Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

pureshadow013 - Oh you totally called it. I tried to make it obvious in my denial that you were absolutely correct.

ObsidianNoir - Yeah, hindsight's kinda 20/20 on stuff that I really should've left out or not made a big deal out of, but I still like how it all turned out so I'm probably gonna leave it as is. As for power wise, well... Ignoring Roy because he's the goddamn Wild Card, Shinjiro's actually at the top of the list in my opinion. I don't really have a solid order beyond that, since they all have strengths and weaknesses, though in terms of combat ability, Fuuka would be at the bottom of the list since her Persona can't attack.

Not much else to say, but thanks again to my friends PuppeteerOfHearts and ScarfDrilbur plus my amazing girlfriend Ella Lucarita for helping me work on thischapter! Sorry it took so long, so without further ado, let's get on with it!

You know Roy, you're lucky I found your laptop and not someone else... unless you did this on purpose, in which case I'm not sure what to tell you. But to whomsoever ends up reading this down the line, my name is Yoshino Chidori, and I'm here to tell you about how if Roy was any more of an unreliable narrator, he'd be James Sunderland.

"...You're joking."

"No, I'm serious!"

I sighed lightly as I entered the lounge on the eighteenth, hearing Junpei and Hamuko talking. Apparently I'd managed to miss something while I was out gift shopping.

"Oh, hey Chidori!" said the pinkette, waving at me. "What's in the bag?"

"A surprise or two." I replied simply. "And no peaking, Junpei."

He made a pouting face. "Aww, way to ruin my fun..."

"You'll get yours first, so hush." I said, walking over and tugging his hat down over his eyes a little. "But what was this about joking?"

"Junpei got something neat for Roy." answered Hamuko. "I still wanna know how he did it."

"What can I say?" he said with a grin, adjusting his hat. "I'm just that slick."

I rolled my eyes. "You? Slick? Never heard that one before..."

"More likely you called in a favor with Aigis."

"...My methods will be shrouded in mystery till the day I die, Hamu-tan." said Junpei, trying to sound cryptic. "Thus I cannot confirm nor deny your statement."

"You totally did." Hamuko deadpanned.

"Man, why ya gotta kill my buzz?"

I gave him a kiss on the cheek before I headed towards the stairs. "Well you're getting presents later birthday boy, so you can handle a little teasing."

"...I SUPPOSE I can bear it..." He commented over dramatically, likely posing in some way. "...If only for you."

-...Why does he have to actually be charming when he's being a smart ass?- I griped mentally as I got to the stairs. "And not because I'll give you a reward later?"

"That's just bonus points."

"If you say so..."

"HEY, outta the kitchen ya twerp!" I heard Shinjiro-san shout. "No sneaky sneaky snatch some cake batter!"

"Awww..." whined Ken-kun.

I missed whatever Hamuko said after that since I'd almost made it to the third floor. I did, however, find Mitsuru-san and Fuuka talking in the hallway.

"Are you sure he'll enjoy it?" asked the redhead. "I've never been certain about his interests outside of the obvious ones..."

"Of course he will!" replied Fuuka with a cheerful smile. "Roy-kun said himself he actually prefers that sort of thing."

"Discussing gifts?" I asked casually as I approached.

Mitsuru-san turned her head and gave a curt nod. "Somewhat. Yamagishi suggested we offer one together, since I'd been having trouble with ideas myself..."

"That's a good idea." I commented. "And do either of you know when Roy will be back?"

"Not for another hour at the least, two at the most." stated Fuuka. "Aigis got him to take her to a movie so we'd have more time to get ready."

"Oh good, so I'll have time to wrap this after all."

"More than enough, I would think. Yamagishi, you should see how the food is coming along. I need to ask Akihiko about something."

"Alright, senpai!" replied the teal haired girl, scurrying off a moment later with Mitsuru-san a few steps behind.

