Persona 3 FES:
"Advent of the Fool"

LOAD DATA
1. DATE: 4/21 (Tu) Kirijo Dorm
PLV2 - DJKL

LOAD THIS GAME?
YES -
NO

LOADING...

LOADED.

4/21 (Tu) – EARLY MORNING
FULL MOON IN: 18

This.

Was.

Hell.

All three members of last night's Tartarus exploration team let out a collective groan, earning stares from virtually everyone in the monorail. The three were… not looking so good, to say the least. Last night had worn them out more than they had expected. Needless to say, no one wanted to get up that day. Even the usually on time Yukari ended up waking up a bit later than usual. The boys had even considered staying home, but paused when they realized Mitsuru would have their hides if she found out they wanted to play hooky…

They all shuddered at the thought.

"I'm whipped…" Junpei muttered, leaning on the window. "Why the heck are we feeling so tired?"

"I think Mitsuru-senpai mentioned something about how it's easy to get fatigued during the Dark Hour or something." DJ said back, rubbing his eyes. "Either way, we technically did nearly spend an hour for our lives, something that we've never done before, so I'd say we have the right to be tired."

"Will you two be quiet? I have a splitting headache…" Yukari moaned, rubbing her temple. She looked out the window and sighed. "We're just going to have to get used to it…"

"Yeah, I guess…" Junpei said, looking outside as well. "Looks like things are gonna be this way for a while, huh?" DJ said nothing as he straightened his jacket.

"…I don't mind really." He said, making the other two snap back at him. "Especially if I'm gonna be fighting alongside you guys. I'm actually looking forward to this whole thing." The two blinked.

"…You're a weirdo, ya know that?" Junpei asked, smiling a little. "But you got a point. Like I said when I got to the dorm, it could get pretty lonely by yourself. We all make the trip a bit more bearable for each other."

Yukari couldn't help but feel a small smile tug at her lips. "You two are hopeless…" She muttered, looking away from them. "We're lucky to have gotten out alive and you're both excited to go back in."

"Only if you come with us." The two said, making her smile grow. Her happiness felt contagious as soon, all three of them were smiling like idiots. DJ chuckled.

"This is so weird, it's nice." He said, earning a nod from everyone. His expression fell a bit. "Still… I just hope we manage to find out what the deal behind the Dark Hour is. That is why we're gonna keep going into that deathtrap, right?"

"Ugh~… Don't remind me…" Yukari muttered, looking away. "We'll find out somehow. But for now, let's just focus on what's important in there."

"Survive." They said in unison. DJ rolled his eyes and sighed before a smile formed on his face. These two… Man, he didn't even know where to begin.

"We'll make it." He said.

"Hell yeah, we will!" Junpei said with a smirk. "Heck, I bet we'd even be able to figure it all out by the end of the month!"

"Let's not get too cocky boys." Yukari said, ´putting her hand between the two. "We still got plenty left to explore. We can't get too in over our heads yet. Right Junpei?" She finished with a… very bright smile at the capped boy. One that made him shiver. "We wouldn't want you running off like last night again…" DJ laughed as Junpei started looking for someway to say he was sorry to her, though the pink clad girl generally ignored him. Thankfully, most people in the monorail were busy with their own things, so the entire conversation practically went unnoticed… He made a mental note, be very careful where they talk about the Dark Hour.

"Hehe… This is gonna be quite the year…" He muttered, closing his eyes for a brief moment of sleep…

KA-SHH!

Well that woke him up with a jump. He blinked as the world around him slowed down, until eventually reaching a complete stop.

"This again?" He said out loud. Not like anyone could hear him anyway.

"Thou art I… And I am thou…"

The disk jockey watched as the same card from before descended in front of him.

"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana…"

The card disappeared from his sight in a bright flash of light. In an instant, the world around him was full of life again. The students chatting, Yukari berating Junpei (He had to feel a bit sorry for him there. Mitsuru had already given him quite an earful on their way back to the dorm last night.), that cute looking teal-haired girl reading a book…

Wait, what?

