Yukiko groaned as she was pulled from the cage into a tight hug, Chie sobbing on her shoulder. Her blurry vision slowly focused on Yu and Yosuke, standing behind the two girls, all out of their transformations. As Chie frantically looked over her friend for any injuries, Yukiko's gaze wandered back to the throne.

She visibly tensed when she saw her Shadow standing impassively at the bottom of the steps. "No… I'm not-"

"We understand." Yosuke said, placing his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "You're not the only one like that, Yukiko-san. Everyone has something they can't show to other people, or don't want to admit to themselves."

"Yukiko…" Chie said, hiccupping as a new wave of tears began to fall. "I'm sorry. I was so self-centered that I never understood what you were going through. I'm your friend, and I still… I'm so sorry."

"Chie…" Yukiko said, shocked at seeing the normally tough girl openly sobbing.

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't. That jealousy was like a wall, and I was so lonely! I wanted you to need me, but it was me that needed you. I can't do anything right on my own. I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and the others. If you weren't by my side, I… I wouldn't know what to do."

"I never saw the real you either, I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." Yukiko turned and walked up to her Shadow. "'I want to run away,' 'I want someone to save me…' You're right. Those feelings are part of me, too. I understand now, you're me."

Shadow Yukiko nodded and smiled, slowly rising into the air as it burst into blue flames. In its place was a tall, humanoid figure, dressed in long boots and a short dress, the lower half silver and the upper half warm peach and pink, separated by a golden belt. Attached to their wrists were two disks, which held strips of pink metal, designed to look like flower petals. A mask covered their head with two yellow slits to see out of, and at the back two points were two elegant blossoms. The figure faded into a card, which rested in front of Yukiko and glowed a soothing blue before fading completely.

Almost instantly, Yukiko fell to her feet, her head drooping as she felt her exhaustion hit her full force. The group ran up to her, Chie supporting her back to her feet and Yosuke throwing a quick Dia to help her recover.

"Are you okay?" Yu asked.

"Yes, I'm just a little tired. You all came to rescue me?" A smile danced across her lips and she chuckled. "I didn't think I made that good of an impression."

"Well, Yosuke had to be convinced." Yu teased, laughing at Yosuke's indignant squawk.

"Thank you."

"Don't even mention it." Chie said, wiping her cheeks. "I'm just so glad you're safe."

Teddie used this moment to break up the heartfelt reunion. "So, who threw you in here?"

Yukiko tilted her head. "Huh? Who are you? Rather, what are you?"

"I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?"

Yukiko looked down at the floor, her exhaustion evident. "I don't know. I think… someone called my name, but my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was. I'm sorry, um, Teddie."

"No new clues…"

"Not necessarily." Yosuke said. "Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here."

Teddie grumbled. "Then it really isn't you guys."

"You still suspected us?" Yu asked, glaring down at the bear.

Teddie, thankfully, looked nervous. "N-No no no no no! Absolutely not!"

"You little-!" Yosuke made to punch the bear, but Yu held his arm back and shook his head, smiling. The brown haired teen sighed. "You're one lying sack of honey."

"Anyways, let's hurry back home. Yukiko looks exhausted." Chie said, keeping her friend's arm slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah, and it's probably late. I don't want to risk Dojima-san getting home early and chewing me out." Yu said, rolling his shoulders.

"I wasn't didn't sign up for any shifts, so my dad's gonna be pissed if he thinks I'm 'slacking off.' Man, what a letdown." Yosuke griped.

"W-Wait, you're leaving me here?" Teddie said, panicking.

"Leaving you? What're you talking about, you live here." Yosuke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We're obviously going to use the GoHo-M and walk back to the stage, if you're thinking we'd leave you in the castle, Teddie." Yu explained.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"I'm sorry, Teddie. I promise to come again. So be a good boy and wait here until then." Yukiko said, pushing herself off of Chie and stumbling over to Teddie, patting his head. The bear let out an affectionate roar, and his cheeks were dyed red.

"Might not want to continue down that path, Teddie." Yu said warningly. "You might get a critical hit to the nads from Chie."

Yosuke groaned from his left. "Really? I said that once, are you going to make that a thing?"

"Hey, why not, it'll certainly lift our moods if we're down." Yu said, taking out the last GoHo-M in his pocket and breaking it in his hand, beginning the long trek back to Junes.


The Junes food court was empty, but that could have been entirely blamed on the fact that it was much later than they had expected exiting the TV. They had all agreed that Yukiko needed food before she was brought back to the Amagi Inn, or anywhere else where someone could spot her.

So they all chipped in and bought her a rather large plate of takoyaki balls, a bowl of rice, and a large bottle of water. Even though she was clearly starving, she ate slowly and carefully, trying to get as little soy sauce on her lap as possible.

"Do you remember anything?" Yu asked from across the table. He had called the house line, explaining that he would be late coming home because he was helping a few friends from class study for an English test the next day. Thankfully, Nanako was the one who picked up, and she agreed to tell Dojima if he came home before him.

"I'm sorry, but, no. Other than my name being called, I can't remember anything before my… Shadow came into the room."

"Well, no worries!" Chie assured her. "You're safe, and that's more than enough."

"But there's no mistake that Yukiko-san was… um… attacked the same way as the last two victims. And I think the one we saw on the Midnight Channel wasn't the real Yukiko-san, but her Shadow. Maybe the things Yukiko-san was suppressing in this world took form in the TV?"

