6/13 - Night - Iwatodai Dorm - Kotone

Kotone entered the dorm after spending the afternoon with Maiko at the Shrine. While she didn't feel that their bond got any closer, it felt like it would soon.

"Oh, welcome back, Kotone," Ikutsuki greeted.

Kotone blinked in surprise. "Hello, Ikutsuki-san, how have you been? Haven't seen you since a few days ago."

"Indeed, it has been a while," Ikutsuki agreed. "However, I'm here to drop off Amamiya-kun after that, so I decided to wait until I get to greet everyone."

"He's here?" Kotone asked to which Ikutsuki nodded. "Does that mean that he's-"

Ikutsuki chuckled. "We invited him, and he accepted. His room should be on the second floor. I'm sure that Akihiko and Junpei are with him at the moment, along with Mitsuru."

"Thanks for the info!" Kotone gave a salute to Ikutsuki. "I'll be going now!"

Ikutsuki chuckled as he waved off Kotone.

Kotone's thoughts raced as she climbed the stairs. 'He's here now? I thought that something was up since Mitsuru-senpai mentioned that he had been awake since the tenth. Is he okay? I've got so many questions.'

Kotone heard Junpei's voice ring out through the floor. "Wow, you really don't have much stuff, Ren!"

A smooth voice chuckled. "Well, yeah. I didn't exactly have much to begin with, nor did I think I would be settling down so soon," Ren answered.

"Well," Akihiko interjected, "just to let you know, we basically have free reign with whatever is in our room. I put some training weights and a punching bag in mine."

"Mine's all the cool shit I found," Junpei said with a smile.

Kotone let out a small chuckle as she shook her head. 'Of course, they would.'

Ren seemed to hear and tilted his head to see behind Junpei and Akihiko. "Hey, Shiomi-san," he said as he waved towards Kotone.

Kotone waved back. "Hey, Ren! Happy to see you here with us now." She reached the boys and placed a hand on her chest. "Drop the 'Shiomi-san' stuff. Use my first name. Everyone here except for Mitsuru-senpai does."

"Sounds good to me, Kotone," Ren said as he nodded.

Kotone felt a slight shiver as Ren said her name. "There you go. By the way, what happened to you? Mitsuru-senpai said that you have been awake since the tenth, but you only moved in now."

"Ah yeah. Ikutsuki-san wanted to do some tests," Ren answered. "Apparently, my Persona stuff is all new, so it doesn't hurt to know as much as we can."

Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What did you guys learn?"

"Ikutsuki-san said that he has the report, but he's waiting until everyone is here. I can't break the surprise either," Ren said with a sigh. "'Would be unwise to give out the surprise,' is what he said." Kotone, Akihiko, and Junpei groaned, only for Ren to chuckle. "I take it that puns are a no-go?"

"As field leader," Kotone said as she pointed at Ren, "I forbid you to say puns!"

"How can you be okay with it, man?" Junpei asked. "His puns are really bad!"

Ren chuckled with dead eyes. "I once knew a guy that always did bear puns. All bear-related, no idea why. I was too creeped out by the constant bear puns to ask. Ikutsuki-san is lightweight compared to him. At least Ikutsuki-san can read the atmosphere."

'Someone even worse?' "Did you personally know him?" Kotone asked.

"Oh no, not at all," Ren answered. "He just worked in a store that everyone passes through. He's pretty loud too, so everyone knows him. He's not bad, just a bit much sometimes," he said before coughing. "Anyway, Ikutsuki-san said that the report would come in a bit. You'd have to ask him."

"Gotcha. I'll bug him later," Kotone said with a smirk. "By the way, how's the move in? Is it going well?"

"Yeah. Everything was already clean and proper, so it was just a matter of putting away my stuff," Ren answered. "And like I said before, I don't have many things, so I can put them away sooner or later in my own time. Do you want to take a look? Akihiko-senpai and Junpei already saw it."

'That was fast...' Kotone thought. "You're not embarrassed to invite a girl into your room?"

"We just met, Kotone," Ren said with a slight smirk. "Nothing's going to happen."

"Wait," Junpei interjected. "You're not nervous? You just invited Shiomi Kotone, one of the most popular girls in the school."

