surgeworks

16 – October 2 | Table of Contents | 18 – November 1
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Alternate Title: The Aftermath

Last time we left, Shinjiro got 'killed' off in what took over twenty Ill Logic points in one sitting to accomplish. He’s actually taking a break in the sporking infirm I’ve set up, while we deal with the fallout, and he'll be back around the start of November. Many thanks to

astra_aurora for beta work!

10/5.

> Yesterday was a terrible tragedy. However, you must still go to school today.

After which, we are greeted by Mitsuru. The mood is subdued as she says we need to meet in the lounge today, obviously about Shinjiro’s ~~death~~ comatose state. Or Ken, as Junpei puts it. We head straight there. However, we have a scene at the hospital.

> Shinjiro is lying motionlessly, connected to various machines…> The mechanical sounds from the medical equipment are the only signs that Shinjiro is alive…

And just in case anyone didn’t pick up on it, this is because we’re playing the FemC route and got him the stopwatch. If we didn’t, or played any other route, this scene isn’t present, because he’s dead.

> A figure glared at the “No Visitors Allowed” sign and entered the room…

It’s Akihiko. He speaks to Shinjiro, asking him how long he’s gonna lie there sleeping. It’s both heartwarming, because he doesn’t sound all that broken and is speaking to Shinji just like he can hear him—and who knows, maybe he can—and off-putting, because it also sounds like he expects Shinji to answer and hasn’t processed it yet. After he comes down from that, he beats himself up, saying he got obsessed with becoming strong enough to protect anyone, and can’t handle the idea of losing Shinji, too. He then begs Shinjiro not to leave him behind, and collapses onto Shinjiro’s bed, before begging him to wake up and sobbing.

He eventually gets up, saying crying won’t solve anything, and tells Shinjiro to lay back and watch—he’s gonna finish this.

> The resolution in Akihiko’s heart has awakened a new Persona…

> Polydeuces has given rise to Ceasar!

Thank god, Polydeuces looked like crap, this one is much more well-designed. Akihiko says he can’t carry this guilt forever.

We cut back to the lounge. Everyone’s accounted for except for Ken. Mitsuru reluctantly pipes up, saying they need to discuss how to deal with him. Having already talked to the chairman, she has Aigis bring him in. Fuuka blames herself for not realizing something was wrong when Shinjiro told her he’d be out late. Mitsuru says that if anyone should’ve realized it, it should’ve been her. I agree. Then Junpei pipes up.

“I knew this wasn’t a game...”

BULLSHIT. YOU’VE TREATED THIS AS A GAME FROM DAY ONE.

Sorry, sorry, I’m just still sore with him. But he says he never thought it’d end up like this. Akihiko says not to let it drag them down, and remarks on how cool Shinji was, even facing death head-on.

Listen, you fucks—not you, Akihiko, Atlus—you wrote him as depressed and suicidal! You aren’t seriously trying to play him off as facing death head on because of that, and that being cool, are you!?

Bad Game Design: 45

Ill Logic: 79

DEATH IS INEVITABLE: 41

He wasn’t accepting that he was going to die after being shot! He was already suicidal due to not feeling as though he could live after accidentally killing a woman! Yet again this game sucks at handling suicide or subtly managing its themes! Story or not, that gets a BGD.

The rest are moved by Akihiko’s words, and Aigis comes back, reporting Ken to not be in his room. According to her, the window’s been pried open, and Fuuka gets up. When asked by Yukari if she knows where he is, she says no, but they can’t just let him go off on his own, right? We calm her down, and Akihiko says to let Ken do what he wants.

“And besides, we can’t keep treating him like a kid anymore. It’s his choice. He’s the only one who can decide how he’s going to live his life.”

HE’S FUCKING TEN YEARS OLD. NO, HE CAN’T.

Ill Logic: 80

We’re finally handed control. When talked to, Mitsuru has this to say:

“Ken must decide what is best for him. It is a difficult decision for such a young person to make, but I’m not worried. Ken has a strong will… I am confident he will make the right choice.”

You fucking idiot, Mitsuru. I’m pretty sure last night was a good demonstration of what happens when you leave a distressed ten-year-old to his own devices and trust him to make the right choice—he tries to kill your fucking friend.

Ill Logic: 81

The guide describes our actions tonight as “free time”. We have no more attributes to level up, no more Social Links to do at night (Shinji and Ken are gone, Tanaka and Mutatsu are already done), and Koromaru doesn’t want to go for a walk tonight. Yeesh. Also worth noting is something odd: the Lost are still out in droves despite us just having beaten Strength and Fortune. With nothing else to do, we go to bed early.

10/6 arrives, and we’re no longer tired. After school, we surprisingly don’t have any cutscenes to watch. We go hang out with, for the first time in forever, Bunkichi and Mitsuko. The Lost are still out in great numbers.

Bunkichi is trying to write a letter, and can’t remember how to spell half the words by his own admission, which I find odd for a bookstore owner. We ask him what it’s for, but he just grins and says it’s top secret. The two of them laugh, and Bunkichi is happy to see Mitsuko smiling and giddy. We RANK UP. Just one more!

We get a call from Theodore at the lounge, letting us know the next block of Tartarus has opened. After that, we do get a scene.

