Hey guys. Black Fuego here with a little oneshot that I came up with in honor of Father's Day. I know it's a day late, ended up spending a little too much time at a restaurant that I took my father to for the special day, and that resulted in not finishing this piece in time. I don't regret it, though. I don't get to spend a lot of time with my father, these days, so I make every moment of it count. I hope the rest of you had a good Father's Day as well. Got a little announcement regarding Trials of the Trickster in the author's notes, so please take your time and enjoy the work while I wait for you all at the end. As I said before, this piece has no connection to Trials and is considered a post-canon work, so there will be some spoilers inbound. See you all in the author's notes. Enjoy.
P.S. Credit to misutorekun over at tumblr for the image. Awesome art this guy has.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction in dedication to a much grander work. As such, the author does not own the rights to any characters within this story, and any correlation between any original characters that may appear and people in the real world are merely coincidental.
Persona 5: Father of the Phantoms.
It was a nice, relaxing summer morning as Sojiro went about his business; finishing up his signature curry as his TV droned on about something involving a little league coach being interviewed with a red-haired baby in his arms. It was the middle of June and business these past few weeks were slow, as usual, but he wasn't complaining one bit like he used to. After all the excitement he had been through in the past year, he was glad to have some peace and quiet in his life once again.
It's been well over a year since he took in Ren Amamiya, the little troublemaker that couldn't leave well enough alone and got sent to him with a false charge of arrest, and ever since then, it's been one headache after another. It all worked out in the end, though, and the kid even managed to convince his folks to finish his schooling in Tokyo, and was still living in the café until he graduated. The kid was also helping out with the café every now and again, with Futaba popping in to either offer her own kind of aid or to simply hang out.
The business owner couldn't help but smile at the thought of his adopted daughter and her newfound confidence and will to live. Around this time last year, he would've never imagined Futaba coming out of her room for any reason what so ever, let alone do activities like going to the beach, playing with fireworks, or wanting to attend school, but it happened, and it was all thanks to the boy he took in. Sojiro wasn't too surprised that the tiny redhead wanted to go back to school shortly after she, Ren and the others came back from their little road trip to the boy's hometown, but hearing her say that she wanted to go to Kosei High instead of Shujin Academy was certainly a shock, but her reasoning was quite sound, at least when it came to her.
"Yeah, Shujin's cool and all, and a lot of the others are there, but I wanna try something different. I heard from this shogi player Ren hangs out with that Kosei has a pretty sweet graphic arts program and I figured I could apply for that while working on my usual hacking stuff on the side. Besides, Inari goes there too, so it's not like I'm gonna be alone. Not to mention someone needs to seriously be watching over that weirdo at all times! You know how thin he is! All he eats and drinks is bean sprouts and tap water! It's a miracle he hasn't been blown away by the wind by now!"
Heh, she has a point. That boy is the very definition of a starving artist. Sojiro thought with a wry grin and a shaking head as recalled the lovely painting the eccentric art student donated to the café a year ago. The very painting that was still near the entrance today. It really did brighten up the place, and a lot of his regulars seemed to really enjoy staring at the thing, not that he blamed them.
The man let off a content sigh as he checked the clock on the wall. It was almost time to open, and it seemed to him like it was going to be another lazy Sunday working alone. Even the kid and his cat weren't around today; Ren having stayed over at Makoto's home the previous night and Morgana staying with Futaba because of that. Normally the old man would've teased the boy for spending the night at his girlfriend's place, but when he was told the reason why he was asked to spend the night, he couldn't really say anything after that.
Hm… Kid should be at the cemetery right now with the Niijima sisters visiting their father's grave. To think that he is that dedicated to Makoto-chan. Seems like those two are in it for the long haul…
*tingaling*
"Sojiro! We're here!"
"Good morning, Sojiro-san."
"Morning, Futaba. And Haru-chan too? What's up?" Sojiro asked the two newcomers to his store; his daughter Futaba and his new apprentice Haru. He had to admit that he was surprised at first when the fluffy girl requested to work under him shortly after graduation, but seeing as she wanted to one day run her own café someday, he figured he could teach her a few things about the trade.
"Nothing much. Just wondering if you had any plans for today?" The redhead asked with an adorable, pouty look on her face. The exact same face she would make if she wanted something that Sojiro knew he would most likely disapprove.
And a face he could never say no to…
"Alright, Futaba, what is you want this time? A new game system? You already have that new Wintendo Swap thing. Is there some sort of expansion or something for it that you need?" The man asked while putting a hand on his waist and looking at his daughter with a quirked eyebrow.
"Nope! Not this time! I just wanna spend some time with you! Just the two of us!" The tiny teen said with a bright smile, making her father blink a couple times to process the request.
