Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart

Shot 11: Post-Fiasco Party Fiasco

There's no easy way to describe the crisis the Phantom Thieves are head deep in.

After they changed the heart of their newest teammate's father, Mr. Okumura of Okumura Foods, they all sat down during their celebration party to watch the press conference where he would confess his crimes and reveal details about the culprit behind all of the mental shutdown and psychotic breakdown incidents. Only to be hit by a nuke of disaster.

During the conference, Okumura suffered a mental shutdown that ultimately led to his untimely demise. It didn't take long for the public that adored the Phantom Thieves to suddenly turn on them and label them criminals. They even started saying that everything they've done was a farce.

Desperate to find a way out of this situation, the group turns to celebrity Ace Detective, Goro Akechi, who has been in open opposition towards the Phantom Thieves until he recently announced that he believes that they are innocent in the Okumura case. They invite him to the Shujin School Festival as a special guest, hoping to squeeze some info out of him. However, he presents them with something else: His knowledge of their true identities, as well as physical proof of them entering the Metaverse.

Akechi then offers to strike a deal with them. He knows they aren't murders and wants to catch the true culprit. However, Makoto's sister, who has recently been put in charge of the Phantom Thieves case, is being backed into a corner by her superiors and is opting to mount a hardcore investigation soon. If she can't find her targets, she will select random people to take the fall. Also, he has discovered that she has a Palace and deduced that the culprit will target her life and escalate the situation. Whether the true Phantom Thieves are arrested, some is arrested in their place, or Sae Nijima is killed, it all leads to total chaos.

So, Akechi wants the Phantom Thieves to assist him in changing Sae's heart and catching the culprit. Afterwards, they must permanently disband the organization. In exchange, he will delete the evidence he has on them and keep their identities a secret. Refusal to reply will result in him exposing them to the police. At Akira's request, Akechi gives him some time to consider his options, no matter how few of them he has.

xxx

The festival is coming to a close as Akira wanders through the halls by himself, pondering on what to do about Akechi's deal. Sure, it would get everyone out of trouble, but giving up his best means of reforming society isn't so easy. Plus, he swore that he would help Morgana reach the core of Mementos and get his past memories back. He rubs the temples of his head and groans. All this contradiction makes him feel his brain was tossed into a blender and frapped.

"Ugh… Why does life keep fucking with me?" he grumbles.

As the announcement for the post-festival party rings out through the halls, his phone goes off. He pulls it out of his pocket and his mood lightens at the sight of Ann's picture on the Caller ID. He couldn't have picked up faster.

"Just the angelic voice I needed to hear!" he bellows. "Annie, please save me from my anger!" He hears Ann laugh out loud.

"Hey, are you still at school?" she asks after she's finished.

"Yeah… I was too busy thinking to think about leaving…"

"About the deal Akechi-kun offered?"

"Mm hm. It's like, on one hand, we're all off the hook and the culprit's caught, but we have to stop being Phantom Thieves. On the other hand, we or someone else who has nothing to do with this gets arrested. Yeah, it's… enough make a man go crazy." Ann sighs.

"I get that… Anyway, I feel really anxious being alone. Do you wanna maybe… go to the post-festival party together?" Akira smiles, finally seeing some good coming out of this nightmare of a night.

"Hell yes! Anything to get my mind off all this shit!"

"Great! Oh wait. Is Mona with you?"

"Nah, he went off somewhere to do his own thinking."

"Okay. I'll see you at the gym then."

xxx

"Alright! That was great performance by the dance club! Everybody give them another round of applause!" The MC guy got a round of applause, alright. It had to be the weakest round of applause anyone at the post-festival party has ever heard, Akira and Ann included. Ann did was scratch her while Akira crossed his arms as they sighed in disappointment.

"Great is kinda pushin' it," Akira says. "Was the dance club always that bad?" Ann doesn't give him a response, lost in thought. Akira turns to her and tugs at her hood.

"Hey, Annie? Ann-pan!" Ann snaps out of her trance and turns to him with a concerned look on her face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just worried about the whole thing with Akechi-kun… We're gonna be okay, right?" Akira places his hand on her head and bends over.

"Hey, c'mon. We came to this… subpar party to forget about all that for a while, didn't we?" Ann smiles and nods.

"Yeah, sorry. You're right. We should just have fun while we can."

"Damn straight! Besides, it's one of those moments."

"Huh? What moments?" Akira reaches into his bag, pulls out the Menehune Dolls he got from Ann back in Hawaii, and shows them to her.

"Where it's just you and me right now." Ann smiles and nods with a strong tinge of red appearing on her face.

He's totally right, she thinks. I'm on a date with my man. Nothing else matters right now. The two hear the MC continue to shout into the mic.

"And now, it's time for your favorite Shujin tradition: The Student Sharing Special! Round of applause, everyone!" Ann crosses her arms and sighs.

