Chapter 7: Four Down, Eight To Go
6/9/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…
On my way to class I spot Yukari.
"Why do you think Mitsuru saved Fuuka…do you think she would have rescued her regardless or was it only because she's a Persona-user and we need her..?
"Do you think it was because she's a Persona-user and we need her…?"
"You say that as if it's a bad thing. We could have easily been killed last night if Fuuka hadn't been a Persona-User"
"But…"
"Regardless of Mitsuru's reasons it all turned out well in the end. Don't fret so much."
"I guess." she frowns. Yeah…she's not going to let it go. "Sorry to bring it up out of the blue."
Saori appears at lunch to tell me there's another committee meeting today. Urgh.
"Oh…" Yukari heads over to my desk once class if over. Are you going home now? Do you want to go somewhere?"
"Sure. Let me get my things."
Paulownia Mall, Chagall Café…
"U-Um, well…there's…something I need to say to you." What is this about?
"What is it?"
"Um…you probably might not remember, but…um…" she's practically sweating. What could be so…"When you woke up in the hospital. You know, after the dorm was attacked by a Shadow and you discovered your Persona…" yeah I kind of figured. I'd only been in the hospital once. S" she looks down at her table. "You know how I said all those things to you right after you woke up? Like "you're the same as me," and "you're alone," and stuff about your parents…" Oh. "Um…I think I might've been making assumptions about you. I mean, I lost my dad, but in your case it's both your parents…and even though things may seem the same, people react to them differently. But I ignored how you might've felt and forced my opinions onto you." she looks up at me briefly before looking down again. "I've been worrying all this time that I might've said some unfair things to you that day." Huh. I must have been out of it I don't recall our conversation so well. Just being smelly and my teeth being gritty. "…And I want to properly apologize for it. I'm sorry."
"…It's fine Yukari. I honestly had forgotten all about it."
"Really?" she's relived. "Granted I still do sense something similar between us. You might not like it, since it's the fact that we're both missing parents…still, I've never had anyone who could understand it around me before. It's different for everyone else at school. They have both their parents at home…they can complain about how they'll get yelled at if they come home late…I…When I hear stuff like that, I feel jealous." Huh. I guess she's right about us being similar. I feel the same at times. I'm not sure if the few memories I do have of my parents are a blessing or a curse.
"But I hate feeling that way, so I hide it…and because I can't tell anyone that, I feel distant. I…felt lonely." she looks up at me. "So when I heard about you, I felt that you could save me from that…" Save her? I'm no one's hero. I can barely help myself. I guess she notices my morose expression. "Yikes! Sorry! I'm being selfish again, I know!" she gives me a bright smile. "But, the fact that you're part of our group now makes me feel a lot better. I'm glad you joined us…" Huh. I think I'm glad too. "Haha, I'm just going around din circles with this pity party, aren't I?"
"It's not so bad." I can't help but whisper.
I guess she heard me because her smile gets even brighter. "But…That's how I really feel." she finishes. "So do you want anything to eat?"
"What happened to before?"
"Well I kind of just unloaded on you. So I suppose I owe you a bit."
"Nah. I'm not too hungry let's head back to the dorm."
I can't help but appreciate her honesty and the fact that she confided in me. I feel a bit closer to her.
Thou art I
And I am thou
Thou hast established a new bond
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana
Figures. Though lovers? I need to look up these things. "Alright…it is starting to get a little cold out."
We head back to the dorm discussing Fuuka Yamagishi and whether she'll join SEES on the way back.
Dorm 1st floor lounge…
"S'up dude?" He waves to Yukari and I as we come in.
"Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are going to the hospital to see Fuuka today. Sorry I forgot to mention it earlier." I shrug I'm too tired to go to Tartarus today anyways. "I wonder how she's doing…Oh, by the way…Ikutsuki-san told me that the antique shop in Paulownia Mall is open now. Maybe we should go check it out sometime." As she goes to sit in one of the chairs I turn back to head for Paulownia Mall. I might as well see what this store is about.
Paulownia Mall, Antique Shop
The owner is an older woman with glasses and long hair tied in a ponytail. "…Welcome. Officer Kurosawa tells me you're fighting against the Shadows. To the public, this is merely an antique shop…but privately, I create weapons. They're not ordinary equipment, however. My methods involve fusing weapons with Personas. But you'll need a material to assist in the process such as a Void Sword or Nihil Gloves. I'lll give you one for free, to start out with. Here you go." She hands me something that looks like a completely black sword. "From now on, you'll need to find your own. The golden Shadows carry such materials. There's another thing you should know, though I'm still researching it, so I'm not certain of this…Depending on the Persona you use in the fusion, you can create special weapons. All I can tell you is to experiment for yourself. …Ah, I nearly forgot. If you bring me jewels, I'll trade the good I carry here for them."
Huh. Apparently I can afford a Null Charm card. Sounds useful. I trade a Turquoise gem for it. I trade 7 Aquamarine gems for the skill Regenerate 3. I trade gems for 3 more Cadenza jewels and 3 Summer Dreams. With that settled I head for the Velvet Room.
I fuse Inugami, Archangel, and Pixie to create Fortuna. She's a Fortune persona that is weak against fire but strong against wind. Hm? Is there something wrong with her? She's hunched over…
"Not to worry." I turn to Igor who has that same creepy smile as always. "She is holding something within her. Raise this Persona. Over time she will produce an item that may be useful to you."
O-kay.
With that settled I leave the Velvet Room, head to Game Panic and play Horror House until the Dark Hour comes.
6/10/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…
Mitsuru is waiting for me for some reason…
"Good morning. …You might like to know that Yamagishi and Moriyama are healing up well.
"So…what now?"
"We'll need to invite Yamagishi to the dorm and explain what happened. We could definitely use her help." with that she heads for class.
After school I head for Tennis Club practice. Nothing really happened.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge
"…S'up, dude?" Junpei greets me again. Uh. I'm covered in sweat. "They're at the hospital again, visiting Fuuka…So, I guess we're not going anywhere tonight. Man, I wonder when she'll be ready to come along…"
"Hey, don't just assume that she'll be joining us…" I wonder why Yukari is so angry? "I hope they're not trying to push her into it…" I head upstairs and take a shower before heading back to Game Panic. I play the Lucky Fortune game and call it a night.
6/11/09
Right after school is over I get a text message from Akihiko telling me that Fuuka's being released from the hospital and that we have a meeting in the command room this evening. Grand. I might as well go to committee today.
Gekkoukan High, Library…
"That reminds me, I heard that the library committee wants to put together a school newsletter." Saori is casually shelving books as she speaks. "It'll be about things like how to take care of your books and reminders to return them before they're overdue…at least, that's what I ehard is going to go in it."
"How dull."
"I agree. Nobody wants to read about that kind of thing. That's why Ms. Ounishi said she was going to look into other things that students would be interested in. But it's far more likely that the ones who have to do the actual writing will be…" Please don't be us…please don't be us-
"Saori, you here!" What's the panic?
