Fu Hua: Actually, I'm a Support-Type Persona User

"Actually... actually, my Persona isn't very good at fighting."

After holding it in for a long time, Fu Hua finally managed to utter only this sentence.

"As for why I'm still wearing real-world clothes and haven't changed into specific attire like you all, I'm not entirely sure myself."

Not summoning a Persona could be excused by saying the Persona wasn't suited for combat.

But why she hadn't automatically donned Phantom Thief attire like Ren Amamiya and the others, the tongue-tied Fu Hua didn't know how to explain. She could only offer a couple of vague, evasive remarks.

"Oh? So, you're saying you're actually a support-type Persona user?"

Upon hearing Fu Hua's explanation, blurted out in a moment of panic, Ren Amamiya's eyes lit up slightly. His gaze towards Fu Hua became much more fervent.

Up until now, Ren Amamiya's Phantom Thieves team still lacked a truly dedicated pure support character.

Although Hare possessed a certain degree of support capability and had been acting as the team's support, she was merely filling in. Hare's true expertise lay in combat.

If he could recruit Fu Hua, a pure support Persona user, into his team, the strength of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts would inevitably reach new heights.

Moreover, if Fu Hua's Persona was support-oriented, then it made sense why Akechi Goro hadn't brought her into the Herrscher of the Void's Palace.

The Kaslana Palace and the Herrscher of the Void's Palace were spatially connected. As a pure support personnel with no combat capabilities, Fu Hua could perfectly well stay in the safe Kaslana Palace and use her Persona abilities to support Akechi Goro, who was far away in the Herrscher of the Void's Palace.

"Y-Yes, that's right."

Seeing that Ren Amamiya seemed to accept her explanation, Fu Hua quickly nodded in agreement.

"In that case, prove it to us. Let us see your Persona."

Ren Amamiya stroked his chin. After the intention of recruiting Fu Hua into his team arose in his mind, his tone of voice immediately softened considerably.

If Fu Hua was truly innocent and not in cahoots with that cognitive Pancake-man, then Ren Amamiya would naturally be more than happy to have this pure support Persona girl join his team.

"...I understand."

Faced with Ren Amamiya's request to demonstrate something that didn't actually exist, Fu Hua, who had been on edge, now felt considerably calmer and more composed.

Although Otto hadn't taught her what kind of rhetoric to use when facing Ren Amamiya, he had at least taught her how to disguise herself as a qualified Persona user—though, judging from the fact that Otto hadn't mentioned Persona users automatically donning Phantom Thief attire in Mementos, Fu Hua strongly suspected the reliability of the knowledge Otto had given her.

But at this point, Fu Hua had no other way out. She could only bite the bullet and, following Otto's teachings, create an image of a [Persona] in her own unique way.

"Persona!!"

Fu Hua gently lowered her head, a dazzling white light reflecting off the surface of her monocle.

As the detective girl's crisp, low shout rang out, the gray strands of hair on Fu Hua's fair forehead swayed slightly due to the surging, scorching heatwave.

A torrent of scorching fire, like a living entity, surged from behind Fu Hua, merging and coalescing into the shape of a massive, phoenix-like firebird.

The giant firebird suddenly flapped its wings, and the flames clinging to its body instantly dispersed, revealing the firebird's true appearance within.

Crimson feathers rained down from the sky. A crimson phoenix, as if born from fire, spread its wings, exuding an aura of elegance and nobility.

"This is my Persona. Its name is [Garuda]. Although it looks like a fire-attribute Persona, it doesn't actually have the ability to manipulate flames. Instead, it can affect enemy movements through illusions, similar to creating a mirage."

Standing beneath Persona Garuda, materialized by the power of Fenghuang Down, Fu Hua slightly tilted her small face upwards.

Though she maintained an impassive expression, her heart was pounding as she explained to Ren Amamiya.

According to the original plan, Fu Hua was supposed to be a combat-type Persona user with outstanding strength.

However, due to the sudden change in circumstances, she could now only masquerade as a support-type Persona user unskilled in combat, attempting to muddle through in front of an expert like Ren Amamiya.

"...Garuda? It doesn't quite match the image of the Persona Garuda I've seen before."

