’t find anything useful.

Ryuji: Nah, it’s fine. It was probably a long shot anyway.

Jose: We should head to Kosei and get you settled in.

Yusuke: You’re right.

Yusuke: Good night.

Ryuji: G’night.

Ann: Good night.

Sumire: Good night.

Ren: Good night.

Ren set her phone down and laid in her bed.

Meanwhile, at the prosecutor’s office, the woman who was intimidating Sojiro was working on a laptop. As she was, the young man in the coat came in. “Ah, Niijima-san,” he said. “Working late again, I see.”

Niijima looked up from her computer and glared at the boy. “Akechi-san. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was just hoping for some friendly chit-chat,” Akechi responded.

Niijima continued working away. “Those Phantom Thieves stuck again.”

“I saw that,” Akechi noted. “I believe your sister was in the crowd at the Shibuya Crossing when the confession was airing.” 

Niijima glared at him once again. “Do you WANT to irritate me?”

“Not at all,” Akechi said. “Like I said, I want this to be friendly.”

Niijima continued to glare for a bit, and then relented. “So, what did you wish to discuss?”

“Well, I’m assuming that you believe that these so-called ‘Phantom Thieves’ are the ones behind the mental shutdowns,” Akechi surmised.

“I do,” Niijima answered. “The M.O. matches up.”

“Well, about that,” Akechi said. Niijima was curious. “While it’s true that the Phantom Thieves cause a change in behavior, as do the mental shutdowns, the examples we have from the Phantom Thieves don’t match the examples we have from the mental shutdown cases. Besides, why start signing their work now?”

“Maybe they think they can get away with it,'' Niijima answered.

“Well, I guess that’s one way of thinking,” Akechi said.

“And you think that these two are unrelated?” Niijima asked.

“Well, not entirely,” Akechi said. “I believe the tactic used is similar, but I think they’re being used by two different groups.”

“Hm” Niijima grunted. “No matter. Even if your hypothesis is true, it’s still worth investigating them. If they know how to operate similarly, they might have an inkling who’s behind the shutdowns.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Akechi relented. “Still, you are awfully focused on this.”

“Your point being?” Niijima snapped back.

Akechi smiled. “With such a one-track mind, you might not be able to see what’s going on elsewhere.”

Niijima glared at him once more. “You’re one to talk.”

“Harsh. But true” Akechi said. “Maybe it’s time we find some life preservers before we both drown in our work and insecurities.”

“Maybe,” Niijima said. She went back to clacking away on her laptop.

“Well, good night Niijima-san,” Akechi said.

“Good night Akechi,” Niijima replied. Akechi started leaving. Before he fully left, he looked over Niijima once more. He was concerned, but couldn’t do much. He left.

The next day, after school, the announcements came on. Principal Kobayakawa began speaking. “Ahem. Attention students of Shujin Academy. Please meet in the gym for an assembly.”

“I wonder what this is about?” Morgana pondered. Ren shrugged and headed over with the rest of her class.

When everyone assembled, Kobayakawa took the stage once more. “As you may know, recently one of our faculty was caught up in a scandal.” There was some muttering about this, mostly about the disingenuousness of the principal. “However, the school wishes for you to continue learning, and to continue to have the best possible education. So, while we are looking for a permanent staff member, someone has agreed to be the interim gym teacher here at Shujin Academy.” There were some more murmurs. “Please welcome, Coach Chika Hiraguchi!”

Kobayakawa moved away as Coach Hiraguchi took the stage. Students were confused, but clapped anyway. “Thank you, Principal Kobayakawa,'' she said. She turned to address the students. “I know how difficult things have been here recently. That is why I don’t expect to have your trust right away. However, I do wish that for the time I am here I can prove worthy of your trust. I look forward to working with you, and making sure your school life is as good as it can possibly be.” She bowed. “Thank you.” The students clapped. From some of the mumblings Ren heard, they seemed to be impressed with her professionalism.

Kobayakawa took the stage again. “Yes. And thank you, Coach Hiraguchi.” He faced the students. “Please make sure to help Coach Hiraguchi feel welcome. You are dismissed.”

After the assembly, the Shujin-based Thieves met up. “So, your gymnastics coach is teachin’ here now?” Ryuji asked.

Sumire nodded. “Remember that day the principal called me to meet with him. It was decided then. As long as she’s here, I can continue as an honors student with all that brings.”

“You feeling alright?” Ren asked.

“Yeah,” Sumire answered. She sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s nice, but… it just feels weird. It seems more and more apparent that the world is moving without Kasumi, and that…” Sumire didn't have to finish the sentence. Ren wrapped one arm around her shoulder and pulled her in, rubbing her arm in an effort to calm her down. “Thanks. … I think I’m going to go practice with Coach today.” Ren nodded and let go. Sumire headed off.

“I should go too,” Ann said. “Shiho and I made plans for some one-on-one time today.”

“Really?” Ryuji said. “Well, I can’t complain, I guess. Have fun.”

“Thanks,” Ann said. She left to meet up with Shiho.

“I should get going too,” Ryuji said. “I’ve got something I need to do. Oh, but maybe you should buy some gym clothes.” Ren was confused. “I found a good place for a workout, now that our secret area isn’t so secret anymore.”

Ren nodded. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

“OK. Thanks” Ryuji said. “Seeya!” He rushed off. Ren decided to take Ryuji up on his offer and shopped for some workout clothes. After which, she headed to one of her jobs.

As she was wandering about Tokyo, she began to notice some things. The people, the buildings, the sounds. Ren had just moved here about two months ago, but everything changed so suddenly. To her, Tokyo was starting to feel like home. Ren smiled at that notion and continued walking with a spring in her step.

[kplays]

So Madarame might be a bit paranoid? Or maybe, he heard our argument with Yuskue?

Either way, lets go end his career for teaching his students things like his terrible hireing methods by example

[yusuke-of-valla]

Like I’m sorry if you weren’t already pissed at him when we learned he drove a student to suicide and Nakanohara said directly he was worried about Yusuke killing himself or the way he instantly calls the police on his son figure or the fact that he literally doesn’t see his pupils as people or the fact that he has a massive golden fountain of agony about how his students should give everything up for him or the multiple homeless guys saying Madarame ruined their lives or the comment about his students being treated like dogs or the subconscious thoughts in the will seed rooms one of which is “nosy students should have their prying eyes plucked before they become a real problem”

Then that’s a you problem

AH SHIT I SHOULD HAVE PUT “They added Madarame killing Yusuke’s mom at the last minute because he wasn’t terrible enough” TO THE BAD TAKE LIST BECAUSE THAT IS MUCH MORE COMMON AND ALSO MUCH MORE WRONG

[thekrazykeke]

The stalker Nakanohara is well a creep but that voice though... 😍😍😍