A Royal head start
Before we begin I just want to say, this is NOT yet planned to be a full story; I've been having this idea running around in my head almost since I finished Persona 5 Royal last year and now that I finished Persona 5 Strikers recently, it sort of got at the front of my mind to the point I HAD to write it if only to get it out there.
I do plan to make this a full story eventually but it will still be a while.
With that said, this is the premise: what if Akira got sent to Tokyo a whole YEAR before the start of Persona 5 Royal?
This will have major spoilers for Persona 5 Royal so consider yourselves warned.
Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 5 or any of the characters.
Kurusu Akira sighed, moving some of the unruly mass of black that is his hair back from his forehead as he finished packing, wearing a simple green t-shirt and black pants.
'Two years… I can't believe this.' The teen sighed again, remembering the events that led to him having to pack his stuff.
He had stayed late at Volleyball practice with some friends and was going back home when he heard two people arguing, they were in the way to his house so he naturally walked that way and saw a man trying to force a woman into a car, considering the way he was slurring his words and weaving left and right, it was safe to say that he was drunk.
The man had said something about 'idiots just have to follow in the way he steers the country', he honestly didn't pay much attention, when the woman saw him and called for help; Akira didn't think twice before grabbing the man and moving him away.
In his drunken state, the man tripped and hit his head with the ground, then said that he will sue him.
Although certainly surprised, Akira trusted that the woman would explain that he fell on his own and the teen was just trying to help her.
So when the man threatened her with something and told the police that he had attacked him… saying that it was a shock would be an understatement.
In the end, he was charged and convicted for assault, the man not even bothering to show up to the trial, and put on probation.
'What was that saying again? 'No good deed goes unpunished' or something like that?' Letting out a third sigh, he let his body fall on his bed to rest.
He didn't even get to close his eyes before someone knocked on his door.
"It's open."
"Hey, kid." His father, Kurusu Eiji, said as he entered. "…I see you're finished packing." They looked a lot alike, calling him a 'grown up Akira' would be quite accurate, only real difference is that while Akira's hair was curly his father wore it short and his was a dark brown instead of black.
"Yeah…"
"Your mom made your favorite for dinner."
"I'm not really hungry…" Akira trailed off.
"…please?" His dad pleaded.
Taking a deep breath, Akira smiled a bit before nodding.
"Alright." He got up and followed his dad to the dinner table where three plates where served.
His mother, Kurusu Kie, was serving the food and smiled at him when he sat down.
She has long black hair tied on a braid that falls to her back and grey eyes.
"Hey… are you finished packing?" She asked tentatively.
"Just finished." He nodded, holding back another sigh, as he sat down. "Thanks for the food."
The three began to eat in silence, Akira keeping his eyes on his food and avoiding his parents' gaze.
"Akira." His mother called out. "…I'm sorry, I wanted to try to cheer you up but I don't know what to say."
"There is not much we can say." Eiji lamented with a sigh. "I can't believe they convicted you just like that… the bastard didn't even bother to show up to the trial." He growled.
Despite the topic, Akira couldn't help but smile.
When he was taken by the police and his parents came to get him, he was honestly expecting a scolding.
What he got instead was the question 'what happened?' so, after telling them the whole story, his parents simply hugged him.
'That guy's a bastard; don't worry, we'll get through this.' They had told him at the time.
…things don't always go as planned but he is relieved to know that at least his parents believe him; almost every other person he knew before being convicted has been giving him the cold shoulder, to put it mildly.
"Akira." His mother called out.
"Yes?"
"I know this isn't any consolation… but you did the right thing, no matter what anyone else says." She said as she took her son's hand. "And no matter what, we believe you."
"She said it." Eiji got up and moved to stand beside his son, a hand landing on his shoulder. "We can't go with you to Tokyo but if you ever need to talk, then remember that we're one phone call away."
Akira froze, clenching his jaw and looking down as tears began to fall.
"It's frustrating, you know?" He said between sobs. "I try to help… and this happens… just… what…"
"We know." The two hugged him. "We know."
The next day, Akira looked out the window of the train, the unfamiliar sight of the Tokyo buildings greeting him for the first time.
"Yongen-jaya, the next station is Yongen-jaya." He heard through the speaker of the train.
'This is my stop.' He thought, placing his bag over his shoulder and wheeling his suitcase behind him as he got up and moved to the door.
As he exited the train station, Akira took out his phone to check the map app that would guide him, his eyes stopping in curiosity when he saw something that wasn't there before.
A message on his notifications.
'Remember, we're on your side -mom and dad.' The black haired teen smiled and saved the message.
'I don't need the reminder to know that… but it is nice to see it.' He thought idly as he opened the map. 'Well, let's see what these two years have for me.'
After getting a bit lost in Yongen, he finally made it to the place he was going to be staying at.
'So this is it.' Akira thought as he looked at the house, the plate in front reading 'Sakura'. 'Here goes nothing.' He rang the doorbell and waited but no one answered; after trying a second and third time, it seemed that no one was home.
"Ah, you're looking for Sakura-san?"
He turned to the direction of the voice and saw a delivery man.
"Yes, that's right."
