Chapter Text
“Queen! Make a right over here and we should be right on target! Can we go any faster?” Yusuke orders from the passenger seat.
“If I drive any faster we'll crash, Fox!” An annoyed Makoto replies.
The Phantom Thieves traverse the underground of Mementos in the Morgana-Mobile, completing requests as they've done so many times in the past. The difference this time however, Yusuke had taken charge of today's operations, heavily insisting that everyone go out today.
“Geez, I don't think I've ever seen Fox this hyped up for a trip to Mementos before.” Ryuji nudges Joker and Ann in the back seat.
“I don't really mind it.” Joker leans back and rests his hands behind his head. “It's kinda nice letting someone else take charge for a change.”
“Well I'm glad someone's relaxed,” Ann rolls her eyes. “But does he really need to rush us like this? Where did he even find this request anyway? Wasn't it not on the Phan-site?”
“I asked him about it,” Joker answers. “He said he read it on some other Phantom Thieves forum.”
“Oracle probably sent it to him, I'm sure we've got tons of ‘em.” Ryuji adds. “I just wouldn't expect he'd be going through those things. Always figured the guy would be pretty busy whenever we're not all together.”
“Still doesn't explain why he's in such a hurry.” Ann says.
“Nothing wrong with being passionate about your work.” Joker adds with a small chuckle.
“You got me there. If Fox is anything he's definitely passionate, “Ann finishes as she and Ryuji join in on the laugh.
Following Yusuke’s bossy orders, Makoto drives the Phantom Thieves directly to the den of their target. Waiting for them is the shadow of Kiyotaka Denki.
“Just as I thought,” Yusuke mutters to himself.
“Stupid ass bitches.” Kiyotaka mumbles within the darkness. “You expect a little bit of hard work out of these broads and they go running off to Akiyama’s place. I'm not doing anything any other successful club isn't doing damnit!”
“Kiyotaka Denki! You're the owner of a hostess club in Kamurocho, aren't you?” Yusuke announces as the Phantom Thieves get his attention.
“Heh, not just any club. It should be the biggest club in the whole city!” The Shadow shouts in response.
“Have any of you ever been to Kamurocho?” Makoto whispers to the other Phantom Thieves who all shrug in response.
“But no! Everyone just flocks to that rich wise-ass, Akiyama!” Shadow Kiyotaka continues. “My club is on the verge of going out of business because he stole all our best girls and our best customers.”
Yusuke thinks back to the two hostesses he saw at Club Elise. Neither of them seemed like they had a problem with working for Akiyama.
“He’s got all the business, so I push all my girls to their limits. A little overtime never killed anyone! Ungrateful sluts! What do they do? Run off to Elise!
“Ugh! Unbelievable!” Ann shouts in disgust.
“I see your play,” Yusuke approaches the Shadow, hand on the hilt of his blade and his gaze fiercely sharp. “You couldn’t compete with Club Elise, so you started to overwork and abuse your hostesses. It’s any wonder why they ran off on you.”
“You say ‘abuse’, I prefer the term ‘motivate’,” Shadow Kiyotaka smugly replies. “Doesn’t matter anyway. Once I take care of Akiyama and that little brat friend of his, they’ll all come running back!” He finishes before breaking out in some infuriating laughter.
“Pft! You’re no different than all the other adults taking advantage of everyone around you!” Yusuke’s Persona appears behind with crackling intensity. The ground around him begins to engulf him in blue hues. “And just like all the rest, we’ll put an end to your abuse here and now!”
“You tell em’, Fox!” The ever supportive Ryuji roars.
“You heard the man!” Joker takes the reins once more. “Phantom Thieves, move out!” He shouts as Shadow Kiyotaka transforms into a Demon.
“Asah!” Akiyama shouts as he knocks out another one of Kiyotaka’s goons with a lightning fast kick to the chin. “Eh, I figured a simple conversation wasn’t in the cards for me today.”
“W-What the hell!?” One of the goons shouts. “This guy is a freak!”
“B-bullshit!” Another goon holding a baseball bat adds. “There’s no way he can take on all of us at once.”
Their other three co-conspirators begin to regain their false confidence.