At Tatsumi Port Island’s back alley, Ken is crouching in the shadows. Akihiko walks up, saying he looks half dead, and asks what he’s doing here. Ken doesn’t answer him at first, but then details how after his mom died, no one believed the real reason for her death, and even now it’s still on file as an unexplained accident.

THAT’S BECAUSE IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. KID, I’M TRYING TO GIVE YOU A BREAK HERE, BUT THAT’S WHAT IT WAS.

Ken says he thought killing Shinjiro was what his mom would’ve wanted. He finally turns to Akihiko, noting that they’re saying Shinjiro was the victim of some violent crime, right? Well, that’s technically what it was too, but yes, this time it was murder. He draws a parallel with his mom’s situation.

Akihiko tells him to maybe realize there’s meaning in him being left behind twice. He’s not here to drag Ken back to the dorm, he can stay here and rot if that’s what he feels like doing. But, if he still has the will to fight, he needs to. He then leaves.

Ken says, alone, that he knew it all along, but was lying to himself, consumed by hatred, and couldn’t face the thought of being alone. But, that’s exactly what happened. He slams his fist against the wall, accusing himself of running away, and swears not to run anymore. He tells Shinjiro not to worry, as he’ll see it through to the end.

NICE JOB REALIZING THAT TWO DAYS AFTER YOUR INTENDED MURDER TARGET DIED, KIDDO. YES, THIS PISSES ME OFF.

The music plays as Ken’s Persona ascends, transforming from Nemesis to Kala-Nemi.

It only looks barely less ridiculous than Nemesis. He then tells his mom he’ll be okay, and says goodbye.

At the lounge, everyone’s gathered except Ken and Akihiko. Everyone collects themselves and Mitsuru asks our opinion on the deal with them. We agree that Ken can be left alone, and Fuuka refuses that, getting up right then and there to look for him, but too late. The door opens, and the boy himself walks in. SEES asks if he’s able and willing to fight, he says yes, and no more is said about it.

…….Really? That’s it?

…….You only wanted to see him to make sure he wasn’t leaving? Not to, I dunno, give him a reprimand for trying to kill your friend? Even a small one? Maybe let him know that his intentions mattered even if Shinjiro didn’t die by his hand and that he needs to stick around because we’re now down a member? Or even just to give him some reassurance that they don't hate him, or whatever? Come on, have some reaction!

…Look, guys, between all of the 'Ken must decide for himself what he wants' and the complete lack of open anger or sorrow on Mitsuru's part especially, I'm starting to think this is a duck-out. I mean, I'll take it over throwing arms around Ken and giving him hugs and kisses after a murder attempt gone wrong, but still, it doesn't show the bond you people supposedly had with either him or Shinjiro. For lack of a better point to give, I'm giving it this:

WISTLH: 53

Again with nothing to do, we go to bed. We get a Dark Hour-cut in, and guess who?

FUCK OFF, CREEPY BOY. I’M SICK OF YOU.

Pharos remarks that it’s already autumn, and will be winter soon. He says we seem tired, and asks if something happened. We explain that our fucking friend died. He just goes ‘is that so’—no, seriously—and says people die every day.

DEATH IS INEVITABLE: 42

Of course, he thought this way until he acquired a friend of his own! Get away from me. He also brings up ‘the Fall’ aka the apocalypse again, and says it’s getting close. He and we are kindred spirits, he says, so why can only he remember, he asks? He declares it a “heartrending matter” in his blank monotone and asks if his existence is something we’re unable to accept. I’ve accepted it, I just hate it. We RANK UP to 8, completely skipping 7.

He then graciously leaves.

10/7. We're reminded that midterms start next week, and Ms. Ounishi asks us why a matador's capote is red. The answer is ‘to excite the audience’. Before I forget, I head to the Velvet Room to check on requests.

Bring Theo the second Tziah sword
Bring him a Sengoku-era helm
Retrieve the seventh old document
Beat more enemies
Beat more hard enemies
Bring him sushi

We get the sushi from the inari at the shrine with our high Academics, and bring it back to Theodore for a...scrub brush? This seems important, we're going to hang onto this. We get to the faculty office and find Mr. Ono, wearing his helm, which is surprisingly a real one that Masamune used, according to him, but he won't give it to us. We're informed we need to return here a few more times before getting something. We then spend time with Maiko today.

She wants to go for some takoyaki again. At Octopia, we are told by Maiko that she's made the decision to live with her mother—who apparently can't cook or clean or do anything without her, an eight-year-old. Her dad will be okay on his own. She tries to smile, but it falters. Her mom and her are moving pretty soon, but she says we'll still be friends. Right?

> "We're friends forever." (Well, yeah.)
> "We're sisters forever." (!!!)

That makes her tear up. She makes us promise to never forget about her, and we RANK UP. She then leaves, as she has to pack.

At the dorm, everyone discusses how Shinjiro is in a coma. According to the guide, we have free time tonight, so why not go to Tartarus, and take a look at Akihiko's and Ken's ascended Personas? Take up some more quests? We're in Great condition, so we should do well. We talk to Fuuka and get our Dark Hour cut-in.

Yet again, we unlock the second part of a block.

