Chapter 42
Warm-up; Something I need to do
June 28, 2021; Friday
After school
Shigure's Restaurant
The two boys and their respective Persona were sent into a state of shock. Minako set the QR card down on the table and rested her head on her hand.
"I'll take that as a yes. Now, I want a few answers from you. Don't worry, you're not in trouble"
"Yeah, like we're gonna believe that", Loki said aloud.
He earned a glare from Minako.
"Oh… yeah… right… "
A sweat drop formed on the boys' heads and they turned back to their older sister. Kazuhiko scratched the back of his head.
"Alright, you've got us. But we're not doing anything wro-"
"I never said you were. On the contrary, I believe that you might actually be helping."
Minako took a sip of her tea and set the glass down.
"But still, it's dangerous business, and that's why I'm here talking to the both of you."
The boys gulped and more silence followed.
"Now then", Minako started as she pulled out a piece of paper.
"I want you to write down the names of all the members in you group, including what year they are in."
Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow as he took the paper.
"Why do you want us to do this?"
Minako sighed and sat back.
"I hoped you wouldn't ask cause it's a pain to explain it, but I guess you two still are the same two kids that I know and care about."
"It's to sign you up to be a part of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES for short. Right now, you all are too inexperienced for this. That's why we need every single one of your members to back out now and let the professionals handle it. This doesn't mean that your powers won't go to waste, though. You'll be training with top-notch veterans who have gone through the same things you have and act as reserve members when we need you."
Kazuhiko looked at the paper, then at his older sister.
"You mean there's more of us out there?"
Minako smiled.
"Yup! Tons of 'em! They're all trained and ready to bust some Shadows!"
Then, Kaz looked over to his friend who shrugged.
"Can I talk in private for a moment?", he asked Minako.
Minako nodded.
"Sure. This isn't something that can be rushed, anyways."
He nodded in thanks and pulled Johei outside.
"So what do you think of this offer?", Kazuhiko asked Johei.
Johei looked skeptical.
"I'm not sure; Part of me wants to take the chance. We won't have to put ourselves in danger and the pros might do a better job than we can. Plus, Nee-san seems to want us to do it… "
"I'm sensing a 'but' here"
Johei nodded.
"The other part of me doesn't want to take the offer. That bastard Shiroe started this fight, and I want to end it. Letting somebody else do this might prove to be the better idea, but I can't just stand back and let someone take my job from me, y'know?"
Kaz folded his arms and sighed.
"They're both compelling arguments. After all, we just got Yuriko on the team; She may prove to be strong, but I can't tell what I'll do if one of you guys die. There's just too much at risk."
Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't like taking any of the choices, but I will follow you, whatever decision you make, Kaz. I'm sure everyone else will too."
"Stalker", Loki said.
Johei glared at his Persona while Tyr shook his head.
"Not now, Loki."
Johei then proceeded back into the restaurant and left Kazuhiko alone with his Persona.
"Hey Tyr, anything like this happened to you before?"
Tyr leaned on the side of the building with his user.
"Yes, actually. It was during the binding of Fenrir, when the Gods were afraid of the Wolf becoming too powerful to control. They devised a plan to use the rope Gleipnir to tie him to a tree forever. The plan was to trick him into thinking that it was a test of his strength, but we would leave him there once the rope held."
"There was a catch, however. He only agreed to be tied up if one of us placed their hand in his mouth. If our promises of a challenge were true and we would let him go afterwards, the owner of that hand would have nothing to fear. But we ended up tricking him. And so I lost my hand."
Kaz looked up at his Persona who was staring at his robotic hand. Tyr sighed and turned to his user.
"You're trying to see what my past doings can help you decide, aren't you?"
Kaz nodded.
"It's like I'm in the same position as you were. I can sacrifice my motive and everyone else's to get the job done and we'd all be safe, or I can risk all our lives by taking on Shiroe ourselves."
