All right, so you know, I've officially fired the disclaimer, so you guys already know by this chapter that I down own this stuff, just the hours I put into writing this. 8D;; Today's special co-host is Theodore again, because he plays a nice role in this chapter, yaaaaay!
Theo: I am delighted to be here once again.
As you should be. Now! On to the dedication and special thanks. Thanks to the two anon reviewers, Rawr, and Hamujiro, as well as thanks to Deidara'sgirl19 for their reviews. A special thank you to Harmony-chan, who's given me a long review for each chapter so far. 3 And - only because I promised this super awesome person I'd dedicate this next chapter to her - this chapter goes out to my super, totally awesome, most adorable special friend Yun!
Theo: And now, for another announcement before the chapter starts and Mekky forgets to inform the readers once again. *clears his throat* Seeing as there is a lot of time spent in Tartrus to level up in the game itself, Mekky would like to inform you - the readers- that she will be merely skimming or skipping over the adventures in Tartrus and the Dark hour, unless there is a specific scene that involves Minako, or if there is a Gurardian/Boss fight.
Thank you Theo - I almost forgot to tell everyone. 8D;;
Theo: That's what I'm here for. Now... Shall I do the honors?
Go right on ahead, Theo, love.
Theo: Honored guests, we now present to you, the next installment of; 'L i v e Die L o v e'. Please enjoy.
After talking things over with Ms. Toriumi, Minako was given permission to enter the Student Council room. She stood outside the door for a moment, wondering if she should really go inside or not. Mitsuru seemed liked she'd really appreciate the help, so she didn't think there was anyway around it even if she didn't want to. Opening the door, Minako walked inside, bracing herself for anything.
Inside there were many students seated at the tables. There was lots of writing on the board, each addressing a topic they were supposed to discuss as well as upcoming events planned and who was directing them. All eyes turned to her when Minako entered. She caught Mitsuru's eye, and the redhead seemed to suppress a relieved smile, glad Minako had not let her down.
"Everyone, this is Minako Arisato. She'll be joining us in Student Council," She explained to the group of students.
"Minako-kun, huh…" a boy mused. He seemed to be the head of the Disciplinary Committee. He had black hair, a light shade, slicked back and out of his face. He was dressed properly in the school uniform with the armband for his position pinned in its proper place. "I'm Hidetoshi Odagiri. I supervise the Disciplinary Committee."
"I'm Chihiro Fushimi, the Treasurer," a meek looking girl with long brown hair and glassed introduced herself, "I'm a sophomore, and um… I'm still learning the ropes, so…please be patient with me, Minako-san."
"Nice to meet you all," Minako replied with a bow.
Hidetoshi looked over Minako, sizing her up. It made her a bit uncomfortable, and her cheeks flush with a little bit of color. "…You must be talented if the President hand-picked you. Nice to meet you," he said with a something akin to a smirk on his face.
Minako didn't know if she liked it, but she got the feeling that Hidetoshi was going to be expecting a lot out of her. That and he probably wanted to get to know her better. With a look to the clock, it seemed like the school day was just about at it's end.
"…Today, we'll just do introductions," Mitsuru suggested. "It'll be your job to help us, Arisato. From now on, you have my permission to enter the Student Council Room whenever you need to. That includes after school, too. The Student Council meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We don't meet on days before tests." Mitsuru smiled then, looking very grateful, "Thank you, Arisato, for joining us today."
Though Minako insisted she should stay after so she and Mitsuru could walk back to the dorm together, the redhead insisted she leave with everyone else. She had a few things she needed to take care of before she left.
Minako decided to stop by Hagakure Ramen on the way home for some dinner. Since it wasn't all that late yet, it was the mild run before the dinner rush came in, so it was easy enough to find a seat at the bar up front. She ordered a Hagakure bowl and sipped on the cup of ice water she'd requested – because, you know, water's free. About two seats down was the same guy in the maroon coat she'd seen the last time she'd been there. He was just getting his ramen, so she assumed he'd just gotten there too. Not to long after, Minako was given her bowl, and she began to eat. The ramen was just as good as it was last time, and for that Minako was very, very grateful.
Just as she was finishing up her ramen, she noticed the guy in the coat a few seats off from her pull out a 500 yen coin to pay for his meal. As he did so, she saw a few 1,000-yen bills spill out. He didn't seem to notice as he got up. Minako hopped out of her seat as he passed by behind her, and she picked up the bills, "Excuse me!" she called to the guy, once again catching him with a tap on the shoulder.
He turned, just as he had last time, and looked at her over his shoulder, "What do you want?" he asked, obviously not recognizing her from last time.
Minako held out the three, 1,000-yen bills he had dropped. "You dropped these when you were paying for your ramen."
Turning to face her fully then, He reached out, taking only two of the 1,000-yen bills, "Thanks." He turned to leave then, leaving her with one of the bills still in her hands.
"Ah, but-" Minako protested. She didn't like taking other peoples money. It wasn't like she had returned it on purpose, thinking that she'd get a reward. She just didn't want him going to get something with that money later only to find he'd lost it.
"Keep it," he retorted, cutting her off. Ignoring any other protests from her, he left the shop.
A bit frustrated at it, Minako huffed and went back to her seat. Oh well…it wasn't like she was going to give it off to someone else just because it was donated funds in a way. Money was money, and things didn't progress if you didn't have it. So Minako used the bill to pay for her food, and then stuffed the change into her wallet before leaving.
EVENING
Everyone was already back when Minako returned to the dorm. "…S'up, dude?" Junpei greeted from where he sat in the armchair eating his cup ramen. "Yo! I heard Mitsuru-senpai asked you to join Student Council!" He then turned to said Senpai with a curious look, "Mitsuru-senpai, are you sure you wanna let in a girl who's just transferred in?"
Mitsuru looked up from her reading material, "I need some assistance, that's all. I won't let the responsibilities stack up too high. Why, are you interested in helping too, Iori?"
Junpei leaned away from her as if she threatened to beat him with her book if he continued to speak – which for all Minako knew could have been how he saw it. "Oh, uhhhh… I'll pass. But, thanks for the offer."
Minako laughed, "Well, while were talking, you feeling up for Tartrus tonight, Junpei?"
"Sure thing," he answered, "Want me to go tell Yuka-tan?"
"I can tell her, I'm gonna head up to my room to work on homework before we leave anyway," Minako said, "But thanks for the offer." She headed towards the stairs, seeing Yukari sitting on one of the stools at the counter in the dining room. She was reading through an English assignment in the text book it seemed. "Hey, Yukari-chan," Minako called, catching her attention for just a second. "We're gonna go to Tartrus tonight, so just giving you a heads up."
"All right, cool."
Hours later, when the Dark Hour rolled around, the three Persona users headed up to floor ten to explore further. Their goal that night? To get to the next floor with a guardian, and then head home. They weren't going to fight it – they'd probably be exhausted by time they got there, but they would get up to that floor, and fight the guardian the next time they went to Tartrus.
