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screamfairy1996 · 2 years ago

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Ren Amamiya was arrested after an altercation with a drunk who attempted to force himself on a woman. The drunk stumbled and injured his head, through no fault of Ren’s, but the man was of considerable influence—enough that he was able to convince the police to arrest him and the woman he attempted to victimize to act as a witness against him.

Because it is his first offense, Ren is sentenced to one year's probation. Due to his criminal record, he is expelled from his hometown's high school. As continued school attendance is a condition of his probation, he is transferred to Shujin Academy, a prep school in Tokyo and the only academic institution willing to induct him. For the duration of his probation, he is assigned to live with Sojiro Sakura, the proprietor of a cafe in Yongen-Jaya called "Leblanc", who is less than thrilled with harboring a delinquent and only agrees to do it because he is a distant acquaintance of Ren’s parents.

On his way to Leblanc for the first time, Ren discovers a strange app on his phone with an ominous eyeball design. Time seems to stand still, and Ren glimpses a fiery figure before the people around him start to move again. Deciding to pay it no mind, Ren deletes the app and continues on, unaware of the significance of that vision...

The evening after he moves into the attic of Leblanc, Ren has a strange dream where he finds himself in a prison cell. Outside of the cell are two young wardens, Justine and Caroline; and across from the cell is Igor, a strange old man with a long nose who welcomes him to the "Velvet Room". Igor tells Ren that he is to undergo "rehabilitation" in the hopes of averting a coming "ruin". Igor and his wardens would become a constant presence in Ren's life from that evening onward...

On his way to the first day of class, Ren meets Ryuji Sakamoto, another alleged "problem student"; and Ann Takamaki, a classmate who is seen accepting a ride to school with P.E. teacher Suguru Kamoshida. As Ren and Ryuji make their way to school on foot, however, the mysterious app reappears on Ren phone and activates...

Ren and Ryuji arrive at school...but something is horrendously wrong: they find a castle where Shujin Academy should be! They enter the castle, only to be confronted by strange creatures led by a man bearing Kamoshida's resemblence, albeit with glowing yellow eyes and dressed in nothing but a crown, a cape, and pink underwear. The two are captured, taunted by the fake Kamoshida, and sentenced to death.

As the creatures prepare to execute Ryuji, a voice rings out in Ren’s head. It asks if he intends to sit by and watch as Ryuji dies, and if his previous decision to stand up to the drunk in his hometown was a mistake. Ren is determined that he made the right decision then. His resolve drives him to fight back, to rebel against these miscarriages of justice.

For several moments as this voice speaks to him, Ren writhes in pain, until finally, a white domino mask appears on his face. Ren reaches up to it and pulls it off, a process that is excruciatingly painful and leaves his face bloodied. Once the mask is off, Ren’s body becomes wreathed in blue and black flames that takes the form of his "Persona", Arsene. When the flames leave Ren’s body, his school uniform is replaced with a flowing black trenchcoat, matching shirt, pants, and shoes, and red gloves.

With Arsene's power, Ren is able to fight off the monsters at the fake Kamoshida's beck and call. He begins to make his escape with Ryuji, along the way encountering and freeing "Morgana", a strange cat-like being with a Persona of his own named Zorro. Accepting this cat burglar's help, they escape from the castle and return to the real world, where Morgana transforms into a real cat that only Ren and Ryuji can understand.

Over the course of the next few days, Ren and Ryuji, along with Morgana, make more excursions into the castle, which Morgana states exists in the "Metaverse", a parallel dimension formed from humanity's collective unconsciousness. Morgana states that the castle is a "Palace", a location in the Metaverse given form due to the twisted and corrupted desires of a human. They are able to travel there with the Metaverse Navigation App that appeared on Ren’s phone, using coordinates consisting of the subject's name, the real-world location, and the Palace's form: in this case, "Suguru Kamoshida", "Shujin Academy", and a "castle", formed from Kamoshida believing himself to practically be the king of Shujin, able to do whatever he wanted without consequence due to the influence he wielded as a former Olympic gold medalist. As for the fake Kamoshida and the creatures therein: they were "Shadows", manifestations of negative human desires. Being the Palace ruler, Kamoshida's Shadow holds dominion over the lesser Shadows that guard his castle.

Within the Palace, the guards catch Ren and Morgana as Kamoshida's Shadow taunts Ryuji. Fed up with the Shadow, Ryuji awakens to his own Persona, Captain Kidd. Ryuji uses his Persona to save Ren and Morgana and fend off Kamoshida's guards before they fall back.

Morgana explains that contained within a Palace was a "Treasure", the core of the distortions that created the Palace. He is on his own personal quest to collect Treasures in the hopes of regaining his human form, but collecting the Treasure would also have the effect of removing the distorted desires of the person who created the Palace, bringing about a change of heart and causing them to repent for their misdeeds. However, the possibility of them accidentally killing Kamoshida instead via mental shutdown makes Ren and Ryuji hesitant to steal the Treasure of Kamoshida's Palace...

...a hesitation that is soon dispersed one day, as one of the students at Shujin, Shiho Suzui, attempts suicide. Ann, Shiho's best friend, discovers before Shiho loses consciousness that she was driven to end her life by Kamoshida. Ren, Ryuji, and another student named Yuuki Mishima, a frequent victim of Kamoshida's abuse, confront Kamoshida. Kamoshida taunts the three with the fact that he broke Ryuji's leg and disbanded the track team out of spite when his bringing up Ryuji's lack of a father resulted in a violent outburst, and that he had Mishima spread rumors about Ren’s criminal record. Regardless of whether he did something to Shiho, Kamoshida is secure in the knowledge that it was his word against a group of problem students, and that the faculty and even parents willing turn a blind eye to his abuses. To demonstrate the power he wields, he tells the three that at the next faculty meeting, he will recommend their immediate expulsion!

With only a couple of weeks until their expulsion—which would violate Ren’s probation and result in his immediately going to juvenile detention—and nothing left to lose, Ren, Ryuji, and Morgana delve back into Kamoshida's Palace. In doing so, they accidentally draw in Ann. Ann is captured by Shadows, and Kamoshida's Shadow taunts Ann with the fact that, since she wouldn't accept his advances, he decided to force himself onto Shiho. Angered beyond words, Ann awakens to her Persona, Carmen, and joins Ren and company against Kamoshida.

With Ann now on their side, Ren, Ryuji, and Morgana delve deeper into the Palace, eventually discovering the location of its Treasure. However, the Treasure's form is amorphous, and it cannot be stolen as is. In order to take the Treasure, they would need to force it to materialize by confronting Kamoshida with the possibility that his desires would be taken from him. To that end, they would need a "Calling Card".

Ryuji makes several Calling Cards and places them on the school's bulletin board in secret. The card, signed by the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts", warns Kamoshida that his heart will be taken today. When Kamoshida sees the calling cards, he becomes incensed—and sure enough, it also causes Shadow Kamoshida to raise his Palace's security level.

The cards serve their purpose: when Ren and company enter the Treasure Room of the castle afterwards, the Treasure takes on the form of a crown. As the four attempt to take the crown, they are confronted by Kamoshida's Shadow, who morphs into a gargantuan monster. Nonetheless, Ren and his friends manage to subdue the Shadow. Ann restrains herself from killing the Shadow outright, which would instead cause a mental shutdown; she decides the best punishment for Kamoshida would be to repent for his crimes until the end of his life.

Ren and company escape from the castle as it begins to crumble. When they return to the real world, the Meta-Nav stops registering the castle: with the Treasure stolen, the Palace has collapsed. And in reality, Kamoshida's Treasure changes shape: a replica of his Olympic medal.

Over the next several days, Kamoshida is nowhere to be seen, having placed himself under suspension. On the day he promised to have Ren and Ryuji expelled, however, he returns to school during a morning assembly. In front of the entire student body and the faculty, he admits to his abuses and attempted rape of Shiho. He declares that he will atone by taking his own life; but Ann demands he live on and not run from the responsibility of repenting for his crimes.

With that, Kamoshida resigns himself to police custody, leaving everyone present stunned—especially the three "problem students" who caused this.

#p5 spoilers

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trickofheart · 2 years ago

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❝ they say that the best blaze brightest when circumstances are at their worst. ❞

Howl’s Moving Castle Quotes || Accepting

"Do you believe that?"

Ren doesn't mean to ask Aketchi the question, it just tumbles out as the teen casts a dazed look at the world outside Leblanc. Like waves of heat rolling from sun-baked streets, the air moves unnaturally but only for a split second, not quite enough for anyone to pay attention to.

Well, unless you were horribly aware that you were stuck in a dream-like world where reality bent to the whims of a school counselor whom you told some of your deepest secrets to.

"When we fought The Holy Grail, I think I was blazing the brightest- but now I don't know."

#ic ✯[in character]#messages ✯[answered]#justpyre #//idk why i wanted angst but it's 3rd semester time lmao

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chemsexholmes · 3 years ago

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hi I’m intrigued by ur little friend lupin and was wondering is it a movie or show? and where should I start if I want to get into it lol <3

HAPPY to share lupin information. he is my specialist guy

to answer your question of movie vs. tv show; basically yes, and yes :-). In 1967 the first issues of the lupin iii manga were published, then in '71 came lupin iii: part one, the anime series. full disclosure I haven't actually gotten very far in part one, and have not started any of the others (of which there are 6, lupin iii: part six being the ongoing animated series.) In addition, there are many lupin iii stand-alone films, most notably 'the castle of cagliostro' which was directed by hayao miyazaki.

the characterization of lupin, et all. changes from adaptation to adaptation but the basic ethos of lupin iii is stealing stuff, running from the law, and having fun while doing it :). monkey guy lupin is the grandson of maurice leblanc's arséne lupin, the gentleman thief, and lupin (the third) works to continue his legacy. he works with friends jigen and goemon (former mob guy, and samurai 13th generation descendant of legendary japanese outlaw, ishikawa goemon, respectively) on heists and such. they've all got unique personalities in the animated series and its fun to see them play off of eachother. fujiko mine is the resident femme fatale, who sometimes works with them, but mostly doesn't. a lot of episodes end with her betraying them and walking off with most of their goods (despite this, lupin is in love with her.) ummm other notable figures; koichi zenigata? head inspector guy assigned to the "lupin" case who has made it his lifes mission to apprehend lupin, specifically. he's sometimes annoying and pathetic and mostly just obsessed with lupin and I like him a lot.

I would recommend starting with castle of cagliostro! Its on netflix but pretty easy to access elsewhere too. It's also one of the most likeable portrayals of lupin and co., as his womanizing and general fujiko-related tomfoolery is mostly sidelined for the plot. It introduces you to the characters pretty well and its just a really damn good movie! after that I'd move on to watching parts 1-6 in order, if by then you still have the stomach for it. that's what im doing. ok thank you for asking :)

#i have not read the first issues of the manga and do not reccomend it.#but yeah! despite all his flaws... i like that guy!!#inbox

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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Netflix’s Lupin: The Evolution of Lupin vs. Ganimard

https://ift.tt/2ToNPSY

This piece contains spoilers for Netflix’s Lupin Part 2.

Netflix’s Lupin ended Part 1 on the ultimate fannish moment, with Officer Youssef Guedira (Soufiane Guerrab) addressing Assane Diop (Omar Sy) as “Arsène Lupin?”—and then picked up Part 2 with Assane responding in turn, identifying his new ally Guedira as “Ganimard,” the name of Lupin’s archnemesis. Throughout the latter five episodes of George Kay’s (Killing Eve) French crime drama, the gentleman thief and the police officer replicate their literary heroes’ dynamic—shifting between rivals on opposite sides of the law to something approaching friendship—while evolving the relationship beyond Maurice Leblanc’s original characters.

