Persona Redux
Chapter 3: The Magician
…At the Dojima Residence…
Sliiiddee-!
""We're back.""
Both Souji and Minato entered the house.
"Oh, welcome home." Dojima greeted the two. He's seated at the table with Nanako. There are four ramen cups on the table, they seem to be for dinner tonight.
"Is the ramen ready now?" Nanako asked.
"Give it some more time."
Souji and Minato sat the table as well.
'Ugh, I still feel sluggish…' Souji thought.
"Thanks for the food." Minato appreciated.
"No problem. Just wait for two more minutes, though." Dojima said.
"Hm,"
"Oh, and uhh… I… I doubt you'd know, but… Have you guys heard anything about a student by the name of Konishi Saki?"
"Konishi-senpai? Hm, I think she left school early today." Souji said.
"I see…" Dojima looked down, it seems he has something in mind… "To be honest, we got a call from her family. She disappeared."
""…!""
Both Souji and Minato were surprised and shocked at that.
"We got men looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet. Sigh, work just keeps piling up…"
"Disappeared?" Minato asked.
"Yeah, the last time anyone has seen her was when she was being interviewed. Then, all of the sudden, she disappeared."
"…Hey… This is a small town, right? So it shouldn't be hard to find someone…" Souji said sounding like he's feeling the worst case scenario…
"That should be the case, yeah. But for some reason, we can't find her. Either she left town or she's laying low somewhere we haven't gone yet… I don't know."
...The news is on…
"—And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba. Not long ago, television announcer Yamano Mayumi was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn."
'Amagi Inn? Hm, that's the inn that Yukiko's family runs…' Souji thought.
"She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal...?"
"Oh yes, the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!"
"Uhh...I-I see...Moving along, it's time for the weather report. The rain has begun to subside. From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area…"
'Amagi inn, huh…' Minato thought.
'So she has been staying there before… Hm, prior to her death, she was staying there apparently… and the whereabouts of Konishi-senpai, who found her body, is unknown… …I have a bad feeling about this…' Souji thought as the only way for someone to disappear is that… they may have been—"Achoo-!" Souji sneezed. "Garr…"
"You cold?" Minato asked.
"A little, yeah."
"Are you sick? You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, give him a cold medicine."
Nanako did as asked.
"You probably should go to bed after you take it, oh, and after you eat your dinner."
"Okay." Souji nodded.
…The four ate their respective ramens.
…
…The next day, somewhere in Inaba…
…The fog that is shrouding the town is lifting… …only to reveal… …someone hanging from a telephone pole… She's dead… …Konishi Saki.
…At the school gate…
Souji and Minato arrived here wielding umbrellas as it is raining.
"I wonder if the others are here…" Souji said.
"Yeah."
"Hey, you guys!" A voice from behind called out. It's Yukari. She ran up to the two boys. "huff, hey there."
"Morning, Takeba!" A cycling student greeted her.
"Good morning." She greeted back. "Hey there, good morning."
"Morning." "Good morning."
Minato and Souji greeted back.
"How's it going? There's a school assembly that is taking place."
"School assembly?" Souji asked.
"Yeah, I heard it from one of my friends in school. I don't know the details, but I heard it will take place after the first session of class. Well, we better hurry."
"Hm,"
"Right." Souji said.
The three of them entered the school.
…
…Later, after school, at class 2-2…
Just as when Minato was about to leave—
"Whassup, dude? How's it going?" A classmate with a cap approached.
"Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Iori Junpei, nice to meet you! I transferred here on my eight grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid, so I wanted to say… "hey"! Haha, see what a nice guy I am?"
"…A real gentleman." Minato said sarcastically.
"Haha, wow, do I seem that very nice…?"
…tap, tap, tap. "Can't even get a sarcasm when you've been told one?" Yukari approached the two boys and felt awkward that Junpei seems to be clueless about the sarcasm that was thrown towards him.
"Wha—Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again this year!"
"Sigh, at it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they listen. Didn't you ever wonder that you might be bothering someone?"
"What-!? But I was just bein friendly!"
"If you say so." Yukari turned to Minato. "Hey there, how's your day been going on?"
"Fine, I suppose. Well… I just saw Hanamura looking down for some reason…" Minato said recalling that he saw Yosuke at the hallway earlier, he seems to be tormented for some reason…
"Hanamura? Hm, yeah, come to think of it, he didn't talked to me when I greeted him this morning. Hey, you didn't told anyone about… yesterday's… you-know-what, did you?"
She's referring to the world inside the TV that they stumbled upon by accident…
"Of course not."
"Okay, good."
"Uh, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class, too? Oh, about Hanamura—"
*Ding* *Ding* Dong*
An announcement is being made…
"Attention all students. A school assembly will be taking place at the auditorium, all students are required there. Please come to the auditorium as something urgent has been brought to our attention, and the principal has something to say to all of you. That is all."
*Ding* *Ding* Dong*
"School assembly, huh? I heard it about from some guys earlier, but… I wonder what it's all about." Junpei said.
"Well, we better get going." Yukari said.
"Hmhm, got a point there."
Everyone decided to head for the auditorium.
…
…At the auditorium…
A lot of students are gathered here. Souji, Chie, Yosuke, Minato and Yukari are together, but they are in different lines.
"Hey, Satonaka, how's it going?" Yukari asked.
"Hey, Takeba. Sigh, I was on my home, but then the announcement came… Oh, Yukiko said she'll be here soon, but I don't think she'll make it in time."
"I guess they're still having a tight schedule at the inn lately. You heard the news last night? You know, how that Yamano lady was said to be staying at her family's inn."
"Yeah, I heard about it. Hm, I wonder why we're having a school assembly all of the sudden. Hm? What's wrong, Hanamura?" Chie noticed that Yosuke has been silent for the entire time.
"Huh? Oh, it's… nothing." He said. He keeps looking down as if worried about something though…
Both Chie and Yukari eyed him, wondering what's troubling him.
"Everyone, please settle down." A teacher at stage said through the microphone. "The school assembly is about to begin. First, the principal has something to say."
The principal took over the microphone from the podium.
"I… I regret to inform that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Miss Konishi Saki… … …has passed away."
A lot of people, including Souji, Chie, Yosuke, Minato and Yukari, were greatly shocked at that.
"Wh-What?" Yukari asked.
"Did he say… Passed away?" Chie asked.
"…" Yosuke seems to be crying.
"…" Minato has noticed that.
"Konishi-san was found deceased early this morning." The principal continued as talking can be heard all over the auditorium. A lot of students were terrified, while some are just shocked. "The reason for her passing is currently under investigation by the police. If they ask for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts." More talking can be heard… "All right, please quiet down… I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police, but to anyone who asks…"
"They found her dead…? How could…" Chie said feeling a little frightened.
"Hey… You don't think it's because… She was the one who found that Yamano lady's corpse, right?" Yukari asked, feeling frightened just like Chie.
"Y-Yeah, but… Was there someone else during—Huh?" Chie has noticed that Yosuke seems to be very tormented… "H-Hanamura…"
The others eyed him.
"…" Yukari knows that Yosuke harbors a crush towards Saki so she feels very sympathetic.
"…"
"…" Both Souji and Minato eyed him with respect and pity.
…The principal's address continued afterwards…
…
…Later, at the first floor hallway…
…Souji, Chie, Minato and Yukari are standing near the lockers.
