Act III Start

"I have news."

"Yes?"

"I'm pregnant. Also, the clinic confirmed after they did an ultrasound. It's a boy."

"That's wonderful! I can't wait to tell my father. The money is sure to be ours now."

"It had better. That's the only reason I'm keeping the child."

Key

#... Archangel

$... Nestis

%... Sylph

^... Orobas

&... Nata Taishi

*... Omoikane

+... Lilim

=... Valkyrie

\ …... Forneus

Chapter 36: Barriers

Friday, April 29th, 2011

"We will make this plain and simple. As of this moment, Souji Seta, you belong to us."

I belong to them? What on earth are they going on about? More importantly, how the hell do they know about everything that's happened? Even if what happened with Fubuki had occurred in the real world, Yosuke's, Chie's and Amagi's rescues happened inside the TV world.

"W-Who are you? How do y-you know this?"

"How we know this information is irrelevant, Mr. Seta. You may not be aware, but there is far more at stake than simply identifying a murderer of two women. We are in need of suitable pawns, and have decided after careful evaluation that you meet our criteria."

"Pawn? Y-You think I'm a-afraid of you?" Way to go, Souji! Intimidate them with your damn stutter!

"Please, Mr. Seta, let us not have to revert to using tired clichés in order to conduct business. We are aware of the existence of personas, as well as the abilities that they can provide. Naturally, we have quite a few at our disposal as well. But in case that is not enough to convince you of the nature of our relationship, there is a young girl currently living with you, a Nanako Dojima, correct? She attends Sunshine Elementary School, as a third grader. It would be tragic if something happened to her. Why, I am almost certain that Detective Dojima wouldn't be able to handle the loss of his daughter so soon after the loss of his wife. Wouldn't you agree?"

My heart stops beating. They know this much and are willing to threaten the daughter of a police officer? Isn't that insane? But what can I do, what do I say?

='These cowards! How dare they hide behind veils of secrecy, instead of showing themselves on the battlefield!'

#'Agreed. They dare threaten the innocent? The Almighty One reserves the darkest circles of hell for filth such as them!'

^'Enough. Aspirant, calm down and focus. Right now, we are not in a position to bargain. When one side holds the position of strength, attempting to negotiate is futile.'

'Then what should I do? They aren't just threatening me, but Nanako and Uncle as well. They're completely unrelated to this!'

\'The mass of tentacles and brain speaks the truth. In this situation, your only choice of action is to agree. Even though it might seem abhorrent, there is no other path. However, this does not mean that you simply submit! Bide your time, and your opponent will relax his guard.'

&'And that is when you strike, and drive them into the ground, forever destroying them! Victory shall be yours! YAHA!'

My personas are right. What other options are available to me? For now, my primary goal should be to have them focus all their attention on me. Like my personas said, eventually, I will strike back.

"Mr. Seta, are you still there? I do not wish to believe that the connection was cut. I would hate to think that we would have to take action so soon, wouldn't you agree?'

"A-Alright. J-Just don't do anything to Uncle and N-Nanako. I promise to help you however I c-can."

"Wonderful, wonderful. I knew that we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. Of course, attempting to alert anyone to our presence will result in negative returns for you. I'm sure you're a smart individual and understand the implications, right? Also, we are aware that you are building something of a team. While we invite you to inform the rest of your comrades about us, do remember that at that point, the same conditions that are applicable to you become applicable to them. Well then, I feel that we have had a successful conversation. We will be in touch in the near future to discuss your next course of action."

The line goes silent, and the only thing I can hear is the sound of my heart thudding in my ears. It's as fast as a bullet train. A slight crack makes me aware that I have been squeezing the phone so hard that the case had begun to snap. I set it down on the table, then stare through the window. An anger that I only felt once before, when I encountered the Burner, has begun to build in my stomach. However, this time, there's nobody I can take it out on. I want to smash something, anything, everything, but if I do, I'll just wake the other two. Instead, I try to close my eyes and focus my thoughts. Honestly though, I should have expected this. Every time something seems to finally be going my way, another roadblock appears in my way.

%'What'll you do now? Will you tell the others?'

Sylph speaks without any humor in her voice. The gravity of the situation isn't lost, even on her.

'Laddie, wou'nt be better to tell 'em? Might be that they can help ye.'

