PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

...04/09/2009 Friday; Afternoon...

Junpei walked through the subway station, surrounded by a crowd of students who, like him, were relieved that the school day was finally over.

He scratched his head absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the ground, lost in thought. Being a member of S.E.E.S. made him feel useful, important.

But as time passed and they got closer to ending the Dark Hour, an unsettling sense of emptiness began to creep in.

"Damn… I spent the whole festival break doing nothing… Who would've thought having superpowers could be this… boring," he muttered to himself, his shoulders slumping in frustration.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the date. "The second semester's already started… and soon I'll be in my third year… but so what? We're gonna take down all the Arcana Shadows… and then I'll lose my Persona."

Leaving the station, he wandered the streets, the gray sky matching his mood, until something caught his attention.

Sitting on a bench a few meters away was Chidori, sketching in her notebook with her usual intense concentration.

Junpei smiled slightly and, without hesitation, approached her.

"Yo, Chidori! How's your hand?" he asked, cheerful as always.

Chidori slowly lifted her gaze, her expression as uninterested as ever, before returning to her sketchbook.

Junpei, however, noticed something that confused him.

Her hand, which she had previously cut on something, had no visible scar.

"What the…? No scar… not even a mark," he murmured, scratching his head, perplexed. "Maybe the cut wasn't that bad after all?"

Chidori stopped sketching and stared directly at him, her cold eyes reflecting an indifference that made Junpei feel small.

Then, suddenly, she asked, "Tell me, Junpei… what do you do to feel alive?"

Junpei frowned, caught off guard by the question. "Uh… I dunno, breathe, I guess?"

He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Y'know, I've thought about it a few times. What about you? How do you feel when you draw?"

Chidori shifted her gaze back to her notebook, a hint of doubt crossing her face. "I don't know… Most of my drawings are just scribbles. I don't even understand who I really am."

Junpei rubbed his chin, thinking of how to respond.

He looked up at the sky, the gray clouds mirroring the uncertainty he had felt ever since joining S.E.E.S.

But there was one thing he knew for sure.

"Well, to be honest… there is something that makes me feel alive." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "It's when I… act like a hero, I guess."

His eyes sharpened, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, and pounded his chest, striking a confident pose. "In the darkest hour, unknown to all but a select few, the chosen ones fight against the forces of evil. Our hero, Junpei, battles to protect the world from the monsters that threaten everyone."

Then, snapping out of his dramatic stance, he let out a small laugh and looked at Chidori. "Well, I guess you get the idea. It's in those moments that I really feel alive."

Chidori watched Junpei with growing curiosity, her eyes reflecting an inner doubt.

Something stirred in her mind—a vague memory from months ago, when she, Jin, and Takaya had observed S.E.E.S. heading off to fight the Arcana Shadows.

She couldn't clearly recall their faces, but now, Junpei's silhouette seemed familiar.

"You fight against this alone?" she asked, tilting her head.

Junpei, caught off guard, let out a nervous laugh. "Hey, I was just joking..."

Chidori interrupted him, her voice cold but curious. "You fight during an hour that no one even knows exists, don't you? That means no one is aware of what you're doing."

She closed her notebook and looked straight into his eyes. "So, you fight even though no one will thank you or recognize your heroic deeds."

A faint smile formed on her lips—something rare coming from her. "I'm impressed. I think I underestimated you, Junpei."

Junpei's eyes widened, surprised by the compliment—if that was even a compliment.

He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uhh… seriously? I didn't think you'd actually believe me…" He chuckled awkwardly.

Chidori continued to watch him with renewed interest. "Can you tell me more about what you do?"

Junpei glanced to the side, debating whether he should tell Chidori about the Dark Hour and Tartarus.

Mitsuru's words echoed in his mind, a serious warning.

"Never tell anyone about the Dark Hour. Not even your family. It's for the safety of all of us."

After a few seconds of hesitation, he made a decision.

"Hmmm… I'm fine with that… as long as you take this secret to your grave." Junpei grinned, feeling like he could trust her.

Chidori smiled back and made space on the bench for him.

Without a second thought, Junpei sat beside her, slinging his bag off his shoulder and placing it next to him.

A silent connection lingered between them, something he never imagined he'd find in someone like her.

Junpei rubbed his chin for a moment, pondering how to continue.

He realized that, despite how strange his conversations with Chidori were, something about her always made him want to share more.

"So… there's this superpower called 'Persona.' That's what we use to defeat the monsters," he said, looking directly at Chidori.

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "We?"

Junpei smiled, relaxing a bit more on the bench. "Yeah… I don't fight alone. My friends and I fight together. And, you know, I'm kinda the guy who keeps the group together. Without me, I think they would've fallen apart by now."

Chidori leaned back on the bench, absorbing his words. "I see."

Junpei also leaned back, letting out a sigh. "Oh, and there's more. Not everyone can use Personas. That's why I mentioned the 'chosen ones.' We're the ones who take on and defeat these monsters."

Chidori gave a small smile, an expression rare for her. "That sounds… fun."