"Damn, that was some school assembly…" Chie said.
"Yeah, no kidding… I never thought we'll be gathered for something like this… This is the first time that something like this happened at our school, huh? …Haha, that makes it a world record…" Yukari said trying to lighten up the mood, to no avail.
"Hm, where's Hanamura?" Minato asked.
"He's at the restroom, washing his face… and talking to himself. I heard him when I passed by." Souji said.
"Talking to himself, huh… I see. I don't blame him. After everything that has happened, I'll probably be saying to myself to not get involved with something dark and grueling like this." Chie said.
"Yeah…" Yukari said.
…tap, tap, tap. "Hey, yo." Junpei arrived and greeted the four. "Yo, Arisato, how's it going?"
"Iori, please leave us for a while. We're worried about our friend's…" Yukari is certainly not in the mood to talk with Junpei…
"Huh? Friend? …Oh, you mean that Hanamura guy, right? Yeah, I'm sorry… Hey, is it true that you guys hang out together? Like, all five of you and—" Just as when Junpei was about to continue, Yosuke came from the other direction.
"Hey." He greeted everyone.
"Oh, he's here."
"Hey, Iori… Can you please leave us for a while…? We… need to talk." Yukari said sounding sincere.
"…Yeah, okay. Well, s-see ya." Junpei left.
"Hey, Hanamura, are you okay…?" Chie asked, worried about Yosuke's well-being. He seems to be very tormented…
"Hey, did you guys… checked the TV last night…?" Yosuke asked.
"Huh? Why would we check—Oh, it was raining last night… That means…"
"Yeah, the Midnight Channel… It came on again."
"Yosuke, are you sure it's a good thing to keep watching that while—" Chie was annoyed that Yosuke is talking about something she thinks is childish while someone they know died recently.
"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so… I watched it again, and… I think the girl on the screen… was Konishi-senpai."
The others were shocked at that.
"There's no mistaking it… Senpai looked like… she was writhing in pain, and then… she disappeared from the screen."
"What…?" Yukari asked, frightened.
"You guys heard that Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as that announcer, right? Well, I heard from a guy next to our house… How he was so excited that his soulmate was that Yamano lady… Didn't you told us that the urban legend about the Midnight Channel says that whoever appears on the screen is your soulmate… …you remember, Satonaka?"
"Y-Yeah, what about it…"
"Well, maybe… Just maybe… I think Yamano-san appeared on that Midnight Channel, too, before she died…"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Wait… Hold on… Are you saying…?" Yukari is starting to understand where Yosuke is getting at.
"…people who appear on that TV… die?" Chie asked, feeling very frightened.
"…"
"…" Both Souji and Minato just kept listening while they ponder about all of this.
"I can't be sure… But after everything I've seen… I can't just dismiss it as a coincidence."
""…""
Both Chie and Yukari are already feeling very frightened of this topic that they're just remaining speechless…
"Plus, remember what that… thing… that bear… Whatever it is, remember what it told us that it was getting dangerous, and that we should leave before the fog clears?" Yosuke continued pointing out some convincing points…
"…You think something might happen if the fog clears…? Like… Maybe the monsters in there would attack anyone they see… If the fog clears out…?" Minato asked, after putting the pieces together, Minato could only deduce that it's dangerous in the world inside the TV if the fog clears.
"Yeah, and remember what it told us that someone has been throwing people in there…?"
"…You're saying that someone can enter the TV and had thrown those two victims inside with the intention of murdering them…?"
"""…!"""
Everyone was greatly shocked at Minato's theory…
"Wh-What…? Hey, yeah… Now that you mention it…" Yosuke seems to be convinced that Minato's theory is correct.
"That's some theory… Are you certain?" Souji asked.
"It's the only thing I could come up." Minato said.
"…Then, okay, let's assume that someone has indeed thrown those two inside the TV… Then this is… …A murder case…"
"""…!"""
The other three were greatly shocked again .
"Then… You think those two people died… when those monsters… uh…"
"H-Hey, don't you think we're getting a little over our heads here…?" Yukari asked trying to dismiss this subject.
"Y-Yeah. Come on, guys, let's just let the police handle this and—" Chie tried to dismiss it as well—
"You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress with the announcer's case! Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us!"
"That's true… And even if we showed them that we can insert our hands on TV screens… They might label us as "freaks" or "insane people". Which… might cause more problem than it's worth." Minato said.
"Th-That's not the point…" Yukari said.
"Exactly. Arisato is right about one thing, we can't tell anyone else about this. If someone suspected that we're involved into this case, they might arrest us if we do something fishy in their eyes. If I'm completely off-base about all of this, that's fine. It's just that… …I need to know why Senpai had to die like this…" Yosuke is crying for real now…
"H-Hanamura…"
"Oh, Hanamura…" Both Yukari and Chie felt very sympathetic towards him.
"Sorry, but you guys…" Yosuke turned to both Souji and Minato after wiping off the tears from his face. "You guys are the only ones I can rely on. Without you, I can't enter the TV. Sorry, but I'll be waiting for you guys at Junes."
"…You plan to enter the TV again?" Souji asked.
"Yeah, sorry. Anyway, I'll be waiting." Yosuke left running.
…The others are uncertain about what to do.
"I-I can understand how he feels… But, do you think we can get out of there safely again…? We got out because of that bear, but…" Chie said.
"Yeah—Huh?" Yukari noticed Junpei who is hiding behind the lockers. "H-Hey, Iori! What are you doing over there!?"
"…! O-Oh crap…!" Junpei realized that he's been spotted.
"I-Iori!? Wh-What are you doing here?" Chie asked, feeling like they've been exposed to someone who doesn't know about the whole TV world.
Junpei came out of his hiding place. "Sorry, but after seeing that Hanamura guy crying, I just… well, I thought I could be of some help, and…"
"You heard everything?" Minato asked.
"Yeah. I thought you guys were just talking about some manga story, but after seeing that Hanamura guy crying, and was all serious about it… I figured it's something very serious. Something about the murder of that senpai, huh…"
"Hey, you know it's not nice to eavesdrop on people…" Yukari seems to be annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But hey, maybe I could help you guys. I don't know about this whole "entering the TV" stuff, but I'm willing to help."
"Why? What do you have to gain from it?"
"What do I gain? Hey, who needs reason when you're willing to help someone!? Anyway, looks like that Hanamura guy wasn't thinking straight. So…"
"Let's stop, Hanamura, then." Souji suggested to which everyone agreed.
"Alright, so he's headed to Junes, then, right?"
"Yeah. Let's go." Minato is the first to run to Junes…
"H-Hey, Arisato, wait up!" Yukari said as everyone else caught up with him.
…
…Later, at the Junes Electronics Department…
…Yosuke is already here. For some reason, a rope is tied up around him and he's wielding a golf club and a toy katana that is small. He was delighted at the sight of everyone approaching him.
"You guys came!" He said.
""We came to stop you, idiot!""
Both Chie and Junpei snapped at him.
"Come on, you really shouldn't do this…" Chie said imploring Yosuke not to go through it.
"Oh, hey, you're… You're Iori Junpei, right? What are you…"
"Sorry, I'm not prying or anything, but… I heard about your, uh, situation, I guess."
"Huh? You…" Yosuke turned to the others for explanation…
…
"Ohh… So Iori was eavesdropping..." After the explanation, Yosuke came to understand things.
