Chapter 51
July 27, 2021; Saturday
Mirror Dimension; Floor 63
(Afternoon)
"Remember, he's counting on us to get him out. Cut him free and give that Shadow hell!"
The main frontliners charged at once, poised to strike the judgement deity and various areas while Mikan, Johei and Yuriko stood by ready to give support and intervene when necessary.
As Daichi charged, he noticed the knife coming down on him and quickly parried it with his sword.
"Give me a hand, you two! Brain Shake!"
"Roger!"
"At once!"
The two crows flew high into the air and dove to headbutt the shadow on both sides. The impact caused Shadow Nanako to waver for a moment; enough time for Iselin jump in and slash her knife through its exposed chest. Seeing nothing inside, she cursed.
"I can't see him from here. Anything on your end, Talking Heads?"
"Nothing, and stop calling me that!", Mimir shot back.
"Thought as much. Whoa!"
The shadow quickly flung Iselin off of its body and opened up its book of love. A shower of energy overwhelmed it's figure as the wound Iselin had slashed open was healed in a matter of seconds.
"The hell? It can regenerate?!" Johei complained.
"Apparently so. Looks like we'll have to cut deeper to get to Kaz!"
Daichi nodded and got ready to charge again with Iselin at his side. Yuriko readied her scythe, prepared to strike at the first sign of an opening.
"C'mon senpai, don't give up… "
Inside the shadow…
Kaz slowly opened his eyes and noticed he was laying down on his back in a corridor of light. Turning his head, he saw Nanako dozing off as she rested his head in her lap.
"Nanako? What's going on?" he asked.
Nanako suddenly woke up and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes.
"Oh, you're finally awake. I thought you'd never come to, Kazu-nii"
She tapped her finger on his forehead and relaxed her tense form.
"Wait, so you're not Nanako, but Toyotama. What happened?"
He tried to sit up, but his body refused to move. Toyotama giggled and helped him sit up straight.
"You were shot, but thankfully, Nanako-nee took you in and I was able to heal you."
At the mere mention of it, Kaz quickly felt around his body for the area where he was shot. Unfortunately, the hole in his clothes remained, as with the bloodstain, but the wound had completely healed as if nothing had happened.
"Wow, no kidding. Thanks. But where are we?"
"We're inside of Nanako-nee's heart. At least, in a metaphorical sense. Follow me."
She stood up and offered her hand to help Kaz stand. Once they were both on their feet. They walked into the distance for some time. Eventually, they found a little girl crying on the ground. Kaz immediately recognized who it was and rushed to help her, but Toyotama held him back.
"You can't help her, Kazu-nii. This is just a memory that has already passed."
Kaz turned from Toyotama to the girl crying on the ground. The girl's never ending stream of tears broke his heart, but now that he was informed, it took every ounce of his strength to hold back.
"Mom… *sniff*... mommy… please come back home… please don't leave me mom… "
Kaz tightened his fist and bit down on his lip until it drew blood, but otherwise remained motionless.
"This is what she felt when her mother died in the accident. It still haunts her to this day. Despite making friends and meeting big bro, she never really got over it."
They continued to walk until they found a version of Nanako that was a little older. She was still crying, but for a different reason.
"Daddy… Big bro… please don't leave me alone again… I want to go home… I want to go home with everyone again… "
"And this was the time when she was kidnapped by Namatame. Thankfully, it died down after Big Bro and her father arrested Adachi-san."
Kaz stared at the younger form of Nanako. This was just before he met her when he moved to Inaba. Even at the time, he never knew about what really happened until she told him years later, but just to see her in this much pain and despair caused his heart to ache once more.
"Come, let's go see the last part of her. The one that's really affecting her now."
Kaz nodded and followed Toyotama until they saw a present-day Nanako on her knees crying.
"Kaz… oh, Kaz please don't die… I'm sorry about everything, bestie. I didn't mean to drag you into this. Please, please let me keep you safe. I've already lost so much, please don't let me lose you too."
"This is what's on her mind right now. She cares for you so much that she's willing to die if you're not here anymore."
A lump grew in Kaz's throat as he saw his best friend shedding tears for his sake. He wanted to wrap her in a tight hug with his arms, to hold her close to his chest while telling her to calm down. Most of all, he wanted to promise her that he would never go anywhere without her. He was sorry for keeping secrets from her, and hiding his dangerous escapades from her. But in his heart, he knew that he couldn't do anything in his current form.
