Chapter 5: Rumors
5/10/09
Theo called me early in the morning to inform me that the barricade I had run into was gone now. Hm…well that's awfully convenient. I'm exhausted though. Running around screaming at dumbass Junpei yesterday and the train nearly killing us all wore me out. Thankfully it's a Sunday so I go to the theatre to work again. Yukari thanked me for saving her again and Ice Queen actually apologized for not being able to do more.
"Uh…there's always next time."
She smiles warmly at me for saying that. "Thank you. There is always next time. I promise to be more useful to you next time." Huh. Not as frigid as I thought.
I received 6000 Yen for working at the theatre today.
Dorm, 1st Floor lounge
I talk to Mitsuru and she looks me over frowning. "You look exhausted…you should go rest." She's right. I feel exhausted. Working at the theatre hadn't helped. The news is own. Looks like everyone on the monorail is safe even though they're suspicious of the power sod who was driving it and are holding him for questioning. Poor guy. I go straight to bed. I'm to tired to do anything else.
5/11/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Ah. I spot Junpei on my way through the front gate.
"Wazzup? Today is just an ordinary day, huh? That was crazy though, the day before yesterday. I've never had that kinda thrill in all my life…and that smack of your hurt you know."
"…"
"Look…Uh…I'm sorry okay?"
I turn to him. "Its fine." shrugging I adjust my book bag over my shoulder. "Anyways we managed to save the monorail so all's good."
"Though you have to admit that was pretty exciting!"
"Um…no it wasn't. It was scary. Not exciting."
"Aw…come on! We have the power of Persona! We weren't in any true danger." He can't be serious. "Besides last night's battle was pretty sweet!" shaking my head I opened the door to homeroom.
Mr. Ekoda reminded us that we had midterm exams next Monday. Ugh. Of course he couldn't resist mocking Junpei's sleeping habits.
…and Junpei's sleeping right now. I better not hear him complaining about failing. I mean no one sleeps in class all the time and expects to pass unless they're a genius. He gives a lecture on some questions that will be on the exam. I walk into Hidetoshi at lunch and he asks me if I plan on going to Student Council. I might as well go but I need to sign up for Tennis Team first.
Gekkoukan High, Field
"So, you all have a new teammate." Ms. Kanou introduces me to the rest of the Tennis Team. "She's Minako Arisato from class 2-F. Everybody be nice to her, okay?
"Hi." damn. I brought this own myself.
"Hi!" they wave back cheerfully. Hm…they're rather friendly. This might not be so bad.
"Um, who was the leader for the juniors?" Ms. Kanou looks around.
"That would be me." Oh. It's that girl from the beginning of the year. She has long black hair and eyes and is wearing a warm up suit.
"Oh, good. I'll eave the rest to you. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do here anyway." and she giggles as though that's something amusing. What the hell is wrong with the teachers in this school?
"…All right."
Mr. Kanou leaves right afterwards.
"I don't really know anything! Tee-hee!" one of the girl mocks her as soon as she's gone.
"Haaa! That sounds exactly like her. She's too old to try to act cute like that." another girl shakes her head. Too damn true.
"…C'mon, let's get back to practice!" Ah. It's the girl with the warm up suit. "You're Minako-san right? I'm Rio Iwasaki, a junior like you. I'm in charge of the juniors in the club, so don't hesitate to ask me anything. The club meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays." The exact same days as Student Council? "We don't meet for a few days before exams, so keep that in mind. "Well then, we're gonna concentrate on doing basic exercises today, so feel free to join in."
"Um…I have to meet someone today. Would you mind if I left a little early?"
She frowns. "I suppose. Just keep up with the exercises as much as you can."
"The basics again…?" a short haired girl sighs.
"I keep telling you all that the fundamentals are important! Let's start off with some running."
"Alright…" the girls probably have been doing basics for a while judging by their resigned tone.
"Minako-san, you stand in this line."
"Uh…I know all of this. I've played Tennis before."
"Oh."
Thou art I…
And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
Though shall be blessed when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana
After around an hour I left. There really wasn't any point staying on the Tennis field when all we were doing were basic drills. I give Minako another takoyaki and a Mad Bull.
She laughs bouncing up and down. "Wow! I'm having so much fun! You're nice. Will you be my friend? Come play with me again, okay?" Ah what the hell. The kid could probably use someone to look after her.
"Really! Then, I'll wait for you here! You better not be lying!" I leave and head back to school.
Gekkoukan High School, Student Council Room…
When I walk into the room Hidetoshi is talking to some teacher.
"Alright Hidetoshi, I'm counting on you….for both our sakes."
"…Yes, sir." What is this about? The teacher walks past me.
"Oh, Minako-san!" Its Chihiro.
"…Hey, what did he mean by "for both our sakes"? What's he talking about?" one of the student council members glares suspiciously at Hidetoshi. I don't blame him. There is something odd about the whole thing.
"He just wants to create a better school environment, so he simply asked for help from an apt student." Good god he's full of himself. "Just like how the President asked Minako-kun to join the Student Council." asked my ass.
"What! You can't just decide something like that without the President's permission!" the Student Council member glare intensifies. Sheesh. If he's so damn concerned, he should go get Mitsuru. Ice Queen would put an end to this real quick. One way or another anyway.
"What happened?"
"S-Someone found a cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom…" Oh. Chihiro is biting her lip and wringing her hands. Poor thing doesn't have a clue what to do. "…And th-that teacher wants us to look for the one who did it…" Seriously?
"Is this a common occurrence?"
She shakes her head.
"Then why the big commotion. It was one time. Throw the cigarette away and be done with it."
"We can't let whoever did this get away with breaking school rules!" Hidetoshi crosses his arms. Is he serious? It was one time.
"Uh…" what else can I say? This is ridiculous.
"Besides it's our responsibility to find out who right?" What the hell did Mitsuru sign me up for? "…Look, you have two choices." he turns to the whole student council while saying this. "Either help out and prove you're trustworthy, or refuse and raise suspicion." my urge to face palm is rising significantly. One idiot after another. "We sure have to deal with a lot of B.S. around here, don't we Minako-kun?" I guess he expects me to agree with his idiot plan.
I don't even have to say anything he nods as though I had agreed and I feel stronger inside. Ugh. "Now, if you'd excuse me." he leaves the room.
"H-Hey! Don't ignore me! You teacher's pet!" What is this grade school? Who says insults like that anymore? The student council member from before chases after Hidetoshi.
"It's not good for Student Council members to be fighting like this, right…?" I shrug. Hidetoshi looks like he could use a good punch in the face. Or better yet someone should grab that stick up his ass and smack some sense into him with it. "I-I better go tell the President…!" Chihiro runs off and I'm left in the room alone. Good grief. I've only been here an hour and the sun is still high in the sky. With a sigh I head towards the dorm but stop as I pass by Paulownia mall. I might as well work the rest of the day before I leave though I decide to stop by the Velvet Room.
Velvet Room
"Ah! Just in time." Theo looks pleased to see me as usual. Probably because the only company he has is Igor the rest of the time. "My master has asked that I inform you about the Persona Compendium." The what? "By registering Personas, you can summon them later whenever you wish." wait…so I can use Persona in fusion and get them brought back to the forefront of my consciousness? Awesome! "There is a charge of course." I knew it was too damn good to be true. "Please speak to me if you wish to view the Compendium." I just hope the prices aren't too outrageous. And I can't afford a single Persona.
I guess we'll have to go to Tartarus tonight. I head for Be Blue to work. I got 4500 Yen for working.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge.
Mitsuru tells me that the command console in the command room is malfunction. What the hell am I supposed to do I can't fix that thing. She frowns saying that Akihiko and Junpei weren't taking her seriously. I doubt that. No one who wanted to live would refuse to take Ice Queen seriously.
