A/N: I apologize for the wait on this one. On the day I uploaded Chapter 26, I got word my great grandma passed away. Lived with her all my life, so it's something I'll have to cope with. As such, I took the week off to mourn, but this is what I made since then. It's shorter, but I really wanted to keep this going. I don't want this passion project of mine go down. I won't lie, the state of my future is uncertain. It will fall to me to take care of everything now. It won't be easy, but I don't want to give up on anything.

With all that personal stuff out of the way, let's get back to work. We're coming up to the early winter arc. It's going to be less tense, but I think it's a good chance to catch our breath; especially with the Christmas holidays coming for everyone in the story. We're going to breeze through November here, so let's get to it.

Chapter 27

11/05

The city streets seem so hectic. But these streets aren't Tokyo's. This is Tatsumi Port Island. A man was walking around with no sign of clear intent. No destination… but he was looking for something. It seems he just reached the small police station that was around the train station, chatting with an officer, a photo in hand.

"No word yet, officer?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. The missing person's report has been in effect for years, but there's nothing about the boy. Even amongst the rebellious teens, there's no sign of him."

"I see… I'll be back next week then, officer. Thank you for your help, sir."

"Of course." The cop tips his cap as the man in the suit starts to walk away. That suit wasn't even fully straight and pressed. The cop could only sigh and mutter to himself. "Poor man… I can't tell him I think his son is likely dead. So many of those missing kids turned up that way… All because of that Apathy Syndrome." The Officer returns to his post inside his small office. There was always more work to do. And acquiring that kind of information is a cold case level of difficulty. Despite wanting to help the man out, it was an effort that was too tall to tackle by his lonesome.

11/09

Step, two, three, four, and… pose!

There's her last rep for the day. Facing the wide mirror, she holds that pose for a moment before letting her arm come down.

She's currently dressed in black sweatpants and a loose white shirt, clothes that help her get a good feel of movement as she practices both old and newer routines. Today, she's alone. She has no plans to go outside the studio, so Masato has been off. This was a job that won't be consistent during times of practice and no upcoming concerts.

Well, there is a concert coming up, but that isn't for some time. Inoue had already spoken about it to her, but she will be the surprise guest at the Christmas Concert in Sapporo. Officially, Kanamin Kitchen will be TakuraPro's publicly known representative. But now, they have another slot granted to them, and Rise is perfect for it. She may restore what she lost through this move. And as it falls on the holiday season, this can put her on the precipice of reaching that high status she once held.

But such things aren't given, they are earned. Rise knows this. And she's more than prepared to hustle for it. Her numbers still don't match Kanami, much less her entire group, but that's fine. Rise can only prepare to deliver her best performance next month in order to close that widening gap.

Reaching for a white towel, she begins to wipe the sweat around the back of her neck.

"Hah… I could use a shower." She rests the middling sized towel around her shoulders, walking towards the direction of her dressing room. When she enters, she sees a blinking light from her phone. It seems she has a notification. Wondering if it was her date or someone else entirely, she gave her phone a quick look before she was to take her rinse.

{I'll be busy for the next few days. You aren't the only one training hard.}

It was him. With an amused smile, she opts to reply now.

{Do your best! And don't keep me waiting for too long. We got some fun stuff planned next week, yeah?}

The two arranged another night of dinner at her place. It was hard for Rise to have a proper date with him now that people are starting to recognize her. Part of herself feels disappointed Masato waited until now to start dating her.

If he just agreed on the day she asked him out, they could have had some dates in the bag already… No, that's selfish talk. She shakes her head to rid herself of such thoughts. He has his reasons, and they were valid then. Regardless, this nagging feeling persisted as she entered the shower, the raining water drizzling her like this pestering thoughts.

11/12

"Agh!"

Masato finds himself knocked back as a consequence of his Persona being pushed in the same direction by his opponent.

"You almost had me there! You're getting there!" The voice was motivating, like a coach pushing their student to hone their craft further.

"Akihiko… mind if we take five before going at it again?" Masato forces himself up; this clearly wasn't the first time he's been knocked down.

"Sure. I need to make a call to Kurosawa, so I'll get on that while you rest up."Akihiko gives a firm nod, departing quickly. That man's motor is impressive. All that training with Masato, and it's like they were all just warmups for him. The gap felt wide. Masato walked with a slowed pace to the bench, finding his towel to wipe off his sweat.