“Who could baffle the schemes of Arsène Lupin better than Ganimard, the patient and astute detective?” Leblanc writes early on in Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar. Wherever the gentleman thief is mentioned, his law-abiding archrival quickly follows, hot on the metaphorical trail. Like the best cat-and-mouse pairs, these two spend so long chasing one another that they become intimately familiar with one another’s methods and even modes of thinking, yet still have their blind spots. For instance, Ganimard doesn’t allow himself to be distracted by a false murder charge, knowing that Lupin doesn’t kill, but he manages to let the thief get away in a later adventure because it never occurs to him that Lupin would escape prison and then return.

While Lupin has remarked that Ganimard doesn’t quite possess the deductive wits of himself nor of his guest-star rival Sherlock Holmes (a.k.a. Herlock Sholmes), he nonetheless respects Ganimard’s sheer tenacity and commitment to chasing him. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from escaping Ganimard’s custody every chance he gets. Despite all this, they become something close to friends as Leblanc’s adventures go on, with Lupin sometimes entrusting cases to Ganimard (as in “The Red Silk Scarf”) and the two finding some common ground.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Interestingly, Monkey Punch’s Lupin III anime seems to have split the Ganimard persona into three distinct characters. The namesake is Ganimard III, the same age as Lupin III, and burdened with several generations of Ganimard family guilt and embarrassment over letting the Lupins consistently outwit them. Though Ganimard III only appears in Lupin the 3rd Part 1, he and Lupin III replicate their grandfathers’ dynamic of wily thief and bumbling inspector as concerns a French Fair exhibit of Arséne Lupin’s prized possessions. Ganimard III, who operates on logic and science, thinks he has laid the perfect trap for his contemporary, only for Lupin III to employ some retro tricks and crafty disguises to make history repeat itself as Ganimard III returns to France in shame.

Melon Ganimard, who may or may not be Ganimard III’s sister, seems to present more of a challenge to Lupin III in a future anime installment, with her ability to suss out his disguises and her penchant for throwing handcuffs at him. Yet despite her own canniness in disguising herself as a bombshell to try and fool him, Lupin III tells her that “he never forgets a woman” and traps her in her own family heirloom handcuffs.

Ultimately, neither Ganimard has the staying power of Lupin III’s best foil: Inspector Kōichi Zenigata from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who joins Interpol in an effort to catch the gentleman thief in the act. Alternating between goofy and serious depending on the adaptation, Zenigata’s most consistent character trait is his obsession with tracking Lupin down. The fact that they have similar enough builds makes for plenty of opportunities not just for Lupin to impersonate Zenigata (which helps fool the Ganimards) but for Zenigata to turn that trick around on him as well.

From Lupin III to Inspector Gadget: Examining the Heirs of Arsène Lupin

By Natalie Zutter

Countless close calls contribute to Zenigata’s hotheadedness, as Lupin manages to evade him each time. But even the inspector’s more impulsive moves are backed by legitimately sharp instincts and the keenness to anticipate Lupin’s moves—prompting the thief to point out that it’s a shame that Zenigata is a cop. In Hayao Miyazaki’s The Castle of Cagliostro, the two even form a pact (albeit temporarily) in order to escape the titular castle’s deadly catacombs. What started as a professional rivalry, with more than one occasion forcing them to save each other’s necks, has transformed into real respect and genuine affection.

“Chapter 6” of Lupin Part 2 initially subverts this modern Lupin/Ganimard relationship by having Guedira lie about his identity; at first he lets Assane believe that he is merely a good samaritan helping to rescue the captured Raoul (Etan Simon) from Pellegrini’s man Léonard (Adama Niane). But even by the end of that first episode, Assane reveals that he’s easily figured out who Guedira is, and—perhaps in a throwback to the anime’s Ganimard descendants—zip-ties him to their stolen car as he goes after Léonard alone. When he says, “You’re Ganimard,” it’s a compliment! Only Guedira figured out who Assane’s crimes were in homage to, because of their shared fandom for the Arsène Lupin canon. But the fact remains that Assane doesn’t work with cops.

That choice proves potentially devastating by the end of “Chapter 6,” the final scene which makes Assane and the viewers believe that Raoul has perished in the burning car. If the gentleman thief, so used to relying on only himself in the middle of a heist, had brought an ally, then his son might have survived.

Thankfully, that bleak read is quickly reversed by one of the series’ signature flashbacks to what happened to Guedira after Assane left him: He managed to get out in time to rescue Raoul from the car before Léonard set it on fire. Yet having Raoul as bait puts them back on opposite sides of the law, as Guedira’s colleagues use the boy to try and arrest the thief. Unfortunately, that plus the Pellegrinis’ scheming ultimately leads to Assane being framed for the murder of Léonard—something that everyone believes, even potentially Guedira, who seems to have a genuine loss of faith with regard to Assane upholding the gentleman thief’s morals. Not even finally unearthing Assane’s headquarters, with its Lupin Easter eggs of a top hat and the eponymous “Jewish lamp” from one of the stories, is enough to comfort Guedira’s disillusionment with his favorite book series.

And here represents the turning point for Lupin the series. Just as Assane Diop’s Lupin is a subversion of the archetypal character by engaging with the racism of him not “looking” like people would expect of a gentleman thief, Guedira-as-Ganimard’s pivotal moment is when he dares to question the police department and the letter of the law itself. “Lupin doesn’t kill,” he keeps insisting to Lieutenant Belkacem (Shirine Boutella) and especially Dumont (Vincent Garanger), but they have lost any faith in his Diop-as-Lupin theory. He is alone in his convictions.

So Guedira is perfectly primed for one of the series’ best moments, when Assane addresses him as “Ganimard” via Internet comments. This engagement in a fannish space, this brief foray into online role-playing, carries all the joy of a shared joke and all the weight of a missing puzzle piece—leading him to the proof of Dumont’s corruption and the permission to seek out Lupin at his final confrontation with Pellegrini in “Chapter 10.”

For his part, Guerrab believes that Guedira and Assane’s relationship transcends fandom by the end of Lupin Part 2. “Although in Part 1 Guedira and Assane are connected through their passion for Arsène Lupin,” he says in the Netflix press notes, “in Part 2 they get to know each other and almost forget about their shared passion—they are human beings, first and foremost. You get the feeling that even if one of them is a burglar and the other is a police officer, they could be the best of friends.”

Anime creator Monkey Punch has said that the only way he envisions ending the Lupin III story would be to have Lupin and Inspector Zenigata conclude their story as equals: whether that means both failing or both winning—or both simply getting too old for this cat-and-mouse game—they would end on the same terms. While Assane Diop and Officer Guedira are both too young to give up their intense dynamic anytime soon—and there’s no telling what’s in store for Netflix’s Lupin Part 3—it’s a comforting thought that these two might someday face the same endgame.

Lupin Part 2 is available now on Netflix.

The post Netflix’s Lupin: The Evolution of Lupin vs. Ganimard appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3wiBnCx

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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avellanaslesbianas · 11 months ago

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fuck you *mandatory hmc AU*

#league of legends #art of legends #jericho swain #leblanc lol #leblanc league of legends #howls moving castle #the book version #which is better #she does in fact eat young girls hearts in this btw #as for the rest of the roles uuhh #Vlad as the witch of the waste rell as michael #veigar as calcifer annie as markl IF YOU HAVE TO #leblanc

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leer-reading-lire · 3 years ago

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JOMP Book Photo Challenge

March 5: Latest Purchase

#jompbpc #book photo challenge #justonemorepage #book pile #diana wynne jones #maurice leblanc #david foenkinos #niko tackian #fred vargas #bernardo esquinca #fernanda trías #howl's moving castle #leerreadinglire

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akirakurusuimagines · 5 years ago

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you’re back!! hope everything is well!💖 so how Akira plan a romantic date for he and his s/o and what would that be like? And what if towards the end of the date they slow dance together? Give me all the details pls, ty🥺🥺

Akira had been working hard, melding part time jobs and picking up spare materials in the Metaverse that he can pawn off to Iwai for some extra cash, with a specific goal in mind: taking you to Tokyo Destinyland.

You had mentioned your desire to go there, having never gotten the chance to before. It was always a fleeting conversation, never asking him, only mentioning how fun you think it would be before moving on to the next topic⁠— but he never forgot about it, and he thought it would be a good way to surprise you.

It was… very expensive. It took a lot of time and hard work, and he wondered sometimes if he would even be able to take you there before he had to leave back to his hometown. But he manages, and the happiness that brightens his face as he holds the two tickets in his hands was something that made even Sojiro comment with a sly, knowing smile.

He told you as you two were studying together in the diner. You had gone to the restroom and left your books open, and Akira took the opportunity to slip the ticket in the crevice of your notebook, making sure you didn’t see and simply continued to drink his coffee as you returned, taking a minute to notice the difference.

When you did, Akria wish he had recorded your reaction⁠— your dumbfounded expression turning into an expression of pure joy and your speechlessness, repeating words like “Akira, how did you⁠— what⁠— I’m⁠— Destinyland???”

He couldn’t help but grin at your cute reaction, simply nodding and holding his own ticket up. “I remembered that you wanted to go. So… I bought tickets for us. Are you free on Sunday?”

“Of course⁠ but… Akira, are you serious? This⁠— this isn’t a joke, right? It’s not a dream⁠—?”

“Why would it be a joke? And if you want to make sure it isn’t a dream⁠⁠—” and Akira stands up a bit and leans over the table and gives you a quick, chaste kiss, “That should prove it’s reality.” Damn him and his cheeky, precious smile. You could only nod, too excited to focus on your work now.

When Sunday rolled around, you were more than excited⁠— you could hardly sleep. You made sure your boyfriend also woke up rather early, wanting to spend the entire day there and knowing how he likes to sleep in on the weekends.

You rushed over to Leblanc, dressed for the occasion with a smile on your face, as if nothing could possibly go wrong. He followed shortly after, teasing you for being so excited and saying his farewells to Sojiro and Futaba before you two took off for the theme park.

Though the lines were long, your spirit never wavered. You two held hands most of, if not all the time, sticking to each other as you wore matching headbands, deciding “Well hey, if we’re here, and it’s a special occasion, why not go all out?” You had to admit, seeing Akira in a cute headband like that was an incredible experience you absolutely caught on camera⁠— for the price of a kiss, of course.

You two walked around for hours upon end, entering shops, joking around with each other, whispering secrets and exchanging quick kisses as you weaved through the crowd, buying small treats and trinkets to keep as a dear memory of this trip.

Eventually, you decided that you wanted to go on a rollercoaster. The line was a bit long, but nothing you couldn’t wait around for. Akira seemed to be a bit nervous though, shifting from left to right as you two stood in line, twisting his bangs and fiddling with his phone, as if to distract himself. “Are you okay?” You were genuinely concerned, but he only smiled and nodded, dismissing your worries.

Turns out, he’s not a fan of rollercoasters. The high speed and height and rockiness makes his head spin and doesn’t feel good to him. But he suffered through it for you. Though, his face on the ride was extremely cute, you couldn’t deny that⁠— the way his eyes squeezed shut and his hands were gripping the bars of the roller coaster so tightly his knuckles were turning white, how his usually messy hair is even more of one, and how he kind of tucked his face close to the bar closest to you.

After that, he was pretty dizzy, and needed a few moments to recover, deciding that if you want to go on another ride like that, he’ll stay behind with your things and take photos of you on it instead. Be sure you make it up to him with kisses and words of affection.

However you guys decide to spend the rest of your time, it’s always together, full of love and laughter, perfect for any date. You couldn’t even begin to thank Akira enough, sometimes just staring at him with a soft smile as your heart swells from just the amount of love you knew he had for you.

