Shin Persona Evangelion

by Ultra Sonic 007

Shinji Ikari stared, bewildered by the bizarre-looking man, who gave an intrigued smile. "An interesting guest has arrived. My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room, young fool...we have important matters to discuss, you and I." (A fusion of the realms of Evangelion and Persona, where not all is as it seems.) (Cover art by Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums.)

76. Saturday - August 15, 2015

Sokila was drawing again.

"...that was pretty rough, huh?"

She was drawing Mayumi Yamagishi.

"Your friend...she was really lonely, wasn't she...?"

Mayumi was using Armisael like a hula hoop.

"But I'm glad you were able to help her!"

She leaned back, looking at another picture; it showed himself, Kensuke, Toji, Mana, and Mayumi holding hands.

"...I wish..."

The faint haze of blue began to brighten-

xxxx

/Saturday: August 15, 2015/

/Sojiro Sakura's Residence, Nishiawakura, Okayama Prefecture/

Shinji Ikari slowly opened his eyes; judging by the relative lack of light, it was still early in the morning. This...is a familiar ceiling...

"Are you well?" whispered a quiet voice.

Shinji, blinking dumbly, slowly turned; none other than the First Child was standing in his room, leaning against the wall. The fact that she was wearing her Hakone Academy uniform was...strangely reassuring, for all its normalcy. "Ayanami-san...?" As his mind thought back to the day prior, he suddenly became concerned. "...are you okay?"

Rei blinked. "Why are you concerned?"

"Well...during the July new moon, we both fought together against Ramiel..."

"So you expected my assistance as well? That's understandable."

"Sorry...you were probably doing something just as important."

"...I fought an Angel alongside the Second Child in the Atlantic. Given her location, I believed it would be prudent to back her up."

Shinji blinked. Sohryu-san? "Was she okay?"

Rei nodded. "After recuperating, I believe she used her powers as an Evangelion-user to finish the journey to America with Sister Mary..."

xxxx

/NERV-01, Outskirts of Boston Dead Zone/

It was still August the 14th, in America. As late afternoon rolled on for the East Coast, Asuka Langley-Sohryu glared at her newest opponent.

Futaba Maruki held a headband affixed with two black triangles. "Put it on."

"I don't want to."

"It's not that you don't want to, it's that you don't want to look like a cat. Put 'em on."

"...do I have to?"

"Gee, what could the possible answer to that question be-YES. YES YOU DO."

"You don't need to talk so loudly, dear," murmured Takuto Maruki.

"...I don't like the black color," grumbled Asuka.

"Heh, saw it coming." Because of course, Futaba put away the black headband and pulled out another one colored a pleasing shade of red. "Voila!"

With a mulish pout, Asuka glanced towards Sister Mary, who simply said, "they are technically your superiors, Miss Sohryu. I would highly recommend obedience."

"...hmph..."

Futaba grinned like a particularly mischievous cat. "If it makes it any different, when Shinji Ikari was last here in July, he put them on and didn't even complain once-"

Asuka already had the headband on. "There. Happy?"

"As a parakeet!" cheered Futaba.

"Isn't it 'happy as a lark'?" asked Takuto.

"I think parakeets sound happier, because they can repeat dirty jokes with a smile. Figuratively speaking."

Sister Mary raised a hand. "Don't you mean a 'budgie'?"

Futaba pointed dramatically at a nun. "Don't you bring that there foreign English into this place; you're in America now."

"...foreign English?" sputtered Asuka. "That makes no sense!"

"And you're already feeding me data on your cognitive profile, so thanks for that."

Asuka was led away by Sister Mary before she could go into an apoplectic fit.

"...why do you always like antagonizing her?" asked Takuto.

"Because whenever she's visited the First Branch, she's always given off the impression of someone way too up their own ass. Can you even imagine what she'd be like if she hadn't had Mitsuru to rein her in?"

"...honestly, she's never seemed like that to me. I think you just like pushing her buttons because you find it funny."

"Well duh. Girl takes herself too seriously, and her temperament makes for humorous results."

"And yet you've never done the same whenever Ayanami was here for testing."

Futaba snorted. "Because pushing her buttons is sad instead of entertaining."

xxxx

"...but she was uninjured, as far as I could tell," finished Rei. "We managed to triumph. We were reinforced, surprisingly, by Mister P."

"...he was there?"

She slowly nodded, looking somewhat...vexed. "I was under the impression he would stay behind to keep an eye on you, should something go wrong...when he told us that you were facing Armisael, I was concerned. Armisael is...not a pleasant Angel to face."

"...I guess so..." he murmured, thinking back to everything he had experienced inside the Angel's domain. "...were you aware, that Mayumi Yamagishi had an Angel inside of her?"

"...I see." Rei shook her head. "Had I known Armisael was within Mayumi Yamagishi, I doubt I would have let her get close to you."

Shinji stared at her, almost shocked at her bluntness. "Ayanami-san...?"

"...my apologies. I normally read NERV's debriefings after every new moon, but since one hasn't been filed yet, the events you experienced are...unknown, to me." The blunette stared silently at the ceiling. "...to think that an Angel of Armisael's caliber was so close..."

"...Ayanami-san." When the girl looked back towards him, he continued, "when we talked at that cafe in Tokyo-3...before I left on the road trip...when we talked of...the stuff that you knew, about what's really been happening..." The War in Heaven. The battle against the Angels. The Usurper. How much more was there? "...you told me that I didn't need to know. That rushing ahead would be to my detriment...that trying to force matters would not help."

"I recall."

"Do you still think that? Even with everything that's happened since I started this summer vacation?" The Ai Ferry. The battles with Sho Minazuki. The fact that Mayumi had been bound to an Angel for...a very long time. (For more than one life, it seemed.)

"...yes," she admitted, with seeming reluctance.

"...Ayanami-san...it's not just about me. Other people are being affected by everything that's been happening...don't they also deserve to know?"

"Other people would be affected regardless of how much they knew," she coolly responded. "And the question of 'who deserves what'...is a difficult one, when your choices are restricted by circumstances beyond your control. Would additional knowledge help you, or would it damn you? Would it provide the key to our salvation, or the key to our perdition? These are questions I must struggle with, daily."

"And how do you know if you're right?"

"...I don't. And that is my burden to bear."

"If...if it weren't for the people around me, I don't think I'd be able to bear my burden," he earnestly said. "Why can't I help you with yours?"

"...because it's not yours. And it's not your fault. To add my struggles on top of yours...would be unfair."

"I...I don't think fairness matters. Because if life were fair...would we be Evangelion-users?"

At this, Rei Ayanami seemingly had no answer, at least for ten seconds. "...whatever you ask; whatever knowledge you seek; whatever answers you find...all I ask is that you be discreet. I cannot stop you. But please...please..." Just once, her voice cracked, ever so slightly. The stoic tone swiftly returned. "...don't be rash."

"...I'll try."

"...then that's all there is to it." Pushing off the wall, Ayanami turned away. "I must be off. Take care, Ikari-kun."

As the girl faded into static and vanished, Shinji impulsively kneaded the bridge of his nose. So much to keep track of...so much happening...how can I do this by myself...?

(In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was how Misato had felt, when he had withheld knowledge about Ryoji Kaji's Shadow.)

(It was...very unpleasant.)

xxxx

Breakfast at the Sakura residence consisted of leftovers from the previous night, as Sojiro Sakura had departed early for his cafe.

("That's the way it always is after a new moon," explained Sojiro as he poured some coffee into a thermos. "People are going to want to unwind, have a bit of normalcy, maybe do a bit of mourning if the new moon was rougher than normal...least I can do to help the locals get back to their feet.")

The only bit of lightheartedness had come from Ken Amada explaining why Junpei Iori hadn't come back with him last night.

(Ken Amada suddenly looked...embarrassed? "Ah..." Putting down his tea, he said, "well, funny story about that...we phased back into reality just outside of Tottori...")

xx

/Last Night/

As the DeLorean decelerated and phased back into reality outside of Tottori, Ken had gone ahead and called his wife to inquire as to her status following yesterday's new moon, whilst Junpei began driving towards the city. Yukari had suggested a cheap place rather close to the hotel that the Bishoujo Senshi Feathermen and the Emporium were currently staying at; this allowed the duo and their wives to briefly catch up while their to-go orders were being completed.

It was during this brief conversation — yes, Tottori had been relatively fine; no, the boys had no injuries to report from Nishiawakura; believe it or not, they hadn't gotten kicked out of the hotel yet due to either Ann, Rise, Yusuke, or Kanji — that Junpei's wife, Chidori Iori née Yoshino, had a salient point to make. "Junpei-kun?"

"Yes, Chi-Chi?"

Chidori flatly ignored her husband's smarmy grin; her rather frilly dress — fit for something out of a wedding, or even a classy maid cafe (if such a thing existed) — drew numerous eyes from other customers, but that was simply her 'thing.' (Just like the other artists in the Emporium had a 'thing'.) With a rather cool tone, she said, "I have had much time to talk with Yukari-san and her subordinates about your time in Nishiawakura. Takamaki-san and Kujikawa-san were especially eager to talk."

Ken (and, unbeknownst to him, Junpei as well) couldn't escape the feeling that they had somehow been sold out. "...about what?" wondered Junpei.

"As it turns out, the Amadas have elected to try and have a child."

Chidori's statement elicited a look of absolute shock from Junpei. "Wait, what?"

Yukari shrugged, trying to brush it off. "Eh, you know how gossip-mongers are..."

"But...seriously Ken?" Junpei looked absolutely flabbergasted. "That's why you pulled your back when they visited?"

