Persona Days
Disclaimer: I do not own Atlus's Persona (including Persona 5) or 0verflow's School Days for that matter. This is a story created just for fun.
Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is my first story independent of Michael Weyer's Infinity Crisis. I hope all of you readers enjoy this story.
This is a work of fiction.
Similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental.
Only those who have agreed to the above have the privilege of partaking in this Fusion Fic story between Persona 5 and School Days
Yes...
Everything that happens from here on is real in this world. Is that your cognition of this?
Yes...
Good.
In an unstable and chaotic world, those who oppose fate and desire change...From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters. One such trickster is Amamiya Ren, the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, nicknamed "Joker." Joker sought to change the world for the better against the forces of corruption, having witnessed injustice firsthand after being falsely accused of assault while the perpetrator, Shido Masayoshi, got away scot-free. Every day, Joker and his allies work to steal the hearts of the unjust and convince them to change their minds if they can. When not performing heists, the Phantom Thieves attend Shujin Academy and go through the typical topics of high school, while others are unaware of their true identities even as they are aware of their reputation. After defeating Yaldabaoth one last time, the Phantom Thieves disbanded to focus on personal matters.
However, Yaldabaoth's machinations within the Metaverse left an unexpected yet accidental surprise for the Phantom Thieves.
In Shujin Academy, three students met in high school. Their relationship would change over time. These events turned into three separate love stories intersecting with Joker and the Phantom Thieves.
Mementos
An Attendant was standing near a ripple that was slowly growing throughout the Mementos and might rip through the barriers of reality starting with the bottom area. Her name was Lavenza, the servant to the Velvet Room's headmaster Igor prior to his eventual imprisonment by Yaldabaoth who split her soul into Caroline and Justice until her true form was restored by the Phantom Thieves. Since then, Lavenza has continued her duties as the Guard of the Velvet Room in service of Igor. Just as everything was all and well for the world, something truly strange was happening within Mementos and Lavenza sensed this leading her to investigate the source. Not long after Lavenza's discovery, the Metaverse App re-appeared on the smartphones of every Phantom Thief, including Joker to their shock and surprise given what transpired in their final battle against Yaldabaoth. As such, Joker and the other Phantom Thieves went into Mementos once more to discover why the Metaverse still existed. Alongside Joker were Ann Takamaki, Sakamoto Ryuji, Morgana, Kitagawa Yusuke, Nijima Makoto, Sakura Futaba, Okumura Haru, Yoshizawa Sumire, and Akechi Goro. Joker and the others were dressed in their Thief outfits to discover what was truly happening. As the Phantom Thieves traversed through Mementos, they eventually found Lavenza standing to look at the ripple.
"Lavenza, what is going on?" asked Joker.
"Something is not right. The Metaverse still exists and a ripple has been torn into our reality," Lavenza explained to Joker and the Phantom Thieves.
"Whatever it is, we need to act now before the situation becomes much worse," said Panther.
The ripple expanded and grew within the bottom area of Mementos. The ripple showed visions of a strange and unfamiliar world. That world was none other than the (in)famous visual novel and anime School Days with key moments shown to the Phantom Thieves.
"What!? School Days is real?" Oracle asked.
"Like Lady Ann, we need to act now before things go from bad to worse," Morgana told the others.
Unfortunately for Lavenza and the Phantom Thieves, the ripple grew big enough to engulf them. Lavenza could only watch in absolute shock and the Phantom Thieves screamed for their lives.
From then on, all of existence was rewritten as one reality was fused with another.
9/15. Thursday
Aoyama-Itchome Station. Tokyo, Japan. Daytime
"Now departing Aoyama-Itchome Station."
Everyone aboard the train overheard the announcement, be it businessmen and women heading out for work or students ready to learn the basic subjects and skills to use in the real world after graduation. One such student was Itou Makoto, a student of Class 1-3 at Shujin Academy. He had black hair, yellow-black eyes, and tanned skin with the usual school uniform for boys like him. He resided in one of Tokyo's numerous apartment blocks with his mother Moeko, and younger sister Itaru ever since his father left him at a young age. As for friends, Itou knew of Sawanaga Taisuke and Katou Otome since middle school. No one was close to him but Taisuke and Otome and Itou preferred to spend his lunch with one or both of them after the bell rang at his class. The train ride was part of Itou's school days at Shujin and he was in his second semester starting in early September. He stood near the train doors during the ride.
However, Itou noticed a young, beautiful girl boarding the same train as him. This student had black-violet hair and eyes along with a profound chest and porcelain skin. She was wearing the typical girls' uniform for the entire duration of the ride. Like many on the train, she simply sat down as she was reading a book to bide her time. Apart from this, Itou only knew that classmates called her "Katsura," she was from another class, and she took the same train to attend school, at least when she wasn't sick or had personal matters with her wealthy family. To him, this was a profound discovery. Because of this, Itou took an interest in Katsura but was otherwise nervous about any interactions with her.
Aboard the same train was another male student with jet-black hair and glasses wearing the same uniform as Itou and Katsura, holding a bag containing his pet cat seated in another part of the train itself though not far off for both to see. That student was none other than Amamiya Ren, otherwise known as Joker of the Phantom Thieves. Joker was returning to his school to complete his studies and graduate, whether he would continue the group he started or not. The thief took out the Antisocial Force and was at peace with himself for now. Next to him was his classmate Ann, a hafu model of partial American descent codenamed Panther. Ann was the first Shujin student encountered by Joker and she subsequently became a founding member of the Phantom Thieves to expose the perverted Olympic medalist turned teacher Kamoshida Suguru for his physical and sexual crimes against her classmates in physical education, particularly the attempted suicide of her best friend, Suzui Shiho. Over time, Ann grew closer to Ren and the two developed romantic affection for each other before and after the next summer vacation to the U.S. state of Hawaii with the other Phantom Thieves. Ann wore a school jacket mixed with a white varsity hoodie with the colors of white, red, and blue, coincidentally belonging to the flag of the U.S. itself. Like her boyfriend, Ann was ready for the typical day at Shujin, typical by her standards anyway.
