Hey guys! So, here is chapter 8! Sorry it's been taking a while for Persona 5 Female Protagonist Edition chapters compared to the Persona 4 (V) Female Protagonist chapters but I've been busy and I have an immense love for Persona 4 Vanilla, Persona 4 Golden though, Marie kinda made me not like it. But anyway, as I'm writing this, I actually just watched Persona 5 The Royal PV#2 and Pancakes trailer and dudes, I am hyped! I can tell that Persona 5 The Royal won't let me down like Persona 4 Golden did. Anyway, I'm rambling. I can ramble after you read this chapter.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." I wake up to hear that creepy deep voice. Nose, why am I here? I stand and walk to the bars.

"I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you." I have to sleep Nose. LET ME SLEEP!

"What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?" "Don't be stupid. You summon me here in my sleep, when I need it most." My voice was as loud as ever. "You've got some nerve, Inmate!" Caroline whips the bars, as she was aiming for my hand but I moved it in time. "I imagine you have many reservations about returning here from your joyous, everyday life." Well, that's why I get, got salt rubbed in the wound.

"Your rehabilitation determines if ruin can be stopped. Yet, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. But today, you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, haven't you?"

"You're talking about Ryuji, right?"

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity , but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well." Okay, I get it. This year, I will make bonds with people who are like me and Ryuji, not being able to belong anymore.

"Personas are the strength of heart... the stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain" Justine's calm voice takes over for Nose but was replaced by Caroline's harsh words. "There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you doesn't. You better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power." So the stronger my relationships are with others, the stronger I become? Cool! I live a life of a JRPG protagonist!

"Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambitions will not come to fruition. We have a deal then." His chuckle through me off. Though, I feel like he has high expectations of me.

I am thou, thou art I...

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Fool Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power...

The Fool, ay? Okay, I have heard of these things. They are tarot cards. So, my bonds are represented by tarot cards? Alright. I feel power going through me.

Wild Talk= Allows you to negotiate with Shadows after performing a Hold Up
Arcana Burst= Earn bonus EXP when fusing Personas based on their arcana's Confidant rank.

And with that, I'm back in my room. With a sigh, I get up, get changed, and head down stairs where Sojiro has a plate of, not curry but eggs and bacon, and a cup of coffee waiting for me. "Changed it up since you might've gotten sick of curry." He takes a sip of his coffee as I tell him that I will never get sick of his curry. I ate my breakfast, said farewell to Sojiro, and went my way to school. Once I made it to the school zone, students were talking about the volleyball rally. Good thing I always have my gym wear in my bag at all times.

Time Skip

The rally is about to start. Ugh! Again! The jacket doesn't fit me properly. If I zip it up, my chest will be cramped. Guess I have to zip it up as far as I can without cramping my chest as I stop it just below. It does pop out if I do this but I'm cold. At least the track pants are comfortable. I look around the locker room and saw a girl with black hair tied up in a ponytail with a pink hair tie. She stuck out because of the bruises on her back. Is she apart of the volleyball club? I walk up to her and she turns around and looks at me. "Huh? Am I in the way? Wait, I can't... I'm near the wall. Do you need something?" Her voice was soft but also filled with hurt. "Oh, it's just... the bruises on your back... did something happen?" her face shifted into fear, "Um, thank you for your concern...? It's nothing... I just get bruises easily... anyway, I've got to go!" She zips up her jacket and runs away. I should tell Ryuji what happened.

I step into the gym and see no sign of him. He must still be getting changed. "Ah, Kurusu~San!" Ugh, this guy. "Mr. Kamoshida! How are you?" I hope my acting is convincing, I'm terrible at it... "I'm doing fine. Say, make sure you keep an eye on me. I'll impress you no doubt." His hand rests on the wall next to my head as he stares into my eyes. If he was anyone I actually liked romantically, I probably would've kept quiet. But he isn't, whenever I look at him, I'm reminded of dog shit. "Um, okay... good luck Mr. Kamoshida!" My laugh was stiff but he bought it. He left with leaving a creepy smile burned into my memory. God, I hate this guy. "Aka~Tan!" Thank you, he's finally here. I turn around and saw him just staring at me. It took him a while to gain his composure as the two of us slid our back down the wall.

