Naoto and I changed back into our uniforms while the beauty pageant was wrapping up, then met up with the others after it was over. Chie and Yukiko were a bit upset we ditched halfway through, but they weren't surprised and let it go easily. Somehow, Naoto won the thing anyway, which made the detective incredibly embarrassed, but I congratulated her and said she did look way too cute in the first round for the swimsuit part to matter. None of the other girls were offended, considering those three were just satisfied they beat Hanako and Kashiwagi and I didn't care too much that I got quite a few votes myself. Then, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and I had to go back to our class's group date cafe, which still had no customers.
"Today's the last day of the Culture Fesitival, but there's no one here at all..." Yosuke complained.
"I hear all the OTHER classes are in full swing." Chie responded.
"Aw, and I was kind of interested in this group date...I wonder why it's not catching on." Yukiko said.
"Man, I'm glad it isn't. There's nowhere else to rest!" Kanji said, sitting at one of the tables.
"I like it. No one's taking pictures of me or making awkward small talk. Great plan, Yosuke-senpai!" Rise said from where she sat at the table with Kanji.
"If that was my plan, then I would've suggested a quiet zone to begin with." Yosuke told her.
"There's one last event to finish off this festival later today, right? I wonder what it's gonna be about." Chie said.
"I heard it'll be a karaoke booth with no signups needed!" Rise answered excitedly.
"Wouldn't it draw too large a crowd if you sang, Rise-san...?" Naoto asked from where she stood next to me.
"I want in! It'll be my second grand victory after the cross-dressing pageant!" Teddie said, now wearing his bear suit for some reason. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a singing, dancing magician! Do you want to see my magic trick? Hm? How about it?"
"No." I answered flatly, rolling my eyes at the bear.
"Weeeell, if you insist...! A one, a two, and a three!" He ignored me and popped out of his costume, holding up the head. "Tadaaa! My transformation into a gorgeous prince is complete!"
"All you did was take off your costume." Chie pointed out.
"So? What did you think, Sensei? Were you shocked and amazed?" Teddie asked Yu.
"I'm used to seeing that already." Yu answered stoically.
"Oh my, have you lost that lovin' feeling? My heart burns stronger when I get the cold shoulder, Senpai!"
"...Huh?" I blinked and tilted my head as I heard something strange. It sounded like a clocktower or church's bell ringing.
"Hm...? What was that just now?" Rise looked around in confusion too, seeming to have heard the same thing.
"It sounded like...bells...?" Yosuke answered.
"It was different than our usual school bell, though, huh?" Chie asked.
"Oh...!" Yukiko looked surprised.
"Wh-What is it!?" Chie asked her in alarm.
"I heard that the Kinjiro Ninomiya statue runs around the schoolyard in the middle of the night...!"
"Really...?" I muttered at her with an awkward smile.
"...What does that have to do with anything?" Chie asked.
"Besides, we don't have one of those statues here." Rise pointed out.
"It's a common story as one of a school's Seven Horrors. Does this school have its own urban legends?" Naoto asked.
"Like I said, the statue runs around the..." Yukiko started, but Chie interrupted her.
"We don't have one!"
"Oh, but the second one's impressive too. The eyes of the Mozart bust in the music room glow...!"
"All they do is glow!?" Yosuke asked, unimpressed.
"Well, all the statue does is run." Yukiko replied.
"Fair enough." I shrugged.
"Again, we have no statue." Chie repeated.
"The third one is, "If you write your wish in the logbook at the Nurse's Office, it'll come true"..." Yukiko said.
"Isn't that just a superstition?" Yosuke asked.
"...Okay, but here's the main point I wanted to get to..." Yukiko continued on with her story, ignoring him.
"So you did have a point." Kanji muttered.
"Can you guess the sixth one?"
"Something to do with bells?" I guessed and she nodded.
""Whoever hears the bell of the clock tower to the end"..."
"Uh, we don't have a clock tower either." Yosuke shook his head.
"Although...As I recall, supposedly there was one here once. I heard it from the principal before." Naoto stated.
"...Y'know, I think you're right. But I'm pretty sure that was before we were in grade school." Chie said.
"So it's echoing through time...?" I muttered, trying to figure out what the horror was.
"So? What happens when you hear the bells to the end?" Yosuke asked Yukiko.
"You die." She answered bluntly.
"Of course." I sighed, disappointed.
"Dude, that's such a cliche!" Yosuke agreed.
"You breathe your last?" Yukiko changed her wording.
"Rephrasing it doesn't make it better!"
"It should be something about time...Maybe, like, you get thrown into the past...?" I suggested.
"Ooh, that's interesting!" Yukiko's eyes gleamed at the thought.
"And then you die." I added.
"And you made it lame again." Yosuke sighed.
"Ooookaaay, enough about that story!" Chie stopped us. "That bell probably means the post-festival event's starting. Let's go!" And she quickly left the classroom.
"Huh? Chie left..." Yukiko observed in confusion.
"Can't believe anyone our age still gets creeped out by the Seven Horrors stuff..." Yosuke commented.
"A-Are you scared?" Kanji asked Naoto.
"Hm? No, not at all." She replied indifferently.
And so, we went after Chie, walking through the hallways when a woman wearing an odd blue...Bellhop uniform...? Well, anyway, an older woman with light hair and yellow eyes stopped Yu.
"Ah, Yu..."
"I didn't know you were here." Yu said to her, apparently familiar with the woman.
"I've been allowed to have a fortune-telling booth here. It's just a way to pass the time."
"H-Hey, Senpai! Who's this beautiful lady!? You never told me about her!" Rise interrupted, staring at the woman suspiciously.
"Me neither! I can't let this pass!" Teddie added.
"This is Margaret. She's a resident of the Velvet Room, where my Persona fusions are performed..." Yu explained.
"Ohh, you mean that place you've mentioned before!" Chie said.
