HEY GUYS!
THIS IS KINGNIKEN WITH CHAPTER 8 OF POCKET CHANGE.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!
SORRY FOR THE WAIT.
MY BIRTHDAY GOT IN THIS CHAPTER'S WAY BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!
YOU ALREADY KNOW THE DRILL!
LET'S GO!
Sadayo's fingers gripped the frilly edges of her maid costume as if her very life depended on it.
She sat silently at one of the cafe's booths as Akira carefully brought over their meal for the evening.
Slender cylinders of steam flew upward from each dish as a testament to how hot the food was.
Kawakami's student presented her with his softest smile as he sat down on the booth's opposite side.
"I hope you don't mind the basic spread. I never did get around to asking you what kind of food you liked."
Kawakami frowned.
"Why are you doing this?"
Akira perched an eyebrow.
"I thought you could use a night off with a complimentary warm meal. You're still getting paid too."
"Don't be smart. Why are you doing this?"
A pause.
Akira took a small bite of his food, the process of chewing and swallowing bought him a little more time to formulate a response.
He had spent hours thinking about how he wanted this conversation to go but now the words he wished to use seemed to have excused themselves.
He decided to go with the simple truth.
"I...want to help."
"Help? Who said that I needed help?"
Akira responded.
"Shujin is one of the best paying schools in the country and even though you may not be a Head of Department or Senior Facilitator. Your salary and benefits should be enough to sustain a decent lifestyle. The fact that you're doing this gives me the impression that you need the money. Well that or..."
Akira blushed heavily.
Sadayo perched an eyebrow.
"Or what?"
"It's...your secret kink-"
Kawakami's cheeks exploded with color as she stopped her most annoying student in his tracks.
"This is not my secret kink!"
Akira seemed relieved.
"Phew. Okay so just as I thought you're definitely doing this for the money. As I said I want to help."
"Even if that is the case, Akira. I never asked for your help."
"That doesn't mean you might not need it, Sensei. I'm no billionaire but the time I've spent in my particular line of work has given me access to some decent capital. I'm sure we can find a solution if you tell me what's going on."
Kawakami bit her lip. She could never tell Akira about Takase or the mess she had made.
Who knows how he'd see her after learning the truth?
"It's none of your business, Akira."
"Is it the Yakuza?"
"The Yakuza?"
"Yeah, I've been hearing rumors of a shady group operating out of Shibuya they've been targeting high schoolers and the like for various illegal activities. Whoever's at the head seems to be building quite the empire...but based on your reaction I can conclude that it's not them."
"Akira. I do not need your money. I can solve my own problems."
"I don't doubt that. I'm only trying to present myself as a better option than..."
Akira gestured to her maid costume.
"...that."
"What I do with my free time is my business, Akira."
"True but it explains why you're always so exhausted and why you sometimes doze off in the middle of our study halls. This job is eating away at your rest time and your health."
"Even so it's still my choice to make."
"And you don't expect that a friend would be concerned?"
"I'm just your teacher."
The response felt like a slap to the face.
Akira's eyes softened a bit as he leaned back in his chair.
Sadayo mentally berated herself for the harsh answer but she could not let Akira get any closer to this.
He was already far too involved.
The brown haired maid continued.
"If you must know...I have a sister in the hospital. Her illness is rare and treatment is far more expensive than what a teacher's salary can cover."
Akira exhaled audibly.
"And you don't think that saving your sister's life is more important than whatever hesitations you have in accepting my help? It doesn't have to be charity, it could be a loan, no interest rate, repay me at your own pace. You could resign from Victoria's."
"What part of 'I am your teacher' do you not get ? I can't accept charity or a loan from you. It would just not be right...I appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do but I won't be accepting your offer."
Akira used a hand to massage his temples before speaking.
"...Fine. I can't force you."
Sadayo did not enjoy the verbal tussle nor did she enjoy the defeated look on Akira's face.
The Shujin employee slowly pulled herself out of the booth. She looked away from the curly haired male as she spoke.
"I...think I should get going."
Akira's response was to pull out a small white envelope as he also stood up.
He held it out towards her with an outstretched hand.
Kawakami hesitated once more but the Metaverse Mercenary would not be having it.
"This is the contracted flat rate. I'm not sure Victoria's would want to hear that their employees are refusing payment."
Sadayo narrowed her eyes before taking the envelope, there was a voice in the back of her mind telling her that Akira had not given up.
