Persona Days
Disclaimer: I do not own Atlus's Persona (including Persona 5) or 0verflow's School Days for that matter. This is a story created just for fun.
The Velvet Room
Inside the Velvet Room resembling a prison, Igor and his assistant Lavenza were assessing the current situation affecting not just the Metaverse but reality as a whole. The strange string of events before caught the Velvet Room's headmaster and his Attendant by surprise, as were the Phantom Thieves since Yaldabaoth's final defeat was believed to be the dissolution of the Metaverse. Instead, the Metaverse still existed, as Igor and Lavenza could tell. More importantly, the world now had people and entities that didn't exist prior to the incident most prominently a trio of students named Itou Makoto, Katsura Kotonoha, and Saionji Sekai, the former two as the new friends of Phantom Thieves Joker and Panther and the latter was the Confidant of Noir before and after joining the Thieves. In addition, the Phantom Thieves were still attending Shujin Academy with the memories of their past relationships and stories and were slightly younger than they were after Yaldabaoth's defeat. The altered reality was rather disorderly, to say the least, for Igor and Lavenza, who now had to adjust to the alternate status quo for now and figure out what could be done to assist the Thieves.
"These developments seem surprising," said Igor sitting in his chair with his legs uncrossed and fingers laced together unlike his impostor. "The entire universe was rewritten to include people and other elements alien to us. Moreover, the Thieves have one more Confidant in this Saionji and seemingly another known as Katsura. Neither individual existed until now."
"The true source of problem likely lies in this Yaldabaoth and we must discover its source."
"Your wish, master," said Lavenza standing up and facing a sitting Igor.
September 19th 20XX. Monday
Aoyama-Itchome Station. Tokyo, Japan. Daytime
A Shujin schoolgirl stood near the tracks of the train station in Aoyama-Itchome. She stood alongside Ryuji, waiting for their train to take them to school. That schoolgirl of course was Saionji Sekai, the same girl who played the role of matchmaker to Katsura Kotonoha and Itou Makoto. Sekai was still proud of making this pairing a reality but secretly had feelings for Itou himself as the opportunity to get the boy of his dreams to have children within the Saionji bloodline. But getting Itou to fall in love with her and abandon Kotonoha was no easy task, given the presence of the Phantom Thieves. Moreover, the Thieves were concerned about their new friend and wanted her to be happy, so Sekai had to convince Itou to break up with Kotonoha satisfactorily for all sides. But most of all, what would her friend Okumura Haru think of this? In the worst case, she might not like her anymore and neither would the Phantom Thieves, so Sekai had to play her cards right. If not, who else could be her boyfriend? Certainly not any of the male Phantom Thieves or other students, as far as she knew.
Sekai stood with Ryuji to catch the next train. She opened her thoughts for him to hear.
"Sakamoto."
"Yes?"
"You know, romance is quite the popular genre on doramas these days especially the love triangle kind where a guy is torn between his two loves and must chose one or the other. I imagine myself as one of those loves in a love triangle dorama."
"Do you see yourself as the guy in the love triangle story?" asked Sekai.
"Not really. I mean, I'm not with another woman yet," Ryuji told Sekai.
"Maybe you should with the help of someone," Sekai advised the spiky blonde.
"I guess," Ryuji said with caution.
Itou, Kotonoha, Ren, and Ann were on the opposite side of the tracks, waiting for another train to school. Like Ren and Ann, Itou and Kotonoha were in a relationship with plans for their first date together after school, possibly during the weekend. Kotonoha had an idea for what this first date would look like and shared it with the two ex-Phantom Thieves.
"Takamaki-san."
"Yes, Katsura," said Ann.
"I will be going with Itou-kun to somewhere after class," Kotonoha informed Ann.
"I've spoken with him on the phone during the weekend about where we want to go. I've got the local theatre and pool for our first date."
Itou spoke up and provided his opinions on the forthcoming date.
