June 5
You get a day off from school and a chance to work on your Social Links today. It's a nice reprieve from the rainy period at the end of Kanji's arc and the busy period after the deadline passes. I used it to hang out with Yosuke.
Magician 4
Yosuke hangs out at Junes with you, and notes that there are pros and cons. On the plus side, he gets a discount, and on the minus side, he has to deal with his annoying coworkers, who want to be able to take Saturdays off even though they said they were available in the interview (they try to pass it off as a Leonine Contract, but while Yosuke reluctantly offers to talk with the manager, he says a little bit of flexibility would go a long way with them). No sooner are they gone than an older woman who works for Junes pulls Yosuke aside to talk to him about her complaints regarding the butcher.
Yosuke's exhausted dealing with all these people, but he's somewhat touched to hear you say you're impressed by his efforts. In spite of that, he says that he doesn't have time for this, not with a murderer on the loose and the police unlikely to be of any help. Incidentally, if you wait until after clearing the fourth dungeon, he'll refer to the First Suspect by name. In the end, though, Yosuke's glad that you count on him, and that he can talk about serious stuff with you. The last part seems especially true, as while most of your social links consider you their best friend, if not their lover (although Chie and Yukiko probably still think of each other as best friends), Yosuke's much closer to you than anyone else.
In the evening, I found Adachi.
Jester 4
You have Adachi over for dinner, and prepare the food for him. He enjoys your cooking and, unsurprisingly enough, likes it if you say Dojima doesn't appreciate you. After inadvertently bringing up your coming departure, Adachi decides to do some magic tricks, revealing his talent for it. He also suggests that for all his complaints about his job, perhaps it's for the best that he has it.
June 6
After School
Kanji greets the Investigation Team surprisingly politely, much to Chie's amusement. Kanji admits that he didn't realize that Yu and the others, being second-years, were his senpais. Of course, he could have looked at the guys' collars, where there's a small Roman numeral for the year of the person wearing them (I didn't notice them at first, though).
Kanji starts answering your questions. He doesn't remember much about his kidnapping, but does remember being interested in Naoto. He expounds on his Shadow-related issues a bit, mentioning how, as the son of a textile shop owner, he grew up with "unmanly" interests in sewing, and people of both genders thought of him as weird. Kanji offers to join the team, and the Fool Social Link goes up another rank.
At Junes, Kanji's too busy eating to pay much attention, and assumes that if a TV's the murder weapon, the killer must be beating people to death, before scaring off some students who mistakenly thought he was part of the biker gang, not the person who broke it up.
The discussion returns to how Kanji not only breaks the pattern of the victims being involved in the case, but also them all being female. Kanji, however, has some evidence that he swiped from an "annoying brat" he found near the school (who happens to be Adachi in the manga adaptation). Among them is a list of TV programs, which serves as proof that all the victims were on TV before they were kidnapped. That doesn't do much to explain the killer's motive, but Yukiko and Kanji, both victims of the kidnapper, are grateful that the team was able to save two people so far.
The team takes Kanji to meet Teddie, and while Kanji wants to pet him, Teddie refuses, evidently only allowing females to do that to him. Kanji then asks Yukiko about her experience with her Shadow, angering her to the point where she slaps him, and misinterprets her promise to be "more gentle" as flirting with him.
Teddie gives Kanji a pair of glasses, but it turns out to be a prank pair, given on Yukiko's request, making her laugh and angering Kanji. Kanji snatches another pair from Teddie, but gets another fake pair, resulting in everyone else breaking out in laughter as he throws them far into the distance. When he finally gets the real pair, he expresses annoyance with everyone.
Around this time, if you talk to the bug-catching boy (who gives you some of his bugs in exchange for a soda), he'll tell you that he lost his net. Go to the shrine and talk to the woman in the kimono, who will give it to you, then return to the boy the next day. Like the old man, he'll let you have it, and you can use it to catch bugs on your own in a minigame.
