The next morning is the same as any other. I wake up, change into the school uniform, and eat breakfast with Nanako. Despite last night's events, she is still acting like her normal self. This doesn't mean she is okay, though. I of all people should know that.
At school, things haven't changed much either. My teachers continue to be insane while my classmates constantly alternate between paying me no attention to giving me far too much of it. I would say it is distracting me from my studies, but I already know a majority of the information being thrown at me.
On this day particularly, I feel a stare sharper than usual. I turn around to see the biker-dressed man from before staring at me. As quickly as I made eye contact we lose it as he looks away blushing. What is he doing? I ignore him for the remainder of the day. I have better things to worry about.
After school, I go straight to Junes to meet up with Chie and Yosuke. We have a quick conversation before jumping back into the TV world and going straight to the castle. We start off on floor five this time and continue exploring.
It isn't long before we hear voices echoing around the room.
"So what's it like to be the manager of such a famous inn AND still be in high school?"
"H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something…? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?"
"What we should be talking about is how amazing you look in that kimono! It must get you a lot of attention from male visitors."
These are all things people have said to Yukiko about her role at the inn. It may have been taking a bigger toll on her than we imagined.
"I don't know where those voices came from," Teddie says, "but I think you're close. Don't stop now!"
"Thanks, Ted," Yosuke responds. "C'mon, let's go."
After maybe an hour, we come across a large door on the eighth. "This is it, I smell her behind this door. Good luck."
"Alright, let's go!" Without any warning, Chie slams the door open to reveal both Yukiko and her shadow. Yukiko is wearing her Kimono from work while her shadow is still in her princess gown. "Yukiko!" Chie runs up to her friend.
"Oh, my princes are here! And three of them, my my!" the shadow says with a sinister smile. "Wow, this room is getting quite stuffy, isn't it. Why don't we go elsewhere? How about a land far away from here? You could do that, right, my prince?"
"Wait, did you say three princes? Are you counting me or Naoto-kun?" Chie asks.
"Of course it's you, my prince. You have always been my prince. You protect me, comfort me, and lead my way. Or at least you did." At the last sentence, her voice suddenly went from charming to cruel. "You just aren't good enough anymore. You can't save me, you're just as stuck as I am!"
"What!? No, that's-"
"Stop… Please." The real Yukiko finally speaks. She sounds weak. We need to get her out of here.
"Stop!? Why should I stop?" The shadow is growing more and more angry by the second. "I have every right to complain with all these things tying me down. All this 'historical inn' and 'teenage manager' stuff, I'm sick of it! I never asked for any of it! I want to make my own path, not have one made for me!"
"No, you're wrong. I don't think that." Yukiko tries to fight it, but is far too emotionally exhausted.
"I don't care where I go as long as it isn't here. But I can't leave here on my own, someone save me." Her tone has now gone from cruel to mocking.
"Stop, that isn't true…"
"All of my hope is gone. I can't leave, I can't stay, what am I even supposed to do? So I sit on my ass and hope a miracle happens! I don't want to stay here; this whole town is just a bunch of bullshit!"
"How dare you say that!"
"No? But I'm not wrong. That is how I, I mean we, feel. Am I correct?"
"No, of course no!" Oh no, she's about to say it.
"No, Yukiko, stop!" Yosuke tries to warn her.
"You're not me!"
All hell breaks loose as Princess Yukiko laughs hysterically. "YES! I can feel the power! It's amazing! More! More!"
The chandelier above our heads comes crashing down, revealing a large bird cage. The shadow before us transforms into a huge, red bird and flies into the cage. "I am a shadow, the true self!" Her voice has reached an all-time high demonic level.
"Let's waste no time. Ukobach!" I summon my persona and use Sukunda on the bird-like foe. That should weaken it.
"My turn. Persona!" Yosuke summons Jiraiya to use Garu. It has does little damage, but it is something.
"Alright, let me at 'em." Chie uses Skull Cracker. It is more effective than Yosuke's method, but fails to knock the enemy down.
"Ha, is that all you've got?" Yukiko's shadow uses Agi on me. Thankfully, my current persona is resistant to fire. Fire…This gives me an idea.
"Chie-senpai, use an ice attack," I order. If she uses fire, it's only logical that ice would be her weakness.
"Alright, take this!" She follows my command and cast Bufu. To my great relief, it works fantastically as the shadow falls to the ground. "Here's our chance! Let's go!" We all charge the shadow until she starts to rise once more.
