Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart
Shot 29: Laze A Day Away
White Week: Day 1
It's just before noon at Ann's apartment. The lovely couple have plans to go out, but they decided to kick back and relax first.
Ann is sitting back on the living room couch watching TV with Akira resting his head in her lap.
Aw, he's goin' for the jump and-
*THUD* *BANG* *SPLOOSH*
The couple burst out laughing at the sight of an obstacle course game show contestant failing miserably.
"WIPEOUT~!" Akira shouts.
"Ooh! Right in the face!" Ann exclaims, hunching over, her breasts pressing down on her boyfriend's face, making him blush.
"Whoa! Annie, boobs!" She quickly leans back.
"Whoops! Sorry!" Ann looks down him with a smile on her face.
"So how is it?" Akira cocks an eyebrow at her.
"How's what?"
"The "pillow"?" Akira starts blushing.
"Oh. W-Well, it's… it's nice…" Ann pouts her lips.
"... Just nice…?"
"Yeah. It's nice." She sighs.
"Y'know, if you don't like it, you can just say so."
"What? I do like it! I said it's nice!"
"Doesn't sound like it. I thought you'd like using a pretty girl's lap as a pillow." Akira starts rubbing his face into her lap pillow.
"Alright, how about this?! "It's like I'm floating on a fluffy cloud made of warm juicy thighs and the scent of a woman!"… Happy?" Ann giggles as she rubs his stomach.
"There's the perverted you!"
"You were expecting it?!"
"At this point, yeah." He laughs and tickles her cheek with his finger, making her purr. Her finding it cute, she lowers her head to nuzzle on his nose and peck at his lips for a noticeably long time, trapping his face in her hands. The favorite couple's thing that Ann loves to do with Akira is any form of kissing. No matter how many they shared, she enjoyed it more than anything.
She rests her forehead on his after their lips part.
"I should do that more often." Akira smirks at her.
"You really love kissing, don't you?"
"If your lips were candy," she says in a sultry voice. "They'd be my favorite brand." An alarm on Akira's phone goes off.
"Oh. Time to get ready." He gets up as Ann turns off the TV.
"So where are we goin'?" Ann asks.
"Thought we could start off slow and go to the museum in Ueno, then the planetarium in Ikebukuro, and then we can stop by the grocery store so I can make dinner. Kinda dull, I know, but…"
"Hey. Nothing I do with you is ever dull." Akira wraps his arm around her shoulders.
"Such a little sweetheart you are… Probably cuz of all that sugar you eat…"
xxx
As Akira said, the first stop of the day is the Ueno museum. The couple walk through the second floor, admiring the professional artwork with crepes in hand.
Ann waves hers in front of her boyfriend's face for him to get a taste. Akira chomps on it and smiles to confirm its good taste. She smiles and looks around.
"Y'know, coming here reminds me of back when we were dealing with Madarame."
"Heh. After all this time, I think I'm finally over Yusuke's stupid nude model stunt." Ann gives him a narrow eyed look.
"Probably cuz now, you've actually seen me naked, am I right?" she asks.
"... Oh, yeah! Hahaha!" Ann sighs as she stops to lean back on the guardrail.
"Now that I think about… I'm actually surprised I'm going anywhere alone with you. Even more so to be this close to you. I don't mean that in a bad way though! It's a good thing." Akira joins her.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Well… our first impressions of each other were pretty horrible, weren't they? And we kinda didn't get off on the right foot. I didn't really trust you and you pretty much hated me." Akira's eyes pop.
"WAIT, WHAT?! What the hell made you think I hated you?!"
"Remember the day of the pep rally? The day before you and I talked about Kamoshida? In the courtyard by the vending machines. You were meeting up with Ryuji." Akira fishes around his head for the memory.
"Uhhhh… Wait… Ohhhhhhh!"
xxx
It was the first day of Akira and Ryuji's investigation into Kamoshida. After a day of searching around, Akira waited in the courtyard to meet up with Ryuji. As his buying drinks for the both of them, he hears someone approaching.
"Want a drink?" he asks. "I got one for-" When he turns around, he sees that it's actually Ann approaching him.
"Oh! You're that girl! Uhhh, what was it…? … Ta-ka-ma-ki-san, right?"
"Yeah," she says bluntly. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"I'm actually meeting with someone here in about that amount of time, so…"
"Don't worry. It'll be quick." Akira offers her the second drink.
