A/n: yes! I got my copy of Persona 5! I was able to play it quite a bit last week, but my vacation is over, and I have less time to play it now :( . The game's been great so far. Many of the canon details play out totally different from anything I could ever have imagined. I'm pleasantly surprised, and honestly, I'm glad that nearly everything in my fic (including stuff I based on spoilery bits I had heard) turned out completely different from the game! I'm happy to know that I managed to write something quite original, and hope to keep the story different and entertaining.


The Queen's Plan

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Persona and all related characters are property of Atlus. Any trademarks that may be referenced in this fan fiction are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 12: Recovery

Kazushi awoke in the middle of the night on the mattress in his room. He couldn't remember much of what had happened while his friends brought him home, except that he had groggily taken the keys out of his pocket and handed them to someone to open the cafe's doors.

"He shouldn't go to school in his current condition," someone, likely Yusuke, had said at some point.

"Yeah. Morgana, don't wake him up at the usual time, okay? Let him rest." Ann had instructed.

At that recollection, Kazushi gasped. There was no way that he would skip school that day. It was the day he needed to turn his assignment in. He needed to go to school at all cost!

Kazushi tried to get up, but a jolt of pain assaulted his whole body and forced him back down onto the mattress. The enemy's attack had not only been of an element his Persona was weak to, but as his lack of luck would have it, it had also turned into a critical hit. He would need a lot of rest to fully recover. Obviously, it would be impossible to explore the Palace that day. Kazushi took a few seconds to catch his breath as he went over the schedule in is head. If they were careful, they could probably afford to lose one day of exploration, but not more than that. Their schedule was already tight to begin with. They needed to stop Kaneshiro before the man could do anything bad to Niijima-san's sister.

Niijima-san... Kazushi thought of her. He couldn't quite remember what they had talked about during the ride home, but was glad that she was okay.

Despite the pain, he slowly moved his arms and patted the mattress around him. There he found his keys, as well as his cellphone, which was displaying the time. Two in the morning.

Kazushi fell asleep, but kept constantly jolting awake, worried about the time of day and his school assignment. When it was half an hour before the time he usually woke up, he made up his mind. He slowly and quietly stood up. His body was sore, but was already better than it had been at two in the morning.

Only then, Kazushi realized he wasn't in his pajamas, but in the casual clothes he had been wearing before the Dark Hour last night. He stealthily retrieved his uniform and his bag, then left his bedroom. He went to the bathroom and changed out of casual clothes into his uniform.

Moving around, even if slowly, proved to be a chore. Kazushi tried to munch on a leftover bread for breakfast, but his head throbbed at each bite. Even so, he did his best to eat the bread without complaining. His body needed the food.

After he was finished, he took a sheet of paper from his school bag and wrote a short apology note to Morgana, and slipped it into his room along with a leftover bread. He managed to quietly lock the door and leave, and Morgana gave no signs of waking up. Kazushi was thankful for this.

Despite the train station being so close to Leblanc, the walk towards it was harder than Kazushi had expected. While he waited for the train, he thought he would collapse. He prayed that he would find an empty seat in the train, but of course, luck wasn't on his side...

After enduring the gruesome train ride, Kazushi felt he wasn't cut out to walk the rest of the way to school. He took a taxi, where he was finally able to sit down and get some rest.

"Aaaaah! I can't believe this. Kazushiii!" Ann exclaimed with worry when he entered the classroom and allowed himself to collapse on his desk. "Are you okay!?"

He was about to give her an automatic, "I'm fine," response, but stopped himself. "Uh... more or less."

"I had told Morgana to not wake you up!"

"He didn't. I kept getting worried about stuff and waking up. Then I couldn't take it anymore and snuck out of my room."

Ann sighed in both worry and exasperation. "Kazushi, you shouldn't have come to school in this state! You have a small number of absences. You could've skipped."

"I know..." Kazushi was resigned. "I'd have skipped... if not for that assignment. The teacher doubted my abilities last time. Now that it's an individual assignment, it's my chance to prove myself."

Ann had no arguments against that. She was also upset at the teacher's behavior towards Kazushi in their last group assignment. "Don't push yourself, okay? If you need anything, just ask."

Kazushi wordlessly nodded.

"Ann, any news on- aaaaaaaaah!" Ryuji unceremoniously barged into the classroom and his eyes grew wide upon seeing Kazushi there. "Kazushi! What are you doing here?!"

"I have to turn an important assignment in. I know I shouldn't have come, but there was no other way."

"An assignment? Is it that one you told me?"

Kazushi nodded.

"Man, you're really unlucky, aren't you? From all days to have to turn a homework assignment in, why did it have to be the morning right after you took a beating from a Shadow?" Ryuji sighed. "At least it's good to hear you talking normally. Yesterday you were having trouble to even string words together."

"My body is sore. My head hurts and is still spinning. I'm not sure if I can focus properly in class."

"Let's hope the teachers won't nag you too much. I'll be going to my classroom now. Take care." Ryuji turned around and left.


Makoto's night hadn't been peaceful. She kept waking up and worrying about Joker. He had shielded her from a powerful attack, and got incapacitated. It had been terrible to see the state he was in. His aura of authority was gone. He was in much pain and seemed so vulnerable. He couldn't even speak properly. That was what he got for trying to rob the mafia's nightclub during the Dark Hour. But again, that was what she got for accompanying him. Still, it didn't change the fact that she was worried. Makoto wished she could do something to help Joker. She wanted to accompany him to his home and look after him. It hurt when Panther and Mona refused to let her come. Panther had told her that he would be fine in a few days, but considering his state, Makoto seriously doubted that a few days would be enough. She hoped that Joker would give up on his nonsense mission after this.

After she got up, had breakfast and changed into her uniform, Makoto considered sending an email to Joker to ask how he was doing and wish him a good recovery, but she figured she would be better of sending it after school. Joker wouldn't reply that early anyway. He needed to rest.

