Author's Note: Can you believe it? Another chapter! ;) I really do intend to update more frequently, but alas, life has a way of making one busy . . .
Now, an announcement:
TO ANYONE IN THE NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA: At last, the launch of my debut novel FIRES OF MAN is soon upon us! If you're in the area, I would be thrilled if you'd come out on JUNE 19TH to the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble at 7:00 PM for a reading, chat/Q&A, and signing with yours truly. I'd love to meet you! Please stop by and say hello (and feel free to message me for the link to RSVP).
Now, without further ado, he's another chapter of Persona Gaiden for you oh-so-patient, wonderful people.
XXI
Saturday
April 20, 2013 — Afternoon
Clear Skies
Shou sat in Japanese literature, listening to Nozaki-sensei's lecture.
"Today, we're going to discuss one of my favorites," she said. "Yotsuya Kaidan!" She clapped her hands together with a macabre glee. "As you should already know, the Ghost Story of Yotsuya is one of the most famous Japanese ghost stories of all time. Written as a kabuki play by Nanboku Tsuruya in 1825, it was actually inspired by two real-life murders. Isn't that the coolest?" Her eyes shone with excitement.
No one in the class spoke.
Disgusted, Nozaki-sensei sighed. "Well I think it's cool," she said. "And I haven't even gotten to the best part! During the Bunsei era, women occupied a subservient role in society. For its time, Yotsuya Kaidan was sensational, a work of art exemplifying female empowerment!" She slammed a fist into her palm. "Can anyone tell me why?"
Furtively, a girl raised her hand.
"Hidaka-san?"
"Um, 'cause, like," the girl named Hidaka said, "the ghost, like, took its revenge or whatever? Like really a lot and stuff?"
To Shou's surprise, Nozaki-sensei was enthused by this answer. "Correct-o!" she shouted. "The level of violence and power with which the ghost—Oiwa—exacts her vengeance upon her betraying husband Iemon goes above and beyond other such plays from the period. It was also further heightened by the astounding special effects they employed, most famously using a lantern to project her scarred face. From beyond the grave, Oiwa, so cruelly manipulated in life, drives Iemon to madness and, eventually, death!" She began to cackle. "Oh, if only such things were possible in real life, maybe my ex would finally get what was . . ." She trailed off. "Ahem, that is, er . . ." Her eyes darted around the room, as if searching for a way to divert attention from her blatant overshare. "Kondo-kun! Let's see if you've been paying attention."
One of the students sitting in the back row, with his head in his arms, dozing, perked up. "Huh, wha?"
"Who was the man who wrote Yotsuya Kaidan?" Nozaki-sensei asked.
"I, uh . . . I was . . . um . . ."
Feeling bad for the guy, Shou whispered, "Nanboku Tsuruya."
"It was, um, Nanboku Tsuruya!" Kondo parroted.
"My, my," Nozaki-sensei said. "And here I thought you were sleeping in my classroom. Which would have made you a very naughty boy, and deserving of harsh punishment!" She smiled, an evil glint in her eye. "Remember that, Kondo-kun."
Kondo sank deeper into his chair, looking like he wanted nothing more than to disappear. "Y-yes, Nozaki-sensei," he squeaked.
"Now, moving along . . ." Nozaki said.
A row ahead of Shou, one of the girls whispered, "Wow, Tanimoto always knows the answer, doesn't he?"
Her friend replied, "I hope Nozaki-sensei calls on me next so Tanimoto will tell me the answer . . ." She blushed.
Shou's charm increased!
Saturday
April 20, 2013 — After School
Clear Skies
After class finished, Shou checked in with Emi to see how if things were progressing with Aizawa-san.
"She said she has to stay late today, so she'll stop by the dorm after dinner," Emi said. "I didn't really tell her any of the details, just that I have a job for her. So we'll have to see whether or not she's willing to help."
Shou nodded.
"Any new leads on your end?"
Shou shook his head.
"Geez, seems like you're hardly trying," Emi said.
Shou frowned.