"Okay. Uh, here. Want one?" Ann shakes her head, so Akira puts the second drink aside and leans back on the machine. She takes a deep breath and gives him a serious look.
"Anyway, what's with you?" she asks. "Like, how you being late the other day was a lie and all. That's that weird rumor about you too…" Akira rubs the back of his neck.
"That's right. You saw me a few blocks away from the school… Well…"
I can't exactly tell her I wandered into a freaky other world on my way here, can I?
"What do you want with him?" The two look towards the corner and see Ryuji approaching.
"Right back at you," Ann retorts. "You're not even in our class."
"We just happen to get to know each other," Ryuji says.
"Closest thing to a friendship we got or ever will get at this school, apparently," Akira sighs.
"What're planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?" Ryuji's eyes widen.
"Huh?!" He then glares at her.
"... Oh, I see. I getcha. You're just his watchdog tryin' to keep 'im safe. You're all buddy-buddy with him, after all." She returns the glare right back at him, then turns it to Akira.
"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto! With either of you!"
"Correction," Akira interjects. "It's not just us. It has to do with everyone."
"If you found out what he was doin' behind your back," Ryuji says. "You'd dump 'im right away."
"Behind my back…? What's that supposed to mean…?" The two troublemakers look at each other and silently agree that telling her would be pointless.
"... You wouldn't understand," Ryuji says. Ann looks confused for a bit, but shakes her head.
"Whatever. Anyway, people are already talking about you two. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but give it up. No one is going to help you. I'm warning you just in case. That's all." Just when she's about to leave, Akira suddenly laughs out loud, which grabs her attention.
"... Did I say something funny?" she growls, annoyed.
"Ahahahahaha! My bad, my bad!" he says. "I'm just laughing at the irony. I mean, think about it for a sec. You and the whole school treats the two of us like criminals, but…" Akira shoots a glare at her.
"The fact is that you're all just too effin' stupid to realize that if you want to find real disgusting criminals, all you have to do is look in a goddamn mirror."
"Excuse me?"
"I think you heard me. You guys criticize two kids who decided to stand up to assholes who force things to go their way, treating them like they're the scum. Furthermore, there's obviously a super serious problem going on for god knows how long, yet none of you have spoken up about it even once. Students, teachers, even parents won't speak up when lives are being ruined. Is it cuz you're just plain chicken shit, or are you so damn selfish that you'll let a problem that's causing everyone pain keep going just so you can get ahead? Doesn't matter. That mop-headed ass hat thinks he's some kinda king and this place is his castle and you're the ones letting him thinks so and making the problem worse." Akira angrily pops his can open.
"The two of us may be trash in this messed up society, but all of you dumb ass, selfish cowards who willingly protect a real monster? Ha! You're a thousand times worse." Ann gasps.
"W-Why you…!"
"Do yourself a favor, little princess. Stay the hell outta our business. That's what's got nothing to do with you. So, if we're done here…" Akira gives her a fake innocent grin and speaks in a gently tone.
"Then I hope you have a great day, Ta-ka-ma-ki-san~!" Ann stands there growling at him as he gulps down his drink before storming off.
xxx
"Thinking back, I sounded like history's biggest dick, didn't I?" Akira asks. "But I didn't hate you! It's like… remember when Makoto awakened her Persona and she basically let loose all her pent-up anger to start a gruesome Shadow bloodbath with her stone cold fists of destruction? That was just like me when I had my awakening, except it lingered for a long time instead of being let out all at once. I even mouthed off to Boss that week. So yeah, what I said back then was just me being reaaally salty." Ann chuckles.
"Okay, but… I did kinda deserve it though. Anyway, I never expected that when we first met that I'd someday be able to completely confide in you… I guess there's really no knowing what life will bring…" Ann looks around at the artwork.
"That aside, nice call taking me here today! Seeing all the models and expressions was super informative. It might even help with my modeling!"
"Exactly what I was hoping for," Akira says. "I figured you'd never come here on your own, so it might be less of a snooze if I made it into a date." Ann blushes as she wraps her arms around him and goes in for a kiss.
"My boyfriend is so smart-" But before she could even pucker her lips, he puts some flashcards in her face.
