A butterfly is seen flying in the window of a boy with s/c and lime green eyes. The boy was seen stumbling to get his glasses, he throws on a clock necklace. He looks at the desk, to see a bunch of metal tools and gadgets and picks one up. He puts it in his backpack. He knocks lightly on a door, opening it to see his younger sister hooked up to medical equipment. The young man checks it, and makes sure everything is in order before he closes the door. He walks out the front door, he looks up and fixes his glasses. Looking to the windows, the boy smiles, holding his bag at his side before throwing it over his shoulder. He then walked into another room, seeing his little brother sleeping. "My name...? I didn't think it was really that important for you to know. I'm not really the kind of kid anyone would want to know, or rather, get to know."
The boy passes by two kids who look at him and slid past him, "sorry, mister!"
They run on as the boy nods and puts a hand in his pants, "I mean, who'd want to know that smart kid? The cliché clueless kid who avoids social cues? How about the kid who got bullied and forgave his bullies? Yeah, that's all of mine. Stories that have been told till the beginning of time, or at least when people started to realize how to put a pen to a paper and make it work. No one wants to hear a story about me, a 17-teen year old going through the motions."
The boy is seen walking into school, avoiding people and keeping his head down to avoid confrontation. The boy looked at his classroom, but then he decided to walk away. He was suddenly lifted in the air, "I don't think you're ready to skip class just yet, Y/n."
"Yep, there you have it. My first name. Can you guess my last?" Y/n spoke to you as he was dropped on the floor, Y/n caught himself and looked at his best friend. "And this is Yukino Mayuzumi. We met in the weirdest way, that I can't really talk about right now, but I can at a later time. You know, when I'm not being scolded."
"I was just headed to the bathroom, yeah, that's it." Y/n tried to lie as his voice was so quiet, Yukino almost didn't hear him.
"You know you're not a good liar. You've already gotten called to the office, you're a smart kid." Yukino said as she kept talking, lecturing him.
Y/n looked to the side, quietly but unamused. "Here she goes again. The famous teacher speech. 'You could be so much better' stuff. When we're not in school, she's actually really...relaxed? I should just say she's not always like this. And yes, I've been called to the office, but I never got in trouble. I just..."
"Happen to be at the wrong place and the wrong time, I know, I know." Yukino crossed her arms, getting a little mad. "But you need to look out for the clues!"
"Of course, Yukino draws a crowd quickly. She had that aura around her of trouble, but somehow I stand out more. But with one stare, she can send them off." Y/n said as he sighed and just walked into class. Yukino kept talking as Y/n grabbed her hand and pulled her in the class. "It's like a superpower. Another would be knowing when to stop talking, that's my personal favorite."
"Wha-?" Yukino blushed as Y/n let go.
"I'm here, alright? Might as well sit down." Y/n said, keeping to himself. Yukino sighed and sat down as well, kinda disappointed he let go. The class filled up, and soon started. "Right, left you waiting, didn't I? Well, since you're still here, I assume you know what's to come. A story about me is boring, by its self. So, let's tell you a 'interesting' one. A story about how a couple of kids entered a world they never imagined. It all started with this game... Persona...."
"Damnit, stop ignoring me! Toudou Naoya!" a girl whispered quite loudly to a boy.
"What?" the teenager asked.
"You know, you probably shouldn't fiddle with your piercing...it'll get all red and swollen." the girl behind him warned.
"Ah...I got it done when I was a kid...it's already stuck in as much as it's going to be." Toudou told her.
"A kid? How old were you?" the girl asked with a bright smile.
"12."
"Damn, your mom sure is fashionable." the girl added.
"You've got it wrong." Toudou told her. "I did it myself."
"Was I dreaming that I was the butterfly, or was the butterfly dreaming that it was me? What this means here is that Chuang Tsu himself is unable to tell the difference...however, there is obviously a difference between Chuang Tsu and the butterfly. He called this phenomenon, 'the change of things'..." the teacher told the class, "in other words, the change that occurs in all things. This is the meaning of this statement. Any questions?....Alright, if you would please turn to the next page."
"Nishida-Sensei." A boy stood up.
"... what is it, Nanjou?" the teacher asked the boy, who Y/n always thought was wearing a big sized bib. Course, he'd never said it to his face, he was a weirdo.
"This may be out of turn, but... if your explanations are as simple as that, there's no meaning in holding class at all." Nanjou argued.
"What..?!" The teacher couldn't believe him.
Y/n and the other student looked at him, sighing. Y/n holds his head in annoyance,"great, here he goes again. And just when I was 'so happy' being here."