Chie looked up from her cellphone. She was also making an excuse for her mother, saying that she wouldn't be home until later because Yu had gotten lost and she needed to show him back home. It was a shoddy excuse but she would definitely buy it. "You know, Teddie was saying something like that."

"It's no use," Yosuke ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm just going round and round in circles. What kind of person could be doing this?"

"I don't know, but for now, let's call it a day." Yu said. "It's late, and Yukiko needs to get home and get some rest. She was in there way longer than the three of us combined, and she just gained her Persona."

"Yeah, we can go over it some other day. C'mon, Yukiko, I'll help you home." Chie helped Yukiko to her feet and around the bench, assisting her to the elevator. Yu turned to Yosuke, who adjusted the headphones around his neck.

"We'll take about all this some more once she gets her strength back."

"Yeah, and once the police are done talking to her. I can only imagine what my Uncle's gonna do." Yu scoffed and began to walk to the elevator, Yosuke walking right beside him. "By the way, you didn't seem that surprised when I summoned Valkyrie and Ukobach in the castle."

"Oh, that's because I kind of… heard it?" Yosuke shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it, but, when I was in the nurse's office, I was suddenly flying around the school and I saw that tiny guy - Ukobach, right? Anyways, I saw him on your desk and heard your explanation and then sat through class. The nurse said I fell asleep at one point, so I thought it was just me dreaming it up, but then Ukobach and Valkyrie came around in the TV world, so I figured that it was true."

"Yeah, it's called Sensory Swapping. I did it when you brought Chie and I here for lunch after school the first time." Yu admitted, then he hummed. "What's your excuse for your parents?"

"Oh, I haven't exactly thought one out yet. I've got no idea what I would say that would keep them from blowing up in my face."

"Well, why not come to my place? You can say I dragged you to my house to study for English. It would help back up my lie to Dojima-san as well."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I was the one to get us both dragged down to the station on the first day."

"Hey, worst case scenario, you get kicked out. Besides, it'll probably be a good thing if I can convince him you're not as bad a kid as he thinks." Yu said as he pressed the call button for the elevator. "Cops tend to have pretty thick skulls, and it takes them a while to get used to stuff. I might as well bring you over to try and jumpstart that."

Yosuke hesitantly nodded. "Alright, but if he pulls out his gun collection, I'm running."

Yu couldn't stop laughing the entire trip home.


The door to the house slid open, and Yosuke jumped from his spot on the couch. Nanako cheered and stood from her seat at the table, and Yu had to practically leap across it to keep her tea from spilling onto the TV remote. "He's home!"

Nanako paused in her dash to the door when her father entered, along with another man. Nanako sheepishly sat back down, mumbling out a tiny 'hello' before sipping at her tea.

"Hi there!" The younger man said, waving at Nanako.

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. I thought we might as well swing by." Dojima explained.

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring."

"I can still work you harder, you know."

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha… ha." Adachi scratched the back of his head and looked around the room, his eyes widening once he saw Yosuke. "Uh, hey, weren't you at the station earlier this week?"

"Uh…"

"He's a friend of mine from school." Yu said quickly. "He needed help with studying for an English test we have to take tomorrow, so I brought him here."

Dojima sighed, but Adachi smiled at his good nature. "Aw, man, do you know English that well? I was pretty cr- bad at it in school, but it's definitely a useful skill to have. You're also friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Yeah, did something come up?" Yosuke asked.

"They found her safe and sound! Tell all your friends at school."

"That's a relief." Though we already knew that. "Chie was going up and down the wall with worry."

"Yeah, for us on the force, too. But this doesn't mean the case is close, though. We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing. And we can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really disappeared. It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me… like there's something else going on."

Dojima spun around and smacked Adachi on the back of the head, and the younger yelped at the hit. "Stop blabbering, dumbass!"

"S-Sorry." Dojima turned to the two teens sitting at the table.

"Ignore him. He's just spouting some wild fantasy. Yu, do you mind if I talk to you in private?"

Yu nodded and stood from the table, ignoring the small chit chat going on between the three as Yu and Dojima both went upstairs, the older of the two leading them into Yu's room.

"Listen is there something you're not telling me?" Yu froze, and his eyes widened. Shit, how did he find out so fast? "I can understand if you aren't. I'm your uncle, and I'm a cop, but I've seen the bloody bandages in the bathroom's trash and considering that Yosuke and you were arrested yesterday… I just don't want you hanging around with the wrong crowd."

Yu could feel a weight lift from his shoulders. Thank God, he only thinks I hanging out with the wrong people. Well, that's not much better, but still, it's certainly better than him thinking I'm trying to solve the murders. "No, no that's not the case, Dojima-san. Yosuke and I are really just friends from school, and he brought me to Junes for lunch, because he gets a discount for being an employee. He was showing off the weapons, which were both fake, by the way, and was just saying how he'd beat up the murderer if he saw them. I'll admit, he wasn't thinking, but he's not a part of a gang."

"And the bandages?"

"Those were from before I came to Inaba. I fell down a flight of stairs and scratched up my leg pretty badly, and I just kept changing them in the bathroom. I probably should have cleaned it up better, but it's probably a good thing that you found them and not Nanako."

Dojima sighed. "I take it that you're going to continue to hang out with Yosuke?"

