"Akira" Normal Speech

'Akechi' People's thoughts

"Persona" Other being's speech

'Velvet' Other being's thoughts

Disclaimer: You know the drill, Persona and the SMT franchise belong to our lord Atlus, may Hamuko/FemMC be playable in P3DMN

Prologue

Consequences of a Perfect Run

Morgana knew that something was definitely wrong.

He was sharp, which was saying a lot considering that he was a cat, something that he had come to accept a long time ago. He wasn't a normal cat after all, but rather the hopes of mankind turned into one single being thanks to the power of the Velvet Room and Igor.

That definitely beat being just a human, even if the cat tongue still got in the way of him trying the famous curry that Sojiro, and now also his best friend, were known for.

That and it was definitely an issue whenever he tried to court Lady Ann, but he was sure she would come around sooner or later, he had the charm after all, and if his first Persona being Zorro didn't show that then he didn't know what would.

But if there was something he felt himself proud of, it was how perceptive he could be.

Not about everything of course, after all whether he liked it or not he had to admit that there were some stuff that he just didn't know about. Futaba's entrance on the team had showed him that more than clearly.

But there was one single thing that he knew he bested everyone in it, even all of the other members of the Phantom Thieves, and that thing was a simple yet important one for him.

He was the one that knew Akira Kurusu, or rather Joker as he preferred to call him, the best.

It might sound a weird thing to be proud of, but it became apparent once you started to know the man that had lead them all in a mad fight against a god to save Japan and probably the world.

Joker's poker face was impeccable, his demeanor was the one that the situation called for, and his inner thoughts were probably the biggest, most guarded treasure that Morgana had ever seen.

It sounded like he was exaggerating, but he was not. The glass-wearing teen could go from completely calm, almost to the point of being shy, to being as cocky as he could get to be without being an outright douche, with pride oozing out him.

He also loved to keep stuff for himself. He was most definitely the silent type of guy, one that could asset the situation objectively with a mind that, in his opinion, almost rivaled the one of their tactician, Makoto Niijima, which was saying a lot.

Definitely a quality that he admired from their leader, and at this point he just couldn't imagine the Phantom Thieves operating without that guy on the lead.

But even so, with all of those facts it made it extremely hard to be able to read the guy. He just kept his cards so close to his chest that when all the others had told him that Joker had surrendered himself to the police without telling anyone he hadn't be surprised.

Angry? Most definitely. Surprised? Not at all.

So the fact that he knew that he was the best at reading the infamous leader of the Phantom Thieves was a source of pride for the black cat. It definitely came with the fact that both had been living together in the same room for the better part of a year, something that he wouldn't change for anything.

At first he had just started noticing things, small details that he was sure others would just ignore or pass of as nothing. The way his eyebrow twitched slightly when something was upsetting him, the way he touched his glasses, or even his mask, when he was deep in thought, and even the way he played with his own hair when something confused him, they were all things that he had started paying attention to, more out of their leader's sake than anything else.

After all someone had to take care of the guy and who better than him? Especially considering how often he ran himself dead tired while doing so much stuff just to later act as if he was fine and dandy.

Joker had helped him and accepted him for who he was after all, so knowing when something was upsetting him and then helping with it was the least he could do.

But Morgana was sure that, even if he wasn't as sharp as he was, there was no way that he would not have noticed that something was completely wrong. He would have to been blind to not have noticed it.

After all when the normally stoic and calm Akira Kurusu goes to check his phone, looks at it for a few straight minutes, pretty much unmoving, just to then drop said phone, become pale as a ghost and with an actual shocked expression on his face, that's when you just knew the world was pretty much ending.

What type of message could Joker have gotten in his phone for him to have such an open reaction? It must have been something extremely big, Morgana knew, after all not even when fighting against Yaldabaoth had he showed such an open shock.

Heck not even when Satanael had descended from the skies had the teen acted with surprise, almost as if he had seen it coming. He still had shivers just thinking of that Persona's power.

And it was that same guy the one that had now broken into a cold sweat over something on his phone!

The only reason he hadn't gone to check what was written on it was his respect for Joker's privacy, even if curiosity was killing him.

There was no way he could ignore something like this after all, especially if it got this type of reaction from Joker of all people.

"Uhm… Joker?" he knew that calling him like that now that the Metaverse was gone was unnecessary, but he was far too used to it to stop now, and the guy didn't seem to mind anyway, so it was ok in his book "Are you…ok? What happened? You look as if Yaldabaoth himself had returned or something"

Then again, a part of Morgana knew that even if that was the case, his leader wouldn't act as surprised as he was right now.

