Chapter 41

Episode: Interrogation; SPT Social Power!

June 27, 2021; Thursday

(Lunchtime)

"Nee-san?", Kazuhiko said in shock.

The two stood facing each other for a few minutes before Minako tackled him in a hug.

"I can't believe you're still here! Ah! You've grown so much! You're taller than me now!"

Kazuhiko awkwardly returned the hug.

"I didn't know you were here, either", Kazuhiko said, although he seemed more shocked than happy.

The picture that he had received made Minako nee-san look as if she hadn't aged at all. Tyr just watched as the whole awkward event unfolded.

"I… I'm not sure how to react to this. Wait, what does nee-san mean?"

"It means older sister"

"I didn't know you had any siblings"

"... I don't"

Minako finally let him go and gave him one of her signature bright smiles.

"Guess what? I finally was able to come back here and teach!"

"Ah, so she was the one who the rumors were about. But why now? This all seems too-"

"So how have you been doing here, Kaz? Is Johei still up and about with his pranks?", Minako suddenly asked.

Kaz scratched the back of his head.

"I've been doing great. The city is really… interesting. Oh, Johei's still the same, alright. He actually pulled a pretty funny prank the other day."

Flashback

"Okay, so I'd like to show you all a certain specimen that is under my radar of inspection for some time now", Mr. Honkidesu said.

He pulled down a slide to reveal a poster of BTS shirtless. A couple of students stifled their laughter until the entire class exploded. Mr. Honkidesu looked at the poster and sighed.

Flashback End

"Ah, I see he took my message to heart. Glad to know he's still following it after all this time."

Suddenly, the bell rang.

"Sorry, Nee-san. I need to go. I'll see you soon!"

Minako waved him goodbye and, once Kaz was gone, turned towards the wall.

"Eurydice, you can come out now."

A robotic lady colored red and pink stepped out of the wall nearby and floated over to Minako.

"I believe that Mitsuru-senpai's information was right after all; He really is a Persona user", Eurydice said.

Minako nodded.

"According to Ken's recordings, they go to some place called the Mirror Dimension. Best to find out what that is and how to get there. For now, let's try contacting Nanako if she's got any leads."


(Afterschool)

Nanako POV

"Minako-senpai! It's great to see you again!"

Nanako wrapped her arms around her older friend while Minako did the same.

"Well then, I guess you're all up to date on the situation?"

Nanako laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head.

"W-well, I've found out some stuff… but nothing leading to their supernatural world. They don't give away anything! They're not like that blonde phantom thief!"

Ryuji: Hey everyone, we're the PHANTOM THIEVES!

Minako sighed as she rubbed her head.

"Mitsuru-senpai was right, we really have to do actual work this time around."

Toyotama spoke to Nanako.

"Don't worry, we'll find out something soon. We just need to keep digging until we hit it!"

Eurydice turned to the direction of the voice.

"Ah, Toyotama, I was wondering where you were. I assume that you've been assisting Nanako on her assignment?"

A sighing sound could be heard.

"Unfortunately, I cannot go anywhere without Nanako; the boundaries that I have are far more restrictive than the average Persona's. For now, I can only come up with ideas."

"Well, it's better than nothing", Eurydice said.

"Speaking of Mitsuru-san, she wanted to let you know that you don't have to push yourself too hard. After all, you're not the only one working on this case-"

"No! I need to do this!", Nanako suddenly interrupted.

Minako recoiled with a stunned look.

"I know that I'll make it onto the Shadow Operatives if this proves to be a success, but I want to get onto SEES as soon as I can."

Minako shook her head.

"No can do. Direct orders from Mitsuru-san, unless you plan to face her infamous execution."

Nanako shuddered. Okay, maybe she could use a little break from following Kaz's group all day. It had been a long time since she moved to Nuzoko and she was pretty sure the unpacking excuse would work anymore, if she wanted an excuse not to be bothered.

Finally, Nanako let out a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll take the day off."

"Week", Minako corrected her.

"And while you're at it, make some friends, socialize more! You're in your golden days!"

Nanako nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

Eurydice then spoke.