He was just going to play his game very differently.
The maid pulled out her face mask, she spoke once more before pulling it on.
"I trust that my secondary occupation will remain confidential between us?"
Akira nodded.
"You already know that I can travel into another world and fight monsters with my inner psyche. I trust you with that secret. You can trust me with yours."
Sadayo nodded as she walked out with Akira following close behind.
Her student called out to her once more as he prepared to close Leblanc's door behind her.
"Sensei?"
Kawakami turned around to face him.
There was an edge of disappointment in his eyes. His tone carried that same weight.
"I want you to know that I'm always here if you need me..."
Sadayo chose not to answer. She didn't trust in her ability to tell Akira any more lies.
"I also wanted to let you know that I'm aware of the fact that you don't have a sister...See you on Monday."
CLICK
Leblanc's door closed with a soft click.
Sadayo found herself staring back at it in pure disbelief.
After a few seconds of quiet introspection, the maid took the first few steps in her journey back home.
"Why do I feel like this is the beginning of another headache?"
Monday
Ann greeted Akira with a wide smile as they ran into each other on their way to school.
"Morning."
Akira did return the greeting but it was obvious that he was a bit distracted.
"Hey."
The pair of Persona users walked together in relative silence.
Ann wracked her brain for a decent icebreaker but kept coming up empty.
She felt like something was very off with Akira today but couldn't find the right words to inquire about it.
Thankfully the bespectacled male spoke again.
"Where's Morgana?"
"He's at Shiho's. She mentioned that she can make tuna casserole and he was immediately convinced that he should spent a night at her house to 'educate' her about the Metaverse."
Akira snorted but didn't seem forthcoming with anything else.
Ann wasn't going to let her chance slip.
"So...you seem a bit out of it. Everything okay?"
Akira perched an eyebrow as he looked over at his blonde companion.
"That obvious?"
"A little."
"Oh..."
The pair took a few more steps before the black haired male continued.
"Well I guess there's nothing wrong with getting another opinion...I have a colleague that I think needs my help. However they aren't accepting it for reasons they're not willing to share. They even tried to lie to keep me away from the truth. I still want to help, I'm just not sure of what to do."
Ann was a bit surprised.
Was Akira really opening up to her?
The blonde took a moment to process her friend's current predicament before responding.
"I don't know what your colleague's reasons are but if they don't want your help it could be a lot of stuff. Sometimes I refuse Shiho's help too...in some cases it's because of my pride. At other times I'm just trying to protect her."
"That's understandable I suppose..."
Ann put a finger to her chin.
"It could also be shame, I remember that I once wet her bed while we were having a sleepover years ago. She was so kind and forgiving and promised to take the blame but I was wayyyyy too embarrassed."
Akira smirked.
"Sounds like Shiho. So she allowed you to take the the full blame?"
"No, she purposely wet the bed too and then told her parents that we both did it."
The bespectacled male chuckled and Ann couldn't help but smile.
She really did like the sound of Akira's laugh.
The part time model continued.
"I don't know if my answer helped-"
Akira smiled.
"It did. I guess I'll just have to help as best as I can. Thank you, Ann."
Ann beamed, not sure as to why Akira smiling at her made her feel so bubbly.
Carmen rolled her eyes.
How long was her Partner going to be in denial?
Akira whispered as the pair turned the final corner leading to Shujin.
"So even beautiful supermodels wet the bed huh?"
Ann blushed, partly out of embarrassment. Mostly thanks to Akira calling her beautiful.
"Akiraaaaa!!!"
The Metaverse Mercenary raised his hands in apology.
"Just teasing. I promise to tell you a funny story about my younger years when we meet up for lunch. Okay?"
Ann folded her arms but the smile did not disappear from her lips.
"Oh that cheeky little remark of yours will cost you more than lunch and a story mister."
School Auditorium
Ryuji yawned as he walked over to greet his fellow Phantom Thieves.
"Hey. What do you guys think this morning assembly is all about?
Shiho shrugged.
"No idea. I heard that it was announced last minute too."
Morgana's voice could be heard from Shiho's backpack.
"Maybe they've made some changes to the exam schedule?"
A nearby female student turned to her friend.
"Did you hear that? Sounded like a cat?"
Ryuji discretely patted the bump in Shiho's bag.
"Hey, keep it down in there!"
