Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart:
Shot 30: Worthy or Not, Here They Come
It was supposed to be a normal day… but with this, that track was abandoned.
"Uhhh… Futaba…? What the hell is this?"
Back at the Sakura Household in Yongen-Jaya, Futaba brought her bro to her room to give him something. What she presented to him in the first box left his surprised and curious. A small white dress that looks excruciatingly similar to lingerie.
"Why don't you open the second box?" Futaba say with a smile. "You should be able to piece is all together with how smart you are." Akira cautiously sets the dress down and opens the second box, revealing a beige jacket and a pink t-shirt with the word "Rave" on it, except the "v" is replaced with a heart pierced by an arrow. He examines both outfits thoroughly, then his eyes widen when he gets the idea.
"Hold up! Is this…?!" Futaba nods.
"Cosplay from your favorite video game, "Catherine"!"
"... Okay. Cool… but… why are you showing me these?" Futaba gives him a serious look and points at him.
"Wear them."
"Huh…?"
"I want you and Ann to cosplay as Vincent and Catherine and send me a picture. And it has to be provocative pose." Shock blooms on his face as he glances at the Catherine dress.
"Um… Okay, I'm more than willing to try mine on, but there is absolutely no way in hell Annie's gonna even consider it." Futaba crosses her arms.
"Then you'll just have to weasel her into it, now won't you?"
"I'm Joker and I know that joke's not funny! She'll beat my ass raw with her whip if I even try to ask!" Futaba stomps her foot.
"Well, deal with it! You owe me traumatizing me for life!"
"Huh?! What're you talking about?!" Futaba's face starts glowing bright red and her body starts to tremble.
"V-Valentine's Day… I-I heard things… that a little girl is never supposed to hear…"
"Huh…?" It didn't take long for him to figure out what exactly she meant.
"... Wait… You don't mean…" With Futaba's vigorous nod being the confirmation, Akira's face turns into a Christmas light at the thought of his little sister listening on his and Ann's… private time before he buries it in his hands.
"... Oh dear Lord…" Futaba covers her ears.
"I can still hear her gross, lewd screams in my nightmares…!" Akira glares at her.
"WELL, IT SERVES YOU RIGHT, REALLY! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN LISTENING IN ON US IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
"That's not the point! The point is if you don't get her in that dress, I'm gonna tell Sojiro what you did in the shop!" As always, the last thing Akira wanted was to be scolded by the Boss, but this would be the absolute worst Riot Act reading yet, easily beating when he exposed them for being the Phantom Thieves.
He hangs his head and groans, knowing that she holds all the cards.
"... Having a little sis really can be a pain in the ass…"
xxx
Akira snuck up to the rooftop of Shujin during the last ten minutes before lunch break with bento lunches in hand so that Ann could meet him there for a short lunch date once she was let out.
Ann digs in as Akira treats her to his homemade baked tofu and potato salad lunch, enjoying every bite.
"Mmmmm! Wow, this is really good!" she exclaims.
"Told ya I'm a good cook," Akira chuckles, puffing his chest out with pride. "And I looked up this bento online. I know you need to stay in shape for your job, so I picked this out of a list of healthy lunch ideas." Ann happily nuzzles on his cheek.
"You know me so well."
"So, how did the first half go?"
"Not bad, actually. I can't say I didn't have some trouble, but I think I did pretty okay, thanks to my awesome tutor." Akira smiles.
"I summoned so many mythical and historical figures as Personas when we were still as the Phantom Thieves, it got to the point where I just had to learn about each of 'em. Good thing I did."
After they finish eating, they used the rest of the time they had for snuggling.
"I know I'm supposed to be the one getting spoiled this week," Ann says. "But can I at least make us lunch tomorrow to pay you back for today?"
"Alright. I don't have a problem with that."
"Cool. Any requests?" Akira grins deviously as he leans in.
"Some sweet, warm Ann-pan," he says in a deep voice. Usually, comments like that would embarrass her to high heaven. However, she just smiles seductively and moves her face close to his ear, whispering in a sultry tone.
"... Good thing it's all-you-can-eat~." Akira's face turn red before she starts licking his ear, which makes him jump away.
"UWAH! What the hell?!" Ann bursts out laughing at the sight of her boyfriend's shocked face.
"Aha ha ha ha ha! Gotcha!" After almost a year of being with him, she knows that the perfect trick to catching him off guard is doing all the lewd things he wants her to do, as well countering his pervertedness with her own. A sign of how much of his sinfulness has rubbed off on her.
As Akira rubs his ear to dry off any saliva that that was left on there, he figures that now might be a good time to inform Ann about Futaba's blackmail since she's in such high spirits.
"So hey… I-I kinda need you to do me a solid when you get home…" Ann cocks an eyebrow at him.
"Hm? What kind of solid?" Akira blushes and pinches his hair.
"W-Well uh… there's this… I-I guess you can call it "pair look" clothing that I want you to try out with me… if that's okay…" Ann slides over and smirks at him.
"Ohhhhh~? Woooow~! I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff~," she says in a mock voice.
"I-I don't appreciate that tone! Can you do it or not?!" Ann shrugs.
"Hmmm… Alright! How bad could it be?"
xxx
After school back at Ann's apartment...
"... SO BAD!" Ann's face is beet red as she stares at the racey white Catherine dress. Akira, of course, stands in front of her bed uncomfortably, pressing his palm against his forehead.
"If you don't think I know what "Catherine" is, you are dead wrong!" Ann yells. "It's my favorite game and I am very familiar with this stupid dress!" Akira's eyes widen in surprise.
"Wait, it's yours too?" Ann stomps her foot, making him flinch.
"Not the point! Forget it! There's absolutely! No! Way! That I'm ever putting this on!"
"Well, it's the dress or getting in trouble with the old man! Pick your poison!"
"Huh? What're talking about?" Akira shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"... Remember our first time on Valentine's Day? … Yeaaaaah… We kinda traumatized Futaba…" Ann tilts her head for a second, then her face turns red when she finds the conclusion he's drawing. Then she shakes her head.
"... WAIT, DID SHE- H-Hold on! No way! We were… out of sight from the door!"
"She didn't see! She heard! And she knows it was from the shop!" After a few seconds of thinking, Ann pulls hard on her twintails, remember how Futaba used to spy on the Phantom Thieves before she met them.
"Oh crap! We forgot about her bug!"
"W-Well, I-I didn't really forget-" She immediately glares at him.
"WHAT?!"
"It was late! I thought she was fast asleep! A-Anyway, the point is that if we don't do this, she'll go straight to the old man about it! And I'd rather not cross that bridge!" Ann covers her face with her twintails as she falls back on her bed, whimpering and rolling around. After half a minute of whining, she stops, sighs, and points towards her door.
"... Just get out… I need to change…"
xxx
After changing into his Vincent costume, Akira checks himself out thoroughly in the mirror in the guest bedroom. He examines his front and back, then takes of his glasses. The spot-on likeness between him and the video game protagonist puts a smile on his face.
"Not bad, not bad!" he says while stroking his chin and nodding. "Now, I just need a crap ton of sweat on my face."
He walks out into the hall and knocks on Ann's door.
"Hey, you ready?" he calls out. After a few seconds of quiet, Ann reluctantly opens the door, showing off the white "Catherine" costume that leave little to the imagination. Akira couldn't help but stare at her slender bombshell bod, amazed by how well she pulls it off.
"... You really do look just like her," he mumbles.
Cheater Route forever, he thinks. Ann sighs and walks past him into the living room with a selfie stick in her hand and her phone attached to the end.
"Let's just get this over with…" she grumbles. "So, when she said a "provocative" pose, what did she mean by that?"
