Notes

You know, it's been a bit difficult for me to really write like normal so far in 2020, and I was starting to get worried that I'd lost my touch. Then I started writing this, which was supposed to be fairly short and not even close to this angsty, and here we are. 8k+ later. I want to laugh and cry and the same time, lmao. I guess that's just what Persona does to me, pff. I finished the game at around 90 hours, which I was shocked by, and finished it it under 2 weeks, which. Let's not talk about that lmao.

Anyways, extremely heavy Persona 5 Royal spoilers. This covers a lot of the new content, and takes place in the new third semester. It also spoils a part of the ending. So please don't read this if you haven't finished the game! Spoilery thoughts at the bottom, and thanks, as always, for reading!

Sumire watched as most of the Phantom Thieves - including Goro Akechi - walked out of Leblanc, tired but satisfied with finally getting to the end of the Palace. The only three that remained at the table were herself, Ren, and Futaba.

In all honesty, Sumire was still getting used to seeing this new side of her senpai. He'd never mentioned having a girlfriend to her before, but the way he looked so natural standing next to Futaba told her everything she needed to know.

A part of her was sad, she allowed herself to admit. During her stunt as Kasumi, she had begun to develop something for Ren, but she was alright with this development. Part of her wondered if she, as Sumire, would've ever interacted with him in the way she had when she was Kasumi - would she have ever had the chance to see the side of him that led her to start feeling some type of way?

She wasn't entirely sure, and that was why she alright with putting those thoughts to rest. Besides, she thought to herself, being around Akechi wasn't exactly helping, either. He was so different now, but her heart still recognized him from so long ago; recognized the long lost crush she had from way back when.

"What's on your mind, Sumire?" Futaba asked from across from her, though her eyes were trained on her laptop. "We're… we're here for you now, you know."

Sumire couldn't help but smile at the way she quickly looked to Ren for approval. "Thank you," she replied, bowing her head for a moment. "I appreciate that very much. Actually, I was wondering if…" She trailed off, unsure how to ask this without coming across as completely bonkers.

"If?" Ren echoed from the kitchen area.

"If I could have Akechi-senpai's number?" She asked in a rush, slamming her eyes shut in embarrassment. "I just wanted to… thank him. For everything."

For the first time since the others had left, Futaba looked up from her laptop. "That's all?" She asked, though Sumire didn't take offense. "Ren! Give me your phone!" She didn't even see him look up from the curry pot to toss it to Futaba. "Here you go," she said, sliding it to her with Akechi's contact open.

"Thank you," she mumbled out, pulling her own phone out of her pocket to copy the number down. "I really appreciate it."

Futaba smiled at her shyly. "You're in the party now," she said, taking Ren's phone back and putting it in the space next to her. "I'm pretty sure we told you that you don't have to be so formal with us."

Sumire laughed a little, trying to force herself to relax. Futaba was definitely the easiest one out of the Thieves other than Ren to get along with for her, likely due to the fact they were the closest in age. "I'll do my best," Sumire promised, before finally sitting up. "Have a nice night, you two. I'll be in touch!"

Sumire left once they had bid her goodnight. The door to Cafe Leblanc jingled as she left, the sound following her into the quiet streets of Yongen Jaya.

"How did you get this number," were the first words out of Akechi's mouth when Sumire had called him. She wasn't sure if he was aware it was her, or if that was just how he answered the phone regardless if he didn't recognize the number.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Sumire smiled even though she knew he couldn't see her. "It's Sumire. I asked for it from Ren-senpai," she said, trying her best to sound put together. Speaking with Akechi - even this newer, more volatile Akechi - still dragged up old habits, unfortunately. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but do you have a minute?"

Akechi was silent on the other line for long enough that she was half convinced he'd hung up on her and she hadn't noticed. Right when she was about to move her phone away from her ear to check, however, Sumire heard him sigh. "What is it?"

"Oh!" She squeaked, before trying again. "I just… wanted to speak with you, if that's alright. In person, if it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience."

In all honesty, she expected him to refuse. Since she'd joined up with the him and the Phantom Thieves, he hadn't exactly seemed… fond of her. Back when they'd first met, Akechi had been so kind. So gentle and thoughtful, and Sumire had always enjoyed his company and conversation. This new version of him constantly set her on edge. She wasn't sure whether he was going to get angry, or snap at her for something, or put her down without really meaning to, like the other day in the group chat.

Despite all that, she could see bits of his old self in there as well. As fake as it apparently was, Sumire refused to believe that Akechi was entirely awful.

But that was besides the point. She had been weak willed, and fallen into the trap Dr. Maruki had set for all of them. In fact, she willingly lived it for almost an entire year before recognizing that it wasn't right, and she knew Akechi was angry about it. Why he had been so aggravated by her failure to move past her hardships, she wasn't sure, but it didn't change the facts.

"Fine," Akechi finally replied after another moment of silence, snapping Sumire out of her thoughts. "Meet me in Kichijoji in an hour. We can speak then."

