The team frantically returned to the entrance of the TV world in order to get a better idea of where Yui was. Once Rise and Teddie were able to pinpoint her location, they found themselves at the place where Yui was being held.
"It's an art museum…" Chie stated.
"It makes sense. She was an artist, after all." Naoto said.
"But why does it look so ancient?" Yosuke asked.
"It doesn't matter! Yui-chan's in there! We have to save her!" Chie exclaimed.
"Yes! We have to be quick if we want to stop Adachi in time." Yukiko said.
The group went through the stone entrance to the museum, and the light quickly began to fade the further they ventured.
"What we saw on the TV earlier was senpai's Shadow, right?" Rise asked.
"Seems like it to me." Kanji replied.
"So even she has one…"
"But how is that possible? She already has her Persona!" Chie pointed out.
"I have a theory, but it will have to wait." Naoto said.
Once they were within the main hall, the ceiling lights flickered on, but due to how dim they were, the hall remained fairly dark. The brightest lights shone down on various art pieces of different media, from paintings, to statues, to ink prints. A familiar looking girl walked up to the group, a beam of light following her wherever she went.
"Good evening, guests. Welcome to the Narukami Exhibit." Shadow Yui greeted.
"You must be Yui-chan's Shadow!" Chie said.
"Why greet me this way, Chie-chan? I thought we were closer than this?" Shadow Yui asked.
"The Yui-chan I know doesn't dress like a mummy!" Chie responded.
"Come now. You came all this way. The very least you could do is give the artwork their due respect. Like this one." Shadow Yui said, motioning to a painting on a wall.
This painting was titled, "The Hermit", and it depicted the vague image of Yui sitting in her old room, scribbling away at a sketch that didn't look like anything in particular, while sketches of a similar nature plastered the walls.
"The plight of the artist with ambitions too great for mere mortals. It says so much, with so little." Shadow Yui said poetically.
"We don't have time for a gallery tour! Where's the real Yui?!" Yosuke shouted at the Shadow.
"What do you mean? I AM the real Yui!" Shadow Yui insisted.
"This is getting nowhere. She's just like all our Shadows from before. We'll just have to find senpai at the end of this museum." Naoto told the others.
Just then, a pair of Shadows taking on the form of lion goddesses came along and stood in their way, pointing spears in their direction.
"Remember dear guests, absolutely no touching the art displays. Damaging the artwork will result in fines and/or death!" Shadow Yui said with a chuckle.
The team summoned their Personas to fight off the Shadows. While they were distracted, Shadow Yui took her leave, disappearing at the same rate that the spotlight faded.
Tomoe finished off the Shadows with a stab to the chest, allowing the team to push forward.
"OK, while we have a moment to breath, does anyone know how Yui has a Shadow?" Yosuke asked the group.
"Truthfully, I believe being able to use a Persona does not necessarily mean a person is devoid of their Shadow. You see, Persona and Shadow are analytical psychology terms, referring to the identity mask we publicly show, and the repressed id. While we are naturally conscious of the image we put on display for others, the Shadow is unconscious. Not immediately apparent to ourselves. So it's very possible that Narukami-senpai has always had a Shadow she never knew of." Naoto explained.
"But isn't she supposed to be special? She never faced herself to gain her Persona." Yukiko noted.
"Perhaps the circumstances in which she obtained her Persona are special, allowing her to do so without facing her Shadow. Of course, her situation has changed." Naoto hypothesized.
"I know how we're gonna solve this. We're gonna find senpai, root for her to stand up to herself, and then she'll be free! This is her fight now, but we gotta be there for her!" Kanji said confidently.
The team entered a new section of the museum, which appeared to be an artifact room, with various objects placed in glass display cases.
"Are these supposed to be artifacts? But they're just regular, modern stuff." Yosuke asked.
"Hello!"
The others turned to see a different looking Yui, one who wore an uncharacteristically cutesy blue Lolita dress and stockings. She had the biggest grin on her face, which proved to unnerve everyone else.
