Arc 2 - Arc 4
"Gears of Despair"
5/19 (Sunday)
Afternoon
Headmaster's Office
"Mr. Kirigiri, we have gotten news from our informants that a large-scale attack on your school will be happening soon. It's already bad enough that our heir, Fuyuhiko, and his bodyguard, Peko, are dead. It's already bad enough that that our backup heir, Natsumi, is unprepared for the responsibilities as a yakuza clan leader. But the news our informants have gotten is much more worrying. From what we can tell, the same clan that threatened us and led our heir to his death is also the same one that is threatening your school. We don't know the name of that clan. We cannot allow this attack to happen. Stop this clan's attack before it happens. Hope's Peak Academy must not fall. We'll be doing our best to inform you of new information. Until then, keep everyone calm at all times and be prepared for such an attack.
-The Kuzuryu Clan"
That was the contents of the letter that was sent to Headmaster Kirigiri. He and his daughter sat at his office desk, discussing the contents.
"This is no time to be slacking around, Kyoko," Headmaster Kirigiri said. "This better not be a joke. We cannot allow threats to our school to go unnoticed."
"This is serious business, father," Kyoko said firmly. "I talked to Natsumi about what's going on in her clan, and she told me that some criminal clan is planning a large-scale on Hope's Peak. Now, they're not sure about who's making these threats, but this is something we cannot take lightly."
"Yes, Kyoko," Headmaster Kirigiri said, getting annoyed by his daughter. "I get it. This is something I cannot allow to be overlooked. We must do something about it. I need you to investigate who is making these threats and make them face justice."
Kyoko scoffed at her father's suggestions. "Father, do you realize what types of crime I specialize in?" she asked. She waited for her father to give an answer.
"I don't care what type of crimes you typically investigate," Headmaster Kirigiri said, growing impatient. "You're the Ultimate Detective. If there's a case that needs to be solved, it's up to you to learn the truth of the case. We need to know who is making these threats to us and why. That's an order."
Kyoko is growing frustrated over her father's insistence that she investigates who is making these threats to Hope's Peak. It's been a long time since she has last seen her father ever since he decided that doing detective work is not for him. She doesn't have the highest opinion of her father. It doesn't help that her father is also not listening to her. Without words, Kyoko reached into her pockets and pulled out her Detective ID card, and showed it to Headmaster Kirigiri.
Headmaster Kirigiri took a closer look at the card Kyoko is presenting to him. "What is that card?" he asked. "I don't understand what it means. What do those numbers mean?"
"Kyoko Kirigiri," Kyoko read. "Detective number 901. Murder. General murder crimes. Rank 1. That is what my card reads."
Headmaster Kirigiri still doesn't understand what the card meant, or where it came from. "I still don't understand this nonsense," he said. "That's not enough to convince me to change my mind. I'm telling you, daughter. Investigate who is making these threats now."
Kyoko is done with her father. She is having enough of his misunderstandings. Kyoko is not willing to take this job. She might be the Ultimate Detective, but the crime her father is asking her to investigate is not something she has a lot of knowledge of. She decided that it'll be best if she walks away from this. She stood up and turns her back on her father, heading towards the exit.
"Kyoko, stop what you're doing," Headmaster Kirigiri said. "Listen to me. Stop whoever is making these threats from attacking our school. This is serious business. I cannot allow this to be ignored."
Kyoko stopped for a moment. She turned her head towards her father, letting off a small smirk. "Oh, you're asking me to stop whoever is making these threats to this school?" she asked. "Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do. And I'm going to stop them in my own way. But, if you want an expert detective to come help you out, you can always contact my detective agency. You remember who that is, don't you? It says so in my detective card." She then faced forward, putting back on a stoic face. "But I'm not willing to continue this discussion any further. Goodbye, father." After that, Kyoko walked away.
Headmaster Kirigiri is growing impatient. It's not long since he has received this letter from the Kuzuryu Clan, but he simply cannot ignore this. There will be a major attack on Hope's Peak Academy sometime soon, and if Hope's Peak falls, Japan would fall soon after. The rapid and massive success of Japan and the world is all because of graduates of Hope's Peak Academy. For that to remain stable, Hope's Peak must not fall.
Headmaster Kirigiri looked up what agency Kyoko is a member off. He searched through the lists of all of its members. There are thousands of them, many of them he did not recognize. Looking at the detectives that specialize in murder cases, he found a name that caught his attention. Detective Number 912. This is someone the talent scouts have kept an eye on for a while. They're thinking about including him in next year's class of Ultimate Students. He thought about a way to guarantee that he'll get in.
Once he found the person he's looking for, Headmaster Kirigiri searched through his files and pulled out a student profile of the detective that caught his attention. He placed it on his desk and began calling the agency.
"This is Jin Kirigiri, Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy," Headmaster Kirigiri began. "Yes, I am the father of Kyoko Kirigiri. Listen, there is something that's troubling me right now. My school is in danger. I need someone who can help discover who is making these threats to my school." He waited a moment for a response. "Oh, you think that some expert detectives will do? I'll accept that. But the one detective I want as a part of that team is..." He spoke the name of the detective to the agency. "You think he's not appropriate for the job? Listen to me. I have an idea. Should he discover the group who is making these threats to us, he'll earn his place in this school as the Ultimate Detective. We've been considering him ever since he has solved his first case on his own when nobody else could figure it out. If he solves this case as well, then we'll have our next Ultimate Detective. Sound good?"
Evening
Kuzuryu City - Downtown
Dungeon Theme: Sleeping Dragons (Original Soundtrack)
The Hope's Peak Investigation Team went into the Cognitive World in search of Kazuichi Soda. It's been a while since he ran into this city, leaving the rest of the team behind. His classmates are getting concerned that he might be the next victim of the disappearance cases. He's been absent for several days in a row. The longer they wait, the less likely that he's going to be found alive.
The team was not discouraged by the low odds, as they still believed that Kazuichi is still alive in the Cognitive World. They still need to rescue him fast. If a rainy happens for several days in a row, past experiences predict that fog will settle in. And once the fog rolls in, there is no hope that anyone who is still trapped in the Cognitive World will survive. Luckily, the weather forecast predict that rain would not fall for several more days, so at least they're not on a time limit. Or so they thought...
