Nayuta Satomi

**Nayuta Satomi** is a Supporting Character in the persona record series, A Magical Girl who is searching for her father, a folklorist, in Kamihama City. She has been supporting her father in order to make the world aware of the existence of Magical Girls. She has a stubborn streak, but it is masked by her good nature and hard work. Although she is a cousin of Touka, who also shares the Satomi surname, she keeps her distance from her.

## Nayuta Satomi

* Magical Girl
* School Uniform

## Statistics

### Relatives

Tasuke Satomi (Father)Unnamed Mother, Unnamed Uncle (Touka's father)Touka Satomi (Cousin)

## First Appearance

### Debut

Persona Record: On a Road of Time - Chapter 6

## Jing Info

*The Doppel of absurdity. Its form is a jiàzi huāliǎn. The master of this emotion is both surprised by the brutality within herself, and slightly exasperated by her Doppel’s shallow way of thinking. This Doppel doesn’t pay attention to its surroundings, and has a habit of jumping to hasty conclusions about the things that enter its field of view. It may prance about with joy when it ought to be doing battle, and may seethe with anger when it ought to be enjoying itself. Despite being stubborn and reluctant to change its mind, it displays amazing practical strength when its behavior aligns with the situation. None can dodge its shapeshifting blade, and any attack will be deflected by its lotus flower’s lotus effect. Those who’ve seen it in combat have praised the sight as beautiful, as if it were dancing the entire time. Incidentally, it seems to think of its master as a kindred spirit who resembles its own absurd self.*

## Background

Nayuta fast asleep, dreaming of taking Touka down a notch by proving folkloric studies to be the strongest discipline...until Rabi gives her a rude awakening by humming obnoxiously like a mosquito. Rabi says she had no other choice; Nayuta is a very deep sleeper, and if she doesn't hurry, she'll be late for school. And given how they both go to school outside of Kamihama, Rabi orders Nayuta to wolf down her breakfast ASAP. After doing so, Nayuta requests Rabi to be nicer - they're both so close in age, but Rabi acts more like a stern stepmother than a gentle, kind maid. Rabi dismisses the request, saying she'll be less harsh on Nayuta when Nayuta cleans up her act.

Once at school in Takarazaki City, Nayuta's homeroom class begins with an exercise on "self-assessment." The teacher explains that future opportunities, such as job interviews or school applications, will require people to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics, and now is a good time for the student to learn how to evaluate themselves. For this assignment, the students are to form groups, write their understanding of each other and of themselves, and discuss the results they get. Nayuta evaluates herself as a quiet but diligent student who puts full effort into every task she's given...whereas her group members consider her someone who "hates losing," "speaks her mind," and is "super stubborn."

Nayuta is mortified. She protests she can’t really be like that, though her classmates elaborate with examples. For one, the students arranging the school festival's dance performance had originally voted for a joke song, but Nayuta turned against the crowd and fought back. Nayuta says she only did so because she herself didn't want the song, not caring what other people thought. Still, she does admit that, considering her persistent search for her father, despite all odds, "stubborn" may be an apt word to describe her.

After the exercise, the teacher discusses the Johari Window, a tool for evaluating one's personality and relationships. To summarize, the Johari Window posits there are four categories to how we perceive ourselves and others:

1. Traits that self and peers perceive
2. Traits that peers perceive but the self does not
3. Traits that peers do not perceive but the self does
4. The unconscious, or the traits neither self nor peers perceive

Through this, most people will, at the very most, acquire only a 50% understanding of themselves, and a mere 25% understanding of other people, unless we go out of our way to communicate with and understand each other. These statements begin to gnaw at Nayuta's mind.

After school, Nayuta bumps into Iroha on her way to the train station - both are pleasantly surprised that the other remembers them, and strike up a conversation. When asked why she's in Takarazaki, Nayuta explains that before moving to Kamihama, she lived here, and continues to attend school in town. Iroha remarks that she originally hailed from Takarazaki as well, and recognized Nayuta’s uniform. To even more surprise, they soon find that they both also just so happen to be in the same grade - their third year of junior high - which means Iroha can treat her as an equal than a senior (she had assumed Nayuta was a high schooler). Nayuta thinks to herself that while Iroha seems very quiet and shy at first blush, she’s actually quite good at socializing.

Their conversation turns to Nayuta’s father, and Nayuta soon requests to meet Yachiyo, what with their original meeting in Arc 2 Chapter 2 having been cut short - though the request is blurted out as demand instead. Nayuta immediately apologizes, saying she’s aware that she comes across as very rude and obnoxious, but Iroha thinks nothing of it - that wasn’t her impression at all. Besides, she completely understands where Nayuta is coming from, too; after all, they’ve both been in the exact same position, with Iroha’s quest to find Ui, much like how Nayuta is searching for her father. So that means they’re both two stubborn junior-high girls from Takarazaki who traveled to Kamihama in search of their loved one...they both realize that they truly have far more in common than they originally thought.