The other two thought it was a good plan.
Things seemed easy enough. Mitsuru scanned the floors ahead, and Junpei, Yukari, and Minako all took care of eliminating Shadows as they searched for the stairs. Sometimes, if Mitsuru informed them that there were no more shadows on the floor, they'd split up and search for those lucky random briefcases with presents inside, and then meet up at the stairs. The most wonderful thing happened during one of those moments. Minako opened the briefcases, and inside was well over four-thousand yen.
"You guys," she called over the communicator, "you're not going to believe this, but I found money."
"Money?" Yukari asked over the communicator.
"Seriously?" Junpei asked.
"Okay, if we find more money, we'll split it all amongst the team, after we get back to the dorm, all right?" Minako suggested.
"Sure, sounds good," Yukari answered.
"A wise decision," Mitsuru voiced, "But you needn't worry about including me."
On Junpei's end Minako could hear him cheering and dancing, saying something about getting rich from exploring Tartrus because of all the stuff they were finding.
Which was true. Minako would have to visit the Police station and sell some of the weapons they'd found in there soon.
With little other distractions, the group continued their adventure through Tartrus, reaching their goal floor; fourteen. Mitsuru said there was only one large shadow in the center, but the three darted past the hall it was down and to the teleporter, heading back to the first floor, and then heading back to the dorm.
(4/28) EARLY MORNING
That morning, Minako ran into Mitsuru at the gate. "Oh, good morning, Senpai," she greeted.
"Good morning," Mitsuru replied, "…Have you acclimated to our school yet?"
"Yes," Minako answered with a nod.
"Is see," Mitsuru mused, looking somewhat pleased, "You ability to adapt to new situations and environments is impressive. By the way, there's something I forgot to tell you…Most times you can find me in the lounge. However, I wont be there if there is something I must attend to. So, if I'm not in the lounge, we will explore Tartrus the following day."
"All right," Minako replied, "That sounds good to me."
"Now, let's hurry to class before we're late," she said.
LUNCH TIME
It was finally time for lunch after a long lecture. It would have been easier to get through class if the teacher had called on the student more often to get some interaction going. But no, it was just a straight lecture with examples on the board all the way through to lunch. Minako stepped outside the classroom and stretched. Heading down to the store just outside the stairs, Minako bought some bread and headed back up. Leaning against the wall by the door, Minako munched on her lunch, watching students pass by.
Junpei walked up, waving her way, and came to a stop by her. "Yo," he called, "Feels kinda weird runnin' into ya in the hall like this." He laughed, "Oh hey, you free today? Wanna go see a movie?"
Minako thought about it a bit. She really didn't know what she'd do after school that day. Since it was a Tuesday, she'd have Tennis practice – but Rio had said she didn't have to attend every practice, "I don't know yet," she answered.
"I see…Well, if you're free, let's go. Let me know after school," he suggested as he stepped around her and headed back into the classroom.
"All right, will do," she answered as he passed by her. Minako took a moment to finish up the bread she'd bought and then headed back inside the classroom since lunch was just about over.
AFTER SCHOOL
Minako looked around the classroom after classes for the day had ended. She didn't really feel like heading to tennis, especially since she'd been through Tartrus the previous night. Putting her things in her school bag, Minako got up and walked over to talk to Junpei, standing in the next row over.
"Hey, are you on your way home?" Junpei asked as Minako approached him.
"Yeah, wanna come?" Minako offered, "I decided to skip out on Tennis today, so…" she shrugged.
"Oh, really? Then let's stop by somewhere," he suggested with a grin.
They went to Tatsumi Port Island station, and to the movie theater called 'Screen Shot'. Junpei had insisted on going to see a movie together. "This is it!" he cheered excitedly, "'Double-Barreled Justice'! I've been looking forward to this coming out!" His eyes were lit with excitement just looking at the 'Now Playing' poster the theater had up outside the ticket windows.
"C'mon, let's go in!" Minako urged. She'd seen a few previews on it a few times when passing through the lounge when someone had left the television on. It had looked interesting, and now she was going to see if it was true or not.
"Ooh, are you looking forward to it too?" Junpei asked, grinning like a child about to open his Christmas presents. "All right, let's get some good seats!" Junpei was jittery, as if he couldn't wait to go inside. Which he was, to a point.
The two hurried inside and got good seats, right in the perfect center of the theater with the best view. The movie started…and well that's all she wrote for it. The movie played, they watched, it ended, they left the theater. Seeing the action scenes on the big screen was overwhelming, and the story was surprisingly complex.
"Hrm…" Junpei seemed to be lost in thought as they left the theater. "It was…Kinda not what I was expecting," he complained with a sigh. He cocked his head to the side, "The villain wasn't all that evil. It kinda killed it for me when he started talking about his tragic past…Is isnt cool if you have to beat somebody who didn't want to be a bad guy." Junpei looked rather upset and frustrated about it all, "Bad guys should be evil all the way to the core. It's just more satisfying." He shrugged, "Oh, you still got time, right?" he said, grinning and changing the subject, "Let's grab something to eat on the way back."
The two of them hopped on the Monorail and road it to the Iwatodai stop. They then crossed the street and entered Wild-duck Burger. They'd just gotten their food and sat down to eat when Junpei seemed to realize something. "Oh, crap… The guys at school might say some stuff if they see us together. I mean, it looks like there's a lot of guys interested in you." The grin seemed to fall from his face as he got a bit more serious, "Plus, the famous Yuka-tan and Mitsuru-senpai live in the same dorm, too." He sighed, "There are a lot of dudes who envy me because of that…"
Minako scoffed, shrugging her shoulders, "Let them be jealous," she challenged.
Junpei was grinning again after that comment. "Haha, yeah. It's not like any of this is my fault," he laughed. "Actually," he began again, getting somewhat serious once more, "You don't seem to be all that interested in guys. I mean, you're not all excited and asking me who's saying all this stuff…I mean, of course you aren't. No girl would be that desperate." Junpei nodded triumphantly, like he just gotten himself out of saying something stupid. "Also, I know you've probably got your hands full with your own stuff now." He paused a moment, "Actually, the same goes for me, too…"
"Yeah, but you know what, that's stuff's gonna clear up soon," Minako said, "Either that or we'll figure out a way to manage it without much trouble, and then we'll be able to do more fun stuff."
Junpei laughed a bit, "Yeah, we'll just have to see, wont we?" He shook his head, plastering that smile of his back on his face, "…Well, forget about that stuff. Want more fries? You don't mind sharing with me, right?"
After eating their food, Minako and Junpei headed back to the dorm, chatting the whole way back.
EVENING
"Welcome back," Mitsuru called to the two as they entered. "For your information," she began, looking at Minako, "The internet line, which was ripped apart by the Shadow will be fixed tomorrow. If you have a computer in your room, you should be able to connect." Mitsuru sighed then, "…Well, that takes care of everything that was damaged…except of course, Akihiko's rib cage," she added with something akin to a smirk on her face.