"You have to be crawling on me like you're seducing me. No private section pics needed… or wanted." Ann crosses her arms in thought.
"Then… how about the one when they first meet?" she suggests. "After she "accidentally" falls on Vincent."
"Alright. To the couch then." Akira puts the fake cigar in his mouth as he leans back on the edge of the living room couch. Ann sits down next to him and leans on him on her side. After he lays his hand on her waist, she slides it onto the highest part of her thigh, exactly the way Catherine did it in the game. It doesn't come without a flood of embarrassment from both parties, however.
"This really feels like we're actually in the game…" Akira chuckles nervously.
"Just shut up and take the picture," Ann demands as she passes him the stick and the tiny controller. Akira takes the stick in his right hand and looks up at the phone, using the face cam to help him find the best position for it to capture the bulk of their bodies. He then takes the controller and conceals it behind Ann's body.
"Alright. 1… 2… 3." Akira takes the picture and brings the phone back to him to take a look. He nods and hands it to Ann after examining it thoroughly.
"This should do. Go ahead and send it in a group chat." Ann does as her boyfriend says and sets up the group chat.
Ann: (picture attachment of her and Akira doing "Catherine" cosplay)
There. Happy now?
Futaba: Oh! It's BEAUTIFUL! You guys really do look just like them! :,)
Akira: Alright! We did what you asked, so you keep your end of the bargain and shut your mouth about Valentine's Day! -_-
Futaba: Cross my heart! :)
And if it makes u 2 feel and better, I'm never spying on your dates ever again. -_-
Akira+Ann: YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DOING THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!
As the two lay back on the couch and sigh in exasperation, there's a knock at the door and the doorbell rings.
"Huh? Are we expecting company?" Akira asks. Ann shakes her head.
"I don't think so…" Ann sits up and calls out to the door.
"Who is it~?" The next words she hears… filled her with an ocean's worth of shock and dread.
"... Pizza delivery~!"
It wasn't the fact that the woman at the door was speaking in english that scared her silly. It wasn't the fact that it was the voice of a woman she knew so well, it would be a crime if she didn't know who it was straight off the bat. It wasn't even the fact that that woman was here.
It was the fact that she wasn't supposed to be here yet.
Oblivious to the situation, Akira gets up to go answer the door.
"Huh. I didn't know you could order pizza in Shibuya," he says. "But you really didn't have to, Ann. I was gonna- Mmph?!" Ann frantically rushes behind him and grabs him, covering his mouth with her hand.
"Whoa! Amm, wha're ou-?!"
"J-J-J-Just a second~!" she calls out in english with a nervous laugh as she drags him to her room. She pulls him down to whisper in his ear.
"I'm really sorry, but I need you to shut up for minute!"
"What?! What the hell's-" Ann panics even more when the front door knob starts to turn. She instinctively pushes him into the room.
"Just be quiet! Please!" She slams the door shut just in time for a woman with short wavy blonde hair and blue eyes and a man with straight black hair and brown eyes walk into the apartment with luggage in tow. The woman is wearing rosy lipstick and a white scarf, that man is wearing a black hat and holding a cane, and both are wearing black work suits.
Ann turns around, waves to them, and greets them in english with a big forced smile on her sweaty face.
"Hey there~! What's up~?! How's it going~?!" The Vague model laughs with more nervousness than ever as the two stare at her provocative getup.
"... Young lady," the woman says in a menacing tone, speaking in Japanese. "If you were planning on going out somewhere looking like that, you and I are going to have such a serious talk right now." Ann shakes her head.
"Oh, this?! Never in a million years! I-It's just a costume one of my girlfriends gave me. S-She said I looked just like this character in some video game, so she wanted me to try it on. That's all! Ahahahaha!" The woman gives Ann a narrow eyed look that pierces into her eyes and her soul.
"Are you sure that's what's going on?" Ann links to the internet on her phone, which she was subconsciously holding in her left hand, to find a picture Catherine and show it to the woman.
"Totally! In fact… look! See?!" The woman stares at the photo, then pierces through Ann's soul again with her gaze. Ann knew she wasn't lying in the slightest, but being a victim of this woman's sceptical gaze always frightened her.
Her worries were finally over when the woman chuckles.
"... Well, your friend was right!" she says. "Your hair is longer, but you do look just like her!" The man comes over to examine the picture and Ann's outfit. He smiles and nods.
"I agree," he says. "The resemblance is scary." Ann lets out a quick sigh in relief before the woman squeals and gives her a big hug.
"Ohhhhhh, my baby girl! How've you been?!" Ann's anxiousness melts away in the warmth of her arms and she giggles and hugs her back.
"Hi, Mom! I'm fine! Tee hee hee!" Ann's mother lets her daughter so she can hug her father next. The father kisses her forehead before holding her tightly.
"Who's my beautiful princess?" he asks with a laugh.
"I know I am, Daddy! I know!" He places his hands on top of both his daughter's and his wife's heads to evaluate the height difference.
"Whoa! You're just as tall as your mom now!" The mom runs her fingers through one of Ann's twintails.
"And get a load of this gorgeous hair!" she says in awe. "It looks like someone's been taking really special care of it." Ann smiles at her mother.
"Don't act like you don't know who I got it from!" she giggles.
Meanwhile in her room, the fugitive is leaning up against the wall, his face flooding with sweat, his eyes and mouth open wide with shock, and one very loud thought rushing through his head.
MOM?! DADDY?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!
Akira almost screams when he startled by the ringing of his phone. With lightning speed, he picks up, not caring who it is and wanting to make sure they don't call again.
"What?! What, who is this?! What the hell do you want?!" he whispers.
"Uh… I-It's just me, man," says the caller, who just so happens to be Ryuji. "Look, I know you and Ann are probably doin' some sappy shit right now, but y'think you guys could meet at the diner to help me study. My worst subject is comin' up tomorrow and-"
"Deal with it! I've got waaaaaaay bigger problems than exams! My life is at stake here!"
"Huh? What the hell's goin' on over there? Did ya eat the last piece of her cake or somethin'?"
"Worse! I am trapped in her room! Her parents are here!"
"For real?! Aw shit!"
"They came to the door out of nowhere! I don't know what to do!"
"Well, I can't help ya. That's a couple's thing." Akira sighs.
"Yeah, I know," he says. "Anyway, you should probably try to see if Makoto can give you a little help. Just don't count on it. She might be working on her speech."
"Alright," Ryuji sighs. "Well, good luck with the folks!" Akira hangs up and closes his eyes.
No amount of devil's luck could help me with this…
Back in the living room, Ann's mother and father remove their jackets and take out a bag of groceries.
"You're always hungry, aren't you honey?" the mom asks. "Good thing I brought home the ingredients for my special stew~!" Ann bounces on her feet in excitement
"Yay! I haven't had your cooking for so long!" she exclaims. Her father starts grabbing their luggage.
"Well while she's getting ready," he says. "I'm just going to put our stuff in the guest room." Ann screams internally, remembering that she still has Akira hiding in the back. More importantly, his stuff is in the guest room too!
"H-H-Hold on a sec, Dad!" she exclaims as she rushes over to him. "I'll do it! I insist! You must be tired after that long drive, right?! Right?!" Her dad stares at her in slight surprise, then chuckles and hands her the bags.
"Well, that's true… Alright. I'll let you handle it then." Ann takes all of the bags, save the grocery bags, and starts carrying them to the guest room.
"Good! I-I need to change into something less, y'know, gross, so I'll be back out in a minute!"
xxx
After putting her parents' belongings in the guest room and hiding Akira's things securely under the bed, she rushes into her room and notices that Akira is nowhere to be seen.
