Morgana was sound asleep on Akira's chest. Akira didn't mind at first, but he began to regret it shortly after. He wondered how he was going to introduce Morgana to Sumire.
He wasn't the only one still awake. Sumire, she laid on the couch, staring into the ceiling as the feeling of doubt burrowed a hole into her chest. A part of her worried for Akira, he already had his own problems but was willing to help others despite that. She wondered if she was even worth helping seeing as she was… dead.
She gave Akira a glance, who she thought should've been asleep, but she met his eyes. They both awkwardly stared at each other for a moment.
"You're still up?" Akira asked in a projected whisper, trying not to wake Morgana up.
"And you are?" Sumire responded.
He shrugged. "Just thinking, y'know, how to tell Morgana since he can see you, somewhat. Anyway, what's going on?"
Sumire stared up at the ceiling despondently. "Now that you have Morgana… do you still… you know…"
"I don't follow…?"
She sighed. "Well, it's just that Morgana is living with you now, and people can actually interact with him. I know they can't hear him but still, and he also has amnesia like me… I was wondering if you still needed me around with him here."
"Sumire, of course I still want you around!"
"But why?" she asked. "I'm just… well, a ghost, and Morgana's… a cat but at least he's alive…"
"Hey, slow down. I'm not the type of person that ignores whoever's in need, that especially includes you. That's why I'm doing this whole Palace thing in the first place! People need help—you need help."
"Akira…" she sighed. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
"Trust me, as long as I'm here, I'm sure we'll figure out who you were!"
"Thank you, Akira…"
Sumire's worries were put at ease and she smiled. She felt warm, it was just like with the other thieves, but more intense this time around. It felt… good.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Charity Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power…
CONFIDANT
Sumire
ARCANA - Charity
RANK 1
NEW ABILITY
Apparition - May lower a particular type of Shadow's accuracy, causing them to miss more often.
"You know what? I think I know how to do it now; I'll introduce you tomorrow," Akira said, petting the sleeping Morgana.
"Fatty Tuna…" Morgana mumbled, causing Akira and Sumire to giggle.
Sumire yawned. "We should call it a night. We had a long day today."
"Yeah. Good night, Sumire."
"Good night, Akira."
—————————
Akira sat up, yawned, and stretched his arms up. He looked over at Sumire, surprised to see she was still asleep. Usually, she'd be up before him around this time. First time for everything he supposed. He was about to say something, but Morgana was already up and stretching.
"Goooood morning, Akira!" Morgana yowled. "Ready to go?"
Akira still eyed Sumire. She appeared so peaceful, her body(?) free of any tension as she breathed steadily. He recalled their talk last night and he smiled warmly.
Akira nodded. "Yeah. I'll go get breakfast."
Akira went down after changing, Morgana jumped down after him. Sojiro was staring absentmindedly at the television with the news channel buzzing. He already had a warm plate of curry set on the table for him, so Akira sat down and began eating. He was pretty sure curry was going to be his staple breakfast for the rest of the year now.
While it was incredibly good, he teased the thought of growing tired of it. Not that it seemed likely to happen anytime soon. That thought aside, what to get for lunch? Jam bread again? He decided he needed a job…
The clank of a plate brought Akira's attention toward Sojiro placing a plate of fish on the floor for Morgana who happily lapped up his meal. Akira blankly stared at him, his head buzzed, but he didn't know why.
"Something wrong?" Morgana asked, Akira now realized he was staring back at him.
Akira blinked, wondering how long he was staring. He shook his head and turned his head back forward. "I feel like I'm forgetting something…"
Meanwhile, upstairs… Sumire felt blissfully refreshed as she got up and stretched. She turned to Akira's bed to wake him up only to find he and Morgana were gone. Did she oversleep?
Morgana could've woken him up way before she woke up. She wondered why Akira didn't wake her up. Right… Morgana. Speaking of, she recalled their talk last night and smiled, feeling good about the day ahead. She descended through the floor into the stool next to Akira who was just finishing up his food.
"Oh, there it is. The light's been pretty dim this morning."
Akira grinned at her. "Smooth." He glanced at Sojiro who seemed distracted by the news. That was if he was even paying attention to it. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Akira," she said. She rested her elbow on the counter, propping her chin in her hand. She eyed Morgana then back to Akira. "When are you going to tell him?"
"Tell him wha—" His eyes widened. "Oh… right." So that's what he was forgetting, he felt bad for forgetting, but he didn't reveal that. "I'm thinking about how to do it. Maybe tonight." He got up, thanked Sojiro, and opened his bag to let Morgana in. "Alright, let's go!"
