Yu decided to take a team into the Group Date Cafe to investigate a rumour about a different coloured heart in the second stop, but I declined to go, since I was tired and wanted to take a nap if we weren't going to be progressing in the labyrinth. After my nap, though, I heard from Naoto that all they did was look at it, come right back, and report to Elizabeth about it. Then, once the team that had done that had recovered, we headed back into the labyrinth as a group to return to the metal door and get ready to proceed.
As soon as Yu opened the metal doors, we were ambushed by a Gorgeous King Shadow and found out that it was weak to fire, so everyone with fire skills just went to town on it and it went down fairly quickly.
"Alright! We won!" Kanji cheered.
"Excellent leadership, Narukami. Entrusting authority to you was the right decision." Mitsuru nodded in approval. "Let's keep this up and move onward."
Like she said, we headed through the next door and found that the number of Shadows around seemed to be a bit less in the area, so we decided to take a short break in front of the stairs down. Shinjiro was petting Koromaru off to one side as I transformed back to human and stretched.
"Aww, who's a good boy, Koro-chan?" Shinjiro asked and Koromaru whimpered happily.
"C-Can I join in!?" Kanji asked and Shinjiro jumped.
"Whoa...!? H-How long have you been there!?"
"I...I wanna pet his fluffy fur too!" Kanji said, but Koromaru growled at him.
"Sounds like he's not in the mood." Shinjiro commented.
"That hurts deep..."
"I saw the whole thing..." Teddie snuck up on Kanji.
"Whoa!?"
"How dare you try and lay your hands on some nobody dog when you have me...!"
"Don't make it sound weird! I mean, you don't let me pet you either!"
"Well, I've got hip girls to pet me, after all. Ah, Chie-chaaaan, Yuki-chaaaan!"
"Hey, it's Koro-chan. Aww, you're so fluffy!" Chie was petting Koromaru.
I stood next to them and smiled as Koromaru barked happily in response.
"You're so cute...!" I grinned when Koromaru turned to me and put his paws on my knees to get me to rub his ears gently as well.
"Wha-Hey! That ain't how he acted when I wanted to do it!" Kanji said.
"Ahaha! You're tickling me, Masamune." Yukiko giggled as Koromaru licked at her face.
"You can stop trying to give him a general's name." Chie told her.
"Heeeey...Aren't you all too engrossed in some ordinary dog?" Teddie seemed annoyed. "He's just some mutt! Not like he mutt-ers at all. Heeheehee."
"Laaame..." I rolled my eyes at the bear and crossed my arms.
"Yeah, well, you're just some ordinary bear costume!" Chie said to him with annoyance.
"Koro-chan's amazing. I heard that he kept protecting his owner's shrine, even after he passed away." Yukiko said to us.
"Aww, so loyal." I smiled and pet Koromaru a bit more.
"That's pretty cool! So there really are loyal dogs like that, huh." Chie said.
"I wait for Yosuke in front of Junes every day too, you know." Teddie said.
"That's so you can pester him for snacks. Don't act like you're on Koro-chan's level." Chie said to the bear.
"Grrr..."
"Woof, woof!" Koromaru barked.
"Teddie is a reliable combatant, says Koromaru-san." Aigis translated.
"Ohhh? Looks like Koromaru understands me pretty well, for a dog." Teddie bounced back quickly.
"That's very mature of you to consider someone else's feelings even at a time like this, Nobunaga." Yukiko said.
"Nobunaga...?" I repeated, tilting my head in confusion.
"Can you at least settle on one name...?" Chie sighed. "And Teddie, you should stop just munching on ice cream and follow Koro-chan's example."
"G-Grrrrrrrr...!" Teddie looked upset.
"C'mere, Koro-chan!" Chie called the dog back over.
"Arf." Koromaru barked and came to sit down in front of her.
"Koro-chan's so smart! All my Muku ever does is drool everywhere!" Chie said.
"Arf!" Koromaru responded, wagging his tail.
"It seems he likes you very much, Chie-san. He's asking for you to pet his head some more." Aigis translated.
"...Do you understand dog language?" Yu asked her, but I guess he was spacing out the first time we had this conversation...
"I do not understand their language, but I can communicate with them." Aigis answered anyway.
"That's amazing! Kyoka can't even do that and she's part dog Shadow!" Yukiko said.
"Hey, my Shadow's a coyote and I don't think Shadow coyotes are at all the same as regular ones!" I protested. "Besides, Aigis-san can do a lot of stuff we can't..."
