Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 16

When having been called all of a sudden it had surprised them. It was one simple message, a short sentence. 

“ I need to talk to you. Right now. ”

It was already odd that Akechi was the one who had texted them of all people. And the text was very short, to the point. It had kicked off something, the feeling about this being a little…  Uneasy. They wanted to be wary. On one hand they did not want to go but on the other… They were curious. What had this suddenly been about? They wanted to know so there was only one solution to this problem, only one way they could find out in the end. And that was asking ‘Where do we meet?’ 

The location however was not something they had expected, not really at least. It was secluded, far away from any prying eyes. An alleyway nearby one of the locations the two tend to frequent. So they were more than familiar with this location. And they were on their way quickly, having had little to no time to change. When asked by their mother where they were going they just said: “Just seeing a friend. They were asking me for something. It won’t be long.” And not even hearing her response they just left.

It was dark by then and a little cold, just as expected. Even if summer had been approaching as time went on the nights were refreshing, a little cold. And yet it all had left a shiver down their spine all the same. Something felt off about this meeting. This time things would be different… Or so had been their gut feeling. 

They were just standing there, waiting and waiting. They had even looked around… Were they going to be left standing like this? Was that what was going on? They weren’t sure yet the longer they had to wait the more nervous they became, perhaps a little anxious. After all, you never know who will show up randomly in the darkness, suddenly approach and perhaps take it a step too far. They had to be careful after all… 

And yet they were waiting, deep breaths. It shouldn’t take long. It really shouldn’t, ri— 

“Hey. Here, this is what you asked for. Right?” A voice said, sharp yet cold as if about to cut right through them with it alone. They gasped, turning around and managing to spot the outline first before the light nearby flickered, catching a glimpse of him. It was Akechi, of course it was. He had asked them to come over after all. He held his hand out, a file in said hand. They were confused at first, looking up at him with the questioning expression… However, what they saw was unusual… Unbelievable even.

His expression was different from the usual yet it felt more natural all the same. It would unsettle anyone however, wouldn’t it? The stare was just… Cold. Colder than the breeze. Maybe it was the source of said coldness. Regardless, it would leave anyone with a shiver down their spine. It wasn’t the calm type of cold either, far from it. Sure, he was staring with a lack of emotion yet it was scary… For a moment they felt their legs shiver yet they managed to stop themself from doing so. It left them speechless regardless, not sure how to react to it. Was this… Akechi? This cold gaze yet it felt as if it could break into the expression of a crazed madman at any point. All while remaining so empty at the same time… As if he was… Just… Ugh, their head was spinning. It was hard to put into words. A bit irritating but… They were wondering. Was this a glimpse? Or–

Yet before they could wonder any longer he just shoved the folder into their hands, then turning away from one moment to the next. He didn’t even give them any time to respond nor did he seem to care in the end… “You can leave now.”

There was no further exchange of words, only silence as they watched him leave. They wanted to move but couldn’t… What was he heading at? What had he been talking about? A quick look at the folder and… A name was written on it. The name of… Their father!? Wait, how did he— When did he find out about them wanting to know more!? And he was handing it to them, just like that!? This…

Under any circumstance they would be happy, glad that they made it this far but… It left a sour taste in their mouth. Yeah, they had what they wanted but… At what cost? Besides, it would not explain this behavior of his… Was this really Akechi? Was that him? By any chance… Did they just see what he was like? Again, it was unsettling but… More bearable all the same? Ah, they didn’t understand… Let alone why it was bothering them so much. This was not even a crack. A crack would look different. 

When talking they had felt cracks feeling similar to this yet that he would be this dismissive… No, wait. It wasn’t exactly that… Not dismissive, but… Even with all of that something didn’t sit right with them at the end of it all… Something felt wrong. Just what would feel so wrong?

Maybe they can figure it out while reading through this file… Actually, they would rather do that right now.

Goro Akechi… Is that who he is? No, rather… Who is he really? Their curiosity has peaked. So, even if it turned out to be a bad idea… They really wanted to know, didn’t they? And once that idea would settle… There was no turning back.