Last Edited: 06/19/18 Reworked.
SEES
Minato began to stir. His lengthy velvet filled dream had finally ended and his body started sending him sensory information again. A sterile scent filled his nostrils and bright light blinded him. His back ached terribly and his muscles felt sluggish and atrophied. He pulled his left arm free of the linen sheet that covered it and rubbed his eyes.
"You're awake…!" Exclaimed a familiar voice.
Yukari was sitting on a stool nearby. Her expression conveyed both concern and relief. He wasn't sure what the hell he was doing in bed or why his dorm-mate had been watching him sleep for god knows how long. It didn't help that the last memory he had of the girl was of her trying to blow her brains out.
What happened last night...?
"Um, how do you feel?" She asked as she wrung her hands.
"Restless," he answered honestly.
He scanned the room. A pitcher of water and some generic flowers sat on the nightstand next to his bed. Some stainless steel equipment was in a nearby cupboard along with spare sheets. The white walls that adorned the room where one hell of a clue as to where he might be, but it was always best to ask directly.
"Where am I?" He asked her.
Yukari placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature before resting her arms on the railing of his bed.
"Thank goodness you finally came to…" She whispered. Her sounds of concern now washed away.
She gave him a frustrated sigh. "How much sleep do you need!? It's been a whole week!"
Minato raised an eyebrow at her sudden mood swing.
The fuck did I do? Wait... Did she say a week!?
She exhaled and looked at him with her soft brown eyes. "...I was so worried about you…"
Seriously?
He was losing track of the mood swings the girl had gone through.
Yukari finally remembered his original question.
"...Oh yeah, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station," she informed.
"The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you, and I took care of your cuts on the rooftop. He ran some tests but said you were just exhausted... But you kept sleeping and sleeping," she said.
"You know how worried I was?" She suddenly snapped.
Minato would've face palmed if he didn't have an IV stuck in his arm.
Yukari seemed to catch on to her mood swings and looked at him sheepishly.
"Um...I'm sorry I couldn't do anything… Even though I was supposed to protect you I..." She apologized.
She made eye contact. "But your power...It was amazing."
Minato tried to think back to that night. Memories of fire and limbs hazily formed in his head. Had he passed out from smoke inhalation during a fire? That wouldn't explain his "power" that she was apparently enthralled by. The more he tried to put two and two together the less everything made sense.
"My memory's a little hazy right now. What exactly are you talking about?" He asked.
She tilted her head. "...How much do you remember about what happened at the dorm?"
"I recall there being a lot of fire. It was dark out. Umm... something about you trying to shoot yourself? That's about all I got," he said.
She looked at him in surprise. "You don't remember the monster that you fought off?"
Now that she mentioned it, he did remember a monster of some kind. A spider-esque arm monster... He focused as best he could on that memory. He'd been surrounded by fire, that much was certain. Yukari tried to shoot herself, but he wrestled the pistol away from her... and shot himself? Vivid imagery of him pressing the barrel of the gun against his temple flooded him.
"Did I try to shoot myself...?" He whispered.
"That 'gun' you keep thinking about? It's not a firearm. It's a tool meant to allow its user to wield their persona power. That's the power that you used to kill the Shadow," she explained.
"So, all that weird shit I dreamed of is real... You seem awfully well informed on this. What did I fight that hospitalized me for a week?" He prodded.
"...You mean the Shadow? They're these creatures that have been attacking people in town. Our senpai and I have been fighting them for months now," she said.
"We'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before…" She added.
Minato didn't care too much about the secrecy, his old lifestyle literally revolved around hierarchical secret keeping. What bothered him is that she just confirmed that spindly armed monsters that only come out at night are real. She sounded absolutely batshit insane and it infuriated him that he couldn't reasonably deny any of her claims. He most certainly remember a monster. He remembered that Yukari got hurt by it, and the bandages on her legs reflected that. All the evidence pointed out to these "shadow" arm blobs being real.
She got up from the stool and clasped her hands behind her back nervously before speaking, "...I um...I just wanted to say that...I'm sorta like you."
Minato allowed some surprise to show through his detached veneer. "You're a cadet?"
She shook her head. "No, no, not like that...My dad died in an accident when I was little...And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms...You're all alone too right?" She asked cautiously.