The next was Joker's pet Morgana, otherwise known as Mona. Morgana was created as the ultimate construct of hope within humanity itself by his creator Igor and was sent into the mortal plane to assist Joker and his friends. To ordinary humans, he is nothing more than an ordinary cat. To those with knowledge of the Metaverse, he was a Western-style cartoon character in the vein of Mickey Mouse with the ability to shapeshift into a vehicle to transport the Phantom Thieves in the vein of Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro. However, he was unaware of his true origins and believed he was born a human who underwent an unwilling transformation. Morgana eventually came to terms with his true origins. even if he was a bit distraught with not being a human as it meant he could not reciprocate his love for Ann and have human privileges such as buying goods and riding the train. Still, Morgana was more comfortable with his cat form and no longer wanted to become human.
Finally, Ryuji was seated next to Ren, Ann, and Morgana on the train. The spiky, faux-blonde boy who moonlighted as the thief Skull had known Ann since middle school like Itou had with Taisuke and Otome. He entered Shujin and became one of the school's top athletes as the leader of the track team. Unfortunately for him, Ryuji was forced out of his position by the lecherous Kamoshida and became an outcast after attacking him. He befriended Joker and joined the Phantom Thieves as Skull alongside his best friend Ann. Since the defeat of the Antisocial Force and Shido, Ryuji has remained on good terms with his teammates. Much like Ann, Ryuji mixed his school uniform with his personal wear, which was a black jacket and a yellow T-shirt with a purple star and a yellow-black circle center though as a nod to his yankii roots.
Apart from the trio, Mishima Yuuki and Suzui Shiho were inside the train as well for the same purpose as a friend.
Itou attended the same class as Ren, Ann, Ryuji, Mishima, and Shiho. Though he was familiar with the Phantom Thief trio, he generally remained distant from them due to his disinterest in their activities outside of specific assignments and he cared less for Mishima. As for Katsura, she was in a different class and the two did not have an interest in inter-class interactions. That said, he took a photo of Katsura to remember what she looked like after he stepped onto the train to Shujin.
Shujin Academy. Tokyo, Japan. Daytime
Itou sat quietly in his new seat provided by one of his homeroom teachers, Ms. Kawakami Sadayo. He glanced at the photo of Katsura on his phone as if she were his loved one. She was an interesting student, to say the least, in his mind and Itou wondered if this single photo might go anywhere than just that.
"Hey, Makoto. Have you heard the news?" said Taisuke.
"What news?" Itou said as he closed his phone.
"They say we're going to be changing seats."
"What? But we already changed at the beginning of the semester."
"Yeah, but they say we're going to do it again."
"Who'd you hear that from?" asked Itou.
"Kioura heard it from Kawakami this morning," Taisuke told Itou.
"You know how first period is Yamamoto's class, right? She said we're going to have a short-notice homeroom to change our seats."
"Seriously?" Makoto asked.
"Apparently."
"Ah."
"Does this mean we will be seated with other students like Amamiya, Sakamoto, that blonde American chick or whatever?"
"I guess," Taisuke said. "I mean, we occasionally talk with them at PE and that's it. Maybe we might speak with these three more often?"
Itou and Taisuke had their opinions on Ren, Ann, and Ryuji from PE sessions. Like most students, they considered Ren a soft-spoken fellow with a surprisingly deep voice and Ryuji to be just another yankii. As for Ann, she was perhaps the most beautiful woman in this classroom besides Ms. Kawakami and was unique as a gaijin girl who spoke not just English but Japanese as well with a standard American accent given her upbringing, which made her something of an outsider. Both considered Ann attractive, but neither was particularly interested in her as she was already paired up with Ren. They were even less interested in their Phantom Thief lives. As far as they knew, the Phantom Thieves were a group of strange individuals behind the theft of people who were corrupt in their eyes. However, the main topic of discussion for Itou and Taisuke was the photo of Katsura and not Ren, Ann, and Ryuji.
"Does your phone have a camera?" Taisuke asked Itou.
"Yeah," Itou reminded him.
"That's nice."
"They're not exactly uncommon these days."
"Well, yeah, but... my screen's still black and white!"
"Buy a new one, then?"
"I'm poor, remember!"
"Aren't both of your parents and your sister currently working?"
"Yes."
"So why are you still poor?"
"My dad got laid off from Big Bang Burger, and my sister's pouring all her money into her long-distance relationship."
"If only I had a phone with a good camera."
"Well, I hope so."
"Have you heard about that charm you can do using your camera?" Taisuke said.
"W-what?" Itou wondered.
"You take a picture of someone you like, and then you use that as your wallpaper. Then, if you can keep anyone from seeing it for three weeks, you'll end up with her."
"Oh..."
"What, you never heard of it? It's pretty popular with the girls."
"I don't really believe in stuff like this. I mean, if I were to take a photo of 'Risette' or some random female student in this class, would I end up with her? Probably not."
"Yeah, so you say. But I bet your wallpaper's..."
"Hey! St-stop it!" Itou harshly reminded Taisuke.
"Damn, you hid it. So you really are..."
"It's not like that! I just don't want people looking at my phone without my permission. I wouldn't want Amamiya, Takamaki, or Sakamoto looking at my phone, either!"
"Oh, come on..." Taisuke said as he heard footsteps from someone.
"Look, Ms. Kawakami's here!"
Ms. Kawakami came into the classroom looking as attractive as she was. Kawakami was ready to present a lesson on the Japanese language for every student in attendance including Itou and Taisuke. She was the homeroom teacher of Amamiya Ren and worked part-time as the maid Becky to pay the bills outside of Shujin. Balancing both aspects of her life wasn't easy, but Kawakami was determined to do them justice as much as she could.
"Good morning, I am your teacher Ms. Kawakami Sadayo!"
"Good morning, Kawakami-sensei!" said the students in the class including Itou and Taisuke.
"Today, we will be learning the sophisticated aspects of the Japanese vocabulary. Pay close attention if you want to get a good grade."
Itou and Taisuke understood that class was in session and it wasn't the time to look at their phones, so they shifted their attention to today's assignment.
"All right, see you later."
Class 1-3, Shujin Academy. Daytime
The lesson was finished and Itou could focus on the picture of Katsura on his phone as well as that supposed charm. He was hoping that no one else would see it, certainly not other students like Ren, Ann, or Ryuji.
