Chapter Text
Akira’s lip was pulled taught between white teeth as he stared down at his phone, rereading the texts Mishima had sent him earlier as Morgana drove him and the rest of the team through the labyrinth of Mementos. With everything going on in his life between being a Phantom Thief, the whole Okumura incident, and school, he’d been a bit too busy to properly hang out with the other lately, but at this point it was impossible not to notice how strangely he’d been acting, especially with these requests… Mishima insisted these were requests pulled from the Phantom Aficionado Website, but Akira recognized these names- students from their school, from their year no less- not people he knew very well, but it still felt off, especially with how persistent he’d been with this one in particular- so he’d looked at the requests on the website himself, just to double check. He’d been hoping that it was just a coincidence, it was entirely within the realm of possibility that someone from their school had sent in a request, but… The supposed requests were nowhere to be found, which raised a lot of questions and left him in a bit of a tough spot in terms of what to tell Mishima.
Calling him out on his lie was the obvious answer, but then again, Mishima was a friend of his- and he was starting to suspect there was something more going on here. Despite everything else on his mind, it was getting harder and harder to shrug off how exhausted the boy looked every time he saw him, the bags under his eyes only growing darker with each passing day, how he was nearly late to class most days… Not to mention that Akira couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Mishima eat more than a few bites of his lunch, spending the rest of his time glued to his phone- managing the website, he assumed. His behaviors were growing increasingly unhealthy with no signs of improving, plus his weird comments here and there about when the Phantom Thieves would “make it big”... Something was clearly up with him. Still, every time Akira would ask what was going on, he would just brush it off, so that was a dead end…
The way he seemed to be trying to use the Phansite for his own gain and his increasing interest in publicity made Akira start to wonder if maybe Mishima had a shadow somewhere in Mementos, but that wasn’t something he really wanted to bring up to the team right now, partially because he didn’t want to believe that his friend would have developed one right under his nose. Acknowledging it almost felt like some kind of betrayal to his friend, even if it was purely out of concern-
Ann, however, did not have the same problem.
“Have you guys noticed anything a little… Off about Mishima lately?” The blonde asked, a hint of hesitance in her voice, but not enough to stop her as she looked over at Akira and Ryuji, blue eyes searching their expressions for an answer. “I mean, not to sound rude or anything, but… He’s been a little weird lately, hasn’t he?”
“Tell me about it!” Ryuji let out a sigh of relief, clearly having thought the same thing for a while now. “I mean, I don’t talk to the guy much, but man- he’s been lookin’ rough lately. I don’t think I’ve seen ‘em do anything but sit on his phone for like, weeks now… What d’you think, Joker? You actually hang out with him sometimes, dontcha?”
Akira had to force himself not to grimace a bit when he was addressed, just keeping his usual calm expression on as he nodded. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, there was no way around it now… “Yeah, I’ve noticed that, along with some other things…” He kept his gaze to the window, watching the streaks of black and red pass them by- but he could feel everyone’s eyes on him now, silently urging him to elaborate. “He requested for us to change the hearts of some students at our school, under the guise of a Phansite request… And he’s made some offhanded comments about us getting famous, which I guess isn’t bad in itself, but it gives me an… Odd feeling.”
“Ooh, yikes dude. I mean I guess being famous would be kinda cool, but the lying thing? Not so much.” Ryuji cringed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. “I mean, why the hell would he lie about somethin’ like that?”
“Yeah, that’s not a good sign…” Ann agreed, a frown creasing her face at the news. “It’s hard to believe he’d suddenly start doing things like that… And what’s with the fame thing? That seems sort of out of nowhere, doesn’t it?”
“It is a bit shocking, but thinking about everything together, it starts to make a little sense.” Makoto chimed in, turning around in her seat to face the others. “If he’s trying to hide that it’s his own requests, then it must be something he’s doing solely for his own benefit, right? It’s possible that he’s trying to further his own goals of making the Phantom Thieves famous- including himself, I’m guessing- which might also explain why he’s been even more preoccupied with the site lately.”
“Excellent deduction, Sherlock!” Futaba didn’t seem to be taking the situation as seriously, giving the brunette a cheeky grin. “Well, we’re already in Mementos, how about we go look for his shadow? I mean, if that’s the case he’s gotta have one, right?”
“I’d rather just talk to him first before we jump right to changing his heart,” Akira shook his head, trying to ignore the knots of dread his stomach was beginning to twist into, shooting another guilty glance down at the texts on his phone. “Changing hearts should be something of a last resort for those who can’t be reasoned with, shouldn’t it?”