And for a moment the cat honestly thought that the young man sitting on his bed had not heard him at all, with the way his wide eyes were still glued to the cellphone in the floor, almost as if wondering how such a thing even existed.

It took almost a whole minute for Joker to finally react, and when he did it just made Morgana worry even more, with the way his friend moved his head slowly, almost mechanically, to look straight at him, with such an lost gaze that the Persona-user almost wondered if his leader even knew where he was at the time.

Then he saw how his mouth opened and closed, since the black-haired man apparently wanted to say something, but words refused to leave him. It was most definitely a weird sight, seeing the man that had faced a god with nothing but a smirk on his lips now looking like a very confused fish.

Then again, his next words just seemed to throw Morgana into his own world of surprise.

"I think I fucked up"

If there was one rule that Morgana had come to know in his time living with Akira Kurusu, it was that the teen never, ever, cursed. No, that was more like Ryuji's thing. Not ever since he had met him had Morgana heard a single bad word leave his leader's lips, not one.

And that pretty much made it official in the cat's mind.

Whatever was coming to them, it was something they were not ready for.

If only he knew.

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Ann Takamaki was a girl with a mission.

She had prepared herself as best as she could for what she was going to do today, to the point that her blue eyes shined with nothing but raw determination.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror of her room once more, nodding approvingly at what she saw. Not that she was wearing anything fancy mind you, just a usual casual outfit for her. Today it wasn't about clothes though. No, she knew that just dressing pretty was not going to cut it, today she had to bring her A-game if she was going to get what she wanted.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. And damn right she would get it.

A vibration in her hand, alongside a very familiar melody, brought the blonde's attention to the object in her palm. It was her phone of course, indicating that it had received a message of sorts.

She was quick to read it, a small smile blossoming in her face as she did. It was from her best friend Shiho after all. That already was more than enough to make her happy, but the contents of the text itself just made her feel even more excited about what today would bring.

It wasn't a very long text though; just a few words of encouragement for what she would do today, but it meant a lot to her that her friend was supporting her like this. She knew that she would be a nervous mess otherwise, but Shiho's confidence in her was enough to throw the feelings of uncertainty out of her and replace them with nothing but sheer determination.

After a few clicks on her phones her own answer had been sent to her friend, the blonde model then putting the device in her pocket before looking at her reflection in the mirror once more, right before slapping her cheeks slightly. It was do or die today.

Her eyes drifted to her bed, or to be more precise, to the small box resting on top of it. It didn't look like anything special, just a small brown one with a little bow on the top, but to her it was the culmination of her hard work.

She was so thankful that Shiho knew how to bake chocolates, even if following instructions over the phone had been a tad vexing. She had done it nonetheless, and she just knew that he would love them.

A small tint of pink filled her cheeks as soon as she picked the box from her bed, but it was gone as soon as she shook her head, a deep breath escaping her lips. Now was not the time to start getting nervous!

Having everything she needed she finally made a move towards the door of her room, knowing that she had time but also wanting to get there as soon as possible, with one last thought filling her head.

She was not only Ann Takamaki, but she was also Panther, member of the infamous Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and just like her namesake implied today she was a hunter.

And she wasn't going to let her elusive leader escape her this time!

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Makoto Niijima was so close to becoming a nervous wreck.

It wasn't normal to see the normally calm and focused Student Council President of Fujin Academy like that. In fact some people would say that it was outright impossible, but the brunette knew better than that. She knew that she was inexperienced in a lot of things, something that sadly came with how focused she was with her studies, and definitely something that was now coming to bite her in the butt.

After all, for all the things she wasn't familiar with, there was one that easily took the prize.

And that was of course, romance.

Her cheeks flared a bit, and she didn't have to look at herself in a mirror to know she was sporting a blush. Of course, whenever the topic of romance ever crossed her mind, it always ended up going back to him.

She couldn't back down at this point though. No, it was too late, she had already sent him a message after all, and not going now after that was simply unacceptable in her head.

She would have to suck up her nervousness and go forward, even if the sight of the medium, dark yellow box in top of the table in her living room was enough to make her fidget a bit.

Would he like them? She would like to think that indeed he would, and the most rational part of her brain told her that they were delicious and that there was no way he would not like them. Not only she had tested them after all, but she was also quite confidant in her cooking skills. It came with being the one that cooked the most between her and her sister.

Not that she minded of course, especially considering just how busy her sister was all the time.

Speaking of said silver-haired woman.

"Are you ready to go, Makoto?" her sister's voice regarded her from the door of their apartment, her arms crossed over her chest while a smile was plastered on her face, her eyes showing amusement.

