Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Saturday, April 9th, Daytime

In all honesty, Akira isn’t too upset about leaving Inaba.

Not as much as he thinks he’s supposed to be, anyways.

But it’s not like he had anyone who would miss him.

No one cared about him, after all.

He had no one, because after his arrest, every one turned away from him.

It hurts, but it’s not like he didn’t know people were only interested in him for superficial reasons.

He must have fallen asleep, because he’s woken up by the monotonous ‘Shibuya, this is Shibuya’ , which he guesses is lucky, because otherwise he would’ve missed his stop.

He manages to make his way to the crossing, and damn, okay , he now sees why it’s such a big deal.

He’s honestly never seen this many people in one place.

Suddenly, the feeling of eyes on him has him feel uncomfortable in his own skin, because he’s the kid with a criminal record, stay away from him, he might hit you-

Logically, he knows no one here knows about it.

But logic never works with the heart, he knows that much.

So, with a sigh, he decides to make his way towards Yongen-Jaya, trying to make himself as small as possible.

But before he could take even a single step, his attention is caught by something that he’s pretty sure has no business being in the middle of the world’s busiest crossing.

Then again, he’s never left Inaba, so maybe it is normal to see a giant blue flame in the middle of the street?

What he is sure is not normal is for time to just. Stop.

The blue flame morphs into something vaguely humanoid, and Akira can’t help but feel inexplicably drawn to it.

The stakes of this already unjust game have been set even more against you, mon petit voleur, but worry not. While I might not be with you now, I will heed your call when the time comes.

The voice that rings in his head has him lose his balance, and he stumbles a step forward, and just like that time resumes and the flaming figure disappears, leaving Akira with a sense of emptiness he can’t explain. 

Noticing the stares he’d been getting, Akira decides to just look for the train for Yongen-Jaya.

Sunday, April 10th, Daytime

Sojiro, when he’d decided to take in the kid, didn’t know what to expect.

He certainly didn’t expect a scrawny kid to walk in.

Kurusu Akira looked nothing like the delinquent his regular had made him sound like.

The kid looked like someone who’d rather be anywhere else at all times, which fair, he’s been only on the receiving end of threats since he’s gotten here, but hey, if he didn’t want to end up with a criminal record then he shouldn’t have meddled with other peoples’ business.

Still, Sojiro had to admit that he couldn’t imagine Akira actually assaulting someone.

But it wasn’t his business.

Akira was here on probation, and it was his job to make sure the kid didn’t do anything to step out of line.

“Why…”

They’re stuck in traffic, and have been sitting in silence since Sojiro started the engine after they visited the school.

He glances at the kid, and doesn’t comment on the way he seems to want to occupy as little space as possible.

“Why did you take me in?”

Sojiro…he honestly expected to be asked such a question.

Futaba had asked, when he’d told her a few days ago that he’d be housing a delinquent.

His regular had asked, when he’d made the proposal.

Sojiro himself had asked, as soon as the words had left his mouth.

“I was asked to do it, and I just…happened to agree to it.”

He knows it’s a lame excuse, but he also has a feeling the kid won’t push.

Still, for good measure, he adds, “I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.”

Akira seems to curl up into himself even more, so Sojiro returns his attention to the radio.

Unfortunately, the news is on, and the reporter goes on about yet another accident.

Glancing at the kid, who looks really uncomfortable, Sojiro decides to fill the silence.

“So that’s why it’s so crowded. There’s been a lot of accidents lately…there was a real sad one just last month. The girl who died was only fifteen…”

(She was the same age as Futaba, he can’t even begin to imagine the pain her parents are going through-)

He trails off, trying not to think about his daughter, and instead focuses on the -supposedly- criminal sitting next to him.

“You’ll be taking the train, starting tomorrow.”

Akira simply nods, and Sojiro sighs, decides, screw it and stubbornly doesn’t look at the teen as he mutters, “So be careful, okay?”

They spend the rest of the ride in complete silence.

Monday, April 11th, Morning

Akira’s been in his care for two days and he’s already seen enough to not like the picture that is being painted for him.

The kid’s face when he’d called him down for breakfast was one that reminded Sojiro so much of Futaba’s when he’d told her that there was no need for her to do chores after he’d taken her in.

The face of someone who isn’t used to being taken care of by those meant to do so.

Which is why when it’s almost lunchtime he’s tempted to grab the pay phone on the counter and give the Kurusus a call, because who the hell doesn’t call to make sure their kid has gotten to his destination safely?!

Thankfully, his phone buzzes before he can decide whether to start a fight with the parents of his charge.

Less thankfully, it’s a message from Futaba.

Sakura Futaba: He doesn’t look like a delinquent tbh

Sakura Sojiro: What did I tell you about the cameras?

Sakura Futaba: I worry about you Sojiro!

Sakura Sojiro: Futaba

Sakura Futaba: Don’t change the subject! Kurusu. He doesn’t seem like a criminal to me.

Sakura Sojiro: Not all criminals are tall, buff and have tattoos you know?

Sakura Futaba: I know that! It’s just…

Sakura Futaba: He reminds me a bit of myself?

Having Futaba outright point it out does not help.

Sakura Sojiro: Just stay away for now, okay?

Sakura Futaba: It’s not like I leave my room anyway :/

Sojiro waits for a few seconds to see if Futaba has anything else to add, but when no new text appears he pockets his phone with a sigh.

He’ll just have to wait and see.

Wednesday, April 13th, After School

So what if Kamoshida had something of a personal vendetta against him for absolutely no reason?

Akira can deal with that, no problem.

Still, he could have done without the bruise on his cheek, that’s for sure.

And not because he can’t take a hit, mind you -he is a gymnast after all, he can deal with injuries that come with sport.

Injuries coming from your P.E. teacher hitting you in the face with a volleyball a bunch of times, not so much.

What he’s worried about is what Sojiro will think.

He can already imagine it, ‘Ugh, I thought I told you to not get into trouble. I’ve been nice to you and this is how you behave? Ungrateful.’

Well, nothing he hasn’t dealt with before.

His parents liked to call him ungrateful quite a lot, anyways.

With a deep breath, he pushes the door to LeBlanc open, and braces himself for the inevitable disappointment that will be on Sojiro’s face.

“Welcome back.”

Akira can tell the exact moment that Sojiro spots the bruise by the frown that makes its way on his face.

“What happened?”

Huh.

Well, that’s new.

His parents never gave him the possibility to explain, instead coming up with a scenario they liked and sticking to it no matter what.

“Volleyball practice. A ball hit me square in the face.”

Sojiro raises an eyebrow at that. “ A ball?”

Akira shifts his weight from one foot to the other, “ Multiple , but that doesn’t matter, it’s fine, really.”

Sojiro sighs, “Your record got leaked, didn’t it?”

“I…yeah.”

How the hell did Sojiro come to that conclusion?

“I guess it was bound to happen…just…try to not attract any unwanted attention? I mean, clearly you’re already being…targeted, so to speak, but…I guess try not to stand out.” he pauses for a second, then adds, “More than you already do, I suppose.”

Akira is…shocked.

Where…where’s the disappointment?

And why the hell does Sojiro just…believe him?!

“You…believe me?”

It leaves his mouth before he can stop it, and he’s pretty sure Sojiro can see the mortified expression on his face even from behind the glasses.

“Should I not?”

“No, no it’s the truth, it’s just…I…I’m not used to people believing me, I guess.”

Sojiro’s phone goes off, vibrating like there’s no tomorrow, attacked by an onslaught of texts so big Akira fears the man’s phone will blow up.

Sojiro huffs, as he pockets the device after giving the texts a quick glance, “That girl, I swear. Anyway, wanna help out? There’s not much to do, sure, but I could still teach you how to make a cup of coffee.”

Akira feels like crying.

Thursday, April 14th, Afternoon

Ann <3: What about after school? We can meet up and go to a new crepe place I found?

Shiho <3: Sorry, I have practice

Ann <3: Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Text me later kay?

She really, really doesn’t want to do this anymore.

With a sigh, she pockets her phone.

It’s only then that she notices a student standing, looking at her.

“...What?” She doesn’t think he’s said anything, but she wasn’t really paying attention. 

Although, she is right in front of the door, so, “I’m in the way aren’t I? Sorry.”

He looks at her, lifeless steel gray eyes lingering on the bruises on her face, and Shiho wishes she would have Ann’s talent for makeup.

“Are you hurt?”

His voice is soft, gentle, but the question still carries so much weight with it that Shiho immediately breaks eye contact.

“Well…uhm…You don’t look familiar. Could you be that transfer student from Class D?”

It’s an obvious change of subject, they both know it, but he still nods.

“I’m Kurusu Akira.”

Shiho hugs herself, “Suizui Shiho.” She falls silent, but after a moment’s hesitation decides to speak up, “This might not be any of my business, but…don’t let the rumors get to you, okay?”

Akira looks at his feet, “They don't bother me.”

He’s lying through his teeth.

Still, Shiho gets it, so she plays along, “I’m glad to hear that. My best friend is often misunderstood, too, all because of her looks…this school’s rumor mill sure is a vicious one…”

She realizes that she’s been rambling, so she steps to the side, “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to get to practice, so I’ll see you around.”

She starts to walk away, but Akira grabs her arm.

His grip is gentle, and Shiho could simply step away at any moment, but something about the look in his eyes has her feet stuck to the floor.

It’s the look of someone who wants to do something but doesn’t have the will to do so.

It’s a look she knows quite well.

It’s also a look she has a feeling has absolutely no business being on Akira’s face.

“Kurusu-kun?”

He lets go, but Shiho still doesn’t move, even when he looks away.

“Just…be careful, okay? And…if you want to talk, I…”

He trails off, but Shiho still understands.

To say she’s shocked would be an understatement, but she wants to think she recovers quickly enough.

The smile she gives him is slightly less strained than usual.

“Thank you, Kurusu-kun. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Thursday, April 14th, After School

Akira’s settled into a nice routine by now.

Or well, as nice a routine as he can manage.

He really doesn’t like the way Kamoshida seems to have taken a personal distaste for him, but hey, it could be worse?

His criminal record got leaked, yes, and he’s pretty sure Kamoshida’s behind that, and now everyone hates him and his hopes of joining any of the sports teams have been shattered and ground to dust, but maybe that’s for the best?

Shaking his head, he walks out of Shibuya station -and man does he still need to get used to this many people-, when he spots Takamaki on the phone.

He’s about to leave her be, but for some reason he feels compelled to stop.

“Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I’m not feeling up to it…”

Akira knows he should probably leave Takamaki alone, but…

‘Help! Someone, help!’

He almost wants to laugh.

Look how it turned out for him, last time he decided to help someone.

But…

Was your previous decision a mistake?

Akira knows it was not a mistake.

“Wait, what?! That’s not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?! This has nothing to do with Shiho!”

The mention of Suzui - the only person to show him kindness, even though she was clearly drowning herself- makes the decision for him.

Whoever it is that Takamaki was on the phone with seems to have hung up on her, and Takamaki drops to the ground, clearly trying to hold back tears.

He takes a step towards her, and she immediately jumps away.

Akira tries to not let it hurt him.

“Were you listening?!”

“...not on purpose” 

“Have you never heard of privacy?!”

The moment the words leave her mouth, the fight seems to leave her body, and Akira really tries to not let it get to him.

She’s clearly hurting, he reasons.

“Sorry, that was out of line…” she wipes at her face, trying to keep the tears from falling, “How much did you hear?”

Akira shifts his weight from one foot to the other, “You were arguing? And…something about Suzui-san…”

Takamaki doesn’t meet his eyes, “I see…well, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

And before Akira can call her out on the blatant lie, she bolts away.

Well, isn’t that lovely.

Well, pursue her, what are you waiting for?

The voice in his head belongs to an ass, Akira decides.

All the voice does is laugh, the sound echoing in his mind as he goes after Takamaki.

Tuesday, April 19th, After School

Ann doesn’t know Kurusu Akira.

She does, however, know of him.

He's the delinquent transfer student.

He's the quiet kid that sits behind her in class.

He's the guy who did something to get on Kamoshida's black list, even though she still has no idea what it is.

He’s the one that, despite her being incredibly rude to him, chased after her through Shibuya Station because he saw her cry and didn’t want to leave her alone.

He's also the only other person who visits Shiho, who she often finds sitting next to her best friend’s hospital bed, a faraway look in his eyes, a look of guilt, one that for some reason Ann feels like it shouldn't be there. 

He would notice her, and scramble off, muttering a promise to visit Shiho again tomorrow and an apology to her on his way out.

Right now, Kurusu Akira is a cognition, sitting on a lone chair, surrounded by faceless silhouettes of students and teachers, pointing and whispering.

"He's a criminal"

"I heard he stabbed someone to death"

"I heard he carries a knife around"

"I heard he ended up in probation 'cause his parents don't want him."

Ryuji looks uncomfortable.

"I didn’t expect we'd find a cognition of him here..."

Morgana looked at them, silently asking for an explanation.

Ann sighed, "He's new, he's only been at Shujin for two weeks"

Morgana hums, "He must be somewhat relevant then..."

"I heard he's the reason Suzui jumped"

Ann felt all the blood in her veins freeze.

“I saw them together the other day!”

"Oh, she's been covered in bruises lately. Do you think he assaulted her?"

Oh.

Oh no .

"He's...They're blaming him for Shiho's attempt?!"

"That son of a bitch. He must have spread rumors."

Morgana hums, "Maybe we should try and talk to this Kurusu guy..."

Ryuji shifts his weight, “Come on guys let’s go. I don’t think there’s anything else to do here.”

Ann simply nods.

<<<---->>>

The plan had been, originally, to talk to Kurusu after school tomorrow.

But they end up bumping into him on their way to Shibuya Station after leaving the Palace, and Ryuji, being the tactless guy he is, approaches him immediately.

“Hey, you’re Kurusu, right?”

The boy in question freezes completely, and Ann almost wants to punch Ryuji.

Shifting the weight of her bag -and ignoring Morgana’s protesting meow-, she walks up to the two.

“Ah, Kurusu-kun, sorry about Ryuji, he can be…tactless at times.”

“Hey!”

Kurusu turns to look at them, and Ann notices he doesn’t make eye contact with either of them.

“It’s fine. Can I help you?”

He sounds tired.

“We wanted to ask ‘bout you ‘n Kamoshida.”

If Kurusu was stiff before, now he was a board.

“There’s nothing to say.”

Ryuji scoffs, “Yeah, right. He targeted you at the rally, the whole school saw that. So you did something to piss him off. What?”

Kurusu’s grip on his bag tightens, and Ann’s about to say something, but he beats her to it.

“I don’t think I have anything to say to you. If you really want to know, ask around, since people seem to be talking about me all the time.”

And with that, he nods politely at her before leaving.

Morgana pops out of her bag, “Wow, nice going Ryuji.”

“Can it, cat.”

Ann sighs, “Come on you two. Ryuji, you should’ve been nicer about it.”

“What!? It’s my fault? I didn’t say anything! He’s the one who’s all defensive and shit!”

“Think about your reaction if anyone asked you about your history with Kamoshida.”

That seems to shut him up.

Morgana is silent for a moment, before sighing, “I guess I can follow him, see if I can learn anything? Because I don’t think he’ll want to talk to us, even if we give him some time.”

Ann nods, and Morgana jumps down.

“Just be careful, Mona.”

The not-cat meows, “Don’t worry Lady Ann. I’ll meet you tomorrow morning before school.”

Friday, April 20th, Early Morning

Morgana can’t believe that Kurusu actually lives in a cafè’s attic.

Then again, according to Lady Ann he has a criminal record, so he supposes that makes sense.

What he didn’t tell Lady Ann and Ryuji though is the fact that he felt weirdly drawn to Kurusu.

Morgana hopes it has something to do with his missing memories.

So maybe he offered to follow him for his own reasons, but he’s sure it’ll be fine.

He’s startled by the bell tingling, and doesn’t move away in time, and finds himself right in front of Kurusu, who was flipping the sign to ‘open’. 

“Ah…a cat…”

Kurusu slowly kneels down, and despite not being a cat, Morgana sees it for the opportunity it is and approaches the student’s hand.

“I always wanted to have a cat, but mom and dad never let me…”

His touch is gentle, like it isn’t the first time he’s petted a cat, and Morgana has to admit that it does feel kind of good.

But only to himself.

“You have a collar, so you’re probably just out on a stroll, hmm? I wish I could do that. Just take a walk and have nothing to worry about.”

“What do you mean?”

The words come out of his mouth before he remembers that Kurusu can’t understand him, but the teen smiles softly, bitterly, and answers him anyway.

“I have so many things to worry about. There are Shujin students everywhere . And the rumors have been getting nasty…it’s…tiring, honestly. And now people think I’m the reason Suzui-san…”

Kurusu shifts his weight from one knee to the other, still scratching that spot behind Morgana’s ears.

“I wish I could tell Sojiro about Kamoshida, but…”

Thinking that if it worked once, it could work again, Morgana asks, “What did Kamoshida do?”

Kurusu hums in answer to the questioning meow he must have heard instead of Morgana’s words.

“No one talks about it, but Kamoshida…he abuses the volleyball team. He’s also the one that leaked my record. Or well, he told Mishima-kun to do so. And…I’m pretty sure he’s the one who spread the rumors about me being the reason Suzui-san jumped, even though he is. ”

“Oh…”

Kurusu smiles again, “It’s fine though. I just need to bear with it.”

Morgana, for some reason he can’t explain, feels his heart ache for Kurusu.

He definitely doesn’t seem like someone who’d have a criminal record.

“Akira?”

A voice sounds from inside the cafè, and Kurusu gives Morgana one last scratch before getting up.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. But we can talk again if I see you around.”

And with that he leaves, closing the door of cafè LeBlanc behind him.

Monday, April 25th, Evening

When Sojiro had told her he’d be taking in a kid on probation, Futaba had panicked. 

Even after he had reassured her that he’d be staying in LeBlanc’s attic, Futaba had worried for Sojiro.

So she’d decided to look into the guy.

Kurusu Akira, 16 years old, born and raised in Yaso-Inaba, used to attend Yasogami High School and was part of the athletics team, who now had a criminal record for assault.

So, she imagined him as a tall, buff guy, and definitely not the scrawny guy that showed up at her father’s coffee shop.

So, she spent the following week…keeping an eye on him.

Not stalking, okay?

And…finds nothing.

He goes back to LeBlanc as soon as school lets out, helps out at the shop, does his homework (quickly, too, since he’s actually really smart and was top of his year back in Yasogami), then cleans up before Sojiro closes up for the day.

In conclusion, he does not look like someone who’d assault a guy out of the blue.

Which raises the question, why would a star gymnast, who’s top of the class, suddenly turn into a criminal?

So she hacks into the courthouse surveillance cameras and watches his trial.

Only it can’t even be called a trial.

Kurusu hadn’t even defended himself.

He didn’t have a defense attorney in the first place.

His parents had been on the prosecution’s side.

Curiosity winning over her, because come this case reeks no matter the angle you look at it from, she hacks into the town’s CCTV, looks for the date of the assault and, predictably, finds the footage of a few select cameras overlooking some backstreets deleted.

That had been a week ago.

Now she’s sitting in her room, the deleted footage on her screen.

And she’s pissed.

His parents threw him away, all the way in Tokyo, to live with a stranger.

And she knows for a matter of fact that in the time Kurusu’s been here, they have not even once contacted him, and it’s almost been a month by now.

It…reminds her of herself, her relatives all blaming her for her mother’s death.

Shaking her head, she glances at her phone.

It should be fine.

It’s just texting.

She unlocks her phone and starts typing before she can second guess herself.

Alibaba: Hello

Alibaba: I’m Alibaba.

Wednesday, April 27th, After School

“I’ll go home and take care of the calling card, no problem.”

Morgana pops out of her bag, “Make sure you don’t mess it up, Ryuji.”

Ryuji grins, and Ann has to admit she’s a little worried, “Have a little faith, Mona.”

With that he leaves, and Ann, who should go home and rest, decides to take a walk around the underground mall.

“Are you visiting Lady Shiho today?”

Ann smiles at the silly title Morgana has given Shiho, “Yeah. But the flowers in her room are wilting, so I think I’ll stop by Rafflesia first.”

After Hanasaki-san reassures her that the bouquet will be done by Friday, Ann decides to kill some time while she waits for the next train.

What she didn’t expect, was to spot Kurusu standing next to the pamphlet stand.

After what Morgana had told them, both her and Ryuji had decided to leave him alone, but…

Determined, she decides to approach him.

“Kurusu-kun, can I speak with you?”

He turns around, clearly startled at being approached, and freezes when he sees her.

Still, he turns to fully look at her, “Takamaki-san?”

“I just wanted to say thank you. I know you’ve been visiting Shiho a lot.”

She expected him to maybe smile, maybe tell her why , but instead he wilts.

“Ah, I…Sorry, I hope that didn’t bother you…”

She’s pretty sure her mouth hangs open at that, “No, no, I mean it! We’re the only ones that visit her, and I’m pretty sure she’d grow bored of me in no time, ahaha…”

She trails off when Kurusu doesn’t say anything.

They’re silent for a few seconds, and all Ann can think is ‘well, this is awkward.’

“Suzui-san…she’s obviously very important to you. I’m happy she has someone like that who cares about her.”

Ann wonders how the hell this guy manages to catch her off guard with every single word he says.

“Uhm…thank you. You…also seem to care about her…”

Kurusu looks down, “I…she’s kind. I don’t think she deserves to stay alone. I…I just wish I could have done more, is all.”

Morgana had told her that Kurusu knew about what Kamoshida had done to Shiho.

She didn’t expect him to feel guilty about not having spoken up.

“It’s not your fault, Kurusu-kun. It’s all that bastard Kamoshida’s fault.”

Kurusu is a victim of Kamoshida too, she realizes.

His reputation is irreversibly ruined because that bastard leaked his record.

And for what?

No reason other than the fact that he could.

Well, good thing they’re going to make him pay.

“Takamaki-san, I…”

She smiles at him, bright, “Please, call me Ann. It’s fine, really. I get it, having that bastard ruin you. But don’t worry, things will get better.”

Ann has no idea whether Kurusu actually believes her.

It doesn’t really matter, she figures, since in a few days that bastard will be gone.

Chapter Text

Monday, May 2nd, Morning

“I'm sorry! Someone please call the police!”

Akira can’t believe his ears. 

Kamoshida is just…confessing?

Just like the calling card had said, mon voleur.

“I'm the reason Suzui jumped.”

Wait, what?!

“I'm the one who leaked Kurusu’s record.”

The principal and vice-principal drag Kamoshida away, but the damage is already done.

Akira feels everyone's eyes on him, and the feeling has him want to disappear, to just be gone-

He leaves, knowing that the whole school is tracking his movements, but he doesn’t care, he needs out.

He stumbles in one of the bathrooms -thankfully empty- and tries to get his breathing under control.

Tries and fails, because he can't even get air to flow correctly into his lungs-

Should he leave school?

No, Sojiro wouldn't like that.

Still, Akira doesn’t think he could continue, it's only first period, he can’t-

The sound of the bathroom door opening has him freezing, but when he doesn’t hear any footsteps he questions whether he actually heard something or if he's simply going crazy.

When a cat comes into view - the same cat that had been in front of LeBlanc a while back- Akira breathes in relief.

“Hey kitty. How are you?”

The cat bumps his head against Akira's thigh, the gesture gentle and clearly meant to be comforting.

With a smile, Akira lets the cat curl up in his lap and starts running his hand through its fur.

It's nice and grounding, and Akira's already feeling better.

“You're Takamaki-san's right?”

The cat lets out a meow that sounds like an agreement, so Akira's going to take it as one. 

“I bet she's looking for you, you should go back to her…”

Akira doesn’t want the cat to leave, but if he's Takamaki's…

The cat shakes its head in a way that feels oddly human, and Akira smiles.

“That's fine. I'll take you back. I just…need a few minutes.”

He probably needs hours , but when has life ever allowed anyone to recover before moving on?

The cat purrs, and Akira finds the sound comforting.

He's almost jealous of Takamaki, for having a cat when he can’t, couldn't despite begging his parents for years-

“Morgana?”

Takamaki’s voice startles him, and he realizes that she’s outside, in the halls.

The cat perks up, and Akira smiles, “Morgana? Is that your name?”

He receives a happy purr in response, and Akira takes it as a ‘yes’.

“Mona! Come on, where are you, you dang cat?”

Sakamoto’s voice makes Morgana huff, and Akira has to stifle a laugh.

Clearly Morgana and Sakamoto don’t get along.

“Ryuji, be nicer! This is why Mona insults you all the time.”

Takamaki’s choice of words is…weird, since it makes it sound like Morgana can speak, but Akira did have a full conversation with Morgana, so he can’t really judge now can he?

“It ain’t my fault! He just jumped out of your bag and ran off!”

Takamaki huffs, “It isn’t like him…”

Sakamoto laughs, “Yeah, he never wants to leave his precious Lady Ann’s side.”

Morgana lets out an annoyed meow in response, and the pair outside falls silent.

The cat seems to have realized he’s just given away his location, and Akira finds himself dreading the moment Sakamoto would walk in and take Morgana back to Takamaki.

Which is what would have happened if Morgana hadn’t immediately stuffed himself inside of Akira’s school bag, which lay forgotten on the side.

Instead, when Sakamoto walks in, Takamaki peeking behind him, he only finds Akira awkwardly sitting on the ground.

“...Kurusu?”

Akira doesn’t want to talk to Sakamoto, but Takamaki is there and he actually likes her, so he decides that he should at least be nice to her friend.

“Ah, sorry, do you need something, Sakamoto?”

Before the blonde could responde, Takamaki pushes him to the side, “Ah, sorry Kurusu-kun. We were actually looking for my cat, Morgana, and we thought we heard a meow coming from here…”

Akira decides to play along with Morgana -who clearly doesn’t want to go back with Takamaki just yet, and tilts his head to the side, “Why would your cat be at school…?”

Which is actually a good question, now that he thinks about it.

He had obviously noticed him, hidden underneath Takamaki’s desk, and he honestly wonders how Kawakami or any of their teachers haven’t.

“Ah, it’s…well, I live alone, and he doesn’t like staying by himself…”

She trails off, and Akira decides that he doesn’t particularly care.

He feels like sneaking a cat into class is something he would definitely do if given the chance.

“No worries, Takamaki-san. Anyway, I haven’t seen him.”

The girl frowns, “Ah…sorry to bother you, then. Also, I told you to call me Ann.”

Sakamoto gives her an odd look at that, but Takamaki ignores him.

Akira sighs, “In that case you can drop the ‘Kurusu’ too. Just call me Akira.”

She smiles brightly at him, “Okay! Well, if you see a cat wandering around let me know, ok?”

And with that she pushes Sakamoto out and lets the door fall shut behind her.

Morgana’s head pops out of his bag, and Akira could swear the nod the cat gives him is grateful.

Tuesday, May 3rd, Morning

Morgana…doesn’t know what compelled him to run after Kurusu yesterday when he’d left the morning assembly after Kamoshida’s confession.

But he’s glad he did.

In all honesty, Morgana feels like he should be by Kurusu’s side.

But…

Why?

Just like so many other things, it’s something Morgana can’t explain, no matter how much he tries to remember.

Kurusu ended up leaving classes early, which is good in Morgana’s opinion because the guy looked on the verge of another breakdown, and had complied with Morgana’s silent request to stay with him and not go back to Lady Ann.

Kurusu’s guardian had immediately caught on despite the attempt to keep Morgana’s presence hidden, but had not protested when Kurusu came up with a simple lie to explain why he suddenly had a cat.

Which isn’t technically a lie, even though Lady Ann and Kurusu could hardly be defined as friends and Lady Ann definitely didn’t know that Kurusu was ‘looking after her cat’, but who cares.

Right now, Kurusu is still sleeping, which is…worrying, considering it’s almost lunchtime.

Not to mention the fact that he’d skipped both lunch and dinner yesterday.

Morgana really wishes Kurusu could understand him so that he’d tell him to eat.

The cafè owner, who if Morgana isn’t mistaken is named Sojiro, comes in, and sighs at the sight of the sleeping teen.

“Still asleep, huh…I would let him, but he hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning…”

Morgana wanders towards him, and the man crouches down to pet him.

“Sorry, he’s not really looking after you, is he?”

Sojiro gets back to his feet before making his way towards Kurusu.

“Akira?”

The teen in question doesn’t give any sign of having heard his guardian, so the man rests a hand on his shoulder and shakes him gently, “Akira, come on kid.”

Kurusu groans and rolls on his other side, and Sojiro chuckles, “I know it's Golden Week, but you can’t spend the entire day in bed. Come on down and eat something while the cafè’s empty.”

When Kurusu doesn’t move, Sojiro sighs, but it doesn’t sound annoyed.

It sounds…concerned, almost.

“Akira come on. You don’t even need to eat the whole plate, just…eat something?”

Morgana doesn’t like the way Sojiro seems really worried.

Kurusu is the opposite of Lady Ann when it comes to food.

Ann eats, a lot.

Kurusu doesn’t eat, at all.

Morgana wonders briefly how Ryuji ’s eating, but decides that it’s no concern of his.

The dumb monkey can starve, for all he cares.

(Maybe he is a little bitter about Ryuji’s words yesterday. Just maybe.)

“Thank you.”

Morgana looks up, and is happy to see that Kurusu’s on his feet.

When the two go down, Morgana wanders back to Kurusu’s bed.

Ann had explained to him that most cafè’s don’t allow animals inside, so he doesn’t want to cause Kurusu or Sojiro any trouble by going downstairs.

What he didn’t expect is for Sojiro to come up a few minutes later with a plate clearly meant for him.

“Here you go. Akira said he’ll be taking you back to your owner later. I can’t have you going back to her starving, though. So eat up.”

Morgana decides that he really likes Sojiro.

Monday, May 9th, Lunchtime

Haru always spends lunchtime alone.

She doesn’t mind, really.

She’d rather be alone than in the company of someone only interested in her because of her name.

So she is in fact quite surprised when a student -a second year- approaches her.

“Okumura-senpai?”

She doesn’t like being called by her last name, but she still smiles at him politely.

“Yes, that’s me. Is there anything I can help you with?”

The boy seems to hesitate for a second before he looks at her, somewhat determined.

Haru is already prepared to turn him down, convinced that he’s just another student who wanted to ask her out, but he surprises her by instead saying, “Kawakami-sensei told me that you’re the ones taking care of the plants on the roof?”

Haru nods, taken off guard, and the second year takes a deep breath before speaking, “I was wondering if I could help you with that.”

Now, despite what her father and Sugimura may think, Haru is not stupid.

She is quite aware that it might just be a way to get close to her.

But…she feels no ill intent from this boy, just an anxious and nervous air.

And Haru considers herself a good judge of character, so when something within her tells her that he’s just as lonely as she is, the choice she makes is quite easy.

“Of course! I would be happy if you wanted to join me.”

The boy sighs in relief, like he’d been so sure that he’d be turned down, and Haru feels like she’s made the right choice.

“Thank you, senpai. I’m Kurusu Akira.”

“Okumura Haru, nice to meet you Kurusu-kun!”

Saturday, May 14th, After School

Midterms, in Akira’s humble opinion, were good.

He really, really, hopes he’ll be in the top 10.

Maybe Sojiro will be happy…

He’s about to leave class when a tired, familiar voice calls out to him, “Kurusu-kun?”

When he turns to look at her, Kawakami looks…regretful?

She sighs, “Considering your… record and what happened with Mr. Kamoshida, the school board has decided that you should go see Dr. Maruki.”

Right.

The therapist that had introduced himself to the school in yesterday’s assembly.

Lovely, they want him to go see a shrink now.

His parents would flip if they ever heard their son was told to go to counseling. 

Then again, he doesn’t think his parents particularly care about what he does now.

“When can I go see him?”

“He should actually be available now, so…”

Nodding, Akira leaves the class, trying to ignore the hushed voices that come from his classmates.

“They’re forcing him to go?”

“Figures, since he’s a criminal.”

“I hope Dr. Maruki stays safe around that guy…”

Akira tells himself he doesn’t mind this in the slightest.

He’s not bothered by petty rumors, thank you very much.

He keeps telling himself as much until he reaches the nurse’s office.

Akira hates this part of interacting with someone at school.

Time to play! Will they treat me like the absolute scum of the earth or like an actual human being? Tune in next time to find out!

Tellement dramatique, mon voleur. 

Akira flips the voice off.

Thursday, May 19th, After School

Kurusu Akira, in Futaba’s not so humble opinion, is amazing.

It’s in times like these that she wishes she could just leave her damn room, but she can’t it’s her tomb, she’ll die here-

Anyway.

He’s…nice.

She’d been kinda scared when she first texted him, and he’d been rightfully wary of her -an unknown number suddenly texting him-, so for once listening to her gut which was screaming at her to tell the truth, she revealed herself to him as Sojiro’s daughter.

And they…hit it off.

Sure, they only text, but she's…happy.

Sometimes he even comes to the house and speaks to her through the door, telling her about stuff and not expecting her to answer.

Like now.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come by yesterday. I went to see Dr. Maruki.”

Oh?

He’d told her about being forced to go see the counselor, of course.

Futaba had -not so kindly- told him that he really needs therapy anyway.

“I don’t think he’s too bad, actually. You were right.”

Of course she was.

She types as much and sends him the text, and he laughs.

“You’re right. I should learn to listen to you.”

Futaba: What did you two talk about.

Akira hums, and for a second Futaba fears she may have overstepped, but he starts talking, stopping her before she could spiral.

“We talked about what life was like for me before the arrest.”

Futaba is quick to reply.

Futaba: Sorry, you don’t need to tell me if you don’t feel like it.

“No, no, you’re good. I wanted to tell you anyway. I should start with why I was arrested, hmm?”

Futaba: No need

Akira lets out a surprised noise, and Futaba smirks.

Futaba: I was worried about Sojiro, so I looked you up. 

Futaba: You didn’t seem like a guy who would assault someone, so I hacked into the camera system of the courthouse

Akira falls silent for a second, and Futaba fears that he’s angry at her, but he laughs.

“Pourquoi je ne suis pas surpris?”

Futaba only knows three languages.

She has absolutely no idea what the fuck Akira just said.

“So? Do you think I did it?”

Futaba: Please.

“Heh, sorry. At least you believe me. My parents sure didn’t.”

Hesitating for only a second, Futaba sends him a message.

Futaba: What are they like?

Futaba: Your parents, that is

Akira’s head comes to rest against her bedroom door with an audible thump.

“They…never really cared about me.”

Futaba could tell that much from the trial.

Hearing Akira say it just makes her angrier.

“I’m pretty sure they had a kid because otherwise people would have talked. Inaba is a small town. If you stand out for the wrong reasons, it’s over. So they only wanted me to better their image.”

Well, isn’t that lovely.

“So I always did my best to please them. But it was never enough. Sure, they bragged about me to the neighbors, but they never gave me the time of day. No matter how many times I scored first in exams or won competitions, they never cared. I was never good enough for them.”

Futaba wants to tell him that those two assholes can go screw themselves, but she feels like if she stops him he won’t go on, so she stays silent.

“And then I got arrested. I just wanted to help that woman. But the guy fell and hit his head. He sued, and threatened the woman to testify against me. Of course, she did. Idon’t blame her though.”

Of course he doesn’t.

Futaba understands her position, but still.

Because of some drunk asshole, Akira’s life is ruined.

“I wasn’t given prison time given my age, and my parents jumped at the chance to send me away. A kid on probation is much better than one in juvie in their eyes, I suppose.”

Well, screw them.

Futaba wants to say so many things.

But she can’t bring herself to say anything.

“They…never call. Or text. They’re probably doing their best to pretend I don’t exist. Not that it’s that different from what they’ve been doing for the past sixteen years.”

Futaba hates how small Akira’s voice sounds.

It’s all kinds of wrong.

“Sorry about that, you probably didn’t need to hear this stuff. Sorry.”

Akira apologizes. A lot.

Futaba doesn’t know what compels her to put her phone down and turn to look at the door.

She imagines Akira, on the other side, his back against the door.

Resting her hand on the wooden surface, Futaba takes a deep breath and talks.

It’s…hard.

But Akira is worth it, in her opinion.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

Friday, May 27th, After School

Kurusu Akira is…interesting.

