Akira could say he's seen it all, from corrupt artists to corrupt politicians and even the yakuza. There wasn't much that could faze him, but his friends always manage to find a way, directly or indirectly.

"Don't give me that look." His mother returned his offended look with a blank expression, Morgana growled. "That's the school's rules."

"It was a rule at Shūjin too, but we managed, didn't we Akira?" Akira glanced down at the cat by his feet. Morgana was pawing his leg.

"He kept me calm."

His mother frowned. That was an easy excuse for anyone who didn't know him, but this was his mother. "You've been calm your entire life." She sighed. "You take care of a cat for a year and suddenly you need him everywhere you go?" Morgana began rubbing his head against her leg, and Akira could see her bite the inside of her lip. He resisted smirking. "You know you won't be able to hide him in your desk."

Akira's twisting lips returned neutral. "Why not?"

"Look, Shūjin was a big school, this one isn't." She didn't elaborate further, Akira already knew. Anything, big or small, was enough to get the entire school talking. And he'd get caught instantly with how nosey the kids were. He sighed, looking down at Morgana with an apologetic expression.

"She's right, Morgana."

"You're just going to give up?! Have you learned nothing from the past year?!"

Akira shrugged and hefted his bag over his shoulder. Both his mother and Morgana were staring at him strangely. "Uh, are you guys okay?"

"Yes, it's just, now that I get a good look at you, it's been a long time since I've seen you in that uniform."

"It's weird not seeing Shūjin's uniform anymore. It's strange, but I'm going to miss it."

"We'll visit, Morgana, don't worry. You'll get to admire Ryuji again."

"Why Ryuji?!"

He hid a chuckle as he turned around, ready to leave. He stopped in front of the door, craning his neck slightly. "Well? Are you coming?"

Morgana cheered happily before leaping onto his shoulder faster than anyone could blink. Skilled unlike any other cat, Morgana opened his bag and slid himself right in.

"I thought…" His mother was staring at him dumbfoundedly, he didn't need to turn around to know that.

"Everyone's already going to be talking about me."

"They might take Morgana away from you."

Akira adjusted his glasses with a finger and opened the door. "They can try."

The door slammed shut and Akira was greeted by the spring breeze. "Well, lead the way, Akira."

Akira nodded and unlike a year prior, walked proudly with his back straight. The criminal record he once had weighed heavily upon his shoulders, but as time went on throughout the previous year, it became a numb feeling.

Now that he was cleared, everything felt clearer, brighter. The weather was actually with him for once.

"Kurusu, Kurusu, Kurusu." Akira stood patiently as his new homeroom teacher muttered his name. When he met him yesterday, the man was very cautious, making sure not to say anything insulting or polite. Now, he could hear the exasperation in his voice. "Why couldn't you stay in the city…?"

Oh, he wished. He wanted to go back there and run with Ryuji, eat crepes with Ann, people watch with Yusuke, study with Makoto, game with Futaba, garden with Haru. He wanted to go back. But this was the terms of his probation, and he couldn't deny seeing his family again was necessary for his peace of mind.

"Things are going to get a lot more hectic around here. Your criminal record may have been revoked, sure. It's easy to erase writing on paper, but not our minds. No one's forgotten."

Akira wanted to say how neither of his statements were true; it required immense effort and dedication from all his friends to overturn his verdict, and it didn't take long for everyone to forget the Phantom Thieves.

"A new transfer student and a returning one." The man grumbled some more and Akira should feel Morgana shuffle in his bag.

"A new transfer student?" Akira had to ask, curiosity peaking his interest. That would be one person who wouldn't know about his history.

"Yeah. From the city. Actually…" His eyes narrowed before rolling his chair over to a file cabinet. "Last year, in the middle of the season she transferred. Well I'll be damned. Coincidence?" The teacher had pulled out a file and scanned the first page. Quickly, he shoved it back into the cabinet.

"Who's the transfer student?"

"Hey now, don't even think about bothering her." The defensive tone he took made Akira wonder why he couldn't share that attitude with him. "Anyway, let's get going. You know the drill."

He did, and he expected it to be considerably more awkward this time around. More awkward than his first day at Shūjin, which would be impressive in all honesty.

He felt his bag shake slightly. "I can't tell if he hates you or is just indifferent."

Akira stared at the back of his homeroom teacher's head. He vaguely remembered him. He wasn't hostile or anything, but he didn't like him. He also wouldn't do anything to make his life harder, which was just fine by Akira.

"All right, settle down. New term, hurry up and sit. We've got a, uh, transfer student." That was his cue. Akira strolled up in front of the class, stopping next to his teacher. "This is Akira Kurusu. He's returning back here for his final year. Say something."

What was he supposed to say? It's good to be back? "I hope we get along."