“I agree, but even without changing his heart, speaking to his shadow might be a good idea, don’t you think?” Yusuke gave him a curious glance, his stare boring into the Phantom Thieves leader, even from behind the fox mask- or maybe it was just Akira’s growing discomfort making him feel that way. “It would give us a better idea of what exactly we’re dealing with here, since we don’t know for sure what his motivations are. Queen made a good guess, but it’s still just an idea, nothing more.”
“... I guess you’re right.” The raven-haired boy finally agreed, if only because he couldn’t argue with that. Knowing what was going on in Mishima’s head would definitely be helpful… Even if the sense of unease growing within him made him just want to return to LeBlanc and call it a night without searching at all. “Did you catch that, Mona? Be on the lookout for Yuuki Mishima.”
“Aye-aye, captain!”
He had a bad feeling about all of this…
---------------------------
“Dammit, where the hell is he?! We’ve been down here for an effin’ eternity…” Ryuji groaned, hanging his head in exhaustion. It had been around 3 hours at this point, and they’d checked every corner of Mementos they could think of- but Mishima’s shadow was nowhere to be found. Everyone felt pretty worn down at this point, Akira included, and it seemed like some were ready to call it quits for the night- but others weren’t satisfied with the lack of an answer.
“Maybe his distortion isn’t strong enough to have really formed a shadow yet…?” Ann questioned, a sentiment Akira would’ve liked to back up, but…
“Nah, there’s no way! I mean c’mon, lying about requests on a site he made to help people? There’s no way he doesn’t have one!” Futaba insisted, and as much as he wanted to deny it, he knew it was the truth. It wasn’t like he’d done anything particularly terrible, but his cognition was definitely twisted in some way. “Are we sure we looked everywhere?”
“For the last time, there’s nowhere else to look!” Morgana was quick to interject, annoyed that she would doubt him. “If he has a shadow, it’s definitely not in here.”
“Well, where else would it be?” The ginger sighed, rolling her eyes- she was purely frustrated at first, but the silence that followed her words seemed to make the air grow heavier as the implications of the question and the severity of their situation started to sink in.
“You don’t think…” Makoto started, hesitant, only for Yusuke to say what everyone had begun to assume.
“Maybe he has a palace, then?” The artist finished her sentence, the tension suffocating as everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the idea.
“That can’t be it.” Akira spoke up despite himself, his own emotions starting to get the better of him- he knew Mishima better than anyone else here, how could they suggest something like that when they hardly knew him? Even if he’d messed up, he was still… “He’s definitely starting to lose his way, but I think it’s more likely that he doesn’t have a shadow yet than him having developed a palace.”
“Let’s not forget that Oracle developed a palace without doing anything heinous- all it takes is a twisted worldview. It’s not out of the question.” Yusuke continued, before giving Akira a sympathetic glance that he could feel despite his lack of eye contact. “I understand that you’re closer to him than the rest of us, so it must be hard to believe, but we have to consider the possibility. It’s our responsibility as Phantom Thieves, is it not?”
… Damn it. Yet again, he’s left without a decent counter, outside of some obviously biased argument about how he knew his friend to be better than that…
“... I guess you’re right.” He relented, sighing as he pulled his phone out once again, hastily closing out of his texts and opening the MetaNav app. “We’ll try a few combinations, just to make sure.”
“Well, the location has to be the Phansite, right? He’s beyond obsessed with it at this point, just from what I see at school…” Ann leaned over his shoulder to watch him type Phantom Aficionado Website into the blank space after his name.
“Will that even work? A website ain’t exactly a real place like th’ other palaces have been based on…” Ryuji questioned, cocking an eyebrow in confusion, but Morgana shook his head, at least, as much as he could in van form.
“No, I think it’ll be fine. It’s a representation of his cognition, so it doesn’t exactly have to be on par with reality… Though the fact it’s not based on a physical location might make things interesting.” He assured the blonde, a relief given nobody had any ideas on what else it could be. “If he really does have a palace, I’m sort of intrigued to see how that works, honestly!”
“I guess the real question is what the last keyword should be…” Haru hummed, furrowing her brows in thought. “It’s a website dedicated to the Phantom Thieves, so maybe he sees it as a shrine of some kind…? I’ve never met him, though, so I’m not sure…”
Yuuki Mishima - Phantom Aficionado Website - Shrine
No matches found.
“Hmm… If it’s not that, then…” Ann mumbled, before she suddenly grinned, and Akira could practically see the lightbulb going off above her head. “It’s sort of like his sanctuary, isn’t it? Somewhere he’s got a little power, somewhere he can go with his issues… And it’s sort of like a sanctuary for the other users too, right?”
