Part 16: 5/6/11-5/12/11

5/6/11

Surprisingly busy day today.

VIDEO- "Doldrums"

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Dammit, I just fixed this thing… It's making squeaking sounds again.

His bike really is a piece of crap.



Huh? Yeah…
Hey, by the way…
I'm sorry about the other day… You know, about what I said to Nanako-chan.
After hanging out with Nanako-chan… I feel even stronger that we have to solve this case.



Hehe… Same to you!
Y'know, Chie and Yukiko seem different lately… They're a lot closer.
Oh yeah, I was just curious, but are you… Ehh, never mind. If we keep chatting, we're gonna be late.
*sigh * Man, school's such a chore. And now my bike's messed up too…
The roads are much wider here than in the city, so I keep speeding… I guess that did it.
*sigh * Oh well. Until I get my motorcycle license, I'll just have to walk.

Yosuke with a motorcycle? Oh lord.



At least they were peaceful.
I listened in on the housewives gossiping at Junes, but it doesn't seem like anything happened.
And I haven't heard anything about someone disappearing suddenly, either…
Y'think Yukiko could've been the last of the victims?

I don't think we're that lucky.



Hmm…
I don't know.
But we shouldn't relax as long as the culprit remains at large.
I wonder… Will someone show up on TV again if it rains?
If we only knew a little more about who the killer might be…
Eh, it's no good fretting over it now. If someone does show up on the Midnight Channel, then we'll deal with it.
It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope this weather holds through next week…
You know… Midterms…
Ugh, you had to go and bring that up… I don't wanna think about it.
*sigh * I wish I had Yukiko's gift for studying…
Hey Yosuke, why don't you have Yukiko go over some of the material with you?
Hm? Oh, that's right. Yukiko's ranked at the top on every exam.

Yosuke's word choice was, as always, perfect.



P-Private lessons!?
Huh? What's wrong?
Ow…! What was that for? I'm just asking you to help me study…
Oh, I'm sorry… You were talking about studying…
I thought it might've been an off-color joke. Our inn has had some strange visitors lately…
If you thought it was a joke, then just shrug it off!
Sorry. My hand moved without thinking…
Geez…
Thanks a lot, Chie, for bringing up the whole studying thing.
Wh-What did I do!?
You're the one who made it sound creepy and wrong! "Private lessons," huh?
Wha-Then it's mostly my fault!?
Oh… I should start heading home.

I asked that girl on the roof about her hobbies again for that guy.



Long-Haired Girl: When you read a book, it's like a whole world opens up just for you. I get so excited the first time I open a book!

Then I headed down to the shrine, figured the fox might have another wish it wanted granted.



> This ema is written in rounded characters. It's probably a young girl's handwriting.
Ema: I want things to go well with the person I like!
> It seems the fox wants you to fulfill the wish written on the ema on its behalf.
> Could it be thinking that if wishes are fulfilled, then more money will be put into the offertory box?
> Accepted Quest 06: "I Wish for Love"
*bark *
> The fox seems happy.

I walked back to school, and on the way in saw something sort of strange.



Female Student: Oh, you're the transfer student, Souji…
……
Souji…?
Oh, I must have made a mistake! This is your shoe box!
> The female student ran away…
> She said something about shoe boxes…
> …?
> There's something inside your show box…
> It's a note…
Note: "Excuse me for writing this to you out of the blue.
"I held my emotions back all this time because I didn't want to disrupt your studies, but I just had to tell you…
"I love you!"
> It's a very moving love note. However, it's actually addressed to someone else…
> Apparently, the girl put this in the wrong shoe box…
> Perhaps she's the one who wrote the ema request the fox showed you.
> You should talk to her the next time you see her…

She'd already run off, though, so I decided to chill out with Yosuke for the rest of the afternoon.



> Yosuke brought you all the way here…
Mmmm… It's been a while since I breathed this kinda air!
Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent.
Wait a minute… Am I starting to sound like Teddie?



