Part 56: 09/06/09 - 09/08/09

It's pretty nice that we get a Sunday immediately after the Full Moon for once. I'unno, it doesn't really make a mechanical difference but as a means of a natural respite it fits best.

Troubled



..Although first we have a scene with Chidori. More of a continuation of last night's, though.

Is Chidori your real name?
What kind of organization is Strega? Are there others besides you three?

Chidori's actively ignoring her. I wonder why...

*sigh*



You're not supposed to be here, remember!?





Uh... Sorry. He wouldn't stop bugging me about this place...
How are you feeling? ...Seems like you've calmed down.
She certainly has. In fact, she won't say a word.
...Maybe we should confiscate her sketchbook, too.



That won't make her talk!
I'm not so sure about that.



Oh, so it WAS her Evoker in the first place. So, where'd she ge--



...carry on

Medea...



Hey, I told you not to bring that up, didn't I!?
Then, what am I supposed to do!?
*sigh* I'll have someone else try next time.
...Yukari, call a nurse. We're done for today.
I'll inform Ikutsuki-san of the difficulties we're having.
Why...? Why did you take it from me...? Medea...
C'mon, Junpei, let's go.
Chidori... What happened to you...?

Iwatodai Dorm



Well, I see that the hospital gang are getting nowhere fast but back at the dorm we're... I dunno, really. We're doing something.



I was looking forward to NOT buying something from Tanaka this week. It seemed like a foregone conclusion...



Then the fakeout reveal was that it was 5 Snuff Souls for 10k, and the Watch was the errant add-on after all. We CAN get Snuff Souls from the Antique Store, and very rarely from Tartarus items, but this is more convenient and a better cost for the amount.



He's getting soft, huh?
I'm not sure.
Trust me, girls complicate life.



Most likely it was due to Medea's ability to distract...
We only saw two of them, but the girl must have been somewhere close.

There's so many unfounded leaps of logic here, I don't know where to begin.



Mitsuru-san and Akihiko-san are currently on their way there to interrogate her.
When neither senpai is present, we are not permitted to go to Tartarus.

Also it's the middle of the day, so Tartarus isn't even in consideration right now anyway.





...And now, the news.

The latest victim is the 5th case of Apathy Syndrome this month...

I get that that's important and all, but what about Red Hawk?! Is he okay???

When the Moon's Reaching Out Stars (Reincarnation) / Way of Life -Deep Inside My Mind-



I had to check to see if our decent level gain since last time meant Kurosawa was selling something new. He claims to be... but it's just the Heavy Axe for Shinji. Disappointing.



We have a few new requests to do for Elizabeth, but out of the 7 new ones, two are date specific and four are stuff to do/get in Tartarus...



So, we'll worry about MOST of them later.

Is it just me...?



I was gonna talk to her, but she stopped following me.
I've been watching her to try to figure out what's going on, but this seems kind of weird...

This little sidestory's still moving along, but it seems like the one doing the following is changing. And it's still hella weird.



We're mainly here to check out the Mahjong Parlour, though.



Gambler: Come on, kid, gimme some luck... No, don't say a word! Ready... Rock-paper-scissors!

Much like at the beach that one time, it doesn't matter at all what we throw out here...

Gambler: Wha...? I lost? ...I guess my luck has dried up. Thanks, kid. You made me realize that gambling's a lost cause. Starting today, I'm stopping cold turkey. Here's a little something to say thanks... Anyway, you shouldn't be hanging around a place like this... Now, beat it!

I'd recommend a nice little cruise. I hear that the Espoir is especially worth it at this time of year.



But yeah, we just came here to get this tile for Elizabeth. It's the only request we can do for a decent while, even!

The Poem for Everyone's Soul



It's just what I requested.
It has such a lovely design on it.
It's a game piece, is it not?
I truly appreciate your efforts. Thank you.
Please accept your reward.



So, this isn't super-great or anything but... it's still kinda good.



See, there are 3 tiers of Counter skills. The Warrior's Seal we've got a few of grants Counter, as in the skill, which is the first tier. This is also what Shinji has by default, and has a 15% chance of proccing on a Slash/Strike/Pierce elemental attack.

The Berserker's Seal grants High Counter, which is the third tier, and has a 50% chance of working. It's still not great because it doesn't have a damage boost unlike in some SMT games, but it's still the best of the lot and something we won't get for a long time otherwise.

...Alternatively, we could sell it for a probably decent amount but I think I'll give this to Shinji for now since it's a flatout upgrade for him until level, uh, 55.