"He is probably at his café, go back the way you came and turn left, it's right in front of the laundry machines, the name is Leblanc."
"Thank you, sir, I'll do that."
"Don't mention it."
With his new destination in mind, Akira grabbed his things and turned back towards Leblanc.
'Here it is.' Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and entered; the place looked cozy and a bit on the small side, with three booths on the wall to his left and the counter with several stools on his right, some equipment he supposed is used for coffee laying on top of it while several jars with coffee beans sat on shelves behind the counter and he caught the glimpse of a kitchen at the end.
Sitting at the counter was a middle aged man wearing a pink shirt with an apron on top, with slicked back dark hair, grey eyes, a goatee and glasses.
No one else was there at the moment.
"Excuse me." Akira called out.
"Ah, welcome… can I help you?" The man asked, noticing that he likely isn't a customer considering the bag and suitcase.
"Yes, I'm looking for Sakura Sojiro, I was told I could find him here."
"That's me." The man said. "That will make you Kurusu Akira, correct?"
"That's correct." He nodded.
"They did say that was today." Sojiro mumbled. "Well, follow me." He gestured with his hand as he walked to the back and up some stairs.
Akira followed him to the attic of the place.
"You'll be staying here." He declared.
The place was big, bigger than his room at home at least, but it was cluttered and a layer of dust seemed to cover the entire place.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"It's big." Akira answered.
"It's on you to clean the rest, I'll give you sheets for the bed, though." The older man answered. "Well, I'll leave you to get settled while I take care of business, try not to make too much noise."
"Will do." The teen nodded. 'Well, better get to work.'
…
'…not bad.'
Akira spent the rest of the day cleaning up the room to the point that it was habitable and wouldn't cause anyone with allergies to run in the opposite direction.
By the time night came, he is proud to say that he did a good job; there were some books and other junk he'll have to move from the desk and shelves he discovered as he cleaned but the place was habitable now.
"I was wondering what all the ruckus was." Sojiro's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "I didn't think you were cleaning."
"Sorry if I made too much noise, I tried to keep it to a minimum." The teen scratched the back of his head.
"Eh, no one complained so no problem." Sojiro shrugged. "I'm closing for the day so I came to let you know, and give you this." He handed him a diary. "It's to keep track of your activities and it will help when it's time for me to report to your parole officer."
The mention of that washed away any good mood he had.
"I understand."
"You'll be alone here for the night but don't do anything stupid; if I find something missing or broken then I'll kick you out." He warned with a mild glare.
"You won't have to worry about that." Akira assured him, holding back a sigh. "Good night."
"Good night."
With that, Sojiro turned around; Akira heard the chime of the bell on the door, signaling that he was alone.
'Keep track of my activities… and what would those be?' He scowled, with half a mind to just throw the thing out the window but restrained himself. 'School already started and I can't attend since no one accepted me with such short notice, or that's the excuse they give at least, the only school that said yes told me that it couldn't be done until next year and that I'd have to take an exam to see if I can enter as a second year.' Akira growled, wanting something to take out his frustration on but ended up letting out a deep sigh instead. 'Let's just get this over with.'
He sat on the bed and opened his new diary, writing a simple 'I got to Tokyo, met Sakura-san and cleaned what will be my room for the next two years' before closing it and throwing it on the floor next to his bed.
'Time to sleep.'
"Oi, kid."
"Yes?"
"I need to check something, watch the store for a while."
"Alright." Akira nodded as Sojiro left.
About two days after getting here, the teen was roped into helping out at the store; he can't say he minds, he couldn't go to school and Sojiro didn't trust him too much so he was only allowed to roam Yongen, and not that far at that, so it was a good way to keep himself busy.
After three weeks, he had fallen into a routine; wake up, get ready for the day, help at the store, look around Yongen when he gets a break, come back, help until closing time, then stay in his room studying what he'll need to know for the exam next year before going to sleep.
Akira groaned, he had already checked all the places he could go to and even if it was better than nothing, just studying was boring.
'I think I'll go insane at this rate; I hope Sakura-san let's me go a bit further eventually, at least during the weekends.' His musings were cut short when the bell chimed.
"That was fast." Akira couldn't help but say when Sojiro walked back in.
"I was just checking something." The older man shrugged as he put his apron back on and sat on the counter, opening his diary on the crossword puzzle.
"…deity of creation… seven letters." He heard him mutter.
"Is it a Japanese deity?" The teen asked absentmindedly.
"Hm? Yeah…" The older man said after a moment of surprise.
"Try 'Izanagi'."
Sojiro looked back to the crossword and checked.
"Huh, thanks, kid." He grinned.
"You're welcome." The Kurusu answered as he continued to wash dishes.
"How about this one? Japan again, Goddess of the Sun."
"Amaterasu." Akira said without missing a beat.
Sojiro checked the boxes and grinned.
"How did you know that? I didn't think you would be the type interested in deities"
"I had a teacher that was a fan of mythology and it sort of rubbed off on me." He answered, a small grin forming on his face. "I blame the way he taught the class, it was honestly fun."
"Hah, I don't think I ever heard a kid saying that classes were fun."