"Psst! Akira, where you you?" she whispers. Akira's hand pops out from under her bed.
"Down here," he says. Ann closes and locks the door behind her and Akira crawls out from under the bed. Ann quickly grabs a nearby cushion and buries her face in it to muffle her screams as she rolls around her bed.
"So… your folks decided to drop by, huh?" Akira sighs as puts his glasses back on.
"They weren't supposed to be here til Wednesday!" she exclaims. Akira's eyes widen in surprise.
"Hold up! You knew they were coming and you didn't tell me?!"
"I was gonna tell you over dinner tonight! They have this show in Japan and they wanted to stop by to see me before they went! And they weren't supposed to be here until Wednesday!" Akira glares at her and crosses his arms.
"How long have you know about this?" he asks.
"Um… about a week?" Akira's arm lashes out like a cobra striking its prey to pull Ann hard by her ear.
"And you didn't just tell me that from the get go?! Idiot!"
"Ow! I'm sorry~!" Akira lets go of her ear, pinches the bridge of his nose, and groans.
"Ugh… W-Well, what do you wanna do?" he asks her.
"I really did want them to meet you," she says. "But I definitely don't think I'm ready now. Plus, you're kinda dressed like a slob."
"True enough…" Ann sighs and starts grabbing her house clothes.
"I'm really sorry, but I guess you're just gonna have to hide in here until they leave," she says with remorse. "They're staying at a hotel, so once their gone, the coast should be clear."
"Whatever you say."
"Mind turning around? I need to change."
xxx
After Ann changes her clothes, she rejoins her family in the living room and the kitchen while Akira hides in the bedroom. As worried as she was about her mom and dad finding out she's hiding a boyfriend from them, she couldn't but enjoy their company, which is understandable because she barely sees them anymore since they're always abroad on business.
"Wait, where's the… Sosuke, where's the seasoning?" the mother asks.
"I dunno. Is it already out?" the father, Sosuke, asks in a mock tone. The mother looks around the counter, sees the seasoning she's using to cook right in front of her, and laughs at herself, which Sosuke joins in on before switching his attention back to his daughter.
"So, has Kanade been keeping tabs on you lately?" he asks her as they sit in the living room, speaking of Ann's caretaker, who lives in another complex a few blocks away.
"Yeah. She takes care of the gas, the electricity, and cable bills and calls me and comes in to cook for me every week. If I'm ever in trouble when comes to paying for things like food or my phone bill, she swoops by to help me out."
"That's good. So, has she stopped by this week?" her mom asks from the kitchen.
"She told me her sister's getting married, so she'll be gone for the week. I've actually been doing pretty good on my own lately, so I told her I'd be okay." Sosuke smiles and pats her on the back.
"You're a strong girl, just like I knew you'd be," he chuckles. "What about work? Are you still modelling for Vague?"
"Mm hm! It's been going super great! I even have a rival now and she keeps me on my toes!" Her mother smiles.
"Ooooooooh! Some friendly competition, I see!" she exclaims.
"Well… she's not exactly friendly," Ann admits. "But I do kinda look up to her. She works super hard every day and her popularity shows it." Ann shoots her fist in the air.
"Still, I've made it my personal mission to show her that she's not gonna beat me that easily! I've been doing tons of stuff like exercising and relearning things about my job. And I wanna start doing overseas events soon, so I've been studying different languages and cultures." Her parents look at her with eyes filled with amazement.
"That's… new," her mom says.
"I thought you said that this would just be a hobby for you," Sosuke says. Ann chuckles nervously as she plays with her right twintail.
"Well… a lot of things happened last year," she admits. "But in the end, I've decided to take this job seriously. I don't want to be just some model, either. I'm aiming to be the #1 model around." The mother lets out a sad sigh and shakes her head.
"If only I could've been here to see you grow so much," she says.
"Don't worry, Ellen. We'll be seeing the rest of her growth starting in May," Sosuke says. Ann turns to her father with a curious look.
"What're you talking about?"
"After this next show," Ellen explains. "Your father and I will be moving back to Finland. It looks like we'll be there for a while… so…" The father looks in his daughter's eyes as he wraps an arm around his shoulders.
"... We're taking you with us." Ann's eyes fill up with surprise.
"What?"
"The three of us are almost never together these days," Ellen says. "And I'll admit… it's been hard to think about the times we were together and not feel sad. But it looks like we'll be in Finland for more than a couple years, so it's the best time for us to make up for the time we lost."
"And if you're as serious about modeling as you say you've become," Sosuke says. "Then you could learn a lot more from the other agencies there. Who knows? All of us might end up working on a show together!" The idea puts a big smile on Ellen's face.
"Oh, now that would be something!" As Sosuke is laughing, he notices that his daughter's eyes are filled with sadness, shock, and worry. This, in turn, makes him frown.
"You don't seem so happy about that," he points out. "Come on. Working with us won't be that bad-" Ann slams both her hands in her lap.
"That's not the problem!" she exclaims. "You seriously expect me to just leave everything I have here behind and be okay with it?!"
"Why not?" Sosuke asks. "You didn't have any complaints about it before."
"That's because I didn't have that much to care about before! Plus, we'd always move before I even have a chance to care! Things are different now! I love the agency I'm working at now! I have some really good friends here! Yeah, some of them are a little uptight, weird, nerdy, and even stupid, but I love all of them! For the first time ever… I actually have some best friends!" Ann glares at her father.
"So of course I have a problem with just packing my things and leaving all of a sudden!" Sosuke sighs and nods.
"Ann, I understand. Leaving friends is something you've had to do all your life and I'm sorry about that…" he says. "But I don't think it's safe to leave you in this country by yourself anymore."
"We've been following the news lately," Ellen interjects. "All that talk about terrorist groups invading and psychotic breakdowns was worrying enough. But then, we find out the man that was supposed the Prime Minister was a fraud. The government's trying to make heads and tails of it and there's still no one at the Prime Minister's chair." Ann bites her lip, agreeing with Ellen that Japan has no real leader right now.
"Well, you have a point there-" Then, she suddenly catches the subject her mother mentioned before that and turns to her.
"Wait, terrorists?! You don't mean the Phantom Thieves, do you?!"
"Well, I was leaning more towards Medjed, but…"
"They aren't terrorists, Mom! I mean, they're not the most ideal role models, but a lot of people were saved because of them! And they're the ones who exposed Shido for causing the breakdowns in the first place!" Sosuke crosses his arms.
"But isn't the country without a leader now thanks to what they did?" Ann turns back to her father.
"Shido was a monster who was going to just mess everything up! You're saying it would've been better to just let it happen?!" Sosuke hits her with the same piercing gave that her mother gave her.
"You're defending them pretty strongly," he points out. "You wouldn't happen to be one of their fangirls, would you?" Ann turns her head to avoid the full intensity of his stare, only managing to sneak glances at him.
"W-Well… maybe I am," she mumbles. "So what? Everything I said was true."
"Even though they probably just targeted him for fame without about the consequences of their actions at all." Ann grips at her shorts.
"What consequences? Japan might not have a leader, but things could've been a whole lot worse."
"And how do you know that?" Ann turns her father.
"Even a blind person could see it!" Sosuke just shakes his head with disagreement.
"Look. No matter how you slice it, it's just not safe here anymore…" he says. "We're going by your school tomorrow morning to tell them you're moving in May." Ann stares at her father in disbelief.
"So… you're just gonna drag me away…?" she asks." "Again…?"
