Author's Note: A few things!
First, I want to again note that this will be the first installment of "Days of Spring!" As in the Persona games, this will be an opportunity for Shou to engage in Social Links, raise his attributes, and otherwise enjoy school life. Not to worry, however; the plot will continue to move at a brisk pace, and I promise there's an excellent surprise coming along in the next few chapters.
Second, from now on, I've decided to include the weather! Yay! This will have significance, as you'll eventually come to see.
And lastly, I've changed the name of third year student Inoue Azumi, who was briefly mentioned last chapter. It's come to my attention that this is the name of a Japanese singer, so from now on the Persona Gaiden character will be named Aizawa Azumi to avoid confusion. I've also edited the previous chapter to reflect this change.
XII
Tuesday
April 9, 2013 — Late Night
Clear Skies
Shou returned to his room at 2200. His body felt tired, heavy, after the long day of school, work, and talking about Shadows. Now there were a whole new set of complications.
The potential identities of Hope/LESS worried him. The Morigami twins, the captain and vice-captain of a sports team . . . these were influential people in school. Opposing them in the Shadow world was one thing, but what sort of consequences might he and his friends face in the real world? And did all of them think like Kazami? Were they all against Shou trying to rescue the Vanished? He still didn't have enough information. He didn't even know for sure if those names were right.
There were also these Shadow Operatives to think of, whoever they were. That woman, Mitsuru . . . He had the feeling she didn't take insubordination lightly.
And was she really that Mitsuru? Why would the heir to the Kirijo name have anything to do with Shadows? Had the Kirijo Group really had something to do with the weird happenings, the Apathy Syndrome, on Tatsumi Port Island? Come to think of it, hadn't Kirijo Mitsuru attended Tatsumi's Gekkoukan High . . . ?
His head was spinning. And he still had homework and studying to do.
He went upstairs to his dorm room, and sat at his desk. He took out his English homework, which involved writing sentences that used the pluperfect tense . . .
He found himself zoning out . . .
Words began to parade through his head.
Shadows, Persona, Hope/LESS . . .
The Kirijo Group, Apathy Syndrome, the Vanished . . .
SOCIAL LINKS, THE WILD CARD, THE . . . ! ! !
Deep breath, Shou, he told himself. For a moment he bent over his desk, his head in his hands, inhaling and exhaling.
Oh, God. Was all this really happening? He wasn't going crazy or something?
Everything had just happened so quickly. He hadn't really had time to think about it. But for some reason, now, sitting in his dorm room by himself, it all came crashing down on him. What if he was having some kind of breakdown? The stresses of high school got to kids all the time. And the pressure of being at a place like Morigami? It was something else. Could it be that he was somehow just imagining it all?
He sat for a few more minutes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. After a little while, the feelings of panic began to subside.
What was the old adage? If you're afraid you're going crazy, you're probably not? And he'd shared the experience with Kouta and Emi. With Kazami, too. He couldn't have just imagined all those conversations.
He was certain, in his heart, that all of this was real.
And that was even more frightening.
Shou spent another few minutes breathing, this time counting each inhalation and exhalation to calm himself. Focus his mind. His dad had taught him that.
He wasn't going to save anyone, do anything, if he flunked out of school.
He started his homework.
. . .
. . .
His academics increased!
Wednesday
April 10, 2013 — Early Morning
Cloudy
After unsettled dreams, Shou awoke half an hour before his alarm. Feeling restless, he decided to shower and get ready early. Maybe he would be able to catch Kazami on her morning shift. Now that he had this list of names, he wondered if he should ask her about it directly. Perhaps subtlety was called for instead.
Not that he was exactly sure how to be subtle about something like that.
By the time Shou made it down to the dorm lobby, Kumiko-san was already shuttling Yuto-chan out the door, taking him off to school. "There's leftovers from last night in the refrigerator, and scrambled eggs and toast on the stove," she told Shou. "And a pot of coffee, if you need it." Then, to Yuto, she said, "Say goodbye to Shou-kun, Yuto-chan."
Yuto hesitated a second, then threw out his hand. "Bye!" he hollered. Then he turned and scurried outside.
Kumiko-san giggled. "I'll see you later on, Shou-kun."
Shou chuckled, and waved.
When they were gone, he headed into the kitchen. It was his first time in there, and he was impressed. It had an extra large stainless steel fridge, a pair of stainless sinks, an island in the middle with white granite countertops. On the six burner electric stove, he found a large cast iron pan filled with scrambled eggs. There was a plate off to the side with toasted bread, and a container of butter next to it.