"Well, I hope we can get to the theatre or pool. Whatever works best for us," Itou told Ann and Ren.
"Good for both of you. Let me know how the date went and I could offer some tips in the near-future," Ann suggested to Kotonoha.
"Best of luck on your first date," Ren told Kotonoha and Itou.
"Thanks."
On the opposite side where Ren and the others stood, the train for Sekai arrived first and she stepped inside as soon as the vehicle doors slid open for her and the passengers nearby.
Class 1-3, Shujin Academy. Tokyo, Japan. Daytime
Mr. Ushimaru's class was in session, with just about every student paying attention to what she had to say. In this case, Ushimaru delivered a lecture on the importance of the Meiji Restoration.
"...as you know, the Meiji Restoration made Japan into a modern nation after the Boshin War."
Itou and Sekai had their minds focused on Ushimaru's lecture but were still interested in Kotonoha. For both, it was the prospect of a forthcoming date at the theatre or the pool that carried heavy expectations. If it was the theatre, Itou wasn't sure which movie he wanted to see yet. However at least in the case of the pool, Itou had swimming trunks to bring with him. Either way, the first date was on the shoulders of Itou and Kotonoha.
"The abolition of the feudal system and the end of the samurai order was followed by the restoration of Imperial authority and subsequent modernization. Moreover, the Imperial court moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo as a symbolic declaration of their victory over the Shogunate forces. The reign of Emperor Meiji mixed Japanese and Western traditions in creating the Empire of Japan from the Prussian-style National Diet to a centralized military in the vein of other European powers. Another major effect of the Meiji Restoration was the creation of an oligarchy run by businessmen belonging to corporations known as the zaibatsu."
For the Phantom Thief trio and Morgana, the date was for Itou and Kotonoha to enjoy and they would take a hands-off approach. Morgana saw the date and the entire pairing as being built on shaky grounds.
"Ren," Morgana told his master.
"Yes," Ren whispered to Morgana.
"I don't believe that this whole pairing is going to work out for Itou and Kotonoha. Besides, Kotonoha doesn't seem to be the kind of girl suited for relationships to my understanding."
"We don't want to interfere with the date too much lest things go south for the two lovers," Ren told Morgana.
"If this date doesn't go well, remind me when this happens," Morgana said to Ren skeptically. Morgana's voice was more audible, and thus, Kawakami heard him.
"Is that a cat I hear?" Ushimaru wondered. As Morgana wasn't in his normal form in the Metaverse, Kawakami-sensei only heard faint meowing. As usual, Ren kept Morgana quiet to avoid causing unwanted attention since pets were forbidden inside the classroom.
"Anyway, let's get back to our lesson," The teacher told his students.
The class listened to Kawakami's lesson until the end, including Itou, Sekai, and the Phantom Thief trio.
School Rooftops, Shujin Academy. Afternoon
Kotonoha sat on a bench on the Shujin rooftops with a bag of her food as part of lunch. Her status as a schoolgirl from a wealthy family meant she could afford the best food possible. Yet, she chose to buy simple club sandwiches from the bakery near Aoyama-Itchome Station before the arrival of her train. She was getting used to spending more time with her new boyfriend Itou, Sekai and the trio since their first meetings at Shujin. Itou was the first, followed by Sekai and the trio with Morgana staying inside Ren's bag to avoid being reported by him or any other student present. Everyone had their own lunches alongside Katsura. Sekai had her usual sandwiches for her and Itou to eat. Likewise, Ren and Ann both had curry and rice to share with Ryuji. Ann was seated next to Kotonoha alongside Itou. With everyone here, the lunch between them formally began. Kotonoha was the first to speak up.
"Since everyone is here, let's eat together!" Kotonoha announced.
"Okay," said Ren.
Sekai was the first to eat her lunch and shared a piece of the sandwich with Itou. Both enjoyed it and Itou inquired further about the making of the sandwich.
