"Did you hear? About the new transfer student?"

"Of course! He's the one with the record, right?"

"Yeah; heard he got into a fight with a Mafia!"

"Apparently he keeps a knife with him and will drag you into an alley."

"Whatever you do, don't make eye-contact with him!"

Ryuji paused his walk and gave the two whispering students a sidelong glance. "What the hell?" He muttered. Was it seriously possible for there to be two transfer students? Or was it just another case of dumbass rumours?

"Tch…" He kicked the air before hurrying to meet up with his new friend. He won't let shit like that stop him from talking to his friend.

"I heard he threatened his girlfriend when she was about to dump him!"

"He looked like he was on some serious drugs during class."

Ryuji's teeth clenched and he sped up, hoping to reach his friend as soon as possible and get away from the snakes. The people who do nothing but hide and hiss.

"Shut the hell up!" Ryuji shouted, grabbing a student by the collar and slamming him against the station wall. His friends behind him looked on in surprise.

"Ryuji!" Ann shouted, walking up to him.

"Shut up! You don't know anything about him! You'll never be half the man he is!" Ryuji snarled in front of the now-scared student.

"H-help!" The student's friend called out, making Ryuji's friends panic.

"We should go," Yusuke muttered, already beginning to turn.

Akira walked up to Ryuji and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ryuji's grip slackened and dropped the student who quickly scrambled off. Quickly, they left the area before security could arrive.

In the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya, Akira and Ryuji walked a few paces behind their friends. "…Thanks."

Ryuji turned to Akira and clicked his tongue. "Don't thank me man. Standing up for each other is just a normal thing friends do. Damn if I can't count the number of times you did it for me. Man they piss me off. Saying that kind of shit about you…"

"I hear he kills cats for fun!"

"I saw him leave that club in the red-light district!"

"He's a professional blackmailer! He has dirt on everyone!"

"I hear he drags models into an alley and fucks them right then and there!"

"He's a voyeur! Don't let your guard down no matter where you are!"

"He broke into a building once!"

Ann lowered her head while she walked through the halls. The rumours about the transfer student who hadn't even shown up on the first day were flying through the roof. On the plus side, there were less rumours about her.

When she finally did see him, she had to wonder how he could even be considered the person in those rumours.

But who knows, maybe without his glasses he'd look the part.

Looks were deceiving.

But nothing was more deceiving than rumours.

"He and Sakamoto have been hanging out."

"Figures. They say you're like the people you hang out with after all."

Ann huffed. The statement is true. Good people hang out with good people. Annoying people hang out with annoying people. In other words, those two students.

But if Ryuji was hanging out with him, could he really be that bad?

"Ann! Don't tell me he's blackmailed you too!?" Ann glared at the girl who was pulling her arm. "Stay away from Ann or I'm calling the police!" The girl's free hand was already on her phone, the emergency number half-dialed.

Before she could finish, Ann knocked the phone out of her hand, making it land on the ground with a cracking sound filling the air. "Stop that! Stop saying such horrible things about my friend! None of it is true!"

"Ann…"

Ann took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about your phone…I'll pay you back. But if you're going to keep labelling my friend, then I will never forgive you!"

The girl quickly ran off, leaving the two alone surrounded by people in the Underground Mall. Ann quickly noticed that she made a scene and picked up the forgotten phone.

Akira tapped her shoulder. "Let's go."

Quickly, they made it to the diner, a frequent place they visit together. After quickly ordering, the two sat across from each other in silence. "Um…"

"I can help you with paying her back for the phone." Ann looked up in surprise. "It is kind of my fault."

Ann shook her head. "Don't. Nothing is your fault. Rumours are just rumours, but sometimes they get under my skin. Especially when they're about my friends."

"Yeah, I feel the same way. The rumours about you, and even Ryuji…it's really hard to just listen and do nothing else." Akira gave her a soft smile. "But thanks."

Ann grinned. "Of course!"

"He got caught cheating on an exam at his old school!"

"I swear I saw his knife in his bag!"

"My friend found their phone in his desk!"

"What's the student council doing, letting a criminal run around without supervision!?"

"They're supposed to make us feel safe, but just being in the same building as him makes me fear for my life."

Makoto had spoken to the principal regarding the rumours, and to her surprise he told her to keep an eye on him. If he did anything suspicious, she would report to him and he would get expelled immediately. They were gracious enough to allow him entry despite his record and he was apparently warned.

Of course, Makoto tried to keep an eye on him but she didn't have the time to focus on a delinquent. Her studies were important. Unfortunately, the library was rarely quiet thanks to the whispering that filled the air. Especially when said transfer student enters the library to study on his own before promptly leaving due to the noise. Makoto found herself doing the same.

