Chapter 38: Light and Dark
The Sunday after midterm exams. Minato had spent the night after Tartarus thinking about what he had learned from his talk with Mitsuru. He was discussing the talk with his Fiends.
"You said she was clutching her head and mumbling to herself about lying?" Minato asked.
"That's the case, Boss. It's obvious she knows more than she's letting on." David said. "… I don't know if you want to call her out on it, though. It looked like it was tearing her apart."
"What is he supposed to do? Feign ignorance and then wait for it to boil over?! She's mission control! If she snaps, we're all fucked!" Jack screamed.
"That's true, but confronting her would be a breach of trust." Minato said. "I thought something was off when she seemed to purposely try and throw the idea that the documents referred to Iwatodai off at first, but something like this…"
"The mademoiselle is clearly in pain. Something bigger than both of you holds her loyalty." Matador said. "I suspect this has to do with her position in the Kirijio Corporation… she is the heiress."
"… As fucked up as this is, I have to let this slide." Minato said. "And I have to play along… even though it'll kill her on the inside. If a big reveal happens… well, I'll deal with it then."
"… You aren't going to hold this against her?" Jack asked.
"Of course he won't, fool! She's in more pain than he is!" David said.
"David's got a point, but that's not the only reason… this is something she can't avoid on her own. To hold this against somebody would be akin to holding the fact that they were born to their parents against them." Minato said.
"Indeed. Her fate is a harsh one." Matador said.
"And it's not my place to give her shit for it." Minato said. "I have work in a few hours… I think I'll go do a good deed and pray for Mitsuru beforehand."
"Pray? An atheist like you?" Jack asked.
"I might not believe in gods, but I'm pretty certain at least some of them exist in one form or the other now. Whatever the hell it is I end up praying to, it better wind up helping Mitsuru. Otherwise, I'll kill the damn thing myself." Minato said.
He put on a white shirt with the graphic of a man with his skin melted off, writhing in pain on the front and two children in similar predicaments on the back, standing in a sea of black liquid that went around the lower half of the shirt, and then black cargo pants. He topped it off with his hat and sneakers, and left the dorm at about five-thirty in the morning. He walked to Naganaki Shrine, and saw a white Shiba Inu sleeping in the prime location to pray.
"… In my way." Minato thought. He was thinking of ways to move the dog, when it suddenly woke up. It growled at him. "Hey, calm down there. I just came to pray." Minato said. The dog still growled, but eventually stopped and moved aside, watching him from the corner of its eye.
"It senses us." David said. "And it doesn't help that you've heavily altered yourself."
"It can tell that, huh? Not the weirdest shit I've heard." Minato replied in his mind. He took the newly open spot, and began his version of a silent prayer.
"Dear whatever the fuck lives here. Naganaki spirit, Yomi conjuration, I don't really care, but whatever you are, listen up. I have a friend named Mitsuru Kirijio who's tearing herself apart right now because she has to hide things from me and likely everyone else. I want you to make her feel better, in some way or the other. Failure to do so will result in me finding you and killing you. It'll be easy. I know Lucifer, Lucifuge, and Paimon personally."
"Bullshit." A garbled voice said in his head.
"Oh, talking back? Want me to call them right now and put them on the phone? I have more than enough Magatama and Fiends to sic on your ass to deal with some lesser deity."
"What?! You have Fiends with you?!"
"You're damn right I do. I got Jack the Ripper, David, and the Matador at my beck and call! So don't gimme no shit about what I can and can't demand from you!"
"H-hey, calm down man… you said you want me to ease the troubles of Mitsuru Kirijio, right? I'll see what I can do… but that ain't really my specialty, so don't expect a miracle!"
"I just want results. She doesn't need to suddenly reach Nirvana, she just needs to stay happy."
"Alright, got ya... you don't need anything else, right? After all, I can't do too many things at once."
"That'll be all for now. Don't disappoint me… unless you want me to call in my favor with Hitoshura."
"S-sure thing, Boss! Leave it to me!"
The voice vanished, and Minato felt rather content with the results of his praying. He went on to pull a fortune, and got an 'Incredible' fortune. Almost immediately after drawing it, he turned and stepped on a pile of ten thousand yen bills. "That's more like it." Minato thought as he pocketed the money.