"I-I wasn't really eavesdropping or anything, it's just that you guys were frankly shouting—Oh, that's just you, Hanamura. I heard you guys shouting and I can't help but listen, you know?"
"Okay… So, where's Takeba?"
"She said she has something to take care of back at home. She'll be coming here, though—Wait, no, we came here to stop you before she returns!" Chie snapped at him again.
"I know, I know… But we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."
Junpei gave a puzzled look at the mention of the bear from the other world while Chie was even more annoyed. "Just "maybe" isn't good enough!"
"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me."
"Th-That's true, but…"
"Uh, hold the phone here, what is this bear you were talking about?" Junpei asked.
They didn't paid attention to him, which made him sweat drop.
"How about you guys? Could you just walk away?" Yosuke asked both Souji and Minato.
"…I'm worried about Satonaka." Souji said.
"Yeah, so it will just be the three of us." Yosuke said looking at Souji, then to Minato.
"Us?" Minato said pointing at himself to which Yosuke nodded.
"Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan. Satonaka, I'm leaving you with this."
Yosuke handed over the end of the rope that is tied up around him.
"Huh? What is this? A rope…?"
"We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here."
"Huh?" Chie felt very ridiculous at this plan of Yosuke. "Wh-What…? Then, is this a lifeline? Come on, wait a sec…"
"Here, Seta, Arisato… These are for you guys." Yosuke gave Souji the golf club and the toy katana to Minato. "I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed."
"Huh,"
"Good plan." Both Minato and Souji said as they sized up their weapons, of sort.
"Alright, let's go… There's no use wasting more time here. Satonaka, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!" With that said, the three guys approached the huge TV screen—
"Hey, I said WAIT!" Chie implored them all to stop.
"H-Hey, what's going—WHOA-!" Junpei, due to extreme shock, fell on the ground when he saw Minato insert his hand through the screen. "Wh-What the…!? D-Dude, is that some kind of magic trick!? Wait, you said inside the TV before… W-Wait, wait a sec… D-Did you mean…"
"Hey, Iori, whatever you do, keep your mouth shut about this, okay? We don't want anyone to think that we're some kind of aliens and stuff. So, stay here with Satonaka." Yosuke said.
"WHAT!?" "Why do I have to stay here with him!?"
"H-Hey, why does that sound like I'M some kind of disease here!? A-Anyway, you guys mind telling me what's going on?"
"…I'll explain. Listen carefully. Sorry, we're gonna waste more time here for a while." Minato said to Yosuke.
Yosuke seems to be perplexed but he accepted it. "Alright… Make it quick, Junes will be closing at around 8 in the evening. We better hurry."
Souji sweat dropped. "It's just 3PM in the afternoon."
…
"Ohhh… So that's how. That's amazing, man! You guys could enter the TV!? Like, can you guys to one channel and—" Junpei got excited after hearing the whole story.
"No, it's not like that! Were you listening at all!? I'm telling you, Iori, keep your mouth shut about this. You're a friend of Takeba, that's why we decided to tell you about all of this. But whatever happens, keep your mouth shut, okay?" Yosuke said to Junpei.
Chie sweat dropped at Yosuke referring to Junpei as Yukari's friend. "Uh, Takeba might kick your butt if she heard you say that. A-Anyway, do I really have to stay here with him?"
"Hey, come on, I can be of some help. Alright, I'll keep my mouth shut. Besides, it's not like they'll believe or anything if I do."
"Well, just to be safe, keep your mouth shut." Yosuke said.
"Alright, well then—" Junpei seems to be excited. He approached Chie. "Satonaka Chie, right? Nice to meet you. Alright, we'll hold on to this rope for you guys. After you guys gave us the signal, we'll pull you up."
"Hm,"
"Okay." Minato and Souji said.
"Alright, fine, let's go." Yosuke and the other two approached the TV.
"Hey, WAIT! WAAAIIITT-!" Chie implored them not to go, again.
-waaaaaaaaarrrrrppp-!
"Whoa, his hand went through the TV… Alright, hold the rope tightly, Satonaka." Junpei said.
"Huh? H-Hey-!" Suddenly, as Yosuke just jumped through the TV with Souji providing a path—by putting his hand through the TV screen—the rope got pulled—
"Whoa-! H-Hey, wait, WHOOOOAAAAA-!" Junpei got pulled inside along with the others!
"H-Hey, IORIIII-!" Chie ran up to the TV, but it was too late… They're already inside… "Huh?" Just then, Chie noticed that the rope seems to be much lighter than before. "Hm," She pulled it… "gasp! Ah…!" …only to find out that it's been cut… The lifeline is useless now… "…See? I told you this wasn't gonna work…" She said kneeling on the ground in despair. "Now what…?" She asked, sweat dropping… "… …M-Maybe… Maybe I should call Yukari…" She thought of calling Yukari with her cell…
…
~~~WAAAAAAAAARRRRRRPPP~~~
…
…thud, thud, thud, thud-!
Bodies came falling down to the floor.
"Owww…" Yosuke groaned. "Huh? This is…" Looking around, he sees that they have arrived at the same place last time.
"Ow… My head… Huh?" After regaining his composure, Junpei realized that he's somewhere where he is not familiar at… "Wha—Whe-Where are we…!?" He's looking around wildly.
"I'll explain. Listen carefully." Minato said and Junpei could only give a questionable look.
…
"Huh, so that's how it is. So you're saying we're inside… the TV, I guess?" Junpei said trying to put the pieces together from what Minato has told him.
"Yeah, it was unbelievable at first for me, too." Yosuke said.
"Y-You guys…!" A voice up ahead…
"Huh? Wh-Who's that!?" Junpei said alerted by that voice.
…The bear from last time came out of the fog and approached the boys.
"Whoa-! I-Is this…!?" Junpei was greatly surprised when he came out of the fog.
"This is the bear we told you about." Minato said.
"Wh-What? This… is a bear?" Junpei said sweat dropping. He thinks that it looks like no bear at all…
"Hm? Hey, you guys have another one? Why'd you come back here?" The bear asked.
"Hey, you're that thing from last time!" Yosuke said. "Y-You're… Wait—"
"Did you guys got thrown in? Did that someone from your side threw you in here!?" He said asking excitedly…
"Huh? Throw—Wait, you mean—Y-Yeah, I want to talk to you about that!"
"Calm down, Yosuke." Souji said.
"O-Okay. Hey, can we ask you something?"
The bear stomped on the ground repeatedly. "What are you guys blabbering about!? You guys shouldn't have come here! It's a one-way door! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?"
"Yeah, whatever." Yosuke felt annoyed so he felt like he should talk back. "We don't need your help this time. See, this time we got a—" Just then, they all realized that the lifeline has been cut. There's no way they can return… "WHAAAAAATT-!?"
"D-Dude, the-the-the… The ROPE-! It… It got cut!?" Junpei asked very agitated.
"H-Hey, you better let us out once we're done investigating in here!" Yosuke said very agitated as well.
The bear stomped on the ground repeatedly again. "Grrrrrr, I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time, and it's never been noisy like this till now! So why did you guys come here, anyway!?"
"Alright, fine… You want us to explain? Alright, you better damn listen to what we're saying! This isn't the like last time, when we came here by accident." Yosuke managed to compose himself. "Listen up, we're dead serious here. Cause people have died in our world… Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"
The bear looked at Yosuke with a confused expression. "A dead body…? Whenever the fog appears…? Huh, that explains why those two people I smelled last time disappeared from my sense of smelling."