"Really? People who have dogs can usually tell what they mean." Chie said. "I completely understand my Muku! He's always saying things like, "Let me eat meat," and "Gimme some meat with the bone in.""
"I think something's getting lost in translation there." Yosuke said doubtfully.
"Actually, pets tend to resemble their owners..." I replied with a bit of an awkward smile.
"He understands my questions too, though. When I ask him, "Beef or chicken?" he answers with a bark." Chie continued.
"That question makes no sense! Why do you and Muku only talk about meat!?" Yosuke asked.
"Like Kyoka said, they do say that dogs grow to be like their owner." Yu shrugged.
"We've got someone with Bowl-Lingual too, y'know. Look over there." Junpei motioned to where Akihiko and Shinjiro were standing not too far away.
"Dammit...Is there no Umushi here!?" Akihiko asked.
"Wait, you mean the beef bowl shop? Like hell we'll find one here." Shinjiro responded.
"Ngh...Today's their special beef bowl day...!"
"See?" Junpei asked.
"Ohh...We're in the same boat, huh...?" Yosuke muttered.
"Did he say...special beef bowl?" Chie asked.
"Enough with the drooling! Sheesh, can you please say something here, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked.
"Your dog wasn't named Muku, was it, Chie? It was Chosokabe." Yukiko said. "Unless...did you get another dog? I think you should name him Yukimura."
"Oh my...Seriously...!?" I sighed.
"You weren't listening at all, were you!?" Yosuke asked.
"Why does she keep naming them after Sengoku-era generals...?" Yu shook his head and muttered.
"Woof!" Koromaru barked, wagging his tail.
"It seems Koromaru-san has begun to admire these generals." Aigis translated.
"Then from today forward, Koro-chan, we're calling you Yukimura!" Yukiko smiled.
"Not happening." Yukari shot it down.
"Koromaru is Koromaru." Minato sighed, putting a hand to his head.
"Arf!" Koromaru responded.
"Koromaru-san is very happy." Aigis translated.
"He got his name from his owner, after all. It must be important to him." Akihiko commented.
"Arf!"
"Oh, wait...Special beef bowl...?" Yu mumbled, suddenly seeming thoughtful as he turned to Akihiko. "Is that like Aiya's Rainy Day Special?"
"Rainy Day Special...?" Akihiko repeated in confusion.
"In Inaba, the Chinese Diner Aiya serves a quintuple-sized bowl otherwise known as the Mega Beef Bowl. It's free if you complete the challenge of eating it all, but if you fail, you have to pay the price of 3,000 yen. In order to overcome this near insurmountable task, you must have Understanding of your limits, Knowledge to control your pace, Courage to face the unrelenting tide of beef, and the Diligence to persevere against the colossal challenge. All these traits are necessary to master the Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!"
"What!? Mega Beef Bowl!?" Akihiko looked shocked first, then determined as he made a fist. "Alright, that settles it! I vow to go to Inaba and master this Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!"
"S-Seriously!? Shinjiro-senpai, you've got to say something!" Junpei seemed concerned.
"Quintuple-sized bowl?" Shinjiro muttered.
"What the...Shinjiro-senpai!? H-Hey, Vice Leader, you gotta change the subject!"
"Understanding and Diligence...Does this mean that the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge...is beyond me?" Minato looked interested in this as well.
"What kind of response is that...?" I muttered in confusion.
"Do not worry, Vice Leader. I'll be sure to support you in any way possible if you should choose to undertake the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge." Aigis said.
"Hey, Zen! When we get out of here, let's go take the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!" Rei said excitedly, pulling on Zen's sleeve.
"Alright." Zen agreed.
"I think Rei-san might actually be able to handle it..." I said thoughtfully.
"The scary thing is...That's probably true." Yosuke muttered, shaking his head.
"Even I couldn't handle the Mega Beef Bowl Special..." Chie looked a bit depressed.
"Me neither..." Yu hung his head as well.
"Wait, what? Not even Yu-kun!?" I looked at him in shock.
"Alright, that's enough about this Beef Bowl Challenge. Don't forget, we're still in the Shadows' territory. We should be moving on now." Mitsuru decided to be the voice of reason and directed us all toward the stairs going down to the next floor.
The next floor seemed a bit different...Probably darker...? Well, it was kinda better than the bright pink, but there was still pink.
"Hm? This floor looks a little different." Akihiko noticed it too.
"Do you think we're any closer to our "destined partner"? I wonder where the next room of destiny is?" Rei asked, seeming eager.
"There is some more good news for you stray lambs." The mechanical voice spoke up. "The room that you are searching for is...Quite a distance from here. You can give it your all, or you might wish not to. But if you don't, there is a possibility that danger might fall upon you. Or not."
