"Oh, our grades are out."
"How'd you go?"
"Damn… I'm dead…"
Akira overheard the conversations floating around the schools come Wednesday morning as he and Sumire entered the Academy. "Huh… guess the results are out…" he murmured. It didn't seem like he'd murmured quiet enough as Sumire had been able to hear him.
"How do you think you did?" she asked quietly, peering over the gaggle of students blocking the noticeboard. She moved slightly closer as she looked for her own score and Akira's, her face lighting up as she found them.
"Senpai, you're first in your class!" Sumire said overjoyed for Akira who rose a brow and looked. It turned out he was. His eyes roamed over the piece of paper, his own falling on Sumire's score.
"You did well yourself," Akira praised as he noticed Sumire's grade, fourth in her class. A hand drifted atop Sumire's head and gave her a congratulatory pat.
"I-It was nothing…" Sumire stammered beneath his roaming hand, flustered no matter how many times he did so.
"You did well Kurusu-san…" a voice piped up from behind the two, surprising Sumire who eeped beneath his hand. Akira ignored Cybele as he turned calmly, grey eyes meeting piercing wine-red.
COLD
"However, you didn't only come first within Class 2-B, but also the entirety of the second-year cohort. A commendable achievement," Makoto Niijima commended graciously.
"Thank you, Niijima-senpai. It's not every day a student draws the attention of the student council president," Akira inclined his courteously head at her.
"No, and not twice in a row either," the third-year nodded before turning to Sumire. "My apologies Yoshizawa-san, but I'm afraid I'll need to borrow Kurusu-san for the time being."
Sumire looked at her before turning to Akira, her brow furrowed in confusion and the slightest amount of worry. Akira crossed his arms and cocked to the side, looking at Makoto contemplatively.
"I'm sorry Niijima-senpai, but as I told you yesterday, I don't have any information for you regarding the Phantom Thieves," he sighed, recalling how the day prior the student council president had tried to ask him if he'd've had any possible leads on the Phantom Thieves due to his status as being an indirect victim of Kamoshida.
Makoto shook her head with a disarming smile. "Oh, what I wish to discuss doesn't have anything to do with my current project regarding the Phantom Thieves," Makoto said. "I actually wish to discuss certain prospects available to you as the highest-scoring achiever of the second-year students. Of course, Miss Kawakami has already been notified since what I wish to discuss will take a while. As such, you've been excused from first-period."
Akira rose a brow.
He didn't recall this ever happening when he'd come first before. Eventually, he acquiesced since it seemed Kawakami was at least in the know. It didn't hurt that he was slightly curious at this divergence.
He turned to Sumire. "I guess this is where we part ways for now, take care yeah?" he said disarmingly as possible, noticing the slight apprehension on her features, a hand ruffling through her hair and easing her tension.
"I'll see you later than, Akira-senpai," Sumire nodded quietly before turning to Makoto. "Niijima-senpai," she said politely as she inclined by the wait and gave the student council president a respectful bow before heading off to class.
If Makoto had noticed anything about Akira's and Sumire's interaction, she didn't say anything on the matter. If anything, she extended her hand down the hallway to lead him elsewhere.
"Shall we?"
Akira nodded.
Makoto led him through the halls of Shujin Academy and up the stairs twice, through the hallways once more and to the student council room. "I don't recall doing anything that would warrant a visit here," Akira uttered as he finally came to the conclusion of where she was bringing him.
The short bob-cut student president simply gave him another disarming smile as she opened the door and bade Akira enter, herself following suit after he did. "As I said earlier, I wish to discuss certain prospects available to you," Makoto said as she took a seat on a chair behind an otherwise regular table and offering the other to Akira to which he quickly accepted.
"I'd like to begin once more by congratulating you on your achievement of coming first in your cohort," Makoto complimented lightly, "It takes a large amount of dedication to create such a gap between yourself and second place."
Akira looked at her in confusion, Makoto adopting a similar look as she noticed the expression on his face.
"You didn't see?" Makoto probed curiously.
"No…"
"Ah…" Makoto let out as she paused for a moment before speaking, "The divide between yourself was… quite significant to say the least. Kurusu-san, you came in first with a perfect score of one-hundred."
