Part 18: Entry Fifteen: June 30, 2009

Entry Fifteen: June 30, 2009

Mood: Chillaxed
Music: More MCR. They're awesome.

Well, things have finally been picking up socially. Seems like everyone was just taking their sweet time to start doing interesting stuff again. I guess I shouldn't complain about boring periods in my life, since they suck less than being eaten by horrible soul-eating monsters.



Anyway, time to get into the details of the past few days. On Wednesday, I ran into Junpei before class.

Junpei: Oh, you noticed it too? She's been thinking way too hard about Tartarus n' stuff. I mean, who cares, right?!



And after school that day, I hung out with Yuko. Nothing happened. I figured this would be the start of another boring week...



...so that night it was off to Tartarus.



We kept climbing up from where we left off, encountering new Shadows along the way. These Maniacal Books were only weak to Dark attacks, and we had none, so they were a pain in the ass to deal with.



They also had a very, very irritating tendency to use Spirit Drain to steal our SP. Ugh.



These Adamant Beetles were weak to electricity, which both Akihiko and I could dish out in spades. They had a ton of HP, though, so they still took awhile to kill. They also had an extremely dangerous attack called Kill Rush which was capable of taking any of us out in one shot.



It wasn't all bad, though. We ran into quite a few rare chests...



...though the vast majority of them contained more Warrior's Seals. I wasn't even using the first one!



After a battle, I ended up with this pretty, sparkly Unicorn. I once wished for a planet full of those, did I ever mention that? Well, I guess it's not important now.



Let's see, what else...oh, we had our first experience with being Charmed during a battle with some Lustful Snakes. I had a bloody lip for awhile after a charmed Akihiko socked me in the face. Fuck Charm.



Speaking of those Snakes, here's a better drawing of one.




In another rare chest, we found a Traesto Gem. This was a spectacularly useless item that let us escape from Tartarus whenever we wanted...something we could already do thanks to the abundance of Access Points everywhere. Lame.



I worked on training my Personas as well - Principality learned Hama, the first Light attack skill. Much like Mudo, Hama would instantly kill enemies I targeted with it, though it didn't hit often.




Speaking of Personas, I made a few new ones during a break. This guy seemed pretty familiar, for instance. He also let me use a new Fusion...

Fusion - Jack Brothers

It isn't very good.



Oh, we got this Toy Bow from fulfilling one of Elizabeth's many requests - I've been doing that, but haven't really mentioned them up until now. To get the Bow, we had to hunt down and kill a rare form of Shadow known as the Wealth Hand. It took awhile to even find one, and even then if we got too close it'd run away and disappear, so I had to sneak up on it with a bow. I made an animation of the last leg of the hunt here:

Rare Form - Wealth Hand

(Rare Forms show up randomly and rarely, and appear as gold Shadows in Tartarus. They have greatly heightened senses compared to normal Shadows, so it's important to be careful when sneaking up on them, since if they see Minato they'll take off running and disappear. They're easy to take out in combat, though - just have everyone attack with their weapons, and someone's bound to hit its weakness. Upon defeating a Rare Form, you'll get an item Elizabeth is requesting if you need it, or a Coin that sells for a huge chunk of money. They're always worth killing when you see them.)




The Toy Bow was surprisingly powerful despite its appearance; I gave it to Yukari.




We were nearing the next Guardian, so I stopped to make a new Persona - Gurr, which resisted Wind and had Media due to fusion.




Right before we reached the Guardian, I found a rare chest containing a Homonculus. These are very valuable items - if I'm killed by a Light or Dark attack, the Homonculus dies instead of me. They don't work for the others, but I've been trying to keep them around just in case.

Speaking of the Guardian, right after that we reached its floor...

Tartarus Boss 7 - Intrepid Knight

(The Intrepid Knight uses a lot of Wind attacks, meaning this is yet another boss that Junpei just has to sit out for - it really seems like the combat designers hated the guy. Fortunately for Minato, we finally have access to some decent Wind-resistant Personas, which we put to liberal use in this battle. Notice the Intrepid Knight's use of Mind Charge - this makes its next magic attack do a little over twice as much damage, so it's important to be careful and keep debuffs/buffs/resistances up.)




After we defeated the Intrepid Knight, we finally ran into the next barricade. We couldn't really do much...



...except grab the third Old Document and leave.

They built a research facility here; they want me to join the team, but I have a bad feeling...



After school the next day, I headed to the Art Club to join up.



To my surprise, I ran into Fuuka.



Glasses Guy: Do you know him, Fuuka-san?
Fuuka: Yeah, this is the guy I was just telling you about...
Glasses Guy: Oh, so this is him, huh? You must be Minato-kun. I've heard a lot about you from Fuuka-san!
Fuuka: We're looking for new members to join our club, so I mentioned your name. I'm really happy you decided to stop by...