"This isn't an order just a favor. Just do it if you have nothing else to do. Thanks."
Meh. I might as well see. I just hope it doesn't blow up in my face.
Dorm, Command Room
I push one of the buttons on the console. A surveillance camera is on. How weird. I watch the earliest recording.
5/10/2009 01:20:02 beginning playback
Huh…so this happened yesterday.
Uh…It's the command room! Looks like Ikutsuki is by himself, writing something in a notepad.
"Hm…A Shadow in the middle of town…It managed to take over public transportation…I should investigate whether this means it's finally begun…" It's begun? What's begun?
"Monorail…List to the monorail in monaural." Oh no. Not those crappy jokes! And he laughs as if its hysterical. "Oooh, I must make a note of that one…Luck played an uncomfortably large part in the victory…Especially towards the end…if she hadn't guessed at the right controls, things could have been very bad." I guess Mitsuru didn't mention the Train Simulator bit. Probably for the better. "For Shadows to work in a group to overrun large machines is unprecedented…The engine…That was an engine-ous move!"
He can't be serious. He giggles again. "What's with me today? I'm on a roll! Oh yeah, better write that one down too…One should always wear bright clothing at night…Otherwise, the Shadows could make it dangerous to walk near traffic!" Oh come on that one doesn't even make any sense! "Whoa, I'm getting a little off subject…but who cares! Hey…I should write all these down and show them off the next time everyone gets together!"
Note to self: Next time Ikutsuki comes over pretend that you're sick.
"Don't care for seafood? They also serve GROUND beef!" I bury my head in my hands at this point. This is horrible. It's like watching a train wreck. He burst out laughing again. "This has nothing to do with the status report anymore, but I'm having a blast! Let's see what else…" He's just not stopping. I turn the console off. If I hear anymore I'll end up smashing my head into a wall. You know what I'm not even going to bother going to Tartarus anymore. I just do my nightly ritual and study.
5/12/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Yukari walks up to me. "Mornin'. You hear the news…?"
"What news?"
"There've been fewer new cases of Apathy Syndrome the last few days. Senpai said it's probably because we beat that Shadow. Wouldn't that be great if it was true?"
"Yeah…it is likely that its because we defeated that Shadow."
She nods. "It was dangerous, but I'm glad we did it. We shouldn't get carried away, though, cuz we have midterms next week. Let's just hope nothing like that happens again until midterms are over. Oh, that reminds me, Junpei told me something…Mitsuru-senpai supposedly is going to give us something nice if we do well on our tests. I bet Mitsuru-senpai's standards are so high that she won't give us anything unless we're top ten in our grade…" Oh that sucks. I'll be lucky to make bottom 10.
Saori runs into me during lunch she asks me if I plan on heading to the committee. Eh. I'll probably go next week.
After School
I head to Naganaki Shrine but that kid isn't here today. Oh well. I might as well work. I head to Be Blue. I got my usual 4500 Yen and headed back to the Dorm.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
As soon as I enter the dorm, Yukari is leaving. "I need to borrow one of my friend's notes so I'll have to pass on Tartarus today. Sorry!" with that she leaves. Shrugging I head upstairs, I need to study anyways.
5/13/09
I hear some rumor about the nurse feeding students weird medicine on my way to class. Huh. Hidetoshi catches me in the hall at lunch and asks me have I found any leads.
"What?"
He looks irritated for a second before he sighs. "The smoker remember? I'll get to the bottom of this for sure. Well excuse me." he leaves. As he goes I shake my head. Really, really needs to remove that stick up his ass. I'll probably go to Student Council just to see if he ends up catching the guy.
Rio also walks into me and asks if I'm coming to practice. "Uh…maybe Friday."
"Oh okay!" She leaves smiling.
Gekkoukan High School, Student Council Room
As usual the hours go by quickly as we're working. Mitsuru is hear today but Hidetoshi is absent for some reason.
"Is Odagiri absent today?" Mitsuru finally seems to have noticed.
"Um…no…I think he's busy…" Busy?
"Busy doing what?" Mitsuru has this way of speaking where even though there's absolutely nothing loud or angry about her voice you get the impression, if you don't answer soon something bad is going to happen. I need to learn how to do that.
"…Busy playing Private DICK." Oh it's the council member from before. The one who called Hidetoshi teacher's pet.
"Oh…You mean what Fushimi was telling me about earlier…I see. Well, his intentions are good, so you can't really blame him." Mitsuru sighs at this. "But, I understand how you feel. ….You can go if you'd like." she turns to me. "I don't mind. Sorry for all the drama." I go ahead and leave.
Gekkoukan High School, 1F hallway
Someone's yelling. "So where's your EVIDENCE, smart guy!"
"There's no need for evidence. I know all about you." You know…for someone whose supposedly smart Hidetoshi can act mother fucking retarded at times. "You were arrested for beating up a guy in the park who snitched on you, right?" and that has exactly what to do with the cigarette?
A girl nearby sighs shaking her head. "I can't believe he's at it AGAIN! That's the third person today he's accused."
…
Goddamn it people in this school have no damn sense at times. I begin walking forward hoping to defuse the situation.
Another girl laughs. "My boyfriend was so pissed he was accused, too. This guy's asking for it."
"Keeping quiet will do you no good. …If it's not you, then give me some names. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. You have my word as a member of the Disciplinary Committee" Oh for the love of- Hidetoshi!
"Shut up, asshole…" I stop. You know what? Hidetoshi probably needs this to happen. I stop and watch. Hidetoshi is punched hard in the face and falls to the ground. Shaking my head I run up to him.
"That is what happens when you blindly accuse people."
Hidetoshi rubs his now bleeding lip. "Tch…! Don't think I'll just let that go! Ah Minako-kun." He looks up at me. I offer my hand and he takes it standing up. "…You think so?"
I just look at him. He looks disappointed for some reason. "…Some people will lie and backstab without hesitation if its to their advantage." Uh…yeah I know that, but going around blindly accusing people does more harm than good. I open my mouth to tell him so, but he continues. "People like that are a menace to society." he practically growls the last part out. …oh. I get it. "We shouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior; we should do something about it." I'm guessing someone wronged him and got away with it. And this is the only way he can react to this situation. I sigh inwardly. Me yelling at him would do no good.
"You okay?"
"Hm? Oh I'm fine." He rubs his lip again. "This is nothing." He smiles bitterly. "…I know what people think of me." So you know a good portion of the school thinks you have a stick up your ass? And you still act like this? "But those who carry out justice have always clashed with others. History has proven this to be true. So, let this serve as a warning to other offenders. Minako-kun, you're a sensible person…You understand, right?" I nod. I don't agree with his actions or his point but I think I understand him just a little bit better. Not to surprisingly I feel myself grow a little bit stronger and the bond between Hidetoshi and I grows stronger. "I'm gonna get back to business. You should go home before it gets dark." The sun is still high in the sky though. I might as well stop by Game Panic. I play the quiz game until it the sun sets.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
Junpei greets me. "I'm so tired of studying. Let's go to Tartarus!" Nah. I want that reward Mitsuru promised.
"Hit the books."
"Are you serious! Isn't saving the world more important?" Going to Tartarus isn't saving the world Junpei. Just getting our asses kicked. "C'mon…Yuka-tan wants to go…"
"We Do have exams next week you realize…" Yukari glares at Junpei before shaking her head. "But, what the hell…I'll go."
"Yeaah! Now we're talkin'!"
"Oh no." Junpei sucks his teeth. "Besides you of all people should be studying."
"What the hells that supposed to mean?"
I just give him a look before heading up the stairs. I could swear I hear laughter at Junpei's expense behind me. As usual I shower, and then study before bed.
5/14/09
After School
Hm…Maiko isn't here today either…I might as well go work I got another bonus! Now they pay me 5,500 Yen!
