April 17th – Early Morning
When Hamuko awoke, she was quite anxious. Considering what she had seen on the Midnight Channel, she was fearing the worst. As she rose out of bed, she didn't hear any police sirens going off, so it was a small comfort that nothing had appeared to have happened. At least not yet. She walked to the bathroom and checked herself out in the mirror. Hamuko wasn't too disappointed at the image that stared back at her, a somewhat more healthy looking girl that the one that had just left the hospital.
After she washed up and put on her uniform, she walked downstairs to be greeted by Iris cooking, and Takao reading a newspaper at the table. She noticed that he was wearing a suit that some of the men that worked at the Amagi Inn wore.
"Do you have to work at the Inn today, Takao-san?" asked Hamuko as she took a seat across from him.
Takao nodded. "The Inn is still overburdened, so it can't be helped. Besides, it's better than sitting here all day."
"Just don't overdo it, Gramps," said Iris as she finished cooking the fried eggs she was working on. "You're not getting any younger you know."
"And I always have you to remind me of that," chuckled Takao as he picked up the coffee cup next to him. "Don't worry Ayame, it's nothing I can't handle."
Iris sighed as she put the eggs on a pair of plates and grabbed the two pieces of toast that had popped up from the toaster. When she laid the plate down in front of Hamuko she suddenly noticed what the girl was wearing and gave her a quizzical look.
"Um...is there something on my face?" asked Hamuko as she tried to figure out why Iris was looking at her like that.
Iris shook her head. "It's not that, but... you do know its Sunday right?"
"Um, yes?" said Hamuko as she was still trying to figure out what the point of this was. Then it suddenly hit her. "Oh! I'm wearing my uniform because, well, I kind of don't have anything else to wear."
"Well, we have to do something about that don't we?" said Iris as she sat down next to Hamuko and started eating. "Tell ya what- soon as we're done eating, I'll take you to Junes to get some new clothes. No way should a girl be stuck wearing the same thing every day."
Thinking back, Mitsuru had written almost the same thing in the letter she gave Hamuko when she boarded the train. She had been so busy the entire week that she had forgotten about shopping for herself. Still, there was the issue with Yukiko. Chie said she would take care of that herself, but since she hadn't called her back, maybe things were okay?
"Sounds like a good idea," said Hamuko as she reached a decision. "I guess it would pretty silly to be the only girl in town wearing her school uniform on her days off."
Iris nodded. "Not to mention all the funny looks you'd get; I wouldn't be the last one to give you one, trust me."
After a few minutes of making small talk with the two adults, Hamuko watched as Takao finished his coffee and stood up. "Well I'll be going then. I'll see you two later."
"Later, Gramps!" said Iris as she waved goodbye to him. "Say 'hi' to Yukiko for me if you see her!"
If you see her. That part nagged at Hamuko a bit as she finished her food. Of course he'd see her. Takao will show up for work, and Yukiko will be there to greet him. Everything will just fine...
"Okay, let's get going," said Iris as she sat the dishes in the sink. "We don't want to wait too long, otherwise the crowds are going to be looooong!"
Junes-Morning
As Hamuko stepped out of the car to walk into Junes, she noticed that it was sunny for a change. It had rained so much the last week that it almost seemed strange to see the sun out like this. The fact was not lost Iris either.
"Man, it sure feels good to not have to carry around an umbrella for a change," she said as the two walked up to the entrance of Junes. "Hopefully we won't have such dreadful weather again for awhile."
"It would be a nice change," added Hamuko as they walked into Junes.
Once inside, Iris lead them to the elevator and pushed the button for the left side elevator. A few moments later, the right side elevator dinged and opened for them.
"Why does it always do that?" Iris wondered as they entered the elevator. "You'd think a place like this would had elevators that work properly."
Hamuko remembered that this happened to Yosuke when he called the elevator as well. She guessed that even a place like Junes had its quirks.
After the elevator reached the second floor, the pair got off and Iris then led them to a clothing store a short distance away.
