A/N: Ken now lives here, temporary.

Chapter 21

A New Kid

"How's life as a normal human being, Minato-san?" Aigis greeted as Minato entered the dorm. She was a door guard now, and she seemed to have a thing with any activity on the island that wasn't about Tartarus.

Minato closed the door behind him. "Fine."

"That is good to hear," Aigis said. "In two weeks, the moon will be full again."

"Dude, those freaks with Apathy Syndrome will be everywhere." Junpei looked up from his phone. "Wait... I mean The Lost. Probably shouldn't complain about 'em. It's not their fault. It's those damn Shadows…"

"It is possible to end this." Aigis was also a memo. "Six Shadows remain. If we can eliminate them, the Dark Hour will vanish."

One day, Minato returned to the dorm and saw a kid, a familiar kid. Yukari and Junpei were talking to him.

"Hello." The kid was smiling at Minato.

It was a slight smile. It looked so wrong to be on the face of a kid. Other people might not notice, but a fake smile happened to be something Minato hated the most.

"My name is Ken Amada. Nice to meet you," the kid said. "I just moved into the dorm. I'll be staying here for the summer. I'll try to stay out of everyone's way, so don't mind me."

Minato minded. It was disturbing to have a kid in the dorm, a mature one, but really he was still a kid. Ken is... too calm. Too nice. Too perfect for a person, as if he had planned everything in his life.

Later in the evening, Aigis reported the situation. "Ken Amada doesn't realize about the Shadow and Persona yet." She looked at Minato. "What do you think about him?"

"To be honest, I don't want him here," Minato said.

Akihiko did that small nod like he was agreeing but afraid to do so.

"I think it's nice for a change," Yukari said. "Ken's only gonna be staying for the summer. That's too bad. He's a cool kid, nothing like Junpei. You can learn a lot from Ken-kun."

"So mean, Yuka-tan." Junpei shrugged. "Ken'll be here just for a while. I don't mind that... Except he joins, then yeah I won't like that."

Minato didn't want Ken for a different reason but he could play along, another opinion kept to himself.

"Potential..." Fuuka clasped her hands together. "I can feel it in the back of my mind. It worries me..."

"Sanada-senpai, you always wear those gloves when you fight, right?"

"Yeah."

"I heard you're undefeated with them on!"

"It's no big deal, really…"

Ken was trying to talk to Akihiko for a while now. Maybe there's something in Akihiko that the kid liked.

"Senpai's a little stiff," Yukari said from the kitchen. "Dunno why. Maybe he doesn't get along with kids. Notice that?"

Minato nodded.

"Ken respects Akihiko-san like a model figure," Junpei said. "I can get that. I mean, Akihiko-san's won all the boxing matches he went to! Every little kid should look up to him, like a hero, don't you think?" He sighed. "I wish I was a hero…"

"Do you know how to punch?" Minato asked.

Junpei blinked. "Uh?"

"Sounds like a no."

"It is a no," Aigis confirmed.

"Uhh? I don't know?"

"No choice then." Minato stood up and walked to the middle of the room. "Punch me."

"Whaat?" Junpei was beyond confused.

"Do it."

The capped teen scratched the back of his neck. "What are you even trying to do? Why?"

"A hero should be able to fight," Aigis said. "So Minato-san wants to test how strong you are."

"Still… just, hit him?"

"Just hit him," the robot said.

"I go ahead, and just punch? At him?"

"Just shut up," Minato said. "And punch me."

Junpei looked at the boy with wide eyes. "... Sometimes I feel like you want pain for no reason."

"Punch. Me." Feeling the heavy aura of a Death God, Junpei quickly nodded.

"O-Okay." The teen stood in front of Minato. "But…"

"Don't worry. I won't die easy."

"H… Here goes nothing…" Junpei stepped forward and punched Minato on the cheek. The boy barely moved. He still stood in the same position.

"I think Koromaru could hit harder than this," Minato said.

Akihiko turned around. "Hey, that's mean."

"Truth never dies," Aigis said.

Minato sighed. "Do you even know how to punch people?"

"… No," Junpei said.

"You should've said that from the start." Minato shook his head. "First of all, your Adrenalin is not pumping."

"Whaat?" Junpei frowned. "And… And how are you supposed to know that?"

"Minato-san is right." Aigis nodded."Ju-Ju-Junpei, your Adrenalin is not pumping."

And after that, was a spar of a punching man and a punching robot.