I've thought about re-writing my one-shot 'That Stupid Smile of Hers' and I've started working on it a little bit. This was supposed to be a short proof-reading session of the original draft... yet somehow I've edited it quite a lot, taking out and adding new events... I've even portrayed both characters a little differently here. I uploaded it seperately from the original for that very reason.

This is just a preview. I'll take it off and replace it with the complete content once I've finished it. I won't make any promises of when I can post it up, though...

(EDIT: This story is definitely getting more praise and attention than I thought it would. I've noticed that quite a few people have already reviewed and favourited this, so I've decided not to take it down. I'm really glad you guys enjoyed it! So slight change of plans: Instead of keeping this as a one-shot... it's a multi-chaptered story now. :'D The original draft is the more compressed, not-so-detailed version while this one is the more long-winded, slightly alternate way of how things may have gone. If you've already read the original draft— therefore knowing how this is going to end: you are still welcome to read it, anyway. :D)

Disclaimer: The company Atlus has full ownership of the Persona series.

"Tch, I look like a pansy."

Shinjiro scornfully glanced at his reflection with distaste. Hastily, he unbuttoned the top section of his shirt; he had to—the damn thing was practically suffocating him. His frown deepened at the pathetic excuse of a tie which hung messily on his shirt collar, as if it had committed a horrible crime against him. But that wasn't the reason—it was just too obvious that he did a very shabby job with it.

He sighed, trying to decide whether he should just undo the goddamn tie and start all over again...

...Hmph. Screw it.

He didn't want to spend the whole morning obsessing over his stupid uniform. It's not like he even wanted to go back to that shit-hole, anyway.

Originally, he was just going to go in his usual clothes... However, they conveniently went missing. He didn't need to question who was responsible; It's only been a day since... since... Tch. He shuddered repulsively, he couldn't even bring himself to say it in his head... It was too... humiliating.

To put it in a way where he could still keep what was left of his dignity: It severely wounded his pride that he was getting bossed around by someone a lot... smaller than him. He felt like someone who had lost a bet; someone who was forced into doing something utterly atrocious, just so their deepest secret wouldn't be exposed. He usually didn't take shit from anybody, but then again... she wasn't just anybody. She was the freaking leader of SEES. It caught him by surprise; He wondered why she asked for such a ridiculous request completely out of the blue—Mitsuru was supposed to be the pushy, academic one... not her.

"Why don't you ever go to school, senpai?"

"'Cause I don't need to."

"Why not?"

"It's a complete waste of time."

"How so?"

"None of the shit you 'learn' is gonna matter later on."

"How can you be so sure when you haven't gone there in a while?"

"Tch. What is it with you? Why're you so full of questions today? It's not like I have all the answers."

"Why don't you promise me something?"

"I don't do 'promises.' I've never been any good at keeping them."

"Well... okay. How about a request?"

"...Fine. As long as it ain't something stupid. Whaddya want?"

"I've been eating on a very strict and veery balanced diet just like you asked... So in return, will you go to school—"

"...Hell no."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"NO."

"PLEASE? Just for one day?"

"Nope. Not even for a second."

"Then I guess I'll just have to stop eating until you do."

"Hmph, then I guess I'll just have to force feed you so you don't die from malnutrition."

"I know you won't let something like that happen. You're much too kind for that, senpai."

"Kind? Don't be stupid. You know I ain't a nice guy."

"Anyway, don't try and change the subject—I'm serious, senpai. I won't mind it OR maybe I could just live off of eating junk food for a while. Everyone knows that they're a lot easier on the taste buds than healthy food."

"Well whatever, it's not like I care. You go ahead and do that. Stuff yourself as much as you like."

Tch, girls really are nothing but trouble.

He took the reverse-psychology approach, but it didn't have the effect he had hoped for. It turned out she wasn't really bluffing. She had stopped eating fruits, vegetables or any of the other food required to gain the necessary nutrients. To add to that, he was surprised to find that he actually did care... a little too much; a HELL of a lot more than he allowed himself to.

He sighed heavily—if only there was a way he could force himself to stop caring. Things would have been so much easier. He wouldn't have to deal with such pointless shit any more.

Hmph, I guess I could always skip. Maybe he could stall for more time and tell her that he was still 'fixing' his tie. Besides, they weren't even in the same class... so how could she possibly find out?

... It didn't take long for him to feel agitated once again. Even if Shinjiro managed to ditch class, he was well aware that his damn traitor of a best friend would probably inform Miss Leader of his absence. After all, Aki was more than thrilled at the news that his childhood friend was coming back to Gekkoukan High. And even then, it's not like Shinjiro would be able to hide it from her so easily; he knew better than to underestimate her. Aki and Mitsuru weren't idiots—they both chose her as the leader of SEES for a reason. It wouldn't surprise him if she stood outside his door and waited, even if he took hours to prepare. Heck, she probably wouldn't leave him alone until she walked him to his classroom. She was just too goddamn stubborn for her own good.