"See it that way if you want, but it's for the best." Ann slowly hangs her head as dread starts to build up in her. In the past, a move didn't really mean anything because she didn't have real friends to care for. However, the fact that she's had to move away before she had a chance to care always made her depressed. Now, she has the greatest friends she ask for… and she's being forced to leave them.
Just when she feels like she's about to cry…
*SLAM*
"Would you just shut up and listen to her, dammit?! She said she doesn't want to go with you!"
The sound of a fist slamming into a wall brings everyone's attention to the hallway corridor. There stood an objective Akira, who had heard the entire conversation from Ann's room.
Ellen drops her ladle on the ground in shock.
"What the-" Sosuke jumps from his seat.
"Who the hell are you?!" he shouts. "How did you get in here?!" Ann jumps from her seat next.
"Akira!" Her parents look at her with more shock.
Sosuke+Ellen: "Akira?"
Akira hangs his head and clenches his fists in remorse.
"I'm sorry, Annie. Really," he says. "But I heard everything and… I-I couldn't stop myself after hearing that…"
Sosuke+Ellen: "Annie?!"
Ann gives him a warm smile as she walks up a places a hand on his cheek.
"No, it's fine," she says. "Honestly… it's probably best that you're here now… It'll be a huge help..." The couple turn to Ann's parents, who of course have serious looks on their faces.
"For the record," Ann gulps. "I really didn't want you guys to meet like this…" Sosuke slowly sits down.
"... Is that so…?" Ellen joins the three in the living room and sits down next to her husband while Akira and Ann sit on their knees on the floor. What came after was a long silence that threatened to make Akira's heart stop.
I've fought and killed thousands of monsters and a god, he thinks. But this is the most intense moment of my life.
Ann ends the silence by clearing her throat before speaking.
"I-I'll just get straight to the point. Mom, Dad… this is Akira Kurusu… He's… my boyfriend." Akira gulps as the word "boyfriend" passes through lips. He then takes a deep breath and straightens out his glasses.
"I-I didn't want to meet like this either," he says. "... But… it's… uh… nice to meet you, sir. Ma'am." All they do is do a quick wave at him before the silence returns.
What the hell?! I only said one sentence! he thinks as he pulls his collar. Why do I already feel like I'm royally messing up?!
… Oh wait! These clothes! Dammit, Futaba!
Akira takes another deep breath before speaking again.
"I-I actually live in Kamakura," he says. "But my parents had to work overseas, so they sent me here to stay with a paid guardian for a year. I go to Shujin, like Ann, and we're in the same class together… So yeah…" Ann nods a little, admitting that any mention about Akira's criminal record would most likely end the conversation immediately.
"So… how long has this been going on…?" Ellen asks.
"It'll officially be eight months this coming Sunday," Ann answers. "So seven months, three weeks, and a day. I may suck at math, but I definitely don't need any help keeping track of that. He he he…" Ann's nervous laugh didn't lighten up the situation at all. Still, Akira continued.
"I was having a tough time adjusting when I first got to Shujin. Ann was one of my first friends to help me and keep me company. Then she and I got to talking and… here we are..." Ellen leans forward.
"How is school?" she asks. "Your grades, I mean."
"I was the top of my class since grade school," Akira says. "That hasn't changed in the slightest, even after I moved here." Ann puts a hand on his shoulder.
"He tutors me a lot," she says. "I have some trouble getting it, but he's always there to help me through it." Sosuke shifts around in his seat.
"What about money?" He asks coldly. "Do you work or does your guardian give you an allowance?" Akira got used to speaking to the mother because she didn't show him any hostility. Not so with the father, typically.
"I-I work a couple of temp jobs here and there," Akira answers. "The Leblanc cafe in the Yongen-Jaya district, where I live, the convenience store, the beef bowl shop, the flower bouquet place, and the airsoft shop in Shibuya, and the Crossroads Bar in Shinjuku. I'm free to work whichever job I want when I want so that I can balance studying for school and working to take care of myself." Akira places his hand on Ann's.
"I also work to make sure I always have enough money spoil her rotten." The young couple try to laugh the tension away, but to no avail.
"And how about your take on The Phantom Thieves?" Sosuke asks. Despite his situation, Akira wasn't afraid to share his honest opinion when it comes to that subject.
"They're dangerous vigilantes. I won't deny that," he says. "But I've seen and heard of a lot of pretty nasty crimes being committed all over. Cases that the police don't know or can't do anything about. I believe the Phantom Thieves sidestep the law in order to put a swift end to these unseen crimes before they get out of hand. Yeah, they're a threat, but only to criminals like Masayoshi Shido."
"So, they're a necessary evil. Is that what you're saying?"
"Doesn't everything in this world need one to keep the balance?"
The awkward silence continues as the mother and father's stares continue to beam down on them like rays of light from the boiling hot sun. Even though he's given answers that make him seem as inconspicuous as possible, the fake criminal could still feel the unchanged thinness of the ice he is walking on.
Sosuke finally breaks the silence with a brief sigh.
"... Well, I always knew guys would be swarming all over my daughter eventually," he admits. "She mostly takes after her mother when it comes to her looks. Plus, she's considered a foreigner, so she has that going for her. Any boy who thinks mostly with his balls would want her without a doubt." Akira's teeth chatter from behind his lips. He definitely does not like where this is going.
"But I must say," Sosuke continues. "You seem… smart. Really smart. Doesn't he, Ellen?" Ellen nods in agreement.
"Yes," she says. "Yes, he does. And despite what his clothing says, he appeared to be a decent enough human being."
Freaking knew it, he thinks. KNEW IT!
"S-Sorry! I-I don't usually dress like this!" he points out.
"Yeah, he was just doing the cosplay with me!" Ann adds. "My friend says he looks just like a video game character too, so she got him the costume." Ellen crosses her legs.
"I see…" she says. "Well aside that… Kurusu-kun, was it? You really do seem like a smart boy." Ann starts to smile a little. Her parents are giving Akira a little bit of praise, so it has to be a sign that there is a good chance that they will approve of him.
When she turns to her boyfriend, however, he has this look of anxiety in his eyes and his hands are trembling slightly. A normal girl would just see this as him still being nervous, but Ann has seen this look on him when they were sneaking around in the Metaverse.
This is Akira when he's sensing an incoming attack… and as always, his senses are right.
"Yes. A very smart boy," Sosuke says. "... You might be the one of the smartest sexually hungry kids out there if came up with a cover story like that." Ann turns to her father with eyes filled with shock.
"Dad…?" Akira straightens out his glasses.
"... I don't really think I said anything that would make me come off as "sexually hungry"," he calmly says. "Sure, she's hands down the prettiest girl I've ever seen in my life, but that's 100% not why I'm dating her." Sosuke cocks an eyebrow at him.
"Oh really."
"I have no reason to lie to you, sir." The father's scowl shows no sign of going away.
"Then, what is it? You wanted to show people you have game by hooking up with a model? Is that it?" Akira shakes his head.
"I didn't really read magazines before I came here," he says. "So I didn't even know she was a model until she came out and told me herself. And by the time she did, I was already super into her."
"Tch! Yeah right!" Ellen scoffs.
"Mom!" Ann shouts. Akira starts feeling backed into a corner.
"I-I just said I have no reason to lie! After spending all this time with her, the thing I want most is a future with Ann! That being said, it would really be weight off my shoulders if I had your approval!" Sosuke gives Akira a dirty look before turning away.
"... Well, I'm sorry to say you didn't make the cut. Now if that's all, I would appreciate it if you left now." Words could not begin to describe the shock Akira felt after hearing those words.
"W-Wha… B-But-" Ann slams her hands on the coffee table and stands up in outrage.
