"Ventilate some air for them!" Shinkai yelled as he rushed back to the barrier that were shielding the unconscious. Twisting his body, he slashed three demons in halves and jumped into the barrier. Most of S.E.E.S, spare for Aigis who was standing idly because of her inability to see demons, is already downed and their breath kept getting weaker every moment past. Reached into the briefcase and pulled out a stack of paper, he started to draw some scribbles onto them while Yomi tried her best to ventilate the air. As soon as he finished scribbling, he quickly stuck 4 papers on each and everyone of S.E.E.S's mouth, chest, stomach, thigh, and his own as well. "Spirit of the wind, hear my prayers…" the piece of paper started to glow with a faint green light and a light breeze of air started to form around the paper, creating an air bubble "I can only keep this up for so long. I can't not concentrate on two things at the same time. If I got distracted for only a moment, the wind spell will get out of control and will kill them all. That's leave the barrier to you." Yomi turned around to notice a few cracks on the barrier "Before the barrier break, you think you have what it takes to kill them all?"

"Piece of cake" She grinned manically and happily as MAG started to emitted from her. She turned toward the demons with two destructing spell on her hands, Mabufudyne and Maragidyne.

"One of the only good things about full moon with her is that she is so easily influenced" Shinkai smiled with a sigh as he continued to both keep the barrier on and keeping the crew alive. Lifting his arm slowly, he stuck a piece of paper onto Fuuka's head. Channeled a small amount of MAG into the paper, he sent an electrical shock into Fuuka's brain, forcing her to wake up "Wake up, Fuuka! You might feel a little dizzy, but I need you to call Hogo out!"

"Sensei…? Where… are we?" She asked still with her eyes closed and her hands hugging her head confusingly. But nevertheless, she still reached inside her pocket and pulled out a tube, summoning Hogo-sha with her sleepy voice. The Oni appeared, a bit battered, clearly had not been healed.

"Hogo, I need you to do just exactly what we have been training. And hurry, we don't have much time" He said with lifting his eyesight off the paper on everyone's mouth. Providing them with enough Oxygen to keeping their brains from being damaged by Carbon Monoxide intoxication while removing any trace of CO poisoning within their bodies is extremally mentally stressful and he had only did it twice, and this is the first time he does this on multiple targets, one little mistake and can lead to fatal consequences. Waking Fuuka was a risky move, but a necessary one.

"Aigis! Find the source of CO and bring it hear!" As he continued to focus on his spell, Hogo started to glow and let out a sharp cry. As the light died out, a new figured revealed itself. Its skin is blue and it is engraved with blowing wind tattoo and a hurricane symbol on his white attire. Its face no longer exists as a big keyhole-shaped hole now replaced it, with only its mandible remained. It now has 4 horns instead of 2 and it was carrying a weird weapon on its hand, a special kind of dual blade. It is Hogo's Fuu-ki form, the controller of wind.

"Vacuum the air, then replace it" Shinkai instructed carefully, his eyes still stuck on the flickering papers. The Oni nodded and let out a loud roar as air started forming around his 'face'. As the air gathered around Fuu-ki's face and the air getting vacuumed, the demons surrounded them have also reduced greatly in number thanks to Yomi's frenzy spells throwing.

"Target located!" Aigis said out loud as she spotted a little stack of some kind of smoke grenade, still releasing gas into the air. She quickly picked them up and ran back to Shinkai just like he instructed. As soon as she set it down, Fuu-ki shattered them with his weapon and sucked all the air in. Within a minute, the air in his 'face' disappeared and a new one started forming. The air bubble broken, and clean air started filling the bunker again. Just at that time, the barrier shattered to pieces and the last demon fell to the ground. Shinkai let out a relief sigh as he stopped the magic and let the sweat rolling down his face

"When the Dark Hour end, called Takeharu for a medical team!" Shinkai turned to Aigis "They'll need proper checkup"

"Roger" Aigis said sternly as she started counting down the time until the Dark Hour is over


"A MAG Crystal, huh?" Shinkai muttered to himself as he fondling a small piece of purple and green crystal in his hand. His eyes drifted to the city in the night from a high building just as the Dark Hour ended. Takeharu had sent a helicopter and picked up S.E.E.S to the hospital and Yomi had joined them for personal reason. That left Shinkai alone to ponder in his thoughts "If they have something like this, they cannot and must not be underestimate" he continued fondling the crystal before crushing it, attracted some zombies "Did you find anything out?"

"I tried to follow them but they vanished into the air" Gouto said as he stepped out of the shadow, his mysterious green eyes shone in the night "It's clear that they are Persona users and familiar with demons and alike, I fear I have to report this back to HQ"

"They might be involved in this" Shinkai said with a disdain as he squinted his eyes, looking into the nothingness of the night "Do what you must, but be careful, Gouto-san! 300 years of being a cat is coming close to an end"

Gouto didn't say anything as he simply disappeared into the dark again, leaving an echo throughout the night "Dark days await ahead of us…."

As Gouto left, Shinkai is left alone with his thoughts again. Obtaining something like that isn't easy, and they got 6 of them. Someone else must be pulling the string, someone much bigger his thought was interrupted by a faint sound of footstep. Having one of his hand on the gun in his jacket, he slowly turned around to face whoever was there. Unsurprisingly, there were no one. That's when he realized whose footstep it was. Let out a sigh, he took his hand away from the gun and turn back to the city again "Come out Minako, I'm not really in a mood for hide and seek"

An awkward laugh can be heard as she walked out of her cover "So you notice"

"I didn't see you among the people that boarded the helicopter, so I figured you would follow me" he said in a calm and collective voice as she walked up next to him "Not afraid of worrying Minato?"

"Nah, I already told him I won't be coming to the hospital" she smiled awkwardly as she said "He was not happy, but not like he can do anything. I've come because…"

"No doubt you have questions, some of them I can answered, some of them I can't… yet" He interrupted before she can say anything "I presume you want to ask about your inability to summon your 'Persona'?"

"Yeah! How did you…?"

"Observation" he interrupted her again "I think I can answer that question for you, just bear with me for a little. When you arrive to this world, I took your Evoker and kept it for studying and have yet to give it back. I did this not because I forgot but because I presumed you wouldn't need it"

"What do you me…"

"Hush" he interrupted her again, and she was not happy as she pouted and turned away "I was just getting to that. You see, when you came to this world, I saw something in you that I have never seen before. Emptiness!" he said as he drew his sword and pointed it forward, drawing her attention "Everything in this world or any world have a soul. Objects, animals, insects, humans, demons, they all withheld a soul within them, a story yet to be told. It is their essences, their existences! All are connected to the Great Will!" he then sheathed his sword again "But you don't, Minako. You don't have a soul!" he can hear the gasp and the shock on her face "You're empty as a husk, no soul, no essences, no whatsoever!"