"…You want us to go on an outing now? I'm just about to open up," Sojiro sighed while scratching the back of his head.
"Gotcha covered!" Futaba assured as she made a show of gesturing to Haru, who was smiling in her usual sweet way while the red continued to show her off, with jazz hands even.
"…Futaba, I'm not going to let Haru-chan here run the store by herself while the two of us go out. She could already have plans for all you know. And today's her day off, too." The lone male in the store sighed.
"Oh, it's fine, Sojiro-san. All I had planned today was to visit my father's grave, and I did so this morning, so I have all day to mind the store for you. Ren-kun and Mako-chan said hi, by the way," Haru insisted, making Sojiro stare at her uncomfortably, before she continued. "Besides, when was the last time you spent some alone time with Futaba-chan? You two are family, so it should be natural that you two have a family outing every now and again."
Sojiro couldn't help but sigh when he heard that, scratching the back of his neck once more as he looked between his daughter and his apprentice. Haru had a point; it had been a while since he and Futaba just went out together and simply bond as family. Even after she had become more open to him and to others, most of the outings the two shared also involved Ren. Not that it was bad a bad thing; in fact, the man thought the raven-haired teen as his own son at this point, and it didn't hurt that Futaba saw him as the older brother she always wanted. However, the last time either of them really had a true outing together was most likely some time before Wakaba died, when she was knee deep in research and he came over to visit the mother-daughter pair and took the little girl out for ice-cream at the late researcher's request.
Maybe he should go out with his daughter after all. It truly has been a while...
"Alright, fine. You can run the store while Futaba and I go out. But if you get swamped at any point, call me." The man relented while staring at the kind-hearted college student in the eyes.
"You don't need to worry about a thing, Sojiro-san. I'm sure I can handle Leblanc on my own without any trouble," Haru assured with her trademark smile.
"Yeah, listen to The Floof! She's got this!" Futaba nodded eagerly, making Haru giggle at the affectionate name the tiny redhead called her.
"Ok, you win. Let's get going, Futaba." Sojiro sighed, trying his hardest to hide a smile as he took off his apron and went for his signature white hat, forging his white jacket due to the heat.
"Yay! Road trip!" The younger Sakura cheered as she rushed to the door, pausing when a small black cat slinked through the doorway like it owned the place. "Hey Mona! Gonna hang out with Sojiro all day today, so Haru's gonna watch the shop! Try not to have too much fun with her, aight?"
Sojiro could only shake his head as he heard Morgana meowing at his daughter in response. Even now, he found it hard to believe that the little black furball that Ren brought home a few days after showing up was a sentient creature from another dimension with human-level intelligence and the ability to speak, at least to those who were a part of the Phantom Thieves.
"C'mon, Sojiro! Time's a-wastin'!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Keep your glasses on you little twerp."
"But I'm your little twerp!"
Haru put a dainty palm over her mouth to quiet down her giggles as the family exited the restaurant. Shaking her head in amusement, she grabbed her personal apron, a deep violet one with a large pocket in it, from behind the counter and proceeded to put it on as Morgana hopped onto one of the bar stools with a bemused expression on his cat-like face.
"He has no idea what today is, does he?" Morgana questioned unnecessarily.
"I don't believe so. At least, as far as I can tell." Haru nodded as she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small scrunchie to tie her hair.
"Alright then, let's get started. We got all day and business shouldn't be too bad today. I'll keep watch for any customers while you do your thing," Morgana mewed with a determined glint in his eyes.
"Yes, Senpai!" Haru saluted with a massive smile on her face before heading over to the kitchen to look for the items that she needed and her phone on hand while Morgana trotted near the entrance and hid himself near the window.
[Noir reporting. Oracle has successfully removed the target from the establishment. Beginning the operation now. Good luck everyone and do your best!]
"Alright. Mission Start!"
-Shibuya, Babel Music Store-
"You know, Futaba, when you suggested that you wanted to go out, I was expecting to go to Akihabara, to be honest," Sojiro mused as he stood behind his daughter as she shifted through the multitude of vinyl records that were for sale.
"But this is the closest place here that has records like these! Look at 'em!" Futaba said as she brought out a record for old American rock music.
"But you can get them online. You always did," Sojiro stated in confusion.
"Yeah, but these records are even cheaper than the ones I find online, and I can find really rare ones too if I'm lucky!" She assured with a massive grin.
Sojiro simply shook his head and allowed his daughter to rummage through the ancient music disks. He was a fan of vinyl himself, but very rarely did he ever find any records that had his kind of tunes. Call him old school, but he was always a fan of classical music; helped him calm his nerves during a hard day working for the government when he was younger. There was one piece of classical music that he had always loved; one that Wakaba had introduced him to and had been searching for a record of it for the longest time. He found some online, of course, but they were really expensive at the time, and there was no doubt that the price would most likely have doubled at this point. He wasn't fretting about it, though. Sure he would be happy if he got the a record of it, but he was content with just listening to it on the internet whenever he wanted to relax at home.
