4/18 - SCHOOL, EARLY MORNING ON A SUNNY

Tsuyoi watches Yosuke strench, his jacket tide around his waist. Tsuyoi noted it was warmer than usual.

Tsuyoi notes Yosuke had scars that were somewhat visible through the white fabric. Dammit, Tsuyoi thought. He surely has gotten more punishment than me.

"I wonder how Chie's doing." Yosuke asked. "Too much stuff happened yesterday." He pauses to give a sigh. "I hope she's back to her usual self..."

Tsuyoi smiled. "She probably is better. She..." He sighed. "She got a lot of stuff of her chest."

Speaking of Chie, she was entering the classroom.

"Oh, mornin'." She said in a sunny tone.

"Did you sleep well?" Tsuyoi asked.

"Yep. I was out cold until this morning." Chie answered. "...Um..." She looked towards her feet.

"Thanks for everything yesterday. It's kinda embarrassing, ya know? You two were right there to see my hidden feelings and all..." She said in gratitude.

"Don't sweat it." Yosuke accepted.

Tsuyoi smiled. "We all have a side like that."

"The same thing happened to Yosuke, right? Sooo..." Chie smirked. "What was that like?"

Yosuke's happy expression turned to one of nervousness. "Huh? Uhhh, how should I put this..." He blushes, grasping his scarred and wounded arm.

He looked at Tsuyoi. "Oh, I nearly forgot! None of that happened when yours awakened, huh?" He hummed. "Could that be because you've got nothing to hide?"

"That's true..." Tsuyoi hummed. He didn't have anything to hide. Sure, there was things he didn't like, but did he ignore or deny them? Nah.

"Oh? So nothing happened for you? I gotta agree that you seem like a pretty open guy. There's a funny air about you..." Chie blushes. "I dunno, I guess that's what draws people to you, or something like that."

Tsuyoi tilted his head. "Was that a compliment?"

"Haha, yep, it's a compliment." Chie sparkles.

"Uh, if you say so..." Yosuke mumbles awkwardly.

"Anyways, what's most important right now is to rescue Yukiko." Chie reminds the boys. "I'm dead set on coming. Remember -- you promised."

...And then the morning bell rang.

Yosuke went to the restroom, as Chie nervously glanced at Tsuyoi.

"Hey, um..." Chie blushed. "Thanks for saving me..." She smiled. "Yosuke's cool and all, but there really is something different about you. I feel like you won't let me down..."

Tsuyoi smiled.

Tsuyoi sensed Chie's gratitude towards him and...

THOU ART I... AND I AM THOU
THOU HAST ESTABLISHED A NEW BOND
IT BRINGS US BOTH CLOSER TO PHILIA (OR EROS)
THOU HAS BEEN BLESSED TO PURSUE THE TRUTH WITH THE CHARRUS

To think... I don't have her number yet. "Chie-san," He speaks softly. "Can I have your number?" He says, pulling his phone out.

Chie blushed a deep red. "Wha...?" She shook her head. "Oh, right, you'll need this from now on, huh? Okay, then."

Why was she blushing? Girls are weird. "Feel free to call whenever..."

Tsuyoi and Chie swapped numbers — Chie's Phone was around the same age as Tsuyoi's — a flip phone.

"We have to be careful of the fog that sets in after the rain, right?" Chie smiled. "Let's save her before that happens!"

After the rain continues for a while, it may become foggy. We must train ourselves as much as possible until then...

EARLY MORNING -> AFTERNOON

"Helloooo and good afternooooon, all!" The P.E. Teacher smiled brightly, his broad shoulder and body reminding Tsuyoi of a banchō. "My name is Mr. Kondo, your P.E. teacher! But since no one at this school teaches English, I'll be doubling up my roles!"

Huh.

"Don't be so disappointed. In fact, I've spent some time overseas! One week of vacation time, to be exact! But that's more than enough to teach a class! Hahaha!" Mr. Kondo gives a deep laugh. "We'll start with the basics of the basics: the English alphabet! It starts with the letter A, then B, then C, and then..."

He continues, "23 more! Maybe that was a little too basic? Hahaha! All right! I'll give you an alphabet-related pop quiz, then! Let's see..."

"Birodo!"

Tsuyoi stood up confidantly, despite worrying over Yukiko.

"The word alphabet comes from the word 'alpha' and what other one?" Mr. Kondo asked.

Tsuyoi shrugged. His mother was a history teacher, she talked his ear off about roots of words and such. "Beta." He answers.

"Good! That's correct!" Mr. Kondo congratulates. "It comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta!"

"By the way, any set of western European characters in a specific order is called an alphabet." The sensei added. "In Japan, when we say 'alphabet' we're talking about the English alphabet, but it doesn't always mean the English one!"

Tsuyoi sat down, he glanced at Chie — who was smiling.