Toyotama turned to Kazuhiko.
"I couldn't clearly read everything about her because she never realized this pain fully herself until now. When I had disappeared, I returned here and I couldn't get out to tell everyone."
She took Kaz's hands into her own and pressed them together.
"Please Kazu-nii, promise me that you'll save her when you get back out there. Right now, the shadows have trapped you inside, but with what power I have right now, I can eject you and you can fight. Don't give up on Nanako-nee, she really needs you right now."
Kaz nodded.
"Alright, I promise, Toyotama. I'll do everything I can to get Nanako out of there. Please, hold on until then."
Toyotama smiled, and the light began to intensify by the second.
"I'll be waiting, Kazu-nii. We both will… "
The intense light suddenly vanished as Kaz noticed he was surrounded by darkness. He tried to draw air into his lungs, but couldn't. As desperate as a drowning man, he clawed his way through the black solid, trying to break free.
"Wait, guys, I sense something over there!" a faint voice from the outside said.
"Yoichi" Kaz thought as he continued.
"Yoichi, can you hear me?"
Kaz shouted. A noise in his head suddenly pinged and connected him to everyone.
"Kaz, there you are. Thank God, I thought we lost you!"
"Hold on, there's not a lot of space so I can't summon Tyr right now. I don't have my sword either."
"Hang tight, Iselin, Daichi and Yuriko are trying to get you out right now."
Kaz continued to dig his way out in the direction of the voices until they grew louder.
"Almost there, guys! He's almost at the surface!"
"Yuriko, now's the time!"
"Got it!"
Just inches away from his eyes, a scythe blade had passed through the wall he was digging at and made a slit that he could get out from. Not wasting a moment, he pulled himself free and landed on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Glad to have you back, partner," Johei said as he pulled Kaz back to his feet.
After getting his sword back, Kaz turned towards the Shadow Nanako.
"NO! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING HE'S SAFE. GIVE HIM BAAAAAACK!"
Nanako's arms started to flail aimlessly about, but it seemed to be lethal enough to cause everyone to steer clear. Kaz pulled out a flash bomb from his pack and threw it in the middle of her path.
*SHING*
The bomb went off before the shadow's eyes, blinding it only for a short while; all that Kaz needed to plan a counter attack.
"Iselin! Daichi! Yuriko! Get rid of her defenses!"
"On it, senpai!"
The three made their way to the gargantuan, Iselin and Daichi cutting off the arms clean off. Yuriko marched in and thin slit in the middle of the body.
"I can see her! Her main body is moving around so you'll have to time it right!"
Kaz stood with his sword at the ready, keeping his eyes on the pulsing object that seemed to flow throughout the entire figure. Then, its movement started to make its way to the slit.
"Now, Kaz!"
"Black Frost! Agilao!"
"HEeehOo!"
"That thing's just freakin' creepy", Johei commented.
Aiming the fire at the slit, as if to cauterize the wound open, the flames sealed the healing process of the shadow as it peeled back. Kaz charged and jumped into the air, raising the blade high above his head and brought it down in one fell swoop to create an opening big enough for himself to enter.
As he dove in, his arms found the limp body of his best friend. Wrapping her close to his body, he jumped out after firing a few more spells on the inside.
"I've got you, Nanako", Kaz said as he turned to everyone else to give the signal.
"Open fire!"
With the combined power of everyone's Persona, the shadow went down like a sack of potatoes, slowly melting away.
"Nanako, are you alright?"
"Wrong person"
"What?"
"Nanako" opened her eyes to reveal yellow irises. She eased herself onto her own feet and looked at the melting shadow. Among the disintegrating muck, Nanako's frame slowly revealed itself, on her knees and looking at the ground.
"Nanako-nee… are you okay?"
Nanako looked up, showing the tears streaming down her face.
"... What was I doing?"
Toyotama knelt down and brought Nanako into an embrace as her surrogate older sister wrapped her arms around her, trying her best to hold back tears. After a few minutes, they both got back up on their feet.
"So do you feel like filling us in on everything? I mean, why you're tryin' to kill this Mitsuru person", Johei asked, propping himself up with his spear.
