Hi, guys!

Sorry this chapter took so long to post. It got delayed for two reasons.

One, I've been busy with school stuff and I haven't had much time to myself (FYI, I'm a university student).

Two, my computer's been screwing me over and refused to save the previous versions of this chapter, so I has to re-write it not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. Has something like that ever happened to you guys? Trust me, it's not fun.

So, in case you thought I abandoned this story, don't worry. I haven't. No matter how long it takes me, I always finish a story once I start writing it. Always.

Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience. Enjoy the chapter.

4/27 WED

Outside Of Time

Outside Of Space

? ? ?'s P.O.V.

Greetings, children of man.

I believe that the time has finally come for me to address all of you. I've known about your existence since the moment you started reading the words on these pages…the pages of fate. Some of you may already know who and what I am, or perhaps you do not. But regardless, it matters little.

I am a being whose power and senses lies beyond your comprehension. Because of this, I have what you could call a…unique foresight that allows me to see beyond the cosmic veil of existence. Even the one separating me from you. The words are how you perceive this world. The words on these pages are your window. You need them to be able to understand this world, and in turn, I need these words to be able to communicate with you.

Yes, reader. I am speaking to you.

I can feel your eyes staring at every word, every syllable and every letter. Why do you wish to read these words so badly, I wonder? Are you perhaps seeking some form of entertainment? Are you seeking some kind of solace and escapism to deny the trials of your life? There is nothing wrong with that. Reality can be cruel, after all. Why should you live a horrifying truth, when you can simply push it all down and shroud yourself in fog?

Mankind desires to shroud itself with deceit and denial, so why should you be any different? Believe what you want to believe. Live in the world you want to live in. It is much more preferable to live in a reality that does not care about you and does everything in its power to hurt you and make you miserable. The one you have been following is no different. She also shrouds herself in a veil of deceit.

Like you, I have also been watching her. I have been watching every single being whom I have bestowed power upon and seeing how they make use of their new gifts. Two of them have already been able to realize their potential, while the last one has yet to do so. I have also been watching the fourth of the chosen, albeit his blessing originated from elsewhere. From one of my masks, you might say. And I have been observing the lost parts of myself that have also been wandering the human world, trying to figure out who they…who we were.

I believe the time has come for me to address the one who seeks truth once more. I have not spoken to her for much time, and I have no doubt that her experiences have greatly changed her.

Overall, I merely wished to take a few moments to address you and to let you know that despite what you may think, the barriers that separate me and you are thinner than you may believe. You may already be shrouded in fog and not even know it. The fog may change and take on different forms, but it will always be with you. Remember this: you already live in a world of lies. One of your own making.

Between you and me, with all the falsehoods and half-truths that you feed each other on a regular basis, whether it be by mouth to ear, by falsified texts or by misinformation spread through human media, you have created your own fog of lies to perpetuate your daily lives. Never assume that you are beyond my reach.

I shall be watching you.

I leave you now to your wishful life of self-deception, for I must go speak to the one who bears the blessing and curse of the wild card.

Until I decide to address you once more.

4/27 WED

Early Morning

School Zone, Samegawa Flood Plain

Labrys's P.O.V.

The rain doesn't seem to be letting up this morning.

I got an umbrella with me this morning. To be honest, there's a part of me that's a bit nervous, 'cause if it turns into a thunderstorm, I might end up getting struck by lightning since I'm mostly made of metal. I'm pretty sure that I would survive due to how resilient I am and that my built-in surge protectors would prevent me from being too damaged by any lightning, but it would still be very inconvenient for me. I should be at school soon so, this won't be a problem anymore. As I get closer and closer to the school, I see some students with some umbrellas and raincoats walk beside me.

I notice some of the students giving me surprised looks. In fact, is it just me, or are they staring at me and whispering stuff amongst each other? Weird…I wonder what they're talking about? I adjust my hearing to see if I can eavesdrop on their conversations. Yeah, I know it's rude to eavesdrop, but I really wanna know why they're staring at me like that. Plus, I'm really curious about what they're saying.