"What, are you trying to make me mad?" She says. "I thought you were my prince!" The rampaging bird flies at Chie with her talons.
"Chie!" my male friend calls. "Persona!" He uses the same wind attack as before to knock the shadow away. Instead of responding angrily, she gives the boy a passionate stare. That's a strange reaction. This cannot be good.
"Guard yourselves!" I order. They both comply. Chie-senpai is weak to fire and is the most vital member of our team during this fight. I should grant her extra protection.
I do just that by casting Resist Fire on her. Just as I had suspected, Yukiko's shadow uses an incredibly large fire attack by temporarily setting the floor on fire.
"Oh, you'll pay for that!" Chie once again uses Bufu, again knocking the enemy to the floor. Similarly to last time, we rage on the foe once more.
"We're not done yet. Show me this strength of yours!" She says upon rising again. "Come, my prince!" To our great surprise, another shadow comes to her side. This one comes in the form of a stereotypical prince. Though much smaller than his 'princess', this sudden enemy could be very dangerous.
"Whoa, what!? It can just do that?" Yosuke says what we all were thinking. The newly come prince takes our shock as an opportunity to attack. Without much hesitation, he uses a spell on me I have yet to encounter. The second it hits I feel much weaker. It must show as I hear both of my teammate call my name as well as Teddie faintly commanding I be healed. (Author's note: the attack Charming Prince used is Life Drain if you could tell. I wouldn't blame you. I can't figure out a good way of explaining the attack.)
Second later, it seems Yosuke has done just that as my senses come back to life. Before I can share my thanks with him, shadow Yukiko swiftly uses Agi on Chie causing her to collapse. Within seconds Yosuke is by her side helping her on her feet. "Up you go!"
Seeing as they just attacked two times in a row I see it as my turn. If they are likely to be strong against fire, my current persona won't do much good. "Omoikane!" I scream to summon my no-yet-seen persona. I target the prince and use Zio. Luckily, the attack works wonderfully as the prince falls to the ground. This is our chance! "Chie-senpai, use Bufu, quickly!"
She complies, sending the larger enemy falling as well. Synchronized, we charge both enemies. Once the enemies rise, the bird attempts to send another Agi at Chie before I pull her out of the way. At the same time, Yosuke uses Dekaja on both foes. Chie and I send our attacks at our respective enemy. They fall once more. We attack again.
Once regaining his strength, the prince runs away. "Wait, where are you going!?" the remaining shadow cries. "You're supposed to take me with you!" She attempts to summon the prince again, but to no avail. "What!? No, come back!" Though she is the enemy, this is still quite sad to watch.
Yosuke obviously disagrees as he sends yet another Dekaja her way. Chie follows through with Bufu. She falls and we attack once more. "Hm, looks like I had the wrong idea. You're no princes… Die, you worthless commoners."
On that note, she sets the floor ablaze once more. "Ah!" Chie screams as she collapses. As Yosuke rushes to heal her, I strive to finally end this battle. "Forneus!" I summon my fourth persona and cast the final Bufu. She lets out no scream as her cage/chandelier crashes to the ground.
"Jeez, how many of those things do you have?" Yosuke asks.
"Ngh…" The real Yukiko brings us back to reality as she struggles to stand by one of the many pillars in the room.
"Yukiko!" Chie runs to her side. "Are you okay!?"
Without answering the question, the Kimono-clad girl glares back at her other self. "No… you're not…"
"It's okay, Yukiko," Yosuke comforts her. "We both had ones too, other sides of ourselves. We understand."
"Exactly," I add. "Think of this as just another side of you. You still have more of them, sides of yourself. We are willing to except this one as well as the others."
To all of our surprise, tears start to fall down Chie's face. "I'm sorry, Yukiko. I had no idea you were going through all of this. I should have known. I'm your friend, and yet I…" Yukiko softly mumbles her name before she continues. "I have always been jealous of you. You are so beautiful, so nice, everyone loves you. I wanted you to need me, but I was the one who needed you. All I do is mess things up. I caused so much trouble before when you disappeared. When you aren't with me, I have no idea what I should do."
"Chie, please don't say that. I wasn't a very good friend either. I kept on trying to find whatever was the easiest way out." She turns and steps towards her shadow. "You really weren't wrong. What you said was true. At least, for a part of me. You are a part of me I can't ignore anymore. You truly are me."
