Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5!

The previous chapter was pretty serious, but don't worry: this chapter will be mostly full of random gag as usual, though there will be a few snippets of serious parts! (This chapter is honestly downright wacky...)

We'll be diverting from Ann's storyline a little in this chapter due to the appearance of a new main character, but don't worry - we'll continue with her story the next chapter.

With that, enjoy the story!

Akira was concerned.

Ann wasn't her usual cheerful self. He noticed it the moment he stepped into class and saw the slight cloudiness in her eyes, as if some thought was weighing her down.

"Hey, Ann, are you okay?"

She quickly nodded with a smile as she tried to shrug it off. "I'm okay! It's just that I'm a little tired from last night. I kinda came home late…"

He knew it wasn't that simple, but Akira also knew that it would be best not to probe her about it. He placed his bag down at his seat which was behind Ann's and said, "Make sure you rest and not get too stressed out, okay?"

Ann smiled and nodded. "Don't worry! I won't strain myself!"

"Strain? But you aren't gravy. How are you going to strain yourself?"

She looked confused for a moment before she gasped, chuckled and face-palmed. "... Oh my god, Akira...!"

Meanwhile, Akira smiled at her expression, glad to know that she had cheered up a little. "Glad to know you're a little more motivated for class."

"KYAAA~! It's him! The Theatre Hero is back...!"

"What the?!" Both Akira and Ann turned to the door in shock upon hearing a couple of girls squealing in excitement to see a guy with brown hair that covered the nape of his neck and big brown eyes enter the class with a confident smile on his face. Seeing him, Ann gasped in surprise.

"Oh my goodness, I didn't know he's back!"

Even though he was a slight distance away, Akira could feel some sort of aura emitted from him that made him feel bewildered. Who was this confident man who gave off this charismatic aura?

One of the girls was looking up at him with sparkly eyes. "We really, really missed you, Goro-chan!"

"Geez, calm down, I've only been away for a couple of weeks," he chuckled in a smooth voice that made the girls swoon all over him.

Akira was dumbfounded. "Um... what's going on, exactly?"

Hearing his voice, the man suddenly turned to him and his eyes brightened up. Waving to him, he called out, "Oh! Kurusu-san! Hey!"

Realising that the guy was calling out to him, Akira was shocked! Who the heck was this guy?! "Huh?! Um, wha-?!"

Still smiling, the brown-eyed boy walked towards him and greeted, "I haven't seen you for so long! How has it been for you?"

Still confused and unable to recognise him, Akira asked bluntly, "Who are you?"

He could've sworn he heard something shatter. Seconds later, an imaginary spotlight seemed to flash onto the man as he kneeled down in a corner with both hands on the floor and looked up at Akira with a betrayed look in his eyes. Akira could see tears forming in his eyes as the man breathed out in agony, "Akira Kurusu, I thought you remembered me..."

"Um, I'm sorry, what?"

Sniffling, the guy stood up and wiped his tears away in a dramatic fashion as he placed a hand over his heart. "Never mind, never mind... The only thing you're hurting, after all, are my feelings which no one cares for..."

Akira could not believe the irony that was happening at that moment. Even though he was a comedian who made everything a joke which some people can't comprehend, right now, everything was all beyond his comprehension!

"I'M SORRY?! What's going on right now?!"

Ann looked at Akira as if he had just said that an elephant had three legs. "You really don't know who he is? But he's so popular! Plus, he said that he knows you!"

Still unable to recognise the guy, Akira squinted for a moment as he analysed the brown-haired boy and big brown eyes. Wait a second… where had he seen this man before…?

"Hang on! Are you… Goro Akechi?!"

Goro gasped in relief in an exaggerated way as he suddenly gave him a huge bear hug. "OMG, you finally recognise me, Akira-kun! Or should I still call you Kurusu-san?!"

Akira stood up in elation at the appearance of his childhood friend. "I can't believe it, after all these years… Holy cow, you've changed so much! You used to be so serious!"

He released him from the hug before giving out a haughty laugh and flipped his hair. "Well, I've let go of my past, and now here I am as the fabulous Theatre Hero! Anyways, I heard that you are Joker in the Persona 5 casting?"

Akira could not believe that this was really his childhood friend. Goro used to be so stoic, and was always lecturing Akira to take things seriously! Whatever happened to him that caused him to become so melodramatic?

Akira grinned back as he placed both index fingers on his cheeks in a cute pose. "Oh, obviously! I am the 'Joker' who cracks jokes all day long, after all!"

Goro snorted in amusement. "Ah… those bad puns of yours never change, do they? I look forward to working with you again then, Joker~"

Ann spun around to stare at him in surprise. "Wait a minute! Work with us? Doesn't that mean you're…?!"

He nodded proudly as he placed a hand on the top of his chest in a flamboyant way. "Oh, yes~! I'm Crow, whose sole interest is seeking the truth~!"

