Epilogue: A Promise Fulfilled

March 27

I waited by myself at the Yongen-jaya station, along with a bunch of other people who were waiting to get on the train, and an old couple who seemed like they were waiting for their son, since they were holding a sign saying "Satoshi." I'd gotten used to being in crowds this large, so my nervousness was mainly due to the fact that this would be the first time I'd meet Kana-chan in years.

When Kana-chan stepped off the train, I recognized her immediately based on the picture she sent, although it was a bit of a surprise to see her in person. She'd grown a lot since I last saw her, and she was a couple centimeters taller than Haru. Her chest had filled out a lot, to the point it was almost as big as Ann's- unfortunately, I could think of a lot of people who found this more interesting than I did. She wore a conservative outfit of a loose long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, and carried a bag that contained the essentials.

"Hi, Futaba-chan!" Kana-chan called out as she noticed me in the crowd and started walking over.

"Hey, Kana-chan!" I said. "Glad you could make it."

"It was quite a trip," Kana-chan said. "Luckily, my parents were open-minded about me traveling this far, as long as I paid for it myself."

"They wouldn't have let you do this before?" I said.

Kana-chan shook her head.

"Not really," Kana-chan said, "as apart from all the 'jobs' they had me do, which ate up a lot of my free time, they didn't like the idea of their kid having her own desires and any amount of autonomy. It's hard to believe that it hasn't even been half a year since they had their hearts changed, huh?"

I nodded. A lot had changed in the past year, and even the past three months, so the only prediction for the near future that I could make with any confidence was that I'd be starting high school in early April, with a lot of boys and girls a year younger than me.

"People don't change overnight," I said, "well, most of the time, that is."

Kana-chan giggled.

"Yeah, that's why I knew the Phantom Thieves stole my parents' hearts," Kana-chan said, before turning seriously. "But you're right, Futaba-chan. Our experiences and the kind of person we are determine the kind of person we become, but if we want to change, we really have to work at it."

I nodded in agreement. While I knew how the changes of hearts and removal of distorted desires affected people, I'd always wondered why that worked. The most plausible answer I could come up with was that people's distorted desires stopped them from feeling guilt for their actions or empathy for their victims, and once that was removed, their conscience was finally able to go to work and make them feel the guilt that any normal person should feel.

Of course, with Kana-chan, the implications were simpler. She realized that her parents couldn't have accepted responsibility for their actions and changed unless it was forced on them, which is why she wasn't ready to forgive them. As for Kana-chan herself, she wasn't much of a social butterfly back then, and while she'd gotten to know a few incoming first-years at her school, she probably wouldn't have a lot of friends.

"You got that right," I said. "C'mon, let's go."

I ushered Kana up the stairs to Yongen-jaya and we walked through the streets.

We headed into Leblanc, where Sojiro was tending the shop, and Ann, Ryuji and Inari were waiting at the counter. Apart from them, the shop was as empty as it usually was, so I had to wonder if Sojiro remembered that I was having Kana-chan over.

"Well, here's everyone," I said. "This is my adoptive dad, Sojiro Sakura. These are Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki, who'll be third-years at Shujin Academy when school starts up again."

"I'm Yusuke Kitagawa," Inari said before I could introduce him, "in the same year as Ann and Ryuji, but at Kosei High School, not Shujin Academy."

"My name is Kana Magario," Kana-chan said. "I'm pleased to meet all of you."

Kana-chan bowed to her new acquaintances, before sitting down across from me at a booth. Given how close she and I were, I'd forgotten that she was pretty polite when it came to people she didn't know well- it took a while to get her to call me "Futaba-chan" instead of "Isshiki-san," after all.

"A couple people couldn't make it today," I said. "There's Makoto Niijima and Haru Okumura, who are starting university, and had to go to their school to deal with some business. There's also Akira Kurusu- the guy I mentioned to you earlier- who moved back home with his cat, Morgana."

"So you've known Futaba for a while, right, Kana-chan?" Ann said.

"For several years, Takamaki-san," Kana-chan said. "We first met in elementary school, but we drifted apart for a while, only to come back together recently."

"That's great," Ann said. "My best friend from middle school moved away a while back, but we still keep in touch."

