"Hey. How's moving going?" Summoning himself nearby, Minato gazes at me curiously.
"Fine, but can you keep it down?" I motion to the door nearby, before returning to scrubbing my hands rigorously with soap. Something sticky got on my hands earlier when I was watching that crappy action movie—and I really don't want it getting all over my food. My mother texted me a few minutes ago telling me she'd be meeting me soon at a restaurant by the Iwatodai station… So I'm assuming that she's done getting the fridge in with my father.
"Oh. Sorry." Taking a few steps closer to me, Minato looks a little embarrassed. "What's your new house like?" I can't help but grin at his dumb question—I've shown him the pictures.
"Not bad," Even if his query was kind of silly, I can't bring myself to call him out on it. Our new house is a big, two-story place, kind of like Dojima's, with some tatami rooms, some carpeted. My room's smaller than the old one, though, so we've had to stick my sofa in storage. At least the view's nice from the window—you can see out into the harbor, all the way across to Port Island. "Though, you might have to duck now if you're going to stand up in my room." Pouting a little, Minato turns to look into the mirror by the basin, bending down so he can see his face. Giving a sad little smirk, he pulls himself back up to his full height, towering over me.
"You okay, Minato?" It's pretty clear he's not, but if I flat-out ask him why, he'll probably just get all jittery. With Minato, it's better not to ask him much—he never wants to talk about himself- ever.
"… Yeah …?" He sounds a little unsure in his answer. Great- it means I can crack him.
"What's up?" Craning my head up, I look into his eyes.
"It's just a little weird, is all." He presses one hand to the mirror to clarify his statement. This must be the first time he's seen a mirror since he became Orpheus—I don't keep any in my room, that's for sure, and he's not been anywhere else until now. "Just, looking into a mirror and seeing that… It kind of makes me realize that I really am a Persona." Taking another look, he flicks his fringe to one side, before making a face at himself. Stifling a yawn, he straightens up once again.
"For some reason though, it doesn't bother me that much." Turning towards the door, he motions at it. "You ready to go?" A small pool of light begins to form at his feet, showing that he's going to disappear soon. He knows he can't stray too far from me, and that he can't be seen in public either. Crossing the room, I grab a paper towel, and wipe my hands dry, before scrunching it up and throwing it in the bin.
"Yeah." The light begins to travel up Minato's body, as he fades out of existence. I wonder, does it scare him to spirit himself away like that, whenever I head out into the world? As I touch the exit from the bathroom, the last of him fades from sight. Minato… He puzzles me sometimes. Pushing the door open, I'm met with surprise as I crash into someone, breaking me from my thoughts immediately.
"Waaah!" Stumbling back from me, the man I had walked into lets out a wail of shock. Bumping into a woman walking behind him, he makes a second noise of panic, and tips his baseball cap to her, before looking back to me. "Dude, sorry 'bout that!" Moving to push past me again, I feel a hand grab my shoulder, and yank me back into the bathroom. Looking up in surprise, I see Minato, grinning like he's won the lottery or something. What the hell is he thinking, showing up when some stranger's around?!
"Junpei!" As the door clunks shut behind him, I see the man's face show horror—hey, I can't blame him, I'd probably react the same way if a nine-foot-tall mechanical man showed up out of nowhere. Stepping forwards, Minato gently nudges me aside. "It's been a long time."
Rank up!
'The World' social link is now on level 4.
The rebirth draws nearer