Part 14: Entry Eleven: June 7, 2009

Entry Eleven: June 7, 2009

Mood: Anxious
Music: My own heart pounding in my ears. Ugh.

Well, the next full moon is tomorrow, and as you can imagine I'm pumped for it. Too pumped to sleep, actually, so I figure I'll write about the past few days and maybe that'll calm me down a little.



On Friday, Yukari was still going on about her ghost story. I had almost forgotten that we were supposed to talk about it that evening, but fortunately I had been asking around school about it so I had some information.



Yukari: Did you two ask around like we said?
Junpei: Huh? We had something planned for today? ...I know, I know! I'm just kidding! Man, you have such a short temper...
Yukari: Then we'll meet in the lounge after school. Don't forget!
Junpei: Yes, ma'am...



Instead of immediately returning home after school, though, I went to go hang out with old people for awhile. I'm just a swingin' hipster like that.

Bunkichi: My wife just left for Gekkoukan. Well, she won't be gone long. Why don't you keep me company, Minato-chan?



I'm normally not a big fan of tea, but hey, it was free.

Bunkichi: ...Wait, where are the cups? I'm afraid I'm completely useless without my wife.



Mitsuko suddenly came rushing (well, as fast as an old lady can rush) into the store. I asked what was up.



Bunkichi offered both Mitsuko and I a cup of tea.



Cylon Tea? I don't even wanna know.



Bunkichi: My wife heard a rumor that it was going to be cut down, and she almost fainted. Do you know anything about it, Minato-chan?

Well, I didn't, but I was pretty concerned about it. Save the trees and all that.



Bunkichi: I'm worried too. I tried to look into the rumor, but I think I was "barking up the wrong tree..."

...Ugh.



I told them I would, and I felt a weird feeling deep in the pit of my stomach.




It turns out that was just gas from the "gourmet" food I'd had with Nozomi awhile back. It's been a few days now and I still feel nasty because of that. I also felt my Social Link Senses tingling, though.





I'm glad I didn't meet grumpy old people, it'd probably be harder to get Link ranks out of someone constantly trying to beat me with their cane.



After that, I headed back to the dorm for the evening.



Junpei: Wow, you're really into this.
Yukari: Of course! I got lots of good info. It turns out no angry ghost was involved.
Junpei: Oh, so THAT'S what's important, huh?
Yukari: Hmph. First off, let's talk about how this rumor got started...



Yukari: But why did the rumor spread so fast if this was the first time anything happened?

From asking around school, I knew this one - it turns out there had been three victims, not just one.



Yukari: But yeah, I was surprised when I found out the reason...over the next few days, there were two more similar incidents. All three victims had to be hospitalized. No wonder people were talking. Next...the victims are in different classes, and they don't seem to be connected.



Junpei: What is this, a quiz show? Do YOU know, Minato?

Well, yeah, I did. They'd all hang out together in the bad part of town.



Yukari: They got in with a bad crown, and were always out late. It can't be just a coincidence...so to find out what happened, we're gonna do some field research.
Junpei: Field research? Are you kidding?
Yukari: Yeah, there's this one place where the three victims were regulars.



Yukari: Oh, you're familiar with it?
Junpei: You can't go there! I've heard some nasty rumors about that place!
Yukari: Is that so? Well then, we should all go together. You'll come, right Minato?

Well, it's not like I had much of a choice. It was that or risk Yukari getting hurt or worse when those punks saw her, so I accepted.



Junpei: Forget it...that place is bad news. I mean, don't you think we're getting in over our heads?
Yukari: Up until now, all we've done is take orders. Does that feel right to you?
Junpei: I know what you mean, but...man, did you have to say it like that? I guess I don't have a choice, do I?
Yukari: Okay, we'll go tomorrow night then.



The next day passed pretty quickly, mostly because I was nervous about dealing with the punks that night. I did find out that the persimmon tree was indeed going to be cut down. Poor old folks.



I hadn't seen Maiko in awhile, so after school that day I went to play with her.

Maiko: Have you seen Striped Shirt? We were playing tag, but it's no fun if I can't find him.



The guy in the striped shirt showed up before long.

Maiko: You don't look so good...are you sick?



Maiko: Huh? S-so you ARE sick?
Striped Shirt: Haha, no. I'm kidding. You're so easy, Maiko.
Maiko: No fair! I'm an innocent girl, so I actually believed you!



Maiko ran off to play, and I introduced myself to the guy in the striped shirt.

Striped Shirt: So you're the guy she was talking about. I wondered what you were like...are you "too old" to play with kids, or are you still young at heart?



Right about then, Maiko came back and started clamoring for takoyaki.

Maiko: You can eat with us too, Striped Shirt!
Striped Shirt: Nah, I'm okay, thanks. I'll see you guys around.

He took off.





After that, Maiko and I went to get takoyaki.



Maiko: I remember one time Dad burned his mouth on this takoyaki! ...Cause I put too many in his mouth at once. He was like "Fungaaaaah!"



Maiko: But I have a birthday soon. Oh, do you think he'll come home for my birthday?

Well, I wanted to crush her dreams by giving her a false sense of hope, so I told her that he would. I'm so evil!




W-wait, that didn't work at all!



Maiko: She hasn't asked me what I want yet.



Maiko: You're the only one who still plays with me, you know.




Damn! I'm trying to break a little girl's heart and failing miserably!





Stop rewarding me for failure, Social Links!




I headed back to the dorm after that. Yukari was waiting to drag us to the hangout, of course.



Junpei: How could you be afraid of ghosts, but not be scared of this...?
Yukari: It's easy to get freaked out by something you can't see, don'tcha think?
Junpei: Actually, I'm more worried about things I CAN see...like bats and knives!
Yukari: Big deal, so it's a little "dangerous"...come no, it'll be an adventure!
Junpei: More like a suicide mission...



