A/N: Hello! Sorry it's been so long~ You know now its November so we are in the same month as this story! It's so cold now, hopefully this chapter about hot springs will warm your spirits!

Thank you so much for the follows and reviews by the way~

Without further ado, enjoy:

~Persona 3: Portable~

Previously, the Gekkoukan students headed to their class trip to Kyoto. Ezi was bonding more with the new student, Ryoji. The SEES team had to save the students from a Shadow that attacked their Inn at midnight!

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Date 22 (2):

A Pool of Tears in Kyoto Hot Springs

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They had a walking tour of Kyoto for the next day. The lobby was in a buzz as everyone wondered what could have happened to the front of the inn, as the entrance had been damaged.

The students got to walk down a strip with local homes and small markets to observe the cultural atmosphere that day on the golden merchant strip. Junpei and Ryoji stared agape at all the beautiful women in kimonos, and Mitsuru and Yukari took to shopping with a rather large amount of energy. Mitsuru seemed to be enjoying herself more than the previous day. Fuuka and Aigis walked with Ezi, who buzzed around all her friends from time to time. Then, they all went to lunch at a nice barbeque restaurant off the side of a shimmering lake.

"I had a weird dream, like someone was calling me and I was sleep walking." Yuko spoke around the table of friends.

"That's weird, I slept like a baby!" Ezi lied. "Hey, this sushi seems so much fresher than on the island!" Ezi was sitting close to the SEES friends along with Yuko, Kazushi, Kenji, and Rio. Some girls from the basketball team, and boys from the boxing team, were there too.

"I agree, this is good!" Yukari was sitting next to Mitsuru with the archery girls.

"Yo, I'm so psyched! Tonight, the boys and I are gonna play baseball tonight!" One of Junpei's friends said to him and Ryoji.

"Blaugh, I'll pass, this time." Said Kazushi.

"The hot springs are going to be busy tonight, huh?" Fuuka asked. "I knew we should have gone last night…"

"The teachers have assigned times for specific rooms, or groups, to take turns within the hot springs, to avoid complications." Aigis explained.

"Aigis! Will you partner up with me for the hot springs?" One of the boys said.

"In your dreams!" Yukari intruded. "I know how to get them off your back, Aigis; dare them with something!"

"What is the significance of that?" She was confused.

Ezi snickered. "Oh man, I have a great dare." She looked down at the green wasabi on her plate. "Okay, dude, if you can eat all of this without crying, you can hangout with Aigis!"

"Ezi-chan, why didn't you ask me to do the dare so I could hangout with Aigis?" Pouted Ryoji.

"Silence! My word is truth!" She declared. "Besides, Aigis doesn't seem to like you anyway."

"He is dangerous." Aigis agreed.

"They all are at a certain level. One of the girls at the end of the table commented.

The boy Ezi had dared nodded. "Okay, I'll do it!"

"What?" Junpei yelled. "Dude, don't do it! I know Aigis is a babe, but…"

"Dude, this could be my chance!" He swiped the wasabi from Ezi's chopstick. "Tell my mom I love her if this ends me."

"I can't watch!" Rio covered her face with Kenji's shoulder.

"He's really gonna do it?" Akihiko and the others gathered as the boy stuffed the wasabi into his mouth, quickly trying to swallow it. He let out a horrible cough and began sobbing and gagging. The boys were laughing, and some of the girls were trying not to puke themselves.

"I lost my appetite." Yukari, admitted.

"Dude, you actually did it!" Junpei cheered, but the boy was sobbing and gagging as he wafted his nose to cool down.

"Ah, maybe hanging out with Aigis isn't that worth it." Ryoji admitted.

Everyone gathered the drinks they had and let him drink whatever he wanted, then he went to the bathroom to recover. The boy's friends followed him in for support.

"Wow, he failed, but I commend him for trying." Ezi complimented. "I feel bad, I didn't think he would actually do it… I'll buy him something at the souvenir shop. Or, maybe a dessert? To wash down that wasabi.

