May 13:
"Hey! Morning Narukami!" Junpei exclaimed as he simultaneously waved to Yu, who was slowly approaching the school gate.
Predictably, Yu wove back. "Morning, Junpei," he replied. "What's up?"
Junpei shrugged. "Not much." He then audibly yawned. "Man, I still don't feel like I've recovered from fighting that Shadow."
Yu glared at Junpei in amazement, his expression frozen save for the occasional blinking of his eyes. "But that was four days ago," he finally uttered. "How in the world can you still be tired from that?"
Junpei shook his head. "I dunno." He then sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Although, I'm not the best at staying awake during class normally, so…"
Yu nodded. "Ah, gotcha." Yu then began walking further into the school. Junpei must have thought Yu was trying to ignore him, so he ran back to Yu's side.
"H-Hey, where are you goin'?" Junpei stammered. "You know you've still got time before class, right?"
Yu nodded. "Yep. I just like getting to class before the bell."
"Oh, right," Junpei replied flatly. "You like being punctual."
Yu looked to Junpei. "What's so wrong with that?"
"It just makes you seem like… I dunno… a stick in the mud?"
Yu shrugged. "At least I'm making the grades I want."
"H-Hey!" Junpei fumed. "I-I swear it's not my fault!"
Yu chuckled. "Well, the teachers can be a little dull, so maybe you're right."
Junpei snapped back to joy so quickly, it's a surprise he didn't get whiplash. "See!? More of that is what I'm talking about!" As they entered the main hall, Junpei's tone turned serious. "By the way, did something happen yesterday?"
"Where is this coming from?" Yu asked.
"Well, I tried talking to Mitsusu last night about going to Tartarus, but she didn't seem to notice me." He paused as they began walking up the stairs. "In fact, she seemed to be glued to her phone all evening, not even Akihiko was able to get a response out of her."
Yu shrugged his shoulders confidently. "I wouldn't know. I went to sleep early last night."
Junpei snickered. "Seriously? Who are you, Minato-kun?"
"No, but at least I got some well-needed sleep." Yu followed this retort with a devilish smirk.
Junpei slugged Yu in the arm almost immediately. "You jerk! That was uncalled for!" Despite his response, Junpei still sounded pretty jovial at that moment; even when being teased, he could still keep his cool and joke back.
Maybe there's hope for him after all, Yu thinks as the crashing noise goes off in his head.
"YUUUUUU!" Hamuko called to Yu as he exited the school.
Yu sighed before putting on a fake smile, waving back to Hamuko vigorously. "Hey Hamuko!" He called back. "How are you feeling?"
Hamuko giggled. "I'm totes excited!"
"Why?" Yu asked.
Hamuko then latched onto Yu's arm. "Because I have you all to myself today! Right!?"
Yu then began struggling to pull Hamuko off of him. "H-Hey! L-Let me go!" His face began to shine red as he began imagining what the people around him would think about this embarrassing scene.
Hamuko giggled even louder, then released her grip on Yu. "Relaaaax! I was just kidding!" She then pointed her finger directly in front of Yu's face. "Y-You should-" She started snickering mid-scentence. "-S-See the look on your face!"
Yu pouted as his face returned to its normal skin tone. "T-That's not funny, you know that!?" He then stormed off, passing through the front gates as he heard the other students whisper amongst themselves.
"Heeey, c'mooon!" Hamuko called slowly as she ran back to Yu's side. "Y'know I was just teasing, right!?" Yu remained silent as the two of them continued to the monorail station. Yu's uncharacteristic anger later subsided, but he still wanted to get away from the school without sparking any additional rumors; all the while, Hamuko continued to attempt invoking a response out of him.
Yu sighed as the walked up to the station. "L-Look, I'm sorry I acted like a jerk back there."
Hamuko perked up. "Aww, it's okay, Narukami!" she replied gleefully; she then replaced her smile with a frown. "But jeez! You sure are stubborn sometimes, you know that?"
Yu opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "That's funny, Junpei said something similar this morning."
Hamuko nodded. "Wooow! Maybe he's smarter than I thought!"
Now it was Yu's turn to snicker. "Observant, yes. But I'm not so sure about smart." Hamuko began howling with laughter, as if that subtle jab at Junpei's expense was the funniest damn thing she ever heard.
