Chest Exam

Kasumi had no idea how much time passed after that. Time was already a nebulous concept down in the Metaverse, dictated as it was by cognition more than the logical passing of one minute into the next like the real world. Suffice to say, whether it had been an hour or a day it all passed in a endless blur of leering faces, exploring hands, intense pleasure and overwhelming shame. Her emotions were an incoherent jumble as well, her shame and lust so **** and constant that there ceased to be any meaningful difference between the feelings. Even calling her experience over that interval ‘humiliating’ felt wrong, because it implied the agonizing perpetual sense of mortification that was her constant reality on that long train ride was in any way comparable to any other moment of embarrassment she had ever felt. And that was most certainly not the case!

Her next fully coherent thought was the feeling of the cold chains binding her limbs being loosened. Barely having time to register her new freedom of movement, Kasumi found herself shifted by not terrible gently hands, half pulled and half carried through the blood red corridors of the subway train. And then with a yelp the naked girl found herself tumbling through the air, tossed unceremoniously out of the train like so much used trash. She caught herself, landing on hands and knees, her body still panting and quivering from the endless touching and overwhelming humiliations she had been bombarded with prior to that moment. One by one the other phantom thieves joined her on the ground, the group as a whole getting nonchalantly expelled from the car without a second thought.

“S…Senpais?” Kasumi ventured, his voice a soft whimper. “Are you…is everyone…is anyone hurt?”

Asking if the girls were okay was a silly question, she decided. Everyone was physically and emotionally exhausted, driven to the edge of sexual bliss and total humiliation and back again. She was actively trying not to dwell on what had just happened to them all- as it was she felt a little like she was losing her mind. She wasn’t certain if dwelling on it all would inspire her to start screaming or start playing with herself on the spot. All she was certain about was that the experience would linger in her mind well past tonight, and no doubt that was true of the others as well.

“Ahem. Well done, ladies.” Came the familiar voice of Mishima’s Shadow.

“Nooo!” Futaba and Ann wailed as all the girls noticeably flinched. Instinctively the skittered and crawled on hands and knees into a tighter circle, huddling together and covering their naked bodies as they all turned to face their opponent.

Mishima gave them all a wide, mocking smile as he watched them cowering together on the ground.

“Our business is done for tonight. Every shadow in Mementos has officially seen you naked. You’ve thoroughly entertained the Metaverse with your sexy little misadventures. I wanted to congratulate you all on a job well done.”

The girls said nothing, not daring to voice any protests or insults.

“Girls.” Mishima said, frowning. “I’m praising you. Isn’t it rude to say nothing?”

“You…” Makoto croaked out, apparently deciding against whatever she was about to say. “Thank…you, Mishima.”

“Now now. I think you can be a little more respectful than that. I think Mishima-sama is a little more appropriate, don’t you. But you can just call me ‘sir’ right now.”

“….yes, sir.” Makoto said in a bitter subdued voice.

“So…that means…its all over? We can go now?” Kasumi piped up.

Mishima smiled. “Maybe. Maybe. But first, why don’t all of you go ahead and stand up?”

“Wha…why?” Ann sputtered.

“Because I asked you to.” Mishima said, a look of disapproval on his face. “You weren’t thinking of being…disobedient again, were you?”

Ann and the other girls blushed. Kasumi drew in a ragged breath, chaffing under the casually condescending look Mishima was giving them. But her fight had gone out somewhere between being chained up and the last lustful grope she had received from the shadows. Blushing with shame, she slowly rose to her feet, head downcast and hands shyly hiding her naked body. She blushed on the more as the others complied with the order. Mishima was clearly loving the air of timid submissiveness that had fallen over the group.

“Good. Now, hands at your sides.” Mishima said, gesturing to their covered breasts and pussies.

“But…you’ve already seen that…you said everyone has already seen it!” Ann protested.

“Mmm-hmmm. And now I want to see it again. Hands at your sides.” Mishima said calmly.

