New chapter! Please enjoy it and leave a review to let me know what do you think about it.


Chapter 3: Shadows in the Rain

The rain was falling with intensity. Only a few were outside during that godawful rain, some of them were heading to work, others were simply going back home and few cars were spotted on the street. A main, wearing a business suit was under the rain with his umbrella protecting him from the water. He was standing at the end of the street, waiting to cross the street and head back home after a night of work in his office. He was tired, his eyes were ready to close and fall asleep, but he fights back the urge to sleep, he didn't want to fall, he was determined to reach his house and fall in his bed to have a well-deserved sleep.

The black clouds were covering the sky, it almost looked like nighttime but there was still a little of light. The raindrops were hitting the floor very quickly, the rain was getting more and more intense and the wind was blowing rather violently, but that didn't bother the man in business suit. He stays there, waiting for his opportunity to walk across the street. Unfortunately for him, there was something behind him... a Shadow. The man couldn't see the Shapeless Shadow, he wasn't aware of it, he couldn't, it was beyond him. The Shadow was preying on him, circle him, waiting.

The light was green, he could walk to the other street but he couldn't, the Shadow took this chance and stop him. The Shadow let itself fall on top of the man, covering him and took control over him. It enters through his ear and places itself inside his head. The man couldn't fight back something he couldn't see, he didn't even have the time to fight back. The Shadow took control so quickly that he was already lost. The man's corpse stays on the ground for almost a minute before standing up again, mumbling and shaking his legs. The man let go of his umbrella and walk aimlessly in the rain. The Shadow was guiding the body to a very specific place, it didn't look like it, but it knew where to go. After minutes of walking, tumbling to the sides, it reaches Sundaikofu High School. The man enters and then the Shadow start twitching inside his head, the man takes out a knife from his pocket, a knife he had for self-defense purpose, and stab it right in the neck, slicing his throat. The Shadow came out from the man's body and wait near the building... Wait for an opportunity. It knew what it was doing... What is exactly trying to do?


(Sundaikofu High School)

Kurumi Shinozaki enters the Student Council's Room to answer some questions to the officers like the rest of the students did. She sits down right in front of them and crosses her arms, looks down and avoids making eye contact with them. She didn't like to be in front of cops. Kenji Murata looks at her from head to toes and then focus on her face. When Hideaki mention her, Kenji could swear he hear her name before and it didn't took him that long to remembers it, Kurumi Shinozaki was arrested two years ago for a violent fight, he remembers her being in the police station, arguing with a fellow officer. He didn't remember the details as to why she attacked her classmate, it wasn't his case after all so he stayed away from her. He had something more important to take care of at that moment but it was a pretty big deal back then. He decided to check the files later if he had the time.

"So... Shinozaki. According to a student, you weren't in class when it happens, is that true?" Rintaro asks and Kurumi nodded. Kenji remains quiet, looking at her.

"It is. I didn't saw it happen, only after when the body was already on that pool of blood. I doubt it will be worth keeping me here for long" She said. "You two are wasting your time"

"True, but we just wanted to make sure of it" Said Kenji. "You know how it works, we have to ask every witness and those who were near at the moment, we can't afford to leave any gaps"

"I suppose... so can I leave now?" She asks, oddly polite, and Kenji nodded. Kurumi stands up and gets out of the room as quickly as she came.

"Shinozaki sound awfully familiar to me" Said Rintaro when Kurumi leave. "Wasn't she involved in something not that long ago?"

"Something like that, but I don't know the details. It wasn't my case so I keep my distance. I remember her being arrested around two years ago, but I don't remember exactly what happened. I know she attacked a classmate with her baseball bat but I don't know why. It did come out on TV at that time, but also was the time when I got caught up with a difficult case so I forgot because at the time it wasn't important to me. I doubt it be important for this case or anything at all, but it makes me wonder how someone like her that attack one of her classmates still attending school like if nothing happen"

"Maybe her parents have some influence. That's the only thing that comes to my mind. I bet Kurumi have a record for what she did"

"I don't know, if her parents manage to keep her in school or if it was other circumstances" Kenji sigh. "Leaving that aside, this is a weird case we have going on... The man seems to just walk in and slice his throat in front of the building"

"Most kids say that the man struggle, maybe he was having second thoughts about it?" Rintaro suggested. "I know I would"

