Finally, I can introduce Makoto's character! Also, I will mainly stick to the original plot but I will try and avoid simply writing a summary of it all, because I guess everyone knows what happens in the game. Right? Right?! So I thought I could mention where we are in the story but leave the details in the background and write more about social interactions between characters. You will probably notice upon reaching the second part of this chapter :) I am very satisfied with what I came up with, even if I am well aware that something like that never happened in the game. But that's why we have this awesome website, am I right? :D

Being the student council president was never easy. Makoto Niijima, a third-year honor student, knew all about her fellow students' troubles, both at school and at home, and she was not only busy studying as well as applying for college, but also with trying and finding a solution to people's problems. If that wasn't enough, each time she came back home after a long day spent at Shujin Academy, she was expected to make dinner and clean up. Of course, she didn't really mind taking care of the apartment while her sister was at work earning money to support the two of them –as the elder girl so often liked to remind her. However, Makoto was starting to feel the weight of responsibilities and the tasks that people around her assigned her, never bothering to ask her if shewas okay with it in the first place.

Her sister, Sae Niijima, was a public prosecutor and spent most of her day at work. Sometime she would stay away from home for many days in a row, working on a particularly complicated case. Whenever she finally came back home to her, the elder sister would always be moody and nervous because of how stressed she was, but Makoto knew there was something else. It was not all about work, but she missed their father so much she would simply lock herself up in her room for the rest of the night, trying to find solace in her job. Makoto would never bring up the subject though: the last thing she wanted was to be yelled at, and be told that children were supposed to listen to adults around them and simply shut up.

Finally, to make matters even worse, the principal of her school, Mr. Kobayakawa, had suddenly summoned her to his office one day to give her yet another impossible task: investigate the Phantom Thieves, reveal their identities and report straight back to him. Apparently, he was convinced that these thieves of hearts originated at Shujin, and it was imperative someone put a stop to their actions for the sake of the school's reputation. She really didn't want to do this, but the principal had sounded so aggressive and even went as far as to blackmail her. She didn't have any other choice…

That Sunday afternoon, deciding it was a good day to visit some of the colleges she would like to attend after graduating high school, she got a text message from her sister, informing her she wouldn't be needing to make dinner for two, because she was supposed to meet Goro Akechi and discuss something about these Phantom Thieves everyone was talking about. Well then, another lonely evening thanks to the Phantom Thieves and Mr. Akechi. Seriously, couldn't the brilliant detective manage perfectly fine by himself?

"Speak of the devil" she muttered as she spotted a mass of unruly brown hair emerging from the crowd of curious students. Her intense stare must have caught his attention, for the boy suddenly turned around and looked straight back at her. Their eyes met for a moment as they both stared at each other blankly, before he smiled at her and she blushed in embarrassment. Her distress grew even more as she saw him approach her from the corner of her eye.

"Hi there" he greeted "You're Sae-san's younger sister, correct? May I talk to you for a moment?"

"Is it about the Phantom Thieves… Akechi-kun?" she responded, suppressing an exasperated sigh. This was going to be no small talk.

"You're quite perceptive" he beamed "I was wondering if there were any points in common between Kamoshida's and Madarame's cases. There have been victims after all. The Phantom Thieves need to be pursued."

"You criticize the Phantom Thieves, yet you don't doubt their actual existence" she retorted more vehemently.

"Oh, you saw that show on TV. Well, many details become logical if I think on the premise that they do exist" he smiled again his perfect, charming smile. But that wouldn't work on her.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're enjoying this?"

"You may be right" he answered "Phantom Thieves that use calling cards and succeed in their crime…as the so-called "Charismatic Detective", it'd be hard for me not to see them as my rival."

"You have such high self-esteem" she sighed "So the Phantom Thieves are evil, and you are just?"

"Compared to people who manipulate others' hearts as they see fit, I believe I'm on the side of justice" he nodded firmly. Besides, I'm only using my natural-born talents for the sake of serving the world. Don't you think the same about yourself, too?"

"I…" but she didn't really know what to reply to that.

"…Oh, that's surprising" he continued sounding almost disappointed "so you're just the good-girl type of pushover."

She ignored his last comment, but couldn't brush off his words.