The boys gave the bear a puzzled look at what he said.
"Huh? Your… sense of smelling? What do you mean by that?" Junpei asked.
"Yeah, what he said. What do you mean you "smelled" last time?" Yosuke asked.
"I do know that when it's foggy in your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." The bear said, much to everyone's confusion. "Aaah… I get it…"
"Huh? I-If you get it, then explain to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, the fog lifts here…? Shadows… getting violent, or something like that…?"
The bear stomped on the ground repeatedly again. "That's why I said to hurry back, it's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. You guys better go back to the other side, NOW!" The bear was about to push them again—
"No way! I'm not going anywhere until I find out what really happened to Senpai!" Yosuke snapped, which made the bear almost fall from shock. "What is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio."
Everyone looked around.
"Yeah… Now that I think about it, is there a place like this in Inaba…? Ah… It's all nature and stuff around, so I doubt it, so… Is something being filmed here…?" Junpei asked.
"I doubt it." Minato said.
"Me too. At least… I don't think there's any camera around that is working…" Souji observing the cameras that do not have power or electricity around.
Just then, Yosuke realized something—
"Hey, wait a sec… H-Hey, don't tell me… Is that weird show being filmed here!?"
"…? Weird show? Uh, like what? Oh!" Junpei recalled the story he's been told so far. "Y-You mean… The Midnight Channel!?"
The bear looked at them, puzzled. "Huh? Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?"
"Um… I'm asking if someone is filming the people who are thrown in here." Yosuke said being more specific.
"…? I… I don't get it. This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that "filming" thing here."
"Always been like this…?" Souji asked.
"Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!"
"Ugh… But we don't know what these "Shadow" things are! Or what you are either, for that matter!" Yosuke said getting frustrated at the lack of sense of what's going on.
"Yeah, and why are you wearing a costume, dude?" Junpei asked.
"Hm? Costume?" The bear seems to be confused.
"Yeah, what's with that stupid costume, anyway? I'd say it's about time you show your face!" Yosuke approached the bear, and forcefully tried to pull out the head of the costume…
…Poppp-! He managed to pull it off. But…
"Ah!" "…!" Souji exclaimed while Minato just showed a very surprised expression.
"WHOOOAAA-!" "Whoa!" Junpei and Yosuke exclaimed louder.
Yosuke backed away from the bear. "Wha… What the hell are you…? I-It's empty inside…"
The bear searched for its missing head. It found it lying on the ground, and then it threw it up back to his neck, much to the extreme awkwardness of the situation… causing the boys to sweat drop, as a result.
"Me? Well… I… I don't know. I just live here… I just want to live here peacefully…" The bear seems to be very sad about something…
"…" Yosuke, noticing the sorrow in his eyes, didn't bother to talk back.
"Okay, then… I'll let you guys stay in here and investigate. But," He raised one finger to declare a condition, "I want you guys to find out who has been throwing people in here, and killing them! You have to stop him! Promise me, or else…"
They all have a question mark above their heads.
"I'm not gonna let you guys outta here." He declared simply.
Both Yosuke and Junpei became very agitated.
"Y-You little…!" "Y-You son of a…!"
"This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then I… I… Waaaaaahh~~!" He cried hysterically.
"Wh-What are you crying for…? Geez, this thing's driving me nuts." Yosuke groaned.
"H-Hey… If we're going to find the culprit behind the deaths of those two victims, won't that make us heroes, or something…?" Junpei asked.
"…I don't know." Minato said.
"Yeah, I don't know either. But…" Souji thought of something. "This is a misfortunate thing for us. We can't get out if we—Huh?"
"Huh?" Both Souji and Minato recalled something… …Misfortune… Misfortune at their destination… "Misfortune…"
"Misfortune…" Both of them pondered deeply.
"...? Hm? What's up?" Junpei asked as everyone else turned to them.
"…" Souji recalled what Igor said:
"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."
"…" Minato recalled another thing that Igor said:
"In the coming days, you two will enter into a contract of some sort, after that, you will return here. The coming year may be a turning a point in your destinies. If the mystery goes unsolved, your futures may be forever lost."
'Our destinies… Our futures… If the mystery—the murder case—remained unsolved, we'll be forever… …be doom to oblivion…' He thought darkly as he examined the situation… They are in an unfortunate situation—where they cannot leave unless they promise to catch the culprit—and a great mystery—a murder case with unexplained methods of how it was performed and an unknown culprit who is behind it—is being imposed upon them… '…This is it, then…' He thought as he feels like the promised day is here now… The one that Igor spoke of.
"You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me…?"
"Alright, I promise." Souji promised with a heartful nod.
"Th-Thank you!" The bear seems to be very touched at that.
"I promise too." Minato did the same.
"Th-Thank you very much!"
"Tch, damn bear… Practically holding a gun to our heads…" Yosuke said irritated.
"Tch, yeah… But hey, didn't you guys say that you wanted to figure things out in here? I got dragged into this whole mess, but I guess… I guess I could help you guys out. I mean, what the hell else am I supposed to do in here?" Junpei asked, gesturing at his environment.
"Huh, you frankly got yourself involved with this whole thing, you know? So it's really your fault."
"Yeah… Yeah, I guess so. But hey, this sounds like it's worth doing, so… It's worth doing well, right? I mean, I once heard "if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well", so let's give it all we got!"
Yosuke sweat dropped. "Whom did you hear that from? Anyway… Yeah, I guess… You have my word, too, uh… B-Bear. Whatever you are. Alright, might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Hanamura Yosuke, these are…"
"Arisato Minato. Pleasure."
"I'm Seta Souji. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Iori Junpei. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bear."
"You got a name?" Yosuke asked the bear.
"…Teddie." He said simply.
Everyone sweat dropped.
"Huh, figures."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised, too…" Junpei said.
"Okay, to begin with… How are we supposed to find the culprit?"
"I dunno… Oh, but I know where the last person came in." Teddie said.
Yosuke was surprised at that. "The last person? You mean Konishi-senpai!?"
"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find some clues. Oh, one thing first. You should put these on." Teddie gave each of them… …glasses.
"…? What are these glasses for?" Yosuke's glasses are colored orange… Souji's colored gray, Minato's colored dark blue, and Junpei's glasses are colored black. They all put them on.
"""…!"""
Much to their surprise, with the glasses on, the fog shrouding the place disappeared from their visions.
"Whoa…!"
"Whoa! What the… How do you…" Yosuke and Junpei were the first to react.
"Huh, how useful." Minato said adjusting his glasses.
"The difference is like night and day. With these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist." Yosuke said.
"Huh, amazing." Souji said adjusting his glasses as well.
"They'll help you walk through the fog." Teddie explained. "Well, I've been here for a beeeaaary long time, so you can rely on me! Uh… But I can only take you to the place where the last person was. You guys will have to defend yourselves."
Both Yosuke and Junpei sweat dropped.
"What happened to relying on you!?" "Hell no, dude!"
"There better not be any monsters like last time… You understand!? We brought weapons with us, but… They're more for show." Yosuke sweat dropped at the golf club that Souji is wielding. "We just got here, if it's dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!?"
"…We got personas, so don't worry about it." Minato assured.
"Yeah, like he said. Come on, can you show us the way?" Souji asked Teddie.
Teddie nodded. "Yup, you can count on me, heehee!"
