Rise pouted as she tightened her ponytail in the mirror, making sure it looked good. Summer was over which meant it was time for school again, which meant assignments she barely understood and biting her tongue in her drama club whenever everyone argued over what the unfamiliar stage and character terms meant. She pulled her right sleeve over her scarred hand and took one final look before she left her room, tying her boots at the front door and heading off to school after saying farewell to her grandma. Back to the daily grind.

She happily walked to school herself, catching up with Yu, Yosuke, and Chie, smiling at them.

"Morning! At least we all get to walk to school together!" She smiled before movement in front of the gate caught her attention.

"Hey, you're that tiny detective!" Yosuke called out, making the object of his words turn around and scoff.

"I beg your pardon?! Don't refer to me so rudely! I'm Shirogane Naoto," They wore the same boots and grey hakama as everyone else, but with a blue kimono top and Fedora hat. Unlike the other boys, they didn't wear a haori and wore their uniform more like the girls would. "I'm here because the case left me feeling…unfulfilled. There were too many questions left unanswered, plus I have some family issues on top of that. Ergo, I have transferred here to continue my work. I just thought I'd introduce myself to you all, especially since I'll be in the same class as you, lady," They pointed to Rise specifically, making her tilt her head in curiosity before they walked off.

"No way, he's younger than us?! He sure doesn't act like it!" Chie said in disbelief.

Rise walked off to her class, putting her bag away at the lockers and sitting there, doing her best to listen despite how dull everything was. The only thing that got her to perk up was the announcement the school trip for the fall season would be in a week.

Yes, a trip! That would get her blood pumping once more! And she could spend time with the others!

It would be more fulfilling than her classes, that was for sure. She stared down at her empty paper, not having the drive to write anything.

What were the Blood Tax Riots and how were they resolved? The question stared up at her.

She eventually sighed and wrote a few sentences to the best of her ability, hoping they were good enough for her teachers.

After school, Rise wandered around, catching the trio in the middle of a conversation.

"Hi Senpai! What are you talking about?" She asked curiously.

"Shirogane. We want to invite him out to Junes with us," Yu responded.

"Aww, that's sweet."

"Yeah, I mean he's a transfer student like us and doesn't know anybody, the guy is probably lonely." Yosuke said.

"Plus, I'm kinda curious about him and his family. He's so young to be a detective! And he transferred here! I'd want to ask him stuff," Chie said.

"Then let's go!" Rise led the way back to her classroom, knowing Naoto hadn't left quite yet. And indeed, Naoto was in the middle of tossing things into their bag, two girls standing over them.

"Hey, hey, I love your accent, you seem so worldly! Want to come hang out with us? We know all the cool spots in town!" One gushed.

"Yeah, yeah, super elite stuff! You would love it!" The second promised. Naoto eventually looked up.

"What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you two?" They stabbed.

"Hey, what makes you think you're better than us?!" The first girl got super close. "You think you're special?! We wanted to be your friends!"

"What a first impression," Yosuke said before he stepped over. "Yo, Naoto-kun! Want to hang out after school?" He bowed, using super casual language.

"What's goin' on?" Kanji asked as he walked in, Yukiko following. The two girls looked at the two boys and quickly darted off, mumbling apologies.

"Naoto-kun, we were being serious! You want to hang out with us? We could go to Junes!" Chie suggested.

"With you?" Naoto spoke formally yet slightly unsure. Rise tilted her head. "No. I have other things to do, and I promised Grandpa I'd be home right after school,"

"Grandpa?!" Kanji asked in disbelief.

"Hey, what's so strange about that? Sometimes they're the only family you got!" Rise reminded him with a slight nudge.

"Maybe some other day…?" Chie asked, hopeful, and Naoto nodded, grabbing their bag and walking off. With nothing else to do, everyone went to their usual spot at Junes, sitting down.

"Okay, he has a bad attitude. He pretty much blew it at school." Yosuke spoke up. "Now we have to be worried about him,"

"Maybe they're some kind of noble! They're in a lot of my classes. They were frustrated by the work, mumbling stuff about geology and religion and anatomy….they must've had a super great tutor!" Rise remembered in awe. She didn't even know what geology and anatomy were! And who studied religion merely by itself?

"I think he's awfully mysterious. You can't help but to stare at him," Yukiko offered.

"Oooh, you into younger guys?" Yosuke teased.

"Well, if you take my engagement into account…" She teased back.