"Normally, you'd have to report that much money being lost to the police." a voice said from the bench near the playground. He turned to see Ikutsuki sitting there, reading a book. "But I think we can make an exception for a fellow defender of the peace."
"I wouldn't have expected to find you here, Ikutsuki." Minato said. He looked over to the deserted playground. "Waiting for your first unlucky victim?"
"Wha-?!" Ikutsuki started, getting up from the bench and distancing himself from the playground. "I'll have you know I do no such things! This place is wonderfully peaceful, and as such, is an excellent place to read!"
Minato laughed. "I'm just screwing with you, Chairman."
"Hmph… I'd rather you not say things that could land me in prison." Ikutsuki said. "Still, why are you here? I didn't take you for the type to visit a shrine."
"It was on a whim. And besides, I just made quite the sum of money." Minato said.
"Then would it be wrong of me to ask what you just prayed for?"
"Oh, you caught that, huh? … I don't see why not." Minato shrugged. "You have quite a few connections with the Kirijio Group, right?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"You know how I can summon my Fiends? Well, I was having a talk with Mitsuru about the history of Tartarus and its relation with a few… old documents I found inside. She started becoming slightly… evasive of the direction I was taking the conversation, so I had one of them watch her after I left the room." Minato explained.
"… She was distraught, wasn't she?" Ikutsuki asked.
"Exactly… she was mumbling to herself about lying to me despite how much trust I put in her, and so forth." Minato said. He smiled wryly. "Now that I think about it, I couldn't have put that much trust in her to spy on her, huh?"
"What you did was perfectly understandable. You felt you were being deceived and wanted to confirm your suspicions." Ikutsuki said. "… I can tell you what she's hiding from you. But once you know the truth, there will be no way to return to your ignorance. Do you want to know about Tartarus' history?"
"… I think she realizes that we can't handle the truth right now." Minato said. "If so, I'll avert my eyes until she's comfortable with us seeing it." He chuckled. "Though I must thank you, both for the offer, and proving to me that you're also in the know."
"Ah, you caught that… very good." Ikutsuki said. "… Isn't it a little sad that we have to lie to each other like this?"
"Probably. But any relationship with two people being completely honest is usually shallow and worthless anyways." Minato said.
"Harsh words. Though I see your reasoning well enough." Ikutuski agreed. "It's a shame that somebody as young as you thinks that way… it speaks volumes about the world we live in."
Minato laughed. "I don't think the world has anything to do with it." he said. "It's the people that pollute it."
"Pollute it?" Ikutsuki asked, surprised by his answer. "You aren't actually a nihilist, are you?"
"Don't take my words the wrong way… the world has people that live in it, and people that pollute it. A person that pollutes it is anyone that doesn't live in it." Minato said.
"And by live, you mean…?"
"Do something that affects more than just themselves, in one way or the other. A serial killer is just as alive as a doctor by my definition, perhaps even more so." Minato said.
It was Ikutsuki's turn to laugh. "You say you avert your eyes from the truth… but I think you already see it. Rather, you've seen it, and elected to turn away. I've read your file, Minato."
"… What's the list?"
"You were abused at age eight, neglected at age ten, tortured at age thirteen, and forced into an underground fight club at age fourteen, where you killed other boys to survive… Oh, I forgot to mention institutionalized at ages nine and eleven, and then forced to take therapy at age fifteen, a mere two years ago." Ikutsuki said. "Yet you walk around with such a happy attitude…"
"You know, the first thing I learned after I was neglected was that moping doesn't solve anything." Minato said. "You have a problem, you solve it. For instance, did you know I jammed a scalpel into the windpipe of the woman who tortured me a week before I was moved to a different home?"
"No… they conveniently left that detail out." Ikutsuki said. "Regardless… I have to ask. How can you keep such a personality, in spite of all you've gone through?"
"It's called selective apathy." Minato said. "If there's something you don't like, you shouldn't give even a sliver of thought to it… It makes everything that matters that much more precious."
"… You're a piece of work." Ikutsuki said. "Can you really just ignore everything you don't like?"