"Toyotama, I expect you to keep her in check as best as you can."

"Yes senpai", Toyotama replied.

"Good"

Minako smiled and walked further into the school building, no doubt searching for the principal's office. Nanako watched as her superior walked out of sight.

"Well, what now?", she asked her Persona.

"Maybe catch up with the others?"

Nanako nodded and went back to the classroom.


Kyuto High, Class 2-B

Kazuhiko's POV

"So, we got anything going on today?", Johei asked.

He was scrolling through the navigator on his phone, looking for an excuse to go into the Mirror Dimension.

"Calm down, man. I want to go there just as much as you do, but there's no point in running ourselves ragged when nothing's happening", Daichi told him.

Daichi, too, had been itching for an excuse to exterminate shadows, but he was more reasonable. The crow brothers, on the other hand, not so much.

"We must defeat the Darkness!"

"I will not rest until every monster is slaughtered!"

"It is all for Princess Zelda!"

"My mom kicked me out of the house and I'm forced to enslave animals to fight each other!"

The crows continued on for a while; everyone else ignored them.

Mikan sighed and picked up her bag.

"Well, I'm going to go do my shift at the hotel."

Yoichi checked his watch and shrugged.

"I've got some time to kill. You mind if I tag along?"

Mikan shook her head and the two walked out of the room. Iselin sighed as she saw them leave. Daichi took note of this and asked her,

"What's up? Got something on your mind?"

Iselin face planted into her desk.

"Some people are just so lucky… at least they can have someone who notices them…"

"Y'know", Johei started,

"I'm always available"

"Keyword being always", Daichi commented without looking up from his phone.

He stuck out his fist and Loki bumped it. Johei cringed.

"When are you ever on my side?", he asked his Persona.

"When we're in the Mirror Dimension. Otherwise, I'm just here for the sole purpose of embarrassing you", Loki replied.

Suddenly, Nanako walked into the classroom. She waved to everyone and walked to the front of Kaz's desk.

"Hey, bestie! I finally got a day off! Want to hang out?"

Kazuhiko nodded.

"Sure, I'd love to."

Iselin sighed even louder this time as Kaz and Nanako walked out of the classroom. Daichi raised an eyebrow at this.

"What is it now?"

"Another couple just left… why is my love interest such a brick?"

"A brick? Who is it?"

"My case-in-point exactly."

Yuriko, however, had her interest piques at Iselin's earlier remark.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"What, my love interest's a brick?"

"No, before that!"

"Another couple left?"

Yuriko suddenly looked shaken and quickly excused herself from the group. Johei looked inquisitively at her and turned to Daichi.

"What's up with her?"

"She's really into Kazuhiko", Daichi replied, not looking up.

"You know this and not notice my hints?!", Iselin screamed.

"Hints? What are you talking about?"

"AAUUGH!"

Iselin grabbed her bag and stormed out of the classroom. Daichi now looked even more confused.

"What's up with her?", Daichi asked.

Johei sighed and grabbed his bag.


Shigure's Restaurant

Kazuhiko ordered two fried rice platters for Nanako and himself. As they sat down, the two chatted as to catch up on each other's respective lives.

"Glad to hear that your dad's doing well at the station. I must say, though, you took a long time to unpack."

Nanako laughed a little bit while scratching herself nervously.

"Maybe you should use another excuse next time", Toyotama suggested.

"Hm?"

Tyr perked his head up. Toyotama suddenly became silent. After looking around them, Tyr shook his head and continued to watch them. Nanako, however, had been mentally stressing out.

"Uh, Nanako? Are you okay?"

Nanako came back to the current situation and laughed.

"Uh, yeah! I just saw a… a poster! See over there? Looks like Rise-chan's hitting it big in the movie business."

Kaz turned around and saw the poster.

"Oh yeah, she does. Isn't this the fourth movie she's starred in?"

"Third. She technically didn't play a major character in Room of Blue."

Once their orders came in, the two hungry teens dug in.

However, not so far from them…

Yuriko's POV

"You know, we really shouldn't be doing this, Ojoh-chan", Sieglinde said as Yuriko covered her face with a menu.