"It was all really stupid, to be honest", Nanako started
"The information behind my mother's death was a lot for me to shoulder, but to find out that the person I work for was hiding it from me this entire time felt like a betrayal. That, added with Kaz getting shot, I just couldn't contain it anymore."
Daichi crossed his arms and nodded along with her.
"I know that feeling all too well. It's like you've lived your whole life on your feet only to have the carpet pulled from under you and now you have no idea where to go."
"I felt that venting out my anger on Mitsuru-san would somehow make me feel better, but when it boils down to it, I wasn't angry at her, just upset and confused. And now, I don't even know what I feel."
She looked up at everybody and bowed down.
"I'm sorry for causing everyone so much trouble. I lied to you and was irresponsible, which made you all worried about me. I even hurt you when I went berserk from my emotions. For that, I'm really sorry."
Yuriko chuckled nervously to herself.
"Hey, no need to do that. It kinda feels weird being apologized to by a senpai… "
Mikan, however, smiled.
"Come on, Nanako-chan. Of course we forgive you. We've already gone through thick and thin. This isn't gonna make us hate you."
Nanako raised her head and smiled, then turned towards Toyotama.
"Toyotama, I'm sorry to you too. When I got angry, I felt like there wasn't any hope for me left, and that made me reject you. I lost my temper and yelled at you and-"
But she silenced Nanako with another hug.
"I already know all of that, Nanako-nee. After all, I am a part of you."
After letting go, Nanako nodded.
"Alright. I understand. I promise this won't happen again."
Nanako then faces the SPT.
"From what Iselin and Daichi told me, you all are trying to find the person behind the suicide cases lately, right? Well, I'm kind of to blame for Mitsuru-san so I need to pitch in to right my mistake. But after that, I want to be a member officially."
"Are you sure?" Kaz asked.
"It's going to be dangerous. We're risking our lives every time we step in here."
"Of course I'm sure! I can't just walk away once we save Mitsuru-san. I need to find out the person responsible for this. They're bringing out the bad from everyone and feeding off of the despair caused. I wouldn't be able to face my dad if I did nothing about it."
Yoichi chuckled.
"Lie detector shows no spikes in her speech. She's clean," Mimir reported.
"Did you actually doubt her?" Iselin deadpanned.
"Well, this is pretty impromptu, but welcome to the team, Nanako-san!" Johei said as he stuck out his hand.
"I'll help you guys see to it that justice is served!", Nanako said while pumping her fist into the air, completely ignoring Johei.
Johei sighed and put his hand in his pocket.
"And of course she ignores me."
Kaz checked his watch and nodded to the rest of the group.
"Alright guys. It's late, so let's get back to that safe room."
"Gotcha. Let's go Toyotama!... Toyotama?"
Nanako looked behind her, but couldn't find any trace of her reflection anywhere.
"Toyotama? Where'd you go?"
"Ooh! Ooh! She probably disappeared and is turning into a Persona right now!" Loki said as he jumped up and down.
"Come on, Kaz! Can't we stay here for a little longer? I wanna see the new girl show up!"
"Shameless as always, I see", Skadi said, scoffing.
"Truly the scum of the earth", Gertrude added while following Skadi.
"Even I'm seeing a recurring pattern here", Signy said.
"How pitiful"
"Wh-hey, I don't wanna hear that from you birdbrain!"
The Persona continued to bicker while Nanako still looked worried. Thankfully, Kaz patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. She's a part of you, remember? She'll probably show up in a little bit. For now, let's rest up."
"Yeah, I guess you're right… like always… "
"When am I not?"
"Remember that one question that you missed on the midterms last year?"
"You're never gonna let go of that are you?"
As they laughed, the entire team made their way to the safe room.
Nuzoko Mall
(Afternoon)
"Finally! We're back! Man, that felt like we were in there for months!" Johei exclaimed as he stretched.
"Well, we did run into some unexpected events. Couldn't be helped," Mikan said.
"Interesting… never knew there was a world in the mirror… "
Everyone turned to see a relatively young-looking officer staring at them.
"... Shit", Daichi said.
"Okay Gertrude. We're just gonna give hima light concussion… ", Iselin whispered to her Persona.
"Are you sure? He is an authority figure. Won't it look bad if he suddenly faints in front of you guys?"