The click confirmed he'd hung up, and Sumire stared at her phone in disbelief. When she'd asked Ren for his number the other day, she had been convinced it was going to end badly and she'd never get to talk to him about what had happened. His disappointment in her had weighed on her heavily, and despite having benefited from her time as Kasumi, she wanted to offer him an apology, and her thanks.

While the things he'd said to her had been harsh, they had honestly helped in some ways. Ren's support was unyielding and kind, and Sumire would always appreciate it no matter what, but Akechi's words were a wake up call.

And though he'd been angry, he hadn't given up on her, either. He had never suggested letting her go with Dr. Maruki, and when she had been exhausted that first time around, he had immediately told Ren they were heading home. Clearly, at least somewhere down there, he cared. Even if just a little.

"I should start heading over," Sumire mused to herself, shoving her phone into her pocket as she went over to the locker room. He'd said an hour, so she at least had time to wash up after practice, thankfully.

Nodding to herself, she grabbed her change of clothes, trying not to think too hard about what she'd say to Akechi when she met him in Kichijoji.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Sumire said as her greeting, upon arriving outside the train station. Surprisingly, Akechi was waiting there, though she was about ten minutes early. "I'm really sorry to be a bother."

His eyes flicked to her, then back into the ground as he sighed. "Stop apologizing," he told her firmly. "If we're going to talk, however, I would prefer if we did it somewhere I could sit."

"We could go back to that cafe?" Sumire asked, thinking back to the last time she had met with Akechi in Kichijoji. Her memories from her time as Kasumi were still fuzzy, but for whatever reason, she remembered that day fairly well. "If you don't mind, of course."

Akechi narrowed his eyes at her for a fraction of a second, before swiftly turning towards the streets. "That's acceptable," he agreed, to her surprise. "You can say whatever it is there."

It was almost funny, in a way, how different it felt to interact with him versus Ren. Ren was a quiet person, but he was always kind to her. His jokes were almost always bad and ill timed, but his general demeanor was calm and confidence inspiring. She truly meant it when she had told him that when he supported her, she felt like she could take on the world.

It was similar to how she used to feel about Akechi; back when they were younger and Kasumi teased her about it often. Back then, he was also kind - bad and ill timed jokes included - but she had always been able to tell there was something under the surface. Maybe because that same anger had lurked in her, when it came to her sister.

Now, though, Akechi was like a stranger to her. A stranger that she still felt inexplicably drawn to. His mannerisms were all the same, from the way he stood to the way he scowled when he was displeased, but there was so much new there that Sumire wasn't even sure where to start.

She'd been so shocked that first day they'd entered Dr. Maruki's Palace together, that she'd even asked Ren. He didn't seem surprised by Akechi's behavior at all, even going as far to say that it was everyday, normal Akechi she was dealing with.

That new, angry Akechi had been so… almost cruel, in a way, with his refusal to let her sit in her own head and call herself Kasumi again.

Sumire was so in her own head again that she nearly missed the fact that they were sitting down at a secluded table in the small cafe, by the window.

"So?" Akechi asked after the waitress left with their orders, gloved hand gesturing at her to begin. "What was so important that you needed to fetch my number from Amamiya for?"

The way Akechi said Amamiya was similar to the way he'd been saying Joker in the Palace, but Sumire wasn't any more prepared for it. What complicated history, Sumire mused to herself, before finally working up the courage to meet Akechi's stare. "I wanted to apologize to you directly," she said, balling her fists in her lap in a desperate plea to keep herself from shaking. "It must've been frustrating to watch me pretend to be my sister for so long. I was a bit pathetic, huh?"

She wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but she could've sworn she saw Akechi's face soften for a moment before he caught himself. "You were," he agreed with a sneer. "How you managed to delude yourself into thinking that was the proper way to heal is beyond me." She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued without even giving her the chance to defend herself. "Did you really call me out here just to say that?"

Shifting in her seat, Sumire shook her head. If she backed out of this now, she knew she would never forgive herself. "No," she said, momentarily surprised by her own level of confidence in the response. "No, Akechi-senpai. I wanted to say thank you." She was sitting, so she couldn't give him a full bow, but she dipped her head nonetheless. "As kind and helpful as Ren-senpai and the other Phantom Thieves have been to me, your words were also important for getting me out of that slump."

"It wasn't for you," he said, looking out the window. "I'm just not wearing any masks any more. I wasn't trying to go out of my way, if that's what you're getting at. Don't go getting delusional again."

"That's why I appreciate it so much coming from you," Sumire blurted. "I know that whatever you had said to me is exactly what you meant. There was no room for me to doubt it, so…"

Akechi didn't say anything to that. She waited patiently in the seat across from him as he took his coffee from the waitress, stirring it for a moment before taking a long sip. "Thank me, huh," he muttered to himself, putting the mug down before turning back to look at Sumire. "And?"

Sumire blinked. "And what?"

