Satan: Neither the Persona Series nor Highschool Dxd belong to King of the fake World. He'd like to have them though. Or a g...

King: Shut up.

Yu half expected to return to the Velvet Room in his sleep. It wouldn't have been surprising, all things considered, to meet Igor and Margaret again. Instead of the familiar backseat of a limousine, however, he was standing in front of a mountain. As before, everything had a blue sheen. The woods, the stone, even the grass and the sky. There was a larger stone in front of him, sealing off what he instinctively knew to be a cave.

"Much has changed about you, has it not?" Izanagi-no-Okami walked up to him, hands clasped behind his back. "A testament to your prowess and development."

"... This... this is my soul... The Sea of my Soul." Even Yu, a person hard to shake up was a bit beside himself at the situation. The place was so familiar, it could only be a part of him. He knew without a doubt that it was connected to the god before him.

"But a small piece. A fragment of the World you have created through your bonds, your will and your courage." The god walked over to the stone. "This brilliance, radiating off every part of what we see, it is your providence. To hold such powers within you, the marks we legends and myths left upon the world, and wield them as your own. To gaze upon the splendor and horror that we are, and yet to use it as you see fit."

"That is the ultimate expression of humanity's power, what sets your kind apart from all others. And to have all this" The god gestured at something beyond the woods. "at once, and to control such massive presences, that is the peak of the ultimate. Even then, you have barely scratched the surface of this all." Pride had entered the Persona's voice.

"... If the peak is barely the surface, then what comes next?" It was an almost philosophical question.

Izanagi-no-Okami laughed, an oddly melodious and elegant sound, yet still as deep and authoritative as his voice. "That is for you to decide. It is after all, your World."

Yu wondered what the god at his side wanted. "... Did you call me here?"

A nod was the answer, just as Izanagi-no-Okami gazed at him. "Yes, for a purpose you will approve of." Again, the god gestured. "There are questions that you want answered."

That was quite correct. "... You came back easily. Even though it was my fault that you faded, why?"

For a moment, the god stayed silent. "Why? Why would we not? For us to fade, that which makes us up would have to fade as well. Tell me, is Yosuke still your best friend, still your partner?"

What a question. "Of course."

"And Nanako? Is she still your surrogate little sister?"

"..." Honestly, he didn't even need words to convey his answer.

Apparently, his ultimate Persona found that funny. His laugh echoed again, until he continued talking. "Do you see? Thou art I, and I am Thou. Those words are the truth of our existence. For all our power, we are the facades you don to face the calamities that encroach on you. All it took was a push for you to realize that we never truly faded."

Yu couldn't help but smile. "... Guess I made a mistake there. You're loyal enough to stay with me, and how do I repay it? I just let you fade into the back of my head." He turned fully to Izanagi-no-Okami and bowed. "I'm deeply sorry for that."

Now the god sighed. "You have apologized before. This is unnecessary." Once Yu straightened himself again, he continued. "Our time to talk is at an end. Return to the realm of reality, and... you may want to be a bit more approachable with your peers. As it is, you're keeping the people around you at a distance. Even without Social Links, proof of the quality of bonds, you can surely spend some time with others."

With those words, the god and the landscape faded, and blinding light enveloped Yu.

Hours after his excursion into his own soul, Yu was sitting in class. It was lunchtime, and a lecture had just ended. He was plagued by one very important question:

Why does he always get the weird ones as teachers? Last year there had been the history teacher, fixed on Egyptian lore. This year, he had a teacher in love with the England of the last two centuries. It was very distracting.

"Yu-kun!" The Enomoto twins looked at him from their seats in front of his. Kazuko, the girl of the duo had her black hair in a braid that always fell on her shoulder, while Katsuro, the boy kept his hair short. Both had dark blue eyes. They were, similar to him, transfer students. Though they used to live in Kyoto before coming here, and it was the only time they moved somewhere else. Still, that gave them at least one connection to him, something that lead to them tentatively befriending him.