"Where none of us can go." I realized what he was talking about as I remembered asking him about his disappearing acts or spacing out occasionally in the TV World where he'd come back with a new Persona.
"But didn't you say the owner had a long nose? Does it...does it stretch!?" Yukiko asked, looking at the woman's very nicely shaped nose.
"It doesn't stretch, and he was not referring to myself." The woman put a hand to her head and shook it, sounding exasperated. "Yu...I'd be curious to know what you've told your friends about us."
"Oh, sorry. Um, we're..." Yosuke started.
"There's no need for introductions. I know about all of you." The woman replied. "That aside, did you hear that sound earlier?"
"What sound?" Kanji asked before realizing. "Oh, right. We thought the post-festival thing was starting."
"I see...So you did hear it." Margaret responded. "That sound did not come from reality. I heard it from my fortune-telling booth, after all..."
"From your booth...?" Naoto repeated.
"Though it has no master, the fortune-telling room is a simplified Velvet Room. The Velvet Room is inseparable from a guest's fate. Absolutely nothing meaningless happens there..."
"So then...if a sound was heard there, it was by necessity?" Naoto asked.
"Maybe you just dropped a bell or something?" Kanji suggested.
"Indeed...Something is happening...Or rather, something is about to begin..." Margaret looked thoughtful.
"She ignored me..." Kanji muttered.
"Well, I guess all we can do is check out this fortune-telling booth." Yosuke said. "This Velvet Room's where they've been helping you out all this time, right?"
Yu nodded.
"I wanna see it." I nodded, a bit excited to know more about the mysterious "Velvet Room" that Yu could enter.
"...You raise an interesting point. If you all heard the sound, then it must be related to all of you...Will you please follow me? It's this way." Margaret began leading the way and we followed her.
"So hey, Yukiko. What's the seventh story?" Yosuke asked and I listened in curiously.
"Well...If you've heard the six leading up to it, supposedly, something will appear..." She answered.
"What? That sounds like the Hundred Stories...Whoa!" Yosuke seemed startled suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Yukiko asked.
"Oh, uh...There was a spider crawling by my feet and..."
"Gah, where!?" I couldn't help but panic at the mention of it and froze, looking around the ground frantically.
"Huh? It's gone." Yosuke didn't seem to be able to find it either.
"A spider...?" Yukiko asked.
"Must've been my imagination...C'mon, let's go." Yosuke shrugged it off, but I was still frozen. "Uh...Kyoka, you doing okay?"
"Please don't be crawling on me. Please don't be crawling on me..." I whimpered, feeling my eyes sting as I forced myself to begin walking with them again.
"Haha, you're that scared of spiders, huh?" Yosuke seemed amused.
"It's not funny! Guh...My skin's crawling just thinking about it..." I whined, lightly hitting his arm when he laughed.
Soon enough, we were in the hallway in front of the fortune-telling booth.
"It's through here..." Margaret said, motioning toward the booth's curtain door. "Please be careful. As I feared, it is somewhat...unstable..."
"Unstable?" Rise repeated.
"Time. It's unstable..." Margaret answered.
"How is time unstable...?" I muttered in confusion.
"Er...Let's go in, Senpai." Rise said to Yu, who nodded.
So, we all entered the darkness within the fortune-telling booth. It was a strange place, with stairs that seemed to go nowhere visible connected to a platform situated in the middle of an empty space that had gears and clock parts floating around.
"Whoa..." I looked around in awe.
"Talk about a wide-open space!" Yosuke said.
"Hmm? What is the meaning of this...?" Margaret looked around like she didn't know what was going on either, then turned to the two strange doors that looked to have multiple layers of chain locks wrapped around them that were standing on a corner of the platform we were on. "And what are these doors...? Two doors and four locks...? What could these be...?"
"They weren't originally here?" Naoto asked her.
"No...It was a small room, easily filled by a desk and a chair...There wasn't space for doors such as these, naturally. Could the room have changed because I brought you all here...?"
"Wh-What do you mean? Stop saying weird things!" Chie said and began backing away. "C-Can we leave? I-I say we get out of here for now!" She headed for the exit, but the sound of the bell tolling came again, clearer than before.
"...We may have been summoned..." Margaret said.
"By who...?" Rise asked.
"I'd like to investigate this for a while. If you find something, please call for me."
"Huh?" Chie's voice came from outside.
"...We should head out too, Yu-senpai." Naoto suggested and Yu nodded.
We went back out into the hallway, but it was bustling out there, filled with students wearing Yasogami's uniform advertising and looking around the Culture festival. Teddie was excited, but I was dumbfounded.
"Was it this crowded before...?" Chie asked as Yu exchanged a look with Naoto.
"No way..." I shook my head in disbelief, then glanced out the window and was shocked to see a clocktower. "Huh? What the...? Five minutes to midnight...? Or noon...?"
"Huh...Are things picking up one last time before the post-festival event?" Yosuke asked as the others didn't seem to notice.
"Oh, right! There was somewhere I wanted to go!" Teddie remembered. "Y-Yosuke! Please accompany this pitiful bear!"
"Once the post-festival event starts, all the displays will wrap up, so go check them out now if you want to see." Rise told them.
"Fine...Where do you want to go?" Yosuke sighed.
"The Cosplay Cafe!" Teddie answered.
"Like hell!"
"It's okay, I just need your wallet to accompany me." Teddie snatched Yosuke's wallet and ran off as fast as he could.
"Dude, if I'm the one paying, then I'll check out the cosplays too! Get back here!" Yosuke called, running after him.
"Ooh, I wanna see too!" I ran after them, quickly distracted by the mention of the Cosplay Cafe and laughing at the thought that neither of them knew what it was actually about.
But, when we got there...It was kinda weird. It was a "You in Wonderland" display.
"What gives? There's no cosplay cafe here..." Yosuke said.
