Persona 4: The Golden Apostle

by sithlorde1988

Adaptation of Persona 4 Golden. Everyone knows the plot of Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden well, or at least the plot of CANON Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden. But what if there was an extra character added into the mix? How will the addition of an extra character to the mix change the plot of Persona 4 Golden? Better summary and more info in the first chapter! Read and enjoy!

10. Bands and Links! Mystery Begins part 7

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 4- The Golden Apostle! I'm aware of how much of a pseudo-cliffhanger I left the previous chapter on, but unfortunately it's gonna be a couple chapters before you get any resolution on that front, since I don't plan to have another cutaway to dealing with Gaignun's side of the plot until probably closer to the end of the first Arc, and I think there's still at least two to three more chapters before we get to that point (depending on how many chapters it takes to get to the end of Yukiko's deadline period now that she's been saved as of last chapter), and I plan to have the next cutaway probably be the end of the first Arc and lead in to the first Interlude of the story.

YES, you read that right. Much like Rise of the Monarchs, Golden Apostle will have Interludes, though not every Arc will have them. Probably only Arcs 1 and 2 (and maybe Arc 3) will have Interludes, along with possibly Arc 7, since it and Arc 8 will likely cover the pivotal dungeons of base Persona 4 and set up for the Golden-exclusive content that will probably be in Arc 9 (much like how Arc 9 in Phantom Files was the Royal-exclusive content arc with Maruki's Palace.)

Speaking of which, Arc 7 will probably be where a certain infamously well-known dungeon goes down that nearly everyone who's played Persona 4 and/or Persona 4 Golden should know pretty well given not only WHO you save from said dungeon, but the emotionally charged scenes that go down shortly after that dungeon that lead into the next dungeon, where the 'true culprit' is finally cornered and brought to justice.

However, I don't want to go into details on that (mainly because it would be heavy plot spoilers for Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden), so that likely implies that Arcs 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 all will NOT have Interludes in them. So there's that bit of plot detail clarified ahead of time. But rather than get into a long tangent about them, how about I do the disclaimer and get it done and dusted, yeah?

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Ryuroni, Hikari Kusanagi II, Hikari Kusanagi III, Koushiro, Yamato, Takeru, Rosie, Gaignun, Slim, Sage, Lily, Kusano, Ace, Marisa, and any other OCs/OC Personas that appear in the story, all of which were created by, and thus belong to, me), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega, as well as the various other companies that were involved with the spinoffs (whether those spinoffs be Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the 'Dancing' games, or the 'Q' games, or even Persona 5: The Phantom X), all of whom know who they are and receive the appropriate creative/ownership credit that is due to them. I just am using these characters to write this story, and do not intend to make any profit off of it whatsoever.

And there we go, one disclaimer done and dusted. I could keep talking about plans for future Arcs, but you're here to read the story, not my prattle. So I'll hold off for now and save it for the end-of-chapter A/N. Anyone curious about that can keep reading after the chapter for that. But for now, let's get on with the chapter. Without further delay, here's chapter 7!

Chapter 7: More Social Links, Waiting, and other filler-based Shenanigans! The Mystery Begins part 7

(Current in-game date: 4/22/2011. In the early morning, at the 'School Zone' of the Samegawa Flood Plain, with Yu and Yosuke)

As Yu was walking to school, he heard his name called, slowing down and turning around in time to see Yosuke race up to him and speak up, managing to miss a little boy dragging a brown-haired woman by the hand past him as a result of turning away to face Yosuke when he did.

"Morning, Yu. What was that all about? Is that kid already at a rebellious age?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"What kid? I didn't see anything." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Eh, it's not important. But well, these murders must have parents around here pretty worried for their children. Oh, right. Hey, about the culprit. I was thinking about it some, and I don't understand him at all. It seems like a lot of effort to dump someone into a TV, doesn't it?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I would think so, since I doubt it's as easy as commanding the victims to throw themselves in. So yeah, it probably took a lot of work." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a nod of agreement.

"Right? Anyways, how is he doing it? The more I think about it, the more confused I get afterwards." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I don't really know the answer to that, either. Let's wait for Yukiko to recover. With any luck, she might have remembered something we can use as a clue to try and identify the culprit. It's unlikely, sure, but it's probably our best shot right now." Yu said as Yosuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Good point, Yu. You're right. Let's come back to this after we've heard Yukiko's side of things." Yosuke said as Yu nodded and the two finished the walk to school in silence...

(Later that day, around lunchtime, in the halls of Yasogami High, with Yu and Yosuke)

As Yu made his way back to class after lunch, he heard his name called, turning to see Yosuke walk up to him once again and speak up.

"What's up, Yu? Hey, you have anything going on?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Honestly? I'm not sure yet, Yosuke. Why do you ask?" Yu asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"I was just wondering. Anyways, if you're free this afternoon, can you come with me? There's someplace I want to go. Think about it, okay?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I'll keep it in mind, Yosuke." Yu said, noting to himself that maybe he should consider hanging out with Yosuke after school lets out for the day. After noting this, Yosuke nodded and walked off, letting Yu get back to class...

(After school, in a classroom with Yu)

Once Yu's classes let out for the day, he pondered over what to do with his afternoon. After recalling Yosuke's previous request, he decided to hang with him. Yu eventually found Yosuke hanging around near the stairs on the second floor. Yu then walked over to Yosuke and spoke up.

"What's up, partner? You said you had somewhere you wanted me to go with you to?" Yu asked as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"I did say that, yes. Yo, Yu! If you're free, wanna go somewhere?" Yosuke said with a sly wink on his face. Yu thought about it briefly and then spoke up.

"Sure. I don't have much else going on this afternoon anyways, so I have no issues spending time with you." Yu said agreeably as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Alright! Let's go, then." Yosuke said, looking quite pleased by Yu's decision to hang out with him. After a bit of a long trip, Yu and Yosuke found themselves in a location that Yosuke had called 'Okina City'. Once Yosuke and Yu walked out of the front of the Okina Station, Yu noted that for some reason, Yosuke brought him all the way here, though Yosuke hadn't said exactly why he wanted Yu to come here with him. After a bit, Yosuke spoke up with a sly grin.

"Mmmm, this is nice. It's ben a while since I breathed this kinda air! Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent." Yosuke said as both he and Yu sweatdropped before Yosuke kept speaking.

"Wait a minute, that sounded unusually cringy, didn't it? Be honest with me, Yu. Am I starting to sound like Teddie?" Yosuke asked with an annoyed look on his face. Yu spoke up with a grin of his own.

"Not really. But then again, I wonder? Hmm, you are looking a bit hairier." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a smirk on his face.

"Oh? Now that you mention it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had what felt like small bits of stubble in it! H-Hey, you're making me scare myself!" Yosuke said, though the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings about Yu's teasing comment. Before Yu could do more than chuckle at Yosuke's remark, Yosuke kept speaking.

"Well, that aside, what should we-" Yosuke said before being interrupted mid-sentence by his phone going off, which he checked before speaking up.

"Oh, a text message." Yosuke said before frowning as he looked at the message before sighing as he kept speaking.

"Ugh, it's just more spam, of course." Yosuke said as he put his phone away and Yu spoke up with a raised eyebrow.

"More? I take it you get sent spam a lot, then?" Yu asked as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, something like that. Looks like someone got my address. And as you just said, I get a lot of spam." Yosuke said as Yu frowned at that and spoke up.

"I see. You don't block them? I'm honestly surprised by that." Yu said in disbelief, knowing that the second someone tried sending him spam that he didn't know, that person would near-immediately get hit with the 'block hammer', so to speak. And if it was someone he knew, he'd yell at the person and then ignore them for a bit. Yosuke sighed and spoke up.

"That is a good idea. But I've tried that before, and even when I do actually block them, they change domains, so there's no point. And I don't want to change my address at this point, since it might end up proving useful to our group at some point." Yosuke said with a sigh. Yosuke then looked at Yu as he kept speaking.

"Truth be told, I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone. And I know that for some people, it's hard to call, y'know? If I called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed. And some of them never planned to text me anyway, so it wouldn't matter to them if I did change my address." Yosuke said as Yu looked at Yosuke and spoke up.

"Oh? That sounds rough, partner. I can't imagine living through that. But then again, I don't really have a lot of room to talk about things like that, given I'm usually lucky to keep the same address for more than a year or so at a time. As it is, I'm hopeful that being here in Inaba for the next year will let me make at least a few friends that I can hold onto long-term. I mean, I have you and Chie to a point thus far, and possibly Yukiko, but past them, I don't really have many if any people." Yu said honestly as Yosuke winced at the pitying expression on Yu's face before he spoke up with a grin on his face.

"I feel you. Oh, but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends! I have you, Chie, and Yukiko, don't I? And I have other friends that I left behind when I moved to Inaba. Though, to tell you the truth? I don't really remember what we all used to talk about. Can't really call 'em friends if I can't remember what we used to talk about, now can I? Besides, Inaba suits me just fine. Plus, thanks to you, Chie, and Teddie, I got something I need to do here. Heheh, let's give it our best! I'm counting on ya, partner!" Yosuke said as he nodded to Yu, who returned the nod with a smile, noting that he could sense the enthusiasm in Yosuke's words.