"Ah, uhm, right yes" she answered nervously while fixing her hair, even if it was unnecessary, right before she grabbed the box from the table and then moved towards her sister, her own gaze down.

While for her part Sae simply shook her head, finding a bit hard to connect the nervous girl in front of her with the resolute woman she had seen working alongside the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

Not that the silver-haired beauty didn't know why she was acting like that, something that made her glad, after all it meant that the relationship between the two was becoming stronger, something that Sae had wanted for a while now.

You would have to be blind to not have noticed it though, after all when her little sister not only asked her if she could give her a ride to LeBlanc on this particular day, but also had asked her stuff about boys of all things, the connection made itself obvious in her head pretty quickly.

And she had to admit that the idea of her younger sister liking, let alone dating anyone was a bit daunting for her, then again it's not like she could even complain about the guy her sister had a crush on.

It was hard to when not only had he fought tooth and nail against forces beyond anything she thought capable just to protect literally everyone, but then he had also gone as far as to surrender himself to the police just to protect the rest of his team.

Yep, her sister could definitely have picked someone a lot worse.

"Sis…" she was taken out of her thoughts by Makoto calling out to her, with the two standing in front of the open door, more than ready to leave "Thank you…"

She was a bit taken back by the sincerity in her younger sister's voice, but in the end she just smiled gently at her, her hand going up to slowly caress the girl's brown hair, getting a surprised look from her red eyes.

She just hoped that her sister's first crush didn't end in heartbreak.

"Just make sure to tell him how you feel properly, alright?" she said, getting a small gasp from the brown-haired girl right before she looked down awkwardly, a small nod being the only response Sae got.

And at that moment one Makoto Niijima would have killed to simply be able to act just how she did in the Metaverse, as Queen of the Phantom Thieves.

Considering how she was going to face Joker of all people, she could certainly use the confidence boost.

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'I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it' she repeated in her mind like a mantra, psyching herself up for what she would do today. It was definitely a first for her, and even as better as she had gotten when dealing with other people the simple thought of what she was going to do was almost enough to make her want to hide herself in her closet just out of sheer embarrassment.

But she couldn't do that. No, she refused; she had gone way too far to stop herself now. Just texting him that one particular message earlier had already taken a toll on her, which was saying a lot considering how comfortable she always was when writing him, and she wasn't going to let that go to waste.

She fixed her glasses, her orange hair bobbling as she nodded appreciatively, her eyes focused on the information present on the monitor of her computer. She had even gone as far as to research what couples normally did on a day like this. Sure they weren't actually together like that, but that would certainly change today if she had a say about it.

A small blush appeared on her face, remembering some of the more… explicit stuff she had found while looking for help in the internet. She would really have clean her browsing history after this.

Sure, she could have asked Sojiro about it, but boy did that sound as awkward as it could get.

It had taken a while for her to understand her own feelings, but now that she did there was no way she could stay quiet about it, especially considering how her Key Item was so close of going back to his previous home.

She then looked at the object resting on her lap, one that she was sure Morgana would love out of the sheer design; after all she had actually gone out of her way to find one that resembled the black cat. She hoped her Key Item would appreciate the joke, especially considering how even the chocolates looked like their feline friend's face.

For that she had most certainly asked Sojiro for help. He was the best cooker of the two after all, especially when you consider how little experience she had. At least her father in all but blood hadn't questions much about it, apparently being more than happy with just helping her.

Although the knowing smirk he kept shooting at her when he thought she wasn't looking was enough to tell her he wasn't fooled at all.

"Alright!" she said with determination while abruptly standing up, fire burning in her eyes. It was time to make all the levels she had gained every since she joined the Phantom Thieves be worth something.

"Futaba, are you ok there?" a sudden knock on her door, followed by a voice she recognized easily almost made the girl squeak in surprise. Had she really been that loud?

"Y-yeah! Don't worry, Sojiro!" she answered hastily before nodding twice to assure herself.

"Alright if you say so" the voice coming from the other side of her room told her that he didn't really bought it "Be sure to get ready then, we're going in a few minutes"

And then just hearing that was enough to make her heart beat faster than she thought was possible, nervousness once again filling her, knowing that in just a matter of minutes she would be at LeBlanc, facing her Key Item and telling him how she felt.

…Was it really that late to just hide under her bed or something?

"Pull yourself together, Oracle!" she said under her breath, gaining strength from her title as a member of the Phantom Thieves. If she was able to support her team through everything they had faced, then she most certainly could do this!

Futaba Sakura was coming, and she was more than ready to make one particular Thieve a permanent member of her party!

