Part 83: 11/07/09 - 11/13/09

We're pretty much back to normal at this point, despite everything that just happened.

Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun



Listening: You know, I hear the problem isn't just limited to this city. It's happening everywhere.
Gossiping: I wonder what's going to happen to this country...
Listening: D-Don't say "this country"...!

> The first bell has rung.



So, anyway, we'll definitely be spending today with Yuko. She is only available two days a week after all, and the next chance is Wednesday and that's a lot more awkward than it sounds.

Joy



I could've given this to you at school, but... it gave me an excuse to see you.
What are you talking about?
H-Hold your horses! I'm getting to that... Actually, I'm the one who's impatient...



...Remember the kids we coached?
The four of them each wrote something for us.
They're kinda mouthy, but they have their moments...
Not really.
Wow, you're tough to please...
I bet you'll be a strict father when you have kids.



Here, this is for you, Makoto-kun.



They told me to give it to you... Aren't they cute?
That's why I called you up.
...It was my excuse for inviting you over...



And...?
D-Don't make me say it!



Quit staring at me... I know my face is all red...
Um... You helped me find my true calling, Makoto-kun.
...I'm so glad we met.



Well, this went far past the usual vague implications right quick.

So, will you stay with me a while longer...?

> Yuko has expressed her love for you...

The Path is Open









Joy



Siegfried's level 59 and is also who we need for Scarlet Havoc when we inevitability make it that high. That aside, he's pretty decent as a Physical attacker and even learns a Very Nice skill at level... 65. At least he gets a potent Physical attack at 63, so it won't be too bad.



...And yeah, it just goes straight from rank up to this. I didn't skip anything here.

Iwatodai Dorm



And that one line of dialogue from Junpei is all that's new in the dorm tonight.

...No, really. That's it. Not even anything on the TV.



So, I guess we'll just skip on over to Sunday then.



Which, of course, means we can buy a new thing from Tanaka. New weapon for Koromaru and we might as well grab it, since 115k is pretty cheap at this point.



Odd that the girls are hanging out on the second floor right now. Their rooms are on the third floor, and all. Plus this isn't really something that's happened during the daytime for the most part.

But, he was just pretending... That wasn't his true self.
Do you think he really enjoyed the times we all spent together...?
No one can answer that now...
Who cares? All we need to know is that he betrayed us...
I'll never forgive him for using my father...
......



Ikutsuki never mentioned anything about his plot, even when we were alone.
Meaning, he completely hid his true nature. It is truly an extraordinary feat.
This clearly illustrates how unique his psychological state was.
It's scary just thinking about it...
And all this time, we never suspected a thing...
Ugh... It makes me feel sick...



Neither Tartarus nor the Dark Hour disappeared...
Only our reason for fighting is gone...
Argh! This is pissing me off! Damn you, Ikutsuki!
Calm down, Yukari-chan... Getting angry won't help the situation.
That is correct. It is best if we erase him from our memories.



There's still some folks hanging out in the lounge, at least.

Leaving her be is the best thing right now, huh...
I wish there was something more I could do...



She can't seem to rely on any adults.
Well, I guess that's because adults don't seem to be very reliable these days.

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



Oh, and this has updated today as well.

No normal guy would be waiting this long to talk to a girl, right?



She helped that brat who fell and started crying! She actually made him stop that damn bawling!
Damn... She's one nice girl...

Anyway, uh, relevant stuff. Mamoru's right there and all but pffft nah. It's Sunday!



Akinari's the only real answer today.

Living With Determination



I got really into my reading last night and never went to sleep...
I thought I'd be fine since I have many nights when I'm unable to sleep because of my illness, but... *cough*
...I guess my condition won't improve if I keep taking chances, though.



Still really awkward whenever we get choices like this. Since Akinari always ranks up, it doesn't matter what we pick here. Going with the top option, though, so that maybe he'll learn something.

...Yes, I suppose I need to apologize.
It's been a long time since anybody raised their voice at me...



I came all this way because I was hoping to find you...
...Remember how I talked about reading upbeat stories?
There are plenty of stories, but I don't think reading them will ever be able to make me feel better...



I guess what I'm saying is selfish...
...I'm being selfish about you, too.
You're always coming to see me, and I take up a lot of your time.
How much of your valuable time have you used on visiting me?



That's why I like you, though.

> Akinari smiled weakly...

> Your relationship is stronger now!





Sorry... It seems I used too many words today.
I'd like us to be able to speak here again some time...