Before going into the city, Kyoko warned everyone that there was going to be an attack on Hope's Peak. She doesn't know how many days they have before this happens. All she knows is that they need to act fast.
"Are you kidding me?!" Leon shouted upon hearing the news. "You're telling me that we have a time limit?"
Kyoko nodded her head...and then shook her head. "Yes and no," she said. "Yes, because if we don't act fast, something terrible will happen. But also no, because this time limit isn't based on the weather. We also don't know exactly how much time we have left. The letter the Kuzuryu Clan sent to us only mentions that an attack will happen in the coming days. It doesn't say which day. Regardless, we must hurry and rescue Soda. There's no telling when the attack will happen. We need to stop this before it happens."
"I really don't like it when a school attack happens," Usami said. "The horrors, the scars they leave behind, and the legacy...they're all so horrible! If you don't want any of this to happen, then we need to act fast!"
"Okay! I get it!" Leon shouted. "No need to repeat! Let's hurry up and rescue Soda. No time for chatter. Let's move!"
The team then explored the city, searching for Kazuichi. Considering that they're in a city, they expect this job to be very difficult, since there are so many buildings to search and so many floors in each building to search. With the current amount of members, this will take too long. Luckily, they don't have to search each and every building.
Makoto attempted to open the door to one of the buildings. It wouldn't budge. "Huh," he said. "Must be locked."
Leon attempted to kick the door open on another building. He only hurt his leg. "Ow!" he yelped. "Ah...yep, this one's locked too. Ow..."
"You need healing?" Sayaka said, offering to help out. "I can help you out."
"Nah, it's okay," Leon replied. "It's...nothing much. Thanks for offering, I guess."
Meanwhile, Ibuki tried to break into one of the buildings by slamming her guitar at the door. The door won't budge. Not only that, but the guitar refused to break no matter what.
Kyoko is getting concerned that her teammate is breaking her melee weapon. "Ibuki, stop it," she ordered. "You're going to break your guitar if you keep doing that."
'What are you talking about?" Ibuki asked as she continues to slam her guitar like a hammer. "My guitar won't break. I like to smash my guitars from time to time, but replacing instruments is not cheap. I like to wish that my guitars won't break when I try so smash them." After a while, Ibuki gave up. "Phew, that's one tough door. It just won't budge no matter how hard I try. Hey, maybe buildings should install doors like these. That'll really discourage criminals from breaking in!"
Kyoko stared at Ibuki with a disapproving look. "We're in the Cognitive World," she said, putting emphasis on every word. "Real world logic doesn't always apply here."
Needless to say, the team concluded that it's impossible to access each and every building.
Kuzuryu City - Industrial District
After several exhaustive attempts at breaking into some buildings, the team continued onward in their search for Kazuichi. Their journey takes them into the Industrial District, a place of factories, shipping ports, and warehouses. This place is surprisingly close to the Downtown area, considering that it took the team only a few minutes on foot just to get here. This was both puzzling and worrying.
"Why are there factories so close to a populated area?" Makoto asked. "That makes no sense! Can you imagine the amount of pollution that's hovering above the city? At least this is an area for shipping containers, but still, this is way too close to a populated area."
"We're not in a populated area, Makoto," Kyoko corrected. "This is the Cognitive World. Not everything makes sense in this world."
While Makoto and Kyoko are busy discussing the strangeness of the Cognitive World, the others are searching for Kazuichi.
"Any luck?" Sayaka asked to Usami.
Usami scanned the area. "Hmm...I think your friend is around here somewhere..." she said. "He's a mechanic, right? He'll likely fit right here." And then she sensed something worrying. "Uh-oh!"
This caught everyone's attention, interrupting the conversation that Makoto and Kyoko was having.
"What's wrong?" Hajime asked.
"I'm sensing high Shadow activity over there!" Usami said. "It looks like a powerful Shadow is nearby!"
"A powerful Shadow?" Leon asked. "Sounds like something exciting. Let's go!" Leon foolishly ran towards the powerful Shadow.
"Wait! Leon!" Makoto warned. "We can't just rush into the enemy without-" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.
"What the hell!?" Leon shouted. "What kind of Shadow is that?"
This is alarming. It looks like Leon has encountered something. The team doesn't know what Leon had encountered. They decided to investigate. They ran towards where Leon had gone to.
What a big mistake to make.
Danger Theme: Monokuma's Lesson (Danganronpa series)
The team encountered what seems to be a powerful Shadow. It's dressed up as an engineer. That's the first thing that caught their attention. They prepare themselves to fight it. But a closer look reveals that underneath the Shadow is a body. It belongs to a man around their age. But it's not just any body. There's no mistaking it. That's Kazuichi Soda. And that Shadow hovering above him bears a great resemblance to him. That must be Shadow Kazuichi. The team is surprised to see Kazuichi here of all places.
"...What?" Makoto reacted, finding it hard to process what he's seeing.
"Is that...Soda?" Hajime asked.
"There's no doubt about it," Kyoko said. "That must be the person we're looking for: Kazuichi Soda."
"Oh my god!" Ibuki shouted. "What happened to him? Is he dead? Is he knocked out? I don't want to know!" She then began foaming at the mouth again.
Shadow Kazuichi then spoke. "Is that what you call a man?" he asked. "What a wimp. You think that making yourself a pest will make you look stronger, but all that does is make you look weaker. You're insecure. All you do is chase girls you don't deserve. Grow up already!"
The team is quite shocked to hear what Shadow Kazuichi has to say.
"What the-? Does he really act that way?" Leon asked. "I mean, I can relate to him in one aspect, but what about the rest?" He then grumbled to himself. "Curse you, Makoto. Curse you for stealing Sayaka before I had a chance..."
"Ibuki, you're his classmate, right?" Sayaka asked her teammate. "You must've known Soda for quite a while. Can you explain to us what's up with him?"