Akira just looked at her to continue.
Makoto let out a slightly aggrieved sigh. "The second-place holder of your grade achieved a grade of ninety-one."
"Excuse me for stating the obvious Niijima-senpai, but that divide doesn't seem all that significant at all," Akira stated confused as to where she could be leading this.
Makoto shook her head. "On the contrary, out of one-hundred and twenty-five students, and a single student achieves a perfect score, that divide becomes extremely noticeable Kurusu-san," she said closing her eyes before opening them. "This, of course, is if we don't take into consideration your transfer examination. Do you recall what score you achieved?" she asked, hands clasped on the table in front of her.
Akira rose a brow, still more than confused at where this was going. "A perfect score?" he answered earning him a nod from the brown-haired third-year.
"Indeed. Twice now, you've achieved a perfect one-hundred in both examinations you've taken. Can you see where I'm going with this Kurusu-san?" Makoto asked rhetorically. Even though he knew it was a rhetorical question, Akira nonetheless answered, because honestly; he didn't.
"I can't say I do."
Makoto allowed a sigh to escape her lips as she stared Akira down. "Your grades have been brought to the attention of myself, the school staff, and Principal Kobayakawa. Normally, it would be highly irregular for a student to consistently achieve such high scores," Makoto explained.
"Something… tells me that isn't the case here," Akira stated the obvious considering that Makoto didn't seem all that aggrieved. if she'd actually caught a student cheating blatantly.
"No, it isn't," Makoto shook her head. "Principal Kobayakawa was quick to dismiss any notions of cheating regarding you due to your stellar transfer scripts and recommendations."
"If that's the case, why are we having this discussion?" Akira couldn't help but ask.
Makoto rose a brow and gave him a slightly icy glare at his interruption. "If you'd allow me to finish…" she trailed off, looking at him to see if he'd cut-in again. When he didn't, she continued.
"As I said, your perfect scores were brought to the attention of myself, the staff, and Principal Kobayakawa. I've actually taken a look at your transfer records, you've done quite a lot at your previous school, haven't you, Kurusu-san?" she asked.
"Uh…" Akira let out unintelligibly, all too lost since he'd never actually bothered to actually ask Tsuda about what he'd placed on the records he gave.
"It was because of the actions that you took in regards to…" Makoto's expression became slightly conflicted as she paused, "…the incident with Suzui-san in addition to your academic excellence that Principal Kobayakawa recommended for me to offer you a position on the Student Council as the representative for the second-years."
'…What?' Akira's brain short-circuited. 'Tsuda, what the fuck did you put on my transfer records?'
"That was what I wish to discuss with you," Makoto concluded her explanation as she looked at Akira. "Kurusu-san. Will you accept the position offered to you to join the Student Council?"
Akira pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation as he allowed his back to rest against the cool cold stone behind him, his right foot propped up on the ledge in front of him where he sat as he overlooked the stunning courtyard below.
"Odin."
He'd whispered but the Ultimate Persona of the Emperor Arcana answered the call, materialising silently and suddenly, standing behind him on the rooftop imposingly. He'd have called upon Ongyo-Ki just as he'd done within Kamoshida's Palace, but this was Madarame's and this particular Persona had been insistent about being called upon.
Being a persona of the Emperor's Arcana, much less the Ultimate Persona meant that there was an intrinsic connection between them and Akira's actions regarding Yusuke. Similar to how Ishtar and the Lovers Arcana had been insistent and impulsive when it came to Shiho and Ann, Odin and the Emperors were the equivalents for Madarame and Yusuke.
Unfortunately, in Kamoshida's Palace, Ishtar's capabilities didn't extend that well to navigation as such he'd necessitated using Ongyo-Ki. Odin was a different case.
Odin, meaning 'The Furious', was the chief god of the Norse mythology. Associated with not only wisdom, war, battle, and death; he was also associated with magic, poetry, prophecy, victory and the hunt.