"I don't know what you're talking about", Yuriko replied.

"I just had a sudden urge to go to Shigure's for some mikudan."

"You ordered a Vietnamese Pho"

"Well, it looked good."

She kept her eyes on the two teenagers at the table.

"Just what are they talking about?", she wondered to herself.

Then, she looked at Sieglinde and noticed how easily she stood out.

"Ah! I almost forgot! Could you make yourself less conspicuous?"

Sieglinde tilted her head.

"My my, could this be your teenage angst period? I was always told children at this age wouldn't want to be seen with their parents."

"No, no, I mean hide yourself or Kaz-senpai will see you!"

"Oh, you just don't want Kazuhiko-san to see you with your mother. Okay, that's understandable. Have fun with him!"

"No! That's not what I meant! He'll notice that I'm spying on him and that girl!", Yuriko shrieked.

Suddenly, she noticed that the restaurant was peculiarly quiet. She turned to see a few people turn in her direction; Kazuhiko, Tyr, and Nanako included.

"Oh! I get it now! You want me to-"

"H-hey, Kaz-senpai! Didn't know you were here!", Yuriko suddenly said, interrupting her Persona.

Kaz, who was confused, waved back.

"Didn't know that you were going to Shigure's today. Want to join us?"

Yuriko nodded, and thus began the most awkward meal of her life.

Meanwhile…

Mikan donned on her uniform and walked out to the front where Yoichi was talking to Takai.

"What are you doing here?", Takai asked him gruffly.

"Uh- I'm here just to help out my friend. Look, there she is now."

He pointed towards Mikan who gave Takai her check-in card.

"Whatcha tryin' to say, boy? You tryin' ta apply here?"

Yoichi scratched his head.

"Well, actually, I was more of going to work here for a da-"

"I'll tell ya what, son. You get into one of them uniforms and I'll decide whether or not you're in."

Yoichi looked at the man in a stunned silence.

"Well I-"

"No need to be modest, son. Hop to it! C'mon!"

Takai clapped his hands and Yoichi suddenly found himself speed-walking to the dressing room. Mikan chuckled to herself.

"My, Takai-san, you really know how to sell it to them."

Takai let out a hearty laugh.

"I try my best, Echihiro! Now then, where should I assign him?"

"Maybe the doorman position?", Mikan suggested.

Yoichi probably wouldn't be able to handle the luggage by himself, given the strength of his hands were already strained during the day. Speaking of which, Yoichi came back in a uniform and saluted Takai.

"Um, ready to work, sir!"

Takai looked him up and down.

"Well, he does give off a friendly vibe… alright! You're hired as our new doorman! Get to your post!"

Yoichi recoiled at his sudden response and saluted him once again.

"Y-yes! Yes sir!"

Yoichi sped into the direction of the door, Mimir in tow. Mikan tried to keep herself from laughing, while Skadi mused aloud.

"I think I prefer him this way; less on taking charge and more on taking commands."

Outside…

"Geez, I thought I could work with Echihiro-san today!", Yoichi said as he opened the door for incoming guests.

"Welcome to the Matsuhito Hotel! Please enjoy your stay!"

He closed the door behind them and sighed.

"Well, according to my research on the employee charts, Mikan seems to be a luggage delivery man. She probably gave you this spot because of your hands."

Yoichi sighed, then quickly smiled as he opened the door for a businessman.

"I know, but I just wanted to spend more time with her outside of class."

"You spend an average of 5 and a half hours with her when we go into Niflheim"

"I meant in the real world. Socially interacting. Alone."

Mimir raised his eyebrow before closing his eyes. Several flashes of light emitted from him as he made calculations.

"Allow me to estimate what your reason is. To see her job?"

"No"

"To meet her other friends?"

"No"

"To get into bed with her?"

"No- wait, what?!"

"To get into bed with her. As in sleep with her. As in you like her?", Mimir spoke out his train of thought.

"N-no! I don't want to do that!"

"My built in polygraph indicates that you are panicking. May I ask why?"