We took the monorail to the station, then headed to the hangout.



Punk: Check out those rags...they're from Gekko High.



I fully agreed with Junpei.




Punk: You don't belong here...get it? Beat it, Goatee...
Junpei: G-goatee? Oh, y-you mean me...
Yukari: We don't need your permission to be here.
Junpei: H-hey! Are you nuts?! Take a look around you!
Yukari: I'm not blind, ya know. Come on, don't be intimidated by these scum!



Chick: She just called us "scum". Let's get 'em. Who cares where they're from! We'll post some pictures that'll make her daddy cry! She'll wish she was never born!



Punk: You oughta learn to shut that trap of yours. Man, I feel sorry for you, Goatee. This bitch is a pain in the ass...HUH?!



With that, he socked Junpei hard in the stomach. I winced a little in sympathy.



Punk: Hey pretty boy! I don't like your face either...got anything to say before I beat it to a bloody pulp?!

Er, shit. I was kinda worried about what Bebe, Chihiro, and Yuko would think...



...but suddenly we heard a familiar voice.



It was the guy from the hospital!



Punk: You want some too?!
Guy: ...Do I have a choice?
Punk: that's it, you're goin' down!



The punk rushed the guy from the hospital, but one good headbutt sent him flying.



Punk: That's right, you're from Gekko High too, aren't you? I thought you were one of us...



Shinjiro: I don't remember swearing a blood oath.
Punk: You son of a bitch! You just crossed the line! You think you're going home alive?!



Shinjiro: ...Wanna give it a try?
Punk: Uh...s-screw this...you better grow eyes in the back of your head!

All the punks ran off. I guess Shinjiro's awesome hat was just too intimidating for them.



Shinjiro: You idiots! Get outta here! This place isn't for you.
Yukari: Wait! We came here for a reason!
Shinjiro: You guys...you were at the hospital...did Aki tell you to come here? What do you wanna know? About that ghost story?
Yukari: Um, yeah...how'd you know?
Shinjiro: It's a rumor.




Junpei: Fuuka...? You mean Fuuka Yamagishi, from 2-E? They were picking on her?
Shinjiro: That's why people are saying it's Fuuka's spirit that did it. I hear it's all over the 'net, too.
Yukari: Fuuka's spirit? Wait, what do you mean by that?
Shinjiro: You guys don't know?



Shinjiro: She hasn't been home in over a week. Don't you guys go to school?! How do you not know this?
Junpei: Are you serious?! I thought she was out sick...but she's missing?!
Yukari: So much for the ghost story. Mr. Ekoda is the homeroom teacher for 2-E, right? Does he know about this...?




Shinjiro: That's all I know. Satisfied?
Junpei: Y-yeah! Thanks, Senpai!
Yukari: Thanks! You totally helped us out. You're very kind.
Shinjiro: ...Huh?
Yukari: Um...nevermind.



We went home for the evening after that...well, we stopped by the pharmacy first to get Junpei some aspirin.



Today was a Sunday, and Maya didn't seem too psyched about playing Innocent Sin Online together, so instead I went to hang out at the coffee shop for awhile. I think I'm getting a little more socially acceptable than your typical Asperger's patient...well, at the very least I can probably outcharm a sandwich now.



Earlier tonight, I was feeling pretty restless, so I decided to head off to Tartarus.



First, I dropped by the Velvet Room and threw together some new Personas.



Chimera here is handy not because it can heal, but because it's part of another Persona that can heal better.



This was the one I needed. Nigi Mitama doesn't really look like much, sure...



...but thanks to Bebe's Temperance Link, I was just barely able to level it up enough for it to learn Media, a group healing spell that costs much less than Cadenza. This turned out to be exactly what we needed to deal with the next guardian:

Tartarus Boss 5 - Change Relic

(Fuck this guy. He's extremely difficult for the level you reach him at, and he basically sets the standard for how hard the rest of the Tartarus bosses will be. Basically he fights by spamming Magarula, a mass Wind damage spell that slices off over half your party's HP per casting. He also uses Poison Mist to distract you with poison that you need to heal. Since his main attack spell does Wind damage, the obvious solution would be to use a Wind-resistant Persona, right? Wrong: the first one of those isn't available until level 15, a move which I believe was intended to force you to come up with another strategy for this guy.

To win, it's vital that you have some form of party healing. Cadenza works for a time, but it's very MP-intensive. It also leaves Minato open, since he needs to be using one of two weak Personas to cast it. Nigi Mitama, on the other hand, gets Media upon fusion if you have a few levels in Temperance, and it's a lifesaver here. Minato and Yukari play support for Akihiko, who does the majority of the damage. Junpei...stays at the entrance, because all he does here is get himself killed and give the boss free turns.)




After defeating the Relic, we finally made it to the top of the currently open area of Tartarus.



We also found the next Old Document, which reads as follows:

Weird...Kirijo's Ergo Research branch plans to build a lab on this island...I wonder what for...



There wasn't much else we could do here, so we headed back to the entrance and picked up Junpei for a little training before tomorrow.




Oh, before I wrap this up, I gotta tell you about this rare chest we found. See, it had this High-Cut Armor inside...



...which is basically that chainmail bikini stuff you see chicks on the cover of fantasy books wearing.



Of course, I immediately handed it over to Yukari and told her she should wear it because it looked...uh...very protective.





I think moments like this make the whole Tartarus experience worthwhile. Anyway, we decided to head home shortly after that.

Tomorrow's the next full moon. Who knows what's coming?

Coming up in the next entry: The second Ordeal!