HUGE SPOILERS FROM THE ENDGAME OF PERSONA 5 ROYAL! READ AT YOUR RISK IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME! DON'T HATE ON ME IF I GAVE YOU SPOILERS FROM THE ORIGINAL GAME. NOW WE PROCEED 17 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE.

Also, there are swears in this story. If you are slightly bothered by the amount of swearing in this story, read at your risk. If you should continue, enjoy reading the story.

The Story Begins...

April 10, 2034

17 years after the events of Persona 5/Royal

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon filled the kitchen in a cozy home in the residence of Shibuya in Tokyo. There stood a frizzy hair man and a fluffy hair woman together in the kitchen together as a lovely married couple. The frizzy hair man is Ren Amamiya, in his mid-30's as he looked over at his wife. The fluffy hair woman is Haru Okumura, also in her mid-30's, slightly older than her husband, as she walked with him to the kitchen to make breakfast for the family.

Ren stood at the stove, flipping pancakes with practiced ease, while Haru hummed a cheerful tune as she arranged fresh fruit on plates. Seventeen years had passed since their days as Phantom Thieves, just after defeating Yaldabaoth, defeating Maruki and the false reality. After almost a year of traversing the Metaverse and fighting the shadows of corrupted adults, Ren and Haru are happily married together as they are happy to be together forever. They are what you call a lovely mother and father that will always show love to each other.

"Honey, be mindful of the butter this time," Haru said softly to Ren.

"I promised not to let it burn this time. It was only a one time mistake, I promise," Ren replied back.

"I know, I fully trust you that you would be careful about the pancakes for our son and his first year," Haru responded as she leaned over and whispered to Ren.

Then footsteps approached from downstairs as a young boy, having the same messy frizzy hair like his father, only with an organized blazer that matches the same fluffy hair as his mother. His dark brown catches the aurora of this boy, as the ends of his hair were slightly puffed up. His hair looked similar to his father's younger days and his mother's notable fluffy hair. His name is Kunikazu Okumura-Amamiya, named in memory of Haru's late father.

Kunikazu, their 15-year-old son, shuffled into the kitchen, his dark brown hair is slightly messy and his eyes still heavy with sleep. Dressed in the iconic black Shujin Academy uniform, he dropped into a chair at the kitchen table with a sigh. He looked unenthusiastic about something, judging by his gloomy expression and he looked up at his parents to see them making breakfast for him.

"Morning, Kunikazu," Ren greeted with a smile, sliding a golden-brown pancake onto a plate. "Ready for your first day at Shujin?"

"Not really," Kunikazu mumbled, poking at the plate of fruit Haru placed before him. "Why'd I have to go to that school? You know its reputation, right? Back in 2016? It's famous for the wrong reasons."

Haru chuckled softly, sitting beside him. "Oh, Kuni, you'll be fine. Shujin's reputation has improved a lot since then. It wasn't perfect back then but it has been better. Besides," she added with a nostalgic smile, "that's where your father and I first met. We made some of the best memories there."

"Tch... yeah, more like memories of taking down corrupt adults," Kunikazu replied dryly.

Ren smirked, placing a steaming plate of pancakes in front of his son. "And your mom and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Trust me, Shujin's not so bad anymore. You might even make some lifelong friends there, like we did. It may be the school where you'll make your own story there."

"Or get into just as much trouble," Morgana chimed in from the kitchen counter, where the sentient feline was perched, tail flicking lazily. He is now comfortable to be black household cat of the family. He hoped onto the seat next to Kunikazu as he then said, "Not that I'd know anything about that."

Kunikazu rolled his eyes. "You're not helping, Morgana."

"Get used to your parents being all lovey-dovey too," Morgana added with a knowing look as Ren and Haru were suddenly in their own world.

"You were still as beautiful as during our time in Shujin..." Ren said to Haru.

"You are still charming as ever since our younger years. You are always my dashing prince from our time as Phantom Thieves..." Haru whispered back to Ren. Then the two sickeningly lovebirds exchanged a long kiss that made Kunikazu cringed in disgust as he tried to look away and ignore the sound of his parents' banter.

"Gross," Kunikazu muttered, shoving a forkful of pancake into his mouth to distract himself.

If there's one notable about Kunikazu, it is that he is never affectionate in the slightest as he watched his mother and father being a lovey-dovey with each other. He doesn't even know what is love since he never ever felt any bits of affection, and it doesn't concern him ever.

"You guys seriously need to get a room if you are continuing with this," Kunikazu said as he let out an exaggerated groan as he looked down at his breakfast.