In certain aspects of Norse mythology, he'd bartered his left eye in order to drink from the well of Mimir and gain its knowledge, this beside the fact that he'd hung himself from the branches of Yggdrasil in order to gain even greater wisdom atop that which he'd already garnered
A lesser-known aspect of Odin was that he was also known as the Raven God, due to his connection to the pair of ravens Huginn and Muninn. A pair of ravens who would bring information to him from all over the world to compensate for the lost-sight he'd received from bartering his left-eye for knowledge
They were the reason Akira was fine with Odin joining him.
Setting aside the legendary spear, Gungnir, Odin reached beneath his leather eyepatch. A pink-skin hand grasped and with a loud squelch tore free the orb from within its eye-socket unflinchingly. Odin looked at Akira for a moment before nodding, acquiescing to the silent request from its master.
Extending his hand and allowing his eye to rest upon his palm open for a moment, he held it aloft. With a violent motion, the eye was crushed and disappeared in black specks, spreading from both sides of his clasped hand and forming into the twin ravens.
Huginn, Old Norse for "thought" and Muninn, Old Norse for "mind".
The two ravens flapped their black wings, looking into the single eye of its master before flying off.
From atop his view of the courtyard, Akira closed his eyes and allowed his mind to sink into the consciousness of the twin ravens, an eye for each raven as they scoured the depths of Madarame's Palace for the Phantom Thieves, or more accurately Rem and Ryuji.
It had been two days since Makoto had offered him a position on the Student Council to which he'd stupidly accepted. It had also been a day since the Phantom Thieves had infiltrated the length of the Palace and arrived at the gilded doors that represented a barrier in Madarame's cognition that needed to be overcome.
If he'd remembered correctly, this meant that Morgana and Ann would be joining Yusuke today in order to remove the barrier in the real world in front of Madarame while Rem and Ryuji would stay on this side of the metaverse in order to keep the barrier open by gaining access to the control room.
Unfortunately, this meant that for Akira to watch it all play out he had to sit upon the rooftops of the building, which was never checked by Shadows and camp-out here for the afternoon. Even more so unfortunate was that Odin wasn't exactly the chattiest of his Personas.
Most unfortunate of all was that there was a certain Persona that really wanted to talk/think/stare at him right now.
"Will you stop that?" Akira swatted the ancient Phrygian Mother of Gods on the nose, causing her to giggle as she floated lightly into the air. Odin stood there quietly and imperiously, ignoring the actions of the Ultimate Persona of the High Priestess Arcana.
Cybele had been near overjoyed that Akira had accepted the position on the Student Council as it meant that he'd constantly be in close quarters with Makoto, the contractor of the High Priestess.
"I can't believe I accepted that…" Akira glared balefully at what amounted to another facet of himself. "Do you even understand how much trouble you're creating?" he growled lightly.
Cybele was also the one that had quite literally manhandled him into accepting the offer. Her and the High Priestess Arcana forcing him to accept over the threat of intense and blindingly-painful migraines. That was how Akira found himself to be the Second-Year representative of the Student Council.
Cybele giggled in his mind, floating languidly in the air as Akira grumbled to himself because he couldn't even control himself.
Wow, that's a weird sentence to think of.
"Tch…" Akira clicked his tongue but was forced to change his focus as Muninn came across something.
Ryuji.
Alone.
Cybele disappeared as Akira's eyes narrowed, full focus now being paid on Muninn as it watched Ryuji journey to the courtyard by himself. Relinquishing his connection to Muninn, Akira leaned over the ledge to peer down into the courtyard, beholding to the single member of the Phantom Thieves waiting expectantly in front of the cognitive barrier.
"Where the hell is Rem?" Akira muttered to himself as he connected his consciousness to both Huginn and Munnin simultaneously as they scoured the Palace in search of the Trickster. Deep within himself, he could feel as Chi You became restless at the lack of the Trickster, Akira feeling the same as he dismissed both ravens.
A light shone beneath Odin's eye-patch as the two reformed into his left-eye.
Akira stared contemplatively.
"Ongyo-Ki."
The black oni that was controlled by Fujiwara no Chikata appeared, barely taking a moment to bow respectfully to Akira before it bounded off six-blocks east, natural ease of movement and superhuman physical capabilities allowing it to make its way to its destination. It also helped the Akira didn't live all too far away from Madarame's shack.