'No. Bringing the others into this only opens them up to the risk that their families could be targeted as well. There are no guarantees, but this is something I am going to have to shoulder on my own.'

Once again, I'm left facing a scenario where no one can help me. I wonder what Izanagi would say if he were here?

'Did I make a mistake? Did my actions draw these people's attention to me?'

$'It was not just your actions, child. Do you remember that when you first came here, you were nothing more than a cipher? By choosing to move beyond the world you knew, you revealed yourself to those who would seek to use you for their own ends.'

'Are you saying that me rescuing Amagi, Chie, and Yosuke was wrong?'

$'It wasn't that it was wrong. But, they know who you are. They know where you live. They know the people you care about. And they know about us. They even have people like you, perhaps even stronger than you. You have placed yourself in a situation from which you can no longer extract yourself from. Your only choice now, is to do what they say, or others will suffer because your arrogance.'

%'Don't listen to her words, Master. It is much better to take action and then deal with the consequences, than to be paralyzed by inaction and allow someone to suffer!'

$'Perhaps. But can you honestly say that the situation he is in now is better than if he had done nothing at all? Had he chosen to simply continue living without interfering in the lives of others, he would not be held hostage to the whims of something that he cannot even begin to comprehend.'

'But what actions, what words, were the cause of all this? I was trying to do the right thing by the girl I let die all those weeks ago. I said what needed to be said to allow the others to accept their shadows. If I hadn't, those fights may have ended with our deaths!'

However, I receive no answer; perhaps there is no answer. I walk over to the window and, drawing back the curtain, stare out into the fog that has moved in. Despite the threat now hanging over my head, I take a little satisfaction in knowing that at least we prevented another body from appearing in the morning, draped over a telephone pole or something. Just as I'm thinking this, the phone rings.

"Hey, Souji, it's me, Yosuke. Just wanted to let you know that I just spoke with Chie. She says that Yukiko-san's doing fine. We're planning to meet at her hotel tomorrow to talk things over. Make sure you catch an earlier bus. Thanks to holiday traffic, it'll probably take a lot longer."

"Thanks, Yosuke. Hey, I w-wanted to ask you something," I begin, but then pause. What can I say here? If I'm not careful, I may let something slip that could put him in danger. Showing concern about your teammates is vital. That's one of the signs of being a true leader, right?

"What's up man? Ah, I got it! Women trouble, right? Don't worry, Professor Yosuke is here to help you out with all your problems!" I choke back a snort at that, but don't do a good enough job at it.

"I heard that. Jeez, can't get no respect from anyone. So, what's eating you?"

"Do...Do you think w-we did the right thing in rescuing e-everyone?"

Yosuke stays silent for a few moments, as if thinking. "Souji, I know that you didn't want to do this at first. But, you know what? You managed to save me and Chie and Yukiko-san. No matter how you look at it, you're a hero, even if nobody else knows it... Oh yeah, that reminds me! Yukiko-san said the lines you yelled to her shadow, about the cages, were really helpful, like she needed to hear it. Heh, to be honest, I thought it was pretty sweet too, even if they were a little corny."

A hero, huh? I hadn't thought of that before. While I was in the middle of it, I was doing whatever I could in order to just survive. "Thanks, Yosuke. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Sure thing, partner. See you tomorrow." Yosuke hangs up, and I stare out the window once more. Thanks to the thick fog, I can clearly see my reflection in the glass. It almost feels like I'm looking at a stranger's face, barely any resemblance at all to the person who first came to this city. But am I looking at a hero's face? Or a man condemned?

'That line was really helpful, huh?'

$'Are you sure those words were meant for you, child?'

'What do you mean?'

$' "The cages that we build can just as easily be broken"...strong words, if they were said with conviction.'

'What do you mean?'

$'The real reason why you are plagued by doubt, the true reason you needed to run to that boy, is because you are torn by a deeper fear, are you not? Torn, by the fact that you...are a hypocrite.'

I stay silent, though I am aware that my fists are starting to clench, my fingernails digging into my skin.

$'Cages can be broken, this is true. But it not only requires a strength of will to be aware of the cage, but also strength of will to break it. Until now, have you ever been aware of the cage that surrounds you?

No.

But now that you are aware of your cage, do you desire to break it?