—————————
Ryuji:
—So, we're still gonna meet at the hideout, yeah?
Akira:
—…
Ryuji:
—Ugh, you don't gotta say it, but you can't actually tell me you're listening to all this crap.
Ann:
—Yeah, but none of it is really sticking today…
Akira:
—Honestly, yeah… The hideout is on the roof by the way.
Ann:
—Wait, we can still go up there?
Akira:
—Apparently. See you all there after school.
Ryuji:
—Awesome!
"Hey, Kurusu!" Ushimaru's voice boomed, causing Akira to jump in his seat. "You! Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you?!
"Akira, duck!" Sumire exclaimed.
The room temperature seemed to drop when he met Ushimaru's fierce gaze with wide eyes. As though time slowed down, the old man slowly reeled his arm back, a piece of chalk in hand. A chill went up Akira's spine as he felt a murderous intent…!
Ushimaru lurched his arm forward, like a marksman, aiming for the target on Akira's head. The bullet whizzed through the air, en route toward its mark, but thanks to Sumire's foresight he was able to just barely avoid taking the bullet to the head. He ducked and immediately lost track of the projectile. He could feel his hair rustle ever so slightly as it grazed the top of his head.
There was a loud yelp behind him followed by a thump. He shakily turned around and saw his fallen classmate out cold on the floor. He then turned back to Ushimaru's scowl with tentative, fear-stricken eyes.
Ushimaru scoffed. "You better pay attention or that could be you!" He then acquired a new piece of chalk and continued the lesson.
Akira let out a distressed sigh and discreetly mouthed thanks to Sumire.
—————————
Still shaken from the prior experience, Akira pushed open the door to the rooftop. Ryuji had already sat in one of the seats, waiting for him and Ann. Upon hearing the door open, Ryuji looked toward Akira with a grin and beckoned him over. Not too long after, Ann appeared.
"So then, what's the plan? The board meeting ain't until the 2nd, so what're we gonna do? We goin' in now or what?" Ryuji asked.
Sumire hummed in thought as she leaned next to Akira. "Let's see, May 2nd… so that gives us… two weeks until the meeting. That's more than enough time to explore a castle! Right?"
"Yeah, what are we gonna do? I mean, we're gonna infiltrate the Palace yeah, but how? What's the plan?" Akira asked.
Morgana, who was sitting on a desk next to Ann piped up. "That's right, we can't just go in headlong. We'll need to make proper preparations first; we're gonna need some new equipment and medical supplies."
"The equipment I get, but why waste money on healin' shit? Can't your Persona heal? Akira too, right?" Ryuji asked.
Morgana frowned and shook his head. "I can't heal you guys indefinitely! It takes energy to summon a Persona, so medicine will help reduce unnecessary strain."
"Oh, right… My bad." Ryuji sheepishly rubbed his nape, but he then immediately grinned. "Anyway, I know this cool ass place to buy equipment n' shit from! It's where I got Akira's gun!"
"Hey, Akira, I'm pretty sure there's a clinic around home," Sumire said.
"Right, and leave the medicine to me, I know a place," Akira said.
Ryuji stood up excitedly and palmed his fist. "Alright, so it's settled! Shit, hol' up, Ann's gonna need a code name, don't she? She's got that tail and stuff, so whaddya think, Akira?"
"Code name…?" Ann asked. "Oh right, I think I heard you guys calling each other by those."
"Yeah! So I'm Skull, Akira's Joker, and Morgana's… well, Mona…" Ryuji said, followed by Sumire adding her own name which only Akira heard. "Anyway, as I was sayin', with that outfit n' all… I'm thinking… Sexy Cat."
Ann's nose crinkled with displeasure and she frowned at him. "Um… No way I'm gonna be called 'Sexy Cat'!"
"Kitty Woman," Sumire said.
Akira stroked his chin. "No… I can't think of any good ones. Morgana didn't take any cat-related names."
"For good reason!" the cat in question yowled.
"Yeah, so Catgirl's on the table if you want it."
"Being called 'Cat' sounds way too kiddush…" Ann trailed off before perking up. "How about Panther since it sort of sounds ferocious, don't you guys think?"
"If ya wanna go 'ferocious' then what about 'Cougar'?" Ryuji suggested nonchalantly.
Ann glared at him. "Ryuji, can you stop being a perv for like five minutes?!"
