What Is the Curly-Haired Captain Up to Today?

After a strange app suddenly appeared on his phone, Matsuda accidentally wandered into another world. He awakened a Persona out of nowhere and met the leader of the Phantom Thieves and a talking cat.

After returning from the other world, he found himself face-to-face with the curly-haired Phantom Thief, a high school student dressed in Shujin Academy's uniform, while Matsuda himself was still wearing his police academy uniform.

Matsuda: "...High school students saving the world?"

"High school students charging into another world," the curly-haired leader corrected quietly, holding out his hand. "...Would you like to join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Officer?"

Of course, Matsuda Jinpei, being a police officer, refused.

But then

[Confidant Unlocked: The World]

From then on, a high school Phantom Thief became part of Matsuda Jinpei's life, and he kept running into the leader in all sorts of places.

For example:

The first time he passed through Shibuya, he saw the leader working at a convenience store.

The second time he passed through Shibuya, he saw the leader working at a flower shop.

The third time he passed through Shibuya, he saw the leader working at a gyudon restaurant.

When he passed through Shinjuku, he saw the leader working at a bar.

Matsuda: "..." The first three times were one thing, but he couldn't ignore Shinjuku! Why was this high school student in a bar?!

The high school leader pushed up his glasses. "You don't understand. This is a Phantom Thief gathering information."

Fine, Matsuda thought. This guy could compete with one of his fellow police academy graduates to see who had more part-time jobs.

And then there were the times when:

He passed through Shibuya and saw the leader on a date.

He passed through Kanda and saw the leader on a date.

He passed through Ikebukuro and saw the leader on a date.

He passed through Kichijoji and saw the leader on a date.

He passed through Akihabara and saw the leader on a date.

He passed through... Anyway, he kept seeing the leader dating someone.

His dates included men, women, people, cats, adults, and children. How were you still such an indiscriminate playboy, kid?!

The high school leader pushed up his glasses again. "They're all my Confidants. I'm just trying to rank up my Co-op."

Then, one day, the leader suddenly messaged him and asked if he had time to go on a date.

"..." Matsuda asked warily, "What are you up to?"

The leader replied, "Relax. I'm just here to rank up your Co-op."

#A plot bunny inspired by a convention joke

The main pairing is Matsuda and Ren, purely platonic. Ren's Confidant events are all friendship-focused, too.

Blurb dated 4.24

Theme: Two curly-haired guys helping each other out