"Maybe... Or maybe there's something else. Remember what the Forest Ranger told us yesterday? About the child's body being dragged to the forest? At first, I thought about a wild animal, but there aren't many wild animals in that forest. On top of that, I found that weird mask, it led me to believe that maybe a sick person is behind this, but that weird substance tells me otherwise. I took the mask and send it to some people to investigate further. We'll get some results at the end of the week, in the meantime, we have to wait and see... and now this. The suicide rate is awfully abnormal lately, not to mention the disappearances"

"All this make me wonder if we are actually dealing with an actual culprit... Maybe its nothing more than a suicide pact of some sort"

"Maybe... But this man that kill himself just now... Why did he do it here? Right in front of a school? It makes no sense unless he wanted to scare the students before dying, which is sick by the way"

"Maybe a grudge against someone at school?" Rintaro suggested.

"So he had a grudge and to take some revenge he kill himself... I don't get the logic there"

"I don't know, look, I'm tired. I didn't sleep last night" Rintaro sigh. "I had stayed up late in the office"

"You should rest in your free time. If you don't manage your time, this job is going to eat you alive"

"Maybe it already did" Rintaro chuckle. "Let's get this over with, Murata-san. I want to sleep"

"Keep it together, we're almost done here. Once we go back to the station you can rest on your desk"

Meanwhile, Kurumi walks down the hallway, the rain was hitting the windows to her right. She ignores the rain and focuses on her feet while she goes back to her classroom. Every time she was around a police officer she gets really frustrated and angry. She shakes her head, trying to get rid of those feelings and focus on going back where she belongs. She stop in the middle of the hallway, she hears her phone ringing. She takes it out and then again she saw an unknown number on the screen. She decided to answer, knowing full well what to expect and she wasn't disappointed, again weird noise came out of the phone, but this time those noises sounded a little more like screams, but Kurumi didn't notice that she only hear noises. She hung up and sigh.

"Screw this phone. I'm tired of it" She whispers and then look at the window, she walks to it and looks at the rain hitting the glass really hard. The rain was getting a little violent with gusts of wind hitting every building with an incredible speed. She stares at the city in front of her... She didn't know that right in front of her there was a Shadow, staring right at her eyes, but she couldn't see it at all. The Shadow look at her in the eyes and was about to hit the window, to break it and attack her, but Fenrir jumps right at the Shadow and drag him to the floor. Kurumi sigh and walk back to the classroom while outside of the school a fight between two powerful being was taking place.

Fenrir, the Black Wolf, attack the Shadow with ferocity. Kaede reaches the school gates and she saw from afar how the fight developed. Her eyes focus for a couple of seconds on the police cars parked in front of the school and wonder what was happening in the school.

"Did something happen just now at school?" She asks herself. "This was my High School... on top of that, Hideaki had Sundaikofu's uniform. If the Shadow is here, then there a high possibility that it will try to go after him... I won't let it do that" Kaede focus on the fight in front of her. Fenrir bites the Shadow and shakes it around like if it was a rag doll. Fenrir hit the Shadow against the floor multiple times before trying to bite its mask off. The Shadow crawl away from Fenrir's grasp and took the form of a giant spider. Fenrir roar at the monster. The Shadow jump on top of Fenrir and start stabbing him with its spider legs. Fenrir shakes it off easily and the Shadow jump to the wall of the school building, taunting him to attack.

"Fenrir... use spells. If you attack it physically so near the building..." She whispers. Fenrir obey and attack in the distance with darkness skills...


(3-A Classroom)

Hideaki was looking at the window again, watching the raindrop. He and the whole classroom was in complete silence, only whispers could be heard in the whole classroom. The teacher wasn't there, he leaves not long ago to the Faculty Building to talk with the Principal and other teachers about the situation. As far as he knows, they'll leave school earlier and he won't be surprised if that's the case. He looks around and saw all his classmates in almost complete silence. Most of them witness the suicide and a lot of the female students were freaked out, others refuse to talk and a couple of them just faint. The male students were also nervous and they all just want to leave and calm down. Hideaki didn't blame them for that, for the looks of it, it was their first time seeing someone die in front of them.