"Because I don't want to sleep with her!"

"Um, are you okay, sir?"

A young couple in their 20s looked afraid of him. Of course, who wouldn't be a little frightened when a doorman was shouting at thin air about sleeping with someone. Yoichi's cheeks suddenly flushed crimson and he quickly opened the door.

"S-sorry about that. Please, come in."

The couple felt more cautious as they passed by Yoichi until he closed the door.

"I really need to whisper when I talk to you."

Inside…

"Yes, ma'am, I've already delivered your baggage right to your room. They should be in the closet", Mikan said to a guest who had asked her about the baggage claim.

Skadi overlooked the foyer, keeping an eye on the people that were coming in a going.

"A pretty boring job if you ask me. Repetitive and the guests are sometimes snobby."

"If they're crossing the line, then I can always mess with them. Watch that guy come up to me."

A very pompous looking businessman walked up to her. He seemed to be on the rounder side and had no hair on his head. He seemed to have a double chin from the fat on his neck, and he reeked of the smell of cigarettes.

"Hey, little girl, go get someone in charge to take my bags to my room", he said to her in a rather rude tone.

Mikan scowled, but otherwise kept her cool.

"I happen to work here, sir. May I ask which room you are in?"

"Room 743. Now c'mon! Make it snappy!"

Mikan feigned looking up the reservations on the computer and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but that room is already occupied at the moment. Are you sure you had a reservation?"

The businessman scrunched his eyebrows.

"Yes! Absolutely sure! Check it again!"

She refreshed the page and turned it around to him, after changing the room to occupied status.

"Yes, it seems here that the room is already in use. Perhaps you made a mistake in the reservation process? We can always let you rent a room if that's the case."

The man sighed and nodded.

"Fine, what are the rates?"

"Well, we only have rooms for two available, and each costs ¥20000 a day."

The businessman's eyeballs popped out of his head.

"¥20000 per day?!"

"Additional costs may vary depending on room service."

The fat man looked at a crossroads, not knowing what to do.

"Are there any nearby hotels for cheaper?", he asked.

Mikan sadly shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. The nearest hotel is 2 miles from here and they charge ¥35000 a day."

After mentally debating, the businessman sighed and for 2 weeks using his debit card. Mikan smiled and printed him out his receipt and handed it to him along with his room key.

"Enjoy your stay!", she said with a smile.

The businessman left with barely anything in his debit card while Mikan laughed to herself.

"The real price was ¥13000 a day!"

"I can't believe he thought the closest hotel was 2 miles from here!"


Elsewhere…

Daichi was walking back to the dorms after shopping for a bunch of food that was on bulk. When he stepped into the lobby, the person at the desk didn't even recognize him.

"How much did all that cost?", she asked him.

"¥5000", he replied as he went down the hallway.

He closed the door behind him and placed the food into his storage closet.

"Alright, we've got the SPAM and ramen all stocked up. Got another bag of protein powder… Did I forget the milk and eggs? *sigh* looks like I'll need to take another trip back to the supermarket."

He walked out of his room and waved at his Persona.

"Hey, I'm going to get some stuff I forgot. Just stay here and don't mess with anything, alright?"

"Yes Master Daichi!"

"We will not let any intruder endanger your food!"

"The water heater shall be defended to the death!"

"The sink and utensils are at our command for defense!"

"Just don't let anyone in, okay?"

Daichi left and went back to the supermarket. At that time, Iselin popped her head out of her doorway.

"Alright, now's my chance to do something for him!"

She snuck back into her room and laid out a multitude of ingredients that she had been keeping.

"So, what would Daichi like to eat? Any ideas, Hildr?"

Hildr thought hard for a moment.

"He seems quite stoic about everything, but I'll bet he's a real softy on the inside. A cake is always a safe bet."

Iselin nodded and looked at the ingredients.

"Hm… I don't have any flour right now, plus, I'll need sugar too."

"How about a pecan pie? It's close enough to a cake and you have some of the ingredients", Hildr pointed out as she gestured to the bag of pecans and caramel sauce.

Iselin clapped her hands.

