"This sucks…"

In a lone prison, a small figure in black and yellow rested against the prison bars of it's cell. It's blue eyes stared up at the ceiling as it sighed.

"I can't believe I let myself get caught. Some kind of phantom thief I am…" It crossed it's small arms as it looked around the cell. "No way out of here either. If I had a pick or something, I could open up the lock and sneak out at least. Dammit, this is what I get for being careless."

The figure hung it's head down in despair. 'If only I had some backup, this heist would have gone easier. But where am I going to find-.'

A loud explosion shook it's cell and caused it to look up with wide eyes.

"W-What the hell was that?!"

Akira was in the middle of a euphoric high right now.

He didn't know what this power was, or how he managed to get ahold of it. However, he was enjoying every second of it.

The boy dodged a blast of fire from one of the floating pumpkins in front of him, before quickly dashing towards it and slashing across it with the dagger in his hand as it screamed in pain. Quickly readjusting himself, he gave several more slashes in succession before it disappeared in a cloud of black smoke with another cry of pain.

"Excellent trickster, keep up the pressure!"

'With pleasure!' Akira placed a hand over the mask on his face before yelling. "Arsene, Eiha!"

A sinister laugh filled the room before a large being of red and black appeared behind Akira, whose mask dissipated into blue flames covering his face. It's red burning eyes glared at the enemy before it as it waved it's hand and a column of red and black energy exploded from below the other pumpkin, dispersing it with a cry of pain.

"W-What the hell is going on…?" Ryuji muttered as he backed up against the wall, staring at the boy before him with wide eyes. To his left stood Ann who held a similar expression of silent awe.

"T-The hell…?! Is this some kind of joke?!" Kamoshida roared, fury growing in him as he watched his royal guard be slaughtered by the teenager in front of him. "Dammit, are there any more guards around?! Your king requests assista-!"

The man suddenly screamed in pain as a brown boot found it's way between his legs and slammed against his crotch, forcing him to his knees.

"Ryuji, now!"

"R-Right!" The blonde haired boy quickly took advantage of the preoccupied state the supposed king was in, tackling him into a nearby wall and snatching the cell keys from his person. "I got em!"

Ann nodded before turning back. "Akira, come on!"

"Right!" Feeling his mask form back on his face as Arsene disappeared from behind him, Akira joined the other two in running out of the cell before slamming the door behind him. "Ryuji, the lock!"

Ryuji, not needing to be told twice, quickly ran over to the cell door and locked it just as Kamoshida managed to regain himself. Taking a moment to gather himself, the blonde couldn't help but grin as he saw the supposed king thrash against the cell door in rage.

"You damn brats! Just wait until I get out of here!"

"Sorry, but we don't plan on waiting that long." Akira replied coolly, before blue flames covered him as he saw himself return back to his school uniform.

"Hey, you're back in your regular clothes!" Ann noticed, looking Akira up and down.

Akira shook his head. "I guess so. Still, we need to get out of here before backup arrives. Get rid of those keys and let's go!"

"Already on it!" Ryuji exclaimed, throwing the keys as far as he could further down the area. "So what's the best way out of here?"

"I don't know, but it's not here!" Akira looked further down the hallway. "Let's just start running and we'll find it!"

Ryuji nodded, following after Akira as they began to run. "Not like we have any better ideas, I'll follow your lead then!"

"Me too! I trust you Akira." Ann said, following behind the two boys as best as she could.

Akira nodded as he looked ahead of him before a large blue screen with text appeared in front of him, catching him off guard.

[Awakening Complete!]

[Tutorial Fight Complete!]
[Reward: 2000 XP and 3000 Yen]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have 11 unused stat points]

'What the…?' Akira blinked before shaking his head. 'Don't have time for this right now, we just have to get out of here!'

"So, any idea on where to go?!" Ryuji asked, trying to keep up with Akira.

Akira shook his head. "No, I don't. Remember, I was unconscious when they brought us to the cell." They turned a corner as he turned his head to the side to look at Ann. "Ann, do you remember anything?"

"I… I really don't. I was too scared to really pay attention."

"It's fine, I can imagine it was a pretty scary situation." Akira smiled back at the girl as they began to slow down. "We should have created some distance, but let's be careful. I imagine most of the guards are looking for us right now."