Shou filled his plate and hung out on a stool next to the island. The eggs were perfectly done — soft, fluffy, and buttery. When he was done, he had seconds. He grinned. The advantage of being first downstairs!
He finished his breakfast, rinsed his dishes and stuck them in the dishwasher, then headed off to school.
In the school lobby, he found Tanaka-san behind the school store register. He asked if Kazami was working.
"Kaede-chan? She's off Wednesday mornings," Tanaka said. She winked. "You're such a sly one, Tanimoto-kun. Trying to sneak in extra time before school. Didn't you two hang out long enough yesterday? Though I suppose no amount of time is ever enough when you're—"
"Um, thanks, gotta go, bye!" Shou interjected, before Tanaka-san could say anything even more embarrassing.
He headed away from the store, up the stairs, and to the classroom. He decided it couldn't hurt to study a little more . . .
And when he sat at his desk, he promptly fell asleep.
Shou awoke to the sound of shifting chairs and light chatter. Students filed into the classroom. Emi sat down next to him. "You left early this morning," she said.
He told her he'd been hoping to catch Kazami, and see if he could pry any more information out of her.
"How'd that go?" she asked.
He told Emi that Kazami hadn't been there. Then he asked her, "Are you sure you're ready to come back to class?"
"I can't stay home anymore," Emi said. "I think I'd go crazy. I need to distract myself. So . . . I'm here." She offered him a faint smile.
He nodded, and gave her a smile of his own.
A few minutes later, Sayoko joined them, sitting at her desk to Shou's left. "Good morning," she said. "When I got home last night I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation. I have so many ideas. Of course I'll have to make a list, parse through them for the most compelling scenarios . . ."
Shou shared a look with Emi.
Thankfully, before Sayoko could continue further, Abe-sensei entered, and the school day began.
Two periods later, it was time for English in Classroom B.
English was taught by an American professor, Marissa Sandford-sensei, who was fluent in Japanese. During the first class two days ago, Shou had learned that she had originally taught at the prestigious American "Ivy League" school, Columbia University, and later at Tokyo University. Shou could only guess that Morigami Academy had offered her a large sum to step down from college level teaching and take up a position at a high school.
Sandford-sensei was a tall, blonde woman with striking green eyes. She wore a white blouse, gray skirt, and kept her hair pinned back with two thin sticks. While Shou wasn't one for older women, he noticed several of the other guys in class staring at her shapely figure, or gazing at her with dreamlike expressions.
As for Shou himself, Sandford-sensei just reminded him too much of Isabelle from the Velvet Room. Sandford-sensei had a much softer, kinder face, far different from Isabelle's sharply angled features, but they shared a similar complexion. Isabelle's hair was a lighter blonde, yet it was close enough. Every time Sandford-sensei turned toward the chalkboard, Shou kept expecting her to have Isabelle's face when she turned to the class again.
"The English word 'its' can be confusing," Sandford-sensei was saying in Japanese. "As you know, the possessive often takes the form of an apostrophe, followed by the letter 's.' Or, in the case of a plural subject, or a subject already ending in 's,' the apostrophe alone may suffice. However, the word 'its' is an exception."
Sandford-sensei wrote the word "its" on the board, and next to it, the word "it's."
"Like other pronouns," she said, "the word 'it' does not have an apostrophe in the possessive form. For example, 'he,' 'she,' and, 'they,' become 'his,' 'hers,' and, 'theirs.' As you should already be aware. But unlike other pronouns, 'its' doesn't change beyond the addition of the possessive 's' to the end of the word."
She wrote out a sentence on the board. "When the dog came inside," she read aloud, "blank coat was wet." She left an underline in the blank spot. "'Blank raining pretty hard,' said the dog's master," she finished. She circled both empty spots on the board. "Now let's see who's been paying attention. Tanimoto-kun, how about you?"
Shou perked up.
"I'd like you fill in the blanks with the proper forms of 'it,'" Sandford-sensei said.
Shou examined the sentence for a moment. He'd always been decent at English, and this wasn't too hard. It was only the beginning of the year, after all. "When the dog came inside," Shou said, "its coat was wet." He indicated the word "its" on the left side of the board. "'It's raining pretty hard,' said the dog's master." He indicated the word "it's" on the right side.
Sandford-sensei smiled. "Very good, Tanimoto-kun."