"They're really doing this again this year...?" Akira cocks an eyebrow.

"And this is...?"

"Oh right. This is your first time. Well basically, it's like an Open Mic where people come up and say something that's on their mind to the audience." Akira's mind is boggled by the sheer stupidity of the concept.

"That sounds… really boring. I mean, who would be dumb or brave enough to say something worthwhile in front of this many people?"

"Exactly!" The MC scans the gym for a brave souls.

"All right, who's got something to say? Anyone, anyone?! … No? I'll just have to pick someone then!" Ann smiles and shakes her head.

"I guess this disorder is what makes the post-festival party what it is." The MC spots Ann and points to her.

"How about… the girl in the hoodie with the super bleached hair?" Ann jumps and turns to the stage as a spotlight shines on her, drawing everyone's attention.

"Huh?! Me?!"

"Well then, come on up!" Desperate for a way out but not a fast and efficient enough thinker to find it, she turns to her boyfriend in a panic.

"W-What should I do…?!" Usually, Akira plays the upstanding hero that will help anyone in dire need, no matter how difficult or how small the task… But he can also be the biggest playful jerk who wanted to see people squirm in embarrassment.

He grins and snickers mischievously as he pats her on her head.

"Awww, you poor thing!" he teases. Ann glares at him with red puffy cheeks.

"You don't have to be so cold…" she pouts. The MC beckons her up to the stage.

"Come, come! Everyone's waiting!" Ann's shoulder slump as she hangs her head.

"Ugggghhh, fiiiine…" Akira starts walking off, still sporting his devilish smile.

"I'm gonna go get a front row seat! Have to make sure I record every embarrassing moment on my phone! Shame I can't show this to anyone else! Mwehehehehe!" He wasn't really gonna do it, but he knew just saying that to her would be enough to tick her off. The part-time model glares at him again, sensing so much Futaba flowing out of him.

You really could be her big brother!

xxx

Akira manages to find a front row seat to get a good view of Ann reluctantly stepping up to the mic with the MC standing beside her holding his own.

"And what is your name?" he asks. Ann cranes her neck out to speak clearly into the mic.

"Takamaki." Akira flinches at the sound of the crowd going nuts. Especially the guys.

You stole my heart!

You're so cute!

I'm your biggest fan!

"Sorry, bud. That's me," Akira whispers to himself.

"Ah, Takamaki-san! Good looks, smokin' body… You look like you don't have a complaint in the world! Now then, on with the show! Would you like to share with us today, Takamaki-san?"

You're seriously asking that to someone you called up there? Akira thinks. Ann just stands there like a statue with a nervous look and sweat coming down the side of her face.

"Uh… Takamaki-san?" Ann brushes her right twintail nervously.

"I-I dunno!" Anyone would be able to tell by her outburst that a lack of things to share isn't the only thing keeping her from talking. The MC chuckles.

"Here, I'll give a question. Do you think the Phantom Thieves are really Shujin students?" The embarrassing fun to watch moment instantly turned into a crucial moment of panic. Proof being the shocked looks on the couple's faces.

"Huh?!"

Oh, c'mon! We came to this stupid party to forget about that shit! Akira thinks. The audience make it painfully obvious that they don't share his thoughts, however.

Ohhh?

Man, he's going in for the kill!

"We're all dying to know what Akechi-kun was going to say about their true identities," the MC explains. "Some people theorize that they go to our very school. So, are they from Shujin? What do you think, Takamaki-san?" At first, the thief leader didn't know how people are coming to the conclusion that the Phantom Thieves are students at this school. Then he remembers Akechi saying that they were people who the students know very well. That's the most likely lead.

Ann looks down and plays with her right twintail.

"W-What do I think?" she repeated. Anxiety starts bubbling up in Akira like a volcano that's about to erupt. Ann's not the world's biggest blabbermouth like Ryuji, but she might accidentally say something to cast suspicion on herself given the situation she's in. The only way he could get her out is to come up with an outburst that completely changes the subject. And fast!

One comes to his mind… but he hesitates. It's not that he's not confident in this answer. In fact, he knows it'll work. But… is this plan even remotely safe? Could he really trust it to work in his favor instead of dragging them both into an even more dire situation? Is this the only way, regardless?

"Uhhh…" The sound of Ann's nervous voice put Akira into a deeper panic. Thinking hats off, time's up, the deadline has come! If he doesn't do something, they might get the exposing spotlight! Whatever he wanted to do, he had to do it now!

In sheer desperation, Joker takes a deep breath, jumps out of his seat, and makes a declaration so loud, it echoes through the whole room!

"... I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOUUU!" The surprise was so great that it turned Ann into a red light bulb and made her choke on her own spit. She covers her mouth and coughs.

"H-HUH?!" Naturally, his outburst did not go unnoticed.

