Part 59: 9/16/11-9/17/11

9/16/11

It's still raining today, which worried me until I saw it's supposed to clear up before the night. At least we've got some time.

VIDEO- "The Next Day"

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Guy With A Backpack: It's been raining for a few days, but I heard it's finally supposed to clear up this afternoon.
Lazy Student: Really? Then I don't have to cancel my plans.
You know that there's a holiday next week, right? I promised my girlfriend we'd go to Okina together that day.
I was worried that it might rain that day… Phew!
Guy With A Backpack: What? If that's the case, then I hope it never stops raining!
Rain like a waterfall so his date gets cancelled!

When school ended and the rain cleared up, we headed to Junes.



What's the verdict, Teddie? Is he really in there?
I do smell someone.
It's just like before… Nothing's changed.
Like… before…
Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!
He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced.
He also believed that the people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, remember?
Wait, you're saying… he's using himself as bait!?
We came to the same conclusion he did, about how people who become famous through TV would disappear.
Could he be trying to prove the theory by using himself…?
You mean he got kidnapped on purpose!? That's crazy… He could be killed!
He said, "This is not a game former either…"
It's all my fault… I'm the one that said that to him…
That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us!?
He knew we'd stop him if he did… Instead, he left us clues so we could figure it out and-
I know! That son of a…
B-But… What about the killer the police are holding now?
Mitsuo did kill King Moron, right?

We can certainly be sure of that, but the others…?



I get it now…! I remember Naoto-kun mentioning this!
He said it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!
Then is King Moron the only one Mitsuo killed…!?
That'd explain why there were no signs of King Moron being thrown into the TV…
The killer didn't change his methods for King Moron… It just seemed that way 'cause it was done by someone else!
Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun… That's the real killer!?
B-But wait a sec…
Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take the blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird?
And they said on the news that the culprit confessed to the other murders, too…
There's also something else that's been bothering me, but… Um…
To hell with someone who's behind bars!
If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there!
We gotta go find him!

We rushed into the TV to see if we could find Naoto, but just as before no luck.



That's amazing, Rise-chan! There's no way my nose can pick up that much.
Shall I give you a massage?
Don't bother her!
It's the same as last time… I know he's here, but I can't tell where…
I need something that'll help me understand him… I need some clues.
Without that, I have no idea which way we should look…
Dammit… There's too much we don't know about that kid…
But if we don't do something, he's gonna…
Hey, snap out of it! This is just like all the other times.
Let's not panic, keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem!
First, we need to look for something that'll help us locate him.
I-I know… I-I wasn't panicking.
We know he's over here… So all we gotta do is get him out.
I'm sorry I couldn't find him…
All I need is some kind of hint to help me understand him better. Then I could find him for sure!
> It seems you need more information about Naoto to make any progress.
> You should ask around about him…

Let's see, where to start. Well, I picked up a new request from the fox, some guy is afraid of cats and needs our help.



I decided to start out by asking around the school, figured maybe a first-year knew more about him than we did.



Female Student: Well, I heard a rumor that there's this girl who saw something peculiar about him…
I think she usually hangs out in the Practice Building after school. Why don't you go talk to her?

I guess it's a good thing that the rumor mill is so brutal around here.



Female Student: Oh, this is interesting! I saw him get really angry.
I'm not sure what it was about, but he was with a policeman.
I wonder what happened to make him shout like that.
This was in the shopping district a little while ago.
> Naoto was with a policeman earlier…?
> In any case, you should try to find this policeman…

The police were, as always, not saying anything.



Police Officer: I'm in the middle of something here, so don't bother me. If school's out, go home already.
I swear, kids these days…
> He doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk…
> It may be best to make a change of plans.

I was trying to figure out how to get something from the cops when I ran into Chie by the river. She had a great idea.



I guess it's no good unless we act like we're Naoto-kun's friends and we're worried about him…
Like, "Naoto hasn't been to school recently and we're getting worried. Is he busy with police work?"
Why not ask them something like that?
> …Chie's suggestion does seem to make sense.
> Next time you speak to the police, you should try that…

I returned to talk to the police again.



> You told him that Naoto hasn't been coming to school lately and that you're worried…
Police Officer: Shirogane…? Do you know him?
I haven't seen him at the station lately, either.
Funny, it wasn't that long ago that he'd be around well into the night, looking through the files.
Even if he wasn't satisfied with the case's outcome, he seemed to be so focused that I thought he was obsessed with it.
> You listened to him talk about Naoto…
> Maybe you should try talking to another police officer…

There weren't any other cops around, so I spent the rest of the afternoon helping out at the daycare. Nothing else we can do today, we'll have to try again tomorrow.

9/17/11

Well, today certainly was eventful.



Ms. Sofue: Hoho… The people were very kind to me. They were probably able to sense my deep appreciation and love for their history.
I even found some things with my dowsing rod that I-Shoot, I almost forgot I'm supposed to be lecturing.
So, our next chapter is going to cover… the age of exploration.
Then let us start with a question, to see if you are all awake and ready to learn.
Hm, destiny wills me to choose… Miss Chie… No, Souji.
Magellan is known for making the first voyage around the globe, but what was his motive for doing so?

This was a pretty easy one.



Ms. Sofue: …Good job, Souji. You could become a historian if you wanted to.
You're right. Magellan began his voyage to obtain a massive profit through the spice trade.
Even though he was driven by money, his greed changed the entire world's perspective.
Similar incidents can be found in Egypt as well… Let's move on with a few examples of it…

And there was another cop stationed in the shopping district today, who had the other piece of the puzzle.



> You told him that Naoto hasn't been coming to school lately and that you're worried…
Policeman: That kid is skipping school to do his investigation…?
What's his problem, really? The department has all but closed the case. Just because he's not satisfied… Sheesh.
All we wanna do is shut the book on this thing so we don't have to deal with it anymore…
I wish he'd let it go already. No wonder the whole department treats him like a kid.
He's getting all worked up over nothing. That's why everyone gives him the cold shoulder, ya know.
> You learned something about Naoto…
> You should put together the information you've gathered…
> It seems that Naoto had a fervid obsession with the investigation.
> But it seems that his obsession was not well received, and the police treated him like a child.
> You think you understand Naoto a bit more…
> You should report to Rise.

And so we returned to the TV world to try and find Naoto. And just as every other time, we had plenty of surprises in store for us….

Next Time On Persona 4: Contempt