"Just do it! We're in danger of being exposed!"
Sighing, Gertrude walked over to the officer and attempted to punch the officer's lights out when-
*CLANG*
"Hm?"
A hand made of some type of pure white metal sprouted out from the officer and stopped her fist from coming into contact.
"... It's a Persona user!"
"Shit! Is he one of the Harbingers?! Loki, kick his ass!"
At this moment, Nanako and Kazuhiko stepped out of the mirror only to have their eyes pop out of their heads.
"BIG BRO?!"
"Narukami-san?!"
The officer took off his hat to show silver-gray hair and a warm smile and pair of eyes.
"Hey you two! Long time no see."
As if teleporting, Nanako Appeared in the man's arms and tackled him into the ground.
"I missed you so much, big bro!"
Kaz chuckled to himself and looked at everyones' exasperated faces.
"What? What's wrong?"
Yoichi pointed at Yu with shaky hands (more shaky than usual) as he had Mimir show him the results of his scan.
"Oh, he's a Persona user, huh?... Wait, he's a Persona user?!"
Nanako nodded.
"Yeah, big bro's got the most powerful Persona of all time! Meet his friend, Izanagi-kun!"
A white clad samurai-like mech poked its head out from the wall, waving to everyone.
"Sorry for surprising everyone. My user has a wicked sense of humor that I sometimes disagree with, but I must admit that this was well worth the effort."
Kazuhiko scratched his chin while thinking.
"Well, I guess I should have seen it coming. After all, you always seemed to be talking to air sometimes, and you'd always dodge the subject of when you first moved there… "
Johei, however, was taking the situation anything but casually.
"How the hell are you so calm about this?! I mean, we just meet a random guy-"
"What are you talking about? I've known him for quite some time."
"Okay, we meet a random guy that nobody except for you and Nanako-san knows and we just find out he has a frickin' PERSONA!"
Kaz just nodded.
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, would you really be this surprised after all the stuff we've seen?"
Johei slapped his forehead while Mikan sighed.
"I guess he does have a point. Well, aside from who he is, why is he here?"
After getting back onto his feet, Yu straightened his tie.
"Sorry. I was just about to get to that. But before that, mind if we get somewhere private to talk?"
Kaz nodded.
"Sure thing. Let's grab a couple seats at the cafe."
After sitting down, the team got down to business.
"I'm pretty sure you've run into a man called Minazuki before; he's one of my associates and a friend who happened to pass by here. On paper, he's a wanted man by the Kirijo Group, but he's actually one of our most trusted under-the-cover agents. He works under direct orders from Mitsuru-san when the legal boundaries can't be dealt with. After his visit with you guys, he sent me a letter filling me in about you all and the situation."
"So does that mean you know the real reason behind the suicide cases?" Daichi asked.
"I do. I hope you all don't mind, but after getting your names, I had to do some reconnaissance work and look up your backgrounds to see what I was getting myself into. Don't worry, I didn't look too deep; just the stuff that an employer needs to know. All acquired with lawful methods, of course."
"As of next week, I'm going to be stationed here to monitor you guys, but not act as an aid; this is your affair after all, not mine."
A few disappointed sighs were heard amongst the group, but Yu continued as if he heard nothing.
"I will be able to give you access to materials and information as well as weapons that are within reason."
Johei suddenly raised his hand up.
"No, I can't get you any firearms. You don't have a gun license."
Johei put his hand down.
"Narukami-san, not that I don't appreciate what you're doing for us, but why exactly are you doing this?" Kaz asked, looking skeptical.
Yu smiled and closed his eyes.
"Part of the reason is so you can look out for my little sis when I can't do anything. But it's kind of a standard procedure to make sure nothing bad happens. You've been running the show pretty well by yourselves, but there will come a time when you hit a wall. I can assure you that we will be there with a way to break through it."
Looking satisfied, Kaz nodded and sat back. Nanako, on the other hand, was looking more ecstatic than ever.
"Does that mean you're gonna live with me and Dad?"
"Yeah. I've already called Dojima-san and told him the news. I'll be moving in tomorrow after my stuff arrives."
"Yay!"
Seeing Nanako in this child-like manner was enough to set everyone in a good mood. Even Izanagi looked elevated through his mask.
"Wait, hold on a second. We already had introductions, but what about you?" Skadi asked.