"Most weren't, that one was just an exception." The teen shrugged.
The conversation was cut short when a client walked in.
…
After the short conversation at the afternoon, Akira and Sojiro didn't really speak again except if it was work related, which came down to Sojiro telling him to clean a table or bring a customer their order.
It wasn't until it was near closing time that the older male addressed him again.
"Hey, kid, come here for a second."
Akira turned off the water and dried off his hands as he walked to him.
"Yes?"
"Since you don't have anything else to do, how would you feel about working here?"
"…I thought I was already doing that?" He wasn't being a smartass, it was a genuine question and Sojiro's tone didn't change so he could likely tell that.
"I mean do more than just wash dishes." He clarified. "I'll teach you how to make coffee and curry, you'll learn about the business and I'll have some more free time."
'Well… better than being bored, I guess.'
"And the ladies love a man who knows how to make a good cup of coffee." Sojiro added with a smirk when he was met with silence.
"Heh." Akira couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright Sakura-san, you have a deal." The two shook hands. "When do we start?"
A grin.
"Right now."
…
'Well… that was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.' Akira thought, laying down on his bed on his nightwear.
He just finished writing another entry in his diary and it's probably the most he has written since he got here. He didn't even realize that he had taken almost half a page writing about how Sakura-san began to teach him; he doesn't even know why he didn't just left it at 'I started to learn how to make coffee' and instead went into detail about what he was learning.
'Well, if nothing else, it will serve as notes.' With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
One week since Akira learned how to make coffee.
The two were at Leblanc, just before closing hours; his guardian said that any more customers were rare so they would be practicing.
Akira nodded and began to make the coffee, following the steps without needing to look at his notes before serving it.
Sojiro took hold of the cup of coffee and brought it to his lips, taking some time to taste it.
"…not bad." He nodded. "You still need to work on it a bit but it's at least passable enough to be served to my customers now."
"Thanks… I think." Akira frowned slightly, not sure if he should really take that as a compliment.
"Heh, if you want a real compliment, you'll have to improve." Sojiro smirked. "But, I can at least tell that you're working hard, keep at it and you'll get there."
"Thanks." The teen didn't hesitate this time.
Before they could continue, the bell chimed signaling a new customer.
"Welc-" Sojiro's words died in his throat when he saw the men that walked in.
"Hello, Sakura-san, it's been some time, hasn't it?" The man asked, he looked about Sojiro's age wearing brown pants, a dark blue jacket and a hat of the same color covered his hair.
"Your order?" Sojiro asked, his tone forcefully polite.
"I was around and I heard that you had opened a café." The man looked around the place. "Nice place, good atmosphere, near the station."
"Your order?" Sojiro repeated.
"Well, I just came to say hi for now, I'll be seeing you around." With that, the man turned around and left.
"…he looked suspicious." Akira muttered.
"Heh, well, at least you can tell that much." The older man chuckled.
"Should I keep an eye out in case he returns?"
"This is none of your business, he won't do anything." Sojiro grumbled before sighing. "Let's close up shop."
"Are you sure it's okay-?"
"Just mind your business and keep your head down."
Akira is mouth snapped shut at the reprimand and he simply nodded.
Despite the incident that night, nothing changed in the café or around Yongen, Sojiro acted a bit cold for a few days but he was back to normal now and that strange man hadn't come back so far.
Sundays were usually the busiest day, although Akira thought that even that didn't seem that busy (not that he would ever say that out loud, he liked having a roof over his head), and the rush hour had just ended so Sojiro stepped out after getting a call on his phone, telling Akira to watch the place until he comes back.
The teen was busying himself by playing around on his phone when the bell chimed.
Looking up, he saw a man around his thirties, wearing black rimmed glasses, black pants and a red sweater with short black hair.
Pocketing his phone, Akira moved behind the counter, a smile on his face as the man approached and sat at the counter.
"Welcome to Leblanc, sir, can I get you anything?" He asked politely.
"What would you recommend?" The man asked back.
"Well… you can't go wrong with a house blend and some curry." Akira replied.
"I'll take that, thank you."
"Coming right up." Kurusu bowed before starting to work on the coffee. "Is this your first time in Leblanc?"
"It is." The man nodded. "I hope you don't mind me saying but you look a bit young to be here alone."
"Ah, Boss had to take care of something for a second and asked me to watch the store." Akira explained. "I'm a part-timer."
"Well, he must trust you if he left his store to you." The man smiled.
"I don't know about that… he did say that my coffee should at least be good enough to serve to customers, though." The Kurusu joked, earning a chuckle from the older man.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name, I'm Yoshizawa Shinichi."
"Kurusu Akira, nice to meet you Yoshizawa-san." The teen said as he started to pour the coffee in a cup. "I hope you like it, I'll bring you your curry."
Shinichi nodded and took a sip of the coffee. "It's good." He muttered.
Akira did a discreet fist bump before getting started on the curry, it was already prepared so he only needed to serve it and bring it over.
"Here it is." He said as he presented it. "I hope you enjoy."
"Thank you for the food." The man nodded before digging in, his eyes widening after the first spoonful of food. "This is delicious."