"Kidding!" she said. "I know you're doing your best. Really. And I'm aware there's no proof of what I'm saying, so I appreciate you giving my theory the benefit of the doubt."
Shou tried to give her a reassuring grin, but he thought it came out more like a grimace. Joking or not, her words pierced him down to the core. He was acutely aware of his inability to turn up any real information, and it frustrated him. He felt not only powerless, but like a fool. There were answers to be found, if only he knew where to look for them.
"Cheer up," Emi said. "We'll figure this out." Only she didn't quite sound like she believed it.
As they walked out into the hall, Shou considered his options. Perhaps Igor and Isabelle could tell him something more. A visit to the Velvet Room might be in order. Or . . .
His train of thought was interrupted as he saw Itami and another member of the baseball team talking in the hallway. There was team practice today, wasn't there? He thought of Kageshiro Ryuu's cryptic words, and his strange claim that he wanted the two of them to be friends. If anyone in this school knew something, it would have to be the mysterious baseball captain and de facto leader of Hope/LESS.
"Something on your mind?" Emi asked.
Shou only smiled.
After donning his uniform, Shou stepped out onto the field with the rest of the team. It was a warm spring day, a light wind blowing from the west. The afternoon sunlight made the bleachers gleam, and the metal bats glint like silver.
He shouldn't have been surprised when, once practice started, he was run ragged; Itami called most of the shots, and it felt to Shou like the team vice captain was putting him through his paces. As for Kageshiro, he observed silently, doing little more than offering a slight nod or shake of the head, or a few whispered words. Yet somehow his presence dominated the proceedings.
Following practice, as the rest of the team headed back inside the school building, Shou approached Kageshiro. Itami, however, stepped in Shou's path.
"Whaddya want?" Itami asked.
Shou said he wanted to talk with Kageshiro.
"Whatever ya got to say, ya can say it to me," Itami told him.
"It's all right, Dai," said Kageshiro. He put a long-fingered, slender hand on Itami's shoulder. "Go get yourself cleaned up." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, and his tone brooked no argument.
"Sure, cap," Itami said. He shot a dirty look at Shou. "Don't know why ya find this guy so interestin'."
One of Kageshiro's eyebrows quirked upward. "Your strong feelings about him suggest otherwise," he said.
"Pssh, whatever," Itami said. He gave Shou one last glare, then stalked off the field.
"He's still angry because you hit his fastball during tryouts," Kageshiro said, when Itami was gone.
"Sorry," said Shou.
"Don't apologize," Kageshiro said. "He'll get over it."
Shou nodded, though he still felt somewhat awkward.
"So . . . what is it you wished to speak about?"
Shou asked him what he knew about how people were being sent into the Shadow world.
Kageshiro barked a harsh laugh. "Come," he said. They took a seat on the bleachers, overlooking the field. For a while, Kageshiro was silent. But then he said, "I think you're missing the point."
Shou asked what he meant.
"We've been given an incredible gift," Kageshiro said. "A way to change the world into its truer, more authentic form. It doesn't matter how we've come by these powers, this chance, or how we've been given access. All that matters is what we do with it."
Shou stared at Kageshiro, seeing nothing but sincerity in the baseball captain's eyes. Yet how could he say it didn't matter "how" when people were dying? Didn't he care?
"Allow me to tell you something," Kageshiro said. "When I was a boy, I killed a man."
Shou's eyes widened. He felt an awful, squirming sense of unease in his belly.
"I stabbed him in the belly with a pair of scissors," Kageshiro said. "I still remember the warm blood rushing out over my hands, over the floor, staining all I could see red. I was very young, then, but I knew what I was doing. I was so very scared." He looked down at his hands. "My hair turned white from the shock, and it has been that way ever since."
Shou asked why Kageshiro was telling him this.
"Because this is the way the world works," Kageshiro said. "The Shadows live in all our hearts. They are our true nature. When we are born, we carry them in our souls. I was a child, yet even so I was able to take a life. Where could this impulse have come from? The only answer I have been able to find is that Shadows live in all of us from the moment we set foot in this existence. That's why I'm determined to strip away the false trappings of civility that pervade this foolish thing we call reality, and usher in an age where our inner darkness is laid bare."