"If I may add on that", Tyr started
"It didn't matter what I did to bind Fenrir; he broke out of those bonds many ages later. Thus, we all died on Ragnarok. True, I saved all the Gods a good deal of time, but the end result was the same as we had feared. Sometimes, I wished that I would have kept my mouth shut when he called for someone to place their hand in his mouth. Maybe then, we would have had a fighting chance against him if we all fought against him together. At least, I wouldn't have lost my hand for no good reason."
Tyr turned back to Kazuhiko.
"But that doesn't mean that the latter decision is the right one. You just have to do what's best for the group. That's why they made you the leader, after all."
Kazuhiko smiled and nodded.
"Thanks for the talk, Tyr. I've made my decision."
(-)
"I'm sorry, Minako Nee-san, but we can't take this offer. We all made a vow to finish this ourselves and we're not going back on our word."
Minako smiled at the two boys.
"Well, I guess some of the higher-ups owe me money. I didn't think that you would take the offer. The other two groups didn't until after they solved everything themselves."
She stood up from the table and placed some money on the table.
"Well, I'll leave you alone now. Good luck you two!"
They waved goodbye to her as she left the restaurant, then stopped to chat.
"Should we tell everyone else about this?", Johei asked.
Kaz shrugged.
"I might tell them, but not now. We've already got a lot on our plate as it is."
(-)
Matsuhito Hotel; Kazuhiko's Room
Evening
"Yeah, that's the plan so far, Yuriko-san", Kazuhiko spoke into his phone.
"Really? Great! I'll get something with me on Sunday!"
After hanging up, Kaz put his phone onto his desk. He landed onto his bed on his back and closed his eyes.
"Kazuhiko? I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Mhm? What's up?", he replied without opening his eyes.
Tyr sat down on the bed next to him.
"I don't know if this happens to you, since we're Persona and User I thought we might be linked, but I'm not sure if that actually works since it never happened to me-"
"Just get to the point, Tyr."
Tyr let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, did you ever see any of my dreams?"
Kaz shook his head.
"No, I don't. Are any of the dreams getting to you, though? I've been through the same thing. It helps to talk about it."
Tyr nodded.
"Well, these dreams are a continuation of the visions I keep having. See, I constantly dream of this young boy; his features, I can't make out, but I felt like I had a strong connection to him."
"I cared a great deal about him, and he to myself. I watched over him as he grew older, but, for some reason, he vanished. I looked all over for him and I couldn't find him anywhere. Then, I noticed that I was in a place that I never recognized. Everything was white, and I couldn't see a living soul for miles."
"I tried walking around, but there proved to be nothing in the place. It was completely empty, except for me."
Kazuhiko was now sitting upright, his eyes open.
"And then?"
"Just when I was about to give up, I woke and the dream ended."
Kaz laid back on the bed, his hands behind his head.
"That seems pretty complicated, I'll say that. I have no idea what it means. Are you sure this isn't a memory from your past life?"
Ty nodded.
"Yes, there were many things that did not fit in my past lifetime. I do have the notion though… "
"That what?"
"... never mind, I don't want to trouble you."
"Tyr, at this point, we're more than just User and Persona. We're friends. You know that you can tell me anything and I wouldn't think any less of you."
After a long time, Tyr sighed.
"I… guess. It seemed strange to me, but the child seemed to remind me of you."
Another long silence. Then, Kaz spoke.
"Tyr, I don't know what you're truly thinking right now, but let me tell you this. I will never leave you, even if it means dying. And if you were to leave, I'd do anything to try and get you back."
Tyr smiled.
"Thank you, Kazuhiko. I think I might sleep better tonight, thanks to you."
"Glad to help". Kaz said as he laid back down on his bed and promptly fell asleep.
Tyr continued to lean on the wall until he was enveloped by the hands of sleep as well.
(-)
Same time
Dojima Household; Nanako's Room
"Yeah, they didn't take the offer. I'll go report to Mitsuru-san the next time she's back from her meetings and conferences"
Nanako nodded.
"So I'm guessing I'm gonna be laying low for now?"
"That would be the case. Regardless of what they decided, we still need to keep tabs on them in case someone gets hurt. I'll see you tomorrow, Dojima-chan."
Nanako ended the call and sprawled out on her bed. Just when she thought she could come clean, Minako-sensei had delivered the bad news.