No.

Why? It's simple. Because you hate yourself.'

'Shut up.'

$'You hate the fact that you have been placed into this situation.'

'Shut up!'

$'You hate the fact that you have become linked to others, even though you were supposed to avoid that. But most of all, you hate the fact that you might have a chance at redemption. After all, Somebody like you doesn't deserve it, do they? Not after all the failures that you have allowed to happen!'

"SHUT UP!"

Whether I say those words inside, or yell them to the world, I do not know. All I can hear now is the ringing in my ears, and the blood pounding in my veins. As I slump, my head hitting the window, I have just one question.

"Why does Nestis have to be right?"

()()()()()()()()()()

Saturday, April 30, 2011

I awaken, staring at the ceiling. Dimly, I'm aware of the dreams I had while I slept. Painful dreams, frightening dreams, though in the daylight, they slowly fade away. Struggling out of bed, I'm surprised to see that my phone has two text messages, one from Fubuki.

"Hey, senpai. I'm just sending you this text to let you know that things are okay. We should meet some time! :)"

I'm surprised that she wants to meet. I had thought we had resolved the problems that she was facing during our confrontation, but I suppose there may have been something left unsaid. I send a reply text, telling her that if she wants, we can meet after Golden Week is over. The second text is much more succinct, though with no return address.

"We are watching."

The Organization. Come to think of it, I don't even know by what name to call them. Don't all criminal groups have some type of fancy name? I was shivering; I don't know whether it's from the text or my conversation with Nestis from the previous night. Checking the time, I see that I have about two hours before I need to meet up with the rest. It would probably be a good idea to get dressed and get moving.

()()()()()()()()()()

The Amagi hotel comes into focus as the bus comes to the stop. As before, I'm struck by the size of the building. It has to be at least thirty, maybe even forty stories tall. One of the unique features of the building is that as the building goes up, the hotel narrows, not unlike a pyramid. The outside is covered in a very pretty motif of climbing roses. The glass shines in the sun, making the hotel seem as if it is radiating its own light.

I remember the news referring to the Amagi Hotel as being in a class of its own, having been the destination of choice for everyone from celebrities to foreign dignitaries. It also holds one of the only hot springs in the city, famed for it's skin rejuvenating waters, or something to that effect. And yet, nearly all the pundits agree that after a hundred and fifty years, the hotel itself has fallen on hard times. Rival hotels and global chains have increasingly boxed it out of the upscale clientele it relied on. The hot springs aren't anything special. I wonder if perhaps all of this was what led to Amagi's mother collapsing. It's also possible that this may have been the cause of Amagi's stress.

As I walk through the doors once more, the lobby of the hotel is breath catching. Dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, I instantly regret not having come in a three-piece suit. Remembering the instructions Yosuke provided, I walk over to the front desk, and tell the lady behind the counter that I am here to speak with Amagi.

"Ah of course. We were informed that you would be arriving. Would I be right in assuming that you are Seta-sama? Wonderful. If you would please have a seat, I will inform the Amagis that you have arrived."

First time anybody ever gave me that honorific. To be honest, it kind of feels nice. I take a seat and take out my cell-phone. Once more, I check the number that sent the text warning that they are watching me. The number starts with (0041). What prefecture is that? Could I call the number back? Do I dare? I sigh, and put the phone back.

A few moments later, the lady behind the counter walks up. "Seta-sama? If you will please follow me, I will escort you."

"T-Thanks." I stutter, before blushing. Thankfully, it seems like she didn't notice my slip-up, and she leads me to the elevator. Stepping in, I notice the top floor says forty-one. The lady swipes a key card through a slot and then pushes the button marked thirty-six.

"Is this your first time in our hotel?" she asks, looking at me from top to bottom.

"Um, y-yeah." I reply, unsure of where she is going.

"Then, please, allow me to provide a brief background of our fine establishment. As you may be aware, our hotel is one of the oldest in the city, dating from just before the Meiji Revolution. The hotel originally started out as a modest two-story tea-house, but thanks to hard work, the hotel grew tremendously in the years following. During the 1970s, this hotel was expanded from a ten-story hotel to it's current size. The hotel itself has well over three hundred private rooms for our guests, as well as a ballroom that can seat five-hundred people comfortably. Naturally, one of our biggest draws is our world-famous hot-springs, specially sourced that only feeds our hot-springs."

