personavelvetroomdr | a wild punk knitter appears

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a wild punk knitter appears

Kanji's just confused by this whole blue room thing. The... Velvet Room? Didn't Souji-senpai mention something like that once? Well, whatever; he mostly just wants to go home.

And home is where it sinks in that whatever's happening is real enough to take seriously, because his mom's not there.

Okay. That's. That's gonna be weird, but he can work with this. He'd still rather stay at home than anywhere else - it's familiar. And it has all his craft shit.

Once he's had a moment to be weirded out, he might even take some of that craft shit outside for a little project work somewhere. The hill, probably, since it has a nice view.

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"The lady's only out there at night, she hides by the fortune box so well I can't see her from my room, and she asks people who go in there for raw fish to feed her kids. I know sushi's a thing, but she wants like... fish from the river." Kanji is not sure he'd trust those fish for sushi purposes. "So I'm pretty sure she's the fox, which explains a lot about the fox. Like how she knew those leaves were so useful in the first place."

And, he guesses, why the fox would pester the gas station attendant at all.

"Well, the gas station dude's not a guy, for one thing. Not sure if she's a woman either, really, but she's not a guy."

"That is highly suspicious. Though if that's the case, I'll have to inform Nanako-chan that it is not, in fact, a 'Mr. Fox.' Though the fox didn't seem particularly offended regardless." Perhaps it, or she, even found the whole thing amusing. Nanako is a little girl after all.

"But that's odd, if so. The attendant certainly looks masculine. Then again, they're a supernatural entity with the power to grant access to the world behind the TV screens. I even awakened my 'Death Arcana' when we shook hands, so... Hm."

"She's probably used to it. Everyone assumes animals are male at first, for some damn reason." (Patriarchy, Kanji. Patriarchy is the reason.)

"Death Arcana, huh." Kanji snorts. "Little on-point of her. You actually went in for the handshake? Got guts."

"Narukami-san refused to show me the TV world even though I was ahead of them all with my deductions and evidence. While things started to improve between us, and he was open to compromise and gradually introducing us to the TV world in a controlled fashion, his lack of trust in me compelled me to obtain the power on my own terms."

He lets that sink in, taking one gyoza and chomping it rather fiercely.

"I'd already gained the attendant's interest, and Marie-san informed me that if I could awaken to the power, I'd gain access to the Velvet Room. It took days of work, but between Amagi-san and Chie-san's helpful testimony, my own documentation, and observations, I was able to not only impress the attendant into bestowing the power upon me, but make early negotiations with Teddie-san to obtain the glasses not only for me but my world's version of you. And this was accomplished by April 30th."

Yes, that early. He's rather pleased with that fact.

"...Don't take this wrong, but I can see why he hesitated. That shit's dangerous, and you're younger than us." And even if it hasn't happened for the kid yet, considering what happened to Nanako-chan... well. If it'd gone like that instead, it would've been Bad.

"Shit, kid, when you get an idea in your head you work fast, don'tcha."

"All around me, people were treating the murders and disappearances like some sick spectator sport. I saw alarming patterns, witnessed the deaths of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi as they occurred on the Midnight Channel, and I knew it had to be stopped."

He sighs, because yes, obviously, it's dangerous. The deaths within the TV world made that all too clear, after all, and the account from Yukiko certainly made that clearer.

"But it was fine. I obtained the glasses and even had the foresight to wear a face mask during my second trip to mitigate the effects of the fog. Perhaps it could have gone worse, had I a more aggressive Shadow, but he was utterly toothless. Far too kind for his own good, and-"

He stops for a moment, laughter in his head. You say that like I'm not here, Goro. And after all we've been through together...

"...Yes, obviously we worked out our differences. I am trying to have a conversation with Kanji-san, so can you please butt out?"

More chuckling that only he can hear follows. Lovely. "...Anyway, I have a Persona now, and I'm working on obtaining more, since I have the 'power of the Wildcard'."

The fact that the kid's Shadow was kind... says a lot, really, but it's a lot that Kanji doesn't wanna make him unpack right now. Besides, if he was in a complete-shit foster situation and it wasn't even the first one, it makes sense.

Not completely unlike his own situation, really.

"And if one hadn't turned up at all? What would you have done then? I'm not sayin' you didn't do a good job, but this is up there with Naoto going 'I better get on TV and taunt the asshole into kidnappin' me,' so..."

"...That is certainly one way to try and kidnapper in the act and thereby obtain their identity." Oops, Kanji, now he's thoughtfully rubbing his chin, contemplating this. "As expected from Shirogane-san. Sometimes one must make risky gambits in the pursuit of truth."

"Kid. That wasn't a suggestion." Not that he's really surprised, but still.

"And my first question still stands. What if you'd gone in and never got a chance to defend yourself?"

"...We didn't go very far. Teddie-san took me to the shopping district, fully intent on turning back if things got out of hand."

It's not even that he can fight back. It's... "Besides, I had obtained the power. You need a Persona to enter, correct? Even if mine ended up a Shadow, I knew there was a chance I'd see one, and I knew not to say that it wasn't me. I was... prepared."