A world where people embraced their darkest impulses? Shou blanched at the thought. He didn't agree with Kageshiro at all! The Shadows were a lens through which a person could gain greater understanding of themselves and others; through acknowledging them, he and his friends were learning to accept their flaws and weaknesses and strive for a greater good!
"I can tell by your expression that you don't agree," Kageshiro said.
Shou shook his head.
"No matter. You'll come around in time. Or, you won't. In which case, there may come a time when you and I will have to fight for our ideals. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes. Are you?"
Even though he wasn't sure, Shou nodded.
"Good," said Kageshiro. "If you aren't willing to struggle for your convictions, then what are they worth? Nothing at all."
"Kageshiro-senpai . . ." Shou began.
"Ryuu. If I may call you Shou."
Shou nodded. Then he asked the question he'd been wanting to ask since the beginning of the conversation. He asked if Ryuu was the one sending people into the Shadow world.
"And what if I was?" Ryuu asked. "What would you do about it?"
Ryuu intimidated him, yet even so, Shou answered, "I would stop you."
His courage increased!
Ryuu chuckled. "No hesitation. Impressive."
Shou was silent. Was Kageshiro Ryuu actually the killer they were after?
"As to your question," Ryuu went on, "I'm afraid I have no intention of answering it."
Shou couldn't believe what he was hearing. He asked why.
"If such a person as the one you're looking for actually exists—and I'm not claiming that he, or she, does—my admission to being that individual would only hinder me. Would it not? It would set you and your companions firmly against me."
Shou replied they were against him already.
"Ah, but your focus is split, isn't it? You can't afford to concentrate all your attention on me. What if I'm not the killer you seek? I admit that, in theory, that person's goals appear to align with my own. Yet you lack the evidence to identify me as the culprit. Meaning you have no choice but to continue investigating further possibilities. Giving me more room to breathe, as it were, in this little game of ours."
Game? How could Ryuu possibly call this a game? People's lives were at stake!
"Ah, but it is a game," Ryuu said. "There are rules, and there will be a victor, eventually. A victor who will gain the chance to shape the future of this world. And I intend for that victor to be me."
Shou demanded to know the reason Ryuu was doing all this.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ryuu asked. He waved his hand, a flippant gesture, as if all this was of little consequence. "I'm sick of the masks people wear to further their own existences. I will strip them all away. A world of Shadow is a true world. An authentic world. No more lies. No more cruelty hiding behind false smiles and petty words. It is the lies that are most destructive, after all; they're the knives that stab us in the back, that cut us apart while we sleep. How much better would it be for all of us to see one another as we really are? I seek to bring the truth, Shou. What greater goal, what greater good is there . . . than that?"
Snap!
As Shou gazed at Ryuu—at the face so similar to his own—he could see the conviction there, and it terrified him, even as a voice spoke deep within him . . .
Thou art I . . . And I am thou . . . Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Death Arcana . . .
What frightened Shou about Ryuu was how convincing his words were, as well as the charisma and intelligence with which he delivered them. Shou understood now how Ryuu had gathered Hope/LESS around him, how his words had swayed Kaede and the others. Shou could see the appeal of what Ryuu spoke of, on a certain level. And yet . . .
What had befallen Emi's brother, what had almost befallen Emi herself, and Kouta, and Sayoko, was too great a price! No matter what kind of world Ryuu sought!
"You're wrong," Shou whispered.
Ryuu smiled. "Then prove it. Tanimoto Shou."
With that, he rose from the bleachers, and left Shou alone with his thoughts.
Shou gazed up at the sky, which had begun to show the ruddy shades of evening as the sun descended toward the horizon line. Kageshiro Ryuu . . . Who was he really? Was the story he had told, about killing someone, really true? And why did Shou feel a strange connection with him that went beyond their similar appearances and positions among their opposing groups? Even more confounding, Shou felt as if he had less answers than before. Ryuu had neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a killer, much less provided a clue as to whether he was, in fact, the one Shou and his friends sought.