Both Akira and Ann broke down in laughter. Why did Goro not show this side of himself before? The brown-haired boy then sighed for a moment before he remarked, "But wow, time does fly, huh? It's been a couple of years ever since we saw each other!"

"It's like they say: Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana."

Ann placed her face in her hands as she started giggling and mock-crying at the same time. "I swear, that is so dumb, it's actually funny…"

"Well, looks like homeroom's about to begin, so I shall go back to my seat first, yeah?" Goro smiled at them as he proceeded to head towards his desk and sit at his chair when suddenly, a loud airhorn blared throughout the entire classroom, causing him to scream in terror.

Snickering, Akira pointed to the airhorn under Goro's seat which had been triggered by a sensor that he had placed on his chair. "Ha! Gotcha!"

As Ann started cackling with laughter once more, Goro took a deep breath and smiled as a vein popped on his forehead. "Well, you win this time, Akira Kurusu."

After class…

"You do know that we are going to film the beginning of the second arc first."

"Yes."

"And you do know that Crow hasn't appeared at that moment yet."

"Mm-hm."

"So why are you following us to the studios when you should just go to Drama Club?" Ann asked in confusion as she stared at the brown-eyed boy tagging closely behind her and Akira.

Goro gave her his charming smile. "I need to get my script from Kawakami-Sensei, after all! Plus, for someone who's been in the theatre industry for donkey years, it'll be great for me to actually see a real filming studio. Don't you think so, Lady Ann?"

"L-Lady Ann…?"

He nodded at her. "You are a charming lady, after all. You have a very cute personality."

Akira cringed slightly when he heard what his childhood friend had said. When did Goro become such a playboy?! However, what made it even worse was when Ann actually BLUSHED at that comment he gave her. "Th-thanks…?"

A comedian should be quick and witty about his surroundings, but what was going on? Akira felt as if he was getting more and more dim-witted than before!

"Alright, we're here!" Ann grinned at them as she opened the door, revealing a frustrated Sadayo Kawakami, Ryuji and an elderly man with a grey ponytail, both trying to calm the female teacher down.

The older male was telling her, "Sadayo, calm down! I can easily just postpone the course to another day by talking with the course organiser!"

Ms Kawakami was literally trying to pull her hair out. "But Madarame, that's a really important course for you and some of the other teachers! That's why we wanted to film your part first! Why did that delinquent have to go for detention today, of all days?! … Sakamoto! Stop laughing!"

For some reason, upon hearing that Yusuke had gotten detention, Ryuji had begun laughing and rolling on the floor. Akira walked towards him and asked, "Hey, Ryuji, what's gotten into you…?"

"Do you… do you want to know why he had gotten detention in the first place…?" Ryuji wheezed through his crazy laughter as he pulled out his phone and showed them a picture of what looked like a detention card.

"What happened…?" Ann looked over his phone curiously while Goro headed towards the teacher for his script. "Detention Card. Name of Student: Yusuke Kitagawa. Reason for detention: Opened window and escaped…?!"

Akira read the rest of the reason before he started guffawing, "'He jumped out of the window and ran'…! Wha… ha… HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh... Oh my goodness! Is he okay?!" Ann asked as she did her best to stifle her giggles.

Ryuji nodded as he calmed himself down and wiped the tears from his eyes. "He is okay, alright... but he should've known better than to jump down from the second floor only to land in front of Kamoshida-Sensei! Holy cow, that scene was too funny to take! I don't think I can ever get that scene out of my head..."

Akira wheezed as he tried to calm himself down, only to sound like a dying walrus. "Darn, I wish I was there to see it!"

"Oh! Speaking of teachers, some of them are acting as the villains in the game! Did you know that? Kamoshida-Sensei and Madarame-Sensei included!"

Madarame, the male in the ponytail, smiled and waved at them. "I'm glad we're working together!"

"Wait! Madarame-Sensei ,you're playing as one of the villains in Persona 5?" Ann asked in shock. "But you're one of the nicest teachers in school!"

He laughed heartily, "Apparently, they wanted someone who looked like a 'nice old man', so here I am!"

Ryuji remarked as he finally stood up from the floor, "I see, emphasising on the fact that looks can be deceiving, huh? That's a smart move!"

Kawakami sighed. "Well... since we can't film Madarame's scenes without Kitagawa around, we'll just have to practice your scenes first, I guess. We've already finished filming Mr Madarame's individual scenes, so at least we already have some things done."

"Okay! So before we start filming, we need to see how you guys act first, is that alright?" The director asked them as he wielded a clapper board in his hands.

"... Whoa. Ryuji, you don't have your usual smart-kid appearance!" Ann grinned at him and burst out laughing as he walked out of the changing room with his blazer open and a t-shirt inside instead. She had her hair up in twintails since she wanted to get in-character for Panther's role.

Ryuji yelled back as he placed his bag in the corner, "Stop laughing at me...!"