"*sigh*, and I was so intent on finally meeting everybody… "
"Don't worry, Toyotama, we'll get into the group eventually."
"I know, it's just that… well, I'm kind of afraid… "
"Afraid of what?", Nanako asked.
"If it's that Loki guy, I won't let him do anything to you. I'm pretty sure that Skadi and Hildr will make sure of that too."
"No, it's not that", Toyotama replied.
"I just think that… well, I'll never get to see who I am. I'm afraid I may be invisible forever."
Nanako jumped out of bed and shook her head.
"Whoa whoa whoa! What are you doing, thinking like that? Of course you'll be visible! I'll make sure of it!"
Nanako could hear sniffing coming from Toyotama.
"That's… that's really sweet coming from you, Nanako. You're like the bigger sister I never had."
Nanako smiled.
"Well, what can I say? I guess Big Bro rubbed off onto me a little."
"While we're on the subject… could I call you Big Sis?"
Nanako nodded.
"Sure you can! Never thought that I'd be called that, though."
"Nanako, I'm home!", a voice called from downstairs.
"Oh, it's Dad!"
Nanako dashed down the stairs to warmly welcome her father from work. Toyotama, meanwhile stayed inside the room.
"Big Sis… heh, never thought I'd be saying that… "
(-)
June 30, 2021; Sunday
Mirror Dimension
"Alright then, this is the place where we'll be training", Kazuhiko said as he showed Yuriko Niflheim.
A cold feeling went up the pinkette's back as she looked at the tower that could have very well been her doom.
"Ojoh-chan, there's nothing to be scared of now. I'm here with you", Sieglinde said to her user.
Yuriko nodded and took deep breaths.
"Okay, let's do this!"
Everyone took out their weapons from the duffel bags that they had. Johei was in the middle of sharpening his spear when…
"Wait, did you seriously bring that?"
Johei pointed to Yuriko who brought a scythe. Yuriko nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep! It was just hanging around on the shelves at the metalsmiths shop and I thought it looked cool, so I bought it! Whaddya think?"
Johei rubbed his temples.
"Okay, the whole purpose of bringing a weapon is to defend yourself, not look cool, Yuriko. Kaz, should we take her back to the shop and get her something different?"
Kaz shook his head.
"Nah, it's fine. She can use it."
Johei raised his eyebrow and turned back to his pink-haired underclassman.
"Okay then, little miss Ruby. How about a deal? You and me! One on one! No Persona! If you lose, you'll have to return that back to the shop!"
"And if I win?"
"Ah, what the hell. You're not gonna win anyway. Say what, I'll treat you to some Korean barbeque when we get back!"
"Deal!", Yuriko exclaimed as she whipped out her scythe.
She swung it in a crescent slash on both sides of her and executed a butterfly kick while slashing with her scythe in mid-air, landing with her feet sprawled out in a wide stance and her scythe held in under-hand position. Johei's eyes were wide open and was sweating bullets.
"Hey, Johei, can I get in on this bet too?", Kazuhiko asked.
"Hildr, get the camera. I want to remember this moment", Skadi whispered to her friend.
"Already on it! I don't wanna forget this either!", Loki said as he put his screen on video mode.
"My my, it's so nice to have some friendly competition!", Sieglinde said as she wore a 'Yuriko is #1!' T-shirt.
Later…
Yuriko wrenched her scythe out of the head of a shadow she had just demolished.
"Man, that feels liberating!"
Kazuhiko chuckled.
"Yeah, finally using a Persona does that to you."
Meanwhile, Johei was lagging behind the group in a blank stupor.
"My wallet… completely gone… in a matter of seconds… "
"Well, that's what you get for what you did", Iselin said.
"And what did I do exactly?"
Iselin brought her finger to her lip.
"Well, you did do… actually, never mind. This may be the only time you didn't deserve something."
Daichi pulled out his phone.
"Should we head back now? I feel like we've let Yuriko have enough training for today."
Kazuhiko wiped his forehead of sweat and checked the time.
"Good idea, Daichi. Plus, we already made some decent progress, so I'd call today a success."
