Hey there, reader!

I started playing P4A again. There aren't many players at my level where I am, and I'm hitting the dreaded "wall." In short, I'm dangerously close to losing my rank online...

I want to play a good game. Weekends preferred. Now that I think about it, I'd be happy to play with anyone reading this. If you're interested, please PM me if you want to play a few matches. I'll get back to you if you reply before Fall of 2013

Enjoy the chapter!

A brief thank you to RubyMoonz, DdotChou, MoldyJellyBean, ShadowDragoon32, Shiro No Kishidan, Pokepia's Haunt, and kyoto knight.

Chapter 25

Summer's End

The sea of Conan's soul: The Dark Hour

Conan dreamt of the Black Ace.

It had been months since he had watched it nearly spiral out of control. The night happened so long ago, yet the fear of witnessing the Persona once more was just as frightening as before. Conan always dreaded the chance if the Persona was released before he could control it. Tonight, he had the chance of seeing it personally.

He and the Black Ace were floating above the planet's orbit. They stood in the air with the ground kilometers below them. Conan stood with his sword drawn, and his true self was also ready with its own blade. They floated a fair distance from each other and waited for something to happen.

Out of nowhere, the planet below them shattered. For that moment, both the boy and his Persona looked down. A massive plume of fire shot out and engulfed them in a sphere of fire. The heat was so intense that Conan felt as though his skin would burn off his body. As the fire subsided, something emerged from the flames.

A beast from the earth emerged. Its form was shrouded by the darkness of space. It had large red eyes and a massive jaw that could swallow the Black Ace whole. Its size was too large to be natural, yet Conan felt as though this creature was a creation of the good earth.

The Black Ace sheathed its sword and tried to flee. The beast grabbed it and ripped it apart with its large teeth. Conan watched in horror as the Black Ace was taken into pieces. Bits and pieces of metal flew apart as the Persona's shell was pierced. When the Persona was consumed, the beast turned its attention to Conan.

From the bottom of his heart, Conan knew what this creature was: Death.

Suddenly, Conan was in another place. He stood upright in the center of a white space. The only visible object was a bed that stood one meter away from him. He was back in the Sea of His Soul. To his dismay, Pharos was sitting on the bed.

"Hi," he said. "How are you?"

Conan shook his head. "This is not happening," he said.

Pharos laughed. "Silly. I can't leave you alone."

"Yes, you can," Conan retorted.

Suddenly, a black shade spread on the floor below Conan's feet. A silhouette of a beast in chains projected through the floor. Conan's ears roared with the sound of the Persona's fury. The Black Ace thrashed about more violently now. Something provoked it, but Conan had no idea what was the matter.

"Do you hear him?" asked Pharos. "Your inner self is becoming more independent. For every Shadow you defeat, your true self will grow stronger. Soon your psyche will manifest into something more."

Conan looked at the silhouette with mixed feelings. He felt disgusted that such a beast could be the form of his true self, but he was also confused. Until now, he had always considered the Black Ace as his worst fear. After seeing the beast from the earth, he didn't know what to think.

The silhouette of the Black Ace faded away. Its roar diminished as its shape faded. Conan could feel it fighting to break free. Somewhere in the Sea of His Soul, the Black Ace was getting stronger. There was no telling if the dream Conan witnessed was a foreshadowing of fate or a prelude to his demise. A void formed from the bottom of the boy's heart, one of a mix of dread and anxiety.

"Just hear me out." Pharos stepped closer. "I remembered something else. The end won't be brought by anyone in particular. It's coming because there are many people that want it, as if it was destined from the start. But doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?"

Conan fumed. "Not really."

"I see." Disappointment blared from Pharos' face. "Well, I suppose some people would choose death over suffering. Otherwise one might end up hating everything in this world."

The junior shook his head. "Kid, lighten up. It wouldn't kill you to think happy thoughts once in a while."

Pharos smirked. "Well enough of that now. Soon, the poisonous flowers will bloom. One in our own garden, and four in the garden opposite yours. I don't know whether or not this has anything to do with the end, but you should be careful."