Something within him keeps Takuto seeking the boy out, so he grabs his phone and thinks of what to send him, when someone knocks on the door.

And it’s Akira.

Well, Fate acts in a funny way, at times.

“Kurusu-kun, come in. I was about to see if you’re free.”

The boy nods silently, and sits down.

Takuto sits down as well and leaves his clipboard on the table.

“How have you been?”

Akira’s fidgeting.

He doesn’t meet Takuto’s gaze, which is normal, yes, but usually Akira looks at the person to at least give the illusion of eye contact.

Bad, clearly.

“Good.”

Takuto knows better than  to actually sigh, but it’s close.

Really, if he hadn’t been sure the school would see a suggestion that Akira seeks out an actual therapist the wrong way, he would have done so after their first session.

That, and Akira’s kind of grown on him.

“I see. Do you want to continue last time’s discussion?”

Takuto hopes to continue that, to make Akira realize the blatant neglect he’s had to deal with for the past sixteen years, but he also knows he has to do things at Akira’s pace.

“Is it a problem if we…wait? I do want to talk about it today, just…not right now?”

Takuto smiles, “Of course, Kurusu-kun, no worries. We’re here to help you, afterall.”

Akira nods, and they talk about Futaba.

Takuto noticed that Akira tends to talk about others more than himself.

Shiho, Morgana, Sojiro, Futaba.

In Akira’s mind, they’re all worth being talked about more than he is.

How he wishes he could do more to help Akira.

But he knows sixteen years of thinking a certain way can’t be fixed with a few nice words.

Still, Takuto wonders if he can do anything more…

Monday, May 30th, Lunchtime

She’d been told to keep away from the transfer student.

He’s a delinquent, dangerous and carries a knife around.

Overall, a bad person to be around.

 But she’s bumped into him three times now.

The first time on the train, and he’d been kind to her.

The second time, outside of Maruki-sensei’s office, he'd looked so…alone, and she felt compelled to ask him what’s wrong and how she could help.

But he’d ran off, and Kasumi had so many other things to worry about, so she’d left him be.

And this morning, when he’d saved her from that man.

So sue her for being curious, watching him eat alone on a bench.

Despite the many warnings, she decides to approach him.

“Senpai? May I sit with you?”

She really hopes he doesn’t say no.

He looks up to look at her, and Kasumi almost flinches.

The look in her eyes reminds her of the one she used to see in the mirror in Sumire’s eyes.

“Are you sure?”

It’s because of the resemblance with herself her sister, she reasons as she nods and sits down next to him.

He says nothing, so Kasumi takes it upon herself to strike up a conversation.

“I’m sorry. About the other day, that is.”

He shrugs, “It’s fine.”

He sounds resigned. Like being met with hostility for no reason at all is something he's used to.

She thinks back to his first day, of his criminal record being leaked before he even stepped foot in the school, and realizes that yes, he is used to it.

Determined, she shakes her head, “No, it's not! I know very well how vicious Shujin's rumor mill is. I'm really sorry.”

She bows her head, and he immediately tells her that there's no need. 

They fall silent, and Kasumi doesn’t miss the way he seems to be studying her.

“Why?” is what he eventually says, and Kasumi doesn't need him to elaborate.

“You looked lonely” is all she says.

He looked lonely, like she Sumire did.

He says nothing, and Kasumi lets him.

“I’m Kurusu Akira.”

She smiles at him, softly, “Nice to meet you, Kurusu-senpai. I'm Yoshizawa-”

She interrupts herself, and jumps up to grab the red balloon that had slipped from a little girl's hand.

Kasumi hands it back and turns to smile sheepishly at Kurusu, “Sorry about that, senpai.”

He looks at her in awe, and Kasumi feels herself blushing.

“You're Yoshizawa Kasumi, right?”

She's about to ask, but he hands her her ID.

“Oh! It must've fallen out of my pocket. Thank you.”

She sits back down, and she can tell that Kurusu is considering his next words.

“You're a gymnast.”

It's a statement, not a question.

Kasumi answers anyway, “Yes.”

Kurusu takes a deep breath, “I was one, too.”

Kasumi lights up, “Really? What made you quit?”

He smiles bitterly, a smile of honey and ash, “I didn’t.”

It takes her a few seconds to realize, and she feels her heart sink.

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry senpai. I didn’t mean to pry!”

He shakes his head, “Don't worry. Honestly? When I heard Shujin invested in sports, I was hoping I could do something…”

She doesn’t need to ask why he ended up doing nothing.

With his criminal record leaked, there was no way he could.

She thinks about Kasumi Sumire, who dies before she could fulfill her dreams, and the words come out of her mouth before she even realizes she’s speaking.

“Why don’t we train together?”

Kurusu looks at her like she’s grown a second head.

“...what?”

Kasumi looks at her feet, “It would be a waste, and I’ve been struggling lately…so maybe training with a friend would help?”

She’s rambling, so she stops talking and waits for him to say something.

He falls silent, and Kasumi’s about to tell him to forget it, she shouldn’t have imposed , when he clears his throat.

“I’d like that. If you’d have me, Yoshizawa-san.”

Kasumi smiles brightly, “Of course! And please, call me Kasumi!” she pulls out her phone, “We should exchange contact info, Kurusu-senpai.”

He pulls out his own phone, and gives her a small and gentle smile that Kasumi really likes, “Then you should call me Akira.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday, June 1st, After School

Shiho doesn’t get many visitors.

Her parents, despite wanting to stay by her side, are busy with work.

And Ann has been busy too, this past week, ever since she told her about the artist, Kitagawa.

So when there’s a soft knock on her hospital door, Shiho already knows who it is.

“Akira-kun, come in.”

The boy pushes the door open and smiles at her, “Of course you could tell.”

He closes the door and sits down on the chair next to her bed.

“How are you doing today?”

Shiho sighs, “Better than last time you visited. You?”

Akira doesn’t look at her, “Good.”

Okay, so not good.

“How was the field trip?”

“Good, I suppose. I made a…friend, I guess.”

Well, color her surprised.

“That’s nice. Who are they?”

Akira starts tugging at his bangs, “Yoshizawa Kasumi. She’s the first year honors student. We’ll be training together.”

Shiho wishes she could smile at him.

Instead, she reaches out and rests a hand on his arm and stops him from pulling at his hair.

Moving takes a lot of effort, and Akira scolds her.

Shiho waves him off, “I’m glad you get to do something about gymnastics. And Yoshizawa-san seems nice, so I hope you two get along.”

Akira smiles softly, “Yeah, she does seem nice.”

They fall silent for a while, so Shiho speaks up, “What about counseling? Last time you told me you were forced?”

Akira averts his eyes, looking out of the window instead.

It’s a dull scenery, and Shiho’s long since grown tired of it.

“Yeah, but…Dr. Maruki isn’t bad. He treats me…”

He trails off, but Shiho understands.

“Like a person?”

“Yeah.”

Shiho lets her hands rest in her lap, “I know. Whenever my parents visit me they…treat me like I’m just a broken girl that they need to get as far away as possible from here.”

Akira sighs, “At least yours worry about you. Mine probably forgot they have a son in the first place.”

Ah, yes.

The lovely Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu.

How Shiho wishes she could do something to help Akira like he’s helping her, but…

Whatever she tries, Akira simply brushes off, telling her not to worry and that he’s fine.

The door opens, and a nurse walks in, “Suzui-san, it’s time for therapy.”

Akira gets to his feet, “I guess I’ll see you soon…”

Shiho really wishes she could do more.

But she’s trapped here, like the broken girl she is, and she can only watch as Akira leaves, and hopes that someone does something to help this boy who is far kinder than this world deserves.

Sunday, June 5th, Evening

“Kid.”

God, Sojiro isn’t cut out for this.

“Akira come on, eat.”

“I’m not hungry…”

Sojiro really , really isn’t cut out for this.

“I understand, but you have to eat something.”

Akira’s amazing.

Really, Sojiro’s getting far more attached than he should.

But he’s also a mess.

“I’ll eat later.”

Later, as Sojiro has long since learned, means a cup of coffee tomorrow morning.

“You and I both know that’s a lie.”

Akira’s phone dings, and Sojiro doesn’t even need to ask who it is.

“What did Futaba say?”

Akira sends his phone a dirty look, “She said ‘eat’.”

Sojiro, despite asking Futaba to keep her distance, is actually glad she ignored him and texted Akira.

They both look…happier.

Futaba doesn’t panic call him as much, and Akira often has a soft smile on his face.

Sojiro only wishes he could help Futaba more.

Sojiro only wishes he could help Akira more.

But…at least they have each other.

“See? Come on Akira, even half the plate will do.”

Maybe he should ask Takemi for advice on how to help Akira.

Akira sighs and sits at the counter, and Sojiro pushes the plate towards the teen.

They both know Akira won’t even finish half of it.

But at least he’ll eat something , is what Sojiro tells himself.

Deciding to not make the kid more uncomfortable, Sojiro turns his attention to the TV.

“Ichiryusai Madarame’s confession happened, just like the Phantom Thieves promised! Just who are they?”

Thursday, June 9th, Afternoon

Goro really wishes he didn’t have to deal with this.

Out of all the days for Shujin Academy to have a social studies trip, it just had to be when he’d be interviewed.

Well, at least it would boost his popularity.

Checking the time on his phone and ignoring the messages from Shido, he makes his way towards the office to discuss the interview, when he spots a lone student leaning against the wall.

Great.

And here he’d managed to avoid students so far.

Slipping on the mask of the Detective Prince, Goro approaches him.

“Ah, hello. Are you perhaps a student from Shujin?”

The student turns to look at him, and Goro immediately takes notice of a few things.

First, the pin on his blazer means he’s a second year.

Second, his eyes -dull, almost lacking any will- are a very interesting gray color.

And most importantly, he notices the way Loki, who until now had been silent at the back of his mind, stirs, clearly interested in the teen in front of him.

“Uhm, yes. Is something the matter?”

His voice is soft, small, and he doesn’t make eye contact.

“Oh, no, don’t worry. I just thought I should introduce myself since we’ll be working together tomorrow.”

The student looks at him, clearly not understanding, and Goro is mildly pleased that he doesn’t seem to recognize the ‘Second Coming of the Detective Prince.’

He feels like Shirogane-san would scoff at the title the public has bestowed him.

“I’m Akechi Goro. Tomorrow  I will be interviewed. Your class will be in the audience, correct?”

“Ah…yes. I’m Kurusu Akira.”

Goro flashes hi his most charming smile, “Well, nice to meet you Kurusu-kun. I look forward to working with you.”

The younger nods in response, and Goro takes his leave.

He does have a meeting to attend, afterall. 

Do keep an eye on him, detektiv.

Goro tries to not think about Loki’s words.

But Loki has never shown any interest in anyone before.

Yet this random guy attracts his attention?

Kurusu has honestly gotten that much more interesting.

Friday, June 10th, Afternoon

“I think they’re necessary.”

Well, if Goro didn’t already think Kurusu was interesting yesterday, he certainly does now.

To have Kurusu openly oppose him…Goro has to admit he’s intrigued.

“And why do you say that?”

Kurusu fidgets, but the announcer clearly has no intention of letting him go, so he braces himself and looks at a spot right next to Goro’s head to mimic eye contact.

“They reach those that the police can’t touch for whatever reason.”

Well, that’s true, Goro will give him that.

Kamoshida and Madarame wouldn’t have been arrested if the Phantom Thieves wouldn’t have intervened, that’s for sure.

“Well, let’s say then, if someone close to you were to undergo a change of heart, what would you say?”

Kurusu shifts in his seat, “They only target criminals. If someone is targeted, then they must have done something to warrant it.”

Huh.

“I see…well, thank you.”

The announcer keeps talking, their conversation scripted, but Goro doesn’t really ay it any mind.

As soon as they’re done, Goro looks for Kurusu.

He finds him standing alone, typing away at his phone.

Loki spurs him on to talk to the other student, and Goro really wishes he could understand why.

“Kurusu-kun? May I talk to you for a second?”

The younger nods and pockets his phone.

“I’m sorry if my questions made you uncomfortable, but I must thank you. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis. Our discussion was quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did.”

People tend to agree with whatever he says, hanging off of every word that comes out of the Detective Prince’s mouth.

It’s annoying.

But Kurusu…well.

“Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do as the adults say. There are so many ‘untouchable’ criminals, so I can understand why you’d support the Phantom Thieves.”

After all, Shido could never be tried in court, despite the huge amount of crimes he’s committed.

Kurusu says nothing, but Goro knows that he’s listening.

“It’s possible that this group is just as you believe and that they are truly acting with good intentions.”

And doesn’t that piss him off.

They have the same powers.

Yet these fools are running around, acting on some lofty ideal of justice?

Don’t make me laugh.

“But the justice they are upholding is a mere facade to conceal their lack of true strength. I’m positive if they were to be cornered they would flee without a second thought.”

Kurusu still won’t make eye contact, “I don’t think their ideals are that lofty.”

Well, color him surprised.

“You’re really intriguing. I’m sure you’ll make for a worthwhile debate partner. Would you mind continuing to share your thoughts with me?”

He holds out his hand, and Kurusu hesitates for a split second before taking it.

“I’d love to, if you’d have me, Akechi-san.”

“Thank you, Kurusu-kun.”

It’s far more genuine than he would have liked, and Loki’s pleased purr and Robin Hood’s hum of approval worry him because those two never agree on anything, but…

He’s inexplicably drawn to Kurusu.

Well, he has a feeling that Kurusu will prove to be very interesting indeed.

Monday, June 13th, After School

Akira honestly has no idea how Ann and Sakamoto haven’t noticed Niijima-senpai following them around.

Still, it’s none of his business, so he silently avoids the student council president and makes his way up to the roof.

“Ah, Aki-chan!”

The nickname still makes him smile.

“Hello, Haru-senpai.”

She frowns at him as he walks towards her, “I told you to drop the ‘senpai’, didn’t I?”

Akira hums, “You did. Anyway, have you decided on what to grow?”

She clearly isn’t happy with the change of subject, but luckily she doesn’t call him out on it.

“I think I’ll go with flowers. Which means I’ll have to go to Rafflesia and buy some seeds. Do you want to accompany me?”

Well, he has nothing better to do.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Haru locks the door to the roof, and they make their way to the school gate.

Only to be stopped by Niijima.

“Kurusu-kun, a word, please?”

Akira’s sure both Haru and Niijima notice the way he freezes.

Still, he turns to look at the president, “Niijima-senpai. How can I help?”

She gives Haru a glance, but doesn’t tell her anything.

Instead, she sighs and turns to look at him again.

“Takamaki’s in you same class, correct?”

A stupid question, since they both know she knows that much, but Akira answers her anyway.

“Yes, why?”

“Have you noticed anything…weird, about her?”

Aside from sneaking in a cat that seems perfectly capable of understanding humans in class and who Akira is sure feeds her answers in class?

“No, I can’t say I have.”

The look Niijima gives him can only be defined as disbelieving.

“Are you sure about that?”

Akira doesn’t like her tone.

It sounds accusatory.

Condescending.

It reminds him of his mom.

“Because I’ve noticed my fare share of oddities about both her and Sakamoto, and I’ve seen them around you on occasion-”

“I’m sorry, Niijima-san, has Aki-chan done something?”

Haru, in Akira’s eyes, is an angel.

A blessing from the heavens, literal salvation.

Because Niijima trails off, looking unsure of what she’s been saying just a few seconds ago.

“I- well, no, not really-”

Haru smiles at Niijima.

It feels terrifying.

“In that case, I’m sorry but me and Aki-chan need to go. See you tomorrow, Niijima-san.”

Haru doesn’t wait for the other girl to respond.

She simply drags Akira by the hand and leads them away from the school.

She stops at the entrance of Aoyama-Itchome’s station and turns to look at him.

“Aki-chan, are you okay?”

It takes Akira a few seconds to register the questions, and a few more to understand why Haru’s asking him if he’s okay.

You’re shaking like a leaf, mon voleur.

“I’m-” his voice catches in his throat, and Haru gently squeezes his hand.

He takes a deep breath, and while it takes him a few tries, he manages to calm down.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, Aki-chan.”

What Akira meant was ‘thank you for caring’.

He doesn’t think he can be that honest.

It would require opening a can of worms that Akira really wants to keep closed.

(A can of worms that Maruki is slowly forcing open.)

“Do you still feel like going to Rafflesia? If not, I can walk you home.”

They end up going to Rafflesia, and Akira somehow ends up with a part-time job there because of his knowledge in flowers, and Haru insists on walking him home.

Which brings him here, at Yongen-Jaya’s station, telling Haru that there’s no need for her to walk him all the way home.

“Nonsense, Aki-chan. I’m your senpai, aren’t I? I need to make sure my cute kohai makes it home safe.”

It’s a lost battle, Akira knows that much.

You should indulge your impératrice

Akira has no idea why the voice in his head has been referring to people in his life by Major Arcanas from tarot, but he has to admit that ‘empress’ does in fact suit Haru.

“Let’s go, then.”

Haru’s smile is so wide it makes Akira give her one in return.

They reach LeBlanc in no time, and Akira doesn’t miss the way Haru raises an eyebrow at that.

With a sigh, he turns to look at her.

“You know I have a criminal record, right?”

She nods, so Akira keeps going.

“Well, I’m here in Tokyo on probation, and my guardian owns this cafè. I live in the attic.”

He can see the outrage in Haru’s face, and it warms his heart.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. There’s a reason for that. I’ll explain more tomorrow, okay?”

She seems skeptical, but ultimately nods.

“I trust you, Aki-chan.”

The statement makes Akira feel like crying.

Instead, he pushes the door open.

Saturday, June 18th, After School

Rafflesia, naturally, isn’t a busy shop. 

That’s not to say they don’t get business, but clearly there aren’t that many people looking for a bouquet of flowers today.

Which honestly, is perfect for him. 

He does not feel like interacting with people.

Maybe it's exactly because of how much of a slow day it is that Hanasaki-san decides to step out and leave the shop to him.

Apparently, fate hates him, because a woman in her late twenties approaches the shop, smiling gently.

"Good Afternoon!"

Their eyes meet, and they both freeze.

Persephone, hmm? Interesting.

The woman's red eyes bore into his own, and Akira immediately breaks eye contact, feeling uncomfortable.

Instead, he focuses on the woman's appearance.

Her auburn hair is about shoulder length, with a pin in her hair that forms the roman number XXII, 22 if he's not mistaken.

She's wearing a blue blouse and a black skirt, but her somewhat elegant look is thrown off by the headphones hanging around her neck.

Still, what he finds truly interesting is the butterfly pin on her bag.

(Why does he feel like a blue butterfly should be important?)

"I'm sorry, have we...met before?"

Akira is 100% sure he's never seen her in Inaba.

She'd stick out in a sleepy town like theirs.

So, he shakes his head.

"Ah...I suppose you just..."

She trails off, and Akira doesn’t like the look in her eyes.

It’s one of deep sorrow, like she’s been grieving someone for a very long time.

"I suppose you just reminded me of someone, then. Anyway, I would like to order a bouquet. I’ll leave the composition up to you, I just request it has a white chrysanthemum, a purple hyacinth and a blue iris. Is that possible?”

White chrysanthemum.

She really is grieving.

“Of course. I’ll need a name and a phone number so we can contact you by the time it’s done. Do you need it for a specific date?”

The lady smiles at him softly, “I’m in no particular hurry. The name is Yuuki Kotone.”

Saturday, June 25th, After School

Yusuke is in a slump.

There is no other way to put it.

No matter what he paints, he feels nothing.

The rush that had come with stealing Kaneshiro’s treasure has long since faded.

Which brings him here, people watching in Shibuya.

More precisely, it brings him to Rafflesia, staring at the florist.

It reminds Yusuke of when he’d first seen Ann.

The boy’s clothing is modest -a simple white shirt and faded jeans hidden underneath a green apron-, but what captures Yusuke’s attention is the boy’s gaze.

Oh, how Yusuke wishes he could remove those glasses that hide those wonderful eyes from the world.

Determined, Yusuke approaches the teenager.

“My apologies, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Now that he thinks about it, the boy’s hair -messy yet charming- is also beautiful.

Yes, this boy holds the key to getting out of this slump, Yusuke is sure of that.

“Sure, how can I help you?”

Recalling how he had startled Ann the last time, Yusuke does his best to tone it down.

“I couldn’t help but notice you…would you mind modeling for me?”

The boy blinks at him, confusion written all over his face, “...model?”

Oh, right.

“Ah my apologies. My name is Kitagawa Yusuke, and I’m a second year at Kosei High’s artistic department. And…well, currently I’m in a bit of a slump, but the moment I sawyou, inspiration struck!”

The boy hums in thought, “Are you sure? I’ve been told I’m…plain looking.”

Outrageous!

“No, no, you are my muse! I am most certain you hold the key to escaping the problem that plagues my hand and brush!”

The boy chuckles, “Well if you’re so sure, Kitagawa-san. I’m Kurusu Akira.”

Akira, huh?

“If I may inquire, with what kanji is your name spelled?”

Kurusu doesn’t look too weirded out by the request, “With the character for dawn.”

Yusuke nods to himself.

Yes, this boy will be the dawn of a new era in his artistic career.

Monday, June 27th, After School

“Wait, so you’re telling me this guy just walked up to you and asked you to model for him?”

Akira hums, “Yeah.”

Futaba can’t help but roll her eyes, “And lemme guess, you accepted?”

“Am I that obvious?”

Even through the door, Futaba can imagine the way Akira would be sitting on the floor, a light smirk on his lips.

“Only to me.”

Akira falls silent, and Futaba tries not to worry.

He hasn’t visited her in a few days, which is fine, since he’s finally spending time with others -Okumura and Yoshizawa-, but he’s been…oddly silent.

“Hey…are you okay?”

It takes Akira a few seconds to answer.

“What? Yeah, of course.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Not that she wishes for his pants to catch fire, that would be painful.

“Sorry to worry you Futaba…I’m fine, really.”

He says that, but Futaba can hear the way he’s slurring his words.

Could he have gotten sick?

“Anyway, me and Haru-senpai planted the seeds we bought the other day.”

“Wasn’t that like…two weeks ago?”

"Mmm…yeah. But…she’s been busy. Her…fiance? Or something.”

Futaba is really trying not to worry here.

“...Anyway, we were able to meet up yesterday, so we planted the…flower seeds.”

Akira is just making it really hard not to worry.

“That’s nice, I guess. I wouldn’t know, I never tried gardening.”

There are many times in which Futaba wishes she could leave her room.

“...You wouldn’t…like it.”

Lately, Akira’s the one who’s been making her feel like this the most.

“It doesn’t seem like your…thing.”

She wishes she could help him.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a loud thump from the other side of the door, and Futaba feels all the blood in her veins freeze.

“...Akira?”

But he doesn’t answer, doesn’t apologize, doesn’t tease her for worrying, doesn’t do anything.

Bracing herself, Futaba grabs the doorknob.

If she finds Akira sitting okay and well she’ll punch him.

Yeah, she’ll do that.

Because she’ll open the door and Akira will be there, sitting on the floor, a smirk on his face and a teasing remark on his tongue.

Instead, she opens the door and finds him slumped on the ground, passed out.

“Akira? Hey, Akira?”

She kneels next to him, willing it to be some distasteful prank to get her out of her room, but Akira doesn’t even react to her voice, and Futaba is really starting to panic.

So, she does what she usually does when she panics.

“Futaba? What’s wrong?”

“Sojiro, it’s Akira.”

As she tells Sojiro what happened, Futaba realizes she wants to be there for Akira.

Only to do so, she has to leave her tomb.

Good thing she has a plan.

Tuesday, June 28th, After School

“He’s absent.”

“Maybe the school finally got rid of him.”

“No, haven’t you heard?”

“What happened?”

“Apparently he’s in the hospital!”

“I bet he got into a gang fight.”

“Wait, you think it has anything to do with Kaneshiro?”

“You mean the mafia boss?”

“Yeah! Didn’t his gang target Shujin students? What if they knew who to target ‘cause Kurusu was feeding them info about us?”

“Oh my god you’re right! It makes so much sense!”

“I’m sure they must have blamed him for Kaneshiro’s arrest, so they beat him up!”

“That’s totally what happened! I should tell Kaori-chan!”

Kasumi has long since learned to ignore rumors.

That doesn’t mean they don’t piss her off.

“Wait, isn’t that Yoshizawa? Isn’t she dating Kurusu?”

“What? Nah, he’s dating Okumura. They’re up on the roof all the time.”

“He could be two timing. He seems like the guy to do that.”

With a sigh, Kasumi walks past the gossiping students and makes her way up to the roof.

Rumors they might be, Okumura-senpai might know where Akira is.

Lucky for her, she finds the girl there.

As soon as she spots her, she gives her a polite smile, “Ah, I’m sorry, this area is off limits.”

“Oh, I’m aware. I’m a friend of Akira-senpai’s…”

Kasumi trails off, but Okumura-senpai’s face lights up, “Oh! You’re Yoshizawa-chan!”

“I-Yes?”

The older girl laughs, and her smile seems far more genuine, “Aki-chan mentioned you. Actually, do you know where he is?”

So, not even Okumura-senpai knows…

“I’m sorry senpai, I don’t. I was actually hoping you’d know…”

She hums in thought, “This isn’t like him…he usually texts me when he can’t make it…”

Kasumi shifts her weight from one foot to the other, “I tried calling him, but he hasn’t answered…”

“We could go check up on him…”

“Oh, you know where he lives, Okumura-senpai?”

The girl grabs her bag and starts making her way down after she locks up the door to the roof, “Yes. And please, call me Haru. Any friend of Aki-chan’s is a friend of mine aswell.”

They take the train to Yongen-Jaya, and Kasumi follows her senpai through the backstreets.

They stop in front of a cafè. LeBlanc, which has a sign that reads ‘closed’ on the door.

Inside, Kasumi sees a man that matches Akira-senpai’s description of Sakura Sojiro, so Kasumi assumes that’s his guardian.

Haru-senpai pushes the door open, and after a moment of hesitation, Kasumi follows her inside.

“Sorry, we’re closed- Ah, Okumura-chan. And…?”

Kasumi takes a step forward and bows, “My apologies, I’m Yoshizawa Kasumi. Me and Akira-senpai train together.”

Sakura-san hums, “You’re his gymnast friend. He told me about you. Nice to finally put a face to the name.”

Haru-senpai clears her throat, “We’re sorry to intrude, Sakura-san, but we didn’t see Akira at school today and we got worried…”

The man sighs, “Kid, I swear…”, he shakes his head, then turns to look at them, “I’m sorry, but he isn’t here.”

Kasumi had really hoped the rumors would be unfounded.

“So…Is Akira-senpai really at the hospital?”

Sakura-san runs a hand through his hair.

He looks tired.

“Word got out, huh? As if he doesn’t have enough to deal with.”, he sighs again, “What are the rumors saying?”

Kasumi grips her bag a little tighter, “They think it has to do with the mafia boss, Kaneshiro.”

Both Haru-senpai and Sakura-san look at her, their eyes wide, “What?”

“Poor Aki-chan…he doesn’t deserve any of this…”

“God…”

Kasumi sees a phone on the counter -which she assumes to be Sakura-san’s- light up, an onslaught of texts bombarding the device.

The man glances at the phone before shaking his head.

Haru-senpai looks at him, “If I may ask…what happened?”

Kasumi can’t say she isn’t curious herself.

“He ran himself dry, is what happened. He doesn’t eat, and it caught up to him.”

It reminds Kasumi of herself Sumire, who wouldn’t take care of herself no matter how much Kasumi she pleaded.

“Aki-chan…Sakura-san, can we visit him?”

The man gives them a tired smile, “I’m going there right now. I can take you, if you want.”

Wednesday, June 29th, Afternoon

Akechi Goro: Are you free this evening?

Akechi Goro: I was thinking we could go play pool?

Goro stares at the screen, wondering why exactly he’s seeking Kurusu’s company.

Kurusu Akira is typing…

Goro looks at the time.

Kurusu should be in class.

Kurusu Akira: Sorry

Kurusu Akira: I have a shift at LeBlanc 

Akechi Goro: In that case I’ll come over

Akechi Goro: A nice cup of coffee does sound quite lovely

Kurusu Akira: uhm

Goro raises an eyebrow at that.

Kurusu Akira: …

Now, Goro hasn’t known Kurusu for that long, but…

He’s acting most suspicious, den gutten.

Goro hates that Loki’s right.

Akechi Goro: Kurusu-kun, if you don’t want to go out, you don’t need to come up with excuses.

Kurusu Akira:  No, no, that’s not it

Kurusu Akira: … I’m actually at the hospital

Goro’s heart does not stop, no, not at all.

He doesn’t care about this random guy, no matter what his Personas might claim.

Kurusu is not interesting, he’s plain and Goro doesn’t give a flying fuck about him because he’s unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Realizing he still hasn’t answered, Goro replies with fake concern.

Akechi Goro: What for? Nothing serious, I hope

For a few minutes, no answer comes, and Goro is not worried.

Selvfølgelig ikke.        

"Of course not"?! Shut up Loki.

The Persona chuckles, and Goro flips him off.

Kurusu Akira: It’s nothing, really

Akechi Goro: Kurusu-kun

Goro has no idea why he’s pushing.

Kurusu Akira: Really, it’s nothing

Kurusu Akira: Just fainted

Kurusu Akira: Low blood sugar

Akechi Goro: I told you you have to eat more

Akechi Goro: It seems you didn’t listen

Kurusu Akira: Get in line

Kurusu Akira: Sojiro, Futaba, Kasumi and Haru-senpai have all scolded me

Akechi Goro: They’re right

Akechi Goro: Anyways, I will come visit you later

Kurusu Akira: There’s no need, it’s fine. 

Kurusu Akira: No need to waste your time and come see me

Kurusu Akira: It doesn’t matter

I don’t matter, is what Goro understands despite Akira not typing it.

Determined, Goro replies immediately.

Akechi Goro: How I spend my time is up to me

Akechi Goro: And visiting you sounds like a good way to use it

Akechi Goro: So I will be seeing you later, Kurusu-kun.

Goro pockets his phone with a sigh.

If this is your way of ‘not caring’, detektif-

Shut it, Loki

The Persona chuckles, and Goro doesn’t miss the amusement coming off of Robin Hood.

Goro ignores them both.

Instead, he looks at the table, at the notes he’s made after reading Isshiki Wakaba’s research in Shido’s Palace and sighs.

‘Should an individual have a distorted view of reality -meaning they perceive a place, a person or even a situation in a way that greatly differs from the truth-, that view would reflect on their cognition.’

“A distorted view of a situation, huh?”

It’s just a hunch.

A gut feeling.

And Goro doesn’t like this line of thinking in the least.

But after spending some time with Kurusu, he couldn’t help but start entertaining the idea.

Goro, in all honesty, loves being right.

And he usually is.

With a sigh, he pulls out his phone and opens the MetaNav.

“Kurusu Akira.”

He just wishes he could be wrong for once.

“Candidate found.”

Chapter Text

Friday, July 1st, After School

“I’m sorry Kitagawa-kun.”

The artist gives him an odd look, “Kurusu-kun, why are you apologizing? You were in the hospital, it’s not like you decided not to show up.”

Akira sighs, “I suppose. Still, I said I would be here on the 29th, but I wasn’t.”

Kitagawa takes out a sketchbook, “Nonsense, your health comes first. Your body is important, you must take care of it.”

Akira doesn’t think Kitagawa eats that much either, with how skinny he looks, but he knows better than to pry.

Kitagawa gets to work, and a silence that is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable falls over them.

It’s when the light pouring through the dorm room’s window starts growing orange that Kitagawa puts down his sketchbook.

“Thank you, Kurusu-kun. You’ve done enough for today.”

Akira nods, though he really did nothing other than sit all afternoon, and Kitagawa gives him an odd look.

You should go eat, mon voleur

Great, even the voice in his head is bugging him about food now.

Although…

“Kitagawa-kun, are you free now?”

The artist looks at him, his gaze clearly questioning, “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”

Pulling out his wallet and checking he actually has the money, he says, “Then allow me to treat you. We can go eat ramen.”

Akira’s pretty sure that if it were possible, Kitagawa would be glowing and sparkling.

“Really? I mean, there’s no need, Kurusu-kun, I-”

He’s interrupted by a quite loud noise coming from his stomach, and Akira can’t help but laugh.

“It’s fine. Let’s go, then.”

Kitagawa doesn’t object again, so the two of them make their way towards the train station.

“Kurusu-kun, if I may…”

Kitagawa trails off, and Akira has a sense he won’t like Yusuke’s line of questioning.

Still, he actually likes Kitagawa, and both Kasumi and Haru have been pushing him to make more friends, so he says, “What is it?”

“You’re a second year student at Shujin, correct?”

Kurusu feels his heart sink.

Kitagawa must have heard about the delinquent criminal transfer student od Shujin Academy, stay away or he’ll beat you up, he got into a gang fight and ended up in the hospital, stay away-

“Kurusu-kun?”

Akira inhales.

Holds it.

Breathe, mon chéri

Breathing out, Akira looks at Kitagawa without meeting his eyes.

“Yeah, I am. Why?”

Kitagawa trails off, but seems to decide that he still wants to ask, “Are you perhaps familiar with Takamaki Ann or Sakamoto Ryuji?”

Akira raises an eyebrow at that.

Still, “Me and Ann-san are in the same class. I don’t really know Sakamoto. We’ve only talked twice and it wasn’t…pleasant, to say the least.”

Kitagawa hums, “Yes, Ryuji seems quite crass at times.”

Ryuji?

“Do you know them, Kitagawa-kun?”

“Ah yes. They’ve…helped me out of a situation, so to speak. I owe a great deal to them.”

Sakamoto, helping out someone? 

That doesn’t sound at all like the Sakamoto he’s met.

Still, Akira thinks it’s odd Kitagawa hasn’t brought up his criminal record.

If he knows both Ann and Sakamoto, then surely they must’ve told him about it?

“Anyway, it was mere curiosity. Although, your class must be quite lucky.”

“Huh?”

Very intelligent sounding, mon voleur

Oh, shut it

“I also asked Ann to model for me. She’s quite the beauty. So for your class to have two stunning beauties…I wonder if there’s anyone else…”

Akira supposes Ann is quite pretty.

Though he doubts any of his classmates would be what Kitagawa calls ‘stunning beauty’.

They get to the ramen place, and after ordering Akira can’t take it anymore.

It’s inevitable, so he decides to do it on his own terms.

“Kitagawa-kun, I’m sorry, but…have Ann-san or Sakamoto brought up anything about me?”

The artist raises an eyebrow at that.

“I don’t think so, no. Why?”

Akira could drop it.

Leave this alone, because he really likes spending time with Kitagawa, but…

He’d rather not get too attached.

He feels a vague sense of protest come from where the voice usually is, but he pays it no mind.

“Well I…uhm…”

Okay, so Akira has absolutely no idea how to bring this up.

“Ah could this perhaps be about your criminal record?”

Akira almost chokes on his breath.

“You- you knew?!”

Kitagawa hums, “Not really, no. But I did hear rumors about a second year transfer student at Shujin, and…well, I simply connected the dots.”

Akira’s pretty sure he looks like a fish, “And you- You still-”

Kitagawa raises an eyebrow at that, “Why should I care if you have a criminal record?”

Akira’s pretty sure he’s on the verge of tears.

“Well, that’s what everyone else sees before they see me, so…”

“Kurusu-kun. I don’t care. You don’t seem like the type of person who would get into gang fights or smuggle arms and drugs. You seem rather lonely, actually and…you shouldn’t be. I have this feeling that I should be with you. I’m aware it might sound quite weird, but…”

Kitagawa trails off, but Akira smiles at him, bright, “No, not at all.”

Saturday, July 2nd, Lunchtime

Makoto still can’t believe they’ve done it.

Despite having stolen Kaneshiro’s heart and hearing his confession a week ago by now, she still can’t believe they’ve done it.

“Now that we’ve taken care of kaneshiro, we should focus on Mementos for a while.”

Morgana, who’s currently perched on Ann’s shoulder -despite them being in the school's courtyard- is looking at her, so Makoro clears her throat.

“Mementos would be the public’s Palace, correct.”