After carefully scrutinizing the Persona Garuda Fu Hua had summoned, Ren Amamiya suddenly uttered a comment that nearly made Fu Hua's heart stop.

"But that's normal. Compared to the older version of Garuda, your Persona is more gorgeous and good-looking."

Ren Amamiya nodded slightly, acknowledging the aesthetic appeal of the Persona Garuda Fu Hua had summoned.

It was natural for Personas with the same name to have different appearances.

The most typical example was Pancake-man, Akechi Goro.

The Persona Loki in P4 and Akechi Goro's Persona Loki in P5 had almost no similarities.

Therefore, it was perfectly normal for Fu Hua to summon a more ornate version of Persona Garuda that was different from the past Garuda after a "version update," and there was no need to be overly surprised.

Just when she thought she had exposed a fatal flaw, the tables unexpectedly turned again.

As Ren Amamiya's words fell, the taut string in Fu Hua's heart finally, slowly, relaxed.

"Fu Hua, could you use your Persona's ability on me? Just link our minds together."

After seeing Fu Hua's Persona, Ren Amamiya immediately requested a mental link.

Linking team members' minds together, ignoring distance, and allowing everyone to communicate directly in their minds was a basic skill for a support-type Persona.

If Fu Hua could do this, it would prove that she was indeed a support-type Persona user.

"...I understand."

Nodding calmly at Ren Amamiya, Fu Hua couldn't help but feel a surge of relief.

Thank goodness, thank goodness. Although she had changed her plan and disguised herself as a support-type Persona user, fortunately, simple things like linking minds were something Fu Hua could easily do. It was even her area of expertise, so to speak.

After all, Fenghuang Down was the Key of Consciousness; the domain of consciousness was Fu Hua's specialty.

[I have connected our minds. From now on, you don't need to speak aloud; just think it in your mind to communicate with me.]

A sensation like a phone call connecting suddenly unfolded in Ren Amamiya's mind.

As that strange mental sensation spread, Fu Hua's calm and indifferent voice instantly resounded in Ren Amamiya's mind.

[...Impressive. You connected our minds almost instantly.]

A hint of surprise appeared in Ren Amamiya's black eyes. He looked at the detective girl, Fu Hua, whose cherry lips were closed, and tentatively responded to Fu Hua through the mental link.

While Fu Hua's speed in connecting their minds in an instant was astonishing, what truly caught Ren Amamiya's attention was how Fu Hua had silently linked her mind with his.

Although it was partly because he hadn't deliberately resisted, the strength Fu Hua displayed still surprised Ren Amamiya to a certain extent.

[This is all I can do. Linking minds is just the most basic and simplest operation. If Joker-san were to resist or reject me, I'm afraid it would be very difficult for me to interact with your mind.]

Fu Hua honestly stated to Ren Amamiya through the mental link.

The reason Fu Hua could connect with Ren Amamiya's mind so smoothly was entirely because Ren Amamiya had proactively cooperated with her, and the mental link only involved operations in the outermost regions of the mind.

Simple telepathy was fine, but if she wanted to go further and create illusions, even Fu Hua would find it incredibly difficult and strenuous.

Fu Hua, connected to Ren Amamiya's mind by the power of Fenghuang Down, could be absolutely certain of this.

"It looks like it succeeded. Did you really connect your minds?"

Watching Ren Amamiya and Fu Hua standing in place, silently facing each other as if exchanging glances, Raiden Mei clicked her tongue with slight annoyance.

"Would you mind telling us about your relationship with Akechi Goro? Although we met during the day, we didn't really get to know each other well back then."

After a few tentative attempts, Ren Amamiya successfully severed the mental link with Fu Hua unilaterally and then, in the real world, slowly spoke to the detective girl.

"My relationship with Akechi Goro... is merely that of acquaintances. Although we are both detectives and Persona users, this is actually the first time I've teamed up with him."

Fu Hua pondered for a moment, then answered Ren Amamiya according to her pre-set plan.

"Teaming up with Akechi Goro for the first time? Could it be that you don't have the ability to enter Mementos on your own, but were brought in unilaterally by Akechi Goro using the MetaNav App?"

Ren Amamiya, as if he had sensed something, pressed Fu Hua further. Sure enough, he caught a flicker of hesitation on Fu Hua's face.