"Take a photo of the person you like, set it as your wallpaper... and wait for three weeks, huh?" Itou whispered to himself.
"Talk about a stupid fad."
"If I accidentally let someone see my phone, people think that I might like Katsura...that I like Katsura."
"What are you looking at," a young female student barged in.
Itou was furious that someone saw his photo without his permission and moved it away so she or anyone else couldn't see it.
"N-nothing," Itou said.
"Oh?" the female student said.
"Don't just look at someone else's phone like that!"
"Come on!"
The female student in question was Saionji Sekai, a second-year student at Shujin Academy. She was the daughter of Youko, the manager of the local Big Bang Burger restaurant in Tokyo. Sekai also worked at this restaurant as a crew member and delivered food to hungry customers. Through her mother's connections, Sekai was able to befriend fellow second-year student and Big Bang heiress Okumura Haru which allowed Sekai herself to learn her Phantom Thief identity, Noir. For Sekai herself, the world of the Phantom Thieves was fascinating and thus, she came on board as a Confidant with the promise of not letting this secret be known to her circle of friends for their safety. In contrast to Kotonoha, Sekai had a circle of friends consisting of cake maker Kuroda Hikari, basketball superstar Kanroji Nanami, and the Francophile Student Council member Kiyoura Setsuna. Though all three were allowed to meet with two or three Thieves at school or other public areas, they were not permitted to become Confidants. For Sekai's friend Setsuna, she was familiar with Nijima Makoto given that she was the president of the Shujin Student Council and had an amicable relationship.
As for Sekai herself, she considered Ren and Ann useful in helping Itou with the image of Katsura on his phone.
"Huh, Saionji. She sure is cute but talks a bit too much. She is one of those girls who would be popular if she'd just shut up," Makoto said to himself. However, Sekai heard some of his words and provided her remarks.
"What was that? Were you just thinking about how annoying I am?"
"No," Itou denied.
Itou was displeased by Sekai's sharp perception since she could understand or know what he was saying in his mind.
"We'll be sitting next to each other with Amamiya, Takamaki, and Sakamoto from now on, won't we?" Sekai asked.
"Uh, yeah."
"Eheheheh...nice to be here with you as well as Takamaki and Amamiya."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hmmm...you look pretty bored."
"Not really."
Itou then realized that Ms. Kawakami's class was about to begin and it was important to pay attention to what she was saying.
"Class is starting."
"Yeah."
"Kawakami gets really fussy when no one is paying attention to her, so don't talk to me during class, okay?"
"You got it!" Sekai cheerily reminded Itou.
"Hmph," responded a bothered and disinterested Itou.
Just before class started again, Sekai had another thing to tell Itou.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"You like Katsura-san from class 4, don't you?"
"What!?" Itou uttered in shock.
Kawakami came into the room, ready to begin her next lesson.
"Look, Kawakami-sensei is here."
An embarrassed Itou could only utter "Damn it" to himself when she arrived.
Class 1-3, Shujin Academy. Daytime
Class 1-3 was in session again with Mr. Ushimaru presenting social studies in the homeroom. Sekai quietly exchanged written notes with Itou on his personal feelings for Katsura. Similarly, Itou would do the same with her.
"Stop making things up!"
"There's no need to hide it! After all, she's beautiful like Takamaki!"
"I'm not hiding anything!"
"You mean you're really going out with her? Hyuu-hyuu!"
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"You like her, don't you? So, if you're not hiding it, you must be going out with her, right?"
"I'm not going out with her either just like with Takamaki. Sheesh!"
"It's a one-sided thing, then?"
"That's not it!"
"In that case, what's this?"
Sekai revealed to Itou that she had his phone, including the picture of Katsura. Itou was furious and wanted it back.
"W-when did you...?" Itou asked.
"You there!" Ushimaru said scolding Itou.
"Ah...sorry," Makoto apologized to Kawakami.
For the rest of the lesson, Sekai and Itou continued to exchange notes on Katsura silently. As before, Sekai was curious about Itou's crush on her and tried to get him to admit this truth.
"How many days?"
"What?"
"You're doing that charm, right?"
Itou remained silent and did not respond to Sekai's question. Still, Sekai had another one for him.
"That charm goes away for three weeks! What day were you on?"
"What? Day one...I guess."
"Sorry! I won't interfere next time."
"I told you, it's not like that," Itou whispered to Sekai during the lesson.
Class 1-3, Shujin Academy. Afternoon
"Saionji! SAIONJI!" yelled Itou after the end of another homeroom lesson.
"Didn't you just tell me not to talk to you?" Sekai sternly reminded Itou.
"What are you, a kid? That was because we were in class!"
"I guess that's true."
"About what happened before?"
"Before?" Sekai wondered.
"With my phone."
"Ah, right, right. You like..."
"You baka! Don't say it out loud!" Itou interrupted Sekai.
"You mean I can't tell anyone else about it not even Ren, Ann, and Ryuji?" Sekai told Itou, revealing her relationship with the Phantom Thieves.
"Of course not..."
"Aww...but I want to. And you want to know why?"
"I'll kill you if you do this."
"Oh, you might just get in trouble with my friends in this class if you do such a thing. The fact is you love Katsura from your phone and you're shy to admit this."
Suddenly, three familiar students began to speak up on the matter. They were none other than Amamiya Ren, Takamaki Ann, and Sakamoto Ryuji. The Phantom Thief trio knew Sekai and heard her conversation with Itou.
"Excuse me..." said Ren.
"What!?"
"I just wanted to inquire about your interest in Katsura."
Itou could recognize that Sekai's friends were now interested in getting him paired up with Katsura as she promised. He couldn't deny it any longer.
"Well...I appreciate the help."
"We overheard you after the lesson ended," Ann told Itou in Japanese. "One of our friends wishes you to be with the woman of your life and we might be of assistance."
"Yeah, we're already familiar with the phone charm thing you've done," Ryuji said.
Itou's secret was now revealed to the trio and there was nothing he could do to hide it any further. Instead, he came out clean and admitted the truth.
"Yes, I do love Katsura."