"Even while Chuang Tsu and the butterfly are clearly different, Chuang Tsu is the butterfly, and vise versa. This state itself is what he's getting at, and it forms the core of the idea of universal equality to be found in the chief lun..." Nanjou said before he was cut off.
"Nanjou! That's enough! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, but now is the time for Chinese literature, not philosophy..." The teacher stated. "You can study that sort of thing after you get into a university!"
Nanjou was silent for a bit before he sat down, "sorry for disturbing."
"Oh man...you're so full of shit this year!" Inaba shouted at Nanjou after class. Certain students were seen as they made stuff for the school. "You pissed off the Chinese literature teacher, and he gave US a report for some crap! It's a real pain in the ass for me!"
"Hmph..." Nanjou placed a flower on the board. "I just told the truth...it's not my fault. Blame it on Nishida's idiocy and bad personality. To that extent that...Ahh, sorry, this is too much for the monkey, isn't it?"
"WHAD'YA SAY?! WHO'S A MONKEY, YA BASTARD!!" Inaba asked as Y/n sighed.
"Why did I have to be stuck with these guys...? What did I even do..." Y/n asked, Toudou looked at him.
"Hey, Maruki?" he asked as Y/n nodded.
"Yep, that's me..." Y/n says as he pointed to Yukino. "And you've grown cold, calling me Maruki. That's not how to speak to a childhood friend now."
"Sorry, Y/n. What's the deal with you and her?" Toudou asked.
"Friends from odd places, nothing more than that. But, if these jerks wouldn't have said anything, maybe I could be enjoying my alone time!" Y/n got unusually loud.
"What the hell did I do!?" Inaba shouted.
"Stop messin' around, you three! You guys are annoying me. Look, let's work quickly and put things in order!" Yukino shouted with her hand on her hip. "I've gotta be out of here by evening, cause I've got my part time job!"
"Huh? Come to think of it, having you and Maruki here is pretty rare, Yukino-San. Normally you're both quick to head for home." Hidehiko Uesugi looked at the two.
"Can't be helped...Sensei asked me personally..." Yukino said as Uesugi looked at Y/n.
"That doesn't really answer Maruki, though." He said as Y/n sighed.
"What do you think? I dragged here by my free will." Y/n says as Eriko Kirishima looked at them.
"You two seem close. You really like the teacher, don't you, Yukino?" She asked as Yukino blushed.
"W-Wha-!?" Yukino looked at Y/n, who was unamused at her blushing. Yukino started to get flustered and swing her razor blades around. "We...well I gotta admit...the only people in this school who aren't nuts are Y/n, the principal, and the teachers..."
"Aaaah...I'm tired..." Yuka Ayase yawned before she looked at Inaba's progress. "That's some quality work there, Inaba!"
"Hehehe. I always wanted to get a job doing this kinda stuff...it's not like you can know what's gonna happen in your future though..." Inaba said before Uesugi latched onto him.
"Yup, yup, yup! If you wanna know the future, just leave it to the great broun!" Uesugi smiled and said something.
"Huh? Persona-sama?" Inaba was confused.
"What's that?" Toudou asked.
"No idea what he's talking about." Y/n added.
"What? You guys don't know?! It's real popular in school nowadays! You can have your future fortold in Persona-sama, so that you can understand it perfectly!!! But it's very exaggerated... well it's a paranormal phenomenon at work!" Uesugi explained.
"No way could you actually tell the future with that crap..." Inaba said and for once, Y/n could agree with him.
"I agree, it sounds stupid." Y/n fixed his glasses.
"It sounds splendid. Is it always successful?" Kirishima asked.
"No way...I don't believe in that stuff." Inaba stated with a sigh.
"What about a bet? Winner gets to eat as much as they like at the peace dinner!" Uesugi bet!
"Alright!! It's on!" Inaba took the bait.
"Alright, let's do it! When you lose, it'll be your treat!" Uesugi stated.
"Yup, yup, then Ayase chooses Uesugi!" Ayase made her choice.
"I will also bet on Broun." Kirishima raised her hand.
"Hey, hey, what...then you guys..." Inaba looked at Nanjou and Yukino.
"Don't care, do as you like." Nanjou stated.
"Same here...i'm not getting into this." Yukino sighed.
"You know, I'll take Inaba." Y/n said as Inaba smiled at Y/n.
"Y/n!" Inaba says.
"You sure about this?" Yukino pulls Y/n aside.
"You're always telling me to break out of my shell, it should be fine, right?" Y/n told her.
"I'll go with Inaba as well. One sided bets are boring." Toudou said, holding up some money.