Huffing, Akechi crossed his arms. "And what do you feel about yourself now?" He asked, eyes narrowed once again. "Are you still wishing you could be Kasumi Yoshizawa?"

The fists she'd been clenching underneath the table relaxed for a moment, before they went to gripping her skirt. "I…" She looked down at the table at the small slice of cheesecake she'd ordered and hadn't touched yet. "I can't say there aren't times I don't think about it," she told him honestly. "My sister was… incredible. Much stronger than I ever was. Anything she set her mind to, Kasumi could accomplish, while I was always just… there." She took a deep breath before continuing, trying to put her words together properly. "But I think there's some things that only I, as Sumire, can accomplish. Sometimes it hurts so much, still, that she's not here with me anymore. But I want to go through life as Sumire, for Sumire, now. It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I didn't."

Akechi hummed in what Sumire could only assume to be approval. "And what of this reality?" He asked, gesturing to the cafe around them. Though they were sitting near the back, even just a quick glance outside only showed smiling faces. "You may be comfortable with yourself now, but can you take that away from all of those people? How would it be fair if you were able to experience that cognition change, but everyone else has to go through reality the hard way?"

Even back when they had first met, Akechi had always been the type to ask hard questions. It was what made him a good detective in Sumire's eyes - even though, apparently, many of his larger catches had been set up by himself.

"You're right," she finally replied, frowning. "It's not really fair to everyone else. But it's not the right way to live, either."

Taking another sip of his coffee, Akechi turned back to the window to look outside. Every single person seemed off in their own world. From the look on his face, even Sumire could tell he hated it - and everything else this fake reality had to offer, too. "Well," he said, "you've certainly changed your tune."

"Thanks to you," Sumire repeated, finally feeling comfortable enough to take a bite out of her cheesecake. The way it melted on her tongue was perfect, and she quickly began to devour it. Even serious conversation couldn't stop her appetite, especially after practice, it seemed.

Across from her, Akechi's face twisted again for a moment before smoothing out. He'd told her earlier that he wasn't wearing a mask anymore, but from her perspective, every movement he made was careful. This was just a new mask.

Even if he was truly, really that angry, nobody was all the time. The words that he'd said to her at the Palace, how he'd fought just as hard as Ren had to get her back, said more than he apparently ever would about his true feelings.

And yet he'd been lecturing her on her previous desire to stay in this fake world. At least now she was being honest with herself.

"Thank you again for coming to meet with me," Sumire said after finishing off her cheesecake, dipping her head again. "I'll do my best to not hold you and the rest of the Phantom Thieves back any longer."

If looks could kill, Sumire would've dropped dead at the scathing look Akechi shot her. "Do not associate me with those fools," he spat out, words almost hidden behind the clattering of his coffee mug on the table. "We are working together for a matter of convenience, and that is all. And you all would do well not to slow me down."

In one fluid motion Akechi was up, slamming money down on the table, and out of the cafe, leaving Sumire in his wake. For a moment, she just stared at the spot he had just been, trying her best to process what had just happened.

It was only three days later when Sumire reached out to Akechi again. They had all decided collectively that they were to wait until Maruki would contact them on the second of February, and it was only the 20th of January that day. They days seemed to go by in a blink of an eye and last an entire year all at once in waiting, and Sumire was growing frustrated.

"What is it now?" Akechi asked as his greeting, and Sumire almost smiled. Though they hadn't spoken since their last meetup in Kichijoji, but in her head she'd gotten more used to this side of him.

She had just gotten out of practice, and honestly, she wasn't sure why she had called him again. "Sorry to bother you," she said, partially out of habit. "I was wondering if you were free tonight?"

Akechi scoffed into the phone. "For what reason?" In the background, she could hear clicking, and vaguely wondered what he did with his time now that he wasn't a detective. An official one, anyways. "More thanks or something of the sort?"

Sumire shifted the phone to her other ear, frowning. "No," she said slowly, shaking her head though he couldn't see her on the other line. "I just… I'm not sure." She suddenly felt very stupid. "We have nothing to do until next month, and I'm feeling antsy."

"And you called me because," Akechi said, letting the word fall onto the line. Sumire winced.

Because you make me feel seen, her traitorous mind whispered to her. Her few months with Ren had been nothing short of dream-like, but that was exactly the problem she was starting to realize. She hadn't been herself when she'd gotten to know him, and things didn't feel awkward, per se, but they felt different. Sumire felt like she was constantly tripping over herself to try and figure out how to act around him - especially now that she knew she had to trample down on whatever feelings she had been developing.

"Because I like talking to you," Sumire finally settled on, swaying on her feet. "It's alright if you're unable to," she continued, "I'm really, truly sorry for bothering you."

She very nearly hung up, but the sound of something closing on his end of the call stopped her short. "Stop apologizing all the damn time," he said, and she could almost imagine the exact face he was making as he spoke. "You're in luck, Yoshizawa-san. I'm in the mood for a change of scenery, and could use some coffee. If you're not in Kichijoji in thirty minutes, however, I'm taking it to go."

