Chapter 51: The Gods of 2-F

Minato was in the middle of rigorous training on the roof early in the morning. He stood at the center of the roof, Evoker aimed at his head. "... Here we go again."

He fired once, summoning Empusa to his left. Easily done. A second shot, and he summoned Power to his right, with some discomfort. He fired a third time, and shuddered. Shiisaa, a golden lion with a dark green mane and fur adorning its legs and tail, slowly materialized in front of him. Minato focused, and stared at the sky. "Mazio." he said.

His three Personae turned on him, and all roared. Each of them spawned numerous arcs of lightning that struck him repeatedly, and he shook violently. In the midst of all this, he tried desperately to summon Jack's cleavers. The black substance they spawned from came to his hands, and danced as he tried to maintain enough focus to give form to his weapons. He managed to get their handles in the first few seconds, but the blades formed at a ridiculously slow pace. They had gotten to about the halfway point when Minato collapsed, and his Personae vanished. He lay on the floor, twitching as the black substance left his hands. "… Another."

After a few minutes of lying on the roof, Minato slowly rose to his feet, and picked up his Evoker from the floor. "This time, it's happening."

He repeated his ritual, and tried summoning one blade at a time. He managed to create the first, but barely got to the handle of the second before he collapsed once again. He caught himself with the blade, and managed to remain on his knees. "… There's no points for trying. If you lose, you're just a loser. And I'm no fucking loser."

Minato rose to his feet and picked up his Evoker once more. He began his ritual again and repeated it a few more times. On his eighth attempt, the door to the roof opened. Akihiko and Mitsuru opened the door to see Minato begin his self-electrocution. "What the hell are you doing?!" Akihiko screamed, going over to stop him.

Minato let out a garbled scream, and his Personae disappeared once more. The electricity subsided, and he stood, hunched over and on the verge of collapse, both cleavers materialized in his hands. He was huffing and puffing, but he had his manic smile on his face. "... Training." Minato whispered. "Join me."

"Wha-?" Akihiko began, but was stopped when Minato shakily ran at him and swung a cleaver. Akihiko dodged out of the way, and backed away. "Hey, this isn't a game!" Akihiko screamed. He raised his fists, and Minato summoned between the two of them, it's back to Akihiko. He let the cleavers fade away.

"Zionga!" Minato yelled. Take-Mikazuchi raised its sword into the air, and a large bolt of lightning struck Minato. He staggered backwards, the shock lingering over him, and then swung his arms wildly, calling on Matador's sword and capote. He was barely able to continue standing as Take-Mikazuchi disappeared, but he dashed forwards at Akihiko regardless. "More… MORE!"

Minato made it a few steps before a wall of ice appeared in front of him. He knew it was Mitsuru's handiwork, but he decided to see what else he could do in this state. He tried to call on his strength Magatama and smash through the wall, but he couldn't do it while maintaining his weapons. His weapons disappeared as he broke through the wall and tumbled towards Akihiko. However, he frantically scrambled on all fours to keep his advance, and lunged at Akihiko from his strange crawl. Akihiko, let out a few curses and ran straight away, passing Mitsuru and closing the roof door behind her.

"… He'll pay for that." Mitsuru said, Penthesilea lingering behind her. Minato turned, looking for another target, twitching ridiculously. "Minato, I order you to stand down!"

"Do you want to play with me next?" Minato asked, slowly rising to his feet. His arms hung lazily to his sides, and his stance was crooked. He called on his speed Magatama, and appeared in front of Mitsuru almost instantaneously. "We'll have so much fun." he said, running a hand through her hair.

That was too much for Mitsuru. Her face twisted into an expression of pure horror. She let out a scream and kicked Minato away before forcing the roof door open and bolting down. "This is just too much fun!" Minato thought as he hopped back to his feet. He ran down the stairs as recklessly as he could, leaping over the rails and bouncing off of the walls while laughing.

Mitsuru had made it down into the lounge, and saw Akihiko barking orders to the rest of SEES. "We gotta go, now!" he roared.

"What the hell are you going on about, Aki? You know the guy. He probably thinks this is some hilarious shit." Shinjiro said. Mitsuru ran past him.

