Chapter 7: Worried Friends.

-Back out of the void-
-2:00 am / date unknown-


Souji's eyes jolted open violently.

He shot up to a seated position, breathing desperately for air.

As he glanced around an unfamiliar room,
he found himself on a hospital bed.

It was dark in the curtained medical bay.

The only source of light came from a beeping heart monitor at bedside.

There was a drip connected to Souji's arm.

He instantly removed it.

Rising to his feet, other than feeling light headed and famished, he didn't seem injured.

He couldn't deny that he felt a little lonely seeing no one by him though.

Was everything that happened in the void even real?

Did Rise actually call out to him,
or was he dreaming it?

Shaking the thought off, Souji was just glad to be back on this 'side'.

Feeling healthy enough to go peek around the emergency ward, he left the room to find some much needed food.


-In the hospital hallway-

Once he stepped out the room, Souji caught sight of a vending machine with snacks and soda.

Digging around for his pockets, he quickly realized he didn't have his usual clothing.

Souji was in an operating gown, so his clothes must have been changed upon admission.

As a nurse was walking through the hallway, she noticed Souji wandering around.

"Sir! you can't be out here! Go back and rest in your bay, you have not been discharged!"

As Souji heard the voice getting his attention, he felt his head suddenly throb and spin violently.

In his mind rang a mocking husky tone.

"Thou art not I… but I own thou!"

The unknown voice let out a playful laugh before reverting to a normal pitch. "Jokes aside… Let's have some fun, shall we."

Souji felt the Jester Arcana tighten its grip deep within.

This grim presence was of the Persona Chernabog.

Souji felt his judgments cloud with a spontaneous desire to yield mischief.


[The nurse is scolding you for being out of your bay… Chernabog speaks on your behalf.]

- (Act) Pretend you suffer from amnesia.

- (Malice) Complain that there's a naked man inside your ward.
(Corruption up)

- (Decieve) State that important medications are in your pant pockets.
(corruption up)

- (Tempt) "Would a beautiful lady like yourself care to help dress me? Or…"
(Charm Lv. 6 required)


"Oh, I see... But to make sure, has the doctor given his approv-"

Souji began to pretend he was suffering from a chronic belly ache, hunching over to feign pain.

"O-OK then dear… Ju-just look in this trolley, they should be in here."

Souji took his clothes after the nurse raised several articles of clothing.

He then made his way into the bathroom nearby.

smirking silently to himself, he put on his clothes and waited a while.

When he came outside, the nurse was gone.

It was as Souji selected a can of Melon Soda, he heard a quiet whimpering in the waiting room nearby.

It sounded like Chie's voice.

Suddenly something began to resist the Arcana within him, making Souji's head spin madly.

He wanted to see his friend as himself… Not this altered persona.

But separation with the Arcana failed…

The influence was too strong...

Though disturbing,
it seemed, like Elizabeth was right.
There was something else hosted within Seta.
...A conscious mind that occasionally altered his nature.


Chie and Yosuke are seated nearby. The echoing voice in your head speaks... "A prank… Let's play a prank!"

-(Low risk jest) Playfully ask who they're taking about.

-(Medium risk jest) Sneak up from behind and scare the two.
(Corruption up)

-(High risk jest) Announce Souji's Seta's death on the nearby intercom
(Corruption rises by one full star)


When Souji spoke with a faint smile, the two snapped their heads around with such surprise, they jumped out of their seats.

Leaping over the chairs between them, Chie and Yosuke almost tackled Souji off his feet with overjoyed relief.

Suddenly feeling their concern, the voice of the Jester Arcana began to fade.

In only a matter of seconds, Souji felt his conscious mind grow clearer.

...Thanks to his friends,

he became himself again.


[Yosuke is on the outside, squeezing together you and Chie while she embraces you in midst of a hysteria.]

-It's good to see you guys again.

-Um, Yosuke... You're squeezing a little too tightly.

-Chie, make some room for Yosuke and I to hug too.


"Shut up already and just let me do this!" Yosuke said with a flickering emotionality.

"Yosuke, you're being such a girl!" Chie exclaimed, ironically through her own tears.

"I know," he whimpered… "I'm being just as uncharacteristically feminine as you right now."

Souji decided to let all the drama slide this time with a smile.

He couldn't deny that it felt good to be around two of his best friends again after so long.

When Souji was done being compressed, they moved back feeling suddenly a little embarrassed before explaining what had happened.

"For an entire week you've been in a coma like trance… Everyone's come to the city to visit you." Yosuke exclaimed, still smiling brightly to see Souji up and walking again.

"Nanako and Mr. Dojima have been staying at a hotel to be nearby," Chie said with equally cheerful glee.

"Yeah, poor Nanako-chan fights with her dad every time he says it's time to leave for the night. She really wanted to be here when you woke up." Yosuke said.

Chie suddenly looked sad again. "It was hard explaining to her you might not come to… But let's not talk about that, Oh it's just so good to see you fit and walking again; she'll be so relieved."

"Naoto and Kanji came by as well." Yosuke added. "Kanji was the first to crack out of all of us. The guy looks like he could tear down a building with his fist, yet he's howling like a wolf while mourning in the damn waiting room on the first day!" Yosuke complained while shaking his head.

"Don't be hard on him, Yosuke." Chie said with a smile of reflection. "We all hid our emotions the first day. Especially Naoto. She doesn't express her emotions well, but you could see a misery surface when she thought she was alone in the hospital's hallways. I think she really needs to hear you're fine now, considering how much she bottles up inside." Chie added with concern.

"Rise was the only one who couldn't come because her manager restricted her to leave. They have total control over her now after seeing her quit once before… The poor thing hardly has rights!" Yosuke defended.

Souji decided not to tell them that she had actually managed to reach him first. It may have only made them bombard him with questions out of worry... Further stress which his caring friends didn't need burden themselves with.

Chie finally continued after a brief silence.

"But you know... Worst out of all of us, is probably Yukiko's condition," Chie stated in a maternal tone.

Souji was dragged by the hand as Chie lead him to peer over the row of seats Chie and Yosuke had been sitting beside.

There, asleep with a weakened affect, was a greatly weary looking Yukiko as her long lush hair partially covered her gentle features.

"Yeah, come to think of it, she just went colder than Naoto, didn't she? I didn't see her cry around us even once. She wouldn't express her true feelings when we were around for our sakes. But we all knew how she felt inside. I wonder how she'll act when she sees you," Yosuke pondered.

"What do you mean? She'll be ecstatic of course…" Chie said hitting Yosuke on the head. "But Souji, you really owe her," Chie said a little strictly now that she had finished expressing her relief. "She's quite sick thanks to worrying herself to death about you!"

"Yeah, well what do you expect? Poor thing hasn't been eating," Yosuke said with a soft smile of admiration while looking Yukiko's way. "You better take her somewhere nice to make it up to her, partner."

Souji nodded as he watched Yukiko's pale complexion look burdened even in her rest.

Sitting down beside her, he gently rubbed her shoulder to which her pained expression slightly softened.

Realizing how much he must have worried the sweet girl, Souji promised to find a way to make things right with her first.

But now a question remained, Would he look to regroup his peers once again? Calling upon their help to face a new deadly threat?

...Even despite not knowing what the ominous and unknown force truly was...


END CHAPTER

-Present day [02/24]-