Anyway, that little diversion done we'll head on over to the shrine and finally give Striped Shirt his pen that we got back from Koromaru a while ago.

Ahh... Welcome home, dear friend. ...Thank you for finding it for me.



Have a seat if you'd like. I'll write something for the two of us...

Living With Determination



See, Akinari, when you put it like that it sounds incredibly weird.

She was very...
...bright.
Her face shone with the warm light of new life.



Compared to her light, I'm but a vanishing shadow.
Misery is a harsh mistress.
I feel as though I'm lying in an unyielding darkness.
...Can you understand how I feel?
No, I can't.
I didn't think so...
......
Any day now... I'm going to die.



Unless you're in my situation, you can't understand what it's like.
...But I prefer it that way. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
There isn't anything you can do to slow this down or make things better.

> Akinari fell silent.



Oh no it's fine, totally. It's been way too light and happy lately, so this is a bit sudden!

I haven't spoken to someone my own age in a long time.
...It's natural for those in darkness to yearn for the world of light.
I'm glad we could meet, though. If there's a god, I'll be able to thank him soon enough...

> You became an acquaintance of Akinari Kamiki.

The Power of the Heart



> A mysterious voice rings in your head...





Living With Determination



I would rather you not come here ever again.
You only live once, right? So why waste your life among the dying?
...Goodbye.

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

I'm like definitely completely 2000% sure we'll be back at some point in the future, Akinari. We just started the link after all!

Iwatodai Dorm



What should we do?
Cheer him on.
Cheer him on, huh? But, what should I say...?



Capturing her shall provide us with quite an advantage...
We are moving ever closer to completing our mission.

Ikutsuki being here and dropping some casual sexism is pretty unexpected across the board, really. Nothin' else here that's changed from earlier in the day, and it's Sunday so...



Mutatsu it is, for tonight. Not like we've really got any alternatives now.



It's just a non-scene, but that's mainly because Mutatsu's final ranks all have relatively very high point requirements.



Sunday ended up being pretty lengthy for an off-day, mostly just because of the scene at the start of the day and that one request I guess?

An Unpleasant Premonition



It doesn't seem like Chidori is gonna talk, does it?
Junpei is really worried about her...
I wonder what happened...
That's Junpei.
Yeah, you're right. But still, I'm a little worried.

Changing Seasons / Sun



So, today'll be a lot brisker it looks like. We'll just head on back to the Nurse's Office to see what long, rambling, incorrect nonsense Edogawa has today.



...is what I'd like to say, but we're done already. We can just pick one of the previous 3 to reread if we REALLY wanted to, but... there's really no point.



So, uh, it occurs to me that we're in September now and we've got some stuff from April/May still just like sitting here waiting to be finished. We maybe should, I dunno, spend time with Kaz at least since he's here and all.

Joy



If you see him struggling, I want you to stop him immediately.
That's it for today! See you all tomorrow.
Let's grab a bite to eat.

> You left school with Kazushi.



I'm sure you love lugging all this dead weight around, right?
I'm fine.
R-Really? Well... I guess you don't seem to be tired...



Ah, I knew you were tough.
...When I go to my sister's place to play with my nephew, I help him get into the bath.
Even though he's only five years old, he's still heavy. It'd be difficult having to do that everyday...
If I'm not able to walk, then I won't even be able to go to the bathroom by myself...



Can't say that's quite the realisation I was expecting Kaz to make, but I guess it's a start...?

That just occurred to me while I was leaning on you...
H-Hey, let me know if I become a burden on you, will ya?
I've been completely up front with you... So, I hope you feel like you can do the same.

> Kazushi seems to be worried about you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





...I have to win at regionals no matter what. For their sake, too...

> After you ate, you left with Kazushi.

Dangit, Kaz. You were honestly so close to getting a result that isn't self-destructive, but you just threw it away.

Iwatodai Dorm



From what I hear, that girl Chidori won't say anything...
Maybe we should wait to go to Tartarus until things are under control...

Yeah, uh, we don't get to even consider going to Tartarus for a while it seems. Need to wait until the thing with Chidori is at least partially resolved, huh...



Their questioning of Chidori must not be going well...

...though that's the issue. Chidori was completely silent save for a few words about Medea before, after all.



For your Persona to have a weakness, the Persona-user has to have a weakness. ...And I don't.
But, my Persona also doesn't have any resistances, so I guess that makes it even.

Shinji's reflection on Castor's straight neutral to all elements raises a weird point. Koromaru's the only party member with a natural immunity - to Fire no less - so what does that imply? If weaknesses are a representation of actual personality or dynamics or whatever, then that has to mean... something, right?