Yosuke and Junpei sweat dropped at his enthusiasm.
"Geez, when did you get all so excited about all of this…" Yosuke said. "Sigh, anyway, can you show us the way? I'm dying to get there as soon as possible."
"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask. Who is this Konishi person? Someone you know?" Teddie asked.
"… That's… …That doesn't matter right now. Anyway, let's go."
"Alrighty~ hop, hop, here we go!" Teddie ran off fast.
"H-Hey, wait for us!"
"Hey, come back here!" Junpei shouted as they follow Teddie.
…
…At a place that is seemingly the shopping district in Inaba…
…Everyone arrived at this place that is strikingly resembling the shopping district.
"What is this place…? It looks just like the shopping district…" Yosuke said looking around with a mild expression.
"Yeah, I used to pass by here... Oh, right, this isn't… the shopping district, right?" Junpei asked.
"Of course not. But.."
"Some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting tangled up, I dunno what to do…" Teddie said. He's been standing behind the guys who are taking the lead.
"Uh… by the way, why are you standing so far from us?" Yosuke asked with suspicion.
"Dude, you're supposed to be our guide here. You take the lead. Or… Are you planning to…" Junpei himself is starting to suspect foul play here…
"You better not be planning to high-tail if something does show up."
"Of course not! I mean, uh… I… can't stand so close, you know. Haha, I'd get in your way…" He said sheepishly.
"…" Yosuke decided to ignore him. "Hrrrm. Man, they really went all out on this... But out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one? This one is where—Oh wait, if this is our shopping district, we're not very far from Konishi-senpai's…" Yosuke ran ahead, prompting everyone else to follow.
…
…In front of the liquor store…
"I knew it! This is the liquor store that Senpai's family runs." Yosuke confirmed.
"Hey, yeah, I used to pass by here on my way home. But, with everyone thinking that anyone who goes to Junes is an enemy, I… uh… I changed routes." Junpei said being mindful of his words as Yosuke's presence here is significant. "Oh, I'm sorry…"
"No, it's okay… You're not the only one. Everyone in the shopping district frankly hates me…"
"Yeah, and everyone else who goes to your place."
Yosuke nodded. "Does this mean… Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened?"
Just as Yosuke was planning to enter the store—
"W-Wait a second! Sh-Shadows…" Teddie alarmed everyone.
"Huh?"
"Shadows? What are those?" Junpei asked.
"Shadows… I had a feeling they were going to attack!" Teddie became terrified.
"Huh? Uh…" Yosuke stammered.
-Then…
-Crash, crash-!
*Shatter!* *Shatter!* *Shatter!*
Monsters broke through the windows of the store, it's the same monsters last time… The round-shaped ones and have long tongues.
"Grooaaarr!"
"Grooaarr!"
"Groooaaarr!"
"Guah!" Yosuke fell on the ground due to shock. "Ah, not these guys again!"
"Wh-What the hell-!? Are these… Are these the monsters you were talking about, Arisato!?" Junpei asked agitated.
"Hm, yeah." Minato said.
"What are they doing here?" Souji asked.
"The Shadows attack people when the fog lifts, but… You guys… They seem to hate you for some reason… They're going to attack!" Teddie said.
"Grooaaarr!"
"Grooaaarr!" Just like what Teddie said, these Shadows seem to be ignoring everyone else as they charged towards Souji and Minato.
"Wah!" Yosuke ducked to the ground for cover as they passed through him.
"Whoa, Hanamura! A-Are you alright!?" Junpei exclaimed.
"I-I'm fine! But…"
"Grooaaarr!"
"Grooaaarr!"
""Hm,"" Both Souji and Minato turned to each other. ""Hm,"" They both nod to each other.
Flash, flash-!
""Persona-!""
Flash, flash-!
They both summoned their respective persona cards and crushed them—
"Huaaarrghh-!" "Aaaarrrrggghhh-!"
Izanagi is summoned, as well as a persona that Minato hasn't used before—Orpheus.
"Huh? Wha… D-Dude, that… that persona… Didn't you used something… different?" Yosuke, noticing that it's not the same persona before, asked.
"I have more than one." Minato said. "Orpheus!"
Flash-!
He summoned another card and crushed it—
"Aaaarrrggghhh-!"
*Maragi*
-Abllaaaaaazzee-! Ablaaaaaazzeee-! ABLAAAAAAAZZZEEEE-!
"Groooaaarr-!"
"Groooaaarr-!" Some of the monsters were burned to ash as Orpheus played its harp—summoning waves of flames that incinerated them.
"Grooaarr!"
"Groooaaarr-!"
The other monsters aimed for Orpheus.
"Izanagi!"
Flash-!
Souji summoned another card and crushed it.
"Huaaarrghh-!"
*Mazio*
-Shooooccckk—Shooccckk—Shooock…
-BOOOOOOOMMMMM-!
Lightning bolts struck the monsters, killing them. With that, all of the monsters are dispatched.
""Hm,""
Flash, flash-!
Both Souji and Minato dismissed their personas as the battle is over.
"Wh-Whoa… Dude… What was THAT!? Was that what you were calling a "persona"!? Dude, what did you do!?" Junpei asked excitedly. "Hey, can I do that, too? Huh?" He asked Minato and Souji.
"Calm down, Junpei. You're troubling Sensei and his apprentice." Teddie said approaching both Souji and Minato.
"…? Sensei?" "…? Apprentice?"
Both Yosuke and Junpei asked.
"Gosh almighty! You're amazing, Sensei! I'm one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you! *gasp* Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world?" Teddie asked Souji excitedly and eagerly.
"Well, yeah, and…" Turning to Minato. "Him, too."
"Oh, the Apprentice."
'…? Apprentice?' Minato asked in his mind.
"Wow, this is really something. Don't you think so, Yosuke?"
Yosuke, who is annoyed, walked up to Teddie—"Dude," He pushed Teddie, causing him to fall and then rise up again due to his body being light. "you call him Sensei and him an apprentice and then don't show the rest of us here respect?"
"S-Sorry…"
"Yeah, how did you do it, anyway, Arisato?" Junpei asked.
"Huh, I asked that question some time ago, too, you know. You probably won't get answer through words alone, man." Yosuke said.
"What?"
"Well, that's that and… Hey, Teddie,"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for guiding us out here. Without you, we would have never found this place."
"R-Really…? Heehee." Teddie blushed at that praise.
"Alright, back to our original mission objective…" Turning back to the liquor store that is now in ruins—the windows are shattered—and to resume their original purpose here…
"Oh, right, to investigate stuff. Hm, this is where that Konishi person lives, right?"
"Yeah… Once, anyway."
"So, what do you think we'll find in here?" Junpei asked.
"Man… I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here."
"Hm, supposedly, this is the reality of someone who is here." Teddie explained.
"""Huh?"""
Everyone was puzzled by what he said.
"Someone's… reality?" Minato asked.
Teddie nodded. "Uh huh. It appeared when that person you were talking about was thrown in here."
"Appeared…? Wait, does that mean… Places can appear when someone—" Before Yosuke could ask any further—
…echo… echo… echo…
…Voices started to echo from somewhere…
This alerted everyone and they prepared for anything that might happen…
"I wish Junes would go under…"
"It's all because of that store…"
"Wh-What the...?" Yosuke stammered.
"Whose voices are those?" Junpei asked.
"Oh, I heard Konishi-san's daughter is working there. Oh my… How could she, with her family's business suffering as it is? I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."
