April 11
Monday
After School
Sunny
Akira navigated the maze-like subway system of Tokyo and finally found himself back in Yongen-Jaya. As much as he wanted to explore his new environment and new abilities, he concluded that establishing a good rapport with his guardian, Sojiro Sakura, was a priority. That decision didn't stop him from visiting an electronics store in Akihabara and the second-hand store near Café Leblanc. He would likely have ample time during lunch, seeing how every student was avoiding him like the plague.
The teen walked through the door and was gruffly welcomed by Sojiro.
"You're back. Seems like you are a normal student."
"Nice to see you too, Sakura-san."
"...Just call me Sojiro or Boss; that's what everyone else does. Sakura-san makes me feel old."
"Sojiro-san it is."
"This kid... There's leftover curry; feel free to eat it all. And make—"
Sojiro was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Akira watched with bemusement as the older man's demeanor shifted from nonchalant to considerate in an instant.
"...Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll head over in half an hour as promised. I'll be right there."
Akira was already heading toward the stairs as the call ended.
"Make sure to turn off all the lights and lock the door, okay?"
"Done. See you tomorrow, Sojiro-san."
"Yeah. Bye."
By the time Akira reached his "room," the front door's bell had jingled, implying that Sojiro had left.
"He was in a hurry. I wonder who is so important to him?"
Akira changed into more comfortable loungewear before heading downstairs to eat dinner. His focus, however, was elsewhere. The supernatural incident that he had experienced was not so much odd as it was unsettling.
Before arriving in Tokyo, he had never been to a different realm, let alone possessed fantasy-like powers. Yet here he was, having spent less than 48 hours in the bustling metropolis, and he had experienced events that belonged more in a fantasy book. It was too sudden... Especially the Velvet Room. Igor had described the appearance of the room as a manifestation of his perceived reality, but...
"I don't feel like a prisoner."
Akira did not feel like a prisoner; he felt more lost and confined, like a sailboat in an endless ocean. So why was the Velvet Room a prison cell and not the deck of a ship? And why was he chained up? They claimed to help him but put him in bindings?
Everything felt off—from the weird eye app, the Velvet Room, and Kamoshida's Place...
Akira could feel paranoia creep into his psyche, but he let it fester. Somehow, he felt that his suspicions were correct, even if he couldn't prove them yet.
{Kippōshi... what do you think?}
{I'm surprised that you are asking me. Do you not doubt my purpose?}
{Not really.}
{...Any specific reason?}
{It's difficult to put into words, but I do.}
{Not a terrible answer. Sometimes you only have that gut feeling to rely on. Concerning your suspicions, I too feel as though something is amiss, but the answer eludes me. I would advise caution moving forward.}
{My thoughts exactly.}
Akira had done a sweep his first two nights but did another one just in case. He had found small, almost unnoticeable black disks in key parts of the attic and the café area. Judging from their size, it was clear that someone had bugged Café Leblanc, and Akira doubted it was Sojiro. Perhaps the police or someone affiliated with them. It was the primary reason why he had taken a few detours before coming back.
From his school bag, Akira pulled out a few manuals, a new laptop, and a new phone. Shelling out over ¥50,000 for a new computer was only possible because he had saved over ¥100,000 from birthdays, part-time work, and allowances. Another ¥10,000 for the new phone, and he was down to ¥40,000. More than enough if he was still dependent on his parents and not a vile creature they refused to have in their presence. Shipping him out in such a brusque manner still hurt...
Refocusing, Akira examined both devices. He was worried about anyone who could potentially access his phone, considering he had an app that could transport him to another world. He needed to take precautions so that no one could potentially incriminate him.
{Kippōshi.}
{Always here.}
{Run me through this again. I'd rather not destroy half of my savings.}
{Relax. Something like this should be relatively simple if you remain focused... Extend your hand towards the object, then slowly channel your Pneuma from your hand towards the object. Keep internally repeating what you wish to achieve. It's always better to use words than to describe. From what you explained before, you want to constantly repeat: untraceable.
{...Okay. Untraceable.}
Slowly extending his hand, Akira willed the Pneuma that he gained from awakening Kippōshi to manifest itself. A burning reddish-purple energy enveloped his raised hand and slowly extended toward the laptop.
Despite Kippōshi's seemingly simple explanation, it was anything but. He had to maintain the release of Pneuma while constantly thinking about the word untraceable. It was akin to asking a boxer to punch a sandbag using their full body weight but to only tap it with the faintest of touches.
Time crept forward as sweat rolled down Akira's forehead, yet he persisted.
Just before 1 a.m., Akira felt something and stopped the flow of Pneuma. He took deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his face.
{Excellent work.}
{...It's done?}
{To perfection.}
Turning on the computer, Akira noticed a five-petaled flower symbol in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
{That confirms your success.}
{The symbol... A quince.}
Since Kippōshi remained silent, Akira continued with his work. After stretching to relieve the tension in his upper back, Akira placed the new phone next to the computer and began to apply Pneuma to it as well. It was significantly easier than with the laptop.
Soon it was nearly 3 a.m. While tired, Akira was glad he took the time to do it.
From now on, he would use the Pneuma-modified devices to communicate and the old cellphone only to access the strange eye application.
Weary but satisfied, Akira entered his bed and quickly fell asleep. Part of him hoped that everything that happened so far was a series of ultra-vivid hallucinations...
.
.
.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Akira's grey eyes stared up at the equally grey ceiling of a prison cell. The gentle and sonorous sounds of piano all but confirmed his suspicions.
"...About time you've come to. On your feet, inmate!"
Sweeping back his hair, Akira felt frustration bubbling up in his chest. Why did they keep messing with his sleep? It was bad enough that he went to bed late, but now...
"Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart."
"First off, let us celebrate our reunion," started Igor in his steady, deep timbre.
"Oh...? You've awakened to your powers—and special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin."
"Powers?"
Akira wanted to see how much Igor would reveal, so he purposely kept his response brief.
"There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will be training in the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a 'mask'—an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you."
"What exactly are you expecting?"
"There is no need to worry. Everything will be revealed to you in due time. By the way, have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces."
"There's more than one Palace?"
"Yes, there are. I bestowed the Metaverse Navigator to you as a means to train you as a thief."
Akira's brow unnoticeably furrowed but just as quickly relaxed. His suspicions of Igor were rapidly solidifying.
"The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, Inmate!"
"Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief."
Caroline, followed by Justine, unnecessarily emphasized the importance of the app and of training his new abilities.
"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief..."
Akira needed to confirm a few conjectures. He had many questions, but only a few were of the utmost importance.
"For the training of my abilities, can I assume that can only be done in that other world filled with Palaces?"
"You would be correct, Trickster. Only through the Metaverse Navigator can you regain access to your newfound powers."
Akira's expression turned contemplative right as the alarm started ringing.
"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have..."
At Caroline's words, the Velvet Room began to fade...