In that moment, Yu felt as if he could understand Yosuke just a bit more than he could before, at which point the 'Magician' card appeared in his mind's eye, the Roman numeral 'II' becoming a Roman numeral 'III' to signify that his 'Magician' Social Link with Yosuke had reached Rank 3. As a result of the rank-up, Yu could sense that Yosuke's determination in battle had been enhanced from what it had previously been, making it so that Yosuke could now do a follow-up attack during battle! Yu then spoke up.

"Right. I'm counting on you too, Yosuke." Yu said as Yosuke nodded before speaking up with a sly smirk on his face.

"Noted. Well, with that in mind, should we head back? It'd suck if something happened back there while we were over here!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Good point, partner. That would suck pretty badly, I believe. Yeah, we should head back. We can always come back here later, I think." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Got that right, Yu! Alright, let's head home! Wait, hold up. Let's get everyone a souvenir, THEN we can go home!" Yosuke said as Yu nodded, going with Yosuke to get souvenirs and heading back to Inaba in a hurry, at which point they parted ways for the evening...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima residence, with Yu and Nanako)

As Yu pushed open the door and came back in, Nanako looked up on hearing the front door open and close, smiling as she saw Yu taking his shoes off by the door and walking into the living room, speaking up once he was close enough to hear her.

"Oh, you're back! Welcome home, Yu!" Nanako said as Yu smiled and thanked Nanako, who nodded once before returning to the quiz show she was watching. Yu noted that Nanako looked quite immersed in it, so he left her to it and decided to figure out his plans for the rest of that evening. After a bit, Yu decided to finish the book he'd started reading, pulling out his copy of 'The Lovely Man' and opening it to where he left off as he started reading from it. After a while of quietly skimming the pages, Yu had finished 'The Lovely Man', feeling more like a man than he previously had, netting him an unseen, yet significant, boost to his Courage. After putting the finished book away, Yu decided to get to bed for the night...

(The following morning, in the 'School Zone' of the Samegawa Flood Plain, with Yu)

As Yu was walking to school, he realized he could hear some students talking, deciding to listen in as one of the girls in front of him spoke up.

"Hey, did you hear? There are some part-time job listings on the town bulletin board now! Ugh, I wish there was one that would let me make some quick cash." The chatty girl said as her friend, a girl with braids, frowned and spoke up.

"Hmm, you say that, but I don't think you have the 'Diligence' to handle a job that takes a lot of time." The girl with braids said as the chatty girl pouted and spoke up.

"Hey, that's so mean! Maybe I don't have enough now, but I bet I'll be more diligent if I get a job! I bet you wouldn't do too well with a job where you have to work with others because you lack 'Understanding', huh?" The chatty girl said as the girl with braids huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph! I don't need to work, since I'm focusing on my studies. If my grades are good, I might be able to swing a raise in my allowance." The girl with braids said primly as the chatty girl pouted and spoke up.

"Ugh, really? That's cheating! Ugh, I wish I was born into a rich family so I didn't need a part-time job. Or if I knew someone nice enough to buy me anything I wanted." The chatty girl said as the girl with braids blinked at that and spoke up.

"You mean like a sugar daddy? I don't think that would've been so great. I hear there's someone like that at our school too." The girl with braids said as the chatty girl blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? Ohhh!" The chatty girl said as at that point, a girl with long messy strawberry blonde hair walked past, giving off a simple 'hmph!' as she walked past the chatting girls, not even sparing Yu a second glance as she walked past him, which suited Yu fine, since he didn't really notice the blonde girl walk past as he finished the walk to school in silence...

(Later that morning, in class with Yu, Yosuke, and Chie)

As the class was seated, Sofue spoke up to start her lecture.

"Well then, I'll begin my lecture on the 'Age of Discovery', which occurred between the 15th and 17th centuries. Many types of vegetation were introduced to Europe during this era. Among them, tulips from Turkey deserve special attention. Gardening for pleasure was becoming popular. causing the price of tulip bulbs to rise. It was the world's first economic bubble incident- 'tulip mania.' Along with the South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Company, it is said to be one of the biggest bubbles in European history." Sofue said before looking over the class and frowning as she saw several people looking as if they were dozing off, making her huff as she kept speaking.

"Hey! Mister Hanamura, wake up! What was the first economic bubble incident in the world?" Sofue said as Yosuke shook his head and sat up before speaking up.

"Ngh!? Wait, what!? H-Help, Yu! What's this ergonomic bubble she's asking about!?" Yosuke asked as Yu leaned back to speak up so only Yosuke could hear.

"First of all, it's an economic bubble, not an ergonomic bubble. That said, I believe the answer is 'Tulip mania'." Yu said calmly, making Yosuke nod and speak up.

"Right. It's tulip mania, Miss Sofue!" Yosuke said as Sofue nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Hmm, so you were actually listening. Yes, it's tulip mania. Tulip bulbs imported into Holland became extremely popular, and prices jumped dramatically as a result. At its highest, a single bulb was worth the price of a luxurious house. However, once the bubble burst, prices fell again, and the trade cities in Holland were thrown into confusion. Mister Hanamura, do take care to not let that snot-bubble of yours burst, or you may also be thrown into confusion." Sofue said as Yu winced while he heard several of the girls in the class all shudder in disgust at the mention of snot bubbles, though Yosuke spoke up at that point.

"I'm not making snot bubbles! Anyway, I was right, wasn't I?" Yosuke snapped before turning towards Yu as he kept speaking.

"Err, but yeah, thanks, Yu. I'll have to stay awake for the next one." Yosuke said as Yu smirked, getting a sense that Yosuke appreciates his assistance, making him feel more kindhearted and compassionate, netting Yu both some yellow music notes over Yosuke's head and an unseen boost to his Expression. After that, classes proceeded without incident from there...

(After school, in class with Yu)

As Yu pondered his best course of action, he recalled what he'd heard that morning about a bulletin board in the Shopping District offering part-time jobs, deciding to look into it. After looking into the open jobs, Yu took up two of the listed jobs, one in the day as an assistant day care caretaker, and another in the evening as an envelope constructor. There were job openings for a translator and an origami crane folder, but he was lacking in Knowledge and Diligence for those jobs, so he left those for later on, when his stats were higher.

After getting his new jobs, Yu decided to head back to school. Once he sized up his options, he decided to go to soccer practice, since he recalled that Saturday, which was what day it was that day, was one of the days the soccer team met for practice. As he headed towards the soccer field, he noticed Daisuke and Kou standing together and stopped to speak up.

"Hey. Sorry again about not being at practice recently. I plan to be there today, though." Yu said as Daisuke turned to Yu and spoke up.

"Yo, Narukami. Going to practice?" Daisuke said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that is what I said. I plan to go to practice today." Yu said as Daisuke smirked and spoke up.

"Alright, now that's what I like to hear! Let's go." Daisuke said with a happy expression on his face as he went with Yu to practice...

(A bit later on, at the Yasogami High field, with Yu)

Yu kept true to his word and attended soccer practice, feeling as if his proficiency with the game of soccer was increasing, netting him an unseen boost to his Diligence. After practice was over, one of the other players turned to Yu and spoke up with a sneer on his face.

"Hey, Narukami. Tear down the goals and clean up before you leave, alright?" The soccer player asked as Yu frowned at this, but figured fair was fair since he didn't come to the last couple of practices, and nodded his understanding while speaking up.

"Got it." Yu said, feeling as if his kindness was growing from his tolerance of the other players' antics, netting him an unseen boost to his Understanding. At that point, the soccer player spoke up.

"Good, glad you can be reasonable, Narukami. Haha, later!" The soccer player said as he left with the rest of the team, leaving Yu by himself. While Yu pondered how to handle the task he'd been given, he heard footsteps behind him and turned around, just in time to see Daisuke walk up and speak up.

"Uhh, what the heck was that, Narukami? What were those guys saying to you?" Daisuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Oh, they were basically telling me that as punishment for missing the last couple practices, I have the task of tearing down the goal posts and cleaning up before I leave for the day, which I figure is fair, since I was the one who chose to not come to practices the last couple of times, even if I had a good reason for it." Yu said by way of an explanation. Daisuke blanched at this and spoke up.

"WHAT? Everyone's supposed to take turns, and the last time I checked, it wasn't anywhere CLOSE to your turn to tear down the goal posts and clean up. You don't have to do that, man. Let's just go home." Daisuke said as Yu gave him a hesitant look, both pleased by Daisuke's kindness and understanding, and feeling like he shouldn't neglect the task he'd been given. But before Yu could verbally reply to Daisuke, he heard more footsteps, turning with Daisuke to see Kou walk over with a smirk on his face as he spoke up.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Kou asked as Yu spoke up.

"Just finishing up the last of my tasks before calling practice over for the day." Yu explained as Kou spoke up.

"Hm, did the soccer team finish early today?" Kou asked before he saw the irate look on Daisuke's face and spoke up.

"Daisuke, why do you look so pissed off? What's wrong?" Kou asked as Yu spoke up.l

"He's mad because the other people on the team asked me to tear down the goals and clean up. Apparently we take turns for that and it's not my turn? Truth be told, I wasn't told any of that." Yu said honestly. Kou sighed at this and spoke up.

"Ugh, let me guess. They took advantage of you having to miss the last couple of practices to check on your friend, and then they told you it was your job? Tch, how predictable. But yeah, you should probably do it anyway." Kou said as an angry Daisuke spoke up.

