Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

A Jack Frost Guy - You win a cookie for your guess. And the Yakety Sax was Lady Starwing's idea, while Akihiko suffering was clearly due him touching Mitsuru's backside without permission. Or at least that's the in-universe justification I used in my head when I wrote the scene.

Delta XIII - The sheer amount of insanity in chapter 20 has been sitting inside my head since I first started writing Reshuffled. I'm ashamed it's taken me this long to actually get to writing it. But yes! Roy will play a part in Norimoto Style somehow. The original intent was, before the changes I'm currently planning came to be, his mind was trapped in the TV World following his body getting nom'd by the Great Seal, which meant he would've turned up around the time Rise joined the party. If you've read the current version, you probably noticed something saying a garbled message on the Midnight Channel after Yukiko was rescued; That was Roy commenting on how things were suddenly noisy. He would've also ended up a Bonus Boss in January due to having a mental breakdown from missing SEES, Aigis especially. But those details are the old plan. The new plan is... well, let's just say it'll be magical.

rsdk525 - There's more where that came from, my friend. But to answer your question... everything in the story is Reshuffled. Why would that event be any different? But at the same time... it might be more familiar than you think.

Jenni Saba - Well of course Natalie is you, silly! You're the one who suggested the name! And to anyone wondering what I'm talking about, that is the fanfiction account of my adorable girlfriend. Sorry ladies, I'm taken! *is shot*

Once more I'd like to thank my wonderful friend Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts for helping me get this chapter written! Without much other ado, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

That was the only time I ever wanted to get banned but holy shit was it worth it. Like there's getting banned, but then there's getting banned from an MMO on the day it CLOSES DOWN. I will not disclose what happened, but well... Let's just say sneaking, teleport spells, and the hardest boss in the game were involved. It was great. Toriumi even sent me a commemorative screenshot of our shenanigans that now serves as my wallpaper.

The next couple of days we had off from school because of the festival, which was pretty sweet but it left the lot of us in SEES kinda aimlessly hanging around in the dorm lounge moreso than usual. Junpei and I had taken over the kitchen table because we both discovered the other had a collection of Yu Gi Oh cards. Mine are obviously just English text ones... aside from a few from some newer booster packs that Japan has but the States didn't. Random shit like that is why I enjoy staying here.

"...And then Arcana Force EX the Light Ruler smashes the everloving shit out of your Armed Dragon Level Five." I said, smirking as I leaned back in my chair. "I win."

Junpei groaned, slumping in his chair. "Damn it man, how'd you even get coin flips that good on those damn things?"

"Swag." I said, picking up my cards. "Best of three, right?"

He scoffed, gathering up his own cards. "Totally."

"Dibs on playing the winner!" Hamuko called out from her seat a little ways down the table. Yukari was messing with her hair, purportedly trying to help get the rest of the dye out of it.

"Y'know what we need though, Roy?" Junpei asked as he shuffled his deck. "Real life duel disks. That'd kick ass..." He paused, then looked past me towards Mitsuru. "Hey senpai..."

"No such technology is currently in development at any Kirijo Group facility, Junpei-san." Aigis stated with absolute certainty.

Junpei, Hamuko, and I gave a group groan of disappointment.

"Man... that sucks... Wait, Roy-"

"Even if I called up Nathan, who basically runs the company these days, he'd never go for it." I said as I cut Junpei's deck. "Too impractical of a use for that sort of thing, even if you tried to sell it to him as a 'proof of concept'. Trust me, I've tried."

Junpei slammed his head down on the table. "Damn it all... why must the coolest things be so elusive...?"

"Speaking of strange things the Kirijo Group might be making..." Ken began, drawing the attention of what sure seemed like everyone in the room. "Does anyone know why we need replacement Evokers? The real reason, I mean?"

The tense silence that followed his question was practically deafening. I glanced at Shinjiro, and he was biting his lip. I could tell, but... it looked to be more than just him not wanting to talk about his phobia. He seemed way too shaken up about it.

"Well..." I began, setting my hand of cards face down on the table. "Stop and think about it. People react to the same thing differently. It's just how they are. Like how some people are terrified of spiders, while there's people like me who'd casually let a tarantula crawl up their arm without a fuss."

I saw Akihiko shiver out of the corner of my eye, and suddenly him not really doing much when the last Shadow turned into a half spider thing made a bit more sense.

"Well, yeah..." said Ken. "But what's that got to do with Evokers?"

"That's easy to answer, but first I need to ask you a question and you need to answer honestly." I said to him. "What's something you're afraid of? You don't have to say why, just what it is."

He hesitated for a split second before answering. "Bats."

"Aright, now, what if to summon our Personas, our evokers WERE bats?" I asked him. "Would you be able to do it?"

Ken blinked a few times. "...I don't know... maybe if I really had to, but..."

"But, it'd still bother you a hell of a lot, right?"

He nodded.

"There in lies one of several problems with the current look." I said. "Besides the obvious of the fact most people look at guns and think 'death', putting something that looks like a gun to your head that's not blatantly non-threatening like a water pistol or a dart gun would potentially mess with people's heads a bit even without anything else being involved."

"But would that do anything bad?" asked Fuuka.

I looked over at Mitsuru. "Would it?"

She did that excessive hesitation thing she does sometimes. Only whenever Ken's around. All three of the upperclassmen do it.

"Potentially, yes." she admitted. "If the user is particularly distressed for a serious enough reason, reactions akin to the displays of excessive power Fortune has had in the past could happen."

Eyebrow. "Wait, so the adrenaline rush thing really ISN'T limited to me?"

"I recently found out about an isolated incident that occurred roughly five years ago in a Kirijo Group lab." she said. "A Persona User was enraged for some reason and used an Evoker... their Persona mutated and went on a rampage until the user was calmed down via a tranquilizer dart. It was speculated they would have continued until the source of their rage or the user themselves were destroyed."

The room went silent again.

"...Damn..." I heard Junpei mutter. "That's... scary..."

"Very..." agreed Yukari. "I can't imagine what that would be like..."

Mitsuru shifted in her seat slightly. "Nor can I. The staff at the time were lucky that the Fredricksons were assigned to that lab. They managed to distract the persona user long enough for them to be incapacitated."

"So Shinjiro-san's relatives worked for the Kirijo Group even back then?" asked Hamuko.

Mitsuru nodded in response. "Yes. Asami-san and her colleagues have worked for the company for some time, though more recently several have taken jobs outside of the research divisions for personal reasons."

"Can't say I blame 'em." I commented. "But do you know how long till the new evokers get here?"

"Tomorrow at the latest, I believe." She replied. "Sometime tonight at the earliest."

I nodded. "Cool, cuz once we get those we're headin' back into the tower to get caught up on things..."

The remainder of the evening was the typical fare once the conversation about the evokers died down. Got up kinda early the next day due to some scratching at my door, which then lead to me quickly getting showered and dressed before Koromaru pretty much dragged me out of the dorm once I put the leash on him.

"Whoa hey, slow down buddy!" I said, Pharos having decided to see how well he could balance on Koromaru's back the entire time. Incidentally, it's weird seeing a leash just pass right through him. "What's the rush?"

Koromaru's reply was a short bark, and for the next three or so blocks I had no idea where he was so intent on going until he finally stopped and barked once at a store. A pet store, to be exact.

"What, you want some better food or something?" I asked. He looked up at me, shook his head a couple times, then tugged on the leash a bit. He pretty clearly wanted to go inside. "Alright alright, we can go in..."

Entering the store, the very first thing I noticed was a clerk moving things around frantically, obviously looking for something. The guy spotted me, then walked over.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Nah, I'm fine. Koro here knows what he's after..." I said, holding up the leash slightly to indicate the Shiba at the other end. "You look like something's ruffled your feathers. What happened?"

Clerk guy seemed a little nervous at my question. "...One of the smaller pets got out of their enclosure."

-Enclosure... that fairly easily brings down the list of suspects.- "Smaller how? Like a gecko?"

He shook his head. "No, it was... well, it was one of the spiders."

-...Well.- "It's not a dangerous one, is it?"

"Oh heavens no!" affirmed the clerk. "It's a red-knee tarantula – they're extremely docile and not dangerous to humans in the slightest beyond scaring the pants off anyone with arachnophobia due to being about the size of the average adult male's hand."

"So you've got a big, fuzzy fly eater scurrying around the store... how'd it even get out?"

He threw up his arms. "I have no clue! This isn't the first time she's gotten out, either! No idea how she does it."

-Wow, this dude is getting outsmarted by a spider. That's harsh.- "Well, if I see the little bugger while I'm here I'll let ya know."

"Oh, thank you..." he said, looking relieved. "Please excuse me."

The clerk scampered off to another part of the fairly small pet store, checking shelves and in cages to find the wayward arachnid. Meanwhile I just looked down at Koro.

"So what're you looking for?" I asked.