He gave them a nod when they pushed their desks together with his. All three proceeded to take out their food and make some small talk. The two had been on the timid side when he first talked to them. It had been a hesitant conversation, which only started in the first place, because he whispered an answer to Kazuko. It was almost a reflex of his to do that.

That hesitancy might have been because of his... 'fans', a number of girls that took a liking to his image. Said image was entirely based on rumors, a cause for much head shaking on his part. After the last year, anything that was started by rumors left him with a bad taste. And they made no effort to get to know him, instead just blushing and squealing when he looked their way. It got on his nerves, truth be told.

"Why is Sensei so fascinated with England?" Kazuko was letting off some steam. "How would I know when Dickens died? Oh, Thank you for helping me there, Yu-kun." Yeah, her strengths really were more with math.

"No problem. I'm used to odd teachers." He thought back to Yasogami High, and shuddered mentally at the image of Kashiwagi.

"Really? Like?" Katsuro seemed curious.

Yu sighed. "One always had a hand-puppet of himself. Another was always wearing an Egyptian headpiece. Another always flirted with her students. Another..."

"Okay, okay! We get it. Geez, those schools must have been weird." Huh, it looked as though Katsuro didn't expect something like that.

"Those were all in one school." Silence greeted the statement. "Last year, in fact."

… Again, silence. "Yu-kun." The girl spoke up. "That sounds... odd." He was sure she meant to say a different word. "But you never really talk about your past. Would you mind telling us?" After barely a second, she started panicking. "I-I-I mean only if you... don't mind... Please?" Apparently, curiosity had won over the desire not to snoop into his private life.

Well, with Izanagi-no-Okami's advice still fresh in his mind, he found he didn't want to refuse. He knew a lot about them already, so telling them would be fair. "Because of my parents, I always moved around. One year is the longest I've ever stayed in one place." They had known he moved around before. They had not known it was that often, and looked surprised.

"Sounds hard to keep friendships that way." Now Katsuro was deep in thought. "I mean, we've been trying to keep in touch with our old friends, but there's this rift, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. It's why I stopped caring about friends for a while." The two looked downright horrified. "That changed last year. I made some good friends, worth the trouble to keep our friendship alive. So, don't give up there. A good friendship is worth more than a bit trouble."

For a moment, the twins didn't react. Then they... teared up? "Yu-san! That is so, so, so inspirational!" The enthusiasm was overflowing from Katsuro. "You're right! It's worth it! Our friends are worth it!"

… Wow. He always thought the boy was timid.

"Yu-kun... I'm moved by your story." Kazuko, in the meantime, was clasping his hand. Again, she was usually much more reserved.

Maybe it was just due to the new place. A lot of people often acted differently from how they would normally act, when they were unsure.

Then, something else happened, something that took his mind off their change in behavior. A number of squeals echoed from the door. He turned his head, and saw...

Oh, damn.

He saw his... 'fans' standing there, some of them already inside the room. If the looks in their eyes were any indication, then they heard his story.

"So, Narukami-senpai is an even more complex person than we thought." The leader of those girls was starry-eyed. He didn't even know her name, or grade. "Such a story, such sadness, such hidden strength. Magnificent!"

He was sure that he hadn't been sad about the story. Not at all. Again, a new occurrence changed the direction of his thoughts, when the girls let out a horrified gasp.

Since Kazuko had let go of his hand by then, it couldn't have been that. More likely, it was the crimson he saw at the edge of his vision.

Damn again.

"My, my, Narukami-kun. Your popularity is skyrocketing." Rias – to whom else would the crimson hair belong – gave him a smile that was nothing, if not infuriating. She stood beside him, just a few steps behind. "Have you reconsidered my offer?" More choking gasps could be heard. "The Occult Research Club is still open for you."

… So, that was probably revenge for brushing her off as he did. After all, asking him that in front of his... 'fans' couldn't have a positive effect. Well, she would have to try harder. "No." The situation was getting tense, so he did what he did best.