"It's worked up until now."
"Then, when you cease to like the world, what then?"
"… I suppose I'd have to end it at that point, or die trying. But I've yet to go that far."
Ikutsuki laughed. "You have an interesting way of thinking, Minato… We'll need to talk about a few other things in the future."
CRACK!
Thou art I… And I art thou…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Devil Arcana…
"Heh. I look forward to it." Minato said. "Though, where are you off to?"
"As Chairman, I'm actually required to give reports on the 'official' activity of SEES." he said. "Part of this entails a video conference, so I must be off to my house. Until next time."
"Huh… I didn't know you actually had real work to do." Minato said. Ikutsuki chuckled and walked off. Minato looked at his watch. He had almost two hours before he had to work, so he went to Iwatodai station and ate at Hagakure. Afterwards, he made his way to work.
He strolled into the Office, music blaring on his headphones, and went right to the changing room. He almost go there before Nemissa grabbed his arm and started dragging him to the back. "Take the damn headphones off!" she said. Minato did as commanded.
"You actually got the camera crew here?" Minato asked.
"Yes, and you're working overtime. I expect AT LEAST enough material for a TV advertisement and three other magazine shots." Nemissa said.
"To increase my fame even more? Certainly." Minato chuckled. Nemissa forced him into the room with the camera crew, and the shooting began.
Three hours of posing, panting, and uncomfortable camera angling later, Minato walked into the office once more. "So, when do you think the TV advertisement should be ready?" he asked.
"In about a week or so. The magazine ads will be ready for the beginning of the month releases." she said without looking away from her laptops.
"Nice. Are you gonna get all digitally intimate with me again?"
"Should I feel it adds to the effectiveness of the ad, then yes, I will."
"Then do you mind if I say we have a thing going on?"
"You can say whatever you want. I'll deny it completely."
"… Unusually reserved today, aren't you?" Minato asked.
"I'm busy thinking of ways to make you pay for skipping work this week." Nemissa said.
"… How about I slide you 40,000 yen and we call it even?" Minato asked. Nemissa stopped and turned to see him put the money on her desk. He backed up with a sly grin. "Boom."
"… Consider it done." Nemissa said. "You've learned how this works."
"Cash is king, right?" Minato said. "I should hurry and finish my shift. I can't pass up the time to play with my adoring puppets."
Nemissa chuckled and went back to work as Minato changed and began his work. He made sale after sale, and the day quickly drew to a close. He bid Nemissa goodbye and returned to the dorm. Yukari and Junpei were the only ones in the lounge at the time.
"Oh, hey!" Yukari greeted as he entered. "… That's a pretty gruesome shirt."
"I think it's nice." Minato said as he signed in. "Anybody hungry?"
"Actually, don't bother cooking! Our senpai said they'd treat us to a big meal for doin' so well and SEES makin' so much progress and whatnot!" Junpei said. "I hope it's some fancy stuff!"
"It was a spur of the moment thing… apparently Mitsuru-senpai insisted she give us something for our efforts." Yukari said.
"… That prayer better work." Minato thought. "I guess she thinks as a leader she hasn't been rewarding us adequately… I see where she's coming from."
"Hey, if it means I get free food, I'm fine with it!" Junpei said. Yukari sighed.
"Of course you are, Stupei." Yukari said.
"You won't be callin' me that once the scores come out, Yupid." Junpei said.
Minato left the two of them to their bickering and showered. He changed into a casual blue t-shirt and black athletic shorts, ditching his cap for the day. He went back down to the lounge to see the door open. Mitsuru walked in, followed by Shinjiro and Akihiko, both of whom had huge bags presumably full of food.
"Clear the table. It's eatin' time." Shinjiro said as he walked in.
"Somebody's hungry." Minato said. He moved to clear the table. After plates were arranged, seats were taken, and drinks were served, Mitsuru sat at the head of the table across from Minato. The side of the table closest to the door was completely empty.
"I'd like to take a moment to personally thank each and every one of you for your efforts." Mitsuru said.
"Huh? I mean, you really don' have to…" Yukari said.
"No, I must, Yukari… I have treated all of too much like soldiers, as you said before." Mitsuru answered. "I'll go around in order, if you don't mind."
