"Joker, no!"
Akira has started to regain his consciousness. He slowly opens his eyes, still blurry after his awakening. After his sight has become clear, he is shocked to find himself at home that he rises on the bed. He pants as sweat flows down on his face. His heart is unsettling. That person could not have been an illusion, can it? It had to be real since he check the request they have taken is fulfilled. He thought that it has to be a cognitive version of that person, but he summons Persona. Not to mention he hold the wildcard ability as well. His mind has become messier than before. This cannot be a mere dream. It felt so real. He brushes his hair to the back in frustration. Morgana admonishes him on his behaviour.
"What's wrong, Akira?" He asked.
The boy could not answer him. He is confused of his current situation. Was he not back in Mementos a few minutes ago? What happened after he fainted? What did that guy do after he closed his eyes? He refuses to accept that it was all a walk in dreamland, so he seek confirmation from Morgana. Lucky for him, he turns out to be sane in the end.
"After that shadow is defeated, he healed you and then just left. We didn't get a chance to talk to him at all," Morgana said.
His tone of voice seems disappointed for some reason, perhaps he is looking forward to have him as a new recruit. They need help as much as they can, but Akira silently against it. Something about that person is too mysterious for him to accept. Maybe he is afraid that the leader's crown will descend to him. His teammates will not depend on him anymore once he joined. Joker shakes his head to let that thought off his mind. He knows his friend better, they would never do that. He lay down on his bed to fall into slumber.
"I'll go see him tomorrow. It's better to hear from the real thing." Akira's heart uttered before he fell sleep.
That same night, Yu is oncall with his friend through his computer. They are happy to see him after not contacting them for a while. He can see everyone on the screen, except Teddie who keeps being pushed away for hogging the camera. He laughs when he sees their mischievous behaviour, he glad that they do not change after his leave. He inquires of their well-being.
"Hey, Narukami! We plan on visiting you in the city!" Yosuke suggested.
"But the expenses are too high, so..." Chie sounded somewhat depress.
Yukiko tried to liven her up, "Don't worry, Chie. I'm sure Yu will come to visit us someday, we can have fun like always. Right?"
Yu nodded to her statement. He does plan on seeing them during summer break, but he wants to go onboard with the school's as well. Rumors around said that the school plan on going on a trip far away. How far it will be is what excites him. He decides to think it through once again and gives them the answer when he is ready. Then, the camera is being taken elsewhere by someone. When it finally zooms out, it turns out to be Rise.
"Hey, senpai! I'm going to Tokyo for my comeback next month! Let's hang out together, okay?" She said it cheerfully.
Yu's mood elevated after seeing her. She is like a happy pill to him. No, all of his friends are his motivation to keep moving forward. He cannot confront them if he fails now. He agrees to her invitation. The others then argue among themselves how Rise is lucky to leave town so easily. The grey haired boy comforts them.
"Don't worry, guys. I won't be going anywhere soon. After all, this city is filled with exciting people." He uttered.
It is the weekend and everyone is looking forward to spend their time not feeling dead in the hectic city. The other members of the Phantom Thieves have invited their leader to hang out together. He declines the offer since he has other plan, that is to see the grey haired boy. He needs to get information out of him once and for all. With this, his mind would be clear of any guess and questions about him. As usual, he carried his bag with Morgana in it and walk to his destination. Not knowing where they are headed, Morgana asks the black haired boy.
"Where are we going? Are we going to the vet? Turn back!" He warned.
Akira chuckles at his utterance, he is like a cat. He assures him that he will be safe and this place they are going relate to him the most. The cat is confused.
"Some place important? For you? I never thought you have some place like that." Morgana exclaimed as he peaked his head up from the bag.
Akira pets him once he noticed. It must have been cramped for him to stay in there, but he is afraid to go alone. No, he is cautious. He needs Morgana to be with him so that person can limit his action, he guess. If he goes alone, he cannot guarantee that he will be back without another threat. He tells his feline comrade to hide once they reach an apartment, his apartment. Without delaying any further, Akira takes the lift and goes up to his house. He hopes that annoying boy does not pull any prank on him. When he reaches his floor, he feels nauseous all of a sudden. Maybe the thought of keeping to that guy's words make him sick. He wants to run away.