At those words, the shadow changed similarly to the others. I flew into the sky and transformed into her persona. This one is yet another humanoid. It has a pink color tone has a long string of pink feathers connecting the hands from behind. It then disappears once more and becomes a tarot card, High Priestess to be exact. Konohana Sakuya.
Body heavy from the stress of the event, Yukiko collapses on the floor. "Yukiko!" To little surprise, my meat-loving friend is at her side in seconds. "Are you hurt?"
"No, just tired. But… You all are here, you saved me."
"Of course we did!"
"Thank you, all of you."
"Don't worry. I'm just glad you're okay."
"Precisely. You don't owe us any thanks," I add.
"So, who's the one who threw you in here?" Teddie asks in our heads.
"W-What?" Yukiko sounds confused as she glances around to find another person.
"She can't see you, you stupid bear," Yosuke yells.
"Who are you talking about?" That gets a chuckle out of Chie.
"C'mon, let's get you out of here and introduce you."
Chie helps Yukiko walk while we exit the area. Thought Yosuke and I are ready to defend ourselves at any time, no shadows appear. Perhaps they disappeared after we defeated the main shadow. Exiting the castle, Teddie is quick to greet our new persona user.
"Hello, Yuki-chan, I'm Teddie. So, who threw you in?"
"Teddie, please, we can save that for another time," I scowl.
"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you?" Yukiko asks.
"I'm just Teddie. Now how did you get in here?"
"Teddie!" We all yell, minus the one in question.
"I don't know. I don't remember anything. I'm sorry," she answers.
"Please, there is no need to apologize," I assure her. "Combining the physical and emotional stress of this event, I didn't expect much of it to remain in your long term memory."
"Anyways, let's hurry out of here. Yukiko is exhausted."
"Wait, you guys are just leaving my here!?" Teddie asks.
"Yes, you do live here, after all. We do not have much of a choice," I respond.
"I know, but…"
"Aw, don't worry. I'll come visit you sometime," Yukiko assures him. His cheeks grow red.
"My, my. Is it getting hot in here or is it just me. Come on, let's go somewhere else." Is Teddie hitting on her? Would it count as bestiality if she complies with his flirt?
"No, that's creepy," Yosuke intervenes. "C'mon, let's get out of here." With that, we go back to the entrance and climb back into the real world. Yukiko stays on her knees for a bit in front of the TV for a bit to regain energy. "Hey, you sure you're alright?"
"Yes, I'm still just tired," she responds.
"Alright, I'll walk Yukiko home," Chie volunteers. "Let's go." She takes her friend and half carries her out of the store.
"I should be going as well. Good day, Yosuke-senpai." I exit the building and find myself walking past the Velvet Room. Perhaps I should go inside and check on Marie. I am supposed to be more friendly.
I listen to my own instinct and enter the room. I am taken aback greatly to see only once resident inside, Margaret. "Oh, excuse me. Am I not welcome at this time?" I ask her. She looks up from her book.
"Oh, no, you are welcome at any time. However, your timing is quite unfortunate on this occasion. What business do you have here as of now? As you can see, my master is not here to perform his assistance, but I will help in any way I can. I must request that you do leave unless your errand is urgent…" She hesitates. "No, I cannot do such a thing. You must be here for a reason."
"If I am to be honest, I came to visit Marie. If she is not here, then I have no problem leaving."
"I should advise you do not do so. As I said before, everything that happens here happens for a reason. There must be some reason behind our meeting alone. I would advise that we talk until that meaning becomes clear."
"Oh, um…" This is the last way I would have imagined this event playing out. What am I supposed to say? "I should warn you, I am not the best at social interaction."
"Do not worry, I am well aware of your social anxieties." Social anxieties? Is that what is wrong with me, social anxiety? I have never been diagnosed but I would not be surprised if I did have such a disorder. Still, I shouldn't diagnose myself with anything. But wait, is her saying it the equivalent of me being diagnosed?
"How much do you know about me?" I ask.
"As much as you allow me to know." That was about as vague as I have come to expect it to be. "But this is a good - what is the term? - segway for you. You have the opportunity to ask me questions about myself now." Is she attempting to help me at social interaction now? This is officially the exact opposite of what I had original intended to do here.
"Okay, then, how did you become a resident here?" I can use this as an opportunity to learn more about this place.
"I was invited her after my predecessor's disappearance."
"How did she disappear?"
