Prologue
Elizabeth strolled into the Velvet room, holding tightly both a Jack Frost and Pyro Jack Doll. "Where did you obtain those?" Margaret asked, staring intently at the dolls.
"My guest got them for me. In exchange for 20,000 ¥ he gave them to me, aren't they adorable?" Elizabeth asked her beloved sister.
"Elizabeth, appropriating dolls through your guest is not something an attendant should strive for." Margaret said, chastising her younger sibling.
"Perhaps you feel a bit of jealousy that my guest brought me such delightful things from their world?" Elizabeth pondered out loud.
"J-Jealous? I would never be jealous of such a small thing." Her cheeks reddened a bit.
15 minutes earlier, in the world of reality, Minato Arisato stood at Paulownia Mall's fountain, talking with with a man in a light gray business suit.
"There's absolutely no way you can pull 20,000 ¥ out of thin air, kid. If I weren't a more enlightened con-man I'd fall for that." the suited man said.
"It's no con, Tanaka. I swear, I'll show you!" Minato exclaimed.
"Please do. If you actually can, I'll make you my right hand apprentice and teach you all I know." Tanaka said, smirking.
"I need 500 ¥ for the crane game over there." Minato said, pointing. Tanaka stared into his eyes, then cautiously reached into his back pocket. "I must've left my wallet in my other suit..." Tanaka said, pulling pocket lint out.
" I know you keep your wallet in your shoe..." Minato said.
"I may have taught you too much already..." Tanaka said, moving his arm over the fountain, then dunked his arm in. The other mall goers looked over to him, he merely straightened his tie and coughed into his arm, they all went back to their business.
"How is your suit not wet?" Minato ask, extending his hand to Tanaka. Tanaka didn't respond, dropping 500 ¥ into Minato's hand. "Waterproof suit?" he asked.
"Clever boy, now back to that bet. Show me how you turn 500 into 20,000 ¥." Tanaka said, walking with Minato over to the crane game. Minato inserted his game fare and used the crane, managing to grab both a jack frost doll and a Pyro Jack doll in one go.
"Bravo, now what?" Tanaka said, slow clapping and speaking in a sarcastic tone.
"Over to the alley we go." Minato replied, holding both dolls underneath his arm.
"Oh, so that's how. You steal my wallet in the dark, pull out 20,000 ¥ and boom, money made, huh?" Tanaka said, hesitantly following Minato, garnering stares from the women around. In the dark alley, Tanaka strained to make out even Minato's figure. "Well?" he said, looking around both shoulders, expecting someone to grab him from behind. Minato turned, then extended his hand to Tanaka. I can't see anything, let's go back to the fountain. They both walked nonchalantly back to the center, all the women staring briefly at Tanaka. Minato again extended his hand, with 20,000 ¥ to Tanaka."Where did the dolls go? How the hell did you do that!" Tanaka yelled.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe a word of it." Minato said. Tanaka grabbed the yen from the high schooler.
"Good job, cya later." he said, starting to walk away.
"But I'm your protege now." Minato said, raising his voice. "I did that for you in that dark alley, where no one saw us, and now you're just walking away with MY money, like nothing ever happened!" Minato yelled at Tanaka. All the mall goers looked at Tanaka. A large fat boy ran over to Minato and whispered in his ear.
"D-D-Did you just suck Tanaka's dick!?" he whispered.
"All right! All right! You're my protege now!" Tanaka exclaimed. Minato whispered back.
"You need to get your mind out the gutter Nozomi. Obviously more than sex takes place in a dark alley..." Nozomi stepped back for a moment, dropping his ice cream on the ground.
"You bought food from him? What kind of food!?" Nozomi said, eyes glossed over with zest after coming upon the idea a new food would be opened to him. Minato zoned out, seeing a card appear before his eyes. A voice echoed in his mind, Thou shalt have our blessing when you choose to create a persona of the Devil arcana... You have established a new Social link...
"I don't like the looks of this kid, I'm going home. We'll start your training next time I'm here. If you're not here it'll be your fault if you miss out." Tanaka said, jogging away from the scene, still followed by the many mall goers' eyes.
"Wait, I want try your food!" Nozomi yelled, chasing after Tanaka as fast as his stubby legs could carry him.
Back in the Velvet Room...
"You can't just bring items from reality into the Velvet room." Margaret said.
"I see no issue with this." Igor replied. "So long as continue to assist our guest in any way we can. No doubt that money will be used to purchase necessary supplies for exploring Tartarus."
Margaret said nothing for a moment.
"If that's the case then I'll do it as well, offering ¥ as a reward for dolls as well." Margaret retorted.
"Please do." Elizabeth replied, jostling the arms of her new dolls in whimsy.
2 Years later in the small town of Inaba.
In the velvet room Margaret sat with Marie, Igor was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Igor?" Souji Seta asked.
"He's away for the moment. That stated, I have a request for you. And everything happens for a reason in the velvet room." She said, smiling a bit. Souji felt a bit off put, Margaret was usually, for lack of a better word, cold.
