Quiet Snow

Prologue: Trial by Fire

Monday, February 27, 2017, Afternoon, Yukiko's POV

I sat behind the desk in the manager's office of the Amagi Inn, fidgeting nervously with the sleeves of my pink kimono. Job interviews were always a nerve-wracking process, as many of my peers who were graduating from university and entering the workforce could attest to. You were competing with dozens if not hundreds of other candidates for a single position, the interviewers were constantly scrutinizing you and even a single mistake could take you out of the running.

My mother, Fuyumi Amagi, who was sitting to my right and wearing a purple kimono, glanced in my direction with a concerned look on her face. She'd always been an intelligent and perceptive woman, so she picked up on how poorly I was hiding my anxiety. Of course, that also meant that she'd be just as perceptive when it came to evaluating the candidates.

"Calm down, Yukiko," Mother said. "You're not the one who's being interviewed."

"I know, Mother," I said, "but it's still a weighty responsibility to judge people who are looking for work. Not only will we have to turn away many potentially qualified candidates, but if we hire the wrong one, our business will suffer. That's why you, not I, am responsible for making the final decision on who to hire, right?"

"You're right," Mother said, "but sitting in on the interviews is still a good experience for you. Since you will be working closely with our Assistant Manager, we'd like you to get to know that person well. After all, they'll be running the inn should you be... unavailable."

Ordinarily, Mother's definition of "unavailable" would be if I was sick, on maternity leave, or had something that took priority over running the inn, but there was a more disturbing possibility After Saki Konishi, the eldest daughters of the owners of Konishi Liquors, had been murdered six years ago, and Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa and I- respectively the son of the owner of Tatsumi Textiles, the granddaughter of the owner of Marukyu Tofu and the daughter of the owner of the Amagi Inn- had been kidnapped, local business owners had to consider the possibility that they or their heirs might die.

The Assistant Manager position was a relatively recent creation. My father had been the closest thing my mother had to a right-hand man, but he lacked the business and managerial skills to run the inn. Since I was the manager in all but name, my parents decided that I needed a right-hand man(or woman, as the case would be), and started the search for someone to fill the role. I knew of a certain promising candidate who was just about to graduate from college, but while my parents anticipated that she would apply, that didn't mean they were willing to hire her.

The good news was that while we'd posted the position on several online job boards and the local newspaper, we got surprisingly few applications, and most came from local candidates. Even though Inaba had improved significantly since six years ago, not everyone wanted to live out here, and some people would prefer to work for larger hotels. The bad news was that there was still only one opening, and we had several candidates to choose from.

My father, Natsuo Amagi, a middle-aged man in graying hair and a brown men's kimono, looked at the wall clock from where he sat at Mother's right hand side.

"I think we've kept our latest interviewee waiting long enough," Father said. "Yukiko, would you please show Yagami-san in?"

"Yes, Father," I said, as I got up and walked to the door.

I proceeded outside, and saw the woman in question- Shizuka Yagami- sitting patiently in a chair in a waiting room. She, a young woman my age, had shoulder-length silver hair that was well-groomed, and she was smartly dressed in a black skirt suit with a white button-down shirt.

Yagami-san was the last of the candidates for the Assistant Manager position, but she wasn't just another job seeker out of college. She was a former schoolmate of mine, one of the four who saved my life, and also my girlfriend.

Both my parents and I knew that my inexperience was only a secondary reason why I was not making the final hiring decision- otherwise, I'd be in charge of the decision and my parents would have veto power. The real reason was that my parents didn't trust me to be fully objective when it came to my girlfriend.

A part of me was worried about my parents rejecting Yagami-san out of hand, but I realized that if they were determined to do that, they could have shredded her resume the moment it arrived. They weren't completely supportive of our relationship, and Mother thought it would be easier for everyone involved if Yagami-san and I broke up, but neither Mother nor Father actively tried to make that happen. They were giving Yagami-san a chance, and I could show that even if I couldn't be fully objective, I could still be professional.

"Yagami-san?" I said. "It's time for your interview."

Yagami-san stood up. We were less formal and more affectionate in private, but this was neither the time nor the place for that. Luckily, we'd had more than enough practice keeping our relationship secret, so we could act professionally around each other for an hour or two.

"Thank you very much, Amagi-san," Yagami-san said.

"You're welcome," I said. "Right this way, please."

I ushered Yagami-san into the office. While my parents knew Yagami-san by now, she offered her business card to each of them and to me. It was a simple and professional design with her name and contact information, as well as the name of the university she was attending.

"Thank you for taking the time to come here, Yagami-san," Mother said. "Some prospective candidates are reluctant to take the train all the way out here, much less permanently relocate here."

"It was no problem for me, ma'am," Yagami-san said, "since it's a trip I've taken many times before, and I have people to see here."

"I'm sure you do," Mother said, a knowing smile on her face. "I hope you'll take the time to visit those people once we're finished."

Yagami-san nodded, and the smile faded from Mother's face.

"But enough pleasantries," Mother said. "We are here for one purpose only- to determine whether you are the best possible person to serve as Assistant Manager of our inn. We will make the decision based on your resume, your answers to our questions in this interview, and how well you fit the position; sentimentality will not factor into the final decision. Without further ado, let us begin."

I gulped nervously but tried not to let that show on my face. Mother had always been a kind woman, but she was by no means soft. She had high expectations for her daughter and her employees, and didn't hesitate to fire underperforming or uncooperative workers if she thought it necessary. If you wanted to work for her, you had to prove you knew your role, were willing to work hard and could respect her authority, and few people met her standards.

Yagami-san remained as calm and confident as possible, and I understood why. We'd been through a lot together, from fighting battles inside the TV and solving a murder mystery to maintaining a long-distance relationship and keeping it secret from others. Mother had predicted that our relationship wouldn't last until the summer after Yagami-san left Inaba, so she had to admit that Yagami-san had exceeded her expectations, at least in that regard. As strict as Mother was, she was also fair, so while this would be a difficult battle for Yagami-san, it was also one that Yagami-san could win.

Author's Notes

This is a romance story between Yukiko and a gender-flipped female protagonist. I decided to use Shizuka's job interview and the events afterward as a framing device, and will include flashbacks to the past, from when Shizuka first arrives in Inaba to when she returns for her job interview.

As you can see, Shizuka and Yukiko will keep their relationship secret for much of the story. Yukiko's parents aren't as enthusiastic about it as in canon, but they aren't completely opposed to it, either.

Shizuka's name was chosen because it, like Yuu, means "quiet." Her last names was chosen because it's similar to Narukami, which means "roaring god." She's not terribly fond of her name and prefers being addressed with her surname, something that helps her bond with Yukiko.

The fic uses the modes of address used in the original Japanese version of Persona 4. For example, the second-years tend to use surnames on each other, with Chie and Yukiko being notable exceptions. Yu addresses Chie and Yukiko by their surnames without honorifics, but Shizuka, being more polite, would use "-san" on the girls and "-kun" on Yosuke. Shizuka and Yukiko eventually get onto a first name basis, but only in private or among people who know about and support their relationship.

There will be three acts to this fic- before Shiziuka and Yukiko start going out, when they're dating in Inaba, and afterward. There will be two between-act Intermission chapters, as well as an epilogue.

Edited to include the time of day.