EPP Tatsuya Additional Scenario

SPOILERS FOR P2IS AND P2EP YOU DUMB FAGGOT, WHY THE FUCK HAVEN'T YOU PLAYED THEM YET

Hello, SMTG. Here's a summary of the first two parts of the first Tatsuya episode. By the way, some of these might be slightly wrong and Tadashi's style is rather poetic and fond of lesser used kanji, so sorry in advance for any mistakes. If there's anyone to double-check, I'd gladly listen.

Interestingly enough, Shiori is living in the same place as Maya and Ulala, Lunar Palace in Kounan. She lives by herself in such a big place and urges Tatsuya to make himself comfortable, showing him his room and the room with a TV he might want to use. Tatsuya says nothing and his long shadow that falls on the floor tells the story of his state of mind - confusion, rejection and, last of all, solitude. He does his things by himself and plans to disappear, like a shadow in the dark. But Shiori won't let him. What happened ten years ago makes this not only his story, but -their- story.

I'm really slow, yeah, mainly because I'm only editing and retranslating some stuff now. Probably one more part after this.

We're at Club Zodiac now! Shiori approaches Anna and gives her a card from her notebook, with her full name and profession - police officer. Above the writing is her photo, showing a blunt face she doesn't like.

Shiori introduces herself as working for the juvenile department of the Kounan Police, but Anna tries to avoid her, saying she only came to go to the toilet. Shiori's words, however, make her stop and turn. She came to tell her something, yet Anna seems to misunderstand. Shiori then reminds us of Anna's past as an athlete, her subsequent fall out of grace and her efforts to find a place where she belongs.

Back to the present, Anna finds out that the guy whose car hit her, Kaneda Taisuke, has been killed. Shiori notes this is the first time Anna's expressionless face, unfitting for age, shows a bit of life. She has an alibi and they both know, but what Shiori wants is to find out whether Anna has heard about the JOKER; she hands her a piece of paper with the words "You're next." Anna doesn't seem to know anything and Shiori explains the whole curse and mentions that a similar paper was found in Kaneda's house. It seems the JOKER always sends a note like this, unbelievably enough, just as the rumours say. Anna realises they think she wanted that dude dead but tells them to do it themselves next time. (really unsure about this sentence though)

Anna then realises that the address on the paper is Shiori's and shows, as the latter duly notes, her second expression of the day. Shiori confesses she actually gave JOKER her own name, making Anna lose her cool exterior, and asks Anna is she has tried to calling her own number. Even though it wouldn't normally connect, it did now and despite the silence someone had certainly answered. When Anna wants to find out why Shiori used her own name, she answers that she couldn't have possibly used someone else's and starts bombarding her with questions (how was it for you? does the JOKER only kill other people? doesn't he ask for a reward? have you ever seen his figure? could his hair look like a lion's mane? didn't he look around 27-28-years old?) All these questions make Anna retreat into herself again and she tells Shiori to just ask the JOKER himself, because if he's real, then he'll come to kill her and basically refuses to get involved.
After some introspection (sensing anxiety in Anna, remembering photos of the murder victims, thinking about unveiling the JOKER's true self), Shiori decides to solve the case with her own strength. She then confronts the blond man about the VIP floor; he tries to trick her, saying it's being renovated, new owner, etc, but Shiori subtly threatens him about suspending the club's business, until he decides to let her in.

Small explanation here about this type of clubs that would normally close at midnight, but they now last until the morning and host a lot of shady business, etc. The man gives her two keys and she gives him her business card, instructing him to announce her over the phone if someone else wants to go to the VIP floor and to call sergeant Suou in case she doesn't get out until morning. Shiori gets ready to go, pondering that even though she doesn't know what's beyond the door, she does know -him-. Just as she's about to leave, Anna comes again and finds out that the victims were only targeted when they were alone, which is obviously Shiori's strategy. Anna believes her and when she's instructed to go home, mentions detective Suou. If he'll come that night, Anna is to tell him what he told Shiori and explain anything he might not understand. This is when no.501 is first mentioned, since Suou doesn't think Anna would have tried to contact him.