Yuuki Mishima - Phantom Aficionado Website - Sanctuary
No matches found.
“Damn! Not that, either? I thought that was gonna be it for sure…” Ryuji huffed, scratching his head in confusion. “Maybe he doesn’t have a palace after all, huh?”
“A sanctuary seems like an accurate assessment, but I think the problem with that is that it’s not a necessarily corrupt way to view it. I think we need to focus more on the fame aspect. You said he’s been talking about that quite a bit lately, right, Joker?” Makoto suggested, to which the others nod in agreement. “Let’s see, maybe it’s…”
“A stage.” Akira finished, a sense of certainty in his voice. It just felt… Right, based on everything he’d heard from Mishima lately. Like Ann said, the website was somewhere he had power, if only a little bit. It was a place where his voice could finally be heard above the masses, and now… Now it was somewhere where he could be the center of attention, wasn’t it? “The Phansite… is his stage.”
A tense silence fell over the group as he typed in those final five letters:
Yuuki Mishima - Phantom Aficionado Website - Stage.
1 match found.
“Ooh, shit! There it is! Right on, Joker!”
Ryuji’s excited whooping and the sighs of relief from the rest of the thieves stood in stark contrast to the sheer shock and disbelief Akira found himself in, feeling sick to his stomach despite the stoic expression on his face. This entire time, he’d tried to hold onto the hope that maybe they’d just missed his shadow somehow despite their thorough searching, but now he couldn’t keep himself in denial. How could this happen? How could he let someone so close to him develop such a distorted mindset…? He knew he couldn’t really blame himself, he couldn’t control how Mishima thought and acted, but still- he couldn’t help thinking that if he’d kept a closer eye on him, then maybe, just maybe, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.
“We’ll explore this tomorrow.” The words left his mouth before he could even think about it- more of a statement than a request. It wasn’t out of line for him as the leader of their group, and he knew everyone was pretty exhausted at the moment, definitely in no state to go exploring a new palace- but he knew it was more fueled by his own discomfort than anything. “It’s a Sunday night, we can’t be staying out too late in the first place."
“Sounds good to me! I’m about ready to go to bed, anyways.” Ann agreed, barely suppressing a yawn as she spoke. “We’ll meet at LeBlanc after school, then?”
Akira just nodded, not trusting himself to say anything more as he returned them to the real world, head still spinning as he bid his friends goodnight. Despite dealing with far worse individuals, this palace was going to be the most difficult to get through, that was for sure.
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Yuuki couldn’t help cursing under his breath as he glanced at his phone for what felt like the thousandth time that night, over and over again greeted with silence from Kurusu. He tried his best not to get angry, really, he did- the other was a Phantom Thief, after all, he was busy more often than not… But it was hard to keep his head, especially when this had been happening more and more often lately. Seriously, how hard was it to just shoot him a single text back? Especially when he was working so hard for their sake… Even when it seemed like everyone had turned on them in the wake of the Okumura incident, not only did he stay loyal, but he was working harder than ever! Was a little appreciation too much to ask for? Had he not earned that yet? How much more did he have to do to get a shred of Kurusu’s attention?
He swallows the resentment bubbling to the surface, gritting his teeth and setting his phone face down on his desk. It didn’t feel good, having these feelings about someone he admired so dearly. Kurusu was his only friend, after all (even if he wasn’t so sure that the feeling was mutual at this point), not to mention the Phantom Thieves and Kurusu in particular had saved him… It felt dirty to even have such thoughts. How dare he, after all they’d done for him? But then again, what about his own hard work…?
It’s too complicated. He doesn’t want to unpack all that, not right now. Instead, he turns his attention back to the bright screen of his computer, the sole source of light in the dark of his bedroom. He didn’t have time for all of that, not with how many comments were flooding the Phansite on the daily now. These fair-weather fans, doubting the Phantom Thieves… He wouldn’t tolerate it, not on his website. There was no room for such opinions. His voice (and the voices of those who agreed) were the only ones allowed to be heard here. He wouldn’t let them tarnish their reputation like that… Not to mention the poll results weren’t turning out how he wanted, either. He’d need to fix that… Always more work to do, wasn’t there?