-I still want to know where she got those heels.- I thought as I slipped into my room. -I swear I've seen ones like them before...-

I'll never be one to claim I'm good at wrapping presents... It just amounted to awkwardly stuffing them into a mass of wrapping paper and taping the whole mess closed. At least Junpei's was small so it came out actually resembling something other than a soccer ball, unlike Roy's. Briefly, I wondered whenever or not Junpei would actually like his gift, but immediately brushed those thoughts aside because I was pretty sure he would like anything I gave him... Solely because it's me, but that's beside the point.

I was alerted to the start of the festivities because of a loud slam and the sound of Roy shouting, so I headed downstairs with their gifts. I can't deny I was surprised at the sight of what was going on when I got there.

"...Did you really have to tackle me, Aigis?" Roy griped, the blonde still latched onto his back as he tried to get up. "I think I'm gonna have rug burn on my knees..."

"It was Hamuko-san's suggestion." she replied simply, a small smile on her face.

"I apologize for nothing." Hamuko said instantly, preempting the unamused look Roy shot her way once he got back to his feet.

I shook my head lightly, striding over to where the gifts had been placed and putting mine into the stacks. There were more than I'd actually expected, given the short notice, but I suppose that shows how much everyone cares... even if Junpei seemed to have more gifts in his pile.

Shinjiro picked that moment to come out of the kitchen with a large cake, distracting everyone for a time with some singing and then eating. Lots of eating because I swear I've never loved the taste of chocolate more than when it's baked and slathered in frosting. I've never quite understood why I like chocolate cake so much. Perhaps it was something I inherited from my mother... but this was hardly the place for retrospection, as once the cake was eaten, Junpei went straight for the gifts.

"Let's see what we got here..." He said, sounding more like a ten year old than a teenager as he looked through the pile. "Oh, one from Chidori... think I'll save that for last! What about this one from..." He stood up with a large pink-wrapped box in hand. "...Yuka-tan?"

"Stop gawking and open it."

Junpei looked over at the pink-clad brunette. "But it's a gift! From YOU! I need a moment to recover from the shock!"

"And I think Chidori's sass is contagious." Roy said dryly, plucking a gift out of the stack for him. "...Oh boy, this ought to be good."

"I think you'll like it." said Akihiko knowingly.

"Of course you'd say that, that's the one you got him."

The boxer shot his best friend a look as Roy ripped the wrapping paper off, his expression steadily turning more and more confused as he did. "...Okay, what the hell am I looking at here because if this is some kinda joke, I'm not getting it."

"It's a container of soy beans, Roy."

He looked at me. "I can't eat those! I get the worst stomach cramps imaginable if I do..."

Akihiko started laughing at that comment, leaning against a wall to keep his balance.

"...I'm still not getting the joke."

"New years, Roy." clarified Shinjiro. "But if you can't eat soy beans, how'd you stomach tofu two nights ago?"

That got Roy to make another face. "What do soy beans have to do with tofu?"

"Tofu is made from them."

"...But it's delicious..."

I still want to know how Roy has survived as long as he has despite how stupid he can be sometimes. I really do.

"Just open the thing and look inside." Shinjiro sighed. "There's more than just beans in there; I know, I had to help Aki wrap it."

Roy looked over at Akihiko, who now had a very concerned Mitsuru-san hovering around him as he kept giggling, then opened the gift and dug through the beans to find what the actual gift was.

"...Playing cards?"

"Well, you seemed like a real jack of all trades, so I thought you'd like it." said the silver-haired upperclassmen.

Roy's retort was to toss the small box of playing cards at him in a way that made them bounce off Akihiko's forehead and back to him.

"That joke was bad and you should feel bad." Roy stated. "But thanks."

"Ow... I thought you were supposed to get the birthday lumps..."

"Good luck with that, dude." laughed Junpei as he finally tore into the present from Yukari. "...the hell?"

Under the wrapping paper was a plain brown box. Opening that revealed another wrapped gift inside, which led Junpei to look at the brunette.

"...You did that recursive gift wrapping thing, didn't you?"

She simply grinned. "Hamuko's idea."