Kala-Nemi and Ceasar are quite the thing to see in action. They also both suddenly have more skills to learn despite having reached the ends of their skill trees previously—Ken's next one is Spear Master in twelve freaking levels, Akihiko's is Matarunda in four. I ended up dying and surprise, I hadn't saved in a week. Lesson learned: save more often.

Surt levels all his skills and does fantastically, Deathbound landing a ton of critical hits and Maragidyne shredding whatever’s left, and gives us the Blazing Flame, which nulls fire, which we promptly stick onto Mitsuru. Daisoujou levels out its skills, and let me tell you, Hama Boost-ed Samsara leaves nothing in its wake. Nothing.

Koromaru levels up and becomes the first of the group to gain a dyne-level spell, Agidyne, as well as Fire Boost and Masukukaja, and Akihiko gains Matarunda and Fist Master, which passively doubles damage from his normal attack. Yukari levels out and gains Magarula, while Mitsuru gains Mind Charge. We get another nice surprise behind that one—Bufudyne. You’ll notice that Akihiko, Ken, Yukari, and Junpei all cease to level beyond their mid-level ma-spells until their Persona ascends, while Mitsuru is the exception. While they’re doing moderate damage, she’ll soon be throwing out Mind-Charged and Boosted Bufudynes. Nice. But she’s not the only one coming into her own—remember that bitchin’ move Blade of Fury I keep gushing about? Junpei gets it at level 50. Yes, his very first multiple-target option comes at level fucking 50, but holy crap is it a good one. The first time we use it, it scores no less than three critical hits one after another.

The first miniboss is on floor 146, and it’s three Hell Knights. They have Mind Charge, Ziodyne, Mudo, and they null panic. They’re tough, but don’t last long in the face of Surt’s overpowered attacks. We get three stat-increase cards for it. On the floor 160, we find the Mythical Gigas, which Fuuka informs us is of the Strength Arcana.

Arcana Believe It: 25

It drains fire, meaning it puts up a better resistance since Surt’s Ragnarok is useless, as is Junpei’s Laevateinn. It also nulls strike, pierce and fear. Deathbound doesn’t do much, but a Power Charged Blade of Fury does the trick, taking out most of its health and knocking it down. We get another stat-boost card for its defeat along with a Soma and two repel items.

Guess where we find the seventh old document? Yes, at the top of Tziah—but more importantly, at the top of Tartarus. Floor 164 is apparently as far up as it goes. The room is open to the sky, showcasing a green sky with drifting clouds. There’s...rather little fanfare for it. For the document, we get an item that lets us cast Megidolaon. We turn in two Red Armor Plates to Theo for an item that grants Endure, which is very important—once per battle, you can revive with 1 HP if you’re killed. Very helpful for avoiding nasty surprises. We turn in the Gold Rings for 340,000 yen.

Now at level 70, we fuse Byakko, Barong, Raphael, Horus, Bishamonten, Abaddon (which learns nulls for all three physicals), Seiten Taisei, and re-fuse Kikuri-Hime. We also fuse the Max Rank Persona for Yukari’s Lovers Link, Cybele. Seiten Taisei and Cybele both have the “Weapons Master” skill that was adapted from specific weapon skills in vanilla P3 (since you can only use a naginata or a sword now).

10/8. Ms. Miyahara is in the faculty office in place of Mr. Ono. We spend time with Bunkichi and Mitsuko today for a holdover meeting.

10/9. Ms. Ounishi is the one in the faculty office in place of Mr. Ono. Mitsuru remarks on how the Lost aren’t decreasing this time, and we stay awake through Mr. Takenozuka’s lecture. Aigis, when spoken to after class, says that it’s rational to focus on exams over Shinjiro’s condition...but then hangs her head, and says that doesn’t seem right for some reason. Today, it’s time for our final rank-up with the old couple.

Bunkichi, napping, is mumbling in his sleep about his deceased son’s memory. We wake him up, and he says that he feels relieved. He gets Mitsuko, and tells us about the letter he sent to Gekkoukan—to cut the persimmon tree down. See, after visiting the school, he heard about a new addition being planned from a student, and thought it selfish of him to keep the persimmon tree there over new learning opportunities. We ask if they’re sure, and they say they are. Letting the school move on and the students learn is more important than hanging onto a memory, and after all, their son’s in heaven, not down here planted on school property.

They give us a piece of the first fruit produced by the persimmon tree this season. Sensing their appreciation, we RANK UP to MAX. We are then informed that we can now fuse Kohryu, the Guardian of Nature. We talk with them until sunset, then return to the dorm, where we head to bed.

10/10. We stay awake through Mr. Ono’s lecture, and Mr. Ekoda is in the faculty office instead of him. We have another Social Link to max out today—the Hanged Man, with Maiko.

She’s ecstatic and energetic when we arrive, dragging us around the playground to play on all the sets. When we finish, she says that she intends to have played enough for us to remember her. Though sad, she’s smiling. Her dad told her that no matter how far apart they were, they’d always be family—something she applies to her relationship with us, too. Poor girl’s trying not to cry, but gives us something she made for us: a bead ring, just like her own. Feeling a tight bond, we RANK UP to MAX. The music plays, and we’re informed we can now fuse Attis, the God of Sacrifice. Maiko swears to come see us when she’s bigger, that she’ll even buy her own airplane ticket to do it. With that, we say our goodbyes, Maiko running off quickly to hide her tears.