Nayuta goes with Iroha to Mikazuki. There, Yachiyo explains that unfortunately, she has no further info on Nayuta’s father. Tsuruno, though, asks if Nayuta can describe her dad’s appearance - perhaps one of them has crossed paths with him without realizing it. Nayuta shares a photo she has on her phone, and they proceed to get sidetracked this way and that - over her dad’s long hair (and Nayuta and Sana commiserating over the challenges of haircare), her dad’s schlubby, nerdy appearance, etc - but ultimately, no, none of them have seen them, not even Ui, who spent so many years at the Satomi Medical Center.

Felicia wonders out loud why Nayuta doesn't ask Touka. Yachiyo remarks she has a point - despite their enmity, surely they can find some common ground. Nayuta refuses, saying she cannot trust the information she gets from Touka, and apologizes for her stubbornness.

with Rabi waking Nayuta once more. This time, Nayuta’s had a bad sleep - over breakfast, at Rabi’s prompting, she admits she’s been ruminating over Touka again, which inevitably stresses her out. And of course, if she tells herself to quit thinking about Touka, it makes her think of Touka even more.

Their conversation is interrupted by Mikage - who, in a shocking twist, actually rings the doorbell for once instead of barging in! It turns out she's very upset, explaining she got in a fight with Sudachi. In short, she and Sudachi were hanging out together, but Mikage kept zoning out. Sudachi noticed, and Mikage explained school was exhausting her, saying life would be so much easier if there wasn't any school. Sudachi took offense, saying she was jealous that Mikage got to go to school while Sudachi can’t ever go back. Mikage took offense to this in turn - Mikage has no friends at school, so it's boring, so if anything, she's the one jealous of how Sudachi can skip school without any problems. From there, they got into a row, and are still furious over it.

Nayuta remarks that even though Sudachi and Mikage fought, they're both at least far more kind than Touka, which prompts her to start venting about one of her memories that’s been eating at her - an incident where Touka mocked and bullied her over a complicated science problem. Mikage, though, whines that *she’s* the one who’s supposed to be complaining right now, not Nayuta; but Nayuta doesn’t just want to sit and listen to Mikage complain all day, and they start bickering and squabbling about it. Rabi, though, soon defuses the tension by serving them pudding.

After finishing her snack, Mikage realizes she lost the cute handkerchief she bought the other day - she must’ve lost it at the Tomorrow Shop. Since Nayuta and Rabi were planning on doing some shopping in the area, they all head out together - only to bump into Sudachi, who has the handkerchief with her. Mikage implies Sudachi must have stolen it, and they immediately start fighting again. Then, out of nowhere, Nayuta orders them both to calm down, saying they're both trying to make the other look bad, which confuses Mikage. Fortunately, Rabi quickly backs her up, explaining that since Mikage and Sudachi recently had a fight and are still high on their emotions, they're both trying to validate their feelings by making the other out to be wrong. Neither of them are necessarily bad or wrong here, but negative feelings about the other person are bound to warp their perception of each other. Nayuta relates this back to her school assignment - if you only look at the surface-level actions of another person, you can't see their true side.

Once things calm down and the girls calmly communicate their side of the story, it turns out Mikage had accidentally tucked her handkerchief in Sudachi's bag when they were hanging out together the other day. Sudachi, then, was at the Tomorrow Shop to hand it over to the owner to return to Mikage, but bumped into Mikage first. There’s no question why Mikage got their bags mixed up - they both match perfectly. That fact makes it obvious how close they both really are...and so the apologies begin.

Sudachi explains that back when she went to school, there were days she, too, dreaded going. She took Mikage's complaints as bragging in a way, even though she knows that wasn't Mikage's intention. Mikage explains that while she doesn't know the whole story of why Sudachi stopped going to school, she should have known how Sudachi would feel by dissing it, and should have kept her complaints to herself. They both apologize and immediately become best friends again, which is Nayuta and Rabi's cue to slip away.

Nayuta thanks Rabi for the assist - Nayuta’s attempts at mediation had floundered back there, but Rabi realized what Nayuta was trying to do and got things back on track. Rabi remarks that she was impressed by Nayuta in turn - in the short time they've lived together, her impression of Nayuta was that she was childish and whiny, but this incident demonstrates she's actually quite strong in her own right.

These words hit home for Nayuta. Once she gets home, she gets choked up and throws herself onto the couch. She explains to Rabi that she wants to "start over," even though it's impossible to do so now. She talks about how the Johari Window exercise in class has prompted her to look back at her stubbornness and all the missteps and mistakes she’s made because of it - such as how once she makes a judgment of someone’s character, she never changes her stance, and has lost many valuable relationships as a result. She intervened in Mikage and Sudachi’s fight not for any noble cause or personal code, but simply because she freaked out that they would lose their relationship the way Nayuta has lost hers...and seeing them make up so easily has made Nayuta feel even more terrible. Rabi asks what exactly Nayuta wants to "start over" with. For Nayuta, it’s her relationship with her parents.