"Hrm? Was I only dreaming?" Teddie asked.
"I remember it saying cosplay cafe in the pamphlet, though. Maybe there was a last minute change?" Rise tilted her head.
"...Why don't we try going inside?" Naoto suggested.
"Huh? You're into this stuff?" Yosuke asked.
"C'mon, she's a detective. I bet she'd masqueraded as others before cosplay was a thing." Kanji said.
"Um, that's...Well, I'll let it pass without comment." Naoto said.
"Anyway! It's Alice in Wonderland themed, so I'm really curious about what it's like inside." I derailed that line of conversation.
"More importantly, Senpai, may I ask you to open the door on my cue?" Naoto turned to Yu.
"Be careful." Yu responded.
"You as well. Now then, here goes..." Naoto readied her gun that she uses to fight Shadows.
"Whoa, why're you pulling out your weapon here!?" Chie was surprised.
"Three, two, one...Go." Naoto ignored her and Yu opened the door on her cue.
Inside was a weird...Fractured space with two walls of checkerboard that we more or less got sucked into and ended up inside...A dungeon...?
"Is this display based on a children's story? It must've been a lot of work..." Yukiko said.
"Rise-san...Please search this area with your Persona." Naoto said.
"W-Whoa, wait a sec. We're at school! I can't summon it here!" Rise protested. "Why are you making me call out for no reason? This is so awkward..."
"Humour me." Naoto replied, seeming confident.
"Fiiiine, if you insist...But don't blame me if this gets weird, okay?" Rise blushed and did it anyway. "P-Persona!" Surprisingly, her Persona did appear. "Wha-it worked!"
"I knew it..." Naoto said.
"Are we...inside the TV? But we never went into one...and I don't see any fog here." Yukiko looked shocked.
"Wait, then can I...!?" I pulled my pelt out of the bag on my back and wrapped it around my shoulders, then changed into my Shadow form. It worked, and then I changed back and looked at Naoto in surprise. "H-How...!?"
"Hold on...I'm sensing Shadows up ahead." Rise spoke up. "One, two...Tons of them! Some really strong ones, too!"
"Oh, c'mon! If there were Shadows around, there's no way I wouldn't sniff them out." Teddie said and began sniffing. "Hm hm...See? There's...tons of them!? The Shadows are actually here!"
"Whoa, there really are Shadows here!? Wh-What should we do?" Chie asked.
"I'll protect you, Chie." Yu said in his usual impossible to read monotone and expression.
"Wha...!? H-Haha, there you go again, saying things like that..." Chie got embarrassed. "I-I know. Since we can't leave them be, why don't we poke our nose in there?"
"Okay. I'll back you guys up from here, then." Rise said.
"Huh? Then I'm stayin' behind too." Kanji stated.
"Haha, are you volunteering for bodyguard duty? That's so sweet of you, Kanji."
"Shuddup. I don't wanna hear any complaints if a Shadow attacks."
"I'm just kidding! Well then, Senpai, I'll wait out here with Kanji."
"Sorry, but I'm going to investigate elsewhere. There's something else that's caught my attention..." Naoto said.
"Huh? Oh, sure..." Kanji muttered.
"I'll go with Naoto, then. You guys got nothing to worry about with my partner there." Yosuke said.
"Look after Naoto for me." Yu said seriously.
"I-I'll be fine. You be careful, too." Naoto blushed.
"Okay, let's meet back where we just came in from. Don't let your guard down!" Yosuke said and we parted ways.
I went with Yu, Chie, Teddie and Yukiko to explore the dungeon, and we went through a piano key door when Yukiko suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, that's right. Can you hold on to this, Yu-kun?" She gave him some medicine. "Margaret said we should use these if we got hurt."
"Ooh, Miss Margaret is so nice." Teddie said.
We continued on and ran into some Shadows.
"Whoa! Shadows!" Chie seemed surprised, despite the fact we were warned of them.
"Look who's shown up! But I know how to fight Shadows!" Teddie said. "Hit 'em with something they're weak against! If we strike their weaknesses, fighting won't even bear-eak a sweat!"
"We don't know what elements they're weak against, though..." Yukiko said.
"Okay, we'll figure it out as we go along! Let's just do this!" Chie said. "We'll be fine! We'll figure out what their weaknesses are if we just keep attacking them with different stuff!"
"Why are you talking like we've never done this before...?" I muttered, holding my naginata at the ready and going to attack one of the Lying Hablerie. "Wait...What!? Are we weaker all of a sudden!?" I shouted when it didn't one-shot the low-level Shadow. "What's with this place!?"
"Just hit them until they go down!" Chie shouted back at me and went to attack the same one.
So, it turned out the enemies were weak to electric and bash attacks, which meant Yu and Chie did the most damage. Once they were defeated, we continued on.
"Hold on, Senpai!" Rise suddenly stopped us through her support communication to talk to Yu. "I sense something that's not a Shadow...! It looks like someone's here! Try searching around!"
"Someone's here...?" I repeated in confusion, but Yu shrugged and we continued to explore the labyrinth.
"Huh? Wait, I think I heard something..." Yukiko paused as we came to a weird red liquid separating tiles of the floor.
"I hear it too...It sounds like a girl crying...?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"Y-Yikes, what is this...?" Chie looked unnerved.
"Where is it coming from...? I think it's nearby..." Yukiko said and I just motioned in the direction I thought it was coming from.
We went that way and came to another piano door. After stepping through it, we came across two unfamiliar people wearing Yasogami uniforms. One was a tan, dark-haired boy with blue eyes wearing a spiky collar and a tattered cape that pointed one of his two crossbows at us, and the other that he was standing in front of protectively was a girl with long blonde hair wearing a yellow sweater over her uniform and seemed to be the source of the crying.
"I think they're the ones I was picking up on earlier!" Rise said through the communication.
