February 13th
Akira stood outside the dreary walls of the Juvenile Hall, slinging the cumbersome duffel bag that held all of his personal belongings over his shoulders. The last remnants of the winter cold slowly tickled his face as it lazily drifted under the shine of the rising spring sun. Taking in a deep breath, he felt his lungs absorb and relish the fresh air from his surroundings, unlike those from the stuffy cell that he had been stuck in for the past few months. Despite the cooling weather and newfound freedom, Akira was sweating buckets at his current distress; which was thinking about how to introduce and 'reveal' Lavenza's existence to Sojiro and everyone else.
Sae had checked in earlier in the morning, reporting in for her regular visit. She had informed him that his innocence had been proven during Shido's confession. With Akira's sentence being rescinded, Sae had already proceeded with the initial paperwork for the cancellation of his probation and confinement, and would be completing the process by this visit. To his surprise, an officer arrived at his cell within moments of his return and ordered him to pack up his belongings and begin the out-processing. Akira didn't even have enough time to discuss with Lavenza about their future arrangements and could only give her a quick order of 'follow me' while he complied and stuffed his belongings and books into his duffel bag.
From his cell to all the way outside, Lavenza had obediently stalked Akira as he was being dragged around. She quietly eyed her surroundings as though she was a foreign tourist, curious about the people and the purpose of the facility she was now walking through for the first time and last time. While he was fairly confident that normal people whom are unaware of the Velvet Room nor Mementos would be able to perceive her existence, he wasn't sure whether he could keep her hidden before the thieves when he returned. They had met briefly after they had been released from the cells in the Velvet Room, but anyone was able to hear Morgana's voice after hearing it once in Mementos.
"Right, Lavenza. I need you to listen to me." Akira asked as he maintained a straight face while tip-toeing around the topic, not exactly sure how he was going to ask her of this. As much as he wanted to introduce her to his friends, making fresh greetings right outside a prison was simply terrible TPO. But he didn't want to cause any misunderstandings that it was as though he wanted to hide her existence from others, especially so if it may hurt her feelings.
"Yes?" Lavenza hummed questioningly at his call, busily taking in the new sights outside the cell that she was seeing with her own eyes for the first time.
"For now until we arrive back at Leblanc, introduce yourself if someone notices you. But if they don't, just keep on following me." Akira stated his demands quickly as he noticed a familiar yellow vintage Beetle car driving towards him and honking several times. He had already caught on that Sojiro was coming to pick him up as Sae had mentioned that she shouldn't keep someone waiting, and that it was a 'that man'. The girl nodded as per usual without any complaints, not wanting to cause him any extra problems.
"Hey. You kept me waiting. Geez." Sojiro pulled over right in front of Akira, with one hand waving out of the window lazily. The driver was dressed in his usual cream white Sunday-best shirt with a matching coloured top-hat with red and blue stripes circling around. "To be honest, I didn't really wanna come… But Futaba just wouldn't stop bugging me." Akira really wanted to retort that he would rather head home himself in this situation, but decided to keep silent in his gratitude for a convenient ride home.
"Anyway, you're a free man now, aren't ya? It'd look bad on me if you did something again under my watch." He smirked at Akira. "Alright let's go home. It's cold, so get in quick." Sojiro instructed offhandedly as he adjusted the rear mirror, apparently not noticing the platinum blonde-haired girl that was standing beside Akira the entire time. Looking at the two-doored coupe, he had to somehow get in with Lavenza, without Sojiro noticing any weird actions from him.
Akira made a quick hand gesture and motioned for Lavenza to follow him, which she immediately complied and trotted along. He swung to the back of the car and placed his heavy duffel bag into the trunk. Checking to make sure she was near him as he closed the boot, Akira imagined the following actions he would be taking as he circled over to the passenger side.
With a deep breath, Akira opened the door with his non-master hand and immediately used his other more proficient hand to pull Lavenza into a secure embrace as he turned her around and lifted her off her feet, causing her back to be pressed tightly against him. She had initially struggled when he surprised her with his sudden actions, but calmly cooperated when she had discerned his intentions of sneaking her into the car. He fluidly lowered himself onto the passenger with the girl seated on his laps.
Akira took a quick glance at Sojiro as he closed the door, hoping that he wasn't staring at him or something else. But the old man was just looking elsewhere while rhythmically tapping on the steering wheel, with his usual bored expression as he waited for his passenger to get on. As he heard the door shut, Sojiro immediately shifted the gear stick and released the parking brake.
"Alright, let's go." Akira said as he buckled up his seat belt and looked towards Lavenza to see if she was okay as well. The girl quietly nodded as she shifted into a position where she sat perpendicularly against him, placing both hands on his chest as she leaned her head against him. Sojiro gave a short grunt and stepped on the accelerator, slowly inching the car forward and driving into the crowded Tokyo traffic.
The car's engine lazily droned as the car wriggled forward, trapped along the highway as the traffic slowed to a crawl. The radio was facing a desperate challenge against the noises of exhaust and honking that were buffeting the car from all directions. While the car wasn't exactly spacious to begin with, having a girl sitting on top of him for such a long time was starting to feel pins and needles in his legs. He had attempted to doze off so that the ride will be over quickly, but Akira was consistently getting distracted by the sweet fragrance from Lavenza's hair that tickled his nose whenever she moved on his laps.
"It's not moving at all…" Sojiro complained impatiently while shaking his head. I could swear he was also complaining the last time we were stuck in traffic. Akira pondered, trying to recall the first time Sojiro had driven him to Shujin High to make his introductions.
"Due to the railway incident this morning, widespread delays have impacted the various lines and…" The newscaster reported mechanically over the broadcast. Akira could barely stifle a yawn as the vibrations of the car and the warm heat of a girl hugging him slowly disintegrated his energy levels.
"Another accident huh? Heh. Reminds me of that day back in April. Remember when we went to introduce you at the school?" Sojiro chatted, trying to start a conversation with the younger guy in order to sate his boredom.