"Now this is drama!" the MC calls out. "A boy caught in the throes of bittersweet youth! A stunning confession of love!" The crowd goes nuts again. This time, it's the girls who are getting the most excitement out of this.

Woo-hoo!

For real?!

Whoa, way to go!

Ann glares Akira with intensity of a thousand suns, making Akira flinch, as the MC turns his way.

"I think it was him!" A spotlight shines on him and everyone's eyes follow.

"Huh? Wait… aren't you that transfer student from back in April?" asks the MC. "The one with the criminal record, "Kira Akira"! Ohoho! Looks like the "beast" may have found his "beauty"! And what a beauty she is!" Akira facepalms himself, completely regretting his decision.

God, this is the last thing I need right now!

"H-Hold on a sec!" Ann protests. The MC turns to her with a skeptical smile.

"Soooo, Takamaki-san? What's your relation to this guy?" At this point, Ann's gone from a standard light bulb to a red LED screen.

"HUUUH?!" The MC's smile grows even bigger.

"My, she's red as a beet!" Ann buries her face in both hands as everyone laughs at her and Akira bows to her in embarrassment

I'm so sorry, Annie! The MC turns to the crowd.

"But, I'm a gentleman! It hurts my heart to bully such a sweet girl!" he says. "Well, did you all enjoy our blushing beauty? Thank you very much, Takamaki-san!" The crowd was less than pleased.

Aw, just when it was getting interesting!

C'mon, MC! Do your job!

As everyone is yelling at him, Akira and Ann make like red lightning and bolt out of there.

xxx

The couple retreated to the closed off roof to avoid the students and calm their nerves to get their natural skin color back, which of course takes them a while.

"It's finally over," Ann sighs in relief. "Ugh, that was embarrassing…"

"In more ways than one thousand," Akira groans. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life." Ann crosses her arms and stares at her boyfriend with narrowed eyes.

"I can't believe you actually had the courage to stand up and say that in front of everyone." Akira crosses his arms and turns his head.

"The fuck was I supposed to do?!" he shouts, feeling unappreciated. "My girlfriend was in trouble! I couldn't just ignore you!"

"Huh?" Ann suddenly realizes that no matter how embarrassed they were in the end, it's better than her probably accidently saying something about the Phantom Thieves. And Akira willingly took half of the heat.

"So you did it to help me." Whether or not what he did actually helped was still questionable to Akira. Still, he at least did something to try and help.

"At any rate, I had really frozen up for a second there. I might've said something I was gonna regret…" Ann smiles at him.

"So… thanks. You were a huge help." Akira sighs and smiles. If she's taking that mishap he caused as him helping her, then he'll take it.

"A-Anytime," he says. Ann plays with her right twintail in thought.

"Y'know… you're actually a pretty dependable guy… I think we'll be good together…" Ann blushes when she catches what she says and frantically waves her hands at him.

"Uh, i-ignore that!" she shouts. She looks down and twiddles her thumbs with a big flushed smile appearing on her face.

"T-Talking about the future… That's a little too heavy for right now, huh? Hahaha!" Akira chuckles at her, shakes his head, and grabs both of her hands.

"Not at all," he says. "I think so too." Ann snatches her hands away and giggles as she covers her mouth with her hair in embarrassment.

"S-Stop that!" Akira didn't know why she would feel so embarrassed to speak her mind about this stuff, considering how long she's been with him. Frankly, the thought of her acting like that is unexpectable. Therefore, she must be punished.

He runs behind her to give her a tight hug, which makes a cute shriek sneak out of her mouth.

"Hey, what're you getting so flustered about, huuuh?" he says with a devilish smirk and a teasing voice. Ann starts whining as she tries to get out his grip.

"C-C'mooon, stop iiit!" Those are the words she's saying, but she seems like she's enjoying it, so Akira just smothers her further, squeezing her waist tighter and rubbing his cheek against hers. That's a thing he noticed that she does when they're alone and he's bullying her: When she's tells him to stop doing something, she subconsciously wants him to do it even more. And it can't be within the bounds of sexual harassment because she smiles and giggles every single time he does it. She must be a glutton for punishment, as well as food, when it comes to her man showing his unconditional love.

He chuckles and narrows his eyes as he rubs her left cheek with his fingertips.

"Seriously, why so panicky? … You know I love you with all I got, don't you?" he whispers in her ear with a sultry tone, punctuated with a kiss on her right cheek.

"W-Well yeah, and I love you too, but… uh… God, you're being so unfair!" Akira turns her face to him with his right hand while sliding his left hand slowly onto her stomach.

"Want me to ease up? Alright... Gimme that "one thing" and I will." Ann whimpers and pouts at him, knowing exactly what he's talking about.

"... You're a living nightmare."

