After everything I'd been through while in Inaba, the life I'd lived before seemed small and hollow in comparison, but even so, it would be my life once again, at least for the next year. If nothing else, I'd learned that one year is not too short of a time to establish a meaningful connection with someone, grow as a person or make a difference, so there was no reason for me not to try.
—Yu Narukami, narrating
One Year is a Persona 4 sequel fic by Theralion.
The fic picks up immediately where Persona 4: Golden leaves off. Yu Narukami, having achieved the true ending, is forced to return home to Minagi City, leaving behind Inaba and his girlfriend, Yukiko. Back in his old town, Yu, having learned from his time in Inaba, is determined to not simply drift through life until he goes off to university, but hopes to reach out to and reconnect with his old friends, while also making new ones. Meanwhile, Yukiko continues training to inherit the inn, while eagerly awaiting the day she can see Yu again.
The fic can be found here
and is completed, though this trope page isn't.
Tropes
- Adapted Out: As One Year is meant to be more mundane, the events of the P4A duology and Persona 4: Dancing All Night don't happen.
- Agree to Disagree: This policy is deconstructed to an extent, as Satomi notes that while it's all well and good to respect one another's opinions, it's more difficult when it comes to issues that you care about or have significant consequences.
- Arc Words: One year.
- Artistic License – Law: The author noted that Adachi's trial had to be streamlined a bit for the sake of pacing, such as by concluding in the course of a few days.
- Beta Couple: Kanji/Naoto. While Yu and Yukiko have been going out since July 2011, Kanji and Naoto only get together a little over a year later.
- Book Ends: The fic begins with Yu getting off the train in Minagi and meeting his mother at the station. The fic ends with Yu's parents getting off the train in Minagi and meeting their son at the station.
- Call-Forward:
- Yukiko suggests in a meeting between the owners of Inaba's local businesses that they try working with Junes turns out to be responsible for it selling local Inaba specialties in the Golden epilogue.
- In Chapter 33, the second years run into Marie and Margaret while they're clothes shopping for the former's meteorologist job.
- Distant Finale: The epilogue takes place in July 2019, just before Yu and Yukiko's wedding.
- Dramatic Irony: In Chapter 28, Yu learns about Sakura confessing, and decides to meet up with her and reject it. The next chapter is from Sakura's POV, and shows her completely oblivious to the events in the previous chapter.
- Female Misogynist: Hitomi's mother is an example of the "extremely conservative housewife" variety. Not only does she believe that her daughter is only fit to marry well for the family's sake, but she also looks down on girls who aspire to careers outside the home, including Hitomi's close friend Sakura.
- Feud Episode: In Chapter 26, the long-standing tensions between Kaoru and Kenji come to a head when after Kaoru gets cut from the team, an argument breaks out between the two.
- Horrible Camping Trip: Kanji, Naoto, Ayane and Rise are forced to take part in one. As for the others, Yu moved back to his hometown, the other third-years are exempt due to exams, and Rise is gone because of idol-related business.
- I Have No Son!: Hitomi is dealt with this way after her Arranged Marriage falls through. Her parents do let her stay in the house until she graduates, and quietly support her, but most of the cast is appalled by what they've done.
- Immediate Sequel: The story begins on the same day that Persona 4 ends.
- Interquel: Chapters 1 through 45 take place between Persona 4's ending and Golden's epilogue.
- Lighter and Softer: In a sense, as while the story is fairly serious, there aren't any supernatural monsters or threats out to destroy the world.
- Love Confession: Both Yukiko and Naoto still receive these on a regular basis, even after Chie triggers one of Yukiko's laughing fits in front of a crowd. In Chapter 28, Yu gets one from Sakura, which he rejects. In Chapter 42, Kanji confesses to Naoto, who says yes.
- Love-Obstructing Parents: Subverted with the Amagis, who approve of Yu, although they think it's too soon for him to marry Yukiko (and are glad that neither of them are thinking that far ahead). Downplayed with the Narukamis, who point out that they don't think that it was a good idea for Yu to get together with Yukiko, but don't actively oppose their relationship, although Yu worries that they'll change their minds. When Yu and Yukiko do ultimately get into their first choice school, the Narukamis tacitly approve of their relationship, albeit while saying that they still have a lot of work to do.
- Ma'am Shock: After Yukiko starts calling Rise "Rise-san," partly because Rise's almost an adult, Rise jokes that she'd rather not be called "ma'am" just yet. Yukiko replies, "Duly noted, ma'am," and the two friends share a laugh.
- Origins Episode: Chapter 29 reveals Sakura's backstory, starting with when she first met Yu, until she learned he was coming back to their school.
- Out of Focus: Rise and Teddie compared to the other members of the Investigation Team; Rise due to her idol job keeping her away a lot, and Teddie because the author wished to focus on more mundane things.
- Putting the Band Back Together: Yu's essential goal for his previous group of friends.
- School Play: The Drama club does Romeo and Juliet.
- Secret Relationship:
- Yu and Yukiko at the start of the fic, since they're not yet prepared to go public and deal with how their friends and families would react to it. After Sakura confesses to Yu, they rethink this policy, and tell all their friends about it around the start of summer vacation.
- The epilogue reveals that Rise, her career as an Idol Singer almost over, has recently started a relationship, but is keeping it secret for now.
- Second Love:
- Yu had a crush on a girl in elementary school, but both ended up in separate middle schools and never saw each other again.
- Yu's mother was in a relationship with a boy in high school, but they broke up after they realized they were going to separate universities.
- Naoto was briefly attracted to Yu before falling in love with Kanji.
- She Is All Grown Up: In the epilogue, Yu's mother is completely flabbergasted upon seeing her niece Nanako, who is now in high school, simply because of how much more grown-up she looks and acts. Yukiko even has started calling her "Nanako-san" out of respect.
- Ship Sinking: Not only does the story eliminate any possibility of Yu and Yukiko (as well as Kanji and Naoto) getting together with anyone besides their respective girlfriends and boyfriends, but it also specifically eliminates a few couples:
- Yu reveals that when Nanako made him accept her Childhood Marriage Promise in the ending, he'd been put on the spot, and hoped she'd grow out of it.
- When Chie learns that Kou likes her, she admits that she's flattered, but notes that there's no way the relationship will work out if Kou can't even talk to her.
- Rise's career as an Idol Singer, which preludes anything that even suggests that the idol is in a relationship, essentially precludes any possibility of them having a relationship.
- Switching P.O.V.: The fic is told from a character's first person POV, and it alternates between various characters, with most chapters from a single character's POV.
- True Companions: The Investigation Team's status as this is contrasted with Yu's old group, which initially is not, although they gradually start becoming closer.
- We Were Your Team: Sakura says this to Yu when discussing why the group drifted apart after his departure. Yu is not happy to hear this, since he'd hoped they would stay together after he left.
- Wham Episode:
- Chapter 28. It turns out that Sakura has a crush on Yu, a revelation that causes Yu to see his time with her in a new light, and also reconsider whether he wants to keep his relationship with Yukiko secret.
- Chapter 30. After Yu rejects Sakura, he and Yukiko decide to come forward about their relationship.
- Chapter 42. Kanji and Naoto become a couple.
- Chapter 63. Hitomi's parents disown her
- You Are in Command Now: Sayuri had to take over as president of her drama club after her predecessor was arrested for stealing money from the club.
