Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart

Shot 4: Your True Strength

Over the course of the past two and half months between Palace infiltration and Mementos ventures, the sass master Akira has been helping his magazine model friend find the answer to strengthening her heart. An admirable goal to reach for…

But all of her methods of reaching it have been way off. She comes up with stuff like having Akira insult her to not letting her eat much, which Akira bluntly points out that it's all pointless willpower. This ordeal truly is taking a long time.

However, it's not without its eventful moments. Ann opened to Akira about her past life with her big name fashion designer parents, who are currently abroad. She talked about how her first model job was as a sub for one of their events in Finland, how it was hard making friends in one place only to leave and start at the next, and how she only sees her parents for half a year or less now.

There was also an encounter with Ann's model rival, Mika, who comes off as sweet and friendly, but is really cold and manipulative.

So again, this ordeal is not without its events.

xxx

Today, Ann brought Akira to the Central Street diner in Shibuya to talk. However, Akira sensed a little uneasiness coming from her as they were taking their seats. Was she still mad about what happened with Mika? That's the most likely cause, but he feels like it's something else.

Ann was the first to speak up.

"So I talked with Shiho about what happened with Mika at the photoshoot," she said. "And you know what she did? Laughed! She couldn't stop talking about how tough Mika sounded." Akira smiles.

"Ya don't say?" he chuckles.

"Honestly though… it was kinda refreshing. I'm not even mad anymore. I guess you just need someone to laugh at you if you want to feel better. I mean, they always say laughter's the best medicine, right? I've seen the truth of that saying firsthand." Ann smirks at Akira.

"As certain bad boy shows me that all the time." Akira crosses his eyes and pushes on his cheeks.

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about," he says with a deadpan tone. Ann laughs out loud.

"Ahahahaha! What are you?! A grade schooler?!" Akira chuckles, happy to hear the sound of her laughing, like he always is.

"But anyway," Ann continues. "Even though I'm trying to strengthen my heart… Shiho's the real strong one here." Akira leans forward.

"What brought this on?" Ann hangs her head with a pained look on her face.

"I… I went to one of her rehab sessions the other day…" she mumbles. "She said she wanted me to be there… So I went without thinking much of it, but it ended up being... pretty overwhelming…" And so, Akira discovers the source of Ann's uneasiness.

"I… I hate to even ask this," he says. "But… she was in pain, wasn't she?" Ann didn't hesitate to nod.

"Yeah, it was a lot tougher than I'd ever imagined… God, it was horrible. She was dripping with sweat, teeth clenched… It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell she was in a lot of pain." Ann's hands ball up into fists and her eyes start turning red.

"Apparently… she can't even move her feet. She said it feels like her legs are filled with sand… But she just… dragged them along… even though they were swollen with blood…" She covers her mouth and shuts her eyes as tears start streaming down her face.

"Every single step she took… I just wanted to scream at her to stop…!" The sight of her crying face crushed Akira's heart, just like the first time. But all he could do right now was listen.

"Ann…" It took Ann a second to calm down enough to continue.

"...By the time it was all over, she was in tears…" she sniffs. "It was really tough on her… she wanted to give up… And that's why she asked me to come… To keep her motivated… The whole time she was complaining about things in ways she normally never would… But even with that… she finished her session…" Ann starts rubbing her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm herself down, shaking the whole time. Akira hands her a napkin and she wipes her face with it.

"S-Sorry… I… I don't know why I'm crying… I didn't have to go through that… Is it because I'm weak…?" Akira shakes his head.

"Not even. It's because you're kind." Ann chuckles through her tears.

"You're wrong." He shakes his head again, this time with a serious look on his face.

"Don't give me that bullshit. That's exactly why you're crying… When you see someone you care about suffering, you get the urge to cry." Akira looks down with a sad look on his face.

"Just like me right now… I can't stand seeing you like this." Ann stares at Akira and smiles through her tears.

"Akira… You're seriously the sweetest guy, y'know that?" She wipes the rest of her tears away and sighs.

"You know, even through all that pain, I thought Shiho was so cool… beautiful even… Despite her complaining, she still tried incredibly hard…" Ann nods to herself.

"I think I get it now… Strength is more than just not getting fazed by things… it's the power to fight through adversity…" Ann turns her attention back to Akira.

"So I was thinking, and um… what can I do to help Shiho?" Akira didn't need to think about his answer at all.

"That's simple: Show her your own strength." Ann's eyes widen.

"My strength?" Akira smiles and points to her chest.

"The strength that I know you have deep down in your heart. You wouldn't have a Persona if that wasn't true." Ann closes her eyes for a moment, then nods.

"Yeah. I'll do just that. I'll give it my all!"

"Now that's more like it!" Ann sighs as she smiles and stares at her friend, who came to her aid again.

There you go again, making me feel better, she thinks. No fair.

"H-Hey," Akira stutters. "Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?" Ann shakes her head and brushes her right twintail.

"Y'know Akira… Being with you really helps me see things clearly. Like, what I should do and the true meaning of strength. Honestly, I think you're the strongest guy I know… Maybe even person." Akira blushes as he pushes his glasses.

"C-C'mon. D-Don't tell me that. You're making me feel self conscious." Ann leans in.

"Hey, tell me. Everyone looks at you like a criminal, but you manage to keep a straight face the whole time. How do you stay so strong?" Akira leans back on his seat, crosses his arms, and closes his eyes to think. It was a natural thing for him, but he knew he couldn't tell her that. What would be the best way to explain it? After arranging the right words in his head, he smiles at her.

"I… just keep being me. That's what I always try to do and there's no law that says I can't. Not much else to it. Sorry." Ann smiles at his straightforward answer.

"Nah. That's actually an answer I can get behind. Besides… I'm glad I met you." Akira smiles back at her.

"Me too." As the two share a tender moment between them expressing how blessed they feel to have each other as friends, Ann suddenly feels something drop from her nose.

"Oh geez, my nose is so runny right now," she says as she sniffs and rubs her nose. She then notices the disgusted look on Akira's face.

"What's with that look?! Pretty girls get runny noses too, y'know." Akira hands her another napkin.

"That's not the issue. Here's a tissue." As she blows her nose, Akira sighs and smiles at her.

Beautiful or not… You're still great.

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