Looking Forward
"Yongen-Jaya, Yongen-Jaya. The following stop is Yongen-Jaya. Please be careful of the gap between the train and the platform. Thank you for riding with us, and have a safe evening."
The announcement on the intercom snapped me back to reality. After a day of hurriedly traveling from one end of Tokyo to another, hopefully I'd soon be able to collapse on my makeshift bed for the night. With this being my final evening in Tokyo, I decided that the right thing to do before departing was to visit those who I had solidified a relationship with over the past eleven and a half months. Subsequently, I spent the entire day portion of March 19th checking train schedules, riding trains, switching lines, and meeting with everyone.
While a little tiring, it was worth it. I gained another level of appreciation for the network of people I had built around me. While I didn't exactly have an idea of how I was going to fit all the goodbye gifts into my luggage, I appreciated the feelings of everyone who helped make my stay in Tokyo an incredibly rewarding one. The Phantom Thieves were one thing, but those bonds superseded that. By the end of tomorrow, the mask of Joker will have been put to rest, allowing me to return to being just 'Akira Kurusu'. While bittersweet, I was slightly looking forward to this next chapter. It wasn't just me, the Phantom Thieves were moving forward individually, and as a group. Everyone had set their eyes on a new path.
I stifled a yawn as I exited the Yongen-Jaya station and made my way to the backstreets towards Café LeBlanc. I was looking forward to fully indulging on Sojiro's curry one last time before packing up the last of my belongings. As I approached the street LeBlanc was located on, the bag on my shoulder began to fidget. After fumbling with the zipper, Morgana appeared from the depths of my bag, attempting to stretch his limbs.
"Jeez, there's no room in there! In celebration of me choosing to accompany you back home, you should buy a new, larger bag! That way, I can tag along in comfort and luxury," the cat snickered.
"I'll think about it," I noncommittally replied. As I reached the door, the feline spoke up once more.
"Have you said all your goodbyes yet?"
I nodded, mentally checking everyone who I knew I wanted to see.
"Are you really sure?" he asked again, as if he knew I was forgetting someone.
"Yeah, let's head inside." Though now that he asked twice, I'm get the feeling that I'm forgetting someone important…
Uncharacteristically, Morgana bashfully looked away from me. "Hey, um…actually, I have a presen—"
Cutting him off was the loud ringing coming from my phone. I glanced at it, then back at him. However, it seemed like he would be taking advantage of the distraction to avoid what ever he was going to tell me. I made a mental note to force it out of him, whether it be tonight, or the long train ride tomorrow.
The cat motioned to the device with his paws. "You should pick that up. Who is it?"
Looking at the caller ID, I realized where that rising sensation that I'd been forgetting someone came from. I put my phone to my ear.
"H-He-Hello? Akira-Senpai?" She sounded a little haggard, as if she was stress or tired, maybe both.
"You okay, Sumire?"
"Ah—yes! Sorry, calling you out of the blue like this. I just got out of practice for the evening. Tomorrow, you're leaving, right?" At my confirmation, she continued, "If it's okay with you, can I impose and take some of your time later tonight? If possible, I'd like to talk to you in person one last time," she asked hopefully.
"No problem. Also, as I've said before, no need to be so formal with me. We've been through a lot together, we're more than friends now." I knew what type of reaction that phrase would evoke.
"M-m-mo…more than friends?!" I could hear her blush through the phone.
Leaving the implications of that up in the air, I moved on. "So, what do you want to do? Do you want to meet somewhere in Shibuya or Kichijoji?"
Regaining her composure, she answered, "Yes! Again, if it's okay with you, I'll just make my way over to LeBlanc. It's your last day after all, I don't want to trouble you or get in the way of your plans for the night."
"My plans currently comprise of packing with my talking cat," I said jokingly. Ignoring the look I received from the aforementioned 'talking cat' at my diction, I continued, "I'll see you tonight then?"
"Yes! See you tonight!" Even via the phone, I could feel her radiant beam.
Exchanging goodbyes, I hung up and headed inside the café. After consoling a crying Futaba and eating my final curry dinner in Tokyo, I finally got to work on packing the rest of my belongings.