Evening
I did some translation.
June 7
The period of little free time after you save someone continues, as King Moron forces you to join the health committee because he thinks you're a slacker, and won't hear any complaints from you or Chie. You then fill in for a sick member, and must remember the man's message (Kitao from Santo Inc says that the gauze needs to come in two months), which is only tricky because of the fine differences between the choices. If you did it well, the teacher thanks you- evidently, King Moron isn't in charge, since the teacher seems fairly polite.
The members get back and grouse about how Naoki Konishi, Saki's younger brother, has time off for personal reasons. Naoki shows up, coldly says that he hates you and Yosuke, and asks to leave. I'm not sure what you say matters, but I insisted that he stay, going for a bit of a "tough love" approach on someone who dislikes being pitied.
Evening
I spent time with Nanako. Unfortunately, this time, I didn't even get the promise of a rank up next time, but such is life.
June 8'
In class, Yukiko asks about what "Hekin-dai" is, apparently solely out of curiosity, and you can tell her for points.
Yosuke approaches you after school to propose getting motorcycles to attract ladies in an "up close and personal" plan. He ends up having to explain the plan to Kanji, as well as the fact that he doesn't want someone on a bicycle anywhere near them. If you ask if Yosuke's over Saki, he's clearly hurt (and has a similar reaction in a nighttime conversation), but insists he'll have to get over her some time. With all that in mind, you have to ask Dojima about getting a scooter.
I went to Aiya and ate the Beef Bowl today.
Evening
Once again, Dojima has Adachi over for dinner, so that he'll eat something besides instant noodles. You take the opportunity to bring up Yosuke's plan for you to get scooters. He's hesitant to let you do something so dangerous, and, perceptive as usual, asks if someone talked you into doing this. Adachi suggests that Dojima's hardly one to talk, much to his irritation, and suggests that it's annoying without reliable public transportation- agreeing with him gets points. They get a call, and Adachi wonders if it's about the suspicious person again before Dojima insists that they go. Before leaving, Dojima reluctantly agrees to talk more about it once you have a license.
Yosuke calls, and is pleased that things went well with Dojima, so he decides to start studying for the exam.
June 9
You and Yosuke pass the test on the first try. The wording (describing how "the answers are flowing from your hand") vaguely makes it sound as though there's a Knowledge check, since it's the same as if you meet a test's knowledge requirement and get all answers correct, but it seems you pass by default, after one day, no less.
After hearing the news, Dojima gives you his scooter. You get points with him if you praise the quality of his bike rather than thank him. Dojima then goes on about his being a scooter enthusiast, enough so that he's willing to get people at the station to help him out with a personal project, and got "a thrashing" from his father. Adachi also "accidentally" lets slip some information about the suspicious man who's been taking pictures of the Amagi Inn, much to Dojima's annoyance.
I headed back to school to go to drama club.
Sun Rank 6
After practice, Yumi mentions that she went to visit her father, having come to pick up for her mother's medicine (since Mrs. Ozawa has already been discharged). Yumi's obviously conflicted about how he's starting to act like her father again, even though she'd made up her mind to hate him, and demands to know why this has to happen to her, earning her a polite rebuke from a nearby nurse (it's a bit odd that she only shows up now, when Yumi was yelling earlier). You can then choose a few options to comfort Yumi or give her perspective, which helps her feel a bit better.
Evening
I went to the hospital, doing the preliminary event. Not much happens, although you catch a glimpse of a doctor who doesn't seem to want you around for some reason, as well as Sayoko, the nurse who's your Social Link friend.
June 10
Since it was raining, I rode my bike around the neighborhood for the first time, getting some Courage.
Evening The rain stopped by nightfall, (something that often happens), so I decided to hang out with Adachi on his last night time Social Link event.