"I'll thank you kindly not to talk about that," he muttered through clenched teeth. "...but yes. Yukari and I made that decision."

"...even with...you know, everything?"

Ken nodded solemnly, staring his old partner and comrade straight in the eyes. "...there's more to life than just protecting what we've got. And I think...this is the best way of fulfilling that."

Junpei's frown was a complicated expression. "...that so?"

"Indeed," interrupted Chidori. "If Amada-san has been able to move forward on that regard, then I no longer have a valid reason to accept your prior rationale on the subject, Junpei-kun."

Ken tried not to chuckle at the nervous look on his fellow man's face; until just over a week ago, they had both been in the same boat with regards to the subject of children. That Junpei was suddenly 'left behind' on that regard must not have sat well with him (nor, it seemed, with Chidori). "Hmph...well, in that case, there's no way I can let the junior show me up." With a sudden burst of impulse, Junpei jumped to his feet, nearly knocking his chair over. "Chidori! Let's make a baby!"

Nearby customers boggled at the (quite loud) declaration. Ken sputtered. Yukari simply sighed with disbelief. "Way to live up to your name, Stupei."

Chidori simply looked at the table. "...but there's food on the table. And this restaurant seems like an unusual place to make a baby in."

At that moment, Junpei realized just...where he was. "Oh. Er...well, not HERE, obviously. Like, in a place with a bed. And stuff."

"Then you should be more specific, dear." Chidori calmly stood up before shooting him a calm stare. "Amada-san."

Ken blinked. "...yes?"

"I will be borrowing my husband for an indeterminate amount of time. Will your combat capacity be at an acceptable level for the duration?"

"...er, sure." Because seriously, what else was he supposed to say? "We'll be fine for a day or two."

"You have my gratitude." Without warning, Chidori walked up to Junpei and jumped; almost on instinct, the man's arms reached down, wrapping around her in a bridal carry. "Let us be off."

"...but I wasn't done eating yet-" Chidori sat him a stare, prompting Junpei to blanch. "Er, let us be off, my lady!" Shooting Ken a bewildered grin, Junpei added, "well Kenny...duty calls."

The Amadas watched in perplexed silence as the Ioris departed. "...it still amazes me that somehow, Naoto-chan's husband is the most normal one of that bunch."

Compared to Chidori and Yusuke, Kanji definitely cut more towards normalcy...even if his mentality and demeanor seemed ill-suited for the art world in general. "Oh well. If nothing else, my current assignment has taught me that if you can't do anything about the craziness in your life, better to embrace it than to ignore it." Shortly thereafter, his to-go order was complete, and it was time to say farewell.

xx

("...so yeah," finished Ken, nervously scratching his cheek. "That's why Junpei didn't come back with me, last night. He had to attend to...marital responsibilities.")

(The euphemism wasn't as subtle as the man had hoped. "Jeez, do all chicks get that intense when they get older?" wondered Toji aloud. The boy's answer was a light tap on the back of his head from Ryuji.)

...so yeah. That had been a thing.

But there had been no time to ponder Junpei Iori's fate, for the time of judgment had come: Shinji, Kensuke, Mayumi, Mana, and Toji were sitting in a row in the entry hall, facing Hirofumi Kurosawa, Misato Katsuragi, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Ken Amada. Ren Amamiya sat further away, idly stroking Enkai's fur in silence. Apparently, given his proximity to everything that had happened on this trip so far, Kurosawa didn't feel the need to tell a 'civilian' (if only they knew just what Amamiya-senpai was capable of) to depart. "Now," said Kurosawa, hands holding a notepad and pen. "Yamagishi-san: do you recall knocking out Amamiya-san yesterday?"

"...vaguely," she admitted.

"Then that's where we'll start with the debrief," he said, clicking his ballpoint pen. "Explain with as much detail as you can remember. Don't leave anything out."

Thus began the recollection. Mayumi couldn't remember much of the details regarding her thoughts at the time she left after knocking out Amamiya; only a sense of isolation and loss, tending towards a desire for everything to just...stop. In retrospect, there had been a clear voice goading her on, until she had eventually ended up on a mountain overlooking western Shiso from the northeast.

("A rather far distance...and you believe that voice to have belonged to an Angel?" asked Kurosawa. Mayumi slowly nodded, prompting Kurosawa to write something down. "Continue.")

Cue the morning of the 14th, when the other four teenagers had woken up before anyone else (save Sojiro), at around 5:00 AM. They all mentioned a strange voice or compulsion that beckoned them to wakefulness. They couldn't recall precisely what those sensations had been, though Mana had let slip how she had always felt odd around Mayumi.

("And when did you first feel...odd, around Yamagishi-san?" asked Misato.)

("When I first met her," replied Mana.)

("And how about now?" inquired Kurosawa. "Does she still have that same...sensation?" When Mana shook her head, Kurosawa wrote down a few other notes. "Continue.")

They recalled how they had all felt the Angel's pending manifestation into reality, as well as how Sojiro Sakura had elected to encourage them instead of stop them.

("Hey, like the old man said, it's not like he could've stopped us," retorted Toji.)

("And would you have used force if he tried?" retorted Kurosawa.)

("Well, no, but you get what I'm saying!")

Their departure into the Metaverse had coincided with various Pattern Blue alerts, at which point they described the gigantic mountain that had manifested in the Metaverse by Shiso. Notwithstanding the tendrils boring into the surrounding area, their target had been the peak of the newly-formed mountain. After describing how they had gotten there via a mighty Titan leap...

(Ryuji chuckled at the description. "Sounds like a bit of a thrill ride.")

...the discussion turned to the Angel's Domain, where it had revealed its name and title, as well as its connection to Mayumi.

("Flesh of my flesh since before this time," repeated Kurosawa with a frown. "That's very...peculiar phrasing.")

("Makes me think of the story of Adam and Eve," murmured Misato. When others turned toward her with confusion, she added, "one of the stories my father once told me. When I was younger. But that's not important right now." As she impulsively gripped onto her cross necklace, the discussion turned back to the recollection.)

Kurosawa stopped them a few times to try and see if he could get additional details on the terms used by Armisael: lilim; ADAM; Knowledge's Sacrifice; the Age of Old; the Tree of Life. Naturally, these terms were far too esoteric for the teenagers.

("I can say that 'lilim' seemed to be the term favored by Armisael when it came to describing humans," offered Mayumi. "The Angel didn't explain why, though.")

(Kurosawa hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm...a very unusual term. Anything else you'd like to offer on the point?")

(Mayumi shook her head. Shinji — wisely — kept silent.)

("Very well then." Kurosawa jotted down something else. "Continue.")

The description of the battle had taken a bit, because of the sheer chaos that had been involved (notwithstanding the utter disbelief by the adults in how they had apparently fought an army of Archetypes).

("...huh. Gnarly," muttered Ryuji.)

("...Kirishima-san, you mentioned something about how your axe was attacking the enemies while you hid behind your shield," observed Amada. "Likewise, you could feel your shield protecting you from behind during an attack that required both hands on your axe.")

("Yeah, and?")

("...how did they move when you weren't holding them?")

(At this, Mana had no answer. She simply blinked dumbly, turning to stare with a strangely conflicted — yet hopeful? — expression towards where AIGIS and LABRYS were resting. Kurosawa said nothing, opting to write down additional notes.)

At last, the next phase of the conflict was described, wherein Armisael had begun merging with the bodies of Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana; at that point, Misato had very abruptly stopped the proceedings because why hadn't they gotten a medical exam yet?!

("Seriously, an Angel tried to possess you!" erupted Major Katsuragi.)

("Well, yeah, but we got better," remarked Kensuke, who immediately ducked away from the volcanic glare she sent his way. "Please don't throw me at Dr. Akagi!")

("Enough," grumbled Kurosawa. "We will arrange for a medical examination once the debrief is complete. Continue.")

At that point, Shinji — in mostly vague terms — described his encounter with Armisael, on some other plane of consciousness, before breaking free and trying to get through to Mayumi.

("...did you really quote Shakespeare at the Angel?" said Ken with a shocked stare.)

(Shinji couldn't help the embarrassed blush that came to his face. "Well...it just felt right, since Yamagishi-san had been helping me read through Hamlet, that's all...")

(Misato couldn't help but guffaw at the irony.)

At last, Mayumi had described...well, it could only be described as a conversation with her own Shadow, because the mannerisms and topics covered were far too self-referential to have been anything else. At last, she had described awakening to her Persona...Armisael.

Naturally, Kurosawa had stopped the debriefing and told everyone to switch over to the Metaverse, because he needed to see this. Misato, Sakamoto, and Amada were in agreement as well.

(The adults all stared at Mayumi as she sat in her floating throne, surrounding by a ring formed from a glowing double helix. "...welp, that's one more Persona-user to add to the list," blithely said Ryuji.)

(Mayumi couldn't help but grimace at the attention being thrown her way.)

(Kurosawa took down a few more notes. "Let's head back.")

Once they were back in the real world, a few minutes were spent deliberating as to the possible reasons why her Awakening had been so much more visceral than others', before the discussion turned back to her abilities and how she had aided the other teenagers in battle.

("I...I think the powers I showed were partly due to the fact we were in Armisael's Domain," remarked Mayumi, her lips contorted into a cute pout. "Even when we were in the Metaverse just now...I could tell that I was lesser.")

("In what way?" asked Kurosawa.)

("...how to put it...okay. Imagine knowing how to do Calculus just fine, then waking up the next day to find out that you're unable to solve any problems beyond Algebra." The example was certainly clear enough. "That's how I felt, summoning my Persona just now.")