"Ah ah ah! You know the deal! You need five right answers to get one!" Akira decided to help Ann study for exams while they were out and about. Every five questions she gets right, he'll give her kiss. Right now, this was making Ann pout.
"But there's some cream on your lip!" she complains.
"Then you'd better haul ass and get the question right or I'm licking it off!"
xxx
Next, they went to the Ueno planetarium.
After getting their seats, the two gaze at the celestial dome display in awe, waiting for the show to start.
"Oh wow…!" Ann gasps. "I never knew this place would be so amazing…"
"And this is just a man-made projection," Akira points out. Ann squeezes his hand.
"I'm a little nervous with how dark it is though… Doesn't it make you think of random stuff? Like once the show starts, our chairs will turn into rockets and we'll get launched into outer space? And when we go outside, we'll be on the moon! That would never happen… right?" Akira snickers a little.
"It's adorable how vivid your imagination is…!" he says.
"Shuddup…"
The show starts and the audience is treated to a spectacle about the surreal wonders of space.
"Wow… It's like we're actually in space!" Ann gasps. "We can't usually see the stars in Tokyo cuz of all the lights, so it's hard to believe this stuff even really exists…"
"You'd have a way easier time where I live," Akira says. "My house is out in the suburbs of Kamakura, so on summer nights if you go up this hill, you can see all of this in full glory."
"That's so cool! ... I can't wait to see it…" Akira chuckles, then frowns a little, wondering if she'll really get the chance to. He snaps out of his train of thought when Ann tugs at his shirt.
"Hey, a shooting star! Did you see it?!"
"Huh? O-Oh, I missed it. Did you make a wish?"
"Oh, you're right! It went by so fast I forgot!... Wait, look! There's more of them! Is this a meteor shower?" The sight of Ann in awe of the wonders of the cosmos makes Akira forget about his worries about his hometown as he just stares at her.
"Even in here," she goes on. "It makes me happy seeing a shooting star. Y'know… I don't think I've looked up at the night sky like this since I was a little girl." Ann turns her smile to him.
"Hey, let's try looking for shooting stars from my balcony! We have the whole week, after all!"
"Hm hm… Sure."
xxx
After the show ended, the couple walk through the streets of Shibuya to get to the grocery store.
"That show was so cool!" Ann exclaims. "I think I'm gonna have the best dreams ever tonight."
"What makes you say that?" Akira asks. Ann wraps an arm around one of his.
"I got to see stars, plus I get better dreams when I spend the night with you. Duh." Akira stops walking, wraps his arms around her, and gives her a mischievous smirk.
"I know that. What I mean is what makes you think you're getting any sleep tonight?" At this point in the relationship, she can't even get mad. She just laughs.
"Prideful Pervert," she retorts.
"Gluttonous Gal."
"You know you love me." Akira chuckles as he rests his forehead on hers.
"... I do." As he's going in for a kiss, since he's done quizzing her, someone smacks them both in the back and shouts.
"WADDUP!" The two shriek, separate, and glare at the laughing blonde monkey who was walking with Akira's "baby sis" and their cat friend.
"GODDAMMIT, RYUJI!" Akira shouts. "Don't sneak up on us like that!" Morgana gives Akira a narrow eyed look.
"Maybe you should consider the people around you who have to watch your PDA," he says.
"Oh can it, cat! So what're you guys up to?"
"I was just goin on my usual run," Ryuji says. "I may not be on the Track Team or… "working" anymore, but there's no reason I need to stop. I was taking a break when I ran into Futaba and Mona."
"I am on a personal training quest!" Futaba announces with pride. "It's really just me walking through crowds so I'll be ready when I start school. Mona's just keeping an eye on me."
"She's doing a great job. I don't think she'll have any big problems." Ryuji kicks the ground.
"So, what kind of date are you two on?"
"We went to the Museum and the planetarium," Ann says. "Now, we're going to the grocery store so Akira can make dinner."
"You doin a family dinner, man? Can I come?"
"I'm pretty sure it's just for the two of them at Lady Ann's place," Mona says. "Akira's living with her for his last week for White Day." Ryuji slumps his shoulders.
"Cuz of course you are, you lovey dovey bastard. Doesn't she need to study for finals though?" Akira smirks at him.
"I'm making sure she studies… The problem's gonna be her staying awake through exams when we "study" all night." Ann blushes and punches him in the gut, which just makes him laugh. Ryuji slumps his shoulders and groans.