Collapsing on my bed, I relished in relaxation after a fairly long day. Even Morgana got a gift for me. Rubbing the back of my slumbering feline "partner" next to me, my thoughts returned to my upcoming departure. This was really it. In less than twenty-four hours, I'd be far away from here. No more goofing off as guys with Yusuke and Ryuji, no more testing flavors of tea and coffee with Haru, no more shopping with Ann and Makoto, and no more binging anime with Futaba and Morgana. It's going to get a little lonely huh…
Time went by, and only the sound of the chime downstairs broke my stupor. It seems like Sumire had arrived. Morgana heard the bell, but a few moments later, he sprung up, looking somewhat alarmed.
Looking at me with concern, he said, "We should probably go downstairs. Be on guard though."
Confused, but heeding his warnings, I went made my way downstairs to the café portion of the building. Waiting for me in one of the booths was not Sumire Yoshizawa, but a man I hadn't seen in a little over a month. Shujin Academy's ex-interim counselor, Takuto Maruki.
"Yo Kurusu-kun!" he gave me a nervous grin, scratching the back of his head. He chuckled at my evident surprise. "If you stop at the bottom of the stairs and look me like that, that'll make me nervous too," he chuckled.
Seeing as it seemed he wasn't here out of ill will or to fight, I tried to loosen up. "Coffee?"
"Really? If you join me, I'll take you up on that offer."
Morgana hopped over to a high chair while I shimmied over behind the counter and donned my apron. The café's atmosphere was filled with the soothing sound of the coffee brewer. Maruki-Sensei decided to break the silence as I prepared our cups.
"Everyone…they really came through for you…I saw it on TV, you know. For even a famous shogi player to come out and name drop you…you have a lot of allies."
"They saved me," I don't know why, but that's the first thing that popped into my head.
" 'Saved' you, huh…" Maruki placed his hand on his chin, seemingly pondering about something.
I placed his cup of coffee down and slid in across from him. "Is there something bothering you, Maruki-Sensei?"
"Hmm…" Suddenly, like a lightbulb lit up in his head, he gave me a small smile. "How about this, Kurusu-kun. Let's throw it back to our sessions at Shujin. I'm going to poke your brain a little by throwing out some prompts. All you have to do is answer honestly, just like before. Sounds good?"
"Do I still get candy?" I joked.
We both laugh, and he shakes his head. "Unfortunately, this time I don't have anything on me." He took a sip of his drink. "Let's get to it then."
I nodded and took a sip myself.
"With your name cleared, you're not on probation anymore. I assume you're returning to your hometown, correct?" After seeing me nod, he continued. "Based on our talks and what has transpired over the past year, I can assume that you've grown to like Tokyo a lot, right? Then, Kurusu-kun, what is home to you?"
Home, huh. Come to think of it, LeBlanc and Tokyo had become a home-like presence in my life. However, I can't ignore my hometown. I still have fond memories there, and there's the existence of my parents and family. Mulling it over, I came to an answer I liked.
"I think 'home' is wherever you feel the most safe and comfortable. It's not a static place, nor is it limited to one place. If that place isn't out in the wild, you just have to create it yourself."
"Talking with you really is insightful, Kurusu-kun. When asked that type of question, people normally name a specific place. Most people say that their home is their 'happy place', right?"
Sensing where he was going with this, I added, "Another type of safe haven."
He gave me a small smile and nodded. "It's great that you're quick on the pickup." We both took another sip of our coffee. I realized I sort of missed our exchanges over the course of the first two semesters.
"Would you say your allies within the Phantom Thieves are a sort of 'home' to you?"
"Without question," I answered immediately.
"It's nice to see that conviction in your eyes hasn't left. Knowing you, it probably never will. How about this then. Have you ever thought that you wanted to stay here, rather than returning?"
I'd be lying if I said I hadn't. I could see that Maruki-Sensei already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from me. "Definitely," I replied truthfully. Taking another sip from my cup, I continued. "However, staying here would be disrespectful to my friends, all that the Phantom Thieves have worked for, and…you, Maruki-Sensei. I have people and situations I need to properly face back there."
"Good answer." Maruki-Sensei said softly. He lowered his head, as if processing my words. The counselor's eyes were hidden by his bangs and glasses, so I couldn't really get a clear look at his face. "Before, you mentioned that your allies 'saved' you, right? Can everyone be saved? What about someone who put aside their own salvation to save others, how can they be saved and move forward?"