Murmurs swept through the class.
"Huh, Tanimoto's pretty sharp. He didn't even hesitate."
"Yeah, when I heard he's from Kamikawa, I didn't think much. But maybe I should give him another chance . . ."
Even Sayoko gave Shou a nod of respect.
He smiled, knowing his popularity had just gone up a notch or two.
His charm increased!
Wednesday
April 10, 2013 — Lunchtime
Cloudy
"Oi, Shou-bro!"
Shou stopped, and turned around to see Kouta walking up to him with a big grin on his face. Shou waved.
"I haven't forgotten about yesterday," Kouta said. "After school, you and me, man. Long overdue I showed you around the city."
Shou nodded, remembering he'd made plans with Kouta the day before. He'd hoped to find Kazami after school, but maybe he was better off taking a breather and trying to relax a little with his friend.
"I'll meet you down in the lobby when class lets out," Kouta said. "Don't be late." He raised his fist toward Shou, clearly going for a fist-bump.
Shou grinned and obliged him. Then they parted ways and he headed off to lunch.
Wednesday
April 10, 2013 — After School
Cloudy
As discussed, Shou met up with Kouta in the school lobby, by the shoe cubbies. He spotted Kazami putting on her apron at the school store, and she briefly met his gaze. Then she looked away without giving him a smile, a nod, or even a hint of acknowledgment.
Did she not want her Hope/LESS friends to see her associating with him? He'd thought they'd built a pretty good rapport yesterday. Maybe she was just a tough nut to crack. Either way, he'd have to leave it for another day.
He and Kouta retrieved their outdoor shoes from the cubbies, then headed out into the brisk afternoon.
The sky was cloudy, a field of swollen gray above. Shou thought it looked like it might rain later. They're normal clouds, he thought. Not like the ones that had filled the sky on the day of his arrival, and lasted until the day of Kudo-sensei's death. Those had given him a strange, ominous feeling.
"Should've brought an umbrella," Kouta said.
Shou shrugged.
"Ah well, we can always pick one up in town if it starts to pour," Kouta said.
Together, they walked across the square with the Morigami statue. Shou noted the door to the Velvet Room, still hanging there, suspended in space. Glowing with a mysterious blue light.
"Whatcha looking at?" Kouta asked. His head swiveled on his bull neck. "Spot a cute girl or something?"
"Something like that," Shou said, and laughed. Not that either of the Velvet Room's residents fit into that category. Isabelle was more stern and scary than cute, and Igor was . . . Igor.
They stopped alongside the road leading to the Morigami Academy entrance. A gaggle of students were lined up, waiting for the trolley. Shou and Kouta took a spot at the back of the line.
After a moment, Kouta nudged Shou with his elbow. "Check it out," he said. He nodded toward a girl several places up in line. "That's Aizawa Azumi."
As if sensing their attention, Aizawa glanced in their direction, tucking a strand of shoulder-length chestnut hair behind her ear. Her eyes narrowed behind her thick-framed black glasses, and for a moment she glared at them. Then she turned away and thumbed the volume on her phone. Heavy rock blasted from her earbud headphones, so loud that Shou could hear even from his spot on line.
Another member of Hope/LESS? Aizawa's name was on Emi's list. And there was a certain darkness about the third year girl. As Shou watched her, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing a twisting gold dragon tattoo on her upper forearm. Shou imagined she could get kicked out of school if she showed that inside the building. Even exhibiting it on school premises was incredibly risky.
Next, Aizawa shoved her hand in her school blazer's pocket and came out with a handful of small, shiny objects. Systematically, she affixed a barbell piercing and two studs to each ear. She stuck a third barbell through her tongue.
Shou grimaced and looked away.
Kouta, however, was unperturbed. "Man, Azumi-chan's such a badass," he said. "That's totally my kind of girl." He cleared his throat. "I mean, uh, unless she's like, evil, or something. Of course."
"Do you know much about her?" Shou asked.
Kouta shook his head. "Keeps to herself, pretty much," he said. "Hasn't done any clubs since first year. Don't even think she lives in the dorms."
Shou nodded. If Aizawa didn't live in the dorms, could she be Kazami's roommate? He would've asked, but he didn't possess the courage to brave Aizawa's glare again.