"You think so!? How come? They got no right to dump it all on him just because he's the new guy and had some stuff come up that forced him to miss the last couple of practices. It's just as well that his friend was found safe and sound, since it means the amount of practices he had to miss over it was kept to a minimum." Daisuke said as Kou spoke up.

"Eh, that sucks that they went missing. But I agree that it's good they're safe. Anyways, circling back to the task that Narukami got saddled with. You want my advice? I say you should do it. However, don't do it because they told you to, but do it because you 'want to help'. That'll throw 'em off guard. Here, I'll help out too. It'll go faster." Kou said as Daisuke huffed and spoke up.

"Really? You don't have to do that." Daisuke said as Kou smirked and spoke up.

"True, but I want to! All right, let's do it!" Kou said as Yu nodded before he, Daisuke, and Kou worked together to clean up the field and tear down the goal posts. After the work was done, Kou smirked and spoke up with crossed arms.

"Whew, I'm beat, you guys. That was a lot of work." Kou said as Daisuke spoke up with a smirk.

"That's because you got so into polishing those balls, man. You gotta pace yourself." Daisuke said as Kou laughed and spoke up.

"Eh, that's fair. But nah, it's not my style to half-ass things." Kou said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"True. You do seem to have a pretty respectable work ethic, Ichijo-san." Yu said as Daisuke smirked and spoke up.

"Right, I forgot you grew up where it was a point of social etiquette to be on a last-name basis with people when you first meet them until you get permission to do otherwise. I can respect that, so I won't push it for now. But still, this work went pretty fast with three people." Daisuke said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"You've got a point, Nagase-san. Thanks for the help." Yu said gratefully. Daisuke chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, no problem." Daisuke said, looking happy that Yu was willing to thank him for his assistance. Kou then spoke up.

"True, that was pretty hard work we just did. Hey, you wanna grab some ramen on the way home?" Kou asked as Yu idly noted that the clean-up he'd agreed to do went by pretty quickly thanks to the help of Kou and Daisuke, leaving Yu with a feeling that he could sense their consideration towards him. At that point, the 'Strength' card appeared in his mind's eye, the Roman numeral 'I' on the top turning into a Roman numeral 'II' to signify that his 'Strength' Social Link with Daisuke and Kou, or the 'Fellow Athletes' as the Social Link called them, had reached rank 2. After that, Yu nodded his agreement with Kou's suggestion, indicating his decision to accompany them to Aiya...

(A short time later, at the 'Aiya' Chinese Diner in the Central Shopping District, with Kou, Yu, and Daisuke)

While Yu was enjoying ramen with Kou and Daisuke, Kou turned to Daisuke and spoke up with a smirk on his face.

"Hey, I saw that first-year at your practice today, Daisuke. She was watching you the entire time, man. I even heard her say, 'Wow, he kicked the ball so hard!' I mean, duh, of course he kicked it hard! That's kinda the point of the game is to kick it hard so it goes into the goal." Kou said as Yu spoke up after chuckling at Kou's remark.

"True. I haven't been playing soccer for that long, but even I know that much. But it sounds to me like Nagase-san might have himself a fangirl." Yu said offhandedly as he paused his ramen long enough to say that. Daisuke blinked at this and spoke up in confusion.

"Did she, now? I didn't notice. And ha, good one. I think if anything, you'd be likelier to have fangirls than I would, Narukami." Daisuke said as Kou smirked and spoke up.

"Really? You didn't notice? What a waste." Kou said as Daisuke frowned and spoke up.

"Enough of that crap, Kou!" Daisuke rebuked Kou before turning his attention to Yu as he kept speaking.

"Anyways, you seem to be getting a good grasp on the fundamentals of the game. So what do you say, Narukami? You wanna stay after practice to work on your game a little more?" Daisuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"I don't see a problem with that, Nagase-san. Just as long as you realize that I'll try to make as many practices as I can, though there will be a few I miss because things came up. So provided that's not an issue, I see no problem accepting your help with working on improving my game since you're offering it." Yu said agreeably as Daisuke smirked and spoke up.

"Good answer. Let's show those guys what you can do." Daisuke said as Kou nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. If you can run circles around them, they'll have to accept you, right?" Kou said as Yu nodded before Daisuke spoke up with a smirk.

"Right? Then it's decided. Oh, and before you get any ideas about ducking out, you're helping too, Kou." Daisuke said as Kou sighed and spoke up.

"What? Since when do I have anything to do with the soccer team, Daisuke?" Kou said as he and Daisuke started bantering animatedly as Yu just sweatdropped before the conversation shifted back from Kou and Daisuke's plan to the subject of practice. After the three finished eating, Yu looked at Kou and Daisuke as he spoke up.

"Sorry to eat and run, but I do actually have to get home. My little cousin's at home by herself, so I'd rather not leave her alone if I can help it. I'm sure you guys understand. But I'm definitely up for any help you can give when it comes to improving my game." Yu said as Daisuke smirked and spoke up.

"Okay, let's put some fight into this! See you around, Narukami." Daisuke said as Kou smirked and spoke up.

"Go on and get home to your cousin, Narukami. See you later." Kou said as Yu nodded and headed home at that point...

(That evening, at the Dojima residence, on the lower level, with Yu and Nanako)

After Yu opened and closed the door while walking in from school, Nanako looked up and smiled at Yu before she spoke up.

"Oh! You're home! Welcome back, Yu!" Nanako said as Yu spoke up with a nod once he was close enough for Nanako to hear him.

"Thanks. How was your day, Nanako?" Yu asked kindly as Nanako spoke up with a smile.

"It was pretty good. Today at school, everyone was talking about jobs. I know I'm still young, but I want to work, too." Nanako said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"If you think about it, you already do work, Nanako. After all, someone has to keep this house as clean as it is with your father at work so often, and with me busier with school and friends than I should be. So you already do plenty of important work just by being here at the house and keeping everything going. So don't feel like you need to hurry and get a job. You've already got a pretty important job right here at home." Yu said kindly as Nanako shyly smiled before hugging Yu as she spoke up.

"Hmm, that's true. You're right. Thank you, Yu." Nanako said as Yu smiled and gently patted Nanako on the head as he spoke up while returning the hug carefully.

"You're welcome. Nice to see you're at least slightly warming up to having me around. I'm not going to assume you're entirely used to having me living here, though." Yu said as Nanako idly nodded before turning her attention back to her TV show as Yu went up to his room to figure out his plans for the night. After thinking it over, Yu decided to pull out his copy of 'Expert Study Methods' and start reading it.

As he read, Yu noted that 'Expert Study Methods' contains tips on how to concentrate during class and take notes effectively in order to increase knowledge retention, among other things. Though Yu idly wondered while reading it if it was really that easy to follow all the advice in it effectively. Yu then noted that there were still quite a few pages of 'Expert Study Methods' left, deciding to save his place and leave the rest for a later reading session. After that, he put the book away and went to bed...

(The following morning, in the upper level of the Dojima residence, inside of Yu's bedroom with Yu)

As Yu stretched following getting dressed for the day in his casual outfit, which was a black long-sleeve button-up blazer with a dark grey and green shirt under it, black jeans with a white belt, and his usual grey shoes, Yu noted that as it was Sunday that day, he had a day off of school. After he finished stretching a bit, Yu decided to head downstairs to mull over his plan for the day. After thinking it over, he noticed Nanako sitting by herself in the living room, clearly watching TV. After a moment's hesitation, Yu approached Nanako and spoke up.

"Morning. Are you always up this early, Nanako?" Yu asked conversationally as Nanako nodded and spoke up.

"Mmhm. Dad figures I should try to stay on a consistent schedule when school's in session, hence me being up so early every day. But enough about me. Are you going out?" Nanako asked as Yu spoke up.

"As much as I dislike leaving you here alone, I probably am going to go out, yes. After all, you've been able to handle yourself so far. So I feel like I'd be doing you a disservice by getting too protective of you. But I'm also not adverse to staying here if you'd rather not be alone." Yu said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"I appreciate your consideration, but I'll be fine on my own. I can watch the house. Don't worry about me, Yu." Nanako said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"If you say so, then. I'll be back later on. Stay safe while I'm out, yeah?" Yu said as Nanako smiled and assured Yu she would stay safe before shocking them both by gently hugging him, which Yu chuckled at fondly before gently returning the hug and heading out for the day to assess his options. After checking everywhere he could, and buying a few SP items, Yu eventually found himself at Junes, where Yosuke was standing around with his arms crossed. Shrugging, Yu turned to Yosuke and spoke up.

"Hey there, partner. Aren't you usually on the clock when you're here?" Yu asked as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Not today. I do get days off, you know. But anyways, if you're free, wanna go somewhere?" Yosuke said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"I don't have a heck of a lot else going on today, so sure. I'll hang out with you, Yosuke." Yu said agreeably as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Nice! Let's go, then." Yosuke said happily as yellow notes went up over his head and he led Yu up to the food court, presumably to buy Yu a meal. After the orders were placed and the two had seats at a table, Yosuke spoke up with a wry smile.

"Hanging out with you here every so often isn't that bad. Even if we're short on cash, we can get a little discount here. Though there's a small price to pay in exchange for that luxury. After all, nothing in life is free, as I'm sure you're well aware." Yosuke said as Yu nodded his agreement. However, before he could verbally answer Yosuke, a girl's voice was heard speaking up to cut Yu off before he could speak.

