Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Fujin Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.


"What are you going to do after graduating?" That was the question I was asked during my last month in high school. If I'm honest, I never cared what I wanted except working. Many people would like to go to college for more prolific careers after graduation, but for what? It was going to an endless spiral due to how competitive many jobs are in Tokyo. People of my age wouldn't understand how one has to endure life as there is nothing but a merciless road when trying to survive. Of course, I also considered going to college, but anywhere but Japan. Just wanted to be away from this country. Even if I could go somewhere, what would I like to study? There was nothing in particular that interested me. Work is work; what else should I even think about?

Why am I saying all this? Well, I couldn't know for sure. I probably needed something else to occupy my mind until Kurusu would call us to start infiltration. But what should I do? The day after we got a preview of Futaba's Palace, I spent doing differently from my routine, or so I hoped. Early morning, my boss from my delivery job send me a message about taking the day off. I never got any details of why, but nothing I should complain about. Having the whole morning free was confusing at best. I laid on my bed, looking at my apartment's ceiling, trying to think about what I should do for the day. One of my options was between cleaning my apartment because, good grief, it was mayhem. I never remembered when was the last time I had the place in order; actually, no, it never was orderly since I moved here. The place was empty the first time I saw it there when looking for my own home after graduating. If I had to count the months since the final days of March until now, I say four months passed already and never bothered to fix the whole damn mess. Yeah, some responsible adult I am. There was nothing to debate as I never spent time in my own place, and now with the chance, it was better to keep my mind busy.

I grabbed a bucket and a rag to clean the dusty wooden floor and the furniture. I moved the bed, the refrigerator, and the table to get all that dirt out. While doing that, I noticed all the sealed boxes: Those were smaller. How I overlooked them? More stuff to arrange in the apartment, for sure. I opened the boxes to see nothing but my old Shujin uniforms. That included the winter, summer, and gym uniforms. I couldn't recall when or why I took them. I thought those were already in the trash after graduation. And I could do it right now until I saw my closet: an old ragged shirt, grey swimming trunks, an ugly green sweater, a black denim jacket, dark brown pair of boots, and blue jeans. Yep, that was all of them, not including the blue denim vest, black t-shirt, and jeans I was wearing at the moment. My wardrobe was limited, and not enough money for fresh clothes for the summer. Pathetic, astonishingly pathetic. What a responsible and functional adult, am I?

The further I continued organizing my apartment, the more I noticed the pile of old books collecting dust on the corner. If my memory served me right, the current books I owned at my apartment were less than half from my actual collection; some were still at my parents' house, while others got lost over time. I could remember the ones I had: Sartre, Kafka, Camus, Shakespeare, Poe, Lovecraft, Byron, and Hemingway. One had to wonder what kind of person would read such books at a young age. Probably not a sane person, that's certain. I couldn't know why western literature was more appealing than this country. I didn't fail Japanese class in high school, I swear. But the reasonable explanation was to try distancing myself from those typical old-fashioned values that were stuck in an elitist system.

Already noon, and my tiny home felt more like, well, home. It was still a mess as I didn't have better cleaning supplies, but it was better than nothing. It kept bothering me that the rest of my day was still unfruitful after such a dull morning. Maybe going outside? Maybe not. But the fact my shift at Crossroads wasn't today, I definitely needed to go somewhere before losing my head in that crummy little room. Well, buying a new book, especially if it cost less than 1,000 yen, could help me focus since the last one I read-about Cognitive Psience-was a waste of time. Eventually, the only place I could find a wide selection without going to Shibuya was Jinbocho.

I got everything set. The plan should only go and be back before the evening. Taking the trains wasn't pleasant due to the dreaded weather and the crowds during the trip. I could smell the repugnant sweat coming from some of the people hopping in and out of the trains on each station I stopped. One of those times, I wished I wasn't a dumbass miser and call a taxi instead. Why complaining when the damage was already done? I don't know. My only concern was to go there, fast. Changing lines was annoying, but not too bad the closer I was reaching my destination. The last two stops left me utterly alone, the whole train cart by myself with an uneasy quietness—the oddity regarding how it was minutes prior. A barren sight that would seem as spooky. While it felt nice not having to deal with clustered spaces, but couldn't feel content with that. I couldn't tell why, though.