"Yuriko, you were awesome out there!", Mikan said to her.
Yuriko sheepishly scratched the back of her head.
"Thanks, sorry I can't use a lot of offensive skills, though."
"Sieglinde doesn't seem to learn any elemental skills in the future; mostly healing and buffers", Mimir said after doing a quick scan.
"She can learn physical attacks, though. I guess we should switch you in during boss fights if any of us need healing or a status boost", Yoichi concluded.
Yuriko nodded and stole a glance to Kazuhiko, who was sharing an energy drink with Johei. Suddenly filled with determination, she strode over to them.
"Don't worry, man. I help you take the brunt of the fee", Kaz told his prankster friend.
"*sigh* thanks. I don't get why I always have the bad luck."
"*ahem* Sukima-senpai?", Yuriko asked.
Kaz turned to Yuriko. Suddenly, Yuriko felt a sudden pang of anxiety as all of Kaz's attention was placed on her.
"Yes? What's up?"
"Uh… um… well… I uh… "
Kaz tilted his head in confusion.
"Is something wrong? Do you feel exhausted?"
Yuriko's fidgeting violently rose until she couldn't take it anymore.
"I… I- UWAAAAAAAAH!"
She suddenly rushed down the hall, hiding her face in embarrassment. Kaz, however, looked even more confused.
"Was she just in a hurry to get back?"
Johei gulped down the rest of his Boost drink and crushed the can.
"Probably looking forward to that barbeque that I owe her. *sigh* goodbye my savings."
"Jeez, Johei, I told you I'll pay for it."
(-)
Maru-Q Korean BBQ
"Ah! That hit the spot!", Yuriko said as she finished her food.
Johei sighed as he downed the last of his Miso soup.
"Well, I guess this wasn't a total waste. Thankfully, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, so we only had to pay entrance fee. Don't know why you guys had to come, though."
The rest of the team were sitting at a table right next to them.
"Well, since Kaz was paying, we thought 'what the heck?'", Iselin said as she put down her chopsticks.
"Master Daichi, this remarkable flavor… it just rejuvenates my body!", Hugin cawed.
"It is more delectable than the apples of Idunn!"
"Yeah, Korean barbeque is pretty good, but it's pretty fattening if you don't watch what you eat", he said as he picked up some lean beef from the grill in the middle of the table.
Yoichi sat back and closed his eyes.
"We have got to do this more often… "
"Oh hell no! You did NOT just say that!", Johei said as he pointed his finger at Yoichi.
"I almost went bankrupt because of this!"
"I paid 80% of it; you still could have afforded it even if I didn't", Kazuhiko said as he browsed through his phone, not looking up.
Yuriko leaned on the table, scooting a bit closer to Kazuhiko.
"Man, I just love it when a guy pays for a lady's meal."
"Well, technically speaking, I'm paying for the whole group's meal", Kaz replied.
However, Johei took the hint and broke open his wallet.
"I'M PAYING FOR EVERYTHING!"
"I still already paid, Johei."
(-)
After saying goodbye to everyone, Kaz was walking back to the hotel, only to be joined by Yuriko, who said that she was on the way to pick something up.
"Okay, then", was all he replied.
The walk was quite silent, neither one of them saying anything to each other. Finally, Yuriko broke the ice.
"So, uh, how do you like it here?"
"It's… interesting to say the least."
"Really? How so?"
Kazuhiko pointed behind him.
"Oh… right."
Okay then, if I can't start a normal conversation, I should try getting closer to the point!, she thought.
"So, any relationships so far?"
Kaz scratched his chin.
"Well, as a matter of fact, yes."
Yuriko dead-panned at the revelation.
He's… he's already taken?
"Well then, who?", she asked.
Kaz closed his eyes.
"Um, well, it's hard to recall when you have so many."
W-wow, I didn't know that he was this popular with the ladies
"So many all at once, that is."
W… WHAT?! Senpai, you man-whore!
Behind them, Tyr sighed.
"It truly is such a shame that he can't see what's happening."
"Mhm!", Sieglinde humphed as she threw away a sign saying 'Notice me!'
