Persona: The Beautiful

[James Birdsong]

Title: Normal
By: James Birdsong

Your name is Nakamura Haruka and once upon a time you were a normal girl. It is hard to believe and it becoming harder to remember the previous life. From a certain viewpoint your past has been rewritten. No, seriously, you weren't always so pretty or hanging out with the popular students. It seems so long ago but its been less than a year. Why did all this craziness start? Was it a coincidence or is there no such thing as coincidences in this world either? You're bound to do whatever you like. You are so determined to place blame for this life on your own conscious and bear it with all of your entire soul. You will remain true to yourself. You will do so.


"I hope I live long enough to overthrow these people but I never become corrupt like some of them have been." You find yourself talking to your reflection at least once. The girl in the mirror. You but not you. The you of the present is completely different than childhood you. Is that normal? Doesn't every human being have that crisis while reminicing on the past? How is this different than everybody else's life experience real!y? Is your life abnormal or is it typical for everyone? All consequences are your own creation.

You chose this. "I chose this." You remind yourself. No one forced you to become somebody with a brand new look and a brand new history. Your reflection is not one you recognize yet as really you in the mirror. "I am Nakamura Haruka." You state calmly.

There's no such thing as normal. In that case yes of course you're still normal. You have normal friends. You've made friends certainly at this school. Can you confide in any of them though? Is it abnormal that monsters exist? Somehow you know deep in your soul that you cannot tell most adults about this new situation. Somehow you know deep in your soul it would be dangerous to tell even your closet friends absolutely everything. This is normal. This is not normal. You are normal. This is now the new normal.

 

[PA2]

Legacy of the Demiurge​

"Ugh, dammit!" Momoi Gakuto snapped, slamming his fists against his keyboard. Directly above it, the text on the computer monitor glowed a bright green, intricate lines of code stretching all the way across the black of the screen. To most, it was an indecipherable jumble of letters and numbers, strewn about in arcane patterns and configurations.

For Gakuto, it was the blistering wreckage of yet another failure. "How many times?" he growled, glaring at the screen. "How many times will it take before I get it right?!"

He'd lost count of how many hours he'd sat there, how many attempts had been made and then discarded. He supposed he could find out if he truly wanted to, but quite frankly, it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Damn Gameboard, Gakuto thought, removing his glasses and rubbing at his eyes. My Empire is my territory! How dare it place part of itself outside of my control?

(Deep down, he knew why. He'd be a fool not to realize it; if his Empire was his heart, then obviously it would contain that which he tried to hide. But the less he thought about that, the better.)

"If only I had something to work off of," he muttered. "If only…if only…"

If only I had EMMA, his mind completed, unbidden. Involuntarily, his eyes turned to the abandoned smartphone sitting near the edge of his desk. It was an older model, a few years out of date, and it hadn't been turned on in even longer. Not since that day in August when his dreams collapsed…

Gakuto leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling and letting his mind wander. Like most of Japan, he'd been amazed when Madicce had launched its life-altering AI. A coding genius even then, EMMA had offered him far more than just its brilliantly calculated advice. At last, this was it! This was his ticket to eternal glory!

For the better part of two months, Gakuto studied EMMA's source code, breaking it down, analyzing even the smallest segments. Whoever had created it was an absolute genius; there were parts that even he couldn't fully decipher. But that was fine. He had time. And so he lost himself in his work, forgoing food, forgoing sleep, forgoing everything but his research.

So naturally, when the app's service was halted, it came as a jarring shock. It hadn't been until then that he'd learned of the Phantom Thieves' return, of their countrywide tour, and of what they had done to Shuzou Ubakata. That in particular had made him furious. How dare they? Not only did they halt his efforts, but they destroyed one of the premier AI specialists in all the world? They deserved what was coming to them, and the sooner the better! Whatever it took to get EMMA back online.

But in the coming days, things went from bad to worse. EMMA wasn't reactivated, The Phantom Thieves weren't caught. Without direct access to EMMA's code, Gakuto's efforts were entirely halted. And then, the worst news of all: Akira Konoe's confession, and the resulting fallout.

