Just A Café (Persona 5. Akira/Haru.)

Just A Café (Persona 5. Akira/Haru.)

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Wordcount: 1000

Commisioned by Gopher54

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Akira was aware that his girlfriend had a propensity towards the extreme. Thought it certainly wasn’t completely her fault. Living the life of an heiress to a massive company left Haru Okumura a tad unversed in regards to normalcy. Typically, girls did not have to deal with fiancés in highschool, fathers who sought to sell them off as property, and bearing with their lives smiling at all times.

“Oh, isn’t this one the prettiest?”

Yet, even among the Phantom thieves, Haru had been different.

“I was told the feng shui in this building was amazing, however.”

Instead of pistols, information, or submachine guns, Haru had touted a grenade launcher. Instead of martial arts, whips, and essential support, she had chosen axes. The costumes didn’t count, naturally. There was nothing normal about catsuits, hacker outfits, and motorcycle hijackers, but that was the point. The classical French thief, complete with hat and domino mask, did not suggest whatsoever a Persona that had a weapon’s arsenal hidden beneath a ballgown.

“What do you think about this one? It’s right next to a park. The owner’s being recalcitrant at the moment, but we’ll make him budge.”

By all means, Akira cursed himself, because he should’ve seen what Haru proposed coming.

“What do you think of these suppliers? We have Japanese roasters and supplier lining up, along with a few American ones who say they’ll handle international shipping, but what do you think about the last three sites? We could have our own roasting site for beans, dear. And, they’ll be able to serve the rest of the chain, too.”

At the end of is college days, with the relationship going strong, he’d confided in his wonderful, normal girlfriend that he wanted to own a Café. With Soujiro still trucking along, and without any sign of complication, he wanted a small place of his own. It was only natural for a young man to tell his plans to his significant other, so that they could chime in their support, disbelief, or outright rejection.

“If you’re worried about some small city councils working against a roastery in their region, there’s no need. Everything’s been handled on the political end. I wouldn’t give you options that’ll give you headaches at night, of course.”

He’d been elated that Haru had agreed with his dream, and the fact that she wished to have a garden at the top of the building to provide fresh produce to the café, but he’d thought that had been the end of it.

“As for crime, you don’t need to worry. We can set whoever want next in charge, in our debt, and completely aware of what we can do, if they go against us. I’m sure wherever we choose to have our café, we’ll be able to sleep peacefully at night.”

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

It was too much! He understood that he’d been a good boyfriend. That fact was without a doubt. He’d done his best to join her at her university, moved in with her without hesitation, and got her gifts weekly. He’d been considerate when needed, in control when required, and relented when he needed to relent. He’d never forgotten his efforts to be the best of who he could be in any situation where he could be for Haru.

Why? 

Because he loved her.

However, now, Akira was very aware of the fact that Haru felt that she should return everything he did tenfold… and with that tenfold compounded with annual interest over the course of all their years together.

Why?

Because all his options for cafes, even the cheapest ones, was going to cost millions of Yen!

If it wasn’t going to affect a whole chain of stores stretching across the world, it was in prime real estate on Japanese soil, and the little café would be supplied by the best companies across the world. Cups were going to be the finest china. The furniture was going to be handmade. Every single portion of the store was going to be one-of-kind, perfect, and the dream of every barista… and he was going to get it within a month after his graduation, at the latest!

That was in three months!

The cheapest option was going to be made from scratch, on ground they owned, within a single season!

“Hmmm? Akira? Dear? Is something the matter? You look sick.”

And, he couldn’t say no!

Akira’s stomach ached. His throat seized. His eyes watered. Yet, despite all his skills and all the challenges he overcame, he couldn’t say no to his lover. 

“Ah, do you not like any of these?” He didn’t, but how could he say that? How could he make his beautiful girlfriend, who he understood wanted to give him something great, where they could live together forever, and be happy at, upset? “Akira, please. You can tell me, if you don’t.”

He was ferociously, completely aware that he should’ve answered already. He should have taken the cheapest option that was laid out on the table before him the moment the presentation ended. That would have been the best result.

However, that would no longer suffice as an answer, as Haru looked at him worriedly and bit her lip… thinking that she did something wrong.

Akira’s mind raced to find the perfect answer.

The answer that wouldn’t make his girlfriend cry… and might have a chance at giving him a small, rental café to look after instead of a masterpiece he’d never live up to.

“…I love you, Haru.”

“Oh? Oh! OH!” The words that came out of his mouth betrayed him completely. It solved the problem of making Haru cry. In fact, it did more than that. Akira found himself smothered. However, whilst in marshmallow hell, he was very aware that he’d just delayed the inevitable by convincing his multi-billionaire girlfriend for several years that he’d just been rendered silent in joy by the gift he’d been given. It even had the potential to backfire— “Oh, I’m raising the minimum budget! If this made you happy, I’ll do my best to make you even happier, my dear! I’m so glad that you like it… maybe I’ll buy you the best of the lot here and another! How does that sound?”

Akira cursed himself slightly.

No amount of guts, knowledge, charisma, kindness, or proficiency could get Joker out of this.

No matter how much he tried… he was getting a gift well beyond his expectations.

He could already hear the rest of the Thieves laughing at him.

Joker… the man who could save the world… can’t decline a gift.

It was the worst joke of all.