DJ rubbed his eyes, thinking that his fatigue was making him delusional. A second look at the girl made him think otherwise however… How the hell did he miss seeing such a beautiful woman? She wasn't a complete hottie like Mitsuru, nor did she have that kind of... charm Yukari did… But by just looking at her, DJ could only find one way to describe her.

"Such a cute girl…" He whispered, watching as the girl sighed sadly. She closed her book for a moment, looking slightly downcast. Was she okay? She looked kind of sad now that he thought about it. She looked pretty pale too. The girl shook her head, before quickly catching DJ's gaze…

He winked.

The girl's face turned red faster than a speeding bullet train… Or monorail in their case. Without a moment of hesitation, the girl opened her book again and buried her face in it, making DJ chuckle.

So she was one of the shy ones, eh? No wonder he hadn't seen her around before. Either that or she was in a different class, which, now that he thought about it, actually made sense. If he only he knew her name...

He shook his head. No point in worrying about it now. He'd look for her later, than he'd talk to her. For now, he went back to talking to Junpei, Yukari and Kenji, a boy he met a while back who had apparently showed up while he was looking at the teal haired girl.

He wasn't a bad guy. In fact, he seemed pretty cool. Though there something about him wanting a girlfriend with more... experience that seemed awkward, even for a guy like DJ. Older women sure were great to look at, but to actually go out with one... Meh. Not his cup of tea. But to each his own.

It's not like some gorgeous older woman would ever feel attracted to him anyway.

4/21 (Tu) – LUNCHTIME

If there was one thing DJ had learned rather quickly about his school, it was that lunchtime... was Hell.

Gekkoukan's lunches were known for being a good meal and for it's affordable prices. And by that, I mean they were delicious and cheap. Every day, the entire student body would assault the cafeteria hopes of obtaining Gekkoukan's prized lunches.

And speaking from experience, DJ knew this was not an easy task. You're most likely to get trampled by a mob of rabid students before you even got close enough to buy one.

So DJ just decided to eat a bento he bought at the grocery store near the dorm before they left. Getting mauled by a pack of rabid students was not worth the lunches.

"A~nd the monkey race is on." DJ said as he, Junpei and Kenji watched the students kill each other for w. This had become a bit of routine for them. It was pretty hilarious to see the outcomes of who managed to make it and who didn't. "Any bets?"

"Twenty bucks on the dude with the mohawk." Junpei muttered, sipping a soda.

"Twenty five on the red head girl." Kenji said. The disk jockey raised an eyebrow at the odd choices, but said nothing, being more focused on finishing his own lunch.

"Honestly, if they know it's such a hassle, why don't they just bring their own lunch?" DJ wondered out loud, though his two companions ignored him. "And the fact that we actually enjoy seeing them kill each other over this proves we're horrible people."

"We can worry about saving our souls later! Right now we- Yes! Mohawk boy did it! Pay up Kenji!" DJ laughed as Kenji fished through his pocket for his wallet, albeit begrudgingly. DJ figured it would be nice to make a few bets of his own, so he started scanning the crowd for a few decent candidates.

There were plenty to choose from, really. There was still that girl Kenji had bet on earlier, there was this blonde kid, heck, he was even sure he saw a few teachers in the mix. What they were doing buying a school lunch was beyond him. Maybe even the teacher's lunch the paled in comparison. Then there was that teal haired girl from this morning...

Wait, what?!

"Za?" He whispered. He couldn't believe it. It really was the same girl. She tried to squeeze her way through the massive crowd of people, albeit very unsuccessfully as she was always pushed back outside the group. Kenji and Junpei seemed to notice DJ's gaze on her and smirked at him.

"Oh~! Checking her out, huh DJ?" Junpei joked, taking a bit out of his lunch. "I wouldn't let Yukari find out if I were you!" DJ raised an eyebrow. What did Yukari have to do with anything? He shook his head and kept staring at the girl.

