A series of grunts and oof!s announced our haphazard entrance to the other side of the TV. Yosuke was the only one of us who'd managed to land with any sort of grace, one hand on the grass in a classic ninja pose. I'd managed to land on my hands and knees while Arisu and Shen were spread-eagled on the ground and flat on their face respectively. I groaned and looked up to see Yu and Mariko Kusumi standing over us. Yu's expression was half-amused, half-apologetic, but Kusumi-san looked close to bursting into peals of laughter.

"Yeah, probably best if you mind the landing coming in," Yu remarked nonchalantly. He offered his hand and helped each of us up in turn. "Welcome to the Garden of Hearts everyone."

The sight of this new world took my breath away. Before us was a wild meadow of sparkling dew-laden grass and wildflowers, surrounded by delicately shaped trees with leaves that were greener than any I'd ever seen. A glittering brook ran through the center of the meadow, and the sunlight reflecting off it was almost enough to make one believe that the water was made of liquid gemstones. A pair of blooming cherry trees could be seen at the other end of the meadow, their enchanted petals drifting through the wind with the slightest gust. Off in the distance, I could see the faint outline of an ancient castle, its stones overgrown with moss and vines. The old fortress bespoke treasure and peril, and those ancient fairy tales of knights and princesses and dragons.

Looking behind us, I beheld the place where we had entered the Garden. Surrounded by a meter-high stone wall with a small arch leading within was a pile of old-school televisions, jumbled together haphazardly with most of their screens facing outward. Piled on top of them were a few metal girders as well, but they were overtaken with rust and the entire pile was starting to succumb to vines. Nevertheless, the TVs still flickered on and off.

"It's beautiful," Shen and Arisu said at the exact same time in exactly the same awed tone. I snickered at them as they looked at each other with surprised expressions. Then I gave a start as I heard a familiar cackle.

"Hey Kenzo!" Futaba Sakura greeted me. "So these are your new friends? Are they any good yet? Have they managed to summon?"

"Yes, and Shen has," I told her, "but never mind that, how did you get here before us!?"

"I teleported," she said matter-of-factly.

I facepalmed. "Oh yeah. Navigator."

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Shen asked.

"She's Futaba Sakura," Arisu replied. "I'm not surprised you don't know her. She doesn't really interact with the rest of the class much."

"I'm also Oracle of the Phantom Thieves," Futaba said gleefully. "Nice to meet you properly, Shen, Arisu."

Shen did a severe double-take, and Arisu was staggered by the revelation. "Wait, there was a Phantom Thief in our class the whole time!?"

"Yeah, I'm a Thief," Futaba said easily. There was a blip in space and she was suddenly gone, reappearing behind us. "So how are those Shackles working out for ya?"

All three of us yelped and jumped back. She gave us an annoyed glare. "Don't do that!" Arisu gasped.

The other girl's mischievous grin reappeared. "C'mon! Show me! What're your Personas like?"

Arisu looked away, uncomfortable. "I… haven't used it yet."

Futaba looked disappointed. "Whaaaaat? C'mon girl, you've gotta be more confident in yourself if you're going to be a Persona-user!"

"I'm still working on that," Arisu said, her tone betraying a hint of either annoyance or frustration. She clenched her left fist and her Shackle flashed with blue. No less than eight transparent azure chains appeared, linked directly to the glowing blue manacle fastened around her left wrist. Each one was pulled taut, most of them going into the ground at different angles, while three of them disappeared into thin air.

"Ooooh," Futaba cooed, examining the chains first with her eyes and then shifting into her Tron suit and goggles and using her powers to continue the examination. "Never actually seen them work like this. Y'know, 'cause I'm Phantom Class and all."

"We think the chains represent things holding me back from Awakening," Arisu admitted. "I still have a ways to go."

"Hey, at least there's less of them than there were before," Shen told her. "There must've been almost a dozen of them before, and now you've got only eight? I've only managed to break two since I first got mine." He activated his own Shackle, displaying the five chains still linked to it.