A moment later, the trolley came rolling up the path, its blue-and-gold painted exterior looking bright and cheery despite the gray skies. One by one, the students boarded. When Shou and Kouta stepped on, Oshima-san dipped his driver's cap to them. "I heard about what happened to Kudo-san," he said. "Terrible business. He was such a warm person. I can't imagine why he would . . ." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Is your friend Tachibana all right? It must've been an awful shock."
"Yeah, it was rough on her, but she's holding up okay," Kouta said.
"I know I'm just the trolley driver," Oshima said, "but send her my best."
"I will," Shou promised.
After, he and Kouta made their down the aisle, looking for seats. He spotted Aizawa curled up in a window seat, but she'd dumped her bag and blazer across the rest of the bench, prohibiting anyone from sitting next to her. Shou shrugged and moved on.
At last they found seats toward the back. They sat, and the trolley rumbled on.
Shou and Kouta disembarked at a stop that Kouta dubbed, "Mori-Mooru," the "Mori" short for Morigami and "mooru" a phonetic word from the English "mall." They went down a block, rounded a corner, and . . .
Shou stopped in his tracks, staring in awe, mouth agape.
The Mori-Mooru was a gargantuan circular structure. It almost looked as if it had been modeled after the Roman Coliseum, at least in shape and size, if not in architecture. It filled up most of the city block, flanked on either side by strips of greenery, replete with benches, trees, and bright flower beds.
At the front of Mori-Mooru, a series of automatic sliding glass-paneled doors were bursting with customers entering and leaving. Enormous LCD screens were affixed to the outer walls high above, showing advertisements. One showed a cute girl in a bright yellow dress, holding up a bottle of Ramune. "Summer's coming," the ad proclaimed, "so get a head start and drink Ramune today!" Above the LCDs lay a movie marquee, displaying the titles and times, including some American movies, and . . .
"Zeta Clash: Vengeance in IMAX!" Kouta exclaimed. He pumped his fist in the air. "Dude, please tell me you watch Zeta."
Shou nodded, and smiled at his friend. The truth was he hadn't watched any of the epic mecha war anime since the Zeta Clash Next TV series debuted a couple years back, but he didn't want to disappoint Kouta. Besides, he still liked Zeta Clash. He just hadn't had the time to watch it. And there'd been good buzz surrounding this movie. His friends had talked about going to see it the week before he'd left for Morigami. The problem was it had come out on April 6, the day before he'd left , and he'd been too busy packing and spending the day with his dad to join them.
He felt a pang of homesickness then — a nervous feeling, deep in his belly. Like he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.
But I am supposed to be here, he reminded himself. I'm supposed to do something important.
"So?" Kouta asked. "Zeta Clash, yes or no?"
"Let's do it," Shou said.
They entered the mall, and immediately Shou's senses went on overdrive. The inside was cavernous; somehow it looked even bigger from this vantage point. Storefronts ringed the circular area, and in the center pairs of escalators permitted access to the higher floors — ascending concentric circles lined with shops. Garish spring and summer colors filled the windows of clothing stores and boutiques; vivid posters for the latest video game releases — alternately showing western-style graphics for the AAA titles imported from North American and European companies, or a Japanese aesthetic with colorful anime-style characters — tempted Shou from the front of a nearby GameCave. Throughout the mall, planters had been set with small trees or bushes.
And the people! The throngs were thick, shoppers as far as the eye could see. Shou found himself feeling mildly claustrophobic, his pulse pounding in his ears.
"First floor's all shops," Kouta said. "Second floor is the food court and eateries. Third is the arcade. We should visit there another time. It's got an awesome haunted castle game, and there's also this dating game that supposedly teaches you how to be more charming in real life. I haven't tried it, but . . . Well, I've been tempted, okay?" He laughed. "Now, the fourth floor has all the upscale restaurants and ritzy stores. The really, really expensive stuff. Shoes, designer clothing, leather handbags, all that. And five . . . is the theater!" He pointed upward.
They hopped onto the escalator and rode their way up, up, up. There was a line outside the theater, and Shou and Kouta waited about ten minutes before they made it to an open ticket window. "Two for Zeta Clash," Kouta said.
"¥3,000, please," said the ticket clerk.
Kouta fished the cash out of his wallet.
"You don't have to pay for me," Shou said.
"It's no problem," Kouta said. "I'm the one who brought you here, so it's my treat."
Shou opened his mouth to protest.
Kouta waved him off. "Just consider it paying you back for not warning you about the Majesty Bowl at Ramen no Ou. I won't take no for an answer, dude."