"Good job, Tsuyoi!"

Tsuyoi smiled.

AFTERNOON -> AFTER SCHOOL

Tsuyoi walked towards Yosuke the bulletin board outside the class.

"Yo, Tsuyoi!" Yosuke said happily. "Wanna head over to Teddie's?"

Tsuyoi nodded. "Let's get Chie."

Yosuke smiled. "Of course, we promised her."

SCHOOL -> JUNES

"We need to buy supplies first." Tsuyoi said firmly, Chie and Yosuke standing by him.

"Like... what?" Chie asked. "First aid kits? Food?"

"Duh, what else would we need?" Yosuke mumbled sarcastically.

Tsuyoi placed a finger on lips. "Maybe energy drinks? We're going to be in there for a long time, so it's a smart idea."

"Energy drinks?" Yosuke repeated, obviously thinking. "Uh, I don't think Junes sells that many — but we have some TaP, Mud Ball, and GangStar in the back room."

"Really?" Chie chirped. "You'd think a store like Junes would have more variety..."

Yosuke groaned.

"...I was thinking of coffee and tea, but alright." Tsuyoi admitted. "Come to think of it, I've never had the type of energy drink you're thinking of."

"Is it because of strict parents?" Chie asked.

Tsuyoi shook his head. "No. My mom's just never had enough money to buy it."

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "What about your dad?"

Tsuyoi sighed. Oh geez. This question. A question that makes him feel so uncomfortable it's unreal.

"My dad isn't in my life a lot." Tsuyoi answered frankly.

Silence befell the trio.

"Oh- Oh my god. I'm sorry- I didn't know." Chie stutters.

Tsuyoi shrugged. "It's fine, he left before I was even born." He ignored the hatred he had for his father, that's he's had for seventeen years. "It's not like you could've known anyways."

I didn't introduce myself as 'Tsuyoi Birodo, I'm seventeen years old and my dad is a bastard who left my mom'.

Yosuke looked down. "Jeez, that's rough."

Tsuyoi sighs. "Anyways, we need to shop."

JUNES -> THE FOOD COURT

Tsuboi has spent ¥20,000 on a first aid kit, peaches (yes, peaches. They're healthy ok?), and three cans of GangStar (curtesy of Yosuke).

Thankfully, the food court was empty. Meaning no one was questioning three teenagers with a sports- and grocery-bags.

"Okay, everyone is here!" Chie said happily.

"Saki-senpai, and now Yukiko-san. I never thought we'd get involved in a case like this..." Yosuke mumbled under his breath.

"Don't talk like Yukiko's already dead!"

"I know, I know. Calm down." Yosuke soothed. "Unfortunately, there's a time limit -- we have to save Yukiko-san before the fog sets in."

Tsudoi glanced at Chie, then Yosuke. "Does anyone know what the forecast was?"

"I think the weekly forecast was..." Chie wondered. "Sunny on Tuesday, Friday, Sunday, and it's going to rain on Thursday."

"Hey, you're sure, right?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah. There's no way I made a mistake. I double-checked!"

Tsudoi stood, emptying the contents of the grocery bag into the duffel bag. "Alright, I thinks it's time for us to go and save Yukiko-san!"

FOOD COURT -> 📺TV WORLD📺

Teddies ran up to the trio, extremely over joyed. "Hey! There you are!"

"Let's play!" Teddie said cutely, hugging Tsuyoi.

Tsuboi gave a sigh. "Teddie, we don't have the time to play."

"Huh? No time?" Teddie asked. "Oh, yeah, that's right!"

Teddies let go of Tsuyoi, leading the group to the direction of Yukiko's castle. "Let's go save the lost girl! I'll take you to the castle! Leave it to me to show the way!"

Chie sighed. "I wonder if Yukiko's okay..." She gave a frown. "She's all alone now, isn't she?"

"No matter what happens, we gotta keep calm." Yosuke encouraged, placing a hand on Chie's shoulder. "'Cause we're the only ones who can save Yukiko-san..."

📺TV WORLD ENTRANCE📺 ->
🏰YUKIKO'S CASTLE🏰

"The fog here isn't going anywhere soon, but we should hurry anyways." Teddie explained nicely.

Yosuke shook his head. "I can never tell if Teddie's being serious when he says this stuff..." He sighed, looking at the brunette girl. "Chie's definitely serious, though. Well, she is Yukiko's best friend, so of course she'd be worried."

Tsuyoi understood. Of course, he's never had a best friend, but he understands.

"Well, it's..." He smiled. "You know, it's at times like these that you and me gotta stay calm." Yosuke laughed. "Between you and me, we can handle anything! Right, Tsuyoi?"

Chie looked at her male peers, "Yukiko's still okay, right?"

"Don't worry so much! She'll be just fine." Yosuke soothed the worried brunette.