Junpei scratched his head, a bit embarrassed by the compliment. "Well… yeah, I guess you could say that. Oh, and we've never lost a fight. We're actually pretty strong."

Chidori let out an unexpected little laugh as she stood up. "Thank you, Junpei. I had a lot of fun today."

He blinked, surprised, and scratched his head again. "You… had fun?"

Chidori tilted her head slightly, the faint smile still on her lips. "I'm leaving now. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away.

Junpei watched her go, trying to process everything she had just said.

Slowly, a grin spread across his face, and he murmured to himself, excited, "Hehehe… I'll see you tomorrow…"

Then, suddenly, he jumped up from the bench with so much energy that his bag fell to the ground, spilling his books everywhere.

"YES, I GOT A DATE!" he shouted—before realizing the mess he had made. "Ah, crap… I dropped everything."

As Junpei hurriedly gathered his belongings, caught between happiness and embarrassment, Chidori was already far away.

She stopped in front of a dark alley, her brown eyes glowing with an eerie red light.

Activating her Persona's telepathy, her cold voice echoed in the minds of the Strega.

"Takaya, Jin, meet me at the hideout. I have something to report."

...05/09/2009 Sartuday; Night...

...FULL MOON OPERATION...

The night wrapped the city in a silent gloom as Junpei walked through the dark streets, his mind restless, lost in thoughts about Chidori.

He sighed, disheartened.

"Man… Chidori didn't show up at the station today… Should I go back and check if she arrived?" he murmured to himself, stopping in front of the Iwatodai Dorm.

He looked back at the path he had walked, debating whether he should go look for her.

However, his mind quickly reminded him of the importance of the day.

"Wait… today's operation day… so I should stay at the dorm."

He lowered his gaze, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders.

"The operation… We fight to protect everyone… so that means I'm fighting to protect her too."

The thought motivated him.

He clenched his fist, a smile forming on his face. "That's it! I'll fight to keep Chidori safe! Now I'm pumped up."

He let out a small laugh, his mood lifting a little. "Come to think of it… we really are heroes… heroes of justice."

But before he could do anything else, a sharp whistle echoed through the empty street.

He turned to look, but before he could react, a violent blow struck him in the face. He staggered, dizzy from the impact, and dropped his bag onto the ground.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Junpei shouted, pain throbbing in his head.

Before he could recover, one of the figures grabbed him by the neck, locking him in a chokehold.

He struggled, trying to shout for help, but a cloth was shoved into his mouth, muffling any sound.

In the midst of his desperate struggle, he heard soft footsteps approaching.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a familiar figure emerge from the shadows—Takaya Sakaki, the leader of Strega, his yellow eyes gleaming menacingly.

"We're truly grateful that you revealed your identity, S.E.E.S. member. Now, we have something to bargain with your group," Takaya said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Junpei tried to yell again, but his fight was cut short by a quick injection to his neck.

His body started losing strength, his vision slowly blurring.

He looked at the person who had injected him, and his eyes could barely believe what they saw.

It was Chidori.

"Chi…do…ri…" he tried to say, but his voice failed as darkness consumed him.

Inside the dorm, Koromaru was lying peacefully in the lounge when his ears twitched at a distant sound. He turned his gaze outside and saw something strange. He saw Junpei's silhouette being carried away.

Koromaru immediately got up, barking frantically. He ran to the kitchen, where Hiro and Shinjiro were talking.

"So, you learned to cook at the orphanage where you and Akihiko lived…" Hiro started, but he was interrupted by Koromaru, who barked furiously, spinning in circles and glancing toward the front door.

"What is it, Koromaru?" Hiro asked, confused.

Shinjiro, however, immediately understood the dog's desperation. "Something's wrong!"

He and Hiro exchanged glances, and both rushed to the dorm entrance.

Looking through the window, they saw someone carrying Junpei and moving away quickly after realizing they had been spotted.

Without wasting time, Shinjiro pulled his Evoker from inside his coat and handed it to Hiro.

"Go after them with Koromaru! I'll alert the others. GO!" Shinjiro shouted.

Hiro nodded, whistling for Koromaru to follow him.

He kicked the dorm door open, dashing outside with Koromaru by his side.

They saw a figure entering an alleyway and knocking something over in the process.

Without hesitation, Hiro and Koromaru leaped over Mitsuru's motorcycle, which had been pushed down to slow them down.

"Come on, boy!" Hiro urged, raising the Evoker to his own head, ready to summon his Persona.

However, before he could act, a flashbang exploded in the air.

The blinding light forced Hiro and Koromaru to shield their eyes, and by the time the brightness faded, the figures had vanished.

"Shit! We lost them." Hiro muttered, frustrated.

Koromaru let out a bark, pointing with his nose at something on the ground. It was Junpei's cap.

Hiro approached and, with a tight feeling in his chest, picked up Junpei's cap.

"Dammit… you've gotta be kidding me." he grumbled, clenching his eyes shut.

Koromaru whimpered in frustration, as if blaming himself for failing to save Junpei.

Still irritated, Hiro knelt and gently patted the dog's head.

"It's okay, boy. We did what we could. Let's head back."