Suddenly, Goro stood up from his seat. "Hey, Kurusu-san, I'll be heading off first, okay? Don't miss me too much, dear!"

Akira rolled his eyes as he said in a sarcastic tone, "Bye, Akechi, I love you."

Goro smiled back and blew him a kiss as he sashayed out of the door. "Bye, sweetheart! I love you too!"

"Pfft-hahahahaha...!" Ann started laughing at the scene in front of her while Akira could only stare back at the door, shocked at how much his friend had changed.

Ryuji flashed Akira a grin as he nodded. "I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as 'troublemakers'. I'll come talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, alright?"

Akira gave a nod. Acknowledging this, Ryuji replied before walking off scene, "See ya."

"And cut! Good take!"

Upon hearing the director's voice of approval, he sighed in relief and stretched. "Oh my goodness, finally! I thought this was never going to end..."

"Judging by the number of no-good shots you had when you tried to walk like a delinquent..." Ann snickered.

Akira added with a snigger, "I thought I was the comedian here, but here you are, waddling around like someone trying to get into a commercial..."

Ryuji pouted as he grabbed his glasses and placed them back on. "Come on, don't be so mean to me! You of all people should know that I'm as blind as a bat without my glasses!"

"Is that why you nearly smashed into a wall earlier on?!"

Ann remarked, "But whoa, your aura totally changed when you were acting as Skull. You were so cool!"

The blond-haired boy's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

Akira nodded. "You are the skull of the group, after all."

A soft smile grew on his face. "Hehe, that's actually pretty sweet, even though it was a pun. Thanks guys!"

Akira didn't mention anything, but without his Skull personality, Ryuji was like an innocent kid. Not that he would ever mention it, though. People would stare at him weirdly if he did.

But if that was the case, if Goro was here, he would probably just outright tell Ryuji that. Akira had noticed that Goro wasn't afraid to voice his honest opinions anymore, unlike back then when they collaborated together for an act, and that he was actually pretty sincere when he was complimenting Ann earlier on.

"Alright! Guess I'd better go get changed out of the uniform! You guys can wait for me outside," he told them as he headed back inside the changing room.

As they waited for Ryuji to get changed, Ann turned to Akira. "Hey, I'm actually kinda curious. How did you and Akechi meet in the first place?"

He smiled in nostalgia. "Well, it was about seven years back. Akechi-kun and I were called up to be casted in a theatre play. I'll let you guess what it was."

"What? There are so many plays out there! Come on, at least tell me what genre it was!"

"Alright, alright, I shan't be so secretive. It was actually-"

"Alright, I'm done!" Ryuji suddenly announced as he walked towards them. Ann looked at his in bewilderment.

"Wait, what? Why did you completely change out of your school uniform?"

The brown-eyed boy looked at his t-shirt and shorts and laughed awkwardly, "Well... I need to go help out at my dad's store, after all. It's kind of like my part-time job, you know?"

"... So you're a mild-mannered and filial son who just so happens to top the entire cohort in academics too?!"

Akira nodded in agreement. "Whoa... role model."

Ryuji looked at them in exasperation. "Hey, don't tease me like that! I just act like I want to!"

Ann giggled before she flipped over to her schedule once more. "Right, so the next scene we'll be filming is probably with Yusuke and Mr Madarame..."

He nodded. "Yeah! And we'd probably be filming the Palace scenes too, since we're starting to be behind time."

"The Palace scenes, huh..."

It was then when Akira noticed the faraway look that casted over Ann's eyes before it went away again.

Meanwhile...

Yusuke sighed in boredom as he tapped on his desk after completing his homework that Kamoshida had forced upon him. The clock on the wall ticked the time passing, making Yusuke's patience begin to run out.

"You should have known better than to jump out of the window, Yusuke," Kamoshida sighed from the front of the class.

The bad boy shrugged back, "Functions was too boring for me."

"It is indeed boring, but you failed every test on that topic, including re-tests..."

"You sound like you're trying to lecture me, but that hair of yours won't bring you to places."

Kamoshida grunted in displeasure. "It wasn't like I wanted this hairstyle in the first place... by the way, why were you late for homeroom this morning too?"

Yusuke replied nonchalantly, "I'm not late, I'm just really early for tomorrow."

His teacher groaned and rolled his eyes at Yusuke's reply.

A few minutes passed again. Seeing that Yusuke was acting bored, Kamoshida decided to ask him a question.

"So, you haven't told your friends about the main course that you were taking in school."

"… They don't need to know."

Suddenly, the bell rang, ending Yusuke's detention period. He dragged his bag roughly and threw it onto his shoulders before he stepped out, but not before walking up to the teacher and saying with a hint of malice,

"Listen up, Kamoshida, I won't just listen to you just because you used to be an army commander."

Then he stalked off. Kamoshida looked at his vanishing figure before he breathed out a sigh of fatigue.

"What am I going to do about that boy..."