I looked at Morgana, who had been quiet during this whole exchange. He looked as conflicted as I probably did. Looking back at my cup, its' contents had become murky. I didn't know how to word my answer.
"…" Maruki-Sensei quietly sipped from his own cup, not making eye contact with me. It seems like he would give me as much time as needed to answer. Another gap of silence washed over us.
The chime on the door handle rang, signaling another guest had arrived. This time, it was Sumire Yoshizawa. Noticing me in the booth, she waved and opened her mouth to greet me, but then pulled back as she saw the occupant sitting across from me. "Maruki-Sensei…" she trailed off due to her astonishment.
"Ah, Yoshizawa-san! Did you come here to see Kurusu-kun? My bad, I'm just borrowing him for a few minutes," he greeted her sheepishly.
"No, by all means! It's okay!" The redhead waved her hands out in front of her, echoing her words.
Now the silence was just plain awkward…
"Do you want sit and listen? I'm sure Kurusu-kun wouldn't mind either, right?" He looked at me for confirmation.
I gave Sumire a smile and patted the seat next to me, hopeful that she'd be receptive to my attempt to convey that "everything was okay". She pet Morgana on the head and guardedly slid into the booth on my left.
"Do you want coffee as well?" I asked her. I figured it would give me an opportunity to move and think through his question, instead of just sitting there staring at my drink.
She nodded, mumbling a "Thank you" and moving out the way so I could return behind the counter. As I got everything prepared, Maruki-Sensei decided fill her in and recap our discussion. At my answers to his questions, she looked at me tenderly and laughed lightly. "Such a Senpai-like answer, right?"
Thankfully, it seemed like the pair's dynamic hadn't deteriorated, regardless of her disposition when she walked in, as well as the events of January and February. After offering her coffee, I sat back down. It seemed that they had just caught up to where our discussion was put on hold due to her entrance.
"Senpai, do you mind if I answer this? I feel…I feel like I can answer this better than anyone now." She gazed into my eyes earnestly.
I couldn't let her passion go unanswered, so I let her.
Maruki-Sensei looked at the two of us and smiled knowingly. "It's nice that you two have become so close."
I couldn't look over and tease the girl sitting to my right about her blush when I was doing the same thing.
Clearing her throat, Sumire began. "You know, I think I mentioned this before, but in actuality, I'm very grateful to you Maruki-Sensei. Without you, I probably wouldn't have met Akira-Senpai and the rest of the Phantom Thieves. Without you…" She shifted her gaze for a moment. "Without you, it's likely I wouldn't even be alive. You saved me.
"However, the person who helped me forge a path to move forward was Akira-Senpai. He was someone I could lean upon when I faltered. You know how some people say 'you can't help those who don't want to be helped' right? Well, while Akira-Senpai helped, he wasn't the person who built my path for me. I was. He taught me that to move forward, I myself have to look forward, making that first step." I felt a hand reach and grasp for mine under the table, as if trying to sap strength from it.
Maruki-Sensei's face was once more unreadable. After a brief pause, she pushed on.
"I firmly believe that anyone can be saved. In fact, I like to think that last month, we saved you, Maruki-Sensei. However, the only one who can make you actually move forward is yourself. That starts by looking forward, telling yourself that you're going to establish change. You don't the power of a Persona to do that. Veering into unknown territory can be a little unnerving, but that's why you have loved ones around you—" a quick glance to her left. "—to lean on when things get tough; similar to that safe haven you two were discussing earlier. Maybe you need to find or establish your home again. That way, you have—"
Maruki-Sensei finished the sentence for her. "Somewhere to run away to when it feels like the world is against you." Raising his face, he gave us a weary smile. "Once you feel better, you have to go back out into the world and fight, right?"
Smiling back, we nodded. I felt the hand in mine grip tighter than before. I squeezed back in reassurance.
"So, basically, the gist is that everyone can start over, right? I guess I've been looking at this all wrong…"Maruki-Sensei's voiced his thoughts, his voice on the verge of cracking. He began to wipe his eyes.