"Let's get this straight: I'm not a gardener," said Conan.

Pharos disappeared and reappeared at Conan's side. "I'll come again if I find out anything useful. That's what friends are for, right?" Once more, the child disappeared into the night.

Conan cupped his hands over his eyes. "Better find Elizabeth," he muttered.

Gaza District: 11:00 AM

The moment Conan awoke, he searched his call history for Elizabeth's number. It never occurred to him that he could call back someone in the Velvet Room before. He crossed his fingers and redialed the number. To his surprise, Elizabeth responded quickly.

"I see you require my help," she said.

"Yeah," said Conan. "But I thought we'd probably go outside to talk a bit. I had a place in mind."

"Lead the way," she said.

After a quick trip to the Escapade Mall, Conan found the portal to the Velvet Room and opened it. Elizabeth stepped through with a smile on her face and a coin purse in hand. Conan dreaded how today could go wrong.

"Where to?" she asked.

"The Gaza District," said Conan. "I thought we'd take a walk around."

Elizabeth gave her signature smile. "Let's not wait then."

The two took a quick bus ride to the Gaza District. Upon departing the bus, they were greeted by a pair of escalators and a stairway. Conan motioned for his guest to follow and took the stairway down. He turned around to find Elizabeth walking down the up escalator. Igor's assistant laughed to herself every time the escalator tried to send her up while she walked down. She spent fifteen seconds trying to match the pace of the escalator before finally running down to meet Conan.

"Moving stairs that must be conquered for one to pass," she mused. "So this is an 'escalator.' One false step, and one will be sent back to their place of origin."

"You know that you could've taken the other one, right?" said Conan. "It just sends you down."

Elizabeth eyed the other escalator. "Where's the fun in that?"

They entered a tiled plaza bordered by restaurants, stone statues, a stairwell, and a theater. They traversed through the area, but never stopped in one location. Elizabeth marveled at every nook and cranny of the area, but she was always careful to not lose sight of her escort.

Elizabeth tugged Conan's sleeve. "Would you mind?" she asked. "I smell a familiar odor, and I wish to pursue it."

Conan sniffed the air. "What odor?"

Igor's assistant had already run off. For a supernatural entity in heels and a blue dress, she had a remarkable sprinting speed. Conan did a quick jog and caught up with her at a nearby hot dog stand. Elizabeth was speaking with the vendor nearby.

"Wow, lady," said the vendor. "You can figure out what's in these just by the smell?"

"Of course," said Elizabeth. "Can't you?"

The vendor laughed. "Well, I suppose somebody had to find out. Anyways, did you want to buy some?"

Elizabeth held up her coin purse. She was about to open it and pour out the infinite stream of coins. Conan tapped her shoulder before that happened. "Maybe you should get two," said the junior.

Igor's assistant did just that. The vendor handed over two hot dogs with mustard glazed on top of them. Elizabeth and Conan took their food and started walking away. Igor's assistant started biting into hers.

"Curious taste," she said with full cheeks. "As I suspected, there is more than sow's flesh contained in these roasted treats."

"What else is in them?" said Conan. "On second thought, maybe you shouldn't tell me."

The two took a seat at a nearby planter and continued to finish their hot dogs. Elizabeth indulged herself too quickly and got some mustard on the tip of her nose. Conan offered to wipe it off, but Elizabeth snapped her fingers. In an instant, the mustard dissipated.

"You can do that?" asked Conan.

"I am the one who governs power," said Elizabeth. "I'm more than capable of vaporizing a speck of condiment."

"Point taken."

Elizabeth finished her hot dog and crumpled her wrapper. "So why have you summoned me? I assume that you wished to speak of something important."

"Yeah," said Conan. "I got another dream, but—"

"Does this dream have to do with a beast?" asked Elizabeth.

The junior blinked. "Yeah," he said. "How'd you know?"