"He's probably the sort of person who isn't satisfied with any case. And as for us….this isn't our special headquarters anymore…" Chie hung her head. "Now I'm just sad,"

"Let's talk about something else, like the class trip next week! Where are we going?" Yosuke looked around at everyone.

"Port Island! It's a super big island with a bunch of things to do! I've been there a few times so I can guide you!" Rise said in excitement. "We get to go too!"

"I doubt it'll be as much fun as you're making it seem. They're making us take classes at the private school and tour factories and stuff," Chie sighed. "Nothing super exciting."

"I'm just glad to get out more," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, we'll all be together, so we can ditch if need be," Kanji nodded.

"What kind of field trip is this…would it kill them to give us something actually fun?" Yosuke grumbled. "They're not actually expecting anyone to learn anything, are they?"

Rise giggled. "Hey, I'm looking forward to it! It'll be fun to hang around without super strenuous work,"

"Either way, we still have a week left until it happens." Chie reminded them, playing with her braid.

Everyone else nodded. "Yeah…."

The next few days droned on in a haze for Rise. Just more schoolwork and then her work at the tofu shop, which was surprisingly easier now that she wasn't in a sour mood. She was lighter on her feet and engaged the customers more, who just treated her like a waitress. She found she liked that, to just be recognized as a regular person and not her prior career. Grandma helped her when possible, always smiling.

"You have such light in your eyes, it's nice to see," She smiled, and Rise beamed.

"Guess I just needed to figure things out. Maybe I still am." She cut up some tofu pieces.

"Even now, I'm still learning about the world," She nodded.

She did spend some time packing for the trip, mainly a few odds and ends she thought she needed, such as perfume. The trip was only for two days and was a school thing so she planned on just wearing her school uniform the entire time, not wanting to waste space trying to lug around her regular dress. Plus, it was wasteful to change clothing so much anyway. She wondered if Kanji would go with them too just so she could have a familiar face in their group.

Finished with her packing, she wandered around town, finding Yukiko and Marie playing kotos outside the inn and bowed to them.

"Afternoon!" She greeted.

"Afternoon," Yukiko greeted back. Marie plucked so hard a sour note popped out.

"I'm sorry, I've just been thinking ever since last time. About my memories." She looked around and moved in closer. "What if I truly have nothing? Everything I know, everything I am, comes from someone else. These clothes aren't mine, this name isn't mine…what is?" A wind suddenly blew past her and she stood and walked to the end of the deck.

"Well, all of life is figuring out who you are, what you want…" Yukiko trailed off.

"That party we went to, the birthday one. I actually liked that. Same with the shopping, laughing at all those weird shoes. I want to do that again,"

"You remembered!" Yukiko gasped, running to her side. "And you are having fun!"

She smiled in slight amusement. "I guess I am," She stared out at the town, specifically at the lowering sun. "The sunsets here are so beautiful. It's the only time I truly feel like someone."

Rise said nothing and just stood there in silence, watching. She felt this was a moment not meant for her to intrude on.

"I don't get it though. You have other friends. Why do you spend so much time with me specifically? Even Green seems more friendly than I,"

For once, Yukiko didn't snicker at the nickname or try to correct her. Instead, she moved closer to Marie.

"Because…I think I'm in love with you!" She confessed, super red.

"What?!" Marie blushed back in shock.

"I…I can't really explain it. I just know ever since I first saw you, my heart hasn't stopped pounding. I didn't even care we were both girls. There was just something that drew me to you,"

Rise held her own heart, feeling emboldened by the confession. She suddenly wished Chie was there to see it too and what her reaction would be.

Marie continued to blush. "If I must love someone, I guess I'm glad it's you…but do you really mean that?"

Yukiko didn't hesitate and pulled Marie into a tight hug, the two girls touching their heads together.

"Fine…I believe that you mean it,"

Rise left after some time, seeing the two were going to remain close for many more minutes, maybe even hours. Perhaps both were lost souls who finally found each other in that moment, and she was glad to witness it.

The next day was the day of the field trip. Rise got dressed in her uniform and grabbed her bag, heading to school just as was expected. To her surprise, her other peers were giddy, many squirming around in their seats in anticipation.

Once they were broken into smaller groups, they took a boat ride out to the city, a short one, but Rise liked it anyway. She stood on the deck the whole ride and felt the sea breeze in her hair and on her face, smiling.

