17 Some Shiho fluff here
It was already evening by the time he returned to LeBlanc, and Sojiro was cleaning the counter.
"Hey, you got a minute? Something I wanna ask you. C'mere, let's have a chat." said the beard man.
"What is it?"
"How's school? You're not causing any trouble, are you?"
"Of course not. What did you expect? That I'd attack a teacher or something?" asked Shin.
"No, it's nothing like that. I have to write to your probation officer twice a month. It's already a pain as is, so please don't make me write more crap. I'm pretty damn busy at work, so if you could lend a hand, it'd really be a great help."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Don't worry, I won't work you for free. I'll teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Not a bad trade, eh?" said Sojiro.
"I suppose."
"All right. Looks like we got ourselves a deal." said the older man, smiling.
Shin could feel the familiar feeling of creating a new bond spread through his body.
The bearded man spent some time cleaning the kitchen, and left when it got late in the night.
-INTERMISSION-
23rd of April, in the school building.
'I feel like Shiho's been purposefully avoiding me.' thought Shin.
The cause was most likely the fact that he had to carry the girl all the way home. Ann, as her best friend, should've told her that part.
However, Shiho's reasons didn't matter, as no matter how much Shin thought it over, he couldn't find the girl. The school building was just too spacious. He already checked the gym, but practice isn't held today.
In the end, the teen decided to text Ann about Shiho's whereabouts.
Ann: She said she'd call in sick when we talked this morning.
Ann: Summoning her Persona must've worn her out.
Ann: Why do you ask?
Shin: I haven't seen her around for a few days.
Shin: Still, this is a pretty long resting time.
Ann: Well, we did run around the Palace that day.
Shin: Fair enough.
The teen resolved himself that he'd visit Shiho. For now, though, he had to deal with a nosy cat. Thankfully, he had just the task for him.
"Look, I want you to follow Kawakami and see if she spreads around any pamphlets. If she does, grab one and go back to LeBlanc."
"Is this really necessary?" asked Morgana, doubtful.
"Of course it is. Trust me. It's for a greater cause."
'Think about the maid teacher!'
"If you say so..."
As the cat was dealt with, Shin could continue with his plans uninterrupted.
The teen found the way back to Shiho's apartment just fine. He quickly walked up the stairs and reached for her door. He was about to knock when he noticed a doorbell on the side.
The sound must've been quite strident, as Shin could hear a loud thud. A few seconds later, he noticed someone was looking through the peephole, so he got closer to the door. The lightbulb was placed in such a way that only part of his face was illuminated. For the viewer, it must've been a very bizarre sight.
"Eek!" was the startled shout that came from the other side. "W-Who's there?"
Shin took a step back so his whole face could be seen and said.
"Hey, Shiho."
The girl opened the door so they could talk properly.
"Shin? What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.
"I came to check on you. I didn't saw you at school since we dealt with Kamoshida, and Ann told me you called in sick."
The girl suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting.
"You didn't need to come here..." she said, rubbing her arm sheepishly.
"Nonsense. As a friend, I am worried about your health." said Shin.
However, that only made Shiho more of a stuttering mess.
"I-I'm fine!"
Shin frowned and placed the back of his hand on her forehead.
"It's hot, as expected. Are you sure you're fine? Do you need me to take you to a doctor?"
The girl moved backwards, trying to dodge Shin's hand. Unfortunately, she tripped over a pair of shoes placed near the entrance. The boy moved swiftly, grabbing her back with one hand and cushioning her head with another. The two landed practically one on top of the other, their faces being mere centimetres apart.
Shiho was dazed from what happened. She was just staring into Shin's eyes without moving. The boy too was quite shocked by the turn of events, yet he still recovered faster than the girl. He tried to pull himself back up, and dragged Shiho too.
Standing up, it looked like the two were hugging. As Shiho was shorted than Shin, her head ended up in the crook of his neck.
After several seconds of standing in silence, the two awkwardly parted. Shiho's blush seemed to cover her entire face and went a little down her neck.
"*Cough* Well... Anyway, you seem fine, so I'll leave now." said Shin, trying to sound abashed.
The girl didn't say anything, so Shin assumed she must be too embarrassed. And yet, he was taken by surprise once again, as when he was about to turn and leave, Shiho jumped towards him and placed a little kiss on his cheek. He didn't even have the chance to say anything afterwards, as she immediately closed the door after her.
Shin left the place with a smile on his face, and occasionally rubbing the spot where she kissed him. On the other hand, Shiho tried not to hyperventilate as her legs gave way and she slumped down, leaning on the floor.
'It's already this late? Damn. I need to get back to LeBlanc to check if Morgana found any flyer.'
Unfortunately, Morgana didn't get anything as Kawakami went straight home after school.
'Oh well. Tomorrow's a day too.'
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This chapter's additional info is on... Arsène!
Arsène is the Initial Persona of Joker, of the Fool Arcana.
Arsène Lupin is a fictional gentleman thief created by Maurice Leblanc. He was known for targeting criminals or those who were much worse than himself, making him an anti-hero of sorts within his own stories. He might have been partly inspired by the French anarchist Marius Jacob.
Arsène is an anti-hero that conspires against people more evil than him; this trait is represented by his sinister and demonic appearance in the game and also by the protagonist as he uses his status as a thief to steal the hearts of the corrupt.
One of the original ideas for Persona 5 was to give the protagonist an entirely different Persona instead of Arsène. The original idea was to have a Persona based on the German demon Mephistopheles. However, the programmers were against this idea because the idea of a demon-based Persona didn't fit into the thief theme of the game.
"What's the matter...? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?
(No need for mere words. Show me your true feelings.)
Very well... I have heeded your resolve. Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I... Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"
(This is what Arsène says when he is summoned the first time. I didn't put it back then, so for the sake of continuity, as I put the others' chants, I decided to put this one too.)
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Confidants:
Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2
Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 1
Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 1
Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 2
Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 1
Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 1
Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 3