Igor's assistant sighed. "I suppose it had to happen. Due to your lack of the Wild Card, my master deduced that you were empowered by an external source. While this source is not as potent as the Wild Card, it provides you enough power to summon your own Persona. An additional side effect is that you will receive bizarre visions as you sleep."

"Okay, so what?"

"That is the beast you dream of," said Elizabeth. Her voice became very grave. "It also wants to devour your soul."

Conan stopped eating his hot dog. He suddenly lost his appetite. "So I'm gonna die?" he asked.

"Not anytime soon," said Elizabeth. "But you will perish earlier than most. You are empowered by an immortal being as old as mankind. It is an unstoppable force with the power over all life on earth. The beast within you grows stronger over time, so there is nothing you can do to hinder its progression."

The junior sighed. "Well, thanks for the heads up. There's really no way to stop it?"

"No such method exists within my knowledge," said Elizabeth. "I'm afraid it's something you'll have to live with."

A chilling thought occurred to Conan. "I've got a disease called Stigma. It's a lethal disease here, but I'm a carrier of the sickness. Does this beast have to do something with my Stigma?"

Igor's assistant pondered the question and nodded. "Correct. It is also the reason why you will not die of worldly diseases. The beast needs a live host."

Conan wrapped up his hot dog. "I'm not hungry anymore," he said.

Elizabeth snapped her fingers. The hot dog disappeared and was replaced by a handful of Crowns. "A token of gratitude from me," she said. "If that will be all, I should take my leave."

Conan did not object. He led Elizabeth out of the Gaza District and back to the Velvet Room.

CM Academy West side, Command Room: 6:00 PM

Two nights later, Slade called for a meeting. Everyone came with questions and anxieties. The team sat in their usual places around the table. Even Charlotte came and knelt next to Conan's seat.

"Does this mean we have a new mission?" asked Charlotte.

"I dunno," replied Victor. "The alarm's not ringing."

Everyone devolved into small talk. Leon grouped with Keira and Lucy into a conversation while Conan, Victor, and Charlotte did the same. After a few minutes of this, Slade walked in.

"Sorry for being late," she said. "It's unbecoming for a teacher to arrive before her students. I have good news and bad news. Which would you all prefer to hear first?"

"Bad news," said Leon. "Let's get it over with."

Slade cleared her throat. "The bad news is that the man we defeated last full moon was not recovered. Pierce never saw the body brought into the morgue."

"Does that mean he was eaten by Shadows, ma'am?" asked Lucy.

"Couldn't be," said Leon. "None of the normal Shadows come out during a full moon."

"Perhaps he was recovered by Strega?" suggested Charlotte.

"I understand if they wouldn't want a comrade left behind," said Slade. "I don't understand why they would use him as bait to get us into their trap. None of this makes sense."

"That bald guy with the tattoos was freaky," said Victor. "I wouldn't be surprised if he set a hover car on fire."

"Maybe they didn't intend on their friend to become more like a Shadow," suggested Conan. "They just made their plan on the fly to get us into the line of fire."

"Improbable," said Charlotte, "but possible. Most winning tactics are orchestrated through improvisation."

"At least we got the guy, right?" piped Lucy. "I mean, there's usually a mass recovery of Shadow victims around this time."

Slade nodded. "True," she said. "Pierce noticed a significant recuperation of his 'curious' inmates. If the pattern from previous months ensues, then we won't need to worry about Shadow patrols for the next few nights. Perhaps we aren't at a total loss."

"Though how the hell does a Persona-user get to the same status as a full moon Shadow?" asked Victor. "I thought we'd be fighting a 100% monster, not a dude with armor."

S.E.E.S. grew silent. Aside from the lack of answers, there was a lack in confidence. Even Charlotte became disheartened.

"Mrs. Slade?" the iron maiden asked. "Perhaps now is a good time to tell us the good news."

Slade regained her composure. "Good news then. Summer is coming to a close very soon. For all of you, summer school is next week. I'll see to it that you all pass with flying colors."