But, uh, yeah. That's it for Monday; not really anything of note that we can do at evening on Mondays right now.

Troubled



Fuuka shakes her head.

......
By refusing to speak, you're only hurting yourself.
We aren't keeping you here because we hate you; we just want to avoid unnecessary confrontation.



Again? What's your obsession, Junpei?
Did she say anything?

Now it's Mitsuru's turn to shake her head.



Iori... It seems like you're letting your emotions get the best of you.
Is everything ok?
Well... Not exactly...
I know she attacked me, but...



Junpei-kun...



I'm glad they let you keep your sketchbook...
You really do like to draw, huh...?



It doesn't matter.
She spoke...
...No one else but me can understand my pictures...
Chidori...!?



Tch... Again!?
Why are you bleeding!?



*sigh* I thought I had removed all the sharp objects in here.
...Apparently, we can't leave her unattended for even one moment.



Let go of me!
Then, at the station... you did that to yourself!?
...I never asked for your help.



Well, I want you to stop.
You can't be doing that...
It's not right...
And I won't let you...
The doctor will be here soon. You two should go now.
Alright. Let's go, Junpei-kun.



And on that... sorta maybe ominous, but also kind of not... note, we switch back to things that aren't this.

Changing Seasons / Sun



Lately, he seems to be emotionally unstable.

Like everyone else, Aigis isn't always available after class here. We'll probably just be ignoring her from this point unless she has something interesting or noteworthy to say, though.



Nothing else to do yet today, so we'll just see what Kazushi has to say.

Joy



...Not so good. I can't put too much weight on it.
Then, you should take a break.
Sorry, but can you give Kaz a leg massage?



S-Sorry... You're missing practice because of me...

JV Team Member: Don't worry about it...
JV Team Member: Besides, it's for your nephew's sake, right?

...I'm really sorry...

> After practice, you decided to go back to the dorm.

Well, I guess that's all we're getting today. A bit of a disappointment, but it does make some sen--





I need to talk to you...
What about?
Well... I don't want anyone to overhear...

...I sure hope this is going to be good.

> Kazushi seems a bit nervous.

Let's go somewhere else.

> You left school with Kazushi.



First, let me give you this...



My nephew gave it to me. It's a good luck charm.
There's so much that I could never use it all.
If you get hurt during practice, it should come in handy.
I wanted you to be the first to know...



Holy shit, that's... actually a good thing! Good job, Kaz!

What about your promise?
...I probably can't keep that promise. I'll have to explain it to him.

> Kazushi is laughing nervously.

Honestly, I think if the kid is super-serious about that promise he might just get the surgery because Kaz is in the first place.

It's not like I gave up or I am being selfish...



Even if I managed to win, I don't think I'd feel good about it afterward...
Before, all I thought about was winning...
But when Coach was grilling you about my knee...



At the same time, I can't just give up on winning, since that's a part of who I am.



It's kind of a small thing, but this scene doesn't have a variation for Kendo stuff. Worrying about winning a race makes more sense for track and swimming, but overall its clear that the "intended" club to join in the first place was track.

I can't keep asking for your help all the time...
...but I do want to thank you for the help you've given me so far.

> It seems Kazushi truly appreciates your friendship.

> Your relationship is stronger now!

The Path is Open









Joy



Ohey, we need Thor for a request for Elizabeth. He's one of the two Personae we need to cast Thunder Call. Unfortunately this son of Odin can't be used until we're level 53, so Elizabeth giving us that request that early is pretty damn mean!



I wonder which one of us will recover first... After all, he wants to be tough like me!

> You and Kazushi hung out for a while.

I genuinely do like that Kaz made the smart and right decision here, despite constant reaffirmation from everyone around him, not just Makoto, that yeah no it's fine. Your leg is a wreck, but keep on keepin' on anyway! Just don't let it get too much worse, and it's not a problem. Surrounded by terrible ideas, bad advice and explicit enabling of bad habits and he still realises that this is dumb and that there's only one real solution here.

Iwatodai Dorm



Tch, what an idiot...



Lucia is unable to sense her...
...Her state of mind is very unstable... And she hurts herself...



Tourist reservations are skyrocketing, and...



Junpei's sat all on his own up on the second floor. He's mostly just moping because Chidori's in the hospital and all, but we're just wasting time right now. Waiting for something to change, which if today was anything indication won't take much longer. Once it does, we can finally do things at night early in the week again.

But we don't have that option yet, so we'll just relax for now and start chaining Great status for Makoto. That's never gonna drop outside of days immediately after we go to Tartarus and the days after Full Moon events too.