Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 148

Having to overlook this incident didn't sit right yet there were things to focus on unfortunately. Though even when stepping outside of the Palace, out of the Metaverse, it would not leave them alone. It would bug them, plague Lukanja's thoughts for a little while. And yet if they dared speak up, who knew if it was leading to any results. Probably not. In fact maybe they would be told off moments later.

They could feel it from the gaze alone, one they were given still as they couldn’t help but let their concern slip out. The way they looked at Akechi was constant, unable to avert their gaze. They were watching him, the scene always flashing back right into their mind. It was a little terrifying to think back on, making them question over and over if he really was alright or if it was nothing more than a ruse, get them off his back. And yet something like this would never be easy. In fact they could still see him staggering, even outside the Metaverse. Of course he could mask it, no passerby suspected a thing. Yet even his expression was strained on the way to the train station.He was just barely keeping himself together here, very barely. Though he might collapse at any moment, at least that’s what they had been afraid of. Even his feet just barely managed to carry him. This number took a great toll on him, didn’t it? 

They wanted to run over, their legs unable to hold back at that point. ‘ Let me help you get home! ’ Or some other type of offering their help. Anything, really. They just couldn’t watch this any longer. They were so close to reaching out, opening up their mouth. And it was about to do just that, so very close. 

A short second, a gaze of annoyance. ‘ Don’t even bother ’ – As if he was speaking to them that way. Yet he didn’t say it out loud, no. Instead it would be replaced with him speaking up first, forcing their hand to freeze in place shortly before pulling away, just when they had been about to tug onto his sleeve.

“So, how did you manage to get Ishikawa’s treasure?” Akechi asked, though his voice was dry. He didn’t even look at them, at least not yet. It was as if he was trying to hide something from them. Then again, they were wondering when he did not do so at this point? Even now they felt as if they only knew half of his deal and it started to annoy them a little. Yet they had to swallow it, not mention it. Even though doing so made them crumble on the inside. Why was he doing this?

“I provoked her.” They responded after a second of silence. Though it felt way longer than that. They had to respond, ignore their concerns and just continue speaking. The Palace came first in the end, didn’t it? And it wasn’t as if they didn’t want to see this through until the end, of course not! Just… At least this short moment of conflict deep within them…

“Provoke?” He repeated in a questioning tone. And even now their gazes did not meet. Instead they were just walking next to each other, looking at what lay ahead. 

Lukanja sighed, though in truth it was just the deep breath they took. They were trying to bury their concern for the time being yet it wasn’t exactly easy at this point. Forget about it… Just forget about it. Easier said than done. “I put her on edge, a moment of fear.” They responded, making sure that their voice would put on a calm mask. No stuttering, no hesitating, no stumbling. Just sound straightforward. “So we have to do that for Sato–San.”

They could hear it, the quick ‘Hm’ coming from his mouth, deep in thought. It would only last so long though as he caught on quickly. They knew he would to be honest. And yet his suggestion based on that explanation was something setting them off. “Then how about we make his biggest fear come true and make him panic?”

“Panic!?” They stopped and so did he. Their face turned, facing him, only to see his side profile. “Wait… You mean–”

“We tell him that we will successfully replace him no matter what.” Akechi responded. It sounded so calculated, no hesitation whatsoever. And he was facing them too right then and there. “He wants to resign, doesn’t he? I think that we should take this to our advantage and mess with his mind for a moment, tell him that no one needed him anyways since our arrival.”

The thought had their cheeks grow cold, standing there in shock. It was for the mission, they wouldn’t mean it. But even so, given the discoveries made within the Palace, they didn’t know how to feel about this. Sato–San wasn’t even close to being Miyuki Ishikawa… So maybe that’s why they felt a little unsettled by it. “Isn’t that too much?”

“We need to provoke him, right?” He repeated, asking for confirmation all the same. And they knew what they said, hence why they couldn’t argue with this in the end.

“I… Suppose…” Lukanja responded, another uneasy thought crossing their mind. Yet they shook their head, at least in regards to Officer Sato. It had to be done if they wanted to help him, let him have a change of heart. But that didn’t mean that they had to feel good about it. In fact they would feel rather terrible doing so. But to get to the treasure it may have been needed. “Alright. I assume we will do it as soon as possible?”

“Given that we have Sae–San to focus on, it might be the best course of action.” Akechi nodded. “But once we do there will be no coming back. Make sure that you’re prepared by then.”

“Right. It should be fine as long as we do it before the 19th November, we should be good.”

And yet the combination of everything was only making them more and more anxious… What if— No, they can’t have doubts now, they had to pull through no matter what. 

Even if things started to unsettle them more and more by the second…