Persona: The Beautiful

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 14, 2021

[X] The guy's an archer and football star, that means I'll have to stack on Sukukaja if I'm to outspeed him.
[X] A fairly hi-tech room with a fancy computer (probably still a step up from Megumi's) and sound equipment, and several paintings up on the wall. Would've cost a lot to build this all up, and now you'd left it all, but it reminded you that you were once dedicated to things other than just, er, surviving. (+Resolve)
[X] Rapid (hits multiple times, low individual damage)

"Is that so?" Kikuko muttered, her then saying, "You have put some thought into this, but still, will that alone be enough?" before she headed forwards.

Twitching, you slowly stepped into the vast Colosseum at the Heart of Eitaro's Empire. On the stone seating above were a multitude of masked Shadows, all moving up and down in anticipation of what was to come.

"May I announce to you, the first persona Duel of this school year!" Azuma spoke up above the crowd, "Tsutsuji Eitaro, Ace of Swords," an unearthly cheer rose up from all around, "-versus Jack-of-All, Nakamura Haruka", said cheers died down. "Whoever emerges the victor, it will be... interesting either way".

You could see each spectating All-Ace was up on their own reserved platforms, each having changed into their Regalia. You'd already seen Melissa's, Eitaro's, and Azuma's, but Kikuko, already up on her platform, was wearing what looked like a cross between standard samurai armour and what looked like ship parts and armaments attached onto it. Gakuto meanwhile was in no less than a mech exoskeleton, with a series of cybernetic augmentations inserted into him.

"So, anyone still taking bets?" Gakuto asked the throng of subject Shadows behind him.

Himawari wasn't in the exact Regalia you'd seen her in before, but instead a modified, pastel version of that outfit with the spikes replaced with frills and hearts instead of skulls. She was solemnly singing 'Kimigayo', the national anthem, while Melissa, now dressed in a black-and-yellow cheerleading outfit instead of her usual prom dress Regalia, brought in a boombox and started blaring out dance music.

And there, right across the arena from you, was Eitaro. He scowled, "'Least you made it on time".

"Eitaro, what the Hell does this have to with anything?!" you shouted at him, "How does fighting your own teammates help at all in keeping Shadows under control?"

"Bah, trying to get out of the fight even now, are you?" he snarled, his grasp tightening around his heavy longbow, "Okay, I'll tell what this has to do with that. If the Gameboard is to have a ruler, a Universal Monarch, then that ruler will be one who cannot abide weaklings! You've been dragging everyone else down, Jack, so it falls on me to cut the weak link".

Before you could respond the fight was on, he instantly launched himself up into the air, about to land on you with a flying kick. Calling upon "Theodora!" you willed for her to get you of there. Her casting a green aura around you, you were able to speed to the side to avoid contact with Eitaro's boot, though you were still knocked back a bit by the resulting shockwave.

Grunting, Eitaro dashed right at you, ready to ram into you with his spiked headband. Casting Sukukaja again before he could hit, you quickly slid downward with your tonfas, bowling his feet over. As Eitaro was flipped up into midair though, he cast a Magaru gale all around you, the wind scraping at you and preventing you from running outwards.

"Cuchullainn!" you immediately switched, allowing you to steel yourself and walk out through the conjured tornado.

"That... wasn't Theodora," Eitaro muttered, before he glared at you, "That was your strategy, concealing other Personae from us?! You little sneak... although what does it matter, when a whole flock of Personae will fall to a single, mastered one," he said as he fired five arrows at once, then got Qin Shi Huang to cast a gale directing them all straight at you.

You knew wind would do little harm to Eitaro, but still you had Cuchulainn's blade call forth a Killer Wind to keep the arrows away from you. But that wind wasn't strong enough to hold back Eitaro, who ran in and kicked you right in the chest, the spikes on his boot piercing near your heart.

You lay fallen on the floor, struggling to pick yourself up as you bled. But with no wind and Eitaro standing over you, you gripped one end of your tonfa and flipped a trigger, unloading a rapid round of bullets straight into Eitaro's shins.

"Woohoo, go Eitaro! Er..." Melissa cut off her cheer when she saw the blow Eitaro just took, "Uh, yeah! Whoo! Go... Haruka? Well I did arrange that whole date for you," she hissed.

"Gah!" Eitaro grunted through the pain, but clearly could not get over it so quickly. So he tried another tactic, summoning a gale around him to lift him up right near the imperial seat. He drew more arrows as he spat down at you, having the wind spin them around in a circle that was slowly closing in on you.

"Atalanta!" you called, switching to the human lioness, as under her protection you were able to have all the arrows before you crumple upon contact. You then called on her to fire back at the perched Eitaro, but it seemed he'd had Qin Shi Huang already set up a wall of wind to deflect any projectiles aimed at him.

"Hoo boy, our little Jack is not so easily going to get out of this one!" Gakuto commentated from above.

So instead, you ran over to the large podium below Eitaro's imperial box, and called upon Atalanta's nigh herculean strength to rapidly and furiously attack the structure. Eitaro, already feeling the stand beneath him was about to break, pulled a lever at the last second before jumping down.

Swapping to Richard III to heal, you then heard the noise of floodgates being opened up all around, sending a deluge of water rushing down into the arena. Thinking quickly, you switched to Anastasia, with whom you froze a circle of water around you, letting you ride this ice floe all the way to the top of the flood, right next to the surrounding seats.

Washing up right by the crowd of Shadows, you looked down to notice, er, that wasn't quite water there. The newly made lake seemed contaminated with, if not entirely, some kind of oozing, liquid metal.
Eitaro meanwhile was now standing atop what looked like a Norse longboat, that must've come out of the floodgates along with all that ooze. His arrows were now coated in that liquid metal, and he stirred up a gale around the boat to have the metal splash upon you.

With all the speed spells you'd cast upon yourself, you were able to run to the side and have Anastasia freeze the waves coming at you. Jumping up to your makeshift frozen bridge, Eitaro kept shooting arrows to break the ice beneath your feet, but you leapt over them with a single jump, firing bullets down upon him as you somersaulted over.

Until one of his arrows did hit you, making you fall down and only be saved from falling into that watery metal by a lucky one-hand cling onto the side of the longboat. Eitaro then walked over to step on your hand, so you raised a tonfa to fire on him again, only for him to anticipate that and hop back.

You quickly strained to pull yourself up before he could try to knock you off again. Standing on the longboat deck looking straight at him, you tried to open fire... but only found you'd run out of bullets.

At least now you'd gotten a general sense of how he fought, so how to react?

[ ] You still have Ranged skills though, this is what you need Atalanta and Santa Muerte for.
[ ] Go all out offence, he can't keep holding out! This is what you need Atalanta and Cuchulainn for.
[ ] You haven't attacked him directly with magic much yet, so he hasn't been using Makanda. You'll need Theodora and Anastasia to blast him with.
[ ] Keep healing as much as you can, once is never enough in a fight like this.
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 15, 2021

[X] You still have Ranged skills though, this is what you need Atalanta and Santa Muerte for.

"Atalanta!" you called forth, but not with the instruction to attack Eitaro. Rather, you ordered her to swiftly strike the deck below you, breaking the boat right in two. With Atalanta's speed and Theodora's enchanting, you were able to run up the dragon's head at one end of the boat, then bracing yourself, leapt with such great strength and speed that you cleared the metallic pool below and landed back on the surrounding seats.

You breathed with relief, thinking Eitaro would have no easy answer to that... but it turned out he did. You saw that, calling a Magaru wind field up from below, he was able to land right on the other side of the seating.

"Haha, oh man, Eitaro just doesn't go down!" Gakuto commented over the action, "Hence why we keep him around".

You felt the shadows around you, his subjects, about to close in and grab you, but Eitaro of all people intervened, firing a warning shot up into the air and shouting across the arena, "Leave her be! I don't need anyone else to take her down for me!" Well, that explained it.

Eitaro instantly fired a string of five arrows at you, but staring coldly, you no sold each one with Atalanta's assistance. You in return called down a whole shower of arrows from above, Atalanta firing them all off in an Arrow Rain. Eitaro, not yet having the chance to re-raise his aero wall, got promptly barraged by them, pinning him to the ground, an extra stock of Medicine on him keeping him fighting.

Standing back up, his eyes pulsing red, gradually picking each arrow out of his body, he bellowed "Qin Shi Huang!" for his Persona to raise a violent Garula burst. Catching the gale, Eitaro sprang right across the oozing metal pool to deliver a high-flying kick coming right your way. In desperation, you called out "Santa Muerte!" and had your skeletal Persona open fire with every gun she had upon Eitaro.

The bullets being able to reach him, the force of both them and the localised tornado he'd conjured sent him rocketing back down. At the same time, you were dodging from side to side to avoid the liquid mercury from crashing up over you, but you soon didn't have you.

All of a sudden, the toxic metal pool was draining back down into the Colosseum. When finally it had all subsided, you hopped back down into the now dry arena, a Garu spell helping to slow your fall. You then saw what had made the mercury levels go down, a giant hole in the surrounding wall that had been created, where you could see as you approached, the prone Eitaro now lying.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xUaLxz-Dxk

"I... mustn't have known my own strength," you gasped, catching your breath, "M-my Persona was strong enough to knock Eitaro into all that ooze and through a wall. Does- does this mean I-I've won?!" you raised your voice, but didn't seem to hear many cheers in return.

"It would appear you have," Azuma spoke, fell back into silence, but then finally smiled, "I cannot deny, you have shown today that we were right to lift you up into our cadre. Good showing, Haruka".
Only at Azuma's command did the surrounding Shadows burst into applause, with strange, confetti-like sparkles raining down from the sky.

Gakuto, having almost fallen out of his chair, then gritted his teeth and tried to feign a smile, "Ah-ha, well you certainly showed us, Haruka. I had a lot of money betted against you though, you know," he then snarled.

"Y-you won, a freakin' Jack of all people... won," Melissa stuttered out, before shaking her head and saying, "Like, have I gone to Crazytown or something? Some loser rat girl just kicked the quarterback's ass, just ob-lit-erated the toughest guy in school!" she nearly exploded.

"Well, at least you can now look forward to that Erimo trip you set up me and Azuma on" you called up to her, before you flinched and thought, Wait, no, I did not just say that in front of everyone!

"Cape Erimo, hmm?' Gakuto immediately took notice as you knew he would, "My my, so you've arranged a little romantic get-away for two, have you Melissa?"

"Oh you stay out of it!" she burst at him, Azuma just shaking his head through all this.

"Er, okay, um anyway, I knew you could do it, Haruka!" Himawari said as she made her way down and gave you a peck on the cheek, "And speaking of arrangements, I still have that little concert to throw you in my own Empire".

"Wait, you were gonna throw her a concert?" Melissa seethed, her eyes locking onto Himawari, "Ahem, and why wasn't I informed about this?!"

Because you would've tried to make the whole thing about yourself, you bitch, you thought.

Then inevitably came Kikuko's reply, "Your technique is still quite rusty, if not for more than a few lucky breaks, you would've been lying dead under a hail of arrows. Still, I admit you did show some strategy and a fair amount of fighting spirit out on the battlefield, and a power no less than having more than one Persona certainly helped rig the Duel in your favour".

"Oh yes, multiple Personae," Gakuto spoke up, adjusting his glasses, "I pride myself on, among other things, being well-informed, but even that I didn't see coming. I didn't think much of you at first Haruka, in fact I still don't, but I can now understand Azuma's interest in you".

"And before Melissa inevitably complains it's unfair," Azuma interjected before the Ace of Coins could fume, "It should be noted this power above even your fellow Persona-users has come at a cost, the inability to manifest your own Empire".

"Yeah," you muttered, you don't need to remind me. "Wait, shouldn't Eitaro have gotten up by now?" you then asked.

None of the Aces giving you a reply anytime soon, you rushed over to where Eitaro lay in a crumpled heap and removed some of the bricks on top of him. His face not waking up and having grown sickly pale, you slowly down to feel his pulse.

Nightshade said:
"Recarm spells and the like only work after attacks done by Shadows, and even then, only when there's a faint scrap of consciousness still in you. We're not miracle workers".

No, no! Fearing the worst, you then felt his heart. Nothing.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwgSSdWU14

You looked up again to see that the once clear skies had grown stormy, and that the statues and buildings of this Empire, which when you first saw them appeared in top condition, now looked like they'd been decaying for aeons.

You no saw the All-Aces standing right in front of you, which made immediately shiver and collapse on your knees, "No! I- I didn't meant to-" you broke out into tears, "Yeah, he was a jerk, b-but he didn't deserve... to die".

"What you 'meant' won't change what is," Azuma put simply.

"After all, you hit him with a bullet stream he was weak to, down into liquid mercury and through a wall. What did you expect would happen?" Kikuko stated.

"Ohmygawd he's dead?!" Melissa gasped, "B-but he was too hunky to- hmm, actually I can get a pretty good view of his abs with him lying down," she then said.

"Er, Melissa?" Himawari gulped, "Y-you're aware you're checking out a corpse, right? Oh no, please don't get your phone out," she whimpered.
Seeing Melissa was a lost cause, Himawari approached, putting a hand on your shoulder, and said "Look, Haruka, please don't blame yourself! You were acting in self-defence, he challenged you, remember? And you didn't know your own strength, we heard you saw that yourself".

"The important thing right now is not that Haruka killed Eitaro," Gakuto interrupted, gesturing wildly, "The important thing is that, because she killed Eitaro, we're all suspects now! And being one of us All-Aces, he was hardly low-profile, now was he? Oh sure, we could just hide his body out here on the Gameboard, but people are going to start wondering where he is, and then what?!"

You spoke up, "Your friend's dead, and the first thing you can think of is a cover story?"

"I'm doing a favour, Haruka, us all a favour really," Gakuto snarled and crossed his arms, "You don't want to spend the rest of young life, hell the rest of your life, in prison now do you?"

Well, not much different from spending the rest of my young life around you people, you could only think back.

[ ] "We'll say he suffered too many injuries in his obsessive football and archery practicing, yet was too stubborn to get them checked"
[ ] "He was done in by a stray arrow, jealous rival archer"
[ ] "He got into a fight with some yakuza guys, it'd explain why he's riddled with holes"
[ ] "He was suffering from an illness that he kept refusing to tell people about"
[ ] "He committed suicide without a note, felt he was under way too much pressure"
[ ] Write-in

- The Chariot has Journeyed to Rank 3! -

Wait, what the Hell? you thought, How can a Social Link advance, even still be a thing, when the guy's dead?! Yeah, there's Lauryn, but... I don't know anymore.

"Okay, good enough for me," Gakuto said back, before a sinister smile crossed his face, "I suppose it's no surprise Eitaro was first this year to die, with his brawn and his fury, he simply made himself too big a target. Anyway, with him gone, dibs on his Empire!"

"Ugh, you? Nonono, I was closest to him, you're on my turf now!" Melissa shot back at him.

"What do you mean 'closest to him'? He'd kept spurning your advances, as I recall," Gakuto chuckled, to Melissa's rage.

Lauryn's Empire's still around, I guess it makes sense Eitaro's would be, you got to thinking, Azuma did talk about, if you're so great and spectacular, then your will influence will last, even grow, after death.