"Look, over there! It's her! Did you see the videos too?"

"Yeah, I did. I can't believe she did that to them…"

Huh? What? Videos? What're they talking about? I need more context. I listen in a bit more for other students.

"…Did you see the way she flipped her over? How could she be that strong?"

"I know, right? I don't think the video was fake either…what kind of monster is she? I thought she was just some rich city girl who wasn't used to get down and dirty like that?"

What're they saying? They don't make any sense to me.

"When I saw her stand her ground like that, I thought she was gonna get the crap kicked out of her, but the exact opposite happened!"

"But her arms don't even look that muscular, though! How could she have won? Do you think she cheated?"

…Cheated?…Won?…Stand my ground?…What?

"I didn't think she could be that awesome! She's in the same class as me! She's definitely got my vote, that's for sure!"

"I never thought I'd see the day when somebody would have the stones to stand up to those two bitches. About time somebody thought them a lesson in humility!"

Wait, "those two"…?

Oh, wait, are they talking about-?

"Hey."

Huh? Wait, that voice…is that-?

"Good morning."

I hear the sound of somebody walking towards me. I turn down my hearing, I turn around and I see…

"Good morning, Aika-chan!", I greet her excitedly. "How's it goin'?

I gotta say, I'm a little surprised to see her now, since I usually don't see her when I walk over to school in the morning. She just gives me a subdued, yet puzzled look.

"I should be asking you that question instead, Yura-chan.", she tells me. "In case you haven't noticed, a lot of people are talking about you."

"Oh, yeah! I've been meanin' to ask somebody about that.", I tell her. "Why is everybody talkin' about me today? I mean, from what I can tell, it's got somethin' to do with somethin' I did yesterday, but that's all I know."

She looks at me for a few moments with a perplexed look on her face, then she reaches out in her pocket to pull out her phone. She takes a few moments to look something up on it, then she hands it over to me. What does she want to show me…?

"Here.", she says as I take the phone from her hand. "You'll understand what this is all about when you see this."

I look at the screen of Aika-chan's phone, and I see that she went on a social media site that's popular amongst Yasogami students. The screen shows the collective group page of Yasogami students in our year. There's a video on the screen, and…wait. The title…"Hanako Ohtani and Ai Ebihara get owned by hot transfer student chick?"

Oh. Oh, no…Don't tell me…Could it be? I need to confirm this for myself. I press the "play" button, the video plays, and…oh, crap. Yyyeeeeep. Just what I thought. I immediate recognize what I did yesterday. My eyes go wide and my jaw drops as I watch the video play out what happened yesterday, images, voices and all. It even shows the part where I told everybody to screw off and stop filming us at the end of the incident.

"This…this can't be…you…how…how are you that strong…?".

"What was it ya said earlier about the first rule of gamblin', "girlie"?"

"Wha-?"

"DON'T PLAY A SUCKER'S BET!"

*SLAM*

…Well, we're boned. Holy crap, what am I supposed to do?! So much for passing off as a normal high school student. Maybe I can pack my bags tonite and sneak away on a plane to Mexico or somewhere like that? I mean, yeah, I'd be really sad to leave everything everything behind and start over again, but hey, from what I hear, the Mexican weather is really nice this time of year! Plus, I think I could definitely pull off a sombrero. Granted, I got no idea what the heck a sombrero is, but I'm sure it'd look good on me, right?

"…Yura-chan?"

Oh, yeah, the beaches! From what I hear, Mexico's got some really fine beaches too! Maybe I could do some scuba diving and see some really weird fish! Granted, I don't need to breathe and I don't need a dive suit either since I don't breathe and I'm waterproof, but I could just solve that problem by casting an illusion to make it look like I got diving gear on me so that people don't get suspicious!

"Uh…Hello? Yura-chan?"

