PROTIP: The Roman numeral 'X' stands for 10. Similar to the game, 'X' is the max bond limit, meaning Yuuen and Akira's relationship is finally maxed. The author would have called the chapter "Faith MAXED" but it just looked strange so she kept it 'x'.
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"You better be finished before you get back!" Morgana glared daggers at Akira, who just gulped and turned away from the two other individuals.
"Finished?" Yuuen questioned, not really understanding what he meant.
Morgana didn't respond but just scurried away, probably taking a shortcut to Leblanc as Yuuen and Akira just continued their slow walk, now completely alone.
Yuuen sighed, whatever had to have been bothering Akira was beyond her.
"Hey..." She said softly, looking forward, as Akira gave her a curious glance.
"I heard what you did to save me, and I was there for part of it too." She continued, unbeknown to her, the blackette quietly flustered around behind her. "You went all this just way to save me."
"Thank you, Akira." She turned around, smiling gratefully, a glimmer of true gratitude and a little bit of something else shining in her eyes.
Akira just smiled awkwardly as his heart picked up its pace a bit.
"You're really kind, you know that?" She mentioned as the boy raised his brow curiously.
"How's that?" He questioned, now curious about where the topic was going.
"You sacrificed your life just to save someone like me, that's not a feat many people are willing to do." She explained as Akira just furrowed his brow.
"It's not like I did it just for someone like you." Akira blurted out before covering his mouth in embarrassment.
Yuuen whipped her head in confusion as Akira flustered on his next words.
"Oh! Not like that! I mean-... Uh! That's not what I meant to say..." He fumbled around, trying to regain a proper sense of speech which seemed almost impossible for the boy.
He just coughed awkwardly as the two of them came to a stop in their walk, Yuuen eyeing him curiously as Akira just gulped back the lingering fear hanging in the back of his throat.
"What I meant to say... is that I didn't risk my life for you simply because I'm a good person, I risked my life for you because it's you." He finished, building up his confidence as he peered into Yuuen's eyes, true sincerity shimmering in his gray orbs.
"W-What...?" Yuuen stuttered out, her face showing a clear tint of red as a familiar rush found it's way into her chest.
The same rush she felt on that day when he apologized to her in the rain, and a rush she'd been feeling in all the moments they've been together since then.
But she'd never heard heart pound as erratically and ferociously as at that moment.
"A-Are you saying-...?" She stuttered out, her lips trembling slightly as a deep red rose on her cheeks.
Perhaps it was from the embarrassment of having to say any more, or maybe just the familiar rush the boy was also feeling at that moment, but he didn't hesitate before crashing his lips onto hers.
"Mhm!" Yuuen's eyes fluttered closed as her mind drifted more towards the tender hand that hung on the side of her cheek than the soft lips of the boy she loved resting upon her own.
She'd never been kissed before, but surprisingly it wasn't that exploding firework feeling that she'd read about in storybooks. Instead, it was a warm, yet loving sensation that filled her from head to toe.
Her thoughts were interrupted when his lips drifted off of her's, Akira's face a bright red about equivalent to her's.
He just coughed, before rubbing the back of his head.
"What I'm trying to say-..."
"I love you too, Akira." She smiled genuinely, her sheer happiness and joy overpowering the slight embarrassment that statement brought her.
His face just heated up further as he looked away awkwardly, the color rising all the way to his ears and down his neck.
Yuuen chuckled a bit, before gathering the confidence to peck the embarrassed boy on the cheek before backing away with a cheeky grin.
"I'd make fun of your face if mine wasn't just as bad." She stated with a laugh as he faced her with a playful glare.
"Don't laugh!" He hissed, feeling his ears burn in embarrassment. Despite that, he couldn't shake the giddy feeling in his chest as Yuuen's contagious smile just forced one onto his own as well.
"Don't worry, it was cute." She teased, only furthering to the embarrassment the boy was feeling at that moment.
"I'm going to get you back for this." He mumbled, walking ahead, tucking his face away in embarrassment.
"I sure hope you do, Akira!" She teased unable to contain her merry laugh as she watched the blushing, yet adorable boy pout just a few feet in front of her.
He was glad things were finally back to normal, well not quite normal. But a new 'normal' that he'd be overjoyed to get used too.
He sighed before laughing along with the girl beside him, the tension finally settled, and her hand wrapped perfectly within his own as they began their trek back to Leblanc.
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Morgana laid lazily on the counter as he awaited the pair's return, a delectable plate of tuna placed in front of him by the grumpy, yet kind Sojiro.
He just glared at the door as Sojiro looked at the cat in confusion.
"Is something the matter? Hm... perhaps you're waiting for the kid to return..." Sojiro noted, leaning against the counter. He didn't hate the cat nearly as much as he let off but was very confused about his odd behavior.
His thoughts were interrupted when the small bell near the door rang, showing a familiar pair walk into the cafe.
"Oh, you're back. And you brought Morito-san." Sojiro stated as Morgana glared at Akira before trailing his gaze to the barely noticeable intertwined hands of the two teenagers.
"Look who decided to finally grow a pair," Morgana stated simply before turning around, jumping off the counter as he headed upstairs.
