Part 41: 07/29/09 - 08/01/09

We've got more of that sports practice stuff to do, before we can do things that actually matter.



None of the scenes for it have been particularly long or anything, which is something I guess.

Iwatodai Dorm



She said she'd be here by midnight.
...Maybe we shouldn't go to Tartarus tonight.

I am absolutely completely okay with that, since we don't even need to at this point.



I am weak against electricity, but incredibly strong against piercing attacks.
Yukari-san is also weak against electricity.
We have many similarities.

Such as...?



I know you want to go because there's going to be a full moon soon, but...
...please forgive me.

Yeah, uh, that doesn't sound too difficult here.

Since Mitsuru isn't here, Akihiko isn't right now either. Ken's shut himself up in his room for some reason, so we can't talk to him either.



It's a very mysterious illness that affects those with unstable minds or psychological problems. Its victims can only groan, and they don't eat or talk normally. Researchers still don't know what causes it, but we do know that people can recover from it...

Oddly enough, that always seems to happen following a full moon for some reason. It's hard to say why for sure.

Paulownia Mall



I finally remembered to sell all the unneeded equipment, trash items and... apparently I had a Treasure Coin? I sure didn't think I did. Well, I'm definitely not gonna complain.



I was VERY tempted to make Junpei a Basic Katana out of Power to give him a really useful added effect but, eh, we'll do something better later.



Around now is when I was rather bluntly reminded that this Academics grind we're in the midst of is to get it to Rank 5. For some reason I thought we were already there, but nope.



It's not really a big deal since we have plenty of time for it and all but that's just a really annoying thing to remember.

A Guardian



And, huh, I guess we're gonna get to talk to Pharos today. Probably just about the Full Moon in 8 days.

The Voice Someone Calls



I detect a Shadow! Please hurry to the 4th floor!



There's a Shadow in the city. Yamagishi found it by chance.
But... the moon isn't full yet...
Actually, it seems to be just a normal Shadow.
However, it IS outside of Tartarus...



I'm sure he can handle it alone, but let's get ready just in case.
Gotcha!

The console beeps.

Yes, this is Fuuka.



What's wrong? Is it a powerful one!?
No, the Shadow's been defeated.



What happened?
The little fella's been injured... I wanna save him if we can.



I would guess Ken, but that makes absolutely no sense and Akihiko wouldn't play a dumb variation of Japan's favourite pastime, The Pronoun Game, in that case...

Beats me.
At any rate, let's go.



Remember that dog we saw all of once ever before now? Well he's back!



Koro-chan!



You know this dog?
Yeah, everyone around here does...
We have to help him!
First, we must stop the bleeding.
Man... He's one tough fighter.



Wait, does that mean... this dog's a Persona-user!?



Those flowers... They must be for the priest who died in the accident.
So, he really was guarding this place...
Uh, Aigis? Don't tell me you can translate dog language too...



This fella really is a rare breed.
Confirmed.
...He's not the only one.
Alright, let's report to the Chairman, so we can conclude this mission.



At this hour? That's... sure, okay.

Good job, boy. You're one amazing dog...

End

So, yeah, a dog just kinda casually kicked a shadow's ass. That's a thing that just happened.



And with that one cool thing done, we're back to normal stuff again.



At least we do seem to be going somewhere with this, though.

Iwatodai Dorm



Unfortunately, the number of victims has been increasing lately.
Let's do our best to stop it!

Gotta wait for that week to pass before we can do that though. If we could stop Apathy Syndrome without that, the problem wouldn't really be.



The wound was severe, but fortunately there wasn't any damage to his internal organs.

Good to know Koromaru's gonna be okay.



First, a robot can use a Persona, and now a dog can?
What's next, a monkey?

Well, they weren't a Persona user but Junpei clearly hasn't heard of Oliver before...



He must be a pure breed.

I really don't see the relevance here. Like, at all.



Do you think the priest who passed away saved him?
I think so.
The bond between a human and a pet is so beautiful.



I am able to receive similar images from all living things.
They are weaker versions of the voice communication human beings use.



He protected what he was supposed to protect.
He's a good dog...

So... why are you so upset by that...? What.



Hey, Lisa's back!

"Wai" is used when you want to say, "Hey!"
That's all for this week! Back to the news!

Been a while since we got to see Lisa turn up on-screen giving random Cantonese lessons, but I for one am glad it's a semi-recurring bit.

Ken's still shut up in his room, for whatever that's worth.



It's a Thursday and we're not off to Tartarus, so that means we get to spend time with Mutatsu again.



Although, as you might recall from before, it IS just spending time since we didn't have enough points to get a rank up.



That's nicely fixed itself now though, so the next time we see Mutatsu it'll net us another rank.



But for today we've got another Dark Hour event! This one's got to be what we'd expect.

The Voice Someone Calls



Yep, mostly back to our normal night time events of being bugged by a small child.