"Guilty as charged~"

"At least you didn't smash it with a hammer..." he sighed, unwrapping the box and opening it. Once he did, he shot Yukari another look.

"You got a problem with how I dress or somethin'?" Junpei asked, lifting up the dress shirt from the box. "Really, Yukari?"

The cardigan-clad archer giggled. "What, I can't want to help you look nice in front of Chidori?"

"...That only makes me moderately less offended."

"I think it looks nice..." I said, looking at the pastel blue shirt and noting a black blazer was still in the box below it.

Junpei looked at me, while Yukari laughed.

"Well, looks like it got your girlfriend's approval."

"...You with this round, Takeba."

"She'll win more if she keeps buying you nice clothes."

"Hamu-tan, that is not helping!"

More presents were unwrapped, but they blurred together since I wasn't focusing much on them; I was watching everyone else. It's been an interesting experience living in this dorm and getting to know these people, in and out of Tartarus. At the same time, I can't help but wonder how well they really get along. Why, you may ask dear whoever is reading this? Because of this very journal you've been flipping through.

It's all told from how Roy sees the world around him... and his interpretation of things is a bit stilted. He takes a lot of things at face value and if he does that, he doesn't delve any deeper. It's not to say he doesn't care – I imagine he doesn't even know he does it. But as someone who can sense the world around them in exquisite detail, things like that take a lot to escape my notice. Fuuka and Mitsuru-san are likely the same way. If I had to guess a reason for why he does it, it'd have to be that even with how much he's changed... deep down, Roy is still scared. It might never be something he fully conquers, but I hope he does one day. He's a wonderful person, if eccentric at times, and I like talking to him.

Just don't let my compliments go to your head when you read this, it's big enough as is and I doubt Aigis wants it to pop.

Jabs aside, I did start paying attention to what Roy and Junpei were doing once the two of them got to the gifts from me.

"Okay, where the hell do I even start with this?" asked Roy, looking at the mass of wrapping paper in his hands. "What did you get me Chidori, a novelty soccer ball the size of Koromaru?"

"Be nice, Roy." said Hamuko. "You're a hard person to shop for, ya stupid giant oni..."

I simply smiled knowingly. "I had to keep you guessing somehow."

He glanced my way before he started tearing into the wrapping paper. Once he saw part of it, he began lightly shaking his head, but when the rest was exposed... I'll never forget the look on his face.

"...This..."

It was an admittedly silly picture frame I saw at a store – it had a red Oni plush holding up the frame itself. Though I imagine what Roy was looking at was the picture I'd put in it.

It was a sketch I'd been working on for a few weeks, truth be told. It was a full-color illustration of Roy stepping out of darkness, several hands outstretched to him from blue light.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

Roy didn't answer. He was just staring at the image, lightly touching the frame.

"Roy?"

He jumped, having been pulled from his trance. "Huh? What?"

"Do you like it?" I repeated, admittedly nervous since I didn't think I'd actually get that big of a reaction from him.

Roy glanced back at the image, then nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "...Yeah. Thanks, Chidori."

"Are you alright?" asked Aigis, stepping closer to her beloved red-head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He replied. "Just a little caught off guard is all."

Junpei rolled his eyes. "And you 'n Hamu-tan call Shinjiro-san a softie..."

"Ah, shaddup."

"Can't make me~" he sang, tearing the wrapping paper off the tiny present from me. "Huh... what's this?"

My nerves started getting the better of me again as he started opening the jewelry box. Even if I knew he'd still accept it because it was from me, I hoped he'd like it.

"Hey, this is neat!"

My eyes lit up at his words, watching Junpei withdraw the necklace from the box.

"Dude... that's awesome." He laughed, tapping the sword-shaped charm hanging from the silver chain. "Where'd you find this?"

"Ah, um... at a store Yukari showed me." I admitted. "It's from a brand I really like..."

He hummed, then fiddled with the necklace till he had it on. "How do I look?"

"I think it suits you, Junpei-kun." replied Fuuka. "It even matches the other pendant you have."

