Rise's whole world was stable. Nothing was wrong. The show must go on.

And go on it did, as lately she was finding herself to be a source of comfort for Yu, who wanted to be anywhere but his house and was even starting to miss school. Instead, the two would spend their time together in town, mainly hanging out near the river, or in the food court of Junes. Sometimes, Naoto joined them after school and that was also fun because the two got to converse in European languages and confuse the heck out of Yu. At first, the weather was heavy and grey and wet, but now it was just the constant heavy yellow haze that hung over everything. Just like the smog in London. Must be why everyone was dropping with tuberculosis.

"Am I correct in hearing your parents are part of the exchange program?" Naoto asked that day in the food court while Rise idly tapped her empty Ramune bottle. The other two sat across from her and shared the same glass of milk.

"Yes, why?" Yu asked. Naoto smiled.

"I've just never met anyone who had both parents in it. Father was in it." She said. "He was a detective, yes. But he also played the violin. Japan needed Western musicians and so he answered the call, teaching both military units and regular students the violin and simple choral singing. It's how he met Maman. She lived with Grampa but the two met in town. He was surprised she was so well-educated and had an interest in law. When his time was up, he took her back home to Russia and they married."

"That's such a romantic story!" Rise swooned. "I bet there were huge cultural differences, but they made it work on both sides!"

"Perhaps mine was romantic, but for most women, most are taken without much choice and can never see their beloved country again." Naoto sipped her milk. "Maman had no love for her country, but if she had…my tale would be different."

"Does that happen a lot in Russia?" Yu drank after her.

"Yes. But worse, is simply being mixed. I hid my identity from everyone for so long because foreigners aren't respected here. Mixed children even less so. I've heard some of my coworkers say such children have dirty blood."

"Well, with us, you don't need to hide your true self!" Rise smiled. "And the people you work with are backwards heathens. Dirty blood?! Do they think you're the child of a slave?!" She pouted in English.

"A slave or a princess, it's all the same to them." Naoto responded back in English and downed the rest of her milk.

These types of conversations were enjoyable to Rise, but she also liked the quiet moments with Yu where they didn't feel the need to say anything, they just sat and enjoyed the company of each other. Sometimes, they'd hold hands and gently lean on each other's shoulders, not caring who saw. Theirs was a very Western sort of relationship, where they did everything out in the open. The Japanese would just never understand. And Rise would just never understand them. Why have shame for the love you felt when you had someone you loved? That's what all the great composers wrote their ballets after!

The night after everything with Namatame, she expected her dreams to become nightmarish, but was surprised to see they instead had become pleasant and warm. She dreamed of Grandma, helping her with her bustle and showing her how to make tofu and the times she let Rise cry on her. She dreamed of her time with the ballerinas, posing her body perfectly and being moved into place by the instructor, taking the hands of her dance partners and spinning around the wooden studio, carefully tying the ribbons on her shoes. She dreamed of her patrons, of a jeweled necklace and earring set one had given her, made of pearls, that she wore, letting the pearls drape down her body, and of a music box another had given her, when he said the dancer looked just like her. She dreamed of practicing, posing, and being painted by foreigners. She dreamed of the first time she was cast in La Sylphide, which quickly became her favorite ballet, because of the dance moves. Leaping and twirling on her very tip-toes, standing like she was floating, airless, completely flying.

Lastly, she dreamed of the friends she made, going to the beach, the summer festival, hanging out with Yu, being with Naoto. It brought a smile to her face, even in her sleep.

When she woke up, the fog still lay thick, bringing down her mood significantly. Still, there was work to be done. First, though, was getting dressed.

Her underwear was the same, minus the skirt being thicker and her stockings made of warm material. Her dress for the season was a dark yet cheery red, trimmed with black and white fur. The dress was solid with no patterns and her boots went higher on her legs than normal. Her dress was a wool design, and over it she wore a small black fur coat and thick grey gloves. She still wore her usual earrings and necklace, and to cover her bun, she wore a red hat with a big stuffed dove on it. Grandma checked her before she left, saying everything was in place.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to wear this?" Rise whispered, thinking of what Grandma told her.

"Nobody is outside anymore, so I don't think it matters anymore. Just be careful."

And so she met up with the other early birds at Junes, checking the Other Realm for Raccoon but sighing when they came up empty.

"The fog is so dense even there, I can't sense anything." she relayed sadly.

