Prologue
I, Minako Arisato, am a part of a team that fights beings called shadows. At first it was just Junpei, Yukari, and I battling them while Mitsuru provided backup away from all the chaos. We managed to only get so far with just the three of us fighting. The shadows were getting stronger with each floor and it goes without saying that the guardians are also becoming more deadly. It was obvious that we needed to get stronger, and the shadows we started to come across had weaknesses we had trouble exploiting. Sure, holding the wild card gave me the ability to summon different persona to fight those shadows, but it's just not enough you know? I felt as if I were doing two people's worth of work.
With the arrival of Akihiko Sanada, I felt as if a weight was lifted from my shoulders. We were able to take on much stronger shadows and advance in our exploration of Tartarus. He was one hell of a fighter. He was fast on his feet, and quick with his fists. Best of all, he was great at following orders. All in all, he was a great addition to the team.
The only real downside was that the team had developed a sort of awkward relationship. He didn't really seem all into our conversations and didn't really talk to us much outside of school unless it was related to the dark hour. I had noticed that Junpei had made fewer jokes than usual and that Yukari... well she was glad that Junpei had shut up for the most part, but I had noticed she too talked less than usual with the presence of the boxer.
The three of us were used to being together. Whether it be in Tartarus or in school.n You see, Junpei and Yukari were both my closest friends, and I could trust them with my life, but Akihiko and I weren't even remotely close and that was something I definetly wanted to change. Is it so bad to want to be close to our newest member? We don't have to be the best of friends, but at least we should be somewhat acquainted with each other. I'm the leader of the group after all. I should be on at least fair terms with those who are following me.
The only problem was that I couldn't really get close to the guy. We both seemed to be busy during our evenings, so right after class was our best bet. Unfortunately, right after class, his fangirls start swarming him. Those harpies are the reason why I can't even talk to the guy. They're either surrounding him or watching him from afar. It's disgusting, yet he seems to not care about it at all!
One day, I grew tired and frustrated about all this. I had asked Yukari and Junpei to come to my room that night for some advice. I had explained to them both what I wanted to accomplish. Both thought I was interested in Akihiko. I tried most of the time to convince them that I'm wasn't interested, but they wouldn't stop. After a while I just snapped.
"Guys, quit it! He's not my type!"