Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart:
Shot 23: Merry Christmas
The malevolent God of Control has been defeated. Mementos has been destroyed. The Metaverse has been erased. The world has been saved, ready to start anew. Although it all came with the cost of a sad goodbye with Morgana, a being made from the Metaverse, the Phantom Thieves held their heads high as they are relieved of their duties. All of that came with the first snow of the year.
And it all was done on Christmas Eve.
xxx
Couples are peppered everywhere throughout the street of Shibuya, laughing, flirting, kissing, and just having fun overall. It's what you're supposed to do in Japan when you are in a relationship. It should be a great time for Akira… But right now, it's filled with sorrow.
After his friends departed, Akira was wandering the snowy streets alone when Makoto's sister, Sae, approached him. First, she gave him her utmost gratitude for erasing distortion from society and clearing a path for her to try Shido, the carrier of Yaldabaoth's will, for his crimes. What came next, however, was very troubling news.
Shido may have confessed to his crimes, but without a solid link between his confession and the Metaverse cases, there's a good chance he may still be equited. Akechi, the one who carried out his crimes, is gone, which only leaves the Phantom Thieves to testify. They'd be hailed as heroes, but the police and the public prosecutors won't let it slide. There's a possibility that they'll make up a crime and arrest everyone to prevent that.
If Akira agrees to turn himself as the leader and take all the heat for everything his group has done, Sae promises his teammates guaranteed safety and Shido's judgement. However, he'll undoubtedly be sent to juvenile hall for violating his probation, then placed in solitary confinement for the crimes he committed as a Phantom Thief. There's no telling how long he would be in for. The "Life" sentence is a definite possibility, which means… he may never see his friends ever again.
Still, Akira's best trait is his strong heart. He was determined make sure Shido paid for everything he did and prevent society from becoming distorted again. More importantly, he vowed to protect Ann and everyone else with his life. They all deserve their freedom for everything they've done for him. None of them deserved to be locked up in prison.
If anything, it's only fitting. Deep down, Akira never saw himself as some righteous hero. Only a boy with a strong desire to burn down the world around him after being robbed of everything. When the entire country went into a panic after Shido's confession, he was smiling on the inside at the sight of the chaos. If he had a cognitive world, it would no doubt be the world reduced to ash in a sea of black hellfire. Reveling in such disarray? Only a criminal does that. And this is what happens to criminals.
So in the end, Akira agreed to the terms of Sae's final deal and followed her through the lively snowy streets to the police station to meet his fate.
xxx
As the two are approaching Shibuya Central Station, Akira gets a sudden notification on his phone.
"Oh. That's me, hold on." He pulls out his phone and his eyes widen at the sight of the set of text messages he received.
Ann: Hey, my hero! ;)
- I couldn't bring myself to say it before, but let's meet up, just the two of us. We can keep it a secret from everyone else.
- How about dinner somewhere, then back to your room?
All of his memories with come flooding back as he reads her messages. The laughs, the cries, the hugs, the kisses, all of it. All of those moments were the happiest of his life… And that's all about to end.
"... Is something wrong?" Sae asks. Akira quickly contemplated his situation. It's only for one night. One last date and a goodbye kiss she doesn't know about. Surely he could have that before he goes, right?
He shoots a desperate look at Sae.
"I-It's urgent!" he says. "P-Please, just give me a little more time! ...Please!" Sae stares at him for a moment before nodding.
"...Very well. Take your time tonight. You can turn yourself in tomorrow morning." Akira smiles and bows to her.
"Thank you."
"No trouble. I'll see you tomorrow." Sae walks off towards the station, leaving the boy on his own.
Akira takes a moment to look through his photos of him and Ann. All the times they'd eat, the time they went to the planetarium, their second trip to the Seaside Park Ferris Wheel, their beach date in Hawaii, their birthday date, and finally, his home screen picture of them smiling together. Each one he looked at gave him more pain in his heart.
"... A-Ann…" It was painful to know that this would the last time he would ever see her, but it's worth it if it means he can protect her.