"Oh hey! Boss, Futaba! What's up?"
"Ann!" Futaba exclaimed as she and Sojiro looked to see the bubbly Japanese-American blonde walk up to the pair with a massive smile on her face, a large paper bag in her hand as she waved at the two-person family.
"Ann-chan. This is a surprise. It's good to see you." Sojiro said with an easy smile, always happy to meet up with the kind-hearted young lady before him.
"Nice to see you outside of Leblanc for a change, Boss. Did Futaba convince you to take a day off or something?" Ann teased while glancing at Futaba, who was letting off a small cackle in response.
"Muehehe! Sure did. Managed to get Haru to watch the store for a bit while I take Sojiro out for a day of fun! The guy seriously needs to get out more!" The redhead grinned until she felt a hand touch her head and squealed when it began rubbing her hair in a teasingly rough manner.
"Like you're one to talk," Sojiro grumbled as he continued to rub his little girl's head while turning to Ann. "So what brings you here today, Ann-chan? Looking for some good music to listen to or something?"
"Actually, I'm here to pawn off some music instead. My folks are back home after doing a shoot over at Russia and brought home some souvenirs. Unfortunately, Dad got a little carried away and bought a duplicate of something he already has again, so I figured the music store here would like to buy it. I hear it's pretty hard to come by," Ann explained as she reached into her paper bag and pulled out a vinyl record, one that caused Sojiro's eyes to go wide in shock while Futaba suddenly exploded in glee.
"OhmygodisthatwhatIthinkitis?!" She said in a rushed tone, making Ann blink a couple times as she tried to decipher what she was saying.
"Um, what?"
"THE OVERTURE! That's a record of the freaking 1812 Overture! Do you know how hard it is to find a full copy of that piece of classical genius!? The song uses massive church bells and freaking cannons as accompaniments for the song! Actual live cannons! Do you know how awesome that is!?" Futaba explained in her usual overly excited tone whenever presented with something that was amazing in her eyes, or ears, in that case.
"Wow, really? I didn't know it was so popular," The blonde said while staring at the record in her hands in surprise.
"Not to be rude, but why do you have a vinyl record of the Overture? You don't really look like someone who listens to records," Sojiro couldn't help but ask.
"Nope. Dad likes them though. He collects them and brings them home whenever he and Mom are back from their trips. He sometimes buys duplicates, though, so he usually gives them to me and I either sell them or give them out to anyone who wants them," Ann explained before looking at the pair with a curious expression. "…Do you want the record? I don't mind giving it to you guys."
"A-Are you sure you're willing to give us that for free?" Sojiro couldn't help but stammer, surprised that he was getting such an offer.
"Yeah! Wouldn't you rather sell it!? I'm sure that this place will give you lots of money for that thing!" Futaba exclaimed.
"It's fine. I don't need the money. I make plenty thanks to my modeling job, so I'm good," Ann insisted before shoving the bag into the father's arms. "Just take it, ok? Think of it as thanks for putting up with us during the past year. I don't mind."
"…Alright, if you say so," Sojiro muttered in shock as he absentmindedly accepted the rare gift.
"Well, I gotta get going! I was actually hanging out with Dad right now and I'd rather not keep him waiting. See you later, you guys!" Ann said with a wave as she ran out of the store, leaving a stunned old man and his excitable daughter alone in the music store.
"Oh wow, this is super lucky! Like, finding a shiny in the second generation on the first encounter levels of luck!" Futaba shouted while hopping in excitement before turning to Sojiro happily. "This is super awesome, huh!? You've been looking for a good deal on that thing forever and now you got one that was literally hand delivered to you! This must be your lucky day, huh!?"
"…I guess so," Sojiro said slowly as he stared at the bag in his hands, unaware of the mischievous glint in Futaba's eyes as Ann peered into the store discreetly, smiling softly at the stunned expression on the café owner's face before pulling out her phone and began sending a message.
[This is Panther. The first objective has been accomplished. Passing the baton to Skull and Fox. You two better not mess this up.]
-Akihabara, Department Store Electronics Section-
"Ok, this is a stop that I was expecting to make when you decided to have a family outing," Sojiro said in a faux-exasperated tone as he and Futaba walked down the aisles of electronic goods.
"Oh, don't act like you don't enjoy hanging out with me," Futaba grinned while clutching a brown paper bag that held her recent purchase. "Besides, this is a good opportunity for you to get that new coffee brewer that you've had your eye on for the past week now."
