AN: Thanks for the reviews! Pretty soon we'll be onto the first proper arc, which I've planned out. Just a heads up, like in Duality the Water and Earth elements from Persona 2 are here (Aqua and Magna spells), and later on we'll get the Psychic and Nuclear spells from Persona 5. Oh, and for those of you who haven't played that game yet, the Eiha class of spells deal Dark-elemental damage, while Mudo is the one that can instant-kill. Likewise, Kouha is the Light damage spell. Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Nocturnal Beauty
|Bella Donna Shopping Centre – Golden Dining Palace|
The events of tonight had taken a dark turn, even without the involvement of Shadows. Yet if they could destroy the 'Anomaly', they could return back home and put this mess behind them.
"We should move downstairs. I don't see anything else here besides us." Shintaro said.
"Yes," Kohaku said. "There could be other Shadows roaming this place, though. We must be on guard."
"Agreed," Kei said. "Even with Persona, these Shadows can still cause us serious pain."
"I think you're right," Kohaku said. "Okay, rule number one. We have to stay together while we're here. Understood?"
"That's fine with me." Shintaro said. "I don't think either of us being alone in this state of reality is safe at all. We'll proceed with caution."
"Good. Then one more thing. Our battle formation." Kei said. "I think I should take the lead, and you two stay at either side. Do you both agree?"
"Um..sure!" Kohaku said. "Your Persona does seem a little stronger than ours, actually..."
Guess that throws me being the hero out the window.
"I don't know about that. We're all still new." Kei said. "Onward!"
|Bella Donna 2F|
Mere seconds after descending the stairs, and already two Shadows – another Sandman and an Obariyon - were present. Kei took out her katana, but Kohaku & Shintaro ran into battle.
"Careful, you two!" Kei said, worried.
"We can handle this!" Kohaku said. "Go, Airmid! Magna!"
A short burst of earth power hit the Shadow, causing it quite a bit of damage. Kohaku ran up closer and tried to finish it off with her glaive. However, while she just barely scratched it, she was too slow to avoid being hit by the grinning Obariyon.
"Agh!" Kohaku yelled, stumbling to the ground. "These Shadows are a nuisance..."
"Agreed!" Shintaro said. "Try not to worry. We can beat them, just like before! Ogma...has the power of wind in him. And I think this ability I have is called...Garu!"
It's like, even without using the Gnosis, I can tell what skills my Persona knows and what their names are. This power is going to be amazing! Will I be able to use it when we're back to the normal 'Kosmos'?
A sudden gust of wind – green and lurid – swooped in and struck the Obariyon. This seemed to harm it a bit, enough for Shintaro to run in and weaken it further with some sharp thrusts. However, the Sandman began to cast a spell – an electric attack.
"Crap! This guy knows Zio!" Kei said, checking her Gnosis. "Shintaro, be careful!"
The electricity hit Shintaro, shocking him to the floor. Kohaku stood up, frantic, and slashed wildly at the Shadow whose sorcery had harmed her friend. This time, she would not falter – her blade would be coursed into the Sandman's vitals. It pierced the demonic being's 'flesh', and before long, the monster disintegrated into nothingness.
"That wasn't half bad..." Kei said.
"You should wait until you see this!"
Shintaro, also back to his feet, stood in front of the surviving Shadow. Holding his sword up high, be began thrusting at it repeatedly, leaving tiny holes all over the Obariyon's body. Finally, he slashed right through it, cleaving it in two – leaving it to disintegrate, never to be seen again.
"Wow! That was great, Taro-kun!" Kohaku said.
"You as well, Haku-chan!" Shintaro said. They leapt up, high fiving each other with both hands.
"I was just thinking. You two have been friends for a long time, haven't you?" Kei asked, with a slight smile.
"Since we were in elementary school." Shintaro said, fondly.
"It's just been like that from the start. We've always got each other's back. We're practically family now." Kohaku said, happily.