As the sun began to set, you two started to wind down, getting ready for the light and fireworks show that’s become a standard for the experience. Akira lead you to a more secluded area of the park, where you had a wonderful view of the large castle and lake, though with the wonderful bonus of privacy.

For a little while, you two simply sat together, your head resting on his shoulders as you talked about your day and other small topics, simply enjoying the company of your partner. Eventually, however, Akira stood up and turned around, holding his hand out to you, as the crowd began to start counting down until the show.

5, 4, 3… You took his hand and stood up, stepping closer to him as his other hand went to your waist, and yours to his shoulder, immediately knowing what to do. 2, 1⁠—

The two of you, without music to guide your steps, still moved in sync as you swayed together in the small grassy patch, the light of the fireworks catching in your boyfriend’s eyes, and you couldn’t bring yourself to look at anything else. It was incredible. You two slow danced without a care in the world, and he took a chance to let you twirl, watching with nothing but love as you giggled but followed his guidance.

Eventually, your dance became nothing more than close, intimate swaying, and Akira rested his forehead against yours. “I love you.”

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hetyra · 5 years ago

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So I’ve been concocting a NG+/time travel P5 story idea where both Akira and Goro remember the original timeline in my head for like the past week, and since I’m terrible about finishing multi-chapter fics I’m just gonna ramble about it in a very long post instead lol

The reset doesn’t apply equally to them.

Akira goes to sleep one night weeks or months after the events of the game and wakes up after what feels like only minutes later on the train bound for Shibuya just like he does at the beginning of the game.

Goro on the other hand goes from exchanging bullets with the cognitive version of himself in Shido’s palace to waking up in bed in the blink of an eye. It takes a few minutes, but he realizes he’s 14 again and it’s the first day of his last year of middle school – which is also the day the meta-nav appeared on his phone.

He winds up not using the app at all. Nor does he approach Shido and offer his “services”. He’s extremely shaken up by all the memories or dreams or whatever the hell they are. He decides he doesn’t care, but he’d rather avoid becoming that kind of person and meeting that fate.

By pure happenstance, he eventually ends up meeting Wakaba. Feeling guilt for being the original cause of her death, Goro feels the want to help her this time around and ends up expressing an interest in cognitive psience (which isn’t a total lie) that results in them making a sort of confidant deal.

Through Wakaba he also meets and gets to know both Sojiro and Futaba.

Realizing that his lack of involvement with Shido could have potentially prevented Akira’s original arrest, Goro chooses to attend Shujin for high school; intent on forming the PTs himself if need be.

It’s right around this time that Sojiro suddenly offers to adopt him.

He starts attending high school as Sakura Goro, and everything is going great. Until it’s not.

Wakaba dies. In the same exact manner as when he had been the one behind it.

Up to this point in time, Goro occasionally had PTSD symptoms when things reminding him of his actions in the previous timeline came up. Wakaba’s death affects him terribly, and all his symptoms get worse from there on out.

Sojiro moves them out to Yongen and eventually gets custody of Futaba, and Goro not wanting to deal with or think about what’s going on or what happened before, instead focusses on preventing Futaba from developing a palace. He succeeds.

Around this time, Sojiro starts worrying a lot about Goro. He knows he’s been… off ever since Wakaba’s death. Even now it seems like her death is weighing heavier on him than it is Futaba.

Right about the time Futaba passes her entrance exams to get into Shujin, Sojiro is asked to take in Akira for his probation. Goro, who was helping out at Leblanc at the time of the conversation, practically bullies Sojiro into accepting.

Back to Akira now.

His arrival in Tokyo goes exactly as it did before. The next day goes much the same, up until they’re in the car on their way back to Leblanc. For the hell of it, Akira asks Sojiro again why he took him in. Sojiro’s answer is the same, except instead of saying “I was already paid for it too.” He says “My son was rather insistent I do, too.”

Akira in shock and confusion asks “Son?” to which Sojiro explains: “Oh right. I have two kids; adopted both of them and they happen to go to Shujin too. My son, Goro, is a 3rd year while my daughter, Futaba, is a 1st year. Hopefully they’ll be a good influence on you instead of the other way around.”

Cue Akira’s brain short-circuiting at the mention of Goro.

Upon arriving back at Leblanc, Futaba and Goro are there waiting for them. Futaba wastes no time commenting on how Akira doesn’t look all that tough while Goro is standing behind the counter making everyone coffee – and wearing jeans and a hoodie to Akira’s continued shock.

Sojiro doesn’t let them talk long after he feeds them, saying they should all go to bed since they have school in the morning. Futaba leaves fairly quickly but Sojiro stops Goro to ask if he’s alright, having noted the bags under his eyes. When Goro says it’s nothing to worry about and leaves, Sojiro sighs and mumbles just loud enough for Akira to hear “Is it because there was another subway accident?”

That night, Akira’s dreams put him in the velvet room. He’s happy to see Lavenza and the real Igor but surprised when he hears Goro in the cell next to his.

Lavenza explains who she and Igor are to Goro and that despite their collective freedom from Yaldabitch, he does in fact still exist in this timeline and must be dealt with. Akira helps fill in Goro on how they dealt with him before but that’s all they have time to discuss before they’re being woken up by their respective alarm clocks.

Futaba goes to school ahead of them with the excuse that she doesn’t want to be seen with her dorky older brother and the guy with a criminal record, giving the two of them time to talk.

Akira is quick to demand answers regarding the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns, which elicits a rather desperate denial out of Goro. He insists it’s not him causing them and he doesn’t know who is, and Akira realizes quickly that Goro isn’t lying and is legitimately anxious about it.

The knowledge that someone else seems to have entered the “game” makes Akira uneasy, but assures Goro that things will be fine. They’ll stop whoever it is, Shido, and Yaldabitch. But first they need the Phantom Thieves.

This is when Goro admits he has yet to use the nav, despite having had it for 3 years at this point. Before Akira can comment on that, they exit the station to the rain and he instead opens the app and maneuvers them both so that they encounter Ann, Kamoshida, and Ryuji.

When they arrive at the castle instead of the school, Goro levels a look at him but simply sighs and goes with it when Akira tells him to trust him.

Everything goes the same as before, awakening and all, even with Goro there. That is up until Morgana just walks up to them. He’s not in a cell.

It turns out Morgana also remembers everything and it takes some improv acting on both Morgana and Goro’s parts to cover for Akira’s stupidity when Ryuji asks “Wait, you know this monster-cat?!”

When they get home that night, Goro tries to take the blame for them being late but Sojiro doesn’t bite – turning to Akira and telling him that his son is a good kid and he won’t have Akira influencing him into bad behavior. Sojiro isn’t quite as angry a few minutes later when he comes upstairs to find Morgana chilling on Akira’s bed.

Goro asks Akira the next morning to text him when Ryuji asks to go back to the palace, to which Akira agrees with the full intention on not doing that.

The day of the volleyball rally, Akira is on his way to the next abuse victim he needs to question when he‘s suddenly yanked around a corner by a very miffed looking Goro. Akira apologizes and explains why he left him out, receives a grumpy “Ok, I forgive you” and continues on his mission.

Akira again does not tell Goro they’re going into the palace the day Ann follows them in and awakens to her own persona, despite Ryuji and Morgana both telling him he should.

It’s later when they’re exchanging their contact info with Ann that Goro appears looking very pissed off at certain someone. After that, the group chat is established with Goro in it so he will in fact know when they’re going to the palace.

Goro sticks to back up and surveillance due to still not having awakened to his persona yet, but throughout their infiltration he notes Joker’s watchful eye on him and the constant reminders to stay safe.

Come the gym-turned-church Goro decides he’s had enough of the other tricksters incessant worrying over him. The two of them start to argue, Akira never quite saying it’s because he doesn’t want to witness Goro die again, when the angel shadow appears and interrupts them. Akira quickly turns his attention to it and tells Goro to get to a safe distance, which cause the latter to yell back angrily.

Cue Loki’s voice and Goro ripping off a mask.

Goro’s has a new outfit, though it’s sort of a mix between his two previous outfits and Jokers

He discovers he still has Robin Hood as well.

And that’s about as far as I’ve figured out.

I haven’t decided whether the events of the new semester in Royal happened in the original timeline, but I really want to stick with the “from being shot to waking up in bed” thing so if they did I’m rolling with Goro’s memory of the events feeling disjointed and out of place.

There’s one scene I actually animated (because I was bored and in the mood to animate) that takes place later, when they go to the airsoft shop for the first time. Ryuji tells Akira about the shop over the phone, and Akira doesn’t tell Goro what they’re doing, only to meet up with them in Shibuya and that it was important. Akira thought it’d be funny if Ryuji were to ask Goro if he knew anything about guns with absolutely no context – and he does indeed finds Goro’s “overreaction” quite funny. At this point, Akira still isn’t aware that Goro actually has PTSD because of the events in the original timeline, and so thinks it’s just a funny inside joke. Goro’s anxiety meanwhile is through the fucking roof.

Here’s a link to the video of the scene.

#fic idea I will never write #feel free to steal I would 100% read it #p5 #persona 5 #Futaba and Goro aren't half siblings in this but they are adoptive siblings #NG+ story #Things Ai Made

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winterune · 5 years ago

Text

Under the Sakura Bloom

A Persona 5 Fanfiction

Something I wrote for @shuannweek Day 3 prompt: Cherry Blossom/Rose

Word count: 2730

A/N: This is probably weird. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I liked the idea, but I’m not sure how it turned out. Not many shuann scenes, just a little at the end. Been sitting on this one for weeks now, but I decided to stop editing the heck out of it and just post it so I can move on from it ^^; Probably could’ve written this better. I may rewrite this in the future, if I’m not procrastinating too much

Also available on AO3.

~*~*~*~*~

The door to the rooftop swung shut. His eyes lingered on it for a few more seconds, waiting to see if it would open again, but it didn’t, and Ryuji Sakamoto didn’t return. Ren sighed, leaning back against the stacks of unused tables abandoned on the school’s roof and stared up at the deep orange sky. But the glass and concrete obstructed his view and the comfort it had always managed to give him was nowhere to be seen. Ren’s lips pressed into a frown.

Back home, he could look at it as far as the eye could see.

Back home...

He caught himself, his heart clenching tight at the thought of his home. They got rid of you for being a pain in the ass, Sojiro had said, and maybe he was right. Ren could imagine the look his guardian would make and the deep scowl he would find on that solemn face. His homeroom teacher had said that Sojiro had sounded angry when she called him. Of course he would be. Not even a day went by and Ren was already making trouble for himself.

Silent glances and hushed whispers from the moment he stepped inside the school.

I heard you got a criminal record, Ryuji had said. Everyone’s talking about it.

Ren scoffed.

Of course they would have known. Of course rumors would have started. What did he expect—that the situation here might be different from how it had been at home?

The judging stares and the silent treatment, culminating in his expulsion from school. As though he had always been the delinquent problem child the indictment made him out to be.

Ren fisted his hands on his sides. A pain in the ass, indeed.

Far above him, a bird black against the sky flew, its wings flapping strongly against the gust of wind. He expected to hear a chirp or a squawk, like how he would hear the birds did at home.

Home, huh?

LeBlanc was his home now. The cluttered, dusty attic was his room. It felt weird to say that he was going home but it wouldn’t be to his house. He wouldn’t find his mother waiting for him, or his father with his cold, calculating stare.

Overhead, the bird zoomed silently past without so much as a glance toward him. It would have been nice if he had wings like those.

***

Ren stared at the ground, at the concrete pavement beneath his feet and his shadow stretching in front of him. The sun hot on his back, he took one step in front of the other, hands in his pockets, his bag slung over one shoulder. After all that had happened, he didn’t feel comfortable looking at the people around him. The bangs of his hair made it possible to hide his eyes and if he made himself small enough, insignificant enough, no one would notice him. Right?

