Part 18: 05/30/09 - 06/02/09

I was really expecting this to be either still Tired or, more likely, to get Sick. Well, there goes that free Courage...

Want To Be Close (Reincarnation) / Time



Listening: Oh, yeah! The one who was lying on the ground this morning, right? I hope she just ran away from home... But I feel like this is the start of something big.
Gossiping: Yeah... There might be reporters and camera crews and stuff. *sigh* I don't want to deal with it.

> The first bell has rung.

The Rumor Mill



Classmate: Yeah, they haven't got a clue...
Student: Isn't that bizarre!?

> Everyone is talking about a rumor.



So, did you hear the details?
I'm not interested.
Stop acting like you don't care.
You really should hear this...





Nobody knows what happened, and supposedly, she's still unconscious.



This is a tough case, even for Junpei Iori, Ace Detective.
Ace Detective?
...Are you stupid or something?
......



Hey! I resent that.
Anyway, where've you been?
I was talking to the teacher.



She seemed okay then...
Whoa... Now, that's really strange.

End

So that random scene from before was relevant to... this, huh? I guess we'll end up finding out more about this sooner or later...



For now, we've got very valuable information to learn from Yuko.

I heard there's a monk who goes there. He even drinks and picks fights!
I can't believe a monk would do something like that...
That's what I heard, at least.



I suppose this can go on the pile of things to look into later, along with the Gourmet King and I think that's it for outstanding intel right now.

So it can help begin to rebuild the pile.

Anyway, we're here and we have Valkyrie still so let's put her to use.

Joy



I'm not as tall as you, so I can't walk as fast...



...I was just joking; I don't mind. Do you think I'm acting weird?



Well if I didn't before, then I sure do now.

I'm used to dealing with big dumb jocks from working on the team. *giggle*





Heeey!
Do you know him?
Yup. He lives across the street from me.





...After the last scene with Yuko, this is seeming like a big ol' random non-sequiter, huh? Don't worry, it totally definitely isn't. Honest!

Yellow Shirt: Ms. Nishiwaki!


(some things can absolutely be translated better. this is one of them.)

...This is no place to be playing tag.
It was okay this time, since it was me... but what if you had bumped into a stranger?
Go play at the playground.



Yellow Shirt: They said they'll move if we beat them in a race, but we're only fourth graders! We can't win... So, we had to play tag here instead, Ms. Nishiwaki.
I'll let the "Ms." slide this time, but only because I feel sorry for you...
...Alright. come with me.





Blue Skirt: This field is soooo big!
If you see any strangers, run away. And boys, make sure you protect the girls. Promise?
Blue Shirt: We promise!
Practice until the big hand is on the 12, and don't touch anything around here.
I'm gonna have a look around...
Yellow Shirt: Let's run!



Wait, come here for a second...



and don't lift your legs so high, or you might pull a muscle.

> Yuko is teaching the kids how to run faster...

Give it a try! Believe in yourself!



Yellow Shirt: Wooohoo! Check this out!
Blue Skirt: ...Me too! Me too! Come help ME, Coach!
Blue Shirt: I'm gonna win for sure!



Uhhh.... not quite so sure you should be looking so down as you say that.

But... I've never been a coach before...
...Am I doing the right thing, Makoto-kun?
It's up to you.
What am I waiting for...?



I'll do it! I'll be your coach!
But, I'm not gonna go easy on you guys! And no one's allowed to quit, either! Got it?
Kids: Got it, Coach!
Checkered Skirt: Is that your boyfriend, Coach? Is he gonna teach us too?
What? Uhh... Don't worry about that.
Think positive! If you think you're gonna lose. you will!
Don't be afraid of them just because they're sixth graders!
Kids: Whatever you say!

> You watched Yuko as she coached the kids.



I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you so long...
...But, is there any chance you'd be willing to help me train them?
I only know a little bit about racing... and besides, you're pretty athletic...
I'd be really grateful.
Well? Will you help me? Pleeease! I'll be lonely coaching them all by myself...

> You sense that Yuko really trusts you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





But, I'll make up for it one of these days.

> You left school with Yuko.

Oh, I guess this did have absolutely nothing at all to do with the previous scene. Kind of a weird progression here.

Iwatodai Dorm



People can be so immature, sometimes. I mean, it's just a ghost story.



...dammit yukari no this is not the time

I'll prolly just watch a little TV and then go to bed early.