The girls scowled and blushed, their hands squeezing their exposed naked places a little more protectively. Then with a small sigh Kasumi and the others let their hands fall to their sides. Once again they stood mostly naked in front of Mishima and the chortling shadows watching from the train.

“That’s right.” Mishima said, nodding in approval. “Now. I can’t help but notice you are still in your phantom thief attire. Well, in what’s left of your attire.”

“We’ve looked like this ever since you took our names.” Makoto said, her voice trying to sound contrite while wanting to snarl.

“Yes. And that’s an issue. It sends mixed signals, you know? Those thief outfits represent your defiance and will to rebel, after all. Granted, after stealing your names I’ve coaxed your persona’s desire to rebel against social morals and your personal inhibitions and sense of decency to the top of those priorities. But even so, no matter how stripped down and slutty the current versions of your costumes might be it still is a declaration to the metaverse that you are feeling impertinent and willful. It makes me wonder if, perhaps, you plan to try another go at fighting me. Or maybe you are just trying to say that you aren’t satisfied with your humiliation just yet. I’m sure we can find enough time for another tour of the city either way.”

The girls all gasped in horror. “N-no! Please, no! We can’t take any more!” Kasumi begged.

“Then go ahead and turn back to your civilian forms. Put my mind at ease that I’m dealing with good, contrite little girls and not defiant little phantom thieves that will need a little more disciplining.” Mishima said.

“B-but…you did something to the transformation. It erased our civilian clothes when we lost our names. Transforming back just leaves us completely naked. No shoes or gloves or accessories…” Haru noted with a blush.

“Yes it does. Now do it. And don’t make me ask again. Our train will be leaving soon. Take too long and I’ll have **** but to take you with us a second time.” Mishima said firmly.

Kasumi blushed intensely. Logically, it was such a small thing. Her current appearance offered her no dignity whatsoever. All she had on was a black collar around her neck, her thigh high black boots, and a heavily modified jacket that emphasized her naked body more than covered it. But…she liked her boots and coat and collar! Wearing this debased version of her costume felt sexy and erotic. And beyond that, having to give up even the fairly useless bits of clothing like her shoes and gloves felt like a punishment all by itself, like a small child having their phone privileges revoked. But the threat of another train ride was too great to resist. With a silent lament in her heart, Kasumi willed her precious attire into oblivion. She felt red and black putrescence burst around her few remaining articles vanished, painfully aware of how the surge of power caused her lovely breasts and butt to bounce slightly in place. She fidgeted slightly in place as her now bare feet made contact with the cold, hard stone of Mementos. She twisted left and right, clasping her hands together over her stomach as she fought down the renewed desire to cover her now completely naked body. Mishima had been very clear when he instructed them to remain exposed and on display, and Kasumi was hoping desperately that all this would be over soon as long as she remained compliant.

The cute, blushing faces of her fellow Phantom Queens told Kasumi that the other girls were feeling a similar separation anxiety from their costumes. The sense of embarrassment over being even more naked than ever was intense, as was the absurdity of feeling so attached to their shoes and gloves when they had been completely useless in saving their dignity up until now.

Mishima must have noticed the looks on their faces. “Its okay girls. We all love seeing you parade around in those sexy costumes. I’ll be calling all of you back here soon enough to entertain the metaverse before you know it. And then again, I have a few personal errands the Phantom Queens will be running for me on the side. You’ll have plenty of chances to relish dressing up like X-rated versions of ourselves soon enough! But for tonight we’re done playing with you, so there’s no reason for you to allow you to wear any clothes at all anymore.”

Makoto blushed and fumed silently. “Can we please leave now?”

“Not before you collect your prize.” Mishima smiled.