"Ryuji, do you know a girl who has brown eyes and black hair tied up with a hair tie?" I look at him as he started thinking, "Are you talking about Suzui? Yeah I know her, we went to the same middle school. I think she's in the volleyball team too. Why you ask?". "I saw her in the locker room and there were bruises on her back. Unless she got hit in the back a lot by volleyballs, I think she may be a good source of information." I tell him as his face scowls. Instinctively, I place my hand on his head. He looks at me with a shocked expression and I smile. His face shifted to a smile quickly as the game began. It was boring, nothing really happened. "Still the same as always..." I hear Ryuji mutter. I look where he was looking at and I see the foreigner, Takamaki. Do they know each other? If so, it isn't any of my business unless they tell me themselves. I also notice Mishima backing up. Okay, something is up with him and Suzui.

My eyes return to the game but it ended on a bad note. Dog shit spiked the ball and it hit Mishima. It was so hard that he fell on his ass. Part of me wanted to check up on him but the other part said it won't be a good idea due to the fact he's afraid of me. The students around him take him to the nurse's office while Kamoshida just called for the game to reset. Fuck this guy. "He'll pay soon enough..." Ryuji mumbled as he threw the volleyball towards them. What the hell, I didn't even know that the ball rolled there. "C'mon, let's ditch this shit show." He stood up and left the gym and I followed. I don't want to watch this anymore either. The two of us continue walking until we made it to the courtyard.

"That asshole's actin' like a king over here too... get to know everyone better my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego. And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag...!" Ryuji was spitting mad. "Calm down Ryuji. I know it's bad but we need to keep our cool. If we don't, we'll look more suspicious and our plan may not work." I placed my hand on his shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes. He nods as his face returned to normal. "... well, anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday."I nod, getting myself psyched up. "Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole." Ryuji grumbled the last part while making a fist with his hand. I know he's pissed at him so I don't blame him. Huh? He still has the ribbon on his hand? Why hasn't he changed it for a wrap? Eh, it's his choice. "Let's go! Who's first?" I take the hand that didn't have the ribbon on it and started dragging him. "Hmm, let's start with the guy from Class D." "Class D, got it!" and with that, we walked all the way there.

"Hopefully you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately so... oh wait, you're in the same boat too..." Yeah no shit Ryuji, let's just get this over with. In Class D, the was a male student that had bandages all over his face. I bet that there's more but they're covered by his gym clothes. "What...? Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from you Kurusu~San..." his voice was muffled, making me feel bad for the guy. "Hey, that's the guy who was over at the castle." Ryuji nudges me as I nod. "You too, Sakamoto! W-What do you two want...?" the unknown boy began trembling in his place. "How did you get injured? I haven't been in a sports team in school before, but I know what's the difference from injuries you get from school teams and a straight up ass-whooping." I was done with shit like this ages ago. If I'm supposed to do this, just keep being blunt. "W-W-What do you mean? This is normal... how will you know!?" the boy's reaction was unprecedented. Like, holy fuck dude. Ryuji stood up to him, questioning further but the injured boy just kept on debunking everything with the argument of, 'No, this is normal', which is some stinky bullshit if I've ever smelt it. "You know what? Let's just go." I drag Ryuji out of the room but I didn't want things to end there. I quickly rushed back and whispered in his ear, "Your just a pussy. If you want things to change, grow some balls and stand up to that asshole." I didn't see his reaction but I thought it was priceless. I didn't mean any ill-harm but, a dude being called a pussy makes them want to do better.

"Damn it! At this rate, the ball game is going to end!" my blonde friend punches the wall in anger. I tell him we should split up and he agreed. I don't want to bore you with the details so, long story short, the volleyball members refused and one of them got defensive when I asked him. He said that, 'If you think Kamoshida is a criminal, think about yourself first'. Like, what the fuck? It's this shit that pisses me off. Ryuji texted me, asking if I got info and I told him everything that happened.

A- Akano R- Ryuji

A- Oh, I almost went apeshit on one of them due to the fact that he said something that if I think
Kamoshida is a criminal, that I should think of myself before anything.

R- What...? Which one was it?

A- The third year. He's just glad I have to behave.

R- That son of a bitch...

A- Don't do anything harsh about it. I'm used to it.

R- Still, they don't know crap about you and they talk shit about you? That's just cold

A- That's just how life is, don't worry about it. I'll meet you back at the courtyard, seeya.