Ann nods, “Yeah. We mainly use it to train, but we also take requests from the Phan-site.”

Makoto had heard about it, of course, when she was investigating the Thieves.

“Actually, I wanted to ask. How do you decide which targets to go after?”

Morgana looks proud as he answers her, “It has to be unanimous. We meet up, go over the requests, then investigate the ones that seem worth looking into. Once we have a clear picture, we vote, and if it’s unanimous we go after the target.”

Makoto hums, “That sounds right. When were you planning on discussing this next?”

Ann sighs, “Well, the day you blackmailed us, we were deciding on who to target. But then we got busy with Kaneshiro, so…”

“Well, in that case, how about we meet this afternoon and go over the requests?”

“Sounds good to me. I know Ryuji’s always available, so we just need to ask Yusuke, but it shouldn’t be a problem”

Saturday, July 2nd, After School

“I’ve already looked at a bunch of requests, and we have a few good ones.”

Makoto likes Ryuji’s enthusiasm, but she has a feeling it’ll bite them later on.

Yusuke hums, not looking up from his sketchbook, “Such as?”

Ryuji pulls out his phone, “There’s a few about a guy in Akihabara. Apparently he takes money from grade schoolers at the Arcade.”

Ann sighs, “You can look into that one then, Ryuji.”

“Sure. Then there’s one about…cats? In Yongen-Jaya?"

Morgana perks up at that, “Oh! I can look into it!”

Makoto waits for Ryuji to tell them about the next one, but he frowns at his phone and says nothing.

“Ryuji?”

He clicks his tongue, shakes his head and turns his phone for them to look.

>>>Phantom Thieves Aficionado Website<<<

>>>July 2nd, 03:08 PM<<<

Anon: Kurusu Akira would make a good target

Anon: Yeah! He was selling information about Shujin students to Kaneshiro and his gang

Anon: Not to mention he has a criminal record for assault

Anon: I saw him threaten a group of middle schoolers yesterday Anon: Phantom Thieves, please change Kurusu Akira’s heart!

“What? Kurusu-kun?”

Ann and Ryuji both turn to Yusuke, their eyes wide, “You know him, Yusuke?”

The artist nods, “Yes. I asked him to model for me.”

Makoto sighs before Ryuji could comment, “Regardless. Should we look into this?”

Ann hums, “He has been absent this entire week…”

Ryuji pipes up, “Yeah, rumor has it he got into a fight.”

Before Makoto could say anything, Yusuke loudly snaps his sketchbook shut, a look of anger on his features.

“He collapsed due to low blood sugar and ended up hospitalized for four days. He was released yesterday morning.”

They all fall silent, and Makoto notices a weird look on Morgana’s face.

The cat sighs, “I’ll look into it. I’ll be in Yongen-Jaya either way, might as well stay with him?”

He’s looking at Ann when he says that last part, and after a few seconds she seems to get what he means.

“Oh! Okay, I’ll ask Akira-kun if he doesn’t mind looking after you for a few days.”

…Makoto feels like there’s a whole story there that she missed.

Maybe she’ll ask Ann later.

Wednesday, July 6th, Evening

This is getting ridiculous.

‘Requirements not met’

He wants to break something.

What’s stopping you?

Please don’t.

Goro sighs.

He has no idea what Kurusu’s distortion is.

It’s clear that his -admittedly limited- knowledge isn’t sufficient.

With another sigh, he boots up his laptop and types Kurusu Akira into the search bar.

The first result looks promising, so Goro clicks it.

‘Yamanashi Prefecture High Schools’ Gymnastics Tournament: Yaso-Inaba on the podium’

It’s dated to August 10th, 2015.

Seems worth reading, wouldn’t you say?

‘Yesterday marked a great day for Yasogami High School. Kurusu Akira, of class 1-2, has achieved 3rd place in this year’s Prefectural Gymnastics Tournament.’

Huh.

So Akira’s a gymnast?

Goro runs a hand through his hair and turns to look at the still open MetaNav.

“Stadium.”

“Requirements not met”

“Gym”

“Requirements not met”

Another sigh, and Loki chuckles lightly.

“Yasogami High School”

Predictably, he’s met with yet another failure.

He turns back to the article, scrolling down without reading.

He finds a picture taken at what looks to be the award ceremony and freezes.

Kurusu looks…different.

He isn’t wearing his glasses, which allows Goro to look at the teen’s eyes.

And unlike the Kurusu he knows, this one still has a fire burning in those eyes.

But what really catches Goro’s attention is the smile plastered on his face.

Forfalsking.

Amused at Loki’s growl, Goro can’t help but agree.

Fake indeed.

Kurusu certainly doesn’t look like someone who just got third place in a competition.

Still, it’s clear that something must have happened in the last year for Kurusu to change so much

…actually, Kurusu attended Yasogami High, in Inaba, which is all the way in Yamanashi, so why is he in Tokyo?

A job opportunity, perhaps?

…unlikely, since Kurusu works two part time jobs.

With yet another sigh, Goro exits the article to continue his search.

And when thirty minutes later he’s still empty handed, Goro really feels like throwing his laptop and phone out of the window.

Again, I would advise against it.

Sighing, Goro pulls up the police database and types in Kurusu’s name.

He doesn’t know what he expected to find, but definitely not for Kurusu to have a criminal record.

Family name: Kurusu

Given name: Akira

Date of birth: March 23rd, 2000

Place of birth: Inaba Municipal Hospital, Yaso-Inaba, Yamanashi

Charge(s): Assault

Date of trial: February 27th, 2016

Sentence: One (1) year probation

Current address: Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo

Probation Officer: Mori Kaito

Well.

That explains why Kurusu’s in Tokyo.

But…assault?

Really?

Still, Goro unlocks his phone and tries.

“Prison”

“Requirements not met”

“Jail”

“Requirements not met”

“Courthouse”

“ Requirements not met”

“Well, fuck me I guess.”

Do you believe that gutten actually committed assault, detektif?

Goro can’t help but raise an eyebrow at that.

“I don’t look like a serial killer, yet here we are”

Nevermind that, doesn’t something seem off to you?

Again, the two of them agreeing is something Goro finds…weird.

He’s so used to the migraines that come with the two of them arguing, that it’s just strange for them both to push him in the same direction.

And well…curiosity is as much a blessing as it is a curse.

And Goro, unfortunately, always seems to succumb to it.

And after ten minutes of digging, he has to agree with Loki and Robin.

There’s no mention of who Kurusu supposedly assaulted, and most importantly, there’s the judge.

Kuroba Kenji.

He’s in on the conspiracy.

Lovely.

And Goro still has no idea what the keywords are.

Sunday, July 10th, Daytime

Akira really likes Yoyogi Park.

It’s a relaxing and pretty place.

A nice break from all the gray tall buildings of Shibuya.

…he really is a country boy, huh?

With a sigh, he makes his way towards one of the benches.

Only to stop when his eyes meet the red ones of the woman standing in front of the fountain.

“You’re that kid…”

“Yuuki-san, right?”

Something painful crosses her features, and Akira fears he got the wrong person -although he’s pretty sure it’s her, she’s kinda hard to forget.

“Yes, that would be me. But…please, call me Kotone.”

Akira thinks of Haru who hates being called by her last name and decides not to pry.

“Kotone-san, then. Was the bouquet to your liking?”

She smiles at him, “Oh yes, and I’m sure my brother liked it as well.”

Kotone trails off, looking at the fountain with a far away look that Akira doesn’t really like. 

“Would you mind keeping me company for a while? I’m supposed to meet with a friend soon, but…”

Akira nods quickly.

This woman feels…

Important, somehow?

Bien sure, le soleil est important, mon voleur

Sure, whatever you say, mysterious voice.

The voice laughs, the sound echoing in a space in his mind that seems empty, almost like it’s meant to hold more than one disembodied voice.

Kotone smiles, “In that case, let me buy us something to drink.”

Which is how he finds himself a few minutes later, on a bench drinking some iced coffee with Yuuki Kotone.

“Where do you go to school, Kurusu-kun?”

“Shujin Academy. I transferred here this year.”

Kotone laughs, but it lacks all mirth, “Is that so?”

She hums, taking a sip of her cherry iced tea, “I also just moved to Shibuya. I got a job at Kosei High School.”

Akira looks at her, curious, “Are you a teacher?”

She nods, “Yep. A music teacher.”

“That sounds fun.”

Kotone hums, “It is. Plus Kosei really invests in the arts, so there are some really talented students attending.”

Akira thinks of Kitagawa and smiles, “Yeah.”

She suddenly turns to look at him, pointing her plastic cup at him, “You just thought of someone!”

Akira can’t help but laugh at that, “What makes you say that?”

She takes a sip before answering, “My brother used to do the same thing. I’d talk about something, and he’d get this fond look whenever that something makes him think of one of his friends.”

Now, Akira isn’t a detective -that would be Akechi-, but he’s pretty much put the pieces together.

A bouquet with white chrysanthemum, saying that she’s sure her brother liked it, speaking of said brother using the past tense?

Her brother is dead.

…for some reason, the notion fills him with a sense of…

…sadness, but also gratefulness.

At what, he has no idea.

(Despite it being July, Akira could swear he feels a spring breeze playing with his hair, the distinct smell of cherry blossoms in the air.)

Kotone smiles sadly, “You remind me of him a lot, actually. I suppose that’s why I asked you to keep me company.”

“I don’t mind. I…actually enjoyed our talk.”

Kotone nods, sipping at her drink as she does so.

Akira looks at his empty cup and makes up his mind.

“Kotone-san, if you-”

A dog with an orange hoodie suddenly runs up to them, interrupting him mid-sentence.

“There you are! Kotone, I was looking for you!”

A brunette, around Akira’s age if not slightly older, approaches them, and he seems to notice Akira only when he’s stopped in front of them.

“Oh, sorry, were the two of you talking?”

Kotone waves the teen off as she pets the dog, “Don’t worry Ken. Hey there Koro! Did you miss me? I’m sure you did!”

The brunette gives a doubtful glance at Kotone, before turning to look at Akira.

“I’m Amada Ken, pleasure to meet you.”

“Kurusu Akira, and likewise.”

Amada nods, then turns to look at Kotone. 

“Kotone, Shinjiro is waiting for us at the park’s gate.”

Kotone hums, “Is that so? Well, you go on ahead. I’ll finish here with Kurusu-kun and get to you.”

Amada, for some reason, seems hesitant, “Are you sure?”

Kotone seems to pick up on it as well, “Ken, I’m fine. Koro-chan will stay with me, ‘kay? Now go.”

Her tone leaves no room for arguments, and Amada nods before going back the way he came from.

“Sorry about that…Him and Shinji can be…over protective, sometimes.”

Akira can’t help but ask, “Who…?”

Kotone hums in thought, running her hand through the Shiba Inu, “Ken’s a friend of mine. Though I guess he’s legally my kid. Shinji’s my boyfriend.”

‘Legally my kid’ feels like a whole can of worms Akira doesn’t want to touch, not even with a ten foot pole.

Kotone seems to pick up on that, since she laughs, “Don’t worry, it’s fine. We’re friends, but me and Shinji adopted him to make staying together easier.”

Akira hums, “Huh…”

For a second, he imagines being adopted by Sojiro, being Futaba’s brother, but before the thought could fully form, he stomps it down.

Kotone gets to her feet, and smiles at him.

“I really like your company, Kurusu-kun. Do you think we can exchange contact info? I’d like to meet up again, if you’re willing.”

Oui.

“Yes. I would love to.”

Monday, July 11th, After School

Goro has no idea how he ended up here.

Sjalusi

Indeed, jealousy tends to lead people to the strangest of places

Shut it, both of you.

“I’ve been wondering, actually. How do you two know each other?”

Yoshizawa is…something.

Her and Kurusu are obviously close.

Goro just has no idea how close.

(And wasn’t it Kasumi who died, anyway? He’s pretty sure Sumire’s the one who survived, but if Kasumi is sitting in front of him then he must be mistaken.)

“His social studies class visited the set of a TV show I appeared on. Long story short, he and I exchanged our opinions during the shoot, and his way of thinking intrigued me.”

Yoshizawa hums, “I can definitely see that. Akira-senpai’s take on things has helped me as well!”

Goro crosses his legs and looks at the girl, “Actually, that reminds me. You mentioned that Kurusu-kun is providing you with guidance?”

Yoshizawa smiles brightly, nodding her head, “Yes! We train together, and he’s been helping me with my slump! Just like you said, his way of thinking is interesting, and his input has been very valuable to me!”

Kurusu tugs at his bangs, not looking at either of them, “Kasumi…you’re kind of exaggerating…”

“Not at all senpai! You’ve been a huge help to me!”

Interesting.

Goro hums, his attention split between Yoshizawa and Kurusu, “In that case, Yoshizawa-san, let’s play a little game. I’m going to ask you the same question I asked him back then. Is that a problem?”

The girl shakes her head, looking genuinely curious, “Not at all!”

“In that case, what do you think of the Phantom Thieves, Yoshizawa-san?”

Goro is in the mood for a little experimenting, anyway.

“You mean in the case they do in fact exist? Well, while their actions are undoubtedly good, I simply can’t agree with them. I fear they would become something society relies on far too much. While it’s fine to get help from others, we should overcome our problems without relying on something like the Phantom Thieves, and I fear that’s what’s going to happen.”

“An interesting take, Yoshizawa-san, thank you.” 

Goro turns to look at Kurusu, who’s still staring at the table, “What do you think, Kurusu-kun?”

The other teen sighs, “She isn’t wrong…”

Goro can’t help but feel like Kurusu wants to add something there, but doesn’t.

And if the odd look Yoshizawa gives him is anything to go by, then she must think so too.

Kurusu seems almost…out of character.

… out of character?

Well, that’s a thought

It’s definitely worth pursuing.

They don’t stay too long after that, and after Goro insists on paying (it is that piece of shit's money, so he's more than happy to spend it), he turns to look at the two younger students.

“Well, Yoshizawa-san, I wish you good luck on your competition. Kurusu-kun, I’ll see you.”

With that he turns on his heel and leaves, already taking out his phone.

It’s just a hunch, but he found Kurusu’s Palace because of one so really, what’s the harm in trying?

He finds an empty alley and opens the MetaNav.

“Kurusu Akira, Everywhere, Opera House.”

“Candidate found. Beginning navigation.”

>>>---<<<

“Well fuck. I should really start following hunches more.”

His uniform burns away, replaced by his black and blue outfit, and Goro doesn’t know what he feels at being immediately seen as a threat.

Following your earlier thought process, I think it’s more the boy seeing those getting too close to his heart as a threat rather than it being you in particular.

Goro sighs.

Robin does have a point.

Still, Goro has no idea what he expected Kurusu’s distortion to look like.

…definitely not this extravagant theater in front of him.

“Come one, come all! The Opera of Lies and Deception is now open! Come one, come all!”

Opera of Lies and Deception, huh?

Still better than Cruiser of Pride

That, Goro can’t argue with.

With a sigh, he makes his way towards the entrance, and-

Damn.

Don’t get him wrong now, he’s been traversing Palaces for years.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t find the way a person’s distorted desires manifest to be breathtaking at times.

Disgusting, in most cases, yes.

But intriguing nonetheless.

There’s a ticket booth, but there’s no one managing it, a plastered ‘sold out!’ sign on the glass window.

Raising an eyebrow, Goro files the information for later and walks up to the huge wooden doors.

He has no idea why Kurusu’s Palace looks like a french opera house.

Bracing himself and keeping Loki at the front of his mind, Goro pushes the heavy door open, expecting to be met by some kind of alarm or ambush or anything, really.

Instead, he’s met by an enormous staircase that leads up to a landing with another huge wooden door and two adjacent staircases that lead further up.

The entrance is completely empty, not even a single Shadow or cognition in sight.

Odd.

Still keeping his guard up, Goro walks up to the pamphlet stand to grab a map.

When he takes one and nothing happens, Goro can’t help but voice his concerns.

“The fuck? ”

Robin and Loki both chuckle at that, and Goro flips them both off.

He opens the map, trusting Robin Hood to alert him if the current situation of complete lack of enemies changes.

The Palace structure seems to be simple enough, oddly.

There’s the actual theater, labeled as ‘Théâtre de la Performance Sans Fin’ , which-

Why is Kurusu’s Palace so… french?

He had guessed it would be, that's why he tried ‘Opera House’ rather than theater.

But he has no idea why.

Sighing, Goro looks over the rest of the map.

The left staircase leads to the ‘Salle de la Désillusion’ which is quite worrisome as a name.

The right one leads to a room that isn’t labeled, and Goro can’t help but find it odd.

Still, curiosity winning and nothing stopping him, Goro takes the left staircase to go towards the so called ‘Hall of Disappointment’.

I sense a presence.

Goro ignores the way Loki tenses at that, and focuses on Robin Hood, and quickly finds that the presence is not that of the Palace Ruler.

Rather, it almost seems…human?

And it’s surrounded by shadows.

Oh, fuck.

He rushes up the stairs, because if he’s right then he might just feel bad.

Following Robin’s indications, he opens the golden door, and sure enough, Yoshizawa fucking Kasumi is surrounded by Shadows.

Goro might have just met her, but she’s done nothing to deserve being mauled to death by Shadows, so he moves to help her, only for his Personas to stop him.

Wait.

Mh? Most interesting…

NOTHING YOU EVER DO WILL BE ENOUGH

“SHUT UP! That’s not true!”

Goro has to admit he’s taken aback by the fire in Yoshizawa’s voice.

A DISAPPOINTMENT, THROUGH AND THROUGH

Yoshizawa clutches at her head, screaming in denial at the voices that seem to echo throughout the room.

Is…is she…

Seems like it, detektif

Well.

Goro’s almost impressed.

USELESS, IS WHAT YOU ARE

“That’s not true!”

NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU

“You’re WRONG!”

THEY NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY

“THEY DO!”

YOU AREN’T GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM TO CARE

“THAT’S NOT TRUE! I AM GOOD ENOUGH.”

JUST ACCEPT IT

A black mask appears on her face, and Goro has to admit he’s taken aback at how easily she pries it from her face.

(He doesn’t remember much of his own awakening. He tells himself it’s because it was so long ago. Loki and Robin both seem displeased.)

“I’M YOSHIZAWA KASUMI. I AM GOOD ENOUGH! I’M TIRED OF PEOPLE TELLING ME I’M NOT!”

He doesn’t hear what Yoshizawa’s Persona says to her.

He does, however, see the girl in question nod, and her mask bursts into flames as the Shadows are hit with the might of a Makougaon.

Damn

I like her

She seems to finally notice him, and Goro can’t help but lament how his first trip into Akira’s Palace somehow ended with him having to give Yoshizawa a crash course on the Metaverse.

Tuesday, July 12th, After School

Morgana has no idea what he expected when Ann said that she’d ask Akira if he minded taking care of him.

…certainly not this.

“I have a full week coming up, with photoshoots and finals coming up. And Mona gets really fussy if I leave him alone, so do you mind taking him for a few days? He actually seems to like you, so…”

Ann trails off, and Morgana really hopes that Akira will buy it.

Someone up there must have spun the wheel of fortune on their side, because Akira simply nods, “I don’t mind. Just tell me when you want him back.”

Ann nods, “Thank you!”

And just like that, Morgana finds himself in Akira’s bag.

Which brings him to LeBlanc, in one of the booths, curled on Akira’s lap as the boy silently ran his hand through Morgana’s fur.

“Okay Akira, I’m gonna head out, get groceries, and then you go to Takemi’s.”

Akira huffs, not looking at Sojiro, “I told you I’m fine. It was a one time thing, it’s not worth the trouble.”

Morgana doesn’t like how… dismissive , Akira sounds.

“What have you eaten today?”

That seems to shut Akira up, and Sojiro sighs.

“Kid, I’m just worried, okay?”

“...sorry.”

“That’s not- Listen, we’ll talk later about this. I’ll be right back.”

With that, he steps out, and Akira sighs, his hand going back to gently petting Morgana.

“I’m kinda glad Ann-san brought you to me, you know?”

Morgana can’t help but perk up at that, “Why?”

(Does Akira actually understand him? No. Does it feel like he does? Yes. So Morgana will keep talking. And Akira will keep answering.)

Almost as if to prove him right, Akira hums, “Well, I-”

The door is pushed open, interrupting Akira.

Two teenagers walk in, the girl wearing a Shujin uniform and the other one-

Akechi .

The detective guy Ryuji hates.

Morgana can’t help but groan, “Seriously?”

The two stop dead in their tracks, looking at Akira with wide eyes.

The girl speaks up, “Are we- Are we bothering you, Senpai?”

Akira frowns, “Wha- No! Kasumi, why would you think that? Come in. Do you guys want a cup of coffee?”

The girl -Kasumi- seems still hesitant, but Akechi gives Akira a smile, “We would love that, Kurusu-kun.”

Akira gets up, gently sets Morgana down and gets behind the counter.

“So, what brings you guys here?”

Kasumi’s the one who answers that, “Well, I was coming here to visit you when I ran into Akechi-san, who mentioned he was looking for a quiet place to get a cup of coffee. So I told him about LeBlanc.”

Akira hums, “Well, I’m glad to see you guys.”

Kasumi smiles at him brightly, while Akechi simply nods.

Morgana can’t help but comment, “What an odd pair…”

The ‘odd pair’ freezes at that, and Kasumi slowly turns to look at him.

She laughs, “Oh! Senpai, I didn’t know you had a cat!”

Akira pushes a cup towards Akechi, who’s looking at Morgana with narrowed eyes, “That’s because I don’t. That’s Morgana. He’s Ann-san’s.”

Kasumi hums as she takes the cup that Akira had pushed towards her, “I see…”

Akechi finally stops looking at him, and Morgana feels much better now that the detective’s gaze is no longer on him.

They fall silent for a while, and it’s Akechi that breaks it, “This coffee is really good, Kurusu-kun, thank you. I shall take my leave now, I have a meeting with Sae-san. But I will be back for another cup.”

Akira smirks, “Is it the coffee or the barista?”

Kasumi almost chokes on her coffee, and Morgana thinks he would have too, had he been in her place.

Akechi hums, “I’d say it’s the atmosphere of the cafè. Well then, good day, Kurusu-kun, Yoshizawa-san.”

Morgana doesn’t miss the pout on Akira’s face, and honestly?

It’s hilarious.

“Better luck next time, Senpai.”

Akira scoffs, “Really Kasumi?”

Wednesday, July 13th, After School

“We aren’t coming up with anything about Medjed, so let’s talk requests. Kurusu?”

Ann doesn’t like this.

But Makoto’s just going through the usual steps.

They receive a request, investigate, vote, and if it’s unanimous, they go.

“I can’t imagine those rumors to be true, but…if he does indeed have a Shadow…”

Morgana pops his head out of her bag, and Ann tries not to think about the possibility of people taking pictures.

“I don’t know about this guys…”

Makoto raises an eyebrow, “Do you think he doesn’t have a Shadow?”

Morgana looks away, and Ann doesn’t miss the way all three of them have their eyes glued on him.

“No, no. I’m pretty sure he does, actually. It’s just…”

He trails off, and Ryuji pushes him to speak, his tone uncharacteristically quiet, “Just?”

The not-cat sighs, “If he has one, which I’m pretty sure he does, it would be completely different from the Shadows we’ve faced so far.”

Ryuji scoffs, but before he could say anything, Yusuke cuts in, “How so?”

Ann doesn’t like how serious Morgana looks.

It’s a look she’s seen on him only a few times before, and the last one had been back when he’d told them about the possibility of the change of heart killing Kamoshida.

“Shadows…Shadows, and Palace Rulers by extension, they aren’t…inherently evil. They are a part of ourselves that we do not accept. That’s why Persona Users can’t have a Palace. Our Personas are our other selves that we have accepted.”

Makoto seems to go over his words carefully, and Ann is -not for the first time- thankful for her, because she has no idea how they would be doing this otherwise.

Because if the looks on Ryuji and Yusuke’s faces is anything to go by, they are just as confused as she is.

“So you mean that our Personas are basically our Shadows, but…”

“Tamed, basically.”

Ryuji scratches his head, and Ann can see that he’s trying, “Wait, I don’t understand what this has to do with Kurusu?”Morgana is silent for a moment, before sighing again, “Well, what I meant to say is that what we reject as part of ourselves isn’t necessarily something evil.”

Ryuji’s eyes widen, “Wait, you mean like how Captain Kidd said to embrace my being a punk?”

Morgana seems impressed, and Ann is really surprised that he doesn’t tease the blonde.

Instead, he nods, “Yeah, like that. So I think that while Kurusu does have a Shadow, it definitely isn’t evil.”

They all fall silent, and Ann’s about to ask how they want to proceed, when Makoto’s gasp interrupts her.

“Guys! Look!”

She turns her phone to them, and Ann feels her heart drop.

Blocked: Hello

Blocked: I am the one they call Alibaba

Blocked: I know who you are, and I have a request, Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Chapter Text

Saturday, July 16th, After School

Kasumi, despite it having been around a week now, still has no idea how the hell she ended up in this situation.

“Well then, shall we?”

She glances at Akechi, who is in that… outfit , and then at herself.

“Are- are we really doing this? I mean, if I got this right, this is Akira-senpai’s heart, right?”

Akechi turns to look at her, and Kasumi can’t help but curse the visor.

Why the hell does he need one anyway?

“That would be correct.”

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, “Then… can we be here?”

“How so?”

“I mean, if this is a manifestation of Senpai’s heart, then…we’re bound to find things he wouldn’t have shared with us.”

Akechi hums, “I suppose you’re right. But the thing is, if a Palace is left to grow and fester, it will affect the person in the real world as well. And not in a good way. Dare I say, with how little Akira’s been taking care of himself, it’s probably already started affecting him.”

Kasumi gets what he’s saying, she really does, but that doesn’t change the fact that walking around this Opera House…it’s most definitely a violation of Akira’s privacy.

“Look Yoshizawa, I get your point of view, and you wouldn’t be wrong. So if you want to back out, you’re free to go and ignore the Metaverse completely.”

You and I both know that’s not what you want, ma chère violette

Kasumi knows Cendrillon is right.

So she shakes her head, “No, I want to help Senpai.”

“Good. Let’s go then.”

With that, they make their way to the entrance.

“Wow..”

Last time, she hadn’t really looked at the Palace.

…she actually doesn’t remember much of that day.

She had chased after Akechi, wanting to ask him if Akira seemed off to him as well at the cafè, only to find herself inside of a huge Opera House. 

What she does remember is what the voices had whispered to her, right in her ears, over and over again, until she snapped and screamed that she is Yoshizawa Kasumi and that she is enough.

So adamant. I wonder where this will lead you, violette.

…now, Kasumi isn’t an expert in French -that had been more up Sumire’s alley- but…

Why violette? Why violet? 

That’s Sumire.

And she’s Kasumi.

I wonder.

“Yoshizawa?”

Akechi’s voice snaps her out of it, and she decides not to think about it.

“Yes! Sorry, I got lost in thought…”

Akechi looks at her, clearly looking for something, but ultimately says nothing.

Kasumi doesn’t know if she would have preferred he did.

Monday, July 18th, Evening

>>>---<<<

Today, 09:16 AM

Haru added you to a group chat

Haru added Kasumi

Haru: Hello!

Kasumi : Oh! Hello Senpai.

Haru : Hello Kasumi-chan.

Haru : I’ve created this group chat to make it easier to communicate, rather than text you both individually

Haru : I apologize for asking so late, and I understand if you already have plans, but…

Haru : Well, I was wondering if we could go to the fireworks festival together this evening.

Kasumi : !!!

Kasumi : That’s a great idea Senpai!

Kasumi : I don’t have any plans. What about you, Akira-senpai?

Akira : I’m free too

Akira : But…do you think I can invite someone else?

Haru : Of course!

Kasumi : Yes! Who is it?

Akira : Shiho. I’ll ask her and get back to you guys later

Today, 2:49 PM

Akira added Shiho

Shiho : Good afternoon everyone! Thank you for having me

Haru : Oh, it’s our pleasure Suzui-chan.

Haru : Any friend of Aki-chan’s is a friend of ours as well

Kasumi : Yes! It’ll be nice finally meeting you.

Shiho : Same! I’ve heard so many things from Akira about you two!

Haru : Well then, how about we meet up at Shibuya Station around 7. Does that work for everyone?

Kasumi : Of course Senpai!

Shiho : Sounds good to me, Okumura-senpai.

Haru : Oh, please, call me Haru. And drop the senpai too

Shiho : Oh.

Shiho : If that’s what you want

Haru : It is

Kasumi : Uh, this question might be a bit silly, but…

Kasumi : Will you guys be wearing yukatas?

Haru : I was wondering about that myself

Haru : I would love to wear one

Kasumi : Then it’s decided! Any objections Suzui-senpai?

Shiho : Just Shiho’s fine, for both of you

Shiho : And no objections on my end

Shiho : The real question is whether Akira’s wearing one too

Kasumi : Oh! You would look so good in a Yukata senpai!

Haru : I have to agree with that

Haru : You’d look absolutely delightful

Shiho : Yeah, and drop the glasses while you’re at it!

That is how Akira ended up here, in Shibuya station, wearing a yukata, no glasses and waiting for his friends.

The first one he spots is Kasumi, who brightens as soon as she sees him.

“Senpai! I knew you’d look amazing!”

Akira smiles at her, “You’re one to talk.”

And he’s honest, because the light purple yukata Kasumi’s wearing is really pretty, and Akira thinks it suits her very well.

She blushes, playing with her hair -which is held half up by a lilac ribbon- smiling shyly, “I’m glad you think so.”

Suddenly, all shyness is gone from Kasumi’s face, and she grins at him, the same way a mischievous child “You know, I think if a certain someone saw you right now-”

Thankfully, Haru shows up at that exact moment.

Honestly, Akira’s pretty sure she’s an angel sent from God, which-

-Drôle

Hilarious, yes, thank you voice in my head I’m pretty sure belongs to either a demon or a thief or both.

“Aki-chan! Kasumi-chan!”

“Ah! Haru-senpai!”

Haru also looks amazing,with her pastel pink yukata, and she blushes as soon as both him and Kasumi tell her as much.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

He watches over Haru and Kasumi talk with each other, even shooting a look at a guy that looks like he wants to approach them, and the guy immediately backs off.

It’s around ten minutes later -by then Akira’s death stared at at least five different groups guys and even a bunch of girls- that he spots Shiho, slowly walking down the stairs, and Akira immediately curses himself for not thinking about picking her up to make sure she doesn’t push herself too much.

Yes, physical therapy’s been great, and she can walk around on her own now, but Shiho has a habit of pushing herself too much because she doesn’t want to ‘bother’ anyone.

He runs up to her, “Shiho! I’m-”

“I swear to god Kurusu, if you apologize I am pushing you down the stairs.”

He shuts up, but still holds out a hand to her, which she thankfully takes.

“Shiho-senpai! It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

“Shiho-chan, your yukata is so cute!”

And Akira’s gotta agree with Haru, because Shiho’s light blue yukata really is amazing.

“Thank you. Ann helped me pick.”

Oh.

Kasumi and Haru start leading the way, so Akira pulls on Shiho's sleeve, and whispers, “you didn’t have any plans with Ann-san, right?”

And Shiho just-

Flicks his forehead.

Rude?

“You don’t have to worry about that kind of thing. No, I didn’t have plans with Ann. If I did, I would have told you.”

Okay.

She studies his expression for a second, before sighing, shaking her head the same way he imagines a mother would at her son, all fond and with no real disappointment.

“Just stop thinking. Relax. We’re here to have fun. You deserve this.”

Akira nods, trying not to think about how all of him (except for the demon-thief voice) disagrees with Shiho’s last statement.

Because the simple truth of the matter is, Kurusu Akira never gets to keep nice things, because he doesn’t deserve them.

Tuesday, July 19th, After School

Futaba isn’t doing anything bad, okay?

She’s…she’s just making sure that the people running around her head -or is it heart?- are not doing anything weird.

So really, spying on the Phantom Thieves group chat is totally legit on her part.

Ryuji: By the way guys

Ryuji: What about Kurusu?

Makoto: We didn’t vote, remember?

Makoto: Plus, we don’t know if he has a Shadow, and we have Futaba and Medjed to worry about.

Wait.

Kurusu?

Akira?

They plan on targeting Akira?

Blocked: Kurusu? As in Kurusu Akira?

Ryuji:  I totally forgot you can do that.

Ryuji: Anyway yeah, why?

Ann: Do you know him?

Blocked: Why are you going after him?

Makoto: We aren’t. Not yet.

Ryuji: We got loads of requests to change his heart.

Ryuji: Apparently he’s done some bad stuff to Shujin students.

Ryuji : And is two timing Yoshizawa and Okumura?

Ann : I don’t think that’s the case…

Yusuke : I still don’t believe any of those rumors.

Ann : Morgana also doesn’t believe any of them.

Blocked : That’s because they’re fake, duh

Blocked : Leave Akira alone.

Blocked : Otherwise the deal’s off.

Ryuji : What the eff?!

Ryuji : You can’t just decide that, Futaba!

Blocked : I can and I have

Makoto : Ryuji.

Makoto : Drop it.

Futaba doesn’t like this.

She thought the Thieves would be… decent people, at the very least.

Not smart, definitely, because who the hell sets up their hideout in one of the world’s busiest train stations where even a fifteen year old can spy on them.

…granted, not many fifteen year olds can hack into the CCTV system.

Still, when she’d decided to ask them to change her heart, she thought they’d at least be people capable of telling criminals from a teenager who was wrongfully arrested and sentenced.

Teenager who is the reason she’s finally decided to leave her tomb.

Because in these last few months, Futaba’s come to a realization.

Akira and Sojiro mean the world to her. 

That’s just how it is.

She wants to spend time with them, to be a family with them, to ease some of Sojiro’s worries and to help Akira realize how much he matters, no matter what his asshole parents say.

And she can’t do that from here, stuck in her room.

That’s why she listened to the something that told her to seek out the Thieves.

That same something that had told her to reach out to Akira, the same something that calms her down after the hallucinations get bad.

Her musings are interrupted by the buzzing of her phone, and Futaba can’t help but smile when she sees the name on the screen.

Akira: Sojiro’s forcing me to go to Takemi’s on Friday

Akira: Please help

Futaba feels her heart ache.

Akira is one of the nicest people she’s ever known, and he deserves the world, yet he’s only been on the receiving end of bullshit.

It’s not fair, not in the least.

Futaba: Sure

Futaba: If you can tell me when’s the last time you ate an actual meal

Akira : Betrayal :(

Akira: I shall remember this, you traitor

There is no doubt in Futaba’s mind.

Akira’s worth the effort.

He’s worth getting out of her tomb.

The idea of being able to stay with Akira and Sojiro, with this small family of theirs, in her opinion it’s more than worth it.

Wednesday, July 20, After School

“Do you really believe that? That you’re not good enough?”

Akira says nothing, his eyes glued on a spot on the ground, and Takuto has to keep himself from sighing.

Their last few sessions have all been like this.

Just when Takuto thinks that they’re getting somewhere, as soon as he starts pushing, Akira shuts down. 

He’ll stay silent, avoiding eye contact, all the way until their session is over.

And then, Akira will avoid him until their next mandatory session.

Now, Takuto knows he should direct Akira to an actual therapist, but he can’t shake the feeling that he can help Akira in a way that no other therapist could.

The same way he’s helped Yoshizawa.

The same way he’s helped Rumi.

If only he could complete his research.

“It’s not… that.”

Takuto raises an eyebrow at that, urging Akira to continue.

If he does.

Takuto had pretty much given up on continuing today.

“I’m fine. I am fine. I think that I’m not good enough because it’s true. ”

He trails off, his eyes still glued to the floor and his hands fidgeting with his turned off phone.

Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if the kid has undiagnosed ADHD.

“Otherwise I can’t explain why…” Akira stops, breathes, and then continues. “My parents aren’t bad people. Everyone in Inaba loves them. And they’re so nice to everyone, so…I’m the problem. It’s me who’s not good enough for them.”

Oh boy.

“I tried, all my life, to be enough for them. I…All I ever wanted was to be loved. For them to love me. But then I was charged with assault and…any possibility I might have had at getting them to love me are long gone now.”

His greatest wish is for his parents to love him.