Gakuto couldn't believe it. This was how the public reacted? EMMA was powerful enough to directly alter a person's mind, to transform their heart in a way that was previously only the purview of pathetic vigilantes! There should be cheering in the streets, people celebrating the advanced power of artificial intelligence, of the boundaries that were now forever shattered! But instead, they revolted. They turned against EMMA, were happy that Madicce planned to shut it down. How could those fools be so blind?! He remembered staring at his phone screen, willing the EMMA icon to remain, to reactivate, to do something, anything…and then, he remembered waking up on August 29th​, with a phone devoid of EMMA and a blank where his memory of the previous day should have been.

When Popo had first brought him to the Gameboard, had gifted him Octavian, the void that had been August 28th​ was finally filled, and he remembered. He remembered EMMA blazing to life on his phone, remembered the cage that he had found himself in, remembered the utter satisfaction he felt at hearing EMMA's soothing voice instruct him on where to move, what to do, what to think. He knew, then, that EMMA has been more than an AI. It…she was nothing less than a god, one under whose will he'd be happy to remain for the rest of his life. And as he remembered that pleasure, he remembered the searing pain he felt when the Phantom Thieves shattered her into pieces.

In that instant, staring across the expanse of his new Empire, Gakuto had felt the same rush of blistering anger that he had felt when EMMA had first shut down all those years ago. There was no restoring EMMA; whatever the Phantom Thieves had done has scrubbed it away so thoroughly that there was nothing left. Even years later, he had never been able to pull any of the records of the AI's development, no matter how deeply he dug into Madicce's database. God was dead…and the Phantom Thieves had killed her.

And now, staring at his latest attempt to recreate something even approaching EMMA's caliber, he felt that same anger smoldering through his veins. Someday, he thought, clearing the screen with a few deft keystrokes. Someday, I will rebuild you. I will surpass you. And when I do, then not only the Gameboard, but this school, but this world...all of it will be mine.

Spoiler: Notes

Not 100% satisfied with this one, but given Gakuto's whole demeanor and the amount of effort he put into creating an AI, I figured it deserved a little more exploration beyond just wanting the ultimate 2D girl. Combine that with lore from Strikers, and this omake was born. I'm not sure how well I got Gakuto's voice or how well (if it all) it slots into The Beautiful's canon, but I hope people enjoy reading it nonetheless!

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

(QM's Note: Omake Reward for PA2, a look into what Rin was like on the Gameboard. I did write this up rather quickly and late-ish at night, so I'm not if it's quite the best or most in-depth I could've done, but I still feel it makes the grade.)

Steam and smoke billowed out along the cobblestone streets, giant gears rotating and canals of oily ooze, that made up the only Empire left owned by people from outside the school. So by that logic, likely one of the easier Empires to take over, given its rulers had much less means to defending it, if they even knew it existed.

"Huh, this is what they keep bragging about? This is the 'well-oiled machine' of Akaike's?" Eitaro hissed, referring to the rival sports team captain. He slowly pounding his fists together as he surveyed this industrial steamscape.

"Well his Sapporo team has been beating our own school's football team ever since he became captain, so who knows, maybe he does have a point?" Gakuto had to say to Eitaro, flaring up the latter's anger until the cosmic-clad Rin had to intervene and break the two up.
"Calm yourselves. If we are to address the threat this Empire imposes to the rest of the Gameboard, we shall hardly do so if we all finish off each other first through petty squabbling" she sternly intoned.

"B-besides, Eitaro," Himawari perked up, no one knowing anything about a 'Nightshade' yet, "You're single-handedly the reason how football team hasn't gone under, well, okay I don't really know much about the other players, but still. So, ah, try not to let comparisons about this Akaike Satsuo get you down, okay?".

"...Since when did you care about football, Aoyagi?" Eitaro was blunt, but did have to say "You're correct though, our soccer team would be hopeless without me, and most of them only play the one sport. Hah, that's what Akaike doesn't get, how can anyone stand out if you treat them like one big organism?"

"Indeed, seeing people as that is what stifles the growth of genius" Gakuto felt the need to bring up, actually agreeing with Eitaro on something.

Their conversation was cut short when something suddenly emerged up from the canals, a creature of pollution that was a skeleton encased in dark, reeking sludge.

"A Black Ooze," Gakuto stated, before laughing, "Appropriate enough for such a filthy Empire as this one. Ooh, you're out of luck, Eitaro, Rin, apparently this thing resists Physical... and Curse".