With a sigh, I turned my phone off and walked towards the courtyard. What I hope is that Ryuji doesn't do anything to that poor third year and that Dog Shit isn't by the courtyard. Oh thank god, no one's here. Ugh! Ryuji's going to be a while, I guess I'll buy a soda. "Kurusu~San, can I speak to you for a bit?" I turn around to see a familiar face. "Takamaki? What up?" "You know me already? Gah, that's not important. Don't worry, this will be quick. What's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all... there's that weird rumor about you too..." Rumor? What? I have a record or something? What about it!? "Whaddya want with her?" Ryuji pops out from nowhere, giving Takamaki and I a small fright. "Right back at you. You're not even in our class." She puts her hands on her hips which just pissed Ryuji off more. I gave him a look, telling him to leave it be so he cooled down. "We just happened to get to know each other." he sat down on thee nearby bench, "What're you planning on doing to Kamoshida?" What the fuck? How does she know!? It took both Ryuji and I by surprise but he regained his composure.

"I see. I getcha. You're all 'buddy-buddy' with Kamoshida after all." Takamaki's face showed great disgust the moment he did air quotes with 'buddy-buddy'. I think she's hiding something, not just from us but from everyone. "Grah! This had nothing to do with you Sakamoto! I only came to speak to her, not you!" I took a sip from my drink, just enjoying the show. "If you found out what he's doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away." all of our fists clenched. Is she really dating him? No way, she must be forced to. I can't see that asshole getting a girlfriend in a heartbeat. "Behind my back...? What's that supposed to mean...?" her acting was good, but not good enough to fool me. Yup, she must hate the guy but being forced to be his girlfriend, especially after what happened between those two yesterday. "You wouldn't get it..." Ryuji trailed off while sighing as the three of us were left in an awkward silence. "... I'm just going to tell you two that, people are already talking about the both of you. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's going to help you. I'm warning you, just in case. That's all. Also," she faced at me, staring intently in my eyes, "You, yourself especially be careful around Kamoshida. I've heard rumors about you two and I'm worried." I don't know how to respond to that... she must know something we don't, and I'm going to figure it out.

I nod in affirmation and she leaves. "Why does she have to be so aggressive all the time...?" Huh? You call that aggressive? "You know her?" I put a 180 yen in the vending machine and get the soda that I think Ryuji will like. "We just went to the same middle school." Okay, so that's their relationship. "Cool. Anyway, catch!" I toss him the soda as he thanks me and begins chugging it. "I got zero luck on my end. What about you?" he asks and I shake my head. I begin to think, remembering what I picked up. Just then, something pops into my head. "What about Mishima~Kun? The one who got spiked by Dog Shit." "Why him? I mean, yeah, I see him with bruises but what makes you think he will spill the tea?" he cocked his to the side and I continued to think. "He's a volleyball member, right? He may be our last chance to get some evidence. We can't get stuff out of the guys from the castle, so let's try to broaden our horizons." I look at him and all I see is wonder. "What are you looking at, Ryuji?" "You, just sounded so cool Aka~Tan. Maybe even sexy..." My face goes beet red as he just goes on a laughing fit. I get it, he thinks of this as a comedy show... too bad. With a giggle, my foot slams onto the wall just next to his ear. The sound got to him because he looked at me with terror. A smirk grew on my face as I told him, "You know, you could sound cool if you stopped this whole comedy charade. If not, I wonder what would've happen if I didn't miss on purpose..."

Ryuji's POV

"You know, you could sound cool if you stopped this whole comedy charade. If not, I wonder what would've happen if I didn't miss on purpose..." Holy shit... this girl is scarier than I'd ever imagine. She can say the scariest things ever but continue to have that smile on her face, she's the definition of a savage. "O-O-Okay t-t-then, Aka~Tan! L-Let's go f-f-find M-Mishima." She puts her foot down as the two of us walk to the nurse's office. "Uh, where's the nurse's office again?" my redhead friend started to contemplate about the nurse's office's location. Didn't she get that first aid kit from there from that day? Speaking of which, my hand still has that ribbon on. Why haven't I taken it off yet? And why has no one spoke of it? "Hey, Ryuji!" My thoughts disappeared as Akano's voice took over my mind. "Huh?" Oh great, why did I say that? "Geez, you really weren't listening to me? Anyway, I asked you a question, where's the nurse's office?" she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, looking at me with a small blush on her cheeks. "Uh, this way? Wait a minute..." our attentions were looking forward as we see Mishima leave the nurse's office walking towards the exit.