"You know what?" you then raised your voice, "Maybe I should claim this Empire, yeah, and take responsibility for Eitaro's death!" Since none of you seem to know what that word means.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Azuma told you, "You must first have an Empire to claim another".

"What?" you roared, "S-says who?"

"Says the Gameboard," he replied.

"Besides, who gets who's Empire is decided not by mere words," Kikuko snarled, drawing her sword "But by combat!"

"Ahem, and speaking of Empires," Himawari swiftly stepped in front of Kikuko before the latter could act, "How about we all head over to mine right now? I did promise a Haruka a private concert, after all!"

"Much as I don't keep up with your style of music, Himawari," Azuma said, "I do indeed agree we could all use a tension releaser, especially after, ahem, preceding events".

"Wow, I'm probably the only, y'know, killer ever to get a concert thrown for her," you snarked, clutching your head in your hands.

"Hmm, well actually there was the time some Bob Geldof guy performed 'Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays' at Live-Aid," Melissa pointed out.

"Hey, I want to stress this is not for killing Eitaro," Himawari said firmly, "This is for you surviving, this is for you still being with us".

Himawari's Empire, well more Nightshade's Empire you supposed, was a ramshackle collection of jagged slums and grungy speakeasies, with cobblestone streets, constant night, rain and mist, and because of that giant, luminescent mushrooms had sprouted up everywhere instead of lampposts.

You'd been shown into one of many nightclubs within, though this while tiny at least looked like one of the fancier ones, the whole place decked out with red velvet lounges, plush cushions, and glittering crystalline glasses at the bar. Basically on the exact other end of the spectrum from Darkest Desires, though you thought you could see some... BDSM equipment stashed away in the darkness.

Speaking of the bar, "Woo-hoo!" called out Melissa, her Regalia changed again into a slinky red dress, as she slurped up another round of sake, "Y'know Kikukiko, hic, your unique and exotish culture really, hic, makesh the best booze!"

"You are aware that's cognitive sake, right?" Kikuko said in return, before speaking louder, "You're serious getting drunk off illusionary rice wine!"

"Hey, you aren't my Mom! Hic," Melissa burped again, "B-but you're shtill my friend, r-right Kiko? Oh wait, show'sh starting".

The curtains parted, revealing a banner that read 'Happy Continued Existence, Haruka!' as Himawari, still dressed in her lighter, less obviously Nightshade dress, strode on stage.
"I'd like to dedicate this one to, well, someone very special to me," she went with, before launching into a more chart-friendly tune than Nightshade's fare, you guessed still not wanting to blow her cover, with her own Shadow subjects on keyboards.

Well, Gakuto at least seemed to like it, as did Melissa, but at her point you guessed she would've applauded over anything. Kikuko just, well, she just sat there, but Azuma... you couldn't see anywhere. You figured he must've slipped out, but why? You sure didn't think her singing was bad or anything.

You soon found Azuma in an alleyway outside, then again most of the streets here were alleys. He was talking to, wait, Popo?

"Well met Poe, it's been awhile," Azuma began. Wait, these two knew each other? You guessed that was plausible, Popo did say he was from the Gameboard, not specifically the Velvet Room.

"Azuma sir, I..." the pegasus pony gulped, "I gave that there Qin Shi Huang to Eitaro like I gave all of you Personae, and now he's, he's dead?!" he said. "I-I know all you have arguments and that, b-but what on Earth are these here 'Duels' for? You were 'sposed to support each other, not kill each other!"

"Poe, Eitaro was one of the few closest to me, so I can confidently say this is exactly how he would've wanted it," Azuma stated, "He was... afraid of ever becoming the weak link in the chain, yet it appears he was. He would've wanted then to be removed from the equation".

"Is that really true, Azuma sir?" Popo tried to stand up, "B-because I don't believe anyone's a 'weak link'".

"Your very Gameboard so far seems to have been saying otherwise," Azuma muttered. He then headed back inside, but got asked one last thing.

"Please, Mister Azuma sir, you gotta promise, no more o' these 'Duels'," Popo shouted.

Turning around, Azuma sighed and said, "Oh if it were so easy. It's a nice little fantasy, I'll grant you, but you underestimate just how brightly my fellow All-Aces' emotions can burn. Well, till we meet again".

With Azuma back inside, you headed out to Popo and asked him, "Popo, if you gave them Personae, why don't you just take them back from the All-Aces?"

"M-miss Haruka? Er, 'fraid it ain't that simple, like there's a diff'rence between giving someone a Persona and taking it away. Your Persona's part of you, no, it is you, so it's not gonna come quietly..." the pony whimpered, almost collapsing "Especially when you've got 'em Empires with you".

"Oh you, come inside," you said, picking up and carrying Popo in.

And inside, you could see Melissa had utterly collapsed on the floor in a stupor, Himawari having rushed over to help her up. "Ah, so er, pretty good concert, wouldn't you say? ...Guess we should call it a wrap for the night" she sighed.

- The Fool has Journeyed to Rank 4! -

Heading out of school, having dropped Popo back in the Velvet Room before you left the Gameboard, you were approached by Colette at the gates.

"My, Haruka, you do appear to be troubled," she spoke up, before crossing her arms and saying "Is this over something those All-Aces put you through?!"

"You could say that," you softly muttered.

"Say no more. Well, as your Vice-Rep," a position Colette was suddenly caring about now, "and Occult Club leader, and your soon-to-be-bandmate, it should be my duty to see how you're going". She then fell silent, before gritting her teeth and saying, "I- I would give anything to get you as far away as I could from those All-Aces, but... I acknowledge I'm not in much of a position to seriously do something about them. I'm, I'm sorry".

"Colette, please, don't be," you tried to tell her, "You shouldn't be blaming yourself for anything here, really".

"I suppose you're right," she said, "Only so much use pondering what could've been. Ahem, Haruka, is it... would it be okay if I walked you home?"

"Uh, sure," you said, "I mean, my apartment's not that far, but you're welcome".

"Hmhm, perfect, thank you" Colette smiled and curtseyed, "Now Haruka, perhaps you would be interested in a discussion of the finger qualities of gothic literature-"

Getting back to the block of flats before you knew it, it was there Colette said, "Well, I suppose I must take my leave here. Shame, it was a wonderful discussion we were having. But farewell Haruka, and remember," she took a deep breath before saying, "I am assured, for all their success, there's something special about you that no All-Ace could even dream of. Don't lose hope".

"Th-thank you," you said, bidding Colette goodbye.

Heading back up to your place, you only Megumi an exhausted greeting before you slumped down on your bed.
I'm alive, Eitaro's dead. By my hand, technically. This is... something I didn't think I ever saw coming, you thought. You only now recalled at that Eitaro had, as an All-Ace, been one of the most popular kids at school, though it was easy to forget that, when you knew the real him. My God, how's everyone gonna react when news of his death finally gets out? Am... am I really gonna be thrown in prison?

QM's Note: Okay, so as I was writing this Quest, it came to my attention that, if I kept the pace I've been going so far, then the whole story would roughly be over within an in-game month, which just feels way too small-scale for a Persona game outside spin-offs, and to have reasonable character development over S. Links. However, if I tried to spread events out but by kept the day-by-day format, then this Quest could end up taking an extremely long time to finish.

So I've come up with a compromise, one that I've run past PA2 before. From here the Quest will be divided into Story Weeks and Skip Weeks (may need a better name). Story Weeks will play out using the day-by-day format found in canon Persona games, so same as usual, whereas Skip Weeks will be time-skips until the next Story Week.

However, you won't be just sitting down doing nothing between Story Weeks, no. Skip Weeks will use the week-by-week format found in games like Tokimeki Memorial, where you'll select one activity to focus on each school week, which can be studying, improving one of your social stats, exploring the Gameboard, and so on, and then an S. Link to hang out with each Sunday.

As you may've guessed, we'll be in Skip Week mode until Golden Week starts on April 29th in-game, giving you three schoolweeks to fill in with activities and two Sundays to hang out with people on. However, there'll still be one more story event before we reach Golden Week, surrounding Eitaro.

Please select three activities to focus on each schoolweek:

[ ] Exploring the Gameboard.
- [ ] Azuma's Empire.
- [ ] Kikuko's Empire.
- [ ] Gakuto's Empire.
- [ ] Melissa's Empire.
- [ ] Himawari's Empire
- [ ] Eitaro's Empire.
- [ ] Lauryn's Empire.
- [ ] No One's Land.
[ ] Studying.
[ ] Class Rep duties.
[ ] Exercising around town.
[ ] Surfing the Internet, now that you brought your better computer back.
[ ] Reading books.
[ ] Watching TV.
[ ] Practicing music for Nightshade.
[ ] Practicing your technique for Tea Ceremony Club.
[ ] Joining and practicing for the Drama Club.
[ ] Doing stuff for Occult Club.
[ ] Write-in.

Please select two Social Links to hang out with on Sundays:
[ ] Reina.
[ ] Ryouko.
[ ] Kikuko.
[ ] Yuya.
[ ] Keiko.
[ ] Hotaru.
[ ] Melissa.
[ ] Megumi.
[ ] Nightshade.
[ ] Mum and Dad.
[ ] Colette.

(Lauryn and Popo not included since their S. links have different conditions to progress.)

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 16, 2021

[X] Class Rep duties.
[X] "We'll say he suffered too many injuries in his obsessive football and archery practicing, yet was too stubborn to get them checked"
[X] Practicing music for Nightshade.
[X] Doing stuff for Occult Club.
[X] Reina.
[X] Mum and Dad.
-[X] Invite Colette.

For the rest of your second week of your second year, you thought it'd be a good idea to get busy with some form of schoolwork, in order to get your idea off, well, things, and try to re-establish a sense of normalcy in your life.

Oh yeah, you'd have a whole bunch of Class rep duties to take care of, wouldn't you? If you just lay low and act like a responsible little citizen, people wouldn't suspect a thing... would they?

Of course, that quickly backfired when it turned out that one of your biggest duties as Class Rep this week was, perhaps naturally, breaking the news of All-Ace Eitaro's death to your classmates.

Before class that Tuesday, you took your Vice-Rep Colette aside in the outside corridor, leaned down, and whispered to her, "Listen, you're into, well, gothic stuff, so I was gonna ask for help in breaking the news of someone's death".

Colette stopped to ponder that a little, but soon said, "I honestly wouldn't say there's one effective, surefire way. Despite how it may seem, I've been fortunate to not have anyone close to me die, though I confess there are precious few close to me, but I've known a fair few people who have. It'd depend on whose death it is too".

"It's Eitaro," the words bluntly left your mouth.

"Oh," was all Colette muttered on hearing, but then cleared her throat and continued with, "I see. I have little patience for any All-Ace, but... I certainly never would have wished death upon any of them. Like, ideally I'd just want to see their reputations be ruined and have them expelled or whatever. Okay, I'll admit, were I in your position, I'd be as blunt as possible about just who Eitaro really was... and yet, it's your call. If you wish to reinforce the sugar-coated view this school had of him and still has of his peers, well, that's your right".

You just nodded, before you slowly walked into your homeroom.
"Er, hello everyone," you said, giving a light bow to the rest of the class, "As your Representative, I've been asked to break the news of an, um, unfortunate happening at our school". You'd begun to shake and sweat, while the rest of class just seem as unenthused as ever.

Hey, you guys know that Eitaro kid?" Tanizawa-sensei spoke up ahead of you, groaning as she did, "School's sports star? He's dead".

Now that made the class pay attention. All the students began mumbling amongst each other, and from what you could see, the main look on their faces was utter disbelief.

"Wait, no, I can't believe this," one of the sportier kids spoke up, "Guy was tough as steel, what, what in Hell could've ever killed him?"

"Ah, the official statement from the All-Aces is that Eitaro died from untreated injuries, sustained during excessive practice," you said all that in a hurry, side-eyeing your teacher to make sure she wouldn't butt in again.

"Oh, oh God," you then heard Keiko mutter as she buried her head in her hands, "It- it never even occurred to me that an All-Ace could, well, die. I mean, people had told me about Rin, but she was before I even got here. Oh no, if Eitaro can die, what does that mean for Azuma?!" she almost panicked, with Yuya having to step in to calm her down.

"Er, I guess I still don't know how to feel about all this," he then said to the rest of the class, clutching his head, "Hearing someone died in only the second week back, and that it was one of the toughest guys in school. Like I've heard the phrase 'Memento Mori' and, yeah, that's all I can think really, hearing about this," his voice then pattered out as he slumped back down.

"To play History Teacher for a moment," Colette then spoke to the class, "When the Black Death struck Europe, it inspired an art theme called the 'Danse Macabre', which showed nobles and peasants alike joining hands with death. The message was simple, it doesn't matter who you are, death comes for us all. But ultimately, it's the one thing that also unites us all" she finished, looking like she expected a standing ovation for what she said... only to get no response but a few coughs.

"Sensei," you turned and said in a hushed tone to Ryouko, "W-why did you cut me off like that?"

"Look, Haruka, sometimes you need to be blunt about these sorts of things," Ryouko sighed, leaning back and crossing her arms, "Sorry if I sound harsh, but in my experience it's often the only way. Plus, I figured if I said nothing, you'd just keep umming and aahing the whole time".

You didn't have a reply to that, you were just left thinking how you could possibly console anyone further, being Class Rep and all.

As the week went on, you were reminded of Eitaro's death nearly every time you went out in the corridors, where the crying and bewildered voices of mourning students never let you forget it, Himawari the only All-Ace out there trying to comfort people, or when you tried to order in the cafeteria.
Speaking of the cafeteria, you were apprehended in there by Melissa one time, as she took your arm and snarled, "I'm sorry, are you forgetting what I taught you?"

"O-oh, is this about Eitaro?" you gulped, shrinking back.

At first she just stared at you, but then said, "What? No, not that now. I meant how to conduct yourself as one of our Jacks".

"What, I can't go to the cafeteria anymore?" you then stepped up, gritting your teeth.

"Not necessarily, you just can't keep mingling with the riffraff," Melissa told you, stepping forth in return, "Jacks have a special table in the cafeteria allotted specifically to them. Aces of course get to eat in our Lounge," Melissa grinned, before having to admit, "Gakuto get crumbs and energy drink spill everywhere though..."

You were shown over to a table with Reina, Tsubasa, and Shinsuke, that butler and dresser who serviced Azuma you met the other day. It did look like he'd prepared something good for the four of you though, a steaming plate of roast pork.

"Hey, wait a minute, where's Kaneto?" you spoke up, looking around, "Oh, don't tell me-"

"His Ace's dead, so technically he's not a Jack anymore," Melissa stated.

"I perhaps would've put that more delicately, Mistress, but that is indeed the case," Shinsuke sighed.

"O-oh yeah, Eitaro's dead," Reina stuttered, "It feels so, so weird to say that. I think they call it, like, 'phantom pain', y'know when you can still feel something there, even though you know it's gone".

"It's, well, it's a complicated business, right?" Tsubasa said, you guess she felt she had to contribute to the conversation somehow.

"Hey guys," came the surprisingly cheery voice of Kaneto, as he sidled up, "Er, guess you guys forgot to invite me here, that's okay, people forget and stuff. Weird thing just happened, like I got told I'm now Football Captain! Okay, but er, what happened to Eitaro then?"