"Oh, well that may have been the wrong word. She left her to attempt to help a blue haired boy. I do not know his name but he was also a wild card, a similar case to you." There was another wild card? Though it is selfish to believe I was the first, it is hard to imagine another persona user.
"Did you know the boy?"
"No, he was purely my sister and master's responsibility."
"Sister!?" So she was her sister's replacement.
"Ah, yes. She certainly was a naïve woman. She always wanted to go out and explore. As for me, I still consider myself quite new at the job despite it being three years in your time since my sister had left." Looking at her eyes, they appear gentler and more welcome than before. It seems she is opening up to me. Wait, does this mean… My half-asked question is answered by a voice.
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
It brings thee closer to the truth…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating
Personas of the Empress Arcana
"Oh, it seems our meeting did have meaning," Margaret says with interest steaming in her voice. "It seems I have joined the growing number of social links you have gained. This is truly an extraordinary occurrence. It warms my heart to know that I will be able to see your power grow. I witnessed your battle today. You are growing stronger."
"Please remember that today's battle was not only me, but also the others."
"Exactly. Your power comes from them. Remember to grow and expand your bonds. They are more powerful than you believe. I wish you good luck on whatever the future brings."
"Does that mean our meeting is over?'
"For now, yes, but I will see you again."
"Understood." I exit the room and continue my journey home. It is already dark out despite it being bright when I entered. Time truly does work differently in there.
Entering the house, my day becomes even more entertaining when I see both Dojima's sitting at the table eating dinner with detective Adachi. "Hello, Dojima-san, Nanako-chan," I alert them of my presence.
"Oh, hello," Dojima says before observing my confused glance. "This is my partner, Adachi. I invited him over for a bite to eat."
"Speaking of which," Adachi stands up. "I should get going. I wouldn't want to intrude on any more family bonding. See ya!"
"Wait," Dojima stops him, "you're just gonna leave like that!"
"Yeah, I should have left a while ago, anyway." Wait, this could be a good chance to talk to him.
"Hold on, I can walk you out," I race to his side.
"Oh, um, sure." I lead him outside of the house.
"Have you spoken to Yukiko-san yet?" I ask.
"Wow, cutting to the chase, are we?" I give him a harsh glare. "Alright, alright, fine. Jeez, for such a small girl you can be intimidating." I give him another. "Anyway, yeah. We didn't get much info, though. She said she didn't remember anything. Some of the cops at the station think she's lying."
"Wait, they still suspect her?"
"Yeah, I think so. But I wouldn't worry too much, it's not like they have evidence. Anyway, why are you asking about her? Do you think this is related to the murders?"
"It's… a possibility," I half-lie.
"Alright, I won't push for a motive. Anyway, next time we talk we should make sure not to do it right in front of your house."
"Yes, that would be a better idea."
"Oh, and don't go looking into this by yourself. It's fine with me, but I don't want my help getting you hurt. Dojima would kill me. Even though you just moved in, I think he still cares about you." For the second time today, the voice from before enters my head.
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
It brings thee closer to the truth…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating
Personas of the Jester Arcana
Jester? Yet another I have never heard of. "Alright, that was the only question I have for today. I'll be sure to call at a later date."
"Okay then. Bye." With that, he walks away.
Reentering the house, I find Dojima staring at me confused. "What did you do that for?"
"I only wished to be polite."
He looks as though he wishes to ask more questions, but decides against it. "Anyway, have you eaten yet? We still have food left over."
"I'm not hungry, but thank you for the offer." On that note, I run up to my room and go to sleep, happy that the battles will be over for now.
Author's note
Alright, Yukiko is finally done. I think I am getting better at writing battles but I'm not sure. Next time will be Yosuke's social link. After that it will be Kou's. I have been forgetting to mention it until now, but I have one more thing to say about social links. I will NOT be doing the fox's. I have one reason and one reason only for this. Someone else is already doing a whole story about Naoto doing quests for the fox on this site. I don't think there is any way for me to do the same thing and not have it be far too similar. Other than that, I will strive to find a way to get in every other social link. The only stories I still have no idea how it will work are
1. Death: Hisano Kuroda (Old Lady)
2. Temperance: Eri Minami (Daycare Person)
3. Devil: Sayoko Uehara (Nurse Lady)
Other than that, I'm fine with making all of the other ones. I also have figured out a way to do the Fortune (Naoto) social link. Anyone who figures out how I plan to do it gets bonus points.