Now that you mention it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had…!
H-Hey, you're making me scare myself!
> Yosuke is smiling…
Well, that aside, what should we-
Oh, a text message.
More spam…
Looks like someone got my address. I get a lot of spam.

I mean that's an easy problem to fix.



Even when I do, they change domains, so there's no point.
And I don't wanna change my address…
> Yosuke is sighing…
I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba.
I mean, I might get a text from someone. …It's hard to call, y'know?
If I called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed.
And some of them might not wanna text me at all…
Oh but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!
……
Though to tell you the truth, I don't remember what we all used to talk about. Can't really call 'em friends…
Inaba suits me just find. Plus… I got something I need to do there.
I'm counting on ya, partner!

Oh, Yosuke also mentioned he'd come up with some crazy move he could only use when the enemy was off balance. I'm sure I'll see it sooner or later.



Well, with that in mind, should we head back?
I'd suck if something happened back there while we were over here!
Alright, let's head home! Wait… Let's get everyone a souvenir, then go home!
> You returned to Inaba with Yosuke in a hurry…

I'd not really talked with Dojima before, as I thought about it.

VIDEO- "The Hierophant"

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How're things? You should be used to life here by now.
Haha, you bored? Well, have a seat.
We haven't had time to talk like this since you got here, huh?
……
> Dojima is desperately casting about for a topic to discuss…
Uhhh… Well, how's school?

Been fun except for the way my new friends and I have almost died.



I see… That's good to hear.
You school days will be over before you know it.
Make sure you have fun while you can.
> Dojima is nodding to himself.
What else…? Oh, yeah… How about your friends?
……
Looks like you've made plenty of 'em.
> Dojima is scowling…
I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but…
You know what I'm talking about, right?

I think I knew what he was getting at.



Huh. So you did notice…
> Dojima is nodding.
For some reason, wherever there's an incident, there you are…
I wish I didn't have to consider this, but… the killings began around the time you came to town.
My job is all about eliminating the random element. I look only at the facts.
If you keep getting caught up in my job, then…
…What's wrong?
Big bro didn't do anything bad.
I-I know. I didn't mean it like that.
But you're bullying him…
I'm not bullying him. We were just having a little talk.
It's getting late… Go to sleep.
…Okay.
Sheesh…
She's really taking a shine to you.

Dojima had some good advice for me that I wasn't going to take.



As long as you're safe, everything's fine. Your parents didn't ask me to raise your grades or anything.
> It seems Dojima is genuinely worried about you.
> You feel a faint bond forming between you and Dojima…

I guess it's only right if I have one of these with a fox that I also have one with my uncle.



Things here might be a little different from what you're used to, but this is a good town.
Though it's a little dangerous right at the moment…
Now then, it's about time for you to turn in. Get some sleep.
'Night.

Only a few more days until exams start…

5/7/11

Freaking rain again. I hate it.



Chatty Girl: All this rain… I hate rain. It's supposed to keep raining until this evening, too.
Speaking of misery… Midterms start next Monday.
They even post the results up for everyone to see…
Easygoing Girl: Oh, don't worry about it.
Your life isn't going to be ruined by one little piece of paper, is it?
Chatty Girl: What? How can you possibly believe that?
Getting good grades has benefits when interacting with people!
Talented people really are more highly valued in society, aren't they…?

Oh yeah one of the teachers has a hand puppet of himself.



Mr. Hosoi: Of course I did. But it's raining today. I hope I can get it home without getting it all wet…
So, uh, does anyone have an extra book cover they'd be kind enough to lend me?
…Whoops, I have to start the lecture! Don't try to distract me by talking about books!
Um, so day we'll be covering free morphemes. Let's get out our textbooks, everyone.
A free morpheme is a word that can stand alone. New words are formed by combining them with other free or bound morphemes.
Some examples would be the words "tree," "juice," or "fruit." As you can guess, bound morphemes can't stand alone.
…Okay. Let's see if Souji-chan can answer this.
Which of the following is NOT a free morpheme?

