Persona 5 Royal is a much-beloved JRPG from Atlus, launching in 2020 to follow up on the vanilla version of Persona 5 and wowing fans with even more fantastic combat, lifelike characters, and sensational original soundtrack. One of fans’ favorite aspects of the series is the opportunity to date one of their friends.
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And one such romantic pursuit is with Sadayo Kawakami, Joker’s homeroom teacher at Shujin Academy and occasional home-visit maid. Persona 5’s teacher romance is a contested one by some fans, but Kawakami as a Confidant is just as funny as she is heartwarming.
Updated on December 25, 2022 by Gabrielle Castania: With Persona 5 Royal porting to new systems this year, we wanted to give some TLC to our older P5R guides and make sure they’re polished for the new wave of Phantom Thieves. Persona 5’s Kawakami romance is mostly the same in Royal, but we’ve gone through our guide to ensure accuracy and readability.
Wait For 5/24
Kawakami's Confidant ranking doesn't unlock until the end of May, beginning on 5/24. Until then, it's best to focus on progressing the story and completing the first two Palaces, Kamoshida's Castle of Lust and Madarame's Museum of Vanity.
Although Madarame's Palace has a deadline of June 5, it's best to complete it as soon as possible. Once you've finished it, Mishima will come to Joker and Ryuji with a flyer for a maid service. After calling the maid hotline, the trio will be greeted by none other than "Becky" the maid, Kawakami's alternate personality for her side hustle. She'll run before long, though, insisting that you keep quiet about what you saw.
Reach Rank 3 Guts
Only an emboldened Joker is able to keep calling Maid Becky — it is pretty odd to have your teacher as a cute maid, after all. In order to call Kawakami after unlocking her Confidant and continue progressing it, Joker needs to have Rank 3 Guts before he’ll make the first call to her.
Once you’ve reached it, call Kawakami and invite her over again. You'll hash out a deal that culminates in her helping you with after-school chores, so keep an eye on all the tasks Kawakami can do for you, as they'll be invaluable throughout the game.
Related: Persona 5: Every Possible Way To Increase The Guts Social Stat
Availability And Cash
Unlike many of the Confidants in Persona 5 Royal, Kawakami isn't available very often — she does have a day job, you know. You can only advance her Confidant rank when she is on schedule as Becky, which means Kawakami is available on Friday and Saturday evenings. There is an exception to this, as she can also be called on rainy evenings.
Another key difference between Kawakami and other Confidants is her booking fee — each time you invite Maid Becky, it costs ¥5,000. And despite Becky's tight schedule, you can call Kawakami on most nights to have her do some chores for you, but you'll only be able to progress her Confidant on the above-mentioned occasions.
Give Kawakami Gifts
With so few days a week to spend time with Kawakami where she can actually rank up, you'll want to expedite the process of increasing her Confidant as much as possible every chance you get. One great way to avoid these unfruitful sessions is by giving her gifts.
While some gifts are locked until you've decided to romance her, she's a big fan of Idol Pins, the Digital Camera, and Face Beautifier before that point.
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Complete "A Teacher Maid To Suffer"
When you reach Rank 8 with Kawakami, you’re introduced to the people she’s been telling you about throughout her Confidant ranking – the family demanding money from her. Kawakami has just decided to cut them off at this point, and they’re none too pleased.
The Phantom Thieves will have to intervene and change the hearts of this deranged duo. After a tense encounter, Kawakami gives you their names, and the Mementos request, "A Teacher Maid To Suffer," will unlock. This target can be found in the Path of Chemdah: Area 7. Completing this request will open up the next rank in the Arcana, but Kawakami's Confidant ranking will lock until the request is completed.
Choose "I Want To Keep Seeing You" During Rank 9
After you help Kawakami with the problematic parents, you'll be able to progress her Confidant again. During her Rank 9 scene, Kawakami will tell you she's quitting her maid job, and how you respond to this information will influence the trajectory of your relationship.
Choose "I want to keep seeing you" after she tells you about moving on from being a maid — she'll initially rebuke your comment, but following it up with "I mean what I say" will show her you're serious and create a romantic bond between you.
Hang Out With Kawakami One Last Time To Finish Her Confidant
But even once you're in a relationship with Kawakami, she still has one more scene to go before her Confidant is maxed out. Call her once again to finalize her Confidant — at this point, there's nothing to impede you.
In this final scene, say whatever feels most appropriate to you and watch Joker and his new leading lady enjoy a tender few moments together. After this point, you're able to keep hanging out with Kawakami by taking her on cute dates throughout the remainder of the story, such as for Christmas Eve or Valentine's Day.
Next: Persona 5 Royal: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