"Looks like it's starting soon. I guess I'll see you later, Niijima-san" he gave her one last smile and walked away, leaving her possibly even more miserable than she was before.

She couldn't even concentrate on the presentation provided by the representatives of the University she was trying to apply to, Akechi's words replaying in her head. "So you're just the good-girl type of pushover". That tone of superiority he used around others! Who did he think he was, anyway?

Her eyes automatically moved to the left and met the reddish-brown ones of the famous detective prince, who smirked at her. She immediately tore her gaze from him: that guy simply irritated her. Not only did he keep her sister busy at all times with his stupid assumptions, but he dared to judge others without really knowing anything about them! However, his words did make her wonder: were the Phantom Thieves really the bad guys? After all, Kamoshida had confessed abusing students, while Madarame had turned out to be a failed artist who exploited the talent of others to gain money. Yes, the Phantom Thieves "stole" hearts, forcing people to admit to their crimes and confess, but could their actions be considered punishable? Akechi affirmed one should never steal something, even in the metaphorical sense, without the owner's permission, but didn't the police act pretty much the same way? Whenever they broke into a criminal's apartment to arrest them, or confiscate illegitimate goods?

However, no matter her beliefs, she had a task to complete: Kobayakawa had been clear enough, and she had no other choice but to discover the Phantom Thieves' true identities. Now, where to begin? These thieves could be literally anyone! However, she did see that new guy on probation hang around with Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-chan after school. And they all seemed to have had their reasons to hold a grudge against the former PE teacher…

She fished her phone out of her bag and stared at the screen, then tapped on the recorded audio files. There it was, the conversation between Sakamoto-kun and the others where he clearly admitted being a phantom thief. But should she believe him? Without a confession, she didn't really have any valid evidence: the punk might have simply been bluffing.

Her expression darkened: why was she supposed to do this in the first place? Why did she need to follow the principal's orders? After all, she really couldn't bring herself to believe the Phantom Thieves were criminals… And she was tired of being told what to do against her will.

"I need to look up the name of that new guy."

Black frizzy hair, glasses that hid a pair of grey eyes and a carefree expression: Akira Kurusu was sitting politely in his chair, hands in his lap and his black and white bag resting in the chair beside him. Was it her imagination, or was the bag moving every now and then?

"I'll get straight to the point" she began, breaking the silence between them "Mr. Kamoshida and Madarame. Won't you tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves' incidents?"

The boy lifted his eyebrows looking bored, but didn't reply.

"Can't answer that?" she pressed "Ah, of course. There's no way you would admit to such things."

She then proceeded to the next phase of her plan, placing her smartphone on the desk between them and pressed the Play button.

"…If someone else could help 'em, we wouldn't be doin' stuff like the Phantom Thieves to start with!" came Sakamoto's outraged voice.

Now, Kurusu-kun's eyes widened with surprise and horror, and she knew she had won.

"So, how do you corner someone into making them confess?" she crossed her arms and bore her eyes into his. He soon regained his composure though, and finally spoke for the first time in a calm tone.

"I have no idea" he smirked, crossing one leg over the other.

"Of course, I know what you're thinking" she continued relentlessly "This doesn't prove anything, right? But what would the police think if they heard my recording? If you confess the truth, I don't mind just leaving this between the two of us."

Kurusu-kun decided to keep quiet, simply staring at her gravely. That's when his phone starting to ring.

"Go ahead" she encouraged.

"Hey, where you at? Takin' a leak? Let's meet up at the usual spot to hold our Phantom Thieves meeting!"

Sakamoto's voice was so loud she didn't even need to concentrate to hear what he had to say. The expression of pure horror on the boy's face was simply priceless…

"Now, won't you take me to your friends?"

Spending a Saturday afternoon lying in bed and simply relaxing was a real luxury for Goro Akechi. Normally, he would be sitting at his desk studying for the rest of the weekend to catch up on homework, but he had been extremely diligent and managed to finish most of it and take down Shido's targets, too. Those moments of relax were more than deserved since his body ached from head to toe.

However, when he felt his eyelids were getting heavy, he decided to get up and take a shower: if he fell asleep now, he would never manage to rest properly during the night and it was not a good idea to start a bad habit. Feeling refreshed and clean, Akechi walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge only to find it almost empty: all that was left was a bottle of water, a can of soda and a few eggs.