"Alrighty then! Daichi Amasawa, prepare to feel my love in the form of the most delicious pecan pie you ever tried in your life! I just need to go get some ingredients."

She excused herself from her room and left Hildr to go to the supermarket.

At the Supermarket…

"Alright, got the flour and sugar… now for the eggs!", Iselin said enthusiastically.

She was making her way to the poultry section, when she suddenly found Daichi walking towards there.

"Crap! What am I going to do now?"

She took several deep breaths before calming down.

"Okay, look Iselin, he's just probably there for some eggs. He'll leave once he's found some. Simple!"

She peeked around the corner to still see Daichi looking around.

"Oh no, he's not going anywhere; Hurry up!"

When it seemed like he wasn't going to budge, Iselin sighed.

"Alright, new plan! Let's see if I can use anything for cover… Aha!"

Daichi's POV

"Tch, not a good deal. Plus, all of the eggs are slightly cracked. Hm?"

A large plant caught his eye when it came towards the poultry section. Apparently, someone had put a large flower pot in their cart and was making their way to the eggs on the other side of Daichi. Whoever was behind the flowers quickly grabbed a case of eggs and placed it in their cart.

"Excuse me", he said.

"Eep! I-I mean, yes?"

From the sound of the voice, the person seemed to be a teenage girl.

"You know, there's a much better deal on eggs over there", he told her.

"Um, actually, I'm fine. Yes! These eggs are, uh, special ones!"

Daichi raised his eyebrow.

"Special? How so?"

The girl started to shuffle a little bit behind the flowers.

"Um, well, uh, y'see, they're… organic?"

Daichi paused until he replied.

"Oh, okay then. Never mind."

After that, the girl quickly pushed her cart away from Daichi as fast as she could, without giving so much as a goodbye or thank you.

"Weird", he said to himself.

"Although, she sounded kind of familiar… "

Back at the dorms…

Iselin's POV

"Fwah!"

Iselin came back into her room and placed the ingredients on the table. Hildr raised an eyebrow.

"What's gotten you all riled up?"

Iselin waved her hand.

"It's nothing. Now, let's get to work!"

After an hour, she was able to get the pie crust and filling just right. She placed the pie in the oven and waited for it to bake until…

"It's finally done!"

"But how does it taste?", Hildr asked.

"It's always a good idea to taste your food before you serve it"

Iselin looked at the pie and shrugged. She cut out a slice for herself and bit into it.

"It… "

"Yes?", Hildr said.

"Tastes..."

"Go on… "

"Awesome!"

Iselin pumped her fist into the air and jumped for joy.

"There's no way he won't love this!"

Daichi's POV

"I can't believe you guys trashed my room again!"

The crows were on his bed posts, hanging their heads in shame.

"We saw another one of our kind come through the window… "

"He seemed to take an interest, so we let him in… "

"We were hoping to recruit him for the cause… "

Daichi sighed as he looked at the mess that was now his room.

"Great, I won't be able to make dinner like this… "

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Daichi heard a light knocking on his door and went to open it.

"Hello?"

He looked around, but didn't see anyone in sight. Then, he looked down and saw a pecan pie with a note attached to it.

I made this with all of my heart. Please accept it and think of me.

He turned it around and noticed that there was no signature or indication of a sender. Shrugging, he decided to put it down when-

*GROWL*

He looked at his stomach which had suddenly growled. Remembering how he couldn't cook dinner despite his kitchen, he wasn't left with many other choices.

"Well, this is just dessert, but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

He set the pie down on his table and help himself to a slice of pie.

"Say, this is pretty good! Whoever made this really went all ou- CAUGH!"

Iselin stopped by his room to notice that the door was open. Then, she saw the pie on his table and a slice on the plate.

"Yes! He ate it!"

Then her eyes drifted to Daichi who was choking.

"Wait, what's wrong? Daichi?!"

The crows were flying around the room.

"Oh no! It was poisoned!"

"Get him the antidote, quick!"

Iselin quickly went into his room and noticed his neck growing red.

"... oh shit."


(Evening)

Nanako's House; Front Doorstep

"Thanks for showing me around, bestie!", Nanako said.