"Katsura? We know her as a member of the Shujin Student Council alongside Nijima Makoto. She seems to be the lonely type," said Ann.
"You know, Katsura?"
"Kind of. It's just that we don't spend much time with her."
"Anyway. Saionji has been a Confidant of ours since she met Haru at Big Bang Burger in early March. She knows all of our secrets but is careful not to tell this to anyone else for our safety," said Ren.
"She brought our attention to the whole romance thing with Katsura. You're lucky that we are here to help on your behalf as well as Saionji," Ann noted to Itou.
"Thanks...I guess."
The Phantom Thief trio was now formally involved with Itou's life as Ren, Ann, and Ryuji were prepared to help him get paired up with Katsura. Itou was nervous but hopeful that they might be able to sort through the issue of Katsura not being the most social student at Shujin.
"Well, I hope I don't screw this up."
"Of course! It's not like we're going to make mistakes here," Ryuji told Itou. "Besides, with us together, you'll get the woman of your dreams."
Itou never imagined that the three Phantom Thieves would be here to pair him up with Katsura, much less with Sekai. But for what it was worth, he would go with this.
As the Phantom Thief trio prepared to organize a meeting with Itou and Sekai, Mishima Yuuki silently observed the events around him and contemplated the consequences.
School Rooftops, Shujin Academy. After School
Itou, Sekai, and the Phantom Thief trio stood on the rooftops of Shujin to discuss the plans for Katsura. It was the first and only official meeting for this purpose. Everyone had Katsura on their minds and how to make her Itou's new girlfriend. Naturally, Sekai was the first to come up with an idea.
"So, we're all here for Katsura. Well, I've got a single idea that everyone can get behind: We should investigate Katsura more when she's not in class or during PE."
"Are you sure this plan will work?" asked Itou.
"As long as we work together, then yes," Sekai told Itou.
"Indeed. By the time all is said and done, you'll be with Katsura ASAP," Ryuji told him.
"Thanks," Itou said nervously.
"And just remember, I am the creator of your world between you and Katsura. In fact, my given name actually means 'The world' or 'The Earth' in Japanese. Hopefully, this world won't crumble, and you'll be with Katsura for the rest of your life," Sekai told Itou.
"As soon as school is over, I'll speak with you and everyone else."
Cafe Leblanc. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
"You really want to do this?" Sojiro asked Ren, sitting on one of the right chairs and placing his bag with Morgana on another.
"Yes, I want Katsura and Itou to be together through Saionji-san."
"Kid, I don't know much about Katsura and Itou but I'm not sure if you, Saionji, or the other Phantom Thieves should be in the matchmaking business of getting other classmates in Shujin together."
"Don't worry, Saionji will gather more information on Katsura, and she'll be friends with us," Ren reassured Sojiro.
"I'm still not sure of this. Nonetheless, you can do this and just inform me of the results," Sojiro told Ren. "If you and Saionji fail, I won't be surprised to hear this."
Ren was no stranger to romance, given his relationship with the half-American Ann since their first meeting. The two had been dating since the first semester of last year and went on multiple dates. Though Sekai would play the role of matchmaker in the soon-to-be forged relationship between Katsura and Itou, Ren and his friends were its drivers and wanted to ensure they would be together beyond Shujin.
"Anyway, I'll be going to my room," Ren told Sojiro.
"Remain well," said Sojiro.
Ren got up from the right chair and went to his room, holding the bag with Morgana.
Joker's Room, Cafe Leblanc. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
Ren lay on the bed alongside the bag holding Morgana to discuss the topic of Itou's new relationship with Katsura and what it would mean for their friends in the long run after the defeat of Yaldabaoth and the Antisocial Force. It was the first time that any Phantom Thief was involved in the romantic pairing of two individuals outside of their social circle, though with the potential to become part of it. Morgana was curious yet skeptical of such a pairing like Sojiro and provided his thoughts to Ren.
"Ren, are you really sure that Itou and Katsura will be together as a couple after they're paired up?" asked Morgana.
"I believe so, Morgana."
"As Sojiro said, I'm not so sure if you, Saionji, or any Phantom Thief should be in the business of matchmaking with others that aren't close to us," Morgana told Ren.
"Who knows, this pairing might lead to the two becoming our friends and allies if we're lucky,"
"I doubt they'll remain a couple any longer. Besides, Katsura doesn't seem to be the kind of person who wants to be around a man to my understanding."
"I'm confident that Saionji and I will make the two closer than ever in their lives," Ren told Morgana. "Who knows, they might become Confidants like Sekai with Haru."
"Well, best of luck on your efforts to make Itou and Katsura into a couple with Ryuji and Lady Ann."
Itou's Apartment. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
Itou sat comfortably on a chair next to the computer and was in his pajamas with no one but his sister inside the apartment as his mother worked long hours as a nurse. He was holding a phone in his right hand speaking with someone. That someone just so happened to be Saionji Sekai telling him of the plans.
"Hello," said Itou.
"Yeah," Sekai told him.
"Listen, listen. Tomorrow, we will be having lunch with Katsura, Ren, Ann, and Ryuji after we gather enough information on her."
"Sugou," Itou softly said.
"It'll be at that place on the roof where we eat lunch together!" Sekai informed Itou.
"Ah, that place sounds good!"
"Yeah. It looks so comfortable up there...I'm telling you, it'll be great," said a cheery Sekai.
But Itou wasn't so sure of this lunch and had a question for Sekai.
"Umm..."
"What is it, Makoto?" asked Sekai.
"What if I or Katsura are not ready to have lunch?
"Don't worry, Ren, Ann, and Ryuji will be able to sort this issue with me and you'll be with Katsura in no time! Remember, this will happen as long as we work together."
"Okay..." Itou said.
Itou was not against the plan by Saionji and the Phantom Thief trio but a small part of him was unsure if he or Katsura, for that matter, were ready to have lunch together and felt that even the trio would be unable to settle this issue. Still, Itou decided to hedge his bets on the plan and hope for the best-case scenario that he, along with Katsura, would have lunch with the Phantom Thieves.
