XXII
Sunday
April 21, 2013 — Daytime
Clear Skies
It was not long before the trolley arrived, the blue-painted exterior emblazoned with the silver "M" of Morigami Academy. It was still early in the day, the trolley queue occupied by only a handful of students. Naoto held up a hand, indicating that they should wait and let all the other passengers board first. When that was done, she and Shou stepped onto the bus.
"School IDs," Oshima-san, the driver, said. He gave a nod of recognition to Shou, who nodded back.
For the sake of formality, Shou fished his ID out of his wallet and flashed it at Oshima-san, who motioned for him to proceed into the trolley. As for Naoto, she showed a Morigami Academy Guest Pass; however, when Oshima gave his approval, she didn't budge. "I was hoping you might answer a question," she said.
"Oh?" The trolley driver grinned.
"Was there anyone else," she asked, "who rode recently, with a Guest Pass like my own?"
"Well," said Oshima-san, "sure. Visiting parents, friends, substitute teachers, guest speakers, all kinds of—"
"Thank you," Naoto said.
Oshima-san tipped his hat. "Happy to help."
It occurred to Shou that Oshima-san might be a good source of information on the case. He wondered if the trolley driver had seen anything out of the ordinary recently, particularly on the days around the time Sayoko had become one of the Vanished. He resolved to make time to talk to Oshima soon. For now, however, there were other matters to attend to.
Naoto stepped past Shou and proceeded down the aisle, carefully observing each seat. Shou remained silent, allowing the detective to do her work. A few of the seated students regarded her with quizzical looks, but she ignored them. It wasn't until she reached the back seat that she stopped.
"Here," she said.
She knelt, and steadied herself with a hand on the leather-covered seat as the trolley began to move. Beneath the seat was yet another manila envelope. Naoto opened it up and withdrew . . .
A pair of sky-blue framed glasses?
Shou didn't know what to think of this, but Naoto dropped down onto the seat and smiled. "It appears my suspicions were correct," she said.
Shou couldn't help himself. He asked what the significance of the glasses was.
"These were an integral part of our fight in Inaba," Naoto said. "Each member of our team had a pair. They allowed us to see through the fog that shrouded the Shadow world there—the world inside the TV." She reached inside the envelope a second time, and took out a note.
Shou asked what it said.
"Cherished memories," she read, "valued friends. Though the fight is not yet over, our bond will last forever." She smiled, and Shou could have sworn he saw her eyes sparkle with unformed tears. "I thought I'd lost these. Retired them, as it were. After all our work in Inaba was done." She paused, her smile widening. "I know exactly who sent this."
Shou couldn't help himself. He asked who.
"I suspect this will be but one of many to follow," Naoto replied. "And I won't take from you the chance to figure it out yourself. After all, I'm training you to be a detective, am I not? Let us wait and see what other riddles come our way."
"You're very dedicated," Shou said.
Naoto laughed. "I take my work seriously," she said. "And, in this case, my work is you." She met Shou's eyes. "I have a feeling that the current case—these tragedies that are happening in Morigami City—can only be solved by you, and you alone, Tanimoto Shou. Logic, hard work, deductive reasoning . . . Before Inaba, they were all that I believed in. Now, I know that sometimes there is more. Sometimes there are forces working behind the scenes, beyond the scope of human comprehension. I think that this is one of those times."
Shou nodded.
"I am entrusting this case to you, Shou," Naoto said. "You are at the center of it, the eye of the storm around which everything revolves. I can tell, because . . . you remind me so very much of him."
"Him?" Shou asked.
"Yu," Naoto said. "You remind me . . . of Yu."
Snap! Shou heard that familiar noise echo through his mind.
Thou art I . . . And I am thou . . . Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Strength Arcana . . .
Shou bowed his head in thanks. Though he didn't know Narukami Yu well, his first encounter with him had impressed him, and he could tell by Naoto's attitude that it was a great compliment. "Will you tell me about the case in Inaba?" he asked.
"Certainly," she said.
They sat on the trolley and talked for a while as it made its rounds across the city, and then back towards Morigami Academy . . .