Despite the way they treated him for the past sixteen years, he still craves their love and attention.

…interesting.

Thursday, July 21st, After School

Okay, Futaba’s is the worst Palace.

It’s in the desert, which means that there’s sand everywhere, the more they delve into it the more Ryuji just wants to hug the crap out of this girl that was hurt in so many ways by all those rotten adults, and it’s just-

It sucks.

He’s pretty sure Yusuke and Morgana agree with him, if their groans as they wait for Ann and Makoto to figure out the way forward are anything to go by.

…then again Yusuke is weak to fire and has an affinity for ice, so all this heat is probably not doing him any good.

(Actually, Yusuke’s always running a little cold, and even wears a long sleeved shirt despite it being July…he’ll have to ask Mona if it has anything to do with their Personas.)

“I think we should try going this way, Queen.”

Makoto frowns, “Haven’t we been that way already?”

“No? At least, I don’t think so? This place is really a maze…”

“Mona, you’ve been keeping track, right? You are our navigator after all.”

The way the cat -they’re in the Metaverse, so yes he’s a damn cat- startles at being addressed by their new strategist would have made Ryuji laugh at any other moment, but now he’s far too exhausted.

“Well, yes, but…”

Oh man.

They’re gonna be here for a while, aren’t they?

>>>---<<<

A ‘while’ means they end up leaving the Metaverse and going back to Yongen-Jaya when it’s already dark.

And Ryuji can’t help but glance at the Sakura house, look at the only window with the lights on but the curtains drawn close, and wish he could just rush up and squeeze all the horrible thoughts out of Futaba with a hug.

Still, he knows her problems are far more deeply rooted that they realize, and a hug is never going to cut it.

Ann taps his shoulder, gently, “You good?”

Figures she’d realize something’s up.

“Yeah…I guess.”

Still, Ann knows him better than to push, so she just nods, giving him the ‘you can talk to me’ look, before turning to look at Makoto and Yusuke.

“So, we’ve secured the Treasure Route. I was thinking we could send the Calling Card on Sunday?”

Yusuke nods, “That sounds good to me. I’ll have it ready by then.”

“In that case, I think we should all head back. Let’s go to the station.”

And while Ryuji knows that Makoto’s right, he…well, he still feels like he needs a bit of time before going back home.

So,”You guys go on ahead. See you tomorrow at school.”

Ann gives him another look, but ultimately says nothing other than, “Goodnight, Ryuji.”

Which leaves him alone, so Ryuji starts aimlessly walking.

He stumbles on a small empty park, and decides that it’s as good a place as any to relax and unwind.

Except it’s not empty.

…running into Kurusu really wasn’t what he’d planned for his evening.

But…

Thinking back to what Morgana had said, about Kurusu’s Shadow being different than that of their previous targets, and to what Yusuke had said about Kurusu being in the hospital…

Not to mention the way Futaba got defensive, asking them to leave him alone…

Might as well do it

Captain Kidd is right. 

So, with a deep breath, Ryuji decides to approach the other teen.

“Hey, Kurusu.”

Ryuji doesn’t miss the way Kurusu jumps a little at that, or the way his eyes immediately narrow once he realizes who’s standing in front of him.

“Sakamoto. Good Evening.”

Cold.

Then again, Ryuji supposes he deserves that.

He shoves his hands in his pockets, “Mind if I sit next to you?”

He’s almost afraid that Kurusu will tell him that yes, he does mind, but instead he receives a shrug in response.

Figuring that it’s better than outright rejection, Ryuji drops himself on the bench.

The silence they sit in is awkward as heck, what with Kurusu clearly waiting for Ryuji to say something.

So he does.

“Listen, I…I know you and I started off on the wrong foot, but…I’m sorry. I should have…I know what it's like. Havin’ Kamoshida ruinin’ your reputation and stuff.” 

Kurusu seems to study him, and Ryuji lets him.

“It’s fine. I guess I got a bit defensive too…”

“That's not all though. I…I’m kind of worried about you?”

It comes out more like a question than a statement, because Ryuji’s not really sure.

He does barely know the guy after all. 

Still, it doesn’t take a genius to see that something ’s up with Kurusu.

That, and the fact that his chest fills up with the same protectiveness he feels towards Futaba.

“Worried?”

“I- I know it sounds weird. I don’t know you. But…I don’t know, from what Yusuke told me, you’re not doing that well. And at school…the rumors about you are pretty nasty.”

Nasty is an understatement.

According to Shujin’s rumor mill, Kurusu’s committed murder, identity theft, fraud, assault, drug dealing, smuggling of arms and somehow an elephant which is honestly ridiculous if anyone asks Ryuji cause come on rumors gotta at least be realistic.

“They don’t bother me.”

Ryuji’s familiar with that sentence.

With the practiced way it comes out of Kurusu’s gritted teeth, like if maybe he says it enough times, it actually becomes true.

“You don’t have to lie about that. I’m sure you’ve heard some rumors about me as well. I also used to tell myself that they don’t bother me. But you and I both know that’s a lie.”

Kurusu says nothing for a while, and Ryuji’s actually scared that maybe he’d been too direct, too personal with a guy he doesn’t know, and that his attempt to build something is just going down the drain.

Instead, Kurusu smiles at him, a smile of honey and ash, and says, “You’re not as bad as I thought, Sakamoto.”

Friday, July 22nd, After School

Akira has no idea how he ended up here, in the waiting room of Takemi Tae’s clinic.

Lying is unbefitting of a gentilhomme, mon voleur

Okay , he does.

(“Akira, we are going and that’s final.”

“No, we’re not. I told you Sojiro, it’s nothing. I don’t need to go to the doctor. The hospital cleared me, remember?”

“Yes, I do. I also remember your doctor telling you to eat more, yet you’ve been eating even less!”

“I have not. I eat when I’m hungry, Sojiro.”

“Which is never!”

“That’s not my fault!”

“Akira I swear, I will drag you there myself if I have to.”

“FINE!”)

Still, Akira’s firm in his opinion.

Sojiro and Futaba are overreacting.

So are Haru, Shiho and Kasumi.

…and Akechi.

(Idly, he wonders if this is what it’s like. Being cared for. Being loved. Just as quickly, he corrects himself. These people don’t want him. No one does. Sojiro’s just doing his job as his legal guardian.

…which is still more than his parents ever did.)

“Kurusu?”

Before Akira could pretend to not exist and thus ignore the doctor’s call of his last name, Sojiro’s pointed look has him standing up with a sigh and following the woman inside.

And ok, Akira’s tried to keep the thought at bay for as long as possible, he really did, but damn, she’s hot.

She gestures for him to sit, so he does, and he can’t help but think of Maruki.

“So, from what Sakura-san’s told me, you fainted due to low blood sugar after eating very little for a while. But after you came back home instead of trying to eat more, you started eating even less. Is that right?”

Better get this over with.

With a sigh, Akira answers her, “It’s not that I’ve been eating less. I just…never feel hungry.”

Takemi looks at him, like really looks at him, and Akira suddenly feels like some kind of guinea pig.

She sighs, then looks down at her clipboard, “Have you ever considered therapy?”

…Akira wants to say that her question comes as a surprise, that it comes out of nowhere, but he’d be lying to himself.

As if you don’t do enough of that.

True.

“I have mandatory counseling at school.”

Takemi looks up from her clipboard, clearly curious but letting him decide whether to elaborate on the statement or not.

“Some stuff happened back in April, so the school decided that the students involved have to see the school counselor.”

Takemi falls silent at that, before shaking her head and looking back at him, “In that case, you should bring this issue up with your counselor.”

She’s right, mon cherì. You really should tell your consultant

With a sigh, he nods, both at her and at the voice.

Sure, yeah, he’ll bring it with Maruki.

What’s one more issue to add to the table.

Sunday, July 24th, Evening

For many students, if not all, summer break was something to look forward to.

Goro, on the other hand, dreaded summertime.

It was hot, and sticky, and he couldn’t wear his gloves, and the constant migraines were even worse, and he had to catch up on all the school work he’d missed, and that fucking son of a bitch thought that since Goro had ‘more free time’ it meant he could handle more work.

Like the whole Medjed thing.

Pay attention

Sighing at Robin Hood's warning, Goro sends an Eigaon that immediately kills the Shadow that had thought it wise to attack someone so clearly above its level as he made his way back to the surface.

Anyway , this might prove somehow useful to him.

After all, despite going back with Yoshizawa once, Goro still has no idea what to do with Kurusu’s Palace.

What he'd told Yoshizawa is true.

If left alone, a Palace only causes harm.

What with Kurusu landing himself in the hospital, Goro’s pretty sure that the Palace has been there for long enough.

The problem is, Goro has no idea on how to eliminate a Palace without causing a mental shutdown.

That, and he has no idea why he cares in the first place.

Kurusu is a no one.

Just a teenager who ended up on probation after a most definitely fake assault charge.

A one year probation, given to him by a judge that was part of the scumbag's conspiracy.

So maybe not much of a no one

The gutten is interesting, and you know that, detektiv

Ah yes, not to mention the unnerving interest both of his Personas seem to have in the teen.

The moment he steps out of Mementos and back in Shibuya, he sighs.

He’s taken care of six targets tonight, and he’s sure Shido will send more his way in a few days, which-

Lovely, really, Akechi can’t wait.

Pulling up his hood, he gets on the train for Kichijoji.

The moment he closes the door of his apartment behind himself, he sighs and checks his phone.

Shido: Meeting on the 29th, 7PM

Yoshizawa: Sorry to bother you, Akechi-san, but I believe we should talk

Kurusu: Hey. You free?

Kurusu’s message is from an hour ago.

Now, Goro’s tired.

And his head is pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

So the rational thing to do would be to ignore Kurusu’s message.

But if Goro’s learned anything about himself in the past two months since meeting the guy, it's that he’s rarely rational when it comes to Kurusu Akira.

Akechi: Yes, I am

Akechi: See you in Kichijoji?

Kurusu: I’m on my way

With yet another sigh, Goro decides to take a quick shower before going to meet up with Kurusu.

Kurusu. 

Kurusu, who Goro has no idea why he wants to meet.

Kurusu, who both Robin Hood and Loki push him to spend time with.

Kurusu, who maybe is somehow tied to the conspiracy.

Kurusu, who has a charming smile.

Kurusu, who makes the best coffee Goro’s ever drank.

Kurusu, who tried to save Goro in so many ways.

…what?

…huh

Interesting

What?

Kurusu has not tried to save Goro.

He knows that much.

So what the fuck was that last thought?

The moment he starts thinking about it, his head throbs, his migraine going from manageable to blinding, and he has to lean on the wall to not fall.

Groaning, Goro can’t help but think,

“What the actual fuck?”

Tuesday, July 26th, Daytime

“Thank you for meeting up with me, Shiho-chan.”

“Ah, it’s nothing, Haru-senpai.”

To tell the truth, Shiho had definitely not expected a text from Haru.

And definitely not so soon after the fireworks festival.

Not that that had gone over well.

“I told you that there’s no need to call me senpai, Shiho-chan.”

Shiho takes another sip of her coffee, “Both Akira and Kasumi-chan call you senpai. It would be weird if I were the only one to call you only by name.”

Haru simply smiles, like she’s already had this discussion -likely- and knows that it’s useless, but still had to try.

“Very well then. In that case, I would like to get to the matter at hand. I’m worried about Aki-chan.”

And isn’t that the understatement of the century?

Because how could anyone know Kurusu Akira and not worry about him.

“Tell me about it.”

Haru sets down her cup, the ceramic clinking softly.

“From the moment I met him, I felt inexplicably drawn to him.”

Wait, what?

The older girl seems to realize her poor choice of words, because she immediately backtracks, her face all red, “Not- not in that sense! No, what I meant to say is, I felt like…I knew him. And I just- I knew he was lonely. And as I got to know him better, the feeling grew. When we went to the fireworks festival, he…he had this faraway look. When he thought no one was looking, he looked sad.”

Shiho had noticed as well, and she’s sure Kasumi-chan had too.

Even there, watching the first fireworks explode in the sky before they had to take shelter from the rain, Akira looked just as lonely as he did when Shiho had first met him back in April.

With a sigh, she drinks up the last of her coffee, “Yeah, I noticed. Not to mention the whole low blood sugar thing…he’s not taking care of himself. He says he never feels hungry, and I honestly believe him, but…he doesn’t eat. And it landed him in the hospital a month ago and I’m sure it will again.”

Haru hums, “I just wish there was something we could do. Because I feel no matter how much I tell him that I care about him and want to see him better, he just- doesn’t believe me. He smiles, that sad smile of his, and it-”

She stops mid sentence, immediately grabbing her purse and pulling out her phone.

Shiho doesn’t miss the look that crosses her face when she reads the caller ID.

“Shiho-chan, I’m sorry, I must take this. Give me a moment.”

“Sugimura-san?”

“...Ah, right now? I’m out with-”

“No! I’m out with an underclassman! She and I are at a cafè.”

“Can’t it wait until later?”

“...No, no, there is no need to get Father involved. I’ll be there shortly.”

She hangs up, and Shiho waits for Haru to regain her composure.

“I’m so sorry, Shiho-chan. I invited you out here, and now I’m leaving you, all because of that-”

She cuts herself off, taking in a deep breath, “Sorry. Anyway, we’ll pick up our conversation another time, with Kasumi-chan too. And don’t worry about paying, it’s already been taken care of.”

With that, she stands up and leaves, and Shiho is left there, wondering who the hell Sugimura is.

Sunday, July 31st, Daytime

Futaba feels free for the first time in years.

Ever since her mother was killed.

Because she didn’t kill herself.

No, Isshiki Wakaba didn’t leave her dear daughter behind by choice.

Those bastards made her leave and pinned the blame on Futaba, but it’s fine now.

She will no longer be fooled.

She will find the truth.

But before that, there’s something else she must do.

That’s what she keeps telling herself as she walks the short distance between the Sakura House and LeBlanc.

She stops in front of the door -and of course the cafè is empty, it always is-, hesitant.

What if…what if Sojiro-

Don’t be silly now.

Right.

Necronomicon is right.

Taking a deep breath, Futaba pushes open the door of the cafè and comes face to face with one Sakura Sojiro and one Kurusu Akira.

Her first thought, funnily enough, is that the green apron looks good on Akira.

She tries not to laugh at Sojiro’s expression, she really does.

But the moment he steps closer to her, her name a whisper, she can’t help but chuckle.

“Sojiro, I hunger! Me want some curry!”

The man looks at her, blinks, looks again, before looking down.

Now, her duty as his daughter would be to tease him about the obvious tears he’s hiding.

Instead, she looks past him, at Akira.

Akira, who’s looking at her much the same way Sojiro had.

And- oh, this is the first time Akira’s seen her.

Suddenly, she wishes she had brought her doll head.

Instead, she walks up to him.

She knows she’s stiff in her movements, and he can probably read it all over her that she'd much rather be back behind a door, but she made her decision the moment she contacted Niijima Makoto.

Actually, she made her decision the moment she watched Akira get wheeled out to the hospital from her bedroom window and wished to instead ride with him.

She will help Kurusu Akira.

She promised to protect him, and she will make good on that promise.

“Hey.”

And Futaba almost cries on the spot.

Instead, she hugs him, and it feels like home.

Like family.

It feels like coming back.

To what, she has no idea, and she decides it doesn’t even matter, because Akira immediately wraps his arms around her, holding her gently, and Futaba smiles.

Yes, Sojiro and Akira were, no are, worth all that she’s gone through in her Palace to uncover the truth and finally leave her tomb.

Chapter Text

Monday, August 1st, Daytime

Makoto…how can she say this…

…she knew Futaba was a shut-in, of course.

She’s been in the girl’s Palace, so yes, she knows.

Still, nothing could have prepared her for this.

The plan had been simple.

Go to the Sakura residence and slowly coax Futaba back to the outside world.

Makoto had been so sure in her plan that she had even volunteered to be the first to interact with Futaba.

Obstacles were to be expected, of course.

…she just didn’t expect her first one to be getting Futaba to open the door in the first place.

Futaba, who has also stopped answering her texts.

For a brief moment she considers calling Ann for backup, but ultimately decides against it.

She’s trying to prove her worth to the team, she can’t call their pseudo leader every time she meets a hurdle.

She turns around, about to leave, only to bump into someone.

Someone, who turns out to be nonother than Kurusu Akira.

“Ah, Kurusu-kun…”

“Niijima-senpai. Might I know what you’re doing here, outside of Sojiro’s house?”

Ah.

Kurusu and Futaba know each other, right.

She…well, Makoto has no real explanation for that.

At least not one that would not reveal her as a Phantom Thief.

Still, she owes Kurusu absolutely no explanation.

“I could ask you the same thing, Kurusu-kun.”

He takes a small step back, looking at her with distrust.

Which Makoto finds unfair.

She’s not the one with a criminal record and a history of assault.

If anyone should look like that, it’s her.

“Sojiro happens to be my guardian. So I think between the two of us, you’re the one that needs to explain herself, Niijima-senpai.”

And Makoto-

She can’t help but scoff.

How dare he talk to her like this?!

Sure, she understands that from his point of view she has no business being here, but that doesn’t mean he has any right to be talking to her like this.

Suddenly, their conversation is cut short by Kurusu’s phone.

He gives her another look, before answering.

“I’m coming, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I got everything on the list.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I just…ran into someone.”

And now, Makoto isn’t one to let her imagination run wild, but…

This phone call sounds so incriminating.

Does it now?

Makoto can’t help but find Johanna’s input unfair.

“What? Makoto? You…you mean Niijima-senpai?”

Wait what?

“Uhm…okay. Sure.”

He hangs up, and the distrust in his eyes seems to have only grown.

Makoto can’t help but shift her weight under the intensity of his glare.

The front door of the Sakura house opens, and Futaba walks out, looking at the two of them…or rather, at Makoto, warily.

“Hey ‘Kira.”

She walks up to him, pressing herself to his side and-

What the hell’s going on?

Last time she’d seen Futaba - which was a week ago, on the summit of a Pyramid- the girl had avoided any and all kinds of touch.

Yet now she’s…

Kurusu hands her a bag, and Futaba beams at him.

“Quest completed successfully! You get an S rank! I’ll put these inside real quick, ‘kay? I need to talk to you both, so…go to LeBlanc. I’ll make something up to get Sojiro to eave.”

And just like that, she’s back inside, and Kurusu’s focus is back on her.

…Makoto has a not so great feeling about this.

Sunday, August 7th, Evening

Sojiro still can’t believe this.

The sight of his daughter, sitting at LeBlanc’s counter, eating curry with a smile on her face and chatting with Akira, is one he thought he would never get to see.

The sight of Akira, actually eating for once, listening to Futaba with a fond smile, is one Sojiro’s sure he won’t be forgetting any time soon.

“Sojiro! Give us seconds!”

“Futaba! I don’t want seconds…”

The girl nudges him, and Akira just sighs.

Sojiro can relate to that.

Futaba just has a way to get what she wants.

Smiling, he moves to serve them seconds, when the door is pushed open.

And in walks a group of teenagers.

“Good afternoon Boss.”

Ah, Akira’s artist friend.

Looking at the rest of the group, he realizes that out of them, he only recognizes Niijima-san’s little sister, who had come by with Akira and Futaba a week ago.

Futaba stills for a second, and Sojiro’s about to ask them to step out when she takes in a deep breath, reaches for Akira’s hand before talking to the group.

“Hey guys. Take- Take a seat.”

Ah, so she was expecting them.

They all nod, and occupy a booth.

The blonde with the pigtails sets her bag down on the table, and a cat pops its head out of it.

A cat that Sojiro recognizes as Morgana.

So that would be Takamaki Ann.

The cat immediately makes his way to Akira, jumping up to his lap and curling up there.

The sight seems oddly familiar, and Sojiro can’t help but smile.

It’s Niijima who speaks up, “We’re sorry to intrude, Sakura-san.”

He shakes his head, “I’m assuming you’re going to order something, so I can’t really complain now can I?”

She nods, and they all make orders -three house blends and one iced cocoa.

Sojiro sets a plate of curry in front of Futaba and Akira, then moves to make their drinks.

“So…Futaba-chan. We were talking the other day, and…well, we figured that the best way to go about this is to involve Kurusu-kun as well.”

Sojiro doesn’t really like Niijima’s tone.

She’s a little bit too much like her sister, in his opinion.

The cat meows in what seems almost disapproval from his perch on Akira’s lap.

Takamaki nods, “What Makoto means to say, we need your help, Akira-kun. You know Futaba-chan better than us, so…”

Which brings Sojiro to the big question that has been bouncing around his head for the past week.

Who are these people and how do they know Futaba?

Sojiro would have guessed it’s through Akira, but it became immediately clear that that’s not the case.

Still, he doesn’t like to pry, so he won’t ask.

Not when Futaba’s finally out of her room.

Futaba takes a spoonful of curry, swallows before turning to look at the group, “I’m willing to try your idea, Makoto.”

Niijima nods, clearly sensing a but and waiting for Futaba to continue.

Well, at least she isn’t as bad as her sister if she still listens.

“But I want Akira there. I appreciate you trying to help, but I don’t need you. I did what I did for Akira. You want to help, sure, but we’re doing this my way.”

Niijima clearly isn’t happy, but she still nods.

Sojiro glances at Akira, who’s been quiet ever since Niijima and the others came in, and sighs at the guarded expression on his face.

His approach with Futaba is a simple one.

Let her know that he’s there for her when she needs him.

He doesn’t like meddling, thinks that it’s bad parenting because as much as they would like to, parents won’t always be there for their kids.

(The Kurusus come to mind, who are the complete opposite of meddling. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the money he receives every month, he would think they’ve completely forgotten about Akira. But maybe they have. They have not once called, and even when Sojiro had tried reaching out when Akira had ended up in the hospital, they had not answered.)

So he serves the teens, giving Kitagawa a plate of curry to go with the coffee, and decides to see where this goes first.

If these four end up being good to Futaba and Akira, then he’ll gladly let them in.

Wednesday, August 10th, Daytime

“So if I understand correctly, you are now taking Sakura-chan around Tokyo to get her used to big crowds?”

At his nod, Akechi sets down the cup he’d been drinking from and looks at him.

The same way one would look at a puzzle.

“You don’t sound too happy.”

Of course Akechi picked up on that.

He is a detective, mon cher

True

“It’s not that I don’t want to. And I actually enjoyed going out with Ann-san, Yusuke and Sakamoto. It’s just…”

“Niijima?”

Akira nods, and Akechi chuckles.

…Akira doesn’t know why, but he doesn’t like that chuckle.

It feels…fake.

A faux sourire indeed

See, even the demon-thief agrees with him!

“She can be… a lot. The few times that I’ve been over at Sae-san’s apartment, it felt like she wanted to skin me alive.”

Akira raises an eyebrow at that.

“Sae-san?”

“Ah, that would be the elder Niijima sister. She’s a public prosecutor. We’re working together on the mental shutdowns case. She invited me to her apartment a few times to make working together easier. Needless to say, her sister wasn't all too thrilled about having me there.”

Akira can imagine that.

And yet, for all his distaste for Niijima-senpai, there’s a small part of him that…wants to connect with her.

All in due time, mon petit voleur.

“Say, Kurusu-kun. Have you ever been outside of Japan?”

This is also something that Akechi’s been doing lately.

It feels like his questions -which should seem like nothing more than harmless ones to know more about Akira- are instead specific and seeking out a certain information.

Still, Akira indulges him.

(He has a feeling he’d do anything Akechi Goro asked of him, which is silly, because they have known each other for only a few months.)

“Once, when I was a child. My parents had to go on a business trip to Paris, and I ended up going with them.”

Akechi hums, like a trip to Paris ten years ago is so interesting, and Akira decides that two can play this game.

“What about you, Akechi-san?”

The detective shakes his head, “No, I never did.”

He falls silent for a second, and Akira could swear he sees the gears in his head turning, going over his words again and again.

Feeling bold, Akira leans forward, “I’ve always wanted to go back. To Paris, I mean. We could go together.”

Akechi looks at him, his eyes slightly wide, and Akira counts it as a win.

“I’ve always wanted to visit London, in all honesty.”

…that…why does that feel like something he knew already?

(‘We probably could find a ticket for this afternoon and it would be super cheap, too.’

‘Considered the state of reality? You’re probably right’

‘So, how’s Paris sound?’

‘I’d much rather go to London.’

‘Why not do both then?’

‘We have a deadline to meet, idiot.’

‘...still, it would be nice, Akira.’)

“Kurusu-kun?”

Akira looks up, meeting Akechi’s eyes, flushing once he realizes that it isn’t the first time that Akechi’s called for him.

“Ah, sorry…I- just got distracted, I guess.”

Akechi gives him an odd look, but ultimately says nothing.

Taking another sip of his coffee -which isn’t bad per se, but he knows he can do better- Akira can’t help but notice the odd silence from the voice.

Friday, August 12th, Daytime

“Lady Ann?”

They’re in the living room, Ann flipping through a magazine and Morgana perched on the windowsill.

She hums, letting him know that she’s listening, so Morgana takes a deep breath.

He’s thought about this, mulled it over so many times in his head, and now is the perfect time to ask.

“Have you…have you ever felt like you’re not where you’re supposed to be? Or that there’s something in particular that you’re meant to be doing but aren’t?”

Ann looks up at him, “Sort of? I guess that when I found out about the Metaverse, I just knew that’s what I had to do. Why?”

Morgana falls silent, because despite having gone over the conversation many times, he still has his doubts.

“Is this about Akira-kun?”

Ah, of course she noticed.

Lady Ann is amazing like that.

Her fierce kindness is what Morgana admires most about her, after all.

What he admires, but also what he envies.

Because Ann knows her place, has people she belongs with, and she loves them with passion as fiery as the flames that burn down Shadows in the Metaverse.

Morgana doesn’t have that.

“Yes.”

Ann smiles, “I was waiting for you to bring it up. Ever since you told me you felt some sort of connection to him.”

He jumps down from the window sill and approaches her, “You don’t…find it weird?”

She sets the magazine down on the coffee table and pats her lap, and Morgana takes it for the invitation it is.

“Not really, no. I can relate, actually.”

Ann doesn’t elaborate, and Morgana doesn’t ask her to.

He understands.

“I don’t want to leave you, though…”

Because as much as Morgana feels like his place is with Akira, the thought of leaving Ann, all alone in a big empty house, makes him feel horrible.

“How about we take turns, then? It’ll be more plausible than suddenly dumping my cat on him.”

Morgana’s pretty sure he would be tearing up if he had the ability to do so.

Instead, he can only smile gratefully at Ann.

“Thank you, Lady Ann.”

Sunday, August 14, Evening

If Goro were anyone else, he would feel the tiniest bit bad for coming to the Palace without Yoshizawa.

She did ask him to not go without her, but Akechi Goro is anything if not a liar.

So, here he is, in front of the Opera House that is Kurusu Akira’s distorted view of reality.

Last time with Yoshizawa, they hadn’t explored much, instead spending more time getting her accustomed to fighting.

So now, alone, Goro’s determined to at least make some progress.

Him and Yoshizawa had already tried the big door to the Thèâtre last time, to no avail, so Goro walks past it and up towards the staircase to the right, towards the unlabeled room.

Pushing the door open reveals a big, empty space, and Goro’s finding all of this emptiness quite unnerving.

Still, he walks through the room towards the glass door on the other side of it.

…Actually, now that he looks at it, the room reminds him of a Ball Room.

Which would make sense, considering the nature of the distortion.

With a sigh, he pushes the double door open, and finds himself outside.

The garden in front of him is admittedly gorgeous.

Really, he’s pretty sure it would give Versailles’ gardens a run for their money.

The fountain in front of him is a simple one in design, yet really beautiful.

Curious, Goro decides to approach it.

Only to find someone already there.

Be careful

Goro almost scoffs at Robin’s warning.

He doesn’t need to be told.

Still, he doesn’t want to needlessly raise the security level, so he doesn’t pull out his saber or gun.

Yet .

“Ah! Bienvenue! I was worried you’d never be back, mon cher détective!”

Goro doesn’t need the Shadow to turn around.

The voice is one he recognizes immediately, almost as if he’s been hearing it for years and not just a few months.

Still, the Shadow does turn to look at him, and Goro meets, for the very first time, the yellow eyes of Kurusu Akira’s Shadow.

“You’ve been waiting for me?”

Since it seems civil, Goro sees no harm in trying to talk.

Still, he keeps Loki at the front of his mind, ready to be summoned at a moment’s notice.

(Although, Loki doesn’t seem eager to battle like he usually is. It’s almost like his Persona knows that the Shadow poses no threat.)

“Bien sure! Why wouldn’t I?”

The Shadow -dressed in a white ruffled blouse underneath a red gothic styled waistcoat, a pair of black pants and heeled boots and some glaringly red gloves- circles him, almost like  a predator eyeing its prey.

The analogy doesn’t sit well with him.

“I think it’s weird that you were expecting me. I am an intruder in this Palace, after all.”

Shadow Akira scoffs, “That means nothing here. Everyone is an intruder in this Maison d’Opéra.”

The Shadow stills, looking Goro dead in the eye, and even through his visor Goro can’t help but shiver under the intensity of its golden gaze.

“Well then, détective, here’s a question for you. What do you intend to do, now that you’ve found this place? You’re here, alone, without La Foi, so I ask. What are your intentions?”

Goro doesn’t miss the thinly veiled threat there.

He could lie.

He should lie.

Instead, “I don’t know yet. I’m here out of genuine curiosity.”

The Shadow studies him for a few seconds, seemingly looking for something, before shaking its head.

“You don’t remember either, huh…And here I hoped at least you would have.”

Goro thinks back to the weird and inconsistent thoughts and memories that have been plaguing him and asks, sounding desperate even to his own ears, “What…what is that supposed to mean? What is it that I don’t remember?”

The Shadow shakes its head sadly, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you, cher détective, just as I can’t tell ma moitié.”

Goro supposes that its ‘half’ refers to Kurusu.

…he’s never met a Palace Ruler that knows something its real counterpart doesn’t know.

A repressed memory, perhaps?

That wouldn’t explain why Goro’ s supposed to remember as well.

Before Goro could get any other question out, a bell sounds from somewhere , and the Shadow makes a face that Goro can only describe as a grimace.

“I’m afraid our time is up, détective. But next time we meet, I shall ask you for a dance.”

And just like that, Kurusu’s Shadow is gone, leaving Goro with more questions than answers.

(He doesn’t miss the silence coming from both Robin Hood and Loki. Same as every other time he’s gotten these…flashes, of sort.) 

Monday, August 15th, Daytime

“You…a beach trip? Are you sure Futaba?”

No.

She is absolutely not sure.

“I am, Sojiro. Besides, you don’t need to worry. Akira will be there with me!”

Which is true, but Futaba still feels nervous. 

But she needs Sojiro to let her go, so she has to make him think she’s okay with this.

That, and Futaba wants to be okay with this.

“...Just be careful, okay? I’m a phone call away, for the both of you.” He then turns to look at Akira, “I’ll leave her in your care, then.”

Akira nods, and Futaba is grateful for him.

She has never connected so much in such a short span with a person, but instead of finding it odd, she…feels like it’s only natural for her to have an older brother and for that older brother to be Kurusu Akira.

With one last reassuring look at Sojiro, the two of them leave LeBlanc and head for the train station.

>>>---<<<

Admittedly, Futaba hasn’t been to the beach in years.

Mom had promised to take her there, but she died before they could, and…well, her uncle certainly wasn’t going to take her.

So maybe yes, she is a little shy about it.

I mean, just look at Ann and Makoto.

"Ahahahahahaha! What, got a better opinion of me now?”

“Stop that Ann…”

“Where’s Futaba?”

Her brother’s voice is quiet, but she still hears him, so she decides that she will step out.

…with a towel wrapped around her head, of course.

Determined, she walks towards the -or at least she hopes- and says, “This is perfect!”

What the others understood is an entirely different matter.

Makoto stops her, turns her around and gently takes the towel off of her.

Futaba’s eyes immediately find Akira’s, and at his reassuring smile she can’t help but smile as well.

Akira is her key item.

It stands to reason that she cherishes, loves and protects said item with everything she has.

They all settle down under their umbrella, and Futaba has to force herself not to think about the many, many , people that are around them.

Makoto seems to have picked up on that, since she asks if she’s doing alright.

Futaba swallows, shuffling closer to Akira -who also drifted right to her side, so she doesn’t feel as bad about needing him around- and nods, “I’m fine. I have Akira and you guys.”

>>>---<<<

If Futaba were to give this day at the beach a score, she’d give it a 99.

(And she’s generous. Falling off of the banana boat the way she did, she should retract more than just one point. But Ryuji getting hit on the face by one of Makoto’s killer volleyballs makes up for it.)

She leans into Akira, who wordlessly pats her head the way she likes, and mumbles, “I’m kinda thirsty…”

Ryuji stands up, “Ann drank the last bottle we had. I’ll go get you one.”

He’s stopped by Akira, who pulls away from her (rude?) and shakes his head, “I’ll go. It’s getting late, so we should start packing up.”

Before Ryuji could protest, Akira leaves, on the noble quest of getting something to drink for his little sister.

Knowing Akira, he’ll complete it in no time and get an S rank.

He’s just that good, in Futaba’s humble opinion.

Actually…

Futaba’s been wanting to tell the Thieves something for a few days now. 

But whenever she’d seen them, Akira had been there as well, and she couldn’t exactly discuss Phantom Thieves stuff in front of him.

So, with a deep breath and a gentle nudge from Necronomicon, Futaba clears her throat and gets the others’ attention.

“Futaba-chan? Is everything okay?”

Futaba nods, brushing off Makoto’s concern, and starts her speech.

(Which probably increased her Charm by like. Five points at least. Oh and she’s pretty sure that this whole day at the beach earned her something around ten points in Guts.)

“You know…all this time, I thought it was my fault my mother died. I thought she hated me. Everyone looked at me like I was a murderer. I started hating this world, and ended up shutting myself away. I’d dream that she was still alive, but when I woke up, she was dead. So I’d go back to sleep. It was a repeat of that, all over again. I loved my mom. I wanted to become like her. The way she was so passionate in everything she did, be it her job or taking care of me.

She researched cognitive psience, you know? ‘The cognitive world can become distorted through desires. If it becomes distorted, a person begins exhibiting problematic behavior in reality. That cognitive world disappears once you remove its core, and all problematic actions stop.’ It made no sense, back then. 

But then stories about the Phantom Thieves started going around, and I didn’t believe it at first. But something told me that it was all true. It was so weird. Part of me firmly refused to believe any of the rumors. And the other half was so steadfast in its belief that the Phantom Thieves could actually steal hearts. 

That’s when Akira happened. Sojiro took in this kid, and I ended up wanting to be with him. He reminded me that I have a dad, waiting for me on the other side of my bedroom door. The moment I realized just how important Akira and Sojiro were to me, I knew I had to leave my tomb. 

So I started looking into it, and seeing a suspicious group of teenagers all connected to the Phantom Thieves’ targets, it didn’t take much to figure you guys out. I realized you were near me. I was so happy I actually jumped up and down. I thought, ‘maybe the Phantom Thieves can cure my heart’. 

Because I knew I was trapped. My room had basically become a tomb to me, and all I could think about was my mom. It was a labyrinth.  And I knew I had to leave, because Sojiro was being accused of abusing me, of neglecting Akira, of all these things that he would never ever do. And Akira was suffering so much, too. It made me sad, and it hurt. I thought ‘I need to save them. And to do that I need to leave my room’. 

That’s why I contacted you. I…I didn’t really trust you. And I’m sorry for threatening you when you talked about Akira. But I saw how much you worried about me. So I’m sorry that I doubted you guys.

I- I have a request. Let me join your team. But be aware that I’m not doing this to change people’s hearts. I want to learn what really happened to my mom and why she was killed. So staying with you guys is my best bet.”

(And maybe, she also has another request. But it’s not time, not yet.)

Friday, August 19th, Daytime

“Thank you for coming, Akira-kun.”

“It’s no problem, Ann-san.”

Ann really thinks that by now she should be used to seeing Akira order only a black coffee, what with their semi-regular hangouts.

She isn’t.

Although, it has been more than a month since she last invited him to a cafe, what with Shiho getting out of the hospital, then the whole Medjed thing and Futaba’s Palace. 