That hit close to home. Back in the academy he had no real friends. Just acquaintances that he spoke to if grouped with them for projects. Faces that smiled at him when they needed a favor and then vanished without a trace. Even his foster parents worked all day and went out at night, enjoying what little youth they had left. He was absolutely alone, but he had to save face. He didn't want to have anyone thinking that he was a loner.
"My parents are dead, if that's what you're referring to," he said.
She nodded. "To be honest, I already know about your past… But it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine…"
"It was back in 99'...There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened… He worked in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out what happened," she explained.
He nodded in understanding. His biological parents had been killed in a car crash. The official investigation ruled it as a lane switch gone wrong. He wanted to believe the official story. Just a simple collision with a speeder while merging. Both parties died and he was the sole survivor. But he didn't remember any other cars on the bridge that night... As time went by his mind concocted darker alternatives. Maybe his father was driving drunk? Maybe his parents were in an argument and got distracted? He couldn't even begin to imagine what twisted answers Yukari had come up with after all these years of unanswered questions.
She continued, "That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you...Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help...It was my first time fighting them too..."
She rubbed her arm in embarrassment. "I'm sorry...You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward…"
Minato raised a hand to interrupt her.
"I can't even remember what I went through," he reminded.
She laughed and shook her head. "Guess there's no point in feeling ashamed, then?"
"Guess not," he deadpanned.
She sighed. "And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself… 'I've been hiding so many things from him...As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth.' So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time."
"I appreciate the honesty, even if I can't remember half of what you're saying," he said.
"That's not unusual. When you first use your persona you can get messed up in all sorts of ways. I've heard that some people just start freakin' out and bawling on the spot. Memory loss isn't as common, but it can happen," she explained.
"Anyways, I'm not the expert. Once you get discharged, Mitsuru-senpai will probably fill you in on all the details. I should get going, the doctor is probably gonna want to know that you're awake now," she added.
He nodded and watched the brunette as she left his room. He barely spoke to her prior to the conversation they just had, but she still stuck around with him until he woke up. Maybe even left those flowers on the nightstand. People like that were a rarity in his life. He would make an effort treat her with respect.
Yukari rode the train to school by herself the next day. Her senpai made a habit of leaving the dorm half an hour early, and Minato was still at the hospital to the best of her knowledge. She was surprised with how close their battle with the shadow had brought them. Outside of a basic greeting or nod, he practically ignored her. Now she could hold a conversation. This was big and Mitsuru would surely take notice.
The faint sound of music broke her train of thought. Yukari looked behind her and spotted Minato with his headphones. His uniform was impeccably ironed and his posture was as rigid as ever.
She swallowed her pride and donned her friendly mask. She waved and walked over to him. It was imperative that he joined SEES. If it took a few forced smiles and batted eyes, then so be it.
"Mornin'. You seem to be doin' pretty well," she greeted in a jovial voice.
"I'm alright," he replied dryly.
She ignored his cadence and smiled warmly before leaning in and whispering, "Hey, I'm sorry to drop this one you so suddenly...but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today."
He visibly stiffened at that.
"I'd rather not..." He muttered.
"Look, I know he's not the coolest guy to talk to, but he can best explain what happened the other night. Its his area of expertise. Can you do this for me, please?" Yukari pleaded.
She watched his reaction closely. He looked deep in thought as he weighed out his options.
After a while he gave her a small nod. "Alright."
Damn, that was easier than I expected.
She beamed at him. "Thanks! Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget!"
"Ah, there you are. I'm glad that you're okay. The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you," Ikutsuki greeted Minato as he walked into the command room with Yukari.
He motioned to one of the cushions, "Please, have a seat."
Minato sat down next to Akihiko. The two of them exchanging quick nods before settling in.
"Okay, let me start off by asking you this..." Ikutsuki paused. "Would you believe me if I said that the day consisted of more than 24 hours?"
"No...?" He answered.
He wasn't really confident with his answer. There might have been some weird math involving leap seconds or some other tiny detail.
"Do you remember the night you came here?" Mitsuru chimed in.
"You had to have noticed the signs. The streetlights went out…Nothing was working…There were coffins everywhere...Didn't it feel like you were in a different time? That's the dark hour-a time period hidden between one day and the next," she explained.
