Yu was almost thankful he had school the next day after so much craziness the past two days. To him, school was a normal, daily routine he could get easily settled in. It was the same everywhere, even here with his co-ed classes and strange teachers. His sickness seemed to be gone as well, but just to be safe, he tied a piece of black cloth around his face after he put on his uniform. His parents told him diseases spread like wildfire in Europe due to poor hygiene practices such as no sickness masks and he knew it'd be the epitome of rudeness to get his new classmates sick on his third day.
He headed downstairs and saw Nanako in the middle of trying to buckle her boots, so he stooped down to help her.
"Where's Uncle Ryotaro?" He asked as he finished. She giggled her thanks before sobering up.
"You just missed him...he had to go to work early because something happened."
"Something happened?" Yu couldn't stop his mind from thinking the worst possible thing; that there had been another murder. His uncle reassured him they had it covered though!
He heard the heavy rain drum on the roof so he picked up his umbrella, said goodbye to Nanako, and walked off to school, wondering if he'd run into Chie or Yosuke as he did so.
Closer to the school were two girls with bright umbrellas who whispered to each other, though they still had the volume level to make Yu think they wished for the whole street to hear them.
"You live by the police station, right? Did you hear anything interesting?" One asked in amazement.
"Mostly just yelling...they seemed very upset by something." The other shook her head.
Yu walked on his way, hoping to settle into a monotonous schedule once more.
After lunch, the same yellow flowery kimono-wearing woman announced there'd be a schoolwide assembly, stating nobody could skip it but they could go home afterwards if they wished. Yu felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach as he stood with the other second-years in an open-aired atrium, Chie by his side.
"I'm going to go home after this..." She said to herself before looking at him. "Huh? Still sick?"
"Better safe than sorry." He nodded. The rain came down harder and plinked on the glass ceiling.
"And what about you, Hanamura? You seem glum!" She leaned over to address him, but he just shrugged.
"I'm fine, it's just been a long day."
"Everyone!" Mrs. Sofue tapped her foot on the ground to get everyone to quiet down, still dressed in French Empire gowns but this time a more somber red. She stood at the front of the room in front of some closed curtains. "Good, I have your attention! Let's make this as quick as possible. First, our principal." She bowed and stepped away to let an old man in a kimono step over.
"Students. Yasogami High has been one of my proudest accomplishments to date. Opening a place for higher education for both sexes was deemed impossible in your parents' days, yet I managed to defy the odds. There's still so many in town who do not attend or leave after a year or two. I know some of you were very close to a girl named Konishi Saki despite her being the former. She'd walk her brother to school every day and spend the lunch hour with him and her handmade meals. It is with a heavy heart I must announce she's passed on."
"What?!" The room erupted into gasps. "She's dead?!"
"I bet she got murdered!" One boy shouted.
"Yeah yeah, I heard she got found on somebody's roof! Just like the editor lady!" A girl added.
"She got poisoned!" Another girl yelled.
"What do you think this is, a murder mystery?" Another boy grumbled.
"Students!" The principal raised his voice. "I understand this comes as a shock to everyone. You might even be wondering if you're next. If the police question you, just tell the truth. If you'd like to go home, you may. Above all, try to remain positive."
"Konishi..." Chie said to herself as Yu and her left the atrium. "I can't believe it happened to someone we know...I wonder how Hanamura feels."
"Awful," Yu said, making her look up at him. "It's true! They were friends, right? They worked together. He probably feels torn-up over it."
"To be honest, I'd be too," She sighed as Yosuke walked over to them. "I think I'm going home. I won't be able to focus on my classes now."
"If you're both going...I was wondering...you know how we did that Other Realm trick?" Yosuke asked. "I got curious last night and..the photograph showed Konishi-senpai...she seemed pained, like something was attacking her."
"You believe that nonsense too?!" Chie said.