"Ezi, girls can't give guys that sort of gift, even in this situation." Yukari chided. "People might get the wrong idea."

"Oh please! If anyone wants to think it's weird, let them! I don't have feelings for the guy, I just feel bad!"

"If I know anything about you, Ezi, its customs be damned!" Junpei declared.

"I think that's true too! So what if she's a girl and he's a guy? If they were both the same gender, everyone would think that Ezi would have to pay him back somehow!" Yuko decided.

"Well, guys and girls are different, though…" Kenji began, Kazushi nodding his head in agreement.

"Okay, let's not get into gender politics!" Ezi announced. "We were all created equal."

"Oh no…" Yukari rolled her eyes.

"I have a dream! One day, guys and gals will be able to get together and-!"

Yukari threw Ezi back down into her seat, pushing down on her shoulders.

"STOP BEING WEIRD!" The table of friends laughed. When the boy returned, Fuuka made room for him to sit next to Aigis, and everyone ate their food and chatted about the beautiful Kyoto and their experiences thus far, wasabi free.

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"Fuuka! Are you and Aigis going for a walk? I want to come!" Ezi asked, excitedly. They had returned to the hotel and the sun was setting.

"Of course you can come with us." Fuuka and Aigis were on their way to walking around the Kamogawa as well, before curfew was up.

"Ezi!" Ryoji appeared. "Sorry, can I talk to you about something?"

"Oh, sure. Never mind, guys! I'll see you later." Aigis and Fuuka left, and since Ryoji asked her to come along, they decided to walk around a little more on the dirt path.

She stopped. "Can we sit? I want to eat this crepe I bought at this stand."

"Sure." He sat down with her. "A green tea crepe? That color's a little off putting."

She thought about the green mist sky during the Dark Hour.

"It is… want some?" She handed the crepe to him, and he observed her wrapped wrist.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Ah…" She had splinters in it from last night when she flew into the Inn entrance door.

"…I fell down and bruised it."

"I see…" He took a piece of the layered crepe and white powder sprinkled between them. "This is delicious! You can't find this in Iwatodai." He chuckled. "It makes me kind of happy."

"That's why trips are so great! And what makes you so happy about it?"

"I'm sharing new experiences, and I get to share them with you, Ezi-chan. That's what I enjoy so much."

"Oh… s-same here." She wasn't sure she was as excited as he was, but spending the day with everyone had been wonderful.

He looked at his Kyoto brochure. "Here's something I didn't know: the light on a river reflect differently than it does on the ocean."

"Is it because it's flowing?"

"Oh, I guess that must be it. The river's always on a journey, too. I bet that must be fun."

"Don't be envious of water, Ryoji." She teased.

A girl and a boy across the hill behind them were laughing loudly, and it cut into their silence.

He smiled serenely. "That reminds me, this place is full of couples too."

"Figures you'd point that out, Ryoji-kun."

Despite saying this she noticed they were in an area where lots of couples were enjoying the view, too.

"…What kind of things do lovers talk about?"

She swallowed. She was suddenly sitting in the dorm lounge with Shinjiro as they talked about nothing with their cold fingers pressed against warm cups of tea. Such a girly drink.

"Ezi?" She realized she had not answered yet.

"They talk about pointless things." She answered, dully. Then again, she and Akihiko had quarrels, and debates, or just talked about their days—not that he should count for this question.

"Well, actually I'm not really sure if that's the right conversation to have with someone you like."

"I see… but, I suppose that's okay, because you're telling those things to the person closest to you." He sounded very intrigued. "Does that mean you've never had a boyfriend, Ezi-chan?"

"I didn't say that." She smiled, mildly. "But, I guess not officially, no."

"I see…" He said. Ryoji seemed cheered about that, for some reason.

Guilt, that's what it was. It glued her mouth shut about the subject anymore as she continued to look at the running water, then she realized he was gazing intently at her.

"What's the matter?" She asked, not looking back at him still. "Don't get all excited because of it, you flirt." She was half-joking, half trying not to cry out something unexplainable.