"Oh, nice," Oracle muttered to herself, surrounded by holographic screens and lines of code. "Lightning affinity? Huh, just like Skull. Predictable affinities… Persona's a bit on the ugly side though."

"Oi!"

"Meh, it's only the first evolution. You'll probably get something cooler once you evolve."

"Thanks… I guess?"

Alright, Oracle," Yu interrupted, "you can inspect the newbies later. For now we have a tour to get to." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, welcome to the Garden of Hearts. This is a realm on the other side of the TV that is shaped by human cognition, like all realms in the Metaverse apparently. Marie here is the goddess who controls this realm." He gestured to Kusumi-san.

"Wait, you're a goddess?" I asked.

"That's right!" Kusumi-san answered cheerfully. "Out in the real world, I mostly just decide the weather and shield the town from Shadows, but when I'm here in the Garden of Hearts, I have full access to all my official powers as the local goddess, though I've only ever had to use them once before. My real name is Izanami-no-Mikoto, but you can just call me Marie."

"So if you control the weather, does that mean you can make a storm tomorrow?" Arisu asked excitedly. Shen and I were both taken aback by the sudden shift. Arisu never got excited.

Marie-san looked confused. "A storm tomorrow? I mean… I was planning for it to rain a little tomorrow evening to take a little off the heat that we've been getting the last few days, but a storm? Usually it only gets stormy around here when I'm mad. What do you want one for?"

Arisu shrugged. "I just like storms. The howl of the wind and the roar of the thunder is awe-inspiring, and falling asleep to the sound of rain on your roof… there's no experience like it." Arisu paused for a moment. "Well, other than basically any kind of snowy weather, but it's still summer. It's way too early for snow."

"Oh," Marie-san giggled. "Fond of the winter months, are we?"

Arisu grinned. "Yes, I am."

"Well, consider it done," Marie-san agreed. "One thunderstorm scheduled for tomorrow evening!"

A few minutes later, we ended up at the gates of Yukiko's Castle. The castle itself was an impressive-looking stone ruin, overgrown with moss and vines, and while the entrance's hedge-lined walls leading up to the main gate were probably pretty intimidating in the past, especially with the dark lead statues standing over the pathway, the hedges were overgrown, and the walls were falling apart, with a couple of pedestals along the walls that used to bear the ornate statues being empty or missing entirely. Had the sky been darker, the castle would have looked like the lair of a demon. As it was, it just looked like a fascinating but ultimately harmless historical ruin.

And of course, sitting just outside the path leading up to the gate of the castle were a pair of thieves. And they were kissing, without a care in the world.

Yu cleared his throat. "So did you two actually go in, or have you just been sitting here the whole time?" he asked in a deadpan tone.

Satomi and Atsuko slowly separated from each other. "We just got out," Satomi answered him, though she was still staring into her lover's eyes.

"The fox lady who gave us drinks when we got out was really nice though," Atsuko added.

Yu looked confused. "Fox lady?"

"Oh, they're probably talking about Tamamizu," Marie said nonchalantly. "I haven't seen her in a while. I wonder how she's been doing."

"I have been doing very well, my lady," came a serene voice off to the side. The speaker turned out to be a young woman in a white robe overlaid by a red apron dotted with white and pink hearts, with Satomi and Atsuko's cat, Birthday Cake, purring in her arms. Her hair was orange, and despite the vertical scar that crossed her right eye, she was still very beautiful. But her most prominent features were the pair of tall fox ears that stuck up from her head and the three fluffy, white-tipped tails that waved in the air behind her.

Yu stared at her for a minute before he found his voice. "Wait… you were that fox, weren't you? The one who always hangs out around the shrine?"

The fox lady beamed and bowed to him. "You are correct. And I thank you for your help the year you first came here. My shrine is more beautiful than ever now."

Yu smiled back at her. "Think nothing of it. When did you get a human form?"