Kanji just shook his head, wearing black wavy hakama and a haori to give the illusion of movement, with simple matching zori and tabi and a dark blue kimono on over everything. It was thicker than his usual outfits and tied tightly, reflecting the colder weather. On the back was a giant dragon flying over a snowy landscape. "What are we supposed to do, man…"

"I can't believe he's really be gone. We told him he could stay with us…" Yosuke trailed off, wearing a somber striped grey suit with wool trim. The only splashes of color were his bright orange tie and cufflinks. Yu had a bit more color in the form of a plain dark blue suit with a brown buttoned jacket and a white tie. Both were wearing thick hats of black.

"We shouldn't worry about this. If he comes back, he comes back!" Yu tried to reassure them.

"The case is more important. Once Namatame moves to the bigger city for care, we lose our chance to question him on his side." Naoto wore all blue, checkered pants and a long frock coat with large buttons going down the sides, white gloves, and her favored blue Fedora. Her boots were thick-heeled ones and around her waist she wore a chatelaine, silver, and a pocket watch on her breast. "Let's go over what we remember."

"It bothers me that there's no motive for killing the editor. Like, why did he do it then?"

"There could be stuff about this case we don't even know about yet…" Yukiko trailed off. She wore a striking scarlet kimono with the pattern and obi all in dark shades of brown and plum, looking like a wintery tree herself. Her kimono was patterned with scenes of bamboo and chrysanthemum blossoms and camillas. Her obi was tied very simply and carried the pattern of barren trees shedding their leaves on the wind, and her kanzashi was of white flowers that covered the entirety of her bun. Due to the cold she wore a heavy robe over it in another shade of plum. "That's why it's hard to piece together."

"Is he insane or sane? Sounds like a play I performed in once," Rise sighed.

"And what does he mean by saving people? Like through death?" Yosuke asked.

"But that doesn't make sense…when he first saw us, he said 'you are the ones I saved'. But if he wanted to kill us, wouldn't us be alive be a failure?" Yukiko tilted her head.

Everyone gasped and looked over at her.

"Then he might've intended to throw us in there…" Naoto said.

"Yeah, what if you guys being in there was what he thought was saving you?" Chie suggested, and everyone looked at her instead. "C-Come on! That was just a random thought that popped into my head…!" Her kimono was a very dark green and patterned with snowy mountains and frost-covered trees, barren fields and snow-covered grounds. Her obi was also tied with a simple bow and was the shade of bright yellow, covered in snoozing birds and their nests, along with other hibernating animals. She wore a green kanzashi in her hair of two pins with clay balls attached and a ribbon running through her bun. She also wore a heavy jacket of grey. Her necklace for the season was a black choker.

"But what about the other two? Did someone else kill them? But we would've known if he had an accomplice, right?" Yosuke asked.

"What about my threat letters?" Yu asked. "The language is weird. It talks about killing people, and that shoving them into the camera will kill them."

"If he wrote those, the language wouldn't sound like that…" Rise trailed off. "So he really was trying to save everyone?!"

"If he was the one who put Yamano-san and Konishi-san in the camera and they died, he wouldn't have attempted again. Which shows he wasn't the one who did it. We have to talk to him immediately." Naoto pulled her tiny notebook and pen off her chain, taking a quick note.

"But how are we gonna do that? They tightened security 'cuz of last time," Kanji reminded her.

"Did you forget I work with the police, officially? I have a plan." She smirked a bit.

Said plan was evidently sending a suspicious box to the clinic, then insisting she needed to question Namatame by orders of the station. Rise knew Naoto had it in her to be sly, but wasn't actually expecting to ever see it in action.

Namatame was kept in a simple room with a raised bed and an empty tray beside him, staring at the wall. He was a pale yet otherwise very average man with brown hair in a robe. Naoto walked up to him.

"Namatame-san. Many here in town wish for you to be the true culprit, as it's tempting to treat you as such. However, we want the truth. Can you answer our questions?" She said formally. He nodded slowly and looked at them instead.

"Who was the first person you threw inside?" Yosuke asked.

Namatame didn't speak but instead pointed a shaking finger at Yukiko. She gasped and her eyes widened.

"Huh?! M-Me?!"

"Did you kill the two girls?" Kanji asked.

He shook his head. "They were killed…and I couldn't save them." He said quietly.

"And does saving them kill them?" Yu finished off.

"No….! I put them in there to be safe."