With a nonchalance that few others could have managed, Yu simply continued eating and conversing with the Enomoto twins, who seemed rather confused by his actions. "So, how do you stay in contact with your friends?"

"Ah" Katsuro blinked once. "Well, mostly on the net whenever we have time, and our mother doesn't keep the PC to herself..." To the side, a group of... 'fans' was fuming, while behind him, a red-haired school idol was disappointed.

Stoicism sure payed off, sometimes.

Sona Sitri, known as Shitori Sona to the students of Kuoh Academy, had a hard time to reign in her amusement. That alone was something few would believe. She was a straight-faced, serious young lady, Student Council President, high-class devil and heiress of the Sitri family. It was rare for her to be amused, and hard to notice.

Now however, after school, sitting alone with her friend and rival, Rias Gremory was very much amusing her. "Let me reiterate." Sona made her glasses flash by catching the light for a moment, hiding her violet eyes from sight. "You approached Narukami Yu about joining your peerage. You gave him a rundown of the Three Factions. You asked him about his Sacred Gear. Then," And here a small smile found its way onto her face, almost imperceptibly. "he showed it to you, rebuffed your offer, claimed he didn't have a Sacred Gear and walked away before you could say anything. Did I get it right?"

"... Yes. Sona, why is that so funny?" Her fellow heiress sighed.

"Wait a moment. And today, you attempted to get back at him by asking him about the request in front of his fan club, only for Narukami-san to refuse again, and ignore the situation. Yes, that is funny." She nodded.

"And why?" Rias was pouting at that point.

"I'll say it straight. You aren't used to working for your peerage. The four members you have more or less fell into your lap. It's funny precisely because you shouldn't be so affected just because your offer was refused."

"..." It was true. Rias had come across Akeno on accident, Koneko was put under her supervision and she also stumbled over Kiba by luck. Even Gasper, sealed away as he was, had been found in a stroke of luck. That made it hard to refute the claim. "And that is the funny part?"

The two of them were sitting in the Student Council Room. No member of either ones peerage was present, instead off on some errand or another. "Partly. How he refused you is also quite comedic. Maybe I should approach Narukami-san myself. At the very least, I'd better make sure that you didn't gloss over any details. Which is a bad habit of yours."

"Sona! That was unnecessary. I told him about the factions, Gears and peerages." Now the Gremory heiress was indignant.

With a quirked eyebrow, Sona asked a simple question. "And contracting?" Ah, the way Rias clammed up was answer enough. "Really. That would have been a terrific way to befriend him and getting him more used to devils. Now, you had your chance. I'll see what I can do about it instead." Capitalizing on another ones failure was a most basic strategy, but one she knew as most effective. And if the failure was based on something that elementary, it was her own fault.

"Hmph." Rias raised her head, giving an aristocratic look. "He won't join your peerage that easily, either. I got the impression that Narukami-kun prefers staying human."

"Which is why, to have any chance at convincing him, I need to first show him that I am as decent a person as it looks like. After all, we devils are reviled by both church and what has been accepted as common knowledge. Even if he didn't show it, he may very well be cautious about us."

"Cautious? He summoned a figure in a black cloak, spear in hand as if it was a cheap trick," At that point, Rias started to frown. "told me it isn't a Sacred Gear and proclaimed to know more about that than what he said. Would you call that cautious?"

Sona also frowned. She had her doubts about that claim, although she would reserve further judgment until she actually saw it. "What exactly did he say?"

Her friend's eyes widened when she recalled it. "... That any human can, under the right circumstances, use it. But wouldn't that imply, that he knows others with similar powers?"

It was an intriguing thought. From what Rias said, he had enough power to defeat a fallen without trouble. More humans with that level of power would undoubtedly be worth investigating. Still... "It could easily be a Sacred Gear that he mistook for some other form of power. Or a forgotten discipline of Magic. It has happened before."

To her surprise, Rias shook her head. "It felt nothing like magic. And there weren't any circles involved. Just blue flames appearing out of thin air. Without burning anything."

