Author's Note: The main plot surges forward! I know that many of you have been waiting for certain reveals, and one of them is coming next chapter! Which brings me to some cool news . . .
In two days (Saturday, Nov. 9), the cover of my debut novel, "Fires of Man," releasing this summer, will be revealed! To celebrate the occasion, I aim to release yet another chapter of Persona Gaiden! That's right, another chapter in two days! I will also include information on where to check out the amazing artwork (I've seen a preview and it's phenomenal).
Thank you all so much for reading and supporting the story. "Next Stop, Prodigy Palace!"
XVII
Tuesday
April 16, 2013 — Evening
Overcast
When Shou returned to G Hall that evening, he found everyone gathered around the dinner table for yet another of Kumiko-san's delicious meals. All the residents of the dorm were in attendance—Kouta, Emi, Reiko, Itami, and Endo, along with Kumiko-san, of course, and Yuto-chan.
Though the meal had already begun, there was still plenty left to go around. Shou took a seat next to Kouta, across from Itami. The baseball vice captain raised his water glass. "To Tanimoto, risin' star of Morigami baseball," he said.
At this, nearly everyone offered him some form of congratulations: Emi clapped her hands and joked he'd be headed to Nippon Professional Baseball in no time; Kouta smacked him on the back so hard he nearly spit out a mouthful of food; Reiko offered a beautiful smile; and Kumiko-san told him she was pleased to see he was fitting in so well.
Shou, however, wasn't feeling so thrilled. He kept his eyes locked on Itami's, who smirked back at him. It was obvious to Shou that the toast was just Itami trying to rattle him. His fists clenched around his knife and fork.
For the rest of the dinner, Shou tried to concentrate on the food. Thoughts of Kageshiro's cryptic words, and fears about Sayoko, kept intruding. Yet somehow he managed to enjoy the delicious grilled steak Kumiko-san had prepared. Cooked medium-rare, tender and juicy, with a nice char on the outside, and just the right amount of salt and pepper, it melted in Shou's mouth. Along with it, she had made buttery mashed potatoes, and spiced green beans.
As he tried to discern all the subtle flavors . . .
His understanding increased!
When the meal was finished, the dorm residents began to drift back to their rooms. Shou, however, grabbed Kouta and Emi, and motioned for them to join him in the common area.
For the next few minutes, he explained what had happened with Kageshiro, and his suspicions that Sayoko might have gotten trapped in the Shadow world. His friends looked at him with an expressions of concern and dawning horror.
"That settles it!" Kouta said. He smacked his fist into his palm. "We can't just let this go. You guys ready? Metro, here we come!"
"Wait," said Emi. "We can't just rush in blindly."
"Whaddya mean? You of all people should—"
"Me of all people should what?" she asked. She stared at Kouta, and the large kendo captain withered under her powerful gaze. "You don't have to remind me what I've been through." Her face tightened.
Over the past few days, it had been easy to forget the tragedy that had befallen Emi. Somehow, she'd managed to put up a strong front, act as if nothing was wrong. But now, Shou could see that her grief still lurked beneath the surface.
"Sorry," Kouta said. Nervously, he rubbed at the short, bristly hairs on the back of his head. "I didn't mean . . ."
"I know," Emi said. "But . . . this is serious stuff. When we go into that . . . Shadow world, we're all at risk, too. Didn't we agree that next time we'd be prepared? We won't be able to save anyone if we get ourselves killed. You don't even have a Persona, senpai."
Kouta's eyes widened as if he'd been struck. Then he exhaled, and looked down at the floor. His fists clenched. "Damn," he said. "You're right."
Some of the good cheer returned to Emi's features. "Of course," she said. "I'm always right."
Shou laughed.
After a moment, Kouta relaxed, and laughed too.
Emi smiled, and turned to Shou. "So what do you think we should do, fearless leader?" she asked.
Shou looked at her questioningly.
"Well," Kouta said, "you were the first one with a Persona."