"...That's right. I was indeed brought to this Palace by him."

The script Otto had given her didn't have an answer to this question. After some internal struggle, Fu Hua finally gave Ren Amamiya an affirmative reply.

"I see. So you're the type who awakened your Persona in the real world."

Ren Amamiya nodded knowingly. From Fu Hua's reply, he finally understood why Fu Hua didn't automatically change into her Phantom Thief attire after appearing in Mementos.

The answer was: wrong version.

In this world, Mementos wasn't the only other world. There were even people who could awaken Personas in the real world.

P3 required the aid of an Evoker (a gun-like summoner), P4 involved crushing a Tarot card, and P5 involved tearing off a mask.

And according to Ren Amamiya's experience as a "forum god," gained from lurking in the Megami Ibunroku Persona (Persona 1) forums... he knew these were all equivalent to acts of psychological suggestion.

If one's conviction was strong enough, a Persona user wouldn't need aids like an Evoker and could directly call forth their Persona from within their heart.

Persona users from the "Old Covenant" (referring to earlier Persona games or types) seemingly didn't need any extra actions and could summon their Personas at will, much like Stand users.

The detective girl before him, Fu Hua, was clearly also that special type who didn't need any medium and could use Persona powers in the real world.

As for why Fu Hua suffered a pressure load nearly equal to Hare's in Pancake-man's golden gear domain, it was probably related to Fu Hua being a sensory support-type Persona user, her perceptual acuity differing from that of ordinary people.

"Although you say you and Akechi Goro are just acquaintances... You won't call the police after we get out, will you? He disregarded your life, included you in his attack range, and concealed many things from you."

What Ren Amamiya was concerned about was Fu Hua's abilities as a Persona user.

Raiden Mei, on the other hand, was worried about whether Fu Hua would report Akechi Goro's death to the police after returning to the real world, or even call the police to arrest her and Ren Amamiya.

"...Even if I truthfully explain to the police, they wouldn't believe such an exaggerated story. They might even suspect I have mental problems. I can guarantee that I won't leak what happened today to anyone else."

Raiden Mei's concern was very reasonable, but Akechi Goro didn't actually exist as a person. It was even more impossible for Fu Hua to call the police.

She indeed wouldn't leak today's events to anyone else; after all, Otto himself hadn't completely died. He himself would know everything that happened in the Herrscher of the Void's Palace.

"Don't worry, Mei. That Akechi Goro wasn't a real human, just a cognitive existence born from my memories. Besides, he doesn't have any friends or family, only a group of distant bandwagon fans. His disappearance won't have much of an impact."

Ren Amamiya turned his head slightly towards the back, comforting Raiden Mei.

"What's more, even if Fu Hua did call the police, she couldn't do anything to us. If we seek help from Anti-Entropy, we should be able to erase any police investigation into us."

Such a small matter didn't warrant seeking help from Welt Yang, the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy.

Even just relying on the authority of Mei's father, Raiden Ryoma, an Executive, or the power of Cocolia's remnants, might be enough to suppress any police action.

When Anti-Entropy was mentioned, Ren Amamiya successfully saw a slight flicker in Fu Hua's jade-green eyes.

As a detective and a Persona user, she clearly knew the name Anti-Entropy, which undoubtedly reassured Ren Amamiya considerably.

"Without the MetaNav App, you can't return to the real world from Mementos, Fu Hua. You should leave with us."

Fu Hua had been brought to the Kaslana Palace by Pancake-man; she didn't have the ability to freely enter and exit Mementos and the real world on her own.

If she didn't hitch a ride with Ren Amamiya, she would only end up trapped and dying in this Palace.

Therefore, after tonight's events had completely drawn to a close, Ren Amamiya took out his phone and extended an invitation to Fu Hua to leave together.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. To be honest, I really don't know how to return to the real world."

Upon hearing Ren Amamiya's offer to take her back, Fu Hua couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Otto was now just a feather. Being completely helpless, she really didn't know how to return to the real world from the Palace.

After bidding farewell to their companions who couldn't leave Mementos, Ren Amamiya activated the MetaNav App on his phone. Together with Raiden Mei and Fu Hua, they left the Kaslana Palace in an instant, returning to the Raiden residence in the real world.