The girls let out a collective squeal of dismay as the doors to the train opened and red light poured out. The fivesome timidly covered their nudity, retreating to the other side of the platform on tiptoes and instinctively huddling closer together. Their bodies trembled as memories of their recent ordeal flickered through their minds, a blur of unyielding chains and leering faces and endless curious hands casually touching and squeezing all their most private and secret places. The girls had collectively reached their wits end, unsure if they could take even one more moment of humiliation without losing their minds completely…or giving into the debauched degradation wholesale and beg never to leave. But all that emerged from the train were a procession of Lillim carrying a large basalt chest between them. The group placed the treasure box half-way between the suspicious girls and the train. The shadows did linger a moment longer, the winged demon women giving the phantom girls hungry looks and curling their fingers as if remembering with satisfaction caressing the human’s naked bodies. But with a wink and a blown kiss, the pack withdrew to the train, leaving the phantom thieves blushing and more than little aroused by the teasing suggestion of future intimacy.

The girls glared at Mishima and the chest, which had begun to shimmer and sparkly with an enticing glow. For his part, Mishima simply returned the Phantom Queens stare with a smug arrogance the girls found completely insufferable.

“So what the hell is this?” Ann said at last, bending over and covering herself, her cheeks blazing with embarrassment. “If this is some weird half assed attempt to apologize, you can just forget it! We don’t care if you make the sky rain with treasure! None of us will ever forgive you for what you did tonight!”

The group punctuated Ann’s statement with a loud, collective HUMPH and turned their faces to the side as if the mere sight of Mishima filled them with disgust and contempt. It was the well-practiced air all Japanese schoolgirls assumed in the aftermath of catching a peeping tom (or the occasional hapless fool that appeared to be a peeping tom) once more immediate and painful reprisals had been administered. Mishima’s loud, mocking laughter informed the girls that the gesture was less than effective.

“Oh, no danger of that, Panther. That would imply I’m feeling sorry for something, and I can assure you there isn’t a single thing I regret about tonight.” Mishima declared. “Curse me as much as you like if it makes you feel better, but deep down we all know your little public stripping tonight was just that last little nudge you needed to sink into depravity. The Metaverse knew there were five humiliation loving sluts hiding behind your masks just waiting to come out, but none of us could have imagined you would all turn out to be this self-indulgent and perverted! This is our way of showing our appreciation! The chest is just our way of offering up a little tip to a magnificent performance, like a 500 yen bill stuffed into a poledancer’s g-string…not that I’d ever let any of you wear something as dignified as a g-string.”

“And we’re just supposed to trust your ‘gifts’ now?” Ann shot back.

“Oh, that’s your decision. Open the chest or don’t. No one will **** you. By all means, ignore it. Just let it sit there…unopened and waiting…whatever it is inside remaining a mystery…just sitting there glittering and shimmering…” Mishima said.

“What are you doing?” Kasumi demanded. “Are you trying to bait us now? None of us are going to fall for something that simple!”

Mishima just gave her a smug look and made a sweeping gesture all around her. Glancing from side to side, she realized the other girls looked quite transfixed as they stared at the chest. The look in their eyes was one of wanton greed, their desire almost as intense as the lust they had exhibited towards her earlier that night. Kasumi hadn’t been adventuring with the group for very long. She had no way of knowing how deeply the urge for treasure and plunder was ingrained into the group thanks to Morgana’s cajoling. Not a single treasure chest was ever passed in Mementos without at least one of the thieves begging Joker to stop and claim the contents. The giddy anticipation the girls felt as they watched Joker carefully work the lock and pull up the lid to reveal the mysterious riches within had grown positively addicting as their adventures continued.

“I…I mean…we don’t even have a lockpick…” Ann said wistfully. “Joker and Morgana are the ones who hold onto the infiltration tools.”

Haru gave her an indignant look, plucking at a hair pin in her curly brown hair. “Really? Who precisely do you think you are talking to? You do remember Mona-chan and I were operating alone for some time, yes? Did you think I learned nothing in all that time?”

