"Come forth—Huodou!"
Behind Ren, Persona Arsene dissolved into blue flames and vanished from the sky.
Having dismissed Arsene, Ren forcefully flung the newly acquired white mask forward. As usual, the white mask disintegrated into blue flames and reformed. However, this time, what appeared before Ren wasn't the elegant phantom thief gentleman in the striking red suit, Arsene.
Instead, it was the massive, imposing figure of the golden-red, saber-toothed tiger Persona – Huodou!
"With this, I've finally captured my first Persona myself! Excellent, this is a great start!"
Looking at Persona Huodou, now completely docile towards him, showing none of its previous ferocity, Ren nodded with deep satisfaction. He felt a surge of motivation coursing through him, eager to explore the Palace and capture every type of Persona within it.
Snap.
Just as Ren was admiring his captured Persona Huodou from various angles, even reaching out to stroke the big golden-red cat's head, the faint sound of a twig snapping reached his ears – a classic trope.
"...Who's there? Come out!"
Ren snapped his head towards the sound, his gaze fixed on a thick, ancient tree about ten meters away. The faint noise had originated from behind it.
"Apologies, I did not intend to spy... I am the miko of this Yae Village, my name is Yae Sakura. I heard villagers say a demon beast had been sighted near the village entrance, so I came to investigate. I did not expect to arrive just as the beast was subdued by you two."
Under Ren's scrutiny, a young woman stepped out from behind the ancient tree. She wore a red and white miko outfit, her slender white legs covered by long white stockings, and her hair was a soft, cherry blossom pink cascade.
The sakura-haired girl's blue eyes were filled with apology, and her pleasant, slightly cool voice, like a clear mountain spring, carried sincerity and earnestness.
Clearly, this girl calling herself Yae Sakura had witnessed the entire process of Ren defeating the demon beast Huodou and forcefully recruiting it as his Persona.
Yae Sakura possessed elegant beauty, a well-proportioned figure, and slender, aesthetically pleasing limbs. Combined with her miko attire, which revealed one fair shoulder [a style sometimes called "off-the-shoulder" or simply noting the exposed shoulder], this stunning young woman radiated youthful energy, easily capturing attention wherever she went.
However, Ren's gaze wasn't fixed on the miko's flawless face, nor her exposed shoulder.
Instead, he focused on the sakura-colored katana she held in her right hand.
And, hanging at her waist, the white fox mask etched with eerie red markings.
As a Persona user, Ren was extremely sensitive to the presence of masks in any form. The moment Yae Sakura stepped out from behind the tree, he had noticed the white fox mask tied to her waist.
"Are you... a Persona user?"
Ren's brow furrowed slightly. He subtly tensed his body, his eyes locked onto Yae Sakura's face. After asking the question, Ren carefully observed her slightest facial expressions.
"...'Persona user'? What does that mean?"
Hearing the unfamiliar term from Ren, a look of genuine confusion appeared on Yae Sakura's face. She truly had no idea what a Persona user was.
"I am Yae Sakura, the miko of Yae Village, not whatever a 'Persona user' is. I came here to eliminate the demon beast the villagers discovered."
Thinking Ren might not have heard her introduction clearly, Yae Sakura patiently repeated herself.
"However, when I arrived, I found you two already engaged with the demon beast. Not wishing to distract or cause injury to either of you by my sudden appearance, I remained hidden behind the tree, intending to offer assistance only if you seemed to be losing the fight. As such, I witnessed the entire process of the beast being subdued."
To prove she bore no hostility, Yae Sakura sheathed her spirit blade, Sakura Fubuki [Her katana's name], and stood empty-handed before Ren and Hare.
"Not a Persona user, huh? So the mask on your hip is just decoration?"
After receiving Yae Sakura's definitive answer and judging she wasn't lying, Ren relaxed slightly. Curiosity then flickered in his dark eyes as he began to properly observe the sakura-haired miko before him and Hare.
If she's not a Persona user I don't recognize, then Yae Sakura must be a native inhabitant of this Palace. Based on her words, the Palace's manifestation seemed to be the nearby ancient village called Yae Village.
Yae Sakura called the Huodou a "demon beast" and was confident she could have defeated it, indicating that this miko possessed considerable strength.
Is she the Palace Ruler, but one with a friendly disposition, whose distorted desires don't involve harming others? Or is she a Shadow guard within the Palace? Or neither – just a cognitive being born from the Palace Ruler's perception?
"Ah, by the way, Miss Yae Sakura, does the name Hokushin Mei ring any bells?"
Yae Sakura showed no hostility towards Ren, an outsider. Her friendly attitude sparked a hypothesis in Ren's mind. Hare had discovered this Palace near Nagazora City. If this truly was Hokushin Mei's Palace... it would make sense if Yae Sakura, who might be a cognitive representation of someone connected to Mei, wasn't hostile and was even friendly towards him.
If the Palace Ruler here is Mei-senpai, and her Palace looks like a backward ancient village... what does she look like within her own Palace? Surely she's not sitting on a stool acting like some Sengoku-era general in this village?
"Hokushin Mei? My apologies, I have never heard that name. There is no such person in Yae Village."
To Ren's slight disappointment, however, upon hearing the name Hokushin Mei, Yae Sakura shook her head without hesitation, refuting Ren's guess.
"Have you two come to Yae Village for a specific reason? Observing your techniques just now... perhaps you are a traveling onmyoji [Japanese exorcist/diviner] passing through?"