"I would if I had the money, Futaba," The man sighed as the pair turned and began walking down an aisle dedicated to coffee makers, pausing at the one that looked just like the one back at his café, frowning when he saw the price on it. "Geeze, these things were a lot cheaper when I was younger."
"Everything was cheaper when you were younger, Sojiro. Face it, you're old as dirt," The young girl said teasingly, giving the grumbling man a nudge in the arm when she noticed a familiar pair ahead of them. "Oh hey! Ryuji! Inari! Over here!"
"Oh hey! What's up, Futaba?" Ryuji grinned as he and Yusuke, who had his typical cool gaze, walked up to the family, the blonde's hand down low to give the hyper girl a low-five.
"Why must you insist on calling me that, Futaba. You don't hear me calling you deplorable nicknames," Yusuke sighed while shaking his head.
"Hey, it's either that or Weirdo, and I figured Inari would be a more…dignified name to call you," The hacker grinned as the artist's eyebrow began to twitch in annoyance, before turning to the former track star, "So what are you two doing here by yourselves. It's meetups like this that make things quite suspicious, ya know."
"Oh, I just came here to grab a copy of FISTS that I reserved for the Swap. Met up with Yusuke on the way and figured I treat him to a beef bowl after we finish here," Ryuji explained with a grin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a copy of the video game he got.
"You preordered it too! That's awesome! Now the two of us can fight one on one any time anywhere!" Futaba cheered while reaching into her bag and pulled out the exact same game the blonde had.
"Ugh… Kids these days…" Sojiro sighed while shaking his head as the pair began to 'badmouth' one-another before turning to Yusuke with a curious stare. "So why are you here, kid? Didn't think someone like you would be interested in a place like this. No offence."
"None taken, Boss," Yusuke said with a small smile. "I was actually here for a little people watching. Usually I would be standing around Shibuya and see how people go about with their lives there, but it was starting to stagnate and I believed a change of scenery would be a good pace. Unfortunately, I lacked the funds to go to any place that my school pass doesn't cover, but I lucked out when I was spotted by Ryuji and he offered me to join him in his own outing. It has been a pleasurable experience so far."
"Dude, you seriously need to start savin' up for a commuter's pass or somethin'. Or at least start takin' art commissions and get money that way," Ryuji sighed at his eccentric friend's constant lack of monetary funds.
"Or have Makoto be your accountant. You're really terrible with money, you know…" Futaba chimed in with a withered stare at Yusuke, who turned to her in an offended manner.
"How dare you say that?! I know how to manage my money just fine, thank you very much," He assured with a hand on his chest in his typical dramatic fashion.
"Didn't you spend the rest of your money on a couple of lobsters when we were at the beach last year?" The redhead pointed out with a teasing grin.
"They were to be used as models for my next piece at the time! And if I recall correctly, you and Morgana began chasing me around the god-forsaken beach trying to get a hold of those lovely specimens."
"We thought you were gonna cook them and we wanted to get a head start on it!"
"Oh geeze, they're at it again," Ryuji sighed and shook his head before turning to Sojiro, who was staring at the coffee machine again with a melancholic stare. "You ok there, Boss? Looks like somethin's on your mind."
"I'm fine. Just wished this thing didn't cost so much. My coffee brewer's on its last leg and I was hoping to get this one as a replacement. Too bad it's too damn expensive…" Sojiro grumbled as he explained his plight, causing Ryuji to look at the object in question and wince at the price.
"Yeowch. Damn, that thing's pricy."
"Tell me about it," The oldest of the group sighed before turning his attention to Futaba, who was still arguing with Yusuke. "Futaba, we got to go. Didn't you say you wanted to get some ramen after this?"
"RAMEN!" Futaba cheered, making Yusuke flinch a little from the yell thanks to him being so close to the girl.
"If you're lookin' for a good ramen place, there's one in Ogikubo that sells the best in all of Tokyo. Trust me, you won't regret it." Ryuji suggested with a grin.
"I know that place. It does serve really good noodles, but it gets packed really easily. We better get going if we want to get a seat quickly." Sojiro nodded in thanks before heading towards the exit, Futaba following him and giving the two teens a pair of thumbs up before running back to her father.
Once she left, Ryuji and Yusuke turned to each other and nodded before walking over to the coffee maker that Sojiro mentioned, the runner typing in his phone as Yusuke grabbed the item in question.
[Skull here. Fox and I got the package and are on our way out with it. The target's on his way to the next destination, too. Joker, Queen, you guys are next. Just don't make out in front of them if they show up late, ok? We don't want a repeat of last time.]