Shou rested his forehead in the palm of his hand, feeling the pulse in his temple ticking away. Nothing had been resolved. How long would it be until someone else was put in harm's way?
How long until the next victim?
Saturday
April 20, 2013 — Evening
Clear Skies
Shou arrived back at G Hall in time for dinner, and afterward he, Kouta, and Emi sat down in the lobby lounge to wait for Aizawa. He filled them in on his conversation with Ryuu, at which both of his friends were furious.
"The nerve of that guy!" Emi said. "Playing with people's lives as if they're nothing."
"We oughta teach him a lesson. Whaddya say, Shou-bro?"
Shou told them not to do anything hasty.
"And to think he still didn't give us any real answers," Emi said. "He's slick, Kageshiro Ryuu. That's for sure."
"Ya think it could be him after all?" Kouta asked. "He is pretty shady, and he was the first person to disappear at Morigami Academy."
"Maybe it was a ruse," Emi suggested. "We just have to find out whether he has any connection to MoriNet telecom. Any reason he might have targeted people there before moving on to the school. If we can find something . . ." She smacked her fist into the opposite palm. "Then we've got him!"
Shou was about to reply when the door to G Hall opened. He turned, expecting to see the black glasses and mid-length chestnut hair of Aizawa Azumi, but instead . . .
It was Sayoko.
She approached them, eyes downcast. "Um, hi," she said.
"Hi," said Emi, staring daggers.
"I . . . came here to apologize. To you, Emi. What I said was . . . out of line."
"Yeah," Emi replied, "it was."
"I see now that I'm new to this . . . situation we find ourselves in. And that my conclusions are no more valid or credible than yours." She looked up, slowly, forcing herself to meet Emi's eyes. She looked afraid, the fear apparent on her face.
In that moment, Shou could tell just how much Emi's forgiveness meant to Sayoko.
"Furthermore," Sayoko continued, "I . . . made assumptions about your motivations that were based on nothing more than my own biases. You were brave enough to face your Shadow, and to come save me from mine. I should've realized you're too strong a person to run away from your feelings like that." She bowed, her long ponytail flipping over her shoulder. When she stood upright again, tears glistened like diamonds in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Emi. I want nothing more than to fight with all of you, and to find the truth, whatever it may be. Please . . . forgive me."
Shou looked to Emi. All the indignation had melted away from her, replaced by a melancholy smile. "I don't know if I'm right or wrong about all this," she said. "You helped me recognize that. Thank you." She stood, and embraced Sayoko. "Of course I forgive you."
"R-really?" All the tension drained out of Sayoko, and she laughed in relief, her tears now streaking her cheeks. She sniffled. "Th-thank you. I . . . I don't know what to say."
"We're all in this together, Sayo-chan!" Kouta said. "C'mon, bring it in, group hug!" He circled his thick arms around them and squeezed.
"Can't . . . breathe . . ." Emi gasped.
"Shou-bro, whaddya waitin' for?" Kouta asked.
Shou chuckled and joined in, even as Emi kept up her protests and Sayoko laughed. "We're all in this together," he said. "Until the end."
Snap!
Thou art I . . . And I am thou . . . Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana . . .
"Gee, sorry to interrupt this love-fest," said an unfamiliar voice, "but you got a job for me or what?"
Aizawa stood in the doorway to G Hall, bag slung over her shoulder, regarding them with a kind of quizzical amusement. Immediately, the group broke apart, shuffling their feet, looking sheepish. "Uh, yeah," Emi said, her face red. "Have a seat."
Aizawa strode to one of the armchairs and dropped down into it. She pushed up her sleeves, revealing the dragon tattoo on her left forearm, and then withdrew a slim laptop from her bag, putting it on her lap. "Well?" she asked.