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"Are you ready to go, Miss?" her driver asked from the front seat of her limo, looking back at her from the reflection in the rearview mirror, sunglasses blocking said driver's eyes.

"Yes, thank you" an answer with a soft, happy tone, alongside a smile was the response he got, making the man give a small nod before beginning their travel, their journey being a simple and small cafe in Yongen-Jaya.

And with each passing second that the limousine got close to its destination the auburn-haired girl couldn't stop the small pit of nervousness from forming itself in her stomach. This was her first time doing anything even remotely romantic after all, for she didn't consider even a second she had spent with her ex-fiancé even close to romantic.

She shook her head, her fluffy hair mirroring her movements. There was no need to ruin this day with thoughts like that. She had gotten over that man, and with any luck she wouldn't have to deal with him ever again.

And that was one more thing she owed to the young man that had taken over most of her thoughts for a while now. Knowing him he would refuse such a claim, saying that it had been all on her, but she knew better, he had given her the strength to break the shackles that had kept her in a bind.

A small, genuine smile found its way to her lips, her arms hugging the small pink bag that she had closer to her chest, for with how bleak her world had been before, first with her arranged marriage that she wanted nothing to do with, to then losing her father, she had honestly thought at one point that there was no hope.

But everything had changed. She had changed, she now had the strength to keep moving forward into the uncertain future, hope in her eyes and a dream in her heart, and it was all thanks to her friends, the Phantom Thieves, and most specifically, to their leader.

Her smile became somehow even more tender as she thought of him, her eyes looking down at the chocolates in her hands with incredible intensity. It was her declaration to him after all, so she had made sure that they were as perfect as they could be. She couldn't ask for anything less.

But just as she kept looking at the bag in her hands, the precious smile that she had slowly, but surely, turned into a small frown, a sudden attack of weakness hitting her hard, something that she had to deal with for a while now.

In her head she knew that the small gift tasted delicious, but even so she wasn't able to avoid the doubts that formed in her heart. What if he didn't like them? What if he didn't even want them or didn't accept them? What if… he rejected her?

If her driver has chosen to look back at her at that right exact moment, he would have gotten a chill down his spine, for just for that one split second all light vanished from her normally warm brown eyes, her gaze almost becoming void of any emotion.

But just as quick as it came it suddenly disappeared, almost as if it had been nothing but a trick of lights. Her brown eyes regained their kind, warm look, a small giggle suddenly escaping her lips just as she played with her hair a bit.

How silly of her, there was no way that would happen. Today was going to be perfect, so she declared not only on the Okumura name, but also on her title as Noir.

She truly couldn't wait to see him.

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"Eh? You are leaving, doctor-lady?" the small tyke that had apparently taken a like to her asked, her big doe eyes looking up at her with no small amount of curiosity, truly fitting for a child, she thought.

She smiled down at the little girl, her normal consult outfit changed for a more casual one that fitted her style.

"Sorry little miss, but I have something important to do today, so I can't play with you" she answered truthfully with a nod of her head, simply getting a confused stare from said girl, who was still looking up at her with no small amount of wonder. Ah right, this was the first time she saw her in this outfit, didn't she?

"Really?"

"Yep" she answered swiftly once more, moving to the counter inside of her clinic to grab a small, black box. Probably the most important thing for today's activity, she thought, although considering how close this place was to her little Guinea Pig's house she was sure that even if she had forgotten about it she could have just come back to retrieve it.

"What are you going to do?" the younger girl asked again, getting a raised eyebrow from the black-haired beauty, quite the curious one, wasn't she? She wondered for a few seconds if she should tell something like this to such a young girl, but in the end she simply kneeled in front of her, the girl's attention still focused on her eyes.

"You remember when you told me about the boy you liked?" the back-alley doctor asked, getting an exaggerated nod from the girl, causing a small grin to appear on her lips "Well I just so happen to have someone like that too"

Now sharing stuff like that was not something she would normally do, but the girl was pretty inoffensive anyway, so she saw no troubles with it. This way they would even too.

"Eh?! Really?! Doctor-lady has a boyfriend!" the girl declared, honestly shocked, simply getting a chuckle from her right before she got up.

"Not yet actually" she continued, trying to calm the excited girl "If everything goes right I'll have one by the end of the day though"

She wasn't able to stop herself from licking her lips at that thought. She had spent quite some time without regular visits from her Guinea Pig after all. Leaving or not she was going to make sure to make him pay dearly for the lost time; he just didn't know it yet.

"Good luck, doctor-lady!" she almost chuckled again at the thumbs up she received from the little tyke.