"B-B-But doesn't that mean I-I-I'm dead?" she asked out of fear and confused

"Normally and logically, yes. But the world of magic is a mysterious and unpredictable one, it withholds many secrets that even the oldest mage in this world doesn't know" he then opened his briefcase and paper started flying out, floating in midair in front of them. The papers were small and old like they belong to a journal, the words and hard to read but she can make some out "These are the research notes of my master, Raidou the 14th. He believed that the Akarana Corridor somehow connect all versions of us together. By being in it, you are connected to all versions of you and vice versa. He tried to research this subject further with his other self, Raido the 14th. Amazingly, when one of them were injured within the Akarana Corridor, the injury healed extremely fast. He presumed that they shared the pain and injuries to their other selves and therefore, healed themselves quickly. Since there is an infinite version of them, the amount of pain is unnoticeable"

"But what does all of this got to do with me?" she asked out of frustration, neither patient nor in the mood to hear his speech anymore

"My theory is that you have already died in your world!" he can see from the corner of his eyes her disbelief face "When you arrived here, your uniform is a bit… tattered! Cuts and holes in certain positions in addition of a lots of blood had lead me to that assumption. My theory is that when 'I' carried your body through the Akarana Corridor, the Corridor… fixed you!"

"What do you mean by that?" her voice is a bit shaking as she asked. Glanced at her for a second, Shinkai reached out his hand and pointed at a certain piece of paper

"Like I said before, my master's research suggested that when you're in the Corridor, you healed much faster due to the connection you have with all versions of you. Theoretically, when your body was in the Corridor connect your empty body to all of your versions, infinite number of them. By extracting a small amount of MAG from the infinite number of 'you', the Corridor not only fixed you physically but also spiritually. It is possible that you are now connected to countless version of yours, who continuously giving you MAG and keeps you alive"

"Then why couldn't I summon my persona?" she asked again, more calm this time. The papers floating on the air started flying backs into the briefcase as another pile of papers and photos started taking their places. The papers also look like they belong to a journal, with scribbles and drawings on some. The photos are the images of an Evoker getting dissected, dismantled.

"I'm not a specialist in this field but I am currently making my own research on the 'Persona' field. According to what I had learn, 'Persona' come from what you called as the 'Sea of Souls'. They are your soul, who you truly are, what you truly are. They represent the real you from the deepest part of your heart. The Evoker is an interesting device as it weights as much as a real gun. They give you the feeling and the intimidation of a real gun. And they did a superb job igniting the soul within one. Most humans will only reveal their true selves when they are facing death or under the impression of facing it in the face. The stress, the fear, the despair, all of them are like cracks on a person's mask, slowly destroying it…" he was going to get even more philosophic but the look on Minako made him stop and coughed in his hand in embarrassment "But that's is off topic! The point is, the Evoker is use to ignite your soul, and Personas come from your soul, but you don't have a soul, as simple as that"

She frowned a bit as she pondered in her thoughts. After a while, she let out a sigh and just nod "I understand"

Raising his eyebrows, he looked at her with surprise "You're taking the whole 'already dead' thing very calm, how so?"

"Well, not like there's anything you can do about it" she sighed and shrugged "Besides, if I look on the bright side, I had got myself Healing Factor" she smiled and pointed at a cut on her shoulder, whence a moment ago was bleeding, are completely healed without a scar

"If I'm right, then you had lost something and gained something much more than that" his face is serious but his tone is a bit apologetic "You might had lost your mortality and achieve true immortality"

This time she just stared at him with a raised eyebrow and a disbelief look. Seeing this, Shinkai only let out a small sigh and a smile as he patted her head "Let's go back, I bet Minato is worrying sick over you right now"

She was a bit confused but smiled nonetheless and they both left the building as the first ray of light breached the veil of the night, signaling the start of a brands new day


"Summer class?" Shinkai asked with confused when Junpei and the other came crying to him, asking him to talk to Mitsuru and make her change her mind

"Summer is for summer stuff, not studying and exam" Junpei made his first point to Shinkai with Akihiko and Yukari nodding their head in respond "We can study all we want when summer end, but now is not the time"

"But if you neglect studying for too long, you won't be able to graduate" Mitsuru shot back with Minato and Ginko nodding their head in respond "Your result in the last semester is already bad enough, Akihiko and Takeba is only a little above average"

"But we all passed, right?" Akihiko stood up making his point with Yukari and Junpei nodding their head in respond "True Iori need to focus a little more in his studying, but it doesn't mean we have to throw away our precious training time to study"

"I won't accept a brother who is worse than me, Onii-san." Ginko stated, breaking Akihiko's heart and spirit "My image of an older brother is a perfect one, therefore you must study if you want me to accept you"

"But we have already enough on our hands fighting the demons and shadows" Yukari raised her voice, drawing the attention "Most of us still have a life, you know? We can't just study all day and fighting all night"

"Then we won't be coming for Tartarus the next 2 weeks so you can focus on your studying" Mitsuru said again, earning a nod from Ginko and… Minato

After a while just sitting there dumbfound, Shinkai finally raised his voice with a weary tone toward the Kirijo' heir "Sure you can cut them some slacks, right? I mean, they have all been trying their best fighting demons and shadows, they deserve some time off for themselves. Beside you can have them promise to work hard for the next semester after the summer break"

Mitsuru was held back for a moment as she started to reconsidered the thought when a voice called out "Don't listen to him. They will never be able to uphold that kind of promise" they all turned to the stair, where Yomi was coming down with a frown face "Students should be studying and nothing more. If you don't study, you won't be able to achieve anything. You shouldn't consider his word at all, he is the prime example of incompetent"

A few veins popping out of Shinkai's forehead as he forced a smile "Excuse me? Incompetent you said? I became Raidou at the age of 14, I built the TDSI Department from nothing with only my 2 bare hands, I's basically a millionaire, I mastered multiple weapons and martial art, I'm able to use both Onmyodo magic and pure magic. Is that what you call incompetent?"

"Yet what would you do if your children ask you to help them with their homework, throw money at them or beat the crap out of the teacher?" She asked with both worried and challenging tone

"I have you, don't I?" He said with a charming smirk but before he can hear her retort, his phone blinked and a message came in. lazy open the phone, his eyes widen upon receiving the text. He immediately dashed out of the dorm before anyone can react


"Sendai! They've passed Sendai already! Without the Crow, they would stop for nothing! It would only a week before they reached Iwatodai, and Inaba would be right behind it! If they reached Inaba, then it's over!" he said frustratingly as he stomped the ground

"What would you have me do then? I can't leave this place or they might find out" Tamamo asked as she waved her kiseru "A week would not be enough! It took you 2 months to put up that cloaking field, was it not?"