The recollection moved on to Armisael's seeming descent into mania as the battle continued on. At that point, they had briefly paused to take a break, because Kurosawa had to step outside to take a brief phone call...but also because they had already done a lot of talking.

(As Toji waited for Kensuke to come out of one of the side restrooms, his arms were crossed out of...frustration. Fortunately, it seemed to be shared, since once Kensuke stepped out, the bespectacled boy quietly looked down the hall; no one was watching. "Toji.")

("Yeah?" he answered, no louder than a whisper.)

("...Shinji glossed over that stuff about the War in Heaven...and about the Throne of God.")

(Toji sighed. "Bugging you too, huh? Think Ikari's got a reason for keeping quiet about the questions he asked the Angel?")

("...I think so. Let's ask him about it later.")

("Glad you feel the same.")

(Little did they know, but Mana and Mayumi had come to mostly the same conclusion whilst they were freshening up in the master bathroom.)

(Shinji — not needing to use the restroom — was busy answering Misato, Sakamoto, and Amada's questions about how his Evangelion's powers had manifested in the realm of the Angel, and thus knew none of what his friends had discussed.)

The debriefing resumed shortly thereafter, once Kurosawa came back inside.

("You sure stepped far away," observed Ryuji.)

("It's about another matter I've been looking into," he coolly said. "Just waiting for another update." Looking briefly in Mayumi's direction, Agent Kurosawa retrieved his pen and notepad. "Let's resume.")

Although Shinji didn't have much to contribute at this part ("I was too busy fighting the giant monster...with my giant monster," he sheepishly admitted.), the plan concocted by Mayumi had been discussed in great detail. Finally, it got to the point where Mayumi had dived into the Angel's Core...

("...so after getting free of the Angel, which has apparently been a part of you for as long as you can remember, if not longer...you went back in?" incredulously asked Kurosawa.)

(Mayumi gulped at the scrutiny. "It...it felt...like the proper thing to do, that's all...")

("Besides, it worked, didn't it?" pointed out Mana.)

("...so it would seem. Continue," calmly said Kurosawa.)

...at which point she relayed what she could remember of her encounter with the Angel alongside her Persona. (Unbeknownst to them all, Mayumi withheld the vision she had witnessed of Rei Ayanami talking to the Angel.) Finally, once Unit-01 delivered the final blow, they described the sensation of a great explosion overwhelming everything...

("Which would correspond with the giant cross of light we saw," murmured Kurosawa. "The timing fits.")

...and then awakening atop the mountain bordering Shiso, once more in the real world.

("...it felt...like I was waking up from a long nightmare that I never knew I had," whispered Mayumi, impulsively wrapped her arms around herself. "Even now...it's hard to describe...")

("...I think that will suffice," murmured Kurosawa.)

"And then we basically just waited for you guys to come pick us up," finished Kensuke, jerking a thumb towards Shinji, "because our 'ride' was out cold from exhaustion."

"Sorry..." murmured Shinji.

Agent Kurosawa leaned back in his chair, flipping through his notepad. "...that was quite an interesting debriefing," he said. "The Angel seemed rather verbose...alluding to things I have no context for. But more importantly, beyond questions concerning performance in battle...there's the question concerning your current status, Mayumi Yamagishi."

Mayumi blinked. "...my status?"

"As part of my investigation of Shinji Ikari, I interviewed a lot of people in Tokyo-3. Your parents were among the ones I interviewed." When Mayumi went strangely still, Kurosawa picked up on it. "Have your parents always been so..unique?"

"Hold up," interrupted Ryuji. "Is this really the time-?"

"Quiet, Sakamoto," bluntly said Kurosawa, his eyes not leaving Mayumi for an instant. "Well, Yamagishi-san?"

Mayumi briefly looked to her right — towards Kensuke and Shinji — and to her left — at Mana and Toji — before replying, "...they've been the way they are for as long as I can remember, sir. I...just accepted it as reality."

"Hmm. A possible effect of the Angel residing within you, perhaps." At that precise moment, Kurosawa's phone rang again; he briefly glanced at the number before answering it. "This is Agent Kurosawa," he said, not bothering to excuse himself. "My thanks for your promptness...yes. Do you have a time?" Silence, save for a brief pinching of his eyebrows. "...and the medical examiner was sure?"

'Medical examiner?' mouthed Misato, looking at everyone with confusion.

"...I see. That's all for now. Send a copy of the full report to the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office once you've finished. Thank you." Hanging up, Kurosawa sighed forlornly. "...it seems you are anything but a normal civilian girl, Yamagishi-san."

The bespectacled girl blinked. "Pardon?"

"You've awoken to a Persona, which by itself puts you into a unique legal position...you've confessed to having been bound, albeit unwillingly, to one of the Angels for years...and now, it seems you are also an orphan."

His words were like a bomb, blowing everyone's questions and concerns away with a blast of shock and surprise. Mayumi, at the epicenter, simply stared with utter disbelief. "...o...orphan...?"

Misato impulsively rose to her feet. "What the hell are you-?!"

Kurosawa continued on, ignoring Misato. "After yesterday's battle...on a hunch, I requested for a welfare check to be conducted for your parents. In light of the oddities I witnessed from them, and in light of your connection with the Angel...I had to know, if anything had changed. That was what my first call from earlier was about: to inform me that Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi were found dead in their apartment."

"...dead...?" whispered Mayumi, her hands gripping onto her knees for dear life.

"No signs of struggle. No signs of forced entry or assault. No signs of suicide. It was if they had simply and suddenly shut down...which leads to my second call, just now." Kurosawa quietly leaned forward, folding his hands together. Despite the sharpness of his features, his remorse was clear. "Forensics took over the scene, and a medical examiner was brought on site. As of this time, a cause of death has not been conclusively determined...but what they could tell me was the time of death. And it corresponded very approximately...to the time of day when the cross of light erupted over Shiso."

Mayumi's face slowly began to lose color, as her fingers started to slacken.

"...wait a sec, you mean when the Angel died...oh," muttered Kensuke, eyes widening out of the sudden epiphany. "Then...do you mean-?"

"It would seem that the oddities relating to your parents were a result of the Angel's influence...and on a level more deep than you may have realized," continued Kurosawa, not taking his eyes off of Mayumi; her eyes were still staring straight into his. "I can only speculate as to why the Angel did what it did...but once it perished, so too did they." There was a brief pause. "My sincerest apologies for your loss."

It was only thanks to Mana's steady hands that Mayumi didn't crash onto the floor when she fainted.

xxxx

Misato's first reaction when Mayumi fainted was a fierce desire to punch Kurosawa in the face. (Desires didn't translate always to action, but man it was fierce.)

Her second reaction was a sense of pride when Mana slowly laid Mayumi onto her back before telling the boys to slightly elevate her legs above heart level ("No more than a foot!") and to check her breathing ("...still good," said Aida, his ear placed by Yamagishi's lips): the textbook first aid response to someone fainting.

Her third reaction was to realize that she had never taught Mana that, which meant she had likely learned it whilst under the 'care' of the JET ALONE Project (either as part of her training, or by necessity...which only made her want to hit Shiro Tokita again).

Her fourth reaction was to rise to her feet, glaring daggers at the agent from PubSec. "Kurosawa-san...can we talk outside?"

Kurosawa obliged; as the two walked out onto the engawa, Misato wasted no time in upbraiding him. "Your way of breaking news to people is godawful, you know that?"

"...I veer towards the side of ripping the bandage off," he diplomatically said. "Now she'll have no choice but to come to terms with her current situation."

"She just lost her PARENTS."

"No; she lost them years ago, or at whatever point the Angel first sunk its clutches into them. She's just been made aware of that fact."

"She's just a civilian!"

"Currently, legally...yes. Practically speaking, that ended the moment she awoke to her Persona."

Misato, all but snarling, added, "she's just a kid."

Kurosawa stoically raised an eyebrow. "In a world after Second Impact? In a world with the Child Soldier Laws, and the Cognitive Service Act? The fact she's still a minor is irrelevant."

Misato wanted to rebut him...

(Just the prior day, her attempt at haranguing Sojiro Sakura was swiftly shut down. "Forgive me if my memory fails me, but wasn't the kid summoned to Tokyo-3 precisely so he could do this sort of thing? The Anti-Terror Task Force, NERV, the United Nations...groups like them were the ones who decided that putting children into the line of fire was acceptable if it meant humanity's survival." He jabbed a finger towards the A.T. medallion pinned onto her red jacket. "Don't blame me for your own damn conscience, because heavens forbid it if you feel guilty.")

...but she couldn't. Damn it. "Damn it...this is all so screwed up..."

"Indeed," agreed Kurosawa. "Not only are the Angels allying with misanthropic members of mankind, as they have with Strega...but they've apparently been interacting with individual members of humanity as well, under our noses." The government agent sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Are there others, like Yamagishi? Patsies for the Angels, or bearers of their essence, who are hiding within plain sight?"

Misato grimaced. "...I can't deny the possibility..."

xxxx

/Meanwhile, back in Tokyo-3/

Kaworu Nagisa suddenly sneezed.

BAP.

His training partner looked on with shock at the fact he had managed to jab Kaworu in the face. "Holy shit, I actually hit you!"

Kaworu sniffled, smiling with apparent amusement at how Akihiko, Shinjiro, and the other Boxing Club members were staring at the ring in surprise. "Indeed you did. Well done!"

Nagisa's subsequent blow to the solar plexus knocked the wind out of his training partner, cutting the spar short.

xxxx

Misato shook her head. "Regardless, that doesn't excuse the way you broke the news."