9/19. Monday
School Rooftops, Shujin Academy. Afternoon
Everything at Shujin went as usual when the bell in the homeroom rang and the history lesson from Mr. Inui was over. Lunch started with students gossiping about the day's topics, eating lunch, and spending time outside for fresh air or socializing with friends. For Itou and Saionji, the Phantom Thief trio, and Morgana, this was a special day to see Katsura for the first time. As before, Ren and his friends went aboard the same train as Itou and Katsura. Saionji took a different train though she would walk with the trio and Morgana on the way to Shujin since they sought to discover more information on Katsura herself. They had already gone through Kawakami's class and did their assignments as expected from their sensei. During the previous lunch from Friday, Sekai and the Phantom Thief trio interviewed Katsura at the cafeteria. There, the students learned many more important details about her, which were drafted into a report: She is a dedicated bookworm who spends much of her free time at the Shujin library, she eats her lunch in the cafeteria usually ramen and Italian spaghetti, she performs poorly in physical education, she doesn't have a boyfriend or any friends at all, and her family is otherwise wealthy on par with the Okumuras. In Sekai's case, Katsura was noted to have large breasts, much to the discomfort and surprise of Ann, Ren, and Itou, who saw this as awkward for such a description of her. Furthermore, they convinced Katsura to meet them on the rooftops for lunch. That said, Saionji had one more surprise up her sleeve for Itou to see.
"Makoto!"
"Yes, Saionji-san?"
"We've done so much investigating together that Katsura-san has agreed to meet us on the rooftop for lunch. She will bere here at some point. But that's not just the news I wanted to tell you significant as it is."
"What is it?"
"Here it is!"
Sekai pulled out her phone to reveal an email message from none other than Katsura expressing gratitude and support for her and her new friends including her address. Katsura was now friends with Saionji and the others, ready to spend lunch together on the rooftops.
"Huh...So it seems Katsura will be having lunch with us after all," Itou said.
"Of course! She'll be here with us ASAP like we promised," Sekai assured him.
"Yup, you're going to get the girl of your dreams!" Ryuji told Itou.
"You're pretty lucky to finally have a girl in your life thanks to us," said Ann.
"Good. We stuck to the plan and did everything we wanted to," Ren said.
The mission to get Katsura to have lunch and become romantically involved with Itou was coming closer and closer to success. Sekai, Itou, and the Phantom Thief trio ate most of their lunch, which consisted of sandwiches and strawberry milk for the former two. As for the latter, Ren had a simple bun-sized rye sandwich while Ann had a fancy set of spaghetti and meatballs not too dissimilar to the spaghetti eaten by Katsura and Ryuji ate a hamburger with water or orange juice as the beverage for them. Afterward, they saved the rest of their food and waited for Katsura to appear.
Eventually, a click of footsteps could be heard from the entrance door of the rooftops. Itou knew this was Katsura herself making her way to have lunch with him, Saionji, and the trio. Sure enough, Katsura opened the door and appeared to the others to greet them. She appeared in front of Itou for his eyes to see.
"Ah..."
"Konichiwa...it's nice to meet you. I'm Katsura Kotonoha."
Itou was shy but he was here to welcome her alongside Saionji and the trio.
"H-hello, I'm Itou Makoto."
"Well, since Katsura-san is here, let's have lunch together!" Sekai announced to the others.
For the first time, Itou was finally with a girl who shared an interest in him. For the rest of the lunch break, Itou ate with Katsura and his new friends and discussed specific topics with the group, like romance. It went surprisingly well, all things considered, and Itou was gradually comfortable spending time with her as far as things looked to the Phantom Thief trio and Sekai.
Shujin Library. After School
Kotonoha was inside the library of Shujin Academy by 4:30 p.m. reading "The Arrest of Arsene Lupin," a collection of short stories written by French author Maurice Leblanc published in 1905 and a personal favorite of Sakura Sojiro and Amamiya Ren with Sojiro naming his cafe after Leblanc himself. Ren advised her to meet at the library and find the book as their first after-school activity together. Kotonoha found the book with the assistance of school librarian Ashikaga Yuuki, who watched her silently read with her friends. She was seated near one of the library tables and held "The Arrest of Arsene Lupin" along with a stack of other books from Western and Japanese authors she read before. Seated next to Kotonoha herself were her new boyfriend Itou, Sekai, the Phantom Thief trio, Shiho, and Yuuki, with Morgana inside the bag to keep quiet for his friends so that he wouldn't be kicked out of the school by Yuuki or any member of the Shujin staff. Additionally, posters advertising an organization known as the New Awakening Society could be found.
Ren turned his eyes to face Kotonoha and express his thoughts for her.
"Thanks for getting 'The Arrest of Arsene Lupin' for us," Ren told Kotonoha in a low voice. "I would read the stories of Arsene when I was a child and I think of him as my hero. Same with his modern counterpart from an anime called Gentleman Thief Lupin."
"I'm not too familiar with Arsene other than the basic details. Still, I'm glad you recommended this story to me as it seems pretty interesting to read," Kotonoha told Ren.
"You know, I actually watched Gentleman Thief Lupin as a child and my favorite character was Josephine Suzuki, the seductive femme fatale and love interest of the show's version of Arsene Lupin. She taught me to be more confident in my body and embrace my sexuality. Me and Ren like to imagine ourselves as Lupin and Josephine," Ann said.
"Eh, that's quite a comparison," Kotonoha told Ann.
"Maybe someday you'll think like us," said Ryuji.
"It's wonderful that we have a new friend to hang out with," said Shiho. "She's smart, articulate, and an all-around nice gal to know."
"Yeah, she's pretty cute," Mishima remarked.
Kotonoha was flattered by the compliments from her new friends and glad to see such newfound support. "Well...Thanks," Kotonoha told Mishima and Shiho.
