Quick note before we start, but Phantom Memories celebrates it's one year anniversary next month! Sure we haven't gotten out of the Kamoshida arc in 1 year, but I hope we can go a little bit faster next year.
Akira's arms made a decent enough pillow on his desk as his mind raced through with plans for the next time he'd go into the palace.
"Maybe I could get some rubber gloves in case Ryuji accidentally shocks anyone. Doesn't my outfit already have gloves, though?"
Most people who would notice his posture might've assumed that he was about to fall asleep, but with everything on his mind, he was anything but tired. The only reason he was even able to answer questions on a worksheet was thanks to Sumire checking the teacher's answer sheets and Morgana actually listening in on the lesson to give Akira more detailed explanations.
"You there! Take a look at this."
"I gotta remember Ann can heal too. Can't keep relying on Morga-oh!"
And then there were the times he was called on by a teacher. Always a bit of an alarm whenever he was lost in thought.
"Between A and B, which line is longer?"
That was her cue, Akira quickly looked over his paper as Sumire flew over to the teacher's desk. But as she was trying to find the question the class was on, Akira rotated the worksheet and already had an answer.
"Same length," he mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Oh. They're the same length."
And as soon as his praise was given, his head went right back down to his arms.
"Never mind, I guess." Sumire said as she went back to her seat. Being in the seat behind Akira's made it easy for Morgana to see her from the small window of Akira's desk shelf, even if it was hard to cooperate with only one being able to hear the other. They both stared at each other thinking the same thing.
"We need to talk to him about this."
The bell for the end of the school day had rung, and Akira was already on his phone texting the group chat before Sumire interrupted him mid-text.
"You wanna go there two days in a row? Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"
"What's she saying?" Morgana whispered from inside Akira's bag.
"I don't think she wants us to go to the palace today." Akira answered while slowly putting his phone back in his pocket.
"Well she's got a point." Morgana agreed. "After what happened yesterday, you deserve a break."
"But-"
"We have plenty of time before your expulsion. Besides, we've never had a day where you just have fun by yourself. I can tell you've been thinking about talking to the others all day."
"How would you know?" Akira asked. It didn't seem like he knew what they wanted him to do.
"You were literally mumbling about what you wanted to say during the next team meeting to yourself during lunch!" Morgana pointed out.
"I was?"
"This bag isn't soundproof, you know. Sumire, you agree with me, right?"
Sumire jumped and crossed her arms as she transitioned into a float while nodding her head. "Yeah, you were."
All he could see was the little ball of light shaking up and down, but he knew that she agreed.
"See? She heard it too!"
"And don't think we didn't notice that you borrowed a book from the library about your own Persona!" Sumire remarked. It was clear that Akira had to try to reason with these two on his back.
"Alright," Akira admitted. "Maybe I have been a little too focused on the palace lately, but isn't this supposed to be a mission? You know, something we can't hold back on?"
"That may be true," Morgana answered. "But it's important to know when you're overexerting yourself. It's not healthy to be constantly taking such a beating every day."
"Heck, you're lucky I didn't see any of you shed a single drop of blood yet!" Sumire continued.
Before he could try to give any kind of excuse, Akira paused in the middle of the sidewalk and realized he was even taking the slow route to the subway.
"Okay…but if you two think I should take a break so badly, what would you recommend I do instead?" He knew that with two amnesiacs who both wandered around the city for weeks before they came into his life, together they might come up with something he could do.
"You're living in one of the biggest cities in Japan for a year! And from what I was seeing, that attic of yours was looking pretty empty." Morgana exclaimed. "Besides, you wouldn't want all of that cash you got from shadows to go to waste, would you?"
Whenever Akira thought about shadows giving money, it always made him question what they use it for. Splitting the money shadows dropped between the three of them after every battle was always a pain to do sometimes. It was a good thing that, despite the camera and cell services being out in the Metaverse, at least the calculator app worked. Even if they didn't drop much, Akira's share was still enough pocket change to where he could put off getting a job for now. Though now he started wondering what Ryuji and Ann were going to do with their third of the money. He got out his phone and looked for any nearby shops. After enough scrolling, he settled on an underground mall in Shibuya.
"There's gotta be something there that I'll like…"
"No, seriously, how does she do that?" Oh yeah, he never really did explain Sumire's weird ability to be transported by vehicles to Morgana yet.
"We have no idea."
As they arrived at the mall, Akira was greeted with a cosmetics store that's smell wasn't very pleasant to him. Not the best thing to start off with, but it was only the first store. A sports store. Something that seemed more Ryuji's style than Akira's. A couple of accessory shops, which he thought was probably not useful unless he somehow got a girlfriend here. It was nice to look at until Morgana interrupted him.
"Wait, we could actually use those!"
Akira was dumbfounded at that sentence. "Morgana, those are just wristbands and rings."
