This story is a work of fiction.

Any relation to persons, living or dead, as well as events, are purely coincidental.

The author owns none of the characters, or events, that take place here.


The world is not as it should be.

It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" will soon descend.

However...there are those who would challenge fate, in desire for change.

Now, one such group of Tricksters has emerged, in order to rise up against this ruin.

They are known simply as…

"The Phantom Thieves of Hearts."


Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to

Confidant III: Death – Part I

Akira opened his eyes and was greeted with a familiar shade of blue. Still very uncomfortable, he thought with a grimace as he pushed himself off the bed, rolling his neck. Pulling himself up off the bed, he exited the cell and entered the central area, where Igor and Lavenza were waiting for him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." the long-nosed man greeted, his smile wider than usual. "It seems you've been through quite the ordeal. A splendid showing, however. Truly, you have the makings of a great thief."

Somehow, the frizzy-haired teen knew the old man knew more than he was letting on. It was like he knew full well what he was getting himself into when he obtained his Persona, yet remained silent on the matter. It made him wonder what else he was hiding, but did not push the matter. Something told him that, even if he did push for answers, he would only receive cryptic replies in turn.

"You defeated the King of Lust, and toppled his castle." Lavenza continued, a faint smile appearing on her face. "And in doing so, you've prevented the shackles that bind you from dragging you into the "ruin." Not an easy feat, by any means." Her features then shifted, becoming stern. "That being said, don't get cocky. The "ruin" still advances."

Akira frowned deeply. What was the ruin that they kept mentioning? He recalled one of the previous conversations they had when he was here. They said it was "the unruly hearts of men." Did that mean that there would be more like Kamoshida?

They weren't expecting him to continue the Metaverse adventures, did they? He and the others were risking their lives, fighting Shadows in order to make Kamoshida confess, if only to save his own hide and bring that despicable man to justice for what he had done.

"There is much you will come to understand, in time." Igor told him, waving his hand around in a gesture. "By the way… I see you've begun to foster new bonds." He held his hand over the desk. Seemingly appearing from thin air was a deck of cards. With a flick of the hand, six cards were sprawled across the desk, each with a different design and numeral. "As we have told you before, the strength of your bonds will increase your own powers. That said, they are far from superficial."

"Your Confidants are genuine bonds." his assistant continued. "Like you, they are outcasts. By strengthening your relationships with them, you will gain not only their cooperation, but your own heart will be tempered as well. Treat your bonds carefully, Trickster."

Akira nodded. He hadn't exactly seen his bonds with his friends that way, but he was glad that the two cleared up the confusion. That said, he did wonder why there were six cards. If he were to count Morgana, there should only be four, so who were the other two?

"These Confidants will affect not only yourself, but even our own services." Igor chuckled. "The Personas born here will gain strength, equivalent to your bonds." The room became filled with noise, the sirens ringing loudly. "It seems our time is up for now."

The small girl bowed her head. "'till we meet again."

The young man wanted to ask more questions, but his eyes grew heavy. His legs buckled, and in the next moment, the world became swallowed in shadow.

When his eyes opened again, he was back in his room.

.

.

.

.

.

"...after Kamoshida confessed, the next couple of days were hectic." Akira continued after a slight pause, wincing as he rubbed his forehead. The haze over his mind was still present. He felt like he was having a migraine, trying to remember so many things at once. "Not that I have to tell you that..."

"Indeed not." Sae shook her head. "No one had ever expected to hear that a respected sportsman had sexually assaulted his own students, much less abused them. I was tasked with handling the prosecution. His confession, as well as the overwhelming evidence and testimonies from both the students and the teachers, more or less made the case the easiest we've ever had. As far as I know, Kamoshida is still in prison."

The small grin on her face faded, returning to its cold seriousness. "Still, you expect me to believe this nonsense about a world based on human thought? You do remember that your life is on the line here, Akira-kun."

"Believe what you will, Sae-san." Akira told her simply. He took a moment to breathe. "After we brought down Kamoshida… We thought it was over. No more Metaverse, no more Phantom Thieving. We were going to go our separate ways. At least, that was the plan..."

"And what changed?" Sae questioned. Even she had to admit, she was curious. Even if she didn't accept what she was being told, she could not deny that Akira and his group had the ability to change a person's heart. Such power could easily corrupt a person, but here he was, admitting that he would just prefer living a normal life. I wish he had continued to live a normal life… Sae thought bitterly. "What made you continue being a Phantom Thief?"