Ren blinked his eyes. "Yeah, but, like I said, nothing is going to happen. She's only looking at my room."

"Damn... Kotone, I think we found someone that's immune to you!" Junpei said with a laugh, only to buckle in pain as Kotone elbowed him on his ribs.

'Damn you, Junpei! You're embarrassing me!'

Still, it was a surprise. Pretty much every guy at school saw Kotone as cute, and most girls even acknowledged that. Ren is one of the few that wasn't embarrassed to talk to her from the get-go.

"Sorry about that, Ren. Sure, I'll take a look," Kotone said. 'Maybe I'll get to see what goes on in that head of his.'

Ren opened the door, and Kotone walked into the room, Junpei and Akihiko peering in from the hallway. Kotone saw that his room only had the bare essentials. The bed was on the far wall. On the foot of the bed was his study table. There was space to the left of that, and then the dresser and TV stood next to the empty space, angled so that it faced the bed. Behind that was the sink and mirror. A luggage bag and backpack stood in the middle of the room.

The emptiness was...scarily similar to hers.

"Do you plan on buying some things for your room?" Kotone asked.

Ren nodded. "Not a lot, but some. Some sort of stand, maybe a plant to take care of. A couch between the TV and the table for sure," he said as he pointed throughout the room where he planned to put stuff. "Outside that, nothing else. I'm not the type to have a lot of things."

"How come?" Kotone asked with a quizzical look at Ren.

Ren glanced back at Kotone and coughed. "I guess it's some wish that I would get adopted, so I didn't have anything permanent in case I would move out," Ren said and then sighed as Kotone flinched. He leaned closer to Kotone. "Sorry. It must have brought bad memories. I heard from Ikutsuki-san that you were like me," he whispered.

'Damn, I walked into that one,' Kotone thought. "It's okay, it was my fault for asking," she said. The silence between the two became even more awkward than before.

"Hey," Ren said, "have you had curry?"

Kotone was not prepared for a question like that. "Sorry?"

"Have you had curry?" Ren reiterated. "I worked as a cook back in Tokyo. As an apology, I'll make some homemade curry."

"Really?" Kotone asked as her eyes shone. "You mean it?"

"You sure about that, Ren?" Junpei asked from the hallway.

"Yes?" Ren answered with a question. "How bad can it be?"

-Take Your Time-

6/13 - Night - Iwatodai Dorm - Mitsuru

Mitsuru sighed as she neared the dorm. It had been a grueling week, but it was worth it. While Mitsuru had to deal with the papers for Ren and Fuuka's residency in the dorms, it meant that two new people were now fighting alongside her to clear the Kirijo name. Remembering her grandfather made her shameful and angry; shame for trying to attain power at the expense of the world and anger for letting others clean up his mistake. Nevertheless, the man is dead, and all Mitsuru could do is play with the cards she was dealt with. With that said, Ikutsuki said that he had information about Ren's Persona powers and that he would tell everyone once everyone arrived.

Mitsuru opened the door to the dorms, and to her surprise, shouts and cheers greeted her as the smell of something delicious invaded her nose.

"C'mon Kotone!" Junpei yelled. "You can do this!"

Mitsuru glanced at the group that was huddled around the dining table. It was rare for more than a couple of people to meet at the dining table, yet it seemed like everyone was there today. Junpei and Akihiko were cheering for Kotone, who appeared to be eating something ravenously; Fuuka was like a lost girl, hopelessly glancing at everyone for anything to make sense; Yukari had her hand on her forehead as it seemed like a headache forming; Ikutsuki stood outside the group with a light smile; and Ren was...looking at Kotone with disgusted amazement while he held a pot on his hands.

"What," Mitsuru said, almost yelling, "is going on here?" Everyone's heads snapped toward her direction. Kotone was in the middle of eating a spoonful, with her cheeks like a squirrel's. Akihiko immediately stood up. Fuuka's face held relief and hope. While Yukari's had the same, it was more of a tired face than Fuuka's happy face.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko said, almost yelling too. "I swear we weren't doing anything bad!"