Monday
April 22, 2013 — Early Morning
Cloudy
The following morning, Shou walked toward the Classroom Building with Kouta, who wheeled his bike beside him.
"Dude, what am I gonna do?" Kouta moaned.
Shou asked what he meant.
"I'm supposed to go on this date with Azu-chan in a couple days," Kouta said, "but I can't get my mind off those rumors she mentioned! Shou-bro, you gotta help me. Help me figure out what she was talking about."
Shou shook his head, expressing that he wasn't sure if the other students would confide in him so easily. He was a new transfer student, after all. Still, he promised he would do his best.
"Really appreciate it, man," Kouta said. "Asked Emi-chan, too, and she said she'd see what she could dig up." He sighed, and his broad shoulders slumped. "This is driving me crazy. It's totally stressing me out."
Shou gave his friend a reassuring pat.
They continued on.
Monday
April 22, 2013 — Morning
Cloudy
Sandford-sensei, the English teacher, stood at the head of the class, wearing a vest and, underneath, a blouse cut not quite low enough to show much, but enough to tease the imaginations of all the boys in the class. Shou glanced around the room, taking in the dreamlike, glassy-eyed expressions of his fellow students as they gazed with longing at the blonde American beauty.
"Today we'll be discussing the differences in the use of the infinitive and gerunds," she said. "In translating from Japanese, there's often little difference between the infinitive and gerunds. For example, were I to say 'Watashi wa utau koto ga suki desu,' I could translate this in English as either 'I like to sing,' which would be an infinitive, or 'I like singing,' which would be a gerund . . ."
Unlike the other guys in the room, even Sandford-sensei's good looks couldn't keep Shou focused. He had so much on his mind. Two new mysteries had arisen—the Phantom Thief, and the rumors about Kouta—and he found himself wondering how in the world he was going to keep track of it all. At least Naoto-san hadn't seemed alarmed about the Phantom Thief business. Perhaps he could relax about that one. There was more than enough to worry about, and he was starting to feel stretched thin. He had so many new friendships—so many Social Links to explore. He remembered Yoshiro's invitation to train; he resolved to take him up on that soon. There was no telling when someone else might become one of the Vanished, and he had to be prepared to fight. He also wanted to visit the school store soon and pick up some new gear.
So much to do, so little time . . .
"Who can tell me the answer?" Sandford-sensei's voice cut through Shou's thoughts, bringing him back to the present. "Hmm, how about . . . Tachibana-san."
Shou exhaled in relief that he hadn't be called on. He resolved to pay attention for the rest of the class.
His knowledge increased!
Monday
April 22, 2013 — Lunchtime
Cloudy
As Shou stepped out of Classroom B, he heard excited chatter drifting through the halls.
"I heard the cast list for the school play is up!" one girl said to a friend. "Let's go see!"
Her friend laughed. "Why bother? We already know who the leads are gonna be. Reiko-chan for Juliet and Yaru for Romeo . . ."
Shou took a deep breath, his insides churning. Why was he so nervous? He felt like he was about to step onstage and audition again. Then, he chided himself. This was nothing compared to the life or death stakes he'd faced on the Shadow Line! No big deal, right? Yet he couldn't shake the anxiety. He wasn't even sure what he hoped the outcome would be. There was a part of him that wanted the lead, both for the recognition, and—if he was being honest—to spend more time acting with Reiko. On the other hand, he'd never done anything like this before. Would he be able to memorize his lines? How would he deal with the added pressure, on top of everything else?
He headed for the stairs.
In the main hall, a throng of students were gathered around the bulletin board, all of their faces lit with excitement. Shou wound his way through, his heart pounding hard enough that he felt like it was smacking against the inside of his ribcage.
"If it ain't the man o' the hour!"
At the front of the crowd stood Yasuda—"Yaru"—with a grin plastered on his feminine features. Beside him stood Reiko, looking poised as always, but also pleased.
