05/06 F
Cloudy
Yosuke barely pedaled up to Yu on the way to school...
That thing's dead. Just dead. No bike squeals that much unless something bad's happened.
"Dammit, I just fixed this thing. It's making squeaks again."
"Heh. Maybe it's karma."
"Huh? Yeah..."
No real reaction. Who is this man, and what did he do with Yosuke?
Yosuke expressed his regret about talking about Nanako's mother, and promised to fight even harder to solve the case...
"I'm counting on you, Yosuke."
"Hehe... Same to you!... Y'know, is it just me, or do Chie and Yukiko seem closer than before? So, about them... Nah, it can wait. Stupid bike. Well, until I can get my motorcycle license, I guess I'll just walk..."
Yosuke pushed his bike to school, chatting lightly with Yu all the rest of the way. —- The group met up after school. Apparently, nothing at all happened over the holidays... They all agreed to keep track of the Midnight Channel, before Chie brought up the midterms.
"Ugh, don't remind me!"
Chie sighed after Yosuke's outburst.
"I wish I had Yukiko's gift for studying... Yosuke, maybe you should ask Yukiko for lessons?"
"Oh, that's right. Yukiko's ranked at the top of every exam. Maybe I should ask her for some private lessons."
"Private lessons!?"
Yukiko suddenly stepped towards Yosuke and slapped him.
Hard. Bruising hard.
Yukiko explained that she thought he was telling an off-color joke...
She apologized, at least... Still, Yosuke's gonna have a red hand on his face the rest of the day.
Yukiko went home, as Yosuke and Chie started to argue about who was at fault...
What is even with this guy?
"Hmm... Black goes to Group A, and Group A is the six most common flag colors, right?"
"Way to be! Da OG Third-year presents you with this, the key of yo knowing!"
The afro-wearing student handed Yu three keys, and told him to come back when he felt like another riddle...
Chie and Yosuke both seem like one wrong step from exploding right now. Let's leave them be...
Yu made his way to the bus stop in the shopping district, and rode it to the daycare on the hill overlooking town...
Why did I think this was a good idea? These kids are going to be the death of me.
Yu barely survived a day of daycare work...
On the walk home, Yu spotted a young woman on the table under the pavilion on the Samegawa... She recognized him from a few weeks ago.
"I was heading over to pick up Yuuta... But then, something came over me. My legs just went weak all of a sudden. Every time I think about him.."
The woman sighed. She explained that she was Yuuta's stepmother, and that her husband was overseas... She never really talked to Yuuta, either...
"That sounds rough."
She seems pretty gloomy. Where have I thought that before?
She excused herself, but said she appreciated Yu's conversation with her...
"I'm Eri Minami. Nice to meet you."
Time stopped for just a moment, and a card bearing the number "XIV" and an abstract image of four colors and icons appeared before Yu...
Thou art I... And I am thou...
Thou hast established a new bond...
It brings thee closer to the truth...
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Temperance Arcana...
Particles of light flowed out of Eri's smile, and into Yu...
"... I should be getting home. Give Yuuta some time..."
That night, Yu decided to try talking to Dojima...
"You that bored, huh?"
Dojima laughed.
He talked a bit about Yu's school life, and his friends.
"I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but... You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"So, I'm under suspicion?"
Dojima laughed a little.
"You've got guts. But, well, every time I'm investigating, it seems like you're there. My job is about eliminating random elements, and looking only at the facts. If you keep getting caught up, then..."
Nanako walked up to her father.
"What's wrong? You're not fighting, are you? Big Bro didn't do anything bad..."
Dojima feel silent for a moment, then sent his daughter up to bed. He sighed.
"She's really taken a shine to you, huh... Look, just don't get involved in anything dangerous, okay?"
Too late.
"Right then! I'll make sure to stay outta trouble."
"Good. Just... As long as your safe."
Dojima seems a lot more worried than I'd thought...
Time stopped, and a card bearing the number "V" and an abstract image of religious regalia appeared before Yu...
Thou art I... And I am thou...
Thou hast established a new bond...
It brings thee closer to the truth...
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hierophant Arcana...
A wave of particles flowed out of Dojima's eyes and into Yu...
"It's about time for bed for you, isn't it? Well, 'night."
05/07 Sa
Rain
Yu overheard a group of students talk about their distaste for rain and the midterms next Monday on the way to school.