Haru sauntered over to the chest, makeshift lockpick in hand. The other girls followed behind her, turning their backs to the shadow train in the process. Kasumi alone was unphased by the prospect of a new treasure chest and opted to stand watch. To her relief and exasperation, the shadows seemed equally mesmerized by the goings on…specifically the way Haru and the other girls were bending forward as she worked the lock, her large naked breasts dangling in front of her and swinging freely from side to side while her butt and pussy were thrust rather prominently behind her for a provocative view of the audience. Even Kasumi had to blush as the chest was finally opened and the other girls each clustered around the box and ducked their heads down to gawk at the contents, giving the gibbering shadows and the red head a lewd presentation of four round, perfect asses presented high in the air. The urge to touch, squeeze, spank or kiss one or all of the naked bottoms was intense. Before she had the chance to give into the temptation, the girls jerked their heads up. They looked annoyed and disappointed.

“Really?” Ann asked.

“Of course. You didn’t think I’d send off to the human world empty handed did you?” Mishima said.

“These are high heeled shoes. Your ‘treasure’ is five pairs of black high heels.” Haru said in a deadpan.

“Correct.” Mishima said happily.

“So your planning to send us back in nothing but high heels.” Makoto said bitterly.

“Oh yes. As funny as it would be forcing you all to wander Tokyo bare foot and humiliated, we need to take into consideration how a big city like that has so much rough terrain and broken glass and other painful hazards. I don’t think I could bear it if one of you stepped on something rusty and came down with a tetanus infection. After all, if you are sick and confined to a bed it will be much harder to strip you and publically humiliate you!” Mishima explained.

“Your concern warms my heart.” Makoto said bitterly.

“No need to thank me.” Mishima said. “Actually, on second thought…”

The girls stared at him, glowering, the frustration obvious on all their faces.

“Thank you, Mishima-sama.” They finally muttered.

“Your all very welcome. Now try them on.” Mishima said.

The girls looked back and forth at one another. As much as they might complain or banter each phantom thief was still feeling cowed by the threat of another train ride. Blushing and livid, each girl claimed one pair of high heels for her own. Mishima seemed pleased with the sight of all five of them completely naked except for the awkward footwear that emphasized the curves of their bodies. Kasumi reluctantly had to agree. The sight was a close second to the image of the other girls in their stripped down phantom thief outfits.

“Now why don’t you do a full 360 degree turn? Give us all a good look at every inch of you.” Mishima said smugly.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” Ann muttered, performing the movement despite the complaint.

“Mishima…sama?” Haru asked while posing.

“Yes, Okumura-chan?” Mishima said cheerfully.

“What…exactly…did you mean by ‘running errands’ for you?” Haru asked timidly.

“Oh. Nothing especially important. I’m just occasionally going to assign you people who need a change of heart.” Mishima said.

“….you mean, through the phansite.” Haru pressed.

“Not quite. These will come directly from me. And they won’t be requests. You’ll be stealing the hearts of certain targets I want changed. But you’ll need to change it in a very specifically way. Basically, you’ll be causing your target to ‘strip’ as part of the confession.” Mishima said.

“You can’t be serious.” Makoto said, aghast.

“Very serious. I can’t steal a shadow’s name the way I can steal a Persona User’s identity. So I have to rely on you girls to do the job for me.” Mishima said.

“And who exactly are we going to steal from?” Ann demanded.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious? You have a whole network of allies you treat with more respect than my other half. He’s been jealous of them for months now. So you’ll be humiliating them like I’ve humiliated you. There’s that nosey reporter in Shinjuku who ambushed me into answering a million questions. There’s that cute chess player that hangs out in that church, the sexy doctor that lives in Ren neighborhood…I have quite a list, really.”

“And what makes you think we’d ever agree to do anything for you?” Makoto asked. “You can’t possibly think we’d honor any bargain with you after everything you’ve put us through!”

“Oh, there are a few ways to persuade you, I think. One example that comes to mind.” Mishima snapped his finger.