With that, we return to the dorm.

Those two Social Links—the Heirophant and the Hanged Man. They’re equal and opposite, really, and I’m fond of them both. The Heirophant Link, a bond with an elderly couple, ends with them giving you food, and you start the Hanged Man Link with a small neglected girl by giving her food. Their Arcana are represented well, but moreoever, it’s just very easy to like them. Despite death continuing to be a theme of at least the Heirophant Link, we aren’t beat over the head with grief and edginess and trauma, and don’t have to be reminded of it at all in the Hanged Man one.

At the dorm, we go for a walk with Koromaru and Ken, who’s struggling to keep up just like Akihiko. Ken quietly apologizes for causing so much trouble, and I’m still irritated about it.

10/11. We’re due for a meeting with Akinari today! Dude’s coughing and hacking up a lung when we get there, and asks us to stay til he’s recovered, probably so someone can call the ER if he keels over.

He continues coughing and hacking, and thanks us for coming, as it’s better when he’s not alone. He wonders miserably why he had to have this illness, and other people don’t have to deal with it. He’ll never walk through a sunny field again because his legs and heart can’t endure it. All he’s really got left is to draw up his bed sheets and count down his heartbeats until they stop. Why him? We don’t know, we say, and he’s fine with that answer.

“I mean, I understand why I’m dying, but ‘why’ am I dying? There isn’t any meaning to life that I can find, so perhaps I’m not missing all that much.”

Akinari wishes he could run away, but if he were capable of that, he wouldn’t be here anyway. His body’s so weak that he can do virtually nothing without being reminded that he’s dying. And there’s nothing he can do about it, which seems to be what really makes him upset. He has another coughing fit, and begs us to stay a while longer. It feels like it could end any second if he’s alone, he says. We tell him talking will only make his cough worse, but he brushes it off with a smile. He feels a little better, and thanks us, and we RANK UP.

At the dorm, we take Koromaru for a walk with Fuuka. Rio happens to walk by and chats with us.

10/12. Our day off before exams begin. We take Cybele to be fused with a weapon, giving us the Sabazios, which grant Akihiko the Evade Ice function (tripling his dodge rate against it). We then go to the shrine to boost our Rio link.

...Man, I thought all those “free time” slots on the guide would mean I might could catch up on Social Links, but there’s just nothing to do. Gonna head to bed early.

10/13. Exams begin!

What is the number one source of stress for women? Answer: Husbands.
10/14. Who founded numerology? Answer: Moses
10/15. What is superconductivity? Answer: Zero electrical resistance.
10/16. The Ohnin War was one of two incidents that triggered the Sengoku era. Which was the other? Answer: Coup of Meiou
10/17. Last day of exams, and we did fantastically.

We visit the shrine to boost our Koromaru Link, and then head back, where we walk him with Junpei, though the text warns us Junpei’s just looking to get out somewhere rather than play. Still, he goes with us, and quietly remarks on what honest creatures dogs are and how perceptive Koromaru is.

10/18. We reject the calls we get and head to the command room, where we see a new recording dated 10/12. Yukari, believe it or not, is trying on the maid outfit in her room, actually disappointed she didn’t get to wear it. She imitates Junpei’s voice as she shoots down the idea of wearing it around the dorm for today. Fuuka shows up, and Yukari gets a picture of them both in maid’s outfits to make sure she never blabs. After that, we hang out with Akinari again.

Akinari’s relieved and a little happy that he’s better today than last week, and brings up a book he’d been reading before we last met. Turns out he got so absorbed in reading, he forgot to close the window, and it got chilly, resulting in the coughing fits. He asks if we read a lot of books. We love reading, we say, and he smiles, happy we’ve got something in common with him. Akinari says he loves reading these days, as it’s fun to get lost in a book’s private world. He asks, a little hesitantly, if we ever read books all the way to the end.

> “Of course.”
> “Not if it’s boring.”

He smiles, as that’s another thing we have in common, though probably not with the same reason. He gets into the story and reaches the end fast, but never wants to finish. If he does, he’s stuck here again in the real word, alone in his room. He reads books about heroes and heroism, so that if he does decide to finish reading them, he might be happy when he returns to his own life. He gives a weak smile, and we RANK UP. The sun’s already setting, and he calls time ruthless.

We’re due for another Tartarus visit, but we already spent time doing that, and no one’s missing, so we don’t go. We go pick up our Sabazios for Akihiko, and go fuse Kohryu. After doing that, we head to bed.

Monday of 10/19, exam results are posted. Predictably, we got the highest score, so we need to go get our gift from Mitsuru. Before we do, though, Ms. Miyahara wants to know how many possible calendar forms there are—the answer is fourteen.

We have yet another Social Link to max today, our Chariot Link with Rio. Let's go.