She rarely saw him in school, as it didn't seem like he was partaking in any extracurricular activities. So she decided to follow him, but not to confirm or deny the rumours. No, she just wanted a new, quiet place to study.

And the diner she followed him to was well worth it. She could only imagine how nice it must be to study here on a rainy day.

In other words, the rumours about the transfer student hardly mattered to her. If there was proof of the allegations the students made, then they would have been brought to her and the teacher's attention immediately. On the contrary, there was proof that suggested he was the opposite of the rumours. A diligent student who hangs out with Sakamoto, for some reason.

If he truly was not disturbing anyone, then she had no reason to pay him any mind.

"He was seen in the red-light district at night!"

"He traffics drugs and silences any witnesses!"

"He assaulted someone in the batting cages!"

Makoto glared at the nearby students who didn't even bother whispering. They stopped talking immediately and quickly left to the stairwell. Entering the student council room, she saw Akira leaning against the table checking his phone. He noticed her enter and stood up straight, holding her bag out to her. "To Shinjuku?"

Makoto shook her head as she took her bag from him. "No, change in plans. I'm feeling particularly angry."

Akira raised a brow. "Need to vent?"

Makoto closed her eyes. "Something like that."

"Isn't that the Student Council President!?"

"With the delinquent!?"

"Blackmail! It has to be!"

"They have been hanging out a lot recently. Maybe the reason he hasn't done anything is because she's kept him on a leash?"

"Poor Miss President."

"Scum don't deserve kindness."

A loud crack filled the air and shortly after a loud clang. Makoto wiped her forehead and turned to Akira who was clapping. "A home run. Impressive."

"This is quite cathartic," Makoto smiled before turning back to the dispenser.

"He got top score on exams!?"

"He cheated, there's no way someone like him could have managed that!"

Another clang echoed the cage as Makoto scored a second home run. She heard Akira whistle behind him, making her smile. There was no way this lovable goof could be anything those rumours suggested.

"He hangs out with that slut and other delinquent, right?"

"Yeah. Filth like them flock together, you know."

"Are you sure you've never played baseball before?" Akira asked in amusement.

Makoto hummed. "Quite."

"He's always looking down and whispering to himself. Stuff about killing and drugs."

"He's beyond help. Someone like him doesn't even deserve to live."

Akira winced at the intensity of the loud clang. "Do I want to know?"

"I'll tell you after," Makoto huffed before rolling her neck, mimicking the black-haired boy. Akira snorted in amusement, pushing his glasses up.

"He's the reason why my boyfriend broke up with me!"

"Huh?"

"My ex thought I had STDs thanks to him!"

"Oh god! Do you!?"

"No! But what if his previous girlfriend did…? Oh god!"

"I think you made a dent in the target," Akira joked, pretending to squint to see the target better. Makoto smiled in satisfaction as she exited the cage.

"That was definitely what I needed. Thank you for teaching me the proper stances."

"I'm still finding it hard to believe you never played baseball once."

Makoto gave Akira her best smile she could muster despite the rumours clouding her mind. "I had a good teacher."

Akira chuckled. "I only showed you the stance and gave you a tip. Everything else was all you."

"Don't sell yourself short. If it weren't for you I'd have never even thought about coming here. You're an amazing person who deserves so much more."

Akira raised a brow, his smile fading. "Rumours?" Makoto nodded and Akira smiled softly. "Don't worry about them."

"I will worry about them because you deserve to be seen as someone much more than a 'criminal'." Makoto shook her head. "I'll do my best to dispel as much of them as I can. You have my word as, not the Student Council President, but your friend."

"…Thank you."

"Did you hear? About the new transfer student?"

"Of course! He's the one with the record, right?"

"Yeah; heard he got into a fight with a Mafia!"

"Apparently he keeps a knife with him and will try and drag you into an alley."

"Whatever you do, don't make eye-contact with him!"

Akira walked quietly, hunched over with is eyes barely looking in front of him. How did they find out…? I thought it was supposed to be confidential …

Sighing, he managed to get through the day. Unfortunately, it was difficult for him to retain anything from class because of all the whispering. He was going to have to study extra hard to make up for it.

As long as he kept his head down, he should be able to avoid trouble and get through the year without a hitch.

"Hey man!"

Of course, the day prior proved that would be difficult. Especially since he met the infamous Ryuji and saved his life.

And just like on that fateful night, he didn't regret anything.

Even if it caused painful rumours that continued to alienate him from others.

But rumours like that had benefits.

They allowed you to see who your friends really are.

A/N

I hate rumours.

…

I have several Persona 5 one-shots and they're kind of…meh/bad. This one included. I posted it only because I spent more time than I'd like to admit on the cover image haha.

Yeah, this was short, meh, and summary sucked.

Maybe people liked it?

Also, Akira instead of Ren because I played the game with Akira. Just more used to it personally.