Izanagi looked surprised, but quickly recovered.
"Ah! My apologies! I didn't mean to be so rude. My name is Izanagi-no-Okami, but Izanagi is fine. I am pleased to make your acquaintance", he said with a bow.
"The pleasure is all ours", Tyr said as he stuck out his hand.
"Oh yeah, since you're a Persona, there's bound to be more of your friends with you, right? Any hot chicks in your group?"
"Well, we have a few. One of them is the Persona of my user's girlfriend. Another two are females as well. Why do you ask?"
"No reason! Although, between you and me, these girls are just a little bit too much to handle. I could definitely use a few 'cute' girls every now and then."
Skadi didn't even blink as she smacked the back of Loki's head with her gauntlet.
"Case in point."
Izanagi, however, cringed at this.
"I wouldn't recommend flirting with the Persona in my group. One is probably not interested while the other… wouldn't be good for your health."
"Whaddya mean? Any girl is an upgrade from these ladies as long as they don't hit me all the time."
"Trust me, you have it better off than my friend"
"Anyways," Yoichi interrupted, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"Where will we be able to find you? I mean, you are an officer of the law and probably won't have a lot of free time-"
"On the contrary, I have a more open schedule on the force thanks to some strings Mitsuru-san pulled. I'm usually working at the records center, but I'll occasionally have to be called out on some cases."
Yu gave them the address of the building that he was referring to and stood up.
"Well, I guess that settles everything. I'll see you all soon."
"Hold on, Narukami-san. How is Mitsuru Kirijo doing?"
Yu stopped in his tracks and pulled his cap low.
"To be honest… she isn't doing very well… We had to call off a bunch of meetings she had scheduled. Nowadays, she barely speaks to anyone. Last night, we had to pin her down and give her sedatives just to get her to sleep. It isn't pretty."
Nanako looked downtrodden, no doubt feeling absolute guilt at this point.
"Nanako, don't take it too hard… nobody could have seen this coming."
"I know. But it still is my fault. I have to fix this, even if I'm forgiven. It's the justice I have to uphold."
They couldn't see his face, but they all could tell that Yu was smiling.
"Dojima-san would be proud of you, even if we can't give him details about all of this. Tell him I said hi."
And with that, Yu left the group to their own thoughts. No doubt, this came as a surprise to them all, but it was very much a welcome one. Not only had they gained the support of another member on their team, but they were also being backed up by people who would help them see their mission through to the end. And that was something they would have never had.
Minako's Apartment
(Evening)
*knock* *knock* *knock*
"Coming!"
Minako walked towards her door and looked through the peephole. Seeing who it was, she opened the door immediately and grabbed the person into a tight hug.
"Hey, Yuyu!"
Yu broke free of the hug and readjusted his hairstyle.
"You never seem to get tired of that nickname, do you?"
"You better believe it. Come on in; I'll make some coffee."
As soon as she turned the boiler on, Minako sat down with Yu at her kitchen table.
"So how is Yukiko? You two getting along together?"
Yu smiled and scratched the back of his head.
"Of course. After all of this is over, we're planning to move in together."
Minako happily clapped her hands together.
"That's great! Now what about your thoughts on the 'SPT' as they're calling themselves?"
"They seem reliable enough. After all the time they've spent without any outside help, I think we can leave everything to them without a need for surveillance."
Minako nodded as she got two cups ready.
"I thought that too. It's been a while since I last saw those two, but they sure have grown up. Makes me wonder why Mitsuru wanted us to keep such a close eye on them."
She poured the coffee into the mugs and set down a cup in front of the silver-haired detective.
"Speaking of Mitsuru… "
Yu instantly knew what she meant. After all, the main reason he was here wasn't just to talk to the SPT.
"She's getting worse everyday. Last night, we had to resort to sedatives. She won't talk to anyone, not even Akihiko-san. Keeps going on and on about how she was the one to cover up all the horrible deeds of the Kirijo group. I hate to say this, but we might have a real risk of losing her if they don't stop this."
"Don't say that. Be a little confident in them. After all, they never have let anyone down."
Yu nodded.
"Honestly, I just wish such evil never existed. If it weren't for the Harbingers, people wouldn't be suffering right now."
He sipped his coffee and smiled at its warm embrace.