"I don't think it's nonsense! Some boy said he got the editor the night before she died. What if they just saw a picture she happened to be in? What if being in there is killing them?" Yosuke sobered up slightly. "Even that raccoon in there told us someone was throwing others in there, that we were in danger and had to leave before the fog clears..."
"Hanamura, you should just let the police handle this." She sighed. The dark rainclouds reflected in the windows cast shadows on both their faces.
"No way! They'd never believe us and this is their first murder case! They don't know what's going on! If I'm wrong, I'll accept it, but I just need to know why she died like this..." Yosuke looked over at him. "You agree, don't you?"
He thought of the other world they traveled to, what the raccoon said, how he slipped his hand into a photograph and then a camera with ease. He thought of the strong storms that seemed to crop up when he did so. He thought of his first image of Konishi, running from something in the distance. It seemed utterly crazy, sure, but something inside him assured him this was no dream.
"I agree." He said finally with a nod.
"We have to go back in there! See what's going on!" Yosuke insisted. "Meet me in the photography studio of Junes after school. I'll bring rope and stuff." He ran off before the other two could respond, making Chie sigh.
"He's going to get himself killed or arrested!"
"What do you suggest we do?" Yu asked, making her jump.
"Isn't it obvious?! We gotta go stop him!" She turned on her heel and ran off. "We have to tell him this is stupid!"
Yu rushed after her, ignoring the protests of students whom he accidentally pushed up against. The two ran to Junes, meeting back up with Yosuke who had rope tied around his waist and a big shovel.
"I knew you guys would come!"
"We came to stop you! You're being reckless!" Chie stomped her foot. "You don't know anything about this other world!"
"So we go in through here and meet the raccoon, he got us out before, he can do it again!"
"No!"
"What about you?" Yosuke turned to Yu.
"I'm worried over both of you," He answered.
"I have a plan! Satonaka holds this end while the two of us go in!" Yosuke unraveled the big pile and slipped some of it to Chie, who just stared incredulously. "And I thought it'd be best if we had some supplies, so I got these for you," He nodded at Yu and handed him the big shovel and three brown bottles of cold medicine.
"You're not seriously going to..." Chie trailed off as she watched Yu slip his arm into the front of the camera again, shoving his whole body in before the lens sucked him entirely. He felt the sickening pull of another world stretch out his body until he landed hard on his knees, hiding his wince. He hoped they weren't shattered...
"I'll never get used to that..." Yosuke mumbled, rubbing his back. "See? We're in the same place as last time! This means these two areas are connected!"
"I knew it! I knew it!" The same big-bellied raccoon waddled over, pointing an accusing paw at them. Yu knew it wasn't the time, but those big testicles...
"You two are the ones ruining this place by throwing people in here! Why else did you come back?!" He continued to fume, huffing.
"We're not the ones doing this!" Yu found himself exclaiming. "We want to know about this place."
"Wait, 'throwing others in'? Is it possible you mean Konishi-senpai and the editor woman? Is someone really throwing them in to kill them?" Yosuke wondered.
"I told you, once you get in, there's no way out!" The raccoon said.
"This time, we don't need your help! We've got this ro-" Yosuke pulled up the rope tied around his waist that got cut off. Yu's eyes widened. "N-No fair! You have to let us out now!"
"How do I know you two are innocent? You come in here without warning and you yell at me..." It sniffled. "You're so mean...!"
Yu took another look around, still making out it was a photography studio drenched in heavy yellow fog. "Do they take pictures here?" he mused to himself, thinking the fog would mist up the film and ruin the camera's insides.
"What are pictures? How do you take one?" The raccoon asked innocently, his paw up on his cheek. "I don't know what your words mean! I just know when it gets foggy in your world, the fog vanishes here and it makes the Shadows get violent!"
"Now you're speaking nonsense! What are Shadows, what is this place?!" Yosuke demanded. "And stop wearing that stupid hat!" He marched over and yanked it right off the raccoon's head, revealing overly-large black eyes and greyish-brown fur. Yosuke yelped and tossed the hat back. "He's a giant raccoon!"