"So that means there's danger ahead, right?" Yosuke asked.
"Huh!? Oh no...!" Fuuka spoke up. "Everyone, please be careful! There are a large number of FOEs on this floor!"
"Hmmm...? Something feels off about this, though." Rise commented. "They're not moving at all...Or even changing position. This looks kinda suspicious. Stay on your toes!"
Yu paused to start a new page for his map of this floor, then we started exploring. We entered a door into some hallways and Yosuke stopped suddenly.
"...Hold on a sec."
"Hm? What's up, Yosuke?" Chie asked.
"Is it just me...or do you guys sense this really heated gaze?"
"It's probably comin' from that thing." Shinjiro pointed out some kind of big monster too far in the distance for me to make out its features well. I think it was another baby riding a weird horse-thing, but it probably didn't have any arrows if it hadn't shot us yet.
"An FOE...And it doesn't seem like any we've encountered so far." Yukiko said.
"Is this the one Fuuka and Rise were talkin' about? 'Cause yeah, it ain't movin' around." Shinjiro said.
"The path is split in two. We should take the branch that most piques our interest." Aigis stated, so Yu decided to go the way the FOE wasn't.
It was a dead end, though.
"Woof woof!" Koromaru looked excited.
"Huh? What's gotten into him all of a sudden?" Yosuke asked.
"Koro-chan's acting different than usual..." Fuuka commented as Koromaru was running around restlessly.
Yu decided to let him be and we watched as he began digging at a small space between the walls. We waited, and Koromaru came back with some armour in his mouth. He panted when Yu took it from him.
"Well done, Koromaru-san." Aigis praised.
"You're good!" Kanji added.
"So, he found treasure for us, like in that old fable. I wouldn't expect any less from such a great dog!" Yosuke grinned.
"Arf!" Koromaru seemed happy.
After that, we turned around and went the other way, where the FOE was. When we stepped into the large room it was at the end of, it moved.
"Holy crap! It came towards us!" Yosuke panicked. "Dude, let's get outta here!"
We walked back and it didn't move.
"...Huh? It's not coming after us?"
"Perhaps it only pursues us under certain conditions, which aren't being met here..." Mitsuru guessed.
"Heh, talk about havin' guts." Kanji said.
"Yeah, I agree. I like it. Let's beat this thing and push through!" Akihiko looked happy.
"How many times must I repeat myself, Akihiko!? This isn't training! Honestly..." Mitsuru scolded him, then turned to Yu. "If we use the enemy's habits to our advantage, we can get by without fighting. Study its movements well."
So, every time we stepped toward it, it would step toward us as well. Then, we sidestepped it and moved forward and it didn't move. It seemed that it would only move if we were directly in front of it. After luring it to the middle of the room, we were able to get around it and onto the narrow path it had been blocking before.
"Looks like it ain't coming after us no more." Kanji said.
"Yes, we succeeded in slipping by it." Mitsuru replied. "It's not dangerous now that we've learned the trick to it. Remembering that it only moves while we face it should allow us to use paths that had been blocked off."
"Backin' away while it's staring us down ain't my thing...But we'll get our payback sometime. You better remember that, FOE!"
"Honestly...Where do you get these ideas...?"
We headed down the path and through a door, then activated a shortcut and looked for a way around the weird river that was separating us from the doors we needed to get to. We went through another door and found two more FOEs, so Yu came up with a plan to lure one forward so we could slip past by walking backwards around the other. On the other side of them, we found another metal door.
"This door's not gonna open, huh...It looks just like the one from before." Kanji commented after trying to open it and finding it locked. "Let's go through those question rooms first. Oh, and we oughtta mark this down on the map...right?" He looked to Yu, who nodded and began drawing in his map.
"K-Kanji...When did you get to be such a grown-up...?" Teddie asked.
"What?"
"Kanji-san...You don't have to push yourself, you know? We got people already who can be the smart one." Junpei said.
"What're you makin' fun of me for!? If you keep mouthin' off, you're in for some you-know-what!" Kanji yelled. "Not to mention, uhhh...Some stuff too awful to mention!"
"Pfft..." I began to crack up at that.
"Oh, he's back to his usual self." Teddie said.
"If I were to deduce, like Naoto-san, I would guess that you failed to find the right word and tried to cover." Aigis said.
"Y-You little...!" Kanji's expression gave away that that was correct. "...Who even cares!? Let's note this place on the map and go a different way, dammit!"