I mean, granted, I've never even been to Mexico before, I got no traveling experience whatsoever, the Mexican high schools are probably really different from Japanese high schools, and I'm pretty sure that "The Adventures of Labrys in Mexico" wouldn't really make for an interesting story, but hey! I'm sure I can manage and I'll figure something ou-

*CLAP*

Two hands clap each other in front of my face! The suddenness of it makes me jump and step back a bit. I turn my head towards Aika-chan and I see that she's the one who clapped her hands right in front of my face.

"Sorry about that.", she apologizes. "You were in shock and I tried calling out your name, but you weren't answering, so I decided to use a more direct method. I couldn't think of any other way to snap you out of it."

Oh yeah, I guess I went brain dead there for a sec, didn't I? I even started rambling in my own thoughts.

"Oh! Um, it's okay, Aika-chan. I get it. I would've probably done the same too."

"Are you okay? You looked like you had just seen a ghost when you watched the video. So, is it true, then? Did you really beat Hanako Ohtani in an arm-wrestling match and then drag both her and Ai Ebihara to the principal's office?"

What am I supposed to say to that? I mean, in hindsight, I probably should've expected something like this to happen, but still! I really didn't think this through, didn't I? Did I really screw myself over? Should I have just left Ohtani-san and Ebihara-san fight it out instead of getting involved? I'm an idiot. So much for robots and computers supposedly being smarter than humans…Well, I guess there ain't no point in denying it now.

"Yep, it was me.", I sigh. "I just wanted to stop 'em from dukin' it out in the hallways, but then things escalated, then Ohtani-san challenged me to an arm-wrestling match, and then next thing I know, we're all in the principal's office, and then somebody must've posted the whole thing online after they filmed it. In hindsight, I really should've expected this."

Aika-chan gives me an odd look, then her lips curve slightly upwards in a small smile. That's a good sign, right?

Calm down, Labrys. Don't panic yet. Maybe I can figure a way outta this mess. Maybe people won't ask too many questions about me beating Ohtani-san like that. Maybe everything will turn out just fine. Let's think positive!

"Hey! Yura-chan!"

I hear Chie-chan's voice calling out to me. I turn around and I see both her and Yosuke-kun run towards me while waving in my direction. As they get closer to me, they slow down, they both nod at Aika-chan and I wave back at 'em. Chie-chan walks up to me with eyes wide open in surprise.

"Hey, what's up?", Yosuke-kun greets me.

"Is it true?", Chie-chan asks me. "Did you really do it? Was that really you in that video?"

Ah. I guess they must've both seen the video too, then. I sigh again.

"…Yeah. It was me. Now, before you guys say anything-"

"That was freaking awesome!"

…Huh?

"You completely kicked her ass! And that table flip! Holy crap!"

Okay, not exactly the reaction I was expecting.

"Really? Ya think so?", I ask Chie-chan. "I mean, personally, I think I might've gone a bit far on that one. Especially that one-liner. I mean, "don't play a sucker's bet"? I didn't really have time to come up with anything better, but still…"

"Yeah! When I first saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes!", Chie-chan enthusiastically recounts. "I mean, don't tell anyone I said this, but I've always wanted to teach Ai and Hanako a lesson. Most of the time, they don't bother me too much because they know I could kick their asses, but sometimes, I really wanna punch them in the face."

"Really?", I ask her. "How come? Do ya have some bad history with 'em or somethin'?"

"Well, yeah, but it's mostly about how they always go around acting like bullies to everybody around them to make themselves feel superior.", Yosuke-kun explains. "Not many people have really had the balls to stand up to either of them like you did yesterday, especially not out in the open like that."

Really? How come? It didn't seem all that hard to me. I guess I must be missing some kinda context here, because from what I could tell, Ohtani-san and Ebihara-san are mostly all bark and no bite. Ebihara-san doesn't know how to fight and she ain't strong, so what's so scary about her? And Ohtani-san's got some muscle, but she doesn't know how to throw down with somebody who's either just as strong or stronger than her. Basically, all muscle and no skill.

"Yeah, they like throwing their weight around when they don't get what they want.", Chie-chan explains. "Ai just does whatever she wants because she's popular and she's pretty, while Hanako does whatever she wants because she's really big and strong. Oh, yeah! Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask…how the hell were you able to do that? I knew you were strong, but I didn't think you'd be strong enough to pull off something like that!"