Yes, they did go around Tokyo with Futaba, but that had been more them accompanying an ex-shut in out than the two of them going out together.

Akira looks at her, clearly trying to figure out what she’s thinking about,

So, she smiles at him and takes a bite of the cheesecake that she had ordered for herself while waiting for him to arrive.

“Now, Shiho told me you guys went to the fireworks festival.”

Akira hums, “Not that we got to see much of the fireworks…”

Ann laughs.

Yeah, she remembers being annoyed at that.

“Still, thank you for inviting Shiho along, too.”

“She’s a friend. And I thought going out would do her good, so…”

He’s always been a real caballero, this one

Ann couldn’t agree more with Carmen.

Akira, for as long as Ann has known him, has been nothing but sweet and kind.

She remembers him spending most of his afternoons back in April and May at Shiho’s bedside, and even when she woke up he kept visiting as often as he could.

She regrets not knowing him that much, really.

Yes, she does occasionally invite him out for coffee, but they end up always talking about the only two things they have in common.

Shiho and Morgana.

Which, she supposes, is why she’s here today.

“We should go out, one day. The three of us. We could go to Seaside Park…”

She trails off, deciding that she can discuss this with her best friend later.

Mona, who’d been silent until now, moves around her bag, “Lady Ann! When are you going to ask him?”

Ann has to keep herself from laughing at Akira’s wide eyes.

(Eyes that are really pretty, in her opinion. Yusuke was right to ask him to be his model…maybe she could ask him if he wants to feature in a shoot with her?)

“You brought Morgana?”

“Of course I did. Actually, speaking of Morgana, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

Akira takes a sip of his coffee, “Sure.”

Taking the last bite of her cake -and telling herself firmly that no, she can’t have another one-, Ann hums, thinking of the best way to run this by Akira.

With a sigh, she decides ‘ screw it’ .

Akira’s probably going to say yes either way.

Seriously, he acts so much like a cat sometimes it’s funny.

…where did that come from?

It’s not like she knows him enough to make a comment like that.

Interesante…

Carmen’s input does not help, but Ann decides to brush it off for now.

“So…I’m sure you’ve noticed how much Morgana likes you, right? And I’ve been having a bit of trouble with him lately, with all the photo shoots I’m doing since it’s summer break and all, so…I was wondering if we could maybe take turns? On who keeps him, that is.”

She waits for Akira to tell her it’s a weird request.

Instead, he tilts his head, “You make it sound like you haven’t had him for long.”

Oh.

Yeah, she supposes that if she’d had him for long then she would have already figured out how to manage both him and modeling.

Akira’s pretty smart -she knew that already, he’d scored the highest in their year both in finals and midterms-, so she supposes they’ll have to be more careful around him, especially now that Futaba’s joined too.

“You’re right. I found him in April.”

Akira hums, “Found him?”

“Yep”, she says, popping the ‘p’.

Thankfully, he doesn’t ask her any more questions, “I’d be more than happy to keep him, Ann-san.”

Ann smiles brightly, “Great! We can do a week each?”

The smile Akira gives is a small, shy thing, but it’s one that Ann loves and wishes to see more often nonetheless.

“Sounds good to me.”

Monday, August 22nd, Daytime

“So. What do we have in terms of requests, Ryuji?”

Yusuke moves the pencil across the paper, paying only half a mind to what the others are saying, instead focusing on the children playing around in the park where they’d set up their meeting for the day.

“We got a few about-”

“Wait, can I say something first?”

Intrigued, Yusuke looks up to see Futaba, playing with the hem of her shirt -and it’s obvious how much more tense she is without Akira around, but Yusuke’s really proud of her progress.

Makoto nods, “Of course you can, Futaba.”

“So uhm…I was thinking. You guys go over the requests on the Phan-site periodically, right?” at Ann’s nod, she continues, “Right. In that case, there’s no way you can see all of the requests submitted, right?”

Well, she isn’t wrong.

It’s actually a really good observation.

“So I thought…Well, I made a program. It analyzes data, and I think we can use it to find requests that have been submitted multiple times.”

Ryuji seems to consider her words, “Isn’t the Phan-site anonymous though?”

Futaba grins, “It is, technically. But there’s the IP address, so it kind of isn’t, if you know what to look for. But the point is, this algorithm scans the entire site, and finds requests that repeat over time. Let’s say, for example,” at this she pulls her laptop closer, and they all lean in closer to see, “Requests that repeat more than six times.”

Morgana, who’s currently perched on the other side of the bench, in the shade, chimes in, “More than six? Wouldn’t they just have stopped by then?”

“Nope!”

Futaba’s grin is huge as she shows them the screen of her laptop, with the name of their next target.

Request submitted eleven (11) times

Target: Okumura Kunikazu

???

Lavenza is, to put it simply, beside herself with worry.

She understands Master Philemon’s decision, she really does.

But is this outcome any better?

Her trickster is even more lost than he was, many of his bonds have changed, and she has a very bad feeling about the Councillor.

(Admittedly, she is curious about the new bonds.

Suzui Shiho, who this time around is a close friend of her Trickster and is taking Mifune Chihaya’s role of Wheel of Fortune.

Or most interestingly, Yuuki Kotone, his new Sun, and the twin sister of Elizabeth’s former guest.

Although it’s one bond in particular that, just like last time, catches her attention.

The Justice, shining brighter than all of the others, held as close to her Trickster’s heart as the Hermit and the Hierophant are.)

Her sister and brother told her multiple times not to worry, and even Belladonna and Nameless told her the same thing, yet…

She can’t help but worry.

She’s certain that Elizabeth would understand her.

Still, there is nothing she can do.

Master Philemon made it clear that she is not to interfere, and that the Trickster should do this himself.

So she can only watch over him, and hope that this time doesn’t go down as badly as the first one.

And that this time, her Trickster’s Thieves manage to help him.

Chapter Text

Thursday, September 1st, Early Morning

“Don’t you look ready to go to school.”

“Shut up Futaba.”

She isn’t wrong though.

Akira would much rather do anything else than go back to school.

Sojiro laughs, setting a cup of coffee and two plates of curry on the table.

At Futaba’s pointed look, Akira sighs and sits down, pulling the curry plate closer to himself.

He supposes ignoring her nagging to eat is harder to do than it was over text.

You should listen to your Hermite, mon voleur.

Yeah, yeah.

He doesn’t miss Sojiro’s fond smile and he can’t help but think that this is what a family should be like. 

This is a family.

The Sakuras are a family, because they both love each other no matter what.

The Kurusus are not a family, and Akira can only blame himself for that.

After all, if he’s not good enough for his parents to love him, then he must be the problem.

(He thinks of the way Futaba has called him her big brother multiple times in the last month. Thinks of the fond smile on Sojiro’s face when he came back home and found the two of them in the living room, binge watching Neo Featherman R. 

Just as quickly, he thinks of the thin smile his mother gives him every time he tells her he scored the highest in his grade. The cold dismissal from his father every time he ranked first in a gymnastics tournament.)

Sojiro hums, cleaning an already spotless countertop, “Hey, don’t you have that school trip coming up?”

“Oh yeah, you guys are going to Hawaii!”

At least, that’s what he thinks Futaba said. He can’t be sure, since her mouth was full of curry when she spoke.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

Futaba swallows, “Even Inari’s going on a trip. I think his school’s going to Los Angeles?”

Akira nods. Yusuke had been pretty excited, saying that going overseas would no doubt do him good in his search for what ‘desire’ looks like.

The girl stops shoving curry in her mouth -seriously it looks like she’s inhaling the stuff- and turns to look at him with a frown.

Ah, it seems she noticed.

Of course she did, you and I both know that notre chère soeur is much smarter than that.

“You’re not eating.”

“I’m not hungry.”

He’s only eaten about a quarter of the curry on the plate.

“You should still eat.”

He says nothing, and Futaba puts down her spoon with a sigh.

“You haven’t even touched your coffee.”

Akira’s pretty sure the counter could win an award for cleanest surface in a cafè from how much Sojiro’s been wiping it.

“Akira.”

Actually, it might ruin the wood.

“Akira.”

He remembers once, when he was still a child, that he’d had to clean up after eating dinner alone, and had accidentally ruined the wood of the new table his mother had just bought.

“Akira.”

She’d been so upset.

“Akira.”

So sad that she hadn’t shown up at the gymnastics tournament a few days later.

“Akira.”

Even if she had promised.

“Akira!”

He looks up, and finds both Sojiro and Futaba -and even Morgana who until then had been upstairs- looking at him with concern and worry.

It made his skin itch.

Too many eyes, too much attention, he’ll mess up, just like he messed up in the last tournament right before his arrest, just like how he always does now-

Abruptly, he stands up, the barstool scraping loudly against the floor.

“Akira, wait-”

He wordlessly grabs his bag -Morgana barely making it inside in time- and walks out of the cafè.

Saturday, September 3rd, Evening

“You’ll do what he says, Haru, and be a good fiance to him. End of discussion.”

She wants to protest.

She wants to retaliate, to scream, to do anything to get her father to look and listen to her.

Instead, she bows down her head.

“Yes father.”

He doesn’t even look up, simply dismissing her with a motion of his hand, and Haru feels the overwhelming urge to smash something to pieces.

Instead, she gently closes the door to her father’s studio and makes her way upstairs to her room.

At least…at least she’ll be going to Hawaii in a few days, acting as a chaperone for the second years.

Second years like Aki-chan, so she’s sure to spend more time with him.

Something she hasn’t been able to do much of given Sugimura’s meddling.

Even meeting up with Kasumi-chan and Shiho-chan has been hard.

It took them an entire month to manage, and it was mainly due to Haru canceling at the last minute because that man decided that he wanted to do this or that and that she had to go with him.

Haru would much rather sit in her room and drink tea and eat cookies with her friends than go to a luxury restaurant with Sugimura.

But with her pleas to her father falling on deaf ears, there’s nothing she can do.

With a sigh, she flops down on her bed and pulls out her phone, checking for any new messages.

Sugimura-san: We’re going out tomorrow morning. You better be ready by 9

Aki-chan: We could go tomorrow? 

Akira Protection Squad™: [Kasumi] Haru-senpai, did you see Akira-senpai after school?

She taps on the group’s icon and answers Kasumi.

Haru : No, I have not

Shiho : He hasn’t texted me in like...two days?

Kasumi : I’m getting worried

Hm…

Aki-chan : We could go tomorrow?

Haru : Tomorrow afternoon is good for me

Aki-chan : Ah, sorry senpai.

Aki-chan : I can’t

Oh, now she’s definitely worried.

Deciding to act before she overthinks this, she presses the call button, hoping that Akira will pick up.

And she must be in luck, because after the third ring the line connects.

“Haru-senpai?”

“Hey Aki-chan. Everything okay?”

She hears shuffling on the other end, and Akira’s breath sounds slightly ragged, “Uh, yeah- yeah, everything’s good. Why?”

Haru frowns at the blatant lie.

Why is it that everyone is simply dismissing her concerns today?

“Clearly everything isn’t ‘good’, Aki-chan. I’m worried about you.”

Maybe she’d been harsher than she intended to, because Akira’s tone is clipped when he answers her.

“I told you. Everything’s good. Great. Perfect. Just peachy. No need to worry about me.”

That’s when it hit her.

“The meeting with your probation officer for the Hawaii trip. It was today.”

She hears Akira’s breath hitch on the other side of the line, and it’s all the confirmation she needs.

“Aki-chan, did something happen?”

Akira doesn’t answer, and Haru almost worries that he’d hung up on her, but no, the call’s still going.

“Aki-chan.”

A shaky inhale, then, “Nothing happened, Haru-senpai. That’s the point.”

Haru lets out a small hum, letting him know she’s listening without interrupting.

It seems it was the right thing to do, because Akira takes in another breath, sounding slightly more calm now, and continues, “I was- I was so scared something would happen, that maybe Mori-san would find some- something wrong, decided that I’d broken the terms of my parole, that I’d be sent to juvie. I- He didn’t do anything, senpai. He smiled, told me that he saw no reason to not let me go on the trip and signed the damn paper. But I was still so damn scared, I-”

He stops talking, and after a moment of silence Haru hears him crying.

“Do you want me to come over, Aki-chan?”

“What? No- No, I could never ask you to do that, I-”

“You’re not the one asking, Akira. I offered.”

“...please.”

The broken sound of her friend’s voice gets her on her feet immediately.

She reassures him that she’s on her way, hangs up and quickly moves to pack a bag with a change of clothes, one for the night and one for the following morning in case she ends up staying at LeBlanc -which is likely-, before making her way downstairs.

She doesn’t bother telling her father she’s leaving.

He wouldn’t care, at least not for the right reasons.

And she’s sure Sugimura will never let her hear the end of this, but she doesn’t care.

Not when Akira’s plea is still echoing in her head.

(The idea of going against her father and fiance’s will sparks something within her. It fills her chest with warmth, an excitement she hasn’t felt since childhood. It’s a feeling both old and new, familiar yet novel, and Haru has a feeling she’ll be getting more of it soon.)

Monday, September 5th, After School

“It’s understandable, Akira-kun. Your first experience with the police wasn’t all that pleasant, so it’s natural you’d react this way.”

Akira avoids Maruki’s soft gaze, focusing instead on the phone he’s idly fidgeting with.

It fell from his hand yesterday, and now it has a new crack on the screen.

“But he didn’t do anything. All the times I have met Mori-san, he’s been nothing but kind.”

Maruki doesn’t miss a beat in countering, “That doesn’t make how you feel any less valid, Akira-kun.”

Doesn’t it?

Certainement pas.

Akira wonders.

After a moment of silence, Maruki shifts in his seat, trying to catch Akira’s eyes.

“What happened the night you were first arrested, Akira-kun?”

Akira doesn’t like that question.

Akira doesn’t like to think about that cold February evening.

Akira wishes that evening had never happened.

Do you regret helping that woman, then?

Yes.

No.

Did he even help her?

What if that drunk man still ended up getting his way with her?

Akira’s actions ultimately meant nothing.

Just like always.

No matter what he did, it meant nothing.

Just like with his parents.

No matter how many 100s he got in tests, no matter how many times he scored the highest in his grade, no matter how many gold medals he won, they never cared .

They never bothered to show up to parent-teacher conferences.

They never bothered to show up to his competitions.

They never bothered with him.

Because he meant nothing, in the grand scheme of things.

He didn’t deserve love, because at the end of the day he was nothing.

Maybe he should just never have been born in the first place-

“AKIRA-KUN!”

Akira feels reality slam into him all at once, and realizes distantly that he’s curled up on the floor, tugging at his hair painfully, his phone on the ground next to him and Maruki crouched in front of him, expression full of concern.

And oh , he’s said all of that outloud, hasn’t he?

“Akira-kun, can you hear me?”

There’s yet another crack on his phone.

“Akira-kun?”

Ah.

Right.

Maruki’s waiting for an answer.

You should pay more attention, Akira. No one likes repeating themselves. 

Akira shudders, trying to get his mother’s voice out of his mind.

“Sorry.”

He wonders what his mother’s doing.

Probably working.

Certainly not thinking about her failure of a son.

Her failure of an unwanted child.

Maruki immediately shakes his head, “No, no, you have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I’m the one who’s sorry, Akira-kun.”

He sounds so…sincere.

For some reason, it makes Akira’s heart ache.

Wednesday, September 7th, Evening

“Ugh, they’re letting him come too?”

“Guess it makes sense…”

“Huh? Why do you say that?”

“Didn’t you hear? He scored the highest out of all second years both in midterms and finals.”

“Ha, I bet he somehow managed to cheat.”

“Maybe he threatened the teachers!”

“I feel bad for whoever ends up rooming with him.”

“Hopefully the trip won’t turn into a murder mystery!”

“It wouldn’t be much of a mystery though…”

With a sigh, Akira walks past the two gossiping students.

Maybe it would have been better if he just stayed behind and skipped the trip.

But Futaba and Sojiro had insisted, same with Kasumi and Shiho, and Haru had reassured him that she’d be there as well, not to mention Maruki saying that it would be good for him.

So here he is, surrounded by the whispers that always accompany him in school, except now he’s in one of the world’s busiest airports.

Instead of thinking about it, he unlocks his buzzing phone and does nothing to stop the small smile that tugs at his lips.

Detective <3: If I recall correctly, you’re leaving for your school trip this evening.

Detective <3: Have fun, Kurusu-kun

Detective <3: Once you return, we’ll have that rematch at chess that was cut short the other night

Of course he’s still thinking about that.

“Kurusu-kun?”

He flinches at the voice, and immediately feels bad when Kawakami looks even more worried.

“Are you okay?”

He pockets his phone, “Uh- yes. Yes, everything’s okay.”

Her eyes linger on his face, and he’s sure she’s looking at the dark bags there.

Something crosses her features, and she looks like she wants to say something, but ultimately decides against it.

“Check in is in ten minutes.”

He nods, and with one last look, she walks to another group of students, presumably to tell them the same thing.

“Ah, Akira-kun!”

Before he knows it, Ann’s making her way towards him, with Ryuji in tow.

Ryuji, who looks like he’s just ran a marathon, for some reason.

“Hey man! Ah- Damn, am I out of shape-” He takes a deep breath, and Akira wonders just how much energy he has. “Anyway, mind if we sit next to you on the plane?”

Akira’s pretty sure that Futaba has something to do with this.

Still, he nods.

“Oh! Say, Akira-kun. Don’t you think Ryuji’s underpacked too?”

Now that she mentions it, Ryuji only has a backpack with him.

A big backpack, but a mere backpack nonetheless.

“This again? Ann, I told you, it’s just four days! You’re being dramatic!”

Akira feels a smile tugging at his lips, “You kind of are…”

Ryuji gapes at him, while Ann cheers, laughing, and Akira feels a deep sense of longing fill him.

…maybe the trip won’t be as bad as he thought it would be.

Friday, September 9th, Evening

Ann is…She’s not even angry.

Just annoyed, really.

Of course Nakamura-san had to go with her boyfriend.

And of course she had to take the keys with her.

And of course the auto lock kicked in the moment Ann stepped out.

…well, shit .

She’s considering her options when she spots Ryuji sulking through the halls, knock on a door and- oh, it’s Mishima and Akira’s room.

Well, that's as good an answer as any.

Determined, she makes her way there, but stops right before knocking.

…is this even a good idea? 

She could kill some time with them until Nakamura comes back.

But she knows the possibilities of that happening are pretty slim.

But…well, she knows she trusts Ryuji with her life.

And Akira…

She feels like she can trust him, too.

There’s no need to worry, mi querida.

Carmen’s reassurance is all she needs before she knocks.

“Takamaki?”

She gives Mishima a tense smile, “Mishima-kun.”

One explanation of her situation and one game of tycoon later, Ann’s lying on the bed closest to the door, Akira’s on the other one and Ryuji is whining from his place on the floor.

Mishima should be on the couch, but he’s in the bathroom -has been for the past ten minutes actually- so it’s just the three of them.

“Who knew you were so good at Tycoon man?”

Akira plays with his hair -a habit Ann’s noticed he falls into quite often-, “It was just luck.”

For some reason, she feels that no, it was not just luck, despite this being the very first time she’s seen Akira play Tycoon.

It reminds her of how Shiho’s really good at Tycoon, too.

“Shiho…she was really looking forward to the school trip…”

She regrets the words as soon as they leave her mouth.

Not because they’re untrue, but because they’re supposed to be having fun, doing dumb teenager things, and she didn’t mean to bring the mood down.

She really hoped that the school trip would be some sort of break for her.

Playing at being leader, managing supplies, resources, equipment -even if she gets Ryuji to help her there, she is not going into that airsoft shop alone anytime soon, thank you-, modeling, studying, Shiho and just life has been pretty exhausting.

“Ann…”

“Ah, sorry guys. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.” 

She falls silent for a second, before deciding that this is as good an opportunity as any.

“You know Akira-kun, despite spending a lot of time together this past month and even going to the beach together, we don’t know that much about you. So how about we all play twenty questions?”

Ryuji looks at her -or well, tries to, gives up on lying down and just sits up, his back resting against the couch.

Akira blinks, once, twice, before nodding.

“That’s okay with me.”

“I’ll start then. I’ll go with a classic. So, time to come clean Ryuji! What kind of people do you like?”

“Wha- me?! I thought this was to get to know Akira!”

“Well, we’ve known each other for years, but I don’t know much about you either.”

Which is true.

She knows the important stuff.

Like how he hates rain because it bothers his leg.

Or how the track team was important for him because he wanted the scholarship to help his mother.

But she doesn’t know the small stuff.

Silly things you’d know about your friend if other things like his preferred type of gun didn’t take priority.

“Well uh…She’s gotta have a nice personality. I’m okay with anyone who’s modest and nice.”

Which is a typical answer you’d give your girl friend when she asks you about your taste in women.

“Then, what if two girls with equally good personalities confessed to you at the same time?”

“As if that would ever happen. But I guess if they’re equally nice it’d hafta be the one with the hotter bod.”

There it is.

“So looks are what’s most important to you. Your first answer was just superficial.”

“Wha- Ann! What the eff?!”

“You really are that kind of guy, huh?”

“That ain’t fair Ann!”

Smiling, she turns to look at Akira.

“What about you then?”

He looks away, and Ann’s afraid he won’t answer, that maybe she's pushed too far, they aren’t that close yet, but he surprises her by speaking up.

“I don’t really have a type…but I guess they’d be someone shrouded in mystery?”

Wait, they?

Oh! That’s how it is.

She doubts Ryuji’s picked up on it, and she’s sure that the way Akira’s looking everywhere except at her means he knows she understood the implication there, so she gives him a smile she hopes is reassuring.

He stares at her, before giving her a small smile in return.

“Well, we all answered honestly. What about you Ann?”

Oh well, she supposes she brought this upon herself.

She’s about to give her usual answer, the one she gives in interviews about a guy with a great physique and a nice personality, but then she looks at Akira, who’s trusting her with an important part of himself and decides screw it .

“Someone athletic. Who’s strong, and determined, even with all of life’s challenges.”

Akira’s eyes widen, and Ann knows he got who she’s talking about.

He gives her a small smile, and Ann can see the gratitude and understanding there.

“Huh. So that’s the kind of guy you like...”

And Ann can’t help but laugh, because Ryuji’s just so oblivious it’s funny.

“Oh! I got another one! Akira-kun, this one’s for you. Are your glasses fake?”

He blinks at her.

Maybe because the question is so random and sudden.

“Yes?”

“Wait, for real?! How could you tell Ann?”

That’s the thing though.

She couldn’t.

She just had a feeling they were.

Most curious…

Saturday, September 10th, Daytime

Hifumi doesn’t mind as much as most of her classmates the change in destination.

Hawaii, Los Angeles, it doesn’t matter much.

But, she’s always liked the idea of taking a stroll on the beach, so that’s exactly what she does.

“Hey, you! Are you Japanese?”

Whoever has spoken clearly isn’t, but Hifumi still commends them for knowing how to speak the language, even if only in its basics.

She turns to look at the man who addressed her, only to come face to face with three americans.

“Uh, yes? Do you need something?”

She really hopes this isn’t what she thinks it is.

God, she can already hear her mother, telling her she should have known better.

“Do you know the Phantom Thieves? We’re huge fans!”

Ah, so they’re famous even overseas now.

Another man pipes up, with noticeably worse Japanese, “Of course Japanese know! Come on, tell us about them.”

“There’s a great restaurant that way, you can tell us over a meal!”

“No, I…I-”

She trails off, unsure on how to turn these insistent men down politely.

She turns her head to the side when one of them leans into her space, and meets the eyes of a japanese young man who’d stopped to look, probably because of all the noise these people are making.

He says something to his friend, before walking towards them.

“Let’s go baby, come on, come on!”

The moment one of them grabs her shoulder, the boy -now she can tell he’s also a high schooler- grabs her arm, his grip firm but gentle, and pulls her closer to him.

“Sorry I’m late. Everybody’s waiting, come on.”

With that he pulls her along, and Hifumi follows him.

She hears the disappointment in the americans’ voices, and thanks her lucky stars that this kind boy was passing by.

The girl who’d been walking with the boy walks up to them, a worried look on her face “Are you okay?”

“Sorry about that Haru.”

The girl -Haru- gives her friend a look, “Oh hush you. No need to worry, Akira.”

Hifumi immediately bows, “Thank you so much. You saved me. I can’t thank you enough.”

An odd look passes over Akira’s face, and Haru looks at him in clear concern, “It was nothing.”

“Thank you again. Really.”

“Take care.”

She bows once more, then turns around, deciding that it’s best to return to the hotel.

Now that she thinks about it, she swears she’s already seen him…

Oh!

He’s the object of many of Kitagawa-kun’s sketches! His ‘muse’ as the artist had stated multiple times.

Kusuru Akira, huh?

Saturday, September 10th, Evening

Futaba, to put it plainly, has a horrible feeling about this whole trip.

Akira’s been acting off for the past two weeks, and Futaba had really hoped it’d be easier to help him now that she’s out of her room, but instead, it feels like he ’s the one putting distance between them now. 

“Hey, we’re still open for business. Get the cat upstairs.”

Futaba huffs, her head on the cool counter, “It’s not like anyone’s coming in anyway…Plus if someone does come, you can just tell them it’s a cat cafè.”

Sojiro sighs, “You know that line’s not gonna work…”

He’s interrupted by the bell on the door, and Futaba’s pretty sure someone up there is doing this just to spite her, because come on who the hell comes in looking for coffee this late?

“Excuse me…”

“What did I tell you? Get that cat out of here! I’m sorry, it usually stays upstairs, but it’s been a slow evening, so-”

“Oh no worries, there’s no need to send him away.”

In her opinion Sojiro’s overreacting, but sure, whatever makes him happy.

Morgana’s looking at the man intensely, and Futaba’s about to ask when the cat seems to recognize him.

“That’s Dr. Maruki!”

Oh!

The counselor at Akira’s school.

“I was told that, um, Akira-kun is lodging at a café…And I just happened to be passing by, so…”

“Ah, you know the kid? Come sit down. What can I get you?”

Futaba grabs Morgana and settles in one of the booths while Maruki sits down on the counter.

“A house blend would be great, thank you.”

Sojiro gets to work, “So? How do you know Akira?”

Futaba’s so going to tease Sojiro about the edge of protectiveness in his voice.

“Oh, I work at Shujin Academy.”

“So you teach at his school?”

Maruki picks up the cup Sojiro set in front of him, “No, no, I’m just a counselor. I’ve been seeing Akira-kun for a while now.”

Sojiro raises an eyebrow at that, “Akira’s in counseling?”

Oh.

He didn’t know?

Futaba thought Akira would have told him…

“Well, I was hired because of the whole incident with Kamoshida. Given Akira-kun’s involvement, not to mention his record, the school decided that he should come see me.”

“So mandatory counseling. I didn’t know…”

Sojiro sounds kind of upset, and Futaba’s sure that if Akira were here he would think Sojiro’s disappointed in him for needing counseling in the first place.

“I suppose it makes sense. Akira-kun isn’t the type to share his struggles easily.”

Morgana sighs, “He doesn’t even know the half of it…”

Futaba leans in, “I’d say he probably knows more than us. He is Akira’s therapist.”

“Oh? You talk with your cat? That’s so neat.”

Oh, she’s been spotted.

She’s sure he notices the way she flinches, too.

“Um…”

Wow, way to go Futaba.

“Ah, sorry, did I frighten you? My apologies, I just found it impressive, is all. You’re Futaba-chan, correct?”

“Uh…yes.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you. Akira-kun has told me so much about you. You as well, Sakura-san. And I suppose the cat is Morgana?”

Of course Akira talks about others during therapy.

“Yes, he and a friend take turns in taking care of him.”

“Ah, yes, Takamaki-san. He told me about it last time I saw him.”

Sojiro gives her a look, before sighing, “Futaba, why don’t you take the cat upstairs. I’ll call you back down when it’s all clear.”

Morgana stretches, jumping in her lap, “Come on Futaba, we’ll just be in the way down here. Let’s go.”

She nods, and is about to do just that when she sees the book on the counter and stops.

“That book…!”

Maruki seems surprised to hear her talk, “Oh, this? It’s on a subject called “cognitive psience. Any interest?”

The shift in Sojiro’s demeanor is so sudden it almost gives her whiplash.

“You’re…I’m sorry, but you need to leave. Don’t worry about the bill.”

Wait, seriously?

“Huh? I’m sorry, have I done something…?”

“The café’s now closed-”

“Sojiro!”

She understands, but really, how is this in any way useful?

“He stays. What good is driving away your few customers gonna do you, anyhow?”

“Futaba…”

That, and she’s actually really curious.

It’s not everyday someone interested in the subject of cognitive psience walks into their facé, after all.

Taking a deep breath, Futaba addresses Maruki.

“So, that book. Is that what you teach, uh, Sir- I mean Mister?”

Maruki looks at Sojiro, as if asking if he can talk to her, which is a bit silly in her opinion but actually really nice on his part.

When Sojiro does nothing to stop him, Maruki leans back on the stool.

To appear non threatening and put her at ease.

Huh.

“No, not at all. I’m not a teacher.”

Right. 

He’d said that. But in that case, “What’s it for then?”

Maruki smiles, and it looks a bit sad, in Futaba’s opinion, “It’s just a personal interest of mine. I’ve been studying it for years now. It’s difficult to grasp at times, but it’s quite useful. Fun to study, too.”

Futaba thinks back to all the times her mother had sighed in frustration as she went over her papers and can’t help but ask, “It’s fun?”

“Well, of course. It’s a wonderful division of science that can help many people. That makes it pretty fun, right?”

Help people, huh?

Well, he isn’t wrong.

“Mom thought the exact same thing!”

Maruki seems surprised at that, “Mom?”

Sojiro’s the one who answers that, “Her mother studied it as well. What I don’t get is why you’re studying something like that, though. Then again, you are a high school counselor, so I guess it does make some sense, being related to your field an’ all…”

“Your mother thought so as well? She sounds like a wonderful woman.”

And because now she can say it, knows it to be true, Futaba can’t help but smile, “Hell yeah, my mom ruled. She loved me SO much!”

“Past tense, huh? I see…Well, I’m sure she’d be very proud of you, Sakura-chan.”

Futaba really hopes so.

Satisfied, Futaba looks at Morgana, “Come on, let’s go! Off to a manless room!”

“Hey! I’m a man too!”

Despite his complaint, Morgana follows her anyway.

(“So, would you care for another?”

“Ah, yes please. Your coffee is amazing.”

“Thank you. Now, do you want to tell me why you’re here? Nobody happens to be around Yongen-Jaya this late.”

“Sharp as expected, Sakura-san. I can see why Akira-kun admires you so much. I’m here to talk about him, actually…something happened during our last session.”)

Tuesday, September 13th, After School

Makoto feels like screaming.

They’ve found the keywords to Okumura’s Palace -because of course it couldn’t be a simple Mementos Shadow, he has to have a Palace- but they can’t get past the first door because of some stupid lock that just. won’t. open.

Instead, she packs her bag, locks the student council room, ready to go home.

Between Phantom Thieves business, Principal Kobayakawa dying, Sae pressuring her about her grades and college entrance exams, Makoto is tired .

It’s fine though.

She’ll go home, brew herself a nice cup of tea then go over her notes. 

-Is that Kurusu?!

She turns around, and yes, that is Kurusu Akira, going up to the roof.

The off limits roof.

Great, more things to do.

She walks up the stairs, determined to stop whatever it is that he’s doing.

She pushes the door open, “Kurusu-kun! This area is off limits, you should know that. I have no idea what it is you’re doing here, but I must ask you to stop-”

Oh.

Okumura is here.

“Niijima-san. Is something the matter?”

Yes! 

So many things are the matter.

The fact that she’s spending so much time with Kurusu is one of them.

The fact that she’s up here on the roof alone with Kurusu is the biggest one of them.

“Well, yes, Okumura-san. The roof is off limits.”

Okumura stands closer to Kurusu, who has yet to speak a single word.

“We both have permission to be here. We tend to the plants.”

And yes, Makoto knows about Okumura having that permission, but Kurusu?

“I don’t think Kurusu-kun has the permission-”

“Niijima-san. I just told you. We both do. You can go ask Kawakami-sensei.”

This…it just doesn’t sit well with Makoto.

The idea of leaving Kurusu here, on the roof, rubs her off the wrong way.

You should listen.

She should not.

“Still, I’m afraid it’s getting quite late. Shouldn’t you head home, Kurusu-kun?”

Kurusu is pointedly looking at his feet, refusing to look at her.

Rude?!

“Niijima-san. I think you should go. You don’t need to worry about Aki-chan. We’re almost done, then I’ll accompany him home. I’m sure you have many things to take care of, especially now.”

The dismissal hurts, for reasons Makoto can’t even understand, but she supposes there’s nothing she can do.

“I see. In that case, take care, Okumura-san. Kurusu-kun.”

She turns on her heel and leaves the roof.

…she’ll ask Kawakami-sensei tomorrow about Kurusu.

Wednesday, September 14th, After School

Haru is trying her damned best to not let her frustration show on her face.

Father is not listening to her, Sugimura is being worse than ever, and Haru is just. 

So, so, sick and tired of it all.

Maybe that’s why when she spots Niijima, she decides that it’s about time she has a talk with the girl about the way she acts with Akira.

She’s about to do just that when she notices that she’s not alone.

…causing a scene, not only in front of her father’s office building but also in front of Niijima’s friends suddenly seems like too much.

Then again, Niijima didn’t care that she was calling out Akira for no reason in front of a friend yesterday.

Determined, Haru makes her way towards the group, ready to give Niijima a piece of her mind.

Except the world shifts.

The sensation -both new and familiar, both wrong and right- has her stumble on her feet and squeeze her eyes shut.

She opens them, and closes them again immediately.

Because there is no way she’s in outer space.

“Guys, isn’t that Okumura-senpai?”

There.

If there are students here, then she is not in outer space.

Except she opens her eyes and is met once again by the sight of an endless sea of stars.

And a group of cosplayers.

The one closest one to her, who is wearing a red latex costume, gives her a concerned look, “You’re Okumura-senpai, right? Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes that would be me. And thank you, I’m quite fine.”

If not for the fact that she’s still in outer space.

“Shit, you guys think we pulled her in when we activated the Nav?”

“Of course she ends up in her father’s Palace.”

Her…father’s?

“Well, we just push her out, then.”

“Don’t be stupid. Remember what happened last time? You pushed me out and I came back in immediately.”

“Oh yeah. Think she can do that?”

“It’s better not to risk it.”

“Guys, wait, wait, I have an idea. The biometric lock!”

“Oh, Oracle! You’re right!”

“Of course I am Mona!”

“Um…can I ask what’s going on?”

The girl in with the huge goggles and the really pretty orange hair grins at her, “Hoo boy! You’re in for a wild ten minutes, my dear.”

>>>---<<<

Futaba -yes, Futaba as in Sakura Futaba, Akira’s basically sister- was right.

It was indeed a wild ten minutes.

“So. You are the Phantom Thieves. This is my father’s Palace, which is to say a manifestation of how he sees Okumura Foods. And you access this place using an app, which you activated when I was nearby and it ended up pulling me along in this cognitive world you call Metaverse.”

Niijima nods, “That would  be right.”

“I see…and you say there is a lock that stops you from advancing, and you believe that I can open it?”

Futaba nods, “Correctamundo!”

“In that case, I’d be happy to help.”

“Wha- For real?”

“I was the one to submit the requests on the Phan-Site.”

The one in the kitsune mask nods, “I see.”

Takamaki -yes, Shiho-chan’s best friend- or well, Panther, looks at her team, “Anyone opposed to bringing Okumura-senpai with us?”

Niijima looks like she’s about to say something, but ultimately says nothing, which Haru is grateful for, because otherwise she’s sure she can’t be held accountable for what she tells the council president.

“In that case, Queen, Skull and Mona, you’re with me on the main team. Fox, you’re protecting Okumura-senpai.”

“Roger that.”

>>>---<<<

“And what are you doing here?”

Despite the…thing he has around her head, Haru immediately recognizes her father’s voice.

Yusuke moves slightly in front of her, while the rest of the team fall into a fighting stance.

Her father…he looks idiotic, to put it simply.