Hideaki look down at his hand, the tattoo was still there and nobody notices it, he stops covering after he when back to the classroom and nobody notices it at all. Not even Kurumi or Mashiro. He wasn't expecting Kurumi to comment on it, but Mashiro seems very open to talk to him, he would ask about it, certainly... But looks like nobody is aware of it.

"There are two possibilities... Or is it invisible... Or they don't care I have a tattoo in my hand... Either of them could be... Still, What's going on?" He thought. While he was asking himself what should he do now, Mashiro pats him on the shoulder to get his attention. Hideaki turns around and Mashiro hands him a piece of paper. He grabs it and read the message.

"Don't worry, suicide is very common around here. Take it easy" He wrote.

"So he's worried about me. Also, this silence is a little depressive so he must be thinking that I'm depressed too" Hideaki thought and write in the piece of paper before giving it to Mashiro. He saw the message that says: "I know. Don't worry. I'm alright" Mashiro smile and gives Hideaki a thumbs up before going back to his handheld console and staring right at the screen of his favorite video game. Kurumi enters the classroom and sits down in her desk, not saying a word. The atmosphere in the classroom got tenser all of the sudden and Hideaki could sense the pressure. He sighs and decided to go out for a moment, the teacher was nowhere to be seen so he could escape for a couple of minutes outside. He makes his way to the door and gets out of the classroom, staying near the hallway's windows and see the rain.

"What a day... Well, at least it can't get worse than this..." He said and unfortunately, he was talking too soon. A Shadow crawl on top of the glass and make it's way to the rooftop. Following it from behind was Kaede's Persona. Hideaki stares with eyes wide open and blinks multiple times before realizing what he just saw. "Did that just happen?" He asks and the building starts shaking a little, like a little earthquake. "This isn't good. This isn't good at all" Hideaki move as fast as he could to the stairs and curse. "Shit! I hate stairs!" Hideaki's hand twitch and look down at it. The tattoo was shining. At that moment the entire building shake again, this time violently and all the students came out of their classroom with their teachers.

"Was that an earthquake?" One of the teachers asks. "Alright. Everyone, please, stay calm. Make a line and calmly walk to the exit. There's no reason to panic" Even though it was raining, nobody complains and did as told. While they all leave, Hideaki hears a voice inside his head.

"If they go out, they'll die," It said. It was Sleipnir. "There's another Shadow, hiding, waiting. I can feel it... And you too" Hideaki look outside and oddly enough, he could feel that something wasn't right, he was some kind of aura hiding between the building right in front of school. Not only that, he caught a glimpse of Kaede. She was right outside the gate and the Shadow was slowly approaching her from behind. She was looking at the fight taking place on top of the rooftop and she wasn't aware of the Shadow preying on her. "If you don't do something, she will die and then all those people... What are you going to do?"

"If I let you out... They will see you" He whispers.

"No, they won't. Only another summoner can see or hear me. Your classmates won't see me at all, or any person outside" Sleipnir explains. Hideaki didn't have time to think about it, he had to act. At that moment, someone grabs his wheelchair. He looks back and saw the police officer that question him not that long ago, Kenji Murata.

"Hey, Kid. What are you doing? Everyone already leave" He said and then notice that he was the only one there, everyone else, in fact, leave the floor. Kenji took Hideaki's wheelchair and help him to go down the stairs.

"Th-Thanks for the help. I got distracted. Sorry" Said Hideaki.

"Don't worry, kid. It's my job" He said with a smirk. Hideaki looks down at his hand and closes it. The tattoo shine again and Sleipnir was summoned right outside the school. The eight-legged horse landed near the entrance and Hideaki could almost see what his Persona could see.

"We are one and the same... You can see what I am seeing and I can see what you are seeing..."

"Sleipnir... protect everyone," Said Hideaki in his mind.

"As you wish..."

Right outside the school, Kaede was watching the fight unfold on top of the rooftop, she was really focused on that fight, so focus that she didn't notice the Shadow making its way toward her. Sleipnir appears outside the school and Kaede's eyes widen when Sleipnir neigh and appear out of nowhere.