He was frustrated. Why? Why wasn't he getting closer? He's only just figured out his Persona's affinity and weakness. His weakness is Labrys' attacks, the Nuclear type. But he couldn't develop his Persona much against whoever he fought, despite them holding back. Only now has his Persona grown, but not enough to call it significant. Why is Amatsu Mikaboshi stagnating so much? This is what he wanted. He wanted a Persona, to be capable of fighting alongside the others, yet now it feels like he isn't getting anywhere. Akihiko hasn't given up on him. There's no insincerity in his enthusiasm and drive. But what do the others think? Fuuka and Mitsuru can't determine why this is. It's an usual case. So why can't he keep up? Is there some physical roadblock in the way? Is it spiritual, metaphorical, mental? He can't find the answers now. All he can do is continue trying. His Persona also revealed something in recent weeks. During the early teen days of October, Amatsu Mikaboshi was able to brandish a sword. It looks broken, however. There was a belt pattern that was crooked; like a chainsaw's teeth smashed up. It was still usable, but it wasn't a proper blade, almost like a sharpened blunt tool. Still, it was something. The body was still covered up by a cloak, but it had at the very least grown compared to the first time he summoned it for training purposes. But everyone else's Personas were at the top of their game. And he was still naught but a mere Fledgeling.

"Hey, I finished my call." Akihiko walked back into the large training area, far sooner than he had anticipated. "You got a couple minutes. How are you feeling?"

"Torn. I feel I have grown stronger, but at the rate you all did back when you first started out." Given the tales woven by Junpei and the reports documented by the S.O., he feels he's crawling compared to their rates.

"I feel ya. In our case, it was because of the life or death state whenever we trained in Tartarus. There were many times we had strong foes before us that we couldn't back down from. Perhaps that can help push you." He digs his nails against his scalp and grayed hair. "On second thought, perhaps you should try that around us. Shadows can vary in power. And we never train alone." Mitsuru would no doubt execute Akihiko if took Masato into the Shadow World without her consent.

"Perhaps that's what I have to do then. Training out in the field can get me experience I can't get here."

"Heh. It's good to see you fired up for that. I'll ask Mitsuru… With that Minazuki guy running around, I don't know if she'll approve since he could ambush us at any time. But if she gives the green light, we'll go for it."

"Yeah, that's understandable. He still hasn't made his move. Shadow activity has been normal, right?"

"Actually, it's been less active than usual. That's more suspicious if you ask me…" Akihiko's thoughts trail, considering if Sho is actually mobilizing with discretion this time.

"Speculating like this won't help us too much. I say we just get ready until he appears again. If this is a game to him, he's definitely going to keep playing it his way."

"...Yeah, you might be right. Then what do you say we get back to our training?" Akihiko was ready for another go, his true ally wanted nothing more than to drag out this break for another minute… at least until he finishes his water.

11/18

Fall in Inaba was well underway. The leaves were well gone from their lush green colors to various shades of yellow, brown, or orange depending on where you walked around the town. On this cooler Sunday, the Innkeeper called up a couple of her friends to speak about certain matters.

Their place of discussion? Why, only one location makes sense. The Junes Food Court.

"Looks like Naoto is the only one late this time?" Yosuke remarks, slumping in his chair.

"She's likely just busy with getting ready to head back to Tokyo for more work." Yukiko tries to justify the unusual situation for the Detective. Speaking of, both witness her coming out of the automatic glass doors, hurrying over.

"My apologies, Yukiko-senpai, Yosuke-senpai. I had a small matter to settle in the shopping district and I ended up taking longer than anticipated." It seems like she rushed here, likely not sprinting her way over here, but definitely power walked down the revitalized streets.

"It's cool. Although, your drink's already starting to lose it." In reference to the beverages Yosuke bought for the three ahead of time. The girls are so punctual that he expected both would be here earlier than him. But it seems he was only half correct.

"My apologies once again." She takes her seat, taking the moment to relax as she grabs her now adequately cool drink.

"It's okay, Naoto-kun. Did you run into Kanji-kun by any chance?" That question from Yukiko got Naoto even more flustered.