"Why you, I wonder? Sure, you're nice and pretty, but I don't think it's that. It's just… you…" He looked away, lost in thought.

"You're not trying to hook up with me, are you? You really think dearly of me?"

"Of course I do! I just…"

Perhaps it was these moments that she didn't brush him off like the other students. His presence was more mystical, now, and she could tell he was telling the truth. But, why…?

"…Hey, would you still be willing to see me like this after the trip? Um, the day after we get back is the 22nd. It's a Sunday."

"You have this all planned out, don't you?" She teased, but his serious expression didn't change. "Uh… I want you to tell me the truth."

"Truth?"

"Why do you want to hangout with me so badly? You could ask someone else… but one time you said you didn't care I was a girl or a boy, so-?"

"Yeah… I'm not exactly sure myself." He admitted. "Maybe its because we both have missing memories."

She sighed. "I've had the same thing happen to me. No one else in my life before seemed to notice it except me, the missing pieces."

"Yes." He agreed. "I feel like no matter what I do I can't remember, even if something familiar comes around."

"Me too! I've been through so much here. A lot of strange things have happened, but I still can't remember…"

"Weird things?"

"Uh, you know, nothing important…"

"They couldn't have been as weird and amazing as meeting me."

"Keep pushing it, Ryoji." She warned, smirking.

"I got you to smile again! So, you'll hangout with me, yes? I don't think its coincidence that we met."

She swallowed. "What's with you?"

"I don't know why, like I said. I just want to get to know you more."

She was flattered, to say the least, and he certainly didn't appear to be using lame pick-up lines. He sounded more desperate, like a wounded puppy, and she sort of wanted to help him. Maybe they could help each other.

"Well, okay, sure. I guess we can hangout, then."

"Thank you! Sorry, I was getting anxious about what I was going to do if you said no."

"Cry me a river?" She pointed to the water.

"Oh, a joke! You should leave those to me."

She decided it was courageous of him to ask her out again… and the lost memories. They would need to talk more about it.

…Not to mention, there was some small comfort in knowing he wanted to be with her.

The sun was going down.

"It's starting to get chilly." Ryoji rubbed his arms. "I guess winter is close by—"

Wait, what time is it?"

He looked at his watch and chuckled nervously. "Ten minutes passed curfew."

"Aw, shoot! Let's head back!"

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Unfortunately, they were late, and were spotted by a certain teacher with a temper in the lobby.

"Fifteen minutes!" Mr. Ekoda snarled. "You think just because you're in the council you can do whatever you want, eh, Miss Leon?"

Ryoji and Ezi were face forward with their heads down as they were being scolded by Mr. Ekoda.

"Sir, if I may, it's my fault we were late. I begged her to show me around to some stores nearby-"

"I don't believe you! You two could have been up to anything the last 15 minutes!"

"Mr. Ekoda," Ms. Toriumi interjected. Thankfully, she came rushing down the stairs towards them. "They're both my students, I will take care of them."

"You mean like the way you have been taking care of them? This sort of behavior is unacceptable!"

"All do respect, we did nothing wrong, sir—" Ezi tried to defend.

"It's past curfew! You should both be restrained to your rooms for the rest of the trip for this!"

"Then, your boys should be restricted too, Mr. Ekoda." Toriumi interjected. "For trying to buy cigarettes today at the marketplace."

"Well-I-I took care of that!"

"Then, let me take care of this." She said, sternly. "This is not your concern, really."

He glared at her, and grunted, before stomping away and up the stairs. Watching him leave, Ezi saw Akihiko and Junpei in their robes, and some other students that had been watching from the staircase.

After a pause, Ryoji said something first. "Ms. Toriumi, it really was my fault—"

"Go to your rooms." She said. "I know, Ezi was just trying to make you more comfortable, here, right? You are a new student, after all."

"Ms. Toriumi, we really weren't doing anything that we wouldn't do around our fellow peers and teachers." Ezi insisted.

"You are one of my best students. I'm not worried about it, really. You two, head upstairs, now. But, don't get into any more trouble!"