"Saionji, this sandwich is amazing. How was it made?"
"Oh, it's homemade by my mother. That's why it's so delicious," Sekai told Itou.
"In any case, it's enjoyable."
Likewise, Ren and Ann ate the curry and rice with some of this being shared with Ryuji. Ryuji was impressed with the meal.
"Man, that's some really frickin' amazing curry and rice."
"Sojiro himself made the curry and rice for us to enjoy," said Ren. "As the owner of the Cafe Leblanc and my caretaker, he always makes my lunches for me as well as my closest friends."
"No wonder it's so delicious," Ann remarked.
"Yeah. Sojiro-sama is such a great cook," Ryuji said.
Kotonoha handed Ann a piece of a club sandwich to share. She was surprised by being offered some of Kotonoha's food.
"What...You really to share a sandwich with me. Well, I'll take this since you prefer."
"Thanks."
"This sandwich was bought at the bakery near the station in Aoyama-Itchome. It has all-natural yeast and is freshly made. I'm sure you'll enjoy this sandwich," Kotonoha assured Ann.
"I hope so!" said a confident Ann as she took her first bite of the club sandwich. Needless to say, Ann enjoyed the sandwich provided by her new friend and chewed every single morsel of it as much as she did with the cream cheese at the hotel.
"Mmmm...the club sandwich is amazing," Ann muttered as she ate the bakery-made food inside her mouth. "This is just as delicious as the curry and rice!"
"Finish your food before you talk, please," Kotonoha reminded Ann.
"Okay."
As Ann munched on a piece of one of Kotonoha's club sandwiches, Itou enjoyed sharing some sandwiches from Sekai mixed with his bento box.
"Your mother's sandwiches are still the best," Itou told Sekai.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Sekai complimented Itou.
"This lunch sure seems to be going well for us," Ren noted. "I hope this perfect pairing doesn't fall apart, you know what I mean."
"Oh, don't worry. This perfect pairing you speak of will continue until the very end," Sekai said. Unbeknownst to Ren and his friends, she already had plans of her own to court Itou as her boyfriend, and her choice of words was simply a false reassurance.
"So Katsura-chan, I know you're a member of the Shujin Student Council and the Implementation Council with Makoto. She's our friend and I wonder what she thinks of you?"
"Ah, that's a nickname you gave me while we were on the phone last weekend. On the topic of the Student Council, she doesn't think of me that much in particular but she doesn't hate me either."
"You should hang out with her and us more often after school," Ann suggested to Kotonoha. "She's an uptight and mature individual who can understand your issues."
"I guess..." Kotonoha told her new friend that though she wasn't sure when such a meeting would happen after school, she was hoping for the right opportunity.
"Speaking of the Student Council, I have a meeting today with Makoto and the others after school at p.m.
The second lunch between Kotonoha, Itou, Sekai, and the Phantom Thief trio was as much of a success as the first since everything went as planned. Everyone enjoyed their lunches and Morgana remained quiet in the bag. Still, trouble was brewing amongst the group even if no one knew this and it came from Sekai who was determined to become Itou's new girlfriend over Kotonoha. For now, everyone could enjoy lunch as a group without any issues on the surface.
Basketball Court, Shujin Academy. Afternoon
The physical education class of the second semester was in full swing. Students were dressed in the usual Shujin clothes for the class. For some students, this was the time to practice honing their skills in basketball. One notable difference from the previous semesters was the coach, who differed from the abusive Kamoshida Suguru. His name was Kento Matsuda, a retired basketball superstar. Like Kamoshida, Matsuda was a Shujin alumnus in his early 50s hired to train the school's basketball team into champions and bring prestige. His hair was the usual black and he stood 6 feet tall with a decent build though not the muscular kind from his previous days. Unlike his disgraced predecessor, Matsuda wasn't a sexual predator and was seemingly tough but fair to his students as he put them through a challenging PE regimen for basketball to turn the students into future superstars like him or so it appeared. The regiment was so challenging that some students actually quit or were injured. Throughout the class, Matsuda-sensei aggressively prevented the students from besting him even though he gave them a chance. One student was even accidentally knocked down while trying to make a shot for the net. Matsuda was quick to pull him up as the class stood still.
