Chapter 27
May 8, 2021; Saturday
(Lunch)
Kyuto High, Hallways
Mikan walked down the hall to the student store where there was already many students. She sighed and dug out her wallet.
"Only 200 yen? Looks like I couldn't buy a Yakisoba bread anyways."
She shook her head and turned around and headed towards the stairs. On the way, she overheard a conversation between two second-years.
"Hey, did you hear that Miryoku-senpai's back from his surgery?"
"Really? I wonder if he's doing okay. I mean, his hands were already bad enough, but when he tore all the muscles in the basketball tryouts…"
"Well, here's to hoping that he won't get sent to the hospital again…"
Mikan stopped in her tracks when she heard the name.
"Miryoku…" She thought to herself.
"The new target…" Skadi said to herself.
Mikan wasted no time in running to the roof.
Rooftop
"Where is she? She's usually the first one here." Johei said as he ate his fried omelet bento.
Daichi shrugged.
"Who really knows? But I'm sure she'll show up eventually. Hey! Quit eating my lunch!"
Daichi quickly pulled his melon bread away from Hugin and Munin.
"Terribly sorry Master Daichi." Hugin said
"We were only curious as to what it tastes like" Munin defended
Daichi sighed as he tore off a piece for each of them to eat then munched on the rest.
"How can you guys even eat?" He asked.
Hildr shrugged.
"As far as I know, those two are the only ones who can eat."
Kazuhiko looked at the staircase expectantly then looked back at his lunch. He sighed and dug into his food until he heard the door open.
"Guys, you won't believe what I just heard!"
Johei, who was seated right next to the door, jumped and spilled some of his rice.
"Holy crap, senpai! Could you tone it down a little?"
Mikan quickly apologized and continued on her rant.
"The next target just came back here after a surgery!"
Kazuhiko, now interested in the subject, stood up.
"Wait, so this Miryoku person's our classmate?" Iselin asked.
Mikan nodded.
"He hasn't shown up at all ever since last years accident so he hasn't been assigned into a classroom yet. Also, he's more of your senpai."
Kazuhiko scratched his chin.
"So, with everything considered, you'd be the only one to be able to talk to him during class… Do you think you can do that?"
Mikan nodded.
"Don't worry, leave it to me. Anyways, we need to talk strategy for after school today."
Daichi nodded.
"That's right."
He pulled out a map and spread it out on the table.
"This is where we can enter via safe room, but we'll have to work our way up for about 4 floors or so, depending on how serious this case is."
Daichi continued to describe the floors layout and the areas where they might have to face some bosses while the Personas separated into their own group discussion.
"So, who do you think will be the new Persona?" Hildr asked.
"I hope it's not another pervert…" Skadi muttered.
Loki recoiled.
"What? Pervert? Please call me by my chosen title: An absolute gentleman."
Skadi rolled her eyes.
"Sure, like gentlemen grope women the first chance they get."
Loki raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, what are you talking about? I've never done that."
"…"
Skadi silently stared down Loki.
So have any of you ever played Ace Attorney?
Interrogation: Start!
Loki: I'm sure that I have never done anything to a girl such as that.
Loki: In fact I spend the majority of my time with Johei.
Skadi: OBJECTION!
Loki: AAHH!
Skadi: Johei tends to spend the majority of his time near the womens' restroom and the womens' locker room during school hours! Not to mention that he's also near the womens' changing rooms at the malls.
Loki: W-well… that is true…
Skadi: But at those points, you are nowhere to be found!
Loki: B-but it's because I'm somewhere else!
Hildr: OBJECTION! I'm afraid that can't be true either. We Personas can only be so far from our users. There could only be one place where you were in!
Loki: NO! PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!
Skadi and Hildr: (pointing at Loki) IN THE WOMENS' DESIGNATED AREAS!
Okay, going back to regular view
Tyr watched with disinterest as Hildr and Skadi began to beat up Loki. Hugin and Munin ruffled their feathers on their wings and watched with the same look.
"Honestly, the distance he goes to do that." Hugin cawed.
"I know. I'm pretty disappointed in him." Tyr said.