Kotonoha was getting used to having Ren, Ann, and Ryuji as her friends with Sekai, Shiho and Mishima. To her, they were an interesting bunch, to say the least, whether it was the Arsene-loving Ren, the American hafu Ann, or the yankii Ryuji. She was far more orderly and reserved than the bunch as her taste in literature was more conventional, she wasn't a hafu from another country or was an apparent delinquent. Nevertheless, Kotonoha was as comfortable with having new friends as she was lonely and had no one else to turn to since enrolling in Shujin. Her biggest problem at school was Otome and her girl posse consisting of Obuchi Minami, Koizumi Natsumi and Kumi Mori. Like many girls at Shujin, they were jealous of Kotonoha's beauty but took it a step further by bullying her in certain places with the school staff, especially under Principal Kobayakawa, turning a blind eye to this to preserve its sterling image as a model school in Japan. She lacked the confidence and resolve to resist this bullying and no one was willing to stop this not even the teachers. That said, she didn't want to commit suicide and was working as hard as she could to become the wealthy heiress of the Katsura family. With her new friends, maybe they could stop Otome and her girl posse from committing the relentless bullying she thought in her mind.
It was 5:45 p.m., and the remaining students engaged in after-school activities would leave Shujin to go home. Kotonoha looked at the library's clock and decided it was time for the rest of the group to go home.
"Everyone, let's go home. Besides, we can't be here forever," Kotonoha told the others.
"Okay," Ren said.
Kotonoha and the others got up from their chairs to leave Shujin, with Kotonoha herself lending the books she borrowed back to Yuuki and the library.
Aoyama-Itchome Station. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
Kotonoha, Itou, Sekai, the Phantom Thief trio, Shiho, Mishima, and Morgana sat on the seats of the Aoyama-Itchome Station, waiting for the trains to arrive. Near them were posters for the New Awakening Society. The trip to the train station was their next activity together as a group after reading at the library. Each group member hailed from different parts of Tokyo: Ren had lived in Setagaya at Cafe Leblanc since enrolling at Shujin, as were Ryuji and Itou, while Ann was from the foreigner-friendly Roppongi. Kotonoha lived in the upper-crust wealthy neighborhood of Akasaka and Sekai from the ordinary Motehara-Sakashita. All of these neighborhoods and wards of the city were close enough to Aoyama-Itchome for them to go to this train station. For Sekai, she was comfortable asking the others about their homes.
"I want all of you to know that I'm from Motehara-sakashita, a neighborhood not far from Shibuya. It's also where I work part-time as a waitress at the local Big Bang Burger. It's also where my friends hang out and we know of Okumura Haru, even meeting her a few times when she came here before and after I became her Confidant," Sekai told her new friends.
"I'm from Akasaka, you know where the wealthy live including my family," Kotonoha informed the others.
"I'm a born and raised native of Setagaya myself," Ryuji told Kotonoha.
"As for me? I've been living in Setagaya's Cafe Leblanc since I was expelled from my last school the year prior and getting into trouble with the authorities," said Ren. "I'm from Setagaya too. I wonder where you live, Itou?"
"Setagaya."
"Interesting."
"As an American, I live in Roppongi and socialize with foreigners living in the Land of the Rising Sun all the time when I'm not going to school. Of course, it's not always easy being outside here when I'm speaking with others," Ann said.
"I live in Setagaya, too, with Ryuji. We're like next door neighbors," said Mishima.
"Well...I'm not exactly from Setagaya or Akasaka. I live in some neighborhood of Tokyo," Shiho said.
The comments from her friends were nice and all to Kotonoha's ears, but the one that stood out the most was Ren's comment about getting into trouble with the authorities, which caught Kotonoha's attention. What did he exactly mean by getting into trouble with the authorities? Could he be referring to the release of the Phantom Thief known as "Joker" that she watched on the news? If so, was Ren a Confidant of "Joker" himself? She was curious to discover the truth for herself, but her mind turned to what Sekai had to say.
"To be honest, we would never have been together since we're from different parts of Tokyo and Katsura is from a separate class if it weren't for this trio just as I would never have met them if not for Haru-san. A new world is being forged between us and its foundations will collapse if we're not careful. After all, plenty of celebrity news and romance dramas are all about the romance and we need to remain consistent."
"Indeed," said Ren.
The three Phantom Thieves, Morgana, Mishima, and Shiho, along with Kotonoha, Itou, and Sekai, waited for their trains to arrive with the trio, Morgana, Kotonoha and Itou themselves sitting patiently and Sekai standing up. Eventually, the train for Setagaya and Roppongi arrived with the trio and Itou walking inside to their destination as Katsura and Saionji watched.
"Have a lovely evening!" Ren told the two students before getting onto the train.
Sekai's eyes were set on Itou himself while he left for the train. The eyes on her expression were not simply curious about her new friend but love, a romantic kind of love that was inside not just eyes but heart and mind. She was considered cute by many of the boys in her class but never had a boyfriend of her own. She knew Itou from being in the same class and felt that he was the kind of boyfriend she wanted. Despite playing matchmaker, Sekai felt that maybe it was she who deserved to be Itou's boyfriend and not Kotonoha. For now, she couldn't make her true feelings known to the others for fear of potential trouble.
Saionji and Katsura waved the trio, Mishima, Shiho, and Itou, goodbye when they boarded the train before departing for Setagaya and Roppongi. It was now their turn to return home and Saionji turned to look at Katsura to discuss the latter's new relationship with Itou.
"Katsura-san?" Sekai told Kotonoha.
"Yes,"
"Do you remember when I told you that there was a person I was interested in?"
"Of course, but you have to forget him during your date. Makoto's a sensitive guy, so he'd get depressed."
"That person I was interested in was Itou-kun," Kotonoha informed Sekai.
"Eh!?"
"It may be just a misunderstanding on my part, but every day on that train, I get the feeling that someone's watching me. And that person is Itou-kun."
"Then..."
"At first, I thought I was being just too self-conscious...but as I began to think more about it and befriend Amamiya, Takamaki, and Sakamoto, I became more and more interested in him."
"In that case, you both feel the same way about each other, right?"
"Initially, I thought it was going to be a simple friend request. Then I discovered that Itou-kun was interested in becoming my girlfriend and he wanted to go out with me during the lunch."
"Saionji-san, I'm so grateful for you," Kotonoha complimented Sekai.
"Eh?"
"If you and your friends hadn't brought us together, I don't think we would have ever had the chance to get to know each other..."
"After all, it takes more than wishful thinking to let someone you know how you feel."
"I agree with this too,"
"When Makoto became your girlfriend, he was like 'I'm just happy to watch her!'"