“Any of you take another step towards my club, and you’ll be sure to find that out the hard way,” Akiyama casually replies.
“This is just making things even! You vandalize our club, we do the same to you!”
“Oh yeah, I really did a number on that random door in the back alley that no customer will ever see.” Akiyama begins to stretch his legs again, knowing these geniuses are going to be stubborn.
“You’ve made a joke out of Kiyotaka-san for the last time, Akiyama!” A particularly ballsy goon shouts. “We’re going to put you in your place!” The blissfully ignorant goons begin to charge at Akiyama.
Akiyama smoothly dodges the one with a baseball bat before turning his back and giving him a swift kick to his gut, forcing all of his air out of him. “Geez. He could have at least come himself to save me the trouble.” His kick forced the goon to drop his bat, which Akiyama quickly snatches off the ground. “Well this is ending today one way or another.” He mutters to himself as he prepares to dispatch the rest of Kiyotaka’s men.
With one final all-out-attack, Yusuke manages to cut down Kiyotaka’s Demon.
The Demon dissolves, only leaving Kiyotaka’s Shadow defeated with black aura beneath his feet. “I… I… I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t always hate Club Elise, competition is important and all, but they’re just getting more and more successful. The only way I could try and compete is to make everyone work harder.”
“But all that did was push everyone further away, didn’t it?” Yusuke slides his blade back in its saya.
“I couldn’t stand Akiyama taking all our business, and then our top hostesses went to work for him instead, and all I wanted to do was ruin him, but now I’m just ruining my own business…”
“It’s not over yet,” Joker adds. “You might be able to save it if you clean up your act.”
“...maybe you’re right…” The Shadow relents. “I gotta make things right.” The Shadow completely dissolves into Mementos, not a single trace remaining as the Phantom Thieves successfully complete another request.
“Oracle! Is that the last one?” Makoto asks.
“Yup!” Futaba salutes. “All requests for the day done. Time to head home!”
“Phew, I’m pooped. I could use a nap,” Ryuji says.
“Make that two of us,” Ann yawns while she and Ryuji both stretch.
While the rest of the Phantom Thieves discuss the day's requests and go over the different resources they found in Mementos, Yusuke stands off on his own, releasing a long satisfied sigh. Even though this wasn't a full blown palace, he felt that same sense of satisfaction knowing he helped someone who was going out of his way to help him out, and was only hoping this saved Akiyama from any trouble.
“Eh, Fox?” Futaba breaks him out of his train of thought. “Why are you standing over there all spooky-like?”
“O-Oh. No reason, Oracle. I’m just ready to return home. I have a new piece I’m working on that’s heavy on my mind.”
“Hehe, you sure had an intense look in your eyes earlier. Is there something you’re not telling us?” Futaba begins lightly poking Yusuke’s belly.
Yusuke gently pushes her finger away from him, despite enjoying the contact. “I haven’t a clue what you’re referring to.”
Akiyama kicks the last of Kiyotaka’s henchmen through the doors to his office, leaving the, thankfully, closed hostess club behind him in no state for business operations. The brutalized goon rolls on to the tile floor in front of Kiyotaka’s desk, as a horrified Kiyotaka looks up to see Akiyama leisurely entering his office.
“Now that that’s over with.” Akiyama stretches his neck. “Kiyotaka, are you ready to talk like men, or-”
“Akiyama-san! Please forgive me!” Kiyotaka jumps to his feet with crucial urgency, rushes over to his henchman’s side, falls to his hands and knees, and presses his forehead to the floor facing Akiyama.
“Uh…wha?” A puzzled Akiyama takes a surprised step back.
“I admit it, Akiyama! I blew this whole thing outta proportion just for the chance to get back at you! I blamed you for stealing our girls, but I know they left because we were working them too hard! I’m sorry!”
“Well this… is different.” The unexpected display of remorse actually begins to make Akiyama a tad uncomfortable. “We’re all businessmen here, you don’t need to get on the floor.”
“Please! It’s the least I can do for how I’ve treated anyone!”