Oh my God, how can you not know? you could've facepalmed, but your thoughts turned to how to break this news, again. "Eitaro, you see he's-"

"He's dead," Melissa cut you off, "Shame too, without him Azuma's the only hot guy we got in the All-Aces. Well, Gakuto's not that bad looking I guess, but like there's so much shit about him, don'tcha know? Point is, with him gone, that means you're not Jack anymore".

Kaneto's face turned to resemble that of a sad puppy. "He- he's dead?!" he whimpered.

The guy treated you like complete crap, you thought but kept silent, I didn't want the guy to die either, but seriously, is it really worth getting torn up on hearing about the death of your abuser?

"Gawd, and I thought Reina could be a total airhead," Melissa said aloud in front of her Jack, "Anyway, you're not a Jack, so that means you don't get to sit here anymore".

"Hey, he was still a Jack for years before this, he deserves to sit with us at least one last time," you then stood up to Melissa.

[+2 Resolve]

The Ace of Coins looked at first like she was about to explode on you, but then calmed herself and snarled, "Whatever, do your own little thing for all I care, my own meal's probably getting cold as we speak," she then took off in a huff.

Finally getting to sit down for lunch, Kaneto getting to join you, as you later walked back to class you saw Tsubasa and Shinsuke approach you.
"Aye Miss Haruka, those were some fighting words you had for Mistress Melissa," Tsubasa smiled at you, miming a punch, "It's something to admire, like I could never dream about ever standing up ta, well, Mistress Kikuko or the like".

"You indeed possess tenacity, Miss Haruka I suppose that is deserving of applause, even if it takes the form of going against your superiors," Shinsuke had to remark, "But I should have expected this, my Master Azuma indeed knows exceptional people when he sees them".

"Thanks, I appreciate it," you smiled, think you're getting a little carried away though.

After they left, you then confronted by Ryouko.
"Ooh, got into a scuffle did we?" she giggled, before adopting a slightly more serious tone of voice, "In all honestly, thank you for your work as Class Rep this week, while it's still early in the year so nothing major needs to be planned yet, you've really been putting in the work... and I've been meaning to apologise for interrupting you telling the class a couple of days back".

"Oh that?" you said, "No, it's okay, I guess you had a point, I was taking ages to break the news, really".

"Yeah, but..." Ryouko sighed and said, "It should've been obvious to me that, like, telling a whole bunch of students the school's star just died, and all on your first real week as Class Rep, I, I really should've gone easier on you".

You thought about it for a while, but then said, "You once admitted to me that, basically, you weren't much of a teacher. So it's okay you feel you've fucked up, we're both in the same boat for not really knowing what to do here".

Ryouko could only laugh at that, "I'll say, you sounded more like the teacher just then. Of course, not like I'd ever recommend this job to you once you graduate, but still," she shrugged.

"I'll... take that as a compliment," you blushed, before asking "Er, I'm kinda curious then, how did you go about breaking the news of Rin's death, those years back?"

"Well, you sure ask the hard-hitting questions now, don't you?" Ryouko mumbled, but replied with, "I'm lucky I didn't really have to, it was something pretty much everyone knew about almost immediately. Her death happened in my first year of teaching too, so I guess it was for the better that I didn't need to break the news to anyone. Man, from what little I saw of her, she seemed like a sweet girl..."

Wow, that's not something anyone will just casually tell you, you thought, Guess I've been really getting through to Tanizawa-sensei...

- The Priestess has Journeyed to Rank 2! -

"Anyway, how 'bout something lighter?" Ryouko then piped up, "Hey, you know that band offer we got from Hima- er, Nightshade? "Cause I was thinking, fuck it, I'm gonna go all out and pick up the guitar. Have some fun, while I can".

"What? Oh that, yeah," you'd almost forgotten about being in a backing band, what with all the Class Rep stuff and, well, Eitaro's death. "Suits me fine. I was gonna pick bass anyway, four strings shouldn't be too difficult. That does leave Colette with drums, I wonder how she's gonna react to that?" you muttered.

"Eh, if she wanted her choice of instrument, she should've spoken up earlier," Ryouko shrugged, "Oh yeah, before you head home for today, there's a couple of your classmates in need of some tutoring. How about it?"

You thought, Well, if I'm really throwing myself into a Class rep role this week, "Sure, I've got time".

[+2 Perception and +3 Education from tutoring, Perception has risen to Rank 2!]

Sunday, April 17th

Waking up that morning in your apartment, the only thing you could think was, Oh geez, they're holding a funeral for Eitaro tomorrow, aren't they? Boy will that be awkward.

You really needed someone to cheer you up from thinking that, and luckily you knew just the person.

After a quick breakfast, you texted Reina with a simple <You there?>.

Reina naturally was quick to call you back, saying "Oh hey there Haruka! Cool you wanted to hang out, but I can't really think of anywhere to get but like clothes-shopping, so where do you wanna go? I usually drag you around everywhere, so like it's only fair you get to choose this time."

[ ] "Clothes shopping sounds fine".
[ ] "How about we eat out? Like there's a cool sweets shop in town".
[ ] "Guess you gotta exercise to look good, right? How about we go walking in the mountains?".
[ ] "Wanna just hang out at the arcade?"
[ ] "How about a movie? Think they're showing Scene Girls"
[ ] "You know what? Let's head all the way down to Sapporo, we can easily make it back within the day".
[ ] "You know what, it's some distance, but how's Hakodate sound?
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 17, 2021

QM's Note: Okay, content warning, this one gets kinda... uncomfortable, and verges on the reason I've thought about a Mature rating.

[X] "Clothes shopping sounds fine".

"Okay, cool. Ooh, Melissa told me that you'll be going on a little private vacation with Azuma by Golden Week! Wow, that sounds really romantic, um, kind of the sort of thing I'd love to be able to do someday... Uh, yeah, so that got me thinking, how 'bout we get you a special outfit for the occasion?!" she kept chirping over the phone.

"Yeah, sounds great," you smiled at her over the phone's camera, but inside just thought, Cool, some expensive dress I'll probably never wear again 'cause it'd be a nightmare to wash if I wore it casually.
"Should probably get something to eat first, though. Hmm, what do you think about meeting up at-"

[ ] "-Cafe Okumura" [+2 Education]
[ ] "-Shiro Usagi Confections" [+2 Etiquette]
[ ] "-Spice'n'Steam Ramen" [+2 Resolve]
[ ] "-That fast food joint you like" [+2 Perception]
[ ] Write-in.

"Awesome, see you there!" Reina beamed.

After eating, the first thing Reina wanted to do was discuss what exactly you were going to wear on your trip.
"Hey look, you don't have to jump into this sort of thing immediately," you tried to say to her, sitting down on a park bench, "Like, can't we just talk and stuff? I mean, I'm not here right now for Azuma or Melissa, I'm here for well, you" you said that last part slower than normal.

At first Reina didn't have a response, but said, "Hmm okay, how about you don't think of it as buying an outfit to impress Azuma, but to exhibit your style in the wider world outside Kuchinashi? 'Course, I don't know why you wouldn't want to impress someone like Azuma, but point is, would thinking that help you out?" she asked.

You had to smile at that. "Yeah, sure. I think Melissa's plan is for us to go down to Hakodate for the night view there, then across the bay to Cape Erimo, right by the Pacific, where from what I know it's super windy, so I'll have to keep that in mind when picking out clothes. After that we're gonna head back through Sapporo, catching the cherry blossoms along the way, so maybe something like a yukata would be appropriate for that?"

"Er, don't know where we're gonna find a super wind-resistant yukata, but okay! I was thinking of checking out a Hiking and Mountain Gear shop for all the wind, but eh, they usually don't stock clothes suitable for dates, unless your beau's into bushwalking. Ooh, and I do know the nicest little traditional clothing store... which is also seriously expensive, but hey, this is a special occasion!"

[ ] Go with a fancy, traditional Japanese outfit.
[ ] Go with a more dainty Western outfit, like a long dress and sunhat, with trousers beneath for the wind.
[ ] Go with a more modern, stylish outfit, like a sparkling black dress and a (fake hopefully) feather boa.
[ ] Forsake elegance and go with an outfit more suited to Hokkaido's terrain.
[ ] Write-in.

"Hmm, well I'm not quite sure that's what Melissa would go with, but okay!" Reina perked up, "Like, she told me I was 'sposed to groom you into the All-Ace aesthetic, but really I think it's best if I help you develop your own style, right?".

"Oh, ah, thank you," you replied. You got thinking, That's... not something I expected to ever hear Reina say, honestly. She said otherwise once, but I was kinda under the impression she based her whole style around Melissa's.

"Before we go shopping Reina, one last thing," you then said, though you did hesitate a bit in continuing, "Ahem, er, so I take it you're no longer poking through that Secret Lives of Students site?".

Reina froze at your words, before she spoke in a much more deflated tone, "No, that was the last time I ever went anywhere near that site. B-because of what it dug up about me, I-I've had some real mean looks in school, a-and I'm lucky that I haven't been disqualified as a Jack. I'd tell Melissa but... to be honest, I'm scared how she might react".

"What is it, Reina? Come on, you can tell me," you knelt down and spoke to her, "On the other hand, I get it if it's something you'd really don't want to bring up again".

"N-no, I've made up my mind, it's best to tell you," a trembling Reina spoke up, but looked from side to side and said, "Somewhere more private though, y'know, though I guess all the info's up online anyway".

She ushered you away from the park and behind an old brick wall where, looking side to side once again, she tried to speak with you, tears welling up in her eyes, "I-I'm not a virgin".
She then took a deep breath and elaborated, "I-I used to go out on, ahem, 'compensated dates' with older guys. I told them I was just there to talk and have fun, maybe cuddle, b-but there were... some who wouldn't take no for an answer".

"And that blog then told everyone about it," you surmised, before you embraced Reina and told her, "Reina, I... I don't think any less of you for this, you're still my, my friend. If Melissa boots you out should she hear about this, then... if ever become an Ace myself, first thing I'll do is appoint you as my own Jack".

"Y-you mean it?" Reina whimpered, before she reached out to tightly embrace you back. "Thanks Haruka, you're the best!".

- The Magician has Journeyed to Rank 4! -

[+3 Perception]

You stood there for a while, but then Reina stepped back and sniffed, saying "I'm glad I have finally have someone I could, um, talk to about all that. Okay, with that out of my system, let's get back to shopping!"

Finding, fitting, and purchasing the Golden Week outfit you had in mind, with Reina constantly complimenting you on it, you hugged as you said goodbye upon heading back to your apartment.

"Hey there, have fun out there?" Megumi asked upon your return, hunched over their own laptop busying themselves with what looked like some online quiz, only to then catch sight of your new clothes, "Wow, you've really gotten into fashion hauls lately. Hey, not saying it looks bad or anything, but y'know we're not exactly made out of money. Or packing infinite closet space".

"No problem, those All-Aces at least pay me regularly for doing, er, club activities," you muttered.

"I see," Megumi muttered back.

"Besides, this outfit's for a special occasion. I'm going all the way down to Cape Erimo for Golden Week," you told them.

If Megumi was drinking coffee right now they'd immediately spit it out, "W-wait, why wasn't I told about this earlier?" they stared blankly at you.

"Well, the whole thing was kind of an, er, awkward arrangement," you put it, explaining "Melissa, that exchange student with the Aces, went and planned out a whole trip for me and Azuma, the top-ranked guy in school and that theatre kid who came in here. She's loaded, so at least you won't have to worry about me bursting the bank".

Megumi kept staring at you, but then sighed and had to admit, "Guess your school's been going through a rough spot, with that athlete dying right after the first week. That little vacation should help take your mind off that".

"Wait, how did you know about his death?!" you shot up.

"How could I not know? It was in the papers all over town," Megumi said, before reflecting "Not that I blame people around here for being weirdly obsessed with your school, its class and prestige is the main thing keeping Kuchinashi from just being some stopover town between Sapporo and Hakodate. I mean, when I think prestigious, I sure don't think my community college".

You sighed, "It's just that I've been invited to attend his funeral tomorrow. We... kinda knew each other, I mean when our place got crashed the other day, he was one of the people there".

"In that case, sounds like he was kind of a jerk, while he was alive anyway," Megumi muttered, "Though you wouldn't have got that impression from the papers, they were absolutely glowing about him. Still though, 'jerk' doesn't warrant death".

"Least I also have band stuff to also look forward too, something on my own terms for once," you then changed the subject to something lighter, "Planning to get real stuck into that next week, when I can".

"Band practice?" Megumi asked, "Like, you're joining the school's concert band?"

"Er, not exactly. You remember Nightshade, right?" you started with, "Well, she said she's tired of having to rely on backing tracks, so myself, my Vice-Rep, and my, er, homeroom teacher are gonna be her backing band".

"Teacher? Oh, Ryouko, wow!" Megumi's eyes widened, "That just makes her hotter, I didn't know she was also a musician!"

"Um well, that's 'cause she kinda isn't," you had to break it, "But she's fine with giving it a shot".

"Okay then. Well, I guess a little more in the future, we'll have even more stuff to bond over. I'm no pro, let alone virtuoso, but I've dabbled a little in music," Megumi flashed a grin, "How about you, you play anything?"

"...Not really," you let out, "Thought of picking up bass though, 'cause it's easy, right?"

"Yep, figured," Megumi said to themselves and sighed, "Be cautious though, Nightshade's music from what I've heard sounds pretty technical".

"Ah, I'll get the hang of it," was all you said, finishing the conversation.

You had one last place to stop for the night, no less than the Velvet Room.

"Oh, Miss 'Aruka, thanks for being me back here the other night," Popo piped up, "Unfortunately, don't really got any new Personae for ya right now, Miss".

"Well, it's not exactly a new Persona I'm looking for right now, but rather, well, a new person," you then said, before looking at Lauryn, "Rin, I'm... I'm guessing you would've already heard the news".

"About Eitaro's death, yes," she winced, slowly saying, "If only I was still there, I could've... Oh, what's the point? I can't go back and stop it, whether I ponder what I could've done or not".

"Thing is, you died but ended up here," you pointed to her, then cleared your throat and said, "So, I was wondering, could Eitaro showing up here, still be possible?"

The Room fell dead silent, before Igor said "I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. Lauryn's case was indeed exceptional, I told you when you first that she was a Lost Soul, caught between worlds, hence how she came to be here. While we'd have to scan the entire Sea of Souls to confirm, this would not appear to be the case for a second time so soon".

You stood there as those words sank in, "Guess I should've known".

"D-don't feel bad, Miss, you only acted in self-defence. Here, I've got somethin' I've been meaning to give ya," Popo then sighed, as he summoned what looked like two chained together schoolboy dolls, both wearing a large hat that looked like a stone stair. "It's me own Persona, Miss, named P.I.T.T. Er, acronym that is. He's not much at all for a scrap, but whenever you're in trouble with some Shadows, call on his card and I'll give you a heads up on 'em".

"Oh, thank you, that... helps out a lot," you started to smile. "I mean, we do have a Navigator with Gakuto, though I think his Persona can actually fight. Problem there he's, well, Gakuto".

"I get what you mean," Lauryn sighed.

Popo showing you his own personal Persona, even letting you partly use it, is certainly something, you having just literally seen into Popo's soul...