"Thanks, kid" she answered honestly, her eyes shining with mischievousness. Luck? While she didn't mind the sentiment, she was going serious this time, she didn't need luck.

She had been able to cure a disease on a little back ally that people in their expensive hospitals hadn't been able to process. Compared to that, giving chocolates to a teenager was a piece of cake.

Then again, this wasn't just any teenager, now was he? Of course not, that would have been too simple. No no, she was dealing with a member of the mysterious Phantom Thieves, one that had used his powers to help her more than what he probably even understood.

It sounded like a challenge alright, but she was Tae Takemi, and he was her most precious Guinea Pig.

Challenge or not, she wouldn't have it any other way.

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"Ugh, she owes me big time for this…" she muttered under her breath, the pen in her hand moving swiftly between sheets of paper just as she checked and graded them, something that she was far more than used to considering her profession.

That didn't mean that she had to like it though, especially when it wasn't even from her students, but no, her fellow teacher just had to dump all of this on her because of the arrangement she had.

She also had plans for this day! And it certainly didn't include doing another teacher's work. She ended up sighing, face resting on the palm of her hand just as her eyes drifted from the papers she still had to check to a small, heart-shaped package right at the side of her desk.

To think she would have such a thing at her age. She couldn't even remember the last time she even did anything in particular for a day like this. She normally just worked or stayed at home after all, but not this time. Today was different, this time she actually had someone to which she wanted to spend time with.

Sure, that someone just so happened to not only be a lot younger than her, but he was even her student, or former student at least, but at this point those were just little side things that she didn't particularly care about. It was hard to when he sometimes acted even more mature than her.

Maybe it came with being a Phantom Thieve? She wasn't sure after all, but she wouldn't be surprised. Not that she would complain mind you, especially not after everything he had done, not only for her, but even for the school with the whole Kamoshida mess.

"Great, I'm really fawning over a guy almost half my age" she complained slightly, looking at the box of chocolates with a small frown right before a smile appeared on her lips, her eyes becoming half-lidded. Bah, who the hell cared anyway? Her relationship was no one's business after all.

So what if she loved someone so young? Puff big deal.

She stretched her limbs from her seat, a small sigh escaping her lips. There was no turning back at this point anyway, she had already told him that she would be coming over, so she might as well just finish all this mess as soon as possible in order to go and finally meet him.

He was a lot more than just a student to her after all. He was her confidant; her trustable friend and the person that had helped her remember why she had become a teacher in the first place.

Sadayo Kawakami was a lot of things. Just a teacher most of the times, even a maid when the moon had been high in the sky, and now she was simply a woman in love.

If her student was going to make her act like this then he might as well take responsibility, right?

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"Morning, Lala-chan!" she called enthusiastically, a grin present on her face, her right hand waving slightly at her friend.

"Oh?" the bartender looked at the oncoming woman with no small amount of surprise "Isn't it too early for you to start drinking? If you really came for that then I'll have to decline helping you"

In response she just waved her hand dismissively, taking the seat she always took whenever she was here. The whole bar was empty anyway, but at this point this was just her spot.

"Don't worry about it, Lala-chan. I'm just passing by anyway" she answered, focusing on her cross-dressing friend "Not like I can get drunk with what I'm planning to do today, anyway"

"Ho, is that so?" the owner of Crossroads said while whipping away a glass in her hand "You got some sort of big scoop today?"

In response she simply shook her head before presenting something to her friend, a small, white box with a ribbon on it, a cheeky smile still present on her red lips, while the bartender simply blinked owlishly at the younger woman, understanding what was being implied but barely being able to process it.

It was that time of the year, now wasn't it? It certainly was good for her business, Lala thought, considering the amount of heartbroken individuals that decided to drink their sorrows away.

And her friend in front of her had been one of those same people just last year.

Not today apparently.

The cross-dresser's mind started going through any guy that could have gotten the interest of the journalist in front of her to the point that she would buy, or dare she believe, make chocolates, but none came to mind. She was sure that if a guy like that existed she would know, after all the black-haired woman certainly liked to gossip about everything, especially when the alcohol kicked in.

'Wait…' her mind stopped. Could that be? It was the only logical conclusion after all, for as far as she knew he was the only guy that actually spent time with her younger friend. It was hard to forget such an insistent high schooler after all.

"You girly… you never struck me as the cradle-robber type of girl" Lala voiced her own conclusions, earning a small whine from her.

"Oh c'mon, Lala-chan! It's not like I'm going for him just because he's young" she said seriously, right before another cheeky grin appeared on her face "That's just an added bonus"

"Heavens, dear…" Lala muttered with a small sigh, not knowing what to take on that comment.

