Disclaimer:

I do not own Persona or My Hero Academia

"And… done!" La Brava exclaimed, as she ended her frantic typing. They had invited Akira over to stay at their place the last night and as soon as she woke up decided to make headway with cleaning the young man's records.

"One Akira Kurusu has a new and clean slate. It was a lot easier than I expected, it was kind of strange really. Usually criminal records are heavily encrypted and locked behind numerous safeguards to stop villains from trying what I just did, but when I went to erase your files, I couldn't find anything."

La Brava looked toward the man responsible for her confusion.

"No criminal record, arrest report, hell there wasn't even any of the clean stuff like school records or a birth certificate. It was like 'Akira Kurusu' didn't exist. Like I said, it made making your clean identity pretty easy but to have no form of identity is pretty strange."

She knew she's a pretty gullible person, desiring love and being impressionable didn't really help, but there was a part of her that knew that everything Akira told her was true. That, 'Akira Kurusu' is his name, that he was arrested and given a criminal record for trying to do the right thing, everything.

Obviously, he didn't reveal everything. No, La Brava didn't expect that, they hadn't even known each other longer than a couple of hours at that point after all.

Akira hummed at her questioning as he sipped at a cup of coffee. It made sense. He wasn't even from this world. Or was it dimension? Universe? Whatever the case, 'Akira Kurusu' was never originally from this world, so it made sense that his identity and records were unknown here.

To be honest, Akira was focused mainly on getting an identity and didn't really think too much on explaining on why he would need one, or more specifically why he didn't have one. After thinking about it for a while, Akira realised he didn't really need to make up a cover story. The truth would work.

"Do you remember how I said I was attacked by a villain before coming here? I don't fully understand how their powers work but from what I understood, it was centred around cognition. They had the power to use other people's cognition of them to heal and make themself stronger. It wasn't limited to only them either. They could alter the landscape and…"

Akira slowed to a stop as he looked down at the warm cup of coffee in his hands, his fingers curled tighter around the mug as the recent memories of his friends were brought to the forefront of his mind.

La Brava's eyes widened. She was smart. She could see where Akira was going.

"… to alter someone else's cognition? Don't tell me… they erased your identity?! B-but how's that possible? For someone to have a powerful Quirk like that and no one know about it?" La Brava questioned almost frantically before another realisation hit her.

"No, it makes sense. They probably alter anyone's cognition of them so that they can continue to be hidden and unknown." Akira once again hummed. Neither confirming nor denying her theory. "But that begs the question. Why didn't they make you forget? Why erase your identity?"

"I don't know. Like I said, I don't know if I came here because of their powers or if someone else managed to save me. Regarding my identity, well, it could have been a failed attempt at killing me or a way to make me suffer more. To die or to be forgotten… to not exist. I can tell you now that one of those choices is crueller than the other." And it was true. As someone who grew stronger from the bonds he made, to be forgotten is a hell worse than death.

Around the corner from them and standing in the kitchen was Gentle. He quietly stirred at his tea as he listened to what the young man said. His hand clenched tightly around the handle of his teacup when he heard what Akira said. It was Gentle's greatest fear. To be forgotten. He wanted to be remembered, for his life to have meaning.

After his botched attempt to save someone in the past, his life went downhill, everyone gave up on him: his school, his parents, society. There was still a part of him that still believed, but Takeshita forgetting him showed him the reality of situation. He didn't achieve anything. He was forgotten. It was why Gentle does what he does now.

He tried to do small deeds of good, exposing groups and companies for acting 'ungentlemanly' and tried to be famous… to be acknowledged. He wanted to carve his name into the annals of history in the hopes that someone out there will give at the very least, a moment's thought to the way he lived and aspire to it.

Gentle turned around the corner and went to sit beside La Brava. A small smile formed on his face at the thought of the girl. He was so blessed to have her in his life. In a way, she was like his anchor to this reality, a constant reminder and living proof that his life has meaning, that he managed to achieve some lasting good, that he'll always be remembered.

"Regardless of whether this evildoer meant to kill or make you forgotten, is there any chance he will come back to finish you young Kurusu?" Gentle asked. If there was a possibility of this villain coming to find the young man in front of him, he wanted to be prepared, for both Akira and La Brava's sake.