Ibuki stopped foaming at the mouth. "Oh, you mean Kazu-chan?" she asked. "Well, I don't exactly know much about him. We are classmates, sure, but we don't usually hang around much. We're only friends because of his amazing repairing skills. But other than that, all I know is that he keeps his eyes fixed on Sonia."
"Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess," Kyoko said. "You're talking about her, right?"
"Sure!" Ibuki cheerfully said, despite the current situation. "Sonia's my classmate! Definitely does not have a super fast brother as far as I'm aware."
The others gave Ibuki a disapproving look.
Shadow Kazuichi then looked up at the team before him. His eyes were fixed on Sayaka, the most princess-looking one out of the entire team. He was attracted to her.
"Ooh! What's this pretty lady?" Shadow Kazuichi asked, ironically going against what he said earlier. "Can I talk to you?" He then reached his hand out. Something about his tone felt very...unsettling.
Sayaka hugged herself tightly. "N-no way!" she shouted. "I've seen far too many creepy guys like you! Get your hands off me!"
The others got out their weapons, ready to attack.
"Don't worry, Sayaka!" Makoto said, rushing in to protect Sayaka. "We'll protect you and calm this Shadow down! Everyone, get ready!"
Shadow Self Battle Theme: I Face Myself - Battle (Persona 4/Golden)
"Hey! What are you doing in front of pretty lady?" Shadow Kazuichi said as he approached both Makoto and Sayaka. "Get out of my way!" He raised his wrench high above his head, ready to slam it down.
It looked like a powerful attack. This is bad news for Makoto. Should he get hit by that wrench, he's done for. As previously observed, Makoto really doesn't like blunt force attacks. Realizing this, Sayaka dove forward, catching Makoto and bringing him away from the wrench as it impacted the ground.
"Are you alright?" Sayaka said as she got off Makoto.
"That was close..." Makoto said, lifting himself. "You saved me there, Sayaka. Thanks."
Sayaka smiled back. She was about to hug Makoto, but then realized that this is no time for hugs. Seeing that Shadow Kazuichi is now venerable with his wrench being lodged into the ground. Sayaka summoned Orihime and blasted psychic waves at him.
Shadow Kazuichi recoiled back, both from the damage and from yanking his wrench off the ground.
Ibuki then has Aradia send streams of dark energy at Shadow Kazuichi. It did damage, but it only turned his attention towards her. She's already has parts of her skin exposed much like Sayaka, this only drew Shadow Kazuichi to her.
"Ooh!" Shadow Kazuichi said. "Who's this other pretty lady? That other girl might look hot, but you fit my tastes perfectly." He then began approaching Ibuki.
Ibuki was confused. "Uh, hello?" she said. "Earth to Kazu-chan! I thought you chased girls with pretty bodies. Why are you going after me?" She watched as Shadow Kazuichi go closer to her. "Uh, this is uncomfortable. This is getting awkward. H-how should I put this..." She then realized that Shadow Kazuichi is right up to her. "Somebody save me!"
"I don't think so!" Leon shouted as he summoned Jason. Jason charged forward and ran right into Shadow Kazuichi, bringing him down and away from Ibuki.
Kyoko couldn't help but watch as two of the girls were approached by this creep. She was disappointed. "See, this is why you should get less revealing outfits. Who knows what kinds of people we'll encounter in this world."
"Well, I encounter creeps all the time, even when I'm not in such...revealing outfits," Sayaka said. "Trust me, it was...really hard living as an idol."
"That happened to you?" Makoto asked. "Wow...you surprise me everyday, Sayaka. You scare me sometime. But Kyoko, shouldn't you do something to help us?"
Kyoko watched as Shadow Kazuichi and Leon brawl against each other. Leon is having a little trouble in the fight. He could use some help.
"...Fine," Kyoko said. She summoned Drew and ordered her to send a small storm of ice crystals at Shadow Kazuichi.
Shadow Kazuichi was heavily damaged by the storm of ice. He slowed down for a brief moment, unable to attack or defend himself.
Leon saw an opportunity to attack. "Alright, we have an opening," Leon said. "Jason, give him your strongest attack!"
Jason slammed his entire body at Shadow Kazuichi, hitting him with as much power as he can pull off. Leon really felt the recoil of that attack. After the attack is executed, Leon fell to his knees. "Ugh..." he groaned. "So...tired..."
Shadow Kazuichi shook off the attack he just received. He looked towards Leon and saw that he's no longer able to defend himself. "You've made a big mistake," he said before swinging his wrench at Jason, knocking Leon to the ground.
"Ah!" Leon yelped as he was flung back. "How...did this...happen?"
"Oh, right!" Usami said. "I almost forgot! Most physical attacks drain a portion of your health to deal damage. If you don't manage your health, you could end up on the brink of collapsing! Someone heal Leon up. He's almost down!"
Shadow Kazuichi slowly approached Leon, raising his wrench higher and higher with each step he takes. He set his eyes right on Leon. Despite being resistant to Strike attacks, this one will surely finish him off. Leon was in a panic. He didn't think to use his other skills that he has. He let himself become helpless as Shadow Kazuichi moved to strike him down.
Makoto is not willing to see his friends fall down, especially after he himself was knocked unconscious several times before. He rushed in to save Leon close to the last possible moment. "I don't think so!" he shouted as he summoned Hikoboshi and sent a blast of air right at Shadow Kazuichi, blowing him away from Leon.
While his teammates are fighting Shadow Kazuichi, Hajime is standing by doing nothing to help. He's pretty sure that his friends have the situation under control.
"Hey, aren't you gonna do anything?" Usami asked.
"Nah," Hajime replied. "I'm sure my friends got this."
"You do have a Persona," Usami pointed out. "In fact, you have some new ones that you can use. Why don't you try them out?"
"I'll just save them for a really tough fight," Hajime said.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Shadow Kazuichi decided that he had enough of hitting his foes with just his wrench. He raised his wrench high into the sky, as if he's about to strike it down.
"He's open!" Sayaka shouted. "Alright, everyone! Time to finish this!"