The city itself wasn't too much to note despite her prior comments, but she did find the school interesting, it was more glass than brick. Several stories were stacked on top of each other, and big trees blew gently in the breeze, covering the windows. Rise remained with her group, a few giggling girls who were also in her drama class, whispering among each other. They looked almost identical in pink kimono tops and hair ribbons.

"This place is huge!" Yosuke whistled, getting nudged by Yu. Rise covered her mouth to hide her giggle.

"Nice to meet you all. I am so glad you're here at our school." An older girl with spectacles and, much to Rise's surprise, an incredibly outdated hoopskirt dress said, bowing to them awkwardly. "Our school is a newer one, modernized and funded by the government, so it is more Westernized,"

"And this is our very first cultural exchange, so we are all pleased to have you!" Their headmaster exclaimed, a bearded old man in a suit. "Please split into your pre-decided groups so we can lead you to the right classroom!"

"The right classroom?" Chie questioned as Rise ducked out of her own group to join theirs.

"Yes. See, this is an educational exchange. We would love to share our state-of-the-art educational programs with the students from the….'backcountry'." The bespectacled student continued. "You will be having a mythology class today, how much fun!"

"They're going to kill me," Yosuke grumbled. "Two whole days of super fancy classes?! I should've feigned sick."

"Honestly, same. We only get tomorrow and the next afternoon for relaxation," Chie played with her braid.

"I'll get to take real classes!" Yukiko beamed, and Rise smiled.

"Just means we'll have to make the most of our relaxation!" She followed the group into the school, though Rise saw nothing particularly interesting of note. The class they were led to had no normal desks and chairs like their school but rather cushions on the floor to kneel on with a low table in front of them. Also in front of them were tiny slates matching the large blackboard in the front of the class. Everything else was bare and utilitarian. Rise kneeled down near the front, close to Kanji who was eyeing his slate.

"Have a good session!" The girl bowed and walked out, her place being taken by a man with glasses as well who wore a Western dress shirt and jacket but hakama and zori and tabi, the latter in dark blue and the jacket in black. Kanji stared at that instead, fascinated, while Rise just thought he looked like a mess. And why did everyone here have to wear glasses?

"Oh, the students from Yasogami High. Gods from a school of gods. Isn't that funny." He spoke in a dull tone. "Let me tell you a story about gods. About partings and curses. The oldest curse on our fair country, I'd say." He cleared his throat. "Before there was anything else in life, there were the two gods, Izanagi and Izanami. Two siblings and a couple, brought forth to be the very first humans on earth. Izanagi parted the foggy waters with his spear and settled on a small landmass and Izanami joined him. Despite a happy and fruitful marriage, something went wrong with the birth of the child Kagutsuchi, the fire god. Her innards burned. More islands formed from the waste she expelled in agony, and though Izanagi tried his best to save her, he couldn't.

Distraught, he traveled to the land of Yomi, the dark and desolate underworld. He found Izanami in the shadows and embraced her, happy to see her once more. He begged her to come with him, and she promised she would after they spent a night together. He wanted to see her face, but she refused and shied away, saying he could wait until morning. Impatient, Izanagi waited until her back was turned and lit his comb on fire, beholding the rotted and maggot-filled body of his decayed wife. Seeing such ugliness, he fled, abandoning her.

Izanami sent demons after him, eventually going after him herself when he managed to outrun all of them. He managed to make it to the entrance of Yomi, stopping when she called after him. 'Leave me here and I'll kill a thousand people a day!' She snarled.

'I'll then give life to a thousand and five hundred more!' Izanagi spat back, and sealed her up inside for good. That is the curse that we to this day must endure. Forever dying and being born, the cycle of life, the fight of two scorned lovers…."

He stepped back and adjusted his glasses. "Well, that's the story. In some areas, people still take it very seriously and in the region Izanami is said to have descended into Yomi, the people decorate it with flowers and honor her. They want her to feel beautiful, you know?"

Nobody said anything until they were on their way back to the inn they were staying at, talking quietly.

"What a romantic story! I never get tired of hearing it!" Yukiko clasped her hands together. "Even though I feel so sorry for them,"

"You think that's romantic? If you say so. I'm just tired of hearing that story everywhere!" Chie toyed with her braid.

"Same," Rise sighed. Okay, so she only heard it once when she was nine at her all-girls' school, but so?! It wasn't an interesting story to her. She wasn't a fan of mythology.