A mirthless chuckle escaped Akira as he slumped in his seat, meeting her gaze. "A run-in with a shitty adult, at the celebration we were going to have after making Kamoshida pay..."

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May 3rd.

When Akira and Makoto arrived, they saw police cards outside the front gates. Students were randomly pulled aside, some staying behind either at the officer's behest or simply curious to see what was going on. There was a palpable sense of excitement and wariness in the air. The former couldn't help but shift uncomfortably, inching away and tempted to bolt when he saw the officers. It was only Makoto putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder that made him calm down.

"Relax. I don't think they're here for you, Akira." she told him. "They're probably questioning the students about Kamoshida."

"I know..."

"Yo!" The two looked over their shoulder, finding Ryuji approaching with a smile on his face, clearly happy with yesterday's events. The smile faded, however, when he saw the police. "Aw, shit."

"Makoto just got done saying this, but they aren't here for him." Morgana poked his head out from Akira's bag. "Still, that doesn't mean you should relax. I sincerely doubt they know about the Metaverse or the app, but it pays to be careful." He then looked around, as if searching for someone in particular. "By the way… Where is the ojou-sama?"

"What, you mean Ann?" The not-cat nodded. Ryuji shrugged. "She said she was gonna be running late. I think she's visiting Shiho at the hospital. Maybe give her the good news. By the way, you guys wanna meet up later? I actually wanted to talk to you guys about something."

Makoto grew curious. "What about?"

"I'll text you the details later, don't worry!" the blonde delinquent assured. "Anyway, let's head to class, yeah?"

TakeYourTime

While Akira and the other thieves were busy with school work, Sae was called into work. The SIU Director had given her the details about her newest case, one that was of the utmost importance, or so he said. The details were already sent to her laptop, and she was expected to go over them as soon as possible. Since she was still busy reviewing the details behind her own assignment, that being trying to find a connection between the Mental Breakdown incidents and the Psychotic Breakdown scandals, it had been a while before she could actually get to it.

To her slight chagrin, the SIU Director had also called on Akechi's assistance. She honestly didn't understand why, though. From the way her superior made it sound, the case was cut and dry. The person they were going to prosecute was willing to spill the beans the moment he was to be interrogated, and they were already receiving substantial amounts of evidence that would ensure this person would spend the rest of their life in a jail cell, so why involve the kid detective in all this?

"So, Sae-san, what exactly is it that we're working on this time?" Akechi inquired curiously, a leg crossed over the other while he sipped his coffee. Sae wasn't particularly fond of this coffee house, but she needed the extra caffeine. "The Director seemed like he was busy when he called me, so I didn't get very many details."

"I'm looking at it now." Sae replied curtly while trying not to let her irritation show. Her fingers flew across the keyboard before she pulled up the file her superior sent her. "The case practically settles itself based on the first few paragraphs alone. The perp committed repeated acts of abuse, both verbal and physical, as well as sexual assault and rape. The rape victim attempted suicide, and is currently in the ICU."

Akechi pursed his lips. "That reminds me, wasn't there a news report about a girl jumping off the roof of Shujin Academy?"

"Was there?" Sae looked up in surprise. This was the first she was hearing about it.

The detective looked surprised. "You didn't know? From what I've heard, she was a member of the school's Volleyball team and was even made the starter. Some think she tried to kill herself because of the pressure, but I have my doubts. I would have thought you kept up with that kind of news, especially since it involves the school your younger sister goes too."

There was a slight pang of guilt in Sae's heart when he said that. When was the last time she and Makoto had spoken, ever since she began her current case? Actually, why hadn't Makoto mentioned this to her? Had it affected her studies in some way? Was Akira Kurusu perhaps involved? That last thought made her bite her lip in agitation. The last thing she needed was unnecessary trouble brought to her doorstep by that troublesome kid. Call her harsh for thinking that, but if it weren't for the fact that their fathers were friends, and that she felt obligated to act in her father's place, she would never have accepted him into her home.

"I've been so busy with the case, I've barely paid much attention to the news reports." she replied. "At any rate, the culprit is… Suguru Kamoshida?!" Sae's eyes widened to the point where they might pop out from the sockets. She recognized the name easily, as had Akechi. "The gym teacher at Shujin Academy, a former Olympic gold medalist, and the coach for the volleyball team?"