"A tanuki!" Yu gasped, remembering his stories from childhood. The tanuki just tied his hat back on without much bother, putting his paws behind his back.
"This used to be a peaceful place...if you two aren't doing this, then find out who is! Promise me you will..."
Yu thought on his strange recent dreams, his weird power, the fact that he got told he'd have a huge mystery to solve. Could this be it? It seemed so easy, and yet...
"I promise." He said finally, bowing.
"You forced us into this...but we did come here to look for clues. If this makes it go by smoother...oh right, I'm Hanamura Yosuke and this is my friend, Narukami Yu!" They both bowed again. "Do you have a name?"
"Raccoon!" The tanuki smiled cheerfully.
"Figures..." Yosuke groaned. "Raccoon it is..."
Yu's heart fluttered as he thought of how Yosuke just instantly introduced him as his friend. Not classmate, not acquaintance, but friend. It pleased him in unknown, unexplained ways to know they saw him as one too.
"I do know where the last person ended up when they got thrown in here, you might learn something there!" Raccoon continued. "Before we go though, you need to put these on!" From some invisible pocket he pulled out two round pairs of spectacles; one orange, one grey, and handed them to each person. Yu pushed them up the bridge of his nose and gasped when the fog vanished entirely, leaving behind the image of a tarp-covered room in bright sickly blue and green.
"Whoa, you can see everything with these!" Yosuke exclaimed, trying to adjust his.
"Be warned though, it might be dangerous, so you should be ready to defend yourselves!" Raccoon said.
"What?! Hey, you didn't say anything about us fighting monsters! I just brought a shovel! Why can't you help?" Yosuke demanded.
"I'm not a fighter! I don't even think I could hit anything!"
Out of curiosity, Yu pushed Raccoon over gently, making him topple over and collapse flat on his back, thrashing around.
"H-Hey! That's not fair!"
"This thing's pathetic," Yosuke sighed. "Let's get going. Maybe now we'll finally learn why Konishi-senpai..." He trailed off and Yu saw the shimmer of sadness in his eyes before he quickly blinked it away. Yu helped Raccoon up to his feet and the three set off together.
The three walked in silence for a time until they reached a dim yellow street, every building slathered in the sickly color. Even the dirt on the streets didn't crumble under one's feet as it should've and the air was heavy with despair.
"This looks just like the market district...it's uncanny how accurate it is," Yosuke said. "Even the signs are up-to-date. Who did this?"
"I don't know! Lots of weird places have appeared recently. I guess this is just how this person sees their world." Raccoon shrugged.
"You don't make sense," Yosuke sighed. "But if this is a perfect replica, then..." He took off running in the direction close to where Yu remembered Junes was in the real world, stopping in front of a small brewery with various types of alcohol being advertised. "This is her family's store..."
"Look out! Shadows are going to attack you!" Raccoon yelled, trembling. He pointed at the glowing red doorway where several round balls dragged themselves out, crawling with their tongues and licking at the air. "S-Shadows!"
Yosuke took several steps back as Yu tried to grab the shovel, his head throbbing. He grabbed it with a wince as a voice echoed in his mind and the monsters drew even closer.
"I am thou, thou art I, open thine eyes, unleash the power thou have, become one!"
Yu opened his eyes and shouted the first name that came to his mind, engulfing himself in a white-blue light. He felt his body spinning, shifting, remolding itself in an oddly painless way as he raised a hand and wiped the monsters out with one go. His armor-clad boots clanked as they hit the ground and as the light dimmed he looked at his hands. Somehow, they were both his and not his, he saw the stitches of his kimono top with silver armor superimposed on top of it.
"Whoa, what did you do?!" Yosuke stared in awe. "You just shouted "Persona "and turned into this! Do you think I could do it too? Speaking of which, what are you? It's...sorta hard to see where your face ends and begins."
