Part 22: Entry Nineteen: July 23, 2009 (The Summer Vacation Spectacular!)
Entry Nineteen: July 23, 2009 (The Summer Vacation Spectacular!)
Note: RB90 made quite a few animations accompanying this entry; it is possible, in fact, to view the entire entry in video form along with reading it normally. The animations begin shortly after SEES arrives at Yakushima. Links to each are included below and also in the entry itself, at the beginning of each scene; feel free to watch whichever you prefer.
The Ride to Yakushima
Day One
Ten Years Ago Redux
Operation Babe Hunt (Part One)
A Mysterious Girl
Operation Babe Hunt (Part Two)
Chasing the Mysterious Girl
The Last Day
Shinji and the Trio
Mood:
BeatMusic: The crickets outdoors.
Our trip to Yakushima is finally over, and man, it was something else. Sun, swimming, babes, explanations as to why we have to fight horrible extradimensional monsters...that vacation had it all.
I'm blogging now because my skin's roasted, actually, so I can't stand laying in bed. Sunburns suck.
We left for Yakihima on the morning of the 20th...turns out we were gonna be there for 4 days and 3 nights, which was longer than I thought at first. The boat ride was great; I'd never actually been on one before, though, so I nearly puked a couple times
Summer Vacation - The Ride to Yakushima
When we arrived at the Kirijos' beach house, we were all awestruck at how lavish it was.
She has maids. Holy shit.
Yukari: Um, is this the right place?
Junpei: Dude, real-life maids...
Fuuka: I knew she was from an important family, but this definitely confirms it...
Suddenly, a scary-looking man headed down the hall next to us.
Mitsuru seemed to know him...
...but he didn't say a word to her before heading off.
Wow, if that's her father...yeesh.
Junpei: Dude, talk about scary! He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?
Akihiko: Don't be stupid...
Mitsuru told us to relax...
...so Junpei wasted no time getting started.
Junpei: Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!
Yukari: What, already? I mean sure, but let me get changed first!
Junpei: Then I'll see ya there! I'm not gonna waste a single minute!
That's how our summer vacation started.
Summer Vacation - Day One
Junpei: Yup! Summer's here!
Akihiko: Darn...there's nothing out there I can use as a marker...too bad. I was hoping for a good swim.
Junpei: You must be joking...we come all the way to the beach and you're gonna train?
Akihiko: What's wrong with that? You got a better idea?
I'm gonna have to say I liked Junpei's plan much better than Akihiko's.
Junpei: It takes a lot of confidence to pull off a swimsuit like that!
Fuuka showed up before long.
Yow.
Junpei: ...Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so...I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!
Junpei: Heheh...
Yukari: Stop that creepy laugh, you perv!
Junpei: And here's our final contestant...
Does anyone else get this weird vibe between Fuuka and Mitsuru-senpai? I dunno...
Then again, maybe that's just how girls are.
Was Junpei kidding? I mean, dizamn, look at Fuuka! :aah:
Junpei: Man, this is great! I'm in heaven! How 'bout a swim?!
It was nice to see Junpei having a good time after all the shit we'd been through lately.
I had an odd feeling, though...
...but it didn't last. Maybe my spider senses were tingling or something.
Junpei was tormenting the girls in the water...
Junpei: Heheheh! You like it? You like that, huh?! No one can resist splashing girls at the beach! Heheh, I'm gonna splash more water on youuuuu!
Junpei: You--!H-hey, you're gonna pay for that! Take this!
...and Akihiko was just chilling up on the beach. I hung out for awhile, then headed back inside.
I had visions as always while on summer vacation - that evening, I saw Mitsuru speaking to her father. After they had their conversation, we all met up to discuss the events of ten years ago.
Summer Vacation - Ten Years Ago Redux
Mitsuru: I'm sorry for bringing such a crowd...
Takeharu: I heard you told them about the incident. Why did you hide it so long?
Mitsuru: I wasn't hiding it...
Takeharu: I've told you time and time again; none of the blame is yours.
Mitsuru: But...
(This is proof that this game takes place in the same world as the previous two Persona games - the Nanjo Group was Nate's corporation from Persona 1 and 2.)
Takeharu: You must learn to trust in others, Mitsuru. There are things in this world that cannot be accomplished alone, no matter how many sacrifices you make.
Mitsuru: ...Yes, father.
Takeharu: You accessed our database, didn't you? That's another thing...why didn't you ask me directly, instead of using this trip as an excuse?
Mitsuru: I'm...I'm sorry.
Takeharu: There's a girl named Takeba in your group, correct? For her to awaken to her power...it must be fate...
Mitsuru: Father...?