Akiyama sighs and rubs the back of his head. He is grateful this doesn’t need to get even more violent, but is thrown off at this bizarre change of heart. Still, he isn’t going to waste this chance. “Y’know. Club Elise isn’t trying to put you out of business. Competition is the best thing for all of us. The last thing I wanted was for you to shut your doors, Kiyotaka. And the girls that came to us, they all spoke very highly about this place. They liked the clientele and the environment here, they just couldn’t take how hard you were working everyone.”
Kiyotaka finally pries his head from the floor to look up at Akiyama. “T-They really… said that?”
“Every word.” That same charming smile brightens up the room. “If you could just treat your employees a little better, maybe things will turn around.”
Kiyotaka turns to his unconscious henchman at his side. “Maybe…”
“Now I’m willing to let all this go as long as you stop harassing me and my club, I’ll still pay for that door to be repainted too. Does that sound fair?”
“Y-You give me more than I deserve, Akiyama-san!”
“Mmhmm. Sounds like a plan.” Akiyama turns to leave the office, but stops at the doorway. He turns to look back at the bowing Kiyotaka one last time. “One more thing. If you or any of your goons go after that boy who was with me yesterday. I will be back.”
“I-I promise!” A frightened Kiyotaka shouts.
As the sun slowly begins its descent on Yusuke Kitagawa’s third day in Kamurocho, the young artist puts the finishing touches on Club Elise’s new logo. “Ah, splendid,” Yusuke mutters to himself before placing his brush down. He rubs his wrist trying to get his stiff joints to finally relax. “Akiyama-san! It’s ready.”
“Hm-! Huh!” Akiyama stirs. Leaning forward from the stool he was resting on, making sure everyone knows he definitely wasn’t napping. He gets to his feet and rubs his eyes. “Alright, let's see what you’ve got.” He strolls over to Yusuke’s side, and, while not being the most artistically inclined man he knows, is very impressed by what he sees.
The original Club Elise logo was very simple, so, being given complete creative control with the design, Yusuke gave it a complete overhaul. The letters ‘Elise’ now decreased in size from left to right, and the background is a gradient of every shade of pink Yusuke had and could put together. The letters all had a small shadow beneath them with different colors that complimented the pink background. By all accounts, it looks like it was made by a professional.
“Well, be honest.” Yusuke requests. “I’ll never improve if I don’t face all criticism head on.”
“I think…” Akiyama mutters as he attempts to take in all of the young artist’s intricate details. “... I think we gotta get some shirts made. This is excellent.”
Yusuke releases a sigh of relief. While confident, this was very far from his comfort zone as an artist. Designing a good logo is a challenge, but a welcome one if he was going to become a true master of his craft. Hundreds of thousands of yen also isn’t a bad motivator. “That’s wonderful to hear, Akiyama-san. This was my first time painting something like this. The planning phase was a struggle at first, but once I had a general idea everything flowed together beautifully.”
“I’ll say.” Akiyama gives Yusuke a few congratulatory pats on the shoulder. “I’ll have the most eye-catching business in Kamurocho with this out front. I just gotta send this piece to a friend of mine. He’ll expand it for the front, put some lights on it, and the club will be better than ever.”
The unabashed praise plasters a bright smile on Yusuke’s face. “You’re too kind, Akiyama-san.” That being said, he hadn’t forgotten the reason he was here. “So, does that mean I’ve passed my test?”
“With flying colors, Kitagawa.” Akiyama lightly grabs the back of the canvas, so as not to disturb the delicate piece of art. “I’m just going to stick this in the office in the club to dry. Then we’ll head back to Sky Finance. We can get you your loan and get you home before it gets too dark.”
“I’ll be here.” As Yusuke watches Akiyama enter the club, his eyes roll over to the paint splattered door on the opposite side of the alley. He knows he doesn’t need to be concerned, the Phantom Thieves have fulfilled countless requests in Mementos in the past and they always turn out for the better. However, he hadn’t felt this personally attached to a mission as a Phantom Thief in a long time, and it only made him that much more anxious to make sure everything turned out okay. Akiyama hadn’t mentioned any trouble coming from Kiyotaka at all today, however he figured Akiyama probably wouldn’t even tell him if there were. Perhaps no news was good news in this case.
“Sorry if I made you wait, kiddo.” Akiyama opens the alley door, snapping Yusuke’s attention back towards him. “I couldn’t resist showing the logo off to a few people, everyone thinks it looks great.”
