Chapter 21: Pre-Golden Week
Minato walked up to Junpei's door and knocked. It was 7:15 a.m. and he hadn't stirred at all.
"I probably should have left with him earlier. It seems the time to take responsibility for my actions has come sooner than I thought," Minato thought. He started banging on his door. "Hey, Junpei, you'll be late for school!"
"School…? Wha- Ah, SHIT!" he heard Junpei yell from inside his room. He heard frantic changing and scrambling, but was ready for what came next. Junpei came out of his room frantically dressing only to be greeted by a wave of body spray. "Wh-what the heck?!"
"So you don't smell like alcohol," Minato said. "Wouldn't want that, would we?"
"O-oh, good thinkin'," Junpei said.
"I made you a box breakfast. You can eat it on the train to school." Minato said. "C'mon, let's go." He and Junpei walked down the stairs and collected the aforementioned box breakfast. He even had a cup of coffee to go with it. They got on the last train that could make it on time, and Junpei sat down to eat.
"Y'know, you're a real life saver, Minato," Junpei said as he ate his breakfast. It was actually a full mix of bacon, tater tots, a pancake, and even an egg.
"I am the guy who dragged you around until three in the morning," Minato said. "I really should've stopped earlier… I'm so used to just going all night."
"I can tell… Those girls were something else!" Junpei replied. "They made half the chicks at our school look like sloppy seconds!"
"I wouldn't say that too loud, Junpei," Minato warned. Junpei stopped and looked around to see quite a few angry girls glaring at him.
"Hah, you guys are just jealous that you weren't with us at Escapade last night," Junpei said, leaning back rather arrogantly in his chair. "Then again, half of you probably couldn't have gotten in."
"Boss, this is a critical decision! Quantity or quality?" Jack screamed in Minato's mind.
"Quality ensures you'll always have a good time… quantity you'll never be without. A tough choice." David noted.
"… What? Quality, obviously. Besides, I'm not gonna let Junpei bury himself." Minato replied. "Heh. Now that I think about it…" Minato said, turning to survey the crowd. He realized most of the girls glaring at him were rather bland. "You're right. We might've actually had to wait in line if we took some of them with us."
Devastation. Junpei's words only angered the majority of the girls on the train, but Minato's words were worse than having a spear run through the side of their head. The angry glares turned to despair. "Obviously, we need to be selective of our company," Junpei continued, finishing his meal.
"Of course," Minato said, pulling some gum from his pocket and handing him a stick. He ate one once Junpei took his. "We can't be seen with just any group of girls, can we?"
Minato left that train as a newly dubbed heartbreaker. He and Junpei strode confidently into school, looks of surprise, adoration, disgust, and resentment hitting both of them.
"HEY, JUNPEI! WE'VE BEEN BEST FRIENDS SINCE THE NINTH GRADE, RIGHT?! LET'S HANG OUT SOMETIME!" a boy called to him.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, STUPEI, JUDGING GIRLS LIKE THAT! IF IT WEREN'T FOR MINATO-SAMA, YOU'D BE JUST ANOTHER LOSER!" a girl yelled.
"MINATO! MAKE ME A SUPERSTAR NEXT!" a boy screamed.
"So this is what it's like to be showered with attention on walking into school…" Junpei said, looking around. "… isn't it kind of…"
"Empty?" Minato finished. "… It's the main reason I walk in with you guys. These people… all of them are faceless."
"…It's lonely at the top, ain't it?"
"It is."
"Hey, Junpei!" Kenji said, approaching him.
"It's a good thing you haven't passed me yet," Minato said, tapping Junpei on the shoulder. He soldiered forwards through the crowd and disappeared into the school. Junpei tipped his hat to him as Kenji met him.
"Dude, there's pictures of you and Minato at Escapade from last night all over the school!" Kenji said.
"Yeah, word travels pretty fast, huh?" Junpei asked. "So, did you wannna –"
"Junpei!" a girl said suddenly clinging to him. He didn't recognize her at all. "Hey, I transferred here the same year as you! Remember you tried to hit on me?"
"Uh… not rea-"
"So, I was thinking we could go to class together!... You haven't forgotten I'm in your class, right?"