"Yeah," Emi agreed. "And you saved me, all by yourself."
"Hey!" Kouta exclaimed.
"Well, with a little help." She grinned at Kouta, enjoying his reaction. "Plus, you have connections with Hope/LESS, and the Shadow Operatives, too. I don't know what it is, but everything seems to be revolving around you. It's only natural you're in charge."
"Yeah, Shou-bro," Kouta affirmed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Shou looked from Kouta, to Emi, and back again. They stared at him, conviction shining in their eyes.
He took a deep breath.
This was the power of the Wild Card. This was his destiny. In that moment, he truly understood that it had always been his fate to lead this team. He didn't know why the Velvet Room had chosen him, what it was about him that seemed to draw everything toward him as if by some uncanny gravitational pull. What he did know was that he had to accept it. This mantle, this burden, was his to bear.
He nodded.
Then he told them his plan.
Tonight, they would all go to sleep early, rest up for the day ahead. Tomorrow, after school, they would meet up in the lobby, stock up on weapons and supplies at the store. Shou would also have a word with Kaede, see if she knew anything that could help them survive in that world. They'd only been friends for a short while, but he believed that she was a good person who really wanted to do the right thing, even if she didn't always go about it in the right way. He didn't know if he could convince her to help, but he had to try.
And then, once they were ready, they would head into the metro.
"Works for me," Kouta said.
"Yeah," Emi said. "That seems like the best way to do this."
"But," Kouta said, "aren't you worried about Sayo-chan?"
Shou admitted that he was. He wasn't sure what Kageshiro's comment about "not being able to do it on her own" meant, but the baseball captain had been quite clear that time was of the essence. However, he could also be certain that not everyone would come to harm as quickly as Kudo-sensei. Kaede had presumably been trapped in the other world for four days, and according to Emi, Morigami Yoshino had been there for nearly a week.
Sayoko had only been in there for one day. Shou said that they had to trust that she was strong enough to hold out for them.
"There's one more thing that's bothering me, though," Emi said.
Shou asked what she meant.
"The clouds," she said. "They appeared right when Haruo-niisan . . . started acting strangely. And they went away the day he . . ." She shook her head. There was no need for her to finish the sentence.
"You think the weather has somethin' to do with this?" Kouta asked.
"No," Emi said, "I just mean . . . maybe it's an indicator. Like a warning sign."
Shou took out his phone. He checked the weather report for the week.
On Friday, the skies would be clear.
"So that settles it," Kouta said. "If you're right, we gotta rescue Sayo-chan in the next two days. Or else . . ."
"What happened to Haruo-niisan," Emi said, "could happen to her, too."
They were all silent for a minute.
Then Kouta said, "Well, I'm goin' to bed. Like Shou-bro said, gotta be well-rested for a rescue mission, after all."
"Yup," Emi said. "We should all try and get a good night's sleep."
Together, they headed to the elevator, knowing that tomorrow they would face their greatest challenge yet.
Wednesday
April 17, 2013 — Early Morning
Overcast
That morning, as they walked to school, no one spoke. Their minds were all on the task ahead.
Shou's eyes drifted skyward, to the clouds overhead. They hung above like some monstrous canopy; there was a weight to them, oppressive, ponderous, as if they might fall at any moment, burying them in shadowy gray.
His pulse quickened. He inhaled deeply, steeling himself.
Would the power of his bonds be enough? Would he have the strength to face this challenge?
His hands balled into fists.
Sayoko was counting on him.
He had no choice.
Wednesday
April 17, 2013 — After School
Overcast
After the final bell, Shou, Kouta, and Emi met in the lobby. Kouta was armed with his shinai, and his backpack bulged with kendo gear. As for Emi, she tightly clutched her tennis racket.
Shou, however, was empty handed. He needed a weapon.
And he knew exactly what sort of weapon he wanted.
Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the school store.