Kana-chan wasn't willing to mention why we'd broken up- that I'd accidentally found out about her parents abusing her and asked her about it- than Ann was willing to mention why Shiho moved away- that what Kamoshida did to Shiho traumatized Shiho so badly that she attempted suicide in front of the entire school. Trust wasn't built overnight, and while Kana-chan and I trusted each other, it would take a long time for her and the rest of our friends to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets, if they ever did.

For now, though, I was glad Kana-chan got along with my other friends, and we spent several minutes making small talk to break the ice, mainly discussing each other's schools. Eventually, though, Ann checked her watch and realized how much time had passed since we'd stated talking.

"Oh, that reminds me," Ann said. "The three of us have plans for today."

"We do?" Ryuji said, getting him a glare from Ann. "Oh, yeah, we do."

"Ok, then you should probably get going," Kana-chan said. "It was nice meeting you all."

"Likewise," Inari then. "Well, then, let us be off."

"Nice meeting you too, Kana-chan," Ann said.

"Later," Ryuji said.

The three walked out of the cafe. As they left, Kana-chan turned to me.

"Your friends were very considerate," Kana-chan said.

"Yep," I said. "I knew it'd be best to introduce them to you, but it was nice of them to give us time to catch up with just the two of us around."

"I agree," Sojiro said to Kana-chan. "Well, I've got to go to the store, so make yourself at home."

Sojiro stepped out, closing the door behind him and flipping the sign to "Closed." A minute or so passed in silence, until Kana-chan, aware that no one was around, decided to speak.

"Anyway, Futaba-chan, there's something I wanted to ask you for a long time now," Kana-chan said, "but I wanted to wait until we could meet in person, and alone to do it."

"Shoot," I said.

Kana-chan looked around to double-check whether anyone was there, then leaned in close and whispered to me.

"You're a member of the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Kana-chan said.

I was caught off-guard for a while over how suddenly and bluntly Kana-chan had asked the question, but then nodded with a slight chuckle.

"Bingo," I said. "How'd you guess?"

"Well, in hindsight, I found it odd that the Phantom Thieves found my parents without knowing their names," Kana-chan said. "I suppose the one most likely to have figured it out was you, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "I couldn't ignore rotten adults like that, especially not when I had a lot to make up for. I guessed it was you based on your IP address, the data involved and what you wrote about them, so once I knew that, I had to act."

"I'm glad you did," Kana-chan said, "but really, I should've been the one who initiated contact with you."

"No, really, that was something I had to do," I said, "to face up to my past and fulfill the last promise I made to my mom that I'd never completed. Because I'd done that, I could honestly tell Mom that we were getting along when Sojiro, Akira and I visited her grave in November."

Kana-chan didn't argue with that, or even say anything at all. She'd already heard about my mom's death, having seen her obituary while searching for "Isshiki" online. While I'd gotten to the point where I was able to talk about my mom's life and her death, I was glad that Kana-chan understood me well enough that when I alluded to either, I didn't have to spell things out.

I took Kana-chan to Shibuya today. We had lunch at the diner, and I paid for both of us. We went to the arcades, and while Kana-chan had never had much time for video games, she was a pretty fast learner. We went window shopping at a couple stores, and Kana-chan was perfectly fine with the fact that a lot of the stuff was out of her price range.

All in all, Kana-chan seemed to have a good time, which was a relief. I was a bit worried about how to be a good hostess, since I'd never had any guests over before, so I went with what came naturally to me. Maybe that was the best choice, so now I knew what to do when I next had her over.

In the evening, we got back to Leblanc, and I showed Kana-chan to her room.

"So, here's your room," I said. "I know it's a little shabby and run-down, but hey, you get what you get."

"It's actually a lot better than the room I have at home," Kana-chan said, "which is just one reason why I never had you over."

I nodded grimly. If Kana-chan's' parents treated her that horribly, the only reason they would have had to be nice to houseguests would be to keep up their facade of being decent human beings.

"Well, Sojiro says it was a real pigsty when Akira first moved in," I said, "so you should probably thank Akira for getting it into good condition, even if he didn't do it for your sake."

I'd always wondered how Akira was able to pick up my room so quickly without me noticing, until I learned about the state his room had been when he arrived. They said men couldn't do housework, but there were always exceptions to every rule, especially with a non-conformist rebel like Akira.

