Story so far:
She found herself back in the past... and what's more? She meets a twin brother whom she never knew existed... What's more is that he's currently handling her previous role as carrier of Death!
Hoping to change their fates, Minako took on the identity of a mysterious masked Persona-user, Crimson...
But... is this the right path to take?
And upon the arrival of the second full moon, things went worse... Events which never happened occurred... Death has manifested himself... In a different form...
Chapter 9: Just Another Day
5/13/09-Wednesday
'Should I keep up with this charade...? Do I have another choice...? I've already started this... but... I have to do this if I want to see him... It hurts having to lie... But I've decided to do this... That's the only way... For now...'
"Tch... She's late..." The beanie-wearing teenager muttered under his breath, staring at his pocket watch.
He was standing in front of the ramen shop, ignoring the people passing by though some gave him a glance or two. It couldn't be helped since the young man was pretty eye-catching: he gave off the image of a punk–one who usually hangs out in dark alleys, possibly armed and typically avoided. His glaring eyes didn't help either. Still, he was a familiar face to some–known for eating at Hagakure every week. But, it was unusual to see him just standing around as if waiting for something to happen. A date perhaps? Those who knew of him giggled at the thought.
'He's here? I'm glad... but should I even be here...?'
"Onii-saaan~!" The girl waved her hand cheerfully, running towards him.
He scoffed at her in embarrassment. Some of the bystanders snickered at the scene, ignoring his dark scowl. It was an unusual sight to see: a cute teenaged girl, running towards a supposed punk-like hobo, and said man looked rather scared of her–if the way he tried to back off was any indication.
"You're really bored, aren't ya?" He grumbled at the girl who was now standing in front of him, huffing.
She looked straight at the him after catching her breath and smiled brightly, clutching his sleeve.
"Heh... And you're actually here." The girl chuckled.
Shinjiro's eyes widened at her response before he turned away from the girl and faced the shop's entrance, clearing his throat. "I told you. I'm here on Wednesdays..."
"Yes~ But you never said what time!" The girl giggled and wrapped her arm around his.
He was about to object to her actions, but she suddenly pulled him away to the opposite direction.
"What are you up to? Hagakure's this way, right in front of you, idiot."
"Let's eat at Wakatsu today! I heard they have their 'Healthy Platter Special' today~ " The girl continued without turning to him, pointing to said restaurant like a little child.
'Minato-kun is in the hospital... He hasn't woken up yet... I know he would... but... maybe it'd be better to stay by his side...?'
"Are you seriously a girl?" The young man stared at the auburn-haired girl who had the Healthy Platter Special, a banana split on the side and a now-empty bowl of corn soup.
He was already finished with his, but she just kept on ordering. Despite his harsh words, Shinjiro was quite happy on the inside as he watched her eat all of her veggies. Although it's not like she can escape from them: she knew how strict he was about eating healthily... Only a bunch of green peppers remained.
Minako stared at her food with lonesome eyes as she stabbed them with her fork.
'Should I really be here?'
"What's the matter?"
"Oh... Um... It's green..." She muttered, teary-eyed, before scooping the monstrosity into her mouth.
Her face twisted because of the bitterness. But that wasn't the real reason. After all, if Minako could survive Fuuka's cooking, then vegetables were nothing. The truth was... she was thinking about the recent events... The peppers were just an excuse.
Her companion sighed and pointed at the vegetables.
"You keep complaining but you keep eating them anyway..." He sighed again, smiling for a moment afterwards. She didn't see it though. Her mind was wandering about somewhere else, thinking about the Dark Hour.
"..."
She remained silent, as if she didn't hear Shinjiro's words. Her mind was drifting off, trying to figure everything out. Minako picked up another piece and popped it into her mouth.
'And what is this reality thing about...?'
"Tch. Don't judge it by its appearance. Just eat."
"Isn't that what I'm doing?" She finally snapped back after hearing his rough voice.
It was music to her ears... The whole reason she met up with him on this day was because she had hoped to get her mind off of her problems for a while. Or, better yet, so that she would find an answer. Somehow, his presence always gave her a soothing feeling. Plus, he's treating her so she gets to save lunch money. Minako never passes up such opportunities.