"Oh right," Junpei looked like a light bulb had turned on in his head. "All this talk about the internet reminded me of something. I was totally addicted to this one online game for a while." He looked to Minako, who was looking at him rather curiously, "It's called "Innocent Sin Online," and it's pretty fun." He paused a moment to think about it, "I haven't touched it since I got here…Maybe I should log in sometime."
Junpei went to go sit down, and Minako headed off to talk to Mitsuru about heading to Tartrus after picking up a couple of quick 'yes'es from Junpei and Yukari. They headed off to Tartrus when the time came, watched the tower rise form their school, and then headed inside. That was the night they planned to fight the third Guardian before the barrier.
"You guys ready to do this?" she asked as they approached the teleporter…elevator…..glowy thing.
"What's the plan for this one?" Yukari asked, checking to make sure she'd brought all her equipment .
Minako paused to open her bag, "Same as last time, just keep tying until something works, if not….then we gotta hang in there until it's dust." Pulling two smaller bags out of the one she carried, she handed one to each. "Here, I've evenly distributed the supplies between these three bags. I was doing a little testing on the items we found. The medicine helps heal, like Dia does, so use this if you don't think you want to waste energy, Yukari."
"Got it," she answered, nodding.
"I tried the 'Snuff Soul' stuff – it works like an energy drink, so if you start getting tired and we're not ready to head back, drink some and you'll be able to last a bit longer," she informed, "The red beads are health restorers too. Just set them down and stomp on them for yourself, or toss it to a partner to help them out when they're hurting. The same goes for the revival beads – the blue ones – just throw them at a fallen teammate and hopefully it'll be helpful. I still have to test some, but we wont be able to unless in battle, so I've held onto those just in case."
"Wow, you're really takin' this seriously…" Junpei mused, looking rather amazed.
Minako laughed a bit embarrassed, "W-Well, I do have to take care of my team if I'm leader, right? Since I'm in charge when we're here in Tartrus, it's my responsibility to look after everyone and make sure we all get back safely."
"All right, let's stop wasting time and get this over with before the Dark Hour ends," Yukari insisted.
So the three headed up to the fourteenth floor via glowing elevator thing, and peered down the hallway to see the Guardian they had to fight before it spotted them. It looked… really freaking weird. The wheels were some weird things lined with feet, spikes for arms, and it was all white and blue aside from the yellow mask of a face.
"You think we can do it?" Junpei asked quietly.
"We're gonna have to," Minako sighed. "Yukari, you're on healing, try and stay behind us, and when you get the chance…" she trailed off, looking over her shoulder at the other brunette.
"Yeah, I got it," Yukari answered.
The three took a deep breath, bracing themselves before charging in. As it turned out, they couldn't find any weakness for the damn thing, so they were stuck with fighting as hard as they could, while Yukari backed them up with healing spells and items. As luck would have it, just as things were looking their worst, Junpei managed to dodge an attack from the shadow. The miss caused it to lose its balance and fall over. Taking the chance, they charged in, Yukari staying behind from being knocked down with a Mazio the Shadow had dished out earlier.
The battle was long and tiring, but thanks once again to Yukari's healing and support, they managed to take it down. As soon as they did, the three sighed, relaxing. Minako sat on her butt, leaning back on her hands behind her. "Haaa, please no more…" she sighed, "How much further to the barrier, Mitsuru-senpai?" she asked.
"A few more floors…" she answered as she scanned the floors above them, "There seem to be less enemies too."
"You guys wanna see if we can make it to the barrier with as little battles as possible, or should we head back?" Minako asked.
"If it's only a few floors I'm sure we can make it," Junpei said. He opened the bag she'd handed him before they had headed inside. Pulling out one of the 'snuff soul' bottles, he tossed it to Minako, "Here, use that, it should help, right?" he said with a grin.
Minako laughed, unscrewing the cap to the small bottle, "Right, thanks, Junpei." She drank the liquid inside, closing the bottle up and tossing it in her bag. Feeling ready to tackle those last few floors, Minako hopped up and dusted her skirt off before picking her Naginata up.
After hurrying to the next floor, the three only got caught in one battle before they found the stairs. Of course, there was a shadow between them and the stairs. Waiting for the right moment, Minako made the call and the three of them made a break for it. The shadow noticed them, and tried to follow, but for some reason refused to follow them up the stairs. Of course, after the three stopped laughing at their stunt and actually turned around, all they saw was a wide floor that ended with blocked off stairs. The floor was littered with two pools of blood that took up half of the floor on either end.
"It's a dead end…" Mitsuru said, "Good work. Return to the entrance."
Well that wasn't too hard. Minako took one step towards the access point when she saw a briefcase. "Huh? What's this?" she asked. Walking over to that briefcase, she knelt and opened it up. Inside was an old document. Minako looked over it for a second before carefully putting it away in her bag. She would take the time to read it later.
"All right, let's head back for the night," Minako announced.
The three used the access point to get back, where they were greeted by Mitsuru and congratulated again before they headed back to the dorm.
(4/29) EARLY MORNING
The next morning, Minako woke up with the sun in her eyes. With a groan, she rolled over, pulling the covers over her head. It was Showa Day, therefore, there was no school. Minako was sleepy – but damn that sun, it had awakened her. She was just about to go back to sleep when her phone rang. Jumping up to grab it off her nightstand, she fell out of her bed with a thud, her blankets tangled up with her in the awkward manner she landed on her back.
"Ow – shit," she grumbled, rubbing her head with one hand as she flipped open her phone and answered the call, "Hello?"
"Yo, Junpei here. You got some time?" Junpei's voice called through the receiver.
"It's okay, what's up?" she asked as she rolled out of her blankets and kicked them back up on her bed.
"Wanna do something today?" he asked enthusiastically.
Minako thought about it a moment. She could sleep….or she could go have fun with Junpei for the day. "Sure I'll come, just let me get dressed, I just barely woke up," she answered, running her hand through her hair to check for any tangles.
"All right!" Junpei cheered, "I'll be waitin' downstairs, then," he answered, hanging up to let her dress.
She hurried to grab some clothes and change. Brushing her hair, the brunette put it up the same way she did every day. She brushed her teeth hurriedly and grabbed her scarf on her way out the door. Breaking into a sprint, Minako headed downstairs, almost tripping three times on her way.
By time Minako reached the lounge, Junpei was waiting for her, sitting on the couch in the lounge. "Hey, you ready?" he called when he spotted her. He hopped up off the couch, stuffing his hands in his coat pocket. "You get dressed pretty fast – I thought I'd have to wait a lot longer for you to come down," he laughed.
"It's because I'm just awesome like that," Minako answered with a wink, "So, what do we have planned for today?"
Junpei grinned, "Well first, let's get some grub, I'm hungry."
"Sounds good to me!" Minako replied, following him out the door a few seconds later.
They'd ended up going to the Wakatsu Restaurant at the Iwatodai station. It was up on the second floor, just below the sweet shop. The food there was good, and well balanced for a great meal. They each paid for their own food and had a seat. Apparently both were quite starved, because neither said a word as they ate their food – well, more like devoured it.