"Are you okay?" asked Matsuda.
"Y-Yes..." the student responded.
Itou, Kotonoha, Sekai, and the Phantom Thief trio watched as Matsuda brought the student back up to continue the practice. They knew this coach meant business and some wondered if he might be another Kamoshida.
"Jeez, Matsuda-sensei is really persistent in toughening up these students," Ryuji whispered to the others.
"I hope I'm not hurt during his practice because he might be like that pervert Kamoshida," Itou told Ryuji.
"Everyone, continue practice," Matsuda announced.
The students complied with Matsuda-sensei and went on with practice. As usual, Matsuda aggressively toughed up the students and pushed them to shoot harder for the net or block the shots to provide a challenge in this class. However, there was one student whom Matsuda refused to be particularly aggressive: Second-year student Sugimoto Kentaro. Sugimoto was the cream of the crop on the basketball team as the boy who performed consistently well and often outdid the other students. Even the most talented students in basketball, such as Otome and Nanami, found it hard to keep up with Kentaro's output. It was as if Kentaro's talent was supernatural; if it wasn't, there must be some sort of mundane explanation for his consistent level of talent. Not once did Sugimoto feel exhausted apart from drinking a bottle of water for sustenance. Because of this, he had an inflated opinion of himself. Appearance-wise, Kentaro was an ordinary brown-haired boy aged 17 with an athletic build and aspirations to become the next basketball superstar in Japan, just like Matsuda. Every day, Sugimoto hung out with his girlfriend Sawada Kiyoko and was rather affectionate towards her, perhaps too much to the point of obsession. Itou, Kotonoha, Sekai, and the Phantom Thief trio witnessed Kentaro putting up shot after shot inside the net and evading Matsuda's blocks with ease. On the other hand, his girlfriend Kiyoko did not perform as well as him and struggled. Kentaro looked disappointed with Kiyoko's performance and wished he was as good as her.
Later, Kentaro rested alongside Itou, Kotonoha, and the Phantom Thief trio with his girlfriend Kiyoko. Kentaro was satisfied with his practice and turned his attention to the others.
"The practice was great!" Kentaro told the others, pouring water onto his head. "I put up such a great performance this semester."
"You really seem to be the basketball prodigy everyone's talking about in the news," Ren told him.
Kentaro then attempted to kiss Kiyoko but she wasn't in the mood yet.
"Sugimoto-san, I'm not really in the mood for this," Kiyoko informed him.
"I see."
"Yeah, I'm above everyone else in physical education. I've excelled at not just basketball but football and volleyball. You and everyone else pale in comparison to me," Kentaro arrogantly boasted.
"That includes a whore like you Kotonoha."
Kotonoha was displeased to see Kentaro again. His very presence brought up unpleasant memories of being frequently bullied usually alongside Otome and her girl posse with no one to help her. The memories were so unpleasant that she got up and moved away from him to the farthest area of the court's left part. The trio, Itou, and Sekai wondered why she did this.
"Why is Kotonoha moving away from us and Kentaro?" said Itou.
"I'm guessing it might have something to do with Kentaro's remark?" Ren said.
"Hey, you know Katsura? If so, I know that worthless whore from when I tried to approach the girl as my date. I was literally her dashing prince but she was stupid enough to turn down my wonderful offer. I began to understand why other girls hated her," Kentaro explained.
"You really seem to be rather resentful towards Katsura-chan," Ann noted. "I mean, we are her friends and you might get into trouble with us."
"Whatever," Kentaro dismissed Ann and the others.
