Chapter 39 : Rise Kujikawa (1)

#So Mondays huh… hang in there. Stay hydrated, get some exercise if possible, and lastly, if you need a sign to do something productive this is it.

--

3 days have passed since the camping trip came to an end. The moment that sticks with me the most is waking up between Naoto and Kanji. Today's saturday, while walking around town, I noticed a commotion in the shopping district. While moving closer, it seems that there's a crowd of teenagers, with Police officers maintaining order. Ah it seems that Rise had moved into her grandma's tofu shop, and people are trying to get a glimpse of her.

As if on queue, someone tapped on my shoulder, I automatically reacted by throwing the said person with his hand as my pivot point.

Oh it's just Yu. As he somehow beautifully lands with his feet first after performing a 360 in the air with his arms crossed.

"Nice moves."

"Thanks."

I can feel people sweat dropping at our exchange in the morning.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Yu.

"Oh, we're just trying to see Rise, Yosuke's a hardcore fan." - answers Yu immediately

"Hey! Anyway yes we're just trying to get a glimpse of Risette. What about you? Are you a fan too? You're here earlier than us." - Yosuke tries to hide his embarrassment. Risette is Rise's stage name.

"Ah, I'm just passing by. Well then you guys have fun." - I excused myself.

--

Yu's Pov:

So with that Akira just went ahead and left.

"Man, he's one of a kind huh?" - Yosuke said.

"You had no idea." - I answered, a sigh escaped my mouth.

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it, the line isn't thinning out either."

Yosuke's right, we need to warn Rise, yesterday we saw her on the midnight channel. Meaning we're sure that she's the next victim of kidnapping.

The familiar tofu shop sure is crowded today, as a lot of people are trying to get a glimpse of Rise. spotting the kind old lady, whose a devil is inside just like every old person is, I resolved myself, and finally walked closer to greet her.

"Morning Oba-chan."

"Ah! White wolf. What can I do for you today?"

"I came to see Rise actually. How have you been?"

"Rise's helping in the back, if you want to meet her, you can do it alone. I don't want people flocking to our storage area."

"Ah ok, thank you Oba-chan."

"Ohohoho, It's fine, Have fun young ones. And I can see Isshin have at least doubled your training, you're growing nicely."

Monster! So that's why master Isshin drives me like crazy this week. He at least quadruples my training.

"It's all because of Oba-chan's guidance." - I said as I tried hard not to break my already strained smile.

As I quickly went towards the back of the store.

"Rise, it's nice to meet you again."

"Oh. it's you." - She said in a tired tone. The copper haired girl is currently wearing the store uniform. As if the energy from the first meeting is all a lie, this version of the girl looks a bit… different, like all of her energy had been sucked out of her, a smile never to be seen.

"Do you need help?"

"I'm fine. Why are you here in the back?"

"I asked Oba-chan for your location and she pointed me towards the back."

"Oh. So, what do you need me for?"

And so I explained to her about the mysterious disappearances, and how she was shown at the midnight channel.

"Oh, that's not me."

Hmmm?

"Oh I mean I don't have those kinds of curves, and never wore a swimsuit like that."

"Have you seen the midnight channel?"

"Yes."

"I have no doubt your Oba-chan will protect you, but there's a world inside the TV."

She looked at me in disbelief.

"You will find your other self there."

"Other self?"

"Yes, she will probably know your deepest and darkest secret, just try not to give in to her provocation."

As I said that, she immediately reached her hand towards my forehead.

"Hmmmm. You don't have a fever, your eyes are focused, your breathing normal. You don't seem to be under any drugs."

Sigh, why does everyone think I'm high. I blame Akira. I grabbed her hand, and with the most sincere expression, I gave her an accessory, a ring that protects the user by reducing incoming physical damage, it's copper in color, just like her hair.

"Keep this with you at all times."

"Eeeeh?"

"Trust me, it will save your life this coming week." If the pattern is still the same as before then either tonight or tomorrow, the suspect will come to shove her inside the TV world, when that happens, at least I've prepared Rise a bit.

--

"Oba-chan thank you, and please tell me if anything happened to Rise."

"Hmmmm. I understand white wolf. Rest assured, even like this I'm still able to chase away weeds around Rise-chan. Hahaha!"

I have no doubt about it, Oba-chan.

So Me and Yosuke left the shop.

"So how did it go with Rise, is she as beautiful as in those dramas?" asked Yosuke

"She seems tired."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday when she's in the shoot, I saw her. Today's rise is incomparable to the Rise on stage. Today she looked tired."

"So the rumors are true, about her taking a break off show biz. Maybe she's stressed out. But still you get to meet her during her shoot? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's a coincidence I met her."

After a few minutes of nonstop complaint, he finally stops, going on and on about being bros and should give him a call if something good like that happened again.

"*Sigh*, Anyway we can't do anything else except wait huh?"

"Yeah . I'll call you when something comes up."

"I'll head back first then."

He said that as he took the right in the intersection, me taking the left. walking back I kept Thinking whether or not the ring is enough. Ah I should've given her a few more elemental resistance accessories. Sigh.

--

Akira Pov

I came by the park where Izanami's waiting for me.

"Am I late?"

"Quite terribly so, keeping a lady waiting is unacceptable."

I look towards my watch, I'm 15 minutes early. We decided to meet here for lunch since Izanami have a scheduled meeting with professor Isshiki this morning. She stood up, grabbed my hand and began leading me somewhere.

"So where are we going?"

