Chapter XX: Aftermath
Chiyoda, Tokyo (千代田, 東京)/10:30 AM (JST)
Following the Angel of Control's defeat, the Phantom Thieves, the Spiritual Gamblers, Hifumi, and their associates amassed away from the Shueisha Inc. building, where they laid Datenshi to rest and Sion bid his farewell.
Still reeling from Sion's departure, the group was silent from Sion's parting words. Hifumi, especially, tried hard not to shed tears as she faced the building several blocks from their spot.
"Hifumi, are you sure you're going to be ok?" Ren asked her, who turned and responded with a warm smile.
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Ren."
Shaking her head, Makoto responded. "Hifumi, if you need to cry, then please don't hold back on our account."
Haru concurred. "We won't think of you any less. We know you loved Sion."
Ann smiled, patting Hifumi's shoulder. "And if anyone here tries to tease you for it, we'll tell them off."
"Thank you, I'm fine. I appreciate the concerns," Hifumi feigned a bright smile as a few tears fell. Feeling the warm, moist tears on her hands, she covered her face, turning around as the loud siren from a passing ambulance drowned out her tears. As she poured her eyes out, the others gave her the space she needed.
"Are you feeling better now, Hifumi?" Yumeko asked her, who wiped her tears.
"A little bit, thank you for your concerns. I'll always keep Sion very close within my memories," Hifumi addressed the group.
"In that case, since Datenshi is gone, that means this is where we depart, my friends. We shall remain in touch through our Guardian Spirits," Mina spoke up as she and Kyosuke bowed before turning to leave.
"It was a pleasure to fight alongside you, Phantom Thieves," Kyosuke stated, shifting away from the Thieves as he met the gazes of the Gamblers. "As for our fellow Guardian Spirit wielders, may our paths cross again."
"You three stay sharp and trust your Guardian Spirits' instincts," Mina advised the Spiritual Gambler trio.
"Aye, they will help guide you along on whatever new adventures lie ahead for you. Guardian Spirits, protect your wielders well," Nekomata informed the spirits as they materialized next to the Spiritual Gambler trio.
"We'll remain vigilant, Nekomata," Ryōta reassured him.
"You don't need to worry about us. We're here when you need us again," Mary added.
"Yes, you take care, Sir Nekomata! Same to you, Mina and Kyosuke!" Yumeko waved them off.
As Nekomata vanished, Mina and Kyosuke departed, leaving the Thieves behind.
"Guess that means we'll be heading out, too," Mary turned and addressed the Thieves. She casually smiled. "What can I say? It was an honor traveling with and fighting alongside the famed Phantom Thieves."
"Even if you're just regular people like us," Ryōta stated.
"That's not true, Ryōta. We're not just regular people. We've seen a lot of extraordinary things during this brief time! I'm never going to forget our times together! And I…" Yumeko slowly pivoted toward Hifumi and serenely smiled. "I won't forget about our times spent with Sion either."
"Thank you, Yumeko," Hifumi graciously smiled to the Compulsive Gamblers.
"Hopefully we all meet again, my new friends! Your secret identities will be safe with us!" Yumeko said, waving to the Phantom Thieves. As she turned to leave, Mary and Ryōta bid their farewells to the Thieves, too.
Once the Gamblers departed, Akechi cleared his throat, garnering the Thieves' attention. They saw Akechi walking away.
"Akechi, where are you going?" Ren asked him.
"Yeah, just when we wanted to ask where you're living these days?" Sumire wondered about Akechi's place in society nowadays.
"Can we even be sure if it's the real you?" Futaba questioned Akechi, who turned and met them with a calm demeanor.
"However you interpret it, but we will meet again, Phantom Thieves," Akechi vaguely stated, waving the group off before leaving. Before heading off, Ren caught up with him. "Amamiya Ren, I hope you and Ann have a wonderful ceremony."
"How did you know…?" Before Akechi answered him, the former junior ace detective veered toward Ann and noted her wearing her proposal ring.
"Focus on your marriage and the impending career life has in store for you. Don't worry about me, Ren. Enjoy the good fortune life brings to you and Ann. I'll be waiting in the shadows until you and your friends are faced with another arduous situation," Akechi acknowledged Ren's bright future head for him. With that, he headed off in the opposite direction. "Oh, and Miss Hifumi?"