"Oh, my… That's one hell of a coincidence." Akechi said, getting over his shock. "What else is there?"

Sae looked over the files and relayed them with barely concealed shock and disgust. This was… What even was this? How could the teachers, much less the Principal himself, even allow someone like this to commit such acts and not bother to tell anyone?! And why had no one said anything?! To say that she was confused would be an understatement. This was making no sense. The further she read, the more sickened she became.

Oh, god. What if Makoto had gotten involved in all this?

That thought terrified her more than it should have.

"Records of the abuse are apparently recorded all the way back for the last three years." Sae gritted her teeth. "One of the more major incidents was last year, where he apparently goaded a student into attacking him under the pretense of self-defense, then shattered the student's knee. And he's also responsible for that attempted suicide you mentioned earlier"

"My word..." Akechi frowned. "For people to have remained quiet about all of this for so long. Why did someone speak up about this now?"

"They didn't. Kamoshida confessed all of his wrongdoings yesterday to the entire school during a morning assembly."

He blinked in pleasant surprise. "He confessed his crimes?"

Sae nodded. "Yes. The reports say he was practically a sobbing mess when the police arrived. He's currently waiting to be interrogated. Though there is something odd mentioned here."

"Oh, and what's that?"

Sae turned the laptop around and showed him the image attached to the file. "A few days before his confession, a calling card was posted all over the bulletin board. A group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts called out Kamoshida and claimed that they would take his heart and make him confess his crimes." She gave a small scoff, finding the idea ludicrous. "It was most likely a prank, though the timing seemed a bit-"

"Sae-san, do we have any of these calling cards in evidence?"

She was stopped mid-sentence by Akechi's sudden question. Looking at the teenager, she found an unusual sight. His smile was gone, and his eyes were narrowed. They were intently focused on the image, as if studying every word pasted on it.

What was this? She had never seen this look before.

"I...believe so."

Suddenly, he stood up. "In that case, please handle things on your end. I'll conduct the interrogation." he told her, his voice devoid of the cheerful and infuriating polite arrogance she had grown accustomed to. Once more, Sae found herself startled by this sudden change in tone. Without another word, he grabbed his briefcase and walked away, taking out his phone and dialing a number. "It's me. I'm on my way to the precinct. I'd like it if you could..."

His voice trailed off as he walked away. Sae watched him leave, utterly baffled by what just transpired.

"What was that…?"

TakeYourTime

"Finally, break time!" Morgana mewled from inside Akira's desk, stealthily slipping into his bag. "I thought it'd never end… What's up with that Chouno woman? I mean, really! Who needs that much make-up?"

Akira shrugged, not knowing the answer to that. Still, she seemed to be slightly nicer than Ushimaru, who took every opportunity he could to catch him dozing off. Sometimes he would be able to effortlessly evade the incoming chalk, other times he was so preoccupied with his thoughts he never saw it coming. Regardless, with class over for now, Akira was free to spend some time to himself.

He left his classroom, bag in tow and made his way to the courtyard. Along the way, he heard the excited whispers and chatters of the other students.

"The police are still here?"

"What did you expect? A teacher confessing like that is a big deal!"

"I dunno. I still think somebody must have blackmailed him. Not that I blame 'em, though. Did you hear the crap that came outta his mouth?"

"I heard he was even trying to make passes on Takamaki-senpai!"

"Seriously? Shit, now I feel bad."

"Don't forget about what he said about Sakamoto. I had him pegged as the bad guy, but after hearing what Kamoshida said..."

Looks like they're starting to come around. Akira noted with a slight smile. He wondered if Kamoshida's confession would give Shiho some peace of mind when she woke up. And maybe the Track Team would make peace with Ryuji, with the truth out. Though I wish my situation was better. I guess people don't care much that the kid with an assault record is still here. Eh, oh well.

"Oh, Akira-kun!" Morgana let out a mewl of excitement, seeing Ann approach him. "Got a sec?" He nodded. The blonde girl led him to the courtyard, where they had taken their seats at the small table off to the corner, where they had first met. "I got a call from the hospital. Shiho's finally awake!"

"Really? That's great!" Morgana cheered. Akira smiled, equally as happy for her. "Have you told her the good news?"