"Oh, there you are, Hanamura!" Yu and Yosuke heard as the latter sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh. There's stuff like this, for example." Yosuke said as a pair of girls walked over, one with darker brown hair and the other with lighter brown hair. Yosuke turned to the girls and spoke up.

"Hello there, Senpai. What's wrong today?" Yosuke asked, making Yu blink as he realized these girls were also students at Yasogami High. Before he could voice his realization, one of the girls spoke up.

"You better say something to that blockhead manager! I told him I can't come in on Saturdays or Sundays. But he's saying I have to be here since we're low on staff. And if I don't, he'll fire me!" The gaudy-looking female student said as her friend, a snooty-looking female student, spoke up.

"Isn't there some kinda law against that!?" The snooty-looking female student asked as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"Er, there is, but doesn't that only apply to emergencies that actually would keep you from missing work? What I mean to say is, didn't you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?" Yosuke asked as the gaudy-looking female student huffed and spoke up.

"Well, yeah. They wouldn't hire us if we didn't!" The gaudy-looking female student said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"In other words, you lied about that to get the job? Sounds to me like that's on you for lying your way into a job. And I'm fairly sure that stuff like that is usually frowned upon by most places of employment if I recall correctly." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Yu. Also, I'm not sure what Junes' company policy is on employees who lie their way into a job, truth be told." Yosuke said before he sighed and turned to the gaudy female student as he kept speaking.

"Alright, I get it. I'll try talking with him and see what I can do about getting you out of working on weekends. But you don't want to get fired, right? And it'd probably make it easier for me to strike a deal for you if you could show up every now and then on weekends, even if it's not every weekend." Yosuke said as the gaudy-looking female student huffed and spoke up.

"Eh, that's fair. We'll think about it." The gaudy-looking female student said as the snooty-looking female student spoke up with a sneer.

"You'd better do it, 'kay?" The snooty-looking female student said as both girls turned on their heels and walked off before Yu could do more than frown at how rude they were to Yosuke. Before he could say anything, another female's voice was heard addressing Yosuke.

"Oh, Yosuke-kun. Just the man I was looking for." Yu and Yosuke heard as a loudmouthed brown-haired woman wearing an apron walked over, at which point Yosuke spoke up.

"Ohhhh, it's you. Hi." Yosuke said as the loudmouthed woman spoke up.

"Hear me out! Remember that claim I had the other day? Well the head butcher said-" The loudmouthed woman said as Yosuke sweatdropped and spoke up.

"Alright, alright. Let's talk over there." Yosuke said to the loudmouthed woman before turning to Yu as he kept speaking.

"Sorry, Yu. Could you give me a minute?" Yosuke said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"No worries, partner. Go do what you need to do." Yu said agreeably as Yosuke nodded and went to listen to the employee. After a bit, Yosuke came back over and sighed while he sat down across from Yu and spoke up with a groan.

"Phew, I'm beat after all this talking. I'm not part of the complaints department, despite what it seemed like today." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a smile.

"I bet. It sounds rough, but you handled it well enough. You're incredible." Yu said kindly. Yosuke gave Yu a grin that was a mix of wry and embarrassed before he spoke up.

"Huh? Dude, it's nothing but trouble!" Yosuke said with a sheepish smile, even as yellow notes went up over his head. Yosuke then sighed and kept speaking.

"Geez, it's not easy working here. Everyone's just trying to take advantage of me as the 'Junes' kid. I mean, maybe I wouldn't mind if I was free, but we have the murders to deal with. I don't have time for this. Can the police really handle the killer? Can the law really convict whoever's behind this string of bizarre incidents? Once I started worrying about that stuff, I knew I couldn't bother with anything else. I have to do what I can to help solve the case." Yosuke said as Yu smirked and spoke up.

"That's the spirit, partner! Don't dwell on the negatives. Focus on the positives. After all, you know that Chie and I, and possibly even Yukiko if she joins us, have your back unconditionally, right? If you don't, now you know." Yu said wryly with a grin on his face as Yosuke gave Yu an embarrassed look and spoke up.

"Hey, Yu! Don't get so carried away! You make me feel like I said something crazy just now." Yosuke said, the look on his face at that moment making it clear he was taken aback by Yu's honesty. Yu smiled sheepishly and spoke up.

"My bad. I was just trying to make you feel better if I could, that's all. I wasn't trying to make you embarrassed or anything like that, Yosuke." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with an unreadable look on his face.

"Haha, don't worry about it, partner. Truth be told? I never thought I'd be talking about serious stuff like this in the middle of the Junes food court. Before I moved here it was all small talk and inconsequential bullshit. Most of the time, our topics were just stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. Nowadays, it's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie when I'm with you guys. And especially with you. You've already seen the worst of me and all. But well, to be honest? Thinking about it now, if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you. It's a bit late now, but I need to say this anyways. Thanks for going in with me that time." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a reassuring smile on his face.

"No problem, partner. As I said before, I've got your back, just as I trust you have mine. And we're only gonna be able to solve this case if we work together. Hence why I don't believe we should keep things from one another if we can help it. So don't feel like you have to hide stuff from the rest of us." Yu said kindly as Yosuke could only nod while giving Yu a sheepish smile in return, giving Yu the feeling that his relationship with Yosuke had grown deeper after their heart-to-heart talk.

At that point, the 'Magician' card appeared in his mind's eye, the Roman numeral 'III' becoming a Roman numeral 'IV' to signify that his 'Magician' Social Link with Yosuke had reached Rank 4. Yu then got the sense that Yosuke's proverbial growth of heart had an effect on Jiraiya as well, made evident a few moments later when Jiraiya obtained the 'Dekaja' skill as a result of the 'Magician' Social Link hitting rank 4. After a moment, Yosuke spoke up.

"Man, I'm getting kinda hungry. Alright, I'll see if I can get a deal with the guy at the counter and try out the Meat Lovers Combo!" Yosuke said as Yu nodded before sampling the aforementioned combo with Yosuke for a bit before getting up to go home, at which point Yosuke spoke up.

"Ah, getting back to your cousin, then? Well, see you later!" Yosuke said as Yu nodded before making his way back home...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima residence, with Nanako and Yu)

After Nanako heard the door open and close, she turned towards the entrance in time to see Yu walk in, smiling at him as she spoke up.

"Oh, you're home! Welcome home, Yu." Nanako said as Yu spoke up.

"Thanks. Seems like you're up to the usual quiz show-based antics. Shall I leave you to it, then?" Yu asked as Nanako spoke up.

"Yeah. I'm actually doing pretty good this time. Sorry if I'm not that sociable." Nanako said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"That's okay, Nanako. I don't mind. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." Yu said, getting both a shy smile and an understanding nod from Nanako as he headed up the steps to the room he was borrowing from Ryotaro and Nanako so he could carefully consider his plans for the evening. After careful consideration, Yu decided to read the next part of 'Expert Study Methods'. For a while, Yu kept reading to himself, idly musing on how feasible/plausible some of these 'methods' actually were. After a while, Yu noted he had a few pages still to read, deciding to save them for one final reading session to finish the story off later. After that, Yu decided to go to bed for the night...

(The following morning, on the way to school, in the 'School Zone' of the Samegawa Flood Plain with Yu)

As Yu walked to school the next day, he heard two girls gossiping in front of him, one wearing the female Yasogami High uniform, with black knee-high leggings, black shoes, and short brown hair that appeared to be in what Yu believed to be a bob cut, and the other with dark grey hair that looked black in certain lighting, the same uniform as the other girl, but where the brown-haired girl had black knee-high leggings, the dark-grey haired girl had white leggings that went to her knees instead. The brown-haired girl spoke up in an energetic sounding voice.

"Did you hear? The cultural clubs are accepting new applicants starting today! I hear you're welcome to join, even if you're already in a sports club. Hmm, not sure who would try one of each, but more power to them, I guess? Still, which cultural club should I join?" The brown-haired girl said energetically as the grey-haired girl spoke up with a brisk voice.

"Seriously? You're going to join a sports AND cultural clubs? Aren't you going to end up half-assing both of them?" The grey-haired girl said, making the brown haired girl wince as she spoke up.

"Ouch, that was brutal! You don't have to be so harsh. I mean, I put some thought into this. Studying and grades are important, but I thought I should join a club and improve my personal skills." The brown-haired girl said as the grey-haired girl nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, I see. Then do you want to join our club? If you're serious about it, we'd welcome you." The grey-haired girl said as a brunette girl ran past, complaining about her bag and how she still had to get ready, much to the confusion of both the other girls and Yu, who had heard the entire exchange, idly wondering if he should take up a cultural club or not...

(Later that morning, at the PE field, with Yosuke and Yu)

As the PE class gathered by the soccer goals, Kondo addressed them.

"Good morning! Today, I'll have you run so much, you'll have sore muscles!" Kondo said before chuckling at the horrified expressions on most of the class' faces as he kept speaking.

"Hahaha! Don't look so sad! Everything requires muscles, after all! And why am I going to make you run until you're sore, you might ask? Because that's how your muscles grow efficiently! Hey, Narukami!" Kondo said as Yu gave Kondo his full attention while Kondo kept speaking.

"Answer this one for me. What's it called when you gain more muscle after getting sore through exercise?" Kondo asked as Yu smirked, already knowing the answer to this question thanks to his old PE teacher lecturing on it at length back when Yu still went to school in Kichijoji.