The team attempted to rush Shadow Kazuichi, about to pull out an All-Out Attack, despite Shadow Kazuichi not being knocked down. Makoto is the only one who didn't rush in. He tried to process what's going on before making a move. He came to the conclusion that Shadow Kazuichi is about to do a different move, one that will hurt everyone around him. Makoto tried to warn his friends not to rush in, but it was too late. Suddenly, a lightning bolt flew straight at Shadow Kazuichi, striking his wrench first. The electricity then arcs around him, hitting everyone except Hajime who is just far enough to not be affected.
Sayaka felt great pain after being struck by an electric arc. She fell and was unable to move. Makoto, Leon, and Kyoko are all neutrally resistant against the electric attack. They didn't suffer as much pain as Sayaka, but the attack was so powerful that it brought them to their knees. Leon was not fully healed before the attack happened, and so he went unconscious. The only one who remains standing is Ibuki, who resists electric attacks. She's the only one standing, as the others are too injured to continue fighting.
"What?!" Ibuki shouted. "Since when can he do that?!"
"This is...why...we should...wait a moment..." Makoto said, still feeling the pain.
"I can't...move..." Kyoko said.
"Oh no!" Usami gasped. "Are you guys paralyzed?"
"Looks like everyone was affected," Ibuki said as she panted heavily. She seems to be moving without much trouble. "It wasn't as painful to me." She then checked the current situation, only to realize that she and Hajime are the only ones left standing. "Oh dear, we're on our own!"
Shadow Kazuichi then turned his attention to Hajime. "So you're still standing, aren't you?" he asked. "I won't allow you to remain standing. I will eliminate anyone who gets in my way!" He then rushed towards Hajime, lifting his wrench up and charging it with electricity.
Ibuki noticed what is about to happen. She attempted to rush towards Hajime to save him at the last moment, but due to her injuries she wasn't able to make much progress. All she could do in scream out his name. "Hajime!" she cried.
"Hajime!" Usami cried. "Watch out!"
The others are too pained to say anything.
Hajime watched as Shadow Kazuichi brings his electric wrench down upon him. He has to act fast, or else he'll get knocked out like the rest of his team. He's pretty sure he can survive the electric attack, but is unsure about the wrench. It looks like the wrench might be more damaging than the electricity that surrounds it. It's a good thing that Hajime prepared in advance, otherwise he might be done for. Summoning a different card in his hand, Hajime prepares to intercept the attack. "Persona change!" he announced.
A loud metallic clang echoed through the entire area. Everyone looked away from Hajime, thinking that he might get hit. Then they look back at Hajime and realized that he's safe. But more importantly, the Persona he summoned shocked everyone. It's the red knight that tried to kill the team.
"What?!" Ibuki gasped.
"Hwah?!" Usami gasped.
"Hajime?" Makoto asked. "Is that...?"
Hajime has summoned Eligor and used him to intercept the attack with his lance. Shadow Kazuichi was shocked to see this.
"What?" Shadow Kazuichi reacted.
Hajime struggled to push back, but eventually he gained the strength needed to push the wrench back, staggering Shadow Kazuichi. Hajime then ordered Eligor to take advantage of the opening, with Eligor thrusting his lance and stabbing Shadow Kazuichi.
"Impossible!" Shadow Kazuichi shouted. "How did you react this fast?"
"I was standing further away from you than everyone else," Hajime explained. "That distance gave me plenty of time to act. It only gave me a fraction of a second more time, but that's more than enough to make a difference."
"Why you-!" Shadow Kazuichi said.
Ibuki was shocked to see Eligor. "Hajime..." she said. "Since...when did you have that?"
"I found another one of them while you're not looking," Hajime explained. "This one's more willing to join my cause than the one we fought. He should be useful for now."
Ibuki could only blink in response.
Hajime then extended his arm out with his hand open. "And now, for the finisher," he began. "I summon my new Persona! Come forth, Jack Frost!" Hajime summoned another card and crushed it, summoning another Persona.
"Hee ho!" Jack Frost said. "I'm here!"
Jack Frost looked like a cross between a jester and a snowman. Everyone was weirded out when they saw this Persona.
"Uh..." Makoto reacted.
"What is that?" Kyoko asked.
"It looks like you summoned some video game company's mascot!" Ibuki said.
"Now's not the time to make remarks..." Usami said.
"Impossible!" Shadow Kazuichi shouted. "I thought everyone has one Persona!"
"That's true," Hajime said, "but there are exceptions, such as the Wild Card. That's right, with the power of the Wild Card, I can adapt to any situation as long as I have the proper Persona. And now, it's time to finish this." Hajime then issued an order. "Jack Frost! Make the biggest snowball you can make and throw it at that target!"
"Yes sir, hee ho!" Jack Frost said. And then he began creating a giant snowball with his hands.
Shadow Kazuichi has a bad feeling about this. He was hit with several ice shards before, and those hurt him badly. This snowball will surely be the end of him. Shadow Kazuichi attempted to rush in to stop it. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted.
"Not on my watch!" Ibuki shouted as Aradia tackled him. "Alright, I'm pinning him down until your snowball is ready. Tell me when to let go!"
"Get...off me...ugh!" Shadow Kazuichi said as he struggled against Aradia.
At this point, Jack Frost has generated a snowball that's around the same height as Hajime, and it's still growing. "I almost got it ready!" Hajime said. "Ibuki, get off in 3...2...1!"
"Aradia! Get off!" Ibuki ordered. Aradia then got off Shadow Kazuichi, freeing him.
"Finally!" Shadow Kazuichi said. "Now I get to-"
"Hee ho, here it comes!" Jack Frost announced. And then he threw his giant snowball.
Shadow Kazuichi watched as the giant snowball flew towards him. He didn't get a chance to react. "Oh..." he said as he realized that he's done for. And the the snowball smashed right into his face.
Kazuichi was dazed. He has no idea about what made him be knocked out. The last thing he remembers before blacking out was having this splitting headache. That's basically it. Then the headache went away and now he's free to open his eyes. And he did. He then saw a circle of faces that are staring right at him.
"Ugh..." Kazuichi said. He out his hand over his forehead. "W-what happened? Who are these people?" And then his vision cleared up, and he saw the faces staring down at him. He began freaking out. "Wah! Ah!"