“I thought I told you not to associate with vulgar people.”

Then Sugimura shows up.

“Him?! Did- Did he come into the Palace too?”

Morgana shuffles closer to her, “Don’t worry, it’s not the real deal. He’s a cognition.”

Her father’s Shadow interrupts them, “And what are you mumbling about now. Haru, just what do you think you’re doing? Unless…these are the rumored Phantom Thieves, correct? I see, you’re handing them over to me as a plea for forgiveness!”

What?

“‘Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others.’ You truly embody the Okumura motto! Very well then, come, join me!”

“Why do you only think about gains and losses?! This is why the company has a bad reputation. You only treat people like they’re tools!”

Even me, she doesn’t say.

The Shadow scoffs, “To gain you must give. One must be resolved to give even more to be able to stand above others. We are on vastly different levels, and soon I will rise to a new stage- the political world! Okumura foods shall be the foundation of my victory!”

And doesn’t Haru know that.

It’s the whole reason why she’s engaged to the sleazy man that is Sugimura.

As if to answer her thoughts, her father’s cognitive version of Sugimura steps forward.

“Mr. Okumura, we don’t need a girl who’s been soiled by thieves and delinquents. Unless you make some compromises, I’m afraid I can’t introduce her to my father.”

“She needn’t be your lawful bride anymore. Take her as your lover, or whatever it is you desire.”

“That’s more like it. I accept.”

What.

“Bride?! Senpai, is that your fiancée?!”

Haru has no time to answer Ann, because hot, liquid rage is filling her veins.

She is done. Sick and tired of her father’s behavior.

“Lover?! I was raised under this company’s wealth, I even accepted a political marriage for you! This is nowhere near close to what we discussed! You’re willing to have me be that man’s plaything, only to satisfy your own ambitions?!”

“Why fret? You should be overjoyed! You’re fulfilling your role as a daughter of Okumura. This is the only value you’ve had from the very beginning.”

Okumura this, Okumura that, Haru thinks she has never come to hate a word as much as she despises the sound of her own last name.

“Now then. Why don’t we go back to my place? Let’s have some fun. I bet you let your delinquent friend have his way with you! Not to worry, I’ll play with you until I get bored! A high school fiancée…what a turn on!”

How…How dare he?!

How dare he, speaking that way of her first real friend.

How dare he, speaking of Akira in the first place?!

“So vulgar…”

“Senpai! Step away!”

“Wait, Panther! I think she’s about to awaken!”

“How dare you?!”

Before she could even come up with an answer, a scorching, head splitting headache has her on her knees.

I see you’ve finally made up your mind, my dear fated princess.

Freedom for you must stem from betrayal.

If you still yearn for it now, then you must not err.

Now, tell me…who shall you betray?

As if that’s even a question.

As if it has ever been one.

Ignoring the pain, Haru forces herself to her feet, “My heart has been set…you should know.”

Ah, that gaze! Finally, I can display my strength!

There’s something on her face.

There’s something on her face, and Haru wants it off now .

I am thou, and thou art I!

It hurts, it’s searing blinfìding hot pain, but Haru is sick and tired of her true self being stifled down, be it by people’s expectations, her father or her scumbag of a fiancée.

She is done playing nice.

Very well then. Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal!

She wrenches the accursed mask off of her face and throws it to the side, uncaring of the blood and the blue flames that immediately surround her.

She looks at the Shadow, and for the first time in years tells him what is truly on her mind, “Farewell, dear Father. I am no longer your subservient puppet.”

“Milady!”

Friday, September 16th, Evening

Shiho wants to say she’s surprised.

Of course the first time she visits LeBlanc, she doesn’t find Akira there.

And here she’d come to tell him something important.

(Something she’s put off for so long, but she’s moving in less than a month, and Akira’s the only one she hasn’t told yet.)

“So you’re Suzui-chan, hmm?”

Shiho nods, taking yet another sip of the amazing coffee, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sakura-san.”

“Same here. Sorry the kid ain’t here. He said he had to pick up a shift at the flower shop, but…He should have been back by now…”

“No worries, I’ll wait.”

Her parents won’t be that happy, but it’s fine, she can deal with that later.

Right now, her priority is Akira.

Akira, who walks in right then.

Akira, who looks like death warmed over.

“Kid?! Akira, what happened!?”

Sakura-san’s by his side immediately, and Shiho curses her legs -not for the first time.

“Ah, Sojiro…”

Even from her seat on the counter, Shiho can see that he’s as pale as a sheet.

“Shit. Come on.” He holds Akira up and makes his way to the nearest booth. He turns to look at her, “Can you flip the sign to closed, please?”

Shiho nods and forces her legs to work with her.

She does as he asked her, before walking back in, stopping by Akira’s side.

Apparently he hadn’t noticed her, because as soon as he sees her he smiles -or well, tries to. “Shi’o. Didn’ see y’o ther’...”

“He’s…slurring his words.”

Which isn’t the smartest observation she’s ever made, but it’s better than nothing.

“Okay. Kid, you with me?”

Akira blinks, then nods, before shaking his head and pushing Sakura-san off of him.

“Wha- Akira?!”

Akira opens the restroom’s door violently, and not even a second later the small empty café is filled with the sound of violent retching.

Sakura-san goes after Akira, so Shiho decides to give them space and sits back at the counter.

A few minutes later, the pair walks out, and Akira -now without his glasses- drops himself on the stool next to her, his head falling on the counter loudly.

“Feeling better?”

Akira hums, “Kind of. Sojiro, can I have something for the headache?”

Ah, another migraine, then.

He’s been complaining about them even more often lately.

Back when she’d first met him, he’d get the once or twice a week at most, but now it seems that he’s constantly nursing one.

“Not on an empty stomach, kid.”

Akira groans, but doesn’t ask for food, which isn’t surprising considering he just spent the past five minutes throwing his guts up.

Akira turns to look at her, “What brings you here?”

Shiho knows she should tell him.

But how can she, when his steel gray eyes unfocused, looking at her from the counter he’s pressing his aching head against?

Sunday, September 17th, Evening

“Neither of us knows how to do this, Akechi-san. They’re our only option.”

Kasumi knows he knows this, but if the past two months have revealed anything about the Detective Prince is that he’s incredibly stubborn.

“I don’t like them, Yoshizawa-san. I don’t trust them with this.”

His protectiveness over Akira-senpai is incredibly cute and all, but it’s also kind of getting in the way right now.

They’re once again in the Opera House -their third visit-, and they’re discussing for the nth time whether to involve the Phantom Thieves or not.

Because apparently Akechi doesn’t know how to remove a Palace.

Which is weird, given his vast knowledge in everything else regarding the Metaverse, but hey.

“I get that you don’t like them, but Futaba-san and Haru-senpai care about Akira-senpai too. They’d want to help!”

Kasumi still remembers the shock when she saw Haru with the other thieves in Mementos the other day when she and Akechi had gone for a training session.

(Kasumi’s pretty sure Akechi finds her insistence to do those annoying. But he never says anything, so Kasumi’s not about to complain when he hasn’t. Yet. She has a feeling it’ll come soon.)

“I-”

You need to be convincing, violette.

“Then how about this? We tail them for a while. See how they operate. You’ll be able to decide for yourself if they’re competent.”

Which is a silly thing to say, because of course they are, they’ve taken down Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro and Medjed so far, not to mention the many requests on the site.

As much as she can’t agree with them, it’s undeniable that they’re doing good.

Akechi hums, “I suppose we might be able to learn how it is that they perform a change of heart…”

Oh.

That…that’s true…

“Exactly!”

Still, she really hopes they ask the Thieves for help.

Saturday, September 24th, Evening

Haru: My Father just scheduled a press conference for the 1st

Ann: Think he’ll confess?

Haru: I think so

Makoto: We’ll have to watch the conference and see

Haru: Everyone, thank you again. I’m sorry for asking you to do this

Yusuke: Given what he was doing, he would have probably ended up on our radar either way.

Futaba: Inari is right. No need to worry Noir

Haru: Still, I want to thank you all

Ryuji: Guys, what will we do to celebrate this time?

Ann: You’re already thinking about that?

Haru: Celebrate?

Ryuji: It’s tradition. After we finish a Palace, we go out to celebrate.

Haru: I see

Haru: In that case, how about Destinyland?

Ann: Destinyland .

Futaba: As in. Tokyo Destinyland. The Place where dreams come true. That Destinyland?

Haru: Indeed .

Haru: Is that not good?

Haru: There was a company party scheduled there on the 1st, but they’re going to cancel given Father’s press conference. I could ask them to keep it for us.

Ann: You mean we get the entire park to ourselves?!

Futaba: Rich people are on an entirely different level…

Ryuji: You can say that again…

Haru: But I want to invite someone else too, if it’s not a problem

Ann: We’re guests, we can’t really tell you no

Ann: Who did you have in mind?

Haru: Aki-chan and Shiho-chan. And Yoshizawa Kasumi, too

Ann: Oh! Shiho would love to come!

Futaba: Akira’s coming. I accept no complaints

Ryuji: Yoshizawa? The first year gymnast?

Haru: That would be her. 

Ann: Anyone not in favor?

Ann: Then it’s decided. Everyone say thank you to our amazing senpai!

Haru: There’s no need, really.

Saturday, October 1st, Evening

Shido: Well done. Okumura was getting too comfortable

Except Goro didn’t kill him.

He didn’t.

For once, he didn’t listen to that motherfucker’s orders and it still meant NOTHING ?!

DO HIS CHOICES MEAN NOTHING?

A knock breaks Goro out of his stupor, and he realizes that he’s made a mess.

The chair he’d been sitting on is on the floor, same with the now broken plates and the takeout he’d ordered.

“Akechi-san? Is everything okay?”

Right.

He can do this.

He puts on a hoodie and opens the door.

Nakahara-san, his neighbor, looks at him in concern mock concern, “Akechi-san. We heard a commotion…is everything okay?”

“Ah, my apologies. No need to worry, Nakahara-san. I merely lost my balance and the plates fell from my hand.”

“I see…well, take care then dearie.”

He nods stiffly and closes the door.

He must have set a failsafe plan

Of course he did.

Shido’s just that paranoid.

Of course he doesn’t trust anyone.

But the message means he either doesn’t know that Akechi didn’t kill Okumura or that he’s just stringing him along.

They’re both likely

His phone is vibrating.

Afraid that it’s Shido, Akechi immediately goes to check, only to see Yoshizawa’s name on his cracked screen.

“Akechi-san! Do you have any idea what happened?”

If he recalls, she’s currently in Destinyland with Akira, Okumura and the rest of the Thieves.

(Okumura who is now fatherless. Okumura who he would have made an orphan if not for Yoshizawa’s meddling and his Personas’ insistence.)

“I saw. How is Okumura-san holding up?”

“She left in a hurry…the Thieves all look worried. But…Okumura’s Shadow disappeared, so why is he dead?”

“It could be foul play. He was about to confess to things that would have put many people in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.”

Which is true.

Except it isn’t Shido’s usual type of foul play.

Akechi is Shido’s usual type of foul play.

But Goro didn’t pull the trigger on Okumura’s Shadow, he was nowhere near Okumura’s Shadow, instead watching the fight from afar with Yoshizawa.

“I guess that makes sense…I- I should go back to the others.”

“Yes, that would be for the best. We can talk more tomorrow. We’ll meet at the usual place.”

“Right. See you tomorrow.”

She hangs up.

Goro sets his phone on the table.

Detektif

Goro picks up the chair and sets it right.

Boy

Goro gathers the pieces of the broken plate and throws them in the trash along with the rest of his food.

Detektif

Goro calmly makes his way out, only his phone, key and wallet on him and takes the train.

I think you should go back home

Goro arrives in Shibuya station, pulls out his phone and activates the Nav.

The moment he’s in Mementos, he lets out the loudest scream he can muster.

“I GAVE HIM EVERYTHING! I DID EVERYTHING HE TOLD ME, KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE ALL IN THE NAME OF SOME IDIOTIC SUICIDAL REVENGE PLOT. I NEVER GAVE HIM REASON TO DOUBT ME. SO WHY? WHY? WHY!? WHY IS IT THAT HE HAD A FAILSAFE PLAN IN PLACE IN CASE I DIDN’T MAKE THE KILL? I WAS GOING TO. I WAS GOING TO KILL THAT PIECE OF GARBAGE WHO WAS WILLING TO SELL HIS GODDAMN DAUGHTER LIKE SHE’S NOTHING. HE DESERVED IT MORE THAN ANYTHING. SO WHY? WHY DIDN’T I?”

This merely goes to demonstrate that the jævel should never have been trusted

“YOU!”

Goro rips off his mask, and Loki hovers in front of him.

“YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT I DON’T. YOU BOTH DO!”

That would be correct

“THEN TELL ME!”

We cannot. As much as it pains us, we cannot speak of it unless you remember on your own.

“FUCKING BULLSHIT!”

Even his Personas betray him.

But that’s fine.

Akechi Goro never had anyone in the first place needed others.

He’ll deal with all of this -Kurusu, Shido, EVERYTHING- on his own terms.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 5th, Late Night

“So? What brings you back here, after all these years?”

“That’s a comprehensive study on the research you tried to shut down ‘all these years’ ago.”

“I know how to read! What I meant was, why are you bringing this to me now?”

“Oh, this is just a quick visit out of spite. I merely wanted to show you in person that I found the ‘concrete evidence’ you discontinued my research over.”

“...So it appears. I’ll admit, you’ve impressed me on that point, at least…But you and I both know that such praise does nothing now- all discussion is in the past. Why can’t you just let it stay there and move on?”

“Ah, no can do, professor. Cognitive psience has made too great an impact on this world to be abandoned like that.”

“What…what are you saying?”

“The psychotic-breakdowns incidents, the sudden changes of heart in adults that the Phantom Thieves claim to make. I’m nearly willing to call these events ‘concrete evidence’ of cognitive psience in action- how about you? And the person who has been pulling the strings all along? That would be Congressman Masayoshi Shido. He seems to be confessing to all sorts of crimes now that the Phantom Thieves have changed his heart. He took my research, stole it from me, and had others develop it for his own gain. He abused cognitive psience to induce politically motivated psychotic breakdowns. And you? You are heavily involved in all of that, aren’t you?”

“What do you plan on doing with me?!”

“Oh, nothing. As I said, this was a visit out of spite. That paper -my work- is going to change the world.”

“Change the world?! And where’s the money for that? You’re no Shido!”

“That paper is just the first step. I’ve learned how to change cognition, and not only on an individual scale, but for all of humanity! And I WILL do it, no matter how long it takes!”

"Enough of this! Get out of my office and never come back!”

“Wha- The…the sky, it’s-”

The time has come…

The time is finally at hand. I am the other you, dwelling in the realm of mankind’s hearts.

“Mankind’s hearts?”

You may have no knowledge of it, but I have been at your side for much longer than our current meeting. Your reality and the sea of hearts from which I came have become one. The time for your unjustly persecuted ideology is at hand.

-

“Thank you for coming.”

“What did you do to Sumire?!”

“Ah, she’s merely sleeping. I never had any intention of hurting her. Once her inner turmoil settles, I’ll have her remember life as she wishes for it.”

“Call it whatever you like- you’re merely brainwashing people for your own satisfaction.”

“I’m aware some might interpret it that way. But if that self-satisfaction leads to the happiness of others, wouldn’t you agree that’s the best outcome? Akira-kun, didn’t you go and see your friends- aren’t they happy?”

“I…”

“This reality is true. You merely have to accept that, Akira-kun, then you’ll finally be happy!”

“Akira.”

“Please! I want you to understand, Akira-kun. For their sake as well as your own.”

“Kurusu-”

“I know. I can’t accept this reality.”

-

“In all honesty, I really wanted you to accept my gift of your own free will. But I see that demanding a decision is only making you suffer. But you no longer have to worry, Akira-kun.”

“I’ll bring you your happiness.”

-

Takuto wakes up in a cold sweat, the… memories still fresh in his mind’s eye.

It appears you’ve regained your lost knowledge

Azathoth.

“I- what…What happened?”

After you put our favored one to sleep in an effort to spare him from further suffering, someone intervened and rewound time to the start of the school year. It appears no one recalls the events of the original timeline.

“Then-”

Personas come from the Sea of Souls, which exists outside of time and space. No matter how many times time folds on itself, we cannot forget. 

“And seeing as you and I are one in the same…”

On a subconscious level, you remembered as well. The memories were merely locked away.

Takuto runs a hand through his hair, trying to sort through the memories from the year that once was.

So many things have changed. 

What do you intend to do now?

What indeed.

Although, Takuto knows it’s not much of a question.

He’ll go through with this, no matter what it takes.

That had been his vow to Azathoth on that Christmas Eve, and it is his vow to his other self once again.

He will see this through.

Starting with one Kurusu Akira.

Friday, October 7th, Evening

“You didn’t have to come all the way here, Niijima-san.”

As she leads her to the living room, Niijima waves her off, “Haru-san, I already told you, you can call me Makoto.”

“Makoto-san, then.”

“And again, I don’t mind. Spending time with you, that is. I…I know what it’s like.”

She doesn’t explain, but Haru understands anyway.

Makoto only has her sister, after all.

“Isn’t it…I’m grieving a man who couldn’t care less for me. He was going to sell me off. And yet I find myself both resenting him and crying for him.”

“That’s understandable. No matter what he did to you, he was still your father.”

Haru thinks back to how he was, many years ago.

The man who loved his job.

The man who loved his daughter, who always made time to come see her ballet recitals, who always read her bedtime stories, who always helped her with homework.

The man who cared.

The man who she has been living with for the past few years is not that man.

“...my…my father died a long time ago. I think it would be more accurate that I’m grieving what could have been. Does…does that even make sense?”

Makoto hums, “Of course it does.”

And maybe it’s because she’s tired, after days of dealing with funeral arrangements, emergency meetings, suddenly finding herself the biggest shareholder of a company she was never meant to inherit.

Or maybe it’s just the fact that for some reason, she feels like she can trust Niijima Makoto with anything.

“And yet…I find myself still resenting him. If only…if only he hadn't let greed blind and consume him, then maybe none of this would have happened. But no, he wanted more and more, and lost himself in the process. He…He was going to sell me!”

The moment the first sob leaves her lips, Makoto’s arms are wrapped around her.

And Haru lets herself cry in the embrace of this girl who confuses her so much.

This brilliant and dedicated girl, crushed under others’ expectations, who is somehow a hypocrite for not seeing Akira’s situation for what it is.

This girl who protects fiercely, loves dearly, and fights passionately.

This girl who is nice and frustrating and cute and clueless and a dork and so many other things.

But right now, in the more empty than ever Okumura estate, Niijima Makoto is the rock Haru clings to in the storm that is her grief.

Sunday, October 9th, Daytime

Makoto had imagined stumbling upon the infamous Black Mask in the Metaverse multiple times.

It was inevitable, really.

So she always made sure to be careful when driving, keeping her eyes on the road and looking out for anything amiss.

She…never expected to meet not one person but two right at the entrance of Mementos.

And to make matters worse, they both have black masks.

The redhead takes a step closer, “Phantom Thieves. I have a request.”

The other one rolls his eyes, “This is a waste of time, Yoshizawa.”

Yoshizawa?!

“Kasumi-chan?!”

Haru, who was standing behind Makoto until a second ago, now walks up to the redhead, who pushes her mask up and…yep, that’s Yoshizawa Kasumi alright.

“Sorry I never told you anything, Haru-senpai!”

She bows down, and Haru is quick to reassure her.

“No need to apologize, Kasumi-chan! It’s fine, really!”

Futaba perks up -ah, she was hiding behind Yusuke at the back of the group-, “Wait, if that’s Kasumi, then…”

They all turn their attention to the other boy, but Makoto can’t make out any distinguishable feature, what with his visor in the way.

At Yoshizawa’s pointed look, he scoffs, muttering under his breath before pushing his mask up as well.

“Akechi?!”

The Thieves all break into murmurs, from Ryuji who swears he knew something was off from the start to Ann shushing him, but Makoto can’t focus on that.

All she can think about is that she has a bad feeling about this.

Ann, taking up the leader role, takes a step forward.

“You said you have a request. What is it.”

Akechi looks at Yoshizawa, but when she makes no move to explain, rolls his eyes and looks straight at them.

“We want your help. There’s someone we know who has a Palace, and we want to change his heart.”

Ann tilts her head to the side, “And who would that be?”

“Kurusu Akira.”

“Akira-kun?!”

“Wait, for real? Akira?”

“Akira?”

“Aki-chan?”

The only ones who say nothing are Futaba and Morgana.

And Ann seems to have picked up on it.

Before she could speak, Akechi beats her to it.

“You don’t seem surprised, Sakura-san.”

Futaba flinches, takes in a breath before looking at Akechi.

“I knew. Both me and Mona did.”

They what?!

She knew Kurusu had a Palace and said nothing?!

…actually, Futaba did say something.

Back in July, when they were discussing the possibility of going after Kurusu, she had told them to either leave him alone or to deal with Medjed on their own.

But no, Makoto witnessed Futaba’s awakening first hand.

She must have told them off out of genuine care for Kurusu.

(She doesn’t think of how she’s been keeping from the Thieves the existence of Sae’s Palace, despite her sister being lead investigator in their case for a month now.)

“I see.”

Yoshizawa turns her attention back to Ann, “Senpai, will you help us? I’m really worried about Akira-senpai…”

Before Ann could reply, Makoto interrupts her, "Why would we trust you?"

"Queen?"

"No, think about it Panther. Kurusu has a history, he's been a potential target of ours for months and now these two come in, they are clearly familiar with the Metaverse, and they both have a black mask."

It's just logic.

She's the team strategist. She's the brain, because Ann is far too kind. 

"Black Mask?"

Yoshizawa seems genuinely confused, while Akechi simply raises an eyebrow.

Makoto crosses her arms, shifting her posture to look more confident, "Past targets have all mentioned another Metaverse user who has been making a profit by using it. We believe them to be the culprit of the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns."

Yoshizawa immediately shakes her head, "I awakened to Cendrillon in July. I didn’t even know the Metaverse existed before then."

For some reason, Makoto’s inclined to believe her.

So, she turns her attention to Akechi, who tksk before answering her silent question, "I had my awakening two years ago."

Two years ago, right when the incidents started.

Ann turns to look at her, “Queen…you don’t think-”

"But it can’t be him! When President Okumura's Palace collapsed, we were together."

Which doesn’t mean much, since Makoto still has her suspicions about the redhead too. 

“I didn’t say it was him. I’m merely looking at the-”

"That's enough, Queen."

Haru's voice is cold, and her glare is piercing.

Makoto feels like she somehow failed.

Like she just broke a really important promise.

But she's only speaking facts. She's looking at things objectively, something none of the other Thieves can do.

They’re all somehow attached to Kurusu, so it’s her job to be the third party.

So why does she feel like she’s making a big mistake?

"Noir-"

Ann rests a hand on Makoto’s shoulder, making her stop.

What was she going to say, anyway?

Apologize?

And what for?

Ann addresses the other two Persona-users, "We have a strict policy when it comes to targets."

Akechi scoffs, and Yoshizawa gives him an odd look before turning back to Ann.

"Which is?"

"It has to be unanimous. Otherwise, we don’t act."

Akechi rolls his eyes and scoffs, "Then put it to vote."

Makoto never liked Akechi.

(Stubbornly, she tells herself it is not jealousy. No, she isn’t jealous of the way Sae seems to be spending more time with him than her. She’s not.)

Ann turns to look at the team, "Are we going to accept their request or not? Will we change Kurusu Akira's heart?"

Futaba and Haru immediately raise their hands, followed by Yusuke and Morgana. Ryuji and Ann also don’t hesitate to raise their hands.

Leaving only Makoto. 

The feeling of eight pairs of eyes on her has her squirming.

She's just being rational, so why is everyone looking at her like she's the criminal?

You should trust your teammates’ judgment.

Johanna has never led her astray before.

And if her Persona, who is ultimately a part of herself, is telling her to do this, then maybe a part of Makoto does indeed want to help Kurusu.

So, she raises her hand.

Tuesday, October 11th, After School

Morgana really isn’t surprised that Akira has a Palace.

Back when the others had gone to Hawaii, he and Futaba had checked his name on the MetaNav and gotten a hit.

So while he was certain the boy had a Shadow, and suspected the distortion was severe enough to form its own cognitive space, they never checked beyond that.

Maybe it was cowardice.

Still, being aware of the possibility doesn’t mean that having someone outright say it makes it easier.

“Ah, you’re back.”

Which means that they’re at LeBlanc, so Morgana pokes out of the bag, resting his paws on Akira’s shoulder.

“Oh right, it’s your turn with the cat.”

Akira hums, but doesn’t say anything as he walks up to the attic.

…did something happen between him and Boss?

Akira sets the bag down before making a beeline for the bed.

Morgana jumps out, and he can’t help but mutter, “What is up with you today?”

When he reaches the foot of the bed, Akira turns to look at him, his face mushed against the pillow.

“Sorry Morgana…I’m not really in the mood for much…”

Yeah, that much was obvious.

With a sigh, Morgana jumps up, landing right next to Akira’s head.

Or well, close enough that his fur tickles the boy’s face, if the way he scrunches up his nose and pushes himself up is anything to go by.

Akira looked like he was about to say something, but whatever it is ends up interrupted by the phone’s ringing.

And Morgana would have bet an entire plate of fancy tuna that Akira was not going to pick up, but with a sigh that no sixteen years old should make, he grabs the phone and brings it to his ear.

“Yes?”

“Ah…I forgot, sorry. I’m already home, so I hope it’s not a problem if we reschedule?”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon then.”

With that, he hangs up, and drops back on the bed.

“I’m tired.”

Morgana silently curls up under his hand, and Akira immediately starts running his hand through his fur.

Not for the first time, he curses his current form.

If he were human, he could do so much more for Akira.

…not that Akira lets those around him do much.

It’s almost like he’s blind to the love and care of the people in his life.

Well , Morgana thinks grimly, we’ll make you better, Akira. Just you wait.

Zorro’s laugh in approval only strengthens the determination in Morgana’s small heart.

>>>---<<<

Morgana is really glad Akira always leaves the window open for him, in case he wants to take a stroll.

Which is exactly what he’s doing now.

Even if that stroll is meeting up with Futaba who just left LeBlanc after dinner- she managed to get Akira to eat the damn plate, Morgana has no idea how she does it- to go and meet the other Thieves.

Apparently, him and Futaba are the last to arrive, because they find even Yoshizawa and Akechi waiting for them with the others.

“Sorry guys, had to basically shove the curry down Akira’s throat.”

Yoshizawa’s eyes widen, “Futaba-chan!”

“Hey, I got him to eat!”

Before the discussion could spiral any further, Ann clears her throat.

“Focus guys. We’re here for a reason. We won’t stay long today. This is just a first visit, especially since it’s evening. We don’t need to worry anyone. Having said that, the operation to steal Kurusu Akira’s heart begins.”

Akechi pulls out his phone, and is about to activate the MetaNav when Futaba interrupts him.

“Wait!”

At Akechi’s raised eyebrow, she shifts her weight from one foot to the other but continues, “His keywords. What…what are they?”

The detective looks at her for a few seconds before sighing and turning his phone for them all to see.

Name: Kurusu Akira

Location: Everywhere

Distortion: Opera House

They all fall silent at the words on the screen.

Everywhere and Opera House…did…

Did Akira feel like he constantly had to act?

‘I’m tired’ 

…for some reason, Morgana feels like he’s failed.

At what, he has no idea.

The others must have told Akechi to go ahead and activate the Nav, because he feels reality shift and soon finds himself standing upright, Zorro more present and ready to aid.

The sight of the others in their Thieves attire sends a pang through his small heart, because the idea of Akira immediately perceiving them as threats doesn’t sit too well with him.

His eyes are immediately drawn to their newest additions and… oh damn.

“Damn! You too sure are strong! I was worried you’d be a little less experienced Kasumi, but it seems you’re going to be just fine. In fact, you’re a few levels ahead of some of us.”

Morgana completely agrees with Futaba.

They’re both strong.

Akechi is clearly their strongest fighter now.

Ann clears her throat, “Codenames.”

Kasumi tilts her head to the side in confusion, “Codenames?”

“We don’t know exactly what the effects of shouting our names in someone’s Palace can be, so we each have a codename. I’m Mona,” then he points at each Thief, “Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle and Noir.”

Akechi scoffs while Kasumi claps her hands, “That sounds exciting!”

Futaba smirks, “So we need to come up with a codename for you both!”

Akechi sighs, and Morgana has to suppress a laugh at the resigned look on his face, “In that case, how about…” he trails off, almost as if someone was speaking to him, before continuing, “How about Crow?”

It’s…it feels right, for some reason.

Just like every single other name for the others has so far.

Like they were always going to assume that name, and there was never another option.

“Crow, huh?” Futaba hums to herself, “Yes, I like it! In that case, Kasumi?”

The girl shifts her weight from one foot to the other, “Uhm…” 

She seems hesitant, and Morgana’s really curious about what name she has in mind.

She nods to herself, but doesn’t look at any of them when she says, “Violet.”

And again, it feels right for no reason at all.

The others seem to like it just fine, so they all turn to look at the Palace in front of them.

A Palace that is admittedly beautiful.

They’re a little far from the entrance, but even from here he can see that the big door is intricate with detailed designs.

What really has his attention though is the fountain.

It’s a simple one, but the water streams coming out of it in intervals are truly a sight to behold.

Yusuke’s hands twitch at his side, and Morgana’s pretty sure he’s itching for a sketchbook.

“Crow, Violet and Noir, you guys are with me on the front team. Fox, Queen and Mona stay sharp.”

With a nod at Panther’s order, they all start making their way to the entrance.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the most spectacular show in the history of the Opera of Lies and Deception! Please put your hands up for our protagonist, the star of the endless solo of solitude, the unwanted child, Kurusu Akira!’

…Morgana has no doubt in his mind this is going to be one of the hardest Palaces yet.

Once they walk past the fountain, they spot a ticket stand that wasn’t visible from their previous position.

“Huh…it doesn’t say sold out…”

So the Palace is changing…that can’t be good.

“Come one come all! Tickets are about to sell out! Come on, come all, and visit the Opera House!”

Ann turns to look at Akechi, “Do we need a ticket to enter?”

Akechi sighs, “I suppose so? Although, the ticket stand was empty every time I came before. There was no one to stop me or Yoshizawa-san from entering.”

“Panther, there’s no need to risk raising the security level on our first visit. Let’s try talking to that Shadow. It doesn’t look like it’ll attack us.”

Nodding at Futaba, Ann approached the ticket stand.

“OH! YOU!”

…maybe they’re going to have to fight after all?

“We’ve been waiting for you! Here, these are your tickets!”

The Shadow immediately walks out of the booth, and they all tense, ready for a battle, but the Shadow merely gives each one of them a ticket before shutting down the stand, shouting “ALL TICKETS SOLD OUT!” and leaving.

…well that’s something.

He looks down, curious to see what it is that the tickets say.

Opera of Lies and Deception

V.I.P. TICKET, RANG 3

I - LE BATELEUR

…what?

He turns around and finds the others looking at their tickets with equally puzzled expressions, and not for the first time curses his height.

“Panther! Can I see what’s on yours?.”

“Huh? Uh, sure.”

She hands him the ticket, and Morgana wishes he could make heads or tails of the stuff written on it.

Opera House of Lies and Deception

V.I.P. TICKET, RANG 4

VI - L’AMOUREUX

“Uhm…guys? Do any of you know what it says?”

Akechi huffs, “It’s French. Unfortunately my knowledge of the language is rather limited…”

The others all turn to look at Ann, who grimaces, “Sorry guys, only English and Spanish here.”

Haru clears her throat, “Allow me, then. Mine says it’s a V.I.P. ticket of rank six. It’s labeled as Empress.”

She kneels down next to him, and Morgana really shouldn’t have favorites but Ann and Haru definitely are his favorites out of the Thieves.

“Mona-chan, yours is labeled as ‘Magician’, I think.”

She reads them all off before turning to look at the last one, Makoto.

Who has a complicated look on her face.

“May I see yours, Queen?”

The brunette huffs, “There’s no point.”, but she still hands her the ticket.

“Oh…”

Makoto doesn’t look at any of them, “Yeah. It’s blank. It only has the location and ‘V.I.P. ticket’ written on.”

…Morgana’s sure that there is a reason, and that they’re sure to find it later on, so he clears his throat.

“Come on guys, we’ve got nothing to do here. Let’s go inside already.”

And that’s just what they do.

The hall they walk in is a fancy big one, like the ones in the castle of that series Lady Ann was watching the other night when her favorite telenovela got canceled.

They’re greeted by yet another Shadow, who just like the first lights up at their sight.

“Oh! Oh! The V.I.P. guests are here! Go on to the Ball Room! Our star is waiting there! Hurry, hurry, the Ball has already started!”

Morgana can only assume that ‘our star’ refers to Akira’s Shadow.

…the idea of coming face to face with the Shadow of the boy he had left sleeping in LeBlanc’s attic doesn’t sit well with him.

Akechi addresses the Shadow, a look Morgana can’t even begin to read on his face as he speaks, “And what’s the occasion to host a Ball?”

The Shadow blinks, almost as if surprised at the question, before giving the detective a hollow smile, “Why, it’s to celebrate our star’s grand performance!”

With a sigh, Akechi turns to look at Ann, “Shall we head to the Ball Room then? It’s up the right staircase.”

At Ann’s nod, they all move up the immense golden staircase, and Morgana really tires not to laugh at the way Makoto is basically dragging up a Yusuke who had frozen at the entrance, staring up at the huge -and beautiful- chandelier.

When the Shadow had said ‘ball’, Morgana hadn’t expected much.

Maybe, given the extravaganza that they’ve seen from this place so far, he should have.

The very big room, lined by floor to ceiling windows and even some stained glass windows, is full of people.

They’re all cognitions of people they don’t recognize, not that it matters anyway because they’re all faceless.

And they all seem to be dancing around the two figures in the center.

As if drawn to them, Morgana -and he’s distantly aware of the Thieves following , but he pays them no mind- drifts towards the apparent stars of the ball.

It’s a man and a woman, and one look at their appearance is enough to understand whose cognitions they are.

Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu.

Mrs. Kurusu is wearing a really nice blue and white dress, with an ample skirt and intricate designs, while her husband was wearing a typical french gentlemen attire, with a white dress shirt underneath a black waistcoat, accompanied by a pair of black pants.

It’s quite obvious that Akira got most of his looks from his mother, who’s hair is the copy of her son’s, simply longer and slightly more held together.

“Are these…Senpai’s parents?”

Akechi doesn’t tear his gaze away from them when he talks, “The real question is why they’re the ones in the spotlight. Isn’t this ball to ‘celebrate the star’s grand performance’?”

Which is a more than valid question.

Where is Akira’s Shadow?

Suddenly the two dancing cognitions stop, and everyone around them stops to clap.

“Lovely as always, Mrs. Kurusu!”

“Mr. Kurusu is such a lovely man, holding his wife so gently and lovingly!”

“Truly, they’re the perfect couple!”

“True! The model family!”

Except there’s one member missing in this family, Morgana wants to shout.

The music picks up again, yet another waltz, and everyone starts dancing again.

“...is…is that Akira’s Shadow?”

Morgana turns to look at where Futaba is pointing, and oh- she’s right.

Right up there, on a balcony up high, sitting all alone on what looks like a throne, is Kurusu Akira’s Shadow self in all his glory.

(He looks sad. And lonely.)

The Shadow seems to have spotted them as well, if the way he perks up before standing up is anything to go by.

“You’ve finally arrived! I was getting quite worried, mes chers voleurs!”

As he speaks, he jumps down from the balcony, and some cognitions stop, stare at him before murmuring amongst themselves.

It reminds Morgana of the murmurs that seem to always follow Akira in Shujin, but the Shadow seems to pay them little heed as he walks to them.

“I see you’ve reached a decision, détective. That’s good to know.”

Before Akechi could reply, the Shadow turns to address all of them, bowing with a dramatic flair, a smirk on his face, “Well then, my dear Phantom Thieves, I welcome you to this Opera House!”

Wednesday, October 12th, Evening

“I…”

Akira grimaces, unsure of how to continue.

Shiho’s leaving.

