Part 33: 5/20: Mission: Imbeciles
Part 32: 5/20: Mission: Imbeciles
Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)
I thought you liked that place ‘cause the pay was good. What happened?
Sure, the pay’s fine, but I’m the only one there at night. That job magazine said it was a “fun, friendly workplace.” *sigh* Maybe I should just quit...
Like he says, work can be pretty trying… But it’s a worthwhile experience. Don’t give up.What would you know about work, cat? You spend 80% of your time in that bag.
How’d you do?
Damn… I’m dead... I can’t believe it… I at least wanted to hit the average...
I wonder what score I got… It might be faster if I counted from the bottom up.... Hm… Nothing notable.Welp, we sucked. All right answers and still that Rank 1 Knowledge was enough to drag us down to below the average. We’re dumb-dumbs, sadly.
Music: Tokyo Daylight
Ryuji, we’re kinda busy right now with Madarame, maybe this could wait?
Apparently he’s been hanging out at a monjayaki shop a lot. I heard he gets real drunk there and brags to his coworkers.
Right! That’s where you come in. He knows me, so I ain’t gonna be able to get anywhere near him… But that ain’t the case for you! I bet you could even sit next to his booth if you wanted! Prolly. Soooo… I’ll let you know once I figure out when he’s going drinking. Til then, we’re gonna put a hold on our training. Well, I’ll be counting on you!Well, looks like Maaku’s gonna be going after Yamauchi soon.
Music: Tokyo Emergency
Me and Maaku’re banned from goin’ there, so all we can do is wait here... No, you two have something different you’ll need to do. Whaddya mean…? You have to wait inside the Palace. Once that door opens, sneak in and look for some kind of control room. We need to make sure the door can’t close anymore after it’s open. Ohhh, I get it. Mkay, you can leave that to us!Music: Wicked Plan
I’m sorry it was so sudden.
Oh, it’s not a problem. But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty or thirty minutes. So um… I’m sorry if that causes some anxiety on your part. (whispering) That’s why I’m here today, dammit. What was that? Oh no, it was nothing! By the way… Have you gained some weight?
As uncomfortable as everything surrounding it is, this is a really solid joke, and it’s accompanied by an amazing music sting.
Music: Everyday Days
You think so? I weigh the same as always… Maybe I’m bloated today? So, then… can you, um… get ready here? I… need to take my clothes off, right? Y-Yes please... I’m embarrassed. Could you look the other way…?
Clothes continually land on the floor near Yusuke.
...Oh! Phew, that was tight... Tight…? No, I’m doing this for art…! Don’t look over here, OK…? Hey, your sensei’s coming back soon, right? I believe so... Hm… Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely... This should be good enough... But wouldn’t a room with a lock be a bit better? A lock…? Must a girl say more…?
More clothes land near Yusuke.
Wha!? But the only one with a lock is… Sensei’s room… Then why not there? I can’t intrude… Besides, I don’t have the key... (whispering) He says he doesn’t have the key.
I’ll just use this hairpin... Takamaki-san, are you about--
Yet another dumb music sting accompanies this reveal. And don’t think I don’t see you, Morgana, peeking behind that door. Get to work, cat!
Music: My Homie
You were wearing all this?
I suppose so? The sun is starting to set... Riiight? That’s why a change of location would be nice… I mean, I’m gonna take it all off. True… (to himself) It might make for a better picture if I can brighten my model’s mood... Uh-huh! That’s right! She may even be willing to try out various expressive poses for use in a dynamic composition...
Ohhh… It’s sooo hot. W-We really can’t use any other room...
Ann’s jacket lands on the ground.
Hey, why not this one?
Music: Disquiet
I’m counting on you, Mona…!
She was sayin’ stuff like “I’ll just seduce him with my acting,” but that sounds outta her league… Plus we ain’t got one sign this place is gonna open… Isn’t Madarame comin’ home soon? On top of that, even if Mona’s able to unlock the door, how’s he gonna show it to Madarame? And then even if they do show it open, any normal person’d just close it right up again. Doesn’t that mean we only got a few seconds to get in? To be blunt, won’t it be a miracle if this works?Don’t be such a downer, Ryuji.
I wanna think that too, but… ...It’s almost time.Music: Tension
What’s past here? That’s... So the door Mona mentioned is up ahead...
It’s a storage area for old paintings. Storage...
I won’t be embarrassed if we go somewhere nobody can find us... Only Sensei can go in there. Pleeease…? I wanna be alone with you. Somewhere like, quiet. You know, where we won’t get interrupted.