"O-O-Oh my g-god, Narukami!" Hamuko stuttered as her laughter continued on. "T-That is just so f-f-funny! Bwahahaha!"
Yu patted Hamuko on the back as her laughing began to sputter out. "Relax, Hamuko. It wasn't THAT funny."
Finally, her laughing ceased, after which she began replenishing the air supply in her lungs through heavy breathing. "S-Sorry, Narukami. I-I don't know what happened there."
Yu shook his head. "No. I'm glad you found that funny." He paused, then smiled warmly. "Just don't let Junpei know I said that."
Hamuko nodded as she hugged Yu. "Don't worry. These lips are sealed."
Unlike earlier, however, Yu let Hamuko hug it out. By this point, it's obvious to Yu that he'll never fall in love with Hamuko, given her hyper energetic personality; however, the fact that she can go from over-the-top to sincere at the turn of a dime revealed that maybe Hamuko is a bit more down to earth than Yu gave her credit for when they first met.
After releasing her grip, Hamuko and Yu hopped on the train back to Iwatodai as the crashing noise went off in the latter's head.
Upon leaving the monorail station, Yu and Hamuko parted ways for the day, with Hamuko returning to the dorm by herself, while Yu made his way back towards the bookstore. Only this time, he wasn't going there to meet with the old couple (Minato wasn't in the mood to do that today anyway, he came to learn earlier). He was there to meet up with Fuuka, who was walking up to the bookstore like she had last time the two met.
Except this time, it was Yu who led the conversation. "Hey Fuuka-san!" Yu greeted as he waved his hand.
Fukka looked to Yu, after which she waved back with a half-hearted smile. "H-Hello Narukami-san! I haven't seen you in a while."
Yu nodded. "Same to you." He rubbed the back of his head. "In fact, I haven't seen you around much period. Trying to get out of the school quicker recently?"
Fuuka's eyes drooped. "N-No. Y-You haven't seen me at school?"
Yu shook his head. "Maybe I've been too distracted recently. I've had a lot on my mind, after all."
"O-Oh. That makes sense." Fuuka quickly recomposed herself. "So… do you need something?"
"Not need," Yu replied. "But I'd like to hang out for once. We only ever talk."
Although Fuuka looked taken aback by the suggestion at first, she quickly nodded in agreement. "Y-You're right. Where would you like to go?"
"I don't know," Yu replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't we just walk and see where we end up?"
"Ooh, I l-like that idea!" Fuuka replied with relief. She still had a stutter, but Yu finally got the impression he had struck a chord with her, which was a massive improvement from before. With that in mind, Yu began walking in the direction of Iwatodai Station, without a destination in sight, as Fuuka followed close behind him; however, she didn't seem eager to walk side by side with him, which again was understandable.
"S-So," Fuuka began before clamming up again. She then muttered to herself, trying to find the words to say as they continued to walk in silence. But all she could muster was apologies, both to Yu and anyone she may have bumped into.
Baby steps, Narukami, Yu thought disappointingly. At least Fuuka wasn't a Hamuko, because having one of her is excessive enough already.
Yu broke the silence once more. "A-Are you alright?" he asked Fuuka with a slight tremble in his voice. "You still seem a little shy."
Fuuka blushed slightly. "You don't need to do that," she replied, fully receptive and aware of what Yu is trying to do. "But thanks for trying." She sighed again, then continued. "B-But to answer your question… I've been a bit nervous lately."
That's an understatement.
"How's that?" Yu asked.
"W-Well… it's Moriyama-san..."
Yu arched his brow. "Who?" Right as Fuuka opened her mouth, though, the pieces connected in Yu's head. "Wait, you mean that girl who bullied you?" He stopped in his tracks and faced Fuuka, who seems uncomfortable with the subject. "Is she causing you trouble again?"
Fuuka bit her lip, then shook her head. "N-No."
Yu was similarly receptive to this. "You know that sort of behavior isn't okay, right?"
Fuuka avoided Yu's gaze. "S-She isn't that bad. She's just… misunderstood."
Yu sighed. "Can I tell you a story?" Fuuka nodded. Yu then directed her to a nearby bench, sat down, then continued. "I knew this one guy. He was known for fighting biker gangs."
Fuuka's eyes widened. "D-Did he really?"
