Hey everyone, I'm back with another story in my line of Joker/Kawakami stories. Unlike the others this one is post True Ending so Joker's back home and in a long distance relationship with Sadayo. Truthfully I've been meaning to write this story since I learned a certain piece of information about Joker's backstory. Yep, Akira and Sadayo are going on a little fieldtrip! The hometown of the former's namesake!
I do not own anything, Atlus (again, those lucky bastards) does.
She was actually a little surprised to learn the fuzzy-haired teenager she'd come to call her boyfriend was originally born in Sumaru City. Granted it did explain how he'd adapted to life in Tokyo within weeks of arriving for his prohibition. Akira had once told her Tokyo felt a little familiar and was only a "little more" boxed in than Sumaru. It was just a thought, but somehow Sadayo always felt the big cities were where Akira belonged, walking the streets as just another face in the crowd by day and by night scaling skyscrapers and the like. It was a childish, romantic thought, but some days that's how she felt about her dark-haired lover. She could remember once when he was taking care of Morgana comparing him to a cat that seemed to have made the high-rise city its home despite living in the country.
In spite of all of this she could still sense some anxiety rolling off of him as their train drew closer and closer to the station. Sadayo thought back to the conversation that had brought them to their current place.
"I don't remember too much of when we lived there, only that right around the time I was born there were a lot of strange incident occurring." He'd once confessed to her. "Needless to say, it didn't do my mom much good when she was about to give birth to me, heh, according to my relatives both of my parents were ready to leave town just so my mom could give birth to me."
"I can hardly blame her." The teacher responded leaning back in her chair a little. Even though she was miles away and completely safe, she remembered the chills that went up her spine when the strange incident started occurring. Looking at her boyfriend's face through the TV screen she tried to imagine what his parents must have felt, their child about to be brought into the world while around them an entire city descended into near hysteria and chaos. Reports of madmen, killer robots, monsters, and all other manner of strange things came in on a day-by-day basis, everyone scrambling to find out if any of them had any truth. First hand footage was provided and dismissed on a near hourly basis as the nation tracked the ten days Sumaru City turned into an epicenter for the weird and somewhat frightening. Though things had eventually returned to normal within a few days' time the damage had already been done. Amongst the chaos there had been dozens of deaths and disappearances that were still being investigated to this day, perhaps the most well-known one being former Foreign Minister, Tatsuzou Sudo. Now there was the real story, that a cabinet minister not only was an apparent cultist, but also possessed several criminal connections stretching beyond Japan. "At least you weren't old enough to comprehend what was going on around you, I can tell you I was scared out of my mind every time I turned on the news. Take it from someone who actually lived through it."
"Yeah, all that stuff is partially why my dad agreed with my mom to move out into the suburbs." Since they'd started these video chats she'd grown used to seeing him slouch back in his chair and stare at the ceiling with a zoned out expression on his face. Sadayo actually found it quite cute and a completely-in character thing for him.
"You didn't like moving to the suburbs?" The teacher inquired chuckling a little.
"Well, for the better part of my life it's where I grew up, but after Tokyo," He sighed running a hand through his messy black hair. "Things around here are just a little too quiet for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, a part of me was happy to see some old faces, but now I miss half the people I met in Tokyo."
"Ah, starting to miss us already?"
"A loud-mouthed best friend, a part-time model, a student council president, a goth doctor, an arcade king, and the best teacher a guy could have asked for who also happens to be the best girlfriend he could have wished for among others." Akira grinned while leering at her with one eye.
Briefly looking away Sadayo mulled over the information she'd just been given. Sneaking a glance at Akira she decided to approach the topic with as much courage as she could muster. "Your…summer vacation is just right around the corner."
"Yeah, our one-year anniversary." The former thief laughed without any hint of teasing, but with genuine affection in his voice.
Still blushing a little she continued, "So, well, both of us can take off for a few days since apparently you've been keeping your grades up and I've been working my butt off. How about we…how do you feel about going to Sumaru City?" Almost immediately his face went blank throwing the teacher into a slight panic. "I-I-I mean w-we don't have to go there if you don't want to! We can always go someplace if you don't feel like going there." She attempted to explain watching his face go through a myriad of emotions. Strangely enough he didn't seem angry at all, matter of fact, Sadayo actually thought she saw the traces of a smile forming on his face. "A-Akira?"