The boy's stance relaxed a bit as the girl, who I noticed had white flowers in her hair opened her greyish eyes to look at us.
"Who are you?" The boy questioned and the girl rubbed at her eyes.
"D-Don't point that at other people! It's dangerous!" Chie panicked.
"I'm asking who you are." The boy repeated, lowering the crossbow.
"Huh...? Well, uhh...I'm Chie Satonaka. You're students at Yasogami High, right? I mean, guessing by your uniforms."
"Students at Yasogami High..." The girl repeated quietly. "...Yes."
"This cute girl goes here...!? I wanna go to school, too! I'm gonna start going to Yasogami High!" Teddie said.
"Shut up, bear." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Yeah, yeah. Be quiet." Chie said at the same time.
"Are you two okay? There should've been Shadows here..." Yukiko said. "Oh, Shadows are, um...Kyoka?" She looked to me. "Show them."
"Wha-!? That's not explaining properly at all!" I protested.
"Do you mean those monsters? They did attack, but I drove them away." The boy said.
"You did!?" Chie looked surprised.
"But, weren't you crying earlier? What's wrong?" Teddie asked.
"I was scared..." The girl said, looking down. "I was scared, but Zen kept saying that we need to go in..."
"Oh...Yes, it must be scary being in a place like this. Were you about to go further inside?" Yukiko asked.
"That was the intention, but..." Zen looked to the girl as he trailed off.
"But there's still a long, loooong way to go from here. My bear nose works a bit too, you know." Teddie told them.
"So, it's gonna take a while, huh? Then shouldn't we go back? I want to check in with Yosuke and everyone." Chie said.
"Go back...?" The girl repeated. "I want to go too...I want to go back! Please, Zen...? Can we go back?" She looked to the collared boy.
"...Very well." He answered, and turned to us. "We will come with you."
"Huh? Oh, right. Of course!" Chie responded.
"I am Zen, and she is Rei. That's what we call each other." The boy introduced.
"Zen-kun and Rei-chan, right? Don't worry, we won't leave you here." Yukiko assured.
"Ah, thank you...!" Rei looked relieved and bowed.
We all introduced ourselves to them before we moved, though.
"Oh yeah, I should warn you guys before we get into a fight..." I said, walking a couple paces in front of the two and looking over my shoulder at them. "When I use magic attacks and stuff, I transform into a Shadow-like coyote. Just so you know, and don't freak out too much when I do it."
"You...Turn into a monster...?" Rei asked uncertainly.
"...More or less." I shrugged.
"You're part monster...?" Zen narrowed his eyes at me as he changed positions to walk between Rei and I.
"Technically, I am part Shadow now." I nodded. "But I wouldn't hurt you guys. I'm not that kind of Shadow."
"How...Are you part Shadow? You don't look like a monster..." Rei seemed curious, but timid.
"Well, that's kinda hard for me to understand too, but...Let's just put it this way; I think I merged with my own Shadow, and that made me able to take it's form and use it's abilities." I smiled a bit awkwardly at the suspicious boy and the uncertain girl staring at me. "Yeah...I know it's weird, but I swear I won't hurt you guys when I transform. I'm still me when I'm in Shadow form."
Neither of them seemed to know how to reply and we walked on in silence. I kept a respectful distance though, since they weren't sure what to make of me and Zen was eying me wearily as if he expected me to do something. Soon enough, we came across some Shadows and had to fight, so I transformed because Yu wanted me to try a fire attack on one of them. Zen fought with his crossbows, and Rei stayed close behind to support him, I guess. We didn't take too long to defeat the Shadows and Rei approached me while I was still in my coyote form. I slowly set my naginata down on the ground and tilted my head slightly before keeping very still as I watched her movements.
"Y-You're..." She started a bit shakily, looking like a kid that was caught between being amazed and afraid while Zen stood next to her with his crossbows ready. "Really like a Shadow..."
"Oh yeah, Kyoka's transformation must be pretty shocking to you guys..." Chie noticed and laughed a bit nervously. "Ahaha...We don't really get it either, but she's on our side, so you don't have to worry about her attacking us."
"Why don't you try petting her, Rei-chan?" Yukiko smiled and Rei looked at her before looking back to me with a curious yearning, as if looking for my approval.
I huffed a quiet breath equivalent to a sigh and slowly sat down to bend my head down low to the ground in front of Rei. She hesitantly looked to Zen, who seemed uneasy, then the blonde girl lifted her hand to shakily put on my forehead while I shut my eyes.
"I-It's soft...!" Rei looked awestruck when I opened my eyes to see her reaction and then smiled a bit as she looked to the boy next to her. "Zen, you should do it too!"
"...Okay." Zen looked reluctant, but shifted to free up one of his hands and press it into the fur on my head as well. His eyes widened slightly, as if he was surprised by the way it felt.
Yukiko giggled as she came to stand next to the two. "Isn't Kyoka's fur just the softest? Even though she looks a bit like a Shadow, she's really just like a big puppy!"
Rei smiled at her and nodded in response as the two took their hands off my head and I decided to transform back into my human form. I picked up my naginata from the floor as I stood up out of my crouch and ignored the fact I probably looked really embarrassed when I smiled at the three in front of me.
"I-I'm really not like a puppy. I'm a coyote..."
"You're still very cute!" Yukiko responded like she was talking to a puppy anyway and put a hand on my head like she was petting one.
"Yukiko, stooop..." I whined at her, but made no move to swat her hand away as I looked off to the side while probably blushing.
"Alright. Let's get going." Yu decided that was a good time to cut us off and continue on our way out of the maze.
We got back to the hallway without too much more trouble and found that Yosuke and Naoto had returned from investigating other areas of the school.
"Welcome back!" Rise greeted.
"H-Hello!" Rei returned as Zen just quietly looked at everyone.
"Um, Rei-chan and Zen-kun...right? Oh, wait. Or is it Rei-san and Zen-san...?" Rise responded to her.