"I mean, I'm not dating anyone, but I have a lot of responsibilities to others."
Yuriko quickly let out an anticipated breath of air.
Phew, I thought he was just two-timing the heck out of everybody…
Kazuhiko noticed Yuriko's distress and calmly smiled as patted her on the head.
"Don't worry, you'll always be special to me."
Yuriko suddenly blushed as she felt physical contact from her crush.
"Well, this is my stop. See you tomorrow!", Kaz said as he walked into the hotel.
Meanwhile…
Nanako was walking around, enjoying her Sunday.
"Man, I should really take breaks more often!", she said.
"Yep! You seem to be more chipper than usual, Nanako-nee!"
As she walked down the road, she caught a glimpse of Kazuhiko.
"Oh it's Kaz! Hey Besti-"
Then, she saw him patting the head of a pink-haired girl, who was blushing profusely.
"W-w-what?"
He went into the hotel, leaving the girl by herself. The girl then skipped away in cheerful spirits. Nanako, however, fell to her knees and clutched her head.
"How did I not see this coming?! Of course he would choose a cute pink-haired girl over a country bumpkin like me!"
"Ah! Nanako-nee! Don't be sad! I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding! Nanako-nee?! NANAKO-NEE!"
(-)
July 1, 2021; Monday
Kyuto High; Room 2-B
(Morning)
Kazuhiko was talking with Johei until the bell rang and went back into his seat.
"Dude, I'm telling you this thing I'm working on will blow your mind!", Johei said enthusiastically.
Kaz nodded his head and took out his textbook. Suddenly, the door opened up and the class representative stood up out of his desk.
"Alright, everyone! Stand!"
The rest of the classroom stood up to face the teacher, but there was something new. The representative, however, didn't miss a beat.
"And bow!"
After Kaz looked up to see the teacher, he recognized the face.
"Morning, everyone! Mr. Ozuma had a new contract with another school, so your principal decided to hire me as your new homeroom teacher! My name is Ms. Arisato and I hope we get along well together!"
Immediately, everyone started talking at once amongst themselves. Johei, however, was beside himself with joy.
"Oh. My. God. This is going to be the best year ever!"
Johei looked at Kazuhiko with a new ray of light in his eyes.
"With Nee-san as the teacher, we can actually take it easy! She won't be as strict as Ozuma and everything!"
"Really?!", Iselin asked.
"You mean I don't have to do homework if I tell her I know you guys?"
Then, in that moment, a piece of chalk whisked past Johei's eyes, cut off some strands of his hair, ricocheted off the wall, then the ceiling, and dissipated upon impact with Iselin's desk in a pile of dust. They slowly turned towards the front of the classroom to see Minako's arm outstretched.
"I'll also have you all know that I am not a pushover; your previous teacher merely improvised the chalk-throwing technique to suit his arthritis, however I trained for two years to perfect my stance, aiming, and speed. I will only warn you once: this is not a time to slack off."
Johei and Iselin started sweating intensely while Daichi casually sipped on some strawberry milk.
"Guess that serves you two right."
(-)
The students were listening in on Minako's lecture while taking notes. Usually around this time, the Persona would talk outside the classroom, as to not disturb their users.
"Who is this lady that Johei claims to know?", Hildr asked the group.
"Apparently, it's Johei's and Kazuhiko's figurative older sister. They're not related by blood, though", Tyr answered.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. She also knows what we're doing, but is only aware of Kaz and Johei doing it", Loki added.
This perked the interest of the Valkyrie and the Crows.
"What? She knows of our presence?", Hugin asked.
"There must be a traitor in our midst!", Munin exclaimed.
"And I have a clear idea of who it is!"
The crows disappeared into the classroom while the remaining Persona looked amongst themselves.
"Should we go stop them?", Tyr asked.
Hildr shook her head.
"Nah, I want to enjoy the few times they provide humor."
In the classroom…
"It was you all along!", Munin said as he grabbed Johei's shoulder.
His brother was grabbing the other shoulder as well.
"You shall face divine punishment for your betrayal!"