But even as he wandered through the not-so-crowded sidewalk, expertly dodging the people going to-and-fro, someone still managed to bump into his shoulder, hard, and it made him stop.

“Watch where you’re going, kid!” the man snapped—a thirty-some-year-old, dressed in a sweatshirt and baggy old pants. Ren almost muttered an apology, but the alcohol scent made him pause and he glanced at the man over the rim of his glasses.

The man’s face was red, and he was slightly unbalanced on his feet. Still, he seemed sober enough to make eye contact with Ren and the glare the man sent him was enough to make any other person freeze.

Drinking in daylight, huh, Ren scoffed.

He would have forgiven him, would have ducked his head and walked away, had the man not come quick and grabbed the lapels of his uniform, pulling it taut. “Did you just laugh at me?!”

He was too loud; some of the people around them had stopped to look. Ren scowled, meeting the man’s glare with one of his own. “Get your hands off me,” he muttered.

The man paused, followed by a sneer. “Cheeky brat,” he seethed, tightening his grip on Ren. “Aren’t you supposed to apologize when you did some wrong?” Ren gritted his teeth but refrained from rolling his eyes. “Didn’t your mother teach you some manners?”

Didn’t your mother teach you?

Ren was tempted to talk back, to lash out and fight, because it had been his fault for bumping into Ren. But the stares and whispers from the people around them made him stop and Ren noticed the two policemen patrolling the street. They hadn’t seen them yet, but they would, if Ren drew this out longer than needed be. With that thought firmly lodging itself in his mind, he slowly felt his anger draining out, and he hung limp from the man’s hold.

It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth picking a fight with a random drunk. It wasn’t worth coming to the police station and having Sojiro come to pick him up. It wasn’t worth being pulled out from his probation only to be sent to juvie for some stupid mishap after only one day.

Ren looked down at the ground and quietly bobbed his head with a mutter of an apology. He felt the man’s stare for a few more moments, before the man let him go and shoved him aside. “Kids these days,” the man muttered under his breath. Ren heard a disdainful sniff and a scoff before the man turned on his heels and went on his way.

He lifted his head and stared hard at that retreating back as it slowly disappeared into the crowd. But the whispers pulled his attention back to the present and, noticing their scorn, Ren wished he’d worn a jacket with a hood on to escape them. Of course, everything would be the kid’s fault for getting in the adults’ way.

He quickly ducked his head and continued on his way to the subway.

***

Rebel’s soul.

Ren was about to turn around a corner when a deep familiar voice made him pause. He looked around, but no one seemed to be talking to him.

I am the rebel’s soul that resides within you.

It took a moment to realize that the voice was in his head—the voice he had heard in that castle, rising to the surface from the back of his mind. The conversation he had had with Ryuji on the rooftop came back to him. The castle, the monsters, and…his teacher, dressed in nothing but his underwear and a long furry red cape like something that came out of a comic book or video game. Ryuji had tried to convince himself that it was only a dream, but was it really?

Ren reached up to a sore spot on his temple. It still smarted from the hit he had taken by one of those armored guards. There was that weird cat, too, talking and walking on two legs.

And then…Persona, was it?

Ren took his hand out of his pocket and stared at his palm, clenching and unclenching it slowly. There had been a dagger there. He remembered the feel of the leather hilt, the fluid movement his body had made.

Arsene.

It had been a brief moment, but a surge of power he had never known before had coursed through his body. It had made him feel as though nothing was impossible. As though for once, he could actually help someone.

“Persona, huh?” Ren murmured, curling his fingers into a fist.

A sudden strong gust of wind broke through his reverie, flapping his hair and clothes. It moved upward, and as Ren shielded his eyes, a sweet scent he hadn’t noticed before teased his senses. Ren looked up and caught his breath in his throat. Sakura trees lined the street, their long branches spreading far and high, creating an arching canopy over the entire length of the street, making it seem as though he was inside a tunnel of cherry blossoms.

He didn’t remember this street. Had he made a wrong turn somewhere? But even as a part of him was telling him that he shouldn’t dally any longer, Ren was rooted to the spot, his gaze entranced by the dancing pink flowers on the wind. Countless petals had broken free from their branches and Ren watched as they slowly rained down all around him.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t taken the time to stop and see them this year—the flower-viewing festival. A stray petal fell into his line of sight and Ren caught it in his palm. Fragile; transient; these flowers never lasted long, yet when they bloomed, they always looked so grand and spectacular.

His lips parted into a small smile.

Maybe he would keep it and press it as a memento of his first day at school.

Putting the sakura petal in his pocket, Ren was about to turn around and leave when a figure a few ways ahead of him caught his attention. She was standing straight, looking up at the trees, her face in profile. There was no mistaking it—that twin-tailed blonde hair. Not when he had been sitting behind her all throughout the rest of their class. Not when she had made such an impression on him that morning when they were taking shelter from the rain.

And just like that morning, time seemed to stop.

Takamaki, was it? He thought he had heard the girls whisper that name.

Sakura petals rained down all around her, but she didn’t seem to notice them. Her lips were drawn, and her jaw was set, her eyes hard as they stared up at the flowers above her. She had that faraway look, as though she wasn’t seeing what was in front of her at all.

Ren found himself wondering what her eyes perceived that he could not—what thoughts occupied her head, what sorts of feelings resided in her heart. A facade. That was what it looked like. A deep-seated pain hiding behind that brave face. It was a feeling he knew all too well.

As though noticing someone watching her, Takamaki looked his way and their eyes met. A second seemed to last an eternity and the momentary surprise he caught on her face was quickly replaced by a frown. Not so much as an exchange of greeting. Ren watched her turn on her heels and walk away.

There was an urge to follow her, and talk to her, and listen to her. But Ren’s feet would not move and as he stared at her receding back, he wished for that power to help right then and there.

~*~

“Hm? What’s this?”

Ann had come to LeBlanc to hang out with him in his room. They had borrowed an action-clip movie from the rental shop in Shibuya and had just finished watching it. She was supposed to go home, and Ren was supposed to take her to the station, but the heavy clouds that had gathered since early in the day finally broke and rain was pouring fast and hard, like a thick silver sheet, pounding against rooftops and pavements. His attic window would rattle once in a while from the storm raging outside.

Ren was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone, when Ann picked up a notebook while scouring his shelf. A plain brown notebook he had gotten from Sojiro, and Ann had opened it to the very first page. A single flower petal lay there, the color a faded pink, pressed flat.

Heat spread up his face so fast as an internal alarm glared bright red in his head. “That’s—”

“I didn’t know you press flowers, Ren,” she was saying, but Ren had leaped from his bed and snatched the book from her hands, closing it shut and hiding it behind his back.

In the span of a moment, Ann’s look of surprise quickly turned to confusion and then to curiosity. She grinned, her hand darting behind him, trying to take the book back, but Ren was faster, and he immediately held it high out of her reach.

“Oh, come on! You’re making me curious.”

“It’s nothing,” Ren dodged her question.

“If it’s nothing, then you can at least let me see it.”

“It’s just a flower,” he tried to say.

“Right. So what’s the big deal?” Ann asked, standing back with hands on her hips. “It’s not like it’s a memento of a first love or something, right?”

A joke. That was a joke, and Ren knew that, but that hit too close to home that Ren instinctively looked away. He immediately regretted that decision when he noticed the shock registering on her face. “It is?”

“No, wait, Ann, that’s not—”

The deep scowl on her face was enough to tell him just how annoyed she was. Of course she would be upset. She was his girlfriend and yet he just told her that he had kept something to remember his first love—which wasn't entirely wrong either, because that first love was…

Ren looked away. “It’s not what you think,” he muttered.

“Yeah?” Arms crossed, the hard stare she was giving him was unforgiving.

“It’s just…I mean—” Ren fidgeted. Did he really have to tell her about it?

Ren met her glaring eyes, gulping nervously at the decision he was making. He slowly brought the book down. “It’s the journal Sojiro gave me,” he muttered. “For my probation.”

Now that he thought about it, why the hell did he even stick the flower in a book he would have to return to Sojiro someday? He hadn’t written any embarrassing passages in it, right? That would have been the stupidest thing he had ever done.

Ren held his breath and opened the book to the very first page. The pressed sakura petal lay there. Other than that, it was devoid of any weird scribble—thank God! Just a date at the top and a short description:

Monday, April 11th, first day of school. An accident made me late. Got scolded by the homeroom teacher and Sojiro. But I saw the sakura, so that’s something.

So much had happened that day, and judging from the barely legible writing, he had probably been too tired to write a proper entry. Not that he could say anything about the Palace he had accidentally gotten in with Ryuji. But…he silently patted himself on the back for not talking about how Ann Takamaki had occupied most of his thoughts for the rest of that day.

“First day of school?” Ann read the entry. She looked up at him with a frown. “Hey, you said it was your first love!”

He never actually said it, but—

“You sound disappointed,” he said.

A pause, and Ren saw her cheeks turning pink. She cleared her throat and looked away, suddenly finding interest in another book on the shelf. Ren stared at her back and when the thought slipped into his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Were you hoping it’d be you?”

Ann’s hand, which was poised to grab one of the books from its place, stilled. Ren could almost hear her words before she even said them herself: “So what if I was?”

He snorted a laugh before he could stop himself, making Ann whip her head at him with a pout and a glare. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just…” his voice trailed off.

Just like how the sky had been a balm to his wounds, looking at the sakura petal in his journal would soothe his mind, when too many things were going on in his life and too many thoughts occupied his head. Because it reminded him of that moment—that brief encounter under the sakura bloom, when a new resolution formed in his heart. Ren doubted Ann remembered it. She would probably never know how seeing her there had made a difference in his life.

He looked at the journal, then held it out to her. “Do you wanna read it?”

Ann looked up at him, eyes widening in surprise. “What? Really?”

Ren nodded, feeling his face split into a grin. “A warning, though—it’s boring, since I keep most of our phantom thieving out of it.

That elicited a sweet laughter from her. “Well, I’d still be interested with or without the phantom thieving.”

~ END ~

#ShuannWeek2k20 #shuann #ren amamiya #ann takamaki #persona 5 #persona #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my story #persona fanfic #p5 fanfic

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purpli-writes · 4 years ago

Text

The Jester Fathers the Fool (Chapter 2: The Respite of Revolution)

Summary:

Akira Kurusu has always been sure about his home life, even if it wasn't the best.

But after meeting the Inaba T.V. Killer, he's no longer sure.

And... also he's the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

Updates Every Two Weeks (hopefully)

Chapter Summary:

The Phantom Thieves see Kamoshida's change of heart.

Akira also realizes that peace is something out of his reach.

You can read it on AO3 here.

5/2, Monday:

Akira awoke to the sound of his phone going off rapidly. After rubbing his eyes, he grabbed at where he guessed his phone would be.

Unsurprisingly, it was the group chat with Ann and Ryuji. Akira had figured he would hear from them soon into the day.

ryuji: this isnt good

ryuji: guys?

ryuji: is anyone up

ryuji: hello?

ryuji: it isnt only my life on the line here!

ryuji: wake up

ann: WILL YOU SHUT UP?

ann: so today’s the big day huh?

ryuji: ann i dont want to get expelled

ann: please shut up

ann: it’s too early.

ryuji: guys we are so effin dead

ryuji: we are so so dead

akira: no we aren’t.

ann: yeah we’ll be fine

ryuji: its easy for you to say that

ryuji: youre not the one getting expelled today

akira: none of us are getting expelled ryuji.

ann: we’ve done everything according to plan

ann: there’s no way this can fail!

akira: yeah, we’ll be fine.

ryuji: but we cant be sure

akira: we’ll.

akira: be.

akira: fine.

ann: yep!