“I’m honored they think so.”
“Welp, let's head back to the office. I have someone coming to get all the paint supplies, so we can just leave ‘em here.” Akiyama slides his hands in his pockets and begins to lead Yusuke out of the alley.
Yusuke takes one last look at the door, before following Yusuke out of the alley. He tried to resist, but Yusuke couldn't help but ask. “Akiyama-san. Did… those people from the other club ever come back to bother you?”
“Eh? Are you still thinking about that, Kitagawa?” Akiyama asks as they emerge back onto the Kamurocho streets. He’d prefer to ignore it, but Akiyama begins to think to himself, “Well, he did seem pretty shaken up about it the other day…” He ponders it for a moment, but decides to tell Yusuke the truth. “They did try to scare me, but it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. We don’t have to worry about them anymore.”
“Really?” Yusuke looks at Akiyama curiously. Akiyama made it sound like the mess was taken care of so easily, that piques his interest. “What did you do?”
“It’s no big dea-”
“Akiyama!” A voice rings out as Akiyama and Yusuke turn the street corner. The source of the voice being three unhappy looking thugs lumbering straight towards them.
“Oh c’mon…” Akiyama rubs the back of his neck as the agitated looking street thugs approach them with pointed fingers and loud obscenities. “Everything alright, fellas?”
“Don’t play dumb, asshole!” One of the thugs screeches. “We don’t know what you did to Kiyotaka, but we’re not going to let you off that easy!”
“Kiyotaka and I came to an agreement,” Akiyama replies. “Why can’t you guys listen to your boss and let it go?”
“Not after what you did to all of us yesterday!” A second goon yells.
“We’re taking matters into our own hands.” The third hooligan adds. “We’re taking you out once and for all.”
Yusuke’s eyes widen in concern, he takes a few steps back and looks up at Akiyama. Much to his shock, Akiyama looks completely unphased. Not even the slightest hint of worry when faced with three violent challengers. Yusuke’s perplexedness nearly eclipses his nervousness, but the sight of the three street thugs still got his mind racing. “Akiyama-san, should we make a run for it?” He asks as the adrenaline begins to flow through his body.
“Get back, Kitagawa.” Akiyama begins to notice a crowd of onlookers beginning to notice the commotion. “Just stand off to the side. I’ll deal with this.”
“B-But Akiyama-san! There’s too many!”
“Hey.” Akiyama turns back towards Yusuke, flashing that same charming smile. “Have a little faith in me. I’m not that old, y’know.”
“Wha…?” Akiyama only confuses Yusuke further, but he reluctantly follows Akiyama’s suggestion and leaves him alone. Yusuke stands with the crowd, as the three men face off with Akiyama.
“Time to pay up, jackass!” The first thug yells before sloppily swinging his fist towards Akiyama.
Akiyama quickly puts his hands up to block the assault. The thug continues aiming at Akiyama’s face while Akiyama maintains his guard. After a few more punches, Akiyama leans back after the last punch forces him to drop his guard, only for him to quickly turn his back and drive his foot directly into the thug’s ribcage.
All the air in the thug’s lungs flies out from the kick as the onlookers all shout, “Ooooooo!” From the impact.
“My word,” A stunned Yusuke mutters under his breath. “That kick was incredible…”
As Akiyama pulls his foot back from the thug’s abdomen, one of the other hooligans charges at him with a lariat.
“Akiyama-san! Look out!” Yusuke yells.
Akiyama swiftly weaves away from the lariat, and quickly drives his foot high to the side of the hooligan’s head, knocking him to the ground.
“You little shit!” The last goon tries to grab Akiyama from behind and hold him in a full nelson.
Akiyama struggles briefly, and loosens one of his arms to deliver an elbow to his side, breaking the goon’s grip. Akiyama turns to face him, and unleashes a flurry of kicks to his torso. Akiyama’s athletic maneuvers create quite the flair for onlookers, including Yusuke. Akiyama ends with a swift roundhouse kick to the goon directly to his chest, but that only manages to push the goon back as he remains on his feet.