"...perhaps." Turning away, Kurosawa said, "I'm going to inquire with Sakura-san as to the location of the nearest clinics, so we can get a physical checkup on all five of those children. PubSec will cover their expenses."

"Like that's my problem," she griped.

Kurosawa began walking away. "Keep me informed if anything changes."

As the man walked down the hill, Misato resisted the urge to kick at the guardrail. Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT. The overcast sky perfectly fit her mood.

Moments later, the front door slid open; the distinctive 'thump' of a cane clued her in to Sakamoto's identity without having to look at him. "So. That was a thing."

"...yeah," she murmured, feeling as Ryuji leaned against the guardrail beside her. "...poor kid."

"That's putting it mildly. S'what I wanted to talk to you about." She turned, taking in his shrewd expression. "If the girl's an orphan now...there's the matter of determining if she has any next of kin...then there's the whole issue of inheritance...but most importantly...her new powers."

"...yeah."

"Kurosawa's gonna report everything to his superiors."

"I know."

"...and if they decide to act-"

"Then we'll have to act first," interrupted Misato, inwardly resigning herself to a very unpleasant conversation. Stepping a little bit away, she pulled out her phone and dialed a particular number.

"Katsuragi."

"Hello Niijima-san."

"This better not be a call about Mana Kirishima or Toji Suzuhara being injured, because I swear to the gods-"

"Take it easy, take it easy; they're fine. It's actually someone else I wanted to talk to you about. You remember Mayumi Yamagishi, right?"

"...ah yes, the civilian girl."

"The 'completely ordinary civilian girl', as you put it. Well...as it turns out, she's actually not ordinary in the slightest..."

At this, Sae Niijima could only sigh out of irritation. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this..."

xxxx

/Sojiro Sakura's Cafe/

It was relatively busy on the day after the new moon, as Sakura-san had said; fortunately, a cup of coffee and a plate of curry had been a sufficient price to pay for knowledge of the local clinics. Kurosawa's best bet in terms of timing and efficiency would be to have the children check in at Mimasaka Municipal Ohara Hospital, not even a ten minute drive away to the south. With that in mind, he managed to grab a corner table; setting his laptop down — procured from his Corolla, since he hadn't had time to even pull it out after arriving in Nishiawakura on the 13th — he began writing his initial report on the events of the August New Moon.

As his fingers tapped rapidly, he let the idle chatter of the cafe filter through his ears, even as myriad thoughts flowed through the back of his mind.

("-my apologies for your loss, Mrs. Noriyama," gravely said Sojiro. "At least you still have your son. When's your husband's funeral?")

(The elderly woman sniffled. "It...it hasn't been decided yet...")

("...you've always liked the hot cocoa here, haven't you? I'll brew you a cup, on the house.")

("Bless you, Sakura-san...")

I still haven't had a chance to get a full rundown from them about what happened on the Ai ferry, thought Kurosawa with a frown, even as he typed in his general observations and potential speculations regarding the nature of Mayumi Yamagishi's (former?) connection with the Angels. The girl's temporary disappearance derailed that debriefing...I'll need to make sure we get that done ASAP.

("I hope the A.T. Task Force will be able to process my claim for the damage done by the Acolyte to my home...")

(As Sojiro poured more curry over rice, he looked at the tanned farmer — doubtless a local — and asked, "they've been good before, haven't they? Not like Hasegawa would stiff you.")

("Oh, I have complete faith in Hasegawa-san! But his organization's reputation has gone down the drain since July...")

Idly spooning more curry into his mouth, Kurosawa kept typing with his free hand. As he entered in his speculations about Shinji Ikari's combat capabilities — based on the testimony of what his fellow teens had witnessed in the Angel's Domain — he pondered, still haven't heard anything from my contacts about Yui Ikari's apparent disappearance, either. He had sent out some feelers after his interviews at Hakone Academy; his most recent follow-up had been a succinct e-mail that only stated 'We're looking into it.' I wonder what role that may have played in the boy having to live with a custodian...I'll have to remember to inquire about how he feels about his father. (Why did thinking about Gendo Ikari fill him with a strange and nameless dread?) I must be tired...

("Boy, sure smells good in here," remarked a man with a rather laidback tone.)

("Haven't seen you around," casually remarked Sojiro.)

("Just a guy living the life. Some call me Madono, some call me Johnny...not sure why. S'not like my English is that good.")

("Uh huh. You want anything?")

("Just a cup of your cheapest brew for the road.")

("Coming right up.")

Taking another sip of his own coffee — black, with just a pinch of sugar and salt to cut back on the bitterness — Kurosawa wondered just how exactly his superiors in Tokyo-2 were going to respond to all of this. In all likelihood...they'll seize upon Yamagishi's status to turn her into a ward of the state. He had no doubt that such a suggestion would go over poorly with the group gathered under Sojiro Sakura's roof. But it's not like they'll be in any true legal position to do anything about it...but will that stop them? Probably not, he feared...which was truly regrettable, because the last thing he wanted was a scene. Seriously, this job can be such a migraine-inducing pain...

(There was the sound of a ruffling poncho, followed by an audible sip. "...I asked for your cheapest.")

("That is my cheapest," dryly answered Sojiro.)

("Seriously? Geez, you must not skimp out.")

("I aim to please. That'll be three hundred yen.")

("I might have to make a point to come back here...see ya!")

("Have a good day, then.")

Sighing, Kurosawa nestled into his seat, typing away at his report. No rest for the weary, alas...

xx

The man who had introduced himself as Madono-slash-Johnny sipped from his styrofoam cup with a rather pleased expression. Man, if only that geezer had been around in Inaba...might've made my stay a little less unbearable. Glancing towards the cafe — or rather, at the hill beyond the train tracks, where an old ryokan was barely visible amongst the trees — he couldn't help but marvel at the sensations of those gathered within. Sure is crowded...too crowded for my tastes. He would definitely have to come back later. Still...I've gotta make a splash somehow. What to do, what to do...

Feeling the first drops of rain begin to fall, Tohru Adachi slipped the hood of the dark poncho over his head before continuing his trek, walking along as if he didn't have a care in the world.

xxxx

The kids had tried distracting themselves by weeding the vegetable garden behind Sojiro's house. Then it had started raining, prompting them to halt their outdoor activity.

Mayumi Yamagishi had quietly watched Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana from the engawa, lost in thought the entire time.

After Kensuke and Toji went back inside, Kirishima paused at the doorway. "You coming inside?" asked Mana.

"...I think I'll watch the rain for a little while," murmured Yamagishi, not bothering to look in their direction.

Shinji lingered, staring at Yamagishi's forlorn expression; as he glanced towards Mana, he somehow felt an entire conversation pass between them with just their eyes (if such a thing were even possible). Finally, Mana nodded to herself. "...maybe you can talk to her."

"Me?"

"Well...you're better with the touchy-feely stuff than I am. Probably better than Aida and Suzuhara, too."

(Why did that statement sound like a violation of the natural order?) "...are you sure?"

Mana shrugged halfheartedly. "Well, you've been pretty good about listening to my issues, haven't you? Besides...I don't know what it's like to lose parents. I don't know if I'd be able to help."

Shinji mentally quivered. "Well..."

His Other stared at the chasm, bridged only by a rickety bridge.

"Do you not have empathy? Are you not determined?"

With a courageous step, he began to cross.

"Who is the greater foe: the Angel...or your anxiety?

"...I'll do what I can," he murmured, resolved to the potential for awkwardness. (Is awkwardness more terrifying than your life-or-death battle against Armisael?) As Mana receded, sliding the door closed (except not really; there was a brief crack that allowed her to observe discreetly...not that she'd be able to hear anything due to the rain), Shinji turned back towards Mayumi. With tepid steps, he sat down a few feet away from her.

For a time, there was only their silence, and the pitter-patter of rain.

"...I should probably talk," finally said Mayumi, her arms wrapped around her legs. "I don't feel like it...but I should...right...?"

"...I don't know," honestly answered Shinji. "I mean...my mother disappeared in 2004, but I don't know if she's alive or dead. I'd...like to think she is, but I honestly don't know." (This isn't about you.) "I'm sorry...I'm just not sure what to say, in a situation like this."

"...it's my fault, though." Shinji blinked at Mayumi's self-condemnation. "If their lives depended on the Angel's continued existence...then when Armisael died, that means-"

"But I'm the one who delivered the final blow."

"I made it possible. My last conversation with Armisael...was what decided it." Mayumi's hands clenched tightly, digging into the burnt orange fabric of her long skirt; her loose-sleeved pink shirt had the added effect of making her seem smaller. "After all...who is to blame? The executioner...or the judge who declares the death penalty?"

"...but you weren't a judge, Yamagishi-san. From the way you described it, Armisael...gave up, after you and your Persona talked with it..."

"...it's strange. The Angel even told me what would happen." Speaking as one reciting an old quote, Mayumi said, "those that relied on my essence to live shall fade away. That's what Armisael said."

"But why would you even think that would apply to your parents-?"

"It makes sense, in retrospect, if you'd known what they were like." With a remorseful sigh, Mayumi held out her hand, letting raindrops collect in her palm. "They were...odd. The sort of odd that you didn't talk about, because it would only make you seem stranger by proxy. There was a brief time where I blamed their behavior for why nobody wanted to get close to me...but it was hard to, you know? They were like...dutiful guards. They never harmed me...they worked diligently to see to any need I had...but you could tell that there was something missing. It's why I simply...stopped trying..." She parted her fingers, letting the gathered water spill. "...and accepted the state of things."