"W-Wow." Really? That's all I can say? Quick, think of something! "U-Um, do the Amagis live here?"

"Actually, yes they do. During the renovations, Amagi-sama decided to move the family into the hotel in order to more effectively oversee operations. The family lives on the thirty-sixth floor, and naturally, it is not accessible to the normal day-to-day guests."

"I see." Huh, that sounds pretty cool. You probably have a great view of the entire city from up there. "U-Um, what about the f-floors above it?"

Almost too fast to see, a shadow appears on the lady's face, but just as quickly disappears. "At this time, the floors above the residence are not in service," she says with a professional smile. It's fairly obvious that any further conversation about that topic is not going to happen.

With a ding, the elevator reaches floor thirty-six, and slides open. The lady smiles to me, and holds the door open. "Please enjoy yourself." With that, I step out, and the elevator doors close.

The lobby that I've stepped into is tastefully decorated with vases on pedestals, as well as the faint smell of jasmine and roses. A carpet extends from the elevator to a set of wood-panel doors. Though the sentiment is muted, there is a definite sense of richness to be felt here. Taking a deep breath, I walk over to the doors, and knock. I hear a voice saying "I'm coming," and I wait. A few seconds later, the left door opens, and Amagi is there, a little breathless.

"U-Um, thanks for coming. Please come in," she says. I nod, and follow her into the house. I grin a little ruefully as she leads me to the living room. It's fairly obvious that both floors of Uncle's house could be fit comfortably in just the living room of Amagi's house. Exquisite paintings, large floral bouquets, even what looks like a ridiculously expensive grand piano in one corner speak of a very successful family.

"Um, Chie and Yosuke just contacted me. They said that they would be a few minutes late. Um, w-would you like some water? Or maybe tea?" Amagi seems as flustered as I am. Come to think of it, this is the first time the two of us have been alone, huh? Quick, Souji. Do something to break this awkward silence!

"Tea would be f-fine. T-Thanks." I say, before collapsing into a sofa. Amagi nods, then heads to the kitchen. My assumption is correct: the view out the window is amazing. A clinking sound informs me that Amagi has returned. She sets down the plate, then takes a seat on a sofa facing me. As I reach out to take a glass, she seems to take a deep breath.

"U-Um, I wanted to say sorry that you had to do all that for me," she begins. "Wait, no, sorry isn't the right word. What I'm trying to say is thank you." This surprises me, and I look at her face. She's blushing slightly, but she doesn't break eye contact. "My mother's back to work already. The maids are being really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if I was trying too hard. I may have been too caught up in the idea that I had to do everything myself.

"Ever since the incident...I feel like I can think about these things more calmly. B-But...it's still kind of embarrassing...You guys saw everything...Even the things I didn't want to admit. But, Souji-kun, the words you said at the end were really important, like they made me look at a part of myself that I was trying to ignore. So, I wanted to thank you specifically," she says, before looking down again.

Those words, huh? The ones I never really believed in? Damnit, Nestis really was right. I need to fix this, now. "U-Um, Amagi-san. I think t-there's been some c-confusion." She looks up, obviously confused. "I really wasn't the one who saved y-you. The person, no, the people who saved you were Yosuke and Chie. Those two were r-really worried about you. I actually t-tried to get out of saving you. If anybody should be apologizing, it should be m-me." I say as I bow my head.

Amagi is obviously put out by this and seems to be struggling. Before she can say anything else, the intercom chimes. I can hear the lady who escorted me up the elevator. "Yuki-chan, Chie-chan and a friend are coming up. Do you need any help?" Thankfully, her interruption broke the silence. Amagi looks at me one more time before getting up and heading to the intercom. "Thanks Kasai-san. I should be fine. I'll let you know if there's anything I need." A few seconds later, there's a knock on the door, and Yosuke and Chie enter, Chie seemingly tired already.

"Oh, thank god you opened up that door, Yukiko," Chie is saying, "having to listen to Yosuke for thirty floors is enough to drive anybody crazy."

"Oh sure, like I'm that bad. Who's the one who came up with the idea for a steak inside a steak? How does that even make sense?" Yosuke asks in exasperation.