"Hm... Correction... I'm your living nightmare." Ann gives in to his advances and cranes her neck in position to give him a passionate kiss. And just like their first time at the Ferris Wheel, they don't stop at just one as she secures both of his hands on her belly and cheek.

Akira's devilish and low level lustful advances on her frustrated her to a T. After all that time she spent talking to the tame and loyal nice guy, she hated it when he let his devil side out and started being bad to her. Or rather, she hated how much she absolutely loved it. Kamoshida's moves on her were super forceful and filled with malicious intent. However, Akira is so proficient at hitting the right points at the right time, it makes her heart quake and burst, driving her mad with longing.

It was super embarrassing and made her feel more than a little bit naughty, but the thought of it being a clear sign that he's not holding back his feelings for her anymore makes her want to know how much love he has for her. She believes it'll never be as much as her love for him, but considering that this is the unstoppable Joker she's dealing with, she won't throw out the possibility that it is.

The couple finally separate and Akira wraps his arms around Ann's stomach again with her holding them in place with her hands. She warmly smiles as her man embraces her tightly, resting his chin on her right shoulder.

"I'm still worried about Akech-kun," she sighs. "But this post-festival party actually turned out pretty fun." Akira tightens his grip on her slightly.

"Despite the catastrophe on stage… Yeah… Thanks for inviting me," Akira says.

"No problem. Hey, can I grab my bag? I got you something." Akira lets her go and she walks over to her bag to reach inside and pull out a small square box.

"There was a third year class stand that was teaching students how to make pastries." Ann blushes as she hands Akira the box.

"I-I… made these for you… I needed a lot of help, but… there's still a little part of me in there…" Akira is somewhat surprised by this gift. Leaving out the hotpot for Yusuke's welcome party, he's never seen Ann actually cook. Nonetheless, he opens the box and sees a bunch of appetizing cream puffs.

"These look really good," he chuckles. "I'm getting hungry just looking at 'em." Akira pulls one out and takes a little bite of it. The super creamy insides are so sweet that it makes his eyes pop, causing Ann to worry in misunderstanding.

"What's wrong?! Is it bad?! Go ahead and spit it out!" Akira shakes his head and and crams the rest of the puff into his mouth with gusto. His smile stretches from ear to ear as he chews.

"Mmmm! I jush had n orgy in my mouf!" he exclaims. "Thesh are really good!" Ann smiles and bounces on the balls of her feet.

"Really?! Yay! I'm so glad you like them!" Akira swallows, closes the box, and walks over to his bag to put it away.

"I'm just gonna save these for later. Thank you… Wait, huh?"

"Hm? What's wrong?" Akira gasps and laughs as he pulls something out of his bag.

"Holy shit! I completely forgot about this!" Akira turns around, putting his hands behind his back, piquing Ann's curiosity.

"What's going on?" Akira smiles as he pulls out a small bag with three small paper roses a note attached to it from behind his back, which makes his girlfriend's eyes widen with shock. She covers her mouth and stares at the gift.

"... I-Is that for me?" Akira nods and offers it to her.

"Compared to the thieves tools I make for the Phantom Thieves, the roses weren't that much of a bitch to make. Here… Read the card first." Ann slowly takes the bag and reads the card aloud.

"I'm a sassy, cocky, reckless, trouble-making, perverted show-off who loves you more and more everyday you put up with me.

Happy 3-month anniversary!" Ann gasps and smiles at her boyfriend.

"Awww! You remember!" Akira blushes as he scratches his head.

"Of course I did. I always count the days I get to spend with you. We started dating on July 19th, but there was so much happening after Haru's dad died. Plus, we had exams last week, so I couldn't find the right time to give it to you. I was actually debating on whether or not to give it to you now. I thought you might think a 3-month anniversary was too much." Ann shakes her head, then frowns a bit.

"No. I'm really happy you did this… But I didn't get you anything, though... I'm sorry."

"Hey, you made those cream puffs for me, didn't you? That's enough. Honestly, anything from you is perfect." Ann holds the bag to her chest, her eyes widened and sparkling with the anticipation of a little girl.

"Can… Can I open it?" Akira lightly punches her shoulder.

"No, give it back. Yes, you can open it!" Ann excitedly opens the bag and her eyes lit up as she pulls a shiny charm bracelet. She quickly puts it on and twists her wrist to look at it.

"Wow! This is gorgeous!" Akira runs the fingers of his right hand through her blonde fluffy hair, then places his hand on her cheek, which she enjoys.

"... You're gorgeous." Ann smiles at him and kisses the palm of his hand.

"... I love you so much, Kira," she says sweetly. Akira gives her a peck on her lips and presses her forehead against hers.

"I love you too, Annie." Ann checks the time on her phone.

"It's getting late. Wanna head home together?"

"Did you really need to ask? No hand holding til we get the station though." The couple leave the roof with the pretty fun fiasco of a party left behind them.

Target: Hit