"That might be what you see on the surface, but have you ever noticed that people who tend to wear those stuff seem tougher than they actually look?"
He got a "Maybe?" from Sumire at least. As for Akira, he was a bit more judgmental.
"I guess, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well it gets into people's heads, and what happens when an idea gets into people's heads?"
"It drives them crazy?" Sumire guessed sarcastically.
"It affects the Metaverse in some way?"
"Exactly!" Morgana answered. "So if we get some of these, it might increase certain attributes in battle!"
Sumire went over to check the prices of the wristbands.
"Eh, they're cheap. Why not?"
So Akira agreed to buy some. "Sure, but that jewelry is way too over our budget."
After buying whatever Morgana said was worth getting for each member of the team, Akira found a clothing store with some ugly designs that caused him to chuckle whenever Sumire would float above the worst ones to look like she was wearing it. A flower shop there caught Akira's interest.
"This cactus could really tie the room together, but could we fit it in the bag? I don't wanna ruin it."
"And have it prick me in there? I don't think so." Morgana yelled. "I already have enough things in this bag poking at my butt! Use the other pockets for once! They're there for a reason.
"Fair enough, I'll try to remember that."
There was a nice little fan he got. It may have only been April, but with the warmer weather coming in, he figured it would be useful. At an antique records shop, Akira noticed something he didn't expect to find.
At first, Sumire was confused. "You don't even have a record player! What are you gonna do with one of these?"
"I saw a video online about this one! This is a steal!" Akira started whispering to lower awareness. "These things go for a fortune to collectors!"
Morgana was impressed by this realization. "Ah, good eye! You really know this kind of stuff, do you?"
Akira shrugged as he made his way to the counter. "It passes the time."
With only a small dent made in his wallet, and even a potential increase in funds than what he started with, Morgana had an idea.
"If you're not gonna buy anything else here, I can go look at the stores in the subway, maybe they have something else there?"
"I guess so, but make sure to come back as soon as you're finished looking or if you find anything I might like." Akira told him.
As Morgana hopped out of Akira's bag and ran off towards the crowd of shoppers at the mall, Akira turned around to find a familiar pair of blonde twintails that stood out to him and Sumire.
"Akira, is that-?"
And Akira was already off to see her.
"Ann! Hey Ann!" He was already yelling and waving at her before skidding to a stop in front of her.
"Akira! Didn't expect to see you here!"
"Yeah, well, Morgana said we should take a breather from the whole palace thing and maybe spend some of the money we got. Speaking of which, what did you do with yours?"
"Huh, I was wondering why you didn't text us today. Anyway, that's actually why I was here! Let's see…I got some perfume and lipstick at the cosmetics shop, there was this great outfit on sale that I was trying to buy earlier, but never really had the funds for, so thanks for that!"
Akira could only give an embarrassed laugh at the comment, considering the ones he saw.
"Hehe, I'm glad we could help."
Akira and Sumire hoped that Ann bought the only good looking outfit there.
"And I was just about to get a snack here!"
Now that Akira thought about it, he did feel a little hungry, and it'd be nice to catch up with her.
"You know what? I've been looking for something to do here. We could chat if you want to."
"Sure! Just let me get something real quick!"
As Ann went into the supermarket, Akira went to the corner of the mall to sit with Sumire. He put his bag down and sat with his knees up.
"So do you think she's doing better?"
"I don't know. I'll have to ask her. At least that'll give me a conversation topic." Akira's head sunk into his shirt more.
Somehow Sumire knew exactly why he did that. "You're always worried about her, aren't you?"
"How can I not be? She's a nice girl. She didn't deserve all of this."
Sumire turned her head and gave Akira a confident smile. "But she's one of us now, and we're gonna give her what she deserves."
Akira's head popped back up, giving a more gentle smile. "Yeah, she's pretty strong for going through this much." He then turned his attention to the supermarket's sliding door. "Oh, there she is."
With a speedy jump springing him back up on his feet, he put his back to the corner and waved at Ann, who came back with a spoon and a small bowl with a spongy green pastry inside. The color put Akira off before he asked what it was.
"It's an uji matcha flan. It's basically mashed up tea put into pudding. It's so good! Want some?" Ann turned her spoon towards Akira before he put his hand up, refusing for now. As Ann started munching on the flan, Akira decided to break the ice.
"Anyway, what have you been up to lately?"
"Nothing much, really." But Ann's tone indicated otherwise. Akira knew something was up.
"You sure? You look like you have something on your mind."
"No, really, it's ok! Besides, it's kind of a personal thing. I don't wanna trouble you with it."
Akira was firm on his stance. "Look, as the leader, it's kinda my job to make sure everyone's okay. You saw how much you were steaming yesterday."
"Yeah, sorry if that made you uncomfortable. It's just that earlier today, I went to visit Shiho at the hospital."