"Evacuate! Now!" Mitsuru yelled, dashing out of the door.

"Do you still think I'm screwing around?!" Akihiko screamed. He turned around quickly once he heard Minato's laughter. In a moment, Minato tumbled down the stairs, and landed on his side. He rolled over and got on all fours like some deformed spider, and licked his lips, his eyes twitching.

"Play with me, senpai." Minato said in as childish of a voice as he could manage. He suddenly twisted his head sideways, cracking his neck. "Don't leave me alone."

"… Fuck this." Shinjiro said. He turned and bolted. Akihiko looked at Yukari and Junpei, who had stopped eating their breakfast and turned to face Minato. They were at Minato's mercy, and only he could save them. He turned back to Minato, who suddenly crawled forwards at an alarming rate, and stopped half hanging from the back of the lounge couch to snarl at him. His decision had been made.

"Every man for himself!" he yelled, dashing out of the dorm after Shinjiro. Minato watched the door closely for a few moments, and then fell off the chair. He rolled on to his back and started laughing uncontrollably.

"... Dude?" Junpei asked. Yukari was cowering under the table, but slowly rose to watch Minato.

"That!" Minato managed to say in between two fits of laughing. "That was hilarious!" he continued. "The-the looks on their faces!"

Minato went on laughing, clutching his Evoker to his stomach and rolling around on the floor. After a good few minutes, he slowed down, coughing from having laughed so much, and rose to his feet. He straightened out his clothing, and walked over to the kitchen to grab some food. Junpei and Yukari watched him cautiously as he took a seat at the head of the table. "That was payback for yesterday, Junpei." Minato said.

"… I think you mighta gone a lil' too far." Junpei said. Minato chuckled.

"What can I say? I saw an opportunity, and I took it." Minato said. "But it was pretty funny to see them that scared, wasn't it? They all act cool and tough, so it was a refreshing change of pace."

"Uhh… well, I guess it's all good if you didn't hurt anyone…" Junpei said. Yukari shifted her eyes from Junpei to Minato rapidly.

"… How the hell aren't you scared shitless right now?!" she asked Junpei.

"C'mon, Minato's a cool guy… kinda scary, but I mean, hey, that's his thing, ya know?" Junpei said.

"And once again Junpei proves that he's infinitely wiser than Yupid." Minato said, eating his breakfast as if nothing had happened.

"… You forgot that he's kind of an asshole too." Yukari said. She sighed, and rested her head in her hands.

"That's mean, Yukari… isn't it nice for just us three sophomores to have the place to ourselves every now and then?" Minato asked. "After all, we aren't under any scrutiny except each other's, right?"

"… I guess you've got a point there." Yukari agreed. "Still, that was way out of line."

"Man, don't be such a downer, Yuka-tan. You gotta have some more fun every now and then." Junpei said. "Or else you'll be looking like that old bookstore lady in no time."

"What?! No way!" Yukari said. "I bet you'll look like that pervy old man first!"

"Yeah, right. I can't even think of too many times when I'm not havin' fun!" Junpei said.

The two bickered as Minato quickly ate his breakfast, and the trio headed off to school once he finished and changed into clothing that wasn't littered with battle scars. They took the train to school, and the day flew by.

At lunch, Minato sat once more with Kenji and Junpei. Kenji had a huge smile on his face. "Dudes, thank you so much!" Kenji said as they started eating. "Seriously, I-I didn't even think this could have gone so well!"

"Hey man, it was all you in the end." Junpei said. "Hell, we were just there for uhh… whaddya call it?" Junpei said.

"Moral support." Minato said. "Simply put, to boost your confidence."

"Yeah, that!" Junpei said.

"Even so, I owe you guys a lot! We're heading to Hagakure, on me today!" Kenji said. "Operation Goodbye Heartbreak is a success!"

"… Operation Goodbye Heartbreak?" Yukari asked, walking over to the group.

"It's a guy thing… you wouldn't get it." Junpei said. "… But what are you here for, Yuka-tan?"

Yukari sighed. "What, I can't come talk to you guys every now and again?" she asked, an annoyed look on her face.