"I'm trying to forget." Akira jested, feeling that a little sass might liven things up. He thought he had heard a little snort coming from Lavenza, who was burying her face in his chest.
"You never change, huh?" Sojiro sighed in resignation at the kid's habits of getting a little cheek in whenever he could.
"So do you." Akira deflected cheekily, sorely missing exchanging snarky comments with the old man ever since he was locked up.
"Thinking back, I was pretty awful to you, throwing you in that storage room all by yourself." The old man ignored his comment and groaned in regret. Akira could only chuckle to himself as he knew that the only reason Sojiro had to keep him at LeBlanc was because of Futaba's prior situation, and he wasn't going to put any blame on the old man. Heck, living in the up at the attic of LeBlanc actually gave him the biggest room he had ever lived in. It could even house the entire Phantom Thieves with space to spare.
"Then again, soon you're gonna be..." Breaking off his comment weirdly, Sojiro cleared his throat before continuing. "*Ahem!* You made some great friends here. You'd better thank them when we get back, all right?" He casually lectured with a rare smile on his face.
"Yea." Akira nonchalantly replied before coming to a realisation. Wait… You mean they are waiting for us to get back? Damn, I wasn't ready for this… He quietly swore to himself. Whipping his mind into overdrive, Akira quickly recalled the geographical layout of LeBlanc's surroundings. Predicting that Sojiro would most likely alight him straight at the front door of the café before parking his car at the back alley, he probably had a few minutes to rehearse the plan with Lavenza before he would be 'forcefully' escorted in. Deciding that it would probably be best of him to not keep her presence as a secret from the thieves, this was his only best and foremost chance.
Akira immediately brainstormed the possible conversation topics and imagined the personalities of his close friends whom were awaiting his return. Makoto and Futaba's intelligence would be able to see through any shaky lies if I'm not careful, Ann and Haru have great observational skills with regards to reading people and their feelings, and Yusuke's eccentricity is practically a ticking time-bomb. Ryuji is just dense, no worries. He decided that while it wasn't right of him to lie to his close friends about the relationship between him and Lavenza, he was under no obligation to walk up straight to them and broadcast it out loud.
Even if he wanted to do so, Akira had never properly discuss with Lavenza about the extent of their current companionship. While he was fairly sure that already weren't on the level of mere friends, a platonic relationship seems to be the closest to how he would describe it. But no matter the amount of heat he was going to get from the thieves, his immediate priority was not to get himself labelled as some sort of lolicon that was into young girls. The Nijima sisters could just be the ones putting me back into the cell. Akira quietly joked as he shuddered at the imagination of them looking at him in disdain.
"We're here." Sojiro brought the yellow car to a stop at the front of the café, just as Akira had predicted. He gave a quick tap on Lavenza's back, whom promptly bounced off his laps and out of the car, excited at being able to return after some time. With a tired heave, Akira got out of the car while massaging his sore legs. After thanking Sojiro for the ride, he went to retrieve his duffel bag from the trunk and watched as Sojiro drove the car off to find parking.
"Okay Lavenza, please take off the concealment now." Akira asked of her politely, giving her head a quick pat as she closed her eyes while concentrating. It was for a slight instant, but Akira could feel the atmosphere around him distort as though he had just returned to the Metaverse. Passer-bys who began taking notice of the platinum blonde-haired with her beautiful contrasting blue dress began gossiping from afar, wondering if she was some foreign teen model. Akira looked around and confirmed that even normal people would be able to see her now, ensuring that the first requirement of his plan was going smoothly. All that was left was to let Sojiro perceive her when he returns.
"Thanks." Akira thanked her while rubbing the top of her head, causing her to giggle underneath while trying to stop his hand from further messing up her hair.
"I suppose they are waiting for you inside." Lavenza revealed as she pinpointed her extraordinary senses onto the 'customers' that were inside the café at the moment.
"Yea. Anyway, since your concealment is off, I plan on reintroducing you to them if they do not remember you." Akira shrugged, thinking that trying to sneak her in at this point was plain risky, especially when he was sorely lacking in information about her powers.
"Then I will leave it you." Lavenza readily agreed. It didn't matter to her whether anyone else knew about her, as long as she can stay beside the one she loves.
"Hmm? Who's that?" Sojiro asked as he came out of the shop's side alley, surprised to see Akira and an unfamiliar young girl talking right outside his cafe.
"Oh! Let me introduce you two." Akira acted smoothly without hesitation. "Lavenza, this is Sojiro Sakura; Master of the Café LeBlanc and my guardian while I'm was here on probation. Everyone calls him 'Boss'." The old man scratched his cheek awkwardly as he was being introduced to the young girl who was just looking at him with a curious expression. "Sojiro, this is Lavenza, one of the assistants that has been helping us with 'that'." Akira looked around to see if anyone was within earshot, deciding it was more prudent to avoid any direct mentions of the Phantom Thieves in public. Sojiro could only 'oh' quietly at his indirect implication of her relation to the thieves.
"Good afternoon, Sojiro-sama. My name is Lavenza, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me hereafter." Lavenza curtsied gracefully with both hands holding her skirt out from her body, reverting to her usual polite demeanour when dealing with others.
"Well, er... It's nice to meet you, Lavenza-chan?" Sojiro took a moment to process and articulate the non-Japanese sounding name. While she looked even younger than Futaba, her behaviour seems to be way more mature, causing him to be unsure on which honorific would be appropriate for her. "Well, let's head on in, this is no place to be standing around and chit-chatting." Sojiro prompted as he gestured to Akira with a slight jerk of his head.
Akira nodded and pushed opened the wooden framed door, creaking slightly as it turned on its hinges. Everyone inside immediately perked up the moment they heard the doorbell chime as someone entered, looking towards the door and finding that their leader has returned. Futaba immediate broke into smiles and cheer, while Makoto demurely waved from beside her. Yusuke only gave him a side-glance and a cursory salute, and Haru, whom was sitting beside him, smiled sweetly at Akira's safe return. Ryuji had this smug grin on his face when he entered.