"Alrighty, go find something you like," said Iris as she began to walk to another section of the store. "I'll be over in the linger- uh sleepwear section."
Iris doesn't seem to be the kind of woman that buys that sort of thing. Does she have a boyfriend? Hamuko wondered as she went to the winterwear section of the store. Eh, best to not ask.
Hamuko began perusing the various articles of clothing, looking at various sweaters, skirts, and dresses in the hopes she'd find something that suited her taste. A pink sweater appealed to her a little bit, but she didn't think it would look very good on her, so she passed on it. There were a few other sweaters that met the same fate until her eyes came upon a cream colored one with a mocha stripe on the chest area. Yes, this one seemed to the one she was looking for.
Next was a bottom piece; there were a lot skirts and pants for her to look over, but it didn't take very long for her to spot a skirt sporting multiple orange on black on white square patterns. It appealed to her enough to take it without looking at any other options.
She looked around for a few accessories and picked out a pair of black tights, a reddish-orange scarf that matched her headphone color, and a pair of brown knee high boots. Satisfied with her choice, she went to look for Iris.
She didn't have to look far, as she wound up finding Iris checking out a little black dress.
"I, uh, finished picking out what I wanted," said Hamuko with some hesitation, not wanting to bother Iris.
"Oh!" Iris quickly turned around and looked like she was embarrassed be seen looking at the dress she was looking at. "Hmm, let's see..." She looked over at the articles of clothing that Hamuko had chosen and nodded. "Not bad. Let's go purchase em."
"What about you?" asked Hamuko. "Are you not getting anything?"
"Uh, not... yet," said Iris as she led Hamuko to the checkout counter.
Hamuko watched as the cashier rang up the items and gasped as she saw the final price.
"That'll be 38 thousand Yen please."
Iris nodded and handed over her credit card.
"Wait, Iris I have money..." protested Hamuko.
The woman responded by shaking her head. "Nah, don't worry about it, Hamuko-chan. Consider this as a late welcoming gift."
"A-are you sure?" asked Hamuko, surprised that Iris was acting like that amount was pocket change.
"Yep," answered the reporter as she took her credit card back and signed the receipt. "Alright, go change. Changing rooms are in the back."
Hamuko nodded and left to change into her new ensemble. It didn't take very long to get out of her uniform and into her new clothes; the hardest part was making sure she had removed all the tags from her new clothes.
After putting on her headphones and scarf, she looked at herself in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Everything looked on her just as she hoped they would. She put her uniform and shoes in the bag that was meant for her clothes and went back to meet Iris.
Upon arriving at the front counter, she saw that Iris had a bag of her own that contained some kind of clothing.
"Hey, that looks really good on you!" said Iris, who seemed just as pleased as Hamuko with the results. "You have a good eye for fashion!"
"Oh, I don't know..." said Hamuko with a blush. "Hey, aren't you going to try out your new outfit?"
"I, uh, I'll try it out later when I get home," said Iris, her face blushing more than Hamuko's. "In my room. Alone. With no one else around."
"O...kay?" Hamuko seemed confused by Iris' sudden balking at a seemingly innocent question, but chose to drop the subject as the two exited the store and sat down on a nearby bench. Iris looked at the ground and let out an almost forlorn sigh. "Are you okay Iris?"
The reporter looked up and nodded. "Oh, sorry 'bout that Hamuko-chan. It's just that... It's been awhile since I've gone shopping with a girlfriend, you know? Life after high school has been a mostly lonely one for me; goes with my profession. No time for friends or family, just work, work, work. It's kind of sad that now is really the first time I've been able to come back home and really relax with someone."
"Oh I didn't know," said Hamuko. "I guess being a reporter is harder than I thought..."
"Eh, it was my choice really," said Iris after taking a deep breath. "I'll tell you more about it later, maybe." She then slapped her cheeks before standing up. "Okay enough reminiscing for one day. I'm sure there are better things for us girls to do."
Suddenly, as with Chie and Yosuke, there was a voice in her head. "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 Tower Arcana..."