"You're all here! I'm so happy my friends all came to see my work in the Narukami Exhibit!" She said in an extremely cheery voice.
"What?! Who's this Yui? Is this another Shadow?" Yukiko asked in confusion.
"Can that happen? Then again, I guess Rise-chan did have multiple Shadows too." Yosuke said.
"That's true. But what does this mean for senpai?" Rise asked.
Shadow Yui came up to Chie, putting on the happiest face for her.
"I'm especially happy to see you here, Chie-chan! You're part of the reason I tried so hard to set this all up!" Shadow Yui told her.
"I...really?" Chie asked.
Shadow Yui wrapped her arms around Chie.
"Of course! You're my whole life!"
Chie shoved Shadow Yui away, which seemed to hurt her feelings a bit.
"Let go of me! You're not the Yui-chan I know!" Chie told her.
"What?! How can you say such a thing? We're sweethearts!" Shadow Yui asked in shock.
"Yui IS my sweetheart. But she's nothing like this. She was never this...bubbly." Chie said quietly.
"*sigh* Could it be that you don't love me anymore? Oh, how tragic!" Shadow Yui whined in sadness.
"What?! Is that how Yui-senpai feels? Does she somehow think you don't love her anymore, Chie-senpai?" Rise asked in shock.
"Why would she think that, though? I can't even remember the last time I got angry at her." Chie wondered.
"I know, Chie-chan. I know I don't deserve you. But I hope you'll still stick around to see the unveiling of my magnum opus!" Shadow Yui chimed.
"Magnum what?" Yosuke asked in confusion.
"Magnum opus. An artist's greatest work." Naoto clarified.
"There are so many relics I've organized. Like this DVD of 'Kokoro Guardian'! This was where I had my first fictional crush on Harumi! Ah, it's a bit silly to think of now! And my first paintbrush! I ended up breaking it on accident." Shadow Yui said enthusiastically.
"Enough! Where's Yui-chan?!" Chie shouted in frustration.
Suddenly, a few sarcophagi opened up, revealing masked mummies with painted eyes. They all rushed toward the team, causing them to ready their Personas.
"Try not to get lost! I'll be waiting for you in the Hall of Epiphany!" Shadow Yui said playfully.
Shadow Yui blew a kiss at Chie before walking away with a spring in her step. Chie barely noticed this while she fought off the mummy Shadows with the help of her friends.
After fighting back against the mummies and running from crocodile Shadows, the team reached a pair of doors with a sign above it that read "Hall of Epiphany".
"This has to be it! Yui-chan's behind this door!" Chie said with determination.
"Alright, get ready everyone!" Yosuke told the others.
Chie opened the door, allowing everyone to rush inside. They saw the mummified Shadow Yui standing in the middle of the room, painting something on a canvas. The room itself had cloth curtains on the walls, luxurious dressers, tables, and other such furniture, complete with a king sized bed adorned with gold and jewels.
"This room...it's a pharaoh's bedchamber!" Naoto stated.
"Ah, you're finally here. Welcome to the Hall of Epiphany. Here, you're about to witness the culmination of my life's work, my magnum opus...once it's finished." Shadow Yui stated.
"Where's Yui-chan?! You'd better tell us right now, or I'm kicking that painting over!" Chie shouted.
"So much impatience and hostility. You can't know how difficult artistry is until you've embarked on your biggest project." Shadow Yui replied, shaking her head.
"Hey, why isn't Yui anywhere? Shouldn't she be using her Persona to fight this girl?" Yosuke asked.
"Up there! I see her!" Rise called out.
The others looked up at the ceiling and saw the real Yui, tangled up in bandages that covered her arms, legs and mouth. Her Persona, Yumiko, was bound in glowing chains beside her, and it suddenly became clear to her friends why she wasn't able to fight back.
"Yui-chan!" Chie cried out.
Yui managed to look down at her friends below, but could only respond with a muffled yell.
"She fell into these chambers not long ago. She was lucky I was able to catch her in my net before she hit the floor." Shadow Yui explained.
"Net? More like a spider's web." Kanji said in disagreement.