Immediately, the whispers chorused the question on everyone's mind. "I thought he was expelled for an act of violence!?" "Shouldn't he be in juvie?"

"Now, now!" The class were visibly startled from the sudden loud noise that was their teacher smacking his desk. Akira merely glanced at him curiously. "Kurusu's record got lifted, he's clean. A misunderstanding. Clear? Good. Take a seat, Kurusu."

Akira smiled wryly. He definitely remembered this teacher's demeanor. But from experience, not even veteran teachers can calm the student masses.

By extreme coincidences, he found himself sitting in a seat near the back of the class next to the window. The rays of light hit the desk, exposing any dust that had accumulated.

He wasn't bothered too much by the rumours. He was used to them, and these weren't nearly as bad as Shūjin.

When lunch time came around, Akira stood up tall, stretching his body and ignoring all the discrete stares. He was just about ready to leave before someone approached him.

Akira was used to surprises by now. Not much could faze him, but the vaguely familiar pale complexion and short, dark hair to compliment it had him startled. He stared into dark chocolate eyes as he let out a whisper. "...Shiho?"

"What?!" Morgana shouted from his bag, making him wince while Shiho's small smile disappeared and her eyes widened. Akira didn't need four eyes to tell him the entire class's eyes were on him. He pushed his glasses up.

"…Meow?"

Akira ran a hand through his dark tufts of hair, sighing deeply. Morgana had run off when one of the staff members attempted to grab him by the neck. His explanation went well enough, saying it was animal therapy.

That didn't stop them from prohibiting cats from school.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh spring breeze of the countryside. Back in Tokyo he had to travel quite the distance to get this kind of fresh air. Having it back at his doorstep was nice.

"Um, excuse me." Appearing in front of him was the girl from before. "Um…"

She was finding it difficult to start up a conversation, which was expected after what happened at lunch. Now that it was after school, and they were alone on the school roof, they could get their reunion. If they knew each other to call it one.

"What a coincidence seeing you here, Shiho."

"That's putting it mildly." Akira smiled at her blunt demeanor. The Shiho he only heard about and never met, he could see it escaping. "Um, I'm really glad you were found innocent."

"Thanks to you," Akira bowed. To this day he felt immense gratitude for everyone who helped him clear his name.

"After everything you did for Ann, it was the least I could do." Akira rose back up, still smiling.

"What did Ann say about me?"

Shiho placed a finger on her chin and looked upwards to the sky. "Um, that you're an amazing, selfless, lovable goof. I think."

"That checks out." Akira nodded his head in confirmation while Shiho huffed in amusement. Almost instantly, her brows furrowed and her smile became a thin line.

"Um, I was wondering…" Shiho paused, biting her lip and Akira gestured for her to continue. She still took a second. "Why aren't you innocent here?"

Akira blinked. "I am."

"Then why doesn't the school think so?"

Akira shrugged, looking back at the door they came from. "It's not so different from Shūjin in that regard. It's not easy to convince them otherwise."

"…Oh." Her disheartened look made Akira feel awful, and he didn't even do anything.

"Cheer up, it's not that bad. It'll go away." This wasn't the first time others cared about his standing, but he's never seen someone react with such sadness.

"You're right. Things will get better, won't they? You and Ann are proof of that…" Shiho closed her eyes, smiling to herself. "Thank you, Akira-kun."

"You're welcome."

Shiho laughed. "Do you even know why I'm thanking you?"

"Not really, no."

"But you have a hunch." Shiho was looking at him like she knew him all his life.

Akira raised a brow. "Just what else has Ann told you about me?"

"Nothing." Instantaneous, as if she was purposely hiding information. Before he could say anything, Shiho continued. "Anyway, that's a discussion for another time. So, Ann mentioned that you were going back to your hometown? So, this is it."

"Yeah." The two walked to the edge of the roof, where the expanse of the small city laid. "My memories here aren't anything to write home about. If anything, I think my life began in Tokyo."

"I can understand that." Shiho hummed, and Akira realizes that it had been so long since he last saw her. If he recalled, her short hair was longer and tied in a ponytail last he saw her. "I hope things become better for you."

"I think it already has."

Shiho turned to him in surprise, and Akira could tell he caught her off guard. Taking pride in that fact, he smirked as Shiho shook her head. "I'm glad. This might be more of a two-way street than you think."

Akira caught the voice crack, and couldn't stop himself from asking. "Your friends…"

She looked away, her eyes giving a distant look. "None. Sometimes I just zone out which doesn't really help my social standing. Everyone just…gave up on me."

"Except Ann."

"Except Ann." Shiho smiled.

"You haven't zoned out on me."

Shiho looked at Akira, the same smile still on her face. "Well, I think it has something to do with your 'natural talent', as Ann put it. Well, and you're the first familiar, kind face for me. If Ann trusts you, then I do too."