It sort of gives it away when it has a suffix.



Mr. Hosoi: Good job. That was kinda tricky, wasn't it?
The word "ionize" can be divided into "ion"-a free morpheme-and the suffix "-ize," meaning it's not a morpheme.
Understanding morphemes may give you clues about a word's meaning, so it wouldn't hurt to study them.

I ran into that girl who was trying to leave a love letter outside.



Female Student: ……
> It's the girl that mistakenly put a love letter inside your shoe box.
Love Note Sender: …D-Did you read my letter?

No point lying about it.



Love Note Sender: H-H-How could you!? You jerk!
I didn't even have the courage to sign it, and yet a totally random person now knows my secret!
…Argh! What's the point of trying to be secretive any more!?
I've already embarrassed myself this much, I might as well go confess! How do you like that!?
> The female student ran off…
> Maybe you should ask her about how her confession went…

I actually liked very much that she was going to do this. Hopefully it turns out okay, making the fox mad bank. Also the Aiya Bowl is bullshit, but I'll be damned if I let a bowl of noodles defeat me. One day, Aiya Bowl, one day!

5/8/11

Chie called me up and asked if I was doing anything earlier.



Would you mind hanging out with me for a while today? I need to get my mind off of studying for a while…

Sure beats studying all day.



We headed down to the Samegawa.



Y'know, for training!
I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle.
I tried practicing at home… But my mom and dad yelled me for putting a hole in the shoji.
Still, now's the time to train, right!?

If there ever was a time this was indeed it.



You think so, too!?
> Chie looks really happy.
Soooo… Let's train together!
…No?

I know I've been thinking of doing this too.



Yesss! Thanks, Souji-kun!
> Chie looks really happy.
That thing… Y'know, from that time? I mean the Shadow that came out of me.
I feel pathetic knowing that's another "me."
Makes me feel like I gotta work harder!
Allllright, let's do it!
Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!
> This marks the beginning of your training with Chie.
> You feel your relationship with Chie has grown a bit deeper…

This could be fun, and with the killer still at large being in good shape can't hurt.



Let's start today with frog leaps!
C'mon, you try some!
> You trained with Chie for a while and walked partway home with her.

I think I'm as well prepared for these exams as I can be. Just hope it's enough.

5/9/11

Not much to talk about today.



Exams are finally starting today…
Real life's harsh…

I think Chie might be kinda screwed honestly.



Can't you tell? Do I look like I'm ready?
…But, even once exams are over, we're not done with the case.
All this depressing stuff's just gonna keep going on and on and on…

At least the exams aren't that bad.









One day down.

5/10/11

And day two.









Halfway done.

5/11/11

Going well so far on day three.









Just one last written comprehensive part tomorrow, and we're done.

5/12/11

Overall I think this all went pretty well.



> You were familiar with every question…
> ……
> You feel confident about your answers!

Still a hell of a relief to have it all over.

VIDEO- "After Exams"

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Whewwww! What a load off! I bet every student feels like this after exams are over!
Hey, quiet down!
So, what did you write for number seven? The one about what "that" referred to in the sentence.
Um… I put "her sorrowful expression."
Oh crap, then I got it wrong! I put, "the rice cakes on top of the table."
Rice cakes…? Wait, was that what the story was about…?
Alright, I'm giving up on composition. I'm gonna bet it all on geography!
What did you choose for the tallest mountain in the solar system?

That had been a pretty easy one as I recalled.



Oh, seriously!? I chose the wrong one…
Oh, I put that one too.
Whoa, you too!? Then it's probably the right answer…
*sigh * Boy, I can't wait for our grades to be posted out in the hall where everyone can see 'em. Geez…
Knowledgeable Student: Hey, did you hear? A TV station's filming here in town.
Student's Friend: They're probably just doing more stuff about that hanging corpse case.
Knowledgeable Student: No, it's not that. You know the highway nearby? They're gonna cover those biker gangs that hang around there.
A friend of mine goes to the biker meetings sometimes. I heard it from him.
Student's Friend: Dude, what're you doing hanging out with a guy in a biker gang?
Well, anyways… Whaddya think about tomorrow's group blind date? We were gonna meet outside, but…
It's gonna rain soon, right? Won't it be better to play it safe tomorrow too?