"Have you gotten tips from Sakura-san? This is pretty good."
Minako shook her head.
"All self taught. But believe me when I say it's a far shot from the master. I'm going to have to visit Tokyo again one of these days."
A silence sprouted from their discontinued talk before Minako broke the ice.
"Do they… do they know why Mitsuru is like this?"
Yu shook his head.
"I couldn't tell them that. Imagine how they would react if they found out this entire thing was-"
"No need to elaborate. I get it. It's better if they don't know why Mitsuru was even vulnerable to the Harbingers' hit. It's just that it feels like we're keeping secrets from them. This is what caused Nanako-chan to go berserk after all."
Yu looked down at his cup.
"Trust me. After they rescue Mitsuru, we'll come clean to them. It may hurt them, but I'm sure they'll understand."
"Here's to hoping they will."
Another silence. The two continued to drink their coffee until Minako spoke once again.
"Well, let's get out of this gloomy business, shall we?"
A sly smile made its way onto her face. Yu suddenly felt like he should be leaving.
"What else have you and Yukiko-chan been doing lately? A little birdy told me that someone was up and about looking for a ring."
"How do you know that?! Wait, have you been looking into my texts?"
"World is a big place. I could have found it anywhere!"
Meanwhile, Eurydice and Izanagi were watching their users bicker with each other like siblings.
"What about you and Amaterasu-chan? Any progress?"
"She's still really shy about it, but it's not bad. I just hope she doesn't faint when she finds out what Yu's been planning."
"Oh? And what has Narukami-kun been planning?"
"... I am sworn to secrecy."
"Meh, figured Yu would have covered his tracks"
June 28, 2021; Sunday
(Morning)
"*yawn* man, that was a rough day yesterday. Welp, time to get up!"
Nanako instantly got out of bed and began to do some light stretches.
"Alright… there we go! Gotta grab something to eat and then I'll-"
*PIPIPI*
Her phone started to ring as she noticed that she just got a text. Checking it, she got a reminder from Kaz.
"No… worries… on… my… way… There."
She tossed her phone back on her bed and made her way downstairs.
"Ooh, are we going to see Kazu-nee again today?"
"Yep! I'll just grab something quick, get changed and head over there."
Grabbing a banana and a glass of milk, she downed her breakfast and got changed quickly.
"First day on the team. Can't afford to be late. Alright, let's go!"
Nanako threw on some clothes and walked out the door, having not noticed the giant figure at all.
Later…
"Nanako said she'll be here in a little bit. Now we're just waiting on Iselin and Johei."
"Seems reasonable. Iselin did tire herself out yesterday. As for Johei, he's always late."
Kaz sat back and enjoyed his coffee, waiting for everyone. Now that Nanako was safe, they would move on to their primary objective of rescuing one Mitsuru Kirjio. Surely, Nanako would be the most energetic out of all the members. He made sure to stock up on energy shots just in case she went haywire like Iselin did when she went hype on her new fire spells.
"Hey Kaz. We're here!"
Daichi, Yoichi and Mikan waved to their leader and took a seat at the table.
"Who are we waiting on now?"
"Got confirmation from Nanako and Yuriko, so it's just Iselin and Johei for the time being."
*PIPIPI*
Kaz quickly checked his phone then put it back in his pocket.
"Make that just Johei. Iselin's on her way."
"Hey hey! How's it going, guys?"
Nanako had showed up and landed herself in one of the chairs.
"Morning, Nanako. Ready to get to work? I see Toyotama got an upgrade so you're good to go."
Nanako pumped her fist.
"You bet I'm ready! I'm all locked and loaded and up to the brim with- wait Toyotama got an upgrade?"
Nanako turned around and finally noticed the form that Toyotama had taken up. She stood tall with a golden cup in one hand and a wooden bowl in her left. A snake coiled around her left hand which, every few seconds, dropped some of its poison into the bowl. Her face was covered by a mask and she was clothed in a dark-brown robe. She stood bare-foot and seemed to have a calm demeanor throughout the entire walk here. Nanako, however, couldn't stop staring. Finally, she broke off and put her head on the table.
"How did I not notice?"
"Don't worry. You're probably used to having her around so it must have slipped your mind."
"Um, I don't know how to say this… but my name doesn't sound so right… "
"Hm? Perhaps it's the same case as Hildr turning into Gertrude?"