Mitsuru took a deep breath and exhaled. "Sorry, Akihiko. I didn't mean to yell. I was just surprised. I've never seen Kotone eat in such a manner, especially in front of new people." Everyone visibly relaxed. 'Am I that bad?' Mitsuru thought.

"Sorry about that, Kirijo-senpai," Ren said as he placed the pot on the kitchen island with a silicone pad underneath. "This would be on me. I said that I'd cook for Kotone, but I didn't think it would get out of control like this."

Mitsuru looked at Ren to explain more. "Out of control? In what way?"

Ren rubbed the back of his head. "Well... It turned out Kotone wanted more after the first batch, so I decided to cook more and more to match her... It didn't feel right to just stop cooking when someone wanted more. At this point, I believe we are at the fourth helping."

"So, you kept on challenging each other to get this point," Mitsuru summarized and then glared at Akihiko and Junpei. Both of them flinched at her glare. "And you two egged them on, didn't you?"

Akihiko deflated. "Yeah..."

"I mean, come on, Mitsuru-senpai," Junpei said. "It's hard enough to find a restaurant that would let Kotone eat enough without destroying my wallet! I just thought it would be a good time to get Kotone topped off."

"It's really good, Mitsuru-senpai!" Kotone said after she swallowed. "Seriously, you have got to try this. I feel like I could eat this forever!" She took another spoonful.

Mitsuru glanced at Fuuka and Yukari. "As for you two?"

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru-senpai..." Fuuka said. "I didn't know if this was a normal thing, and I somewhat panicked."

Mitsuru nodded. "That's okay, Yamagishi. This is nothing serious. And you, Takeba?"

"Well," Yukari began as she played with a lock of hair behind one of her ears. "I smelled the food, so I ended up here. I did try to get everyone to calm down, but they weren't listening."

Ikutsuki chuckled. "It's alright, Mitsuru. I was here to supervise them. If anything gets out of hand, I'll stop them. Just think of this as a team bonding event."

Mitsuru sighed. "You're right, I overreacted. I am terribly sorry, everyone."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Kirijo-senpai," Ren said as he put a plate of curry in front of Mitsuru. The smell became even stronger, and her mouth started to salivate. "Want to join in the festivities?" Ren asked with a small smile.

"Well, if you're offering," Mitsuru answered with a small smile and took the plate with a small serving. It smelled good, but Kirijo Mitsuru was someone that was raised by the Kirijo Group, one of the biggest companies in the world. Her palate was raised to be part of the highest classes. She supposed that she shouldn't destroy his confidence too much.

The spoon clanged on the empty plate.

Mitsuru blinked. "Huh?"

"Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked, gaining Mitsuru's attention. "Are you okay?"

"I-I am," Mitsuru answered. "I'm just surprised that my plate is empty now."

"That's because you ate it all, senpai," Yukari said with a grin. "Looks like someone zoned out while eating."

"Th-that's impossible! I would have noticed!"

"Senpai," Junpei interjected, "I think you didn't notice because you were too busy eating..."

Ren returned with more plates of curry. "I think that's enough teasing from everyone. Sorry, Kotone, but at this point, I think I should just serve curry to everyone."

"Not a problem! I'm so glad to be eating something that even got someone like Mitsuru-senpai! Give me another plate, please!" Kotone demanded as she presented her empty plate to Ren. Ren chuckled as he refilled her plate with curry and rice.

Mitsuru took a seat with a serious face, trying to calm down from what just happened. 'I let myself get carried away. I did not think that the curry would be so good, and I let my guard down. I couldn't even taste it. I'll have to be careful on the next plate.'

Everyone followed suit. Since Kotone was already sitting on one of the lone chairs, Mitsuru took the opposite hers. Fuuka and Yukari took the other side while Akihiko and Junpei took the remaining ones. Ikutsuki stayed up while Ren finished serving for everyone.

"Alright, now that everyone is here," Ikutsuki said after clapping his hands together, "I have some news on Ren's Persona. Would it be okay to talk about this now while you all enjoy his cooking?"

"Fire away, Ikutsuki-san!" Kotone said as she took in another spoonful of curry.