"Next stop, Jinbocho!" I heard the voice coming from the speakers, pointing at the incoming stop. The trip felt shorter than I could expect it. Once I finally arrived at my destination, I went on foot to Booktown. It was a sunny day, with fresh air as I walked down the street while looking at the old stores. So many places, so little money I could afford. There were ones that had well-conserved and pristine but obscenely expensive that reached more than 5,000 yen. Don't judge me. I couldn't pay for those at the moment. Of course, there were ones that sold pre-owned books with falling pages and rugged covers. I wouldn't recommend this, but sometimes one can get lucky by pulling a rare, overlooked copy among the rest. And that was probably the idea when I decided on a store to look inside.

I saw one where they had piles, or better said, mountains of books that the owner couldn't have inside. I saw an old man sitting on a stool by the entrance while reading the newspaper and drinking tea by the counter. He looked too relaxed despite the lingering mess in there. Unbelievable, just when I was done dealing with my apartment in the morning. "Looking for something?" the old man said, not departing his eyes from the paper.

"Yeah, do you have some like western classics or something?" I asked.

"Western? You mean like cowboys?"

"No, I mean western authors; either Americans or Europeans."

"Oh, those types of authors," the old man said, lowering his paper to see me. "I don't have many of them, but maybe you can find something on the second floor."

"Second floor? Oh..." The fact that there was more, it was enough to make me hesitant to go further. But I didn't have the energy or motivation to look elsewhere. It was a colossal gamble whether I find something worth it or just drowning in musky texts. I wouldn't run away from that. I headed upstairs until I began to see the pillars and unorganized shelves of books almost reaching the ceiling. My only hope was that it wasn't a mistake coming there. I navigated around the place to see if anything interested me, but nothing so far.

There were no labels for categories or genres, no alphabetical order, or even the faintest clue where to go. It was a disturbing labyrinth that my movement was limited to lateral steps or even walking backward. And just when I thought I was the only one having issues in that place, someone was already there. "Come on... almost..." I heard a sensible voice around the corner. The sounds of the struggle as if someone tried stretching the arm far beyond the limit. I saw a girl with light-brown curly hair, a turquoise green dress, and short height. She was literally standing on her toes, trying to reach a book that was on the very top of the shelf. Her fingers barely were able to touch it, but not even jumping could she get it. Wasn't there a ladder or something? It was just annoying to see her like that.

"Do you need help?" I said, walking towards her until she looked at me. Looking at her face, she looked familiar.

"I would appreciate it," she said, stepping aside while I quickly grabbed the book and handed it to her. It was a book about Botanics. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," I said, looking at my surroundings until I realized that I couldn't tell where the stairs were. "So, do you know where the exit is?" And much to my chagrin, she seemed as lost as me.

"I don't remember," she replied, looking confused. "I remember walking in circles until I found this book."

"How long you been here?"

"I think, an hour?"

"An hour!? Oh shit..." I didn't like one bit of it. It was terrible not finding a book, but wasting time in the same place was worse. It was a mistake. No wonder why there weren't any customers. I gave up on looking for the book as I wanted to go home. But it was easier said than done. "Dammit, which way could the stairs be?"

"Mind if I help you?" the girl asked.

"Not so sure," I replied while rubbing my neck. If one person could get lost, two wouldn't make any better.

"At least I can repay you for helping me get my book." She looked so eager, almost not caring about the type of situation we were in. I wasn't very convinced of her to tag along. However, it would be very inappropriate of me to leave her behind when she already spent too much of her time here. In the end, I simply complied to her aid. "Don't worry, I can always keep an eye if you go the wrong path."

"Thanks?" What a good start. My best bet was to focus on the exit while praying that her assistance wouldn't shoot me in the foot. Turning around the corners or even pushing some of the piles to have room for both of us. Even when we went to dead ends, I had to follow her in the opposite direction until we reached another dead end. I didn't bother to say something else aside from where to go. It was for the best not wasting time with unnecessary chat, but too bad that she wouldn't think the same thing.

"Mind if I ask you something?" she asked me while not slowing down.

"What is it?"

"So, had we meet before?"