A brief glance at the clock told him it was 1:00am, for a moment considering maybe he should get some rest for school tomorrow, but he quickly put that out of his mind. No, this was more important. The things he learned there wouldn’t do him any good, really. He needed to pass, but the actual content didn’t matter. It wouldn’t get him anywhere. This website, the Phantom Thieves… That was where his future truly lied. If he just kept at it, kept bolstering their reputation, then maybe… Maybe…
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Monday morning still came despite Akira wishing the sun would just stay below the horizon, his dread never fully subsiding as he got ready for school. It was going to be strange seeing Mishima today, knowing that he had a palace now… He still couldn’t believe it, honestly, but unfortunately reality wasn’t going to wait for his mind to catch up with it, so he got on the train anyways, trying his best (and failing) to keep it from occupying too much of his mind. The Phansite, a stage… What was it going to be like there? And more importantly, what was Mishima’s shadow going to be like? Timid, excitable, loyal- it was hard to imagine his friend any other way, and it was especially hard to imagine him as cruel… He was so lost in thought that he nearly missed his stop, hurrying off the crowded train with a tight grip on the strap of his bag.
Entering the classroom, he immediately noticed that Mishima’s seat was still vacant. It wasn’t unusual by any means, more and more often lately the boy would come stumbling through the door a second before class started, but still… Akira was anxious to see him, simultaneously wishing he didn’t have to face him at all and needing to see him as soon as possible. Gray eyes focused on the sliding door as he sat down at his desk, watching their other classmates filter in and take their seats, one by one. The clock was ticking, just one seat left empty…
For a moment, Akira was certain he wasn’t going to make it in time today, but right on cue there he was, short navy hair as messy as it had ever been as he rushed through the door and practically collapsed into his seat just as the bell sounded. He could hear a few snickers from their classmates, but it seemed Mishima was too preoccupied with straightening himself out to notice. Brown eyes seemed even darker when accompanied by the bags beneath them, his uniform was wrinkled and clearly thrown on in a rush, and he was sure he hadn’t even bothered with his hair… He looked like hell, to say the least. Akira wants to go to his desk, make sure he’s alright- but class is already starting, and he’s already glued to that phone of his, making it impossible to catch his gaze, even for a second.
It’s a relief when lunch finally rolls around, the hours prior having felt like an eternity of watching Mishima more than actually paying attention to the lectures, noticing the way he checked his phone whenever he got the chance, how it looked like he was about to pass out any moment now… And even worse, how he didn’t even bother getting his lunch out when it was time, going right back to what he could only assume was managing the Phansite.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
The question is simple enough, but the sound of Akira’s voice nearly causes Mishima to jump out of his skin, a yelp of surprise that he couldn’t quite suppress leaving him as he drops his phone on his desk.
“Um-! I mean, y-yeah, of course!” He stammers, the words struggling to leave his mouth in the right order as he rushes to reply. It’s endearing, really, but Mishima can’t help being embarrassed of it, pulling himself together after a moment and glancing around the classroom. “But, uh… Don’t you usually eat lunch with your other friends…?”
“Yeah, well, I wanted to talk to you today.” Akira shrugged nonchalantly, giving him a small smile as he pulled his chair up to the side of his desk. “Did you forget to bring lunch today? We can head down to the school store, if you want.”
“Oh-! No, no, I just didn’t take it out yet, that’s all.” There’s a bit of guilt in his nervous smile as he digs his lunchbox out of his bag, and Akira can’t help thinking he hadn’t actually intended on spending his time eating. He doesn’t even pick up his chopsticks before he’s asking more questions, as if he can’t believe the other would just randomly sit with him. “Did you have any questions about the, uh… Comments I sent you? I-I mean we can talk about that now if you really want to, but maybe it’d be best to wait until after school…”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I just wanted to hang out for a bit. We haven’t been able to just talk as friends in a while, you know?” He assures, and he can see Mishima’s eyes widen at the word ‘friends’- had he been doubting that lately? Still, at least he looks happy now, his classmate clearly trying to hide how brightly he was beaming at that.
“R-right! Right.” Mishima nods with a light laugh, at last beginning to pick at his small lunch, and a silence falls over them as they eat- not something that Akira minds, really, but he can see Mishima start to squirm ever-so-slightly in his seat, and he can practically feel the anxiety emanating off of him. “So… Oh! Did I show you the latest poll results?”
“Mm, no, I don’t think you did.” He hums, watching closely as the other excitedly pulls up the Phantom Aficionado Website and turns the screen towards him. It’s usually hard not to get caught up in the others' excitement sometimes, with how enthusiastic he always was about showing him what he’d been working on, however…
Are the Phantom Thieves Just?