"Right." Ryuji rubbed the back of his head with a grunt. "Damn it, what the hell is even going on right now?"

"I don't know, but I don't think we're at Shujin right now. Or at least the Shujin we know." Ann said, walking alongside the boys but staying alert.

Akira nodded. "I don't think we are either. Shujin was nothing like this yesterday, and with the guards and Kamoshida… that all but confirms that thought."

"Then how the hell did we end up here?" If this isn't our Shujin, where are we?" Ryuji grumbled, confusion in his voice.

Akira shook his head with a sigh. "I don't know, but we need to hurry up and get out of here. It's only a matter of time before they free Kamoshida, and when that happens they'll be completely focused on finding us."

'Also…' Akira focused in front of the screen in front of him that still held the information about him supposedly leveling up. 'The sooner I can find out what this is all about, the better.'

"Hey!"

Akira stopped in his thoughts as he looked down to his left to see one of the strangest things he had ever seen.

"What the hell?"

Ryuji summed it up pretty nicely.

A small black cat figure waved one of it's hands, or paws, as it looked at the three with big blue eyes. "You think one of you can get the key and open up the door? I'll owe you one."

"W-What is that thing?!" Ann screamed, taking a step back as she hid slightly behind Akira.

"I-I'm not a thing my lady! My name is Morgana, and I was thrown in here by the guards!" Morgana's face turned pleading as he pointed behind the three. "Please, the keys are right there! Just open up my door and I'll help you guys get out of here!"

"Yeah we're not falling for that one!" Ryuji scowled, glaring at the strange creature in front of him. "Things have been crazy enough in this damn hellhole, and you expect us to believe some monster cat?"

"I'm not a monster and I'm not a cat! I am Morgana!" Morgana snapped back, an indignant look on his face. "I'm a human! I just look like this, but that's not important. The guards will be back soon, so we have to hurry!"

Ann stepped from behind Akira, crouching in front of the small figure. "I think we should trust it. It doesn't look like it's out to get us and it might know the way out of here. We'll get caught if we stick around too long."

"You're right, and I can't quite control that power I used back there either." Akira added, clenching his fist. "I'm unsure about this too, but we have to get out of here. Kamoshida and the guards won't be held up for much longer."

Morgana grinned widely. "It's nice to see at least two of you are smart! I promise, you three get me out of here and I'll show you the way out."

Akira and Ann nodded before they both turned towards Ryuji, awaiting his response. The foul-mouthed blonde grumbled before nodding. "Yeah, you guys are right. We need all the help we can get if we're going to get out of here."

"Then it's settled." Akira turned behind him to snatch the key off a hanging pillar. Walking towards the cell, he placed the key in the lock and turned it as the cell door opened.

Morgana quickly jogged out before stretching. "Ah~! Sweet freedom, I'll never take you for granted again~!"

"Yeah yeah, great for you. Now can you show us the way out of here already?!" Ryuji snapped.

"You don't have to be so impatient…" Morgana muttered, before walking ahead. "Follow me and keep a low profile. The guards are on high alert right now so we need to be careful."

The three teenagers nodded, carefully following after the being as quietly as they could.

"So Morgana…" Akira started, catching the small creature's attention. "Where exactly are we? We were just walking to school before we ended up here and we have no idea how we did."

"You're in a Palace, which is basically someone's warped desires taken form."

"Warped… desires?" Ann repeated with a confused head tilt.

Morgana stopped at a corner. "It's… a bit hard to explain. However we don't have time, I need to hurry up and get you three out of here so I can go back to what I was doing before I got caught."

Ryuji grew curious about that. "And what exactly were you looking for?"

"I… don't know actually."

"Are you serious?" Ryuji sounded exasperated. "Are you sure we can trust you?"

"Well I can't help it! I lost my memories!" Morgana snapped, glaring at the male blonde of the group.

Ann raised an eyebrow, staring worryingly. "You lost your memories?"

"Yeah… I don't remember too much before ending up here." Morgana's expression became wistful. "All I remember is that I'm supposed to be doing something important, but I don't know what."

