Author's Note: Good news! Fanfiction is not shutting down at all. I'm so glad it wasn't true, although I have to confess I panicked when I first about it and warned others without bothering to check if the rumor was real or not. Thanks to looking up further info FictionPress on Twitter, there's no evidence of this site shutting down. I want to apologize for alarming everyone for no reason over this stupid rumor. I believe I may have said this apologize in another story HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA CHAPTER THREE, but I just wanted everyone to know since I first alerted everyone of this stupid rumor in this story.
Furthermore, at the end of this week, I'll be going on vacation to Disney World with my family. So, I won't be back until the end of next week. I'm looking forward to having fun and relaxing a bit. In the meantime, please enjoy this next chapter.
After successfully convincing Sojiro to let him stay for one night, Yusuke had accompanied Akiko to the bath house next door. Such a shame the couple can't bathe together but going so far to be intimate and sexual is too fast. The hot water crept into his bones and warm soap soothed his skin. He had never felt this relaxed in a long time. Akiko kissed him goodnight when she left to go stay at Sojiro's house. Yusuke lay stretched on the bed, dressed in blue and white pajamas. The bed doesn't feel too bad, just a bit lumpy. He made a mental note to tell Akiko that she needs to get a more comfortable mattress.
Morgana was curled up on the other side of the bed, his head tilted to one side facing the bluenette as he muttered softly, "Good night."
"Good night." Yusuke shuffled his position, laying on his back and closing his eyes. He needs plenty of sleep so he can be ready for a big day tomorrow.
He didn't keep his eyes closed for long because of so many things still on his mind. His gaze lingered at his mother's beautiful portrait right in front of him. It's almost as if she's still there, reminding him that even though she's gone, she will always be there watching over him. It made an unexplained warmth burst inside his heart.
Everything bizarre had happened in these last couple of days. He was glad to have made friends whom he can rely on, because he lost all of those connections thanks to his selfishness, along with the fact his eccentricity can drive people away or convince them it's fun to make absurd jokes about him. Madarame once explained to him that life is full of distractions and the path to becoming a successful artist is to not be swayed by distractions. Even if said distraction was genuinely someone trying to become a friend to Yusuke.
Now that he thought about it, Madarame must've been manipulating his entire life to the extent of isolating himself from his own foster brothers and sisters. Yusuke's heart broke at the realization. But because of Madarame, art had kept Yusuke going after all this time and he had become very talented, despite knowing of his former Sensei's corruption and cruelty.
It's incredible on how much influence Akiko, and the Phantom Thieves, have made on his life. It was like he had been captured and held down by a heavy set of chains locked on his wrists, bounding him to Madarame's darkness. And after awakening to a Persona, those chains were unlocked and had faded away into nothing. It's like a bird breaking out of a cage and flying off to freedom.
Yusuke had been sheltered, in a way. He never had the opportunity to make friends after his foster siblings had their lives ruined or after he had stupidly betrayed them, and the only reason he has real friends now was because they had been suffering through the same hell he had gone through. As welcoming as the established friend had been, it had been ten years ever since his foster siblings had left him and the isolation left him very little knowledge about the world, let alone other people.
If all goes well, he can live at the dorms and start over by interacting with Naoya... the only neighbor who never treated him like an outcast. Perhaps he can interact with Hifumi as well, though not a neighbor, he recalled her concern for him whenever some of their classmates whispered malicious gossip about him. And if he wants to paint a good portrait of a person, he should learn about the person if he's going to continue depicting people in his art.
Yusuke's eyelids grew heavy, silently signaling him to go to sleep. An artist must sleep to prepare for whatever events he'll be confronted with tomorrow.
The young artist woke up bright and early, rising from the bed. A quick change of clothes later, he made his way downstairs. The barista was already behind the counter, after having come into the cafe before Yusuke had gotten up. A fresh cup of coffee, freshly cooked tamagoyaki egg dish and miso soup just waiting for him on the counter.
The meal was incredibly comforting, and a sip of this delicious beverage is enough to make Yusuke feel a little envious of this sort of treatment Akiko receives every day. "It's such a delight to enjoy coffee of this quality," he smiled his compliments and gratitude to his host. "By the way, where's Akiko?"
"Already left for school," Sojiro replied, brewing himself a cup of his own coffee. "Anyway, I called the board of education about your problem. One of them is going to meet with us when we speak with your principal about those brats harassing you. After that, we'll discuss where you'll be staying if those brats at the dorms get too rough again." He massaged the back of his neck. "You could stay until you find a place, you know. I can't promise it'd be comfortable though. I'd offer you to spend more nights here, but I'm sure you realize why I can't."