Ryuji stared at her with wide eyes, taken aback as he retorted, "Wh— It's a genuine suggestion! What's so freakin' perverted about a 'cougar'?!"
Sumire palmed her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Hoo boy, should I even explain?" From the corner of her eye, she saw Akira looking at her blankly. She stared back at him with a bemused stare. "I… have decided I won't." She groaned. "Ugh, can we adjourn the meeting?"
Akira shrugged and turned to everyone else. "Alright guys, if nobody else has anything to add then let's get going. I'll get the medicine, and as for the equipment… Ryuji?"
"Yeah!" The blond in question exclaimed with an eager grin. "As I was sayin' before there's this cool place in Shibuya. We're off tomorrow, so if you're not busy why don't you guys come with?"
"Sure, it could be fun."
Ann frowned. "Sorry… I already made plans to see Shiho in the hospital…"
Ryuji's grin vanished as he gave her a sympathetic look. "O-Oh… Gotcha…" A brief moment of silence passed over the group until Ryuji mustered a reassuring smile. "Well, don't worry about it, we got this."
"Yeah, it's no big deal," Akira said, also offering a smile.
Ann smiled at them. "Thanks, guys." She turned around and slid off the desk. "I'll see you on Monday then."
—
"Here's the place," Sumire announced. She, Akira, and Morgana stood in front of a building that was conveniently near Leblanc.
"'Takemi Medical Clinic', huh?" Akira read the sign aloud. "It looks unassuming. Do you think they'll let us buy medicine without any good reason?"
"I doubt it." Morgana said," it's not like we can tell the truth, so can you think of anything to say?
"Why don't you tell them you've been feeling lethargic or something?" Sumire suggested, "I think exams are coming around the corner, so that should make it more convincing."
"The ol' sleep-deprived student card, huh? Well, it's the only shot we have," Akira said.
Morgana looked at Akira, probably with a raised brow if he were able to in his form. "Uh… Akira? Why does it seem like you're talking to the light?"
"Huh? Oh, uh… Right, about that… I'll tell you after Sakura-san closes up," Akira said dismissively. "Let's just get the medicine for now."
Akira entered the building alongside Sumire, and Morgana ducked into his bag. He stepped into the waiting room, a bored dark-blue haired woman sat behind the reception, her eyes half-lidded as she worked through whatever paperwork behind the window. In such a small place, he assumed she ran the clinic, Dr. Takemi.
"Um, excuse me?" Akira said.
Takemi tilted her head up. "Oh, you look new, is this your first visit? So, what do you need?"
Akira cleared his throat. "Uh… I've been feeling really lethargic."
She looked at him from head to toe. Akira shifted under her scrutinizing gaze, nervousness welling in his chest. However, she didn't question him. "Alright. Please head to the exam room," she said. Akira held in a sigh as she stood up and walked away. He and Sumire entered the door that led into the exam room. He met her there and sat on a stool in front of her. "So, tell me more. How do you feel?"
"So, lately, I haven't been resting soundly, I'm getting headaches… It's been killing my motivation to do much and it's really showing in my grades…" he said dully, making sure to drag his words now and then, but not too long when he did. Sumire nodded, impressed with his acting.
Takemi nodded, jotting notes. "I see, in your case, it's most likely due to stress. I'm going to prescribe you some pain relievers…" She trailed off, tapping her pen on her lower lip. "Actually, I need to restock on those… Let's go with sleeping pills instead. Sleep is the best medicine anyway."
Akira tried to hide his frown. "That's not good enough. I need pain killers," he stated.
Takemi's eyes narrowed, causing him to suck in a breath. "Right… And I bet you need a year-long supply too. I'm not as dumb as I look. You're here because of the rumors, aren't you?" she asked. Akira looked at her confused, but before he could say anything she continued. "Whatever, fine, I'll prescribe you medicine, but only those that will recover your health. It's your own responsibility to take care of yourself, with that said, stop by anytime."
Akira and Sumire stared at her surprised, but they shook it off and bought medicine without question. Akira's wallet rapidly lost weight much to his dismay. He really needed a job fast… After paying for the medicine, they decided to head home.
"That was… easier than I thought it'd be, to be honest," Akira noted, "well, now we've got a supplier for medicine. Now we just need new equipment."
"You're going to see Ryuji tomorrow, right?" Sumire asked.
"Oh yeah, that's right."
As they passed by the second-hand shop, Morgana popped his head out of the bag. "Hey, can we stop by the shop run by that old man? I wanna see if he has any materials we can use."