"I know! That's why I'm bringing the Loyalist here!" he grimaced at the thought "They're going to help you built the cloaking field in a week around the area. I'm going to need you to help me building a portal for them to get here!"

"Why didn't you build a base here in the first place? I mean, this is your hometown, right? Wouldn't it be better if there were someone here to protect it?" she asked as she casually smoked but still have one eye on his expression

"I didn't want them to involve. I want to preserve Inaba, preserve my memories of my sister. Inaba is peaceful, Inaba is home. That's what I want it to be!" he hung his head low as he spoke

"Then why put me here?"

"I want you to experience that feeling as well, the feeling or home, of peace. Something that you hadn't had for a long time. When I first saw you, I see me in you, I sympathized you!" he continued his confession with a sigh "But at the same time, I used you! I know the extends of your power, I want you to be Inaba protector, and my last hope if I ever fall, either by a blade or by time itself"

She took a deep breath at her kiresu and blew smoke into Shinkai's face, causing him to jumped a bit "Enough with the brooding! Time for work!"

He looked as she entered the shrine with a smile, before standing up and enter it himself


"7 days! 7 days for me to make this work!" Shinkai sat in front of Naganaki Shrine, writing scribbles onto papers as he spoke "I have set up multiple traps within and out the Dark Realm. By my estimate, they will arrive here on 16th of August, the night of the festival!" he finished scribbling and the papers started flying all over the shrine. He took out another pile of paper and started scribbling again "I'll have my men patrolling the shrine in case of a youkai got through, but I will need your permission for that"

"You do what you have to do. I would rather have my worshippers safe, anyway!" Inari answered from within the shrine "Just a thought? The Agents fell 5 years ago, how did you manage until now?"

"10 years ago, I built a force field around Inaba, cloaking it and protect it from any kind of Youkai! For the last 5 years, I didn't have to worry about Inaba, so I tried my best avoiding them!" he finished another patch of papers and started scribbling on new one "But in recent event, the field was destroyed… from inside! Also, because I was basically a drifter the past 5 years, I didn't stay too long at one place. But now, I cannot abandon this city! If I can feel the change that happened 4 months ago, so can Nurarihyon. If he can get access to the Dark Hour and the shadow, he will have his dreamed indestructible army of Youkai"

"Then why not put on the same cloaking field for Tatsumi Port Island?"

"It took me 2 months putting that field for small town like Inaba, how long do you think it's going to take for Tatsumi Port Island. Beside creating a field like that took a lot of MAG, and I don't think I can sustain the field even if I can put it up on time!" another patch of papers left his hand and a new one appeared "Constructing multiple layers of magic took time and energy! I have to take extra precautions! One mistake and the whole thing will go haywire"

"Then what would you do then? Do you planning to take on the whole army yourself?"

"Yes and No. If I battle them here, I cannot ensure everyone safety. Instead of cloaking the whole town, I will cloak the school. As far as I know, the Dark Hour do not happen in the Dark Realm" the last parch of paper flew off his hands and into positions "Just in case I failed"


Darkness consume Tatsumi Port Island as the night come and brought with it absolute silent. A few souls roamed the lonely street, looking for the place they belong to. On a bench of a lonely station, a man sat alone, whistling and singing a sad song

The bosses were the bossiest

The coffees were the tastiest

The folks were the happiest

Way back home

"What about the life?" a voice raised from behind

"The loveliest!" he smiled sadly as he realized who it was "What about the friends?"

"The trustiest!" she said with a sad tone "or perhaps they used to"

"Then what happened?" he asked without turning back to look at her

"I got played by the crueliest prank" she said as she sat on the other side of the bench, back facing at his back "I should have known better"

"Maybe it was for the best that you don't know. Both for you and I" he smiled sadly. He doesn't feel guilty for deceiving her, for it was necessary. Maybe he will never gain her trust again, but he accepted the price "12 years! 12 years is the time we had had known each other! You know I wouldn't do such thing if it wasn't absolutely necessary"

"I don't know anything anymore!" she stated sadly "I don't even know if you're real or not. I don't even know if I can trust you ever again"

"I'm real, that is all you need to know" he leaned back, touching her head with his head "But how would be a different story, and for a different day. Now, look at the time!"

She looked at the clock, seeing that it was 11:59. Everything around her started to turned green and the air has the distinguish smell of blood and iron. The moon shone brightly in bright yellow on a green sky. This is the Dark Hour, she knows that. She has experienced countless time, ever since she was a child, ever since she met the Kirijo Group. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widen as she saw the man was still there, still smiling. He then placed a cold object near her neck, which made her jumped a bit

"Recognized this?" she reached out and grabbed the object. It was a gun, or a gun lookalike. But she knows what it is, she has seen it before "Of course you do! You were with the Kirijo group since you were a child, right? Just like me and the Crow. And just like I am a devil summoner, you are a persona user, right?"

"How did you—" before she can finish her word, she immediately jumped back, pointed her real gun at the man

"So you sense that killing intent, huh? Or rather what I was about to do?" he chuckled lightly, still have his back toward her "There was a time I wondered, how did you know some event just before it happened. I convinced myself that you would become a great detective with that ability of yours, the one that no one can surpass!" he finally stood up and turned around her, still smiling "We both lied to each other, so we're even now! It is best not to use that gun! i would rather not hurting you unnecessarily"

"Like hell I would" the woman said loudly, still have her gun pointed directly at his heart. Sweats rolling down her face like she just had a shower. What she had just saw was painful, brutal and inhuman. Within 10 minutes, she will die, brutally. Doing different from what she does in her vision, she shot him in the head instead

He sighed disappointedly as his hand moved almost by instinct, catching a bullet in midair then clenched it tightly. He opened his hand and dust started falling out of his palm. Before she can shoot another shot, he dashed at her, holding her by the neck and held up by the lamppost "Listen! I mean you no harm! What you had just seen is a possibility. By mentally and physically convinced myself that I am about to murder you, I created a test for your ability" he then let go of her neck and let her slide down the pole "Though I am deeply sorry, that was necessary. I only presume that you can she into the future, but no proof. With this, I can now be sure" he then reached out his hand, offered to help her up

"C-Couldn't you just read my mind!" she took his hand while still rubbing her neck for injury. His grip was not tight because if he can crush a bullet to dust, he sure as hell can crushed her neck like a peanut

"Perhaps, but I have trust issue and I want to test it out myself" he started helping her dusting off the dust on her coat and hair "But now you know that I am real!"