As expected, Kaede was on duty, along with Tanaka-san and a young guy with short, messy hair. When Shou walked up, Tanaka-san immediately nudged Kaede and gave her a wink. He suppressed a groan. The last thing he needed was for Tanaka-san to make Kaede annoyed with him for showing up so suddenly. Especially in front of the other school store worker.
Kaede stepped out from behind the counter, sparing a scathing look for Tanaka-san the second the woman looked away. "What's up?" she asked. Then her gaze flitted to Kouta and Emi, armed and waiting, and her eyes widened. "You're—"
"Hear me out," Shou interrupted.
For a minute, he filled her in on Sayoko's situation and how it had been Kageshiro himself who'd warned him.
"Ryuu-senpai said that?" she asked.
He nodded.
"So . . . what is it you need from me?"
"You know that world," he replied. He asked her if there was anything she knew that could help them.
She was quiet for several seconds. Then, she said, "Come with me." She led Shou toward the supply room, and looked toward Tanaka. "I need a couple minutes, Tanaka-san."
Tanaka-san made the "OK" symbol—touching her forefinger and thumb together. She grinned.
Kaede groaned, and brought Shou inside.
The supply room was small, yet every inch of floor space was packed with floor-to-ceiling metal shelves filled with boxes. He'd been in here a couple times since he'd started working here, and he wasn't sure what Kaede could possibly want to show him. Unless she'd just been looking for someplace private to talk.
However, she didn't say anything yet; instead she made her way to the back of the room, toward a shelf on the far right, where several rows of shelving lay covered in a heavy tarp. "Okay," she said at last. "Tanaka-san barely goes in here, so this is where we hide some of our supplies."
Supplies?
"Things don't exactly work the same over there," she said. She yanked off the tarp.
Shou stared. He wasn't entirely sure what sort of supplies he was looking at.
The first thing he noticed was a box filled with stacks upon stacks of cold medication. "Not sure why," Kaede said, "but this medicine has a healing effect in the Shadow world." She handed him two boxes—about ten doses worth. "Here, on the house."
Shou thanked her and slipped the medicine into his backpack.
There were other mundane things, like ointments and antibiotic gels, mouthwash, sedatives that Shou was pretty sure required a prescription. Then, beneath . . .
Shou saw the most random assortment of items he could've imagined.
There were baseballs and baseball bats; computer keyboards; kickboxing shoes; throwing stars; and an assortment of backpacks, some of them in varieties Shou had never seen before. There were also all sorts of clothes, sports padding, and even . . . real armor!
Kaede reached down and grabbed a bright red baseball bat. It had a black cartoon face of some kind of monster or . . . Shadow? "This one's called the Shadow Slugger," she said. "Wouldn't recommend using it for actual baseball, but over there . . ." She handed it to Shou. "Ryuu-senpai used to use this one. Now he has something different, so . . ." She shrugged, and offered him an abashed smile. "It's yours."
Shou nodded. "Thank you," he said.
"A lot of this was made by Shino," Kaede said. "We find plenty of weird junk over there, and her Persona lets her turn it into useful stuff. She needs a bunch of real world materials too, though, so . . . it can get kind of expensive."
He nodded again.
"Oh, and here." She gave him a folded baseball jersey.
He asked if that was Kageshiro's as well.
"Yup," she said. "I don't know, baseball gear just seems fitting for you." She laughed. "Anyway, bring me whatever you find over there, and I'll have Shino make it into something for you guys. But . . . you'll have to pay."
Shou sighed. At this rate he'd barely have money to eat.
"Oh, don't worry," she said. "You can make money over there, too. A bunch, actually. I did that for a while, but when I couldn't explain to my parents where the money was coming from, well . . . they wouldn't take it. They thought I was doing something illegal." She frowned and looked down at her feet. "If only it had been that easy."
"I'm sorry," Shou said.
She looked up, and put on a brighter expression. "Oh, no, that's okay," she said. "I'll . . . do whatever I have to. Whatever I can to help them out."