"Then would it be me or Minato first?" Akihiko asked.
"I'll start with you, Akihiko." Mitsuru said. She cleared her throat. "I have never truly said how much I appreciate your continued dedication and loyalty… you and Shinjiro were the first members of SEES other than myself, and even though Shinjiro had to leave, you remained, knowing full well what could have happened to him. I'm truly thankful for all the times you remained by my side."
Nobody expected Akihiko to blush and look away. He was at a loss for words. "I-it was nothing!" he said loudly. "I-I mean I'd do it again in a heartbeat!" Shinjiro started snickering, and was followed by the rest of SEES. "H-hey! What the hell?!"
"We know we can count on you, Akihiko… it's a comfort to all of us." Mitsuru said. Akihiko just took a deep breath and nodded. After the snickering stopped, Mitsuru turned her attention to Shinjiro.
"… You can skip me if you want. I know I got mostly disappointments under my belt." he said.
"That's not entirely true, Shinjiro." Mitsuru said. "Without you, SEES never would have made it far from its origins… you were always ready for action, and never backed down from a fight. Even now, though your personality has changed, you still live by those principles. You returned to SEES after all this time, even stronger than before, and now act as an integral part of the team. You're more than your past. You've already proven it."
"… Tch." Shinjiro said. He pulled his beanie down, obscuring his eyes, but he couldn't hide his small smirk. "Call me Shinji. You're the only one who doesn't at this point."
"It would be my pleasure." Mitsuru said. "Now, Yukari… where to start?"
"Hey, you don't have to force anything… I know I'm the least enthused one of us…" Yukari said.
"… Though that may be how you view yourself, you are an irreplaceable part of the field team. You are first and foremost the healer of the team. That in of itself makes you as invaluable as our leader." Mitsuru said. Yukari just blushed and looked down. "We're all thankful for your presence."
"Way to go, Yuka-tan." Junpei said. ''Gettin' a lotta praise from Mitsuru-senapi."
"Don't think I haven't been watching you, Junpei." Mitsuru said. "It's as you said last night. You've solidified your position as SEES second in command on the field, and have improved both physically and mentally at a rate I originally thought impossible for anyone… you're presence is critical both to our strength and our morale."
"H-hey, I didn't do much…" Junpei said, lowering his cap over his head. "I mean, I was jus' tryin' my best. But thanks."
"Hey, show a little pride there! You're my rival, right?" Minato said, giving Junpei a little jab. Junpei chuckled and raised his head high.
"You've got that right! Of course I'm givin' it my all!" he said with a fist pump. Everyone gave a little laugh. Mitsuru finally turned to Minato, who was still chuckling about Junpei's little action.
"Hmm… and what to say about SEES field leader, Minato?" Mitsuru asked. "You work tirelessly, perhaps even more so than I, and put the well-being of your comrades before even your own… You aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to accomplish whatever is required of you, even if it may cost you your life… I believe there is nothing to say but this: You are the perfect man for the job."
Minato just smiled back as naturally as he could. It may have looked creepy, but the members of SEES knew otherwise. He had nothing to say back here. No cocky remarks. It was praise he took to heart.
"Thank you for humoring me." Mitsuru said. "Shall we begin?"
"Ya don't have ta ask me twice!" Junpei said. The dinner began.
After a meal in a generally pleasant atmosphere, Minato and the rest of SEES returned to their respective rooms. He spent the majority of the night studying, until it was almost the Dark Hour.
"I haven't trained with Shin in a while. Don't want to disappoint as the leader of SEES now, do I?" Minato thought as he left via his window. He hurried to Iwatodai Station and got on a train to Tatsumi Port Island. He arrived and made his way to the back alleys. They were strangely deserted when he arrived, and the Dark Hour came about soon after his arrival. He entered the area Shin usually resided in, only to see a man in a green army suit with a golden vest, gauntlets, shin-guards, and ridiculous robotic helmet, wielding an assault rifle with a dimly glowing red chainsaw attached to the underside in his right hand and a quad-barreled shotgun with four electrified bayonets attached to each barrel. He walked into the scene opposite from Minato, and immediately aimed both of his guns at him.
