Disclaimer: I do not own ATLUS, the Persona series, or its affiliates. The characters and places in this story also belong to ATLUS, not me.
It was finally time for lunch. Barely a moment after closing Class 2-F's door behind her, Hamuko was greeted by a head of teal hair. Three rejected invitations later, Hamuko's eyes lit up as the one she actually wanted to see came up to her. "Oh, it's you, Hamuko. Do you have time today? I have something I want to tell you." Akihiko didn't smile. "I don't know yet," replied Hamuko, wondering if she had made the right decision in rejecting the other three invitations. Akihiko usually smiled when he saw her, but maybe today he needed her for something serious. But the words had already tumbled out. "I see. If you have this afternoon open, then come talk to me. See ya." He left without looking back.
Class ended for the day. Hamuko made up her mind: she'd hang out with her senpai. She rushed downstairs to avoid the disappointed eyes of Fuuka and eventually found Akihiko in his usual spot. "Hamuko...? What's up?" Understanding dawned on his face once he saw hers. "Alright... let's go." His face brightened, as if in reassurance that Hamuko needn't worry. She followed him to Gekkoukan High's rooftop with not the slightest clue as to why he brought her there. He began speaking. "There's no one here... That's a pity, since the wind is so nice right now." Indeed, the wind felt refreshing, nudging Hamuko's ponytail every now and then. "Do you come here often?" she asked, just for the sake of starting a conversation. "No, not so much lately." He quieted. "Shinji used to come up here when he skipped his classes. He'd fall asleep, so I'd come here when my club activities were over to get him..." Akihiko laughed nostalgically before continuing. "You can see out into the distance from here... It's so far that my eyes start to hurt trying to see it all..." The two took a moment to look out at mainland Japan's skyline. Without warning, Akihiko spoke up in the silence. "You remember the stuff I told you about my sister?" Hamuko nodded, but her senpai didn't notice. He sighed and closed his eyes as he dug up the painful memories yet again. "I'm tired of losing what's important. I thought it would be better not to let things get too important than to risk losing them... But lately, I don't think so." He opened his eyes, and Hamuko found herself trapped in his dark gaze. "If I want to avoid that feeling... I have to work to protect what's precious to me. And that means everything precious... including you." Hamuko blushed, but remained still as her senpai radiated strength and determination. Maybe that's what she liked about him. She could sense his resolve, but he started to glare at her for some reason. "Are you mad?" she asked, startled. "Huh...? N-No, of course not!" Akihiko blushed, obviously flustered. His leader realized that he wasn't glaring at her. He was just nervous. "Um... so...! ...It's really strange... I really liked hanging out together... I used to, anyway." He looked down. Hamuko asked what he meant. He just sighed, unable to put his feelings into words. "But now... I feel all tense and on edge... It's the weirdest thing." Hamuko felt almost sorry for her team member. Almost... but not quite. "You're in love," she informed him, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes softened. "L-Love...? This is love? Huh... Oh!" He must've noticed that the blushing intensified. He seemed genuinely surprised, though. It made sense, Hamuko figured, seeing as he grew up an orphan with a sister that lasted only a few sacred years. The poor senior had never known love. But Hamuko would show him otherwise.
"It already slipped out, but... I'd... like to know how you feel... Will you be my girl?"
Hamuko did not hesitate. "Yes!"
"Really?!" Akihiko smiled from ear to ear, enveloping his first girlfriend in a tight hug. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. "Oh, sorry! Um... Well then... Here's hoping for the best, right? Wow... This got awkward all of a sudden..." He laughed, and Hamuko just smiled real big. They talked of various things until the sun went down, then returned to the dormitory hand in hand.