"Who is she?" He asked. Kenji scratched the back of his head.

"No clue. I've seen her around, but I don't think I've seen her in class." He muttered. He paused before letting out a low hum. "Come to think of it, I'm not even sure she's in our class."

"No way dude." Junpei said, also checking the girl out. "I would've noticed a girl like her in our class." Kenji rolled his eyes and went back to his lunch, muttering something about how the girl was "too cutesy" for his tastes.

Pretty soon, the three started talking again, although DJ would occasionally sneak a glance at the tealette. To his surprise, she actually managed to buy her lunch... Or at least he assumed it was just her lunch, but the surprising amount of food she bought made him raise an eyebrow. Either she had a high metabolism, or she was buying for an entire party.

Either way, she left in a hurry and lunch was over pretty soon, much to the boy's displeasure.

4/21 (Tu) – EVENING

"Okay, am I the only one who thinks Officer Kurosawa seems like a male version of Mitsuru-senpai?" Junpei deadpanned. He and DJ had just gotten back from the police station after Akihiko had brought the their to meet their weapon supplier, Officer Kurosawa.

Needless to say, that man terrified them both.

Now, DJ really didn't need the money to buy weapons from him, since his weapon was already with him nearly 24/7, but Akihiko thought it would be a good idea to introduce him in case something ever went wrong and he needed to contact someone. While DJ had a hard time arguing with that logic, he really didn't think it was all that necessary, but you never know.

"I second that completely..." DJ muttered. "Why are there so many people in Iwatodai that seem so scary?"

"So many?" Junpei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well there's Mitsuru-senpai, Yu-chan when she gets angry, Ms. Toriumi, and now Officer Kurosawa." He paused. "And considering the fact that Kurosawa is the only man in the mix, I'd say he's just being impersonated by one of the girls." Junpei rolled his eyes and punched DJ's shoulder.

Things became silent shortly after.

"...Hey DJ?" Junpei started. The disk jockey looked up at him. "When do you think we should go to Tartarus again?" DJ blinked and looked away, biting his lip.

"...I don't know." He said. "We're completely exhausted after just one day. And we just barely came back alive."

"Next week maybe?" Junpei asked. The disk jockey raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to got to Tartarus so badly?" He asked. Now it was Junpei's turn to look away.

"...I just wanted to know when." He muttered before getting up. "Well, I'm gonna go play my PSP. You know? The good gaming console." DJ rolled his eyes and stood up. "What? Ya got nothing to say?"

"Your fly's undone."

Junpei blinked. He looked down and-

"Oh come on!"

4/22 (Wed) – LUNCHTIME
FULL MOON IN: 17

"So DJ, have you decided what club you're gonna join?"

"Za?" DJ looked up from his lunch and stared at Yukari, who had innocently asked him the question. "What do you mean?"

"I was just wondering whether you'll join a club or not." She said, pouting slightly. "Athletic Clubs are gonna start accepting new members tomorrow, so I was just curious... Then again... You do seem like the kind of guy who'd rather stay home, like a certain Stupei over here..."

"Hey!" The capped boy in question shouted, allowing Kenji to grab a part of his lunch. "Hey!"

"Sorry dude! You snooze, you lose!" Kenji finished with a smile before swallowing. He let out a satisfied sigh before turning to the disk jockey. "But Yukari-san has a point. You thinking about joining any clubs?"

DJ blinked before absentmindedly sticking his chopsticks in his mouth. "Hm... Hard to say really. Nothing really comes to mind... What do you guys think I should join?"

"Kendo maybe?" Junpei asked, earning a flat look from Yukari and DJ. "What?"

"Junpei, how do expect me to do Kendo" The disk jockey pointed at his leg. "With a leg like this?"

"Oh... Oh!" He chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek. "S-Sorry... I kinda forgot about that..." Rolling his eyes, DJ went back to his lunch...

"Huh? What do you mean by that DJ?"