"Huh…? Yes? Can I help you?"
"You can help me kick your ass!" Uh..what? "Who the hell do you think you are! Keep your hands off my boyfriend!" I knew that bastard wasn't up to any good.
"Boyfriend?" Saori's just confused. Ugh. Why do people please these stupid games and involve other people that don't have anything to do with it? I rub my temple.
"Don't play dumb with me! You left school together, and even went out to karaoke! He told me all about it!" …for the love of-
"Karaoke…? Oh, you mean Takaoka-kun?" Saori's somewhat less confused now.
"…You skank! You're the one who asked him out!" Uh…
"Huh? But he's the one-"
"My boyfriend told me all about it! He said you seduced him!"
"Me…?" No offense to Saori but the thought of her gentle, self spoken self seducing anyone without them initiating it is just plain laughable. So, I go ahead and laugh.
"What's so funny?" she turns to me with a scowl.
"Oh…" I can't help but laugh some more. "You obviously have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't give me that shit!" she turns back to Saori "And how dare you pretend that you didn't seduce him! My boyfriend wouldn't lie!" She smacks Saori. You've gots to be kidding. Saori's eyes widen and she grabs her cheek. "You so much as say hello to my man again…you're going' down."
"The only one going down is you-!" Before I can move Saori places a hand on my arm and shakes her head. She's grown on me and I know she wouldn't defend herself. It's just not her way.
"N-No! It's okay! Don't Minako-kun!" Gah. I'd only pull her hair a little. It'll grow back.
"Seriously…keep to yourself, bitch." the girl turns and walks away.
"Tch!" I suck my teeth Saori looks sad. "You okay?" the few students that were in the library during that spectacle all stay away from the two of us and remain silent.
"Oh. I'm sorry for the commotion. I'm fine Minako-kun." With that must of the students leave in a hurry. "I'm sorry you had to see that…"
"It's that bastard's fault!"
"…That girl just believes in Takaoka-kun. It can't be helped…" she gives me a weak smile. …I'm pissed but I know that saying anything else would probably do more harm than good. I throw myself into the nearest chair. "I…did have some ulterior motive of my own, after all." Hm? "I thought it'd be nice to have a friend around my own age…" that's what she considers an ulterior motive? I shake my head.
"That's normal. For the most part if you go out with someone its to become closer to them. That bastard on the other hand…" I suck my teeth again. If I ever see that bastard and I'm punching him in the face, civility be damned. "You didn't like him did you?"
"No, unfortunately." Only Saori would find that to be a negative. Her eyes are getting moist. "I…have someone I like. But it'll never work out, and I can't do anything about it."
"What kind of person is he?" I wonder what kind of guy she'd like. I hope it's not some jerk off like Takaoka. She laughs at my question. "I've never mentioned it to anyone else before…" she's happier now. That's a relief. "It's so nice to be able to talk about it…I could never tell anyone." she gives me another weak smile, but its stronger than the one before it. I feel a bit closer to her as she tells me about him. His hobbies, what he likes. She's careful to not describe him or tell me his name but in her words I sense her affection for him. I feel that I understand her a bit and as usual I feel my inner strength increase. "It's almost time to stop today…and I doubt anyone else will come. Let's go home." we leave the school together before going our separate ways.
Dorm, Command Room
The Chairman and Fuuka are all here. Everyone's sitting except Fuuka for some reason. Quickly I sit between Akihiko and Mitsuru, I look over at Fuuka. She looks a lot better now.
"You're Fuuka Yamagishi, right?" The Chairman looks at some notepad in his hand. Probably Mitsuru's report of what happened a few days ago.
"Y-Yes."
He laughs. "Relax, there's no need to be nervous. Why don't you have a seat?"
"Oh, thank you." she sits down next to Yukari.
"Everyone, you did an excellent job uncovering the truth. I also wanted to let you know…The three girls have all regained consciousness."
"What a relief…"
"From what I understand, they each came to school around midnight and waited for the security guard to leave. They were attacked by Shadows near the gate, as the Dark Hour began…" wait a second. The security guard leaves around midnight? So what if the poor guy stays a bit too long? He'll end up in Tartarus as well? "However, the facts became twisted because of rumors concerning a ghost story."
"I knew right from the beginning that it wasn't a ghost." Suuure Yukari.
"It's all my fault."
"…Are you kidding! You were the victim!"
"But, I made so many people worry…"
"Hey, don't think like that…."
"We could have lost that fight if you weren't there. You saved our lives. You should feel good about yourself. You have a special power that you can use to help others." Mitsuru's manipulation skills are top notch. I got to get her to teach me one of these days.
"A special power…?"
"We call it "Persona." You could be a tremendous help to us. Will you lend us your strength?"
"Are you asking me to join you..?"
"That's correct."
"Mitsuru-senpai…"
"I think you'd make a good addition to the team, too."
"Akihiko-senpai…" Talk about pouring it on.
"You know, we're not trying to pressure you, so if you need some time to think about it…"
"I'll do it." Oh. That was fast. "…I'll help you!" Huh. She actually sounds eager about it.
"A-Are you sure?" Yukari's shocked that Fuuka agreed so fast, not that I blame her. "If you join, you'll have to live here…"
"That's fine. I'd rather live here than at home anyway…" So in addition to being the Freaks Dorm we're the parental issues dorm. Isn't that fantastic?
"We really appreciate this. We'll have the school talk to your parents, to resolve any issues." Mitsuru probably could twists the parents arm if they refuse but judging by Fuuka's eagerness I doubt they'd even care. That must be tough.
"Thank you.
"…Wait a minute. Aren't we dragging her into this a bit fast?"
"Um, it's okay, I really don't mind Yukari…I mean…it'll be nice to have two other girls in my grade around, too…" …
"I'm your senpai remember?"
"Huh? Oh, that's right! I'm sorry, I…" Oh…didn't think she'd react like that.
"Um, she was kidding…" not really.
"Now, then…those special Shadows showed up again. We still don't know where they're coming from. But, Akihiko is right about one thing. Their appearances seem to coincide with the full moon. We'll take that into consideration from now on." The Chairman places the notepad on the table. I suppose he's done reading it.
"So, they're kinda like werewolves then, huh?" Trust Junpei to make such a comparison.
"It's a big advantage for us to know when to expect them. Now, on the day of the fight, we'll be read to get in the ring."
Yukari just sighs. I head for Paulownia Mall again, we still can't go to Tartarus. While I play Print Club I can't help but wonder if Mitsuru will take the lead once Fuuka takes her place as outside support. I hope so. Though…I will miss being the one everyone relied on in a crisis. I was sort of getting used to it.
6/12/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…
I walk into Yukari at the front gate. "Hey…What do you think about Fuuka?"
I shrug. "She was helpful during the fight with those two Shadows."
"You think so? I mean, yeah, her Persona ability is great n'all but…doesn't it kinda seem like she was forced into joining us?" So was I. At least she's not going to be forced to be leader as well. "I hope she'll be okay."
