Part 30: 5/28/09

5/28/09

Junpei can be really weird sometimes.



What’re you excited about?
Oh yeah… Of course you wouldn’t be too interested in girls…
I’m talking about that Fuuka Yamagishi girl. I know I’ve seen her before.
She does look kinda weak, but it only makes me wanna protect her, ya know?
Hehe, I haven’t given up hope that she’ll join our team.

More on that later, though, because the school nurse is the weirdest guy in a town where there is an extra hour filled with evil monsters.



In this class, I’ll ease all your worries.
It’s psychotherapy through magic!
All right, everyone, be very, very quiet. No talking… Silence!
Were you surprised to hear me bring up magic?
It’s a recent proposal, so it’s not well-known yet…
Here it is: Those who believe will be saved.
Study hard, and I can beat your weak minds into shape! Eeeheehee…
Now then! Let’s get on with our first lecture, on the basics of magic.
Who can use magic, and who cannot? That’ll be our starting point.
Some of you might think that magic lets you do absolutely anything…
Pulling pranks on people, hurting your enemies…
If that’s what you think, then you’ll never learn magic.
It’s true of both eastern and western sorcery…
Those with wicked hearts will either be powerless, or be driven to ruin.
There’s one more thing that can’t be forgotten when learning magic.
That is… a “master.”
You should aspire to become as good as your predecessors, especially if you’re studying difficult magic.
If you don’t have a master, learning the black arts will be impossible.

I’m not going to lie I almost laughed out loud partway through this.



If you can’t distinguish between the two, you’re headed for certain disaster.
That’s why the presence of a master is of the utmost importance!
With that in mind, I’ll move on to meditation, a standard practice in magical training.
I’ve got some handouts for you…
…Now then, it looks like it’s time.
If you’re interested in the subject, try meditating before going to bed.
Slowly recall the events of the day… It’s like traveling back through time.
If you can do that flawlessly, you may just make a good magician. Eeheehee…
That’s all for today!

Back to Junpei, we went down to the strip mall after school.



Hey, let’s get something to eat.
Ramen or a meal… Maybe a beef bowl… Oh wait, what about takoyaki…?
…Uh, what do you want to eat?
Ramen!
Ooh, you’re up for it, too?
> Junpei seems to be having fun…
Okay, let’s go.
…Whoa, what the hell?

Some guy was drunk at the strip mall in broad daylight, and with the way he was acting I was kind of concerned about Junpei.



> …Actually, “staggering” would be a better description…
> He’s also yelling something…
That dude is completely wasted… It’s broad daylight, dammit…
Let’s avoid him.
Yeah, I don’t wanna have to deal with somebody like that, either.
I mean if he gets hit by a car or something, it’s his own damn fault.
> Junpei grimaces…
> The drunk notices you looking at him and approaches you…
”Drunk Man”: Haaaah…? Wha’chu lookin’ at…?
Whaddya want…? Get outta here.
> Junpei looks disgusted.
Junpei, let’s just go.
…Yeah, you’re right.

It turns out he’s got a good reason for being so angry about it.



* sigh *
Uh… Sorry.
I… don’t like seeing drunks like that.
Well, I doubt that anyone actually likes seeing people like that. Haha…
> Junpei laughs dejectedly…
You…
…You don’t have any parents, right?
……
I know that this’ll make me sound like an ass…
But I kinda envy you…
There have to be some parents that their kids would be better off without…

Still, even bad parents are parents.



Oh… Sorry.
You must’ve had good parents.
…Sorry.
> Junpei seems apologetic…
> The ramen you ordered arrived.
> But, the heavy atmosphere makes it taste oilier than usual…
My… dad was always drinking.
He’d just sit there and drink, all by himself.
……
And every time he did, he’d get violent over the stupidest stuff…
……
But… it doesn’t hurt at all anymore.
When I was a kid and I acted up, I’d get spanked and it would really hurt.
But now… He’s lost what strength he had, and I didn’t even notice it…
……
Whoa… Sorry for bringing that up. I must really be boring you.
C’mon, let’s talk about something fun!
> Junpei laughs…
> You feel like you understand Junpei a little better now…

Poor Junpei…



Crap! Gotta finish these noodles before they get soggy! Let’s shut up and eat!
* munch munch *
> You and Junpei returned to the dorm together.

And even worse, the Lost are definitely on the rise again.



Hm, that’s strange…
The number of victims seems to be on the rise again…
Apparently, the decline was only temporary.
Huh? Does that mean that no matter how many Shadows we defeat, more will just keep coming?
If that’s the case, then what’s the point of fighting…?
If we do nothing, then everyone will eventually join The Lost.
Our efforts have prevented the crisis from escalating.
I guess you’re right.
…Ya know, it’s kinda creepy when you think about it…
If we couldn’t use our Personas, then the whole city would be crawling with zombies…

The news confirmed that things were starting again.



Newscaster: According to his doctors, he was a victim of Apathy Syndrome.

Junpei is sad we’ll never get any credit for saving the city.



Of course. Why would you ask such an obvious question?
Well, y’know…
I was just thinking it might be nice to get some kind of thank you…
From the ladies, at least…

I can’t see how we ever would, though.



I know that makes things harder.
But, if we don’t fight, then more people will become victims of the Shadow, like The Lost.
We ARE making a difference, though. We’re making the city more peaceful.
Just remember that.

The only thing we could do for now is return to Tartarus. I had some things I wanted to get for Elizabeth anyway. She wanted some kind of medal from those weird golden hands that roam around, I almost gave up honestly but we got lucky.



Be careful, I’m detecting a great deal of enemies there!

It turned out all the enemies were the targets, so we finally managed to kill one of the little cowards.



That Shadow is very rare, so I’m sure the item was difficult to obtain.
This time, I have a special reward for you.
It may look like a toy, but I’m sure you’ll find it useful.
Please accept your reward.
> Obtained Toy Bow.

It’s going to be a hard sell to get Yukari to use it but I’m sure it’s worth it. Oh, we also found some kind of nice looking katana that Elizabeth wanted to see.



Ahh, and the hilt has beadwork laid in… That’s why it’s called the katana of evil’s bane.
It’s a good-sized sword, too.
Approximately… 81.08 centimeters, with a 3-centimeter curve, measuring about 3.96 centimeters in width.
Please accept your reward.
> Obtained Maragi x 1.

We’ll just have to try and get stronger and be ready for it if another big Shadow arrives.