Despite never noticing the pair's intertwining hands, the arising blush on the pair's cheeks was enough of a hint for Sojiro to finally understand what was going on.
"Oh..." He smirked, glancing down to the intertwined hands of the pair before returning his gaze back to Akira. "Looks like somebody's got game." He chuckled before preparing two cups of coffee.
"God...please don't word it like that." Akira frowned in embarrassment, unable to wipe the burning blush off his face.
Yuuen just chuckled before taking a seat at the counter, Akira taking a seat beside her.
"Here, this one's on the house." Sojiro smiled, offering two cups of coffee, one black and the other loaded with cream and sugar, the exact amount that Yuuen liked.
"It's good!" She smiled, sipping her coffee blissfully. "The ones at the palace just couldn't compare..." She mumbled as Sojiro eyed her curiously.
"I- meant at the place! The diner that I went to with Akira not that long ago!" Yuuen fumbled as Sojiro just waved it off as teenagers just being teenagers.
"Nice going." Akira chuckled, eyeing her as a sly grin sketched its way onto his face, discreetly hiding it behind the coffee cup.
"Oh, shut up!" She stuck her tongue out playfully before kicking him in the shin.
"Ow! What was that for?!" He hissed almost spitting out his coffee in shock.
"For making fun of me." She pouted simply, turning away from the boy.
"And that's your reasoning for kicking me? What are you a sadist?"
Her retort was cut off when Sojiro walked by, tossing Akira the spare keys.
"Lock up when you're done, I'm heading home for the night," Sojiro said simply, tipping his hat a bit before walking out the door.
"Wait, Sojiro-san!" Akira called out, stopping the man in his tracks. "Can Yuuen sleep here for tonight? She needs a place to stay." He asked, turning his chair a bit as the man just eyed him curiously.
"Hm..." Sojiro's gleam turned into a glare before he let out a sigh, "Fine... but you're cleaning your own goddamn sheets."
And with that, he shut the door, leaving the boy almost frozen in shock.
"Akira?" She questioned, facing the boy who was as red as a cherry pepper.
"It's not like that..." He mumbled in defeat, just hiding his head in his hands.
"Like what?" Yuuen eyed him curiously before continuing, "Why would you need to clean-..."
Yuuen's thoughts trailed off as her face almost exploded in absolute embarrassment.
"Oh my god! Is that what this looks like?! I sware it's not like that!" She fumbled around in embarrassment as Akira couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Uwe... I'm so embarrassed." She mumbled covering her face in shame.
He just chuckled a bit before standing up, "C'mon let's go." He offered the blushing girl a hand.
She smiled lightly before taking the boy's hand, "Mhm.." She nodded a bit, her face still dusted pink.
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Yuuen sighed one more time as she turned around on the uncomfortable mattress.
Her thoughts were too jumbled from all the events that happened that day, unallowing her to catch a wink of sleep, despite the fact, her body was aching in exhaustion.
"Can't sleep?" A voice cut her out of her thoughts, noticing her shuffle once again underneath the dim lighting of the room.
"Not really..." She mumbled deciding to sit up, knowing she isn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. "What about you?" She turned her gaze to the dull brown couch where a boy laid sprawled out with a small throw blanket, Morgana curled up by his feet, obviously fast asleep.
"No... I don't sleep too well..." He admitted, sitting up alongside her, careful not to wake the sleeping cat.
She nodded before plopping down on the floor, leaning against the side of the mattress as a familiar black-haired boy took a seat beside her, keeping silent. She knew his eating and sleeping habits weren't the best, hence why his build was so skinny.
"It's just... so much happened these past two weeks, just a little over a week ago I was going to school and then within a few hours I was stuck in that palace. I saw my mom again and I also saw the true nature of my father." She explained, hugging her knees as she looked forward, her grip tightening on a long sleeve skirt Akira loaned her for the night.
"And then, I awoke my persona. And my mom was there too..." She trailed off, replaying the memories in her head, the blackette haired boy beside her intently listening. "And now I'm back, but everything seems so much different than when I left. It's almost surreal imagining how my life will just revert back to how it was once I go back to my dad's."
"Well... it's not going to be exactly how it was before." Akira commented, Yuuen raising a brow towards the black-haired boy. "You changed his heart, he'll probably act a lot different than he did before." Akira trailed off, Yuuen's gaze still pensive and withdrawn.
"To be honest... I'm kind of scared. What if I go back and nothing changed? Or what if I made things even worse?" Her voice perked up a bit, the indication of fear evident in her voice as Akira's lips fell into a frown.
"I'm sure you did fine. You know you're father better than any of us, it's only right that you'd be the one to change his heart. And besides, Lunar was there helping you too." Akira comforted, looking over to the bluenette girl whose eyes widened at his words.
"And if you think about it, you're life has already significantly changed since you've gotten back." Akira commented as Yuuen raised her brow curiously, but settled once her eyes fell upon her free hand, nestled comfortably within Akira's much larger ones.
"I'm sure everything will be fine." He stated seriously his grip tightening a bit, before loosening up once again.
Yuuen smiled warmly before giving his hand a slight squeeze, leaning back onto the side of the mattress.