"Hey, what the hell?!" she shouts. "You guys aren't giving him a fair chance at all! What's so wrong with him that you have to brush him off like that?!" Ellen glares at her daughter.
"That doesn't matter!" she hisses.
"It does! Akira's an amazing guy-"
"Is what I bet you two tried very hard to make us believe," Sosuke scoffs. "You can't fool us so easily." Ann glares at her father.
"You guys aren't making any sense at all!" Sosuke looks down at Ann's boyfriend in disgust.
"I guess it's a good thing we're taking you with us. We'll be able to keep an eye on you so you don't get yourself mixed up with trash again." He directs Akira to the door and Ann to her room.
"You? Out the door. You? Start packing." Ann points at her boyfriend while keeping her eyes on her dad.
"No! Stay right there!" Sosuke glares at her daughter.
"Ann!"
"He's not trash! Stop talking shit about him when you don't even know him!"
"I don't need to! I know his kind!"
"And what "kind" is that?!"
"A troublemaker! A delinquent! A broken boy from a broken home!" Ann stomps her foot.
"BULL! SHIT!"
"Don't you raise your voice at me, young lady!"
"I'll raise it as high as I want if you two are gonna keep being stubborn and downright unreasonable!" Akira finally jumps to his seat to speak up, feeling uncomfortable being in the middle of this family feud.
"Look! Whatever I did to piss you off so much, I'm sorry!" he exclaims. "So please! Just hear me out!"
"Don't bother! I've heard enough!"
"But-" Sosuke gets up in his face and shoves him to the ground, making him slam the back of his head into the wall and knocking his glasses off in the process.
"OW! Ngggh!"
"I thought I told you to get out!" Sosuke barks. "Next time, I'm calling the cops! Now I get why she's acting up! She's been around bad influences like you!" Ann stands in front of Akira to protect him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
As the family is arguing, Akira's state of mind is slowly shifting as he rubs his head.
… I really wanted to work this out peacefully… he thinks. But they won't listen to reason… Okay then…
Akira slowly picks up his glasses, puts them away, and rises from the ground with a calm, serious look on his face and shadows blanketing his eyes.
… O-kay...
Sosuke sees him stand up behind Ann.
"Tch! That's it! I'll let the police deal with you!" he shouts as he pulls out his phone. Just when Ann is about to object…
*KER-POW*
Time seems to slow down for Ann and her mother as they witness Sosuke being slammed with a vicious right cross to the jaw, which causes him to drop his phone on the coffee table.
"Sosuke!"
"Dad!" A follow up stomp kick to the stomach forces him back onto the couch and the couch itself almost falls on its back completely before falling back on its bottom. When Ellen tries to rush over…
"Don't you fucking move." A pair of piercing eyes more terrifying than a snake's and the deep voice of a demon blast a wave of dark, ominous aura in her direction to petrify her, stopping her dead in her tracks and making her blood run cold. Sosuke wipes the trickle of blood from his mouth.
"You little shit! Where the hell do you get off talking to my wife like-" The loud cracking of a phone screen and the glass surface of a coffee table underneath a heel cuts him off. Everything goes completely silent as Akira's red eyes lock onto Sosuke and the aura of dark side fills the room. The "nice guy" has just left the building.
"Shut the hell up," Akira snarls in a deep voice. "I've just about had with you, old man. If you think you can just waltz in here, try to take the love of my life from me, and stomp all over me like that, you couldn't be more wrong." Akira grabs the phone from under his foot and clenches it hard in his hand.
"I really tried to hold back and do this without incident! I really tried to show you both the greatest amount of respect I could give! I REALLY didn't wanna lose my temper and blow up like this in front of Ann! But you know what?" The overflowing anger allows Akira crush the phone in his hand.
"To HELL with you and all that bullshit! You've officially pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"
"You rotten little-" Akira hurls the remains of Sosuke's phone straight at his face to force him back down to the couch, the intensity of his glare growing to that of murderous intent.
"HEY! I didn't say you get to open your goddamn mouth!" he roars, stomping the cushion beside his prey and leaning in further. "The only thing you get do is sit there on your fat ass and listen to me! You got that?!" Ellen starts to tremble in fear and her eyes widen in horror as the oppressive aura coming from the boy floods the entire room.
"My god…! Ann, say something!" Ann just closes her eyes and throws her hands up.
"Out of my hands," she says bluntly. As much as she didn't want a big mess, her parents are being too stubborn to reason with by peaceful means. They're trying to take her away from her friends again, just like they did many times before, so in order to free herself from that cycle, she needs to do it by force. And she has the best help she could ask for.
Akira's glare softens a bit as he looks down at Ann's stunned father.
"Truth is, I did lie to you about one thing," he says. "I didn't move here cuz my parents worked overseas. Last spring, I was found guilty of assault and was forced to spend my probation here in Tokyo. I won't bother trying to defend myself when I know you won't even care. None the students at Shujin cared enough to want to know the whole story. Hell, even my old fart of a guardian couldn't stand me and he didn't even know me or want to know me. Everywhere I went, people treated me like I was nothing but a plague. No one would even give me the time of day." The boy turns to Ann with a gentle gaze.
"And then, I met her… A lot of stuff had to happen, but she was the first person to look past all the rumors about me and accept me as I was. Before, I was considering just looking after no one but myself because I thought there was too big of a chance for trying to help someone to come back and bite me in the ass again. I... became damn near nihilistic and cold. I hated the world I lived in. I wished everything would just burn away and die." A soft smile appears on his face.
"But when she and I became friends, I decided to keep on being me, to keep on being the person I wanted to be. The me that put everyone else before himself… I couldn't be more grateful to anyone for anything that I am to her for that." Ann couldn't help but smile a little after hearing that. He's told her how happy he is to have met her, but he's never told her just how big of a deal it was to him. The fact that their meeting saved him from becoming a completely different person, a much more selfish and heartless one, meant the world to her.
"Oh, Akira…" she lightly gasps, slightly feeling the urge to cry. Akira goes back to glaring at Sosuke.
"Mr. Takamaki… I can stand here with pride and say with all the passion in my heart that your daughter is the kindest, funniest, sweetest, most humble, beautiful, and special person I've ever met. She's been my light when I was lost and alone in the dark, she was the one who helped me make the greatest friends I could ever ask for, even though I had a record, and she's the one who helps me overcome anything that stands in my way." He puts his right hand over his heart.
"She's… the one who stole my heart and made it so strong. That's why I love her with everything I got and will do whatever it takes to keep her happy and safe. I'll do anything for her…" The intensity of Akira's glare rises again.
"But the last thing I'll do is stand by and watch someone try to steal her away from me… Though it's not like she could belong to anyone else at this point." All of the Takamakis' eyes widen with a deep blush accompanying Ann's. Her parents turn to her.
"... What Is that supposed to mean?" Sosuke says.
"... No…! Ann, did you…?!" Akira couldn't help but put on a confident toothy grin as he made his most daring declaration ever.
"What didn't we do is a better question!"
Sosuke+Ellen: "WHAT?!"
"Yeah, that's right! I had to go to juvie and was stuck in solitary confinement for almost two months! I was released the day before Valentine's Day, so the night after I got out, we screwed each other senseless! We didn't stop til the wee hours of the morning! And we've messed around once a week since then!"
"Liar!" Sosuke spits. "There's no way you-"
"You'd better believe it, big man! Your precious daughter accepted me of her own free will! I got to feel the deepest, warmest, most sensitive and taboo parts her all guys wish they could feel! So now, she's ruined for marriage! There can be no one else! ... OH! HELL! YEAH!" His pride took control of him in the last seconds of his rant, resulting in an unintended outburst and a fist pump of victory that he regretted immediately
... WHY DID I DO THAT?!
