Shattered Justice (A Persona Quest)

Now, you've watched your fair share of anime and sentai shows. In said shows, the hero always seems to overcome the villain through the power of friendship. You have a slight problem with this, as it corresponds to your current situation.

Namely: You have no friends. You should fix that.

Of course, the people in your class are no good for that. Not only do they already have their little friend groups, but they've been spending time around you for years, and would therefore find something strange about you finally deciding to go out and make some friends. Besides, they like to make fun of you for acting too 'adult'.

Your kohai, therefore, would probably be a better option, as they'll expect kids older than them to be more adult, and so your unusual maturity won't register as much with them.

Of course, that still presents the issue of actually approaching and talking to them, which you have no clue how to do. Just about every time you've spoken to someone in the past few months, they were the ones to approach you first, and you feel like hanging around the hallways for the younger years would be a bit weird.

Thankfully, you don't have to think about that too much, as when you go to school on Monday, a girl literally stumbles right into you when you hesitate to go through the doorway. Not what you were expecting, but good enough.

"Oh, sorry about that!" The girl is quick to apologize, even as she picks herself up off the floor. You'd try to help her, but... well, you're not sure how she'd respond to that... or how a normal kid would respond to anything.

The flaws in your 'plan' are rapidly becoming more and more obvious. "It- it's okay. It's not that big a deal, really..." Why were you reasonably good at talking with Sanada-san and his friend yesterday, but can't seem to do anything right today?

"Really? But my parents always say..." And that's how you first meet Maiko Oohashi.

---

You wouldn't say that you and Maiko become actual friends, at least, not quickly. At first, she's just someone you greet whenever you pass her, and maybe you pause for a longer conversation a few times, but on Thursday, the two of you discover some common ground and that helps, a little.


[ ] You're both focused on studying.

[ ] You both hate dealing with bullies.

[ ] You both enjoy going to the shrine.

You've always liked the shrine. It's a nice place, fun to play at on days when you feel like being a kid, and plenty peaceful on the days when you don't. You aren't sure whether you feel like a kid today or not, this past week has been strange like that, but it's still a good place to sit and talk, or maybe to pray, or just about any other thing you have the inclination to do on your own.

Maiko likes it here, too, and you're glad for that, because you actually do want to become friends with her, even if you're not entirely sure how. So the two of you were quick to arrange a visit, and now here you are.

It probably goes without saying that you have just about no clue what to do next. So you try to hold up a discussion, because what else can you do, when she's a normal little girl with two loving parents, and you're... you. Normal barely even registers in your dictionary anymore.

You wonder if there are others who live like that. But you wouldn't know where to begin looking, so it doesn't really matter, anyway. "Senpai, do you ever wonder if magic exists?" Maiko asks you. "I mean, Mommy and Daddy say it doesn't, but... wouldn't it be amazing?"

You think back to the odd green tinge that attaches itself to everything at night, and the monsters that are free to roam. About the cards, which may or may not have been you casting a spell, but that you've never even thought to try and repeat. Maybe magic does exist, but if so, it's not the sort of wonderful thing that magical girl shows make it out to be. And you're pretty sure Maiko is going off of magical girl shows.

Suffice to say, you don't think you'll be telling her about your own particular brand of possible magic just yet. "I dunno. I guess it'd be cool, until the monsters come in."

"...Oh, yeah, those'd be a thing, wouldn't they?" Suddenly, she brightens up. "Oh, but then we could be heroes! Casting all sorts of spells to save the day!" You feel like pointing out that the two of you are seven and nine, currently, but get the feeling that would ruin the moment. And, well... it's not a bad thought, really. If you really do have powers, you could probably end up doing something like that.

And, because it's not such a bad thought, it ends up sticking with you throughout the day.

---

That night, you wake up in the green time again. No monsters just outside your window, this time, which is somewhat relieving, even as you look up at the giant moon above. It's not full quite yet, but still just about the biggest you've ever seen it. And you're counting the television in this.

Most of the time, when you wake up in this time, you try to simply go back to sleep, but the conversation you had with Maiko earlier keeps pricking at the back of your mind, and you weren't sleeping very restfully before, either. You need to do something, you're just not sure what.


[ ] Try to use magic again. If you really did call those cards, there has to be a way to repeat it, right?

[ ] Sneak around the dorm to try and find out if there's anyone else here who isn't a coffin.

[ ] You keep telling yourself not to go outside, but...
-[ ] What does the shrine look like during this time?
-[ ] If water turns to blood now... does that include the ocean? You want to see.
-[ ] Really, you just want to wander.