"Hey... so um. You're welcome to join us if you want..." Akira mentioned, looking seriously into Yuuen's eyes.
She gave him a confused look before continuing, "The Phantom Thieves I mean... you know about the Metaverse and have awakened to a persona, I'm sure you'd be useful on the team but I don't want to pressure you into doing something." He explained, his grip on her hand tightening, becoming a little clammy due to his increasing nerves.
"You haven't always been routing for the Phantom Thieves and I know that, you really don't have to join if you don't want to or agree with what we're doing. Nothing will change between... well us, if you don't want to join." He finished before looking into Yuuen's eyes.
"But I'm giving you the offer." He stated as Yuuen began to ponder that decision.
"Join the Phantom Thieves..." She mumbled jokingly, averting her gaze from Akira's piercing ones, "I'd never imagined that's a situation I'd be put in."
"Well, granted I also never thought I'd be kidnapped and trapped by my own father in a palace in the depths of his heart and meet my mother there, but hey, shit happens." She joked before changing her gaze into a much more serious one.
"I'll join." She stated firmly, Akira's eyes widening in shock.
"Y-you really don't have to." He reassured, but it fell on deaf ears.
"I want to join." She declared looking into Akira's eyes, her's burning brightly as well. "To be honest, I never liked the Phantom Thieves because I didn't understand their method for getting results. I thought you guys were doing some illegal stuff like blackmail or assault, but you really are just 'changing the hearts' of crooked adults and reforming society." She explained looking upwards at the grimy attic ceiling of Leblanc.
"I'm sure there are a lot of people like me, who had already lost hope of ever having a bright future again because of the way things were for them. The Phantom Thieves could be the last push they need to ask for help, change their situation." She explained, turning back to Akira, "I want to help those people, and I want to save the hearts of distorted adults by showing them that the world is truly a beautiful place."
"I want to give hope to people who believe there is nothing left for them in this world."
Akira smiled, his admiration for the girl beside him growing with her words. She wasn't becoming a Phantom Theif simply because of a personal vendetta or because she was affected by some rotten adults, she simply wanted to help people. To show people that their life has meaning.
"Well, how could I say 'no' to that?" Akira joked, intertwining his hands with her's once again.
Yuuen smiled, "Besides, I want to help you most of all Akira. Help you achieve your goals." She said with great sincerity.
Akira's heart warmed at her words as he couldn't stop the smile on his face.
"But you better not become like those corrupt adults!" She pointed sternly, poking him gently in the chest as he held back his laugh.
"I don't plan on it." He smiled, staring at the girl in front of him.
Despite everything he put her through, she still wanted to help him, to stick by his side.
That warmed his heart more than anything she could have said or done to him.
And it wasn't until that very moment, that he decided he'd do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
"Don't worry, I trust you." She stated simply, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'll put my faith in you, just as I have from the very beginning."
And although Akira didn't respond back, they both knew, that he'd put his faith in her as well.
Fin.
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EXTRA:
"Oh, Sakura-san. Good morning." Makoto smiled, entering the worn retro cafe, Ryuji and Yusuke both following behind her.
"Morning? More like good afternoon, it's already past noon." Sojiro sighed, trying to figure out the last crossword for an old magazine he had lying around his shop.
"Is Akira and Mori-chan down yet?" Ryuji questioned, looking around the seemingly always empty cafe, but to no sign of them.
"Nope, those lazy bums haven't gotten up once all morning!" Morgana rolled his eyes, hopping onto the counter to make his presence known.
"As far as I'm aware, they haven't left their room. I would go over there and wake them up myself but I don't want to see something I really don't need to see." Sojiro replied curtly, not being able to recognize the fact that Morgana already answered, "Feel bad for the cat though, I high-tailed out of here as soon as possible, but he had nowhere to go." The team just looked at him in confusion, not a single one of them understanding what he meant.
"Well anyway, we'll go up there and wake them up." Yusuke said with a slight bow as the team headed upstairs, thoroughly surprised with the sight they saw.
"Sometimes, I really don't understand humans. They have a bed and a couch and they decide to sleep on the floor." Morgana rolled his eyes, at the pair as Makoto smiled warmly, the other's just awkwardly rubbing their heads or looked away.
In front of them was a small girl cuddled up against Akira's larger, yet skinner frame, his head rested on top of her's as they slept soundly, leaning against the side of the old mattress.
"Geez... they could have at least used a blanket." Ryuji scratched his head before throwing the blankets that was tossed aside on the bed onto the pair, neither of them waking up to the adjustment.
"They must have really been exhausted after Taiga's palace." Yusuke realized as the others nodded.
"They're not the only ones. I've been trying to message Ann all morning but she hasn't responded. My guess is that she's out cold too." Ryuji sighed, showing the team his phone which had five unread messages, all sent at different times.
"We should probably let them rest, they've had a long day," Makoto said simply, the team agreeing.
"Yeah, but what are we supposed to do now...?" Ryuji scratched his head awkwardly.
"Just hang around I guess? They'll wake up eventually." Makoto shrugged as the team left the attic, letting the two catch up on their much-needed rest.
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