"Woah… Yukari wants to talk to us?" Kenji asked with a cocky smirk. He cleared his throat. "It would seem Lady Luck is smiling on all of us, gentlemen."

"I thought it was just me." a voice said from behind Kenji. He turned, shocked, to see Catherine hovering behind him, staring intently at Minato. "Mind if I join you as well?"

Minato quickly looked over every other member of the group. He examined each of them as he skimmed them. Junpei and Kenji were definitely okay with her presence, but Yukari looked a bit uncomfortable with her sudden appearance. "Well, not like your opinions matter that much anyways." Minato thought. "Take a seat." Minato said, tapping his leg. Catherine smirked and took a seat on his lap, making everyone else's eyes bulge a little. Minato chuckled. "Moving all those chairs is such a hassle, right?"

Catherine let her body rest against his. "Yeah, it would be so inconvenient to do all that work." she agreed. She smiled mischievously at Yukari, who looked like she was seething with envy. "Weren't you going to take a seat too, Yukari?"

Minato and Kenji both shot Junpei a quick glance, and he copied Minato's posture. "Your seat's open, Yukari." Junpei said, hiding his anxiety well. Yukari glared at him, but silently took her seat on his lap. Minato and Kenji were more than amazed at his ability to keep his composure, but he managed to keep himself together. "… It's not that bad, right?" Junpei asked.

"… Not a word of this to anyone." Yukari said, glaring at Catherine. Catherine stuck out her tongue at her while Minato blew little kisses in her direction. She knew immediately they were purposefully annoying her.

Her rage was interrupted by the classroom door opening. Everyone turned to see Rio Iwasaki make her way over to the group. She stopped and stared at Minato, rage gathering. Minato gave Kenji a look, and Kenji knew exactly what he had to do. He would simply wait on his chance. "… Care to explain this?" Rio asked Minato.

"There are many people I love, my love." Minato said, playing with one of Catherine's pigtails. She giggled for good measure. "I can't help myself."

"You sneaky…" Rio began. She took a step forward, but Kenji seized his opportunity and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hey now, we're all friends here, right?!" he asked. He half-expected to get assaulted by Rio, and winced. Oddly enough, she simply sat there, flustered.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Rio asked.

"Uhh… You needed a seat, right?" Kenji asked. "A-and we're cool, right?"

"… F-fine. But don't think this changes anything." Rio said, getting into a more comfortable position. Kenji couldn't believe the response, and he looked first at Junpei, then Minato. All three of them just nodded to one another. Lady Luck was smiling on them indeed.

The girls were nowhere near as happy about their predicament. Yukari was busy glaring at Catherine, who just messed with Minato's hair and smiled back at her. Though her face was full of innocence to anyone not in the situation, Yukari knew she might as well have been laughing in her face. Rio was too busy trying to copy Catherine's little interactions with Minato on Kenji, which didn't work too well since his hair wasn't anything like Minato's.

"You know, we still have some time before class starts back…" Catherine said, moving to whisper into Minato's ear. "Why don't we go to the roof, hmm?"

"Hmph… as tempting as that offer is, I know a better idea." Minato whispered back, pulling Catherine into a very intimate hug. Everyone else quickly became uncomfortable. "You can charm people, right?" Minato asked.

"And if I can?" Catherine asked.

"Why don't we get everyone into a better mood? It'll be much more exciting than just going to the roof, don't you think?" Minato said. Catherine giggled.

"That sounds lovely." Catherine said. Minato felt a sensation similar to what happened when demonic power was exerted, and he looked at the other two pairs. Surely enough, Junpei and Kenji quickly became bolder.

"You know, Rio, I don't think I've ever told you how good you look." Kenji said, pulling her into a hug. "It just occurred to me…"

"… It's only been four years, idiot." Rio said, not resisting in the slightest.

"… Did I just create a hentai?" Minato asked his Fiends, watching the situation.

"… There's a good chance you just did." David said.

"Ahh, Japan." Matador said.

"Whoo! Let's get this started!" Jack screamed.