He tried to process the new information. The blood puddles, the coffins, the blackout and deserted streets... He had plenty of answers for each abnormality but none could account for all of them in tandem.
He needed more information. "Explain."
Ikutsuki was more than eager to do so. He turned to Mitsuru for approval. She crossed her legs. The message was understood, he would provide the redacted version of events.
"Due to unknown circumstances an anomalous event has manifested itself everyday for quite some time now. Everyday at midnight time will 'stop' for the vast majority of the population. Coffins will manifest around their bodies to effectively shield them from experiencing the event. I believe you're familiar with them, yes?" Ikutsuki asked.
Minato nodded.
"People like you and I are able to witness the anomalous event. The event lasts for exactly one hour. After that time period, all anomalous events will cease." Ikutsuki explained.
"Hence the 'Dark Hour' designation?" Minato asked.
"Correct. It's an hour devoid of all but the most specialized electronic equipment, leaving the streets naturally pitch black. The creatures that roam around during this anomalous event, the very same that you encountered on the rooftop last week, will engage in predatory behavior during the Dark Hour. They seek out humans outside of their protective coffins. The resulting attack leaves the victim with significant neural damage. The public has designated the condition as 'Apathy Syndrome'."
Minato didn't know what to make of this. Monsters that show up at midnight to give people brain damage? He couldn't deny that there was some basis to their claims. His first day in Iwatodai had clearly displayed all of the mentioned anomalous effects despite him never disclosing his observations to anyone in the dorm.
"This is... plausible," he conceded.
Mitsuru walked over to the computer console in the room and slide a disk into it's optical drive.
"Your skepticism is understandable, Arisato-san. Last week you were forced to fight one of the products of the Dark Hour. We have the surveillance footage of your encounter. I think you'll find this convincing," she said.
The CRT monitor displayed the encounter with surprisingly good clarity. The monster he recalled in his dreams had encircled them in fire and knocked them around like rag dolls. It wasn't until he placed Yukari's pistol against his temple and summoned that machine-like "thing" that the tide of battle turned in their favor. The humanoid ruptured and gave birth to a large coffin clad creature that made short work of the arm-spider. After mouthing something to Yukari, he dropped like a rock and passed out.
His hazy memory more or less remembered this, and that horrified him. All the things that they'd mentioned were true. He had a billionaire and a college educated man calmly confirming that literal monsters came out at night to prey on humans.
He had a very pressing question. "Why haven't you notified the government?"
"Unfortunately, they can't do anything during the Dark Hour…" Mitsuru said dejectedly. "The Kirijo Group has a small army of security forces, but only a handful of them can even experience the Dark Hour."
Ikutsuki interjected, "Though rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's 'Persona'-the power you used the other night. The shadows can only be defeated by persona users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."
"I see," he said as he digested the new information.
Ikutsuki gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you're quick to understand."
Akihiko stood up from his cushion and looked at him with eager eyes. "You understand now, right? People like us, persona users, are the only ones able to exterminate Shadows. Whenever the opportunity arises we go out huntin' for them. Sounds pretty exciting, huh?"
Mitsuru didn't share his enthusiasm. She stood up and scolded the boxer. "Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!"
Ikutsuki tried to diffuse the situation. "Now, now. He does his work well."
They both glared at each other before sitting down.
Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses before continuing, "Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad-SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."
Mitsuru turned to him.
"As Ikutsuki explained, a shadow feeds on the minds of it's prey; the victim essentially becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them," she recounted.
She opened a silver briefcase that had been lying on the coffee table. Inside was a red armband and a gun similar to Yukari's.
Mitsuru straightened her posture and put on a friendly demeanor before making her offer. "What Sanada was trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared an evoker for you and we'd like you to lend us your strength."
Silence filled the room as the teen mulled over her offer. They had provided fairly convincing evidence that an immediate threat to national security was festering in the city and only unique people like him were able to stop it. He had somehow managed to exterminate one of the "Shadows" that raided the dorm, but it knocked him out cold for an entire week. Yukari, a seasoned professional, got her ass handed to her within seconds of the encounter. Akihiko, the toughest gym rat he'd ever met, had his arm in a sling after a brief skirmish with a shadow. It would be stupid to stick his neck out given these odds.