Yu frowned. "Well… not exactly." He cleared his throat. "While yes, he did get violent, he only did it because they kept his mother awake at night. Yet despite that, he kept up the illusion of him as a punk because that's how he felt he was supposed to act."
Fuuka's eyes drifted back to meet Yu's eyes again, intrigued by the story. "So what happened? Did he get in trouble for that?"
Yu nodded. "Worst of all by his mom, who always had to apologize for episodes he had in town." He chuckled. "In fact, when my friends and I approached him for the first time, he chased us around town for watching him talk with a peer his own age." Just then, both Fuuka and Yu broke out in laughter as he finished his sentence. "But what I immediately learned from that was that he wasn't this emotional punk he presented himself as, and with time, we grew to be close friends despite how different he was to me."
"I see," Fuuka replied as she started to frown again as she processed this. "S-So what does that have to do with Moriyama-san?"
Yu's expression immediately darkened, topped off with a frown. "I'm saying that because I don't get that impression from her. She seems like a genuine bully to me."
Fuuka drooped her head to avoid eye contact with Yu again. "B-But..."
Yu sighed. "Look, I know you mean well. All I'm saying is try to stand up to her a little." Yu patted Fuuka's back. "But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this Moriyama girl is a nice person. But if you give her a reaction to her bullying, that sort of behavior won't stop."
"S-She's always been like that. I-I know she's just showing off, just like your friend."
Yu nodded. "I get it." He paused. "And sometimes, the friendliest people do things like that to try fitting in." Yu then stood up, and offered Fuuka his hand. "So if you believe that, at least try standing up to her. Don't tolerate her nasty behavior, but instead appeal to her nicer side." Yu then sported a warm smile. "Do that for me?"
Despite some hesitation, Fuuka nodded and accepted Yu's hand. "T-That's pretty wise." Once on her feet, she sported a faint, but genuine, smile. "I'll try that. T-Thank you, Narukami-san!"
"You're very welcome," Yu replied as the crashing noise went off in his head once more. More than with anyone else, Yu felt accomplished by getting through to Fuuka. Would she take this advice to heart? It's hard for him to tell, especially with how anxious she gets, but he was optimistic something positive would come out of this.
Yu then cleared his throat. "Well then… shall we get going?"
Fuuka nodded. "Y-Yeah, let's go." As they got moving again, Yu noticed that Fuuka had a subtle pep in her step; sure, she was still lagging behind him, but any positive change was still welcomed.
"Hey, man!" Junpei exclaimed as Yu reached his hand out to the dorm's front door. "Isn't it funny we got home at the same time?"
Yu sighed. "You were just tailing me until I got my hand on the door," he replied, unamused.
Junpei stammered. "W-What? No I wasn't!" He cleared his throat, then continued. "Where would you ever get THAT idea?"
"Izanagi," Yu replied bluntly.
On cue, his trusty Persona appeared before them. "Busted."
"Damn!" Junpei was genuinely upset by this reveal. "Hermes! Why didn't you warn me!?"
"You'd have done it anyways," Hermes replied without apparating. "Even if I intervene, you do ANYTHING."
"Exactly." Yu's face widened into a cocky smile as he entered the dorm, leaving Junpei fuming in the dust.
"Heeey Yu!" Hamuko greeted from inside the dorm, a smile on her face like always. She then looked to Junpei, stomping his feet, as he entered right behind Yu. "What's his problem?"
"He's just sad I ruined his fun," Yu replied slyly.
Hamuko snickered. "You're SO evil!"
"I know."
Hamuko continued. "Anywho, want to help me study? Exams are coming up."
"Sure," Yu replied as he walked over to and sat next to her at the lobby's table. "I need to brush up on my studies anyways."
Hamuko clapped her hands. "Yay!"
"Is there anything specific you need to help with?" he asked as he pulled out his materials.
"No that you mention it..."
"Hey, wait just a minute!" Junpei was even more annoyed now. "First, you blow me off, and now you're just gonna ignore me?"
Yu glanced at Junpei. "How are your grades, Junpei?"
"T-That's not the point, you jerk!"
Hamuko cackled in joy. "Sounds like SOMEONE'S not ready!"
Junpei then pointed to the two of them. "That's a low blow, and you both know it!"
"What's a low blow?" Yukari asked as she walked down the stairs, completely oblivious to the context of Junpei's rage. "Anyways, who are you talking..." She turned her head to see Hamuko and Yu, studying diligently. "Oh, hey you guys. Are you studying for exams?"
