Yawning, I wander out of the bathroom, rubbing at my damp hair with a small towel. Souji and Junpei turn to look at me as I slump down on the couch beside them.

"Thanks, Junpei," Souji says, giving a warm smile to our friend. "Dunno where the two of us'd be without you."

"Hey, it's fine!" He leans over and rubs a knuckle into my scalp, laughing. "I could never abandon this guy. Not after everything he's done for me." Pulling his hand back away, he looks through the door into his kitchen.

"Oi, Chidori! You doin' okay in there?" Almost on cue, she walks out, holding a plate full of snacks.

"Yes." She replies regardless, placing it down on the table in front of us. Junpei leans forward and grabs her wrist, pulling her onto the sofa with the rest of us, before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"It looks great, honey," Giving him a gentle push, she gets up again, and leaves the room once more, smiling slightly. Junpei slumps down in his seat as she walks out, a euphoric expression on his face. "Maaan, I must be the luckiest guy in the world!" Plucking a piece of food off the plate, he shovels it into his mouth, and begins to chew it.

"Aaah! Her cooking just keeps getting better and better!" He gushes between bites. "She's the greatest!" Sharing a look with Souji, the two of us snigger a bit. Same old, same old. Junpei's always like this when we come over—he spends pretty much all his time praising Chidori. Whether it be her art, or her cooking, or her taste in décor (as far as I can tell, she's the one keeping his apartment tidy and stylish), it's always Chidori-Chidori-Chidori. Thankfully, she never retrieved her lost memories about her time in Strega… That, or she's not going to make it known that she has. I can't tell, myself, but I'm certain it's the former.

"Hey, did you guys have something you wanted to talk about?" Suddenly, Junpei remembers the reason why Souji and I asked to come over.

"I thought you'd never ask," Souji replies.

"Junpei, is there any way we can keep Chidori from hearing this?" I know how he feels about getting her mixed up in any business with Personae and Shadows again. That kind of thing definitely isn't something he wants her hearing about. If he's going to hear us out at all, it deserves to be on his terms.

"… Sure," He says, after thinking for a while. "Hey, Chidori!" She steps into the kitchen doorway.

"Yes, Junpei?" She asks, still smiling from before.

"Could you do me a really big favor?" He gives her an apologetic smile.

"Certainly." She replies, ever subservient.

"I kind of broke one of Minato's CDs the last time I visited him and Souji. Could you head out to that place nearby and buy me a new copy for him?"

"Of course, Junpei." Getting up from the couch, Junpei walks over to a nearby table where he's left a jacket of his. Digging his hands in, he finds his wallet, and gets out a few thousand yen, followed by a piece of paper. Running through the pockets some more, he finds a pen, and writes something down, before handing both the paper and the money to Chidori.

"Here you go. Title and artist are on the paper, and that much should be able to get it for you," She nods and attempts to walk away, but Junpei grabs her wrist. "If you've got a few hundred yen extra, then buy yourself some Cielo Mist. As my apology for drinking it all." Kissing her on the cheek again, he lets go, and allows her to leave, a small blush on her face. As the apartment door swings closed with the loud sound of a lock clicking, he sighs.

"I can't believe you remembered doing that, Junpei." I laugh. He wasn't lying about the CD—two and a half years ago, he did indeed break one of my favorites. Hopefully Souji won't mind when I put it on tonight. I think he'll like it—it's a pretty good band.

"Hey, you think I wasn't feeling guilty about it?" He groans. "You didn't let me into your room again for like a month! You wouldn't even talk to me! How could I not remember?" Fair enough. Breathing a sigh of annoyance, Junpei pushes the memory away and gets back on task.

"So, what is it you guys wanted to say, anyway?" Souji stiffens up, a grim expression appearing on his face, as Junpei asks.

"We need some back-up for our missions."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa… You mean the ones against the Arcana Shadows? Dude. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt… Not doing it again." Junpei looks like he utterly detests the idea—and I don't blame him. Being texted at ungodly hours of the morning by Souji and I, asking for help with killing over-powered monsters? I doubt anyone would leap at the chance.

"We need a third person, though, Junpei. Minato went berserk last time, and we can't risk him taking out a civilian." I nod at Souji's words.

"You remember what happened to Ken. We don't want that happening again." Junpei grimaces at the thought.

"Why can't you enlist him, though? Or better yet, get Koromaru on it," He looks away from me as I give him a pleading look. "Anyone but me, guys. I've got Chidori to look after. Doing this sorta thing with you? Fine. But I'm not going back into combat."

"Junpei…"

"Don't 'Junpei' me, Minato. I'm not up to doing the Persona gig any more." Looking at him with anger in his eyes, Souji's mouth curves into a grimace.

"I can't believe you, Junpei," Curling his hands into fists, he frowns. "Minato and I head out every few nights to try and protect this place, and all you're interested in doing is keeping your girlfriend safe."

"Souji, don't-"

"No, Minato. Stop being such a pacifist. Junpei, you should be fighting with us. If you've got any real interest in keeping Chidori safe, then you should be out playing support to Minato." Looking at me with ice-cold eyes as he says my name, I'm suddenly afraid of this intensity Souji has—it's like Mitsuru's. He's persuasive, amazingly so. Now I see why it's so rare for people to go against him.

"Dude, I'm sorry. But I've got other things to do with my time." But then again, Junpei's always been similarly strong-willed.

Out of nowhere, I feel dizzy. Souji and Junpei continue to argue, but I can't understand a word they're saying. It's all a blur. A loud, confusing mix of noises. The argument grows in intensity, and I get up off the couch. I can't see where I'm going. I stagger into a wall.

"Minato!" Someone calls out my name, as I slump to the ground, growing weak at the knees. I try and pull myself up, but fail.

"Minato… Minato, snap out of it!" Firm hands grasp my jacket and give me a strong shake. All my muscles relax, and everything begins to turn black.

"Souji…"