"It wasn't long after the Outbreak," she explained. "I came to my lady and offered my services in these trying times, and she graciously accepted. As a gift, I was granted this form." She turned to myself and my friends. "I believe some introductions are in order. I am Tamamizu, a kitsune in service to Izanami-sama and the guardian of the local shrine. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise, Tamamizu-san," I greeted her in turn.

"Dude!" Shen hissed in my ear. "There's a literal fox lady standing in front of us, how are you not freaking out?"

I gave him a deadpan look. "We just jumped into a TV and fight monsters born from human hearts."

Shen blinked. "Okay, fair."

"Also the Phantom Thieves have a cat boy."

"What!?"

Oracle burst out laughing. Birthday Cake looked up at Marie-san from Tamamizu's arms and meowed at the goddess. Marie-san only smiled down at the cat and petted its head. "You say that like you need my help, little one," she told the cat. "If your bond with your companions is strong, then in time you will gain the power to stand beside them on your own. Remain loyal, and you will be rewarded in time."

Birthday Cake meowed back and leapt out of Tamamizu's arms, trotting over to the two thieves.

Yu walked up next to Marie-san. "You're really getting into your role as a goddess lately. Are you going to be blessing the fields next?"

Immediately, the blushy, embarrassed Marie returned. "D-don't day stupid things like that, stupid! I'm a weather goddess, not an earth goddess! Jerk…"

Yu chuckled at the shift and turned to the rest of us. "Alright, who wants to pool information on the basics of Shadow combat?"

I let out a sigh of pure relief as I let the warm water wash over me, getting rid of all the grime and sweat from the afternoon's bout of Shadow combat in what used to be Yukiko's Castle. A line of goosebumps ran up my spine as every muscle in my body relaxed in appreciation for the water-

I was suddenly splashed from behind and completely drenched. "AAGH!" I cried out. "What the heck was that about!?"

One of the other boys in my class, Toshiaki I believed his name was, cowered back, still holding his bucket. "S-sorry! I just- You were on fire!"

"Huh?"

Shen explained, "It was that blue fire, you know, the stuff you use for your Mage's Flame or whatever."

"Magician's Flame."

"Yeah, that. You got some travelling up your spine and then it set your hair on fire. So this guy panicked and doused you."

I sighed and wiped some of the moisture off my bangs and forehead. We were in the washroom of the Amagi Inn's hot springs, and so far they were more than living up to their reputation. Immaculately clean and with simplistic yet tasteful décor, virtually everything about the hot spring had an aura of soft comfort, much like the rest of the inn itself. Best of all, Kawakami-sensei had managed to get our class some reservations at the sex-separated baths, so we wouldn't be bathing with strange old men. Unfortunately, that also meant shenanigans were still on the table.

"That sort of thing just happens," I told the splasher. "If it makes you nervous to sit next to someone on fire, then just tell me I'm on fire and I'll put it out."

Shen's brow creased in confusion. "What do you mean it 'just happens'? I've never seen you randomly catch fire before."

"It happens sometimes when I get goosebumps," I explained. "It just leaks out, probably because I'm feeling really in the zone, if you know what I'm saying. There's nothing to worry about, it doesn't actually burn anything unless I want it to. Here," I finished by snapping my fingers and conjuring a ball of bright blue fire into my palm. I held up a flap of the towel wrapped around my waist and held it over the fire. No effect. "See?"

Toshiaki returned to his seat. "That's freaky."

"You kidding? It's awesome!" Yuichi, the class pervert, joined the conversation. "Powers like yours, how many girls have you got drooling at your feet?"

I snorted. "Not as many as Shen, I'll tell you that."

"And the funny thing is, I have no idea why," Shen joked. "Any reason why girls are so attracted to a stick like me is completely beyond me."

"No, I'm the stick," I told him. "You're a hot rod."

That prompted a round of loud "OOOOHHH"s from the other guys. Shen only smirked at me. "Smooth."

I gave a bark of laughter. "At least I would say that if I could actually tell that you were hot without other people having to tell me."

Shen was confused again. "Wait, what?"

I shrugged. "I literally have no idea what makes a man attractive. I have no idea why. Probably just goes to show how I'm definitely not gay."