"The name 'Leblanc: coffee and curry' is not just for show." Akira said with a smile.
That wasn't a lie, he wasn't a big fan of either before coming here but that quickly changed after the first week, he is pretty sure he would struggle to drink any instant coffee or anything of the sort after been spoiled by Sojiro's, not to say anything of the curry.
"What are you doing in Yongen-jaya, if you don't mind me asking? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."
"I happened to be able to left work earlier and I'm supposed to pick my daughters from their practice; there is still some time before they're done and I missed lunch so I was looking for a place to eat." Shinichi explained before bringing another spoon of curry to his mouth. "I think I might have found a new place to frequent, though."
"If you're not convinced, then I'd ask that you come one more time when Boss is around, if my coffee is keeping you on the fence I'm sure his will bring you over."
"Bold words." Shinichi chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short, though, Kurusu-kun; your coffee is very good."
"Ah, I didn't mean to make it sound like that, I'm just aware that I'm still a trainee is all." Akira shrugged. "You mentioned you were able to leave work earlier, is that unusual?"
"It is." He let out a chuckle. "I am the director of the show 'Good Morning Japan', perhaps you've heard of it?"
"…hmm, I think so." The teen smiled sheepishly. "What is the show about?"
"Interviews mostly, we have different guests come and talk about different topics: current events, their personal lives if they're inclined to share, that sort of thing."
"I see."
"Not your thing I presume?" Shinichi grinned.
"I mean no offense but I can't say I've ever paid much attention to the lives of celebrities."
"None taken, there are some young people that are the same, especially since our guests tend to be on the older side." He assured him as he took another sip of coffee. "There is one person that has been appearing recently that has enthralled quite a number of people, though, perhaps you've heard of him, Akechi Goro."
"Akechi…" Akira repeated in a mumble, searching his memory for the name. "I'm sorry, it doesn't ring a bell."
"Well… I'm honestly a bit surprised, I was under the impression that he was a bit of a topic of conversation among people your age." Shinichi said.
"Ah, I'm actually new to Tokyo, just moved in about a month ago."
"Hm, that would explain it, Akechi-kun isn't very well known just yet."
"Yet, you say? Sounds like he has a bright future ahead."
"I believe he does; he is a sharp kid, 16 years old but is already helping out with police cases; a lot of people refer to him as the second coming of the 'Detective Prince'."
"Oh, I remember hearing about that title before." Akira chimed in. "If the reputation of the first one is true, sounds like Akechi-san has some big shoes to fill."
"Hehe, funny, he said something very similar during an interview." Shinichi chuckled. "Ah…" Then realized that his cup of coffee was empty while there was still half a plate of curry left.
"A refill?" Akira smiled.
"Yes, please."
While the two continued to talk, the bell rang and Sojiro walked in.
"Welcome back, Boss." Akira called out.
The older man looked up and seemed about to say something when he noticed Shinichi.
He quickly changed into his work attire and moved behind the counter.
"I'm back… I trust there haven't been any issues?"
"None at all." The teen assured him. "I was just talking with Yoshizawa-san here."
"It's nice to meet you, sir." The other adult nodded in his direction. "You have a very good part-timer."
"Ah… thanks."
"Well, as enjoyable as this was, I should get going." Shinichi said, taking out some yen bills and paying for his meal.
"Thank you very much, please come again."
"Well, I'm almost on your side of the fence, I'll come back at least once and see if… oh, I think your name never came up, sir."
"A-ah, It's Sakura Sojiro."
"Well, Sakura-san, if what Kurusu-kun said about your coffee is true, then I believe I'll become a regular." With that, Shinichi said his goodbyes and left.
Akira got the plate and the cup and started to wash it.
"Well, seems like you handled yourself rather well." Sojiro smirked.
"Just putting your training to good use." Akira shrugged with a smirk of his own. "How did that thing you needed to do go?"
The smile disappeared from the older man's face and he sighed.
"Could have gone better but it's nothing for you to worry about."
"…if you say so." The Kurusu learned that it's better to not ask when he has that tone.
"It seems you managed to make a good cup of coffee, though." The smirk was back.
"I told Yoshizawa-san that I'm still a trainee and yours is better Boss, you'll have to prove him right so you get a new regular."
"When did you start calling me 'Boss', anyway?"
"…just now, not sure why, it just felt appropriate." Akira answered. "I can drop it if you want."
"Eh, I don't mind."
True to his word, Shinichi came back a few days later when Sojiro was in and asked for the same as last time.
"I see Kurusu-kun wasn't just being modest or singing your praises." He had said after tasting the coffee.
Leblanc officially got a new regular.
'Busy day.' Akira thought as he lay down on his bed after the store closed. 'Feels like Sakura-san is starting to warm up to me, though; maybe I'll try asking him if I can go explore a bit more starting tomorrow.' The teen closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Akira doesn't usually dream or at least doesn't usually remembers that he had a dream; the few times that he does it's just bits and pieces and everything is so jumbled around that he can't make sense of it and ends up forgetting it entirely during the day.
However, the few times that he has realized he is dreaming, it never felt real.
