Shattered Justice (A Persona Quest)

Careful not to move too quickly, lest the can of soda you're carrying explode, you set off in the direction of Naganaki Shrine. You don't know who or what you're looking for, but you're sure you'll find something eventually!

You bury your face in your scarf, begging it to protect you against the cold that bites into your skin, even without the trace of a breeze. You've never been outside in this time long enough to notice it before, but the air feels dead, not moving unless you do something to disturb it. It's as though the rest of the world has been frozen in time.

You hear squelching sounds from nearby, and end up taking a detour through a few shady back alleys. In a sense, these areas are less dangerous during this time since almost nobody is aware, and the monsters only show up rarely.

Still, you get the odd feeling of being watched, and can only really breathe easy once you're on the main road again. There might not be any streetlights, but at least you can see anything that might decide to come after you.

The feeling doesn't leave you until you're nearly to your destination, and you think you broke into a run at some point. You probably don't want to pop open that soda just yet.

The shrine is... well, it feels safe, oddly enough, all fear of being found by something dangerous vanishing. There's no lights or anything, at least that you can see, but neither are there signs of monsters.

You end up sitting down, certain that you'll be fine with just a short rest, but staying alert for any signs of movement.

Which, there is, eventually. A small white puppy that appears and runs up to you, barking fiercely.
Koromaru!
Without really knowing why, you reach out to the little dog. "Hey, boy," Your mouth moves on its own. "Don't worry, I'm not here for a fight." The puppy sniffs at you curiously, but doesn't try to attack. Which is good. You don't really have a way to explain dog bites to anyone who asks. And you really don't want to fight a cute puppy.

"Koromaru! How many times do I have to tell you not to run outside when the world's like this!?" The man that follows the dog is arguably more of a surprise than the dog himself, for some reason. Still, the puppy is quick to return to his owner's side.

It's a shame. You wanted to pet him.

When the dog's master sees you, he looks... oddly relieved? But still worried? It's strange. "Just a child..." You think you should say something, but you're not sure what.

"U-um... hi?" You try, but it doesn't really help. "I-I'm Ken Amada. Um..."


[ ] Ask why he's here.

[ ] Ask if you can pet his dog.

[ ] Try and figure out what he knows about this time.

[ ] Fawn over the puppy. Because puppy.

[ ] See if he knows anything about magic.

[ ] Hug the puppy.