Part 97: 12/8/11-12/9/11

12/8/11

We're going to wait for the weekend to take our first crack at whatever Adachi's got waiting for us.



Scared Student: Is this fog getting thicker and thicker? …Or is it just me!?
Does this mean the world's coming to an end!? I actually heard someone say that!
Wh-What do you think's gonna happen? Earthquake!? Tsunami!?
Braided Girl: Huh? Nothing's gonna happen. It's just fog, you doofus.
Besides, if something terrible happens, the Defense Force or somebody is sure to come save us.
Scared Girl: Yeah, I guess you're right.
Ah!
What if some giant monster attacks Inaba!? Or aliens!? I saw a movie about something like this!

We got our exam grades back, at least I don't have to worry about my grades.



I decided to see how Ai was holding up, we went up to the roof to talk.



I don't mind.
Thank you, Souji… You really are a nice guy.
> Ai smiles gently…
…After I calmed down, I gave my life some serious thought.
Why do I go on such crazy shopping sprees? Why do I feel the need to be so well dressed all the time?
What makes me want to ditch class? Do I want to stand out so that I'll catch people's eyes?
……
And… why do I always find myself wanting to talk to you?
I always thought that if I couldn't be pretty, I'd be better off dead…
Nobody likes people who aren't pretty. They hate you. What's the point of life if everybody hates you…?
But lately I've been thinking, maybe I'm wrong…
There's still a lot I don't know… I guess I shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions.
And before I realized it, I was crying. I've always made sure not to cry, too, because it makes my eyes swell…
I pulled back my curtains, and the sun was just coming up… The stars were shining so dimly…
And for some reason, it made me think of you…
I wonder why…

Ai really is a great person underneath.



I have a lot of male acquaintances… But you're probably the first one I can call a real friend.
> Ai smiles happily…
…You're a weird guy, Souji.
I'm glad we met.
> You feel genuine trust coming from Ai…
> Your relationship with Ai has deepened…

I can't let Adachi destroy her, and everyone else I've met here in Inaba.



Let's go home, huh?
If they catch you with me, you'll probably get all the extra lectures too…
> You parted with Ai and went home…

I decided to tutor when I got home.



I comes after the word "have," so I should be using the past participle… "done," right?
> You began to explain the sentence to him in an easily-understood manner.
…Is English all about memorization, too?
Math is just remembering the right formulas and applying them. Chemistry is just remembering chemical equations.
The tests are just there to see if you can remember then, and to penalize you if you forget…
……
Is there any bullying at your school?
No, there isn't.
I guess I'd expect that from people in high school. You're more mature.
> Shu nods.
It's not like they're punching him or hiding things from him or anything… They're not stealing his money…
It's just that he… He doesn't have a place there.
Maybe that's not the same thing as bullying.

It's definitely the same thing, but things like that won't get better if you do nothing.



Effort…
Oh… I see.
> Shu thinks to himself…
Oh, uh… It's not about me.
It's about… the transfer student. The one I was talking about before. Not me.
……
It seems that I've been talking to you about things that really aren't relevant to my studies…
I don't mind.
> You told Shu that his talking about school didn't bother you.
...Thank you.
> Shu seems somewhat happy.
Umm… You'll come again, won't you?
> It seems that Shu is starting to open up to you…
> You feel that your relationship with Shu has deepened.

Of course, I won't get to come back if we all die on Saturday…



Then… take care.
> You finished your tutoring job and went home.

12/9/11

We're going in tomorrow.



It's finally time to fight the real culprit.
To be honest, I'm still shocked to learn that it was Adachi-san…
But… I can never forgive what he said… or what he's done.
Are you alright?
Oh, yes. Thank you for worrying about me, though.
I'm fine.
I'm worried about Nanako-chan! And we can't just let him do whatever he wants!
We have to put an end to all of this… Right?

I think Kashiwagi is so unaware that the fog just doesn't do anything to her.



They're saying it can even beat out the germs from the fog. That's why I've been doing it every day since I saw it.
I recommend that you all give it a try. Besides, we'll feel better about it if we do it together, right?
Well, let's get down to business.
Are you guys aware of how many life forms are living in the world at any given time?
Let's see… I'll pick on the ever-energetic Souji-kun.
Which of the following has the largest population on Earth?

A real softball this time.



Gooood job! *giggle * You're right. Insects make up the largest population on our planet.
Within the insect world, the ant is probably the most prevalent. They adapt and multiply quickly.
If aliens found Earth and tried to communicate with our most prosperous lifeform…
It'd probably be the ants. *giggle *

Ai wanted to talk to me about something, so I hung out with her on the roof again.



The other day, I bumped into him… And we talked for a while.
You know, Daisuke-kun.
But… nothing happened.
My heart didn't race.
He was just… a normal, good guy. I guess what I felt was kind of a fleeting thing.
Happens all the time.
You mean, like… falling in love with the idea of being in love…?
Haha… I never thought that would happen to me… I guess I was wearing my heart on my sleeve, huh?
> Ai shrugs.
…I was lying to myself.
Whenever there's been two ways I could go, I always did what the "ideal girl" would do. I forgot about the real me…
……
The real me likes bulldogs more than German Shepherds.
…I'm better at long-distance running than sprints, I prefer milk over tea, and I like daifuku more than cream puffs.
I don't know how to hook up a TV, I think aromatherapy smells bad, and any purse that'll carry stuff is fine…
……
But I hid that part of me away, and just pretended it wasn't there.

It's not just those of us with Personas searching for who we really are.



That's why… right now, I feel pretty good.
> Ai smiles cheerfully…
> You feel you were able to support Ai in her time of need…

But if the world ends, that's all over.



Wow, it's already getting dark. I guess it's true: time really does fly when you're having fun…
…Bye-bye, Souji. I'll see you later.
> You parted with Ai and went home…

Something caught my eye back at home, there was a little piece of paper sticking out from under the cushion Nanako sat on when she was home.



> …?
> You noticed a paper under the cushion…
> …It's written in Nanako's writing.
> "My big bro is the best in his class. He's a genius!"
> "Congratulations! I want to honor you for what you've done."
> It's a handmade certificate of accomplishment, made by Nanako.
> Was she thinking of giving this to you if you got the top score?
> …Obtained Partial Award.

Feinne's Notes:
The Partial Award is an accessory that gives Souji the Endure passive, letting him avoid death at 1 HP once per battle. It's exactly as good as it sounds, though it's also probably the easiest of these effects to replicate.

We're going in tomorrow. We'll just have to see what that bastard has in store for us.

Next Time on Persona 4: A Magastu World