"Of course, especially if he needs help in school." Yu looked at Dojima's face and felt his annoyance grow. "Dojima, you really can't feel that he's that bad, right?"

"Look, I'm going to keep an eye on him. I have to do it either way, considering that he had two weapons in a public area, and we're considering everyone for the murders. If I feel that he's an okay kid, then I'll let you hang out with him, but if he's not then you have to stay away from him, alright?"

Yu sighed, knowing that there was no way he could argue his way out of this. "Yes, that's fine. But trust me, you'll know that he's a normal kid."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Dojima said as he left the room, calling down the stairs. "Alright, Adachi, wash your hands! We're going to eat dinner, so they better be clean!"

Yu sighed. At least he was getting Dojima to consider a friendship. What was better, having an overbearing parent, or having parents that were barely there?


Yu's phone pinged on his desk. He looked up from his textbook and glanced at the screen, seeing Yosuke's contact name pop up.

[23:44] Yosuke: So what did ur unc want 2 talk abt?

Yu lifted his eyebrow, deciphering the somewhat confusing kanji that came on the screen.

[23:44] Yu: You text oddly.

[23:45] Yosuke: HEY im not changin

[23:45] Yosuke: But seriously, what was it?

[23:45] Yu: He asked if I was hanging with the wrong crowd.

[23:46] Yu: It was partially my fault. I was sloppy with hiding all of my bandages from the fights, and the arrest made him think I was part of a bike gang, too.

[23:47] Yosuke: PLZ tell me he doesn't think Im a member

[23:48] Yu: He said he's going to 'observe you' and if he thinks you're not a bad influence on me, then he'll 'approve' of our friendship.

[23:49] Yosuke: wtf Im not dating u.

[23:49] Yu: Yeah, but he's a cop. They are incredibly thick headed.

[23:50] Yosuke: U say that like uv met a cop

[23:50] Yu: Well, not directly.

[23:51] Yosuke: WAT

[23:52] Yu: I never committed a crime, but a majority of my friends from the city had. I know how to handle them based on what they've told me.

[23:53] Yosuke: Dude uv hung out w/ CRIMINALS

[23:53] Yosuke: Im friends w/ a thug

[23:55] Yu: Look, let's make a deal right now.

[23:56] Yu: If you take me to this amazing steak place you mentioned when I first got here, I will tell you about who I hung out with.

[23:57] Yosuke: U wont stab me?

[23:57] Yu: I promise I won't stab you.

[23:57] Yosuke: N u pay for ur steak

[23:58] Yu: I have enough money.

[23:59] Yosuke: Ok deal

[23:59] Yosuke: C u 2morrow prtnr!

Noting the time on his phone, Yu stood from his seat and stretched, bookmarking the page of his textbook and setting it aside as he turned off his desk lamp and went to sleep. In his mind, he dreamed of wresting Yosuke while they were wearing luchador masks and mawashis.

He woke up a little more than confused.


Wednesday, 4-20-12. Weather: Cloudy Throughout the Day

"Man, I'm glad we saved Yukiko. If it weren't for the fact I checked the weather report, I would think it'd be raining right now." Yosuke said, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky. Yu couldn't help but sigh, the somewhat dreary weather weighing down on him as he walked through the shopping district. Compared to the chaos two days prior, school was incredibly boring, especially since Yu already knew most of the curriculum from the school he went to before moving.

Speaking of chaos, Izanagi and Jiraiya were darting around high above them. Considering that Yu's Persona was rather reserved, he doubted that they were playing around. "What do you think their doing?" Yu said, pointing at the sky.

"Maybe practicing? I don't know. So long as they don't make me regret leaving my house, I'm fine with it." Yosuke turned to his left at a little indent on the sidewalk, a small stand, a soda machine, and a fold out table with two plastic crates with planks of wood acting as chairs. "Well, here we are, Souzai Daigaku."

"Huh," Yu said, shrugging as he put down his bag by the red crate. "It's not fancy, but hey, I can take it."

Yosuke looked surprised. "Really? Awesome, I'll order us some croquettes!"

After a few minutes, Yosuke came back with two plates. The boys dug into their food, and while it was a little tough to chew, the taste was well worth it. "These are amazing." Yu said with his mouth full.

"Hey, don't become Chie, alright?" Yosuke joked. "Sticking chunks of steak in croquettes… Man, this really is the country, huh? Chie called this stuff 'tender and juicy,' what kind of teeth does she have?"

"You'd certainly never get this back in Tokyo, I can tell you that." Yu said just as two ladies passed by. They took a look at Yosuke and started to whisper to each other, just loud enough so they could hear.

"He's from Junes-Yasogami High School, right?"

"His classmate, Sato-san? Went out of business."

"This shopping district could disappear, and yet…" As the two left their range of hearing, the vending machine by Yosuke began to fizzle. Yu stood from his seat, fist clenched as he marched over to them, a small flicker of electricity dancing around his hand.

"Wha—hey!" Yosuke darted in front of him. "Partner, don't make a scene!"

"They shouldn't talk about you like that, especially not behind your back." Yu replied, trying to push past him.

"Please, Narukami, sit back down and eat. I'm used to it by now." If anything, that made the anger in Yu rise further, and the vending machine let out a loud pop! as a soda can flew out of it and hit a street pole, the impact nearly causing it to explode. Seeing the desperation in his friend's eyes, Yu took a calming breath and sat back down at the table, idly poking at his steak.