DJ froze, holding a ball of rice in his chopsticks right in front if his mouth. He slowly turned to Kenji, who was staring at him oddly. Junpei and Yukari seemed a bit uneasy too. They looked between themselves before looking at DJ, who bit his lip in frustration. He sighed before reaching down to his right leg.

"I'm talking about this..." He said, lifting up his pants ever so slightly. Just enough to reveal his prosthetic.

The reaction was instantaneous.

"Holy crap- What happened to your leHMPH?!" Kenji's outburst was muffled by DJ, who put a hand over his mouth before he could finish. A few passerbys cast an awkward look at their table before resuming whatever they were doing. DJ let out a sigh of relief before glaring at Kenji.

"Sure, scream it to the whole world why don't ya?" He snapped before taking his hand of of Kenji's mouth. "I have a prosthetic leg. Is that so wrong?"

Kenji shook his head. "N-No, of course not!" He rubbed the back of his neck. His entire face was red with embarrassment. "I-I just... wasn't expecting it."

"Well now you know." DJ muttered said, fixing his pants. "Anyway, Kendo is a no go... Do we have a Soccer Club?"

"Nope."

"Dammit... Swimming?" He said, making everyone stare at him strangely.

"You can swim?" Junpei asked, eyebrows raised. "Don't you need both your legs for that?"

"Not really. I was in the Swimming Club at my old school last year. I'm not the best swimmer, but I'm still pretty good. Especially for a guy with only one leg and a half." Before anyone could say anything else, the bell had started ringing.

"Well, time to get to class." Yukari said, getting up.

"Aw man... We have Mr. Ekoda's class next..." Junpei muttered, dragging his feet along. DJ got up to follow him before feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey uh... DJ?" Kenji started, looking at DJ worriedly. "Can I talk to you real quick?"

"What's wrong Kenji-kun?" DJ asked. Kenji bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck.

"Look I... Sorry if I was a bit insensitive about... You know." He started. He only earned an eye roll from DJ, who gave him a light smile.

"Hey, it's not a big deal Kenji-kun." He started. "How were you supposed to know about it?"

"Well yeah, but I still overreacted." He muttered, glancing at the disk jockey's leg. He shook his head before looking up at him. "That's why I'm gonna make it up to you!"

"You really don't have to-"

"Come on dude, let me do this!" He interrupted him. Kenji put on a bright smile on his face and gave DJ a thumbs up. "After school, I'll treat you to some ramen at Hagakure! What do you say?" DJ blinked before tilting his head.

"Hagakure? Where's that?" A loud gasp escaped Kenji's mouth as he stared at the disk jockey.

"You've never been to Hagakure?!" He nearly yelled, only earning a silent "No" from DJ. "Okay, I am so taking you there. Trust me man, you won't regret it!"

"Do I get a say in this?"

"Nope!" The two shared a laugh and started heading towards their classroom. DJ smiled lightly as he glanced at his friend, happy to know he had a pal outside of his SEES team.

Sometimes he felt like he shouldn't even exist.

That was one of the many self-depraving thoughts that ran through his head as that unbearable pain shot through his skull. In all honesty, this was already routine for him. Everytime he felt it get out of control, he had to take one of those God damn pills and have it subsided.

And then he'd throw up.

Kinda like right now.

He groaned as he wiped the vomit on his chin, grimacing at the sight inside the trashcan he had used to empty out his stomach. One of the downsides of having to use the pills were their... multiple health hazards. Occasionally they would leave him feeling fatigued or tired. Other times, like now, it would end with him chucking up bile like how a hose would shoot out water. Today it felt more like both...

Albeit, there were... other hazards when it came to using the suppressants...

Thank whatever God existed that Akihiko wasn't here.

How long had this been going on exactly? Two years, right? Two years since he let that monster loose. Two years since he left SEES. Two years...

...since he started killing himself.

"Tch... To hell with this..." He muttered, stuffing the suppressants into his cloak pocket. He growled before storming off, ignoring any stares from the people around him.