Meanwhile…
Yuichi Miryoku POV
It was down to the last 10 minutes of the day, but Yoichi was nowhere close to finishing the assignment. His hand struggled to keep the pencil in place as he wrote down his work on a piece of scratch paper. Eventually, his finger slipped and he dropped the writing utensil.
"Hm? Is everything alright back there, Miryoku-kun?"
Yoichi nodded.
"Yeah, everything's alright Mrs. Yuko. I'm fine."
Mrs. Yuko smiled and went back to her work. Yoichi let out a deep sigh and bent down to pick up his pencil. He tried to close his fingers around it but he couldn't succeed in picking it up.
"Here, let me help you out." A friendly voice said to him.
Yoichi looked up and saw a girl's face.
"Oh, thanks Echihiro-chan."
Mikan smiled and gave him his pencil.
"You know, you can always just ask for help."
Yoichi nodded, but then turned his head.
"N-no thanks… I think I should try and rely on myself for a change."
He went back to his work, his eyes dead on the next problem.
I can't be a burden to anyone more than I already am. He thought.
After several minutes, he finished and disappointedly looked at his work. He was good at math, but due to his injury he couldn't write down his answers fast enough. Sighing, he waited for the bell to ring and walked over to the teacher's desk.
"I'm sorry I couldn't finish it on time. I understand the content though."
Mrs. Yuko scanned the page and nodded.
"Don't worry, I understand. You don't have to push yourself so hard, though. I'm sure anyone would be glad to help you out."
A seconds moment of grief flashed on his eyes and he rubbed his eyelids.
"No… thanks… I'm perfectly fine doing this on my own…"
Without another word, Yoichi grabbed his bag and walked out the door, leaving Mrs. Yuko with a worried expression.
"I hope he sorts out whatever's bothering him…" She thought to herself.
(After School)
Yoichi's house
"Oh! You're home!"
Yoichi smiled and set his bag down.
"Hi, Mom."
He took off his shoes and walked inside to see his mother at the stove still in her outdoor attire.
"Dinner's going to be a little late today, my boss wanted me to stay after hours a little longer; Sorry."
Yoichi shook his head.
"It's fine, Mom, I was planing on getting started on homework before eating dinner and I've got a lot. I'll be upstairs if you need me."
Yoichi's mother nodded and went back to the Kitchen. He opened the door to his room and set his bag down on the ground. After plopping into his chair, he set his books on his desk and looked at the mountain of assignments he had to do..
"… Christ, I'm gonna be up all night…"
He started to work on his assignments, but after half an hour, his hands started to flare with pain. Dropping his pencil, yet again, he held his hands tightly to make the pain subside. Eventually, it died down, but he was now covered in sweat.
Yoichi looked at his homework, which seemed to taunt him, and looked down at his hands.
"You just had to do that, didn't you?"
His hands did not reply.
Sighing, he went back to his desk and looked at a picture. There was large group of people in the picture, all with basketball jerseys, and a man with sandy blonde hair holding up a trophy and smiling like a champion.
A tear started to stream down Yoichi's face as he longed to see the face again.
"…Dad…"
Suddenly, he didn't feel like doing his homework anymore. He just wanted to sleep. It took him some time, but he managed to write a note for his mom and taped it on the outside of his door. After doing that, he lied down on his bed and held his knees as he cried himself to sleep.
Meanwhile…
Kazuhiko led his group up the stairs with a can of RUSH being downed. He tossed the can into his bag and reached the top of the stairs. Before him was a pair of large metal doors.
"Daichi, do you sense him there?"
Daichi nodded.
"I'm positive. He's definitely behind this door."
Johei pumped his fist in the air.
"Alright! Hey, I've got a quick favor to ask."
Kazuhiko turned and looked at Johei.
"Well, it's always you heading the group, but could you let me open the door this time?"
Iselin crossed her arms.
"And what purpose would that serve?"
Johei face palmed.
"It changes everything! I mean, you all think Kaz's a badass because he was the leading face of the group when we came to save you guys!"
Skadi shook her head.
"We think he's superior to you because he can wield multiple Personas."
"Quite right, milady" Kazuhiko's Persona, Oberon said.
Johei pressed his palms together and looked pleadingly at Kazuhiko.
"Come on, please, dude?"
Oberon shook his head.