He yawned, then slowly lead me over to the dog toys. It didn't take him long to bark and start trying to get at one with his paw. It was a squeaky toy, looked like some kinda white cyclops thing with a yellow stripe across its chest.

"This what you're after?" I asked.

He bobbed his head a few times and started panting.

"Alright then..."

I reached for the toy, but once I had hold of it I felt something fuzzy touch my hand. For a split second I thought it was the toy next to the one I'd grabbed... but then there was the unmistakable feeling of something crawling over my hand and then up my arm. Especially unmistakable because it was, in fact, a large spider. Most likely the one the clerk was looking for.

"Well, that was unexpected..." Pharos commented. "I guess it likes you?"

I shrugged with the shoulder that didn't currently have something perched on it. -Apparently.-

Koromaru didn't seem to mind the spider chilling on my left shoulder as we headed up to the counter, where the clerk from before and another lady, presumably his boss, were talking.

"Excuse me..." I called out as I approached, then indicated the spider on my shoulder. "Is this yours?"

The two clerks stared at the spider.

"Y-You found it!" Said the guy clerk. Magician Arcana now that I'm actually paying enough attention to the guy. "Where was it hiding?"

I held up the toy Koro wanted. "Behind this. Crawled up my arm and has been sitting there happy as a clam ever since."

"Really?" asked the other clerk. Priestess Arcana. "That's a first..."

"How so?"

"Normally that one likes to pop out and startle customers." she said. "This is the seventh time she's gotten out, but the first time she's seemed to like anyone..."

-...Hrm.- "...I have a question."

"What?"

"How much would it cost to buy our little friend here?"

So yeah, I now have a pet red-knee tarantula. I named her Mira, and she doesn't seem to want to get off my shoulder. So I've got stuff for an enclosure for said spider, also food, being carted back to the dorm with me. Koro, meanwhile, has his new toy in his mouth and is just content as can be as he trots alongside me and Pharos.

"At least all the stuff for her fits in the tank..." Pharos noted.

-Yeah, true...- I admitted, adjusting how I was carrying the modestly sized glass fish tank Mira was going to be living in. -Hopefully she won't make repeated escape acts at the dorm...-

"Maybe you could train her?"

I gave Pharos a look as I stopped at the steps to the dorm. -Train a spider?-

"Dude, you, me, Aigis, and Koromaru are living proof proof anything is possible." he countered.

-Touche.- I though, going up the steps and opening the door to the dorm. "Hey guys, I'm back..."

"Where've you-" Akihiko's question was then cut off by the most shrill, ear piercing and feminine screeching noise I've ever heard in my entire life and I say that after having heard Yukari scream POINT BLANK in my ear way back in June.

I looked over in the direction of Akihiko, very much aware that Mira just skittered down my arm and into the glass tank VERY quickly. The scream must've spooked her.

"...What the fuck was that?" I asked in blatant English, noting that Akihiko was now hiding behind Shinjiro who was very clearly trying to not bust a gut. AGAIN.

"IORI!"

My head snapped towards the stairs that Mitsuru was currently storming over from.

"What did you do to Takeba this time?" She demanded, crossing her arms and huffing.

Shinjiro just fell to the floor beside himself in laughter as Yukari and Junpei stared at Mitsuru like she'd grown another head.

"That was Akihiko-senpai..." They said in unison, pointing at the boxer now hiding behind the couch.

Mitsuru blinked, then looked at where Akihiko was hiding, then over at me with the glass tank under my arm.

"...Fortune."

"First off, Koromaru wanted a new toy." I said, indicating the dog who was now seated by the TV contently gnawing on his new plaything, getting a few loud 'squeaks' out of it. "Second, coming back with a large spider was not a part of that original plan-"

Akihiko yelped and ducked completely behind the couch. Shinjiro still couldn't stop laughing, but I could vaguely hear words that sounded like 'Mitsuru thought it was Takeba' between guffaws.

"Spider?" Mitsuru asked, her visible eyebrow arching with interest.

"Yeah, this little lady here in the tank." I said, holding it up a bit. "She decided she likes to perch on my arm after having somehow escaped her enclosure are the pet store, so I figured 'what the heck' and bought her."

"Seriously?" asked Hamuko as the rest of SEES sans the two currently incapacitated with terror and mirth upperclassmen huddled around me. "Ow wow, she's big..."

"Interesting..." noted Aigis. "I did not know arachnids could classify as a 'pet'..."

Mitsuru gave Mira an intense look before shifting her gaze back to me. "You ARE aware that Akihiko is arachnophobic, correct?"

"I am now." I replied. "But, the clerks at the store assured me that Mira here is harmless. She's big, sure, but she's only a threat to bugs and stuff as long as you don't startle her like Akihiko apparently did, otherwise she's super docile."

"...I see." she said. "Well, so long as you can keep track of it, I see no problem with allowing your new friend to stay."

"WHAT" Akihiko shouted. "Are you-"

"Shut up!" I hissed. "Or do you WANT the spider to bite people because you're yelling?"

Akihiko shrank back down behind the couch at that.

"I'll keep her in my room and do my best to keep her outta your hair, Akihiko." I told him. "So chill, dude. I doubt she can make any escapes like she apparently did at the store..."

"Wait what?" asked Ken, looking up at me.

"Apparently she escaped her cage like seven times at the store." I said casually as I headed for the stairs, Aigis following me with a look of curiosity on her face. "And she liked to startle customers."

I heard what likely could be described as manly fainting noises and then a thud from behind me, followed by a few variations of 'Akihiko-san!' being called out as Shinjiro's laughing intensified.

A little while later, after getting Mira all set up in her tank that I opted to set on my desk, Pharos and I departed to go check on Chidori at the hospital. See how she was holding up after the scare a little while back.

"Hey." I greeted casually as I slid the door shut behind me. "How's it going?"

Chidori glanced up at me from her sketchbook. "...Well, I suppose."

"That's good." I said, reaching towards my coat pocket only to feel something fuzzy sticking out. "Wait, what the-?"

I moved my hand away a little and Mira crawled out of my pocket and onto the back of my hand.

"...Frig, how the hell did you get in there?" I asked the spider.

"Where did you get that?"

I looked up at Chidori, and she seemed absolutely fascinated by the giant tarantula on my hand.

"Pet store earlier..." I replied. "Apparently she managed to sneak out of her cage and into my coat before I left the dorm."

Mira tapped her front-most legs a few times against my hand, as if she was proud of herself for outwitting the giant she was perched on.

"...Can I hold her?"

I blinked, then shrugged. "Sure... but if some doctors show up we'll probably want to hide her."

Holding my arm out towards Chidori, she carefully reached out to Mira. Again, as if she knew what was going on, the spider skittered off my hand and onto Chidori's once it was close enough.

"Hehe..." she giggled. "Softer than she looks..."

"I know, right?" I chuckled. "Just uh... don't get loud and if she starts hissing just stop doing stuff. Red-knees like Mira can bite, but they're very docile unless spooked."

Chidori nodded, slowly moving her hand around to inspect the arachnid perched upon it.

"...You like spiders, Chidori?" I asked.

"I find them..." She paused for a moment, like she was thinking of what word to use. "...Inspiring."

"Huh... well, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised." I commented. "I mean, everyone at the dorm except Akihiko didn't have a problem with her."

Chidori looked at me. "What'd he do?"

"Scream the most shrill, feminine screech I've ever heard in my life." I said. "Mitsuru-senpai thought it was Yukari until told otherwise by like three people."

She giggled again, smiling softly as she looked back at Mira. "I suppose everyone is full of surprises, then... I suppose I like spiders because I feel a connection with them. The way they spin their webs so gently, so elegantly... I wish my art had passion like that. All I do is make scribbles..."

I crossed my arms. "I'd say your art is great, but I've never even any of your drawings."

"...Really?" She asked, glancing up at me.

"Really." I said. "I mean, I sketch in my free time if I don't write stuff that comes to mind..."

Chidori hummed. "...I suppose another artists opinion couldn't hurt..." A frown crossed her face and she suddenly looked around the room.

"...What's wrong?"

Her gaze eventually settled on Pharos. Like not in his general area, she was staring right at him.

"...Chidori?"

"What is that...?"

Eyebrow. "What's what?"

"The presence Medea is sensing..." she replied, making a confused face. "It's strange... worrying, even... but at the same time, it feels... kind. Harmless, even."

I glanced at Pharos, who did the same to me.

-Dude, she knows you're there...- I noted. -That's... new.-

"No shit..." he replied. "But... maybe it's a good sign? Like I'm getting better or something?"

-Who knows.- I thought, looking back at Chidori. "You noticed it before?"

She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "It was fainter then, but... I've noticed it around you before. Why?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Nothin' there as far as I know."

"What, no ghost buddy story?" asked Pharos, with a mockingly hurt sounding tone.

-She's already in the hospital and dealing with running crazy drugs out of her system. Figure I'd spare her at least a little of my insanity.-

"Fair enough."

"I'm sorry."