We're finishing up, everyone having fun, when a club member asks Rio if she's given any thought to the group date. Rio considers for a moment and says they can go without her, as she doesn't need a relationship. The member protests, rightfully saying she needs a better man to love than Kenji. They chat, before the other club members leave us alone with her. Rio smiles as she says she never thought she'd be asking other people about things like love. She thought it was alright to cut out everything social to focus on the club, thought that no matter how tough it got, as long as she saw results and improvement as a volleyball player, she was good to go. But she was forgetting to have fun on the way, and forgot how fun volleyball was supposed to be. She gives us a worn-out annotated beginner's guide, something she used to read obsessively when she was just starting out and which she wants us to have, to commemorate having such a close friend. She thanks us for keeping an eye out for her, and we reach MAX Rank. We are informed that we can now fuse Thor, the Mighty God of Thunder.

At the dorm, we spend time with Koromaru. He's itching again, so we offer to brush him again. Approving, Koro brings us the brush in his mouth, and then rolls over and presents his belly. We brush his back first anyway, but notice the stitched flesh under the fur. We hesitantly reach out to touch his stomach, and this time Koro doesn't shy away. Having earned a dog's trust, we RANK UP.

10/20. Mr. Ekoda is teaching in Fuuka's class, and she's a bit down, as Natsuki notices. Fuuka, with some pressing, admits that her mind is caught up on Shinjiro. Natsuki mentions that although she didn't see him at school, she'd seen him around town, and wonders if he really was caught up in some crime. Fuuka remarks that some things, you can't get back, something she learned from her parents, and does a bit of self-reflection.

Natsuki says she can understand the parent thing. Mr. Ekoda reprimands her for talking in class, but she brushes him off until he reminds her she’s supposed to be saying goodbye. Fuuka’s surprised and confused, and Natsuki stands up, addressing the class. She says she’s made some good friends, and is going to remember all of them even after she transfers. Fuuka is alarmed. Transfer?!

It’s lunchtime when they next have a chance to talk. Natsuki opens by calling Fuuka weird. She labels herself the biggest bitch in school, in those exact words, and finds it odd that Fuuka would feel sorry for her having to leave. Fuuka is hurt and asks why she never said anything about transferring. Natsuki just says it wouldn’t have changed anything except making them both depressed. She explains that her dad is sick and will need time to recover, and money is tight, so she has to move. She goes on to reiterate that she still thinks Fuuka is nuts for befriending her, but appreciates it, and says they’re in the same boat. Natsuki’s parents act like she doesn’t even exist, so she hates being home, and it made her jealous of Fuuka being able to move into the dorm. She inquires as to why Fuuka moved in there, as her house is nearby and her parents are fairly normal. She stammers, and Natsuki says she doesn’t have to say if she doesn’t want to. But she advises her, if she’s able, to work it out with her parents while she has the chance.

Natsuki delves into some retrospection, and lets Fuuka know it’s only because it’s her that she’s saying it. She used to think every day was the same, but you don’t get any second chances in life. And if you just let things be, they aren’t going to change on their own. She has to pack next week, and so won’t be in school, so she says her goodbyes. Fuuka says no, but Natsuki says it’ll be alright. She’s changed a lot since she met her, and she wants to figure what she really wants now. And she hopes Fuuka does the same. Fuuka takes that into consideration, and says she used to try to please everyone. Desperation to be liked made her a doormat and eager to please, to the exclusion of thinking about her own wants. Natsuki laughs and says yeah, that’s her, and that anyone who doesn’t accept her the way she is can fuck off, roughly put. But even if Fuuka doesn’t like herself, Natsuki likes her. This touches Fuuka, and Natsuki leaves without looking back. Looking after her as she walks off, Fuuka remains sad, until she looks down at her phone, which just beeped. Looking down at a text, she finds one from the girl who just walked away.

“Even if we’re apart, we’ll still be connected. We can always talk, right? Thanks for everything.”

Fuuka contemplates this before raising her head up. She considers that her desire to stay connected with her friends gave rise to her Persona and its abilities. So, she wants the power to connect people, even if they’re apart.

The music plays, and Lucia transforms into Juno! Yeah, the wife of Jove/Jupiter/Zeus.

Yukari arrives just after, along with Junpei and Aigis. Fuuka asks if they needed anything, and no, they were just wondering where she was—she’s not usually on the rooftop. Fuuka announces her new resolutions, confusing the others a bit, which makes her laugh. The scene ends.

This afternoon, we spend time with Bebe. He's excited.

Bebe remarks that even though he doesn't have much money to buy materials with, sewing is his life, and he'll make a kimono of superb quality to save his future in Japan. We work on our scarf, while he works on the kimono, and cheer each other on, Bebe commenting that our scarf is almost complete and he's looking forward to it, and we tell him his uncle's going to love it. We don't finish either of our projects today, but he's full of good cheer, and we don't have much left. RANK UP! We stay for a while, despite Bebe's arm being tired from sewing.

At the dorm, we're supposed to look for a special event on our Justice Link, so we talk to Ken. He's uneasy, and wants us to come with him somewhere. That somewhere happens to be the back alley (not even gonna bother typing 'TPI station' anymore).

Living with Determination is playing, and he says he was too scared to come here by himself. Kid, you pull that Evoker on me and I'm gonna whoop your ass. He falls silent, and we tell him we're with him. He thanks us, before remarking that living is hard and painful.