"But we need to save her soon..."

"She's safe until the fog comes back,
isn't she? There's no reason to rush things and try to save her this instant." Yosuke told her. "We don't want to go out for wool and come home shorn. But it's okay! We'll definitely save her."

Tsuyoi sighed. "We really need to get going." He told.

Teddie waved. "Be careful!"

"You're coming too." Tsuyoi said frankly. "You may be our support, but you are a member of the Investigation Team."

Teddie blushed. "Oh sensei, you are so cool~!"

🏰YUKIKO'S CASTLE🏰

Teddie hummed, staying close to the trio. "Sensei, can I bother you for a second? The hall here seems different from before, so this place might get pretty tricky..." Teddie blushed, despite being a fursuit. "But I'm with you! Don't you worry, Sensei! Leave it to me to show the way!"

Tsuyoi smiles. "Just stick near us, OK?"

The trio (and Teddie) walked through the halls of the castle, the glittery walls hurting Tsuyoi's corneas.

Yosuke walked near Tsuyoi. "Hey..."

Tsuyoi tilted his head, loosening his grip on his bat.

"I'm really sorry about mentioning your dad." Yosuke apologized.

Tsuyoi sighed. "It's fine, really."

"It's just..." Yosuke gave a sad smile. "I've have issues with my dad, too."

Tsuyoi glanced at Yosuke. "At least you grew up with a dad." The gray haired boy joked.

"That's true, that's really true." Yosuke admitted. "My dad just... doesn't like me all that much. It's a long story and uh," He blushed. "Embarrassing."

"I see."

Chie looked at the boys, as she was ahead. "Hey can you two hurry up!? We're on a search and rescue mission here!"

Yosuke and Tsuyoi nodded, running ahead.

FIRST FLOOR -> SECOND FLOOR

The group of four entered the second floor, holding their weapons (a spiked bat, wrenches,...legs, and endless support).

"Sensei, are you okay?" Teddie asked. "You're not tired?"

"I'm fine." Tsuyoi answered. He looks towards Chie and Yosuke. "Are you two fine?"

Tye true brunettes nod.

Tsuyoi looks at the second floors door - one Shadow Chie was behind.

Shadow Chie...

Please. Her distorted words ring. Tsuyoi, be mine... did Chie think of him... like that?

Maybe he was just misinterpreting the Shadow's words...

"I sense someone behind this door..." Teddie states, readying the group.

Yosuke mumbles something - along the lines of A powerful shadow?

The group enters, tense as all hell.

...Ands it's Yukiko.

Yukiko in a gaudy, bright pink ballgown.

"Yukiko...?" Chie asks.

"Yukiko-san! Are you alright?" Yosuke asks firmly, clenching his wrenches.

Yukiko doesn't respond, staying silent. Tsudoi notes how wrong this all feels, there's something wrong with black haired girl's aura — distorted.

Chie edges a bit closer. "Yukiko..." She mumbles. "What's wrong."

Yukiko chuckles. It's heavy, distorted, like white noise. "Heehee..." She pauses. Her bodying turning around. "Åhåhåhåhåhåhå!" She continues.

Her eyes are gold like daisies. Her smile is stretched and lewd — nothing like the true Yukiko.

"Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into all this!" Her voice rings out, distorted like the Other Yosuke and Shadow Chie. She chuckles. "Things are really heating up!"

The group goes silent. This is nothing but wrong, and gives Tsuyoi a strange taste in his mouth.

"Okie-dokie! I'm going back to hunt for my Prince Charming! Oooh, where could he be...?" She talks to a non-existent viewer. "This place is huge! It's sooo exciting, but it makes it so hard to find him! Ooh! Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek in the fog! Ready or not, here I come! Let's go further in then, shall we!?"

Rainbow lettering surrounds the female Shadow, similar to that of a game show.

"Wh-What the hell is this?" Yosuke asks in a stutter.

"You're not Yukiko..." Chie snaps at the shadow. "Who are you!?"

The female shadow chuckles, her voice raspy. "What're you talking about? I'm Yukiko..." She pauses, a sultry grin on her face. "...and Yukiko is me."

"No! Don't tell me, are you--!?" Chie snaps. "Where's the real Yukiko!?"

There's a roar of disembodied laughter — it catches the group of guard, but the Shadow is completely unfazed.

"What's with these voices!?" Tosuke asks Teddie, clearly uncomfortable.

"The Shadows are getting agitated!"

Shadow Yukiko backs towards the door, smoke bellowing behind her. "Well, I'm off again!" She says cutely. "Hęêhēė, ÿøü bëttër bė wäįtïñg wíth bęłłš œń, mÿ déär Prïńçę¡" She says as she disappears into the cloud of smoke behind her.