-Ogikubo Ramen Shop-
"Ahh…that hit the spot," Futaba sighed in content as she slammed the bowl down, the contents empty as soon as she slurped up the last of the broth.
"Definitely. It's been a while since I've had ramen this good," Sojiro said with a relaxed grin, his own bowl empty and his stomach satisfied, before turning to a pair of familiar people sitting beside them. "Although I'm a little surprised to see you two here of all places. No offense, but I wouldn't really recommend this as a good date spot, especially if you consider where you went this morning."
"You can thank Ryuji for introducing this place to us," Ren said, Makoto sitting on the other side of him as he explained how he was introduced to the ramen shop himself.
"The two of us got a little hungry after paying our respects to my father, and this was the closest restaurant to the cemetery. Sis would've been here too, but she was called to take care of something for work really quick and had to leave after we finished visiting dad," Makoto said with a kind smile to the Sakuras.
"Well, since you two are here, do you want to hang out with us for a little bit? We're having a family outing, as you can see, and it would be nice if you could join us. The two of you are practically family, after all," Sojiro offered with a friendly smile, missing Futaba jokingly clutch her heart as if she was in pain due to how sweet her father was being at the moment.
"We would love to, but we already had plans for today. I'm sure we'll meet up later on though," Makoto apologized, honestly touched that the man before her considered both her and Ren family in his eyes.
"Yeah. One of our friends, Hifumi, has a shogi tournament she's participating in right now, and we said we go and show our support to her," Ren explained with a shrug and an apologetic smile.
"Oh, she has a tournament today! Can you tell her good luck for me? She's a cool girl, if a little weird when it came to teaching people how to play her game," Futaba piped in with an arm propped on the table and a hand on her cheeck.
"Elbows off the counter, Futaba," Sojiro sighed as he grabbed his wallet and was about to grab the cash for his and Futaba's food when a hand suddenly appeared over his, causing him to stop and look at Makoto curiously.
"You don't need to pay for your order, Boss. Ren and I will cover it," The young woman assured as the ravenette pulled out a large, heavy-looking wallet out of his pocket and began silently deducing how much money he should give.
"Hey, you kids don't need to pay for the meal. It's not fair on you," Sojiro said in alarm as he watched Ren give the owner a large amount of cash to pay for everything even a tip.
"Don't worry about it, Boss. Consider this as a thank you for putting up with me last year for my probation and considering the two of us family. We really appreciate everything you've done for us, so let us do this," Ren assured with a soft smile, causing the man to falter a bit before turning away with a playful scoff.
"…Argh, fine. Do what you want. I can never win against you when you're acting like that," Sojiro grumbled as he watched the give the boy his change, undeniably happy that his former ward cared about him so much but trying his best to hide it, even with his daughter giving him the widest teasing grin he has ever seen on her face.
With the meal all paid for, the two pairs had exited the food stand, their stomachs and their lives much more content than before they entered, and began headed towards Sojiro's yellow buggy and Makoto's blue van to head out to their respective destinations.
"Are you sure you guys can't come with us? We're gonna watch the Japanese dubbed version of that new Sargent Boxer-Shorts movie over in the Shinjuku district since it's close by," Futaba asked with big, pleading eyes that would normally work on Sojiro, but appeared to have no effect in the former leader and advisor of the Phantom Thieves.
"No thank you, Futaba. While the move does sound…interesting to watch, I'd rather not go back to Shinjuku if I can help it," Makoto said nervously while twiddling her thumbs as unwanted thoughts began to fill her mind.
"I don't blame you. With Ryuji getting jumped by those two pushy guys near the theater, me getting scammed over a chunk of rock salt, and you nearly getting into a fight with an infamous host and bitch slapping Eiko in the process, I'm surprised any of us would go back there willingly…" Ren muttered while scratching the back of his neck, missing the massive grin on Futaba's face and Makoto's face practically glowing red in embarrassment.
"You bitch slapped someone?" Futaba asked with a cackle while Sojiro simply stared at the poor embarrassed woman with a raised eyebrow.
"…It's a long story," Makoto sighed as she placed a hand over her face to hide her face.
"And it's a story I wanna hear as soon as we get back from the movies! C'mon, Sojiro, let's go!" The redhead said as she entered into the yellow vehicle in excitement while Sojiro looked apologetic towards the poor college student.
"Heh, sorry about here. You know how she gets when she's like this…"
*honk*
"Sojiro, hurry! We're gonna be late!"
"Hey, Futaba! What did I say about honking the horn like that!"
Ren watched in amusement as his father-figure rushed into his car and began to chastise the redhead he thought of as a little sister as they drove off into the distance, shaking his head all the while with a small smile on his face. The interactions between the two never ceased to lift his spirits, especially during some of the darker moments of his incarceration. He was grateful that he ended up being under Sojiro's care, and soon enough, he was going to truly show how much gratitude he had for the man.