Kei smiled, walking further down. However, her smile soon faded.
"I had someone like that once. My aunt. She was a lot younger than my mother, actually. By about ten years. So my aunt was more like a big sister. I really loved her, but..."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Shintaro said. "Losing someone you love must be so painful..."
"Indeed. That never really goes away." Kei said. "One day at a time Tthat's what I have to tell myself. I just wish she could have seen this city with me. She would have loved it here. That was the kind of girl she was. She just had to get out and about, meeting new people, experiencing the hustle and bustle – so she could write back to my mother and me about it."
"Looks like you've inherited her travel bug, then." Kohaku said, sweetly.
"Maybe," Kei said.
"In that case, we better make sure your journey here doesn't end so early," Shintaro said. "The Anomaly must be somewhere... Let's head back to the ground floor!"
|Bella Donna – Ground Floor|
The eerie emptiness of the mall was starting to get to Shintaro. In this peculiar state of reality, it seemed some stores were still running, providing their wares for the purposes of fighting these Shadows. Yet who would the other customers be? Shintaro had never heard anything like this before. All the times he had come here, it had been the same old story. Looking in the book shop, buying the latest series he had gotten interested in – recently, the Leanne Rouge series, authored by the newly popular Celestine Ashikaga.
Damn, if none of this had happened, I'd probably be in my room reading one of those books. Hope my parents aren't worried.
"I must say, that statue in the centre's a masterpiece of art," Kei said.
"You think so too?" Shintaro asked. "It was designed by an Italian architect. You see, an Italian firm with strong ties to Japan decided to jointly develop this place with a Japanese company, as a sign of strong ties between nations."
"Now I'm hungry for pizza again," Kohaku said, looking down at her stomach. "Maybe one with teriyaki sauce all over it."
"We could go wild and throw takoyaki on top too!" Shintaro suggested.
"...No. Just no." Kohaku said.
"Strange..." Kei said, looking at it. "The more I look at it..."
"Huh?" Kohaku asked. Kei didn't respond, walking closer to the statue. Shintaro shuddered, suddenly feeling the cold. Surely the air temperature would be warmer than this in spring. "The statue looks the same as ever to me."
"That's because you two are accustomed to it." Kei pointed out. "With my newcomer's eye, I can see something's not right."
"...Like what?" Shintaro asked.
Suddenly, there was a sharp sound of effervescence. Around the base of the statue – a large circular platform – three different symbols appeared. On Shintaro's Gnosis, a picture of the middle one appeared on his screen, with the words 'Boundless Love' above them. Looking closely, Shintaro's picture seemed to be a green circular picture, with silhouettes of a boy and a girl falling into each other's arms – as if to embrace each other after a long time apart. The other symbols, amber and purple, were similar – except they had a different girl in each one's left side, instead of a boy.
What is going on? I'm usually good at picking up on symbolism, but I don't get this at all. Who is this girl supposed to be? And why these others love her?
"Pressing this symbol would be a bad idea, right?" Kohaku asked.
"I think this is our Anomaly." Shintaro said. He tapped his symbol, and a musical note of 'Fa' played – but nothing happened. Kohaku pressed hers, and 'Do' played. Kei's activated a 'Mi' sound. None of these seemed to have any effect.
"I've got it. Press them all at the same time!" Kei said.
"What good will that do?" Shintaro asked.
"If you have a better plan, tell me!" Kei demanded.
"Fine. On the count of three, everybody." Shintaro said. "One..."
"Two..." Kohaku continued.
"Three!" Kei shouted.
They each tapped the symbol, causing it to vanish from each screen. On the statue, they glowed, causing a long melody to play – including other notes. The podium flashed, and the statue began to shake. Just then, a black tear fell from the statue's eyes, streaming down her polished cheek.
"Eew...Why is that statue crying?" Kohaku watched it with trepidation, anxious of what might happen next.
"I've been wanting to ask 'why' about everything that's happened tonight..." Shintaro said, angrily.