"Thank you, but I've actually anticipated on moving into the dorms. I realized something after talking with everyone last night. Perhaps it's due to my upbringing, but I don't know anything of the world, let alone other people. If I'm to depict people in my art, I need to learn more about them; I must interact with them more... so I'll return to the dorms... and start over by talking with the few people closest to me... those who genuinely care about me."
Sojiro chuckles under his breath, smiling proudly. "I see... Good for you on realizing that yourself." The smile swiftly changes to a concerned frown. "Do you think you can handle it? I mean, I have no doubt that after our meeting with the principal, you'll never have to worry about those brats picking on you again."
"There's no need to exaggerate. May I come again sometime to enjoy your coffee?"
"My doors are always open."
Nodding, Yusuke finished off the rest of his breakfast before asking another question that had been on his mind ever since he stayed the night. "Are you related to Akiko?"
"Huh? Oh no." Sojiro stumbled over his words a little bit, taken aback by the sudden question. "How would I describe it? We're just acquaintances. Not family or anything. I first met her when Wakaba introduced her to me... They were roommates at college, before they drifted apart when Wakaba got a job as a successful scientist..." he trails off, mentioning the name of this other woman with a hint of sadness. Whoever this Wakaba is, Yusuke suspected she was another great friend of the barista and Akiko's late mother.
"I may be overstepping my bounds, but why did you decide to take her in?" Due to his own experience with Madarame or because he felt protective of Akiko, Yusuke couldn't help but feel a bit skeptic. He didn't want to assume that Mr. Sakura was taking in Akiko out of any malicious intention. But he doesn't seem like a horrible person. In fact, he seemed very charming and trustworthy.
"My reason, huh... Probably because... her situation reminds me of my daughter's."
"Your daughter's?" Yusuke's eyes widened. Whatever this man's child has gone through, it must've been similar to what happened to Akiko, regarding what Mr. Sakura recently told him.
"That's another story for another time." The barista firmly yet calmly changed the topic of the conversation. "But you know how it is. Sympathy makes you do stupid things sometimes. Your art instructor..." Sojiro abruptly clears his throat. "Um, former art instructor. He must've felt something for you too... besides just stealing your talents."
While it was a nice sentiment, Yusuke just wasn't sure if that was true. Regardless of that however, memories replayed in his mind like a hologram. Their smiles while he taught little Yusuke how to paint. The proud fatherly expression Madarame often wore. It's too hard to let those memories go, especially when he was the only person whom Yusuke looked up to as a father. He should hate Madarame for hurting so many people... including Yusuke's mother. Except there's no denying that a part of him missed his former Sensei. "Truth be told, I cannot hate him from the depths of my heart either."
Everything about this confused and frustrated Yusuke, but he can't allow such distractions to hold him back. He had more important things to worry about, like getting to Kosei and to put an end to his peers' harassment. "We should probably get going," he sighed, finishing off his coffee and sliding off the bar stool to go back upstairs.
He stuffed his belongings in his suitcase and, having made up his mind on what to do with his mother's painting, presented it to the barista. "I'd like for you to have this, sir. I'd be grateful if you could find a home for it here."
Sojiro's eyes grew wider when he took the painting from him, deeply amazed by the beauty of the woman and the love she feels for the baby in her arms. A smile tugged at Yusuke's lips as he watched the older man admire his mother's work. "Are you sure? It'd be a waste to keep it here."
"Please, I insist. Even if I keep it at the dorms, it'd only be met with skepticism." Yusuke knew that while Mr. Sakura might not be familiar with Madarame's collection of stolen works, the faculty and the students at Kosei were very familiar with it. Keeping such a treasure at the dorms would only draw in uncomfortable questions... along with the fear that one of the bullies might make an attempt to destroy his mother's treasure and the principal would most likely cover up for the bully. "I doubt my mother would want that. Adding a hint of color to an otherwise ordinary day, however, is something I'm sure my mother would've much preferred."
Though hesitant, Sojiro finally accepted the gift. "...I see. I'll hold on to it for you then." He carefully hung the painting up to the right of the entrance, a perfect spot for customers to marvel and admire at.
Yusuke gathered up his things and followed Mr. Sakura out of the cafe, to which he had to close and lock the door before leaving, and got inside a slightly modified condor yellow Porsche 356. The car's engine whirs to life and before Yusuke knew it, they were on their way to, once again, put an end to another injustice.
Mrs. Miyama, an attractive but stern-looking representative from the school board, approached the young artist and the barista right after they had just parked the Porsche in front of the school gates. After shaking hands and briefly explaining the reason for her presence is to get an unbiased investigation of the bullying incidents, she escorted the two men to the principal's office for their private interview.
