Getting back home after his first shift at the convenience store, Akira entered Cafe Leblanc. There was only one customer, an older brown haired male sitting in one of the booths, talking to the cafe owner.
"Boss, did you hear?" The haughty regular asked. "Apparently that subway driver from the accident was acting really odd during his testimony hearing." He gossiped smugly, taking a sip from his cup with one pinky sticking out.
Akira looked on silently from the entrance, interested at the information. Were they talking about what happened earlier this week? He remembered those two school girls gossiping about it.
Sojiro crossed his arms. "You talking about that psychotic whatever thing people're going on about?" He asked reluctantly.
"Yeah, I heard it completely alters your personality." The customer prattled on. "The news is saying the driver couldn't even speak when they tried asking him questions."
He sighed exasperatedly. "There's no way a preposterous story like that could be true." He commented shortly. "Oh, and sorry, but we're closing soon."
Offended, the haughty regular cleared his throat. "Hmph, how rude. This must be why you don't get many customers." He remarked, looking down at his cup. "Your coffee's actually not half bad. The beans must be lamenting the sorry state of this store..."
Glaring at the customer now, Sojiro gestured to the door. "Thanks for stopping in." He said through clenched teeth. "Please come again."
The man pursed his lips "Hmph. I only say this out of politeness, but...thanks for the coffee." Leaving some bills on the table, he walked out of the store.
Akira looked on uncomfortably at the blatant rudeness of the customer. Was that a coffee snob?
Sojiro rubbed the back of his head. "Sheesh, what a pain..." He groaned, going over to pick up the dirty dish and cash. He looked up at his charge. "Oh...What do you want? If you're bored, go wash some dishes or something."
Akira blinked. "How's business?" He asked lightly, not wanting to set the other man off.
"Doesn't concern you." Sojiro replied curtly before sighing. "It's all good as long as the shop doesn't fail. I'm not gonna go wearing a fake smile." He explained, his tone a bit softer than before.
"But what if it does fail?" Akira asked, furrowing his brows slightly in concern.
He shrugged. "As long as I'm here, the world leaves me be. No annoyances or troublesome people to deal with. It's like my own personal hideaway. I'd be kinda screwed if I lost it, but I guess you would be too." He stated nonchalantly. "So, you better at least try and be useful around here." He sighed, taking off his apron. "Anyway, I'm leaving now. Don't cause any trouble." He warned halfheartedly before eyeing the student. "You seem different...Have you always had a scowl on your face? Nothing goes your way in life. You'll end up failing if you tense up like that."
Akira nodded, and walked up the stairs to his room. Putting his bag down, Morgana jumped out and began grooming itself. Sitting down on the couch, his phone rang.
An: So, I went to see Shiho today at the hospital with Airi…
Ak: How was she?
An: Her condition is still stable.
An: They don't know when she'll regain consciousness though…
Ak: I'm sure she'll be OK.
An: Yeah.
An: Airi and I began making paper cranes for her.
Ak: That's really thoughtful.
An: She'll get better, I know it.
An: We just need to believe in her.
An: But...I'll never forgive Kamoshida. He's going to pay for what he did, no matter what.
He put his phone away and sighed. So much had happened, and he'd barely been here a week.
Morgana jumped up next to him, sitting down on the couch. "We're going into the Palace tomorrow." It stated firmly. "We should assemble some infiltration tools. Clean off that desk back there so we can use it." It gestured to the covered work desk, languidly waving its tail.
Nodding, Akira got up, putting on a face mask, and began cleaning. An explosion of dust flew in the air as he took off the transparent sheet, and cleared the stacks of books covering the counter.
With a final wipe of the rag, he took off his mask with a sigh.
"Great! Now you can make things whenever you want!" Morgana cheered, sneezing a bit from all the dust particles.
Exhaling softly, he looked around the rest of the dirty room. Pursing his lips at the conditions, he put his mask back on and cleaned the rest, dusting off the cramped bookcase and moving the bicycle and bags behind the stairs, leaving the barely alive plant next to the case. Walking back into his room, he smacked his hands satisfactorily.
"OK, let's make something!" Morgana suggested, jumping onto the desk and relaxing on its back.
Akira went over and sat down, looking to the cat for guidance.
"I'll provide the materials this time. Shadows in the Metaverse usually drop them when you kill them. Try making a lockpick." The feline dropped a tin clasp and some silk yarn in front of the bespectacled student.
He looked down at the materials blankly. 'How do I even…?' He furrowed his brows in confusion.
"Don't think too hard on it. You'll get the hang of it." Morgana reassured, grooming a paw. "Everyone starts off a little clumsy. Don't be sad if it doesn't turn out well, OK?"
Akira glanced at the cat incredulously behind his glasses, hesitantly grabbing the metal and pliers. A couple minutes of fumbling and silent cursing at the new cuts on his fingers, he held up one lockpick victoriously.
"Did you finish?" The feline looked curiously at the finished product in the teenager's hand.
He held out the newly created object closer to the cat.
