Part 109: 01/18/10 - 01/21/10

We're approaching the end of the month a lot more rapidly than normal, it feels like. I know we're not, but still.

Memories of the School



I know I said I'd be skipping over lesson stuff, and I will be! This is just a bit more interesting and relevant than normal, I swear. Not just because it's Edogawa either.

Lately, there's been a lot going on in the world...
But, you shouldn't let it get to you.
Common people are too susceptible to occult knowledge.
The worst thing a magician can do is lose control.
Always do what must be done, and you'll be fine.
Anyway... Today's lecture is on the magic of Greece.
Greece is known as the birthplace of Western philosophy and rationality, but...
The art of curses advanced right alongside them.
Philosophers such as Socrates, Thales, and Plato were Greek, but...
It was also the home to legendary enchantresses.



She was a witch who didn't hesitate to kill her brother, or even her own children.
Then there was Circe, daughter of Helios, who was an expert in both poison and medicine.
Without Hermes' help, the legendary Odysseus would have been changed into a pig.
...These may have only been myths, but reading between the lines, you can see Greek's views on magic.
Greek magic began to take shape around the 8th century B.C.
It was around the same time that the poleis, or city-states, were developing.
Like many ancient civilizations, they worshipped protector gods.
There were temples that priestesses tended; these women would double as oracles.
Gradually, however, these ceremonies were performed in secret rather than in public.
The reason for this was the people's desire to monopolize the power of the gods.
They copied the barbaric practices of legend; sacrifices, drinking, orgiastic festivals...
Dangerous acts such as these became widespread.



Orpheus is very obviously in this game; Dionysus is too, though we didn't use him when he was relevant because Titania was better. Apollo isn't at all, though. He was in 2 at least!

These were the gods they invoked when performing the rituals.
...Are you all listening? Don't cross the river Styx, now... Eeeheehee.
I'll test to see if you were listening or not.
Get it wrong, and your aura will shift... Xilka, Xilka, Besa, Besa...
Now, who should I pick? I choose thee... Makoto!
I mentioned two Greek sorceresses. One was Medea; who was the other?
Circe.
Very good! Your aura is as clear as a mountain spring.
It was secrecy like that which turned priestesses into sorceresses.



...luring people to the hideous path of immorality.
Necrophilia, using babies for potion ingredients...
This is where the abominable "black arts" began...

If nothing else, it's always nice to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.



Anyway, today is a Monday which means we can only hang out with Aigis.

Joy



It's very quiet and hard to hear over the background music, but just before this line there is a small meow audio cue. How nice.

Could it be...!?



Spotted White Cat: Mrow.

So you are Mewlie-san! I'm so glad...!
Makoto-san, let's go tell the old lady about this!

One fade to blue later, then...



This little one is all I have left to keep me company.
I was so lonely when Mewlie was missing... I don't know how I can thank the both of you.
"Lonely"...
Is being by oneself... "lonely"?
Oh yes, dear...



Living alone is a dreadful thing.
Some of my neighbors have delightful children, but... *chuckle* They aren't interested in old ladies like me.
Miss...
Well, Mewlie, do you miss your basket and blankie? Want to go home now?
Thank you so much, you two.

> The old lady left.

Rather than animate that, though, we just get told it over a blue screen. Disappointing but understandable, really.



You may be right.
Yes.
It's important to keep someone in your thoughts, and to know that you are in theirs.
To be able to contact them anytime...
And... to touch them...

Getting kiiiiinda weird there, Aigis.



But I do understand one thing.
I feel happy when I'm together with you, Makoto-san.

> Aigis smiles shyly...





If to live means to be able to connect with other people...



......
...Just kidding.
I have been exceedingly timid lately. Is there something wrong with me, I wonder?
We should start heading back.

> You decide to go back to the dorm.

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



Eh, not today. We just went last night!

Nothing else of note tonight, though; no updated dialogue in the dorm, nothing on the TV, nada.



So, we'll just head on into Tuesday.

Memories of the School



Gossiping Student: Apathy Syndrome doesn't sound so bad, if you really think about it...
Listening Student: I know, right? I could sleep all day, and people would get all concerned for me!
Gossiping Student: I know! Maybe I'll try becoming one... Just for a while.

> The first bell has rung.

So, today is a Tuesday which means we can't hang out with Aigis. Just gotta head on over to near the faculty office where Mitsuru...



...isn't...? What.