"Think that can stop me?" Eitaro growled, before calling on Qin Shi Huang to blast this thing with a roaring gale.

"Antoinette!" Himawari then called out as she summoned her own, glass-like Persona, to weave Bufu ice magic around Eitaro's Garu gale, trapping the Black Ooze in a ring of frost.

Eitaro though had to glare down at her, "If I needed your help I would've said" he snarled, leaving Himawari to shrink back.

"Then I suppose you won't be wanting this Makakaja then?" Gakuto smirked.
As more Black Oozes start to crawl out of the canal, Gakuto stepped forth to easily dispatch each of them with a single, AoE plasma blast from his hefty army-cannon. "Now that is how you do itttt-" he then lost control as, from out of the blue, he was hit by a rogue Mudoon.

As Himawari leapt to revival duty, Eitaro saw that while they were dealing with those Oozes, Rin had become occupied with a worse threat, a dark-clad, skull-headed Shadow wielding a glistening knife. This Shadow tried casting the same spell on Rin, but to no avail as it simply bounced off her, thanks to the protection of her unicorn-adorned Persona.

Rin then struck back with her own weapon, a war-scythe with a blade of light, and swept down at the skull-faced Jack Ripper. With the the gremlin trying to flee back into the alleyway, Rin swiftly took out her laser and fired a series of pinpoint beams of light at the Shadow, finishing it off.

After that she paused though, muttering "How could I know whether that was just a generic, negative energy Shadow... or a person's very mind that I just shot at there?".

"Does it matter? That skeleton thing just tried to pick a fight he blatantly couldn't win, so honestly either way he had it coming" Eitaro put bluntly, cutting off whatever Himawari had planned to say.

"Besides, his very Empire is proof these people think of themselves as a machine," a woozily resurrected Gakuto still had to have his say, "By their own logic, they're just asking to be picked apart and reordered, as with all technology".

"Er, besides, that Shadow took the form of a back alley knife-stabber, so either if it did belong to someone I, I don't think they clearly would've been a good person" Himawari tried to say, shaking all the while.

Rin had to sigh, but came to someone of the conclusion, "I suppose the Shadow's finished now, so for good or ill the deed is done..."

* * *​

More than a while later, it was then Rin who decided to invite Himawari to a more personal meeting, down in her own Empire.

Himawari blushed, but had to say, "You, you trust me that much that you'd take me to the Throne of your Empire?"

"Of course I would," Rin smiled at her, "What reason do I honestly have not to trust you?".

"W-well," Himawari had to say, getting in the way of Rin's optimism over her, "Suppose one of the others tried to, tried to coerce me into giving them what I knew about you?".

"Ah, while it's good that you're demonstrating tactical thinking beforehand, I wouldn't worry about that in particular. if any other Ace tries to pull a dirty stunt like that, I'll be on them like a hawk" Rin made clear to her

"Oh, ah t-thank you" Himawari rapidly nodded.

"While I was planning to go to my Empire anyway, to convene an attack on our latest foe, I thought I'd bring you along for a specific reason," Rin then said, taking a breath before going, "Himawari, I'm... concerned that you don't exactly have the right spirit required to rule an Empire, to keep your own subjects in line, even though you've been bestowed one yourself. So I thought, maybe I should take you to see how I run my own Empire?".

After that, both headed to what at the time may've been the largest Empire on the Gameboard. Rin held Himawari's hand tight as the two stood on a blue-tailed comet that made its way through each of the crystalline spheres stacked within each other that divided up Rin's astral Empire.

They each got off at a gold-coated spaceship in the very centre of all the spheres, before the comet would turn around to blaze back into the cosmos. This golden ship was no less that the future vision of what a sun-carrying chariot would like, the great blazing light of Rin's Empire being positioned just above.
The two Aces headed onto the sleek bridge interior on the sunship, where with a wave of Rin's hand, a hologram appeared showing a more complete map of the entire Gameboard, that Industrial Empire outlined in red.

Before Rin could go over the finer points of strategy to Himawari though, she was suddenly cut off by a voice saying, "Hope you don't mind us introducing, do you Rin?".

The two spun around to see that Azuma had appeared from the shadows, Rin stepping forth to ask him, "What brings to here, and how did you even get this far into my Empire?".

"Come now Rin, aren't we allies? You are the one who always talks about some fabled 'united front' after all" Azuma chuckled.