It's becoming quite lively around you.
So, how are you getting along with the others?
Not bad.
I'm glad to hear that.
...It is one week until the next full moon.
Are you prepared...?



Oh good, that makes two of us.

However, you should still remain cautious.
I'll come to see you again.

> Pharos has disappeared...



But, of course, before we can even pretend to worry about the Full Moon coming up in a week...



We've got more of this to deal with. Not much more, but still... more.

Iwatodai Dorm



My friends get scared when they see them.
People don't even feel safe walking around town.
We have to do something about it.

And, yes, we will do something about it. In 6 days, when we can.



I've been researching the possibility for a long time, but I never thought it was true.
I mean, can you imagine? A dog using a Persona! A dog! I'm...
Pet-rified.
Oh! You read my mind!
Hmm, I didn't know you were so funny.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not that we get to out-Ikutsuki Ikutsuki, but I will take that opportunity every day of the week anyway.



I try to stay up as late as you guys, but I'm always the first one to fall asleep.
What do you guys do when you're up so late?
Study.

Well, it's not a lie. At least as far as Makoto's concerned.

Wow... High school must be really hard.



The problem particularly affects Apathy Syndrome victims, since they are unable to move...

This seems like such an obvious concern that it's a bit of a surprise that it hasn't come up before, really.



Moving on from that, we'll head right on back to a nightclub to hang out with a rad monk.

This Mysterious Feeling



Hey, can ya help me out, kid...? I don't feel so good...
Dammit... I can't believe I let this happen...
Ugh... I'm in bad shape...
You should go home.
Yeah, you're right, kid... I should go home and sleep...



But, even if I go home...



The Heart Sutra is a very well-known Buddhist scripture. It might be the most famous, even.

Before, no matter how much I drank, all I needed was a cold shower to snap outta it. Guess I'm gettin' old, heh...
It's times like these I wish I didn't live alone...
What about the others?
Others? Heh, you mean other monks?





...If ya think about it, livin' alone's probably the best thing a person could do...
You don't hafta wait for someone else to get outta the bathroom when ya need to go. My son took forever in there.
...Yeah, livin' alone is the way to achieve peace and serenity!
...All things visible are bound to change and disappear...



And yet, they're all different from each other. All things in this world are unique.
To put it simply...
No matter how hard you try to live your life right, someone else can always mess it up.
All things are unique, yet they are not singular...
Maybe you've messed up my life a bit, too. Heheh...

> You saw through Mutatsu's harsh words and felt his kindness...

> You understand Mutatsu better now.





Oh, yeah, about the memorial service...
The kid was only 19... a random murder victim. What a harsh world we live in...
You be careful on your way home, okay, kid?

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

Mutatsu, you're cool and all but maybe - just maybe - getting plastered tonight wasn't the best idea.



Oh well, not like that's really my problem anyway. My biggest problems right now are the looming full moon, the sports thing and needing to hit these books.



Last day of practice. This better have been worth it!

Want To Be Close (Reincarnation) / Time



You're doing great, Makoto-kun!
You've beaten everyone on the team! I'll be rooting for you! Good luck!

Welp, we're officially the best in the Kendo Club. Y'know, as opposed to before when we were officially the best in the Kendo Club.

Iwatodai Dorm



Well, you better win.
...Watch out for Mamoru, though.
He's a tough competitor.
Hey, I've heard that name before...
He's pretty famous, bro. I saw him in a sports magazine.
Dude, guys like him are insane... You're gonna get your ass handed to you on a platter, so what's the point?
Well, I guess the full moon is coming up soon, so you can think of it as training.

I mean, it's not like it's even comparable so I'm not sure it'd be very effective.



Yes, very.
I understand how you feel, but Koromaru has a professional veterinarian tending to him, so he'll be fine.
You should be focusing your attention on the full moon that is coming up.



Well, for some reason it reminded me of something Mitsuru-senpai was talking about.
Normal Shadows don't appear outside Tartarus...
But, there are irregular ones that do.
Only our senpai have seen them.

I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. I mean, yes, if you discount all the Shadows that appear outside of Tartarus only irregular ones appear outside of Tartarus.

And apparently the Full Moon fights don't count as irregular...?



It will learn both support skills and physical abilities.
I will be a valuable ally on the front line in battle.



How do you drink your coffee, Makoto-san?
With hot sauce.



You mean, like hot sauce used to make your food spicy?
You're just kidding, right? I mean, no one would put hot sauce in their coffee... would they?

Does Makoto really seem like someone who would joke?

I mean, really now. Hot Sauce Coffee is serious business and you shouldn't take it lightly.



Make sure you have enough water, and keep your energy up! Now let's join our regular reporters back in the studio.



If they hadn't been found in time, they could have died, so be careful out there...



Not much left to do tonight, so we'll just get some last minute studying in.



We've got the dumb sports tournament thingy tomorrow to deal with and then hopefully a few days of proper respite before the full moon...