DEATH IS INEVITABLE: 43

He starts to sob, but no tears come out, and we stay silent and allow him to cry. We then go back to the dorm.

Calm Down There, Edgelord: 26

Because that's the end of the scene. We didn't rank up and the entire thing served no purpose except to remind us of Shinjiro's death and how Ken is still suicidal (and is not getting help for that). In another game, I would take as a decent expression of broken-ness in the wake of a death, but in this one, the key part is 'living is hard and painful', and therefore it's just extra fluff for the 'DEATH IS INEVITABLE' pillow.

10/21. Theodore rings us up, telling us two more people have wandered into Tartarus, one of them a Social Link of ours. Fuuka meets us outside the gates the talk about how SEES' mission is almost over, and it was good to make friends along the way. We spend time with Hidan today.

We have a meeting, which he closes, but he whispers to us that he wants to talk to us after. Once it's finished, he goes up to the rooftop with us. He apologizes for dragging us up here before telling us the cigarette butt incident is going to be dropped. They say it's his fault for asking too many questions. Hidan wanted to be student council president next year, as Mitsuru will be gone, and the P.E. teacher was going to endorse him, until he voiced his disagreement. The student body's pretty annoyed with him, too. He talks about how he rambled on about rules and fairness, but just ended up proving he was desperate for power.

We tell him it's good to realize that, and he says he can see why Mitsuru chose us for student council—we're honest. He continues that the system can only work if you have the people's trust, and you can't force them to give it to you. When the P.E. teacher insisted we be added to the list, he felt like he was just being bullied by an idiot with more power than him—aka, how the students he grilled probably felt. Hidan admits that he felt like the truth was being bent and that he didn't feel like losing a friend as a result, and thanks us for being there and not letting him get caught up in it. We RANK UP! He asks us not to repeat this to anyone, as it would just get him made fun of, and says goodbye. We head back to the dorm, but it's another free night, so we just head to bed.

10/22. Ms. Terauchi is teaching, and asks us how natto, a soybean-based food, is made—the answer is by fermenting them. We have another Social Link to max today, this time Saori's.

At the library, none of the students are shunning Saori anymore, but still, only a few of them go out of their way to be friendly with her. Ms. Ounishi walks in, apologizing for keeping us so late, but she waves it off. Ms. Ounishi says she's a hard-working girl, and hopes other students will come around and see that. Saori smiles, and asks us to walk with her to the gates. See, her ride's here, and this is her last day. So, this is where we part ways. She apologizes for not telling us, but has more to say; she thinks this is a turning point for her, despite her sadness. She's going to start over, and start standing on her own. We encourage her, and she thanks us and says she'll never forget us.

She'd always been told not to have any opinions for herself, and that that was an easier way of life. The advantage was that anything could be someone else's fault, though that clearly backfired this time. Underneath it all, she always believed that everything that happened to her was someone else's fault, but she's learned that she has a measure of control over her own life, and what she does matters. She can't blame anyone else for what she allows to happen, and that means no more letting people walk all over her. She's known a long time that she'd never get anywhere if she let others control her, but she needed someone to give her the push. So, she takes out her cell phone, which is playing a recording of her broadcast. She's going to use it to encourage herself whenever she's scared or wants to back down, and she wants us to have it, sending the recording to us on our own phone. She shakes our hand, and we reach MAX Rank.

The music plays, and we're informed we can now fuse Arahabaki, the Aboriginal God (meaning the Japanese aboriginal god, not Australian indigenous). Saori then reminds us of her first crush, which turns out to have been her uncle, and remarks that it's probably for the best that one's first love doesn't work out. Wow. Thanks for letting us end this Social Link on that creepy incestuous final note, Atlus. With that, she says goodbye, head held high.

At the dorm, we spend time with Ken, remembering that he likes omelettes and rice, and so we make some here instead of going out. Being the good cook we are, it comes out well.

He thanks us awkwardly, and chows down. Ketchup is on his face by the time it's done, but he's really happy. He thanks us. We RANK UP. Yeah, that's it, no introspection needed. Oh, but we're not done with the meeting itself. Ken hesitantly asks if we cook for other people like this—like maybe a boyfriend.

*Squints at Atlus* Don't do it, bitch. Don't pedo this up.

It's quite the lengthy spiel—he's not just wondering if we have one, he admits he probably wouldn't like it if we did. Oh, believe me Ken, we do—AND HE TOOK TWO BULLETS FOR YOUR SORRY ASS, SO CONSIDER YOUR CHANCES, WHICH WERE ALREADY AT ZERO, TO BE NEGATIVE TEN THOUSAND. Alright, if I've read this guide right, the best answer choices are 'any, 1, any', but '2, 1 or 3, then 2' are lover flags. We say we have one, disappointing him, and are presented no further dialogue, but he thanks us for the food again and hurries to clean his dish and head to bed.

10/23. Edogawa's teaching and I'm so sick of him. He asks who founded Theosophy, and the answer is Madam Blavatsky. Today, we spend time with Akihiko. Sad music is, of course, playing when we get where we’re going.