We all met up in the lounge shortly afterward to discuss the incident.
Takeharu: If I could've atoned with it for my life, I would have done so...now I have no choice but to rely on you.
A...time machine?
Mitsuru: That's what he was trying to do?
Takeharu: Imagine if you could control the flow of time...eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking.
Junpei: Damn, that's insane...
Takeharu: In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that...it's only natural that you want to know the truth, and it's my duty to tell you.
The lights went off, and a television on the far wall came on.
Scientist: I pray that this recording reaches safe hands...
Scientist: This experiment should have never even been conceived...I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster, but if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price.
Scientist: Please, listen carefully...the Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion.
Scientist: I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success, and so I didn't raise any objections...it is all my fault.
Oh man...
Fuuka: You mean...that was...?
Yukari: ...
Mitsuru: Father...
Takeharu: But we are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research.
Mitsuru: I...I can't believe it...
Yukari: So that means...my dad caused it all...? The Dark Hour, Tartarus...the people who died in that incident...it was all his fault...?
Akihiko: Y-you okay?
Yukari: So that's why you were hiding this...?
Mitsuru: No, Takeba, I...
Yukari ran off.
Fuuka: Um...shouldn't someone go after her?
Mitsuru: ...
I don't know why she asked me, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
I found Yukari staring into the ocean on the beach.
Yukari: This is too much...remember what I told you at the hospital? How my dad died when I was little...?
Yukari: Nobody knew the truth, so there were all sorts of rumors...because he was in charge of the research team, people were really mean to me and my mom. We even had to move a few times.
I told her that it must have been tough to go through that.
Yukari: But all this time, I kept telling myself it wasn't his fault. I loved him a lot, and I believed he'd never do anything wrong. I recieved a letter back in the spring...it was from him, written ten years ago.
Yukari: That only made me believe in him more...when I found I had a special power, I thought it was fate. I was scared, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my Persona.
I told her that that wasn't true at all...
Yukari: Why does reality have to be so harsh? I tried to fight my fear, and this is what I get...maybe I'm just jealous of Mitsuru-senpai. I mean, why my father and not hers?
I didn't think so...she'd been through a lot, it was understandable to feel that way, and she shouldn't blame herself for what happened.
She didn't seem to like that answer much.
Yukari: Nothing ever fazes you. And now, you've got the nerve to try and tell me how to feel?!
I was silent. A few moments later, she'd calmed down.
Yukari: I'm sorry...my head's a mess. I'm so afraid...I don't know what to do anymore. I'm totally lost...
I told her that it was okay not to know - god knows I didn't these days. All we could do was what we thought was right.
Yukari: Ya know...you really are one-of-a-kind.
My head hurt a little when she mentioned that, but...I wasn't angry.
Yukari: Anyway, thanks for listening.
Well, she DID ask, but to be honest I came because I was worried about Yukari, and told her so.
The moment felt right, so I gave her a hug...
...and leave it to Stupei to ruin the moment. He'd ran all the way here.
Junpei: Sheesh...what's taking you so long...everybody's...waiting...
Yukari: Huh? Oh yeah, that's right...
Junpei: Hm? Um...did I miss something?
Yukari: I-I almost forgot...it doesn't matter where you are when the dark hour comes.
Junpei: Well, duh.
Yukari: Once you awaken to the power of Persona, you remember everything that happens during the Dark Hour...
Yukari: So I guess I'm stuck with you guys, huh?
Junpei: Yup! Now that that's settled, let's get back!
They headed off, but before I joined them I got that odd feeling again...
The next day, the girls went to the forest while us guys hung out at the beach...
Summer Vacation - Operation Babe Hunt (Part One)
I had a vision of what the girls were up to, of course. I wonder why this never works when they're in the shower or something...
Fuuka: I never thought a walk in the woods could be so enjoyable. You can't do that in Iwatodai.
Fuuka was trying to lighten the mood, but everyone was in pretty low spirits after last night.
Fuuka: Junpei was acting like such a pervert yesterday, and I didn't know how to react...it's probably a good thing we came out here by ourselves.
Yukari: ...Oh, yeah...
The mood turned sour again, but all of a sudden Mitsuru received a cell phone call.
Turns out it was Ikutsuki.
Ikutsuki: Well, I'm at the lab here on the island...and a machine that was considered inoperable suddenly left the facility on its own...
Yukari: A machine...?
Fuuka: What kind of machine is it? I need detailed information to locate anything other than Shadows.
An anti-Shadow weapon, wow.
Yukari: A combat vehicle...? You mean like a tank?!
Mitsuru: We're not currently with the others, so it might take some time for us all to assemble.