Shou smiled, and shrugged. If Kouta was going to insist on being generous, he wasn't going to turn it down twice. Still, he wondered why Kouta lived in the budget dorm when he didn't seem to have any financial limitations. Maybe he'd ask after the movie.
Inside, they rode yet more escalators to the seventh floor, where the IMAX was. Shou had never been to an IMAX, so he wasn't sure what to expect. He and Kouta gave their tickets to the ticket taker, then padded across the maroon, patterned carpeting toward the brightly lit concession stand. Kouta ordered a large popcorn, a bag of iwashi senbei — dried sardine snacks — and a bottle of Oronamin C. "Gotta keep my strength up," he said, nodding to the health drink.
As for Shou, he ordered a bottle of water, overpriced at ¥500.
"You can have some of my popcorn," Kouta said.
"Count on it," said Shou. He grinned.
They each took a trip to the bathroom, then headed through the halls to Theater 11. They walked inside and . . .
Shou had to stop for a moment, taking in the biggest movie screen he'd ever seen.
The IMAX towered above him, the size of at least two or three of the biggest screens in the Kamikawa theaters combined. Maybe more. He'd seen a movie in Sapporo once, on a day trip with his friends, but even that screen couldn't compare.
"Impressive, right?" Kouta asked.
Shou could only nod. He was speechless.
"Now c'mon, bro. Let's grab our seats."
The theater had assigned seating, and they found their spots toward the back, in the center. The place was bustling, but the theater was so enormous that it still hadn't reached capacity. Shou and Kouta carefully stepped past the people in their row as they made their way over, and then sat.
Commercials played, and then the lights dimmed and previews began. At last, the logo for the Todo Animation Company — a rising sun, sending rays across rippling waters — appeared. The audience actually cheered.
Within minutes of the film's opening, Shou was drawn right back into the desperate conflict between the small, yet powerful kingdom of Bast, and the cruel, imperialistic Naroxi Empire. Brave Bastian soldiers rode their advanced Zeta suits — enormous mechas that looked like robot versions of medieval armor — into battle against Narox's overwhelming numbers, shooting pulse guns and wielding their huge plasma blades. Some lived, some loved, and many died. The audience erupted in grief as one of the original TV series characters, Rona Cass — best friend and sidekick of main protagonist Agart Branz — actually bit the dust. And they cheered, Shou included, when it was revealed that Cass's body had been preserved, and he'd been brought back to life with Bast's new, experimental cybernetic technology.
At the climax of the movie, the hero Agart, and his love interest — the talented, raven-haired Zeta pilot Sanna Farras — fell into a Naroxi ambush while trying to destroy the generator for Narox's forward base. Their unit was destroyed, and they huddled amid the wreckage of their destroyed Zeta suits, their lips and bodies pressed together, tears streaming down their cheeks, convinced their lives were about to end.
Even though Shou was convinced the main characters wouldn't die, his heart thundered in his chest. He glanced at Kouta, sitting on the edge of his seat, nervously shoveling popcorn into his mouth by the handful. "Dude, this is so intense," Kouta whispered.
Suddenly, a gasp rolled through the audience as Rona appeared, ripping through Narox's ranks with his new body, wielding a human-sized, double-bladed plasma sword. He saved Agart and Sanna right before the Naroxi turned them into dust with their pulse guns.
Shou watched as Agart, Sanna, and Rona blew the generator, and with it, the entire Naroxi base, winning the day. At the end of the movie, Rona collapsed, and it was revealed that he'd pushed his new body too far, showing the limits of the cybernetic technology. He would no longer be able to fight on his own, and would have to return to being a Zeta pilot, bringing the series mythology back around to the status quo.
Throughout the film, Shou couldn't help marveling at the bravery of Rona Cass and the other Bastian pilots. He found himself profoundly moved by their dedication, and felt he understood a little more the kind of guts it took to be a soldier.
His courage greatly increased!
After the movie, Shou and Kouta headed down the escalators. "So, bro," Kouta said, "if a bunch of Naroxi were about to shoot me and my girl, would you come tear 'em up and save me like Rona did?"
Shou joked that he should be the one playing Agart in this scenario.
Kouta looked at Shou with amusement. "You think you're hero?" he asked. "Well, I'm your senpai, so I say I get to be Agart!" He struck up a powerful pose, hands on his hips, which looked completely ridiculous riding down an escalator.
Actually, Shou thought it probably would have looked ridiculous anywhere. He grinned. "Then maybe I'll let them get you."