"Um, should we, uh, introduce ourselves?" Kouta asked. "I'm—"
"Hayabusa Kouta," Aizawa said, "captain of the kendo team. Tachibana Emi, newly appointed vice captain of the tennis team. Sato Sayoko, class president and multi-hyphenate extraordinaire. And Tanimoto Shou, transfer student, and rising star among the student body, by all accounts." She smirked and pushed her glasses up her small nose. "I know exactly who each and every one of you are. Which is exactly why it's worth it to hire me. Nothing gets past me. So . . ." She tapped the rim of her glasses. "Shall we get down to business?"
For several seconds, everyone was quiet.
Emi was the first to jump in. "We want you to look into everyone at school. Students, faculty, even support staff," she said. "Find out if anyone has a connection to MoriNet Telecom."
"Is that all?" Aizawa asked.
"Don't you want to know why?" Emi responded.
"No," said Aizawa. "Your reasons are none of my concern."
"I see," Emi said.
"Now as to the matter of payment," Aizawa said.
Sayoko cleared her throat. "Whatever compensation you require, I'm certain I can cover it in full," she said.
Emi looked taken aback. "You don't have to do that, Sayoko," she said.
"Please," Sayoko said, "I'd be happy to."
Gratitude filled Emi's features. "Thank you," she said.
"Um, sorry to burst your bubble," Aizawa said, "but touching as this is, your point is moot. You're not my type."
"E . . . excuse me?" Sayoko stuttered.
"I make plenty of cash doing side jobs for the students here," Aizawa said. "And I've already got multiple offers from both software and cyber-security firms who are ready to scoop me up the second I graduate."
"Then . . . what do you want?" Emi asked.
Aizawa tittered with laughter. "A date," she said.
Instantly, all eyes fell upon Shou. Even as a pang of anxiety and self-consciousness made his stomach flip, he could not help but notice both Emi and Sayoko blushing.
"A date?" Emi demanded. "With Shou?! That's not . . . I don't . . . Er, what I mean to say is . . ."
"Tanimoto?" Aizawa's mirth erupted, her laughter deep, husky, filling the room. "Sorry, but I don't like scrawny guys." She leveled a black-lacquered fingernail at Kouta. "I want a date with this beefcake here. I'm dying to know if the rumors are true."
"Say whaaaaaaat?" said Kouta. He turned bright red. Then his eyebrows furrowed. "And . . . rumors? What rumors?"
"Oh, you don't know?" Aizawa asked, continuing to laugh. "That's probably for the best. So, what do you say?"
"I . . . I . . ." Kouta was flabbergasted.
"Wednesday, after school," she said. "Meet me in the lobby. And have something good planned. I get bored easily."
Kouta tried to stutter out a response, but he was rendered speechless.
Aizawa, smiling, closed her laptop. "If we're finished here, I'll be—"
"Wait," said Shou.
"Mm?"
"I want to know about Kageshiro Ryuu," he said.
Aizawa's eyebrows shot up, and she adjusted her glasses again. "Now why would you possibly ask me about him?"
"I thought you said reasons were none of your concern," Emi replied.
Aizawa shook her head. "I think our business is concluded for today," she said. She placed her laptop in her bag, and stood. "If I can offer a piece of friendly advice . . . Leave Ryuu well enough alone. He's not the sort of person you want to cross. He isn't like you or me. Sometimes, I'm not even sure he's human." She cast a smoldering look at Kouta. "I'll see you on Wednesday, hotshot."
She left. For a while, everyone was silent. Then . . .
Kouta leaped to his feet.
"Rumors?" he cried. "What rumors?! Aaaaargh!"
Sunday
April 21, 2013 — Early Morning
Clear Skies
Shou rose early that morning. Fingers of light crept through his blinds, patterning his floor and the bottom of his blanket with slim bands of sunshine. It was only 0700, and he could only guess his friends were still sleeping. He would've liked nothing more than to keep dozing, to rest both his body and mind from the ordeals he'd undergone this past week, but his thoughts were like a solution spinning in a centrifuge, whirring noisily, ensuring that any further attempt at sleep was futile.
Had he really joined the baseball team, auditioned for the play, forged new Social Links, and conquered the challenges of Prodigy Palace, all in one week? It felt like so much longer. And he still had to keep up with his schoolwork.