Eyebrow. "What for?"

"Mentioning that." She said, letting Mira crawl onto her other hand. "For as long as I can remember, I've always... sensed odd things wherever I go. I suppose I've gotten so used to it I usually can tune it out."

"So what, Medea could scan even before you awoke her?"

She shrugged. "I guess so... ever since I've been here, though, I've noticed things I never paid attention to before."

"How so?"

"Little details about things, mannerisms people have. Simple things, really." said Chidori. "I never noticed before because... I'd taken those pills..."

I winced. "Good thing we got you off those, then. Shame we don't know who's still making the damn things."

Chidori sighed. "I know we got them from someone, but... my mind is foggy when I try to remember them."

"Fuzzy images and muffled voices sort of thing?"

"Yeah..." she replied. "You know, you're odder than you think you are."

-Eh?- "What cha' mean?"

"You don't feel like any other Persona User I've met." she said. "And I'm not talking about the... Eight Personas I can tell are with you right now. It's something else..."

"Think she's talking about me again?" asked Pharos.

-Or maybe the psychic link thing we have.- "Any idea what?"

She shook her head. "No... but it doesn't feel threatening. I suppose you shouldn't have to worry about it..."

"Still, I appreciate that you mentioned it." I said. "Knowing the full extent of my own crazy is kind of a priority."

Chidori giggled, holding Mira out towards me. "I can imagine it would be."

CRASH

-Sweet, now shut up Temperance.-

"Of that, I have no doubt." I agreed, letting Mira skitter onto my arm again.

I chatted idly with Chidori for a little while longer before heading off. Perfectly timed too, since Junpei showed up to visit her at that point. Also, I'm still surprised how intelligent Mira seems to be. Like, Koromaru was one thing on account of being a dog, but a spider with the level of smarts it appears to have? That's a whole other story... still, pretty cool. Of course, I had to be careful not to squish her while she was in my pocket on the way back to the dorm. This proved to be a bit harder than I anticipated when I had an encounter I wasn't expecting.

"Hey, you! Red!"

I turned around and, to my surprise and moderate terror, that Hito-Shura guy was walking towards me. Naoki if my memory isn't failing me about his real name.

"Yes?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"You can start by telling me what was up with that screaming almost a week ago." He said. "I nearly thought a portal to Hell itself had opened up."

I blinked. "...Screaming?"

"Yeah, in the... Dark Hour." said Naoki. "Why could I hear that in my head? And is that girl okay?"

-...Well, so much for the powerful half demon not being perpetually Dark Hour sensitive.- "It was indiscriminate on her part. Some goons were after her and she freaked out. I don't even think she knew she'd screamed both out loud and psychically at the time."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Goons?"

"Y'know how me and the dog can summon things?"

"Yeah... Personas, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, well... turns out there's assholes who want to keep the Dark Hour going and have their own. We caught one, but... turns out she wasn't actually helping them very willingly. They tried to mount what they probably considered a rescue, but... yeah, didn't end well for 'em. One summoned their Persona and used it to make a get away."

Hito-Shura hummed. "Well, that'd explain the thing I saw out my window about twenty minutes later..."

"You saw them?"

He shrugged. "I guess? It was some weird, gray skinned thing with giant wings growing out of its back and carrying a couple of dudes around."

"Did one of them look like a hippie and did the other have a green jacket and briefcase?"

"I saw the briefcase yeah, but I couldn't make out their clothes." He said. "But... man, if this shit is gonna be a regular thing with you guys, I want the whole story up to now. I know I can't really do much without possibly killing one or more of you by accident, but..."

I offered a sympathetic smile. "Sitting around doing nothing while simultaneously not having a single clue what you're letting a bunch of teenagers get into is bugging you?"

Naoki nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, let's find a bench somewhere. This is gonna take a while..."

Found a bench and we got to talking. Had to let Mira out of my pocket, but she seemed content to sit on my shoulder. If someone started walking past, she skittered out of sight. Damn smart spider. Eventually, Naoki had a condensed version of the entirety of what SEES had been up to since April. Omitted details included the more personal stuff I knew, such as the fact Yukari's dad was part of why the Dark Hour is a thing for example.

"Shit, you kids are in deep..." Naoki commented. "But... you really met the Fredricksons?"

Eyebrow. "What, you know them?"

"Yeah. I'd actually met them about..." he paused. "I think five or six years ago. I had a temp job as a mechanic for the Kirijo Group back then. Nice people, but... well, the working conditions kinda went to shit at one point."

"How bad?"

Naoki cringed. "I'd rather not say, but... well, I guess 'things went to hell' would be a good way to put it. Not on purpose, some asshole named Sheffield caused a heap a trouble. Heard he got canned for it, among other things."

"Sucks to be him, but he brought it on himself from the way you're telling it."

"He had a god complex bigger than the sun." he spat. "Kind who just steps all over people and exploits them to get what he wants. Makes me sick just thinking about it."

"Then don't." I suggested. "But... given how it's kinda established you can't really do much without, say, Loki or some such opening a portal to the Demon Realm, what good is knowing all this about the Dark Hour gonna do?"

He shrugged. "Put me at ease, mostly. And last I heard, Loki's in deep shit with Hades for pulling a stunt that upset Persephone so half the Greek and Norse pantheons are watching him. Hell, I hear they have Hermes stalking him."

I stared at him. "...Why do you make it sound like the various deities of the world exist in some kind of giant sitcom?"

"Because they basically do." Naoki laughed. "It's pretty entertaining."

"Man, I'd watch the shit out of that if it was on TV..."

"So would a lot of people, I'd wager." he said, standing up while looking at his watch. "But I've got somewhere I gotta be."

I shrugged. "Alright man. And hey, if you bump into Anansi anywhere, tell him Roy Fortune says the four pupils thing is fucking creepy."

He laughed as he started walking off. "Don't worry, you're no the only one who thinks that!"

I sighed to myself as Naoki left, looking at Pharos as Mira resettled herself on my shoulder.

"Weird days just keep getting weirder..." I commented.

"At least Chidori seems keen on talking with Junpei over the Senpai..." said Pharos.

-...Senpai...- "Yeah... but I wonder what their deal is."

"Their deal?" asked Pharos. "Well, they're all fairly charismatic in a way, Mitsuru being the heiress to a huge corporation, Akihiko looking like the male lead in a shoujo manga with the brains of a shonen protagonist, and Shinjiro effectively being a big, 'It's not like I'm trying to be nice or anything, stupid' version of the archetypical bad boy..."

"No, not that." I grunted. "I mean why why act weird around Ken."

"Oh well then you should've said that!" he complained. "But I have no idea, and I've TRIED spying on them to find out. Same with Ken, actually... speaking of him, what do you think he's up to?"

I shrugged. "Hard to say. He's hellbent on being seen as a mature adult despite his age, yet clearly enjoys still being a kid... and yet he gets tense like the Senpai do. There's SOMETHING going on with the four of them, there just has to be."

"So why not ask?"

"Don't have enough ammo to use." I sighed. "I'd need more hints from a few of 'em..."

Pharos leaned forward in his seat on the nearby mailbox. "Or just get so frustrated trying to figure it out you just give up and start prying for answers the hard way."

"Well yeah, but that's the last resort..." I said. "But right now... let's just get back. The new evokers might be in so we can finally head back to Tartarus..."

I headed back to the dorm in short order, having gotten a message from Yukari that the new Evokers had arrived. I got more than I bargained for when I walked into the dorm, though.

"No. No way. You are not getting me to wear a DAMN THING that isn't armor plated in that damn tower."

I arched an eyebrow at Shinjiro as I closed the door behind me, Mira now perched atop my hat. "What the hell did I walk in on?"

"Roy!" Hamuko beamed, turning towards me. "Just in time! I need your help-"

"Oh hell no, you're not dragging him into this!" interrupted Shinjiro. "I'm not wearing that shit in Tartarus and that's the end of the goddamn discussion!"

With a huff, Hamuko span back around and presumably glared at Shinjiro. It was hard to tell through the back of her head. "Yes you are, Shinjiro-san! You're not going to get me to back down!"

"I say again..." I began, talking slightly louder. "What the fucking hell did I walk in on?"

"She's trying to convince Shinjiro to wear a butler outfit." Junpei reported, reading a manga on the far couch. "In Tartarus."

Eyebrow. "Um, why? I mean sure, armor could go under it provided said armor is thin and light, but still. Why?"

"Because!" She proclaimed, spinning around to point at me. "You wear weird stuff like those fuzzy mittens of yours in Tartarus and you keep getting crates of magic clothes for everybody!"

"Um, I don't exactly get control over what the crazy blue room people give me for doing random chores." I pointed out. "And don't be hatin' on the Fuzzy Mittens of Plus Seven Asskickery!"

Everyone in the lounge turned to me and, apart from Aigis and Koromaru, asked in unison: "The WHAT?"

-...Shit.- "Look gimme a second to put Mira back in her tank and we'll get back to the discussion..."

