Relief flooded Akira as the low-powered Dia he forced through into the real world shifted the floating bone shards within his torso into something closer to their original positions rather than having them free-floating around his organs. As much as he wanted to use Salvation on himself, he knew if he did so and had his body make a full recovery within the span of three days, he'd be upgrading from medical miracle to test subject in a matter of minutes. As it was, it was best to take it slow with using Persona powers in the real world, no matter how weak they ended becoming outside of the Metaverse.
Over the past three days in the hospital, Akira had become intimately acquainted on how people shouldn't survive being hit by a seven-tonne truck speeding at eighty kilometres per hour and then being tossed through the air like a limp ragdoll before coming to a stop on hard concrete. It turned out the paramedics that had picked him and Kasumi Yoshizawa from the accident had talked to public security in order to get CCTV footage so they could better survey if there may have been any other areas of their bodies they needed to check.
Instead, they chose to explain in great lengths how lucky he and Kasumi-san were to be alive. With a slight groan, Akira shifted up-right and laid back against the hospital pillow, his headphones slipping as he did so. Goro had been nice enough to bring in some of his stuff, some spare clothes, phone charger, and Akira's spare headphones since they'd been shattered in the crash. They were also the reason behind the cuts along Akira's neck.
But back to having his bones shifted around. In the past three days, Akira had similarly become acquainted to how weird it felt to have a majority of his ribcage be akin to shard fragments; if he placed pressure in the right place he was pretty sure he could feel the outside flesh of his torso contact against his lung. It was a disgusting feeling he did not want to be feeling again after he'd tried it.
*creak*
He looked up as the door to their room opened, a familiar river of red along with a pair of glasses in front of red orbs entered the room quietly, gently shutting the door behind her.
Akira gave Sumire Yoshizawa a small smile, he would've added a wave but too much movement was still difficult with his arms feeling like they were wrapped in contact due to still being hyped up on painkillers. It was interesting to know, however, that Metatron could be grumpy and that Akira could see him, of course, he wasn't actually sure if that really was Metatron or if his doped-up mind made him see things. He was eighty-five percent sure that it was a painkiller-induced hallucination since Metatron's face was made of steel.
With Shinichi being the director of a news station and Goro still required to go to school along with his duties down at the precinct, it left Sumire as the primary visitor of the two. Sumire gave him a small sad smile, taking a seat quietly between him and her sister who'd yet to wake up, rearranging her bedsheets as she tended to her sister. With a shrug, Akira put his headphones back on to escape the silence; classical music soothing.
Akira passed the time listening to his music.
He could feel someone looking at him intently. Considering there was only one other person awake in the room, it wasn't difficult to hazard a guess as to who it may have been.
"Sumire-san, is there something you need?" Akira inquired gently, shaking his headphones lose once more and shut them off with a click. He found Sumire had shifted her chair to face him at some point; the girl looking at him stunned that he could tell she'd been staring.
A small cute blush adorned her face for a moment before it disappeared, replaced once more by a small sad smile and downcast eyes. "I-I wanted to apologize to you, Kurusu-san…" she looked at him sadly, "It was my fault you were injured…" she whispered.
Akira gave her a curious look. "If I recall, you were not the one that pushed me in front of a truck, in fact, I recall that I voluntarily leapt in front of the truck," Akira said as rested against the headboard the hospital bed.
Sumire shook her head. "But I'm the reason that you and Kasumi were injured!" she said heatedly, "If I hadn't ran away, you and Kasumi would be okay…"
Akira stayed quiet, able to see that this wasn't so much an apology as it was a mix between an apology and a vent of frustrations, and seeing as Akira didn't need an apology because of his actions as an idiot, he was more than willing to allow Sumire to vent.
"The whole reason this happened was because I'm not as good as Kasumi," Sumire whispered. "I ran away from Kasumi because I wasn't good enough like her. I didn't look at the road as I ran and it's only thanks to Kasumi that I'm here, and to you that Kasumi is still alive."