"The answer is overcompensation." Yu said confidently. Kondo nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Not bad. You must be working out, Narukami! That's right! It's called overcompensation! If you rest for a couple of days after getting muscle soreness, you'll have more muscle than what you started with! If you use this to your advantage, you can gain muscle efficiently! Now! Enough jibber jabber! I'll have you run until you're sore! Forget about your other classes! Just run! Work hard! You can do it! Hahaha!" Kondo said as Yu smirked, knowing he'd answered correctly, making him feel smarter than he previously had, netting him an unseen boost to his Knowledge. From there the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in a classroom with Yu)

Once classes had let out for the day, Yu recalled that Morooka had said cultural clubs would start accepting applicants on April 25th, which was the current date, so he decided to go see Morooka in the Faculty Office to inquire about the cultural clubs. Once he went into the office, Morooka sneered at him and spoke up.

"Back again, Narukami? I take it you're here to ask about cultural clubs, then?" Morooka said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"Yes, that's correct, Morooka-san." Yu said honestly as Morooka scowled and spoke up.

"You really want to know about the cultural clubs? You'd better not be interested in them just so you can meet girls, Mister!" Morooka said as Yu spoke up with a frown.

"I already told you, I'm not trying to get into a relationship at this time. I've barely been in Inaba for two weeks. If I was going to look for a relationship, I'd rather wait until I'm more accustomed to the town, and also ready to commit to such things, before I even consider getting a girlfriend." Yu said as Morooka frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah? If you say so, Narukami. Listen up! You can join either the drama club or the band. Fortunately for you, both clubs meet on the ground floor of the Practice Building. Go find them yourself! Oh, before you go? I should mention something. If you do join a cultural clubs, they meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday!" Morooka said as Yu nodded before leaving the Faculty Office. While Yu headed to the Practice Building, he pondered his decision.

If Yu recalled the lecture he'd just gotten correctly, Morooka had said the options were a drama club, or a band. Yu was more inclined towards the band, partly because he'd been laughed out of the drama club at his old school when he'd went to try out for it. Shuddering at the memory he'd dredged up, Yu started looking for the Music Room, where he figured the band would meet. After taking a left once he got into the Practice Building, he quickly found a brown double-door at the end of the hall that had the words 'Music Room' written in white kanji lettering over a black placard above the doors.

Figuring this was likely the place where the school band meets for practice, Yu steeled his nerve and went in to sign up for the band. As Yu walked in, he heard a male student speaking up, presumably looking at a small black-haired girl standing at the front of the room, near where Yu had come in. After walking into the room, Yu hung back a bit to listen in as the male student spoke up.

"Oh, and don't forget to stop by the faculty office and pick up the key." The male student had said as the black-haired female student he was talking to nodded and spoke up, her chocolate brown eyes focused on the male student as she spoke.

"Okay, no problem!" The black-haired student said in a decidedly cheerful and easygoing voice, turning to leave the room, only barely managing to stop herself before she walked headlong into a surprised Yu, who barely moved out of the way in time so he didn't cause the girl to fall. On seeing Yu move aside for her, the girl gasped and spoke up.

"Ahh! I'm sorry! Ohh, I had no idea you were standing there. Sorry about that. Wait, I don't recall expecting anyone new today? Ummm, why are you here?" The girl asked as Yu spoke up in as kindly of a voice as he could manage.

"Sorry if I scared you. I heard that the cultural clubs were accepting applicants today, and I figured the band looked interesting enough, so I'm here to see about signing up to join in and give it a try." Yu said honestly. The girl then gave Yu a closed-eye smile, to his surprise, before she spoke up with an eager nod.

"Oh, okay. Umm, wait right here, please." The girl said as Yu nodded before the girl turned and started calling out.

"Captain! Caaaaptain!" The girl called as a black-haired male walked over. Once Yu told him what he'd told the girl before, Yu found himself quickly signed up for the band. Afterwards, the male, who the girl had told Yu was the band captain, turned to the rest of the band and spoke up.

"Hey, can I get everyone's attention real quick, please?" The band captain asked as the rest of the band members looked up, giving the band captain their full attention, aside from the girl Yu had previously spoken to, whose attention was rather firmly on Yu, as the band captain kept speaking.

"Thank you. As you can see, we have a new addition to the band. This is Yu Narukami, a second-year. Let's give him a warm welcome, everyone." The band captain said as the rest of the band, other than the girl who Yu had spoken to previously, all spoke up in unison.

"WELCOME!" The band members said in unison while the band captain turned to Yu and spoke up.

"So, be honest with me, Narukami. Do you have any experience with musical instruments?" The band captain said as Yu spoke up.

"Some experience, yes. Granted, that 'experience' mostly extends to messing around with a guitar a couple of times and the drums and piano once each. So I think it's more accurate to say I have limited experience with instruments overall." Yu said honestly. The band captain nodded, wisely ignoring Yu's lack of mention of his skills as he spoke up.

"Yeah? Can you sight read? We aren't really that good at this, you see." The band captain said as Yu spoke up.

"Sight read? Is that similar to trying to pick up nonverbal cues from someone's body language at all? If so, I have a bit of experience with that as well, though I'll be honest and say I'm not that good at it if that is what sight reading is." Yu said as the band captain spoke up.

"Eh, something like that. We can explain it more to you later. Why don't you stick around and watch for today? We meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. And I'll even assign someone to help you out if you need it. Hey, Ayane!" The band captain said as to Yu's surprise, the small black-haired girl he'd spoken to previously stepped forward and spoke up.

"Y-Yes!?" The girl, who Yu was guessing was named Ayane based on what the band captain had called her, asked as the band captain spoke up.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to Yu?" The band captain said as the black-haired girl shyly nodded before looking at Yu as she spoke up.

"I can do that. Err, hello, Narukami-san. Umm, er, my name is Ayane Matsunaga. I'm a first-year." The now-named Ayane said as Yu gave her a kind smile and spoke up.

"Nice to meet you, Matsunaga-san. You don't need to be so shy around me, you know. Also, you said your last name was Matsunaga? Any relation to a Chisato Dojima nee Matsunaga?" Yu said comfortingly as Ayane blinked at this and spoke up.

"U-Um, yes. When she was alive, she was my aunt. But we can talk more about that some other time, if you're interested. For now, you're here to learn about the band, yeah? I-I play the trombone. And, uh, what else?" Ayane said as the band captain smiled and spoke up.

"I see you two are getting along well. Alright, Ayane here will get you brought up to speed, Narukami. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things that need doing." The band manager said before turning to the rest of the band as he kept speaking.

"Bring it in, guys. The break's over. Let's take it from the top again." The band captain said as Yu found a spot to sit as he watched the symphonic band rehearse. After a while, most of the band went home, leaving Yu and Ayane alone in the music room. As Yu turned to face Ayane, Ayane spoke up shyly.

"Oh, Senpai, I didn't see you there. You're still here? It's okay, you can go home now! Oh wait, that's right! I'm sorry! I was supposed to give you the details on our club, wasn't I? Umm, we meet on Mondays, Tuesdsays, and Thursdays, and, er, that's right. They already told you that, didn't they? We don't take attendance, so you don't have to come if you don't want to.

But practice makes perfect, so the more you do come, the better off you'll be in the long run. Best of all, if you keep at it, this is a great way to learn to express yourself! Though, to be honest? I'm not the best example of that, am I?" Ayane said with a weak chuckle, giving Yu a rather shy closed-eye smile that Yu found both oddly endearing and slightly adorable. In his mind, Yu was already getting a strong sense that Ayane might end up being like a timid younger sibling to him in the long run, which suited Yu fine. Sure, Ayane is cute in her own way, but Yu didn't really get a strong romantic vibe off of her. Ayane noticed the pensive look on Yu's face and kept speaking.

"Oh, um, do you have any questions, Senpai?" Ayane asked as Yu spoke up.

"I suppose since this is a band, the logical thing to ask would be where you guys play, if you've been asked to play anywhere." Yu said after a pause, not seeing the relieved sigh that Ayane silently gave off before she spoke up.

"True, that is a rather important thing to ask. Umm, let me think. Well, sometimes we do performances at hospitals, or for senior homes. We aren't a big enough band to enter any competitions or anything like that, though. But even so, people enjoy our performances. We really pour our hearts into the music. Well, to be fair, I say 'we', but I don't usually play. I take care of all the paperwork around here." Ayane said as Yu smiled at her and spoke up.

"That's unfortunate that you don't play. I'm sure you'd be quite good at it if you tried. But that being said, doing the paperwork is usually a pretty important task for most clubs, and the fact that people trust you to do that says a lot to me about how reliable you are." Yu said kindly, hoping to try and make Ayane a bit less nervous around him. Given the fact that Ayane then gave Yu a closed-eye smile as she spoke up, Yu figured his plan had at least partially worked.

"Y-You think so? A-Anyway, I have to tidy up. Why don't you go on ahead, Senpai?" Ayane said as Yu frowned at this, recalling that in most clubs, cleanup usually looks to be too big of a task for just one person to take on. Plus, Yu was raised to be respectful to women, like the gentleman that he is. Mind made up, Yu spoke up.

"That's all right, Matsunaga-san. I've got time. You shouldn't have to do all this on your own, unless you want to. Would you like some help with the cleanup?" Yu said, deciding to be nice and offer his assistance. Ayane's expression made it difficult to tell what she was thinking, but Yu felt like his compassion for others had grown, netting him an unseen boost to his Understanding. After a moment, Ayane blinked at this and spoke up in surprise.