Morgana hummed, scrutinizing the lockpick. "Great! We should be able to use this." It complimented, giving the boy an impressed look.
"All right!" He pumped his fist with a smirk, feeling confident. Taking some materials from his own pocket, he made two more, clumsily shaping the metal. By the end of it, his hands were covered in small scratches and cuts, the injuries mild but annoying.
Morgana stood up on its paws and looked at him sternly. "We're heading into the Palace tomorrow. Let's get some sleep." It jumped dexterously to the bed.
Changing into his sleepwear in the bathroom, Akira snuggled into his bed, this time making sure Morgana would stay on the edge instead of on top of him. He breathed out, staring intently at the wooden beams that were lit with the midnight moon.
'Tomorrow's the day.' He thought pensively. He was going to steal someone's heart. If they were caught, there was no doubt that he would be taken away, and his friends would be with him. They would be stuck in juvenile hall before being transferred to prison, and they wouldn't be able to get out. They would be released after a while, but him? With his existing record? Freedom would be snatched away from his fingertips.
His phone rang. Groaning softly, he reached over for his mobile.
R: Man, there's so much I wanna write on the calling card. It's kinda tough figuring out what to say.
An: Are you sure you're really capable of this?!
R: Don't worry, I got it. I even made a logo for us.
An: ...A logo?
R: Yep, you'll get to see it tomorrow.
An: Well that's worrying…
R: Anyway, you guys should rest up.
R: If we screw up tomorrow, we're totally done for.
Ai: You should get some rest too, Ryuji-kun.
Ai: We need to be in tip top shape.
Ai: Let's go in right after school?
Ak: Sounds good.
Ak: I'm counting on you guys.
An: Yep. I'm sure we can do this.
R: Just remember, we can't trust any shitty adults.
R: That's why we gotta do this ourselves.
R: Anyways, let's pull this off and surprise everyone!
-4/18, MONDAY, EARLY MORNING, SHUJIN ACADEMY
"Good morning!" Kamoshida greeted, standing in front of the school gates, grinning at the students who were arriving. "C'mon, hurry up and get to class!" He laughed lightheartedly.
Slowly walking up to the entrance, Akira and Airi glanced at each other in apprehension. He seemed more and more enthusiastic the closer it got to the board meeting. No doubt he was looking forward to expelling both outcasts from the school as well as the "liability" on his precious volleyball team.
The gym teacher then turned and smiled at the class president. "Good morning, Kimisawa! You better get your cute self going or you'll be late!" He winked.
Airi gave him a polite bow in return, not saying anything at the inappropriate comment, and walked past.
Watching her back side with a lazy smile, he turned to the bespectacled student, face smoothing out into a blank canvas. "Good morning." Kamoshida greeted flatly, looking at Akira with barely concealed contempt.
Composed gray eyes stared back evenly. "Good morning." He replied smoothly, not a hint of emotion seeping through. He moved to walk past the taller man, but stopped when he spoke again.
"...That admirable behavior won't do you any good once you're expelled." Kamoshida rested his hands on his hips, peering at the student derisively. "Make sure you stay away from Kimisawa in your last days here. She doesn't need you to drag her reputation down."
Akira turned his head slightly, glancing at the gym teacher from the corner of his eye, before his gaze slid away and he continued walking into the school, hands in his pockets. He'd do whatever he wanted.
Entering the building, he spotted Airi next to the trophy cases with her back turned in his direction, talking to a couple of their classmates. Their worried expressions turned into one of fear as they saw him walk up behind her, and they hurried away with a bow.
He blinked. "What was that about?"
Startled, she turned around with wide eyes. "Oh! Akira-kun." She sighed in relief, relaxing her shoulders. "It was nothing. They've seen us talk everyday and they were worried."
"Yeah?" He commented, lips quirking into a bitter smile. Of course others would try to warn the kind class president about him. "And what did you say?"
"I told them there's nothing to be afraid of. You're like a harmless kitten." She cracked a grin, before breaking out into laughter, smothering it with one hand.
He gave her a flat expression, but the twitching of his lips gave him away. "Yep. I'm the very picture of innocence." He smirked, casually combing his hair with a hand.
Airi giggled at the action. "But to be serious, I did tell them they didn't have to worry. I'm perfectly safe with you." She smiled gently. "Hopefully, they'll stop feeding the rumors about you to the rest of the school."
Taken aback by the casual statement, Akira looked away. He swallowed, wetting his dry lips, as he felt the heat rise up in his face.
He made her feel safe? When had anyone felt safe near him? For so long, people had treated him as someone dangerous, and before that, a nuisance. His classmates avoided him, the school avoided him, his parents...
After so many insults and derogatory remarks thrown at him...he started to believe it. He accepted that no one should come near him, or else he'd hurt them just like he had hurt that man. His eyes hardened at the hazy memory. Now that he had the power of Personas, he really was dangerous. But...
His eyes slid back to his class president. Not to his teammates. Not to his friends. Not to her.
