May 6th, evening, after proper introductions had been made...

"That's nice, so many people!" - Said Nanako, cheerfully - "And thanks for bringing the food, Sofue-san, it's delicious!"

Miss Sofue looked at Nanako with the same tender look she seemed to reserve only for her.

"You are very welcome, child, and I would be delighted to cook for you again." - She said.

"I'm glad you two are getting along so well..." - Said my uncle, smiling - "So, Sofue-san, I never had a chance to thank you."

Miss Sofue nodded.

"I gladly accept it. And it was my pleasure."

"The food is great, Sofue-sensei!" - said Yosuke - "I didn't know you cooked Japanese food so well!"

Miss Sofue smirked.

"There is more to me than my appearance suggests, Hanamura-kun, but I shall take what you said as a compliment."

"Okay, now that Yosuke's done striking out..." - Said Chie, smirking - "You and this Ono-san are siblings, Sofue-sensei?"

"Yes." - Said Miss Sofue - "But, as I said, he is... More bellicose."

"Cleopatra was a shrewd leader that very much knew how to play political games..." - Said Kirijo-san, pensively - "And while there was a lot of intrigue during the Sengoku, things were often settled directly."

Miss Sofue nodded.

"He and I would often be alone and our parents had a big library room... He took to reading on the Sengoku. I, on the ancient peoples... And... On other matters." - she gave Kirijo-san a look, to which Kirijo-san nodded.

"That... Does sound pretty lonely." - Said Yukiko - "So that's how you developed these likings."

"Escapism is a powerful force, Amagi-chan, yes. He wanted power. Then again, so did I. He yearned for a kind of independence that the samurai supposedly had. I, for independence as well, but the independence of a goddess and a queen, with powers undreamt of. To be Isis reborn, the Living Nile..." - She said, smiling sadly.

Nanako chose this moment to speak.

"Uhm... I am really enjoying this... But I'm sleepy. Can I go to bed now?"

"Sure, Nanako." - Said my uncle, smiling - "Just brush your teeth and go. We'll keep it down..."

"Yours is a lovely daughter, Dojima-san. You should be grateful." - Said Kirijo-san, smiling, with a look not at all different from Miss Sofue's, eyeing Nanako as Nanako left.

"And on that note" - Said Sofue - "I will excuse myself for a moment once Nanako is done brushing her teeth."

"Why?" - Asked my uncle.

Miss Sofue actually blushed this time.

"I have a plethora of bedtime stories from Egypt I know very much by heart. I would like, if you do not mind, to tell her one before bed..."

"Uh... Sure..." - Said my uncle, smiling lightly.

"That actually reminds me... I myself do have a few toys of my childhood that are still in mint condition and Nanako might love to have them..." - Said Kirijo-san - "I will make a call in the next room..."

The phone chose this moment to ring. As my uncle went to answer it, Chie first made sure he wouldn't hear her, then burst into giggles.

"Oh, wow, these two are adorable!" - She said, laughing - "Fun fact, I read an article some three weeks ago about how Kirijo-san already gave all her childhood stuff away..."

"You mean..." - Said Yosuke.

"Yep!" - Said Chie, smirking - "The prim and proper ice queens will melt at the sight of a cute child. Nanako controls the Living Nile and the Scion of the Huge Zaibatsu..."

This time it was Yukiko's turn to burst into a fit of giggles that lasted some good five minutes.

Once Nanako had gone to bed...

"I believe it will be easier on all if I talk first, as I likely have the least amount of information." - Said Miss Sofue - "I know little. My divining rod showed me that all of you... With the possible exception of Kirijo-san..." - She then looked at Kirijo-san through the rod - "No, no exception... All of you... Have two traits. One, you are at a strange sort of peace with yourselves... Two, you have energy swirling around your heads... I do believe in fate and, when I saw you carrying an unconscious Dojima-san, I believed that something important was afoot. I sensed that you are involved in something considered impossible. I have studied quite a bit of the occult, of course... And... You all intrigue me. I asked for those frames, Hanamura-kun, because I felt something coming from them, not to mention the fact that you never wore glasses... Which means you must need them to go where you go... That is all I know. And whether or not you tell me more is very much your decision. At your word, I shall leave this house and only return when specifically invited. I will still help you, should you ever need it, but I will refrain from asking further. But I ask that you do not. I ask that you tell me what is transpiring, and I shall tell you why: because, much though I have, yes, yearned for this sort of power and experience, I also believe that the world might very well benefit greatly from it. These are my reasons. Allow me to accompany you, or do not, based on them. Tell me more, or do not, based on them. I do believe I might be an asset."

Mitsuru looked gravely at Miss Sofue.

"Sofue-san." - she began - "While I do believe you have the noblest of intentions at heart, I know by experience that attempting to involve the human experience with the shadows, with the beings in the minds of man, is a serious mistake that has never brought about anything good. Please do not take it personally when I tell you that, if it were my decision, I would not tell you anything else; my grandfather was once a good man. He was consumed by hubris and attempted to bring about the fall. My former tutor, likewise, killed my father in an attempt to cull humanity for its perceived sins. I do not know you and would not dare to judge you, but you might be driven insane."

