Part 69: 10/7/11-10/8/11

10/7/11

This afternoon Naoto came up to our class during a break, she had a pretty good idea.

VIDEO- "A Checkup"

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Do you have time after school today?
Did something happen?
No… Rather, I'd like to have a doctor examine Teddie.
A doctor?
You mean a vet?
The normal kind, actually.
If you're free, I've scheduled a checkup for him after school today.
A thorough physical examination might be a good first step in figuring out what Teddie is.
And I thought it might be a good idea for the rest of us to get checkups as well.
We should see if the fog over there or the power we've gained have had any negative effects on our health.
Since you all have been active on the other side far longer than I have, you should definitely be examined.
Negative effects!? D-Don't drop scary stuff on us like it's nothing…
Yeah… I never even thought about that.
I've arranged to have Kanji-kun and Rise-san looked at as well.
Wow, you're on the ball about all this… Are you sure you're not an adult?
Her height's a big giveaway, though.
Well… I'll see you all after school.
> You'll be going to the hospital after school at Naoto's recommendation.

It's like Yosuke is physically incapable of going a whole conversation without being a dick to someone. Anyway, it was a pretty routine checkup for the most part.



I was kinda looking forward to getting into some gigantic machine and being spun around.
Was there really a point to this? The doctors looked confused too…
Oh, they're back.
I'm very sorry for the wait.
I'm bear-y sorry for the wait.
So did they find out anything about Teddie?
They did indeed… They found out that they can't tell anything about him.
I even had them take an X-Ray, but nothing came up on it.
No matter how many times they tried, it would always be too blurry to read.
A visual examination and standard palpations indicated that he seems perfectly normal.
Since the machine could be malfunctioning, they told me to try another hospital if we're still worried about him.
I felt bad for making them go through all this…
So, he is different…
Oh my, what should I do?
They took a look at everything inside me.
She just said they couldn't see anything on the X-Ray, you dork.
But at least they didn't find anything wrong with him, right?
Man, we know about as much about Teddie as we do those Personas and Shadows…

Yosuke and Naoto had both been busy in that direction it seems.



Persona means something like, another personality.
And I think they listed "Shadow" under the related terms…
Shadows are Shadows… I think they're something that comes out of people…
Um, I can't really explain…
I performed my own research after the incident.
"Persona" and "Shadow" are common psychological terms.
Of course, the ones we are familiar with don't quite fit those definitions.
This is what was written in an unofficial project document that I happened to come across.
A Shadow is suppressed power, and when controlled by one's ego, it becomes a Persona…
It becomes a Persona…? What, does that mean they're basically the same thing?
Then again, all those Shadows we beat the shit out of did turn into Personas…
Ahh, who cares about the details… It doesn't' matter what they are. If they get in our way, I'll crush 'em.
Still, I couldn't find any information on how they're related to the other world.
*sigh * There's so much stuff about us that we don't have a clue about…
There's some things we do know, though.
Hmhmm… I got a bunch of awesome data with me.
It's kinda embarrassing that I'm the only one who had personal details shown to the world, so…

I don't know how the hell Teddie got the results of the physicals but boy are those the worst possible hands for something like that.



Nowadays, information wants to be free!
Therefore, I'll break the ice by announcing the results of everyone's physical exams!
Wha--!? No you won't! Give 'em to me, NOW!
Ooooh… First place in the "shortest legs division" is… Huh, who woulda guessed!?
I-It's not me, is it!? Hey, what kinda things did they examine, anyway!?
Look… If you're gonna blab it all… You might as well tell us the girls' measurements!
WHAT!? Are you a complete and utter moron!?
Sure, go right ahead. My profile's been public knowledge for ages.
Oh, but my bust size is 2cm smaller than they print. My agency insisted.
N-No! Don't say mine!
Aww, I bet guys won't care what size you are, Senpai.
And having modestly sized breasts like yours would definitely make it easier to wear a kimono.
Wh-What…!?
Oh yeah, Naoto-kun's is in here too, huh? Umm, let's see… Naoto-kun's is…
……
Is this… for real? Wait, isn't this measured wrong?

I have never seen someone grab something away so fast.



The important thing is that according to the examination results, nothing's wrong with our health!
So we won't be needing these anymore!
I'm going to go shred them!
Uhhh… Well, thank goodness everyone's healthy!
Y-You're right! Let's go home!