"Yeah... But you eat too much. Are you a kid or something?"
"Hey~ I need all the energy I could get! Besides, onii-san is paying so I'd better jump on this opportunity!" She pouted, turning to him, before returning to her half-finished meal.
The man sighed, fidgeting through his pockets. "Could you drop the 'onii-san' shit?" He added while searching for something in his pea coat. 'Why am I putting up with this kid again...? If I could get rid of this thing, she'll be outta my way...' The teenaged male pulled something out but immediately put it back after giving the girl a quick glance. From the start, he hesitated to take it out... Whatever it was.
"... No can do~! People might misunderstand..." She finally answered, pushing her plate away as she started on her dessert. 'Although... that would be pretty interesting~' She thought, grinning to herself while burying into the ice cream.
Her words and actions were the opposite of her thoughts. Speaking of which... could it be the same for her twin? His expressions are always so blank... Who knows what's going on in that mind of his...?
Minako ate the sweet treat slowly, savoring each and every bite while making kitty-cat and puppy-dog expressions.
"Fine. It doesn't matter anyway..." He answered bitterly.
The girl stared at him innocently, making him flinch. There was another moment of silence between the two when they suddenly heard a distressed voice.
"Oh no! This is bad... Real bad...! Can you contact any of them?" The manager spoke with a female employee.
He was in his thirties and was wearing a neat white polo shirt with a name tag attached to the left side of his chest. The man had neat black hair and was wearing a pair of square-shaped glasses over his dark eyes. He looked troubled as he spoke. Speaking of which, it seemed like there were a lot of people still waiting for their orders. Since Minako and Shinjiro were sitting close to the counter, they had heard a part of the conversation.
"Um... Excuse me... What's the matter?" Minako asked, peering at the two adults.
Shinjiro laid low as if he was trying not to be noticed.
"No worries, ma'am... It's a minor problem... We just lack people today. That's all." He smiled at the girl, assuring her. She didn't seem convinced though.
"Oh, then I'll help!" The girl stood up after taking a final bite of her ice cream. "And onii-san can help too!" At those words, the teenager almost jumped up.
The manager took a peek at the boy and smiled delightfully, clapping his hands together.
"Aragaki-san? You were here? This is great! Yamamoto, the chef had an emergency, which made this mess!"
Upon hearing that, Shinjiro immediately stood up with his usual stoic expression. He quickly removed his pea coat and threw it at the girl who accepted it with a hint of confusion.
"Tch. You should've said so in the first place." He answered in a gruff tone and headed toward the kitchen.
Dumbfounded, Minako simply stood there and watched as the male left.
'Wait– What? Am I missing something here...?'
She turned to the manager who smiled at her apologetically.
"Sorry for interrupting the two of you... He's a part-timer here. It's not his shift, but it looks like I ended up forcing him to work..."
'Whoa... He works here? I didn't know about that...' The red-eyed girl smiled and shook her head. She turned to the man with eyes filled with determination. "It's okay! I'm the one who sort of pushed him into this in the first place... So, what do I do?"
'Focus! Right now, you're an ordinary girl...! Don't think about Minato-kun... or the Dark Hour! Think about it some other time... Just... Have fun... Come on... This is a second chance...'
The two began helping out. Minako changed into the restaurant's uniform and took orders. Her male companion was in the kitchen, skillfully multitasking on the chopping, boiling, frying and whatnot. It was a busy day, but both of did pretty well–even Minako! (Although that was most likely thanks to her previous part-time experiences.) By the time they finished, it was already dark. She sighed and slumped into a chair.
"... I'm hungry..." Minako muttered, holding her tummy as it groaned quietly when a plate of sweet-and-sour pork was suddenly placed in front of her. She looked up to see who put it there. It was Shinjiro. He smiled at her–to the girl's surprise.
"That's on the house. The old man told me to give it to you..." He muttered. Minako beamed and took a peek at the manager who smiled back at her and nodded. "What about you...?"
"... I'm getting a bonus."