"Thank you, Miss!" Ezi and Ryoji bowed their heads politely and marched over to their friends up the stairs. The crowd of students seemed to have dwindled already, and it was just Akihiko, Junpei, Ezi and Ryoji following everyone else up to their rooms.

"Yo! Where were you guys?" Junpei asked, whispering. "That was close!"

"We were shopping and lost track of the time." Ryoji explained.

"It's not like you to be irresponsible, Ezi." Akihiko said.

"Well, she was with good company, I suppose." Ryoji said with smirk. "Sorry, Ezi."

"It's okay. You sound like Mr. Ekoda, Akihiko. You're the one who told me to have a little fun. Really, we were just shopping."

"Alright, alright. At least you guys didn't get in a lot of trouble!" Junpei declared.

They reached the boys' rooms on the second floor.

"Maybe I'll see you at the baseball game tonight?" Ryoji smiled.

"Oh… yes." She thought about their conversation. "I'll see you later, maybe. If not, goodnight!" She waved to them and headed up the stairs, lost in thought.

When they were finally alone, Junpei spoke first. "Man! Be honest, were you guys just hanging out, or were you up to something else?" Junpei had to know, and Akihiko listened in too.

"Nothing like that Junpei… but we did talk for a while. It was nice."

"Nice? I swear you're an old person. You don't think Ezi's hot?"

"Sure she is, but she told me she doesn't want to date me. Still, I like being around her. I'll give her space, it's her choice if she wants to date me or not, but I can't ignore my feelings for her."

"Wow, you are a weird one. But, I commend your professionalism in this situation. You're a real gentlemen!"

"Him, a gentlemen? He's been hitting on girls since he got here!" Akihiko pointed out.

"Good point. But, I respect a smooth talker to the ladies, too!"

"Thanks, but, its different with Ezi. I really want to be genuine with her."

"It might go to waste, though." Akihiko mumbled, almost menacingly. The boys stopped walking and turned to him.

"How so, Akihiko-sempai?" Ryoji asked nicely.

"Yeah," Junpei was surprised, "how so?"

"Uh, it's just, Ezi's a tough nut to crack. A lot of guys think she's cute, but she hasn't gone out with any of them. There's no chance with her, is all I'm saying."

"I don't know, I think I'm closer to her than most guys." He grinned. "We already have a connection, so I think I have a chance!"

Akihiko scoffed. "Well, don't come crying to us when she turns you down." He folded his arms, seriously, as if to say more but he just glared at him.

Ryoji stammered. "Okay. I'm gonna head to my room now. Goodnight guys." He left them to attend to their own rooms.

"Dude?"

"What?"

"Um, what was that all about? You were being rude to Ryoji."

"Huh? No I wasn't, I like Ryoji. He's a cool guy."

"That doesn't mean you're not jealous of him, too."

"Jealous?" He looked down. "Why would I be..?"

"Come on, dude. We both know why."

Akihiko said nothing as they went to their rooms, making their own plans for the night.

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After the dinner everyone had in the great hall, The girls of SEES decided to do some souvenir shopping in the lobby before it was their time to be in the hot springs. The boys that were playing baseball were mainly seniors, and none of their closer friends were involved, so they decided to take the opportunity to go together to the hot springs on their last night in Kyoto. The hot springs were vast, being outside in the hotel, with artificial boulders and a green incense smell that filled the large area.

"Wow! This hot spring is huge!" Yukari explained.

"We practically have it to ourselves, since everyone is at the baseball game." Fuuka explained. "We don't have to worry about other guests, either; it's girls only for our school tonight!"

"So, this is an outdoor hot spring. Unfortunately, its therapeutic healing benefits will not help me." Aigis noticed.

"But, you can get wet! That's okay because you can at least be with us while we're here." Ezi said.

"Ahh, this is so great!" Yukari said as she sunk into the warm water. The girls managed to sit in a circle near the central boulder in the warm water.

"This is nice, better than a Jacuzzi, somehow. We had those on my trip at my school in America."

"Ezi, do you ever miss America?" Fuuka asked.