"I seriously need a girlfriend." As the five are talking, an innocent voice rings out.
"Ryu-kun! Ryu-kuuuuuuun!" Ryuji's blood runs cold and turns around to see a woman with short straight brown hair walking towards him.
"What a coincidence!" she says. "I was just about to go shopping and head straight home, but what are doing about dinner tonight? Are you eating at the house?"
"M-Mu… M-MOM?!" Akira, Ann, and Futaba poke their heads out behind him, which she notices.
"Oh! Are these your friends?!" she asks, walking past him. "Oh, hi there, Ann-chan!" Akira and Ann smile and wave while Futaba hides behind her bro.
"Hi, Ms. Sakamoto!" Ann says.
"Hi there. I'm Akira. Nice to meet you."
"I'm F-Futaba… Hi." Ms. Sakamoto feels Mona rub up against her.
"And that's my cat, Morgana," Akira says.
"The pleasure's all mine," Mona says, even though it's just a cute meow to her. She giggles and kneels down to him to pet him, making him purr.
"Well, aren't you a precious little thing."
He's anything but precious, Akira thinks. She looks up at the three.
"I appreciate you always looking after Ryuji. Thank you for getting along with him!" Akira shakes his head and waves his hand.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all."
"Easy for you to say," Ann retorts. Ryuji, who was dying of embarrassment the whole time, finally blows his lid.
"FOR CRYIN OUT LOUD, ENOUGH WITH THE PLEASANTRIES ALREADY! I'M EATING OUT TONIGHT, SO GO HOME!" Ms. Sakamoto laughs and starts walking away.
"Okay, okay, I'm going. Nice to meet you all!" Ryuji sighs in relief when she's out of sight.
"Geez… She finally left." He turns to his friends, who smile innocently and, in unison, say…
"... Ryu-kuuun~!"
"DAMMIT! I KNEW YOU GUYS WERE GONNA SAY THAT!" Akira gasps when he realizes something.
"Wait! Annie! Aren't we going grocery shopping right now?!" The two stare each other before trying to chase his mom down.
Ak+An: "MS. SAKAMOTO, WAIT UP!"
Ryuji shrieks, dashes in front of them with lightning speed, and gets on his hands and knees.
"NO, NO! STOP! I'll treat you guys to anything you want! Just puh-lease don't go shopping right now!" Ann turns to her man.
"Hm… what do you think?" Akira shrugs.
"Eh, I can cook tomorrow."
xxx
After Ryuji treated everyone to dinner in exchange for their silence, the couple went to grocery store so that Akira can make dinner tomorrow. Outside the store, however, they see Ms. Sakamoto standing at the entrance. She notices them and waves.
"Oh, there you two are!"
"Were you waiting for us?" Ann asks. "Actually, how did you even know we were coming here?"
"My son isn't the quietest talker." Ms. Sakamoto turns to Akira.
"So, Kurusu… Are you the infamous "best bud" he's been talking about? The one with a stain on his record?"
"Huh? He's mentioned me?"
"Oh, all the time! At first, it was just him coming him happier than he had been in a long time. After about a month, he started talking all about this new "awesome" friend he made. Said he helped him make peace with what happened with the Track Team." Akira scratches his head.
"I didn't really do much. It was all him. I was just on standby in case he needed help." Ms. Sakamoto puts a hand on her hip.
"So… let me ask you this: What's your honest opinion about Ryu-kun?" Akira crosses his arms to think for a moment before answering.
"Well, for one thing, he's like a freakin gorilla. His brain is smaller than his muscles, he has a short fuse, he's super loud and obnoxious, he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut when he really should, and if you were to look up the word "vulgar" in a dictionary, there'd definitely be a picture of him near it. Saying he can be a handful would be an understatement…" After all his complaining, he sighs and smile.
"But underneath all that, he really cares about people. He stands up for what he knows is right and is a true friend when you need one. He's a dumbass, but… that dumbass is my best friend." Ms. Sakamoto giggles, then frowns and turns her back, grabbing the bottom of her blouse.
"... I'm sure he's already told you about this, but…" She lifts up her blouse, showing the two the bruises and scars on her torso, which shocks them.