"Prepared doesn't mean shit can't go wrong. I can't even really say 'at least Ted was with you,' since he was pretty useless in a fight to start out."

Kanji sighs. "Look, it's just... we had to deal with an actual child gettin' chucked in there and it was bad. I guess knowing a Persona starts as a Shadow was one thing, but that still coulda blown up in your face."

"...The killer went after a child?" Oh, that's a glare right there, and he stiffens in his seat, gripping his chopsticks so tight, it's a wonder they don't snap. "No, that... shouldn't be a surprise. They had no qualms killing Konishi-san, after all, or attempting the same with Amagi-san."

Ugh. How reprehensible.

"Even so, I suppose a small child would have a more difficult time. I'm almost thirteen, so I'm more 'developed.' From a psychological perspective, I can only imagine it'd take a truly broken child to develop a Shadow."

"Well, the--" And Kanji breaks off that thought right there. "Do you want the big spoilers or not."

As for the rest, he nods. "You're probably right on the bubble of 'actually repressing enough shit to get somewhere,' and... weirdly, having been through so much shit before you even got to Inaba might've given you an edge over other middle schoolers. Still one hell of a big risk to take, though."

"...You tempt me, but I do think I should try to solve the matter on my own, even if the knowledge would help us solve the case faster." Come to think of it, though, based on what Kanji's already revealed to him... "Actually, it seems I'm well ahead of where everyone 'should' be, and if Shirogane-san is due to arrive, I can only wonder if perhaps we'll still solve the case in record time simply due to extra hands on deck."

Yes, it's a big risk. He can concede to that, but then... "As for the dangers, well, one could just as easily argue it's a risk for Narukami-san to have brought Hanamura-san and Chie-san with him, but that clearly paid off. You do have far more hindsight, of course, whereas for us, things have only gotten started. But at least we're all on relatively the same page, even if my world's Kanji is... apprehensive about meeting his Shadow."

"You might, but you probably still won't be ready to deal with the gas station dude until December at best. We didn't even realise there was a thing happenin' there until the day before Souji-senpai had to leave." And no matter what, she's gonna bring a high-caliber dungeon to the table.

"Well, no shit. If I'd known that was coming, I woulda been worried about it too." Kanji sighs. "And I'm definitely more worried about you because you're younger."

Not that it wasn't a calculated risk, or one worth taking, or that Akechi shouldn't be trying to set things right since the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. But he is young enough that it could've ended really fucking badly.

"Oh, it isn't really my priority to 'deal' with them right now. We started one of those links, so I might as well remain amicable, given that he clearly knows more than he lets on. Hell, he warned me multiple times before bestowing the power on me that it would not be simple, so at least he was more responsible than he was with Narukami..."

Heh. That brings a small smirk to his face. Favoritism with a supernatural being... Excellent.

"Right now, my priority is stopping the murders and uncovering the truth. Of course, that's obviously on hold here, and I have confidence that it'll work out eventually, given that my future self is here, having come out on the other side of it all a strangely well-adjusted person."

"Well, you're gonna have to eventually, unless you want this shit starting up again in a few decades. But that's fair."

Is that really a good kind of favoritism to have. Is it really.

"Yeah, it would look pretty weird when you're new to the idea that people might actually give a shit, wouldn't it?"

"Perhaps, but the murders come first. If there comes a time to confront the attendant, I'm not opposed, but the attendant's greatest crime was getting the ball rolling. The killer is our true foe... for now."

Hmm, this seems like a good time to pause for more nikudon. Best to eat it before it gets cold, after all. "Still, it's not only that, but the fact that he's taken after some of Narukami's mannerisms. It's not that he's Yu Narukami in my body, but the more playful sense of humor. The fact that he actually knows how to cook... It's uncanny."

"I mean, you can't really ask for a better teacher in the kitchen. Sure as shit don't want the girls doin' it, and Naoto doesn't like cooking, but can at least follow a damn recipe." Kanji does all right with cooking, himself, but Souji-senpai's just on another level.

"...How terrible are the girls? I've never actually tried their cooking, but we've also only recently established an amicable alliance." Still, that sounds foreboding. It also suggests personal experience with their meals.

"Don't think Chie-senpai's been in the same room as a cookbook in her life. Yukiko-senpai's... improving, but that's still a pretty low bar. Rise does all right if you remind her she's not cookin' for just herself - otherwise it's spicy as shit."

"...Rise? As in the idol Risette?" That's interesting. Just how many famous people even come to Inaba?

"Yeah, her grandma owns the tofu shop. She... needed a break pretty bad."

And now she's back in the swing of things and enjoying herself, which is cool, Kanji guesses. (Don't ask him to explain her fan club. He's not attracted to her in the slightest.)

"Wow. I walk by that tofu shop almost every day, and somehow it didn't occur to me." That's interesting, though. It means that, sooner or later, they're bound to meet. Still, the word of a break makes him deflate a little. "Not that I'm surprised she'd need a break. It's my understanding that the idol industry is about as cutthroat as it gets."

"Yeah, and she's been really damn lucky, considering. Her manager really goes to bat for her against the creeps."

...Granted, he also tried to reverse-psychology into going back into the business, so he's far from perfect.

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