"We're here to know what you're long-term goal is, Rokudo," Kikuko's voice then said as she strode forth, "You have said you're in this Game to win, but how do you even think that's possible, when you seem to be going out of your way to keep your hands
'clean'?"

"Yet what irony is it that one as hesitant as you would be given the perfect Empire to do it with" Azuma had to remark.

Rin gritted her teeth, but gestured at Himawari to come over, "Here's your first lesson then, learn to cut out unhelpful voices when ruling" she whispered to her.

"So, you're here to learn from Rin, is that right Himawari?" Kikuko observed, "I'd advise caution, a teacher like her could only take you so far".

"Gah, don't you both have your own Empires to mind?" Rin shot up with.

"is that a threat?" Kikuko was swift to state.

"Oh, restrain yourself, Kikuko. After all, if anyone sees us as easy pickings, I doubt it would be our Rin" Azuma told her, but did say one last thing, this time to Himawari.
"Each of our Empires is built on a different ideal, you know that, don't you? I wouldn't advise getting to close to Rin, as its only time before your and her ideas on how to run the world... will inevitably clash".

 

[Edgedancer]

Sage 1
Saturday, June 4th​

"I probably could have asked this sooner, but why did you decide to invite me to join your band?" Tomomi asked, while you were trying to fit her into her costume before your Lady Devils performance in Hakodate.

"Well, I told you that we needed another member," you said, slightly pensive. Please, don't let her have second thoughts now, you worried.

"I get that part," she said. "But you must have had other options than to drag me out of my room."

"Less than you might think," you muttered, what with Nightshade already letting go of Ryoukou out of concern for her reputation.

"Wow, way to make me feel welcome," she deadpans.

"Er, sorry, I didn't mean it like that," you told her. "It's not like I literally couldn't think of anyone else. I just figured the band would be right up your alley and that, you know, inviting you would be fun."

"My little brother did have a pretty great freak out about this, so you got that one right," she said, sounding mildly satisfied. "Although, it's a shame you didn't let me listen to the whole conversation."

You couldn't help yourself but wince, given the threats Azuma ended up making to Nightshade. You swallowed your initial reaction and instead said, "Well, that too. I was more thinking about just hanging out with you. Like, not everything has to be about Azuma, or more he doesn't deserve it to be."

Tomomi responded with an inscrutable hum, but otherwise remained silent.

"Still, you can officially rub it into your brother's face that you're my favourite Sakurai, if you'd like to," you offered in an attempt to get some kind of reaction out of her.

"Whoo! It's a low fucking bar, but I'm going to take it. Also, er, I guess I like you more than I do my brother as well."

You couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You're right, that is a low bar."

"See? Anyway, talking about you not making things about my brother, it's good to know that you're not falling for his act. You've done better than him already."

"Ah, thank you. Colette is… absolutely amazing," you settled on saying. It wasn't nearly enough to do her justice, but somehow you didn't feel like Tomomi would be as patient with your gushing as Megumi had been.

"She does seem pretty cool," she said before falling quiet again. After a short while she continued, "Given that we're in a band now, I guess we'll be seeing each other more often, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," you said. Although, you feel like you've already been meeting each other a lot more frequently than you would have predicted based on her reputation.

Prompted by your answer, Tomomi grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled something down on it and then handed it to you. You found a string of digits on it.

"Is this your phone number?"

"Got it in one. Making people go through my family is usually a good way to keep eyesores away, but forcing you to go deal with them each time seems needlessly cruel."

"Thanks, I'll try not to pester you too much though." Keeping up with everybody I know is already getting pretty rough anyway, you added in your head.

"Eh, don't worry about it. My room might be comfy, but your company isn't bad either. Doesn't even have to be band stuff. Definitely beats my parents bitching about me not going outside enough."

"Alright, I'll look forward to seeing more of you then," you told her with a smile. This really wasn't the time to get down on yourself for making too many friends. Not when you wouldn't want to miss any of them.

"I am thou... Thou art I
Thou anointest a new Knight to defend thy Crown
Thou shalt take the mantle of the Sage Arcana"

"Talking about me being seen," Tomomi said to change the topic. "You're not going to let me go on stage looking like this, are you?"

