A SUNDAY NIGHT
The morning air was always nice and relaxing, with a light, cool and gentle breeze. The sun was just rising, spreading its light across the peaceful city. Blossom petals littered the streets – spring was in the air, and the frost of winter was slowly and steadily melting away.
The Dormitory near Naganaki Shrine and Iwatodai Station was quiet – there were only three people in the Dorm who were early risers – Mitsuru Kirijo, the Gekkoukan High Student Council President, Akihiko Sanada, the school's Captain of the Boxing Team, and Aigis, an android that the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES for short) had stumbled upon while on a vacation at Yakushima. But then, Aigis never really slept anyway.
Mitsuru was still in her nightgown – it was early after all, and it was a Sunday, so there was no school. She was seated on one of the armchairs in the Lounge, a book in her hands and a cup of hot tea on the coffee table in front of her. Mitsuru was an overachiever, a perfectionist, and the daughter of the executive of the Kirijo Group, which owned Gekkoukan High School – although that was not the reason why she was chosen as Student Council President. Mitsuru was stunningly beautiful, with dark red hair that curled slightly at the ends, and a personality that can only be described as perfect, though she was not a very friendly and warm person. She was charming, firm, authoritative, fair and kind, though she rarely showed warmth and friendliness. Gekkoukan High students felt an aura around her whenever she entered a room or walked past – she was the obvious choice as Student Council President.
Akihiko was already dressed – he always woke up early to start his training, one of the reasons why he was elected Captain of the Boxing Team. He was hardworking and passionate about his sport, with a past that was as complicated as Mitsuru's past. For a long time, it had been only him and Mitsuru who were able to summon Personas – manifestations of a person's psyche – but recently, they acquired a handful of new members. As handsome as Mitsuru is beautiful, Akihiko attracted a lot of girls, especially at school, although he was actually rather shy when it came to talking to them.
Aigis appeared to be reading a book, although really she was lost in her own thoughts. So much had changed for her since she had moved in to live with them in this Dorm. She was originally built ten years ago as a weapon to destroy the creatures that came out during the Dark Hour – Shadows. Although recently, she had come to learn that she was doing this not simply because it was her purpose, but because she wanted to protect the people she cared so much about.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Surprised, Mitsuru, Akihiko and Aigis looked up from what they had been doing just now.
"What the heck was that?" Akihiko asked.
"It sounded like Iori," Mitsuru added.
"I think that he is alright," Aigis assured them. "It is early morning – it cannot be a Shadow. He is probably just upset about something."
"I know that," Akihiko said, "but I'd like to know what he just yelled about." He rushed up the stairs and found Junpei wrapped in a towel, standing in front of his open bedroom door. He was shivering.
"Junpei, what's going on?" Akihiko enquired. "What did you just yell about?"
"Oh, hey, Senpai," Junpei greeted. "Ugh, it's the shower – the water's cold!"
Akihiko sighed. "That's the problem? You didn't have to yell about it."
"H-hey! Winter just passed, it's still pretty chilly," Junpei defended himself.
"What's going on here?"
Akihiko turned around and found Yukari and Fuuka standing at the foot of the staircase that led to the second floor. Junpei yelped and fled back into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
"Oh, it's just Stupei again huh?" Yukari sighed. "Let me guess – cold shower?"
"Wait, how'd you know that?" Akihiko asked her.
"Kinda obvious isn't it?" Yukari pointed out. "And anyway, the water's cold in my bathroom too but you don't hear me yelling about in the early morning."
"So's mine," Fuuka admitted.
"Hang on, the three of you have shower problems and you never said a word about it before now?" Akihiko said.
"Um, yeah," Yukari grinned. "Sorry. We thought it'd go away on its own but it's been around for a few days now…looks like Junpei just got the same problem."
"We'll have to get it fixed then, right?" Mitsuru added, coming up the stairs. "I'll call a repairman later. Akihiko and I have something to take care of this evening, and we won't be back until late – so you're all free to do what you like today."
"Oh, that's good," Yukari sighed. "I was really tired from last night's exploration – and anyway we were just about to ask you for permission to rest tonight anyway."
"Why is that?" Mitsuru asked them, raising an eyebrow.
"It's Natsuki-chan's birthday today," Fuuka said. "She invited me, Yukari and Aigis. The party's at night, so we were thinking of taking a break today to celebrate her birthday."
"I see," Mitsuru nodded.
"Looks like it leaves Minato, Ken, Koromaru and Junpei," Akihiko mused. At that moment, Junpei came out from his bedroom, fully dressed in warm clothing.
"Did someone say my name?" he asked. "Oh, hey Yuka-tan, Fuuka. Why're you girls up so early?"