Junpei stopped and looked at Kenji. He had a smile on his face, but it hid sadness. He nodded approvingly, but Junpei knew what he had to do. He wasn't named 'pure soldier' for nothing. Soldiers left no man behind.
"Actually, I think I'll pass," Junpei said, freeing himself from the girl's grip. "Me and Kenji got some catching up to do. Later." He quickly grabbed a stunned Kenji and started walking.
"Dude, what the heck?! That girl was all over you!" Kenji protested.
"I have no idea who that chick was!" Junpei whispered. "Besides, you're my one of my best friends, man! I'm not gonna ditch you for some random girl who suddenly thinks I'm cool!"
"… That sounds corny as hell," Kenji said.
"S-shut up, dude! Bros before hoes and all that!" Junpei said. Kenji laughed.
"Geez… thanks man." he said. They shared a knowing look, and started talking about the truly important things in life: the newest fighting game releases.
After a strange morning, the day passed by rather quickly. However, Yukari confronted Minato and Junpei at lunch. She stopped between their table and cleared her throat.
"So… you two had fun at Escapade last night, huh?" Yukari asked.
"Yup," Minato said. "I introduced Junpei to my friends."
"'Introduced'?! I didn't know introductions led to this!" she said, showing him her phone. It was a picture of Junpei kissing Lily on the dance floor, while Minato was dancing with Elizabeth while making out with Paimon.
"They hit it off pretty well," Minato answered with a smile. "That's a pretty good picture."
"Huh, lemme see," Junpei said, pulling the phone to him. He looked at it and smirked. "Hey, that is pretty good. Send me a copy of that, Yuka-tan."
"You two are unbelievable!" Yukari said. She turned to Minato. "You not only take Junpei with you to meet your shady friends, you also HAPPEN to have an extra girl for him! Seriously, what do you do at night?!"
"I meet people… though Junpei could've used one more girl to make it even." Minato said. "It was kind of annoying having to cycle girls every now and then."
"Yeah," Junpei said, putting his feet on his desk. "Maybe we should've taken ya, Yuka-tan. Then we'd both always have two girls a piece."
"You guys are disgusting!" Yukari said. "'Cycle' girls?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"We didn't cycle all of them. Me and Elizabeth have a thing," Minato said. Junpei nodded.
"Yeah, never did anything with her… she's pretty fun, though. I think you'd like her, Yuka-tan."
"Augh! Do you two even realize how… how… PERVERTED you sound right now?!" she said, rather loudly. The entire class was watching them at this point.
"… Man, Yukari-san really is jealous, isn't she?" Minato heard a few people whisper.
"She should just go with them one day… she lives in the same dorm, doesn't she?" another voice whispered.
"Yukari, I think you've attracted quite the crowd," Junpei said. He had a confident smirk on his face. Minato, however, narrowed his eyes. This was a situation he hoped to avoid. He shot Junpei a quick glare, and he immediately stopped smiling and sat regularly. Yukari looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, let's go get some dessert. My treat." Minato said, getting to his feet. He led Yukari away and left the classroom. He took her to the roof, and gave her a melon bread.
"Really?" she asked, holding the melon bread. She still looked extremely angry.
"It's called covering for you," Minato said. "You looked like you got yourself into some trouble."
"… Whatever." she said. She slowly started to eat the melon bread. "I'm still pissed at you two for being such jerks."
"Yeah, we took that a little too far, didn't we?" Minato said, scratching his head. "… Take your time, I guess." He turned and was about to leave, unsure of what to say.
"And you're just gonna walk away? Of course," Yukari said behind him.
"The fuck do you expect?" Minato thought. He sighed, and turned back around. "Lemme guess. We gotta talk about it." "What's the matter?"
"… You just go around doing whatever you want, all the time." Yukari began. "You think you're so big and bad, picking up girls left and right… Do you even know what a real relationship is?"
"No." Minato answered immediately. "Do you?"
"Not exactly… but it's not what you go advocating all the time. You don't just treat people like goals or trophies!"
"And why do you think that's how I treat them?" Minato asked.
"Because all you do is take things from your relationships." she snapped. "Tell me, what have you given to anyone?!"