"So if my guesses are correct, you realized being shown in photographs in some form meant certain death and so you kidnapped Amagi Yukiko to prevent that from happening. You threw her into the camera so she couldn't be killed in our world. And you kept doing it." Naoto asked, and Namatame nodded.

"Does that mean…there's an actual killer still around?!" Rise put her hand on her chest.

"His mind is sound, that's for sure. He's telling the truth." Naoto said. "A few more questions, if you will."

"Do you know who killed the first two?" Chie asked.

"No..I wish I did though."

"What about the warning letters?" Yukiko asked.

"I didn't do those. I don't even know what you're referring to."

"Why'd you enter the camera?" Rise asked her question.

"I didn't know it was that kind of place…" His eyes widened. "So this means, you all believe me? D-Did they find who actually did all this?!"

"No, but you're instrumental in helping us figure it out. We're the only ones who can understand what you're saying. We've been to the Other Realm too." Naoto blinked and the candles flickered several times as proof. "We're willing to listen to you."

"Will you…really hear my story?" Namatame asked slowly. They all nodded. "Alright…" He sat up and began to speak.

"My affair was public knowledge. That isn't surprising, with how things are these days. Everyone hated Mayumi for it and she had to face the brunt of their hatred and disgust. I was a coward. I left her to deal with that and headed back to live with my parents and drank heavily. Don't misunderstand me though. I felt remorse. She was kicked out of the publisher house she worked for and was completely defaced wherever she went. I wanted to apologize to her, but I had no way to contact her.

One day, I remembered a rumor I heard before I left town. I had nothing better to do, so I got tipsy one night. We didn't have any photographs or a camera, but I'm from a very wealthy area. I procured such a thing from one of our neighbors and right when I looked into the lens, I saw her. Mayumi. She looked as if she was calling for help. I reached my hand out and to my shock, it vanished right into the camera. I almost fell face forward from surprise, thinking I was dreaming or having an alcohol-induced hallucination. I just put it from my mind and returned to my work. The next day, Mayumi was found dead, and it shook me to my core. I couldn't stop thinking about what I had saw. Was it some kind of message she sent me to help her? I tried again and then I saw my abilities weren't a dream.

When she was still alive, the magazine was running a story about a bizarre set of tabloids people kept coming across. I assumed that was just a rumor, or something made-up to scare people. I came here to Inaba to answer the questions of the police and couldn't keep my mind off what had happened. The two had to be related, there was no way they weren't. I saw her on there. Another rainy night, and this time I found an image of a girl. I used a woodblock print my parents had, hoping it would work, and it did. She looked like she needed help, so I decided to save her this time. I knew there was a girl in town who had seen Mayumi's body, I had been following every piece of news about Mayumi that I could find. I worked in delivery, like my father, and I actually saw the girl in question when I delivered to her family's brewery.

I just told her to be careful and to keep an eye on things, but she reacted with confusion. That night, I saw her again, being overwhelmed by a black shape and trembling in pain. I ran all the way down to her family's shop, asking for her, even though it was a late hour. Her parents responded that she hadn't been seen since the previous afternoon. The next day, they found her dead. I blamed myself. I didn't know what to do…her, and Mayumi. I could've done something…!

Mayumi hurt the most. She was the one who truly understood me, you know? Nobody at my job cares about me, and my wife and I are distant. She's the one who was always there for me."

"Wow, you two must really have loved each other!" Rise interrupted his story.

He nodded. "We did. I do like my wife, and we don't fight or anything, and I'm happy she's made it big in her business, but her popularity does put a strain on our relationship. She's an enka singer, don't think you know about those. She sings in the streets. We both met because we're in the same political movement, which calls for better voting rights and a less oppressive government. She's the daughter of a retired geisha, so she's very skilled and prestigious. She's a very busy woman."

"I know how that feels…"

"I met Mayumi when she was interviewing possible candidates to be the first mayors of the countryside towns. She worked for the local magazine but had an attitude of wanting to do more. We're both from Inaba, and I admired the confidence she had. A woman like her is not someone society easily accepts, and I fell for how she was extremely strong. It was inappropriate, but I couldn't help being intimate with her. She completed me." He sighed and went back to his story.