Akira sat back down, his right leg propped up against the ledge as a long black case was plopped down beside him with a muted thud, Ongyo-Ki returning to the Sea of Souls with its duty as a transported completed. With a flick of his thumb, Akira absentmindedly began to assemble the model sniper-rifle as he watched Ryuji carefully.
Within moments, the bolt-action Blaser R93 Tactical model rifle was fully assembled in his lap before he propped it up, the bipod beneath the barrel resting on the concrete ledge where his foot was while the stock was resting against his shoulder.
Closing his right eye, he placed his left against the scope, adjusting it as he looked at the cognitive block.
Ryuji wouldn't be able to defeat the Nue that inevitably came out. Hell, both he and Ryuji had barely been able to beat it together.
Guess there was a reason for everything.
Akira's closed right-eye connect with Odin's, his vision overlapping with two different perspectives. One gazing at the cognitive barrier through the scope while the other looked through the eye of a god famed for wielding Gungnir, 'the spear that never misses.'.
Akira took a deep calming breath as he settled his heartbeat with only one thought flowing through his mind before it inevitably disappeared.
'Where the hell is Rem?'
Rem twitched violently as she and Ann stood in the centre of Yusuke's room, the two standing awkwardly in front of the blue-haired teen who was turned around preparing his art supplies for Madarame's next great masterpiece.
Of them.
Nude.
Rem twitched violently once more when Yusuke opened his mouth to speak, utter joy lacing his words. "To think that you'd both truly come… I'd assumed you were lying when you contacted me, but to think I'd be bearing witness to such a momentous occasion in my life!" Yusuke spoke overjoyed, but the joy turned into confusion as he looked at Rem and Ann.
"Yeah…. momentous alright…" Rem murmured lowly, her eye twitching while Ann laid a placating hand on her shoulder.
"We're doing this to change Madarame's cognition remember? We need to do this…" Ann hissed before grimacing at the reality of the situation they were in, "…even if I don't want to do this."
"I'm afraid I do feel the need to let you know that Sensei will be returning within the half-hour. So, um… I'm sorry if that causes some anxiety on the both of you," Yusuke apologised hesitantly.
"That's the only reason why we're here…" Rem whispered beneath her breath, shaking in mortification and anxiousness in equal measure.
"Oh, did you say something?" Yusuke asked, barely able to hear the slight noise that Rem produced as she groused to herself and look over at the two girls.
"No, it was nothing!" Ann yelped before sending a warning glare at Rem who grumbled but nonetheless quietened down before she gave them away.
"By the way…" Yusuke began as he cast a roaming eye over the two of them, "…have the both of you gained some weight since the last modelling session?"
Ann shook her head frantically while Rem simply gave a brittle plastic smile. "Not. At. All." Rem forced out through gritted teeth, unable to compute the fact that Yusuke couldn't seem to see or chose to ignore that the both of them were bundled under thirty layers of clothes and were essentially sweltering beneath them.
"I'm the same weight as always… maybe I'm bloated today?" Ann offered, a strained smile on her face as the two of them stood there under multiple layers of clothes, sweating from the sheer amount of body heat they were exuding.
If Yusuke noticed or thought anything strange of it, he didn't say anything. Instead, he chose to begin their modelling session. "Very well then… are you both ready to begin?" Yusuke asked as he placed his painting supplies before his eased and looked at the two, a look of slight apprehension apparent on his face. "Would you both be okay with, um… getting ready in here?" he asked hesitantly.
"We… need to take our clothes off, right?" Ann broached tentatively, less than excited at the prospect of what was about to come.
"Yes, please…" Yusuke turned away.
"We'd. Love. To." Rem ground out tightly.
"Would you be okay with turning around, Kitagawa-kin? I don't think Rem's comfortable with you looking an… I'm a bit embarrassed myself," Ann pleaded, desperately hoping Rem wouldn't just snap and knock Yusuke unconscious again.
Yusuke obliged and turned around.
A singlet went flying his way, flopping across the paint-stained floor with a muted thump causing Yusuke to close his eyes in order to stop his thoughts from swaying into dangerous territory.
The sound of another piece of discarded clothing caused him to open his eyes for a second.