With that, we went through the normal door to our left. We fought some Shadows, then passed the Selection Room door to go through another normal one and find a Power Spot. We activated a shortcut, then entered another door and found an empty room. We fought some Shadows again, then went back and through the Selection Room door. The door ahead was sealed again.
"The time may be nigh for the stray lambs to grow up to stray sheep. But you cannot relax." The mechanical voice spoke up once we were in the room. "Your foes and the questions of destiny become fierce with each encounter. Keep that in mind."
"Yes, sir!" Yukiko looked to be having fun.
"I don't think it cares if you talk back to it." Chie said.
"Presenting: question number five. What do you live on?"
"Rice." Yu answered.
"Probably meat...For me, that is." Chie said.
"Yeah, meat...For me too." Akihiko agreed.
"Chocolate or soda, for me." I said with a shrug and the chains disappeared, allowing us to go on.
We had to lure an FOE out of our way before we could get anywhere worthwhile, then we fought some Shadows and found a dead end where a doll was seated on a chair. It had a necklace with a blue stone hanging from it.
"This doll looks...lonely, somehow." Ken said.
"Yeah..." Yu agreed.
"Really? it just creeps me out..." I muttered, staying well away from the thing.
"Hey, the doll's holding a box." Chie pointed out. "What do you think's inside? A small cut of meat? Or a big slab?"
"U-Umm...I don't think it'll be meat at all..." Ken answered her.
"Ignore her. She just has a powerful appetite." Yosuke told him.
"Oh, okay...It doesn't seem like this box will open, though."
"Oh. Then this is probably another one of those dead ends." Chie said. "C'mon, Ken-kun, let's go."
"Y-Yeah..."
Yu wrote down something on his map before we went back and headed through the door. The Shadows didn't seem as bad here, so we decided to take another break.
"Ugh...I don't care if it's destiny or not. When are these questions gonna end?" Akihiko asked, annoyed.
"There, there. Why don't you use this opportunity to learn about how girls think, Akihiko-san?" Junpei suggested. "It might help you find your destined partner...just like me and Chidorita! Heehee!"
"Destined partner, huh..." Yukari repeated, seeming doubtful. "Even this Junpei here found his, so there really might be one for you somewhere in the world."
"Yes, spring did indeed come, even for this Junpei-san." Aigis agreed.
"Stop calling me "this Junpei"!" Junpei protested.
"Would "that Junpei" be okay?" Yukari replied.
"How low am I on your personal totem pole!? I'm gonna invoke the "Have Pity Ordinance"!"
"..."Have Pity Ordinance"?"
"Junpei-san has taught me about this before." Aigis said. "It was issued in 1685, forbidding anyone from treating Junpei-san lower than a grasshopper."
"Is that so."
"...How much better than a grasshopper?" Minato asked.
"A tuna fish." Yu replied with the usual deadpan.
"Okay. Then I guess that's how I'll think of Junpei."
"No! Think of me as a person!" Junpei protested.
"Anyway...Junpei's the only one hyped up about this destiny thing." Akihiko said, crossing his arms. "Just look at Naoto. He's a guy too, and he's keeping his cool."
"Huh? Um, I'm..." Naoto started to correct him awkwardly.
"...The hell are you talkin' about, Aki? She's a girl." Shinjiro spoke up for her.
"Wha-!? A girl!? But you're wearing a guy's uniform!" Akihiko seemed shocked.
"I-I'm free to choose to wear whatever I want!" Naoto seemed embarrassed.
"Yeah, she's cute in the guys' uniform, though." I grinned and she shot me a glare.
"Kyoka-senpai, d-don't say such things...!"
"Wait, you're seriously a girl? Oh, is Naoto an alias?" Junpei seemed surprised as well.
"It's my real name! It's not only a boy's name, I'll have you know."
"Male or female is irrelevant in battle. The same goes for clothing. Such distinctions are antiquated." Mitsuru spoke up for her.
"...That's right. I think the same thing."
"Oh, no, that wasn't what I was getting at, but I-I mean...Did you figure it out?" Junpei turned to Minato.
"...Mm." Minato just hummed a bit.
"Dude, there's no way. Man, you guys had a hell of a trump card lurking on your team...Nao-cakes, huh...Mm, I see."
"N-Nao-cakes...?" Naoto repeated, blushing still.
"You know, I'm surprised you could tell, Shinjiro-san." Junpei continued.
"Huh? You can tell just by looking at her." Shinjiro replied like it was obvious.
"I couldn't...For the longest time...I had no damn idea..." Kanji muttered and Koromaru whined in response. "A-Are you...tryin' to cheer me up...? C-Can I pet you?"