"Yes?"
Rubbing his cheek, Akechi chuckled. "That slap of yours knocked some sense into me. Thank you for that. You and Sion will be engraved in my memories." He walked off and seemingly vanished into the crowds, leaving the Thieves to mull over his ambiguous existence.
"Oh, that reminds me! Too bad Yumeko and her friends aren't here to hear this, but you're all invited to our wedding!" Ann announced to her friends.
"When is the date?" Yusuke queried.
"September 15," Ren verified.
"Seems awfully soon, don't you think?" Morgana wondered.
"Don't worry! We've already chosen a venue and thankfully we're getting family help to put this together," Ann reassured their friends' concerns.
"I don't have work that day so I can make it," Makoto smiled.
"And I'll be coming, too!" Haru added, folding a loving arm around Makoto.
"Not to worry, chief. Sojiro and I will lend a hand setting up the wedding ceremony!" Futaba flashed Ren a thumbs up.
"I'm here if ya need anything to, man," Ryuji offered for his best friend.
"Am I cordially invited, too?" Hifumi asked Ren and Ann.
"Of course, we hope you can be there," Ren smiled at her.
"We'd never leave you out since you're one of us now," Ann said.
"Then, I shall come and give you my undying support!" Hifumi boldly declared, putting her hand out as the other Thieves put their hands over hers.
"In honor of our friend Sion, let's move ahead and live our lives to our fullest," Ren firmly stated as he and the group threw their hands up, cheering together.
Hotel New Otani/Chiyoda, Tokyo (千代田区, 東京)/September 15, 2020 (2020年9月15日)/7:45 PM (JST)
The chosen venue for Ren and Ann's wedding ceremony is an outside location of Hotel New Otani, which helped accommodate a large crowd. Expecting a large turnout from family and friends, it helped them overcome spacing issues with other ceremonies concurrently taking place.
As expected, Ren and Ann's family, friends, and members of their community came to see them officially tie the knot. Nearly all of Ren's confidants showed up to support the soon to be wedded couple.
Those seen in attendance consisted Togo Hifumi, Morgana, Sakura Futaba, Sakamoto Ryuji, Niijima Makoto, Kitagawa Yusuke, Okumura Haru, Yoshizawa Sumire, Sakura Sojiro, Mifune Chihaya, Iwai Munehisa, Takemi Tae, Kawakami Sadayo, Ohya Ichiko, Oda Shinya, Mishima Yuuki, Yoshida Toranosuke, Niijima Sae, Suzui Shiho, Maruki Takuto, Sophia, Ichinose Kuon, Hasegawa Zenkichi, and Hasegawa Akane. There were other members, including some from Ren and Ann's respective families. Sae's new husband, Hojo, was also present sitting next to his SIU Director wife.
Among the familiar faces is Oda Shinya, now a middle school teenager. It had been four years since Shinya met Ren and became a follower of the Phantom Thieves. The little gamer boy had grown into a teenager. His dark hair was shorter and now cut several inches above the back of his back. He still had his hair unkempt with locks of fringe bangs hanging over his face and between his eyes. He had longer bangs on the sides of his face. Shinya had grown from a mere 4'10 to 5'7 feet tall. The teen came dressed in a light gray dress shirt, beige dress pants, and dark brown dress shoes.
Another who showed up is Iwai Munehisa, a tall, slender middle-aged man with gray hair and sideburns. He let his old stubble of facial hair grow out into a goatee. The sideburns aligned perfectly with his new goatee. He is seen in a light gray suit with a black tie and black dress shoes. He is seen with his adopted son, Kaoru, who dressed similarly like Iwai but wore a dark blue tie.
Even after four years since meeting Ren, Takemi Tae was still very attractive with her pale complexion and dark blue hair tied up in a messy bob cut. The alley doctor is seen in a black strapless evening dress and black high-heel sandals.
Also showing up to the wedding is Mifune Chihaya, an attractive blonde-haired young woman garbed in a dark purple evening dress, wearing a light blue shawl, and dark brown boots. As soon as she arrived, the tarot fortune teller predicted a peaceful and calm wedding event.
