Part 5: 4/19/09-4/20/09

4/19/09

After the battle and that weird dream, I woke up here in the hospital.

Video- “In the Hospital”

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> …Your head is getting clearer.
> ……
> You can see a white ceiling…
> You wonder how long you’ve been asleep.
> You feel someone’s presence beside you.

Anyway, I guess Yukari’s been coming by every day to check on me.



Um, how do you feel?
Where am I…?
Thank goodness. You finally came to…
…Oh, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It’s just a short walk from the station.
The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted…
Um…
I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything…
But, your power… It was amazing.

I’m still not clear on what the hell that thing on the roof was.



…You mean the Shadows?
They’re what we’re fighting against.
And the power you used… We call it “Persona.”
We’ll explain everything later. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before…
I, uh…
I wanted to tell you that…
…I’m sorta like you.

At first I thought she just meant that she could do the same thing I could that night, but that wasn’t it at all.



My dad died in an accident when I was little…
And my mom and I aren’t exactly on good terms…
…You’re all alone too, right?
To be honest, I already know about your past…
But, it didn’t seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine…
It was back in ’99…
There was a big explosion in the area.
Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened…
He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group.
So, I’m hoping that if I stick around long enough, I’ll find out something.
That’s why I’m going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you.
…Of course, I panicked and wasn’t much help… It was my first time fighting them, too.
I’m sorry… You wouldn’t have had to go through all this if I wasn’t such a coward…

I don’t really think that it’s cowardly to be afraid of a giant knife monster when your only weapon is shaped like a gun that you have to shoot at yourself.



Thanks… but still…
And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up.
While I was waiting, I thought to myself,
“I’ve been hiding so many things from her… As soon as she wakes up, I’ll tell her the truth.”
So, thanks for listening. I’ve been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time.
…Alright, I’m gonna get going.
I’ll let the others know you woke up.
…Oh, and, uh… You don’t have to be formal around me or anything.
Us second-year girls gotta stick up for each other, after all.
B-Bye.

I’ll be heading back to the school tomorrow, I’m going to have so much work to make up. Ugh.

4/20/09

Junpei’s got some kind of secret thing he’s dropping hints about.



Anyways, I got something to tell ya.
What is it?
Actually…
Oh, wait! I’m not supposed to say anything!
Sorry, man. * chuckle *
Sheesh, someone’s full of energy today… I could hear you from all the way over there.
Hey, it’s Yuka-tan.
You two live in the same dorm, yet came separately today? Is it… because you’ll cause too many rumors again, hm?
What? I just left a little late!
Anyways, I need to talk to her. Bye-bye, Junpei.
Whaaaat…

Some of these people have seriously overactive imaginations.



…Aelita.
Um, sorry to hit you with this first thing in the morning…
…but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today.
Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don’t forget.

So it turns out the crazy helmet man I saw on the way to the faculty office the first day was the history teacher here. Who knew?



And that wraps it up for the Stone Age. * sigh * …I’m tired of lessons about stones.
I’d rather talk about the Sengoku era! Japanese history’s not that exciting until then.
Though I’m paid to do this, so I’ve gotta… It’s tough being an adult.
Next is… the Jomon period? When do the samurai get their day in the sun!?
I’ll just ask a question at random and call it a day. Hmm… hey, Junpei!
What was the style of houses in the Jomon period called?
Uhh… How am I supposed to know about something way back then?
Quick, Aelita! What the heck is he talking about!?

I hope Junpei’s paying attention because I’m not going to be able to whisper him the answers on an exam.



That’s correct. Mud huts were built by digging a hole in the ground and supporting the roof.
…It’s no use. I can’t get interested.
Ugh… I wanna get to the age of katanas. Everything else is so dull…
Hey…! I answered right, and I don’t get any credit?
Tch… Oh well. Thanks Aelita.
> You hear your classmates whispering…
Classmate: Aelita told Junpei the answer. She’s really smart!

I headed back right after school. Nobody was in the lounge, so I headed up to the fourth floor.

Video- “SEES”

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> Yukari, Mitsuru, the Chairman, and an unfamiliar male student are sitting here…
Ah, there you are.
I’m glad that you’re okay. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if anything had happened to you.
The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you.
Please, have a seat.
Oh, before that.
I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko.
How ya doin’?

I’m just glad that I’m not going crazy, or that I’ve got company if I am.



Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?
…Excuse me?
Do you remember the night you came here?
You had to notice the signs…
The streetlights went out… Nothing was working… There were coffins everywhere…
Didn’t it feel like you were in a different time…?
That’s the Dark Hour—a time period hidden between one day and the next.
Hidden?
I guess it’s more like something people aren’t aware of.
But, the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight.
It’ll happen tonight, and every night to come.
Normal people don’t realize it, since they’re all sleeping inside their coffins.

It still does sound a bit nuts, though, that there’s a secret hour after midnight populated by horrible monsters.



…You saw those creatures.
We call them “Shadows.”
They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin.
It’s our job to defeat them. …Sounds exciting, huh?
Akihiko! Why are you always like that?
You just got hurt the other day!
Now, now. He does his work well.
Long story short…
We’re the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad—SEES for short.
On paper, we’re classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows.
Mitsuru is the leader. I’m the club advisor.
A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse.
They’re responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them.

It’s like some kind of television show or something, where only some group of ‘chosen ones’ can save the world from evil.



Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour.
Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows.
That’s “Persona”—the power you used the other night.
The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users.
Which means, it’s all up to you guys.
I see.
I’m glad you’re quick to understand.
> Mitsuru opens the case on the table…
> …A silver gun gleams uncannily from inside.
What he’s trying to say is, we want you to join us.
We’ve prepared an Evoker for you. We’d like you to lend us your strength.

If the Shadows attack anyone who is active during the Dark Hour, I don’t see how I have much of a choice.



* sigh * I was afraid you’d say no…
Welcome aboard!
Thank you so much. I’m really glad.
Oh, I almost forgot… About your room assignment…
Why don’t you just stay here, in your current room?
I don’t know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end. * chuckle *
Holdup? But, wasn’t that—
Oh, never mind…
> You joined SEES to fight the Shadows…
> ……!?
> A voice rings in your head…

Something really strange happened, I guess this is something to do with what Igor was telling me about?



> You have established the SEES Social Link of the Fool Arcana!
> You may earn an EXP bonus when fusing Personas of the Fool Arcana!
> You feel your inner strength growing…
> You recall what Igor said about the power of Social Links.
> The intensity of Social Links strengthens the power of the Personas…
> Social Links… are these the bonds you form with people you meet…?
> …You are still tired from your hospital stay. You decided to return to your room…

Ugh, I’m never going to get any sleep if weird stuff keeps happening at night. I saw him again at midnight.



The weird kid from the first night. In my room.



How did you get in here?
I’m always with you…
* chuckle *
Soon, the end will come.
I remembered so I thought I should tell you.

So the end is coming. Good to know, I guess. Whatever that means.



…Ahaha. I wasn’t expecting you to thank me.
But you’re welcome. That… is what I’m supposed to say, right?
…I don’t really know what this “end” is about, either.
Oh, looks like you’ve awakened to your power…
…and an unusual power it is.
A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none…
It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up.
Do you remember when we first met?
I expect you to honor your commitment.
I’ll be watching you, even if you forget about me…
Okay then, see you later.
> The boy disappeared…

I’m thinking I’m not going to mention this to the others, it seems a bit crazy even after all the stuff they told me earlier.