Akira was beginning the regret his decision to allow her to vent, the way her rant was going wasn't one he was liking.
"Sometimes I think it would have been better if Kasumi hadn't saved me…"
Akira… for a lack of better words felt like something was wrong here. What Sumire was saying, it reminded him of when he'd fought Akechi on Shido's ship and how he'd continued to lie to himself, believing that the Phantom Thieves weren't his friends. Sumire reminded him of that moment.
"Yoshizawa-san… you don't really feel that way, do you?" Akira asked causing her to look up.
"H-Huh?"
Akira shook his head. "You said you didn't look both ways when you were running away from your sister, and I don't think that you're explicitly wanting to… die," Akira said. "This seems more like something that you've been thinking on, pondering after the accident. Would I be correct?"
Sumire looked at him in stunned silence but eventually gave him a downcast nod.
"Would you like to talk about it? I have time."
Akira had all the time in the next month to listen. Sumire looked at him hesitantly before nodding once more.
"K-Kasumi and I… w-we promised each other when we were younger that we would go to the internationals with each other, as a duo," Sumire said as she got lost in the past. "But as time went on Kasumi proved to be better at everything… she was better at recalling her moves, she was faster, and her agility was better than mine…" a slight tremble wracked Sumire's body, Akira only able to look at her in concern. "She was that one that decided what we would do and I would only follow, she'd make our rooms match and our clothes coordinate… sometimes I'd wished I could be like her or even just be her…"
"She's the top performer while I'm just average… after our training session three days ago, I couldn't take it… the thought kept coming back. Every day for the last three days, my mind went back to it. Kasumi is the one everyone wants. I'm just the average sister of Kasumi…" Sumire seemed to get lost oven further. "I realised after the accident that she's the one people really want… Sumire's the one who's useless. Pointless… Who would care if she died?"
Akira hated this self-deprecating attitude. "I can name two people who'd care off the top of my head," Akira said quietly. "Your sister was willing to sacrifice everything for you and I can tell your father would have been devastated if you'd died."
Sumire looked at him in open-mouth shock, abruptly pulled out of the past and into the present.
"Sumire-san… do you really want to die?" Akira inquired gently, quietly, "Your death would cause no small number of people that care about you to grieve… just as those same people would have grieved had Kasumi died."
Sumire's eyes seemed to tear up. "I-I- I don't k-know…" she whispered.
Akira pushed forward, "Sumire… from what you've told me, you've whole life you've spent comparing yourself to Kasumi, to your sister. To be blunt, that's completely stupid."
Sumire looked at him, confusion marred with overwhelming emotions reflected in her ruby orbs.
"You are Sumire Yoshizawa. Not Kasumi Yoshizawa. And not anyone else. You are good at things that only Sumire Yoshizawa is good at," Akira was like a rolling boulder. It hurt to see someone as precious as Sumire believe she was better off dead. "The only person you should compare yourself to is the Sumire Yoshizawa of yesterday. If you're just the slightest bit better; then that's an accomplishment. Comparing yourself to your sister isn't the way to measure your skill or ability. Don't let anyone else decide your worth, that's only something you can do, and something you should only do when you've truly tried to be the best 'Sumire' you can be."
The look in Sumire's eyes showed that she wasn't entirely convinced but even he could see that the self-doubt that was plaguing her was joined by something a little brighter.
Hope.
"I know coming from someone you've just met might be a bit disbelieving but-"
"No!"
Akira looked at Sumire. Her face blushed red.
"I-I mean… maybe… you're right…" Sumire fidgeted in her seat. "Having someone say that… that I could be the best 'Sumire' rather than the best 'Sister of Kasumi'… it feels like someone outside of Kasumi believes that I can be better."
"I don't think your sister is the only one that believes in you," Akira shook his head correcting her, "Your father, your family, maybe your teachers… there are most likely many people who believe in you. You're so used to seeing yourself as 'lesser' that you've likely forgotten… at least that's what I'd like to hope to believe."
