Part 70: 7/11/09

7/11/09

I still don’t know what’s up with Junpei.



……
Uh, exams are pretty soon… Have you been studyin’?
Yep.
…Seriously?
Like I care…

I hope he stops being a jerk soon.



It all began from infighting among the Taira clan. Their conflict escalated until the Imperial Court intervened.
Masakado was pursued by the Imperial Court, and had no choice but to openly oppose them…
The result was known as the War of Masakado.
Aelita… You don’t look anything like a samurai, but let’s see if you know this one.
What title did Taira No Masakado claim for himself?
Imperial Prince.
Correct!
This will be on the exam next week, so be prepared!
Let’s skip forward a little to the Kamakura era!
At last! The samurai’s presence begins to be felt in history!
In 1185, the Kamakura shogunate was established. Yes! We’re there!
And of course, its founder was Minamoto no Yoritomo. I can’t believe we’re finally here!

Oh, I got a message after school from Akihiko about a meeting.



> It’s from Akihiko.
Text Message: > “Ikutsuki-san is coming tonight.”
> “He has something to tell us.”
> “We’ll meet on the 4th floor as soon as everyone is back.”

I had some time, though, so I went back to make sure that cat at the station was okay.



> He seems to be very weak. Maybe he’s hungry…
> Give him Super Cat Food?
Weak Cat: …Mew.
> The cat slowly started to eat.
Weak Cat: ……
Meow… Meowww…
> The cat is purring loudly. It seems happy.
> His eyes are more open now.
> If you come back and feed it some more, it might get healthier…

I walked home by way of the shrine, and heard Maiko crying…



I… I…! * sniff *
> Maiko is staring at you.
Thanks!
> Maiko seems relieved…

I mean it’s not surprise, though, with what she told me.



M-My dad, he—
…Waaaaaaaaaaah! * sob *
> Maiko ran into you!
> You wait for Maiko to calm down.
Dad, he… he… he hit me!
I don’t know what to do…
That’s mean!
I know it is! Why would Dad do that? …Why?
> Your understanding comforted Maiko.
All I did was say I wanted to know the real reason they were getting a divorce.
…They told me I was too young to even understand it.
So I kept asking, but then Dad got angry and… and he…
…Then Mom said since I was so annoying, that it was my fault.
I’m not sure they love me anymore…
I bet they wouldn’t care if I wasn’t even here at all!
That isn’t true.

I’m trying my best to make her feel better, but nobody should do that to their own child.



> Maiko seems a little happier.
What if I ran away from home…?
I want to find out… how they really feel about me.
If they love me, then they’d try to look for me, right?
……
It’s a secret, okay? Don’t tell Mom and Dad I’m running away.
I know you won’t tell.
> Maiko seems to trust you a lot.
> Your relationship is stronger now.

Running away from home is a terrible idea but I think all I can do is make sure she stays safe, if she really wants to do it she’ll do it no matter what I say.



Well, I have to go now. We can play more later!
> You went back to the dorm after parting with Maiko.

The meeting turned ugly pretty quickly. I guess now I know what Yukari and Fuuka have been up to.

Video- “Secrets”

Watch

> Mitsuru is giving an account of the battle at the hotel to Ikutsuki.
…So, that’s what happened on the night of the 7th.
It was a difficult operation.
I see. They’re getting tougher…
But, it’s not all bad news… I called today’s meeting because—
I’m sorry.
Before we go on, I’d like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something.
Me…?
Since I joined, so many things have happened…
I went along with it, without really understanding what was going on… But now, I need to know.
I’m gonna ask you straight out…
You’ve been hiding something from us, haven’t you, Senpai?
You act like you don’t know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus…
…but they’re related to that accident ten years ago, aren’t they?
What accident…?
Y-Yukari-chan…

Ten years ago, huh…



It must’ve been big news back then. You know about it, don’t you?
…Yes.
Luckily, no students were injured. But…
…around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent.
…Seems like more than just a coincidence.
What do you mean?
I dug up some old school records, and found something interesting.
The students who were absent… They all collapsed suddenly, and had to be hospitalized.
Sound familiar?
You know, like the girls who bullied Fuuka…
……
There has to be an explanation!
What really happened on the day of that accident?
The Kirijo Group built our school, so you must know something!
Tell me the truth!
…I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. It just never seemed relevant.
But…
…It’s okay. It’s not your fault.
…Alright.

Anyway Mitsuru told us what had happened.



The Shadows have many mysterious abilities.
Some research indicates that they can even affect time and space.
We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage?
They would be a source of unimaginable power, wouldn’t they?
What…?
Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking…
He was the former leader of the Kirijo Group, Kouetsu Kirijo…
…My grandfather.