"Hey, calm down," Kyoko said. "Don't panic. We're here to rescue you."
"Huh? Rescue me?" Kazuichi said. "What do you mean rescuing me? W-where are we? In some city or something?"
"No, you're still in the Cognitive World," Hajime said. "Remember when you went here along with us?"
"What are you talking about?" Kazuichi asked. "I don't remember doing that!"
"Well, it's only because we found you knocked out..." Leon said.
"Knocked out?" Kazuichi asked. "How? How was I knocked out? This doesn't make any sense!"
The team turned their heads towards Shadow Kazuichi, who now resembles the normal Kazuichi except with dark smoke. Kazuichi lifted himself up and turned his head in the direction they're looking at. He freaked out at the sight of his Shadow.
"AAAHHH!" Kazuichi screamed. "What the hell is that?"
"That's your Shadow," Kyoko said. "It's the manifestation of your unwanted thoughts, things that you don't want to acknowledge about yourself. Everyone has a side that they don't want to admit is a part of them."
Kazuichi doesn't seem like he's listening. "Well, whatever you said, that thing is definitely not me," he said. "That thing is not me!"
"Whoa there!" Leon said. "Calm down! Don't deny it! Just accept it and move on, okay?"
Kazuichi is unable to give a response.
"Hang on," Makoto said. "We don't know much about you, and we would like to know more about you, Soda. So please, tell us about yourself. And don't be afraid to show sides that you don't want to show. We're willing to listen."
Kazuichi looked around himself and saw only eager eyes. He let out a heavy sigh. It looks like he as no choice but to tell them about himself, even the things that he find unpleasant. "Fine, I'll tell you," he said.
Everyone gathered around to listen to Kazuichi's story.
"My family owns and runs a bike repair shop," Kazuichi explained. "We didn't get a lot of business. Customers don't come to my shop very often. People don't buy new bicycles these days. I was the genius in the family, despite the hard times. I can look at anything that needs fixing and I can repair it easily. I've been around tools and junk my entire life. I can take anything and make whatever I want. It's for these reasons why I was scouted to be in Hope's Peak Academy, even though our family is poor."
"Well, your story seems fine," Sayaka commented. "But it doesn't seem like there's anything...unpleasant about you."
Kazuichi let out another heavy sigh. "My school life...it was horrible before I came to Hope's Peak," he said. "Nobody wanted to talk to me. I was known as that freak that surrounds himself with machines. I was friendless. I was ignored by almost everyone, as if I'm a background character. When I was scouted for Hope's Peak, I thought it was a dream come true. I thought that be coming to Hope's Peak, all of my problems would be wiped away, and that I can live a better life."
"You thought that coming to Hope's Peak was a dream come true," Makoto commented. "But for me, it became a nightmare. I lost all of my old friends that way. Did...Hope's Peak not turned out to the dream that you were expecting."
"Oh yeah, that's very true," Kazuichi replied as he continued his story. "I thought Hope's Peak would solve my problems in my life, but then I experienced the same problems I had back in my old schools. Despite being around these talented students and being talented myself, nobody paid attention to me. I was treated like a background character again. The only way I thought I could escape this was to score big with Princess Sonia. When I saw her, I thought she was the perfect girl for me. And then...that damn breeder showed up and took her away!"
"Man, I feel for ya," Leon said. "When I saw that Sayaka was going to come to Hope's Peak, I thought she was the perfect woman for me! And then it turns out that she and Makoto had a history together. It's a long story. So anyways, do you have any more to say?"
Kazuichi sighed once again. "Fuyuhiko...he was my only friend in this school," he said. "I...see him as a bro. He might be a yakuza, but he's a yakuza with a heart of gold. But now..." Kazuichi began tearing up and began pounding the ground. "He's dead! He's gone from my life! And now I have no friends! I just wanted to have friends! I just wanted my skills to be appreciated! But now my friend's dead! I'm going to be lonely for the rest of my school life! Why?! Why is this happening to me?!"
Ibuki then comforted Kazuichi. "Aw, cheer up, Kazu-chan," she said. "I know a lot has happened to you over the past few weeks, but we're here to help you out."
Kazuichi then looked at Ibuki. "So what?" he asked. "You asked me to help fix your equipment, and yet you never thanked me! How dare you?"
"Well, I tried to thank you every time you helped," Ibuki said. "But it never crossed my mind to do it. Sorry for not giving you the thanks you deserve. This one's for all the times I've forgot to thank you. Thank you."
Acceptance Theme: I Face Myself - Slow Version (Persona 4/Golden)
Kazuichi wiped the tears away from his eyes. "T...thank you too," he said.
The pain in Kazuichi's heart has been healed up. He feels ready to accept his faults.
Ibuki smiled at Kazuichi. "Aw, that's no nice," she said.
"Don't worry, Kazuichi," Makoto said. "We're your friends you. We'll back you up when you need it."
"We all have our problems," Sayaka said. "Even me. We'll make sure to work through those problems and overcome them together."
"We'll support you all the way," Leon said.
"We're going to help you, Kazuichi," Hajime said.
Kazuichi nodded. "Thank you, everyone," he said.
Kyoko nodded in approval. "Now, time to face your Shadow," she said. "Please, accept it."
Kazuichi stood up and walked over to his Shadow Self. He helped Shadow Kazuichi get back on his feet.
"Listen, me," Kazuichi began. "To tell you the truth, I'm a pest. I'm a pest without friends, at least any friends that are alive. The methods I use to try to make friends probably made me even more of a pest. I tried to change myself to get attention. I did a lot of things that I thought would get me more friends. I tried to get a girl that I don't deserve. My life is a mess. I'm trapped in a hole that is my messy life. I tried my best to get out of that hole, but it seems that everything I do just makes a deeper hole."
"You're once trapped in a hole that you can easily get out on your own," Shadow Kazuichi said. "Now you're so far below the surface that you can't climb out. You've made some big mistakes."