A skirt lay motionless on his floor. Soon, more and more pieces of clothing began to hit the floor prompting him to squeeze his eyes shut, partially out of respect for the women behind him while another part was out of fear of feminine wrath as one of the said women had proven more than capable of knocking him out with a single straight punch.
"No… I'm doing this for the sake of art!" Yusuke murmured to himself, but his words were more than capable of reaching both Ann and Rem who paused for a moment in their undressing.
"Don't look over here, okay?" Ann chirped, reminding him more than anything.
"Try it," Rem invited, but the tone in her voice was near scathing despite the tempting invitation which Yusuke was wise to decline.
More muted thumps and thuds as more and more articles of clothing were discarded onto the thing wooden flooring. "Um… your sensei's coming back soon, right?" Ann asked innocently.
"I believe so…" Yusuke muttered unsurely, still listening to clothing being discarded.
"Do you think we could do this somewhere else then? A little more atmosphere would be lovely…" Ann asked curiously.
Rem froze as she was pulling off the final article of clothing aside from her normal school uniform, her head swivelling mechanically to looked at Ann with a horrified expression. Ann winced as she noticed Rem's face, but elected to ignore it.
Yusuke shook his head in denial, eyes still clenched shut. "This room should provide more than sufficient for the requirements of this painting," Yusuke declined.
"But wouldn't a room with a lock be a bit better?" Ann asked hesitantly, Rem staring at her as if she couldn't have been any more obvious.
"A… lock?" Yusuke uttered to himself confused.
"We don't exactly want anyone to walk in on us… nude…" Rem managed to say between grit teeth. Even though this was for the sake of stealing Madarame's treasure, it didn't change the fact that the prospects being this was less than ideal.
"I'm sure you can understand, right?" Ann simpered.
"But… the only room with a lock is Sensei's room…" Yusuke rebutted.
"Then why not there?" Rem asked with a raised brow, knowing that this was most likely the room that Morgana was currently lock-picking.
"I can't intrude…" he shook his head, "Besides, I don't have the key to open it…"
Rem was glad she had the forethought to send Mona on ahead to unlock the door while the two of them distracted him.
"Takamaki-san… Amamiya-san… are both of you ready, yet?" Yusuke finally built up the courage to ask as he turned around to look at two, opening his eyes.
Baleful red bore into him while cerulean blue tittered nervously as the two stood amidst two small mounds of clothes. "The two of you were wearing all this?" he uttered out astounded as to what he was seeing.
"W-Well, it is a bit cold today after all," Ann explained quickly, Rem backing her up by simply crossing her arms beneath her breasts and stared at Yusuke unflinchingly.
"I suppose…" Yusuke muttered as he took a quick glance outside the thin rice-paper windows that allowed the rays of the setting sun to illuminate the room. "The sun is starting to set…" he murmured to himself contemplatively.
"Riiight?" Ann drew out unconvincingly, or at least to Rem it was unconvincing as she gave her blonde friend a disbelieving look at the fact that Yusuke seemed to be buying this. "That's why a change of location would be nice…" Ann continued with a forced smile on her face, "I mean, we are gonna take it all off, after all."
Rem's face immediately turned brittle once more at that quaint little reminder.
"That is true…" Yusuke agreed, noting Ann's forced smile and Rem's twitching brow. "Perhaps it might make for a better picture if I can brighten my models' mood…" he murmured with quiet contemplation.
Ann was quick to jump on his mutterings. "Uh-huh! That's right!" she said as she pumped an arm in agreement.
It seemed, however, that may have been the wrong thing to say as it only caused Yusuke to delve deeper into his eccentric desires. "They may even be willing to try out various expressive posed for use in a dynamic composition…" his finger tapped his chin, a growing smile of excitement appearing on his face.
"What… kind of poses…?" Rem ground out, her brittle smile gaining a dangerous edge as Ann and Rem listened to his internal monologue.
"This isn't getting anywhere. If we keep this up we won't be able to open Madarame's cognition…" Ann murmured to Rem despairingly. "I have an idea…" was all Ann said before she simply walked out of Yusuke's room without so much as a word.
Rem and Yusuke stared at Ann in surprise, the blond-haired girl just up and leaving.