"Yeah, you're real, I know it now" she said bitterly as she continued to rub her neck "What took you so long to contact me?"

"I didn't want to disrupt you, and like I said before, it's better that you don't know that I'm alive" he walked with her to the bench again "I tried my best not to get people I care about involve in my shit. The Crow is wide and resourceful, they'll know"

"You could've at least call" she said it bitterly "Not like we know each other for 12 years or anything"

"Sorry, Touko! But enough about me!" he decided to change the subject "What about you? Aren't you a detective now?"

"Yeah, I got promoted last month… how did you know?"

"Not many people are allowed to carry guns in this country" he stated happily like a real detective "And how is Adachi?"

"Great! He finally got his first big case!" Shinkai can remember vividly his kouhai, but he can remember his name and how was he like "Concerning of Senator Masayoshi Shido"

"The sexual harassment guy! Adachi better be careful then, one small mistake and off he goes to the countryside!" Shinkai never like politic, and he sure doesn't like a perverted politician who sue a lot "And Yoshida?"

"Still yabbing in front of the station. He's about to enter his 5th election" Touko said with a bored expression, she doesn't like politic either

"He has a vision, I give him that. It is a shame that I never found out who was the culprit behind the misappropriation" Shinkai sighed as he remembered that "What about Sakura, still making coffee?"

"Yeah! I visit him from time to time for the coffee only!" she smiled playfully as she said

"Despite being a Government Official, that guy make the best coffee! I always told him to quit his job and be a Café owner, but he kept changing the subject whenever I brought that up!" he can almost remember the taste of the coffee "And the Hashiba!"

"Still annoying as hell! Especially that Iwai guy with his attitude!" she sighed as she thought about the Yakuza

"Things haven't change much, huh?" he smiled faintly "5 years! 5 long years!" he muttered the word as he stared at the green sky and yellow moon. After a while, he turned to Touko and gave her a photo "I didn't just call you here for nothing. I have a favor to ask, know who this is?"

She took the photograph and looked at it for a moment with a puzzling look "He seemed familiar, especially the hair! It looks just like the…"

"Shirogane!" he interrupted with a serious face "That hair color, there is no mistake. 10 years ago, I couldn't solve that case, the great detective Shirogane couldn't solve that case. It took away the parent and the brother of the young Naoto Shirogane. I still think about it today"

"But they confirmed, the DNA matched them, all of them. Yuki, Hamuko, the young Makoto…" she said with a sadness in her eyes, she had known the Shirogane for a long time, remembered them must be hard for her

"No, they took the DNA from the conveniently placed blood drops, which somehow belongs to all three of them. the bodies were burned beyond recognition" he reminisced the scene again in his mind, the burning car, the smell of smoke and blood, and the only time he saw tears rolling down the face of the stern detective "The Kirijo Group was involved in this! 10 years ago, there was an explosion that brought the Dark Hour to the real world. Something got out according my various sources. And and Anti-Shadow Supressing Weapon were sent to neutralize it. It is possible, possilbe that the Kirijo Group was responsible for the accident and actually covered it up!" his eyes squinted as he continued "And the boy, properly traumatized by the event, was sent to an unknown orphanage, and then be adopted by a foster family"

"You mean this is…" she looked at the photo with shocking face

"Possibly! I had high hope in that!" he then opened his briefcase and handed a piece of glass with blood on it "This is the blood of the boy! I ask you to help me collecting the blood of one of the Shirogane and compare it with this one! I know I am asking with a privilege I don't have, but…"

"Say no more!" she shut him up with a finger on his lip as she took the blood sample "If it is possible, I want to know to! But who is the boy?"

"He goes by the name Minato Arisato, currently the field leader of S.E.E.S. A Persona user!" he leaned back lazily as he continued "An excellent fighter and commander. Get along just fine with most of the group. Capable of using multiple Persona"

"What do you mean by multiple Persona. A person can only have one Persona… right?" she asked confusingly

"I am not an expert in that field, so don't bother asking me. But both Mitsuru and Takeharu both said that they had never heard of someone who can use more than one Persona" he sighed "But atlas, I don't really care about how many Persona he can use. As long as he doesn't betray me, I won't put him down"

"Y-Yeah" she smiled wryly and weary at the statement. They sat like that for a while before a thought come to her mind "Why didn't they dispose the kid back then?"

"Maybe because he is traumatized and couldn't remember anything so they think it would be unnecessary. And maybe because Takeharu had a change of heart" he couldn't imagine Takeharu would do something so inhuman in the first place, but then, he never know people "Do you know about the Anti-Shadow Supression Weapon 7th generation Aigis?"

"Yes. She supposed to be the last of her kind—" Touko then stopped and thought for a moment before continued "Actually, there was 3 other one. 1 of which are being held in the HQ of Kirijo research group, one of them was sent for an undercover mission. Labrys the 5th generation and the Kurogami siblings"

"Interesting!" he perked up his head "continue!"

"The siblings were contructs secretly with out Ikutsuki's knowledge as a back-up for the 7th generation, but was deemed as failure as both of them failed to awake a combat-type Persona. The 5th, however, was shut down and stored away due to her inability to summon a Persona"

"So where is the sibling now?"

"From what I heard from my… source. Sousei, the big brother, is currently playing a role within S.E.E.S itself. The sister, however, is being with my… sources in another city" she keep avoiding the name and Shinkai's eyes as she talk "They both have the unique ability to turn into vehicle"

"Is that so!" he leaned back lazily again "I think I know who the big bro is. Thank you for your information. Now I should offer you something in return!"

"Oh no, you don't have to…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as an envelope landed on her laps

"I might be out of the picture, but I always keep watch, Touko!" he said calmly "I brought up Tokyo because I want to find a common ground to talk about, but I know about how and where you live now!"

"How did you…" she looked the envelope with shocking face as she spoke

"Yagokoro city is beautiful, but it doesn't offer much of an opportunity. It was because of your association with me that you got… thrown away! I also know the current state of your apartment. In that envelope is the adress of an apartment I found when I was there which is much better than your current one, and the money in there enough to cover up to 6 months if you spent moderately" he then picked up his briefcase and walked away as the Dark Hour disappeared again "I'm sorry Touko, for deceiving you, for destroying your career, and your life. I just want you to know that, it's good to see you again"

"Wait, Shin—" she stopped in the middle of her sentence. There were words stuck in her throat, and she couldn get them out. As the image of Shinkai eventually vanish, she smiled faintly but full of hope and joy "Like wise, my friend!"