Nayuta explains how her mother was incredibly strict (think of the "tiger mother" stereotype), and Nayuta resented her for that. We see an example of their dynamic in a memory from when Nayuta was little, where she came home with a score of 95 on her test. The class average was 75, and Nayuta was the fifth best in class, but her mom is angry that she didn’t get number one. Since Nayuta’s dad is a scholar, her mother says people expect Nayuta to follow in his footsteps. Since none of the other students have scholarly parents, Nayuta, therefore, should be the best in class. The fact she isn’t will make other people think Nayuta isn’t smart or doesn’t try hard enough, which then reflects poorly on the rest of the family. Nayuta's mom keeps snapping at her until Nayuta is crushed, then whisks her off to painting class. Nayuta doesn't want to go because she has a piano competition that weekend and wants a break, but her mother insists it's a poor excuse for slacking off.

Meanwhile, Nayuta's father is very gentle, laid-back, and kind. In that same memory, he comes home from a work trip to an exotic locale, bringing home a jar of seasoning as a souvenir. Nayuta's mom starts fussing and stressing about the ingredients, what meals it should be used for, the lack of an expiration date, and so on; Nayuta's father doesn't have a good answer to any of her questions. She complains that his whims make her life even harder, and his demeanor encourages Nayuta to slack off in her studies, and from there they start fighting. Basically, every day in Nayuta's home had screaming and fighting filling the walls, whether they came from her and her mom or her mom and her dad...until the day came that Nayuta "destroyed it."

In the build-up to Nayuta’s wish, we see how things became worse and worse - Nayuta loses a contest because with her packed schedule, given all the obligations her mom forces upon her, she had no time to practice for it. Her mom, however, only cares about the fact Nayuta lost...and notes to Nayuta how she's becoming the spitting image of her father - a girl with no will of her own.

Aside from that, the fights between her mom and dad reach a fever pitch, too, to the point Nayuta can’t stand another day living in that house - which prompts Kyubey to come knocking.

Nayuta (who seems fairly young when she made her wish, given she has the little kid sprite here instead of her current self) - considered several wishes before deciding on one. For example, she could have wished to be her mother’s ideal daughter...which would save Nayuta, but wouldn't stop the fights between her parents. She could wish for her dad to be as strong-willed as her mom, which would have him finally stand up for himself in their fights...but she doesn’t want her dad’s personality to change one bit. That gives her an idea, and she wishes to change her mom: She wishes for her mom to be as calm and gentle as her dad. She expects this to lead to a peaceful household...but instead, it gets her parents divorced.

You see, after the wish, her mom’s personality completely changed. Nayuta realized she only saw her parents' relationship on a shallow level, judging her mother as "bad" and her father as "good" without understanding the full picture. With a new personality, her mom realizes how shallow and obsessed with how others perceived her and her family...but also realizes that despite their arguments, she and her husband were actually in tune with each other, with their opposite temperaments having balanced each other out. Now, their connection and love has been lost. Nayuta's dad, however, is very calm about this abrupt change in personality, for he knows the exact cause - he explains that this could only be the result of a magical girl's wish (which Nayuta’s mom dismisses immediately).

We don't get to see the aftermath, however. We return to the present day, with Nayuta lamenting her actions and the fact she continues to make shallow assumptions, despite how they impacted her home life. Rabi, though, thinks nothing of it. She explains Nayuta, at least, is self-aware enough to realize she's making the same mistakes as before - and now that she’s woken up, she can change. She relays the fable of a man dropping a treasured sword into a lake, but in a rush decision, instead of marking the point he dropped it on the map, he marked the ship itself instead - so when the boat came to port, he, of course, couldn't find his sword. In short, the fable is saying that the world is constantly changing, and cautions against getting so caught up in habit and tradition that you lose sight of what's happening now. People grow and change, even if Nayuta hasn’t seen it for her stubbornness - and while she can’t go back and repair every relationship she’s lost, in some cases, she still has a chance to go back and fix things.

And of course, the first step is for Nayuta to reconcile with Touka. Nayuta apologizes for slapping Touka at the Coordinator's Shop in Arc 2 Chapter 2, and for her failure to see Touka for who she is now - she's grown beyond the petulant brat she was in Nayuta's childhood. Touka admits she was pretty awful in the past, and that her opinions have changed a lot. She respects Nayuta's dad now for pursuing his research despite all the opposition he’s faced - and since Nayuta's opinion on Touka has changed, Touka can do likewise. All is well...for about five seconds. Touka brings up Nayuta’s dad’s schlubby appearance, and wonders if his research isn't accepted because he looks like a total slob, prompting Nayuta to slap her again and storm home. Rabi, however, approves of Nayuta's course of action - and Nayuta realizes she and Rabi much more alike than she had assumed.

## Trivia

* her last name mean "village" (里) and "to see" (見) respectively.
* her first name mean "what" (那), "wherefore/a reason" (由), and "others" (他) respectively. Collectively, Nayuta (那由他) means "decillion", an extremely large number, which is one nonillion times bigger than 1 million.
* Her Doppel's name "Jing" may refer to the male/mighty role played in Xiqu or Chinese Opera, its appearance ties with Chinese opera costumes as well.
* Her design appears to be based on Princess Iron Fan (鐵扇公主) from Journey to the West.