"N-No, not at all! It was for a completely different reason!" She did a poor job at hiding it. Yosuke caught on already; Yukiko heard she was visiting Kanji more and more these days. And she can thank his own Mother for the info. This was humorous, but it seems Yosuke of all people, who normally would enjoy teasing anyone, had reluctantly brought the conversation back on topic.

"Sure, sure. Well, Naoto is back so now we can discuss what you wanted to talk about with us, right?"

"Um, is no one else coming?" Naoto questioned, realizing it was only these three, counting herself here.

"You two are the most organized. Chie is busy with her studies. Kanji-kun has work. Rise-chan, Masato-kun, and Souji-kun are in Tokyo… and Teddie…"

"...is Teddie." Both speak in unison.

"I told that bear I had something to take care of so he won't follow me. If he came along, I bet he woulda disrupted our talk." Yosuke sounds exhausted with his roommate. "We're not sure what's gonna happen since my parents think he's around our age. I'm starting to think about what college to attend, after all. Chie is too. She's got the police academy afterward."

"Well, this might be our last time to enjoy Christmas together for who knows how long..." Yukiko spoke, getting right to her point.

"Is that why you asked us here?" Naoto interjects.

"Yes. I would like for us all to enjoy this time together. It's… something that's been on my mind since the LMB Festival. Once we third-years graduate… I wonder if we'll be capable of doing things like this." Yosuke's heart sank as he understood the weight of Yukiko's words. Truth is, he didn't want to think about that. "We still have time, but we're not getting any more free time to spend our days how we please. Naoto-kun has work, as does everyone else in Tokyo right now."

"Yukiko-senpai…"

"I know we have to let go when the time comes… but until it's time, I want us to enjoy as many moments as we can."

"Yukiko…. That's deep." Yosuke inhaled loudly before sighing it out. "Well, then I guess we gotta step up and enjoy this Christmas together. I'll make sure to keep my schedule open! Did you want us to make sure we're all free for that time?"

"Yukiko-senpai… unless the world is ending, I will be there no matter what. As will everyone else, I'm certain."

"Thank you." Yukiko nods with her body descending along with it; her hair let down now that it's cooler. "I'll ask Souji-kun. Can I leave you all to the others?"

"Yeah, sure. Teddie would go even if we didn't tell him." Yosuke shrugs with a grin just thinking about him crashing the party.

"I can ask Rise-chan. I think Kanji-kun would make time as well…" Naoto speaks with a warm smile, enjoying the idea of an event like last year, although the high of capturing Adachi will not be around this time. "We have that Sho suspect to deal with, but perhaps we'll have clues on him before or after, or in a best case scenario, he is thwarted."

"Yeah. I heard there's still no info from him. And that there hasn't been any Shadow activity since the LMB Festival. I doubt that he is connected to it, but I can't help but wonder if that put a wrench in his schemes." Yosuke speculates, Naoto, despite normally always being into throwing out conjecture for matters such as this, also brings the conversation back on topic.

"Well, Yukiko-senpai; is there anything specific that we shall do for this Christmas party?"

Yukiko pondered for a moment; will this be much different compared to last year's? Things like that should always be made better the next time they come around! Or maybe that's an American mentality at work.

"Hm… I think as long as we all enjoy ourselves, I'm fine with however this turns out."

"Hahaha, that's fine. That sounds like an answer Souji would say… He rubbing off you?" Yosuke laughs with his hand covering his eyes.

"I must admit, you do seem to be influencing one another. The same could be said about Yosuke-senpai and Chie-senpai."

"Wh-What are you implying there, Naoto? How about I say you're getting more flustered these days like Kanji does!" Yosuke snaps back, an embarrassed look on his own face with Naoto quickly trying to muster up some reply back at him.

And how does Yukiko handle this?

Why, she laughs.

"Pfft-Bahahahahahaha!"

What else would anyone expect of her?

11/24

Saturday evening, just after 6PM. The nights were getting longer, and the sun has been setting sooner almost each and every day. Still, this changed nothing for the everyday citizens of Tokyo. Rain, shine, snow… day or night, they still go about their business all the same.

Inside a certain Red Light District, a man finds himself in a distinct bar called Bantam, where he is currently enjoying a drink with someone who also works at his company. The two rest upon a corner of the room, each sitting on a stool with a table keeping them separated. Drinks are before each of them… Both whiskey.

"Christmas is a month away, sir. Do you have plans?"