After a few minutes the quiet teen spoke, "It's too dangerous."
Mitsuru grimaced. "I understand your hesitation, but manpower is at a premium right now. We went through millions of dossiers and yours was the only viable one. "
A dossier... So that's what this scholarship was about.
While he wasn't eager to get sent to the hospital for the sake of philanthropy, nationalism, corporate social responsibility or whatever else motivated the others, he could be motivated by money. Minato contemplated his negotiating position. He already owed Kirijo for his tuition and housing expenses. He was also an immensely rare asset that had warranted premium incentives. If he played his cards right he could retire immediately after high school.
He looked at his peers. "I'd like some privacy with Kirijo-senpai. I need to ask some more questions before deciding."
Mitsuru nodded. Whatever private concerns he had would be addressed. She ushered the others out the door and locked it.
"What did you wish to dis-"
"I want a salary," he stated bluntly.
His statement took the aristocrat by surprise.
"You want me to pay you to help humanity?" She asked.
Her demeanor had changed from caring to down right irritated in a matter of seconds. His deadpan expression was barely keeping itself together as the billionaire stared him down.
"Doctors and police officers take checks. Why should I settle for less?" He argued.
Mitsuru opened her mouth to rebuke him but she stopped herself. He was one of the only persona wielders in the nation. He had a level of control over a powerful combat oriented persona. Despite her moral objections she couldn't deny that just paying him off would yield the best results.
She sighed. "Fine. How much are you looking to get?"
Minato blanked for a second. He had never negotiated a salary before. Any bravado he had withered away. How much was normal for this type of work? How high could he go without insulting her? This was a delicate matter. He would go with the softest high ball he could.
"20,000 yen per night?"
"That can be arranged," she said calmly.
It was a reasonable sum given the inherent danger of fighting shadows. One thing gnawed at her, though. How would she justify paying just one of her team members a salary? Could she just pay all the others the same wage? 60,000 yen per night was feasible enough. She could have it laundered well ahead of time... But then there was always the chance that her other dossier's would yield results. Add another two or three people on payroll. 120,000 yen per night, several nights a week. Christ, she might have to launder over 2,000,000 yen every month. She could file the payments as charitable donations...
Her new recruit was giving her one hell of a headache. The simplest solution would have to be used for now.
"Please keep your salary a secret until further notice. Consider that one of the stipulations of your contract."
Minato nodded. "Will do."
"Good, I believe that covers everything for now. I'll debrief you at a later date. You're dismissed, go get some sleep," she said.
Today was a terrible day. He'd gotten the scare of his life the night before with that damn pale ghost showing up in his room unannounced to spew some cryptic gibberish at him. It took hours for him to feel comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Before he knew it his favorite protein junkie was knocking at his door, demanding that he join him for some deadlift's. He'd found himself dozing off to sleep during class and on the monorail. Just when he thought he could enjoy a long nap at the dorm his brunette roommate dragged him downstairs with some vague explanation about Akihiko needing them for 'SEES' duties.'
He forced himself to stand at attention and give his senpai a curt nod. Professionalism was no longer optional now that he was officially a Kirijo contractor.
Yukari looked at the boxer expectantly.
"...Okay, he's here now. So, what's this all about?" she asked.
Akihiko gave them a sly grin. "There's someone I wanna introduce."
He turned to the door. "...Hey, hurry up."
A familiar voice replied from behind the dense oak door, "Hold your horses...This is freakin' heavy!"
Yukari's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar cap wearing teen pushing a large luggage bag.
"J-Junpei!? ...What is HE doing here!?" She stammered.
"Wait, don't tell me-"
Akihiko grinned. "This is Junpei Iori from class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today."
Junpei gave them a toothy smile. "Hehe, wazzup?"
She groaned. "He's staying HERE!? You've got to be kidding me!"
Akihiko shrugged. "I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently… I told him about us and he agreed to help."
She looked at the goofy teen in disbelief. "You have the potential!? For real!?"
He brushed off her incredulous expression and answered her nonchalantly, "He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but...maaan that's embarrassing! He said that's, ya know, completely normal... in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"
Minato shrugged. "Coffins never gave me trouble."