"Your costume looks good to me," you said, giving her a once over. You could maybe do with a better set of fake teeth, but there's nothing to be done about that one on such a short notice and you doubt the audience will be able to tell from a distance anyway.

"Nonsense. Nightshade likes things wild, right? No way I can go out there with my hair looking like this and I think you still owe me a favour for my help in Russia." She ran a hand through her perfectly straight hair to accentuate her point.

Well, you should still have some time until Colette finished fixing her broken string. With that thought, you started to relieve yourself of some of your pre-performance anxiety, by turning Tomomi's hair into a modern art project.

Spoiler: Notes

Something like this is probably long overdue, seeing how Tomomi's social link has been opened to omakes for a while now, but rather late than never. I do enjoy Tomomi quite a bit, after all.

Out of all the Arcanas mentioned for her, I settled on the Sage. That's in part thanks to it being an alternative the the Hermit, which I still think fits her quite well and in part because the primary alternative would have been the Lord/Lady and I think she deserves better than getting asigned an Arcana matching her brother.

Anyway, I figured that to kick off her social link, it'd be better to elaborate on a meeting we already had in a way that facilitates more interactions with her in the future, rather than start with a completely original scene.

Oh and not to derail this note, but that Rin side story was darn amazing for something apparently written pretty quickly. The fact that it touches on a lot of interesting topics definetly helps there as well.

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

(QM's Note: I know I said I was gonna write up a few Persona profiles next, but instead I got the inspiration for another scene that could nicely conclude the Judgment S. Link we'd almost completed. I also thought this could've-been S. Link sidestory could be a nice way of celebrating me completing my second semester... and taking my mind off my grading anxieties)


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iutM9nSvl_k


Trying to get in contact with the Morrigan one last time, Haruka found herself transported, not for the first time, into a recreation of her classroom. This being the core of the Gameboard though, something naturally was different, like when Haruka glanced down and noticed... fluffy white clouds floating along the bottom of the floor, and nothing but shimmering white light coming through the windows.

Inspecting her own desk, her eyes widened when she saw five heart-shaped boxes giftwrapped to her. Undoing the pink ribbons on each, she saw one contained traditional wagashi, one fancy Swiss or Belgian (possibly a mixture of both), one that looked like what she'd seen of Hershey's, one highly caffeinated, and one dark chocolate protein bar.

Her first impression was of White Day chocolates, something she'd never received in her past beyond Yuya trying to make her feel included, as the few boys she'd had the courage to approach with Valentine's Day chocolates typically rejected them. But she knew something had to be wrong when she looked at the notes attached and saw exactly who'd sent them:

• I beg you to receive this humble gift, for doing so would bring joy to my family,
• My darling Nakamura Haruka ~ Yours Eternally,
• Treat yourself a little! You're like the coolest girl in school (besides me of course)!
• I eat these all the time to keep myself awake during the long hours, Don't worry, they won't ruin your figure,
• Hey, um, not accustomed to giving out chocolates. But, well, if anyone's earned it, it's you...

Haruka could've barfed, and not from how the chocolates tasted. The last thing she needed was the Aces trying to get on her good side with confectionary, of all things. especially when most of them were now dead.
But wait, it then occurred to her, then where's Himawari's? Or Rin's, since we're apparently bringing back the dead?

Haruka opened the door to the corridor to seek out some answers, only to be swarmed by adoring students the moment she did so. Hearing her name being constantly chanted, she was then raised up by her apparent fans' arms and paraded down the corridor.
Well, this is one way to get around school, she thought at first, but then noticed all the students had... wings? She had to blink and double-check if there were any halos around.

She leapt off of this student-angel parade and rushed to the school's front door, which upon opening... showed Haruka the whole school was apparently up in the clouds, its gates a hue that could only be described as perfect.

"Nervous are we, Haruka?" she heard a chuckle behind her. Spinning around, she found herself staring right into Azuma's eyes, who stepped forward a to take her hand and even kiss her. "I can understand, you are receiving Hanataba's esteemed Student of the Year award, who among us wouldn't be nervous in your situation? Come, why don't I personally escort you to the Assembly Hall?"

"Hah, you call that an escort?" she then Gakuto laugh, as he was able to call up a whole line of holographic girls, none of them quite resembling Koyomi, to dance around Haruka as she walked forth.