He was seriously considering the thought of having some plain eggs for dinner, but he forced himself to grab the keys and go out to stock up on necessary supplies.

Though his legs would tell otherwise, Akechi really enjoyed walking around Shibuya as the sun set over the horizon, painting Tokyo in beautiful orange colors. He finally stopped at the local grocery store and bought the most basic necessities, which were surprisingly many for a person living on his own. When he was finished and went out, the sun had almost completely set and the street lamps were now the main source of light. The streets were getting busy with people going out to enjoy the evening after a long week at school or work, and he silently observed couples walking hand in hand, or groups of friends laughing together by the arcade. Akechi sighed loudly and forced himself to keep on walking, to ignore the lively chattering all around him. He didn't need anybody, not friends, not family and not a girlfriend. He was perfectly fine on his own.

Right?

He stopped suddenly, his eyes widening slightly with surprise when he saw a familiar face walking his way, hands stuffed in the jeans pockets…

"Uhm?" the boy stopped too a few feet away from him, and looked at the brown-haired guy holding a couple of heavy-looking bags in his hands. "You are… Akechi-senpai."

Akechi had to blink a few times before responding. "You remember me" he smiled "And you are… the student from Shujin I met at the TV station, right?"

The boy nodded quietly, before widening his eyes in realization and opening his mouth to speak again. "My name is Akira Kurusu."

"Nice to meet you again, Akira-san. Oh and, by the way, no need to call me senpai, really" Akechi chuckled lightly. "So you are meeting up with your friends?"

"No, not really" Akira replied "I just wanted to go for a walk."

"I see" Akechi nodded. Then silence. He knew there was not much else to say, and that Kurusu-san would go his own way, but for some reason Akechi didn't want him to leave just yet. He wanted to talk to him more, but had no idea what to say.

"Those bags seem heavy…" Akira hinted with a nod of his head "Need help?"

"Uhm?" Akechi's eyes fell on the two large bags he was carrying, realizing only then his arms –which had already been put to test during the whole week- were screaming in protest. "Ehm… well…"

"I'll take that as a yes" Akira smiled kindly as he stepped forward and took the largest bag.

"T-thank you."

Good God. He couldn't even remember the last time he had thanked someone and meant it.

"So where do you live?" Akira asked in his usual calm tone.

"Not too far from here. Follow me" Akechi answered and began walking toward the direction to his apartment. They spent most of the walk to his apartment in silence, with Akechi the only one speaking to occasionally update the other about the distance left to cover.

"Well, here we are" the brown-haired boy announced happily as he pointed at a shabby-looking six-story building in a dim-lit alleyway. "It's nothing glamorous, but it's all I can afford with my scholarship."

"Huh?" Akira frowned "You leave alone?"

"Yes. I took this decision together with my guardians, and luckily they said yes and fixed all the papers for me" Akechi explained as he unlocked the entrance door and held it open for the other.

"What about your parents?" the dark-haired boy asked again.

"Eh… I never met my father… and my mother… well, she died when I was but an infant" Akechi said sadly, but instantly forced a smile on his face. "But I'm managing quite fine, really."

"I'm sorry" Akira apologized, and he seemed sincere "I had no idea…"

"I know. Don't worry about it" the other grinned as he pushed the button to call the elevator. The ride up to the sixth floor, where he lived, was spent in silence, though Akechi was pretty sure Akira was still thinking about what he had told him judging by the serious expression on the boy's face.

"So, I live here" Akechi announced happily when he opened the door to his small apartment. He hadn't cleaned up in a while now, but at least it was not messy. He liked to keep things as tidy as possible, but couldn't really help the dust from covering every surface of the entire place. Seriously, he could fight Shadows no problem, but dust… that was a persistent enemy.

"It's nothing special, really. And I apologize for the state it is in. I do not have much time and…"

"It's really cozy" Akira interrupted as his sharp, grey eyes scanned every inch of it. "I like it."

Akechi's lips curled into a genuine smile, the first one after years, and he thanked the other boy.

"Oh, here's the kitchen. You can just drop the bag there" he pointed to his left, where the small kitchen was. "May I offer you something to drink, maybe? I just bought tea and coffee."