"This will be your first time visiting Sumaru right?"
"Obviously."
"Then I'll be both your boyfriend and your official tour guide to the city of all things weird and crazy."
That sly grin and familiar cackle in his eyes was too much for the teacher who promptly burst into a fit of laughter. Even if he was no longer a Phantom Thief he was still a trickster, the same one she happily fell and remained in love with. "Okay then Mister Kurusu, I'll be expecting you to show me a good time."
"When have I ever let you down?" He coolly shot back with a wink.
In spite of his boasting Sadayo knew Akira retained a fair amount of memories of his time in Sumaru City based on his body language. He'd been to the city a couple of months ago for a school trip, and apparently he'd traveled there on his own for a few personal occasions. His parents for various reasons seemed to have something of an aversion to setting foot in the city where at one point monsters were said to have rampaged through the streets. As they pulled into the station Sadayo certainly didn't get that sort of feeling. Together, hand in hand they stepped off the train and proceeded out of the station. As far as Sadayo could tell it greatly resembled some of the train stations in Tokyo, no doubt, the intent being to replicate the feel and atmosphere.
"Yamai Station hasn't changed a bit." The fuzzy-haired male stated stretching out both arms towards the sky and yawning. Yamai Station was a fairly new addition to the city, it's largest as well as flashiest transit station which had just opened little over a year ago. Right around the same time he'd had his first run-in with Shido. The diamond-like rooftop glittering brightly in the early summer sun making it hard to look at yet equally impossible to look away from. As Akira and Sadayo proceeded down the front steps as hundreds of others walked past them into the station.
"Is it always like this?" Sadayo asked slightly surprised by the thick crowd of people they moved through.
"Only in the summer and winter, when people have places they really got to get to. I remember earlier this year when my dad was coming home from a business trip he ended up getting stuck here when the snow came." He answered gripping her hand with a little more strength than usual. "Usually times like this is when a lot of people report they've been pickpocketed because it's so easy to do if you're not careful." Immediately he saw her clench her purse a little bit tighter and her eyes narrow causing him to laugh. "Don't worry, you've got a master thief watching your back."
"Noted," she smiled. "So, since you're my official tour guide care to tell me what our first stop is? I know we have a whole day to ourselves, but I want to see make each visit count for something."
"In that case Aoba Park it is." Akira said.
"You know the bus schedule?"
"Yeah, there's a bus that'll take us, but it'll be a long ride, not sure you're up for that after spending almost two hours on a train."
Stepping directly in front of him she buffed up her chest and gave him a supposedly stern glare. "Akira Kurusu, I am a native of Tokyo, you think spending another hour or so on a bus is going to have me breaking down into tears?"
Without warning the young teenager slipped his arm around the adult woman electing a sharp eep from her startled lips. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear, now come on!"
Compared to the buses in Tokyo Sumaru's bus system was rather tame, then again, maybe every city's buses were tamed compared to the nosey transportation of Tokyo.
"Just out of curiosity how many times have you done this?" Sadayo whispered.
"If times to know what I'm doing so we don't end up lost." He shrugged.
"I always wondered how you were able to adapt so easily to living in Tokyo, I now know why."
"I really come off as a city person don't I?"
"Yep, not that there's anything wrong with that." When she'd actually spent a weekend with him in his hometown she'd hadn't seen any major changes in his personality. The only stand out was him vocally telling her how quiet and dull the suburbs were compared to the big cities of Sumaru and later Tokyo. Indeed, compared to either of the metropolitan cities Meguro was almost pitifully small and tranquil, still, she liked the town Akira had once called home for the better part of his life. It greatly reminded of her of her own hometown, nestled far out in the country where life was quiet and slow paced. "Did you ever ask your parents about moving back here? Sounds like you enjoyed it more than you did living in Meguro."