Shou told her he respected that a lot.
"Thanks," she said. She blushed. "Anyway, um . . . You guys should probably get going. But, uh . . . I wanted to say . . ." She took a deep breath. "I never meant that I didn't care. You know, about the people who get trapped over there. I don't want Sayoko-san to die, either. I just . . . I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. After talking to you, it all seemed so stupid. I was so confident that it was the right way, to let people fend for themselves, because it was the way I did it. Ryuu-senpai or the others, they never came to help me. And I was okay with that. But now . . . I'm just not sure, anymore."
Shou smiled. "You don't have to have it all figured out," he said.
She inhaled sharply. Then a smile came over her finely-angled face as well. "Yeah," she said. "You're right. Thanks for saying that."
He smiled widened, and he inclined his head.
His understanding increased!
"S-so, uh, let's get out of here," she said, "before Tanaka-san thinks we're doing anything weird." She turned red again. "N-not that I was thinking of anything like that!"
Shou chuckled.
Together, they left the supply room.
After bidding goodbye to Kaede, Shou rejoined Kouta and Emi in the lobby.
"Nice bat," Kouta remarked. "But you sure spent a long time in there." He nudged Shou. "Come on, let's hear some details."
"Oh my God, you're such a perv," Emi said.
Kouta barked a laugh. "I'm curious! Besides, what's it to you, Emi-chan?"
"N-nothing!" she shot back. "I don't care one bit." She glared at Shou. "Go on, tell him whatever he wants to know."
Shou shook his head. Why had he become the target of Emi's wrath? Anyway, nothing had happened along the lines of what Kouta was implying, so he kept his mouth shut.
They stepped outside, and once again Shou's eyes were immediately drawn to the sky. If Emi's theory was right, they only had until Friday. Sayoko was running out of time.
They walked to the trolley stop by the front gate—the one leading into the city. After a few minutes, the trolley came rolling up, the bright silver M painted on its side. Oshima-san smiled when he saw them, but then his smile quickly turned into a look of confusion. "Whoa, whoa," he said, "what're you kids doing with all that equipment?"
"Oh, um, uh . . ." Kouta said.
"We're . . ." Emi said.
"Cosplaying!" Shou blurted.
"Riiiight," Oshima-san said. "Well . . . Just promise me you're not doing anything delinquent, okay? If you're planning to cause trouble, I'm obliged to report it to the school."
"No trouble," Kouta said.
Oshima chuckled. "Kids," he said. He shook his head. "Just don't make me regret letting you go, okay?"
As one, they nodded.
They boarded the trolley.
Descending into the depths of the Aragawa Station, Shou felt a twirling in his stomach that felt like a hundred butterflies. Blue butterflies, he suddenly thought. The gray walls and floors reminded him of the clouds—he felt like they were pressing in on him. He fought back a wave of claustrophobia.
They swiped their metro cards and then stepped up to the yellow line on the platform.
"You sure this is gonna work, bro?" Kouta asked. "We don't really know how we got on the Shadow Line before."
"Shadow Line?" Emi asked.
"Yeah, um . . . I guess that's just what I've been callin' it in my head," Kouta said.
"Makes sense," Emi said. "The Shadow Line . . . I wonder what stop is in store for us now."
Kouta shoved his hands in his pockets, his shinai tucked under his arm. "Yeah, but like I said, we can't even be sure this is—"
There was a sudden screech of wheels on the track—the noise of an approaching train. Emi gave a small yelp and grabbed on to Shou's arm.
"Um . . ."
"S-sorry!" Emi yanked her hand away. "Being here, um . . . I just couldn't help thinking about my brother, and . . . It startled me, that's all."
Shou told her it was okay.
"Anyway, I'm fine," she said.
Kouta raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Luckily, Emi missed it; she was too busy staring in the direction of the approaching train. If she'd caught the look, Shou was sure she would've had something to say. Probably not very flattering.