The three of us sat, and sipped our coffee. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw tears begin to well up in Sumire's orbs. It seemed to be raining outside…
After a while, Maruki-Sensei spoke up again. "This is Sumire Yoshizawa, huh?" He gave the girl in question a once-over. "Seems like Kurusu-kun's really rubbed off on you," he laughed heartily.
"Those are Sumire's feelings," I said. The hand squeezed mine hard.
"You're right," the counselor chuckled again. "Thank you, the both of you…I feel like I can look forward now. I've been saved, but now it's time to use the opportunity given to me to start over." Maruki-Sensei stood up, and made his way to the door. "I always learn new things by interacting with you, Akira Kurusu-kun, I appreciate your insight. This might be the last time we see each other, so I really wanted to express that to you. Yoshiza—Sumire-san, I'm truly happy you are now able to move forward. I think I'll try and emulate your actions. That's kind of ironic, right? The counselor receiving counseling from a patient!" All three of us laughed at his joke.
Opening the door, Maruki-Sensei made eye contact with me. "If you find yourself struggling in life, you can start over in life, even as an adult like me. Take that as an example. That's the only thing I can give you in exchange for saving me; 'revenge', if you will. Like Sumire-san said, if that ends up saving you, I'd be extremely happy." His whole face smiled at me sincerely.
I paused, taking in his words. I nodded and did my best to return his smile. He turned to head out into the rain, but quickly turned back.
"Oh! I forgot, I should pay, right?" Another sheepish grin.
He walked over and clumsily placed some change on the table. He then reached into his jacket, and took out some folded pieces of paper, and held them out towards me. "I want you to have this. As a symbol of our experiences together."
Upon accepting the gift and looking it over, I realized that I recognized it from November. It was his completed theory on the cognitive world. As I looked up to ask if it was really okay to have this, the chime rang again. Maruki-Sensei had left into the night.
After a little while of flipping through the theory, Sumire spoke up. "Maruki-Sensei…he never changes, huh. Is he going to be okay?" she asked half-jokingly, half-worriedly.
"He was mumbling something about calling someone named Shibusawa…" Morgana chirped up, having put his ears to use.
"I think he'll be just fine," I said, recognizing the name. "Even still, I wasn't expecting him to show up like this. Though, I'm happy you showed up when you did, Sumire."
She beamed up at me radiantly and put her head on my shoulder.
"Do you want another cup?" I asked, noticing we'd both finished our cups of coffee.
The redhead shook her head and stayed put.
"I'm gonna head out and see if I can track Maruki for a bit. I'll be back," Morgana said, picking up on the atmosphere. With that, he hopped off the chair, and scampered outside.
"Morgana-Senpai is an understanding person," Sumire said absently.
"He'd be glad to know that you called him a person." I laughed.
"I had a lot I wanted to say to you when I finally got to meet up with you, but now that I'm here, I'm at a loss."
"Well, I don't blame you… Sometimes, it's nice to just relax in each other's presence, you know?"
She nodded and blushed. Suddenly, she sat upright and lightly slapped her cheeks. She exclaimed, "Wait, no! Not today! You're leaving tomorrow!" She began to rummage in her bag for something.
"Don't tell me, you got me something too?"
"Well when you put it like that, it makes me not want to give these to you," the redhead pouted. She placed three objects on the table. A ribbon, a framed photo, and something wrapped in plastic. "Here, these are all for you."
"All of these? I couldn't tak—"
"I wanted to share some of my treasures with you, in appreciation for everything you've done for me. First…" She picked up the plastic item, revealing a new pair of workout clothes. "Now that we won't be seeing each other as often, you'll have to train your body without my help! Plus, you mentioned your old jersey was getting old, right? I wanted to get you a new one, thinking that whenever you exercise, you'd get an extra boost of motivation by remembering me…" She mumbled something else while looking away shyly, but I didn't catch it.
"What was that last part?" I moved my face close to hers, looking her straight in her eyes.
"…I said…like…for…"
I got closer, close enough that our noses graced each other.
"I said…like you do for me," she murmured. Her face had become as red as a tomato.
Satisfied, I backed up. I heard her mutter something along the lines of "Teasing isn't nice, Senpai" but I chose to let her go.
"I'll definitely use it," I told her, regarding the jersey. She smiled and moved to the next item. A framed picture of us from Hatsumōde. "That takes me back," I smiled nostalgically.