Something in Akira's words seemed to resound with Sumire if the way she seemed to straighten the slightest bit in her seat indicated. But doubts still warred in her eyes.
"But… what about the ones that want Kasumi… the ones that don't want Sumire?" she asked, no small amount of self-doubt and loathing from likely years of build-up still affecting her.
Akira shrugged but was swiftly reminded that he was missing half of his ribs. "What about them? If they want Kasumi then let them have Kasumi. You need to find people that want Sumire, simple as that. But to do that… you need to find out who Sumire is, not who Kasumi's sister is."
As Sumire stared at him, Akira was suddenly hyper-aware of how exhausting their conversation had been. "But what if everyone at my school wants Kasumi?" Sumire asked again, searching for an answer.
"Switch schools, start over," Akira shrugged again. "Find people who want to befriend Sumire because she is Sumire. I'm sure someone out there would willing to befriend you for you."
Sumire looked at him as if the sun rose and set from his body.
"T-Then… would you be my friend…?" Akira looked over as Sumire ducked her head down, eyes downcast even as she asked.
"Of course."
He smiled.
"My name is Akira Kurusu, it's a pleasure to meet you Sumire-san," Akira held out his hand, to which Sumire gave him a watery smile.
"It's wonderful to meet you as well, Akira-san." Akira felt time freeze as Sumire's small hand was engulfed by his own.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that shall free thy shattered soul.
With the birth of the Faith Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
Time resumed as he eventually had to let go, the strain on lifting his arm for even more than thirty seconds proved difficult. Even with the self-doubt that was still in Sumire's eyes, it was relieving to see that the darkness that clouded her eyes had lifted somewhat.
"O-Oh! I'm so sorry, I was only meant to apologize. I'm sorry for telling you all of that," Sumire sputtered as she realised that the whole reason she'd talked to Akira in the first place was to apologise.
"No need to worry about it," Akira shook his head and smiled comfortingly.
*clap clap*
The sound of clapping came from the corner of the room, Sumire shrieking in surprise as both her and Akira noticed Goro sitting in the corner, a book opened on his lap as he clapped.
"The two of you are so both depressingly sweet together I'm almost afraid I might get either cavities or seasonal depression," Goro remarked with a smirk.
"How long have you been there for?" Akira asked as Sumire's face lit up in mortification.
Goro shrugged his shoulders. "Somewhere around the time that Yoshizawa-san was staring at you when you had your headphones on."
Akira's eyes narrowed. "That was at the beginning."
"Indeed, it was."
Goro deftly caught the headphones that went sailing towards him, the weak throw of their owner making it easy to pluck out of the air. Collapsing them so they were in a smaller form he placed them on the table beside him.
"I guess you don't want your ramen then," Goro held up the small takeaway container of food, causing Akira to pout and Sumire to watch as the two interacted.
Akira sat down gingerly in one of Leblanc's booths, a month having passed since the accident. His injuries had for the most part been healed but his right side would be weaker permanently since his second, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth ribs were all basically shattered into dust. Akira had mentally laughed at the doctors the moment they'd said that; as soon as his bi-weekly examinations were over and he was completely free from their surveying eyes he'd be using Salvation on himself and fix his weakened ribs.
For the meantime he was relaxing at Leblanc for two reasons; he'd hadn't had Sojiro's coffee or curry in over a month and he needed his fix stat and the other being that if his hunch was correct then the Trickster would be arriving today. Only one of those was important to him, and it sure as hell wasn't the Trickster.
"I'd thought you'd almost gotten yourself killed brat, you disappeared on me," Sojiro shook his head as he brought a menu out to Akira.
Akira sent him a cheeky grinned, "Almost, I got hit by a truck and half of my ribs were broken or shattered in impact. I got released a few days ago."
"W-What the hell did you just say?!" Sojiro recoiled in shock, his eyes roaming Akira's form for injuries.