When her parents look to her for confirmation, Ann just bit her lip and calmly came clean.
"... It was my choice…" she mumbles. "And I don't regret it…" Sosuke is absolutely fuming as he jumps from his seat.
"YOU SICK BASTARD!" After a whole year of dodging, blocking, and deflecting attacks, catching the fist that was heading straight for his face was child's play for Akira. It took a little more effort for him to crush Sosuke's wrist though.
"You dead set on beating the shit outta me?!" Akira barks. "Go right the hell ahead and try! You think I'm scared of some stubborn, overprotective ass hat like you?! After all the shit I've been through?! Don't make me laugh!" Akira pushes Sosuke away and Sosuke favors his wrist.
"I was gunning for your blessing, but no more!" Akira continues. "I want to spend the rest of my life with Ann! I am over the moon in love with this woman! She's my partner in crime! She's my future! She's my everything! I've lost too much already, so I won't let anyone take her away! Not you, not your wife, not even God himself! No one's gonna steal from me! Ever! I'll rip apart anyone who tries!"
The father stares the boyfriend down and sees a man he just can't beat. The look in his eyes tells him that he's been in enough fights to learn how to defend himself against the best of them. And everyone knows that people get way stronger when they have something precious to protect… which means that he 100% cares about Ann.
Sosuke sighs and turns to his daughter.
"... You honestly see a future with this boy?" he asks her. "Even though he's branded a criminal?" Ann walks up to Akira's side with a serious look on her face.
"I know what it's like to be labeled too," she says. "It's completely miserable. But Akira looked past that and saw me for me. He didn't see a foreigner. He didn't see an airheaded model. He just saw a normal girl who always felt really lonely. He was there for me every single day, helped me make some lifelong friends, and helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life. It's because of him that I'm more serious about being a model than I've ever been before. Honestly, this past year was hands down the best year of my life despite some really terrible times… And it's all thanks to him." She wraps her arms around Akira's waist and hugs it tight while still looking her father dead in the eye, ignoring the intensity of his stare for the first time in her life.
"I can't be more serious about this," she declares. "I love you both, but you and Mom can go wherever you want. I'm sick and tired of all of this moving. If you don't approve, fine. That doesn't change anything. I love my life here and I wanna spend the rest of it with him. So I'm. Staying. Right. Here." Despite the judgemental looks they are getting, the young couple stand tall, holding each other in their arms, determined to stay together, no matter what.
"Kurusu… this country has an uncertain future," Sosuke says. "And your record will cripple any chances you have at living a decent life. Despite this, you really think you're man enough to take care of my daughter and keep her happy?"
"I know I am," Akira says bluntly. "And I will."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
"... Man enough to die for her even?" Akira slowly shakes his head.
"You really have no idea." There's a long silence before Sosuke and Ellen stare at each other for a bit, nod, and look back to the two.
"Well, Ann…" Sosuke says. "I think your mother and I both agree when I say…" For the first time since Akira came out of Ann's room, a large warm smile blossoms on the father's face.
"... You're such a lucky girl." The old couple proceed to laugh out loud, leaving the young couple utterly lost and erasing Akira's animosity.
"Uhhhhh… What just happened?" Ann asks.
"They're your parents," Akira says. "You tell me." Sosuke suddenly pats Akira on his back
"What happened is you two just passed the test with flying colors!" he declares. As soon as they hard the word "test", they knew what Sosuke and Ellen's unreasonable stubbornness was for. And it was not appreciated.
"It was that 'Other people's opinions about something you care about doesn't matter as long as you believe in it' crap, wasn't it?" Akira groans with narrowed eyes.
"That is the most cliched bullshit ever!" Ann shouts. "You see it on TV all the time!"
"Ha ha ha! Sorry," Sosuke chuckles. "But if my daughter's going to date anyone, the boyfriend had better have some back bone! And this guy's got it!" Ellen walks over with a funny smile on her face.
"A little too much of it, if you ask me," she sighs. "He turned straight up demonic after he punched you."
"I-I'm sorry about that!" Akira exclaims. "A-And your wrist! I'll pay for your phone too!"
"Nah, don't worry about it," Sosuke insists. "If anything, I'm sorry for backing you into a corner like that." Akira pinches his hair.
"No worries," he nervously laughs. "That was kind of a thing last year." Ellen walks over to her daughter.
"That aside Ann," she says. "We're sorry for making you feel like we were always dragging you away from your friends. You don't have to feel like that anymore. You're a grown woman who can make her own choices, so if you want to stay, we won't stop you." A big smile blooms on Ann's face.
"Thanks, Mom," she giggles. Ellen bows to Akira.
"And Akira-kun? Welcome to the family. I am very honored to meet you." Akira bows back to her.
"Oh no. The pleasure's all mine," he says. "Thank you for your hospitality-" The millisecond after those words leave his mouth, Ann's fist slams into his gut, knocking the wind out of him, making him fall to the ground, and knocking off his glasses… for the second time.
"Haaaaaaa! What the hell was that for?!" he wheezes. Ann glares at him while stomping on his face, hers having turned beet red.
"For telling them something you didn't need to say, you dumbass!" she barks.
"Ow! You know I can't! Ouch! Control my mouth! Yeow! When I go devil! Agh! I'm sorry! Ow ow ow!" Ann finishes punishing him and turns her back to him. Akira rubs his face as he gets back up.
"H-Hey, Mrs. Takamaki? If you want something to go with your stew, I can make some special Leblanc curry." Ellen's eyes widen and an excited smile cracks on her face.
"Ooooooh! That would be lovely, actually," she says. "I haven't had curry in a very long time."
xxx
Akira's curry is ready just in time for Ellen's stew to finish cooking. Everyone gathers around the dinner table and converse about everything that transpired since Sosuke and Ellen were in town. Why Akira was arrested, all the couple's big dates, almost everything. The only info that was excluded was the incident with Kamoshida. The young couple agreed that the old one didn't need that heart attack.
"You both planned a surprise party for each other?!" Ellen asks.
"At the same place and with same decorations," Ann says. "The only thing that was different was the presents and the cake and ice cream."
"Which made it that much easier for everyone to merge the parties together and get the drop on both of us," Akira chuckles. "And we were supposed to be in charge of the party."
"So, Akira, when exactly did your mother go into labor?" Sosuke asks.
"Um… I think she said something about it being a rainy night," Akira says. "But I don't really remember." Ann, who was taking a sip of water, accidently chokes on it after hearing what Akira just said.
"W-Wait, for real?!"
"… Yeah?" Akira says. "What was that reaction for?" Ann blushes and plays with her right twin tail.
"Uh… okay. I officially feel awkward," she says. Sosuke smirks at Akira.
"Well, if that's really the case, guess what? You've been dating an older woman for the past almost eight months." Akira's eyes pop.
"Excuse me?" Ellen laughs a little.
"I gave birth to Ann in the early morning," she says. "That makes her several hours older than you." Akira stares at his girlfriend, feeling that he'll be seeing her in a whole new light.
"Really!" he says with a grin gradually appearing on his face. "That's… actually... really freakin' hot…" Ann uncomfortably leans back a little.
"Wh-What? Where's this coming from?"
Akira has been associating with a few fairly attractive older women throughout his time in Tokyo. From the cute country bumpkin, Chihaya, to the medicinal miracle worker with legs for days, Dr. Takemi, to his official absolute favorite teacher who used to moonlight as a maid, Ms. Kawakami. (Ohya was cool, but the excess red lipstick was a huge turn-off.) Most of his older female attraction stems from his relationship with Kawakami, but Ann knows enough about his bond with her already through their previous job, so…
"You don't wanna know," he fake laughs. "Trust me. Y-You just don't." Ellen wolfs down the rest of her curry and sighs in delight.