"Izanagi," His voice echoed and boomed. "I think...I'm both myself and this Persona."
"You're so cool, Sensei!" Raccoon beamed. "You have so much power!"
"No fair, don't suck up to him!" Yosuke punched Raccoon, making his fur jiggle. "Anyway, let's keep going. We need to find out what happened to Konishi!"
Yosuke found himself running ahead in the store, taking in the stale smell of wood and fermented rice, wrinkling his nose at the sharpness of it. The air seemed heavier and drowned him in poisonous green, and worst of all those whispering voices didn't seem to stop. In here, they just seemed to grow louder until they pounded inside his skull.
"They're going to run everyone out of town!"
"That man's eccentric alright...it's stupid,"
"And now that poor girl brings shame to her family by working for their rival!"
If he just ignored them, they'd go away, right...?
"Saki! Don't you know what our neighbors say about you?!" A gruff voice broke through the rest. "We don't need the money. I keep putting up a front, saying it's those missionaries who insist we close down, but it's Junes too! You're fooling around with a man, aren't you? Tell me why you work there and feel no shame for dishonoring your heritage!"
No way that was how she truly felt...
He ran over to a counter filled with pictures, most of them hand-colored with pencils. The most vibrant was Konishi's head of curls, popping with delicacy.
"What are these?" Yu asked, picking one up at random.
"Random shots she took...I guess she got bored..." Yosuke tried to smile to himself as he picked up one of every greeter at Junes, standing firmly and seriously. They stood next to each other, both with smiles on their faces. That's how he remembered it looking, yet here his face was angrily struck out numerous times.
"Hana-chan...I regret never telling him," Konishi's voice echoed out. "We should've talked more...I had to say..."
"Say what?" Yosuke looked around, feeling her hands intertwine with his, craving her melancholy smile.
"...He's a pain in my ear!"
His heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
"I just treated him nicely because it's my job, he is my superior. He took everything the wrong way! He is annoying and I hate working with him! He ruined my life, my father hates me, the neighbors insult me, my friends suggest I'm just selling myself...I can't take it! I hate Junes and I hate him!"
"No way...she loved working at Junes! She seemed sad sometimes but it was just her thing, you know? She looked out for me!" Yosuke dropped the picture, his hands trembling. This wasn't true...it wasn't!
"But you agree, do you not?"
His own voice this time, echoey and deeper. He turned to see an exact copy of himself, down to the worn boots and grey cap, just with yellow glowing eyes.
"There's two of them?!" Raccoon burst in, panting.
Yu or Izanagi or whoever turned more serious, the light strengthening.
"You think everything here is a pain in your ass! She won't be crude, but I will. You think it's boring, you hate the people here, you're so sick of this backwater town! It's why you wish to have so many people around you, so you don't feel isolated!" The evil version laughed as he walked over. "Admit it, you didn't come here to help her! You're bored, you think it's a good time! You want to be some big savior, a hero, like the ones you read about, to be praised."
His voice made Yosuke wriggle, like worms got dumped down his shirt, and his eyes glowed inhumanly, somehow coldly.
"T-That's not true..." He tried to stammer out. "It's not! You know nothing about me!"
Another laugh. "I do! I am you! I know everything about you!"
"Stop it! You're not me!" Yosuke finally shouted. The hateful thing's mouth curled up into a grin. "You're not, okay?! You're not me!"
"You're right! I'm not! I'm something else entirely!" The copy licked his lips with a long, thin tongue, slapping Yosuke's cheek with it. Yosuke shuddered at the cold wet sensation before he felt his legs starting to give out. Several more licks with the tongue and he was done for, fainting on the ground.
Yu watched as the other Yosuke transformed in a veil of sickly green fog into a giant yellow frog with bulging red eyes and hands on the top of its head that waved in the air. The worst part, Yu thought, was the frog's yellow teeth, curved into an unnaturally huge grin.