We’ve come to Naganaki Shrine. We note that he’s rather quiet today, and he thanks us for coming out here. We tell him we’re happy to come along. He’s grateful, but a little lost. Dude looks like he’s about to cry and looks at the ground. He hesitantly asks if he can talk about something with us, and we tell him yes. He admits he hasn’t quite got his words all rehearsed, but introduces the topic of Miki, his late little sister, again, and how he couldn’t save her.

Akihiko was the only person she had, as she didn’t have any friends or kids her age in the orphanage. She was always tagging along and calling him “big bro”. He asks why she had to die. She never got to live a great life before she died, Akihiko laments, never having good food or toys or getting to see faces of parents. He asks if there isn't some saying out there, about being alive itself being some kind of sin. We tell him straight-out that that's not true. He insists that she's gone and he's accepted it, but is still full of anger and sadness that he can't do anything about, and it's going to follow him the rest of his life. He finally gets around to what he wanted to tell us: he thought he wanted us to help him bear that burden, and considers himself terrible for that, and hides his face from us. Akihiko having opened up to us, we RANK UP. He wonders if he's seeing Miki in us. Nice, but try again, son... Oh, and he does, saying that if that's not it, then the feelings he has are…and he trails off, before suggesting we head home.

At the dorm, Mitsuru wants to prepare for the full moon, saying she wants to make a good report to Shinjiro, and Akihiko lets us know that he feels great when fighting, feeling like someone (Shinjiro) is watching. We have yet more free time, so we head to bed. I looked at the guide, and I think I might can get a day to catch up on Fuuka's social link at some point. I also need to figure out whether I want to take revival flags.

10/24. A scene begins of Yukari in the student council room, working alone when Mitsuru walks in. The teacher for Yukari's archery club asked for a report. Mitsuru asks if that means she's busy, but she's not. Yukari wants to ask her something, and she wants to know why Mitsuru decided to fight. She uncomfortably responds that it's her way of atoning for the past. Yukari says she doesn't really have a reason anymore, if she's honest, now that she knows the truth about her father, but thinks maybe she can erase the mistakes he left behind. She berates herself, and Mitsuru dismisses her self-deprecations. She says that she'll probably still be trying to figure it out even after the full moon coming up. Mitsuru responds that at least then, they'll be able to return to a normal school life. Yukari has to go now, since student council's about to begin, but she says she's welcome to come talk to her later if she still wants to. Yukari thanks her, and leaves.

We're supposed to max Fuuka's Social Link today, but we're only at Rank 9.

She lets us know quite confidently that she's going to work on her own today, and to look forward to it because it'll be delicious. We set to work making sweet fries. She finishes up faster than usual, and presents us several rows of triangular rice balls lined up on a plate. She describes several flavors that include pickled plum, salmon, and seaweed, and when we pick one up and eat it, it's delicious as promised, which we tell her. She's happy, and talks about 22 conditions that have to be met for making a good rice ball. She met all of them, so there's "no possible way that it wouldn't be delicious". Hey, she's right. She's got some pride in her work and rightfully so now, and says she realized the mistake in her method, and vows not to succumb to the my-goals-are-doomed-from-the-start thought process again. We RANK UP.

We spend the evening with Koromaru tonight for a holdover meeting.

10/25. Akihiko calls to spend time, which is fine because we were going to boost our Social Link with him anyway. We head out, going to the beef bowl shop. He asks if we know the better way to eat cup ramen that Shinji told him about, and though we guess wrong, he's satisfied with our answer of putting an egg in. We give him sweet fries and go home. That night, we go for a walk with Koromaru and Aigis, where Aigis muses on how different Fuuka seems.

10/26. Ms. Toriumi is mercifully short about asking us which of the word choices isn’t Arabic in origin. The answer is ‘wristwatches’. We spend time with Akihiko after school today.

He meets us on the rooftop where he remarks that no one’s up here to enjoy the nice wind with us. We ask if he comes here often, and he responds no, not lately. Shinji used to come up here when he was skipping class and nap, needing Akihiko to come up after school to come get him. He says that you can see so far from up here, his eyes start to hurt trying to see it all. WHAM! Voice acting mid-conversation!

“You remember the stuff I told you about my sister? …I’m tired of losing what’s important. I thought it would be better not to let things get too important than to risk losing them. But lately, I don’t think so.”

> Akihiko looks straight into your eyes…

“If I want to avoid that feeling… I have to work to protect what’s precious to me. And that means everything precious...”

I have to admit to some confusion at the way he’s speaking. As I understand it, Akihiko was constantly working to improve himself to protect things he loved, and this was treated as a character flaw by the time he became obsessed with it and nothing else. Akihiko has so far not indicated he’s avoiding attachment.

“Ken, Mitsuru, and you too… I’ll take care of it all.”

> Akihiko looks at you with strength and determination in his eyes…
> You can sense his resolve…

After that heinous abuse of the humble ellipsis, we RANK UP. He directs our attention to the dorm in the distance, and we talk until the sun goes down before returning there. Aigis remarks when spoken to that Shinjiro’s “departure” has helped everyone mature and cherish their lives more. Hmm. I’m not sure I agree with that, unless we’re just talking about Akihiko. We head to bed early.