Yasuda strode forward, the ubiquitous gaggle of girls that surrounded for him making way. He draped a slim arm around Shou's neck. "Ya know," he said, "when I first saw ya audition, I knew ya had somethin' special. You're a real natural, I can tell. I'm an expert on these things." With his free hand, he traced a line down Shou's chest. "I'll teach ya how ta have these girls eatin' outta the palm o' yer hand in no time," he whispered, his breath teasing Shou's ear.
Shou was flabbergasted, his face reddening. He didn't know how to respond, and couldn't help but feel Yasuda's close contact felt a little more than just . . . friendly.
Before Shou could think further on it, however, Yasuda removed his arm and paraded Shou to the front of the mob of students. "Here he is!" he shouted. "Say hello ta yer Romeo, ladies!" He grabbed Shou's hand and thrust it into the air.
There were some disappointed murmurs from some of the girls.
"Hey now," Yasuda said, "I'll be playin' Mercutio, this guy's best friend! So if ya got a problem with him, ya got a problem with me, ya dig? Now let's hear it for my man Shou!"
The murmurs faded away, replaced by cheers.
Shou couldn't help but grin, enjoying the adulation.
His charm greatly increased!
His charm went from Plain to Confident!
As the din subsided, Shou felt a touch on his wrist. He turned to find Reiko beaming at him, her dark eyes shining. In that moment, her face was filled with an honest and unbridled joy, and Shou couldn't help thinking she looked prettier than ever. "Congratulations," she said. "I look forward to working with you."
He bowed his head in thanks, and replied that he felt the same way.
"The first rehearsal's today, after school," she said. "I'll see you then."
His day had just gotten a lot more interesting.
Monday
April 22, 2013 — After School
Cloudy
After school, Shou headed to Multipurpose Room A, where he'd learned they would have most of their rehearsals before moving to the actual stage. It was a large, rectangular room with tall, bright windows at one end. The floors were mostly covered in fine gray carpet, but at the back was a wood-paneled stage, rising only about half a foot off the ground.
For today, however, everyone was set up in the center of room, seated on folding chairs arranged in a circle. Shou learned that they would do what was called a "table read," going through the script and acting the lines with their voices alone, without actually getting up to perform the scenes. Shou found a seat next to Reiko, who offered a nod and a smile. A moment later, Yaru entered, and grabbed the seat on Shou's other side.
"Nervous?" he asked. "Don't ya worry, Shou-chan, Yaru's here ta take care 'o ya." He reached out and patted Shou's cheek.
Shou blushed and looked away. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to the male idol's attention, or his penchant for calling him "Shou-chan." Out of the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw Reiko glaring past him, at Yasuda.
"All right, everyone," said a voice.
It was Takahama-sensei, the drama teacher, and director, who entered alongside the mousy-haired girl Shou recognized as the one who'd been helping with auditions, a stack of scripts in her hands. He soon found out that she was Maeda-san, a third year who was serving as the stage manager for the production.
For the next couple of hours, they read through the script. It seemed to Shou that Reiko already knew most of the lines by heart, and when it was time for their scenes together, she barely looked at the words at all, instead focusing completely on him, right beside her. Often, he found himself so drawn by her gaze that he would try to do the same, but usually ended up losing his place on the page and tripping over his words.
"Just relax, Shou-kun," Takahama said. "Keep your attention on the words for now. The rest will come later."
Shou took a deep breath and did his best to follow Takahama's instructions, though he couldn't help but feel self-conscious with the eyes of everyone in the room on him. And when it finally came time for Mercutio's death scene, Yasuda fell sideways into Shou's lap, coughing and spluttering as he delivered his final words, before the character of Benvolio took him "offstage." By then, however, Shou was getting the hang of things and did not let himself get thrown by Yasuda's dramatics.
Shou's ease with the material improved as the reading went on, and by the end he felt like he'd recaptured that wonderful soaring feeling he had experienced during his audition.
His expression increased!
At last they finished, with the character of the Prince, played by a boy named Toyama, reading the final lines: "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
Everyone applauded.
Shou knew it was as much for Reiko, and the rest of the cast, as it was for him, yet he felt an immense sense of pride, and also relief. He was starting to believe he could actually do this. And with Reiko supporting him, that only made him want to succeed all the more.