"Hey there!" Ann had already gotten up from her seat and called out to Akira, who was still standing at the door as he gave his friends a quick look over. He was glad that they were still the same old pals that he had missed since Christmas.
"Woohoo! Namasteeeeh..." Futaba jumped out of her seat and bolted straight for Akira, easily overtaking Ann and Ryuji who were now tailing behing her. She had started her dashing approach with excitement, but immediately trailing off after she noticed the girl that had followed him in, with Sojiro closing the door behind them. The rest of the thieves who had been following Futaba also noticed her weird intonation and looked towards her line of sight, noticing the same person that she did.
"Good afternoon, it's been awhile since we last met, Phantom Thieves." The thieves immediately raised their eyebrows at her knowledge of their involvement, wondering if they have met before.
"Once again, my name is Lavenza. Please take care of me from hereafter." Curtsying politely as she replicated another flawless greeting that completely awed the group.
"Oh? This girl looks quite familiar…" Yusuke asked as he cocked his head in contemplation as he tried to recall her face from his memory, fairly sure he would not forget a beauty such as she.
"Really?" Ann asked suspiciously as she eyed the girl who looked more foreign then she does, pretty sure she would remember meeting someone with such unique features.
"My! She looks like a doll, doesn't she?" Haru squealed in delight as she totally went into her own 'my pace' mode, side-tracking from the topic about the girl's familiarity.
"Erm guys? We met her after we got whisked away from the real world by the Holy Grail." Futaba pointed out, easily recognising her identity from her photographic memory that perfectly captures everything she has seen before. "In that Velvet Room thing after Akira saved us from those prison cells, remember?" She reminded them one more time, while contemplating about the girl's sudden arrival after all this time.
"Oh right… I got scolded by her…" Ryuji shrunk behind the rest of the thieves as he recalled she had raised her voice at him before, all because of his usual confusion when someone is explaining something. The thieves laughed at Ryuji's expense as the guy tried to hide in embarrassment that he got completely shut down by a little girl like her.
"Okay guys, I know you all missed each other and have plenty to talk about, but let's not talk right by the door shall we?" Sojiro urged the group of teenagers whom were crowding the entrance and blocking his way.
"Right! Come sit over here!" Makoto exclaimed as she ushered Akira to one of the booth seats they had been occupying, the thieves all moved together with him as though he was a VIP, flanking him on all sides. Ann took the inside seat beside him while Futaba and Makoto sat returned to their originals. Ryuji, Yusuke and Haru took the counter seats that were closer towards the main group. Lavenza quietly took one counter seat for herself that was closer towards the public phone, while maintaining a slight distance from the rest of the group.
"I gotta head out and grab some extra groceries. You guys do what you have to." Sojiro quickly took off his white shirt and hat before heading out in a more comfortable attire, leaving the thieves plus one on their own.
"Man! It went well yeah!?" Ryuji cheered happily, stoked that his leader and best friend was finally out of prison.
"I'm so glad we didn't give up." Makoto exhaled in relief, glad that they had persevered throughout the entire ordeal.
"This was certainly worth the effort." Yusuke praised everyone for their tireless work, Akira's release was a well-deserved reward for their achievement.
"We didn't know what to do once you were gone… But then we realised something." Ann pensively mumbled, recalling the despair that everyone felt when they first found out Akira had turned himself in for their sakes.
"Even if we don't have the Metaverse or any other special powers, we can still change reality." Ann's mood took a quick turn as she pumped her fist energetically, pleased that they managed to accomplish this feat.
"We were runnin' around everywhere we could since New Year… It musta been over a month." Ryuji sighed tiredly as he massaged his own shoulders, still feeling sore from all the running around.
"Not just us. Everyone who believed in you joined us!" Haru added in excitedly, recalling the enormous support from all sorts of people pouring in, the thieves had even wondered how Akira managed to build such an extensive network during his stay here.
"Thanks to that, we've got our leader back!" Futaba made a triumphant pose that resembled Kamen Riders, commemorating their victory as heroes of justice.
"Thanks." Akira chuckled at Futaba's over exaggeration.
"What're you talkin' about? You're the one who took the hit for us." Ryuji retorted, laughing at the fact that they should be the ones thankful to him instead.
"They treated you fine, right? Actually did you lose some weight?" Ann asked while giving Akira a quick look over, thinking about all the possible cruelties he must have faced.
"It would be understandable, I've food in prison is quite foul… So, what did you eat?" Yusuke asked curiously, never really knowing if the rumours he heard about prison life was true.
"Was it bugs? Fermented mackerel? Or maybe durian?" Futaba asked as she bounced on her seat, listing off all the food that were literally foul.
"You're missing the point…" Makoto face-palmed at Futaba's miscomprehension, the girl seriously goes off tangent at the weirdest moments.
"Foul?" Lavenza cocked her head quizzically, not really understanding what was so foul about the food that Akira had shared with her.
"Eh!?" Akira interjected before they caught onto Lavenza's question. "N-not really. The food was almost like the basic stuff you can get at a budget canteen. Nothing special." Akira could only give the food points for edibility, null for taste or presentation.
"Eh, you're gonna get some good food soon enough though. Boss is out getting' stuff for our party right now. C'mon, everyone's back together! It's time to celebrate!" Ryuji immediately tried to liven the mood, diverting them from the gloomy talk, but his efforts were wasted due to his slip of tongue.
"Everyone…" Haru depressingly trailed off, everyone who realised who she was referring to also started to feel wistful.
"Well… not quite everyone…" Futaba dejectedly added.
"Right… Morgana." Ann felt a little nostalgia at the memories of the noisy cat that always tried to hit on her.
"…He may have been the key person on this whole mission. We even considered what he would do when we were about to give up." Makoto commented, recalling about the times when the memories of him re-motivated the thieves during their mission to liberate their leader.