At school, Makoto tried to distract herself by focusing on classes. When lunch break started, she went to the courtyard, where she found Miura and Mishima talking on a bench.

"Ugh. Today just isn't your day, is it? Why all the teachers had to pick you to answer stuff?" Mishima fumed.

"... Because I wasn't paying attention, probably. But whatever." Miura sighed tiredly. "All I want is to turn that assignment in and go home."

"Hey, you two." Makoto greeted them.

"Ms. President!" Mishima was alarmed instantly. "You a-aren't here to scold Miura, are you?! He didn't do anything wrong! ... Okay, he might have dozed off in class and not paid attention to the lectures sometimes, but I'm sure he didn't mean to! He's just having a rough day. Please, forgive him!"

"M-Mishima..." Miura threw an exasperated look at his classmate. "You're just making it sound worse..." He muttered under his breath.

Miura had dozed off and not paid attention in class? That didn't sound good. Makoto's first impulse was to enter lecturing mode, but she caught herself before it had time to happen. One look at him was enough to tell that something was wrong. Miura didn't look well. He looked tired, or maybe even sick. It made sense that he would have dozed off and been unable to keep focused in class.

"Miura, you don't look too well..." Makoto observed. "Are you okay?"

Makoto's concerned look made Mishima relieved that she didn't seem about to reprimand Miura.

Miura didn't respond, but Mishima did. "Yeah, he isn't well. And all the teachers decided to pick him to answer questions! Since he wasn't focused, he failed to answer some of the questions, and the teachers scolded him!"

That sounded unfair. "Couldn't they see that he isn't well?!"

"They could. 'This is what you get for staying up late and doing mischief!' Is what one of them said." Mishima angrily mimicked the teacher. "Then the teacher lectured him about having to be responsible and dedicate his time to studies. I'm sure the teachers believed the rumor that says Miura goes to parties at inappropriate places at night. One of them even accused him of being on a hangover!"

Makoto gritted her teeth. She was angry at the teachers, and at whoever came up with that stupid rumor.

Miura slowly stood up. "Sorry, I'm heading to the roof. I want to be somewhere quiet."

"I'm coming too." Makoto wanted to keep him company. She turned to Mishima. "Don't worry. I won't do anything bad to him."


When Niijima-san said she would be coming along, Kazushi froze. This had been happening a lot lately. He said he would be going somewhere, and Niijima-san invited herself along without even asking whether he minded it. Not that he didn't like having her around. Much to the contrary. On one hand, he was glad that she enjoyed keeping him company, but on the other hand, his current state was pretty much a giveaway of Joker's true identity. Well, he still felt as though he had been run by a bus, and his head still throbbed constantly, but he was doing much better than he had been during the ride home, when he had been barely able to stand up. Now, his face wasn't automatically scrunching up in pain every other second, and he could think much more clearly. Still, the moment Niijima-san connected the dots, his cover would blow for sure. Unfortunately, his group hadn't managed to win her over yet. She was still against their actions. He was confident they could convince her of their views in just a few days once the mission ended. But what if she were to find out the truth before that? What would become of their friendship?

"Miura, where are you going?" Niijima-san placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're walking past the stairs."

"Ah...!" Kazushi gasped and stopped in his tracks. "I got distracted."

This only made Niijima-san worry even more. "I could tell. I guess it's a good thing that I'm keeping an eye on you."

Kazushi felt good hearing that, despite the fact that it meant a bigger risk to his Phantom Thief identity. Speaking of which, Niijima-san's touch reminded him of the way she held him gently during their ride home. Kazushi couldn't remember much of what happened during the ride, though, except for Niijima-san comforting him, and Morgana warning him to stop talking. Did he let anything important slip? He hoped not...

They slowly climbed the stairs and headed to the rooftop in silence, then sat down on a bench.

"Miura, are you okay?" She asked again.

"I..." For a moment, Kazushi was unsure about what to say. "Well, I'd be lying if I told you that I'm fine. But... yeah, I've been worse."

Of course she didn't like that response too much. "I know you're dedicated and hardworking, but haven't you been pushing yourself too hard?"

"Uh, maybe a little..."

Niijima-san frowned. "That isn't good for your health, you know." She scolded him rather gently for her standards. No hint of recognition so far, though. She abruptly changed the subject. "Have you brought lunch?"

"No." Kazushi answered. "I had considered buying something, but..."

Niijima-san took her lunch which was a bread from the canteen, and split it in half. "Have this." She handed him one half of the bread. "You need food, even more so if you're sick."

"Huh? But it's your lunch!"

"I don't mind sharing it. I'm not hungry. You need this food more than I do."

He stared at the offered bread for a moment before slowly reaching for it. "Thanks..."

It was a good thing that the bread was soft, and Kazushi didn't need to put much effort into chewing it. Still, his head protested at each bite. He failed to suppress a few grimaces, and Niijima-san noticed it.

"Miura, what's wrong? Is it lack of appetite?"

"No, it's a headache. This is why I can't seem to focus on anything today."

Niijima-san looked at him with a mixture of concern and disapproval. "Miura, please don't tell me that it's really a hangover...!"

What? Niijima-san was suspecting him of having had alcoholic drinks?! At least she hadn't figured out the real reason for his condition. In fact, the way she was misunderstanding the situation was quite amusing.

"No, it's not." Kazushi couldn't help but laugh. That burst of laughter made his head protest, but whatever.

His reaction seemed to throw Niijima-san off. "A-alright, good. Either way, I think you shouldn't have come to school."

"Huh? the Student Council President is saying that I should've skipped classes?" He said playfully.

"Uh..." Niijima-san gasped and seemed lost for words. "I wouldn't normally say that! But you aren't feeling well enough and aren't being productive in class. So, what's the point in coming? You'd be better off by staying home and resting to come back full force the next day. Your case is a valid reason for skipping class."