"Yeah, I agree," Kazuichi replied. "My biggest mistake was not making myself a truly better person. I did things that I thought would make me look like a better person. but actually made me look worse. I don't know what I should do to improve myself, but now I know thanks to you. Because...you're me. You're a part of me, all the mistakes that I've ever made. I will not ignore my mistakes. Instead, I will learn from them. And with the help of my friends, I will grow."
Shadow Kazuichi accepted his true self's words, and transformed into a Persona. The strength of heart to admit one's shortcomings has manifested. Kazuichi has faced his other self. He has obtained Argus. Not Argus the giant. Not King Argus. Not even Argus the dog. Kazuichi has obtained Argus, the builder.
Kazuichi's attire has also changed with his acquisition of his Persona. Both he and Argus are dressed up as an engineer, complete with hard helmets, safety goggles, gloves, and various other safety equipment that are not worth mentioning. He welds a monkey wrench, a perfect tool for large screws.
Kazuichi grew tired. He lost his balance fell on his back. Hajime rushed in and caught him in time.
"It's been a rough day for us," Hajime said. "That battle has really tired us out. Now that we have a new member in this team, we should get back to the real world."
"Should we?" Kyoko asked. "We don't have much time left. Hope's Peak is in danger. In a few days, it will be under attack."
Kazuichi is shocked when he heard the news. "Wait, you're telling me that Hope's Peak is about to be attacked?" he asked. "By who?"
"We don't exactly know," Leon said.
Makoto looked over to Kyoko. "So, how long do he have before Hope's Peak gets attacked?" he asked.
"I'm not sure I can get an exact date," Kyoko said. "All I know is that we should act fast. We cannot afford to waste any more time."
"But I'm so tired..." Sayaka complained.
"I'm not in the mood to continue..." Makoto said.
"My muscles are aching!" Ibuki complained.
Kyoko is not accepting her teammate's protests against continuing. "Seriously?" she asked. "You'd rather waste time instead of pushing our goals? We have a school to save. We can't afford to slack off."
"Um...Kyoko?" Usami said. "Everyone's tired because of that fight against that Shadow Self. If they continue when they're tired like this, they might pass out from exhaustion. We should get some rest right now!"
"She's right," Hajime said. "Everyone, let's head back. We'll be back here by tomorrow. Sound good."
It seems that everyone else is in agreement with Hajime. Kyoko wanted to continue this expedition, unwilling to waste any time. However, nobody seems to agree with her, so she has no choice but to follow the rest of her teammates. She let out a sigh as she changed her mind.
Before everyone could leave for the real world, Kazuichi has a question to ask. "Hey, so about Fuyuhiko," he said.
Hajime stopped and turned around to Kazuichi. "What is it?"
"...We're going to avenge him, right?" Kazuichi asked.
Hajime nodded. "We're going to avenge Fuyuhiko," he replied. "And Peko as well. We're going to find the group behind the threats, and we're going to stop them. Hope's Peak must not fall."
Kazuichi let out a grin. "That's what I was thinking."
5/20 (Monday)
Morning
Reserve Course Dormitory Building 1
Today's supposed to be the start of the midterm exams, but due to the deaths of Fuyuhiko and Peko, the exams have been delayed once week. Most of the Reserve Course students have decided to use the free time to do whatever they want. There's not much to do during this time, so many students are just waiting for the exams to come. Hajime is not like most of the students in this school. Some students have chosen to use the extra time to get more study time in preparation for the exams. After all, the exams might get delayed, but that doesn't mean that they won't happen. Hajime has taken the time to study for the exams, taking on a new subject every day.
During one of his study sessions, Hajime is interrupted by his E-Handbook. He turns it on and checks on the team's chatroom and see what everyone's talking about.
"So, this is your chatroom?" Kazuichi asked.
"The team's chatroom," Kyoko corrected. "This chatroom is for members of the Hope's Peak Investigation Team only. Seems to me that you've gotten the invitation."
"Okay," Kazuichi replied. "Hey, is everyone here?"
"Is Hajime here?" Makoto asked. "I wonder what he's up to now that the exams are delayed."
Time to respond. Hajime typed up his response. "It's okay, I'm here," he said. "I'm in the middle of studying, so please make this quick."
After sending that message, Hajime proceeded to focus on studying for a while. After a few minutes, Hajime checked back on his friends and see their messages.
"I see," Makoto replied to Hajime's message. "Don't try to bother Hajime. He's trying to get his work done."
"Man, that's boring!" Leon said. "Why don't we hang around and do some stuff?"
"I can't," Makoto said. "I'm studying as well."
"What?" Leon reacted. "Okay, so what about Sayaka? Is she here? I really would like to hang around with her since you're not available for her, Makoto."
"Oh, sorry, Leon!" Sayaka replied. "I'm studying as well. I'm quite used to it, actually. I also have plans to hang around with Makoto. he's so sweet, just like me!"
"Aw man!" Leon complained. "Is there anyone out there who is willing to hang out with me? I'm getting bored here!"
"You know, I'm always available," Ibuki said. "I'm always willing to hang around you, Leo-chan."
"My name is four letters long, Ibuki," Leon complained. "Couldn't you be bothered with typing one more letter?"
"Sorry! Force of habit!" Ibuki apologized. "Anyways, meet me at the music room. I wanna see your music!" After that message, Ibuki left the chatroom.
"Fine," Leon said in what seems be a defeated manner. After that, Leon left the chatroom.
There was a moment of silence in the chatroom after Leon and Ibuki left. Hajime continued his studies for a few more minutes before checking back at his friends.
"...Hey, is there anyone else left in here?" Makoto asked. "Anyone? Kyoko, are you here? Tell me you're studying!"
"...I forgot to exit, didn't I?" Kyoko said. After that, Kyoko left the chatroom without sending another message.
It seems that the only ones left in the chatroom are Hajime, Kazuichi, Makoto, and Sayaka. Hajime has decided to not text anything, as he's too busy to do that. Instead, he read the last several messages before the chatroom goes silent.
"I'm planning to take a break and hang out with Sayaka for a moment," Makoto said. "Kazuichi, what are you planning to do?"
"I was thinking about doing that too!" Sayaka replied. "Alright, meet me once we're done. Still waiting on Kazuichi."