"Right! I know I sent it to you over text already, but I felt like it'd be nice to have something tangible too. I have a copy as well. We don't have any other pictures of just us together after all…" Sumire looked away again.
"Let's take some more in the future." I received another happy smile in response.
"Lastly, this." In Sumire's hand was the crimson-red ribbon she donned for most of the school year. Looking at it closely, it reminded me of my gloves as a Phantom Thief. "I wanted to give this to you, as a symbol of me really moving on." She placed in it my hand and took off her glasses.
"I think I'm still going to keep tying my hair up like before, but I'm going to start wearing my glasses too. That way, I'm not ignoring Kasumi, my past, nor my present. As you taught me, I've got to keep looking forward, right?"
"I can't wear this…" I joked, pointing to the ribbon.
Sumire rolled her eyes playfully, "What am I going to do with you? You're ruining a nice moment!"
"Thank you Sumire, I mean it. I'll treasure them," I offered her my sincere thanks.
"Great!" Blushing, she looked up at me expectantly. "Senpai…"
Taking the hint, I leaned in.
I spent a long time with Sumire…
"You know, there's a chance that I could have a tournament in your hometown." We're walking towards the Yongen-Jaya station.
"Really? If so, I'll come out to support."
"Huh? You don't have to, that'd be so embarrassing!" Her face told me she felt differently. Clearing her throat, she continued. "If not, I'll come visit you sometime. Maybe during Golden Week!"
"Ooh, sounds good. I probably won't be doing much anyways. I'm sure Morgana would appreciate it too." I nodded in agreement.
Reaching the stairway, the redhead turned and faced me. "I'll be okay from here, Akira-Senpai."
"Are you su—" I was cut off by a hug. Smiling knowingly, I wrapped my arms around her and whispered in her ear, "I'll see you soon."
I felt her nod against my chest. We stayed like that for a while. Unfortunately, she had a train to catch or she'd be stuck in Yongen for the night. Breaking apart, she ran ahead, waving back at me until she wasn't in sight anymore.
I looked up to the sky. I hadn't realized, but the rain had stopped at some point. I decided to head back. I walked a block and turned the corner towards LeBlanc. Upon doing so, I felt something jump on my shoulder. I pet my assailant's head.
For the second time today, he asked, "Have you said all your goodbyes?"
I nodded and we grinned at each other. "Let's head back."
Author's Note:
As someone who was a bit unsatisfied with the way ATLUS handled the the final two days in Persona 5 The Royal, I felt like I could write a realistic and riveting wrap-up for the two central characters involved in the third semester. The final two days and the lack of Satanael's reappearance are my only gripes about the last portion of the game.
I hope people appreciates how I tried to keep everyone's favorite protagonist in character. He's quiet, but can be passionate and out-spoken when need be. Plus he's a little bit of a joker, no pun intended. I wanted to make sure I didn't make him speak too much, or have his lines drag on to keep the immersion from the game itself up. As for his name...I don't hate Ren Amamiya, but Akira has always sounded better to me, and that's what I've named Joker in every playthrough.
I think I kept in line with the true ending's themes. Best case scenario, I expanded on them, and made you appreciate the game even more. I've have played the game in Japanese and English, so I think I tried to keep Japanese language nuance and speaking tendencies in mind. I think that's best shown through Sumire's dialogue.
What Maruki says during the final cutscene isn't translated the best into English, but I tried to take the best of both worlds and combine them into something even better. I think I gave him a far better send-off than the game did, although what they did wasn't particularly bad. I definitely wanted Sumire to receive a proper goodbye scene though.
You can assume that after the events of this story, things play out to either the vanilla Persona 5 true ending, or Royal's. Either one works, but I like vanilla's a little bit more, so take that for what you will.
As to the nature of Akira and Sumire's relationship...I'll leave that up to interpretation. I'd like to think I teetered right on the edge of falling on either side of the possibilities. I may be a little biased to one particular side though...
Hopefully, this was written to your liking, please feel free to leave feedback. Reviews or PMs are welcomed. I haven't posted on here in a very long time, but this was the perfect outlet to project what I thought would be a stellar ending. Maybe if pushed hard enough, I can write another one-shot or sequel to this.