Oh, boy…how do I explain…? Yosuke-kun gives me a nervous look. Time for some improv. I got just the thing. I give Yosuke-kun a mischievous smirk.

"I already told you, Chie-chan. I'm built to last!", I say while giving her a thumbs up and a confident smirk. "But if ya really wanna know…"

"Yeah…?", Chie-chan asks in anticipation. Heh. Time to have some fun. I adopt a dramatic martial arts pose and I start speaking.

"Once upon a time, I traveled to the highest mountain in the world and I met an old martial arts master who offered to teach me everything he knew!"

Chie-chan's eyes grow wide and practically sparkle as she eats up what I'm telling her. Which I knew she would, considering her love of martial arts stuff.

"WHAT?! Really? You're kidding! You studied under a legendary master who lived atop a mountain peak?!"

Yosuke-kun puts a hand on his mouth and holds back a chuckle. Aika-chan tries to hide a really small smile on her face. I adopt another dramatic pose and I continue my "epic story".

"Yep, that's right! For ten years, my master trained me in the ways of the fist and he taught me everythin' he could! Every mornin', we'd get up at two o'clock, and as warm-up, he'd have me do one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a 10 km run! EVERY SINGLE DAY!"

"Every single day?!", Chie-chan yells out, baffled by what I just told her. "Holy crap! You're an absolute beast! I'm gonna have to step up my training for sure!"

Yosuke-kun starts laughing behind Chie-chan's back even harder. Fortunately for him, Chie-chan is too captivated to pay attention to him.

"Yeah! And then, after we did that, he would have me do things like walking into a blizzard stark naked just to increase my resistance to the elements! Or he would have me balance myself on top of a ten mile high pole while doing acrobatics!"

Chie-chan looks even more excited.

"No friggin' way! Really? I think I remember seeing something like that in one of my favorite martial art movies!"

Yosuke-kun starts laughing even more, and Chie-chan's still too excited to notice him behind her.

"And lastly, he'd make me lift 20 ton weights for six hours a day without pause or rest while also making me dance on hot coals at the same time! And then-"

"Um, hello?"

As I'm telling my story to Chie-chan, I hear a voice interrupting me from behind. I turn around, and I see Yuki-chan standing right behind me.

"Good morning.", She greets us. "What are you all getting so excited about?"

"Hey, Yukiko!", Chie-chan greets her before any of us can say anything. "You're not gonna believe this! I was asking Yura-chan about what she did yesterday to Hanako, and she was telling me about how she trained atop of a mountain peak with a martial arts master and doing this super awesome training, and-"

"H-Hey, Chie!", Yuki-chan interrupts while looking confused. "Slow down! What are you talking about? What happened between Yura-chan and Hanako-san? What's all this you're telling me about a martial arts master…?"

Huh. I guess she ain't seen the video. I wonder how she would react to it.

Chie-chan pulls out her phone and pulls out the video that she showed me earlier. She makes Yuki-chan watch the video, and when it gets to the part when I beat Ohtani-san in that arm wrestling match, she makes wide eyes and stares at me for a bit.

"I…see. So, you managed to beat Hanako-san in an arm-wrestling match and you dragged both her and that Ebihara girl to the principal's office afterwards?"

I nod at her, unsure about how I should feel about this whole thing. Yuki-chan seems to have the same reaction, as her expression looks a bit conflicted, albeit not in a bad way. She gives me a questioning look, and I shrug in response.

"Yup, that's about right."

"And that's not even the best part!", Chie-chan interjects before I have time to say anything. "She was also telling me all about how she trained with her master on top of this giant mountain and stuff!"

Yosuke-kun starts laughing even louder, and Yuki-chan gives a her best friend a confused look.

"She also told us that she used to do a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, and a 10 km run every single day!"

When she hears that, Yuki-chan's eyes shift towards me, then back to Chie-chan.