I end up going out with Yukari again we head to Port Island Station. We see some romance comedy that she wanted to see. It…was pretty bad. Yukari liked it do so I kept my criticisms of the movie to a minimum. "Oh! The florist!"
Port Island Station, florist…
"Don't you feel happy when you go to a flower shop? There's so many colors, and they're all so pretty. I dream about having a room just full of flowers one day." she looks over the many kinds of flowers smiling. "Hey, what's your favorite flower?"
I don't actually like flowers too much and there are not many flower kinds that I know of…though I remember the smell of roses from when I was little. My mother always used to keep fresh ones on the table that my dad brought for her. A bright vibrant red. She called me her little "rose" because my eye color was the same shade as the roses she loved. They were in this ridiculous heart shaped vase. Its one of the stronger memories I have of my mother. Every time I see or smell roses it's like a part of her is with me, as ridiculous as that sounds.
"Roses, no question."
"Roses? Wow, is that so?" What is something wrong with me liking roses? I give her a look and she shakes her head quickly. "Don't get me wrong or anything. It's just that roses always seem to have this mature, adult woman feeling to them…" a momentary flash of a memory of my mother laughing as she holds a bouquet my father bought her stuns me. She's…beautiful. I shake my head to clear the image. My eyes feel a little wet and I quickly wipe them away. Fortunately, Yukari is too busy looking over the flowers to notice them.
"…Back in the day, my house used to be filled with flowers. My mom really liked flowers, so she always bought a lot of them. She'd decorate with the ones I'd pick, too." I laugh. I can picture a little Yukari picking out bright flowers and holding them out to her mother who probably look a lot like her. She smiles back at me. "That's probably why I like them so much…" her smile fades. "There was a while though, that I didn't like seeing flowers. They would bring back memories…and they reminded me that what is beautiful can quickly wither away." she smiles again picking some flowers from the stand and smelling them. "But, I don't feel that way lately. I even feel like getting some flowers for my own room." she chuckles a bit. "I wonder why…I don't really understand this myself." she looks down at the flowers in her hands with a faraway smile. Probably remembering her mother. I feel as though the bonds between us have strengthened…yup. Inner strength has increased! "That's it! I'm buying a whole bunch of flowers today! Excuse me! Can you make me a big bouquet for something like 3000 yen? Huh? No! Oh…so for that price, it'll just be a huge bunch of baby's breath…? Ugh. Not thanks." I resist the urge to laugh.
"Hey how much would a bouquet of roses cost?" The lady tells me around 5153 yen. Oh what the hell I can afford it. "Sure."
Yukari gapes at me. "How can you afford that?"
"I work." finding money in Tartarus also helps. "You want me to buy you one?"
"Oh..thanks!" she picks out a bouquet as well. "But why would you buy a bunch of roses though? Especially at such a price…"
I take a deep breath inhaling the roses in my hand and smile. "They remind me of my mother. My dad would always bring her fresh roses. She kept them in a table in the dining room."
"Oh. I see." Yukari laughs. "It's a bit odd that our happiest memories with our mothers involve flowers isn't it?"
"Yeah." with that we head to the dorm.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge…
"Yuka-tan. Mitsuru said she could use your help upstairs helping to clean Fuuka's room."
"Oh." Before Yukari can even turn I'm out the door running. I haven't even fully unpacked my bags yet. I head for Paulownia Mall's Game Panic and play Horror House. I feel tough now.
Bedroom, Dark Hour
I sense someone's presence. I shut my eyes tightly. Maybe if he thinks I'm still sleeping he'll go away…
"You've prevailed yet again." Damn it. I sit up on and yet again. He's sitting on the edge of my bed smiling at me. "Do you remember what I said before? About everything coming to an end? Well, I recalled something else…I'm fairly sure that the end is inevitable." great. Not only is he sprouting doomsday theories but given his penchant for being correct. Ugh. This sucks. Why couldn't he have just let me live how long I had to live in blissful ignorance. "But, its funny…it doesn't seem so certain, considering the vast potential within you." Hm? Don't tell me this end has to do with my destiny. "As a matter of fact, your power seems to have changed quite a bit. Hey, if you don't mind, can I be your friend? I'm very curious about you…is that okay?" His voice on the last two lines seems so much like a small child's I answer without thinking.
"Of course." Eh? Damn it.
He smiles again looking down at me but its not creepy this time. Its more like a happy kid getting the toy he wanted kind of smile. "Then, from now on we shall be friends! My name is…Pharos." Pharos? "You may call me that if you wish." How strange. But I do feel a bond with him if only for the reason that he comes out of the blue and warns me of impending danger.
Thou art I
And I am thou
Thou hast established a new bond
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Death Arcana
…you have gots to be kidding me. Death? Granted every time we meet he's telling me something that brings me closer to death but still…I really gotta look up Arcana. "It's getting late, so I'll go now. I'm already meeting forward to our next meeting. Bye-bye!"
"Bye." I answer awkwardly he vanishes once again, on my bed. Fantastic.
6/13/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate
Mitsuru is waiting for me again. "Good morning, Arisato." What is with her using people's last names? "Yamagishi will be living in the dorm with us. And starting tonight, she'll be providing us with support during battle." That was awfully fast. "So, now I can rejoin the front line."
"Uh.."
"You will of course stay in command. I can count on you after all. Besides I'm a bit out of practice and will need some time to return to my prior form. Those lessons are still on the table as well." She hums a little at this. …Oh well. I wasn't really expecting anything to change at this point anyway.
With that we head our separate ways to class. Since it's Saturday I got to play with Maiko
"Hey, do you think Striped Shirt is okay? He said he can only come on Sundays, but I can't come that day." she frowns. She's obviously worried about him. "I want to play with him, too…" He's probably too sick to do so. "But, today I'll play with you!" I can't help but smile. She's a sweet kid.
We played around the park for a few hours. "Did you know it was my birthday the other day?" Hm…I remember her asking me if her father was going to remember… "At least Mom and Dad didn't forget about my birthday this year…" that's a relief. I don't want to think about how crushed she would have been if they'd forgotten. "They remembered!" she beams at this.
"Of course they did, your parents love you."
She nods "Of course!" I'm glad she's so happy. "…We haven't really eaten together as a family for a while. We used to eat dinner together every night…how come Mom and Dad don't get along anymore?" she becomes silent. She's obviously thinking about it. "I know~ I'll just as them why they want a divorce. If I can get rid of the reason, everything'll be fine, right?" … "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my parents back together! You'll do what you can do to help, right?" Oh what the hell. It probably won't work either way but-
"Yeah I'll help."
"Yay!" she jumps up and down in excitement. As she cheers I feel our bond strengthen and my inner power strengthen. "All right…I'm gonna ask them. So, maybe we can play again some other time." she runs off and I head to the Paulownia Mall and play the Quiz Game until the sun sets.
