02 - Mitsuru

The redhead sighed lightly as she leaned back in her office chair. Now that she was president of the Kirijou Group, life had only gotten more hectic. She supposed it was to be expected, since her father had died almost half a year before, but she'd expected herself to have habituated to this lifestyle already. After all, it had almost been almost a month since she'd graduated and taken over full time. Almost a month . . . Closing her eyes, Mitsuru pinched the bridge of her nose. No, she couldn't think like that. All the negative emotion she harboured would only serve to fuel that monster. She'd sworn that day to change, to help lessen the burdens of being the Great Seal for eternity. What kind of person - no, what kind of friend would she be if she allowed herself to break that promise?

A knock on the door drew her from her thoughts, and at her call one of her subordinates entered. Bowing to her, he made his report.

"Excuse me, Miss Kirijou. We have an intruder causing a disturbance at the entrance. He's insisting to see you . . . shall we dispose of him?"

"Wait. Describe him to me." For some reason, Mitsuru had a feeling she knew who it was, but a part of her was also desperate for something to break from the normalcy from it all. Perhaps she was too used to anticipating the changing environments of Tartarus.

"A ne'er-do-well, Miss Kirijou. Tall, wears a dark red coat and a black hat-"

"Let him in!"

The vehemency of which this order was given surprised the man to a point that he simply stood there stupidly even as his boss brushed past him and hurried down to meet her former teammate.

Shinjirou did not look at all pleased with the guards, so when he spotted the crimson-haired woman rushing out the doors towards him, he was more than a little peeved.

"Damn it, Mitsuru, tell these fucking morons to screw off!"

That she did, though with more eloquent language. As the suited men backed off, the redhead approached the disgruntled youth.

"Shinjirou, what's the matter? Why are you-"

Her answer was being almost smacked in the face by a small white envelope with her name written on its surface. It took her a moment to recognize the author. Mitsuru felt her jaw drop as she reached for the object with faintly trembling hands.

"Shinjirou, what is this? Where did you . . ."

"Her room. She'd been hiding it under her nightstand," was the curt reply. "Just take it. She wanted you to have it anyhow." A soft snort as he turned on his heel. "I don't have time for this shit."

The Kirijou princess caught the lack of bitterness in his last statement, and merely smiled as she watched him stalk away. That girl . . . she was a life-changer. Shinjirou was walking proof of that. Even Mitsuru herself was proof of the girl's ability to change others for the better.

Upon her return to her office, the young woman sent away all the people there. She wanted to read the letter in private, with no pressure of work bogging her down. She opened it with utmost care, as if the paper were some invaluable relic that had to be preserved as much as possible. Mizuki's tidy writing filled the paper, decorated with doodles on the cutesy stationery she had used.

Dear Mitsuru-senpai,

Though I should probably be calling you "Miss Kirijou head" now, huh? I'm not sure when this will get to you, so I'm not sure if you'll still remember who I am. Regardless, I want to write this in hopes that I may at least encourage you through everything.

I would like to thank you for the year I spent with you in Iwatodai dorm. I'm pretty sure you saved me back then when I first arrived. Even though we never spoke to each other much in the beginning, you've always been an excellent support and role model to me. Truth be told, when we first went to into Tartarus, I was really unsure of whether or not I could be a good leader. You fit so comfortably into that role that I was afraid that I was forcing you out of that spot. I tried to copy your way of leading, your way of solving your problems, your confidence in your decisions. In a way, you were the person who inspired me and helped me become the leader of the Tartarus explorations and full moon operations I was.

Here Mitsuru paused. Her? Mizuki's role model? The girl had never seemed to need one, seemingly growing as a natural leader through her experiences. Though that was probably a large factor, the redhead could feel her lips curling into a pleased smile at the younger woman's words.

I'm so glad that you and I got to spend time together. It was a little awkward and frightening at first, to be honest. I mean, you're so cultured and refined that I felt inferior to you. But as we hung out, I came to realize that you're just as normal as the other girls. I'm sorry we were never able to go out and eat together again, but I hope that you'll do so with our friends. Oh, that's if you have the time, of course.

I know that you told me in November, but I wanted you to know that I understood why you were so "hard" on me. I know that you put a lot of faith in me as a leader, and I know that you're really burdened by the Kirijou Group business, so I know that you've always meant well. Also, I wanted you to know that I've never felt angry or bitter towards you for that pressure. In fact, I really should be thanking you. It's exactly because you kept having those high expectations for me that I always kept pushing forward, to prove to you that your expectations weren't unfounded. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been as amazing a team as we were.

I'll never forget you or the times we've had. I'm really glad that I could teach you, just as you taught me. Whatever hardships you may be going through right now, know that I'll always believe you have the strength to face it head-on. I would know; I've seen that strength in you and your Persona whenever we went to Tartarus, when we fought Nyx Avatar. You've got what it takes. You just have to believe it. I'll never give up on you, so don't give up on yourself, okay? I know you'll do your father proud.

"Don't give up on yourself." Mitsuru felt herself smile. Yukari had said the same thing to her in Kyoto, and literally slapped some sense into her . She understood. Everyone, even Mizuki (in fact, especially her) was doing their best to to live a full life, to keep the world alive and beautiful, to change the outlook of the world so that one day, there would no longer be a need for a seal. It wasn't just her friends that Mizuki had given her life for. No, the girl had always had a way of viewing things beyond her immediate surroundings. A deep love for the world, for the people who lived and suffered and loved in it. In a sense, she was a true Messiah, ever-loving and self-sacrificial.

Thank you so much for the year, for the guidance and encouragement. You'll always be in my heart, as a dear and precious friend and as the senpai who inspired me to become the leader you could all look up to. I wish you all the best your future, a future that you gave me the strength to keep, that you yourself fought and won to keep. I'll always be watching over you. And when you've lived out that full, beautiful life, I want you to tell me all about it when we meet again.

Thank you, my dear friend,
Tachibana Mizuki

Despite herself, Mitsuru felt the tears well up in her eyes and allowed herself to cry. Even though knowing what had transpired that day had been a relief, she was still saddened by the fact that Mizuki had taken it upon herself to seal away Nyx. That that girl, with so much life and courage and love, who probably was the one person who most deserved to live, had selflessly given her life to protect everyone, and would now spend eternity guarding the way, preventing the Fall. Alone.

No, not alone, she reminded herself. We're fighting with her to change the hearts of others. To stop the call for Nyx. And a soft smile dawned on her lips. Thank you, Tachibana. I will never give up. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for reminding me of my strength. And thank you . . . for leading us.

"Miss Kirijou?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Your meeting is going to begin soon . . ."

"Yes, of course. I'll be there shortly."

Wiping her eyes dry, Mitsuru carefully tucked the letter back into its envelope and slipped it into the top drawer of her desk. Her smile grew as her gaze fell on the picture on the polished wood surface, a photo taken of the girls of the dorm during their school trip to Kyoto.

Just watch, Tachibana. This time . . . you'll be my role model.