Turning back to her, his lips quirked, before transforming into a full blown grin. "Yeah." Akira whispered, his grin softening to a tender smile. "I'll make sure you never think otherwise." He promised softly. 'I can feel her trust in me…'
Ruby eyes widened at the heartfelt grin directed at her, and she felt her cheeks flush. Airi had never seen him smile fully before. Every one of his expressions in the past week had been mild at best. He really was very handsome when he let his guard down. 'Not that he wasn't handsome before...' She thought distractedly, before realizing what she thought and shook her head.
"A-Anyway, we should head to class." She stammered, looking away shyly.
The two walked in further past the trophy cases when they saw a crowd of students surrounding the announcement boards. Curious, they stopped a little a ways near the practice building entrance to listen in. Ryuji was already there, gesturing them over with a grin. They walked over, observing the spectacle just as Ann walked into the school. The boards were covered in red cards, stating "The Phantom Thieves Of Hearts." A bunch of students were standing near, reading the cards and whispering to each other.
"A calling card..?" A student muttered.
"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning." Another student gossiped excitedly.
Walking up to the board, Ann examined a card. "'Sir Kamoshida Suguru, the utter bastard of lust." She read, furrowing her brows. "We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts...'" She trailed off, squinting at it incredulously. "...Wow." She turned around to leave, but noticed the gang of Persona users standing a couple feet away.
She joined them in the corner. Ryuji grinned at her. "Not bad, eh?" He nudged eagerly. "I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference." He stated proudly, leaning against a discarded desk.
Airi smiled sheepishly, sweatdropping. The message sounded rather...unrefined.
"Um...Yeah..." Ann glanced away awkwardly. "I know what you wanted to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult." She confessed flatly.
Sneaking its head out, Morgana agreed. "Your logo's a little lacking, too." It added disappointedly, glancing over at the swamped hallway.
Taken aback by the criticism, Ryuji's brown eyes darted around uncomfortably. "OK, y'know what? Th-That ain't true!" He argued weakly.
Nodding slightly, Airi joined in. "It's fine as long as it does its job, right?"
The group quieted down when a couple of students passed by. "Did Kamoshida-sensei do something wrong..?" A shy girl whispered.
Her friend gasped. "Does this mean the rumors are true?!"
Scrutinizing the board, a junior turned to his classmate. "Wait a sec...Is someone gonna take something from Kamoshida-sensei…?" He asked apprehensively.
"What's with this weird logo?" Another student commented, looking at the cards with an unimpressed face. "And who're these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people..?"
Tapping a foot, Ryuji fidgeted at the comments. "...It got everyone excited, so it's all good, yeah?" He said timidly, looking up at the bespectacled student with hopeful eyes.
Akira nodded, giving him a reassuring look.
The group turned when they noticed Kamoshida stomping angrily toward the announcement boards. The students crowding around backed away slowly from the gym teacher. "Who's responsible for this..?!" Kamoshida gritted, glaring at the messages.
Morgana purred in delight, watching the medalist snap. "...Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires."
"I think it's hittin' him pretty hard." Ryuji commented, grinning viciously.
Airi exhaled sharply. "Let's see if it works."
A couple of feet away from them, Kamoshida turned sharply at a nearby student. "Did you do this?! Or was it you?!" He yelled, turning to another student. The crowd of students quickly dispersed, running away in fear.
Turning around, the older man's eyes landed on the group, specifically the two guys. "...Was it you two?!" He gritted, marching up to them threateningly. The girls looked away, not acknowledging the towering figure. Subtly, the Ryuji and Akira moved to cover them, staring at the teacher with challenging frowns.
Akira rested his hands in his pockets. "What're you talking about?" He blinked his eyes innocently.
Dark eyes narrowed at the question. "So, you're playing dumb..?" Kamoshida whispered threateningly before he relaxed and snorted. "Eh, it's not a problem. You'll soon be expelled soon enough anyway."
The air fizzed, flashing purple. The students snapped their heads in his direction. Where Kamoshida was now stood the Shadow version from the Metaverse. "Come...Steal it, if you can!" The corrupt king goaded, yellow eyes glowing madly. The Shadow turned back to the real Kamoshida, who pivoted and walked away.
"This is it." Airi whispered firmly. "Once classes end, we're going straight to the top." She looked at her companions, determination burning in her eyes.
The group of thieves nodded, before going about their classes.
Getting through the periods were stressful, all five of them waiting anxiously for the last bell to ring. Fidgeting in her chair, Ann glared at the clock, mentally shouting for time to pass faster. During lunch, the group congregated in their class, Ryuji joining them, and they discussed quietly about what their plan of attack was, and what they should do if Plan A failed.
The bell rang, signalling the end of the day. At this point, they were so tense that they were relaxed, calmly walking out of class and up to the rooftop.
Standing ready, Akira swiped his phone and activated the app, transporting them to the Metaverse.
Holding it in his hand, Joker walked forward, his company of thieves following him steadfastly.