"Huh? Uh, ummm, no one's ever offered to help me before. N-No, it's okay! It's my responsibility! So, um, please, don't go out of your way! Still, thank you. It was nice of you to offer, Senpai." Ayane said as Yu spoke up with a slow nod.

"Of course. I was raised to be a gentleman. Besides, as a wise person once told me, 'there's no shame in asking for help from others if you truly need it.' But if you're really that determined to do it, I won't force the issue, since I was also raised to not argue with a lady once her mind is made up." Yu said kindly, smirking as he saw the shy, if rather cheerful yet adorable smile currently on Ayane's face, and figuring it was worth the offer for that reason alone.

Yu then idly noted he'd successfully joined the symphonic band and become acquaintances with Ayane Matsunaga, who Yu had noticed seems to handle even menial tasks with a smile, making him idly wonder how many of those smiles were genuine and how many were forced. Yu then put that line of thought aside to acknowledge the faint bond he could feel forming between him and Ayane in that moment, as the by-now expected voice spoke up in Yu's head.

"Thou art I, Yu Narukami. And I am thou, just as surely as thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond with the one you call 'Ayane'. It brings thee closer to the truth thou seeks. Make the most of this 'Sun' Social Link you have forged with Ayane Matsunaga, and thou shalt surely be blessed when creating Personas of the Sun Arcana in fusions." Yu heard as a new card appeared in his mind's eye, this one having the typical blue-and white frame around it like most of the cards he'd seen to that point.

As Yu looked closely, he noted the section towards the bottom of the card that had the Roman numeral 'XIX' appear in the smallish half-circle below the center of the card which was a mix of pink, orange, yellow, and a bit of brown and black, showing a brilliant khaki colored sun with black spikes, and in the small section atop the card, a small Roman numeral 'I' appeared on the card, signifying that Yu's newly-forged 'Sun' Social Link with Ayane had reached Rank 1. At that point, Ayane blinked after looking out the window as she spoke up.

"Oh, it's already getting dark. Be careful out there when walking home, Senpai." Ayane said as Yu smiled and spoke up with a nod.

"I will. You be careful too, Matsunaga-san." Yu said as Ayane nodded before shyly speaking up.

"Sure thing. But, um, if it's not too sudden or inappropriate, you can call me 'Ayane' if you like. You don't have to be formal with me if you don't want to." Ayane said as Yu spoke up.

"Fair, but you have to call me 'Yu' if I start calling you 'Ayane', since that's only fair. You might not think so, but you're just the same as anyone else in this band, Ayane." Yu said kindly as Ayane blinked at this before shyly nodding as she spoke up.

"Eh? O-Oh, umm, okay. If you say so, Yu-senpai. I appreciate your kind words. Good-bye." Ayane said as Yu nodded and said goodbye to Ayane as the two parted ways to walk home at that point...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima household, with Yu and Nanako)

As Yu walked back in from school, Nanako looked up at the sound of the door opening and closing, smiling as she saw Yu putting his shoes down before walking into the living room, making Nanako smile as she spoke up.

"Oh, you're back! Welcome home, Yu! By the way, I went shopping today. The fridge is full of food." Nanako said as Yu walked over and spoke up.

"You went shopping by yourself? That's very impressive, Nanako. I don't think I would've been able to pull that off when I was your age. You probably hear this a lot, but you really are mature and reliable for your age." Yu said kindly as Nanako shyly smiled and spoke up.

"Nuh-uh. I'm not that special. But thank you, Yu. Oh, right. I heard it's going to rain soon. The TV said so." Nanako said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"That's good to know. Good job staying on top of things. I'm proud of you, Nanako." Yu said kindly as he gently patted his cousin on the head appreciatively, making her blink at Yu's action, but smile as she spoke up.

"You're just saying that. But thank you." Nanako said, turning back to watch the TV so Yu couldn't see the embarrassment on her face. Yu, for his part, chuckled and went upstairs to figure out his plans for the evening. After slipping out of the house, Yu heard a rumor about someone dealing in bugs at the nearby pub, deciding to check it out. The truth of that rumor turned out to be the elderly lady who owned the pub wanting bugs for her pet fish, Akihiko, who eagerly accepted the 'Tatsuhime Ladybug' that Yu offered him, having had three of them thanks to helping out a kid in the nearby shrine by bringing him some extra drinks he had.

Yu's decision to give his spare bait to this fish had the result of not only earning Akihiko's gratitude, but also enabling Yu to get his hands on a fishhook that Akihiko had coughed up in the process, along with the old lady who ran the pub jokingly telling Yu she wouldn't mind if he flirted with her, which Yu politely declined, citing that he had more respect for his elders than to shamelessly hit on them. Yu nodded to himself, recalling an old man he'd spoken to at the riverbank who was looking for a fishhook and deciding to give it to him the next chance he had. In the meantime, Yu decided to return home and finish reading 'Expert Study Methods'.

As Yu read the last few pages, he idly wondered if he could put this knowledge to good use when studying for exams at some point. After nodding to himself, Yu smiled once he finished reading 'Expert Study Methods'. As a result, Yu felt as if his Knowledge gains from studying would be more generous going forward. After setting the completed book on the shelf atop 'The Lovely Man', Yu decided to get comfortable and go to bed for the night...

(The next morning, on the way to school, in the 'School Zone' of the Samegawa Flood Plain, with Yu)

As Yu walked to school, he heard two guys in front of him talking and decided to listen in on the conversation out of curiosity, especially once he heard a familiar name be name-dropped.

"Oh yeah, did you hear? They found Yukiko-senpai." A talkative male first-year said as his friend, an intrigued-looking first-year, spoke up.

"Huh? Really? Uh, does that mean she wasn't part of the case?" The intrigued first-year said as the talkative first-year spoke up.

"How should I know? I just heard people talking about it recently." The talkative first-year said as the intrigued first-year spoke up.

"Oh? Huh, that's neat. But Yukiko-senpai might have been the next target after Saki-senpai, right? If that's the case, then the culprit's definitely going after people based on looks." The intrigued first-year said as the talkative first-year gasped and spoke up with wide eyes.

"What? But those two are totally different. Plus, I heard that Saki-senpai got around the block a few times, if you know what I mean. Yukiko-senpai, however, doesn't seem so inclined towards such things. She seems much too prim, pure, and innocent to even think of such things." The talkative first-year said, not noticing Yu frowning at the discussion topics, knowing that both Yosuke and Yukiko would be offended if they'd heard about any of this, for obvious reasons. Yu wisely decided to keep this to himself, figuring there was no harm in a bit of gossip. At that point, the talkative first-year kept speaking and changed the subject.

"B-By the way, guess what? It's gonna start raining tonight." The talkative first-year said as the intrigued first-year spoke up.

"Uhh, really? Seriously? I didn't know that it was going to rain again so soon after the last rain." The intrigued first-year said as Yu mentally patted himself on the back for his foresight in having the group save Yukiko when they did, since it sounded like her deadline was closing in sooner than Yu would've guessed. So immersed was Yu in this train of thought, that he finished the rest of his walk to school in silence...

(Later that morning, in class with Yu, Chie, and Yosuke)

As the class listened attentively, the teacher spoke up.

"I've heard there's a mysterious animal dwelling in the shopping district area. Supposedly, it knows how to search the change dispenser of the vending machines. How amazing is that? Even animals can learn the value of money, it seems. I guess I'll have to keep my wallet more secure from now on. Students, at your age you might not understand, but money is very important! You can't do anything without it! And you know, smarts don't guarantee wealth or anything like that. Anyways, I guess I should do what they pay me for and lecture you. Let's see, we left off talking about the properties of whole numbers, didn't we? Well, Miss Satonaka. Tell me which of these don't exist." The teacher said as Chie blanched at being called out before turning to Yu as she spoke up so only Yu could hear.

"Uh, crap! I don't know the answer to this question. Which one was it? Do you know, Yu-kun? I don't think I've heard of any of these!" Chie said as Yu thought about it after seeing the shown list and smirking as he spoke up, knowing the answer thanks to an off-color joke his mom had made to his dad in front of him one time about only morons and buffoons believing that these exist.

"Try marriage numbers. Unless I'm mistaken, that should be the answer." Yu said kindly, confident he was right. Chie nodded and turned to the teacher as she spoke up.

"The answer is 'marriage numbers', ma'am." Chie said confidently as the teacher gave Chie an impressed look before giving Yu a knowing look but saying nothing as she spoke up.

"That's actually correct. Next time, Miss Satonaka, please just say honestly if you don't know the answer. But yes, that's right. Amicable numbers, betrothed numbers, and sociable numbers all exist as types of numbers. However, no matter how real they might sound, 'marriage numbers' don't exist, surprising as that might be. Though amicable, betrothed, and sociable exist, marriage numbers do not. What do you think? That's pretty deep, huh? Anyway, let's move on. This is the Mersenne Prime. It's really quite amazing if you think about it." The teacher said as Chie winced and spoke up.

"Oof. I guess she knew I was asking you, didn't she, Yu-kun? But she didn't seem to mind you helping me that much, so thanks, Yu-kun!" Chie said as Yu nodded, getting a feeling that Chie had more of an appreciation of him at that point, which manifested as yellow notes going up over Chie's head. Yu then felt as if he'd become a little closer to Chie at that point. Additionally, Yu felt as if his ability to convey his feelings had improved, netting him an unseen boost to his Expression. After that, the rest of the class passed uneventfully...