"After that girl, another girl appeared on the woodblock. I knew the same fate would befall her if I didn't act. She wouldn't believe me, I knew that, and if the police grew suspicious, it would limit what I could do. But then, what could I do? I looked closer at the girl and saw she seemed to be smiling. I thought she was telling me this other world was a safe place, a place she could be until the danger died down. Maybe Mayumi gave me such a gift so I could save others after failing to save her. My opponent was a murderer I knew nothing about, so I knew I had to try anything. I never wanted to kidnap anyone, but I knew it was the only way I could save them. I even tried to tell the police but they of course didn't believe me."

"This is nonsense! You did all this and never once stopped to question further?!" Chie huffed, her hands on her hips.

"I was the only one who knew what was going on! I had a bike that wasn't suspicious, I knew the area, and I was using my job as a cover. But….by the sounds of it, I was doing more harm than good."

Naoto nodded. "If the victim is still inside the Other Realm when the fog appears here in our world, they'll die. All of us were in mortal peril and we had to save ourselves."

Namatame nodded. "I thought so. Even when I went in with the little girl, I had doubts about what kind of place it really was. I was trying to escape from the police, but I also did want to help that poor child. But the world in there is grotesque and abominable…I never would've thought that after I saw you all return to your normal lives. I saw you all and started having doubts…"

"Saw us? You mean that thing at Junes we did?!" Yosuke asked in surprise.

"Yes. I wanted to know why you were all together, and how much you remembered, but I felt too much guilt and ran away. When I was in the Other Realm, everything I had been suppressing just exploded out of me." He laughed bitterly. "Thought I was going insane. Maybe I did. When I woke up, I was here in the clinic."

"You really were trying to save people…" Naoto looked down.

"And yet I was still a fool. You know, I wanted to break into politics, actually be of use somewhere. It's a growing field and there's a lot to do. But after losing everything…I grew obsessed with my power. Thought I was a hero and that world was some kind of sanctuary. It's all my fault."

"You did what you had to do." Yu said.

"Perhaps, but I still did terrible things. I'm ready to face the consequences of my actions. I already did kidnap several people. I'm sorry for everything I did."

It was all clear, then. Someone else was responsible for the first two murders.

But then, who?

After thanking Namatame, everyone took a quick detour to watch Nanako, seeing how she was doing.

"She looks like she's fighting for dear life," Yukiko said sadly.

"This was the last place we saw Raccoon, right? He was really worried about her." Chie said.

"Annoyin' he had to skip out when we gotta find the real killer…" Kanji groaned.

"The police consider this case closed. It's all up to us now." Naoto reminded them all. "We have to go back to the original cases and ask new questions."

"Won't the trails be cold by now?" Chie asked.

"It's been a few months. Something new can turn up." Yosuke said. "Tomorrow, we go around town all day, asking everyone we can find about Yamano-san and Saki-senpai. We'll meet up later in the evening with our findings."

Everyone nodded and went home, not having much of an option.

Rise fingered her own chatelaine throughout dinner, hers decorated with pink roses. She couldn't believe she forgot Naoto wore one too, though hers was silver and primarily only worn with her school uniform. Rise's had a sewing kit, coin purse, a mirror, and some tasteful makeup. Naoto's had tools related to her job on it; a pencil, notebook, magnifying glass, and medical kit for wounds and such.

"Something on your mind?" Grandma finally asked after they ate, seeing how spacey she was. "Are you getting sick?"

"No! I'm just…thinking a lot. I can be thoughtful too, you know?" She pouted a bit, and Grandma laughed.

"I know. I'm just worried. A lot of strange things are happening now."

That morning, Rise gave herself the usual quick wash and got dressed, skipping school to spend the day talking to everyone in town. Most people just remembered the supposed culprit being caught, or couldn't remember anything specific at all. Others looked at her clothing and tried to hide their scoff, walking past.

"I know who made the fog! Junes! It's a biological weapon! It's going to kill us all!" One man raved to her, and she just smiled uncomfortably.

"It's Risette! Can you give me an autograph!? What kind of men do you like?!" Another man got really close to her.

"I can't sign anything because I barely know Japanese!" She tried to tease. "And I keep my romantic life private!"

Something that did surprise her were how many people not only just remembered Raccoon but also missed him. Many remembered him as the cute tanuki that invited customers into Junes and let children climb onto him. She sighed to herself, wishing Raccoon could see how many people missed him in this world.

After an exhausting few exchanges that got her nowhere, everyone met back up at the Chinese restaurant to duck out of the cold. Inside everything was scarlet and jade, a warm open fire behind the counter and the smell of sauce.