Once I got Mira back in her tank and left her crickets to snack on, I headed back down and now Mitsuru and Akihiko were in the room.

"Out of the question." said Mitsuru, crossing her arms. "Fortune's... eccentric choice in weapon aside, we're not a group of costumed vigilantes for you to dress up."

Hamuko frowned. "It's still armor, though! It just looks nicer!"

"You're not gonna win this argument, Arisato." said Akihiko.

"No way in hell." agreed Shinjiro.

I scratched my neck as I walked over to where the conversation was going. "Yeah, if you can't convince Shinjiro, you're not gonna be able to win over Mitsuru with this scheme of yours."

Hamuko arched an eyebrow. "How much you want to bet?"

-...I'm suddenly very afraid.- "More than either of us could afford so let's not make wagers."

"Fine..." she said with a roll of her eyes. "But you guys haven't even heard my whole argument yet."

That drew nervous looks from everyone who wasn't Koromaru and Aigis.

"...Whole argument?" asked Yukari.

"What kind of argument, Hamuko-chan...?" asked Fuuka.

Hamuko smiled with impish glee before she sucked in a deep breath.

"How the flying fuck did you DO THAT?" I asked, looking at the suit I was now wearing as we headed to Tartarus. "I mean holy shit, how long were you ranting? An hour?"

"I can make very intense arguments, Roy." replied Hamuko, adjusting the maid headband she had on.

Shinjiro just grumbled, adjusting his tie. "Aki I can believe. Aigis and Iori I can believe. Takeba and Fuuka are a bit of a stretch. But you talked not only ME into this, but Mitsuru, Ken, AND Roy AND somehow found a tux for the DOG!"

Koromaru barked contently, his tail waging as he happy trotted along in his doggy tux.

"Arisato was more persuasive than I anticipated..." Mitsuru admitted, looking fairly embarrassed to be in the maid uniform. How Hamuko found one for her as much a mystery as Koro's tux.

"I'll say..." sighed Akihiko. "And what happened to the new Evokers?"

"I have them." reported Aigis, carrying a modestly sized metal box in her arms as she walked next to me. Her skirt bounced noticeably with each step.

In case it wasn't obvious, Hamuko got everyone to dress up as a butler or maid. Why, I have no earthly clue.

"Gonna hand them out at Tartarus?" I asked.

Mitsuru sighed. "...I'd intended to hand them out before we left, but..."

"This happened?" asked Fuuka, trying to sound sympathetic to Mitsuru's apparent annoyance.

"...Yes..."

"Yours is French styled!" Hamuko protested. "You like French things, don't you senpai?"

"That is beside the point!"

I heard Junpei chuckled from behind me. "Plus it looks like Akihiko-san can't stop staring-"

Junpei was cut off most likely by a left hook from the boxer, given the 'OOF' that followed. Mitsuru just seemed to shrink into the collar of her costume out of embarrassment.

Once we got to Tartarus, Aigis set down the box and Mitsuru cracked it open. The results were... amusingly rather mixed. Not in terms of 'shit they don't work' but rather in design; A few were roughly the same, but others were surprisingly unique and clearly gave off the impression of who suggested their appearance.

"Is that one an MP3 player?" I asked as Hamuko snatched it up.

"Yeah!" She said, attaching it to the lanyard she had around her neck. "I focus better when I can hear music, so I thought having it with me in the Dark Hour would be better for fighting Shadows."

I hummed, inspecting one of the other Evokers. The most common ones looked like slightly exaggerated wristwatch versions of Koromaru's Evoker Collar.

"Aww, man!" Junpei griped, holding a note he'd taken from the box. "They didn't like my idea..."

Aigis leaned over enough to read the note. "Their assessment of the scientists about the impractically of reaching towards your groin area is sound, Junpei-san."

"It'd be on the front of my waistline!" He countered. "Just tap it quick and bam! Persona."

"You tried to get a Kamen Rider belt, didn't you?" I asked, slipping on one of the Evoker Watches.

He sighed. "Yeah..."

"They're still right, you know."

"Man, shut up..." he pouted, taking one of the Evoker Watches for himself. "But geez... there's a lot of spares... they faulty or something?"

"Beats me." said Shinjiro, inspecting the lone pocket watch style Evoker. "Maybe it's in case we somehow get more help before dealing with the Dark Hour?"

Ken was adjusting a watch for himself. "That seems most likely... but why is there a large hairpin among them?"

"That was on the note, too." stated Junpei, holding up the scrap of paper. "Said one of the science people who made 'em liked the idea and it works kinda like Koromaru's does with the whole 'no hands needed' thing since grabbing your head isn't a good idea in the middle of a fight."

"So what, we just keep the spares around in case some of these break?" I asked.

Mitsuru nodded. "Or for some other reason we need them."

"Are you and Akihiko-senpai going to use the older evokers?" asked Fuuka, adjusting a broach-styled one she requested since, by her own admission, the gun version always made her nervous.

Akihiko grunted. "I don't see what the problem with 'em is. Mine works, so I'm gonna use it."

"I'm simply doing out of convenience." admitted Mitsuru. "I've used the older version for so long, trying to get used to a new one would be counterproductive."

"I figured..."

"Yukari, is that thing a fucking cellphone?" asked Hamuko, staring at the archer in bewilderment.

"I thought it'd be a good idea!" She exclaimed. "I mean, in case we need to call the Chairman and the Dark Hour radio Mitsuru-senpai has gets damaged..."

I hummed slightly. "Makes sense... but didn't your phone start dying on you last week?"

"Takeba..."

"Can we just get to killing Shadows already?" She complained, snapping the flip-phone evoker shut and jamming it into a special mini-holster for it that she'd strapped to her arm. "We don't have all night!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Getting used to the new Evoker was actually pretty easy for me. The 'activation' switch on it is a moderately sized blue button below the watch face, so I just had to tap it with the back of my left hand to summon a Persona. Plus it was easier to bring my hands together for a moment to do that instead of fish a handgun out of a holster. I did get weird looks from Junpei and Akihiko, since both found it odd that I wear a watch on my dominant hand instead of my offhand.

I was more concerned with finding the things Elizabeth was after, though. She said two of them were in this part of the tower, so I was scouring the place for 'em and she claimed I'd know it when I saw it. To her credit, she wasn't lying.

"A pocketwatch?" I muttered, picking up the object in question off of an odd pedestal. It didn't look too interesting at a glance.

"What's it doing in here?" asked Yukari. "Seems like a weird place for something like that to turn up..."

"Despite Tartarus having confused anyone trying to research it for years, I have to agree with Takeba."

I frowned, opening the cover of the watch. The watch face had the phases of the moon on and around the numbers... and there seemed to be an extra button on it.

"The heck does this do?" I asked aloud, hitting the button. The watch face lit up... and that was it. "Really? Just a back light?" I turned towards the others. "Can you..."

I blinked. Everyone was stock still... and there was a weird color filter over everything I was seeing except for myself.

-...Shit I think I broke reality harder than it already is.- I thought, then I looked at the watch. It was still lighting up. -...How does the crazy always find me? Do I have a magnet for it in my head or something?-

I hit the button again and the odd color change vanished, and everyone was moving again.

"Whoa, Roy... how'd you do that?" asked Junpei.

Eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Move like five feet in a split second!" he said.

I blinked, then looked at the watch. "...I think this thing is more magical than me. I'm stuffing it in my pocket and we're never speaking of it again. I have to take it to the Blue Door Room anyways..."

A grand total of few dozen floors and a moderately annoying Guardian that Junpei and I Fusion Spelled in the face, and I swapped out the teams after dropping the crazy time stopping pocketwatch off with Elizabeth, since it actually WAS one of the things I had to bring her. It was around that point I realized Hamuko might be onto something with these costumes; I have no idea how, but they're way tougher than most of the other gear we've used up to this point. Even Mitsuru was surprised when she saw it first hand, though Shinjiro needed convincing so he was part of the second group. Him, Hamuko, Me, Aigis, and Koromaru blazed a trail up the tower... and then we encountered another Guardian.

You know those Hulk Hogan Shadows? Well...

"HULKSTER'S GONNA RUN WILD ON YOU!"

We found their big brother and he's kind of a dick.

"GAH!" Shinjiro grunted, reeling backwards as the swing from his hammer was repelled by the Shadow. "I can't do shit to this thing!"

"My attacks are likewise ineffective!" Aigis reported, dodging a charged, ground puncturing attack from the white and red Gigas. "It is likely resistant to all forms of Physical attack!"

I summoned Shade to throw Agilao at it... but just absorbed the fire. "Lovely, it even eats fireballs! Koro, try to distract him!"

Koro barked in affirmation, scurrying around the Shadow's legs while slashing at them with his dagger. It did some damage, but not enough to really bother it beyond the level of a savage tickling.

"HULKSTER THINKS IT'S TIME TO TURN UP THE HEAT!" It exclaimed, then suddenly the entire battlefield burst into flames. "CAN YOU HANDLE IT, BROTHER?"