After rehearsal, Shou walked back to the dorm with Reiko.
It was brisk out that afternoon, with the cloud cover blocking off much of the sun's warmth. Shou found his attention continually drawn to those clouds, plagued by an irrational fear they might suddenly condense, becoming that ponderous, ominous curtain of darkness that indicated activity on the Shadow Line. These fears were unfounded, however, because the clouds remained wispy and pale gray.
Everything was okay.
"Something on your mind?" Reiko asked.
Shou couldn't exactly tell her the truth, so instead he replied, "I was thinking about the play."
"Mm," she said, "me too." His answer seemed to please her. "It's a powerful story, don't you think?"
Shou nodded.
"I'm glad Takahama-sensei cast you as Romeo," she said. "You're the right choice."
"Thank you," Shou said.
Though her face retained its calmness, pink colored her cheeks. "There's no need to thank me," she said. "It's simple fact." She gave a small laugh. "Yasuda is far too much of a show-off to give the role its proper gravity. Mercutio is a better match for him. He's certainly fallen into it well enough."
Shou chuckled in agreement.
"This play means a lot to me," she said. "My mother was a dancer, and the first time I ever saw her perform was as Juliet in Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet ballet. It's one of my fondest memories." A faraway expression came over her as she reminisced. "I studied ballet for a while, when I was little, but a ballet dancer's career only lasts so long." She frowned. "And idols like Yasuda . . . Part of an idol's appeal is youth. That's why I decided to become a serious actress. It's the only way to have a long career."
Suddenly, Reiko stopped, and stepped in front of Shou, her eyes locked on his, showing . . . what? He almost thought she looked afraid.
"Do you think I'm a good enough actress?" she asked him. "Do you think I can . . . last?"
Before he really had the chance to think about it, he blurted out, "You're the best actress I know."
Her eyes lit up. Then, she started to giggle. "Well," she said, "I suppose you don't really know many actresses. Still . . . Thank you."
Snap!
A comforting warmth spread through Shou as the voice spoke in his mind.
Thou art I . . . And I am thou . . . Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana . . .
Reiko smiled at him, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes; Shou wasn't sure why. "Come on," she said, "let's get back to the dorm."
They resumed their walk.
Monday
April 22, 2013 — Evening
Cloudy
Back at G Hall, Shou found Kouta and Emi in the lobby, arguing over something, while Yuto-chan was planted on the floor in front of the TV, watching Featherman, completely oblivious. Reiko excused herself and headed up the stairs as Shou stepped in to intervene with his friends.
He asked them what was going on.
"Shou-bro!" Kouta exclaimed. "Emi found out something, but she won't tell me what!"
She found out something? Had Aizawa discovered a connection between the Academy and MoriNet already? Or was it something else? Another clue? Excitement suffused Shou, but then . . .
"It's just a stupid rumor," Emi said, her face bright red.
Oh, so that's what this was about? Shou sighed.
"I don't care if it's a stupid rumor," Kouta said. "I wanna know what you heard!"
"It isn't worth repeating," Emi mumbled. She couldn't meet Kouta's eyes. "I'm sure it isn't true, so . . . Just forget about it, okay?!" With that, she scurried out of the room.
Kouta raised his fists to the sky in a futile gesture. "Dammit!"
A moment later, Kumiko-san poked her head out of the kitchen. "Language, Kouta-kun!"
Kouta glanced at Yuto-chan, who hadn't even noticed the outburst, and grimaced. "Sorry, Kumiko-san," he said.
She nodded once, then ducked back inside to continue working on dinner.
"If you found out something, you wouldn't keep it from me, would you, Shou-bro?" Kouta pleaded.
Shou shook his head.
Kouta exhaled in relief. "I thought so. Glad I can count on you, at least, dude."
Shou had to dig his nails into his palms to keep from laughing.
Tuesday
April 23, 2013 — Morning
Light Rain
In homeroom, Abe-sensei was his usual ornery self. "Quiet down, quiet down," he crowed. "The youth of today, so loud, like you're shouting at each other. Trying to talk over the sound of your smart TVs and fancy computers, watching silly videos on Niconico . . ."