"Mona totally woulda done something right? That cat would never quit on you." Ryuji added, thinking about how overly stubborn that cat was.
"He was always there to pull us forward." Haru closed her eyes while fondly remembering her friend.
"Morgana truly was the engine of the Phantom Thieves." Yusuke commended. He's the engine because he can transform into a car? Akira quietly joked to himself, thinking it would be insensitive for him to say it out loud.
"He was a car, after all!" But Ann immediately took the words from Akira's mouth and attempted to make a gag, contrary to his attempts to be subtle.
"I wanna see Mona again…" Futaba mumbled. The whole room was blanketed in an awkward silence, Akira played with his fringe while wondering if there's anything he could say to cheer everyone up.
"He never returned to the Velvet Room even after Mementos disappeared." Lavenza calmly interrupted while lazily spinning her bar seat around, swinging her feet that were too short to reach the floor.
"Eh?" Akira, Makoto, Futaba and Haru had managed to understand the meaning of what she had just implied; informing them that she has not seen him return to the Velvet Room even though he was a being that was born there. The rest only looked at the girl confusedly, unsure of what she was referring to. And as though matching the timing of the silence, the café's door creaked opened as it jingled the doorbell lightly.
"Huh? That was quick, Boss-" Ryuji turned around in surprise, expecting that he would take a much longer time while considering the amount of food required. Everyone turned towards the door, expecting Sojiro to walk in, but instead it was an all too familiar black cat that nonchalantly strolled through the door.
"Someone call for me?" Morgana haughtily asked, acting as though he was ignorant to the conversation inside.
"Mona!?" Ryuji shouted in disbelief. Everyone quickly stood up from the seats as they wanted to get a clearer view of the cat that they had not seen for months, looking at him in disbelief. Lavenza sat quietly on her chair, watching the thieves as they reacted to Morgana's sudden return.
Morgana let himself in and deftly propelled himself up to one of the counter seats beside Ryuji, joining the conversation as though he didn't go missing at all.
"What're you doing here!? I-I mean, didn't you disappear?" Ann asked in disbelief, still not trusting her own eyes that the cat before her is real.
"Looks like the only me that disappeared was the one in the Metaverse." Morgana remarked while indifferently giving his paw a lick.
"…Huh?" Ryuji faltered, confused as usual.
"If that's the case… you stayed in reality as a cat?" Makoto asked, the more intellectual ones finally understanding what the new girl had just meant by him never returning at all; the cat had been in the real world all this time.
"When I woke up, I was out in Shibuya looking like this."Morgana explained.
"That don't make any sense though! I mean, if you were alive, you shoulda come back right away!" Ryuji fumed angrily, indignant about the fact that he had actually missed the guy.
"I…" Morgana fumbled around for an answer. "It was right after I had said goodbye. It would've been awkward to come back so soon…" The cat didn't want to face the awkwardness of his quick return after such an epic farewell.
"It seems he finally learned how to be tactful." Yusuke joked at the cat's ridiculousness.
"He's grown!" Futaba acted with a dramatic shock as she played along with Yusuke.
"I knew you guys had found your witness, so I was just waiting for Akira to get discharged. Well done on that, seriously. You pulled it off even without my help." Morgana bragged as though he had a part in their accomplishments.
"You've already returned to your normal conceited self!?" Makoto retorted at the cat's sudden attitude swing.
"I'm sorry I worried you all." Morgana apologised. "Oh can I borrow the shower before you all rush to hug me? I was stray for so long I think I might smell." The cat gave himself a quick sniff, finding his current state unattractive to be comfortably hugged by the girls.
"This ain't the time for a shower, you stupid cat!" Ryuji rebutted, still not forgiving the cat for his stupid stunt.
"Give us our tears back!" Even Haru had complained, feeling betrayed that she had cried over him all this time for nothing.
"You are unforgivable!" This time Yusuke played along and jokingly scorned the cat as well. Futaba jumped out of her seat and pulled at Morgana's cheeks, causing him to growl in pain.
"Hrgh! Sh-Shtop ith!" Morgana meowed as the girl playfully tugged his cheeks, making seem as though it was a physical punishment. Giggling cheerfully after she had released the poor cat from her clutches.
"Talk about a harsh welcome…" Morgana complained, certainly not expecting the hostility to be targeted at him.
"This is how it should be." Makoto chimed in while Haru just giggled at the usual rowdiness of the thieves.
"Matters are finally back to normal." Yusuke smiled assuredly, grateful at the peaceful conclusion of their journey thus far.
"Right!" Ryuji cheered as everyone just laughed along and chatted away heatedly. Akira gave Lavenza a quick wink and checked to make sure she wasn't feeling too left out of the conversation. The girl just smiled and waved at him reservedly, indicating that she was okay.
"It's great that you're back and all, but what're you gonna do now?" Ann questioned the cat on his future plans, seeing that he wasn't bound to societal duties and obligations, unlike themselves.
"Hm? Well, I've been thinking…" Morgana stated as he went into thought.
"About what?" Ann crossed her legs while asking the cat, leaning forward so that she could hear him clearly. The rest of the thieves also started to pay attention to what the cat was about to say.
"How to become human, of course." Morgana revealed. The thieves looked at him questioningly wondering if he was serious.
"Oh really?" Makoto inquired, not exactly sure about the entire plan of transforming from a cat into a human.
"I might've learned that I'm not a human now, but that doesn't mean I can't turn into one!" Morgana declared as though he had come across a revelation.
"Now this is just a guess… but I think I'm still here because you all remained cognitive of me…" Morgana suggested. "Even after the world's distortions disappeared, you kept me in your minds. That means you guys think there's a place for me in the real world." Akira gave a quick glance to Lavenza for confirmation, but she gave a slight shrug suggesting that she didn't really have concrete proof to support nor deny that statement.
"Of course! This is where you belong, Mona!" Futaba exclaimed, glad to have her furry friend back.
"*giggle* She's correct." Haru agreed, overjoyed to be able to spend more time with an unexpected friend that had changed her entire life.