Uesugi looked at the gang, "Now then, for those who are falling behind, here's how you do Persona-sama. First, four people stand in the corners of the room...then you chant the spell, and walk to the next person and touch them. Once all four have done this, Persona-Sama will appear!"
"That's fine, Uesugi...but why am I doing this too?" Inaba asked, standing in a corner.
"Now, now, don't worry about it." Uesugi waved it off.
"Well, can I start? Let's see...Persona-sama, persona-sama, please come out." Ayase spoke first. "You're up, Uesugi."
"Alright, my turn, Persona-sama..." Uesugi said as well.
"Ugh..why do I have to do this?" Inaba asked.
"Come on now, don't forget...you can eat all you want." Uesugi reminded Inaba of the goal.
"Well then..Persona-Sama, Persona-Sama. Come out, or something..." Inaba stated.
"Alright then, here I go! Persona-Sama, Persona-Sama." Kirishima started to say.
"...?" Toudou and Y/n both felt a change.
"Please come..." Kirishima finished as Y/n and Toudou gained a heavy feeling.
"Alright! You're paying!" Inaba cheered.
"Hey! What's the deal, Broun?!" Ayase was pissed.
"Wha...what?! Hold on a sec! One more time! Kay? Kay?!" Uesugi was worried about paying.
"Wha...this feeling?" Y/n gripped his shirt as Yukino looked at you and Toudou, who did the same.
"are you both okay?" She asked before...
"Help me..."
Y/n and Toudou turned to see a small girl holding a teddy bear. The two immediately froze, Inaba looked over at them. "What's wrong? Geh-!"
"What is that?" Nanjou was confused.
"See-see? It's just like I said...well, it's not really..." Uesugi was a bit panicked.
"My...last time it was only a rapping sound. I'm surprised!" Kirishima smiled.
"Why are you happy about this!? This is obvious different than telling the future!" Y/n was worried as well.
"Help me..." the girl turned around and lighting shot out around the classroom.
"KYAA!? WHAT'S THIS?" Ayase was hit.
Inaba next, Yukino looked at everyone, "EVERYONE BE CAREFUL!!"
"HELP ME!!" the girl shouted as Y/n quickly grabbed Yukino as the shock hit him.
"Y/n!" Yukino shouted as she soon feel to the ground after being hit as well.
Soon everyone was hit, as Y/n appeared in a small area. He was a butterfly before he became human again. He looks at the area, "ugh, my head. Yukino! Inaba!"
A mask appeared in front of him. It soon took shape, a man appeared. "welcome...it's a pleasure to meet you, Ace Arcana. My name is Philemon. I live between the rift of the conscious and the unconscious. What's your name?"
"My...my name?" Y/n asked, "Y/n Maruki."
"Very well..." Philemon crossed his arms with a smile. "You pass. Rare are those who come here and can still name themselves. Have you ever realized that there are many you within yourself?"
"Many me?" Y/n asked.
"Indeed, a you filled with benevolence like a god...a you as cruel as a demon." Philemon smirked, "people live their lives wearing many masks. Even you present for is nothing more than an infinite number of personas...and yet, you are able to tell me who you are. Allow me to express my respect for your strong will by presenting you with this...(he opens his hand to reveal a creature) persona. The power to call forth another you which takes the form of a god or a demon. Time will have no rule over you."
"Wait! I need you explain more! What is this all!?" y/n said as the world started to shift as the creature went inside Y/n.
"I'm sure it will prove useful to you from here on out. Now then...it is time for you to go home." Philemon instructed. "To the time and space that you originally belong to..."
"Y/n! Wake up, please!" Yukino shouted as Y/n's eyes darted open.
"Um, have you just been shouting my name until I woke up?" Y/n asked as Yukino got a bit flustered and look to the side. "Ah, well if so, respect."
"I'm glad you woke up, Y/n." Toudou said as the two shared a look.
"Persona...Philemon...was that all just a dream?" Y/n asked himself.
"What? You had the same dream?" Y/n asked the gang.
"I was a butterfly and I was flying...I met some guy named Pheromone..." Inaba started to say.
"Philemon." Y/n and Nanjou corrected Inaba.
Inaba got annoyed, "and got something called a 'persona'."
"Heh, how stupid...is what I'd like to say..." Nanjou started. "But since we all had the same dream, it bothers me."
"I think it would bother everyone." Y/n added.
"This is bad...what if we all hit our heads and went nuts?" Inaba got worried.
"That's why we're going to the hospital, to get this checked out!" Yukino said as she walked close to Y/n. "Panicking here won't help."
"Aren't you a little nervous is you're standing this close to me?" Y/n asked her.