Finally a chance to check the Midnight Channel again...
Mr. Hosoi is still absentminded. His puppet is still creepy.
That Gas Station attendant scares the hell outta me. Why is it that he... She?... They are only out in the rain?...
Yu wound up getting both a Firecracker and a key from the lady at Shiroku, then decided to head home...
Yu spent a precious moment together with Nanako...
Nothing came up on the Midnight Channel...
05/08
Cloudy
Exams start tomorrow... Wee.
Yu's phone rang.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh... Yeah, that sounds good. I'll see you by the riverbed, then."
Chie was pumped!
"Yeah, we can do this! Hiyah!"
Well, she's certainly upbeat today.
Nanako happened to be passing by at the time. Chie explained what they were doing.
"Wow! Cool!"
Chie barely stammered out a "Thank you" after Nanako's compliment.
"Oh, a grasshopper just landed on your back"
"Huh? W-where!?"
Chie squealed a little in fear.
Huh. Chie's scared of grasshoppers?
Nanako gently pulled the insect off of Chie and placed it on the ground.
Chie tried to explain herself.
"I'm no good with anything with thin, jointed legs like that! Or anything creepy or squirmy! Ack, now I can't stop thinking about them!"
Nanako looked a little confused.
"But they're cute."
Nanako, you're quite fond of a lot of things, aren't you?
Chie sighed a little.
"Heh, you're like Yukiko."
She turned to Yu.
"Oh, see, 'cause Yukiko's fine around bugs. But me, I totally lose it. Kinda funny, huh?"
Yu smiled a little.
"Oh, I think it's kinda cute."
Chie stepped back in surprise, but looked a little happy.
Nanako told Chie that she knows lots of other kids her age who don't like bugs, to try to comfort Chie.
"Thank you, Nanako... Hey, you wanna train, too?"
"Yeah!"
The three went through a few basic karate moves, before Nanako left for home.
"I'm gonna get over m fear of bugs, so I don't look like a sissy next to Nanako. Yeah, I'll just pretend they're Shadows or something!"
Chie's pretty spirited all of a sudden.
As the pair started the walk home, Yu saw a third Chariot card appear...
"Hey, so, y'know how you can really blow someone a ways off if you hit 'em just right? 'Cause I've got something that I wanna show you the next time we go into the TV..."
That night, Yu tried to hang out with Dojima. He got a little tongue-tied, but Yu was Expressive enough to get past that.
He asked about Yu's life, but reprimanded himself quickly.
"I'm sorry, this is turning into an interrogation, isn't it? But you and I don't have much in common... Except for the murders."
"Fine then. Tell me about yourself."
I'll be here for a while longer, I think I should know.
"Heh. You're into the strangest things. I'm just what I seem, a simple country detective living with my daughter. There's nothing of interest there to a high school kid..."
Dojima smiled a little.
He didn't do that in all of April, and now he's done it twice in a week...
"But you know, it really is good to have you around. I didn't think I'd ever see Nanako so happy... Hell, I'm already sick of hearing "Big Bro" this and "Big Bro" that. To be honest, you're more like a very young brother to me than a son..."
"He. So, I guess I should call you "Big Bro" myself?"
Dojima chortled a little.
"Stop that! You're sending chills down my spine."
And another laugh.
The nephew and uncle chatted a little more, then Yu went to bed, as Dojima kept handling papers from work...
05/09 M
Cloudy/clear
Yu chatted a little with Chie on the way to school- she felt pretty uneasy about the midterms...
"Well, you learn to pick you're battles, Chie."
"Ugh. Can't argue with that..."
She talked a little about the case, then tread into other things...
Midterms.
05/10 Tu
Cloudy
Midterms...
05/11 W
Cloudy/Clear
Midterms!
05/12 Th
Cloudy
MIDTERMS.
Yosuke stretched out a bit after all the tests were packed up. Chie and Yukiko were talking about their test answers...
Isn't that frowned upon?... Or illegal?
Chie apparently wasn't too confident in her work...
I couldn't really have guessed one way or the other. She's pretty bright, but also seems to have very narrow interests...
A very loud student gossiped to his friend about a TV station filming in town. Apparently, they were going to cover the biker gangs that hung around the highway...
Yu's friends gossiped a little about the biker gangs.