As if on cue, there was a big blast of purple energy, and the statue's left arm broke off, falling onto the ground with a loud echoing thud. Black 'blood' poured out of it, leaving a pool of oil-like liquid. The same happened with the right arm. Then, little by little, the 'veins' connecting the head to the body broke, calling it to wobble and fall off.
"Argh!" Kohaku yelled, covering her eyes.
The remaining pieces of the statue completely broke apart, leaving a pool of dark fluid. Suddenly, the black fluid rose up, forming a black ball – and from this ball, came two arms and two legs. The ball became more feminine, and a head with pointed ears sprouted from it, developing a rather pointed nose and gaunt, heavily powdered cheekbones, sharp orange eyes, and red lipstick.
"A masterpiece no more." Shintaro said.
Even stranger, however, was what happened next. From the shopping bags appeared clothes – a long and tight purple satin dress, tied around the waist with a lilac ribbon, dark pink high heels, and a long white mink stole. Around her neck was a gold necklace with rubies inset, and dangling from her ears were earrings of a similar make. The last item from the bags was a classy beehive wig. Before long, this demonic female was clad in all of these accoutrements, and crossed her arms seductively, exposing her long, manicured fingernails.
"Oh, darlings, aren't you all so plain and ordinary next to me? I can't help it if I'm beautiful, you know. It took a lot of effort to become this gorgeous."
"...Oh dear god." Kohaku said, disgusted. "Is this another Shadow? It doesn't seem like those others we've fought."
"Kei, let's take her out now, and -"
"Wait! No one do anything!" Kei said, before Shintaro could withdraw his sword. She lifted up her Gnosis, and quickly saw the notification. According to the information recorded, this 'woman' was known as the 'Bella Donna Della Notte - Nox'. And her Arcana was 'Moon'. However, no other information was there.
"My name is Nox. Such a pleasure to meet you, even if you haven't dressed for the occasion. Well, the undertakers can put you in something stunning!"
Laughing, the dark mistress span around, her dress swaying in the wind. She clicked her fingers, and a block of ice materialised from nowhere to hit Shintaro. This was the ice spell called 'Bufu', according to the ever knowledgeable Gnosis.
"Ah!" Shintaro yelped, jumping back. This pain was sharp, and left him full of dread. This was a new experience for him and Kohaku. To be faced with an entity that wanted nothing more than to kill them – and savagely. The previous Shadows didn't seem too intelligent, despite being able to speak, while this Nox was of a higher degree of sapience.
"Darling, darling, should you really be looking at me with such contempt? This is the only world I can be so extravagant in. Outside of here, I had not a yen to my name. Then my fortunes changed! Now that I'm a Shadow, I'm the belle of the ball now! Now all I have to do is get rid of you, and slay the one who trapped me here!"
"Wait, I don't understand." Kohaku said, uncomfortable. "You weren't a Shadow before?"
"I'm not sure I'm following this either..." Kei said, looking aside. "Forger her babble! We'll fight on. Just looking at her makes me want to retch."
Angry, Shintaro conjured Ogma. This time, he required the Persona's sword. Ogma nodded, and withdraw his grand blade, slicing through the insane woman with a new ability, apparently dubbed a Blade Strike. This caused even more 'blood' to spray, and at the sight of her wound, she screamed in absolute terror, deafening the ears of her three foes.
"NO! Don't...don't give me scars! How can you be so cruel, boy? All I wanted was to be the most beautiful woman in the world! I don't deserve this treatment!"
"Be quiet! You're a Shadow, and we can't just let you live. If we don't kill you, we can't go home! So don't think we'll show you any mercy!"
"What he said! Shintaro, Kohaku, This is going to take a lot more effort than the past battles. But I was getting bored with those weaklings anyway. Here goes! Petal Step!"
Ostara appeared, and quickly directed her petals. They grazed the Shadow, causing them to shriek. Furious, she leaned over and scratched Kei with her claws. Pleased with the pain she had inflicted, she cackled evilly, and cast a spell of pure darkness – Eiha.