"Besides…" the tone of her voice caught Lala's attention once again, the older woman looking down at the journalist, with the black-haired girl simply looking to the side, a small smile on her face, one so honest that Lala was pretty sure she could count with her fingers the amount of times she had seen that smile every since the incident.

Curiously enough, every time it had been in the presence of that same young man.

"I'm just not fooling around, you know?" and Lala honestly believed that. It was hard not to when you received such a serious gaze. That young man had been one of the best influences for her friend that Lala ever seen, so if the younger woman was serious about this, then who was she to judge?

"Just don't do anything crazy, he's still a kid after all" the bartender replied with a nod, a smile present on her face.

"If only you knew…" she muttered under her breath low enough for no one to hear, hardly considering the young man that had taken over her thoughts as just as kid. It was hard to once you remembered that not only he was a member of the group that had taken Japan by storm, the Phantom Thieves, but that he had also been thrown into probation, and later juvie, for crimes that he didn't commit.

If there was something she hated, it was people manipulating the truth, especially when it came to someone she cared about deeply.

She was Ichiko Ohya after all, professional journalist, and the one with the best scoops whenever it came to the Phantom Thieves, something that was incredibly easy when you had a member of said group as a very close friend.

Then again, if everything went accordingly, after this day they would be so much more than just that.

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"You're leaving early today?" it was one of her clients that addressed her, a rather young woman that had come to get a reading in the day.

"Yes, I'm extremely sorry, but there's something I must do today" she said, hoping that her purple eyes expressed that she wouldn't be leaving her spot like this if it wasn't important.

"Oh don't worry, I understand" the woman smiled, her eyes noticing a small brown bag with a red ribbon "Today is a special day after all. I wish I had someone like you do, Maiden-san"

"Eh? Ah, I mean, uhm…" a healthy blush blossomed in her face, a pout appearing just as the young woman chuckled before leaving.

The blonde fortune teller simply released a calming breath before continuing putting every tool she normally used for her craft away. She had spent a bit of time here already, but she really needed to leave if she wanted to reach his house early.

The last thing left on her tables, besides her home-made chocolates of course, were her favorite piece of her job: her tarot cards.

She could still remember just how dependant on their readings she had become, to the point that thinking about it now just made her a tad bit embarrassed about herself.

At least she had gotten over it. She had gone past a lot of the things that had tormented her in the past, and it was all thanks to the young man that has showed her that Fate could, in fact, be changed by anyone that tried hard enough.

She giggled a bit at that thought, since she also had to admit that even if that was true, her assistant still had a knack for doing it that she doubted anyone else had, even herself.

Did something like that come with being a Phantom Thieve? She had to wonder if that was true. Not that it really mattered for what she had planned today.

A part of her had wanted to use her cards to get a reading on what the day awaited for her, but she had quickly decided against it. After all Fate could be changed, and if it tried to stop her from accomplishing what she was setting herself to do then be sure that she would change it, one way or another.

Not even Fate could stop her at this point after all. She couldn't say exactly when, but the young man that had helped her so much had become the most important person for her in the massive city that was Tokyo.

He had come, challenging her views and made her rethink what she had believed every since she could remember. He hadn't even been mad after the whole stone fiasco, instead simply deciding to show her another way, and in the process helping her redeem herself with everyone that she had hurt under the excuse of her scam.

Even if Fate herself told her that she was going to fail, Chihaya Mifune was not going to give up, and today she was going to bag herself one assistant for life.

He liked older woman anyway, so she most definitely had this on the bag!

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Hifumi Togo was a worried girl.

Her current worries were nothing compared to what she had experienced months ago. Between almost being forced to pose for a magazine that she didn't feel comfortable being part off and the rumors, which ended up being true, of her shogi matches being rigged, Hifumi had more than her own share of worries to deal with for a while now.

Not like everything had been bad of course, because even after all the trials and tribulations that she had been forced to face, the results ended up being something that she honestly couldn't complain about. Sure, her reputation among the Shogi community had taken quite the blow, but now she knew the true extent of her skills, and that's what mattered to her in the end.

Not only that, but even her rocky relationship with her mother had taken quite the turn, with the woman now being more acceptable of her passion for the game, and even openly supporting her about it without any hidden intentions.

And she knew exactly to who she owed that last one. It was to the third reason that the past year had actually been quite enjoyable, after all even among the bad things that had happened; he had been a constant presence on her side, one that at this point brought a smile to her face just by thinking about him.

And it had been his dealings as a Phantom Thieve that had changed her mother and for that she was truly thankful of him. He hadn't even abandoned her once she had told him that she was nothing but a joke in the game she loved so much.