While walking to the dorm my phone rings I answer it. "Hello? This is Theodore." …I'm still wondering how the hell he has my number. "I sense intense power deep within Tartarus. It seems a path that was blocked is now open…Please be careful. Have a nice day." The last line is said so cheerfully I nearly drop the phone. Insane, all of them.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge…
"…Hi, how was your day?" Fuuka greets me when I walk in. "Um, since I'll be substituting for Mitsuru-senpai from now on…just tell me if you want to go to Tartarus. I'll do my best!" So since everyone's already here and Mitsuru can finally join us I head for Tartarus.
Tartarus
According to Fuuka, Tartarus is a little unstable today.
"From now on, Yamagishi will support us, and I'll take part in the exploration. I've also decided that I'll allow you to select the members of your battle party."
"Wait…aren't we all going?"
Mitsuru shakes her head. "It's best if we rotate members. We don't want to risk everyone getting exhausted at the same time just in case something should happen." well that makes sense. "Now…I realize selecting the members of your party is a responsibility," she smiles at this part "but I'm sure you can handle it."
"Um…I'll be taking Mitsuru-senpai's place from now on." Fuuka summons her Persona and waits for me to enter Tartarus. I take Akihiko, Mitsuru and Yukari.
"Huh? Why can't I come?" Junpei's agitated.
"I'll take you next time."
"Urgh." He crosses his arms and looks away. Jeez. And you wonder why I don't take you? It's because you act like that Junpei!
I head for the Velvet Room and accept a couple of Theo's requests. Afterwards I head up to Tartarus. I gave Mitsuru the second pair of Battle panties and it was worth it to see how red Ice Queen (also I wasn't too surprised to see her Persona using Ice skills) became. Also her Persona is pretty humanoid other than the mask like object over its face. Though other than the blush she puts them on without comment.
…
…
…
Oh that's just not right.
She's utterly gorgeous. Oh well…Akihiko turns red as a tomato from both Mitsuru and Yukari's outfits and I resist laughing at him.
With that we head up the staircase. Aw…we're still stuck on the creepy purple block. I get Chimera and Inugami after a couple of battles. I get a Slime Persona as well, going back downstairs I fuse Slime and Chimera to get Oberon. He's strengthened by my bond with Hidetoshi and I have fulfilled Theo's request. I get some enchanted clothing for Akihiko as a result. I hand him his clothing and before he can even speak.
"Don't ask." with a raised eyebrow he looks from me back to his clothing before shrugging. I take his bulletproof vest and give it to Mitsuru. I can't take it anymore. She changes quickly to my relief. However, Mitsuru falls unconscious due to a surprise attack and I'm out of revives. I use our last Traesto Gem and we leave for the day.
6/14/09
It's a normal Sunday. I head for the theatre and work as usual. I did get a raise though! 9000 yen is what I'm paid this time. Afterwards I head straight to Paulownia Mall and visit the police station. I might as well study.
6/15/09
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…
"Mornin'" Yukari walks over to me cheerfully. "So, I guess it's true that fewer cases of Apathy Syndrome occur after each of our missions. But then, that changes again as we get closer to the next full moon." she turns thoughtful. "…By the way, what do you think of Mitsuru-senpai…?"
"In what way?" Does she mean as a fighter or as a person?
"Yikes, that's not what I meant." Huh? What is she- Oh. "Don't you think she sort of pushed Fuuka into joining? I know it's nice to have her around, especially in battle, but…it just feels wrong." with that we head to class.
At lunch Akihiko's acting somewhat…odd. I'll see what's wrong with him later.
After School
I'm going to go see Maiko. Akihiko can wait a few hours, with that I head out.
I play with Maiko for a bit. There's some strange red shrine over there. I check it out. Apparently those skill cards from my Persona can be copied. I give him the Null Charm I bought from the Antique Store. …Oh that sucks! It takes 5 days? Bah. With that I head back to school, I need to see what Akihiko was in a bad mood about. As I'm walking toward him I hear voices from inside the science room.
"Well, what should we do with it? We can't burn it, because that would release harmful chemicals. Maybe we should just throw it away…." what are they talking about? I open the door. Hm…
"Oh, hi…Minako, right? From the junior class?" I nod. "Do you have any interest in this anatomical model?"
"Oh…yes!" Theo's request. "May I have it?"
"Oh that's good. We were about to throw it away. It's old and ugly, and the students think it's creepy…I can't say I disagree with them either." I look over the anatomical model. All of that is true but still…"But, if you promise not to make any mischief with it, you can have it."
"I promise Ounishi-sensei."
She smiles pleased. "Good. Please take good care of it. Well, we're about ready to leave, so if you'll excuse us."
I head back to Paulownia Mall to drop off the model. Akihiko's weirdness can wait.
I deliver the model to Theo and he apparently gives me some sort of glowing sword that makes funny noises when I swing it. …Okay…I take the request to show him around Iwatodai Station.
"So…you ready to go?"
"Very well. Please lead the way." We leave the Velvet Room together.
Iwatodai Station…
For some reason Theo doesn't seem to want to get on the escalator. "These stairs…they're moving…I-I've heard of this…It's called an escalator, no?" …he's afraid of it? I mean for pete's sake he has to see Igor's face every single day. How is he afraid of anything? He has that adorable pout on his face. "I shouldn't have any problem riding something like this, should I? He's blushing? Ahahaha. I stifle my laughter. He's not even moving either…He simply looks at the escalator.
"Okay. I'll help you."
"I-I can't allow you to do that! I'll…go on ahead. Please, allow me."
He grabs my hand and we get on the escalator awkwardly. His hand is warm as he grips my mine firmly.
"Um…this is rather…slow." Theo is still scared though the blush has gone away. He still hasn't let go of my hand. We reach the bottom and get off the escalator. "Hah! Child's play." He looks proud of himself. …Right Theo. You totally weren't just quivering like a child a second ago. We head for the strip mall.
Iwatodai Strip Mall…
"So this is a strip mall…A lively place indeed. …! This smell…No, no, don't tell me…" he runs over to the takoyaki stand.
"Whoa, you can figure out our secret ingredient just by its smell? How 'bout it? Wanna buy one? It'll make you smile so wide, your cheeks will fall off!"
"So good as to one makes one's cheeks fall off?" Theo is alarmed. His blatant ignorance of the way this world works is amusing and endearing at the same time. "That…would be dire indeed…!"
"That's not going to actually happen you know."
"O-Of course. As if such a thing could possibly happen…" …he totally believed it. And that pout is back…along with the blush. Theo pushes the takoyaki around with a wary look in his eyes. Regardless I buy us both some. I sit next to Theo and offer him some, hesitantly he takes it.
"97 degrees Fahrenheit…" I will never get used to him knowing something's temperature just by touching it. "And this texture….There's no mistaking it…" He frowns slightly.
"It's an octopus isn't it?"
"Certainly, there is octopus IN it." Theo smiles slightly. "When considering its composition, it could be said to be almost entirely octopus. …But using THAT for cooking…" What's "that"? "It's apparent now why one's cheeks might fall off."
"What's in it?"
He smiles smugly. "There are some things your kind are better off not knowing." Damn you Theo! Tell me!