"Minato Arisato." the man said.
"Captain Hazama. Testing your Demonica out?" Minato asked.
"What business do you have outside of Tartarus during this hour?" he asked.
"I was taking a nightly stroll." Minato said. "I can't let this guy meet Shin. They'll wreck half of the city."
"Do you expect me to believe that?" Hazama asked. "If you don't answer properly this time, I will eliminate you."
"… I'm here to meet someone." Minato said.
"And who would that be?" Hazama asked.
"Me, his sensei." Shin said, emerging from the tunnel that led to Club Red Hawk. Hazama turned one gun on him as he walked forward.
"Sensei… You train in this hour?"
"When SEES isn't exploring Tartarus and I'm not busy, yes, I usually train with Shin in the Dark Hour." Minato said. "He's the one that teaches me how to best use my demonic powers."
"That's correct." Shin said, still walking forward. "I think you should lower your weapon… unless you're looking for a fight."
Hazama turned both weapons on Shin, recognizing him as the most immediate threat. "In that case, you must train away from the city to avoid causing damages." he said.
"We train in an isolated location." Shin said. He stopped, with Hazama's guns right in front of his face. "Leave us. We mean no harm to this city."
"... Very well. If I find any damages after this session, I will find you." Hazama said. He lowered his weapons. "Who are you?"
"Shin Managi… though most know me as Hitoshura."
"… We'll speak again." Hazama said. He walked past Minato and left.
"… You might have just saved my life." Minato said after Hazama left.
"You couldn't have won against him. There was a good chance of you fleeing, but you cannot run forever." Shin said. "I need to teach you how to fight against more than one opponent now. Come."
Minato did as instructed, and was taken to the wasteland again. Shin waved his hand, and created three identical copies of himself. "These copies will fight at the same level I was previously training against you with. Once you can kill all three of them without dying once, you'll be ready to move on. Should you die, I'll resurrect any copy you killed." he said.
Minato awakened and prepared himself. "Three on one, huh? Let's see what I can do." he said.
The first of Shin's clones rushed forwards and started trading blows with Minato. Almost immediately after a few quick hits, a different clone trapped Minato's lower half in a case of ice. Unable to defend himself, the clone he was fighting shattered his lower body, and punted his upper half away. He landed, flopped around, and was then healed.
"That was only two. You have to be able to take all three." Shin said.
"… This might take a while." Minato said, preparing himself once more. This time, he charged in, and summoned Jack's cleavers. He threw them forwards, forcing the first clone to hit them away. He drove a hard knee into its gut and sent it tumbling backwards. He landed, and a second clone tried to smash him into the ground. He rolled away, narrowly dodging the strike, only to be consumed by a ball of fire. He rushed out of the blaze, smoking, only to be greeted by the second clone's fist into his abdomen. He was knocked back into the fire and then out again, only to be greeted by a spine shattering kick by the first clone. He crumpled, and was stomped into the floor.
Another resurrection. Minato rose to his feet and saw the three clones all standing next to each other, staring at him from the distance. He grit his teeth, and drew his Evoker. "Mutilate!" he called. Jack appeared and rushed forward, cleaver at the ready, and went to slice the clone in the middle clean in half. It caught the blade, and the second clone kicked Jack's head clean off. In that time, Minato had rushed at the third clone and lunged at it. It stopped him before he could connect, and he summoned Matador's sword. It emerged and pierced through the clone. With a cackle he pushed down on the hilt with all his might, ripping clean through the clone's body and splitting its head into two. It fell, and he turned to take Jack's cleaver straight to the neck. He saw his body fall as his head plopped to the ground.
His eyesight went black for a moment, but he resurrected once more to see the three clones again standing in front of him. "This will definitely take a while." Minato said.
"Simply trying to isolate them one at a time will do you no good." Shin said.
Minato passed the hour dying repeatedly, occasionally dragging a singular clone down with him. He had gotten better at surviving their onslaught overtime, but had yet to find an efficient method of attacking on his own. Shin teleported him back to Tatsumi Port Island, and bid him farewell. Minato returned to the dorm and spent the night devising new battle tactics.