Light filled the tunnel then, as the train rounded a curve. It came fully into view, chuffing along, a chrome behemoth, a steel snake.
"Everybody ready?" Kouta asked.
Shou and Emi nodded.
"Any words of encouragement, fearless leader?" Emi asked.
That was the second time she'd called him that, now, but Shou couldn't say he minded. It did make him feel a little braver, knowing his friends were depending on him. He looked at each of them. Then he said, "Sayoko's waiting for us."
"Right," said Kouta.
"Let's do this," said Emi.
Screeeeeee! The train drew to a halt in front of the platform.
The doors opened, and they boarded.
Inside, the car was packed—students from all the high schools in the city jammed together in the after-school rush. The three of them shoved their way through to a spot where there was enough room for their group. Shou and Kouta grabbed onto the rungs above, while Emi gripped the metal pole at the far end of a bank of seats.
"How long you think this'll take?" Kouta asked.
"I—"
The lights began to flicker.
Flickaflickaflickaflick.
"Uh, never mind," Kouta said.
Flickaflickaflickaflick.
As before, long shadows began to dance along the walls. Now that Shou was paying closer attention, he could see that the people around him had become hazy, indistinct. As if they were slowly fading out of existence. Meanwhile, the atmosphere felt heavier, almost dense.
Flickaflickaflickaflick.
Finally, the lights steadied.
Shou took a look around.
They were back on the Shadow Line.
"Damn," Kouta said. He let out a low whistle. "Dunno if I'll ever get used to that."
"Hopefully you won't have to," Emi said. "Once we find Sayoko, she can tell us what happened to her. Who's responsible. And then we can put an end to this."
Shou wasn't so sure. After all, why hadn't the members of Hope/LESS done something if it was that easy? The obvious answer was that they wanted whatever was happening to keep happening, but . . .
What if they didn't know who the culprit was? And that was assuming they even knew there was a "culprit" at all. If there was a culprit at all. The truth was their thoughts about a killer amounted to little more than an unproven theory. Shou thought it was a good theory, but they had no proof.
Just then, the train came to a halt. The doors opened. "First stop: Morigami Home for Children. Please watch your step as you leave the train."
"Didn't it say 'final stop' the last time?" Kouta asked.
"Yeah," Emi affirmed. She looked pale.
The doors closed, and the train began to move again.
It was then that something caught Shou's eye—a bit of blue at the edge of his vision.
He turned.
The door to the Velvet Room stood in place of the door between cars.
Why is that here? he wondered.
He took a step toward it.
"Yo Shou-bro, where ya goin'?" Kouta asked.
Shou told him he wanted to check the next car.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emi asked.
He responded that he'd be fine, and before they could reply, he opened the door.
Shou stepped into the familiar train car, surrounded by the sea of blue. As always, Igor sat at the far end, with Isabelle at his side. He gestured at the plush armchair in front of him, his spindly hands splayed wide. "So," he said, "it has well and truly begun." He grinned his macabre grin. "We've been anticipating your return."
Shou took a seat.
"I do hope you found Narukami's advice useful," Igor said. "This catastrophe that is headed your way has already taken human lives in its approach toward you, as you well know. Yet, do not fear. You possess the power to fight against it. It seems that the time to truly use your Persona has come." He chuckled.
"As the Wild Card," Isabelle said, "the strength of your bonds can help you overcome any obstacle. It is our role to facilitate that."
As usual, Shou didn't have the slightest clue what they were talking about.
"My contribution," Igor said, "is to give birth to new Personas."
New . . . Personas?
"By mixing together multiple Persona cards," Igor continued, "I can transmute them into a new form. This, in other words, is the fusion of Persona. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and use them accordingly. When you defeat an enemy, seeds of possibility will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp . . . but you must master your fear and reach out to them.
"When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, your fusions will gain even more power . . . They will be one of your chief sources of strength. You would do well to take this to heart."