"Oh. Good... Er... Sorry for dragging you into this..." She scratched her head before pulling the plate closer to her and getting started on it. 'Yum! Just as I remembered it~ And more~!' The young woman smiled gleefully as she ate the meal slowly. Minako was smiling but, for a moment, she let out a sigh.
"... Spit it out."
"Huh...? Why would I? It tastes goo-"
"That's not what I meant, you idiot." Shinjiro avoided looking directly at her. She stared at him with wide eyes until their eyes locked onto one another.
Finally, Minako sighed and twiddled with her fork. "... You worry too much..." She let out a sigh again.
He flinched, but she didn't notice it since she was focusing on her food.
"It's... just... I've got to do something that only I can do... and... more problems keep piling up, y'know...?" She added with her eyes still on the food. Her cheerful eyes seemed to be just as sad as it was a moment ago.
Shinjiro stood up as the girl watched him approach her. He ruffled her hair much to her surprise.
"Tch. Is that all? You said it yourself. Only you can do it, so you can do it." He paused and turned away from her before continuing. "And if doing it alone is no good... You can always approach... others for help." Minako blushed and nodded, turning her attention back to the food.
"T-Thanks..." Minako answered shyly. "I'll make sure to turn to Shinjiro-nii-san then..." She added, making the teenager's face burn a bit red. He pulled down his beanie to hide his face.
"Idiot." He scoffed at her, to which she replied with a chuckle.
A moment later, they finally settled down in a moment of laughter. She was savoring every bite so much that she failed to notice the beanie-wearer's gaze on her. He seemed to enjoy watching her eat...
'Thank you... And... I'm... Sorry... I have to lie... I wish I could tell you everything... I wish things will be like this forever... but this is what I'm protecting in the first place... right...?'
"Thank you very much! Especially you Aragaki-san! I hope to see you this Sunday!" The old man bowed at the two as they stood just outside of the shop.
Minako smiled and bowed back.
"Yeah..." Shinjiro answered, avoiding the manager's eyes.
The older man smiled and waved before returning inside to close up. The sky was already dark since it was already 10:00 PM. It wasn't too far from the Dark Hour... But Minako was still smiling like an idiot as she watched the building lights in the area close one by one. Finally, the girl spun around and faced Shinjiro. She gave him her usual bright smile, which somehow caught him off guard.
"Thank you for today, Shinjiro-nii-san! See ya next week~!" She finally spoke and waved as she turned away.
"Hey." He called out.
She was only a few meters away from him when he called for her attention. She turned back to him with a confused look on her face. Shinjiro reached into his pocket and brought something out. It was the same thing he was trying to bring out earlier.
"Here. Don't lose it again..." He threw her a pink, rectangular object that she was able to easily catch–all thanks in part to her training in Tartarus. Not only did her fighting abilities improve, but her athletic abilities did as well.
It was her wallet.
"O-Onii-san...? Where...?"
"Don't ask and just go. It's late" He answered bluntly. The girl giggled and ran towards him, hugging him without warning. "...!"
"Shinjiro-onii-san is the best~!" She chuckled, finally letting go of the now-flustered male.
"I'll be the one treating you next time, okay?" She winked before running off...
"Tch... So much for getting rid of her..." He muttered to himself. Still, the beanie-wearer smiled gently as he watched her disappear into the dark night...
"You're a real piece of work..." He sighed to himself, shaking his head. "...I'll be looking forward to it then..." Shinjiro whispered to himself as he walked away...
5/15/09-Friday
"Akihiko-senpai! Wanna walk home together?" The red-eyed girl ran towards the senior.
Girls who saw her glared, but she managed to ignore them. Although, it would probably be better to say that she simply didn't take notice of them–as per usual. Akihiko stared at her and brushed his hand through his hair, feeling a bit awkward. Sure, they live under one roof, but they weren't really close... and after what happened to her brother...
"Uh... Sure. I have to talk to you about something too anyway." He answered her awkwardly.
The girl nodded in response.
The two went to Hagakure and Akihiko ordered two large specials. They were sitting in the same spot that Shinjiro and Minako did almost a week ago.
"About your brother..."
"Yeah... Mitsuru-senpai said he went sleepwalking again... We'd better tie him up at night..." She joked, following it up with a chuckle.