"Oh, yeah, I've heard one of the first years here is a real hellraiser. Been a legend ever since middle school... Wait, was he ever in a biker gang?"
Yukiko's eyes shone brightly at Yosuke's comment.
"D-did you say he was a legend?"
"Ah, it's not what you think, Yukiko."
Chie sighed and shook her head.
Yu had opted to attend basketball practice. He felt Titan's power affect him, just a little...
Kou and Yu were once again the only players to bother trying or clean up after practice...
Those other guys are starting to piss me off, a little.
Daisuke came running in, suggesting they all three head out to Aiya...
"Right! Let us get changed, and we'll head right- Oh, damn! I forgot, I can't!"
Kou explained that he had some personal stuff to take care of, then ran off...
Daisuke agreed to meet up with Yu at Aiya, to explain why "Kou has to go before the Almighty House of Ichijo... You seem like someone I can talk to about it..."
So his family's like that, huh?
"Right then. I'll see what I can do..."
This place smells like garlic and spices and everything else, yet it's entirely pleasant. Huh.
Daisuke sighed after placing his order, and started talking.
"I don't like talking about him behind his back like this, but... I really want you to help Kou..."
Yu nodded.
"Just tell me how."
Daisuke nodded, looking slightly relieved.
"Kou lives by himself, but his parents live next door. Once a week, he comes to see them, like he did today."
Huh. I wonder how that kinda setup got made?
"His family is very... Distinguished? Very very formal, very very strict. They follow his grandma's word like the law. Thing is, the old crone doesn't approve of Kou playing basketball. She calls it 'barbaric'."
Ah. That's sad.
"That's nonsense. It's just a sport."
"Well, apprently it's not a "proper" sport..."
Daisuke sighed heavily.
"So, can you help make sure this is something he doesn't have to quite, like so many things he's done before?"
Yu nodded.
"... Thanks, man. Hey, two beef bowls over here!"
As he grabbed two pairs of paper-wrapped chopsticks, Yu saw a third Strength card appear for a moment...
"... Crap, I used up my allowance. Think you can cover tonight?"
Daisuke, you idiot.
Yu stared daggers for a moment...
Nanako's got impressive tastes.
Yu pulled all the ingredients for making beef stew out of the recently-restocked fridge...
You use a drop lid for the simmering, so that the heat is really gentle...
Yu packed a few bowls of the sumptuous-smelling stew for tomorrow...
05/13 F
Cloudy
Yu invited Kou and Daisuke to share lunch...
I feel bad for the guy. And he doesn't seem the type to cook for himself...
"Wow, Yu, you made this yourself? I used to think I was decent in the kitchen, but you've really shown me what's up."
Well, good to see him smile after yesterday.
Why was that girl putting a letter in my shoebox? Am I really getting that popular...?
Nope. It's for some other guy. Maybe I should talk to her about it tomorrow. Maybe she's the one who wrote the wish on the ema...
Yu opted to work at the daycare. He felt Sylph increase his compassion just the tiniest bit...
Eri was late to pick up Yuuta again. Yuuta ran from her almost as soon as she showed up...
What a scene.
Eri asked if Yu liked children...
"Well, I'm okay with them... It depends."
Eri nodded.
"I don't hate Yuuta, but..."
"You have problems with him?"
Eri sighed a little.
"It's more complicated than that. Haha, you're still a child, I see, as mature as you are..."
Eri expressed her fears of facing the other mothers, hence why she arrived late so often.
So, she's just timid. Huh.
Eri smiled weakly...
Yu saw a second Temperance card appear for a moment...
A pair of other caretakers walked up and reprimanded Eri's late arrivals...
"I'm sorry...."
She's in a rather unique situation. She could use a shoulder to cry on, I guess.
The news that night was all about local biker gangs...
More sensationalist bull. Great.
"Our report took a turn for the violent, as one of the apparent biker gang leaders nearly attacked the camera crew!"
A boy in a skull shirt wearing a school uniform's jacket on his shoulders appeared on-screen, a blur covering his eyes.
"The hell are you punks doin' here!? This ain't a show! Get bent!"
... 'Get bent?'
Dojima recognized the boy.
"His name's Kanji Tatsumi. He's quite the handful in my job... He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school... But I thought he'd gotten into a high school and started attending classes."