"Wait…could you repeat that part?"

"Huh? What, you mean about the hundred push-ups, hundred sit-ups, hundred squats and 10 km run every day?"

Yuki-chan gives me a deadpan look, and I can't help but suppress a chuckle too. Has she figured out that I'm just screwing with Chie-chan? I mean, I based what I said on a certain part of a certain manga whose pictures I found online with text on 'em…I think the humans call them "memes". Fascinating study, really.

Yuki-chan takes out her phone and types something on it.

"Hmm? What are you doing, Yukiko?", Chie-chan asks her best friend.

"Here.", Yuki-chan says while handing over her phone to Chie-chan. "Take a look at this."

"Huh? Why do you want me to look at…What the hell…?"

When she sees what's displayed on Yuki-chan's phone, her expression immediately turns from excitement to shock to annoyance and disappointment. She turns to me to give me a deadpan look, and I can't help but give her a mischievous smile.

"Hey, you were just screwing with me, weren't you?!", she yells as she shows us the phone.

Yosuke-kun, Aika-chan and I all step in closer to look at the screen. It's displaying a manga page. The same manga page I saw that one time. It features a bald guy saying exactly what I said. In his speech bubble, you can clearly see him say: "One hundred push-ups! One hundred sit-ups! One hundred squats And a 10 km run! Every single day!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

At that point, Yosuke-kun and I both start laughing at Chie-chan. Aika-chan just gives us a small smile while remaining calm.

"Hey, quit laughing at me!", Chie-chan pouts. "I can't believe I fell for that…You guys are jerks!"

I know that was kinda mean, but honestly, it was worth it! And it was pretty funny! I guess Chie-chan doesn't read much manga or watch much anime, huh? I mean, I don't either and I just stumbled upon that while browsing on the internet for random stuff, but still!

"Well, unlike you, I do read manga from time to time in my free time, so you couldn't have known.", Yuki-chan reassures her friend while also trying to hold herself back from laughing. Chie-chan just makes a pouty face.

"As fun as this is to watch, we should really be on our way.", Aika-chan interjects. "Classes are going to start soon."

I stop laughing just long enough to look at the time on my phone, and I see that she's right.

"Yeah, we gotta go! We're gonna be late!"

And just like that, I make my way to class with Yosuke-kun, Yuki-chan, Chie-chan and Aika-chan.

Chie-chan is pouting at us, and Yosuke-kun and I are both still snickering like we just got away with murder.

4/27 WED

Lunch

Yasogami High School

Classes have been…somewhat lively today.

Unfortunately, turns our Mr Morooka saw the video too and he gave me a lecture about staying outta trouble and "getting involved in other people's business", as he puts it. It also didn't help that most of my classmates kept sneaking looks back and forth at me while whispering things to each other. People in the hallways were doing that too. Quite a few people give me a wide berth when they saw me approaching them.

I'm sitting at a table in the library with Yosuke-kun, Chie-chan and Yuki-chan. The library is mostly empty at this hour, and my friends are all finished eating their lunches. They had to eat quicker than usual to meet me here, 'cause I came here to hide from all the other students. I kept hearing quite a few people talk about me and about what happened yesterday, and it was getting kinda overwhelming. When I told my friends about it, they all immediately understood and they suggested that we should meet up at the library. It's nice to have good friends like them!

So, here we are. We're talking about what we saw on the Midnight Channel last night.

"…So, we all saw nothing but static?"

"Yep.", I confirm. "When I tuned in to watch the channel, I didn't see anybody. I just saw static and that was it."

"Ditto. There was nothing on my side either.", says Chie-chan while shaking her head.

"It was the same for me too.", Yuki-chan adds in. "I did exactly what you all said, and while I did see the channel, I didn't see anyone show up on it."

Yosuke-kun sighs. "Well, I guess there's nothing new to report, then. We'll just have to wait and see. On the plus side, at least we know that nobody is in danger for now."