"Not yet." Ann shook her head. "She goes in-and-out, but the doctor said she should be fully conscious by tomorrow. I'm thinking of giving her the good news, then." She let out a deep, heavy sigh as she slumped in her seat. "I feel so relieved… When we were in the Palace, I kept thinking, what if Shiho doesn't wake up? What if all of this is for nothing? What scared me even worse was not getting to hear her voice again."

"Ann-dono..." Morgana whispered, eyes softening. "You truly do care about Shiho deeply, don't you?"

Ann nodded. "She was my first real friend here. When I first got to Shujin, everyone just thought I was the stereotypical American girl who caused trouble and liked to party. At first, no one would talk to me, except for people who thought I was really good with English."

"How'd you meet Suzui-san?" Akira asked.

The girl giggled. "It was during Art Class. She just randomly came up from behind me and told me my painting sucked. At first, I felt freaking pissed someone could say that about my drawing, but then I realized she just came and flat out said what was on her mind. She didn't see me as that odd girl who didn't fit in. She just saw...me. Before I knew it, the two of us were as thick as thieves." Ann looked up at the ceiling, eyes glimmering as she recalled fond memories. "I have so much I want to tell her. I want to tell her how sorry I am, for just thinking that things were fine… For just leaving her out to dry. Even if she doesn't forgive me, I just want to tell her everything. Even if I have to get on my hands and knees."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you."

Ann blinked at Akira's words. She stared at him for a second before she bit her lower lip. "Y-you think so?"

"Of course she will." Morgana agreed. "From what you've told us, she doesn't sound like the kind of person who would toss your friendship away, just like that."

"I hope so..."

"Yo."

The two looked over their shoulders, finding Ryuji approaching. "Ryuji-kun?" Ann said in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Eh, happened to see you guys while I was talking with Nakaoka and the Prez." Ryuji shrugged. Akira tilted his head. Nakaoka and Makoto, together? That sounded like an odd combination. Seeing his confusion, he began to explain. "Makoto was asking him about Yamauchi. Since Kamoshida was planning on making the Track Team crash and burn so the Volleyball Team would get more attention and all. And now that Kamoshida's spilled the beans and got a long life behind bars, she wanted to know if she could do anything to make sure Yamauchi didn't try and fuck things up for them."

"So the Track Team is coming back?" Ann beamed. "That's great! I bet you must be happy. Ooh, but wait, would you still be able to…?"

Ryuji let out a mirthless chuckle, tapping his foot against the floor. "It's been getting better since I got Captain, but my leg's still busted. I don't think I'll be able to run like I used to anytime soon." He then looked to the side, eyes downcast. "sides, I'd probably just get in the way. Nakaoka and the guys can handle it." Akira and Ann shared a look. It was clear that Ryuji still felt guilty. He felt responsible for track being shut down, even though it was Kamoshida's fault. "But, enough about that. What's got you so excited?"

"Shiho's finally coming around." Ann told him the good news, making him grin. "I'm thinking of visiting her tomorrow and tell her the good news."

"That's awesome! You want us to come along when you go?"

"That would be great."

The bell began to ring, signaling the end of break. "And there's the bell." Morgana groaned. "Back into that cramped desk I go. Try not to doze off this time, Akira."

"Sure thing, mom." Akira rolled his eyes. Ann and Ryuji laughed at his expense before the three of them went their separate ways.

TakeYourTime

After school had wrapped up, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts convened as per Ryuji's request. The four of them had gathered at Big Bang Burger and had ordered some food. Unlike before, Akira had gone with a lighter meal. The others were still amazed by his ridiculously large gut, seeing as how he was able to devour a three-foot tall burger by himself.

"Okay, so what did you want to talk about, Ryuji?" Makoto asked. "Does this have to do with Yamauchi?"

He shook his head and waved his hands. "No no, nothing like that. I'm actually thinking about how we could use that gold medal we got from the Palace." The others stared at him curiously. "Well, I looked it up online, and gold medals usually go for 30,000 yen or so. I was thinking, maybe, we can sell it and have a celebration."

"A celebration?" Ann asked. "You mean, like, for taking down Kamoshida?"

"Yeah! I mean, come on. We finally got rid of the biggest asshole on the planet. Not to mention let everyone know we were the ones who put him behind bars. I think we deserve to dine like heroes, or some stupid crap like that."

Makoto hummed thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "You know… That doesn't sound like a bad idea." she said with a thin smile. "If I recall, Hotel Milton is holding a discounted all-you-can-eat buffet sometime in Golden Week. Perhaps we can have our celebration then?"