Yeah, you don't say.

Mitsuru is training and Yukari has a "weird" feeling...
Tch, I wonder what that means...



Actually, that's quite common.
Dealing with Shadows has a tendency to enhance other... senses.



Junpei's up on the second floor again, along with... Yukari?

All I said to her was that someone might be in her room... or under her bed... or in her closet.
I mean, come on, that's nothing to get all worked up about, right?
What? You scared her!
Yeah, I guess you're right.
All she'll probably see is one of those big-ass cockroaches. ...Well, I guess that would be pretty scary too.



I'd be happy to sleep with you, if it helps...
*sigh* Maybe I should call the police, or better yet, Mitsuru-senpai...
Please... Anything but that!



Mitsuru, of course, is back up on the fourth floor again.

The others appear to be busy as well, so let's postpone going to Tartarus tonight.



For extra luck, try sticking your thumbs up all day long!

Well, this fits no one we know this time. It's not even close to being relevant to this point in time either.



Well, there's no Tartarus so we might as well see if we can find this monk I guess.

Adventured act



Bartender: ...Well, I guess you can stay. Just don't cause any trouble, alright?

How generous. Well, let's see... there's no monk near here at all. Hrm...



But there's a bit of an upstairs area where we can find this guy hanging out all on his on. He sure looks like a monk with a cigar at least.

> The lazy-eyed monk is drinking.



This had to be rank 2 before we could do this. It makes more sense than the requirement for Andre before at least.

...Booze! Where's my booze?
I don't got nothin' to say to anyone who doesn't have any booze.

Sure, why not. Let's do this!



Bartender: ...Oh, it's for the monk upstairs, huh? I see. In that case, how 'bout you do me a favor first... Can you go around and take everyone's order? If you do that, I'll bring a drink upstairs for him.

A couple folks in Escapade are switched around for this.



It's also not really all that complicated. Four folks around the bar have orders now.



Just gotta remember that, and it's always the same so it's really quite simple.



There's a bit of obfuscation from some of them changing their mind once (or twice) but it's easier than an actual dedicated minigame could be.



That's all of 'em so we'll head on back to the bar and tell the bartender.



Bartender: ...So, what was it you wanted? Oh yeah, a drink for that monk upstairs. I bet he wants brandy again. Okay, I'll take it to him.

This Mysterious Feeling



> That must have impressed him, because he started talking with you...



What're the employees here thinkin', lettin' you in...?



...Well? C'mon, kid, sit down. Havin' to look up at ya is strainin' my neck.
So, you wanted to see where adults spend their time, eh?



Just take it easy, kid. You'll be legal before ya know it. No need to rush.
Actin' like an adult only makes ya look more like a kid.



What's a cigar taste like?
...Like leaves. It may sound funny, but I can't describe it any other way. I just smoke cuz it clears my head.
You seem to be optimistic about the future...
Well, don't get your hopes up too high, kid. That way you won't be disappointed when things don't work out.
Cuz then you'll hafta smoke and drink just to get through the day...



...Always bein' taken in by the police for questioning...
...I'm gonna remember your face, kid. And next time you come in here, I'm gonna have you thrown out. Got it?

> You became acquainted with the monk.

The Power of the Heart



> A mysterious voice rings in your head...





And we don't even know the guy's name yet or anything. Honestly makes this somehow even more impressive than Maya...

This Mysterious Feeling



Well, when you've had your fill, go home... and don't come back.

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

Man, we're not even going to get a Tower persona until we're over level 30. Probably won't be seeing this guy too often until then...



Although, hanging out with a drunk monk would give us a good power boost by then... hmm..



Worry about that one later, I guess!

Current Net Price Tanaka



Just the one set of shoes here, but it also comes with 1 Diet Food for good measure. Nice and cheap (less than 4k!) so definitely gonna get me them pills... er shoes, and their Evasion bonus. Yeah, that's it.

Iwatodai Dorm



The school makes us send them updates on how things are going here at the dorm.
See, that's what Mitsuru's doing right now.



It may just be a coincidence, but something doesn't seem right about it.
What do you think, Makoto-kun?
It's just a coincidence.
Yeah, that's what I thought.



It just isn't normal, but I have no idea what's going on...

Hmm, yes. I see that Mitsuru's update writing is going very well indeed. Seems to be doing as good as I do on an average day.