Everyone's faces drooped, even Leon's and Keira's.

"Ha!" chirped Victor. "Good one, Slade. You almost had me there."

Slade smirked. "Oh, it's no joke. I'll personally oversee that everyone here takes intensive courses. I've already applied for all of you. I know how difficult it's been balancing school and our late night patrols. You all haven't had much time for your studies, especially you, Victor."

Victor groaned.

"Hey!" said Lucy. "With your grades, you should be thanking her!"

"Well, it's only for a few weeks," piped Keira. "So let's make the most of this month."

With grudging submission, the boys agreed.

Gaza district: 1:15 PM

Victor did his best to get summer school out of his mind.

Colossian summer vacations only lasted for a month. There were only four weeks to get as far from homework as he could. Now he had summer school. It was bad enough that his homeroom teacher had to live in the same dorm as he did. Now she was giving him homework in a vacation period.

Victor rambled to himself about the education system. His usual habits of visiting the arcade wouldn't quell his anxiety. Most of his reasons stemmed from his own poor performance in standard classes. He had less than a day before summer school, and he was bent on having a one man pity party until the morning bell rang.

The jokester walked around the area. Under the sweltering heat of the summer sun, he was starting to sweat. Beads of perspiration were clustering on his forehead and getting caught in his eyebrows. At least the weather was hot enough to match his angst. Or was the heat getting into his head?

Victor glanced around for anything worth looking at. There wasn't anything special he could see.

"You," said a voice. "Move."

There was a girl dressed in a denim skirt and a sleeveless white shirt was sitting on the planter behind him. A myriad of flames were tattooed on her right shoulder and across her collar. Her brown hair was frayed in many places and looked like the mane of a hedgehog. She had a sketchpad in one hand and a graphite pencil in the other. She also looked very cross.

"Didn't you hear me?" she said. "Move. I can't see."

Victor realized that there was a stone figurine behind him. It was the center figure of a large fountain. Apparently, this lady wanted to sketch it.

"Uh, sorry," said Victor. He stepped out of the way.

The girl did not reply, but continued to sketch. Victor snagged a quick glance and realized that the lady was bluntly shading the entire face of her page in black marks. There was no resemblance between what she had on the paper to what she was looking at. Was she trying to something with all that graphite on the page?

The jokester walked just out of earshot to say his thoughts out loud. "I'll never understand art," Victor muttered to himself.

CM Academy West side, Lobby: 5:15 PM

Summer school started on the 10th and ended on the 15th. To Conan's horror, the time seemed to stretch longer.

Everyone still dressed in summer uniforms and marched off to school as usual. The cameras around the dorms and on the main campus always watched them. For the next week, everyone was on their best behavior. Their situation was bad enough given that they had to attend summer school. Unfortunately, the heat was their biggest problem.

Conan, Lucy, and Victor were stuck in Slade's homeroom for seven hours a day. In that time, the school cut the air conditioning to the room to save energy. Due to insulation from the windows, all the heat from the sun was packed into the dense room. There was more than enough sunlight to make Slade's homeroom an oven. Everyone, even the teacher, was beading sweat on their heads, necks, and forearms.

The juniors especially were feeling the heat. Conan, Lucy, and Victor were less accustomed to summer weather. Conan had a legitimate excuse for living abroad for a number of years. Lucy and Victor, who lived in Colossus for years, never stayed in a non-air conditioned area for long. By the end of the first day, all their shirt collars were wet and their hair clung to their skin. Their teacher fared no better.

"I should ask for someone to check the air conditioning the next time I see the headmaster," Slade muttered one session.

The classes passed by slowly. Material introduced from previous weeks was compacted into short lessons for the members of S.E.E.S. to go over. Everyone (and possibly Victor) was already familiar with the topics covered in class, but the overall feel of being in summer school was hard to swallow. The overall academic status of the team was improving at the expense of comfort.

