Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5!
Certain things here may not seem to be focused on Ann's story, but don't worry, I'm starting to develop her real plot line from here! Two new characters will also be appearing in here.
With that, enjoy the story!
After school...
The group which consisted of Akira, Goro, Haru and Ryuji was silent as they waited for Ann outside the staff room, concerned looks plastered on their faces. Akira shook his head and sighed as he leaned against the wall.
Ryuji closed his eyes and muttered softly in his usual mellow way as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why did history have to repeat itself…? Ann would never do something like this. I'm sure of it! If anything, it's probably the thief who somehow stole my blowtorch from my lab bag!"
Akira could feel sweat dripping down his forehead, but bit his lip to prevent himself from saying anything.
Haru sighed. "Ann is not that type of person. I know that for a fact. Who could've set her up?"
"... That little lady's got some acting talent, huh."
Stunned, all three of them turned to Goro, who was staring out of the window. Akira immediately spoke up. "Goro, what do you mean by that?"
"By that, I mean that Ann's definitely not the culprit. Sigh... what a cliché, shady trick that little lady had used."
Ryuji frowned slightly. "Are you talking about...?"
"Wait, why little lady though?" Akira muttered before it clicked and he started laughing. "OH MY GOD! You're calling her... Are you calling her small-minded!? PFFT!"
"And here we go again..." Goro shook his head dramatically as Akira began to burst out laughing madly. However, he continued, "Such a petty trick that the little lady's played on Lady Ann, though. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Suddenly, they heard the swinging of the glass doors of the main door of the staff room, and a disheartened Ann stepped through the doorway. Upon seeing her, the group quickly stepped out towards her. Haru, being the closest friend of Ann, asked, "Ann, how did it go?"
Ann sighed. "Kawakami-Sensei admitted that she found it strange too, so she's going to investigate a little more... But what is there to investigate?!"
Ryuji nodded reluctantly, agreeing with his friend. "If it's just a simple framing trick, there isn't really much we can do with a simple investigation. No eye witnesses, no photographs, nothing. It's really going to be difficult until someone steps in and clears Ann's name for her."
"Guess we'll just have to leave a banana peel on the floor in front of her."
Haru looked at Akira in confusion. "Huh? What does that mean?"
Akira shrugged with a mischievous grin, causing Goro to shake his head and breathe out, "Oh no, not again..."
"So that whoever tried to frame Ann here will finally slip up!"
The four of them groaned loudly in exasperation. Goro slapped his forehead and pretended to faint in a dramatic fashion. "Akira Kurusu, the Comedian of bad puns..."
"Pfft, that was ingenious, though," Haru smiled and giggled a little.
Ann slapped her friend's shoulder. "Don't encourage him!"
Ryuji cut in. "Um, I'm sorry for interrupting the fun, but... what are we going to do about Ann's case?"
"Don't mind me for asking this, but is it unanimous that we all think Ann's middle school's bitch placed the wallet into her bag?"
The blond-haired boy did a spit take before gawking at Akira. "Ann's middle school's bitch?!"
Haru raised an eyebrow as Goro started gasping for air due to laughter. "I know we all don't really like her, but it still isn't nice to call someone that, you know."
"I know, I know... but seeing her attitude makes me want to give her a bitch slap, or even a pimp slap," Akira grinned as he demonstrated a back-hand slap.
"... You're far from being a pimp, Akira Kurusu," Goro sniggered a little before his face turned serious. "But alright, now that we have agreed on the fact that Ms Aiko Nakamura is probably the one who did that, what can we do?"
"Well..." All eyes suddenly fell on Haru, who, for the first time ever, had a sinister smile on her face, shocking the rest of them.
"Uh... Haru, what are you planning?"
Haru raised her head, her half-shadowed face revealing a pair of eyes burning with what looked like rage, sending shivers down their spines. Yet that beautiful smile of hers still stayed on her face as she replied,
"Why, an eye for an eye, of course. That girl's got some attitude lessons to learn..."
Ann walked over to her locker alone. Akira and Ryuji had to go and record more footage for the Persona 5 game, Haru was getting busy with a huge project coming up and Goro was preparing for the Drama Club's play. Knowing him, Goro would probably get some female role, whether it was forced upon him or not...