I'm still holding out hope that we'll finally get to see at least a part of an episode sometime. We've had two months of failures, but who knows...



Some people got hurt, so you know word is gonna get out all over town about this one.

So, today is Sunday. As a result of that, we won't get to Tartarus today or do anything at night because, well...

Joy



the weathers nice today huh? let's go outside! (> ' ')> ingame, duh
Traesto! &=( ^o^)/



> A gray-colored sky stretches as far as the eye can see.

> A barren wasteland lies before Tatsuya and Maya.

> Maya is stretching.

The air is nice, even tho the world has ended ;P
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

> Maya stands at attention!



Mr. E is such a stupid eh so bee!! t(-__-t)
Don't you mean S.O.B.?
see!? u understand!! wooooo! tatsuya and maya ftw! xD



> Maya seems happy.

> Maya is looking around.



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



...oh noes! u can't figure out what my job is can u? O_o
A drunken master?
well being drunk does make me stronger =P
...i wish.

> Maya is enjoying herself.



hey! i just figured sumthing out o_O
when i complain to u, i feel better afterwards! xD
from now on we HAVE to group together promise, k? >=|

> Maya feels comfortable telling you about her real life.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





it's been 2 months o_O

...That is insanely gross!

> Maya's player signed off.



don't mention that "SOB" stuff, k? its our little secret! >_>

> Maya's player signed off.

> You decided to log off as well.



Want To Be Close (Reincarnation) / Time



...There seems to be a sense of restlessness in the air.
Really? I didn't notice.
You don't feel it...? Well, I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with Shadows.
Akihiko said we may be receiving a new member, but we don't know when we'll be attacked...
So remain alert at all times.



So, we've been dragging our feet with the Student Council a bit. Should probably do something about that, since we did kind of get shanghai'd into this anyway.

Joy



> You help out on various Student Council projects.

> The hours fly by as you work on the tasks.





Some students feel the school uniform should be abolished, and they're recruiting supporters...
It's a waste of time.
You're right about that.



They think life without rules is freedom. It's ridiculous, plain and simple.
Without rules, the whole system will collapse. They're mistaking selfishness for freedom.

Hello Hidetoshi, welcome to SMT. We generally call that the Chaos route, though that probably doesn't quite exist in the same way here.

...Sorry, I may have overreacted.
I hate people with no common sense. Sometimes, I can't believe the things that come out of their mouths.
I don't mean you of course. I just want you to understand where I'm coming from.

> It seems you've gained Hidetoshi's trust.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





> You decided to go home.

Story Time
gonna recommend watching this one

This Mysterious Feeling



You know how last week, that girl was found by the front gate?





H-Hey! C'mon... Nobody believes that stuff!? ...R-Right?
So, what is this ghost story about?
Wha--!?
It-It's probably made-up... so why bother!?
I'm interested. Go ahead and tell us.
Uh...

> Junpei leaned forward and spoke in a mysterious voice...

Fearful Experience



Oh my. This is going to be special!

...There are many strange things in this world...
According to one story...



The other day, this friend of mine--let's call him Shu...
He said to me, "Junpei, I saw something strange."
He sounded serious, so I asked him what he'd seen.
He said it was about the girl in 2-E...



I couldn't believe it.
She's not the kind of girl to be out at night...
But Shu was as white as a sheet. He insisted it was true...
Then, it hit me...



And that's why they found her lying on the ground by the gate!
I felt a chill run down my spine, and I broke into a cold sweat...
Yes, there are strange things in this world...



This Mysterious Feeling





I think it's worth investigating.
Wow, I didn't know you were afraid of ghosts, Yuka-tan. That's kinda funny.
Hey, watch it!



We'll each ask around for the rest of the week.
I'll prove to you that this ghost story is just an urban legend!



Then, I'll let you guys handle it.
Just make sure you sleep with one eye open...

End

Iwatodai Dorm



Goddammit Yukari! I just want to get this done and now we're pushing it really, really close to the deadline and it's almost entirely your fault!

However, there may be ghosts haunting the school...



Everyone at school knows about it... and soon everyone in town will too.



So many inquiries from parents and reporters alike...



Why? Well, just go check out what she's doing, and you'll know right away.



T... Turn the computer on first.

So I'm going to pass on Tartarus today.



For those who are fighting, the light has not yet broken through. That was our special report. Coming up next, the news.