"The man who helped me bring him into this world was the farthest from the best of people. A drunkard who sat on his ass all day, expecting me to care for him. He didn't do it often, but when he went after me or Ryu-kun… there's always a lot of blood…" Ann covers her mouth in horror of how many there were.
"I heard the gist of the story, but that's worse than I thought," she mumbles. "He went through something like this?"
"It went on for years until one night, I'd had enough and told him to found some ditch to get wasted and rot in cuz I was cutting him off. Of course, he attacked me… I didn't know if he was going to rape me first… but this time he was definitely trying to kill me. It was all a big haze… I thought I was done for…" She smiles a little.
"But then, with a furious high-pitched scream, Ryuji came rushing in, throwing everything at him. Books, glass cups and bottles, shoes. Anything he could get his hands on, he used. His father chased after him, but he got a taste of his track runner speed and couldn't even get close. It was the fastest he'd ever ran at the time. Ryuji managed to knock him over somehow, held a piece of shattered glass to his throat, and told him to leave and never come back… which is exactly what he did…" She pulls her blouse back down.
"My baby boy saved my life that night… and I was supposed to be the one protecting him… I could never hug him tighter or as tight as I did at that moment when he came rushing to me, crying about how scared he was…"
"... So that's how it happened," Akira mumbles. Ms. Sakamoto turns back to them.
"I knew, right then and there, that he would grow up to be a great man, and that no matter what other people think, he'd never do something that reckless without a good reason. That's why I didn't get mad at him when I found out what happened with Kamoshida, even when the teachers were hounding us about it. It shocked me, yeah, but he was trying to get a scholarship for college to help me out. I knew he wouldn't lash out like that and risk that chance if it wasn't for a good reason." An angry look appears on her face.
"I knew that man was no good, anyway. Ryuji had never come home so exhausted and sore when his old coach was in charge of the team. And he tried to go through all that to help his mom. So instead of scolding him… I just said I was sorry for being a single mom and that he had to go through all that just for me." Akira couldn't help but smile after hearing that story.
Wow… He really does love his mom, doesn't he?
"I know he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. If anything, he's the most blunt." The proud mother bows to Akira.
"But he's a very kind, big-hearted man. And I'm happy that he found a friend who could be there for him and one that he's willing to fight for. For doing that for my son, Kurusu… thank you." Akira chuckles and shakes his head.
"No problem." Ms. Sakamoto walks off while waving goodbye to them.
"Well, that's all I wanted to say. I'd better get going. Have a good night, you two!"
xxx
The couple arrive back at Ann's apartment. Ann pulls some milk from the fridge and some cookies out from her Sugar Cabinet.
"I guess that's the night Ryuji started being the type of guy who'll do just about anything to help people," Ann says.
"Be it fighting a PE teacher, causing mischief in another world, or running across an exploding cruiser ship," Akira says as he sits at the counter. "If it's to help someone… yeah, he'll do it." Ann slides his plate and glass over to him as she sits down across from him at the counter.
"There's actually another story about him," she says. "It was stupid, but really sweet at the same time." Akira leans forward.
"I'm listening." Ann chomps on one of her cookies as she starts telling her story.
xxx
It was back in middle school on my first year living in Japan. People were gossiping about me and my hair non-stop and keeping their distance. Like I told you before, it was a really rough time for me.
One day, some loudmouth idiot started shouting at me.
"Yo, Takamaki! You're hair ain't anythin' special! I can be special too! You'll see one day!"
I thought it was just another put down, so I ignored it.
I really shouldn't have cuz the next month or so after that, that same idiot came up to me.
"Hey! Hey, Takamaki, hey!" When I turned around to tell him to buzz off, this loser had dyed his hair blonde. He smirked at me and said…
"Now, we're both special!"
xxx
"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!" Akira gasps. "THAT WAS-"
"Yeah! That was Ryuji! That was when he dyed his hair! I'd never laughed so hard in my life when I saw him!"
xxx
"PFFFFFFT! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS! AHA HA! O-OH GOD! I CAN'T! I-IT'S TOO MUCH!"
"Shuddup!"
I didn't even care that I was making a scene at school with all my laughing! That was sooo funny! I had to pull out tissue to wipe the tears off my face!
"Ha ha ha! I have tears in my eyes. Geez, why'd you even do that? You know mine's natural, right?"
"Blonde hair ain't that special either way! Neither is what country you came from! We're all humans here!"
