Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 123

Having a cat on the team can do many things, though Lukanja had not realized or thought that the Phantom Thieves had their own version of a mascot character. And by any chance it was also a cat. A talking cat actually! Though… Could they hear the cat talking before? No, not really. They remembered when they had encountered the trio of Shujin second year students at the tv station, hearing a faint ‘meow’, over and over. Not just that but when they had seen the leader on his own there was also a ‘meow’ coming from there. So they probably couldn’t understand that cat before. That or it just recently learned how to talk? But that would be a bit of a stretch… Besides, the fact was that Morgana was a talking cat. Maybe if they hadn’t met Pipistrello it would have surprised them a little more… But a talking cat sounded ordinary compared to everything else they had seen. This room they were usually sent in all by themself was something in itself after all. And that was way weirder than a talk having the ability to converse with everyone so casually.

Though they were a little envious yet also not too much. After all, it would be fun to converse with Ole even outside the Metaverse. But that is not something which is going to happen anytime soon if at all. But hearing him state his opinions within the regular lifestyle would be something they would be interested in. Or hearing if he might be sleep talking or something like that. Either way, it would be so much easier if they could just hear his thoughts and feelings directly. But that wasn’t the case. Outside of the Metaverse Ole was truly just a regular, old and grumpy looking cat. Unlike Morgana who was at least able to converse with some people. But there was no use to dwell on it either. After all…

A cat is still a cat. And they are all adorable!

So, when the opportunity had arisen they just couldn’t help themself. Before knowing it they had started to grab Morgana by both of his fluffy cheeks and squish them over and over. Of course the grip was anything but tight. It was a soft one yet a little grip nonetheless. And they just kept squeezing and squishing those fluffy cheeks with amusement.

“Woha– Stop! This– Ey! Lukanja!” They heard the cat whine and meow yet that didn’t stop them. One could tell that this was a moment of embarrassment for him yet they just truly couldn’t bring themself to stop. In fact they had started to hum while at it.

“So soft~” They let out, their hands moving on their own and enjoying feeling the soft fur. “It’s winter fur now, right?”

“Wh… What do you mean winter fu—” Morgana was about to ask yet stopped himself and said something else midway through. “That’s not the point! We wanted to discuss something! So—”

“Oh, it’s just when cats start to change their fur to feel warmer. It’s fluffier as a result.” They responded. “Ole had started changing his fur last month. So he’s also a tiny, fluffy ball of a cat right now~”

“H… Hey! Who are you calling a cat!?” He complained, nearly huffing, yet trying so hard to keep his composure. One could hear it from his voice which made this only more amusing in the end. They chuckled after all and were unable to let go. Though one of their hands had gone up to pet the head and scratch behind the ears.

“I mean, you are. Aren’t you?”

“I…” He tried to respond yet the purring in between made him stop a few times. In fact Morgana seemed to have forgotten what he wanted to say until it came to him suddenly, interrupting his little purring session at that point. “I’m not a cat!”

“But right now you are.” 

“That— I’m not one though! So stop treating me like one!”

“Haha, you’re so young yet you act so grumpy. You and Ole will get along just fine.”

“That’s an old man though!”

“Old but fluffy. Fluffy like you are.”

“MREOW!” 

One could hear the loud meow echoing through the ears, making them only chuckle more. This was so adorable and so much fun. The cute mascot of the Phantom Thieves… They could get used to this at least. Then again, who had an easy time saying no to any cat to begin with? It just so happened that Morgana was one and he was so fluffy and cute. 

And thus, not knowing any mercy, Lukanja just kept petting and squeezing Morgana until the others arrived. Eventually he had given up complaining, allowing them to indulge in this cuddly behavior. Or maybe he started to secretly enjoy the attention.

They won’t know yet that last point may be a possibility. He could just be stubborn like Ole and not admit to it. 

Hmm… Although… What if Ole was a little younger? Would he react the same way? Huh… They could wonder about it all they wanted, they would never get an answer. But that’s alright. Even if that was the case, Ole is still Ole in the end. And Morgana is Morgana. Nothing will ever change that.