How this whole terrible chain of events had begun.



My grandfather was obsessed with the Shadows…
He wanted to harness their power for something extraordinary.
Like what…?
He assembled a team of top scientists, and over several years, he put together an impressive collection of Shadows.
He what!? Damn, that’s freakin’ crazy!
However… ten years ago, during the final stages of the experiment, they lost control of the Shadows’ power…
And in the process, the very nature of the world was altered.
Oh my… Do you mean…?
Yes… Tartarus and the Dark Hour.
……
By their account, the mass of Shadows they collected split into several large ones that then dispersed.
These are the Shadows we’ve been encountering on nights when the moon is full.
Is that why they’ve appeared in different places?

Still it’s kind of weird, Yukari’s taking this very personally.



If what you said is true, then why did our school turn into Tartarus?
* gasp * …Don’t tell me…
That’s where they conducted the experiment!?
…Yes.
Then… those students who were hospitalized…
I’m afraid it’s just as you’re thinking.
Port Island must have been an ideal location for them.
It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijo Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased…
As you guessed, the experiment ten years ago was conducted at Gekkoukan High School.
……
Does that mean…
…all we’ve been doing is cleaning up their mess!?
…You lied to us?
……
You knew this too, didn’t you, Senpai!?
They’ve just been using us!
Or, do you not care as long as you get to fight?
I never said anything like that!
I have my reasons…

I don’t know that it matters whose fault this all was, though. That doesn’t change that we’re the ones who have to deal with it.



…I’m sorry.
I never intended to deceive you.
Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority.
As absurd as it may seem, only we—with our Personas—can fight the Shadows.
How could you…!?
Besides… some of us were never given a choice.
I…
Mitsuru… Don’t.
Yukari… It’s those in the past who are to blame.
And they lost their lives as a result of what they did…
We’re all in the same boat, here; none of us deserve the burden that’s been thrust upon us.
But…
……
It’s been ten years since that incident… No one knows why those Shadows suddenly returned.
But, since they’re active, at least we can find and destroy them…
Do you realize what this means?
What if I told you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?
Then, if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear…?

Ikutsuki seems awfully sure of his theory, but I don’t know how he could know this for certain.



That’s what I was going to tell you earlier. See, it’s good news, isn’t it?
Is that true!?
There’s evidence to support it.
Now, our true battle begins.
I see…
Regardless of what’s happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people.
The Shadows are gaining strength. We can’t afford to just wait for them.
…Indeed.
And there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus.
Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within it.
Mmm…
> …You must defeat the twelve Shadows which started all this…
> In order to eradicate the Dark Hour and Tartarus…
> You must fight to protect the people…
> There are six left…

I’m sure I recognize the guy featured on the news.



Female Reporter: Today’s subject is a man in his 20s with a yellow cap.
He’s studying art overseas, so we were very fortunate to run into him today!
…Next is news. Pain, pain, go away!

Junpei didn’t seem that happy about the news.



Compared to that, I’m just a mediocre fighter.
Junpei-kun…
The only thing anyone knows about Tartarus is that it creates Shadows…
Other than that, we’re all in the dark…

Ikutsuki explained a few things more.



12 Shadows?
Yes. Ten years ago, a substantial number of Shadows were consolidated into a single entity.
Its power was immense, far greater than any of the Shadows currently inside Tartarus.
Experiments were performed in it, and an unfortunate accident took place, dividing the entity into 12 Shadows.
These Shadows only appear during a full moon.
How did the public react?
In the end, over 50 people were injured in the accident…
…and the media placed full blame on the Kirijo Group for the tragedy.
They singled out one researcher in particular, declaring him the main culprit behind it all.
Whether this was actually true or not was not the issue…
The public was looking for someone to vent their hurt and anger on.
So they chose him, even though he was a victim himself.
Their wrath was unparalleled. The darker side of mankind was most certainly on display during that time.
About Mitsuru-senpai…
Under the pretense that she was assisting the Group, she was subjected to the experiment for many years.
So, Mitsuru wasn’t born with the ability to summon a Persona; she was forced to learn how.
About Akihiko-senpai…
I’ve known him and Mitsuru for a very long time.
In fact, Akihiko joined us when he was only in middle school.
At that time, we had a third member as well.
…But, I digress.

Naturally, we didn’t go to Tartarus tonight.



Hm? Us?
Oh, since Junpei-kun doesn’t understand what’s going on, I’m going to review it with him.
But, if we defeat all 12 Shadows…
…then I won’t have any more use for my Persona.
Man, it’s such an amazing power… I can’t let it go to waste…

I just called it an early night, this is all kind of crazy and tiring.