He eats the takoyaki and gasps and…is pinching his cheeks for some reason. He expels his breathe loudly looking up at me. He pinches my cheek. Eh? What was that for? "Your seem to be in no danger." He's relieved for some reason. "Thank goodness…" he smiles.
"Uh…thanks?" I stare at him oddly. He's weird.
"If anything were to happen to you…You are, after all, a valued guest." and again the feeling of warmth spreads through my chest. "…That hurt, didn't it? I'm so sorry." he strokes my cheek gently and I look up into his eyes.
"Oh hey! I have something for you!" The cook speaks up. I peel my eyes away from Theo's. My face is burning. Theo stands and goers over to the cook. She's talking in a lower tone and gives him something. Squinting I can see it's a takoyaki-shaped cell phone strap. I suppose the cook was pleased with him for guessing her secret ingredient. "Well now, isn't this charming? Would this be considered…a souvenir of my time with you?" I suppose it would. "How unfortunate…I've acquired something precious to me. It's your fault, you realize. That's why I won't let you have this." Huh? He laughs. We walk around the strip mall together for the rest of the day. I point out several shops to him like Duck Duck Burger and Hagakure.
"Thank you for showing me such a delightful time today. The flow of time is fixed at a certain speed…and yet it seems there are moments when it passes so quickly." I gotta agree with you there. "Oh…That car's-"
A car is speeding towards me. I…can't move for some reason. Theo grabs me and pulls me by my arm. I slam into his chest with a great deal of force and speed. He's that powerful? And fast? "It's dangerous to stand in place like that!" he looks down at me with a small pout on his face. "Honestly…I can't turn my back on you for even an instant."
"I-"
"Hey, let us go back. Give me your hand." he entwines his fingers with mine. I feel like a young foolish child as he leads me back to the Velvet Room The warmth of his hand though as it holds mine stays with me the whole way.
As a reward I am given a Blue Scale which allows me to fuse Empusa.
Since I'm already in the Velvet Room I fuse Valkyrie and Inugami to make Naga. Naga is strong against and electricity and darkness and weak against light.
Afterwards I head back to the school to talk to Akihiko.
He takes me training with him but the whole time…he's sort of distracted. He'll stare at me for long moments when he thinks I'm not looking. Its really odd to say the least.
In front of the dorm…
Akihiko has a troubled look on his face. He's completely silent and is biting his lip slightly.
"Are you angry?" He hasn't really talked to me the whole time.
"Huh…? Oh, no, sorry." Akihiko scratches his head. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to." Akihiko looks down as he speaks. What is he talking about? "It's just…" he looks up at me. "Is it true you're going out with Junpei?" I think the air went through the wrong pipe because I'm choking on air.
"What? NO! Why the hell would you think that?"
"I see…" he looks down again. "Oh, no, it was just a rumor I heard. Sorry."
"Ugh. Don't get the wrong idea, senpai. Me and Junpei. Will never happen. Like…never ever. Ugh. Thinking about it gives me the shivers."
"I-I see. Anyway, I'm sorry."
I pout. "I can't believe you believed a bunch of nonsense rumors like that. Especially considering what we just went through with Fuuka."
"Yeah…I'm really sorry." His apology is sincere. "It's bad enough that I listened to such a rumor," he looks down again "but then I confronted you about it…It was incredibly rude of me."
I shrug. "Eh. I've done some rude things myself." That time I was with Junpei in the Chagall Café comes to mind. "If I hear anyone say that again, I'll tell them it's not true."
"Eh. Don't bother." Rumors will always be spread around me. I've kind of resigned myself to that fact.
"Is that so? Well, maybe it's best to avoid giving rumors any credibility by trying to deny them." he nods seriously. At least…he's not upset anymore. "Um…Should we get something on our way home?" Hm? We're right at the doors- Oh what the hell. I want something sweet to eat. "…Oh, we're already all the way back at the dorm." What a goof. How is he just know realizing that? "Um…Do you want anything to eat? …Wait you always want something to eat." he laughs.
"Let's go get something sweet to eat Akihiko-senpai! I'm in the mood for some chocolate cake."
"Yeah…that might be nice for a change." he smiles brightly. "Let's get going." he straightens as through a major weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He was that concerned over that rumor? I feel as if my bond with Akihiko had grown a little stronger. I feel my inner strength increase. "Well then, shall we?" we go out to eat and head back to the dorm. At least now he's brighter and talking to me again.
Dorm 1st floor lounge…
"Welcome back." Mitsuru still looks a bit tired. That's not good.
"Hey let's go to Tartarus tonight. I know the next full moon is still a ways away, but the Shadows are getting stronger. Besides, I need to train Polydeuces. So, whaddya say?"
"Sure. Let's get going."
"Alright."
Tartarus
Tartarus is still unstable. I pick Akihiko, Junpei and Yukari. Mitsuru's sick and I promised Junpei to take him this time anyways. With that we start up the tower. I end up getting Slime again and another Persona called Berith. Some man on a horse, the man is wearing armor. I fuse Ara Mitama, Berith and Slime to make Ares. He's strengthen by my bonds with Rio. After that I head back up Tartarus. We end up on a floor filled with golden Shadows. We get a nice amount of treasures on that floor I get a Nihil Sword, Gloves and Bow.
On the next floor I get Forneus. I give up Forneus for Yomotsu Shikome. On the 47th floor are three Shadows. Fantastic. A group of Shadows. Just something everyone wants to see. Since I haven't completed Theo's request I place this battle on hold and return to the lower floors until I got the final Bronze Figurine. While hunting for the Shadow Dice I get Pyro Jack. I get a Sigma Drive as a reward from Theo. I fuse Pyro Jack, Yomotsu Shikome, and Naga for Take-Minakata. It appears he's holding something within himself.
With that all settled I head back for Tartarus. Grand…it's three golden beetle shadows. Fortunately they're weak to Zio skills so Between Lilim's Mazio and Akihiko's Zio skills there's not much trouble. However, they have a tendency to use kill rush to one hit kill us. They also have a tendency to use that power boosting spell to make their hits even harder! Thanks to all out attacks though they're not much of a problem. We get 3 Beetle Horns out of the deal and 2 Somas.
We reach the 47th floor and Fuuka warns us she senses another strong presence on the 49th floor. Just great. I head back to the entrance and return to the Velvet Room delivering the Snake Scales to Theo. He's impressed by my strength. Those lustful snakes were a bit of a pain in the ass but once you hit their weakness (which is ice) they're not much of a challenge. He gives me 46000 yen as payment. I use Valkyrie, Ares and Zouchouten (whom I found in a earlier battle) to make Hua Po. She nulls fire but is weak to ice. Thanks to my bond with Junpei she gains additional strength. Afterwards I head back into Tartarus. I get the Persona Rakshasa on the 48th floor. Fortunately, or unfortunately there's only one powerful Shadow on the 49th floor.