"Hey, not like this beats the limo ride I arranged to get you here this morning, right Haruka?" Melissa then emerged in the scene, "Ooh, we should have a pool party to celebrate later, don'tcha think?".

Before she could pass through the glowing door to the Assembly hall, Haruka finally got the chance to raise her voice. "Wait, where's Himawari?" she called out, or Keiko, or Yuya, or Colette, or Reina, or...

Azuma then flinched at the mention of that name, clutching his heart like a wound. Gakuto however smirked and said, "Got her right here. A hologram, sure, but in a way better than the real thing, ain't she?".
Seeing Gakuto now had his own Himawari hologram made Haruka shudder.

"No, t-this is wrong," she then muttered out, turning her head to look at the way leading to the Occult Clubroom, "Just wait a minute, t-there's something I have to check first".

She then bolted off, away from the winged students, away from any holograms, only for the All-Aces to not let her go so easily.
Eitaro and Kikuko both leapt on her at once, though Haruka was able to handle the former with a swift tonfa blow to his jaw. Eitaro sure looked tough, but Haruka had had a lot of time to train since they'd fought.
Kikuko however, as Haruka had to raise both of her tonfas to parry a swift katana strike that would've slashed her eyes had she'd been any slower.

Haruka rolled over to the Occult Club door, only to find it boarded up by planks and rusted nails. Before Kikuko could slash at her shoulders while Eitaro kicked low at her, Haruka called upon her Persona to give her no less than a Power Charge to rush through a break down the door.

...Only to find instead of the Occult Club, there was instead a empty elevator shaft, dark save for a fiery glow flickering deep down. Having charged the door with that much force, Haruka would normally be fated to fall all the way down, but she felt a hand reach out and grab her at the last second.

She looked up to see Azuma, backed by the other four Aces, holding onto her. Haruka looked into his eyes, then back down into the shaft... before she let go of him and took the plunge.

---

When she opened her eyes at the bottom of the shaft, she saw that everything to her left was searing fire, smoke, and molten rock, while everything to her right was jagged icicles and blistering cold. After wondering where Colette, Himawari, and the rest were, she immediately got her answer.

She saw Colette impaled in her lower half of her body by an icicle, Takako being beaten by ice-trays, Popo with his wings stuffed into his mouth and frozen there, Hotaru bound to a rotating frozen wheel. Looking over on the fire side, she saw Yuya being force-fed hot coals, Keiko with heated pokers jammed into her shoulders, a searing mask nailed onto Reina's face, a sword fresh from the forge disembowelling Na-rae, Koyomi glitching out as her processor melted, Himawari bound in heated chains, and Rin with a Gameboard replica jammed into her body.

"Ace of Fools," came Ryouko's voice, Haruka looking up to see her teacher, her Overseer, standing in front her. "I graciously answered all your questions, now it's time you answered mine. I give you a choice, to be with your foes in heaven, or your friends in Hell, what shall it be?".

Haruka gritted her teeth, and instead of any one answer, just said back, "Why are you even asking? To 'prove my worth' or whatever? You honestly don't think I've proved that enough, after everything your Gameboard has put me through!"

"I'm asking you," the Morrigan stressed, "Because one thing I do remember is that, all those years ago, the same choice was given to me".

Haruka took one last look around her, around 'Hell', and answered, "It's no Heaven if I'm constantly thinking about my friends being tortured down here. I'm not going back up, I've served the All-Aces in 'Heaven' enough. give me hell, it's not like i haven't been through it already".

- Judgment has Journeyed to Rank 8! -

"Good, that's all I needed to hear" the Morrigan said, as with a flick of her fingers she dispelled the Hellscape and returned Haruka back to the menhir grounds.

"So like, is that something every prospective 'Ruler of All' gets asked, and you were just following procedure, or..." Haruka hesitated in the middle of asking, "You don't know, do you? 'Before your time', right?".

"Hah, it's nice to see you're catching on, for what it's worth," the Morrigan was at least able to smile, before she twitched then said, "But don't think I can't read you just as you can read me. So if you're about to ask, 'What answer did you pick?', I'm afraid I have to insist on at least some secrets".

Haruka wanted to say that the question never crossed her mind at all, but well, she knew the Morrigan wouldn't fall for that.