The two of us nod at each other and ran towards the bluenette. "Mishima~Kun, wait up!" Akano calls out to him as he turns around. His face was full of fear, probably because it's both me and the girl with a criminal record. "K-Kurusu~San! And, Sakamoto...? What do you two need?" "Mishima~Kun, we're going to get straight to the point. You're our only source left and I need you to be honest with me!" She began to beg but also looking serious at him. I guess that took him by surprise because he backed up and his face turned pink. "... about what, K-K-Kurusu~San...?" It's like he can't say her name without pain, but why? "About your and the volleyball team's bruises, you can't get bruises that bad without intense pressure. I know because my auntie was studying how to be a nurse. So don't bullshit with me!" This girl sure is forceful. Hell, she sends shivers down my spine too. "... I don't know what you're talking about! The team is just playing at National level performance... of course we would come out with a few scrapes, this is just what we call 'special coaching'..." And with that he covered his mouth, he let it slip and Akano knows it. "So he's 'special coaching' you guys. You sure it's not just physical abuse?" it's about time I spoke up in this, can't have Akano do all the threats.

"Certainly not!" He's cracking for sure. Akano clenches my hand and squeezes it, as if to send me a message. I look at her as she signals me to keep pushing him for answers. "What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways... we saw him spike you today, right in the face." another squeeze from the redhead, but it was softer than the first one. "That was just because I'm not good at the sport..." that excuse didn't go by with Akano. "If you're not good at the sport, why are you still on the team? This is either bullshit or Stockholm Syndrome, which is it?" Just as Mishima was about to say something, Akano turns her head to the left as her eyes widen. She starts to clench my hand harder and my eyes rest on the direction hers were in. It was Kamoshida. "What's going on here?" This guy's eyes gaze over the three of us, having a longer time on the only girl. Her body shifts to behind me and his expression turned to pissed. His focus turned to Mishima, "Mishima, isn't it time for practice?" the tone of his was so vexing that Akano tensed up. "I-I'm not feeling well today..."

Akano's POV

"I-I'm not feeling well today..." Hah! This guy can't make him go to practice, c'mon Mishima~Kun, stand up for yourself! "What? Maybe you're better off quitting then. You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice. Also, you know if you DO quit, something will happen..." Dog Shit's eye's land on me that placed terror on Mishima's face. "Didn't you hear? He ain't feelin' well!" Ryuji stepped away from his spot to got in between the other two boys, staring daggers at the teacher. "Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?"My god, I REALLY hate this guy, how did he become a teacher of all things!? Mishima~Kun looks at me and grits his teeth, "... I'll go." Mishima~Kun... "As for you, any trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure. You won't be able to get in my way with her..." This piece of shit just got closer to Ryuji. I grasp onto my blonde haired friend's arm and pull him back while hearing him curse under his breath. "Kurusu~San, stay away from this delinquent, he might hurt you and I don't know what I might do if you were to get hurt." Kamoshida walks up to me and hold my hands, staring deep into my eyes.

This guy is the worst. "Personal space, dude. I don't like being this close to people, especially if they're older than me." I took a step back as he chuckles it off, "Sorry 'bout that! Say, was I cool during the game or what...?" Okay, now this is getting weird. "Huh? Oh, that. I didn't see much of it, sorry Mr. Kamoshida!" Hope my acting was good enough. "Too bad, maybe you could observe the volleyball team? I would love for you to see them vs me so you could see what I'm like properly..." Okay, he bought it. Time to continue the act, "I've got to get home. After what happened on the first day, my parole officer said I have to get home as soon as school finishes for a bit. Maybe later?" Now that was horrible. With a nod, he leaves yelling, "Get with the program!". "That pervy asshole... he's gonna pay for this...!" my blonde friend's blood boiled over with anger. Can't blame him. "... there's no point." The other boy in this small group piped up as the two of us look perplexed. "Proving that he's physically abusing us... is meaningless. Everybody knows... the principal, our parents... they'll all know, and they all keep quiet about it." "You've gotta be fucking with me, Mishima~Kun! I can kinda see the principal because he's a capital A Asshole, but the parents know!?" My face was in disbelief. I can't believe it...