"…Oh yeah! Sorry for buttin' in and all…" Ryuji interrupted. "But we heard from Boss… You're goin' back home next month?" Ryuji asked in confirmation. The thieves all looked down dejectedly after the news of him going back home was brought up.
"Yea." Akira replied in affirmation, feeling a little guilty that the news had came from Sojiro instead.
"Can't you stay here?" Ryuji asked. "Sure we proved you're not guilty, but people're still gonna label you there, aren't they? Ain't it just gonna be uncomfortable goin' back?" The blonde was almost convinced he would face the same persecution he had when he first arrived.
"Well…" Akira looked down pensively. If he could, he would like to stay in Tokyo and spend the rest of his school life with them. But he had to return home, not because he liked it better back there, but because he needed to do so by facing his past and not run away from it.
"What's the matter? We were all so excited a moment ago." Makoto tried to break the depressing mood "…How about this? If our leader is leaving, the Phantom Thieves are truly disbanding, correct?" Makoto rhetorically asked, with some of the thieves nodding their heads in agreement with her.
"Then today we can celebrate Akira's release… and commemorate the day of our disbandment." Makoto suggested, hoping that the celebration would be a perfect excuse to forget about the sadness that their leader was leaving.
"Pfft! What kind of commemoration is that?" Ann immediately broke into smiles and laughed at Makoto.
"I was serious when I said it…" Makoto pouted slightly when Ann was just laughing at her even though she was trying to be serious.
"It sounds like a good idea to me." Haru supported her fellow senior's suggestion.
"I guess you're right. We just gotta double our excitement for today!" Ryuji cheered as well. No, you just want a reason to party. Akira mentally retorted at Ryuji.
"*Ahem!* I know this is sudden, but I've decided to go with Akira. He's pretty special, after all." Morgana announced. "If I stay by him, I might be able to figure out how I can become human too. Plus, we need someone there in case he turns back into a delinquent." He rattled on as though Akira's agreement was already accounted for.
"Let me think it over." Akira almost face-palmed at the face that he still had to deal with the cat harassing him in the future as well. "Damn… He's gonna bug me to go to sleep early every night…" Akira groaned under his breath and the thieves just laughed at his silly predicament.
"What!? I'm not so naggy!" Morgana complained. "Either way, I want you guys to add my farewell party to the one we're having tonight!" The cat demanded a party for himself as well.
"I dunno… Is that important?" Ryuji sarcastically brushed off the cat.
"You're not leaving for another month right?" Haru asked Akira as she tried to recall the exact details that she had heard from Sojiro.
"Yea. There should be a month or so till then." Akira could only remember the brief dates, thinking that he would need to ask him for more precise details on the process.
"It is far too early for a farewell party." Yusuke pointed out, thinking that they could easily arrange for another party when the dates got closer.
"That'll just muddy the purpose of this celebration." Makoto objected, a farewell party at this point in time would just make them think about Akira's leaving even more and sour the mood.
"Then it can be my comeback party! Nobody can complain about that, right!?" Morgana protested as he stared at everyone with an unsatisfied look. "I demand sushi! Sushi!" The cat threw a tantrum about the Japanese delicacy that he never had the chance to have. Akira thought he saw Lavenza perk up at the mention of sushi, but she had returned to her normal expression by the time he had looked over.
*ring* The bell of the door rang as Sojiro walked in with tons of plastic bags filled with food and snacks.
"Man, you guys're loud. I could hear you from outside." Sojiro jokingly complained as he walked into the shop. "Oh, I was wondering why I heard meowing. The cat's back." Sojiro was surprised as well, having not seen the cat since Akira's arrest and thought it had escaped.
"Chief! They're so mean!" Morgana whined, but all that Sojiro heard were the meowings of a cat.
"Noisy as always…" Sojiro grumbled. Ryuji nearly laughed at Sojiro's usual rough way of speaking.
"Hey! I'm not some… normal cat!" Morgana disagreed, insistent that he wasn't as noisy as how normal cats would be.
"I can't understand what you're saying to me, you know. Here." Sojiro dug something out from the pockets of his apron and fed it to Morgana.
"No, I would much rather have sushi than something like-" The cat broke off even before he even finished his rejection. "Hmprh!? This is delicious!" Morgana exclaimed in surprise as he savoured the delicious new food.
"Sheesh, what an assertive little guy… I wonder where he got that from." Sojiro uttered as he watched the cat finish up the rest of the treat.
"Not me!" Akira quickly interrupted as he could already see where this conversation was heading to.
"If Morgana becomes human, he may end up just like Akira." Yusuke jokingly pondered as he compared the two.
"Oh, I can see that" Haru decided to join in as well, giggling as she imagined a pair of smug Akiras.
"Totally possible." Futaba betrayed him as well. Hell no. Akira rolled his eyes at being compared to a cat
"Me be like him…!?" Morgana went into deep thought on whether he could become someone like Akira, a Phantom Thief that he had always looked up to.
"Well, if I became a cat, I don't think I will end up like Morgana." Akira putting in a well-timed jest that made everyone laugh.
"I'm no-… Wait, I can't say I'm not a cat now." Morgana growled as he realised that saying he wasn't a cat was futile at this point. "I definitely don't want to be like Ryuji though." Deciding to tease Ryuji as he normally did.
"What was that!?" Ryuji stood up and glared at the cat.
"It's things like that. You get angry so fast. Oh, and you're vulgar." Morgana poured even more oil into the fire.
"You little…! Why don't you go disappear again!?" Ryuji roared in anger at the cat's mocking tone.
"Ugh, shut up! We're supposed to be celebrating, not fighting!" Ann yelled at the two childish guys that always picked a fight with each other.
"They're at it again…" Makoto sighed as she shook her head.
"The world's changed, but you guys are the same as ever…" Sojiro also shook his head at the ruckus these two always made.
"Seriously… That weirdo Inari." Futaba snorted as she threw a curveball at him.