Even several years apart since last meeting Ren, Ohya Ichiko intended to show up and see her favorite client's wedding. She came dressed in a full-bodied black dress with see-through sleeves, a dark purple headband, and dark brown boots. Of course, she wouldn't go anywhere without a camera and already planning many pictures of the soon to be wedded couple.
Now several years older, the once timid Mishima Yuuki was a young man dressed in a dark gray suit with a yellow tie and dark brown dress shoes. His blue-tinted black hair, once spiky around some areas, was more groomed and trimmed than before. He still had the 'ordinary' face he was known for and no facial hair.
Not one to miss her best friend's wedding is Suzui Shiho, a dark brown-haired woman of moderate height. She wore her hair down, which was roughly shoulder length. Shiho came in a bright red and rose evening dress with white roses embroidered on the dress and white high heels.
Kawakami Sadayo is another formally invited to the wedding of her two former students. Still an average-sized woman with a slender figure, Kawakami had dark brown in an unkempt style. She came dressed in a bright blue dress, black high heels, and carrying a brown purse.
Another individual formally invited by Ren is Yoshida Toranosuke, a middle-aged politician man in a black suit with a dark red tie, white gloves, and dress shoes. He had thick eyebrows. He had his black hair, which now had signs of gray showing on his sides, slicked back.
Sitting next to Sae, Hojo is equally as tall as his wife and has short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He came dressed in a black suit with a beige-colored tie, matching dark pants, and dark brown dress shoes.
Sumire came dressed in a red dress with rose gloves, a shawl, and high heel shoes. She wore a bright pink flower in her hair.
Maruki, accompanied by Ichinose and Sophia, wore a light gray suit with a blue dress shirt underneath, matching colored dress pants, and brown dress shoes. Ichinose came in a beautiful light blue evening dress with long-sleeved white gloves and a white necklace. Sophia came dressed in a white evening dress and dress shoes.
Zenkichi is dressed in a black suit with a yellow tie and dark dress shoes. His daughter came wearing a red & black dress coupled with black long-sleeved gloves and dress shoes.
Finally, the one confidant who grew closest to the group, Togo Hifumi, was one of the first guests to show up. Coupled with a black shawl and letting her hair down for the evening, Hifumi came dressed in a dark blue evening dress, covering most of her body sans her back and shoulders. She has on black high heels and carried a small hand purse. She also wore a silver necklace and earrings.
Standing in the center balcony are Amamiya Ren and Takamaki Ann in their wedding clothing. Ren wore his black suit. Ann wore pink flowers in her long blonde hair, a white dress, and her scarlet wedding ring. After giving their vows of love to each other, both closed their eyes and shared a passionate kiss. Ann wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. The audience clapped and cheered for the newly wedded couple. Firmly sealing their marriage with a kiss, Amamiya-Takamaki Ren and Ann smiled together as they faced their friends and associates.
In a distance where only the Phantom Thieves see them, Igor & Lavenza participated as they proudly smiled and nodded in approval to their former inmate's next important moment in his life.
As the audience was celebrating, Hifumi recollected herself in seclusion, reminding herself if Sion were alive he'd be here to celebrate. As she watched Ren and Ann holding hands together, she imagined herself on stage with Sion as they're given their wedding vows and kiss to finalize their marriage.
"I wish that were possible, but maybe it was not to be," sadly muttered Hifumi, her smile resurfacing as she approached Ren and Ann to congratulate them.
Chiyoda, Tokyo (千代田区, 東京)/September 27, 2020 (2020年9月27日)/11:20 PM (JST)
Sometime after Ren and Ann's wedding, Hifumi went out for a relaxing walk on a semi-busy street. She drowned out the noise around her, but a few bystanders stopped and recognized her as the Female Shogi League Champion. She turned to meet their gaze, whipping back her long, loose hair. They also recognized her for her casual white dress with orange, navy blue, and white checkered designs, sans the sleeves that were free of such designs. She has long black stockings and dark shoes. Choosing not to remove her favorite accessory, she still wore her red hair accessory that resembled a three-leaf clover.
Passing along by, she heard one of the bystanders offhandedly refer to her as the 'beautiful Shogi player', to which she coyly smiled proudly.
Even to this day, she recognized and accepted there were a few who valued her celebrity status.