Once he reached the door with the number he familiar with, he stares into it contemplating whether to knock or not. Even though he can get all the answer he wants within this door, he reluctant to go in. Morgana urges for him to knock but his hand will not move. All of a sudden, an utter of surprise makes him flinch. He turns around to find that person is there, surprised to receive a sudden visit from him. Keeping a calm face, Akira talks to him.
"You told me to come for some healing. I guess I need one right now," he exclaimed.
The figure replies with a smile like he always do. Even so, this time he can feel the sincerity behind it. He feels comforting seeing it after a few times stumbled upon him. The person invites him in as he unlocks the door to his house. They both enter once the door is open. Since Akira is the last one to enter, he closes the door for him.
"Make yourself at home. You're an important icon in this city. You need to take care of your health," the person advised as he pours drink for his guest.
The boy dubbed Joker remain speechless. He takes the glass filled with juice and have a couple of sips. He follows him to the couch in the room and sit facing each other.
"So, what brings you here?" Yu inquired.
Before Akira can say a word, Morgana pokes his head out of the bag. This surprised the boy before them.
"It's stuffy in here! How long do I have to hide?" The cat complained.
Uneasiness starts to engulf him, the phantom thief does not know how to respond. This apartment forbid pets, this guy might dislike the company of an animal. That should be a reason why he lived here. He takes a glance at him. Surprisingly, he is delighted. He is in awe after seeing Morgana poking his head out of the bag. Akira is dumbfounded by his reaction.
"Can I pet him?" The grey haired boy pleaded.
The phantom thief sees this as an opportunity to get back at him, to loosen his grip. He get the feline out of the bag and hands it to him. Morgana notices the danger he is in so he struggles to escape. Unlucky for him, pain projected onto his body when Akira's grip strengthen. He surrenders to the endless pet by the grey haired boy. The cat do complain under his breath, but he seems to enjoy it. Akira turns his attention to the boy. He does not come here to hangout, he needs to dig out answers from him.
"Who are you? Why can you summon Persona?" He questioned.
The aura around them become tense. He puts on a solemn face, indicating that he is serious about his question. Regardless, the boy continues to play around with Morgana while putting up a smile.
"Wow, getting to a personal question right away? That's rude," Yu answered.
"You're more rude for getting in my way," the black haired boy exclaimed.
Shiver runs down his spine when their eyes met. He returns a serious glare to Akira after his reply.
"Is that so? Would you rather get caught while lying in the street? Do you think you can endure until your friends' arrive to aid you? Or would you rather I hand you over to the police?" An intimidating aura can be detected from Yu's tone of voice.
Akira is utterless, he has no choice but to give in. After seeing the phantom thief bowing his head down, the boy chuckles as he pet Morgana softly.
"I'll tell you, but not now. After all, I am just an outsider," he looked at him with a smile.
He feels comfort from that smile and yet, his heart is racing. He is just nervous after that horrid moment, nothing big. He feels regret for bringing Morgana along since he does not help him throughout the conversation. His petting must have been too good for him to handle. The day passes in silence as Yu pets Morgana while Akira stares them in agony.
The sun has fallen, the sky has turned dark and illuminated by the stars. Yu decides to walk Akira home even when he refuses him before they departed. They walk silently in an awkward atmosphere. Suddenly, they stopped their approach to Le Blanc Café. The boy dubbed Joker gasps in surprise when he sees someone is waiting outside, it is Futaba. He starts to feel nervous. He does not want them to meet like this, not with this weird guy beside him. The girl notices how Akira's facade change to horrid. She glares at the tall man beside him. Oblivious of the situation in front of him, Yu smiles. The red haired girl is shock to see his expression. She turns back to her leader.
Akira... This guy..."