He takes a deep breath and replies to her messages.
Akira: That sounds great. There's no one I'd rather spend tonight with more than you.
Ann: Yay!
- I'll be waiting for you in front of Shibuya Station. And hurry up! It's cold!
Akira: Lol! Alright. On my way, Ann-pan.
A lot of thoughts ran through his mind as he headed towards their meeting place.
Alright, Kurusu. Calm down. If she sees you worried, she'll try to ask what's wrong. She can't know about this. She's already been through enough loss.
After a minute of walking, he sees here standing near the Buchiko statue and takes deep breaths as he approaches her.
So here's the deal. There is nothing going on tomorrow. No case to worry about, no talk of leaving, nothing. Nothing that's going to ruin this night. So, you're gonna give her nothing but smiles, tease her mercilessly, and steal kisses from those pretty lips of hers, just like always. There's nothing but happiness going on tonight, cuz just like you always say when you two are together…
The model sees her boyfriend walking towards her and beams at him while she runs over to give him a tight bear hug.
It's just you and her right now.
Ann giggles and blushes as she pulls back a bit to look at his ruggedly handsome face.
"Merry Christmas, boyfriend~!" she exclaims. He chuckles as he presses his forehead on hers.
"How about a Merry Kiss-mas wish too?"
"I was just about to give it to you." The two happily share a passionate kiss, then Ann takes his hand.
"So, the Wilton Hotel is a no go," she sighs. "The line in front was crazy long. Not that I didn't expect it."
"Then it's a good thing I'm in the mood for anything. First place we find, we eat there. How's that sound?" She starts pulling him through the snowy streets.
"That's a plan! C'mon, let's hurry!"
xxx
After locating the last restaurant in Shibuya, the couple find that it, like all the others, is completely occupied with no hope of them getting in.
"Here too, huh?" Akira sighs. Ann keeps her positive attitude up.
"No need to worry! I kinda figured Shibuya would be the most crowded. Let's try Akihabara next. There's gotta a place there. I mean, they can't all be completely booked, right?"
xxx
Akihabara. Once again, every place is packed.
"Annie?" Ann laughs nervously.
"Aha ha! Uh, Shinjuku! They can't all be booked, right?"
xxx
The streets of Shinjuku were flooded with lines to restaurants. This is when Ann popped her top.
"Ugggggh! Are you kidding me?!" Akira just sighs in defeat, then sees something hanging above them.
"Oh! Look up." Ann looks up and before she even had time to react to the mistletoe hanging over them, Akira steals a bunch of light smooches from her cheek. She rubs her cheek with an embarrassed red smile on her face.
"Uh- Heeey!"
"Ha ha ha~!"
xxx
In the end, the two decided to skip dinner and head back to Leblanc.
Ann sighs as they walk through the front door.
"No matter where you look, it's all couples."
"It's not that surprising," Akira says. Ann starts pull her hair in frustration.
"Ugh, I really messed up! I thought we'd be able to eat somewhere without a reservation!" she pouts. "And this was supposed to our chance to spend Christmas Eve together." Akira sighs and hugs her from behind.
"Know what? To hell with the food. A sweet, warm Ann-pan is all I need." Ann blushes as she turns to meet his gaze.
"Oh, you," she chuckles before giving him a peck on his lips.
xxx
The two head up to his room and lay back on the couch. Akira seems the most relieved as they stare at the ceiling.
"Oh, thank whoever's the man upstairs now!" he groans. "I reaaally needed this after such a long day!"
"Saving the world does take a lot out of you, I guess," Ann laughs. She turns to him.
"So, I know I suggested we go out to eat and all, but… what exactly are we supposed to do for Christmas Eve? Go out? Eat dinner together? If we were both adults… get drunk together?"
"Let's not get you drunk… Like, ever."
"I just don't know." He causally wraps his arm around her shoulders.
"Well, we'll figure it out," he chuckles. "The night's still young, after all."
"Ha ha! You sound like a sleazy old man!"
"Shut the hell up!"