After this, Shiori enters the VIP floor which she realises was supposed to be a secret as long as no.501 was here. This is a place only influential customers can use, having been bought by the Taiwanese mafia. Walking along the gaudy walls, Shiori calls her own number and the phone rings five times until someone picks up. It seems the rumours were true after all. She finally reminds him to kill Minashiro Shiori and decides to uncover his identity the same night.

Some random stuff that didn't make it -
- Shiori acts kind towards Tatsuya, no-nonsense towards Anna (in the beginning) and towards the blond man whose name escapes me.
- the shadow thing is namedropped a couple of times in the beginning in relation to Tatsuya; the second one is rather interesting, "like a shadow lost in the dark, together with the sunset"
- Shiori likes observing and mentioning Anna's facial expressions; I tried to capture that, but seeing how this is a rather shitty summary, I couldn't really reproduce her way of talking. It's kind of funny though, the way she's like "aha, another expression"
- I really like Tadashi's writing style and it makes me think Persona 2 would make a pretty cool full-length novel. By the way, does anyone know the author of the two or so novels?
- forgot to mention that Club Zodiac was Kasugayama's before Taiwan took over, but eh, we knew that
- Shiori is pretty awesome but fuck does she have a lot of inner thoughts about stuff we already know. Also, pic related

>Thank you.
>I'll only dance until morning.
>If I survive, that is.

Haha, time for Tatsuya POV! (had more than four hours of sleep this time and it shows)

This time we're in the garage of the Suou family. That one scene from the ending of IS reappears and confirms it's the moment Tatsuya remembered everything - him belonging to the Other Side, what had happened there and, of course, his dear friends: Maya, Yukki, Eikichi, Lisa; Jun too...Their vows, the friends he had been separated from, he was looking at them and Maya...Maya was smiling at him and talking.

>Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?
>Sorry, I'm a bit of a scatterbrain.
>Oh...hey, have we met before?

Tatsuya remembers the promise he had made with Jun, that he'd protect that smile. And yet, he had failed. The first time, ten years before; the second time, in -his- world; the third time...
Full of remorse, This Side's Tatsuya ran away and decided to go to sleep.

>If I don't see anything, if I don't hear anything, if I don't feel anything, without destroying the peaceful life everyone's gained... maybe then will I feel at ease.

Nevertheless, -he- couldn't overlook that.

>Something's voice: Run away from your sin, it's all right if you hide. But you surely know what is going to happen to this world. Oh, puppet pulled by the strings of fate, no one can run away from the jaws of the soul's darkness. I'll be waiting. I'll be waiting...

>In my dream, -he- branded my right hand with a mark. Tracing the sin, a mark of someone possessed by shadows.

Tatsuya decides there's only one thing he has to do: fight them by himself. He's the only one -he- can do what he likes to. But he won't let -him- hurt Maya or the world his friends are living in. And even then, it won't be easy; that is why Tatsuya is willing to give everything he's got in exchange for burning -his- entire world to ashes. That is the only way he'll be able to redeem himself.

This Side's Tatsuya's phone suddenly rings; it's not his brother, but he remarks that the relationship between them is the same on both Sides.

The call is from Anna. He knew that This Side's Tatsuya hangs out with her, but he is now the Tatsuya of the Other Side. He can't reply to her either. It takes 10, 20, 30 calls until he has no other choice but to answer. He's borrowed this body, so he'll contact Anna too.

Anna is worried because she thought Tatsuya had been in an accident. She had been waiting for This Side's Tatsuya at Zodiac and now answers with relief and doesn't blame him for anything. The only one who can hear this kind of voice is This Side's Tatsuya, because Anna is his precious friend, like the ones Other Side Tatsuya had; this thought makes Tatsuya's heart hurt.

Anna tells him about the strange detective woman who gave JOKER her own name, then went to the VIP floor and asked Nakamura (blond guy, aha!) to contact Tatsuya's brother in case she doesn't get out until morning. Anna advises Tatsuya to stay at home because she's going to check on things.