Ann’s acting straight-up sucks. It actually crosses the line into annoying so hard it comes back around and is funny again.
Hm?
Kitagawa-kun, do you not like girls like me…? N-No, that’s not true...
Please? We can continue this… inside... S-Sure...
It’s locked anyway, so...
But...
What do I do…?
Music: High Pressure
Yusuke?
Ann grabs Yusuke and pulls him inside, which is kind of a genius move to keep Madarame from shutting the door.
Hm!?
Music: A Woman
They seriously did it!
Yeah, for real!
But it’s just gonna be me and you for a bit if we run into any enemies. You good…?
Yeah, I’ll be countin’ on you!Music: High Pressure
Up ahead, we see more security.
Hey, whaddya wanna do?
Yeah… The real problem’s the fact that we gotta handle this with just the two of us… Anyways, I’ll leave the timing up to you, dude.
Hm!? Who are you!? I see, that attire… You must be the thieves who dare threaten Lord Madarame!
Boss: Security Shadow
Music: Keeper of Lust
...You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Lord Madarame’s territory! You guys ain’t got nothin’ on us! I’m more scared of screwin’ up and havin’ Ann yell at me!
Nue here primarily attacks with melee and Skull Cracker. We take him down pretty quick, even just with the two of us.
From this fight, Ryuji levels up and gains Adverse Resolve, which is a very, very situational skill that increases his Critical rate when surrounded. It’s honestly not that great, especially because you want to avoid those situations whenever possible.
It’d be a pain in the ass if we got spotted again. Anyways, let’s turn off that security system!
Are these the lights…?Music: Desire
What the…!? Isn’t this… “Sayuri”? Why are there so many of them…? I have no idea...
I suppose I can’t keep quiet now that you’ve seen this… Truth be told… I’m in severe debt. I handmade these “Sayuri” copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine... But why…? The real “Sayuri”… was stolen by one of my pupils long ago. I assume they begrudged my strictness… That moment was quite a shock for me… Since then, I’ve been mired in a terrible artist’s block… Because of this distress, some of my pupils handed their ideas over to me from time to time...
I knew I couldn’t keep that up, so I attempted to recreate the “Sayuri” a number of times. However, it resulted in nothing more than replicas… That’s when someone came to buy the paintings, knowing well they weren’t original… ...It’s all my fault. I couldn’t pay the price of being famous. As expectations for me rose, it reached a point where I had no choice but to keep making them… I… needed money to further your talents… I ask that you please forgive your cowardly teacher…This is, uh...
Hold on… Something doesn’t add up. 
...complete horseshit, that’s the phrase I was looking for.
I… happened to find a finely detailed photograph of it in an artbook. So you managed to sell copies of a photo of the original? I’m not sure how this works, but… Don’t people who buy paintings generally have a keen eye for the fine arts? This sounds like a lie to me.
Something just doesn’t feel right!
This one seems different!
This… This is the real “Sayuri”! But you just said a moment ago that it was stolen…!
What’s wrong with your faaaaaaaaaaace
No, it’s nothing of the sort! This painting kept me going… It’s the reason I made it this far… Sensei… Don’t tell me... It’s fake… Yes, a counterfeit! I heard there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it! So you’re telling me the actual artist behind the painting bought a counterfeit? That’s pushing it. You’re lying, Sensei...
You too…?
I’ve reported you to my private security company!Wait what
I had it set up to deal with some problematic paparazzi, but I never thought it’d come in so handy.
You can talk all you want to the police… That includes you, Yusuke.
There’s no point! They’ll be here within two minutes!
Well, fuck. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, it seems.
Music: High Pressure
So… which one’s for the security?
Sweet! Now the lasers in the courtyard should be off for good. Well, that’s mission complete! C’mon, let’s get outta here!
Crap…! Let’s make a run for it!
Let’s get back and meet up with the others!Music: A Woman
Ann and Yusuke fall out of nowhere.
Yusuke miraculously lands on his feet with Ann in his arms.
Morgana bounces off Yusuke’s head with a solid thunk.
I thought I was gonna die...
Ann shoves Yusuke off of her.
Music: Disquiet
Calm down, Kitagawa-kun! It’s me! ...Takamaki-san? That means you two are… I don’t recall ever seeing this cat costume before though… What is this place…? We’re inside Madarame’s heart.
Inside… Sensei’s heart?