Dorm, 1st floor lounge…
"…S'up, dude? Hey, let's go to Tartarus."
"Do you not remember what I said yesterday?"
"But you can study anytime! We need to get stronger ASAP. Me n' Hermes will take down the next big Shadow ourselves!"
"Go study."
"Oh c'mon, gimme a break, man…"
"How are your grades, Iori." Mitsuru to the rescue!
"How are yours-Never mind. I already know."
"I'm currently studying college-level material, for your information."
"Man, now I don't feel like doing anything at all…"
I laugh at him. "Oh…do you have any portable games?"
"Uh…you looking for a portable system?"
"Yeah.." why Theo would want one I don't know but.
"Admit it, Minako-you're hooked!" Okay…where did that come from? "Weeelll…I just got the redesigned COMPstation Portable to replace my original model. No sense in keeping 'em both, so you can have the old one. I'll go get it for you. Wait one sec. He goes up stairs, a few minutes later he comes back and dumps an old somewhat dingy COMPstation Portable in my hands. "I'll take you own anytime!"
Heh. I wonder how Theo would feel about challenging Junpei. "Thanks."
"No problem"
I head to Paulownia mall to deliver the game and leave quickly. I have to resist the temptation to go into Game Panic.
I do my nightly rituals and study.
5/15/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Mitsuru is waiting for me again. "Good morning. Exams begin next week. Are you prepared?"
"Yeah I think so."
She seems pleased at my response. "Ah, just as I suspected. I'll be looking forward to seeing your grades…If they're good, I'll give you something. …Consider it a reward. To be honest, I'm not as well prepared as I should be. I'm still preoccupied with monitoring Shadows." and watch you get the top score anyways. I swear some people have all the luck. "At any rate, the number of incidents has decreased since our last mission. If we can continue to defeat them, we may be able to rid the public of their fear…" She looks hopeful at the last bit. I can't help but think that once they're all dead we'll have another problem to deal with. Whatever they came from in the first place.
"However, every time a new Shadow appears, it seems to be more powerful than the last. And even after Akihiko returns to battle, we still won't be at full strength…"
After School
I hope Maiko's there today at least…urgh. She isn't. I turn back and head to school. Everything seems to be locked because of exams so I decide to go work. I receive another 5,500 yen for my work.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"…Where have you been?" Akihiko again.
"At work."
"Hm? Where?"
"Be Blue."
"Be Blue? That new shop in the mall?" I nod and walk right past him upstairs. I need to study again.
5/16/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Akihiko runs up to me breathing deeply. "H-Hey!"
"Running late?"
He takes a few more deep breaths while shaking his head. "No…the doctor said I'm almost fully healed, so…I couldn't wait to get some exercise." He's breathing normally now. "I'll be ready for battle after midterms." Oh that's good. "But, that means I've got to start training now." with that we walk into school. Since it's Saturday I decide to go study at the library.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"Welcome back." Mitsuru as usual is reading a book on the sofa. Waving to her I head upstairs to study again. "Wait." I stop on the staircase. "You're not planning on heading to Tartarus this weekend are you?" I shake my head.
"I need to study."
"Oh. Nevermind then." I frown, but go back up to my room.
5/17/09
I head for Port Island Station to work at the theatre in the morning. I got another raise and earned 7,000 yen for working.
I spot Ikutsuki sitting alone in the lounge. I say hi quickly before practically running up the stairs. I do not want to stay around long enough for him to start telling jokes.
As usual I study.
5/18/09 - 5/23/09
On the last day of exams I run into Akihiko at the front gate. He tells me that he'll be able to rejoin us in the front lines. However he wants me to take the lead so he can concentrate on building his strength.
…
…
…
I want to strangle him right now.
"Look-"
"…You'll be fine. Just keep doing what you've been doing." What is with him and damn Mitsuru? "I already talked to Mitsuru and she was fine with it. Good luck."
…
…
…
This sucks.
"My lifestyle's finally gonna be back to normal starting next week." Great for you Akihiko. Meanwhile my life hasn't been normal since I got here. "Oh, if you wanna grab food sometime, I'm bored after school on Mondays and Fridays since there's no club meetings. I'm usually near the clubroom building so…Hey wasn't that the warning bell? Well, see you." He runs off.
Damn you…
Fortunately something is going my way today because everything on the exams looks familiar.
I decide to revisit Naganaki Shrine. Maiko's here today finally! She's happy to see me at least.
"You came! I was waiting for you! Let's play!"
"Sure."
We play on the gym. Huh. I feel kind of like a big sister.
"What do you wanna do next? It's up to you 'kay? Your choice!"
"Horizontal bar." I like trying to balance myself on it.
"But we already did that…! I wanna do something else!" she pouts I shrug. "But, I don't wanna go home yet. …I don't like it there." …this isn't unexpected. Any kid her age at a shrine by herself, something isn't right. She looks down sadly. "Can't we stay together for a little longer?"
"Sure." We play for a little while longer.
Thou art I
And I am thou
Thou hast established a new bond
Thou shalt have our blessings with thou chooseth a persona of the Hangedman Arcana
Huh. Guess I'll be seeing the kid more often…
"…So, my mom and dad…they fight a lot. They're going to get a divorce, huh? I tell them I want us to be happy, but they don't listen." I just let her get it out. Besides…I didn't have my parents when I was her age. What am I supposed to say? "They probably hate me, too." She looks ready to cry. "…Hey, we can play again later right? I think we're friends now."
"Yeah…we can play later."
She doesn't look happier at that. Probably used to people older than her breaking promises. Poor girl.
"I'm here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays…I'll be waiting for you…" with that she leaves. It's still light out so I decide to go to the bookstore.
Iwatodai strip mall, Bookworms Used Books…
Bunkichi is looking around the store for something. "That's strange…I swear I left it around here…but, I can't seem to find it."
"Looking for something?" I walk up to him. He turns around startled.
"Ah! It's you Minako-chan! How'd you know I was looking for something? Are you psychic?" Uh…no. You were mumbling about it a second ago. "I'm looking for my glasses…" Uh…they're on his face. "No, not my glasses-my wallet…I can't seem to find it."
"I'll help."
"Wow! Minako-chan, you really can read minds! I was just thinking it'd be nice if someone gave us a hand." He seems pleased. I start looking through the store for it but I just can't seem to find it. "Where could it be…? …Wait, what were we looking for?" Before I can remind him the door to the bookstore opens.
"Konnichiwa, 'ello!" It's some blond haired, blue eyed kid. He's obviously not from around here, probably visiting.
"I found zis on ze ground outside! Eez it yours?" Uh…I take a while to translate what he's saying. He hands a wallet to Bunkichi.
"Wow! This is it! I've been looking for this wallet everywhere!" seems Bunkichi remembers now…that's a relief. I wasn't to sure I could deal with what happened the last time I was here again. "Well, it's not a golden wallet, but I'm still happy to have it back!"
"Sumimasen, excuse me…Aren't you ze transfer student everyone eez talking about? I go to ze same school-Gekkoukan!"
"What's your name?"
"I came 'ere from France to study abroad. My name eez Andre Laurent Jean Geraux." How the hell am I supposed to remember that? "But, zey call me "Bebe"!" What? How the hell do you get "bebe" from that?
"Oh…nice to meet you."
"Jajime mashite, it eez nice to meet you too! I work in ze Home Economics Room every day. If you get bored, come say 'ello! I 'ope to see you zere. Sayonara, goodbye!" with that he left.
I just keep meeting weirder and weirder people as time goes by don't I?
Mitsuko comes from the back of the store. Huh. She was here all along? "Well…he seemed like an interesting young man."