The thug and the hooligan return to their feet, which Akiyama notices from the corner of his eye. With two of them at his back and one of them at his front, Akiyama rushes forward and leaps into the air. He drives his foot into the midsection of the hooligan, and uses all his might to push off of him, propelling himself backwards higher into the air and sending the hooligan down onto the ground, gasping for breath. From the momentum of the kick to the hooligan, Akiyama flies towards the goon and the thug, twisting his body in midair, and drops the back of his shoes on the top of their heads, sending them both face down to the concrete, knocking them both out.
Akiyama lands on his back, a rather rough looking landing, but gingerly returns to his feet, only slightly huffing for air. He begins to wipe the dirt off his suit, before turning back towards the hooligan, the only one of the troublemakers still conscious. Akiyama walks towards him, and squats down to face the defeated hooligan. “Now are you done messing with me and my club?”
“Y-Yes-!” The hooligan coughs. “Yessir! Akiyama-san!”
“Good, that’s more like it.” Akiyama stands back up, turning away from the fallen troublemakers.
The crowd all begins to disperse, another Kamurocho street fight coming and going as the passersby continue about their day. All except for Yusuke, who watches Akiyama walk back towards him, eyes wide, mouth agape, in awe of what he just witnessed.
“Sorry about that, Kitagawa.” Akiyama casually wipes some dirt off his watch and slides his hands back in his pockets.
“He… How… Did you just… What even was that!?” Is all Yusuke can muster after seeing such an extraordinary beatdown. He had seen several mind-bending anomalies and horrific feats of power in the Meta-verse, but this is reality. The same reality he and his friends live in. Can someone who can fight like that, and fight off three dangerous looking men so easily, really exist?
“What?” Akiyama seems perplexed. “That?” He points to the defeated henchmen. “Stuff like that happens all the time here. But I appreciate the compliment. Haha.” Akiyama has a light chuckle at Yusuke being so impressed with his fighting style, knowing full well he can’t hold a candle to Kiryu-san or Saejima-san. “Hurry, I’d like to get you on the bus back to Kosei before the sun sets.”
“But… How the… You… okay, Akiyama-san.” The only thing Yusuke knows for sure is he desperately wants to get out of Kamurocho.
After a silent walk back to Sky Finance, Akiyama opens the door to see Hana organizing some paperwork on the desk, preparing to close things up for the day. “Oh, Chief! Yu-kun! Is the test over with already?”
“Yes indeed,” Akiyama answers. “The kid made our logo look like a real masterpiece. We’ll have the prettiest business in the whole district.” Akiyama closes the door as he and Yusuke enter the office.
“You will once you get rid of those tacky cheetah-prints all over the place.” Hana bites back.
“Nice to know someone has an eye for design here,” Yusuke thinks to himself.
“It’ll come back in style. Then I’ll be ahead of the curve!” Akiyama justifies himself. “It’s a business move, it’ll save us from buying them later.”
Hana simply rolls her eyes.
“Hana-chan. Yusuke passed his test with flying colors,” Akiyama declares. “Please, would you mind getting his loan for me.”
Hana walks over to Akiyama’s desk and opens up one of his drawers, pulling out a large manilla envelope from within.
Yusuke’s eyes flicker at the size of his loan. He wasn’t sure what to make of this whole endeavor when he first came to Sky Finance, but his gamble is about to pay off. He already begins imagining the actually nutritious meal he’ll be able to have tonight without one of his friends having to buy it for him.
“Here you are, Yu-kun.” Hana hands Yusuke the envelope, a caring motherly smile on her face.
Yusuke gently takes the envelope. “I… thank you. Thank you both!” Yusuke bows his head to both Hana and Akiyama.
“Take it easy, Kitagawa. I didn’t do anything,” Akiyama says. “You’re the one that passed the test for my loan. All I ask is be smart with it. You don’t need fancy lobster dinners every night alright?”
“Of course not, that would be a waste of good lobsters,” Yusuke says as he raises his head back up.
“Uh, wha? You some kinda animal activist too, kid?”