"Ohhh! Oh, Akira-kun, this… this is absolutely delicious," she admits. "I've never had curry like this before." Akira smiles.
"Leblanc may look like a rundown hole-in-the-wall cafe," he says. "But the curry and coffee there is second to none. It should really get more customers." Akira takes a bite of Ellen's stew.
"Your stew isn't half bad either," he compliments.
"Well, when you go abroad, you learn some things," Ellen boasts. "I had to do a lot of experimenting to get this recipe just right." Akira sadly smiles as he scratches his head.
"This was kinda made using science. My guardian actually got the recipe for his curry… from a really good late friend." The bit of backstory surprises Ellen, but she smiles.
"Well, if I ever decide to stop by Leblanc, I'll give him my condolences." Ann's stomach starts to rumble and she immediately jumps out of her seat and runs to the bathroom.
"Whoooa, that meal ran straight through me," she groans. "I'll be right back!" As soon as the bathroom door shuts, her parents and their possible son-in-law laugh.
"That's not surprising," Akira says. "She ate the full meal in one go."
"That girl can eat a lot," Sosuke chuckles. "That was true even when she was little. She was like the tiniest black hole for food. Especially sweets." Akira scratches his red cheek with his finger.
"I think it's one of the cutest things about her. Plus, she can be a little ditsy. Like, this one time, Mika asked if she boiled quinoa in hard water to help her stay in shape. Ann says, and I'm not kidding, 'Hard water? Isn't it kinda tough to boil ice?'" Everyone takes a moment to laugh.
"I know she's not the smartest," Akira chuckles. "But she's really sweet. That's the big reason why I fell so hard for her." Sosuke gives Akira an approving smile and leans forward.
"So, Akira, you said you transferred here last spring, right?" he asks. "Does that mean you'll be going back home soon?" Akira sadly smiles and nods.
"Afraid so," he says. "I head out on Monday, so I'm spending the week sleeping here so Ann and I can spend as much time together as possible before I go. Don't worry. Even if we're far apart, nothing will change."
"Oh, I don't doubt it. I was just thinking that you must be happy to be able to see your parents again. You must miss them after not seeing then for so long."
At that moment, Akira's spirit grew a little cold. His parents. His crazy, assertive and loving tomboy mother and his strong, dignified, and incredibly cunning tactician father. Despite the unbelievably happiness he has felt in Tokyo, those two were always a missing piece of the puzzle. Every now and then, he'd wonder would it would be like if his mom and dad had come with him. His home would definitely be the liveliest it had ever been with ever together. A family dinner would consist of him, his parents, Ann, Futaba, and Sojiro. It probably would've been an even greater time.
Akira's sorrow slowly shows on his face as he begins to speak up.
"Yeah, I miss them… but I don't think they miss me at all… Not even sure they want me anymore…" Shock and worry fill Ann's parents' hearts.
"What makes you say that?" Sosuke asks. "Haven't you been hearing from them over the past year?" Akira shakes his head.
"Not a single peep," he mumbles.
"Nothing at all?" Ellen asks. "No calls? No texts? They never even called your guardian to ask how you were doing?" Akira shakes his head again.
"I checked Sojiro about it…" he sighs. "Nothing. Plus… they didn't say a word to me after what happened. Not even a goodbye when I got on the train… So, I have plenty of reasons to think they don't want me…" Sosuke gives Akira a look of confusion.
"And… you're still going back there?" he asks. Akira rubs his shoulder up and down.
"I have a few reasons to think they might want me back too…" he says. "All these signs are leaving me confused and wondering if they still consider me their son… I'm scared to find out they don't… but I'm more afraid of spending the rest of my life not knowing…" After a brief moment of silence, Akira smiles a bit and shrugs.
"So… I-I gotta go back…" he declares. "Even if I hear something I don't wanna hear… I have to know." Ellen nods.
"Well, I can honestly say that this is really brave of you to do," she says. "And at least you'll have Ann with you when go." Akira tries to speak up, but he hesitates. That hesitation made it easy for Sosuke to figure what Akira wants to say.
"... She doesn't know about you and your parents, does she?" Ellen's eyes pop.
"You haven't even talked to her about it?!" she exclaims.
"Shh! Keep it down!" Akira says. "It's not that I don't want to tell her. I plan on doing it before I leave. I already made the big mistake of keeping something from her. And I consider her a huge part of my family, so of course this involves her too… But as much as I know that having people backing you up helps a ton, I wanna at least try to handle this problem on my own. They're my parents, after all." Sosuke nods.
"They do say there a some things a man has to do on his own," he says. "Confronting his parents can be one of them." Ellen crosses her arms.
"I get that," she sighs. "But make sure you tell her before you leave… And…" She reaches out to place her hand on Akira's.
"If they don't accept you, just know that there's a space in this family open for you. Though I'd be surprised if they don't… They have such a wonderful son, after all." Sosuke puts his hand on top of his wife's.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Touched by their warm welcome into the family, Akira shows his future in-laws his appreciation with a tender smile.
"Thank you… both of you…"
Right on cue, Ann returns from the bathroom.
"What did I miss?" she asks as she returns to her seat.
"Nothing much, honey," her mother lies. "We were just asking Akira-kun what you two were going to do for White Day tomorrow." Akira is quick to play along with the lie.
"I was thinking an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner at the Wilton Hotel Restaurant," he says. "Nothing too big yet. I'm saving that for Friday." Akira gets up from his seat and jogs to the guest room.
"Oh! That reminds me! It's time for Ann's second White Week present~!" Ann lightly bounces in her chair in excitement.
"On the second day of White Week, my true love gave to me~!" she happily sings. Akira jogs back to the table with a huge bouquet of white roses.
"As you say, a beautiful rose has thorns," he says as he kneels down to bestow them to her. "And these are nothing compared to you." Sosuke laughs out loud.
"Whatever doubts I had about your love for my daughter were just washed away!" he says. Ann kneels down to her man and fawns on him with a big smile on her face accompanied the perfect shade of pink on her cheeks.
"Isn't he just adorable?!" she giggles as she showers his cheek with smooches. Ellen pulls out her phone to check the time.
"Oh! Honey, we'd better get going," she says. Ann gasps.
"Awww! Already?!" she asks. "We were having fun!" The parents rise from their seats.
"We have to get up early tomorrow," Sosuke says. "It's a long trip where we're going, so we need all the sleep we can get."
After they get their stuff, Ann and Akira walk Sosuke and Ellen to the door.
"It was really great seeing you guys again," Ann says. Sosuke gives his daughter a warm smile and pats her on the head.
"And it was a blessing to see what a strong young woman you've become," he says. "Just like I knew you would."
"Well, I had some pretty great help." The Takamakis look to Akira, who blushes and rubs the back of his neck. Ellen walks up to him and places her hand gently on his cheek.
"You're an amazing boy, Akira-kun," she says. "And I'm happy I got the chance to meet you. Please. Take good care of my little Angelise, okay?" Ann's face turns into a red light bulb.
"MOM!" Akira's face couldn't have been more filled with surprise.
"... What the hell did you just say?" he asks. Ann shakes her head and waves her arms wildly.
"This is private! Go awa- Mmph!" Akira effortlessly gets behind her, ties her hands behind back with a stray rag, and covers her mouth.
"Ann-pan, shut up. Ellen, what the hell did you just say?" Ellen sighs and shrugs.