"Uhh...How old're you guys? I mean, like...What year are you in?" Kanji asked.
"...What year are you in?" Rei repeated, looking downward.
"Huh? I'm a first-year." Kanji answered.
"...A first-year!" Rei repeated him again and I tilted my head slightly. Was she...Just going with what we said because she didn't know, or...?
"Oh, then we're the same age." Kanji said.
"What were you two doing in there...?" Naoto asked.
"I thought we needed to get out of here. We were looking for a place to leave from." Zen answered.
"Leave? If you wanna leave, use the school gate. Do you, like...have no sense of direction?" Kanji asked.
"There is no exit." Zen responded seriously.
"...Huh?" Chie looked confused.
"There is no exit." Zen repeated.
"Thought so..." Yosuke sighed.
"W-Wait, what?" Chie asked.
"There's a school gate, but we can't get out that way." Yosuke explained.
"The secret passage that Kanji-kun usually uses didn't exist at all." Naoto added.
"Hey, how do you know about the hole in the fence!?" Kanji asked in surprise. "I mean, I used it just this mornin'. There's no way it ain't there."
"It's not there...We can't leave this school." Naoto shook her head and shrugged. "And then there's that clock tower..."
"Clock tower? You mean the one in the Seven Horrors!?" Chie asked.
"No, the one outside the window." I answered, realizing what Naoto was talking about, but Chie still looked confused.
"It would be faster to show it to you. Please follow me..." Naoto said and led us outside.
In the schoolyard, we gathered at the base of the clocktower.
"It's for real...There actually is a clock tower here!" Chie said in surprise.
"It was demolished before Yukiko-senpai and the others began elementary school, correct?" Naoto asked.
"I don't know exactly when, but I think it was around that time..." Yukiko answered. "But I thought it was more like a small monument than an actual full-sized tower. At least, I don't think it was so big that a person could go inside..."
"Size aside, looks like we can't go inside this one either." Yosuke said.
"Huh? Even though it's this big?" Yukiko asked.
"Yes...There's no door. Alas, if only we could enter, I thought we'd find some sort of clue..." Naoto replied.
"I see...Hey, Zen-kun, Rei-chan. Do you know anything about this clock tower?" Yukiko asked.
"Umm...It's been here all this time." Rei answered, looking downward.
"Is the clock stopped?" Naoto asked.
"It is moving, but it's extremely slow." Zen answered.
"Slow...?"
"Neither Rei nor I know anything about this building. But...that bell did ring."
"So the bell we heard must have been this clock tower's bell."
"The bell rang and I entered that labyrinth with Rei. That's where we met you."
"You went in after hearing the bell? May I ask why?"
"I felt that...that's what needed to be done." Zen looked away, seeming uncertain of why himself.
"I see..." Naoto said and we fell into silence.
This place wasn't our Yasogami High, but I'd guess it was a different version of it. How that worked, I had no idea.
"Hey, why don't we go see Margaret?" Rise suggested. "Maybe she's figured something out about this place."
"Oh...Yes, that's a good idea." Naoto agreed.
So, we went back to the Velvet Room, aka the fortune-telling booth. Margaret was standing with a very serious expression.
"Hmph, what a mess you've dragged me into..." She said.
"Wait, we dragged you into this?" Chie asked.
"Um, what is this place?" Naoto asked.
"It seems this is a haven in the rift...A place that exists between dream and reality. It connects to the world of the collective unconsciousness...It must be similar to the TV world you are all familiar with." Margaret answered.
"So that's why there are Shadows here and we could summon our Personas..." Rise said.
"B-But why are we in such a place?" Yukiko asked.
"I don't know the reason...but do you remember what I said before?" Margaret replied.
""Nothing meaningless happens here"...Right?" I guessed.
She nodded. "Reality and this haven in the rift connected via the Velvet Room, and you all descended here. It happened by necessity. Indeed, one could call it...fate."
"Fate..." Naoto repeated.
"There is something that you must do here...That is all I know."
"What must we do?" Yu asked.
"I do not know what it is, but unless you accomplish it, there will be no way back to reality."
"In other words...we won't be able to leave here?" Naoto asked.
"For real!?" Chie gasped.
"Is that why the students are acting so weird?" Yosuke asked.
"What's weird about them?" I asked curiously, tilting my head at him.
"All they say is, "Yasogami High's Culture Festival is fun," and, "Let's go to the carnival shooting gallery." It's like, the answers they give me don't match my questions. We can buy what they're selling, though...Also, I don't see anyone else I know here. I mean, not that I know every single student's face, but there's no way I wouldn't recognize even one person."
"All they do is speak words. You cannot communicate with them." Zen stated.
"...Huh?"
"Oh, so like NPCs." I nodded in understanding.
"The students here aren't human...They're something like phantoms. Shadows will not attack them." Margaret explained.
"As far as I know, those monsters you call Shadows have never come out from that labyrinth." Zen stated. "I do not know why, but it's always been so."
"Always...? How long have you two been here?" Yukiko asked.
"Hmm...A pretty long while?" Rei guessed.
"What about before coming here?"
"We were here when we gained consciousness. We don't remember anything before that." Zen answered.
"Our memories were taken." Rei added.
"Ah...I guess..." I sighed, the strangeness of the two making a lot more sense when they're amnesiacs.
"T-Taken!?" Chie repeated in shock.
"Wait, by who!?" Yosuke asked.
"...I don't know." Rei answered.
"But you remember having them taken?" Naoto asked.
"But I remember having them taken." Rei repeated, I think in affirmation.
"But how would someone take another person's memories...?" Yukiko wondered. "...Could that "someone" be here?"
"I don't know." Zen responded.
"Uh...Could our memories get taken too...?" Chie asked nervously.
"...I don't know." Zen repeated, looking toward Rei.
"This seems pretty serious..." Yosuke said.