"Ow! That hurt you neanderthal!"
Shiho frowned.
"That's enough you two! Now stay quiet."
The ordinarily quarrelsome pair knew it best not to incur their newest teammate's wrath.
Ann and Akira watched the scene play out with no small amount of fascination.
The blonde beauty would be the first to verbalize her thoughts.
"Shiho's the 'Group Mom', huh?"
Akira nodded.
"Seems so. That's kinda hot."
Ann imitated the gesture.
"Yea..."
Akira decided against bringing Ann's admission to her attention...
At least for now...
The auditorium slowly quieted down as Principal Kobayakawa took the stage.
The bald headed man tested the microphone a few times before speaking.
"Good morning everyone. Let's begin this school-wide assembly. I'd like to begin by saying-"
CREAK!
The auditorium turned in unison as one of the side doors slowly creaked open, with the noise echoing within the silent room.
The Principal seemed shocked.
"Kamoshida-sensei?!"
The volleyball coach greeted everyone present with a posture of submission and penance.
"I...have been reborn."
Kamoshida's confession was tsunami of sin, vice and corruption.
Shock, disgust and disappointment were the common expressions among the students and teachers.
Only six among the vast majority did not find Kamoshida's confessions surprising.
The six that had witnessed the defeat of the Shadow King.
Just as Akira had demanded of the Shadow Monarch, Kamoshida recalled a detailed summary of his crimes. Specifying the victims that had he believed had suffered the worst.
Ann, Shiho, Ryuji and Mishima were also on the list.
The bespectacled Persona user watched on as the volleyball coach bowed his head in shame.
"I cannot find the words to express how sorry I am about the despicable things I've done. All I can do now is take responsibility and end my life."
The crowd exploded with whispers, a few of the homeroom teachers were already trying to convince their students that Kamoshida was 'not well'.
Kobayakawa hobbled over to Kamoshida with no small amount of concern. His face pale and sweaty.
"Please, Kamoshida-san. Get off the stage for now, we can talk about things in my office. Please, you have to calm down!"
Ann's voice cut through the swirling whirlpool of whispers and shouts.
"Don't you dare try to run away from this Kamoshida! Too many people have suffered and have been forced to live with it for you to get away so easily!"
Shiho joined in.
"Ann's right. Each and every one of your victims will never forget. You don't have the right to move on so easily!"
Kamoshida made a noise that was halfway between a sob and a groan.
"I...Yes. I won't run away. I will resign from my duty and turn myself into the police!"
Another nearby student suddenly exploded with excitement.
"Wait a minute! That calling card! Did the Phantom Thieves do this?"
Someone else shook their head.
"No way. How could they have stolen his heart?"
A third chimed in.
"But he confessed! Just as they said."
Ryuji smirked as he looked around.
"That's right. The Phantom Thieves saved the day!"
Akira bit the inside of his cheek.
"This is going to be the hottest topic in Tokyo in the next few hours."
Just as Kamoshida was being escorted off the stage, another person stepped forward.
"Kamoshida!"
The sullen P.E. teacher looked up at his newest accuser.
"Kawakami-san?"
The Japanese language teacher spoke boldly as she addressed the converted man.
"Tell me Kamoshida! Who else is involved in this? Someone had to help you cover some of these things up. Who was it?"
Kamoshida opened his mouth to deliver a response but he never got the chance.
"That is enough!"
Principal Kobayakawa growled menacingly as he stood in-between the two teachers.
"You will not behave like this in my school, Kawakami-sensei! We will leave the questioning to the police! Everyone, return to your classes! Now!"
After School
With such an explosive start to the morning, the rest of the school day passed by unbelievably quick, most of the class time had been designated as study sessions with class monitors being designated to lead the class through topic reviews.
It wasn't until the last session of the day that some of the teachers had resurfaced from the Principal's emergency meeting and the inevitable arrival of the police force.
Akira watched the school's main entrance from a safe distance as different students approached his teammates.
Since Kamoshida's confession, many of them had realized that they had only been helping the perverted teacher bully, abuse and criticize his victims.
They were also feeling a special brand of remorse.
Not that an apology could change the past but Akira knew it would still a vital part of the healing process.
"Another Palace conquered. This school and country will be a far better place with that King no longer on his throne."
"Arsenè."
"Wild Card."