It was pretty obvious that she would.

Why would she go back to Shujin?

Hell, Akira would leave Shujin if he could.

You know, since he’s now apparently the reason Kobayakawa died, even if he was all the way in Hawaii when the principal was hit by that truck.

But it still has to somehow be his fault.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, Akira.”

Shiho’s sitting at the counter, sipping a cup of coffee Akira brewed for her himself.

She…

Well, she looks better.

Better than she did when he first met her, better than she did when he first started visiting her at the hospital, better than when she’d be crying after physical therapy.

Better.

“It’s fine.”

Except it isn’t. Don’t lie to her.

It is.

Don’t lie to yourself either.

Instead of answering the voice, he turns his attention back to his friend, “So, when will you leave?”

Shiho looks down at the coffee in her cup.

“Well…It was supposed to be this Sunday…but something came up, so we’re leaving at the end of the month.”

“I see…”

They both fall silent, and Akira really wishes he could say something, but…

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

Yes.

“Of course not. I’d be mad at you if you stayed. I’m sure Ann-san agrees with me.”

Shiho huffs, “Speaking of Ann…There’s…there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell her. But…I don’t know if I should. I-”

Her hand’s trembling, so Akira reaches out and gently takes the cup to put it down.

“Shiho. It’s okay.”

“I-...I let him take so much from me, Akira. He’s taken my love for volleyball, my body, my will to live, my ability to play, my happiness, I don’t want him to take anything else from me!”

She clenches her fists, stubbornly looking down in a clear effort to keep the tears at bay.

Akira says nothing, lets her speak out because he has a feeling she really needs to get this off of her chest.

“He forced himself onto me, and now I’m scared that if-” she trails off, looking unsure for a second before shaking her head and looking at him. 

Akira has never seen a more heart wrenching sight.

“I love her so much, Akira, but I’m scared that I won’t be good enough for her, and it’ll be his fault. I want to kiss her, and hold her, and hug her and do so many things with her, but I’m so scared it’ll remind me of what he did to me, and Ann doesn’t deserve that! She deserves so much better than a broken girl.”

When she falls silent, shaking silently with her sobs, Akira goes around the counter and gently puts his hand on her shoulder.

“I…I wish I could help you, Shiho.”

He really, really does.

Because Ann loves her, and she knows that Shiho’s not perfect, but isn’t that the point of love?

Wanting to be there for each other no matter what?

Wanting to stick around even when the other person is at their lowest?

(Not that Akira would know. He’s never been loved, anyway.)

“But…I think you should tell her. Ann knows you. She’s been with you every step of the way.”

Because that’s love too.

He knows for a matter of fact that Ann was there for every single physical therapy session Shiho had to go through.

He knows she’s been there, in the aftermath of it all, and he’s sure there is no other place she’d rather be than at Suzui Shiho’s side.

They’re lucky, he thinks bitterly.

To love each other so much, so unconditionally.

Saturday, October 15th, Evening

Goro is tired.

He is so, so tired.

Tired, and anxious, and paranoid, and afraid and worried and-

Still, he stays right where he is.

At a barstool in LeBlanc, nursing a cup of coffee and forcing himself to read the book his English Literature teacher had assigned.

Ever since the visit to Kurusu’s Palace with the Thieves, he’s been meaning to see the teen himself, but these two days have been a whirlwind of work and homework.

So, here he is, enjoying a cup Sakura made him -as if he didn’t kill his best friend, the mother of his daughter- and waits for Kurusu to come back.

It’s around twenty minutes and another cup -he is definitely not sleeping now, not that he had any intention to- later that he walks in.

“Welcome back,” is Sakura’s gruff greeting, and Goro can’t help but think of his own empty apartment with no one to welcome him back after a long day.

Kurusu raises an eyebrow at him, and Goro gives a smile that he’ll never admit is not forced.

“Welcome home, Kurusu-kun. I hope that you don’t mind me intruding once again.”

Kurusu puts down his bag, and Morgana comes out, gives Goro an odd look before shaking his head in an unnerving way and going up.

“You know you’re always welcome here, Akechi.”

Imagine that, a place where he’s always wanted.

Would Kurusu even look at him if he knew he’s the one who orphaned the girl he loves like a sister?

( Yes , both Robin and Loki say, but Goro pays them no mind.)

“Glad to hear that. I just got off work now, and I assume you had a long day as well? I hope you’re not planning anything strenuous tonight.”

Kurusu smirks, “Asking me what my plans are? Just what are you planning?”

The flirting is nowhere near annoying as it should be.

It’s…familiar, somehow.

“Not much. I was wondering if you were available to talk over some of Boss’ coffee.”

Before Kurusu could reply, Sakura shakes his head, “I’m not exactly complaining, but if you are so tired, I think a bath would do you more good than a coffee. The bathhouse is right there.”

The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them, and Goro blames it on the lack of sleep, “A bathhouse? That doesn’t sound too bad…” despite already knowing the answer, he turns to look at Kurusu, “What do you think?”

“I’d go anywhere you asked me, Akechi.”

Goro really tries not to react to the bold statement, but it’s harder to do when Sakura chokes on the other side of the counter and Morgana yells “God, Akira! That was terrible!” from the attic.

“Well then, we’re going to the bathhouse.”

Which is how around ten minutes later he finds himself with Kurusu sitting in the luckily empty bath.

It’s…nice.

Relaxing.

Without thinking, he sighs, “This is wonderful…It’s been a while…”

Kurusu looks at him with an intrigued expression on his face, “A while?”

Goro has no idea what compels him to say what he says next.

Maybe it’s the relaxed atmosphere.

Maybe it’s the fact that both Robin Hood and Loki seem to be at ease, quietly sitting at the back of his mind.

Maybe it’s Kurusu himself, who’s looking at him with those gray doe eyes that are now not confined behind the horrid glasses he always wears.

The thing is, Goro is more honest than he has ever been with anyone when he says, “I used to frequent one when I was younger. It might not seem like it, but…Well, I wasn’t always the Detective Prince. My family situation was…complicated. My mother was all I had.”

He falls silent, thinking of the cognitive versions of Kurusu’s parents and wonders how his home life is.

Definitely not good if they shipped him off to Tokyo.

“My mother…she worked at a nightclub. Whenever she had to bring a man home, she’d send me to the local bathhouse.”

Kurusu falls silent, looking as if he’s carefully choosing his words.

“...You’ve been through a lot”, is what he settles on.

Weirdly, it doesn’t feel like patronizing pity.

“It’s in the past. And I have no reason to blame her either. The only one to blame is my father. I wanted to force him to give her the apology she deserves, but…that’s no longer possible.”

He knows the implication is obvious.

“I’m…I’m sorry to hear that.”

Goro shakes his head, “The one who should be saying sorry is that worthless degenerate piece of-”

He cuts himself off, and curses himself for slipping so much.

He’s about to apologize for the language, but when he looks up Kurusu is smiling.

“It’s refreshing. To see you be…you.”

“Wha- Kurusu, you-”

The boy has the audacity to chuckle at that, “We’re naked in a bath less than two feet apart. I think you can call me Akira. I’d…much rather you call me that, actually.”

“I-”

He shouldn’t.

Goro knows he’s getting too attached, and now that it’s only a matter of time before Shido finds out he disobeyed a direct order, it’s better to not spend too much time with Kurusu, to not get too close lest he paint a giant red target in the middle of the boy’s forehead.

“Please? I…being called Kurusu, it reminds me of my parents, I guess.”

And because Goro is a manipulative bastard first and foremost, he immediately takes the opportunity.

“If I may…what are they like, your parents?”

Akira sighs, leaning back and avoiding Goro’s eyes altogether.

“They’re nice people.”

Goro has to really fight the scoff that wants to leave his mouth.

“My mom, she’s a teacher at the local elementary school. My dad is a doctor at the hospital. Everyone in town knows them…they’re loved by everyone.”

So, news of Akira’s arrest must have spread fast.

It also explains why their cognitions were in the spotlight.

“But that’s enough talking about me, detective.”

And god, the way he says detective, it’s so similar to the way his Shadow purrs it.

It just goes to prove that the Shadow is Akira, and not a distorted beyond recognition version of him like most Palace Rulers are.

“We’re here to relax, so let’s do just that.”

Deciding to play along, if only to take Akira’s mind off of his parents, he asks, “Are you okay? I heard people can get dizzy from long baths.”

As expected, Akira takes the distraction, “I’ll stay until you’re ready.”

For some reason, Goro feels like Akira’s statement holds a meaning much deeper than simply waiting for Goro to be done with his bath.

Pointedly, he ignores it.

(He also ignores the disapproval coming from both Loki and Robin.)

Saturday, October 16th, Very Late Night

It’s raining.

Her sister is walking ahead of her, a yellow umbrella in her hand and a spring in her step.

Her sister’s saying something, but she can’t bring herself to listen.

It’s always the same thing.

They practice the same amount, they put in the same effort, so why is it that it’s only her sister who manages to reach the top of the world?

Why is it that it’s her sister that people want?

She’s tired.

So tired of everything.

Her sister reaches out, and she feels the consuming need to be left alone possess her.

So, she runs ahead, through the crowd of people, uncaring of who she pushes away.

She hears her sister call out to her, but all it does is make her want to get away more.

Her sister will never understand.

Between the two of them, it’s quite obvious who it is that’s better.

Be it at gymnastics or whatever.

No one really cares about-

“SUMIRE!”

She feels someone push her, and she falls to the ground, landing hard against the wet asphalt.

Her sister is lying on the ground.

Her sister is lying on the ground in a growing pool of her own blood.

Her sister is dead.

Kasumi is dead-

-

Sumire wakes up in a cold sweat.

Chapter Text

Saturday, October 16th, Very Late Night

Calm yourself, violette

“How am I supposed to do that?!”

She’s-

She’s Yoshizawa Sumire.

She’s been living as her sister for months .

She’s Yoshizawa Sumire, and she’s the reason Yoshizawa Kasumi is dead.

Ce n’est pas vrai

Cendrillon, I swear-

Wait.

“Violette. You always called me that, you- you knew?”

Oui. 

Sumire runs a hand through her hair- her red hair, Kasumi’s has always been more brown than red- and sighs.

She…

She can’t.

She can’t do this.

She can’t live like this, she wants to go back to the ignorant bliss that had been her life for the past few months, but…

She feels like she’d be breaking a vow, were she to do that.

A promise to…

…she doesn’t remember to who, or why, or even what the promise is.

Just that if she were to willingly blind herself once again and go back to believing she’s Kasumi, she’d be going back on her word.

But-

There are no buts here, my dear violette

You have allowed yourself to live a lie for far too long already

Cendrillon is right, of course she is, but…

How is she supposed to go back?

Why would she even go back to being Sumire, when clearly no one cared…?

You and I both that’s not true

Do you think your sister would have wanted this for you?

Of course not, because Kasumi is just that perfect.

Is that the only reason?

It-

It…isn’t.

She knows it isn’t.

As much as she wants to blind herself to that truth, Sumire knows Cendrillon is right.

The midnight bells are still so far, and the ball has only just begun, so I ask.

Whose glass slippers are you going to walk, ma très chère violette?

>>>---<<<

“Good morning Sumire.”

Her father’s greeting has her lip wobble and her eyes turn misty.

Gods, she can’t even imagine what it must have been like for him, losing one daughter only to have one turn to delusions right after.

“Hi dad…”

He looks at her, giving the glasses a long look, and Sumire can see the way he looks almost afraid to ask if she’s…herself.

“I’m…I’m sorry, dad.”

He turns to look at her, “And what for?”

She can’t meet his eyes.

Not…not when she’s responsible for the death of his daughter.

“About Kasumi. I- I’m sorry.”

She knows it must sound so weird.

Having her suddenly apologize, so many months after the accident -and oh, she’s been living like this for almost seven months, she can’t imagine what it’s been like for her parents-, but her father simply pulls her in for a hug.

“I’m just glad you’re here, Sumire. I love you, you know? So, so much.”

And Sumire simply breaks down in tears in her father’s warm embrace, Cendrillon’s hum of approval in the back of her head filling her with a sense of…

Relief.

Sunday, October 16th, Morning

“I…see?”

He cringes at how that comes out.

But in his defense, he doesn’t think there’s an exact guide for how to react when a close friend of yours tells you she’s been living as her dead twin sister for the past seven months.

“I’m so sorry Senpai, this must be so awkward for you…”

Immediately, he shakes his head, “No, no, it’s not. I mean- it’s…I’m…This isn’t about me. Are- Are you okay?”

Sumire -does she want to be called Sumire now? he supposes she does, since she invited him out to tell him this- looks down at the hands in her lap.

They’re sitting on a bench at Inokashira Park, and Akira can’t help but think back to that day back in May when she’d insisted on eating her lunch with him.

“I’m feeling so conflicted. On one hand, I want to hide and run from this again, and go back to living as Kasumi. On the other, I…”

She trails off, and Akira waits for her to gather her thoughts.

“I feel like if I were to do that, I’d be betraying myself, somehow. I’d be betraying Kasumi as well. I spent so long living my life, almost as if I didn’t care that my sister is dead! How horrible is that?!”

She takes off her glasses, rubs at her eyes as tears stream down her cheeks, “I feel so…lost. But…a part of me, a very loud part of me, knows that I can’t go back to being Kasumi. That’s…that’s why I told you this. So that I won’t run from this anymore. I…I need to face this. I made so many people worry about me for so long. When she saw me this morning my coach pulled me to the side and told me she’s glad I finally figured out who I am. She must have been so concerned, seeing me try to be Kasumi for months. She…she told me that it’s not an uncommon trauma response. She researched this, because I made her worry. Not to mention my parents, I-”

She falls silent, before shaking her head and putting her glasses on once again.

“I’m going to make a promise, Senpai. And I need you here, so that you can help me keep it.”

And Akira can only nod.

Nod, and wonder why Sumire is trusting him so much.

Why Sumire came to him first, why she’s telling him this, why she’s giving him so much of herself.

He doesn’t deserve it.

He’d just ruin it.

(“I am myself! I’ll never forget that again!”)

But he can tell how much this means to her, so he nods, and Sumire gives him a small smile that feels so genuine it makes Akira’s heart hurt.

“I’m going to live as Yoshizawa Sumire, then. I won’t let myself go back.”

Sunday, October 16th, Afternoon

Ann has so many mixed feelings about this Palace.

She almost had half a mind to call off the infiltration today after Sumire -she’s still trying to wrap her head around that one- shared her story, but the girl insisted, saying that helping Akira is important to her.

So that’s how she found herself leading Violet, Crow and Fox through the Opera House.

Or well, she would be, if not for the fact that as soon as they stepped in, they were attacked by a Skuld who put Yusuke to sleep, with Dormina spell.

“Inari’s vulnerable! Someone cover him!”

Now, Ann had expected the Shadows to be stronger here. 

But as she summons Carmen to cast an Agidyne, she can’t help but think that maybe they should train more, maybe go to Mementos.

Then again, she watches Akechi summon Loki and cast Laevateinn, killing the Shadow, so maybe they don’t have that much to worry about.

“Damn Crow, you obliterated that poor Shadow.”

The detective scoffs, “It was a weakling. The fact that you were struggling with it is quite worrying.”

Before the two of them could start an argument that Ann is sure would have somehow ended in Feathermen territory, Morgana clears his throat.

“Come on guys, we don’t have time to waste.”

He’s right.

The entrance hall is empty at the moment, but Ann can hear the Shadows stalking around, and she’d much rather not wait around to be ambushed.

“Oracle, where’s the nearest Safe Room?”

Their navigator pulls up those green screens of her that Ann honestly finds really cool, before smirking in that way of hers that has Ann feel accomplished.

If she thinks of how the girl was back in August and how she is now…

The reason she and Ryuji decided to keep on as Phantom Thieves was to inspire people, to help those whose voices got lost in the uproar that is modern society.

In her opinion, Futaba is the embodiment of the people the Phantom Thieves are meant to help.

“The staircase to the left, the one that leads to the ‘Hall of Disappointment’. There’s one right there.”

Yusuke stifles a yawn as Ryuji helps him up to his feet, “Apologies Panther. It seems sleep spells are more effective if their target is in need of sleep in the first place. But I must admit, despite it being a short one, that nap has done wonders for my energy. Let us push forward!”

“Have you not been sleeping well, Fox-senpai?”

“I need to complete an art piece that is due in a few days, is all. No need to worry dear Violet.”

With that, he moves towards the staircase, and well, who’s Ann to tell him no?

They go up, the second team walking much closer than usual that they’re really just one big group anyway, and reach the first floor landing, where the big double door to the Hall of Disappointment is waiting for them.

The name…it doesn’t sit well with her.

Always taking on so many responsibilities…I worry for him.

Which is true, Ann does feel like Akira takes on many responsibilities and that he feels responsible for many things that are out of his control, but…

Why is it that everytime they’re in the Palace, she feels this deep sadness coming from Carmen?

“Well then, shall we?”

Akechi says that, but he pushes the doors open before any of them can say anything.

She doesn’t miss the way both him and Sumire are tense as the doors slowly open, and she’s sure she’s not the only one who notices the sigh of relief from both of them when they’re met with an empty room.

“I was worried we’d have to face another horde of Shadows…”

Violet’s comment has Queen tilting her head, “What do you mean?”

Akechi sighs, “This is where Violet had her awakening. She was surrounded by Shadows, which triggered her Persona coming forth.”

Which, in Ann’s opinion, is the perfect set up to ask, “Actually, Crow. How…how did you find out about Akira’s Palace?”

The answer to that question seems to be one everyone is keen on knowing, because all eyes are on the detective and Ann suddenly feels bad for having put him on the spot like that.

“I followed a hunch. That’s all.”

And just like that, he turns on his heel and walks into the empty room, Violet following after him in a hurry.

The others slowly follow, but Makoto stops her when it’s only the two of them still in the landing.

“Panther, don’t you…don’t you find it weird, too? The way he avoids talking about anything prior to meeting Violet in Kurusu-kun’s Palace?”

Now, Ann loves Makoto.

She’s been a huge help in managing the team, and she’s definitely the brains their group needed, but…

She can’t help but feel like maybe sometimes Makoto is far too analytical and cold.

Like the robot everyone in Shujin thinks she is.

But Ann knows that Makoto is much more than that, so she doesn’t say anything about that, and instead gives an answer she hopes will have Makoto stop giving the cold shoulder to Akechi.

“Would you talk about your own awakening like it was nothing? I know I don’t want to talk about mine. We all awaken when faced with something we’d willingly blinded ourselves to, Queen. I can’t imagine it was pleasant for Akechi either.”

That seems to give her something to think about, if the way she slowly nods is anything to go by, so Ann will take the win where she can.

The two of them catch up with the others who have gathered around what looks like a pamphlet stand near what she assumes is the Safe Room.

“Oh hey, Panther. Looks like we found the other half of the map!”

“Calm down Skull!”

Smiling, Ann walks up to her friend and takes the map from him.

It seems that they've already seen around half of it, huh?

Pocketing it, she makes her way towards the Safe Room, the others following her.

They push the doors open, and Ann has to admit she’s curious about what the space will look like.

Usually they look like the real life location the distortion is taking the place of.

So…what would the Safe Room in a distortion that is ‘everywhere’ look like?

Morgana is the first to react to the sight before them, “It’s…”

Then Futaba, who Ann thinks is pretty close to tears, “LeBlanc. He thinks of LeBlanc as a safe place…”

The thought is…

Both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The fact that the cafè where he’s been living for the past few months is a safe space, as opposed to somewhere from his past, leaves a taste in Ann’s mouth she doesn’t exactly like.

Still, they all move inside, taking place at the different booths or barstools.

Morgana moves to heal Akechi and Sumire - who both have physical skills, so she’ll need to restock on HP recovery items -, while Ryuji digs around their supply bag for any refreshing drinks they have.

He hands her one -not carbonated, how sweet of him- and Ann takes a sip before turning to look at Futaba, who’s studying the map from her place at the counter with Haru.

“So, where to next?”

“Well, we have three options. Right outside there are three doors, one of which leads down. It’s not labeled though. The other two read…uh, Noir, a little help here?”

Haru giggles before taking the map, “Of course. The room to the left reads ‘Memoires de Gymnastique’, so that would be ‘memories of gymnastics’. The other one reads…’Memoires de Jeunesse’, which translates into ‘memories of childhood.”

And if Ann’s experience in Palaces is anything to go by, neither of them is going to be pleasant to go through.

>>>---<<<

Goro slips away, none of the Thieves noticing his absence -though he’s quite sure that Yoshizawa is bound to do so soon enough.

It’s just…

The room, full of all these people, caring for each other, laughing and comforting one another.

And well, Goro is used to dragging his body around, only Robin Hood and Loki looking out for him.

(There’s also the migraine that’s been plaguing him ever since they stepped into the Palace.

Seeing the Thieves, being like this and fighting with them…

He feels like there’s someone missing, but try as he might he can’t remember who .)

So he’s sure no one could possibly blame him for deciding to go to the larger hall, the one where Yoshizawa had her awaking, to get a breather.

Detektif, we have company

Goro immediately looks up, expecting maybe Sumire or one of the Thieves to have followed him.

Instead he’s met with a pair of golden eyes.

Akira’s Shadow, smiling at him in a way that somehow feels so Akira yet isn’t.

“Bonsoir, mon cher détective.”

Goro says nothing, but the Shadow seems to have expected such a reaction because it merely laughs.

“Cold as ever. But I do believe I was promised a dance?”

What?

Endearing as always, our Sigyn

Pointedly ignoring Loki’s comment, Goro focuses back on the being in front of him.

“I think I would remember if I promised to dance with you.”

A beat, before a laugh bubbles up from the other’s lips, “Ah, you’re right, you’re right. Of course you are. No, you didn’t promise me a dance. But I don’t think you’ll turn my invitation down.”

Goro has every single reason to turn the Shadow down.

“I’ll answer all of those burning questions you seem to have, too. To the extent of my capabilities, of course.”

But Goro’s curiosity has always been his curse to bear.

“I suppose there’s no harm in indulging in a simple waltz.”

The Shadow lights up, and just like that the two of them are dancing.

Goro really doesn’t question it when a piano starts from somewhere , instead simply swaying along with the tempo.

“ Valse Romantique , mhh? Is there a particular reason for that?”

Akira’s counterpart laughs, “My dearest detective, not everything has a reason. Simply, ma chère moitié has always been partial to Debussy.”

“I suppose. But I do believe I was promised answers?”

“You have yet to ask questions.”

“True. In that case…would you be able to tell me when the Palace formed?”

The Shadow takes a step back, and Goro follows, studying the other’s expression.

He’s the mirror copy of Akira, so much so that the only difference between the two is the color of their eyes.

Even the Shadow’s clothes, they’re something so Akira that Goro has to wonder if he just wants to see Akira wearing thigh high boots.

“I admit it would be quite hard to pinpoint when exactly. I think it would be accurate to say that this has been a long time coming, and this time mon cher had nothing to stop him from drowning.”

There it is again, speaking as if things could have gone differently.

Should have gone differently.

(Weirdly enough, he also feels like something is off.

About the Phantom Thieves, about Yoshizawa, about Shido, about his Personas and about himself.)

(About Akira, too.)

“But I think that that question in particular will be better answered by the shows you’ll watch as you go deeper into the Palace.”

And here Goro can’t help but raise an eyebrow, even as the Shadow leads them towards the center of the room, “Shows?”

“Mon cher détective, this is an Opera House, is it not? It’s only natural that guests get to watch something, wouldn’t you say?”

Goro really hopes this isn’t going where he thinks it is.

“What kinds of shows?”

The Shadow hums in thought, and Goro suddenly realizes that the waltz is almost over.

Which probably means his time with Akira’s Shadow is also almost over.

“This Opera House has a star, as I’m sure you’ve gathered. I’ll be starring in every show you’ll see.”

The final note from the piano seems so final, it leaves Goro standing there as the Shadow takes a step back, bowing in front of him.

Like a gentleman.

“I must leave you and get ready for my performances. I have a very important audience this time, so I must look my very best. See you soon, mon cher détective.”

And just like that, he disappears.

Leaving Goro with nothing but a single red spider lily.

That, and so many doubts.

His conversation with Yoshizawa back in July comes to mind.

He’s sure that leaving the Palace to fester will only worsen things.

Akira is already worsening, in his opinion.

So tackling the Palace is without a doubt the right thing to do.

But…

The idea of them getting to see what are obviously going to be ‘shows’ based on Akira’s memories without his consent…

It feels odd.

It feels like a violation.

Out of all the Thieves, the only one Akira might perhaps be willing to share any of what they’ll be seeing is Sakura.

Maybe Yoshizawa and Okumura, too.

( What about  you, boy?

Shut it Robin.)

Definitely not the likes of Niijima.

With that in mind…is it really fair of them to go ahead and watch?

>>>---<<<

Yusuke has no idea what it is he expected when they all decided to try the door to the right -the one labeled ‘memories of childhood’- first.

Obviously not to come face to face with a Shadow, not unlike the one they met at the ticket booth, who frowned when it saw them.

“I’m afraid this area is off limits to unauthorized guests…OH! Wait! You’re the V.I.P.s! In that case, let me see your tickets, then you can proceed!”

At Ann’s nod, they all take turns with the Shadow, who’s humming a little tune to itself as it stamps each of their tickets.

“Enjoy the show!”, is all it says before disappearing.

Well, that was…something.

“Well uh…let’s go, I suppose.”

Akechi takes the lead, Sumire and Ann following closely, the rest of the Thieves trailing after them.

What catches his attention though is the way Futaba is looking at the stamped ticket.

So, Yusuke walks up to her.

“Is everything alright Oracle?”

She jumps a little, “Ah- Inari, you scared me.”

“Apologies. But I couldn't help but notice the way you looked…”

She sighs, “I guess I’m not sure I want to see this ‘show’. Akira and I talked about his parents once. Back when I was still in my room.”

Yusuke hums, “I assume it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.”

Futaba chuckles, but it lacks any semblance of mirth, “You can say that again. But…I’m still curious. He didn’t tell me much, he just kept it surface level. Even when I was digging through his file, I didn’t find anything relevant about them.”

And Yusuke has to admit he’s also curious about Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu.

What kind of upbringing must Akira have had for him to be the way he is now?

“Well, then we should go on and follow the others then.”

When she nods, they go and catch up to the others who in the meantime have all settled in the plush red seats of the quite big room they find themselves in.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Thank you for coming here today! I’m Kurusu Akira, and today we’ll have an exclusive showing of ‘Memories de la Maison”! So please, do keep your eyes on me!”

As soon as the Shadow is done speaking, the room they’re in is plunged into darkness, and then a single spotlight shines on the stage, bringing everyone’s attention to the family of three standing in what looks like a kitchen.

Yusuke’s eyes are immediately drawn to the figure in the middle.

Akira.

Or rather, a much younger version of him, one that couldn’t be older than six.

Next to him are two figures, looking at each other, completely ignoring Akira.

“You wanted him, you take care of him, Fumiko.” , says the male - Akira’s father.

He sounds irritated.

Inconvenienced, almost.

It…it reminds Yusuke of Se- Madarame.

The comparison is one that doesn't sit well with him.

“Easy for you to say. It wasn’t you that people were talking about in town!”

Akira’s mother, who’s name in Yusuke’s opinion fits her quite well, looks just as annoyed as her husband.

Neither of them seem to even notice that Akira is there with them.

Or maybe they know, and simply don’t care.

Yusuke doesn’t know which option is worse.

“You could have ignored it. It was just talk. But no, you had to go and decide to have a baby.”

“Hideo! He’s still your son.”

“One I didn’t want.”

Neither of them seems to notice the way Akira flinches at that.

“I can’t go to the meeting, I’ll be meeting the parents of my students. It won’t kill you to go and meet with his teacher.”

The father scoffs, “It’s always like this with you, isn’t it, Fumiko? Fine, I’ll go to the damn meeting.”

With that he exits the stage, without having looked at Akira even once.

The woman sighs, running a hand through her raven locks -the same as Akira’s, and just as beautiful- before finally looking at her son.

“I have to grade papers. There’s a bento in the fridge, if you’re hungry, heat it up and eat it.”

As soon as she’s done talking, she also leaves, and Akira stays there, as if his parents weren’t talking about him, in front of him, as if he was nothing but an inconvenience to them.

He feels Futaba stiffen next to him, and he slowly reaches out to grab her hand.

She freezes, and for a second Yusuke fears he misunderstood and that it was the wrong move.

But Futaba relaxes and squeezes his hand in return.

Yusuke hopes that it’s just as comforting for her as it is for him.

Silent, as if not even there, Akira sighs and makes his way towards the fridge.

He does as his mother told him, then sits at the table to eat.

His motions are practiced.

As if he’s used to eating heated up bento.

As if he’s used to eating alone.

“My mother,” begins a voice, one that Yusuke recognizes as belonging to Akira’s Shadow, starts talking.

He’s nowhere to be seen, just an incorporeal voice narrating from somewhere.

As if reading from a book.

Or perhaps a mémorie, if his understanding of the word based on Haru’s earlier explanation is accurate.

“My mother, Kurusu Fumiko, has always been a kind hearted person. She’s a teacher in Inaba’s elementary school. All the kids in town love her. All the parents love her. Not to mention how pretty she is. Her name, meaning beautiful, is really perfect for her. I don’t think she thought too much about my name. She never planned on having a son. She had one for convenience. 

My father, Kurusu Hideo, on the other hand, never wanted a child. He had one only because Mother threatened to leave him. They spent years living in Inaba, the beloved doctor and the beloved teacher. But Inaba is a small town, and people get bored easily. The old ladies in town started wondering if the reason Kurusu Fumiko decided to be an elementary school teacher was because she couldn’t have children of her own. Mother didn’t take it well. A few weeks after a new rumor, this one true, started spreading. The Kurusus were going to have a child.”

The narration stops, and the stage goes dark once again.

He turns to look at Makoto, who he now remembers is scared of the dark -and while corridor lights are dimmed, it's still pretty dark-, but smiles when he sees Haru gently holding her hand.

When the light is turned on once again, the setting has changed.

This time they see Akira -still around the same age, if only slightly older- walking into what appears to be the living room, a heavy book held in his arms as has a small satisfied smile on his face.

Judging from his clothes, it seems that it’s summertime.

Yet Akira is inside, apparently studying.

They all watch in silence as he looks around, silent in a way he's sure no child should be

It reminds Yusuke far too much of himself when he was younger. 

Akira puts the book down on the low coffee table to pick a note that he doesn’t think any of them had noticed.

“‘Hospital called, so dad left. I have a meeting at school. Stay inside and behave.’ ...but…they promised…they said that if I read the book, we could all go out for ice cream… ”

His voice sounds so, so small.

“It certainly wasn’t the first time they didn’t have time for me. But it’s after that that I started thinking. If Mother and Father work so much, then that means they love their job. The way Mother would behave with the other children at school, or how Father dealt with any children at the hospital…they were very different from the way they treated me. So I got to thinking why. The answer was quite obvious, really. I must somehow lack something the other children have.”

The Akira they see when the lights turn on this time appears to be older, around seven perhaps, and he’s sitting at the kitchen table with his parents.

“You want to do what?”

Akira seems to try and make himself even smaller.

“Gymnastics, Hideo. I was actually surprised when Erika-sensei said she thinks he has the physique for it. And while usually they start younger, he’s seven, it’ll be fine.”

The man seems to consider it for a moment, before sighing.

“The cost of classes and having to drive him there and…you know what? It’s useless arguing with you Fumiko. It’s obvious you’ve set your mind on this. I won’t mind, as long as it doesn’t affect your academic performance. Are we clear, boy?”

Akira's response is immediate, “Yes Father.”

“I think that is probably the best thing my Mother has ever done for me. Gymnastics…it became an escape of sorts. It also became another way I could try and gain Mother and Father’s attention. Classmates often talked about how their parents would go and see their soccer games or baseball matches. So maybe if I did a sport of my own, I would have their attention as well.”

Something tells Yusuke that’s not how it went.

When the lights turn on once again, they reveal an Akira -who seems to be a first year in junior high- come back home.

To an empty house.

The boy lets his school bag and a sports duffle bag drop on the floor, sighing loudly as he does so.

He pulls a store bought bento out of a shopping bag before going to the couch and turning on the TV.

He flicks through the channels, bored, as he picks at his food.

He almost drops the plastic container when the house phone rings.

Akira scrambles to get up without dropping anything and rushes to pick up.

“Good afternoon Mother.”

“Yes, I just got home.”

“No, I didn’t stop anywhere on the way back. Although Hayashi-san asked me about you two.”

“I told her Father is on a business trip to Munich, and that you’re accompanying him.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I will water the plants Mother, yes.”

“Alright. Goodnight.”

There are so many things wrong with that phone call, and Yusuke’s only heard one end of it.

“Father often left for business trips, and Mother always accompanied him. I only went with them once, when I was six, and we went to Paris. That is one of my favorite memories. We felt for the first and only time like an actual family. It was…nice.”

>>>---<<<

After that last memory -of Akira coming back to an empty house- they had left the room and after a quick meeting they decided to continue on.

And again, Sumire can’t help but wonder.

Do they have any right seeing all of this?

Akira definitely wouldn’t have told them that his parents were emotionally abusive and neglectful.

Hell, Sumire’s pretty sure Akira would never call them that.

Notre chère has always been the type to try and find the good in people. Even when there is no good to be found.

Cendrillon is right.

The room they enter is a mirror copy of the other one, and just like they did before, they all take their seats.

Sumire glances at Akechi who is sitting next to her, and finds him looking lost in thought.

Honestly, she can’t blame him.

The whole situation is enough to make anyone look like that, really.

The lights dim, and their attention is immediately brought to the stage by the spotlight illuminating two figures.

One she recognizes immediately.

Akira, this time around seven years old, and what looks like a woman in her late twenties.

“Akira-kun, do you do any sports?”

“Am I in trouble, Erika-sensei?”

The woman seems shocked, immediately shaking her head and giving Akira a soft smile.

Sumire likes her.

“Of course not Akira-kun. It’s just that I think you should give gymnastics a try. You demonstrated impressive flexibility earlier in P.E.”

Oh…

She had wondered how Akira had been introduced to the sport.

Akira seems shocked to hear her say that, “Really?!”

The teacher gives him another soft smile, “Yes, Akira-kun. We can talk about it later with your mother. Is that okay with you?”

The stage turns dark once again, and just like in the other room Akira’s voice echoes through the room.

“Erika-sensei was probably my favorite teacher. She was really kind to me. She treated me the same as all the other children, unlike my Mother. She was also the only one who noticed that there was something amiss with my parents, not that I knew it at the time. But most importantly, she’s the one who gave me the chance to start gymnastics. Mother was ecstatic to hear that someone had spotted a special talent in me. So she immediately had me start. Her and Father obviously expected results, so I soon started competing too. But no matter how many times I performed well, they simply boasted about it with people.”

The lights turn on once again and this time the setting is the living room of the Kurusu house.

Mr. Kurusu is sitting on the armchair, while Akira is timidly standing by the door.

“You know I hate loitering. If you want something just get it over with.”

Akira jumps at his father’s words, and Sumire feels her heart ache for the eight years old.

“I…uh…”

“Out with it, boy. I don’t have time to hear you mumble.”

“I have to go to the gym. I have training.”

“And? How does that concern me?”

“...Mother is still at school. She has a meeting.”

The man stares at Akira, long and hard, before sighing.

“I swear. I told her I wanted nothing to do with this. But I know that if I don’t take you she’ll get angry. Hurry it up boy, get in the car! I swear, you’ve been nothing but trouble since before you were even born. ‘I want a child,’ she said. What foolishness. An inconvenience is what you are. Nothing more.”

The young Akira on the stage says nothing, even though Sumire can see how much the words have hurt him.

The lights turn off, and where she’s come to expect Akira’s voice narrating, this time there’s nothing.

When they turn on once again, they reveal a slightly older Akira, maybe around ten years old, eating alone at the kitchen table.

He’s humming to himself, and Sumire can’t imagine what it must have been like.

To grow up all alone.

Sumire, as much as she hates it, was never alone.

Where Kasumi went, Sumire followed.

It was horrible, and she was always -always will be, really- in her twin’s shadow.

But…she never felt alone growing up.