No sooner did she storm inside the office, without permission of course, the angry principal prepared to reprimand who had come barging in. That is until he recognized Mrs. Miyama and his face grew paler than the snow. Yusuke couldn't wait to see how this conversation was going to go. Especially once his ignorance and refusal to help a victim of ongoing harassment came out. However, a small part of him secretly feared who the woman is going to side with if he fails. If so, he could only hope Sojiro will grant him a few more nights in the attic.
Once the questions had started, Sojiro explained how he came to know Yusuke through the girl under his guardship and how Akiko had been dating Yusuke for quite some time after the young painter requested the girl to be his model. He said nothing but good things regarding Yusuke's character. Those words made Yusuke himself feel another warmth burst in his chest.
Mr. Yoshitomo had been contacted to come to the office in order to explain what he had seen his cherished student go through when his peers began torturing him without mercy. The art teacher spilled the beans on his continuous reports to the principal were often snubbed at.
When questioned, the principal feebly tried to explain himself with the most pathetic excuse anyone had ever heard, "I wouldn't believe it if I didn't personally witness it."
"But you must have been aware of the bullying..." Mrs. Miyama interrogated, "what was your intention to ignore it?"
"I was thinking of the students, Ma'am. I have to consider how this will affect the futures of the students Mr. Yoshitomo reported."
By now, Sojiro was starting to lose his patience. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean to tell us that you chose not to punish those moronic brats because you're more concerned about their reputations!?"
"Mr. Sakura!" The principal yelled, but Yusuke could tell the coward was just masking his fear. "I will not allow you to insult my students in such an atrocious manner!"
"Then why did you allow them to insult Yusuke every day!?"
"Because he could be just another Madarame waiting to happen! He was his pupil, after all! And I wouldn't want the students, who targeted him, to have their records stained by their actions! Their parents agree, and if I did take legal action, they would have me blacklisted!"
Cold harsh words broke Yusuke's spirit. It was plainly obvious. Of course, the principal doesn't care about the victims who get hurt. He cared more for the culprits who come from wealthy backgrounds. But what hurt the most is because nobody cared to defend him as a result of Madarame being his former mentor, a horrid man who destroyed many lives. Even when that man was gone, his name was tied to Madarame's and it made him an outcast. In everyone's eyes, Yusuke was just another Madarame waiting to happen. It hurt more than discovering Madarame had callously abandoned his mother for dead and plagiarized her work.
One thing escalated to another no sooner did the principal revealed his true intentions. A woman like Mrs. Miyama turned disapproval into a masterpiece when she began tearing him a new one over it. "YOU ARE AN IDIOT!" she bellowed. The argument transformed into one of the most explosive verbal smackdowns Yusuke had ever witnessed as the woman made it clear that not only did he ignore his responsibilities to protect his career, but it was that he'd willingly allowed these students to actively harm and torture Yusuke.
The principal finally broke in to try and defend himself again. Stupidly, as Yusuke noticed. That's when Mrs. Miyama changed from criticisms to, "I'll have you fired over this!" She made it perfectly clear that he will be blacklisted in the education field and the students who had been bullying Yusuke will be facing severe punishments.
Not long after, Mr. Yoshitomo gave her the names of the students he had reported. The tuba-playing boy who had aggressively shoved Yusuke down was kicked out of the student dorms, followed by a full week of suspension. The girl who had deliberately tripped Yusuke wasn't fairing any better as she suffered the same punishment as the tuba boy. Others who harassed him either in the hallways, in classes or in the student dorms received detention for three months and forced to clean the school after hours.
Just like the principal said, the impudent brats' wealthy parents did try to intervene, and threats of firing Mrs. Miyama didn't discourage her from carrying out her mission. The board of education overruled them and had fired the principal for abuse of power and child neglect. Those parents who couldn't fight back were forced to relent, while others just pulled their kids out of school in attempts to save face.
Sojiro and Yusuke graciously thanked Mrs. Miyama for all her help. At least there are some good adults in this world who care about wanting to help people like Yusuke. Ever since his tormentors were finally dealt with, his peers began to avoid him at all costs. Not that it bothered Yusuke, having been like this since the beginning of middle school years ago.
Arrangements have been made for Yusuke to stay at the dorms, along with hiring a social worker to help set him up a small bank account with a monthly allowance of food and art supplies. Of course, Yusuke was interested in finding a part time job, but what can he do when all he does is paint or draw? His social worker and Sojiro reminded him that he has plenty of time to think over or he could talk to one of them if there's any particular job that intrigues him.
Yusuke was glad to return to the dorms right after his horrendous neighbors had been dealt with. Despite how noisy some people can be and how dirty his room is, it didn't stop him from rearranging the stuff in a neatly order and cleaning up his room to become a private art studio just for him. Now he can relax and continue his work in peace. But first, he decided to hold true to his promise by inviting Naoya, who gladly accepted, to hang out for a while.