The week passed quickly as S.E.E.S exhausted themselves in summer school. Shinkai, however, had been restless as he continously prepared for the arrival. Finally, the fateful day came

"Hurry, Aigis, we're going to be late if you don't get moving" Minako said with frustration as she ran around the dorm in her bright orange Yukata energetically. Lucky for her, she was able to rent a Yukata just in time

"Calm down, Minako-san, Yomi-san is helping her out so it shouldn't be long" Fuuka smile wryly as she tried to calm her down in her dark blue Yukata

"Let me just said, you look beautiful in that Yukata, Miki!" Akihiko said shamelessly as he took a picture of Ginko in her silver Yukata, whom only responded with a huff and looked at Shinji, expecting a comment from him as well

"Y-Y-You look fine, okay?" he said with a blushing face as he turned his head away, avoiding any eye contact

"Stop looking at me like a pervert, Stupei!" Yukari said as she tried to cover herself with her pink Yukata from Junpei eyes

"He-He-He, look like I got a money shot, guys would be flocking over this!" Junpei grinned brightly as he hold a digital camera on his hand

"I don't suppose we should head out first?" Mitsuru asked in her white Yukata while sitting elegantly on the couch

"Can we take Koro-chan with us too?" Ken asked innocently as he hugged Koromaru

"If he is coming, I'm not" Gouto scolded from above as he observed the whole group, but quickly looked away when Koromaru looked at him

"Come on, Gouto-san! Don't be such a party killer!" Minato said with a deadpan as he picked up Gouto fron behind, much to his dismay

The dorm was incrediably lively as talk and laughter filled the air, it almost made Shinkai remember the old da… No, he must not. Steeling himself while sitting in the corner of the dorm, he took out his pocket watch and his cellphone at the same time, looking at both anxiously

"You sure they won't be coming here?" Ginko approached him with a worrying look. Earlier of the week, he had told her that the Parade will not pass Tatsumi Port Island due to it being a man made island and hold no spiritual meaning. Of course it was a made up excuse.

"Trust me!" he smiled confidently which put a smile on her face as well. Throwing away her last doubt, she returned next to her brother and Shinji, still having the same smile on her face

"You are a terrible liar!" Gouto walked up from behind and sat next to him "I do hope you have a plan"

"Don't worry Gouto-san, I'll take care of everything" he said with a grim expression but a reassuring voice.

"Alright, everyone!" A voice rang out from upstair as Yomi stood elegantly and beautifully in her black/pinkish white Yukata, holding the mechanic hand of Aigis "I present you, Aigis!"

Aigis was wearing a blue Yukata with ber red Obi being tied up beautifully, her expression indicated that she didn't understand why she must dress in such attire, but her worries were quickly put away as she was flock with compliments from the girls while the boys only smiled from the distance. Putting on a smile himself, Shinkai stood up and walked toward the door

"Well then, let us be off!"

The festival was much crowdier than he expected but it should not affect his plan. As soon as the group arrived to the shrine, they were separated by the people and he was able to safely got away before making his way toward the temple

"Is everything fine?" he whispered by the temple as he sat down naturally

"No sign of them so far?" a voice answered back, but it was not Inari

"Good, continue to keep watch. I want 2 members each at these said locations" a piece of paper flew our of his pawn and went behind the temple. There was a sound of whispering for a while before the voice return

"They're moving into positions and shouldn't have any problem! Although team 3 want to stop for Yakisoba" the voice said apologetically

"It's ok, tell them to enjoy the festival as much as they can, but always be on guard! That applied to you too!" he smiled understandingly as he stood up and walked away naturally

"Roger that!" the voice whispered back as sound of crushing leaves was overwhelmed by the sound of people

The sound of drums and cymbals, as well as the drunken singing voice can be heard from a fard. Millinons of Youkai, marching in the sound of music. Laughing, dancing, singing, drinking. Leading them, sitting comfortable in his throne carrying by millions of Youkai, Nurarihyon looked upon his peers with satisfaction. Poured himself another cup of Sake, he smiled loudly as the music and singing continued. With the Crows withering, he and his peers can celebrate all they want and nothing can stop them. Suddenly, a sound of several gun shots disrupted the sound of music and singing causing Nurarihiyon to jerk himself up and looked for the source

"You disrupting the neighbors" a voice said from a far. About 5 meters away, his old enemy stood proudly, still have his sword jack by his hip and his gun in his hand. The 15th is here he thought excitingly as he can't stop a grin creeped up his face. Looking below him, Nurarihyon saw the reason why the music had stopped. The bullet pierced all the drum, render them useless. The cymbals were also destroyed. A Youkai lying on the dirt shaking with fear as a bullet detroyed his cymbal. "Do you know what time is it?"

"It should be I who should ask that question!" Nurarihyon shouted back "Don't you know it is party time? It's Hyakki Yagyo, it's our night! And it is an unspoken rule that all human that got caught will be use for the feast"

"You sure about that? Because I have intervened you multiple times, but my soul is still my own" he smirked challengingly "And just like then, I'll stop you tonight as well. That is unless you want to talk first"

"There is a lot to talk between us, 15th. Thanks to you, the last 5 years were wonderful. No Crows to stop us, we plundered, we ate, we partied to our heart's contents. That I supposed I owned you" he then poured a cup of Sake and pointed it toward Shinkai "Enough to offer you a place between my peers"

"I respectfully refuse, kind sir!" he smiled as he bowed 30 degree "If you truly think that you own me, then all I ask is that you leave this city as once"

"Can't do that!" Nurarihyon huffed and drank the cup himself "I supposed you already know, knowing your ability already, that you already know what power this place hold. MAG flowed in the air in this town, I can almost taste it with my tongue" he let loose of his long tongue as he licked the air "And I intended to find out why"

"So you will not leave no matter what I said?" Shinkai said again, reaffirmed what he had just heard. His hand moved closer to his sword "Then you would rather have me persuade you by force?"

"I would want to avoid bloodshed as much as possible" Nurarihyon waved his hand, asking Shinkai to moved his hand away from his sword "Over the years, I already how strong you are and I wouldn't any harm come to my peers! But I can't just advert my eyes and pretend that nothing is here"

"Yes you can and you should" Shinkai said again with a stern voice "I also would rather not to spill any unnecessary blood tonight"

"I would consider it if you agree to join my peers, 15th!" Nurarihyon tried to bargain again "You hate human, no? They took away your family, your life, your future. Then come to me, I'll let you have revenge on them, I'll let you bath in their blood to your heart's content. I'll even do what you ask and leave this city as once!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't!" he bowed respectfully again "That is just one thing I can't do. A promise had bounded me to this realm, human realm. I would live my life as a human and die as one"

"Is that so?" Nurarihyon said annoyingly as he threw away the cup full of Sake "Then we have failed to reach an agreement. We will not leave this city, and you will not stop us!"