"I thought about it once, but I never said anything." He shrugged watching the familiar scenery pass him by. In another ten minutes they'd be at their stop. "Meguro was okay and I was fine with that, I had friends and places I liked to go to so there wasn't a reason to leave." At least until I was forced out because I stood between one asshole and his intentions of getting laid.
When their stop came up Sadayo was the first one out; the first thing she was hit with was the freshly scented and soothing area that was rolling in from the park just a little way's over. Invigorated she guided herself towards the park with her boyfriend happily following closely behind her. Bit by bit the hard concrete they were walking on changed to soft grass and the rows upon rows of gray and steel-colored buildings fell away to towering trees and rolling hills. The sound of car engines and chattering voices eventually gave way to the rustling of leaves in the wind and if they listened hard enough the running of streams and fountains. Replacing the loud calls of people hurrying from one place to another were joyful and quiet whispers along with the occasional barking of dogs. Before Sadayo knew it her lover was beside her, intertwining their hands without saying a word, in response she felt herself lean her head on his shoulders.
"I'll say this, it's definitely a fair bit quieter than Tokyo." She muttered watching a group of children run past them followed by their parents closely following them. None of them even batted an eye as they passed the couple giving Sadayo a reason to smile. "I like how no one here pays much attention to who's passing by."
"Kind of hard to do when so many strange people tend to hang out around here."
"Define strange,"
"Mysterious men in black coats, weirdos in customs, the average fortune taller claiming they can tell when you're going to die and how to prevent it, drug dealers, oh, and possibly a serial killer the police may have been after for the last month or so." He couldn't fight the Cheshire grin that split his face when she whirled around to face him with a glare. Try as she might the harder she tried to intimidate him the harder he fought to keep himself from laughing. Eventually the battle was lost and he finally lost it, bursting into a fit of giggles right then and there.
Having gotten used to being on the receiving end of his teasing Sadayo knew to let him have his little moment before speaking. "Honestly, you're such a child."
"Hey, I'm still a minor, can you blame me?"
"A minor who's tangled with death, fought and defeated a criminal conspiracy, outwitted the Tokyo police, and if my memory is right saved the world, yet your little bouts of immaturity persist." She deadpanned as if the park sidewalk were a classroom she were teaching.
Akira didn't mind the tone of voice she was speaking to him with, if anything, he actually enjoyed it when she got this way with him. "True, but admit it, my immaturity is part of my charm."
"Your charm is because of a lot of things, the childish antics isn't one of them."
She shouldn't have challenged him.
"Really?" He leered taking a step towards him putting the distance between them to an inch and nothing else. As he expected she immediately became flustered and attempted to step back only to be swept up in his arms. "Aren't you the one always telling me to be honest and truthful? You're setting a bad example Sensei."
"E-Eh! W-Wait a second Akira, t-there are p-people-" She attempted to say hoping to dissuade him.
"Yeah, and this kind of thing is a regular occurrence for them." He chuckled.
Looking up Sadayo was actually surprised to see almost no one was paying them any sort of mind. If anything those few who did look at them did so with a chuckle or laugh before walking on. Other couples winked at them, especially some females who seemed to be eyeing her boyfriend with a passing interest. It took her several seconds to realize they were completely and utterly free of suspicion and scorn from onlookers proving her lover's words true. Shyly looking back at him she gave him a smile and a nod giving him permission to lean in. Electricity raced up her spine as their lips connected, the pleasurable rush of energy that made their extended time apart all the harder to bear. Her hands gently gripped his shoulders until the need for air became too great, lightly she pushed him away. His smile was serene and content while hers' was shy and reserved, completely with a light red streak across her face.
"I can see why you like this park so much." She whispered.
"Actually, I haven't, I'll show you why I loved coming here as a kid." With that statement he took her hand and began guiding her down the walkway up and down winding paths that took them under tree-born canopies. Above their heads the summer sun flittered in through breaks in the tree branches. It did a good job in keeping the walk way fairly cool and keeping them from breaking out in a hot sweat as they would have if there'd been nothing covering them. Just another little feature that made Aoba Park a frequently visited place in the city during the summer.
A cliché idea passed through his head causing another Cheshire grin to split his face. Stopping for a moment he slipped in behind his girlfriend then covered both her eyes using his hands.