Sona had to concede: it didn't sound like magic. Magic used calculations and circles to fuel spells. When a human used supernatural powers without such, it was usually due to a Sacred Gear or an artifact of some kind. "Anything else?"

"There... there was a card. It appeared above him, hovered down and then he crushed it in his hand. That's when the creature appeared." She folded her arms in frustration. "He sounded so certain and confident, I can't help but believe him when he said it wasn't a Gear."

"Of course, of course."Sona nodded, her thoughts more on the enigma Narukami Yu presented to her, than his capabilities. "He's a very convincing person. One of those fangirls of his once got too close for his comfort, so he talked to her."

"Oh? What did he say?" It irritated the Student Council President how her friend seemed to veer off topic.

"She herself couldn't clearly recall, but she ended up on the rooftop, a vacant look on her face. A member of my peerage found her there, sighing dreamily."

"Wait, did he..."

"No, he just said his piece, and she went up there. Multiple students said he left the school building directly after said conversation. So, we know for a fact that he is very convincing, and can assume him decent enough to not use it improperly." She could only approve of that.

For a while both were silent. Then, Rias broke it with a worried look on her face. "But wait. If he is that good at talking, how can either of us convince him to join a peerage?"

Sona crossed her fingers and lowered her chin onto them. "That, my friend, is a challenge."

The trio of transfer students was just getting out of school when they saw it. Or rather, them. Yu recognized the members of the kendo club easily enough. They were in their training uniforms, which meant that they had some reason to stop in their club activities, so soon after they started. Said reason seemed to be in the middle of their group.

"What are they doing?" Apparently, Kazuko was curious. "And why is it just the girls of the kendo club?"

"Only one way to find out." That said, Yu walked up to the group, the twins trailing him.

"Ah, it's Narukami-senpai." A few girls turned around to him, smiles on their faces. That didn't stop him from noting the almost murderous aura they exuded.

One of the girls, Murayama, answered the unspoken question. "It's the perverted trio again, Senpai. We found them peeking on us. Two of them got away, but we got our hands on this one."

Yu looked past her and saw Hyoudou Issei sitting on the ground, quite obviously scared. He didn't resist the urge to facepalm at the sight of the brown-haired boy. He and his two friends were well-known around school, for reasons that were just sad. They had, apparently, nothing better to do than gush over what they liked about the female body. In disturbing detail. All the time. And they tried to peek on the girls at school constantly. Not to mention all the talk about porn.

Should he help him? "Yes. From what I see, this boy would be a great follower for me." As always, Mara's voice was a disturbance of his thoughts. It was also a very masculine voice, in spite of Mara's identity being female.

The latter wasn't something he liked to dwell on. That was a complex just waiting to be unleashed.

"Hyoudou." He addressed the second year with a his usual, calm tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Gah! It's my natural enemy, a bishonen! Get away from me!" Of course, it fell on deaf ears.

"Hyoudou. You should know that peeking on the girls changing is wrong." The kendo club nodded in agreement. "Why are you doing that anyway?" It was at least partly morbid curiosity that made him ask the question.

"Because!" Suddenly, Issei stood up again, pumping a fist towards heaven. "It is my calling! My way! The beginning of my road to! Gain! A! Harem!" He spoke with such zeal, that everyone froze for a moment. Sadly, the pervert was too engrossed in his rant to capitalize on that. "I can already see it! All the girls! Their Oppai grinding against my body! Their..."

"Calm down, Hyoudou." Putting all his ability into creating a tone of raw authority, Yuu succeeded in stopping the pervert from continuing his speech further. And he fell down again. "Are you really serious about this... desire? How far would you go for that?"

"All the way!" He cheered.

"I see." With those words, the Fool clasped his hands, and sunk into prayer. "Hyoudou Issei. While I cannot condone the goal you set in life, I can respect the lengths to which you would go for it." Everybody around them looked at him, unsure of what he wanted. "May you be rewarded and punished accordingly in the next life."

At those words, Issei paled. "He-he-hey! Don't just kill me off!"