"Wait, where are you going?! If you wander around, Sensei will…!" Yusuke yelped after Ann. Rem quickly cottoned on to what Ann was doing and chased after her.
"Amamiya-san! Takamaki-san!" Yusuke called out after the two women who were now wandering around the atelier.
Rem and Ann quickly found Mona who'd already finished unlocking the door.
"Please, I keep telling you that you cannot wander around!" Yusuke said hurriedly as he chased after that two women. "Sensei will be back any minute-!" Yusuke pleaded with the two but was cut off as the front door slid open.
"I'm home!" Madarame's voice cut through the house, Yusuke whirling around in shock while Ann and Rem perked up.
"S-Sensei!?"
"Yusuke?" Madarame asked as his footsteps echoed through the hall.
Morgana slid the door open, Ann quickly rushing in while Rem grabbed Yusuke by the wrist and dragged him in.
Madarame turned the corner to see the three enter.
Akira watched through the scope and through Odin as the gaudy doors that acted as the barriers to Madarame's cognition shot open, Ryuji yelping down below in surprise as the red electricity gates blocking the path powered down allowing him entrance. He watched as Ryuji quickly scrambled inside, his spot on the rooftop allowing him an excellent vantage and view for the most part to follow Ryuji's movements until at most the statue of Madarame. anything else was impossible for Akira to see unless he actually followed.
This was more than perfect for his needs.
"Odin, give me a view on Ryuji and the guard approaching," Akira ordered as the image in his closed right-eye shift slightly, the exceptional eyesight provided by the one-eyed god displaying Ryuji approaching the guard in crystal clarity.
It was impossible for them to tell what they were saying at this distance, but Akira didn't need any such things.
All he needed was an opportunity.
He watched as the red distorted bodyguard of the Palace erupted into black and red, the puddle quickly reforming into the larger size of Nue, the legendary Japanese monster with the head of a monkey, the arms and legs of a tiger, the torso of a racoon dog, and the snake of a tail.
All too soon, Ryuji, hard-headed as usual jumped into the fight, quickly casting Tarukaja immediately before sending successive lightning bolts in the form of Zionga's with Captain Kidd floating ominously behind him atop his grinning vessel.
It was unfortunate as while Zionga with Tarukaja was a more than adequate strategy when fighting, this particular Nue was at least five levels stronger than Ryuji, and that's not taking into account the fact that Nue didn't have an elemental weakness to electricity.
Chi You rumbled in discontent as Akira continued to focus on the fight, the rifle in pressed against his chest heavy as he focused. "Will you be quiet?!" Akira hissed in annoyance to himself, Chi You abruptly ceasing his rumbles but still stayed restless within the Sea of Souls like the rest of the Chariot Arcana.
Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to ignore the scene playing in his right-eye and focused on his left, his scope centred on the Nue. Factoring in basic bullet speed, lack of air resistance and bullet drop within Mementos, and the speed in which it took Ryuji to withdraw his shotgun and pull the trigger, Akira had all of an eighth of a second to focus and fire. That was discounting the fact he needed to consider the distance between Ryuji and the Nue, the bullet spread of a shotgun, and the allowance that gave Akira to fire
His left hand drifted to the sniper case, withdrawing a smaller calibre bullet, a single 7.62x51mm NATO round, one of the smaller calibres available for this particular rifle and inserted it into the receiver. In one smooth motion, the bullet was inserted and the bolt was pulled back and locked with a click signalling the bullet was ready to be fired. Smoothly once more, his left reached out and placed a single-use muzzle brake on the end of the rifle in order to reduce flash and sound.
Sound-wise it wouldn't do a lot but over the sound of fighting it would go largely unnoticed.
Akira allowed his breathing to even out in nothing, holding his breath, a feat made possible due to his already supernaturally enhanced body with the thanks of Odin. He held his breath as he watched through the lens as Ryuji continued to pelt the Nue with Zionga's and his mace, whittling down its health little by little.
"Come on Ryuji… pull out your gun," Akira murmured breathlessly as he watched the fight continue. It was obvious that Ryuji was quickly losing steam and if he didn't finish the fight soon, the cognition would soon lock him inside without any way of the others helping him.