"I'll be here if you need an ear."

"Not much else to do in this country town."

They laughed.

"So, what are the odds of seeing Shiho here of all places?"

"Way too small." Akira responded, dropping his bag onto the floor as he sat on the bed. "Where'd you go after you ran off?"

"Just decided to scout the area, you know how it is."

"You already did that when we got here," Akira pointed out.

"Well, now that the break's over, it's good to see where people normally go on school days. In case there's anywhere to look out for."

"Trust me, not much happens in this town."

"You got falsely convicted."

"Touché."

Akira pulled out his phone, debating whether he should message Ann about his fateful encounter before deciding against it. Instead, he sent a picture to Yusuke of the late afternoon view from atop his school's roof. Maybe he'd find inspiration from the boonies.

"Everyone in town's talking about you."

"Oh really?" Akira's eyes were on his phone, his ears on Morgana.

"I didn't know you were famous."

"In this small town, bringing a cat to school will get you on the local newspaper." Akira responded to Yusuke's gratitude-filled reply.

"Speaking of which, I don't think I'll be coming back with you."

Akira looked up from his phone and at Morgana who was standing on his desk. "Why not?"

Morgana stretched his cat body. "You don't need me, and I'll just cause even more trouble for you if we're caught again."

"We were caught off guard."

"What's the big deal? Need me to help you cheat some more?"

"Would be nice." Akira smirked before letting it fall. "What do you plan on doing in the meantime?"

"Did you forget? I need to turn into a human. So, I'll be searching for clues."

"The chances of this town holding the key to your transformation isn't exactly high."

"Well, the chances of Shiho transferring to your old school weren't exactly high either. That pretty much confirmed that sticking with you will get me my answers!"

"If you say so." An idea popped into Akira's head. "We can visit some bookstores and see if there's any psychology books on the collective unconscious and cognition. Also ask Futaba on her progress with recovering her mother's research."

"Really?! Thanks Akira! I'm counting on you!"

Extra: Listen

"So, this is your cat." Shiho crouched down to meet the cat at eye level. "He's so cute."

"Name's Morgana."

"Oh, I didn't know she was-"

"He's male."

"…Oh."

"Yeah, he's weird."

Shiho laughed as the cat turned to Akira and hissed. Akira only responded by pushing his glasses up, his smirk as clear as day. Morgana turned back to her, allowing her to pet him. "How did you manage to get a cat while on probation?"

"My guardian loved him more than me." Shiho looked up at Akira, laughing.

"At least he likes cats. There are some people who treat their pets awfully."

"…Tell me about it." Shiho wasn't sure why, but Akira's expression twisted into a scowl briefly and she could feel Morgana tense under her hand. Before she could say anything, the two relaxed. "Have you ever had any pets?"

"No, I've always wanted one though. But our place was too small."

Morgana meowed and Shiho could almost sense a sarcastic tone from him.

"Smaller than an attic?"

"I…suppose not." Akira chuckled and Shiho smiled, continuing to pet Morgana. "He seems really intelligent."

"He is. He can even pick open doors."

"Really?" Shiho's eyes widened as she stared at Akira with curiosity. When Akira nodded, she shook her head. "That's impossible."

The cat meowed, as if refuting her claim. Shiho decided to stop looking into Morgana's actions as if they were of a human.

"If you ever want to see him, just let me know. Sometimes, having someone to listen is more than enough."

Shiho looked down at Morgana, then at Akira, then back down at Morgana. His bright blue eyes were as wide as ever. "I know."

AN:

Thank you for reading!

I don't really know what to say. Story's complete from the get-go so no waiting around for updates. That means less reviews but eh, this was self-indulgent to the extreme. Also chapters are pretty short. 1k words basically.

What spurred this on:

I was sick for a while back in January and wrote a lot of notes for how I wanted a ShihoxJoker story to go because I was bored. Being sick is boring.

Oh, and yeah, Akira's the name. It's the name I used in my playthroughs so it's just weird for me personally to use anything else. I have nothing against Ren Amamiya. I actually like it.

I know this ship isn't a popular ship, for understandable reasons, but like I said: self-indulgent. And this is the site of self-indulgent.

Since I'm doing this post-Persona 5, this means Shiho's actually got a lot of her stuff figured out. Ann helped her through a lot of it during her social link so I'm just making some pieces for Joker to pick up.

Also, holy I am rusty at third-person writing. That or I was always this bad. Like, wow. It took way too long for me to write coherent sentences.

On another note, first fic to be posted on archiveofourown! Finally got an account there. If you use both, then know I'll be focusing here before ao3. But stories will generally release at around the same time on both.

Anyway, thank you again for reading! Hope you somewhat enjoy the rest of the story?

PS: Sorry for spamming your notifications anyone who follows me