4/22 (Wed) – AFTER SCHOOL

"So what's the deal between you and Yukari?" Kenji asked before slurping his ramen up. DJ, who was currently enjoying his own bowl, looked up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asks after slurping up a rather large amount of noodles at once. Man, this ramen was good. He had to thank Kenji for bringing him here later.

"Well I heard that you two were pretty close..." He muttered, playing around with his chopsticks."And I've noticed that she stares at you a lot during class, so... What's up? Are you two going steady or something?" He finished with a smile. DJ just blinked and shrugged before going back to his meal.

"She's a great friend, I'll tell you that much. But other than, nothing." DJ started, swallowing. "I mean, I wouldn't mind going out with her, but I really doubt she'd end up falling for a guy like me."

"Really?" Kenji asked, raising an eyebrow. A nod from the DJ made him shrug. "If you say so..." He didn't quite believe DJ's story yet. There was just no way of could just end like that.

"Man, this ramen is delicious!" DJ muttered, slurping up even more. Kenji laughed and went back to his bowl.

"Ha! I know, right? I think they use some kind of secret spice or something." Kenji swallowed before looking up at the disk jockey. "You know, you're a lot different than I thought you'd be." DJ stopped, a fork load of ramen in front of his mouth. "Don't give me that look! Just hear me out. I'm just saying, I didn't expect you to be such a cool guy."

"Gee. Thanks." DJ chuckled, earning him a punch the arm. "Okay okay, no sarcasm... Still, thanks Kenji." The disk jockey picked up his bowl and drank what was left of the soup from it. "Ah~ That hit the spot... 'Think we can come by here again?"

Kenji smirked. "Of course! Plus I can tell you all about my big plan!" DJ cocked in eyebrow in confusion. "Trust me dude, it's gonna be great!" The brunette chuckled as he watched his friend finish off his bowl.

Kenji was a pretty neat guy. Compared to the other guys DJ's met so far, Kenji was... normal. No Dark Hour, no Personas, no Shadows... Just a normal teenager, who happened to be befriending him. It was a bit of a relief on DJ's part for multiple reasons. It had been a while since he just sat down and chatted with a pal like this. It was a complete deviation from the hell he went through last night, and a welcome one.

Just a normal, everyday thing...

KA-SHH!

The disk jockey nearly fell out of his chair as the world around him went dark. Time slowed down again, 'til it reached a perfect halt. DJ blinked before watching a card, much like the one from before appeared in his vision.

The only difference this time was the image on it... Yeah, he had a hard time finding the words to describe it. Some kind of face with hands holding... a flower maybe? Plus instead of a zero, this card had a one.

"Thou hast forged a new bond. Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana."

"Magician Arcana? That's new…" DJ thought as the card vanished from his sight. He glanced over at Kenji, who had not noticed his surprise and was still finishing his bowl. "Igor said that my bonds with others make me stronger… Does that mean these things always show up whenever I establish a Social Link?" He shook his head. It made sense, but he figured he'd ask Igor about it the next time he saw him. Hopefully the Frankenstein reject would give him a better explanation on the subject.

4/23 (Th) – AFTER SCHOOL
FULL MOON IN: 16

"Alright, listen up everyone." The coach started, gathering the entirety Swimming Club around him. The team had already started training until the coach just called them all up for an announcement.

And to their surprise, a guy in an orange jacket and was standing next to him.

"This here is… DJ." The coach said, somewhat unsure at the name he was given. DJ rolled his eyes at the reaction and continued to look around the club. There were a couple of guys he had recognized from his class and a few others he had seen around. However, the one that really called his attention was the person standing in the middle of the group. "As of today, he'll be joining the team."

DJ smiled a held out a peace sign. "What's up?" He asked playfully, earning a few Helloes from the team. He was going to say more when someone else crossed his field of vision. To be more precise, a young girl in a P.E. uniform. One that he recognized from the first day of school.

"Yuko! Come over here for a sec." The coach gestured for her to come over, which she obliged. "This is Yuko, the team manager. If you have anything to ask, she'll answer for you." The girl gave DJ a bright smile and held out her hand.