Club Member: He's supposed to be pleased to meet YOU, Keisuke-senpai. You're the club leader, after all.
Keisuke: O-oh, that's right.



Keisuke: Things are going well...Fuuka-san decided to return to the club, and now we're getting a new member. Maybe I should stay club leader for a little longer...
Fuuka: Hey, Keisuke-senpai, you're a senior, right? You must have finals coming up soon, huh?
Keisuke: No, I...uh...h-hey Minato-kun, are you a good painter?

Well, I do a little drawing in my spare time...just a bit.



Keisuke: We don't have any proefssional artists in this club. I mean, I'm a novice and I'm the leader. Meeting you like this can't be just a coincidence...it must be fate. So if you're interested in joining the Art Club, just write your name on the sign-up sheet.

This sounds like the place for me.




The creepy voices in my head agree, apparently!




My life's still a goddamn mess, but it's nice to meet kindred spirits where I can.



I was pretty surprised, too; what were the odds?



The next day after school I hung out with Kenji.



We ate at Wild-Duck burger; that place sucks, but Kenji seems to love it. I would've rather had ramen...



Kenji: But I kinda took her away from them, ya know, dude? Like I made her my girl before they even had a chance...Emiri is a really strict teacher, but at home she's a real sweetheart. She's always...



I quickly remembered why I didn't hang out with Kenji much anymore.



Ugh.

Kenji: It's like a TV show, dude! Seriously! What about you, Minato? How are you and Yukari-san doing? Well, I wish you all the happiness in the world, dude.



Kenji: I'm trusting you, man.




I wonder which Arcana Chris Hansen would associate with...





Probably Temperance, since I guess fucking kids is a vice that people need to temper or something.



The next day, I overheard an interesting conversation.

Gossip: I guess they were all in pairs.
Listener: What, like they were attempting a double suicide?
Gossip: I don't know. But if I could pass out with someone I liked, I wouldn't mind being unconscious!
Listener: I would mind!



After class that day, I tried to get Fuuka to walk home with me, but it didn't really work out.



Fuuka: I'm not even sure if it's edible at this point...





I didn't feel ready to put my intestines on the line for her just yet, so I gave up.



Instead, I hung out with Yuko.



Yuko: Can you hang on a sec? I'll finish the story after I put my shoes on.



Yuko looked irritated at something in her shoe locker.

Yuko: How childish...

I asked her what was up.



Yuko: It's the same stupid prank again...

Someone had stuffed gum into her shoe locker! Ugh.



Yuko: It wouldn't be funny if I had gum all over my shoes. After the first few times this happened, I stopped counting...I was pissed off at first, but then I just got used to it. I'm tired of being angry, and I'm just too lazy to do anything about it. But if I catch her in the act, I'll grab her and slap her.



We left school together and went to hang out at the mall.



Yuko's totally into MMA. I guess that's kinda unusual for a girl.

Yuko: Like I thought, brains are just as important as brawn.



Black-Socked Girl: Is that your new boyfriend?
Yuko: No, we're not dating. He's just a friend from the team.
Black-Socked Girl: ...You don't have to hide it. I'm surprised you can get such a handsome guy. Maybe I should become a team manager too.
Yuko: You've got the story all wrong, like usual.
White-Socked Girl: Maybe you should quit. You have to do so much running, after all...it's not very attractive for a girl to be too muscular, right
Black-Socked Girl: Oh, stop. Her boyfriend might hear you.
Yuko: If you wanna give it a try, I won't stop you...but I wouldn't bother if you're just looking for a boyfriend, because being a team manager isn't easy. You won't have time to be sticking gum on the shoe rack.




Yuko: What's wrong? Did I say something to offend you?
Black-Socked Girl: N-no.
White-Socked Girl: H-hey, we should get going now...




Yuko: Maybe I should tell you the whole story...that girl with the black socks, she went to the same middle school as me. Back then, there was this boy on the basketball team who asked me out, and we started dating. But he was seeing her at the same time!



Yuko: She blamed me because I was the manager of the basketball team. Does that make any sense at all? That gum on my shelf...it was probably her. She still holds a grudge. Girls can be so unforgiving sometimes...



Yuko asked if I was mad, but to be honest I was kind of flattered.



Yuko: When it comes to relationships, you should never play with a woman's emotions. Trust me, I've been there before. ...You know, if people see us sitting together like this, they may think we really ARE dating...



I...is a girl actually showing interest in me?! Woohoo! My life is slightly less of a goddamn mess!




Well, that's what I thought before strange voices in my head spoke up...





...and rewarded me with magic powers for successfully acting smooove. I wish I was normal.



Yuko: You probably figured that out already, huh? S-see ya later...

I headed back to the dorm after that.



The next day was a Sunday, so I had time to play Innocent Sin Online with Maya.





She warped us out of the Hospital with a spell.




