Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 156

The notice had been sudden, even for someone like Eli himself. It all seemed to work out a little too well, go hand in hand. It probably would make anyone a little wary. This happened a day or two after he had decided to not resign, thus staying in the police force itself. Honestly, he had not expected for her to care in the slightest, let alone say something. In the back of his mind she always seemed not interested about his well being but rather about the case regarding the Phantom Thieves. After all, she nearly seemed possessed by it, as if nothing else in the world mattered. It was a big deal, no one was going to fully blame her on that. But it still set a certain expectation for the officer in regards to Prosecutor Nijima.

So her walking up to him like that was already quite a big surprise. He expected to be scolded yet again, for not doing his job and what else one could think of. But her first words to him? Those were the most shocking ones he had heard all year. And this year was already close to coming to an end, given that they were rapidly approaching December at that point. But what did she say? Well, it was simple… 

“Sato–San. May I have a word with you?” Maybe it wasn’t the exact words which had been surprising in hindsight but the tone. She wasn’t yelling at him nor was she talking as if she had looked down upon him, no. It was a bit of a calmer tone, calmer than he had heard from her for a long while now. It was almost terrifying and that was something. Usually a tone like this would not invoke such a reaction but here he was, caught so off guard by it that he couldn’t help but wonder honestly…

In any case he had agreed with a simple nod. If it had been like any other scolding he may as well get it out of the way. And yet she had asked if they could go outside for a moment, all while she was unable to meet his gaze. The officer was even more put off by that, not certain what to expect. Miss Nijima was truly behaving odd at this very moment. It only left him to wonder. 

But he followed her outside, in front of the police station, looking at her back rather than her face. There was a prolonged moment of silence, him only hearing her sighing for a short moment. He was perplexed deep down, even if he wasn’t showing that. After all, something about this in the end was just…

And yet his thoughts would stop when she finally turned around and opened her mouth once more. And that was where things got… Odd. Not weird. Just odd. “I would like to formally apologize about my behavior recently.” Miss Nijima said all of a sudden. It took her everything to look at Eli, he could just tell. And yet she didn’t seem to back down, far from it actually. “It… Had been brought to my attention recently. That I was too harsh on you recently. For that I would like to apologize.”

“Ah… That…” He didn’t know what to say. The words were just stuck in his throat at that moment. Nothing really wanted to come out. Maybe it was just the shock to hear this specifically. Maybe it was just the current moment. But his voice was just stuck between his wind pipes. Then again, what was he supposed to say here? Both knew that the answer to this was obvious… Hence why he could only listen and then take it in. 

And she was aware too, shaking her head. “You don’t have to say anything if you can’t.” Surprisingly… Understanding? Or aware? It was an unusual side he saw from the Prosecutor. The one who would always have a glare which could nearly kill. The one who would always yell at the smallest inconvenience. The one who was so strict that she was not accepting any mistakes. If it was the usual half hearted apology it would be one thing but she seemed to take this seriously. Unexpectedly so. She meant it. She actually meant it. 

It led to a small nod at most, the only thing he could muster. He honestly couldn’t even ask who it was that brought it to her attention and made her rethink things. He was curious but at the same time he could imagine who it was… Thinking back, some behaviors were odd. Did they have anything to do with this turn of events? It was… Unbelievable yet he had to admit, it would sound like the most plausible option. After all, having his life suddenly turn around like this. It felt surreal. No, it was surreal. It didn’t feel bad, far from it. It was just hard to believe.

But he wasn’t going to complain. In fact he had to accept it for the time being. After all, there were other things to worry about for the time being… Things which took priority at that moment. And it all started only the day right after…