The girl’s cell phones, each carefully confiscated and set aside by the shadows, began chirping with mad insistence. The girls glared a Mishima suspiciously then carefully made their way to retrieve the devices, their new footware clacking loudly on the concrete. The girls gasped in turn. Their text window was positively exploding with images…of five familiar girls, naked and in frozen states of disarray and embarrassment. Their faces, oddly, were distorted and in shadows but their BODIES were very much on display.

“Those pictures the shadows took…” Makoto trailed off.

“That’s not possible. Ryuji tried that in Kamoshida’s Palace. Pictures in the metaverse become distorted and blurry. They’re completely useless.” Ann said in disbelief.

“Tch. That might be a problem for that meathead. I’m a professional. I’ve been probing and tinkering with the fabric of the metaverse for a long time, just like my counterpart hacks and gathers intel on phantom thief targets. My skills combined with the access to that little Navigation App I’ve been given after stealing your names? Well, ladies, you tell me if you think it’s a good idea to underestimate what I’m capable of!”

“So all those pictures…” Haru blushed.

“With the Nav I can send every single one into the real world. As a courtesy I’ve left enough distortion in place to hide your faces. But if we can’t work out a proper partnership I may just have to release the version where you are all perfectly recognizable. Wouldn’t that be a shame? To have the world know who you really are, and to learn about it in such a degrading way! Your lives and reputations would never recover even if you avoided prison time.” Mishima said.

“S-So that’s the deal? You don’t release the pictures and we do favors for you?” Minako asked.

“Oh no. The deal is you do favors for me, I keep your faces hidden. I already published the pics. We made a whole new subforum on the Phansite devoted to them. Look up Phantomsluts and have a look. An hour ago we already passed one million hits. Poor other me is driving himself crazy trying to take it down. But alas I know all his passwords and backdoors as well as he does. It’ll be awhile, and by then the galleries will have already been saved and copied onto other sites.” Mishima said casually.

“You…you…” Futaba sputtered in horrorifed indignation. “You bastard? How do you have that much power? Even with the Nav no shadow has that much access to the real world!”

“Well, almost none…” Mishima said, while somewhere deep deep within the labyrinth a familiar long nosed man sneezed abruptly and did not know why. “But yes. My situation is unique. Kasumi might be able to tell you more, when she pieces a few things together.”

Kasumi blinked and stared. Did Mishima just…wink at her?

“…Can we please go now?” Futaba said sniveling. “I don’t want to run around naked in the real world but I don’t want to be here anymore either.”

“I understand. You poor five girls have been trapped in the worst possible situation a high school girl can find herself in. Your living out the hidden fantasies of a socially inept high school nerd’s sexually frustrated imagination! There are so many ways Mishima has dreamed of you ending up naked and humiliated. We’ve hardly cracked the surface, by the way.”

“Mishima…I hate you so much…” Ann seethed.

“I know.” Mishima said happily. “And speaking of which, I should probably mention the last gift you’ll be leaving the metaverse with…”

Kasumi gasped, squealing in dismay as she clutched her sides. The shadow tendril inside her! In all the chaos, somehow she had forgotten about it. The fiendish little thing had fallen still after they left the train. Now it was back. She immediately hunched over, her knees coming together and her whole body shaking as it began to squirm and pulse inside her. She bit her lip, fighting like mad to deny Mishima the satisfaction of hearing her moan with pleasure.

“Don’t worry girls. Shadows can’t easily manifest in the real world. But your new friends will still be there. Their nature will shift, just like that strange beast you fight with becomes an alley cat. They will be invisible and intangible in your world to most attempts to inspect them. But they can still be FELT. Just a little something to occupy yourselves with as you make your way home.” Mishima laughed.

“You…son…of…a…” Makoto snarled, struggling to keep the lustful moans out of her voice as Kasumi was.

“Bye now.” Mishima said, and even as the girls screamed in protest they found themselves caught in the familiar ripples of distortion as their reality receded back into the real world.