"Hm…I thought I put it in my wallet so I wouldn't lose it…" Bunkichi is digging through the wallet for something. I doubt "Bebe" stole it because there would have been no reason for him to return the wallet. "…Ah, here it is! I knew it was in here!"
"…Dear? Is that key for…?"
"Come on, dear, you know what it is. It's the key for our son's car. Seeing Minako-chan reminded me of how things used to be…I haven't heard the roar of the engine in a long time. How do I look, dear?"
"Please don't!" Mitsuko looks so sad. "Why must you get into a car! Do you want me to end up all alone!" What's wrong with a car? And why is she yelling?
"What about a car?"
"Um, Minako-chan…I'm sorry for raising my voice. Did I scare you?" Not really.
"Our son…remember what I told you? How he passed away…On the way home from work, he got into an accident. He was hit by a dump truck driver who was drunk on the job…"
"I'm sorry."
"Minako-chan, please slap me…slap me for being an insensitive fool…" Oh. That reminds me of the blow I gave Junpei. I do nothing. "With all my excitement, I forgot to consider how my wife might feel…I'm such a…I'm such a…" he's obviously guilty over it. I turn towards Mitsuko who just looks so sad. Damn it. Why is it every time I come here I end up depressed?
"It's…okay dear." Mitsuko's forgives him.
…and I feel stronger inside. Ugh. I'm a little disgusted with myself. I feel like a parasite leeching power off of these people's suffering. The sun is setting.
"…Hm? Why should we let this get us down? Since I found my wallet, why don't we eat out, dear?" Mitsuko brightens at that. "Thanks for searching with us, Minako-chan. Consider this your allowance." He gives me one of those Medicines. Huh. Didn't know they were outside of Tartarus as well.
"Thanks. Bye!" I wave to the both of them and hurry back to the dorm.
Dorm 1st floor lounge
Akihiko is sitting at the dining table with a cheerful look on his face.
"Ah, you're back."
"Senpai, I hear you're fully healed!" Yukari is smiling bright as well. Great. I just come back from doom and gloom and everyone here looks like Christmas came early.
"Congrats, man!" Junpei's beaming as usual.
"I need to catch up on my training. I've slacked off for a whole month."
"Shouldn't you take it easy, though? You don't wanna reinjure your arm." Yukari frowns about at Akihiko's enthusiasm. You're talking to a wall, Yukari.
"I've already wasted precious time. Besides, we found another Persona-user."
"We did! Sweet! Is it a girl…?" Of course that would be the first thing Junpei would ask. Typical.
"Actually, it is. She's a junior who goes to our school. Fuuka Yamagishi…Do you guys know her?"
"Never heard of her."
"Yamagishi…? Oh, that girl in 2-E..She gets sick a lot, from what I heard…I don't see her at school very often."
"She was at the same hospital as me. That's how we found out about her. But, maybe she's not cut out for battle." We just keep getting people who can't fight don't we. Just once I'd like to get someone who can kick some ass. Not including Akihiko of course. "I had an Evoker made for her, too…" he sighs in resignation. Yup. You're stuck with a bunch of invalids. Lucky you Akihiko.
"What! We're giving up on her already!" Junpei's mouth is gaped open like he has no sense. I hope he chokes on a fly. "I was gonna offer her some private lessons…" I look at him in disgust.
"You're like an old perv…"
Yukari bursts out laughing. "Oh man, I'm always thinking the same thing!"
"Yow! Retract those claws, ladies! I'm totally a hip, happening teen! You dig!"
"Loser." Yukari mutters. I can't help but shake my head disgustedly at him.
"Wh-Why're lookin' at me like that?" he laughs but it's not as boisterous as before. "C'mon…I'm a guy. Whaddya expect!" I get up from the table shaking my head.
"We're going to Tartarus tonight. But I need to go buy some new equipment so give me a second."
"Alright." Akihiko sits on the couch across from Mitsuru. "Don't be too long."
I nod and leave. I end up buying another set of Thunder Bracers for Akihiko along with some armor. As soon as I get back Mitsuru nods at me and we're all out the door heading to Tartarus.
Tartarus
Before I enter the entrance Mitsuru tell me she sense the barrier is gone now and that reaching the very top of the tower is our next goal. Ugh. At least I don't have to worry about getting pudgy with all the running around I'll be doing.
If possible the second block is creepier than the first. While the first was green and luminescent this one is just purple. There are bloodstains over the walls in some places. And apparently the Shadows in this area are stronger than in the first block. It's a good thing I waited for Akihiko to join us before coming here. Damn…some of these enemies block fire! So much for Lilim's overpowered Maragi skills! Though some of them were weak to Akihiko's Zio skills so all was well. Also with Akihiko's help our all out attacks actually started doing a lot more damage.
On the 20th floor Mitsuru warned us of a strong Shadow on the 25th floor. Yay. Just what I wanted.
We ran into a Bestial wheel which would have been dangerous if the poor thing wasn't weak to both wind and electricity. Needless to say we beat the shit out of it. I did get a new Persona, some sort of cat woman thing, called Nekomata out of the deal so I guess it was worth it. We started running low on SP on the 20th floor so we returned to the ground to get healed, it cost me 2175 yen but it was worth it. I found another golden chest…with Battle Panties? My face turns a little red from looking at them. I give them to Yukari my face as red as a tomato.
"You can't be serious…"
"Um…"
She sighs. "You have any idea how embarrassing this is to wear, right! Fine...I mean if I have to, I have to. I understand that it's to help me in a fight. But it's a good thing none of my friends can see me like this…"
"Thanks Yukari!" I hug her.
"Okay…" she pats my back awkwardly. Junpei and Akihiko are staring at us like we've gone insane.
"One comment Junpei…and I'll kill you." Yukari glares at him with daggers in her eyes.
He and Akihiko turn their backs while she changes. I make sure their backs stay turned not that I think Akihiko will look but Junpei is another story.
"Alright. Let's go."
With that we leave. "I'm staying in the back though." Junpei looks a little crestfallen at that. Pervert.
On the 24th floor I go back down to the first floor and into the Velvet Room. I fuse Jack Frost with Pixie, Apsaras and Nekomata to get Jack Frost. He has the skill Dia and as a reward for completing his request I get another set of Battle Panties from Theo.
"My tastes don't run this way though." Sure Theo, sure. I take them and place them in my bag of holding before taking Theo's 5th request.
With that I head back to the 24th floor. I end up finding a purple blue stone called a Megido Gem.
Hm…
[I would save that if I were you.]
Haven't heard from you in a while Orpheus. Though for what would I save it for?
[When you're in a tight spot.]
Okay…
His presence vanishes. Hm…
Shrugging I throw the gem in my bag of holding and continue on.
We get ambushed by 4 Heat Balances and thanks to their Mabufu skills nearly end up dead. Akihiko's weakness is ice apparently (probably why Ice Queen can shut him down so easily). And he nearly ends up unconscious before Yukari heals him. Luckily he has great evasion skills and beats the shit out of the Shadows in return. Also…oh how I love Lilim. Thank you for her Zio skills. I get Apsaras back after that battle. After a battle with a couple of giant lion Shadows (never bothered asking Mitsuru for the name) I head up the stairs to the 25th floor. I hope its just one Shadow. I hate when they come in packs.
"I detect 3 Shadows in this floor's central area. Be careful and if you don't think you're ready train on lower floors." Goddamn it. I go to the first floor to heal for 2050 yen and go back up to the 25th floor.