The two continued to laugh the night way as they enjoyed each other's company. Akira had completely forgotten about what is coming tomorrow. He was too invested in this night he had with his love.
He looks over at his bag, which he tossed on his work table, and frowns.
"Damn..." he sighs. "My bag feels so much lighter now..."
"Well, you have been exercising a lot since you moved here," Ann points out.
"That's not what I meant." Ann sighs in sadness.
"I know... I miss him already too... Still, he wouldn't want us to spend tonight mourning him." Akira smirks.
"Yeah. You're right..." he says. "Moving on then. Have you talked to Shiho lately?"
"Yeah, actually! She sent me an email. She says she likes the new place, she's almost completely healed, and she's getting the okay to go back to school this spring."
"Oh, that's great! Looks like things are looking up for her." Ann leans forward.
"I told her I'm working hard at my modelling job too. Harder than I've ever worked before."
"Was there any mention of me at all?"
"I just told her I'm making lots of good friends. You being my boyfriend will be a nice little surprise for her!" Akira laughs, remembering how it was actually Shiho who encouraged him to pursue her.
I don't really think she'll be all that surprised.
Ann pulls something out of her bag.
"Oh yeah. I got you something." Before Akira has time to sit up, Ann smacks a pair of fluffy black kitty earmuffs on his head. She pulls out her phone and uses the selfie camera to show him what they look like, shouting "Surprise!" in English as she did so. The silly image of himself puts a smile on his face.
"You totally weren't expecting that, now were you?" she asks. In truth, Akira was already aware that the customary thing for couples in Japan do for Christmas Eve is exchange gifts, so this barely came as a surprise. Barely because they were focused on "other things" since yesterday.
"Ehhh… Honestly, I was," he admits. Ann blushes as she snuggles up to him, squeezing him in her arms.
"... You know me so well." He glides the palm of his left hand on her cheek while digging into his pocket with his right hand.
"Of course I do. The more I learn about you, the more I get to love." He pulls out a ring with a heart shaped gem and hands it to her.
"Proof." Ann giggles as she pecks his lips a few times before resting her head on his chest while slipping one the ring, feeling no need to say anything. The warmth of her embrace on a romantic snowy night. Akira couldn't have been more satisfied…
Until…
"Hey… I know this is sudden…" she says.
"Hm?" Akira looks down to see that Ann suddenly has a concerned look on her face.
"But the whole Shido incident has been on the news everyday, right?" she sighs. "I'm a little worried…" That's when the boy's reality came crashing back to him, including what's happening tomorrow. Still, he let Ann talk.
"If the police find out about the Phantom Thieves…" She pauses as she rubs his chest.
"It's not that I'm afraid of getting caught… I-It kinda has to do with why I blew up at you the other day… Come to think of it, I never explained my side of the story, did I?" There was a pause before she went on.
"Even though it's only been around six months… it feels like you and me have been together for a super long time and been through so much... I always figured that wouldn't ever change, but… after you got back from your escape from the police station, I've been having these crazy nightmares lately… No matter how much I try to fight, something drags you away from me and you never come back… I jolt awake at that every time… and it happens so often at night…"
"Ann…" She moves her head over his heart so she can hear it beat.
"When you told me how serious you were about us… it reminded me of that nightmare, for some reason. I felt like I did something wrong. I thought was gonna lose you and I... panicked… I spent the rest of the week feeling angry and ashamed of myself... So much that I couldn't even look at you... I think I get it now, though. My worst nightmare is... not being able to be with you… So… what I'm trying to say is…" She closes her eyes as she tightens her grip on him.
"Lately… I lie awake at night thinking about what I'd do if I couldn't see you anymore…"
…
He was trying so hard to stay in the happy moment too.
A whole swarm of negative emotions stung Akira's heart. Sadness because this will be their last moment together, anger because he doesn't want it to be so, regret because he can't tell her about it, and a whole lot of other emotions. He didn't want his time with her to end like this. He didn't want it to end at all. But the last thing he wants for her is a life behind bars. Even so...