Akira shrugged. "Hit by a truck, ribs broken and now I need my fix. Can I have whatever's on today's special?" he asked handing the menu back, Sojiro dumbly accepting it in his hands.
Eventually, Sojiro just exhaled heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I took my eye off you for a month and you almost got yourself killed. I told you to stay out of trouble," he said giving Akira the stink-eye.
Akira chuckled sheepishly. "Hey, trouble found me. I was minding my own business before two girls jumped in front of a speeding truck by accident. I couldn't just not do something," he replied with false indignation, the familiar ambience of Leblanc causing him to relax.
"Something tells me that wasn't the actual reason," Sojiro shook his head before giving Akira a look with a suggestive smirk. "Tell me you at least got their numbers."
Akira snorted at Sojiro's attempt. "One of them. Sisters. Twins actually."
"Hoo boy…" Sojiro looked at him with wide eyes. "Only one?"
Akira winced at that question. "Kasumi, the other one. She's currently in a coma, only short-term thankfully."
Sojiro winced as well, the mood dipping. "Sorry to hear that… Well, I'll go get started on your meal," he said, swiftly walking away.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Akira noticed an elderly couple sitting at the other end of the café, at the booth closest to the upstairs attic. They were male and female, Akira couldn't tell, however, if they were the same as the ones from his reality.
In a short amount of time Sojiro had brought out his meal, curry served on purple rice with a coffee of Panama Esmerelda Geisha. After a year of being a regular, Sojiro had finally let Akira access to his special stock and it made any attempt to make regular coffee without equipment like Sojiro's taste like dirt water.
He was truly spoiled.
As Akira was eating the curry, appreciating red wine used to tenderise the meat, the door suddenly jingled and a girl entered.
She wore a black blazer jacket over a white shirt, and grey jeans tucked into a pair of boots as she entered. As she looked around the cafe, Akira caught glimpse of blood-red irises, a shade more vivid than even Sumire's. Over her shoulder was a grey bag. Her hair was trailed down the length of her back, raven locks braided as the fell behind her, tied off with a grey ribbon.
Akira could feel it.
This was the Trickster.
It seemed his hunch had been correct.
The players were all on the board and the game was now ready to begin.
After an hour of searching and getting lost around the town of Yongen-Jaya, Rem sighed in relief as she finally reached the place she was meant to be staying at. Looking up at the sign, Leblanc, seemed to be where she'd be staying for the next year.
Opening the door, she was suddenly assaulted by the scent of coffee and curry, the smell overwhelmingly powerful. Walking in, the first thing she heard was a television news station playing on a small monitor in the corner of the café.
"A public transit bus was driven down an opposing line with its customers still in it! The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up."
An elderly couple made some comments as a man in a pink button-up shirt and khaki's wearing an apron noticed her. "…Oh, right," the man muttered as he put away the newspaper he was reading, "They did say that was today."
The elderly stood up and thanked the manager, paying him before leaving.
"Four hours for a single cup of joe… what a waste," the manager groused before looking at her. "So, you're Rem I'm assuming?"
Rem cocked her head. "Is Sakura-san here?"
"Yeah…" the manager muttered, "I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody of the next year. I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you're the one, huh? Not exactly what I was expecting."
Sojiro shook his head. "Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other and- actually, never mind, that doesn't matter. Follow me," he cut himself off mid-sentence before ordering her to follow. He then looked over her shoulder.
"You mind looking after the place for a bit brat? I need to go get her settled in."
Rem craned her head over her shoulder to look behind her and found herself surprised that she missed the frizzy-haired teen in the back booth, a plate of what seemed to be curry and a cup of coffee in front of him.
"Of course," the teen nodded, his grey eyes boring into her own as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Hey," Sojiro said sternly. "None of that. She's here on probation."
If the teen was offended or put off he didn't show it, instead, he only shook his head chuckled. "Just go and get her set up Sojiro, I'll just be down here enjoying my meal."
Sojiro nodded before making his way up some stairs into the back, Rem following suite. She was stunned to find a room filled to the brim with junk and dust.