"Hello? That would be a great idea. Don't you agree, Yukiko?" Chie retorts.

"Um, I'm not really sure, Chie," Amagi responds, the voice of reason. The three of them finally make it to the living room.

"Hey, Souji! Didn't know you made it before us. Ah, I see, you were trying to sneak some alone time with Yukiko-san!" Yosuke says, punching my shoulder before relaxing onto the sofa. "But man, this is an amazing place, Yukiko-san. I mean, the view is amazing. And what's outside isn't so bad either!" he says, chuckling. Chie, Amagi, and I all look at him blankly. Realizing that nobody else was laughing, he hangs his head. "Never mind. You know what, let's get to the meeting, shall we? Yukiko-san, sorry about having to bring up something you probably don't want to remember, but do you remember anything at all about what happened?"

The three of us look at Amagi, who stares at her hands before sadly shaking her head. "I was hoping that allowing some time to think about it would make things clearer, but it's only getting hazier. I remember...somebody telling me to head to the rear of the hotel. I go, and then, somebody starts calling my name. The next thing I remember is waking up in the castle, with...with my shadow standing there. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. But does this mean the person who called her is the culprit?" Chie asks, thinking.

"I don't know...If it's true, then that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell?" Yosuke says, grimly. "The police are probably looking for witnesses, but I don't think we can expect much from them. They were already wrong when they guessed that Yukiko-san was a suspect."

"I wonder why whoever it is would do stuff like this," Chie says, scratching her head.

"We won't know until we confront 'em ourselves. But we can be sure of one thing. It's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place. Someone on our side is definitely kidnapping them and throwing them into the TV. It's murder, all right. Oh yeah, we never told you. Souji and I, we're gonna catch the culprit ourselves!" Did we agree on that? " The police are out of their league on this case, but we got Personas!"

"Unless the culprit is c-caught first, right?" I ask, halfheartedly. Yosuke just gives me the evil eye.

"I'm helping out too! I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!" Chie says, jumping up. Amagi looks at her for a moment, then nods her head.

"Let me help too. I want to know why this is happening. Especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore. "

"Alright! Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!" Yosuke says. As the three of them grin, I can hear a chime coming from deep within.

Thou Art I...And I am Thou

You shall be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana.

How do these bonds work? Why do they grow? I had forgotten about them because of everything that has been going on the last few days, but I really need to get Igor to give me more information about them. Naturally oblivious to what was happening inside my head, Chie continues.

"Oh, but how're we going to find them? We don't have a single lead yet."

Amagi thinks for a moment, then says "I'm the third one to be targeted so far. But I have a feeling this isn't the end of it. If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

"So we'll outsmart them, huh? Yeah, that might work. Okay, so let's see if we can figure out what ties the victims together. First there was that announcer, Mayumi Yamano. Second was Saki Konishi, senpai. Third was Yukiko Amagi. What do they all have in common?" Yosuke asks. The connection is obvious.

"They are all f-female," I respond.

Yosuke nods his head. "Bingo."

"How dare he target women! Now that is unforgivable! This culprit's gotta be some kinda pervert," Chie says. Having seen the memories of the Burner, I'm fairly certain we're not dealing with anybody near his level. After all, Amagi is perfectly fine. Mizue on the other hand...

"Also, what about this? The second and third victims had some sort of connection to the first one," Yosuke says, continuing the conversation.

"Hey, that's right. Yukiko and Saki-senpai both had connections to that announcer," Chie says, nodding.

"That's true. Then...does that mean females connected in some way to Ms. Yamano's case are being targeted?" Amagi asks.

"I think that's a safe assumption for now. There's another approach we can take, too. If another person disappears..." Yosuke trails off.

"You think they'd be on that Midnight Channel? That happened right before Yukiko was kidnapped, too," Chie says.

"Yeah, it's hard to tell who at first, but what's important is it's happened before the victims disappeared. Kinda like a ransom note. We still don't know why that happens, but we'll have to rely on it for now."

"Still, if you focus just on the announcer's case, it seems like a revenge thing. Maybe it was her lover's wife," Yosuke says, clearly thinking about what Chie asked earlier.

I shake my head. "From what I l-learned from Uncle, she had a p-perfect alibi. She was o-overseas."