Ann got up to speak with a nervous Kotonoha standing not far from the court's entrance. She was facing the wall and nothing else when Ann put her right hand on her left shoulder to get her attention.
"Takamaki-san!" Kotonoha uttered. She turned to face her new friend and asked.
"Why did you come here?"
"I came here because of what Kentaro said about you."
Kotonoha freaked out and refused to discuss the matter further.
"No! Please don't discuss him!"
"Why?" asked Ann.
"I just...don't want to talk about him right now!" Kotonoha told her.
Kotonoha moved from Ann and sat close to Ren for protection. Ann inferred that Kentaro might be acting viciously towards her. Ann's thoughts on her new friend's well-being and possible bullying from him shifted to a conversation with Otome and Nanami when the two approached her.
"Hello, Takamaki-san," said Nanami.
"We saw you speaking with Katsura," Otome told Ann.
"Yeah," Ann responded.
"Do you happen to be friends with her?" Otome asked.
"Yes. Why do you ask? Is it because you are one of my friend's bullies alongside that girl posse of yours?" Ann grilled Otome.
Otome wasn't happy with Ann's questions.
"NO IT ISN'T! IT'S BECAUSE I SAW YOU WERE HANGING OUT WITH KATSURA AFTER PRACTICE!"
"Listen here: I am Katsura-chan's new friend and I'm not going to let you or anyone else bully her so consider this as a warning."
"Well if you wish, you'll get into more trouble then..."
"Let's remain civil here," Nanami reminded Ann and Otome. "We don't want this to escalate any further so I'll weigh in. So you're apparently friends with Katsura. Good for you I guess. I mean, people recognize you as the stupid American in class and Katsura doesn't have any friends. I'm sure you'll get along with her that is."
"Of course! We're considered the outsiders of our classes after all!"
Ryuji was standing near Ann and delivered his remarks to Otome and Nanami.
"Listen, let's not make things worse here lest there be a fight," Ryuji told the two girls.
Ann was taken aback by Ryuji speaking to Otome and Nanami.
"Ryuji, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sitting with the others?"
"Look, I wanted to defuse the situation 'ya know,"
"I think you should be sitting with the others, please," Ann ordered Ryuji.
"Takamaki-san. It's best we defuse our situation and remain calm so let's just end this conversation here," Nanami advised Ann.
"Okay for our sake."
Ann walked away from the two basketball superstars with Kotonoha and Ryuji accompanying her to the same spot where they sat with each other. In the spot, Kentaro watched the conversation and had ideas for what he would do to Kotonoha. In particular, Otome and her girl posse influenced him in his behavior towards Kotonoha herself after his failed attempt to court her as a girlfriend. To him, she was nothing but a stupid whore that didn't understand his "feelings."
Shujin Academy Halls. After School
"And so we have everything settled on the agenda for the Shujin School Council from the haunted houses next month to specific needs?" Makoto said in another room.
"Yes,' Kotonoha responded.
"Good. This meeting is adjourned," Makoto told the others.
The other students in the meeting exited the Shujin Student Council Room with Kotonoha as one of them. When she was outside, she headed over to meet with her friends but was blocked by another student. That student was none other than Sugimoto Kentaro. Kentaro's opinions on Kotonoha were of disgust and disdain at rejecting his prior advances. He was ready to antagonize Kotonoha further as he always did.
"Sooo...I just got back from the Sports Club waiting for you," Kentaro informed her.
"You don't mean..."
"Yes, you'll face payback from me for rejecting my generous offer to be your boyfriend."
"Oh no..." Kotonoha fearfully muttered.
Kentaro continued to block the path for Kotonoha to meet with her friends. He would then slap Kotonoha and knock her down to the floor before taking her bag and dumping everything inside it. Kentaro began to taunt her.