"...On Christmas Eve, I shall. My wife and I shall spend it together away from home. Souji can watch the apartment by himself."

"I suppose I should do the same with my wife, Hah…" Junichi sighs, taking in a small amount of his glass. Osamu follows up, taking in more, a dead expression on his face remains as he looks out the window, seeing the people going along with their business.

"...I must go to Inaba in January."

"...I see." Junichi takes another swig of his drink, more than last time. "How long's it been? Since you last–"

"Junichi."

"Right, sorry."

"It's been since I had to take my wife back to see her younger brother after his wife tragically passed away."

"Ah, right… I remember now."

"My son is dating someone from there. And it's not just some random country girl... It's the heir to the Amagi Inn."

"Amagi Inn? The place I keep hearing about? Hot damn, guess your son already read the script, eh?"

"Junichi. I had other plans in mind for him. But it seems Homare already agreed to the meeting. It would be rude of me to not see it through."

"Right. Do you know the exact day?"

"Not at this time. We'll settle that as we get closer to January itself."

"That's reasonable."

"I can't say I'm looking forward to it. But it's something I must handle if I'm to create the ideal future I want."

"Yeah, that sounds about right for you."

"And what of you, Junichi? Are things faring better with your wife?"

"Not much better than before… she's not a fan of all the hours and no signs of progress. It's a dead end for me. Wasn't that long ago when we were in the same position. Now you're all the way up to the top. And I'm just stuck here. She doesn't like that."

"Sorry, Junichi. If I could, I would have you promoted. But it's easier said than done."

"Yeah… the company already has me not being seen in a good light. Your word would just be seen as borderline nepotism." He shook his head, quickly adjusting his glasses to stay in place.

"Indeed. I have to ask you to stop your habits. That would be a good start."

"I'm trying… but it's like you said; easier said than done. Going to a rehab center would take my time away from work and I won't be bringing any money home. She'll for sure divorce me sooner if that happens."

"Well, I could step in if you want. I've been making plenty of more money. I can easily cover some of your finances while you do that."

"Thanks, partner. But I got a bit of pride for that. So I'd decline if you tried."

"I know. I owe you for before, anyway. So I'd say this is calling it even."

"Yeah… I can only think on that matter for now; it will all be depending on how my wife feels. And my son."

"Very well." Osamu is more than halfway done with his glass.

"Say, by the way… whatever happened to that guy you took over for?"

"Oh, Arakawa-san?"

"Yeah! I heard he has been working on the board since '07. Why did he give it up last year?"

"That part is strange to me as well. Mitsuru-san had not fully taken over until after that moment. She had others manage the board due to many factors: her father passing away in '09, graduation, learning the intricacies of the company, and apparently, and keep this between us, there is an investigation into the company that goes beyond the electronics. I've asked the others, but her closest allies insist I cannot press into it. This matter isn't going to go public, but Mitsuru-san herself allowed the investigation to happen."

"That's… strange."

"I believe she's doing this as it was her father and grandfather's sins. She won't be facing any charges directly as she was but a girl when these things allegedly happened."

"Yeah, that's fair; sins of the father aren't worth putting on anyone."

"...Indeed. And because of this ongoing investigation, she only started addressing the board properly around this time last year. And even then, she's sometimes away on all sorts of business."

"But what's that got to do with Arakawa-san? And how did you get this?"

"Oh, yes. Well, he told the former interim CEO that he had to resign for family matters. These matters would last for an unspecified amount of time, and he did not intend to reclaim his seat no matter what."

"Such a lofty position… and he just gave it up?"

"It's bizarre, I know. But as for how I got recommended… The board took notice of my rapid progress. The older members thought I was too young for it, but Mitsuru-san herself took a chance with me given my relations with people outside the country."

"Her first job was to replace the missing seat, and she put you on it. What a crazy situation."

"Yes. And I wasn't even here when they settled that in February. I was in America. I almost believed it was a joke until I heard her recognizable voice. I was to take the position over when I finished my assignment. And here we are."

"What a crazy year you've had. You and your wife already climb up the ladder, just for Mitsuru to put you on an elevator to the top."

"Indeed. Soon, the Chief Financial Officer will retire…. In about a couple of years. And if Homare keeps proving herself… she might be in the race for that title."

"Whoa, is that even allowed!?"