"Take THAT!"
"AH!" Kei yelled. "What a waste, paying all that money to have your nails done, and you're ruining them that way? At least I chose a weapon! Eat THIS!" She leaped up, and slashed the Shadow's neck.
"That's the spirit!" Kohaku yelled. "Airmid, come! Magna!"
The earth itself rose up, to drag down this demonic creature. It inflicted some injury, to be sure, but not enough to vanquish it just yet. Shintaro wondered – if this Shadow could hide within a statue, what else could they break out of? This entire building could be full of things like these.
No, I shouldn't give that a second thought. We're going to be okay. Fight on, everyone!
"Persona!" Shintaro yelled. Each time he summoned Ogma, it felt less strenuous. To be able to use this power as if it was second nature already was disturbing, to be sure, but if it made it easier to fight this woman, so be it. A Garu spell was launched, blowing about the various signs and banners around the stores – and hurting Nox, of course.
"Drown! Aqua!" Kei commanded. Ostara, a pure maiden, could control the element of water beautifully – with strong pressure, too. Shrieking with rage, the Bella Donna was beyond aggravated. She crossed her arms, over her chest, and leaned her head back – basking in the darkness of the sky. Then, her nails started to emit a bright red mist – becoming the Scarlet Night.
"What? That can't be good!" Kohaku said. She held her glaive in front of her, preparing to guard.
However, her guard was broken completely – by two fast slashes of the claws, leaving an after-burn of a red cross in the air. Kohaku fell over five feet from the impact, groaning.
"Kohaku!" Shintaro yelled, frightened. "Are you okay?!"
"No...not really!" Kohaku wheezed, pulling herself back up. "Airmid...help me! Dia!"
Without her healing spells, the team would have struggled to survive tonight. Calming, soothing energy flowed into Kohaku's body, numbing the pain from Nox's assault.
"Phew!" Shintaro said. "I'm so glad you're safe."
"If I don't keep myself healthy, then I won't be able to take care of you..." Kohaku said.
Shintaro smiled. Nox was coming after him, swinging her silky smooth arms at his face. Frantically, he waved his sword around, with all the finesses of a rolled-up newspaper. Yet was good enough to draw 'blood, and leaving some scars on the Shadow's 'skin'.
"No no no NO! How could you do this to me?! Someone only just awakened is already causing me such pain?! How is this even possible?! I was supposed to be elite!"
"Perhaps you should have invested in intelligence than beauty. Not that you have much of either!" Shintaro jeered. Smirking, he summoned Ogma again. "Garu!"
The wind shot forth, blowing the Shadow backwards – allowing Kei to slash her from behind with her katana.
"Don't think our inexperience is to your advantage." Kei said, somewhat wisely. "Your fate is sealed no matter how new we are! Accept it now, or lament it to your grave!"
"Kei?" Kohaku said, bemused.
"Hehe..." Kei said, smirking. "Did I sound tough like that? I thought I could scare her off..."
"You scared me, at any rate." Shintaro said, shuddering.
"When I'm done with you, they won't ever be able to identify your corpses!"
Suddenly, the Shadow cast an ice spell – it was akin to Bufu, but it actually struck the entire team. It's chilly embrace felt like a hundred winters.
"Ah!" Shintaro yelled.
"Cold...!" Kohaku said, shivering.
"It's...freezing..." Kei said. "Ostara... I need your help! Please!"
Ostara appeared, with a gentle smile. She lightly tapped the ground, and a pool of bright blue water appeared beneath Kei. It seemed to regenerate her body slightly, just with her standing in it. This was Hydration, an ability that Ostara seemed to have acquired throughout battling.
"How did you do that?" Kohaku asked.
"I don't know, I just...tried to use whatever power I had in me that could heal." Kei said, relieved.
"It's beautiful..." Shintaro said, pleased.