Apparently, Kanji's family ran a historic textile shop...
"I think what happened was, he beat up several biker gangs because they were keeping his mother up at night. It's a nice gesture, but he's way too violent."
Beat up entire gangs by himself? For his mother?
Nanako mentioned that the weather was set to rain the next day...
05/14 Sa
Rain
The Investigation Team agreed to follow the Midnight Channel that night...
Some kind of grass in a pot... Hmm...
Yu watched the Midnight Channel while picking out pieces of Nanako's science project from between his teeth...
A delinquent looking guy... I get the feeling that it's that Kanji guy from the news yesterday, but I don't want to jump to conclusions...
Yu called Yosuke, and the two agreed to get together to talk about what they saw tomorrow...
05/15 Su
Rain/Cloudy
The Investigation Team meet up at the Junes Food Court.
"We will now discuss the serial kidnapping-slash-murder case here in Inaba!"
"Dude, take a breath."
Yosuke seems to be in good spirits, and Chie is still playing his straight man...
Yukiko's eyes gleamed.
"Oh! So does that make this place our special headquarters?"
"Yes! Nicely put, Yukiko."
The group discussed what they saw on the Midnight Channel, but no one was quite sure about who they saw, beyond that it was a high school guy.
"So, that rules out our original theory about the victims all being females with ties to the first case..."
The group theorized that whoever was on the Midnight Channel was still safe for the moment, since their image was so blurry. They ultimately agreed to try to protect whoever the guy was, but also agreed that they'd have to wait for tonight's Midnight Channel to be sure...
Chie summed it all up, and Yukiko went into a laughing fit...
"Would you stop that, you crazy hyena!?"
"Hah! That's a good one, Chie!"
Yukiko laughed for a solid three minutes...
Who would've thought she'd be this nuts?
That's definitely that Tatsumi guy...
Yosuke called, and the two guys confirmed their suspicions...
"Oh, I almost forgot... It's kinda off-subject, but as long as you're on the line, mind if I ask you something? Chie or Yukiko? Which one's your type?"
"Neither."
A relationship with either of them would make me a third wheel.
Yosuke laughed it off.
"Don't worry, this is just between you and me. Okay, well see you tomorrow."
05/16 M
Cloudy
The group agreed that the guy on the Midnight Channel was definitely Kanji Tatsumi...
Yukiko revealed that she knew him when they were younger. Her family buys several items from his... Apparently, he had been a really sweet kid. Chie seemed a little uneasy about confronting him, but everyone agreed to see him in his family's textile shop...
If he's intimidating to Chie... Huh.
Yukiko politely meet with the owner of the textile shop, who was talking with a strange young man...
There's something off about him, but dang if I can tell what it is...
The group talked for ma short bit with the shop owner, before Chie noticed a scarf...
"I've seen this somewhere before..."
She and Yosuke recognized it as that scarf that had been tied into a noose inside that Ominous Bedroom...
The textile shop owner confirmed that it was made for Ms. Yamano...
So, there's still a connection to the first case here!
The team talked to each other about these revelations as the shop owner left to pick up a delivery from the backdoor...
I've heard that man's voice before... Huh.
As the group left the shop, they spotted Kanji himself. Yosuke had everyone hide, as they listened in on him talking with the strange boy they saw in the textile shop...
"T-tomorrow's fine with me. Ah, after school, 'cause I've got school tomorrow..."
"Then I'll meet you at the gates after school."
The slender boy turned and left...
"... He's a guy... And I'm a guy. But he says he's... Interested in me?"
Huh. Can't say I expected tha- No. Conclusions shouldn't be jumped to. Maybe this is something else.
Kanji spotted Yu's party!
Crap.
The group ran from him, before he turned and entered his home...
Yu and his friends discussed their theories about the case- Yu suggested that maybe both Kanji and his mother were targets- But ultimately, they decided they'd have to stakeout both the textile shop and Kanji himself the next day, after school...
I wonder why he's been with that weird boy, though...
Yu's Level: 15
Current Personas:
Cu Sith
Apsaras
Titan
Angel
Sylph
Social Links:
Fool: Rank 2
Magician: Rank 3
Hierophant: Rank 2
Chariot: Rank 2
Justice: Rank 1
Hermit: Rank 1
Strength: Rank 3
Temperance: Rank 2
Sun: Rank 3
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