What the fuck? Why isn't she here?! She should be here!

Okay this is weird, but...



We'll go back to Monday night and rather than just ignore and skip past the date offer, we'll accept it. It shouldn't make a difference, and we should have enough points regardless, but...



...Changing just that made Mitsuru remember to turn up today. Sure. Sure, okay.

wait no not okay what the hell thats not normal

Joy



Even though it was a typical road trip movie, the way the characters expressed their emotions was great.
The main character sacrificed everything just to go on a journey with his friends.
And then, in the final scene, he decided to return to his normal life...
...I wonder if he was happy with that decision.
Hey, Yuki...



Somewhere far away, where no one knows who you are?
Yes.
Really?
I'm surprised to hear that... I didn't know you felt that way.

> Mitsuru is forcing a smile.

Don't misunderstand me; I don't yearn to leave everything behind...



The future of the company... All my responsibilities...
I wish I didn't have so much to worry about.



However...
I know that kind of thinking is not permitted...
...Tch, I've become so undisciplined, constantly complaining...
*laugh* I must bore you with all my griping.

> Mitsuru seems to trust you...

> Your relationship has grown closer.





Unlike normal for Mitsuru's scenes, this isn't a short ending here. No, quite the opposite. The vast majority of the scene occurs after the rank up this time around.

Now, hypothetically, what would you think if I told you that I am interested in someone...
...and even though I can never be with him, I can't stop thinking about him...
Would that be... wrong?
...Hypothetically?
No, I don't think so.



Yuki...

> Mitsuru seems hurt.

U-Um, Yuki...
Um... I...



Man's Voice: Mitsuru!



I didn't expect to find you here.
We're leaving. Let's go.
...?



Well, my business meeting for this evening was cancelled.
I'm a very busy man. You're just going to have to adjust your schedule to mine.
I can't... I've already made plans.
Well, you can break them.



......
...Don't look so sullen. You know this benefits you as well, don't you?
I thought you understood our arrangement.



Good Lord. That is the most thing in the game to date, and that's saying something.

*sigh* Why must you and your family always be so difficult?



I imagine you feel the same.

fucking hell this guy is the most over-the-top cartoon villain

Even when the same character-beats happened in Persona 5, it wasn't this ridiculously evil.

How...
How could you say that!?

> Mitsuru is trembling with anger.



Sadly, we just get vague directions here. Oddly enough, talking to Mitsuru here is the wrong answer. Gotta get confrontational!

...!?
Yuki...



Who the hell are you!? This is none of your business. Get lost!
Listen, Mitsuru... Corportate management is not child's play.
No matter how smart you are, you're still going to need my knowledge and experience.
And, the Kirijo Group still needs the cooperation of my company, does it not?
......
Yes...



This guy is just the fucking most. Jesus.

...Now, let's go. I've made reservations for us at a luxurious restaurant!
......
Very well...



Well, thank you. I had a lot of fun today.
And... I'm sorry...
......
Please excuse me.
Hold on!
Stop, Yuki...
I know how you feel... I...



Let's go, Mitsuru.
By the way, you! What business do you have with her? You should know your place in society.



Don't you understand? You're just a nuisance.
...Hmph, I can't believe this. If you continue to befriend derelicts such as this, Mitsuru...

> Mitsuru's fiance continues to berate you.



Calamity

Mitsuru...?
I said that's enough!
I won't let you insult him...!
Why are you getting so angry!?



M-Mitsuru!? What are you talking about!?
How dare you say he should know his place!
You can't even compare to him!
He lives life on his own terms...
...and he has taught me not to fear the future.
I-I want to...



Now...
and forever!
Y-You want to be with HIM? Now and forever...? What on earth are you talking about!?
You're my fiancee! You think I am inferior to this holligan!? I suggest you retract that statement, Mitsuru...
I will only forgive you if you apologize to me this instance! Think about the future of your company!
I will NOT apologize!



You don't care about me or how I feel...
The Kirijo Group can stand on its own. We don't need any help from a person like you.
From today, you and I are strangers.



...Get out of here, you snob! I don't want to see your face ever again!

Ahhh...
Grandfather! Grandfather!

Troubled



I-I...
......



> ......

> You decided to return to the dorm.

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



As if it's compensating for yesterday having no updated dialogue, today everyone has something new to say! It's all related to Koromaru, though, so starting with Yukari makes the most sense.

C'mere, Koro-chan...
Good boy, Koro-chan!
Eat a lot and get strong!