"Hey!" Chie calls. "Wait!" She sighs. "That clearly wasn't the real Yukiko. It had to be..."

Teddie shakes the little head he has. "I think it was. It must have been the other part of herself."

Yosuke thinks. "So it's just like what happened to us..."

"But I don't think she was excited for nothing. The real Yukiko wants to show us something. I can feel it. It's hard to explain..." Teddie surprisingly trails off. "It seems like she has a strong connection to this castle. This is a lot more dangerous than I thought!"

"Yukiko...!" Chie calls, almost to tears. "Yukiko will be okay, right...?"

Tsuyoi places his free hand on her shoulder. "We need to save her, but she'll be fine."

Chie smiles. "Thank you, Tsuyoi..."

Group heads towards the 2nd floor stairs.

2nd Floor ~> 3rd Floor
(3 our of 4 floors traversed,
Yukiko is at the top!)

The first thing Tsuyoi sees is a shadow — well, multiple shadows. Distorted, rotting birds. Contorted bodies chained together.

Chie clenches the tarot card in her hand.

It's tense — it's quite obvious Chie is worried about Yukiko.

She breathes.

"Tomoe!" She calls, smashing the tarot card with her foot.

Tomoe materializes, her slim body adorned with white and black armor. Black hair curling down her body.

"Skewer!" Chie calls, and Tomoe lunges forward - slashing her nagitana crazily.

Most of the shadows are decimated, bleeding black blood onto the red carpet and gold railing.

Tomoe then proceeds to slam her foot into one of the birds, making slam into the wall.

Christ. Tsuyoi cringes. Not even Izanagi is that violent.

Most of the shadows are gone, and the ones that weren't killed run off to unknown parts of the castle.

Chie stretches, worn out beyond belief.

Suddenly, they hear Yukiko'd voice.

And she was not happy.

Shut up! She snaps.

H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something...? It's the voice of one of their classmates, and... Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?

Yukiko snaps again, her voice sharp as a bell. Shut up, shut up! Leave me alone! I'm sick of it...

There is a silence, a very bitter and uncomfortable one.

"I don't get what's going on with all these voice," Teddie says, breaking it. "But I can sense that we're getting closer. Hang in there!"

The group continue, looking for a stairway.

"Was she..." Chie mumbles. "...Always that mad...?"

For moments, the castle is silent, there's only the sound of Tsuyoi's heartbeat.

They reach a gold door, and enter.

It's the stairs.

"She's close!" Teddie calls. "She just up ahead, do guys need a rest?"

Chie shakes her head before the others respond. "No... we have to save her."

- Social Links -

Tsuyoi Birodo (The Fool) - A seventeen year old boy from Tatsumi Port City. Is living in Yasoinaba because of his mother's work. Is The Fool arcana and wields the Persona Izanagi. Izanagi - Tsuyoi's persona and of The Fool arcana. The elder god and creator of Japan and his name means "He Who Invites".

Yosuke Hanamura (The Magus) - A sixteen year old in the same class as Tsuyoi. Works at the local Junes. Is The Magus arcana and wields the persona Jiraiya. Jiraiya - Yosuke's persona and of The Magus arcana. A fabled Ninja who can turn himself into a frog.
Rank 1:
>You and Yosuke want to solve the murders.

The Investigation Team - A team of "emotionally damaged teens and a bear". (TSUYOI B., YOSUKE H., CHIE S., AND TEDDIE K.)
Rank 1:
>We are pursuing the murderer

Chie Satonaka (The Charrus) - A seventeen year old girl in Tsuyoi's class. Loves to practice Kun Fu. Is The Charrus and wields the Persona Tomoe. Tomoe - Chie's persona and of  The Charrus arcana. A fabled female samurai of ancient Japan.
Rank 1:
>Chie and You are training buddies, apparently.

Yukiko Amagi - A seventeen year old girl in Tsuyoi's class. Is the future owner of the Amagi Inn. Is stranded in the distorted TV World.
Teddie Kuma - A strange bear from the TV World. Name means "Teddie Bear".
Ryotaro Dojima - Tsuyoi's uncle and police detective.
Tohru Adachi - A funny big boy and is a buddy in Tsuyoi's uncle Dojima.
Nanako Dojima - Tsuyoi's seven year old cousin.
Igor - A man helping Tsuyoi's destiny and runs the "Velvet Room".
Margaret - Igor's assistant. Seems to harbor a motherly love towards Tsuyoi and Marie.
Marie - Igor's other assistant. She has amnesia but seems to vaguely know Tsuyoi.

NEXT TIME ON PERSONA 4: THE WRITTEN

Next chapter, CHAPTER FOURTEEN! CHINA GIRL! Part finale of Let's Help Chie & Yukiko, The Twin Dragons!

"Historic inn? Manager training!? I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me! From how I live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! Tø hëłł wïth ït æłł!"