"Yamagishi-san..."

"...I never thought I would be able to change things. I thought I would never amount to anything...but when I manifested my Persona...I felt like I had woken up. And after we had defeated Armisael, when I took my first breath...I felt alive, like never before! This was proof that...it was possible for me to change." Her hand dropped onto the engawa in a boneless manner. "But...the cost...I don't know if it was worth it...it's so strange..."

...I don't know if this is a good thing to say. But necessity compelled Shinji to nonetheless say his piece. "...if you hadn't awoken to your Persona...you might have died. Me, Kensuke, Suzuhara-san, Kirishima-san...we might have died too..."

Another place. Another time. A place where...a momentous decision had occurred.

A decision that had been all but forced. A decision that had been made out of invincible ignorance, for vital knowledge had been kept from him on purpose.

Vowing not to run away, he responded to the source of so many of his miseries: "I'll do it! I'll pilot it!"

And so the die had been cast.

"...and Armisael was trying to kill not just us, but a lot of other people outside of its Domain...so what were we supposed to do? What were you supposed to do? Were you supposed to just...accept death...?"

The Beast laughed derisively.

"As though you can lecture anyone on that regard."

It loomed over an ominous pit.

"After all...how often have you wondered if everyone would be better off..."

A pit...filled with his own bones.

"...if you would just DIE?"

Shinji tried not to feel like a hypocrite as Mayumi mustered up the strength to respond. "...I don't know how I should feel. Part of me wants to cry...part of me feels like I don't deserve it...it's funny...the stories of a lot of A.T. Agents made it seem like awakening to a Persona would make everything...instantly click."

"Kensuke would tell you 'no'," immediately answered Shinji. "I think...Suzuhara-san would say the same thing. And...I think the adults probably would, as well."

"...intellectually...it's easy to parse those words. It's easy to rationalize...but I want to deny it. Even though I shouldn't...I want to...and it feels like spitting in your faces, for all the pain you and the others went through to save me...but then if that's true, then it means I must have made a misstep somewhere, that I should've understood better, that I should've known my parents' condition was due to Armisael...but how could I have known? How could I? It's like no matter what...no matter how little it makes sense...I want to blame myself for something." Taking off her glasses, Mayumi buried her face into her knees. "...no wonder Armisael chose to bind itself to me..."

Shinji honestly didn't know how to respond to that. So he settled for providing an offer of reassurance. "...we're here for you. You...know that, right...?"

"...I know," muttered Mayumi. "But that does nothing to change how I feel." With a self-deprecating snort, she added, "I bet if my thoughts and emotions were a book, it'd be thrown out for being unreadable..."

The conversation died rather quietly after that, because what else could be said in the face of such turmoil? If nothing else...the downpour fit their moods perfectly. Despite their mutual silence, Shinji felt that — if nothing else — he understood her pain a bit better...

xxxx

After several minutes of silence, Mana Kirishima poked her head out. "Hey, uh...Yamagishi?" When they turned towards her, she said, "Katsuragi wants to talk to you."

"...about what?"

"She said it was something important."

With a tired sigh, Mayumi rose, impulsively brushing at her shirt and skirt before walking inside; Shinji followed, if only because he felt...obligated, given recent events. As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed Kensuke and Toji lingering by the threshold between the kitchen and the entry hall. "Is Yamagishi okay?" asked Kensuke.

Shinji and Toji stared at him. (Well, Toji's was more of a glare.)

"You know what I meant. Was she actually responsive?" griped Kensuke.

"...she answered some questions. But she's...struggling. What did Misato-san want?"

Toji shrugged. "She's been on the phone for at least an hour...then she told Sakamoto-sensei and Amada-san to gather into the living room and sent Mana-san to grab her. Not sure what-"

"Hey, Three Stooges!" exclaimed Ryuji from the living room. "Get in here. The more witnesses, the better."

For some reason, the trio looked distinctly...disturbed at being given that title.

(Practically half a world away, in the midst of sleep, Asuka Langley-Sohryu suddenly sneezed for no reason.)

As the three boys walked into the room, Shinji noticed that the chairs had been arranged so that they were arranged around one of the small, flat tables that they had been using for supper. With wordless gestures, Ryuji pointed towards the easy chairs, silently instructing them to take a seat. As he did so, Shinji looked at the corner of the room; Misato was speaking quietly into her phone, such that he couldn't quite make out what she was saying...until, at last, she turned toward them all. "She's on hold. We ready?"

Sakamoto, taking a seat, nodded. "Amamiya's on the front porch. He'll text me if he sees Kurosawa coming back."

"Good." Misato took one of the chairs, establishing the order; with Mayumi at the head of the table, the seating arrangement went counterclockwise through Misato, Ryuji, Ken, Toji, Kensuke, Shinji, and Mana before coming back to Yamagishi.

"I should feel slightly concerned by the fact we've enlisted Amamiya-san's help," remarked Ken, staring intently at Sakamoto.

Sakamoto halfheartedly shrugged. "Given that he's the last true civilian in our little group from Hakone, it was either him or you...and your testimony will count for more, legally speaking."

"...then why are we here?" logically asked Toji.

"The mere fact that you technically fall under the Cognitive Service Act makes your testimony more valuable for something like this, sad to say," answered Ryuji. "But that's besides the point."

"Let's get through this. We at least need to establish appearances." Looking towards Mayumi, Misato said, "Yamagishi-san." When the girl solemnly looked towards her, Misato briefly hesitated before asking, "listen...it hasn't been an easy day for you. I know that. But there's someone I need you to talk to who can help...with your affairs."

"...I'm not sure I understand," murmured Mayumi.

"You will." Placing her phone in the center of the table, she turned on the speaker and said, "you're off hold."

"Understood. Who's all present?" answered a woman's voice.

("Wait a minute..." muttered Toji, under his breath. "Is that...?")

(Mana blinked, recognizing who it was instantly.)

"Everyone save Yamagishi, state your full legal name," commanded Misato. "My name's Misato Katsuragi."

The other two adults readily responded, such that Toji and Kensuke were able to follow along seamlessly. What's going on? wondered Shinji, even as he recited his own name aloud. There was only a slight hesitancy by Mana (if only because she briefly faltered at stating 'Kirishima' as her surname) before it got back to Mayumi.

"Three adults and four minors covered by the Cognitive Service Act. That'll suffice." Clearing her throat, the woman said, "am I speaking to Mayumi Yamagishi, resident of Tokyo-3 and current second-year student of the Junior High Branch at Hakone Academy?"

"...yes," answered Mayumi, somewhat unsure by the sudden turn of events.

"My name is Sae Nijima, from the Special Custodial Service of the Equal Employment, Child, and Families Bureau. Are you familiar with that particular department?"

Shinji blinked, belatedly realizing that this was the first time he was hearing the voice of Suzuhara and Kirishima's custodian. (It was only because of secondhand knowledge from Toji, Misato, and Sakamoto that he even knew the woman was related to Makoto Niijima, the A.T. Agent he had first met outside Sapporo almost two months ago.) She sounds...much more severe, than Makoto Niijima...

"...I've read about it," answered Mayumi.

"Then it probably won't surprise you that as far as my work as a custodian goes, two of my 'clients' are sitting with you right now: I manage the affairs of the Suzuhara Estate, and am also responsible for Mana Kirishima's file on behalf of the Bureau."

At this, Mayumi's face suddenly curdled. "A custodian...because I'm an orphan. Is that why you're speaking to me?"

"Partially. I don't know all the details of your current circumstances; only that it's been sufficiently...impressed upon me that other parties might soon be interested in your affairs. Given what little I know, I imagine that you would like to avoid that."

"...are you referring to the government?" asked Mayumi. "Do you think it's because...of what I was bound to, for so long...?"

"Without additional knowledge of the situation, I can neither confirm nor deny. Since there is no open file on you as a Person of Interest as far as the government is concerned, I cannot comment, nor can I speculate."

Shinji blinked at how conditional the woman's language was being. What's happening...?

Mayumi frowned. "...you're being very careful with your words, Niijima-san."

"By necessity. I'm making sure we do things right. Now, from what I've been able to ascertain from public records, you are the only child of Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi. Is that correct?"

"...yes."

"Did your parents have any surviving siblings or extended family members of their own?"

"...not to my knowledge..."

There was the sound of audible typing coming in from the phone's speaker. "It has also come to my attention that you first manifested a Persona on August the 14th, 2015. Is that accurate?"

"Yes."

"And are there witnesses to your Persona's manifestation?"

"...everyone gathered with me that previously stated their names," remarked Mayumi, her brows furrowing with concentration. "There are others as well who aren't here-"

"That will suffice. Next...when was it first brought to your attention that Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi were deceased?"

Mayumi winced, her bottom lip trembling. "...e-earlier this morning."

"And who relayed this information to you?"

"...a man by the name of Hirofumi Kurosawa."

"Can you state his occupation, to the best of your knowledge?"

Nodding to herself, Mayumi answered, "he's...an Agent for the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office."

"Did you have any reason to doubt his testimony?"

"...no, I didn't..."

"So to summarize: you are a new Persona-user who has been told by a competent authority that your parents have passed away. As the only child of Mahiro and Kyōko Yamagishi, you are the sole heir of their inheritance by law. On a purely provisional basis, pending a more thorough review of the facts at hand: since you are a Persona-user below the age of majority, it falls to an active member of the Special Custodial Service to represent you. I, Sae Niijima, am offering to serve as that custodian until a more formal arrangement can be put into writing. Do you accept?"