Ikutsuki: I see...well, regardless, I want you to handle this as soon as possible. I'm on my way there now.
That wasn't a good sign.
Fuuka: What? Then how are we supposed to stop it...?
Ikutsuki: Just do your best. I'll call you again later.
Yukari tried to call us, but we'd left our phones at the villa when we'd changed into our swimming trunks.
Mitsuru: Then we can have Yamagishi's Persona scan the area...although, this island is quite large...
Yukari: Geez! Where could they be?!
Turns out we'd woken up later than the girls and decided to go to the beach.
Akihiko: It looks like Fuuka's handwriting...
Junpei: Aw man! We're at an island resort in the middle of summer! Why don't they go to the beach?! That's just not right!!
Akihiko: Well, it is your fault...
Junpei: Whaddya mean? I-I just wanted to lighten up the mood...
Akihiko: I don't want to hear it.
Junpei: Well, it doesn't matter, anyway...
...Oh no.
...Oh god no.
Akihiko: You mean, like, pick up girls...?
Junpei: Whaddya think, Akihiko-san? With you on the squad, we're guarunteed to succeed!
Well I thought about it and Junpei was right - with Akihiko, the ladies would be falling all over us.
Oh hell yeah! I'd get first pick of the litter.
Junpei wasn't thrilled with this idea.
Akihiko took off...
...and Junpei and I went after him.
(For those of you who didn't watch the video of this scene, note that the music track is "Deep Breath Deep Breath", the boss dungeon music. It really is a serious operation!)
We didn't have to look hard to find some ladies.
Junpei: Let's move in for the kill! This is my area of expertise, so listen up...first off, think of something to talk about--something they might be interested in. Give them an easy question to get the ball rollin'. That's the golden rule. Somethin' like "Where're you from?" or "Havin' fun?"
Junpei: I'll start things off, and you can ask the questions, alright?
I asked where they were from...
...but it didn't go so well. Damn, all that Pheromone Coffee had been useless all along! Why did I ever trust something so delicious?!
Junpei: We don't bite.
Girl in Yellow: Why should we tell you?
Junpei: C'mon, cut us some slack...we just wanna talk.
Akihiko: I thought you said you were an expert...
Junpei: Hold your horses, I'm just getting warmed up. Watch and learn...
Oh, for the love of...
Akihiko: Well, we were invited to our friend's vacation home...pretty cool, huh?
Girl in Orange: Good for your friend. We, on the other hand, have to pay for our vacation with our hard-earned money.
Junpei: I guess we're just lucky...
Girl in Yellow: Yeah, lucky you. Whaddya want, anyway?
Er, well, at that point I had basically abandoned hope for this group, so I said we weren't here for anything in particular.
Shit.
Junpei: Hey, I did my best! What about you, Senpai?! You think you can do better?! C'mon, show us what you got.
Akihiko: Wh-why should I?
Junpei: Well, you're supposed to be a tactical master, right? And isn't it our duty to help each other succeed?
Akihiko: ...
Akihiko: Fine, I'll give it a shot. I'm sure I'll do better than you. Can you give me a hand, Minato? I'll set the pace, of course.
We headed down the beach and ran into another gaggle of girls.
Junpei: What are you waiting for, Akihiko-san? Show us how it's done.
Akihiko: ...just keep your mouth shut.
Akihiko: That's my cue.
We walked up to the girls, and Akihiko greeted them.
Yoshie: Yes?
Akihiko: Um...are you here alone?
Nobuko: Teehee...are you hitting on us?
Akihiko: N-no, not at all...
Damn you, Akihiko! Spend less time in the gym and more time at the singles bar!
Nobuko: We were bored anyway, so why don't we just play along? Hey, you guys are kinda cute...
Yoshie: Nobuko!
They looked around 20 to me.
Nobuko: Wow, you made my day...even though I know you're just trying to flatter us. To tell you the truth, we're older than that...
Akihiko: Oh really? That's too ba--
Dammit Junpei, didn't Akihiko tell you not to talk?!
Yoshie: You're a pretty smooth talker for someone so young. How old are you guys, anyway?
Junpei: We're in high school.
Akihiko: I'll be graduating next year.
Yoshie: Look, it isn't gonna happen, so just give it up. You don't even seem like you're having fun talking to us.
Nobuko: We don't even have anything to talk about...except work, and that's just complaints.
Akihiko: Well, that might be interesting...
Yoshie: You're not very good at lying, are you? You don't have to pretend to be interested.
Nobuko: Come on, Yoshie, give him a break...he said he's interested, right?
Nobuko: Oh yeah, sorry. Did we forget to mention that? Well, gotta go. We're having a barbeque at the villa. You can come if you want.