"Not only did he tell us an old myth, but he also had an interesting outfit?! Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all," Kanji nodded.

"I liked the story. It's sad but a bit romantic too, right?" Yu chimed in.

"How?" Rise asked.

"He would've done anything for her. But maybe that's not the message. Maybe the message is about actually doing that. When you see the ugliness of people, true ugliness, running away only hurts both them and you. Actually standing by their side no matter what, that's a true relationship."

"You're just getting all philosophical because of our powers, Senpai!" Rise giggled. She never would've thought of the story that way before! That's why Yu was so clever. He always thought of stuff nobody else did!

"Gotta join the other camp on this one. We're forcefed that story everywhere, I'm sick of it! We already know how it ends!" Yosuke sighed.

The inn was surrounded by a fence and lit with a few candles glowing in the windows, painted a light shade of yellow and eggshell.

"It's kinda dark…is this really the right place?" Yukiko worried.

"Yeah! Supposedly, if you know the right staff here, they'll hook you up with a girl, and-" Rise began explaining before Yosuke looked at her.

"I think we get it!"

"It looks awfully modern," Chie said, staring at the boxes of flowers hanging outside every window.

"A lonely figure crosses their minds…from the shadows, he waits, he watches, he jumps-!"

"What?!" Everyone yelled in surprise as Raccoon seemed to materialize in front of them, holding his belly.

"Hello! I got really bored staying at home, all alone, so I came here! It wasn't that hard for a tanuki. I just hid under the seats of the boat, pretending I was a bag. I wanted to see you all again!" He explained.

"Seriously? How'd you even know where we were going?!" Yosuke demanded. Raccoon giggled.

"I overheard you telling your parents about it!"

Rise just smiled. "Tomorrow is our free day, so why don't we go out and do something fun? I know this place better than most in the class so we could really explore. Maybe go shopping or something!"

"I'd like that!" Yukiko nodded.

"Same. It sure beats touring a factory," Yosuke nodded, and everyone headed up the stairs to their rooms.

Rise herself shared with someone, someone she hadn't actually seen once on the trip yet but their stuff was still there on the other bed. Tired from the trip and lulled by the candlelight and soft ginger smell from downstairs, Rise slowly let her hair fall down her back and ran her fingers through it, letting it flow to the full length of her waist. She pulled apart her uniform, choosing to sleep naked for the trip as she didn't bring her usual nightgown and didn't like the undergarments of her school uniform.

She blew the candle out and was gone like a light.

Shopping was spent primarily watching Yukiko and Chie marvel at hoopskirts, disgusted and fascinated by them simultaneously. Of course, Yukiko asked how they were meant to relieve themselves. After that adventure, Rise decided to take them to a nearby music hall, knowing they'd be showing some interesting acts, and they could still walk to it, though it'd still be a bit of a walk.

Once they stepped inside, Rise grinned to herself, feeling right at home in the familiar atmosphere. Lamps hung from the blue walls and a couple sang a comedic song on stage, tossing each other around. Servers were dressed in military uniforms, leading them to a large seat with a table in front of them. It was truly otherworldly and made Rise feel as though she were in a dream.

"This place is amazing! We don't have anything like this back home!" Chie marveled.

"The ones in England were a lot huger! I don't know everything they have planned here for tonight, but the ones I went to had like, strength contests, magic shows, dancers, acrobatics, crossdressing…anything you can think of!" Rise explained.

"And are you sure you should be at a place like this?" Naoto asked, wandering out of the shadows. "What if the school heard? You went to an illicit place and ruined their image,"

"And aren't you worried about your own reputation?" Yosuke stabbed.

"Why don't you join us? I think you'll find this is a very upstanding place! Besides, I want to know more about you!" Rise greeted.

"You're inviting me?" Naoto asked in surprise.

"Why not? We're all friends here," Yukiko helped Naoto to sit down on the big couch and Rise ordered drinks for them all. To their surprise, not only was regular rice wine, whisky, and vodka served, but also chrysanthemum wine in purple glass bottles with high necks and a small bowl of chestnut rice for everyone to share. The server winked and walked away.

"Right! It's Chrysanthemum Day! I forgot!" Yukiko gasped. "I'm surprised they'd still celebrate it all the way out here,"

"Maybe they just knew we were from the country." Kanji suggested.

"Oh! It's also my birthday today!" Yu announced as he picked up his glass.