Mayumi looked rather flabbergasted by the sudden change of events, so much so that she impulsively looked around for someone — anyone — to provide guidance. "Uh..."

Surprisingly, Toji was the first at bat. "Go for it," he quietly said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Niijima-san's cool."

Mana nodded. "Yeah."

Mayumi, mollified by their reassurance, regained her composure long enough to mutter, "...okay then. I accept."

There was rapid typing on the other end. "In that case, here's my recommendation: given your current situation, I would like to appoint Misato Katsuragi as your temporary guardian when it comes to matters that require the exercise of parental authority. Now, this is only temporary; if there is a more suitable individual you have in mind that happens to live back in Tokyo-3, then I can begin a background check to ascertain their appropriateness. As of this time, while you are beyond the municipal boundaries of Tokyo-3, I highly recommend that you have someone serving as a guardian to assist you with anything...unexpected. Of the available pool of candidates, Misato Katsuragi is the best candidate. Is this agreeable, Katsuragi?"

"For the time being? Yes." When Mayumi turned towards Misato, the woman continued, "let's be clear: I'm not trying to replace anyone. I don't think I could, so I'm not even going to try. But...you're still a kid. Someone needs to watch your back. I'd be willing to do that, if that's okay."

Mayumi was stunned into silence. So much so that it wasn't until Mana grabbed her shoulder that she made another noise. "M-Mana-san...?"

"...I've told you before what I think about Katsuragi," soberly said Mana. Briefly looking in Misato's direction, she added, "...I'd take it."

"...if...if you say so..." Inhaling and exhaling in a manner that struck a chord with Shinji, Mayumi finally said, "could...could you please repeat the offer, Niijima-san?"

"As your provisional custodian, I am recommending that Misato Katsuragi be your temporary guardian. Katsuragi has offered, in like manner, to be your temporary guardian. Do you accept this arrangement?"

"...I accept."

"Very well then. Katsuragi, keep an eye open for an e-mail later this evening. There'll be some documents I'll want you to look over with Yamagishi-san. In the meantime, I'll be formalizing things on my end...ah, while I'm on the line. Suzuhara-kun, have you been well?"

Toji blinked. "Oh, me? I've been cool; no complaints!"

"Good. Mana-san?"

"...can't complain. I helped kill an Angel yesterday."

"...Katsuragi."

"Way to throw me under the bus, Mana-chan," griped Misato under her breath before replying, "it was complicated. But she's fine. All of the kids are physically fine."

"...I'll be in touch," tiredly said Sae before hanging up.

"...what just happened?" asked Kensuke with a confused blink.

"When it comes to anything involving government bureaucracy, it's 'first come, first served'," answered Ryuji, rising to his feet. As he stretched out his bum leg, he added, "the more legitimate paperwork we can throw at people when it comes to Yamagishi's case, the better."

As the adults split up to go about their business, it was just the five teenagers at the table. Mayumi still looked...perplexed. "...I...why would they do that...?"

"...I think...I think they're just trying to protect you, Yamagishi-san," answered Shinji.

"But...why me...?"

"...who knows..." Abruptly, Mana stood up, walking to the connected hallway that Misato had gone to, leaving only four.

"...honestly, I figure we just let the adults do their thing for now," said Toji, leaning back on his hands. "That's the way it goes, sometimes...y'all up for cards? Beats doin' nothin'."

"...I'd like that," muttered Mayumi, seemingly grateful for any distraction.

xx

"Katsuragi."

Misato slowly turned, looking at Mana with surprise. "What is it, Mana-chan?"

"...I...I get why Niijima chose you when it came to me." The woman had been kidnapped by Tokita, and had helped her grow stronger; even though it hadn't been long, Mana could sort of see why Misato might feel obligated (even if, deep down, Mana would still wonder how Misato could ever feel obligated out of a situation as horrid as that). "But...you don't even know Yamagishi that well. So...why?"

Misato looked thoughtfully at her. There was a brief smile (as if a joke had crossed the woman's mind) before she simply said, "Yamagishi-san...she got dealt a shitty hand, just like you did. Does it need to be more complicated than that?"

Mana didn't say another word, which Misato took as an excuse to enter her guest room. The young child soldier quietly leaned against the wall, staring at the wooden patterns in the floor. Like me, huh...?

She had a lot to think about.

xxxx

It was about a half hour later when Kurosawa finally returned from Sojiro's cafe, having utilized a brief lull in the rain to make his way back with minimal fuss. "I imagine my superiors will have more specific orders once they've had time to analyze my observations in conjunction with all of the other after-action reports from yesterday's New Moon incidents...I'll advise once I hear more."

(It had practically gone without saying that no one was going to bring up the sudden development with Yamagishi, courtesy of Sae Niijima's 'provisional custodianship' and Misato Katsuragi's 'temporary conservatorship'. As Sakamoto had mused aloud, it was better to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.)

"Now...to the reason I first made my way out here to begin with: the events on the Ai ferry." Sitting down in the entry hall, Kurosawa retrieved his notepad, staring intently at everyone. "I'll have to get Iori's testimony later, but I won't delay any longer. Shinji Ikari; Kensuke Aida, Toji Suzuhara; Mana Kirishima; Mayumi Yamagishi; Ren Amamiya; Ken Amada; Ryuji Sakamoto; please take a seat."

It was with a bit of trepidation that Shinji Ikari sat down; he chanced a glance towards Misato Katsuragi, who was standing with a tense expression in the corner of the room. I wonder how you reacted...when you found out about what happened...?

"Well, might as well bite the bullet," grumbled Sakamoto, leaning against his cane; he and Amada were flanking the teenagers on either side, giving off the impression of numerous accused facing a single judge...or, to flip the situation, of a single prosecutor seeking to make their case to a jury.

"For the sake of setting the stage, I will enlighten you as to the events of August the 1st, one day prior to the incident. In Wakayama, I negotiated with Nankai Ferry's night shift supervisor to substitute all passengers for the first two ferry trips of the morning. Reservations were made such that, save for your group, all other passengers on either ferry were comprised of members of the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office."

"Our tax dollars at work," sniped Misato.

Ignoring her barb, Kurosawa continued, "due to the influx of Ghosts in Arida the next morning, your predicted travel time was delayed. As such, I and my subordinate officers travelled aboard the Katsuragi towards Tokushima. Per our prognostications, your group ended up on the second ferry trip of the morning, which was to be handled by my fellow Agents Hidetoshi Odagiri and Saori Hasegawa." Briefly glancing towards Amada, he added, "I presume you also inquired with Zenkichi Hasegawa as to whether there was any family relationship?"

"Zenkichi denied such a connection."

"I thought so. Saori's personnel file mentioned no such family from Okayama Prefecture. At any rate...given that the only survivors of the Ai ferry, Iori notwithstanding, are gathered in front of me..." Shinji couldn't help his impulsive flinch. "...my knowledge of how events transpired after you departed Arida is lacking. If you could start there, that would be appreciated."

Thus began the recollection.

("First of all, your goons were pretty poor at hiding the fact they were observing us," snarked Ryuji. "Junpei, Kenny, and I all noticed.")

("I'll take your advice under consideration," dryly said Kurosawa.)

Aida and Suzuhara's stories of going to the game room were uninteresting; likewise Amamiya's story of going to one of the smoke rooms for a bit of peace and quiet.

("And why a smoke room?" asked Kurosawa.)

("Why not? I didn't see any smokers, so I figured it'd be pretty empty," nonchalantly answered Amamiya.)

Mayumi had confessed to going to the bathroom, wherein she had remained the whole time.

("You lost consciousness at some point?" inquired Kurosawa. When the girl nodded, he asked, "and at what point do you recall regaining consciousness?")

("...in the DeLorean's passenger seat, being driven by Amada-san in the Metaverse. It was after our escape from the ferry.")

("Hmm." Kurosawa jotted something down.)

Mana had mentioned her frustration, hence why she had moved to the top of the ferry's wheelhouse for the relative isolation it provided.

("This odd feeling you felt...are you sure it had nothing to do with the Angel's presence inside Yamagishi?")

(Mana shook her head. "It was completely different. For one thing...it's not like anything I'd ever felt before. Nothing compared. Not even an Angel.")

("...hmm." Kurosawa wrote down a couple more notes.)

Ryuji had...colorful opinions about his conversation with Odagiri.

("The guy came off like an asshole.")

(Kurosawa stared flatly at Ryuji. "...do you have anything else to add?")

("Nope.")

("The details of your conversation with Odagiri, if you will.")

(Sakamoto huffed. "Fine.")

Finally...came Shinji's fateful conversation with Saori Hasegawa. "We both frightened each other, at first...I think she was genuine."

"Hasegawa was always a bit skittish, but she was a determined sort, deep down," agreed Kurosawa.

As Shinji relayed more of the details of the conversation, he looked directly at Kurosawa's face, trying to gauge the motives and intentions of the man that Saori had looked up to. "She...she said that she had a senpai waiting in Tokushima. She mentioned your name...and that you would introduce me to 'very important people.'"

"That much was true. Then?"

"...I wanted to talk with Sakamoto-san and my friends about it...but...I think I was going to agree with her..."

For the first time, Kurosawa stopped in his notetaking, looking genuinely surprised. "Is that so?"

"Yup," chimed in Sakamoto. "Odagiri must have gotten the message as well, because he immediately started crowing at me about how their operation had succeeded, and that no force or coercion was going to be necessary."

"Then what happened next? What caused everything to go wrong?" demanded Kurosawa, looking more intense than usual.