"I'm a Shadow...the true self! I'll crush everything boring, starting with you!" The Shadow growled. Yu noticed that it still had Yosuke's inflictions on its syllables and wondered how much of him was still inside.
"Be careful, Sensei! This one's much stronger!" Raccoon warned just as the Shadow swiped fast with his hand, knocking Yu back several feet with a gust of wind. Even with the protective armor, pain shot up his back and he groaned. How was he meant to defeat this thing when he just had the shovel?
He stood back up and studied the Shadow, seeing he was as big as a carriage but with oversized hands. He ran at him, sidestepping another swipe and hitting the side hard with the shovel, making the Shadow moan. He dug harder, slamming the hard handle into the side before the Shadow shoved him away.
"Don't I have any powers?" Yu demanded as the Shadow rubbed his hands together, about to unleash another big gust.
"Speak the words you know, do not fear, the power's still here," A voice boomed in his head, familiar yet foreign to him. His eyes shot open and he threw a charged ball of lightning at the Shadow, shocking him and causing him to collapse on the ground.
"You're annoying..." He growled, swiping his hand and releasing a gust of wind that Yu was more prepared for, digging his feet hard into the ground and holding the shovel in front of his face. The wind surged past him, whipping his haori behind him, but he remained standing.
Yu fired another strike of lightning, making the Shadow tremble and convulse when he hit the weak spot. He shuddered and collapsed on the ground, slowly transforming back into Yosuke.
"Ugh...what happened...?" Yosuke rubbed his head from where he hit it on the floor, trying to slowly stand up.
"Are you okay?!" Raccoon ran over. Yu kept his eyes on Shadow Yosuke, who just stood there in silence.
"Y-You're not me...I remember now...!"
"Yosuke, you have to admit it! That thing came from you and will just go berserk if you keep denying it!"
Yosuke wandered over to his Shadow, eyeing him wearily before sighing.
"You're still yourself," Yu offered. "No matter what."
"Yeah...you're right. It hurts, but I knew it wasn't lying. That's why I got mad, I was ashamed of what it was saying," He faced his Shadow. "You're me. All of this is me."
Shadow Yosuke smiled cheerfully and jumped into Yosuke, phasing into him and engulfing him in a bright yellow light. When it dimmed, Yu could look through it to see Yosuke fused with a yellow frog with big black eyes on the top of his head, a red cloak and big smile on his face.
"I'm Jiraiya!" He smirked at Yu. "Look, I got that cool Persona thing too, but it feels weird. Like...I'm me but I'm not."
"You'll get used to it." Yu promised.
"What a way to find out..." Yosuke sighed. "I guess those were things she kept to herself, deep inside...she got attacked because she was alone...right? Did she get attacked by her Shadow?" His voice sounded more gurgled, as if he had salt water in his throat.
"It's very likely," Raccoon nodded. "The Shadows here were born from people in your world. When the fog clears, they get aggressive and stronger ones are able to kill their hosts."
"So that's why they turn up dead in our world," Yosuke gasped as his Persona vanished and he collapsed, groaning. "My head..."
Yu called Izanagi away and winced at how his head throbbed, trying to rub it.
"This place isn't good for humans!" Raccoon tsk'ed. "And those Personas sap away your energy too. I need to get you two out of here."
Despite his own headache, Yu helped Yosuke to his feet and the two stumbled along to the photography room after Raccoon.
"You said these rooms, the bedroom, the market district are new..did they get formed from the people who died here?" Yosuke asked, still stumbling over his steps.
Raccoon just shrugged. "There's so much I don't know...like me. Shadows are born from humans, so what was Raccoon born from?"
"How are we supposed to know?!" Yosuke demanded while Yu just laughed.
"We saved Hanamura-kun, but those others didn't have any escape or someone to fight off the Shadows. But if more people get thrown in, we could go in and save them..." He speculated. "We have the powers to do so, and we still have to find out who's doing this and stop them."