Hearing her say the JOKER's name is quite shocking to Tatsuya though, especially after fighting her on the Other Side. However...

>Don't do it, Yoshizaka. Don't go in under any circumstance. I will. I'm going to the club right now. Don't get close to the JOKER.

Anna is suprised by hearing Tatsuya call her by her last name, but decides to listen to him. He's worried both about her and the other woman; getting worried about using the right name will have to wait.

Tatsuya recalls how on the Other Side his best friend Jun's memories got distorted by -him- and how he donned the JOKER mask. But Jun protected their last promise, gave up his memories of the Other Side and started living peacefully on This Side as Kashihara Jun.

Not Jun, but someone else has become This Side's JOKER, repeating the murders all over again as -his- pawn. Tatsuya remembers the last stanza of the Oracle of Maiya and realises the same thing is going to happen to This Side too because -he- knew from the very beginning what decision they were going to take.

Concerned about Anna's words, Tatsuya grabs his helmet and, in the dark of the night, heads on his bike towards the city, resolving the destroy -his- imperfect petty tricks and, lastly, -him- too.

Random stuff!

- Tatsuya inner monologue in the beginning is really, really sad and full of regret. Having it voiced would have been amazing.
- I'm happy we got to see Tatsuya and Anna talk to each other, even though it's the wrong Tatsuya; seeing them take care of each other is really nice
- the Japanese term for scatterbrain is fucking impossible - おっちょこちょい - occhokochoi. Seriously, Japan.
- the Voice likes using old Japanese and my dumb got the best of me at some point, so I couldn't understand whether it's telling Tatsuya to wait or saying it will wait. Pic related
- ok, who else thought Shiori was talking about Suou dad? Because I definitely did. It does tie several subplots nicely though.
- two major emotions: love and concern for his friends and big sis and sheer and utter hatred towards Nyarl. The way Tatsuya oscillates between the two is quite powerful

>His petty tricks of messing with the laws of cause and effect are imperfect, so I'm going to rip them to shreds.
>And lastly, him too...

As soon as Tatsuya arrives at Zodiac, he is greeted by Anna, who runs towards him slightly dragging her right foot behind. He's obviously displeased that she's still there but Anna apologises and explains everything. As soon as she stops talking, Nakamura, an aquaintance of This Side's Tatsuya intervenes and mentions both Katsuya and Shiori. Tatsuya asks for the key and the whole story. Nakamura says he told him everything and how he was instructed to call the detective in case someone gets in. Tatsuya says it's ok if he doesn't call; he takes the woman's card from the counter and memorises her name and phone number. The next moment, he quickly takes the card and burns it to ashes. Nakamura thinks it's a trick and even the eyes on Anna's unmovable face are wide open: they couldn't see Apollo's arm.

When Tatsuya asks for the key, Nakamura hands it nervously, saying it's the only spare he's got; he forgot the other one in the staff room. Tatsuya then goes behind the counter and takes a wooden sword, because, hey, this is that kind of club. This Side's Tatsuya knew Nakamura used it for self-defense, and, obviously, so did the Other Side's Tatsuya. Nakamura panics when he realises Tatsuya wants to go after the JOKER; Tatsuya then mentions things might get troublesome if it's the same as the Other Side and Nakamura just doesn't understand anything anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK6qbqq-D30

When he wants to leave, though, Anna confronts him about things getting rather strange; he silently compliments her sharp woman's intuition, thinking she's got things half right. However, it's only natural to have suspicions. This Side's Tatsuya is more open towards them. In a clumsy imitation, Tatsuya tries to laugh it off. But still, this is not like him.
Anna understands though and doesn't move, so the only thing Tatsuya can still do is tell her the truth.

>I am me. Is there anyone else you can see here?

So he does, explaining about the wound on the back of the Other Side him that has started appearing on This Side too, a sign that the two worlds are beginning to merge. Anna listens without laughing, raising her eyes to him. She's tall for a girl, but even so, she's still a head shorter than him.