"Sometimes I do. But, I came here for answers, and I have all of you here. I'm glad I'm here and not there, right now."

"Come to think of it, you told me you left America for school, but, is that the only reason?" Yukari asked.

"No…"

"Well, anyway, I'm glad you're here with us now, Leon-san."

"Hey, did you guys have a good day today? Anything interesting to report?" She switched gears.

"I bought some clothes! And Kanto-san helped me buy a flute here."

"He did? Are you gonna be a cook and a musician now because of your future husband, Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

"My what?" She was blushing. "W-we're not…! What about you and Mikato, Yukari?" Fuuka asked.

"Eh, we're not a thing. I don't know, he's sort of unemotional about things, and it bores me. We get along, but I don't have feelings for him."

"Is that so?" Mitsuru said, interested.

"And you, Mitsuru-sempai?" Yukari asked. "Do you have someone at school you're interested in?"

"I've never really looked at guys that way before… I've always been busy, attending to my duties. So, no, there isn't anyone."

"Really? That's good—I mean, it's not good, but that's cool." Yukari stammered.

"You're so beautiful, though, Mitsuru-sempai. You should be with someone." Fuuka said.

"Yeah, I-I agree." Yukari added.

"Hey, nothing wrong with being independent!" Ezi chided.

"And you? I know you're busy too, Ezi, but, what about you?" Fuuka asked.

"Noooo-"

Yukari intruded. "Then I gotta know what's up with you and Ryoji-kun! His pick-up lines are so lame, why would you-?"

"Calm down, Yukari! I swear we're not a couple." Ezi assured. "But, remember when he said I was familiar to him? I'm starting to feel the same way about him, too…"

"That's odd. Well, you're both from America, so maybe you two do know each other somehow."

"You should not be near him. He is dangerous." Aigis said.

"Aigis, I trust you, I do. That's why I'm playing it safe. But do you think NOW you could tell me why you think that?"

"I am not sure, but he is not good."

She cleared her throat. "Anyway! You seem to be doing better, Mitsuru. I could tell you were having fun today."

"Oh, yes. I decided I would help you all still in stopping the Dark Hour. It is what my father would have wanted, after all."

"Yes. I am going to keep on fighting too, to protect my friends like Kanto-kun and Natsuki-chan." Fuuka said.

"And I will stay to protect all of you as well." Aigis added.

"Right, and I want to make my father proud, too." Yukari said.

"Yes, we'll do it, together!" Ezi declared.

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Leon-san. I know you have many reasons, but what is the main reason you still wish to fight in Tartarus?"

"Well, I feel like it changes all the time, but it's all for the same reason: to protect you guys."

"Yes, but what were your intentions before you knew us?" Mitsuru asked. "I remember how willing you were to help us, I thought it was a bit strange, but knowing you now, in a way, it makes sense. Still…"

Ezi swallowed. She realized she hadn't really explained her reason for coming to the island in the first place, the real reason.

"Okay, I suppose I can tell all of you now… But, can you keep it between us girls, please?"

"Of course!" Fuuka said.

"We would never disclose your personal information to anyone, Leon-san."

"You should know by now, you can tell us anything!" Yukari said.

She inhaled and exhaled. She had expressed some of it with Shinjiro, and even Ryoji, now. Surely, they wouldn't think she was crazy.

"Well! As you guys know, I had American education all my life. But transferring to a Japanese related school isn't why I transferred…"

"It's not?" Fuuka sounded flabbergasted.

"No… I only told everyone that. It was a lot easier to say than explain the real reason..."

"Real reason?" Yukari repeated.

She sunk into the water and closed her eyes. "Okay. Remember how I told you I had a trainer in America, that's why I'm so good at fighting? The truth is, I don't have a trainer… the truth is, I don't know how I'm so good at fighting."

"You don't know? But how can that be? Obviously you've had some sort of Tai Kwon Do or Karate practice. We've seen it in Tartarus when you battle!" Yukari recalled. "Your instincts are like at a professional level beyond your years!"