This was also good to hear. "Yeah, I get it. The suggestion just sounded a bit... odd, coming from you, if taken out of context."

"You shouldn't take it out of context. Context is important!"

Kazushi could only hope Niijima-san would remember her own statement. Taking things out of context was exactly her problem. She viewed stealing as wrong, period. She viewed violence as wrong, period. But she never took the time to put the Phantom Thieves actions in context. She automatically considered everything they did as "wrong," and whenever they tried to explain the context to her, she stubbornly ignored everything they said.

Kazushi carefully chewed a piece of bread and swallowed it. "Niijima-san, I get what you were trying to say. While I agree with you, I actually have a valid reason to have come."

"And that is...?"

"The homework assignment. You know, the one about the book you borrowed for me. Today is the day to turn it in, and if I don't, I might even fail the subject."

"... What?"

Kazushi slightly raised his free hand. "Before you chide me for not having studied or something, here's the context. It all began with the previous homework assignment, before the first exams. It was a group assignment. My group consisted of Ann, Mishima and me. The three of us did our research and worked on the text together, then Mishima took the text, typed everything into his computer and printed it. When we turned the assignment in, for no reason at all, the teacher accused me of not having done anything and having joined the group only to get a score. The three of us protested, but the teacher was impassive, and gave me a much lower score than the others in the group."

"What?!" Niijima-san was incredulous. "This is absurd!"

"Yeah. And sadly, it's all true."

Niijima-san munched on her half of the bread while she listened. "What about the exam? How did you do?"

"I did okay on the exam, but it isn't enough to save my grade. This is why I have to turn this assignment in no matter what. This is my chance to prove myself to the teacher. It's an individual assignment. This means that the teacher will be evaluating only my work, since there are no other group members I could've 'taken advantage off.' I even wrote everything by hand so that the teacher won't accuse me of having copy-pasted from a website or anything like that. I can even show my notes and drafts if needed. Even after all of this, if it turns out this isn't enough to gain the teacher's trust, then..." Kazushi sighed. "Well, I won't think about it unless all else fails. Considering my luck, though, that's not hard to happen..."

Niijima-san was indignant. "Ah, these teachers...! Why are they so unreasonable?"

"They fully believe the rumors they hear about me, and don't trust me at all. This is what Ms. Kawakami told me. They have preconceptions about students in the rehabilitation program, and automatically accuse me of behaving in a way they believe problem students behave. They even accused me of cheating in the exam."


Makoto recalled an incident that had taken place right after the first exams' results were posted. She had been in the faculty office and heard teachers accusing some problem student of cheating in the exams, because it was too unusual to have someone of his reputation reach top ten in the class. Ms. Kawakami was among the rare few who stepped up to his defense. She argued that he always did his homework and usually answered the questions correctly, and she said she believed he was taking his rehabilitation seriously and trying to keep a good record. In the end, the other teachers decided to leave his score as is, because it would be better to let him move to the next grade rather than have to put up with him again the following year if he were to repeat the grade.

When Makoto heard the teachers gossiping, she had shrugged the issue off as being none of her business. Syujin had a lot of bad students, and Makoto didn't stop to think and figure out who was the student in question. Only now she realized who those teachers had been talking about. It was Miura.

"Now I remember hearing teachers gossiping about that in the faculty office," Makoto said as she finished her lunch. "I had no idea they were talking about you, though! I only realized it now that you mentioned it. Ms. Kawakami was among the few teachers defending you, and I'm with her. I believe in you, Miura."

Miura flashed a slight smile. "Thanks. One more reason to not fail this assignment. You went out of your way to help me and borrow that book for me. I don't want to have your help go to waste."

"Aww Miura..." His words warmed Makoto's heart. But why did he always have to suffer so much? Everything had been collapsing on top of him since the time he was a kid. It was so unfair. "I'll do anything I can to help fix your reputation. I wish I had met you sooner, then I could have helped you more." Makoto wondered whether they would have gotten along if they had met when they were younger. "Do you think we'd have gotten along if we had met while we were kids?"

Miura had just finished his half of the bread. "Hmm. If you didn't decide to avoid me like everyone else, then maybe."

Makoto smiled, lost in her "what if" scenario. If she had known Miura from the time they were kids, maybe she would have confessed to him sooner, and wouldn't have confessed to Joker. Then, she wouldn't be at this impasse about having to choose between Miura and Joker right now. But reality was that she had confessed to Joker already.

Makoto had told Joker everything she admired in him. Days had passed and he didn't give her any clear response. But last night, Joker protected her. This proved that he really cared about her. Then, that moment inside Mona's bus form, Joker had finally given her his verbal response. "I think... I like you." Even though he had said he "thought" he liked her, he had been vulnerable and saying whatever came up in his mind. He had basically admitted that he liked her, and Makoto believed he had meant it from his heart.

Now Makoto was sure that Joker liked her. So, she had even suggested they should address each other by first names. She had been so close to making him slip, but Mona just had to stop him and get in the way. Even so, Makoto felt she had become much closer to Joker yesterday.

And to her right, on the bench at the school's rooftop, sat Miura. He was going through a lot. He needed support. He needed affection. But Makoto didn't feel it was right to display a lot of affection for Miura now that she was sure she had Joker.

"Here's the assignment." Miura had retrieved a folder from his bag and was taking some sheets of paper from it.

"Huh?" This pulled Makoto back from her thoughts.

"You had said you wanted to see it."

"Oh, yes, I had said that..."

Makoto took the assignment and looked at it with interest. She spent a few minutes reading everything. Meanwhile, Miura closed his eyes and remained silent while leaning onto his bag behind him.

"Nice writing, Miura." She handed him the assignment back. "If I were a teacher, I'd give you the highest score."

Miura opened his eyes and straightened up at the sound of her voice. He looked slightly embarrassed as he took the papers from her hand. "Thanks. I'm sure you'd be a very strict teacher. So, this means a lot."