"Well if that's the case, what kind of girl is your type?" Yuichi barged into the conversation again.

"Type?" I asked. "I don't have a type. All girls are different and attractive in different ways."

Yuichi pouted. "That's not an answer."

I shrugged. "What other answer is there?"

Yuichi waved his arms. "You know! Hair color, height, bust size-"

I stood up and started putting away my washing implements. "I think I'm done washing, I'm gonna go soak." I headed out of the room to the pool.

The pool area was currently inhabited by a couple of the other boys who'd finished up their washing quickly. It was relatively simple, with a border of smooth stones around the edge of the pool and a fence of bamboo blocking it off from the girls' pool, which from the lack of sound seemed to be empty. Probably because girls just took longer to wash their hair. At any rate, I settled in on the warmer side of the pool and leaned back against a rock. America was seriously missing out.

"So you're really not dating either of them?" one of the girls next to Arisu asked her.

Arisu rolled her eyes as she washed the old dye out of her hair. "No, I'm not. Why would you assume that? I just joined them to learn how to fight Shadows, and we became friends after a little while. Nothing else to it."

"That is so disappointing," one of the other girls drawled. "I thought miss uptight Storm Girl had finally learned to lighten up."

Arisu bristled, sending the other girl a glare fit to freeze hell. "I don't see what business it is of yours what I do with my time. And if you want me to 'lighten up', then maybe it would be nice if you would treat me like a person rather than a zoo animal!"

The other girl paled and retreated, leaving Arisu to finish washing. People like that were the bane of her existence. They never had anything of substance to talk about, belittled anyone they thought was beneath them, and strutted around like they were owed the world on a silver platter. Arisu frowned at her own thoughts. Alright, maybe that was an exaggeration, but still.

An arm slung around her shoulder. "Girl, you're not going to make a ton of friends if you keep scaring people off," Atsuko told her.

"I don't need fake friends," Arisu objected, extricating herself from the other person's arm. "Also, are you even allowed to be here?"

Atsuko grinned. "I might be nonbinary, but I was born female. Besides, Satomi and I were cleared to come here since we're your friends."

"I hope you're using that term loosely," Arisu told them as she started to rinse her hair again. "We've barely known each other for a day."

"Hey, we're fellow Persona-users," Satomi told her, coming over from where she'd just finished her own wash. "As much as I don't really understand about this whole thing, what I do know is that sticking together is better than being alone. Especially after what Atsuko and I went through." The two clasped hands and gave each other incredibly sappy looks.

Arisu smiled in spite of herself. "Are all lesbians as sweet and sappy as you two?"

Atsuko looked at her thoughtfully and then looked back at Satomi. "I know I was born female, but if I also identify as nonbinary, does that still make me a lesbian?"

Satomi shrugged. "Heck if I know. Doesn't really matter to me. For myself though, I'm not lesbian. I'm pan."

Arisu raised her eyebrows. "I didn't see that one coming."

Satomi snorted. "Probably my survival instincts. After Kyoto, I've developed a healthy level of cynicism. Trust doesn't exactly come easy for the two of us. It's a good thing Kenzo managed to earn it by setting us up for getting a new life started here, because I haven't felt this free in ages."

Arisu frowned. "Wait, wasn't it Narukami who made you the offer to stay here?"

"Well yeah, but Kenzo was the one who decided not to turn us in to the cops," Atsuko told her. "Wasn't expecting that level of kindness from someone we'd just robbed at all." Atsuko sideyed Satomi with a smirk. "Also, don't think I didn't catch that comment about him being an ikemen, pan-girl."

Satomi punched them. "Don't call me that, jerk! And so what if he's cute? There's plenty of cute boys and girls out there. You're still my one and only."

Arisu just shrugged. "Doesn't really matter to me. All I know is I'm more attracted to boys. Doesn't matter to me what anyone else decides about their gender or preferences. I'm just waiting for someone who'll actually care about me."