"Ooooh! Then let's all have a toast for Yu-kun's birthday!" Yukiko said, and everyone cheered as they clanged their glasses together and chugged down the contents. Once Rise downed her first glass, she went for several more, enjoying the sweetness of the petals. She also sipped the whisky but found it too strong for her liking, so she stuck to the regular rice wine.

Peeking around the table, everyone else had healthy selections of each drink offered to them, even the vodka, which she heard was really strong and hard for many to handle. Everytime they finished a drink, they either put the empty cup on the table or tossed it at their feet, and soon seven of them had great piles of empty cups everywhere. The only one who didn't was Naoto, who only drank one cup of the chrysanthemum wine and two cups of vodka and was nursing a third, holding it close in their hand.

The music seemed further away to her at that point, and even focusing on her friends proved to be a challenge, as she was seated too far away from them and they were so bright! Wait, were they still singing? Or had another act gone on? And why was her face so red and hot?! She took another big sip of her sake and swallowed down the resulting sickness.

"Whoo-hoo! Now we're talking! I could go all night like this! Allllll niiiiiiight! Us tanuki sure do love sake!" Raccoon blurted out, laughing hard.

"Yeah! Sake and tanuki! Tanuki sake! Or sake tanuki! Teehee!" Yukiko all but shouted, laughing hard.

"Are you guys drunk?!" Yosuke asked in surprise. Rise pouted.

"No! They shouldn't be! We didn't even have that much to drink, we just had some celebratory sips!" Rise protested hotly. "Anyway!" She jumped to her feet and stumbled. "Let's play a game! A game where we all make each other do stuff! Like what the guys used to play after shows!" She pouted. "They'd always say it wasn't appropriate for lil' girls like me, but they still wanted to have sex with me anyway! Well hum! I'm going to do whatever I want tonight and nobody can stop me!" She hiccuped. "Let's play! Someone get some chopsticks!"

"Ooooh, lesha play that game where whoever draws the special golden chopstick is the winner anda othersh hafta do what they say when the number on their chopstick is called! What-ever-they-say!" Yukiko drunkenly sang.

Deciding none of the food was going to be finished that night, Yosuke gathered up all the chopsticks and painted one with stain Rise had for her face, then numbered the rest. Everyone drew a chopstick and looked at what they got, Raccoon jumping up.

"Oh, mine is gold! Does that mean I win?! Ooooh, I woooooon!" He cheered. "Okay, kiss me Number 3! Give me a big huge kiss!"

"You're messin' with me!" Kanji shouted.

"Well, no takebacks!" Yosuke said.

"Come over here, you big guy! Smooch me!" Raccoon tackled Kanji and jumped right on him, loudly kissing and cheering him on.

"Hey, where are you touchin'?! Stop that!" Kanji shouted.

"Okie-dokie, who goes next?!" Rise asked impatiently, hiccupping. Everyone put their chopsticks back in the pile and shuffled them, grabbing new ones. Yu grinned.

"I got gold!"

"Good, you won't ask us to do anything weird!" Chie sighed in relief.

"Yeah, since Raccoon-san asked for kisses, you should ask to strip someone!" Yukiko said.

"No, sit on your lap!" Rise added.

"I'll pick….Number One, rest your head in my lap!" He laughed, and Rise gasped and jumped up and down.

"Me! Me me me me! That's me!" She stumbled over with a giggle and laid her head right in his lap, burying her face in there. She mumbled something and smiled, enjoying how warm he felt. She could almost fall asleep right there….!

Much to her surprise, she felt a hand on her head, gently patting it. She snuggled closer to him.

"Me next! I wanna be the Queen!" Yukiko snorted and laughed.

"No way, you didn't even draw anything!" Yosuke tried to push her arms down as she wildly waved them in the air.

"Naoto-kun, tell us something embarrassing about your life!"

"Ignore her, she's not following the rules."

"Actually, I think I'll bite." Naoto polished off their drink. "It's not very often I get to discuss myself, after all. On the promise you all tell me something embarrassing about yourselves, of course." They sat up straight. "My family is a long line of detectives. Generations, going back at least five. Detectives are important in severe cases such as murder ones so they work closely alongside the police. Grandpa is well-versed in the work of my father so he took me on as his assistant even though I'm young and inexperienced by comparison. A lot of modern detectives are studying European sciences and medicine to catch up with the West, so I have a lot of catching up to do,"

"Geezh, you're living a hard life," Yosuke said in approval.