"Yeah, but we shouldn't let our guards down.", I declare. "We should all keep an eye out and watch the channel every time there's a rainy night. No exceptions. We can't risk missing a potential clue or somethin' like that by being careless. Every time there's a rainy night, it's mandatory for all of us to watch the channel together."

They all look at me and nod. There's a look of determination in their eyes. It makes me smile.

We suddenly hear the noise of the library door opening.

We turn our heads towards the library entrance, and we see someone come in. It's a guy. He looks around, and his eyes go wide when he sees me.

"Huh. How about that. Somebody found us.", says Yosuke-kun.

"Yeah, I guess not everyone was still out eating lunch at the cafeteria.", adds Chie-chan.

The guys walks into the library and heads towards our table. He stops in front of me.

Wait, that guy…I recognize him. Isn't he…?

"…Hey, Yura-chan."

Yeah, he is! He's the guy from yesterday! The guy I arranged a playdate for with that girl!

"Do you know him, Yura-chan…?", asks me Yuki-chan.

"Yeah.", I confirm. "I did a favor for him yesterday. I set up a meeting for him with a girl from our class!"

My friends all give me surprised looks when I say that. The student smiles at me.

"I've been looking for you everywhere…Now that I've found you,…I came here because I wanted to say something to you."

"Really?", I ask him. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to say thanks for what you did for me yesterday. It really meant a lot to me. After you left, me and her, we…we really hit it off. And it wouldn't have happened without you. So, I, uh…I just wanted to give you this as thanks. I know it's not much, but..."

He reaches into his bag and pull out…a chocolate bar? It says "PROTEIN" on it in big letters.

Chie-chan's eyes light up when she sees it. I give a bright smile to the student.

"Thanks, but no thanks.", I tell him. "It was nothing at all. I was just helpin' somebody out with their problems. Keep that bar. You need it more than I do."

The student shoves the protein bar in his bag, never to be seen again. Chie-chan looks like somebody just shot her puppy.

"R-Really? You mean it? Wow, you're so kind…You got my vote for class representative, Yura-chan! And my new girlfriend's vote too! I'm sure she'll agree to vote for you when I tell her that it's thanks to you that we found each other!"

Wait, "girlfriend"…? I thought they just wanted to become pals. Did I read that completely wrong?

The student gives me a respectful bow and he walks out of the library.

"So…playing matchmaker, are we?", Yosuke-kun asks me with a cheeky grin.

"In my defense, I had no idea what was going on and I really thought they just wanted to be friends.", I answer.

"Well, I think you did a good thing by helping those two find each other, Yura-chan.", says Yuki-chan. "And plus, now you've got two more votes for becoming class representative! When you add that to our votes, plus all the others you probably got for what you did yesterday, not to mention your high grades despite your increased workload, I'm expecting a clean sweep in your favor. What do you think, Chie?"

"You could've at least accepted the protein bar to give it to me…", Chie-chan says gloomily with her face down on the table.

We all give her deadpan stares in silence.

4/27 WED

After School

South Shopping District

Today's been a weird day.

Between everybody talking about me at school, Mr. Morooka getting on my case for what happened yesterday, and all the other crap I know I'm probably gonna deal with in the future, I got a lot to deal with on my plate. I'm gonna do my best to handle it all and adapt to what's coming my way. Thankfully, the gossip, stares and whispering among the students started dying down by the end of the day, but still. It was super weird.

I'm walking down the shopping district, just to wander around for a bit. I'm alone with my own thoughts, and I ain't paying attention to where I'm going right now. I decide to look around to see where I am, and I see that I'm close to the Moel gas station. I haven't really gone back to visit that gas station, haven't I? Then again, it ain't like there's anything interesting going on over there…at least not for the one in the real world. I still remember how much the one in the TV world helped me out when I needed it.

"Hey!"

Hm? Who's that? I hear someone calling out from behind me. I turn around, and I see a grey-haired guy dressed in red and yellow clothes. Wait…hold on…ain't that…?

"Long time no see! You're that girl I met a few days ago!"

Yeah, that's right! I remember! He's the guy who greeted me on my first day. The gas station attendant!