"Only a little." Yukino admitted.
"I can understand why Saeko-Sensei was nervous." Y/n sighed.
——
"Getting checked out at the hospital?" Y/n asked his teacher.
"Even you think we're nuts..." Yukino tried to defend themselves.
"No, I can't tell by looking at you that you're sane." Saeko stated. "But I'm worried that you might've hit your head or something."
"Hmm...you worry a lot more than I thought." Y/n crossed his arms.
"Well, we'll go get checked out then." Yukino spoke for everyone.
"Hey, isn't that Hospital, Mikage General Hospital?" the nurse asked. "That's where the girl from Saeko-sensei's class is staying."
"You mean Sonomura?" Inaba seemed a bit embarrassed.
"Hey, guys...while you're there, say hello to Sonomura. She's been in the hospital for a year... she's gotta be lonely." Saeko winked.
—————-
"Sonomura, huh? To think she's been in here for a year now..." Y/n said as he adjusted his glasses.
"I'd go nuts." Yukino admitted.
Toudou noticed a man in the corner, "...?"
"Hey, did you figure out what time our appointment is... Toudou?" Nanjou walked over, "what are you looking at? !!! YAMAYOKA!"
"AH, YOUNG MASTER! I FOUND YOU!" Yamayoka shouted.
"Young master?" Inaba was confused.
"Who is that old man?" Yukino asked.
"Who knows..." Toudou added.
"Maybe he's some kinda king?" Y/n questioned.
"I told you on the cell to go on home ahead of me like hundred times!" Nanjou shouted.
"Yes, young master, but..." Yamayoka said.
"And I said to stop calling me that!" Nanjou shouted.
"But, young master...even if you are with your friends, how could I go home alone in such a critical situation that you need to go to the hospital! AS THE BUTLER FOR THE NANJOU FAMILY, I'VE TAKEN CARE OF YOU FOR 17 YEARS...THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MOMENT I HAVEN'T BEEN WATCHING OVER YOU... PLEASE DON'T BE SO HORRIBLE TO ME!!" He cried.
"Buh-!" Yukino stared to chuckle.
"Young master!" Inaba laughed.
"I don't care! Let's get going, Y/n, Toudou!" Nanjou said, walking ahead, "listen! You go home, Yamaoka!"
Everyone walked ahead as Y/n looked at Nanjou, "you should treat your father better."
"He's not my dad, idiot." Nanjou said and they left it at that.
"Wha! Everyone's come to see me!" Maki is seen her hospital bed. "Thank you, I'm so happy. Because last time Inaba-kun was here, I told him that I wanted to see everyone...so, then you came to see me?"
Inaba started to get embarrassed at the reveal, "ah...well, that's-!"
"Ah, Inaba's got a crush on Sonomura..." Y/n figured it out.
Nanjou looked at them, "I never heard about th-!"
"That's right! how are you?" Yukino stopped him and smiled, she stepped on Nanjou's foot and twisted.
"I'm good..I've been doing well lately." Maki said, "Toudou-kun... thanks for coming...."
"No...I'm sorry I never came before. My mom's been worried too." Toudou admitted.
"Don't worry about it...say hello your mom and everyone else, okay?" Maki told him.
"What?" Inaba was confused.
"I've been friends with Toudou for years...we live close..." Maki explained to them.
"Hmm, friends for years, huh? I had no idea..." Inaba stated, kinda sad.
"And Maruki, seems like you're doing well." Maki smiled at him.
"You're holding up," Y/n said as Toudou looked at him.
"Brought Y/n, just like ya wanted." Toudou smiled as Yukino looked at the two.
"You three have history?" Yukino asked.
"Yeah, I'm also the third childhood friend hehe, sorry I haven't been up here Maki." Y/n apologized.
"It's okay, really. It might be because I've been having good dreams lately... that I'm doing well." Maki pondered as Y/n was confused.
"Dreams?" He asked.
"Yeah... there's a nice man in them... a man like my dad. I don't remember them well...but they're fun. Everyone's nice... and there's nothing bad... there's pretty flowerbeds in the streets." Maki said as everyone looked at her saddened, "it's like I've gone through the gate to paradise..."
"Sonomura..." Inaba started to say.
"And, of course, I can... I..." Maki started to say before she started to shake.
"Sonomura?" Nanjou asked.
"Maki!? Are you okay?!" Y/n shouted as he rushed to her.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Toudou said as Maki started to shake more.
"WHY... NO...NOOO!!!" she soon passed out with tears, grabbing Y/n's and Toudou's arms.
"SONOMURA!" The group shouted.