Jester Rank 5
Adachi comes over, and Nanako needs his help, as an adult (I use the term loosely here, though) to prove that she read a book. The book in question is the one Akinari was writing in Persona 3, which means that it was published after he died. Adachi shows off his less pleasant personality aspects by encouraging Nanako to cut corners on this assignment.
Of course, Adachi does his job by confirming that Nanako read the book, and offers you a mark, but you refuse him. He complains about the old lady once again, particularly her desire to introduce him to girls, and says marriage isn't any fun. He also points out that Dojima will likely be an Overprotective Dad to Nanako when she gets to be of marriageable age. Given Dojima's personalty, I can't say I disagree with Adachi, so I chose to agree with him.
June 11
You can start the Emperor Social Link today, since Kanji's one of two party members whose Social Link doesn't automatically start. Talk to the girl just outside your classroom who complains about Kanji bullying people, and then go to the Practice Building (I actually forget to check over there) to confront Kanji.
Emperor Rank 1
The Social Link doesn't exactly get off to an ideal start. Kanji gets a bit defensive when he realizes that you suspect him of causing trouble, and all of your dialogue choices (none of which have any real consequences) are a bit more accusatory than most- I chose "I want to believe in you," which was the best of the lot. Still, Kanji understands that he's causing you trouble, and decides to start changing his ways, even if the first thing he thinks of is beating up the actual bullies.
Evening
I spent time with Nanako, and this time, I was told that the next time would result in my gaining a rank.
June 12
Yukiko called me to hang out with her, even though the last time I checked up on her, I didn't have enough points. I agreed.
Priestess 6
Yukiko's still trying to get better, even if it means starting with miso soup. She appreciates offers for help, but insists on doing it alone, so that she can get better. She then laments that the cooks don't quite have the same faith in her that she does in herself, and tend to take over after a little while. She takes the more critical options in stride, but responds best to being told that they care about her, which not only is something that she'd like to hear, but also helps her understand their motivations. In any case, though, it's worth noting that Yukiko's careful about food poisoning, which means that as disgusting as her dishes might seem, she doesn't have to worry about actually making anyone sick. Yukiko then comments that the chefs seem to be the impression that she's trying to get a boyfriend, and while it embarrasses her, she also hints that they might not be wrong, which is one of the more overt suggestions at romance in a social link besides Rise "I flirt with Senpai every chance I get" Kujikawa's.
You get Amrita from this event, which heals everyone of all status ailments. It's quite effective, but unfortunately, its usefulness is limited by how Yukiko generally goes last, meaning that your party members have had to deal with the effects on their turns, if no one has slapped them out of it.
Evening
Dojima was here, and available to go up another level, so I decided to do his link tonight.
Hierophant 6
Dojima finally finds the newspaper article, and says that it's about his wife's death. He then insists on stopping there, since it's a forbidden topic under his roof, at which point you can suggest going outside. Dojima gives in no matter what you say, and tells the truth- not only was Chisato killed, but it took a while to find her body, which meant that Nanako ended up waiting a long time at kindergarten for a mother who would never come. Dojima, feeling like a failure for letting the criminal escape, is determined to catch the person responsible even if it means ignoring Nanako. You can then call him out on this, and he starts to doubt himself (a crucial stage in Social Link Character Development) before thanking you for listening.
June 13
I finally finished the lost dog quest for the Hermit link. That quest was fairly time-consuming, since it involves talking to the dog over the course of 3-4 days, choosing the right options each time, and if you don't have a Steak Skewer available after getting the dog to warm up to you, you'll have to wait another day.
Temperance Rank 2
I worked at the daycare center, watching the kids play, and my Understanding went up a rank for this.
Eri, as part of the ice-breaking early Social Link discussion, asks you if you like kids. Amusingly enough, saying you hate them is actually the best response, since Eri realizes you're here for the money (since she doesn't know about the stats). For Eri, however, it's more complicated, since she can't decide how she feels about Yuuta- she doesn't hate him, but their relationship is too distant to say that she likes him. She does, however, like meeting up with you, even if she can't get along with the other mothers- as if to prove her point, one comes up and snidely suggests that she's putting the moves on you.