"S-Stop it…" Yosuke, who seems to be tormented from all these voices, said…
"That poor father… to have his own daughter working for the enemy. What a troublesome child…"
"Wha-What the hell…?" Junpei said.
"Hey… Hey, Ted, you said that this place is reality for those that are here, right!? So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?"
"I… only know what's over here." Teddie said feeling apologetic that he can't help much to enlighten the situation.
"Fine…" Yosuke said as everyone turned to the liquor store once again. "Whatever is happening here, we'll find out ourselves."
Everyone ran inside the liquor store.
…
…There's no one here…
Everyone looked around—
…echo… echo… echo…
"Dammit, not again…" Yosuke cursed as the echoing voices can be heard again.
"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!?"
"Huh…? This voice… It sounds so different from the ones before—" Junpei said unfinished—
"I-Is this… Senpai's dad?"
"You know what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself!? You're the eldest daughter of a family who've owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you met some guy there? Just tell me why do you have to work THERE, of all places!"
"Huh. Some yelling." Minato commented.
"Yeah… I don't think I can bear to hear more of this—" Junpei said unfinished once again—
"I don't believe this… She seemed like she had fun at work. She never said anything like this to me… You're telling me THIS was how Senpai really saw things!?" Yosuke snapped at all of these voices that are echoing.
"Yosuke, calm down." Souji said.
"Huh…?"
"You're not thinking clearly. Calm yourself, clear your mind…"
"But… I… Gr, fine… Come on, let's investigate this place."
"Hey, are you—" Junpei was about to express concern—
"Come on, I seriously want to get our business here to be done with as fast as we could."
"Fine. Okay, search around." Minato commanded and everyone spread out and started to look around for clues.
"Huh…? These are…?" Yosuke came across a bunch of photos on a table… "These photos… Is this…?" Yosuke picked one photo. "It's the photo we took with the other part-timers at Junes. We just took it the other day. But… Why is it cut up like this?" On the photo, Saki is seen smiling… Yosuke is beside her.
"I… I never had the chance to say it…" Suddenly, Saki's own voice is now echoing.
Everyone was taken by surprise.
"I-Is that… Senpai's voice!?"
"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…"
"…? Huh? Me…?"
"…that he was a real pain in the ass."
"…!" Yosuke was very shocked upon hearing that.
"I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son. That's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip."
"…" Yosuke is starting to feel like he's about to cry…
The others turned to him with concerned stares.
"…P-Pain in the ass…?"
"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear…"
…Yosuke looked down in despair. "I-It's a lie. This can't be… Senpai's not like that!"
"Yeah… She's not like that… SHE'S A WHORE-!"
"""…!"""
Everyone was taken by surprise at that new voice. They turned to the entrance of the store where the voice came from and they see… Another Yosuke…
"She's a real pain in the ass—as well as everything else in this goddamn life-! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!"
"""…! Ah!"""
Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"Huh? Two Yosukes?" Teddie asked in disbelief.
Yosuke ran to confront this other Yosuke.
"Wh-Who are you…? I-I wouldn't think that…"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA…!" This other Yosuke laughed maniacally and evilly… but then he became very serious all of the sudden. "Yes… Well, how long are you going to keep living in delusions? Curse the shopping district—the people who criticize others in there—and Junes, as well! You are tired of all of it… Especially if you will all be by yourself!"
"Wh-What are you saying… That's not true, I—"
"Listen to me, other me, you are living in a mask called "enthusiastic person", "carefree Hanamura Yosuke"… All of it, all of it… are all masks… Everyone is a liar… They don't tell truth… They tell lies… Lies… All of it… Don't you think so? Even you are lying… Liar."
"S-Stop it!"
"You claim you wish to search this place for truth… Truth… does not exists in this place… Especially… especially… Especially if you are not even looking for such thing. You claim you wish to go inside this world of boredom and nothing but the cursed side of that person you so love and cherishes… You wish to investigate this place for her sake? Ha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-! I know beyond that which you can think…"
"Wh-What?"
"You just thought of it as something you could do for a change… Something like a "noble goal" or "adventure"… You thought "a world inside a TV… Now that's something!" right? You didn't have any other purpose to be here, right? "If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero!", that's what you thought, right?"
"That's not true… Stop… Stop it…"
"Everyone is a liar… I am sick of it. Everyone should just be honest… and accept the fact that only losers go to HELL and winners are the winners as they are! They don't need lame excuses to do what they want! As for you, that senpai you were so sweet on… Her death was the perfect excuse!"
"…! That's not true! What are you!? Who are you!?"
"…I am you. …your Shadow. There is nothing I don't know about you."
"Screw that! I don't know you! YOU CAN'T BE ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH-!"
"…hihihihi… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-! Yes, come on, say that AGAIN-!"
"…You're not me… You're nothing like me!" Yosuke said backing away a little.
"…"
"Hm," Souji and Minato feel like something is about to happen…
"H-Hey, H-Hanamura, calm down!" Junpei called out to Yosuke.
"Hmph… Yes… That is correct. I am ME now! I'm not you anymore, SEE?" This other Yosuke said as it spread its arms about.
-Cllaaaaaaaarrreeeeeeuuuuggghhh-!
-Suddenly, darkness begun to gather around it. It's swelling…
"Agh, ugh… Ah." Yosuke fell on the ground, unconscious.
"""Yosuke-!"""
Everyone exclaimed.
Souji and Minato ran to Yosuke to aid him.
"Sensei, apprentice!" Teddie exclaimed.
"Now what!?" Junpei exclaimed.
-Soon after, the darkness that is gathering disappeared—with this time, Shadow Yosuke has changed in its form… It now has a more monstrous looking appearance with it having a half humanoid body and a half toad-like body. The upper part is humanoid and the lower part is toad-like.
"GROOOOAAAAAARRR-!"
"Hmph,"
Flash!
Minato summoned two cards that are floating… The Magician Arcana and the World arcana…
Flash-!
"Fusion Spell! Infinity!" He said casting a spell that formed a barrier around everyone—including Yosuke.
"Hm!? Wh-What did you do, apprentice!?" Teddie asked.
"Dude, what did you do?" Junpei asked.
-stomp, stomp-!
The Shadow approached Souji, Minato and the unconscious Yosuke.
"…I am a Shadow… The true self… I'll crush anything that bores me… Starting with *you*!" It said gazing at Souji and Minato. "GROOOAAAAAAARRR-!"
*Wing of Oblivion*
-STOMP-! Gussstt-! Gusssssttt-!
The Shadow stamped its feet on the ground, creating massive wind that were sent towards—
"Hm,"
Block—!
Block-!
Block-!
"Hm," Minato smiled in triumph as the Infinity spell protected everyone from that devastating wind.
"How long can you survive this!?"
"Whoa, dude, what was that!?" Junpei asked.
"Th-The apprentice did something!" Teddie said.
"Arisato, what was that?" Souji asked.
"Never mind about that, we have to do something about this troublesome frog." Minato said staring at Shadow Yosuke menacingly.
"…Yeah, you're right. Okay, then—"
Flash-!
"Izanagi!" Souji summoned his persona card…
Flash-!
-and crushed it.
"Huaaaarrgghh-!" Izanagi is summoned. "Huaaarrrgghh-!"
*Mazio*
-Shooooccckk—Shooccckk—Shooock…
-BOOOOOOOMMMMM-!