"Really? Okay what about the second case? Saki-senpai...she found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, then why target Senpai?" Yosuke asks, looking at me. There's no easy way to give the answer.

"It was to s-shut her up."

"Yeah, I think so too. Maybe she found a clue or something about the culprit," Yosuke says. "We can only hope so. If there is no connection between the two, if the killer is just moving at random, we really will only have the Midnight Channel to rely on."

"But the killer just threw the announcer into a TV, right? I don't think he would've left evidence the police, much less a high school student, would catch," Amagi points out.

"Yeah, exactly," Yosuke says. The four of us fall into silence, each running possible scenarios through our head. As we sit there, I hear the door open once more, and two voices saying "We're home." Amagi looks up, and with a jolt, gets off the sofa and heads to the lobby. Chie looks up and then smiles.

"Oh, that must be her parents. Come to think of it, the two of you haven't met them before, have you?"

I only just got here, and judging from Yosuke's interactions with Amagi, I think it's safe to say he probably hasn't been able to hold a conversation longer than just a few minutes. Both of us shake our heads. Just then, Amagi walks back into the room with her parents. Chie, Yosuke and I all get up, and shake their hands. Amagi's mother is what I expected her to be: a demure, soft-spoken woman who appears to be in her early forties. Her long black hair is neatly done in tresses, and there is a sort of serenity radiating from her. Perhaps the word I'm searching for is beautiful.

But Amagi's father is completely different from what I expected. A tall man, nevertheless he seems uncomfortable simply being in this environment. His clothes don't fit him properly, he has a goatee that doesn't seem to have been properly groomed, and his shoes are scuffed. Yet it's not his appearance that is most out of his place. The attitude he carries is what sets him apart. If Amagi and her mother are one set, then her father seems to be the third wheel, a piece that doesn't belong; neither in this environment, nor with this particular family.

"Um, Mother, Father, I'd like to introduce you to the people responsible for saving me. This is Souji Seta, and this is Yosuke Hanamura. Souji, Yosuke, these are my parents, Tadashi and Mimori Amagi," Amagi says as she introduces us. Chie is standing to one side, smiling. Amagi's mother gently shakes our hands.

"I wanted to thank the three of you, of course, you as well Chie, for everything you've done for our daughter," Mimori begins. "We were so worried when she disappeared, and we didn't know if we were ever going to see her again. If there's anything we can do to repay you, please, you have but to ask." Even her voice has a song-like quality to it. Though perhaps I've got no reason to believe this, anybody should be excited about marrying someone like her. So why does her father seem to want to be anywhere but here? Mimori notices this, and nudges Tadashi.

"Uhh, yeah, what my wife said. Thanks for everything. Now, if you'll excuse me," Tadashi says, before hastily leaving the room. Yosuke and I share a glance, but looking at Chie, I realize that she seems resigned to the whole thing.

"I apologize for him. He's had a long day," Mimori says, "in any case, again, thank you for everything you've done. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave. Yuki, dear, please see them out when you're done." With that, Mimori bows, and follows after Tadashi. I decide to just keep my mouth shut about it. Probably isn't my business to interfere.

"Um, well," Yosuke says, clearing his throat, as an uncomfortable silence has descended. "What else... oh right! I just remembered!" Yosuke says, causing the rest of us to look at him. "We still don't know what to do about the TV!" Amagi looks confused. Seeing this, Chie explains.

"Basically, we can't keep the TV that we are using to enter the other world at Junes anymore, since Yosuke's father wants to get rid of it. So we've made a deal to buy the TV. Thing is, we're not really sure where we're going to keep it yet."

Amagi thinks about this for a second, then looks at the three of us. "Um, I don't know if this will be any good, but I think I might have a place where we can put it. Please, follow me." The three of us follow her out of the house, Amagi locking the door as she goes. We head to the elevator, but instead of going down, she swipes her card and pushes the button to the thirty-eighth floor.

The elevators open to reveal a floor that looks like it used to be some kind of office. Empty rooms sit gathering dust. Amagi leads us down a hallway, turning on lights as she goes, till she comes to a corner room. As she opens the door, I find that we're standing in a giant conference room. A large oval table in the middle has six chairs on either side, with a single chair at each end. One side of the room is a giant window that has an amazing view of Shibuya. On the far wall is a giant cabinet, with a large space in the center. Along the wall opposite the window is a set of smaller dressers.