"Golden Week, huh?" Akira mused. "That could work."

"Makes sense." Ryuji nodded. "Though I guess we should hold off on selling the medal until Golden Week rolls around then, huh?"

Morgana nodded. "That would be a smart move, especially since the police are still investigating Kamoshida. Speaking of which..." He glanced at the small television set sitting in the upper corner of the room, providing entertainment for the customers. "Looks like he's on the news, along with Shujin. I hope with this, the victims can get some peace of mind."

"I hope so, too." Ann nodded strongly in agreement with the not-cat creature. "He's hurt way too many people. I actually still hear some people trying to defend Kamoshida, but I think it's mostly just people who were in his corner than anything else."

While it was true that the Phantom Thieves' actions had exposed Suguru Kamoshida for the corrupt adult he was, that did not mean that there was immediate positive results. The majority of the students were shocked and disgusted by his reveal and were happy to see him get carted off in handcuffs. Others believed that someone had blackmailed Kamoshida and he was forced to lie, lest some horrible secret come out and ruin him worse than what the confession had done. As Akira and Makoto had learned based on the whispers they heard in the halls, these people were also those who benefited from Kamoshida's actions.

It was disheartening to learn that, despite what the frizzy-haired teen had thought, Kamoshida's words were not nonsense or trying to justify his actions. There were people like him in Shujin, people who's hearts were also twisted.

"For real…?" Ryuji frowned. He shook his head, unable to comprehend why anyone would want to defend that man's actions considering all that he had done before he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, whatever. Let's ignore that shit. Golden Week is coming up pretty soon, so...here's hoping things go well?"

TakeYourTime

Rather than return to the Niijima household, Akira had decided to work at Leblanc. It was a slow day, with only a few customers coming every now and then. Sojiro was still as strict as ever, but no less encouraging as when he first met. While he had yet to learn how to make a decent plate of curry, he was making progress in his coffee making skills.

It was also on that day that Akira had made an acquaintence with a very odd, and very dangerous woman. The same woman he met when he first arrived at Cafe Leblanc looking for work.

It must have been getting close to evening, and was ready to call it in for the day as he prepared the next cup of coffee, a decaff for an office worker who ordered it and a plate of curry while complaining to his companion. He had just finished putting the coffee on the saucer and delivering it to the customer and was about to return behind the counter when he saw the blue-haired woman looking at him intensely, eyes roaming his slender physique.

Talk about creepy. Akira thought, a little disturbed. He wondered briefly if she was like Kamoshida and was into younger people, but banished the thought and went back to work.

"Doc, as much as I'm sure Kurusu enjoys a beautiful woman such as yourself looking at him, mind toning it down a notch?" Sojiro came to his rescue, sounding a little exasperated.

The woman chuckled wryly. "Sorry, Boss. I was just thinking about getting some part-time help myself. I would try and put up an ad for it, but I'm afraid with my reputation, I don't think that will be happening anytime soon."

"Oh? Why's that? Last I checked, you ran a legitimate business."

"I do, but my last employer and I had something of an argument." The woman replied coolly before she turned to Akira. "Say, boyo. How do you feel about running clinical trials? I'd be happy to pay you for your services, of course."

Akira raised a brow and considered her offer. He was doing pretty good on cash, making sure to keep his spending to within a certain minimum, but he supposed more money couldn't hurt. He was a little suspicious about the whole thing, though.

"Why are you asking me?"

The woman shrugged. "A few reasons. I get better results with a teenager around your height and build. Whether or not you're up for it is up to you."

"Any side effects?"

"Whoa, hey now." Sojiro patted his shoulder. "Save that for when you aren't on the clock."

TakeYourTime

Sometime later, after Akira was allowed to pack up for the day and received his paycheck, he decided to take the goth woman's offer up. A little more pocket change could never hurt. His only concern was the nature behind the trials.

I really hope I'm not going to get some kind of weird disease from this…

Finding the woman's clinic wasn't hard. It seemed as though she was well-known, if perhaps with wariness. The officer that patrolled Yongen-Jaya seemed pretty suspicious and worried about why he was asking where he could find her clinic, more so when he told the doctor that he agreed to do a clinical trial.