(At lunchtime, in the halls of Yasogami High, with Yu)

As Yu made his way to class after lunch, he heard his name called and stopped in time for Chie to walk up to him and speak up.

"Yooo, whatcha doin', Yu-kun?" Chie asked as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"I was just making my way to class since the end-of-lunch bell rang, and I prefer to not be late for class if I can help it. What's up?" Yu said as Chie spoke up.

"That's fair, Yu-kun. Hey, if you have time after school, hang out with me, okay? When I'm not busy, you can usually find me hanging out on the roof. Think about it!" Chie said as Yu idly nodded, recalling that Chie's was one of the Social Links he'd not had a good chance to rank up since getting it, so Yu figured this could be a good opportunity to do so, figuring he should consider hanging out with Chie after school. Before Yu could keep going towards class, Daisuke walked over and spoke up.

"Yo, Narukami. We've got practice today, man. I'll be waiting, so c'mon!" Daisuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I'll think about it. But I might have other stuff that I need to take care of, making it so that I might miss today's practice. But if I can swing it, I'll make it a point to show up to practice on both Thursday and Saturday." Yu said as Daisuke nodded his understanding and walked off, letting Yu think about walking to class, if not for Ayane walking over and speaking up.

"Oh. Hello, Yu-senpai. I just wanted to remind you that we have practice today. I think we'll all be playing together, so it'll be a lot of fun." Ayane said as Yu winced and spoke up.

"I'd love to show up, Ayane. I really would. But I have other people who want me to consider hanging out with them today as well, so I might not be able to make it today. But I'll do my best to show up on Thursday for sure." Yu said kindly, getting an understanding smile from Ayane as she spoke up.

"That's all right, Senpai. I know you're busy with stuff, so don't feel bad if you have to skip a practice here and there, since we don't take attendance. But I'm happy you at least considered it." Ayane said with a smile as she walked off, allowing Yu to finally make his way to class...

(After school, in a classroom with Yu)

After classes let out for the day, Yu considered his options. On remembering the fishhook he'd gotten recently, Yu headed to the riverbank of the Samegawa Flood Plain, where he saw an old man standing near a pier, looking sad. Yu frowned and walked over to the old man and spoke up.

"Excuse me, but is something wrong, sir?" Yu asked the old man, who looked up at the question and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, I didn't think someone would actually ask me about this. Do you happen to have a fishhook with you, by any chance?" The old man asked as Yu spoke up.

"You mean, like this one?" Yu said as he produced the fishhook he'd gotten from the pub the night before, which he'd tucked into the chest pocket of his Yasogami High uniform jacket on a hunch, making the old man gasp at seeing the fishhook before he spoke up.

"Yes, exactly! Oh my, so you do have one?! I'd be grateful if you'd oblige me for a bit, young man." The old man said as Yu spoke up.

"Sure thing, sir. Here you go." Yu said agreeably, handing over the fishhook as the old man blinked at this and spoke up in surprise.

"My, how kind of you! You're willing to give that to a total stranger like me with no questions asked?" The old man said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. I was raised to respect my elders, you see. So if one of them wants a fishhook, well, who am I to refuse? Also, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it as it was, since I don't really have much in the way of fishing gear." Yu said honestly as the old man spoke up with a nod.

"I see. That's mighty nice of you. I'm much obliged. I need to thank you somehow for this. I know, do you fish? I know you just said you don't have gear, but do you fish?" The old man asked as Yu spoke up.

"Not very often, but I do fish. Of course, when you're me, and your parents go off the grid a lot for 'work', as they put it, you tend to not have a lot of time for such recreational activities as fishing. But I usually enjoy myself on the occasions I do go fishing." Yu said honestly as the old man nodded and spoke up.

"Good. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, so to speak, young man. Now, just let me get this hook you found on and then we should be all set. Ah, perfect! Here." The old man said as he handed Yu a 'River Rod' key item. Yu blinked at this and spoke up.

"You're giving me this fishing rod, sir? That's very nice of you. But I thought you needed that fishhook so you could fish?" Yu said uncertainly as the old man laughed and spoke up.

"Nah, I have a spare rod for myself. Go on, young man. There's no need to be shy. Besides, this rod is old and I felt like this was a good opportunity to give it a new home, so I give it up freely. Truth be told, I was planning on buying a new rod anyway so I'd have a backup. This is to show my gratitude to you for your kindness. Use it however you want." The old man said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to take good care of it." Yu said as he accepted the 'River Rod' key item from the old man. After briefly running back to the house to st his new rod in the yard, Yu headed back to the school, figuring he should hang out with Chie, since he'd not spent much time with her since she awakened to her Persona. After Yu got to the roof of the school, he found Chie sitting by herself on a steel beam near the back of the rooftop hangout area. Yu then walked over to Chie and spoke up.

"Ah, I see. So this is where you hang out where you're not busy then, Chie." Yu said as Chie looked up and smiled at Yu before she spoke up.

"Yooo, Yu-kun. Whatcha doin'? And yes, this is where I hang out when I'm not busy." Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Fair. I recall you approached me near the end of lunchtime and asked to hang out today. And as it happens, I don't have a lot else planned, so this seems like as good a time as any to take you up on that, provided you still want to hang out." Yu said as Chie nodded before speaking up.

"Of course I want to hang out! And since you seem to want to hang out, well, then come with me! Yeah, let's go!" Chie said as three yellow music notes went up over her head, giving Yu the impression that Chie was quite happy to hang out with him. At that point, Chie led Yu to an area in the Samegawa riverbank, which he recalled was near the area where he'd ran into Yukiko while she was in a kimono and out on an errand for the Amagi Inn. Once the two arrived at their destination, Chie nodded to herself and spoke up.

"Hmmm, this looks like a good spot." Chie said as Yu gave her a confused look, making Chie chuckle as she spoke up.

"A good spot for what, you ask? Y'know, this seems like a good spot for training! After all, I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle." Chie said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"That's a fair point. Mind you, you also have to keep your Persona's skills honed as well, since it's an extension of you that fights alongside you. As a wise person once said to me, 'A true warrior treats their body, and all extensions thereof, like a temple.' What that means, simply put, is that you need to take care of all aspects of yourself to be functioning at your best." Yu said wisely as Chie nervously chuckled and spoke up.

"Eheh, that's a good point, Yu-kun. I tried practicing at home, more than once. But my mom and dad yelled at me for putting a hole in the shoji. Still, regardless of my mistakes, now's the time to train, right!?" Chie asked as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Right. After all, just because we saved Yukiko this time, that doesn't mean we've solved the case. There will no doubt be more victims eventually, so we need to keep in good shape and be ready at a moment's notice in case anyone else is tossed into the TV so we can swiftly and efficiently be able to save that person. After all, I'm sure we all agree that we'd prefer not to have anyone else end up like Yamano and Konishi-senpai, as dead bodies hanging off of stuff." Yu said as Chie spoke up.

"Ignoring your surprisingly morbid response, I take that as a 'right'. You think so, too!?" Chie said excitedly, three yellow music notes going up over her head. As Chie smiled, she kept speaking.

"Soooo, since you seem to agree with me, let's train together!" Chie said as Yu shook his head, making Chie frown as she kept speaking.

"You said we should be ready, but when I ask you to train with me, you say no?" Chie asked as Yu spoke up.

"I was moreso saying we don't need to rush into it. I'm cool with training with you, but we should pace ourselves while doing so to an extent. After all, as a wise person once said, 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' But I'm definitely down to train with you, Chie." Yu said reassuringly. Chie breathed a sigh of relief before pumping a fist excitedly as she spoke up.

"ALL RIGHT! Yesss! Thanks, Yu-kun!" Chie said as more yellow music notes went up over her head, signifying how happy she was in that moment. At that point, Chie got a serious look on her face before she kept speaking.

"But, you know, to be honest? That thing that you and Yosuke fought before? Y'know, from that time? I mean that Shadow that came out of me. I honestly feel pathetic knowing that's another 'me'. Makes me feel like I gotta work harder! Allllright, let's do it! Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!" Chie said as Yu nodded, noting to himself that this day marks the beginning of his training with Chie.

As a result of his agreement to train with Chie, Yu got the feeling that his relationship with Chie had started to deepen slightly. At that point, the 'Chariot' card appeared in his mind's eye, the Roman numeral 'I' at the top of the card becoming a Roman numeral 'II' to signify that his 'Chariot' Social Link with Chie had reached Rank 2. At the same time, Yu got the sense that the growth of heart Chie had gotten from the rank-up had taken an effect on her Persona as well, as shown a moment later, when Tomoe gained the support skill 'Rebellion'. Afterwards, Chie spoke up.

"Let's start today with frog leaps! C'mon, you try some!" Chie said as Yu winced, but knew he had agreed to train with Chie, so he complied once Chie showed him how to do frog leaps, spending some time training with Chie. Afterwards, Chie smiled as she saw Yu turn to leave, speaking up.

"Heading home, Yu-kun?" Chie said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. It's getting close to curfew, and Dojima-san asked that I try to be home by curfew whenever possible. That, and I'd rather not leave my cousin home alone more than I absolutely have to. I'm sure you understand." Yu said honestly yet kindly, getting a nod from Chie as she spoke up.