Junpei scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "H-Hey, maybe you just forgot you did or somethin'. But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know?"
He grinned at the duo. "I bet you're stoked too right!? Havin' me join…"
"Huh? Uh, y-yeah…" Yukari scoffed.
Akihiko cleared his throat, drawing all of their attention to him.
"Well, enough with the introductions. I think we're about ready…" He foreshadowed.
Junpei started bouncing in place. "Ooh, we're gonna go do somethin'? Sweetness!"
"With this many people, we can start exploring that place," he said in a tone full of intense mystery.
She rolled her eyes. It was late and she didn't have time to play along with his theatrics.
"You mean Tartarus?" She asked.
Junpei gave her a confused looked. "Tartarus? What's that? Sounds like a toothpaste."
Akihiko scowled at her and tried to build the suspense back up. "We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there."
Yukari thought back to the fight on the rooftop and shuddered. "I hope so…"
He nodded. "The chairman will give us the details tomorrow night, so be ready. In the meantime, you guys are going on a little trial run."
"What'd you have in mind?" Minato asked.
"Nothing too serious. Just a walk around the block during the Dark Hour. If things get heated you can always run back to the dorm," he explained.
Junpei pumped his fist. "Hell yeah! Man, I can't believe we're going monster huntin' tonight!"
"Wait, you're coming with us, right?" Yukari asked.
"Only if something major shows up. Mitsuru will be guiding you via radio. Just listen to her and you'll be fine," Akihiko reassured.
Minato awkwardly held the gladius he'd been given. When he signed on to SEES, he figured that they'd be equipped by the Kirijo Group. The largest Tech company in Asia and the 3rd wealthiest on earth. The company that was hired to update the main guns on their entire Destroyer fleet. He felt cheated when Akihiko walked down to the lobby with a gym bag and handed out gear at random.
The small collection of blades and other antiquated weaponry he'd brought wasn't even high quality.
He could rub his hand down the edge of his sword without receiving a scratch. Not that sharpening the blade would help him much. The only time he'd ever used a bladed weapon was during a twenty minute bayonet drill a few years back. He glanced over the cheap bronze blade one last time before sheathing it in its nylon scabbard.
Cold air slapped against his face as he sat on the dorm's steps in anticipation for their orders. A strong sense of dread began to build in his gut. His encounter with a lone shadow had resulted in a week long hospital trip. He was now in their domain with half-assed equipment and two strangers. Yukari was jumpy as hell and Junpei wasn't taking any of this seriously. Yet his life depended on their competence. At the very least his fear was keeping him wide awake.
His team shared none of his concern. Yukari was humming lightly while stringing her bow. Junpei had his usual goofy grin on display as he swung around his cheap sword. He plopped down next to the brunette and nudged her.
"Yo, Yuka-tan, how's your aim with that thing." He asked.
"Good enough for regional's. How about you? Got any experience beyond your manga?" She quipped.
He grinned. "Yup! I've been going to the batting cages for years. Ol' Junpei here can swat a coin out of the air."
Yukari looked at him incredulously. "Batting cages? Junpei, I don't think those skills are gonna transfer over to sword fighting."
He shook his head in disapproval. "Pfft, all 'sword fighting' is is just swinging a stick around. I'm practically a pro."
She sighed. "Caveman..."
Junpei's head snapped up."What'd you say?"
As much as she wanted to pick a fight with the buffoon, Yukari knew that escalating things further would only put everyone in danger. They couldn't be at each other's throats if they wanted to survive the night.
"Nothing. How about you Minato? You any good with swords?" She asked, changing the subject.
Minato perked up at his name.
"No," he stated bluntly.
Junpei nearly dropped his katana in shock. "W-Wha? Why'd you pick one then?"
He shrugged. "Didn't know how to use any of the other weapons. This one weighed less so I took it."
Junpei puffed his chest out. "Don't you worry man, I'll-"
*BEEP*
Their radios rang out in unison as Mitsuru's voice filled the empty streets.
"Can you all hear me?" She asked.
"Yeah, you're coming in loud and clear," Yukari said.
Another loud beep rang out as Mitsuru spoke, "Excellent. Today we'll be simulating a scouting run. Walk around the block and report any Shadows that you find. Do not engage them. If they start to get close, let me know and make your way back to the dorm. Your weapons and evokers are for emergencies only. Understood?"