He stepped inside the office, greeted with the smell of pine oaks. The walls were plain, decorated with only a few posters with slogans and metaphors relating to health. A small potted plant sat atop the check-in desk, the goth woman sitting behind it. She didn't notice him yet, more absorbed in her laptop. He couldn't see what it was that she was working on, but her fingers were typing away at it furiously.

Akira walked up to the front desk, lightly knocking on the wood. The woman looked up. "Oh, you're here. Decided to take me up on the offer?" Akira nodded. "Alright, give me a moment to finish up. Wait in the exam room for a few minutes, will you?"

The frizzy-haired teen did as he was told and stepped into the exam room. The door shut behind him with a 'click.' The room itself wasn't very big, having two or three beds covered in white sheets and pillows for patients to rest on. Thin green curtains sat in between beds to shield the patients for when they wanted privacy. On the left side was a bright screen with several x-rays, some showing ribs and arms and legs, but the rest strangely belonged to what looked like fish.

It was probably a good thing Morgana was wandering around Yongen while he was taking part in the medical trial. For someone who claimed they weren't a cat, he really seemed to love fish.

Akira did not have to wait for very long for the woman to arrive. "Sorry for the wait," she apologized. He dismissed the apology and told her it was alright. She nodded and thanked him for the patience and took a seat across from him. As she sat down, Akira took notice of her name tag.

Tae Takemi…

Well, at least he knew her name now.

"Before we start, there's some things I'd like to know." Takemi began. "Height, weight, blood type, etc. Those sorts of things before we start. As well as any allergies or bouts of sickness from when you were younger that you can remember."

From there, Takemi questioned him about various things. How tall he was, how much he weighed and what his blood type was were the easier questions. He didn't have any specific allergies and could only remember two or three times he became sick. All minor cases of the flu that were easily solved with medicine and a few good nights of sleep. There were other questions, such as what kinds of medicine he took and if he had any adverse reactions to them, though he assumed this was to gauge his reaction to when they began the trials.

Once he was done filling out the sheet, he handed the clipboard back to Takemi. She looked it over for a few minutes before nodding to herself, setting the clipboard aside. "Everything looks in order." She stood up and walked to the far back of the room, opening the cabinet containing various liquids and jars and taking one of the bottles out before handing it to Akira. "This is what you will be taking."

The second Akira took a quick sniff, he regretted it. He pulled the bottle away, feeling as though his nostrils had been set on fire. He also took notice of how the liquid inside the bottle seemed to churn with little movement on his part, as though it were alive.

"…this is safe, right?"

Takemi smirked. "You're just now asking that?" At his flat stare, she laughed. "Relax, we're well into the stage where it's safe to test on humans. Admittedly, though, this is skirting a bit on what's legally allowed. You should be fine, though."

Should be?!

Akira debated whether or not this was worth the risk before he decided to just say, 'fuck it.' He already went this far. And besides, how could this possibly be any worse than fighting Shadows? Bracing his tongue for the inevitable horrible taste awaiting him, he pinched his nose, brought the bottle to his lips and pulled his head back, gulping the bottle down in seconds.

"H-hey…!"

The moment the liquid entered his mouth, he almost spat it out. Every single piece of skin, even the ones buried underneath his teeth, was burning in pain. His tongue felt like it had just licked sandpaper a dozen times over in the span of a minute. The burn spread down into his throat and fell into his stomach, proceeding to make his organ do flips. His eyes turned watery and started spilling down his face.

He took it back. Fighting Shadows would have been preferable to this hell.

After a minute of enduring this hellish pain, Akira's mind went dark. When his brain rebooted, he found himself lying down in the bed. Takemi was scribbling something on her clipboard before noticing him. "Oh, you're awake." Akira stared at her in confusion. "Not long after you downed the whole thing, you fell unconscious. Speaking of, drinking the whole bottle in one sitting… Are you some kind of idiot?"

He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when he felt how dull his insides were. Just what little air he sucked in was enough to irritate his mouth and tongue. He wanted to vomit. Noticing his discomfort, Takemi handed him another bottle; this one had clear fluids inside and was labeled "water." Without thinking, he tore off the cop and immediately downed half the bottle in a few seconds before gasping for air.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Akira said bluntly, causing her to chuckle. "How'd I do…?"

"Flying colors, mostly. What did you feel after you drank it?"

"Like I just swallowed a hundred lemons soaked in hot sauce. My mouth and throat felt like they were on fire and my stomach was doing backflips."