"AAAAUUUURRRRRGGGHHH-!" Shadow Yosuke agonized in pain as he took severe damage from that attack. "Guargh… You're getting a real pain in the ass! GROOOAAARRR-!" It said gazing angrily at Minato. "I'll crush you with everything I got!" It prepared for another attack. "GROOOOAAAARRR-!"
*Wind of Oblivion*
-STOMP-! Gussstt-! Gusssssttt-!
It directed its attack to Minato only.
Bloooooccckkk-!
The barrier around Minato disappeared after the attack was blocked.
"Huh, that's it? Boring…"
"I agree."
Flash-!
Minato summoned a persona card and crushed it…
Flaaasshh-!
"Yeah, that was boring… So why don't we… Raise the craziness here… And LET'S ROCK-!"
Flaaaassssshhh-!
"GROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR-!" Thanatos is summoned.
"That's the thing… from last time." Souji recalled the last time Minato summoned this persona. "Why didn't you summoned it much sooner?"
"Because I'm not the one who decides when it can be summoned." Minato said with his hand still raised up.
"Huh?"
"It seems it's the one calling the shots here… I can only summon it… When he wants to come out."
"GROOOOAAAAARRR-!"
Minato put his hand down as Thanatos floated behind him.
"What-? You can't… summon it at will?"
"Yeah. Now, destroy it! Thanatos!"
"GROOOOOAAAAARRR-!"
"Damn you, don't underestimate me…!" Even Shadow Yosuke feels overwhelmed by Thanatos's presence.
"GROOOOOAAAARR-!" Thanatos swung forth one of its blades, and turned to Shadow Yosuke—"GROOOOOOAAAAARRR-!" It let out a loud roar that destroyed the liquor store… With all the damage it sustained from Shadow Yosuke's attacks earlier, one loud roar is enough to bring it down, it seems.
"Thanatos, destroy it with one attack. That will be fun as he wants things not to be boring. Grant him his wish." Minato commanded of Thanatos.
"GROOOOOAAAARRR-! As you desire, master! GROOOOOAAAARRR-!"
"Whoa, did it spoke!?" Junpei asked with a mild expression.
"GROOOOOAAAARRR-!"
*Megidolaon*
"This is our grand finale. I bring you, Megidolaon!" Minato said waving his hand towards the Shadow.
"GROOOOAAAAAAARRRR-!"
-Flaaaaaaaasssshhh-!
-Energy balls that are hovering above gathered together, and then, they gradually descended to the ground…
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM-!*
A large explosion engulfed the entire liquor store, reducing it to ruins, completely.
"Aaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhh-! Damn you to HELL-! ARRRGGGHhh-! This can't be…! Ugh!" Shadow Yosuke begun to dissolve into vast mists… Black mists… The monstrous appearance ceased to be—reverting back to its 'human' like appearance. "Urrghh-!" Shadow Yosuke fell on the ground. He's full of burns and wounds around his body… "Ugh… Agh… Ah… …" …He's just lying there, unable to move any further.
"…"
Flash-!
Minato dismissed Thanatos.
The others went to Yosuke who has finally woke up. "I… I…"
"Yosuke!" Teddie said.
"Hanamura!" Junpei said.
"Are you alright?" Souji asked.
"Y-Yeah… What happened?" Yosuke noticed that the liquor store has been reduced into a pile of ruins. "Whoa… What the hell happened here?"
Minato approached Yosuke.
"Arisato…"
"…He's over there." Minato turned to Yosuke's Shadow who is still lying on the ground.
"…!" Yosuke is surprised to see him.
"… … …" Shadow Yosuke, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any expression… He's devoid of anything but acceptance or surrender… He's willing to surrender.
"You're… You're… You're… not me." Yosuke said denying the Shadow to be any part of himself.
"That thing came from you, Yosuke…" Teddie said. "You have to admit it, or it'll go berserk again…"
"…" Yosuke seems reluctant to admit it.
"It's only a side of youself." Minato assured.
Yosuke turned to him. "A side of myself…"
"Yeah, in other words, it's just something that became unstable when you were confronted of Konishi-senpai's thoughts. It's not really you, but it's still you…"
"But still me…"
"A side of you… your fears… If you confront that side of you, your true self… will emerge."
"My… fears. Oh, so, it's not… really me…?"
"It's not you… but it is you, at the same time, nonetheless. A side of you that came from you, so it is you, but it's something that doesn't tell who you really are. Can I ask something…?"
"What…?"
"Who are you?"
"…" Yosuke turned to his shadow. "I… am… Hm, I did wanted to find out what happened to senpai, but…" He approached him. "…What it said that I wanted to have fun… That's just one side of me…"
"Yeah… That Shadow… is you, Yosuke. But… Like what Arisato said, it's also not you. You can face it, can't you?" Souji asked sincerely.
"Hm," Yosuke looked up with his eyes closed, then he looked down and opened his eyes. "…I knew it wasn't lying… But I'm so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it… You're me… and yet you're not. You're a side of me… My darkness… Huh, confronting your own demon, huh. Geez, this is kinda like therapy." Yosuke offered a hand to his Shadow. "Right, me?"
"…" The Shadow smiled.
Flaaaaaasssshh-!
-The Shadow disappeared in a blue fog that emerged… Then, something was hovering…
"…Jiraiya… My persona…"
Flash-!
That thing that was hovering is Yosuke's manifested persona, Jiraiya. It turned into a card and merged with Yosuke.
"This… is… my… persona."
"Cool…" Junpei said.
Flash-! Sharp-!
"Gurgh-!" Suddenly, Junpei kneeled to the ground with him touching his head with both hands.
The others ran to him. "Hey, Junpei-!" Teddie said.
"Ow, I… A voice… in my head… What the—"
Flash-!
Just then, blue fog emerged around Junpei…
Flaaasshhh-!
Something appeared above him. …A persona.
"What the…?" Yosuke said. "Is that…?"
"A persona…?" Teddie finished what he was going to ask.
"What…? M-Me… too? I can… I can fight like you guys do…?"
"Thou art I… And I am thou… From the flames that can purge the darkness in one's psyche… I, Hermes, shall accompany thee to shed light on thy path. Pleasure be mine…"
Flaash-!
It turned into a card and merged with Junpei.
"Whoa… I… This is awesome!" Junpei cheered. "So now I can fight monsters like those kind like you guys, right!?"
"Whoa… Wow, you got your persona without even confronting your own self… But, then again, both Souji and Minato did the same thing." Yosuke said.
"Whoa, really? Did that really happened?"
Both Souji and Minato nodded.
"But this aside, hey, Teddie. Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?"
"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk... And you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it. And the big mass of Shadows kills the host." Teddie explained.
"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world…"
"Hey, about that… Shadow self… Why does it emerge…? Does this place…" Junpei asked.
"Like I said, the Shadows here are originally born from humans. A strong-willed Shadow can come out if one person is here, it's much more easier for the Shadow to come out that way."
"I see… I'm kinda getting the whole picture here, but… What's up with this world? If someone doesn't have a persona… They're screwed." Junpei said looking up. "See? There's no way out."
"Yeah… If someone did threw people in here… It's murder." Yosuke said darkly.
"Yeah, I agree. Then… those two who have died… Damn, who would do something like that…?"
"Come on. Let's go back to the entrance." Minato suggested.
"I agree. I think we're done here, anyway. There's nothing left." Souji said.