"Of course she didn't tell you. I have no idea why she's so embarrassed by it." Akira continues to restrain his girlfriend with no trouble, even though she struggles harder.
"Well, Akira-kun," Ellen continues. "My lovely daughter's full name… is Angelise Fiore Takamaki. A-N-G-E-L-I-S-E, F-I-O-R-E, Takamakiii~! Got it?" Ann lets out a muffled scream before her body goes limp and she fake dies of embarrassment. Akira smiles and nods to himself before letting her drop to the ground.
"... Gotcha." The front door is opened and the loving parents look back at their daughter and give her one last smile.
"Our precious little princess," Ellen says. "We love you with all our hearts. Never forget that." Ann sits up and smiles right back at them.
"... Yeah… I love you guys too." And with the door's closing, the Takamaki's visit comes to an end. But not before Ann gets a text on her phone. When she checks it, her eyes pop out of her head.
"... Ohhhh…"
"What? What is it?" Akira asks. Ann shows him the text she got from her mother.
Ellen: Oh. I just remembered. A friend of ours in the country happened to take a picture of one of the jumbo screens while the Phantom Thieves were doing their broadcast.
- (Picture of the Phantom Thieves with more focus on Joker and Panther)
- These two... I wonder who THEY could be...
"... Oh dear lord," Akira mumbles. Ann replies to the text.
Ann: Say it was us, hypothetically… What would you say?
Ellen: I'd scold you about how dangerous, illegal, and downright foolish what you did was…
- … Right before telling you how proud I am of you two. Your father feels the same way, I'm positive.
- But whatever. It was just a hypothetical question. Yep… That's all… ;)
Ann just smiles and sighs, accepting the fact that people her are really close to her are gonna figure it out.
xxx
After finishing their meal, Akira and Ann decide to go straight to the bathtub to wash up.
Once you do this once, Akira thinks. It doesn't bother you as much when you do it again.
"After all that stress," Ann happily sighs. "A nice hot bath is just what the doctor ordered." Akira chuckles as he scrubs her back with soap.
"So, you're sure you're okay?" he asks. Ann nods.
"Yep. Couldn't be better."
"In that case… PFFFFFFT AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA~!" Ann immediately blushes and covers her face with her twin tails as Akira falls back on the tub wall.
"Shut up~!" Akira covers his mouth as he continues to laugh.
"Angelise?! For real?! That's your full first name?! It's… Oh man! I can't!"
"It's not that funny!"
"Are you kidding?! It's hysterical! Like, I could serve you tea and crumpets with a side of marmalade, milady!" Akira gasps when he suddenly realizes something.
"Ho-ly shit! Mona's gonna have goddamn field day with this! Lady Angelise! I can totally see it!" Ann gets up in his face with angry eyes.
"I WILL MURDER YOU!" Akira rubs the tears out of his eyes and holds her close.
"Calm down!" he chuckles. "I think it's a really cute name for you… My little Angelise~." Ann's cheeks puff out, feeling a little happy at the way he says her name.
"... Don't say it like that…" she pouts. Akira rests his forehead on hers, looks her dead in the eye, and tickles her cheek with his finger.
"Why not… my precious little Angelise~?" Suddenly feeling the need for a bit of intimacy, she places her hands on his shoulders.
"... You're lucky you're cute," she grumbles. Akira snickers a little before pulling her in for a quick peck on her lips. Then, she leans in to talk in his ear.
"Hey, I gotta know," she says. "When you were yelling at Dad... did you really mean all those things you said about me?"
"Of course I did. Every single word." Crimson red blooms on her face.
"... Stop it~!" she whines.
"Stop what?" She hugs him tightly.
"Stop saying things that make me fall in love with you all over again! No matter how strong it is, my heart can't take any of it!" Akira hugs her back.
"No way," he says bluntly. "I'll make fall for me so hard that you crack the Earth open like an egg. And I'll do it every day for the rest your life." Ann pushes away slightly to look into his eyes with hers filled with puppy dog cuteness.
"... Really?" she asks sweetly. Akira gently tickles under her chin with his finger.
"Count on it." That's all he says before he pulls her back in for a hot passionate kiss, feeling a big smile grow through the touch of her lips.
In no way, shape, or form did they start making love. Just the fact that they were naked in the bath was enough.
xxx
A toddler boy running into his mother's open arms before being tickled mercilessly…
The boy being carried piggyback on his father's shoulders…
The boy, who is now a teenager, sitting at the dinner table laughing and being merry with his parents…
All of those mental images drowning in darkness before a loud thunderclap rings out…
That's enough to make Akira jolt awake in a cold sweat.
"UWAH-HA!" As he is trying to catch his breath, Ann, who was woken up by his scream, sits up to check on him.
"A-Akira? What's wrong?" she mumbles. Akira wipes the sweat off his brow before turning to her.
"Oh… sorry," he sighs. "Didn't mean to wake you up…"
"Bad dream?"
"Kinda, yeah." Ann smiles a little and pats on her pillow.
"Hey, lay back down," she requests. Akira immediately puts his head back on the pillow. Ann slides up higher on the bed, lays on her side, and pulls Akira in, his face gently pressing up against her chest.
"How's that?" she asks. "Better?" The perfect softness and firmness ratio of her mother pillows and the lull of her heart beat puts Akira's slightly rattled mind at ease as his face turns slightly red.
"... No objections," he says. As he is slowly dragged back into slumber, the feeling of his lover's chest brings a certain childhood memory to mind.
He subconsciously mumbles something before falling completely asleep.
… Mom...
Target: Hit
Author's Note: K'yo, guys! Atlus hit us with a few bombshells, so I thought I'd rant a bit.
1. "Catherine: Full Body" seems like a good time. I really dug the original Catherine's story. I prefer succubus Catherine over girlfriend Katherine cuz, like Ann, Catherine's fun to be around, even though most of the fun is the racey type. Plus, Katherine didn't really have anything going for her in my perspective. Apart from the beginning, that time she brought him cake, and her Good and True endings, she wasn't very nice to Vincent at all. She was just strict and controlling of everything. If she wasn't so, I dunno, suspicious and angry 95% of the time and the story dove deeper into why she and Vincent are together in the first place, I might not have written her off as fast as I did. Hopefully, they fix this in the remake. (P.S.: New girl Rin is cute, but that web pic of her lifting her dress up and that end scene in the trailer… Veeeeery ominous.)
2. P3DMN and P5DSN are looking awesome! :) The models looks fantastic, I really wanna know what kind of mystery mode those cutscenes are for (especially the one where we're(?) alone with Ann in her room), and my god, all the girls' outfits are HOT! Ann, Yukari, Makoto, and Mitsuru's especially! Woo! ;)
3. So, Atlus released the official game and anime name for Joker: Ren Amamiya. Honestly, it's… not that bad actually. I'm not a real fan of one syllable names, so that first name "Ren" is kinda "eh" for me, but that last name "Amamiya" really makes it work. Plus, it goes well as the last name for any of the girls if he marries them. Although, it sounds dangerously close to "Mama mia" and makes me think of Super Mario. I feel like "Akira" is a more fitting name to match his edge. Final verdict: I think I'm just gonna stick with "Akira Kurusu" as his name for my fanfic.
4. Still praying for Persona remakes.
P.S.: Any of you heard of the anime "Cross Ange"? Y'know, the one with all the robot mechs and dragons and naked girls and yuri? Well, Ann actually shares a Japanese VA with the main protagonist who actually used to go by "Lady Angelise". She now goes by "Ange", for short. And Akira's outburst? Ange's bf, Tusk, does the same thing. Thought that was a cool thing to reference and mention.
Alright, that's it. Shutting up now.