"If you weren't trained, then, how?" Mitsuru asked.

"Like I said, I don't know how. One day, I just had the ability. But you must understand, it's not the only thing I can't remember… I've lost my memory, or parts of it, indefinitely. I don't know when or how or what the memories are about, but there is a chunk of my life I can't recall. It's hard to explain, but, it's like, I can remember all of the normal things, like going to school and playing sports, but I can't remember some of the memories between those times."

"I'm confused…" Fuuka admitted.

"Um, how should I explain it?" Ezi pushed the hair trickling on her face back with the water. "Okay, let's say one day you woke up, and you could remember school, and the cooking club, even hanging out with your friends… but you couldn't remember the Dark Hour, no one could. Yet, still, you felt like there was something missing, but no matter what you did, you couldn't remember the Dark Hour, or any of our experiences during that time? Even if you had your evoker and you saw the Shadows, you still couldn't remember it?"

"Are you saying..?" Yukari waited.

"Yes. I have memories like that, memories that no matter what I do, I can't recall them… There's so many gaps in my memory, and no one in America really believed me, not even my closest friends…"

"So, you have erased parts of your memory? Then, why did you come here?" Mitsuru interrogated.

"I saw a therapist back in America… she was starting to believe me, that I really had lost my memories. But then, she disappeared, and the next one wanted to treat me like I had to get over it. I thought I was going crazy, I didn't know what was real and what I should believe. I was even considering giving up the notion that I had lost any memories, and maybe I was trying to get attention, or I had some other condition. But then, something happened…"

The girls waited, intently, for Ezi to continue.

"Between just us, right?" She swallowed.

"Just between us." Yukari affirmed.

Despite the hot waters surrounding her, Ezi felt a chill sliver through her back.

"Okay. One day, I was wandering around the mall, aimlessly with a friend of mine. I was so confused; I didn't know what to do with these paranoid thoughts of having lost memories. I was about to give up searching for answers. I had ditched my friend and wandered into a large department store, and in the back of the store, someone grabbed me from behind. He… chloroformed me, but only a little, to the point that I was weak." She looked up for a brief moment to see the girls with horrified looks on their faces.

"Um…" There was a lump in her throat. "It was some guy pretending to be a janitor. Apparently, he had grabbed girls at malls before. I was just unlucky… He dragged me into an employees only bathroom and he tried to…" She hadn't really told anyone. She had decided to go to Japan soon after the event. She hadn't taken time to reflect.

"He pinned me down, and started… I was so scared. I thought he was gonna do what he wanted, then kill me. At that time, an attack like that was scarier to me than it was when I was attacked in the dorm, because I was so helpless… All I could think about was how pathetic I felt…. But then, suddenly, I wasn't scared. It just sort of clicked all of a sudden, and I knew what I had to do to get him off of me, and I did it. I attacked him, using my legs to throw him down, and I broke his arm. I had awakened skills that I never knew I possessed in order to defend myself. I realized it was because of the action, not recollecting it from thought, that I had regained something from my lost memoires: my ability to fight. It must have taken me years to learn the training, so it was proof I wasn't making things up, and my lost memories were real."

"Wow…" Yukari was speechless.

"I knew my late parents were scientists, and they had worked in the Kirijo Group labs for a while. But, they had left the company long before the incident with the Shadows. Still, I thought if I was close to a place my parents had been, and where I had been before too, maybe I would have better luck unlocking more abilities or memories here than in America. All I knew was that I didn't want to be there anymore. My adoptive mother had withdrawn from me because of my little brother's death, and a lot of my friends thought I was crazy, so I didn't have much to lose coming here. I haven't recalled anything, but I know coming here was a good choice, because I got to meet all of you, and we can all work together to unlock our Personas and fight the Shadows. Maybe this has something to do with what I feel like I'm missing, but, I don't know for sure yet."

"Ezi-san, I had no idea…" Fuuka said.

"I knew you'd been through some stuff, but…" Yukari and the others grew silent for a moment.

Ezi nodded her head. "Yeah… so you guys believe me?"