"It's been far too long since we last spoke together. We have so much to catch up on." Shadow Yui called out to Yui.
"Let her go!" Yukiko demanded.
"I can't do that. I need her to pose for me so I can complete this painting." Shadow Yui stated.
"Screw you! I'm getting her down!" Chie shouted, summoning Tomoe.
Tomoe flew up to Yui, attempting to cut the bandages that bound her. However, the bandages caused the blade to bounce off, while also delivering an unpleasant shock to Tomoe that transferred to Chie. Chie yelped in pain, falling to her knees.
"I really don't recommend doing that. She's an art piece in itself." Shadow Yui said with a sly grin.
"What do we do? How do we get Yui-senpai out of here?" Rise asked the group.
"I'm sorry to say, but she's here to stay. At least until my masterpiece is perfected." Shadow Yui insisted.
Suddenly, Shadow Yui turned into TV static, taking on the form of the Shadow Yui with the cute dress. This surprised everyone else in the room.
"She's so cute up there! Gift wrapped just for her girl!" Shadow Yui giggled.
"What's going on?! They're the same Shadow?" Yosuke asked.
"You know, there was a time I was pretty introverted. Didn't ever talk to anyone. But the truth is that I really like people, generally speaking. They're so much more interesting, so much more accomplished than I am! There's really nothing special about me as a person. Chie-chan deserves so much better than me." Shadow Yui confessed as she continued to paint.
"How can you think that? You DO deserve me! I love you!" Chie said in shock.
"Yeah...I don't deserve Chie-chan's love. I don't deserve ANY of my friends, now that I think about it."
Yui's friends all gasped in horror at this statement, causing the Yui up above to look away in shame.
"What do you mean, you don't deserve us? What are you talking about?" Yosuke asked in disbelief.
Another flash of static, and the mummified Shadow Yui returned.
"It's because I'm pathetic. I'm not special in the slightest. I'm just an ordinary, uninteresting person, who doesn't deserve the gifts she was given. What's worse is that I try to pretend I deserve these nice things by being genuine. By getting people to like who I present myself as." Shadow Yui murmured.
Shadow Yui took a bucket of black paint and splashed it on the canvas before picking up her brush and furiously swiping it up and down the painting.
"As a little girl, I thought to myself, 'I should be an artist!' That'll get more people to like me! But I'm so mediocre, it's a blight on the soul! How can I possibly make an impression, when my work is nothing to write home about? No matter how many I make, no matter how much time I spend on them, it is never good enough! It will NEVER be enough!" Shadow Yui growled.
"Is this really how she feels? But her art is wonderful!" Yukiko muttered.
Static flashes again, and the other Shadow Yui shows up.
"Well, since you've all been so kind to me all this time, I'm going to show you my work in progress masterpiece! Ready?" Shadow Yui said eagerly.
Shadow Yui turned the painting so that the others could see it. It was a black, distorted image of Yui screaming, surrounded by lines and marks that communicated a negative energy. Everyone who looked at the painting recoiled in disgust. Shadow Yui switches forms again.
"What? You don't like it? *scoff* Philistines…" Shadow Yui asked with a snarl.
Shadow Yui turns the canvas back around.
"Fine, I'll keep working on it…" Shadow Yui says as she makes more brush strokes.
"I think I understand what's going on. Senpai's Shadow isn't just one aspect. It's her dissatisfaction with her talents as an artist, and her belief that she deserves loneliness." Naoto stated.
"She's known this her whole life! She knows that this is her true inner self! She's pushed me away before, but she can't do it forever! When you peel away the falsities, scrub away the pretty mask, I'm what remains!" Shadow Yui said angrily, her brushing becoming increasingly agitated.
"Yui-chan! You have to accept yourself! That's the only way!" Chie called out to Yui.
Yui looked down at her friends, and then to her Shadow. All she could manage to do was begin crying. When Shadow Yui saw this, she broke out into maniacal laughter.
"How does it feel?! How does it feel to know that you're such a pathetic soul, that you can help others accept their demons, while you can't accept your own?!" Shadow Yui shouted with a sick smile.
