A.N. (2/1/21) - New month, new chapter.


Persona (38) - Welcome to Yasoinaba

Nagi sat across from his uncle on the train once they boarded. The two of them were currently on their way to Yasoinaba, where Nagi's grandmother was hosting the next family gathering.

The year 2003 was practically ancient history to Nagi in his previous life. It was the year his younger brother was born, and the year he was old enough to play on the playground without being supervised by his parents.

Thus, growing up again as a teenager in the early 2000s was a strange experience. It wasn't the age of the internet and iPhones, but rather the age of newspapers and Nokias. Which was kinda weird, knowing that Nokia was also in this universe.

Thoughts like that crossed his mind after Nagi asked to borrow his uncle's Nokia 3310 to call Daisuke.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be gone the entire Spring break," Nagi told Daisuke over the phone. "Expect to see me back once the new school year starts."

"—It's okay. Mom says that she wants to take this opportunity to have me and Dark go on more heists during the break. It wouldn't be fair if we made you spend your entire break helping us out."

"I wouldn't mind," Nagi replied. "Don't overwork yourself while I'm gone. I'll see you in a week."

"—See ya."

Nagi ended the call and gave the cell phone back to his uncle. The man set aside his newspaper for a moment to pocket it.

For a moment, Nagi was struck with the thought of maybe getting a phone of his own. His pockets were deep after numerous dives into the city fighting Shadows every now and then. He could probably afford a Nokia of his own if he wanted to.

I heard so much about the famed durability of the Nokia, it would probably survive even if I brought it out on heists with me, Nagi thought. I can probably get a prepaid plan in case of emergencies.

His uncle broke his train of thought. "So, are you excited about seeing your family for the first time?"

"Kinda," Nagi admitted. "I'm more curious as to why I haven't met them before."

Because seriously, it would've been nice to know he was related to Rise before. It definitely would've helped clue him in on the dangers of this universe.

His uncle sighed and folded his newspaper. "Your father… was a man who some would say was estranged from his family."

His father? Nagi could kinda see his uncle's point. Even though he was a nice man, you couldn't exactly call him a family person.

"While I may be related to your mother, I was invited several times to visit your father's family before." A nostalgic look passed his uncle's face. "If I recall correctly, your parents brought you with them when you were still only a little babe."

"Then what happened?"

"I'm not quite sure myself. I believe it was due to an argument with your father and his brother, but I'm not certain on the details." His uncle sighed. "Regardless, it's been a while since I've been invited to a family meeting. I suspect the reason we've been invited this time is due to the unfortunate passing of your father."

He chuckled for a moment. "Or more specifically, it's probably because your grandmother wishes to see you."

"My grandmother?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Did you know? She initially offered to take custody of you but was overruled when your father's brother convinced her otherwise. It wasn't until later that she called me asking a favor to take you in as my own."

Nagi did kinda recall something like that. His caseworker did mention something about being unable to take them because they couldn't take care of another kid.

Wait, did that mean that there was a chance that he could've grown up in Yasoinaba?!

Huh.

He… didn't really know what to think about that. To be honest, he was so used to living in Azumano the past few months that just imagining him living somewhere else felt weird. Even his life before his father passed away didn't seem to compare to what his life was now.

"Yasoinaba is a pretty small town," his uncle continued to talk. "Pretty different from Tokyo, but it has its own charm. The two of us will be staying in the local inn during the week, but if you want, you can explore the place on your own. We don't have to worry about people staying out late at night as we do in the cities."

Staying at a local— is he talking about the Amagi Inn?

Speaking of which, how old were the cast members of Persona 4? Nagi never finished the Persona 4 game in his previous life, having only ever played Persona 3 Fes and Persona 5. But he did know most of the cast members.

Most of them were around their second year of high school between the years 2010 and 2011. So that would mean that they're around… eight to nine years old now.

And wasn't Rise a year younger than the others?

Either way, Nagi was pretty sure that this trip of theirs was gonna be interesting. Now all he has to worry about is the possibility that he might get caught up in something Shadow-related while on his vacation.

...shit. He's totally gonna get involved in something strange, isn't he?

}-{

Behind the scenes, a being watches from the haven in the rift.

It knew that the concept of time was malleable enough to do astonishing things. But as long as the Guardian of Time remained sealed, there was the possibility of the entire world falling to ruin.

It needed to return to its duties quickly before that happened. The Messiah fated to seal away Nyx must not perish before their time.

Using its power, it began to send a call throughout all of time.

One voice was heard by the pursuers of truth.

Another was heard by the explorers of the shadow hour.

And the last… the last was heard by the ally of the inheritors of wings.

Now, let these heroes converge and allow it to rid itself of its prison so that it could finally return to its true duty.


I'm still focusing more on my other story, but I'll occasionally post a chapter or two here instead. To be honest, I kinda prefer this story to my other one. Even though the grammar and story structure for this is a mess, I feel more invested in this.

Then again, that's my own fault for speed-churning chapter after chapter without taking the time to proofread.