It was stupid, no doubt… but it was really sweet at the same time.
xxx
"I was actually sad when me and him got separate classes," she admits.
"Well, like you said before, you two are like brother and sister," Akira says.
"I just wish we were the kind that can't get enough of each other, like you and Futaba, instead of the kind that annoys the hell out of each other!" After finishing the last of his cookies, Akira catches a whiff of something. He sniffs under his arm and a sour smell hits him in the face.
"Ew!Yep! Bath time!"
"I left a towel for you on the rack," Ann says. "The black one." Akira smirks at her.
"Hey, y'know… I couldn't help but notice the tub's big enough for two…" Ann gives him a narrow eyed look and he laughs as he walks away.
"Calm down! It was just an observation. And we wouldn't have to do anything." Ann rolls her eyes as he enters the bathroom. As she finishes up her plate, she can't help but glance at the bathroom from time to time, hearing the bath water running.
xxx
Akira sighs deeply as he sits back in tub, letting the hot tub water warm his body.
"Nothing beats a hot bath at the end of the day. And the fact that this one's free makes it even better." As he is quietly soaking, out of nowhere…
"... A-Akira? I-I'm coming in…"
"Yeah yeah. Go ahead… WAIT, WHA-?!" Ann opens the glass door separating the toilet and sink from the tub and comes in with her hair in a bun and wearing nothing but a towel, much to her naked boyfriend's shock.
"AGGGGGGGGH! A-A-ANNIE?!"
"What?! Akira, why are you freaking out like that?!" Akira covers his unit and turns away, his face turning into a red light.
"I am not frea- I-I mean, of course I'm freaking out!" he shouts. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Ann starts fidgeting and blushing.
"W-Well, what else?" she stutters. "I-I wanted… to come in and help you wash up…" Akira shuts his eyes and shakes his head.
"N-No way! I'm a grown man! I can do it myself! I know how to take a bath!" Ann glares at him.
"You're the one who said that this is supposed to be a test run for when we get married! This is one of the things wives do for their husbands, so shut up and scoot over!"
"But… I-I…" He suddenly starts hearing an electricity buzzing sound.
"Akira?" He turns to her and sees her wielding her electromagnetic whip at max voltage with eyes filled with violent intent.
"NYAH! Are you crazy?! Don't bring that whip in here!" he panics. "Okay, fine! Fine! Just put that away!" She turns off the voltage, tosses the whip outside the bathroom, and walks up to the tub.
"T-Turn around, okay?" she stutters. This is… kinda embarrassing…" Akira immediately turns around and wait patiently for her to come in.
"What are you all embarrassed for anyway?" she asks. "Weren't you the one who wanted this?" Akira scratches his head in embarrassment.
"I-I guess I have the same problems as you…" he mumbles. Ann, having discarded her towel, steps into the tub with a sponge in hand.
"Alright, stay still," she says. "I'll do your back first."
"Gotcha." Ann gets the sponge soapy and starts scrubbing his back and shoulders down. The smooth and wet feel of her hands and the squeaking sound of the soapy sponge quickly calmed him despite what just happened.
"How is it?" Ann asks.
"Pretty nice, actually," Akira chuckles. As she is scrubbing his back, Ann notices the length of Akira's hair, seeing that it's longer than normal.
"Hey, how long has it been since you had your hair cut?" she asks.
"I… actually haven't had it cut since I moved here."
"Huh… Y'know, I've had sleepovers with my other girlfriends and some of them had bob hair that they'd ask me to cut. Maybe you should let me cut yours. Truth, I hate it when the front hangs down so far that I can't your eyes."
"Ha ha… Sorry I don't have the best hair like you do." Ann suddenly giggles and goes in for a cheek peck while running her fingers through his frizzy hair.
"Hey, don't say that. Your hair is cute. It's just a little too long…"
"G-Got it…"
Probably shouldn't tell her that he passion fruits are rubbing against my back.
"I-I guess you can thank my mom for that," he says. "I got it from her." Ann continues to mess with his hair.
"Oh yeah? What's your mom's hair like?" Akira turns his head to give her a deadpan look.
"Not making this up… " he says. "It's seaweed."
"... See wha?" He nods.