Meanwhile, the kendo club all joined in the prayer, as did the twins. "... May he be punished accordingly in the next life."

Funnily enough, from behind some bushes, two other voices could be heard. "... May he be rewarded accordingly in the next life."

Naturally, they were heard. And naturally, the girls reacted. "There are the other two! Get them!" Issei was momentarily forgotten, as the horde of angry girls stormed at his compatriots.

"Woe betide anyone who would harm a maiden's modesty." Alice was laughing in his head. Generally a bad sign for whoever she was laughing at. "They had it coming. They should take a lesson from you, when it comes to civilized behavior." His Persona blushed before his mind's eye. "Don't get me wrong! That doesn't mean I've fully forgiven you! Stop looking like that! Geez..."

… Of course.

"Well, um, Yu-kun?" He turned to Kazuko at her words "We'll have to go home now. Bye."

"Goodbye, Yu-san." Katsuro nodded once.

Yuu returned the nod. "Yeah, good bye you two." They went off, then. The two lived in the completely opposite direction of him, so they couldn't really go home together.

Once they were out of sight, he turned back to the pervert. Issei was still staring after his friends. "Unless you want to get caught again, you better stand up, Hyoudou." He reached out a hand towards Issei, who stared at him for a bit, before accepting the offered limb.

"Why did you do that?!" Again, the boy almost exploded. "They might have killed me! What goes through your damned bishonen-head!"

… Whatever it is, it makes more sense than what is in yours. "You really are an idiot, huh?"

"..." It took him a second to reply. "You're really heartless, huh?" His tone was dry.

… Oh, so he had more than perversions in his head. Live and learn. "No. It's your own fault. You reap what what you sow."

"Pfft. Damn bishonen." Issei looked away, grimacing. "I wonder how Motohama and Matsuda are doing." Movement behind him gained Yu's attention.

"Their karma's catching up to them." Yu looked at the scene behind Issei.

"Eh?" The pervert turned around, seeing the kendo club walking away in the distance with his friends. The utter terror their postures indicated spurred him into action. "I'm off! Bye, you damn bishonen-senpai!" The pervert went to help his friends.

… He ran fast, Yuu could give him that. And he apparently cared for his friends. Huh... Live and learn, indeed.

"And thus, another foolish adolescent, caught in the claws of puberty, goes out into the world." The sheer randomness of Thoth's comment caught Yuu unaware. "Ah, the fires of life burn brightest in youth."

… There really was no way to reply to that. Oh well. He looked at the situation, three perverts in front of a number of furious girls, and decided on his course of action.

Leave them be.

What were the odds? Really, what. Were. The. Odds?

Kalawarner tried to stay out of his vision, frantic on the inside, though her expression gave nothing away. She saw that boy, the very same boy that beat her up the day before, walking down the road she was keeping an eye on. Just minutes before, Raynare had separated from her to search for their target, and now she was trying very hard not to look at the distinctive mop of gray hair that came her way.

She was at a cafe, a drink and a newspaper on the table before her. Snatching the paper, she pretended to read it, a meager way to hide her face. If he looked her way, he'd find her, and then...

… then what? She didn't know what he'd do. He left her alive and relatively unharmed, after defeating her with little trouble.

It irritated and confused her. Irritated, because he really shouldn't be that strong. He was just a human. Confused, because he chose to do nothing, when she had been at his mercy. Most people she knew would have taken advantage of her. She was a fallen, after all. Women of her kind all had seductive bodies, and many men would love to ravage her in many different ways, using her body to do things too depraved to consider, and have her...

And she was veering off topic while the Narukami boy walked into a bookstore, right opposite of her seat. She relaxed slightly and chose to change her position as fast as she could. After the disaster from yesterday, she had changed her outfit for this job, a properly buttoned trench coat and a longer skirt, though still short. With that, it would be harder for him to recognize her, provided he didn't get a look at her face. Still, she resolved to pay for her coffee as fast as possible, and disappear into a small side street for a few minutes.