"Well, I haven't shown up to my class as of now," Kazuichi said. "I don't really know how my classmates will react once they see me again. I might get ignored as usual."
"Oh, your classmates will definitely notice you," Makoto replied.
"Really?" Kazuichi asked.
"I'm sure your classmates will be happy to see you again, Kazuichi," Sayaka said. "That class has seen better days. They lost so many students since the school year started. I'm sure your arrival will be a sign that the bad days are over for them."
"You sure?" Kazuichi said, sounding excited. "Thanks princess!"
...Did Kazuichi just call Sayaka a princess? Well, that's what she looks like in the Cognitive World: a beautiful young princess with plenty of skin exposed. But in the real world, Sayaka is an idol, not a princess. The real princess in Hope's Peak is Sonia.
It seems that Sayaka has caught on to this, as she replied, "...I'm not a princess. Your classmate Sonia is."
Makoto seems to be annoyed that this conversation is dragging on too long. He texted, "Guys, can we stop right now? This is taking too long." He then left the chat.
"Alright," Sayaka said right after that. "Well, see you tomorrow, everyone." She soon left the chat.
Kazuichi and Hajime are the only ones left in the chatroom. When Hajime checked the chatroom, he found that Kazuichi is still in the chatroom.
"Uh, Hajime? Are you still here?" Kazuichi asked. "You haven't been responding recently. Can we have a talk?"
It's been a while since that message was sent. Hajime decided to respond, not wanting to leave his new friend hanging.
"I'm here," Hajime replied. "Sorry, I was busy."
"Oh, good," Kazuichi said. "I was worried about you." There was a long pause in between messages. "So...how should I say this?"
"You don't have to say much," Hajime typed. "Just make it brief. I should be sleeping soon."
"Right," Kazuichi replied. "Thank you, Hajime. Thank you and all of your friends for saving me right there. I wasn't sure that I was going to make it out of that world. It was so scary! That other me I was trying to fight. He was spewing out everything I don't want to admit to myself! I don't want to accept it, but you guys taught me that it's okay to admit your flaws and work to overcome them. I really appreciated the help."
Hajime smiled at the message from Kazuichi. It was a bit longer than he was expecting, but he was happy about it. He was happy that he got a new friend to help through their issues. At the same time, he could feel a faint bond forming between him and Kazuichi.
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the guiding lights that bring thee closer to the mountain's top.
With the birth of the Magician Persona, I have obtained the fragments that will shatter the sea of lies...
...And fight for a brighter future.
Another Social Link has been started, the Ultimate Mechanic Social Link. Hajime could feel himself become stronger from this new bond forming.
"Well, you said to keep it brief, so I'll stop there," Kazuichi typed. "I will be going soon. Good night!"
"You too," Hajime replied with a smile.
Class 77-B Homeroom
For some reason, Hiyoko has decided to place a pot of flowers of Kazuichi's seat. The other students are quite confused over this decision.
"What's with the pot of flowers?" Mahiru asked. "Don't tell me..."
"It's for your dead classmate Soda," Hiyoko explained. "He hasn't been back in a while, so I decided-"
Mahiru had enough of this. "Stop saying he's dead!" she said. "I know Soda has gone missing for a while, but we haven't discovered his body! We don't know that he's dead. Who knows where he's off to. He could've gone anywhere."
"I-it'll be a t-terrible thing if he d-died..." Mikan said. "W-we've lost e-enough classmates already. We d-don't want to lose m-more..."
And then, Kazuichi arrived. "Hey everyone," he greeted. "Sorry I'm late."
Mahiru gasped when she saw Kazuichi after a long time of not seeing him. "Soda!" she said in a worried tone. Then her voice turned into a scolding tone. "Where have you've been? You had all of us worried! Don't you realize that we lost three classmates already? Don't say that it's a prank! It's not funny!"
"Or maybe it is a prank," Kokichi said.
Everyone turned to Kokichi, who is standing right behind Kazuichi.
"You shut up, Oma!" Mahiru shouted. "I'm speaking to Soda!"
Kazuichi let out an annoyed groan. "Okay, let me explain," he said. "So I found myself in some strange other world and then a bunch of thing happened that I really couldn't remember. I was stuck in there for days. I might go insane if I'm stuck in there for any longer. Luckily, our underclassmen and one of my classmates went in and rescued me."
Not everyone bought that story, though.
"What kind of story is that?" Mahiru questioned. "There's no way any of those things are real! You're just making things up as an excuse!"
"Nononono!" Kazuichi said rapidly. "It's true! I swear!"
"It's not!" Mahiru shouted back.
"You've got to believe me!" Kazuichi said. "It's the reason why I'm absent for so long!"
Nobody seems to be listening to Kazuichi.
Kazuichi sulked in defeat. "Fine," he declared. "Whatever. I'm back. If you don't care about what happened to me, why should I care? Just...don't talk about it. That experience was painful." Kazuichi then walked all the way to his seat, where he saw that there was a flower pot on it. Since he's not dead, there's no point to the flower pot being there. He moved the flower pot to a desk he felt was more deserving of a flower pot. And that was the desk of the late Fuyuhiko.
Adjusting to normal life is going to be rough for Kazuichi. A lot has happened to him for the past several days. He could really use a break at this point. He decided to relax in his seat for a little bit.
"Ahem," a familiar voice said.
Kazuichi jumped when he heard that voice. It can't be that voice, could it? He looked up from his seat and saw Princess Sonia looking at him. He was startled by this. "Gah!" he said, jolting from his seat. "P-Princess Sonia! You've...finally paid attention to me for once."
Sonia smiled at Kazuichi. "You've experienced some strange things a few days ago," she said. "Did it involve anything supernatural?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it supernatural..." Kazuichi said as he scratched the back of his head. "...Actually I don't know how to describe it. I...I have no words for it."
"I must say, I am very interested in what you've went through," Sonia said. "As someone who is very interested in the occult, I must ask you. Take me! Take me to that other world you just mentioned!"
Kazuichi was shocked at Sonia's demands. "W-what?" he gasped. "N-no, Princess! No way! I won't let you do it!"