"Oh, hi!", I greet him. "It's you again! How're you?"

He smiles at at and he adjusts his hat.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not doing much right now.", He answers me. "I'm currently on my break, and then after that my shift will be over in a few hours. What about you? I've been thinking about visiting you to see how you're doing! How are you adjusting to life in our small little town? Are you sick of it yet?"

I give him an excited smile.

"I'm fine, thanks! I've been busy with school and making new friends!", I tell him. "I've also been learnin' a lot about myself and life in general. To be honest, despite all the weird crap that's goin' on around here, I've been havin' the time of my life!"

"Really? I'm glad to hear that. I didn't think you'd be able to find the positive side of a place like this despite having only lived here for a few weeks. That's a nice attitude to have."

That's right, it's only been a few weeks, hasn't it? I'd find that hard to believe if I didn't know any better. It feels like it's been much longer than that.

"Then again, I guess it's like they say: You need to make most of what you can with life and enjoy it to the fullest, right? After all, the thing about life is, you never really know when it will end."

…Yeah. He's right. We never really know when things will change or end, don't we?

"I agree.", I tell him. "That's why it's important to make the most of your life while you still have it. I mean, with everythin' that's been goin' on with the murders and all that, I've come to realize how fickle life can be. I mean, when you look at what happened to the victims…"

He gives me a pensive look.

"The victims…? Wait, that's right…one of the victims was a Yasogami student too, right? Her name was…Konishi, was it? I mean, I know that you probably haven't been here long enough to get too close to her, but did you know her?"

"…Yeah, I did.", I answer him sadly. "I didn't know her for long, but…I really wish that I had."

He gives me a look of sympathy in response and shakes his head a bit.

"…Oof. I'm sorry to hear that. Sucks to lose a buddy, doesn't it? I'm sorry I brought it up. If you don't want to talk about it-"

"No, no, it's fine.", I cut him off. "I guess I can't blame you for being a bit curious and all that."

"Really? Well, good. Tell you what, I still have some time before my break ends. Did you…wanna talk about it? Or maybe about other kinds of stuff?", He offers. "I mean, not to sound weird or anything like that, but I don't really have many friends and you seem like an interesting person to talk to."

I hesitate for a moment. Should…should I take him up on that? I mean, on one hand, I barely know him…but on the other hand, he did say that I didn't have to do it if I didn't wanna. Plus, even though I don't know him, he seems decent. I mean, it should be fine as long as I don't divulge any important details, right? If I'm careful enough…

Aw, what the heck. Why not? I've been dying to make some more friends too. Might as well have a chat with him to see if he's buddy material or not.. Besides, I'm guessing he probably welcomes a lot of people to Inaba, just like he did for me on my first day here. I bet he's got lots of interesting stories to tell! I just gotta make sure I don't spill out any important info about the investigation, or about the more…unusual parts of my life, and I think I'll be peachy!

"Okay, sure!", I tell him. "What did ya wanna talk about?"

We've spent about half an hour talking about all kinds of random stuff. From school, to the town, to all other kinds of things. And somehow, for reasons that I can't explain, our conversation somehow shifted straight into some really weird places.

"…I mean, I'm just saying, Eve was made from one of Adam's ribs, right?", he asks. "So, if she's like a female clone of him, and then they kept going at it like horny canaries to create the human race, wouldn't that mean we're all the product of incest? Or, clone incest? Clonecest?"

What even is this conversation?

"Sounds like somethin' that would fit right into a c-list sci-fi story.", I answer him. "But wait, what about this one: Being born by bursting straight outta your dad's forehead?"

I'm referencing something I read when reading up a bit on Greek mythology. It was a weird read.

"Yeah, isn't there also a horror movie about an alien that reproduces by impregnating people and then the babies burst out of their chests?", he points out. "I mean, I know it's not quite the same thing, but still. Pretty weird how some people are obsessed with things bursting and exploding out of them? I mean, maybe it's some kind of fetish or something…I don't know, I'm not the expert."

Really? Weird. Why would people be obsessed with these kinds of things?