"I see… Interesting reaction." Takemi noted as she jotted his experiences down. "This should be some good data. You've been of great help, kiddo." Akira grumbled under his breath and pushed himself off the bed. "I'll give Boss your payment for helping me out."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is this for?"

"Hm? Oh, it's a testing drug." Takemi replied. "Like I said, it's already at the point where it can be safely tested on humans, but this is what's called the early test phases, so to speak. You've really been of great help." A curious glint entered her eyes as she looked at Akira up and down as if sizing him up. "Would you be interested in continuing these medical trials?"

Akira paled at the thought. After having tasted what must have been liquid hell, he would sooner go to Juvenile Hall than undergo this again.

"You don't have to give me an immediate answer," Takemi continued. "Just think it over. I'd be willing to sweeten the deal instead of just simply paying you."

"…I'll think about it."

Like hell I will.

TakeYourTime

Kamoshida sighed as he sat in a painfully uncomfortable chair after led onto the interrogation room. Ever since he confessed his crimes and turned himself over to the police, the police occasionally took him here and discussed the details behind his crimes. They wanted as much detail as possible, including the names of the students who he personally ruined.

Each time they finished their sessions, he felt so exhausted. All he wanted to do was rest and let things run their course. He was taking his first step towards making amends for his crimes against the students, now all that was left was for things to run their course. With all the information and evidence stacking up against him, it was only a matter of time before he would eventually be sentenced to life imprisonment, if that.

No matter what the court decided, he'd accept whatever punishment they chose for him.

Yet, he couldn't understand why the police brought him back here. The people in charge of his case told him that they already finished their investigation, so there shouldn't be any more need for him. By now, there was only the matter of when he would stand before the court.

As he waited and pondered, the door opened. To Kamoshida's surprise, it wasn't a police officer or even a detective. Instead, it was a young student with brown hair and red eyes carrying a briefcase.

"Suguru Kamoshida, I presume?" the young man asked. Kamoshida nodded. "My name is Goro Akechi. I want to ask you a few questions?"

"Why?" Kamoshida asked. "I already told the police everything."

"You did." The young man pulled the chair opposite to the criminal away and sat on it before setting his briefcase down on the table. It was popped open with a few 'clicks.' Inside was a computer, several sheets of paper, documents, folders and a fountain pen. "You told the police, time and time again, about your actions at Shujin Academy. Of the students you abused, tormented and ruined." The sex offender winced at the brutal yet deserving remarks thrown his way. "And I want you to repeat what you told the police to me, again and again and again. As many times as needed."

He pulled out a plastic bag and set in on the table. Inside was a bright red card with a crudely drawn logo of a top hat bearing eyes and sharp teeth set into a grin.

"Tell me, what do you know about these so-called Phantom Thieves of Hearts?"

TO BE CONTINUED…?


Confidants

Tae Takemi – DEATH:
A shady back-alley doctor in Yongen-Jaya who offered Akira a part-time job in testing an experimental drug. Appears to have a bad reputation and is known by some as "the Plague." She often frequents Café Leblanc.


A/N: There were several reasons why this chapter took so long. I was burned out, couldn't muster the motivation to write, depression, sickness, the fucking corona virus, but mostly because I had to re-evaluate the direction I was taking this.

When events began playing out like how they did in canon, despite the obvious change such as Makoto joining the Phantom Thieves early on, people started bitching about how the story wasn't changing enough. I promised there would be changes.

This was in spite of the fact that this story is written as being a "novelization" of Persona 5.

I may take creative liberties here and there, make small changes to a character and whatnot, but for the most part, I do not want to change the overall plan and direction of the story. Realizing this was a major reason why the chapter took so damned long.

Regarding my inclusion of Takuto Maruki, I have ultimately decided not to include any events that transpire in this story. That will instead be saved for a later installment…which probably won't see the light of day until Persona 5 Scramble is released here in the states.

Quick note that I will be going on hiatus for the foreseeable future, on account of me focusing on personal life and video games. Namely, Doom Eternal, Persona 5 Royal, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. I should also mention that another, more titanic story is currently in the works. Well, make that two or three. However, two of those three will not be published anytime soon.

I don't want a repeat of bloating my story count and leave a lot of them to collect dust.

That's it for now. Friendly reminder that Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to has a TV Tropes page, so please check it out and maybe add to it if you can?

See You.