Minato chuckled, and turned his attention to Junpei and Yukari. Yukari had just taken off Junpei's hat while Junpei tried to do… something with Yukari's leg, though Minato was sure he wasn't going anywhere too sexual with it. "Looks like everyone's all comfy." Catherine said to Minato. "It's our turn now…"

Minato licked her neck. "If you insist…" he said. He reached for Catherine's skirt, and –

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" a girl screamed as she entered the room. Everyone snapped out of their trances and turned to look at her. She bled profusely from her nose, muttered a few lines, and promptly fainted.

"… How unfortunate." Minato said, retracting his tongue from Catherine's skin.

"Talk about bad timing." Catherine said with a pout. Yukari caught herself, and promptly put Junpei's hat back on before getting up quickly. Kenji stopped hugging Rio and she quickly got up. Everyone except Catherine and Minato looked extremely uncomfortable.

"… Umm, I-I have something to do." Yukari said, leaving very quickly. Rio followed suit, and Catherine laughed.

"Aren't they shy?" she asked. She got up from Minato's lap and turned to hold him by his tie. "Well, I guess we'll have to wait till next time."

"You know where to find me." Minato said with a shrug. Catherine giggled and left, leaving the trio of boys alone. Minato adjusted his jacket, Junpei fixed his hat, and Kenji dusted his pants. Junpei and Kenji went from blushing to beaming. "As of now, we are the Gods of 2-F." Minato said.

"Hell yeah…" Junpei said, leaning back in his chair.

"Emiri did say I should try and have my fun before the wedding… what's not to like?" Kenji asked, resting his head on one hand. They shared a moment of prideful silence, until another scream reached their ears.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?!" a boy asked the girl who had fainted.

"… Shouldn't we help with that?" Junpei asked.

"Probably." Minato said, rising from his chair. The trio assisted in getting the girl to the infirmary and managed to return to class as lunch ended.

After school, Minato stayed true to his word and went with Junpei and Kenji for some free Hagakure Ramen. As they walked through the hallways, they noticed quite a few people glaring at them. "… I get Minato, but Junpei and Kenji?" one girl asked one of her friends quietly.

"Dude, those two were just average at the beginning of the year… how the hell did they move up so fast?" a boy asked one of his friends.

"Is being friends with Minato all you have to do to score in this school?" the friend replied.

"Hear that, gentlemen? That's the sound of victory." Minato said quietly to Junpei and Kenji. They both snickered.

"You're crazy, man." Kenji said. "Still though, that was awesome."

"Yeah… looks like Cupid went and got Yupid for me." Junpei said with a little chuckle.

"Heheheh…You're making Ikutsuki proud, Junpei." Minato said.

They went to Hagakure, and all ordered a special recommended by Kenji. "Once again, I owe you guys so much." Kenji said. "Seriously… I didn't get to say this, but last night, me and Emiri… well, it was good."

"Dude, seriously? You went and… ya know?" Junpei asked.

"… Oh, no, not that, dude! We aren't even married yet!" Kenji said. "We just like… made out and stuff, ya know."

"That's funny. I wouldn't have thought a guy who goes after his teacher would be the type to wait for marriage before consummation." Minato said.

"Hey, it might not look like it, but even I've got standards!" Kenji said. He laughed. "And who the heck says 'consummation'? You're callin' me old fashioned?"

Minato chuckled. "Point taken." he said.

"Don't go messin' with my boy here." Junpei said. "He's legit about bein' all proper when it comes to love, bro."

"I can tell." Minato said. "… Why do I get the feeling that I should have been… a lot more involved with Kenji's life? Hmm…" "Hey, if you ever need anything or want to hang out, I'm usually available… well, unless I'm already taken."

"Yeah, you seem like a busy guy." Kenji said. "I heard you and Junpei got some stuff from Kirijio-senpai because you ditched to help me out… Must be tough if that happens, since you're in the same dorm with her."

"… Don't remind me, man. I thought it was gonna be a joke, but she's serious about those executions." Junpei said. "This guy here, though? Doesn't even flinch… it's creepy."

"If it's a cute girl doing it, it's not that bad." Minato mused. Kenji laughed.

"Man, I knew you were the type of guy that didn't stick to a type." he said. "… So, you ever pull any moves on her?"