Everyone was briefly congratulated by Slade on the 15th, but no further rewards were given. Even Leon and Keira became weary of their sessions in the warmest season of the year. On the evening of the last day of summer school, everyone decompressed in the West side lobby. No one had the energy to move.

"At least it's over," muttered Victor. "Screw summer school."

"Aren't we still on camera?" asked Lucy. "Talk like that gets you in trouble."

Victor sunk lower into his seat. "I don't care anymore. Someone shoot me now."

"At least there's tomorrow," said Leon.

"What about tomorrow, Leon?" asked Keira.

"I heard there's this festival happening at the Gaza Hotel," said Leon. "It's a cultural exchange event, so everyone gets to see stuff they normally don't get to see every day. They've got booths for just about everything. Wanna come with? I say we all go."

Lucy batted away a bead of residual sweat on her brow. "A cultural exchange event?" she mused. "I don't want to think about anything that sounds like a school project."

"I heard there's free barbeque stands and carnival booths."

Victor and Conan sat up in their seats. "Did you say free barbeque?" he asked.

"Is it good?" asked Conan.

"Leave it to them to go when food's involved," said Lucy. "Are we really doing this?"

"Did I mention a prize for a new ComPad if anyone wins the raffle?" said Leon.

Everyone knew what a ComPad was. It was an electronic tool that utilized Wi-Fi, a touch screen, and an internal processor that could handle playing music and using software applications simultaneously. Its expensive price matched its widespread allure to the students at CM Academy. All eyes turned to the senior expectantly.

"Are there other stands?" asked Conan.

"How about other attractions?" Victor added.

"I wouldn't know about a ComPad," said Keira, "but the event does sound very inviting."

"Hell yeah," said Victor. "Let's all go!"

Lucy sighed. "Okay," she said. "I didn't have anything planned tomorrow anyways."

"But there's a catch," said Leon. "To get in, everyone needs to wear something that's 'culturally appropriate.'"

"Appropriate in what way?" asked Conan.

Gaza Hotel, exterior plaza: 7:24 PM

The event was much simpler than anyone expected.

In honor of the festival, paper lanterns of all varieties were strung out across the area from lampposts and treetops. The lights served as signals to attract more people into the area At least twenty lanterns hung above every street corner on the block, so citizens from all around were coming for the party.

The Gaza Hotel, which stood proudly behind the exterior plaza, loomed over the area before it. Crisscrossed bricks paved the ground where the cultural festival was held tonight. Isles of booths bordered and stretched across the area. Every stand was unique and offered either food or games of chance. For every stand, there were three people in line. Given how rare these festivals occurred in Colossus, such a large mass of people was significant to say the least.

The members of S.E.E.S. convened at the entrance to the event. The way of entry was an arched hologram projector that rolled text across its arc every few seconds. Greetings were given in phonetic, pictographic, ideographic, and hieroglyphic texts. Even Keira, who was the most knowledgeable of the group, had difficulty keeping track of what was being projected.

Charlotte, Pierce, and Slade also came to the event. Pierce wrung out a free night to attend the event. Slade decided that a night out with her students was a good change of pace. Charlotte, who had very visible metal parts within her body, needed an outfit to blend in better with the crowd. Slade had a spare CM Academy uniform that she could use.

Everyone met up and quickly overlooked each other. Leon specifically said that everyone needed to be "culturally appropriate in attire." No one could wear any sport team logos, ethnically degrading images, or flag designs on their clothes. As such, everyone came in comfortable clothes with plain shades.

"Everyone looks good tonight," said Slade. "Thanks for inviting us here, Leon."

"No problem," said Leon. He turned to the rest of the group.

"I still think I should have worn a bathrobe with a dragon spray-painted to the back," said Victor.

"Grow up, Victor," said Lucy.

Keira giggled at the thought. "A bathrobe with a dragon paint job?" she mused. "Who's going to sell that?"

"It wasn't a joke," said Lucy. "He was gonna do the painting himself."

"So where do we go?" asked Conan.