"Aka~Tan's right, this has gotta be a joke..." the bruised boy's expression changed once the words came from Ryuji's lips. "... don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help...!?" Ryuji and I look dejected. He's right. No matter how you look at it, nothing's going to help. If the parent's don't give a fuck now, when will they. We know the pain all too well, me with this record, and Ryuji with his leg. "Mishima~Kun... I'll do whatever it takes. I DON'T care if I can't do anything, I won't give up. I gave up on me... I won't give up on other people." I look at him straight in the eyes as he sighs and goes to the gym. "Ryuji... what are we going to do now...?" my arms fall to my sides. The confidence I've felt before just upped and left. "... I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's... all I can do." Tears began to fall from my eyes. They're just like us, I kinda wished we were the only ones because this pain is unbearable. "I'll help you ou-" I try to step closer to him but I stop in my tracks. "Aka~Tan?" he gave a concerned look. "... bag... lollies..." I mutter as he looked into my bag and pulled out the lollies. I snatch it and began to eat.

Energy restores in my body as I move my arms. "What was that?" he gripped my hand to see I was responsive other things. "Long story short, hypoglycemia. Look it up. Ugh, I hate this. Hey, if it isn't much of a problem, can you just help me get to Yongen safely? There wasn't much in that bag so I don't know what will happen..." I look down and Ryuji nods as the two of us walk toward the station. He paid for both his and my tickets while fighting me off since I wanted to pay for it and we waited for the next train. I was right to ask him to help me out, I'm about to pass out already and I left the bag Sojiro gave me at home. I'm an idiot. The train eventually came and we got some seats. Tiredness crept up on me but I kept trying to keep them open. "Just have a nap, it'll be a while." Ryuji instructed me and I immediately do so. My head was on his lap as it felt like a pillow. It didn't take long for me to get either. Now I know, Ryuji Sakamoto isn't the delinquent people see him out to be. Ryuji Sakamoto is a giant softy who cares for others, even if he seems vulgar with his appearance and speech.

Ryuji's POV

She just passed out right there. Ugh, she may be a pain in the ass sometimes but she's actually really kind. I wonder if she was always like this of if she was an entirely different person. As if I will figure that out. Aside from that, she is stunning. I can tell that her red hair is dyed because her roots are still black, didn't do a bad job patching it up but It' could be better. Hmm, I wonder what she would look like with black hair? Meh, she suits red hear better. Huh? She's still holding onto my hand? How have I not realized it until now? Pink crept up on my face as it turned to red. It was like that for the entire train ride. Yongen was the last stop, it's going to take a while. "No..." Huh? "I-I want to stay...!" Akano? "Nicole... needs me!" Nicole? What's that? "I-I-I want to stay... with auntie and... uncle...!" Is she sleeping? "Stop...!" Nightmare? I can't let this continue anymore. I take her by her shoulders and brought her closer to me. "Calm down, Aka~Tan. I'm here." The moment I finished, a smile formed on her face. I kept this up for the rest of the trip.

"Aka~Tan, wake up. We're here." Her eyes flutter open. She's still exhausted, guess I really do have to look up hypoglycemia. Okay, she won't be able to walk. Against her wishes, I put her on my back. She wasn't heavy so that's a plus. "Where do you live?" I ask as I leave the station. "Cafe Leblanc." At least she was still responsive. I asked around and eventually found the cafe. "Welcome... huh?" the old man behind the corner looks at me and Akano on my back. "You a friend of hers?" the coldness of his voice could freeze water. I nod while he sighs, "She collapsed or was about to?" Again, I nod. "Just place her on the table. There's no customers here so it's fine. I'll go get some of those lollies, must be upstairs." I do as I was told as he went upstairs. The man came back downstairs and began feeding her gummy bears. Slowly, the color returned to her as her eyes lit up. "Sojiro? How did I get here? Ryuji, you're here too?" Akano's voice was shaky and weak. With a sigh, the old man ordered her to go upstairs for bed and to remember to pack more lollies. She groans and does what he said. "Thank you for bringing her here. You have my respect." A small smile came on his face and I returned it. "Go back home, it's getting late." And with that, I left.

Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I put some more RyujixAkano scenes because at the point where the story is, it's good. One thing, if you're wondering why Ryuji's reaction to hearing Nicole is due to the fact that Nicole isn't a Japanese name. I don't know if Ryuji would be like this if he heard a name that wasn't Japanese in origin but I went with it. Anyway, I want to ramble on about Persona 5 The Royal. Takuto Maruki is definitely a bad guy, no doubt about it. He's to suspicious. I also get that Kasumi has something to do with it but It's just too obvious for her to be the only one. And Pancakes is back! And if you're wondering, yes, there will be AkechixAkano in this fanfic so don't worry about that. Anyway, I'm done. Seeya!