Now, if only the damn waitress came out. She'd waved a few times already. Maybe she shouldn't have been so unfriendly, because the girl was pointedly ignoring her in favor of everyone else.

Even the little brat that needed a new napkin every minute. It was insulting and right now, dangerous. Impatiently, Kalawarner waved for the waitress yet again.

She turned around to see whether he was still at the bookstore, only to see him look at her, eyebrow quirked.

Damn.

He'd noticed her as soon as he saw the cafe. But he didn't confront her. There was no point in doing so.

Not to mention, the timing and place were far from ideal. If he had any reason to approach her, beyond a warning that she should keep her distance, it wouldn't be at daytime, on a crowded street. That just invited trouble.

So, he instead bought the book he wanted – a continuation of the 'Man's Life' series, titled 'Man's Dream' – and then shot a look at her, long enough that she noticed. The way her expression changed was comical. Raw shock at being found out, mixed with uncertainty just what would happen.

Honestly, if she hadn't tried to kill him, causing someone to feel like that wouldn't have been funny at all. But since she had, even Yu felt like she deserved it. It fell somewhere under karma.

"Indeed. What that woman attempted deserves a few shocks. A less peaceful man wouldn't let her off so easily, young hero." Well, if even Ganesha agreed with him...

He walked back home after the encounter, secure in the knowledge that he was stronger than her. And the effect of having Helel at the forefront of his mind. Her light spears wouldn't even scratch him. Taking over properties from his Personas was a very useful ability to have.

She didn't follow him. Which made sense, really. "Yes, if that woman managed to filter you out, then she probably knows where you live already. We should take precautions for that." Masakado pretty much said what Yu thought. "Naturally. Fulfill your obligations, then we shall see to it, that your abode is protected."

…

Did his Persona, a part of his own psyche, just tell him to do his homework? Maybe he was a case for the asylum. "Your jokes have been better, Yuu." Now Izanagi was admonishing him.

Burdened by those most important thoughts, he walked down the street towards his home, Helel's senses outstretched. This exercise, a simple technique to get used to his evolved powers, allowed him to notice, at the very least, members of those so called 'three factions'. He sensed Kalawarner behind him, not moving from her position. Or, moving a smaller distance than he could sense. His sensory abilities paled, compared to Rise's. Thoughts of the idol brought with it thoughts of the rest of the team. The wave of nostalgia hit him, and he shook himself. Getting mopey would just get in the way. It wasn't as though he'd never meet them again. Golden Week was approaching anyway.

He also sensed another fallen. They weren't all that near, just at the edge of his senses. But they were there. He was more interested than worried. That person just didn't feel strong. Not much stronger than Kalawarner, who wasn't exactly a threat.

Well, he was getting too far away to sense them anymore, so there wasn't much he could do. While he was worried they would attack another person, he doubted it. From what Kalawarner said, they were only interested in humans with Sacred Gears, or humans they mistook for having Gears.

"I wonder, does that happen often?" Lucifer mused. "It seems like such a waste to kill people with power. Why not just convince them? Make them work for you? Lackeys are better than corpses."

… Yes, right. Next time a supernatural critter went for his life, he'd tell them they should have tried to recruit him instead. While beating them up.

"All I ask."

Ignoring the shenanigans running through his head, Yu wondered how he should proceed. With devils and fallen angels interested in him, he had the sneaking suspicion that it was just a matter of time before someone else approached him.

"If that worries you," Leanansidhe called out. "Then you may wish to learn your own strength." He urged her to continue. "The World is great. With it, you can call upon our power in ways different from before. You felt it already, when you healed the wound inflicted by holy light. If you wish to be prepared for all possibilities, then you should strive to learn, to better yourself in the art of your soul."

The art of his soul... That would be all his Personas. He wondered just what his true power was, if even the abilities of gods were something he could learn.

"True. The full potential you hold is beyond human ken. Or so those who are not human think." Shiva made an interesting point. But, how did the god of destruction know? "It's natural. What kind of god would bow down to a mortal? By all rights, humans are supposed to be inferior to us. We are those gods, yet at the same time, we are you. We are ideas, called from the depths of your soul. We are representations of your conviction. With time, your World will evolve, endowing you with new possibilities. And those will be formed by you, and you alone."