"It's a festival, so there's no need for structure," said Slade. "We should travel in groups of three and see how much we can do tonight. Everyone meet back up at the entrance before eleven o'clock. I'll call you if we need to leave earlier."

Pierce raised his hand. "I'll pair up with Olivia," he declared.

Charlotte followed suit and raised her hand as well. "I wish to be with Conan," she announced. "I can only be sure of his safety if I'm by his side."

Lucy shot daggers at the iron maiden.

"Actually, Charlotte," said Slade. "I think you should come in our group tonight. There's so many things here you wouldn't be sure how to deal with. I'd feel better if Pierce and I watch you. Agreed?"

Charlotte's mood drooped. "Understood," she said.

The three walked off into the crowds before anyone else had a say. The juniors and seniors looked about for new ideas.

"Hold up," Victor started to say. "There are two chicks and three dudes. I'm pretty sure we can't split into three like this."

"We could have a group of two then," said Leon. "Better yet, let's figure out who's going where. I'm heading as far up the stands as I can and then making my way down. Keira, you wanna come with me?"

Keira nodded with a smile. "Victor," she said, "why don't you come with us?"

Victor gave an expression of both disappointment and surprise. "Just us three?" he said. "I wanted to be in a group of two."

"You could join Conan if you'd like," said Leon. "And I'll take both the ladies."

Victor straightened up. "Fine, I'll go with," he said with a pout. "Sheesh. Talk about a hard bargain…"

The new group of three gathered and ventured into the festival. Only Conan and Lucy remained.

"Ready?" asked Conan with a smile. "Stick close."

"Yeah," said Lucy as she returned the notion. "Try not to leave me behind, alright?"

Slade, Pierce, and Charlotte were walking along the border of the plaza. Here, there were stands for foreign souvenirs and novelties. Among the stands, a stall displayed a metal rack full of plastic masks resembling popular cartoon characters and folklore figures.

The iron maiden looked at the stand and marveled at the wide array of visages hung up for display. "What are these?" asked Charlotte.

Slade also glanced at the stand. "These are masks, Charlotte," said the homeroom teacher. "People of this culture wear them over their faces to have fun."

"Hiding your face is fun?" Charlotte pondered the thought.

"More accurately," said Pierce, "posing as someone else is fun. It's a practice similar to cosplay, but more traditional."

"The purpose isn't to hide your face," said Slade. "Rather, you wear a different face." Slade considered how to clarify the concept to a machine. "Think of it like a game."

Charlotte looked at the masks longingly. "One tries to become someone else by wearing his or her face," she mused. "Interesting."

"Well, that's one way to put it," said Pierce. "Most folks here like seeing your face without anything to hide it, like makeup."

"Would my face be considered a 'mask?'" asked Charlotte.

Slade pondered the thought. "Technically, yes. But a mask is something that retains the same appearance, regardless of the wearer's demeanor. Your 'face' can change and show emotion, so it can't be a façade like the ones we see here."

Charlotte gazed at the line of masks before her. "Is it possible for me to assimilate with your class? I am a machine, yet I appear human. I do not wish to appear as though I have a mask for a face."

"A face like that?" asked Pierce with a smile. "You'd get along great with everyone. Nobody would think twice about who you are or what you're made of."

Slade elbowed her companion. "Well, I'm impressed by your level of comprehension, Charlotte. It's something to consider. If you continue to show such intelligence, I think you'll be ready to venture on your own."

Charlotte smiled. "I am looking forward to that," she said.

Victor, Keira, and Leon stopped near a massive inflated tub full of small fish.

"Are these goldfish?" asked Victor.

"They're Koi fish," said Keira. "Kind of like goldfish. They look small, but they grow much larger than their western counterparts."

A vendor for the stand noticed the traveling trio. "Would you like to play?" he asked with a smile. "Everyone gets a free try. Just use a paper fan to catch as many fish as you can. Every fish you catch is a fish you get to take home."