"Do you have 1UP?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Uhm…" Akechi hurried to the fridge and opened it. It was the last can of soda he had. "Yup. Would you like ice cubes?"

"Nah, it's fine."

He quickly emptied the content of the bags and sorted the items in the fridge and on the different shelves in the kitchen, while Akira walked around the apartment to explore.

"…You have Goemon II?!"

Akechi placed the last pack of rice on top of a shelf and went to his room, where Akira was currently sitting on his bed holding a copy of an old videogame, the can of 1UP resting on his bedtable.

"Oh, that one" Akechi smiled "Yeah, but I never finished it."

"You're so lucky! I finished the first one, but never got to find the sequel in any shop!" Akira was eying the colorful game cover with jealous eyes, which made Akechi's smile grow even larger.

"You can borrow it" he said, shrugging his shoulders "I don't have time to play it, anyway."

"Seriously?" Akira's grey eyes finally tore from the game and bore into his darker ones. "It's quite funny to think the famous detective prince actually likes videogames..."

Akechi chuckled at his comment and went back to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

A few minutes later, he returned to his room, where Akira was still examining his belongings.

"My gosh!" Akechi's features twisted into a disgusted expression "This coffee is… is…"

"…terrible?" Akira completed for him, and he nodded. "Maybe you should try Boss' one."

"Who?"

"Boss. He runs a café called LeBlanc in Yongen-Jaya. I live there" Akira explained.

"You live in Yongen-Jaya? That's not too far from here" Akechi tried another sip of his coffee, the bitterness stinging his tongue and he decided the content of the cup was going straight into the sink.

"I live in a café in Yongen-Jaya, yes" Akira clarified, earning a questioning look from Akechi.

"Wait… you live in a café?"

The dark-haired boy nodded and smiled. "You will want to have a higher consideration of your apartment from now on. At least, you don't live in a public place!"

The two boys stopped to chuckle at Akira's words, before he continued. "So, how about tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow?" Akechi repeated surprised, forgetting he was not supposed to drink the coffee and cringing once more at the taste.

"Yeah. You can have breakfast at LeBlanc" Akira offered, finishing his soda in one large gulp.

"Oh…s-sure. Then you can also explain why exactly you live in a café."

The worst part was that, for the first time in his life, Akechi was actually truly happy to have been invited to someone's place…

It was difficult to sleep that night. Akechi kept shifting position in bed, taking both off and on him the bed sheets and constantly opening and closing the window beside his bed. He was trying to blame the temperatures, either too warm or too cold, but he knew he couldn't deny the truth: the casual encounter with Kurusu-kun had turned into an enjoyable evening talking about school and other trivial things, and it was amazing how incredibly easy it had been for him to open up to someone he barely knew. There was something special about that quiet boy, and Akechi didn't only mean his ability to summon a Persona. It was his calm demeanor, his whole personality and something else he wasn't even sure about himself, but Akechi had felt truly happy for the first time in his life. Of course, he was happy when he was with Robin and Loki, but that was totally different: when he was in a Palace, he felt powerful and superior, which made him satisfied. When he was with Kurusu-kun, he felt at ease and relaxed. It was some sort of chemistry, the same odd phenomenon he had read about in various books or heard people talk about, and he had never really believed a word of it. And yet, here he was, unable to close his eyes despite how tired he felt, because he had been invited to spend the morning to a friend's place. Friend. Were they even friends? They had just met, after all. And yet, it sure felt that way, like they had known each other for much longer...

Unable to calm his restlessness, Akechi resolved to simply lie in bed and look up at the ceiling until he would fall asleep on his own. He checked the time on his phone one last time -1:35 AM- and mentally cursed. He was supposed to meet up at LeBlanc at 8:30 AM: it was going to be another long week…

…the blue fog wasn't normal, and neither were the chains blocking his path. He was trying to squeeze through them but there were just too many…

"…will you stay still, Inmate?"

"It seems he is agitated."

"Well, not my problem!"

Akechi's eyes snapped open and he instantly sat up on the uncomfortable bed in the all too familiar prison cell.