"How do you know Niconico, Abe-sensei?" one of the students asked.
"That's . . . er, ahem, that's beside the point!" Abe shot back. "The youth of today, so nosy. Why don't you all mind your own business, eh?"
The day went on . . .
Tuesday
April 23, 2013 — Lunchtime
Light Rain
As Shou was walking through the hallway, he was approached by Kouta.
"Hey, Shou-bro, so, uh, I was wondering . . ." Briefly, he looked down at the floor, then back at Shou, all the while wringing his hands. "You mind hanging out after school today? I was thinking we could try to get to the bottom of this rumor stuff. Whaddya say, dude?"
Shou considered this. If the rain kept up, baseball practice would probably be canceled, but there was also work at the school store to consider. He hadn't been there to hang out with Kaede in a while. He also still wanted to speak with Oshima-san and see if the trolley driver had any leads. Nevertheless, Kouta seemed to be in the most urgent need, and Shou wanted to do whatever he could to help his friend.
He agreed to meet up after class.
"Aw dude you have no idea what a relief it is to hear you say that," Kouta said. "Catch you later!"
With that, Kouta was off.
Shou headed to lunch.
Tuesday
April 23, 2013 — After School
Light Rain
Shou joined up with Kouta in the lobby. Kouta had his shinai bag slung over his shoulder, and when Shou asked him what it was for, Kouta replied, "For beatin' the truth outta people!"
Shou gave Kouta a dubious look.
"C'mon, a couple whacks never hurt anybody."
Shou continued to stare at his friend.
"Okay, well maybe they might hurt a little," Kouta hedged, "but you gotta admit, it's effective, am I right?"
Shou nodded and raised his hands in surrender, unable to keep the smile from his lips.
"That's the spirit," Kouta said. "Now where to first?"
Shou raised an eyebrow. He was supposed to take the lead on this?
"Well, duh, dude," Kouta said. "You're our team leader. Headin' up the investigation and all that. So why not this one, too? Use your mad sleuthin' skills and help a brother out!"
Shou shook his head in exasperation, then started off toward the first floor classroom hallway, Kouta following behind him.
They wandered the school for a while, trying to get answers. The students they approached had much the same reaction. One student yelled, "Don't hurt me!" and fled down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Do they all have to do that?" Kouta sighed in disgust.
Shou suggested they try a different tactic.
"You got something else in mind?"
He glanced toward a gaggle of second year girls chatting by their lockers.
Kouta swallowed hard. "You wanna go talk to them?"
As if on cue, the girls all glanced in Shou and Kouta's direction, then began talking and laughing among themselves, their gazes occasionally flickering back.
"I dunno about this one, dude," Kouta said. "I mean, what if they just laugh at me, you know? This whole time I figured girls just thought of me as their tough big bro, but what if I was wrong? What if they're not interested in me because, I dunno, they heard I'm a hentai or something!"
Shou considered his next words carefully.
That first day they'd really become friends, Kouta had begged for help with girls, and Shou couldn't allow Kouta to develop an even bigger complex about that. He needed to motivate his friend. Kouta was the sort of guy who could get fired up easily with the right encouragement, but he also wasn't the type that would be influenced by reassurances or platitudes. No, there was only one way to get Kouta to do what he had to . . .
"Be a man," Shou said.
"Wh . . . what did you say?" Kouta demanded. Then he closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. "Ooooooooh! Okay!" His eyes snapped open. "Dammit, Shou-bro, you're right!" He thrust his fist in the air. "I gotta face this head on! C'mon dude, let's do this!"
Before Shou could stop him, Kouta charged down the hall.
Shou shook his head. That wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind.
He followed after his friend.
Shou caught up with Kouta just as he confronted the group of girls. "So, ladies," he said, "I heard there's some smack talk goin' around! You wouldn't happen to know anythin' about that, would ya?"
The girls tittered and began to whisper among themselves.