"So you're coming back?" Raccoon asked in a hopeful tone, his eyes sparkling.
"I made a promise." Yu smiled at him.
"You have to enter through the same place every time. I'll wait here for you and try to find you if you end up elsewhere, but be careful you don't get stuck somewhere else! There's no telling what could happen then..." Just as before, he waved his hands and made a camera appear, pushing Yu and Yosuke through it.
Yu closed his eyes and tried to tense up his body to prepare it for the noodle-y stretch sensation he didn't think he'd ever get used to.
He barreled right onto the ground, tasting the dirt of thousands of shoes, sticking out his tongue at the grit. Yosuke had fallen out onto his back.
"Y-You guys...!" Chie gasped in disbelief, trembling. Her eyes were wide and she threw the rope at Yosuke, tangling him up in it. "You guys are so stupid! I thought you died in there when the rope fell out! I was so worried...and mad! I hate you guys so much!" She stomped her foot and stormed off, running out of the entryway.
Yosuke sighed and held his head. "I hate to agree with her, but we were pretty stupid. We charged in there with little thought...we could've gotten seriously killed. Let's apologize to her tomorrow."
"Yeah." Yu nodded. Even though they did what had to be done, he still felt awful over making Chie worry like that. Plus the transformation into Izanagi took a lot out of him, if his aching muscles were any indication.
"I'm going to hit up the bathhouses tonight and see if I ever come out again," Yosuke stretched. "At least I'll sleep well tonight!"
The two bowed and Yu went on his way, heading back to his uncle's house. As he walked by the river, he caught sight of a flash of color and headed over to the small gazebo, spotting a familiar face even though he'd only seen her once before.
Yukiko Amagi stood there under a red oil umbrella, her hand out to catch the rain drops as she stood there in wonder. Her kimono that day was a seasonal red and white with a bright orange obi tied neatly. The pattern on her kimono were of cherry blossom petals sailing through an invisible breeze and her comb was red with birds painted onto it.
"Hm?" She looked back at him and started, ducking under her umbrella. "I'm sorry...I forgot myself...what's that on your face? Are you ill?"
Yu shook his head before shrugging, unused to being fussed over by a girl his age. "Just in case."
"I see," She looked back at the river. "You're unused to seeing me outside, aren't you? Chie-chan likely told you about how I rarely leave the inn...my parents sent me out on an errand."
"They did?"
"Yes. Just a simple shopping trip," Yukiko looked over at him. "How do you like everything so far? Is the town to your liking? Is school nice?"
"Yes, I think I could make lots of new friends here."
She smiled. "Wonderful!"
"School will take some getting used to though. The teachers are...interesting and there's not much structure. There's girls too, my other school is just for boys so I had to adjust." Yu added.
"I wouldn't know...I'd love to go to school, just to be with Chie-chan, but my parents say everything I need to know, I can learn from them. I still think it'd be fun though," She smiled more. "Speaking of her, you two have the same teacher, right? Do you get along?"
Yu nodded. "She's nice."
"She is! She's very supportive and gives me the push I need," Yukiko twirled her umbrella around. "She visits me almost every day just to tell me stories and say how her day went..." She then stepped out of the gazebo, stepping lightly to keep her kimono hem dry. "Sorry, but I must be off. My inn's relying on me to bring those ingredients home. I did enjoy talking to you though. Hope to see you around."
The two bowed and then set off in opposite directions, Yu coming home to see Nanako still reading her quiz booklet. She looked up at his approach with a pout.
"Daddy's working late tonight again."