Her mind was in a huge whirl. Aiko was back, and she was really still as spiteful as before. Only the group of them who were standing outside the staff room earlier on were probably the only ones who believed that she didn't do it. Everyone else gave her hateful or confused stares. She hated those eyes on her - they made her feel vulnerable.
Ann hated vulnerability - she didn't like feeling helpless, yet why couldn't she do anything about it?
The blue-eyed model watched with a cold, blank look her face as a pile of letters tumbled out of her locker. Again, the stream of hate mail that she always received once in a while was here. She was already so used to it. She had already accepted the fact that she could not please everyone in the school, especially because of the xenophobia happening not just in the school, but in their country in general. Of course, not everyone was like that, but still...
Slowly, her face began to scrunch up as her chest felt as if it was writhing in pain, as if someone was wrenching her heart out. She had already accepted the fact such a long time ago, so why does it still hurt to know that people hate her?
"Well, looks who's here!"
Ann did not even need to look at them. Just by listening to their voices, she knew that it was the same crowd of people who disliked her. Spreading rumours were already enough for her. What else were they going to do to her?
One of the girls stepped forward. "The thief of the school, huh? You stole a prized possession of someone who's not even from our school, and the teachers didn't punish you at all?! What kind of justice is this?!"
Another boy nodded. "If not even the teachers can help us students against those who are trying to ruin our lives, then we'll just have to take matters into our own hands, no?"
"Well?! Why not you turn to face us while we're looking at you, Devil Woman?"
She sighed in fatigue as she turned to face them. "What?"
"Did you seriously just asked 'What?'? Stop lying! We know everything about what you did to that exchange student, Ann Takamaki! And we're going to deal justice for her!"
"… Except that I didn't steal it. I am innocent, and I know it."
One of the other girls frowned. "You really need to learn your lesson before you'll apologise to her and atone for what you've done, huh? Well then…"
Ann stepped back as she bit her lip in anticipation, her back pressed against the walls of cold, hard, metal lockers as they advanced. Meanwhile, she caught sight of a familiar girl walking past before smirking back at her, glad to see Ann getting pressured by the crowd.
Ann closed her eyes, waiting for the torment to begin.
"And cut! Good take! Good job on completing three of the Chariot Confidant scenes today!"
"Wa-hoo-hoo!" Akira cackled in delight as he flipped out of his seat and nearly rammed into the setting's fake wall nearby. Ryuji started laughing, but still lectured, "Akira-san, be careful!"
Grinning happily, Akira turned to the Director and asked, "Does this mean that we're allowed to leave?"
"Unfortunately, no. Sakamoto is allowed to leave, but you still have a couple more scenes to film with the others. They should be coming in soon."
There was a moment of silence before Akira slapped both his hands onto his face and cried. "... No-ho-ho! God damn it!"
Upon seeing his friend's reaction, Ryuji started chuckling at his friend's plight as he walked towards the changing room. "Pfft! Have fun, buddy! I'll just be changing out of this and then I'll head out!"
"RYUJI SAKAMOTO! YOU GET BACK HERE!"
"Whoa, whoa. It's getting really lively in here, ain't it?"
Akira's shrieks and Ryuji's laughter were interrupted when both of them heard a familiar voice in the vicinity. Surprised, Akira swivelled his head towards the door only to see a male with short bluish-black hair and a girl with long blonde hair pulled up into a navy blue headband. Based on the slight unnatural colour, it seemed as if the girl's hair was coloured with hair dye. However, that was not the one thing that caught his attention.
"M-Mishima-san?!"
Smiling back, his classmate waved back at him. "Yo, Kurusu-san! I'm here for some filming, along with Yaya here!"
Yuuki Mishima was Akira's classmate, but he had never really spoken much with him. However, he did know that Mishima was a nice guy, considering how the others seem to like interacting with him. Meanwhile, the girl pouted at him as she grumbled, "I told you not to call me that when we're in front of others, Yuuki-chan! That's for alone time…"
"Oh, right! Hehe, I'm sorry, Chihaya…" Mishima grinned sheepishly before he diverted his attention back to Akira. "Oh! I might as well introduce you to her. Chihaya, this is Akira Kurusu, the transfer student in my class. Kurusu-san, this is Chihaya Mifune from 3-B. We've been dating for about a couple of months."