"No, I don't believe so." Akira was sure, almost certain the Holy Grail was still at the bottom of Mementos back in his world. As much as he wanted to deny it, something in the pit of Akira's stomach told him that the only remanent that came from his world to this world was Akira himself.

Seeing the look on the young man's face, Gentle could only nod. "I see. Well then, have you thought about what you wanted to do now Young Kurusu?"

"Having my own money would be nice, so I should probably look for some part time work. Can't keep relying on you after all. I also need to practice using my 'quirk,' in case anything was affected by that villain."

Gentle stroked his moustache as he began to think. "Hm, there isn't much space here for you to practice using your quirk or any other facilities nearby…"

"Oh what about that beach nearby."

"Beach?" Akira asked confused.

"Ah brilliant idea La Brava! Yes, the beach in question is about a 20 minute walk away and is littered with trash drifting in from the ocean. No one visits the beach anymore for obvious reasons and is thus the perfect place for you to practice!" Gentle replied with a flourish.

'Hmm, yeah that could work.'

Akira carefully navigated through broken appliances and left-over vehicle parts toward a more private and open space on the beach. When Gentle was describing the place, the sight before him wasn't what he imagined. If someone had told him this was a garbage dump and not a famous beach spot, he would have believed them. It was terrible.

Once Akira had found a comfortable spot, he decided to test out his powers. Usually, summoning personas required him to rip off the white mask he usually wore with his phantom thief outfit and the outfit only manifested itself in mementos and palaces where he was considered a threat. He called out to his first persona from within the Sea of Souls where he drifted to the forefront of Akira's mind. No outfit change or mask appeared.

'Hmm…'

"Hello young voleur, you called?" The whispery echo of his voice resounded in his head.

"Hey Arsène. I was just trying to practice using my powers, but this is the first time trying to summon you or my outfit outside of the metaverse. Any ideas?"

"Hoh? Now that is interesting. Personas are the result of your true self personified into the physical realm. The metaverse certainly helped boost yours and others' cognitive powers and allowed you all to manifest us into physical form but something feels different."

"Different?"

"Yes. For all intents and purposes, you should have died." Being reminded of his and the other phantom thieves' death made him take an involuntary gulp. "The Holy Grail removed any and all cognition of your very being, and thus you should have been removed from reality… and yet, lo and behold, you stand before us in the flesh." Akira didn't have to see Arsène to imagine him stroking his chin in a pondering manner.

"I theorise that it is the power that has been given only to a select few in your world's history. The power of the Wildcard. The Wildcard is like the number zero... empty yet holding infinite potential within itself. I cannot tell you all of the powers and potential Wildcards have; I don't think anyone can. What I can tell is that I've heard stories of past Wildcards possessing the powers of the World, even the Universe."

It was certainly a theory, the best one he's got, and certainly one he needed to think more on in the future. For now however… "That's interesting and all Arsène but what does all that mean?"

Arsène let out an echoed laugh. "Yes, yes young voleur I'll get to the point. The aftermath of the Holy Grail incident affected your entire being: mind, body and spirit. The result of which I feel was the catalyst that opened a possibility that was not opened to you before. In short, as the Wildcard, you potentially may not even need the metaverse to summon us."

Akira's eyes widened at the idea. Was it possible to bring his personas into the real world? He certainly never tried before. Hell, the idea never even occurred to him before. It was worth a shot in any case.

Akira closed his eyes, held out his arm, and focused on the image of Arsène. He tried to picture every aspect of Arsène, his dark feathered pinions, his scarlet attire, his cocky features that seemed to be set aflame. He imagined his first persona manifested into corporal form, into reality. But nothing. Akira opened his eyes and his posture slouched.

"Damn." He didn't expect to summon any personas into reality on the first go but Akira was hoping for some sort of reaction.

"Perhaps you are going about this the wrong way young voleur. Picture not the image of me, but the feeling of summoning me." Arsène suggested. It was worth a shot.

Akira once again closed his eyes and focused on the feelings and the motions of summoning Arsène.

He imagined his domino mask upon his face. He remembered how the mask felt cool to his skin, and how the mask brimmed with power as the image of the persona he wanted to summon came to the forefront of his mind. He pictured the feelings he felt every time he summoned a persona before his mind remembered the first time he summoned Arsène. With imaginary fingers, he clutched the corner of his mask; only one word appeared in his mind.