"And what would I do if I were insane? Teach revisionist history? Or, perhaps, walk around with an ancient Egyptian headpiece?" - Asked Miss Sofue, to which Chie clamped her hand over Yukiko's mouth just in time.

"Look... Kirijo-san... I admit I agree with her." - I said - "If this is going on again in less than one year within two cities that aren't that far from one another, imagine the rest of the world. It won't go away if we ignore it..."

"Besides..." - said Miss Sofue - "You know of it, whatever it is. All of you do. Not one of you has shown any genocidal tendencies, or Mr. Morooka would already be dead, if I am being perfectly honest. But if you still believe that I am at risk, then I shall put my life on the line. If you deal with such powerful things, you are likely powerful yourselves. So, thus I decree: if I go mad, kill me."

The temperature of the room dropped some four or five degrees and everybody fell silent.

Kirijo-san was the first to speak again.

"You have earned my trust, for now, then, Sofue-san." - She said - "Very well. I shall tell you all I know."

As Kirijo-san did so, we all listened intently, Miss Sofue taking a few quick notes.

It was our turn. I smiled lightly.

"This one sounds less silly if shown, rather than told..."

I walked up to the TV and stuck my hand into the screen.

"Interesting..." - Said Miss Sofue - "Narukami-kun, hold that position. I need to..." - She first looked at me and at the TV through her divining rod - "Hmm. Yes, very much so... Hold still just a bit longer." - She went up to the TV and stuck her hand into it - "Aha... So your power is not to transverse the TV, but to make it transversable as long as you are in contact with it... So... What would happen if you were to remove yourself from the TV while my hand is still here?"

"Uhm... Sofue-san? When we did that with a rope, the rope was cut." - Said Chie.

"Ah, so you have experimented... And am I to assume that there is a place within the TVs?" - Asked Miss Sofue, sounding more and more excited, as she withdrew her hand.

"Correct." - I said - "It seems to be a place based off people's minds - as are the shadows... And we can summon personas there... Chie, Yosuke and Yukiko have personas based on Japanese mythos, unlike you, Kirijo-san... And my first persona was based on Japanese mythos too... But the others I have are variable..."

"YOU ARE A FOOL?" - Asked Kirijo-san, jumping from her seat.

I didn't quite know how to respond to that. Kirijo-san must have noticed, because she blushed a deep crimson and muttered:

"...er... I mean the... The tarot arcana. A zero, a wildcard..."

"Uhm..." - I said - "Well, I didn't mention it because there was no way to prove to anyone and it didn't matter much, but... Yes... Someone else also called me zero or a wildcard, this weird dude with cards and, well, he looked a bit like a tengu would..."

"Igor?" - Asked Kirijo-san, looking downtrodden all of a sudden.

"Uhm... Yes?" - I asked - "Could you give me some context? Are you friends with him?"

"I... Saw him shortly after the death of Minato... It was... Like a dream. I have had no way to contact him ever since, which is a shame, as he could shed light into a lot of issues..."

"Well, I have a key to where he is... But I don't know if I really travel there or if it's just a mental event or something whenever I use it..." - I said.

"That is why you sometimes stop by that lamp post near Daidara's shop?" - Asked Chie.

"Wait... Daidara? What... What is his most distinctive feature?" - Asked Kirijo-san.

"Big cross-shaped scar across his face." - Said Yosuke - "Receding red hair with a beard-stache a close second."

"Of course it would be Yoshiaki Daidara..." - Said Kirijo-san, sighing and picking up her cell phone - "Takenaka, please cancel my appointments for... Tomorrow, at the very least. I will find a hotel here..."

"Small world, huh?" - Asked Yosuke.

"Only if you think this is a coincidence, Hanamura-kun." - Said Miss Sofue.

"I doubt it is." - Said my uncle.

Miss Sofue smiled at him.

"So do I, Dojima-san... So do I."

Kirijo-san hung up and turned towards us, in a voice that admitted no disagreement.

"Tomorrow..." - She said - "We shall visit Daidara together. And then all of us shall pay a visit to the Velvet Room if that is at all possible, by means of using that key of yours."

"There's an entrance to the Velvet Room in the TV World too..." - I said - "We can all go through there. Including Sofue-sensei, likely after she gets her persona, if she doesn't faint afterwards."

"My driver will be ready to carry you home if you do." - Said Kirijo-san.

"Thank you, Kirijo-san." - Said Miss Sofue.

"For now, I guess we should get going." - Said Chie.

"I shall give you a ride to your inn, Amagi. After all, I will sleep there as well." - Said Kirijo-san.

"Woooow... You lucked out, Yukiko!" - Said Yosuke, smiling.

Kirijo-san smirked.

"All right, Hanamura. You are quite transparent indeed. I shall give you and Satonaka rides as well. Sofue-san, you are likewise welcome to join us."

"I drove here, Kirijo-san, but I do thank you." - She said.

We said our goodbyes and went to bed to prepare for what was certainly going to be an eventful day tomorrow...