Sadayo Kawakami is your homeroom teacher and the Temperance Confidant in Persona 5 Royal, and her perks exist for one reason: buying back time. Slack off in class, hand your chores to her at night, and recover energy after the Metaverse so you can still go out. Getting there means meeting a few hard requirements and a steep yen cost per visit.
Quick answer: Finish Madarame’s Palace, then on or after 5/24, pick “Operation Maidwatch” when meeting Mishima at night in Shibuya’s Central Street. The next school day, talk to Kawakami in the second-floor hallway and choose “I have a question for her” to clear suspicion. With Guts at Level 3 (Staunch), call her from the yellow payphone at Leblanc for ¥5,000 per visit to start ranking her up.
Requirements to unlock the Temperance Confidant
The Confidant becomes reachable two days after you defeat the boss of Madarame’s Palace. The earliest possible start date is 5/24. Until you clear these gates, calling her does nothing.
You can call Kawakami on Fridays and Saturdays, and she will sometimes text to set up events on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Each booking costs ¥5,000, so keep cash on hand. Once you reach Rank 9, her visits become free.
Note: Story progress locks her Confidant on 11/17. She returns at the start of January, but the bulk of her time-saving perks matter most before that lock, so prioritize her earlier in the year.
Kawakami Confidant abilities and unlock ranks
Her perks all give you back schedule slots or recover resources. The standouts are Free Time, which lets you do other activities during any class, and Special Massage, which restores enough energy to head out after a Metaverse run.
| Rank | Ability | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slack Off | Do other activities during Kawakami’s class. |
| 3 | Housekeeping | Call her to Leblanc to brew coffee or do laundry. |
| 5 | Free Time | Do other activities during any teacher’s class. |
| 6 | Super Housekeeping | Call her to make curry or infiltration tools. |
| 10 (MAX) | Special Massage | Recover energy after the Metaverse so you can still go out at night. |
How to rank up faster
Bring a Persona of the Temperance Arcana to every hangout. Matching the arcana boosts the points you earn from each correct dialogue choice, and those points are noticeably lower without it.
Exam performance also feeds her affinity. Finishing top of your class grants a 1.5x bonus, and placing in the top ten grants 1.2x. These multipliers stack with your Temperance Persona bonus.
One scheduling catch matters: a key scene needed to continue her Confidant only fires during school hours. During summer break and through December, that scene won’t trigger, so plan your visits around active school days.
Best dialogue choices by rank
Point values below assume you have a Temperance Persona equipped. Choices not listed give zero points. If you misjudge a response, a gift can recover lost affinity.
Rank 1
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “Can you keep a secret?” | Yeah, I get it. | +3 |
Rank 2
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “…see such a cute maid all dirty?” | It does. | +2 |
| “…do anything weird with me?” | Absolutely not! | +2 |
| Phone: “…do a lot more cleaning…” | Uh, what the hell? / Is this the hard sell? | +2 |
Rank 3
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “The high-end cup noodles…” | Yeah, they do. / Do some real cooking. | +2 |
| “…cut the teachers’ salaries…” | I’ll request you more often. | +3 |
| Phone: “…you really need to eat properly…” | Thanks. | +2 |
Rank 4
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “…he prioritizes ‘younger’ women!” | How rude. | +2 |
| “I look pretty good as a maid, don’t I?” | You need to love yourself. | +3 |
Rank 5
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “…and you still request me?” | It’s fun. / Who’s the Master here? | +2 |
| “He threatened me…” | How terrible… / So, did you stop? | +2 |
| Phone: “…get to eat that place’s curry every day?” | You want some? | +2 |
Rank 6
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “Sorry…I need to take a break…” | Want to rest a bit? | +2 |
| “I can’t stop coughing…” | Are you all right? / You should go home. | +3 |
| “…makes you more likely to get sick.” | How are you feeling, though? | +2 |
Rank 7
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “I should be able to send it out tomorrow…” | Don’t pay them. | +3 |
| “…transferring to our sister company…” | Think this through more. | +3 |
Tip: Pick “Think this through more” at Rank 7 if you want to open the romance route later at Rank 9.
Rank 8
| Prompt | Best response | Points |
|---|---|---|
| “…this is just what I have to do.” | Is this really what you want? | +3 |
| “…quit both my teaching job and my maid job…” | If that’s what you decided. | +3 |
| “…what do you think?” | Be confident in your answer. / That’s the right choice. / You’re asking a student? | +3 |
| “…I will never betray you.” | I want to protect you. / That’s reassuring. | +3 |
The Mementos request needed at Rank 8
To move past the Rank 8 scene, complete the Mementos request “A Teacher Maid To Suffer.” It sits on the 7th floor of Chemdah and ends in a boss fight against Titania and Oberon, framed as Mr. and Mrs. Takase.
The pair cover each other’s weaknesses, so their normal elemental gaps don’t apply. Titania leans on Masukukaja, Mabufula, Bufudyne, and a Diarama heal when low. Oberon throws Rising Slash, Heat Wave, Zionga, and Mazionga. Use Masukunda or Dekaja to strip their buffs, and keep Ann and Morgana on the bench to dodge the Ice and Electric weaknesses.
Lean on ailments or Criticals (Lucky/Miracle Punch helps) to set up an All-Out Attack. Focus Titania first since she heals, but once either falls, the other goes down fast.
Rank 9 romance versus friendship
Rank 9 is the branching point. To stay friends, pick the friendship replies. To pursue romance, you need to have chosen “Think this through more” back at Rank 7, then commit to the romance options here.
| Prompt | Friendship | Romance |
|---|---|---|
| First branch | Not really | I want to keep seeing you |
| Second branch | Got it | I mean what I say |
| Third branch | I’m a master, you’re a maid | I’m a man, you’re a woman |
Max rank rewards and Ardha fusion
At Rank 10, every dialogue choice is safe, so you can answer freely. Maxing the Confidant unlocks Special Massage and the ability to fuse Ardha, the top Temperance Persona. Ardha is one of four Personas that learns God’s Hand and one of two that learns Cosmic Flare.
Ardha also itemizes into Sahasrara, the strongest gun for Sumire Yoshizawa. Itemize it during a fusion alarm to instead get Sahasrara II, which deals higher damage and adds one point to every stat.
If you are at max rank with Kawakami on March 19, she gives you Unlimited Service. That reward unlocks Special Massage immediately at the start of her Confidant in New Game Plus, so you keep the late-game time boost without grinding back up.
You’ll know each step landed by the on-screen cues: the unlock banner after a rank, the new options on her Leblanc service menu, and the quest completion after clearing “A Teacher Maid To Suffer.” Keep Guts at Staunch, carry a Temperance Persona, and bank enough yen for the ¥5,000 visits, and Kawakami quietly becomes one of the most schedule-friendly allies in the game.