"I was thinking the same but can't recall from where," I said while still looking ahead. I started to feel the heat as the store's air conditioner was either malfunctioning or non-existent. My forehead began to sweat, and my mouth feeling dry. "Stupid heat, I wished I bought a soda or something beforehand..." My complaints, somehow, made the girl beamed as if she got a sudden realization.

"I remember! You were the one helping me with the bending machine on the Fireworks Festival!" her soft voice rose with more shock and joy than usual. And I finally remembered as well.

"Oh, right... this is unexpected..." I wasn't sure how to react, much less of a dignified girl recognizing an old schmuck like myself. "I would never guess to see you again, much less here."

"I know. But I guess life tends to hold surprises," she said.

"Speaking of surprises, what a bummer about the rain in the festival, huh?"

"Yeah..." she replied, looking down and her smile turning upsidedown.

"I bet your friends were sad about cutting short the fun that day."

"I... didn't go with friends..." I could hear her voice getting lower, almost muttering.

"You didn't? What happened to them?" I asked.

"I went by myself that day."

"How? Isn't that kind of event supposed to be with friends or something?"

"I don't really have any friends, if I'm honest." In a single second, the mood turned sour as both of us stopped walking. I outdid myself that time by speaking without considering things first. Seeing her acting like that made me feel embarrassed. Ashamed of how the talk turned out, I had no option but to apologize.

"I... I really didn't mean to say that. I sounded too judgemental, considering that you seemed like someone surrounded by a lot of people."

"It's fine. It is not your fault," the girl said, looking me again in the eyes. "I shouldn't act as such while helping you find the exit." Her words began to regain some composure, being modest and more uplifting, but not by much. If I wanted to not drag such depressive ambient, the best I could think of was introducing myself properly.

"Well, since this isn't the first time we meet, I guess I should tell my name," I said with a more confident tone despite my hesitation. "I'm Fujin Katsuo."

"Fujin..." she murmured.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"No, it is nothing," she replied quickly. "It's nice to meet you, Fujin-san. My name is Okumura Haru." Her smile slowly returned.

"Well, now that we know each other better, I guess we can talk a little more after we find the exit."

"Agreed," Okumura-san said.

"Alright, I guess we haven't try going this waaaAAAAAAAAHHHH...!" Right in the middle of me talking, I ended up falling and rolling down by the stairs. Oh, how careless of me of not watching my step. It was more humiliating of having someone seeming me acting like a buffoon after such a slapstick act.

"Are you alright!?" Okumura-san said with worrisome.

"I'm... fine..." I replied while still feeling pain everywhere.

"You found the exit! Nice job!" she exclaimed, oddly excited despite what happened to me seconds ago.

"Yay..." I said unenthusiastically. It took me a few seconds before I would go back on my feet and stretching my arms. Why I always ended up in situations like this? That's the million-yen question. My head was still spinning, but I shook it off and rubbed my eyes until I could finally see straight. "I'm going home right away. So much trouble to find a book."

"Which book were you looking for?" Okumura-san asked.

"I tried to find one from a western author, but there wasn't any before getting lost up there."

"Oh, I think I saw it."

"Really? Where?"

"Next to the store owner at the entrance." And for a few minutes, I said not a single word. I almost bit my tongue after hearing her saying that. My energy dropped significantly to the point that I wanted to do nothing else for the day. "I'm going home... Take care." While acting as a soulless being, I walked towards the book I searched for. After buying it, I kept moving with small steps towards the station. An indescribable turmoil within myself which my own spirit and mind only wished to hit the bed early. Even though I had to experience the stuff on an uneventful day, Okumura Haru looked like a nice person. Still, I shouldn't have any expectations of meeting her sometime in the future. I doubt she would really want to associate with someone like me.


Hello everyone. I wanted to write this note at the end of the chapter to say thank you for following this chapter. Despite that I don't get many reviews, knowing the fact that people still follows/favorites this is enough for me to feel satisfied as people read this unremarkable fic. I cannot express enough how much I'm thankful and now that I'm busy with other projects. Doing a short chapter was probably enough for me right now. I'm still working on the rewrites, but that's all I can share for now. I hope everyone is doing okay. Take care, everyone.