"That makes sense. Be safe heading home, Yu-kun! Laters!" Chie said as Yu nodded, walking Chie partway home before heading back to the Dojima residence...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima residence, with Yu and Nanako)

As she heard the door open and close while watching TV, Nanako turned towards the entrance in time to see Yu walk in after setting his shoes by the door, smiling at him as she spoke up.

"Ah, you're home. Welcome back, Yu!" Nanako said cheerfully as Yu walked over and spoke up.

"Yep, I'm home. Thank you for welcoming me back, Nanako. How's your day been?" Yu asked as Nanako spoke up.

"About the same as usual. Oh, I don't know if you noticed it on the way home, but it's raining." Nanako said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I did notice. I saw it start right before I closed the front door, actually. But I think that's a good sign that I should probably stay inside tonight if I can help it." Yu said as Nanako nodded approvingly before turning to watch TV, leaving Yu to shrug and go upstairs to figure out his plans for the rest of the evening...

(Around that same time, over in California, at the set of a certain acting fellowship, inside of Emilio's office, with Emilio, Slim, Kusano, Ace, Sage, and Lily)

As he watched Slim, Kusano, Ace, Sage, and Lily enjoy their meals in his office while enjoying his own meal, Emilio frowned as he thought about the rather unsettling lack of communication and correspondence from Gaignun over the past couple of weeks. If Emilio was being honest with himself, he was worried about Gaignun, given the fact that Gaignun had had to drop out of the fellowship about two months prior, and other than one or two instances of Slim and Lily, and also an instance of those two plus Ace, being invited to have dinner with Gaignun and Marisa, no one had heard so much as a peep from the Kusanagi siblings since their mother's hospitalization and later death. After a moment's hesitation, Emilio spoke up.

"Have any of us heard anything from Gaignun and Marisa recently? I know they're both going through it since their mom passed away, but hopefully they're keeping each other held up through these trying times. Even so, I feel like some of us should think about making a trip to check on them." Emilio said as Slim spoke up with a nod while frowning slightly, to Emilio's surprise.

"I agree. They might not have made it seem that way at first glance, but I got the sense that things were getting a bit tense between Gaignun and Marisa since their mom got hospitalized. But we all know how good Gaignun can be at making it seem like things are as they should be, even when they really aren't." Slim said sagely, getting nods of agreement from the others, before the TV, which Emilio had left on out of being too lazy to turn off, suddenly had a breaking news report come in as a newscaster appeared on-screen and spoke up.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program currently in progress to bring you this breaking news bulletin. In regards to the story we brought you about three days ago regarding a hit-and-run incident that happened in the downtown area of Burbank, we now have the name of the 12-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a vehicle while protecting her brother, who was apparently the actual target of said vehicle. As it turns out, the name of the victim is Marisa Hikari Kusanagi, who was the youngest child of Hikari Kusanagi the third, who also recently passed away of a rare respiratory condition called Cystic Fybrosis.

The prayers of everyone at this station, and hopefully everyone watching this story, go out at this time to the poor girl's older brother, up-and-coming action movie star Gaignun Kusanagi, who is apparently now the last living member of his family. We can only pray that he manages to stay strong through all the tragedy that has recently befallen him, but it wouldn't surprise this reporter in the slightest if he were currently falling apart at this moment." The newscaster said as everyone in the room gasped in unison, most of them now appropriately worried for Gaignun's mental health. As for Emilio, he was currently devastated by the news that his and Jun's only daughter was dead. Sure, the two of them hadn't been around for their daughter much, but that was besides the point. Slim saw the look on Emilo's face and spoke up.

"Ah, that's right. You and Director Amamiya asked Miss Kusanagi to be your surrogate so the two of you could have a child together. I cannot possibly fathom how devastated you must be right now. All I can say is that I am so very sorry for your loss, and you have all of our condolences at this time, Emilio." Slim said as Emilio weakly nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Slim. I'm not sure if Jun's seen this yet or not, but if he has, Jun is probably beside himself right now. But that's nothing on how Gaignun must be feeling right now. Think about it. Not only did his and Mari's mother die within the past two weeks, but Gaignun also has to deal with having to lose Marisa less than a week later. I can't imagine how Gaignun must be holding up right now, truth be told." Emilio said as Lily spoke up with a nod.

"True. I don't think she said so, but I got the sense that Marisa slightly blamed Gaignun for not letting her see her mother in the hospital more while she was alive, so it's possible that those two were arguing with each other a lot behind the scenes. Regardless of that, I know Gaignun was quite protective of Marisa, which makes sense since he's her older brother. Even so, the fact she's dead now is probably tearing him apart inside.

I know we're probably not allowed to, but I do think some of us should go and check on him at some point in the nearish future to ensure that he's not doing anything crazy or drastic by himself right now. After all, I don't think that it's inaccurate to say that any one of us would've been devastated if we were in Gaignun's position, and lost two family members within the same week as each other." Lily said as Emilio nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. So here's what we're going to do. While I have Sage, Ace, and possibly Kusano if he wants stay back here and keep the fellowship staff happy, I was thinking of taking Slim and Lily and having the three of us do a welfare check on Gaignun, and make sure he's not harming himself right now, or possibly worse." Emilio said as the others gasped but nodded as Kusano spoke up.

"I understand. If you want me to stay behind with Sage and Ace, I will do so. But I hope it's known that none of us want to not be there for Gaignun when he needs us, but you have a point that some of us will have to remain behind to keep the fellowship staff from freaking out over some of their talent taking leave at a time like this. The fact you're doing the same could let the staff figure that you're giving them some more on-the-go training and stuff. So we'll do this your way, Emilio." Kusano said as Emilio nodded before he spoke up.

"Good. So let's agree that we head out as soon as possible, then? After all, the longer we leave Gaignun by himself, the higher the chances that we won't like what we see when we do catch up to him. Also, I vaguely recall that Slim has a back-up key to Gaignun's house that Gaignun gave him awhile back. So that will be useful in case we have to let ourselves in." Emilio said as the others nodded their agreement before dispersing to get ready, knowing that time could be of the essence in this instance. As they all got ready to do their respective tasks, the consensus among the group was that Gaignun was hopefully okay and not doing anything too stupid in his grief over losing both his mother and his younger sister so close to one another...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And before anyone asks? YES, that cutaway to Gaignun's friends and Emilio at the end of the chapter was 1000% necessary, as it sets up the next bit of Gaignun's side of the plot. As a reminder, things have to get worse for Gaignun before they start to get better, and at this point? Gaignun's close to hitting the bottom, meaning he's almost where he has nowhere to go except up. However, as the last bit of Arc 1, as well as Arcs 2, 3, and probably even the first bit of Arc 4 will show, Gaignun is far from starting to heal from all the pain he's had to deal with in the past few chapters. But we'll leave that at that for now.

Not 100% decided on this yet, but there's a good chance that the next chapter will probably start with a cutaway to Gaignun's side of the plot as Slim, Lily, and Emilio check in on him, and MIGHT (keyword there being MIGHT) introduce some new characters to the mix, even if they were briefly mentioned at one point in the previous cutaways by Gaignun and Marisa both. In addition, assuming I end it where I think I will, the next chapter will probably be the end of Arc 1, after which we'll get the first Interlude of this story.

All I'll say about that Interlude is that it will go a long way into advancing Gaignun's side of the plot, and might involve the first glimpses of Gaignun's plot starting to slowly become intertwined with the plot of Persona 4 Golden. The interludes for Arcs 1, 2, and 3 will probably be mostly focused on Gaignun. Past those Arcs, I'm not sure how many other Arcs will have Interludes in them, truth be told. But there's your bit of previewing for this chapter. But let's stay on topic, which would be this chapter that just ended.

I think at this time, I'd like to take this chance to give a special shout-out to everyone who's read this far into the story, as any and all support I get on my stories is greatly appreciated! So thank you all! Also, thanks to everyone who either followed or favorited this story (or even myself as an author), as the support is greatly appreciated, since it shows people enjoy my stories, which is all one can honestly hope for as a fanfiction writer. So thank you all. I don't think I have much else to say past that, so we'll wrap this A/N up here. So yeah, thanks for reading. Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

INVESTIGATION TEAM LISTING, SOCIAL LINK RANKS, AND ALLY LIST AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 7

INVESTIGATION TEAM RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 7

YU - Level: 22 Current Persona: Omoikane

YOSUKE - Level: 21 Current/Partner Persona: Jiraiya Persona Moveset: Garu (Wind), Bash (Physical), Dia (Healing), Sukukaja (Support/Buff), Makajam (Ailment), Dekaja (Support/Debuff), Sonic Punch (Physical), Magaru (Wind)

CHIE - Level: 21 Current/Partner Persona: Tomoe Persona Moveset: Skewer (Physical), Tarukaja (Support/Buff), Bufu (Ice), Skull Cracker (Physical), Mabufu (Ice), Rampage (Physical), Rebellion (Support/Buff)

SOCIAL LINKS RANK LISTINGS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 7

FOOL (Investigation Team) - Rank 1

MAGICIAN (Yosuke) - Rank 4

CHARIOT (Chie) - Rank 2

STRENGTH (Daisuke and Kou/Fellow Athletes) - Rank 2

SUN (Ayane) - Rank 1

AEON (Marie) - Rank 1

ALLY LIST: Igor, Margaret, Ryotaro, Nanako, Yukiko, Teddie, Marie, Adachi