10/27. Apathy Syndrome continues to rise. Finally remembering our reward from Mitsuru like an idiot, we talk to her, and receive a set of queen-rank stat-boost cards, in addition to a Bufudyne skill card. We also finally remember to check the faculty office, where Ms. Toriumi is in place of Mr. Ono. We then spend time with Bebe.

He’s talking to himself while he sews, and thanks us for giving him the resolve to make the kimono. We ask him what France is like, and he responds that there’s nothing there for him now. He wants to die in the country he loves, Japan. He also says that he’s made many friends since coming here, but he cherishes us the most, and is sure his aunt would’ve liked us, too. We RANK UP. As of now, Bebe’s kimono is almost finished, and he’s very tired, but he’s determined to see it through. We complete our scarf, adding it to our inventory. He tells us it looks wonderful and that he envies whoever gets it. He seems to get a little choked up, swearing to return to us, whatever that means.

We spend time with Ken that evening for a holdover meeting. We’re treated to a Dark Hour cut-in, and guess who?

CREEPY BOY, CAN’T WE HAVE SOME SPACE?!

Pharos reminds us, of course, that the last full moon is coming up, thinking it’s a bit soon to be reminiscing, and offering to come see us again after it’s over with, handing us a hint that unfortunately means I can’t award this meeting a point yet..

10/28. We’re almost done with this hell month. We spend time with Hidan for our final rank-up this afternoon.

He’s giving a presentation to the rest of student council, which we help him with. He’s rather fair about it, and asks for opinions at the end, which in itself is shocking to the rest of the council. They notice his change, and the meeting soon ends, leaving us alone again. He thanks us, and asks how he did, and we point out how they were praising him. He smiles, and says that although he may have made people think he’s selfish and lost some of the trust he needs, he’ll win it back. He takes out a lighter, confiscated from the guy who confessed to being the smoker in the boys’ bathroom. Said guy also swore he wouldn’t do it again, and gave up the lighter as a sign of sincerity. Hidetoshi grins and says he earned trust by showing concern for others, like we taught him. So, he wants to give it to us, and we accept. He admits that he’d been looking down on people, and that it caused friction with others, but that he’s improved, and again attributes it to us, thanking us. We reach MAX Rank.

The music plays, and we’re informed that we can now fuse Odin, the Storm God. Hidetoshi asks if we remember the story about the TV anchorwoman he told us. The man who was sent to prison happened to be his father. He’s realized the importance of sincerity and considers his dad a great man. After saying so, he offers to go somewhere to eat with us—only just realizing he’s never hung out with us after school.

We spend time with with Koromaru this evening. It consist of us just laying with him and him nuzzling us, until Fuuka comes along, who sits down and contemplates whether Koromaru can “let go” of the priest. We turn to him and ask if that’s true, and he just snuggles closer. His contentment, combined with our uncanny understanding of dog thinking, allows us to see and communicate to Fuuka that we’re not replacements for the priest, just someone new to love. We RANK UP. Fuuka offers to make Koromaru something to eat, and he cowers, undoubtedly not wanting to eat her cooking.

10/29. Ms. Ounishi is teaching and asks us about a certain enzyme, it being lactase. I’m going to save now, since I’m about to deviate from the guide and I want to be able to restart if it ends up costing me. We’re supposed to go to the shrine to boost Akihiko’s Link—but Fuuka is available today, so we’re going to hang out with her instead. Just as well, because it turns out to be another holdover meeting instead of a MAX Rank meet-up. I’m wondering if the guide was written a little off.

We spend time with Ken tonight. And that turns out to be a holdover meeting too, despite the guide saying it’s a rank-up. Hmmph.

10/30. We get a call from Theodore saying another human got lost in Tartarus. And GOD DAMN IT EDOGAWA, SHUT UP—! Sorry, sorry, lost my cool there for a second. He talks about summoning, sneakily referencing the game he’s in. We stay awake out of reflex—should’ve gone to sleep to spite him. We spend time with Akihiko for a holdover meeting.

Ain’t got shit to do tonight either, which is a tad annoying. We go to bed.

10/31. Again, we deviate from guide schedule, and this time we max Fuuka’s Link.

She’s holding out a notebook, boldly announcing she’d like to make a cake. It’s quite the detailed picture, with a lot of fruit. We make it together. Though progress is slow, Fuuka does well and catches every one of her mistakes before they can affect the recipe. The cake comes out spectacularly, and she wants us to write on the chocolate plate, and we write “SUCCESS!” on it. She invites us to eat it at the dorm with her, specifically in her room. When we get there, we dig in, and she gives us a heartfelt thanks for helping her make it. She did have another reason, though. She hands us a pair of headphones. Since we’re always wearing a pair, she made some for us, thinking she could give us a gift made with something she’s good at. Altogether now, awww! She calls us her precious friend, and we replace our old set with these ones, and find that the sound is amazing. We reach MAX Rank: the music plays, and we’re informed we can now fuse Scathach, the Teacher. Fuuka says she’ll be fine on her own if we’re done with cooking club, but it’d be better if we were there.

We go for a walk with Koromaru and Ken tonight, Ken remarking that he finally beat Koromaru on the walk.

And this is where we stop for tonight. Sudden? Unceremonious? Perhaps. But tomorrow is November, and with it comes a bunch of idiocy.

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