Possibilities... How fitting. After all, the meaning of the Wild Card was 'infinite possibilities'. It was just the next step.

Yes, thinking like that would help him with the growing realization, that a normal life was getting farther and farther out of reach. Part of him was excited. Another part was irritated. Yet another part took it with the same nonchalance as he approached everything else.

It had confused his friends how he stayed so calm about nearly everything that happened around him. Even faced with an unbeatable foe like Rise's shadow, who had brought them down to their knees from exertion and damage, he had kept a calm head. They would have died that day, and he had searched with unerring calm for a way to turn the tide until the intervention of Teddie. The shadow mascot had proven himself an unlikely savior, and they had payed him back in turn when his own shadow surfaced just minutes afterward.

Still, the calm with which Yu approached everything had served him well, and he was fully intend on continuing in that way.

… It was impressive what he all thought about, based on a single question. Though it did help. His resolve was made:

He would learn to wield the true extent of his power. And he would use it as he had before. To protect and save.

With his resolve renewed, he gave himself a heavy nod. As soon as he was home, he would start to understand this new level of power.

"After your homework." Rangda reminded him sternly.

… Of course.

King: Welcome to 'Fake World'!

Alice: Welcome~

King: As was asked, dear Alice is joining me here today.

Alice: It's a pleasure to be here.

King: Well, seeing all those reviews, I guess I did something right. Thank you all. As for Yu's power level, Alice would you?

Alice: Hihihihi, of course. Having Yu use the full power of his Personas as they exist in Highschool DxD would break the balance of the story. A few of them could, theoretically, end the world. So, he will be strong, the strongest human in the story in terms of raw power, but not as strong that he could just take down, say, a leader of the three factions with certainty.

King: Thank you kindly.

Alice: Of course. Without me, you would be lost.

King: Yes, yes. Since so many people asked, I'll say that I have something planned for the Investigation Team. But, that will take some time in the story. On to another review, the one that got me thinking the most. It's the long guest review, with the two gripes with my story. I have to say... you're completely right. The first point, I really don't have an excuse for. The way I handled the Personas' return... Yeah, my bad. I could have done that better. As for the second point, well, that pretty much inspired the Enomoto twins. They'll be side characters though, mostly for breather chapters.

Alice: Yu isn't really the outgoing type. Of course, he will pursue friendships when they come, but this interpretation of him is someone who somewhat relied on his Personas to actually advance. We aren't the reason for his unbreakable bonds, but we were an important factor in strengthening them. So, he's someone who won't really seek out new friends on his own. As for his fans... Pft. They hardly deserve his presence.

King: Thank you for the explanation. About this chapter, well there wasn't that much actually happening. A breather to build some things up, like Kalawarner's character, and Sona's interest in Yu. I admit without shame, that the scene with Issei was inspired by the event with Teddie in Iwatodai.

Alice: Hmph. Well, that pervert had much more coming.

King: In my original draft, they crucified him.

Alice: Why did you change that?!

King: It was too surreal. Besides, this way Yu got to see Issei's loyal streak. I quite like Issei, he's pretty fun. I know that not everybody agrees, but some of the things he does and says are genuinely touching/awesome for me.

Alice: Tell them about the first scene.

King: Thanks for reminding me.

Alice: Pft. Just because you keep forgetting things.

King: The first scene, with Izanagi-no-Okami. The Sea of Souls is not something physical, it doesn't have a real form that can be interpreted with senses. In this story, with the World Arcana, Personas can create a sort of pseudo-space in it, and interact with Yu a bit more physically. No, that power will not be perverted. Get your minds out of the gutter. That space is temporary, and depends on the Persona making it.

Alice: Tea parties~ Yay~ Thank you all for reading this story. Please review. Ask for Mara to help in the next 'Fake World'.

King: NO!