It's a phantom on a horse. That's just swell. It uses a extremely powerful single target wind spell and takes Junpei out with one hit. I'm just going to leave him there for now. That crack sounded bad. Yukari, Akihiko and I manage to bring it down to critical condition when I decide to revive Junpei. The creature falls down to a Agi spell but only after using a physical ability that knocked both Yukari and Akihiko unconscious and left Junpei in critical condition. Ah the irony. We find one more Soma and 2 more Megido gems. On the 64th floor we run into the next barricade. Since we can go no further, and I have completed all of Theo's requests that require me going to Tartarus we leave.
6/16/09
Oh…I'm so tired today. I have gotta stop doing those one day/two day bursts throughout Tartarus.
Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…
Mitsuru is waiting for me again. "Oh, Arisato, I have something to tell you….from now on, you'll be able to go to Tartarus without me." makes since considering she's no longer mission control.
"Okay."
She nods. "If Yamagishi's present, you can go to Tartarus. But, if neither Akihiko nor myself is present, I told her not to let you go." What are we a bunch of children that need to be babysat? "I'm worried something may happen…so, please keep that in mind." with that she leaves.
Both Junpei and Yukari ask me if I'm free this afternoon. I decide to go out with Yukari. I can talk to Junpei tomorrow after all. We head for Paulownia Mall.
Paulownia Mall…
"Hey, whaddya want to do now? Karaoke?"
"Mommy! Where are you?" some kid in a yellow shirt and blue shorts is wandering around the mall.
"Hm?"
"M-Mom, Mommyyyyy! Where are you?" …I never understood how people lose their kids. I cringe as he screams even louder. Yukari walks over to him. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you lost?"
"M-Mommy told me to wait here…" he sobs loudly. "and…and…she gave me money, but…" he sobs harder. "b-But, she's not coming…" with that he just all out bawls.
"Hey, don't cry…" Yukari kneels by the kid. "See, you're okay. I'll stay here with you, alright? Hey, look! We can get help over at the police station! C'mon, follow me. The policeman will know what to do. He'll find your mom, so don't worry." we leave the kid with Officer Kurosawa.
"Phew, what a relief…I'm glad he was able to contact his parents." Though I wonder why they ditched him in the first place? "…What were they thinking, leaving that poor kid all alone! It makes me so angry. But…I guess my mom's no different."
I recall Yukari saying that she and her mother didn't talk often anymore. "You said the two of you weren't close…"
"Yeah…that's right. I told you before." she looks down. "Well, if you asked me what kind of parent she is, I'd say, "a terrible one." She wasn't always like that though." The flowers conversation we had…"After what happened to Dad, she totally changed…she's probably living with one of her boyfriends somewhere. Honestly, I'd rather not know. Hey, you know what'd be cool? Changing the subject!" I shrug. Fine with me. "…Um, look, you're the only one I've told this to, so please don't tell anybody else about it!" I feel the bond between Yukari and I strengthen…and my inner strength has increased. "Sorry, but I'm not exactly in the mood for karaoke anymore…" good because I can't sing. "Let's go back. I'm gonna make a stop at the convenience store, so…I'll see you later." Okay…it's still early so I head for Be Blue to work for the rest of the day. I received 5500 yen for working. I ask Akihiko for some protein for amateur bodybuilders, he gives it to me and I head to the Velvet Room. He gives me a set a boxing gloves? I'm not sure if they're gloves they look more like a set of sharp knives attached to a glove but whatever. I receive 50000 yen for bringing Theo the third Old Document. I head to Game Panic afterwards and play Horror House for the rest of the evening.
6/17/09
After School
As I leave school I notice the Home Economics Room sign. Apparently there's a Fashion Club. I go inside.
Home Economics Room, Fashion Club…
"…Yatta, yes! Zis eez ze best sewing I 'ave done!" It's that blond kid from before…what was his name…Bebe? He's sewing something.
"Hi?" Oh! Konnichiwa, hello, Minako-sama! I 'avent seen you since ze bookstore! You came! I am very 'appy!" Huh. How does he know my name? I ask him.
"I asked ze teacher, my sensei. We are in ze same grade! Zis eez tanoshii, very fun! Would you like to try?" I guess he wants me to join the club. I can't sew to save my life but what the hell. "Sure."
"Honto! Really? Arigatou, thank you! I am 'ere Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Before tests, zey won't let me in…I was sad because I did not 'ave any tomodachi-friends-since I came to Nihon-Japan…" what is with his manner of speech? "But, now I am 'appy!" I stay there for a while getting to know Bebe.
Thou art I
And I am thou
Thou hast established a new bond
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Temperance Arcana
…I knew it. "Whoa! Look at ze time! Well zen, Minako-sama, goodbye!" I turn to leave. "…Oh, by ze way…I was wondering 'ow you bid farewell in Nihonogo-Japanese…"
"Mata ne." I don't know why I tell him.
"Wakarimashita, I understand! Mata ne!" afterwards I head for Paulownia Mall. I head for the antique mall and buy a goggle-eyed Idol to fulfill Theo's request. Afterwards I head for the Velvet Room. For completing this request he gives me another enchanted winter outfit. This one seems like it belongs to Mitsuru. Afterwards I head to Game Panic and play Lucky Fortune as usual Lilim's magic grows stronger.
6/18/09
Early the next morning Theo calls me asking me to come to the Velvet Room as soon as possible. I wonder what it could be about? He said it was important.
I head straight for the Velvet Room after school.
"Please forgive me for calling you like this. There's something I must bring to your attention. There seems to be someone inside of Tartarus, between floors 44 and 47. It seems to be someone without the potential, who heard the voices of the Shadows…If left alone, they will become Lost in your world and may die. Please find them and return them."
Well isn't that just perfect. Ugh. So much for any evening plans I might have had. I head back to school as I'm heading back to the homeroom to pick up the notebook I left I bump into Fuuka.
"Oh, Minako-chan…are you busy? It'd be nice if you were hungry too…"
"I'm down. Let's go." Nothing better than Free Food.
"n that case, would you do me a favor? I want you to taste the lunch I packed. To be honest, I don't have very much confidence in my cooking…but, today, I think it turned out okay…" I have a bad feeling about this. But…well it can't be that bad. "So will you taste it?"
"Sure Fuuka."
"Oh, thank you! …Please come with me." Fuuka's really excited. She drags me to the home economics classroom.
Gekkoukan High School, home economics room…
"Um, I want you to try this for me. I hope you're hungry!" she gives me a boxed lunch. As soon as its in my hands I smell something funny. Uh…I open the box but the food frankly looks disgusting. I'm not one usually to judge a food's taste by its looks but this doesn't even look like it was prepared properly. "Please eat up!"
…oh what the hell. I take a bite- …this tastes like complete and utter shit. This is worst than my aunt's cooking and that's saying something. I don't want to hurt Fuuka's feelings so I force myself to keep chewing. Granted I would have spit it out if it was anyone else.
"So how does it taste Minako-chan?" It tastes like shit Fuuka.
"I can't eat more of this Fuuka. It's…!" Oh I don't feel good.