Leon noticed that the man was holding an array of plastic frames with paper faces. In addition, he also had small plastic bowls filled halfway with water. If his guess was right, Leon was supposed to catch the fish with the fan and put them into the bowl. He looked around and realized that his friends figured out how to play as well.

The senior smiled. "I'll give it a shot," he said. "How hard can it be?"

Leon took three fans and three bowls. He dipped his own into the water to catch the nearest Koi. Leon's fan broke the moment he tried to catch a fish. The small Koi swam away with its tail flipping water at the senior.

Victor managed to snag a fish, but the fish started jumping too violently when it was taken out of the water. The fan broke just as the jokester was about to put his prize into the bowl. That fish jumped back into the water and swam away as fast as it could.

Keira knelt down and closed her eyes. An anxious seven seconds passed. The water calmed and all the fish slowed down. Keira dipped in her fan and effortlessly scooped out a fish. The little Koi dropped into the bowl and started swimming about hurriedly. The senior kept fishing out more and more prizes until her fan finally broke. By then, there were ten Koi fish swimming around in her bowl.

The vendor laughed and slapped his thigh. "You're pretty good at this!" he said. "I'll get you a bag."

While the vendor reached behind to get a plastic bag, the boys looked at Keira with a mix of amazement and confusion.

"How did you do that?" asked Victor.

"I've had lots of practice when I was younger," said Keira. She looked at the bowl in her hands. "My dad took me out to these kinds of stands for laughs. Then again, I got a little help from Arachne. You know, with telepathy and stuff."

In short, she cheated to win her prize. Under different circumstances, either of the boys would have felt less merry. Instead, Victor and Leon laughed. Keira using her abilities outside of the Dark Hour turned out to be more useful than they thought. By then the vendor returned with the bag and helped Keira store her prizes inside. The merry trio walked with fish bag in hand and further into the festival.

Conan and Lucy entered and roamed about freely. They saw a multitude of people pass them: old men in handmade robes, older women with foreign dresses, children with ornate overalls and shorts, and young adults walking about in almost every form of attire listed above.

Lucy's gaze drifted to a pair of junior high school students walking in eastern robes. "Those look cute," she noted. "What are they?"

"Yukata," said Conan. "They're summer festival dresses."

Lucy looked at her own attire, which had only a contemporary feel to it. She had a pink tank top with a plaid skirt that hung two centimeters above her knees. Aside from a few hairpins in her hair, there were little aesthetics added to her appearance.

"Maybe I should wear something like that next time there's a summer festival here," she mused.

"You have a natural 'city girl' style," said Conan. "You'd look good in anything you wear."

Lucy was taken by surprise. "Oh, thanks!" she said with a smile. "I guess wearing one of those would be a hassle in summer. It's been pretty warm outside. Don't you think so?"

Conan gave an earnest look of confusion. "Heat? What heat?"

Lucy elbowed Conan. "You know what I mean. It's gonna get hectic the next few weeks. At the very least, we won't need to worry about another full moon Shadow until September. I think we're doing pretty good."

The two juniors walked further and stopped by a nearby stand. Kebabs with white and beige spheres were hung at the front of an open grill. Fresh smoke streamed from every stick. Caramel-like sauce with white powder was caked on each kebab. An intoxicating, yet familiar smell came from them.

"Wanna get some?" asked Lucy. "I'm kinda hungry."

"Go for it," said Conan.

Lucy went to the kebab vendor. "One please," she ordered.

Instead of giving her one, the vendor offered two. "How about two for you and your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Thanks," said Lucy. As she returned, she gave one to Conan. "He called you my boyfriend. Isn't that crazy?"

Both classmates consumed their kebabs. Soon, they were left with wooden sticks with specks of food on them. Conan and Lucy wiped away bits of sauce stuck to their mouths.

"That was pretty good," said Conan. "What do you think was in it?"

Lucy tasted the inside of her mouth to confirm the flavor. "Um, fish?" she suggested. "I have that aftertaste you get from eating tuna."

"So we just ate fish balls?"