Amazingly, nobody paid any mind to the occurrence that was happening; To the regular non-Persona-user eye, the shoulders of Johei's uniform seemed to be floating upwards while he himself was desperately trying to stay seated. Finally, Tyr stepped in and ushered the crows back outside.
Minako, who was writing on the chalkboard gave out a sigh of relief.
"Good riddance. They were getting hard to ignore."
Back in the Hallways…
"No, there are no traitors!", Loki told the crows.
"Are you sure?"
"You might be in league with them!"
"Down with the insurgency!"
The crows attacked Loki who constantly tried to push them away while Tyr and Hildr were talking.
"Wait, so you said that she can see us?"
Tyr nodded.
"Apparently so."
"But wouldn't she need a Persona to see us?"
"That is true… I'm still unsure whether she's a special case, or has a Persona she hasn't introduced yet."
"Oh, Minako-san does have a Persona. It's me", a voice popped up behind them.
Tyr jumped, clearly startled and turned around to see a metallic Persona with a heart shaped harp on her back, light chestnut hair, and a golden torso.
"My name is Eurydice. Pleased to meet you."
"And I'm pleased to ask you out on a date, good-lookin'!", Loki suddenly said before said harp was embedded into his face.
"Huh, I like her already", Hildr said.
"I merely came here to explain any questions you may have", Eurydice explained
"Although some questions I am not at liberty to answer."
"Fair enough", Tyr said.
"Who exactly is your user, and how is she involved in all of this?"
"She, like you all, had a group that underwent similar circumstances and fought against the supernatural. As for the specifics, that is confidential. However, I will say that the majority of the group is planning on gathering many Persona users together to help with the combatment of rising Shadow threats."
Hildr pondered on her thoughts before asking a follow-up question.
"And what would this group gain? I don't mean to be rude, but surely there must be some goal in mind?"
"So far, the only clear target is to prevent more people from getting hurt like the cases of Apathy Syndrome. Besides that, my uppers have not spoken a word on the matter."
Hildr narrowed her eyes on that note.
"Hm… I'm not sure if I trust you yet… "
Ty tried to diffuse the situation, but Eurydice ended it with a shrug.
"And I didn't ask you to trust me; Like I said, I'm only here to answer your questions. Whether you believe my answers is up to you."
With that, Eurydice turned around and made her way through the school, attempting to familiarize herself in the new environment. Tyr and Hildr looked at each other, mentally communicating on what to do.
"Should we go tell the others?", Tyr asked.
Hildr shrugged.
"She'll probably run into them later. For now, though, we should take caution in what we do. Something tells me that there's a hidden agenda… "
Tyr nodded.
"However, we have more pressing matters at hand; mainly them"
Loki appeared to have the upper advantage, butting the heads of the crows together in a three stooges fashion, but Hugin head-butted Loki in the stomach while his brother settled on the prankster's stomach, pecking at his monitor.
"Maybe we should call Skadi?"
"I concur."
(-)
"Well then, if you need me, I'll be upstairs, outside of Mika-san and Yoichi-kun's classroom", Skadi said after beating the birds and trickster into submission.
They waved goodbye to the Persona of their users' senpai and walked back into the classroom. Kaz stole a glance up to Tyr and wrote down a message to him.
"Everything alright out there?"
"Yes, fortunately Skadi was able to stop the fighting; I never knew that fire could put out fire"
After the lecture had ended, the bell rang for lunch. Kaz stood up and walked out into the hallways to see the crows and Loki on the ground, beaten to a pulp.
"The usual?"
"Yep"
"I feel like Jon Snow dying in Game of Thrones… ", Hugin moaned
"I want to get an ice-pack, but I'm afraid it'll remind me of the ice queen… ", Munin cried as he tried to pull himself out of the wall.
"*sigh* You guys actually kind of deserve this. You know that, right?", Daichi said as he stepped out to see the damage.
Johei brushed the shoulders of his shirt and groaned when he found freshly poked holes in them.
"Welp, looks like I gotta stop by the Junes on the way home. Loki, let's get going, I'm starved!"
Loki floated out of the crater he was in and followed Johei to the student store. Kazuhiko looked at his boxed lunch that he made the night before and looked around.