Akira frowned as he shut off his phone, rubbing his eyes once again. Ryuji’s fears weren’t unfounded. In fact, it was probably the most normal thing about their situation.

“Are you ready?” Morgana asked, staring at Akira worriedly. ��Today’s the day, y’know.”

“I’m fine,” Akira said. “It’s a bit scary to just wait, but everything is going to fine.”

It just has to be, Akira thought. If it doesn’t… well that’s it, isn’t it?

“You don’t seem too sure,” Morgana said, tilting his head.

“I am,” Akira countered, turning to change. “Just tired, that’s all.”

Morgana sighed loudly but didn’t say anything more on the matter.

Some lies weren’t worth the trouble of uncovering them. Not that Akira would complain about Morgana’s newfound policy.

After getting dressed, Akira went downstairs with Morgana in tow. Sojiro had apparently just arrived.

“You hungry, kid?” Sojiro asked, staring at Akira. “You’ll have enough time for breakfast if you eat now.”

“No,” Akira said quickly. “I’m not really that hungry.”

Sojiro frowned. “Are you sure?”

Akira nodded.

“Make sure you flip the sign to open on your way out,” Sojiro said, turning away.

Akira turned away, making his way towards Leblanc’s door.

He didn’t understand why Sojiro seemed so disappointed in how he had skipped breakfast.

His only guess was quickly brushed off as he turned the sign, marking the cafe as open.

If his own parents hadn’t cared enough, he doubted that Sojiro would, no matter what kind of person Sojiro was.

It just wouldn’t make sense.

Going through the motions of the school day was nerve-wracking, although Akira barely showed it.

Or at least he hoped that he seemed calm.

He was grateful when it was finally time for the assembly, as he had figured that was the do or die moment.

Who thought that the most important thing in my academic career would be a school assembly and not an exam… Akira thought, trying to find humor. I guess life isn’t easy to predict.

Akira and Ann found each other in the hallway while their class walked to the assembly, both looking a little grim.

“This is a bit scary,” Ann whispered. “Especially since we have no clue what this is going to be about.”

“We can guess, can’t we?” Akira asked, gripping his backpack a bit tighter.

“If it was just about Kamoshida I doubt the school would call an assembly,” Ann said shaking her head. “They like to sweep his behavior under a rug.”

Akira nodded, frowning as they finally reached their destination. “Out of the frying pan into the fire, it seems.”

“Hopefully it isn’t anything like that,” Ann said before going in.

Akira and Ann separated, with Ann going towards the front and Akira lingering towards the back.

Principal Kobayakawa stood awkwardly on the platform, adjusting his shirt every few seconds.

Whatever he was about to say, Akira was sure he didn’t want to say it.

After a few minutes of waiting it seemed that the assembly was finally about to begin. Akira tried to ignore the fear that clawed up his chest.

“Hello everyone,” Kobayakawa began. “As you all may know our school has recently been victim to a tragedy.”

“However despite the circumstances, we have been informed that the student in question will make a full recovery over time.”

“We will move forward from this tragedy by putting our best foot forward.”

Kobayakawa paused for a second, most likely to continue his speech on morale, but he never got the chance.

The door closest to Akira opened with a bang, revealing Kamoshida behind it.

The man had looked different, Akira realized. As if he had seemed sorry instead of smug. The thought was a little jarring, but Akira simply tried to ignore it.

“I have been reborn,” Kamoshida began, a bit out of breath. “I have… a lot to confess to you all.”

Kamoshida slowly shambled to the stage, the walk a bit lackluster for a former Olympic medalist.

“I have done things unspeakable as a teacher,” Kamoshida said. “I viewed this school as my castle and I was right to do anything I saw fit.”

“I treated the volleyball team terribly,” Kamoshida continued. “I would continuously abuse them until they gave me the results I wanted.”

“Mister Kamoshida,” Kobayakawa said hurriedly. “Please get off the stage!”

“And to the female students I was no better,” Kamoshida said, ignoring Kobayakawa’s attempts to get him off the stage. “I sexually harassed them despite their repeated attempts to tell me no.”

“I am the reason that Suzui attempted to kill herself,” Kamoshida said. “And when students attempted to call me out on it I saw it fit to have them expelled.”

“I will of course rescind the request of their expulsion,” Kamoshida finished.

Kamoshida then went on his knees and started sobbing, confusing the student body even more.

“I am a shameful person,” Kamoshida said, barely comprehensible. “I am the scum of this very earth.”

“There’s no punishment worthy of me,” Kamoshida continued. “The only way I could ever think of repenting is by killing myself.”

“Yes, that’s the only punishment that would be fair!” Kamoshida cried out. “I will die in order to repent for my sins!”

“What, are you a coward or something?!” Ann yelled out, surprising everyone around her. “Shiho didn’t have a choice about whether or not to jump but you do.”

“You need to live to serve out a sentence,” Ann continued. “Otherwise you’ll just be running away from your crimes!”

“You’re right,” Kamoshida muttered. “I need to live to see this through. Only then will I receive proper punishment.”

“Could it be the rumors were true?” a student near Akira whispered. “He really was doing all that stuff…?”

“Doesn’t that mean that the Phantom Thieves are also real…?” another student whispered. “Because there’s no way he’d just confess to that stuff right?”

“Don’t be stupid, he probably was just caught,” a student hissed. “There’s no way something like ‘stealing hearts’ could really happen.”

“I guess you’re right…”

“Please everyone, calm down!” Kobayakawa yelled, trying to regain control. “And can someone get Mister Kamoshida out of here?!”

“Jesus,” Ryuji muttered, shaking his head. “That really happened, didn’t it?”

“I guess it worked,” Akira said.

“That’s a relief, isn’t it?” Ann asked. “His heart really changed so we don’t have to worry!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Akira said.

Did we really do the ‘right’ thing…? Akira thought. It’s not like he would’ve confessed on his own.

“I mean, I’m glad it worked and everything,” Ryuji said. “But still to believe he would’ve never confessed without us intervenin’ is effed up.”

“We were forced,” Ann said. “And it’s not like that asshole deserved any better.”

Before Akira or Ryuji could say anything else, Mishima and a few other students came up to the group.

“We’re sorry, Ann-chan for believing the rumors so easily,” the girl behind Mishima said. “Please forgive us!”

“Huh…?” Ann said.

“The rumors about you willingly being with Mister Kamoshida,” another girl explained. “Please forgive us!”

“It’s fine…” Ann said hesitantly. “It’s all in the past, right?”

“No matter what we do now, it’s already happened,” Ann finished. “It’s best not to worry too much about it.”

“Thank you, Ann-chan!” The group said, smiling brightly before walking off.

“Mishima, you’re not leaving yet?” Ryuji asked.

“I really owe you guys one, don’t I?” Mishima asked. “I mean, you had no reason to help someone like me…”

“What are you talking about?” Ryuji asked.

“I revealed Kurusu’s criminal record!” Mishima yelled. “And yet you guys still decided to help me…”

“I won’t forget that I promise.”

“I’m a bit confused,” Akira said. “But, if you’re feeling guilty about the record thing, don’t be.”

“I doubt that Kamoshida gave you much of a choice.”

“Yeah, Mishima, don’t worry about it too much,” Ryuji said. “We’re all good now, so it’s no sweat.”

Mishima apologized a bit more before leaving the group alone once again.

“That was… weird,” Ann said, twirling her hair. “I never knew he could be like that.”

“Enough about him,” Morgana said, popping out of Akira’s bag. “Is there anywhere private we can meet up to freely discuss?”

“Woah, I forgot you were even here,” Ryuji said.

“Hey! I’m an integral part of the team!”

“Maybe we should discuss this at the rooftop…?” Ann asked. “Unless Ryuji wants to look like an idiot arguing with a cat.”

“Lady Ann! I’m not a cat!”

“To the rooftop it is, then,” Akira said, pushing Morgana into his bag.

Once the group had arrived back onto the rooftop, the fighting between Morgana and Ryuji continued.

“I seriously don’t understand how you could just forget about me!” Morgana yelled, glaring at Ryuji. “I’m really important, y’know.”

‘Yeah yeah,” Ryuji said looking away. “But dude, you’re also a cat.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“Guys guys we get it already,” Ann said, rolling her eyes. “But we can talk about something important now?”

“As soon as this idiot admits I’m not a cat!” Morgana said.

“Well, that’s not going to happen,” Ryuji said. “Because you totally are.”

“Guys,” Akira said. “This is nice and all, but I don’t think now is the time.”

“You guys can fight later,” Ann agreed. “But we have to talk about what happened with Kamoshida.”

“Well from what we’ve just witnessed, as long as the shadow isn’t destroyed by us then taking the treasure holds no risk to them,” Morgana said. “As long as we’re careful, everything should go fine.”

“So you mean we could get people to confess?” Ryuji asked. “Without killing ‘em?”

“In theory yes,” Morgana said. “It worked well for Kamoshida, didn’t it?”

“Guys, I’m glad you aren’t fighting, but maybe keep it down?” Ann said. “We’re still in a public place.”

“Sorry,” Ryuji whined. “But it’s not like anyone ever comes up here in the first place!”

“They could with how much noise you’re making!” Ann rebuffed.

“Anyways,” Akira said. “Is it true that Shiho’s going to make a full recovery?”

“Apparently,” Ann said, twisting her hair. “I mean, we can’t be sure just yet, but it’s Shiho so she’s going to be fine!”

“But…” Ann said, trailing off for a moment. “She’s not conscious for too long, but anything’s better than nothing, right?”

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. “She’ll improve in no time.”

“Well, didja get to talk to her?” Ryuji asked. “To find out why she… y’know…”

“Jeez, can’t you have any tact?!” Ann complained. “But yeah, I did.”

“What a pair of idiots we made,” Ann continued. “She found out about my ‘deal’ with Kamoshida… and I guess she just had enough of it.”

“So you were both trying to protect each other, huh,” Akira said. “You’re both good for each other, it seems.”

“Yeah,” Ann agreed. “Still, if we had only just… I don’t know…”

“It’s tough, yeah, but you can’t blame yourself for Suzui’s actions,” Ryuji said. “If anyone’s to blame it’s that bastard Kamoshida.”

“Yeah, it isn’t your fault Lady Ann!” Morgana added. “You did everything you could’ve!”

“And you know what’s even worse?” Ann asked. “Shiho’s mom is thinking about transferring her to a new school.”

“Damn,” Ryuji said. “That’s… got to be rough.”

“But it’s probably for the best,” Ann said. “Considering the reputation she has over here.”

“She’ll be fine,” Akira said, smiling slightly. “She has you to back her up, doesn’t she?”

“Of course she does,” Ann said. “It still just… sucks.”

“It’ll get better, Ann,” Akira said. “You’ve just got to be patient now.”

“Speaking of getting better,” Morgana said. “We’ve still got the treasure, don’t we?”

“Ohh yeah, we do!” Ryuji said. “What are we gonna do with it?”

Akira pulled out the olympic medal and placed it on the table. “We should probably sell it, shouldn’t we?”

“But how are we deciding shares?” Ryuji asked. “We all played an equal part, right?”

“We should split it, but…” Ann began. “I get to have Ryuji’s share.”

“Huh?!” Ryuji yelled. “What gives you the right?!”

“You owe me, that’s what.”

“What?! How?!”

“I lent you money,” Ann said, twirling her hair once again. “You never paid it back, so…”

“It’s got to be worth lots in interest at this point, right?”

“That ain’t fair!” Ryuji yelled. “You’ve already paid yourself back by now!”

“That doesn’t count,” Ann said. “You’ve got to pay back what you owe, y’know.”

