Persona 4: Eyes of Truth [New Ver.]

Arriving at Inaba

The big city of Tokyo buzzed with the noise of friendly banter, screens displaying advertisements, cafes bringing in guests, and patrons standing about the open train station. No one cared what other people were talking about. No one cared what other people thought. Some barely cared enough to even look at the others passing by.

One particular individual ignored the unconscious glances of strangers, drawn like moths to a flame by their striking silver hair. Like a dim light post standing out in a sea of black and brown. It was a young woman in her teens with a duffle bag hanging from one shoulder, a souvenir bag held lovingly in one hand. Green earbuds were nestled in her ears, playing classical piano, swallowing the city noise. As if finally taking notice of the unwanted glances, the girl pulled up her hood, causing those that looked at her to finally go back to their selfish lives.

Pulling out her iPhone from the duffle bag, she looked at the time. 1:23 PM. The first of two trains she was to ride was to arrive shortly... If there's no delays, she should be able to arrive at her location with a few minutes to spare. Maybe it was because of the special circumstances of her standing at the station, but she was starting to feel anxious. Opening her messaging app, she checked the latest text that was sent.

> Meet us outside YasoInaba Station at 4 PM.

Nodding to herself, the girl stuffed her phone back in her bag and shifted her weight. Exhaustion had been poking at her all day... Spending her whole spring break packing boxes upon boxes, adjusting piles of piles on paperwork, and barely clocking in five hours of sleep a night. Despite dressing her best, she didn't dare open the camera. Modest clothes can only hide so many layers of dark circles under the eyes.

The screeching sound of metal wheels vibrated to her very core, causing the train station to erupt with renewed energy. Patrons taking a step back for their safety, the train came to a slow stop. Almost instantly, the doors opened up and unleashed a flood of people on both sides. They growled and barked with no real purpose, acting like a swarm of puppies being released from a kennel. The girl braced herself as people began to push one another forward into the train, uncaring if they injured anyone.

Once settled in, the girl grabbed onto one of the hanging handles, sliding her duffle bag to cover her rear and held the souvenir bag in front of her to cover her front. Casting her eyes to the window in front of her, the girl instantly frowned at her reflection. Her short silver hair is barely visible now thanks to her hood, her fair skin and pale gray-blue eyes brightening the dark-tinted glass. The girl sighed and massaged her left temple, wondering how safe the bags would be if she took a nap on the next train...

The familiar station that she got used to slowly began to slide to her right, gradually escaping her vision, as the train began moving. Closing her eyes, she focused purely on the sound of her mellowing piano... The events from last week flashed in her mind's eye rhythmically with the music. The sad, lonesome keys resurfaced the faces of her classmates, escalating to her parents slumped shoulders, the paperwork, three plane tickets, suitcases, acquaintanced faces laying down futons--long, silver hair fell to the ground as the song reached its climax.

Sighing quietly to herself, she rubbed the back of her head. It was strange to be away from home... To be away for a whole year and live with an uncle. An uncle, mind you, she had never met... She knows he is her mother's baby brother of four years, a widow of three years, and has a little girl in elementary. Her mother and uncle used to be close but ended up drifting apart after the incident.

Well, she was sure to learn more once she met him... It was going to be a while till she arrived at the next train station. With this in mind, she stuffed her phone in her pocket and began to make a plan.