"Huh? Who are you guys?" the Shadow in the form of a slouched young adult groaned. "Are you those thieves that sent that stupid calling card?"
"Natsuhiko Nakanohara, you have been accused of stalking. We are here to put an end to it," Morgana said righteously, which led to a yip of surprise from Orihime, who crossed her arms under her chest and nodded again and again.
"That's a little heavy-handed sounding, Mona," Dove whispered.
"But he is right. What do you have to say for yourself, Nakanohara-san?"
"Tch. Now not even kids take me seriously. A bunch of snotty punks can't tell me what to do," Shadow Nakanohara sneered. "It's always the same. Punish the lowest-hanging fruit."
The team was confused.
"Why don't you go after Madarame?! He's much worse than me! I'm just keeping an eye on what's mine!" he roared in rage and despair.
"Fuck it! I'll just kill you!" His voice changed, cracking, glitching, and phasing out into a more childish one.
He burst into a black mist and reformed into a small red monster. He kept his bowl cut, but now it covered his eyes. His fists were huge, and he had a huge smile as he looked at the team with manic fury.
"An Obariyon?" Orihime said.
"Huh?" Ryuji asked.
"It's from an old yokai myth."
"Oh yeah, they turn into gold or something if you take them home? I think?" Ann added.
"GOLD?!"
"Don't look down on me! Snap!"
A gunshot rang out, and Ann was hit with an impact directly to her chest, knocking her onto her back.
"I'm okay!" she called out.
"Lucky punch!"
Another attack came from the Shadow toward Ann, but it missed by a wide margin.
"Ha! Not so tough now, are you? Tentarafoo!" Ann yelled.
A light fell around the Shadow, and it swayed on the spot for a second before shaking its head and baring its teeth.
"Why is it so fixated on me?!"
"Leave my friends alone! Power Slash!" Shiho cried as she swung her spear down with all her might toward the Shadow.
The Shadow raised its arms to block the incoming melee strike.
BANG!
Ren shot the Shadow in the stomach, causing it to miss blocking Shiho's strike. It came down full force, severing an arm at the shoulder.
"ZIO!" Ryuji yelled, causing lightning to fall from the sky.
"GOLDDDDDDDD!" Morgana cried with yen signs in his eyes, summoning Zorro with flair and swinging his cutlass at the recovering demon.
"How does he make his eyes do that stuff?" Ren asked no one in particular.
"Just give up, dude. Cognition bullshit, remember?" Ryuji yelled as he slammed his mace into the Shadow's flank, knocking it down.
With a puff of black mist, the Shadow changed back into its human form.
"How am I wrong?!" the Shadow cried. "I only want to do what's best for her!"
"No, you're using that as an excuse to justify your behavior," Ren said gravely. "No one owns another person."
The team didn't chime in. They heard the cut in Ren's tone. He was clearly upset with this man for some reason.
"Haa. You're right," the man mumbled. "I was just taking out my frustrations on her. A lack of control is awful. What was I doing?"
Ren gently nodded.
"Make sure to apologize."
As the Shadow started to fade, it turned to them and asked, "You guys change the hearts of bad people, right? Can you do the same to Madarame that you've done to me? Before anyone gets hurt?"
Before they could answer, he vanished, leaving only a floating item in his place.
"A bud of a treasure?!" Morgana cheered.
"I don't want it. It's up for grabs," Ren said as he closed his eyes and exhaled.
'Mon ami, you are not there,' Arsène comforted.
The team looked at each other and realized that something the Shadow had said had really bothered Ren deeply.
'No one owns another person?' they all frowned in thought.
Orihime broke the tension with a cheer.
"You guys are so cool!"
Ren gave a smile as he watched the orange ball of sunshine make gestures like she was fighting too and compliment the Personas she saw.
'He Ho, summon me next time! I'm bored!' a voice rang in Ren's head.
'Sure thing,' Ren replied.
---
"Madarame..." Ryuji mumbled. "Who could that be?"
"Nakanohara-san seemed really bothered by whoever that is."
"Isn't Madarame an artist? He does tons of different styles," Shiho answered, sounding unsure.
Ren looked at her with a raised brow before returning to driving.
"Just because I'm not artistic doesn't mean I don't appreciate art!" Shiho snorted.
"Oh yeah, you're an otaku," Ryuji said, seemingly enlightened.
Ren added, "Ichiryusai Madarame is an artist whose magnum opus is called Sayuri."
Orihime nodded. "And he can paint in a lot of different art styles. He's world-famous for being so flexible!"
"Why would a random salaryman want that guy's heart changed?" Morgana asked in confusion.
"Maybe Nakanohara-san meant someone else?" Ryuji suggested before correcting himself. "Nah. Madarame ain't a common name."
"Guess we'll have to take a look when we get back," Ren shrugged.
He cracked his neck and rubbed it before asking, "Target was taken down. We can leave whenever we want. Anyone up for some grinding?"
Shiho answered with a wide smile and a nod. Ann giggled and also nodded.
"You already know my answer, leader," Ryuji said with a smirk.
"Let's go!!!!!" Orihime cheered.
---