"You did a good job. I hope the teacher agrees."

"Me too." He retrieved his folder, slowly tucked the assignment in it, and placed the folder back in his bag.

"Which class will it be?" Makoto asked.

"Last class today."

Poor Miura. He had to go to all the trouble to come to school on a day he was sick, and the class where he needed to turn the assignment in just had to be the last one! "The last class! This is torture..."

A determined look crossed Miura's eyes. "Well, on the bright side, only halfway to go."

Makoto smiled in admiration at Miura's optimism. "Miura, how can you take all this in stride like this? Anyone else would be lashing out and cursing loudly right now!"

"Is that so? I can't speak for anyone else, but nothing was ever easy for me. So, I guess 'hard mode' is 'normal mode' to me. Though I have to admit, it's been much easier to handle this kind of stuff ever since I... uh, came to terms with myself."

"Came to terms with yourself? What do you mean?"

Miura hesitated a bit. "I-I mean... when I... accepted my Shadow."

"Oh." Makoto recalled how Miura had looked disturbed when Kujikawa-san said that rejecting one's Shadow might end in death. As curious as Makoto was to know about his Shadow, by his expression right now, though, it was probably better to leave that talk for another time. She changed the subject. "Anyway, good luck with your assignment."

"Thanks."


After a few hours that seemed to last an eternity to Kazushi, the day's last class finally arrived. He handed his assignment to the teacher along with everyone else, and waited at his desk.

"Miura." The male teacher had a disconcerted expression as he called Kazushi to the front of the classroom. "I had been in doubt about your academic skills, what with all people have been saying about you, other teachers suspecting you of cheating in the exam and whatnot. I have talked to Ms. Kawakami. She believes that you are putting effort into fulfilling your duties as a student. Indeed, you have always done your homework and showed to pay attention during my class. I took a look at your assignment, and... I must say that I like what I saw. I guess I'll agree with Ms. Kawakami and give you some credit. "It's good to see someone in the rehabilitation program putting effort into changing for better."

This sounded like a miracle. Kazushi had to make sure he wasn't dozing off in class and dreaming, or that his brain wasn't playing tricks on him. "... Thank you." Kazushi gave a slight bow of his head.

"One more thing." The teacher continued. "This time, I'll revise your score from the last assignment, but I expect you to continue doing well. I want to believe that putting faith in you isn't a mistake."

"Yes, you can be sure of it." Kazushi nodded determinedly.

"Good. You may return to your seat."

Kazushi couldn't feel happier as he sat down at his desk. He had done it. The downside was that the teacher would likely pressure him much more from now on, probably the same way teachers pressured Niijima-san to maintain her high standards, but Kazushi didn't want to think about that right now. What mattered the most was that he had gained the teacher's trust. All the trouble of sneaking out of Leblanc, stumbling through today's lectures and being scolded for dozing off in class had paid off. Kazushi had no regrets.

It felt so good to change someone's views without resorting to Persona powers. This proved one of Kazushi's convictions right, and strengthened his policy of choosing the Phantom Thieves' targets. This was one point he had been struggling to make other group members understand, specifically Ryuji and Mishima. Not everyone that acted unreasonably had evil hearts. For instance, that teacher's unfairness towards Kazushi wasn't driven by ill intent, but by the preconceptions about students in the rehabilitation program. This was the kind of case where intervention from the Phantom Thieves wasn't necessary. They shouldn't go tampering with the minds of just anyone. Their powers were dangerous. If they weren't careful, their Persona powers could cause harm to their targets, much like when Shadows damaged people's minds and caused the berserk incidents. They should only intervene only as a last resort, when it was clear that the target's heart was corrupted beyond repair.


After classes, Makoto spotted Miura heading to the exit. Even though he still looked tired, he seemed more relaxed, and had a relieved expression.

"Miura! From the expression on your face, I take that it went well."

Miura nodded. "I still don't know the score, but at least the teacher seemed willing to put some faith in me. He said he'll revise my score from the previous assignment, too."

"This is great!" Makoto was happy to hear it.

"Yeah, it made my day." Miura actually smiled. "And it's thanks to your help. I don't know if I'd have managed to finish that assignment if you hadn't gotten that book for me. Thanks, Niijima-san."

Makoto felt fulfilled. She had finally been able to help someone! And something went well for Miura for once. "I'm glad that I was able to help! You know, I've told you that I tried to help other students before, but they were usually disinterested or didn't do their part. But you're different. I gave you a little push and trusted that you'd do your part, and you did! I feel proud!" Makoto switched to concerned mode. "You've earned the teacher's trust. I know it's a reason to celebrate, but now you should get a well-deserved rest. Go straight home, and no wandering around, alright?"

"Alright." Miura nodded. "I don't have the disposition to be wandering around. Besides, if I were to celebrate, I'd have invited you."

Makoto had the impression that Miura was charming her. Maybe he liked her romantically, after all, and the homework assignment's success might have made him want to show it. Before Makoto had time to come up with a response, though, something quite curious happened.

Miura lowered his head, closed his eyes in exasperation, and uttered in a low but urgent voice. "Shut up, Arsène!"

"Miura...?" Makoto stared at him curiously. His action had been both unexpected and amusing.

"Ah!" Miura opened his eyes in alarm and shook his head. "I-it's nothing! Just forget it..."

"Uh, okay," was what Makoto said, but she doubted she would forget it. Something about the uncharacteristic way Miura seemed alarmed and flustered was quite amusing to her.

"I'll be off now. Thanks again, Niijima-san. See you tomorrow, probably."

Makoto's gaze followed Miura as he left hurriedly. He met up with Takamaki near the school gates, and both of them left the school together.


Ann accompanied Kazushi to Leblanc.

"Thanks, Ann. Normally, I'd make you some coffee, but-"

Ann looked sternly at him and cut him off. "Go to your room and go to sleep!"