Yet another Social Link? It made sense to Hamuko that this one had formed- Iris never opened up to her like this before.
Before she could think on it any further, the two heard a commotion coming from the stairs nearby. Hamuko and Iris went to go see what was going on, and got a huge shock to see both Yosuke and Souji being led in handcuffs by some policemen.
"Uh, were your friends in some kinda trouble?" asked Iris as she watched the boys get led away.
"N-not that I know of!" said Hamuko. Souji didn't look like the kind of person that would shoplift and wasn't Yosuke the Junes owner's son? What could they possibly have done? There were some murmurs from the onlookers, but nothing that was credible enough to draw an accurate conclusion. It wasn't until Chie arrived a few seconds later from the stairs that they would finally get an idea as to what happened.
"Oh, thank goodness you guys are here!" she said, trying to keep herself from panicking.
"Calm down there, Chie-chan," said Iris as she tried to settle the girl down. "What's going on?"
"You should ask Yosuke Hana-Dumbass that!" fumed Chie as she gathered her wits. "What was he thinking?"
"What do you mean Chie?" asked Hamuko, concerned that Yosuke had done something rash.
"The idiot brought some swords to the store and was waving them around on the roof with Souji-kun," explained Chie. "Some policemen saw them and well, this happened... I was lucky and was running late, so I arrived at the tail end of all this, otherwise I'd be carted away with them."
"You have got to be kidding," sighed Iris as she headed to the elevators. "Come on girls, let's head to the police station..."
"I really can't believe what an idiot Yosuke can be sometimes," grumbled Chie as the girls entered the elevator. "And, the nerve of you Senpai, blowing me off like that!"
"Huh?" Hamuko looked confused, as she was. "What do you mean?"
"Yosuke called me this morning and said he wanted the four of us to meet up here," explained Chie. "He asked me to call you to let you know, which I did, but all I got was voice mail!"
"My phone never rang at all this morning!" exclaimed Hamuko as she retrieved her phone from her handbag. "See?" She handed Chie her phone who took one look at it before shaking her head.
"Senpai... The battery's dead," she told her as she handed back the phone. "You do know you have to charge these things right?"
Hamuko's face turned red with embarrassment. That was all Chie needed to see to know that Hamuko had no idea.
Iris saw the look on her face too and chuckled. "Well, no use crying about it now. I have a charger in the car, so we can probably get it working again by the time we reach the police station."
The three of them quickly left Junes and hurried to Iris' car. Chie literally jumped into the backseat the moment Hamuko opened the door on her side.
After Iris took Hamuko's phone and attached the car charger to it, she began to drive to the police station.
"I hope for those boys' sakes that Ryo-kun is at the station, otherwise they're in serious trouble," sighed Iris.
"Great, just great," grumbled Chie. "As if not being able to get ahold of Yukiko was bad enough..."
"Hmm?" Iris seemed quite concerned with Chie's last statement. "She still not back home?"
"What do you mean 'still not'?" asked Hamuko. "She was there when we went to the Inn yesterday afternoon..."
Iris was silent for a few moments before responding. "Well, after dinner I took a trip up to the Inn to see how things were going up there. The thing is... She wasn't there when I showed up though."
"What, really?" asked Chie, not liking what she was hearing.
"...It gets worse," said Iris, her expression becoming the most serious Hamuko had ever seen from her. "I didn't want to freak you out Hamuko, I didn't tell you earlier but her parents wound up filing a missing person report before I left. They think that she ran away from home."
"What?! If that was the case, the first place she would go to is my house!" said Chie, now back into panic mode. "And I can tell you that's not where she is! It's no wonder she didn't answer my calls this morning!"
"Iris this would have been important to know sooner," said Hamuko, somewhat upset. "Yukiko is our friend..."
"She's my friend too you know," answered Iris in an almost angry tone. "But this sort of thing is best handled by the police. If we start panicking now it'll only make thing worse. Trust me I've been through this sort of thing before."
Chie and Hamuko, both fell silent after hearing Iris speak like that. They knew Iris was not the type of person get upset easily, and it sounded like she was just as upset as they were.