"Hmhm," Teddie nodded. "This world is not for humans, it's not comfortable for you here. Let's go back."
…
…
…At the entrance…
The guys arrived here finally. "Whew, I'm beat." Yosuke said tiredly.
"Yeah, no kiddin." Junpei said.
"Hey, Ted, can I get something straight here? It's about how it all happened: Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them... Does that sound right? So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I woulda been in much deeper trouble?"
"Uh huh. I'm pretty sure." Teddie nodded. "You were lucky. We were all with you…"
"Damn… Creepy. This place… It's like Hell. You can't get out once you're in." Junpei said.
"Hm, then…" Minato and Souji turned to Teddie. "You're the only one who can get us out of here?"
"You did promised… right?" Souji asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I remembered, heehee." Teddie said.
"Dammit… Senpai and that announcer… They were stuck here all alone. No one could save them…" Yosuke said imagining what it would be like to be stuck in this horrible place until the fog clears…
"Yosuke…"
"But, uh, those Shadows… Why did they attacked us if the fog hasn't cleared yet?" Junpei asked.
"Well… No Shadows attacked the two people who died. And they disappeared when the fog lifted. They attacked us, though… Maybe they're keeping a close eye on us. They might see people who investigate this place as… enemies."
"A close eye!?" Junpei was surprised at that. "D-Dude, does that mean… Someone is already watching us!?"
"Calm down." Minato said.
"Yeah, we're perfectly safe here." Souji said.
"Oh, I… see." Junpei felt assured. "So, now what? Do we go back home now, or…?"
"It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might save people!" Teddie said enthusiastically.
Yosuke was surprised at that. "Y-You're saying… If someone else is thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear!? Like how you guys just saved me!?"
"It seems so. The police will be useless with this kind of thing, though. They won't believe us if we tell them how the victims were murdered." Minato said.
"You're right about that. Huh, no wonder they couldn't made any progress with that Yamano lady's death." Junpei said.
"Yeah, I agree…" Yosuke said.
"Will you… come back here?" Teddie sounded sad.
"We made a promise, so why not?" Souji said.
"Y-You'll keep your word?"
"Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do." Yosuke said.
"Oh! Th-That's right! Okay, I'll let you out. But there's one thing. I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time. So we can meet up."
"Huh? You mean that big TV back at Junes?" Junpei asked.
"You can come in from somewhere else. But then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be doooomed. Got it!?"
"Whoa, hey, don't make it sound like it can really happen, ha, haha."
"Well, now that we're done here, can you show us the way out?" Yosuke asked.
"Roger that! One exit, coming up!"
tud, tud, tud.
POP-!
"Whoa!" Junpei fell on his butt when the TV sets appeared. "D-Dude, where did these TVs come from!?" He stood up.
"Huh, you reacted in the same manner as Satonaka. It's kinda funny." Yosuke commented. They all faced the TV sets, with Teddie behind them. "Cool. But first, we have to make sure that the coast is clear…"
"Okay, go, go, go! Squiiiiisshh-!" Teddie pushed them to the TVs.
"Argh, hey, stop squeezing, you little—Gah!"
"Whoa!" Junpei exclaimed.
…
~~~WAAAAAAAAARRRRRRPPP~~~
…
…Junes Electronics Department…
-thud, thud, thud, thud-!
"Ow."
"Ouch, that hurts…" Yosuke and Junpei groaned.
"Ah…!" Chie is here. She's kneeling on the ground with tears all over her eyes. The boys got out of the TV and fell on the ground. "Y-You guys came baaack…! *sob*" She said standing up. The boys did the same.
…tap, tap, tap. "Hey, Satonaka, what are you—Huh!?" Yukari arrived carrying two drinks on her hands. "Wha… What are you…" She ran up to the boys. "You guys… How did you—"
"Huh? Satonaka? Whoa, what's with that face?" Yosuke asked, surprised that Chie is crying.
Chie was annoyed, though. She threw the cut out rope—lifeline—to Yosuke who fell down as a result.
"Ow!"
"The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck!"
"C-Chie, calm down. Here, have a drink." Yukari attempted to calm Chie by giving her one of the drinks she's holding.
"Y-Yukari… Th-Thanks… Siiip."
"There, there." She then turned to the boys. "What the hell are you guys—What were you thinking!? You left Chie all by herself!"
They were all surprised at that.
Yosuke and Junpei sweat dropped.
"Uh, we didn't intended to leave—" Yosuke attempted to excuse themselves—
"No excuses! You guys better take responsibility about all of this!"
"Uh, Yuka-tan, we're not making excuses or anything like that, it's just that—" Junpei attempted to excuse themselves as well—
"Oh yeah? Then why did you leave her?"
"Listen…" Yosuke implored her to listen.
…
"…So, that's what happened. So, your so-called brilliant plan didn't work, huh, Hanamura?" Yukari mocked Yosuke who sweat dropped.
"I'm sorry… Here, I'll buy you steak, Chie." Yosuke said attempting to satisfy Chie enough so that she would forgive him.
"Yeah, I'll buy you too, Yuka-tan." Junpei did the same.
"Huh? Me, too?" Yukari asked.
"Well, you were called by Satonaka, right? That means you were involved with this whole mess, so, it's on me."
"…? Huh, what's with you? Why did you become so generous all of the sudden?"
"We'll explain. But first, let's go to the food court." Minato suggested.
…
…Junes Food Court…
The boys explained what happened at the other world. Chie is eating steaks that Yosuke bought for her. It's raining right now…
"Wow, so someone is throwing people in there to kill them? And since the police can't prove that the other world exists, it's the perfect crime?" Yukari asked with a mild expression.
"That's about it, yeah." Minato said. "We also know that we can save anyone from dying in there by going in there ourselves and get anyone who gets stuck in there out before the fog lifts."
Souji and Yosuke nodded at that.
"Well, that and we need to find out who's doing it. This is most likely something the police can't handle, so it's on us." Souji said.
"Yeah, this is something that is way out of league for the police. But we got personas!" Yosuke boasted.
"Yeah, we can kick ass now, right?" Junpei did as well.
"Huh? You have a persona? Seriously?" Yukari asked in disbelief.
"Hmhm, this is great." Chie commented of the steak she's eating, which made Yosuke sweat drop.
"Geez, you eat a lot. Anyway, did you get all that?"
"Hmhm, I kinda get wh-*munch* you were gottingat*munch* Ah."
"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full! Anyway, that's about it. We can discuss more about this for tomorrow. I seriously need to rest."
"Yeah, after everything you've been through, I might as well take you home, man." Junpei volunteered to take Yosuke home.
"Yeah, thanks, man."
"No problem. Alright, let's go. Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow."
…
…Yosuke and Junpei left.
"Huh, they seem to get along well. So, how are you guys doing?" Yukari asked both Souji and Minato.
"We're fine. I think we're getting a better picture of what's going on now." Souji said.
"Ah." Minato stood up. "I'm going home. I'm getting tired, too. See you."
"Oh, Arisato, you leaving?" Yukari asked.
"Yeah. See you at school." Minato left.
"Hm, I better go, too. Sorry we caused so much trouble." Souji apologized to both girls.
"Oh no, it's nothing… Well, it's just Junpei and Yosuke, actually. Well, it looks everything is fine now. You should go now. You and Arisato go to the same direction right? See ya at school!"
…End of Chapter 3…