~Chapter 13~

Akira never had so much fun last night. He got Akihiko involved but in the end, everything turned out fine. He appeased the Kirijo heiress with a cup of Leblanc coffee and she gave him a quiet 'Tres bien' as compliment before freezing him solid with a surprising manifestation of her Persona's power in the real world, something even Mitsuru herself was not expecting at all. Akihiko was not impressed.

"You don't know? Every single time someone annoys you, the temperature in the room drops so low I thought the air conditioner malfunctions."

"O-Oh, I see."

Akira quickly melted the ice before his clothes got wet and bolted out of the lounge the moment she was distracted. He managed to get on the train with Yukari and Minato, Junpei was missing as the guy was oversleeping and only woke up when Akira called him and arrived just before the principal made his speech. Akira slept through it and Mitsuru's, though he was aware of dagger looks from her the whole time.

Classes were fine, though like many others Akira really hated the Literature teacher, Ekoda or something. He was more obnoxious than Ushimaru and he actually liked the older man in the end of his Shujin school year, seeing that his harsh comments were for the students' own good. Ekoda was just…toxic, according to Kenji who was Junpei's ramen buddy.

Later that day, the teens ran into Akihiko who ignored the horde of fangirls and took them to Officer Kurosawa, the policeman selling equipment to SEES in secret and also the man Mitsuru said could get some firearms for Akira. Minato purchased a rapier, two fake Katanas for him and Junpei and a decent bow for Yukari while Akira himself chose a vintage American revolver that Kurosawa happened to have in his stash.

"Some hooligans were caught with one in possession."

The revolver was a Kort Army later revision that accepted cartridges instead of gun powder and steel balls, which fit his requirements though he expected it to be double-action like the one Makoto often used. Kurosawa promised to find better models for him with a right price.

Junpei offered to take Minato and Akira to Hagekure, a famous ramen shop in Iwatodai Station, but the latter declined. He needed to take care of few things, like contacting Naoto and scouting the areas for Demons. One thing he hid from SEES last night was that he found the Pisaca-lookalike and it was sucking blood and brain juice from a dead woman when he saw it. It was not a pretty sight. It got more disturbing when there was not report of missing woman anywhere, TV, newspaper, the internet, nothing.

Naoto picked up immediately and was happy to hear Akira's voice again. She said that she had been staring at the cellphone so many times her grandfather had to confiscate it from her the other day. Yakushiji, her butler, sneaked it from the cabinet for her. The conversation continued awkwardly from Akira's side until Naoto asked if he had email, which he did. She sent him some of her and young Ichiro's pictures and Akira admitted that there was an uncanny resemblance between him and Ichiro. Must be some time fuckery shenanigans, he mused.

It seemed that Naoto was taking on a small case from the police department and they were skeptical of her abilities, despite grandfather Shohei's insistence. Akira advised her to take it slow, let the adults talk all they want and prove herself in the last minutes. The call ended when Yakushiji alerted her of grandfather's presence and she made Akira promise to contact her every three days from now on, which he might or might not be able to but did not say it out loud. Though, he asked her to keep an eye on Iwatodai's missing person reports aside the Apathy Syndrome cases and informed him if there was one.

'That takes care of one thing.' Akira pocketed his phone and turned around to see faint silhouettes of a feral creature, Garm as Demiurge analyzed. The brown hellhound growled at him and he smirked back, twirling the kukri knife that magically appeared on his hand. He threw it at the demon and drew his pistol as hell let loose.


Later that day, Akira returned to the dorm with some cuts on his blazer and shirt, which Mitsuru did not notice thankfully. He quickly changed his clothes and joined the dinner with her, Akihiko and Yukari. The Kirijo girl asked Yukari about last night's expedition and she explained how quickly she and the boys got tired after just one floor.

"It's fine. You will get used to it in time."

"Just bring Mad Bull with you next time." Akira interrupted, smirking at Mitsuru.

Since Minato was still tired, Akira stayed at the dorm and studied with him while keeping an eye on the windows, in case Demons used this opportunity to jump at him.

The next day rolled in as Akira got more familiarized with the island using the Metaverse to get around quickly. He encountered some Demons that were stalking humans and after killing them swiftly, they dropped some kind of orbs that were automatically absorbed into his body.

Oh oh, I feel a little bit stronger now Trickster! Red Rider spoke up. I can cast Bolt Storm now. It summons a lightning storm and randomly hits the enemies!