"Junichi. Room level."

"R-Right, sorry."

"It's Mitsuru-san's final word, at the end of the day. And it's still too early for that. The CFO still has plenty of time to name a candidate. She intends to keep that secret to herself until it's time."

"I see…"

"It would mean our lives are set and we've achieved the highest peaks we can reach in this company. I would want more, but Mitsuru-san is a very qualified leader. I have much respect for her despite her age."

"Wait, why don't you have your son marry her instead, Ahaha!" He jests, much to Osamu's chagrin.

"No matter how much power I accumulate, I'm not stupid enough to ask that." Osamu shakes his head, taking another drink, finding the idea to be suicide for his career. Looks like the drink was starting to affect his old friend. But that idea only kept him sober for a little while longer.

11/28

Within her heart, Rise felt like all was well with her date. But… something was eating at her. She recalled Yukari's words from that time when they were in the dressing room. Like she didn't fully trust him. It bothered the Idol a lot. Yukari spoke of him like she was long aware of his actions and presence. Were they former friends? Is there some kind of beef between them?

She wanted to ask him herself for details. But as she pulled the phone from its resting place against the charger, by her makeup desk, she let it rest once more.

She wants to trust him. If there is anything he's hiding, he will tell her… right? Rise's mind kept its focus on what Yukari said. What did she mean by him probably having more to tell her and everyone else in the team? Do the Shadow Operatives know that much more?

When is it time for her photoshoot? All this quiet time is having her think about these bad thoughts! Her hands grip onto her head as she shakes back and forth. Is trusting him okay?

Her Senpai would definitely stand by her choice. But she needs to decide… should she ask on her own after all? Is that okay? He wants to earn all of their trust… is that what he's waiting for? He'll never get their trust if they stay separated like this.

Rise can only take a breath, still seated in the stool, looking at the mirror.

"Hm… Maybe Yukiko-senpai… no." Rise needs to take action on her own terms. Asking any of her Senpai may not be the way to go about this. Not because it could be a potential hindrance, but she needs to take action of her own accord. She's Rise Kujikawa, a true go-getter. She can do anything she sets her mind to!

"Yeah! I'll ask him about it when we're alone in Sapporo! Mhm, that will work!" Rise tells herself; by making it clear she's ready to bear the burden of the Imposter's secrets. For now… she shall enjoy her time with him. If he speaks up beforehand… even better. But a month of seeing her is plenty of time to get his feet wet and build up enough trust to tell her what she wants to know… right?

A sudden knock on the door catches her attention. It was Kanami! At least that's what the voice sounded like.

"Enter!" Rise spoke clearly as the door peered open.

"Rise-senpai?" She peeks her head through, afraid of catching the experienced idol in the middle of changing.

"C'mon in, silly! My photoshoot is taking its sweet time, so let's talk while I wait!" Rise rushes to her Kouhai, dragging her inside, seeing this as an opportunity to pick her brain and alleviate her boredom.

Poor Kanamin, she definitely is getting the freshman Kouhai experience here!

A/C: I apologize if I got too personal with that bringing of my personal life into this. I normally never try to do that, but it's something I couldn't avoid here. Anyway, I'm going to keep going with ARL. I'm not sure if I will pick up RoaF at this rate; but I do have an FEA fic idea in mind. But it's drastically different from a traditional retelling. Back on topic, I realized this chapter has no Souji in it whatsoever. I think that's a first. We've had chapters with no Yukiko, or Rise, but not Souji. Masato didn't appear in the first chapter if I remember correctly, but yeah; this was focused on everyone else, as well as some minor stories. I was so tempted to name the area Bantam is after a certain other Sega IP's other common location. If you know, you know. But if you don't know, it's Kabukicho, a red light district that houses many bars, some host/hostess clubs, and the like.

Today's Musical Reference is "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull(Mr. Worldwide). Contemplated on using a Beyonce song, but this one appeared in my auto-generated playlist one time and it works here. Mainly for Rise(duh) and Masato being quite literally on the floor when he appears.

Speaking of, how is he going to deal with his stagnant? He also needs to inform a certain someone of his plans. That and he should probably move out soon. He needs to show off some more responsibility. Next time, we got some more buildup to the big event in Sapporo! Also, we got something else going on. You didn't forget about someone's special day, right?