"Why...why are you trying so hard to destroy me? All I ever wanted was to be the prettiest girl in town...so that people wouldn't ignore me..."
"You've got to be kidding me! She's still rambling on!" Kohaku said. Nox was preparing to strike Shintaro again, as viciously as she could. "Oh no, you don't! Airmid!"
The dainty medic's earth hit the Bella Donna, ceasing its assault. This left her guard open, and thus each of her foes advanced, slashing viciously with their weapons.
"Yes!" Kei said. "It's on the ropes now! We can do it! Ostara, step to it!"
A flurry of sharp petals became the next weapon to aim for Nox's vitals, leaving her body covered in wounds. Angry, Nox covered her face, screaming, and her body seemed to be radiating fearsome red energy. She struck Shintaro, and he almost felt like he was being torn apart. The girls didn't fare better, their screams echoing throughout the room.
"No one understands my pain! DIE! NOW!"
"She's like a woman possessed!" Kohaku said, feeling the pain of the attack.
"In her current state, she's lost all composure...but she's gotten stronger as a result." Kei said.
Nox soon confirmed this theory, by summoning the cruel power of darkness and the harsh wintry magic at once. This resulted in a shadowy burst of frost and hail, the Dusk's Ice, that hit Kohaku with perfect accuracy.
"ARGH!" She screamed.
"Kohaku, it's time we put an end to this!" Shintaro said.
"How?" Kohaku asked, wincing!
"Combining our strengths!" Shintaro said. "Just imagine it. My wind, and your earth. Together, they're unbeatable! Just try combining that energy with mine. We should be able to do something interesting!"
"Well... Okay!" Kohaku said. She summoned Airmid, while her best friend summoned Ogma. The two clinked their weapons and sharply flew away – as a small tornado appeared, collecting rocks that fell from the sky. The Bella Donna ignored it, and in her desperate fury, tried to reach Kei – only to be ravaged by both stones and the breeze of death.
"Whirlwind's Peak!"
The storm ended, and all was done. Unable to contain herself, Nox shrieked.
"NOO! I thought I wouldn't have to go through this pain anymore! I'm sorry...Ju-"
Nox's body shattered into pieces, like the statue had done earlier. All her expensive jewellery, her costume, and her hair fell apart, and the body left behind reverted back to its primordial ooze...leaving nothing part than a destroyed work that had once been an inviting piece of European art.
"Alright!" Shintaro squealed. He ran into Kohaku's arms, hugging her close. "We did it!"
"...That was tough. I couldn't have done this without you. Thanks, both you." Kei said, sending her katana back.
"No problem," Shintaro said. Looking at the two girls, he felt a close bond with them. It had been difficult getting their bearings in this new realm, but now they had eliminated the 'Anomaly. With that finally gone, they could go home.
"What was up with that Bella Donna thing, though?" Kohaku said. "She wasn't making a lot of sense."
"She said 'now that I'm a Shadow'." Shintaro said, curious. "What exactly does that mean?"
"I'm guessing, I know, but these Shadows and our Persona may come from the same origin," Kei said. "From the human psyche."
"What?!" Kohaku said. "...How can that be?"
"Hmm," Shintaro said. "Maybe you're onto something, Kei. All these creatures seem to be based on various folklore around the world. Nox is a Roman goddess of the night, her Greek counterpart being Nyx."
"Perhaps Nox was born from the delusions of a woman desperate to be beautiful and rich." Kei mused, staring at the empty spot where the Shadow had been. "Who that woman might be, we might never know."
"I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Let's get going." Shintaro said. Just then, there was a blue flash on the Gnosis, and then a video of rather cliché TV static. "What the hell is this now?"
"Hey, wait a minute..." Kohaku said, pulling out her own phone. "It's on mine too! What gives?"