"Yes. You heard me. Seaweed. As in weeds from the salty blue. Just three and a half feet of messy, super tangled, dark ash colored ocean vegetation, providing her the ultimate camouflage as a diver military agent. If she went underwater and only let her hair show, anyone and everyone would think it was seaweed at first. On top of that, the people in my neighborhood call it her "sex hair" cuz she always looks like she just got out of bed with someone. I am NOT bullshitting! It is the frizziest, waviest, most chaotic hair you will ever find on this planet!" Ann snickers at her boyfriend's crazy explanation.
"Well, I can't wait to see it and the woman who has it." Akira frowns a little.
Assuming she'd be willing to meet you…
Ann waves the sponge in his face.
"Alright, your turn." Akira takes the sponge and turns around to see Ann's back already to him. He stares at it for a bit in admiration, then takes a deep breath before scrubbing her down and repeating a calming chant in his head.
Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.
"Hey, do you think I should get mine cut?" Ann asks.
"Good god, no! That would be desecrating a national treasure! It looks great like this! Don't change it!" Akira suddenly realizes something.
"Hey… come to think of it… I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down. It's always been in twintails. I mean, besides now." Ann turns her head a bit.
"Does that bother you?"
"No, I like it. I'm just wondering what it would look like."
"In that case, I'll make sure to show you before you leave next week." The two can't help but smile once they realize that they've gone around five minutes having a novel conversation in the nude.
"This is… actually nice," Ann says.
"It is, isn't it? I'm not as turned on as I thought I'd be… And done."
"Thanks…" Ann suddenly leans back against him, making him sit back against the tub wall. He stares at her in surprise, seeing her relax so quickly, then smiles and wraps an arm around her bare waist.
"I kinda feel like we should do this all week," he says. "Just relaxing in here." She rests her head in the crook of his neck and smiles.
"I… actually wouldn't mind that…"
xxx
After a long soak in the bath, the couple get ready for bed, Akira slipping into his PJs in the guest room and Ann doing it in her room.
After finishing, Akira walks up to Ann's door and knocks.
"Ann-pan, you ready?"
"Yeah. Come in." He opens the door and steps into the surprisingly clean room with a brick wall and three windows. There were a few stuffed animals in the corner, a few posters on the walls, a massive clothes rack that stretches across one end of the room to the other, a shelf of video games, DVDs, CDs, and her bags, another shelf for shoes only, and a bed big enough for two people to squeeze into, which Ann has already slipped into under the velvet red covers. The room by itself looks like it could be used as a studio.
"I'm impressed," he says. "Then again, I spent the whole year living in an attic so…" Ann just chuckles and stretches her arms out to him, beckoning him over. He turns off the lights, walks over, and slides into bed and her arms. She plants a kiss on his cheek as he lays back and pulls her in.
"Day 1 of the test run wasn't so bad, hm?" Akira asks.
"It was great, and I'm looking forward to the next six."
"Me too… Night, Ann-pan."
"G'night, you." The quietly fall asleep in the warmth of each other's embrace, covering in the shine of nighttime.
White Week: Day 2
6:30 am. The Vague model sleeping alone in bed slowly awakens to a delicious aroma. She slips out of bed, still half asleep, and stalks her way out of her room and to the living room. When she leaves the hallway, she finds her man working at the stove making breakfast. She sneaks over to him, bends over to kiss his right hand to get his attention, then hugs him from behind and kisses his cheek.
"That's a friendly good morning," he chuckles.
"What's for breakfast?" she asks.
"Fried rice omelette for today. I'll go out today to get some more breakfast stuff. Go get ready and it should be good by the time you come out."
"Okay."
Ann walks back to her room to get ready for school. As promised, breakfast is served by the time she came back. The two converse at the table as they are eating.
"You think you'll be alright today?" Akira asks.
"I had the best second year and third year honor students helping me out-"
"But?" Ann slumps her shoulders.
"... Okay! You caught me! I'm still worried!" Akira sighs and passes her a deck of Literature flashcards.
"Knew it. Here. Look over these while we're walking to school. Memorize as much as you can." Ann takes the cards with a tinge of guilt in her heart.
"Sorry. I know it's a pain having such a stupid girlfriend." Akira chuckles and reaches across the table to massage her hand.
"Hey, don't say that. It could be worse. You could be Ryuji. I'm sure he's shitting his pants right about now." Ann smiles a little, then finishes up her plate.
