"Master, come on. Your leg can't handle a long journey right now." Minamoto no Raikou crouched in front of Taichi with her back to him and patted her shoulder, urging him to get on.
"Oh, okay, thank you," Taichi gulped and carefully climbed onto her back.
A dense, unknown fragrance lingered around Taichi's nose. In his nervousness, Taichi took a sniff. After being engulfed by the scent, Taichi's body immediately went limp. Minamoto no Raikou easily secured him by wrapping her hands around his legs.
After leaving the shrine, Minamoto no Raikou glared at the trembling Nekomata with an icy gaze. "Lead the way."
"Y-Yes!" The Nekomata shivered and stumbled toward the hospital.
"Hurry up! At this speed, by the time we get to the hospital, that little girl will probably have been torn to shreds by the Visitors." Minamoto no Raikou was very displeased with the Nekomata's speed and repeatedly urged it on.
"Raikou, you seem to know a lot about what's going on here," Taichi said. His body was limp, but his mind was still clear.
"Yes! I've been watching ever since the fog appeared and Mordred was given a physical form," Minamoto no Raikou's voice became soft and gentle when she spoke to Taichi. "Raikou has seen everything you've done since then."
"Ah... I see..."
So she saw me stealing the hat, too? Taichi couldn't help but pull down the knit cap he was still wearing.
At that moment, standing next to a Chevy C-1500 not far from the barrier, a certain FBI agent fell into deep thought as he looked at the empty side-view mirror.
Where's my knit cap? I just went to the restroom. How did my hat disappear? What kind of kid steals a knit cap?
Taichi was now fully aware of how weak he was without X's protection. The Visitors that had put him through a hard-fought battle couldn't even withstand a single move against Minamoto no Raikou's aura. Some of them even began to dissipate just from her glare. Was this the "Mysterious Killer" of the Heian period's special attack against "Mystical" beings?
By the time Minamoto no Raikou carried Taichi to the hospital where Shiho Suzui was staying, the old Nekomata was out of breath.
"I-I'll wait here, Taichi-sama, Raikou-sama. You two go on in," the Nekomata said, signaling that if it didn't rest, it would die of exhaustion.
"Raikou, you can put me down now," Taichi said, patting Minamoto no Raikou's shoulder.
"Yes," Minamoto no Raikou's voice sounded a little disappointed.
Taichi took out the katashiro and skillfully began to collect the souls outside the hospital, sorting them by gender. He then made his way toward the target hospital room.
Knock, knock.
He knocked on the door first. There was no response, but Taichi could hear hurried footsteps inside.
"Ann, it's me, Taichi." To avoid an ambush upon opening the door, Taichi had to announce himself.
"Taichi?" Ann Takamaki's voice came from the room, full of surprise and uncertainty.
When Taichi opened the door, he saw a completely stunned Ann Takamaki standing at the entrance, holding a chair over her head.
"It really is Taichi!" Ann put the chair down and sank to the floor as if all the life had been drained out of her. "Thank goodness. Thank goodness."
Only heaven knew how desperate Ann had felt after the thick fog swept through the hospital room, Shiho Suzui's body disappeared, no one was left outside, a Yokai suddenly appeared to tell her what was happening, and then she saw Shiho's soul hovering over the bed. She had been all alone in this dangerous situation.
"It's okay now," Taichi said, walking over to Ann, bending down, and reaching out his hand. "I've come."
"Taichi!" Ann threw herself into Taichi's arms, tears streaming down her face. "Why? Why did this happen? Hasn't Shiho suffered enough already?"
Misfortune always finds the most pitiful people. Taichi didn't try to comfort her with words. It was better to let Ann cry it all out. Intense emotions, if bottled up for too long, could harm the body.
He heard some strange noises from outside the door, likely Visitors that Minamoto no Raikou, who was guarding the entrance, had easily taken care of.
After crying for a few minutes, Ann finally got a hold of herself.
"I'm so sorry, Taichi. I got your shirt all wet," Ann said, wiping her red eyes. She felt a little embarrassed.
"...No big deal. I think I've found a goldmine this time, so I'll be able to get new clothes soon," Taichi said, tugging at his damp shirt. "Alright, first let me secure Shiho's spirit, and then we'll meet up with the others."
Kotoko Iwanaga's family was also very wealthy. Taichi could sell her some gold for cash.
"I'd heard about katashiro that can hold spirits, but honestly, it's still so surreal seeing one in person," Ann said, looking at Shiho Suzui's spirit turn into light particles and enter the katashiro Taichi was holding.
"Yeah, I know. It's fantasy bleeding into reality," Taichi said, shaking his head with a sigh. "After today, the world is probably going to be in an uproar for a while."
After the monster incident, life around Taichi seemed to go back to normal. But on the news, there were frequent reports of doomsday cult rallies, and American-style looting sprees began to pop up more often in Japan. The suicide rate also soared to an all-time high, especially for those who came from Chiba. After all, they had lost all their worldly possessions, and some were even the sole survivors of their families. This time... he couldn't say for sure, but folklore scholars were probably going to go crazy.
"Taichi, can I hold that katashiro?" Ann asked, looking at the one in Taichi's hand that held Shiho's spirit.
"No problem."
He had a lot of spare katashiro on him, so no one could say anything about him giving a friend a special privilege.
"Oh, and Shiho's dad and mom! They went to the nurses' station earlier," Ann said, patting her head.
"Okay. Then let's collect the spirits nearby with the katashiro first, and then we'll meet up."
It was okay to change the plan a little.
After leaving the room, Ann was startled by Minamoto no Raikou. This was her first time seeing a woman so imposing and mysteriously charming, yet also possessing an undeniable heroic aura. Raikou's stare instantly made Ann nervous.
"Taichi, who is she...?" Ann could only pull on her friend's sleeve, trying to indirectly get an introduction.
"Minamoto no Raikou. She's my second Persona."
"...Huh?" Taichi's words successfully sent Ann into her nth existential crisis.