"Hello! I'm Yuko Nishiwaki. It's nice to meet you." She said. DJ grabbed her hand and shot her a toothy grin.

"Nice to meet you too Nishiwaki-san." He said before tilting his head. "Hey, have I seen you before?" The girl blinked before putting a finger on her cheek.

"Maybe. I think I've seen you around the school once or twice…" She shook her head and gave him another smile. "Anyway, you're a junior right? You can just call me Yuko, 'kay?"

"Fine by me. It's not every day a cute girl like you lets me call her by her first name from the get go." He smirked. Yuko blinked before a small blush appeared on her face. He could've sworn he saw the guy from before look a bit distraught before composing himself again. Yuko herself chuckled nervously and looked away. "Relax, it was just a joke. Anyway, you can just call me DJ." The girl froze for a moment and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that really your name?"

"It's what's written on the birth certificate." DJ joked, earning a light chuckle from the girl. The disk jockey couldn't help but laugh either. She seemed nice. Cute too, that was a plus. DJ was about to say something else when the boy from the center came up to him.

"Hey there!" The newcomer said, waving at him. "The name's Kazushi Miyamoto! How ya doin'?" He asked, earning a shrug from the brunette.

"I've had better days, but I'll live." DJ responded. Something about this guy reminded him about Junpei… "My name's DJ… Hey, I've seen in class before, haven't I?" Kazushi smirked and crossed his arms.

"Yep! You and I are in 2-F together!" His grin never faded as he pointed at himself. "I'm an old friend of Kenji's. He's told me a lot about you." DJ blinked before smiling.

"Oh really? Nothing bad, I presume?" Kazushi thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nothing that comes to mind. By the way, you can call me Kaz." He said as he fixed his swimming cap. "Hey, aren't you the guy that went out with Yukari Takeba on the first day?" DJ scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

"People still talking about that?"

"Dude, you're famous because of it." Kaz shook his head and crossed his arms. "Moving on, I'm the team captain. Long story short: From now on after school, your mine."

"Strong words from a man in a speedo."

"Laugh it up. You'll be wearing this thing in a few days." The two chuckled before Kaz's expression turned serious. "But don't think I'll go easy on you DJ-kun. Just because you joined mid-season doesn't mean you get any special treatment!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" DJ smirked. The two looked each other in the eye, each with their own determined expression. "By the way, it's just DJ. No honorific Kaz-kun."

"In that case, no honorific here either! Just Kaz will do."

"Geez…" Yuko muttered besides them. "You two just met and you're acting like lifetime rivals or something." Kaz and DJ looked at her and then back at each other, before breaking out into laughter.

This was going to be interesting.

KA-SHH!

"Son of a-!" DJ barely managed to keep himself from swearing as the loud glass crash rang through his ears again. Like before, the world turned dark and time went to a halt. A card appeared in front of him, this time bearing an image of a chariot, with the Roman numeral "VII" on it.

"Thou hast forged a new bond. Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana."

"Chariot this time?" DJ asked himself as time went back to normal. He shook his head and focused his attention back on Kaz, who had went over to his team and started telling them to "treat the new guy well". Whatever that meant. The disk jockey sighed and crossed his arms.

Twice in two days… Okay he couldn't take this anymore. He needed to talk to Igor about this stuff. But the only way he could do that was…

DJ stepped back outside of the swimming pool and took out his cellphone, quickly dialing in a number. He waited until the other person had finally picked up before sighing in relief.

"Hello?" The familiar voice came from the phone.

"Junpei? Could you do me a favor?" DJ started, looking back into the swimming pool to see that the other member had started doing laps in the pool. "I need you to tell Yukari to start getting ready."

"Ready?" Junpei's confused voice came out, making DJ roll his eyes. "Ready for what? You guys going on a date or something?"

"Nope…" DJ smirked. "We're going to Tartarus."

SAVE GAME?
YES -
NO

SAVING...

SAVED.