Her phone clicked off, signifying the end of the call, and once again Sumire couldn't help but stare at it for a moment. "Guess I'm off, then," she mumbled to herself, pocketing her phone and speeding towards the station.

Hopefully it wasn't too crowded today.

This time, the awkwardness that Sumire felt sitting across from one Goro Akechi was completely different. Last time they had sat there together, all she'd wanted to do was give him a quick thank you, and he'd ended up asking her questions that had been eating her alive.

She hadn't been lying when she'd told him that she enjoyed talking to him, however. For whatever reason, Sumire enjoyed listening to this new side of Goro Akechi - the new side of him that still asked her difficult questions, without the pleasantries attached. When she spoke with him, she didn't have to pretend that she hadn't messed up before and that she wasn't still trying to figure it out. She could be as unsure as she wanted, and whether he meant to or not, he would give her the tools she needed to come to the right conclusion.

Sumire really, really wanted to believe that he meant to. The days of the nice, ace detective Akechi might have been long gone, but she wanted to believe that he wasn't a total monster. That he still had some semblance of kindness in there somewhere.

The fact that he'd agreed to meet with her a second time was proof enough of that to her.

"You said you liked talking to me," Akechi started after the waitress had once again taken their same orders, "so talk."

Sumire bristled, but did her best not to look away from him this time around. "I… okay." She paused for a moment, mind going back to what they spoke about last time. "What about this reality do you dislike so much?"

Instantly, Akechi scowled. "Is it so hard to consider that I don't want anyone else making decisions for me?" He asked, glaring at the table in between them. "I walk my own path. Maruki didn't consult me or most others before forcing this upon them. The lives that he gifted the others," he gestured to the crowd outside, but Sumire knew by his tone he was talking about the Phantom Thieves, "were easy enough to accept, but in the end, not what they truly wanted. What he is doing is selfish, and it is for nobody's benefit but his own."

Her brows furrowed together. "I don't think that's true," she said. "I know Dr. Maruki. I think he really does want to help others, even if he's misguided in how he's going about it." Though her memories were still fuzzy, she had seen the memory clip in Maruki's Palace just like everyone else. She had told him that she should've been the one to pass, and that if she were Kasumi, things would be more manageable.

That wasn't forcing it onto her. That was him granting her wishes - however selfish and weak those wishes were.

"You're missing a very important point," Akechi told her, not bothering to pause to thank the waitress for his coffee. "He spoke with you directly. You were his patient." Again, he waved his free hand toward the people walking outside. "They were not. He looked into people's minds and decided for them, not knowing how delusional or one-off those feelings were."

Sumire took a moment to take his words in. That was something she hadn't thought of before. He had met with her directly - heard from her own mouth that she wished to become her sister in her grief. He'd spoken to all of the Phantom Thieves before, but none of them had ever agreed to that reality. They had all wished it could've come to fruition, but understood that was not where life had led them. It was why they had rejected it so easily once holes had been poked into their world.

"Regardless, living in someone else's world is something I never asked for," he continued, narrowing his eyes at nothing in particular. "If I were to accept this world, how would it be any different then when I had accepted working for my bastard father?" Sumire frowned, but ultimately, couldn't find it within herself to disagree. Akechi took a self-satisfied sip of his coffee. "Exactly. If you're too weak-willed to want to change his heart, then you're free to leave. There is nothing stopping you."

Looking down, Sumire shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant," she said, chewing on her lip. "I… I want to change his heart. I meant what I told you the other day. It's… it's not the right way to live. I just… wanted to hear your thoughts, that's all."

She appreciated them, even if they were said in such a rude manner. She had never been the best at reading people, but the more time she spent in Akechi's company, the better Sumire got at discerning his true meanings. Leave if you don't want to change his heart was not meant to make her feel bad. It was him trying to make her say with confidence that she believed in this mission. That she was as convinced of their justice as he was.

And the rest of the conversation so far had been an honest interpretation of what Maruki was doing and why it was wrong, as well. Sumire often was too stuck in her own head, leaving her with little understanding of how these sorts of things could hurt other people. It was one of her biggest faults in her opinion, and she was glad for the perspective that Akechi could offer her. Genuinely, she hadn't considered that he hadn't actually spoken to everyone else enough to really know what they wanted or what would be best for them.

More so than that, while she firmly believed her time as Kasumi was helpful, she knew looking at the Phantom Thieves that there were other, better ways she could've handled that pain. Despite that, she still didn't regret it, but she was beginning to fully understand how weak she had been before.

"You must think I'm an idiot," she mumbled, pushing her cheesecake around on the small plate. "For wanting to be my sister that desperately." She certainly wouldn't blame him if he did.

"That depends," Akechi replied, leaning back in his chair a bit. "Did you mean what you told me last time? You haven't sounded very confident in your answers today."