"Senpaaaai! Are you ready yet? You've been in there for a long time." Well, speak—or rather think—of the devil.

"…I can get there myself. I know the way, idiot." Tch, he didn't need her to check up on him. He wasn't some stupid kid who needed twenty-four hour surveillance.

"No. I want to walk with you." Her voice was firm and serious, mixed with a hint of longing. There was a door standing between them, so he couldn't really tell if she was just trying to be cute OR if she was just saying that to mock him.

"Bullshit. You don't need to make it sound so sappy. You just want to make sure I don't skip."

What followed his response was a long—yes, long... for someone as loud and chatty as her— silence.

However, he knew the silence wasn't going to last very long. By now, he was pretty much used to her— he waited patiently; expecting some sort of witty remark or sarcastic comeback from the other side of the door. After a few moments, he began to realise just how wrong his assumption was as the silence had grown... painful.

Shinjiro felt uneasy. She went out of her way and bothered him just for something like that? Just to tell him she wanted to walk together? It was a rather peculiar thing to do... even for her. He could have sworn she had an ulterior motive. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a little perturbed, hoping that what he said to her wasn't too out of line. What if she was still standing out there, hurt and offended? As tactless as he was, he still had a conscience. He didn't like the thought of upsetting the stupid girl.

Still, he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe it was nothing. She probably just got bored and decided to leave or... perhaps, she got really hungry and decided to have breakfast before him. He thought the latter was the more likely explanation. That damn idiot always did have a bottomless pit for a stomach, after all.

Though, it still wasn't enough to keep him from feeling... guilty—the possibility was still there; But so what? It wouldn't be the first time he'd unintentionally upset someone. How was THIS any different? ...Then again, what if she was doing this on purpose? What if she just wanted him to open the door? Just to prove that he wasn't the cold, non-caring bastard he was trying to make himself out to be?

...Shit...

Well... There was only one way to find out... even if he wasn't exactly willing to do it. He warily cast an eye at the wooden frame of his door while taking slow, cautious steps towards it. His raised an arm towards the prism handle with his hands shaking nervously; Was she hurt and offended? Was he just paranoid? OR Was she testing him? He was really unsure about which one he'd rather choose...

"Aaand... Am I wrong? You were planning on skipping, weren't you?" He was startled by the smug, know-it-all tone of her voice.

He sighed with relief, feeling very glad and thankful that he hadn't opened the door. He was sure he would've been greeted by her stupid triumphant smile instead. Hell, he didn't even need to open the damn door to know that that's exactly what was plastered on her stupid face. Tch, that idiot. Making him worry like that just for her stupid little mind games...

"… Hmph, aren't you psychic." Shinjiro retorted grumpily, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He didn't want to give that stupid little brat the satisfaction of knowing that he'd been worried about her.

"It's not that. You're just too predictable, senpai."

"...Whatever."

"Whatever!" They both said at the exact same time. Shinjiro angrily narrowed his eyes at the door, as he heard the voice on the other side laughing hysterically.

"Oh, yeah. You never answered my question earlier. Are you ready yet, senpai?"

A frustrated Shinjiro pretended that he didn't hear anything. If he was as damn predictable as she said, then maybe she should try answering for him. That damn little know-it-all.

"Well, I have been standing out here for a while, so I take it you're ready now, right?" Dammit, why couldn't she just take a hint? "I'm coming iiin~!" The idiotic girl exclaimed in an annoying, sing-song voice. Much to his chagrin, he heard her hurriedly turning the door knob with excitement. He was then greeted by that all-too-familiar smile of the brunette. Kaori's eyes widened with surprise and amusement as she opened the door—

—only to meet with Shinjiro's angry scowl. He was clearly not amused. Clearly.

"What the HELL is wrong with you! ? You can't just go barging into someone's room like that!"

"Ahaha~! Well in my defense, I did tell you I was coming in!" Kaori chortled, clearly entertained by his reaction.

"'The hell are you gawking at me for?" He asked demandingly.

"Something seems a bit... off with your uniform." Kaori stated with a kind smile, akin to that of a loving mother who was helping her son prepare for his first day of school. "Here, let me help you." She proceeded to fix his shirt collar and undo his tie. This wasn't exactly an easy task for the girl; Her senpai was too tall that she had to tiptoe just to reach the small fabric. Shinjiro's face flushed into a deep hue of red as her face inched closer to his. He couldn't help it; It was a normal reaction. He was still a guy and... she looked too... cute, adorable even. (Though, there was no way in hell he would ever admit THAT to her.)

But of course, that didn't mean he had forgiven her—he thought she was still an idiot for forcing him to go to school.

"Can I just not wear the stupid tie?" Shinjiro asked exasperatedly, whilst forcing his eyes away from her. He didn't want her to spend too much time 'helping' him with it. "Makes me look like a complete idiot."