"PERSONA!"

He ripped the mask off his face, the cool sensation quickly shifting to searing heat as blue flames licked at the corner of his eyes. The mask tried to cling to his face to no avail as it was quickly peeled off along with bits of flesh and blood. Akira's eyes were thrust open as the imaginary pain around his face subsided to the familiar presence of blue flames enveloping the space his mask occupied before spreading to the rest of his body.

When the flames subsided, Akira was adorned in his familiar Phantom Thief outfit, his idealisation of rebellion. It hadn't even been a couple of days since he last donned the outfit but to him, it felt like years. It felt good to be back in uniform. His thoughts were interrupted as he was cloaked in a large shadow. Turning around, he couldn't contain the smile on his face.

"It's good to see you Arsène."

The large demonic looking persona tipped his hat in a flourished bow, his wings fluttered outstretched causing his suit to ripple like scarlet liquid.

"It's good to see you too young voleur. Now, why don't we get this show on the road?"

"My thoughts exactly." Akira responded with his usual smirk. He turned to a rusted fridge nearby and with a pointed snap of his fingers exclaimed his command. "Eiha!"

Wisps of red, black and white sparked from Arsène's fingers before crashing into the fridge, knocking it away. Akira looked at the scene with a smile.

'It worked!'

His smile, however, quickly grew into a grimace as he clutched at his head. He was experiencing a severe headache unlike any he's felt before. His outfit along with Arsène faded away leaving him in the clothes he wore coming to the beach.

"Hmm… It appears your body cannot handle the strain of using skills at this moment. Without the boosted benefits of the metaverse, it seems casting spells and potentially physical attacks may drain more than they usually do from you. I suggest you try to improve your mental capabilities and your stamina if you desire to use our skills more in the future. Regardless, it was a great success summoning thy clothes of rebellion, me, and casting Eiha into this world."

Arsène was right. Akira was able to achieve something he would have assumed impossible in his world. He was able to bring almost everything that made him a Phantom Thief into a reality outside of the metaverse. It was incredible. While the stronger drain was annoying, especially for what Akira saw as a cheap-to-cast skill, it wasn't too hindering. He used to train his mind to improve his 'Spiritual Power' and exercised with Ryujii to improve his stamina. He can do it again. Maybe more efficiently this time as well.

Akira frowned in pain again from his headache.

'I could really use a coffee right now...'

"Welcome, how can I help you today?"

Akira decided to go to the café Gentle and La Brava took him last night. If it met Gentle's palate, then it was probably the best café nearby. Though it certainly didn't look like it from the outside. Akira hadn't noticed when he first came here but the café was sort of out of the way. Hidden.

It was less of an establishment and more of an old two storey house, obscured in the shadow of a hardware store. Hell, the building was coverage in vines and foliage, whether it was from lack of maintenance or a design choice, Akira couldn't tell.

"Hi, could I have the house blend please." After quickly skimming the menu, Akira decided to try their home-made coffee.

"Sure thing, one house blend coffee coming right up." The elderly owner replied with a small smile before heading off to make his drink. With his order taken, Akira sat at a booth near one of the café's windows and grabbed out the notebook Sojiro gave him on his first day in Yongen.

'Alright, first things first, I need money. I should probably focus on finding some part time work somewhere nearby. Next thing I should focus on is training myself. Gentle mentioned something about facilities… sounds like a legitimate place for people to practice using their quirks… could be a good start.' As Akira was busy taking notes for the future, the owner came up to his booth and placed his coffee on the table.

"One house blend, please enjoy." With a short bow, the owner departed back to his counter. Akira held the drink in his hands and gave the oak hued drink a sniff and was awarded with a rich nutty scent. Robusta beans? With his eyes closed, Akira gave his drink a sip and savoured it in his mouth. It was good. One of the nicer coffees he's had. But it still wasn't on par with Leblanc's.

The tranquillity of the moment was interrupted by the sound of something shattering. Quickly standing, Akira turned to the source of the sound. A shattered mug with lay by the owner's feet, his hands trembling.