That was true, Sumire supposed. Part of the reason she had even wanted to talk to him was because she liked who she was when she was with him, but today felt different. She felt like she was walking on eggshells in a completely different sense. Was it because she wasn't dedicated to changing Dr. Maruki's heart?

No, Sumire thought, steeling her resolve. She did want to change his heart. She did want to go back to the other reality, and atone for how she had been for the better part of a year. She owed to herself and to her sister. "Yes, I want to change his heart," she said, finally looking him in the eyes again. "I wasn't lying to you last time. I'm just still trying to sort everything out, but you've been a big help in that. Thank you." Sumire dipped her head, before finally taking a bite of her pastry.

From across the table, Akechi's lips twisted upwards. It wasn't really a normal smile, but she was happy to see it nonetheless. "I did nothing," he said, putting his now empty cup back on the table. "But the atmosphere change was helpful in bringing my own thoughts together, so I suppose this wasn't a total waste of my time."

Blinking, Sumire wasn't really sure what to make of that. "What thoughts?"

"It's of no importance," Akechi said, placing money down on the table before collecting his briefcase. "I'll be taking my leave now."

He was gone before Sumire could even tell him goodbye. She supposed she would have to be faster next time - if there was a next time.

Back in the Palace, when it had just been her, Ren, and Akechi trying to figure out what was going on, Akechi had continued to insult her while also doing everything in his power to help her out every time she had rushed into things.

Since then, Sumire had been trying to figure out why. Why he had made her feel so secure after everything had been laid out in the open, why he had agreed to keep meeting up with her, and what made him tick in general.

Akechi claimed he didn't care - multiple times, in fact - but it was obvious that on some level, he did. Someone who truly didn't care wouldn't continue to agree to her asinine requests to meet up for a cup of coffee while there was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode in their lives. Someone who didn't care wouldn't go out of their way to ask her hard, impactful questions that made her analyze her own thoughts and ideas before arriving at a conclusion that was worth speaking aloud.

None of it added up. Not the way he acted before everything, not the way he acted in the Palace, and certainly not the way he acted with her now.

Completely lost in thought, Sumire almost missed Ren on the platform. "Oh, good morning Senpai," she greeted, though her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm. "How are you today?"

He shrugged, casual as always. "Just fine. Are you doing alright? We've still got a week to go before I meet with Maruki." Before we steal his heart, were the unspoken words he said.

Sumire was about to just say I'm fine on default, but instead, she held her tongue and thought about it. Was she really okay with stealing his heart? Yes, but at the same time, she didn't want him to think his desires were wrong. They had gone too far off the deep end, and he'd become distorted, but Dr. Maruki was still a genuine person with a genuine drive to help others.

"I'll be okay," she decided on instead. "I want to help Dr. Maruki after all he did for me." Sumire nodded, mostly to herself. "I'm a bit worried, I won't lie to you, but I know it's the right thing to do."

Ren gave her one of his small, boyish smiles. The ones that she had… well, it didn't matter now, she supposed. "You sound much more confident now," he remarked, giving her a quick once over behind his glasses. "Oh, that's right. Did you get to talk with Akechi the other day?"

For whatever reason, Sumire felt her face grow red at the question. "I, ah, yes," she managed to get out. "We were able to talk, yes. It was good, thank you."

His gentle smile grew into something wicked. "Is that so," he said, though his words were almost swallowed up by the train approaching.

Sumire had never been that glad to escape a conversation in her entire life.

Sumire almost couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at her ringing phone. She didn't have practice that evening, but the caller was calling around when she would be getting out if she had.

"Akechi-senpai?" Sumire answered, putting her pencil down onto her desk, homework now completely and totally forgotten. They had spoken just two days ago, and she hadn't even realized he'd saved her number.

"Yoshizawa-san," Akechi replied, and she could picture him nodding so clearly in her head. Sumire almost threw her phone. "I have something to discuss with you. You're free right now, aren't you?"

She wondered in the back of her mind if he had noticed the pattern of when she called him from the two times she had. "Yes, I'm free," she said, but it came out as more of a question than anything else. "You wanted to discuss something? With me?"

"Congratulations, I know you're listening now," Akechi said, and she could practically hear his eyes rolling. "Meet me in Kichijoji in half an hour. Don't be late."

Her phone clicked, and Sumire put it down on her desk, taking a deep breath. While part of her was glad they were getting to speak in person again, she also was sort of dreading it. From just the fact that he had called her for once, her heart was already beating a mile a minute.

"Oh, shoot," she said to herself, jumping up from her desk. He'd said thirty minutes for her to get into Kichijoji - she needed to get going. Sitting there thinking about Akechi and willing her heart to slow down certainly wasn't going to get her there on time, and then who knew what Akechi would say to her when he'd clearly told her not to be late.

By the time she got to the cafe, Akechi was already sitting down at their usual table, and Sumire cursed to herself. She wasn't even that late - only a few minutes at most. He really was a stickler for punctuality.