"I know your true nature as a secret whore with big tits. I learned all about you from Otome and her friends and we've spent some time together for our revenge. You're also pretty much an easy target for me since you can't even stand up for yourself and you just act like a scared little bitch all the time when we see you," Kentaro revealed to Kotonoha. Otome and her girl posse didn't just influence Kentaro. They were his acquaintances united by a common cause to bully a single girl just for her looks.
As Kentaro continued to taunt Kotonoha, the Phantom Thief trio, Morgana, Itou, and Sekai were looking for her. They stayed behind and noticed that Kentaro was bullying Kotonoha. The taunts delivered by Kentaro included his high-ranking position as Japan's number one basketball prodigy and how neither the teachers nor students can help her stop his bullying and denying that he was actively engaged in such behavior. The others were shocked, if not disgusted, at what Kentaro was doing to their new friend (and girlfriend in Itou's case).
"Kotonoha's in real trouble! We need to act fast and stop this before it gets worse!" Morgana told everyone in Ren's opened bag.
"Yeah, Katsura-chan needs our help!" said Ann.
"Ren, stop this bully!" Itou told him.
Ren heeded his friends' words and approached Kentaro, who was surprised at his presence.
"What the hell are you doing here!?" yelled Kentaro.
"It's got something to do with the student you're picking on," Ren informed Kentaro in no uncertain terms.
"Well, looks like someone is willing to stand up for the whore."
"I know from our friend about the bullying that you inflict on her alongside Otome and her posse of friends," Ren told the arrogant basketball superstar.
"Really? You sure have an eye for her," Kentaro smugly remarked.
"Guess what? We're not going to let you off the hook after what you did," Ren reminded Kentaro.
"How are you going to do that? I'm the top basketball prodigy in all of Japan and enjoy the well-deserved love from the public. Moreover, I am Matsuda-sensei's favorite student and he will come to my aid."
"Matsuda-sensei?" asked Ren.
"Yeah, Matsuda-sensei. He's the basketball coach at PE and he considers me his favorite student. Plus, the teachers and students don't care all that much about Kotonoha herself so who are you going to turn to, The New Awakening Society?"
"The New Awakening Society?" asked Ren.
"Yeah, Matsuda just so happens to be a member of the group dedicated to improving the world you know," Kentaro told him.
"Let's just say that we have some powerful allies who are more than willing to expose your true nature," said the Phantom Thief.
"Like that's ever going to happen!" Kentaro said, laughing at Ren's words. "Besides, I'll graduate from Shujin and become a pro while you are kicked out of this illustrious school."
"Anyway, after school is coming closer and closer to it's end so we better be going home."
"I see," Ren said.
Kentaro quietly left Shujin, overconfident and smug as the trio, Morgana, Itou, Kotonoha, and Sekai, watched.
Itou's Apartment. Tokyo, Japan. Evening
Itou was sitting on the bed to watch a commercial featuring the New Awakening Society. As one would expect from a commercial for such a group, the one from the New Awakening Society was about positivity and working towards positive change or so it seemed to the average outsider, complete with upbeat, happy-sounding music.
"At the New Awakening Society, our mission is bringing positive changes to the world for mankind's benefit," an announcer declared as the organization's logo was displayed in the pink-green Tsubaki.
"We are your neighbors and people you know on the streets or school united for a common cause."
As the commercial from the Society went on, images of smiling and happy people from Japan and other countries, both young and old, were shown to an audience curious, if not sympathetic to its goals, and Itou himself. "The New Awakening Society has improved countless lives through charity and hard work for members and newcomers alike."
A string of interviews from Society members and newcomers then began to play.
"The New Awakening Society has truly changed my life. Before then, I was on the verge of suicide when I met someone from the Society and opened my eyes to the truth about the state of the world. I'm glad I became a member," an elderly man told the audience.
"Joining the Society was a dream come true for me!" yelled an excited young woman in her mid-20s.
"Before I became a member, I wasn't so sure of what to do with my life after divorcing from wife. Now, I have a purpose in life," said a formerly married man in his 40s.