Chihaya returned with a sweet smile as she held out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kurusu-san! I hope we can work well together!"
Akira stared down at her hand, smiled secretly and reached out to accept her hand. "A pleasure to meet you too, Chihaya-san."
"…! Wait a second…" Mishima frowned before he snatched Akira's hand out and yanked the whoopee cushion out of his hand. Seeing that his suspicion was true, he grinned, "Nailed it! I knew you would do something like that! You are a part of the Kurusu Comedians, after all!"
"A… whoopee cushion? Come on, Akira-san! Seriously?" Chihaya smiled and shook her head. "You remind me of my younger cousin…"
"Am I really like a pesky brat to you, Chihaya-san?!"
"By the way..." She started giggling a little before she revealed, "Did you know that our dear Yuuki-chan here is SNOWFALL?"
Mishima gawked as his head snapped towards her. "Hey! Chihaya, I'm not calling you Yaya anymore! Why did you still disclose my identity?!"
"Because you've already called me Yaya earlier," she replied with a triumphant smirk on her face as she pinched his cheeks, causing him to sigh and shake his head.
Ryuji's words were all jumbled up as he struggled to speak up while bursting out of the changing room. "H-Hold the phone! SNOWFALL?! The Utaite?! You are...!"
"Whoa, calm down, Sakamoto-san..."
"Yep! He's the Utaite who's known for rapping really well! Of course he can sing too, but his rapping skills really take the cake!" Chihaya nodded in excitement.
"Hey, don't mind me for asking, but..." Ryuji began, "What roles do you two play in the game?"
Mishima replied for the both of them, "I'm Moon, a classmate of the Protagonist. Chihaya's the Fortune confidant, acting as a Fortune Teller."
"It's kind of weird for someone like me to play the role of an adult, though..." Chihaya giggled lightly.
"-haya! Chihaya!"
Suddenly, the doors burst open once more, and Futaba ran into the room, panting madly. Chihaya turned to the orange-haired girl in surprise. "Futaba? What is it?"
She held out a violet-coloured file. "You left your homework file in your classroom! Hifumi-Senpai told me to help return it to you."
"Huh?! Oh, god! I didn't know that! Thanks, cousin-kinz!" She laughed at her own mistake before messing up Futaba's hair, causing the young girl to pout a little. Realising what his senior had just said, Akira stared with eyes wide-open.
"F-Futaba-san is your...?!"
"Mm-hm! Futaba here's my adorable little cousin!" The girl in the navy blue headband nodded as she looked back at the bespectacled girl. "Trust me when I say that she's very shy, but once you get to know her, she's just one little terror of mischief…"
Futaba sighed softly before she muttered, "Chihaya…"
"Alright, alright, sweetie! Don't take what I just said so seriously! Anyways, thanks for bringing the file over! Are you still busy preparing for the concert?"
She bit her lip in slight nervousness. "W-Well, I guess it's going fine… I mean, I've been practising a lot with the group recently… Oh! Um, Akira-Senpai? Ryuji-Senpai? Can I ask you something?"
Ryuji looked up from packing his things and asked curiously, "What is it, Futaba-san?"
She shuffled her feet from side to side as she asked, "Did… did something happen to Ann-Senpai?"
The two boys looked at each other in knowing glances before Akira turned back to her. "Something rather… complicated cropped up. Why do you ask, Futaba-san?"
"Um… I walked past her on the way here. She looked really exhausted and upset about something. I think I even heard her crying, but… I'm not too sure if it was just a sigh or…"
The three guys on scene simply stared in horror as they tried to comprehend the situation while Chihaya just looked on in confusion. Mishima quickly regained composure and asked, "So where is she now?"
"I think she was walking towards the direction of the stairway. Maybe she was heading towards the rooftop…?"
Ryuji looked at her with serious eyes before he lifted up his bag and questioned her, "So she headed towards the roof?"
"I think so…"
He nodded before he began walking towards the door. "You guys continue filming. There are certain things that I would have to talk about with her."
BLOOPERS:
SCENE: Meeting Fox and Modelling
Blooper 1
Stalker scene: Ann is standing onset, looking around anxiously. Yusuke sees her and starts walking towards her with a hand out. Ryuji and Akira intervene, causing Yusuke to pause. The camera pans up to reveal Yusuke's face.