"Yeah..." Rise agreed.
"...Wait, for real? Does this mean there's a bad guy here!?" Kanji asked.
"The penny drops!" Chie said in response.
"...In any case, let's look for a way to leave here." Naoto decided to ignore them. "The clues must be in that labyrinth. It's obviously different from everywhere else here."
"Leave...?" Rei repeated, then hesitated before speaking up. "...I want to leave too. I want to go back with everyone!"
"Rei?" Zen seemed surprised.
"Zen, let's leave together, okay? I want to go back too." Rei looked at him a bit pleadingly.
"All right. If that is what you wish." Zen replied and then turned to Yu. "I have a favour to request. If you are going to enter the labyrinth, I ask that you take us with you. We won't be any trouble. I will protect Rei, and I can fight the monsters in this labyrinth."
"Let's look for a way out together." Yu nodded.
"Yes." Zen agreed.
"I hope we get along!" Rei nodded too and bowed before giggling. "Now that that's out of the way, I'm feeling hungry!" She then got some takoyaki out of...You know what, I'm not really sure where she got it from. "Hot, hot!" She complained, but still ate it.
"Huh? Takoyaki!? Where'd you pull that out from!?" Chie asked in shock.
"I know something! Happiness comes in the shape of takoyaki." Rei smiled as she ate.
"Whoa...She's a Yosuke-level disappointment..." Teddie said.
"Did you just insult Rei?" Zen pointed at crossbow at him almost instantly.
"Eep! I-I would never! I just meant that her distinctive looks and personality are amazing!" Teddie back peddled while hiding behind me.
"Please shoot him." I said blankly, stepping out of the way.
"H-Hey! Kyo-chan!?"
"No, Zen! That's dangerous!" Rei stopped him and Zen lowered the crossbow, but continued to glare at Teddie.
"Haha...You two get along well." Yukiko smiled.
"I promised that we'd stay together." Rei smiled back.
"I promised to get all cozy together in my costume too! With Miss Margaret, of course!" Teddie said, his costume blushing somehow.
"Then I will fulfill my duty as well. As guests of the Velvet Room, I'll assist you as much as I am able." Margaret stated. "If you are to fight against Shadows, you will need to make the necessary preparations. Hm...Where to start..."
"She totally ignored me!" Teddie looked surprised.
"If we are to fight Shadows, then I worry about our equipment." Naoto said thoughtfully. "To proceed safely, we'll want armour to protect ourselves, and weapons to attack the Shadows. Useful tools would also be helpful, and ideally, we'd have someplace to replenish our stamina..."
"Yeah. I don't like the idea of having to go without supplies." Chie agreed, considering most of them didn't carry their best weapons and stuff around with them constantly like I did.
"Would this be insufficient?" Zen asked, raising one of his crossbows. "It's a projectile device that uses nearby objects. It's effect changes depending on what it fires. Why don't you all use one too?"
"I don't trust Teddie with a projectile weapon." I shot down instantly.
"Hmm...I wouldn't feel confident using that. I'd probably shoot Yosuke before I got used to it." Chie added.
"I can so see that happening..." Yosuke muttered. "Seriously, though, we all use completely different weapons. Never mind unfamiliar, it'd be dangerous."
"I see...Different weapons for each of you..." Zen looked off to the side in thought as he put away his weapon.
"So it would help if you had weapons?" Rei asked.
"They can allow me to protect you." Yu answered, as blank-faced as ever.
"...That is my duty." Zen more or less glared at him.
"Um, there's a place with all kinds of stuff lying around. I think they have some. Let's go look together!" Rei suggested. "And we can swing by the donut shop on our way!"
"They're selling donuts here!?" I asked, getting a bit excited.
"Yeah! They're really good!" Rei grinned back at me.
We ended up in the art room, which was kinda a mess, but it did have weapons...Sticking out of a bust...Well, it was supposed to be a hands-on class on making small toys here, but I kinda doubted that stayed the same in this weird version of the school.
""Handcrafted Workshop"..." Zen read. "Was it always like this...?"
"Zen, Zen! Strawberries! They're like berries full of straw!" Rei said, eating a donut.
"Full of straw...?" Zen repeated her. "...I see."
"Um...Okay, I'm just gonna enjoy my donut and not say anything about that..." I muttered, eating my own pastry while a bit confused.
"Hey...I bet this is your kind of place, huh, Kanji?" Yosuke asked.
"Uh, well...kinda..." Kanji replied.
"Yeah, I think we can use the weapons here. They all seem pretty sturdy and...Huh?" Chie looked at one of the swords she picked up in confusion. "What the...These are all toys!"
"Are they no good...?" Rei asked, looking down.
"It may be possible to imbue them with enough power to fight Shadows." Margaret said.
"What do you mean?" Yu asked.
"You should find them from time to time upon defeating Shadows in the labyrinth. When you find these, please bring them to me. I will use those materials to make weapons, armour, and sundries."
"Materials?" Kanji repeated.
"Allow me to give it a try. Please wait a moment." Margaret took the "Shadow Piece" Yu had picked up in the labyrinth and began working on a weapon. "What do you think? I believe it came out quite well." She gave Yu a long sword and a Goho-M. "As you have seen, I will create your equipment and sundries. But I expect to be compensated for my efforts. That is how contracts work, after all. Nothing comes free."
"Whaaat? How stingy!" Rise complained.
"Also, taking all your belongings into the labyrinth will surely be troublesome. If there are things you do not expect to need inside, you can leave them with me."
"You're gonna charge us for that too, aren't you?" Rise asked.
"...For this lady's sake, I'll look after your belongings free of charge." Margaret replied. "You also desired someplace to recover your stamina, yes...? I happen to know a perfect facility for that nearby. Will you all follow me?"
Margaret led us to the nurse's office. It looked normal inside.
"Whew, I'm relieved to see it's just a normal nurse's office." Chie said.
