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Walking around in the trash wasn’t exactly the first thing Sumire imagined she would be doing in their downtime between battles in Guernica’s palace, but if it made her new friend happy, she was willing to get herself a little dirty.
“Woah, you hit the jackpot!” She heard Luca cry as Akira pulled out a box of chocolate chip muffins. “Who would ever throw this away when there’s still so much more in it?!”
“They’re probably expired or something.” Akira said as he dusted off the apple slices covering the box before handing it off to her.
Akira was, as he tended to be with most things, a natural at this, and even though he had to get a bit of tinfoil wrappers out of his hair, Sumire still couldn’t help but blush at seeing Akira rub his hands through his curls.
Luca took out one of the muffins from the box and bit into it, making a loud CRUNCH as she did so. “Yup, stale. Just the way I like it!”
Sumire gagged, almost feeling a bit of pain in her throat at the sight. “I’m… gonna look over here.” Desperate to prevent herself from throwing up, she quickly picked up the first item she saw and held it up by her index finger and thumb. “I uh… found this broken coat hanger?”
“Oh! I could use this for my closet!” Luca squealed, swallowing the muffin she was eating and snatching it out of Sumire’s hands. “I’ve been needing to find some space for my eight remaining identical suits!”
“Well why don’t you go do that right now?” Sumire suggested, hoping to get Luca’s mind off of the current activity. “I’m sure Goro’s waiting for us.”
“Hmm…” Luca pondered as she held the hanger. Sumire hesitated. Had Luca known she only wanted her to do that just so it could be over?
“…Okay!” And off she went. Sumire wiped her brow in relief with the back of her hand.
Sumire took a moment to take in how happy Luca was to eat something stale. “This is the life she’s… Guernica’s been living all this time?” Perhaps the sight of Luca eating that muffin wasn’t the only thing making her stomach churn. “I wish I could help her, but…”
“No offense, but if you were going to be grossed out by all of this, I really wouldn’t have minded if you stayed behind with Goro.” Akira said as he walked over to his girlfriend.
“I wanted to spend time with you and Luca…” Sumire pouted, sitting down on a ledge in the vast sewer landscape. “Plus, you would’ve gotten jealous if I stayed with Goro.”
“I’d understand…” Akira smiled, and when he sat next to Sumire, he affectionately rubbed her back.
Sumire snorted, pulling Akira in towards her. “This is… an oddly nice view.” She looked onwards at the rushing water throughout the pipes, streaming like any other river while droplets dipped into the open tubes.
“Kinda reminds me of Kamoshida’s palace.” Akira pointed out. “Guess this is the closest thing you’ll have to that experience.”
The two sat in silence for a moment before Akira finally broke the thought he had.
“This isn’t about hanging out with me, is it?”
“What do you mean?” Sumire tilted her head.
“Come on, it’s obvious.” He stated. “Twin sisters just trying to make it in the world, the older twin dying and leaving the younger twin to do rash things and getting hypnotized… sound like someone we know?”
Sumire put her head in her hands, sighing as she watched Akira dip a gloved finger into the water. “Yeah, every time I look at Luca…I can’t help but see Kasumi in her.”
“You’re not the only one.” Akira agreed. “And I never even knew your sister!”
“We both know what happens to cognitive beings once we steal a treasure, so when we eventually change Guernica’s heart…” Sumire huffed as she stomped a heel on the pebbles beneath her feet. “Ugh, it’s gonna be like leaving Kasumi all over again!”
“Hey, hey. Slow down there, Sumi.” Akira pulled Sumire in close, squeezing her tightly. “You mentioned earlier that you two used to argue a lot, right? Is there something you’re worried about Luca doing to you?”
“I don’t think argue was the right word to use back there, looking back.” Sumire told him, putting an arm around his neck. “It was mostly just me being jealous and asking her what she was doing right that I wasn’t… I was a terrible sister to her, I know.”
“Siblings squabble a lot.” Akira retorted. “It’s sometimes a way of showing your love. I mean, look at me and Futaba, or Ryuji and Ann, or me and Ryuji… everyone with Ryuji, really, but that’s why we love him so much.”
“I guess so…” Sumire’s voice softened. “But there’s a reason why I brought it up there.”
“Why’s that?”
“You know how Jerri seems to be manipulating Guernica’s every move?”
“The ‘smug little bird-brained bitch’ according to Luca?” Akira asked, getting a slight giggle out of Sumire.
“Yeah. Obviously she’s nothing like Dr. Maruki.” Sumire began.
Akira rolled his eyes. “We can definitely agree on that.”
“But if that parrot has similar memory-alteration powers like him, I can’t help but wonder…” Sumire seemingly stared off into space for a few seconds, recollecting herself. “If Dr. Maruki was just a little bit more selfish… could he have given me a palace?”
“Perhaps…” Akira admitted, looking just as bummed as his girlfriend now. “I guess we should be glad his intentions were in the right place at least.”
“I was so jealous of Kasumi, and he could’ve just amplified it tenfold like Jerri did, but he didn’t… he just removed that jealousy entirely.”
“Well he did make your Persona go rogue and fight us that one time in his palace…”
“That’s true. I guess there was more distortion in his heart than we thought. I wonder if he saw a bit of himself in me when it came to him and Rumi… That’s why I want to be the one to make things right with Guernica.” Sumire told him. “For lack of a better word, we’re… the same. She shouldn’t have to go through that alone like I did.”
“But you weren’t alone.” Akira paused. “You had all of us… and that’s what we’re gonna do to Little Miss Paint-Can once we get that last slab.”
“Right. Thanks for the talk, senpai.” Sumire said as she got up, finally releasing herself from his hug. “I think I’m ready to go back to the hideout now.”
“Same. Let’s get you all cleaned up, Sumi.” Akira got up and pecked her on the cheek, only to be pushed away by her.
“Akira, gross! You were just going through trash bags!”
“Is that any excuse for me to not show love to my Violet?”
“Yes, it is.” Sumire laughed, walking away at least holding Akira’s hand.
At least her gloves made it a little more bearable…