"Alright, now answer me." Their eyes hardened. "What is your involvement with this murder case?"

"That'sha easy! We jump into the camera where everyone is thrown when they're kidnapped and we turn into these gods by yelling Persona and beat the snot out of everything!" Yukiko danced around before she tripped over herself and collapsed on the ground, still laughing. Her kimono fell up to reveal her knees and upper leg.

"You idiot!" Yosuke hissed.

Naoto just sighed. "I see that you weren't intending on telling me the truth. You're just messing with me,"

"Are not!" Rise huffed. "Persona! We yell it just like that!" She buried her face in Yu's lap and started dozing off, sleepy.

"Ugh, can those two just go to bed already?! I see now they're the stupid drunks!" Chie said.

Naoto glared at them and shoved the drinks away. "Indeed. How could you guys just drink until you got drunk?!"

"Well how else are you meant to drink alcohol?" Yu challenged.

"By sipping it! Not chugging it down until you become intoxicated. There's a way to drink without having that happen, you know!"

"Well, we were just having a party…" Chie laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, Sensei's Birthday! And I'm prepared to drink all night! Allllll niiiiiiight longgggggg!" Raccoon shouted.

"Bring it on!" Yukiko hiccupped. "I can outdrink you!"

"You all are imbeciles." Naoto stabbed.

Rise slept steadily that night and into the morning, completely knocked out from the alcohol. She didn't even realize Naoto arrived to their room late after having an argument with Yosuke down the hall about something involving a locket and instead continued to sleep soundly. When she eventually woke up, her head hammered and Naoto was already dressed and getting ready to leave.

"Oh, our last day is eating out at a noodles shop, let's go!" She chirped, already feeling perky again. Naoto just nodded and after Rise freshened up and got dressed, she joined the usual group outside, heading to the noodle place next to the docks.

The place was steamy and served big bowls of ramen, gourmet pieces of sushi, and dorayaki, being fried on the stove in front of them. Rise smiled and chose the first thing she saw, sitting down at the bar.

"I hear this place is super good! And now that I'm taking a break, I can eat as much as I want!"

"What happened last night? I…don't remember." Yukiko broke the ice, staring down at her bowl.

"I think we mostly fell asleep? We were probably the drunkest." Rise said.

"Maybe it's for the best you don't remember what happened." Chie winced at some memory.

Raccoon slammed down another bowl of noodles, just gesturing to the cook at that point. "Another, you know the deal!"

"How many have you had?!" Yosuke asked. "I'm still paying for you, remember?!"

"Yeah, but you can afford it!"

"I didn't bring very much money with me!"

"It's almost time to go," Naoto reminded them, putting up their bowl and leaving.

"Guys…I'm stuck. I can't move. I think I ate too much," Raccoon whispered from the side of his mouth.

"Uh, hey wait for me!" Chie and Yukiko ran away.

"This is serious! I really can't move!"

Rise, Yosuke, Kanji, and Yu walked up to him, clasping their hands together.

"Thank you for being with us for this long. We'll always remember you!" Yosuke prayed.

"You're the memory of our youth!" Kanji nodded.

Rise and Yu did their best to contain their snickers before running off as well, meeting up with everyone else at the docks.

All things considered, Rise had fun, and was definitely looking forward to her next school trip in the future.

-The Blood Tax Riots were a series of violent protests waged by frustrated peasants who were dissatisfied with the direction the laws were going. In 1873, angered by mandatory conscription, the emancipation of the untouchable class, mandatory education, and spooked by the name 'blood tax', people took to the streets, beating military and government officials. The government responded by shooting and killing anyone they saw, resulting in the riots not lasting long and most people getting killed or jailed. Because the government was an oligarchy, regular people from the countryside weren't represented so they felt the only way to be heard was through a violent protest.

-Chrysanthemum Day is an obscure holiday celebrated on September 9th or 9/9 to represent the autumn on the old lunar calendar, primarily celebrated in the countryside. There's not much on this holiday but it was a day to celebrate a long life and good luck, drinking special wine and eating chestnut rice. It was also sometimes referred to as 'adult Girls' Day' because people would also air out the dolls on this day.

It was really hard to write the Persona 3 cameo here as I've never played it before and thus just kept it as a very mysterious rich school. I have no idea if that fits or not, but it's just for one scene anyway so.