"Huh? Oh no, Minako-chan, you don't feel well…S-spit it out! Hurry!" Chocking I spit it back out into the lunchbox. Note to self: Do not eat Fuuka's food the way I normally eat food. The pasty taste is stuck in my throat. Ew….why? "Sorry that I asked you to try this all of a sudden. To tell the truth…Um, did you notice? Look at the blackboard." she giggles. "I've decided to start a "Cooking Club"! Then again, I'm the only member so far…I'm going to keep trying my best, so would you mind stopping by and trying my new creations sometime…?" …good grief. She's trying to kill me. "Actually, to be honest…I want you to join, too. Cookbooks don't make much sense to me…" Oh good. At least I can supervise this way. "And instead of just cooking and eating everything by myself…cooking for you would inspire me to try harder. So, h-how about it? …Would it be too much trouble?"
"Nah. No trouble, I don't mind joining. My aunt made sure I could cook. She certainly can't." Plus anyone who eats as much as I do tends to learn how to cook for themselves.
"Really! Thank you! Oh, um, we'll meet on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays." Oh. I'll just come here after seeing Maiko then. "I'll try my best, so let's work hard at it!" I just hope she doesn't make anything like that again. I swallow and the taste goes back in my throat a little more. Ick.
Thou art I
And I am thou
Thou hast established a new bond
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Priestess Arcana
…Okay then.
"What should I do? There's still more ingredients that I couldn't fit inside the lunch box." Wait…she just grabbed a bunch of ingredients and prepared them? I look down and see the remanants.
"Let's cook them together." It's not anything that should be eaten by a human but I think a dog could eat it. I place it in an air tight can and throw it into our bag of holding.
"Wow…that's amazing! You made that without even looking at a recipe…If we find a cute doggy in the neighborhood, we should give it this." I nod in agreement. With that we clean up and head back to the dorm together.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge…
"…Where have you been?" Fuuka sits on the sofa next to Mitsuru. She quickly takes out her laptop and begins working on something. Leaning over her shoulder I see she's looking up recipes.
"Just at school." I decide not to mention the cooking club in case Fuuka wants it to be a surprise. I turn on the TV.
"Ayako Yoshimoto, a senior at Gekkoukan High School, has been reported missing. Police are looking into the possibility that she was involved in an accident and are asking for any information." Oh wait…isn't someone stuck in Tartarus. Oh. I had forgotten. Not good.
"Fuuka. We need to go to Tartarus."
"Okay."
As soon as midnight is near we head off.
Tartarus…
Junpei's sick today so I take Akihiko, Mitsuru and Yukari with me. We find the missing girl on the 48th floor she's shaking and a Shadow is about to attack her! Fortunately it's the same kind of Shadow we had fought many times on this block and take them out easily using their weakness to wind.
"Are you okay?"
The girl is pale and quivering in shock. I wonder if she heard- She looks up. She's has tears streaming down her face.
"Hm? Is that the girl from our school that went missing?"
"I think so."
"We need to treat her as soon as possible! Come back to the entrance as soon as possible."
"Got it."
"Come on." We walk back to the transporter we had passed on this floor. We take her downstairs.
"Let's head back to the dorm. She's still in shock." Mitsuru nods in agreement and we head back to the dorm.
Dorm, Dark Hour…
The girl is quivering the whole time. "Who…are you?"
"I am Mitsuru Kirijo, this is…" she introduces each of us "Now don't worry you'll be fine. Can you tell me how did you come to be in that tower."
"I left my notes in my locker. I know I wasn't supposed to be in the school so late but I needed them. I managed to get through an open window. I was walking into my locker when everything went black. I had managed to run away from that…thing. But it had cornered me when you guys showed up."
"Alright. Do you mind telling me your name?"
Ayako Yoshimoto." Yup definitely the girl who went disappearing.
"Alright. Don't worry we'll get you home." Mitsuru waits until the Dark Hour is over and makes some calls.
"You're parents were worried about you. They'll be relieved to find out that you're safe. Officer Kurosawa will drive you to your home."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a problem." Mitsuru nods and a half hour later Officer Kurosawa takes the girl with him and leave the dorm. She frowns. "I hope this won't become a common occurrence."
"Well at least there's one less Apathy syndrome victim now."
"There's that at least." Mitsuru sighs lightly. "Well you all should rest."
With that I head for bed.
6/19/09
Bebe approached me at lunch to go to the Fashion club with him.
After School
I might as well go see Bebe.
Gekkoukan High School, Home Economics Room
"Minako-sama, why don't you try making something kantan, simple? 'Ow about zis? I, ze master, shall teach you." Bebe takes out a how-to guide for making a Japanese-style phone strap. Might as well make one. "Line up zis side and zat side, zen sew, sew, sew!" Ow! My finger prickled and I flinch. "Sew on ze cord…et voila! Ze color, it is suteki, beautiful! Good job, appare Minako-sama!" Thanks to Bebe's instructions it turned out pretty well. I place the sewing strap in my book bag.
"Today, our work eez over-owari! Let's go to ze Sweet Shop, Minako-sama…Zis is my first time going, so will you teach me?"
"Sure." I could use some chocolate.
"Ohhh! You are ze best! Thank you, arigatou!" He's really excited about it. "Well zen, shall we go? We'll go togezer, my tomodachi! My friend!" with that we head to the Sweet Shop.
Iwatodai strip mall, Sweet Shop…
Bebe and I spend most of the time eating sweets. We share a strawberry cake with chocolate and vanilla icing with fresh strawberries on top. It's…delicious! We polish it off, well more like I polish it off and Bebe eats a small piece of it.
"Oishii! Zat dessert was delicious! I am so 'appy, ureshii! I love ze culture of Nihon! Japan eez sugoi, amazing!" …What a weaboo.
"What about your country?" France was one of those countries I hadn't been to and I was curious about it.
"My country is nozing compared to Nihon. Japan eez number 1, ichiban! I wish I was born 'ere." He looks sad now. "I want to learn every zing about Nihon and become Japanese! Zank you for bring me 'ere, Minako-sama. Arigatou! I 'ave an aunt, who lives back 'ome. She 'as been 'elping me…I must tell 'er zat I'ave made a great friend! Tomodachi!" Bebe is really grateful to me, I feel our bond strengthen as a result. My inner strength increases again. "Ohh, look at ze time! I would like to ask you more about Nihon…I'll talk to you later! Mata ne!"
With that I head back to the dorm.
Dorm, 1st floor lounge…
As I'm walking in Junpei is walking out. "S'up dude! Sorry…I'm on my way to the store." with that he leaves. Okay…I head to Paulownia Mall. Junpei is standing around muttering about buying some legendary sword. Riiight. Junpei. With that I head to the Velvet Room.
I fuse Hua Po and Take-Minakata to make Vetala. He has the skill Maragi as Theo requested. I can only take 3 requests at a time however, so I'll come back tomorrow after I've completed one of Theo's requests. I decide to fuse Naga and Principality together to create High Pixie. She's strengthened by my bond with Fuuka. I ahead and play Horror House again.