"Are you okay sir?" Akira asked as he made his way over to the elderly man, kneeling down to pick up the fragmented pieces of ceramic.

"Yes, I'm alright young man, thank you. I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I'm not as young as I used to be." The owner said with a hollow laugh. He began to nurse his shaking hands. "My hands… they aren't like they used to be. Every so often, they start shaking… it makes it hard to run a place like this by myself." He continued to massage his hands before letting out a sigh of relief as the trembling subsided.

Akira felt bad as he looked at the old man. Then an idea came to him.

"If it's okay with you sir, I can help you around the store. I used to work a bit at a café in my old place so I can make a mean cup of coffee."

"No, no, I couldn't ask you to do that. You're young, you should be out enjoying youth with your friends, training to be heroes, not working away here."

"I don't mind. I love making coffee." Akira walked to the counter where the owner kept his tea and coffee supplies. "May I?"

The owner gave a nod. If he did decide to hire the young man, this could be considered an interview of sorts.

Akira moved around the place with a grace only someone with experience could have. He got teaspoon samples of different beans and grinded them together to recreate Leblanc's house blend. When he was finished, a mug of Sojiro's famous coffee sat before him. Akira offered it to the owner who gingerly took it in his hands.

"Oh my…" With a single whiff, the owner could tell this was a coffee that was beyond even his. The elderly man brought the cup to his lips and the moment the earthy hued drink entered his mouth, memories and emotions flooded his mind.

Memories of being a butler for a wealthy family. A strong-willed wife and a business smart husband.

Memories of taking care and looking after a girl with voluminous black hair. Their beloved but lonely daughter.

Memories of bringing tea to them as the parents tutored their daughter on subjects way above those her age.

The love he felt for that family and the love felt in return.

"My father figure taught me everything he knew. He may not have been my blood relative but his love and passion for the stuff was passed onto me. While the blend of beans made the coffee taste great, I think it's the love and passion he poured into every drink that made each cup taste as incredible as they did."

Akira understood that. At first, he learned to make the coffee to hang out and improve his relationship with his grumpy caretaker. At that point, his coffee couldn't hold a candle to Sojiro's, even with the older man's guidance. It wasn't until he learned more about Sojiro and why he made coffee. It was at that moment that he understood.

Ever since, every cup of coffee he made, was made with his friends in mind. His coffee never failed to revitalise the Phantom Thieves whenever they delved into Palaces or Mementos, re-energising their Spirit. So he poured his heart and soul into every cup of coffee. In a way, a part of the Phantom Thieves' success couldn't have happened without Sojiro's guidance.

"It would be nice to continue his legacy."

The old man looked at Akira, his eyes widening as tears began to pool. He turned toward a painting that hung close to the counter he worked behind. It was a painting of a woman. A beautiful woman. In the woman's arms was a baby girl, sleeping. The way the old man was looking at them showed how much love he held for them. The older man turned back to Akira and smiled at him gratefully.

"I believe I will take you up on your offer. Thank you again, young man for your Kindness."

"The name's Akira, and it's no problem sir. To be honest, I've been itching to start making coffee again. I won't let you down."

"I look forward to it."

Author's Notes

Hi all,

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. A shorter chapter, and nothing much really happened story wise. Mainly some exposition and learning new stuff but I hoped you all enjoy none the less.

Just to clarify some things as well with the summoning part in case it looks like I'm heavily nerfing Akira, this is his first time summoning Arsène, his rebel clothes, and using skills in the real world without the assistance of the metaverse. Even when everyone summoned their personas for the first time, they were extremely tired afterwards. But I can get where you might be coming from. Either way don't worry, Akira will be constantly training so that the effects will lessen quickly. Wildcards are pretty overpowered and busted but I do want to eventually reach that level again.

Also, for those wondering about canon MHA, I will eventually get to canon with Midoriya and the rest, just need to set up some things and meet some other characters first.

Also, to be honest, I didn't expect to go in much depth with Yoshimura. At first, I just had an idea of Akira joining a coffee shop, meeting the owner and BAM, that's it. Kind of went off the rails here lol but if you noticed I did hint at him being connected to a familiar character so you can expect them making an appearance soon.

Welp, I think that's everything I wanted to say.

Hope you all have a good day. See you all next time, ciao!