"I sincerely apologize my, dear plebian, but I cannot allow you to take on such an important role that is meant entire for the purpose of my lord to-"
Kazuhiko smiled and shook his head.
"I can't really stop you now if you're so intent on doing this."
Johei raised his hands.
"YES! Thanks, man. You're the best!"
Johei dashed to the door and jumped into the air.
"Flying… DRAGON KICK!"
Johei's foot connected with the door and he stood there for several seconds. Then…
"OW!"
Johei held his foot close to his body as he writhed in agony.
"We also think he's better than you because he doesn't act like a complete doofus." Hildr said as she and Iselin passed him.
"Seriously, this is all you need to do to open a door." Iselin said as she put her hand on the knob.
"…?"
Iselin twisted the knob and pushed on the door. Then, she pulled.
"Ngh… What the hell…?"
Daichi looked at the door more observantly.
"Say, why are there chains on it?"
Kazuhiko took note of this as well.
"Yeah, it's almost like they're holding the doors closed…"
Mikan reached at the chains and tried pulling on them.
"They won't budge an inch. Doesn't look like we can break them either."
"Oh yeah? Well prepared to be amazed!"
Johei broke his chains and let forth an attack.
"Go, Loki! Assault!"
Loki flew towards the chains and curled into a ball, the spikes on his body gleaming in the light.
"YEAH!"
*bonk*
Loki hit his head on the door and was knocked out cold. Skadi shook her head.
"Like Persona, like user. Somethings don't change…"
Johei helped Loki up.
"What the heck happened? How come we couldn't break it?"
"Because you're not close enough to him yet."
Everybody turned around to see a hooded figure with a familiar voice.
"You!" Kazuhiko said as he readied his sword.
The hooded figure sighed and twirled his Kusari-gamas.
"Come on, you guys might have gotten stronger, but you're not even a real threat to me yet. Listen, I'm just here for some small talk."
Kazuhiko reluctantly lowered his sword, but kept it out for quick use. Everyone else did likewise.
"The name's Mijuku. I've been tasked by Shiroe to take Yoichi down, but only if you guys fail in saving him."
He looked at all of them from his high perch.
"You all have potential right now, but I want a little more fun. So here's my proposal: I'll help you get to Yoichi, you guys fight me right after you're done saving him. Sound like a deal?"
Daichi looked at Kazuhiko.
"Don't agree to it, it's obviously a trap."
Kazuhiko looked down on the ground.
"But we don't have any other choice; The road's blocked and he's our only hope if getting to Yoichi."
Kazuhiko reluctantly faced Mijuku and nodded.
"Alright, you got yourself a deal."
Mijuku seemed to smile from under his hood and put his weapons away.
"Okay then. Well, there are a lot of resemblances in this world and the real world; some are kind of obvious and the others are somewhat symbolic."
Johei sighed.
"Oh, here we go. He's going to give us a boring language lecture."
"Listen up! I'm not going to repeat myself again!" Sueno said.
"This resemblance is all about Yoichi himself. The chains keep his reflection from being shown to the rest of the world. So what you want to do is get closer to him in the real world so that he can open up his gates in this world. Get it now?"
Kazuhiko had to admit that he was feeling even more confused than he initially was, but that could be because of his weak understanding. Sueno stood up.
"Well, you know what that means now, right? No more dungeon climbing for today! Scram, you can't get anything else done now!"
Sueno disappeared behind a pillar and left everybody by themselves. Hildr seemed uneasy and turned to everyone.
"So, what do we do now?"
Tyr crossed his arms.
"We can't go on any further from here unless we get close to Yoichi in the real world. I believe that Mikan is our only way in now."
Everybody turned to Mikan expectantly.
"So, how far have you gotten with him senpai?" Johei asked.
Mikan shook her head.
"Not very far. He seems reluctant to do anything with anyone; Refuses help when he really needs it, the works."
Kazuhiko scratched his chin.
"So this is going to be harder than I thought. It makes climbing the tower look easy."
He shook his head and walked towards the stair down a level.
"Let's get back to the safe room and go home. All priorities are on hold until Yoichi opens up to one of us."