Evening
I spent time with Dojima.
June 14
Since it was raining again, I turned in the next Hermit quest, going up to Rank 4.
June 15
Yosuke forces you to come along with him for his "up close and personal" plan, and Kanji insists on tagging along.
You have to talk to a few girls to progress the event. First, I talked to the little girl, and chose options that showed my fluency in Spanish (although there's only one Spanish option each time, so you don't have to worry about what they mean). The girl refused to give me her number, which is probably for the best, but complimented my Spanish and gave me the nickname, "Jorgito."
The next woman was receptive toward my advances, and while the first conversation with her ended without my getting her number, she gave it in on the second try.
You, Kanji and Yosuke come together. Kanji talked to the woman who charges a certain amount each hour (who's one of the other people you can hit on), and Yosuke calls him out on not understanding what she was really after. You then go next, and are forced to call the woman you met. You end up getting the woman's husband, who threatens to kill you.
Yosuke goes last, and hears a familiar voice on the other end. He's horrified to learn that he got Hanako Ohtani on the other end, and even more so when she shows up, and jumps on his scooter, breaking it without a shred of remorse. Kanji's actually touched by Yosuke's efforts, though, and offers to take Yosuke on his bike, although Yosuke notes that it isn't legal. Yosuke then goes home by train.
June 16
You spend the afternoon with Yukiko and Chie, who are buying supplies for curry without even knowing what goes in it. Unfortunately, you have no option to point out where they're going wrong, and can only sit and watch helplessly.
Evening
You can't do anything tonight, because you're preparing for another event- namely, the camping trip.
June 17
The camping trip begins, and you spend the day picking up trash on the mountain.
Dinner comes, and Yosuke, while as dismissive of Chie as he usually is, is interested in tasting Yukiko's cooking, although all your options involve you trying in vain to warn him. Yosuke's excitement lasts until he gets a look at what they made (as you can see purple fumes rising from the cook pot), and he passes out after one bite. He immediately begins tearing into them, with constructive criticism apparently being an alien concept to him. If nothing else, he should consider that they, unlike him, chose to take the courageous step of offering up their work to be judged.
Next, it's your turn. Eating "Mystery Food X" requires 4 or 5 Courage (which you may not have unless you specifically ground for Courage), and rewards you with maximum possible relationship points for both Chie and Yukiko. If you can't muster that (like I did on this playthrough, and like most players will unless they grind for Courage), you're forced to eat it anyway, and pass out.
Yosuke gives the girls grief over their cooking. I'm actually more sympathetic to them and other Lethal Chef type characters who are constantly trying to get better, compared to people like Yosuke, who judge their cooking without putting themselves to the test. Meanwhile, Hanako's munching away at a huge pile of delicious curry. Yosuke, hoping to cash in on how she owes him for breaking his scooter, tries to get some, but she refuses, so he once again turns his anger to the girls.
At night, you, Yosuke and Kanji end up in the same tent, since the first-year boys are afraid of Kanji. As Yosuke snacks on Kanji's animal crackers, the conversation turns to King Moron, who apparently threatened to expel Kanji if he causes any trouble, and badmouths Saki and Mayumi. Everyone despises King Moron, and Yosuke apparently caught some flack from him, too. Eventually, however, Yosuke starts making homophobic cracks at Kanji, provoking him to run to where the girls are sleeping. You can't talk him out of doing so, but you can get Expression points for trying, so Yosuke washes his hands of any responsbility for this fiasco.
Meanwhile, the girls are hungry due to not having a proper dinner, and unable to sleep due to Hanako's snoring. They also worry about how Teddie's holding up on his own, nicely foreshadowing how he becomes more prominent from the next rescue mission onward. They then ponder what to do, with Yukiko casually suggesting suffocating Hanako.
