Part 29: 5/16: It Belongs In A Museum

Part 28: 5/16: It Belongs In A Museum

Today, we’re heading over to Yusuke’s right after school to get more information about Madarame.



Music: So Boring



I’ve gone to see his works a number of times. Goodness, are they magnificent! The moment I saw them, I knew he was something else. By the way, you seem far removed from the arts, Hamiru-kun. Do you know who created the piece which sold for the highest price back in the 20th Century?



That’s correct. It seems you know a thing or two after all. That piece was purchased for the equivalent of eighteen billion yen, and it sold for even more later. However, since the turn of the 21st century, a new record has been set practically every year.

Maaku gains Knowledge +1.

People put a serious amount of passion and money into art. If I had that kind of money, I wouldn’t mind having a painting or two myself, haha...
Seems like art can make you a tidy sum. Let’s see with our own eyes whether or not the accusations of him stealing art are true. You’re meeting Lady Ann and the others at the train station, right? Let’s go when class lets out!



The train is the fastest way to go. Plus, we can bring pets on here.

Music: Wicked Plan




Dude, be quiet! We didn’t pay the pet fare.
I’m the one guiding you to your destination! You should be calling me “Master”!



Er, shoot…!
Is that your pet, Mister? I heard it meowing!



Yeah, it’s just a toy. It meows when you press on its head.
You heard her, Maaku. Press on its head.
This is ridic--



M-Mewww…
Wowweeeee! Again! Again!



Time to terrorize this cat.



……



Ahahah, that’s so funny! I wanna hear it again!
I just threw up in my mouth...
Seriously...?
The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side.
Oh, this is our stop! Well, see you later! Bye bye!
Mm-hm! Bye bye!

Music: Tokyo Daylight



Doesn’t look like there are any stations close by to that address… If anything, this is the closest station.
What!? Then we gotta walk the rest of the way!? What kinda phantom thief takes the train, and then walks to their destination!?

The kind that shouts loudly in public that they’re a phantom thief, I suppose.

Stop your complaining.
It’s supposedly a shack, but this is the neighborhood he lives in… As expected of a famous artist. Looks like the fastest route is to get to station square and then go to Central Street. Let’s move!



You sure it’s this way? I don’t remember seeing a house.
It’s supposed to be in a residential area past Central Street. We’ll have to walk a bit though. OK, let’s get going!

Music: Disquiet



Reason for turning himself in is… a heavy conscience, huh… The human mind doesn’t change that easily… let alone their natural temperament. Shujin Academy… Seems doubtful… Perhaps I’ll have someone look into it, just in case...

Uh-oh. Looks like the SIU Director is hip to our bullshit.



We’re at the right address… The door plate does say “Madarame.”
Uhhh… You ring the bell.
Me!? The walls won’t collapse when I do, will they…?
No one sneeze or we’ll blow this house down, OK?




Sensei is currently--
Um, it’s Takamaki.
I’ll be right out!
People really do live here...





‘Sup dude. I’m never gonna get tired of Yusuke’s reactions when Ann shows up with her entourage of morons.

Sorry, but we ain’t here to talk about the modeling thing. There’s something we gotta ask you. Is it true Madarame’s plagiarizin’ stuff? He’s abusin’ people too, yeah?



This is a really great deadpan line read, for the record. You can hear the exasperation in his voice for having to deal with these idiots.

We read about it online.





Yusuke begins laughing hysterically.

Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? If he hated children so much to harm them, he would never allow pupils into his home! And I’m the one residing here and studying under him. I’m saying it’s not true, so it’s beyond doubt.



That… ...That is utter rubbish.




...You really think that?



What’s the matter? I heard you yelling.
These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!
...Forgive them, Yusuke. They must’ve heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend’s safety.
...Understood, Sensei.
Well, even I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone.
That’s not what we meant...
I’m sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around. Won’t you please keep it down? Now, if you’ll excuse me.




...I know! I think you’ll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting.



Music: Alright (Elp Version)

“Sayuri”…?
This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist.
It’s so beautiful...
I don’t know all that fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive...
When I first saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting…
Me?
I wish to pursue beauty like this.



I’m sorry that you took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you’ll excuse me, then.



Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person.
Man, right when we thought we found a new target, too...
How’s the Meta-Nav?



Hey, the app...

Music: Disquiet

Was it picking up our conversation…? This display… it means that Madarame has a Palace too, right!?



“Madarame,” “plagiarism”… and then “shack,” huh? These seem to be the keywords.
For real though, what the hell’s goin’ on!?



HE’S SECRETLY EVIL, YOU IDIOTS

We have the person’s name and the location. All that’s left is the “what” that Madarame mistakes this shack for to enter his Palace.
You mean… like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?
That’s right. Let’s try saying some things. They can be random guesses.

Here we enter the crucial, plot-critical scene of the protagonists needing to guess random words to advance the story.

It’s a bit sudden, though...
Why don’t we start with “castle”?
No candidates found.

You fool, they wouldn’t recycle assets that blatantly!

Then, what about “prison”?
No candidates found.
Ugh, what a pain!

Ryuji, ready to give up after two guesses.

“Jail”! “Warehouse”! And “guidance counselin’ office”! Might as well add “farm”!

I feel like we’ve learned a lot about Ryuji from these guesses.

No candidates found.
Not a single hit…?
...Should we come back another time?
A building that’s related to artists… If we think from there, what would it be…?









Didn’t have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right.
What if I hadn’t noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy!?
You prolly woulda figured it out once you started walkin’ on two legs.
Grr…
So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Morgana?
Yup. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle.




Let’s go check it out!