The rest of the trip to the police station was quiet, as was the walk into it. When Iris walked up to the front desk to inquire about Yosuke and Souji, the officer nodded.
"Yeah, they're with Detective Dojima right now," he told her. "Pretty sure he's almost done with 'em."
Iris thanked the officer and told the girls the news.
"Whew, well that's a relief," said Chie. "Now I can focus on chewing out Yosuke when I see him!"
She wouldn't have to wait long, as Yosuke and Souji emerged from the back hallway into the lobby a few minutes later.
"There you are!" fumed Chie as she walked up to the two boys. "What is wrong with you guys?!"
"Uh, it was just a misunderstanding," said Yosuke as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'll tell you about it later. But more importantly, something's going on with Yukiko-san!"
Hamuko tilted her head. "You guys know about her already?"
"I called her house a bunch of times last night, and this morning, but she didn't answer," said Chie. "And when Iris visited the Inn last night, she wasn't there!"
"That sounds like what we overheard," Souji said as he took in the information.
"So that means we really do have to go now," added Yosuke.
"Hmm?" asked Iris. "Go where?"
"Uh, go...look for her of course!" said Yosuke as he tried to cover up his mistake. No way did he want to tell her about the TV world. "Chie knows her the best, so we should go look in places she'd think Yukiko would be."
"Makes sense," said Iris, not realizing that Yosuke was hiding something. "And a good idea."
"Yeah, but that aside, the cops are saying some worrying things," Souji added. "They think she's trying to lay low for some reason."
"Apparently Ms. Yamano bitched her mom out and her mom wound up collapsing because of it," said Yosuke. "The cops are thinking that that give Yukiko-san a motive, and well, the fact that the reporter died shortly after..."
"What?!" fumed Chie. "They think Yukiko did it?! Are they crazy?!"
"H-hey don't shoot the messenger!" said Yosuke as he backed away from Chie.
Things were starting to look really bad to Hamuko, with both Chie and Yosuke near hysterics from what was going on. Fortunately Iris defused the situation.
"Okay, Ryu-kun can't possibly think that's what's really happening here," she told the group. "I'm going to stick around here and wait for him and see if I can't get a better handle on things. Why don't you all go and see if you can find Yukiko?"
The three teenagers looked at each other and nodded.
"Alright, thanks Iris," said Yosuke as the group turned to leave.
"I'll see you later tonight then?" asked Hamuko.
Iris shrugged. "Depends on what else I find out. But I'm sure everything will be fine."
After the group left the police station, they all let out a collective sigh.
"Great," said Yosuke as he looked at the ground. "With the police on the wrong track, that means it's all on us."
"So we go to the TV world?" asked Hamuko.
"Seems like the best idea," nodded Souji.
"Well, I'm going too!" declared Chie. "I'm going to save Yukiko, and there's no way you guys are going to stop me!"
"Wouldn't think of it," said Yosuke. "But... well the cops just confiscated our weapons. We can't go in unarmed."
"And I don't think the golf club and hockey stick that we left behind in the TV world is going to cut it," added Souji.
"Weapons huh?" said Chie as she thought on the subject. A moment later she snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know just the place! Follow me!"
"Oh, I'd better grab my phone," said Hamuko as she quickly went to the car and retrieved it. She turned it on and sure enough, there were about 20 missed calls, all from Chie. "Okay got it! Let's go!"
Afternoon-Shopping District
Chie had lead the group all the way to the Shopping District and stopped in front of an unassuming looking store.
"Uh, Chie, what's in here..." asked Yosuke, unsure if Chie had led them to the right place.
"You'll see, come on in!" answered Chie as she opened the door and walked inside. Hamuko followed and when she entered the building she was greeted by the smell of iron and fire. As she looked around she saw various metal weapons and armors. Is this a blacksmith shop? She wondered.
Apparently, she wasn't the only that was wondering what kind of shop Chie had lead them to.
"Uh, Chie, what kind of place is this..." asked Yosuke as he looked around nervously.