"Such unfortunate" Shinkai said as he bowed again. From the rank of Nurarihyon, an Inugami suddenly charged forward, aiming to kill before he can react

"You have been pissing me off for a while now, DIE!" he screamed as he approached the bowing Shinkai. Before he can even get near, an ice spike sprouted from the earth bellow him, impaling him.

"A festival would be a festival if there is no music and dancing" he said as he took out a cassette from his briefcase, placing it next to him, completely ignoring the dying Inugami. Slowly taking out his leather jacket, revealed multiple Kudas strapping on his shirt, he placed the jacket and his hat next to the cassette "I see that you are eager to dance as well. Then I shall be your partner. It is a dance I know well, let's see if I remember the steps" a sadistic and maniac grin crept up his face as his hands grabbed his sword completely and the Youkai started charging forward as well. the cassette started to play as the two sides clashed:

To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day
Hardly spoke to folks around him didn't have too much to say
No one dared to ask his business no one dared to make a slip
for the stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip

"Look Theo! They also sell takoyaki here" Elizabeth chirped happily next to Theodore and Margaret as they walked through the crowded festival. Elizbeth already have a Jack Frost mask she bought as soon as they arrived on the side of her head

"This place is quite crowdy. This is something that man forgot to mention" Margaret said annoyingly as she got dragged around by Elizabeth. She also had a mask of Satan on the side of her head as Elizabeth thought it suit her

"Sister, please wait up for a bit!" Theodore called out helplessly as he desperately trying to match her pace. He had a bunny ears headband on his head because Elizabeth and Margaret thought that it fit him perfectly. The siblings were told about the festival by Shinkai who also suggested that they should come. Igor was unable to come, however.

"This is the best!" Elizabeth said loudly and happily as she continued eating Takoyaki while teasing Theo with said Takoyaki. She has been restless ever since see arrived, forcing Theodore and Margaret to play game for her and with her, jumping from stand to stand, buy off anything that is edible

"While I don't like crowdy place, I supposed this is 'fun'!" Margaret said with a deadpan as she got dragged away by Elizabeth again

"I supposed you right" Theodore smiled wryly as he followed right behind them "But where is Shinkai-san?"

"Miki, would you like some Takoyaki? Yakisoba?" Akihiko asked with a face full of energy "Are you tired? Do your feet hurt wearing those Geta? Do you need me to give you a piggy back?"

"No" her answer was simple and answered all of his questions. Akihiko has been restless ever since they arrived, he is determined to make this summer festival Miki best summer festival ever. And since this was their actually first summer festival together after 12 years of separation, he ain't going to fail. Maybe if she enjoyed this, she might remember something he thought with high hope as he walked next to Miki energetically, while giving any boys that looked at her inappropriately in her Yukata 'the big brother stare'

"That idiot…" Shinji walked right behind them, sighing at the sight. Looking around him restlessly, he desperately trying to caught the sight of Shinkai. He kept imagined Shinkai standing in some corner, grinning behind his back at the sight. It made his blood boil just by thinking out that

"Are you ok?" Miki walked next to the distracted Shinji, causing him to jumped a bit inside "You have been sweating a lot for a while now. Are you tired?"

He looked at her with a confused face until he realized sweat were dripping from his face. Before he could do anything, a handkerchief applied to his face, wiping away his sweats

"If you're tired, just said so" Miki said as she continued to wipe his face for him. Despite their height difference, Shinji's face suddenly got extremely hot as he realized how close their faces were. Quickly turned away, hiding his blush, he scolded

"I-I-I'm fine! Let's move on!" he silently cursed himself and Shinkai "Where the fuck is he?"

"FUUKA-CHAN!" a loud voice called out from behind Fuuka and the group as a figure came running in. Just as Fuuka turned around, Inari hugged her tightly "You're so cute! So cute! Now I know what I was missing in my collection! YUKATA!"

"I-Inari-sama, I-I can't breathe!" Fuuka said between breaths as she tapped light on Inari arm. After a while, Inari finally agreed to let go of Fuuka, then immediately took a photo of her "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the shrine now?"

"Why would I want to be in that shrine alone when there are people partying out here!" she said loudly with a smile "Beside, if I hadn't come out, I hadn't had a chance to see you in YUKATA! I can't resist it! Please come live with me! Be my Miko!" she laughed out loud and hugged Fuuka again

"Who is it, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked as she walked up from behind, catching Fuuka getting hug again "An acquaintance of yours?"

"S-Senpai…" Fuuka desperately trying to push Inari away "T-This I-I-Is Inari-sama, the owner of this shrine"

Upon seeing Mitsuru, Inari quickly let go of Fuuka and started flocking over Mitsuru "So feminine, so mature, so beautiful, so… cute" she then hugged Mitsuru without giving her a chance to resist

"Wha—Let go of me!" Mitsuru tried to struggled as Inari continued to hug her

"You can't resist the power of a god!" Inari said loudly as she continued to hug Mitsuru, sniffing at that same time. Suddenly, she lost her power and fell to the ground, with Fuuka standing right behind her. On her back was a talisman, paralyzing her "Whaat?"

"Master gave me that in case of a perverted fox attack" Fuuka said shyly "He said that I might need it!"

"Damn it Shinkai!" Inari cried out loud, loud enough for anyone within the 10 meters radius to hear her clear and loudly "I'll get my revenge! You hear me? SHINKAI!"

"And what is this?" Aigis asked innocently as she pointed at the masks stand

"That is a mask! It is what you put over your face to cover it up" Yomi stood next to her explained "Do you want one?"

"Yes, I would want this one, please?" she pointed at a robot mask "Thank you!"

"Did you heard, they said there would be firework at 8" Aigis perked her head up as she heard from a passing-by pair of friends

"What is firework?" she asked again innocently

"It is like this but in the sky" Yomi explained with a bit of magic, making small explosions in her hand "They are like flowers that bloom in the sky, bringing joy to everyone! Would you want to see it?"

"Yes" Aigis nodded and followed Yomi as they started walking again

"How do you like this so far?" Yomi asked as they walked between the crowd

"I don't really see the meaning in this, but…" she put up her thinking face "I supposed it is 'fun'. This is my first festival ever, so I don't know"

"It's alright, It's my first too!" Yomi smiled warmly as she took the confuse gynoid's hand "So let's enjoy this together, yes?"

"Yes, I would love to" she 'smiled' a bit as she continued to walk next Yomi. But then her smile disappeared as a sad expression appeared on her face "But for some reason, I felt that I am missing something not being by his side"

"Me too" Yomi said quietly as her head slightly lower and her smile slowly disappeared. Put on a motherly smile, she turned to Aigis "Let's go find them, ok? Then we can watch firework together"

"Yes" Aigis smiled again and they both walked through the crowd, looking for what important to them

"Where are you, Shinkai?"