"Ren…"
"What's up, Makoto?" He asked as he turned around while grabbing his phone, raising an eyebrow when he saw the dark look in her eye.
"Did you seriously have to mention me slapping Eiko in the face? You know I hate it when you bring that up," She asked in a stern tone that sent a shiver up his spine.
"It was an accident. Honest. It just slipped out," Ren said nervously as soon as he realized that 'Queen' was surfacing again, before he quickly sent his message to the group.
[Joker on scene. The next part of the plan has been set. Meet up at Leblanc in approximately two hours to initiate the final phase. It's almost show time, everyone, so bring you're A-Game.
P.S.: 'Queen' is back. If I am not around at the designated time, assume that I am KIA and tell Mona he's living with Oracle for now on.]
"Ren!"
-Yongen-Jaya district, residential area-
"Hahahaha! Oh man, that movie was awesome! I can't believe how funny it was! Definitely on my top ten for the year! Fah-la-laaaaa!" Futaba sang cheerfully as she and Sojiro walked out of their home, having placed their respective items they got through the day inside, and proceeded to leisurely stroll to the family restaurant, content with how their day had went.
"I'll admit, the movie was quite good. I wasn't expecting to enjoy something that has a freaky bald guy in his underwear saving kids from monsters made out of urinals, but it was pretty enjoyable," Sojiro said with a grin as he reached into his pocket and took out a familiar red box, something that his daughter immediately took notice of.
"Really, Sojiro? You're gonna smoke now? We're pretty close to Leblanc, you know. You're gonna have to put it out as soon as we turn the corner." Futaba questioned as her father took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth.
"Haven't had a chance to smoke, all day, Futaba. Let me have this," The man insisted as he took out a lighter and lit the smoke stick. "Besides, I haven't heard from Haru-chan since we left, so I doubt we need to hurry over to the café."
"Hmm, good point. Maybe it's been dead all day and she did nothing but clean and polish the store inside and out. Wouldn't be the first time that happened," Futaba shrugged, with Sojiro nodding in agreement, and rounded the corner that would lead to their café when they were greeted by a familiar individual.
"Ah, Niijima-san. What are you doing out here? You expecting a date or something?" Sojiro asked with a teasing grin as soon as he saw the silver haired lawyer standing in front of his establishment.
"Nothing of the sort. I was simply waiting for you to arrive so you could make me your signature house blend. Ren-kun was there when I arrived, helping out Haru-san, and he told me you would be coming soon, so I decided to stand out here and take in the sights until you arrived," Sae insisted with her arms crossed and a small smirk on her face.
"If you wanted to have a cup, you could've went inside and asked Haru-chan to make one for you. Or even Ren, if you had to," Sojiro asked in confusion, missing his daughter's mischievous giggling as she walked ahead towards the café.
"What can I say? Your two protégés may be good, but your coffee will always be the best," Sae insisted with a small smile, giving Futaba a small nod as the giggling girl entered the doorway behind her.
"Well, I guess I can't argue with that. They've made great strides, but they still got a long way to go to best me in my area of expertise." Sojiro boasted mildly with is arms crossed and trademarked smirk.
"Haha. Well then, can I have some the master's homemade brew then? It's been a while since I've had a cup from you," Sae requested while gesturing towards the café.
"Coming right up," Sojiro nodded as he entered the door, Sae right behind him with a knowing glint in her eye as the two stepped into the oddly dim room.
"The heck? Why is store da-"
"SURPRISE!"
Sojiro couldn't help but jump in surprise when he heard the shouts, covering his eyes when the lights suddenly turned on. His eyes adjusted quickly, though, and the moment he lowered his arm, he was greeted by the sight of the former Phantom Thieves all looking at with wide smiles on their faces, Haru holding an elaborate looking white frosting cake and Ryuji carrying a box that was covered in coffee themed wrapping paper in the middle of the room.
"What the… What in the world is going on here?!" He couldn't help but shout as soon as he regained his bearings.
"It's Father's Day you big goof! Don't tell me you forgot about it again!" Futaba exclaimed while grabbing her father in a tight hug, making Sojiro blink a couple times as he instinctively hugged his daughter back.
"Wait, that's today? I thought that was next week…" He couldn't help but mutter.
"Well, Boss. I'd say that this is quite the pleasant surprise, don't you think?" Sae asked with a teasing smirk of her own as she placed a hand on the unsuspecting man's shoulder, causing him to look at her in shock.
"You were in on this too?" He asked.
"Of course. It was my idea to allow Ren-kun to come over to my home in the first place. It helped that he already had plans to accompany us to visit our father's grave," Sae admitted with a hand on her waist and allowing her smirk to become a full fledge smile.