"Please! Take me there!" Sonia demanded. "I wanna see what this other world looks like!"
"Princess!" Kazuichi begged. "I-"
"Hey!" Mahiru scolded. "Stop it! We just agreed to not talk about what Soda had experienced!"
That killed Sonia's enthusiasm. Looks like she won't be taken into the Cognitive World anytime soon.
Once everything has calmed down, Kazuichi resumed speaking. "Hey, Princess Sonia?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Sonia said. "What is it?"
"...You know how I'm always had my eyes on you, right?" Kazuichi asked. "I thought I scored big when a princess came into this school. It was like a dream come true. But then...you ruined my perfect image of you."
Sonia isn't sure what Kazuichi is talking about. She tilted her head slightly in confusion.
"You...you developed an interest in the occult, something that I do not believe in," Kazuichi continued. "You...you favored that...that...Gundham...and completely ignored me!" He then let out a frustrated groan. "I guess this is a losing battle for me, then. So you know what? Forget it! You get Gundham while I search for some...beautiful lady."
Sonia covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh..." she said. "I...didn't realize that I'm completely ignoring you. I forget that you're my classmate sometimes. I guess..this is the part where we became friends no."
Kazuichi lifted his head up, his eyes began to sparkle with joy. "R-really?" he asked.
Sonia let out a warm smile. "Of course," she said. "I'll still be with Gundham most of the time, but I'm looking forward into seeing your creations."
Kazuichi blushed in embarrassment. He can't believe he's getting praise from someone who once completely ignored him. "T-thanks..." he said. "...I guess."
Sonia then looked at where Fuyuhiko and Peko once sat at. She frowned upon seeing the flower pots on their desk. "We're all going to be dead soon at this rate..." she said. "If the case of the disappearing people doesn't stop, there will be no one left in this class. I truly hope that doesn't happen to us." She then turned to Kazuichi, who is nodding in agreement. "You're going to avenge our dead classmates, right? As the Princess of Novoselic, I shall gift you with my greatest blessings."
Kazuichi raised an eyebrow at Sonia's "blessing". "Okay..." he said. "I don't know what that means, but I'll take it if it helps."
Sonia smiled at Kazuichi once again. "You're welcome," she said. "Now, about those people that saved you. Who are they?"
"Well..." Kazuichi began.
While Kazuichi told Sonia about the Hope's Peak Investigation Team for a long time, Chiaki is busy playing video games. She paused the game for a moment as Kazuichi is listing off the names of the members of the team. She listened to Kazuichi for around a minute before resuming the game she's playing, keeping the names in mind.
Social Link Status
0 Fool (Hope's Peak Investigation Team): Rank 3
I Magician (Ultimate Mechanic): Rank 1
IV Emperor (Ultimate Moral Compass): Rank 1
VI Lovers (Ultimate Idol): Rank 2
VII Chariot (Ultimate Baseball Player): Rank 2
VIII Justice (Ultimate Detective): Rank 1
X Fortune (Ultimate Lucky Student): Rank 2
XII Hanged Man (New Ultimate Yakuza): Rank 1
XVI Tower (Former Ultimate Officer): Rank 1
XVII Star (Ultimate Musician): Rank 1
0 Jester (Ultimate Fashionista): Rank 1
Stats
Hajime Hinata
Level: 22
Arcana: 0 The Fool
Persona(s): Izanagi, Eligor, Jack Frost
Resist: Electric
Block: Curse
Weak: Wind
Current Skills: Zio, Mazio, Cleave, Rakukaja, Tarukaja
Kyoko Kirigiri
Level: 22
Arcana: VIII Justice
Persona: Drew
Resist: Slash, Ice
Weak: Fire, Nuclear
Current Skills: Bufu, Mabufu, Samanda, Rakunda, Ice Break
Leon Kuwata
Level: 22
Arcana: VII Chariot
Persona: Jason
Resist: Strike, Fire
Weak: Wind, Psychic
Current Skills: Agi, Maragi, Power Slash, Bash, Lunge, Headbutt
Makoto Naegi
Level: 22
Arcana: X Fortune
Persona: Hikoboshi
Resist: Wind, Curse
Weak: Strike, Fire
Current Skills: Garu, Magaru, Dia, Energy Drop, Samakaja, Apt Pupil (Accessory)
Sayaka Maizono
Level: 22
Arcana: VI Lovers
Persona: Orihime
Resist: Psychic, Bliss
Weak: Pierce, Electric
Current Skills: Psi, Mapsi, Media, Marin Karin, Makakaja, Apt Pupil (Accessory)
Ibuki Mioda
Level: 21
Arcana: XVII Star
Persona: Aradia
Resist: Curse, Electric
Weak: Wind, Blast
Current Skills: Eiha, Maeiha, Snap, Dormina
Kazuichi Soda
Level: 21
Arcana: I Magician
Persona: Arges
Resist: Unknown
Weak: Unknown
Current Skills: Unknown
From the Author
Kazuichi has been saved, and he also gets a Persona on top of it. Nice! But the fight to save Hope's Peak is not over yet. The person or group making the threats has yet to be identified. The team needs to act fast and stop this group from going forth on their attack or else the most prestigious school in the world will fall.
Determining Kazuichi's Persona was tricky. I initially had plans for Kazuichi to have a completely different Persona, but it was changed before this chapter went live. I once talked to Rookie over this issue. I got a tip that I can take anything and turn it into a Persona for a character as I see fit. I don't have to follow the original mythology closely. In fact, I may have done this when I was determining the Personas for the characters, changing them in a way that fits the character. The Megami Tensei franchise is no stranger to deviating from the original mythologies, despite getting a lot of things right with some of their demons. For example, they turned the Egyptian god Seth (pronounced Set) into a dragon, whereas in the original depictions, Seth was depicted as a jackal. Let that sink in.
It has taken my way to long to get this chapter out, so I'll stop here. Next chapter, the Hope's Peak Investigation Team searches for answers on the disappearance and deaths of Fuyuhiko and Peko. Meanwhile, the search for the one making the threats continues.