"Oh yeah, how is she?
Ann sulked back on the wall, giving a tiny gulp. "Well she's fine, but she said she was sorry for not telling me about what Kamoshida was doing to her. Though I guess it's kinda my fault too, so I apologized to her too." She pulled the cup to her chest. "I should've realized how much trouble she was in. Maybe she would've been ok if I was there for her."
Akira was immediately reminded of that time Sumire helped to give him the confidence he needed to tell Shiho about his situation.
"This might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?
"Yeah, I know…"
""Akira, she'll understand."
"Good, that'd be for the best. My best friend is often misunderstood too…"
It really was thanks to her being there that he didn't just walk past her.
"You couldn't have known. People tend to bottle up their feelings all the time. She's a strong girl for having that much durability."
"Yeah, she is pretty great isn't she?" As she took another bite of the flan, Akira noticed Ann…blushing? "I'm glad I finally got to tell her everything I couldn't bring myself to say before."
Akira couldn't agree more. "Yeah, I know this whole situation is stressful for you. I mean, I just made my first friends here in Tokyo, and yet I feel like I've known them my entire life, so seeing someone you actually have known your entire life suffering like this…it's hard to handle."
Conversations about Shiho were never easy for Sumire, knowing she could very easily have had many parallels to her. But the way Ann seemed to describe it, it made her happy that she wouldn't end up like herself. As Ann went to throw out her cup, Sumire came in to comment.
"Someone she knew her entire life, huh? I can't imagine how hard that's gotta be. That's some real dedication to each other."
"They really care about each other, don't they?" Akira breathed a sigh of relief before Ann came back.
She had an interesting thought on her mind. "Thinking about it now, even if I hadn't slept with Kamoshida, he wouldn't risk losing a game by benching one of his best players over some girl. He cares too much about his reputation for that. Probably should've told him that."
Akira had a good rebuttal for it, though. "Can't really blame yourself for it. The whole power dynamic thing can often get to people's heads."
"I really fell for that, didn't I? Remember that phone call you caught me having the last time we talked like this?"
Akira sighed. "Yep, you were in a pretty rough spot."
"I was a little surprised how pushy you were about it. Guess your whole 'It's the leader's job to make sure everyone's ok' thing applied even before I joined the team!"
"Well I wanted to help, and me and Ryuji needed some info. But hey, it led to you joining the team!"
"No, I joined the team because I was curious about what you two were doing and got kidnapped for it!" Ann teased.
"Okay, that too," Akira agreed, feeling a little embarrassed by that memory. "But you rebelled, got your Persona, and burned everything to bits, so I'd say it worked out in the end."
"I can tell Ryuji's rubbing off on you. By the way, Personas are the power of the heart, right?" Ann questioned.
That brought back some bad memories from the previous day. "I don't exactly know what they are for myself, and I have multiple of them. Someone…actually, Morgana told me they're like a part of your personality." He didn't think she, or anyone else, could understand the Velvet Room. It was a secret almost as unbelievable as Sumire.
"Well, whatever they are, I want to strengthen my heart to help people. Like we're going to do when we change Kamoshida's heart, right?"
"Well, if that cat is right, of course we are."
"Heh, I'm feeling a little stronger already."
"The power of the heart, huh?" Sumire placed her hand on her chest. She was unable to feel any kind of heartbeat, but after a few seconds, she started to feel that warm feeling again. A sense of motivation and hope. It was the second time she felt it as she and Akira resonated with Ann.
Ann took out her phone to check the time. "Oh, my train arrives in 5, did you want anything?"
Now that Akira thought about it, he was feeling a little hungry during their conversation.
"Sure. Don't know what I want, though…"
"Oh my gosh, you gotta try the castella here! It's one of my favorites!" Ann squealed. "I'll go get you one!"
Akira stopped her before she went back into the supermarket. "I can pay for it, you know. I'll admit, I only barely found some use for my money here. I got a record that was worth much more than I bought it for. I also bought a fan and a bunch of wri-"
"Nope! This one's on me!" And Ann was already on her way in. Akira could only stare in confusion as Sumire slid next to him sighing.
"She's perfect for Shiho, isn't she?"
"That's for sure. We really should talk to her once she gets out of the hospital. She could use the extra care."
"If I died the way she attempted to, then I can't let someone else suffer the same fate as me." Sumire affirmed.
Ann came out of the store holding a paper bag and gave it to Akira.
"There you go! One slice of castella!"
Akira hesitated to grab it, knowing he probably could've bought it himself. "Thanks, though now I owe you one."
"Don't worry about it! It was only fifteen hundred yen. Anyway, see you later!" Ann surprised Akira with a hug and after a few seconds, she ran off to the station. Akira couldn't stop smiling. Sumire had to snap him out of it.
"That girl really trusts you, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she's nice."