"We've dealt with stranger things." Mitsuru said. "Besides, you are our friend, why would we think any less of you?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys before, I just couldn't afford to be seen as crazy here too before I started searching for answers."

"No, I get it." Yukari said. "Thank you for telling us."

"Phew! To be honest, I'm glad I finally said it!"

"Ezi, you've lead us all through Tartarus and helped us so much. We'll do what we can to help you find your memories!" Said Fuuka.

"Yes, of course, we will help you." Mitsuru added.

"I think I will be okay… I just need you guys to stick together as we keep on venturing through Tartarus, alright?"

"That can be accomplished." Aigis agreed.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Yukari cheered. "…Uh, after we relax, of course!"

"Yeah." Ezi smiled, relieved. "Let's take a breather." She sunk into the water, an anxious feeling seeping out from her. She had told them, and it wasn't as big of a deal as she had figured, and they were all still friends.

The girls sat in the warm springs for a while. They chatted about their day and things at school that were gossip worthy, then they relaxed in silence a bit more.

Yukari gasped. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Fuuka asked. Yukari sat up, and began eyeing the area.

"I thought I heard something…"

"Where?" Mitsuru and Yukari were standing up, now, looking around.

Ezi groaned; so much for a break. "Yeah, I heard it, too."

"I-it could be a ghost." Yukari guessed.

"I don't think these hot springs are haunted…" Ezi presumed.

"We should just look around real quick." Mitsuru decided. "I don't want us speaking about private matters if there are others present."

"Okay, Mitsuru sempai and Aigis, we should go this way." Fuuka said, shakily.

Yukari looked worried. "Then we can go right. Come with me, Ezi…" They split up and began to search.

"What if it's other guests in here on accident?" Yukari guessed. "We could get in trouble walking around like this…"

"Hmm… IS ANYONE THERE?" Ezi called out, but nothing replied.

"Great, no response… then what if it is a ghost?"

"Don't be silly." Ezi checked the hot water reserves, but she could only see steam coming out.

There was a splash around the large boulder beside them.

Yukari shrieked. "What was that? An animal?"

"Or a big, giant, bug."

"Ew, don't say that!"

"It's probably a person."

"But, no one called out when we did, so…Should we check on Fuuka and the others?"

Ezi squinted her eyes. She could definitely feel someone was there. "Let's check ahead, first. If there's a bug, I want to squish it."

"Okay, that's sort of weird, but…"

"Let's check the hollow of that rock!"

"I was deliberately avoiding that place! It's dark over there—Wait, wouldn't that be a perfect place for someone to hide in, too?"

"My point exactly, Watson!" Ezi and Yukari darted through the water to the hollow of the rocks. "Fuuka, Mitsuru, over here!" The other girls swam over to them and they all looked over at the rocks. It was a shock to see the movement in the hollow, but even worse was who was moving.

"U-uh!" Fuuka was speechless.

Junpei and Akihiko looked like dear in headlights.

"Uh-uh, we, um-!" Stammered Junpei.

"W-wait! T-This is just a misunderstanding!" Akihiko cried.

"Silence!" Mitsuru's voice boomed, shocking them all. "I'M GOING TO EXECUTE YOU ALL!"

"It was nice knowing you." Said Aigis.

Ezi said nothing, grimacing, as the girls chased after them. Mitsuru whacked Akihiko over the head, and Fuuka and Yukari managed to kick and beat Junpei up with a few slaps.

"You bastards!"

"You jerks!"

"Get out of here!"

Aigis and Ezi watched as they chased the half naked boys out of the hot springs.

"Ugh! I can't believe them!" Yukari screamed.

"They should be ashamed!" said Fuuka.

They could hear Mitsuru yelling at them outside of the door, in a harsh tone about how they should not get any sleep at night, and how they were going to be punished.

"This isn't over yet, girls." Mitsuru clarified upon return. The girls grabbed their towels and headed out of the springs as well, their night ruined.