May 9, 2021; Sunday
(Early Morning)
Yoichi's POV
Yoichi woke up on his bed and found that he had dozed off the previous day. He got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face when he found a new note attached to his door.
Going to be back late tonight. Made dinner for you when you get back. Love Mom
He smiled and put the note away as he went back to the bathroom. After cleaning up, he had realized how hungry he was from yesterday. Skipping dinner last night was definitely not a good idea.
He made himself an omelet and ate breakfast on his own like he usually did and put his dishes away in the sink. After putting his shoes on, he closed the door and headed outside for a walk to clear his head.
"I should probably apologize to her when she gets back" He said to himself as he rested his hands behind his head.
The day was cheerfully sunny, yet he still felt quite somber from the previous day. He thought about his father, or at least what he imagined his father to be. Tall and handsome, with the same hair that he had; But most importantly, he was strong. Stronger than his son, probably forever.
Yoichi sighed as he let hi head down. He was now at the marketplace which seemed to be less crowded than usual.
"Good" he thought
"I won't have to wait in line for a very long time today."
He walked up to a flower stand and waved to the owner.
"Ah! Miryoku-san! How long has it been since you were here?"
Yoichi smiled.
"Four months, it's been a pretty long time."
The shop owner laughed and went inside the store. Yoichi whistled for a little while until he returned.
"A dozen lilies again? Not to be nosy, but who are these for?" The shop owner asked.
Yoichi's smile faded slightly as he replied.
"Someone I never got to know…"
The shop owner noticed his mistake and quickly recovered.
"Oh, well then, how about those are on the house, hm?"
Yoichi smiled and nodded.
"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it."
Yoichi quickly made his way to the cemetery and nodding to the priest.
"Back again, are we?" He said.
Yoichi nodded and walked towards his destination. He stopped in front of a grave and gazed at the tombstone.
Here lies Yoshito Miryoku
The greatest sorrow of being on top is when you fall back to the ground
Yoichi knelt in front of the grave and placed the bouquet of lilies on the grave. Next to the bouquet was a picture of a man in a tuxedo and a woman kissing his cheek: Yoichi's mother.
"Hey, Dad. How're you doing? Well, you're dead, but I felt the need to ask anyways." He said.
The tombstone did not reply.
Yoichi kept staring at the picture for what seemed like an eternity before he continued.
"I just got back from the surgery. I tried basketball out, but I hurt myself and now… well… I don't think I can do it anymore."
He looked down on the ground with shame.
"I… I failed you… I can't be as strong as you are… I can't even live up to the name you gave me…"
Fun fact: Yoichi means Masculine First-born Son
Yoichi continued to kneel in silence, looking down at the ground, waiting for his father to magically appear and forgive him, but nothing happened. There was no one to say anything to him, nothing he could do to be the son his father wanted. He was just dead weight now, and nothing more.
"Miryoku-san, are you okay?"
Yoichi was brought back to his senses when he heard a familiar voice from behind him. He turned around and saw someone he did not expect to see on a Sunday.
"Oh, Echihiro-chan. Yeah, I'm good. What are you doing here?"
Mikan looked over to a tombstone that was further up ahead and smiled.
"Just paying my respects. I guess you're doing the same?"
Yoichi nodded as he pointed towards his father's grave. Mikan took an interest at what was on it.
"Oh, I should have brought flowers! Geez, why didn't I think of that?"
Mikan turned around to go to the market place but was stopped mid-stride.
"H-hold on!"
She turned around and saw Yoichi take a few lilies from the bouquet.
"Here, I have a few to spare if you want them."
Mikan smiled and took the lilies.
"Thanks, I really owe you now, don't I?"
Yoichi shook his head.
"Nah, it's fine."
Then, he sharply took in a breath. He staggered back down on his knees and began panting rapidly. Mikan dropped the lilies and put her hand on his back.
"Oh God! Hold on, I'll call an ambulance!"
Mikan dug into her pocket punched in some numbers.
"Hello? I need immediate medical assistance. I have a young adolescent with me and he needs help."
Yoichi's eyes flung wide open and he quickly dashed out of the cemetery, leaving Mikan behind. He held his hands tightly as he ran past the gate and back home.
"D-damn you… Why now!?" He yelled.
After several minutes of running, he stopped in an alleyway to catch his breath.