"A Persona... Then that's Hideaki's..." Sleipnir focuses on Kaede's direction and run to her. Kaede was confused as to way Sleipnir was run after her. Sleipnir reaches her and jump right on top of her and landed behind her. Kaede turns around and Sleipnir's horns stabbed the Shadow that was about to attack Kaede from behind. Sleipnir then throws the Shadow at the other side of the street and prepare to run at full speed toward the Shadow. "I didn't notice that Shadow..." She saw Sleipnir and for a moment forgot about the other fight, she turns around and the Shadow stab Fenrir's left leg with its spider leg. Kaede felt that in her left arm and grab it because of the deep pain she felt. "Shit! God damn you!"

Fenrir growl at the Shadow and howl, creating a magic circle below the Shadow's feet and hands made out of darkness try to drag the Shadow into the circle. The Shadow quickly jump out of the hand's reach and landed next to the School's entrance. The Shadow wasn't fast enough to notice that Fenrir landed right behind it and bite two of its legs off. The Shadow lost its balance and fall. Fenrir was about to jump on top of the Shadow and rip it apart, but the Shadow stand and let it a sharp scream before creating a bank of fog right in front of it. Fenrir run into the fog and end up on the other side, the Shadow was nowhere to be seen, it disappears. Kaede saw it all and even like that she lost the Shadow. She then turns to look at Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse was holding back the Shadow, making sure it didn't reach Kaede. The Shapeless Shadow made ice out of the rain and throw arrows made out of ice right at Sleipnir. The Persona stomp and create a force field that disintegrates the ice arrows. Sleipnir neigh at the sky and a great thunder were threatening to hit the Shadow at any giving moment. Sleipnir walk slowly to the Shadow, he was about to hit it with a great storm, taking advantage of the rain as a source of power, but the Shadow jump to the roof of a nearby building to dodge the upcoming attack, Sleipnir stopped, not on his own, but to Hideaki's order who was seeing the fight through Sleipnir's eyes. He knew that if Sleipnir attack with that thunder it might hurt people so he decided to stop the attack. The Shadow knew it pretty well and it was like he was mocking him and even taunting him to attack, but Sleipnir remain there, watching the Shadow right in the mask. The Shadow took this opportunity to escape to the south and after a moment Sleipnir disappears too when Hideaki consider that the danger has passed. Fenrir too disappears and Kaede was left alone in the middle of the street, wondering what just happen and what were those Shadows objective.

"They... escape?" She asks herself. "They never escape, they are not cowards... unless..." She then looks at the school. "Maybe they were trying to..." Kaede stop murmuring when she saw the students going out of the building. She decided to leave the area now and think about what happened later.

Hideaki gets out with the rest of the students and looks around. He knew the Shadows escape, but he didn't want to take any chance. He looks down and notices that his tattoo has disappeared. He was more confused than before at this point and the only thing he wanted is to get some answers as to what just happen. After a painful wait at the entrance due to the teachers talking with the police, the teachers decided to let the students leave earlier due to the man's suicide and the weird earthquake. They thought it was an earthquake but Hideaki knew the truth and he keeps it to himself, the last thing he wanted is to look like a crazy person in front of the whole school. The rain was stopping and the clouds were leaving, clearing the sky, showing the beautiful blue sky. All the students leave and Hideaki took this opportunity to head to the Antique Shop to see Kaede. He wanted answers right away and he was sure that she'll deliver them to him.


(Arakawa River)

The rain has fully stopped and the sky clear faster than anyone has expected, the streets were wet and full of puddles. Kurumi walks on top of the puddles, not minding that her shoes get wet in the process, she walks next to the Arakawa River. She was not going back home just yet, she didn't want to. She wanted to waste some of her free time, she really wanted to waste that time she has into something, it doesn't matter if it into something productive or not. Kurumi stopped when she hears her cell phone. She takes it out and looks at the screen, her father was calling her. She answers right away.

"Yes?" She answers the phone in a monotone voice. She didn't even say hello to her father or a 'How you doing', she went right to business. She knew that if her father is calling her is to say something important or trying to justify his absence.

"Hello, Kurumi..." There was a silence between them for a couple of seconds before he talks again, he sounds really nervous. "Listen... I won't be going back home again... At least for a week or two. I'm leaving the city, I'm heading to Tokyo to see a... a friend and..." Kurumi sigh, which her father hear through the phone and stop talking. Kurumi reply, pretty much annoyed.

"Dad... There's no need for you to lie to me like that... If you really want to leave, just go. I don't care... But don't go lying to me like that. I know when you are lying. Whatever your reason is, keep it to yourself. As long as you keep sending money I don't care"

"..." Her father remains quiet for an entire minute. "I'm sorry, Kurumi. I really am..."