Junpei sighed when he finished with his plate, leaning back in his seat, "That was great," he groaned with a grin, "I cant eat anymore." He seemed very satisfied with his meal, of course then he looked at Minako's plate and saw it, too, was empty. "But man," he said, looking shocked, "You ate a lot, too. You ordered the same stuff as me, right? How in the world did all that fit inside your thin body..?" Junpei – though shocked- looked rather impressed as well.
You see, there was this thing called a high metabolism that most thin girls had… Minako just shrugged, "I was just hungry…"
"Remember how I told you the other day that there are guys that're interested in you?" Junpei brought up, "I bet they'd be shocked if they saw how much you eat."
Minako thought on it a moment. Most girls did eat very little to seem lady like, but Minako…. If she didn't have enough food in her, then she wouldn't last through the day. She remembered the first time she tried to 'diet' like other girls…about halfway through the day she got lightheaded and collapsed in the street. That didn't blow over all that well with the guardians who she'd been living with… "Meh, like I care," she retorted to his statement, batting away the thought with a hand.
"You got a point," Junpei laughed, "Worrying about stuff like that'll just ruin the good food you're eating. Also, you seem happy when you're eating. It makes me feel good watching you."
They spent hours hanging out and chatting, and eventually the sun seemed to be falling out of the sky. Junpei and Minako reluctantly headed back to the dorm, but when they got back, it seemed empty.
"No one's back yet," Junpei mused, "and we have school in the morning. We probably shouldn't go to Tartrus tonight."
"Yeah," Minako agreed, "You're right."
"Okay, then I'm gonna hit the sack," the male informed. Junpei patted her on the shoulder as he started walking off to the stairs. "Today was fun, thanks, Minako-chan. G'night."
"Night!" she called back. Wandering around the lounge a bit, Minako watched some television until Yukari got home. Looking at the clock, she decided she should just go to bed, so she headed up to her room.
(4/30) MORNING
That day it was History. Mr. Ono stood at the podium, the same Sengoku Era helm atop his head as he wore every day. Minako wondered if the guy even showered with the damn thing on. Maybe he was also bald under there. Or, what if he was so obsessed that he shaved his head bald, poured super glue on his scalp, and then stuck the helmet on as if to make it his natural hair.
She was so lost in ridiculous thought that she almost missed him starting the lecture.
"Let's see…Today's lecture will cover ancient tombs," he frowned, looking at the book, "I dunno, do you think any of this is relevant? I mean, I can make better tomb decorations than the ancients. Cant wait until we get to the Sengoku Era…It's so exciting!" The man seemed to squirm excitedly in his spot, as if it were going to start at any moment and he would witness the class turn into an army of samurai and attack each other. "Speaking of the Sengoku era, there was a general who was called "the war hawk of the battlefield." And he…"
Mr. Ono suddenly jumped into another lecture about the Sengoku era…which was not the topic he was supposed to be teaching. Minako covered her mouth as she yawned. She liked exciting history, but the way Mr. Ono always rambled on about it made her bored out of her mind. Crossing her arms on her desk, Minako closed her eyes and went to sleep.
AFTER SCHOOL
After school ended for the day, Mianko's cell phone rang. Pulling it out, she flipped it open and answered, "Hello?"
"Hello?" a deliciously familiar voice answered her, "This is Theodore."
She didn't know how he'd gotten her cell phone number, but Minako was not about to complain.
"Please come visit the Velvet Room," he requested, "There is a matter we need to discuss."
"How am I supposed to get there?" she asked. The only physical door to the Velvet Room she knew was the one at the bottom of Tartrus.
"You may use the alternate entrance located in Paulownia Mall," he informed, "All you must do it find the door…I'll see you soon."
The call ended, and Minako closed her phone, pausing a moment to think. Well there would be no time to waste. There was no need to keep the man waiting. As she hopped up, Minako crossed the room towards the door.
"Hey, Minako-chan," Junpei called, trotting up to her to catch her at the door. "You want to hang out?" he asked.
Well crap. "I'd love to, but first I have to take care of some errands at Paulownia Mall," she answered. "As soon as I'm done I'll meet you outside the school gates?" She offered, "Oh, crap, there's tennis practice today too," she remembered, smacking her forehead for forgetting. "No, you know what, just meet me outside the school gates in like… twenty minuets, okay? I'll try not to be too long."
Junpei laughed, "All right, but don't rush yourself. I'll meet you at the gates later."
Minako smiled, "Great! Thanks, Junpei-kun." She turned and hurried out of the classroom, apologized to Rio who she ran into in the hallway, and hurried off school grounds. At Paulownia Mall, Minako wandered around, looking for any suspicious glowing doors. She didn't know just were to look, but she hoped she'd find it soon. It would have been nice if Theo had given her directions, but maybe he was trying to play hard to get. Well, either way, it only took her five minuets to find the little back alley by the stairs up to the Karaoke bar. Slipping back there, she looked around, and sure enough there was a glowing door.
She pulled out the Velvet Key and unlocked the door, stepping inside. The door swung close behind her, and she walked over to take her usual seat. Theo was already waiting for her, standing more off to the side of the table between him and Igor than he normally way. He was closer to her, to speak easier to her.
"I'm sorry to call for you like this," he apologized with his usual polite bow, "To tell you the truth… there is a favor I'd like to ask of you. If you don't mind, would you please accept my requests?" he asked. "Some missions will be special, and require you to escort me around, but…"
Oh, Minako wouldn't mind doing that. "I don't mind," Minako replied.
"Of course, there will be a suitable reward upon completion of the request," he informed, "I wish to see your strength with my own eyes…Well then, I will anxiously await your assistance in these matters. Now that I have spoken my piece…How may I help you?"
"May I see what requests I may take?" she asked.
"Certainly," Theodore replied. Walking – no, more like gliding, his movements were so smooth – he made his way over to her and offered a smaller book he was carrying with him. "This book here contains the requests I have at the moment, you may take on only three at a time," he informed, "I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with my requests."
Minako smiled, "That's fine," she answered, opening the booklet and taking a look inside. "Oh, this first old Document one…" she said, pointing to it, "is that the document I found in Tartrus?"
Theo looked at her somewhat surprised, "Why, yes, that would be it."
Setting the book on her lap, the brunette opened her book bag and pulled it out. She'd read it during lunch, but it was just some….random scribbling. "Here."
"Have you read it already?" he asked, "You really should take a look at it if you haven't already."
"It's all right," she answered.
He smiled softly at her, "Please take this as your reward," he said, handing her a bead chain. "If used in battle, this will restore the health of all your teammates fighting along side you."
"Oh," Minako smiled, "That will come in handy, thank you!" Looking back at the book after putting the bead chain away in her bag, she noticed one that looked rather interesting to her.
'I'd like to visit Paulownia Mall.'