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

Iwatodai Dorm





Newscaster: ...And now, the news. Due to the sudden increase of Apathy Syndrome victims, the hospital is overflowing with...

Unlike normal, this time I left it 'til now on purpose. Because without it, there's nothing new at all in the dorm today!



What a weird couple days.

Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun



Gossiping: I heard the boy who's transferring here today is a stud!
Listening: Really? Are you just messing with me?
Gossiping: No! I heard it from someone who saw him filling out the forms.
Listening: Which class!?
Gossiping: 11th grade, Classroom F.

...Wait, that's OUR class...

Listening: Oh... Well, that's disappointing. But I'll go check him out later!

> The first bell has rung.

The New Kid On The Block

Joy



As you all know, this is our 3rd. That makes it a hat trick.

> The class seems unamused.

......
Please introduce yourself.



Ryoji here is voiced by... Yuri Lowenthal, which means now he's back to being tied with Grant George for named roles here.

I would be grateful if you could show me the ropes.

Female Student: ...Hey, he's kinda cute.
Student's Friend: I was thinking the same thing.
Female Student: Not so loud...

> You can hear the girls whispering.

...Nice to meet you.

> He seems to be looking in your direction...



so he may not be used to all of our customs.
Be sure to explain them to him.
Now then, you need a seat. Let's see...
That one's open. Second from the left, in the front.



Didn't we already do this? I feel like we already did this.

You must be present to be a member of this class, so as far as I'm concerned, that seat is available.
Life is nothing but a game of musical chairs. The rest of you should be careful, too.



I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name...



Dangerous? I haven't even asked you out on a date yet...
A date...? ...... ...?
Aigis, what's wrong with you?



*sigh*
Your teacher understands, Aigis...



*sigh* I wish your classmates would pay attention to me for a change... Hey, are any of you any listening?

End

Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun



Anyone who doesn't settle down will be left out of the school trip next week, got it?
Good... Now, let's begin on today's lecture.
Where did we leave off last time...? Oh, forget it. I'm not using the textbook.
"Indeed, 'twas I who found the corpse..."
...I'm not going to say it again: be quiet! The students who want to pay attention can't hear!
If you must gossip about Ryoji, you can wait until the break, or ask him then yourself!

That's not a bad idea, actually. We'll do just that!



Aigis seems to instinctually dislike him, so let's see what she has to say about that.

I have re-analyzed him and detect nothing out of the ordinary. However, I have a "bad feeling" about him.

Huh, odd. Aigis is a bit too... robot to have nonspecific bad feelings. Normally. Maybe Ikutsuki also messed something else up by accident?



Anyway, we CAN also talk to Ryoji so we'll do that too.

Wow, I never dreamed there would be so many cute girls at this school. I've already asked many of them out on dates.

...Well, that was, uh, enlightening...?



Anyway, uh, hey Yukari! We'll spend today with you, sure.

Joy



Do you remember when those guys stole my wallet, and you came to help me?
Um...



I don't like having to depend on other people. I wanted to be able to take care of it myself...
...but I ended up needing your help.
......
I never told you this...
...but I was really glad you came.
I don't think I could say this to anyone else, Makoto-kun...
Thanks for your help back then. I really appreciate it.
Anytime.
Tryin' to play it cool, eh?



> The two of you have grown much closer...





Well, the good news is that's significantly less relevant now than ever before. It's basically just for show, really.



Wow, it's getting late...

> You decide to go back to the dorm.

Iwatodai Dorm



He's goin' around askin' out every girl he sees!
Damn... I wish I had his guts...
......
*sigh* Not another one...

I definitely feel for Yukari here. One Junpei can be bad enough at times... especially before Chidori turned up.



He is very strange...

I dunno, he comes off a bit of a generic womaniser right now.



He's got all the girls lovin' him...
I'm glad I finally have a rival that can stand up to my good looks!

It's kinda odd how sometimes Junpei remembers Chidori exists and acts like he's gone through the development he has done. Then sometimes he just... forgets about it entirely.



There is something about him...
I don't know exactly what, though.



Well, he's pretty good looking, so a lot of them probably don't mind.
Unlike Junpei, who couldn't get a girl if he was the last guy on the planet.
I heard that, Yuka-tan! How dare you say something like that about this hunk of burning love!
...Hunk of what?

...No, really, it's kinda weird how Junpei sometimes forgets that he's sorta had character progression.



Newscaster: According to his hypothesis, the current wave of Apathy Syndrome was due to end on the 20th. However, with the Syndrome spreading even further, his trust has been...

