[Week 5, Friday: Max]

[. . .]

[for once, Akira approaches Max quietly. he has a cup of coffee, freshly made (how the fuck did he stand entering and exiting the McDonald's after. . . that. . . ) and will offer it to the Host without his usual witty greeting]

[it's]

[been a day]

[Week 5, Friday: Yang]

[Akira vanishes when the investigation is finished]

[of course he does. he isn't really sure what to do with the suddenly very empty, very spacious hole in his chest. he wants to grieve. he wants to mourn. not because he doesn't think he'll ever see them again (he will, he'll make damn sure of it), but because of the desecration to the corpses of two people he respected the most]

[it hurts. it burns and he feels like he's on fire, he feels like he could yell and scream and rage and unleash the fury that is Satanael without a second to think of restraint. but he has no outlet. he has no Persona. he has no Metaverse. he has no Joker]

[Yang can find him in the mattress shop, sitting on the edge of one of the beds, a piece of paper in hand. his head is bowed, glasses masking his expression. the peaceful demeanor with which he sits is a stark contrast to the tumultuous storm in the pit of his stomach]

[approach?]

[Week 5, Friday: Setz]

[SO HOW ABOUT THAT INVESTIGATION]

[. . . Akira is keeping to himself for the most part. but occasionally, he shows his head to the public again. like now, where he's standing in the doorway of the mattress store, shoulder pressed against it as he stares out into the distance]

[his glasses mask his expression]

[sup, Setz]

[Week 5, Friday: Lenka]

[Lenka is one of the few people Akira seeks out, even when the wounds of what happened today are still fresh. he's carrying a piece of paper, folded up, with him]

. . . Lenka.

[Week 5, Friday: Taako and Magnus]

[I'M RUNNING OUT OF GOOD STARTERS]

[but eventually, Akira tracks the TAZ group down. he has a folded piece of paper in hand, and his chin is held up, even though he can still feel the wounds of today seared deeply into his heart]

[he tries to joke. it's 100% forced]

Sooo about that flamethrower?