When Yusuke hears Akiyama’s advice about being smart with the money, he’s reminded that this is still a loan. Yusuke may have painted for it, but this isn’t his money, it’s Akiyama’s. He needs to be strategic to make it last. He can’t run back here in two weeks or something. He still has some pride. He is blessed with this opportunity, and he has to make the most of it. Plus, he needs to do right by the people that helped him out. “Akiyama-san. I swear I will pay this back as soon as I can.”
“Oh, why the sudden seriousness, Kitagawa?” Akiyama is initially taken aback, but recognizes the resolve in the boy’s eyes. He knows inner strength when he sees it, and if Yusuke puts half as much effort in his life as he does when he focuses on art, he’ll do alright. “Well, I know you’re good for it.” Akiyama throws his hands behind his head and strolls over to his couch. “Make sure to keep that envelope in your backpack. Don’t let anyone see it until you get home. And I will see you again when it’s time for me to do my collections. You know… eventually.”
Coming from anyone else, especially someone who could fight the way Akiyama can, Yusuke would feel threatened. However, Yusuke felt inner peace hearing those words from Akiyama. “Until then. Have a good day.” Yusuke bows to both Akiyama and Hana.
“Don’t forget about us little people when you make it big as a big shot artist, kid,” Akiyama says. “And stop by the club when you get of age too! You’ll need to see the new logo up!”
With one last smile and wave, Yusuke leaves Sky Finance.
“Just for the record, Chief.” Hana speaks up once she hears Yusuke’s footsteps down the fire escape. “You would have given him the loan either way, huh?”
“Heh, saw right through me again, Hana-chan?” Akiyama admits. “I mean he seems like a good kid. Smart, but supremely unlucky by the sounds of things. Also probably dumb with money, but what kid isn’t. I know you don’t love it when I do that.”
“Well… I think I would have looked the other way this time. He does seem like he needs some help.”
“And it’s not like I paid him for some rinky dink stick figure drawing. The kid really is a skilled painter. I wasn’t kidding about making his piece the new logo.” Akiyama kicks his feet up and lays down on the couch, getting nice and cozy.
“I guess there’s no harm in paying someone for doing a job for you.” Hana begins putting the rest of her paperwork away so she can start heading home. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Kiyotaka and his cronies didn’t give you any more trouble today, did he?”
“Them?” Akiyama releases a very round yawn. “I mean some of his boys tried to hassle us when we left Elise, but I took care of it. They said they were acting on their own and not under his orders. At the least I’m sure we don’t need to worry about Kiyotaka himself anymore.”
“He really just apologized and bowed to you as soon as you got there?”
“Damndest thing, but yeah.”
“Usually that doesn't happen until after you knock them out.”
“That’s what I said.” Akiyama throws his hands up with a light chuckle. “Maybe he was doing some soul searching after threatening a kid over some spilled paint. Either way seems like his change of heart is for the better.”
“Hmm…” Hana rubs her chin as the gears begin to turn in her head. “Now that you mention that. Doesn’t that sound like those Phantom Thieves incidents happening around Tokyo. You know, with bad people having sudden drastic changes of heart?”
“The what?”
“Geez, Chief!” Hana squeals. “Don’t you watch the news!?”
Akiyama hardly flinches. “I glance at the stock market from time to time.”
Hana crosses her arms. “I’m just saying, Kiyotaka not even remotely fighting back and completely changing his tune seems a little suspicious.”
“Stranger things have happened around here, Hana-chan. You know Kamurocho can be a pretty bizarre place. You really mean to tell me that Kitagawa might know these Phantom Thieves people, if they’re even real.” Akiyama nestles himself into his couch, preparing for the nap of a lifetime. “And he managed to get them to change Kiyotaka’s heart in one day to help me out? Sounds kinda silly to me.”
“Hmm…” Hana looks back at the door, and begins to think. “Yusuke might know them, or maybe he even…” The thought lingers in her head for only a moment. “Pfft, yeah right.” Hana dismisses the thoughts as she gets ready to go home.
Meanwhile, Yusuke gets on the bus back to his dorm with thankfully no trouble. He clutches his backpack tightly, and tries to plan for how he should start spending. Despite wanting to be strategic with it, he does still want to buy Futaba that figure she wants. Even if it’s limited, he wants to spare some of his 300,000 yen for her. Little does he know, Akiyama actually put 900,000 yen in there for him.