"Hmm..." Kaori pondered for a while. "Well, I've seen Junpei without it... and none of the teachers have said anything. Alright! I guess it's okay."

"Yeah, well. None of the teachers said anything about me skipping school, but that didn't stop you from forcing me to go there." It's true; all of this was meaningless. After all, he couldn't do anything to change his already tarnished school record. He knew those stupid teachers could care less if he came back. Hell, there was that one time where Fuuka went missing for days, yet her incompetent moron of a homeroom teacher chose to do nothing about it.

"I didn't force you to do anything! All I did was use my awesome persuasion powers on you, and ta-daa!" She beamed proudly, making an I-proved-my-point! gesture towards his uniform. "It worked!"

He merely scowled at her in response. To him, forcing someone to do something against their own will and 'awesome persuasion powers' meant the exact same thing in Kaori Nagisa's dictionary.

"Seriously, though... I'm really happy you decided to do this." Funnily enough, she didn't even need to mention it. 'Really happy' wasn't good enough to describe what he clearly felt from her. It was one of those rare moments where her smile didn't seem so forced—it was more sincere, more gentle. "You know this is for your benefit, right?"

He was quiet for a moment, trying to think of the most... Shinjiro-like answer he could come up with. Getting pushed around by a girl was one thing... but being speechless because of a girl? Being a complete gentleman? Tch. Hell would have to freeze over first before Shinjiro Aragaki started acting like that.

"Hmph, the only one this 'benefits' is you. You always get your way. You think you can push me around all the time just because you're the leader."

"Ah. Well, you might resent me for it now, but you'll thank me later." She said matter-of-factly.

He didn't exactly resent her, per say. At least... not as much as he resented himself for allowing her to bring him into this mess.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway while we're at it..." He gave her a piercing glare, similar to that of a detective trying to squeeze a confession out of a criminal. "What happened to my clothes and my hat? I know you've got something to do with why they went missing. Don't bother denying it."

"I asked Aigis to keep them hidden." She nonchalantly replied with a small smile, not looking guilty or ashamed in the least bit.

His lips formed into a small 'o' shape. There were just... so... many things... wrong with that sentence; Just... how can she say that with such a straight face, without so much as flinching? He didn't even know where to begin. The obvious violation of his privacy... breaking and entering... not to mention stealing his clothes... Tch. He made a mental note to have a little talk with Kirijo later; something about installing a new lock to his room. But... there was something else that didn't quite add, either. Just how the hell could the robot have managed that? For the whole of yesterday, he caged himself in his room sulking over his agreement (which he had done so begrudgingly) to go back to Gekkoukan High. He wasn't blind nor was he an idiot; He would have noticed if someone or something came into his room. Unless...

His eyes widened with horror. It was a crazy thought, but dare he ask?

"...You mean, she came in here when I was sleeping?"

"Well... I only asked her to retrieve them from you." She smiled mischievously. "How or when she got them has nothing to do with me."

"Huh. I'll say." The tone of his voice was sceptical, mixed with the appropriate amount of sarcasm.

"What? You really think I'd go that far?" She exclaimed, sounding rather hurt. He didn't miss the hint of mockery that came with it, though.

"Oh, cut the crap. You just admitted it!"

"I don't remember admitting that I did anything illegal." She smiled sweetly. Tch, right. So urging the robot to steal his clothes wasn't illegal, at all... Right. "So, what exactly are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what the hell I'm talking about!"

"Hmm... you know, senpai. You shouldn't accuse people so recklessly if you don't have anything to back it up."

Drat. Well, as much as he hated to admit it—she got him there. No use in trying to prove a point when you don't have any proof. Tch, since when did she start playing 'detective'?

He rolled his eyes, deciding that he wasn't going to win this one... Then again, when it came to arguing with her, when did he ever win?

"Just... don't do it again, alright?" He stated dryly. "You didn't have to get her to do... that. You could've just knocked if you needed something, that's what the damn door's there for."

"I guess so." She started with an innocent smile. "But think about it, senpai... If I did ask you to, were you just going to hand them over so easily?"

"Tch." There was silence once more as she smiled a victorious, devilish grin. He always hated that stupid grin—He always hated having to admit that he was... wrong.

"Anyway, quit standing around like an idiot." He decided to break the silence and change the subject. "If you're done bothering me, just get your ass down the stairs and wait there."

"Why can't I wait here? Are you planning to do something baad?"

Shinjiro rolled his eyes once more. "No. That's not it. I just need some more time."

"But you're dressed already. I said you didn't have to wear the tie, remember?"

"It ain't that."

"Looking for school books?"

"...You're never going to leave me alone, are you?"

"Nope."

It was a cue for another awkward silence, along with the sound of Shinjiro's school shoes tapping against the wooden floor board with immense agitation.

Then finally, he said: "...I just don't want Aki and Mitsuru to see me like this."