Akira winced at the somber tone in Morgana's words. "I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, I am too." Ryuji muttered, kicking the ground.

"That's not important right now. What's important is getting you three out of here." Morgana said, looking ahead. "Coast is clear, let's go!"

The small being dashed forward, with the three teenagers following after him.

"I can't believe this…"

Sadayo Kawakami let out a frustrated sigh at her desk in the teacher's lounge as she went through one of her class's exam papers from the other day. She glanced up at the clock nearby before shaking her head.

"His first day and he's already showing up late?" The woman closed her eyes, annoyance creeping through her. "Does he really not care? He was so polite and courteous yesterday."

"You seem stressed."

Kawakami looked behind her to see a tall man approaching her with a smile on his face. "Oh, Mr. Kamoshida."

"Come on, you don't have to be so formal with me. Feel free to call me Suguru."

"Mm." Kawakami turned her attention back to the papers in front of her.

Kamoshida noticed and frowned. "So what seems to be bothering you? Maybe I could help."

'You could help me by leaving, you bastard.' Kawakami sighed. "The new transfer student is late on his first day, that's what's bothering me right now since he's a part of my homeroom class."

"Tch, why even worry about a no good troublemaker like that. He'll probably drop out or get himself into trouble later."

"Even then, it's my responsibility and job as a teacher to at least try with him." A small scowl formed on Kawakami's face. "That's one of the reasons I became a teacher, to help people who needed it. Besides, he seemed like a nice kid when I first met him."

"He was probably trying to get you to let your guard down." Kamoshida crossed his arms as he closed his eyes. "I've seen punks like him all the time. As two faced as they can be."

'You would know something about that, wouldn't you?' Kawakami thought, but visually just shook her head and continued to focus on her task.

"So Sadayo…" The way he said her first name sent a disgusted shiver down her spine. "I was wondering if you liked to get dinner together tonight. I know a nice place that I can get a reservation fairly qui-"

"Thanks but no thanks, Mr. Kamoshida. I have more work to do tonight." The woman didn't even turn back to the volleyball coach. "So maybe next time."

Kamoshida sighed. "Come now, don't you work hard enough? Surely you'd be up for at least getting a drink as friends?"

'Since when were we friends?' The small scowl on Kawakami's face grew a bit larger, though it remained hidden from the man. "Once again, I'll be busy tonight Kamoshida. Maybe next time."

Silence filled the air before Kamoshida clicked his teeth as he walked out the office. Kawakami let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding in as she felt herself relax.

'He's getting more and more persistent. I need to stay on my toes around him.' She took a look up at the clock before sighing once again.

"And just where is that damn transfer student?"

"This exit is this way, come on!"

Morgana yelled as he led the trio of teenagers down the hallway. Akira was in front with Ryuji and Ann following close behind him.

"You sure this is the way out?!" Ryuji asked, running with a noticeable limp.

Morgana nodded. "Yeah, it should be. I can't show you guys the normal way out so I'll take you to a secret passage instead!"

"A secret passage?" Ann repeated, raising an eyebrow. "How did you find one?"

"Don't underestimate a phantom thief my lady!" Morgana grinned at the girl. "I wouldn't be a good one if I didn't take notes of secret passageways for my infiltration."

"Then explain you getting caught." Ryuji deadpanned, causing Morgana to nearly lose his footing at the jab. The creature snarled at him in response.

"Shut up!"

"Guys, let's focus." Akira interrupted before noticing two black pools on the ground. "What the-!"

The black liquid shot up before taking on the form of two large silver knights. They glared at the four intruders in front of them, holding up their swords threateningly.

"Your four dare try to escape after humiliating and harming our king?! You will not leave here with your lives!"

They contorted before one turned into the flying pumpkin that Akira had fought earlier before another turned into a light purple like demonic creature.

"Oh shit!" Ryuji yelped, falling to his back side as Ann took several steps back. Akira merely gripped his fists before blue flames coated him as the outfit from before appeared.

"These clothes…" the bespectacled boy muttered before focusing on the beings in front of me.

"Hmph, seems like one of you can fight after all!" Morgana grinned as he focused on the demons in front of him. "Then back me up! Come, Zorro!"