I should tell her...! I have to...! She's the most important thing in the world to me...! She has every right to know...!
Ann notices the sorrowful look on his face and pushes herself off of him.
"Akira? What's wrong?" More pain emerged on his face as he hangs his head and stares at the floor, torn by his inner conflict.
I want to tell her...! I... I want to...! ...
...
But...
"... orry…" Ann, not being able to hear his mumbling, leans in.
"... I'm… sorry… I-I'm so sorry…" Her eyes widen in confusion.
"Huh…? For what?" Akira, realizing he was thinking out loud, shakes his head and smiles at her.
"Huh?! Oh, no! It's nothing! I-I'm fine! Really!" Ann frowns and looks down at the ground for a bit.
"Sorry… I'm really ruining the mood…" she fake chuckles. Akira grabs her hand, massaging it with his thumb.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Y'know, just talking's getting kinda boring, isn't it? Let's do something. How about we watch some TV? … Uh, then again, they're probably raving about the case right now…" Ann doesn't respond to Akira. Instead, she just sits there, still looking at the ground as Akira desperately tries to lighten the mood.
"O-Or we could pick up where we left off with "Love vs. Evil". We stopped right before we got to the final dungeon, didn't we? A-And I could check the fridge to see if we have enough stuff for curry. Plus, there's still that leftover cake-" Ann rubs her neck and sighs.
"A-Actually… I-I think I'm just… gonna go home…" The shock couldn't be greater. Their romantic night was about to end so abruptly. Still, he didn't let it show through his face.
"Oh… y-you sure…?" Ann nods.
"... I-I'm kinda not in the mood for celebrating now…"
"... U-Um… O-Okay… W-Well, want me to walk you back…? To the station, at least…?" Ann pulls her hand away and shakes her head.
"... No… I'll be okay…" He wanted to ask again, hoping to extend their time together. The tone in her voice suggests that she doesn't want see him right now though.
"... A-Alright…" he sighs. "Be careful…" Ann nods as she stands up and walks towards the stairs. She stops just as she reaches the first step, hangs her head, and gulps before asking the question she really didn't want to ask.
"... You're hiding something from me… aren't you…?" The inmate walking stood up and his mouth was open to say something, but subconscious restraint clenched his throat tight and kept anything from coming out. He doesn't want to keep such a big secret from her, not on his life, but how exactly is he supposed to tell her her worst nightmare is coming true without her panicking? It's quite simple: There isn't any way to avoid that. And he didn't want her trying to stop him either.
Saddened that he's not going to tell her, she sighs and looks over her shoulder.
"... I wish you had just told me…" Admitting that there's nothing he can say to salvage any happiness from the moment they were having, Akira hangs her head and lets out a deep sigh in defeat, not saying a single word.
... You can't do it after all... You goddamn coward...
The only thing he can do right now… is just let her go.
"... Good night…" With that sad farewell coming from her lips, he watches her slowly go down the stairs and stands there as he hears the sound of the door's bell ring, meaning that she left the store… and as of now, his life.
"... Damn… What a way to end it…"
xxx
Akira had no intention of getting any sleep as he plopped down on his couch and stared at the ceiling in deep thought. For almost a year now, he's narrowly avoided the slammer with style in the name of justice. But there really is no way to escape it this time.
He really doesn't want it to be so. Despite his probation and the labels, his time in Tokyo has been the greatest time of his whole life. Becoming the leader of the righteous Phantom Thieves to reform the world, meeting the greatest friends he could ever ask for, and most of all, falling in love with Ann Takamaki, the woman with a heart more golden than her hair. The fact that it was all about to end so suddenly tempted him to cry. He loved everyone too much to give up the right to be with them.
But at the same time, that's exactly why he agreed to do this. If he doesn't go now, everyone he knows will be dragged in with him, and that's the absolute last thing he wants. He's gone into the belly of the beast before. Now will be no different.
Akira pulls out and stares his Menehune Dolls, takes a slow deep breath, and smiles with resolve.