Yu smiled. "Want to join?"
Yukari nodded. "Yes please! I need all the help I can get!"
Junpei's anger turned to dumbfoundment. "S-Seriously!? All of you would rather study?"
"Oh, so I assume you're ready for exams, then?" Yukari snapped back.
Junpei gulped. "O-Of course I am!"
Yu started back at Junpei with a devilish smile. "Do you remember when numbers were invented, Junpei?"
"Ooooooh!" Hamuko whooped. Yukari just smirked in amusement as Junpei attempted to think of the answer, his journey visualized by his contorting face constantly morphing.
"...Well? Do you know?"
Junpei nodded vigorously. "Y-Yeah, just give me a minute." He then rubbed the sides of his head. "I just need to get the juices flowing. Surely you understand."
"Of course," Yu replied sarcastically, though still amused by Junpei's reluctance to even throw out a guess. At that moment, he noticed the front door open again.
"Ooh, I got it!" Junpei replied, clearly influenced by the sound of the door opening. "It's…!"
"6,000 years ago!" Hamuko suddenly blurted out.
The new arrival, Mitsuru, clapped. "Very good, Hamuko," she replied earnestly. "It looks like your study session is serving you well." She then looked at Junpei, who was still slowly turning his body to face her. "Although I'm not surprised that Iori didn't know that one."
Junpei then pouted. "I knew it, I swear!"
Mitsuru frowned. "Well with that attitude, I'm not optimistic about your exam results." She then started walking, almost effortlessly, towards the stairs. "Even if you study." Junpei opened his mouth to reply, but he clammed up and walked towards the front door to leave as the peanut gallery burst out into synchronous laughter. Yu especially was shocked by Mitsuru's impeccable comedic timing with that snarky comment.
Junpei then promptly slammed the door open and stormed out, and walking in to take his place was a wide eyed Minato, who was no doubt shocked by Junpei's outburst. While Yu still laughed on the outside, internally, he was more shocked by Minato's expression, which had the potential to be more mentally scarring than his dip in Morooka vomit.
Hamuko was the one to greet him. "Heeey, Minato-kun!"
Minato blinked. "W-What's his problem?"
Yu chuckled. "THAT… is a funny story."
May 16:
"Oh, you came back," the afro man greeted as Yu walked into the club.
Yu nodded. "I did tell the manager I would come back to work since he offered."
The man scratched his head. "But why?"
Yu shrugged. "Stubbornness."
The man chuckled. "I feel that. I used to be the same way."
"You? Mr. Dull and Drab?" The man looked back at his drink, an indication that comment might have hit a bit close to home. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
The man held up his hand. 'Nah, you're alright." He sighed. "You just don't understand how real that is."
Yu sat next to him, interested. "What changed?"
"Life."
Yu looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
The man shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out someday."
"Okay..." Yu then realized something. "Oh, that reminds me, I never caught your name last time."
The man remained silent, as if the topic bothered him. "Why is that?"
He shrugged. "I didn't think you'd come back, honestly."
"Well, I'm planning to be here in the long term, so unless you want me to call you 'Afro Guy...'"
The man chuckled as he ruffled his hair. "Afro Guy wouldn't be so bad." He then took a gulp of his drink, and continued. "But you're right, I guess." He extended his hand to Yu, cautious but swiftly. "Name's Vincent."
"Yu. Yu Narukami," Yu replied as he shook Vincent's hand. "How long do you plan on being in town?"
He shook his head. "Who knows? I don't really know where my life's headed anyways." Yu began to speak, but Vincent, again, held up his hand. "But don't lose sleep over me. It's not worth it."
Yu nodded reluctantly. "I won't. I hope you figure things out soon."
Vincent nodded. "Thanks kid." The crashing noise went off in Yu's head, and immediately after, he heard another familiar voice.
"What are you doing back here!?" the manager shouted, just as surprised at his return as Vincent.
Yu was quick to the draw, though. "You said I could come back every other Saturday, so I did!" He then smirked. "Even though last time I came in here, it was a Friday. Do you think I'm that dumb?"
The manager stammered, but then shook his head. "N-No, I don't think. I..." He then grunted in anger. "J-Just get to work before I have you thrown out!"
"Better get on it," Vincent replied, a tinge of pride in his voice.