"... No, you are not..." She said and before he could say something about it she hung up. She stares at her phone, looking at her own reflection and suppressing her anger. She looks up and keeps walking down the street. She then took out the pack of cigarettes she's been keeping with her for the last couple of weeks. Kurumi ends up opening the pack, take out a cigarette and took it to her mouth. She took the lighter from her bag and light it up, ending her weeks of cigarette abstinence that she was replacing with Chocolate bars. She inhales and let out all the smoke she was retaining, revealing a smile of satisfaction.

"Fuck... I miss this..." She says with relief and then curses. "Dammit, there goes my self-control... again" She whispers as she saw the cigarette. "Oh Well, I'll try again as soon as I finish this pack... Maybe tomorrow..." She felt lighter and walk away with more energy and without worries. The cigarettes were her drug, her escape from her awful life.


(Antique Shop)

Hideaki arrives at the shop quicker than expected. As soon as he arrives, the knock on the door and wait for Kaede to open, but stay for a couple of minutes there before deciding to try opening the door himself. He pushes it open and enters, Kaede wasn't there. He moves inside and Kaede came out from the back of the shop, she had a journal in her hands, going through the pages, searching for something when she looks up and saw Hideaki in the shop. She closes the journal.

"Sorry, I didn't hear the door" She said and close the front door that Hideaki leave open. She locks it and then walks to the cash desk. "Let me guess why are you here"

"We both know why I'm here" He said and Kaede sigh, annoyed.

"Alright. I will admit that you manage to keep that Shadow at bay without being there. Your Persona seems useful, even powerful by the simple fact that could throw an entire storm on top of that Shadow if you had the chance to strike... I guess I should thank you, for saving me from that Shadow. I would be dead if you didn't summon your Persona... So yeah, thank you" Kaede smile at him, grateful.

"You are welcome" Hideaki return the smile and Kaede look at her journal for a second

"... Hideaki, what happened at school? There was a police car outside"

"Oh, well... A man killed himself right outside of school. I didn't saw it but-" Kaede raise her hand and interrupt him.

"A man committed suicide? Right in front of the High School? That's odd, really odd and on top of that... The Shadow I was chasing lead me to the school, why?" Kaede stops talking and thinks for a moment, reaching a conclusion almost immediately. "An ambush? That seems crazy, but Shadows are not mindless monsters. They are far from it... Later they got wiser and wouldn't be a surprise if they try to ambush me considering that I'm a threat to them... But why now?"

"I don't know, they didn't try this before?"

"Not, this is the first time since I'm aware of the Shadow that they try this. Then again, I could be wrong and it was simply a coincidence. Maybe I'm getting paranoid and the man that killed himself was just a crazy man... But if not then... I might have to stay more aware of my surroundings in the real world"

"Kaede, why I was able to summon Sleipnir?" He asks.

"Because of the Shadows. When a Shadow force its way into this world, it creates an invisible field that allows it to be in this world for a short amount of time, the stronger the Shadow, the more time can remain in this world. We were near their fields so we could summon our Personas without any problem... Although I can summon it without a Shadow's field"

"Seriously?" Hideaki asks in disbelief. Kaede raises her right hand and her tattoo appears on her skin. "That's insane. How did you do that?"

"Personas have the same ability as Shadows, I was able to create my own field. I can it invisible field because I suck at naming something cool" Kaede joked.

"And... why the students couldn't see the Shadow or the Persona? When we were about to exit I saw the Shadow fighting your Persona but nobody seems to notice it at all"

"That's because they didn't interact with the other world. Their minds can't process what is happening. Personas and Shadows are like ghosts, they cannot be seen but they can be caught by a camera. So if I summon Fenrir right now and you take a picture of it, then everyone else could see him in the picture"

"That's crazy... But still not really answer my question as to why is the way it is"

"I'm trying my best to explain it to you. Don't expect something super detailed. I'm bad at explaining this kind of things" Kaede leave her journal on the desk. "Listen, what happens today lead me to believe that it will happen again. Maybe it won't but I can't discard the possibility and I can't keep an eye on you if the Shadows target you... So you better not wander off too late and if you need to a place, you go and don't take any detours... I'll teach you how to properly defend yourself too"

"Does that mean I'm going to help you?"