"Really...?" asked Kotonoha.
"Seriously, he's really a nice guy and he reaaaaaally likes you," Sekai informed Kotonoha.
"...Yes"
"So give it your best from now on," Sekai instructed her.
"Thank you!"
Afterwards, Kotonoha and Sekai remained silent and waited for the next train to arrive. As with their new friends, Katsura boarded her train though there was no one else to wave to but Saionji. Sekai was the last girl at the station and looked at Kotonoha with a slightly suspicious expression on her face when she departed.
For Sekai herself, she had bigger plans for Itou than anyone realized.
Cafe Leblanc. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
Ren walked inside Cafe Leblanc to greet Sojiro after the train ride. He sat down on a chair to tell him of important news in Shujin.
"Konichiwa!"
"Koncihiwa, Ren."
"I've got some great news: We were able to get Itou paired up with Katsura," Ren informed Sojiro.
Sojiro was impressed at Ren pulling off this feat alongside Sekai. He was skeptical of him working with her as matchmakers but was surprised to see this go smoothly.
"So, Itou is Katsura's boyfriend. Huh, maybe you're more talented in matchmaking than I thought?"
"Well, it's pretty much good news I say."
"I guess."
Ren got up from the chair next to Sojiro's stand and moved to one of the tables to discuss the new pairing with Morgana. Morgana stayed inside the bag as it was placed on the table while Ren sat on the lower right chair.
"So, we were able to get Itou and Katsura together. Let's hope they'll stay a couple and maybe become our Confidants."
"Ren, playing matchmaker with others can be a bit challenging might I add. After all, some couples don't stay together because of opposite personalities or other such factors. I mean, it took a while for you to become Ann's boyfriend and only because of you sharing an ostracized background with her and Kawakami was interested in you. Regarding Itou and Katsura, I'm not sure if they'll remain a couple since the latter is a bit shy," Morgana told Ren.
"If something goes wrong, I'll just get Ann, Ryuji and the others to help out,"
"But what if their relationship can't be helped," Morgana reminded his owner. "As I said, opposite personalities or other such factors can cause them to drift apart from each other and maybe Itou might want someone else, so what do even do if Itou wants to be with another girl."
"I don't know about that but I hope we can find a solution."
"Well, you better hope before Itou commits to another girl."
"Don't worry about it."
Kotonoha's House. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
Katsura was finally home which was a fairly spacious residence with a gate, six rooms, outside space, and nice windows. As her parents were too busy with work, the only other person in the house was her precocious, adorable sister Kokoro. Kokoro was glad to see her back and wondered what she did at school.
"Big sis! How did your day go?"
"It went well,"
"Did you learn or do something new today?"
"Yes. I'm now the boyfriend of a student from Class 1-3. His name is Itou Makoto."
"YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND! Wow! That is so amazing. I hope I can meet him someday," Kokoro remarked cheerily to her big sister.
"You can come along if you want."
"YAAAAAY!"
"But only if we have the time to do so."
"Understood, big sis."
"And I didn't just make friends with Itou. I'm now friends with Ren, Ann, and Ryuji."
"Really?"
"Yes...You can hang out with them as long as we have the time."
"Okay, big sis,"
Kotonoha was more confident than ever in having a new circle of friends to spend time with as well as fend off bullying from Otome and the girl posse or other students for that matter.
The Velvet Room
Inside this room, Lavenza watched the events unfolding on September 15th and 16th between Ren and his friends. She discovered that the Tricksters had new friends in Itou Makoto, Katsura Kotonoha, and Saionji Sekai. The Attendant was sure that all of these people would become Confidants to the Phantom Thieves at some point in this altered reality. Furthermore, there were other differences such as Haru and Makoto as second-year students and the other Phantom Thieves were around their age along with posters for an organization known only as the "New Awakening Society" plastered across this version of Tokyo.
Lavenza was the first being to know of the new reality that she and the others were now in thanks to the accidental ripple unleashed by Yaldabaoth but was far from the last over time. As in the original reality, she served under the Velvet Room's headmaster Igor prior to his eventual imprisonment by Yaldabaoth who split her soul into Caroline and Justice until her true form was restored by the Phantom Thieves. Since then, Lavenza has overseen the duties of handling the Velvet Room in the absence of the real Igor and observing events in the mortal plane, including the altered world. These new friendships would shape the lives of the Thieves from now on as Lavenza predicted but what it would entail was not yet known since the Phantom Thieves were retired from exposing evil for now.
"These new friends shall change the Phantom Thieves forever in this reality," Lavenza said.
And that was the first chapter of Persona Days, a crossover between Persona 5 and School Days. Major spoilers for Persona 5 (including Royal) and Strikers to an extent are ahead and if you want to learn them yourself, it's best to stay away from this story until you have since it is a sequel to both.
I'll admit that I've watched playthroughs and clips of Persona 5 and consider it my favorite in the series because of the colorful cast of characters and a (mostly) intriguing story though not without its flaws. Like the previous Persona games, 5 has anime cutscenes to tell its story, set in school, and your main character has multiple dialogue options. I've been around my fair share of Japanese media, whether it's looking them up or watching the works in question so when it came to doing a Persona 5 crossover, I thought of the (in)famous visual novel School Days after a little conversation with a friend on Discord. The fact that School Days is set in a Japanese high school along with a female character facing bullying and anime cutscenes in addition to its (infamous) anime adaptation made it a logical choice for crossover. In fact, School Days was one of the earliest visual novels I saw, so why not revisit this? One of the earliest stories I ever read on this website was related to School Days in which Kotonoha was a prisoner and I still have vivid memories of the work itself.
Another inspiration for this story was Dr. Exposition's Kamen Rider Days mixing a famous Japanese property with another. You'll see shades of that story in Persona Days such as the characters being dropped into School Days itself from another universe (albeit under different circumstances) and one of the characters from the latter becoming a Phantom Thief like how she became a Kamen Rider. Furthermore, the Persona characters getting involved in the plot of School Days is similar to that story. Additionally, Magus Zero's Lelouch of the Wings of Rebellion, Mugiwara N0 Luffy's Thieves Can Be Heroes and Ultra Sonic 007's Shin Persona Evangelion were other significant influences for Persona Days insofar as inspiring me to do this story.