"About time, Inmate!" Caroline greeted him in her usual aggressive tone "Although, I wouldn't have minded feeding you to my Jack Frost."

"Now, now Caroline. Show some sympathy for our guest. After all, he has quite the dilemma to solve…"

The two wardens turned to bow at their Master as Igor's intense gaze was fixed on him. Akechi desperately needed to have his back massaged, but couldn't do so himself since his hands were tightly cuffed.

"Dilemma?" he asked, mostly to try and forget about the backache he had.

"You have finally met other Persona-users like you" Igor nodded "Though the path they chose is the opposite of yours."

Akechi bit his lips nervously. He knew what Igor was going to say.

"The Phantom Thieves who so desperately want to reform society. And then you, a solitary knight with immense power who uses it for revenge. A confrontation is inevitable."

Akechi's eyes lifted to meet Igor's crazed ones. A confrontation was inevitable.

"…Am I… doing it all wrong?" he asked quietly, the question mostly directed to himself.

"Why are you asking if you already know the answer?" Igor chuckled mockingly. "Besides, the Phantom Thieves might be asking themselves the exact same question. After all, everyone is pursuing the Good, but that does not mean that their notion of Good applies to everyone else."

"Got it, Inmate?" Caroline asked him rudely.

"Did you?" Justine asked the other warden, making her blush furiously.

"I am looking forward to this" Igor's deep laughter rang in his ears as Akechi fell backwards as dragged by an invisible force, and opened his eyes just to find himself in his own bedroom, sunlight filtering through the window.

It took a few seconds for him to remember, before grabbing his phone and checking the time: 7:52 AM.

"Oh crap!"

At least the trains were not crowded, because it was a sunny and warm day. And he was in a hurry.

"Yongen-Jaya. This is Yongen-Jaya."

He was finally there. Now, according to the directions provided by Kurusu-kun, he was simply supposed to go through the tunnel to his right and proceed straight for a few feet until he saw the café.

Akechi found it instantly, just at the end of the narrow alleyway with all the restaurants and a strange man trying to convince him to listen to the radio together.

The sign outside read "Open" and Akechi pushed the door, a bell ringing as he strode inside.

"Good morning" he greeted politely, as a man behind the counter turned to see who it was.

"Oh, good day. You must be Akira's friend, right?" the man smiled kindly "I must say, I never thought that dork would make friends with a famous detective, of all people! But please, have a seat. I will go and tell him to come downstairs."

Akechi did as he was told, sitting at the table nearest the door. He was still a bit stunned by the man's words: "you must be Akira's friend…"

Seconds later, Akira himself, followed by the man, came downstairs.

"So you made it" Akira said as he grabbed an apron to help the man.

"I guess I really needed some coffee" Akechi joked.

"So, what will you boys be having? Oh, don't worry, this one is on me" the man, who introduced himself as Sojiro Sakura, asked cheerfully.

"I'll take whatever you recommend, sir" Akechi replied.

"Coming right up!"

As he waited for his coffee, Akechi observed Akira assisting Sakura-san with it, and was surprised at how attentive they both looked. He had never experience seeing anyone being so detailed and careful about a cup of coffee. For some mysterious reason, the scene of the two semi strangers worrying so much about the taste of his cup of coffee made his heart swell…

"Here" Akira returned shortly after with a cup for him, the smell of delicious coffee beans filling the entire place.

"Thank you" Akechi replied gratefully, and took a sip. Well now, that was some seriously good coffee!

"This flavor…so rich and particular… it must be Jamaican Blue Mountain beans!" Akechi commented.

"Wo-ho! You know your coffee, young man!" the barista beamed with delight.

After finishing their coffee, regular customers began walking in and Akira signaled it was time for them to go upstairs.

"So this is your room" Akechi stepped into the dusty attic and looked around. Of course, it was still weird to think someone was living up there, but he couldn't deny the place was incredibly cozy and charming: Akira had decorated it with gadgets gathered from all over Tokyo like movie posters, plush dolls, a large plant and other weird things scattered all around. A black cat was curled up into a ball on his bed, just under a large window which he kept open to make the room cooler.

