Author Note: I love Persona 5. I love its world, its characters, its story, everything. That said, upon reflection I identified that Ryuji is my least favorite character among the main cast. Even below Morgana. It's not hard to understand why, I find the boy to be rash, immature, short tempered, and irresponsible. He mellows out a bit with the protagonist's influence, but not enough to make me LIKE him. So, I thought about what it would take to make me like Ryuji as a character. I think this fic would be a good start. I'm using the protag's name as Akira Kurusu for this.

Ryuji Sakamoto stared at his phone, willing some sort of text, any sort of text, to appear on its screen. The former Phantom Thief idled outside his classroom in the halls of Shujin Academy, his afternoon and evening totally and completely open. He knew things would go back to normal once they dropped Akira off, he just wasn't prepared for how quickly. Before that frizzy haired rebel entered his life, most his days were spent with nothing to do, but wait for some… thing to happen. These days at least he had friends though. He had get togethers planned later on the week with Ann and Shiho, a workout with Makoto tomorrow, ramen takeout planned with Yusuke sometime, but on this particular day all the other thieves just had other plans.

The bustle of the lives of his friends made him uneasy. Twitching his leg impatiently, Ryuji kept staring at his phone in expectation. Ann had a modelling gig. Yusuke had a studio reserved for his latest piece. Makoto and Haru were both now in university, early college life proving quite hectic (but manageable) for both women. Futaba had a pet project she was determined to program. So, despite knowing no one would summon him to hang out, the boy continued to stare at his phone with a strange sensation of displeasure.

He knew why he felt this way. A folded form in his bag was the reason. It was customary for third-years in high school to start planning for their futures, and the school was happy to bring it up at every opportunity. "Here's something to help you discover what you want. Please fill this out so we can help guide you to your future." Mr Hiruta, his homeroom teacher had purred.

Ryuji's was still blank.

"Tch." The blonde clicked, kicking away from the wall he was leaning against and heading out of the building. Day by day, he was feeling more and more restless with the direction in his life. The threat of adulthood loomed over him, with all the responsibilities attached. All the others seemed so… driven. While he was happy for each of their determination and goals, it also served to reflect his own failings. He was at sea without a rudder, blindly sailing into the unknown.

Ryuji made it to the subway platform when a buzz in his pocket made his heart leap. With an eager grin, he flicked his phone's screen to see who it was, his mood dropping when he saw it was from his mother.

"Working late tonight. Leftovers in the fridge. Love you!" She sent. Though disappointed, he allowed himself a small smile. His mom was working longer hours these days, and that was another thing eating at him. He wasn't sure when, but recently he'd been more and more conscious of money. Or rather, the lack of it. Akira gave each of the Phantom Thieves a split of their total take throughout their campaign (Haru discretely declining her share and adding it back into the pool), and at first Ryuji thought it was an amazing windfall. It was only after sharing most of it with his mom, and losing most of it going out to celebrate with food, games, shoes, and clothes, that he noticed just how quickly yen could disappear. He didn't THINK that his mom and he were in financial difficulties, but the young man was starting to notice the price of everyday things. With this in mind, he reconsidered his plans to waste his afternoon in the Shibuya Arcade.

"Ugh, man… what a drag…" He moaned to no one in particular. Ryuji wanted nothing more than to wrap himself up in some digital distraction to escape the growing responsibilities swelling on the horizon. Figuring he could spend a couple hours with Akira's old system in LeBlanc, he stepped on the Yogen-Jaya line car.

"Hey Boss. Mind if I chill upstairs for a bit?" Ryuji asked when he entered the cozy atmosphere of LeBlanc. There was a kindly older couple in one of the booths, but they paid him no mind. Sojiro Sakura gave a slight noise of curiosity as he looked up from his crossword.

"Hmm? Oh, Ryuji. Sure, go on ahead. Just don't make a ruckus." The man hummed. With the familiar feel of the coffee and curry café, the boy already felt his anxieties soften. Giving a polite nod at the couple, he made his way upstairs. Part of him still expected Akira to be up there, lounging on his bed, or hard at work fiddling with something at his workbench, or even using the rafters to workout. The dusty attic felt empty without him. Sighing, Ryuji booted up the old CRT and retro gaming system. His phone buzzed again, and he quirked an eyebrow as he read the message.

"Don't save over my Train of Life file!" Futaba warned. He wasn't sure how exactly the little hermit knew he was there, but the simple low stress game sounded pretty attractive to him right now. Avoiding incurring the hacker's wrath, he selected the third slot and started to lose himself in the simple old school graphics and MIDI melodies.

After pouring a couple hours into the game, Ryuji found a checkpoint and saved. Stretching as he got up, he felt a little relieved but still a bit unfulfilled. He gathered his things and headed down the steps. He didn't THINK he was exuding an aura of dissatisfaction, but leave it to Boss to pick up on a downed mood.