Minako looked at her watch. She still had enough time to show Theo around and meet up with Junpei on time. "Hey, Theo, why don't we do this one right now," she said, pointing to his request to visit the Mall. "I've got some time before I have to meet up with Junpei, so I can show you around the mall."
Theo smiled, "Thank you very much," he said, taking the book from her and placing it on the table, "Well, then, please lead the way."
Leaving the Velvet Room, Theodore followed Minako out. "So this is the Paulownia Mall," he mused as they walked out from the back alley where the door was. He looked around curiously, his eyes examining everything they could. "…Indeed, it's exactly as I imagined."
"Are you excited to be here?" the brunette asked, seeing his eyes lit up in excitement despite his calm words.
He laughed, "Pshaw…I'm not that easily amused." Theo mumbled to himself a bit, Minako unable to hear him, when he suddenly seemed to notice something. "What is that over there?" he asked, pointing at the water fountain in the center of the mall. He walked over to it, Minako close behind. He looked at the water rather confused, "An aqueous duct in a place like this…?" He seemed to think about it for a moment, "The dwellers of this world must get thirsty easily."
Minako covered her mouth to try and keep from laughing at such an amusing observation, "I don't think that's it," she pointed out.
Theo looked surprised that she'd corrected him. He was at a loss for a second, trying to figure out what to say, "I-I know it's true purpose, of course." However, he didn't sound all that confident in his words, "Why… it's mean to wash one's hands!"
Again, Minako was trying very hard not to laugh out loud at his obviously wrong observations. She controlled herself, clearing her throat, "That's not it, Theo."
Theo looked rather embarrassed and upset. Upset that he had been incorrect, and embarrassed that he'd been caught. He cleared his throat, "It was only my small joke," he said, attempting to cover up his flawed information. "So…" he began hesitantly, "Wh-what is it actually for?"
Minako smiled then, "It's just a bit of scenery."
"A bit of scenery…?" Theo echoed slowly, thinking about it. "…I see." He looked distraught for some reason. Minako suspected it was because he'd made himself look like a fool in front of her. Of course, it was gone as soon as it was there, and he was looking in another direction, "Hm…? And what, pray tell, is this facility here?" he asked. Suddenly, Theo was walking towards the police station.
Curious, he looked at the photographs posted outside the station. "These photographs…" he muttered mostly to himself, "Most Wanted…Reward…?" he read off the photos. "I see, so the concept of subjugation requests is not unknown here…"
"Well yeah," Minako answered, "But we don't kill them."
"Ah?" Theo looked at her when she had informed him on that little fact. "In that case, you must have to capture them alive… Only a skilled hunter could accomplish it," he said with a triumphant nod. "If there are hunters of such talent in this world as well, I may want to make a few requests of my own…But on second thought, perhaps not," he mused, closing his eyes a moment. When he opened them again, his gold eyes turned their gaze to her, "I already have you, our finest guest, for that."
Minako felt her face flush at the way he looked at her – or maybe it was because she was also taking the last line of his words in the wrong context.
Before Minako had a chance to recover, Theo was looking off to somewhere else, "Hm…? What is that?" he asked. Walking over to the closed doors of Escapade, Theo looked at it in awe, "This…" he began breathlessly, "Could this be 'club' of rumor…?"
She'd followed after him of course, and his odd question helped her gather herself. "Rumor?" she asked, echoing his words.
"Yes, I heard no end of it…" Theo explained, "'Dancers, dictated by the sway of one's inner passions…A subterranean garden of uninhibited spectacle.' …Though this marks my first time seeing it in person. Well then, let us venture in…" He went to open the door, only to find it locked. Utter shock seemed to write itself across his face, "…It's closed…! This cant be…" Theo looked disappointed, "It seems…I have no choice but to turn back…" He looked like he was about to cry.
"It's okay, Theo," Minako reassured, patting him on the shoulder, "I'll come get you sometime in the evening and show it to you when it's open."
"Would you really?" Theo asked, looking at her hopefully.
Minako nodded with a smile, "Of course I would." Taking his hand in hers, she led him away from the club, "Here, why don't I show you the arcade instead for now?"
"Ar…cade…?" he echoed as he followed after her hesitantly. "A series of arches?" he asked confused, "A-All right, let us investigate."
The brunette laughed a bit as she led him over to the other side of the mall where the 'Game Panic' was.
His curiosity seemed sparked once again, and Theo made his way over to examine the crane game outside the arcade. "'Bird controlling game'…?" he asked, trying to translate the way the game worked by it's name alone. "Hmm…The things inside this case…Those are birds?" He looked a bit confused at this, "They look to my eye more like stuffed animals made of cloth…" Theo took a moment to think, "Is this, then, a simulator to practice catching real cranes…?"
Again, he was distracted before Minako could correct him, so she let him be and allowed him to entertain her with his own musings. The bellboy looked up and turned, "Ah… Excuse me. I note another aquatic pool over here." Stepping away from the crane machine, Theo walked over towards the fountain in the corner of Paulownia Mall. He seemed restless as he stared at the water's surface.
Minako, who had obviously followed him wondering what odd thing he'd say next, looked at him curiously, "Theo?" she called.
Seeming to ignore her words, Theo looked around for a second, and then abruptly stuck his hand into the water…glove and all.
"Th-Theo, what are you…?"
"It's eight degrees Celsius," He said, looking quite confident.
Minako stared at Theo. Was that really it? He'd just wanted to know the temperature? But rather than ask him in a way that would just upset him again, the brunette decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe him. "You can tell?" she asked, kind of impressed if he was right.
"Of course I can," he answered proudly. Pulling his hand out of the water, he shook it twice and it seemed perfectly dry then.
"Woah, how'd you do that?" she asked.
Theo looked at her oddly, "Why, what do you mean?"
Minako laughed, shaking her head, "Never mind, it's all right."
"Shall we be on our way?" he asked then as they walked toward the fountain in the center of the mall. "I'd hate to keep you out for too late…" He paused to look around at the Mall once again, looking rather pleased, "This world has it's charms. I…would relish the chance to visit it again sometime. Thank you very much for today."
"You're welcome, Theo," the brunette replied. "I'll be more than happy to show you around else where next time you're free to explore."
Theo smiled and offered her his arm, "I would be delighted if you could, but for now, let us return to the Velvet Room."
Taking his offered arm after a hesitant moment, Minako walked with Theo back to the hidden door to the Velvet Room. He walked her to her seat and let her sit. Afterwards he walked to the table and picked up the two booklets before walking over to his master. He spoke quietly to Igor, whispering in the man's ear, but to whatever it was he said, he was answered with a simple and blunt 'no' twice in a row. Trying not to look saddened, Theo walked back to where Minako sat, "Thank you for showing me around Paulownia Mall. I asked my master to install a fountain into the Velvet Room just now…Unfortunately, he refused before I even finished asking the question. I'm currently negotiating with him to at least set up a 'crane catcher' machine. Now as for a reward, I've prepared something special. With this, you can fuse Hua Po." He smiled that charming smile of his. "She is a charming Persona, combining the looks of a sweet girl with powerful abilities. Please take this as your reward." He handed her a small Cheongsam.