"Okay, okay..."

Ann insisted on placing a hand on his back and walking with him to his room. "Safe and sound," she said once Kazushi had unlocked and opened the door to his room.

"Oooh!" Morgana came running to greet them. "I'm so sorry, my fair Lady Ann." Morgana tried to speak in a gentlemanly way. "You had asked me to look after Kazushi, but I failed! I underestimated his condition, and didn't even see when he escaped! After locking the front doors when everyone left, I should've hidden the keys! But I committed a grave mistake. I left the keys right next to him, out of all places! But rest assured, this won't happen again!"

Ann chuckled at Morgana's mannerisms. "It's okay, Morgana." Ann crouched down and patted the not-cat on the head comfortingly. "I trust you to keep watch on our leader." She stood up and turned to Kazushi again. "Kazushi, you did well. Congrats on winning the teacher over, too. Now, you should have a good rest."

"Yeah, it's all I want right now..."

"I'll go home. I'll text Yusuke to tell him how you're doing."

Kazushi nodded and thanked Ann again.

Once Ann had left, Kazushi entered the room and locked the door behind him.

"Ka-zu-shiiiii!" Morgana was furious. All the gentleness he had displayed while talking to Ann was gone. "How dare you leave home in the state you were in, you sneaky Phantom Thief!"

Kazushi collapsed into a siting position on the mattress. "I'm sorry, Morgana, I'm sorry. It's like I wrote on the note I left you. I had to turn in that important homework assignment. That turned out very well, thankfully. And I'm not feeling as bad as I had been before."

Morgana huffed. "Whatever. If you aren't 100% recovered by tomorrow, I won't let you escape again, and you'll be skipping school, got it?!"

"Yeah, that was also my backup plan. The deadline is approaching. We can't afford to lose more days of exploration. If I'm not fully recovered by tomorrow, I'll skip school." Kazushi lay on the mattress.

Morgana approached and glared angrily at him. "This time, I'm wide awake, and will keep a watchful eye on you. I'm not gonna let you sneak out again!"

"I only went to school because it was an emergency." Kazushi petted Morgana, and totally ruined the not-cat's tough impression. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

"H-hey!" Morgana tried to shake Kazushi's hand off and pretend he didn't like the attention. "You're doing that just to make fun of me, aren't you?!"

"Uh, no. Sorry. It was kind of automatic." Kazushi sighed and closed his eyes. "Thanks, Morgana."

"Huh?"

"For caring about me. Sorry that I worried you."

"Hmph." Morgana pretended to be annoyed and scurried off to the other side of the room.

Kazushi could tell that, despite trying to act tough, Morgana was pretty worried. It was nice to know that Morgana really cared about him. No, not only Morgana. It was nice to know that his friends cared about him. It was a contrast to his childhood, when Kazushi not only had no friends, but also had rarely seen people showing to care about him. Kazushi allowed himself a soft smile before falling asleep.


Makoto returned home and tried to do her homework, but her thoughts kept wandering back to Joker. She hoped he was okay. She wished the Phantom Thieves would have let her see where Joker lived. It was painful to recall the vulnerable state he had been in yesterday. He needed to recover. Makoto wished she could be at his side.

While Makoto finished her homework, she debated whether to send an email to Joker. She didn't want to bother him, but she was worried, and wanted very badly to know how he was doing.

With her homework done, she made up her mind. She would send him an email just to let him know that she was thinking about him.

"Joker," She began. "How are you? I hope you are doing better. Once again, thank you for saving me. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything for you. I wish I could be there with you right now to comfort you. I can't, and sending this email is all I can do. I hope you get well soon. Best wishes, Makoto."

Since she had suggested they should address each other by first names, she decided to sign the message with her first name rather than the code name the Phantom Thieves had given her. Plus, there was a chance that it would encourage him to sign his name on his reply, too, who knows...


Kazushi awoke to the sound of his cellphone notifying him of new messages. He had gotten an email, which Kazushi had to remind himself that it was meant for his other identity.

Kazushi lazily read the message, but put the cellphone aside without replying. Niijima-san was showing her softer side which not many people knew. Her words sounded soothing in Kazushi's head, and brought a light smile to his face. He closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep once more when Morgana's voice snapped him awake.

"She's really worried, huh? She even signed her name..."

Now fully alert, Kazushi sprang up to a sitting position and snatched the phone out of Morgana's reach. "Can you please stop spying on my messages?"

Morgana wasn't pretending to be angry anymore, and had a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Leader, you're not thinking clearly today. I only want to be sure you won't make anything slip in your replies! You almost slipped your tongue yesterday."

Kazushi was sure that Morgana's argument was just an excuse, but the comment about yesterday got him worried. "What did I say yesterday? I don't quite remember."

"You basically admitted that you like her, and said you like to be with her."

That was embarrassing, and Kazushi's eyes widened in panic. "... D-did I really say that?"

"Yeah, you finally did it!" Morgana confirmed. "Well, you actually said that you 'think you like her,' but after having taken such a blow for her, what greater proof she needs? She sounded happy, and suggested you start addressing each other by first names. I think you'd have told her your real name if I hadn't stopped you."

Kazushi considered accusing Morgana of teasing him again, but had the feeling that he had indeed said he liked Niijima-san. Kazushi couldn't take his words back. It was true that he enjoyed Niijima-san's company, and that he cared about her a lot. Though he had no knack for romance, and wasn't sure whether those feelings could be considered romantic. Well, whatever. Right now, what mattered most was that Kazushi hadn't let anything slip, thanks to Morgana's intervention. Kazushi was relieved.

"This must be the reason she signed her name on her message!" Morgana theorized. "She must want you to sign your name back when you reply."

Kazushi laughed amusedly. "Yeah, makes sense. It was a smart move. Signing my reply hadn't even crossed my mind, though. It goes to show how slow my brain is today."

