Persona: World of Twilight

Judgement Arcana

It took Ebizo ten minutes to find the room that Teiko was in. Juichi had told the group that she was well, and a little girl was born at 4:56 that morning. Teiko was now open to visitors, and Suzue insisted that he visit her. He even had a little gift bag for... some reason.

He pushed open the door to Teiko's room. Teiko, Juichi and the baby were inside. Juichi was passed out next to Teiko, much to Ebizo's amusement.

Teiko smiled when Ebizo entered the room. "You're one of the kids that saved me," she remembered, "You didn't have to bring me a present..."

Ebizo placed the gift next to Teiko. "My mom insisted. She has a soft spot for babies. Oh, um... she said to give you her number in case you need any help. She says she's a very good nanny."

"That's sweet of her," Teiko replied, "I'm sure the baby will love her gifts."

He looked down at the sleeping baby. "Do you have a name for her yet? She's so tiny..."

"Mifune," Teiko smiled to herself. "She's named after my best friend. She was also Juichi's sister... but it's not my place to say what happened to her."

"I'm guessing she's not around anymore." Ebizo frowned.

"She was killed, yes," Teiko turned to Juichi. "He took it hard. She made me promise to take care of him... so I've been doing just that. He doesn't really have any friends... until he met you!"

Ebizo groaned at the idea of being considered Juichi's friend. "I'm, uh, sorry your husband died. He didn't even get to see his daughter..."

"This is going to sound bad, but I was relieved that he died," Teiko rolled her eyes. "I... I never wanted to marry him in the first place. His father is my boss, and I didn't want to lose my job... not after I'd worked so hard to get there."

"But they wouldn't have fired you for something like that," Ebizo shook his head. "Uh, would they?"

Teiko gave Ebizo a look. "Anyway... I never loved him. He was obsessed with me. He followed me home and worked out where I lived."

"Sounds like a stalker," Ebizo commented, "Isn't that a crime?"

"There's no way I could get him arrested over something like that!" Teiko argued, "I didn't even want a baby. I have no motherly tendencies in me. Don't get me wrong - I'll take care of Mifune. I love the little one. But..."

"I get it," Ebizo said, "He basically coerced you into having children."

"He didn't even want me working!" Teiko huffed, "He said I should just stay home and take care of the baby, because he had enough money to cover the two of us. Like that was ever going to happen! As soon as I'm able, I'm going to jump back into work."

"But you'll need a babysitter," Ebizo pointed out, "That'll be costly..."

"Juichi's agreed to help me," Teiko reassured him, "He's being really sweet about it. We're thinking of getting a place together so we can both look after the little one. He wants to get away from his parents, and I don't want to live in my father-in-law's house for one more second..."

Ebizo gasped as baby Mifune woke up. She gurgled and looked up at Ebizo with wonder in her eyes.

"You can pick her up, if you want," Teiko told him, "Do you know how to hold a baby?"

"I used to hold my baby brother, yeah." Ebizo replied, picking Mifune up with his arms. He smiled, remembering how heavy babies were.

"You should let Juichi join your group of friends," Teiko asked him, "He could really do with some... he just isn't used to being around people his age."