It took long enough, but people finally start doubting the guy who lacked basic pattern recognition in the first place. Should probably feel a bit less good about that, really, but it was deserved.

Anyway, with Ryoji around, things might be a bit less boring at school now.



We're still just sorta passing time right now waiting for Mitsuru to finish up business-y stuff, so...

Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun



How is she?
I don't know...
But, I'm sure she's feeling kinda down. I don't blame her, of course.



For better or worse, these days are all very short which works fine really. We'll be spending today with Bebe, naturally.

Joy



> It seems Bebe is talking to himself while sewing.

Hmm... Zat cheap material 'as been transformed!
Wizout your 'elp...
I would probably be back 'ome already...
But because of you, Makoto-sama, I was able to finish ze kimono!
About France...
My country... Zere is nozing zere for me now!
I 'ave to put an end to zis, so zat I can die 'ere in ze country I love!



By ze way, Makoto-sama...
I 'ave met many people in Nihon...
But, you are ze best tomodachi I 'ave 'ere!
If my aunt was still alive...
I would tell her about ze wonderful friend I 'ave made... Subarashii!

> You feel like Bebe really depends on you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





I am so tired zat I zink I see my aunt!
Zis is ze last part... I can't give up!
Ready, set... GO!

> You worked with Bebe for a long time, and then decided to go back to the dorm.

I know I already said it, but I really like how simple and straight-forward Bebe's link is. It's not trying to do anything beyond what it needs to.

Iwatodai Dorm



She looked really tired. She went straight to her room, without saying a word...
She'll be fine.
I hope so...

Well, I'm glad Mitsuru's back even if she's still exhausted physically and emotionally. Now she won't be explicitly surrouned by constant reminders of what just happened.

...Just implicitly instead, which isn't really an improvement.



I don't exactly know how I got over it, but...
I still remember how I shut myself away from the world.
Those were very dark days...



She's still bummed...
I guess she needs more time.

There's nothing on the TV tonight, and of course Mitsuru's just shut up in her room for obvious reasons. So, we're already done with today.



So, yeah, these days are gonna be really short, all things considered.



...Including today. Which we'll be spending with Keisuke, because we've been neglecting him a bit and this is basically just a reminder he exists.

For me, mostly.

Joy



...Hey, let's take a break.
Well, Makoto-kun, I've decided that I'm going to study photography abroad.
I'm not really excited about it...
But I already told Sensei that I don't want to become a doctor, so...
......
I-I'm going to get something to drink from the vending machine. You want anything? It's on me.
You like cola, right?



...No, I didn't skip out of anything there either. Keisuke is off-screen for a whole... ~60 frames. Yep. One second. Kid's quick!

H-Hey! Look out!!

Crisis





> Keisuke's voice sounds like it's getting farther and farther away...

Joy



I kept calling your name...
But you wouldn't open your eyes, so I...

> Your head is throbbing.

Well, I don't see any cuts on your head, so I don't think you need any stitches...
How is your memory? Can you tell me your name?
Yeah, I'm fine.

Hi Fine, I'm Dad.

Whew... That's good to hear...



I was worried that when you fell, you hit your head, and...
H-Hey, do you remember what I was talking about before all this happened?
Yeah, I remember.
I was the one who put that box up there...
We have a maid who cleans our house, so I don't do much cleaning. I guess I just got lazy and put it up there.

> Keisuke seems very apologetic.



...All I could think about was what would happen if you didn't wake up. I was getting so scared...
You were in trouble, but I couldn't do anything to help you...
I couldn't do anything to help you because I'm not a doctor...
Don't worry about it.
You're strong, Makoto-kun...



I can't even imagine that. My parents are always there for me. Maybe I take them for granted...
But seeing you lying there like that... Now I know how it must feel to lose someone you're close to...

> Keisuke seems to care about you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





...Oh, sorry.
We should get going. Can you walk? Here, you can lean on me.

> You decided to leave school with Keisuke.

Keisuke's link is super meandery, but at least he finally cops to just doing the club stuff as a "no, you shut the fuck up, Dad!" thing rather than because he actually wants to. It's been blatant the entire time and it only took... way too long to admit it, but at least he finally did. Maybe now he can stop being a bad rough draft of links from Persona 4 and 5 and start being interesti-- wait no its keisuke never mind

Iwatodai Dorm



Maybe it was because of his parents...
No one knows anything about him.
He's so mysterious...