"Hmm..." Shintaro said, turning his own. He had the same video, too. It seemed to be a unique instant communications application, but not like the ones he had used. Rather, it seemed to have added his fellow Persona users by their full names, and oddly it had several rows marked '?'. However, the static finally faded, leaving a dark red background behind a completely darkened human figure – a woman, with long hair.
"Huh, another mystery woman. Must be a motif of this world." Shintaro said.
"I can't even see her eyes. How does she do that? It's just a black shadow against a wall!" Kohaku said.
After some silence, the woman started to speak, her voice having a reverb.
"Well done for slaying Nox. You must all be thinking about returning home now, to continue your everyday lives. Or at least, two of you are. The one newest to the city has never known a normal life in this city, and perhaps they never will."
"Me?" Kei asked. The woman's voice was being deliberated pitched down, to sounding nothing like a human one – yet the words were still clear.
"Yes, Kei Kakusa. You are a far more complex soul than any other who has chosen to live here. In fact, it is refreshing to meet someone with my power. Yet as it stands, you are leagues behind me!"
"What are you talking about? Kohaku and I have a Persona as well." Shintaro explained.
"Ah, but Kei is special." The woman said, with a cold, cutting tone. "There are many sides to her psyche. She is unique, in countless ways. But you'll find out what I mean in due course."
"Um...good to know, I suppose." Kohaku said. "But who are you?"
"And how do you know our names?" Kei asked.
"The Gnosis is tailored to you exactly. It begins by knowing the name of whoever is destined to acquire it. And now that you have a Persona, the Gnosis, in turn, learns even more about its owner."
"These things seem like they've got a mind of their own," Shintaro said. "But you still didn't answer the question. Who are you, and what is happening?"
"Typical. You always have to know everything and anything about something, don't you? You read a book, you trawl any source you can to understand it further. Essays! Author's biographies! Your thirst for knowledge is utterly insatiable, Taro-kun."
"Huh...?" Shintaro said. "Why are you calling me that? I'm not your friend!"
"You say that like you know him," Kohaku said. "But what are you? Just a creepy stalker?"
"...How harsh, Haku-chan. And you used to be so sweet, especially when you're listening to album after album of your favourite bands. All to hide how much you hate how late your parents come home."
"...What? The heck are you saying? How do you know that about us both?"
"Enough. This city was once nothing at all, forgotten in a flash by anyone who set foot here. A new metropolis was carefully designed, with the people of all generations in mind. And at first, it was good. But now things have become unclean. Unenlightened fools have been given the reins, and if I do not stop them, they will take this city back to the depths!"
"So basically, you're anti-establishment." Kei said, crossing her arms.
"Correct. You can call me Nisa Liat. Although I've also given myself the title the Pleroma Princess of Bythos. Over the course of the next week, you will have plenty of time to think about your experiences tonight. Exactly one week from today, I will ask you a question regarding who you pledge allegiance to. After which, you will either be very blessed, or cursed for eternity."
"...Fine." Kei said. "We'll play your game, Nisa Liat. And we'll win."
"What?!" Kohaku said. "This is dangerous! We can't go along with this..."
"I'm against this!" Shintaro said. "Whatever madness the Princess is plotting, I'm having none of it!"
"At ease, Taro-kun. You still have time to decide. Shinshuto City cannot continue to 'prosper' in this way. One way or another, I will depose those responsible for its decay. Once that is done, I guarantee you will all enjoy the wondrous lives you deserve. Now then, my time is running short. Don't forget, one week from today. I will make the call. Go home, and enjoy this school year. It could be your last."
With that, the screen went black, and there was a blue text box reading 'Call Ended', with the duration of the call blinking at the bottom. To the right hand said of that was an image of a floppy disk, indicating that the call had been saved to each Gnosis as a 'Cloud of Kosmos Video File'.
Shintaro couldn't stop shaking. That unknown woman, whose voice and face was completely hidden. How far was she willing to go to have what she sought? If they rejected her, would they ever be safe?