"Let's do this!" Oh great. Akihiko's happy about this. Well. Let's see how happy he is afterwards. There's three magic tables with flames and floating weapons. Oh joy. Well…granted Junpei's a fire elemental and he's weak to wind but for the most part Fire is usually doused by water…what the hell I use a Bufu spell. YES they're weak to it. So I continue until all three are down. I'm lucky they never see it coming as soon as they're all down we use an All Out Attack. It did some damage but. SHIT! They use one of those stronger fire spells on Yukari but thankfully she dodges! Then Junpei heals one with an Agi spell. DAMN IT STUPEI! They're obviously fire elementals! Shit! I get hit by one of those strong fire spells and nearly end up dead. Yukari heals me with a Dia. Junpei getting the hint hit's the one he didn't heal with a cleave spell land I use Bufu another three times. This would be a lot easier if I had one spell that simply hit all of them with Ice! While I'm casting the second Bufu spell one of the Shadows attempt to blast me with an Agi spell. Junpei takes the hit for me and barely seems affected. "YEAH!" Of course he's bouncing around happy about that but whatever. I knock down the other two. NOW! "ALL OUT ATTACK!" This attack finishes off one of them and the other two ends up in critical condition. The one on the right is moving slower than the one on the left however.
"Akihiko! Hit the one of the right with a Zio spell it's almost dead!" Nodding he does as I say and the second table dissolves into Goo. Fortunately there's only one left, I use Bufu again and we finish the last one off with an All Out Attack and it dissolves into Shadow Goo. They leave behind a beautiful cloth which I place in the bag of holding.
"Huh. So much for not being a good leader."
"Huh?"
"We're all fine." Akihiko seems smug.
"Due to sheer luck! If that spell had hit Yukari or I-"
"But it didn't. And we won. That's what's important." He walks off after saying that. "We should keep going. I want to reach the top of the barricade in one day to."
….I knew I was going to regret telling him that.
"Ooh. Another of those bead chains!" Yukari tosses it at me and I throw it in the bag.
On the 26th floor I earned a new Persona Ara Mitama. On the 29th floor we ran into a pair of Steel Gigas. Needless to say they kicked our asses and knocked out Junpei and was going to knock out me until Akihiko and I discovered they were weak to electricity after that…well. Heh. Let's just say we paid them back double.
Though we ran into a bunch of magic hands that knocked Yukari and Akihiko unconscious. Fortunately Lilim's trusty Maragi spell killed them with easy but they had surprised us.
"I guess we should get going. I need to buy more equipment before we can better explore this place." Junpei nodded in agreement. "Alright I'll grab Yukari and you get Akihiko." He grabbed Akihiko's unconscious body. "Alright time to go." with that I used one of the Traesto Gems Mitsuru had given me on our second day in Tartarus to leave.
On the ground floor Yukari and Akihiko ended up recovering but they were exhausted. So we decided to return to the Dorm.
5/24/09
It's a Sunday…and ugh. I'm tired. Dragging Yukari around is what wore me out. I head to Port Island Station and work at the theatre. I got paid 7,000 yen. When I reenter the dorm to see how everyone else was feeling it turns out yesterday had tired us all out. But instead of going to bed and getting a good rest, I headed back to Paulownia Mall. I needed to buy some revival beads. I buy 10. It's better to have too many than not enough after all. I buy some Medical Powders as well. I play lucky fortune. Lilim's magic seems more powerful now.
5/25/09
Hm…I'm still tired.
Exam results are going to be posted today…I hope I passed.
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
"Mornin'. You're as punctual as always, Minako." I stifle a yawn. "Junpei looked like the world is about to end." I told that fool to study. He should have heeded my advice.
"Did something happen?" Maybe it wasn't about his grades.
"Well, exam scores will be posted today, so…he said he's gonna beg for a higher score…like that's gonna work." I shake my head in exasperation. "oh, by the way…you remember how Akihiko-senpai was talking about that girl Fuuka…? I hear she's kinda weak…but that's just a rumor. I wonder what she's really like. Either way, having another Persona-user can't be a bad thing!
At lunch I went to see my results. HOLY SHIT! I'm in the top 10! FUCKING SCORE! I jump up and down in excitement! Oh yeah and Mitsuru promised to give whoever was in the top 10 a gift! YES! I go back to class whistling the whole time. Oh today is a good day.
I go visit the nurse. Maybe he'll have some medicine to make me feel better.
"How can I help you? Mm hm hm hm…" it's Mr. Edogawa. "Well now, what do we have here? You seem unwell. Is it a wound? A Virus? A curse? Or is it love?" What? Why the hell can't there be damn normal teachers in this school. "This is the perfect opportunity to try my new concoction…Ehehehehehehehe." What the fuck is with that laugh? And he's grinning too. What is he planning on doing? Poisoning me? "Here, try this…it includes bitter mugwort, poison carrot, henbane, jujube, rabbit's food, etcetera, etcetera…Even Hakusan's finest alchemist would be astonished by the ingredients. I shall treat your illness right here and now. Now, drink this…Come on…Drink up!" He must be out of his fucking mind. And what the hell is this smell?
…
…
…
Oh what the hell I'll drink it. If worst comes to worst at least this crazy ass will be sacked. I swallow the drink. Ugh. Its disgusting. And damn that liar! I don't feel any fucking better!
"…Phew, well done. Whether or not you get better is inconsequential…You survived!" WHAT THE FUCK? That bastard knew that wasn't going to help! URGH! I glare at him
"Cheers to your bravery. …Sorry to have deceived you. Hm, if you'll excuse me, Saturn is calling…" Oh…I'm going to get you for this….
Despite being tired I got to Tennis Practice.
Gekkoukan High, field
And began to wish very quickly that I hadn't Rio's practically any army drill sergeant in teenage form.
"C'mon, get those legs moving! You need to get in front of the ball!"
The short haired girl from before sighs in exhaustion wiping sweat from her forehead. "Rio, can we take a break yet…?"
"Huh? But we're just getting started!"
"But we're all tired! It's not like we're gonna make the finals or anything anyway!"
Rio is silent for a moment before retorting. "We could if we tried!"
"Huh?" the other club members look startled at this.
"True, our team might be weak now, but who knows what we can do if we seriously put our minds to it!"
There's silence among the club members.
"You're the only one that wants to take it that far…" I can't tell who said that.
"…Who said that?" and neither can Rio apparently. There's silence. "You just need determination…" Rio sighs.
"…I don't think we're in the mood to keep going today." Its some girl with her hair in two buns. Let's just go, guys."
"But the bell hasn't-" She really should just let them go. The leave and she falls into a sullen silence. Damn. They all just ditched her. I stand their feeling like an idiot wondering if I should walk over to Rio or leave.
"Oh, Minako-san…Wh-Why don't you leave too? Looks like practice is over for today anyway…I'll be fine on my own…" Now how am I supposed to leave when she looks so damn depressed. I sit on the ground.
"I have nothing better to do."
"You're so weird." she looks down at me and laughs a little there are tears in her eyes though. We end up practicing together. Jeez. My body certainly isn't grateful for me doing this.
"Ah…It's almost time. Um…about today…"
"Aren't you taking this too seriously?"
She sighs heavily."I don't see any reason to do it in the first place if you're not going to put your full spriit into it. …If they're not going to take this club seriously, they should just quit." she looks down. "All I want is to play tennis. Everyone else just spends all practice talking about guys or loafing around…Oh. I shouldn't be saying this to someone who just joined up. If…you wanna play tennis, it'll be a lot of work. But you're welcome to change your mind if you want." she laughs and I think I understand her more. I feel stronger inside as a result. "Let's clean up and go home. I'm so hungry. Why don't we go grab a burger or something?" And now I have absolutely no regrets about staying.
"Let's go!"
We eat our meals before going our separate ways. Rio constantly talks about why she loves Tennis so much. Hm…I can see why she got so angry. She dreamed about playing professionally since she was a kid.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"..Oh, hey." I wave to Yukari. We can't go to Tartarus because Junpei is tired, Akihiko's sick and I'm tired as well. Yukari seems fine. She most have gotten some rest last night. Not that it matters since Mitsuru isn't around to take us to Tartarus anyways. I go to Paulownia Mall I play Print Club again.