"Is it tough?" He asked, and Yosuke looked up, surprised. Most people would have dropped it and let it be after that.

"Nah, it's not really. It's mainly my parents, I'm not personally involved. Anyways, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Haven't you tried speaking out against the company?"

"And risk my dad finding out? Gossip spreads like wildfire here, and I don't think there's anyone in Inaba who doesn't know me. If he finds out that I'm saying bad stuff about Junes, he'd have my head on a… what's it called, a pair?"

"I think you mean pike."

"Yeah, pike, there you go. It kinda sucks that I have to always mind my manners, not only about the company, but to everyone that badmouths it, too." The brown haired teen smiled cheerfully, showing a bit of light, despite his circumstances. Yu smiled back, understanding how he could feel that way about his parents. Again, the question in his mind arose over which was worse, overbearing parents, or non-existent ones.

The sound of glass smashing filled Yu's ears, and the tarot card for the Magician appeared in front of Yosuke. It glowed golden, the Arabic numeral 2 flashing in front of it before it spun and faded from sight. Only a second later, Jiraiya appeared next to Yosuke in a massive gust of wind that nearly blew their plates off the table.

"Hey! Watch it, Jiraiya!" Yosuke shouted, pulling his plate defensively close to his chest. "Ugh, I'm probably gonna get another. I think Jiraiya might've just blown a bunch of junk on my croquette."

Yu chuckled. "By all means, go ahead, but you're the one who's paying for it."


It was many hours later, when Yu was lying in bed vainly trying to fall asleep, that his phone buzzed loudly on his desk. By the time Yu blearily crawled out of his futon, there were three notifications, all by a certain Magician.

[1:02] Yosuke: No fair! U didnt tell me abt ur city friends whore thugs

[1:02] Yosuke: WHO R not whore WHO R

[1:02] Yosuke: wow now theyre gonna beat the crap outta me

[1:03] Yu: Yosuke it's one in the morning.

[1:03] Yosuke: oh good ur awake

[1:04] Yosuke: but srsly why didnt u tell me?

[1:05] Yu: I'm not entirely comfortable with talking about it, if we're being honest.

[1:06] Yosuke: im sorry

[1:06] Yosuke: i pushed u to tell me that stuff when it was ur bsns

[1:07] Yu: It's fine, but I'm really tired right now and I want to sleep.

[1:07] Yosuke: right right sorry

[1:07] Yosuke: we can talk abt it when u r ready

[1:08] Yosuke: this doesnt change anything, right?

[1:08] Yu: No, it doesn't, but I need sleep for the football tryouts tomorrow

[1:09] Yosuke: ok, gd luck and gdnight!


Thursday, 4-21-12. Weather: Rainy Morning and Fog throughout the Day.

Yu yawned and stretched as Yasogami's P.E. teacher, Mr. Kondo, lead him to the field in the back of the school. The morning rain had, thankfully, ebbed away into a low fog and cloudy skies, and the football field had hardened up to the point where it was packed and slowly followed behind him, taking in the school as Mr. Kondo was babbling to himself excitedly about a new member.

Why Yosuke texted me that early, I will never know. Yu thought darkly, rubbing at his eyes.

"You cannot fully blame him, Chieftain. You chose to answer him, and that kept you up even further." Valkyrie responded, sensing her user's upset. "At the very least, you can go to bed early after studying tonight."

Thank God for that. Yu nearly bumped into Mr. Kondo when he stopped and turned to his right. There were five other boys, two with green shirts on while the rest had orange. As Yu zoned back in on the situation around him, he realized that his teacher was introducing him.

"...Alright guys, listen up. You have a new teammate! You all know Narukami Yu, right? He's from the city, so I'm sure he's got some moves he's just waiting to show off! I'd say this season's in the bag! I'm even thinking about making him captain!" Kondo laughed cheerfully, and Yu couldn't help but dread at the idea. He needed as much free time as he could to investigate the TV world, and becoming captain would not be a good thing.

"The city, huh?" One of the boys whispered, and slowly, others joined in.

"I bet he played for some big team back home."

"Tch, look at him. City slicker probably thinks he's better than us."

"Yeah, we're just a bunch of hicks to him…"

"Do you even know how to play?" Valkyrie asked, and Yu subtly shrugged. I played with a few people back in Tokyo, but never to the extent where I joined a team. It was mainly for fun.

"Here, why don't you say something to the team?" Mr. Kondo said, oblivious to the whispers and Yu's mental conversation.

The silver haired teen turned to the small crowd in front of him. "Nice to meet you." The other members slowly muttered their own greetings, but they certainly weren't happy. Some even sent him glares.

"Alright, let's start with a few laps!" Mr. Kondo said before blowing a whistle, and the other boys obediently moved to the track. "Narukami, why don't you just watch for today? Just keep in mind that practices are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but we don't practice in the rain. We take the week before exams off too, so make sure you use that time to study hard, okay?"

Yu nodded, thanking any deity he could think of off the top of his head for the chance to rest. Yu slowly closed his eyes once he sat down on one of the benches on the side of the field, the drone of feet slapping against the ground and Kondo shouting at them lulling him into a tentative rest. Time passed, and soon, Yu was being awoken by Valkyrie gently shaking his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see another boy approaching him.