And to think that at first she had just thought that he was just another one of her overbearing fans.

However it was also that same young man that had her so worried.

Or to be more precise it was what she wanted to do with him today what had her like that.

And if you wanted to be even more specific, then it was the fact that her mother had stopped her right before she was able to leave, and with the smile that the older woman was sporting Hifumi just knew that there was no way she would be able to leave without giving a proper explanation.

Well, there went her plan of leaving as discretely as possible.

"You know…" her mother started, hands on her hip, a stern expression on her face that honestly just lasted a few seconds, before it melted into a small smile "If you wanted to go and see your boyfriend you just had to say it. I would have even helped, dear"

And with the small gasp she released, Hifumi was more than sure that her whole face was on flames right now. From where had her mother even gotten that idea?!

"I mean, you're all dressed up, trying to leave without me noticing, a box on your hands on Valentine's Day? You should give me some credit"

Alright so maybe it was pretty obvious what she was trying to do, but even so! It's not like he was her boyfriend anyway, at least yet.

And with any luck that would change today.

"Sorry…" the young black-haired student said, her gaze low. It's not like she wanted to hide it from her mother, she just wanted to save herself from the embarrassment that she was sure would follow.

"Don't worry, Hifumi" Mitsuyo Togo said with a melancholy smile, looking straight at her daughter "You honestly remind me of myself a lot right now"

A surprised look appeared on Hifumi's face at hearing that, while the older Togo simply chuckled a bit. Quite honestly you would have to be stupid to not notice that someone had gotten her daughter's attention.

She was more than used to her child going to play by that church in Kanda in order to practice, however she had started to notice the little smiles that the Shogi player started displaying whenever she went and came back from that place, and the mother was sure that it wasn't just because of Shogi.

This just confirmed it even more.

"He must be quite the boy to have you worked up so much. You thought I wouldn't notice the small mess you made in the kitchen?" another blush appeared on Hifumi's cheeks, nothing but embarrassment going through her body.

"He is…" Hifumi said shyly, trying, and failing mind you, to recover from her mother's words.

"No reason to keep losing time then. Go on, but I want details later, alright?" the older woman received another nod from her daughter, who then made her move towards the door of their house, small black box with a red ribbon on her hand, her blush finally disappearing.

She released another calming breath, knowing that today wasn't the day to be shy or embarrassed. No, she needed to tackle this day the best way she could.

Her gaze became as sharp as when she was on the battlefield that was Shogi. Even if her opponent was the glass-wearing charmer she refused to back down, she would show him the Togo might, and would then claim him as her own.

It took her almost a couple of seconds to realize what she was thinking.

The last thing Mitsuyo Togo heard from her daughter before she left was another whine of embarrassment that had her chuckling even more.

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"I'm bored…" she said in a low voice, her golden eyes looking up at the sky from the alley she found herself in, a deep blue door right behind her, with people walking in front and around her by the second.

Not that any of them noticed her. They couldn't after all, as simple as that. It came with being an assistant of the Velvet Room, you could only be observed by those you chose, which normally was limited to whoever was the current guest of said room.

And that would be enough for her, after all there was no doubt in her mind that if her beloved Trickster were to be here with her, all the boredom she had would simply go away.

But that wasn't really an option, now was it? Her Trickster was more than a little busy dealing with his daily life, especially considering what he had to deal with even after saving humanity from Yaldabaoth.

That man just never got a time to rest it seemed.

She still couldn't help but to feel just a bit…neglected. She couldn't help it though, after all the feelings that both Caroline and Justine had towards her Trickster had carried over to her, and while those two had it difficult when it came to expressing feelings, there was no doubt in her mind that they had loved her Trickster dearly.

She did so right now after all, and it was all thanks to the two of them.

Her golden gaze fell onto the book in her hands, her blonde hair framing her face. Her feelings for her Trickster were quite clear, she knew that for sure, but a part of her has wondered every since she had regained her form, how did her Trickster felt towards her?

She had to admit that, as she was right now, there really hadn't been much time for her to interact with him, at least not compared with how much time Caroline and Justine had spent with him.

But she would like to think that, in the short time they had been together, she had at least been able to leave an impression on him.

She would definitely like to confirm that theory though.

A small idea shined in her head, just as she turned around to look at the blue door she was guarding. There was one thing that she could do to qualm her thoughts, but did she dare?

She wouldn't be the first one to do such a thing, and even so she wouldn't go to the extent that her older sister had gone for her own guest, but would it be so bad if she just left for a couple of hours, just to see him? She didn't want to lose her chance of seeing him again, for she didn't know the next time he would come to the Velvet Room.