Teddie seemed like he had something on his mind as we left.



We'll find out together.
Yeah… Thanks, Sensei!
> Teddie is gazing at you with gratitude in his eyes…

I hope we do find these answers before this is through.



Heeeey! If you guys don't hurry, we're gonna leave you guys behind!

I headed back out to the hospital that night for work. Sayoko's really not doing well.



I'm fine.
Doctor: B-But your face is very pale…
……
You are aware that you've gained something of a reputation recently, right?
I'm not the only one who would rather see you return to the easy-to-work-with Sayo-chan from not too long ago…
…I have work to do. If you'll excuse me.
Don't tell me you're slacking off, too…
*sigh *
I know I'm getting nowhere…
But I have to do it…
> Sayoko seems genuinely tormented…
> …You're so worried about Sayoko, you hesitate to even say something to her…

She can't keep going on like this.



Goodbye, now.
> You watched Sayoko walk away, then went home.

10/8/11

You know I'm not worried about exams but they're a real hassle.



Exams start next Friday, but I am just not in the mood for schoolwork.
The true killer is someone else… We're the only ones who know that.
If we don't act, the case will grind to a halt.
I can't study, either.
That isn't good.
If your grades drop, Dojima-san may suspect something is going on.
Please, do your best on the tests for the sake of the case.
Anyway, we can only wait for the culprit to make his move.
We must not forget to check the Midnight Channel, too.
This is a crucial moment.

Mr. Kondo is seriously the best teacher here.



Mr. Kondo: Guess what!? We're going to have exams at the end of next week!
Make sure you study, especially those of you who've been playing around all summer!
Some people may not even want to talk to you if you're not smart! And friendship is important to a student, right?
Today we'll go over… the predicate nominative! It sounds complicated, but don't worry!
It's just a word that completes a linking verb and renames the subject of the sentence!
For example… Let's see… You're looking handsome today, Souji!
Which word is the predicate nominative in this sentence? "Mr. Kondo is a super awesome teacher!"

I mean the balls to ask that.



Mr. Kondo: Great! That's correct! I knew you'd nail this one!
In that sentence, "Mr. Kondo" is the subject, and via the helping verb, "is," becomes "teacher," the predicate noun!
See!? Simple, wasn't it!? …Right?
Boy, maybe we should do another example. I've got lots more sentences like that!

I headed down to the shopping district to go to the Velvet Room, the gas station attendant is getting kind of philosophical now.



Attendant: Kinda like driving a car... All you gotta do is step on the gas, and the car does the rest. If life was like that…
Uh, what am I saying? Sorry, I tend to think of crazy things when I'm bored.

I managed to fill Margaret's request finally.



Wonderful! This Yatagarasu has the Megido skill… You have successfully completed the request.
……
Riddle me this… What kind of Yatagarasu is a crow with three legs?
……
…I accidentally told you the answer.
……
I'm sorry I spoiled it…
I wanted to give you a riddle that my master once told me.
It was difficult, yet entertaining, and somewhat sad…
Since we've begun meeting this way, I've gained an interest in words.
Anyway… Thank you for showing me this exquisite card.
> Margaret is smiling gently…
> You became a little more intimate with Margaret…

I'm still not sure I totally get the point of these, but it's been interesting.



Well then… For my next request…
I'd like a Yatsufusa that knows Mediarama… If anyone can do this for me, it's you.
I eagerly await your return.

I decided we should head into the TV and train a bit, give Naoto a chance to feel out her new ability. And just as every other time, a strong Shadow had moved into the Secret Laboratory.

VIDEO- "Extreme Vessel"

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Boss Battle: Extreme Vessel
The Extreme Vessel is really quite simple. It's only got two attacks, the multi-target physical Virus Wave and the brutal single target physical God's Hand. There's no real elegant strategy, slug it out with the boss while keeping your party alive and you'll win.

There was a weird gun on the surgical table.



Feinne's Special Notes:
I'm going to give the Algernon a shout-out here in the thread because it's one of the best weapons anyone gets in the game. It gives Naoto +5 to all her stats, which is pretty incredible.

We took out the weird tank thing and headed home triumphantly. It's not supposed to rain at night for a while, so at least we can focus on exams for the moment.