5/26/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Junpei is walking around in a daze. "S'up. Hey, how'd you do on the exams…?"
I can't help but smile smugly. "Top 10."
"Seriously?" he sighs heavily. "Man, I'm a laughingstock…after the results were posted, I heard these two cute girls talking…They were sayin' I have a one-track mind…" he perks up. "Well, I won't let it get to me! We might be getting another girl on our team anyways!" You know…one can't help but admire Junpei's ability to bounce back from his problems.
After School
I end up walking into Mitsuru.
"Ah. Arisato…I saw your exam results…Good work. Here, this is from the Chairman…It's a reward for effectively balancing school and battle…" she gave me a set of cards. I use them on Lilim.
[Ah. I love how the power flows!] more maniacal laughter. Good grief. I needed to find some saner Persona.
For a lack of anything better to do I attend the library committee.
Gekkoukan High, library…
There's not a lot of people here today…it's boring as hell.
"We haven't had many visitors today." thank you captain obvious. "Oh, that's right. Ms. Ounishi said that some new books have come in. Can you help me put bar codes on them and enter them in the system?"
I can't but groan. "What a chore…"
"I see…Well, I'll do it myself, then. IF anyone comes to the counter while I'm gone, help them." huh? She's going to do it by herself? "I'll go get them right now." she gives me a patient smile with just a hint of sadness in it and walks off. "Eek…Oh, I'm sorry." Huh I turn from behind the counter and Saori apparently bumped into a female student who was walking through the door.
Huh…she looks like that girl in my Tennis Team. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. Uh, Saori-san…Um…" what the hell is she stammering for? Saori isn't going to hurt her or anything.
"Me? What is it?"
"Well…um…C-Could I borrow your physics notes? The teacher erases the blackboard too fast for me to copy them down…"
"Oh, of course." …she can't be serious. "I've been taking a lot of notes in that class lately. I'm not too good in that class myself, so I need to pay attention."
"Oh, um…That's all right. "
"…I see. Give me one second." Saori takes out her notebook from her bag and hands it to the girl.
"Oh, great. Thanks…" without another word the girl leaves. …okay then.
"…She's my classmate."
"She was really polite to you." From what I could tell at least.
"Heh. You noticed? We don't know each other all that well." And you gave her your notes? "But, it feels good to have people rely on me. So…" her smile is that same sad smile. "I've never gotten used to this school. …You're a transfer student, but you seem to have grown accustomed to this place really quickly."
"When you move around as often as I do you kind of have to."
"Oh. Well…there are times when I see you in the hall and you always look like you're having fun." I guess she most have not seen me with Hidetoshi and Ms. Toriumi than.
"You think so…"
She laughs. "Yeah." she gives me a normal smile this time. I think I understand her a bit better and I feel the bond between us deepen and my inner strength increase. Good grief. I'm am turning into some sort of parasite. "Um…? What was I doing? Oh, I was going to get the new books. Watch the counter while I'm out." she leaves and I'm stuck in boredom until the library committee is over. We leave school together but end up going our separate ways.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"…Where have you been?" Akihiko waves to me. "Hey, let's go back to Tartarus later. I'm not going to let those damn Shadows get the better of me this time." He's kind of pissed. Not that I blame him.
With that I ask Mitsuru and we head to Tartarus again. Before that though I ask her about the triangular sword. She gives me one thankfully (along with an offer for fencing lessons which I might take her up on) and with that we're off. Junpei's not here today but I think we'll be okay.
Tartarus
Turns out the three of us can kick some serious ass together. I also got a new Persona called Alp. She looks like a devil like Lilim but with less clothing and weirder hair. I then get a Persona called Omoikane which looks like a brain with tentacles. Ick. Granted Akihiko ended up falling unconscious twice due to those pink hands spamming Mabufu but all in all we were pretty good together. Also Yukari and I were kicking major Shadow ass by hitting them at the same time. I end up breaking one of the bead chains in a battle with some bird Shadows. Turns out they completely heal everyone in the party. That was close. We manage to reach the 36th floor where there was another powerful Shadow without further incident.
Luckily there only seems to be one. And according to Mitsuru its "relatively strong." remembering the last time she said that I can't help but sigh. I heal at the clock and its only 1,980 yen but there are only three of us. It's a giant statue. Apparently its of the Empress Arcana. And it uses wind. Good thing Junpei's not here! Akihiko's Sonic Punch kicks the Shadow unto its ass and we use an all out attack. I sue Lilim's Rakujaja to boost my defense just in time as the Shadow uses Garula on me. Damn…apparently it can use that spell too. OW! That damn thing has spikes inside of it! It hits Yukari with the blow next and Akihiko uses Sonic Punch but thanks to its boosted defense it barely affects the Relic. Hm…Alp is strong against wind.
"ALP!" I use Dia on myself. YES! Akihiko knocks it on its ass with another Sonic Punch!
"ALL OUT ATTACK!" Shit. The damn thing is still not dead. I heal Akihiko just in time because the damn thing uses another group wind spell. And yet again Akihiko knocks it on it's ass and we use an all out attack. Damn this thing is strong. We manage to all dodge the next time it uses the group wind spell. And the damn thing is healing itself now. Aki hits it again but the damn thing uses the wind spell again but this time nearly kills Akihiko. He and Yukari quickly use Dia but I don't think he'd survive another blow like that.
…Urgh. What…did this thing just poison all of us…Urgh damn it! Shit! I'm nearly dead…Urgh…damn this thing!
"POLYDEUCES!" Akihiko's Persona lands a critical hit and we use yet another all out attack. But the damn thing still isn't dead. Its slower now at least but everyone's in critical condition. Ugh. I revive Akihiko but as soon as I manage to it uses another strong single target wind spell and knocks him unconscious again. Son of a bitch!
"Yukari use a revival bead on Akihiko!"
I use Cadenza and afterwards she revives Akihiko fortunately the stupid Relic uses the group wind spell before she revives him and since the both of us are strong against wind there isn't a problem. I heal Akihiko so that damn thing can't kill him again.
"Wait…the gem!"
I reach in the bag and throw the Megido Gem at it. That finishes it off.
"Jeez…that was too close for comfort." Yukari walks over to me. "Are you okay?"
I nod.
"Ugh." Akihiko's rubbing his head. Falling unconscious twice in a row probably wasn't fun. "Alright." He shakes it off quickly though. "Let's keep going."
Both Yukari and I look at him impressed.
"Hey…" Yukari picks up 2 Traesto gems and a Soma and places them in the bag. Akihiko blinks.
"I don't think I'm going to get used to that thing appearing out of nowhere."
We head back to the ground floor and I enter the Velvet Room. I give Theo the sword and he gives me some armor. Its not as good as the one I have on so I'll probably end up selling it.
I make Tam Lin by fusing Alp, Ara Mitama, and Jack Frost.
"I am Tam Lin. I will protect you with everything I have!" He's an extremely powerful Persona. Not as versatile as Lilim but he can take some damage. He's strong against slash attacks, fire attacks and electricity and he nulls Hama spells. He's pretty awesome.
With that we head upstairs. I switch Personas back to Lilim due to her usefulness. I ended up getting Forneus on the 38th floor. I also got Yomotsu Shikome on the 39th floor. There was another barricade on the 40th floor so we headed back.
I head once again to the Velvet Room and deliver the 2nd old document to Theo. Theo then gives me a Recarm card which apparently teaches a Persona a spell that does the same thing a revival bead does. I'll probably give it to Tam Lin. I fuse Forneus, Omoikane and Apsaras to get Archangel. I still need one more Old Lantern to complete Theo's request so I go back into Tartarus I use the transporter to teleport to the 14th floor. After I get the lanterns on the 18th floor I go back to the entrance and deliver them.