"Ngh… Damn it…"
He rested his back on the wall as he felt his hands throbbing again. This time, they looked swollen and bruised, probably because he squeezed them. He could feel the fragile bones in his fingers almost snapping from the pressure.
Yoichi sat down and placed his hands close to his chest as he writhed in pain. Eventually it died down but he could still feel his hands aching. Reluctantly, he picked himself up and started his long walk home.
"I should probably apologize to Echihiro-chan tomorrow as well. I probably worried her when I ran off."
Without thinking, he accidentally tripped.
"Oof! Oww…"
"Hey, you need a hand?" A voice asked him.
Yoichi looked up at the unknown person and saw a hand being offered to help him up.
"Yeah, thanks."
Once he got to his feet, Yoichi felt another surge of pain in his hands. The stranger noticed this and beckoned to the chair.
"Hey, take a seat, I can fix that for you."
Hesitantly, Yoichi sat down in the chair and awaited the man's move.
"Wait, what am I doing? I don't even know this guy and I'm accepting help from him? What's wrong with me?"
But before he could back out, the stranger took his hands in his own and muttered something.
"Dia"
For a split second, Yoichi saw something shine and immediately felt the pain leave from his hands. He took his hands back and examined them, but nothing had changed. Only the pain was gone.
"W-who are you?"
The man sat back in his chair and beckoned for a waiter.
"Well, I'm called a lot of things, but I'm sure that's not the real question you have in mind, correct?"
Yoichi looked down at his hands once again and thought deeply.
"Yeah, he's right" he thought.
"What the hell just happened? How did he do something like that?"
When he looked back up, the stranger was sipping a cup of tea and offered him a cup as well.
"This must all be pretty confusing to you, but I can assure you that I am far from being the Messiah. I'm just an ordinary person with… extraordinary talents…"
Yoichi took the cup and sipped the tea. Chamomile; his Father's favorite.
"Well, what if I told you that this kind of power is not exclusive, rather everyone can have it? Even you could have this power to no bounds. You can heal your hands as many times as you like. Attain strength that you could never have thought to have been possible. Even fulfill your father's name for you."
Yoichi raised his eyebrow. It seemed suspicious how the stranger knew his father, let alone his name, but it didn't matter right now; What mattered was this power that he was talking about.
"And I can get this power?"
The stranger nodded.
"Yes, anyone can. So long as they meet some certain conditions, it is possible."
Yoichi put his cup down and straightened his back.
"How do I get it?"
The stranger finished his cup and set it on the table. He pulled a card from his pocket and opened his hand.
"Your phone, please."
Yoichi handed him his phone and the stranger scanned the QR code with it. After handing it back to him, Yoichi noticed an app that was downloading.
"What is this?" he asked.
The stranger sat back and pulled out his wallet.
"One of the necessities. It'll give you instructions on what to do to get this power. And with that, I bid you a good day."
The stranger stood up and left money on the table. But before he took a few steps, he heard Yoichi call to him.
"Wait! Who are you? How can I thank you?"
The stranger turned and faced Yoichi.
"Well, if you're so persistent…" he said.
"How you can repay me will be decided at a later date. As for my name, you may call me Shiroe."
Aaaand we are back! Crazy chapter that I just came up with today, all about Yoichi and his struggles. I assure you that all the misconceptions about him will clear up when he gets his Persona so just hang on tight. Also, on a side note, Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday this week with anybody important in your life: Your family, friends, lovers, pets, and all that jazz. It's pretty tough how I try to squeeze in the social links (or confidants, whatever you prefer) with the main story because whenever I play Persona, I make dungeons my top priority before I do anything else, also I tend to go through dungeons quickly so I don't waste a lot of time. My plans for doing this, however, will consist of multiple days of dungeon crawling and social links after every day. As for the questions of RosyMiranto and Adtauthor, the uniform consists of a gray overcoat buttoned to the mid-chest area with a white collared shirt and tie accompanied by black pants for the boys while the girls have a similar design except they have black shirts and skirts; The color difference is for teachers to be able to spot students from afar, if they see a white and black shirt together, they can draw conclusions easier. In the summer, the uniform changes to the boys having only the white collared shirts, no ties are required, and the girls have the same attire as well, white shirts and black skirts. Kazuhiko wears the uniform except he keeps his jacket unbuttoned and has the tie loosened a bit. Daichi wears the uniform all buttoned up entirely but no tie. Johei wears the uniform of the jacket but has a tie T-shirt underneath. Mikan wears her uniform to the exact, because her seniority requires it, while Iselin wears her jacket open, because she is used to the cold, and pants without the skirt, because she's afraid of someone looking up her skirt. Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas (or Hanukkah) and have a Happy New Year!