As she pressed on through Chiyoda's streets, Hifumi scanned the vicinity, recognizing it as the exact location where they fought Yaldabaoth's successor, Datenshi. Since resetting everything with Shin-Io's power, the Chiyoda returned to its normal setting, as if the entire battle never happened. Everything was back to daily and mundane life as it should be.
As she turned the other way, she noticed a tall, young handsome brown-haired man with noticeably distinguishing red eyes. He has on a teal blue shirt, light gray pants, and black shoes. Upon facing this young man, Hifumi's eyes widened with shock.
Could it be him? She wondered, not just facing him but painstakingly gazing at his face and eyes. As she approached him, she closed her eyes. She then opened them and he started walking by her. "Excuse me?"
He turned around and curiously faced Hifumi. For a moment, he faced her with some familiarity. "Hey there, do I know you from somewhere?" The young man asked, speaking fluent Japanese toward her.
Hifumi casually answered. "I apologize. You remind me of someone else, but you look similar to him." She blinked and realized he spoke to her in her native tongue. "Wait, you know Japanese?"
"Of course. I learned the language fluently in one of my many college courses. Though it's been a while since I've lived in Japan during my university years. I came back from my home county, Wales in the United Kingdom. My friends picked me up from Haneda Airport not too long ago. I'm staying here looking for a new job. I'm also considering citizenship if I'm working here for an extended term." The young man explained his situation to her.
"I see. Yes, Japan is a great place to live, yet it is rather difficult to maintain a standard living, too," she reminded him of the country's living conditions and laws, which made it harder for foreigners without a scholarship or a working visa.
"It sure is. By the way, I didn't get your name, miss?"
"Where are my manners? My name is Togo Hifumi."
Hearing her name, a smile crossed the young man's face. His smile brought her comfort. "That's a beautiful name. I'm Skyler Jones, but my friends sometimes call me Sion. It's a cool nickname I've gotten used to."
The mention of Sion elicited a smile from her. "I see."
"Say, do you mind if we walk around the area just to get to know each other?" Skyler asked.
At this moment, Hifumi was reminded of her previous experience showing Sion around Tokyo and Osaka. She wondered if it was fate that brought them together again. Perhaps her wish was fulfilled while resetting the world with Shin-Io's power.
However, she knew this wasn't the same Sion who she knew. She sensed different vibes from him as if he was another person. One day, she hoped this young man might establish a similar connection like the previous Revenant and renew the bond with her. With that, Hifumi gave him an answer.
"I'd be happy to."
With that, Hifumi and Skyler walked across the streets together and explored Tokyo.
Unbeknownst to Hifumi and her new friend, Io's ghostly presence manifested through Hifumi. The pale Revenant's golden eyes flashed as she smiled serenely. Io then quickly disappeared inside Hifumi's body.
Not even noticing, Hifumi continued showing Skyler some of Chiyoda's landmarks.
Needless to say, life moved forward. However, there was a question of what new urban adventures awaited for these two and the other ordinary civilians.
Chapter Soundtrack
Persona 5 Royal OST - Our Light (僕らの光) - First half of the aftermath such as the protagonists' farewells in their separate ways.
Persona 5 OST - With the Stars and Us 星と僕らと (Hoshi to Bokura to) - Second half of the aftermath such as Ren and Ann's marriage.
Thomas Bergersen - Remember Me - The final scene of Hifumi meets Skyler.
End of Book I: Fellowship Forged by Code
A/N: That's a wrap for Book I! The epilogue was short but to the point. Ren and Ann get married. The Gamblers and Akechi make their leave, but we haven't seen the last of them. It's a brief departure, not a final farewell.
Then, Sion or someone who looks like him named Skyler Jones shows up and runs into Hifumi. Hifumi's wish through Shin-Io's power was granted after resetting the world. To clarify, Skyler is not the Sion who ceased after Datenshi died. He could be the Sion who fell through that wormhole in the prologue but I cannot confirm or deny.
Io's reappearance inside Hifumi signifies this story is far from over. There's Books II and III to look forward to! However, I'm going to give myself a reprieve from this story as Book II and III's stories continue to be in development. That should give more time for new readers to catch up and build AnM's audience. Look forward to Book II's release in early 2021!
Let's look forward to more adventure and slice of life stories with the Phantom Thieves, the Revenants, and the Gamblers.
Leave a comment and review!