"No, of course not. I'm just going to teach you a few tricks. I won't take you to that other world even if my life depends on it. I won't risk getting you killed by those monsters" Kaede cross her arms. "I don't want you to die. I don't want anyone to die... So don't do anything stupid"

"..." Hideaki remains quiet. He wanted to help. He had the power to do so and he proves that he could keep one Shadow at bay, even kill it if he had the chance, but Kaede was still firm on her decision to not let him be part of this. He understands, but he also sees that Kaede won't last alone for too long. Shadows could take her down if she wasn't careful enough and he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He doesn't know her, but he knows that she cares about people, if not she won't even be doing this.

"Sorry, but I need you to leave for now. Come back tomorrow, I'll give you some tips and advice about the Shadows and even how to defend yourself when it comes to it but nothing more... I hope you understand"

"Yes, I do... I'll be going then" Hideaki turn around and head to the door. Kaede opens the door for him.

"Don't forget. Tomorrow morning I want you here. The sooner the better. Take care" Hideaki leave the shop and Kaede lock the door as soon as she close the door. Hideaki sigh and curse at his situation.

"What mess did I get myself into..."


(Police Station)

Kenji walks down the hallways of the station, he just finishes his report and now head to the morgue to see the man that commit suicide. He was a little curious about who that man was. Rintaro took this opportunity to take a rest so he went on his own. He arrives at the Morgue and finds the forensic officer talking to the family of the man, a young woman, presumably his wife or girlfriend. She seems broken, she was crying. Kenji decided to wait outside and it took the woman at least twenty minutes to finally leave the place. Kenji knew how she felt, he could relate to her on a personal level, he also lost someone important to him.

The officer let Kenji enter and he starts asking questions about the man. Name, age, blood type, family members, etc. All the information, everything that might be relevant for the investigation.

"His name was Ren Ishida, 25 years old. He worked in the local newspaper as an editor. He has a brother that is living overseas and a girlfriend... Who you just saw crying. Outside of that, there's nothing out of the ordinary. He was your everyday citizen"

"I see..." Kenji saw the corpse on the table covered by a white cloth. "What a shame. He was still young"

"Tell me about it. Did you saw his girlfriend? She was gorgeous. I wouldn't kill myself knowing I had a girl like that waiting for me at home"

"Did he have any relationship or connection with someone of Sundaikofu High School?"

"I ask the same thing to his girlfriend. She didn't knew. Besides her, he didn't have friends or anyone close so we don't really know. A detective went to his house to see if he find something useful"

"Good. If there's something useful let me know... The knife was his?"

"Yes, for self-defense"

"... If it was for self-defense then why did he decided to kill himself?" He asks. "Sending the report of the autopsy. I want to know the details"

"You got it. I'll leave it in your desk in a couple of minutes" Kenji then leave the Morgue. While he walks away he starts thinking about the case. "This is weird. This doesn't add up. Unless the man was mentally ill I don't think he did this willingly" He thought. "If, by any chance, he was forced to kill himself then... We might have a culprit... But all these suicides going on in the city and disappearance... I have to find what's going on and quick before it gets out of control"


(Hideaki's house - Evening)

After taking a bath, which was an entire ordeal for him considering he did it without help, Hideaki moves to the table, ready to have dinner with his Grandfather. The dinner was rather quiet, it was only the two of them living there and the house was big so any noise could be heard in the entire house. Hideaki's grandfather stops eating and look at him, finding a way to start the conversation.

"So, I saw the news... That a man commits suicide right outside your school" He said and Hideaki stop eating. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Grandpa... I'm fine. It was a tough day" Hideaki sigh. "But in the end I'm fine. Just tired"

"I see... You know that if anything happens you can tell me. I'm here if you need to talk, you know that"

"Of course. Don't worry about it" Hideaki smile.

"Good... So... Are you getting used to the school?"

"Well... It was my second day at school and this "incident" happen so... It's getting harder to adapt with all this happening... But I'll get used to it eventually. I have to be positive, if not then it will eat me alive" Hideaki chuckled and his Grandfather chuckle with him.

"True, just focus on your studies and everything will go smoothly before you even know it"

"Yeah... How was your day?"