"We've been planning this for weeks. Futaba was the one who came up with it too," Ren spoke up from behind the counter, where Makoto was by his side.
"She really wanted to show you how much she loved and appreciate you, Boss," Makoto said with a soft smile to the man.
"We decided to assist as well," Yusuke chimed in, sitting in one of the booths by himself. "You have not only looked after Ren, but us as well, especially during the latter part of the previous year. It would be a crime to not show how much you mean to us, Boss."
"No kiddin'! That's why we gotcha this!" Ryuji grinned as he placed the large present on the table, and with a nod from the others, ripped it open to reveal the very same coffee maker that Sojiro was interested in when he and Futaba were in Akihabara earlier today.
"You kids actually went and bought this thing? Didn't you know how expensive it was?" Sojiro asked as he went to inspect the gift.
"Yeah, we did, but it was worth it," Futaba said with the widest smile on her face as she trotted behind her father. "It's a group gift from Sae and Makoto, since they had the same idea on what to get ya. Ann already gave you her gift this morning with that vinyl record, Haru took over the store today and baked the cake that she's holding, and Ren treated you for lunch and even got you this too!"
Sojiro turned around to see her daughter provide her with a meal card for the buffet that was located in that ritzy hotel over in Shibuya. He was surprised to get such a gift, since he knew how expensive the hotel restaurant was, but Ren always seemed to have a lot of money on him, so he wouldn't ask questions.
"Wow, I… I don't know what to say," He let out, completely stunned by the gifts he received so far.
"Ain't over yet, Boss. I gotcha a little something too!" Ryuji said as he walked behind the counter and pulled out a massive sealed bag with relative ease.
"…Is that a sack of premium-grade Columbian coffee beans?" Sojiro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup! Found a good deal on it online in a weird commodities site that Ren-Ren showed me and I double checked with Futaba to see it was legit. You're gonna be servin' some awesome ass coffee for a long time, Boss." Ryuji said cheerfully.
"And I brought in something as well. I'm sure it will look fabulous in your den," Yusuke spoke up as he reached under his booth and brought out one a canvas covered in a tarp. Getting up and removing the tarp, the young artist proudly presented the father an image of the Phantom Thieves in their old thief attire, all of them hanging out in Leblanc in various locations, drinking coffee with Sojiro looking at them with a small smile literally etched into his face.
"Wow… So that's what you kids looked like in that weird other world. Gotta admit, you got talent, kid," Sojiro said with a grin, to which Yusuke simply bowed in acknowledgement, before returning to his booth.
"And I got you something too! I'm positive that you'll love it!" Futaba grinned while pulling out a small box from her back pocket and handed it to Sojiro, who accepted it with a smile as well. He opened the box with care, as he could plainly see the eagerness and anticipation in his daughter's eyes, and pulled out a small picture frame from within the container. What was inside, the frame, however, was something that he thought he would never see again.
It was an old photo of him, Wakaba and Futaba, when the girl was only a few years old. They were having a picnic in the park all three of them were smiling at the camera; Wakaba and Futaba having matching grins while Sojiro settled for a kind smirk. It was Wakaba's prized possession, something that he believed was lost when all her belongings were stored away shortly after her death.
"I found that picture when I was looking through Mom's cognitive psience research for Phantom Thief work," Futaba began explaining softly, her eyes watering as Sojiro continued to stare at the photo in silence. "I've been keeping it hidden in my room, since it was Mom's favorite photo of us, but…I remember how much you loved it too. I thought it wasn't fair that I kept it away from you, so I made a copy of it for myself while you have the original one. I hope you like it…Dad."
"…Of course, I love it. Come here, you," The man said with the biggest smile on his face, a couple tears falling as soon as he heard the word Dad come out of his daughter's lips, and grabbed her into a tight hug, touching the hearts of everyone in the room.
"Aww, this is so sweet," Haru cooed as she dabbed a handkerchief over her own tears, the cake placed next to her on the bar.
"I know… I'm tearing up just looking at them," Ann agreed from beside Haru, also whipping her tears away with a handkerchief of her own.
"Hmm. I hope I have moments like this whenever I have a family," Makoto said softly as she leaned her head on Ren's shoulder.
"Same," Ren nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he stared at his father figure with pride.
"This such a beautiful moment. The loving bond that I sense between parent and child, it is similar to how I felt when I first saw Sayuri… I must capture this!" Yusuke stated with confidence as he reached under the booth once more and grabbed his sketchbook.
"Hey man, can you at least ask them first before you suddenly start drawin' them?" Ryuji asked in an annoyed tone.