"Something the matter, Ryuji?" Sojiro wondered in a casual tone. Something inside the boy immediately went defensive, but he managed to quell it. This was Boss, he could be trusted, right? Weighing the options in his mind as the middle-aged barista regarded him with a raised eyebrow, Ryuji finally relented.

"Yeah… yeah you could say that." He sighed, hoping up onto a stool. Sojiro wordlessly prepared him a soda. It made Ryuji smile a bit. "Say Boss… When you were in high school, did you know what you wanted to do?" He wondered. The man hummed in consideration.

"Can't say that I did… I bounced around between a couple of odd jobs. Mostly deskwork. I worked as a bureaucrat with the government for a while when I met Wakaba. After that, well…" He recollected, Ryuji nodding in understanding.

"So… did you always want to run a café then?" He wondered. Hearing the tale of the man's past helped settle his heart a little.

"Heh, not always. When I was a kid like you I didn't have a goal. I was too busy.. um… having fun." He said with a smirk. "It was only when I discovered my passion for coffee and how good I was at cooking curry did it occur to me to give it a try." Sojiro washed out a mug as he watched the boy process this. "I take it you're starting to get a feel for your future?"

Ryuji gave a little snort. "Lately it's like I don't got a future." He grinned mirthlessly. Sojiro chuckled in response.

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about it, Ryuji. It's alright if it takes a little time to figure things out. That said, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to slack off. Have you had a job yet?" Ryuji shook his head. "Mmh. Perhaps it's time you consider picking something up. Doesn't mean you have to make a career out of it, but if you have time to kill it could be good to get a feel for being in the working force. Heaven knows Akira was barely ever here with all the places he's worked."

"Yeah, I don't know how he found the time for ANYHING he did so much." Ryuji grinned, sinking deep in thought. Sojiro picked up on this and continued to clean up with a smile. After a few minutes of contemplation and finishing his soda, Ryuji slapped some yen on the counter. "Thanks for the talk, Boss. I got some stuff to figure out."

"Almost there! Almost there!" Ryuji encouraged as Makoto grunted under the weight of the leg press machine. Out of all the Phantom Thieves women, Makoto seemed to be the most responsible with fitness, something Ryuji greatly appreciated. This particular evening however, Ryuji certainly noticed a slight decline in her strength and energy. The woman finished her set with a sigh, taking a moment to rest on the padded seat of the equipment before slinking off to wipe it down. "You seem to be falling behind, Queen. What's up?" He teased.

Makoto grinned sheepishly, taking a few gulps from her bottle. "I'm ashamed to admit I've missed a few of my personal workouts." She confessed. "In adjusting to life at the university, I've become negligent."

"Aw, that's not too bad. It makes sense you're gonna stumble a bit to find a new routine. At least you still made time to come here." He shrugged. The woman smiled.

"Thank you for that, but I don't want to make excuses for myself." She confided. "I need to hold myself to a high standard if I hope to achieve my goals."

"Heh. Very diligent of you." He smirked, the pair moving to the mats to stretch after their workout.

"What about your goals, Ryuji? I believe you should have gotten your guidance sheets by now?" She probed, ever the team mom. Ryuji looked away in embarrassment.

"Yeah… I mean, I got it… I just haven't… you know."

Makoto looked at him critically. "If you're having trouble figuring things out, you know we're all here to help." She reminded subtlety.

The warm feeling of comradery filled Ryuji with a warm smile as he reached down towards his toe to stretch. "I know. I'm just… having a bit of a hard time figuring out what I'm good at."

Makoto hummed as she mimicked the boy's movements. "Well, for what its worth, I think you make a decent enough personal trainer."

"Yeah, the money's not too good with that though, and its usually a part time thing, you know?"

"Oh? Sounds like you've already looked into it a little. I'm impressed. Although starting part time with anything would probably be good for you." Makoto theorized. "You should ask Akira about it, he's done tons of odd jobs."

"Heh. Y'know, Boss said the same thing."

"Oh? Must be something to think about then."

RYUJI: Hey man. Apparently I gotta hit you up for some knowledge. You're a part-time god or somethin'.

AKIRA: Oh? Looking for a job then?

RYUJI: Not sure yet.

RYUJI: What kind of stuff did you do?

AKIRA: Hmm… well, aside from helping Dr Takemi with her drug trials and Old Man Tora with his speeches, I helped Boss out a bunch at LeBlanc, Iwai-san at Untouchable, Lala-chan at Crossroads, and worked a couple times at the beef bowl place, convenience store, and the flower shop.

RYUJI: …

RYUJI: For real?!

RYUJI: How the eff did you find the time for all of that?!

AKIRA: Heh, well it WAS over the course of a whole year.

AKIRA: Besides, our operations needed money, weapons, medicine, and info. How do you think we got all those Momentos requests?

RYUJI: Damn man, shoulda said somethin'. I spent so many nights just bored outta my mind. Still kinda am.

AKIRA: Well, if you're going to spend a night being bored, might as well be bored and get paid for it. Check out some flyers. With the exception of that nightmarish beef bowl place, most locations give you a good idea of what to do before you work.