"Hm, I wonder who I should invite to have lunch with me… Maybe Nanako."
He turned to Nanako's desk to see her in really low spirits.
"Yeah, she looks like she needs cheering up."
He walked over to her desk and cleared his throat. Nanako slowly looked up at him.
"Hey, you were looking pretty down, so I thought I might as well share some of my lunch with you."
Tears were streaming down Nanako's face as she gladly accepted.
"Bestie… even though you're dating someone else, you still find time for me… "
"Huh? Sorry, what was that?"
"Uh, nothing! So, what did you make?"
(-)
"Wow! You really know how to make a killer katsudon!", Nanako exclaimed after they finished the food.
Kaz smiled and nodded in thanks.
"So, what's up? Anything going on with you lately?"
Nanako shrugged.
"Well, I'm just still getting used to the city life. Yesterday, I was hanging around at the mall to kill time and I found some awesome stuff on sale at the shopping center."
"I'm guessing it was something Loveline related", Kazuhiko muttered to himself, which Nanako promptly heard him and took out a paperback book to punish him.
After making her put down her copy of Sense and Sensibility, they continued on with their chatter until they got to the topic of her father.
"Dad's really busy around this time. He's working on a case regarding the recent suicides. It's just pretty scary. I hope he's okay… "
Kazuhiko then looked struggled, much to Nanako's curiosity.
"Are you okay?"
Kaz nodded.
Yeah, I'm fine. By the way, did I ever tell you that I'm kinda working on that particular case too?, he thought to himself.
"Well, he is a police officer, after all. He chooses to do this to make everyone safe. It's what I really admire about him."
Nanako smiled.
"Yeah, but I hope he still has time to come home… "
Kazuhiko started to sense more of a story behind his childhood friend. Perhaps there was something he never knew about Nanako that he didn't hear before…
"Dojima-san? May I have a word with you please?", a voice called from the classroom door.
They both turned around to see Minako in the doorway. Nanako nodded and got up.
"Sorry, I gotta go. Maybe we can talk more the next time we hang out, alright?"
Kaz smiled.
"Sure. I'd like that."
The two shared a smile before time seemed to stop. A tarot card appeared before Kaz's eyes as a voice called out to him.
I art Thou, Thou art I
Thou hast established a new bond
It shall be the Justice carried out for those who suffer from despair
I present to thee the Justice Arcana
The card disappeared from his sight and time began to go fluid once more. After blinking several times, Kaz realized that Nanako had already left to talk with his older sister.
"Well, at least I didn't make myself look like an idiot again."
"Indeed, although you might want to avert your gaze", Tyr told him.
"Hm?"
Kaz focused on his line of vision and noticed a girl who was glaring at him.
"Hey! Buddy! Eyes are up here!"
(-)
In the Hallway
"I've already confirmed the situation; they're the current Persona users of this age", Minako told Nanako.
"Not only that, but they're involved with the string of suicides happening recently. Additionally, they access their shadow world through this."
Minako brought out a holographic card with a QR code on it. Nanako flipped it over a couple times.
"However, they denied the offer to becoming a part of SEES, so I'll report to Mitsuru once she comes back from her mission."
Nanako nodded.
"Then, what should I do?", she asked
"Should I try and get into their group and report back to you?"
Minako shook her head.
"No, it's too dangerous for you. Not only has Toyotama not materialized into a physical form, but you lack the Persona co-op training."
This shocked the young school girl; She came to Nuzoko with hopes to finally prove herself, but now it yielded no results?! She couldn't take this, there must be some way.
"Please, Minako-senpai! Just give me a chance to prove myself! I really need to get onto SEES!"
Minako gave her an apologetic sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Nanako-san, I'm sorry, but you know I can't do that. Giving you authorization could get you hurt or even killed. I already suffered losing one friend, but I'm not going to let another die if I can help it."
Nanako stood there for a few moments, not saying a single word. Then, Toyotama spoke up.