Almost as if sensing her doubts, the blue door that she had been standing on released a small light, earning a gasp from the blonde girl right before she gave the door a grateful smile, understanding the message from her Master quite clearly.

"Thank you…" she whispered before bowing slightly to the door, book still on her hand.

She turned around right on the spot, and slowly, but surely walked out of the alley she had found herself in.

Lavenza, once known as Caroline and Justine, walked into the busy streets of Tokyo, only one thought on her mind.

To reunite with her beloved Trickster.

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Akira Kurusu, known also as a member of the Phantom Thieves by his close circle of friends, and more specifically as Joker, their leader, by all the other members of said group, was many things.

A high school student, even if he would attend his third year in another school away from Shujin.

A good cooker, at least when it went to curry. It was hard not to become a master of the craft when you had someone like Sojiro watching over you, which also explained why he could make at least more than just a decent cup of coffee.

He was also a former criminal, but thankfully all of that mess had been sorted out thanks to the help of Sae Niijima, so as far as he knew his record was as clean as it could get.

But most importantly, he was Joker, the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart, and the black-haired teen would like to think that, overall, he had been a good leader. No one had ever complained about his leading abilities after all, and even Morgana had let the front seat for him, which was a lot in his opinion.

But being such came with a lot of responsibilities, something that he had done his best to fulfill, after all not only had he looked over each member of his team as best as he could, both because of his role as their leader and because they were individuals he could proudly call his friends, but he had also made sure to gather as many allies as possible, learning skills that he was sure would be useful for the team sooner or later.

He still had more than a few regrets of course.

Not being able to do anything for Haru's father.

Not being able to stop Kamoshida before he went for one Shiho Susui.

And the whole Goro Akechi dilemma.

Some of that still left a sour taste in his mouth to this day, but Akira knew deep bottom that there had not been much he would have been able to do. It didn't mean he had to like it, but he had come to terms with that.

But even after that he would still like to think that he had been successful when leading the Phantom Thieves, and even though he hated to admit it, he didn't have another choice than to accept that a lot of that had to do with Yaldabaoth himself.

After all the mad god, under the disguise of Igor, had been the one that told him that his power would only grow as much as his bonds with others did, and Akira had taken those words to heart.

And looking back at his actions through the last year, maybe he had taken those words a bit too seriously.

Now you might be wondering, how could that be a bad thing? Akira wouldn't blame you if those were your thoughts; he himself had believed that exact same thing after all.

Until this day, that is.

And what exactly could have made Joker start question the belief that he had followed for a whole year, something that not even Yaldabaoth's reveal had been able to do?

Well when you got nine text messages on Valentine's Day, all from women you knew, saying that they were coming to your place to spend the whole day with you, that's when you start second guessing the decisions you have made through life.

He didn't know how long it had taken for his brain to reboot after reading those texts, but after it finally did something had clicked inside his head.

Small hints that he had failed to take into account.

Propositions that he had taken as nothing but friendly jokes.

Gestures that he had assumed were only between two very good friends.

It all came crushing down on him like a God Fist to the face, to the point that he just couldn't believe how he hadn't noticed it before.

No wonder Ryuji of all people kept calling him clueless from time to time.

He was sure even Yusuke would have noticed something, and that was saying something.

How in Igor's name had he survived this long when he wasn't even able to notice when one, let alone nine different girls, had feelings for him?!

A better question popped into his head though, just as Morgana's jaw hit the ground from the surprise of his sudden cursing.

How was he going to survive today?

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You can also call this fic "When you think the harem ending has no consequences"

This is pretty much the longest first chapter I've written to date. This story mostly exist for me to practice at writing nothing but sheer romance, so I went and toyed with the harem ending P5 gave us. Glad they took the more humorous route over what P4Golden did.

Sorry if some of the girls sounded OoC, but the whole fic works around the idea of some of them being a lot more assertive than what they were in the game so a bit of that was a given.

Future chapters will prety much be divied between one of this 3 categories:

Present day ones which pretty much focus on Joker dealing with the situation he got himself into.

Past days chapters which focus on one-on-one moments between Joker and the ladies of P5 which leads to the problem at hand.

And finally: chapters with multiple Confidants interacting with Joker and one another at the same time.

Next chap, whenever that comes out, will be exactly the second type. With what girl? Definitely someone from the party, and we'll see how that goes.

Thank you for reading this far, and sorry for me probably butchering the language at some points.

Next Chapter: Lovers, High Priestess, Hermit or Empress?