Minako knew it was a lie, but she had to pretend to not know anything.
"Y-Yeah..." The senior replied hesitantly.
Their orders arrived a short while later. The two ate in an awkward silence. Minako was deep in thought about what happened that she forgot to mind the way she was eating. The girl ate the ramen the way she always did: fast and furious.
'Normally, I'd say his condition is not normal... but...' She sighed and slurped away her last noodle and drank all of the remaining soup, leaving a clean bowl.
Akihiko looked stunned that she had managed to finish it that quick, not noticing the girl's dilemma.
"Hey, you finished the whole thing!"
"What?"
"Other girls can't seem to finish the large. Eating a complete meal keeps your strength up! So you should always eat your meals so that you can fight... t-through your day!" The senior paused, looking embarrassed.
He almost slipped up. He had forgotten that he was talking to a girl and not a fellow boxer or a member of S.E.E.S. Why did he ever agree to come with her? The truth was that he wanted to tell the girl about Minato. In the end though, he couldn't... Her brother was risking his life almost every night and she 'doesn't know it'. Not that she'd easily believe him, but he was hoping to indirectly tell her about S.E.E.S. He felt guilty. And so did she. They were both lying.
"So, why'd you ask me today?" The silver-haired male asked as he wiped his lips clean with a handkerchief.
Minako leaned back a little and stared at the ceiling. She was fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke.
"I wanted you to treat me~" She answered in a playful tone.
The senior wasn't able to pick it up though and his eyes widened as he stared at the girl.
"Hey~ Just kidding!" She turned to him and stuck her tongue out before sighing and continuing. "Well... Minato-kun is out... Junpei and Yukari are busy with their own things and Mitsuru-senpai has some business to attend to... and I don't really like being alone..." She looked down at the floor with a sad smile on her face.
The senior bit his lip and felt more guilty. Should he tell her? Minato was the closest family she had left... and he knew what it felt like to lose someone...
"T-That's... Your br-"
"So I'm glad you came here with me! I have a friend who hangs out with me every now and then, but he's only available on certain days..." She chuckled, trying to ignore what Akihiko was about to say.
The senior almost flinched when she spoke but, after hearing what she had to say, he smiled and felt a lot calmer upon hearing that she's alright.
It was the second time that year that her brother was sent to the hospital. Why did she ask him out in the first place? Well... Honestly speaking, no one was free but him so the senior was the only one she could be around. Not to mention that they haven't had the chance to get close to each other, especially since they used to be quite close (in her other realityanyway)... She used to be very close with everyone but, now, they seemed so distant... Akihiko had lifted up her spirit when the tragedy occurred. They comforted each other so she felt like hanging out with him after what had happened–and since her friend wasn't available.
"About this friend of yours... I guess it's a guy?" Akihiko smiled at her as they exited the shop.
Minako was casually swinging her bag as they walked. There were some girls from their school who saw them together and their eyes were filled with envy. Not that they can do anything about it since the two live in the same dorm... which was where they were headed to now.
"A-Ah... Y-Yes... He's... nice." She avoided the senior's eyes and stared down the ground.
Her face was a bit red. She knew he knows him but he didn't know that so it felt awkward to talk about it...
"Haha... If that's what you say, then I bet he is. If he's not around, then you can always come to me... I'm available on Mondays and Fridays though I usually train on those days too. But I can spare my time for you." He raised his fist in front of him and clenched it tightly.
'Same as ever...' Minako chuckled. "Okay then! I'll do my best to keep up with Senpai!" She answered with confidence, turning to him with a bright smile.
He smiled back and began jogging his way to the dorm, which Minako mimicked, much to the senior's delight.
So... how do you think her actually gets to live by without money? Of course he'd need a job :P
And thus, I kicked him to Wakatsu.
Anyway, I wasn't sure how to get Akihiko in the picture... he has to at some point XD
But I'm not sure how he'd interact with a girl who's not a member of SEES... Though she is the supposedly innocent sister of a SEES member... so yea :D/+1 to Minako's harem/shot/
Ps. On the side note, I have a new poll up~ It's just for fun though, feel free to check it out XD
-None of Persona 3 or SMT series belong to me-