"...I felt...woozy," murmured Shinji, thinking back to the awful moment. Looking down at his right hand — which trembled nervously — he added, "and then...the next thing I knew...she had slumped against me...and I felt...I felt..." With a gulping breath, he added, "there was...so much blood..."

Mana stepped in at that moment. "Whatever had happened, it had caused Hasegawa's organs to explode out of her back without warning. There hadn't even been that much noise..."

"...then how did you know?" remarked Kurosawa, looking someone perturbed by the description of his fellow Agent's demise.

"That strange feeling I talked about it...I could feel it move. And...the hate and malice that came from whatever the source was...it was awful," muttered Mana.

"...so you mean to imply the presence of a third party?" asked Kurosawa. "One unrelated to either my subordinates or to your group? Who?"

"If we knew that, we would have told you," remarked Ken Amada.

xx

Sitting in an empty chair, unseen by all, was Minako Arisato: observing the proceedings with a detached gaze.

The One Who Sat Upon the Throne was...intrigued.

"Well, their minds are already primed to believe in the existence of threats beyond the Angels..."

Still, what effects would come of this?

"Perhaps, if the government believes a third party is at play...then their bumbling will force those interlopers-in-blue out of hiding."

After all, a cudgel in the hands of nitwits could cause such exceptional havoc...

"...we'll let this play out for now. Keep listening, my dear."

Thus, Minako remained quiet (even as she inwardly apologized a thousand times over to Saori), watching as Kurosawa was told of what her bloody handiwork had unleashed.

xx

Of course, the recollection from that point on became...somewhat crazy.

xx

Hirofumi Kurosawa narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kirishima-san: repeat that."

Mana rose to her feet, staring defiantly at him. "I killed the officer who was gonna shoot Ikari."

"...you honestly think mere bullets would have harmed an Evangelion-user?"

"He was on his knees, not respondin', and those goons kept shouting at him with their weapons aimed at him. So I acted."

(Misato's fists were clenched tightly; Sakamoto was rolling his eyes at the girl's bluntness.)

"...I assume you used your axe then. Was it a glancing blow? Or was it more fatal?"

Mana answered simply. "I cut him in half."

Kurosawa, for his part, didn't seem outwardly affected. "And what move did you make after the fact?"

"I took a defensive position in front of Ikari and raised my shield. Then the others started shooting at us."

Kurosawa's eyes narrowed. "...rather interesting, that your first maneuver was offensive instead of defensive."

(Misato inwardly winced. Aw, damn it...)

Mana frowned. "What do you mean?"

"...based on the details I've been told thus far, those men were under the impression that the Third Child had violent impulses. It was why they were seemingly relieved, once Ikari seemed open to negotiation...but then, from their perspective, their superior was suddenly killed in a gruesome and violent fashion. They do not see the alleged third party you've spoken of: only Ikari, and the dead body of Saori Hasegawa. It's only natural, that they would react in the way they did...and yet, to go by your telling, you were the one who escalated hostilities. If protecting Ikari was your primary objective, why not take up the defensive position first?"

At this, Mana seemed a bit confused, as though she hadn't considered the option before. "...I'm not apologizing."

"I wasn't asking for one."

Sakamoto cleared his throat. "Okay, so maybe the kid screwed up-"

"Don't patronize us, Sakamoto," interrupted Kurosawa, not taking his eyes away from Mana. "Kirishima all but confessed to manslaughter at minimum. She herself admits as to her own lack of remorse; that she felt justified in doing so is irrelevant from my point of view."

Amada tried to say, "they were pointing their weapons at Ikari, to be fair-"

"Any half-decent prosecutor would not only convince a judge that those officers were performing their public duty in response to a violent assailant, but that Kirishima obstructed the performance of same," interrupted Kurosawa. "I'm not here to engage in what-ifs regarding what the government may decide to do; I'm here to gather information." Rapidly writing something down, he then said, "let's continue. Anything else of note with that particular incident?"

Mana didn't have anything else to say.

(Kensuke, Toji, and Mayumi were trying real hard not to squirm in their seats. Ikari's eyes were staring at the floor out of shame.)

xx

"...a strobe light and then smoke bombs, hm?" Kurosawa levelled Ryuji with a cold stare. "A very interesting means of concealment."

Ryuji shrugged. "Given my relative lack of info of what exactly was going on, I wanted to be as non-violent as possible. But I wasn't going to just let myself get arrested, either."

"I see..."

xx

"...hmm." Kurosawa reread his notes. "...tell me, Ikari: what exactly prompted you to pull the Ai and everyone on it into the Metaverse?"

"...my friends were in danger...I didn't know what was happening to them...all I could think about...was to make it easier to get away. In the real world...they didn't have the power I did..."

"But in the cognitive, with their Personas?"

Shinji's hands were folded together, hanging limp. "...I don't know if I could tell you exactly what I was thinking..."

"But you were trying to run away, and happened to bring the entire ferry with you?"

Shinji couldn't help the impulsive flinch that his entire body performed. "...I don't like to think of it like that..."

"Call it what you will," said Kurosawa, writing on his notepad all the while.

xx

Kurosawa had mostly glossed over the story of Aida and Suzuhara's 'thrilling escape' from the game room via a charging Gilgamesh; however, Amada's mention of Acolytes appearing — both the berserk human and their hulking Shadow — elicited some concern. "That corresponds to the timing of the Pattern Blue..." Glancing towards Yamagishi, he asked, "and you're sure you don't remember anything from that time?"

Mayumi shook her head 'no.'

"Very well..." Kurosawa wrote down additional notes.

xx

When Kurosawa finally asked Ren Amamiya as to how exactly he had fared in the Metaverse — because the overall mayhem on the ferry, as described, would have been difficult enough for a civilian to escape, without considering the Acolytes' presence — the teenager crossed his arms. "Quick question, before I answer."

"Yes?"

"Can any of your actions as of today be construed as an official arrest?"

Kurosawa blinked, as did the others. "Pardon?"

(Under his breath, Ryuji muttered, "what are you pulling...?")

"What you're doing right now: are you arresting us in any form or fashion?"

"...no," answered the PubSec Agent.

"Can any of your actions be construed as an official detainment by an officer of the law?"

"That should go without saying," remarked Kurosawa.

"So that's a no. In which case...I decline to answer."

The temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees. (Toji and Kensuke, in particular, looked at their senpai with slight awe, if only because of the sheer audacity.)

Kurosawa narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure that's what you want your answer to be?"

Ren actually rolled his eyes. "Until you actually arrest or detain me for something, I'm under no obligation to answer you. And quite frankly, even if I was obliged, I'd refuse anyway."

Kurosawa actually looked...intrigued. "Is that so? Mind enlightening me as to why?"

"Because I can recognize a railroading job when I see one." Rising to his feet, Ren stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You're probably reassuring yourself; that you're just 'doing your job'; that you're looking out for the 'country'...but you know that your report is only going to be used as justification by the government to put a leash on Ikari and Kirishima. They've already committed hundreds of officers in a stupid, half-cocked plan as it was: they're not going to let it go."

Kurosawa leaned forward, staring intently at Amamiya. "And you believe this because...?"

"Because if there's anyone susceptible to the Sunk Cost Fallacy, it's the government. All you'll accomplish is diverting these kids' attention away from the threats that actually matter. So I'm not inclined to play along."

After several seconds of tense silence, Kurosawa leaned back in his chair. "...a rather spirited response."

Ren snorted, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Nah. I just despise the police, that's all."

(Misato, who had been the midst of drinking from a water bottle, nearly choked at the utter chutzpah.)

"Oh," Amamiya added, almost as an afterthought, "and because I'm sure you've also been told to inquire about the incident from last Saturday — you know, the whole 'caught on video in a yakuza fight club fighting Sho Minazuki' thing — I'd like to offer my suggestion as to why that happened: it was because of dumb teenagers doing 'dumb teenager' things. What should count is that the very next day, when Minazuki revealed himself to be a murderous thug and a member of Strega...Ikari showed up and helped to stop him." As he strode towards the front door, Ren shouted over his shoulder, "and you can quote me!" As a capstone on his rant...Ren paradoxically walked outside, closing the door behind him with the utmost gentleness.

("...dang, senpai was pretty cool just now," whispered Kensuke. Toji and Mayumi nodded in agreement.)

Ryuji Sakamoto — who seemed resigned yet simultaneously galvanized because of the boy's words — sighed aloud. "...look, Kurosawa-san: after the Acolytes showed up on the Ai, my focus was on getting everyone out as soon as possible. Once we got to the vehicle bay, Amada took off first with Yamagishi in the DeLorean...then the rest of the kids rode in the van while mine and Junpei's Personas carried them away. That's the long and short of it; as far as I'm aware, Ikari didn't engage in any other offensive maneuvers after pulling the Ai and everyone on it into the Metaverse. I know that the other officers were still fighting when we left...but that's all I know."

Kurosawa, sensing that the questioning had taken a turn, wrote down a few more things onto his notepad. "For what it's worth...I sympathize with your position, and the difficulties you've encountered. Hindsight has many benefits...but you must understand that the government's desire for answers as to what happened is entirely reasonable."

Ryuji huffed. "Yeah, it is. And I'm also pretty sure that they're not going to apologize, either."

At this, Kurosawa had nothing to say. So he simply rose to his feet, saying, "I think that'll do for now. I'll be in my quarters, typing up my report." The PubSec agent left the room, leaving everyone to mill about in tense silence.

"...anybody up for a walk?" said Toji out of the blue. "I feel like clearin' my head."