Music: A Woman



It’s a museum… right?
This is Madarame’s?
A Palace is a scenery driven by desires, just like how Kamoshida’s Palace was a castle.
Madarame’s artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though. His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?
You got a point… It ain’t related to plagiarism or abuse either.
Let’s try looking around. Racking our brains here won’t do us any good.
...Right. That aside… Ain’t a museum a must for phantom thieves!?



Now that’s our Joker. I feel the same.
But man, just look at that insane crowd...



Ugh… Are we gonna have to wait in that gigantic line?
Don’t be stupid. We’re not going in the front door.
But there’s a high wall around the building...
We’ll just have to find our way up over it then. In any case, let’s get going!




Our way over the wall is this conspicuous truck.



It’s just not hitting me that this is that old guy’s Palace…
That’s why we’re here, right? C’mon, let’s go check it out.




Once we make it over the wall and through the garden, we see an open window.

Ooh! The skylight’s open! I think we can get in here.
But it’s a pretty far drop… Will we be able to get back out this way?
Hehe, don’t worry… I have a rope! I’m our tool specialist, after all! So, what’s your call, Joker? Want to head inside?
>Let’s do this.




H-Hey… This...



The painting shifts, the colors swimming, as if beneath the surface of a pool of water.

C’mon, we’re in a Palace. That ain’t anything to be freakin’ out over.
Hm, the Palace reflects its ruler’s heart… We may want to check these paintings out.



...It’s someone’s name and age? What the hell?
That can’t be the title of the painting… right? Do you think it’s the artist’s name?
…… Let’s check out the other paintings too. I think there might be something important about them...




There’s something uncanny about all these portraits.



But the portraits on display here look the same… This is way different from what was at the--
Wait a sec!



Natsuhiko Nakanohara. His name’s written on the plaque.
Dude, I don’t get it! Why’s there a paintin’ of him in here!? And more important, why’s his name written under it?
You’re right… Doesn’t art usually have like, the title of the piece or the artist’s name?
Hm… This is quite the mystery… All right, let’s keep looking around for now.



Further in, we see something else that alarms us…

What…? No way!



It says “Yusuke Kitagawa.” There’s no mistaking it.
Huh…? Wait a second… What do you think these paintings are…?



I think you’re right.
For real? All of ‘em…? But it was only Yusuke when we went to his place before...
This must include former pupils as well. Only one remains now… Taking into account what that Nakanohara guy said earlier, things are getting clearer. All right, let’s keep investigating. We need something to further confirm our deductions.



Nothing good.



What’s up? You find something?
We’re here to investigate, so we should check everything that catches our attention.



This is gettin’ way too detailed for a freakin’ Palace… Why’d he bother makin’ something like this?
Oh, there’s a museum guide on here. Let’s take it with us!



That is a possibility. At the very least, it should be good reference for the scale of this place.



I see… It says it’s one out of two.
...Then the two outta two’s gotta be around here somewhere, right? Just how big is this place…?
We can worry about that another time. Right now our objective is looking into Madarame’s cognition. We may have to reconsider our plan depending on what we find.
I mean, he’s got a Palace… Seems pretty fishy to me.



Before we proceed, we find another locked chest. We happen to have two Lockpicks at the moment, so let’s open it.





The Training Whip is a rather decent upgrade for Ann, the Pearl can be sold at a high price, and the Snuff Soul is 50 SP back. We made out rather well on that one, I’d say. Also they didn’t so much animate Morgana jumping off your shoulder as much as they had him just fall off.



Up ahead, we see a weird sculpture.





Music: Desire

“A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!” Hey… This is most likely about the plagiarism, right…?



In other words, his pupils are his property. He doesn’t even qualify as an artist if this is true. He’s stealing the ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood. I wondered about those portraits on display… They must all be his “pupils” through his cognition. This even says that they have no worth. Couldn’t this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they’re useful to him, but the moment they’re not...




He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in...



When we were at the exhibit, I praised one of the pieces on display. But… Kitagawa-kun acted strange. Maybe that piece was plagiarized too...
What’s the call? Ain’t this enough to target Madarame!?




Hold on, you two. We should confirm these facts with Yusuke once more.
Confirm what though!?
It means we should get solid evidence that such crimes actually took place.
What a pain in the ass...
Besides, there’s too much we don’t know about Madarame yet.

That’s true. We haven’t seen that much of his Palace, and this rabbit hole’s only getting deeper.

...Mm, you’re right. I’ll try contacting Kitagawa-kun. I might be able to get the truth out of him if I accept his modeling offer.




I love whenever Morgana’s eyes go tiny from shock.

A famous, renowned artist, huh? This might be tougher than Kamoshida. Well, we’ll just prep ourselves until we get confirmation from Yusuke. This is our first mission as real phantom thieves. We’re gonna succeed no matter what!

Music: Beneath the Mask




I’m not so sure anymore.



Something wrong?
I mean, I know Madarame is a bad person, but still… Maybe I’m so hesitant because I haven’t actually met any of his victims.
Yeah, I guess that part’s totally different from what happened with Kamoshida.
This might be an extreme line of thinking… But if an evil person isn’t causing any trouble now… Is there really a point in us stepping in?
Well… you got a point.



Yeah… I guess we could talk some more after that. OK. Let’s meet in Shibuya after school tomorrow.

Looks like it’s all about what Yusuke wants to do. Somehow, considering the interaction we had earlier today, I don’t see this going in our favor...



Detective… You’ve got me. I’ll confess. I was the one who killed him.
Huh, he figured it out pretty fast. I wonder if actual investigations are like this.

Morgana’s the kind of person who watches Detective Conan for its gritty realism.