He was slightly taller than Yu, maybe by an inch, with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, and there was a bandage stubbornly clinging to his nose. He was the only other person on the field, and Yu felt his face heat up in embarrassment at getting caught taking a nap.

"Hey, man, I'm Daisuke Nagase. Second year, same as you. Nice to meet you."

"Ah," Yu hummed. "I hope you haven't heard anything bad about me."

"Nah, other than the fact you're a transfer and in King Moron's class. Bad luck getting put there."

"Yo, Daisuke, you waiting for a special invitation? Let's go!" Another boy came up, this one not dressed in the soccer team's uniform, rather, a white t-shirt and sweatpants. He had somewhat long black hair and silver eyes, but like Nagase, he was also sweaty. His attention turned to Yu, and he brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. "Oh, hey, you're the transfer student, right? Joined the soccer team, huh? Good, 'cause they need all the help they can get. Pretty weak team, know what I'm saying?"

"Shut up! Your team is just as lame!" Daisuke shouted before turning back to Yu. "This big mouth here is Kou. He's the same grade as us, but he's on the basketball team."

"Kou Ichijo. I'm the basketball team's up-and-coming MVP."

"Man, get your head out of the clouds."

"Hey, and that's not all! I'm pretty smart too, so if you need any help on your tests, I'm your man. How 'bout it, transfer student? You a smart guy?"

"Stop calling him that. The team's already giving him enough crap as it is."

"Ah, I can hear it now. 'Us country folk ain't gonna get shown up by no big shot city boy!' Gotta love those guys."

"It's not funny, man…"

"Well, as long as he's got some skills, they'll back off sooner or later. You played much soccer before, Narukami?"

Yu shrugged. "I've never played for a team, but I've done it a fair amount in the city."

Kou chuckled and grinned. "They this'll be easy, right?"

Yu grinned back, and Daisuke let out a small chuckle as well. In all honesty, he was relieved. The team had treated him so negatively, that he thought that all the other players would treat him the same. Like Chie and Yosuke, there was the sound of glass breaking, and time froze to a halt. A card formed in the middle of the trio, which depicted a woman with spindly hair reaching out to a lion. Above her head was the symbol for infinity, and a sun shone in the corner. In the trimming at the very bottom of the card was the Roman numeral XI.

Thou art I, And I am thou.

Thou hast established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the truth.

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Strength Arcana.

"Anyways, practice is over." Daisuke said, the halt in time not processing in his brain as he carried on. "We can walk home together, Narukami."

"Alright, I'll go get changed. See you in a few." Kou said, walking back to the school. Valkyrie watched their movements carefully, almost like she was examining them.

"These two have much internal conflict, but the one who truly needs your intervention, Chieftain, is your partner in sport. I am interested in seeing how this will turn out." Valkyrie smiled and turned her horse around, entering a slow gait as they headed back to Yu's house.


Friday, 4-22-12. Weather: Sunny Morning and Cloudy Afternoon.

"Hey, don't rush. If we go together…"

"Just leave me alone!"

Yu turned his head at the indignant shout, seeing a small boy and his mother going down the riverbank, away from the high school. A few moments later, Yosuke ran up next to him, adjusting the shoulder strap for his bag.

"Morning, Yu. What was that about? Is that kid already at that rebellious age? Well, the murders must have parents around here pretty worried."

"Even so, his mother certainly has her hands full." Yu replied, watching as Izanagi and Jiraiya interacted amicably above them. "I think they might have been sparing when we last talked, I woke up with fading bruises afterwards."

"Yeah, sorry about keeping you up, by the way." Yosuke hissed out, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, we'll talk about the city once you're ready to talk about it. That sound fair?"

"Yes, I enjoy that option a lot more." Yu smiled, turning his attention back to the street.

"Oh, about the culprit," Yosuke began, turning the conversation back to its original topic. "I was thinking about it some, and I don't understand him at all. It seems like a lot of effort to dump someone into a TV. How is he doing it? The more I think about it, the more confused I get…"

"Well, I could enter the TV before I could use my Persona. I didn't even confront a Shadow. Maybe the killer's similar in that regard. For now, let's just wait for Yukiko to recover."

"You're right. Let's come back to this after we've heard Yukiko's side of things." Yosuke winced briefly and rubbed his arm, glaring at the Personas above him. Yu did as well, only to have his eyes widen at the sight of Tomoe (where Chie's Persona had come from, he had no idea) rearing for a kick at Jiraiya's gut. Izanagi intervened, but in the worst way possible, by jumping in front of Tomoe's kick and taking it for himself.

However, this also meant that Yu felt the full force of the kick as well, and he fell to his knees, holding his groin. Tomoe immediately backed away, but Jiraiya and Yosuke were laughing, the latter wiping away a tear that had began to form. "Oh, man, now you know what it's like to take a critical hit to the nads!"

"Shut… up." Yu ground out, slowly clambering to his feet and limping the rest of the way to school.


Thankfully, Yosuke wasn't too much of an asshole. In thanks for taking the hit, Yosuke decided to take him around town for a little walk. They passed through the Central Shopping District, and Yu had the rather rare opportunity to buy a few books to read with his new found wealth.