Shadow Yui continued to laugh as energy began to coalesce within her.
"Oh well. It's common for artists to only become famous after they die. Maybe when I leave this world, my art will be appreciated! But I know it won't happen! I don't deserve even a posthumous honor!"
Shadow Yui transformed into a giant, decaying pharaoh queen, armed with a scarab staff and an ankh blade. Her eyes glowed a ghostly blue as she glared at Yui's friends.
"I am a shadow of the true inner self! My soul is a tarnished painting, unfit to be a masterpiece. But perhaps my rebirth will serve to make me into a grand piece of art! Come, make yourselves a part of my work!" Shadow Yui boomed.
Shadow Yui swung her ankh towards Yui's friends, causing them to dodge out of the way and summon their Personas to fight.
"Stay on your toes, everyone! I'll try to find its weakness!" Rise told the team, using Himiko to try analyzing Shadow Yui.
Konohana Sakuya took the opportunity to try freeing Yui by igniting the bandages that bound her, but found that the fire quickly extinguished, leaving not so much as a singe. Meanwhile, Jiraya and Tomoe traded blows with Shadow Yui, which proved difficult as Shadow Yui deflected most attacks with ease. When Take-Mikazuchi swung his weapon, Shadow Yui dodged out of the way and smacked him in the head with her staff, which caused Kanji and his Persona to fly backward. Sukuna-Hikona zipped around Shadow Yui, taking slashes wherever possible. Shadow Yui responded by firing a bolt of electricity from her staff, striking both Sukuna-Hikona and Naoto and causing them to shriek.
"It is useless! I know your strategies! I have seen your darkest traits. All will fall to shadow!" Shadow Yui declared.
Darkness began to seep through the ceiling and soak into the bandages that tied Yui, causing her to panic and struggle harder. Rise peered into Shadow Yui's form, and managed to see a glimpse of something.
"Everyone! I see the other Shadow Yui in there!" Rise stated.
"How's that supposed to help us?" Yosuke shouted as he dodged a lightning strike.
"I'm not sure how to describe this...I think she's...giggling? Like she's enjoying watching us fight." Rise explained.
Rise suddenly came up with an idea.
"Wait! Let me try something!"
Himiko emitted a flash of light and a pinging sound.
"Senpai! Can you hear me?" Rise asked.
Yui tried to call out to Rise, but could only mumble.
"Not you, senpai! Your Shadow!" Rise clarified.
Himiko managed to reach the other Shadow Yui within, projecting her voice to the team.
"Rise-chan? Why do you want to talk to me? I'm not worthy of befriending an idol." The inner Shadow Yui said with an echo.
"Yes you are! I became your friend because you were so kind and considerate to me! You held me up when I needed support! You helped me find love! You're my favorite senpai!" Rise told Shadow Yui.
Shadow Yui seemed to sigh in delight upon hearing this praise. At the same time, Yui's bindings seemed to loosen a small amount.
"That's it! Everyone, tell Yui-senpai how you all feel about her!" Rise told the others.
"Yes!" Everyone else responded.
Shadow Yui became more aggressive, firing several bolts at the group. While the others went forth to keep her busy, Yosuke was the first to speak his mind.
"Yui, I'm not sure if you'll listen. But if you will, then I want you to know how much you mean to me. I can't even begin to say how much you've changed my life. You tolerated me at my worst, nudged me in the right direction, and even then you sometimes let me act on my crazy ideas so I could learn from them. I don't know how else to say this except, you're like the sister I never knew I wanted, or needed. So please, fight this dark feeling in your heart! I need you to stop me from doing stupid things every now and again!" Yosuke stated firmly.
"Shut up! You're such a pain!" Shadow Yui barked.
Deep within however, the other Shadow Yui had something different to say.
"You annoy me a lot sometimes, the way you are. But that's just kind of brother and sister stuff, right? Weird as it might sound, I can see you like a brother, no matter how much I don't deserve one!"