We did it. We finally did it! Max Courage on the first day of June. That's a little slower than I would necessarily like but that's because of rescheduling earlier.



To try and get this up to Rank 3 in time for the midterms. Didn't work out as I'd have liked, but we're still ahead of the necessary curve for the time being so that's fine.



...This however is not. Normally I'd reset here just to not get this but getting thwarted from going to Tartarus for one last day due to terrible RNG is just pretty great really.



The Voice Someone Calls





It's you...
I'm glad you remembered me.



And the next ordeal will be upon you. So, be careful.
...I'll come again.



Great, so the next full moon is also an inevitable boss fight. Welp!



...So much for maybe having a chance to go to Tartarus today.

Want To Be Close (Reincarnation) / Time



Ya know what...? From this day forward, I'm gonna do my best!
At?
Duh! The ghost story! Did you already forget what we talked about last night?
...You're hopeless.
You better find out as much as you can, too... Remember, you only have until Friday!
I'm counting on you, Makoto-kun.

I really wouldn't count on me for that, because ghosts don't exist.



Of the "Ugetsu Monogatari" stories, I'm particularly fond of the one about the ghostly wife.
Such an eerie, yet poignant story... Speaking of which, I know a good ghost story. Would you like to hear?



"There's a girl right behind you!"
Frightened, they ran back home. But he started to hear scratching noises each night...
And a faint voice, saying... "Let me in... Let me in..."
But as far as he knew, the room adjacent to his was vacant.
One night, he decided to knock on the wall where the sounds were emanating from.
Hmhmhm...
Right next to his ear, the voice came loud and clear... "I'm here!"



I'm just dreading the day he'll say he wants to marry some poor girl...
Oops, there's the bell. Okay, class, that's all for today...



...Okay, no, this one makes even less sense than the lessons on Magic and Meditation.



....well never mind then. Not gonna use that door anymore if Andre is just gonna stand there, staring at it. Waiting. That's kinda creepy!



we dont have a justice persona but is fine we dont need one yet and also i just want to get away from here now

Joy



> You browsed through the used book store with Chihiro.



Don't worry about it.
If you say so... But, um... thank you...



I was so busy searching through the books... I'm sorry if I ignored you, Makoto-san...
Um... I'm sorry I took so long...
This place has so many interesting books, I was having trouble deciding.
...Do you read much, Makoto-san?
I don't read very often.

This isn't Persona 4 or 5. Not only is there no mechanical benefit to reading stuff, there's nothing to read!

Yeah... With the internet, it's kind of a waste of money to buy books.

> Chihiro seems a little sad.



We may be disturbing other patrons.

Yeah, I hear sometimes this asocial, introverted blue haired guy wanders in here. And that's basically it.

Um... Makoto-san?
Is it boring to hang around with, um, a nerd like me?
Not really.
I-I'm glad to hear that. I've been worried about it for a while...



T-Today, I was able to, um, be myself with you, Makoto-san.
Th-That's a big step for me... Thank you.

> Chihiro seems grateful for your time together.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





G-Goodbye...

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

Iwatodai Dorm



The Lost are everywhere, and it seems like it's only getting worse...
Plus, there's those freakin' rumors goin' around school...
We need to let off some steam.

I would 100% be down for that. Unfortunately, I am not in a condition in which it's realistically doable. I blame Yukari and that one weird kid.



However, there is still no explanation for it.
So I believe it's worth researching. Please let me know what you find out.



But, she seems to be doing research on them.
Is it the power of the Junpei Zone?
Huh!? What did you just say!?
Oh shit... I pissed her off...



Even if we don't learn anything from it, it still seems like fun research.
I'll be looking forward to the results.



Yeah, it's Junpei's fault...! Everything's his fault...!
The Junpei Zone!? Psh! You really are dumber than you look!



At the close of trading today, the price per share had gone as low as 4,242 yen.

Since we're not getting to go to Tartarus... again... and with max Courage we have to do something new.

When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars / Way of Life



This'll do. We've been to the cafe before, but never for its real purpose.



> ...You feel people looking at you.

> Is this an effect of the coffee...?



This is marginally cheaper than the Karaoke was but it's just as effective. 300 yen a day doesn't seem like much, but it'll add up over time.

We only have 4 days left to Tartarus now, so we really need to get a move on there. We're definitely going to get that done immediately now. I mean, it's not like Yukari's going to obstruct it for the rest of the week because that'd be stupid and bullshit.