The juniors let that realization sink in. Both laughed at the thought. They walked along further until they came by a booth with a wide arch titled "Raffle." Another vendor standing behind a massive cardboard box greeted them.

"Hey there, folks!" he said. "Wanna try the raffle? No price for trying. Everyone's a winner!"

Conan and Lucy realized that this might have been what Leon was talking about. If either of them won the grand prize, a new ComPad could go to their dorm. Lucy stuck her hand in the box and stirred around inside. She grabbed hold of an object and pulled it out. In her hand was a white ping pong ball with the symbol VI written in marker.

The vendor quickly referenced a numbered chart in the back of his booth. "Lucky pick, miss!" he said. "And here's your prize!"

Lucy was bestowed with an envelope with the symbol VI written on it. She opened it and peered inside.

"Ah," she said. "Forever ferry tickets for two to Asterisk Island: offer valid next year." Lucy remembered to smile. Behind the façade, she was slightly disappointed. They had already been to Asterisk Island, and their last experience ended on an odd note.

"How about you, sir?" asked the vendor.

Conan stuck his hand into the cardboard box. A multitude of plastic balls were all mixed together, and each was a different size and texture. He stuffed his fingers through and dug for the bottom. When Conan made his pick, he removed his ball. It was another ping pong ball labeled XIII.

The vendor stared at the ball with wide eyes. He referenced the sheet behind him one more time. "Wha-?" he muttered. "Congratulations! That was a one-in-a-million shot! You're the grand prize winner!"

Conan awaited the reward. He received a cardboard box just big enough for the device he had in mind. The boy opened it up and found…a spiral sketch book with beat-up edges and taped corners.

Everyone looked at it with wide eyes, even the vendor. The one operating the booth put his hands together and used an apologetic smile. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry sir," he said. "I must have mixed up this box with the one that should have been the grand prize."

Conan held up the sketch book. He flipped through and saw a number of graphite pencil sketches. Most of the images were smudged. The boy couldn't make heads or tails of the things he was looking at.

"Uh, what is this?" Conan asked.

"You don't know?" asked Lucy. "That's one of the only few sketch books that were owned by Chidori Yoshino! She was world-famous before passing away at age fifty! That sketch book is worth thousands of Crowns!"

Conan glanced at the vendor, who looked at the prize with a mix of sadness and stupor. The latter sighed and shrugged. "Keep the book, son," he said humbly. "That's worth as much as a ComPad. Then again, I've got a cousin that has a surprise coming in through the mail."

Conan notched the notebook into his hand and smiled back. Thankfully, he wasn't too greedy for a new ComPad. "Thanks, sir," he said.

S.E.E.S. rendezvoused at the gate where they met up at first. The luckier members had some prize in their hands; Keira with her fish, Lucy with her tickets, and Conan with his sketch book. Leon and Victor were busy munching on catered snacks and treats they picked up on the way back. Everyone briefly recounted their trip through the cultural festival. Fun stories were passed all around. Not everyone went to the same stands, but it was almost as though the group visited every booth available at the festival tonight.

"I believe this is the most fun we've had as a group so far," said Slade.

"Speaking of which," said Pierce. "There's been a slow increase in the number of Shadow victims this past week. Patrols will need to pick up again. I'd say our vacation will have to be cut short."

"We should rest tonight," said Keira. "I think we can afford another night of recuperation. Then again, wouldn't it be better if we didn't just stick to duty and acted like friends?"

Slade became pensive. "Well, our team was conceived for keeping the Shadows at bay," she said.

"Yeah," said Lucy. "Usually, we're on patrols and stuff, but we should do these kinds of things more often."

Pierce rubbed his chin in thought. "Something like that could be arranged," he said. "What say that we all go for a big party after we dispatch the next full moon? I know we still have four more Shadows to deal with, but I believe that we can arrange a premature celebration."

Everyone's faces lit up with upon hearing that suggestion. The group talked some more about their experiences that night and returned to the dorm. Tonight's endeavors made up for all the worries over the past two weeks.