A pillar of blue erupted from behind Morgana as he called out. The color faded away, revealing a large muscular figure in black armed with a rapier and a giant Z buckle on it's waist. It made several slashing motions with it's weapon as Morgana stood in front with his arms crossed.

"Heh, we can handle small fry like this!" A large smirk appeared on his face. "Just don't slow me down, rookie! Zorro, Garu!"

The large muscular figure made a Z swiping motion with it's sword as a blast of wind struck the pumpkin creature sending it flying back against the wall. Continuing the assault, Morgana dashed forward with a scimitar in his hands, spinning forward and smashing into the monster.

Akira dodged several swipes from the demon before jumping backwards to create space. Taking a deep breath, he dashed forward with his dagger slashing forward. However, his opponent smirked and flew upwards to dodge it before landing a hard kick onto the teenager's back.

"Urgh!" Akira grunted as he landed roughly on the ground. Checking the information on his screen, he saw that he had lost a bit of HP.

"Akira!" Ann yelled from her spot concerned.

"Watch your opponent carefully, rookie! Don't just dash in!" Blue flames arose around Morgana again. "Dia!"

A small green light surrounded the teenager as a soothing sensation enveloped him and he felt his strength return. Standing up, he quickly readjusted his dagger in his hand as he placed his other hand on his mask.

'Focus…' Akira took a breath before shouting. "Arsene!"

Sinister laughter echoed through the area as the red being appeared once again. Acting quickly, Arsene dashed towards the demon and kicked upwards with one of it's bladed heels knocking it back and smashing it against the wall.

[Cleave Skill Activated]

'Now!'

Moving as fast as he could, Akira quickly sped towards the vulnerable creature and made multiple slashing motions across its body with his dagger. With a cry of pain, the plant demon dissolved into black smoke defeated.

Coming to a stop, Akira turned towards where Morgana was to see the humanoid cat defeating the last of his own opponents.

[You have leveled up!]

Akira blinked as the small screen appeared in front of him. 'So it's still there… is there a way to make it disappear?'

As if to answer his question, another screen of information appeared in front of him.

[To make the game screen appear or disappear, simply will it through your thoughts. You may also change things through the Options Menu to suit your needs.]

'Well that's convenient.' Focusing as the screen taught him, Akira watched as the blue screen vanished from in front of him.

"You got some good moves!"

The teenager looked towards Morgana walking up to him with a smirk. "Didn't think you were a Persona user on top of it. Seems there's something special about you after all."

"Thanks…" Akira said, blue flames coating him as he returned back to his school uniform.

"Wait, Persona?" Ann repeated, coming from behind her hiding spot along with Ryuji. "What's a Persona?"

"It's your rebel will granted form. A power to fight Shadows." Morgana crossed his arms as he smiled. "Not everyone has one of course, which is why I was surprised this guy here has one."

"I see…" Akira muttered, placing his hands in his pockets. "So basically, it's a part of me?"

Morgana nodded. "Yep! Another side of you per say, a façade of your personality."

"And just how do you know all of this?" Ryuji asked, crossing his arms.

"I… I don't know. I just do."

Ryuji sighed. "Well that just figures ow!"

Ann glared at the blonde as she pulled her hand back, watching as he rubbed the back of his head. "You don't have to be so mean to him, you know. Especially since he's helping us get out of here."

Akira silently chuckled watching Ryuji glared at Ann before turning back to Morgana. "So are we close to the way out?"

"Yeah, it's right in this room here. You guys should be able to escape and get back to the real world."

"Really? Sweet!" Ryuji yelled, excited as he started walking forward.

"Wait Ryuji!" Ann yelled, quickly following after the boy.

"They're sure excited…" Morgana muttered dryly. Akira rubbed the back of his head with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, they both seem to have had bad experiences with Kamoshida so it's not surprising. Especially considering what happened back in the prison cell we were locked in."

"That bad huh?" Akira nodded as Morgana crossed his arms. "Sounds like this Kamoshida guy is a real scumbag."

"Apparently so…" Akira started walking forward with Morgana following. "I don't know him too much myself though, considering I just met him today."

"I see." Morgana placed a paw to his chin. "I wonder…"

"Found it!"