"See ya" that was the last word of Junpei before he disappeared along with Kaz and Kenji into the crowd, leaving Minato all alone. Sighing, Minato moved lazily to a Takoyaki stand, crossing out the first thing of the long, long list of foods

"Oh my, if it wasn't our dear guest?" familiar voice called out from behind him. As he turned around, he found Elizabeth, Theodore and some lady standing right behind him with the brightest grin "I had an emergency request! I would want you to escort me throughout the festival!"

"Sorry, Elizabeth-san, but I'm currently on duty" he said with an apologetical tone but a deadpan face as always. Elizabeth dropped her head in disappointment, for some reason, Theodore followed "I thought since Shinkai-san invited you, he would've been your guide today?"

"That man is nowhere to be found and we have already been in this festival for a while now" the lady scolded with disdain voice "The next time I see him, I'll give him the throughout speech about the importance of promises!"

"But then, he didn't really promise, right?" Theodore tried to calm his sister but upon meeting her piercing gaze, he dropped his head and zipped his lips

"It is unfortunate that you are unable to accompany us!" Elizabeth said loudly as she recovered "Then let's buy some Takoyaki and be on our way!"

"But sister, this is your sixth patch already!" Elizabeth simply ignored Theodore and continued buying Takoyaki. They then part way as Elizabeth ran off again with the serious lady in her hand and Theodore running after

"Next, apple candy" he sighed as his feet started moving lazily again, looking for a stand that sell apple candy. His eyes sparkled as he found it, but there was only one left. Raced toward, he grabbed the candy just in time with another hand. Turning his to the right, he saw a young man with slick-backed red hair, looking at him as well. As he tightened the grip, indicating that he would not giving, the man did the same. His eyes squinted, trying to force Minato to give up. They stayed like that for about a minute when a man decided to open his mouth

"I…"

"YOU IDIOT!" he didn't get to finish as his head immediately respond to the voice. From afar, a woman in black raven came running at them, holding a harisen on one hand. Before the man can react, she hit his head with the harisen, rendered him unconscious. She then quickly picked up the unconscious man and ran away, leaving Minato and the people around dumbfound. Shaking his head slightly, he bought the candy and went on with his shopping. The line of yakisoba stand was incredibly long. But as soon as he arrived, he saw a couple familiar faces

"Senpai, Ken-kun, Ginko-san!" he called out the group of 5 people, including Koromaru, who had already lined up and about to take their turn

"Oh, Minato-kun! Where have you been?" Akihiko greeted him with a smiled

"Oh, Arisato-kun! There you are!" From behind them, Fuuka and Mitsuru also arrived with Inari behind them.

"Target located!" Aigis said as she appeared right next to him, which caused him to jumped a bit, making the group laughed a bit. Yomi was standing right next to her, smiling at the scene.

"Where is Iori, Takeba and your sister?" Mitsuru asked as they sat down on a bench after counting all the people

"Junpei is off with our friends at school, while Yukari and Minako is lining up for the karaoke booth. It is a long line" Minato said as he went over the list again, crossing out Yakisoba

"That was Shinkai idea! He said that young people couldn't resist the chance of showing other people their capability" Inari said from behind while hugging Aigis "It is also his idea to have a firework show. He said a festival without a firework show is nothing"

"But I didn't see any firework the other I was here?" Fuuka tilted her confusingly

"It not real firework, just some well-placed magic spell and stuffs. I helped a bit!" Inari claimed proudly as she continued to snuggle Aigis

"There you are, where have you been?" Minako and Yukari walked up from behind them "We finished singing long ago but you still haven't come back so we went to look for you"

"Yeah, there was some problems!" Minato scratched his head awkwardly

"Hey, you guys all here? Are you waiting for the firework?" Junpei walked up out of nowhere with a smile, on his hand holding a few boxes of Okonomiyaki "Sorry for ditching you early, I bought something in return here"

"Junpei…" Minato looked at Junpei with sparkling eyes who also looked back with the same eyes "… that wasn't on the list!"

"Eh?!"

"Hey people, come and help!" Miki called out the group, pointing at the mountain of Yakisoba, one for each. Everyone started grabbing a box of Yakisoba and helped themselves out. As they eat and talk happily, the firework started, earning the awe from every one. Looking around him, Minato couldn't help but ask

"Where is Shinkai-san?"

"D… no… le…v… pos…on…!" the radio went silent afterward, only statics remaining

"Commander? Commander, do you hear me? Commander, I repeat, do you copy?" the young girl with blond twin drill hair kept shouting into the communicator, desperately trying to catch a signal

"What do we do now?" a young man with gray pony tailed asked as he leaned by the tree

"Screw the order! We have to help him!" another young man with orange hair shouted, running toward the gateway at the same time before a sword by the neck stop him

"We have an order! That is not to leave our positions!" a young woman with dark blue hair and a cold gaze said as she held the young man at sword point "If you choose to disobey order, then I will be force to take measure!"

The young man gritted his teeth in anger as he turned away, walking back into the corner and sat there by himself

"What are the word from the patrols?" the woman turned to the blond girl

"Nothing new! No sight of demons and Youkai, and most of the traps around the shrine are remained untouched!"

"Then all we can do is wait, and pray!" the woman said as she looked at the firework from afar

"That was awesome!" Junpei said loudly as they leaving the temple after the firework was done. S.E.E.S left the festival with a satisfying face. After fighting shadow and demons all the time, they all deserved some time like this. But what worried some of them that throughout the festival, there was no sight of Shinkai. Looking back at the temple, Minato saw Inari standing by the stair, talking with someone, or more like yelling, before running back into the temple. While looking at them, Minato accidentally bumped into Junpei, who for some reason had stopped

"What wrong Junpei?" Minato asked as he tried to look at whatever stopping him. Standing right in the middle of the street, dripping with sweat and breathing heavily, was a young girl with pink hair. She was holding a bloody hat on her hands. She then looked at the group, every single one of them with a hateful look from her scornful eyes

"Go DIE! ALL OF YOU!" She shouted loudly as tears started rolling down her face. From behind her, a young man with slick-backed red hair, whom Minato met not long ago, quickly ran up to her and covered her mouth

"I-I'm sorry! She had it rough!" he said apologetically as he carried the crying girl away. As he walked away, his eyes met the group again, his sad and scornful eyes, before they got into a parking car and drove away

"W-What was that?" Yukari asked as she still confused by what just happened. Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure out what is the answer

"That hat look awfully familiar!" Junpei stated as he tried to squeeze his brain out, trying to remember where did he saw that hat "Wasn't Shinkai-san had a hat look just like that?"