As soon as Akechi was close enough, the cat opened its blue eyes and jumped on the windowsill, briefly turning around to give him what Akechi would have sworn was a scolding look, and then outside in the back yard. Akechi couldn't help but wonder if that cat was the strange creature he had often seen accompanying the Phantom Thieves, but could a cat even summon a Persona? Though the resemblance was quite striking...

"That's Morgana, my cat. Don't mind him, he is not fond of strangers" Akira explained nonchalantly. "At least you can sit on the bed now."

"Honestly, I like this place more than my apartment" Akechi said truthfully as he eyed the desk with books and tools on it. "You said I was supposed to be proud of it, but now I am just envious!"

"Wanna exchange your apartment for my room? You can take my probation too, since we're there" Akira chuckled.

"Probation?"

"Yes" Akira's smile vanished from his face "I… uh- punched a guy in the face. And was expelled from school and sent here. That's why I live in a café with Sojiro-san."

"What...? Why did you punch a guy in the face?" Akechi asked surprised.

"Because he was attacking a woman, and I intervened" Akira explained absent-mindedly.

"But that's so unfair!" Akechi actually felt outraged "You were just protecting an innocent person!"

"I apparently messed with the wrong guy. Don't ask me who that was, though. Can't remember" Akira continued as he fired up the game Akechi had lent him.

Akira was a skilled player, but the game itself was brutal and he had to repeat the same level over and over again. Watching him play made Akechi fill a bit nostalgic: back when he was younger and his hands unstained with the blood of others…

Oh, if only he had met that quiet boy a couple of years earlier, he might have avoided such a terrible fate! But he couldn't change his past and there was no point in backtracking now: he had made up his mind long time ago. He would get his revenge on Shido no matter what, and he wouldn't allow something as feeble as sentimentality to stop him. He didn't let his emotions show, however, but merely enjoyed watching Akira play and occasionally giving him a hint or two when he got stuck somewhere, until he reached the second half of the game which he himself never got to play.

"So what now, Akechi-kun?" Akira asked him, staring blankly at the puzzle on the screen.

"Uhm… I don't know, I have never gotten past the sewers so this is new for me too. Give me a second to think" Akechi replied, while he carefully examined the surroundings in the game. "Oh there, there is a key! It's super small but you can see it hidden under that barrel."

Akira retrieved the key and could proceed further in the game, stopping only when he reached a save point.

"Jeez, I'm tired!" the dark-haired boy exclaimed while stretching.

"You don't need to finish it today. Take your time, I'm in no hurry" Akechi smiled as he got up. "Uhm, it's getting late. I should really get going."

"Yeah, I am meeting up with Ann, Ryuji and Yusuke in Shibuya so I guess I should get ready."

Akira stared at him for a moment, as if pondering whether to ask him something or not, but then shook his head. "Well, thanks for today!"

"I should be thanking you for the hospitality. I sincerely hope we can hang out again sometime" Akechi beamed.

"My door is always open. I mean… Boss' door is always open" Akira chuckled as he escorted him downstairs, where Akechi whole-heartedly thanked Sakura-san for the delicious coffee.

"Uhm, Akechi-kun?" Akira stopped him suddenly by the doorway "I've been meaning to ask you something…"

"Fire away" Akechi winked at him and smirked.

"Well, since you work alongside the police… have you perhaps heard of a mafia guy in Shibuya threatening students? Many from Shujin Academy got in loads of troubles because of him and I was wondering if the police are making any progress."

Akechi eyed him for a few moments before answering. "I have heard about a gang offering part-time jobs to students that are too good to be true. However, we are far from learning the truth behind this gang. I myself, despite living not too far from Shibuya, have never seen anything suspicious going on, which makes me believe these activities are carried out during the morning, when most people are at work or at school. But may I ask you why you want to know?"

"I have a friend who got in trouble" Akira answered quickly. Maybe too quickly, which suggested he was lying.

"I see" Akechi retorted. "Well, I can promise you that we will be doing our best to put an end to this nonsense."

With a nod of his head, Akechi took his leave to head back to Shibuya.

He was really curious to see how the Phantom Thieves would deal with this new challenge.

One last thing before I forget again! I will mainly be focusing on Akechi's POV, but will sometime switch between him and Makoto, just to give you all a deeper insight of what the characters are feeling and thinking ;)
And as always, thank you all for your support! :*