'What the…?' The first thing that he noticed was that his back was laying on a hard surface instead of his mattress.
The second one was the strange music that seemed to come from all around him.
Opening his eyes, he took a moment to adjust his sight and realized that this wasn't his room.
The entire place had a blue hue to it and the window next to his bed was nowhere to be seen.
In a panic, he shot up and noticed his attire; instead of his pajamas he was wearing what looked like a prison uniform, it seemed to be new and a patch with the letter 'V' was over his heart.
"Ah, you're awake." A feminine voice called out, snapping him from his thoughts.
He turned and realized that he really wasn't in his room but a prison cell.
The bars of the door looked pristine and had the same blue color as the rest of the place, with several other cells forming a circle around the center of the room where a desk is and a man is sitting at, wearing a black suit with blood-shot eyes, an almost comically large nose, with the top of his head bold and some white hair starting from the back of his head and going to his neck.
Next to him is a young girl with long platinum blond hair and golden eyes, wearing a blue dress with black sleeves, a headband of the same color as her dress with two butterfly ornaments on each side.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The man in the desk said, resting his head on his hand, a large grin that showed his teeth on his face.
"…what is going on here?! Where am I?!" Akira wondered as he looked around the place.
"Please do not be alarmed." The girl spoke next. "While I understand why you must be anxious, we mean you no harm." Her voice was calm and seemed almost made to put people at ease.
Taking a deep breath, Akira tried to relax.
"Can you explain why you… kidnapped me, then?"
"We have not taken you anywhere; your body is still fast asleep in the real world." The man answered. "My name is Igor, I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
"…Akira, and I'd say the same if I wasn't trying to understand what the hell is going on."
"Hehe, understandable." Igor said with a chuckle. "Allow me to give you an explanation then; this room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter, it is a place that only does that have signed a contract of some sort can enter."
"…" Akira stared with a blank look. "Can you give me a less convoluted explanation, please?"
"In simpler terms, think of this room as a different dimension that only a few people can access."
"That's… actually somewhat understandable." The teen conceded. "So… why am I here, exactly?"
"I apologize for the abrupt call but I have summoned you here to discuss a matter that will affect, not only your life, but that of others." Igor continued before looking around. "Still, to think that the Velvet Room would take the form of a prison… it seems you are a prisoner in more ways than one."
Akira immediately thought about his probation and scowled.
"So what is this 'matter' you wish to speak of?" The black haired teen asked after taking a moment to calm down.
"Your world is being corrupted." Igor answered, his grin still in place. "A malevolent entity is conspiring and wishes to bring ruin upon your world."
"You were brought here to judge if you would be up to the task of opposing it and, should you be deemed acceptable, ask if you would." The girl spoke next.
"Ah, my apologies for not introducing my assistant, this is Lavenza, she will aid you if you choose to oppose the coming ruin." Igor said, moving a hand to gesture at the golden eyed girl.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Lavenza said with an elegant bow.
"…ok, wait, slow down." Akira brought both hands up. "Let me see if I get it, you two are… deities?"
"Not really but I suppose it would seem that way from your perspective."
"I believe a more accurate assessment would be that we are 'servants of a deity'." Igor and Lavenza answered in turn.
"Alright, I'm not gonna question that." The teen muttered. "And you are opposing what I suppose could be called an 'evil' deity that wishes for ruin; this 'malevolent entity', right?"
"Correct." Igor nodded.
"And you summoned me here because, for some reason, I may or may not have the ability to oppose this 'ruin' and you want to test me on that."
"That would be an accurate summary of your current situation." Lavenza answered.
"Alright… why can't you just stop the ruin yourselves? Or ask the deity you serve to do it?"
"I'm afraid we are limited in how we are allowed to intervene." Igor said while shaking his head.
"Oh, that's just… come on, it sounds like a lame excuse a manga would use when you say that." Akira couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright… I think I only have two more questions."
"Go ahead." Lavenza nodded.
"How exactly would I oppose this 'ruin'?"
"By fighting." Igor answered.
"…I'm a human."
"The way you will fight will eventually be revealed to you if you accept to oppose the coming ruin, I'm afraid we are not in liberty to say before that." Lavenza explained.
"All we can say is that you will have a chance of winning." Igor added.
"Alright, I'll just take your word for it." Akira held back a sigh, despite the insane situation, he felt like he could trust them; there wasn't an actual reason for it, just an instinct, like when someone sees something coming at their faces and they blink. "Last question: why me? I'm sure there are other people more qualified, I'm just a teenager."
"Allow me to ask you this in turn." Igor began. "Your life has recently taken a turn for the foul." The teen grimaced. "You acted upon what you consider just, refused to turn a blind eye to a cry for help and intervened to save a fellow human being."
"Your point?" Akira asked through gritted teeth.
Igor is grin widened.
"Knowing what you know now, would you change the past? Choose to walk the other way when you heard those screams?"
"…what?"
"Would you simply cover your ears and-"
"No, I didn't mean it like that." Akira interrupted. "I meant, 'are you serious?'"
"…oh?"