"...you know Suzuhara-kun, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," agreed Ryuji.

xx

As the cluster of adults and teens began to depart, Minako Arisato — unseen by all — watched them go in silence.

The One Who Sat Upon the Throne frowned.

"A very spirited response from Amamiya...too spirited, perhaps."

There had been no traces of interference by the interlopers as far as Amamiya was concerned...or had there been?

"I've checked...and I've sensed nothing. Could their influence be hidden that well...or is it something else?"

How curious...especially in light of the odd interference that had been plaguing them as of late.

"Retreat for now. This bears further consideration..."

Minako nodded to herself, ignoring the strange alarm that her presence seemed to instill in the nearby cats as she faded from reality.

xxxx

The rain had let up for a time, so a walk wasn't out of the question; however, the trio of Misato, Ryuji, and Ken lagged behind the quintet of Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, Mana, and Mayumi. All told, the teens seemed rather quiet and withdrawn...so the adults took the opportunity to discuss certain matters in private. "So...that could have gone better," admitted Ryuji.

Misato snorted. "Gee, you think?"

"It will honestly all depend on how Kurosawa's superiors at Public Security will interpret his report," remarked Amada, cupping a hand around his chin. "...and in how his report makes us look."

"Well, it's obvious he doesn't think highly about Mana-chan," grumbled Misato. "As for his opinion about Shinji-kun...I honestly don't know. He could go either way..."

"...he didn't expect Amamiya's interruption," Ryuji tentatively said, thinking back to just how...well, gung-ho the young man had been.

"It also resulted in Amamiya not retelling his explanation of how he made it to the Car Deck on the ferry," noted Amada with a frown. "Captain...are you still suspecting Amamiya of suspicious activity?"

Suspicious? Hell, I've pretty much confirmed it. Ryuji said none of this, however; instead, he admitted, "don't know if he has any ties to whatever 'third party' killed Saori Hasegawa. Personally? I doubt it."

"...think he still needs to be investigated?" wondered Misato.

Not really. "Honestly, I think we should keep focused on trying to stay ahead of whatever Kurosawa's bosses end up telling him to do. Our ongoing mission to protect the kids offers some legal cover...but I don't want to test its durability against P&S's jurisdiction when it comes to an enforcement action," murmured Ryuji. The Anti-Terror Task Force is a global NGO, with a lot of supporters...but their rep's taken a hit 'cause of the Angels and Strega. Meanwhile, the Paranormal & Supernatural Countermeasure Office is backed by the National Police Agency...and after losing so many officers, they'll be out for blood. Damn it, this was all a mess. I wonder if Morooka would be willing to pull some strings from his office in Tokyo-2...

Their overall mood reflected the overcast sky: dreary, uncertain, and rife with tension for the future...

xxxx

Meanwhile, as the sun set for Japan, it was rising in America...

xxxx

/Command Center, NERV-01, Outskirts of Boston Dead Zone, USA/

Asuka Langley-Sohryu yawned loudly-

"Demerit for spreading sleepiness contagions!"

-and promptly remembered why she hated coming to the First Branch so much. Even for the oddities and general creepiness that Ikutsuki's Second Branch in Nevada held...Futaba Maruki was just too damn annoying. I don't even have Mari to distract her, either...

(Rising to wakefulness, she looked at the note left by the nightstand, penned in Sister Mary's elegant script: Today's a Holy Day, so I'm off to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption at the nearest parish. Be back in time for breakfast! - Mari)

Feh, if she weren't so useful, it'd be a lot more annoying-

"Thinking unpleasant thoughts about a dear friend?"

Asuka turned, eyeing Director Takuto Maruki holding two cups of coffee. "...what makes you say that?"

"You have that sort of expression where someone else's personal foibles irk you on some level, but you like them so much that you tolerate it for their sake."

...and this is why I hate talking to Futaba's husband. The man could be surprisingly (annoyingly) insightful at times. "Maybe you should save the psychoanalysis for the professionals," she retorted, using bluster to hide how close he had been.

Takuto set the cup down beside Futaba — who promptly began pouring obscene amounts of creme and sugar into it — before sipping from his own mug. "Perhaps..." Glancing towards the pedestal at the center of the room, numerous holographic screens were displaying hotspots of Ghost activity throughout eastern Canada and the American northeast. The overall distribution showed that they were centered around Old Boston. "Looks like the nine hundred kilometer limit is still holding."

"And I'm sure you'll be getting complaints before long," grumbled Asuka, fiddling with the skirt of her beige, NERV-issue jacket (which was honestly more like a tunic, but who was counting?).

(After recuperating from the battle against Gaghiel, Asuka had made Unit-02 scour the waters and the wreckage of the hydrofoil; alas, no traces of her luggage had been found. Sister Mary's suitcase, on the other hand, had been floating happily on the surface of the ocean, that lucky sonnuva-!)

The white leggings and brown boots fit well, but it wasn't her stuff.

"Anyhow, I got some good data while you slept; keep it on while you fight today, m'kay?" asked (ordered) Futaba.

Asuka scowled (pouted). "Come on-"

"I recommend deploying to West Virginia first," interrupted Director Maruki, running a hand through his hair. "Then work your way north." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a NERV-issue smartphone (a model similar to the one she had had, except that one was probably at the bottom of the ocean now, and this one likely wouldn't have any of her games on it-!) and handed it to her. "I'll probably have your assistant deal with any Ghosts within a reasonable distance of the Boston Dead Zone, once she returns. Is that fair?"

"...yeah. My 'assistant' would be glad to help." Sighing, Asuka asked, "mind if I grab a bite to eat first?"

"But of course! It wouldn't do for you to charge into battle on an empty stomach," cheerfully said Maruki.

Mentally resigning herself for the day to come, Asuka followed Director Maruki out of the Command Center. No rest for the wicked...

xxxx

/Elsewhere, within the Metaverse/

'No rest for the wicked', Takaya Sakaki couldn't help but muse as the duo of young children crept along a narrow precipice. Indeed, how many would look at this situation, and think us villainous? All he was doing...was gifting them with the power to make more choices than they were currently capable of.

Keita Asari looked around nervously; the cavern they stood in was...infinitely large, somehow. Impossibly large. And there didn't seem to be a bottom, either. "Why pick this place...?" he asked aloud.

"Because the process of bringing the Shadow to you can be...strenuous," diplomatically said Takaya. Jin Shirato stood at the mouth of the cavern, his Persona Moros scanning and observing the events within for...research purposes. After all, their mutual patron was Bardiel; it would not be the same for either of the boys.

Deep within, the voice of his patron chuckled.

"we hAVE been cALLED too gREEDY...the oTHERS want tHEIR own tHRALL..."

Musashi Strasberg scowled, keeping a steady hand on Keita's shoulder. "Just...get it over with...!"

"Patience," softly said Takaya, even as he inwardly sensed the presence of something — two somethings — descend towards the location. "...they're here..."

Without warning, two entities phased into reality, appearing out of the shadows of the cavern; one was a shifting swarm of dust, containing myriad shapes...while the other was a starry void, the black expanse lined with white geometry.

xx

Musashi glared at the swarm. "...you an Angel, I take it...?"

A voice sounded within, akin to a babbling legion.

"THERE IS MUCH THAT YOU FEAR...AND YET YOU CARRY ANGER IN EQUAL MEASURE."

They sounded pleased.

"YOU WILL BE ACCEPTABLE."

"...just get it over with," growled Musashi. "Whatever it is you're going to do..."

xx

Keita stared with awe at the celestial void. "...pretty..."

The void whispered back.

"You...Have...Been...Through...A...Long...Night..."

It carried many mysteries, yet promised...salvation.

"Let...Us...Work...Together..."

"...that sounds nice," admitted Keita.

xx

At that moment, the two Angels spoke aloud. "Thus shall you be bound to us: mind, body, and spirit!"

Without warning, Leliel — the Jaws of God — snapped up Keita. Likewise, Iruel — the Terror of God — swarmed about Musashi, covering him from head to toe and swarming into his mouth, ears, and nostrils; the young man couldn't even scream or yell as he fell over into the abyss, vanishing from sight.

Takaya smiled, sitting down on the rocky ground. "And now...we wait." After all, the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly wasn't instantaneous...

xxxx

END OF 8/15/2015

xxxx

Author's Note: Nice to have a non-battle chapter, because those are quicker to crank out. Here's what changed!

- Futaba why are you such a troll
- Priestess (Rei) is now at Rank 5.
- Chidori apparently heard that Yukari had 'marital fun times' with her husband, and decided 'I'ma borrow my husband for a bit, kthxbye.'
- Mayumi can't get a break. RIP Mr. and Mrs. Yamagishi.
- SURPRISE ADACHI OUT OF NOWHERE (don't worry, we'll eventually get to what exactly happened when Strega sprung him from jail...also, he WOULD be the type to use his VA's names as aliases)
- Hermit (Mayumi) is now at Rank 6.
- Sae Niijima being a boss. What else is new?
- I seriously don't know how, but I somehow ended up creating another situation where Mana and Mayumi ended up becoming pseudo-sisters again (sort of like in Mobile Fighter Evangelion, albeit not the same circumstances, obviously)
- Kurosawa's manner of questioning could...use some work.
- Ren coming in with the 'NO U' to Kurosawa, on the other hand? *chef's kiss*
- The Assumption of Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States, France, Japan, and various other countries, so Mari — being a good religious — naturally attended as soon as she could. :V
- Keita, Musashi, stawp, WUT ARE U DOIN'

This may very well be the last update of 2021. In which case, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the readers out there! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my story!