"Alright. I'm ready when you are."
xxx
The happy couple step onto the train to Aoyama-Itchome and spot Makoto, who managed to get a seat, staring intently at a paper.
"What's up, senpai?" Akira greets with a smile. Makoto turns to the couple.
"Oh, good morning," she says. "... Wait. Akira-kun, what're you doing on this train? I thought you were leaving in a week."
"I am. I just made Ann breakfast, so I thought I'd walk her to school." Ann happily rests her head on his shoulder.
"We're living together for a week for White Day." Makoto's eyes widen for a bit before she smiles.
"Usually, I'd object to that because of finals, saying it's counterproductive… but I'm sure Akira-kun is helping you study." Akira gives her a thumbs up.
"You bet. Hit her with a bunch of flash cards yesterday. If she fails, I might have to reconsider our relationship. Ha ha ha!" That comment comes back to haunt him instantly when Ann starts whimpering with nervous tears.
"SORRY! KIDDING KIDDING KIDDING KIDDING! I'M JUST KIDDING!" Ann starts lightly beating on him.
"NOT FUNNY!" she cries."Not even as a joke!" As Makoto is laughing at them…
"SOMEONE HOLD THE DOOR!" Ryuji comes frantically sprinting towards the train. He gets his arm in the door just in time to stop them from closing completely, but the momentum of his sprint makes him slam into the doors.
Ak+An+M: "... Ughhhhh..."
"Hopeless moron to the very end…" Futaba, who approaches from behind, pushes him onto the train when the doors open, then gets on herself with Morgana being lugged around in her bag.
"After all this time, you haven't changed at all," Mona sighs. Ryuji rubs his face as he gets to his feet.
"Shut up! I was up all night studyin', so I overslept," Ryuji groans. Akira gives him a narrow eyed look.
"What were you studying? How to get better at first-person shooters?"
"Uhhhhhhh…" Makoto glares at him.
"I may not be your student council president for much longer," she scolds. "But I still won't let you off if you fail… Are we clear?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Akira looks over to his sister and notice something amiss.
"Anyway, what're you up to?" he asks. "And… wait. Is that your uniform you're wearing?" Not only that, but the bag she is carrying Mona in is a Shujin bag rather than her laptop carrier.
Futaba nods with confidence.
"Yep. My last exercise: Walking to school as a student. People will think I go to Shujin, but I can tell them I'll be going in April and start up a conversation. It'd be great if I can start out with friends other than you guys."
"Not a bad plan," Ryuji says. "It'd be a pain in the ass if we had to babysit you all the time."
"Akira~! He's so mean~!" Akira's glares makes his bro panic.
"I-I didn't mean anythin'! C'mon, man! Turn your big bro senses off!"
xxx
As the group approaches the gate, Futaba finishes her friendly chat with a small group of first years and waves goodbye to them as they walk away. Akira happily pats her head, which pleases her.
"Yeah. You're gonna be just fine," he chuckles.
"Hey, we're here," Makoto says.
"Alright. Enjoy your last week, Makoto, try your best, Ryuji…" Akira pulls his girl in for a kiss, then whispers in her ear.
"And I'll see you on the rooftop for lunch." Ann giggles and sneaks a peck on his cheek before walking off with Ryuji and Makoto. Futaba tugs at Akira's jacket.
"Hey, come with me back to the house?" she asks. "I got you something."
"Alright."
Today seemed like it would be just another normal day...
xxx
But on a freeway far into the distance, a black car is zooming its way down with a happy couple conversing inside.
"What do you think we should have for dinner?" the wife asks the husband.
"I think we should leave it up to her preference," he answers. "Whatever she wants, we eat. It'll be a first family dinner in a while."
"I can't believe it's been so long since we've seen her… She must be so lonely…"
"Well, she won't have to feel that way for much longer."
"Yeah… Hang on, honey. We're coming…" The black car continues to zoom down the road heading straight to Tokyo.
Target: Hit
Author's Note: K'yo, guys! Two things.
1. All credit for the non-canon (But totally should be canon) story about Ryuji's hair goes to Blackmagebeard from Youtube, who made an original video about it. Just look up "Persona 5 Ann and Ryuji". You can't miss it.
2. For those of you who want a more concrete image of Akira's mom's hair, enter the keywords "Majikoi Benkei" on any search engine. The search should lead you to an image of a girl with hair that's exactly what the mom's hair is supposed to look like.