"Anyone can look back and think 'I wish I acted differently back then' that doesn't mean we would; that woman was calling for help, I just did what any decent human being would have done."
"Yet you were punished for it." Lavenza pointed out. "Does that not mean that your acting was in fact wrong?"
"No." That one word left no room for argument. "It hurt to be punished for doing the right thing, it hurt to be found guilty, it hurt to have people I called friends turn their backs on me and have almost no one believe what I said… but I was not wrong."
A tense silence formed, only the aria that seemed to be on loop filling it.
"Hehehe." Until Igor chuckled. "And that, Trickster, is why we called you." He said, still chuckling.
"Indeed." Lavenza supported with a small smile.
Akira blinked, a smile of his own forming at their reactions.
"I suppose we only have to ask one more thing." Igor began. "Will you oppose the coming ruin?"
"I'd rather avoid ruin, yeah." The teen answered.
"Excellent." He chuckled. "While we may not be able to interfere directly, we will provide as much aid as we can in your journey."
An alarm began to blare, interrupting their conversation.
"It appears we are out of time." Lavenza said, approaching the cell and handing Akira a key. "Please go back to the real world, we will call you again once we have something else to say; if you require our aid or have any questions, this key will allow you to come to us."
"Alright… see you later, I guess." Akira is vision faded as the Velvet Room began to disappear.
'…was that just a dream?' That's the first thing Akira thought when he opened his eyes, moving to a sitting position, he opened his right hand and saw a blue key resting on it. '…guess this answers that question… unless I'm going crazy and my mind is playing a trick on me.'
"Hey, kid, are you up?" Sojiro's voice got him out of his thoughts as he heard him walk up the stairs. "If you want breakfast, you'll have to hurry down."
"I'll be right down… hey, Sakura-san."
"What?"
"Do you know what this is?" The teen held the key between his fingers so his guardian could see it.
"A key?"
'Alright, he can see it, guess I'm not crazy.'
"Where did you find that?"
'Crap! I didn't think this through!'
"It… was among some stuff I cleaned up last night, I was wondering if it opened anything in the store or something." He lied.
"Huh… I can't say I remember it… anyway, get dressed, it's almost time to open."
"On it." He called out as he saw Sojiro walk down the stairs.
…
That night, just before closing hours.
"Hey, Sakura-san?"
"What is it?"
"Could I… go see more of Tokyo?" Akira asked.
"Why?"
"Honestly? I'm bored out of my mind in Yongen." The teen shrugged. "There are a few interesting things like the batting cages or that cinema, but I've been to the first one too many times and the second one apparently only changes movies every month or so."
"…"
"…"
"…only in the afternoons, I don't need people reporting a teenager walking about when he should be at school, and I'll put a curfew on you, come back late and you're not taking a step out of Yongen until you start school next year." Sojiro declared.
"Deal." Akira nodded. "Thank you."
His guardian nodded.
"Let's close up shop."
"Hey, Sakura-san."
"What now?"
"Those rules… it didn't sound like you just came up with them right now." The teen probed.
"Think what you will, kid."
Akira hid his smirk, seems like his guardian really was warming up to him.
'…where the heck am I?' Akira thought after he got off the train.
Today was his first day taking a step out of Yongen-jaya since he first arrived and he was already lost.
'Ok, no need to panic, let's just go to a corner somewhere and check the navigation app.' With a plan in mind, he did just that, resting his back against one of the walls of the subway station and taking out his phone to check where he is. 'Alright, so I'm in… Ginza…' His face fell. 'Damn it, I must have taken the wrong train; better now than when classes start I guess.' Letting out a sigh, he checked how to get back. 'Alright, if I take the train back, I can get to Shibuya and back to Yongen from there, as long as I don't get lost again.' He checked the time. 'Three hours until my curfew… better play it safe, I don't want to be chained to Yongen for the foreseeable future.' With his mind made up, he made his way to the opposite side of the station to go back.
Thankfully, there weren't any issues in getting to Shibuya and he even had some time to explore before deciding to call it a day and make his way back to Leblanc.
'Well, it took longer than I would have liked but not that bad all things considered.' As he thought that, he opened the door and walked in.
"Ah, Kurusu-kun." He looked up in surprise at the voice, it wasn't Sojiro's, he always referred to him as 'kid', instead he saw Leblanc is newest regular greeting him.
"Yoshizawa-san." Akira said after a moment of surprise. "It's nice to see you." He said before turning to Sojiro. "I'll go change and come back down."
"Alright." The man nodded without looking up from what he was doing behind the counter.
With a nod to the two, he walked up-stairs and changed before coming back down.
"Really? That makes a difference?" He saw Sojiro on the phone, frowning in confusion from whatever the person on the other end was saying. "Alright, I'll see what I can do." With that, he hanged up. "Hey, kid, I need to run an errand, look after the store for a while."
"Got it." Akira nodded as he moved behind the counter and Sojiro left.
"I said it before, looks like he trusts you." Shinichi said with an amused smile.
"Took some time, though." The black haired teen chuckled. "Do you need a refill?"
"Ah, no, thank you, I still have a bit to go." He answered before taking a sip. "How have you been? School treating you well?"