"Good evening, senpai," she greeted, sitting herself down across from him. "I'm sorry I'm a bit late."

His eyes narrowed, but only slightly. "The waitress already came by, so I ordered you that cheesecake you seem to like," he told her. "You're paying, though."

"Of course," she said, bobbing her head quickly. "Thank you very much, senpai. I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you."

Akechi sighed, turning to face the window for a moment. There were always so many people out in the streets in this reality, but not too many. And all of them, Sumire was beginning to realize, didn't look truly happy. None of the smiles plastered onto their faces met their eyes.

In any world, she had come to understand, there were always going to be hardships. Even if someone's wildest dreams were granted to them, there was always something that would hold them back. The world wasn't perfect.

Even when she had spent time as Kasumi, she had still struggled. Mainly with improving her gymnastics technique, because she had never been as aggressive or bold as her sister, but it was still a struggle.

The people out there were much the same. At Shujin, there were plenty of students who seemed happy, but there were still often complaints. Sometimes about petty things, like having homework at all, or having a family who wanted to spend all their dinners together, but Sumire nearly guaranteed there were other things, too.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked when he didn't say anything after a moment. Sumire would be the first to admit that she was curious, since this was the first time Akechi had sought her out to talk, but he also seemed… different that day. More closed off than she'd seen him since this whole thing had begun.

Without replying, Akechi leaned down and grabbed his laptop out of his briefcase. She watched with interest as he logged himself in, opened something, and then turned the screen towards her. "Read this," was all he said.

Sumire nodded, pulling the laptop towards her a bit. She'd started wearing contacts again instead of her glasses, but even with the help the font was still a bit small for her. Scanning the document, she frowned. "This is a collection of data, right?" She asked, looking up at Akechi for confirmation. "Of everything you've been researching since we realized we were living in Dr. Maruki's reality."

There were a lot of different notes in the document, but mostly things about Kunikazu Okumura and Wakaba Isshiki it seemed. Both people were dead back in their own reality, but for a brief period of time, were fully alive in this one. Their original death dates compared to current time, and brief news reports about both of them taking place after the times they had died were in the document as well.

"Keep reading," Akechi said instead of answering her.

Sumire nodded again, continuing down the large file. Now there were things about Akechi himself - mainly, things taking place after a date in late November. Cases he's solved, and news articles talking about him after Shido's apparent fall in this reality as well.

Though she'd joined the Phantom Thieves late into the game, they had all been sure to give her a rundown of everything that had happened before she came around. That included Masayoshi Shido and his Palace, as well as the events that had taken place there. Akechi had apparently cornered them, and after fighting him, he had been the reason for their escape. They'd all been convinced he was dead, but on Christmas Eve…

Sumire's brain stopped for a minute as she started to put the puzzle pieces together. "Why are you in this document, Akechi-senpai?" She asked, a pressure starting to well up in the roof of her mouth.

Akechi reached over to shut the laptop, grabbing it and putting it away before turning to face her fully. "Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"

She didn't. Not really. Sumire swallowed hard, not wanting to cry in the middle of a cafe - even if they were in a more secluded spot. "I… no," she finally said, shaking her head hard enough she could feel the ends of her ponytail hit her cheek. "But that means that you…"

He nodded once, face devoid of any emotion. "Yes. That means that once we change his heart, I'll be dead."

"How can you want to go through with this!" All thoughts of their surroundings completely left Sumire's mind. "You'll… you'll…!"

Akechi smiled at her then, but it wasn't kind. "Are you stilling willing to change his heart, knowing what will become of me?" He asked her, lacing his gloved hands together on the table. "Will your convictions change?"

Her mind went blank, and in the back of her head, she wondered if this was some kind of cruel, cruel test he'd made up for her. "That's not fair," she said, feeling a tear slip down her face. "That's not a fair question to ask, senpai! How can you expect me to give you a proper answer when you've just told me changing his heart will be the same as killing you." Sumire exhaled harshly, trying her best to hold herself together.

"My mind hasn't changed," Akechi told her. "I refuse to live in a world created for me. It was my choice to die, and I'll be damned if someone else gets to decide what's right for me." He looked at her, then, and she could finally see something on his face, in his eyes - determination. "I lived almost my entire life for someone else, partially by my own design. Do you really think this is a better option for me? Living in a world hand-crafted by someone else?"

The weight of his words were crushing. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked softly, lowering her eyes to the table. The waitress still hadn't brought their food out. She wondered if he'd even actually ordered at all. "Why did you call me out here to tell me this?"

Akechi's face twisted so fast that Sumire could've sworn she imagined it. For a moment, though, that split second in time… he looked like he was in pain. "For a reason I can't discern, you seem to continue to seek me out," he said, sounding almost like the Akechi she'd originally met. "As much as I hate to say it, it wouldn't be right of me not to tell you. Your convictions were already wavering enough," he paused to sneer at her, "and I thought I'd give you one last chance to back out of this operation. We don't need you."