6/20/09
After School
Mitsuru walks up to us her boots making that click clack sound. I still don't understand how she fights in those things. "Mind if I interrupt? I was just told by the Chairman that he'll be stopping by this evening. When you get back, come to the 4th floor meeting room."
"Oh, um…okay." Yukari doesn't look pleased but I don't think she ever is when it comes to Mitsuru.
"I'll see you all later." Mitsuru leaves as quickly as she'd come in. I head straight back to the dorm, I could use the time waiting for the Chairman to finally completely unpack my bags.
In front of the dorm…
Fuuka's playing with some white dog. "Koro-chan, give me your paw!" I hope she hasn't tried to give the poor thing any of the food she cooked.
The dog barks happily. It's white with some gray, its eyes are also red. It places its paw in Fuuka's hand. Huh. Pretty smart.
"Ooh, he did it! What a smart dog." Yukari coos around the dog.
"Oh, hi." Gee thanks for that enthusiasm Fuuka. "Koro-chan, go say hi! You can do that, right?" the dog walks up to me sits in front of and barks. Oh. Damn its smart. Whose dog is this anyways? He's too nice to be a stray. He stands afterwards and nuzzles my hand. I kneel down and scratches behind his ears. What a sweet dog.
"His name's Koromaru. I've seen him sitting by the steps of the shrine." I wonder why he does that.
"Oh…This dog still goes on walks all by himself." Hm? It's some woman with brown hair and eyes.
"…? Whaddya mean?" Yukari's as curious as I am it seems.
"He used to belong to the priest at the Naganaki Shrine. Every afternoon, the two of them went this way for a walk."
"That explains it…"
"Well, until the priest passed away." Oh…so he's a stray now? Poor thing.
"He passed away…?"
"Oh…you haven't heard the story? It was about six months ago…The priest was hit by a car while walking his dog. He didn't survive. Ever since then, that dog sits patiently by the site of the accident. And he goes for a walk everyday, just like when his owner was still alive…" …Jeez she's talkative. "Oh shoot, I have to get going! My son will be back soon!" with that she hurries away.
"Aww, you're such a loyal dog! Good boy!" Yukari pets him too.
"…Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"…Oh, nothing…sorry. Wait, isn't the Chairman coming today? Then, we should go get ready."
"Yeah. See you later, Koro-chan."
The dog barks in response. He head off in the direction of the shrine. He must have really loved the Priest.
Dorm, Command Room
Well my bags are finally unpacked and everyone is already here.
"Hello, everyone. I wanted to let you know how my research has been going. This concerns those Shadows that have been appearing during full moons." I guess the Chairman has discovered where they're coming from and why? I hope so at least. "I want you to listen closely; it might be hard to follow. Shadows can be divided into 12 categories, according to their characteristics. This, we've known for a while. It's like their class or order. …Now, I've classified the special Shadows we've seen so far, and it's simply fascinating." his eyes have a strange glint to him. "Those four Shadows belonged to Categories I through IV, in order of their appearance! They may have looked different than the more common ones, but the classification scheme still applies."
"Is that something we should be excited about?" Junpei frowns.
"Oh, I get it…There's 12 in all…Eight we haven't seen yet." Wait…we have to fight 8 more of those things? And they're going to each be stronger than the last?
…
…
…
This sucks
"That's exactly right, Fuuka! You're quite sharp."
"Oh, uh, okay…but, what are they after?" good question Junpei what are those Shadows after. "…That's a good question, and that's what we haven't figured out yet: their motive. They don't kill their prey; they feed on their minds. It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there an underlying intent behind their behavior? The purpose of the Shadows as a whole…That's what we need to consider."
"…This is interesting. But, no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of 'em." Akihiko you don't fool me. I know you can't wait to fight the rest of them.
"…I agree. That's about all we can do at this point." And Mitsuru…she knows a lot more than she's letting on.
"Eight more, huh? Lucky us." I sigh. I have to agree with Yukari. This sucks.
"According to the data, each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training harder…"
"We'll manage. We've got plenty of time." Akihiko isn't overly concerned about it.
"What about Tartarus? Why does it even exist…?" Yukari looks troubled not that I blame her. I get the feeling that everything is connected to whatever is at the top of Tartarus.
And Mitsuru falls into another suspicious silence. Yukari sighs. This…is just getting worse and worse. Still what is their purpose? Why do they exist? And why do they come in order? It's as though they were laying the groundwork for something else. And there's eight left. Great. I'm going to be stuck fighting them for the rest of the school year. Fantastic just what I needed. Shadows for my first year as a transfer.
Ikutsuki san gives me some glasses wipe for Theo's request. With that done I head to Paulownia Mall for the Velvet Room.
Upon delivering the glasses wipe Theo gives them back as well as giving me a Amigo Poncho. For fusing Vetala with Maragi he gives me a sugar key, which allows the fusion of King Frost. I fuse Pyro Jack and High Pixie to make Narcissus, he's holding an item within himself. I extract Slime and Ares from the Compendium costs me around 80000 yen. Jeez! I fuse Slime and Ares to make Take-Mikazuchi who is powered by my link to Hidetoshi. And yet again, this Persona is holding something inside of itself. After that I leave heading for the Police Station. I might as well see if Officer Kurosawa had gotten any new weapons in.
"Ah here you are. Take this envelope."
"Huh?"
"Oh, it's something that missing schoolgirl brought in as a reward to the one who found her. There was a lot about the case that stymied us on the force, so I figured you guys were involved…Am I wrong?"
"No but-"
"Just take it." It's another Recarm spell card. …I wonder how she got this. I leave quickly after selling off our junk equipment. I head to Game Panic and play the Lucky Fortune game. Tam Lin's magic has increased as a result. As I sleep I can't help but think about our future battles. We have 8 more to fight…
End Chapter 7
Answering Reviews Time:
cartoon moomba: Exactly it's immensely annoying. Fuuka's voice really doesn't help. /shakes head. I share your pain. Normally when I play this part I just hold the triangle button until I'm fighting the two Shadows.
NightmareSyndrom: I answered this in a PM I sent to you. Though yes…Yukari's a bit on the dumb ass side. At least Junpei had enough sense to keep his mouth shut. Though the thing is with Aigis dialogue if I changed it too much I would have gotten complains about her being OOC. By making her male and therefore a new character there will be no OOC complaints because Eon isn't Aigis. (or Aeon. I haven't decided yet that does make sense giving it's the name of his "Arcana".
Kisdota-The Freak Gamer: True but I was planning on this story having a sequel. SO I hope I can place enough dangling plot lines for people to get hooked despite the typical ending. XD
XxXTwilight-SinXxX: She wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have a giant "Captain Obvious" sign on her head.
I hope all my readers enjoy this chapter!
Ugh. Stupid word processor thought to autocorrect some of my words so now it's bloody retarded (for instance tomodachi was changed to toothache. Which makes Bebe' sentences utterly ridiculous. Sorry for not catching this earlier.