Kaz nodded.

"It was nothing. Besides, we actually got to hang out together for once."

Nanako nodded.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Although, that kouhai of yours seemed pretty uncomfortable… "

Flashback

Yuriko fidgeted in her seat as they ate. Nanako, who decided to break the ice, spoke up.

"So, how long have you known Kazu-"

"Pleasedonttellmeyoureintohimoranythinglikethatwhyamipanickingimnotpanickingimfineareyoufinepleasedontthinkimweird!"

Nanako fell silent and just decided to stop talking.

Flashback end

"Yeah, she's quite the character alright. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow"

"Wait", she said.

Kazuhiko stopped and turned around. Nanako fidgeted.

"Did you happen to see anything strange these past few months?"

Kazuhiko scratches his chin.

Strange that she would ask that, he thought to himself.

"Well, there have been a string of suicides lately. They all happen at the same place and in the same way."

Nanako nodded and thanked him.

"Thanks, Kaz. I just feel pretty on edge. It's been quite a while that something like that happened for a while."

"You mean it's been a while since the last suicide case?", he asked.

Nanako shook her head.

"Well, it's more like something strange hasn't happened to me in a long time…"

She stopped talking as if realizing what she was going on about, then waved.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Kazuhiko turned around to leave, but before he did,


June 28, 2021; Friday

(After School)

"Dude, what happened to you?", Johei asked.

Daichi had come back from the hospital the night before with a full recovery, but his rash on his neck still had some faint marks.

"Well, last night, somebody left a pie in front of my door. Since Hugin and Munin trashed my room, I couldn't make any dinner and I didn't want to go out for some food, so I had a slice. Turns out that I'm allergic to pecans, so Iselin rushed me to the hospital when she saw me having a reaction."

Hugin and Munin were perched on desks behind Daichi.

"Master Daichi still denies that it was an attempt on his life", Munin cawed.

"We have taken it upon ourselves to inspect everything given to him", Hugin followed.

"We intend to find the assassin before they succeed!"

"We will not leave your side, Lord Caesar!"

"We will find Brutus!"

"At least they're paying attention in Literature", Yuriko muttered.

Daichi sighed and reached for a box of animal crackers and opened it.

"No Master Daichi! Not yet!"

Hugin hit the cracker away from his mouth using his wing. It hit the ground and he started pecking it.

"What are you doing?!", Daichi asked.

Hugin continued pecking at the cracker while Munin explained.

"You have no idea what was in that thing!"

"The most harmful thing in there is high fructose corn syrup."

"You don't know that!"

"It's on the ingredients label."

"They could be lying to you!"

"They're factory-made, exactly the same as all the others, and distributed all over Japan for everyone to consume."

"They're part of a mass genocide?! Brother! We must go stop them!"

"Right you are Munin! We must stop these manufacturers of harmless animal crackers!"

The two flew out the window towards god-knows-where. Daichi sighed, picked up another cracker from the box, and ate it.

"But seriously, thanks Iselin. I would have been in real trouble if you didn't show up."

Iselin sweated nervously.

"Yeah, I was just at the right place, at the right time… "

Hildr remained silent. Loki, who looked skeptical, approached her.

"You know something about this, don't you?", he asked her.

Hildr quickly shook her head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure… "

Loki changed to his Sherlock and bubble pipe face.

"Alright then, might I ask what you were doing yesterday?"

"What were you doing yesterday seems to be the better question."

"I was busy staying at home because Johei kept on crying about how lonely he was-"

"Hey!"

"And I can't go anywhere without him so I just did Netflix and Chill."

Loki continued interrogating the valkyrie while everyone else was talking.

"So how was your date with Dojima-chan?", Johei asked.

Kazuhiko shrugged.

"It was nice, we caught up with each other at Shigure's."

Yuriko began to feel very uncomfortable at the very mention of Nanako. Iselin took notice.

"Wait a second… are you what I think you are?"

Yuriko turned to Iselin.

"N-no I'm not!"