The crushing loneliness she felt after Kasumi died…

To imagine that Akira’s been living like this his entire life.

It just breaks her heart and makes her want to hug him more than anything.

Her attention is brought back to the stage when she hears Akira speak.

But more than what he says, it’s the tone of his voice.

“Oh no.”

He sounds terrified.

“The table…Mother will be so angry…”

The stage is swallowed by darkness for a second, before they’re met with another scene in the kitchen, this time with both Akira and his mother.

She looks absolutely livid.

“I just bought this table, Akira! And it was so nice too! I can’t believe you. How could you mess up something so simple?!”

“I…I’m sorry Mother…”

“Just- Just leave. I don’t want to see you right now. Do keep away from me for a few days.” 

“But…there’s a tournament on Sunday…”

His mother’s glare is so icy that Sumire feels it send chills down her own spine.

“That’s no problem of mine.”

Akira’s voice is so small that Sumire is sure his mother didn’t hear.

Or maybe she did and simply ignored him.

“But…you promised…”

“Mother never showed up at that tournament. When I got home with a first place prize, she didn’t even look my way.”

When the stage is lit up again, they’re greeted by a gymnasium, with what looks like an award ceremony going on.

Sumire looks around the setting, and notices the banners that read ‘ Yamanashi Prefecture High Schools’ Gymnastics Tournament - 2015’.

And oh, isn’t that Akira -basically present day Akira, too- on the podium?

Even though he won third place, Sumire can see from here the sadness in his eyes.

She doesn’t miss the way that even when he’s handed the medal, Akira’s eyes are still glued to the door to the gym.

After the second and first place winners have also been awarded, a photographer walks up to them.

“Hey, you three. How about a picture of the winners with their families?”

The other two nod immediately, but Sumire pays them no mind.

What has her attention is the way that senpai looks at the door before sighing and shaking his head.

“My parents couldn’t make it, so I don’t have anyone here…sorry.”

“Oh, I see…”

“This is the tournament from the article…”

Sumire glances towards Akechi, who seems so focused on Akira it’s almost funny.

Even if she’s curious, she decides not to ask.

“By the time I was in Junior High, my parents never showed up at any tournaments I participated in. But…this was a prefecture wide tournament. I…I had hoped at least mom would show up. It…it wasn’t supposed to hurt that much. I kept telling myself that it’s nothing new, that I was used to it. But when that photographer asked us to take a picture with our families, I…”

Akira trails off, falling silent, and Sumire really thought that he was done.

“I was so jealous. Why did all of these other people have their parents’ love and attention? Was I that much of a bother to mine? And the problem had to be me, there was no way it was them. I suppose I simply was not good enough for them to love me. And no matter how much I struggled and tried, for years and years, there was no changing that.”

God .

Sumire felt tears run down her cheeks, because-

It just hurts so much, how sure he sounds when he says he’s not good enough to be loved by his own damn parents!

Cendrillon shifts around within her, full of unease, and Sumire can’t help but share the sentiment.

She’s so giving Akira the biggest hug ever as soon as she sees him.

Friday, October 21st, After School

“Ah, Akira-kun, come in.”

Are you certain about this? It is bound to attract the wise one’s attention once more

That is a risk I’m willing to take, for Akira-kun’s sake.

Very well

Takuto feels Azathoth recede to the back of his mind, so he focuses on the teen standing in front of him.

Akira clearly isn’t doing well.

There are dark bags under his eyes, he’s unusually pale, and he’s fidgeting with his phone even more than usual.

He’s suffering.

But I will put an end to it.

Like I did with Rumi and Yoshizawa-san.

“How are you doing? Would you like a snack?”

Akira shakes his head, and Takuto does his best to not sigh.

Akira’s bad eating habits are yet another thing they’ve been discussing lately.

Actually, ‘discussing’ is putting it lightly. 

Seriously, had Takuto been any other school counselor he really should have directed Akira to an actual therapist.

But it’s fine, because Takuto has Azathoth and can help Akira in a way that is much more effective than therapy.

After all, had Takuto proposed that Akira go see a therapist back in May, it would not have ended well.

The school board would have no doubt taken it the wrong way.

“Akira-kun, I want to ask…when was the last time you spoke with your parents?”

Akira visibly flinches at the question, but Takuto tells himself that it’s fine, that it doesn’t matter because soon thinking about his parents won’t be cause of distress for Akira-kun.

“...the trial.”

Oh.

Oh god, it’s so much worse than what he thought.

We will fix this

Right, yes.

Akira is looking at the floor, absently fidgeting with his phone.

His heart aches the more he looks at the teen.

But it’s fine now.

He’ll fix it.

He’ll make it all better.

With a deep breath, Takuto focuses on Azathoth.

And Azathoth focuses on the Sea of Souls, on the Collective Unconscious.

Finding Kurusu Akira isn’t too hard.

His bright soul is now shrouded in shadow, but Takuto doesn’t worry. 

At his will, Azathoth extends one of his tentacles and touches the shapeless light that is Kurusu Akira’s very essence.

Immediately, Takuto is hit by a wave of feelings that bring tears to his eyes.

Sadness, inadequacy, grief, loneliness, isolation, helplessness, jealousy, confusion, fear, longing, self-loathing-

It’s a lot. 

And at the heart of it all, are Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu.

The feelings that surround them are…complicated.

There’s love, for one.

But also bitterness, confusion, longing, doubt, and so many other things that thinking about one’s parents should not invoke in a sixteen years old.

Parents that have not talked to their son since the trial.

Trial that took place in February.

Well, that can be easily fixed.

Azathoth’s tentacle answers his wish, reaching within Kurusu Akira’s very core, and Takuto blinks back to the nurse’s office.

Friday, October 21st, Evening

“We’ll get it out of him for sure this time. I mean, I’m his basically sister and you’re his basically boyfriend so we’re good!”

Goro does not choke on the coffee he’d been drinking.

“Basically what ?! Sakura, where the hell would you even get such an idea?!”

Futaba laughs, “Please, as if you can hide anything from me! I have Akira’s phone bugged! You two hang out all the time!”

Goro pointedly ignores Loki’s loud cackling.

“So what? That hardly qualifies as me and Akira being in a romantic relationship!”

Futaba hums, “I suppose you’re right. But still, a sister knows best. Which means I’m right and you’re wrong!”

Deciding that this stupid conversation is beneath him, Goro focuses back on his coffee.

That is, until the door to LeBlanc is pushed open and Akira walks in.

“Hey ‘Kira! How was your day?”

“Oh. Hey Futaba. Hey Akechi. Where’s Boss?”

Putting down his now empty cup, Goro turns to look at Akira.

He…seems better than last night.

When they’d met in front of Jazz Jin last night, Goro had noticed the dark bags under Akira’s eyes, the paleness and all of that.

Yet…now as he looks at him, he still sees those things but Akira seems…lighter.

“Sakura-san stepped out to get some groceries.”

Akira hums, putting down his Morgana-less bag on one of the booths and grabbing the green apron as he makes his way around the counter.

He washes his hands as he asks, “Do you want another cup, Detective?”

Goro ignores the look Futaba gives him, and instead keeps his attention on Akira.

“I would like that, thank you, Akira.”

“Anything for my favorite customer!”

“I’m telling Yusuke you said that!”

The two start bickering, and Goro…

Goro feels like he’s intruding.

What is he even doing here, with a group of people who clearly care so much about each other, when he’s always worked alone?

What is he doing here in the cafè owned by the best friend of the woman he killed?

What is he doing here, sitting right next to the daughter of that woman who because of him shut the world out and lived for two years blaming herself for a crime that he committed?

And then he looks at Akira, and…

Well, it’s just that.

Akira’s why.

Really, Goro has to wonder when exactly he let this attic trash worm his way into his heart and mind.

…attic trash?

“There you go, Akechi.”

Akira sets a steaming cup of coffee in front of him, and Goro thanks him.

While he might never say it to anyone, coffee made by Akira is by far Goro’s favorite beverage.

“So uh…’Kira?”

The barista hums, and Futaba glances at Goro before nodding to herself and addressing her brother again.

“I uh…I know you usually don’t talk about it, but…we’re kinda curious…don’t you miss home?”

Akira hums, and Goro immediately feels on edge.

In the months he’s known him, Akira always visibly reacted in a negative manner every time his home was brought up. 

Yet now he seems perfectly fine with it?

And judging by Futaba’s own expression, it seems that she’s thinking the same thing.

“I guess so? I mainly miss mom and dad though…but there’s not much I can do about that…”

Goro has a bad feeling about this.

Futaba shifts in her seat, “What do you mean by that, Akira?”

Goro has a really bad feeling about this, and the unease coming from both Loki and Robin Hood is not helping.

“Hmm? Well, I can’t talk to them. It’s one of the terms of my probation.”

What.

the actual.

fuck.

Chapter Text

Friday, October 21st, Evening

“Hmm? Well, I can’t talk to them. It’s one of the terms of my probation.”

Futaba has to have heard him wrong.

“Wha- Akira-kun, what is that supposed to mean?!”

Ok, so maybe she hasn’t heard him wrong. 

…what the fuck.

“Huh? Just that, Akechi. I can’t speak to any family members, or anyone from Inaba.”

Akechi looks about ready to explode.

Futaba’s pretty sure she’s not that different.

“There was nothing about this in your record.”

Akira grins like a Cheshire cat, “Oh, you looking up my record now, huh detective? Didn’t know you were that interested in me.”

Akechi reacts, predictably, by turning as red as a potato and immediately denying, but Futaba pays him no mind.

Normally, she would have said that Akira used flirting to deflect.

But…

He genuinely looks convinced of what he’s saying.

But Futaba knows Akechi’s right, she hacked into the police database and saw his record herself, and it said nothing about not being able to talk to anyone from Inaba.

There were no conditions on his parole. 

And yet she doesn’t feel like Akira’s lying, and she prides herself in being able to read Akira.

Which raises a million questions.

But…well, she knows where to get them.

Futaba: Guys tomorrow we’re going to Akira’s Palace

Futaba: I won’t take no as an answer

Saturday, October 22nd, After School

Sumire is, to put it simply, confused.

They’re currently at the Palace entrance, discussing the situation before venturing into the Opera House

“So…you mean Senpai believes he has an actual relationship with his parents and the only reason they are currently not speaking to each other is because it was in the terms of his probation?”

“Which is bullshit! I hacked into the police records, it says nothing of the sort! Akechi, back me up here!”

Akechi sighs, but Sumire can see that he’s as irritated by the situation as Futaba, if only less hysteric about it.

(Well, Sumire has a sneaking suspicion he already got the hysterics out of his system before the meeting.)

“It’s true. There were no special terms on Kurusu Akira’s probation.”

Morgana hums, “This sounds like a change in cognition…”

Ann looks at him, and Morgana crosses his arms, a pensive look on his admittedly cartoonish features.

“It’s just a guess, we’ll know for sure when we go into the Palace, but I think that the reason for Akira’s change into perspective is due to a shift in his cognition.”

Niijima, who is standing next to Haru, seems to consider Morgana’s words carefully, “So…you think he’s somehow convinced himself of that fact? And that it’ll reflect in his palace?”

“That would be correct, Queen. So we should stop wasting time and just go to the Palace.”

Idly, Sumire wonders if her own delusions as Kasumi would have reflected in a hypothetical Palace, should she have had one.

No need to indulge in what ifs, violette.

With a sigh, Ann pulls out her phone, and at everyone’s nod she taps on the -only, according to Futaba- Safe Room icon, and they’re teleported there in an instant.

Silly Metaverse logic, really.

(The same silly logic that allows her to move flawlessly even in high heels, so she can't really complain.)

“So, Oracle,” Ann starts, “Where to next?”

The girl frowns, “I’d say the next logical step would be to go down. If you remember there’s a door in between the two rooms we saw last time, the one that wasn’t labeled. I’d say that one, since our only other option is the big door in the entry hall, but it’s locked, so…”

Ann nods, and with that they all move out.

Sumire doesn’t miss the way that they all immediately take on their ‘places’ in the group.

Ann is at the front with Morgana, closely followed by Haru and Niijima, then there’s Futaba, Akechi and herself, and then Ryuji and Yusuke at the back.

She looks at the teenage detective next to her and decides to bite the bullet. Anyone with eyes can see how much this is eating at him, so maybe he’ll be more willing to talk?

(She doesn’t point out, not even to herself, that despite his grumbling Akechi has always been kind to her, compared to his passive aggressive rudeness towards the others. Not to mention the way he’d always answer her questions, back when it was just them.)

“Crow-san.”

The older boy hums, letting her know he’s listening, so she continues, “Do you know when Senpai started thinking like this? Was it…triggered by something in particular?”

Like how I started thinking I was Kasumi after seeing her die , she doesn’t say, but she knows he understands anyway.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out…logically, something must have triggered this so called ‘change in cognition’, as Mona put it. But…when I saw him Thursday evening he seemed…relatively okay. Paler than usual, yes, but still, in the norm for Akira. So whatever happened must have either been in the making and we- I’d missed it, or it must have happened yesterday, on Friday. Both hypotheses are likely. After all, it’s not like I know Akira that well.”

Sumire frowns at that, but before she can say anything Futaba beats her to it.

“One, you’re his basically boyfriend. Out of everyone here, you’re probably the second person who knows him best. And if his sister, that would be me, hi, didn’t notice anything in the past few days, then I think it’s safe to assume that it must have happened yesterday.”

Then, she falls silent, looking like she’s mulling over something. 

“Guys, your tickets.”

Ann’s voice puts a stop to their conversation, and Sumire notices that there’s another one of the staff-Shadows, as they’ve started to call them.

Quickly, she takes out her ticker and hands it to Ann, who gives all of their tickets to the Shadow.

“It seems you are all eligible to visit La Salle d’Audience . In that case, go on ahead.”

Akechi’s eyes widen, and he turns to look at her, so Sumire answers before he can ask, “Courtroom. Downstairs there’s a courtroom.”

(Kasumi had never learned French. She didn’t get it, claimed the grammar was too difficult and said that as long as she knows English she’ll be fine. Sumire actually liked it. She remembers that the first book she’d read in the language was, ironically, or perhaps fittingly, Cendrillon .)

Futaba shifts her weight from one foot to the other, “Do…do you think we’ll see…the trial?”

Akechi doesn’t answer.

He doesn’t need to, anyway.

It seems the others have also heard them, because they all fall silent.

Even Niijima seems to be hesitant.

It’s Morgana who eventually breaks the silence, “Come on guys. We need to get to the bottom of this. For Akira.”

That seems to put Ann back into motion, since she clears her throat and stands up straight.

(Sumire’s been really interested in reading up the mythos and stories behind everyone of their Personas. And Carmen, a symbol of the femme fatale archetype, perfectly fits Panther. But there are times when Panther is more Takamaki Ann, and Sumire has to wonder if maybe Ann feels the pressure of her role as their pseudo-leader.)

“Come on guys. Here’s your tickets.”

She hands them back to each one of them, and that’s when Sumire looks at hers and notices something different.

“Crow-san?”

The rest of the group have all moved forward, her, Akechi and Futaba being the last in line as the Staff Shadow quietly disappears in a puff of smoke.

“Yes?”

“My ticket. It’s different. It…it used to be rank 5, but now it’s at rank 6…”

Akechi hums, pulling out his own ticket to look at it, “Mine hasn’t changed though…”

Futaba hums, “What if it’s like some video game stat?”

Sumire tilts her head, confused, “What do you mean?”

“Like, the rank is some sort of stat…maybe kind of like how close each of us is to Akira? Would explain why Queen’s has no rank, while mine is the highest, followed by Noir’s and you two’s…”

Akechi’s eyes widen, “That…actually makes sense…”

So…that means that she and Senpai recently grew closer?

…they did have a pretty important conversation when she realized her true identity.

Akechi clears his throat, “Either way, we should get going. The others are waiting.”

And so, the three of them descend down, towards the so-called Salle d’Audience .

>>>---<<<

As soon as Ann pushes the door open, Makoto recognizes the room and setting for what it is.

A courtroom, with a juvenile court hearing in full swing.

“...Aki-chan!”

Haru’s gasp immediately draws everyone’s attention to the slightly younger Kurusu that is sitting between his parents in front of those she recognizes to be the ones who would decide the boy’s fate.

“A juvenile court hearing…I see…”

Akechi’s muttering is easy enough to dismiss, especially when Makoto’s attention is immediately drawn to the judge who slams his gavel down.

“I think I’ve heard enough. Thank you, Yamamoto-san.”

A man glances at Kurusu hesitantly before sighing and turning back to the judge, “Yes, of course Your Honor.”

The judge clears his throat, and Makoto has a bad feeling about him.

“I think it’s about time I declared a verdict, this trial has gone on for much longer than it should have. This court finds Kurusu Akira guilty of assault. Given that he is aged fifteen, and taking into consideration the results of the family court investigating officer, Kurusu Akira will be given a one year probation time starting tomorrow, February 28th, 2016 and ending on March 1st 2017. Should he do anything during this one year time, he will be sent to Juvenile Hall. Any objections?”

Makoto doesn’t really look at the judge or the secretaries or at anyone else. 

Rather, for some reason, her attention is drawn to Kurusu Akira himself.

And to the distraught look on his face.

“Your Honor, please reconsider? A one year probation is not necessary.”

Everyone’s attention is suddenly brought to the woman Makoto recognizes as Kurusu Fumiko, Kurusu’s mother,  except what she just said doesn’t make any sense.

Not with the Kurusu Fumiko they’ve seen so far.

Kurusu Fumiko is cold and uncaring of her son, who she only had for convenience.

She would not ask a judge to please reconsider.

“I must agree with my wife. Your Honor, Akira has never done anything wrong. I think probation is excessive.”

If the mother is out of character, then the Kurusu Hideo in front of them and the one they’ve seen before are two completely different people.

For starters, Kurusu’s father never called him by name in the other two rooms.

It was always ‘boy’ .

Yet now he was trying to convince the judge to not give his son probation time?

It…it just didn’t make sense.

“This…this isn’t how the trial went.”

Futaba, who is standing next to Yoshizawa and Akechi, seems almost unnerved by what she’s seeing.

Makoto turns to look at her, “What do you mean?”

The girl frowns, “I…I watched the trial. This…it didn’t happen. His parents never protested the decision to give him probation time. Actually, they immediately asked if it was possible for him to spend his year outside of Inaba…”

That…

God, that’s awful .

To have his own parents do that, it…

“Oracle. You said you watched the trial. Knowing you, you also managed to get the footage of the so-called assault, am I mistaken?”

Akechi keeps talking to Futaba, but Makoto stops at his choice of words.

So-called?

Sure, Kurusu seemed to be nice around most people, and judging from the memories they’ve seen here Makoto finds it kind of hard to believe that he would assault someone, but…

She also never thought Sae would fall as low as she did, and yet the evidence of her sister’s distorted heart stares at her every night when she checks the MetaNav, hoping beyond hope that somehow the name won’t get a hit this time.

And again, she always thought Ryuji was nothing more than a troublemaker, a delinquent who broke the rules out of spite because he was kicked out of the track team, but now she knows that Ryuji is nothing if not a kindhearted young man who constantly worries about his mother and who wishes he could help her more.

Just like Ann, who Makoto thought was a stuck up who blamed others, when in truth Ann blamed herself more than anyone else, and Makoto admired her for still being so strong for her friend.

…

It might do you good to rethink your stance here, and to reconsider your opinion of that young man. It is high time you started thinking for yourself and stopped letting others tell you what to think. Was that not your vow to me?

Makoto can’t bring herself to say anything in response.

>>>---<<<

Eventually, they all leave behind the arguing cognitions -it’s all a repeating loop of the same things anyway-, and make their way back up.

Morgana would rather die than admit that the staff shadow at the top of the stairs startled him. 

(In his defense, he’s thinking. Because Futaba’s statement is stuck in his head, and he might be wrong, but…all of this could have to do with the fact that Akira is under the impression that he doesn’t talk with his parents because of his probation. He’s convinced of it, so the Palace is changing in response.)

“Welcome back! Dear guests, it seems you have watched all the shows we have available at the moment! We thank you kindly for your patronage! Given your status as V.I.P. guests, Our Star has decided to personally thank you. He’s waiting in front of the Théâtre! Please head there immediately, as all other areas are now off limits!”

The moment the shadow says that, it disappears, and Morgana can immediately feel the presence of very strong shadows in the other rooms, and one glance at both Futaba and Akechi confirms that they feel it as well.

(For some reason, the fact that Akechi possesses navigation abilities didn’t surprise him as much. Almost as if he already knew. As if someone had told him about it, in length. Which is ridiculous.)

Ann seems to understand with one look at them, “I…I think it’s for the best we do as it said. We don’t want to antagonize Akira-kun’s Shadow. Besides, we were going to go back to the Théâtre anyway, since the treasure is there, no?” 

Treasure which they still have no idea how to access, by the way.

But hey, they’ve managed so far, they’ll figure something out?

Right?

Silently, they all make their way back to the main hall.

And just as they were told, they find Akira’s Shadow waiting for them in front of the Théâtre.

“There you are, mes chers voleurs!”

The Shadow’s golden eyes go over each one of them, just like they did that day in the Ballroom, and Morgana decides not to think too much on the way the Ruler’s gaze seems to linger on Akechi longer.

He’s long since learned to not think about Akechi and Akira’s freaky love life.

(For some reason, the exasperation that accompanies the statement is one he feels can’t stem from a few months. And yet…)

“You have gone through the important parts of this Palace, and have seen ma moitié’s memories. Now, if memory serves, this is the part where you secure the route to the Treasure, correct?”

When it becomes apparent that the Shadow is waiting for an answer, Ann clears her throat, “Yes, that’s right.”

Shadows Akira’s eyes focus on Ann, humming to himself as he walks towards them, “Is that right…”

And Morgana can’t for the life of him understand this Shadow.

It’s obvious he’s strong. 

Stronger than any of them, even Akechi and Sumire.

And yet, despite his behavior, Morgana can’t feel an ounce of ill will from him.

“Détective. Come here.”

They all watch with bated breath as Akechi hesitates for a second before walking up to the Shadow.

With a flick of his hand, Shadow Akira makes a golden key appear in front of their eyes.

A complicated expression crosses his features, almost sorrowful.

With a sigh, he hands the key to Akechi.

"Here you go, détective. This is the key to the Théâtre where the Treasure is. But I must warn you. Act fast. I can feel my half losing himself more and more with each second.”

Once Akechi nodded in response, the Shadow disappeared without any of his usual flair or theatrics. 

Silent, Akechi glances at the key in his hand, before turning towards the big door, behind which Morgana is sure the treasure is.

Idly, he wonders what would be Akira’s treasure. 

A Palace born out of a feeling akin to hatred towards oneself…it’s hard to imagine what the treasure would be.

Akechi inserts the key in the lock, and they all watch with bated breath as he turns it and only breathe again when they hear the telling click.

Pocketing the key, Akechi pushes the doors open, and Morgana is left speechless.

Akira’s Palace has never disappointed, really.

It’s grand, magnificent, every bit reflected in the pompous showman flair that Shadow Akira had to him.

The Théâtre de la Performance Sans Fin lives up to the expectations one would have of the Treasure Room of a Palace based on an Opera House.

There are many rows of red cushioned seats, all facing towards the stage.

The stage with a lone guillotine on it.

And yet…

Ryuji voices what he’s pretty sure everyone is thinking, “Mona? Where’s the treasure?”

Hesitant, and glancing at both Futaba and Akechi, Morgana answers, “It’s here. But at the same time it isn’t?”

Futaba hums, “Yeah, these readings are weird. It’s almost like…the Treasure isn’t here…yet? I don’t know if that makes sense?”

Akechi says nothing, but judging from his lack of protest and thoughtful expression as he stares at the guillotine, it’s clear that he’s sensing the same thing.

Ann sighs, “Nothing to be done about that. We’ve secured our route, now we just need to send the calling card. Who…who’s going to write it?”

“I will.”

Nobody is surprised that it’s Futaba who speaks up. 

Just like it was fitting for Ryuji to write Kamoshida’s, for Yusuke to write Madarame’s and for Haru to write her father’s, it makes sense that Futaba is the one to write Akira’s.

“We’ll leave it to you then, Oracle.”

Monday, October 24th, Evening

Goro doesn’t really know what to expect.

Last time they were here, he’d felt the very strong Shadows roaming around.

He could take them, sure, but that didn’t mean he wanted to.

Loki, strangely enough, seemed to agree.

Besides, Goro’s here for a specific reason.

He has something to do, and he has to do it alone and before the calling card is sent.

So, allowing Robin Hood to guide him, he makes his way through the Palace.

They make their way to the entryway, and Goro can’t help but glance at the big doors to the Théâtre.

He’s not there, boy. Keep going.

Nodding to himself, Goro goes up towards the ballroom.

Just like the last time he was here alone, Goro makes his way through the now empty room and towards the door to the gardens.

(Now that he thinks about it, the ballroom being empty is yet another sign of Akira’s growing belief that his parents are not absolute scumbags. The ballroom had been all about them, after all.)

And just like last time, he finds Shadow Akira in front of the fountain.

“Détective. Welcome back.”

It reminds Goro of his earlier exchange with Akira, and he immediately rids himself of the memory of himself basically flirting with Akira.

“I see you’ve come alone.”

Loki seems to be particularly interested in the Palace Ruler in front of them, and Goro has no idea what to make of his Persona’s interest in both Akira and his counterpart.

The Shadow turns around, now looking at Goro as he speaks, “Why?”

“I need to talk to you. Is last time’s offer still standing?”

The Shadow grins, “Which one?”

Goro huffs, “You haven’t made me many offers, I think you know the one.”

“I beg to differ. I quite literally offered you the key to this place’s most important room, last time, have I not?”

He…did, didn’t he?

Before Goro could come up with a response, the Shadow laughed, “I was merely teasing. Of course I know which offer you are talking about.”

Wanting to regain control of the conversation, Goro immediately speaks up, “Last time I only got to ask one question. You said you’d answer all of my questions.”

Golden eyes widen, blinking in surprise for a second before the Shadow catches himself and throws his head back in laughter.

If Goro had to describe it, he’d call it a showman’s laugh.

Privately, he thinks he doesn’t like it too much.

He prefers the way Akira would snort when caught off guard by something that truly makes him laugh.

(I much prefer his feral laughter, myself.)

“Oh how you intrigue me, détective. Some things truly never change, huh? Very well then, I’ll indulge you.”

With that, he starts walking, “Come along. Might as well take a walk around these gardens, non?”

There are no Shadows around, if that’s what you’re thinking

Goro scoffs.

He catches up with the Shadow, and after a few seconds he clears his throat.

“Do you know what’s going on? With Akira, I mean?”

A hum, as if the Shadow is thinking his words over carefully.

“To a certain extent. But…me and my dear half have come at odds with one another. I haven’t been able to talk to him for quite some time now.”

Talk?

Well, isn’t that intriguing.

Robin Hood hums, as if Shadow Akira’s statement makes complete sense, and Loki seems to catch onto Goro’s annoyance at being left in the dark, if the bark of laughter he lets out is anything to go by.

The cackle echoes in his mind, along with the words of his other self.

“Personas and Shadows are one in the same. Shadow Selves are what humans reject as a part of themselves. When a person accepts what their Shadow counterpart represents, they can manifest a Persona, should they have the potential.”

Which is something Goro knew already.

He’d read it in the notes about Persona research that he has no idea how Shido got and that were only signed I.S. 

And then it clicks.

“You mean Akira should have had a Persona.”

The Shadow’s eyes widen, and Loki huffs satisfied.

“I should have expected this of you, détective. Yes, you’re correct. But after a…” he trails off, looking almost uncertain.

Which Goro thinks is an odd look on Akira’s face.

“My half rejected, so to speak, a fundamental part of himself.”

The Shadow falls silent, so Goro asks, “What about this change in cognition?”

Instead of answering, the Shadow stops and looks at him, golden eyes boring into his own.

For some reason, it doesn’t make him uncomfortable.

It holds the same intensity as Akira’s own steely gaze.

So, Goro doesn’t look away, instead waiting for the Shadow to find whatever it is he’s looking for.

(Unfortunately, he’s also hyper aware of the way Loki seems to bask in the Shadow’s attention.)

Eventually, Shadow Akira looks away with a sigh, “That’s something I can’t say détective, even to you. You’ll figure it out in due time. What I can tell you though is that this isn’t my doing or the doing of my dear half. Someone has done this to him.”

Well, that’s kinda useless, isn't it?

Not exactly. Now you know that our Marian is under the influence of someone.

Robin’s words seem to annoy Loki, for some reason.

Ignoring the two of them, Goro turns his attention to Akira’s Shadow.

“I see,” he stops, then decides screw it, he might as well ask, “I’ve been wondering about something else, actually.”

“Ask away, then.”

Goro does so before he can talk himself out of this, “Why? Why does Akira…care about me so much? Why do you…seem so interested in me?”

The Shadow’s expression softens, and his smile is a small one, of honey and ash, leaving an odd taste in Goro’s mouth.

“You’re his Clarisse. That’s why.”

And he says it as if it explains everything.

( “HA! That’s new! Never heard him call us that! 

Calm yourself.” )

Tuesday, October 25th, After School

Ann <3: Me and Akira are waiting for you by the gate!

With a huff, Shiho reaches Shujin Academy’s gates, and, just as her message said, she spots Ann’s blonde hair and Akira’s mop of curls.

Ignoring Akira, Shiho’s eyes focus on Ann.

Ann who has her hair down, out of its usual ponytails.

Damn, she looks good. 

And if the way Akira’s smirking at her, it seems he knows exactly what she’s thinking.

Well screw him, he’s not any better about his crush on the detective.

“Hey Shiho!”

Smiling at the two of them, Shiho takes Ann’s hand in her own, “Come on, let’s walk around the stalls you two.”

And that’s just what they do. 

After all, Shiho is leaving in two days, and this will be the last time she can spend time with them for a while.

So, they spend most of their afternoon walking around, occasionally stopping when Shiho feels her legs turn into jelly.

In the end, they find themselves on the roof.

(Shiho had struggled up the first flight of stairs, but she gave in and Akira carried her up on his back.)

“Sorry Akira. I’m pretty heavy, aren’t I?”

She walks over to the now fenced edge of the roof, and she’s aware of Akira and Ann’s gazes on her every movement.

“To be honest…I wanted to reenact that moment. Wearing these clothes, standing here again…I wanted to know what it would feel like.”

She hears Ann take a small step towards her, while Akira remains rooted in place. 

“What about back then? What were you thinking?”

“I…I didn’t want to die.” 

There are tears in her eyes, as she says this.

As she admits this not only to two of the people dearest to her, but to herself as well.

After all, how could she want to die?

She still wants to spend time with Ann, she still wants to spend time with her parents, she still wants to play volleyball, she-

“I just needed to escape. It was like another person inside of me was screaming, telling me to come up here…almost as if that person was trying to kill me.”

She hears Ann inhale sharply, so she turns to look at them.

“But…I know now that person was part of me as well. My weakness. I came up here, because I wanted to see if she would show up again now.”

Akira looks up at her, and the damn glasses hide his eyes from her, “And?”

He sounds almost scared to ask.

Shiho can’t blame him, when she herself had been terrified of coming up here.

Afraid of finding out that her weakself was still there.

But, “She doesn’t exist anymore.”

“You’re so strong, Shiho.”

Both her and Akira turn to look at Ann, “You’re standing here because you worked so hard on your rehab…”

Shiho immediately shakes her head, “I’m here, Ann, because neither you nor Akira let me give up. It’s all thanks to you, Ann.”

“Me?”

Ann takes a step towards her, and Shiho takes a small one closer as well, “Because I saw how hard you were trying, too. Trying to be strong, to be cool…wanting to be an action star, striving to be a better model. You were so positive, your eyes sparkled with motivation. With you putting that much effort in, I couldn’t just let my life go to waste in a hospital bed.”

Not if she wanted to be able to stand next to Ann, anyway.

“I wanted to stand again because of you. Being able to change others, that’s what true strength is.”

“Shiho…” Ann looks down, her hair falling around her, but Shiho doesn’t need to see to tell that she’s about to cry, “I’m not strong. I’m nothing without you, I’m just a lonely, scared girl.”

“Ann…I’m really sorry about transferring schools.”

“Shiho…” When Ann looks up, there are still tears in her eyes, but they’re also burning bright with motivation, “I’m going to become a real model. And I’m going to give it my all, so you can keep giving it your all too! I’m gonna be in a bunch of magazines, and say lots of cool stuff in interviews, so…so…stay healthy. And work hard, but not too much. And keep in touch. Just…please, just take care of yourself!”

She turns away, clearly trying to keep from crying, and Shiho moves before she’s even realized it, moving to hug Ann.

She loves this girl.

With all that is left of her broken self, Suzui Shiho loves Takamaki Ann.

“Ann…I love you. And once I can smile again from the bottom of my heart, I’ll come visit, and tell you again.”

Ann falls silent for a moment, before returning the hug and squeezing as hard as she can, “You better keep that promise. I’ll hold you to it, Shiho.”

She’s not ready yet.

Shiho knows that.

But this is good enough for now.

A promise, between the two of them.

(They stay there in silence for a little while, until her phone rings and her mother tells her that she’s here to pick her up. Akira carries her down while Ann stays behind on the roof. 

“I’m glad you finally told her.”

Thank you, Akira. So, so much. For everything. And I’m sorry I couldn’t help you as much as you helped me.”

“Just take care of yourself, Shiho.”

“I will. So I can visit again soon, and if by then you haven’t told your detective-”

“Oh would you look at that, isn’t that your mom right there! Come on, let’s not keep her waiting.”)

Wednesday, October 26th, Evening

Akira wants the words to change.

He wants them to disappear.

But no matter how much he wills it, the black and red card remains unchanged.

Despite himself, he reads them again.

“To Kurusu Akira, the lonely child.

For too long you have buried yourself beneath feelings of inadequacy, allowing others to dictate your worth.

You have become your own worst enemy, imprisoned in a Thèâtre built on fears and insecurities.

We, the Phantom Thieves, see the truth you’ve blinded yourself to, and we are coming to steal away the self loathing that keeps you shackled to your pain.

Prepare yourself, Kurusu Akira, for we will put an end to the endless performance you’ve trapped yourself into.

-The Phantom Thieves of Hearts”

The card, sitting innocently on his bed, almost makes him panic.

And yet…

A part of him, one that feels just like the voice that used to be in his head but that he hasn’t heard since his breakdown in Maruki’s office, is telling him that this is good.

That this has been a long time coming.

A sudden noise outside his window startles him, and Akira just barely manages to catch a glimpse of Morgana.

The instinct to follow after the cat is unnecessary.

He’s already stumbling out the door, Sojiro’s voice telling him to please eat, he hasn’t eaten at all these past few days, barely registering in his ears as he runs after Morgana.

>>>---<<<

The moment they step into the Metaverse, Futaba is overwhelmed by the sheer strength she feels coming in waves from the Palace.

Almost as if Akira is making a last ditch effort to keep them out.

Well, too bad brother dear.

Necronomicon a comforting presence in her mind, she turns to look at Ann.

“The security level is through the roof. I can tell there are hordes of really strong Shadows.”

Ann hums, her expression serious in thought, “Going to the Safe Room doesn’t make sense. It’d take less to go through the main doors.”

Akechi looks like he’s about to say something, but he’s interrupted by a loud announcement coming from the Opera House.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the biggest trial of the century! Come take a front row seat as justice shall finally be served! Come one, come all, to the trial of our very own unwanted c̵̡̭̳͉͈̟͂̆́̃̍̉̚ḩ̵͔̆̊ḭ̸̢̛̻͛̒͌̉̐̅̊͜͠͝ͅl̸̡͙̮̣̟͈̝̊̄́ͅd̷̺̝͉̾̊̈̎̈͌̓, Kurusu Akira!”

They all look at each other in concern, and Futaba knows by the way Akechi’s eyes widen that he’s felt it too.

“He’s here,” is what he says, “Akira’s here.”

Ann gasps, the expressions on Sumire and Haru’s faces draining of all color, and Futaba can’t blame them because she herself feels like she’s frozen.

Like a computer would, after a critical error.

Because Akira’s not supposed to be here, in the Treasure Room of his own Palace.