"What for?" Akira asked.
"Infiltration tools of course! I think it's about time I teach you how to make them."
After buying some materials from the second-hand shop nearby, they returned home where Sojiro curtly welcomed Akira back. Akira immediately went upstairs and cleaned off the desk in the back corner of the room as per Morgana's instructions.
With all of the extra junk taken off of it, he dusted off the desk. The dust stung his throat and eyes, he turned his head away, wafting the air and coughing. Sumire who stood too close coughed and stepped away. Hold on… did ghosts have lungs…?
"Ack—! Wait why am I coughing?" she wheezed.
Akira cleared his throat. "G-Ghost rules are weird, I swear—"
"What're you talking about?" Morgana, who was smartly a distance from the dusty desk.
"N-Nothing, I'll explain afterward." He picked up the bag of materials and dumped its contents all over it, he then sat in the seat. "Now then, teach me."
Without question, Morgana leaped up and began picking out the materials for a lockpick. Except, it was more like he had to push and drag things around to do so, and finally the lesson began. Akira followed his instructions as acutely as he could. It was certainly a process that quickly made his uncalloused hands sore. He had messed up the first time, but they made sure to buy a bit extra (rip money) and Akira was able to succeed on the second try. It wasn't the best, Akira knew, but Morgana assured him it was good enough. Sumire, who was sitting on his bed, clapped which did make him feel good.
After cleaning and organizing the leftover material for future use, Akira met Sumire's eyes. She nodded toward him; it was finally time to introduce her to Morgana. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled before turning to Morgana whose curious gaze met his.
"Morgana," he began, "there's someone I'd like you to meet." He slid his chair back and motioned toward Sumire, who to Morgana was a light resting on the bed.
Morgana eyed it and chuckled wryly. "Who? The weird light?"
With a dead-serious look, he nodded. "Yes actually. That's exactly who I wanted to introduce you to."
Morgana's eyes widened. "Wait, you're serious? You know why it's there? What is that thing?"
"First of all, she's not an 'it'. It's a bit hard to explain, but anyway, you know how it looked like I was just talking to myself? Well, this is Sumire. She's a ghost. I figured I'd tell you about her since you're both living with me," he said as Sumire waved at him, unbeknownst to Morgana.
Morgana flicked his tail around his body. "O-Oh, the light is sentient— er… Right, she's not just a light. Wait, so she's a ghost?! Oh boy. Okay, I am so sorry I called you annoying yesterday. I had no idea you actually had feelings!"
Sumire crossed her leg and her arms. "Great first impression," she said with an eye-roll.
"She says hi," Akira stated dryly.
"You can talk to it too?" Morgana asked.
"'Her', and that's the thing, it seems like I'm the only one who can hear her and see her true form, whereas you and the Shadows just see her as some… well, a light.
"I see… so she's been joining our infiltration attempts then? It seems like she'll be useful in the Metaverse," Morgana said.
"We even came up with a codename for her earlier," Akira said. "Say hello to Spirit!"
"So that's what that was! Spirit... I like it!"
"Oh yeah, one more thing. Could you please not tell Ryuji or Ann about her? I don't want any of them to think I have an imaginary friend or something and you're just going along with it. The only reason why I'm telling you is because the three of us are living together, so it only felt right. It's not like you could tell anyone else anyway."
"Well, as long as she's helping us out, that's fine by me! By the way, when did you first meet?"
"When I was moving here, at the crossing in Shibuya. It's also when I first got the Metanav, I think… She doesn't seem to remember anything like she has amnesia."
"So she's lost her memories too…" Morgana thought, "and she appeared when Akira first found the navigator, and the Shadows and I can sort of see her… If she's somehow connected to the Metaverse, then maybe she'll regain her memories within the depths of Mementos too…"
—————————
"Wow…" Akira said. Frankly, he pictured it to be some shady, back alley place in one way or another, but it seemed to be a cool place.
"Right?!" Ryuji excitedly exclaimed. "By the way, you know anything about guns n' shit?"
Akira shrugged. "I know the difference between a pistol and a sniper rifle, that's about it though. Why don't we ask for recommendations?" He pointed toward the surly man lounging behind the counter, absentmindedly flipping through some sort of magazine. "Excuse me, do you recommend anything?"
The man shrugged dismissively without a second glance. "I dunno. Just buy whatever looks interestin' to you."
"Ugh, some customer service," Ryuji muttered indignantly.