'Hmm, good enough I guess. Keep up the good work, Red Rider.'

Leave it to me!

Somehow, your enthusiasm is infectious. Satanael sighed, though he also became steadily stronger at the same time. You will remain as the Trickster's main Persona until I return to my glory.

Aw, is God's Second Son jealous of lil' old me? Red Rider cackled.

Shut up.

Akira ignored the banter as he entered the Chagall Café and ordered a cup of cappuccino, intending to relax his mind. He did NOT miss the watchful eyes of Akemi, who was sitting in the corner to his left. He opened the Navi App and showed it to her as a challenge and was disappointed that she didn't take the bait.

'Oh well, at least I tried. Let's see how long this cat-and-mouse game lasts.'


April 22nd 2009

Minato and co. had recovered from the fatigue and decided to go to Tartarus this night. To Mitsuru's internal delight, Akira went with the group this time to 'get better feel of the freaky tower'. He mostly stayed behind and let his classmates do the fighting. Junpei complained about his inaction and he just shrugged, saying that it was his job to monitor them and only provide support when shit hit the fans. Akira, however, saved Junpei from a sneaking Muttering Tiara with a well-placed shot in the middle of its mask.

"Don't thank me just yet."

"R-Right."

Minato stared at them with indifference before advancing forward. Akira noted that his roommate now had Pixie, a relatively useful Persona with Dormina, Zio and Dia, alongside Orpheus. He taught Minato how to fast-switch Personas in combat, like how he was able to mop the floor with Satanael and Red Rider, using Demon's Rage to stagger the Phys-resistant Gigas and frying it to death with Bolt Storm.

They managed to clear the first three floors when fatigue started to hit them. While Yukari could keep going with few cans of Mad Bull, having listened to Akira's advices, they could only reach the teleporter.

"Man, I'm beat…"

"Me too…"

"Hmm." Akira surveyed the area and was alarmed as chain rattling could be heard from the dark hallway. "Fuck, Reaper! Quick, enter the teleporter!"

"What the hell man –"

"Do it, or we are dead!"

He forcefully pushed Junpei into the green portal and motioned Yukari and Minato to follow suit. It was too late as the revolver-wielding Shadow arrived and was bombarding the platform they were standing on with Almighty-element bullets.

"Kyaah!"

"Yukari-san! Minato, use Zio! Red Rider, Dark Sword!"

Minato recovered from the attack and summoned Pixie while Akira's Persona swung his sword. The clash of two skills resulted in the Fusion Spell: Lightning Blade that pushed back the powerful Shadow. Using this opportunity, Akira picked up an unconscious Yukari and jumped into the teleporter with Minato.

"Hah…Hah…"

"Are you alright?!" Mitsuru ran to his side and applied Dia on Yukari's wounds. Junpei was supported by Akihiko.

"Didn't know the Reaper spawned that quick. Minato, how long did we stay on that floor?" Akira turned to his fellow Wild Card, who estimated about ten minutes. "Ten? That still isn't long enough! This tower is bullshit."

"Heh, even you say that." Akihiko snorted. "I almost got lost the second time I went with Mitsuru and she still insisted that I have terrible sense of direction."

They returned to the dorm shortly after and next day the junior members were allowed to miss the first two classes to rest. Akira attempted to fake illness but Mitsuru wasn't easy to fool.

"Get your…butt up and go to school, Akira!"

"Oh shit, the princess actually swears for once!" Akira exclaimed, dodging Bufu spells from Mitsuru.


Following the disastrous encounter with the Reaper, Ikutsuki decided to put Tartarus exploration on hold for the time being, at least until a feasible solution of how to fight or evade the Shadow. Akira gave his input on the matter, stating that it only appeared if one stayed on the current floor for too long, but the Kirijo Group researches over the years proved that Reaper occasionally spawned outside Tartarus as well. He did not comment further, only smirking knowingly. Mitsuru didn't like it at all, since it means Akira will try and find it.

"No."

"What?"

"You are NOT allowed to go outside during the Dark Hour until we say so." Mitsuru closed her eyes, showing her determination. Akira pouted at that.

The day went on without much fanfare. He finally found three potential jobs in Paulownia Mall and chose to work at the Chagall Cafe, since the wage was decent enough to cover his expenses without relying on his accumulated cash from Palaces and Mementos.