"To eat silly. I haven't eaten anything yet today, I skipped breakfast."

So we walk by the somewhat quiet city.

"So what did you do with professor Isshiki this morning?"

"Oooh we're just legalizing some documents, after that we talked a bit about human desires, and how different people view the world differently."

Desires huh. That's the theme for Persona 5 as well.

"How far is her research?"

"She's been working on it for a year, it's still in its early stages, but it's taking form nicely."

And so we finally arrived at a family restaurant, we had a nice lunch, and then decided to head back.

--

Ah the house is empty. I guess Yu haven't got back, and Haruka who had been transferred to Inaba High, the same school as Nanako, they are going on a field trip to the zoo. So it means that we're alone right now. Good.

"Izanami, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Sit down, it's going to take a long time to explain."

Hmmm I think this is as good time as any to tell her about persona 5. And so I did, I started with Wakaba Isshiki's research and its effect on the world. From brainwashing to murder without leaving a trace. Then I told her the similarities I found from her own TV world and the Metaverse. Where her TV world is just a 'fake' recreated on top of a 'truth', the metaverse however is a manifestation of people's cognition, about how they perceive the world, and how it draws parallels to the shadow selves of people sent in there. But the more I explained the more shocked she was.

"Your clairvoyance really a cheat you know?"

I'm not going to correct her on that.

"Anyway, her research essentially mirrors my own, I can't help but to think this is not a coincidence. I can feel that the world itself is pushing me towards this. So thank you for clearing my doubts."

Wait what's that the world is pushing you? Isn't that like, I dunno, a very crucial info.

"But she would be killed before she finishes it huh. Do you know who kills her?"

"I know the man behind it, a certain politician named Shido."

"Can I just kill him? I've taken interest in the woman."

Hmm that would not be bad. But if she did there'll be no phantom thieves.

"I'm sorry, I will let you kill him, but not now."

"Huh? Why?"

"Remember what I said about massive cognitive manipulations?"

"Yes, but how does that affect us? Romulus is more than happy to send them to the afterlife"

[Roma?]

"Oh Romulus there you are, where have you been?"

[I've been touring around, Izanami. Ever since I can Independently materialize, I have been touring Japan, well specifically 30 km around Inaba. And I say that's quite an adventure.]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, somehow, Romulus got a hold of my past life memories, and used an unimaginable method and abuse of his Imperial Privilege skill. He turned himself into an independent stand, and so he's able to get separated from me, the only limitation is we had to be inside the same 'dimension' as he calls it. So if I was in the T.V. world he would get sucked back into me. When I asked him how he did it, he just said 'I just did, I'm Roma and Roma is in all of us. So I should be free as Roma is everywhere and all loving. HAHAHA!'

His only limitation is range, he can't seem to get across 30km from me as the center, to that problem he says: 'Don't worry young Akira! You are Roma, I'm sure as you grow stronger, our range will increase."

Anyway back to topic

"Izanami, that man will create a trickster."

"Who? That shido bastard?"

"Huh why the hate you don't even know the man."

"Of course I hate him, he's going to kill my first friend."

"Umm what about Yu, Nanako and Haruka?"

"They're family, they don't count."

"So what's so important about the trickster?"

"He will kill gods who disturbs the balance."

Izanami's eyes turn sharp.

"Explain."

"In the future, a god will imprison the masses's cognition."

"And try to help them by making them happy with our ways, we who have lived for so long and time seem to have disconnected us from humanity, our happiness comes from theirs like parents seeing their childrens, but their happiness is not in our hands, our happiness does not equal to their happiness. So in the end he shall fail just like me huh."

Hmmm? I raised my eyebrow at her statement.

"I've been around you enough to know I'll lose. You had that smirk everytime I mentioned our game. "

Well that's unexpected.

"But I know you'll hate me if I stopped this game now, it seems that your player is also a key piece in the future, huh?"

"Yeah, he will be my key piece, just in case the trickster fails."

"Did you also see a chosen one fail? But that's usually impossible, no, that's unthinkable."

Well what's this about a chosen one?

"Chosen one, a name we gods called special humans who do great things they have both the world and fate behind them so no matter how badly they do, the world will assist them, Romulus before having divinity is one of them, another example will be Ieyasu Tokugawa, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. "

Hmm interesting Is Yu one of them?

"I'm not sure, he has the potential to wield the world, but so does my player."

Then what about me?

"You? I thought you knew. But you have zero possibility of holding the world, even a random person like Yosuke has a bigger chance than you."

Wait what? I'm worse than Yosuke.

"HAHAHA!"

*ring ring*

"Akira here."

"It's Isshin, have you seen Rise?"

"Ah yes I just passed by her shop this morning. Didn't see her in person, but judging from the crows she's there."

"Ah, I see, I was hoping you've seen her within the last hour, she seemed to have disappeared. I fear for the worst"

Well that's fast. Didn't Yu just finish Kanji's case?

"She had to be fine, Isshin. By the way, is Sakamoto there?"

"Surprised you asked, Sakamoto's here, he's also asking for you."

"Sakamoto here. What's wrong Aniki?"

"Rise is in the other world."

"Shit. what should I say to the old man?"

"Tell him that you and Yu are helping the search, where you will 'accidentally' find her somewhere. "

"Wait, are you coming Aniki, or should I just go with Yu?"

Hmm, is my ban lifted?

--

# I don't know what I wrote in the last part. But I'll go along with it. The dice fails me today. oh yeah for those asking Izanami's appearance: she looked like Olga Marie Animusphere.