Yui's bandages loosened some more, and some of them even fell off and drifted toward the floor. Despite this, the darkness continued to crawl toward her. Jiraya launched a whirlwind at Shadow Yui, disorienting her for a moment.
"I tried to run away from a lot of things, mainly my responsibilities at the inn. And during that time, you encouraged me to pursue the decision that felt right to me. But when I eventually decided that taking over the inn was something I'd be able to handle, you supported that too. I owe so much to you. And I want you to keep teaching me how to cook, no matter how slow I might be. Please don't give up on yourself, Yui-chan! You never gave up on me, after all!" Yukiko said with a nervous smile as she dodged several weapon strikes.
"You're far better than me in every regard! Don't talk to me like you've somehow benefited from me being in your life!" Shadow Yui shouted.
"You're so much prettier than I am. But you've still got some flaws, like anyone else. Maybe...maybe getting to know you wasn't a mistake. But...I'm not so sure…"
"Come on, senpai! I don't think I need to tell you at this point how much you've helped me. You stuck with me no matter how much I doubted myself, or how much I stuck to my stubborn old ways. You helped me realize what being a man truly meant! That my stupid, cute hobbies were alright to like. So come on! You can beat your Shadow, damn it! I believe in you, senpai!" Kanji called out.
"You were wrong to look up to me! I'm not fit to be a role model!" Shadow Yui shouted.
"Truth is, you're so strong and brave sometimes. If anything, I look up to you! There are times where I wish I were brave enough to embrace my more grossly feminine side."
Yui's bandages loosened some more, but the darkness was already beginning to envelop her arms and legs, causing her to emit a muffled scream. Take-Mikazuchi tried to free Yui with his weapon, but still to no avail. Shadow Yui retaliated by unleashing the bandages on her body, strangling Take-Mikazuchi and Jiraya, and thus restricting Kanji and Yosuke's movements.
"Sensei! Even since the beginning, you were always so nice to me! Even though I'm a Shadow, you gave me so much care, even welcomed me into your world! I'm proud to call you my sensei, I always was! Come on! This Shadow should be no problem for you!" Teddie exclaimed.
"Stupid bear! There's nothing special about me at all!" Shadow Yui screamed.
"It's funny. Even though I'm so ordinary, you saw me as so much more. Is it because you're not from my world? Or is it because...you understand something that I don't?"
"Senpai. I can't begin to describe how much your words meant to me, when I was struggling with my identity. Had you not pointed me in the right direction, I might still be lost. But you showed me that it was not just good that I was a woman, but great, and did nothing to lessen my worth as a detective. Now, you're struggling just as I was. Please, stay strong! Believe in yourself, like I believe in you, senpai!" Naoto said calmly and confidently.
"You're so much smarter than I am! You should know better than to associate with someone so plain and uninteresting!" Shadow Yui said with a growl.
"Yet you somehow weren't smart enough to realize that girly clothes and cutesy voices weren't for you. That's more my thing, even if I don't like admitting it. Could it be that I...that I could learn a thing or two from you?"
Yui's bandages were now loosened significantly, allowing her to struggle just a bit more. Unfortunately, the darkness was now up to her neck, and before Yui could free herself, her entire body was enveloped by the shadows. In the infinite darkness, Yui's darkest thoughts and memories echoed back to her.
"You're the weirdest girl ever! No boy will ever like you if you act like that!" An old female classmate said disparagingly.
"What are you shying away for? You're not gay, are you? Gross…" A creepy boy muttered.
"I don't know a kinder way of putting this, Yui-chan...you'll never make an impact on the world with art skills like this. This is mediocrity incarnate…" An art teacher said rather harshly.
"You really should do something better with your life, Yui. We're worried for you…" Yui's mom and dad told her as she crumpled yet another failed art piece.
As these thoughts continued to rattle her mind and heart, Yui shut her eyes and cried, accepting her fate...until she heard a familiar voice.