Yu nodded. "Will do," he replied as he headed to the back of the club to get ready for the long night ahead.
May 17:
"You excited to be back in action after midterms?" Yu asked Akihiko as the two studied as a duo.
Akihiko nodded while keeping his eyes on the books. "You bet! It feels like I've been itching to get back into the swing of things for ages!"
"I know," Yu nodded as he diligently memorized various English translations he'd been taught throughout the term. "But how are you feeling about the exams?"
Akihiko's face twisted to a grimace, a telltale sign of the sentence to follow. "Well… what do you think?"
Yu nodded. "It'll be alright, man," he reassured. "You're taking more initiative than Junpei is, at least.
Akihiko chuckled. "Thanks, but that's not saying much." He twirled his pencil between his fingers, almost like he was trying to remember something by doing so. "H-Hey, speaking of, what's his deal lately?"
Yu looked to him. "What do you mean?"
He sighed as he paused to stretch his arms. "He seems a lot more… irritable lately."
Yu chuckled. "Well, part of it is everyone at the dorm has been giving him a hard time about his work ethic."
"Seriously?"
Yu nodded. "Oh yeah. Did you hear about what happened the other night?"
Akihiko shook his head. "No. What happened?"
"It's a long story." Yu then shook his head himself. "But that's not the only reason he's been moody lately." He paused, as he didn't know how to put it into words.
"It's because he feels insecure, isn't it?" Akihiko replied bluntly.
Yu looked at him in surprise. "T-That's…" He paused, recollected himself, then continued. "How did you…?"
"C'mon man, it's obvious." He sighed. "I know you mean well, and I know you're friendly towards him, but he clearly has a problem working under other people."
Yu nodded. "I mean, yeah, that's probably true, but..."
"Look, I'm not saying he's wrong to feel that way. Believe me, I know how it feels." He then rubbed his shoulder, his face back to a grimace. "What I am saying is that yeah: he doesn't like being second fiddle. But a lot of us are going through actual shit right now, so he needs to grow up and take one for the team!"
In that moment, Yu didn't know how to respond to Akihiko, even though he knew what he just said was right. Yukari was dealing with an absent parent. Mitsuru stresses about Dark Hour operations. Minato had no parents at all and has the task of leading trips into Tartarus. Hell, even Yu recalled the situation he's in now, which is a hell of a lot more serious that anything Junpei could claim to be unfair. Still, though, Akihiko didn't have to go THAT far.
Fortunately for Yu, he already had a response. "I-I'm sorry," Akihiko choked out. "I know, you don't take offense to that, but…"
Yu shook his head. "No, I understand," he replied. "And when you look at it that way, it makes sense."
Akihiko quickly pulled himself back together, and continued. "It's just… I see a little of myself in him, and I'd like to see him do better than me."
Yu nodded. "That would be nice, but I don't think its that simple to make someone change."
Akihiko nodded. "Yeah, I know..." He then looked up to the ceiling, paused for a moment, then looked back to Yu with a newfound smile on his face, and a more genuine one at that. "That's why I'll need your help to knock some sense into him! Can I count on you?"
Yu nodded back with a smile of his own. "Of course you can," He replied confidently. "After all, it's our ass if he does something stupid." The two of them belted out in laughter as the crashing noise went off in Yu's head. A bit of a touch and go conversation, but like usual, Yu feels like he understands Akihiko way more than he did before.
"What the hell are y'all laughing about?" This question halted the two's laughter immediately. But Yu wasn't worried; he just looked towards the dorm's staircase to find Hamuko, who clearly just ran up here to figure out what the commotion was all about.
"It's nothing, Hamuko," Yu replied. "I was just telling Akihiko a funny story about a fox."
Well well, here we are again. Once again, the story is up and running, but this time, I won't make any hard promises about constant updates. But I will say that, considering what's going on in the world, I have substantially more free time, so I will be writing more chapters and release them as quick as I can. In fact, by the time this chapter goes out, I'll be writing the next chapter, which should go out within the next week. Until then, I'll leave you be, and I hope y'all have a good day!
Oh, and here's the latest Social Link roundup:
Junpei (Magician) – Rank 6
Fuuka (Priestess) – Rank 3
Akihiko (Emperor) – Rank 4
Hamuko (Hanged Man) – Rank 4
Vincent (Tower) – Rank 2