I grunted as the flames washed over me, since I wasn't quick enough in switching to a fire nullifying persona before I got him. Aigis, Shinji, and Hamuko weren't quite as lucky. Koro didn't even notice because of Cerberus' immunity to fire.

"I hate this fucking Shadow!" Shinjiro shouted. "Roy, give me an Axe! Hammer ain't gonna do any good!"

"Sure!" I called out, thankful the null-fire Persona had healing skills. I had it use them as I got out a spare card with an ax in it, then kicked the weapon along the ground to Shinjiro. "There!"

He snatched it off the ground, charging up via Castor as Aigis tried to keep everyone supplied with support effects from Palladion's various kaja skills.

"Die already!" he shouted, swinging the axe right at the Shadow's gut. It blocked the swing and quickly retaliated with a fist right to Shinjiro's gut, sending him flying past Hamuko and into a wall.

"Shinjiro-san!" "Shinjiro!"

Hamuko was distracted though, pretty obviously worried about him, when the Shadow started laughing.

"YOU BETTER BE READY, BROTHER!" bellowed the Shadow, charging up. "BECAUSE HULKSTER'S GONNA BRING THE PAIN!"

With a heavy stomp of its foot, a dark purple slashing mist exploded across the room, hitting everyone. I heard Koromaru and Hamuko shouting loudly, so I think it hit them harder than it did the rest of us. In fact, I'm sure it did because the Shadow sprinted right towards Hamuko, energy swirling around it's right fist.

"SAY GOODNIGHT LITTLE LADY!" it shouted, starting to swing its massive arm down at Hamuko.

I heard a scream, then what if I didn't know better would say was a tiger roaring before suddenly there was a loud, screeching crash like metal scraping together and the Shadow was staggering back. It didn't look hurt, but it did look pretty out of it.

"Shinjiro!"

Sure enough, the man himself was standing in front of Hamuko, both hands on his Axe. I think he ran in and got lucky with Castor's Counterattack ability.

"GET..." he roared, violently dragging the axe along the ground as he rushed the Shadow. "LOST!"

Now, given what I'd seen so far, I was kinda sure that despite how cool that was, it wouldn't do anything. But as he started his upward swing towards the Shadow's chest, I noticed that there was a VERY noticeable amount of cracked flooring along the trail of his axe. What then followed was a spike of earth roughly three times as big as I am exploding out of the ground and right through the Shadow's torso, carrying it all the way to the ceiling and slamming into it. The Shadow coughed and sputtered a few times before it... melted. Not explode like Shadows normally do, it melted into black goop and trailed down the spire of rock.

It took me a few moments to find my voice. "...Holy fucking SHIT! Shinjiro, what the hell did you DO?"

"I don't..." he said between slightly labored gasps for breath. "...know... and I don't... care... it's dead..."

-Uh oh...- "Uh, you okay man?"

He grunted, falling to one knee. "I think... it might've broke one of my ribs..."

"Here, lean on me if you need to..."

Hamuko was suddenly on her feet and right next to Shinjiro.

"You're like... how much shorter than me again?" he coughed.

"Just give me your arm." She huffed, putting his left arm over her shoulders. "No complaining."

He rolled his eyes. "Tch. Whatever..."

I left the two of them alone, hurrying over to where Aigis and Koromaru were.

"Hey, he okay?" I asked, kneeling down beside her.

Koro gave a small whine.

"He is injured, but it appears to be superficial at worst." she reported. "Koromaru will likely be in discomfort for some time, yet should recover by morning."

I nodded, scratching him behind the ears. "Good. Here, I'll carry you back little buddy."

He gave a happy bark as I picked him up, since it seemed like one of his legs was where he got hurt most.

"Just don't squirm, okay?" I asked, steadily channeling some Dia into the Shiba.

Another short bark was his response, his tail wagging slowly as I stood up.

"You got grumpy?" I asked Hamuko.

"I'm still conscious." Shinjiro grumbled,

Hamuko just giggled. "Yeah, I got him. Let's get out of this stupid tower..."

"Amen to that." I agreed. "Aigis, be a dear and get the teleporter up 'n going please."

"Acknowledged."

When the five of us got back to the lobby and I said we were leaving for the night, the sighs of relief from everyone made Hamuko declare they were all jerks while Yukari started healing Shinjiro's ribcage. The speed at which we got back was just further proof how much almost everyone else wanted to be out of the costumes... though really I didn't mind nearly as much as I seemed to. I mean hey, I look good in a suit and will freely admit to it.

Anyways, school started back up the next day with all the festival decorations having been taken care of by the clean up crew volunteers over the past few days. The school day was a return to the more mundane sorts of things, but that didn't really bother me. What did bother me was when Aigis disappeared the moment lunch started and I couldn't find her. What I found instead was a certain pair of upperclassmen arguing about something on the roof of the school while they were eating.

"It's none of your business is what it is, Aki." Shinjiro grunted. "So just drop it and eat your damn beef."

Akihiko scowled. "I don't see why you're avoiding the question. I want to know what happened before you came down the tower last night."

"We found one of those Guardian Shadows, I got a bit roughed up in the process of us killing it." he said bluntly. "What's so special about it that you need to know specifics?"

I heard the boxer growl in frustration. "Shinji, you came down leaning on Hamuko and she kept talking about 'stone edges' the whole way back with Junpei!"

"Does it really matter?" snapped Shinjiro. "I killed the damn shadow, so lay off!"

Akihiko noticeably twitched. "Not while you're refusing to tell me what the hell you've been doing to yourself!"

"Like you're one to talk!" he barked. "Fucking hell, I didn't hear a peep out of you about moving into that dorm until I caught you with a half packed suitcase!"

"OKAY!" I said loudly, walking over and standing in the small gap between the benches they were sitting on. "What the fuck are you two idiots doing?"

Shinjiro blinked and stared at me. "...How the hell did you sneak up on us?"

"I'm magical." I replied. "But seriously, why are you two being stupid?"

Akihiko gestured angrily at Shinjiro with his elbow as he took a bite of his lunch. "He's being stubborn."

"So are you." I countered. "Why does every detail of his life matter to you?"

"Because he thinks he can do everything himself!"

Eyebrow. "And like you're any better, Mr. I Must Get Stronger?"

He turned his glare on me. "What did-"

My fist stopped about a millimeter from Akihiko's face. He actually flinched. "I didn't stutter. From the sounds of things, you're both acting like dumbasses. One because he thinks he has to do everything ever to protect everyone ever, and the other because he doesn't think he's worth the time of day to be worried about by anyone at all."

Shinjiro scoffed. "It's true."

"Oh, bullshit!" I said, turning to look at him. "You're easily THE most selfless person at the dorm, what with all the cooking and the fussing and generally being a kindhearted guy despite refusing to let it show through easily because he doesn't want people getting attached to him for whatever reason!"

He didn't respond beyond a grumble as he ate some more of his own lunch.

"Why do you guys do this to each other?" I asked. "I mean seriously, I do not get it. You both clearly care about each other to the point if I didn't know otherwise I'd swear you were fraternal twins if not at least siblings."

"I've always been shit with talking to people is part of it." said Shinjiro. "And you wouldn't be calling me selfless if you've seen the shit I've done in the past."

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch involuntarily. "I could say the same to you."

"...That and Katsuro was there to keep us from acting like this most of the time..."

I looked at Akihiko. "Who?"

"Shinji's older brother." he replied. "Kind of... eccentric, but it's easy to tell his heart's in the right place with everything he does. He used to break up arguments between me and Shinji when we were in middle school."

"Now he teaches a buncha different sword fighting styles in Tokyo." commented Shinjiro. "Still scares me sometimes with how good he is with sharp objects..."

I turned to stare at Shinjiro. "Okay exactly how big is your family tree, dude? This is like the fifth relative of yours I've heard of."

"Katsuro and Daichi are the only ones you haven't met in person." he replied. "And I don't expect either of 'em to turn up anytime soon, least of all Katsuro."

I sighed and shook my head. "That'll be an adventure when it finally happens..."

"Well, apart from Katsuro you're the only person I know of who's ever gotten Shinji to bust up laughing like that." chuckled Akihiko. "So yeah, it probably will be."

"Tch, can it Aki..." Shinjiro grumbled.

I laughed. "What, really? I somehow rank up with your older brother in terms of hilarity? How is that even possible?"

"I dunno." he shrugged, smirking. "I guess you're just magical."

CRASH

-What.-

Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Star and Moon Arcanas...

-Wait that counted for Akihiko as well? Seriously?-

"...Shit."

"What's wrong?" asked Akihiko.

Shinjiro was digging around in his pockets. "It's gone..."

"What's gone?"

"My watch..."

Akihiko sat up straighter. "Your pocketwatch?"

"Yeah..." sighed Shinjiro, having given up on searching his school jacket. "I know I had it before I left the dorm, but now..."