Chie shrugged. "I don't know its official title. But this place sells all kinds of metal stuff- weapons and armor and the like. You know, katanas and whatnot."
"And that's supposed to be normal to you?" asked Yosuke. "And...how do you even know about a place like this? Did you watch too many movies and then..."
"No!" fumed Chie as she kicked Yosuke in the shin. "I heard some guys in class talk about this place, that's all!" She walked to a piece of armor that was better suited for a samurai. "Hmm, this one looks good, but I think it's a bit too big..."
"At least try to pick something practical," sighed Yosuke. "It's super dangerous in there; you need to take this seriously or we're going to leave you here!"
Chie sighed. "Alright, fine. But you guys should look for things for yourself too."
Yosuke looked around at the various weapons before sighing. "Man what should we get... I mean I wield a mean set of wrenches but this is sort of... different."
"Maybe these'll suit ya kid," said the gruff looking man behind the counter. Hamuko saw that he had a large X-shaped scar on his face and a cigarette in his mouth as he presented a pair of hunting nata. "They're not super sharp, but they'll do what they need to... Provided it's not mischief."
"Oh, no nothing like that Sir," said Yosuke with a nervous laugh. "We're like super weapon otakus, so we like reenacting stuff."
"...Uh huh," said the man. "Well these are meant for novices, so I've no problem sellin' these to you guys. Anything else you're interested in?"
Souji thought for a moment before asking for a sword. The man responded by placing an imitation katana on the counter.
"A chopstick's probably sharper than this, but it's still a sword," said the man. "Again, it's for beginners. And you're no sword master. Yet."
Souji agreed with the selection. When Hamuko saw the man was staring at her, she knew it was her turn to pick out something.
"Do you, um, have any naginatas?" she asked nervously.
The man nodded and went to the back room. A few minutes later, he returned with a wooden version of the spear weapon.
"Won't cut bamboo, but it'll still break an arm if you're not careful," said the man. "Decent weapon for a lady like yourself."
"Oh, th-thank you," said Hamuko.
"What about you Satonaka-san?" asked the man. "See anything that catches your eye?"
Chie responded by putting a pair of samurai leg guards on the counter.
"This is it, Daidara-san," said Chie.
Daidara looked over all the items before nodding. "Well I knew you were into this sort of this Satonaka-san; so I guess you found some like-minded friends then?"
"Ah, yep, that's exactly it!" said Chie in a horribly unconvincing happy tone.
"It's 12 thousand Yen for all of it," said Daidara as he looked over the group.
"Here's 5000 Yen," said Yosuke as he handed over the said amount.
"2000 here," said Chie.
Hamuko reached into her handbag and took out three 1000 Yen bills. "Here's 3000 Yen."
"And I have the last 2000 Yen," said Souji. Daidara nodded and gestured for the group to take their weapons. Hamuko guessed a place like this wouldn't bag merchandise of this type.
After everyone took their respective weapons, Yosuke paused and sighed. "You know... If we walk around town with these, we'll all just wind up getting picked up again."
"Speak for yourself," sighed Chie.
"Um, maybe we could hide them under our school uniforms?" suggested Hamuko. When the other three looked at her without saying anything, she started getting nervous. "Uh, was that a dumb idea?"
"Not at all Senpai," said Souji. "I think that could work."
Yosuke nodded. "Let's go with that then. The store will be crowded until the sale ends, so let's regroup at Junes in about an hour or so."
Chie nodded. "I'll see you guys at the food court then."
As the group left the shop, Hamuko and Souji left together as their route home required the southern exit from the Shopping District. Before they had a chance to start a conversation, they both spotted an ornate looking blue door suddenly appear on the left wall of the outside of the weapon shop. The two looked at each other in confusion. The stranger thing was that the people walking on the sidewalk didn't seem to notice the door.
"You are seeing that right, Souji-kun?" asked Hamuko.
"Yeah, but it seems it's just us," noted Souji as he watched the other people walk past the door without even a second glance. Suddenly a voice spoke in both their heads.