He stepped into the bathroom, showered, letting the hot water pour down on him as if it could wash away his stress. Not for the first time, he wondered how he was going to bear this burden, and make it through the year.
My friends, he thought. They gave him the strength to carry on. Igor had been right: the power of his bonds was absolute. They supported him, buoyed him, not only lent him their might, but also reassured him, comforted him, let him know he was not alone in this. He had the feeling that, as his friendships grew, he would never be alone again; not in his heart. If he worked to strengthen this bonds to the furthest limit, Shou believed they would last a lifetime.
When he was finished, he dressed, brushed his teeth, and went down for breakfast.
He found Kumiko-san cooking as usual, making scrambled eggs and bacon. He offered to help, but she shooed him away, saying she could take care of it herself.
Shou admired Kumiko-san a lot, serving as a dorm mother, as well as being there for her son, little Yuto-chan, all while working as a teacher at the most demanding high school in the country. He couldn't help noticing the wedding band she wore, too. He wanted to ask her about it, but he feared he didn't yet have the expression to ask about her life in a tactful manner, nor did he feel that he had the requisite understanding to comprehend the challenges of a working mother whose husband appeared to be MIA. Still, he resolved to cultivate himself until he felt ready to get to know her better.
Later, he sat at the table and ate while a few of the dorm residents filtered down. Itami was the first to appear, dressed in workout clothes; he took a container of food to go, but not before shooting Shou a glare. Shou couldn't help but wonder if Ryuu had conveyed any of their conversation to Itami, but had a feeling Ryuu had probably kept it to himself; he didn't seem like the type to share.
As he was finishing up, Reiko arrived, carrying a book of Shakespearean poetry. "Good morning," she greeted him, adopting that ever-proper front she seemed to put on whenever she was in public. Her smile, however, was genuine.
He responded in kind.
"The cast list is going up tomorrow," she said. "I couldn't sleep any longer just thinking about it. I thought I would get some fresh air to clear my head." She averted her eyes, then asked, "Would you care to join me?"
There was nothing Shou would have liked more at that moment than to enjoy the sunshine with the beautiful Reiko. However, he felt the pressing need to speak with Naoto-san and convey his latest findings to the Shadow Operatives. He also had to know if their own investigations had turned up anything in the week since they'd last spoken.
With regret, he politely declined.
"That's too bad," Reiko said. She looked disappointed. "Another time, perhaps."
Shou nodded his agreement.
It was not long before Naoto arrived, yet again dressed in a sharp pantsuit, this one charcoal gray. "Greetings, Shou," she said. "I'm glad to see you're up. You've had no trouble this week, I trust?"
That wasn't exactly the case. He began to fill Naoto in, but she interrupted him.
"Let us take this outside," she said, "where we'll be safe from any prying ears."
Shou trailed Naoto to the door, all the while wondering who it was that could be listening. Itami was a member of Hope/LESS, yes, but he'd never before considered that the guy would eavesdrop. It didn't seem his style. Besides, he was out already. Unless Naoto was afraid it was not Hope/LESS, but the killer who was listening . . .
That unnerved Shou. He trusted Kouta and Emi unconditionally. But what about Endo Takeru, from the Disciplinary Committee? The odd boy with the glasses kept to himself, and certainly there seemed to be something . . . off about him. And then there was Reiko, and Kumiko-san, both of whom he knew very little about . . .
He shook his head. Now he was just being paranoid! If there was a killer on the loose, he'd made no attempt to stop them from saving Sayoko, and they'd laid out their plans in the dorm lounge. Still . . .
It didn't hurt to be cautious, did it?
He followed Naoto outside.
Sunday
April 21, 2013 — Daytime
Clear Skies
They sat at the bench where they had talked the previous week, surrounded by trees that were covered with new spring blossoms and leaves. Here and there, scattered students walked the pathway that stretched the length of campus, but for the most part it was quiet, private, and peaceful.
