Part 63: September 4 - September 5: An Eruption of Violence

-The Path is Open-


The finalized design for Yosuke Hanamura. The defined bridge of his nose indicates that he's meant to be a pretty boy.


The finalized design for Jiraiya, Yosuke Hanamura's Persona. It was based off what Yosuke would imagine as a hero.



-Tanaka's Amazing Commodities-




Wow, having a scooter is great! At first I thought I'd only ride it around town, so I didn't keep much gas in it. But riding it is so much fun that I just had them fill up my tank! Hey, you wanna go somewhere with me?
Let's go to the beach.
The beach!? Right now...? Huh, I guess we do have time to get there and back today. Wait, just the two of us? Does that mean...?
Haha, okay. Let's go to the beach! I know the way pretty well by now, so just follow me!

-Like A Dream Come True-




I wonder if the water's still warm enough to swim in? Come on, Senpai, let's jump in!



> You feel the time is right for an in-depth conversation with Rise. You decide to talk about the future...

In the future, I'd like to be with you, and we'll...
Huh? That's not what you meant? Then, uh...

Rise doesn't get any new skills from Bike Date. Instead, each trip increases the magnitude of her All-Out Attack boost.

> Samegawa flood plain...It seems Kanji called the boy here.





> Each one with different clothing and accessories. They're...very elaborate.

Doll boy: I can have these!?
Y-Yeah. If you don't need 'em, I guess you could just toss...
Doll boy: Thank you!! Oh, yeah! Mom said you should at least be paid for the materials...She gave me some money.
I-I said I don't need it! I look like I'm in this for the money to you!?
Doll boy: Mister, you're from Tatsumi Textiles, right?...Oh, uh, nothing!
Huh? Big bro?


What are these!?
Uh, well...
Doll boy: This man made them!
That's amazing! You're really good!
She looked straight at me when he said "this man"...H-Hey, Nanako-chan...Don't go around telling everyone, okay? It's kinda embarrassing...
Why? I think it's cool you can make things like this. I want to learn how to make them, too.
Oh...Well, maybe next time...That okay with you, "big bro?"
I want to learn too.
M-Me? Teach you...? Er, I-I ain't that good at teaching...

> Kanji's face is thoroughly red...

Oh, I was on my way to Emi-chan's house! Teach me next time! Bye!
Doll boy: I'm going to show these to Mom! Thank you, Mister!!


About what "strength" really means. I used to think it was doing what needed to be done, like a man...So I thought, for me, that was catching this damn killer. And I mean, that's important too, but...There's something else I gotta confront too, ain't there?
Your past.
My past...Yeah. I still ain't snapped out of it. The stuff that "other me" said inside the TV world...That girl I made cry a long time ago...I haven't gotten past any of it...

> Kanji is muttering to himself...

It ain't that easy to become strong, is it...?

> Kanji is looking far into the distance with a relieved look on his face. His face shines with a gentleness you've never seen before from him...


I'm takin' off. Mom saw the stuff I made...She's been hassling me about selling 'em at the shop. The hell's a textile shop gonna do with stuff that's already been knit?

> Despite his words, Kanji seems happily embarrassed...You parted with Kanji and went home.





-Your Affection-

> You overhear students talking.


Girl with average-length hair: I've seen on the news that there are still some loose ends to this case, but the police are ready to end everything.
Athletic girl: The what...? You mean those murders? Why're you still thinking about stuff from that far back? Ignore that! The school trip starts on Thursday. Both the first and second years are going! I might end up in the same group as Risette! I'm so looking forward to it!
Girl with average-length hair: Sheesh, you never even cared about idols until now...

-Specialist-


Mr. Hosoi: After the murder incidents, an idol comes to town, and then a detective shows up too...? This town used to be so carefree. Every year was more of the same until this year came along...Anyway, I'm supposed to cover haiku today. Get out your textbooks. Haiku, unlike senryu, contain "kigo," which are words or phrases that can be associated with a particular season. All right, why don't I test the waters with a kigo-related question. Sanzo-chan!


Brisk.
Mr. Hosoi: Wow, I'm impressed, Sanzo-chan! You're correct! While "brisk" is an adjective usually used regardless of season, it is a fall kigo. So if you're writing a haiku, don't use that word to describe a season that isn't fall.



> Teddie is sitting there with exaggerated nonchalance...

Man, I get all excited when school's over. This feeling of freedom is like, such a rush.
Why're you talking like that?
I'm acting like a student! It's a pretty good impression, right? I wanted to know more about this school thing that everyone goes to. And it's much more fun than I thought it would be! One day won't be enough...Heehee.

> It seems Teddie plans to keep coming to school from here on out. You hope this doesn't cause any problems...

Left, right, everywhere I look, I see girls in uniforms...Hee! No wonder people go to school!


So he came to look for me? Huh...that's surprisingly dedicated. But no, he's still a child. He's not worthy to be my partner.


I see. Thanks, man...

-Smile-

> Samegawa riverbank. Yosuke brought you here, a solemn look on his face...


Somewhere deep down...I didn't trust you. No, it's more like...I was jealous of you.
I thought you were like me. Coming from the city to the countryside, I thought you'd be bored out of your mind here.
But as soon as you got here, you called your Persona...Became our leader, gathered people...You're a hero. I like you for that, and I'm proud of you...But I guess I was jealous at the same time.
I didn't know.
I didn't know it either...When I called you "special," I thought some more about it. I think out of everyone, I wanted to be acknowledged by you the most...
So...

-Zone Time-


Give me a good one. Knock out all this crap inside me. I want to be equal to you. I want us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. So c'mon...

> Will hitting Yosuke make you and him equal...?

All right, but you hit me first.
Huh...? B-But I don't have a reason to hit you...
I got it now. If we're "equal," then...I guess you're right.
Okay, here I come! Take your best shot!

> You brawled it out with Yosuke...



-Smile-


Your punches are brutal...I was seeing stars there for a second...
But thanks, man...I don't know how to say it, but...That sure beat words.

> Yosuke's face is peaceful...

You can have this.

> You obtained Buddy's Bandage.

If you start bleeding, put that on. Y'know...We should fight more often.
Phew...The sky's so high up. Is Saki-senpai watching us...? Is she smiling at us? Senpai...I'm going to live. Without lying to myself, without deceiving myself...Days like today, days like before when I did nothing...They're all important days...They're all days you didn't live to see...I'm going to live them here.

> Yosuke is smiling gently...

-Strength of Heart-



> Yosuke's strong will that allowed him to accept and overcome his weakness has awakened his heart's true power...



> Yosuke's Persona has been reborn...! Jiraiya has transfigured into Susano-o!



Susano-o, the hot-tempered demon-slayer and lord of the summer's tempest.


The power to protect what's dear to me, huh...Heheh, just what I wanted.
Let's keep at it, so we can live every day with a smile...Leader.

> You can feel Yosuke's warm trust...You feel a tight bond between you and Yosuke...



-The Path is Open-

Yosuke has accepted his loss...



...and with that acceptance, comes the resolve to ensure no one else has to suffer it.



-Smile-



> You spent a long while with Yosuke...

Here at last we have the team's first awakened Persona.



The benefits are the same for most of the team: immunity to their strong element, a skill to evade their weak element, and resistance to a third.



> You remember that you have a Sharp Shovel...You uncover one old shoe and several old balls...Did this dog hide these here?

Dog: *bark bark*! *bark*!

> Perhaps as thanks for your excavation assistance, the dog offers you a bone...You obtained Bone!





> The model has been completed! Obtained Heavy-armor Agni. You should put it on your shelf.