Airsoft War
*BANG* *BANG*
Kazuhiko fired his pistol at the opposing enemy.
"Take our squad down to the second hill! We can flank them in that direction!"
Johei ran towards a large barrel and set his back behind it. He fired off a few rounds of his own before returning to cover.
"Cover me for about five seconds; I can take Daichi with me in that time!"
Kazuhiko fired off several more shots forcing the enemy to take cover behind the banks.
"Now's your chance!"
Johei ran and dove for the building nearest to him with Daichi right behind.
*BANG*
"AGH!"
Daichi clutched his chest and fell to the ground. Johei turned around and watched his friend writhe in pain.
"DAICHI!"
He ran to his side and held out his pistol firing more shots to buy himself some time.
"Daichi, look at me! Don't even think of nodding off on me!"
Daichi looked up at his friend with a faraway look in his eyes.
"I… I can see them… the stars… they're beautiful…"
Johei shook Daichi trying to keep him conscious.
"Kazuhiko! Buy me some time!"
"I can't! I'm on my last 20 rounds!"
Johei turned back to his friend.
"Alright, keep looking at me, okay? We're gonna get you outta here; you're going to walk out here with your own two feet, alive, do you understand me?"
Daichi's eyes shed a tear.
"Tell… tell Izzy… tell her I wanted to… to propose to her… give her this ring… I hanged onto it for months… tell her… I love her…"
Daichi's eyes started to close as he drifted away. Johei continued to try and shake him awake.
"Daichi?… Daichi! Wake up! Don't die on me! That's an order, soldier!"
Kazuhiko shouted to Johei from behind his wall.
"Hurry up! He already knows he can't make it! Don't let your life be added to the gravestone!"
Johei wiped the tears that ran down his face as he ran towards the opposing wall.
"I'll come back for you, man… I promise you…"
Back in the lobby…
Mikan, Iselin and Nanako are watching the boys "stage act" after their round of Airsoft in Tokyo.
"What… did we just watch?" Mikan asked.
Iselin's face was steaming. Mikan looked at her friend worriedly.
"Are you alright? Do you have a fever?"
"I… I had no idea… he th-th-thought of me… th-that w-w-way"
Nanako turned towards the boys who were seated right behind them.
"Care to explain this?" She asked.
Johei shook his head in disappointment.
"I guess some people have no taste for the fine arts, right lads?"
Kazuhiko nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, Shakespeare would have thought this was script GOLD."
Loki took out the auxiliary cord from his monitor.
"So, how was my camera work, guys?"
Tyr clapped his hands.
"It couldn't have been better, my friend."
Hugin and Munin were in the corner crying.
"Poor Master Daichi! *sniff* He never had a chance!"
"He never got to experience a wedding night at all! WAAAAHH!"
"A… a wedding night?!" Iselin shrieked.
She passed out on the ground with blood dripping from her nostrils. Mikan sighed as she picked her up.
"Hey, help me out, Nanako. We need to get her back to the Hotel."
Nanako saluted.
"On it."
As the girls dragged Iselin out, Skadi and Hildr kept their eyes on the TV screen. Skadi shook her head in disappointment.
"My goodness, what trash can did those boys dig this garbage out of, I wonder."
"Bravo! Encore! Encore!" Hildr said as she madly clapped and threw roses into the air.
Skadi face-palmed as she left her friend in the lobby with embarrassment.
The man at the desk looked over his newspaper.
"So are you kids done here or what? I've got a shipment coming in less than 10 minuets."
All of this was non-canon, by the way. Also, did anyone ever have Airsoft as a part of their childhood? I always did this kind of thing with my cousins, acting out Shakespeare in the middle of a shootout.