"We happened to hear someone scream like a sissy while we were asleep," Yukari told him, raising an eyebrow. "I should've known it was you."
"The shower was cold, okay?" Junpei complained.
"So's our showers, but we didn't scream about it," Yukari added.
"Hmph," Junpei snorted. "So, what's up, Akihiko-senpai?"
"Mitsuru and I are busy tonight," Akihiko told him, "so you guys are free today."
"Yukari, Aigis and I are going to Natsuki's birthday party tonight," Fuuka said to Junpei, "so you, Koro-chan, Ken and Minato will have to find something else to do."
"Aww, why can't we come along?" Junpei whined. "You know Junpei loves a good party!"
"Ugh, sorry, Stupei," Yukari said, "Natsuki's party is invitation only, and you guys weren't invited."
"This Natsuki doesn't know how to throw a party if she didn't invite me!" Junpei said, pretending to look insulted. "Um – no offence, Fuuka."
"You will just have to make plans or stay at the Dorm tonight," Mitsuru said, turning to go back downstairs. "If there's any problems, just call me or Akihiko. But the next Full Moon is still over a fortnight away, so I don't think you'll encounter any problems."
As Mitsuru went back downstairs, Yukari and Fuuka returned to their rooms and Junpei turned to speak to Akihiko.
"So, Akihiko-senpai," he said, "where're you and Mitsuru-senpai going tonight? Did you finally get the nerve to ask her out?"
Akihiko hoped Junpei wouldn't notice that he was blushing.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Junpei," he said, turning away quickly. "Just make sure you don't cause any trouble tonight or else."
"Admit it, Senpai, I can see you blushing…," Junpei said teasingly.
Akihiko didn't say anything, but just walked away.
************
Junpei looked up from his bowl of cereal as Minato entered the Lounge.
"Hey, Minato!" he greeted. "Our Senpai are out on a date tonight and the gals are going to a birthday party – so that just leaves you, me, the kid and the dog."
"Junpei – we heard all that, you know," Akihiko said from his seat on the sofa.
"Akihiko and I are not dating," Mitsuru denied, although her cheeks were a bit red. "We merely have something important to attend to tonight."
"Call it what you like, Senpai," Junpei grinned. "So – Minato – we need plans for tonight." In a whisper, he added, "I've got an idea, but I can't tell you about it here – let's wait until everyone goes out tonight."
Akihiko noticed. Junpei was planning something alright…he beckoned Ken over and said quietly, "If Junpei's up to anything funny, give us a call and we'll take care of him, okay?"
"Yes, Sanada-san," Ken nodded.
Junpei finished his breakfast quickly and looked around for his handheld game.
"Hey, did anyone see my handheld game?" he asked, looking around for it. "I could've sworn I left it on the television last night…"
"Bark!" Koromaru, a dog with the ability to summon a Persona, ran over to Junpei and dropped a wet-with-dog-saliva handheld game at Junpei's feet.
Junpei groaned. "Oh man you've slobbered it! *Sigh* Well thanks for bringing it to me anyway."
"Hey, Stupei, how about a bet?" Yukari challenged him. "I bet that you can't go three nights without losing your handheld game. Loser has to eat Koromaru's dog food for dinner for one night and nothing but cold tuna for a whole week."
"N-no way!" Junpei said, his eyes wide. "That isn't fair – you know I can't go even one night without misplacing my handheld game."
"Oh, is little Stupei afraid of a bet?" Yukari went on. "I understand if you wanna chicken out…"
"Junpei Iori is not afraid of a little thing like a bet," Junpei defended. "I accept your challenge. Get ready to eat dog food and cold tuna, Yuka-tan."
"Well, Yukari, if Iori wins this bet, maybe he'll stop losing all his belongings everyday," Mitsuru said. "That will save me a lot of trouble having to tell him where I saw it."
"I won't be surprised if Junpei loses," Akihiko commented.
It was Sunday evening, and Akihiko and Mitsuru had just left the Dorm. Contrary to their own words, they were, in fact, going out that night.
The two were silent as they entered the Hagakure Ramen Shop at the Iwatodai Strip Mall. Neither one knew what to say to the other without sounding awkward or stupid. As they seated themselves at one of the tables, Akihiko decided to break the silence.
"It's kind of odd that we never thought of doing this before," Akihiko said uncertainly. "We've known each other for a long time after all."
"Yes, I suppose so," Mitsuru sighed. "Akihiko, when I look at you, I see so many things about you that I myself have. And I also notice that you've changed…but we're all growing up, right? It doesn't bother me."
"I get the feeling that it does, though," Akihiko said.
Mitsuru looked at him and said, "Don't you feel a little…awkward…with just the two of us here?"
"A little, yeah," Akihiko admitted. "But there's nothing wrong with two friends spending time with each other so there shouldn't be any reason to feel awkward, to be honest."