Part of her almost wanted to laugh. Just when Sumire had thought she was ready to accept the harsh truth of the real reality, Akechi drops this on her. Not only will she have to go back to a world in which she survived and her sister did not, but now, Akechi would be gone, as well. Akechi, someone who she had started to rely on just as much as she relied on Ren. Akechi, someone who made her feel like she existed in a way that nobody else had in a long, long time. Akechi, who despite all his misgivings, she was starting to…

Her face flushed at that thought, despite the situation, and she looked away from him. "I'll still fight," she said quietly, trying her best to put force behind her resolve. He was right when he said that she did waver, even still - but it's not what Akechi wanted. It's not what any of the Phantom Thieves wanted. "If it's really what you want, to return to the real reality, I'll still fight."

"Are you certain?" He asked, but this time, it didn't sound mean. For the first time that Sumire had noticed, he sounded almost… unsure. "Are you certain that's what you want, Yoshizawa-san?"

"You're all going to fight regardless of what I say or do, right?" Sumire knew by his silence that she was correct. Ren and the others wouldn't back down anyways, she was sure of that. They always faced their harsh realities with a strength she envied greatly. "If everyone is still going to go against Dr. Maruki, I want to help. I want to do what's right, even if it hurts. I don't," she paused for a moment, trying to gather herself. Her eyes still felt wet. "I don't want to forget myself again. If I don't fight, I fear that I will."

Akechi slowly nodded at her, his eyes moving away from hers to the window. "I'm not the type to say thanks, so I'll refrain," he said, lips twitching upwards for a fraction of a second. "But I was hoping this wouldn't change your mind. It's what I truly want, after all."

Sumire was beginning to realize there was always something hidden within his words. Even now, when he claimed that he had nothing left to hide. Everything Akechi did was with a purpose, and everything he said was orchestrated to get something. Whether that something was for his benefit or for something else, it didn't matter.

She had to wonder if he had bothered telling this to her for her own benefit. Not like a horrible test, like her initial thoughts, but maybe more so because…

"You know, don't you, senpai?" She asked him, wincing. The fact that he'd be kind - in his own way - about her feelings was something she hadn't ever expected, but the fact that he knew was somehow worse than any other reason she could've come up with. Knowing made it real. Knowing meant that she had been a lot more obvious when she wasn't even sure herself.

"I do," Akechi agreed with more calm then she could've ever mustered. "You're free to think of me in whatever manner you wish. I just wanted to be sure that your," he paused, as if testing the words in his head before speaking them aloud, "feelings weren't going to get in the way of what I plan on doing."

Sumire wanted to immediately jump on him about that, but forced herself to take a moment and think. Hidden meanings, she reminded herself. It was like his words were a puzzle for her to piece together.

Was he concerned that she might decide to stop them if she knew Akechi wouldn't be around in the other reality? It was a possibility. You're free to think of me in whatever manner you wish - was that him admitting that her… she hesitated to call it a crush, since she didn't exactly act like one would expect, but what other word was there? Her feelings, in any case, didn't bother him?

Going a step further, Sumire tried her best to compare his actions and words from when she'd first stepped foot into Dr. Maruki's Palace. She couldn't remember everything - most things, honestly, were still a bit of a blur - but even though he complained about it every time, Akechi had still done everything in his power to keep her safe and provide needed backup. He and Ren had even gone in alone to try and get her back, when she had been too weak to put her foot down with Dr. Maruki.

"Even though this is a second chance on life," Sumire asked, sick of trying to figure him out, "you would throw that away?"

Akechi's eyes hardened. "I told you before," he said, exhaling sharply through his nose. "A life where I am a puppet is no life at all. It doesn't matter if I'm technically allowed free will in this place," Akechi paused, glare as sharp as a knife. "I would use every ounce left in me to fight for reality back. And nobody - not even you - can hold me back."

Not even you, he said, and Sumire's heart dropped into her stomach. It was light someone had flipped a switch; suddenly, everything he's said - this entire conversation - came into focus.

Sumire sucked in a breath. "Ah," she finally said. She almost wanted to lie to him, tell him she understood his feelings completely and that she would help him fulfill his goal even if it hurt her. But she had been telling the truth when she said she would be true to herself now. Instead, she looked at him sadly.

When they were younger, and he was just starting to get popular on TV, she'd met him a few times. She and Kasumi both had, but for whatever reason, he seemed calmer in her company then he ever did in Kasumi's.

It was the first time she felt that she could do something Kasumi couldn't. Because of it, she'd started going with her father to the station every day that she didn't have practice, in hopes that she would be able to see him again. Maybe even talk with him for more than a few minutes. When they'd reconnected thanks to Ren, and then again thanks to Dr. Maruki's Palace, Sumire couldn't help the budding of feelings that resurfaced. Especially with the added fact that anything she felt for Ren had to be forcibly snuffed out - there was no way he was leaving his girlfriend anytime soon, and she was not going to be the cause of it if they did break up.