"… I gave you a friend that watches out for you." Minato answered. He looked right at her. "I watched your back at school and in Tartarus, but if that's nothing to you… well, frankly, I don't think you know what it means to be a friend." Yukari froze. "Caught ya, you hypocritical bitch."
"… There you go again. Talking down from your high horse." Yukari said. "Maybe you did help me out a few times. Maybe –"
"What have I taken from you?" Minato asked, cutting her off. "Your 'dignity'? Your 'respect'? Or, oh no, your social status?! How could I?!" he mocked. "Get a grip. I help out Junpei all the time and introduced him to some great friends. I help out Mitsuru-senpai on the Student Council without fail... The question is, what have you done for them?"
"… I…"
"Call Junpei an idiot and a loser and crush his confidence daily? Distance yourself from Mitsuru-senpai and practically snarl at her if she comes too close?" Minato asked. "Hell, you call me a pervert nine times out of ten, yet here I am, helping you out… Maybe I'm more of an idiot than Junpei."
He turned around, and walked to the door of the roof. "Wait," Yukari said. He looked back, and she was staring at the floor. "… Sorry."
CRACK!
Thou art I… And I art thou…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana…
"Don't worry about it. Everyone needs a wake-up call sometime." Minato said. "Though you needed a rather rude awakening."
He returned to class, and Yukari walked in just before lunch ended. She didn't say anything to them, and left as soon as the day ended.
"Dude… what happened?" Junpei asked.
"… I may have inadvertently pointed out how much of a hypocrite she is." Minato said.
"… Sheesh. That looks rough." Junpei said.
"Give her some time. Wanna grab some food?"
"Sure thing, dude."
The two of them walked over to Iwatodai station, intent on visiting Wild Duck Burger. They shared a meal that Junpei insisted he pay for, and generally had a good time joking about Junpei's suddenly booming school life.
As they left however, a rather smelly business man lumbered around in their path. He reeked of alcohol. Everyone was watching him.
"… Hey, let's just go," Junpei said quietly to Minato. He nodded, and passed by him without incident.
"Hey!" the man yelled, screaming at Junpei. "You… you're the one who took my cake!"
"Huh? What the heck, man?" Junpei said. He turned back around and kept walking. As the duo returned to the dorm, Minato noticed something was up.
"You alright, Junpei?" he asked.
"… That guy just reminded me a lot of my dad." Junpei said. "He's…"
"An alcoholic." Minato said.
"Yeah… that's actually why I was… I wasn't really feeling the drinks in Escapade, you know?" Junpei said. "He's in a dead end job… and, well, look at me. I'm nothing special."
"Junpei," Minato began as they stopped outside of the front door. "You won't become like him. You're better than that. So many people give you shit, but I know you've got the more potential than anyone realizes."
"…Damn, dude. Where the hell did that come from?" Junpei asked.
"It's about time we test out your new sword skills. Meet me on the roof in five, and we'll see what you can do." Minato said. "Show me your potential, rival!"
"Heh. There's no way I'm losing to a guy that sounds like a bad cartoon character! Get ready to eat dirt!" Junpei said.
The two hurriedly entered the dorm, got their weapons, and were about to head to the roof when Mitsuru and Akihiko stopped them.
"Ah, I was just coming to…" Mitsuru began. She stopped when she noticed they were both armed. "What are you two doing?"
"Junpei's going to show me the results of his training," Minato said. "I wanna see how much stronger he's gotten."
"Yeah. It's a duel between rivals!" Junpei said.
"… Well, if it's training, I don't object. But I'm coming along to make sure nobody gets hurt." Akihiko said, shooting a sharp glare at Minato.
"Well… I certainly appreciate your dedication to becoming stronger, but I felt I should remind you that midterms are coming up. With a three-day weekend starting, I think you should use your time wisely." Mitsuru said.
"Certainly, senpai. But I think studying can wait until we've seen Junpei's new strength." Minato said.
"Then what are you stalling for? Scared?" Junpei asked. Minato laughed and walked past Akihiko and Mitsuru, heading for the roof. Akihiko followed while Mitsuru simply shook her head and sighed.
Once they got there, Minato and Junpei stood a few feet from each other at the center of the roof. "Again, the first move is yours, Junpei." Minato said, hanging his sword by his side.