"Understood," Minato said.
"...Iori?" She asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't fight 'em, I got it," Junpei said.
"Good. I look forward to seeing your progress." With that, their radios fell silent again.
Junpei stretched loudly before pointing down the street with his sword.
"Whaddaya you guys waitin' for? Lets go!" He yelled before taking off at a jog.
Yukari rubbed her temples and let out a soft sigh. "It had to be Junpei of all people..."
The duo found Junpei in an alleyway. A pathetically small black blob was hissing at him and waving its tiny arms menacingly.
"Pfft, these are the Shadows!? Dude, I could stomp this lil' guy right now!" He boasted. The shadow looked thoroughly pissed off at the teens antics. It swatted away the teen's prodding katana and let out varmint-like screeches.
"They get bigger. A lot bigger," Yukari warned. She tightened her grip on her bow. The shadow before her wasn't particularly threatening but she wasn't about to get caught off guard.
Minato moved closer to get a better look. Sure enough, a shadow the size of a pancake was making a racket. He couldn't help but feel bad for the little blob. It really did look like a pair of timberland's could finish it off...
Regardless of how weak it was, Mitsuru had made her orders clear.
"Boss said no fighting, let's call it in and get going," he said.
Junpei scrunched his brow as he looked at him. "Boss? You callin' Mitsuru-senpai that now?"
"She's the boss," he pointed out.
Junpei chuckled. "Yeah, I get that, but 'boss'? You're makin' us sound like henchmen..."
He looked down in embarrassment.
"It was a spur of the moment thing..." He mumbled.
Yukari's hand rested on her radio as she took a step closer to them. "...So should I do it or...?"
Junpei did a double take. "Seriously? For this little grub? Lemme just-"
Minato cut him off as he spoke into his radio,"Kirijo-senpai, we found a small shadow near the bookstore."
"Understood. Do not engage. Continue your patrol," she instructed. With that, the radio went silent.
Almost on cue, the blob screeched at them and tossed a sizable chunk of ice in their direction. It connected with Minato's wrist and sent waves of pain across his arm. He slumped to the floor, effectively useless. Junpei jumped back in shock and pointed his sword at the blob menacingly. It wrenched the cheap blade from his grip and tossed it aside.
"Fuckfuckfuck! I'm sorry!" He yelled as he narrowly dodged the shadow's lunge.
He backed away until he felt a solid wall behind him. This was it, he was cornered by some ice launching snot monster. It would go down in history that he was all bark, no bite. He braced himself.
The shadow moved to shoot a chunk of ice at him. It reeled its arm back before stopping suddenly as a loud smack rang across the alley. An arrow had pierced the blob and smashed against the pavement. The creature slumped to the ground before dissolving away.
Junpei wiped beads of sweat of his brow before letting out a deep breath. "Holy crap, Yuka-tan! You really saved my ass there!"
She ignored him and pulled out her evoker. "How's your wrist, Minato?"
The teen grimaced as he poked the swollen area. "Broken or fractured... I think I'm gonna have to call it a day."
She eyed the wound for a second before kneeling down next to him. "Here, let me fix it."
He raised an eyebrow at her. Did she have some advanced first aid training? He supposed it wasn't unreasonable given that she'd been part of Mitsuru's paramilitary group for god knows how long.
The girl pressed the evoker against her head and squeezed the trigger.
A flash of green light surrounded him as a soothing sensation washed over him. The swelling in his wrist subsided in seconds. He couldn't help but look at Yukari in awe. Junpei joined him and stared slack-jawed at the brunette.
"How did you do that?" Minato asked. He was squeezing his wrist, feeling no pain whatsoever. Whatever she had done was damn thorough.
Yukari paused. Nobody had ever asked her to explain how her healing worked. How could she phrase this?
"My persona has a couple of powers that focus on healing wounds or removing aliments. They all just sorta became clear to me when I first used my evoker," she explained.
"That's frickin' incredible!" Junpei dug around for his evoker. "Lemme see what mine can do."
Minato looked at him with clear disapproval. "Put that away."
"Hey, what gives?" He asked.