Morgana smirked. "This is why you need an extra pair of eyes and an extra mind to analyze these messages!"

"Knock it off, Morgana. Even in normal circumstances, you'd have spied on my messages anyway."

Morgana ignored Kazushi's retort. "Are you gonna reply now? Shouldn't you sleep some more?"

"I would sleep, if only a certain not-cat creature hadn't spied on my phone and fully woken me up." Kazushi actually didn't sound as annoyed as his words implied. "More seriously though, even though I'm feeling much better, for now, I think I'll just write something to her so that she doesn't worry too much. If she begins sending more messages, I'll wait until tomorrow to reply, when my head is clearer.

Kazushi looked at his phone, and realized that he had gotten other text messages besides that one email. They were from his other group members, either asking how he was doing and/or wishing him a quick recovery. He answered everyone else first, then opened the email app, took a deep breath, and carefully composed his message to Niijima-san.


While Makoto waited for Joker's reply, she checked her cellphone for new text messages. However, there were none. Kujikawa-san had yet to send the link to the Phantom Thieves website. Could she have forgotten? Makoto considered sending a message to remind her, but there was also the possibility that Kujikawa-san was too busy with her celebrity life, and Makoto didn't want to bother her.

Then, Joker's response came. "I can't write much right now. So, I'm just writing to let you know that I'm feeling much better. I'm glad that nothing bad happened to you. And your kind words were comforting enough to me. Thank you." He hadn't signed his message, much to Makoto's frustration.

It was good to get a response from him anyway. Makoto wrote him another message. "Still, I hope you haven't gotten in trouble during your daily life because of what happened. I'd feel bad, especially since you got hurt while protecting me."


Kazushi didn't blame her. He was mostly glad that she was okay. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." He tried to assure her in his reply.


Makoto observed how Joker always wrote correctly in his messages. He used no abbreviations and no Internet language whatsoever. Not even now that he wasn't well and must be having trouble to type messages, he didn't abbreviate anything, and his grammar was also correct. Makoto had raised the possibility of him being a bad student, but his writing and speech were too correct for a bad student.

Makoto wanted to talk to him more, but he had just pointed out that he couldn't write much right now. She would have to end their contact. "I'm relieved to know that you're doing better. I'll let you rest now. Have a good recovery. I hope to see you soon."

A few minutes passed, but Joker didn't respond. Makoto reread his first message, and was unable to suppress a smile. Joker was usually mocking and commanding, but could also be very sweet when he wanted to be. The way he wished her good night that first time, the way he hugged her during that fear spell, or when he gently wiped her tears during one of their arguments, or when he asked her to promise to not go to the nightclub outside the Dark Hour, the selfless way he shielded her from that dangerous attack... and then, his earlier message. Was Joker normally like this? Was he just charming her? Or... did she actually cause a change in him?

"It's obvious that he's interested in you. And this interest might be his weakness." Johanna's words replayed in Makoto's mind. "... You merely wrote an email saying that you liked him, and he promptly agreed to come to talk to you in person during the Dark Hour. You can make him slip and do this kind of silly things if you try. You just need a bit more courage."

In the end, Makoto's crazy plan of getting close to Joker and making him reveal his identity was seeming quite feasible. She was getting closer to him. Now, she only needed to know what buttons to push.

However, there was also Miura. The question of whether he liked her romantically surfaced again, and his words from today alone pointed towards a "yes."

"One more reason to not fail this assignment. You went out of your way to help me and borrow that book for me. I don't want to have your help go to waste."

"Yeah, it made my day. And it's thanks to your help. I don't know if I'd have managed to finish that assignment if you hadn't gotten that book for me."

"... Besides, if I were to celebrate, I'd have invited you."

And the most intriguing thing of all. The way he looked embarrassed just after saying that, and uttered out of nowhere, "Shut up, Arsène!" What was that about? Could it mean that he was falling for her and acting weird like the way she sometimes got clumsy when thinking about Joker?

What should Makoto do? If it were true that Miura liked her, then he liked her for who she was, not because of her looks or anything like that, which was already something very rare. But Makoto liked Joker. Joker was smart and confident and amazing and all things she admired. And just last night, during his vulnerable moment, Joker had confirmed that he liked her as well. He had said that he enjoyed being with her. However, Joker hadn't spent enough time with her to properly know her, unlike Miura.

On the other hand, Miura was also intelligent and strong and amazing in his own way, and Makoto couldn't deny that she also liked him. She had gone as far as to think that if she had known Miura sooner, she would have already confessed to him and might not have confessed to Joker. But the truth was that she liked both of them. What should she do?

Makoto was still in the middle of this internal debate when she fell asleep that night.


X:X:X:X:X

"Hmm, still indecisive, I see..."

"Johanna!" Makoto exclaimed, not having expected to dream about that voice again.

"You remember my name. This makes me happy."

Makoto was curious to know what Johanna looked like. She tried to open her eyes to look at Johanna, without success.

"Ah, the indecision. Joker or Miura? Miura or Joker...?" Johanna spoke mysteriously. "Alright, allow me to draw more parallels for you. I've noticed another thing in which they are opposites. Joker rarely talks about his daily activities. Whenever you try to ask about them, he refuses to give you any satisfactory answer. On the other hand, Miura talks a lot about his daily life. He even told you about his painful past! However, he rarely talks about the Dark Hour."

"Huh? As for Miura, I'm pretty sure it's only because I avoid talking to him about the Dark Hour, since I don't want to worry him by telling him that I've been hanging around the Phantom Thieves."

"You should try to ask him about the Dark Hour, then." Johanna suggested. "Something about his Persona, for example. Even though he didn't use one on that night he helped you, I'm sure he has one. Ask him about his Persona, and see how he reacts."

Good advice as always. "Thank you for the suggestion. I'll try that."

