The Heavenly Thief (A Persona 5 Fanfic)

Chapter 10: Can of Mace

Song: Get out Alive by Three Days Grace

Flash Forward:

"Acting as a Phantom Thief would've been more efficient alone. You could've gone about it that way..." Miss Nijima stated in skeptical tone. "However, you did not. There are merits to having associates... That's what you decided. Am I wrong?"

I shook my head at her. "You've got it all right. I had connected with two other people at the beginning of my time as a thief: Joker, our leader who is currently incarcerated along with me, and Skull. But you have some of it all wrong, Miss Nijima. The Ambrose case was mostly me."

"What made you change your mind about working with other people?"

"All in good time. All in good time..."

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Back to the story:

The next day was the day of the volleyball rally. After class had dismissed, I changed into my gym clothes, tying the sweat jacket around my shoulders with care. The red of it only made me love it even more, as it reminded me of something a hero would wear. I always wanted to be a hero. When most girls my age were playing princess, I was playing hero. My favorite blanket became my cape and Michi pretended that she needed to be rescued. Of course, all of that ended when I left for Hollywood.

"What's with the jacket?" Ann's voice broke me from my trance, a calming wake up call from a nightmare you don't want to experience. She looked like an absolute goddess in her gym clothes. The outfit stuck to her figure like glue. How could I possibly compete with that? "Hello, Sera. Are you listening?" I shook myself out of the rest of my trance.

"Of course, I was just thinking about stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Ya know, childhood memories..."

There was no way I would talk about playing hero. It would be way too embarrassing. I don't think I trust Ann on that level yet. "Would you like to sit with me," she asked.

"Of course," I responded. "After all, we are friends, aren't we?"

"That's right. Shiho is going to need all the support she can get."

"Great idea."

~~~~~~~~~~
The rally was in full swing. The sound of the game and the cheering of the crowd fell mute upon my ears; the only noise I was actually paying attention to was the sound of alternative rock with the bass turned up. My heartbeat mimicked the beat of the song, making me feel like the two of us were one. That feeling is what makes me whole inside. No wonder Dad tried to silence my voice: to break me.

It's not that I wasn't interested in the rally, I like watching all of the people getting hopped up with excitement. The thing is it wasn't much of game as it was Kamoshida showing off. The faculty already had more points than the students and most of those points were earned by - you guessed it - the volleyball coach. He wasn't even giving the students a chance and every so often, he would sneak a glimpse in the direction of the seats that Ann and I were sitting in. Now that I've seen his true nature, the glances only succeeded in making me uncomfortable and sick.

Thus, I decided to ignore the game entirely. Instead, my teal eyes zoomed in on two people on the other side of the room. My glasses were a magnifying lens as I focused on another bespectacled individual. His dark orbs were fixed on what was going on in front of him, maintaining the facade that he used to conceal his mischievous nature. Of course, I could have it all wrong and he really is trying to focus on the game. Akira really is an enigma, often hiding his true feelings behind that poker face he normally displays.