Ohey, Junpei's dialogue here has changed from vanilla. He talks about Ryoji as well there, but here he... doesn't. Neat.

So, uhh... Think I should bring anything for her?
Just talk to her.
That's all? I was thinking about some kinda present...
......
But you know... maybe it would be enough just talk. I mean, she's in the hospital all alone...
I dunno if she'll listen to my stories, but I'm gonna try.





Newscaster: With some doctors succumbing to Apathy Syndrome themselves, the situation is worsening...

We're not quite done here juuust yet, though.



Mitsuru IS hanging out on the 3rd floor on her own, tonight.

*sigh* I can't seem to find a reason to fight...
Or a reason to live, for that matter...

...And on that incredibly dour note, we'll just.. finish with today. Yeesh.



Fortunately! Yukari calls to arrange a date for Sunday and we definitely want this. It'll be very important.



But we'll get to that when we get to Sunday, which is still a bit of a ways off.

Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun



Well, it HAS been some time since we last had a long spiel from Edogawa. It was nice while it lasted.

Today, we'll be examining regional forms of magic.
First up is India, one of the birthplaces of magics.
You may not think of India as an especially magical place, but...
It's precisely the opposite.



It was a definite influence on Gnosticism, and a foundation of modern-day theosophy.
It's said that the Upanishads, part of the Vedas, are the original books of magic.
Many ancient Indians were passionate in their search for magic.
These Indian magicians emerged in similar circumstances as other places around the world.
In India, it's traditional to lead a pious life...



At first, their claims were rejected, but they slowly gained power and numbers...
Eventually, they were accepted into common practice.
They are the asceticists mentioned in the Upanishads.
However, a normal human wouldn't be able to mimic their skills.



Do you think you could fast and pray for months at a time, without eating or sleeping?
You'd die before attaining any powers!
So, it's understandable that the Buddha rejected such extreme asceticism.
Of course, the Upanishads aren't all about such wild practices.
They contain very practical methods, too. Yoga, for instance, was also introduced in these scriptures.
...Are you all listening? No out-of-body projections, now! Eeeheehee.
Perhaps a test is in order, to see if you were listening...
Get it wrong, and I'll pile on some extra bad karma. Om vajra-ratna Om...
Who should I call on? How about you, Makoto? I ask thee...



The Upanishads.
Correct! Remember to live an honest life.
Moving forward... Yoga is full of variations.
Some asanas are for health, while others are for prayer and worship.
One important system is Hatha yoga, the type of yoga people are most familiar with today.
In this case, one cultivates a healthy body to attain purity of mind...

Okay, good, he's finally done. Edogawa sometimes seems like he's just not really ever gonna stop whenever he gets going...



Anyway, since we accepted Yukari's date offer that gave us enough points to make it worth hanging out with her today!

Joy



Doesn't eating fish remind you of the ocean...?
It's a part of our lives, I guess, living along the coast. We even spent our vacation at the beach.
Hey, after all this is over, why don't we go somewhere different, like the mountains?
We could have lunch outdoors. Maybe we'll even see a deer or something. Whaddya think?
Sounds good.
Really? You promise?



Alright, then I'll make us lunch!
I might not look like it, but I'm a pretty good cook! Just you wait and see!

After spending a lot of time with Fuuka, I'm just glad whenever this isn't played up as a terrible sexist "joke".

...Don't invite anyone else, okay?



I'm not sure how to say this, but...
When I'm with you, Makoto-kun, I don't feel so alone...
I mean, I do have friends... and there's everybody at the dorm, but...
Usually, I feel like the real me is trapped somewhere deep down inside...
Maybe it's because of my family... Each time I open my eyes, it seems like I'm one step behind.
But when I'm with you, I don't feel that way...
You're very important to me, Makoto-kun.

> Yukari seems to really like you.

> Things are getting serious now...





Let's get going.

> You decide to go back to the dorm...

Scenes like this one honestly make Makoto end up coming off as somehow even worse than in some other entire links, which is kinda impressive in a way. It's almost certainly not wholly intentional, mind.

Iwatodai Dorm



And I still don't know exactly what it is about him...
But, I want you to remain cautious around him.



Oh man, we haven't had Lisa on the TV in what feels like forever!

"Chinyan" means "Lover." If you catch Apathy Syndrome, you won't be "Chinyan" anymore!
That's all for this week! Back to the news!



Also, let's talk to Koromaru real quick.

......
Awooon...

> He thinks you're hungry...