- The Tower has Journeyed to Rank 3! -

Monday, April 18th

The day had arrived for Eitaro's funeral. Seconds after you'd finished breakfast, you heard a knock at the door.

Opening it, you saw both the butler Shinsuke and maid Tsubasa there. "Miss Nakamura, you have been invited to accompany the All-Aces in their personal vehicle to young Master Eitaro's funeral," Shinsuke stated and bowed.

"It's a sad business, Miss Haruka, and I understand it's an awful lot to go through just a couple weeks into the school year-" Tsubasa began.

You however just said "I'm ready", walking out your door with them.

One thing you at least expected the All-Aces to do was ride in style, and the burgundy-black limousine that was parked by the apartment certainly had that, looking awfully out of place in these surroundings.

Being escorted in by Shinsuke and Tsubasa before they head to the driver's seats, you sat down on the velvety lounge surrounded by the remaining All-Aces.

"Hmhm, what do you think?" Melissa smirked, running her hand along the limo seating, "As if I'd ever be anywhere near a school bus".

"I would've happily ridden my steed," Kikuko snarled, "I would've much preferred the mountain air around me".

"Ugh, just wind down a window, if that's what you want," Melissa said back.

"Wow, there's something kinda, ah, erotic almost about these shiny seats," Himawari began, but quickly corrected herself with, "Ah, n-not that I'd know p-personally, b-but I'd imagine there'd people who'd be into this sort of thing".

"Anyway Haruka, have you got your eulogy prepared?" Gakuto then leaned in to ask, "We all have our own prepared, but if anyone should be reading out some parting words at this funeral, it'd be you, wouldn't you say?"

What? Oh no, they didn't say anything about that, that thought stabbed into you.

What did you plan to say when called up at Eitaro's funeral?

[ ] Write-in

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 18, 2021

[X] "-Cafe Okumura" [+2 Education]
[X] Forsake elegance and go with an outfit more suited to Hokkaido's terrain.
[X] Go with a more dainty Western outfit, like a long dress and sunhat, with trousers beneath for the wind.
[X] Eitaro's death was unfortunate and only made worse by being entirely avoidble. I can't help but ask myself if maybe he'd be still be alive now, if I paid better attention, or if anyone close to him told him it was okay to show weakness from time to time. Eitaro has shown us that even the strongest of us can still be fragile. I think we should make sure to remember that and try to give people the room they need to be comfortable and not push them to live up to an impossible ideal. Hopefully that way we won't lose anybody else the way we lost Eitaro.

"Wait, where's Azuma?" you spoke up, not seeing him in the car.

"He went on ahead, having more interest in overseeing the funeral," Gakuto casually replied.

If only you did too, you thought, not the least bit comfortable with Gakuto being the only guy in the passenger's lounge. At least you had Kikuko there to keep an eye on him.

For all the limo's comforts, it couldn't make the ride down the mountain pass any less twisty and turny. You found yourself clutching to the sides of the couches, there not being any seatbelts for some reason, though the All-Aces barely seemed bothered by the rocky drive down.

When you finally got to Eitaro's funeral, no less than a sendoff at sea, you stumbled shaken out of the limo to taste the salty air of Uchiura Bay, where Arctic chill mingled with Pacific calm.

Already there was quite a crowd gathered on the stony beach, some you could see in school uniform, some you recognised as staff, but also a fair few you didn't recognise at all, possibly family relations or family of friends?
A whole hedge of flowers, mostly azalea, was piled up near Eitaro's open coffin, his corpse's expression at least baring none of the anger that'd so often marked it in life. A priest stood up, bowed, then began slowly chanting sutras over the coffin.

Afterwards, Eitaro's fellow All-Aces were invited to say a few words, with Azuma as the most verbose of them getting to go first.
"When Tsutsuji Eitaro first ascended into our circle, I thought of him as one of the lucky few. Unlike the rest of us All-Aces, who were born into wealth or at least more than respectable backgrounds, Eitaro came from nearly nothing, the heir to a once prominent but now crumbling dojo. A dojo we ought now to pray for, since their last hope has now been extinguished.
I was... afraid there was something like a demon eating away inside Eitaro in his last few days, a demon of Wrath. This Wrath would not permit him to forgive, not only others, but himself. And yet, do not look down on him for this, for after all, are we all not vessels of Sin? Lust-"

Gakuto twitched and had to adjust his glasses.

"-Envy-"

That made Kikuko take a step back.

"-Greed-"

A sharp glance from Melissa made her lipstick get smeared right across her face.

"-Gluttony-"

Himawari suddenly broke out into a sweat.

"-and Sloth."

You felt his eye on you. Oh yeah, and what does that leave you with? you thought back.

"In theatre, the curtain falls when the playwright deems it so, or in unfortunate cases when the audience deems it. In life though, it can fall whenever, and it is to our great shame that it fell so fast on Eitaro. Rest easy, friend, you need not pressure yourself anymore," Azuma gave a deep bow as he finished, to the applause of his school.

His eyes then fell on you, as he said "Nakamura Haruka, you were there when Eitaro died, did you not say? Well then, perhaps you'd like to come up and say a few words," he beckoned on you.

It was only a couple of steps to the podium, yet it could've been a hundred with how your trembling legs felt. Going pale as you looked right out over the crowd, you gulped and got the words out of you all in one go:

"Eitaro's death was unfortunate and only made worse by being entirely avoidable. I can't help but ask myself if maybe he'd still be alive now if I paid better attention, or if anyone close to him told him it was okay to show weakness from time to time," you gasped out, before breathing in again and speaking more firmly, "Eitaro has shown us that even the strongest of us can still be fragile. I think we should make sure to remember that and try to give people the room they need to be comfortable, and not push them to live up to an impossible ideal. Hopefully that way we won't lose anybody else the way we lost Eitaro".

You could've collapsed right then and there, but you were surprised to hear that applause erupt again, if maybe not as loudly as it had for Azuma.

[+2 Perception, +3 Etiquette]

"Well spoken," Azuma came and smiled at you, taking you by your shoulder.

That left the rest of the All-Aces to give their speeches. Kikuko was first, as she recited:
"The mighty oak tree,
Its branches catch the wind till
They lose strength and break"

She then had Tsubasa bring her a tray containing flowers and bonsai trees, one a cherry blossom, one a chrysanthemum, one a peach tree, one a lily, one a sunflower, one an azalea, and one withered and leafless. With a slash of her sword, she cut down the azalea, before walking off stage.

Up next was Gakuto, who straightened his tie and said, "Words cannot describe how the Hanataba student body felt when they lost their Sports Ace. Words never are adequate in the face of senseless tragedy. I want to tell you a few things I learned from Eitaro, during three distinct periods, over the years I knew him. They're not periods of years, but of states of being. His full life. His injuries. His dying. Eitaro worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day. He was the opposite of absent-minded. I will not insult the privacy of your memory of him – a privacy he sought and treasured – by trying to describe him whom you knew to you who knew him. In our memories of him, he remains alive and not only a shadow on the school or a glamorous personality".

As Gakuto walked off, all you could think was, Wait, haven't I heard something like what he said in English class? ...Oh God no, did Gakuto honestly just plagiarise for a eulogy?

Then came Melissa, who started with, "Well, um, total yikes, right? I mean, Eitaro was easily the studliest guy in school, and now dead and gone, y'all. Like, the school's not completely uggo-town yet, we still got some major pretty boys, but there's a certain je ne sais quoi that just went kaput. So, thought and prayers everyone! For a real man who pulled himself up by his bootstraps until, well, he couldn't pull anymore..." Melissa then finished, having lost track of her analogy.

That just left Himawari out of the All-Aces, who waved and said, "Um, hi there. My wish is to make people happy in life, so I'm, er, really not used to handling sad situations like these. But even when I'm making people happy, I still get stage fright, obviously... but I know now, if I really should've been afraid for anyone, it'd be for Eitaro. There are some people who are so confident in this world that it seems like they can do anything, and... I feel that's who I should've been for Eitaro, yet just couldn't be. Er, I believe I could express the rest of my farewell to him through song, if I may," she held the mic close and began to sing.

As you took your seat, you saw that your school's own cricket captain, Yamashiro Takako, was placed right behind you.
"Oh hey, you're Haruka, right? Don't think we've spoken for, er, a while. I'd ask about your thoughts on cricket Club, but well, looks like now's really not the time".

"I'd heard Eitaro had tried to get your Club shut down," you said maybe a bit too hastily to her, "Like he feared another athlete stealing his spotlight or something. Er sorry, probably shouldn't have brought that up".

"Uh, yeah, he did," she confirmed, but then said, "But I always thought I could just... work something out, y'know. Like yeah, right now finding enough players is or biggest issue, but... did Eitaro really have to die for it to be that way?"

"If you ask me," you said, letting out "I don't think anyone 'has' to die, more than ever after now. But, well, what we can do once they are gone? Though sheesh, I didn't even know he came from poverty until Azuma said so".

"Yeah, first ever All-Ace to do so, I've been told," she nodded, before she leaned back and said, "I'm gonna need a lot to take my mind off this. Like, I'm gonna need a hot cocoa, and a lot of spicy food. Yeah, we have that back in Okinawa, but man, I didn't know how much I needed it until coming up to Hokkaido".

"I've been told it's better to eat cold foods in colder climates, and hot foods in hotter climates, actually," you remarked, "Supposed to adjust your body temperature accordingly, no idea if it actually works though".

"Shh, I think the ceremony's about to end," Takako whispered.

The Student Council President finished things by saying, "First Rin, now Eitaro, I... I'd like to hope we're through the storm here, but I get the feeling there may be dark times coming." Hotaru then looked down at the coffin, "Well, Godspeed".

Weird to think how a person's death can make you see them in a whole different light...

- The Chariot has Journeyed to Rank 4! -

Social Links after death though are never not going to be weird, however.

That afternoon, you headed to one of the few local instrument stores, Soundwaves, where you found Ryouko and Colette waiting for you at the entrance.

"So, um, hey, first day of band huh? Well, backing band, but anyway," Ryouko began, coughing a little, "To get things straight first, I'm taking guitar, Haruka's playing it cool with bass, which leaves-"

"Drums?!" Colette spoke out, before lifting her hand for inspection, "Do these delicate features honestly look like they're made for bashing and crashing on stretched-out skins?" she snapped.

"Well, you know anyone else?" you shrugged at her, "Besides, this is only gonna be while Nightshade's starting up, so maybe in the future you could switch to, well, whatever you'd like. For now though, we really need a drummer".

"Besides, you don't have to bash and crash, although I don't know why you wouldn't," Ryouko said, "You could be like, er, one of those jazz drummers, aren't they usually a lot more precise or something? Plus you do sewing, right, so your fingers could be perfectly suited to holding the sticks".

Heading into the musty store, rows of instruments held up on wire frames against blue wallpaper peeling to brown. While Ryouko kept pacing over which shiny guitar exactly to get, you just settled for the first, most passable-looking and sounding bass guitar you could see. It did sound awfully muddy at first, but then a clerk told you that you were supposed to mute the other strings. You also didn't expect the frets to be that far apart.

Colette, meanwhile, seemed to be checking out everything but drums, looking over the violins and lone cello, the flutes and clarinets, having a try at the piano, and even looking at guitars on her own. When she saw your eyes upon her though, she hurried back to the drums blushing. She did seem to take to the deep sound of a timpani though, before the owner told her that was too much noise.

"So, you all showed up," you then heard the voice of not Himawari but Nightshade, in the same outfit she had from back in the club, as she strode into the store. "Oh, don't worry about costs, I can easily cover that," she smirked, brandishing a wad of notes, but added, "Although, if you don't practice and end up making me look like an idiot this Saturday night, I'm selling them all back, or at least keeping them for myself. That clear?"

"Yep, all clear," you said.

"Normally I'd mark you down for talking to a teacher like that... but we aren't in school right now so, yeah," Ryouko started but trailed off.

"Teehee, that's right Miss, I'm the one wielding the cane here," Nightshade grinned like a shark, "Er, the metaphorical cane, that is".

"Well, with a winning personality like that, I'm sure you'll be fending off legions of fans in no time," Colette said, but only through gritted teeth.

"And I want you to practice till your fingers bleed, you hear me? A Queen demands no less from her subjects, after all," Nightshade said, ignoring Colette's last line, before having to add, "I mean, I'm booked to perform in Sapporo on Saturday, my first time doing so outside Kuchinashi. It's not that large a venue, but still.
Anyway, I guess you're not ready for the overly technical stuff yet, so I'm gonna assign you some hardcore punk to start with. You better be able to keep up though, ya hear?"

"Er," you mumbled, "Think I've thought of a problem. Ah, where exactly are we gonna rehearse? My apartment's a no, way too small, we'd get evicted for noise complaints. And we definitely can't perform at school, or at Nightshade's family home," And we're definitely not bringing Colette and Tanizawa-sensei onto the Gameboard just to practice.

"My residence is an orphanage, so ahem, that may go down awkwardly," Colette told you.

Wait, but I thought Colette said she personally hadn't known death? That'd mean either her parents run the orphanage, or... you thought, or she was left there.

[ ] That still leaves Ryouko's place.
[ ] The block where you live does have a garage though, built just underground.
[ ] Maybe the gaming store can spare the back room when Hotaru and co aren't using it?
[ ] There's an abandoned temple out in the wilderness. Yeah, you'd be sneaking in, but it's not like anyone's there.
[ ] Wouldn't this very store have a rehearsal room?
[ ] There's a hall the town band performs in, hopefully they won't mind lending it a little.
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 19, 2021

[x] The block where you live does have a garage though, built just underground.

Most of the rest of you afternoon was probably lugging Colette's new drumkit all the way over to the basement garage in question, since Ryouko didn't own a car due to preferring bikes, trains, and buses.
As you heaved and groaned your way down into floor B1 of your apartment block, your next challenge came in finding the right spot to rehearse in this garage without risking being run over, though granted only a few of the block's residents ever bothered with this damp, grey garage.

Finding a space by the stairs that seemed to pedestrians-only, and a power outlet conveniently nearby, you knew you had a space to set all your amps and kits down. You began quickly setting up, though when you and Ryouko both plucked your respective strings, the oddest noise came out.

"...You do know about tuning, right?" Nightshade groaned as she put her hands to her hips.

"Er, yeah, course we do," Ryouko mumbled, but had to admit, "Shit, we forgot to buy a tuner back at Soundwaves".

"Alright, just keep plucking, and I can tell you by ear when your all strings are playing the right notes. One-time offer though, so if you don't get yourself a tuner by tomorrow, then you're up shit creek aren't you?" Nightshade rolled her eyes and looked down on you, "Oh, by the way, we're in Drop D, I mean pfft, who plays in standard?"

Slowly adjusting your pegs, you kept distracted by constant drum rolls and cymbal clashes courtesy of Colette. Oh, so apparently you're okay with drumming the instant you find out how you can annoy us with them? that thought boiled inside you.

Having only four strings to worry about and basses staying in tune better, at least you were ready faster than Ryouko. Huh, and to think your teacher originally wanted an 8-string, but Nightshade said even she wasn't shilling that much money out for someone still auditioning.