"New
"I came all the way from Russia just to join this great organization," a Russian man boasted.
The commercial would list some of its most notable members. Among the members on the New Awakening list were a politician, a manager of the world-famous idol group Sakura Boom, a businessman, a composer, and a hostess club owner. They looked clean-cut and approachable in the commercial, and one of them just so happened to have a surname that started with a K and ended in an A, like Kotonoha.
Finally, the commercial urged its audience to join the Society.
"At the New Awakening Society, we are dedicated to improving the world. If you or anyone else wishes to improve our world, contact your local New Awakening representative," the announcer informed those watching, including the organization's number. Itou turned off his television and pulled out his phone to speak with his girlfriend Kotonoha on the phone. Like those who watched the commercial, he dialed her number. Unsurprisingly, Kotonoha would answer the phone.
"Hello, Kotonoha," Itou said.
"Hai, Makoto!" Kotonoha greeted him.
"I just watched a commercial from the New Awakening Society. Sugimoto's coach is a member of the group," Itou noted.
"Really? The Society is supposed to be about improving the lives of everyone on Earth, not enlisting bullies!" Kotonoha complained.
"Yes."
"The Society is complicit in the abuses of others. We need to expose Sugimoto and that group," Kotonoha told Itou.
"Of course. Anyway, I'll end this call here and we'll plan tomorrow with Amamiya-san and the others. Sayonara," said Itou as he hung up.
Itou lay on the bed anticipating the trio of Ren, Ann, and Ryuji to assist him and Kotonoha in stopping Sugimoto before going to sleep.
The Velvet Room
The dingy cell in the room contained a familiar prisoner: Ren, or the Trickster, as he was known to Igor and Lavenza. Ren was in the familiar black and white prisoner outfit without the chains from when Yaldabaoth impersonated Igor. He wasn't so sure why he was brought here but knew it was something important for Igor and Lavenza nonetheless. Lavenza approached Ren's cell and unlocked the bars to allow him to speak with Igor. The strange gentleman had some choice words for one of his subjects regarding reality itself.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greeted the Trickster.
"Trickster, do you know why you are here?"
"Why did you bring me here" asked the Trickster.
"You are here because a great disturbance has profoundly changed reality," Igor informed the thief.
"What do you mean 'great disturbance'?" the Trickster asked Igor further.
"The great disturbance in question is the merging of two worlds: Our world where we exist and another world with people and locations alien to us."
"Worlds?" the Trickster wondered.
"This world was home to an average ordinary student and two young schoolgirls living in towns beyond the boundaries of Tokyo," Igor explained to the Trickster. "Their names are Itou Makoto, Katsura Kotonoha, and Saionji Sekai."
"You mean our friends?" the Trickster responded.
"Yes. They were not from our world, a mundane world in which there are no Personas or Shadows."
"Itou, Katsura, and Saionji? I think I'm starting to know these names," the Trickster told the master of the Velvet Room
"Indeed you are. These three students are from the countryside and attend school just like you. Only that Itou is incredibly lustful and has no qualms about sleeping with other girls beyond just Katsura and Saionji."
"What are you talking about?" the Trickster asked.
"Our recent observations into the futures of these students from this world and the new one tell that Itou will sleep with as many female students at Shujin as possible before and after the school festival starting with Sekai once they meet. If left unabated, the situation will become much worse until Sekai and Kotonoha snap and kill," Igor warned the Trickster.
"This includes the instigator of such affairs, Itou."
The Trickster was shocked that his new friends would do such disgraceful behavior and even doubted such revelations.
"No, I don't believe that my friends would stoop to such lows!"
"You are in denial of the truth, Trickster," Igor reminded him. "As the headmaster of the Velvet Room, I have access to knowledge far beyond your reach or understanding. You will come to accept the truth eventually."
"Even if that's the case, we won't let such behavior slip through us!" the Trickster told Igor.