"S-So what do you want me to do?" He asked nervously.
"Collect dolls for me." she said blankly.
"That it?" he asked.
"Ninety-Thousand and one dolls to be precise." She added.
" What do you even with those dolls?" Marie chimed in, as confused as Seta.
"What I plan to do with them should be none of your concern. You, just bring them." She said.
"O-okay." Souji said, trying to leave the room as fast as he could. He awoke in reality facing a wall in the Central Shopping district. (Now where am I going to find dolls?) an idea formed in his Tatsumi Textiles! He ran up the road a little ways stopping in front of their shop.
"Yo, senpai, what brings you here?" Kanji said leaving his home.
"Kanji, do you have any dolls for sale?" Souji asked.
"Yeah, I think so, we have a couple in stock. What are you looking for?" he asked, walking back inside.
"Um... Anything?" he asked, unsure of what could please Margaret.
"I think we have a few... Daruma dolls, would those do?" he asked.
"Sure? How much for one?" he asked.
"Uh, I dunno, we don't usually sell these, they're more or less just decoration for the place, so uh, 1,500 ¥ sound fair?" He asked.
"Sure." he replied, happily pulling out the money and handing it to Kanji, he took the Daruma and began to leave, walking back down the street to the wall next to Daidara's shop once more. Staring into the Blue floating door visible to only him. Margaret stared at the Daruma doll Souji brought her.
"I can't believe you brought me this piece of filth, we don't allow Daruma dolls in the velvet room because of how tacky they are! Do you see the dolls lining this limo!" Souji looked around, only now noticing the plush Jack Frost Pyro Jack, Black Frost, and other persona themed dolls lining the shelves and acting as plush cushions. " Only those types of dolls are allowed in here because Daruma dolls are dangerous! The wishes made on them here actually come true!" she yelled.
"Really? Hand me that!" Marie said, reaching for the doll, Margaret smashed the doll on the ground.
"The last guest who used one of these blinked out of existence, replaced by somebody else to take her fate!" Margaret yelled. "Bring me plush dolls, those are the only dolls we accept here!" She said, a fire burning in her eyes. Souji could swear her eyes were glowing if only for a moment.
"I never thought I'd see you so... spirited. You could've just said don't touch the thing, you didn't have to break it." Marie added.
"You would've used it to wish back your memories I'm sure." Margaret said, turning her head away.
"No I wouldn't..."
"Regardless, I want only plush dolls." Margaret said, turning her attention back to Souji who was noticeably shaking in his seat.
"Before I go get the dolls-" Margaret stared intently at him. "What is the reward for bringing you so many of them?" he asked.
"Twenty-thousand ¥." She replied, smiling.
"That's a bit... too little for ninety-thousand dolls..."
"Ninety-thousand and one dolls." She corrected.
"Can't you offer anything else?" he asked.
"Perhaps a single kiss." Margaret chuckled.
"A kiss from Marie?"
"Sure."
"What! You can't do that! I'm not a part of this!"
"Deal!" he replied.
"Stupidworstdealmakerkissingjerk!" Marie yelled as Souji left. He ran back up the street running into Kanji a second time out of breath, he grabbed onto Kanji.
"S-Senpai!"
"K-Kanji!"
"Y-Yes senpai?" he replied, as the other shoppers stared from afar.
"I need you!" he yelled, out of breath, all the other shoppers walked away.
"S-senpai I think you gave them the wrong idea."
"S-shut up Kanji! I need you... To make me dolls!" he yelled.
"What was wrong with the Daruma doll I gave you? Where is it by the way?" He asked.
"Not important right now, I need dolls fast, and lots of them!" he replied.
"Uh-sure, I could make you some, how many?" he asked, removing Seta's hands from his arms.
"Ninety-thousand and one dolls." He replied straight faced.
"W-what... You're kidding right?" He asked in disbelief.
"Have I ever joked before with you?"
"I guess not, but shit Senpai what do you plan on doin' with all those dolls?" he asked, his brow raised.
"I'm giving them to a girl." he replied. Kanji was at a loss for words, only thinking to himself who could house the sheer amount of dolls.
"Is this girl gonna pay for all the fabric I'm gonna use to make em?"
"I'll pay."
"S-Senpai... What are getting for these dolls?..."
"Yeah senpai what are you getting?!" A girl yelled in surprise from the tofu shop next to them.
"Uh..."
"Are those dolls a gift for me?" She said.
"Rise! What a pleasant surprise-"
"Shutup Kanji! I wanna know why Senpai's getting so many dolls!" Rise yelled.
"For... exploring... the tv world?" he replied.
"What girl would you meet in the-" Rise's mind flashed to Teddie. "You didn't find someone else in the tv did you!?" Rise began to seethe with rage.
"I think it's best we talk business elsewhere Kanji..." Souji said, starting to sprint away from the shopping District.
"Agreed!" Kanji said, chasing after him.