Koromaru growled at him, obviously not liking that idea.
"It seems he does not wish to receive pets." Aigis stated.
"You didn't hafta ram it home..." Kanji muttered.
We moved on and activated a shortcut back before heading through the next door. We fought some Shadows, and found an FOE in the room. Going through another door, we found two more FOEs in the next room. We were careful to avoid them and checked a dead end to find another doll seated on a chair. It had a necklace with a red stone hanging from it.
"We came across a similar doll earlier, didn't we?" Ken asked.
"Huh? Really?" Chie asked in confusion.
"I remember it, because that one looked lonely too. But that one had a necklace with a blue stone on...so maybe these two were originally a set. They might've gotten separated for some reason..." Ken said.
"...If that's true, then I can't ignore it." Chie said. "Let's help reunite them!"
"Huh? Really!?"
"Sure, why not?" Yu answered.
"Th-Thank you so much!"
"You've got a kind heart, Ken-kun." Yukiko said.
"O-Oh, no..."
Yu picked up the doll wearing the necklace with the red stone and put it in his bag. Then, we lured the FOE blocking our way out of the path we needed and went through the next door. Right in front of it was a Power Spot, then we got around another FOE to get through a door, get some treasure and a Power Spot, then through a shortcut into a room with three FOEs inside.
"Look, there are three FOEs here." Yukiko pointed them out.
"If we lure them towards us without a plan in mind, we may end up blocking ourselves in." Mitsuru commented. "Be sure to take caution, Narukami."
Yu took a moment to draw his map and work out a way to lure the FOEs to where we wanted them to get to a new shortcut. We found a Power Spot, fought some Shadows, and got some Electro Shoes from a treasure box. Then, we found a dead end with some weird stuffed dolls next to each other on the ground.
"...Hrmm? There's some lame stuffed dolls here." Teddie said. "Look at 'em, lined up all nice...What do these dolls think they are? Couples!?"
"Uh, you're not much different with the costume on." Yukari pointed out.
"That's exactly my point!"
"Aren't bear costumes a hit with the girls, though?" Minato asked blankly.
"This one doesn't count. His bumbling is the whole problem here." Yukari replied.
"Anyway! I a-bear seeing a bunch of dolls given such blessings!" Teddie said and turned to Yu. "Don't you agree, Sensei?"
"I wish them happiness." Yu responded.
"Hrrrgh...I shouldn't have asked Sensei. He's too popular to understand..." Teddie wasn't pleased, but something fell from the doll's hand.
Yu picked it up and it seemed to be a small, rolled-up letter.
"That's strange...Let's see, it says..."Thank you. I hope you find your destined partner soon too..." ...Hraaaaaaaagh! The sudden rush of endorphins! I'm getting a dangerous urge to destroy something!" Teddie was throwing a fit, but Yu ignored him and found a Snuff Soul in the doll's other hand. "S-Sensei! We should get away from this place quick!"
We returned to our investigation and used shortcuts to loop back around and head through another door to where two FOEs were. Yu worked out how to get them out of our way, we activated another shortcut, then went through the Selection Room door.
"A question to the youngest lamb. Do you prefer bread or rice for breakfast?" The mechanical voice spoke up.
"Huh? Does it mean me?" Ken asked. "Um...I guess I like bread better?"
"Having asked a lighthearted question unconnected to destiny, here comes question number six."
"Wh-What!?"
"You mull over the choice, unsure whether to answer it or answer it. That girl you're curious about dropped something. What was it?"
"A floral-pattern handkerchief." Yu answered.
"If the one who picks it up runs in a circle and sits where the one who is "it" is sitting, they win." Aigis stated.
"Run around? Win? What are you talking about?" Zen asked in confusion.
"It's a kid's game." Shinjiro answered.
"I see. It sounds rather violent."
"Eh, I've played more violent games when I was a kid." I shrugged.
Then the door was unsealed and we were able to progress. Though, Yu decided he didn't want to carry around the doll anymore and we backtracked all the way to where the first doll we found was seated on its chair.
"Let's try putting that doll right next to it." Yukiko suggested.
"Yeah!" Ken looked happy as Yu set the doll down right next to the other one.
The dolls' necklaces began to glow.
"Wh-What's going on!? If this is a ghost or something spooky, I'm out of here!" Chie said.
"Don't worry, Chie. It's just a paranormal phenomenon." Yukiko replied calmly.
"That counts as "something spooky"!" Chie told her with frightened annoyance.