"We're not allowed to use them if there's no immediate threat," Minato reminded. His patience was running thin. He quite liked Junpei's company after school, but working with him was grating.
Junpei's eyes widen in recognition. Had he already forgotten Mitsuru-senpai's instructions?
"Oh, right. Sorry guys, got a little carried away," he apologized. "...and about the pissing off the shadow..."
Minato was a bit taken aback by the teen's apologies. He had already branded him as a friendly but impulsive, hard headed man. His acquaintance had more layers than he gave him credit for.
"It was a good thing, really," Minato said.
"What? Whaddya mean?" He asked. Had he really inadvertently helped out or was Minato just trying to pity him?
Minato pointed at the mess of equipment and ice shards in the alley. "We learned what its like when the rug gets pulled up from under us. I'm glad we got that out the way with a tiny one."
Yukari nodded. "Yeah, he's right. Last time I went up against a shadow I just froze up. I think having to fight a smaller one just now gave me the confidence I needed."
"Yeah, no kiddin'. Thanks again for the assist," Junpei said.
The trio spent a while picking up their gear before moving out.
The group scanned the empty streets of their block for several minutes before finally arriving back at the dorm. An oddly quiet Akihiko led them to the command room were they sat in silence while Mitsuru scanned their expressions.
"I'd like to start this off by disclosing that I was monitoring your entire patrol," she said.
Minato thought back to when he'd been shown his encounter on the rooftop. It made perfect sense for the Kirijo Group to have set up a security network across the neighborhood.
"Surveillance cameras..." He muttered.
She smirked. Her contractor was a sharp thinker. "A perfectly reasonable guess, but I'm afraid that that's not the case."
Mitsuru motioned to her holster.
"My persona allows me to see what you see vividly within a 500 meter radius. After that, it becomes less reliable."
Junpei turned pale. "So that means..."
"Correct."
She paused for a second before facing Junpei.
"Iori, my orders were clear. You were to stick with the group and avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary. Wanting to 'poke' a shadow is not a valid excuse. Running off at random is inexcusable."
The teen hung his head in shame. He blew it. His chance to make something of himself gone because he couldn't manage his impulsive nature.
"I want you to redeem yourself tomorrow. Is that something you're capable of?"
His head snapped up to met her gaze. "Y-Yeah! For sure, you won't regret this, senpai!"
"Excellent." She glanced at Yukari.
"Your quick thinking prevented further injuries and stabilized the situation. Very impressive, Takeba."
The brunette sighed in relief. She was half expecting to get chewed out for not doing more to stop Junpei's antics.
"Arisato, you managed to keep everyone on task despite your injury and clear lack of sleep. You're dependable under pressure. That being said I need you to fix your sleep schedule. If the problem is behavioral, fix it. If the problem is medical, get pills."
He nodded. There was no way in hell he could explain his midnight interruptions without sounding like he needed to be put in an asylum.
"Any comments, Akihiko?"
The boxer paced around for a few seconds before addressing the trio, "You're skilled...but completely disorganized. Yukari, you didn't let anyone know that you were about to shoot. One wrong step would have left Junpei with an arrow in the leg."
He strode over and pat Junpei's arm. "You've got a lot muscle on you. With some experience in the field and more restraint you'll be a great heavy hitter." He turned to Minato and came up blank.
"You... can take a beating. It helps to have that endurance. Learning how to use a weapon would really help you out though."
Minato raised an eyebrow at the man.
"I'm alright with a rifle."
Everyone turned to the blue haired teen in surprise.
"E-Excuse me?" Mitsuru asked.
"We had range time at the academy. Twice a month."
She supposed that it made sense for army cadets to get hands on time with guns. A competent firearms user would add a lot firepower to the team, but two major problems presented themselves to her. Japan did not have a large private firearms market. Sourcing guns and ammunition would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming. There was also the chance that he was playing up his skill. Accidental deaths could occur...
"I'll have one of my people confirm your skill. If they give me the green light I'll see about getting you a firearm," she said.
Minato nodded. "Fine by me."
The juniors were mercifully allowed to leave after a few more bits of advice on future patrols. Minato was beyond exhausted. He limped back to his room without even bothering to close the door and collapsed into his mattress. After mere seconds he drifted into dreamless sleep.