"Oh yeah, it does..." Ken added. "The other one looks kinda like a shield..."

"Does that make Junpei the knight in shining armor to Chidori's princess~?" Hamuko asked, a teasing look on her face.

I just shrank in my seat slightly. My mind was not on my side at the moment.

"...PERHAPS." answered Junpei, putting his hat back on and adjusting it. "I will have to confer on the accuracy of that claim later."

"Mmhm, sure you do..."

"Shut the hell up, Roy. You're not one to talk."

Putting aside that little bit merriment we had, I believe it's time to get started on proving my point, one member of SEES at a time. Sanada Akihiko will be the first one on the list.

"So if I square this, then the force in newtons comes out as... this?"

"Exactly." replied Akihiko-san, smirking at me from across the table we were seated at on the second floor landing. "Just apply that same formula to the next three questions and you should get the right answer."

I smiled back as I continued with my physics homework. "Thank you, senpai. You're quite good at this."

"Well, even if I'm good at it, boxing can only get me so far." he replied, the sound of his own pencil scratching across paper following shortly. "Never hurts to have a good range of knowledge – always hard to tell what will come in handy down the line."

"Is that why you asked me to help with your Japanese homework?"

He sighed. "Yeah... writing assignments are really tedious for me."

"Too complex in your opinion?"

"Mmhm. I just like to keep things simpler..." he paused, frowning lightly. "...Y'think that might get people to think I'm simple all the time?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I was thinking about that journal of Roy's." answered Akihiko-san. "...Do I really come across that way?"

"Not in my opinion." I said honestly. "But he sees things differently from a lot of people."

He hummed lightly. "...Think it's because we don't get along as well as him and Junpei do?"

"Entirely possible. There's only so many hours in a day and he does try his best to interact with everyone."

"Yeah... plus, well..." Akihiko-san half-hesitated. "...We kinda talked the most while everything was going wrong with Shinji."

I looked up from my homework. "Really?"

"Yeah. Have you not read it yet?"

"No, I finished it a few days before the party. Ken-kun is the last person to read it, I think."

He bobbed his head. "Ah, I see. But... it's strange looking back at those times now. How different things seemed when I was living them to how they are now, and what it was like to see them from the outside... really makes you understand what perspective does to how things are taken."

"It does, doesn't it?" I mused aloud, tapping my pencil against my chin. "Maybe once things calm down, you can see if Roy wants to hang out more."

Akihiko-san laughed. "Calm down, huh? You sound confident."

"I'm not about to let the machinations of the man who ruined four years of my life come to fruition, especially not when he barely counts as a coffin stuffer." I stated evenly. "Nor do I intend to let fear of the worst stop me from planning for the best outcome."

"Heh. I like the way you think, Chidori."

"So does Junpei, but he's biased."

Another laugh escaped the boxer. "Definitely biased. But hey, can you tell me if this looks okay?"

Now let's see about Yamagishi Fuuka.

"...Chidori-chan?"

I looked up from my drawing pad, smiling at the teal haired girl who was standing beside the end of the sofa I was sitting on.

"Yes, Fuuka-san?" I asked. "Did you need something?"

"...I was wondering if I could ask you about something."

An inquisitive eyebrow arched on instinct at her statement. "I don't see why you can't. Just have a seat and we can talk."

"Oh, okay..." She replied, nodding quickly before sitting down in the nearby armchair while I resumed sketching. "...I wanted to ask you something about Roy-kun."

"...What is it that you couldn't ask him directly?"

Fuuka-san fidgeted in her seat for a moment before answering. "...I wanted to know what you thought his opinion of me was."

My pencil stopped and I looked at her again. "Why do you think I know?"

"Because..." she hesitated, then sighed. "...Because of his Journal."

"What about it?"

"He doesn't really mention me in it... at least, not as much as he mentions Junpei-kun or Shinjiro-san."

I let out a hum, thinking back to reading it. "...He didn't, did he? Odd."

"...Do you think he doesn't like me...?"