"Did the chain snap?" asked Akihiko, sounding oddly panicked. "It was pretty old..."

The only response he got was a shrug. "No idea, but if it's gone... it probably did."

"Dammit... and this city's so huge, on top of the possibility it was lost in Tartarus..."

"I don't wear it in the tower, it goes in my pocket then." He said, then sighed again. Much more heavily this time, though. "...Of all the times to lose it..."

Akihiko went very quiet and I felt something in the back of my mind just fucking snap like a twig that just had a brick dropped on it.

-...Pharos.-

"Yeah?" he asked while Akihiko and Shinjiro started talking about something else.

-I think it's time for me to be a problem solver.-

I ended up sticking around with the two senpai for lunch, and after school I found out where Aigis went. She apparently needed to talk to Hamuko about something, but insisted I didn't need to worry about it. Like an idiot, I believed her, but I had other stuff on my mind as we headed back to the dorm. Speaking of Hamuko, she asked why Shinjiro looked so bummed out and I mentioned he lost his pocketwatch. I kinda got suspicious when she suddenly 'remembered' having to do something, but again I didn't pay it much mind as she bailed on us. Luck seemed to be on my side, as everyone relevant to what was going through my head was there by the time Aigis and I arrived.

"Okay." I said loudly as I walked in. "Senpai and Ken, we need to talk."

Ken looked at me from the table, while only Mitsuru turned to me.

"Very well, though I don't understand why you need to talk to myself and Amada..."

"Not just you and him." I said. "Shinjiro and Akihiko, too."

The two of them tensed up in their seats.

"...What about?" asked Shinjiro.

"Stuff." I replied. "All four of you, Command Room in five minutes. And Aigis, do me a favor and make sure nobody else goes up to the fourth floor."

"Why not?" demanded Yukari, sounding angry.

I shot a glare towards her. "Because as far as I know, this only concerns the people I want to talk to. If that changes, I'll tell Aigis to get everyone else."

Yukari scowled while uneasy looks were exchanged by everyone I hadn't asked to come to the command room.

"I expect you all to be there." I said, walking towards the stairs. "Especially you and Ken, Shinjiro."

As soon as I dumped my school bag in my room and made sure Mira had something to eat, I headed up to the Command Room. Aigis had already taken to standing sentry at the top of the stairs, and I was actually glad to see that everyone I'd asked to come up was there when I arrived.

"What is this about, Fortune?" asked Mitsuru as I shut the door behind me.

"Simple, really." I replied. "Something is wrong and I aim to fix it."

Akihiko looked at me curiously. "What exactly is wrong and how do you plan to fix it?"

"See, that right there is kind of part of the problem." I said, walking over to the seats. Mitsuru was in the chair Ikutsuki usually sat in, Ken was on one of the stools, Akihiko was on the couch, and Shinjiro was standing in the gap between the couch and Mitsuru's seat. "I don't exactly KNOW what the problem is, but I do know it exists and I'm sick of it at this point."

"If you don't know what it is, then this is pointless." said Shinjiro, sounding annoyed.

"It's not pointless Aragaki, and the four of you are going to tell me what the actual problem is or I'm not gonna let you leave this goddamn room!"

The four of them looked at me like I was insane.

"You're not serious..." said Akihiko.

I crossed my arms. "Very serious. So, let me just cut the crap and get to the point of all this." I looked between everyone quickly. "Why in the name of all that is good in the world do you three get so tense when Ken so much as BREATHES in your general direction?"

Ken blinked. "Huh?"

"All three of them!" I said, gesturing towards the upperclassmen. "Act all tense or get quiet as hell when you walk by, say something, or generally just exist. And that's without mentioning that when we were introduced to you by Ikutsuki before Summer Vacation Akihiko and Shinjiro get each other nervous looks, or when you officially joined SEES and all three of them CLEARLY had a problem with it but none of them said a damn thing!"

"What's it even matter to you?" asked Shinjiro. "Shit like this doesn't concern you."

Mitsuru was giving me a pointed stare, tapping her index finger on her arm. "And who put you in charge of the such things anyways?"

I slammed my hands down on the table in the middle of the room and glared right back at Mitsuru.

"YOU." I said. "YOU, Mitsuru Kirijo, put ME in charge of running around that fucking tower. That means I am responsible for the well being of every single sentient being in this dorm whether they like it or not. And I when I look at what goes on with the four of you, I see a situation that is going to get someone hurt or worse, and that just does not fly with me. So if you HAD wanted me to NOT put my nose into whatever the hell is wrong with you people, then you shouldn't have put me in charge OR become friends with me, because come hell and high water I will do my damnedest to see to it that everyone in SEES comes out of this whole ordeal with Shadows, Tartarus, and the Dark Hour in one piece and still breathing!"

The whole room was silent apart from my own heavy breathing. I was getting really worked up about this, but given my track record for things like this going wrong when I do nothing I can't say I'll ever find the will to blame myself for butting in like I am.

"So." I continued. "What exactly is the story here? Why do the three of you get weird around Ken?"

There wasn't a response. Everyone just clammed up, so I went to plan B: Tell spotting and guesswork.

Mitsuru first. Stiff posture, not looking at Ken, drumming her fingers on her arm. Might be trying to think of an explanation that won't name names yet still satisfy my line of questioning. Most likely had to cover up the original incident.

Akihiko. Also stiff, eyes pointed towards the ground near Shinjiro, toying with the hem of his gloves. No idea where to start, not a clue how to phrase whatever it is he has on his mind anyways. Must've had to deal with this the longest, likely related to his repeated attempts to get Shinjiro back into SEES he'd spoke of before.

Shinjiro. Stoic expression, focusing on the wall behind Ken, hands firmly stuffed into his pockets, faint fidgeting in place. Obviously the root of this, given how everyone else is looking in his general direction... -Wait, he said he'd...-

My eyes finally turned to Ken as the memory of my conversation with Shinjiro back in June started playing in my mind. Nervous, glancing between his feet and Shinjiro, trying to appear smaller than he is, something... intense in his eyes whenever his gaze shifts to Shinjiro. -...Then that'd mean...-

I hummed quietly. "So the illusions of the Moon stir the Just Devil..."

"Pardon?"

"It's Ken, isn't it?" I asked, ignoring Mitsuru to look at Shinjiro. "He's the kid. The one you talked about when we chatted back in June."

Shinjiro tensed up.

"What're you talking about?"

"Okay so this might come as a surprise to everyone who's not Shinjiro, but back when we were investigating that 'Ghost Story' that turned out to be related to Fuuka being trapped in Tartarus on the Saturday before the Operation, Yukari wanted to investigate the back alley at Port Island Station." I said. "So she recruited me, Hamuko, and Junpei to go with her. I kind of insisted on it since I didn't trust her to not potentially get hurt given how unconcerned she sounded about going back there."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed. "And we were not informed, because...?"

"Well this was back in June when I'm almost positive Yukari didn't trust you as far as I could throw you." I stated. "Seeing as we still didn't have the whole story at the time, but that's not important. What is important is the fact that, at the back alley, Shinjiro appeared from the ether and saved our asses by smashing a motherfucker in the head with his own, leading to him and all his thug friends running away with their tails between their legs. Of course, he naturally told us to not come back... but I showed up the next day anyways."

"Why?" asked Akihiko.

"I'll admit, I was curious as to why some random guy with a Persona who clearly knew about SEES was just sitting on his ass doing nothing." I replied. "So I went back and pestered him, got a hyper abridged version of what I assume is what actually happened. Shinjiro's Persona went berserk and someone paid for it with their life..." I turned my gaze to Ken. "...That someone being Ken's mom."

The room was silent again, though I could tell Ken was trembling in anger while Shinjiro couldn't bring himself to look at the kid.

"Which now begs the question: Did Ken know before just now?"

"Yes."

And then all eyes turned to Ken.

"...It was a few months ago." he said, still shaking. "I came out of the manga shop at the Iwatodai strip mall, and I overheard Akihiko-senpai talking with Shinjiro-san. I didn't get it... until he said it was two years ago and that Shinjiro-san was always staying around the back alley until this past June..."

I glanced at the two in question. A look of pure horror was stealing coming over Shinjiro's eyes.

"...Shinjiro-san... He said... he said it didn't matter." Ken continued, trembling harder now. "That it was his fault. That it didn't matter if he came to terms with it. That he just wanted to forget!"

Ken suddenly shot to his feet.

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER, YOU BASTARD!" He shouted. "I WON'T LET YOU FORGET IT!"

Ken started to lunge, but was interrupted by my foot smashing down on the part of the table near me, bringing the other side up rapidly. It slammed into Ken and knocked him into me, and I caught him before he could hit the ground and possibly hurt himself on table pieces.

"LET ME GO!" Ken screamed, trying to break free of my gasp as I took a few steps back. "HE HAS TO PAY! HE HAS TO PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!"

"What the flying fuck do you think I was taking those goddamn pills for?"