The owner, a yakuza-looking man wearing an apron, recognized Akira as a regular and spent a long time looking at him up and down before clapping his hand on the teen's shoulder rather strongly.

"Son, you're in."

Akira received his uniform and began to work right away. Thought his shift was bit short in his first day, he was able to overhear some rumors from the customers. A 'revenge request' website, mysterious blood stains and body parts discovered near the sewers and one 'suspicious gigolo' seducing young girls and women.

Akira was mostly interested in the second rumor, as it seemed to be related with the killings in the hands of Demons. What an interesting twist of his career: from a Phantom Thief of Heart to a Demon Hunting Thief, he mused.

"Here's your wage for today. You have potential, Kurusu-kun. I hope you can keep it in the future."

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice evening."


On the train back to Iwatodai, Akira sent an email to Naoto to ask her about 'blood and body parts found in Tatsumi Port Island's sewers'. She replied that the reports from the police were scarce, almost like someone was censoring and suppressing them.

'Of course, can't trust the cops all the time.'

He asked her to be careful with the police and do not trust anyone approaching her or grandfather about this matter. The way the demons could talk and eat people in broad daylight brought bad vibes to Akira, not to mention Akemi Gotou. He wasn't sure why but he had a hunch that Akechi, err, Akemi and Demons were in league, just like how the false detective collaborated with Shido previously.

You are an Agent of Chaotic Freedom, Trickster. Those who oppose that freedom will inevitably come. Satanael spoke up.

'Fuck, that means I can't talk to Minato and Mitsuru about this.'

The Messiah has his own enemies to defeat. About the Empress girl, I have no idea. In technical term, she is only a tool to you, a tool to gather information, get equipment and bypass certain laws. Consulting with her may not yield good result.

'I guess.'

And for God's sake, control your libido! Satanael 'yelled'. I will not take responsibility if you are caught fucking her!

'Dude I can't!' Akira laughed internally. 'It flows in my veins after all.'

And the Idiotic God wondered how a womanizing thief like Arsene Raoul Lupin became your initial Persona. Don't try to rebuke me; I have read enough novels about him.

You realize that you are also Arsene right, Arrogant Son of God? Demiurge butted in.

I know.


Despite what Mitsuru said, Akira still went out again. He explicitly knocked the surveillance camera in front of the school, now Tartarus, to get attention from whoever was stationing in the command room. Then, he waited.

*rattle rattle*

True to Ikutsuki's words, the Reaper did appear outside the Tartarus, having sniffed out his smell like the one in Mementos. The Shadow seemed to recognize him, staying in one place while spinning its revolver as if to challenge him. Akira silently conjured two Black Barrel shells and inserted them into the Kort revolver and holstered it for dire situations. He ignored the buzzling noises coming from the radio system and approached the Reaper.

"So, you remembered me." He said simply and the Shadow growled back at him. "Let's see who can survive tonight. DRAW!"

The Reaper's right revolver destroyed the concrete under Akira and his pistol nailed two holes on its tattered jacket. Red Rider appeared and let out an intimidating cry at the monster, making it cower a little and decreasing its attack capability. It fired a couple Bufudyne spells back and froze Akira's leg and arm for a brief moment before thwacking him with the bladed muzzle, leaving a huge gash on his face. Akira retaliated with dozen shots to force it back away and keep a good distance between them.

Akira spat out blood and touched the wound on his right cheek lightly. A green aura shone on the area and the skin grew back.

"That's a good trick there, gotta admit. Now's round 2. Soul Drain!" An energy sphere appeared above the Reaper and sucked out both HP and SP from the Shadow before sinking into Akira. "Red Rider, Dark Energy."

A tremendous pressure descended upon the Trickster, multiplying his next physical attack by thrice. The Reaper sensed something bad and blindly shot multiple elemental spells at Akira, who changed to Demiurge and absorbed them all.

"Pillage it, Demiurge. Stigmata Strike!"

The mechanical God came into existence, readied it sword-turned-lance and hurled it at the Reaper. The tip ruptured into the Shadow and carved off a good chunk of its torso when it pierced through the other side. It attempted to use Diarahan but the wound was still there and blood-like mud continued to bleed.

"If Stigmata Strike can't kill you, it will brand you. You can't heal yourself and your attacks hit like mosquito." Akira smirked, taking pleasure of watching the infamous Reaper's slow and painful demise. "You are a dead meat."