Even as I'm taking all of this in, Yosuke has already grabbed one of the chairs. "Hey guys, you have to check these out! They're crazy comfortable!" Chie gives him a stare, before taking a seat as well.

"Hey, you're right, these are nice. Better than those Junes seats anyway," she says, to which Yosuke glares right back, "But I didn't know this place was here, Yukiko. We usually never come up here."

"Um, I didn't tell you about it before," Amagi begins, "but a while back, these floors used to house offices. But all the tenants left, so the floors haven't been used since. M-Maybe we can place the TV here?" She points to the place in the center of the cabinet in the far wall.

"Maybe the guys who used to stay here did some type of video conferencing. I mean, the TV looks like it'd fit just fine. Also, check out these dressers. We could leave our weapons and armor here, instead of having to carry them everywhere we went. Man, this set-up is great," Yosuke says, opening and closing the dressers.

"But is this okay, Yukiko? I mean, us taking over this room. What happens if you find another customer?" Chie asks.

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Mother and Father shouldn't have any problem with us using this place. I can also get all of you key cards so that we can all meet here whenever we need to."

"Man, now all we need to do is get the TV and we're all set. That reminds me, Souji. Have you had a chance to talk with your grandfather?" Chie asks, swiveling her chair so that she's looking at me.

"N-Not yet. I was p-planning on talking to him t-this evening." I say, though the discomfort I'm feeling must be obvious to the others.

"Um, if it's money, maybe I can help," Amagi says, "I've got some savings, and I can talk to my parents about it if we're in trouble."

"D-Don't worry about it. He s-should have no problems with helping us out. Thanks f-for the concern." I can't rely on these guys anymore. I've already taken so much from them.

"Alright then, there's only one thing left to do," Yosuke says as he pushes his chair back, "We've now got our fearless leader, a conference room, and we'll soon have our TV. Now all we need is a name! I choose Yosuke Hanamura and his Haremettes. How about it?"

"Ugh, no! What kind of name is that? How about 'The Lovers of Steak?'" Chie says, salivating at the thought of steak.

"How is that any better?" Yosuke scoffs.

"Um, how about 'Personas'?" Amagi asks.

"I don't know, that feels kind of weak," Chie says, scratching her head.

"How about you, Souji? What do you think we should call ourselves?" Yosuke asks, and the other two look at me as well. A name? "D-Does it really matter? I mean, it's n-not like anybody is going to k-know about us, right?"

"Come on! A name is important! Where's your manly spirit about this? Get fired up!" Yosuke almost yells this, pointing towards the window. Chie just groans.

"Well, something to think about, I guess. For now, I think we've covered all the important parts. Seeing as tomorrow is Sunday, let's all meet at Junes. We can take Yukiko into the TV world, and introduce her to Teddie," Chie says.

"Fair enough. Yukiko-san, will you be able to get those key cards by tomorrow?" Yosuke asks as he gets up.

"Yup. I just need to check with my parents, but since they've already met you, there shouldn't be any problems," Amagi says, as we exit the conference room.

()()()()()()()()()()

After parting from the others, I head home. As I walk in the door, I notice that Nanako is once again sitting in front of the TV, staring aimlessly at a cartoon of some kind. It's painfully obvious that she is both bored and lonely. I raise my hand and am about to call out to her, but stop myself. What would I talk about? It's not like there's anything connecting us. I wouldn't even know how to talk to a child. I head upstairs, before putting the phone on the table and staring at it. Though I told the others I would talk to him right away, now that I'm actually faced with doing it, I swear that my hands are shaking.

%'You going to be okay? You're sweating like crazy. Maybe you should put this off.'

Sylph has a point. If this were just an ordinary call, there wouldn't have been any problems. Instead, I'm calling Shuusuke Seta, the patriarch of the Seta clan. A man feared by so many, even the ground itself tries to get out of the way when he walks. While that might be just a slight exaggeration, it is no embellishment to say that he is without a doubt one of the most powerful and influential men in Inaba and the prefecture at large.