I shook my head. "No, Fuuka-san, I don't think he has a problem with you. He just... well, might not have a very strong opinion or feels that what goes on when you interact isn't something he should make more detailed note of."

"So... he cares a lot...?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it. I'll be honest, you're the nicest person in this entire building." I told her. "For all of Roy's odd tendencies, he likes those sorts of traits in people. It's possible he doesn't think more needs to be said about you; your actions and character speaks for itself."

A smile slowly curled its way onto Fuuka-san's lips. "You think so?"

"If you're not certain, ask Ryoji. He was literally inside Roy's head after all."

"I would have, but... he went to the arcade with Junpei-kun a half hour ago."

I blinked, tilting my head to one side. "...Oh yeah, that's right... I forgot about that."

A giggle escaped her. "You were caught up in your drawing again, weren't you?"

"...Maybe."

Another giggle followed. "What're you sketching this time, Chidori-chan?"

"Oh, aimless doodles. Nothing super impressive in my opinion..."

"Can I see?"

"Sure."

Kirijo Mitsuru, the attention-grabbing upperclassman.

"He's still insisting on coming with us on the thirty-first?"

I nodded at her question. "Jin wants closure on the parts of his life related to Takaya. Even if he's been out of combat for this long, he's going to fight."

Mitsuru-san hummed. "I see. I'll finalize the arrangements for him to be released into SEES custody from the twenty-eighth to the second of February tomorrow then."

"Thank you."

A wry smile crossed the redhead's face. "You don't need to thank me. It feels as though we all need to reach some end to these chapters of our lives... especially the ones Ikutsuki tainted."

"Some of us more than others." I admitted, shifting in my seat. "At least he won't be able to ruin more lives..."

"Speaking of which, I was informed of something that I imagine is very much of interest to you earlier today." said Mitsuru-san. "You... had a younger brother, yes?"

I had to force myself to not flinch. "...Yes. Why?"

"It seems that reference to a 'Yoshino Shoji' came up in one of the files pulled from Ikutsuki's computers." she stated. "I asked mother to call in Asami-san to assist Madakaze-san in further attempts to crack all of the encryption on his files. He was nothing if not exceedingly serious about keeping his plans hidden for as long as possible."

I stared at Mitsuru-san quietly as I attempted to process what she was telling me. "He... mentioned Shoji...? Why?"

"We still don't know. Alongside the name was references to an unnamed at the time the document was written project involving a Plume of Dusk, but beyond that nothing has been deciphered." she replied, concern and agitation at the edges of her voice. "The fact it took this long to even get into one of his files at all is astounding as it is."

"...I see..." I said quietly, feeling a pit form in my chest. "...Please, let me know if you find anything else about Shoji."

Mitsuru-san nodded. "Absolutely. It... may not end up being information you'll want to hear, but I'll share it with you regardless."

"Thank you, Mitsuru-san."

"You're welcome, Yoshino."

...Alright so maybe that wasn't the best example, but I'm trying to hurry along incase Roy shows up and catches me writing this. I think for my last segment, I'll get some answers out of someone who just might know Roy better than Roy himself does; Mochizuki Ryoji.

"Ugh, man, why does Junpei have to be so damn good at Marvel vs Capcom Two?" griped the raven haired teen as he flopped onto one of the sofas in the lounge. "Does he go to tournaments or something?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "It's likely he just really enjoys playing them."

"...Or maybe he's still bitter about that time Roy schooled him at Street Fighter at the arcade." he noted. "I mean, I saw that happen. It was brutal, man. Absolutely brutal."

It took me a moment to recall that Ryoji-san was formerly known as Pharos and trapped within Roy's mind for quite some time. "That sounds familiar..."

"It should. It was in Junpei's addition to Roy's Journal." stated Ryoji-san. "Also, no regrets in throwing you boyfriend under the bus with Roy at the time. It was either rat him out or risk Roy getting thrown out for not telling people about all his abilities."

"...What was it like?" I asked, looking up from the manga I'd borrowed from Junpei. "Living in Roy's head for all those years."