"This is your room, I'll at least give you sheets for your bed," Sojiro said plainly as he turned to her. "You look like you want to say something," he remarked, eyes narrowing.
"It's big…" Rem said. What she wanted to say was that it was a mess but she knew that would only create friction between her and Sojiro, that was the last thing she needed right now.
"It's on you to clean up the rest," Sojiro merely said. "I'll be leaving after I lock up each night. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. If you cause any trouble I won't have a problem throwing you out, am I clear?"
Rem nodded quietly.
"Look, I've got the gist of your situation," Sojiro sighed. "You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injuries, then sued you," he listed, "That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. The truth doesn't matter, someone like you would always take the fall."
"And now that you've got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school," Sojiro shook his head. "Courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents approved."
Rem visibly winced, reminded of how quickly her parents had shipped her out of the country. Whether to get rid of her or to protect her from what people would say back home she wasn't sure.
Sojiro noticed her wince and sagged. "Look, kid, this is the situation you're in, and it's up to you to deal with it. Your actions have consequences, doesn't matter about your intentions," he said as he rubbed the back of his head, "Just behave yourself for the year, and if nothing happened your probation will be lifted."
"A whole year…" Rem muttered to herself.
"Your sentence lasts until next spring, right? That's why you're gonna be here for the coming year," Sojiro explained. "Cause any problems and you'll be in juvie faster than I can say anything, keep that in mind okay?"
"I'll do my best to stay out of trouble," Rem nodded.
Sojiro seemed satisfied with that. "We'll be going to Shujin tomorrow. It's the academy you'll be attending during the course of the year, we'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there. There aren't many places that are willing to accept someone with a criminal record, after all…"
Sojiro looked over his shoulder at the box in the middle of the room. "Your 'luggage' arrived a little while ago. I brought it up here for you," he said before making his way for the stairs but stopped. "I'll leave you to clean up, for now. I'll call you down later for dinner," he said, leaving for the café below.
Rem looked around the attic of Leblanc, dust bunnies floating through the air. "This place needs a serious clean…" she thought to herself, as she opened the windows. Looking at the messy attic she couldn't stop the sad thought that passed through her head.
"So… I'm really going to be staying here for a year…"
It was the following day that Akira found himself smirking as he made his way through the halls of Shujin Academy clad in a familiar school uniform, his headphones dangling from his neck and his blazer open.
Okay, let's backtrack a bit.
Following his release from the hospital but before he'd seen the Trickster at Leblanc, Akira made his way to his favourite yakuza. Iwai should technically be his favourite but he was ex-yakuza.
He walked into a familiar club room, Tsuda sitting on the couch with his men around him. When Tsuda noticed him, he sagged in his chair and let out a quiet "Fuck me…" before sitting back up. Akira saw his eyes trail to the familiar briefcase in his hands.
"What do you need this time Kurusu?" he asked coarsely. Over the course of the last two years, Akira and Tsuda had become closer, not in a friendship way but more in that they were more comfortable with each other during business interactions.
Akira placed the briefcase and opened it. "Twenty million. Need you to get me into a high school. Shujin Academy. Aoyama-Itchome."
Tsuda motioned towards one of his men who seemed to have been ready as he swiftly walked over to a liquor cabinet, poured Tsuda a glass of amber liquid which was quickly downed. "I get the feeling I shouldn't ask this, but why the fuck you wanna go to some high school?" Tsuda asked the familiar buzz of getting hammered whenever he talked to this kid flowed through his body. He was thankful he had a bulletproof vest on him.
Akira just smiled. "No reason, I'm just bored is all."
Tsuda looked at him. The same henchman poured him another glass which was quickly downed, "Fuck it, I don't wanna know," he said as he slammed the glass down onto the coffee table with a rattle, the glass refilled once more. "We can get you that shit ready for you by tomorrow. I'll have one of my boys send you whatever shit you'll need, the principal of that place is a weak-ass bitch that rolls over for money," Tsuda grunted.