"Hey!" Kouta shouted. "Ain't ya even listenin' to me? I'm talkin' to you, here!"
One of the girls gasped. "He's getting angry!"
"So it's true!" said another.
"He's got the rage all right," replied a third.
"What rage?" Kouta demanded.
One of the girls stepped forward and stuck her finger in Kouta's face. "Listen, Kouta-senpai, just because you can't control yourself doesn't mean you can take it out on us," she said. Then, her face softened. "I understand why. This is a competitive environment. But it isn't healthy for you, senpai. You should get some help."
"What are you even talking about?!" Kouta bellowed.
Like a flock of startled birds, the girls all jumped, and then quickly dispersed, leaving Shou and Kouta alone in the hallway.
Kouta's shoulders slumped. "Aw, man."
Shou tried to offer some words of comfort. "You did the best you could."
Kouta groaned. "I dunno, man. What were they even talking about?"
Shou considered this. Something that was unhealthy, and that inspired anger . . . Could it be . . . ? "Steroids?" Shou suggested.
"St . . . steroids?" Kouta stared at Shou in shock. Then he burst into laughter. "Dude, that's ridiculous! The school randomly drug tests. Even if I wanted to, I could never get away with that. And besides . . ." He flexed his muscles. "I'm all natural, bro. It's a matter of principle! Who the hell would start a dumb rumor like that?"
Shou shrugged. He had no clue.
Kouta's eyebrows drew together. "Still, I guess it'd explain why people are scared of me . . . Huh." Then he smiled. "Man, I'm relieved. I thought it was somethin' worse, like I was a perv or a peeper."
Shou chuckled.
"Next time I'm gonna talk to the guys on the kendo team. They'll know the rumors aren't true, so they shouldn't be afraid to tell me if they've heard anythin', right?"
Shou nodded.
"Whew, all right, I feel a lot better, Shou-bro! Thanks for backing me up on this one." He offered his fist for a fist bump.
Shou grinned, and obliged him.
Snap!
Thou art I . . . And I am thou . . . Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana . . .
"Anyway," Kouta said, "there's no kendo practice today, so the guys probably headed back to their dorms. You wanna head back too?"
They retrieved umbrellas from their lockers, then left the Classroom Building, and walked toward G Hall, surrounded by the soft patter of light rain, and the rich smells of the soaked spring earth.
Tuesday
April 23, 2013 — Evening
Light Rain
After Shou concluded his homework, he sat and looked out his window, at the puddles illuminated by the lampposts outside, the ripples spreading through them from the drops falling from above. He was starting to realize that the world was like one of those puddles, and he a drop of rain, his actions fanning out to affect everything around him. Was he more influential than others because he was the Wild Card? He was starting to feel that way. Though he was still working to improve himself, to be as charming and courageous and smart as he could be, he could not deny that he seemed to possess some inner magnetism he'd never before recognized in himself.
Was this a result of his contract with the Velvet Room? Or had he always been this way, and never known it?
He opened up one of his textbooks to study, but his heart wasn't in it. There was too much to think about. He wished he had a good novel to read instead, and resolved to visit the library tomorrow after school.
He went to sleep early, dreaming of twisted Shadows and that mysterious train car filled with blue velvet.
Next time, on Persona Gaiden: New Class . . .
Another new Social Link appears as the investigation continues. Plus, what will the result of Kouta's date with Azu-chan be? Find out next time!
Social Links
Fool — Morigami Exploration Team — Rank 3
Magician — Hayabusa Kouta — Rank 3!
Priestess — Sato Sayoko — Rank 1
Emperor — Morigami Yoshiro — Rank 1
Justice — Kazami Kaede — Rank 2
Strength — Shirogane Naoto — Rank 2!
Hanged Man — Ariwa Reiko — Rank 3!
Death — Kageshiro Ryuu — Rank 2
Sun — Narukami Yu — Rank 1
Attributes
Courage — Rank 2 — Reliable
Knowledge — Rank 2 — Broad
Expression — Rank 2 — Eloquent
Understanding — Rank 2 — Kindly
Charm — Rank 2! — Confident