"A little heavy actually, turns out..." Hideaki and his Grandfather keep talking for a couple of hours, even after they finish their dinner. Hideaki felt like all his worries disappear for a moment, he forgets about everything and had a peaceful evening with his Grandfather. He wishes that this moment last longer, but he had to go to bed and wake up early to see Kaede so she can teach him some things. He heads to his room and throws himself at his bed, his eyelids close immediately when he hit his head with the pillow, letting himself fall into the world of dreams... Unfortunately for him, who wanted to sleep, Igor had other plans. Hideaki ends up once again in the Velvet Room. Again, Igor was staring at him with a huge grin and Annabelle just give him a nod and a sweet smile.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, Young man" Said Igor. "It didn't took you that long to awaken to your Persona. How marvelous, such an amazing power"

"Thanks... I guess..." He said, not knowing what to respond.

"Your Persona is your more powerful weapon against the Shadows" Annabelle said. "Still your power is different from the rest of the Persona User that you'll meet along the way... You are a Wild Card"

"... A what?"

"The power of the Wild Card allows you to summon more than one Persona, to adapt to your situation, to protect you... Still, unlike our previous Guest, your power is weaker. You can't hold as many Personas as they could... But that doesn't mean you are weaker than them. Variety is not always quality" Said Annabelle with a reassuring smile.

"... There a lot of things I want to ask right now... But this is still too much... So... I'm not the only one? There were other people here?"

"Of course" Said Igor. "This is a place to those how sign a contract may enter... Those with the power of the Wild Card" Igor made a pause. "In order to grow in power, training your ability is not enough... The power of the Persona comes not from one's mental strength... But the bonds"

"Bonds?"

"Yes, in other to grow in power you will have to socialize. Friendships, relationships, acquaintances, any kind of bond will give you strength to summon new Personas that you may call from the depth of the Sea of Souls" Annabelle explains. "I know it may be a lot for you to understand right away, but you'll understand when you see it for yourself"

"I hope I do. But wait... Does this mean I'm using people for power?" Hideaki asks very concern about the situation.

"No, bonds need to be genuine" Said Igor. "If a friendship is built on top of lies and deception then is not a genuine bond, as a result, you won't gain that power"

"In other words... Go and make some friends" Annabelle chuckle. "For your own good"

"I see..." Hideaki sighs in relief but he's still nervous about it. "Still, this doesn't feel right"

"Hold on to this" Said Igor and a blue key appear in front of Hideaki. He took it and then look at Igor. "The next time we meet, you'll come here on your own and then we'll talk about our duties, how we'll assist you in your journey... Until then... Farewell"


(Late Night)

Kurumi was outside of a "7 Eleven", she bought another pack of cigarettes and this time decided that she wasn't going to open it. She knew it was an empty promise to herself but wanted to believe that she was strong enough to stop smoking so she tries anyway. To avoid smoking, she relays on Chocolate bars, they are as addictive but cigarette relieves her and make all her problems go away. She hid the pack of cigarettes in her pocket and eat a chocolate bar, she saw laying on the wall of the convenience store, doing nothing but staring at the street lamp flickering. She didn't want to go back home, even though she knew she a dog waiting for her she wanted a time alone, to the point that she didn't care if she ends up sleeping on the street.

Her phone was buzzing again. She takes it out and then again saw her mother trying to contact her, Kurumi didn't answer, she let it go to voicemail which she won't listen. The noise was annoying her, her mother was insisting more than before. She took the phone and turn it off and sigh in relief. She then looks up at the moon. A half moon was showing in the sky.

"... What should I do know?" She whispers, looking directly at the moon. In the blink of an eye, the moon turns red and Kurumi blinked when she notice the Red Moon. She then looks around and everything around her was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. She sighs and rubs her eyes.

"I must be tired..." She calmly walks away. Little did she know that a Shadow was following her and was only a couple of feet away from her.


4/7 Sunday (Street - Morning)

It was a really sunny Sunday. Not a single cloud in the sky. Hideaki like that. Unlike Tokyo, Kofu was calmer, less noisy and the sight of Mount Fuji was a delight to the eyes. His Grandfather wanted him to stay at home, but Hideaki insists on going out to see a shop. It wasn't a lie. Once outside, Hideaki went straight to the Antique Shop to see Kaede. On the way, he saw a lot of people walking down the street and he looked too out of place being the only one in a wheelchair. People stare at him and he felt more uncomfortable than before. He ignores those stares and makes his way to the shop.