Though the Seta clan has always been a mover and shaker, it was taken to another level when my grandfather took control. However, he rules with an iron fist, and very few have what it takes to stand against him. It was in no small part to him that I was probably able to attend Nihon University. Though in retrospect, who can say whether that was a good thing or not? After taking a deep breath, I dial the number. After two rings, the phone is answered.

"Seta Residence. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" The crisp voice of Hina, the steward to my grandfather, greets me. She may have been one of the few people who actually tolerated me to some extent.

"Hina, it's m-me, Souji. I was w-wondering if it would be p-possible to speak with my g-grandfather."

"Souji, is that really you? I had heard that you went to Tokyo for school. I never imagined that you would actually call home. Is everything alright? Are you hurt?" The worry in Hina's voice calms me down a little.

"U-Um, I'm f-fine, Hina. I just need to speak with him."

"I understand. I believe that he's currently playing Go. I will check with him. Please wait," and the phone is put on hold. Of course, now would be about the time he would be playing. Aged sixty-five, and capable of beating a man of twenty in combat, the old man will probably outlive all of us, my parents and myself included. A minute later, Hina picks up the phone.

"Souji, your grandfather was just as surprised as I was to hear from you. However, he'll be answering. Souji, it was nice to hear from you. Come home when you get a chance, okay? We miss you." Hina says before she hands over the phone. As she does so, the temperature in the room drops ten degrees, and honestly, even though I can't see him, his presence makes itself known. The only other time I felt this amount of pressure was when I was facing the Reaper. At least then I could actually fight back. Now...

"This is Seta speaking. I'm surprised to hear from you. I was certain that you would have dragged your bloody and broken self back to Inaba by now. To think that you lasted this long is actually impressive for someone such as yourself."

I swallow, trying to suppress the fear that is slowly climbing my throat. "G-Good evening, Grandfather. It's g-good to hear from you as w-well." I can hear him sigh on the other side.

"You still have that distasteful stutter in your voice. You are truly a disgrace to the Seta name, just like your father before you. A true man does not show weakness. Get rid of it, or there will be consequences." I wasn't this afraid when I was talking with the organization. Couldn't they have just threatened to go after him instead? He could probably destroy them while eating lunch at the same time. "So, why have you called? You obviously have some type of agenda. Let's hear it."

"U-Um," I begin, unsure of what to say.

"Money, isn't it? After all, someone like you couldn't possibly be interested in the future, or what you can do to improve the Seta name. How much?" came the almost flat response from the phone. He had this effect with people, seemingly capable of discerning any person's desires just from a few words. After that, they had no choice but to dance in the palm of his hand. At this point, it doesn't even make sense to try and dodge the issue.

"I n-need fifty thousand, by T-Tuesday," I respond. Is my stuttering getting worse?

"Fifty thousand? I'm surprised. Normally you would have asked for small change. Why all of a sudden are you asking for such a significant amount?" The voice on the other side sounds neutral, but there is a definite edge to it. I have to be careful here.

"U-Um, I had to borrow m-money from Uncle D-Dojima. I n-need to pay him b-back. Plus t-there are a lot of o-other expenses because T-Tokyo is so e-expensive." Well, that's partially true.

"Which seems to be only partially true. There is obviously something else at play. Did you get some whore pregnant, boy? Or are you being blackmailed? Seems like something a weak piece of trash such as yourself would do." the blood in my veins is pumping faster and faster. Stay calm, Souji.

"Very well. The money will be deposited in your account come Tuesday. Naturally, I want a full receipt of everything you purchase with that money. Of course, there is one other condition. Speak the oath that binds all Setas, the proof of our existence."

Ah, yes. The oath. It sounds like it should have existed for centuries. However, in reality, it only started with my grandfather, as nobody can remember the Setas having this oath prior. However, ever since he created it, there is not a single person who is not aware of it. To do business with the Setas requires you to internalize it. I take a breath, and then recite, from memory, what he expects.

"We of the Setas shall neither trust, nor befriend any who approach us. For it is the ones closest to us who are capable of wounding us the most. With friendship comes treachery. With treachery comes disaster. To believe in others is the largest folly mankind has deluded itself into accepting."

End Chapter 36

A/N: And here we go! Act III has begun. You might notice some changes. First, I've changed the summary to reflect the story more accurately. I've also removed the Act # from the title, since there has been some confusion regarding previous acts.

R & R as you please!