"Who are you calling a weirdo!?" Yusuke rebutted in disapproval at being called a weirdo, by another weirdo.
"In any case, we're all here!" Ryuji decided to ignore Futaba and Yusuke's squabble. "Let's kick this party off!" He eagerly announced the start of the party that everyone had been waiting for.
"Very well…" Yusuke detached himself from quarrelling with Futaba to help Sojiro out with the food.
"Sojiro! I want sushi!" Futaba demanded while pulling some snacks out of the shopping bags. The guys all filed into the kitchen and began bringing dishes of food that Sojiro had prepared earlier, ranging from finger foods to plates of curry dishes.
"Here you go." Akira placed a plate of non-spicy curry especially for Lavenza, knowing that she had zero tolerance for spicy food after observing the food she had ate back in the cell.
"Thanks, Akira." Lavenza gave a sweet smile and bowed her head slightly, Akira could only laugh that she was still keeping her formal self when others are around her. "Is there anything I can help with?" She asked, wanting to be of help to him.
"It's alright." Akira looked around, noting that Yusuke and Ryuji had already served everyone else while they were talking. "Why don't you just enjoy the food? I will introduce you to everyone later." Akira smiled and gave her a quick pat on the head before returning back to the kitchen. The girl nodded and quietly started on her food, humming in delight at the marvellous curry that Akira had always been talking about.
"Do you like it?" Haru decided to use this chance to talk to the new girl, shifting her chair closer to her so that she could have a closer look at the girl.
"Yes, Akira was always talking about wanting to eat Sojiro-sama's curry. Now I understand why." Lavenza nodded in approval as she paused her meal and turned towards her new conversational partner, deeming that it would be impolite of herself to eat while talking.
"I see…" Haru pondered while thinking about how long they have had known each other. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Haru Okumura. It's nice to meet you, Lavenza-chan." She had forgotten to introduce herself even before talking to the new girl.
"It's nice to meet you too." Lavenza politely greeted the senior girl, causing Haru to smile happily at her new friend.
"Oh hey, what've I missed?" Akira approached them with two glasses of iced latte, handing the sweetened one over to Lavenza. The girl delightedly received it with both hands, enjoying the sweet latte that Akira had always brewed for her.
"Nothing much, we just talked about you saying that you wanted to eat Boss's curry." Haru replied.
"Oh. Anyway, Lavenza, this is Haru Okumura; Heiress to Okumura Foods and also more famously known as the Beauty Thief." Akira accomplished a perfectly hilarious introduction, purposely doing so to make it less formal.
"So much for that…" Haru groaned at the fact that the thieves were never going to let go of that nickname. Akira laughed to himself as he recalled the first time they had met in President Okumura's palace.
"Okay, seriously. She's the team's green thumb and fellow coffee enthusiast." Akira corrected her introduction with a more proper version. "And Haru, this is Lavenza. An assistant from the Velvet Room as you have recalled. Please take care of her while she's around." He kept her introduction brief and simple, leaving it to Lavenza herself to decide how much she wants to reveal to the others.
"Alright, it's always nice to have more girls around!" Haru applauded cheerfully that the girls will have an additional member. "Hm?" She was about to say something else when she looked at Akira's side, where Lavenza apparently had finished her portion of curry. "Lavenza, would you like seconds?" Haru asked while offering to get her another plate of curry. Lavenza looked at Akira as though she was waiting for his permission.
"Err, I think we should go around making her introductions before we carry on." Akira suggested, giving Lavenza a tap on her shoulder and she promptly got off her seat with used utensils in hand.
"Okay. Everyone's nice, so you don't have to worry, alright?" Haru reassured Lavenza, thinking that she would feel stressed by all the older people around her. She watched as the young girl trotted behind Akira as they headed to the kitchen.
"Here, put them in the sink." Lavenza complied with Akira's instructions and placed the utensils into the half-filled sink. Turning around, they bumped into Ryuji who was just coming in to get a second serving for himself.
"Oh hey! Akira and…" Ryuji greeted, trying to recall the complicated name he had just heard. Akira only shook his head in worry for his friend's intelligence, wondering if he truly comprehends anything more than two syllabus long.
"Lavenza, this is Ryuji Sakamoto; the team's fastest runner and loudspeaker." Akira introduced with a few quick descriptions, trying his best to avoid the obviously bad points. "Ryuji, this is Lavenza, remember it this time. As you know, she's the girl who shouted at you back in the Velvet Room." He introduced with a little tease for both parties, which Lavenza reacted by pouting and giving him a light smack on his arm, causing Akira to laugh while playfully patting her head to calm her down.
"Broooo, why didn't you introduce her to us earlier. We coulda' gotten another cute teammate in the Metaverse." Ryuji interrogated Akira, unsatisfied that he had hidden a beauty away from him until now.
Akira's face slightly cramped as he imagined having Lavenza in the team, most likely able to steamroll through entire hordes of shadow if he were to assume she has the combined powers of the twins.
"If you think she's just another pretty-face, you are so wrong pal." Akira warned, slightly tempted to see how would the rest of thieves would actually fare off against her.
"…Really?" Ryuji whispered to Akira, still assuming that the petite girl only provided a support role and wasn't capable of proper combat.
"Really, really." Akira nodded, showing a slicing gesture across his neck with his thumb.
"Damn… I thought she would have skills like Futaba and stayed on the backlines." Ryuji muttered as he backtracked. "Why're the girls around us so tough!" He protested, cursing the cruel fate that the ladies around him were all femme fatales in their own respective rights.
"Is it not good to be tough?" Lavenza asked as she watched Ryuji slump out of the kitchen, wondering at his parting statement.
"Err… It depends, I guess?" Akira wasn't exactly sure how he could explain this. "I guess it's every man's fantasy to be able to save his princess in distress." While Akira certainly didn't mind the opportunity to show off his strengths to the girl of his dreams, having to save someone every single time would get tiresome real quickly.