"… Don't go saying this to anyone, but we're actually pretty close." Minato said. "Let's just say… I've seen her naked."

Kenji's jaw dropped, and Junpei tipped his hat to Minato on reflex. "Yeah, this guy convinced her to let him bathe her… and she liked it, too." Junpei said.

"… Have I ever told you you're the coolest guy I know, Minato?" Kenji asked. "Because you are."

Minato laughed. "What can I say? My swagger precedes me."

"Heh… chicks do like that whole arrogant thing, don't they? But it's not really my style." Kenji said. "Not that I'm dissin' it or anything. I mean, hell, look at what you pull off."

"It's cool to be the emotional type too." Minato said. "You might not get quantity, but you'll definitely get quality if you pull it off." He turned to Junpei. "So, what are you?"

"… I mean, I try to go for what you do." Junpei said. "But that's cuz I haven't really found a girl I like that much yet. When I do, I'll prolly be a lot more like Kenji."

"Huh? What about Yukari?" Kenji asked. Junpei laughed.

"Man, she's almost like one of the guys once you get to know her." Junpei said. "She's kinda cute and all, but I'm not into her too much."

"Then chalk one more up for me." Minato mused. Junpei and Kenji laughed.

"Hey, speaking of chicks, weren't you really close with that Yamagishi girl once?" Kenji asked. "I heard she's been missing, dude. Do you know what happened to her?"

"… Actually, no." Minato said. "One day, she just disappeared."

"Well, I actually heard something crazy." Kenji said. "Some people say Fuuka got dragged to school at night about a week ago by some other girls."

"… Aww shit." Minato thought. "… That's crazy. She would have gotten found by now." Minato said.

"I know, right?! I told them they were full of crap… I was wondering if you guys knew anything, but I guess not." Kenji said.

Junpei and Minato exchanged knowing glances. "Did they say where she 'supposedly' ended up?" Junpei asked, masking the question as a joke.

"Heh, apparently she got dragged around to the entrance by the gym." Kenji said. "But man, that wouldn't make any sense at all."

"Yeah, there's no place she could have been locked away for ten days in that area." Minato said. "Hell, even if she died there and became the supposed ghost from the story, at least her body would have been found, right?"

"No kiddin'… those rumors are getting stupider and stupider." Kenji said.

"People really talk a lot, don't they?" Junpei said. Their food arrived, and the trio enjoyed a quick meal before Junpei and Minato headed back to the dorm. They arrived and saw their senpai all seated in the lounge. They glared at Minato.

"Minato, you –" Mitsuru began, but she was cut off.

"Fuuka's in Tartarus." Junpei and Minato said at the same time. Their senpai froze.

"She got dragged to the school the night she disappeared." Minato said.

"… You're saying she's been in there for what, eight days now? She's as good as dead then. Case closed." Shinjiro said.

"Not so fast, Shinji." Minato said. "Think about it… doesn't Tartarus seemingly just vanish at the end of the Dark Hour, though it always forms itself at the start?"

"… What are you trying to say, Minato?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'm saying, there's a good chance that Tartarus only exists in the Dark Hour… so Fuuka may only have been in there for eight hours." Minato said. "… But, without a Persona or weaponry, I doubt she'd last that long. Shinji's not exactly wrong in assuming she's already a mangled corpse."

"… I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to know that theory." Akihiko said. "Still, there is a chance that she's still alive. If she managed to hide, she could definitely survive."

"Maybe, but the Dark Hour is pretty brutal…" Junpei said. "I mean, we could barely handle an hour when we first started… how the heck is she supposed to handle eight on her own?!"

"Are you just going to let her die, then?!" Akihiko retorted. "Even if the chance is slim, we have to take it!" He glared at Minato. "Cancel any plans you have tonight… we're searching for her."

"Alright then." Minato said. "We'll break into two teams. The auxiliary force, Akihiko and Shinjiro, will comb the lower floors. I'll take Junpei and Yukari and search the higher ones. We leave no corner unchecked."

"… The full moon is two days away." Mitsuru said. "If we fail tonight… we may not get a second chance to search for her. After all, we cannot give the life of a single civilian more priority than the safety of the entire city."