Oh yeah, 'Ryouko'. To think she wasn't your sensei here, but just one of the band, with even a musical illiterate like you knowing there was some debate as to whether guitar or bass was more important. Then again, you had to admit, it's not like she was ever that much of a sensei.

"Okay, here's the setlist I've prepared for us down in Sapporo this Saturday. Mostly covers yes, but we are just starting out after all," Nightshade handed you a stack of tablature sheets, "I'm not asking for pitch perfection, a few wrong notes are fine by me, and discordance all the better. However, what I demand is 100% effort, I still want you three to play like your lives are on the line!"

Fun fun fun, you thought as you frowned.

It was then Nightshade pulled out and lit up a cigarette, with Ryouko and you stepping back in shock. "Whoa, what the Hell, are you even legally allowed to touch that sort of thing?" Ryouko spoke out at her.

"Wow, I smear blood over myself on stage, yet a cigarette's too controversial for you?" Nightshade coughed, "Besides, I assure you, it's for purely artistic purposes. I'm on the verge of adulthood yet my voice is still too high and girly, so I'm trying to get it down to a contralto, or at least a mezzo-soprano, especially for growls and stuff".

"If you say so..." Ryouko muttered.

"Honestly though, if you're going to take up drugs, couldn't you at least pick something more romantic, like opium for instance?" Colette then said, the three of you staring at her, "Hmm, or is it just called heroin these days? Ah, there's always tea, caffeine being a drug too, or is that too legal for you?"

"...Let's just start on the song," you muttered.

The timing was at least not as much of an issue as your feared it'd be, but that's mostly cause Nightshade had just set the tempo to maximum, so as you long as you as fast as you could you were in sync. Even on bass though, you missed more than your fair share of notes. And he less said about Ryouko's playing the better, since it seemed she'd yet to learn that distorted guitarists stuck to power chords for a reason.

"Grr, alright. Still six more days to Sapporo, so you three'd better be down here on every single one of them, understand?" Nightshade pointed at you, "Also, Colette is at least in the ballpark, but as for you, Ryouko and Haruka, you'd better start checking out outfits with some serious spiked grit to them".

Well, at least Reina could never say no to more clothes-shopping... you thought wearily, "You know Nightshade, between being bossy and talking about our clothes, you're starting to sound like Melissa really".

"Bears repeating, she is still an All-Ace..." Colette chimed in.

Nightshade froze when she first heard you words, but then simply sneered, "Hah, Melissa would freak if she saw some of the crowd I run with, or at least complain that we turn that racket down or whatever. Anyway, I want this place looking like the BDSM dungeon from Hell when I get back tomorrow!"

"Wouldn't the BDSM dungeon from Hell be a really shitty BDSM dungeon?" Ryouko had to ask.

"That might factor into the BDSM," Colette pointed out.

"To put it short, I want bruises on your fingers and blood on the walls! Got that?" Nightshade ended with.

"Oh great, now we have to carry the drums all the way back to Colette's place..." you moaned.

"Wow, you're in a band?" Reina gasped as you walked with her.

"Backing band technically, but yeah, I'm gonna play bass for Nightshade," you told her, "She's that new singer around town, although I don't imagine her genre is the sort of thing you're into. Anyway, she insisted I needed a darker 'image' if I'm going to be playing for her, though I don't see the point myself, like who's gonna look at the bassist?"

"Aw, don't say that!" Reina came back with, "Ooh, does that mean you'll be joining the School Concert Band, or starting up a Light Music Club?"

"Er, that might make things a bit awkward," you gulped, "I mean, that is, it's not exactly the same sort of music, eh heh".

"I mean, well, I guess you've heard my singing voice, so that's not gonna be me anytime soon..." Reina drooped, but did say, "Oh, maybe you could teach me an instrument, once you get real good yourself!"

You weren't sure how to respond, but went with, "I'll see what I can do".

The more spiked-collar, leatherjacket, living-on-the-edge styles weren't really Reina's specialty, but you soon were able to narrow down a selection of costumes:

[ ] Go all the way, leather corset, collar, torn fishnets, that sort of thing. (Grants Curse resistance)
[ ] Do the goth thing, but keep it feminine like Colette would. Flowing and frilled black dress, striped socks, pastel colours mixed in with the black. (+3 Etiquette)
[ ] Keep it simple, just denim jeans, a black cap, and a striped shirt. (Doubles magic defence, halves magic offence)
[ ] Just toss a trench-coat on over yourself. (Increased dodge rate against Gun attacks)
[ ] Maybe ask Colette if you can use your Occult Club marionette costume? (Auto-boost to Fool and Moon Personae in battle)
[ ] Write-in.

After that came more rehearsals, day after day, with Nightshade only bothering to show up for half the time. one time she did show up though, she had a weird string of veins popping out on her arm, though when you asked about them, she just said they came from working hard or something.

Ryouko's outfit choice did raise some eyebrows, when she showed up dressed as a leather nun with a pentagram instead of a cross. "Well, whaddya think? I thought it was appropriate," she said.

Colette and you however immediately burst into laughter, with you even adding "Does Megumi ask you to wear that?"

"Y-you look like Maria von Trapp's bitch!" Colette came out with an uncharacteristic profanity.

"Yeah well, you're the rhythm section, so-" Ryouko then pulled down an eyelid and stuck out her tongue.

"I like it," Nightshade of all people stood up for her, "My family's Catholic, so they'd freak if they saw it, which I'd say just makes it all the better".

As schoolwork piled up on top of rehearsal continuing, Ryouko developing a nasty habit of breaking and needing to replace strings, the day finally came.

[+2 Education]

Saturday, 23rd April

Colette, Ryouko, and you, having just gotten off the train, were now standing out in the chilly evening air in front of a club called The Swords-Dancer in Sapporo's notorious Susukino district. Nightshade was meant to be inside discussing her scheduled performance, leaving you face to face with some glaring bouncer. Well, you presumed he was glaring behind those sunglasses, at night.

"'Kay, you're in," Nightshade finally said to you, beckoning the three of you inside. You'd noticed she'd been talking with a couple of looming, red-suited gentlemen with their eyes furrowed and foreheads like bricks, who you took were just the club's owners.

You doubted this was the most high-end place Susukino had to offer, or that it even surpassed the club you'd been to within Nightshade's Empire, but it was definitely a step up from Darkest Desires back home, you gave it that much. The place took flashing neon lights to an uncomfortable extreme, and at times it was hard to find the room to move between the crowds of customers, a few foreigners among them you saw, already gathered there. Colette had her hands full keeping her teacher away from the drinks counter before the performance, and you even saw an old 'Vote Hyodo' flyer nobody had bothered to take down.

After stopping and waiting in the dressing room for when it was your time to come on, you asked your new bandmates, "Um, you two aren't nervous, are you?"

Colette simply giggled. "I fail to see what these people could do to me, I've had far worse insults thrown my way over my, er, 'appearance', then anything a room of angry drunks could come up with".

"I teach hormonal teens like you everyday, you think stage fright is the most of my worries?" Ryouko smirked.

It was then Nightshade strode in through the curtain, already looking a little bleary-eyed but nevertheless saying, "Yo band, we're up. Remember, volume and tempo to max!"

You stepped out onto the cluttered stage, trying to keep your eyes on your bandmates instead of the audience.

"Woo-hoo, Sapporo, yeah!" Nightshade began normally but went more than a little off script with, "You're all ants, and me, I'm the magnifying glass, bitch! Our songs shall be louder than all of Hell's tortured screams! Hit it!"

In the end you were only on for about forty-five minutes, would've been a half-hour if not for all the encores, but that was definitely enough music for you to last through the rest of the night, possibly all of tomorrow too. Still hey, at least encores were positive feedback, if further Hell on your fingers.

[+3 Resolve]

Backstage, Nightshade approached you to say, "Er, well, I'm not the best with compliments, if you hadn't noticed, so..." she then removed her wig. "Great job you guys, I'm so proud!" Himawari beamed and hugged you, and while you didn't say anything, you felt weird for a second time about seeing Himawari dressed in Nightshade's get-up.

However, you saw those two suited guys earlier approaching from around the corner. Noticing them, Himawari rushed to put her full Nightshade ensemble back on and said, "Hey you three, go out for ramen or something, I've got, er stuff to finish discussing".

"Er, okay," you mumbled, while Colette tensed and Ryouko began to cross her arms and glance side eyed.

Of course, being the Susukino district, Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho, the famous Ramen Alley, was fortunately pretty close by, you just had to follow the thick, warm scents. You soon found yourself slurping up and devouring a bowl of miso ramen, as Ryouko kept ordering bowl after bowl, while Colette just stuck with some green tea and some biscuits.

"Ah, Colette, you write stories and stuff," you brought up, trying to get a conversation going, "Ah, do you think Sapporo or at least Susukino could be enough to inspire something?"

"Possibly, but I would like to believe you can find inspiration anywhere, if I may say so," Colette said, but had to admit, "Well, admittedly some places don't inspire the imagination as much as others, I doubt I could find much to write about our hometown, for instance".

Huh, I bet I could find way too much to write about my hometown right now, you thought. "Hmm, what about Nightshade, don't you think there could be a store about a character like her?" you asked.

"Oh, most definitely. Not that my account would be the most flattering depiction though," Colette remarked, looking down, "Plus I'm concerned Nightshade may, er, not take kindly to it".

"Heh, I already 'don't take kindly' to those old Gothic romances you read, Colette," Ryouko gave a fanged grin.

Colette nearly fumed, "Oh, as opposed to your dull-as-ditchwater 'Modern Literature'? I swear, I've never been as bored as when I read James Joyce" she snarled, before whispering "Okay, Orlando wasn't that bad actually".

Before this back-and-forth could become any more heated, Himawari soon approached, fully dressed again in her regular outfit. "Sorry I took a while, hope I didn't miss anything you were talking about," she chirped.

"...No, you didn't really," you told her.

Himawari went with same miso ramen as you, though tried to eat it a little more delicately.
The four of you were soon on the night train home, when a barely awake Himawari sidled up next to you murmured, "Haruka... thanks for being there".

Unsure at first, you then said "Hey, no problem. I mean, it's the least I can do after you helped me sneak in once, or threw a private concert for me," Or were the only All-Ace to take my feelings seriously. You would've continued, but you soon found Himawari asleep against you.

- The Devil has Journeyed to Rank 2! -

After stopping off at Himawari's house, a seemingly nice enough little place with a flowery lawn and a quaint picket fence, you eventually got back to your apartment, where Megumi inevitably asked you "So Haruka, how do you feel being in a band, having just performed and all?"

[ ] "Great, in fact!"
[ ] "Nightshade's a harsh mistress, but it's worth it".
[ ] "I think before long I'll be treating it like just another job"
[ ] "It's not really my thing, but I'm happy to help"
[ ] "It's fun right now, but it's kinda weird to picture myself doing this in the future"
[ ] "Some, er, details kinda concern me..."
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 20, 2021

[X] Maybe ask Colette if you can use your Occult Club marionette costume? (Auto-boost to Fool and Moon Personae in battle)
[X] "It's not really my thing, but I'm happy to help"

"That bad, huh?" Megumi joked at you, but then said, "Well hey, at least bass should be easier to practice in a block like this, not being the volume hog guitar and drums are. Oh yeah, that Cape Erimo thing still happening this Friday?"

"Well, it's not exactly easy to worm my way out of, so yeah," you mumbled.

"One upside is that at least you have plans for Golden Week. I guess being in college, my schedule's different so Golden Week doesn't really stand out for me like it used to. Probably just spend it watching streams or something" Megumi said, "Or maybe old TV and movies, I mean we start off with Showa Day after all. Yeah, not really what that day's supposed to be about, but eh".

Here's hoping you don't have my teacher move in with you then kick me out, you thought, but only said, "Okay, nighty-night".

Sunday, April 24th

Today's breakfast of egg ramen felt pretty underwhelming after the Ramen Alley miso dish you'd had last night. Still, at least you'd set your sights today on Café Okumura for a special get-together.

You'd figured that eatery would've been the best compromise between your parents' tastes and Colette's, who were you planning on introducing to them today. Tea, cakes and pastries suited Colette, a good caffeine jolt would be what Dad needed, and well there was probably enough weird plant stuff to suit Mum. Besides, you had no idea how Mum and Dad would react to Colette and vice versa, so it was likely imperative to find some middle ground first, especially so Colette wouldn't have to trudge all the way back to their place.

You phoned both up for the get-together, with your parents seemingly always eager to meet back up with you. Colette however turned out to be hesitant.
"Oh, meeting your parents? Well, ahem, I suppose that's definitely doable," Colette started muttering.

Wait, damn, how could I forget? you thought as you facepalmed, Colette said she lives in an orphanage right? Ugh, I should've thought about that.

"Café Okumura then? Hmm, I'm usually not one for chain stores, but I suppose it's certainly a more respectable choice than Big Bang Burger Bar or whatever," Colette went on to say, "Alright, around eleven-ish sounds reasonable. Bis später!"

You decided to pass by Colette's orphanage on your way there, and saw it as an old, slanted, run-down two-storey property, with dark drooping curtains, a wonky chimney and dry brown grass covering the lawn. You wondered if such a Dickensian place influenced who Colette was today, or if Colette had been able to do the place up to match her aesthetic.

"Ah Haruka, right on time I see," Colette called out as she soon made her way down, "Was just touching up my eyeshadow and straightening my petticoats, you know how it is. Er, I am aware my residence isn't the most chic, but it's home to me as much as anywhere".

You headed back into town to Café Okumura again, for the second time in not so long. Supporting a local café probably would've been the better option, but this place was the first you could think of. The Okumura interior was often described as a 'Japanese-Western fusion', though you personally thought it looked most like pictures you'd seen of cafes in Buenos Aires.

"Oh, I remember hearing the owner of this chain happens to be from Sapporo, is that not?" Colette spoke up.

"No, she's a Tokyoite," you shrugged and replied, "Think the confusion comes from her spending a lot of her youth there way back when. I mostly knew her for people getting my name confused with hers though," you admitted. She's also, well, not the owner anymore, got bought out, you kept that to yourself, not wanting to bring down the mood.

A husky, Arabica aroma filled the shop's interior, you always liked the smell of coffee possibly just as much as the taste. You sat down on the lime-green cushions on one side of a brown, oaken table, and while waiting for your parents to arrive ordered a-
[ ] Caramel latte. [+Etiquette]
[ ] Flat white. [+Education]
[ ] Cuban espresso. [+Resolve]
[ ] Staff recommendation. [+Perception]
[ ] Write-in.

"Haruka, there you are!" came the voice of your mother as she rushed up to sit opposite to you. "Now, you said you wanted to introduce to your friend- oh. Okay, not quite the type I was expecting, but clearly an artistic spirit, in her own way. It's just, er, how do I put this...?" she started biting her nails.

"You heard the name Colette and expected someone a bit more foreign, didn't you?" Colette cut through, but then leaned back and said, "That's perfectly understandable, that confusion happens around me a lot. It's a pen name".

"So, Colette then. Heard you're a Club Captain right? Pretty impressive," you Dad chuckled, scooting over next to your Mum. "Um, so would said club be Literature? Art? Music?"

"Occult," she answered simply, smiling as her tea and croissant were brought over.