"We're not leaving already are we?" Akihiko questions me when I start towards the exit. Uh…
"You still want to continue?" He nods. "But we've already-"
"It doesn't matter. We all need to get a lot stronger." I look at Yukari who shrugs.
Oh what the hell. We go back into Tartarus. Lilim powers up and learns a group hitting electricity spell. Mazio. Everything is just falling now. We stay in Tartarus so long Mitsuru has to tell us the Dark Hour is almost over for us to leave.
I'm exhausted but I feel a lot stronger now.
5/27/09
At lunch Rio approaches me and asks if I'm coming to practice today. I'm way to sore. So I tell her I'll probably go on Friday. I go visit that crazy nurse again and drink that concoction. Huh. Not so bad this time.
Naganaki Shrine
I play with Maiko on the playground.
"I'm hungry. …Can we go to Wild-duck Burger?" YES! I'm starving anyways. Especially after yesterday's excessive training session.
"Sure, let's go."
"Yay! I can't wait! I wonder which toy they're giving out today…" hm…she's cheered up.
Iwatodai strip mall, Wild-duck Burger…
I try not to eat as much as I usually do. Last thing I need is her thinking I'm some sort of monster.
"This is yummy! I love going out to eat! …'Cause Mom and Dad never argue when we go out to eat." she pouts. "They never used to argue! You have to believe me…but, why would they get a divorce?"
"Most likely the fell out of love. It happens."
"…Fell out of love?" Oh great she's about to cry now…she sniffles. "I don't want them to get a divorce!" If she was a bit older I'd probably tell her to suck it up but I can't say that to someone her age. "…Do they really hate me that much? Divorce is dumb! I hate it!" and then she bursts out crying loudly at that. A couple of patrons start staring at us and I rub my temples slowly.
"Look…calm down Maiko. Calm down." I rub awkward circles on her back. Growing up with my aunt I had received very little affection. Sure she'd smile at me once in a while when I did something that pleased her but for the most part I was on my own. I know my mother used to hold me a lot and sing to me but…those memories were so vague I often wondered if I had made them up to comfort myself.
She sniffles again. "I'm sorry…I know it's embarrassing when I cry…I'll try not to cry anymore." she gives me a weak and shaky smile. I feel closer to her and stronger inside. …I'm getting used to it now. "Um…I guess I should go. Thanks for playing with me today." she leaves but since its still so early I go to Be Blue to work and get another 5,500 yen.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge…
Mitsuru greets me when I come in. Hm…the chairman's here. Probably something to do with that Fuuka girl. I head back to Paulownia Mall and play Lucky Fortune. Lilim could use the magic boost.
5/28/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Urgh. I have a cold.
I run into Junpei on the way to school. "S'up dude! So, whaddya think…?"
"About what?"
"Fuuka Yamagishi, of course. I haven't given up hope that she'll join our team." I sigh. "Dude, her face looks so familiar." probably because you've seen her around school. "She does look inda weak, but it only makes me wanna protect her, ya know?"
"Uh huh." Junpei talks the whole way to class and I only half listen.
Saori runs into me at lunch and reminds me the committee is meeting today.
Mr. Edogawa is apparently teaching a class. Ugh. What is with the teachers in this school…
After School
I walk up to Saori to go to the library committee when she tells me a rumor about celebrities showing up at Paulownia Mall at night. That can't be true…can it?
Gekkoukan High, library…
There's a lot of students here today so Saori and I are swamped with work.
"All right, may I please see your student ID?" Saori looks so cheerful and happy helping the students. You can tell she's enjoying what she does. "…Huh? You lost it? Um…If you don't have your ID, we can't check any books out for you. Losing your ID's pretty serious…You should go to the faculty room before you do anything else."
Huh. Wonder what's going on over there. I start to go over there but the girl with buns from before runs in. She's the one who borrowed Saori's notes isn't she?
"S-Saori-san!"
"…Oh, Higashida-san. I'm sorry, I'm a little busy right now…"
"Oh, it's okay, it'll be quick! Um…about the notes I borrowed…" my eyes narrow.
"My notes…? Oh, right…"
"Michi lost them. I'm sorry, I'll make sure I yell at her!" Lost them my ass. I wait for Saori to get irritated or anything.
"Huh? …Oh, that's fine." she smiles warmly at the girl. You have gots to be kidding me.
"Well, s-see you!" The girl with buns runs off.
…the word "doormat" comes to mind. Oh well not my problem.
Saori is silent for a few moments. "Oh, I'm sorry. Um, so, if you've lost your student ID, you need to get a copy of this form from the faculty office and…"
Eventually everyone starts leaving the library and no one else comes in. Finally. Jeez that was a lot of work. I thought Student Council was bad.
"Whew…Today was pretty rough, don't you think?"
"Wanna grab something to eat?"
"…Oh, sorry. I'm not allowed to do things like that." she frowns. "My family is really strict…I'm really sorry." she smiles that same sad smile. "Oh, right, didn't we get homework today? I should make use of this time and get it done…Oh, wait, my notes…"
"The ones that other girl lost?" Yeah. "lost".
"My physics homework would be a lot easier if I still had my notes." and yet you're oddly serene about it. "Well, there's no point complaining about what I don't have." Huh. She's really positive. I assumed she was weak…but maybe she's just strong in a different way. Still I'd have slapped a bitch.
"Won't you confront her?"
Saori just laughs. "It's okay…you're such a nice person. Thanks, though." And I feel I understand Saori a bit more. Not too surprisingly I feel our bond deepen and my inner strength increase once more. "Oh, it's almost time. Which do you want to do? Clean the counter or make sure everybody's left the library? Let's Rosh ambo for it. Read? Ro…Sham…Bo!" I end up having to clean the counter. It's not too bad actually. As soon as I'm done I leave for the dorm.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"Welcome back." Mitsuru greets me again. "Hm, that's strange…"
"What's strange?"
"The number of Apathy Syndrome victims seems to be on the rise again…apparently, the decline was only temporary." Well that can't be good.
"Huh? Does that mean that no matter how many Shadows we defeat, more will just keep coming?" Who knows Yukari. I certainly don't. "If that's the case, then what's the point of fighting…?"
"If we do nothing, then everyone will eventually join The Lost. Our efforts have prevented the crisis from escalating."
"I guess you're right. …Ya know, it's kinda creepy when you think about it…If we couldn't use our Personas, then the whole city would be crawling with zombies…" I so needed that image in my head Yukari. "You should rest Minako." she looks me over. "You don't look too good." I don't feel that great either.
I nod but I want to see if that rumor Saori told me was true. I turned and headed for Paulownia Mall sniffling all the while.
There's some well dressed man obviously running a scam. Do I look like an idiot or something? He wants 20,000 Yen! HA! I walk past him and go into Game Panic. What a waste of my time. I go ahead and play Print Club again.
5/29/09
Urgh. I still have a cold!
Not to mention I'm stuck with Mr. Edogawa first thing in the morning. I force myself not to sleep in class but…why is he going on and on about magic and meditation? Is that really part of the school curriculum? Oh wait…didn't Akihiko say he was free Mondays and Fridays?
I go down by the club rooms and spot him. "Hey!" I wave.
"Oh, it's you, Minako." he seems relieved. Probably thought I was one of his fan girls at first. "Are you going home?"
"Yeah. Want to walk together?" I never got to know Akihiko much.
He looks happier all of a sudden. Probably was bored as hell. "…Okay, then do you mind if we stop somewhere on the way? There's something I've been in the mood for…" as he talks to me a bunch of his fan girls are glaring at me. Urgh. I glare at them and mouth Fuck Off. That gets them off my ass.
"…Alright, let's go."