Speaking of Shin Persona Evangelion, the Aoyama-Itchome part is also a reference to that work as well as Persona 5.
As this is a Fusion Fic story involving Japanese media properties, the surname goes first followed by the given name of each character.
The opening words of the first chapter are based on Mugiwara N0 Luffy's Thieves Can Be Heroes. Additionally, the starting date of the story is a reference to the original Japanese release date of Persona 5 which was September 15, 2016.
As Persona 5 already has a character named Makoto Nijima, Makoto Itou will be referred to as Itou to distinguish him from her including the Phantom Thieves and other characters in-story. That said, Itou will be called by his given name for School Days characters while Makoto Nijima is called Nijima or Nijima-san to them. Similarly, Yuuki Mishima is referred to as Mishima to distinguish him from Yuuki Ashikaga.
Speaking of Nijima, she is around 17 for the story's events since she is part of the Student Council as Kotonoha. Speaking of the Phantom Thieves, Sumire is in the same class as Joker, Kotonoha, Itou, and Saionji but doesn't get involved in the romance since she is in a different seat.
For those not in the know, Rise "Risette" Kujikawa is a member of the Investigation Team from Persona 4 who has the occupation described above and has a Persona herself in Himiko as well as a lustful shadow.
As you can see, Pure Burger has been replaced by Big Bang Burger as the favorite eating spot for some School Days characters and the place where Sekai Saionji works when she isn't at school or busy with other stuff rather than Radish thanks to the ripple accidentally created by Yaldabaoth. Similarly, Shibuya is the residing area for some of these characters rather than Haramihara to tie them into the world of Persona. However, the other 0verflow games are canonical to this universe as is the rest of the Persona series which means Makoto is the illegitimate son of Tomaru Sawagoe as are some of the characters.
Regarding Makoto Itou, Kotonoha Katsura, and Sekai Saionji, while their respective stories are kept under wraps to avoid too many spoilers, I will confirm a few details about them in future chapters: Itou will have an affair of sorts with Sekai behind Kotonoha's back until it's discovered by one of the Phantom Thieves, Kotonoha will end up joining the Phantom Thieves at some point, Itou will commit to Kotonoha permanently with Sekai dating Taisuke, and Itou will become the next Confidant for the Phantom Thieves. For their Confidant Arcanas, Sekai is Temperance while Itou is Lovers for obvious reasons. Additionally, neither Kotonoha nor Sekai will become yanderes given that the Phantom Thieves will provide emotional support when they're feeling down and have the utmost concern for their well-being. In other words, don't expect to see any bad ends in the visual novel or the anime, for that matter, so no Nice Boat barring perhaps a gag. Last but not least, characters from the spin-off Cross Days and Summer Days/Shiny Days will be involved since some were already present or mentioned in the School Days though their roles will vary. This is why Yuuki Ashikaga appears in a silent cameo for the first chapter but he'll appear elsewhere with a speaking role to boot.
As for Zenkichi and Sophia, I have no plans for both to become Phantom Thieves thanks to the after-effects of the altered reality and Kotonoha becoming the final Phantom Thief. That said, they'll show up at some point and act as allies to the Phantom Thieves themselves. For Kotonoha herself, she is already skilled in the Japanese martial arts style of iaido and will wield a handsaw as her Phantom Thief melee weapon. Despite this, she isn't too confident in herself to resist bullying and is not as skilled as the others, but that will change in future chapters.
The references to Arsene Lupin are Call-Backs to the base game and Royal, specifically Sojiro's love for Maurice Leblanc and Ann speaking of a seductive female villain possibly based on Fujiko. Moreover, Gentleman Thief Lupin is obviously meant to be a legally distinct pastiche of Lupin III in keeping with the use of such pastiches of real-world products and works in the Persona franchise (5 included). The character of Josephine Suzuki is meant to be a mix of Josephine Balasamo from the original stories and Fujiko Mine from Lupin III, respectively.
Regarding the first meeting between Makoto and Kotonoha, this happened another day after Sekai gained more information about her in the original game while eating lunch with Makoto. For the sake of pacing, it happens after Makoto and Sekai meet the Phantom Thief trio. It can also be partially attributed to the presence and influence of the Phantom Thieves on Sekai herself in-universe.
On the topic of the New Awakening Society, I won't spoil too much about them here but they'll play an important role in the story of Persona Days.
As for the depiction of time at Shujin Academy and Japanese high schools in the story, I will admit that I am no expert on the subject given my limited knowledge. That said, I do try to look up what a Japanese high school schedule was. If I made any mistakes, you are free to PM me with advice. And to get into the darker side of school life, students engaging in bullying do not face as many repercussions from their teachers as in my home country of the United States since it's the bullied students who are responsible for dealing with bullying and not the teachers which tie into Kotonoha of course.
Speaking of School Days characters, the game never received a full English dub, even when it was localized in the United States and other Anglo countries, unlike the Persona series. As for my choices for these characters, this is the list for the main trio:
- Bryce Papenbrook as Makoto Itou (Note: Not the first time he's voiced a character named Makoto)
- Lindasy Seidel as Kotonoha Katsura and Kokoro Katsura
- Brianna Knickerbocker as Sekai Saionji (Note: Knickerbocker also voiced Rin/Qatherine Fullbody in Atlus' Catherine: Full Body)
- Alejandro Saab as Taisuke Sawanaga
The others will get their list in another chapter or two. The Japanese voice cast for both games is the same.
As School Days is an H-game, unlike Persona, there will be some sex scenes between certain characters, but I'll try not to make this too sexually explicit on this site, like how Kamen Rider Days handled this.
The involvement of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts into School Days will have a major impact on it's story and how it plays out so stay tuned.
As always, feedback is welcome in improving the story.
EDIT: I'll be honest, the first chapter has undergone it's fair share of revisions to get to the story that's being told now. From some weird alternate take on Persona 5 Royal and Strikers to trying to harken back to the former (as well as the base game) and finally a story in which two universes are literally merged. It took a while for this to happen but it finally did and I'm proud of this.