"I acknowledge the good we've done in erasing this Palace but we've gained far more than a moral boost. Money, items and more importantly other Persona users that can help me achieve my goals. Each game of chess needs its' pawns."
"Hmmm."
"What is it?"
" To be honest. I worry for you. You are so...'afraid' of your heart that you would even attempt lie to me. Have you forgotten that we are one and the same?"
Akira's expression soured.
"... Don't you have something better to do?"
Arsenè sighed.
"As you wish Trickster."
Akira did his best to banish the lingering conversation to the back of his mind as he checked his phone.
"Morgana, should be just about done by now."
Kawakami groaned as she locked her office door behind her, flopping down on to a nearby chair.
She needed a moment.
Today had become the mother of all 'bad days".
She was more than satisfied with the fact that Kamoshida had finally confessed his crimes and had absolved several students of wrongdoing...
But her brief interrogation session at the end of the exciting scene had not gone down well with the Principal or his cohorts.
The Japanese Language teacher had been smart enough to verbally disguise her attempt to get Kamoshida to name his accomplice as righteous feminine fury and nothing else...
But she could tell more than ever that her actions would garner a significant amount of unwanted attention.
"You okay?"
Sadayo's eyes followed the sound to her
desk and the cat sitting on top of it.
"Morgana? How'd you get in here? I thought I locked the windows."
The black feline seemed rather proud of himself.
"Those type of things are insignificant obstacles for a Phantom Thief."
"Right..."
"Anyways. Akira asked me to check in on you. The Principal looked pretty angry when you were questioning Kamoshida."
Kawakami sighed.
"He's just as guilty as Kamoshida is. I was hoping I could get the whole school to hear it but Kobayakawa caught on quickly."
"There was no need to endanger yourself like that. You've only painted a target on your back. You're gonna have to be careful and pretend to be on his side until he's satisfied."
Sadayo frowned.
"I know that. Tell Akira that I can still take care of myself."
"This isnt just from him! We're all worried! We don't know how far Kobayakawa would be willing to go to protect himself. Please just lay low while we figure out his game plan."
Kawakami took a deep breath. She was still a bit stressed about Akira trying to help with her money situation that she hadn't realized that he and the others were only concerned for her safety.
"I'll do what I can to stay out of the limelight."
Morgana nodded.
"Good. We'll keep you updated on our plans as best as we can. We're hoping to keep our distance from each other until things calm down a bit."
"I understand...Morgana?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you...and pass that on to that everyone, including that annoying student of mine."
The cat smirked.
"Will do."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
A series of soft knocks broke the flow of conversation between Kawakami and her feline companion.
Morgana gave the teacher one final nod before escaping through an open vent.
The part time maid perched an eyebrow at the cat's escape route before shaking her head.
She turned her attention to her office's door as the knocks continued. Kawakami opened the door slowly to reveal the person who had been standing on the other side.
"Hello. How can I help you... Nijima-san?"
Makoto Nijima, Shujin's infamous Student Council President smiled.
"Hello Kawakami-sensei. I was hoping to have a private word with you. May I come in?"
Sadayo narrowed her eyes a bit but still opened the door wide enough for the brown haired student to enter.
"Sure, come right in."
Later That Evening
Ryuji seemed to be on Cloud Nine while he raved about the day's victories. Everyone else on the conference call was kind enough to allow the blond to have his moment.
"Dude! The whole school's talking about us! Someone even put a picture of our calling card on social media! Others are saying it's a prank but when we take down our next target, they'll know we're for real!"
Akira rolled his eyes comedically, Morgana was comfortably stretched out on his lap.
"Calm down cowboy. I know this must be exhilarating for you but keep in mind that we agreed to lay low for a bit."
Shiho spoke next.
"Not that I disagree with you Akira-kun but I feel good making a difference. We won't wait too long,will we?"
Morgana chose to respond.
"We should wait until exams are finished at least."
Akira followed up.
"Speaking of exams, we should make sure not to fall out of our grade range. We don't want to catch anyone's attention right now."
Ann chose to share what had she learnt.
"Rumor has it that Principal Kobayakawa is trying to find the Phantom Thieves. He's telling the police that we might have blackmailed Kamoshida and that some of his confessions just aren't true."
Ryuji's disgust was evident.
"That asshole is just trying to save himself. We can't get caught now! Not when we've just started!"
Akira agreed with his blond teammate.