"Try saying your name."
"Sigyn. What? Wait, that's not my name. It's Toyo-Sigyn."
"Don't fight it. You're stuck like that now. What about your origins?"
Sigyn thought for a moment.
"I think I kind of remember… I was a Norse Goddess of victory, which explains this cup. As for the snake and bowl… "
"Hey guys! What's bonkin'? Oh, is that Nanako-san's Persona? Looks cool!"
Loki, however, stood still upon seeing Sigyn, his monitor picking up and loading screen. Then, Sigyn snapped her fingers.
"Oh yeah! I was Loki's husband! I had to hold up a bowl to prevent poison from dropping on his face but every now and then I had to empty it and he would get a couple drops on him!... Oh… right… "
Everyone stood silent for a moment without speaking at all.
"Well… this is awkward."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we are BACK! After it seems like forever, I finally made this chapter! Yes, I'm sorry for taking so long; this chapter should have come out much earlier, but I had a lot on my plate. Add that with quarantine and a transition to online classes and you have a complete mess in your schedule. It took forever for me to write the fight scene with Nanako and I wouldn't be surprised if it seems quite plain to you guys (I wouldn't blame you if you did see it like that). Anyways, since I was taking such a long leave, I decided to publish the next chapter for "Getting Along" at the same time. Might as well go all out for my return, right? Anyways, Nanako is now in the team! Mitsuru is still in peril and you guys probably have a bunch of questions. All in due time. I pre-ordered P5R and FF7 Remake for my Playstation and I still haven't touched them; as to why, I want to platinum P5 vanilla first before moving on and I have a ton of school work (again, online classes). I just hope that for those of you who are enjoying these games, please do not spoil me or anyone who hasn't touched it yet. That goes for the story as well; there will be no P5R content since I consider the vanilla game to be canon (P5S doesn't have Kasumi and happens canonically after vanilla P5 so I'm not touching that) and I want to prevent spoilers. Anyhow, now that Nanako is in the picture, you know what that means: Interview time! Write any questions you guys want to ask her for the future and I will feature it in the next omake for Chapter 52. Lastly, I want to ask if you guys are doing okay. It's been a big elephant in the room, but I really hope everyone is doing alright with this pandemic. I am personally doing fine, but that is besides the case. Just want to let you guys know that we will get through this eventually. In the meantime, stay healthy and stay sanitary. Seeya!
Prior Meeting with the Protagonists
Yu: Are you okay, Kaz? We almost lost you there.
Kaz: I think? Gah, I've got a really bad headache right now…
Akira: Leave it to the higher-ups to mess with you. I'm telling you, you get used to it.
Minako: Well, look on the bright side! At least you don't have to be milked into another danci-
Yu: NO! DO NOT SAY A SINGLE WORD ABOUT THAT!
Minako: O… okay…
Kaz: So anyways, I finally got to meet all of you and your Persona in the story now. I met Akira on the trip, Minako when we got a new teacher, and Yu when he came here on business. Well, I mean, I haven't met you yet.
Minato:...
Kaz: Um, can you hear me?
Minato: Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?
Kaz: I was saying how I met everyone except for you.
Minato: What are you talking about? You've already met me.
Kaz: I meant in the story.
Minato: Yeah. What's your point?
Kaz: Have I really met you yet? I don't remember that ever happening…
Minato:...
(Flashback)
*Kaz opens the door into the Velvet room*
Minato: 'sup?
*Kaz open the door to his apartment room*
Minato: Nice place you got here.
*Kaz enters the grocery store*
Minato: Here, I'll hold the door open for you
(Flashback ends)
Minato:... On second thought, yeah, you never actually met me
Kaz: What did you mean?
Akira: Actually, I think you met me way before all this happened too, actually
Kaz: What?
(Flashback)
*Kaz sits down in his seat in class*
Akira: Good luck on your test
*Kaz eats at Aiya's, trying to finish the mega beef bowl*
Akira: Would ya look at all those calories?
*Kaz stands on a stool to get a box from the top of a shelf*
Akira: Didja get it yet? My shoulders are feeling pretty stiff
(Flashback end)
Akira: Actually, forget whatever I said.
Kaz: Huh?
Yu: *sigh* You guys are crazy…