"I didn't even say anything yet"

Iselin plopped herself into the seat next to Yuriko and sling her arm around her.

"C'mon! You can tell momma bear! I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff!"

Yuriko looked uncomfortable under Iselin's arm, so uncomfortable that she didn't even choose to grope her even though the proximity was perfect. Johei sighed and picked up his stuff.

"Welp, I'm going home. I want to make the most of our suicide free time to the fullest."

Everyone waved goodbye to him as he left. Some time later, Kazuhiko decided it was time to leave as well. This left Yoichi, Mikan, Yuriko, Iselin, and Daichi in the classroom with their respective Persona. Hildr inched towards Sieglinde.

"So", she started

"You feeling talkative?"

Sieglinde sat herself down.

"Oh, you wouldn't know the half of it! When my sweet little Yuriko ojoh-chan saw him with that other girl-"

"S-Sieglinde! Don't tell her!", Yuriko suddenly said to her Persona.

"Oho, what have we here?"

Iselin suddenly scooted towards Sieglinde.

"Mind telling me what those thoughts were?"

Yuriko couldn't take any more of this.

"Say, Daichi-senpai, who was that girl you were hanging out with last week? How was your date?"

Iselin stopped interrogating Sieglinde and turned around.

"He… he what?"

Daichi gave Yuriko a confused look.

"I don't recall ever going out on a da-"

"But you've been on dates with so many other girls that you forgot?", Yuriko said as she covered his mouth.

"W-WHAT?!"

Iselin's body turned pale and her soul started slipping out of her mouth.

"This is the end for me… don't make too much of a fuss… "

"Aw, I wanted to hear the gossip", Hildr said.

Yuriko wiped her brow and swiftly ran out of the classroom with Sieglinde. Yoichi and Mikan were now the only ones talking.

"How can you work like that all the time?", Yoichi asked

"I mean, I worked as a doorman, but the other jobs looked pretty tough!"

Mikan shrugged.

"I guess I just got used to it."

"And your employer, what's up with him? He begged me to stay when I left for the day."

Flashback

"Please! Don't leave! I'll give you a 50% raise! I'll give you health insurance! I'll even let you take vacation days! Just please don't go!"

Flashback End

"Yeah, we're pretty short on hands at the moment, he always gets like that around this time of year."

The two chatted for a while before eventually leaving.

Meanwhile…

"*sigh* not even my usual remedy works."

Yuriko was outside of the girls' locker room, watching the girls on the track team change into their (sexy) uniforms. She usually came here whenever something was on her mind, but now, it didn't help at all.

"What should I do?"

"Ojoh-chan, you're still young; You'll have many other chances with many other people. It's not the end of the world if you fail once."

She sighed again and rested on the window sill.

"Hey, could ya scoot over? I want to get a good look."

"Yeah, sure- wait, WHAT?!"

Yuriko turned around and saw Johei leaning on the window sill.

"Yo", he replied to her.

"What are you doing here?! This is the girls' side! No peeking!"

"But, isn't that what you're doing?"

"I-I am not! I just happen to be inspecting the fitness of the track team! Yes, that's right!"

Johei just looked back through the window.

"Whatever; I know you're lying anyways. Hey, Loki, can you get some pictures?"

"And what are you two doing here?", a voice said to them.

The two perverts jumped five feet into the air and noticed Minako with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised.

"Um, well, we, uh", Yuriko stuttered.

"Nice going, she won't be suspicious at all", Loki said to Yuriko.

Sieglinde smacked the back of Loki's head.

"Don't you talk that way to my daughter, you imbecile!"

"And here I thought Skadi and Hildr were the only ones to hit me… "

"We were just, uh, having some heart-to-heart time!", Johei blurted out.

"Nice save, bro!"

*SMACK*

"WHAT-"

"-are you doing here, Minako nee-san?"

Johei quickly covered Yuriko's mouth with his hand. Minako, however, blushed.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your time", Minako said.

"I was just looking around for you so we could catch up. How about it, then? You and your girlfriend at Shigure's? My treat?"

Yuriko glared at Johei and he quickly took a hint.