"That's why I'll be taking some heat off us. After exams I'm gonna publicly change another heart to at least confuse the authorities a bit. I'll be passing on the cover story to you guys soon."
Shiho seemed nervous.
"I know you said that you're a lot stronger and more experienced than us but can you really take down a whole Palace on your own?"
The curly haired teenager responded.
"Trust me, I'll be fine."
Morgana jumped in.
"He won't be doing it alone. I'm going with him."
Akira looked down at the feline on his lap.
"I don't remember inviting you."
"I don't recall needing an invitation. Plus I'm sure that Madam Shiho would be grateful to know that someone is watching your back."
Shiho confirmed Morgana's statement.
"I really would. Thank you Morgana."
Akira narrowed his eyes.
"Are you using me to get yourself another tuna casserole?"
"Uhhhhhh...no?"
Neither Akira nor Ryuji seemed convinced.
Ann spoke up.
"I'd like the both of you to stay safe, please."
Ryuji continued.
"Yeah and don't get in Akira's way, furball!"
Morgana snarled.
"Monkey!"
"Fish-Breath!"
"Poopy-Face!"
Akira interrupted the childish banter.
"If you don't mind, the rest of us would like to get end this call and get some sleep."
"Sorry..."
"My bad..."
Akira continued.
"Well I guess that's all. Remember the plans for this week, if anything changes I'll let you guys know. Good luck with the exams."
Morgana smiled.
"Good Night Lady Ann, Madam Shiho,...Ryuji."
Shiho chuckled.
"Night everyone. Akira-kun, you mind bringing me a little caffeine tomorrow? I'm gonna be doing some late night studying."
"Sure Shiho."
If the others could have seen her, they'd catch Ann nervously twiddling her toes.
"Um...maybe bring something for me too?"
"Was already planning too, Ann."
Ann blushed.
"Thanks! Good night everyone!"
Ryuji seemed distraught.
"Hmm, I'm not gonna really study and I don't really like coffee..."
"...I'll make you something sweet."
"Thanks man! See you guys tomorrow!"
A few moments passed as each person disconnected from the call. Akira waited for the confirmation of the final person leaving before speaking again.
"Thanks again for the assist, Oracle."
"Always a pleasure...I sent you a file. Tell me if it's good enough."
Akira quickly unlocked his laptop.
"Reading it now."
Morgana watched with interest as Akira flipped through pages of information.
On the final page, a picture of a man was shown. His name written underneath it.
The Metaverse Mercenary smirked before talking.
"Excellent work, Oracle. I think this will do."
"Okie-dokie! I'm gonna sign off!"
"Good night."
Morgana tilted his head as he studied the picture and name on the computer screen.
"He's our target?"
"Yeah, Oracle believes he has a Palace based on what we know from previous cases. We're gonna check him out."
Morgana looked back at Akira.
"I see, if some of the things we saw are true then he might very well have one."
The black haired male carefully placed his laptop on his desk and plugged it in.
With the screen still open, the name and face of their new target could still be seen.
Morgana took one more look as he pronounced the name.
"Mayor Kinshiro Morooka... so where are we gonna find him?"
Akira smirked.
"Pack your bags Morgana. We're spending the weekend in Inaba!"
Later that Night
Akira's eyes popped open.
He was no longer in his cozy bed in Leblanc's attic.
He was in a prison cell.
The Metaverse Mercenary slowly lifted his head to confirm his suspicions.
On the side of the metal bars, stood twin girls dressed up as prison wardens and a smiling long nosed man.
The man's baritone voice seemed to carry a weight of power and presence.
"Welcome back Trickster..."
Akira dropped his head back on to his cot.
"Awwwwwwww shit."
THANK YOU FOR READING!
BEFORE YOU ASK, THIS IS NOT A CROSSOVER FIC WITH PERSONA 4'S TEAM AND PROTAGONIST.
BUT I WILL BE USING A FEW CHARACTERS FROM THE SERIES, HERE AND THERE.
HAPPY NEW YEARS TO YOU ALL WHEN IT COMES!!!
PLEASE REVIEW/COMMENT TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT. CONSIDER IT A LATE BIRTHDAY PRESENT! (Just joking only review/comment if you wish)
IF YOU LIKE FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES LOOK OUT FOR A ONE SHOT THAT I'LL BE POSTING SOON.
THIS WAS YOUR BOY KINGNIKEN.
PEACE.