Akira nodded his head listlessly, "Thank you Tsuda-san."
"I should be thanking you kid," Tsuda snorted as he picked up the glass.
"Oh?" A black brow rose. "What do you mean?"
Tsuda made a motion, "All these weird deals we've been doing? They've been getting me into the good books of my boss. I lost a hundred-million deal on new year's and he didn't even bat a fucking eye." Tsuda leaned forward. "You need shit from me, you'll get it. I want to keep this business of ours going for as long as possible."
Akira stood still for a moment. "I'll be needing your services for one more year, high-pay like usual. After that… I'll be gone."
"Good enough for me," Tsuda reclined in his seat, "Call me if you need anything. Just a heads-up that you'll probably need to do an entrance exam or some shit."
Akira looked at him, "Would you be able to make up some fake school records as well? Just in case someone tries to look me up?"
Tsuda just waved his hand, "No problem."
Akira gave Tsuda a backwards wave as he left the building.
And that was how Akira found himself in the halls of Shujin Academy, meeting with Principal Kobayakawa and Miss Kawakami. The bald overweight principal of Shujin Academy seemed to almost shine the moment his eyes fell on Akira.
"Ah, you must be Kurusu-san!" he leaned forward with a smile on his face. Now that Akira actually saw him again he was vividly reminded of the slimes in Mementos. "It's a pleasure to have you transfer to Shujin Academy."
Akira nodded, a small fake smile plastered onto his face as he shook Kobayakawa's greasy hand. "I'm sorry for the sudden transfer, I'm afraid there were… issues with my previous high school. Given Shujin's reputation, I'd thought that perhaps this would be a good school to attend," he said, a slight widening of Kobayakawa's eyes showed that he'd understood to go along with the lie.
"Ah yes, terrible business that, however, with the perfect results from your entrance exam and your record from your previous school, I'm sure you'll prove to be a fine fit for the prestigious academy," Kobayakawa's head jiggled like a bobble-head. That part hadn't exactly been a lie. Akira was a top-grade first-of-the-year student when it had come to his studies come the second semester of his school year so it was easy to get a perfect score on the entrance exam.
"I'm glad to hear it."
Kobayakawa continued smiling but motioned to Miss Kawakami. "Miss Kawakami here will be your homeroom teacher, she'll be in charge of your class."
"I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your student ID," Miss Kawakami sounded like she'd rather be anywhere than here. Internally Akira frowned, remembering the couple the continually tried to get money out of her until he'd changed their hearts. "Please ensure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you to the guidance office," she said as if she'd memorised this line over.
"Of course," Akira nodded.
"Meet me outside of the faculty office tomorrow morning, I'll have you and your fellow transfer introduced during homeroom," Kawakami let out a sigh.
Akira perked. "Fellow transfer?"
Kobayakawa and Kawakami both looked suddenly nervous. "A-Ah, yes… we have another transfer student that shall be joining Miss Kawakami's class. She's yet to arrive so we can discuss her transfer."
"I see…" Akira murmured. "Well if that's all for today, may I take my leave? I'd like to get ready for tomorrow."
Kobayakawa smiled "Of course, of course! We'll see you come tomorrow morning."
Akira stepped out of the office and into the hallway, putting away all of the transfer files he'd gotten along with his student ID.
His phone jingled. Picking it up he looked at a new message from Goro.
Goro: I won't be able to have dinner at home tonight, Niijima-san has asked for my opinion on something. Conveyor belt sushi unfortunately
Akira: Don't tell me I've spoiled you for sushi, have I?
Goro: After my birthday, all sushi pales in comparison.
Akira: Next time we get sushi we can go back to Ginza, my treat
Putting away his phone, Akira took in a deep breath. For a moment reality wavered, Akira smirked as he caught the inside of a castle as he found himself back in Shujin.
"Let's do this…"
He wondered how Goro would react when he found out he'd suddenly applied to go to school.