Note to self: In the future, do research online on what a "fetish" is.

"I mean, people often like stuff even if they know it's not necessarily good for them, right?", He ponders. "I mean, just look at things like junk food, drugs or lies."

Lies? What is he talking about? I mean, I get the other things, but why lies?

"Lies? What do you mean?", I ask him. "How can lies be addictive like that?"

"Well, it's actually simpler than you think.", he says. "Sometimes, when reality is too painful to face, some people just want to escape and get away from it all, you get what I'm saying? Sometimes, we all just need to catch a break."

Huh…where did that come from? I mean, he ain't wrong, but still…

"Yeah, I think I do.", I tell him. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead.", he answers.

Hopefully he won't think my question is too weird…I mean, I'm only asking this to him because I'm worried about how my friends would react if I asked this question to them instead, but still…

"Okay, so…I know this may sound weird and sudden, but…do you think it's okay to pretend to be somebody else to escape a dangerous situation?"

He gives me a weird look for a moment, then he just shrugs.

"…Huh. That's an odd question…Well, if you want my honest opinion, you have the right to be whoever you want to be, or to pretend to be whoever you want to pretend to be. I mean, if it's to escape a problem you can't face, then what other choice do you have?"

…

"Plus, If you pretend to be something you don't think you are and it makes you happier, then why even stop? Just keep up the charade and let the world see you for what you want them to think you are. After all, truth is relative, right?"

…Maybe, but…what if you don't like lying to people? What if you really wanna be honest with 'em?

"And besides, if we lied to somebody and they turn out to be happier than if you had told them them truth…then who are we to stand in the way of their happiness?"

Huh. I…I hadn't thought about it that way.

"I mean, it's just my opinion. You don't have to take it as fact. Now, before I go back to work, it's my turn to ask you a question."

"Eh? A question?", I ask him. "Sure, no problem. What kinda question do ya wanna ask me?"

He takes a few moments to think about what he wants to ask me, then he speaks.

"Well…I know this one may also seem kind of sudden, but how about this: Do you think it's worth it to go look for the truth, no matter how painful and how dangerous it can be for you?"

What? Is…is he asking me that because I asked him a similar question about pretending to be somebody else? What's the right answer here? Is there even a right answer? I…I guess I should just spit it straight out.

"Painful? Dangerous? I hadn't really thought about that. I mean, wanting to find the truth about something is supposed to be a good thing…right?"

"…Even though it might not be worth it in the end?", he asks me. "I mean, yeah, wanting to go out and find the truth is admirable, but some people can't handle it and they just decide to ignore it. Then again…I guess that's just how it is with some of the mysteries of life, right?"

I mean, he ain't wrong, but still…what an odd guy. Then again, who am I to judge?

He looks towards the gas station and sighs.

"Well, as fun as this conversation has been, I have to go. It's been fun, but my break is almost over and I need to get back to work before my bosses get on my case."

Really? Aw…I was starting to like our conversation. He starts making his way back to the gas station, and I walk with him.

"Really? Too bad. I was startin' to enjoy talkin' to ya. We'll have to do this again, sometime!"

"Sure, if that's what you want. I sometimes hang out here during my break, so, if you wanna talk after school, I'll be there sometimes. And besides, it's not like I could forget you that easily. It's not every day you see somebody with silver hair like you or me walking around, am I right?"

"Yeah, I getcha.", I answer him. "Thanks for the talk. It was short, but it was kinda nice. I hope I'll see you again."

"Hey, don't worry about it.", he says while extending a hand towards me. "So, until next time?"

"Until next time!", I say as I enthusiastically grab his hand to shake it, just like on the day we first met.

I don't know this gas station attendant very well, but he seems like a nice guy. He seems kinda odd, but I think I might be able to get along with him just fine. I'm sure I'll be thinking about the questions he asked me for a long time. Yup, like I said, today's been a weird day.

I feel a bond forming between me and the mysterious gas station attendant.

Thou art I…And I am thou…

Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating

Personas of the Death Arcana…