Like I said… whatever it takes.
xxx
5 o'clock Christmas morning. Akira makes a call as he leaves his room for the last time, leaving the dolls behind.
"Hey, Nijima-san? It's Akira…
... Yeah… I'm ready…"
xxx
On the way to Leblanc, Ann is looking rather concerned as she walks with Ryuji, Yusuke, and Haru through the snowy suburban streets, thinking about the off night she had with her boyfriend. Akira was always 100% honest with her, even before they became a thing. He has never been one to keep big secrets from her, so why is he doing it now, all of sudden? Plus, they just got out of a fight yesterday, but it looks like this may escalate into another one. She really didn't want that, fearing that this will be a trend that will cause another hold, or even a break-up.
Noticing her absent mindedness, Ryuji waves his hand in front of her face to get her attention.
"Hey, you still with us?" Ann snaps out of her trance and turns to Ryuji.
"Huh? What?"
"What's up? You look like somethin's botherin' you." Ann fakes a smile and rubs her stomach.
"Oh, nothing!" she chuckles. "Just a little hungry." Ryuji sighs and rolls his eyes.
"You're always hungry. Well, you'll get to eat all you want at the party, so hang in there." Ann nods.
Yeah, the party, she thinks. I'll just ask him again there. Whatever it is… I'll make sure he knows I'm ready to listen.
The four arrive at the cafe and Ryuji excitedly bursts through the door, yelling out a holiday greeting in English.
"MERRYYY CHRISTMAAAS!"
The air in the room was anything but merry though. Sojiro, standing at the counter, and Makoto, who had arrived early and was sitting at a booth, were hanging their heads in sorrow while Futaba was quietly crying at the counter with her head in her arms.
"Huh? Why does everyone look so down?" Ryuji asks. "And why are you cryin', Futaba? You guys get in a fight or somethin'?" Futaba shakes her head, rubbing her flooding eyes in her jacket sleeves.
"... Mm-mm!" Ann immediately sense that something is amiss.
"Hey, Ryuji…" Ryuji scratches his head as he scans the room.
"Man, what's up with this gloomy vibe…? And hey, where's Akira?" Haru notices Makoto's frown.
"Mako-chan… what's wrong?" Makoto looks at her friends and tries to say something, but nothing comes out.
"U-Um…" Sojiro sighs.
"It's okay. I'll explain."
xxx
Meanwhile at the police station, Sae walks in with a hooded Akira trailing behind her and strolls up to the front counter.
"Oh, Prosecutor Nijima," the officer at the counter says. "What brings you here? I thought you were on leave." Sae and Akira look at each other and nod.
"This man…" Sae says. "Has something he needs to say…"
xxx
Back at Leblanc, Sojiro has explained most of the situation.
"She's having trouble?" Haru asks. "That's not what I heard on the news though. They said public prosecutors have a case now."
"That's cuz the problem was taken care of last night…" Sojiro sighs. "Solved as soon as it came up. Apparently, a really important deal was made… Every Phantom Thief here right now is safe… In exchange-"
"Wait… every Phantom Thief?" Ann repeats. "That means Akira too, right…?" Sojiro hangs his head and Futaba's starts sobbing again. At that point, great fear started building up in the four's hearts. What did it mean that everyone who is here is safe when Akira isn't present?
"... Boss…?" Ann mumbles. "… W-Where's Akira…?" The silence didn't help much at all.
"H-Hey, guys? This ain't funny," Ryuji says. "... Like… at all…" Ann turns to her saddened senpai.
"Makoto…?!" Makoto gulps and shuts her eyes before slowly speaking.
"... I-In exchange... for our safety…"
xxx
Ready to face Hell once again, Akira takes a deep breath and proudly removes his hoodie.
"... My name is Akira Kurusu…
... The leader of the Phantom Thieves…
... I've come to turn myself in…"
After both revelations occur at the same time, all the Phantom Thieves could hear a symbolic and dreadful sound in their heads...
The thunderous bang of a metal prison cell door being slammed shut.
Target: Hit