"Oh! Look, everyone!" Ken pointed out that the lid of the box that doll was holding was now open.
"I wonder if it's okay to take this..." Yukiko said.
"Oh, look at the dolls' faces...!" Ken pointed out how the creepy dolls now looked strangely happy and I was about to hop onboard with Chie and be so out of here if anything else happened.
Yu picked up the Soma Droplet from inside the box.
"...I hope you two get along. Make sure you don't get separated again!" Ken smiled at the dolls.
After that, we got going. Fighting some Shadows on our way back to where we were before the detour. We found another dead end.
"Hrmmm? It smells nice here!" Teddie noticed, sniffing the air.
"I wonder what that is. Perfume...? Flowers...?" Yukari said thoughtfully.
"Whatever it is, it's too strong..." I whined, covering my nose with my sleeve.
"Oh, I brought food for this! Nice-smelling spots are the perfect place to eat fermented horse mackerel, and-" Rei spoke up, but Junpei cut her off.
"Gaaaah! Put it away, put it away!"
"I kinda want to relax here for a while...What do you think?" Yukari asked Yu.
"Go on and relax." Yu responded, so we all took a break here.
The others seemed refreshed, but I'd never been a fan of strong aromas, good smelling or not.
"Has everyone had a chance to catch their breath? Then let us be off." Mitsuru said.
"Alright! Let's pick up the pace!" Chie seemed energetic.
We went back to exploring and came across another dead end.
"Looks like those angel FOEs that lock eyes with you aren't around here." Shinjiro commented.
"Shinji, why don't we play a game of chicken with those FOEs the next time we see one?" Akihiko looked to be getting competitive again. "We'll see who can get the closest to them. The first one to break eye contact with the FOE loses!"
"I'm not an idiot, you dumbass. Quit playing around with the FOEs. Dumbass."
"Grr...! I heard you the first time!"
"I keep callin' you a dumbass 'cause no matter how many times I remind you, you won't stop being a dumbass."
"Here we go again..." Minato sighed with exasperation.
"Haha, I guess you have to put up with this every day, huh?" Yukiko asked him.
"I guess. I'm used to it now, though. I was surprised the first time I saw them go at it like that."
"Oh, really? We don't have any upperclassmen in our group, so it's still kind of weird to me. So, have you known all of them for a long time, Minato-kun?"
"No, not really. I transferred to the school about six months ago. That's when I met them."
"Oh, you're a transfer student. Just like Yu-kun!"
"Oh, is that so?"
"Hey, Minato, help me shut this dumbass up." Shinjiro called.
"What do you mean, "help"...Hey! Quit trying to put a gag on him!" Minato ran over to them.
"So he's a transfer student..." Yukiko mumbled thoughtfully.
"What's this? Could the appearance of this new cowboy have made Yuki-chan fall in L'Amour?" Teddie asked her.
"N-No! It's not like that!" Yukiko denied, then smiled and began summoning her Persona. "Also, that joke was awful."
"Hrrrgh...So that joke Junpei taught me doesn't work..."
"If you keep that up, the Gekkoukan girls are going to start acting really cold toward you, you know?"
"Hmm...I like ice cream, so ice girls don't sound that bad...But Mitchan's really mean, and Yuka-chan's very good at ignoring me. It's difficult to get close to them..."
"Well...Take Minato-kun, for example. He's kind of mysterious, and I bet a lot of girls are into him. You're...not mysterious. Not like that, anyway. I mean, it's always pretty obvious what you're after."
"H-Hey! I'm really mysterious! I grew myself a human body through sheer force of will, and I can turn completely flat sometimes!"
"That's not mysterious, it's just plain creepy. C'mon, let's get going." Yukiko walked away from him.
"Hmmmm...This isn't good at all. There's got to be something I can do...Hrrrrmmmm...Oh!" Teddie seemed to get some kind of idea and turned to Yu. "S-Sensei! Have you been checking the requests? I have a feeling that there's a new request for you. I-It's just a hunch! I don't have anything to do with this, I swear!"
We moved on then, heading through the next door and fighting some Shadows before going through another door to find a wide area where we decided to take a break. The girls decided to sit a little ways away from the guys and I transformed back to human form to sit with them.
Yukari sighed. "I'm so tired...Looks like there's gonna be more of those questions here. What's with this destined partner thing, anyway?"
"But I'm looking forward to it, too. I wonder what kind of person would be Yu-kun's destined partner." Yukiko replied.
"I'm really curious about that too, actually." I nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right...It's based on Yu-kun's answers, so we're gonna find out his destined partner..." Yukari realized.