"I see… But Akira, you did save me when I was trapped by the evil god." Lavenza beamed happily at him, always proud of her trickster that had managed to overcome all odds. Akira nearly gave the girl a tight hug at her cuteness, but decided to restrain himself in front of the others.
"That I did. Come on, there's still the rest." Akira led Lavenza back out to the dining area, where everyone was sporadically scattered about and talking among their own groups. Yusuke was helping himself to some of the fried chicken wings when he spotted the two exit the kitchen.
"Not eating?" Yusuke asked as he noticed the two of them not even holding onto any food.
"Later. Anyway, this is Yusuke Kitagawa; the team's dedicated artist, eccentric and inari sushi lover. We should go see some of his art exhibits soon." Yusuke frowned at the word 'eccentric', completely missing the 'inari sushi lover' joke.
"Well met. Say, would you allow me to do a painting of you?" Yusuke asked while ignoring Akira's joke, trying to picture her image in a frame using his fingers.
"I do not really understand, but... sure?" Lavenza readily agreed, not understanding why he would want her to model for a painting and it wouldn't hurt her to help. Akira mentally made a reminder to acquire a copy of the painting if Yusuke ever finishes it.
"Now just wait a goddamn minute!" Ann immediately butted into the conversation and pulled on Yusuke's collar, causing him to struggle against her grasp. "Don't tell me you are actually asking her to model for you nude." Ann coldly threatened the artist, ready to skin him if he was trying something funny on the unsuspecting girl.
"N-No! You've misunderstood! I only asked for a simple painting." Yusuke begged for his life, knowing full well the running gag and trauma of asking for a nude painting among the thieves. Ann stared at Akira and Lavenza to confirm whether he was telling the truth, which they both hurriedly nodded. The panther eyed Yusuke for a short moment before deciding to release her victim.
"Lavenza, right? It's nice to meet you! Wow... you really are pretty when I look up close." The model's attitude took a complete one-eighty as she bent down slightly to address the girl, impressed that she had a perfect complexion and no need of any makeups.
"This is Ann Takamaki; professional model to be and best actor in the neighbourhood, certified by Yusuke." Akira sneered as he emphasised the Actor part, causing Yusuke who was behind Ann to snicker quietly.
"Oh, isn't she the lady in the fashion magazines that you have showed me?" Lavenza asked as she recalled the well-dressed foreign looking model that Akira had occasionally showed her back in the cell.
"E-Eh? You actually showed her magazines that I was in?" Ann asked in surprise, not expecting Akira to actually show someone else magazines she was featured in.
"Yea, why not? I wanted to see how other attires would fit on her, taking that you two have pretty similar features." Akira attested while pointing to his own hair and skin.
"That's true. They can even pass off as sisters." Yusuke joined in as well, noting that if anyone ignored the difference in eye colours, Ann and Lavenza can be easily misidentified as sisters.
"Really? You think so?" Ann was getting weirdly enthusiastic at getting a 'younger sister', immediately squatting down so that their faces would be at the same height. Akira took out his smartphone and took a quick snapshot, Yusuke went around and looked at the photo with him, both nodding in approval as they appraised the photo.
"Wow, it's true!" Ann exclaimed when she was shown the picture of two girls with nearly identical blonde coloured hair and fairer skin tone. "Can I like, bring her home?" Ann jokingly asked as she hugged the girl as though she was some stuffed toy.
"No." Akira denied her request and pat Lavenza's head, who was looking a little uncomfortable being hugged by a person she wasn't familiar with.
"Aww! Stingy!" Ann grumbled while playfully sticking her tongue at Akira. He retaliated by lightly booping on her forehead and pushing her face away from the distressed Lavenza.
"You people create a din wherever you go, huh?" Makoto had approached them while they had been horsing around.
"Hehe, sorry." Ann freed the girl from her embrace and went up to Makoto, showing her the photo on Akira's phone. "See? We look alike right?" Ann excitedly asked Makoto, who was reeling back a little at her excitement.
"Lavenza, this is Makoto Nijima; the thieves' trusted advisor, honours student and Post-Apocalyptic Raider." Akira was starting to enjoy using weird inside jokes and titles to introduce his friends.
"Post-Apocalyptic Raider? Fist of the North Star?" Lavenza wondered at what Akira was referencing to when he mentioned a certain fictional character from a manga. Akira mentally rejoiced at his correct decision in lending the manga to Lavenza to read.
Ann and Yusuke began laughing, surprised that the new girl understood the nickname they always used to tease Makoto's haughty ride and fighting style. Makoto trembled in fury as she glared at Akira, who was barely able to keep a straight face, knowing full well that he had somehow managed to bait out that nickname from the girl.
"A-KI-RA?" Makoto was smiling as she approached him, cracking her knuckles. That's probably one of the deadliest smiles I've ever seen. Akira mused while trying to back away from the angered 'biker' girl. To everyone's surprise, Lavenza swiftly placed herself in front of Akira, as though protecting him from Makoto. She was frowning and looking upwards at Makoto due to their height difference, with her hands spread out wide as though blocking her way.
The four of them stood still as they processed the image of a young girl stepping forth to protect their valiant leader of the Phantom Thieves. Makoto was the first to break out laughing, with the rest following suite soon after. Lavenza drooped her hands down in confusion as she observed the quick change of mood around her.
"Now now." Akira bent down slightly and wrapped his arms around her shoulder, giving her a playful shake. "She's just messing with me, daily Phantom Thief shenanigans." Akira winked at Makoto playfully, knowing full well that their advisor would not be able to punish him as long as Lavenza was around.
"Y-Yea…" Makoto fumbled a little, having trouble switching her mood so quickly. "I wasn't going to really hit him." Makoto assured the girl who was still staring at her, trying to remove her violent impression.
"Go on, give her a friendly greeting." Akira lightly nudged Lavenza forward, trying to convince her that Makoto didn't have any bad intentions. The girl took a few small steps forward and proceeded with her polite greeting again.