"Ah, well it's good to hear you have a niche in this world to express yourself!" your Mum beamed, before saying with less passion, "I remember it not being easy finding a space to be myself back in high school, the closest thing was the Art Club but they mostly stuck to just painting".

"I guess I did have a space, just nothing to express back then," your father mumbled, hands behind his head, "Wasn't until I became a crusty old adult that I seriously got into gardening".

"I would like to imagine your parents are proud to you!" your Mum just had to say to Colette.

Oh, you just had to go there, didn't you? you thought.

"No, I'm an orphan," Colette said without beating around the bush, only slightly looking up from her croissant, "Oh my parents are alive, last I heard, they just, well..." she slumped back, "Don't really appreciate me for who I am".

Your Mum fidgeted in her seat, mouthing out, "Oh dear, I see".

"Hey look, don't let it get to you," your Dad reached out to comfort Colette, "I... never got along the best with my own parents either, when I even saw them. It's why I resolved that I wouldn't be like that around Haruka".

That was, well, certainly more poetic than you were used to from your Dad, a tear was even welling up in your eye.

"Hmhm, well it looks like I'm not the only blessing Haruka has in her life," Colette smiled back at him.

"I admit, I do think of my life right now as a little... idyllic," your mother confessed, "Perhaps I just wrapped myself in too happy a bubble?" she pondered.

"..It's okay , Mum, You made an honest mistake," you tried to tell her.

"Ah, yes dear, you're right," your Mum said, soon cheering back up again, "So, er, Colette, what sort of activities do you do at, ahem, Occult Club?"

"Lot of sewing, actually. People are oft surprised to hear that, but it's so my clubmates can wear appropriately aristocratic attire without breaking the bank," she told her, "There's also tarot readings, 19th-century poetry readings, hopefully getting around to doing a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai- oh yes, and also preparing to set up a test of courage this Summer for Obon".

"Whoo, sounds like you really have your work cut out for you there," you Dad muttered, wiping his brow.

All of this reminded you that you really needed to show up to Occult Club more often. Regardless, there was something i how taking Colette to meet your parents let you view them in a different light...

- The Star has Journeyed to Rank 3! -

"Wait, you're in a band with Haruka?" your Mum's face widened.

"Hehe, well it's nothing serious, we've only performed once really," you had to chime in.

"They stuck me on drums," Colette grumbled.

Throughout all of this, you thought about bringing up the All-Aces, as Colette would certainly have shit to say about them to your parents. But with the convivial mood back on track, you didn't even want to think about them at a time like this...

Week 4, April 25th-28th

So, starting your showing up at the Occult Club more, you sat down to take in a Tarot reading courtesy of Colette.

"Oh oh, Miss Colette? Are you going to tell us our futures?" Hitoshi excitedly piped up.

Wait, you use 'Miss' to refer to your club leader? you could only think.

"Haha, I'm afraid not," Colette chuckled at the idea, "You see Hitoshi, Tarot Cards don't necessarily tell the future, they help define your psyche, inform you about who you are. Or play games with".

"...But we know who we are," Masaomi just muttered.

"Huh, never took you to be a skeptic, Colette," you had to say.

"Hmhm, I do base my beliefs on empirical evidence, though in my case, I've indeed seen quite a lot," Colette gave a sly grin in your direction, before laying a five-card spread for you.
"Now what do we have here? Hmm, The Fool, in the reverse position. You've gotten yourself into quite a pickle, haven't you?" she leaned towards you.
"Second, The Hermit. I am aware you were a lot less social before, and I do imagine you keep quite a few of your thoughts to yourself," Colette surmised, her analysis almost cutting into you.
"Next, the Wheel of Fortune. Well, you certainly have gone through quite a few changes lately," she remarked, before moving on to the "Hanged Man. Incapability, self-contemplation, and sacrifice. Could this be a warning about where your upside-down Fool's Journey may lead?
Lastly, we have... oh my," she gasped.

"Ooh, what it is Miss?" Ibuki giggled, worming her way in.

"The Tower," Colette pronounced a tad melodramatically, "Arguably the most troubling card in the deck. And I thought the hanged man was a warning" she crossed her arms.

That all honestly made a little too much sense to you. Still, out of curiousity, you drew a card from the deck, only to find one blazing a transparent blue, that none of your clubmates had seen by now. An image then came from it, almost resembling a spell cast by a Persona.

Select your Skill Card (can be taught to any Persona, but only once):
[ ] The Magician (Agilao)
[ ] The Empress (Bufula)
[ ] The Emperor (Zionga)
[ ] The Chariot (Heat Wave)
[ ] The Wheel of Fortune (Garula)
[ ] The Hermit (Psio)
[ ] Temperance (Dekunda)
[ ] Judgment (Freila)

The next day, you knew Occult Club wouldn't be on for the rest of the week, but still had the urge to help out Colette, perhaps talk her over some Vice-Rep stuff, or discuss plans for that test of courage of hers.

Of course, there was the matter of that Secret Lives of Students blog... and the info it had posted about Colette. Something that serious you really should've brought up with her earlier, but well, How am I supposed to break that sort of thing to her?

Approaching Colette in the hall, you started by saying, "Eh, hi there Colette! Um, there's something I've been meaning to talk about with you, but in private".

Colette tilted her head a little, but then said, "Why sure, what ever could it be?"

"Well, it concerns you... have you ever heard of Secret Lives of Students?" you asked.

Colette sighed and shook her head, "Really, what do you take me for? To think I'd care about some gossip site".

"Unfortunately," you paused, "You may have to. They, um, have some quite nasty stuff on you," you then showed her your phone.

"Huh, Real Name?" Colette flinched, a lump growing in her throat, before her fists started clenching tight. "I am going to make whoever wrote this wish they'd never been born" she hissed, then her eyes started welling up, "This-this was, the first school where I thought I could be open as who I am, without anyone knowing..."

She then stormed off, with you calling out to her, "Colette wait! You have no idea who posted this!"

"Oh, I can make a very educated guess," she snarled.
Colette then burst right into the Computer Club room, stating as coldly as ice, "Which one of you fine young gentlemen runs that Secret Lives of Students blog?"

Gakuto soon stepped forth. "Why, we haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about! Now, would you kindly scamper before I call the Disciplinary Committee?" he chuckled, before noticing you, "My my Haruka, so this is the company you keep, the likes of transvestites? Well now, good thing indeed that Azuma picked you out of the crowd when he did".

"You leave her out of this," Colette seethed, before glaring at Gakuto, "And you, don't you dare lie to me!" she shot out as her dainty hands promptly struck Gakuto straight in the jaw, sending him toppling over.

You then felt a presence behind you, as you turned around to see a couple of teachers and more than a few students looking right at this scene. You gulped, you and Colette could've frozen right then and there.

"Ah yes, how ladylike of you," the prone Gakuto snarled.

"What have I told you?" Melissa glared straight at you, after having dragged all the way up to the Prized Pupil Lounge. "I thought you'd finally got it in that tiny little head of yours to not keep hanging out with freakin' pond scum!"

"Why should you even care?" you croaked below your breath, "I thought you had that precious Gameboard of yours to attend to, shouldn't that be taking up more of your time then you giving a damn who my friends are?"

"Friends? You consider that little creep your 'friend'?" Melissa hissed, edging up to you.

"Oh, we most certainly do care what company you keep," Gakuto muttered, still rubbing his jaw, "When they turn out to be trigger-happy little psychopaths".

"And it must be stated, the Gameboard and the material realm are intricately intertwined, what happens in one affects the other," Azuma remarked from a distance, "As above, so below".

"Oh Azuma, darling, you remind me. We have that Erimo trip ready for the two of you this Friday, just what our Haruka ordered to get away from that weirdo she's been hanging around," Melissa flashed a sharp grin. "And of course, that freak getting suspended ought to help with that too".

"What?!" you shot up.

"Well, it would have been an expulsion, but inconceivably, someone in a high position apparently stood up for that occult creep," Melissa groaned, "Mitigated the sentence".

You could see Himawari shake a little in the background, though she didn't say anything in response.

The instant you got out of the All-Aces clubroom, you ran over to the Occult Club, only to find Colette packing her bags.

"Colette, I-I heard..." you tried to say.

"Apparently my suspension lasts for a month," she straight-up told you, "It was only by an inch, and with well, help from a bandmate, that I wasn't expelled. It's okay, if everyone looks at me odd when I return, that's okay, I'm used to that sort of treatment".

"Colette!" you heard Hitoshi, Masaomi, and Ibuki cry in unison behind you, before they all rushed in to embrace their captain.
"Is-is it true what they're saying? P-please don't leave!" Hitoshi burbled out.

"It's okay, I'll be back before you know it," Colette knelt down to comfort her clubmates, "I've... decided to leave Haruka in charge till I get back. I know she hasn't been there that long, but she has demonstrated she's more than capable of having other's best interests at heart.

This is... all so sudden, you thought, I mean, others' best interests? Is that, well, really me? you thought, but only said, "I-it's an honour, Colette. I'll er, try to keep things running smoothly here".

"Good," Colette smiled for the first time in a while, "I expect this place to be in cobweb-covered, creaky rotting shape when I get back!"

- The Moon has Journeyed to Level 3! -

April, Friday 29th, Showa Day

Oh right, that friggin' Erimo trip alone with Azuma's today, you thought as you struggled to get up. I feel I should just lie in bed and get Megumi to tell them I'm not here, if they come looking.

You sat up, but then thought, Oh what's the use? Suppose I'd better get packing, you sighed.

Obviously you had to bring a change of clothes and basics like a toothbrush and comb, but you also thought about squeezing in a few other things.

[ ] Your smartphone. You wanted to detox from it on a trip like this, but being alone with Azuma you felt you were better safe than sorry.
[ ] A bunch of makeup products, but to look good for yourself, not Azuma.
[ ] Some reading material, in case you needed a distraction.
[ ] An old handheld, to try and make you think of good times again.
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 21, 2021

[X] Caramel latte. [+Etiquette]
[X] Some reading material, in case you needed a distraction.
[X] Judgment (Freila)

Slowly shuffling everything into your heavy red bag in a last-minute strain to get ready for the days ahead, you twitched when you a sudden knock on the door. Megumi curled up on the couch and still a snoring mess from last night, you edged your way over and peeked through the tiny letter flap.

You immediately sprang back, stuttering out "A-Azuma?!"

You heard a faint chuckling from the other side, as you quickly opened the door only to sharply turn your head left and right making sure there were no other All-Aces right outside. They didn't appear to be.

"Ah, perhaps I arrived too early?" Azuma then asked, before smiling, "After all, you didn't quite make it clear exactly when you wanted to go".

Um, how about never? you thought stingingly, but only said, "Er, sure, I guess we can head off right now, if-if you want. Just y'know, lemme wake up Megumi first, don't wanna just leave them cold".

"I understand," Azuma simply nodded.

You shook Megumi awake, with their bleary-eyed self mumbling "Ugh, hey, why'd you do that?"

"Megumi, I'm er, heading off my Golden Week trip now," you tried telling them, "Thought you should be told beforehand".

"What? Oh yeah, that," they muttered as they tried to wake, only for their eyes to jolt open the instant they saw Azuma at their doorstep. "Oh no no no, I remember you!"

"Ahem, Umebayashi was it? I assure you, I have no intent to be staying long," Azuma said unfazed by them, "Nor do I plan to bring any of my associates back to your dwelling anytime soon.
Haruka, I take it you haven't eaten yet?" he then turned to ask you, "Rather than have you wait till we reach Hakodate, I thought it'd be more courteous to treat you to somewhere local first, Melissa having generously paid for much of the trip herself already. How does The Snow Pearl sound?"

You took a step back. You'd passed by the Snow Pearl Restaurant quite a few times but had never entered, as it was possibly the most high-price eatery in town. "Y-yeah, sure, I'd love to go," was all you could say.

"Oh, you're eating out for breakfast?" Megumi furrowed their brows, "Of course, bet I'm not invited".

For the first time that day, a grin began to creep onto your face, "Oh no, I'm sure our dear Azuma will happily treat you, Gumi. Isn't that right, Azuma?" you leaned in and fluttered your eyelashes at him.

The usually in-control Azuma was taken aback for a moment, but soon resumed his natural state and said, "I suppose that's easily done".

Having donned your sunhat and dress, not having to head up any particularly troublesome slopes just yet, you arrived at the glass-panelled, tree-thronged Snow Pearl restaurant, with Azuma still twitching awkwardly at having Megumi strolling right by you to wreck any possible privacy.

Said privacy was further intruded upon as you soon spotted Keiko running an errand nearby. The first thought that came to you was how she wanted to meet Azuma, and now that none of the other All-Aces were anywhere around, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Keiko, over here!" you waved and called out to your messy-haired friend.

She spun around and waved at you, but had to say, "Oh hey, Haruka, Megumi! Er yeah sorry, but I don't exactly have time- W-wait, is that...?" her jaw gaped.

"My friends' a big fan, she'd appreciate it if you said hello to her!" you then pushed an otherwise inattentive Azuma out into the front.

"Well then, you would be Suzakuin Keiko, I take it?" Azuma said, neglecting to look Keiko straight in the eye, "Your dear friend Haruka has certainly brought you up before, almost as if you never quite left her mind..."

"Um, oh gosh oh gosh, I really don't know what to say right now," Keiko began blushing a deep red, but then held up a volume of poetry, "Ah, w-would you please autograph this for me, that is, um, if that's okay with you..."

Megumi almost could've laughed in the background, as they mouthed out 'Honey, he's not worth it'.

"Consider it done," Azuma gently told her, taking out a quill-like pen and jotting his signature down. Leaning a little closer, you weren't surprised to see that Azuma's handwriting was so ornate, your plebeian eyes could barely make out the thing.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" Keiko squealed out as she jumped up and down with joy, "Ah, I've er, been wondering. That stuff Haruka wrote about you being her childhood friend, and how she ran away from her aristocratic real parents, is... is that really true?"

What do you mean, 'I' wrote?! you fumed within.

"Why, the whole and nothing but," Azuma nodded at Keiko, "Although naturally, it was hard to make Haruka come to terms with that, the trauma involved having weighed on her mind so heavily".

"Oh, okay, I see. I'm sorry, I didn't know. And apparently that means Yuya's..." Keiko slunk back, muttering something to herself, before saying, "Well, um, you and Haruka are back together, so I guess that's what matters! I'll, I'll see you around then".

"Keiko, wait!" you ran up to her, "Hey look, just because I had a bunch of stuff change around me, doesn't mean that were not friends anymore! And hey, d-don't think Yuya's to blame or he's a bad guy or anything-"

"It's okay, Haruka, I think I get it," she muttered, before slowly turning to look at you, "Some people get lucky, really lucky, others don't. You got that, Haruka, someone came along, looked past who you were, and saw the beauty you could be. I... was just one of the 'others', I guess. Or maybe I just didn't put in the effort".

Lucky? You think being constantly treated like shit, told what you can and can't do or who or can and can't be with, then being forced to kill a guy because he tried to kill you is 'lucky'?! that thought exploded all at once in your head... but you had no idea how to convey any of that to Keiko, especially the stuff about Duels and Personae.

"You're going on a trip, right?" Keiko muttered, "See you when school starts back up, I guess".

