[Video | Public]

[otakuro]

Hey.  Looks like I've got this working.

[Atsuro's face appears on the network under somewhat inadequate lighting.  An astute guess would place him in his room illuminated only by the backlight of his laptop.] 

Everyone get out of that first mission OK?  I can't speak for anyone else, but geez, I think I slept for a few days straight there.  If they, uh, wanted a report or anything, the research labs are fine.  ...Probably.

[He stifles a yawn before continuing on, the camera zooming out slightly to reveal a lot of bedhead and a conspicuously absent trademark floppy hat.]

Hnn...  Sorry.

So!  Anyway.  I've been thinking a lot.  About what they've told us and about... what they haven't.  Hah, I'm still surprised this place isn't some weird hallucination.  It's a little unreal, right?  Like they're asking us to act out a game or a fantasy novel.  But... even if it seems like it might be fun to stick around, I think we need to find out what it is we're really getting into.  ...There's something I want to say about all this.

You've all run into the monsters by now, right?  They talk, they cast magic, they do tricks.  Not all of them are bad, but they're things we've heard of in myths and stories from different cultures all across the globe - Cerberus, the hound of Hades.  British pixies and kobolds.  Nekomata and other youkai from Japan.  So... what gives?  What're they doing here?

...I'm not gonna get into details, but I should say that these guys - the exact same identical demons - have popped up in at least two other worlds that I know of.  And both times.... they showed up because the world was about to end.

I'm not saying this place is the same way, but... maybe that's why they need our help badly.

[addendum a few minutes later]

Ah, someone reminded me - if you guys want to see a database of all the demons I've ever met, you can drop by my room.  Libra 5-07.

Comments

[drakenguard]

Indeed.

[Yamato's is...uh, dated back to the 12th century...]

I will be by your room shortly.

[otakuro]

...If that's the kind of thing you're interested in, let me introduce you to the Megami family of demons sometime.

[Atsuro is similarly on his way down. Taking the elevator of course. No need to get too much exercise.]

[otakuro]

I'll go pull up the Compendium. See you in a bit.

[endears]

... Mm, you're right. There's no way you could've already done something like that, right?

[His tone is the most convinced, really. Not sarcastic at all.

Atsuro learn to be better at lying.]

[jundere]

The who family?

[Also you might be focusing on her video feed as she checks out the curves of any girls she walks past. She either doesn't know about the first person thing or doesn't care.]

So will you tell me your Persona when we meet? It's not a giant head louse is it?

[long story.]

[otakuro]

...Do you have a list of 'Weird Things to Say When I Make a New Friend'? Is it to weed out people who get really freaked out?

Or is my personality just most like a head louse?

[otakuro]

That would take talent. A lot of talent. ...Like, so much talent that it's probably even impressive, if you look at it from a certain point of view.

[jundere]

I got told my persona would be one, that's all. I was kinda worried about it being something weird that would put people off of talking to me.

[Damn you Narukami. Damn you to hell!!!

Even if he didn't say that, he just said it was possible. Same thing, right?]

I also left my list of weird stuff to say at home, so I've been winging it since I got here.

[endears]

... Kihara-kun, did I ever mention what an incredibly humble person you are?

[drakenguard]

[And Yamato buggers off to Atsuro's room! Knock knock knock~]

[greatseal]

Well... Shadows have been around a long time, a lot longer than the Dark Hour. But we took care of that just before I came here. People shouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

[otakuro]

[This was all too much unknown territory for him, but he'll try to make as much sense of it as he can.]

They don't have any influence outside the Dark Hour, then? Even if they're still there, they can't do anything?

[otakuro]

...Well. Yours is a little... unusual, but I don't think anyone will be too put off by it. The way it was explained to me is that it's more like a... facet. Just one part of you.

I don't really even know anything about mine.

Don't worry about the list; I think you're doing pretty well with the ad-lib.

[otakuro]

Aww, thanks.

Not that there's anything to be humble about. It's all totally hypothetical.

[otakuro]

[The door opens after the third knock. Atsuro is looking more awake in his normal clothes and floppy hat. He's even letting some sun in.]

Hey! Come on in. Go ahead and sit... somewhere.

[He pushes a pile of wires off his chair from where he'd been setting up his desktop.]

[greatseal]

I don't really know about that.... you'd probably have more luck asking Yu-kun. He said he was fighting Shadows two years after me, so they couldn't be related to the Dark Hour.

[otakuro]

A-Ah... So they went and hid in televisions after you got rid of the Dark Hour. ...Totally logical.

Well, congratulations anyway! Even if they're still around, you've still done a lot to ensure the safety of your world.

[endears]

Exactly! I mean, the fact I'm just about to knock on Kihara-kun's door isn't worrying at all, right? [He'd like to think he's at least somewhat better in the lying department.]

[greatseal]

[She kind of agrees with him on the.... "logical" part.]

Mm, thanks... but if you were dealing with demons, you must have done the same, right?

[otakuro]

Gah -- O-Of course not!

[Aoba suddenly has an excellent view of Atsuro's forehead as he smashes his head against something in his haste to roll off his bed. There is an audible clicking sound as he locks his door.]

But, uh. ...I'm in the shower right now so I can't come let you in yet! Sorry!

[otakuro]

Hah... It was a little different for us. More of a sudden catastrophe than... becoming aware of things you'd never known were always there.

[greatseal]

The "end of the world"?

[otakuro]

...Yeah.

Not that we knew what we were getting into, of course. It snowballed pretty quickly.

[greatseal]

[Hmm...] Are you a friend of Daichi-kun? He mentioned demons, too.

[endears]

[... He wants to laugh.

He really, really wants to laugh. It takes all his self-control to keep a straight face while he continues talking to Atsuro.]

You wear your hat in the shower, Kihara-kun? That's pretty dedicated.