"Yui-chan? If you can still hear me...I'm not sure you'll believe me, but I can't help but say the same stuff I've always said when it came to you. You're my whole world. You indulged in my unorthodox ways, held me up during my worst moments, showed me your incredibly fascinating view of the world. But most importantly, you allowed me into your heart, and you took so much care when I let you into mine. I love you, Yui-chan! I love you more than the sun, the moon, and the stars! I want to spend the rest of my life with you in my arms!" Chie called out to Yui.
Though Yui still couldn't physically respond, she did the next best thing and responded with her thoughts.
"Chie-chan...I love you too. More than I love myself, honestly. I don't know what I did to deserve your love…" Yui replied.
"You were yourself, that's what. We need you, Yui-chan! You've still got friends that need you in their lives!"
Just then, Chie's hand reached out to Yui from outside the darkness. Using all her strength to reach out, Yui managed to grab Chie's hand. Once she did so, the hands of the rest of her friends grabbed on and pulled her out of the void.
The darkness around Yui receded, and the bandages began to tear away. The bandages all broke at once, causing Yui to start falling. Tomoe caught Yui halfway down and carried her down to her friends. Yui ripped away the bandages, starting with her body and ending with her mouth. Chie went up and hugged Yui like never before.
"I'm so glad you're OK!" Chie stated.
"Thank you, everyone." Yui said gratefully.
Yui turned to her Shadow with a determined look in her eyes.
"Alright then, I'm done hiding away from you!" Yui said to her Shadow.
"You don't have the will!" Shadow Yui shouted.
"Try me." Yui responded.
Yumiko managed to rip away her chains and immediately flew towards Shadow Yui. Shadow Yui tried to fight her off, but was continually countered by every attack Yumiko threw at her. Yumiko wrapped some bandages around Shadow Yui's legs and swept her into the air, crashing her down into the floor with a deafening smash. Yumiko then used her bandages to completely wrap up Shadow Yui, tightening her grip. Shadow Yui proved to be resilient, however, tearing away at the bandages. Yui strained against Shadow Yui until her friends pitched in, using their Personas to grab each of the bandages and pull on them until Shadow Yui could no longer resist.
"Now, senpai!" Rise cried out.
Yui conjured a tarot card and glared defiantly at Shadow Yui, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Ziodyne!" Yui recited.
A giant bolt of lightning came down, electrocuting Shadow Yui and creating a blast of blue light that filled the room. When Yui and her friends were able to open their eyes again, all that remained was a dissipating Shadow Yui, flickering between her mummified and dress form.
"Finally…" Yui muttered.
Yui turned to look at her friends, still a bit shameful of what had transpired. Chie came up to her and gently held her face.
"I think you need to talk…" Chie said.
"We don't exactly have all the time in the world right now…" Yui said, reminding her of what they still needed to do.
"I know. We can unpack it all later. But...maybe unpack some of it right now." Chie insisted.
Yui breathed a deep sigh, nodding in agreement.
"All I ever wanted to do was be an artist. When I had no direction in life, that seemed like the most sensible decision. 'How hard could it be?', I thought. *scoff* If I only knew. But compared to everything else happening in my life, it was simple. My parents were constantly traveling because of their jobs, I didn't have any close friends, others pushed me away the moment they found out I liked girls. Shutting myself away to toil away at art, no matter what form it took, was a far better alternative to interacting with people. It ate away at me, and the worst part is that the only thing I truly set my mind to, my art, wasn't good enough for me. No matter what it looked like, how hard I worked, it didn't meet the expectations I had. But I was too invested to give up on it. I thought to myself, 'one day, I'll make something truly great! I just have to keep trying.'" Yui told her friends, her heart heavy.
Yui shook her head.
"Even now, I'm still chasing that impossible goal. I have to scold myself, convince myself that what I made is finished. That it's good enough. Do you remember that painting I made for you, Chie-chan? It was harder to stop myself than you can understand. Many times I had to say to myself, 'she'll love it no matter how it turns out'" Yui said with an anxious grin.
"And I did! How could you ever think it wasn't good enough?" Chie asked.
"When you love someone enough, you want things to be perfect for them. Don't tell me you've never felt that way, Chie-chan." Yui stated.