Eventually, the duo ended up in Okina Station, the one place in Inaba where Yu really hadn't been before, so Yosuke took it upon himself to act as his personal tour guide. The smaller of the two took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling as he did so. "It's been a while since I breathed this kinda air! Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent." With a concerned expression, Yosuke turned to Yu. "Wait a minute, am I starting to sound like Teddie?

Smirking, Yu decided to tease his friend. "Hm, you're looking a little bit hairier."

"Now that you mention it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had-!" Yosuke groaned and shook his head, smiling good naturedly. "H-Hey, you're making me scare myself!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Yu said, chuckling. "I honestly still can't believe his name is Teddie, of all things!"

"Yeah, I can see why you laughed when we first met him. Well, that aside, what should we-"

Yosuke's phone let off a rapid series of beeps. With a slightly excited expression, Yosuke took his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, only to scowl at it moments later. "More spam… Looks like someone got my address. I get a lot of spam."

"Eh, what can you do." Yu shrugged. Spam emails weren't a new occurrence for him, and one way or another, someone was bound to receive it.

"Yeah, I know. I don't wanna change addresses, so.." Yosuke sighed. "I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone. It's hard to call, y'know? I fI called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed. And some of them never planned to text me anyway."

Looking up, Yosuke saw Yu's concerned expression. "Oh but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!" Yosuke replied, his smile somewhat strained. "Though to tell you the truth, I don't remember what we used to talk about. Can't really call 'em friends. Inaba suits me just fine. Plus, I got something I need to do there. I'm counting on ya, partner!"

Like at Souzai Daigaku, there was the sound of smashing glass and the Magician Tarot card appeared. The number 3 appeared on its face before spinning out of existence. Yosuke smiled once time resumed to a normal pace, turning to face the stairs. "Well, with that in mind, should we head back? It'd suck if something happened back there while we were over here!"

Yu nodded, but before he could say anything, Yosuke was interrupting him. "Wait, let's get everyone a souvenir, then go home!" The smaller of the two dashed up the stairs, Jiraiya in tow, as Yu stood at the bottom, shaking his head.

"It take so little to get him energetic, huh?" Yu said, turning to Izanagi. The Persona nodded before floating up the stairs at a more reserved pace beside his partner.


Saturday, 4-23-12. Weather: Cloudy Throughout the Day.

"Hey, did you hear?" Yu's head snapped up from his daydreaming when he heard the two girls in front of him talking. "There are some part-time job listings on the town bulletin board now! I wish there was one that would let me make some quick cash."

Her friend with braids hummed. "I don't think you have the diligence to handle a job that takes a lot of time."

"That's so mean! Maybe I don't, but, I bet I'll be more diligent if I get a job! I bet you wouldn't do too well with a job where you have to work with others because you lack understanding, huh?"

"I don't need to work, since I'm focusing on my studies. If my grades are good, I might be able to swing a raise in my allowance."

"That's cheating!" The chatty girl sighed. "I wish I was born into a rich family so I didn't need a part-time job. Or if I knew someone nice enough to buy me anything I wanted."

"I don't think that would've been so great. There's someone like that at our school too."

"Huh? Oh!"

At that moment, a girl with long, nearly orange hair stomped past Yu and the girls, huffing in anger. Ignoring the odd moment, Yu tilted his head and thought.

A part-time job, huh? Well, I might get new social links while I'm there. Plus, I'll get paid, which is always a good thing in my opinion. Yu looked up at Izanagi, who casually floated overhead. "What do you think?"

The Persona looked down at Yu, and the teen got the distinct impression that, if he could see under their mask, he would see a faint smile. "Do what I think is best?"

Izanagi nodded as the school came into view, the bell chiming as any stragglers began to enter.


Ms. Sofue tapped her staff against the blackboard behind her, snapping most of the students awake. She cleared her throat and straightened her jacket, her booming voice echoing through the classroom. "Well then, I'll begin my lecture on the Age of Discovery, which occurred between the 15th and 17th centuries. Many types of vegetation were introduced to Europe during this era. Among them, tulips from Turkey deserve special attention.

"Gardening for pleasure was becoming popular, causing the price of tulip bulbs to rise. It was the world's first economic bubble incident: 'Tulip mania.' Along with the South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Company, it is said to be one of the biggest bubbles in European history." Her gaze raked over the classroom, and a decidedly annoyed look crossed her face. "Hey! Mr. Hanamura, wake up! What was the first economic bubble incident in the world?"

Yosuke jolted up from his slouched position, his hand slamming against the table in his panic. "What? H-Help, Yu! What's this ergonomic bubble she's asking about?"

Rolling his eyes, Yu leaned back slightly and whispered: "Tulip mania."

"Uh… Tulip mania, right?" Yosuke was visibly relieved when Ms. Sofue smiled at him, letting out a large sigh of relief.

"So you were actually listening. Yes, it was tulip mania. Tulip bulbs imported into Holland became extremely popular, and prices jumped dramatically as a result. At its highest, a single bulb was worth the price of a luxurious house. However, once the bubble burst, prices fell once again, and the trade cities in Holland were thrown into confusion. Mr. Hanamura, do take care to not let that snot-bubble of yours burst, or you may also be thrown into confusion. Yes, Koboyashi? I can see your hand raised."

As Ms. Sofue turned her attention away from the middle row, Yosuke leaned forward and chuckled. "Thanks, Yu. I'll have to stay awake for the next one."