So, the special dinner tonight is only for Koro-chan.
I hope you understand, Makoto-kun.



Koromaru usually eats regular dog food...
...but it's time to give him the good stuff!



Food is a basic form of energy for dogs, too.
Koromaru-san will be ready for the battle.



That dog eats better than we do.
What do you have to say about that?
That pisses me off!
You shouldn't be jealous of a dog.
We have the freedom to eat whatever we want, whenever we want.
That's good enough, right?



So, even though Koromaru's a dog...
...this battle is very important to him.



Good thinking, Yukari.



Newscaster: When questioned, she said a man calling himself "Nyx's Son" forced her to do it...

I'm not surprised in the least that someone took advantage of the Nyx stuff to commit crimes. What surprises me here is that it took so long to happen (and make news).





Wednesday once again gives us no actual choice of who to spend the day with. Aigis is our only option at this point.

Joy



Yo, Granny, I gots a date tomorrow.
But uh, I don't have any money or anything, you know?
Oh my, is that so? You poor dear.
You're such a good boy, Kiyoshi... This advance on your allowance will just be between you and me.
...C'mon, quit it! I told you not to call me Kiyoshi!
But it's such a beautiful name! Your grandma picked it out, you know.



There's very little I can think of in this context that's somehow weirder than naming your grandson after an ex-boyfriend from presumably decades ago.

...Yeah, I know. That's only the 80 millionth time you've told me.
C'mon, hook me up already!
Oh, yes, yes.
This isn't much... try not to spend it all in one place!
Yeah, yeah. Seeya.
Be careful, dear, and visit again soon!





Geez! Don't friggin' call me that--
...H-Huh? A-Aigis-senpai?
Do you know me?
Well, doy... You're famous!
I-I'm Kiyoshi Sakuma... a frosh.
Everyone calls me Joe, so if you could just--
I would like to ask you something, Kiyoshi-san. Is that alright?
Uh, sure...



Huh? What...?
Your grandmother said that she is lonely, because she has nobody else.
...What is this, a lecture?
No, I... simply wish to know.
Why don't you visit your grandmother more often?



Nah, I'm just her grandson...
But I know a lecture when I hear it! Stay outta stuff that doesn't concern you, okay?
Kiyoshi-san, have you ever considered what it means to live?
...To live?



social links social links social links

That is what your grandmother is slowly losing.
"To live"...? Are you kidding? No one seriously talks like that.
What more do you need outta life than to have a blast?
"Having a blast"...
I mean, you're happy when you're having fun, right?



To be happy...
...So whaddya say, Aigis-senpai? If you got time, why don't we--
Thank you, Kiyoshi-san.
Let's go, Makoto-san.



So you were just trying to make a fool outta me, huh!?
Then screw you!





And worse yet, I have angered him...
Did I do something wrong?
No, you didn't.
I see...



There's a few ways this sentence could go that make way more sense than what it ended up as. "I wonder why it is that" or even "I wonder why having" are both fine, and instead we got some awkward clunky middle ground.

...It makes me happy.



I...
Ever since I decided to live...
I've been using words like "why" and "how" more frequently.



But the reason why I am not alive...
It remains a stumbling block.
......
Is this... "frustration"...?
But at the same time, I feel fortunate.



After all, I am able to be near you, the one most precious to me...
It's strange how two conflicting feelings can coexist...

> You can sense Aigis' feelings for you...





My feelings toward Kiyoshi-san are... unusually harsh.
Kiyoshi-san has warm, soft hands he can use to feel those precious to him...
And yet, he...
......
What is this ugly feeling...?
I wonder... is this jealousy...?



Yes. I'll stop right here.
...Shall we go home, then?

> You decide to go back to the dorm.

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



Newscaster: "Nyx-sama's descent is real!" said the man. After this...

Not much in the dorm tonight, either. Koromaru got a one-off special meal from Yukari again, so everyone's still talking about that like it didn't happen yesterday.



10 days left until the end of the month and wouldn't you know it? Today is special.

Silence



Uhhh, you want all of us, or just him?
Just him for now...
Come with me to the Student Council Room.



Probably some big, important Student Council business. Ehhh...
Maybe so, but... Senpai was acting a little weird...
She has that look she gets when she's keeping some terrible secret.
Ahh, you worry too much.
Well, if the high muckety-mucks don't need us, might as well go home.
Hey, wait a second, Junpei. According to the seating chart, if he's not here, you have to clean up for him.
Have fun sweeping the hallway!
Whaaat!? Where did that rule come from!?