She ain’t lyin’. This is what that bastard truly feels. He’s nothin’ but a greed-filled money-grubber.
Kitagawa-kun! Didn’t it cross your mind that something wasn’t right about Madarame!? That’s... You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Madarame’s eyes. ...This is his true nature. This repulsive world…? Just who are all of you!? I guess you could say… we’re a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks. If everything you say is true, then the sensei I know doesn’t exist… You gotta snap out of it. Still… he has kept me safe these past ten years. My gratitude for that won’t just disappear.
Yusuke collapses to his knees.
Are you OK?
The security level’s gone through the roof! We need to get out of here, at once! *pant* *pant*
...No, it’s all right.Music: A Woman
That said, we have an amateur with us now. Let’s try to avoid fighting as much as possible!This is made much easier by the fact that all enemies in the Palace have miraculously disappeared.
Music: Regret
A vain museum such as this…?
Do you recognize it? We were thinking these might be his past pupils or something... But… why are there paintings of them here…? Technically, those aren’t actually paintings. They’re the pupils themselves. Madarame saw ‘em as objects, so that’s what they are in here… Oh, and uh… we found yours too. …... We’ll talk more later. For now, let’s get out of here.
We’re now automatically warped back to near the entrance.
But we’re not leaving anytime soon.
The exit is right there!
Music: Desire
Who is it!? ...What the--
Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame… Huh…? Sensei? Is that you? That attire… Disgusting. This… This is all one big lie, isn’t it…?
Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home… under a mistress’s name, of course.
Hmph. Such insincerity. If the “Sayuri” was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies!?
Foolish child. You still don’t see?
What do you mean…!? Let me see… How does this sound? “I found the real painting, but it can’t go public… You can have it for a special price, though...”That seems like a really stupid plan that any idiot would see through, but whatever.
Haha! How’s that for preferential treatment!? Art snobs’ll eat it up, and pay good cash at that! No…!Yusuke collapses to his knees.
Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme! You keep goin’ on and on about money this, money that… No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum! You’re supposed to be an artist, right!? Aren’t you ashamed of plagiarizing other people’s work!? Art is nothing but a tool… A tool to gain money and fame! You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke... God… Pisses me off… That’s your teacher.
...I’ll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I’d advise you don’t rise against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahahaha! To think I was under the care of this wretched man…! You thought I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas… After all, it’s much easier to steal the futures of children who can’t fight back.Man, fuck this guy.
I can’t believe this...
...But I tire of this little chat. It’s time that I...
Hm?
So… you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude…? You damn brat! Men! Dispose of these thieves! Get back! How amusing... Huh? *chuckling* It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm…? Kitagawa-kun!? I wanted to believe it wasn’t true… I had clouded my vision for so long...Music: Awakening
Yusuke’s Awakening (Watch this)
A deplorable imitation indeed… Best you part from that aspect of yourself!
JOSUKE
Music: Will Power
Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle...
Hmph… Who do you think you are!? The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards!? Kill them all!
The children who adored you as “father”… The prospects of your pupils… How many did you trample upon…? How many dreams did you exchange for riches!? 
Very well! Bring it on!
Oh man, that devilish grin, you might be alright after all Yusuke.
Yusuke is voiced by Matthew Mercer, known by some as “the guy who sounds like Troy Baker” but that’s not fair at all because he’s so much more than that, I love him so much even if Yusuke isn’t one of his meatier roles (but his Goemon voice, holy shit). He’s also voiced in Japanese by Tomokazu Sugita playing waaaaay against type.
From the Megami Tensei Wiki:
“Ishikawa Goemon was a Japanese outlaw. The historical Goemon is only mentioned in two sources, both of which were created after his death. The first one, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi fu, details his attempted assassination of the shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi, his capture, and his execution alongside his young son in 1594. Goemon's death by being boiled alive was also described in a second historical source by Pedro de Morejon who transcribed his name as "Ixicava Goyemon". As time passed, Goemon's story was expanded to make him a hero similiar to Robin Hood, robbing the rich and giving his spoils to the poor. Stories from the 19th and the 20th century also make him out be a skilled ninja. Goemon and his infamous death eventually became the subject of various Bunraku and Kabuki plays. The legend was also adapted into movies, anime shows and video games, the most popular of which is the Ganbare Goemon series by Konami.”
So, he was a real dude who was posthumously made out to be a Robin Hood-type. Sounds like a good fit for our band of outlaws.