Maya: pshyeah right...it's just a game...we should go lvl or sumthing. i'm so lazy irl tatsu... i havnt even gotten dressed or put on makeup T_T




I asked her who Mr. E was, along with admiring that awesome emoticon.



Maya: i shouldn't have mentioned his name, huh? >_> hahahahaha roflmao!!1 dun get me busted, k? O=)



Maya: there were alot of dupers an goldfarmers, but still... =/ its good tho cuz it lets us talk about personal things rite? >=P ...maya IS a shy girl, u know...:: lol



Maya: ...oh noes! u can't figure out what my job is can u? O_o

Well, she was a teacher, duh.



Maya: you get an A+ for reading comprehension today! lol d-^_^ now u know i'm a teacher



Maya: when i complain to u, i feel better afterwards! xD from now on we HAVE to group together promise, k? >=|




A teacher, huh?





I wouldn't have thought so based on how she acts online...

Maya: i'm so pumped, i think i'll clean teh bathroom xD it's been 2 months o_O





She signed off again, and this time I did too.



The next day, I ran into Yukari before class.

Yukari: Ya know, in about a week, there'll be another mission...I wonder what it'll be like this time? I guess we'll have to keep fighting until we defeat all 8 that are left. But...what are we gonna do after that? I've been thinking about this for a while. I wonder if Mitsuru-senpai is hiding something from us...



I got an unwelcome reminder in class that day - Finals are in two weeks. Ugh. Gotta start cramming sooner this time.



After school that day I decided to go to Student Council.




Hidetoshi: He just wants to help create a better school environment, so he offered to help us. Just like how the President asked Minato-kun to join Student Council.
Student Council Member: What?! You can't decide something like that without the President's permission!



Chihiro: ...and that teacher wants us to look for the one who did it...

How in the world are we supposed to find ONE smoking kid with only a cigarette butt as evidence? Is it really that big a deal?



Hidetoshi: Look, you ahve two choies. Either help out and prove you're trustworthy, or refuse and raise suspicion. We sure have to deal with a lot of BS around here, don't we Minato-kun?




Well, at least he trusts me...





...though this whole thing seems really Spartan to me.



I was pretty tired, so after Student Council I went home and took a nap. I had a dream, as usual...

Fuuka: It's okay, what's on your mind?
Yukari: Well, um...I was hoping you could do me a favor with your skill.




Yukari: They were reported as absent, but I found some records that suggest it was something serious. Do you know anything about it, Fuuka?
Fuuka: Me? Um, not really...
Yukari: I know it was a long time ago, but...doesn't it seem suspicious to you? From what I've heard, this isn't the first time Shadows have appeared.
Fuuka: Wait, are you saying...?
Yukari: I don't know, but I wonder...and I'm not trying to make trouble, but...



Fuuka: Does she?
Yukari: I just wanna know what happened back then. If it doesn't have anything to do with the Shadows, then fine.
Fuuka: ...I understand. Okay, I'll see what I can do.

My dream ended there.



The next day after class, I went to hang out with Chihiro.



Chihiro: I may have caught a cold...I'm sorry, Minato-san, but can we go to a drug store?

We did just that.



After Chihiro got her medicine, she came back out...



...and nearly ran right into some asshole.

Chihiro: Wh-what do you want?
Creep: You just came out of the drug store, right? What'd ya buy? Hm? Hmm?!
Chihiro: L-leave me alone! Go away! Minato-san...



I'm normally not a very intimidating guy, but I guess fighting horrible monsters from another dimension on a biweekly basis helps with that kind of thing.



The creep ran off.

Chihiro: I-I'm glad. I thought you were going to hit him, Minato-san...I-I wouldn't want you to fight because of me, but just now you were...um...you helped me, Minato-san, and I'm not scared anymore, b-but...why am I still shaking?

I went over to her and took her hand, thinking it would help her calm down.



Chihiro: Thank you...I'm okay now.



Chihiro: Minato-san, I...




Wait a second, is this ANOTHER girl showing interest in me?





Maybe I'm changing...I guess my life's kinda forced that sort of thing on me, but who knows?




Chihiro ran off, and I headed back to the dorm. I'm up here blogging before bed, and now I'm gonna go ahead and wrap it up. I'll see you guys next time!

Oh, wait. First, do that voting thing with the social links:

Magician: Kenji, the classmate
Chariot: Kazushi, the track star
Hierophant: Bunkichi and Mitsuko, the bookstore properietors
Emperor: Hidetoshi, the head of the disciplinary committee
Hermit: Maya, the MMORPG player
Temperance: Bebe, the foreigner
Hanged Man: Miako, the grade schooler
Justice: Chihiro, the treasurer
Moon: Nozomi, the Gourmet King
Strength: Yuko, the Track Team manager
Devil: Tanaka, the "celebrity"
Fortune: Keisuke, the art club leader
???: The thin boy in the striped shirt (Requires ???)

Coming up in the next entry: Wait, isn't that moon getting dangerously full...?