"Will they be chosen from amongst us?" Aigis asked.
"Ooh, good question!" I replied to her with interest.
"Huh!?" Chie looked surprised.
"Do you suppose...!?" Naoto looked surprised as well.
"From amongst us, huh..." Yukari said, then looked a bit uncomfortable. "That feels a bit...too real...So, what's the score really?"
"Wh-What score!?" Chie asked nervously.
"You know, romance-wise! C'mon, you knew what I was talking about." Yukari blushed a bit. "So? How is it?"
"Th-There's nothing like that going on...!" Yukiko told her, also looking nervous.
"...Ohhhhh!" Yukari grinned at them while I snickered a bit.
"There's no "ohhhhh" here!" Chie told her.
"Oooooh!" Rei changed it, but the meaning was the same.
"That either!" Chie told her, then noticed Zen standing next to her. "I mean, Zen-kun's right there!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Chie. Is that inconvenient for you?" Zen asked.
"No of course not why would you say that!?" Chie blushed.
"You don't need to worry about Zen. He's not gonna say anything to the guys." I dismissed, laughing at the girls on my team's discomfort with the topic.
"While we are on this subject, may I ask a question?" Aigis spoke up. "Who is in a romantic relationship with who?"
"Can't you try harder to take a hint!?" Chie hissed at her.
"Well...I don't think there's anything like that in particular..." Naoto answered the question.
"...Mm-hm, same here." Yukiko agreed.
"That's so suspicious-sounding!" Yukari said, then looked to me with a smirk. "Kyoka-san's the only one here who's been pretty obvious about her romantic situation..."
"H-Huh...?" I tensed at the implication. "But I'm not d-dating any-"
"Hey! No fair talking about that stuff without me!" Rise complained, showing up through the comms. "Geez! You better give us all the details later! Right, Fuuka-chan?"
"M-Mm-hm." Fuuka agreed.
"Heeeey! I knew you girls were whispering about something, but is there love talk going on!?" Teddie came butting in. "If you have a problem to talk about, then come jump into my wide, fluffy bear chest! It's soft! Total fluff!"
"Whaaaat? It seems like it'd be itchy." Yukari looked grossed out.
"A city lady's remark...How it cuts like a knife...! Well, there's still Rei-chan. She could jump into my-"
"I'd rather jump into Zen's." Rei cut him off with a smile.
"Gyaaaah!"
We decided to move on after that, considering Teddie had kinda caused a scene and ruined our girl talk. We went through the next door, fought some Shadows, and then through another two doors to a room with FOEs hanging around. After exploring for a while and pausing for Yu to draw his map, it took quite a bit of back and forth between shortcuts and doors to lure them where we needed them to be in order to get around them. We also ran across a dead end with a dressing table set up in it.
"This is...a dressing table. I have heard that they are magical items that cast spells upon women." Aigis said.
"...Spells?" Shinjiro repeated.
"Yes, that is what Junpei-san taught me."
"Are you teaching Aigis nonsense again?" Yukari asked Junpei.
"She asked me how it works, and that's really the only thing I can think of." Junpei answered, shrugging.
"I have a question for you, Junpei-san. In the case of men, what would be used to cast a similar spell on them?" Aigis asked.
"F-For men...? Er, well, men don't really use a lot of makeup. A spell on men, a spell on men...Oh, I know! A love potion!"
"Huh? In your dreams." Yukari shot that down quickly.
"Wait, they don't exist!? But it comes up in so many stories!" Rei seemed surprised.
"Er, yeah...They don't exist, right? I'm the normal person here for thinking they don't exist?"
"So they don't exist...Awww..." Rei looked disappointed.
"Rei-chan! Where there's a will, there's a way! Don't give up hope!" Teddie encouraged her.
"That's right, Rei-chan! Don't give up!" Yukiko encouraged her too.
"...Yeah! I'll do my best!" Rei grinned.
"Er, do your best for what?" Junpei asked.
"I give up..." Yukari sighed and we continued on.
Eventually, we came to the next Selection Room.
"Well, hello, stray lambs who must be getting weary of this introduction every time." The mechanical voice spoke up. "Destiny is like a shoe made of glass. Why is this?"
"Huh...? I get it. You probably want us to say that even though it looks nice, it's fragile." Akihiko guessed. "But this is what I say...destiny is like a shoe made of metal. It can be a shackle that keeps you from moving, but you can also take it off at any time!"
"Well then, onto question number seven."
"Wha-Don't ignore me!"
"When will you learn, dude? That voice doesn't care at all what we say." Shinjiro sighed at Akihiko.