Yu turned his head, smiled, and began to jot down his notes quickly, knowing that Yosuke would eventually need to lend them later on.


Yu let out a sigh of relief once he entered the Velvet Room. Admittedly, he was nervous the firsts few times he had entered, simply because the car was such a surreal place to be (not even mentioning how he had felt when being brought there in his dreams). Now the supernatural room was starting to feel like a second home, like this was a safe place for him to stay.

"I assume that you have come here to fuse Personas, yes?" Igor hummed, gesturing at the table in front of him.

Yu nodded, the wide range of Personas he had collected in Yukiko's castle appearing in the car. It was somewhat cramped, but considering that they could make themselves as transparent as possible, it wasn't as crowded as one would think.

There was Izanagi, Ukobach, and Valkyrie, of course, but there was also a few new additions that came from beating the Shadows. In the end, Yu hadn't used them that much when fighting, especially when facing off with Yukiko's Shadow, but their presence was welcomed, none the less.

Ukobach rubbed his hands together, chuckling as thoughts whirred through his tiny mind. "Alright, sire, I believe I have a plan in place for getting you more power!"

Valkyrie huffed. "Must we listen to a demon such as him?"

"He hasn't led me wrong so far," Yu said, turning to Ukobach. "Okay, what do you have in mind?"

"Fuse together Sandman and Angel first. Then fuse together Izanagi and Valkyrie before summoning them back. After that, we will have more than enough power."

Igor nodded and the two Persona's cards appeared before smashing together. In the place of Sandman and Angel hovered a small girl with short golden hair curled around pointed ears. She was dressed in a green clothing with golden designs around her arms, chest, stomach, and boots that stretched up to mid-thigh. A pair of translucent fairy wings fluttered behind her, and her red eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm Sylph. Um, I'll do my best, so please let me stick around."

She fluttered over to sit in Yu's lap as Igor repeated the process, this time with Izanagi and Valkyrie. The two cards spun wildly before colliding, a burst of flame rising around the Persona's body before dissipating. It was, for lack of a better descriptor, a humanoid horse. It had the fur coat, legs, tail, mane, and head of a horse, but the body and posture of a man-albeit, a severely starved man. The ribs were poking through, and its stomach was drawn thin. Blank green eyes peered at Yu as the horse-man snorted. "I am Orobas. Very well, you shall have my strength at your disposal."

Smiling, Margaret opened the Persona Compendium and brought forth Izanagi and Valkyrie once more after Yu had paid for them. Marie roughly coughed, catching Yu's attention. In return, Yu nodded and left the Velvet room, rolling his shoulders. Sylph decided to appear next to him, the tiny fairy-like creature fluttering idly by his shoulder. "Okay, where to?"

"North of here. Apparently, there are a bunch of jobs available, and I wanted to see if I could get one to help me get money."

"Yeah, you need to summon us back to get more fusions, huh?" Sylph floated on her back as Yu continued northwards. "Wow, I didn't know the world looked like this! There are so many people here, too! I can have a whole lot of fun while you're busy doing something."

"I'd rather you not." Yu muttered, looking to his left and seeing a girl murmuring as she looked over various papers pinned to a wall. Assuming it to be the bulletin board he was looking for, Yu moved closer and started reading over the jobs

"Let's see… Envelope constructor, translator, origami crane folder…" Yu hummed, before looking at the local options. He was probably going to take one of those jobs later, when he simply wanted cash, but he wanted to see if there were any jobs where he could interact with others.

Thankfully, there was one. "Assistant day care caretaker, huh?" Sylph hummed from over his shoulder and then let out a small chuckle. "Aw, I know that they won't be able to see me, but I can help you take care of them if you need me to!"

Yu mulled over the decision in his head before ripping the paper off the wall, taking note of what days he was needed. He could go Monday, Friday, and Saturday so long as it wasn't raining, and he got 4,000 yen as well. He flipped open his phone, seeing that he had more than enough time to hop on a bus and get to the center, and he still had enough Yen in his pocket for the fee. With plans for the rest of his afternoon in mind, Yu began walking to the southern end of the shopping district, reading over the sheet of job requirements in his hand.


Port Island, Iwatodai Dormitory. Weather: Sunny Throughout the Day

Junpei's crutches tapped against the concrete sidewalk as he made his way to his old dormitory. Hung over his shoulder was a duffel bag that had a few shirts and shorts he could wear, his baseball bat, catcher's glove, a baseball, and a few snacks for the trip.

Why Mitsuru had called him back down to Port Island, he had no clue, but he wasn't about to decline since he had strained his hamstring and was forced off his job teaching the little league team until it was completely healed. He had tried to keep his weight off of his leg for the most part, doing a few exercises, but this was a good way for him to stop worrying about the team's current progress without him there. He hoped that the assistant coach was doing well, those kids could be really rowdy sometimes.

Standing outside the entrance, Junpei could imagine what it was like two years ago when Akihiko found him wandering through Port Island, getting accepted into the dorm, pulling the trigger of his Evoker for the first time, seeing Hermes for the first time as he, Yukari, and Minato traipsed through Tartarus… That year was simultaneously the best and worst time of his life, what with the death of Shinjiro, Chidori, and Minato, and the fact that the world nearly ended, but he figured out what he was going to do with his life, and created a family made of possibly the weirdest people he'd ever met.