"Aw, you're killin' me, bro!" Kouta clutched his chest. "You're hurtin' me right here. Stab me in the heart, why don'tcha?"
Shou burst into laughter.
When they reached the second floor, they decided to stop for dinner. Shou would've been content to have more of Kumiko-san's cooking back at the dorm, but Kouta told Shou that all that fighting in the movie had made him hungry for another Majesty Bowl. Apparently there was a Ramen no Ou right here in Mori-Mooru. Never mind that Kouta had eaten all of his sardine snacks and most of the popcorn during the movie.
This Ramen no Ou was identical to the one near the Arakawa station — small, intimate, with an all wood interior, and seating on stools in front of dark wooden bars. Kouta offered to buy Shou a Majesty Bowl as well, but this time Shou refused, no matter how many times his friend told him it was okay. He wasn't about to let Kouta shell out ¥3,500 for a meal he wouldn't even be able to finish.
"It's fine, really," Kouta said. "I got it covered."
"It's too much food," Shou said.
"Then I'll get you something smaller," Kouta said.
Shou told him it was fine, and that he'd pay for his own meal.
"Sorry," Kouta said. "I just feel bad, y'know? I mean, you had to get a job and stuff, while I don't have to do anything like that."
Shou decided to ask why Kouta was staying in the budget dorm.
"Oh, that? It's just, uh . . . it's like . . . um . . . an inside joke? Yeah, that's it. Just a joke between me and my dad. No big deal," he said.
"It doesn't seem like a joke," Shou said.
Kouta looked away, embarrassed. For a moment, Shou was afraid he'd said the wrong thing, but then his friend smiled. "Yeah, okay," he said. "It isn't a joke. Just my dad's way of letting me know he's disappointed."
Shou asked why.
Kouta sighed. "It's stupid, bro. Really. You don't want to know all this stuff. Trust me. Just my lousy baggage."
"I'm listening," Shou said.
"Well . . ." Kouta looked away, into the depths of his bowl. "The truth is, my dad's not exactly happy I got into Morigami through kendo. He's a big shot neurologist in Osaka. He wanted me to get in on academics. So I could follow in his footsteps, someday." Kouta shook his head. "But man, I'm just not that smart! I can't be a doctor. Heck, I'd probably break someone's wrist just taking their pulse."
Shou offered his friend a reassuring smile.
"When I got accepted here," Kouta went on, "my dad couldn't make up his mind whether he was happy or pissed. He's glad I'm going to school here, but he hates that it's not because of my brains," Kouta said. "And he's not the only one in my family who feels that way. My younger bro, Saburo, took the Morigami entrance exam last year. And he missed it by a hair. He's a sharp kid, way smarter than I am. Now he won't even talk to me except to say that he should be here, he deserves it, while I don't."
"That's tough," Shou said.
"Naw," Kouta said. Even so, he looked like he appreciated Shou's understanding. "I mean, it sucks sometimes, but it's not that bad. So what if my younger bro's a pain, and my dad stuck me in the budget dorm to show his disapproval? At least I have a family. I could be an orphan like Emi. And anyway, my mom and older bro, Akio, support me, at least. They come to my matches whenever they can." He grinned. "Besides, if I hadn't ended up in G Hall, I wouldn't have met you or Emi-chan. It's worth it in the end, Shou-bro. Really."
Kouta met Shou's eyes with absolute conviction.
Snap! The sound echoed through the corridors of Shou's mind, rocketed through the interior of his heart.
Thou art I . . . And I am thou . . . Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana . . .
"I'm glad I'm in G Hall, too," Shou said.
Kouta chuckled. "Don't get sappy on me, bro."
Shou laughed as well.
They finished their meals in good cheer, then returned to the trolley stop and waited for Oshima-san to bring them back to campus.
Wednesday
April 10, 2013 — Late Night
Cloudy
That night, Shou went to his room right after getting back to the dorm. Even though he'd gotten the answers right in class today, he still felt like he was behind. Back home, he'd studied every single day for at least a couple of hours. Usually more.
He unpacked his books and homework, and got to work.
. . .
. . .
His academics increased!
Next time, on Persona Gaiden: New Class . . .
Days of Spring continues as Shou meets a new Social Link. Who will it be? Find out in the next chapter!
Social Links
The Fool — Morigami Exploration Team — Rank 2
The Magician — Hayabusa Kouta — Rank 2!
Justice — Kazami Kaede — Rank 1