But right as Akira got over that feeling of pure joy, he suddenly felt his bag become slightly heavier…
"So, did you get anything else?"
Morgana suddenly popped his head out from inside, making Akira jump in surprise, almost dropping the castella before regaining his composure.
"Don't scare me like that!"
"Besides, that's my job!" Sumire joked.
"I was just finishing up and happened to find you two here." Morgana explained.
"Did you find anything interesting here?"
"Nah, just some weird magazines and a bunch of job applications. I found some snacks there you might like, but I saw you getting something here, so I guess you're already planning on filling up right now."
Remembering the castella, Akira decided to give Morgana some payback "Oh! You'll never guess who we saw here."
"Oh, really? Who?"
"Lady Ann." Akira teased, knowing it would rile him up.
"And I missed her?! Man, we gotta stop by this place more often!" Akira and Sumire both got a good laugh out of that.
"Well anyway, I was a bit hungry, so she bought me a slice of castella." Akira took the slice out of the paper bag it came in and took a bite.
Ann was right. After living on curry, rice, and school bought bread for a while, it was nice to try something sweet for once. It was warm and soft to taste, just flat out deliciousness all around, leading to a very satisfied Akira, feeling that he spent his day well.
Sumire felt a similar pleasure, it wasn't like the feeling she got any other time she watched Akira eat something, where it was more of a happy feeling that made her content with not being able to eat. This one was more…cozy. Like eating something you haven't tasted in years, and thinking how it was just as good as it was back then than it was now. But as soon as that euphoria had hit its peak…
"Sumire?"
"What's wrong with her?" Morgana asked, slightly panicked.
"She sometimes has these little headaches where she briefly remembers something from her past, but before, it only happened when someone walked through her. I don't know what we did to trigger that one, though."
It was at that time that Sumire's headache stopped. She recovered from the shock somewhat faster than the past three times it happened.
"What did you see?" Akira asked as soon as she opened her eyes.
Quickly recounting the memory, Sumire was able to recall some key details. "It was that girl with the ponytail again! But she looked a lot younger. Probably something from a long time ago. But I think she was eating some of that castella stuff too. It kinda looked like we were at some kind of birthday party. I couldn't really tell if it was her birthday or mine, but she looked happy." Sumire explained. The fact that she could point out some very vivid details got Akira to look very determined.
"That's great. I have a feeling we'll have a pretty good idea about what that was once we talk to her. Also, I caught Morgana up to speed with your memory headaches. He might know something about these."
"Yeah, from what he told me, they sound like some sort of phantom memories." Morgana said those last two words in a weirdly smug way, catching the two off guard. Akira broke the question.
"Why did you say it like that?"
"Well they say that dreams could potentially be visions of a past life, right? Well last night, I dreamt that I was a dashing young man trying to win over the girl of my dreams! Probably meant to represent my life as a human, I assume."
"All I dreamed about last night was doing parkour in the middle of Shibuya with super speed." Akira had a tiny smile on his face as he remembered that dream.
"Okay, maybe not all dreams, but you get my point."
"That still doesn't answer your question." Sumire sighed.
With that weird little conversation out of the way, Akira was about to head home for the day, but right when he got to the station, he spotted the red-haired girl from the day before from the corner of his eye.
"Sumire, look!" He pointed at the redhead. "It's her!"
"Maybe you can talk to her, hurry up!" Sumire yelped back.
"Who's her-wha!" Morgana bounced around the bag before regaining his balance in Akira's bag as he ran off towards her. The crowd was a hassle to move through. Akira would've lost her if not for Sumire floating above her as a reference point. They saw her get on the train, but before Akira could even get a single "Hey" in, the doors of the train closed. The girl noticed Akira and simply smiled and waved at him as the train left, with Akira slowly waving back. Sumire floated down to the floor and landed on her knees. She was still able to feel the texture of the tiled floor as her legs scraped on it.
"I thought we finally had something going there... That girl's pretty much our only hope of finding out who I was, isn't it?"
Akira sat up on a nearby bench and lightly "patted" her shoulder. Sumire looked back at him and noticed his understanding expression. She got up and sat next to him on the bench, placing her head in her hands. In order to take up the spot where she was sitting, Akira placed his bag on Sumire's other side. Morgana popped his head out, and Sumire started to mimic patting his head.
"I guess she is." Akira answered. "But it's okay. She goes to Shujin, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of other chances to talk to her."
Akira suddenly felt a chill through his spine as he felt Sumire attempting to hug him. It wasn't much, but she found some comfort in it knowing Akira understood what she was going for. In a similar manner, he proceeded to pretend to pat her head. To anyone else, it might've looked like a boy was just randomly smiling while putting his hand up, and his pet cat curiously watching. But to the ones sitting on that bench, it was a comforting moment while wondering about their unknown future.