Both Akira and Morgana perked up as they caught up to the two to see Ryuji climbing up a wall and looking out a window.

"This leads outside! We can finally get out of this place!" Ryuji said with a large grin on his face.

Ann pumped a fist in her own excitement. "Yes! Finally!"

Akira nodded before turning back towards Morgana. "Thanks for everything Morgana."

"Don't worry about it, you all got me out of that cell so I'm just repaying my debts." Morgana explained, waving one of his paws.

"So what will you do now?" Ann asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I still haven't found what I'm looking for." Morgana crossed his arms, looking off to the side. "So I'm going to stick around here for a while longer until I do."

Ann's expression became concerned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if you get caught again?"

"Don't worry, Lady Ann! A true phantom thief never gets caught twice! I'll be fine on my own."

"Still though…" Ann started before feeling someone place a hand on her right shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Akira smiling at her.

"He'll be fine, he's obviously been doing this for a while. Besides, we still have to worry about ourselves, remember?"

Ann pondered over his words for a moment before nodding. "You're right. Just be careful Morgana."

"I promise you that I won't be caught again, Lady Ann!" Morgana said, giving the girl a thumbs up which caused her to smile.

Akira nodded before turning back to Morgana. "Well, thanks again Morgana. Take care of yourself."

With those final words, he climbed up the window along with Ryuji before they helped Ann up and started climbing outside.

Morgana rubbed his chin with a small smirk. "Those three… they're quite interesting, especially the black haired one. I wonder…"

He may have found some help after all.

"It's your first day, and you're half a day late? Are you sure that you care?"

Akira grimaced as he bowed towards Kawakami in the faculty's office. "I'm sorry Ms. Kawakami. I got lost on my way here."

"N-No, it was my fault!" Ann interjected from behind him. "I wanted to try a new route out to school, but we ended up getting lost on the way here. Sorry."

Kawakami looked sternly at both of the students in front of her, before sighing. "Look, I just want to be sure you understand your situation Mr. Kurusu. I'll look the other way today since it's your first day, but this better not become a common occurrence."

"Understood Ms. Kawakami. It won't."

"Good to hear." The teacher turned to the clock once again before turning back to her students as she stood up. "There's not much class left today, but at the very least I can introduce you to the rest of the students. Follow me."

Both students nodded as they followed after their homeroom teacher, passing by several students on their way.

"So that's the new transfer student? He doesn't look like anything special."

"Looks can be deceiving after all, I heard he nearly killed somebody."

"He'll probably snap if we rub him the wrong way, just don't make eye contact."

"And he's with Takamaki too? Man, he's already trying to make a name for himself."

"Isn't she with Mr. Kamoshida though? You think they're sharing? It would be fitting considering-."

It was at that point Akira made it a point to mentally block out the rest of the conversations.

"Lies."

"Hm?" Akira turned back around to see Ann with a glare on her face as her eyes looked towards the students whispering. She scoffed, shaking her head as she continued to follow him and Kawakami.

'There's a story there…' He turned back to the front of him. 'Well, she'll probably tell me about it if she gets more comfortable around me.'

Until then, it'll probably be best to work on his own situation.

"You guys showed up!"

Akira couldn't help but smile at Ryuji's grin as he and Ann entered the rooftop of the school. The sun was still shining brightly as he saw the boy sitting down on one of the desk chairs.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to be up here?" Ann asked, concern laced in her voice. "Last thing we need to do is get in even more trouble, especially after what happened this morning."

Ryuji waved off her concern, standing up from his position. "It's fine, students come up here all the time and the teachers don't really give a damn either."

"That so?" Akira muttered, messing with a strand of his hair. 'If what we learned about Kamoshida is true, then things are more messed up here than I thought…'

Ryuji nodded, crossing his arms. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you guys about that crap earlier. That whole castle shit, we didn't dream that up did we?"

"I… don't think we did, considering we all can remember it clearly. It felt too real." Ann swayed her arms, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face. "But when we met up with Kamoshida at the gate, he didn't act anything like he did in the castle or remember anything when you started screaming at him."

"Remember what Morgana said?'' Akira interjected, catching the two's attention. "We were in a Palace of sorts, and it was basically his desires taken form. This is just me thinking, but I feel like it was more of an internal world in his head or something along those lines. That's probably why he didn't remember anything, since we didn't actually meet him."