75% : YES
“Wow, that’s… Impressive.” Akira tried to keep the doubt out of his voice, but… There was just no way those poll results were right. Even before they were suspected in Okumura’s death, the poll results were usually far more divisive, but now… Either Mishima was directly tampering with the results, or he had banned so many people from the website that only those who could look past the incident remained. Neither option was very appealing. “I’m shocked the number is still that high.”
“Isn’t it great? People haven’t lost faith yet!” Mishima grinned, before turning his phone off and slipping it back in his pocket. It was a little unsettling, seeing him so happy when Akira knew there was something so wrong going on here. “I’ve been working really hard on trying to sway public opinion- er, at least online opinions- back in their favor. I’ve been cross-posting on other social media sites and everything, too…”
“Right… That’s why you look so exhausted, then?” Akira raised an eyebrow at him, watching as the other shrunk back in his seat and scratched the back of his head sheepishly- that was enough of an answer. “You know, I really do appreciate how much effort you’re putting into the website, we all do- but it’s starting to seem more like the websites running you into the ground instead of you running the website.”
“I-I’m fine, really! I mean, I did stay up pretty late last night, but… I don’t pull that many all-nighters!” He insisted, but Akira wasn’t buying it for a second. He’d been noticing this for a long time now, so there was no way it was only a few late nights here and there…
“Are you sure?” He pressed on, but it didn’t seem like the other was going to budge anytime soon, just nodding and waving his hand dismissively.
“Yeah, I’m sure! Like I said, I’m totally fine. Thanks for the concern, though…”
“If you say so.”
Not wanting to make things awkward between them, Akira decided to back down for now- for all he knew, Mishima might not admit his own exhaustion no matter how hard he pushed him, and there was no point in causing a scene at lunch. Their conversation carries on as usual as he listens to Mishima talk about coding, words he doesn’t understand in the slightest but he listens and nods along anyways.
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Lunch ends far too soon, and unlike the slowness of this morning the rest of the day seems to fly by. Before he knows it, Akira’s back at LeBlanc with the other Phantom Thieves, readying up the MetaNav to enter the newfound palace. He read the keywords over again a few more times, as if he still couldn’t believe them- but he couldn’t keep stalling, as much as he wished he could just keep avoiding the truth. He hoped that this would truly help Mishima, especially with how self-destructive he seemed to be lately, but either way… In the end, this was his duty as a Phantom Thief, whether he liked it or not. After just a second of hesitation that feels like hours, he presses the button.
Yuuki Mishima - Phantom Aficionado Website - Stage
> ENTER.
The world around them warps, the cozy, private atmosphere of his room melting away into void, darkness… But the pitch black didn’t last long. The second the world around them solidified again, flashes of bright light caused Akira to squeeze his eyes shut, instinctively raising a gloved hand to shield his face. Not only that, but he could feel bodies pressed against and bumping into him from all sides, the excited chatter of the crowd never-ending, making it hard to focus on any one particular voice, even though Akira is sure he can vaguely hear some of his teammates complaining behind him.
“He’s so amazing, isn’t he?”
“Aah, he just looked at me-! Can you believe that?!”
“He saved me!”
“Can I please have your autograph?”
“They couldn’t have done it without him!”
As he forces his eyes open again, it becomes clear that the flashing lights were cameras, all facing the same direction- up ahead, it looks like there’s a break in the seemingly endless crowd, and Akira takes the opportunity to start pushing forward. They weren’t going to get anywhere like this, staying crushed between fans and paparazzi, if he could just see what was up there… The mindless figures hardly seem to notice as he weaves between them, forcing his way to the front, the rest of the Phantom Thieves following close behind so as to not get lost in the sea of people. The crowd was surrounding a long red carpet, one end stretching into oblivion and the other leading to the entrance of a tall city building, covered in screens and neon lights. That had to be the palace… What the masses were truly fawning over wasn’t the building itself, no, of course not- following the direction of the camera lenses, gray eyes settled further up the carpet; on the shadow standing at the center of it all:
Yuuki Mishima, dressed in a designer suit, white button-up overlaid with a pinstriped navy vest and an even darker tie, far more expensive than anything the boy could afford now. He was absolutely thriving on the attention, signing autographs, shaking hands, posing for photos, cocky grin made unsettling by something dark behind those golden eyes. If that weren’t enough on its own, there was something even more shocking about the scene, something that sent Akira utterly reeling the second his eyes focused on it. Right next to the celebrity was a taller figure, dressed in an equally fancy black suit, hands adorned with red leather gloves never quite leaving Mishima’s waist, always whispering in his ear…
There was no mistaking it. The man acting so close to Mishima’s shadow was none other than a flawless copy of Akira Kurusu himself.