"Really? You're going with that?" She grumbled.
"Just trust me, you don't think I'm going to steer your wrong do you?"
This was one of the things she both hated and loved about Akira, he could take even the oldest and cheesiest of clichés and somehow find a way to make them work. I've corrupted him by making him watch those stupid romantic dramas! "Alright, I'll trust your word. Try to take my breath away." She wished she hadn't said that with a blush because she could hear Akira snickering as he began guiding her further and further down the walkway.
It was a good thing she didn't have any allergies because the further they walked the heavier the scent of pollen became. So great was it that Sadayo felt like she could almost taste it on her lips. The multiple fragrances she'd caught a whiff of earlier grew stronger and stronger with every step they took.
"Here we are, welcome to the Garden of Dragons." Her boyfriend said seconds before pulling his hands away.
What lay before her could only described as a sea of color, hundreds upon thousands of multi-colored flowers stretching onwards for what seemed to be miles. Standing out amongst the fields of red, blue, and yellow, were grayish-silver statues that glittered in the hot summer sun. They stood out like islands in the sea of flowers. Sadayo literally couldn't find the words to describe the garden she now stood before; her boyfriend merely stood behind her with a content smile on his face happy he'd managed to take his girlfriend breath away, again. Like every other person who laid eyes on Sumaru's prized garden for the first she was completely and utterly speechless. Her mouth remained open in wide shock as she scanned the colorful garden, enticed by the stretching miles of red, yellow, and blue that lay before her. From where they were standing it seemed every color of the rainbow was present from the brightest reds to the darkest of blues and everything in between.
As if in a daze Sadayo wondered forward leaving Akira to trail behind her, not that he minded. Slowly a radiant smile began to blossom on her face as she came to realize the beautiful garden was real and she was indeed free to explore it to her heart's content.
Having seen the garden several times throughout his life Akira wasn't nearly as mesmerized as his girlfriend was. True, the flower field as beautiful, but he was standing behind something that put the thousands of flowers that surrounded him to shame. As he once complimented her hair was as unruly as ever, but in that way it made her extremely eye-catching and cute when they were standing face to face. Thanks to the pleasurable weather she'd lost the denim skirt and yellow long short she usually wore, in their place was an orange-tinted yellow blouse with a collection of sun-like dots, at his insistence she'd worn a pair of skin-tight but fashionable skinny jeans that showed off her rather graceful legs that she usually kept hidden with a skirt. Taken together with her purse and the completely mesmerized expression on her face she looked like just another woman walking through the park, one that could catch the attention of almost any man she wanted to.
Not that Akira would have let that happen, she was already taken.
When she finally turned around to face him he couldn't fight the sudden urge to turn his head, nor could he hide the bright blush on his cheeks. As usual his hands dug deep into his pockets while his heart thundered inside his chest. The dark-haired teen could almost hear his Persona cackling like a mad man in his ear, hell, he almost wished Arsene was still with him so he could have something to distract him.
Not that it would have helped as the next thing Akira knew a pair of warm hands had gripped his cheeks and his lips were preoccupied. The former Phantom Thief let out a started cry that would have all his teammates, especially Morgana and Ryuji, rolling on the ground with tears streaming from their eyes while their guts were raptured with laughter. Well, that was if they could get over the fact he was being smooched by his homeroom teacher.
Sadayo didn't need to try hard to imagine how they looked, a woman rewarding her boyfriend for such a breath-taking surprise and nothing more. She allowed herself a moment to take pride in leaving her lover speechless, casually flickering her tongue across his lips. Almost automatically she felt his hands wrap around her fist deepening the kiss. When she pulled her lips away he was staring at her with the most dumbfounded expression she'd ever seen on his face causing the teacher to giggle. "You just love surprising me don't you?"
Gathering enough of his wits to speak he smiled, "Ever since I was a kid, my parents told me with my sense of theatrics I'd make a good magician. Guess they never considered it'd make me a good thief instead."
"What about a lover?" She giggled wrapped her arms around his neck.
"My mother may have given me a tip or two if I ever brought home a girl." He smirked in return.