"Get ready for an ass-whuppin'!" Junpei said, raising his blade. He was using the All-Purpose Katana, which Minato was sure would be easier for him to use than Juzumaru. He was getting excited.
Junpei stepped in quickly, and took a hard swing at Minato. He stepped back, avoiding the slice, and moved in for a strike. Akihiko looked a bit disappointed, until Junpei managed to bring his sword back quick enough to deflect Minato's swipe.
"Well, you're faster than before," Minato said, shooting a thrust at Junpei. Junpei leaned out of the way and stepped back before Minato could follow-up his attack.
"Hey! We only using swords, or what?" Junpei shouted.
"I said show me what you could do!" Minato responded. Junpei grinned and drew his Evoker.
"HERMES!" he yelled. The metallic blue man zoomed forward at Minato, who had to roll out of the way to avoid getting knocked over. He pulled his Evoker and fired as Junpei rushed towards him.
"David, Sonic Blight!" Minato said. David appeared above him and played a ridiculously high note, stopping Junpei in his tracks and causing Hermes to fade away. He clutched his head in his hands, the note disorienting him. He was having difficulty moving. Simply, he was stunned. Minato took advantage of the situation and ran in, delivering a quick kick to Junpei, who barely managed to place an arm between his stomach and Minato's foot. Junpei fell backwards, and struggled to his feet. He shook his head, and managed to regain his composure.
"That's new…" Junpei said.
"You aren't the only one who's gotten stronger." Minato said, twirling his sword.
"Well, at least you're fighting seriously now." Junpei said. "Looks like I've gotta use my secret technique!" He put his Evoker to his head. "Rakukaja!"
"Boss, his defense raised!" Jack said in his head.
Minato put his Evoker to his head. "Devil's Trill!" he yelled. David appeared and began to play, and Junpei squealed when he saw the barrage of attacks flying at him. He managed to dodge the two tornados of the attack, but ended up taking two fireballs, three lightning bolts, and an ice-spike. "Watching your weaknesses, huh? Smart." Minato complimented.
"… Heh. I ain't that dumb, ya know." Junpei said, rising to his feet after the barrage. He was lightly wounded, and his clothing was in shambles. Minato put his Evoker to his head once more.
"Dia," he said, summoning Tam Lin. He healed Junpei, and felt a bit tired. He had used a lot of his mental power quickly. He wouldn't let it show. "Ready for round two?" he asked, pointing his sword at him. Junpei got up and turned his cap around.
"You bet'cha! Don't think you won just because of a lucky shot!" he said. He ran forwards, and Minato met him halfway. They clashed, steel on steel, and dragged their blades past each other. Minato turned and swung again, only to be countered by Junpei launching an attack of his own. They hacked away at each other for a good five minutes, dancing around each other and meeting every attack with a counter, until Junpei suddenly rushed forward and smacked Minato with his shoulder, knocking him back.
Minato recovered and dodged out of a one-handed thrust Junpei threw his way, and turned to see him with his Evoker to his head. "Cleave!" Junpei yelled as he fired. Hermes flew in and aimed its mechanical blades directly at Minato. Minato responded by drawing his Evoker quickly and putting it to his head.
"Mutilate!" he shouted. Jack appeared instantly and clashed with Hermes, the two Personas colliding in midair. Minato turned and saw Junpei had already pulled his sword back and was getting ready to attack. He greeted him with his own preemptive swing, and forced him back. "Get ready." He said with a smile.
Minato began to slash away at Junpei relentlessly, forcing him to focus only on blocking. He had increased the tempo of his attacks, and increased the areas he aimed at. In the back ground, Hermes and Jack swirled overhead, attacking each other over and over as they collided repeatedly.
Junpei was eventually backed into the wall, and Minato was about to take a cut out of him when he sliced down quickly, forcing Minato to back away. He followed it with a lunge, but Minato swiftly moved to the side and lunged in at Junpei, who had no time to recover. He stopped his blade in front of him, and Junpei growled. Hermes and Jack disappeared.
"And that's best two out of three." Minato said, backing away. He let out a deep breath, and wiped his forehead. He hadn't directly used his Magatama, but he had pushed his normal limits there near the end of the fight. "Damn, Junpei. You're gonna make me have to start going all out against you if this keeps up."