Akihiko: Uh, n-no thanks.
Yoshie: See ya.
Junpei: Man, we looked like a bunch of idiots!
Akihiko: ...
I did my best, geez! I was hoping my cool hair would help!
Well, it looked like I was up next.
We looked around the beach until we ran into another girl.
Wow, she was gorgeous. I asked if she was alone.
Lady: Incidentally, I saw you hitting on those girls. How'd it go?
Well, it was a complete failure.
Akihiko: Do you have to say it like that?
Lady: Hahahaha! That's so stupid it's funny!
Junpei: H-hey, that's not my "A" material...
Lady: How do you expect to get a girl with that kind of attitude?
Lady: Don't be shy. Embrace the unknown...be open to the possibilities...
Lady: Yes, you. I can tell you lack experience.
Lady: Well, if you'd like...I'd be happy to show you a thing or two.
Junpei: S-seriously?!
Lady: I'll teach you how to treat a lady right...tee-hee.
Junpei: I'm in!
Lady: But...
Well, this was Junpei's idea, so I figured we'd let him go ahead.
Junpei: I'll show you that I've got balls!
Lady: Tee-hee, then I'm sure we'll have fun.
Er...
...whoops.
Lady?: There goes my chance...
Aren't there laws about this kind of thing?
Lady?: If you decide you want to try something a little spicier, then you know where to find me. Tee-hee.
S/he left after that, thank God. So nasty.
Junpei: What's wrong? I thought you weren't interested in picking up chicks.
Akihiko: If I'm in a match, I want to win. I know what our problem is...you can't control yourself.
Junpei: What?! Don't blame this on me!
Akihiko: I'm just stating the obvious.
Junpei: B-but, you haven't scored either!
Akihiko: What did you just say...?
Well, obviously it was both of those idiots' faults.
Junpei: Yeah! This is serious...now tell us...who's...
Junpei did, and he pointed her out to us:
Summer Vacation - A Mysterious Girl
We knew right then and there that one of us had to have her.
Summer Vacation - Operation Babe Hunt Part Two
Junpei: Man, she's cute...
Akihiko: I agree...
Junpei: This is our last chance to make up for failures...but this time we should try one-by-one instead of all together. We'll have a better shot that way.
Akihiko: Sounds like a good plan.
Junpei: Alright, then let's decide the order! We'll go clockwise starting with the winner.
Paper has NEVER failed me!
Oh, fuck you, paper.
Junpei: Yeah, I win! Okay, I'll go first, Akihiko-san will go second, and you'll go last. I'm up! With me luck!
Junpei tried to go up to the girl nice and smoothly.
Junpei: So, um...do you come here often? My name's Ju-Ju-Junpei.
Junpei: Don't worry, I-I just want to talk. I mean, it's more fun than standing here by yourself, isn't it?
Yeeeeouch.
Junpei: Sh-she's a tough one, Senpai...
Akihiko: Heh...don't worry about me.
Akihiko went up to give it a shot.
Akihiko: Oh, um, yeah, I like the ocean too. Hey, I heard that triathletes who train at the beach perform better than those who practiice indoors. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Junpei: Wow, he's actually having a conversation with her! Although something's not right...
Double yeouch.
Junpei: It doesn't matter how long you talked to her!
Junpei: ...So that's our status. If you can't pull this off, I'm gonna be traumatized for the rest of my life.
Akihiko: We're on the ropes, but it's not over yet...it's all up to you now.
I went up and gave it my best shot.
Hell yeah, women can't resist The Minato.
Junpei: I couldn't hear what he said...but she looks surprised. We should go over there.
All of a sudden, she took off into the forest.
Junpei: Well, what're you waiting for? Go after her! Go tell her you're sorry! If you don't, we'll all be in trouble! Go on, man. You can catch her if you hurry!
So I charged into the forest after the mysterious girl.
Summer Vacation - Chasing the Mysterious Girl
We got to the tree the girls had went to see before I found her.
Girl: I have found you. I have been searching for you.
Wait, what?!
Yeah, my thoughts exactly!
Akihiko and Junpei were just as confused as I was!
To make matters worse, the girls decided to show up then too.
Fuuka: Um...what're you doing in the middle of the woods in your swimsuits...?
Yukari: You have no idea what we've--huh?!
Mitsuru: Listen, we've encountered a problem. I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I need you all to go back to the house and prepare for battle.
The Chairman showed up right around then, too.
We were pretty confused, but thankfully everyone was safe and the anti-Shadow weapon had been contained, so we headed back to the villa.
(This is an especially long entry, so it will continue in the next post.)