“I think it’s best if we decide it later…” Morgana said. “I’ve got to take Akira to where we’ll sell it first.”

“I’m selling it?” Akira asked.

“Yeah,” Morgana said, stretching slightly. “It doesn’t look like those two are going to be done arguing anytime soon.”

Akira sighed, grabbing the medal once more.

It seemed they weren’t done with the drama of Kamoshida just yet.

This isn’t too bad at least, Akira thought. Although who knows where Morgana wants to sell this medal.

Akira and Morgana awkwardly defused themselves from the argument between Ann and Ryuji, quickly making their way back to Leblanc.

Once Akira was in the safety of the cafe, he texted the group chat, a little too curious about what Ryuji had even borrowed money from Ann for.

akira: so guys, how was dying today?

akira: i liked the part where the change of heart happened and we didn’t die.

ryuji: hey!

ryuji: it couldve not worked

ryuji: my fears were valid

ann: um… the fact that it did work

ann: proves your fears werent valid???

akira: anyways, i want to know what ryuji owes ann so much money for.

akira: did you buy a house or something.

ryuji: i bought something for my mom

ryuji: on a field trip

ann: not my fault that you didn’t have enough money!

ryuji: it was only 500 yen

ann: yeah but think of the interest…

ann: i could’ve bought so much candy with that.

ann: so really im doing you a favor

akira: maybe i’ll just keep the money.

akira: split it with morgana if i’m feeling generous.

ann: you can’t do that!

ryuji: thats unfair!

akira: i’m joking.

akira: we’ll figure out something.

“You look happy today,” Sojiro said once Akira turned off his phone. “Anything interesting happen?”

“Nope,” Akira said, shrugging. “A normal day, all things considered.”

“Alright then,” Sojiro said, not looking the slightest bit convinced. “Whatever you say.”

“You really believe that a delinquent student can’t live a normal life?” Akira asked, letting Morgana out of his bag when he saw there were no customers.

“Considering that it’s you we’re talking about?” Sojiro asked, smiling slightly. “You’ll have to forgive my skepticism.”

Akira smiled. “I don’t think I’m getting a fair chance here.”

“Maybe not,” Sojiro agreed. “But it’s not like you have any other choice.”

“Guess not,” Akira said. “You don’t mind if this ‘delinquent’ studies, do you?”

“As long as you close up,” Sojiro said. “You’re free to do whatever you want as long as you don’t burn down the cafe.”

“I’ll try my hardest,” Akira promised.

Sojiro just sighed.

Maybe he had looked the tiniest bit fond.

Once Sojiro left, Akira pulled out a textbook ready to study earnestly.

After a particularly hard problem, Akira had paused, chewing on his pen slightly. “So, where are you dragging me to sell the medal, Morgana?” “You know that fake gun store that Ryuji dragged us to?” Morgana asked. “We’re going there.”

“Untouchable?” Akira asked. “You think he’ll buy the medal?”

“He gives off that sort of vibe,” Morgana said. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“You can’t just start judging people based on what ‘vibe’ they give off,” Akira said, turning his attention back to studying. “You give off a cat vibe, yet you claim to not be a cat.”

“I’m not a cat!”

“Sure.”

5/3, Tuesday:

When Akira woke up the next morning, all he could feel was relief. He hadn’t noticed before, but the weight of expulsion had worn heavily on him. Now that Kamoshida was gone for good, Akira could breathe again.

“You look different,” Morgana grumbled. “Have a good dream or something?”

“Something like that,” Akira said. “Didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s fine,” Morgana said. “I probably wouldn’t have slept for much longer.”

“But be more careful next time!”

“I’ll try.”

After Akira changed into his daily clothes, he went downstairs to see Sojiro waiting for him.

“Kid, just the person I was hoping to see,” Sojiro said, staring Akira down. “I’m going to need you to do some chores around here.”

“Huh?” Morgana asked from the bag. “You can’t be doing chores, you have to sell the medal!”

“Can I do them when I get back?” Akira asked.

“No can do,” Sojiro said. “You’ll be helping me for the day.”

Akira sighed. “Alright, then.”

“Don’t look too sad about it, kid.”

After changing into an apron, Akira had begun to help Sojiro. He didn’t make any coffee, but he cleaned the dishes.

Morgana was stuck upstairs, thankfully silent, leaving Akira alone with his thoughts and the occasional small talk from Sojiro.

Before long, the T.V. blared to life, bringing with it apparent breaking news. Akira had tuned in just enough to hear about Kamoshida.

I wondered if he was turned in or if he turned himself in… Akira thought. Both are possible with the way he was acting.

“That’s from your school isn’t it?” Sojiro asked, staring at the T.V. worriedly.

“I guess so,” Akira said. “I’m not really paying attention to it.”

Sojiro frowned. “Get back to work.”

Akira nodded, continuing to wash dishes.

I guess if I wanted any more confirmation that’s as good as anything, Akira thought. That’s the final nail in the coffin.

After a bit longer of doing work in the cafe, it had seemed that Sojiro had finally taken pity on him.

Or at least he’d taken pity on Morgana.

“You can’t just leave your cat alone for so long,” Sojiro sighed. “At least not when you’re right here.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Akira said, putting away a recently cleaned dish. “He’s spent longer on his own.”

“It still isn’t good to just leave him!” Sojiro said. “Jeez kid, you should really care more about your cat.”

Akira smiled slightly. “I’m sure he’d be touched that you care so much about him.”

Sojiro frowned, crossing his arms slightly.

Akira wasn’t exactly sure what Sojiro was trying to get across.

“Do… you want me to go check on him?” Akira asked. “Don’t you need help around here?”

“I’m sure I’ll manage without your help,” Sojiro said. “Go check up on your damn cat already.”

Akira wasn’t one to question a break when he was given it, so he had quickly gotten out of his apron and went up into the attic.

Unsurprisingly, Akira found Morgana on the bed, sleeping peacefully.

Like I said, he didn’t mind even the slightest bit, Akira thought. At least Boss was worried about him…

Huh, if anyone here has gained Boss’s favor it’s Morgana, Akira thought. Must have a weakness for cute things.

“Hey Mona,” Akira said softly, shaking the cat. “It’s time to wake up.”

Morgana groaned, mumbling something about five more minutes. Akira just rolled his eyes. If he was going to spend time with Morgana he’d rather if the cat was awake.

“You’ve been sleeping the whole day,” Akira continued. “Are you sure you aren’t a cat after all?”

“Huh…?” Morgana mumbled. “What are you talking about… of course I’m a human…!”

Akira found that Morgana’s protests weren’t as effective under a layer of sleep, but at least he kept to his story about not being a cat.

“I don’t know… usually only cats sleep this long,” Akira said. “Are you really so sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Morgana said, more alert. “How could you ever think I’m a cat?”

He… can’t be serious, can he? Akira thought.

“I don’t know,” Akira decided to say. “Just a strange guess, I suppose.”

“Well you can be sure of it now!” Morgana said. “Especially since we’ll be phantom thieving with each other from now on!”

“We’re continuing?” Akira asked. “Are you really sure?”

And also… is that a word?

“Huh?” Morgana said. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I mean, just don’t you think it’s a bit weird for us to be planning another heist?” Akira said. “We didn’t really have a choice for Kamoshida, but it isn’t everyday you run into someone like him.”

“Yeah, but like I’ve been saying, not everyone has a palace,” Morgana said. “It’s only the people who have distorted desires…”

“And at that point we might even be doing them a favor!”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Akira said, going to pet Morgana. “But we should probably ask the others before we do anything.”

“I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to go against anything like Kamoshida with just the two of us,” Akira said. “I don’t think that’d bode well.”

“I’m sure Lady Ann and Ryuji will want to join us,” Morgana said. “They seemed pretty excited about Kamoshida’s change of heart.”

“But that can’t be the only thing on your mind,” Morgana continued. “You seemed a bit hesitant about the change of heart before…”

“But, now that’s it over with, do you still have any issues?”

“I’m not sure,” Akira admitted. “On one hand we did what we had to do, but still, forcibly changing someone like that…”

“Kamoshida wouldn’t have changed, and the situation wouldn’t have as well,” Akira finished. “But even so, it just puts a sour taste in my mouth.”

“Kamoshida wasn’t a good person,” Morgana said. “Most people who have palaces won’t be either.”

“Sometimes there’s only so much a person can do without resorting to something more drastic,” Morgana continued. “But I guess it’s good to have doubts, even if they were a bit annoying at first.”

“People with palaces won’t change on their own, and the change we bring should be for the better,” Morgana finished. “So you can’t just back out now, alright?”

“I wasn’t thinking about it,” Akira said. “I’ll learn to live with it.”

“Plus it isn’t so bad,” Akira admitted. “We’ll be making a change, won’t we?”

“Hopefully, yeah,” Morgana agreed.

“Then I’ll be fine,” Akira said. “Doing this is better than doing nothing.”

“That’s the spirit,” Morgana said. “Which is good for you too, because we still have a deal!”

“Mona, you’re part of the team, isn’t that enough?” Akira teased.

“Hey! You have to help me become human again,” Morgana yelled. “It wouldn’t be fair otherwise, y’know!”

“Human… again,” Akira repeated. “Denial is hard to get over, isn’t it?”

“You’re not funny!”

“I think I’m hilarious.”

After a few more minutes of aimless bickering, Akira heard the chime of Leblanc’s door ring one final time.

Akira faintly heard what he believed to be a sigh of relief before he heard his name called. “You and your cat can come down now.”

Both Akira and Morgana went downstairs, with Morgana in his usual spot in Akira’s bag.

“So, was he lonely?” Sojiro asked, staring at Morgana.

“I don’t know,” Akira said. “I did spend my time talking to him, so I sure hope not.”

“You talked to him… that entire time,” Sojiro said, staring at Akira blankly.

“Yep,” Akira said. “We had an interesting conversation.”

“Well kid, you should probably look for another career,” Sojiro said, turning his attention to a dirty cup. “Comedy is not your strong suit.”

I don’t think telling him I’m being serious would do me any favors… Akira thought. Sorry Morgana, looks like to Sojiro you’re just a normal cat after all.

“Hey, you should probably tell the others that you weren’t able to sell the medal today,” Morgana said. “No need for them to be excited over nothing.”

“They might just get more worked up,” Akira said. “But I’ll let them know, just in case.”

“You’re really talking to your cat, huh,” Sojiro said.

akira: hey guys, wasn’t able to sell the medal today.

akira: had chores.

akira: don’t be too angry.

ann: when are you going to sell it?

ann: i think i have an idea on what to do with the money

ryuji: if its just taking my share

ryuji: im not interested

ann: your share is my share

ann: and it’s nothing like that!

ann: we’ll all be getting equal benefit out of this!

ann: hopefully.

akira: i’ll be selling it tomorrow.

akira: hopefully.

akira: and as long as it’s just ryuji’s share going to ann, that’s fine.

ryuji: dude!

ryuji: what the eff

akira: sorry ryuji, but there’s not much i can do.

akira: you are in debt.

ryuji: it doesnt count!

“Of course he would say something like that,” Morgana huffed. “Doesn’t he know that any money he owes to Lady Ann should be paid as soon as possible?”

“I think in general it’s a good rule to pay off any debts,” Akira said. “Not just to Ann.”

“But especially to Lady Ann!”

akira: morgana says to pay off your debts soon, ryuji.

ryuji: apparently i dont get an effing choice

ryuji: dumb cat

“When will that idiot learn that I’m not a cat!” Morgana complained.

“Probably never,” Akira admitted, turning off his phone. “But that’s why we love him, right?”

“Speak for yourself.”

“Anyways,” Akira said. “You can probably lock up now, Boss.”

“Oh? You’re not planning on doing anything?” Sojiro asked. “I’m surprised.”