"Are there any nurses here? Helloooo?" Teddie called, but there was no response. "...Don't be sad, Yosuke."
"I didn't say anything!" Yosuke protested.
"I will make arrangements for you to replenish your stamina here." Margaret said to Yu. "Remember to come here whenever you return from the labyrinth."
"...Can you do that?" Yu asked.
"Do I have a choice? My hands are already full handling your equipment..." She sighed. "As with your equipment, I will obviously require compensation for use of this facility. Though my prices will be reasonable. My intent is not to make you suffer...However, what might constitute a fair price is beyond my ken. You'll be fine as long as it doesn't exceed 1,000,000 yen, no?"
"I wish you had even the sense of your average housewife..." Kanji muttered.
"Anyway, you can now make all the preparations you should need. If you have trouble, try adjusting your equipment and healing. That may give you the advantage you need. Deciding who will take part in the battles is also key. Don't neglect your formation...Well then, I bid you good luck."
And with that, we went back into the hallway.
"Hey, Senpai. Maybe you should look over the formation, like Margaret suggested. Now that the whole gang's together, you need to decide on who's actually gonna help out in fights!" Rise said to Yu.
"All right." Yu nodded to her and they began looking over the notebook that they were writing down strategies in as I started to tune out that conversation.
After the strategy and lineup meeting, Yu went about getting equipment and items from Margaret and then we headed over to the labyrinth again. He had decided to take Zen and Rei, Teddie, Naoto, and Yukiko with him, so I was left with Yosuke, Chie and Kanji to guard Rise on the first floor while she gave them support. Honestly, I was kinda disappointed I didn't get to explore this place with them, but Rise's communication skill let all of us know what was going on with the main fighting force.
"Hmm...This place is pretty huge. The paths are like a maze..." Rise commented after we first entered. "There's no fog here like in the TV world, but it's different enough to make it hard to see what's here...Sorry. I'm not going to be much help navigating you through here."
"I see...What should we do? Should we mark our path as we go?" Yukiko asked.
"Not a bad idea...But we don't know what awaits us. I think a more cautious approach is called for." Naoto stated and looked to Yu. "Senpai, why don't we draw a map? I believe it will be worth our while to note down doors and other features to help us reach our destination."
"Let's do that." Yu agreed.
"Would this be useful?" Zen held up a leather notebook for Yu to take. "I made it by putting the students' day planners together. I made it to write down where Rei's favourite shops were, but I don't need it now that I've memorized them. Since you're our leader, you should handle marking our path from now on. It'll help keep us from getting lost."
"Great idea!" Rise agreed. "Senpai, make sure you draw a map of places we've seen for ourselves, okay? An accurate map will be just the thing to get us out of here! Also, be careful. Some of the Shadows here look really strong."
"Yikes, really?" Chie looked surprised.
"I don't think even you guys could beat them..." Rise said.
"S-So what should we do?"
"Avoid them!"
"Whaaat...?"
"Are you speaking of the FOEs?" Zen spoke up.
"F...what?" Chie asked.
"Fysis Oikein Eidolon." Zen answered.
"Yeah, that was too long, so we're using a nickname. Just call 'em FOEs!" Rei said.
"We encountered one before meeting up. They are different from other enemies. That's why we gave them a name."
"FOEs...Okay. I'm sure you'll know 'em when you see 'em, so just remember to steer clear!" Rise nodded. "Well, good luck, everyone! I'll be backing you up from here!"
"Alright! Everyone, follow me!" Teddie began walking ahead.
"Sheesh, he always gets like this when there's a cute girl around..." Chie said.
"That's not it! Rei-chan has no memories, just like me...so I understand how sad she is..."
"O-Oh, duh...You're right, sorry."
"So! Rei-chan? Let's hold hands. I'll protect you!"
"Ugh, cancel what I said about being sorry."
"I'd rather hold Zen's." Rei shot Teddie down.
"Ack! Shot down on the first turn!" Teddie cried and off the main fighting force went.
It was kinda boring to stand around waiting for something to happen, but someone needed to protect Rise in case any Shadows came by. Other than talking about an FOE that was completely uninterested in fighting and would rather go in a circle, not much happened for a while. There was also the talk about multiple floors after the others found some stairs, but then they had to find a way around the river that was blocking them from getting to it. They found a Power Spot, and it had a material in it, apparently. Eventually, they got to the second "Chapter" by going down the stairs, and then there was a conversation about Rei and Zen not using Personas and then something about Yu not changing his Persona since we got to this place. Apparently, Yu didn't have any Personas aside from Izanagi at the moment. Yu did have a blank card, though, whatever that was supposed to mean. It was decided that the group would come back and go to the Velvet Room to talk to Margaret about Yu's Persona situation, so we waited for them to return.
"These two doors...I keep thinking about them..." Naoto said as we all stood in the Velvet Room again.
"Yes...They are locked, and so I do not know where they lead, but I suspect..." Margaret replied.
"You suspect...?" Naoto pressed.
"One of them connects to the place where you belong..."
"...You're saying this is our exit?"
"I sense familiar scents and sentiments from one of them...But..."
"I think she's right." Zen spoke up.
"You do?" Rei asked.
"What makes you say that?" Naoto questioned him.
"This room itself didn't exist until you came. To me, this is your place...and those doors there are also yours...But that's just a feeling I have. There's no evidence for it." Zen answered, then looked away a bit uncertainly. "...Forget what I just said."
Naoto paused, then walked up to the door and tried turning the knob. Of course, it didn't budge. "I had a feeling it wouldn't open...We'll just have to leave them for the time being."
"...Nothing meaningless happens here. The door's role will surely make itself apparent in due time." Margaret stated. "Did you not have something else to talk about? As I recall...it was about the predicament of being unable to acquire new Personas, no?"
"Oh my, were you eavesdropping?" Teddie asked.