[Your thought process has increased your INT!]

'Huh, neat.'

"Do you actually trust that cat? He seemed pretty suspicious to me." Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.

Akira placed a hand to his chin. "I don't think he had any ulterior motives or a reason to lie to us. If anything, he just wanted to get us out of the way which is why he helped us get out of there."

"Yeah, I'm with Akira. I think we can trust Morgana." Ann said, smiling. "He was also really nice."

"I guess if you guys trust him, I can too…" Ryuji rubbed the back of his head before groaning. "Gah, I'm not going to think too hard about it. Not like we'll go back there again."

"Yeah, but I'm still worried about Morgana." Ann whispered, looking down at the ground.

"I think he'll be fine. I don't see him as someone who'll get captured twice." Akira said with a smile. "He'll most likely be sure to be more careful from now on."

"Yeah…" Ryuji muttered before turning towards Akira. "So I heard you got things rough right now, everyone's treating you like shit. Something about a criminal record?"

Akira winced slightly. "Yeah… it's part of the reason why I transferred here. Not sure how it got out though."

"Kamoshida." Ann answered, looking at the ground. "I heard from the gossip going around that he's the one who leaked your records."

"I heard the same, effin bastard." A scowl grew on Ryuji's face. "Asshole messes with anyone he doesn't like, and no one does a damn thing about it. It's like he rules the school."

Akira sighed. 'There goes me and my parents' hopes of a peaceful year. The main reason they sent me out this far was to try and avoid my record following me too closely.'

"I'm sorry." Ann apologized, catching the boy off guard.

"What are you apologizing for? It's not your fault." Akira smiled as the girl looked at him. "Besides, I just have to get used to it. Nothing I can do about it now."

Ann stared at him with slightly widened eyes. "...You're strong Akira."

"Yeah... I go through a lot of shit here myself, but it seems like they're not even giving you much of a chance. At least I…" Ryuji seemed to cut himself off before speaking once again. "Anyway, I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself earlier. Name's Sakamoto Ryuji, another troublemaker here."

"Kurusu Akira, good to meet you." Akira greeted with a grin, one which Ryuji returned.

"Don't worry about honorifics with me either, don't care too much for that shit." Ryuji began walking forward till he was next to the other two students. "You know I think we're going to get along just fine as two troublemakers. If you ever need something, feel free to hit me up."

"Same goes for me Akira." Ann added with a bright smile. "I… know what it's like to be part of bad rumors at this school. So if you ever need anything or just want to talk, feel free to come see me. We're in the same class after all."

"Will do." Akira said, smiling. 'Well I won't be too lonely here thankfully.'

"Either way, I'd like to hang out and talk more, but I have a model shoot I need to show up for." A thought seemed to hit the girl as she smacked her right palm with a fist. "How about this Akira? Tomorrow we can have lunch together, and I'll introduce you to my friend Shiho. She's pretty awesome, and I'm sure you two will get along!"

Akira nodded, smiling. "Sounds good to me. I don't have anything else to do that day."

"Great!" A buzzing sound caught the girl's attention as she pulled out her phone. Turning it on, an unpleasant frown graced her features which didn't escape Akira's eyes. Placing her phone back away, she turned around to leave. "Anyway, see you guys tomorrow."

"So uh…" Ryuji started as Ann left the roof. "Was I invited to that lunch meeting?"

Akira shrugged.

The blonde sighed. "Yeah I figured. She's already taken a liking to you man, you must have some kind of hidden swag stat or something."

"I wouldn't go that far…" Akira said, chuckling nervously. Then again, things seemed to be turning into a video game around him so he couldn't be too sure.

"I'm just saying…" Ryuji muttered, starting to walk forward himself. "Anyway, I'll see you around myself. Just hit me up if you want to hang out or something."

"Yeah, see you around." Akira nodded, now noticing he was finally alone. Pulling out his phone, and taking a look at the time a grimace formed on his face. 'I better get home myself. Have a feeling Sojiro isn't going to be too happy to know I was half a day late on my first day.'

"So want to explain why I got a call from the school that you were late?"