Meanwhile, in the shop, Kaede was cleaning the place. She was not going to open but it was better than doing nothing. She was expecting Hideaki around this hour. She looks at her watch every ten minutes while making sure that the shop is a clean as possible for the week. The front door open and she turns around, expecting Hideaki but someone else opens the door, Kenji Murata. Kaede stops everything and look at him.

"It's too early for you to come by... Is something important?" She asks.

"Not really, I just came to check on you..." Kenji look around the shop, his eyes end up looking at the masks for a moment but look away. "How are you doing lately?"

"Good. I wish there were more customers. I have to wait until July for tourist to buy every piece of junk I offer them... Still, I shouldn't call this junk. Everything here has a history" Kaede grab a katana that was on display near the masks, the blade was a little rusty. "Only God knows what this katana saw in its early days... We might never know"

"... You know... Next month is..."

"I know what's next month, that's why I'll pay a visit to the cemetery that day... I hope you come with me, Kenji. Last year was pretty depressing" Kaede put the katana away and keep cleaning, trying to not think too much about her father.

"Of course, I wouldn't let the daughter of an old friend on her own on a graveyard"

"Of course, if you are too busy then I will understand"

"No, it's alright. After all, I haven't gone in a while. I have to pay him a visit and your mother as well"

"Yes..." Kaede looks down and fights back the tears. The last thing she wanted is to remember her father today so she change the subject. "Anyway... How is the case? Did you progress or is harder than you expected?"

"It's weird. Let's leave it at that. But sooner or later the truth will be revealed, either by us or the culprit"

"Let's hope for the best... Listen, a friend is coming today. Can we talk later?"

"A friend?" Kenji asks. "Don't tell me is Shinsuke. It's been a while since I don't see him. How's he doing?"

"No, it's not him. By the way, Shinsuke's been really busy lately so he rarely shows up. I understand, he had a lot to take care of. I'll pay him a visit when I have the time"

"Well, I'll be leaving. I just wanted to check on you. I have to be at the station today. If anything happens or if you need something, give me a call"

"I will, Goodbye, Kenji"

"See you later, Kaede" Kenji leave the shop and Kaede look at her watch.

"Hideaki is really taking his time..."


(Arakawa River)

Hideaki had to get past the Arakawa River through the bridge to get to the shop. He saw the river and find a familiar face in the bridge, Kurumi. She was laying on the railing, staring down at the water. She had a Chocolate bar with her in her pocket and she had an empty glass bottle in her hands. Right next to her there was another glass bottle, unopened. Hideaki was planning on getting past her, but he couldn't help but stop next to her. Kurumi notices him, look at him for a second and then look back at the water.

"... Hello" Hideaki said. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Just thinking" She said, leave the empty glass bottle next to other bottle and took the chocolate bar, open it and took a small bite. "What about you? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere in particular... I wanted fresh air" He lied. "Are you drinking that?" He points at the glass bottle full of soda.

"No, it's not for me" She said. "And definitely not for you"

"Then who?"

"You don't care" She answers while finishing the chocolate bar.

"I see... Well, carry on" He said, not making eye contact with her.

"I will..." Hideaki gets past her but then stopped. He turns around to talk to her again. "Kurumi, are you sure you are-" Hideaki stops mid-sentence.

He froze almost immediately, he notices something out of the ordinary, he got goosebumps all over his body. His eyes widen when he saw something at the end of the bridge... A Shadow... A Purple Shadow. The Shadow, a purple mass taking the form of a snake with arms and a human head with a white mask on it, was staring right at him. Hideaki didn't know what to do or how to react at all. He looks down and his hand twitches again and the tattoo appear. He then looks up and the Shadow disappear from sight... as well his tattoo.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kurumi asks, unable to see the Purple Shadow at the end of the bridge. "What are you looking at? There's nothing there"

"Y-Yeah... You are right" Hideaki said, not know what just happen and why. "I just... I was thinking about something and I really need to get going. See you later" Hideaki leaves the bridge and Kurumi was once again on her own.

"Weird..." She thought. The Purple Shadow appear again, looking at Kurumi from afar, studying her, waiting... for an opportunity to strike her... To kill her.