Tatsuya tells her it's dangerous and urges her to go back home. Anna lowers her gaze and wonders if that person will get killed, saying she told her terrible things.
Tatsuya has no idea what she's talking about, but doesn't want to hurt her. It's not her responsibility that things got this way. It's the other person's. He comforts her, saying he came specifically not to let her die. Anna worries about Tatsuya's plans, but he answers he has to pay for his sin.

Nakamura asks him to stop ruining the club and to take care of his precious sword.
Tatsuya decides to enter the VIP floor and promises himself he won't let anyone hurt anymore and that this time he will end it all.

He notices how Zodiac's corridors are now done Chinese-style compared to the cheap constellation patterns on the Other Side.

He's attacked by several monsters he's never seen before: neither bats, nor bees or ants. Ghastly creatures that inspire uneasiness.The demons start making sounds, and all Tatsuya can understand is "Biyakii", "Baiakuhee", "Ia ia Hastur", but he realises they belong to -him-.
When the demons die, they turn into a violent burst of foam similar to dry ice, leaving behind a terrible smell.

No time to complain though; he needs the other key from the staff room. He takes care not to break anything, for Nakamura's sake. As soon as he sees the staff room he runs towards it. He can hear faint music from the inside, and thinks that Shiori might be in there, but he's not sure whether she's still alive. He knocks but there's no sign that the door is open; bringing the key was a good idea. Another secret room, but no Shiori inside.

A normal detective wouldn't make it this far and Tatsuya is also bothered that the only police force member that she wanted to be contacted was his brother.Something's not right...no way, what if there's a connection between the police and the JOKER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVYT1h4U4iQ

As he approaches the table with the key, dirty tentacles extend towards him accompanied by a nauseating stench that fills the entire room. Tatsuya hasn't seen this kind of demon before either. Somehow, the demons from This Side look more grotesque than the ones on the Other Side. Bad taste.

>Ia! SHUB-NIGGURATH!

Like an octopus, like a twisted tree, its body spews a viscous liquid from countless mouths and its fangs make all kinds of sounds. Its black goat legs complete an appearance that would drive an ordinary person insane.

Before Tatsuya kills the demon, we listen to his inner thoughts about the collective unconscious (...really Tatsuya, this is not the time). There's stuff we already know, about archetypes, etc.

Gods and demons do not dwell in heaven or in the underworld, but in the hearts of humans. Personae train both the body and the soul. The fact that he can expertly use the sword and is not afraid is thanks to his Persona.

Gods and demons aren't the only archetypes that sleep inside people's hearts. If the collective unconscious is the place where the hearts of all humans are reborn, perhaps master swordmen and gun experts and even he can enter somewhere. (not sure about this one, but kind of fits when we're thinking about historic figures?)

>However, you and I are unnecessary existences on This Side. Shall we go back?

Tatsuya is already in a hurry; he has to end it soon or the stench of the demon will make him suffocate.

>No matter how many Personae I use, if I can't breathe, I'm dead.

He somehow manages to get rid of that thing and flies out of the room. If Nakamura sees the state of this room he'll start yelling but Tatsuya gave his best. He only wishes This Side's him won't get all the blame.

>Tatsuya used the VIP floor key

Notes and stuff.

- was it mentioned in the original that Anna was dragging her foot behind? Because reading that was sad and unexpected.
- Nyarl's new demons accurately look like eldritch abominations (described them a bit when Tatsuya first meets those winged demons) and finding out how they die was pretty interesting
- I realised I forgot to correct their names/ what they said too. So I think it's Byakhee or something.
- Tatsuya calls that first fight "warming up"
- that second tentacle demon is literally described to smell like night soil, but I couldn't quite figure out how to add that he smelled like shit, so yeah. Also, his descriptions was pretty detailed; makes me wish we could see Persona 2 in HD
- I know I've said it before and that no one cares, but I really like the friendship between Anna and Tatsuya; it's refreshing to see that a boy and a girl can be close without anything romantic between them

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR MORE TRANSLATIONS