Ken stopped flailing, his head turning towards Shinjiro.

"...I had to pay." Shinjiro continued. "I had to pay for it somehow. I couldn't just turn myself in, the cops would never believe me... so I went for the pills. It kept Castor from going nuts again."

"You knew they'd kill you."

He nodded. "A slow death. It's what trash like me des-"

There was a surprised yelp as Ken suddenly found himself on the floor before Shinjiro found my enraged face about a foot from his as I tackled him to the ground. I had him pinned and I decked him hard across the jaw.

"YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO DIE, LET ALONE FOR A MISTAKE!" I bellowed "Especially not one that can't be squarely blamed on you alone!"

Shinjiro was stunned silent, looking up at me in pure shock while I'm fairly certain Mitsuru and Akihiko were hovering right behind me.

"It was your hoplophobia, wasn't it?" I asked, getting off of Shinjiro. "That's why Castor went berserk. You were scared shitless because someone put a gun in your hands and told you to put it against your head and pull the trigger. If that hadn't been the case..."

"...Amada's mother wouldn't have had to pay the price..." Mitsuru noted, sounding ashamed of herself.

Shinjiro sat up, rubbing his jaw where I'd hit him. "...Yeah."

"And you never said anything to anyone..." I continued. "Why?"

He kept his gaze away from everyone. "...Because I wasn't even supposed to join SEES."

"What do you mean?" I asked in unison with Ken.

Shinjiro vaguely gestured at Akihiko.

"He was the one Mitsuru was after." he said. "Walked up to him after a boxing match and showed him an Evoker after she let on that she knew he could enter the Dark Hour. Invited him to the dorm..."

"...And he didn't tell you." I finished for him, recalling the argument I'd heard between him and Akihiko earlier that day.

He nodded. "Yeah. So I followed him to the dorm and Mitsuru couldn't get me to leave. I saw them head out in the Dark Hour and followed 'em. They got ambushed by a Shadow, and... Y'know how you summoned your Persona without an Evoker that one time?"

"Yeah..."

"I did that when I saw Aki about to use an Evoker." He stated. "I thought he was gonna die, and Castor just exploded into existence and hit that Shadow like a bus full of concrete."

"And then you couldn't summon like that again, so..."

With a heavy sigh, Shinjiro nodded again. "Yeah."

"So what?"

I looked over my shoulder at Ken.

"So what if he didn't mean to?" asked the kid, tears streaming down his face. "He still took my mother away from me!"

My gaze hardened into a glare. "And you're the bigger fool if you think you're the only one whose lost their family to the Dark Hour."

Ken glared right back. "You don't even-"

"Tell me Ken, when your mother died, were you holding her in your arms?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Were her last words her telling you how much she loved you?" I asked, now trying to restrain myself from lashing out at a ten year old. "Do you remember seeing her lying in a pool of her own blood in the middle of a street? Do you remember telling her that you loved her too before she slipped away from you forever?"

The wind had clearly gone out of Ken's sails.

"Don't for a minute think you're the only person in this dorm whose lost people who matter to them because of that godforsaken space time paradox." I spat. Then I noticed Mitsuru was staring at my torso. Looking down- "...Oh. I'm bleeding."

There was some surprised yelling as I looked at the space just above my right hip. There was a fairly deep gash that was thankfully not bleeding too badly. Anansi's passive regeneration was likely to thank for that, and adrenaline from how pissed off I am for me not feeling it. I looked at Ken and finally noticed a steak knife in his hand. Must've been trying to stab Shinjiro with it when I hit him with the table, so he got me instead.

"A-Are you okay...?" asked Mitsuru, clearly shaken up as she obviously noticed the blood on Ken's knife before she looked at me.

I blinked. "...I'm fine? I can't... feel it. Like at all. Haha... adrenaline's a hell of a thing..."

"H-Hold still!"

And then suddenly Mitsuru had a handkerchief around her hand and was pressing it against the wound, pumping some Dia healing into it.

"Shit... how did I forget back then...?"

I turned to Aki, who now had his head in his hands.

"It's so rare to see guns in Japan that I..."

-I think he's starting to blame himself...-

"...Guns...?" asked Ken, who looked at me in confusion. "But... you said... hoplophobia..."

"Hoplophobia is the name for a fear of guns." I said. "Like how arachnophobia is the term for being afraid of spiders. Remember how I brought up fears when we were talking about the evoker changes the other day?"

Ken's eyes widened, the steak knife falling from his hand. I think he finally got what was going on.

"...So he... was scared...?" he asked. "Scared of the... Evoker...?"

I heard Shinjiro sigh from behind me.

"...Yeah." he admitted.

"But Mom... She..." stammered Ken, trembling again. Not with anger, this time though. "And... I-I have to..."

"Amada... do you think your mother would look twice at you if you became a murderer?" asked Mitsuru. "Even if it was her own killer that died by your hands?"

I'm fairly certain the weight of what he'd been trying to do finally hit him, at least from the way he took a step back.

"I..." he sputtered. "I..."

Mitsuru stepped around the busted up table, then knelt down infront of Ken and offered him a key.

"Here. You can use this to get onto the roof." She said, smiling sympathetically at Ken. "Some fresh air might help you think."

He stared at her blankly before he took the key with a dumb nod.

"O-Okay..." Ken replied before he scurried out of the room.

Once the door shut behind him, the room got... quiet. Like that awkward quiet when nobody is sure how to start up a conversation again... at least until Shinjiro went over to the knife Ken dropped and picked it up.

"I was wondering where this went..." he sighed, standing up and looking at me. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, probably gonna be a little sore in the morning but no big deal..." I replied. "You?"

He chuckled, rubbing his jaw. "I'll be fine..."

"Not mad about me decking you?"

"Heh, I guess I did deserve that sucker punch," he admitted. "At least you didn't manage to cut the inside of my mouth like Aki does..."

"What about Ken, though?" asked Akihiko. "Is he gonna be okay?"

The silence came back over the room again before Shinjiro piped up.

"Roy, could you go check on him?"

Eyebrow. "Why me?"

"I doubt speaking with Shinjiro while in his current state would be wise..." noted Mitsuru. "And... I'll admit, despite your recent outbursts being disrespectful, you've both made an accurate argument and proven you would be best suited to talking with Amada out of all of us."

I laughed. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

"Alright, if you think it's a good idea..." I said. "So I guess the meeting is over now?"

"I would think so..." said Mitsuru. "Just remember: you're going to have to assemble the replacement table once it arrives."

I laughed again as I headed for the door. "I figured."

I let Aigis know that she didn't have to stand guard anymore before I headed up to the roof. Found Ken sitting on his uniform jacket on the far side of the roof, looking out at the city. Pharos was nearby, having apparently decided to follow Ken up after staying quiet for so long durring the actual conversation. I silently walked over and sat down next to him, leaning back a little.

"...You lost your mom in the Dark Hour, too?" Ken asked suddenly.

"Mom and Dad." I replied. "Car accident right before it kicked in. They were both Dark Hour sensitive, so..."

I heard a small hum from him. "...I see." He shifted a little. "...I just... remember a shining horse and knight from when it happened. If I hadn't overheard Akihiko-senpai talking with him about it... I probably never would've known."

"Given how the Kirijo Group presumably covered everything up pretty flawlessly? Yeah, I don't doubt that." I said, looking at Ken. "But I'm guessing you just thought the thing was a Shadow at first, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah... I thought if it was still around, I could just destroy it... but then it turned out to be his Persona..."

"Well, since according to Mitsuru, Personae can mutate when the user isn't exactly in the best mental state when summoning, I suppose a shiny armored version of Castor wouldn't be out of the question..." I admitted. "Never seen anything like that happen myself, though..."

"...Do you think he'd forgive me if I apologized?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure you're the one who really has to apologize... though given how he was basically killing himself for what he did? I get the feeling he would appreciate it if you forgave him instead of him forgiving you."

"...I don't think he'd feel that bad if was really the bad guy..."

"Likewise." I said. "I've had the chance to talk with him quite a lot and... well, the guy's pretty damn hard on himself about... well, basically everything. I'm not sure I can imagine what was going through his head back when it actually happened beyond a very intense spiral of self loathing. It's probably a miracle he didn't just... well, kill himself."

"I think he might have tried..." commented Ken. "It would explain the long sleeves he always wears..."

I shook my head. "Nah, there's no scars on his wrists. He always rolls his sleeves up in cooking club... though since Castor can passively heal, they could've faded by now."

Ken hummed again. "...I don't know what to do."

"How come?"

"...That was all I really had to focus on." He said. "The only thing keeping me going. Now..."

"You're not sure if it's worth pursuing, and if it's not what to do?"

He nodded. "Kinda..."

"Well, what do you think your mom would want you to do?" I asked. "Give up and walk away, or fight to save people?"

It took Ken a minute to answer. "...She always called me her little hero..."

I smiled. "And do heroes give up?"