X:X:X:X:X


"So, how are you feeling?" Morgana asked Kazushi in the morning.

"Ready for anything." Kazushi answered, in a good mood.

"Hmm." Morgana tilted his head. "You look rested. It doesn't look like you're bluffing. Alright, you may go."

Surprisingly, Morgana didn't insist on trying to go to school with him this time. Kazushi was thankful for this.


It was a wonder how those dreams about Johanna were so enlightening. During lunch break, Makoto looked for Miura, intent on following Johanna's suggestion. Makoto had formulated the perfect questions to bring the subject up, too.

Before she could locate Miura, however, she ran into Sakamoto.

"Yo. So, uh, how's it goin'?" Sakamoto awkwardly greeted her.

"Fine." Makoto gave the automatic response. She recalled their talk from the other day, when both of them witnessed Sae planning to investigate the mafia's nightclub. "Um, Sakamoto, you haven't told anyone about... that, have you?"

Sakamoto gulped.

Makoto's eyes narrowed. "Sakamoto..."

He fidgeted. "Uh, w-was it a secret?"

No, this can't be happening... Makoto thought in exasperation. "Even though I didn't specifically say it was, it's obviously something that you shouldn't be spreading around!"

"Uh, yeah, I, uh... I kinda panicked, and it slipped! S-sorry." He raised a hand. "Oh, but don't worry! It won't turn into rumors or anything like that. Your secret's safe, I swear!"

"I really hope so, Sakamoto." Makoto directed a disapproving glare at him. "Do not, and I repeat. Do not tell anyone else about that, get it?!"

"Y-yeah, I get it..." Sakamoto nodded, and left briskly.

Makoto resumed her search for Miura. She smiled upon spotting him at a bench. He looked to be doing much better than yesterday.

"Hi, Miura!"

"Ah, Niijima-san." After some hesitation, Miura indicated the vacant spot to his side on the bench.

Makoto gladly sat at his side. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm feeling great." True to his word, he seemed rested.

"Ah, good. You... you got me worried," Makoto said awkwardly. She was ashamed to admit that she kept thinking about Joker and had nearly forgotten about Miura's condition.

"Sorry for having worried you. Thanks for the support, though." He changed the subject. "Anyway, I have great news about that assignment. The results are out, and I got a perfect score!"

"Wow! Congratulations! It was a well-deserved perfect score."

"Thanks."

Makoto changed the subject and approached the point she wanted to address. "... By the way, Miura, I was wondering about something. You have a Persona, right?"

"Hm...?" Miura hesitated for a second, but confirmed. "... Yeah, I do."

Makoto's eyes lit up. "You looked disturbed when you mentioned accepting your Shadow, both yesterday and that time we talked to Kujikawa-san. It's been one month since I started experiencing the Dark Hour, but I still got no signs that my Persona might awaken. Hearing that our Shadows might kill us is scary. How was it between you and your Shadow? If you don't mind me asking..."

That was it. Her reasoning should be convincing enough. Now, to see if Miura would respond or not.

Miura got lost in thought for a bit, as though he were choosing his words. "It was... weird, to say the least. Actually, it happened even before I began experiencing the Dark Hour. It was right after my detention happened, when I met my creepy guards."

Makoto recalled her talk with Sakura-san about Miura's detention, and how the case had been solved... or rather, hadn't been solved. "I heard from Sakura-san about how the case ended. The guy that should have been punished got away, and the police punished you instead. You hadn't told me about that part. I had thought the case had been solved! But it wasn't solved at all, and it was as though you had gone to all that trouble for nothing!"

"Yeah, exactly how I felt. It didn't help that my weird guards kept saying I should walk into line or face the consequences of what I did, while I was sure I hadn't done anything wrong. Add to that the countless things I had bottled up because nothing had ever gone right in my life, and you can already imagine the sorts of bad things I thought of. I had to spend that night in a room inside the police station. I had a lot of weird nightmares, and almost lost my sanity. By the time my Shadow showed up, I was beyond confused."

Makoto's heart clenched at imagining the kind of bad thoughts Miura might have had. So much injustice, no acknowledgment, no support at all, no one to say how special he was. He might even have concluded that his life wasn't worth living, and considered putting an end to it! There was no way Makoto would accept that! Miura was precious, a rare gem that practically no one saw the worth of. But Makoto saw his worth. She wanted to tell him how great a person he was, and that he was loved... that she loved him... but the words got stuck in her throat, and she just couldn't let them out...

"I had no idea of the danger I was in." Miura continued talking, oblivious to the turmoil in Makoto's mind. "I'm not sure how I managed to be level-headed enough to befriend my Shadow. He's not the easiest creature to deal with. Thankfully, it ended well. This whole experience made me change my way of thinking, and from the time I got my Persona, suffering injustice doesn't affect me as much as it used to."

Makoto had thought that Miura had always been calm and collected. But apparently, he had become like this just recently. Getting a Persona had made him stronger, not only to deal with obstacles during the Dark Hour, but during his daily life as well. Makoto smiled at Miura with admiration. Once again, she had the urge to confess to him, but the fact that she had already confessed to Joker and that Joker had confirmed to like her nagged at her again.

Makoto gave up on her confession for the moment, and switched her focus to his Shadow instead. "Uh... A-Arsène, was it?"

Miura was stunned. "Uh...? H-how... how did you...?"

"Yesterday, I heard you telling him to shut up."

"Ah... yeah, I did that..." Miura laughed in embarrassment. "That happens a lot, though usually not aloud. People would think I'm crazy if I were to say it aloud every time..."

"He's your Persona, then?"


Alarms went off in Kazushi's head. He had slipped his tongue and mentioned Arsène in Niijima-san's presence yesterday. After some thought, though, he managed to calm himself down. Arsène Lupin was good at disguises, and Kazushi considered his multiple Personas as Arsène's different disguises. Thankfully, he had never summoned his initial Persona's original form or mentioned the name during explorations in which Niijima-san had been present. So, he may still be safe. He nodded to answer Niijima-san's question, and hoped for the best.