For once Sadayo was the one being taught and Akira was the one doing the teaching, yet another reversal of their usual roles. He showed her how each section of the garden had been arranged and preserved since its construction during the mid Sengoku era. Even if he was a former resident of the city it was obvious Akira still took pride in the expansive garden. In total the garden was almost a mile and a half long, big enough for one to walk through and an absolute monster to maintain, but one well worth the cost. Each of the four sections of the garden were dominated by a particular flower color and corresponding dragon statue. Under the bright rays of the sun the chiseled dragon statues glimmered as if their stone scales were real. Around each of the statues large crowds commonly gathered and marveled at the five hundred year-old craftsmanship that had endured through the years. Sadayo herself, being something of a sucker for historic art and sculpting, took her time examining each statue.
"This city's got a real fetish for dragons doesn't it?" She noted spanning her fourth photo using her phone.
"You have no idea." The black-haired boy muttered. "Apparently the old warlord who used to rule these lands had a thing for showing how big and bad he was. Nothing says that better than dozens of dragon statues."
"Wrong type of dragon though." Sadayo stated looking over the statue before them. As it stood in the heart of the red and orange-shaded flowers the stone base it was carved from had been made to look like a pillar of fire erupting from a patch of earth. Rearing its head back and roaring as stone flames coiled around its lower body and legs Sadayo could only imagine the long days craftsmen had to work to accomplish the creation of this marvel. "Sumaru sounds like the kind of person who you guys would have targeted for a change of heart."
It was still hard to believe little more than a year had passed since he'd officially retired from being a Phantom Thief of Heart. It was times like this that it hit him the hardest. "I've robbed a king, a plagiarizing artist fancying himself a lord, a banker, a CEO turned space lord, a pair of black knights, a would-be dictator," A dark grin spread across his face. "And a so-called god, one crusty warlord thinking he's all that wouldn't be a problem."
"Even if that warlord supposedly had fire-breathing dragons at his call?" She leered already knowing the answer. The knife-wielder snorted and looked away with a faraway smile implying they too would fall by the wayside as the previously listed targets some would have found Akira's supposedly arrogance annoying or insulting Sadayo knew better; it wasn't exactly arrogance when one knew they could back up their boasting, and Akira could definitely back it all up. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him. "Thank you for taking me here, I can't even begin to describe how happy it's made me to see this garden in person after hearing so much about it."
"The tour's still not over yet, there's one last place in Aoba Park I wanna show you. The Concrete Hall's closed for renovations so there's only one other thing I want you to see in person."
Rather than a response from her mouth he got one from her stomach, one that left her with a hot blush to rival the one she stirred in him earlier.
"But first how about I get you something to eat?" He laughed while she averted her eyes.
Being treated to ice-scream in the park was one of those pleasure Sadayo thought she'd never enjoy one year ago when she was working multiple side jobs for money. After all, what kind of guy would want a woman who dresses as a maid almost every other day to do dozens upon dozens of house hold chores? Well, not the ones she wanted a committed relationship with.
Luckily that same side job had brought her close to a man who not only freed her, but had rapidly become the best boyfriend she'd ever had. Though she knew how she felt she felt it best not to say them, she still had her pride.
For the second time that day Akira was fighting off waves of embarrassment. He chewed down on his ice-cream cone. In barely five minute she'd devoured half of cookie-dough where as his girlfriend was still contently munching down. Stay calm Akira, you've faced worse than this. Much worse. You've outwitted a hitman, a criminal mastermind, and beaten a god. You can handle this. It's no problem, no problem at all. At times like this he actually missed Arsene's sarcastic voice ringing in his ears. Though his remarks were crude they had a way of distracting him from the current matter long enough for his mind to come up with a plan to deal with the current situation. Now he was on his own.
Having read up on Aoba Park prior to coming Sadayo had an idea where they were going. Possessing something of an artistic side she was a sucker for classical architecture she was absolutely giddy to see what awaited them at the end of the walkway that left the rainbow-inspired garden behind. Bit by bit the scenery around them began to change, going from merely wild beauty to something you'd find pleasurable to look at during a morning walk. Over the low hanging trees her chocolate eyes spied the first of three pagoda that marked the feudal manner that Aoba Park had been built over. Really, at one point the entire park was considered a feudal manor where commoners were forbidden to set foot in without being invited by a noble.