"Um, thank you," Minako answered, putting the thing away in her bag. "I should get going, or I'll make Junpei wait. Today was fun Theo, I cant wait until next time."
No really, she couldn't.
Hopping up, Minako trotted out of the room. As soon as she was outside, she was running back to the school to get there in time. Theo had wandered around longer than she thought he would have. Junpei was waiting at the school gates for her, just like he'd promised. She slowed to a stop before him, leaning over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "S-sorry," she said breathlessly, "I hope I didn't make you wait too long." She looked up with a hesitant smile.
Junpei chuckled, "Don't worry about it. C'mon, let's go somewhere." He waited for her to catch her breath before leading the way to wherever it was he wanted to go. The two of them ended up heading back to Paulownia Mall, where she'd just been. Of course, it wasn't going to be like babysitting a child like it had been watching Theo run around all excited.
Junpei walked them to the Changall Café, where the two of them sat down at a table and ordered drinks. Junpei was looking around a bit curious. "Whoa, so this is what it's like inside this café…" He noticed Minako giving him an odd look at what he'd said. "Oh, guys cant really come to places like this with each other," he explained a little embarrassed.
"Where do guy friends go?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink.
He had to think a moment about it, "Uhh… Karaoke, Wild-duck Burger, the manga café…" Suddenly he grinned, laughing a bit, "…That sounds a lot lamer now that I say it out loud." He took a sip of his coffee, the look on his face seeming to brighten a bit. "Still, this is some damn good coffee," he commented, "You can tell that the guy who owns this place is really picky about the beans. He probably roasts them all differently using special waters for each type…"
Minako looked rather surprised, "You know a lot about coffee," she commented, impressed.
Again Junpei laughed, "…I just really like coffee. That's all." It was like her comment had given him a little ego boost – he seemed proud that he'd impressed her. "Oh yeah," he began, looking at Minako's cup, "What did you order, Minako-chan?"
She smiled, "I got Coffee too," she answered. "I really like their coffee here."
"Oh, you got the same thing as I did, then." Of course, Junpei was drinking his black while Minako had asked for some milk in hers. "I like the bitter taste. I feel all tough and cool when I drink it."
Both Minako and Junpei seemed to laugh at that silly remark before chatting about different things. The topics were wide and random; school, homework, sports clubs, Tartrus, what manga they read, favorite foods, etc.
"By the way, are there any guys you're interested in?" Junpei asked. He suddenly grinned, "If you want, I'll totally help you out. It'd be fun being your Cupid." He laughed in a carefree manner, "Oh yeah, what about Akihiko-senpai? You know girls are crazy about him. You'd better be careful that he doesn't play you." Junpei seemed to realize what he was saying then and sighed, "Wait… Akihiko-san's not that type of guy, so you don't need to worry. It's like the opposite… He'd be way too serious if you were in a relationship. Actually, why don't you try and get him? Seriously?" He thought on it a moment like it was some sort of plot to a manga, "A transfer student swoops in and steals the heart of the boy every girl wants…Don't you think that would totally be cool? It's be something right out of a manga!" he laughed.
"Hmmm…?" Minako looked at him for a moment and then took a sip of her coffee, "I'm not interested though…" she murmured. It wasn't anything against Akihiko himself, but she wasn't interested in him in that way. He was a cool guy, but she wasn't falling head over heels for him any time soon.
"Aww, really?" Junpei asked, still grinning, "I thought that would be fu - - " He cut himself odd, looking rather shocked at what he was about to say and how it could be taken, "I-I mean, I'm not trying to get you to do this just for my own laughs, 'kay? It's be better if we all just got along together, right?" he corrected himself, flustered.
The conversation drifted off in another direction then, and soon enough both of them were grinning and laughing. But soon their conversation came to an end when Junpei noticed the time, "Oh crud, is it already this late?" He grinned, "Man, I really enjoy being around you for some reason. Well, let's head back." Leaving behind their cups, Junpei and Minako left the café and headed back to the dorm.
EVENING
"…Where have you been?" Akihiko greeted when the two entered the front doors of the dorm.
Junpei grinned, "Oh, nowhere, just hanging out after school."
"I'm going to head up and do my homework, but first; you guys up for Tartrus tonight?" Minako asked.
Yukari frowned, walking in from her spot in the dining room all by herself, "Well… I dunno, we did reach the barrier already. It's not like we can go any further right now…"
"Yeah," Junpei agreed, "unless that thing goes away, we cant go any further."
Minako nodded, "True. All right then. I guess we'll take it easy for a while. But if we get bored, let's go there to at least train so we don't get sloppy and careless when fighting." With that said, Minako headed off to her room to go do her homework.
(5/1) EARLY MORNING
That morning, Yukari walked with Minako to school. The two chatted the whole way over, and before they knew it they were at the school. Of course, Yukari was in the middle of a story when they got there. " And so, as that person put it…" It was then that Yukari noticed they were passing through the gates to the school, she had been so wrapped up in her story, "…Yikes, we're at school already! That reminds me, it's gotten so warm lately. Well, I guess today is the start of May after all."
Oh, right, it was May 1st, wasn't it? Minako was surprised, "Time flies!"
"Seriously!" Yukari agreed, "A lot's happened!" She looked around, suddenly looking slightly worried, "Ya know, it doesn't seem like the number of Apathy Syndrome cases has been decreasing lately… We're the only ones who can fight the Shadows, so…" She sighed, "I guess we should train more, so we're ready if anything like that comes up again." She was referring to last month when the dorm had been attacked. "…Me especially. I don't wanna be a burden on everyone else. …Oh, c'mon. Let's go."
The two of them headed inside just before the first bell rang.
AFTER SCHOOL
The classes had ended for the day, so Minako had sat back a moment, trying to think of what to do. She'd decided she might as well stop by the Student Council room since it was a Friday when she ran into Junpei and Yukari and decided to talk for a bit.
"FYI," Junpei interrupted quickly, "Akihiko-san's at the hospital getting a check up. He called me earlier, and asked me to bring him something." He stretched, grinning, "Yup, he knows who to count on."
"He only asked you cuz you don't have anything else to do after school," Yukari pointed out.
Junpei looked at Yukari rather insulted, "H-Hey, I resent that."
Yukari giggled, "I'm just kidding."
Yeah, Minako totally bought that, but she didn't say anything.
"So, what'd he want you to bring?" She asked.
"The class roster for 2-E," Junpei answered.
Yukari looked confused, "What's he want that for?" She paused a moment, thinking, "…Well, I don't have practice today, so I'll go with you." She turned to look at Minako, "You're coming too, right?"
Minako thought about it a second. Hospitals were kind of …boring…and smelled gross. But it was better than sitting through a Student Council meeting. "Definitely!" she agreed with a smile.
"Cool," Yukari replied, as if she was glad Minako was going so she wouldn't have to deal with Junpei on her own.