"Your art is way better than I could ever make, Yui-chan. Better than half of us here could. You're so much more talented, so much more capable than you give yourself credit for, in anything you do! Ask anyone else here, we'd all tell you the same thing!" Chie declared.
"That's right, Yui-chan! You're a great listener, for one! I know I can count on you when I need someone to talk to about my troubles." Yosuke told Yui.
"You're a great cook as well! Far better than I am, definitely. That's artistry in itself, don't you think?" Yukiko added.
"You're intelligent in so many ways, senpai. Knowledge is just one of your many strengths. You've come this far in life because of that knowledge. That's commendable no matter how you feel about yourself." Naoto stated.
"And listen, Yui-chan. If art isn't making you happy, there are so many other things you could do that you'd be so good at! It doesn't have to be art." Chie told Yui.
"Oh, it's not that I don't like making art. It's a gratifying experience, to create something beautiful. But my problem was thinking I always had to improve upon myself. While it's always good to do better, I was setting the bar way too high. I really should have noticed that sooner." Yui stated.
"I guess that covers one half of your Shadow. But what about the other half?" Yukiko asked.
"I couldn't believe what I heard from that Shadow! Why would you ever think that you don't deserve your friends? That you don't deserve me?" Chie asked Yui with pain in her eyes.
"Because...because I don't see myself as special. Maybe that's just low self-esteem talking, but I never really felt like I stood out. Being an artist is, realistically, pretty ordinary. So many artists in Japan alone work hard all their lives and never make it big. Most of the time, they're just working to put food on the table. I guess at a certain point, I managed to convince myself that I was alone for a reason. That I deserved it somehow. Whether it's because I'm average looking, behave other than expected, or that I'm a lesbian and apparently don't do a good enough job of hiding it, I told myself, 'this is why you don't have friends'" Yui answered, growing more ashamed as she went on.
"But...you DO have friends. You have us! That's proof enough that you don't have to be alone, isn't it?" Yosuke asked.
"That's true, of course. But...even without any friends, I still had my parents. And yet, they were the most distant people in my life. When they weren't away from home, they couldn't understand my hobbies, my interests. It confused me so much before, but I understand now. That you can be surrounded by people, and still feel lonely. With you guys, though...I think I realized that I made a bit of a mistake." Yui said.
"Mistake?" Yukiko asked in confusion.
"I became such good friends with you all, that I forgot that…"
Yui started choking up.
"That we're not going to be together for very long."
Yui's friends seemed sad at this statement, replying with some variation of, "oh, right".
"Even if we beat Adachi, fix this whole mess, in a few months, I'll have to go back to the city. To my real home. I don't even know if I'll get to come back to Inaba anytime soon. There's a very real possibility that I'll...never get to see you all again." Yui stated.
Yui went up to Chie and held her hands.
"Knowing I'd break your heart by having to leave...that broke mine too. I thought...maybe it's best that way. For you to find someone closer to home, someone even better than I am. I'd...be OK with that. As long as you were happy…" Yui confessed to Chie.
Chie gripped both of Yui's arms with tears streaming down her face.
"Yui…" Chie sobbed.
Yui held her breath, knowing what she just said hurt Chie. Chie took a deep breath and gave Yui her best smile.
"YOU make me happy. No matter where you go, I'll always find a way to reach you. You're the girl I want to be with for the rest of time. You think you're not good enough for me? Get that out of your head right now! Because you ARE good enough! Better than good enough!" Chie insisted.
"Are you sure?" Yui asked.
"Yui, we proposed to each other! We slept in the same bed at a love hotel! What part of, 'I found the one' didn't get through to you the first time?" Chie said with a giggle.
Yui laughed at this, agreeing with Chie's argument.
"I always thought falling in love would be fun. And it definitely is. But nobody ever told me about all the other stuff it came with." Yui said with a chuckle.
"I'd take all of it in a heartbeat." Chie stated.
Yui was now crying heavily, her emotions becoming to great to contain.
"It's true! You really are the one!" Yui cried out.
