Welcome to the 21rst chapter!

This is when Ikutsuki announces about the 12 shadows.

Hope you enjoy!

I do not claim anything!

I flipped my phone shut, sighing as I walked. I had to skip out on manager duties. I hoped this was important. If not, Ikutsuki was going to get a piece of my mind.

As I approached the dorm, I noticed Fuuka outside, playing with a white dog. "Koro-chan?" I asked as I approached. Koromaru looked up, panting. "You know Koromaru?" Fuuka asked. "Yep. I hang out at the shrine sometimes, so I play with him," I said, petting Koromaru on the neck. He leaned into my hand, half-closing his eyes.

He seems to like you," Fuuka said, smiling softly. "Koro-chan, are you hungry?" I asked, "I have some leftover beef you can have."

Koromaru barked, sniffing at my bag. I pulled the few pieces of beef I couldn't eat out of my bag and set them in front of the dog. He started eating, wagging his tail. "Heh heh... he seems to like your cooking, Aria-chan," Fuuka said. I looked at her. She seemed a little sad.

"Not mine, Marcus's," I replied, much to her surprise, "I'm terrible at cooking. Decorating cakes and such, I can do. But everything else I leave to Marcus." I chuckled, "You don't want me in the kitchen, seriously."

We continued to play Koromaru for a little while longer, when Yukari came by.

"Aw, what a cute dog!" Yukari said. "Hello, Yukari," I said, standing. Koromaru nuzzled Yukari's hand when she reached to pet him. "Koro-chan loves people," I said, smiling. "Oh, isn't the Chairman coming today?" Fuuka asked, "Then, we should go get ready."

"Yeah... see you later, Koro-chan!" Yukari said, petting Koromaru on the head one last time. He barked, licking her hand and walking away.

We sat in the Command Room. I was fidgeting. I just wanted to get this over with. Marcus was standing behind me, rubbing my shoulders and trying to get me to relax. Next to me was Yukari, and next to her was Fuuka. Across from Fuuka was Mitsuru, then Akihiko, and Junpei. Ikutsuki had his usual seat at the head of the group, in a chair.

"I came by to let you know how my research was going," Ikutsuki announced. My fingers twitched. Yukari patted my hand.

"This concerns the 12 shadows that have been appearing during the full moon. You may have to pay attention... it may be hard to follow." I frowned a little. Marcus pressed hard into my back to try to get me to relax. It wasn't helping. A small scorch mark appeared on his wrist.

"...Miss Aria," he whispered, removing his hands. "...sorry," I apologized at the same volume.

Ikutsuki didn't notice. "Shadows can be classified into 12 groups. It's like their class, or order."

"Which can be told one from another by their masks... which also happen to be their weak points," I commented.

"Precisely. I've categorized the shadows we've seen so far and... it's simply fascinating!" Ikutsuki's enthusiasm was quite evident. "Those four were labeled through categories 1 through 4, in order of their appearance."

"Is that something we should be excited about?" Junpei asked.

"Oh, I get it!" Fuuka said, "There's 12 in all... eight we haven't seen yet." My heart sank... this was going to be a long journey...

"You're very sharp, Fuuka," Ikutsuki smiled.

"Oh, uh, okay," Junpei said, "but... what are they after?"

"That's what we haven't figured out yet... their motive," Ikutsuki stated, "They don't kill their prey; they feed on their minds. It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there an underlying intent behind their behavior? The purpose of the Shadows as a whole... That's what we need to consider."

"This is interesting..." Akihiko said, rubbing his chin, "but... we still need to defeat the rest of 'em."

"I agree," Mitsuru said, "that's about all we can do at this point.

"Eight more, huh...?" Yukari grumbled, "Lucky us."

"According to the data, each one has been stronger than the last," Fuuka stated, "so we're going to have to train harder."

"You don't have to tell me that," I said.

"But what about Tartarus?" Yukari asked, "why does it even exist?"

Mitsuru looked down, her expression darkening. Yukari noticed it just as I did.

I looked at my friends and teammates. I knew we could do this... but I was a little scared, to be honest. I had the feeling things would not go as smoothly as they made it seem... but I would fight, no matter what happens. That... was my resolution.

Eight shadows remain...