But that was two years ago. This was now, and he would finally be able to see all the remaining S.E.E.S. members and how they changed. It wasn't that he hadn't talked with them, or heard from them throughout years, but seeing them in the flesh was much different than seeing them through a computer screen.

The doors creaked as Junpei opened them, nearly losing his bag in the process. There was a chuckle to his right, and he turned and saw Akihiko leaning against the wall. The man had certainly changed over the years, apparently deciding less clothing was better and just abandoning shirts all together. He was wearing a pair of gloves, a cape, pants, a pair of boots, and a belt with a holster for a knife. To his surprise, probably because he had rarely seen his senpai without a shirt off, or because it had happened within the two year time gap, there were three long scars on his chest. "Careful, don't fall over now."

"Not my fault I'm on crutches." Junpei mumbled, fixing his grip and entering the dormitory, moving to the couch by the table and grabbing a throw pillow to elevate his leg. "The docs insisted I have them, but it just makes it harder for me to get around really. It probably puts more strain on my leg, really."

"Well, considering their patient, it makes sense that they'd give you the highest of cautions when treating you." Junpei's head turned towards the kitchen and he felt his jaw drop. Physically, Mitsuru hadn't changed much over the two years, which meant she was as stunning as ever, especially with what she was wearing. Hanging over her shoulders was a large, white fur coat, but beneath that was a skintight black suit with a belt that had a holster for a pistol, and two belts on the side of her left knee that held her rapier.

Trailing behind her by only a few steps was a sight that brought a smile to Junpei's face, Ken Amada and Koromaru. The twelve year old had hit a serious growth spurt, shooting up until he could just reach Mitsuru's shoulder, as well as letting his hair grow out. He was wearing the standard male Gekkoukan uniform, and in his hand was his school bag, probably having arrived back from school within the last hour or so. Koromaru had also shown a few signs of aging, a few wrinkles appearing on his snout, but other than that, the dog hadn't changed much, although, he had gained Ken's orange jacket to wear instead of the white t-shirt he had when the team had found him.

"Mitsuru-senpai! Looking fine as usual. Good to see you Ken, Koromaru." Junpei greeted, waving at them from his position on the couch. In his peripheral, he saw Aigis coming down the stairs. The android hadn't changed much over the years, but that was to be expected.

"Good to see you to, Junpei-san." Ken said politely, bowing slightly as he entered the common room. "Yukari-san and Fuuka-san should be arriving soon. They just called and said they weren't that far from here."

"And before you ask, Iori, we are not going to begin the meeting before they arrive. We need Fuuka here especially." Mitsuru sat down in the chair right of Junpei, looking down at the brace strapped around his pants leg. "What happened?"

"Nothin' serious, just strained my hamstring. Docs said I had to stay off it as much as I could so it would heal faster, so I'm off my job right now. Can't teach little league all that well if I can't run."

"Oh?" Aigis said as she sat next to Akihiko on the couch across from Junpei. "I thought that coaching didn't have a lot of physical activity involved."

"Yeah, but I'm teaching little kids who need to learn how to play. Plus, I'm normally playing Umpire, and I can get hit by the balls thrown by the pitcher which could hit my leg, and even then, I can't crouch all that well."

"Oh, well, good to know that Stupei is still getting into trouble." Junpei twisted around until he could see the front door. Standing there with her hands on her hips was Yukari, who had indeed grown a bit since their third year at Gekkoukan. She had probably changed the least, keeping her hair short, her clothing style just as impressive, and her personality the same, spunky flare that made her stand out in the first place. Closing the door behind her was Fuuka, who had her grown out hair in a braid over her shoulder. She wore a thin, white dress and a pair of black stockings, as well as a pair of black loafers. Hung over her shoulder was a computer bag, which probably had her own custom-made laptop filled with her own original programs that Junpei couldn't hope to comprehend.

"Nice to see you to Yuka-tan! How's modeling treating you?" Junpei said, leaning down and resting his arms along the edge of the couch.

"Sometimes good, sometimes I feel like I'm being thrown around in a drying machine." Yukari said, pointedly taking the chair instead of the open seat next to Junpei. Fuuka and Ken took the remaining room on the couch, since they were small enough to fit, while Koromaru sat on the ground. Mitsuru pointedly remained standing, taking a manila folder that she had under her arm and opening it, pouring its contents onto the coffee table.

"Well, we certainly have a lot to talk about." Mitsuru began, crossing her arms as she looked at the newspaper cover that had come out of the folder. The title of the page read, in large letters: Serial Murder Case in Inaba.


And now for non-IT related plot (which the next chapter will expand upon, as this one was getting way to long at over 8,500 words)! My knowledge is limited to P3P with how to characterize the S.E.E.S. members, and wiki articles don't help a lot. I also made the mistake of playing the Fem!MC for my runthrough, and for whatever reason, they let Shinjiro live. I was totally expecting him to die, to, so it shocked the hell out of me.

So additional notes: Mawashis are what sumo wrestlers wear, so I thought I'd help make the dream a bit more awkward. I also wrote 'football' since, my knowledge of sports outside of the good ol' US of A is that no one but us calls it soccer. So, even if it says 'Soccer Team' in the game, I feel like Yu would call it football.

The reason why Yosuke texts the way he does in this story is because I can't fucking type in short text lingo (I fucking hate that, in all honesty), so i'm just shortening it as much as I possibly can.