He shook his head. "Never."

I recoiled slightly as blue mist suddenly started encircling Ken, his persona Nemesis appearing behind him.

'I am thou... and thou art I...'

-Holy shit what?-

'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth new power...'

An orb of light formed around Nemesis, crackling with lightning several times before it vanished. In place of the black mecha buzz saw was a feminine figure clad in pearlescent gray and semi robotic looking knight armor with orange trim. A golden spear was held in each hand, though it was hard to tell if it actually had hands or not. Long, orange-brown hair flowed from under the helmet, reaching to nearly the Persona's ankles as it floated just above the ground. A short, violet scarf hung around its neck.

'Nemesis has given rise to Themis!'

I blinked at the armored Persona, and Ken seemed equally surprised. It seemed to nod before it vanished softly into blue mist. After a few moments of stunned silence, Ken seemed to let out a sad laugh.

"Themis..." He murmured. "It... it reminds me of my mom... her hair wasn't that long, but... it was the same color."

I smiled. "I'd say that means she's still looking out for you, Ken. It's like my grandmother is prone to saying; Those you love never truly leave you."

Ken rubbed at one of his eyes, a small smile on his face. "Yeah... and Roy-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

CRASH

Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Devil Arcana...

"Anytime, Ken." I said, nudging the little kid with my elbow. "Anytime. Just make sure you stick around to get bigger, m'kay?"

He laughed. "I will, but the getting bigger part might be kinda hard..."

Eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well... I'm short for my age." he sighed. "Even though I drink a lot of milk... I feel sick after I do, though..."

-Sick...?- "Do you just drink a lot at once, or is it every time you have milk or something with milk in it?"

"I have drank a lot at once before, but even if I just have a small glass I don't feel well."

I stared at him. "...Um, that's a sign you're lactose intolerant. It also explains why you're shorter than you should be, since you won't be getting any of the stuff you really NEED from milk because of it."

He stared at me. "...Really?"

"Yeah!" I said. "One of my cousin's friends is lactose intolerant. I learned all that from him."

"Oh..." said Ken, sounding concerned. "So what does he do then?"

"Drinks soy milk." I replied. "I've had some and it's really not all that different tasting from regular milk. Next time there's a grocery run I'll tag along and see about picking some up for ya."

He smiled again. "Thank you, Roy-san."

I grinned back. "Don't mention it. What're friends for if not to help each other out, am I right?"

Ken and I went back inside after that, and the first thing he did was go talk to Shinjiro. Pretty sure that ended well, since Shinjiro came down a little while later saying Ken was resting in his room, having emotionally burnt out after everything. Eventually, him and I were the only two in the lounge. Aigis headed to her room to recharge, Fuuka went to study and I think Yukari went with her, Akihiko and Mitsuru took Koromaru for a walk, and Junpei went to visit Chidori and said he was gonna check out a new arcade that opened up on his way back. Pharos had apparently decided he wanted to nap in my room or something, since he'd wandered off that way a while go. Hamuko was the only one unaccounted for among SEES members, but that certainly changed quickly.

"Shinjiro-senpai~!" Hamuko sang as she barged into the dorm. "I have a surprise for you~!"

He looked up from his cooking magazine. "What, you're going to finally listen to me and stop calling me senpai all the time?"

I did my best to not laugh. I really did. Only one managed to slip out as I played Maverick Hunter X on my PSP.

Shinjiro just shot me a glare while Hamuko giggled.

"Even better~!" She cooed, bouncing over to him with her hands behind her back. She stood like that for a moment before she suddenly presented an ornately detailed pocketwatch. The pattern on the front looked like a moon over the sea.

"Wha..." stammered Shinjiro, setting his magazine down and carefully taking the watch from her. "How did...? When...?"

She swayed back and forth in place slightly. "Roy said you lost your pocketwatch, so I went to the police station to see if anyone handed one in. I recognized it from the times you pulled it out to check the time, so I claimed it and brought it back~!"

He looked at her, then he looked at me. "...You told her?"

"Well, I don't see why I shouldn't have." I replied, pausing my game and looking up. "She asked why you seemed kinda down, so I mentioned your watch was missing."

Shinjiro let out a shallow chuckle. "Ha... fair enough..." He looked back at the watch in his hand. "...Still. I was prepared for the worst, even if I hoped someone would find it... but you...?" He turned his head towards Hamuko. "You were the last person I'd have expected to bring it to me..."

She pouted. "Why?"

"Well, you're a moron for one..." He said flatly. "For two, I noticed it'd went missing today at lunch and the only people who were there were Aki and Roy."

"People can surprise you, y'know." I noted, going back to my game. -FIGHT ME, CHILL PENGUIN!-

"Still..." I glanced up in time to see him smile. "Thanks, Hamuko."

"You're welcome senpai~!"

"Stop calling me that!" He growled. "And there's another reason you're an idiot! You don't listen."

I laughed. "Neither do you sometimes."

"Oh shut up."

I paused my game again, watching as Shinjiro suddenly sized Hamuko up.

"...What're you staring at me like that for?" he asked. "Don't you have something else to do?"

Her face suddenly turned slightly red. "...No. I want to be with you."

He arched an eyebrow. "I don't see why. You can stare at me like that all day, I've got nothing for you. Haven't you wasted enough time on me? What more do you want?"

"I love you."

You could've heard a pin drop in Canada with how quiet the lounge got after she uttered those three little words."

"...Huh?" stammered Shinjiro, finally finding his voice as a blush spread across his face. "D-Don't tease me like that!"

"I'm not teasing you!" she insisted, sounding hurt that he'd suggested it.

He squirmed in his seat as he quickly stuffed his pocketwatch into his pocket. "Urgh... I mean, why would you just blurt out something like that? And here, of all places? In front of someone else!"

"I will say nothing to anyone ever." I said quickly, holding up both my hands. "I like having my spine where it is."

"Roy's harmless, senpai!" Hamuko insisted. "But if you're that bothered, we can go talk up in my room!"

Shinjiro's face got even redder. "W-What? No! I-I can't do that! I mean, you're...! P-People are gonna get the wrong idea...!"

-Too late, and technically it's not the wrong idea if she's the one confessing to you.- I thought. -So ha.-

"That just leaves your room, then."

"Y-You moron!"

I stared at Hamuko. "Goddamn, you do not back down do you?"

"Look, no matter what you think, I ain't a nice guy!" Shinjiro insisted. "I can't let you in my room. Don't you get it?"

"I know what I'm saying, Shinjiro." she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not gonna change my mind."

Shinjiro crossed his arms and did his damnedest to look like he wasn't completely flustered. "Too bad, no way. It's not gonna happen. You're not getting into my room, end of story."

The devilish smirk that curled itself onto Hamuko's face likely sent a shiver down Shinjiro's spine.

"Well then..." She said, sitting down and scooting up close to him. "I guess I'll just have to kiss you right here-"

"W-W-What?" Shinjiro sputtered, jumping back in surprise. "Hamuko, have you lost your damn mind?"

"Nope~" She cooed, following him. "Either I get to kiss you here in front of Roy, or up in your room where we can be all alone~"

I immediately somehow did a perfect back flip, caught my PSP in mid air, and landed behind the couch I was sitting on and held my hands up again. "I want no part of this."

"And even if he did, you need to just watch out for yourself." said Shinjiro. "Don't bother with someone like me..."

Hamuko pouted again. "But I love you, senpai..."

Her pouting seemed to be too much, because I could practically FEEL him trying to resist before he just caved.

"Idiot..." he sighed. "Alright, fine... just keep it down, okay?"

Hamuko instantly perked up. "Okay~!"

"C'mon then..." Shinjiro grumbled, getting of the couch. "Before I change my mind."

"I saw nothing, I heard nothing, and if anyone asks you both went to study." I said.

"Thanks, Roy~!" giggled Hamuko as she bounded over to Shinjiro and latched onto his arm as they headed up the stairs.

-I have no idea what to make of what I just saw.- I thought a few moments later as I settled back down on the couch. -Let's just hope they don't get up to anything noisy...-

Author Notes - Hamuko is a dangerous girl, wouldn't you all say? Mwahahaha. But yes, the October 4th event has officially been kicked in the teeth and told to piss off because of how unrelentingly stupid I find it, which is another reason why Takaya's gun got taken away a few chapters back. Also Ken has an alternate resolved persona in this story, mainly because finding information about Kala-Nemi to explain exactly what the flying fuck mythology it's from without said figure looking like an even bigger asshole than Nemesis is like pulling teeth without knowing what the fuck you're doing. Themis, meanwhile is the twin of Nemesis and is more in the vein of proper Justice as opposed to Vengeance like Nemesis is as I understand it.

Also, just a heads up... chapters might slow to a halt here soon because of stuff going down in real life for me. I'd rather not go into detail, but... yeah shit's getting crazy right now. That aside, though, I have a question for you readers: You ready to Switch It Up next chapter? Mwehehehe...