"Shit." Junpei said. "And here I thought I could've won one round… you're something else, man." He tipped his hat to him.
"Hey, I wasn't holding back at all." Minato said. "Maybe I didn't go ALL OUT, but still, I was serious."
"He's right, Junpei," Akihiko said, walking up to them. "You've made a lot of progress. It's actually a little scary how much better you've become in such a short time." Junpei was about to talk about the club, but he glanced at Minato, who just smirked and shook his head.
"… Well, you know me. I've been training relentlessly!" he said. "After all, I've got a target that keeps me motivated standing right there."
CRACK!
Thou art I… And I art thou…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana…
"Just know that this target keeps moving," Minato chuckled.
"I won't forget." Junpei answered. They left the roof and split up. Minato showered, and decided he would actually use this night to study and ensure he knew what was going to be on the tests.
Everything was going well until the Dark Hour hit, until Minato noticed that Jack and David had become full-sized and were standing next to him.
"You got company again, Boss." Jack said. Minato turned to see the blue-haired boy in a prisoner's outfit looking at him again with those ridiculously bright eyes.
"Hi, how've you been?" the boy asked. Minato got up from his desk and moved to sit on his bed.
"Pretty good, actually. I was wondering when you'd show back up." Minato said. "Take a seat." He tapped on the bed. Sure enough, the boy disappeared and reappeared next to him on the bed.
"Heheh. Glad to see you remember me." the boy said. "It's been a while since we last spoke, huh?"
"Boss…" David said.
"Hey, he's a good kid." Minato said, playing with the boy's hair. The boy was a bit surprised at first, but giggled afterwards. "Besides… he's probably hear to drop helpful cryptic hints about the future, right?"
"Now you sound like you remember me too well," the boy said with a laugh. "One week from now, there will be a full moon… Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."
"Ordeal? Explain, kid." Jack said.
"Hey, that's not how you ask for something," the boy said with a frown. "Besides… you know what I'm talking about, right?" he asked Minato, who sighed.
"Unfortunately, I do… it's going to be one of those rather big and unpleasant Shadows, won't it?" Minato asked.
"Right again. You really do have quite the memory… can you see a pattern?"
"Every full moon, I'll have to deal with some of those Shadows, won't I?"
"Yes. On such days, you face your greatest challenges." the boy said.
"Oh dear… looks like I won't get to enjoy my Dark Hour tea-time… or my full-moon gazing… what a disaster." Minato said, plopping backwards onto his bed. The boy laughed, and mimicked his action.
"You're funny, you know? Your power, your attitude… they're strange."
"So I've been told," Minato chuckled.
"… You must prepare for your ordeal, but time is of the essence… I'm sure you're aware of that, of course."
"It shall deliver us all to the same end… the only difference is whether we reach it sooner or later, right?"
"Correct." the boy answered.
"Well, since you're here… are you certain you don't want tea?" Minato offered. The boy got up and laughed.
"You're funny, you know that?" he said. Minato got up, and the boy disappeared from next to him and reappeared by the foot of his bed. "I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now…"
"See you later," Minato said. The boy gave one last smile and a wave before disappearing into the darkness again. He didn't reappear anymore.
"… Boss, we still can't trace that kid. He just appears and disappears." David said. They had been watching him intently the entire time.
"I don't really mind. He's a blue-hair like me, after all. Surely he doesn't mean any harm, right?" Minato mused.
"You're kidding, right, Boss?" Jack asked. Minato simply went back to his table by the window and stared at the moon. "Right?"
"Hmm… I wonder," Minato responded.
"You know, with all the crazy shit that flies through your head, it always surprises me that you can still surprise me." David said.
"But you've gotta admit, doesn't that make things more fun?" Minato asked. His Fiends looked at each other, and then laughed.
"Can't believe we forgot!" Jack said.
"We're idiots, aren't we Boss?" David asked.
"I wouldn't go that far. You're just a bit forgetful… I'm quite the fatalist, if you recall. A little boy that appears from thin air to warn me of my impending doom… it's hilarious that I have such an advantage over death. It's as if fate is telling me to win." Minato said. "I said it once, and I'll say it again. I will live to tell my own tale. I will live to tell it, and then make another."