"News reading time?" He smiled to perk her up and she nodded and scooted that day's issue over to him. He sorted through the pages before he got to the big stories and cleared his throat. "'This morning, the body of local resident Konishi Saki was found crumbled up on the roof of a resident's house. Though it's still unknown how the murderer got her up there, it is speculated she's fallen victim to the same crime as Mrs. Yamano, especially because she was the first one to discover the body. Due to the heavy morning fog, it took the police several hours to properly locate her and make a report,'"
Yu turned to another page and was greeted by the image of a painted inn, exact in its details, even down to the red roof. "'The Amagi Inn is the source of great cultural pride for the residents of Inaba. Even the foreign residents can't help but to visit for the hot springs and rich food. Due to the murders, the current owners are training their sole child hard so she can get married and inherit the inn sooner. And whoever might that lucky husband be? Every man in town would kill for the chance to be with our famous princess! Look at how she wears that kimono!'" Yu stopped reading at that point, remembering Nanako was still there, but also because he remembered his talk with Yukiko and how she mentioned none of this.
Included with the story was a staged photograph of Yukiko, dressed in a layered kimono with an oil umbrella, looking up to the sky with a subdued expression.
"That was boring," Nanako commented. "Want to help me with the dishes?"
"Alright," He stood up slowly, knowing some extra work wouldn't hurt, plus he'd never say no to children. Nanako got the dishes and basin out while Yu got some water from the well and heated it up on the stove. He then poured it into the basin and they split the work, him doing half and her doing half. He scrubbed as vigorously as his sore arms would allow, getting warmed by the hot water. Nanako dried them and set them out, smiling.
"With two people the work gets done even faster!"
Yu took his leave then, heading to his bedroom and getting changed. He longed to just collapse into his bed, but he had to check the photographs to be sure nothing was amiss, so he went over to that same image of his mom and uncle. He stared at it carefully before he finally caught the image of a female silhouette, her furisode and long hair making her identical to the other girls he saw in town. Unlike Konishi, she didn't seem upset or scared, her posture was formal and her hands were folded in front of her neatly. She stood just behind his family as if she'd always been there.
He shook his head and put the picture away, deciding he'd discuss it with the others tomorrow.
He had another strange dream that night, echoing the one he had his first night there where he sat in an open-aired carriage, aimlessly drifting through the stars, this time he could make out the interior of blue velvet and two odd people staring at him.
"Welcome young man. Do not be alarmed, you're still asleep in your own world. Consider this to be a form of mental teleportation between your waking mind and dreaming mind, if you'd like." The man spoke with an old yet wise voice that spoke of antiquity, and yet his suit and cane were of the utmost fashion in high-class circles. Yu thought the strangest feature of the man was his huge protruding nose that reminded him of birds.
"You are here because you awakened an irreversible bond inside you, one that will soon connect you to others." The woman sounded more formal and mature, dressed in a white blouse pinned with a gold brooch and a long blue skirt that made her look timely and foreign all at once.
"Yes, your bond. Your destiny will require you to make many of them, and to take responsibility for your actions. Oh! Where are my manners? You may refer to me as Igor, and her Margaret." He nodded. "Our names may be strange to you, but they are what they are."
"You've managed to awaken a Persona," Margaret took over explaining. "Something that represents a part of your soul and what you decide to show to other people. Throughout your journey, you'll need to hone it, and we help with that." She tapped her fingers on the cover of a brown book she held in her lap. "You're very special, you know. A true wild card."
"Special? Me? I don't know what I even did...and Hanamura-kun has one too now." Yu reminded them.
"Yes, but only you have the power of truly infinite possibilities. You can bond with anyone and become anything you like. Your role is to be the support of everyone else you may meet," Igor said. "And I do indeed look forward to seeing the bonds you'll create with this new power."
Yu could've sworn his eyes twinkled, but before he could look again, he felt cold suddenly and sat up in bed with a start, dizzy and alone.
Another strange dream...
Or was it...?
-The sickness masks we associate with Japan today didn't catch on until the 1930's after a severe influenza outbreak in 1935. However, older sources state that for a brief time they were used throughout the 1870's. One newspaper had an ad for them, dubbing them 'ventilators'