"So, it finally begins. Now, if you'll both give me just a moment of your time..."
Hamuko noticed something in her handbag shining. It was the Velvet Key, and Souji indicated that his was glowing as well.
"Could it be?" asked Hamuko. Before she could get a response, everything suddenly went white.
The Velvet Room
When Hamuko''s vision returned, she found herself sitting in the familiar blue interior of a limousine. Souji was sitting next to her and facing them was Igor and Margaret.
"Welcome," said Igor. "We have been expecting you. The catastrophe that I warned you both about; it has already claimed human lives in its approach towards you."
"Saki and Ms. Yamano..." trailed Souji.
"And now possibly Yukiko," said Hamuko.
"But you two have nothing to be afraid of, for you both already have the power to fight against it.," continued Igor. "It would seem the time to use your Personas has come."
Margaret extended her hand and a series of cards floated in front of the pair. Hamuko recognized them as the Social Link cards. In addition to Souji's she saw Yosuke, Chie, and Iris' faces on different cards.
"Your Personas are that of the Wild Card," said Margaret. "Their power will help overcome any obstacle if you strengthen your bonds properly. Our role is to help make that possible."
"My role is to give birth to new Personas," added Igor. "During your trials, you may come across a type of Card. Bring them to me and you will see what I mean."
"Different Personas?" asked Hamuko asked. "How...how are we supposed to keep track of all that?"
Margaret pointed at the large tome in her hand. "This is the Persona Compendium. It contains a record of ever Persona you have acquired. Of course there are currently two Personas registered thus far..."
"I see," muttered Souji.
"The current yeah is a turning point in both your lives," said Igor. "If the mystery goes unsolved, both of your futures may be forever lost."
"Huh, what does that mean?" asked Hamuko.
"I meant exactly what I said," answered Igor. "Being defeated in battle is not the only way your journeys can come to an end. So it would be wise to not forget this... Now then, when next we meet, you will come here of your own free will." He then gave a chuckle. "I am looking forward to it; until then, farewell."
Once again Hamuko's vision began to fade.
Shopping District
Okay, is it just me or does that Igor guy really creep you out too Souji-kun?" sighed Hamuko.
"Yeah I do wonder about him," agreed Souji with a shrug. "But right now I'll take all the help we can get."
Matsuda Residence
As Hamuko returned to her house, she was relieved to see that Iris was not there. She didn't really want to try to explain why she suddenly bought a wooden naginata or why she was changing back into a school uniform.
It didn't take long for her to change, but it didn't hide the fact that she had to somehow hide her naginata. Fortunately, she discovered it unscrewed at the middle and that the spearhead could unscrew too. Putting the spearhead into her handbag, she was still left carrying 2 halves of a wooden pole. She decided that although it may look weird, it shouldn't garner too much suspicion. She only hoped the others would fare just as well.
She hurried out of the house and began her trek back to Junes.
Junes
When Hamuko had finally arrived to the food court, she noticed that Souji, Yosuke, and Chie had all already arrived. It was just as well- she lived the furthest away from the store. But when she sat down at the table with them, she noticed they didn't look all that enthused.
"Man, we really stick out," sighed Yosuke.
"Well we are wearing our uniforms on a Sunday," Chie pointed out. "It's not exactly something students usually do."
"Well at least our weapons are hidden...or most of ours are," said Souji as she saw Hamuko holding the two haves of her bladeless weapon.
"I tried," said Hamuko as she tried to hide the pieces behind her back. "But it's a long weapon, Souji-kun."
"I know, I know," chuckled Souji. "I was just teasing you, Senpai."
"...Oh," Hamuko suddenly felt very stupid for not realizing that fact."
"Anyway," coughed Yosuke. "The sale should be ending right about now, so that should take care of any customers. Let's get going."
When the group walked down to the Electronics Department, they were relieved to see that it was devoid of both customers and employees.
"Okay guys, let's go save Yukiko!" Chie declared as she entered the TV. The rest of the group quickly followed.