He went silent for a few moments before answering. "...Disorienting at first, to be honest. I'd only been 'alive' as it were for a few hours at best when Aigis sealed me away. It was dark and silent until he woke up in the hospital, then... I could watch. Him talking to his uncle and the doctors. The flight back to the United States. School. Talking with people, learning martial arts, and even his infamous trip to Las Vegas."

"So you could see it all, but not do anything?"

"I tried to break free a few times at first." he admitted. "Nights with full moons called to me, but... I couldn't escape in the state I was in. So I just watched and waited. Bore witness to his best and worst moments growing up, and... it caused my original intent to fade from my mind, I guess. Eventually, I just wanted the chance to talk to him. Thank him for giving me the chance to see some of the good in the world, as opposed to blindly destroy it." Ryoji-san turned over on the sofa so he was laying on his back to look on at the ceiling. "And... the chance eventually become his friend once he came here."

"...I see." I said. "So then... if what he feared had come to pass, you likely would've been his only remaining companion?"

He replied with a nod. "Most likely. It was... interesting seeing him interact with the people he knew growing up. Even with the few friends he did have, he never seemed to feel like he belonged. I suppose perceiving something none of them could did that to him, even when he explained it to some of them."

"...Is that why he doesn't really talk about them in his Journal once he started becoming closer to SEES?"

Ryoji-san nodded again. "Yeah. I asked him the same thing at one point, but it was one of the many things he didn't write down. He's... pretty much always been a bundle of nerves. It seems like things have gotten a lot better for him since that whole 'Shadow Roy' incident..."

"Has he talked to you about anything since you officially came back into the group?"

"A few times, yeah. Sounds like he's been confiding in Aigis a lot these days." he answered. "He's just been so secretive for so long, it's a pretty big adjustment for him to really be completely honest."

A small hum escaped me. "I can't say I blame him. It... was likely more jarring of a revelation than what he would've told us if given enough time to come to grips with it."

"He'd told me that he planned on telling SEES everything about his abilities a week after the Dark Hour ended... though, that was when everyone still thought destroying all Twelve of the Arcana Shadows would end things."

"He did?"

"Eyup. Said it to me the day of that last operation." he stated. "One of our last conversations while I was still Pharos, even..."

I shifted in my seat somewhat to better face Ryoji-san. "Did you expect for any of this to happen that day? I mean, becoming what you are now?"

"Nope. Not at all." was his admission as he turned his head towards me. "I thought I was gonna move on to the afterlife or whatever. Now... I have to basically help beat up my evil side to save the world. Kind of a pretty big escalation of things, huh?"

"That's putting it mildly, but yes, it is."

Ryoji-san let out a laugh. "Living in Roy's head gave me some of his quirks, okay?"

"I'd be honestly surprised if you didn't, Ryoji-san." I replied with a chuckle.

I hope this was enlightening in some way. Nothing against you, Roy, but... well, you need to work on your writing skills a bit. Not that I'm one to talk anyways, but it's better to have some several views on things instead of just a single, somewhat biased, perspective. A story works better if the characters feel like real people, even in the case of a journal like this. That said... I'm glad I could be a part of your story. Just don't forget you're a part of the story of my life too, okay?

-Yoshino Chidori

...Eloquently put, Chidori. And... thank you. Thank you for being my friend. - Roy

Author Notes - Okay, full honesty: I've been trying to work up the drive to get this chapter done for months but getting Chidori's character right managed to elude me for a long time. If not for some admittedly harsh but ultimately helpful words from my friend Tori, I might not have even gotten this chapter done for a few more months. That said, now that it IS done, I can do the next one for Duality and then get to the last 5 chapters of THIS story, THEN finally get started on Golden Moon like I've wanted to for fucking ages now.

So yes, next chapter is how it all ends! Buckle up boys and girls, this is it; The Apocalypse! Cue Imagine Dragons Radioactive as I hop into a car and slam on the gas, because there is no way in hell you guys can figure out what I have in store for the final battle. Mwehehehe...