'Knew it.' Akira thought, as he entered the café to see Sojiro sitting at the bar with his arms crossed.

"Well? I'm waiting." Sojiro pressed, standing up from his seat.

Akira placed a hand behind his head, his expression becoming apologetic. "Sorry, but me and someone else got lost on our way to school while she was showing me the way."

"Is that so?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow before shaking his head with a sigh. "Just don't be late again, alright? I have to report your behavior daily, so I don't want you making things a pain."

"I understand, sorry."

"Stop apologizing, what's done is done." A small smirk appeared on Sojiro's face. "At least it sounds like you made a friend as well. That's good."

Akira smiled back, taking a seat at the booth as Sojiro walked back behind the counter. "Yeah, two actually. Ann and Ryuji are their names. Though… no one else seems to be willing to hang out with me since my criminal record seems to have leaked."

"What?" An immediate frown returned to Sojiro's face. "I thought it was made clear to the principal that it was supposed to remain hidden."

"Well, apparently someone found out about it and leaked it to the whole student body. Pretty sure it was a teacher, they're the only ones with that kind of authority."

"Tch, I knew they were going to be treating you like you were a pain, but even this is too much." Sojiro's expression eased up a bit. "Sorry this is happening to you, but you're just going to have to get used to it."

"I know and I will. Don't have much of a choice in the matter." Akira sighed, before looking around. "How was business today actually if you don't mind me asking."

"About the same as usual, why?"

"Eh, I was just curious since I see you're the only one who works here."

Sojiro crossed his arms. "Well, it's been like that ever since I opened this shop some years ago. Never really had help."

"I see… you know I wouldn't mind helping whenever I have free time." Akira offered, watching in slight amusement as Sojiro's eyes widened.

"You're serious?" Akira nodded. "You know I won't be able to pay you right?"

Akira chuckled. "Don't worry about that. You're basically letting me stay here rent free, so the least I can do is help you out."

"W-Well, if that's the case, you're more than welcome to help out around the shop. In return, I'll teach you how to make the best cup of coffee and maybe even a few pointers on business." Sojiro smirked. "We can start soon if that's alright with you, once you get a bit more settled in."

"Sounds like a plan. I look forward to working with you, Boss."

"Heh, to think a so-called delinquent would be this good natured." Sojiro uncrossed his arms to put his hands at his hips. "Anyway, go on and head upstairs to get some rest. Try not to be late for school tomorrow either, no need to go around causing more trouble for yourself."

Akira nodded, standing up from the table. "Yes sir."

'Besides…' Akira mentally willed his menu to open up as a blue holographic screen of information appeared in front of him. 'Time to find out what this is all about.'

The teenager sat on his bed, smiling as he began to cycle through the information with his hands. 'It's like a RPG, I see stats, abilities, and even equipment. There's also something about Personas and holds info about Arsene."

Akira leaned back and placed a hand to his chin. "I wonder where this came from then. Is it from those powers from earlier?"

"Who knows?"

Akira jumped at the sound of the voice, frantically looking around. "Who's there?!"

A chuckle filled his ears. "You're looking in the wrong place, Akira. Trying looking more inside."

"Inside… Arsene?"

"Got it in one. You don't have to talk aloud to speak to me by the way, you can speak to me through your thoughts."

Calming himself down with a deep breath, Akira closed his eyes. 'So like this?'

"Well done, good to know my other self can pick up on things rather quickly."

'Other self?' Akira raised an eyebrow. 'Morgana said something similar to that, what exactly does that mean?'

"It means I'm basically you, a side of you that you keep hidden per say."Arsene chuckled before continuing. "Now on to this before us, what do you exactly plan to do about it?"

Akira focused his attention on the screen in front of him, before a small smirk graced his features.

'Why not use it of course?'

"Hah! Good to know my other self is as daring as me!"

Akira chuckled before scrolling back to his stats, a smile gracing his face.

"Now then, how should we start?"

Not really much to say today since we're moving through the early portions of the plot lol. This chapter was actually longer I planned it to be. On that note, thank you all for the positive response last chapter. Keep those reviews, favs, and follows coming!

Anyway, please review and let me know what you all think and I'll see you all next time.

Peace, Jacula