Annoyance spread across the man's face, he set his magazine aside and stared Ryuji down. "Fine, whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?"
"Uh… Automatic?" Ryuji asked. "Hol' up, why're we talkin' about cars now?!"
Sumire wandered around the shop, checking out the arrangement of weapons. Akira watched as Ryuji bickered—albeit a one-sided argument—and eventually decided to wander off to look around. He walked over to Sumire who seemed rather engrossed in the display of weapons.
"Hey, Akira!" she called out. "Check this one out! This one looks cool, don't you think?"
Akira looked at the gun she had her eyes on. He picked it off the rack and analyzed it—an SMG he figured. He glanced at Ryuji who was shouting at the shop owner.
"I'm not a freakin' casual! I bought shit here from last week!"
Akira looked at the gun again. "Hm, yeah… You think Ryuji will like this?"
Sumire shrugged. "Eh, maybe Ann will like it. I can only imagine Ryuji using something more bombastic, like a shotgun or something."
"I can see that," he said. "Alright then, Morgana and I already have our weapons, so I think that'll be it. Let's see if he has anything else." He placed the model gun back on the rack and walked over to the counter where the man went back to lounging and Ryuji was grumbling to himself. Akira knocked on the glass to which the man gave him a cursory look. "So, do you have anything realistic? Something like a shotgun and SMG would be cool."
The man perked up. "Oh? You're a lot more interesting than blondie here. Alright, I'll go see what's in the back." He got up and walked to somewhere in the back of the shop.
Ryuji stared at him in disbelief. "H-Huh—?! What the eff', dude?!" he cried. Akira gave him a questioning look. "Don't ask…" He shoved his hand and fished out a wad of yen. "Just take it, make sure you get me somethin' good."
At that instance, the man came back out with two model guns and placed them on the counter. The group looked at the guns with intrigue and excitement.
"You shoulda told me you're an enthusiast," he said. "I'm always up for helpin' fresh faces, so for now you're just gettin' the starter pack. Now then… a Remington Model 870 and M1928A1 Thompson, or just simply a Tommy."
"Hah…? Wh-What didya say…?" Ryuji stuttered.
The man tallied their due fee which Akira tentatively paid for. Despite the five-thousand yen Ryuji pitched in, his wallet continued to further bleed.
"Don't go wavin' them around in public, hide them in a bag or somethin' if you're outside," he said. His gaze then hardened. "Oh, and don't let the fuzz catch wind of ya having 'em. Don't need them comin' around here."
"Uh, yeah! Eff' the police n' all that! R-Right…?" Ryuji awkwardly said, his voice trailed off.
Akira cleared his throat. "Uh… Ahem, thank you, we'll be on our way now."
"No problem," the man said."I'll show you some more stuff if ya come back. The name's Iwai, pleasure doin' business with ya, kid."
They left the store and parted ways with the elated Ryuji at the station. When they reached home, Sojiro hadn't bothered to ask what was in the bag, much to Akira's surprise.
"So, what'd you get?" Morgana asked, now that they were in privacy since he had been hidden inside Akira's bag.
Akira placed the bag's contents onto the desk one after the other. "Got Ryuji a shotgun and Ann a Tommy…" He suddenly pulled out a camo pattern cat sweater. "And I even got you a cute little sweater!"
"Yeah, those will be usefu— wait what?!"
"Yeah, Sumire picked that one out."
"Hey! Don't pin the blame on me just because he can't hear me!" she exclaimed, swatting at Akira angrily.
"Don't worry," Akira said, trying to calm his giggling. "She helped out with the selection and budgeting process too."
"She truly is a Phantom Thief, huh?" Morgana commented. "We're only getting stronger from here on!"
"That's right, kitty!" Sumire cheered.
"She says thanks," Akira said. "Anyhow, how the heck are we gonna take our weapons?"
Just carrying the bag around in school was risky enough. They didn't want to just leave it in the alleyway where their entry point into the Palace was. No telling who would happen to stumble upon it. The group decided that they'd leave them on the roof.
They went to bed a bit earlier that night, eager to finally infiltrate the Palace at last. Akira laid on his bed, recounting all the events up until now. It was just about a week and so much had happened already. He stumbled upon a ghost girl, some weird app that led to an alternate reality in their perverted coach's heart, and a talking cat. It was all bizarre, that's for sure, but there were some perks. He already made some good friends despite his infamy at Shujin Academy. He smiled fondly at the thought, but he frowned to himself when he realized it wasn't all good.
"I need a job…"