"... I know that." Akihiko said. "That's why all of you better be prepared."

"You realize there's the chance that due to Tartarus' shifting formation, she may be on a floor impossible for us to access?" Minato asked. Akihiko scowled.

"… The kid's right. And I don't think it's a good idea for us to just wait in random parts of the school for Tartarus to form around us, or we'll all be in deep shit." Shinjiro said.

"Then what are waiting for?! Let's all get ready!" Yukari said.

"… Man, this is gettin' real depressin' all of a sudden." Junpei said, lowering his cap. "… But it's times like this when the heroes arrive, right? Let's do this."

"Heh… my thoughts exactly." Minato said. SEES prepped and went to Tartarus, executing their divided search. Twice over, with no luck.

During their search, Fuuka was busy walking around the hallways. "Hmm, who to go after first once I get out?" she mulled over as she walked. An eagle Shadow flew from around the corner and came right at her. She caught it, and ripped both of its wings off before throwing it to the ground and stomping it to death. As it broke apart and began to dissolve, she kept walking. "… Definitely that stupid bitch, Natsuki. And her worthless friends too for bonus points."

Fuuka continued her walk around and returned to her thoughts. "Oh! How could I have forgotten? My precious little knight must be worried sick about me." she mused. She laughed. "Maybe I'll see how good he is at his job! After all… a knight's real purpose is to die for their princess, isn't it? Oh, that'll be fun once I get to it." She walked around, and reached another set of stairs. She stopped at their base. "… Visitors are here." she said. "But they're so far away, I doubt they'll reach me. I wonder if they're supposed to be my heroes?" Fuuka broke out laughing once more. "Actually, maybe I should just wait around and hope I run into them… then, when they think they're all big and bad because they saved me from the monsters, I'll turn around and kill the pompous shits. Yes. I'll do just that. This floor will be my residence until then." Fuuka walked away from the stairs and leaned against a wall. "But how to kill them? Hmm…"

After an unsuccessful search, SEES returned to the dorm as the Dark Hour ended. Akihiko looked the worst, having pushed himself the hardest to clear out floors as fast as he could. "… Tch… there's got to be some way we can get to her." he said.

"… I have an idea." Minato said. "However, we'll need to know the part of the school Fuuka entered Tartarus from. And I think Natsuki Moriyama holds the answer to that question."

"… She will be interrogated once we find her." Mitsuru said. "But for now… we have to call off the search. It won't do for us to rush in blindly tomorrow, and not be ready for the full moon. Our operation may be put on hold until the operation is over."

"Actually, I have an idea." Minato said. "If possible, we can search during the full moon. However, I will not participate."

"… You intend to fight the large Shadow alone?" Mitsuru asked.

"Exactly." Minato said. "Besides… both of you know I've yet to use my full strength in a fight yet. And trust me… it's leagues beyond what I can do normally."

"… You been holding out, huh?" Junpei asked. "Well, you did say so, but I mean… you sure you wanna go it alone? I mean, we've got five people. One of us can hang back with you."

"No… it's much smarter for me alone to fight the Shadow." Minato said. "After all, there's no guarantee that simply entering Tartarus in the same manner Fuuka did will take you to her location. I think it's best for three people to go in, one to remain on emergency standby with Mitsuru, and I remain on active watch. I'll have my Fiends monitor the city."

"… That's certainly the most logical option." Mitsuru said. "However, I won't be able to contact you from Tartarus with the transceiver. You will be on your own, Minato…"

"I wouldn't say that's how I work best, but I'm no slouch either." Minato said.

"Hey, don't go acting all cool just because you're worried about Fuuka too." Yukari said. "But still… it's our best shot, right?"

"… He's got a point." Shinjiro said. "And I'm pretty confident he can take anything that tries him. Even if he can't… I get the feeling he'd still be fine."

Minato chuckled. "Yeah, I've got a few contacts I could always call up if things get too dangerous." Mitsuru looked at Minato and Shinjiro, and then sighed.

"… Very well then. However, we will rest tomorrow. We need to be in top form if we are able to search for Yamagishi." Mitsuru said. Everyone nodded, and SEES dispersed for the night.