"Eh?" He flinched and froze for a second. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"You mentioned you come from the countryside so I was wondering if school was hard for you after transferring."
"…I… am not going to school at the moment." He didn't owe Shinichi the truth, while a pleasant man to talk to he wasn't so close to him as to reveal that, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to him when the man had been nothing but nice to him.
"Oh?"
"There were some issues with the school I was going to transfer to, they will have an exam for me to take before the start of the next year and, depending on how I do on it, I will enter as either a first or second year." That didn't mean he was going to tell him the whole truth either, though. "I'm keeping up with my studies so I don't think there will be any problem with the exam."
"I see, I'm sorry to hear that." Shinichi frowned.
"Please don't worry too much, Yoshizawa-san."
"Still, it's unfair that you're missing a year because of something that wasn't your fault."
He flinched again.
"Don't I know it?" He said with a lot more venom than he meant. "Sorry, could we please change the subject?"
"Of course, my apologies for bringing up a bad subject." The older man bowed his head. "You'll be happy to know, I may get you two new regulars for the café."
"I think that's something Boss would be happier to hear than me." Akira said with a chuckle. "What do you mean?"
"My daughters tend to get hungry after practice so I thought I could bring them here tomorrow after they finish." He explained with a smile. "I've been telling my family about this place and they got curious, I'll bring my wife as well one of these days."
"You are always welcome, I'll tell Boss so he gets the best coffee beans ready."
"Good to know."
The two talked for a bit longer until Sojiro got back and Shinichi had to leave.
Akira told his caretaker about the two new customers that will be coming while they were closing and then went up to his room to sleep.
The next day.
It was just past lunchtime when the door opened, the bell signaling a new customer.
Akira immediately recognized Shinichi before his eyes drifted to the two girls accompanying him.
'Twins.' That was the first thought that came to his mind when he saw them, they weren't completely identical but the resemblance was too close to think otherwise.
They're both thin and wearing what looks like a PE uniform, black with gold-trims, and their faces looked the same save for one of them having a mole below her left eye.
Other than that, the one with the mole has brown eyes and auburn hair worn in a ponytail while the other one has red eyes, a pair of glasses resting in front of them, and red hair that she keeps loose and reaches around the middle of her back.
"Welcome, Yoshizawa-san." Akira greeted. "I suppose they are your daughters."
"Kurusu-kun, Boss." He greeted the two. "They are."
"So that's what the kid meant about 'two new customers' yesterday." Sojiro mentioned with a grin. "Make yourselves comfortable, do you know what you will be having?"
"I don't really know much about coffee." The girl with auburn hair said sheepishly. "I'll have whatever you recommend; what about you, Sumire?"
"Ah… I'll have the same." The girl with red hair, Sumire apparently, answered.
"Coming right up, the usual for you Yoshizawa-san?"
"Yes, please." Shinichi said as he sat at the counter, his daughters taking the two seats to his left, the one with auburn hair to his left and Sumire to hers.
"Can you prepare the curry kid?"
"On it." Akira said as he went to get the plates, placed the curry in them, then the rice and brought them to the customers. "I hope you enjoy." He said as he sat the plates down.
"Thank you." The three answered as they began to eat.
"It's delicious." The girl with the mole exclaimed while her sister is eyes widened and she quickly took another bite.
"The name 'Leblanc: coffee and curry' isn't just for show." Akira repeated what he told Shinichi the first time he visited.
"I can see that; you must be Kurusu-san, right? Dad talked about you."
"Only good things, I hope." He chuckled. "I'm Kurusu Akira."
"Yoshizawa Kasumi and this is my younger sister, Sumire." She gestured to her left where Sumire was sitting; she stopped eating and bowed.
"Nice to meet you two." He said as he turned his head to the sink. "Sorry I can't talk too much, I still have work to do, please enjoy your meal." As he was walking by, he noticed that Sumire is plate was already empty. "Would you like another serving?" 'If she ate that fast, she must have been starving.'
"Hm… if it's no trouble." She turned to her dad.
"No worries." He smiled.
"Coming right up." Akira took the plate and served another serving before going to the sink to wash the dishes.
"I can see why you sang this place's praises so much, dad." Kasumi exclaimed. "Mom will definitely love it when you bring her here!"
"I'm sure she will, she may try and get the recipe for the curry from you, Boss." Shinichi chuckled.
"She's welcome to try but I'm afraid that's a trade secret." Sojiro said with a chuckle of his own.
"Oh, well…" Kasumi grinned and turned to her sister. "You're the cook between us Sumire, any chance you can replicate it?"
"Hmm… if I know the recipe maybe… but I can't tell everything that's in this."
"I see." Kasumi's eyes turned to the teen washing the dishes. "Is there any chance we can get Kurusu-san to tell us?"
"Pff." Akira let out a laugh. "Sorry but I just barely learned how to make a 'passable' cup of coffee; even if I knew, I'd rather not get on Boss' bad side."
"Smart decision." Sojiro grinned.
"I know." Akira grinned back. "…excuse me, Yoshizawa-san."
"Yes?" Kasumi and Shinichi said in unison.