"Welcome to the home of Morimichi Fukushima, personal general and architect of the late warlord Kiyotada Sumaru, and my dad's second favorite historical figure." Akira proclaimed as they passed through the final archway leading them to stand directly before the web-like patchwork of interconnecting house and store rooms.
Aided by the backdrop of an entire forested hill it seemed as if the small-scale manor hadn't been touched by the five hundred years that had passed since it was constructed. The dark wood seemed to shine under the summer sun and the sound of running water further added to the tranquil air the manor seemed to possess. Choosing a walk way and sticking to it the couple quickly found themselves strolling through an array of feudal style homes and gardens that had been carefully maintained with tender care courtesy of the city council. The fresh fragrance of flowers and steady running of water were omnipresent nearly every step of the way.
"It's hard to believe this place was once a pile of rumble huh?" Akira mused crossing a bridge that overlooked over a stream that fed into a pond large enough to be a swimming pool. At the center of it stood a single stone spire engraved with various kanji he'd never tried to make out.
"You could say the same thing about Tokyo, what's impressive is how much care the city puts into maintaining everything." Sadayo responded snapping another picture. Pausing in photography she leaned against the railing and looked out on the water with a peaceful expression. "No matter how broken or damaged something is you can always rebuild it if you put enough effort into it."
Smirking the teenager joined her, wrapping his free arm around her waist. "This park is where my parents met…and this place is where my dad proposed to my mom."
He didn't look at her, not that she was hurt by it. Giggling she moved one hand through her his messy black hair and twirled a dark lock around one of her fingers. The more he tried to turn his head the cutter he looked. "History repeats itself huh?"
"That's what I'm trying to break." He admitted. "My dad always told me if I ever met a girl bring her here, if I want to propose to her do it in the flower field, she can't say no to that."
"Guilt tripping huh?"
"Ask my mom, she told me she had to 'think' about it when my dad popped the question." He sheepishly countered. "They always used to bring me here every summer, tell me all sorts of stories about the feudal and Meiji era."
"That explains how you kept acing history, I'm not surprised considering your father is an urban developer."
"Yep, supposedly descended from a long line of landscapers who supposedly once served Japan's daimyos and shoguns." At last he turned his face so they were eye to eye. That cocky grin was on fully display. "I guess it was only inevitable that somewhere down the line they'd produce a guy who specialized in breaking and entering into the homes of egomaniacs."
Rolling her eyes she kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "I'm sure you've made your ancestors proud."
"Maybe not all of them."
Their next stop was the pagoda she's spied earlier on their way in. It stood at four stories tall with a stone basin and bright red tiles that sharply contrasted to the deep greenery around it. Unlike the manor the pagoda had been added almost ten years into the eighteenth century, long after the land feudal ruler had passed away leaving the land in the hands of a new governor appointed by the Shogun. It stood before one of the park's larger hills acting as something of a silent guardian or focal point. Entry was forbidden except on certain occasions, but that just meant the hundreds of park-goers could crowd around the towering structure and marvel at it from the ground.
Akira and Sadayo were two of those people, keeping a respectful distance from the huge crowds that had gathered around the pagoda. The teenager's expression was sullen, almost withdrawn as he gazed at the highest point of the tower with longing in his eyes. Beside him Sadayo snapped more and more pictures before taking notice of her boyfriend's condition.
Reaching over she creased her cheek as gently as a parent would a child's. "About what you said earlier,"
After a deep breath Akira stood fully upright; from Sadayo's view it made him look less like a teenager and more like a world-weary adult. "Ever since I…got back my dad's…he's trying to make things better. We've talked, we've argued, we've apologized to each other at least half a dozen times. Now, since I'm in my final year…he…"
"What?" You can tell me anything, maybe I can help."