That meeting... really could've gone better, especially since you hoped Azuma could do some good by cheering Keiko up, but that seemed to only reinforce the divide between you even further. Still, you couldn't deny Keiko had just admitted quite a lot to you.

- Justice has Journeyed to Rank 2! -

"Sheesh, Golden Week started out rough for you, huh?" Megumi then walked up and put their hand on your shoulder, "Seeing your friend beating herself up like that, huh?"

Azuma then sighed, "The Snow Pearl's doors won't remain open forever, I trust you are aware?" he'd began tapping his foot.

Azuma's disregard right then nearly made your fist clench, but you did have to see his side... just a little bit, in that he probably dealt with girls asking for autographs all the time.

A place as classy as the Snow Pearl naturally served both Japanese and Western delicacies, with Azuma ordering a kaiseki plate, you trying out the coffee along with fluffy pancakes served with fried maple leaf, and Megumi, despite having repeatedly promised to start going vegetarian, tucking into a plate of jingisukan mutton. "I mean, today's a special occasion, I can risk it," Megumi tried to justify.

Probably the most stunning thing about The Snow Pearl was its vast window and balcony, whose view overlooked a steep mountain descent. Azuma had eve managed to get you seats on this balcony, which was being graced with a slightly chill wind that felt oddly refreshing this early in the morning.

[+3 Etiquette]

"So, lemme get this straight," Megumi said in between mouthfuls, "You're headed to Hakodate, then all the way over to Cape Erimo of all places, then you're gonna scoot up through the mountains till you get back to Sapporo, then Lake Toya, then back here?"

"To simplify things, yes," Azuma told them, eyeing the table to make sure the butter and grease from your respective dishes wouldn't stain anywhere near him.

"Hmm, guess that's not too far, I mean if I had money like you do I'd probably go all the way down to Hawaii or something," Megumi grinned, "Still, guess that's not a bad route, and probably best you don't go too far on your first time together. then again, ahem, that Melissa," a sudden snarl came over them, "Was the one who planned your trip, right? Guess I should be thanking them then. Heh, my plan was just watching old shows, 'cause you know Showa day, like getting to experience early Featherman and stuff".

"I thought you said you preferred Phoenix Rider?" you asked, brows twitching.

"Hey, Featherman's been around a long time, so by sheer number, a couple of its seasons ain't that bad actually," Megumi cleared up.

"Well Haruka, I do believe it's best we get going," Azuma then said, his meal finished, as he pretended to check his watch then pushed in his seat, "Hakodate may not be far, but there's only so much time in a day, you see".

"Er, bye Haruka. See you when you get back," Megumi said, seemingly caught off-guard.

"Yeah, I'll be home before you know it," was what you came up with to say to them, Azuma already having paid for your meal.

On the way to Hakodate you stopped at Onuma Quasi-National Park, which you'd been told was Hokkaido's smallest 'national park'. Built around and over Lake Onuma, you and Azuma walked across a red timber bridge with cherry blossoms falling all around you, taking in all the tiny little islands scattered across the water, the blue-green Mount Hokkaido-Komagatake off in the distance.

"I feel Kikuko would probably have something to say if she were here," you had to remark, "This scene just feels so... her," Well, her in a good mood, anyway.

"She'd likely comment on how the fleeting nature of the cherry blossoms corresponds to the frailty of human life," Azuma chuckled at the notion, "It's not unlike her to think us mortals are put on this Earth only to die, and that dying gloriously is the best we can hope for. Probably explains why she took to the Gameboard so quickly.
As for me, I can't help but be reminded of a play I've been intending to put on. Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees, I imagine you would've heard of it?" he asked you.

"I at least know Yoshitsune from History class," you mentioned, "Oh, and a few video games have him in it, like that one with the massive crab".

"Of course, for Japanese classic theatre, I've had great difficulty deciding whether to stage it or The Love Suicides at Amijima, Banchou Sarayashiki following shortly behind," Azuma went on.

"Oh right, the Okiku play, gotcha," you went along with him.

[+2 Education]

You then reached Hakodate, its Morning Market having long closed and leaving you to wait till next morning, before the boat.
The two of you started by strolling around the Motomachi district, it's elegant old Western-style houses seeming to soar above you.

"Er, this place get you thinking about any old Western plays?" you tried to make conversation.

Suddenly Azuma had to laugh. "I'm mostly reminded of that time we attempted to stage Macbeth last year, went about as well as you'd expect," he said, "I have been meaning however to look more into 19th Century Theatre, be it Byron, Shelley, or Wilde".

"You know, if I have to be blunt, I've kinda noticed that you and the other Aces don't seem to have that much in common. Like, you don't see Melissa talking about computers, Gakuto's hardly into plays, and Eitaro probably didn't care about fashion. Yeah you're popular and rich, hell not even that last one in Eitaro's case, but... that's about it," you felt you had to say.

"Hmm, bold words," Azuma began, "But I suppose I can see your point. Although, I would certainly add that the Gameboard certainly has a way of giving us common ground, if not necessarily bringing us together," he tried to point out.

Before you could respond, an elderly couple caught an eye of you, with the old woman cooing about, "My, you two do look like quite a delightful couple there!"

You just froze and bit your lip, finally attempting to say, "Ah, um, you see, that's not really the case, look we're just-" Oh God no, this better not get any ideas in Azuma's head!

Meanwhile, Azuma chose to say nothing, but nevertheless grinned and closely observed your reaction.

Later on as night fell, you headed up via the Mount Hakodate ropeway to probably the most famous sight there was in the city, the glistening view of all the streetlights across its narrow peninsula.

Standing up there in your mountain clothes, still needing to bunch yourself together for warmth, Azuma had to smile at you and say, "It is a near enough and certainly well-known enough sight, so I do apologise if you've already been up there a hundred times before".

"No, not really," you mumbled, foggy breath leaving your lips, a squid ink ice cream cone in your hands for dessert, "I don't actually get the time to come down here that much, so I guess this view hasn't worn out its wonder for me".

"Why, I'm delighted to hear you say that," Azuma moved closer to you, "People tend to grow cynical as they age, and obviously you're still quite young, but it's good to see some the world's magic through the eyes of a child hasn't been completely wiped you by now".

You smiled and giggled at those words, unsure of what next to say. It was hard for a girl your age not to notice though how close Azuma's face, the face of the most popular boy in school, was to your own-
Wait, what the Hell am I thinking? you thought, a shiver coming down you all over, especially in front of all these other people! Still, though... just this once, while I'm here, may not hurt. Sheesh, why can't my libido start acting up towards nicer, more normal boys?

[ ] Reach out and accept Azuma's kiss.
[ ] Hold back and step away slowly.
[ ] Maybe try to compromise with a hug or something?
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 22, 2021

[X] Hold back and step away slowly.

[+2 Resolve]

Pulling away, the two of you just stared at each other awkwardly, as the people around you continued to aww and aah at the Hakodate lights at night.

Finishing your squid ink ice cream, you tried to think something to say to Azuma to alleviate the tension, "Yeah, um, felt I got kinda carried away there. Like, I know that was why Melissa arranged this whole thing to begin with, but really I'm just not sure yet," you managed.

Azuma didn't say anything, but seemed to least nod respectfully, the lights of Hakodate now shining from behind him.

The two of you were able to quickly find a shio (salted) ramen stand for some dinner, though you didn't want to eat too much in preparation for visiting the Morning Market at dawn. You soon started back down the mountain to your hotel for the night... only to discover why it was in fact a bad idea to let Melissa plan your whole vacation.

Oh no, she just had to! that thought seethed through your mind as you buried your head in your hands, after you saw that the co-ordinates given too you led straight to a Love Hotel.

"Hmph, I at least trusted that Melissa would book us somewhere more prestigious, she can certainly afford to," Azuma muttered, as if that was the main problem here. At least he seemed to indicate he wasn't behind this.

Well, you'd at least heard from Megumi that Love Hotels valued privacy, and while they weren't really meant for overnight stays could certainly offer it.
Looking all around first to make sure nobody was in turn looking at you two, you slowly slipped in and were grateful that the low-hanging grates around the counter meant that the staff couldn't see you. The room you'd been given at least seemed pleasant enough, with a lot of bright pinks, hearts and frills, hell the (one) bed was heart-shaped and there was even a pool.

You lay awake staring at the ceiling for what felt like all night, occasionally tossing and turning but watchful to ever get to sleep, not helped by the streetlights making it quite bright outside. When the gentle shaking of Azuma's hand on your shoulder did you wake you that morning, your eyes were bloodshot and ringed with heavy bags, and your hair had almost gone back to its old, frizzled mess.

"Ah, I take it the glare from outside and the... odd experience overall gave you trouble sleeping?" Azuma softly chuckled into your ear, "Well, you'd best be up now, if you want to experience the Morning Market before our boat leaves".

Despite your sleepless night, you immediately sprang up and headed for the bathroom, going straight for the shower, shampoo and conditioner, and trying not to look at any of the other 'products' there.
Hastily wrapping a towel around yourself, you opened the door back out only to see Azuma right in front of you, er, presumably on the way to the shower himself and currently not in clad in... ah, anything right now.

Letting out a shriek as your face turned red, you immediately ran out then pushed him into the bathroom, pressing the door closed on the other side of him. After you'd gotten dressed in your mountaineering clothes in preparation for Erimo's infamous winds, and Azuma had put on a fur-lined burgundy jacket above a black silk shirt, you felt... uncomfortable walking back out onto the streets of Hakodate. You kept having to remind yourself not to look directly at Azuma, as you felt like a complete perv every time you saw, given you now knew what he looked like naked.

"Is something the matter, Haruka?" he tried to get through to you.

Fortunately, a seafood breakfast was quite quick to come by on a salt-tinged Hakodate morning. Heading through the markets, smelling the crackle and fishy aromas, you saw possibly every kind of seafood you could imagine, even tanks full of live crabs and squid, which you almost thought of taking one home if not for your apartment's stance on pets. You knew there was a restaurant here famous for 'dancing squid', where soy sauce was used to cause some sort of reaction in a cut-up squid.
Azuma, hardly to your surprise, settled on a dish of red caviar, while you ultimately went with the:

[ ] Squid.
[ ] Sea urchin.
[ ] Crabmeat.
[ ] Tuna.
[ ] Salmon.
[ ] Sushi.
[ ] Write-in.

After that and a good amount of coffee, you then spent a little bit of time wandering through Goryokaku, a moated park in town shaped like a five-pointed star, before you gradually started heading eastward to the private motorboat Melissa had arranged. She'd even gotten a Westerner to sail it for you, you guessed he was one of her family's employees, with him asking, "Er, was told I was supposed to be meeting an 'Azuma Sakurai' and 'Haruka Nakamura' here?" he read slowly.

"Yes, that would indeed be us," Azuma grinned and bowed at him, before he turned to you and held out his hand, "To Cape Erimo then, shall we?"

The boat sped out past the peninsula east of Hakodate, kicking up foam all the way, and the moment neither Hokkaido nor Tohoku were in sight but only blue skies, you knew you were now out on no less than the world's largest ocean. The awe of the moment was somewhat ruined though by the sheer noise of the speedboat, making it nigh impossible to hear or be heard over it.

By the time you reached Cape Erimo, any possible amazement was ruined as you'd been going green with seasickness, leaving you to stumble out onto the dock, Azuma trying to keep you steady. Unfortunately, you were then given the usual Erimo welcome when you were both hit by a huge gust of wind, which almost knocked you right back into the seawater. Maybe you should've remembered to equip Cuchulainn or Atalanta?

You then walked out along the Cape, which while famed as a romantic getaway, got by far the bulk of its crowds back in January, when people came up for New Years' Day to watch the first sunrise. By April the crowds had thinned, which for you and Azuma may have worked in your favour, well in his favour anyway, as it gave more alone time together, though there were still a few other tourists here to check out the cherry blossoms.

"Haruka," Azuma then said as the two of you stood right on the end-tip of Hokkaido, a lone Shinto shrine nearby and windmills catching the gale, "What is your philosophy on love? I assume you pay little heed to the notion of 'love at first sight', but is the notion of 'true love' one that carries weight in your mind?"

Oh my God, is that his version of a pick-up line? you shuddered, then gulped and tried desperately to come up with an answer, "I, I don't really know what my thoughts are on this, I mean, it's a pretty big question to be asking so suddenly. Er..." you then bit your lip, "I don't think I really believe in 'the One' or anything like that, like, only last year if I tried to look for romance I would've been laughed at. I know I don't like the idea of tying all my happiness to one person, because well anything could happen, and I don't want to be forced to choose which person to go with and then have to tell everyone else to turn away..."

"Well, I can see you're not a traditionalist, in that sense" Azuma muttered, before he got to pondering, hand to his chin, "I beg your pardon, what that perhaps too adult a question, so your mind simply panicked and retreated to childhood comforts? Or was it the other way around, too childlike a thing to ask, which just made you feel the looming spectre of adulthood even more?
Either way, do not think you answered 'incorrectly' or anything," he then said, taking your hand, "I'm sure many others would've reacted the same way, had I asked".

God, I'm in a scenario just about any other girl in my school would die to be in, yet I'm doing nothing, you couldn't help but think for a second, but you then consoled yourself with, Oh yeah, because the girls in my school would probably think quite differently if they knew the All-Aces like I did. I mean, I can't blame them, once thought that way too...

"Er, well then, um," you stumbled, having no idea really what to say, "W-what's your 'philosophy of love'?"

"Hah, I could practically write whole tomes on that subject!" Azuma laughed, but his tone then lowered, "perhaps we have fiction to blame, Murasaki, Shakespeare, Monzaemon, all of them, for creating a vision of love in all its splendour and heartbreak that, most often, it seems the real world cannot possibly match it, but oh it can. If there is a higher power that controls, one which we are fools to deny or defy, well, this emotion called Love may very well be it".

Heh, it would've been too perfect if the wind picked up and had the tide crash dramatically against the rocks, but a rare lull had hit so no such moment came. You had no idea if that was what Azuma really meant or if it was just another performance by him, but if he had scripted it out beforehand and he'd said it without a line flub, then maybe he did believe that somewhat...

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

Well, guess one of these for Azuma was eventually going to pop up, you sighed internally.

Unfortunately for Azuma, what did indeed ruin this 'performance' was the revelation that you two weren't as alone as you thought, as you then heard the muffled sound of whispering coming from behind some rocks.

Approaching the strange voice, you then peeked over to find-
"Aiiee!" you heard Melissa scream as she tried to scurry away, only to walk right into a splashing wave of sea foam that utterly drenched her.

"Hmm, you certainly have an unorthodox definition of 'private getaway'" Azuma said, crossing his arms and looking down at her.

"What the- how long have you been tailing us? Since Hakodate?!" you raised your voice at her.

"Hey, it's a free country, I can go where I want!" Melissa, her face covered by her thoroughly soaked hair, snapped right back at you, "Plus, I'm so kindly paying for your entire vacation, so I do believe I have to right to, ahem, see how it's going. Though ugh, for that reception you just showed me, you almost make me wish Eitaro really had turned you into a pincushion back then, Jack!
Ahem, but anyway, now that you two know I'm here, we might as well address what's really important" Melissa had to grin.

Oh no, please don't ask what I think you're going to, you shuddered.