"Perhaps but it's not certain," said Igor.
The Velvet Room's bell rang after Igor's final words for the day. It was time for the Trickster to leave and fall asleep in the real world.
"Your time in the Velvet Room has expired. You must return to the mortal plane," Lavenza told the Trickster.
"Very well then."
Joker's Room, Cafe Leblanc. Evening
Ren was asleep in his bed after spending some time in the Velvet Room with his pet Morgana, resting on the floor. The recent meeting with Igor and Lavenza was the first held with him present since the great disturbance within the Metaverse. Ren's sleep seemingly went as usual. However, strange and terrifying visions filled Ren's mind. These visions were the great disturbance, creating a ripple into Mementos and engulfing everyone, including his friends.
And that was the second chapter of Persona Days, a crossover between Persona 5 and School Days. As you can imagine, this will be an ongoing multi-chapter story, which I hope to complete eventually, given personal matters and work on Michael Weyer's Infinity Crisis, so stick around for the ride. It took two and a half weeks to finish the next chapter due to my work on other stories and my personal life, such as community college. I don't have a set deadline for such stories like these but I do seek to put out new stories as much as I can nonetheless.
Regarding Shujin's schedule, I based this story on a school in the Kansai region I saw while determining what the schedule would look like in the altered reality. This will be the schedule in the future for this version of Shujin Academy.
Kentaro Sugimoto's given name is a reference to Kentaro Miura, the late creator of the fascinating dark fantasy manga Berserk (which I have watched the 1997 and 2012-13 anime adaptations and analysis videos, by the way).
The hypothetical soundtrack of Persona Days combines the OSTs of both works, such as specific scenes, though more so in Persona 5's case.
The New Awakening Society is the antagonist faction of Persona Days and fulfills a similar role to the Antisocial Force from the base game / Royal and the Jail Monarchs from Strikers, respectively, in terms of its members and motives whilst contrasting both in certain ways. For instance, the New Awakening Society is a public organization whose members are well-known and established as opposed to the secretive Antisocial Force and they do contain some unlikable people compared to the Jail Monarchs not to mention that they have Palaces of their own. In the case of Kentaro, he's the New Awakening Society's equivalent to Suguru Kamoshida in his involvement with PE class and abuse, albeit much younger than he is. He doesn't sexually harass any female students but is involved in bullying Kotonoha nonetheless and another more important secret that will be revealed later.
As one YouTube analysis series noted, the villains of Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal embody the common problems and infamous figures within Japanese society such as black companies or plagiarism. The New Awakening Society's members also embody these Japanese problems as well.
And now it's time for the next English dub cast list of School Days. The voices of the characters featured in this chapter are:
- Brittney Lauda as Otome Katou
- Amber Lee Connors as Nanami Kanroji and Otome's girl posse
- Daman Mills as Kentaro Sugimoto
- Sarah Wiedenhaft as Kiyoko Sawada.
As for Kentaro's Japanese voice actor, it's Junkya Enoi. Likewise, Rie Takahashi voices Kiyoko Sawada. Furthermore, Lauda and Connors appeared together in the erotic puzzle game series HuniePop and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean as did Kira Buckland so it was natural to include them as the English VAs for Otome, Nanami and the girl posse, respectively. Had this come out earlier, I would have (mostly) chosen different voice actors for these characters. Still, I'm satisfied with the choices so far.
Coincidentally, Makoto Itou's VA Daisuke Namikawa is the voice of Noriaki Kakyoin from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a Japanese series that is frequently compared with Persona.
In terms of naming, the Phantom Thieves are called by their civilian names in their personal lives and their codenames when fighting corrupt individuals. In the case of Igor and Lavenza, they will always refer to Ren/Joker as the Trickster. These will be naming conventions for the entire story. Similarly, every chapter title is called "Episode (X)" in reference to School Days and the anime adaptation.