"Hmm...Destiny is like a shoe made of metal...That's a very apt way of putting it, Akihiko." Mitsuru smiled a little.
"Wait, was that supposed to be inspiring?" Chie looked confused.
"Where would you go to soothe your weary soul?" The mechanical voice asked.
"An extravagant resort." Yu answered.
"Ah, an excellent choice. I know a good place I can recommend to you later." Mitsuru seemed to approve.
The door was unsealed, so we headed through and heard a clanging noise again.
"This sound...It must be that ordeal thing again." Akihiko said. "Ha, I'm getting pumped already."
"We found a door somewhere that we couldn't open, right? Did we mark it down?" Yosuke asked Yu.
"The sound came from in front of us. Why don't we head that way?" Yukari suggested.
We proceeded forward, through a shortcut, and headed over to the metal door.
"Hold on! That door...It's another one with Shadows waiting behind it!" Rise warned.
"I have a bad feeling about this...Please make sure you're absolutely ready!" Fuuka spoke up as well.
Yu decided we should head back for now and prepare, so we left the Labyrinth and headed to the Nurse's Office to recover before having time to do whatever again.
I was hanging out with the other girls in Concession Alley in front of the Leftover Deli, tuning in and out of their conversation once it had turned to guys.
"You think so too!? Oh, but he's off limits, okay?" Rise said to Yukari when I decided to listen again, so I assumed it had something to do with Yu.
"I didn't mean it like that! I just said he seems like a trustworthy leader." Yukari responded.
"Senpai really is cool, though, so I know how you feel." Rise smiled.
"Like I just said, that's not what I meant!" Yukari argued with her.
Fuuka giggled. "But you can't help but be conscious of them. Yu-kun, Yosuke-kun, Kanji-kun...We don't have anyone like them, so they stand out."
"They really shouldn't. Yosuke's just Yosuke, you know?" Chie denied.
"Mm-hm, he's very Yosuke-kun." Yukiko agreed.
"Oh Yosuke-senpai's also off limits. Kyoka-senpai's totally got dibs on him." Rise added with a mischievous smirk.
"H-Hey!" I shot her a glare, embarrassed. "I don't have dibs! Yosuke's just...Yosuke...!"
"Ahaha, what's that supposed to mean?" Yukari laughed.
"I do not think I understand the subject of this conversation." Aigis said.
"Hm...It's like a comparative analysis of people, particularly the boys." Naoto told her a bit awkwardly.
"Oh, hey. What do you think about the guys on our team? I'm kinda curious." Yukari said suddenly.
"Oh? Hmmmm, well, Koro-chan is smart!" Chie said.
"You're starting with Koro-chan...?" Yukari seemed disappointed.
"I'm very impressed at how polite and proper Ken-kun is, for an elementary school student." Yukiko said and I nodded in agreement.
"This is still not really what I was asking!" Yukari said. "I meant the guys. You know, like...Akihiko-senpai, for one."
"He's definitely a real pretty boy. But he's kind of disappointing, too..." Rise answered.
"Snrk...! That sounds like Yosuke-kun!" Yukiko began laughing.
"Yosuke's not quite that...aggressive..." I muttered, a bit uneasily.
"What about Shinjiro-san?" Aigis asked.
"Shinjiro-senpai's really cool." I nodded in approval.
"Hmm, he seems quiet. I don't think I have an opinion on him yet. He seems like a nice guy, at least!" Chie answered.
"Yeah, like Kyoka-senpai said, he seems really cool." Rise agreed.
"You're absolutely right! He even taught me how to cook..." Fuuka smiled.
"He's a good cook, then? I wouldn't have guessed." Naoto said thoughtfully.
"You really never know about someone unless you talk to them, huh?" Yukiko said.
"Okay, one more. Our leader." Yukari said.
"Hmm, he's surprisingly..." Chie started.
"Minato-san. Would it not be easier to hear us if you came closer?" Aigis brought our attention to the silent eavesdropper standing a bit away from us and apparently taken off guard by Aigis addressing him suddenly.
"Huh!?" Fuuka gasped.
"You were listening!? This is so embarrassing!" Chie blushed.
"But we didn't say anything weird." Rise seemed unaffected.
"Yeah, everything you said was pretty nice." Yukari agreed. "Anyway, I'm glad our team's guys pass muster!"
"...Hm? I feel as if we're forgetting someone." Naoto said.
"Nah, can't be. It's probably just your imagination." Yukari dismissed.
Minato decided to take his chance and leave us as they got started up discussing something else that I began to tune in and out of again.