"Unprofessional as it is for me to admit this, Haruka..." the Morrigan suddenly said, "If- If I do have any favourite to win the Gameboard, the Final Duel upon us, I confess. It would be you. The possibility of me handing my title over to young Azuma is, well, best case scenario a 'torch the Gameboard and run' ending. Honestly, I'd straight up give you my Goddess title now... in whatever strange universe where the Gameboard allowed me to".

That made Haruka think. "Does that mean you're gonna ask Azuma the same question, or that you already asked Kikuko? 'Cause it'd explain more than a few things if you did".

The Morrigan shrugged. "Do I honestly need to ask Azuma 'Heaven or Hell'? I suppose I should, to do my duty and all, but let's face it, we can both tell what answer he'd give.
As for Kikuko," the Morrigan hesitated, yet then said, "Well, I figured she was basically in the endgame, so... yes, I asked her. She's dead now, so she's not going to mind me telling you what she answered.
Hell, Haruka, she went with her friends in Hell," the Morrigan told her, "True, she took longer to come to that answer than you did".

"And, ah, who was among her 'friends'?" Haruka asked, but then shook her head, "What, no. I-I'd never ask Kikuko that, I'd never think to ask Kikuko that... I shouldn't be asking you".

<<I feel sorry for you either way, Macha,>> a third, eerie voice said out of nowhere, which made Haruka spin around to see that a Shadow was emerging out of, well, her own shadow, the being studded with countless eyes, <<Too weak to bear the Gameboard yourself anymore, you've been left with handing it to either this dreary girl I consigned myself to hitching a ride with, or a spoilt brat who doesn't know the difference between acting and being>>.

The Morrigan's face lit up with an emotion Haruka had never seen from her before: Sheer anger.
"How dare you invade my sanctum, Crawling Chaos!" she snarled.

<<Seriously? This is no 'invasion', Lady Macha, I'm merely stopping by to get a word in, before this saga comes to a close,>> this 'Crawling Chaos' said, <<And of course, to tell you there is a third option, should Haruka and Azuma's duel go... awry, leaving both of them dead. In such a scenario, you retired, them dead, the Gameboard as part of the Sea of Souls would default to me. Well, ideally anyway, naturally my nemesis would insist on stepping in, or rather having someone else step in for him>>.

"Your Nemesis?" was what Haruka picked up on, of all things.

<<Your little Velvet Room, 'between dream and reality', do you honestly think that doddering Igor is the one behind it? I am speaking of- well, I'm not exactly comfortable giving his name, let's just call him the Butterfly Mask, he is that Room's true master, and of more than just that>> the Crawling Chaos went over.
<<Anyway, I've said my piece. This Duel will be one to watch, not every day you see a new Aspect of Death crowned is it? Well, if it goes as planned anyway...>> the Chaos laughed and slowly faded away.

That little interruption over, Haruka turned back to the Morrigan and asked, "Sheesh, am I only to have to put up with more guys like that, if... if I become the new High Queen?".

"Technically, you've already been putting up with him. He's one of your Personae, remember?" the Morrigan shrugged and put it simply, "Well... good luck, Nakamura Haruka, the Duel for Kurukshetra awaits".

"Huh, 'Kurukshetra'?" Haruka noticed.

"The Gameboard's 'real name'. Well, as much as it can even have one," the Morrigan smiled at her, "I felt that by now you'd earned every right to know that name, so I slipped it in there".

- Judgment has Journeyed to Rank 9! -

---

QM's Note: The idea behind this sidestory was one part Mahabharata ending reference, one part a reference to of course Heathers, specifically it's original planned ending of a 'prom in Heaven'. I actually slipped into third-person by accident when writing this, but went along with it since the story's interactivity has ended anyway.

That doesn't mean I don't have a question for everyone though. Reuploading this Quest on AO3 and FF.Net, still going over the Eitaro Arc, has got me wondering what everyone's favourite Arc of the Quest was. Since we already have a poll, I think I'll phrase it in vote form instead:

[ ] Arc 1 (Story start, all-around intros, Eitaro Duel)
[ ] Arc 2 (Hokkaido trip, Gakuto Duel, Himawari expulsion)
[ ] Arc 3 (Russia trip, Sports Festival, Melissa Duel, longest arc)
[ ] Arc 4 (Kikuko Duel, Azuma Duel, California trip, Morrigan intro, Finale)
[ ] Write-in