To his, and the command room's, surprise, the Reaper blew its head clean off with its revolver and disappeared. Moments after, Akira's body soon started to break down.

"Fuck, again?!" He cursed out loud, gripping his chest to ease the pain. "Revitalize, Demiurge."

His fingers glowed and he stabbed them as hard as possible into his heart, pumping energy into his body and silencing the convulsing pain. Akira then produced a yellow orb and crushed it, teleporting back to the dorm.

'Remind me to bring Soma NEXT TIME, Demiurge.'

Affirmative.

Back to the command room, it was not Mitsuru who had been observing Akira. It was Ikutsuki and he was worried about the increasingly danger the Trickster posed to the grand scheme. He wanted to act, to kill Akira Kurusu but his master would not allow it, and Lord Epiales despised those going against his orders.

'Perhaps it's time to unleash him.'

Ikutsuki pulled out his phone and called the lab, asking them to get 'Minazuki' ready. Behind him, in the shadows, Faust was hiding and hearing everything, even reading the seemingly friendly chairman's thoughts. The raven-headed man considered killing the scumbag here and now, but it would hinder his overall objective.

Helping people is fun, but helping them too much will spoil them. That was the lesson Faust and his true self had learned after many failed attempts to stop the Messiah from heading toward to his death. As he managed to separate from the main body, the curse of being a Phantom of Time didn't affect him, thus allowing the Shadow to keep his memories and power.

'This time, we will settle the score…Archon!'

With that in mind, Faust faded into the darkness completely, vanishing from the room.


"My apologies for summoning you this early." Minato opened his eyes to see the blinking lights of the elevator and the master/attendant duo. Elizabeth smiled warmly at him.

"It seems that we have underestimated the Phantoms severely." The attendant spoke up.

"Indeed. Particularly the Trickster of Entropy, who has influenced and warped your mind." Igor shook his head to clarify his words, seeing Minato's puzzled look. "Do not be alarmed. In contrast, you are slightly straying from the intended end of your journey. I personally welcome this change."

The blue-haired teen vaguely remembered the monster from that night calling Akira a Trickster of something.

"Are you implying Akira is doing some hogus bogus to my head?"

"Not entirely correct but close enough." Elizabeth chimed in. "It appears that he is trying his best to clear the best path for you, Minato-sama. A friend like that is very rare these days."

"And that is a good thing? Why would he dictate my life the way he likes? Am I a puppet for you all?!" Minato raised his voice, having tired of the secrets and mysteries. All he wanted was some consolations from the hardships in his life, not being robbed into some kind of twisted scheme. "Maybe I shouldn't have signed that contract."

"Yet you have, and that you are here is the prove." Igor said. "Our duty is to guide you on your journey. Do not think bad of the Trickster; he like you is caught into this tangle. The differences between you two are that he has been aware of it since the beginning and he has completed his own journey."

Minato smiled softly; senpai and kouhai, huh? Not a bad idea.

*Crack*

Thou art I...

And I am thou...

Thou hast established a new bond...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Freedom Arcana...

A faint image of card showing someone with Akira's characteristics breaking the chains around his limbs appeared before Minato. His clothes were suddenly on fire and when the flames dispersed, his shirt was replaced by a velvet blue waistcoat with dark blue blazer that had the S.E.E.S name tag above the left pocket. His shoes were now black sneakers with metal rims and a pair of fingerless gloves appeared on his hands.

"Oh my, it seems that you have awakened your will of rebellion, albeit not fully. Normally, a person whose will of rebellion is awakened becomes a Trickster, just like the Trickster of Entropy. However, you are not wrongfully oppressed, thus no need to rebel against injustice and false order." Igor explained, visibly interested in the new development.

"Uh, what about my old clothes? They will arrest me if I go around in these."

"You can switch them back by concentrating your thoughts, Minato-sama."

He messed with the thoughts a little bit and the flames returned his new outfit to the Gekkoukan uniform.

"I have held you here long enough. We will see you again soon, my dear guest."


Minato woke up to the sound of the windows opening and saw Akira in the process of climbing in. Two of them had a staring contest before the former spoke first.

"I got a new outfit."

"…What?"

"This." Bam, flames on. Akira was dumbstruck, not expecting this at all. Most importantly...

"Dude that's my coat!"