Isabelle tapped the table, and a thick blue leatherbound tome appeared beneath her fingertips. "This is the Persona Compendium," she said. "I will register any new Personas you hold, allowing you to recall them at any time. Let me know whenever you wish to access the Personas you've acquired."
Shou nodded—he didn't know what else to do. Once again, it was an overwhelming rush of information. He had the feeling he would just have to give it a try one he got his hands on some of these . . . cards.
"Now," Igor said, "an admonition before you go. Do you recall my words to you before?"
Shou said that he did.
"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny," Igor told him. "Know that defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end. A great mystery lies before you, and if it goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost."
Shou shivered.
"When next you return," Igor said, "the full services of the Velvet Room will be at your command." Another dry laugh. "I look forward to it. Until then . . .
"Farewell."
Creeeaaak . . . He heard the sound of the Velvet Room door opening behind him, and . . .
"So, anything interesting in there?" Emi asked.
Shou blinked. He was back in the original train car.
"I'm guessin' no, since you were only gone for a sec," Kouta said.
Shou was about to say that Kouta was right, when . . .
Fffsshh . . . The PA system buzzed, and then . . .
"Good afternoon," said a voice.
Sayoko's voice.
As one, their gazes turned to the speakers.
"It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all, today. For too long, the edifice of Japanese education has been eroded by the indignities of feeble-mindedness and ineptitude," her voice said.
"Um . . ." Kouta said. "Is it just me, or does she sound kinda . . . ?"
"Pretentious?" Emi volunteered.
"I was gonna say . . . well, never mind," Kouta replied. "That's not her anyway, right? It's just her Shadow talkin'."
"Yeah, but that means on some level this is how she feels," Emi said.
"Huh," said Kouta. "I guess you're right."
Sayoko's speech continued. "That is why, in the interest of fostering the most brilliant of minds, institutions such as the Morigami Academy were founded. Nevertheless, the plague of brainlessness and asininity has fallen upon even this once-great establishment."
"Asi-what now?" Kouta said.
Emi rolled her eyes.
"It is for this reason that I have decided to bring forth a new paradigm—a world where education caters to the intellectual elite alone. Only geniuses are welcome here. All others need not apply."
The train began to slow, then came to a halt.
"Final stop," said the automated voice. "Prodigy Palace."
Next time, on Persona Gaiden: New Class . . .
The first true dungeon lies before the Exploration Team . . . But Shadows aren't the only obstacles in their way! Two members of Hope/LESS advance on Shou's team . . .
Social Links
Fool — Morigami Exploration Team — Rank 2
Magician — Hayabusa Kouta — Rank 2
Justice — Kazami Kaede — Rank 2
Strength — Shirogane Naoto — Rank 1
Hanged Man — Ariwa Reiko — Rank 2
Death — Kageshiro Ryuu — Rank 1
Sun — Narukami Yu — Rank 1
Attributes
Courage — Rank 2 — Reliable
Knowledge — Rank 2 — Broad
Expression — Rank 2 — Eloquent
Understanding — Rank 2 — Kindly
Charm — Rank 1 — Plain
Author's Note 2: On another note, thank you all again for continuing to read and support the story! I humbly beseech those readers who peruse the site as guests to take a few minutes, sign up, and follow/favorite, or leave a review. I'd be so grateful! Even a guest review would be very welcome! Not only is it a wonderful reward for me, but it also lets the rest of the users on the site know this is a story worth checking out. You have the power to increase Persona Gaiden's popularity, and I'd be so thankful if you guys would lend me a hand to do so! :D
And there's an added bonus! It will open a direct line of communication to me. I always respond to PMs and member reviews, and I'd be happy to chat with each and every one of you.
I would also love to hear what you guys think of the story's new cover art. Do you prefer the new image, or should I go back to my profile image of Narukami? Let me know! Eventually I would like to do a real cover with some custom artwork of the original characters, but this is what I have for now!