"This was so tiring! It's hard when you don't have official documents to just wave around." Chie groaned from exhaustion.

"I learned nothing. Most people ignored me, or asked me celebrity questions, or ranted like mad people." Rise sighed.

"Well, no sense in sittin' here hungry. Let's all order something!" Kanji suggested.

"I'll probably just have to eat a bunch of vegetables like sweet potatoes or maybe just a plate of rice…" Yukiko said to herself.

"Oh, I could try duck!" Yu mused.

Rise herself got a plate of broth with noodles and crab meat mixed in, thinking of a similar dish she ate while visiting the Western United States with all their little Chinatowns.

Once they finished eating, they all tried to put the pieces together from the tiny bits they all had learned.

"Is that really it? No suspicious person, nothing new?" Chie frowned.

"It's going to be impossible to catch a killer nobody else saw," Rise pouted.

"At least you guys actually had people talk to ya. Anyone I got just ranted about the fog." Kanji grumbled.

"Whoever the culprit is must've had access to both women, and approach Konishi-san's house without suspicion. They also needed to investigate us periodically, without suspicion." Naoto sighed. "Sorry, I'm going outside. I just need some fresh air."

"Me too." Yu quickly followed after her, and so did Yosuke. Rise rested her cheek on her hand, staring down into her empty bowl.

"I wonder what they could be talking about," Yukiko said, fiddling with her sleeves.

"The culprit, duh. They probably just think we're too foolish to follow our words," Kanji said.

"I'm not dumb! That's not fair!" Chie pouted.

"Maybe they're all kissing Naoto-kun," Rise tried to tease. "You know what they say about those Russian girls…they love their men," She fluttered her eyelashes.

"That means she's stealing your boyfriend!" Yukiko gasped.

"Hey! Senpai is not my boyfriend! We're just close, that's all." Rise still blushed at that thought and smiled.

"Come on, tie the knot! You're both young!" Chie teased her, nudging her.

"I think…I want to see the world first before I do that. Many sopranos do that, they sing for several decades then retire and marry."

"It's Adachi-san!" Yu announced as the trio walked back inside.

"What?! Are you sure?" Yukiko widened her eyes. "But he's been so helpful! Before all of this started, he was assigned to escort Yamano-san while she stayed at the inn-"

"Wait, he was at the inn the same time as her?" Naoto asked.

"He told the staff he had been assigned to her because the media wouldn't leave her alone."

"You think he knew her?" Chie tilted her head slightly.

"I heard he was talkin' to a girl my age in town, who started going to school. I just ignored that 'cuz I knew the cops are gettin' on the cases of girls who don't attend school." Kanji said.

"He kept questioning Konishi-san too, which is strange for someone with such a strong alibi." Naoto said.

"And he kept showing up wherever we happened to be and spread some stuff about what the police were doing before he shut up and acted all innocent. Not to mention he could easily deliver those letters," Yosuke said.

"And destroy any evidence he was accused of!" Rise finished off, almost snapping her fingers.

"It's him, alright. Let's go question him." Yu said, already heading for the door. "He's probably at the clinic, dealing with Namatame."

The group ran to the hospital to the best of their ability, Rise lagging behind because of her clothing. When they arrived, Adachi was in the middle of talking to a nurse, who smiled at their approach nicely.

"What are you guys doing here? Looking for Dojima-san? I swear, he can't stay put in his room. With Namatame finally moved, I was hoping I could relax after all this, but I guess not," He sighed as the nurse walked away.

"You've been in an awful hurry to get him out of this clinic." Naoto said slowly.

"Well, why not? Can't have him here with the people he tried to kill, right?" Adachi said breezily.

"Where's Namatame-san?" Dojima walked into the room slowly, a cane being used to help him walk steadily. "I still had some questions for him. Was he relocated already? I was trying to question his motives because they were very shaky. I don't think he's the murderer."

"Yeah, I had him relocated, aren't we done asking him questions? I figured if there was anything else, someone more observant would catch it." Adachi waved him off.

"You seem different tonight. And why are you all here?" He looked at the group.

"We need to ask Adachi-san some questions." Yosuke walked forward. "What happened the night Yamano-san went missing?"

"Not much. I mean, it's not like I saw her, and my memory is hazy up to that point anyway. It was months ago." Adachi sighed.

"Why did you question Saki-senpai?"

"Why wouldn't I? She found the body, but she didn't know much so I only questioned her once or twice. Were those all your questions?"