"You knew from the start, didn't you?" She asked after a moment, gesturing to his briefcase that now sat next to his feet. "That you were… dead." The words felt like ash on her tongue. Reality was truly cruel.

Akechi nodded, confirming what Sumire already knew. "More or less," he agreed. "I figured it out during the week it took to gather the Phantom Thieves back together to go get you."

Sumire wanted to cry. Nothing about the real world was welcoming, in her eyes. By February 4th, she would be back in a world with no Kasumi, no Akechi, and all of the Phantom Thieves who she had grown to care so deeply about would be plunged into their old traumas, as well.

If she were content with being weaker, she would've asked - maybe even begged - them not to fight Dr. Maruki. But she had made a promise, and as her last thank you to Akechi, she would find a way to live through that horrible reality.

"You must think I'm such a fool," Sumire said, wistful. He somehow had known she felt something for him, all but said there was a reason he treated her differently, and then dropped on the fact that when all of this was over, there was never a chance of it going farther than that. And she had to come to terms with that in front of him.

Akechi tilted his head, thinking before answering her. "A bit," he told her, though he didn't sound terribly torn up over it. "More so, I think you're human."

"Why did you call me out here?" She asked him again, repeating her question from earlier. He hadn't been entirely truthful then, but hopefully now that everything had been laid out on the table…

"I'm not so sure myself," Akechi admitted, and for the first time since they'd been plunged into this mess together, he looked like he was actually human. "I finished putting the document together by the first time we had met up, and after last time…"

It was odd to see someone normally so self assured question their actions. Sumire wasn't sure if she liked watching it happen. "It's funny," she said after a moment. "Without Dr. Maruki, we never would've even gotten to meet like this in the first place. Our awkward outing with Ren would've been the last time we truly interacted."

Without Dr. Maruki, she would've never had this chance, ill fated as it was.

"That's true," Akechi agreed easily, leaning back in the cafe chair. They still had not been brought any food, but none of the waitresses seemed to care. This reality was odd, indeed. "I need to hear you say it one more time. Will you still fight against Dr. Maruki? Will you still work to steal his heart, and along with it, this twisted reality that he's concocted?"

"Yes," Sumire said without any hesitation. She was proud of herself for that. It's the least she could do for Akechi, the boy who she had never had the proper chance to get to know; who her heart still desperately wanted to know more. It was the least she could do for herself. "Will you tell Ren or the others about this, though? I think they deserve to know as well."

Akechi, for once, looked a bit taken aback at her answer, but shrugged it off quickly. "If Maruki doesn't tell Ren first, I plan to the night they speak," he said, waving one of his hands idly. "I have a feeling he won't be so easily swayed, however."

That was true. Even when it was someone's life on the line, Sumire couldn't see Ren wavering against his own justice. Since she'd met him, he had always been so steadfast in what he believed in.

"You're probably right about that." Sumire sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the cafe. "Do you mind if we stay here a little longer? I know it's getting late, and I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but…"

In all honesty, she didn't expect him to humor her. He'd already done more than enough by giving her multiple chances to leave herself out of the fight if her spirit couldn't handle it, and by even telling her about what was to come. He owed her nothing, not once, and yet he was still trying to do right by her.

"We never got our food, after all," Akechi said, and she looked back in him with wide eyes. "Let me call over the waitress again."

Even in just a few short meetings, he had gone from completely hostile to… this. It almost wasn't fair, to know that he was willing to give her a chance, all these years later as his true self.

It was stupid, really, and it would probably make things that much harder in the long run for her. Still, Sumire was content to let him flag the waitress over and reorder their same meals, and sit and enjoy the quiet with Akechi for even just another day longer. For now, at least, he was still in front of her. Still breathing, and willing to stay in her company.

And when she woke up in reality, after all of this was finally over, she would properly grieve then.

Notes

So how about that AkeSumi! I'm obsessed with them, it's stupid, I did not expect to ship them even close to as hard as I ended up shipping them. Literally every cutscene that they interacted I kind of died a little. This game also has me shipping AkeShu pretty hard which I wasn't expecting at all, since I'm (if you couldn't tell lol) super hardcore into ShuTaba. Anyways, AkeSumi hurt me a lot, I'm in love with them, I'm definitely going to write for them again and maybe I'll write in an AU where they don't have to go back to reality where Akechi is dead bc :))))))) This whole thing is honestly a mess bc I just had so many different directions I wanted to take this in and didn't know exactly where to end it, which is how it got this long. I hope you enjoyed it somehow tho! I put a lot of love into it despite its excessive messiness.

Anyways! P5R was really good, and I hope everyone else has been having fun with it during these wild times. I'm now in the middle of FF7R, which I've been waiting impatiently for years for, so maybe you'll eventually see some Clerith from me someday? But yeah, remember, you will die is coming up next, so if you read that too, sorry for the wait! This massive thing is why you've been waiting lol. My b.