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The students of Gekkokaun would be leaving Kyoto by bullet train in the afternoon. They had free range until then. In the daytime, Ms. Toriumi announced to everyone that they better meet at the Kyoto Station on time, or she would be to blame. Ezi already packed her things, and she met the other girls in the lobby to do some last minute sight-seeing.

"Well, let's go. Oh—" Fuuka was the first to see Junpei, Akihiko and Ryoji walking downstairs, completely dressed.

"G-good morning…" Junpei tried to say. Akihiko kept his eyes down.

All of the girls scoffed and ignored them. They took a quick, disgusted glance in their direction before walking by them to leave the inn.

"Uh… Did something happen?" Ryoji asked.

"Ryoji-kun!" Ezi yelled. She hugged him gently. "I'm so glad to see a gentlemen such as you this beautiful morning!"

"Oh! Okay… But shouldn't I be saying something like that to you?" He blushed. She felt better with some power, probably making Junpei and Akihiko feel bad.

"We're going shopping, but I'll see you later!" She danced out, following the other girls.

"Dude! That was harsh…" Junpei said, more to Akihiko, who kept his eyes down.

"Okay, something definitely happened, right?" Ryoji insisted.

"Curse you, Kyoto!" Junpei grumbled. The boys went about their business for the rest of the trip, and the girls tended to their shopping.

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On the bullet train back, they kept their distances, and said nothing to no one else about the situation, returning home from Kyoto by nightfall.

The boys had to bring the girls heavy bags up to their hallway, carrying all of the luggage back from the trip to the second to last top floor. Then, Mitsuru required them to do other chores, and even heat up dinner for them.

"We deserve this." Junpei said. They were putting the dishes away.

"You most certainly do!" Fuuka agreed.

"Mitsuru's not done giving us punishment yet, either…" He drawled, "I guess we'll have to do it, we owe you guys. And sorry again…"

"Just don't ever do something like that again, Stupei!" Yukari chided.

"Thanks for the red bean Nama-yatsuhashi, Ezi! It's supposed to bring good luck, and it tastes so good too!" Ken explained.

"No problem, glad you like it."

"I noticed the girls seem to be holding the guys in contempt, but I can't imagine why…"

"Some words of advice, Ken: Don't grow up and become perverts like them!"

"Huh? Oh, okay…"

Ezi was tired and headed up the stairs. She hadn't said much to anyone upon their return, and certainly didn't want to; she wasn't surprised when Akihiko hurried up the stairs to speak with her.

"Hey… everything okay?"

"Seriously?" She continued to stomp up the steps.

"Come on, you can't still be angry-"

"You know," She stopped and looked down at him on the stairs, "I expected a plot like this from Junpei, but not from you. And I'm not angry, I'm disappointed."

"Ezi—It was his idea! Besides, we didn't see anything, and—"

"That's not the point, Akihiko!" She snapped.

"It's not? Then, why are you so upset?"

She scoffed disapprovingly and passed to collect her thoughts.

"You weren't supposed to hear any of that, I didn't want you to! Besides, I'm sharper than that, I should have been able to sense you guys lurking around like the creeps that you are!"

"Creeps?" He sounded hurt. "Please, I don't want this to linger anymore than it has to. I don't want to talk about it—it's embarrassing enough that—"

"Oh, you don't want to talk about it, Akihiko? Fine, we don't have to talk about it." She continued marching up the stairs. "In fact, we don't have to talk about anything!"

"What? Ezi-"

"Stop following me! I…" She looked at him, one more time, with a sunken frown on her face.

He gasped, seeing her glistening eyes as if she were about to cry, but she didn't.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Despite seeing his tenderly upset face, she hurried up the stairs. She was embarrassed; she had been exposed, not just by physical form. Tired from the trip, she cleaned up and went to bed.

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A/N: I did not include Ryoji in that scene to make things more dramatic for Akihiko and the protagonist. It doesn't make sense that you can keep talking to Ryoji without saying anything about the event afterwards anyway, and the time for this month must be spent with him before the next new moon, so it works out :3 Hopefully my own inserts weren't too bad as well~ Until next time!

Farewell, My Dearests~