"Ah… hehe, sorry, I meant the red haired Yoshizawa-san."
"E-eh?!" Sumire flinched. "Y-yes?"
"…would you like another serving? You've been staring at your empty plate for a while now."
"A-ah… no, thank you."
"Are you sure, Sumire? It's my treat." Shinichi asked.
"It's okay, I don't want to impose."
"How about I make this third helping on the house?" Sojiro chimed in. "At the speed you ate the other two servings you must have been starving, just consider becoming a regular in exchange and we'll call it even."
"Hehe, you don't have a reason to refuse now, Sumire." Kasumi gently elbowed her sister with a smirk.
"W-well… if you're sure."
"Coming right up."
By the time the Yoshizawas had to leave, it was safe to say that Leblanc would get two new regulars soon.
A few weeks have passed since then and Akira had gotten used to traveling around Tokyo; the amount of people in the subway still irked him a bit but there was nothing he could do but put up with it.
Today, he is looking around Shibuya's Central Street, several businesses, including an arcade that he made a not to visit other day when his curfew is not so close.
However, the thing that drew his attention, was the blue door hidden in an alley.
He says 'hidden' but it's more like the alley is not one that people would usually use; the glowing blue door that leads to nowhere with the petite blonde girl next to it would certainly draw attention, yet no one seemed to bat an eye.
'…maybe…' Akira frowned in thought as he approached.
"Hello, Trickster." Lavenza's calm voice greeted him. "My master would like to speak with you, please, step inside."
Nodding wordlessly, he took a step towards the door, the blue key in his pocket glowing momentarily as he stepped through it.
.
.
The aria he heard the first time was the first thing he noticed before seeing Igor and Lavenza on the other side of the bars.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor greeted.
"…guess that wasn't just some crazy dream after all." Akira chuckled.
"Didn't we give you the key to this room?" Lavenza asked. "I thought that would have been enough proof of our existence." She looked down sadly.
"No, no, it's just that I haven't heard from either of you in three weeks so I thought maybe I had picked up the key somewhere and my brain just came up with some weird dream around it." The teen quickly explained. "Seeing you standing next to a blue door that apparently only I can see put those worries away… well, it's either you're real or I'm crazy and I'd rather think it's the former." Akira chuckled with a shrug.
"I assure you, your mental faculties are sound." Igor said.
"Debatable." He grinned. "In any case, Lavenza said you wanted to speak with me?"
"Indeed." With a flick of his wrist, several cards suddenly began floating in front of Akira, most of them blank save for one. "It would seem that you are making progress even without any prompting from us." Seeing the confused look on the teen, Igor continued. "These cards each represent an Arcana, which in turns represent a person you have formed a bond with."
"…they're almost all blank." Akira noted.
"You haven't met many people yet, there is only one person you truly interact with on a daily basis; am I right?"
Akira's mind immediately thought of Sojiro and the one card that had an image on it glowed slightly.
"Ok, so what does this mean?"
"For the journey ahead, you will certainly need the help of many people; regardless of your strength, one person can't possibly account for every possibility, as you get to know them your strength will grow in turn."
"…sorry, I don't follow, what 'strength' exactly?"
"I'm afraid we are not at liberty to say until after you have awakened to it." Lavenza explained calmly. "For now, the only thing we can say is that the more bonds you have, and the stronger each bond is, the stronger you will become."
"…this sounds an awful lot like using people."
"Hehe, rest assured, a bond is not something one-sided." Igor's grin somehow widened. "It is not a matter of someone trusting and confiding in you, you must show that same level of trust to the other person or it will be for naught."
"Wait… so I'm literally using the 'power of friendship' to get stronger?"
"Indeed." Lavenza nodded with a smile.
"…pff." Akira suddenly burst into laughter. "Sorry, sorry, it's just weird to think about it that way."
"That was all we wished to share for now; the door you saw will remain open, should you ever need our help do not hesitate to come to us."
"Farewell, Trickster."
"See you two later."
With those words, Akira's vision faded and when it returned, he was back in Shibuya; time apparently having stopped while he was inside the Velvet Room.
'…this is so weird in so many levels… I really hope I'm not going crazy.'
Sadly, he will wish for the exact opposite eventually.
"He shows much promise." Lavenza mentioned after Akira left.
"Indeed, while still in the early stages, he has managed to begin cultivating a bond and is even on the way to start cultivating others." Igor agreed. "We must ensure that-hm?"
"Master?"
Suddenly, the edges of the Velvet Room began to turn red and vein-like objects invaded the place.
"What is-?!" One of the veins lashed out against Lavenza. "Ha!" She brought up her book and parried it.
"My, my, you are doing something rather unfair, don't you think?" Igor spoke calmly despite the area around him literally breaking apart.
"I don't have any words to exchange with you." An ominous voice that seemed to come from everywhere around called out.
"That is good." Lavenza spoke, opening her book. "Because I do not wish to exchange words with such an intruder."
The voice chuckled as more veins began to attack.
End of the first chapter.
I've prepared two chapters for now, the second one should already be uploaded by the time you read this.
Read you in a few!