"Pull it out!" Akira growled quietly, Chi You and the Chariots becoming restless within his Sea of Souls. It was Odin who'd noticed Ryuji's left shoulder muscles tense in a specific pattern, in almost agonising slowness it observed as Ryuji placed his left arm behind his back, his palm resting on the handle of his shotgun and beginning to draw it out.
All of the information gained at that moment was immediately seen by Akira who adjusted his sights accordingly. Odin impeccable eyesight granted him clarity and sight of the exact moment the muscle in Ryuji's finger twitched and pulled the trigger.
Akira had already fired by the time Ryuji finished pulling the trigger of his shotgun, sending six successive shotgun blasts at the Nue, directly into its face.
He allowed a sigh of relief to escape him as the Nue fell over dead in front of Ryuji, riddled with multiple bullet holes. If Ryuji looked closer he'd have been able to notice a much large bullet hole compared to the ones left by his shotgun but the Nue's body quickly erupted into black ash and fading away like every other deceased shadow leaving nary a trace of Akira's interference to be discovered.
With little care, Ryuji ventured further in.
Akira reclined against the concrete wall, the rifle dropping from his shoulder as he absentmindedly began to disassemble the model sniper rifle. The view in his right-eye returned to normal, the disparity between his own eyesight and the crystal clear of Odin's more than noticeable.
"Ongyo-Ki."
The black Oni appeared once more, this time just the slightest bit irritated at its duty of carrier but nonetheless accepted the case containing the sniper rifle and swiftly carried it back to his house. It was a part of himself after all and they all wanted the same thing.
The Chariot Arcana ceased their restlessness as Ryuji quickly came sprinting out, the doors to the second half of Madarame's Palace still open behind him as several figures came falling down from the sky.
His duty was done for the day. He allowed Odin to separate himself partially from the Sea of Souls, the one-eyed god standing impassively on the rooftop his left-eye glowing as Huginn and Muninn came to fulfil their duties as the Phantom thieves escorted Yusuke out of Madarame's Palace only to come face-to-face with the man's Shadow.
Huginn and Muninn watched as Yusuke awakened to his Persona. Odin gave the barest smile of approval before dismissing the duo, himself being dismissed soon after at Akira sat back in exhaustion, rubbing the soreness building within his mind.
It'd been a while since he'd used so many personas at once, much less multiple Ultimate personas simultaneously. At least he had a few days to rest before they sent out their calling card for Madarame.
Of course, that meant he had to keep an eye on Ueno from now till the end of the exhibition.
Akira stared at the multitudes of calling cards spread out on each individual car in front of Madrame's exhibit the following day after school.
"Of course, taking a day off would have been too freaking simple…" Akira growled to himself, a small amount of budding annoyance as he rubbed his tired eyebags.
ding-a-ling
Akira rose a brow as his phone jingled, signalling he was receiving a phone call. Picking it up he noticed that caller ID was Goro.
"What's up?" Akira asked tiredly.
"Ah, Akira," Goro greeted but he sounded tired himself. "I'm just calling to let you know that I'll be coming him late tonight, I'm afraid there's another case that's been submitted. I've been placed on an investigation regarding the new Phantom Thieves of Hearts group."
Great… such wonderful timing Akira couldn't help but think as he eyed the conspicuous cards littered around the front of Ueno, noting some police officers that were currently looking at calling cards.
"No dinner tonight then?" Akira asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.
"Haha… I'm afraid not," Goro answered, "I did end up taking some more food than usual for lunch so that should tide me over until I get home."
Akira nodded. "I'll set aside some leftovers for you tonight then. Good luck on the case, and take care of yourself. No late nights."
He could almost feel Goro roll his eyes.
"Hey, I felt that," Akira joked.
"Yes, mother…" Goro let out a fond if slightly aggrieved sigh. "I'll be back by midnight then, no need to stay up. See you later Akira," Goro said before ending the call.
Akira stared at his phone for a moment, before slowly pocketing it. He looked over at the numerous calling cards.
"Thanks, asshats," Akira grumbled as he began to walk away, his mind already working overdrive to get ready for the theft of Madarame's Treasure.