"You're right, of course," Mitsuru smiled at him. "There shouldn't be any reason for awkwardness."
***********
Meanwhile, back at the Dorm…
"Okay, everyone's gone out now," Junpei said to Minato. It was just them, Ken and Koromaru at the Dorm, everyone else had other plans.
"We're gonna throw our own party!" Junpei grinned. "I've already handled everything. There'll be people here at eight o'clock, and I've ordered enough pizzas for everyone, so it's all systems go."
Minato just stared at Junpei. "Are you nuts?!" he exclaimed. "How could you forget the Kyoto trip? Mitsuru will totally execute us!"
Junpei laughed. "Chill, buddy," he assured Minato. "The party's only until ten o'clock, and I've checked with Yuka-tan and Akihiko-senpai – they're not coming back until eleven. So we can have the party and we'll have plenty of time to get rid of the evidence."
"I still don't know about this…" Minato said doubtfully. "This is Mitsuru we're talking about…"
"If you're too chicken to join, just stay in your room and study all night, then," Junpei said. "But you're gonna be missing out on a great party…"
"I think I'd rather be on the safe side, thanks," Minato said. "No, I'll go out to the cinema – have fun, Junpei."
When Minato left the Dorm, Junpei noticed that he was now the only one left in the . Lounge except for Koromaru.
"Hm, where'd Ken go?" he wondered.
Ken had retreated to his bedroom and was phoning Akihiko to tell him about Junpei's plans.
"Hello?" said Akihiko when he answered his cell phone.
"Hello, Sanada-san, this is Ken," he said. "Junpei's throwing a party here at the Dorm. Don't be mad at Minato though, he had nothing to do with it – he's gone out to the cinema."
"What?!" Akihiko exclaimed. "Well then leave it to us when we get back, Ken. Thanks for telling me."
************
"Who was that?" Mitsuru asked as Akihiko ended the call and pocketed his phone.
"Oh, I'll tell you when we're on our way home," Akihiko said hastily. He knew Mitsuru would be angry and would want to stop the party before it happened – and that would only spoil their night together.
Mitsuru raised her eyebrows, but said nothing about it.
"There's something that's been bothering me for a while now," Mitsuru said slowly. Maybe you're in love. Minato had said to her when Mitsuru talked about Akihiko while they walked back from school together.
"What is it?" Akihiko asked her curiously.
"Um – never mind," Mitsuru said. "Forget I said anything about it." Maybe some day, but not today, Mitsuru thought.
************
Junpei's party was in full swing at eight o'clock, and it wasn't exactly civilised.
"Hey, be careful, don't break anything!" Junpei yelled at his friend. He sighed, almost regretting throwing the party – if Mitsuru caught him, he would surely get 'executed' – and Mitsuru's 'executions' were certainly not fun.
He looked around for his handheld game – which was missing again.
"Has anyone seen my handheld game?" he asked. No one answered him.
"Oh man," Junpei groaned to himself. "Guess I'd better get used to eating cold tuna…"
************
Akihiko and Mitsuru had gone to the cinema after their dinner at Hagakure. They sat down in their seats at the theatre and watched the movie, not knowing that Minato was in the very same theatre. Minato smiled to himself when he saw Akihiko and Mitsuru enter together – Junpei was right after all.
As the movie went on, Mitsuru rested her hand on the armrest of her chair. Akihiko couldn't fight back the urge to hold her hand. Mitsuru surely noticed, though she did nothing to object. She blushed fiercely, thankful that the theatre was dark enough for her crimson cheeks not to be visible.
*************
The front door of the Dorm banged open and a crowd of teenagers spilled out, as Akihiko and Mitsuru reached the Dorm.
"What -?" Mitsuru said, surprised. "JUNPEI!" she shouted, guessing what he had done…
"M-Mitsuru-senpai?" Junpei stammered, shocked. He had fallen asleep and lost track of time – he had ended the party too late.
"I'm going to execute you!" Mitsuru said loudly.
"Enjoy – I'm going to bed," Akihiko said hurriedly, and dashed up to his bedroom on the second floor.
*************
"Hey Stupei, put that cup ramen away – I've got your dinner right here," Yukari said gleefully. "You lost the bet, so you have to eat dog food and cold tuna tonight."
"Gimme a break, Yuka-tan," Junpei said glumly. "Mitsuru-senpai went all-out on my execution last night…can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"A bet is a bet," Yukari insisted, pushing a bowl of dog food and another bowl of cold tuna at him.
Junpei sighed. "Fine, but if I get sick, I'm gonna sue you for poisoning me."
"Koromaru's dog food won't poison you," Yukari rolled her eyes. "Now eat up, Stupei."