> Koromaru is looking at you with eyes full of sympathy.

Arf!



Arf!

D'aww, that's probably the greatest and cutest these mini-fetch quests are gonna get. Almost feel bad about giving it away now.

...Oh well, off to the Velvet Room!

The Poem For Everyone's Soul



Oh, it's fit for wolves and tigers, too?
It does have an enticing aroma... Wait, this must be...
I'm slightly jealous of dogs who are regularly served this...
For the first time in my life... I wish I was a dog.
Please accept your reward.



Much like the previous Magatama we obtained, this is the only one we can get and it's still unique as a reward here.

For what its worth, the reason you can't get this in vanilla is because all of these day specific fetch quests were added in FES. There's only 55 quests total in the vanilla release.



Some quests are even unique to the vanilla release, but they're not worth worrying about all that much really. They're all hyper-easy stuff we could do anyway.

Changing Seasons (Reincarnation) / Sun



Gossiping: I don't care much about shrines, but I'm still excited about it!
Listening: Me too! I want to see deers, deers, and deers!
Gossiping: Just deers, eh...? Wait, you're thinking of Nara...

> The first bell has rung.



Aigis and Ryoji are finally back in the classroom after school for the first time since Ryoji transferred in.

First year students do not normally go on a trip, but for some reason the seniors have not gone on one either.
So this year, the juniors and seniors are going together.

Aigis isn't talking about Ryoji at all for once, though. She's a mite too distracted by the upcoming Kyoto trip.



Aren't you excited?
Definitely.
I'll make sure we have a great time while we're there...

Ryoji being the "pervert" archtype makes me worried about what he could be referring to here...



Anyway, we're not gonna be spending today with anyone! We're using the shrine to get 15 more points with Yukari. We've not really used this much at all, so I can't blame anyone for forgetting this even existed.

Iwatodai Dorm



So I wonder why he's going to see Chidori-san...
Hmm... Maybe her Persona went out of control...

Ssssssure. Let's just go with that.



...so please bring me back a souvenir.
Oh, and I'd prefer something other than a t-shirt or a key chain.
I hear they have really good nama-yatsuhashi there...



When she gets depressed, then Akihiko-senpai gets depressed, too.
I hope the school trip will cheer her up...



I just love Kyoto...

Keep on working on that sarcasm. It's a little too overt right now.



Newscaster: The yen is now 115.52 to the dollar, down 0.24 from last time. Japan's economy is feeling the effects of Apathy Syndrome...








So, we've got a scant few days to worry about now. We might as well use it for the obvious, since Mitsuru's been back for a few days I fully expect her to be available again sometime soon.



Yukari upgraded Io to Isis. And, well, Isis is pretty good.

...wait shit hang on

So, anyway, this allows Yukari to, uh, keep on being Yukari. Like Caesar and Kala-Nemi, her resistance has been upgraded to an immunity and she unlocks better skills. Diarahan is technically coming online here at around the same time it would be for Makoto, which is nice. It's even a level that makes sense, which Ken someone could learn from.



Junpei's hands down got the lowest Magic out of everyone we have and it's not even close. His Strength is higher than everyone else's, though, and with Blade of Fury he's capable of doing some multi-target damage. Marakukaja gives him some support utility for if/when Tartarus decides to Tartarus.



Akihiko sure is Akihiko. His stats aren't really anything stellar, which is really the biggest downside to his general support role. He's functional enough for that, at least, and if he gets it, then his Boosted+Amped Dynes won't be anything to sneeze at.



So, Mitsuru is inching ever-closer to throwing out Boosted+Amped Dynes that are also potentially Mind Charged. With stat boosts from weapons/armor, she can even have over 50 magic easily at this point which, uh, yeah. Mitsuru is easily the overall most powerful non-Makoto we have and she's practically caught up in terms of raw numbers which is... kind of a terrifying prospect. For Shadows.



Aigis gained a couple levels from the full moon, which means she has Heat Wave for multi-target strike damage now. That she gets Marakukaja next is a bit disappointing since it'd give her overlap with Junpei AND Koromaru on that front.



Koromaru's not great for offense and is questionably useful for support. That he gets Mudoon at level 56 is really kinda bad for his one real use, though having High Counter by default now is kinda nice.

Also he's Koromaru.



Ken is Ken and Ken is bad. He hs the Gae Bolg for now so he can sorta help a but, but he's just sorta lagging in general at this point.

You know the deal by now, folks:

Which three are gonna come with?