"Too late, Ryuji. Looks like Yusuke's lost in his own world again," Morgana sighed as he suddenly popped up from behind Sae, having been sitting near the entrance the entire time.
"Haha. Well, if you wish to archive this moment in a painting, Kitaguwa-kun, how about I archive it as well in a more…modern setting," Sae offered as she reached behind her and pulled out an old, but well-kept camera and brought it up to her.
"Sis, isn't that the camera Dad got you for your photography club back in high school?" Makoto asked with wide eyes.
"It is. I picked it up when I got home from visiting Dad's grave to gather things from work, feeling a little nostalgic, and figured I'd take it with me just in case I get that old urge to take a picture," Sae explained before turning to the father-daughter pair with soft eyes. "And it looks like that urge is back stronger than ever. How about a group photo of everyone to commemorate this day?"
"Yeah! Family Photo!" Futaba cheered as soon as she was out of Sojiro's love-filled embrace and rushed to grab Morgana, who began yowling in protest.
"That's a wonderful idea, Sae-san," Ren nodded as he and Makoto walked around the counter.
"But what about my sketch!?" Yusuke questioned as he was dragged out of the booth by Ryuji.
"Forget the sketch for a moment, Yusuke, this is important," Ann sighed as she plucked the book out of the artist's hands.
"Group together everyone!" Haru announced, taking off her apron and scrunchy and fluffing up her hair even more to make herself presentable.
"You kids…" Sojiro sighed while shaking his head as the group of teenagers, wondering how he got wrapped up being the quintessential father figure for the eclectic set of misfits around him. He also found it odd, now that he thought it over, that all the kids around him all lost their father in one way or another…
Ren was separated from his father thanks to a false conviction and was forced to move away from him.
Ryuji's father was an abusive man who walked out on the poor teen and his mother at a young age.
Ann's father was often overseas and couldn't spend as much time with his daughter as much as either of them would've like.
Yusuke's father was dead before he was even born, while his foster father ended up being arrested for plagiarizing.
Makoto and Sae's father had passed away in the line of duty, leaving behind two distraught daughters all alone.
Haru's father was nothing more than a selfish old man who was unfortunately murdered before he had a chance to repent.
And of course, Futaba's father didn't want to get involved in her life, leaving Wakaba and eventually Sojiro to look after the lonely girl on their own.
Each and everyone one of them had little to no positive male role models in their lives, but somehow, some way, during the past year, Sojiro became one himself for not just one, not two, but six different kids, seven counting his own, and all of them were equally odd and rebellious in their own right. It wasn't something that he wanted in his life, but as he looked to his left, where Ren, Makoto and Ann were standing, and then to his left, where Haru, Ryuji and Yusuke were, and then down below, where his own daughter Futaba situated herself in with Morgana in her arms, he could honestly say he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Alright everyone, I'm taking the shot. Give me some wonderful smiles, if you don't mind," Sae requested as she looked at the makeshift family with soft eyes.
Sojiro complied, looking at the camera with the same smile he had that was on the picture that Futaba gave him. His life was good now; His business was running smoothly thanks to his two apprentices, his daughter was out seeing the world now, he somehow became a father to a couple of punks, a model, an artist, an honor student and a company heiress in the course of a year, and so much more odd happenings that he didn't even know where to begin.
"Say cheese, everyone!"
"Why would we say cheese, Haru? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say curry or coffee in this case?"
"Shut it, Inari! You're ruining the moment!"
"Kinda like how you're doing it right now-ACK!"
"Futaba! What have I told you about squeezing Morgana like that to shut him up?"
"Sorry, Makoto…"
*click*
Yes. Life was definitely good.
Author's note:
Note to self: Start projects like these early so I can finish them in time. Despite that, I liked how this turned out. Ended in a different way than how I originally planned, but I like the result a lot better. Now, I got a small announcement regarding Trials of the Trickster. It's not anything bad like a hiatus or something like that. Quite the opposite, actually, sort of. After the next update, which is currently set to be either the 25th or 26th of this month, I will be doing another double update similar to what I did last week, even though it was kind of unintentional. On July 1st and 2nd, I'm going to do a day by day update for Trials of the Trickster, which I will call the Weekend of Awakening. I'm pretty sure you guys know what that means. Because of that though, there will be no update the following weekend, which is the 8th and 9th. Got a wedding I have to attend and while I will still be writing during the week of the event, I'm also going to be taking a bit of a rest so I don't burn myself out. It's what happened to Scattered Symphony, my previous RWBY work, and I don't want Trials to suffer the same fate. I will be making another note similar to this in the next update of Trials as a reminder, so get ready for a treat in a couple weeks. I'll see you all on Sunday for the next instalment of Trials, my fellow Tricksters.
Until then. Farewell…