"He wants me to study architecture like he did," There was a difference between being able to say that to a talking cat like Morgana and his girlfriend, the sense of catharsis was noticeable greater. "He says it's not because it's the family business, and I believe him, I know that because he never pressured me into it before-"
"He wants you to become a big name architect so people will forget about the assault charge." The way he looked at her was almost reward enough for cutting him off. It was obvious he'd forgotten she could keep up with his high-speed thinking when she wanted to, or in this case, when his thoughts were so obvious only a total idiot could have missed them. "If you become a famous architect who builds something like government building or even the head of your own firm, everyone will forget about what happened with Shido. He wants you to be able to move on with your life."
"I already have." He somewhat hotly countered only realizing how close he was to snarling at his girlfriend. Looking up he saw she remained resolute causing him to apologize. "It's just…after I got back, I took a few classes and I…sort of…the schools called and he was over the moon I knew so much the ins and outs of various buildings and structures." A brief grin flashed over his face. "I told him I learned a thing or two while I was in Tokyo."
"Oh, just a thing or two?" She smiled.
"I'll tell him one day in the future when I think he won't blow the roof off our house learning his son was a Phantom Thief." Quickly the joy faded away leaving unease and doubt in its place. "I…don't want to design these big fancy buildings for rich idiots or some jackass who's just going to use it flaunt his power over anyone he wants. I'd rather spend my adult life designing playgrounds than something like a bank or a government building."
"You know you could do that, he wants to be an architect, that doesn't mean you have to be the kind he wants you to be." The brunette offered. "What is it you want to do?"
Looking in her in the eye Akira found the truth rushing through his lips like water through a floodgate. "I want to help people. If I can't do it illegally as a Phantom Thief then I want to be able to do it legally."
Admittedly his answer completely and utterly caught Sadayo off guard. She blinked once trying to comprehend his words, eventually they clicked together. "T-That's fine, perfectly fine, it's what you want to do; actually, you'd make a great lawyer."
"You really think so?"
"I know so, you've definitely got the charisma for it." Seeing that familiar cat grin return should have been enough of a clue to get her to stop. Sadayo decided that just this once she'd indulge him as a reward. "You've got a big heart, one that can find the good in almost anyone you meet, bring it out of them even when they think it's gone for good. Once you find it you practically become their knight in…in…I really don't have a name for it, but you'll fight for their sake until the end. On top of that…you're incredibly wilily, a sweet talker, oh, and arrogant. All perfect traits for someone who wants to practice law, especially to defend people."
A long silence followed as the teenager and adult did nothing but stare into each other's eyes as hundreds of others walked past them caught up in their personal lives and interests. Slowly Sadayo began to think she'd said the wrong thing when she found herself unable to read her boyfriend's blank expression. It wasn't until she saw the slight upward curve of her lips that tipped her off. The teacher managed to suck in one breath before her boyfriend wrapped both of his arms around her waist and brought her in close so he could whisper into her ear.
"You know, you always know just what to say to make me feel better, thanks Saya-chan." The words were a whisper that carried all the affection and love she'd come to expect from the dark-haired youth.
Happily wrapping her arms around his body she bathed in the warmth generated by his body, warmer and more welcoming than the sun overhead. "That's what a girlfriend's does. Whatever you decide to do, I promise I'll be there to support you through and through."
Silently Akira made a reminder to thank his parents for preaching of Aoba Park's supposed good luck. Like a handful of other things they'd taught him, they'd been prove a hundred percent right.
"So is there any place else you want to go? It's only a little past two thirty and our train back to Meguro doesn't leave until six-thirty."
"There is one place I'd like to go," The teacher admitted. "Is there a bus that'll take us to the Konan Ward?"
"The Sky Museum?"
"Another time, I want you to take me to the mall." Sadayo grinned.
Just to clarify the Garden of Dragons mentioned this chapter is based off of the Sankeien Garden of Yokohama, the same city Sumaru City is based on. As you glinned from this chapter for almost the first ten years of his life Akira lived in Sumaru City, since he's sixteen years old and Persona 5 presumable takes place around 2016 or 2017 he would have been born almost the exact year the events of Persona 2 Eternal Punishment took place. It's part of my headcanon that Akira grew up hearing rumors of the events of P2EP and JOKER.