Junpei looked at the two like they were plotting something evil against him. "W-Wait a minuet…"
"What?" Yukari asked, "Is there a problem?"
His brows drew together in a frustrated look. "Well, it was me he asked…" He complained.
After settling Junpei's complaints about being the one to deliver what Akihiko had asked for, the three headed out to the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. They got the room number from the nurse and headed up to it, keeping quiet. When they reached the room, Junpei opened the door and the three of them walked in. A young man was there, sitting on the bed instead of Akihiko.
It took Minako a moment, but that was, for sure, the guy she'd seen twice before at Hagakure Ramen.
He looked somewhat scary. Or at least that was the aura he gave off. The black beanie he wore was pulled down just to his eyebrows, long brown hair draping down from underneath it to stop just past his shoulders in back. Eyes that matched the hair looked over at the three, seeming stuck in a permanent glare and his mouth set in a frown. He kept his hands in the pockets of his burgundy pea-coat, sitting a bit hunched over.
Junpei was easily intimidated by the guys appearance. "Umm…Is…Akihiko-senpai…?" he seemed to hesitate when the guy's glare didn't waver, "…In this room? By any chance?"
Footsteps approached from behind them, and the charmingly familiar voice of Akihiko caught the three's attention. "What are all of you guys doing here?" he asked.
All three second-years turned, smiling at the sliver-haired boxer. "We came to see you," Minako answered with a smile.
Akihiko smiled, looking at the three like they were being silly, but was happy to see them all the same. "I'm just here for a check up," he insisted.
"Is that it Aki?" a deep voice asked from behind them. The stranger in the room had spoken, directing his question to Akihiko. The three then looked back at him, surprised that he'd spoken.
The smile on the boxer's lips seemed to vanish, "Yeah," he answered, "Thanks."
The stranger scoffed, apparently upset over something, "I don't have time for this shit," he grumbled. Getting up from his seat, he started to leave the room. However, when he passed by the group, he paused, stopping to look directly at Minako, "You…"
Minako jumped a bit, surprised he'd addressed her. She didn't think he really remembered the two times they'd run into each other. "Ah, y-yes?" she asked.
He was silent a moment, his eyes locked on Minako's, but then shook his head. "Never mind…" Turning away, the visitor walked to the door, pulled it open, and left without any further distractions.
Junpei watched the stranger leave, looking shocked. He also seemed like he was relieved the guy had left. "Wh-Who was that?" he asked.
"A friend from school…" Akihiko answered, then hesitantly added, "sort of," at the end. "You know how the number of Apathy Syndrome cases has been increasing? Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I was asking him about it." After his explanation, he seemed to remember why they – or at least one of them – were here in the first place. "Hey, Junpei, did you bring what I asked?"
Junpei grinned, looking like he felt all important, "Of course, Senpai."
Akihiko smiled, "Sorry for the trouble." He took the roster from Junpei, glancing it over once before looking to the other three, "Well then, let's get going!" He stretched, ready to head out.
"Uh, you shouldn't move your arm…" Junpei said, like he was afraid it would break at any second.
"It's nothing," Akihiko insisted. "I've wasted enough time already. I need to get back to my training."
Yukari spoke up then, the conversation reminding her of a question she'd been wanting to ask. "By the way, Senpai, why boxing?"
"You mean, why did I choose that sport?" He asked. "Well…" he paused, trying to find the words to explain himself, "It's not the sport itself I like; I just wanted to learn how to fight." He looked down, trying to hide the pain in his eyes, "I know what it's like to feel powerless…and I don't want to feel that way again." He shook off that look, bringing that fighter's smile back to his lips, "Besides, I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself."
"That's an interesting way of looking at it," Junpei mused, "Ya know, I'm into games too…" he grinned.
Yukari scoffed, "Yeah, video games."
Junpei seemed to not get her point, still grinning and smiling. "Oh, but I like fighting games too."
Yukari rolled her eyes, "…whatever."
Together, the four of them headed back to the dorm.
EVENING
Mitsuru went into a lecture that night about how they should train because of the rise of Apathy Syndrome cases. So that night, the three of them went to Tartrus. Mitsuru was support as usual for Yukari, Junpei, and Minako. Before heading out, Minako decided to pick up a few requests from Theo. Like finding a beetle shell, as well as finding a sword called a 'Jizumaru.' Both turned out to be a pain in the butt.
It was like once Minako wanted to find the beetle shaped shadows, they were never there. The same with finding the golden chests – and when she did find one, she couldn't help but wonder why it seemed to have it's own little fog machine inside. Either way, when she got both items, she insisted that they were done for the day. One word from Mitsuru feeling like 'death was near' and Minako was ready to bolt.
The three bolted for the access point and took it down to the bottom floor. Asking her teammates to give her a second, she went to the Velvet room to hand over the requested items before they headed back.
(5/2) EARLY MORNING
"Golden Week starts tomorrow!" the gossip-loving girl cheered. Minako heard her easily on her way in to school that morning, "Have you got any plans?" she asked.
The guy scratched the back of his head, "Ehh… Not really," he answered honestly, "But I'm not gonna miss tomorrow's show!"
The girl seemed to light up, knowing just what show he was talking about. "Oh, yeah! You mean Tanaka's show, right? When I hear that jingle, I cant resist buying something… I never miss it when it's on Sunday afternoons. I'm about to go broke!"
The first bell rang, so Minako followed the two gossips into the school to trade out their shoes.
AFTER SCHOOL
Classes passed by quickly…probably because she fell asleep in class again. Minako sighed, wondering what she should do after Junpei told her what the assignments for that night's homework was. It was a Saturday, because of that there was no Tennis, no Student Council… Well, she may as well head over to the bookstore and say hi to the old couple there.
Taking a moment to stretch as she stood, Minako headed out of the classroom and down to the shoe lockers. She was half hoping that Junpei or even Yukari would walk by and ask if she were headed home, but since they didn't, it wasn't that big of a deal. She headed out the door and off to the station to get to the book store.
Inside the book store Minako came upon the site of Bunkichi and Mitsuko looking for something. "That's strange…" he muttered to himself, "I swear I left it around here…But, I cant seem to find it."
"Looking for something?" Minako asked, stepping up next to him to see where he was looking.
"Minako-chan?" Bunkichi looked over at her, seemingly surprised. "How'd you know I was looking for something? Are you psychic?" he scratched his slowly balding head in frustration. "I'm looking for my glasses… No, not my glasses - - my wallet… I cant seem to find it.
"I'll help look for it," Minako offered with a smile.
Bunkichi looked surprised yet again, "Wow! Minako-chan, you really can read minds! I was just thinking it'd be nice if someone have us a hand."
With renewed energy at Minako's offer of assistance, the three started searching the store for Bunkichi's wallet. They looked over and under piles, shifting books to different places, only to move them back when looking elsewhere. Minako disturbed one of the piles of books, and it tumbled over, the mountain avalanching on her. She fell with a yelp, covering her head, and then laughing as she pulled an open hard cover off her shoulder. The old couple looked worried as they apologized and helped dig her out, but Minako merely giggled and said everything was okay.