Iwatodai strip mall, Hagakure Ramen…
"Whatever happened to never taking me out to eat." I can't help but tease him a little.
He laughs. "That may have been a little harsh." I laugh.
"You're okay with the special, right? Two extra-large specials, please."
"Can I order some appetizers too!"
"Sure. Eat as much as you'd like." He's awfully cheerful today. "Physical strength is everything. Your skills are truly remarkable…But they won't be of any use if you get exhausted easily." Oh so he was worried about me. I was sick for a while…Oh yay! The ramen is here! I slurp it down easily.
"Jeez you polished that off fast!" He looks a little stunned. Weird…why the hell am I so full? Did my stomach shrink when I was sick? Aw….
"Hey, are you up for going to another restaurant?"
"I can't eat another bite…"
"Really? You're actually full?"
I nod.
"Did your stomach shrink or something?"
"I think it did!"
"Well, it wouldn't be a good idea for you to get a stomachache. You are just recovering from a cold. Let's not do this today, then." He laughs while shaking his head. "Your stomach must have shrunk a lot. Last time I saw you eat you ate enough for three people."
I glare at him.
"Why are you glaring at me like that? You did eat enough for three people. I'm not going to treat you any differently from anyone else because you're a girl. And while Mitsuru was the one who recommended you to be our leader," I knew she had something to do with it. "I thought you'd be best in that position, too. …So do your best okay? Our lives are on the line too, after all. And, of course, we'll do our best to back you up, as well. You're not the only one who's going to be trying hard out there." I feel I understand him a bit now. And now for-
Thou art I
And I am thou
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Star Arcana
And there it is.
"Well, since we're done eating, I guess we should go back. Let's get a quick jog in to help settle our stomachs." The two of us job back to the dorm. Thanks to my time on Track I can keep up with him.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"Welcome back." Mitsuru nods at the two of us. Shrugging I turn around and head for Paulownia Mall. The haunted house game is available today. Yeah I know, I shouldn't be doing this while sick but I don't want to just lie in bed waiting for it to end.
5/30/09
As I'm walking to school I overhear some talking about a girl in 2-E but I just tune it out. Last thing I need is more of those rumors going through my head.
Homeroom, Early Morning
"Did you hear? About that girl in 2-E…?" Jeez. They're talking about it in here to?
"Yeah, they haven't got a clue…isn't that bizarre!"
Everyone is talking about it for some reason.
"Man, can you believe these people…? So, did you hear the details?" Junpei turns to me.
"Not interested." I flip through my notes.
"Stop acting like you don't care. You really should hear this…" You're obviously going to force me to hear it whether I want to or not so you might as well go ahead. "Well, a girl from 2-E went missing last night. This morning, they found her lying on the ground in front of the school gate! Nobody knows what happened and supposedly, she's still unconscious."
Yukari walks in. "…Morning." I wave.
"Yo, Yuka-tan. This is a tough case, even for Junpei Iori, Ace Detective."
"Ace Detective?" Yukari shakes her head. "…Are you stupid or something? More like Stupei, Ace Defective." Good one, Yukari. I laugh.
"Hey! I resent that. Anyway, where've you been?"
"I was talking to the teacher. That girl they found…I saw her yesterday, on my way back from practice. She seemed okay then…"
"Whoa…now that's really strange." The teacher comes in and begins class.
After school I head to the wild duck burger, now that I'm feeling better my appetite has returned to normal.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
When I enter Yukari greets me.
"…Oh, hey. Did you hear the rumor going around school?" Hm…I guess she missed Junpei and I talking about it.
"Yeah Junpei had been telling me about it before you walked into class."
"Oh. Well people can be so immature, sometimes. I mean, it's just a ghost story. Anyway, I'm not feeling very well, so I won't be able to go to Tartarus tonight. …Sorry. I'll prolly just watch a little TV and then go to bed early."
Okay…with that I decide to go to bed early for once. Everyone yammering those rumors all day has given me a headache.
End Chapter 5
Answering Reviews
Kisdota-The Freak Gamer: Yeah she's a bitch. She'll probably remain quite bitchy until near the end of September. Though if what you're looking for is a nice sweet and understanding Minako you might not get it here. And over time through developing her social links she'll learn to chill out and appreciate other people for who they are. She will always have a sharp tongue though. I like her mouthiness to much to make it completely go away ;) Besides there's plenty of fics where she's nice and understanding (most of them have her nice and understanding) Where's there's a greater variety of the male PC. (Despite the fact that in game the female PC can be quite bitchy and aggressive in dialogue where the male PC for the most part has three choices which are various styles of apathy.) Which is why I'm so baffled by the fact that 99.9999% of female PC fics have her being sunshine and rainbows. Especially given the fact that their are dialogue choices in the game where she can be a complete and utter bitch. (And amusingly enough no one calls her out on this!).
XxXTwilight-SinXxX: Thanks! I hope you like this one as well. Your reviews always brighten my day.
Also: I used one cheat in my whole game. The stop time of day cheat. Because realistically speaking, neither PC would play with Maiko until the sun set. She's in elementary school. You probably play with her for about 2 hours before she goes home. With other social links, I choose to stop the time of day if what they're doing wouldn't take up enough time for the sun to set. For example the Student Council argument scene. That wouldn't have taken up even an hour considering when you walk into the SC room the argument has already started. So it makes more sense for the PC to do something else for the rest of the day than simply go back to the dorm. Of course I took some liberties with the chariot social link. (Oh god do I hate that social link. If it didn't unlock one of the best Physical Personas in the game I'd never bother with it.) I find Rio extremely annoying and the whole link could have been solved in 5 levels instead of the drawn out 10. Frankly I would have rather had Yuko. She's at least semi-interesting. Also of all the people to crush on...Kenji? I mean honestly...
Extra Notes: Please please please read these notes! If you ignore them I don't want to hear any complaining when its far to late for me to do anything about it. (I.E. when the chapter has already started to develop such themes.) Especially considering by the time I post most of the chapters I'm halfway done with the next one. And I'm not rewriting 10-15 pages because you couldn't be bothered to give me your opinion on some things sooner.
Also I know I said it in the last chapter but now I'm certain. Aigis will be a dude. If you don't think I should make Aigis a dude. Tell me why. If you manage to convince me. I'll keep her a chick. But as it is the dialogue is just too filled to the brim with shoujo-ai (and I strongly dislike shoujo-ai.). Actually it's not even the shoujo-ai (because I had no problem with the YukarixMitsuru bits but Aigis just reeks of ATLUS being lazy with P3P. Would it have killed them to change her dialogue a little? (Even more laziness by Atlus if you fight Theo A. Even if you don't have Fuuka yet she still makes commens regarding Theo's power NVM the fact that she should still be in TARTARUS! B. She calls him a "She" now I love my pretty boys. Theo however doesn't look like a woman in any way shape or form. So why she's calling him a her is utterly baffling.
Also any event in game that didn't happen in Minako's presence will not be in this fic. (I'm sure most of you have already figured this out by now). With the exception of those videos she watches in the Control Room. Also the fic has a "Tragedy" label for a reason. There will be multiple character deaths. I'm just not too sure who should die at this point...well except for about 3 characters but all 2 of them end up "dying" in the original game anyway. And the other one just straight up dies.
Also note the multiple ships warning in the summary. Yes there will be multiple requited relationships. Granted their may be a few unrequited ones but those don't count in the multiple ships department. And multiple means at least 3. Granted I don't think any of them will be at the same time though. Minako's not going to have a reverse harem. I personally can't stand harem fics due to the massive OOCness they entail. I'm saying this now so I can avoid the whole "Minako's a slut!" later. You all were warned and chose to keep reading. Now if you have valid criticism. Like I don't know why she'd fall for X so fast after Y or X and Y at the same time or such that I'll be fully willing and happy to listen to such remarks.