Soon afterward, the girls come, evidently having knocked Kanji out. Unfortunately, the rules stipulate that not only do you get in trouble if you're out of your tent, but also if anyone is in your tent (which probably means Yukiko and Chie were in trouble for having Kanji around), so you and Yosuke have to hide Chie. Thankfully, King Moron's drunk off his ass, so he doesn't notice anything.
June 18
The next morning, you decide to go swimming before you leave. The girls aren't willing to go for a swim, but Yosuke guilt-trips them into doing so by reminding that he put up with their cooking and saved them from King Moron (it was technically partly his fault in the first place).
A word about Yosuke. He has a surprisingly compelling friendship with the protagonist, and realistic and easy to relate to flaws and personal struggles, but he does sometimes come off as a sexist, homophobic jerk. I don't necessarily dislike him, but this part of him shines through here, which is why I'm more critical of him.
They reluctantly change, and you have the option of complimenting one of them- I chose Chie, since I needed points with her. The next choice, whether to agree or disagree with Yosuke's statement that the girls are childish but will become beauties, can't end well, since it's a backhanded compliment- agreeing implies that they're immature, while disagreeing implies that they won't look good in the future. As such, Chie pushes you into the water and Yukiko pushes Yosuke in, before pushing Kanji in after seeing him get a nosebleed. At that moment, King Moron pukes in the river, much to your dismay
Evening
Due to being tired after the camping trip, you can't do anything at night.
June 19
I decided to spend time with Yosuke today.
Magician 5
Yosuke comes over, and visits your room. Feeling even less inhibited than usual, he asks about whether you hide naughty magazines under your futon, and whether you've invited a girl in (it's actually possible for you to have done so, making a "Yes" answer honest, but the best answer is "I will soon.") Of course, Yosuke isn't quite as confident himself, as his own Porn Stash was discovered, and he's unwilling to commit to finding a girl until he solves the case (but seems to see no problem with flirting).
Nanako then makes her appearance, at an unusually late point in the social link, and informs you about how she and her friend are delivering a flyer to their male classmates house, a classmate on whom Nanako's friend has a crush. Yosuke remarks about how he had his first love in first grade, but can't pursue romance now, because he has to do something. Nanako asks if it's homework, and Yosuke says yes before Nanako leaves. Yosuke's mind goes back to his belief about how he and the others are the only ones who can bring the killer to justice, and he realizes that he doesn't really care about the contents of a flyer- an event for young people to revitalize the economy. With all that said, he decides to look under your futon for porn.
Evening
You watch the news with Dojima and Nanako. In it, Rise, the Idol Singer who appeared in the introductory cutscene, announces that she'll take a leave of absence and go to Inaba, but is unwilling to answer any more than that, despite being bombarded with questions.
June 20 Ai finally came along and asked me to skip class, even though it had been a few days since I'd gone up to her with the necessary Courage. From what I can tell, she wasn't lying about inviting you out whenever she feels like it, since the time between her invitation and your going out with her is random. Thankfully, this doesn't consume your after-school period.
Moon Rank 1
Ai confesses that she enjoys skipping class, and depending on your response, either approves of your rebellious nature or pointedly asks why you're here. Of course, she's been forced to tone down her truancy because of the attention she's gotten. Self-absorbed as always, she's only interested in doing her own shopping, but not with her money- her father's rich enough to pay for it- and takes umbrage at the implication that she stole it. She then decides to head back before she gets on the guidance counselor's bad side again, and suggests that you do the same, lest he start keeping tabs on you. Ai probably gives the worst first impression of all Social Links in this game, but thankfully, she doesn't stay that way.
After School
I talked with Naoki, and cleared the Understanding check. It didn't accomplish much, but it was a necessary step, and didn't take any time. This doesn't consume time, but I'm not sure what else I did, though.
Evening
I spent more time with Dojima, in one of the last free evenings I had before the next investigation period.