"Do you know anything about the warning letter? You guys have it in custody, right?" Yu asked softly.

"Uhhh…I think I forgot."

"Adachi! I told you to give it to the higher-ups! What do you mean, you just forgot?!" Dojima scolded.

Adachi laughed awkwardly and pulled down the brim of his hat. "It slipped my mind, I mean you just had your accident right after and then…" He then huffed. "What's all this about, anyway?! You need to rest so you can heal, and you all need to go home! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" He tried to walk away, but Kanji and Yosuke blocked his path. Naoto flipped open her notebook.

"I have a note of something here that's been bothering me ever since Dojima-san had his accident, if you'll hear me out. We know Namatame didn't commit the first two murders, but we have an idea of who did instead."

"We think it was you," Kanji said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"What?! That's ridiculous! I didn't do anything! We already know Namatame put them in!" He yelled, and everyone collectively bit back their gasps.

"What's that? You know something about the case? And 'putting them in'? So all that talk about cameras…" Dojima trailed off.

"About my note. When I read Namatame's diary, I said there were names of people who didn't die. You said that settled it. But settled what, I wondered? The police didn't know about other attempted murders, so why would you say such a thing? What do you have to say to that, Detective Adachi?" Naoto stared him down.

"I-I don't know! I told you, I'm busy!" He shoved through the group and took off running, but the group was right behind him.

"Come back here!" Yosuke yelled as they ran through the halls, searching every room for him.

They found themselves in Namatame's old room, staring at the old painting.

"You don't think he…?" Rise asked.

"If he's truly the killer, then he could go through it." Chie said. "But where he ended up is another question."

Dojima walked into the room, groaning a bit. "Security says nobody left the clinic…I ask you, find him. I need to question him myself."

A nurse led him away, and the others nodded.

"That confirms it then. He has the power and he never left the building!" Yu said.

"Let's go in!" Kanji suggested.

"No, let's wait!" Rise shook her head. "We don't know if he used this specific painting, and even if he did, we don't know where it leads. It's too dangerous to follow. Let's use Junes as usual."

"Yeah, you're right." Yosuke nodded. "We'll continue this tomorrow."

With a nervous and weary goodbye, everyone went their separate ways once more. Rise struggled with sleep, laying awake and sitting up in her bed, sighing.

What was going to happen?

The next morning, they were ready. Still no Raccoon, but they just had to deal with it. They had more important things to worry about.

In the Other Realm, the fog was even thicker and lapped at their ankles, weighing them down. Rise stepped forward with a struggle, frowning. "It's so…different. It feels malicious and wrong in here. We shouldn't dally." She summoned Himiko and gazed around, the opera goggles on her head.

"Are both our worlds getting worse?" Yosuke wondered.

"We can see through the fog in the real world, and more people are getting sick." Yukiko worried. "And I worry that getting sick is the best thing that'll happen to them, if this continues…."

"I can sense him! But…I don't know where he is," Rise sighed.

"Then that confirms he's the true culprit." Naoto said. "With him, solving the mystery of the world can't be too far behind."

"And maybe we'll know what Raccoon truly is, too!" Chie said.

Rise grumbled and threw aside Himiko, completely collapsing from her blood being on fire. "This isn't fair.. why'd you have to abandon us in our time of need!" She cried. "He wouldn't be able to help, but he'd always support me when I needed it."

"He was full of energy, despite everything." Chie agreed.

"Come on, let's head back. She's getting sick," Yu hurried over to her and helped her up. The sudden movement of her limbs made her body scream and burn.

"I'm not sick…the fog is much harder to see through. And using my Persona is exhausting." she reassured him.

"We ran into yet another dead end," Kanji grumbled.

They helped Rise over to a bench in the food area, and she opted to lie down instead, sighing. Her skirt fell to reveal her boots. She fluttered her eyelashes slightly, noticing a brown bit of fur, and a jacket….

Wait…

"Raccoon!" She immediately sat up despite her tiredness and ran over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. "I've missed you! You naughty, naughty tanuki! How could you just leave us!?" She buried her face into his fur and smelled his familiar wild scent.

"Where have you been?!" Yosuke demanded. "You had us all worried!"

"I… I've just been doing a lot of thinking." Raccoon sighed. "About who I am, what I was doing in my world. I realized that I was a Shadow this entire time. I wanted to keep the peace in my world, but I failed. That weird fog is over here now, and I'm nothing special!" he cried. "I'm just a Shadow."