Upon hearing that, Yomi eyes widened as she suddenly disappeared. Fuuka and Ginko was the next to understand the situation as they rushed back to the temple, with Akihiko and Shinji followed right behind them, and soon, the whole S.E.E.S. as they reached the temple ground, they found Yomi kneeling on the shrine steps, where a trail of blood painted the stone tiles ended. But the temple was vacant, no Inari, no Shinkai, no more blood.

"Where is master and Inari-sama?" Fuuka asked worryingly as she desperately trying to locate something

"He lied, again!" Ginko said coldly as her eyes turned cold. Her eyes then met with an amused pair of green eyes, looking at her from the top of the temple

"Enjoy your little festival?" Gouto asked from within the shadow "It seemed that Shinkai partied a little too hard and was taken away! But worry not, you will see him again, soon enough!"

"What are—" Akihiko asked back but Gouto soon vanished as his green eyes disappeared into thin air, leaving the whole group dumbfound by the event.

"Are we ready to moved?" A woman said as she watched from a far with scornful eyes. Behind her laidthe bloody body of Shinkai, constantly being healed by 2 different people

"The spell is ready! We are connected to HQ!" a young girl in blond hair answered as a big blue portal appeared behind them

"Good, our prime priority is to ensure the life of Commander!" She said sternly, looking away from the S.E.E.S and back to Shinkai. Two man that was healing him stuck 2 piece of papers under him, and then started to levitated him, slowly and carefully through the portal. The blond girl and the woman followed them. As soon as they passed through, the portal shrunk and disappeared completely. As the portal closed, a pair of red eyes appeared out of thin air, floating like two red orb in the night

"What an idiot!" a voice said from within the shadow amusingly "But that what you so interesting, is it not? You really are irreplaceable, 15th!" a maniacal grin appeared on his/her face as his/her red eyes glimmering in the night

Omake

Tofu Lover

"How come you come to love Tofu so much?" Minato asked out of curiosity as he sat next to Shinkai, who was eating Tofu again

"Well, it's more of a love-hate relationship. I love them but I hate them at the same time" he said as he took another piece and put inside of his mouth "It all happened a long time ago…"

Before the Crows

Morning

"Morning Onee-san" Shinkai greeted in his sleepy voice while continued to rub his eyes as he got out of the Futon

"Ah, Good morning, Shin-chan!" Chisato smiled brightly as she greeted her brother "Go wash your face and ready for breakfast"

"What do we have for breakfast today?" he asked, still in his sleepy voice as he made his way toward the bathroom

"Fried Tofu with soy sauce!" her answered caused him to jumped a bit and woke up completely

"Y-Yay… 5 weeks in a row!" he said 'enthusiastically'

Noon

"What did you pack, Onee-san?" Shinkai sat down next to Chisato after finished his shift at the Amagi Inn

"Fried Tofu wrapped with egg!" she said excitedly as she revealed the content of the lunchbox, causing Shinkai's face to frowned a bit "With Soy Sauce!"

"Y-Yay… again!" his eyes teary with fear as he 'cheered'

Afternoon

"What do we have dinner, Onee-san?" Shinkai asked as he entered the home, finished his shift at the grocery store nearby

"Raw Tofu with nothing!" She said excitingly, causing Shinkai's jaw to drop "We ran out of cooking oil, egg and soy sauce!"

"Y-Yay…" he smiled in tears as he took a seat

After the Crow

1st time

"What do we have for dinner, Onee-sama?" he said with a deadpan as he sat on the table, excitingly. He had sent her an amount of money beforehand, so he should be free of T—

"Fried Tofu with tomato sauce!" she chirped happily as she slammed a gigantic dish in front of him "Oba-san gave me some this morning, insist that I took it and make you a welcome home meal! I bought a lot of Tomato with the money you sent me. Eat up!"

"Yay… Thanks Oba-san!" He said 'excitedly' but his deadpan face was impossible to tell what he was really thinking

10th time

"I'm sorry I'm late, Onee-sama!" he said with his usual deadpan as he entered the house after finished his training in Tokyo and had to rush back to Inaba "What do we have for dinner?"

"Tofu stir fried with beef and vegetables!" she said happily as she placed a gigantic dish in front of him "I made a lot, so eat up!"

"Y-Yay… 10 days in a row, thank you!" he said with his usual deadpan but his tone betraying him a bit

20th time

"I'm home, Onee-sama!" Shinkai said as he entered the house, finished his shift in the nearby restaurant "What do we have for dinner?"

"Fried Tofu stuffed with minced meat!" she said happily as she put down a monstrous size dish on the table "I made the Tofu extra large!"

"Y-Yay…" his voice clearly indicated he was disappointed, but at least his face remained the same

After Marriage

"I'm sorry I'm late, Onee-sama!" he rushed into the house with gasping breath "More works just showed up and…"

"It's ok, we're only starting!" Ryotaro said while making the table with a smile. Shinkai glanced over the clock to see that it was 22:05

"That's right, Shin-chan! You're not late!" Chisato said from the kitchen, smiling warmly greeting him home "Now take a seat! Dinner is almost ready"

"O-Ok!" Shinkai felt a little bit guilty, but took a seat anyway. As he sat down, Ryotaro poured him a glass of bear with a smile

"Today dinner is… Fried tofu stuffed with minced meat in tomato sauce!" she said motherly and happily as she placed the dish down, the only dish for dinner. Shinkai and Ryotaro's jaws dropped upon looking at the food

"D-Dear, it is the 5th week in a row that we have tofu for dinner!" Ryotaro raised his voice quietly, avoiding his wife sparkling eyes "Can we have something for a change?"

"Why?" she tilted her head cutely, still have a smile on her face "I love tofu, you love tofu, Shin-chan loves tofu. So we all love tofu, right?"

"Y-Y-Yes…" Ryotaro couldn't bring himself to continue due to Chisato's face. A hand landed on his shoulder, pated it lightly. Next to him, Shinkai looked at him with an understanding face and smile. They both smiled at each other before downed their glass of bear in one gulp and started eating furiously, under the happy and sparkling eyes of Chisato

Present

"…And that is why I have a Tofu complex" Shinkai finished his story just as he ate the last piece of Tofu "To be honest, I didn't love them as much as I should, but for my sister's sake, I would eat only Tofu to the end of my life!"

"I would rather die" Minato said with a disgusted face as he pictured himself not being able to eat anything but Tofu for the rest of his life


I apologize for not updating for such a long time, my "h" and "g" is broken and it is very annoying, so i'll be quick. i have already finished chapter 12, but it need a little... review. And for the sake of the story, i moved Nanako's birth year to 2001, instead of 2004