RYUJI: Guess I could give it a shot.

AKIRA: Oh, and take pictures of whatever uniform they make you wear. I could use a good laugh.

RYUJI: Eff that.

"Did you have to have a check up like this, Ryuji?" Ann wondered as they milled around in the waiting room at the physical therapist's office. Shiho tilted her head in curiosity as Ryuji stared unfocused at the lame motivational posters on the walls.

"Nah, mine was lucky enough to be a clean break. Last time I was here was about six months after…" He recollected. He gave the brunette girl a reassuring smile. "So in a way, you're much stronger than me, recovering from a worse break, Suzui." The girl gave a warm smile.

"Please. You can call me Shiho, Sakamato-kun." She assured.

"Then you gotta call me Ryuji then." He replied. Ann beamed at the warm comradery. It was nearly a year since… the unfortunate incident, and Shiho's break WAS a bit worse than the one Ryuji suffered, hence the checkup. The girl bounced back beautifully though, the former volleyball player grateful that another former Shujin athlete who suffered a broken leg due to the actions of the same evil man was around to offer support. "Ann tells me you've been trying your hand at basketball now?"

Shiho nodded with a sad smile. "After everything I couldn't… exactly bring myself to try out for my new school's volleyball team… but I still wanted to keep myself active. Turns out the skills carry over quite well!" She said proudly. Ryuji nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I get it. I didn't exactly hop back into the track team after the dust settled, but I still run." The door opened, an assistant calling for Shiho. Ann and Ryuji nodded at the girl as she headed to her appointment.

"Sakamato?" A voice called out in disbelief. The blond turned and found an old familiar face.

"Kido-san?" Ryuji recollected. His old rehab assistant grinned.

"Whatcha doing back here, you punk? Thought we cleared you. Don't tell me you got yourself broken again, after all that work we put into you?" The man teased affectionately.

"Nah, man. Just here to support a friend."

"Oh? This her? She doesn't look broken." Kido smiled. "Not at all." Ann rolled her eyes.

"Ryuji? Who's this?" She asked.

"Hmm? Oh, this is Shuu Kido. He worked on my program with me during my rehab." The man nodded at Ann in agreement.

"If you could call it that. I didn't actually do much. This boy here took the reins to his rehab and made my job really easy." Kido complimented, giving Ryuji a good-natured jab to his shoulder. "This boy's got a knack for keeping healthy. I was impressed." Ann gave a teasing smile which made Ryuji blush a little and look away.

"Yeah… well… I just wanted to get back on my feet again." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Something inside him flashed with inspiration. "Hey, Kido-san? What did you have to do to get hired here?"

The assistant blinked a few times then smiled. "Thinking of becoming a doctor, Sakamoto?"

The young man chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck again. "Wouldn't say I'm aiming THAT high, but you said yourself, I basically did your job for you. Think I could manage 'assistant'." He gauged. Kido nodded sagely.

"Well, I'm personally using this as a stepping stone to go higher, but plenty of guys like working with patients like you as their career." Kido considered Ryuji for a moment before continuing. "The position requires a two year certification, and the Ootori Medical Group that runs this place likes to hire up within their ranks… if you took a job here with something else, they'd probably help you get your certification." Kido reported. "Here, hold on a sec." He said, disappearing to grab something from reception. He came back and handed Ryuji a card. "Give this number a call. Looks like there's a few spots open in packaging. Perfect for part-timers."

Ryuji accepted the card, something stirring within his chest. All the unease, all the hesitation and uncertainty that had been inside him for the past few weeks started to dissipate. His ship was getting its bearings. "Thank you." He said. The two chatted a little longer before the man had to return to his work, Ryuji sitting down next to Ann and staring at the card. When he finally looked up, the girl was smiling widely in pride. "Wha? What's that look for?!"

"I'm so happy for you, Ryuji!" She teased. Ryuji returned a sheepish smile and sank into thought as they waited for Shiho's appointment to end.

After the girl returned with good news on her recovery, the group headed for some celebratory crepes. "So they say my mend is strong, I shouldn't have any major issues." Shiho summarized as the group ate as they walked.

"Yeah, it's just the minor ones that get annoying." Ryuji chuckled. He felt bursting with energy, not just from the sugar rush from the snack. "Hey, I'm gonna head home and change. Feel like a run. Catch you two later!"

The two girls waved as he took off, Shiho giving a raised eyebrow at her friend. "Ryuji's a good guy, isn't he?" She said knowingly, watching the smile on Ann's face.

"… Yeah, he is." She replied, watching Ryuji go with the slightest tinge to her cheeks. Catching herself and the teasing expression on Shiho's face, the girl rallied. "It's not like that!" She protested.

"… Uh huh." Shiho replied, unconvinced.

(A/N: We may come back to this, I do have ideas of where this could go. Let me know what you liked, didn't like, or anything in between.)