An Early Spring
might be easier to just watch this really



Do you remember the girl named Chidori, who was with Strega?
I don't mean to alarm you, but...
The fact is... there's a chance that she may wake up today.
I know what you're going to say... And yes, we did see her die in front of our eyes.
However... her body began to undergo Transmogrification a few days after the incident.
For the past few weeks, she has been in a state that is neither living nor dead.
How did this happen...?
I don't know.



It happened because we spoke to Junpei four times and said nice things to him.

No, really, that's it. That's the one thing you do to make this happen. If you don't, Chidori is genuinely dead.

But what I wanted to talk to you about... is your opinion on how to break the new to Iori.
You see, she's probably--



Mitsuru here.
...I see.
...Yes, I understand.



They say she's just awakened.





D-Did I hear that right...?
Chidori is...?
Huh..? I-Is this a joke? Some kinda trick...?
No... it's not a joke, or a trick. She is currently recovering in the same hospital as before.
But... Iori... She probably...
Chidori...
Chidori's... alive...?



Uh, hey, Junpei! What about your cleanup duty!?
Geez... what's gotten into him?
Well, I guess it's a moot point now...
But... perhaps it's best that he found out this way.
I think I'll head to the hospital after this, too. Could I ask you to come along?



You took off that fast, and you still haven't gone inside?
Well... I-I mean, it's kinda...



I agree. Iori...?



......?
Her damaged endocrine system and other internal organs have completely healed.



The nurse here is played, of course, by Yuri Lowenthal. You can pretend to be surprised if you really want.

Is it... really you, Chidori?
I'm not dreaming... am I...?
Dreaming...?



It's true... It is you... Chidori...



Huh...? What...?
I thought as much...
Transmogrification is the proof that one lacks "potential"... I suspected that this might be the case.
This is Mitsuru-san and Junpei-kun. They were your friends last year.
Friends...?
......
...My name is Chidori Yoshino.



It's as if... I was dreaming for a very long time.
Chidori... Yoshino...
It seems all of her memories after she awakened to her Persona are gone...



Iori...
Nah... I think... It's better for her that she doesn't remember.
All that stuff about fighting, and pills...



I didn't say it was a nightmare. Don't put words in my mouth.
It was a dream of meeting a kind, warm person at the end of a long tunnel...



I think... there were flowers... A room filled with them...
Ngh...
Chidori! Take it easy. You don't have to force yourself to remember.



If she remembers that part clearly, then maybe...
Do you remember when she'd use her power from time to time to make flowers bloom again?



Any flower she touched would be mysteriously preserved...
That's why I kept them all, for research purposes.
But after the autopsy... I put them all on her chest as a tribute.



The power to share one's life with others...
Could it be that she reclaimed the life energy she'd given to those flowers...?
Well, I can't prove any of it.
But compared to how she was before, she's changed. The loss of her power is part of it, but more than that--
Excuse me... Are you talking about me?
We were talking about how you want to live now...



I have to find the person in my dream someday... I can't lie in this bed forever.
Supposing you do find him and meet him... what then?
That's...
......
That's none of your business.
Chidori...



No... it's a victory.



H-Hey... Why are you crying?
I-I can't help it...
Th-This...
This is seriously the happiest moment in my life...!





End

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



Unsurprisingly, everyone has something new to say tonight and it's all about Junpei and/or Chidori. Big shocker, that. Though, some do leave something to be desired...

That's a promise.



Sorry... Every time I think about what happened today, I start to tear up.







I'm so glad for him...



That's seriously the sum total of Ken's contribution here. I get that he's just a kid and all, but still.



Today is the best day of my entire life so far...
*sob* *sob*

Since this is technically optional, it won't be coming up much in the future but there are vague allusions to Chidori's fate once or twice that work regardless of whether she's living or dead.

The downside is that this means Junpei's characterisation issue of flip-flopping between caring about Chidori specifically and being a generic hounddog isn't going to be fixed from this either. Given there's only 10 days left, it likely won't matter anyway but in the off-chance it comes up again, you've been warned.





Also we have Lisa on the TV for the last time today, and... I feel like this lesson works better if we weren't nice to Junpei and that magically made Chidori not be dead. Then again, in that scenario we wouldn't know she could revive today so I guess it's kinda moot, huh.