"Uh, actually, Yuriko-chan here's waiting for a couple of her friends, so she won't be able to join. I can come along though."

Minako looked happy and they both left.

"I am going to so kill him later", Yuriko muttered.

Kazuhiko POV

He was waiting at a table at Shigure's with Tyr when Minako came in with Johei.

"Here they come", Tyr said.

They all sat down at his table and placed their orders.

"It's really nice to be able to catch up after all this time, nee-san", Kazuhiko said.

Minako nodded.

"I see you two have made some friends as well. Johei definitely has a way with the ladies, though."

Kazuhiko raised his eyebrow.

"Long story, I'll tell you later", Johei told him.

Minako pulled up her purse.

"Oh, that reminds me, I have something that I'm not sure about. Could you help me out?", Minako asked.

Both boys nodded.

"Sure, nee-san, we'd be glad to help you out"

Minako smiled and brought out a familiar looking QR card from her purse. It was reflective and had a faint mark of chains around it.

"Do you two know anything about this?"


Aaaaaaand we are BACK! It's so great to just come back to you guys when I have the free time. Once again, thanks so much for your guys' support on this story. Answers for some reviewers from the last chapter, no my grandfather was not killed during the 9/11 attacks, I was just using it similar to that one scene in Family Guy Star Wars. Peter: "Why thank you, this Millenium Falcon was my cousin Louie's. He died of Leukemia. How do you feel now?" Anyways, please leave a review for this story, it always puts a smile on my face to know that you guys are still reading this. So Minako knows about the Mirror Dimension. HOW?! And before Nanako, too! What's gonna happen to the dynamic duo next? Well, I'm still working on that. I'll talk to you guys next time! See ya!


Persona: OLP Bloopers

Let's just say that this is a movie being filmed; Keep in mind that some characters will be OOC

Minako: What are you two doing?

Johei: Um, we were, uh, just, uh, y'know…

Minako: *gasp* don't tell me you two were

(she puts her finger into a loop created by the other hand)

Johei turns pale

Yuriko: Oh, what you actin' so shy for? Of course we were doing that!

(Yuriko stretches her leg up to Johei's shoulder)

Johei: W-WHAT THE SHIT ARE YOU DOING?!

(Yuriko and Minako can't stop laughing while Johei gets a massive nosebleed)

(-)

Hildr: I have no idea what you're talking about

Loki: Sure…

(puts up "worth it" face)

Hildr: You've got the wrong one

Loki: Wait, really? Oh crap.

(puts up Yaoi comic front page)

Hildr: snrk! Hahaha!

Iselin: Oh yeah, sure, "Netflix and Chill!"

Loki: Wait, how'd that get here?!

(-)

Yuriko: H-hey, Kaz-senpai! Didn't know you were here!

Kazuhiko: Uh…

(Nanako closes her eyes and suddenly stands up)

Nanako: There is only one explanation for your presence her, Yuriko Ikebukoro!

Yuriko and Kazuhiko stay silent.

Nanako: Now, reveal your true feelings! Your true feelings… about me!

(Kazuhiko looks stunned, but Yuriko plays along)

Yuriko: N-nanako-senpai, whenever I see you… my heart flutters ever so slightly… whenever I look at your picture on my phone… I can't help but just think of… of touching myself in ways…

(Kazuhiko slams his head on the table while laughing. Nanako stops looking serious and covers her face)

Dangstaboy (director): Oh God, Yuriko! Keep it PG-13! Think of the children! The children!

(-)

(Minako reaches into her purse; Johei and Kazuhiko gulp)

Minako: What do you boys think… OF THIS?!

(She pulls out a Persona: OLP; Dancing Stage Light release poster, coming out November twenty-never)

Kazuhiko: AH! MY EYES!

Johei: NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Minako: Huh? Whoops, sorry, got the wrong one. I meant THIS!

(pulls out Mirror Dimension QR code)

Kazuhiko: Oh, was that it? That's not too bad.

Johei: Yeah, I'm cool with this.

(Everyone starts laughing)

Johei: Yeah, we'll just tell you all about it!

Minako: I know, right?!