"No. The young lady with the ability to turn into a Shadow told me while the rest of you were entering the Velvet Room a moment ago." Margaret replied matter-of-factly.
"Whaat? Kyo-chan did!?" Teddie looked shocked for some reason.
"Um, please ignore Teddie and continue." Naoto decided not to humour the conversation.
"It seems I'll just have to take a look. Please have a seat over there." Margaret indicated for Yu to sit down on the sofa in the room and Yukiko sat down next to him as Margaret then spread out a line of cards on the table. "These are tarot cards. They are used to see within you..." She then flipped over the card in front of Yu. "The Tower...?"
"U-Um...?" Yukiko looked at her in confusion.
"There's nothing wrong with the Tower in and of itself. I'm more puzzled that it was not the Fool..." Margaret explained.
"What's this Fool thing...?" Kanji asked.
"The "Fool" is the number zero...it is the arcana that symbolizes the beginning and endless possibility. As it implies, Yu can wield endless Personas. We call that ability the power of the wild card..."
"The wild card..." Rise repeated.
"Ohhh..." I realized what I had somehow known about Yu so long ago, then tilted my head in confusion. "So, he doesn't have that anymore...?"
"His usual power seems to have changed. Perhaps it's the influence of this place..." Margaret answered and looked back to Yu. "You apparently are unable to change from Izanagi here."
"So he cannot change it to something else...?" Naoto asked.
"No, his power of the wild card has not been lost. To think that this would happen..."Endless possibility" indeed..." Margaret closed her eyes and looked thoughtful.
"Huh? What is it?" Chie asked.
"In addition to the Persona he cannot change, it seems he can take on another Persona. This other one can be summoned at will...He may change between them as he likes."
"So, he can have two at the same time!?" Yosuke asked.
"But the changeable one cannot be fully expressed. Consider it as playing a supplemental part. If Izanagi is his "main", then the changeable Persona is his "sub"...He can use either as he pleases. That's the simplest explanation."
"Senpai sure is amazing..." Kanji said.
"Ah, but I believe there's more..." Margaret continued and spread the twenty or so cards on the table and then turned over the one in front of Yukiko. "The Fool...It's as I thought..."
"Wh-What do you mean?" Yukiko asked.
"The favour of the "Fool" is showing on all of you..."
"All of us...?" Naoto asked.
"Well, aside from Kyoka." Margaret clarified. "To have one persona as a main, and a changeable one as a sub, allowing the use of two at once...It seems all of you who have Personas are capable of this."
"Wha...? Wait, for real?" Yosuke looked surprised.
"But what has caused such irregular behaviour...? It's as if the power of the Fool has been strengthened..." Margaret put a hand to her head. "As if...there is another with the power of the wild card...Could one of these two doors be...?"
"Huh? There's someone else with the wild card!?" Teddie asked in shock.
"...Oh, no. It's nothing." Margaret took it back immediately.
"Can Zen and I summon Personas too?" Rei asked.
"Unfortunately, as neither of you had Personas to begin with, I think that will not be possible."
"Aww...but Personas are so cool." Rei looked disappointed. "Oh, then can we be like Kyoka-san and turn into a Shadow?"
"I don't think that will be possible either, since you do not have your own Shadow selves."
"Aww..."
"Why don't Zen and Rei-chan have Personas? I mean, they're fighting the Shadows somehow..." Yosuke wondered.
"...That is most likely closely tied to the mystery of this place." Margaret replied. "This is a haven in the rift...Like a floating island, adrift in the collective unconsciousness...Normally, it is no place for a living human. For one to be here...then perhaps they have taken on the qualities of beings such as Personas and Shadows."
"Zen-kun and Rei-chan are Personas!?" Chie asked.
"That was only one possibility. For now, we can be certain of nothing. Now, do you happen to have one of these?" Margaret held out a blank card toward Yu. "I assume you have collected some from the Shadows you've fought. They are blank, indicating that they have not yet been guided to any specific destiny...Though previously you could only summon your individual Personas, you can now summon others...If that is what fate has decreed, then these cards will fulfill their own roles. I recommend that you use these cards. They are your new Persona cards." The blank cards changed into Personas. "...So, what do you think? That is all that I can tell you."
"Uhh, so basically...we've all got the same thing going as my partner." Yosuke said. "A main Persona, a sub we can switch out, and we can take them both on at once...Seems so unreal."
"Huh? We're all following the same rules now?" Kanji asked.
"It's only for while we're here." Yu answered.
"Even if it's only temporary, it's awesome bein' on your level, Senpai!" Kanji looked happy.
"If you have trouble fighting the Shadows, I recommend changing the Personas you summon." Margaret said. "Many of you are most likely unused to changing your Personas, so you should try out several kinds. Well then, I bid you good luck."
And with that settled, we left the Velvet Room. Well, not before Margaret suggested Rise supported us from there rather than in the labyrinth and needing bodyguards. Which meant that we could all go exploring next time. Next time being almost immediately after Yu got a couple items. So, I ended up waiting in the hallway and talking to Teddie, Chie, and Yukiko while Yosuke sat at one of the tables along the wall and listened to music, completely ignoring our argument about Teddie being a king. Don't ask me why we started arguing about that, it just kinda happened. Regardless, it was three against one and Teddie lost, not that it got him down for long since the minute Rei and Zen showed up, he was back to smiling and making stupid bear puns. Not too long after that, we headed into the labyrinth and warped to the second floor.
A/N: Just want to give a head's up that the writing style changes slightly to mesh better with PQ's format here. So the dates and times of day will be absent until the end of this game's part of the story. Also, for anyone who has read this far and might not have noticed, I'm trying to post at least one chapter per day until this is complete so editing might be a little lax in some parts. If you notice any mistakes, feel free to tell me in either a review or PM and I'll fix them as quickly as possible. Thanks again for reading!