Shou filled Naoto in on everything that had happened in the past week, from Sayoko becoming one of the Vanished and her subsequent rescue, to his dealings with Kageshiro Ryuu. He also mentioned how they were using Aizawa-san's hacking skills to look into MoriNet, so they could find out whether there were any ties to anyone at Morigami Academy.
"I appreciate your resourcefulness," Naoto said, "but be very careful when it comes to breaking the law. Our organization exists on the fringes of government, and if you get yourselves into trouble, it may be a challenge to get you out of it."
Shou had been so wrapped up in the investigation that he hadn't considered the legal consequences of hiring a hacker. Still, he didn't see that they had any other option. He told Naoto as much.
"Believe me," Naoto said, "I understand the urge to utilize any and all tools at one's disposal to crack a case; more than you could possibly realize. I have, after all, always been a consultant to various law enforcement agencies, and have therefore been bound by the same restrictions they are. I certainly identify with your desire for answers, and your willingness to step outside conventional means to obtain them. All I ask is that you exercise caution."
"I will," Shou promised.
Naoto's expression softened. "Good," she said. "Now, in the meantime, I will look into this Kageshiro Ryuu for you. While Principal Takahashi still won't give me access to the school records, if what you say about him killing someone as a boy is true, it shouldn't be too difficult to find some reference to the case, somewhere. I'll see what my contacts can uncover . . ." She trailed off. "Hmm. It seems someone has been here before us."
Shou looked at her, confused.
Her hands reached beneath the bench, feeling along the underside. A moment later, she withdrew a manila envelope. Within it was a single sheet of paper. "Dear Detective," she read, "our first engagement was ever so much fun. Would you do me the honor of joining me for another game? Sincerely yours . . . The Phantom Thief."
Shou paled. Phantom Thief? That didn't sound good!
"Be calm, Shou-kun," Naoto said. A smile crept onto her lips. "I very much doubt this has to do with the current case. No, I think this is a message from . . . an old friend."
Shou asked her if she knew who it was.
"I believe so," she replied, "and I'm certain he knows me well enough to assume I'd figure it out quickly." Her smile broadened. "Nevertheless, he clearly put effort into this, and I would hate to squander that. Furthermore, I think this is an excellent opportunity to continue honing your analytical skills. Look here."
She handed him the piece of paper.
Beneath the text Naoto had read aloud, there were four lines:
The world passes by,
While you sit still.
Yet wherever you go,
It will always take you home.
Naoto chuckled. "Simple enough," she said.
Shou frowned.
"Think," Naoto said. "It seems the riddle itself was meant more for you than it was for me. Think carefully. The answer will come to you."
Shou's turned the words over in his mind. The world passes by, while sitting still? What could that mean? Where could one sit while the world passed by? Unless . . . He thought of the day he'd arrived at Morigami, sitting in the passenger seat of Kumiko-san's car, watching the cityscape pass before him. Was it a vehicle of some sort?
Yet wherever you go, it will always take you home.
What did home refer to? Morigami Academy? If that was the case, the answer could only be . . .
"It appears you have it," Naoto said.
"The trolley!" Shou exclaimed.
She nodded. "Then let us be on our way."
Next time, on Persona Gaiden: New Class . . .
The investigation and Shou's school life continue! The Romeo and Juliet cast list goes up! But will Shou be Romeo? Find out . . . next time!
Social Links
Fool — Morigami Exploration Team — Rank 3!
Magician — Hayabusa Kouta — Rank 2
Priestess — Sato Sayoko — Rank 1
Emperor — Morigami Yoshiro — Rank 1
Justice — Kazami Kaede — Rank 2
Strength — Shirogane Naoto — Rank 1
Hanged Man — Ariwa Reiko — Rank 2
Death — Kageshiro Ryuu — Rank 2!
Sun — Narukami Yu — Rank 1
Attributes
Courage — Rank 2 — Reliable
Knowledge — Rank 2 — Broad
Expression — Rank 2 — Eloquent
Understanding — Rank 2 — Kindly
Charm — Rank 1 — Plain