At the Ginza Line

The Okumura-Amamiya family walked to Shibuya Station together, Haru holding onto Ren's arm as Kunikazu trailed slightly behind, hands in his pockets. The bustling crowds of the morning commute surrounded them, but the familiarity of it all felt comforting to Ren and Haru.

As they reached the platform, Ren placed a hand on Kunikazu's shoulder. "Kuni, remember to behave yourself. It's a fresh start. Keep an open mind, and you might even enjoy yourself. This shall mark the beginning of your time in Shujin Academy. So have fun and don't get into trouble."

"Sure, Dad," Kunikazu replied, though his tone didn't sound entirely convinced, albeit a very monotone voice as he spoke.

"And don't forget, we're so proud of you," Haru added, leaning down to adjust his tie. "If you ever need advice or help, you can always talk to us."

Kunikazu nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

The train pulled up, its doors sliding open. Kunikazu stepped inside and waved back at his parents, who watched with a mix of pride and nostalgia. As the train began to move, he sat by the window, gazing out at the familiar streets of Shibuya.

"He's growing up so fast. I am so proud of him," Haru whispered to Ren as she wipes of a tear from her eye.

"Don't worry hon, he'll be doing okay on his first day," Ren assured her as he embraced her.

"I know, he'll be experiencing his time just like we did from 17 years ago, a little better this time," Haru replied as she hugged Ren back as she watched the empty train tracks.

The train rocked gently as it made its way to Aoyama-Itchome station. As the rhythmic clatter of the train lulled him to sleep, Kunikazu suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar place.

???

He awoke to the sound of distant, echoing bells. The room was dimly lit, its walls lined with prison bars, and a blue velvet carpet stretched endlessly before him. A familiar background melody accompany the surroundings of the familiar place that his father has been. There, Kunikazu was standing in a prison cell, only with his normal Shujin Academy clothes as he walked over to the cell door and looked out to get a closer look at what was happening.

"What the fuck...?" Kunikazu muttered, as he looked over at the center of the blue-velvet room.

"Ah, it seems that we have a new guest in the Velvet Room," a soft voice greeted him.

He turned to see a man with an impossibly long nose seated at a desk—Igor. Beside him stood a young woman with platinum hair in a blue uniform—Lavenza.

"Where… am I? And who are you...?" Kunikazu asked, his voice wavering.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor explained, his piercing gaze fixed on the boy. "A place between dream and reality, mind and matter. My name is Igor, I am pleasure to make your acquientance."

"My name is Lavenza," the woman said.

"You have been chosen, descendant of the Trickster, to bear the Wild Card and walk the path of a persona user," Igor said.

"Wild Card? Persona? What are you talking about?" Kunikazu asked, bewildered.

"You shall understand in due time," Lavenza in said gently. "Your destiny will soon unfold, and you will play a vital role in shaping the future of humanity. Your journey is only the beginning."

"The blood of the Trickster flows through you. You will soom forge bonds that will create a power within you. I sure hope that we meet again sometime later," Igor then said.

Before Kunikazu could ask more, the sound of train wheels screeching filled the room, and he was abruptly pulled back into reality.

Aoyama-Itchome Station

Kunikazu jolted awake as the train pulled into Aoyama-Itchome Station. His heart raced, and his mind reeled from the strange experience.

"What… was that?" he muttered to himself, glancing around. No one else on the train seemed to notice anything unusual. He felt like he is being a paranoid delusional person. He wondered if he is mentally insane or what he just experienced was normal.

As he checked his phone for the time, he noticed a strange, ominous app with a red eye on the screen.

"What the hell is this?" he said, clicking on it. The screen glitched, froze for a bit, and flickered before he quickly deleted the app.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a shadowy silhouette standing at the edge of his reflection in the window—a figure that looked like a fusion of his father's Satanael and his mother's Astarte. Of course he doesn't know that.

"The time has come," the figure said in a deep, resonant voice. "Prepare yourself, Trickster. The ruin is near, and you must rise to meet it. We will meet again soon, just you wait."

Kunikazu blinked, and the figure vanished. He rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was hallucinating. He is unsure on what to say.

"What in the fucking world is going on?" he whispered, stepping off the train and heading toward Shujin Academy.

He then made his way to the outside and school gate of Shujin as he looked at the building while his thoughts are swirling his mind like crazy. After seeing his parents being all affectionate, and now this?

Unbeknownst to him, this was only the beginning of his journey. Soon, he would gather a new band of misfits, discover his own persona, and face a malevolent will that threatened humanity—just like his parents had done years ago. This time, he will soon be the leader and the protagonist of the story.

The story is just the beginning...