"Have-you-two-done-it-yet?!" Melissa hammered those words into your head as she promptly prodded you.

Luckily, you were able to think of a suitable answer quite quickly, "Whether we did or not, what makes you think we'd tell you?"

"Ah, touché," Azuma had to remark.

"Hello~, paid for this whole trip, remember? I can totally leave you stranded here in the Middle of the Pacific Nowhere if I felt like it!" Melissa hissed out, hands at her hips, but she soon had to acknowledge that she just wasn't going to get the answer she wanted.

You stayed that night in a local ryokan, before you started heading north along the Hidaka Ranges. In a hired car Melissa had ready, you left Erimo by taking the 'Golden Road' that tunnelled through the mountains, so named because of how expensive it had been to carve out.

Cherry blossoms in bloom outside your windows, you snaked your way along the mountain roads, heading up to the city of Obihiro. You decided to stop for a break in a quiet grove along the lonely roadside, laying down a picnic blanket... only to soon find that this roadside wasn't as quiet as you thought.

"Oh, hi there. Er, sorry if we're intruding, but we honestly haven't seen anyone in a while, as this area appears quite deserted," came a voice belonging to a woman who looked just out of college, having grown out long, brown hair with a braid or headband over the top, wearing a blue jacket over a black shirt, biking shorts and long, stitched-up boots. Focusing in a little, you could see that despite her being not too much older than you, the ends of her hair were starting to go grey, though naturally you kept quiet about this.

"Makoto, is there really a need to introduce yourself to random strangers?" another voice said from behind her, belonging to a woman in a winter coat who didn't even look thirty yet, but whose cut shoulder-length hair had gone entirely silver, standing by two parked motorcycles.

"I'm just trying to be polite, Sis," the brown-haired biker mumbled, before she tried to smile and say "Besides, they look pretty harmless. I mean, what's the worst a gaggle of teens could do?" she said, trying to stifle a laugh.
"Ahem, sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I am Niijima Makoto, and this is my older sister, Sae. In fact, you may actually recognise her from TV a few years back, she's a pretty renowned lawyer" the stranger went on to say.

"What, a lawyer? Pffft, that's nothing, my Daddy can hire like twenty of those," Melissa smirked and brushed her off.

"Melissa, when making new acquaintances, a little courtesy is always appreciated," Azuma had to tell her.

"Ah, okay, well anyway. Sis and I have been on a road trip up through Tohoku and Hokkaido, since it's been a couple of years since either of us last got away from it all. We just came up from Sapporo, where one of my friends visited a lot when she was a kid, and heard there were some impressive trails around Obihiro, what with Rally Japan being based around here," Makoto kept on explaining.

"You needed to get your mind off things too," Sae then spoke up to her little sister, "The police having just fired you".

Makoto's calm face was suddenly overtaken by barely restrained fury, as she slowly turned around to seethe out, "Sis, how many times do we have to go over this? I wasn't 'fired', I quit!"

"Oh great, now we're being held up by a bum," Melissa moaned, "Let's get this clear, no I do not have any spare change on me".

"Please, Melissa, now is not the time," Azuma sighed out at her, before he bowed deeply towards the Niijima sisters and said, "That rough start of ours aside, it is indeed a pleasure meeting you. The roads around here are indeed isolated, yet the scenery is stunning, is it not? I am Sakurai Azuma, latest in a long line famed for our theatrical productions".

"Melissa Lilian, heiress to no less than Sole Star Petroleum!" she smugly grinned and gestured to himself, "My two classmates have me to thank for this lovely romance-filled road trip I've provided for them, as I've had to drill into their heads several times by now," her good nature faded.

"Um, okay then," Makoto muttered, before she knelt down to speak to you, "Hey, noticed you haven't gotten around to introducing yourself yet. Yeah, sorry if these two have been speaking over you, I'm no stranger to the same experience," she told you.

"...I'm Nakamura Haruka," you got the chance to say, "I er, guess I don't really have that much to tell you about myself, other than things have been a bit all over the place for me lately," you said as you felt the two All-Aces in proximity to you, "One of my school's top students just died, that happened".

"Huh, we've barely met, yet I can already tell you've had it rough," Sae confided with you, "Now, of what causes did he die?"

Makoto flinched. "Sheesh, don't you think you may be asking too personal a question to people we just met?" she had to ask.

"We figured it was from untreated sports injuries," you told the two anyway, having no idea how to explain the exact truth to them.

"This is indeed quite a cutting subject. But yes, Tsutsuji Eitaro, local sports champion and fellow All-Ace, the elite club Melissa and I belong to, indeed passed away just after his first week back this year," Azuma said frankly.

"Real shame too. Without a hunk like him, we've mostly just got prettyboys left as the only option," Melissa moaned.

"I see, and what school is this?" Sae kept asking.

"Hanataba Gakuen, the most prestigious high school in southwest Hokkaido, if not all Hokkaido," Azuma said with an air of school pride, "The entire academy, students and staff, were left in a deep state of shock afterwards".

"Man, and before the school year could really begin," Makoto said, slumping down, "I used to be Student council President, and even I don't know how I would've handled something like that so early on".

"Yeah, our President has basically had no idea what to do but play tabletop RPGs," you mentioned, before hesitating to add, "Probably doesn't help a close friend of his fell into a coma".

"Hanataba Gakuen," Sae began muttering to herself, "The name's familiar, mostly as the place I've heard Hyodo Mariko attended when she was a student, several decades ago now. I take it the institution has quite the history?"

"Oh yes, dating back to the Meiji Restoration," Azuma responded.

"Regardless, I assume you've got places to be, so we should only hold you up so long," Sae then said, before pulling something out that you briefly mistook for an Arcana, "My business card, sounds like you two, ahem, 'All-Aces' can already pay quite handsomely".

"Hmm, any reason why Haruka here doesn't get to be an All-Ace?" Makoto leaned in.

"The position isn't one just any student can acquire," Azuma explained, "It is reserved for who our school deems the elite of the elite."

"Yeah, it'd ruin everything if we just let the riffraff in," Melissa said, "Our whole lounge would probably go to tatters".

Makoto didn't respond at first, but then said, "Huh, I think I get it. If we had something like that at my old school, I don't think I could ever qualify. I did say I was Student Council President, but I wasn't exactly Miss Popular, most of the other kids just thought I was a buzzkill.
Er, I suppose I should also hand out my business card, but well, you may've picked up that I don't really have one anymore" Makoto went on, before waving "It was definitely... interesting meeting with you though. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross again?" you thought she looked ore at you as she said that last line.

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

Having finally gotten back to Sapporo again, the first thing you wanted to check out was:

[ ] The Sapporo Teine skiing slopes.
[ ] The local food, like Jingisukan lamb.
[ ] The Historical Village of Hokkaido.
[ ] The local parks.
[ ] The Jozankei Onsen.
[ ] The TV Tower.
[ ] The Sapporo Factory shopping complex.
[ ] Write-in.

ArlequineLunaire · Mar 23, 2021

[X] The Historical Village of Hokkaido.
[X] Squid.

"Hey, I don't think I've been to the Historical Village since an elementary school trip," you remarked, as Melissa caught your eye, "They do say it's a must-see if you're in the area, and hey, it could really be an educational experience for you, Melissa".

"Oh, I get it, you're saying I'm just not cultured enough, is that it?" Melissa huffed, crossing her arms, "I'll have you know I already went there on my very first time in Sapporo, in fact! Still... ugh, it's not like I can exactly think of anything else to do right now, especially since the Beer Museum kicked me out, so fine," she let out.

"It would be best though to dress appropriately for the occasion," Azuma remarked, before saying, "Luckily, I do happen to know an antique costume store nearby, one who has even supplied the Hanataba Gakuen theatre in the past. Plus, Haruka's... choice of fashion so far, while sensible for Hokkaido's terrain and climate, has hardly been flattering" he had to say.

That was kind of the point, you answered back in your head.

Azuma soon had you decked out in a pink kimono with a blue-green sash, while he himself went with one in purple with a red sash. Melissa was originally fitted for yellow kimono with a black sash, but after she kept complaining about it choking her waist, Azuma groaned and instead got her a Gilded Age petticoat.

Passing through the Old Sapporo Station and into the open-air museum, you first entered into the basic 'town' portion. "Wait, hold on, so like Japan had its own '49er-style Gold Rush?" Melissa asked a question she should've already known.

"Many places worldwide did at that time, presumably due to that era's technological advances," Azuma smiled and explained, "Australia and Siberia being two other examples".

"Yeah, I don't think people honestly paid much attention to Hokkaido before gold was found, I mean Tohoku would've been the 'wild frontier' before then," you sighed, before quickly remembering, "Er, oh yeah, except for the Ainu, of course".

"The Ainu?" Melissa just said.

"You mean you don't know? Oh, oh God," you clutched her head, "So, you know how in America you have the Native peoples, right? Same thing in Japan with the Ainu, sorta. Hokkaido was kind of their last stronghold".

"Sheesh, don't get all apologetic on me," Melissa brushed you off with.

The snow having just melted, the three of you were too late to catch the horse-drawn sleigh around the museum, but fortunately you were around just the right time to start catching the horse-drawn tram around instead.
Passing by the old Otaru Newspaper Building, you then reached an old white house edged in dark green.

"Ah, this may be of interest to you, Melissa. The Kaitakushi Industrial Office was where many Americans came to Japan to teach about the then latest technologies," Azuma pointed out.
You immediately wished he hadn't though, seeing as that info about American tech teachers went straight to Melissa's head.

"Hmhm, what else would you expect? Though they seemed to have more respect for our country back then, as they tell me the only teaching jobs really available to us Americans nowadays is English," Melissa huffed out.

Her interest just seemed to fade further once you got to the Farming Village, though Melissa tried to sneak n a few compliments like "Aw, how... quaint". When heading into one of the agricultural sheds though, she was caught off-guard and nearly panicked when she saw someone suddenly move.

"That would be an animatronic, or maybe a reenactment actor," Azuma had to confirm for her, "I'd say I've advanced too far in my profession now to take up such a role, but nevertheless, I do suppose everyone must start somewhere".

It was then you had a particular thought, "Okay then, but if it like, it was the only role offered to you at the time? How would you perform it then?"

That did make Azuma stop to ponder, but he then said, "Well, blending into a background I assume would be an important quality for a peasant role. That he made Melissa jump out of nowhere is perhaps a sign has this man's technique could use some work".

"I don't know much about theater, went to Shakespeare in the Park like, once," Melissa began, "But like, if they offered me a peasant role in a movie, you can bet I'd raise my voice about it until I was given a more perfectly prominent role".

Moving on, the Mountain Village did make you twitch a little with all the logging equipment around, though you supposed methods back then were still more sustainable than anything Melissa's family would've gotten up to.
"Oh, sustainable energy?" Melissa heard you bring up, "You mean that thing I pretend to care about on social media?"

Finally, the Fishing Village mostly reminded you that by now you were seriously overdue for some food, as you'd kinda forgotten that the Historical Village was considered a full day trip. So upon leaving, you immediately turned to where to eat, though Melissa didn't seem too bothered by this.
"Ahem, I do need to watch my weight, after all" she insisted despite her reasonably slim frame, though you then saw her clutching her stomach too.

You'd remembered stopping for ramen here only recently with Nightshade and the band, so this time around you thought about maybe going for some Jingisukan (Genghis Khan) barbecued lamb instead, one of Sapporo's specialties, and something you'd been seriously thinking of getting around to again after you'd seen Megumi trying some out at the Snow Pearl.

Stopping in and sitting down at a grill place, you told the chef there, "I'll have the Jingisukan, please," which then made Azuma shudder, possibly remembering the grease from Megumi's order.
He himself ordered a select portion of Kamchatka king crab, while Melissa took what felt like hours deciding what exactly to get, but eventually she admitted defeat by asking for the chef's recommendation.

In the end, Melissa barely got any stains or grease on herself, yet still felt the need to rush to the bathroom upon finishing her meal to hastily clean herself up. While there, you went in after her since, while you were nervous about how she'd react, you nevertheless had a pressing question for her.

"Melissa, I've been meaning to ask you something," you shakingly began, gulping and continuing with, "I asked Azuma this before, but... er, the All-Aces don't exactly seem to have much in common, besides popularity anyway".

Melissa turned and looked straight at you, "What the hell do you mean that?"

"Well, Gakuto's not much into acting, Eitaro wasn't much into singing, Kikuko's not up with computers, that sort of thing," your tried to explain.

"Course we've got stuff in common! Like, er, Empires and Personae, hmm, ooh I did introduce Gakuto to those Real-Time Strategy PC games, which don't seem to be much of a thing here in Japan. Also gave him some copies of those old Sierra Quest games, but those just sent him into a rage," she began firmly but started to lose track, "Oh, and I'm into Sports a bunch, being a cheerleader, and honestly I'm a way better singer than Himawari could ever hope to be! I... don't think I'm as good at acting as Azuma is, but like we're into different styles of acting, so you can't really compare us anyway".

"Hmm, I see," you muttered, only to ask further, "So, how come I'm only hearing about all this stuff from you now?"

Melissa at first just glared, but she then took a breath and said, "Because, as Jack you are only entitled to know so much, or at least at an Ace's digression," she looked down at you, but then thought of something "Oh yes, that reminds me...
Something to consider, Haruka, hmm, or Harriet maybe?" she then said, "We actually had something in mind for you. With Eitaro gone, we've been on the lookout for new All-Aces, so we thought about giving some peeps a test run by making them personal Jacks. I'm so thoughtful, so I'll give you some time to think on this, but you soon may have to decide whose Jack you're going to be in particular".

- Strength has Journeyed to Rank 2! -

Melissa then gestured to herself, "Of course, I'm only interested in you being another Jack of Coins so I'll have someone to do more stuff for me, but anyway".

"Wow. Okay then," you muttered and drew back, but had to ask, "Um, I thought All-Aces were decided by their popularity amongst the students?"

"And how do you get popularity? That's right, a marketing campaign!" Melissa gave a wicked grin, before admitting, "Of course, much as we've prettied you up and made you generally a better person, I still don't know how in hell we'd go about advertising you as a new All-Ace".

"Still, I guess it is something that you'd even think of me, even for a second, as your Jack..." you had to remark on, Plus one upside would be getting to hang out with Reina more.
"Oh man, I just thought, with you telling me and all, just us two in this cramped bathroom does make it kinda, um, intimate in here..." you then found yourself saying.

[ ] Reach out and kiss Melissa, you don't know what's come over you.
[ ] Reach out and kiss Melissa, just to see her reaction.
[ ] Reach out and kiss Melissa, to show Azuma you're not his plaything.
[ ] Don't kiss Melissa, I mean, this is friggin' Melissa after all.
[ ] Maybe you can just cuddle?
[ ] Reach out and kiss Melissa, and make her flustered doing so (Ashen Cross write-in).
[ ] Write-in.

Persona: The Beautiful

100k Words Special: Best Girl Poll

Higashizawa Reina

Maeda Kikuko

Suzakuin Keiko

Melissa Lilian

Yomogi Tsubasa

Lauryn

Aoyagi Himawari

Colette Claudius

Sakurai Tomomi

Yamashiro Takako

Aimoto Koyomi

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

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Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)

Modern Middle Norn (Art by AriaMPDEoL)