Day 2

I was sleeping when Yukari knocked on my door. "Coming!" I called. Before I got up, I saw that the sun was still rising.

"Hey..." I trailed off as I realized it was Mitsuru standing there, not Yukari. "I came to bring you to school," she spoke calmly. 'Well, that explains why she knocked at 5 in the damn morning.' "And to question me?" I asked sardonically. Her slight flinch told me everything. "Eh, it's fine. Lemme find my car. Inventory." I looked through the pages and eventually found the car page. I closed the screen when I realized it would probably be good to get outside before pulling it out. "Hey, Mitzy-you don't mind me calling you that, right?" Her face betrayed her annoyance. "Meh, anyway, can we go outside? I need more space to get my car." She obviously wanted to ask me how I'd get my car here, but realized I wouldn't answer anyway. Smart girl.

Once we got outside, I found the Lexus I kept in my inventory for the occasions I wanted to drive in style. (Zombie-killing = loads of cash = win.) I pulled it out and dropped it on the pavement. I turned to Mitsuru, who had her jaw uncomfortably situated on the ground. "How... What..." I shrugged. "Try handing rules a flipped bird next time. Anyway, hop in; I'm gonna take a drive around the city before the bell rings. Ask me questions then, and I'll answer what I can."

Predictably, her first question was "How do you know about the Dark Hour?" "My parents were killed in it ten years ago. The question you should be asking is about what I know, and to answer that, we'll need more time than we have. Gimme a sec."

I drove to the shrine and exited the vehicle. Once Mitsuru had gotten out, I formed a time-distortion illusion barrier around us. "There. We have around 45 hours to discuss Personae and such." She was shocked for a moment, but suspicion overtook her a moment later. "How do you know about that? For that matter, how do you know about any of this?" "You really expect me to answer that?" I asked in perfect deadpan.

"Anyway, you ever been to the Velvet Room?" I sniggered at her expression for a moment, before I got serious. "Summoning a Persona binds you to a contract. The terms are simple: you have to accept your fate as something you chose. You can't blame anyone else for what happens to you." "What about when you have no choice but to do something?" "You always have a choice. Even when you have a gun to someone's head, it's your choice to pull the trigger."

"The Velvet Room allows you to summon different Personae," I continued. "Most people have to gather Tarot Cards from demons to summon Personae. There are a few other important things, but gathering the cards is the most important." "Wait, demons?" I rolled my eyes. "Yes, demons. When the apocalypse isn't nearly upon the world, you have to go into Makai to find them. Plus, they only give out the cards to those who interest them. I find that just doing something they find entertaining over and over works best." "Why would you try and entertain demons? Aren't they-" "Any being that comes into existence due to religious worship is a demon. Not all demons are Louis' servants." "Louis?" "His full name is Louis Cyphre. Say that fast and you'll get it. But as I was saying, there are other factors to consider, but you can ask Igor about those. In fact, why don't we go introduce you?"

I deactivated my barrier and drove us to Paulownia Mall. I remembered that there was a door to the Velvet Room there. After we got into the back alley, I unlocked the door and walked her in.

"Hello, Master Minato. Is there anything you need assistance with?" stated an old gentleman with a nose longer than a lying Pinnochio. Well, maybe not THAT long, but you get the idea, "Nah, just thought introductions were in order. Kirijo-senpai, Igor. Igor, Kirijo-senpai." While Mitsuru began digging for information on summoning Personae, I decided to check in with another denizen of the Room.

"Hi, Marie!" "What?" she replied. "How's Yu doing?" "Depends. When are you talking about?" I facepalmed. "Dammit, time travel is weird." "Yu can say that again," she agreed. I stared at the fourth wall with a deadpan expression. "Is my name Yu?" DAMMIT! "Cool, glad you understand that." "Who are you talking to?" asked Marie. "Nobody important. At any rate, I think it's time for a timeskip."

-Timeskip: After School-

A guy with a goatee walked over to me. "'Sup?" "Who are you?" "I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya!" "Minato Arisato. What do you need, Iori-san?" I asked politely. "Nothin'. Just remembered when I transferred here back in junior high, and thought you might need some help adjusting." "I'm fine, but thanks for the offer." "Hey, want me to show you around, maybe get some dinner?" "Sure, why not." I whispered, "Author, time for a timeskip."

-Timeskip: Evening-

"Hello, Arisato." "Kirijo-senpai, you do know that calling someone by just their last name is offensive, right? If you insist on using my last name, at least call me Arisato-san." She looked surprised for a moment, then returned to her calm demeanor. "Understood, Arisato-san." "At any right, I'm gonna go to bed for the night. I bid you adieu."

A/N: I'm so, so sorry! Writer's block is a fucking BITCH to writers, and it just so happens that I got a severe case of it. I've been forcing this chapter out bit by bit since the last one, but it was only tonight that I managed to finish it.

If you're wondering about the timeskips, I'm still having trouble writing, so I'm trying to get to the Magician Shadow quickly.

At any rate, now that the chapter's finally done, I'll try to get the next one out by next weekend. No guarantees, but I'll do my best.

Adios, amigos!