Yusuke: … Hm?
Yusuke tilts his head to the side, but as he does that, a gust of wind blows and whips his hair out of place, causing it to stick in all directions.
Akira, Ryuji and Ann: … PFFT.
Director: Cut! Kitagawa, adjust your hair! Let's do this again!
Yusuke: … (breathes deeply and adjusts his hair) OH YOU LIL' SHITS.
The group continues laughing.
Blooper 2
Yusuke: I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei… But thank goodness, I caught up to you.
Ann: (flips her twin-tails a little) OK…
Ryuji: What?
Yusuke: You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you-
Ann: (shocked) W-Wait a minute, I-
Yusuke: (steps forward in an exaggerated way with one hand out to the side) -Be the model for my next art piece?!
The group stares at Yusuke in shock and confusion as he stays in that position with a serious look on his face for about five seconds before rolling on the floor laughing their asses off.
Blooper 3
Yusuke: I'm reporting you to the police.
Akira, Ryuji and Ann stare at him in shock.
Yusuke: I asked Takamaki-san to be my model today, but I don't recall ever calling you two here!
Ryuji: (Stomps forward) What the eff, man?!
Akira, Ann and Yusuke all turn to look at him with surprised looks in their eyes before they burst out laughing madly.
Ryuji: (confused, eyes wide) Wh-wha? Did I do something wrong?!
Yusuke: (guffawing and slapping his leg while pointing at Ryuji) You… you seriously can't say 'fuck'?! WAHAHAHAHAHA!
Ryuji: I don't wanna swear on camera! What's wrong with that?!
Akira: (sniggering) That's fine, but… Oh, god! Pfft! Role model student's on the roll, indeed!
Ann: GOD DAMN IT, AKIRA.
Blooper 4
Yusuke wants to report the group to the police, but Ann manages to calm both him and Ryuji down before things get worse.
Yusuke: I won't report you… (sniggers a little, but forces his laughter down so that it's not obvious) But only under one condition.
Ann: (places hand on chin) What's that?
Yusuke: I want you to continue being my model, Takamaki-san.
Ann: (frowns a little) But you said that it wasn't working out today…
Yusuke: That's because I was unconsciously being modest for your sake…
Akira: (starts giggling a little)
Yusuke: (trying to keep a straight face) However, I have nothing to worry about anymore. If you're willing to… (swallows to keep his laughter down) … bare everything to me…
Yusuke makes a fist of determination.
Yusuke: … I will put my heart and soul… PFFT… into creating the best nude painting ever…! … (Suddenly falls onto the floor) BWAHAHAHAHA…!
Suddenly, the rest of them crash onto the floor and start cackling madly in laughter with him.
Ryuji: Oh my goodness, my sides…!
Akira: That is freaking genius… pfft-hahahahaha!
Director: CUUUUUT! Hello, are you guys on Laughing Gas today or what?! This ain't a laughing metre on steroids!
Somehow, whatever the Director said caused them to laugh even harder.
Blooper 5
Previously, Ann has agreed to be a nude model for Yusuke, and is now in the house, waiting for him to prepare his art supplies.
Yusuke: (in a happy tone) To think you'd really come… I assumed you were lying when you contacted me.
Ann: I'm sorry it was so sudden.
Yusuke: Oh, it's not a problem. But as I told you yesterday, Sensei will be returning in about twenty to thirty minutes. So um… I am sorry if that causes some anxiety on your part.
Ann: (whispers) That's why I'm here today, dammit.
Yusuke: (turns to Ann, only to see what she's wearing and begins to choke down his laughter) … What was that?
Ann: (false tone) Oh no, it was nothing.
Yusuke: (starting to shake with laughter) B-by the way… have you… pfft! Have you… (Says quickly) Haveyougainedsomeweight-?! (Falls to the ground) PFFT-HAHAHAHAHA!
Ann is wearing a huge ton of clothes on her body, making her look comically chubby all of a sudden. Akira and Ryuji, who have been forcing down their giggles, begin laughing loudly offset along with Yusuke.
Ann: (screaming as she stamps her foot like a toddler throwing a tamper tantrum) I know I look ridiculous, but stop laughing at me, dammit!