"Like what we fought?" Chie asked in surprise.

"Yes. Everyone has Shadows, they're pieces of their souls. And that's what I am."

"Well, who cares if that's what you were born as?" Kanji asked. "You're you now, aren't you?"

"You possess the powers of a Persona. Something gifted to us from deities. The gods don't gift lightly, so the fact you have powers shows you're one of us, a human." Naoto said.

"I'm a human?!" Raccoon asked. "Honest to goodness?!" He sobbed.

"Hey, I see no difference between us. You're trying to figure out who you are, and that's pretty much what the entirety of life amounts to. We're a group of misfits, in case you haven't noticed. You fit right in!" Yosuke winked.

"Who are you calling a misfit?!" Naoto gasped in mock offense.

"Yeah, I think that's just you!" Rise teased.

"Oh come on, like that's something either of you can say! Being a detective and singer are plenty weird too!" Yosuke laughed, and everyone laughed in response, thinking of their own weirdness.

"You know what I say, own your weirdness!" Yu chimed in.

"While you were gone, we actually found the true culprit. Adachi." Yosuke said.

"That goofy guy?! I never would've guessed it!" Raccoon gasped. "I'm not as observant as you guys are!"

"Tomorrow we're goin' to confront him, so let's rest up." Kanji said.

The others nodded, and Rise gave Raccoon another hug before she headed home, falling asleep the instant she got into bed.

-La Sylphide is a ballet from the Romantic era, the 1830's, about a farmer who falls in love with a wind sylph and is cursed for it, doomed to become mad. It was the first ballet where the lead dancer danced on her tiptoes, called em en pointe /em, where it was used for aesthetic purposes and not just to show off that they could do that. The first dancer in the lead role supposedly shortened her skirts so she could dance better, leading to scandals.

-A chatelaine was a special decorative chain women wore around their waists in lieu of pockets to carry all the things they needed. Usually gold or silver, most carried things such as a sewing kit, makeup, a mirror, a journal and writing utensils, and etc. I noticed Naoto has a chain on her school uniform pants and originally designed the silver chatelaine for her in replacement, and completely forgot to describe her wearing it until just now. Pocket watches were associated in Japan as being a very 'dandy' sort of object. In Meiji and Taisho media, any Westernized fashionable man you weren't supposed to like was often shown hurriedly and constantly checking the time on a fancy pocket watch.

-In the game, Namatame's wife is an enka singer. Nowadays, enka refers to a specific type of music in Japan that's meant to evoke old folk songs, where the singer wears a kimono, uses traditional orchestration, and sings folk songs. However, the term dates back to the Meiji era, from the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. This was a political group in the 1880's organized to make the government more decentralized and less focused on the needs of the wealthy, and making it so more people could vote, as back then, the only people who could vote were people who owned a certain amount of land. They also wanted the treaties with the West to be revamped and rewritten, making them more equal for Japan. Enka singers would sing political songs about their cause on the streets. So yes, Namatame and his wife are very radical in this story lol I've tried to portray Inaba as a place very sympathetic to country folk and their plights, such as in an earlier chapter where Rise was given that question about the Blood Tax Riots.

-I realized that throughout this fanfic, I have been calling the Emperor Emperor Meiji, which is a big error. Emperor Meiji is his posthumous name, as when Emperors die, they're given the name of the era they presided over. There's no way for the characters in the AU to know Emperor Meiji is going to be his name, and nobody used his birthname, because that would humanize him. Instead, everyone simply referred to him as The Emperor. Going forward, I'll do the same, where characters call him The Emperor.

I would like to apologize for how long this took me. School bowled me over, so I was left without much energy or enthusiasm for writing anything, then I started working a steady job! Then a week ago they fired me, because it sounds like they only wanted me for the summer position, so now I'm unemployed, and starting school yet again. I've been very busy. However, I never forgot. I got my motivation back. I'm going to try to keep up weekly updates once again, but I don't really want to promise anything concrete yet. I'm very depressed from the loss of my job and the fact my life feels kinda aimless right now, as that job was tied to my future career. But, multiple chapters have already been written, I can promise you that. I hope everyone has been having a good time despite everything, and I hope to see you again next week! There will be some surprises coming up...visual surprises...

Oh! Want to join a fun community of writers and nerds? Come join my friend's server! Message me for the link! Come say hi to me and my other friends!