"Please don't say we should ever return!" Kohaku said. "I don't want to be part of this! I just want to concentrate on school! This shouldn't happen to us..."
"Well, it has," Kei said. "And I don't like it any more than you. But this Nisa Princess could be very powerful. Especially if she has a Persona like us. We might have to practice using this power."
"In case we have to use it against the Princess? Or others like her?" Shintaro asked.
"Others?" Kohaku asked, frightened. "Surely you're joking! I don't even want to imagine a psycho like her having supporters!"
"It's only a possibility Kohaku-san," Kei said. "At the very least, she has some control over Shadows. And that Bella Donna creature was only another minion. I wouldn't want to be unprepared to face any more of her soldiers."
"It'll be okay, Kohaku," Shintaro said. "We'll protect each other, just like we promised."
"Promise?" Kei asked.
"It's one between the two of us," Kohaku said. "We made it before we started high school last year, after some...tough times. Back then, we thought we only had each other, so on a whim, we decided to vow to always be friends, look after one another. Even after we started making new friends at Kansei, we've kept that promise alive."
"I see. Sorry, I didn't want to stir up any bad memories. Anyway, let's get back to the Akartharto Kosmo. Akari's no doubt worried sick."
The trio nervously ventured up to the food court again and scanned the QR code. The scenery around them changed, until they finally were at home.
|Akartharto Kosmo - Bella Donna – Golden Dining Palace|18:50 pm|
At long last, Shintaro could hear the sounds of others talking, making idle conversation while enjoying their tasty meals. Relieved, he saw Kohaku and Kei next to him.
"Phew! We're back safely! But, everyone just saw us -"
Kohaku looked around, but to her surprise, no one had reacted to them teleporting into the area. Some of those people were walking right in front of her, and they were more focused on their inane mobile phone games than her.
"...I guess they didn't see us?"
"That's impossible. Yet no one seems to have noticed us suddenly reappearing," Kei said, confused. "...I don't understand."
"Perhaps this Gnosis thing allows us safe passage between each Kosmos without drawing attention to ourselves. Which is convenient, albeit bizarre." Shintaro said. "Hang on. Where's Akari? And how long were we gone for?"
"It's nearly seven, so about an hour, I think," Kohaku said. She took out her phone and checked her messages. "Weird, I don't see any messages from her..."
"What, really? Is she okay?" Shintaro asked.
"Let's look for her, and -"
"There you are! Sorry I'm late!"
There, looking somewhat sheepish, was Akari, holding a green plastic bag, filled with various impulse purchases.
"Late?" Shintaro said. "But, we were the ones who -"
"I was in the bathroom, then I remembered! The pet store here is hiring! I was looking for a job, and I got talking to the shop manager, and one thing lead to another, and now I'm gonna work at the Pet Friends on weekends!"
"So you were getting a job the entire time we were...um...looking for you?" Shintaro asked.
"Well, there was this really cute chinchilla there, and I hardly ever get to see those, so...sorry!" Akari said, embarrassed.
So she never even knew we were gone? At least it avoids having to explain what happened to us. I'm not even sure I could come up with an excuse.
"Hey, um...it's fine, right? A job is a job!" Kohaku said, smiling.
"Exactly. Let's get home." Kei said.
"Yeah," Shintaro said. "I'm really tired after all...that shopping we did."
The group left the mall, heading towards the busy bus stop. While Akari chatted enthusiastically about looking after her friend's rabbit, Shintaro couldn't help but think about what they had just witnessed.
This Persona ability. It's real, isn't it? Then soon enough, I'll have to use it again. For how long, though? I don't want to fight. All I am is a student who loves to read. I'm no warrior. But I can't just let Kei and Kohaku do all the work. Nisa Liat won't let me off that easily, either...
"So how's the new phone, Kei?" Akari asked, eagerly. "Is it really good as new?"
"It's powerful, alright," Kei said, exchanging knowing looks with Shintaro and Kohaku. "I'm going to have to see just what exactly it's capable of."