It was a few minuets after that, that they were just about ready to give up their search. Bunkichi sighed, "Where could it be…? …Wait, what were we looking for?"
"Konnichiwa, 'ello!" an accented voice called into the shop as the door opened with a chime. A young blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy in a black long sleeve shirt walked in. "I found zis on ze ground outside! Eez it yours?" he asked, a thick French accent playing on his words. He held out a wallet, offering it to the old man.
"Wow! This is it!" Bunkichi exclaimed with a smile, "I've been looking for this wallet everywhere! Well, it's not a golden wallet, but I'm still happy to have it back!"
The blonde foreigner seemed to notice Minako then, turning to face her. "Sumimasen, excuse me…" he began, "Arent you ze transfer student everyone eez talking about?" He suddenly seemed excited, smiling at her, "I go to ze same school - - Gekkoukan!"
Minako smiled at the foreign boy, "What's your name?"
The boy's smile seemed to grow that much more, "I came 'ere from France to study abroad. My name eez Andre Laurent Jean Geraux. But, zey call me "Bebe"!
Minako laughed a bit. She would have had a hard time saying that name herself. It was a good thing there was an easier name to call him, "Nice to meet you, Bebe."
"Hajime mashite, it eez nice to meet you too!" he replied, excited to be making a new friend. "I work in ze Home Economics Room every day. If you get bored, come say 'ello! I 'ope to see you zere. Sayonara, goodbye!" With a cheerful wave, the French boy turned and left the store, heading off to do whatever he'd been going to do when he'd found the wallet.
"Well…" Mitsuko mused with a soft smile on her wrinkled face, "He seemed like an interesting young man."
Bunkichi wasn't even paying attention. He was looking in his wallet for something, looking quite frustrated that he couldn't find it yet. "Hmm… I thought I put it in my wallet so I wouldn't lose it…" His face seemed to light up when he came across what he was looking for, "…Ah, here it is! I knew it was in here!" He pulled a key out from the depths of his wallet, seeming to admire it for a moment.
Mitsuko looked a bit pale, "…Dear? Is that key for…?"
"Come on, dear, you know what it is," the old man answered, "It's the key for our son's car." He smiled a bit, "Seeing Minako-chan reminded me of how things used to be…I havent heard the roar of the engine in a long time. How do I look, dear?"
"Please don't!" Mitsuko looked down, her brows pulling together in a pained expression. "Why must you get into a car! Do you want me to end up all alone!"
Minako was a bit worried, looking between the two, "What about a car?" she asked.
Mitsuko seemed to remember that Minako was there, "Um, Minako-chan…I'm sorry for raising my voice. Did I scare you?"
Bunkichi looked saddened then, "Our son… Remember what I told you? How he passed away…" he sighed, "On the way home from work, he got into an accident… He was hit by a dump truck driver who was drunk on the job…"
"Oh…" Minako felt bad for prying now, "I'm sorry to hear that…" she murmured.
The old man looked even sadder than her, hanging his head in shame. "Minako-chan, please slap me… Slap me for being an insensitive fool…With all my excitement, I forgot to consider how my wife might feel… I'm such a… I'm such a…"
Minako was not about to slap the old man, he hadnt done it on purpose. She hated to leave at such a time, but when she looked out the window, it was already getting dark.
Bunkichi tried to lift their spirits then, "…Hm? Why should we let this get us down?" he asked, "Since I found my wallet, why don't we eat out, dear?" he offered, giving his wife a smile. "Thanks for searching with us, Minako-chan. Consider this your allowance." He stuffed a bottle of medicine in her bag with a smile.
Well…it was the thought that counted. "Thank you," Minako said with a smile, "I should get going now. I'll see you two next time." Turning her back to the two, Minako headed out of the store and went on her way home.
EVENING
"…S'up, dude?" Junpei called when Minako walked in the front door. A grin played on his face, "Three-day weekend starting tomorrow!" he announced excitedly. But then his excitement seemed to drift off to the side, "I asked some peeps if they wanted to hang out, but the only ones interested were guys…" he sighed, "Man, I don't want no sausage fest…"
Minako couldn't help but giggle at the way he put it. Immature or not, it was still funny.
Mitsuru seemed to step into the conversation then, "I don't mean to interrupt, but need I remind you that midterms are quickly approaching?" She gave a slight smile to Junpei that said this was something like a lecture that he could take heed to. "You had best use your time wisely."
Yukari sighed from behind her fashion magazine, slouching a bit in her seat, "You had to remind me…" she grumbled.
Remembering a request from before that she'd seen in Theo's booklet, Minako walked over to Yukari. "Hey Yukari, do you know where I can get Pine Resin?" she asked curiously.
The other brunette looked up at her a bit oddly. "Huh? Pine Resin? You need some?" she asked, a bit surprised. "Why would I have pine resin…? Ohhh, okay… you mean the powder we use in Archery Club, right? The yellow stuff? We use it even in practices, so it runs out quickly…But I think I have some left. Hang on."
Leaving her magazine behind on her seat, Yukari trotted off to the stairs and up them, leaving Minako behind. While waiting for the brunette to return, Minako sat on the arm of the chair and picked up the magazine, flipping through it idly as she waited.
Eventually Yukari returned with a small bag of the powder, "Here you go." She handed the bag over to Minako, who thanked her for it as she set Yukari's magazine back down. "…What did you need it for anyways? Got a bow to take care of?"
"Not really, a friend of mine asked for it," she answered. "But thanks again, this really helps me out."
"Well, whatever," she shrugged. Picking up her magazine, she sat back down in the chair and went back to reading.
Minako on the other hand, headed out to go to Paulownia Mall to give the requested item to Theodore. The train wasn't that crowded at that time of night, so it was easy to get there without too many odd looks. She hurried past the center fountain, and in back to the alley, going straight for the door.
Theo looked surprised to see her, "Welcome to the Velvet Room," he greeted, "How may I help you today?
"I've finished a request for you," Minako sang, offering him the bag of pine resin, rather than taking her usual seat.
"So this is pine resin," he mused, taking the bag from her. He carefully smelled it, "It does smell like freshly-cut pine…I never imagined that this is what pine resin would look like…" he paused a moment, as if remembering something. Suddenly he closed the bag back up and returned it to her. "I'm sorry, please put that away. "It's just that… I've been forced to eat several platefuls of soybean powder before." He sighed, looking slightly disturbed at the memory. "Soybean powder is… it's simply dreadful food. It absorbs all the moisture in your mouth and makes every spoonful an exquisite torture."
Minako stared at him with a look akin to horror.
Clearing his throat and shaking his head, he moved along, "Please, take this as your reward." He handed her a bow, "It's called 'Siren's Song'," he informed. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?" he offered.
"Um, not really, I just wanted to bring that to you before I forgot," Minako explained.
"Well then," he said with a smile, "I look forward to your next visit.