"Minako-senpai, if I may, I believe that Nanako-nee is really strong already. Besides that, Kazuhiko-kun and Tyr-kun are just as inexperienced as we are. If we were to stay with them at all times we could be more tha-"
She was suddenly cut off by Eurydice.
"No, even if you were able to join their ranks, there is still the risk of you getting hurt without the proper treatment. And what if they found out you were affiliated with us? Minako-san and I already respected their agreement to stay out of their business, but if they think we sent you to spy on them, that would destroy any bonds you had with Kazuhiko. Besides, we still have to keep our promises to Narukami-san and Izanagi-kun."
Nanako looked defeated and stared at the ground. Toyotama fell silent as well. Minako, having a feeling of pity, pulled her kouhai into a warm embrace.
"Don't worry, there will be other times. Just not now."
After seeing that Nanako returned the hug, Minako nodded and walked to the teacher's lounge.
"I'll be open after school if you still feel like talking", she called out.
Nanako nodded and walked over to the bathrooms. Checking around to see if anyone was around, she opened one of the stalls and pulled out something from her pocket.
"Mirror Dimension Navigator, huh? So this is how they get to their shadow world… "
Nanako turned over her shoulder.
"Toyotama, I'm sorry, but this is something that I have to do. I hope you understand."
Instead of receiving criticism, Nanako felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry nee-san. This is something I need to do too. Let's hope for the best."
Aaaaaaaaaaaand we are BACK! Okay guys, you can put away the guns, I posted. HEY! Step away from that button! No, you know very well what that does! Jeez, why did I ever get a WMD button? Oh well, if you haven't realized it, I feel really guilty about not posting for a very long time. Although, I am glad to release this chapter the day that Persona Q2 is released in Japan! Also, just a quick shout-out to shinji257 who recently favorited this story! Happy super late Halloween and a little late Thanksgiving to everyone. Maybe I should all wish you guys a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year while I'm at it; I'm not sure if I'm able to get the next chapter sometime this year, but I sure as hell will try. Thank you all once again for everything you do for me. Also, I finished my college applications! Mentioned that I'm the author of this story, so technically you guys helped out with my college applications too. I feel as if I'm introducing a new character too soon, though, so I might hold off on Nanako joining the group for a little whi- hey! Stay away from that Armageddon button! I swear, I just buy the weirdest crap for Black Friday. Ooh! Speaking of games, break out the champagne for Red Dead Redemption 2! Now break out the guillotine for Fallout 76 and Darksiders 3. So many new games this year with a lot of successes and let-downs, but hopefully our favorite series will live on. Once more, please review as soon as you can, cause they are really important for the progression of this story. Apologies for my lacking of skill in my recent writings, but I was just getting used to writing nonfiction. Just give me a little time and I'll get back to it. But first, here is your omake.
Persona Q: An OLP Spinoff
"I can't go now… there is something I need to do here… "
From dangstaBOI productions…
And partially Atlus…
The Investigation Team is shown gathering together.
"I can't say that I didn't miss you guys, but what gives?", Yosuke asks as the adult P3 cast joins them.
"Well, there is one specific reason", Mitsuru begins
"Or rather… one specific person… "
*BONK*
Okay, mostly Atlus…
The Phantom Thieves are gathered in the P5 Velvet Room.
"You mean it's possible?", Akira asks Igor.
"It's possible to overcome the seal?"
Igor nods.
"Yes, indeed it is so. Thanks to Elizabeth's research, we may be able to save him. Or perhaps, even both of them. But you'll need some help… "
Comes the next title in the Persona: One Last Promise Chronicle…
"Mm… what?"
Camera is shown through Kazuhiko's eyes. He looks around to see a room completely white. Then, in the distance.
"Who… are you… ?"
A boy is shown chained to a large door. He has blue hair and is listening to something on his headphones. The faint yet familiar tune can be heard.
I will burn my dread…
"Took you long enough. Tell Minako-san I said hi."
Persona Q: The Fulfilled Promise
Coming sometime that I have no idea when…
Oh yeah, this might be a real sequel if I ever finish this story. Plus, heads up if you guys didn't know, I changed my display name from dangstaboy to dangstaBOI; I've spent way too much time looking up memes.