“The most I’ll be doing is studying,” Akira said. “Have to be a good student and all, right?”

“Somehow, when you say that it isn’t comforting in the slightest,” Sojiro said. “But I’ll leave this place to you.”

Akira grabbed his books, sitting in the middle booth with Morgana watching.

“Don’t go to bed too late now,” Sojiro said, going towards the door. “I’m not going to wake you up if you sleep the day away.”

“Alright, I won’t, “ Akira promised, beginning to get ready to work on the material.

Once Morgana was sure that Sojiro was gone, he began to complain in earnest. “Jeez, all you do is study.”

“Is there really anything else to do?” Akira asked, looking away from the book. “There isn’t exactly much near Leblanc.”

“I’ll show you tomorrow what you can do,” Morgana said. “Might as well study now since you started.”

Akira nodded, finally beginning to study.

There’s a lot planned… even now, Akira thought. I suppose that I should get used to it…

It isn’t so bad to be constantly busy, Akira thought. At least I’m never bored…?

Eh, I’ll think of something eventually.

5/4, Wednesday:

“Wake up,” a voice hissed into Akira’s ear. “You can’t spend the whole day sleeping, we have things to do!”

Akira groaned, furthering himself into his pillow. “Can’t I have five more minutes?”

“You’ve been asking for five more minutes the past four times!” the voice responded. “Enough is enough!”

“...Have I?” Akira asked. “I don’t remember.”

“That doesn’t matter!” the voice said. “You need to wake up now!”

Akira sighed, slowly opening his eyes. “Morgana, there’s got to be an easier way to do that.”

“Well maybe I would’ve been kinder if you had actually woken up the first time,” Morgana said. “Jeez, it’s bad when I wake up before you.”

“Well, what’s the big rush for today?” Akira said, rubbing at his eyes. “Is something big happening?”

“Well, you promised to sell the medal today, didn’t you?” Morgana asked. “We should probably at least try to get it done.”

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. “But why’d you wake me up so early?”

“It’s not early!” Morgana said. “It’s a normal time to wake up, actually.”

“Sure,” Akira sighed, grabbing at his phone. “I’ll let the group know that it seems I’ll be selling the medal today.”

akira: getting abused by morgana.

akira: woke me up just to tell me to sell the medal.

akira: a cruel world we do live in.

ann: that sucks

ann: maybe you could take a nap if you’re still tired?

ann: idk you probably should’ve been up by now tho.

akira: yeah, but it still sucks to be woken up.

akira: could’ve been having a good dream.

akira: now it’s gone.

ryuji: if youre having such a problem with the cat

ryuji: just throw him out

ann: ryuji wtf.

“Hey!” Morgana said, staring at the phone. “You can’t just let him get away with that!”

“Get away with what…?”

“Trying to get you to throw me out!” Morgana said. “How would he like it?!”

ann: you cant just be mean to mona!

ryuji: what is that cat going to do right now?

ryuji: he cant exactly text

akira: he can complain.

akira: i’m supposed to be fighting for him.

ryuji: dude whats he gonna do to you?

ryuji: hes a cat

akira: cats. have. claws.

akira: not a pleasant experience, ryuji.

ryuji: get him declawed man

ryuji: then he wont be able to do anything

akira: that’s something you do to cats.

ryuji: yeah

akira: i feel like i don’t have to tell you where this is going.

ann: that’d be really messed up.

“Gah, that idiot is such an asshole!” Morgana said. “Why does he think he can get away with saying stuff like that?!”

“Probably because you can’t text back,” Akira said. “I can send a message for you.”

“Tell him to watch out,” Morgana said. “Next time I see him he’ll be sure to regret it.”

akira: morgana said: watch out.

akira: he’s going to kill you.

ryuji: im so scared

ann: you say that now but you will be scared when mona comes at you.

ann: good luck!

akira: yeah, you’re on your own ryuji.

ryuji: its not like he can do anything to me anyways

akira: thats what he wants you to think.

ryuji: whos side are you on anyways?

akira: the winning one.

“Well, seems like you and Ryuji are getting along just fine,” Akira said, turning off his phone. “Some real comradery.”

“He started it!”

“I don’t think you’re exactly a saint in this situation, no matter who started it.”

“Well you should side with the victim!” Morgana said. “And it’s obviously me!”

Akira stared blankly at Morgana.

“Hey! Don’t give me that look.”

“Let’s just get ready to go to Untouchable,” Akira said. “The sooner the better, right.”

“Hey, don’t avoid picking a side!”

Akira changed quickly into his everyday wear, ignoring Morgana’s questions about whose side Akira was on.

Being honest with the cat wouldn’t have went well, as Akira could see that both of them were in the wrong.

He doesn’t really want to know where I stand, he just wants me to agree with him… Akira thought. I really don’t need to get into a fight with him over this.

When Akira went downstairs with Morgana in his back, still questioning him, Sojiro sent him an odd look.

“Get into a fight with your cat?” Sojiro asked.

“Something like that,” Akira said.

“Answer the question!” Morgana yowled. “Who’s in the wrong here, Ryuji or me?!”

Akira shook his head. “I’ll be back later, Boss, I have to go do some errands.”

“What errands could you possibly have?” Sojiro asked, looking a bit suspicious.

Before Akira could respond, a gray haired woman entered the cafe. From the way she carried herself, Akira couldn’t help but be the slightest bit intimidated.

It seemed Morgana felt similar as he had finally quieted down.

Or maybe he had just gotten tired.

“Am I interrupting something?” the woman asked, staring down at both Sojiro and Akira.

“Not at all,” Sojiro answered. “Take a seat.”

The woman sat down, frowning slightly. “The recent cases, mental shutdowns are really something, aren’t they?”

“Someone losing control and harming people,” the woman continued. “That’s certainly concerning, isn’t it?”

She’s… talking about the mental shutdowns? Akira thought. She can’t possibly be here for just coffee, can she?

“Ignoring that,” Sojiro said. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll have the house blend, please,” the woman said after a short pause.

Akira felt frozen in place. Leaving now would seem a bit odd, and he also felt that he could get information out of her.

“Anyways, you’re a part timer, aren’t you?” the woman asked. “Which is shocking, I didn’t think this place could afford one.”

“I’m not exactly a part timer,” Akira said awkwardly. “Sakura-san is my guardian for this year.”

“Oh, that would make more sense,” the woman said. “I suppose you would attend a school around this area?”

“Yes,” Akira said. “Shujin Academy.”

“Oh? I know someone that goes there,” the woman said. “I believe there was another strange incident there recently.”

“Kamoshida… or someone by that name went through a strange ‘change of heart’, was it not?”

“That’s correct.”

“Ah, well I’m sure it’ll all be solved soon,” the woman said. “Is my drink finished yet?”

“Coming right up,” Sojiro said quickly.

The atmosphere was tense. If Akira was going to make his escape, he'd have to make it now.

Perhaps he felt a little guilty leaving Sojiro to be questioned by the woman, but he didn’t want any unneeded attention on himself.

After quickly leaving Leblanc, Akira sighed in relief.

“That woman,” Morgana said. “She sure asked a lot of questions, didn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. “She sure seemed to be on a mission of some sort.”

“I wonder why she came to Leblanc,” Morgana said. “Maybe she suspects Boss of something?”

“I don’t know if we want to find out,” Akira said. “We have enough on our plate for today, anyway.”

Yet somehow, even if I try to actively avoid her… I get the feeling I’ll be seeing a lot of her soon. Akira thought. There’s really never a dull moment around here, is there?

“You’re right!” Morgana said. “Let’s sell the medal and reap the reward!”

“That’s the spirit,” Akira smiled. “Let’s see how much crime pays.”

When Akira arrived at Untouchable, he suddenly realized he didn’t have much of a plan.

How exactly was he supposed to realistically sell an olympic medal? The only way he would’ve been able to acquire it was stealing.

Which, Akira supposed, wasn’t too far from the actual truth.

Faking confidence would be key, Akira decided. So he decided just to approach the owner head on, deciding that he didn’t have much to lose.

“I’d like to sell something,” Akira began, sliding the medal onto the counter. “How much will you take for this?”

The owner took one look at the medal before staring at Akira quizzically, “We don’t take fakes here, kid.”

“It’s not fake,” Akira insisted. “Please, just look at it?”

There goes the confidence.

The man looked at the medal a bit longer, eyes widening. “Where did you get this?”

Before Akira could answer, the man spoke again, “Nevermind, it’s probably best I don’t ask. I’ll pay 30,000 yen for this, though.”

“Works for me,” Akira said, taking the yen with ease.

“As a thanks for letting me buy this from ya,” the man continued. “Take this.”

Akira was handed a nondescript bag, which considering the circumstances wasn’t the most suspicious thing about the business deal.

“It’s probably best you don’t open that one, kid,” the man finished. “But be sure to bring it back here next time you come.”

That’s… not a good sign, is it? Akira thought. Really, anyone who would accept an olympic medal from a teenager probably isn’t the cleanest person to do deals with.

Oh well, really can’t complain.

“Alright,” Akira said, nodding as he adjusted his grip on the bag.

Before Akira could question anything more about the situation, two men came in. Similar to the woman, Akira could sense some sort of malicious intent from them.

The owner hadn’t looked the slightest bit surprised about their arrival and all Akira could do was question his impeccable bad timing.

“Munehisa Iwai,” the man closest to Akira began. “We would like to discuss some matters with you today.”

Oh no, Akira thought. This isn’t going to go well.

The men walked closer to the counter, while Akira walked past them to the door. Deciding to linger a bit, Akira listened into the conversation.

The other man began to speak. “You do know why we’re here today, correct?”

“I’m afraid, Detective-san,” the owner, now known as Munehisa, said, “that I don’t have a clue why you’re here.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind if we searched around here a little bit would you?” the original detective asked. “If you really have no clue.”

“An upstanding citizen is supposed to respect the law, correct?” Munehisa asked. “But I assure you I have nothing to hide, so you’re free to search as you wish.”

“Are you really sure the lead was legitimate?” the other detective said. “Because he seems pretty calm to me.”

“There’s got to be something here!” the original detective said, turning to face Akira. “You.”

Oh.

Akira stared blankly at the detective.

“What’s in that bag?” the detective asked.

It isn’t lying… if you’re not sure, is it? Akira thought. Really, how do I keep getting into these situations…?

“I’m not sure that’s any of your business,” Akira said.

“Kid’s right,” Munehisa said. “He’s a regular around here, I just bagged one of his purchases for him.”

The original detective glared at Akira.

“Well, there’s no use in questioning that,” the other detective said.

Akira nodded, “If there isn’t anything else, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Come back soon,” Munehisa said.

I’m not sure I want to be involved in this… Akira thought. But, this is the only source of weapons…

Akira left quickly, making some distance from Untouchable in just a few seconds.

“Jeez,” Morgana said, popping out of his bag. “I wonder what that was about.”

“Seems like we’re just running into trouble today,” Akira sighed. “Really, we can’t catch a break, can we?”

“Huh, but maybe something can come out of this,” Morgana said. “You should open the bag and see what the detectives were after!”

“That’s… a bad idea,” Akira said. “We’ll be returning this to him, and if this is what the detectives were after… well…”

“Ugh, I guess you’re right,” Morgana said. “But we should open it at some point!”

“I’ll think about it,” Akira said. “We should probably get back to Leblanc soon, don’t want Sojiro to be too worried.”

“You think he was fine with that woman?” Morgana asked.

“Probably,” Akira said, putting the strange bag into his bag. “He doesn’t have anything to hide.”

“What if he’s also a persona user…?”

“Wouldn’t he have been able to hear you?”

“You never know!”

When Akira arrived at Leblanc, it was thankfully clear of any customers. Akira had had enough of strangers for one day.