"It is nice to meet you, Makoto." She performed her perfect curtsy as gracefully as ever, thinking that Haru would probably be the only one who would be familiar with upper class etiquette.
"It's nice to meet you too." Makoto returned the greeting and bent down a little, giving the girl a gentle head pat. Akira chuckled, glad that any hostilities between them had been resolved.
"Now, excuse me while I grab more of Boss's curry." Yusuke excused himself from the conversation and proceeded to the kitchen.
"Make sure you eat more alright? Boss's curry is absolutely delicious, you have to try it!" Ann exclaimed before following behind Yusuke, eager to get more curry for herself too.
"Would you like me to help you two take some food as well?" Makoto asked as she stood back up straight, offering her help to the two who were busy going around.
"Nah, it's alright. I don't think the curry's going to finish anytime soon." Akira shook his head as he urged Lavenza towards the team mascot, who was busy with his own bowl of cat treats on the counter table. Makoto smiled as she followed the two who had went to the kitchen before her. Morgana's ears perked up as it heard the two approaching, turning to face them before they even started speaking.
"It is good to see you. I hope that you have been well." Lavenza greeted Morgana, both bowing their heads slightly to each other.
"Yes, Lavenza. How about you?" Morgana asked unusually politely, even way more than he always did when talking to his 'Lady Ann'.
"I am well, the past few months in this world have taught me many things." She happily mentioned while smiling at Akira.
"Few months?" Morgana momentarily wondered if he had heard wrongly. "Nah, it doesn't matter. Anyway, are you here to take me back?" Morgana asked, unsure of his creator's intentions of suddenly appearing before him.
"No, you are your own being. Master nor I shall intrude upon your wishes to remain here." Lavenza stated, she had no intentions nor further instructions on dealing with him. After all, the only reason she came to the real world was to spend time with Akira.
"Really? Wow…" The cat muttered under his own breath, glad that he wouldn't be taken away to the other world and separated from his friends again.
"Isn't that good?" Futaba suddenly approached from Morgana's back and began tugging at his ears playfully, causing the cat to meow in annoyance at her rough caress.
"Oh, hey Futaba." Akira greeted, surprised at her sudden arrival. "Lavenza, this is Futaba Sakura; the team's genius hacker, play-by-play announcer and Sojiro's daughter." Akira summarised her character with three precise pointers.
"Really? Announcer?" Futaba repeated sarcastically at that dubious introduction.
"It's nice to meet you, Futaba-sama. I will be in your care." Lavenza surprised Akira and Futaba with the overly polite greeting and honorific.
"Sama!? No no no, there's no need for that, just Futaba will do." Futaba corrected the girl in a panic, the only times she had been addressed as such was by customer services or when postal packages arrive with her name printed on the addressee's section.
"She greeted me with that as well. *sigh*" Sojiro sighed as he placed a plate of grilled fish that he specially prepared for Morgana. The cat immediately broke out of Futaba's clutches and dived into the plate of grilled fish, abandoning his cat treats and everyone else in the conversation.
"Really? Sojiro-sama? Hahaha! That sounds soooo cool!" Futaba laughed at a facepalming Sojiro, who stood there shaking his head.
"Was I wrong to address them as such?" Lavenza looked to Akira for confirmation, he had taught her that the honorific was reserved for people of importance that demanded a level of respect, but she had judged Akira's family to be deserving of it.
"Well, you are not wrong in a sense, it's just that they are uncomfortable with it." Akira smiled, giving her the assurance that she wasn't wrong. "Maybe you can address Futaba with her name only and keep Sojiro's as it is." Akira suggested, since Futaba obviously looked to be closer of age to Lavenza than Sojiro would.
"Futaba, Sojiro-sama, it's nice to meet you." Lavenza repeated her greetings just as he had suggested. Akira and Futaba snickered to themselves as they heard the 'Sojiro-sama' greeting, finding it especially funny to greet a crass old man with such an honorific.
"Urgh… I've had enough of this play." Sojiro walked away, unable to stand the overly uncomfortable level of respect.
"Did I anger him?" Lavenza asked worriedly as she tugged on Akira's sleeves.
"Nah, he's just being shy that a cute girl is addressing him like that." Akira could barely contain his laughter at this point. He had always enjoyed pulling one over Sojiro.
"Yea, Sojiro's just embarrassed, nothing to worry about!" Futaba added as she watched Sojiro retreat into the kitchen.
"Hey Akira! Stop hogging the new girl all for yourself and come join everyone!" Ryuji shouted as he and Yusuke brought out the clay pot from the kitchen, setting up the Phantom Thieves 'traditional' steamboat at one of the booths' table. Makoto and Haru trailed out behind them with trays filled with plates of fresh cuts of meats and vegetables.
Lavenza gazed at the exquisite assortment of food being brought out, surprised at the sheer variety and amount of food that made the prison food seem absolutely meagre.
"Let's go! 'Brother' and… 'Sister-in-Law'~" Futaba smirked at Akira as she headed towards the steamboat with her classic MWEHEHE laughter. Akira rolled his eyes in jest, knowing full well that the girl had already seen through him and was waiting for an explanation.
"Oh well. Let's go get some good food." Akira rubbed his stomach hungrily. Lavenza nodded cheerfully and tailed behind him as they headed towards the rest of the thieves that were already fighting over food at the steamboat.
TPO = Time, Place, Occasion.
Inari Sushi Lover = referencing to Yusuke's kitsune costume design and how Fried tofu is believed to be a favorite food of Japanese foxes, and an Inari-zushi roll has pointed corners that resemble fox ears, thus reinforcing the association. (See Wikipedia)
A/N : Okay this section ended up way longer in text then I actually imagined it to be. The game made this part seem so fast.
I tried my best to get into character for everyone, but do forgive me if I got it wrong, I try to 'voice' them based on how I imagine them to be like. IF you have any tips on how to improve the way they talk, please do guide me.
To those waiting for heartbreaks, it will be after the valentine's chapter.