Bikers, eh? Can't say they were a problem in the city, but I guess around here the police can't keep them in check.



Oh yeah… They raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear 'em.
We live right by the road. The noise can drive you insane.
I hear some guys at this school are part of it, too.
Yeah, I know there are some rumors about a first-year student here who's a total hellraiser.
One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school.
Although... Was he in a biker gang…?
D-Did you say he was a legend?
Uh, it's not what you think, Yukiko…

I got a chance to finish asking that girl on the roof about her hobbies.



Long-Haired Girl: Stories and novels are good, but what I really like are photobooks and books with animal facts.
It's fun to just look at them, isn't it?
> After you asked that question, she began talking about her goals for the future. You listened intently…
> You heard something that might prove to be useful! You should report back to her admirer…

He wasn't here today, I'll have to wait for him next time. Also, that girl from the love letter had some news.



Love Note Sender: The confession! It worked!
I can't believe it! I'm so happy.
I'm glad I got his shoe box confused with yours.
…Oh, that's right!
I need to give thanks at the Tatsuhime Shrine! My wish came true!
I'll make a big offering!

So now I'm an instrument of fate or something. Anyway, soccer practice was eventful.



P.E. Teacher: Now you guys won't have to take turns doing all the work anymore. You can thank me later!
Go on, introduce yourself.

I'm not really sure what to think about Ai.



……
P.E. Teacher: Great! You can take it from here. I'm going home!
I'm gonna tell you guys straight up, I'm not lifting a finger for this team.
I wouldn't be caught dead watching out for a bunch of sweaty guys.
Soccer Player: What? Then why did you-
I've missed too many days of school. But they'll let me move up if I manage a team.
But don't expect me to put any effort into it. For the most part, I'm not even gonna be here.
Well, seeya. Or not.

I mean she's not even pretending to care. I think I've seen her around school, maybe I should talk to her.



Soccer Player: Oh well. I guess Ai-san won't be doing our laundry, huh?
Tch, why are you showing her so much respect? She's the same age as us.
Dude, just let me fantasize about her in peace, alright?
No way! Her!?
> The soccer players continue talking about Ai Ebihara…
Soccer Player: Hey Daisuke, think you'd go for a chick like Ai-san?
Not in a million years.
Soccer Player: Really? I mean, yeah, she's got major issues, but don't you think she's kinda hot?
…Girls annoy me.
Soccer Player: They do? How 'bout guys, then?
Knock it off!
Weren't you dating back in middle school, bro?

Daisuke didn't seem very excited to talk about this.



Soccer Player: Ohhh, I get it. You've got higher standards now, huh?
Must be nice to be so popular that you can get any chick you want! Us "normal" guys couldn't possibly understand…
Whatever… Girls are a pain in the ass, right, Souji?

He did have a point.



Yeah, you see where I'm comin' from?
> Daisuke looks happy.
Girls don't even talk to me, but they're always coming up and asking me out. What do they know about me?
……
You guys done over here? Same thing as last time, right? A little overtime practice, and then we'll clean up.
Let's do this!
Hm…
Haha. Sure, let's do it.



They went shopping earlier, so I decided to make some lunch.



> You decided to make beef stew.
> ……
> Now, you have to simmer it…
> How do you simmer it?

Obviously you use a drop lid.



> The ingredients have been deliciously cooked to completion.
> Obtained Well-simmered Beef Stew.

Those guys were talking like it's going to rain tomorrow night. Will someone appear on the Midnight Channel again? I guess we won't know until then.

Next Time On Persona 4: Kanji