“Ah, you’re back,” Sojiro said, pausing his cleaning. “Did you get your errands done today?”

“Yep,” Akira said. “Was a pretty productive day, all things considered.”

“Hm,” Sojiro said. “You’ve been pretty comfortable so far, but you shouldn’t forget your situation.”

“It won’t be easy for you,” Sojiro continued. “But you should try to keep yourself out of trouble.”

“I will, Sakura-san,” Akira said. “You don’t need to worry about me too much.”

“Oh, back to being formal?” Sojiro asked. “Boss is fine, kid.”

Akira nodded. “Alright, Boss.”

“Anyways, I don’t mean to hold you up,” Sojiro said. “Go do whatever you usually do around here.”

“Hey,” Morgana said. “If you’re not planning on leaving Leblanc then you should probably make some infiltration tools.”

“You never know when you’ll need them,” Morgana finished. “Would be a good use of time.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Akira said. “As soon as you’re ready to leave, you can lock up, I won’t be going out tonight.”

“Alright,” Sojiro said. “Have fun talking to your cat, or whatever it is you do.”

“I’ll try,” Akira said, making his way up to the attic.

Huh, I should probably tell Ann and Ryuji that we’ve finally got the money.

akira: we’re 30,000 yen richer and one olympic medal poorer.

ann: oh? you sold it

ryuji: finally man

ryuji: but how we gonna split it?

ryuji: ann cant be seriously taking my share

ryuji: is she?

ann: don’t worry!

ann: you guys just need to trust me…

ann: i’ve got the perfect place to spend it

ann: we’ll be doing it tmrw

ann: so uh just wait until then

akira: sounds fine.

akira: hopefully it’ll live up to the suspense.

ann: duh

ryuji: i do get a fair share right

ann: of course!!!

ann: dont doubt me !

ryuji: sheesh just making sure

Once Akira turned off his phone, he went to his work desk where Morgana was patiently sitting.

“What are you going to try to make?” Morgana asked, licking at his paw.

“Probably a lockpick,” Akira said. “Those locked chests always seem to hold something good.”

“Good idea,” Morgana said. “You could probably make two with the time we have.”

Akira nodded, beginning the process of making the lockpicks.

“So,” Morgana said in an effort to break the silence. “What do you think is going to happen?”

“Huh?” Akira said, focusing on the almost complete lockpick in his hand. “What do you mean?”

“I mean.. do you think we’ll continue going to palaces?” Morgana asked.

“We have to, don’t we?” Akira asked. “A deal’s a deal.”

“But, it’s probably best if we stay low for a little bit,” Akira said. “We need to be patient about what we do.”

“Hm,” Morgana said. “I guess that’s the right course of action… I just don’t know how to feel.”

“A little stir crazy, huh?” Akira joked, finishing the lockpick. “It’s best if we don’t think about it too much.”

“Take the peace for what it is,” Akira said. “Who knows how much of it we have left.”

#persona fanfiction #persona 5 #akira kurusu #ryuji sakamoto #ann takamaki #morgana #sojiro sakura #munehisa iwai

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chuckling-chemist · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter ???

(I have become a slave to my own creative whims on this stupid crossover and need to scream into the void so just take this draft since it’s more comprehensible and easier to skip than a fuckload of bullet points. Look, I have a general plot now and its taking a real shape and I’m so mad)

Luxord (well, that’s what he was still intent on calling himself. Much like Xigbar he grew too attached to the name) sat himself down at the nearest plush blue barstool in the jazz lounge, card fiddling between his two fingers. How long had it been since he’d felt like this? He’d been a Nobody for so long, playing his part to a faceless master, watching the eternal servant to the Master of Masters...for how long? Don’t get Luxord wrong, there was a visceral enjoyment to running around Castle Oblivion while Xigbar continued to be none the wiser, but it felt good just to enjoy a gin and juice without dealing with muted emotions.

And, he reminded himself, no more bulky overcoat to keep himself safe from corruption. He had the choice to blend into his actual environment. Or, more likely, fit his aesthetic. Maroon sport jacket and tie, straight out of someone’s fantasy of Las Vegas. Something perfect for sitting in a lounge featuring a live band filled with people pointedly not infected with malaria, playing an actual jazz song. Couldn’t get that luxury back with those pirates, much as that world was his go-to in those days.

Then again, the drinks were cheaper. And, unlike now, he actually knew the generalities of Xigbar’s plan. If that black box didn’t contain whatever was left to return Xigbar’s master, it was at best a clever ruse to keep the other pieces of Xehanort busy while Xigbar put together the pieces to bring his true master back.

Well, you can’t win them all.

“Pretty abnormal to see a Brit come in here. They generally keep to the more touristy places up in the red light district,” the bartender said pleasantly. She was a pleasant looking woman, long dark hair braided down her back and large, round glasses behind brown eyes. Wearing an apron over what looked like a pantsuit.

Another boon: the bartenders are much cleaner now.

“Then again, nothing’s quite returned to normal yet after the whole Phantom Thief fiasco.”

Luxord raised an eyebrow suspiciously. He was a gambling man, after all. Kept his cards close. This was no exception. Phantom Thieves were not something that casually popped up. If nothing else, it was worth the inquiry.

His gaze swooped the lounge. In the back corner, secluded to themselves sat a young androgynous person in a dark blue cap and peacoat, so quiet as they tapped away on a laptop they might just disappear into the hazy blue of the wall had it not been for the singular empty glass on their table. Two patrons, a young stern woman with silver hair and an old man in a fedora, debated philosophy over a table littered in drinks. Two others, obviously tourists if their pallor skin indicated anything, in dark sunglasses played billiards. An empty lounge, mostly. Thank God for off days, or else he’d worry about Xigbar having ears somewhere. He shifted in his seat, letting him lean closer on the dark wood of the bar and asked, “Phantom Thief fiasco?”

“Did you not hear about it? A whole string of high profile celebrities and politicians, all confessing to various crimes because of some seventeen year old kid thinking he was changing the world. And, on top of that, this is the same kid who our former prime minister claimed assaulted him! A scrawny high schooler, calling himself a Phantom Thief! Can you believe?” She shook her head, holding back a laugh.

“And it made national news?” Luxord asked doubtfully.

Truth be told, in all the iterations of Japan he’s visited over the years - both in his stay with Organization XIII and before - he hasn’t been to this specific iteration for longer than his memory can adequately say. But matters like that he struggled to imagine the government wanting such a controversy getting out of its borders.

“Eh, you know how it goes. Kids on the internet go crazy for that anti-capitalism, vigilante rogue bullshit. Guess we’re lucky the Americans were still flipping out over some gorilla or else Twitter would’ve been an absolute nightmare that year.”

He flashed the bartender a smile, the kind that indicated he appreciated the conversation, but he also had a drink to attend to. “Quite.”

The song shifted from whatever upbeat tune they were playing to something more somber. The old man in the fedora was up at the bar now, asking for two more cocktails and giving a bit of trivia at the same time.

He took another sip of his gin, running through what he knew once more. First, Xigbar was not Xigbar. Luxord knew that from the start. No one pulls two Keyblade wielders, Dandelions no less, from the first war as Nobodies and manages to strip them of their memory of such without knowledge of such. He’s lucky Xehanort was apparently a bigger fool than Luxord initially took him for, or else that would’ve tipped him off right away. But, unlike Xehanort or Xigbar, Luxord never moved until he knew he had a good deal.

Second, while Xigbar likely had the box, and acquisition of said box wasn’t great news for Luxord, Xigbar would not ever be able to find the Book of Prophecies. Xigbar, Luxu, he was smart after all. He’d know the best place to hide something is right under the searcher’s nose, and would know it would be somewhere in Radiant Garden. But while he was focused on kissing Xehanort’s ass, he never once thought to check someone. And taking a book from a child, the one remaining totem of his home before Radiant Garden? From the good master’s ward, no less? Why, such would get him thrown out of the castle immediately.

(There were moments Luxord worried Xigbar knew who exactly carried around the Book of Prophecies like his lifeline around the castle, and grew concerned the reason why Xemnas was so willing to consider a teenager as his second in command was Xigbar’s own meddling. But, if such were the case, he likely would have done more to stop Saix and Axel’s Castle Oblivion Massacre. His long con worked out in the end albeit in an unexpected fashion: illusions work well for hiding what you’re holding.)

Third, and most worryingly of all, the damn Foretellers were back. Theoretically, this was a point directly in Xigbar’s court. He was a Foreteller after all, albeit not the leading Foreteller. And all of the Foretellers worked directly for their master. However, in the past, the Foretellers have been incapable of working together the second hardship arises. If fortune fell in his favor, history would merely repeat itself. If it didn’t, it could be tricky.

He finished his drink. If there was any time to check how his deck was stacked, now was as good a time as any.

He swooped the card into the sleeve of his jacket, exchanging it for a different card from a different deck and letting it drop onto the table.

The Fool.

He swooped up the card and planted it back into his sleeve. In any other world, he’d blow it off and draw again. For matters like this, drawing the Fool meant literally anything. The beginning of a journey, with roads and challenges yet uncovered. A non-answer and a sign his tarot cards had enough of his shit for the day. But he wasn’t in any other world. He was in a world ruled by cruel gods and the humans that chose to surmount them. In a jazz lounge where all the walls looked to be the same dreamlike, hazy blue. No, this was a person.

A thief, if his intuition had anything to say about it.

“Ma’am, one more question. If you will.”

The bartender strolled over with an inquisitive look and grabbed his drink, topping off the gin and juice.

Funny enough, Luxord used to hate gin. He acquired a taste for it, spending days at a time in Port Royal, downing gin and tonics to keep the mosquitos (and the malaria, fuck that malaria) away.

“The supposed Phantom Thief high schooler. Do you know their name?”

The bartender frowned. “Can’t say I recall it, no. His lawyer fought hard to keep it out of the press. But if you want to talk to her, she’s right over there.” She pointed behind him, back to the table where the heated debate sounded like bickering. “Nijima. Absolute beast in the courtroom. Can’t believe she turned to defense.”

“And the man with her?”

“Sakura. He runs a tiny hole in the wall coffee shop down the way. Leblanc, I think? Named after a French painter, I think. Been there once or twice, but coffee’s not really my thing, you know?” She shrugged helplessly. “Anyway, they’ve come in together every now and then and end up arguing politics every time. You think he’s trying to get with her? Cause that’s what I’ve been thinking.”

Luxord fought back the urge to snort. He was too dignified for that. “Not the way they’re arguing. You said she was a defense attorney, yes? Probably just helping her blow off steam.”

“Eh, I think if he wanted to do that, he’d make her free coffee. I don’t know much about Sakura, but he pours a damn good cup of coffee.”

“Hm.” He pulled out his card from before and threaded it between his fingers. Old habits die hard, after all, and cards were an ancient habit of his. “Do you think he plays cards?”

She rolled her eyes. “Hell if I know. You’ll have to go to Leblanc yourself and ask him yourself.”

Approaching someone like Nijima for the name of a particular Phantom Thief wouldn’t yield results. Not if she was unwilling to name him for the media firestorm. However, if she’s getting drunk on the regular with this Sakura man, he might know. Might even tell Luxord, if he’s lucky. “I think I will, thank you.”

The bartender grinned. “No problem! Hope you enjoy your game!”

He grinned. The game was on. “I believe I will.”

#fanfiction #kh #luxord #kingdom hearts #persona #brylis dumb kh megacrossover #look LOOK i know this only has persona in it right now but that's because he's in persona world #it'd be a fucking kh crossover you think i'd limit myself to just one world?#also i liked to imagine the band went from playing whims of fate #to something like white host green room #y-you know #from the homestuck soundtracks

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