"That makes sense," Kana-chan said. "If you're going to stay in an attic for a year, you might as well make sure that it's a nice place to live in."

"True," I said. "Well, I'll see you in the morning, Kana-chan."

As Kana-chan said good night to me, I remembered her last comment. Akira had once told me that, in retrospect, while each day was full of new surprises, and he didn't know whether he'd be alive, much less in compliance with his probation, at the end of the year, he did what he could to make sure things worked out. That kind of mindset would serve him well in his hometown, so Kana-chan had, possibly without realizing it, given me reason to hope for the best.

March 29

Two days after arriving, and one day after we spent a day in Akihabara together, Kana-chan had to go back home again. I knew it was a short visit, but I was still sad to see her go, even if it was easier to accept than Akira leaving.

The two of us headed for the station first thing in the morning after breakfast. We reached the platform with a few minutes to spare, so Kana-chan stopped to say goodbye to me.

"Thanks for having me over, Futaba-chan," Kana-chan said. "You can visit me if you'd like, but you'd have to get your own hotel room- like I said earlier, my parents aren't exactly the best hosts."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, "although there's a certain someone I'd really like to see again, so I'll probably go visit him if I have the chance."

Kana-chan nodded in understanding, and I was glad that she didn't take it personally that for me, seeing her was a lower priority than seeing Akira. Unfortunately, Golden Week wasn't really feasible for him, but we'd have other chances to see each other, and the same went for Kana-chan.

"That reminds me," Kana-chan said. "How's your boyfriend?"

"He's doing well," I said. "Getting back into his old life's been tough, but he says keeping in contact with me and everyone else makes it easier for him. His relationship with his folks... isn't great, but at least they're better parents than yours."

"That's good," Kana-chan said. "I'd bet that he'd like to be back here with you, as well as the rest of his friends, but it sounds like he's managing over where he is now."

"It's the same as with us," I said. "It'll probably be a while before we can see each other like this again, but as long as we keep in touch and keep each other in our hearts, it'll make it easier to wait for that day to come."

"Same here," Kana-chan said, before turning around. "Well, my train's here. I'll keep in touch, Futaba-chan, and hope to visit you again soon."

"See you later, Kana-chan," I said, as I waved goodbye.

As Kana-chan stepped through the train doors, and they closed before the train spirited her far away, I noticed that it was easier to say goodbye to Kana-chan than it was to Akira, even though I might not see her for a while. Getting close to others again had caused me to realize the pain of being separated from them, just like losing my mom had been the most painful event of my life. Life went on, though, and as long as we were alive, we could form new connections, and perhaps one day reunite with those who had been separated from us. Kana-chan and Akira lived far away from me, but I believed that I would see them again someday soon.

I reached into my bag and took out my promise note for the month of March, one that I'd made by and for myself. There were several new promises that I'd thought of and added to the list- go to school, get regular exercise, talk to at least one person my age who wasn't a former Phantom Thief, and, of course, continue to be okay without Akira around. I'd grown enough to realize that being able to manage all this would be its own reward. Perhaps I could consider Akira's eventual return to be the reward for that, but I'd need to be able to fulfill all my promises to meet him with my head held high. As for being okay without him around, that wouldn't be finished until Akira returned, but I felt confident I fulfilled it this month, and checked it off.

I knew this wouldn't be easy- not many things in life that really mattered were- but I didn't think it was impossible, either. By forcing myself to broaden my horizons, I'd gained the courage to face anything life threw at me, and it was all thanks to the last promise I made with the guy I loved.

Author's Notes

Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following this fic.

As a bit of self-promotion, if you enjoy a Persona story of love, overcoming separation and working toward a common goal together, you might also enjoy my Persona 4 fic, "One Year," a story of Yu and Yukiko maintaining a long-distance relationship as Yu settles back into his old school. I took a break from that fic to work on a NaNoWriMo project, but now that I'm finished with this, I'll getting back to "One Year" fairly soon.

It was a bit difficult, but I was able to reach 50,000 words on this fic, thereby fulfilling both of NaNoWriMo's goals- write 50,000 words and finish your novel.

Days until Akira returns: Many.