Rather than any of the reactions Kazushi had expected, Niijima-san looked curious. "Tell me more. I want to have some knowledge in advance to be able to better deal with my Persona once I get it."

"Huh? I don't think you need to worry this much."

"But I want to know." She insisted. "I had thought Personas only manifested during the Dark Hour. Hearing that you keep talking to your Persona during the day got me intrigued. How does that work? Does he talk to you... inside your head?"

"Hm?" More at ease, Kazushi raised an eyebrow. Was Niijima-san misunderstanding things again? Maybe he was safe, then. He shook his head. "No, not exactly. It's just thoughts. Well, sometimes actions, too."

"How can you tell it's him?"

"Because it's things I wouldn't normally think, or wouldn't normally do."

"For example?"

Kazushi took a few seconds to formulate his answer. "For example, you know, when we have an opinion but decide not to voice it because we think that someone may not like it or get offended by it?"

"Yes." Niijima-san nodded in understanding. "This happens to me a lot. This is one of the things I was taught from the time I was a child. Always put others first, and behave well to leave a good impression on them."

"It's what I'd normally do as well. It's the way it had always gone before Arsène came about. But now, there are times when Arsène makes me speak my mind. When I realize it, the words are already out, with no way to take then back, and I'm all like, 'I can't believe I said this...' The results aren't always good, but there are times when you really need to impose yourself if you don't want to be carried away by the current. I don't think I'd have made up with my parents if Arsène hadn't made me snap at them and list all those things I had bottled up, which they'd never have agreed to listen to otherwise."


Sometimes I need to impose myself... Makoto thought. It was the same thing Johanna kept telling her.

Miura was still talking. "Sometimes, though, Arsène goes overboard and has me say things I think shouldn't be said, or should be said but in a more subtle way. This is what I'm still struggling to control. I don't know what it'd be like in your case. You won't need to get used to having anyone talking inside your head, but yeah, I guess you'll have to get used to these kinds of thoughts you normally wouldn't follow through with."

That sounded hard. "It seems like getting a Persona made you much stronger, Miura. I wonder if confronting my Shadow would make me as strong..."

"It will, I'm sure."

"When I confront my Shadow, what if it says things I really dislike and can't accept no matter what? I can't just pretend to agree with the things my Shadow says just for the sake of it. It isn't honest, and isn't right."

"Yeah, that's cheating, and your Shadow will know it, too. It's a part of yourself, after all."

Makoto recalled something. "Wait, you said that you first met your Shadow outside the Dark Hour. How did you meet him?"

"In a dream."

"A dream...!" Makoto gasped. "I've been having some odd dreams lately. Someone with a feminine voice talks to me, but my eyes are closed shut for some reason, and I'm unable to open them to see what she looks like. She showed to know a lot about me."

"Does her voice sound anything like yours?"

"... M-maybe! So, aren't these just dreams? Might she be my Shadow...!?"

"Sounds like it." Miura was the one curious now. "Is she friendly to you?"

"Yes, she's been giving me advice. Good advice..."

"Oh. Then, you're good. You shouldn't need to worry too much. Just talk it through, and you'll be fine. Did she give you her name?"

"Yes. She called herself Johanna."

"Johanna?" Miura had a pensive expression for a bit. "Hmm. As in... Pope Joan?"

"Pope Joan!" Makoto was stunned once more. "You know the story!?"

Miura nodded. "Actually, it came up in class once. How bizarre..."

"My sister has always complained that society views women as inferior to men, and how it's difficult for women to get a respectable, well-paying job. After our parents died and she began taking care of me, she told me Pope Joan's story. A woman who disguised herself as a man and achieved status of Pope, something exclusive to men. 'Pope Joan' was very smart, daring, wise, and excelled in the things she did."

"Some pretty amazing qualities."

"You think so, too?" Makoto smiled softly, glad that he agreed. "But sadly, her qualities and efforts were for naught. When her disguise was found out, she was killed." Makoto sighed, suddenly a bit sad at recalling her biggest fears. "I've always admired her character, and even wished that I could be intelligent, brave and skilled like her."

"And you are."

Makoto blushed at the sudden compliment. If it were anyone else, she would accuse him of saying empty flattery words, but Miura was Miura, and she could trust that he really meant what he said. "Uh, thank you... I'm always doing my best... but sometimes I get scared thinking that I might not be good enough, that my efforts will also be in vain. In the end, not even 'Pope Joan' was good enough. So, what makes me think that I might be?"

"It'll be fine." Miura sounded confident. "It might seem easy to say, but for one, you aren't extremely unlucky with nearly everything going wrong like me. This is one big advantage you have right there."

Miura's words cheered Makoto up a bit. He had always been unlucky and had been suffering injustice from all directions, and still managed to stand strong. On the other hand, Makoto hadn't gone through anything like that. What was she complaining about? Her expression lightened up. "Is it Arsène saying all these things?"

"No, it's my normal self. This was something I'd have said normally."

"Thank you, Miura. You're probably right."

Miura threw her an amused look. "Huh? If I had said it was Arsène, you'd have thanked him instead?"

Makoto laughed. "Uh, I hadn't thought about that. Though I'm curious to talk to Arsène now. Can you bring him out?" Makoto asked playfully.

Miura furrowed his brows in thought for a bit. "He'll come out only if you also bring Johanna out, he says."

"Hey! You know that I can't do it yet. This isn't fair..."

Miura abruptly stood up. "Lunch break is almost over. I'm heading to class." He ignored her protest and briskly walked away.

"Ah! Miura! Wait up!" Makoto shouted after him. She thought he was just playing around and would give in, but he didn't stop walking. He turned a corner, and disappeared among a crowd of students. Sure enough, lunch break ended while she was looking for him...