Yui pulled Chie in for a heartfelt and passionate kiss, and Chie ecstatically wrapped herself in.
"I love you, Yui-chan!" Chie said happily.
"I love you too, Chie-chan! I love you so much!" Yui replied.
The others became very emotional watching their display, wiping away tears. Yui pulled away from Chie to look at her Shadow, who was still wallowing in defeat.
"You think accepting me is that simple? After pushing me away for so long?" Shadow Yui growled.
Yui took a deep breath before walking closer.
"You're right. It's not easy. I've known for some time. But it's about time I faced it for real." Yui said.
Yui reached out and took Shadow Yui's hand, lifting her to her feet. Shadow Yui flickered to her cutesy form.
"You always were a hopeless romantic!" Shadow Yui said with a giggle.
"Yeah...it's embarrassing. But there's nothing wrong with that." Yui replied.
Yui went to pick up the painting on the floor, setting the canvas upright again. She invited Shadow Yui to paint some more, taking whatever colors were available.
"I remembered something one of my teachers said a long time ago. That everyone thinks they're special in some way. To a certain extent, that's true. But if everyone is special, then logically, nobody actually is. That's when the teacher said, 'but that makes the things we accomplish even more special'" Yui told everyone.
Shadow Yui flickered back to her mummy form, a gentle smile on her face.
"I'm an artist. I'll make my magnum opus someday. For now, I'll keep making good works that are just as special. And in order to do that…" Yui began to say.
Yui turned the painting to show the results to her friends: a vibrant self portrait with a few stray brush strokes that served to enhance the composition, rather than distract from it.
"...I'll work on treating myself well. Through the good, and the bad." Yui stated.
Yui stepped back, allowing Shadow Yui to look at the painting. She nodded in approval, believing it to be adequate.
"You know we will meet again, right?" Shadow Yui asked Yui.
"I know. It's very likely. You'll probably come back when I start doubting something else about myself. We'll cross that bridge again when we have to. You're a part of me, after all." Yui stated.
Shadow Yui smiled as she dissipated, erupting into a blue energy. Yumiko took form again, and in a flash of light, adopted a new appearance. She had broken shackles around her wrists and neck, an elegant blue robe, and long flowing hair. Yui's friends gasped in awe at this transformation.
"Whoa! Senpai's Persona! It changed!" Rise exclaimed.
"Awesome!" Chie cheered.
Yumiko turned into a tarot card with the Fool Arcana, floating down into Yui's hand. After catching the card, Yui turned to look at her friends again.
"Thank you all again for rescuing me. You're truly the best friends I could ever ask for." Yui told them.
"How did you even end up here in the first place?" Yosuke asked.
"Confronting Adachi by myself was a mistake. Almost got me killed. He should have shot me when he had the chance, because now, there's no stopping us." Yui explained.
"That asshole put you through so much! When I'm done with him, there won't be a single unbroken bone in his body!" Chie said angrily.
"Don't worry. We won't let him get away with his crimes. We're going to beat him!" Yui said confidently.
With that, the team left the museum and went back to Magatsu Inaba, prepared and empowered to confront and stop Adachi.
Author's Note(11-18-23): I always wondered what Shadow Yu would have been like, maybe as a secret boss fight, or an extra scene in an anime adaptation. When I decided to make this fanfic about a genderbent Yu, giving her a similar name and an almost new personality, I realized I had an opportunity to imagine a Shadow of my own. Coming up with what was essentially a new dungeon encounter was no easy task, and knowing that time was not plentiful for the heroes, I had to be as brief as possible without rushing things too much. The primary idea here was to explore the plight of the artist, a more general conflict that was common for anyone who's ever done any creative project, and also explore a more personal demon of loneliness. Or more particularly, feeling as though you're better off alone. "People judge me before they get to know me" and all that. It might seem strange to think this way when you do have people that adore and care about you, but it's a very real and common feeling to have, especially when you're part of a marginalized group. I certainly liked the idea of a Shadow that was repressed for so long that it took on multiple negative attributes. While this chapter was fun to write, I think it's time for the Investigation Team to finish things.