Satomi looked at her and smiled. "You know, Atsuko, I think I should try this 'making friends' thing more often. I just got more out of her after one day of knowing each other than any of the rest of these girls did in what, a year and a half? I must be good at it."

Atsuko laughed. "You'd have to be, considering you decided to make friends with a thief like me!"

Arisu shook her head in amusement. "Probably because I know you guys are actually genuine. That and watching you both swoon over each other is actually pretty funny. So," she started to put away the washing implements and prepared to head out for the pool. "I'm heading out to the pool area now. And when you decide to join me, I'll be happy to talk about my boys with you."

I didn't have to wait that long for Shen to come join me in the pool, despite the fact that he was still one of the last to finish washing on account of his hair. I floated my right hand on the surface of the water, gazing at the old scar left behind by the Vane of Order.

"So…" Shen began apprehensively, "is there some sort of problem going on between you and girls that I don't know about? Between all the self-deprecating comments and you up and leaving earlier?"

I let out a sigh, dipping my hand back below the water. "Not really. Just the same things I have towards all people."

"How do you mean?"

I was silent for a moment. Then I started talking to him in English. "When you first looked at me, what did you see?"

Shen frowned and answered back, also in English, "What are you talking about?"

"The first time I meet someone, the first thought in my head is always, 'Oh, hey, a fellow human being.' Skin color, hair color, face shape, basically anything that other people would put together and think, 'Oh, this person is from so-and-so', and start judging them before they even know them, my brain just… doesn't register. And I don't know why."

"Sounds like a good thing to me."

"Yeah, well," I paused, looking down at the water. "It's kind of why I left so abruptly earlier. I can't stand it when other people judge others based solely on their looks or other superficial qualities. Just because a girl is pretty doesn't make that the most important thing about her. Just because someone is smart doesn't mean they're okay to bully."

"Speaking from experience?"

I gave a slight huff, but nodded. Shen sat back in the water. "Well," he continued, in Japanese once more, "just for curiosity's sake, if you were to go looking for a girlfriend, what would you be looking for, since looks isn't really your thing?"

I accepted the lighter topic of conversation and answered, "Well, it's not like I don't notice how pretty girls are, even if that is the case for guys. It's just that different people are physically attractive in different ways. Two people might be entirely different in terms of physical characteristics and be equally beautiful to me. That's why I told Yuichi I don't have a 'type'. Nah. You really want to know what I'm attracted to?"

Shen gestured with a hand. "Hit me. What?"

"Souls."

Shen looked confused. "What? Souls?"

I shrugged. "That's about the simplest way I can put it. The thing that I'm attracted to most in other people is their… story, I guess you could say. How they think, the things they've done, what they chose for themselves. I want to bare the depths of my heart to someone so that when they do the same for me I can still tell them that no matter what happened, my ability to love them has never wavered." I leaned back against the rock. "At least, that's the kind of person I want to be."

Then I glanced over to the bamboo wall, where I could hear splashing and feminine voices coming from the other side. "Unlike someone, who seems to think peeping is not an absolutely terrible idea."

Yuichi flinched before looking back at me, his face completely devoid of guilt. "Oh come on! You've got guy hormones too! What guy wouldn't want to get an eyeful of an entire class of bathing girls?"

"Uh, maybe a guy who doesn't want to get absolutely blasted by the three Persona-users on the other side of that wall?" Shen told him.

Yuichi waved away his concerns. "Eh, they'll never notice." He kept going, likely hoping he would be able to scale the fence.

My eyebrows knit in annoyance. I reached for Undine's Ice magic this time as I tapped one finger against the ground. There was a loud crackling sound as the ice suddenly sprouted up from the rocks and froze Yuichi's feet to the ground. Half the pool's attention was now on us.

Yuichi shouted in shock as his feet suddenly froze. "Dammit, what the hell did you do that for!?"

Imitating Joker, I sent him a devilish smirk. "Well, I was kind of hoping that if you got cold feet, you wouldn't go through with it."

The girls had to yell at us to get the rest of the boys to stop making a ruckus over the roast. In the meantime, I felt my bond with Shen increase.