Mitsuru took a spoonful as well, mindful to savor it and not lose herself again. 'It's very good. The spiciness, complex flavors within it. However, it's missing something, but what?'

"To begin with," Ikutsuki started, "Ren woke up on June 10th. Mitsuru and I explained the situation to him then, and it was when he accepted our invitation to join SEES."

"Wait, seriously?" Yukari asked as she turned to Ren. "Right after you woke up?"

Ren shrugged. "What can I say? I don't like doing nothing when I can change something. Ikutsuki-san already explained that all these are connected with the Apathy Syndrome. If the Dark Hour is causing it, then I have to do something about it, right?"

"Indeed. From June 10th until yesterday, we ran multiple tests on Ren's Persona and his outfit," Ikutsuki continued. "First, Ren's outfit only appears within Tartarus. We have tested in different locations during the Dark Hour, and it has been consistent all throughout Tatsumi Port Island. His outfit augments Ren's abilities. He can run faster, jump higher, be nimbler, things like that. Funnily enough, it doesn't make him superhuman, just a powerful human. With his outfit, Ren's mask works like an Evoker; swiping it away acts like pushing the trigger for the Evoker."

"Then what happens outside Tartarus?" Akihiko asked. "We have the Full Moon Shadows to deal with."

Ikutsuki nodded. "A valid concern. Without his outfit, he is just his normal self. Due to this, we have given him an Evoker. Ren has already shown that he can use it in conjunction with his acrobatics."

"Hey Ren," Kotone called out. "Remember when you were running circles around the Shadows last time?" Ren nodded. "Well, what do you think about running decoy? You're the only one that can run around while summoning a Persona."

Ren nodded. "That's fine with me."

"That is exactly what we thought as well. As for weapons," Ikutsuki continued, "Ren is more proficient with a gun, but because of the possibility of running close to Shadows, he will be given a second weapon: a knife."

"You get two weapons?!" Junpei yelled out.

"Can I get a secondary weapon as well?" Yukari asked.

"You may, but can you use it well?" Ikutsuki asked. "Ren's Persona compliments his fighting style as a decoy. His Persona can buff his speed to dodge while inflicting the status ailments while fighting continuously. On the other hand, you are a ranged healer. You tend to be on the back lines from what your Tartarus reports say. I'm sorry, but we see no reason to give you a secondary weapon."

Yukari's face soured but nodded in the end.

'It only makes sense. Ren has already known how to use both these weapons beforehand. Learning how to wield two weapons now would only serve to distract us,' Mitsuru thought, agreeing with Ikutsuki's reasoning. She took in the last spoonful of the curry in front of her. 'It needs something...bitter. Is it coffee that this curry needs? What kind of combination is that?'

"On the topic of Ren's Persona, his attacks consist of Curse and Physical attacks," Ikutsuki said.

"You mean Mudo skills?" Fuuka asked, only for Ikutsuki to shake his head.

"No. They are similar, but not the same," Ikutsuki clarified. "They don't seem to kill enemies instantly, but function like all the Elemental skills like Agi and Bufu skills. In all honesty, it is one of the greatest information we have gotten from Ren."

"Yes!" Kotone cheered all of a sudden and grabbed Ren's shoulder, shaking him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Seriously, I've been trying to make those Hama and Mudo skills stick, but I end up missing most of them. You'll seriously help out against Shadows with Mudo weakness!"

"That's... Uh... Good to hear, Kotone. Happy to be of service," Ren said awkwardly.

Kotone looked up to him. "Please tell me you have a Hama version!" she said with a hopeful look, only for Ren to shake his head.

"Sorry, if anything, my Persona is weak to those. It's also weak to Ice skills," Ren said as Kotone deflated and let him go.

"Seriously?" Akihiko piped up. "My Polydeuces is the same!"

"On the other hand," Ikutsuki said, "his Physical attack deals a new status ailment we decided to call Sleep. As the name suggests, it puts enemies to sleep, allowing others to deal damage freely. As I've mentioned already, his Persona can also buff someone's speed. That concludes the report on Ren's Persona abilities."

"Sounds good!" Kotone said as she finished her batch of curry. "So, just to repeat it, Ren will be in the front lines as a decoy. Fuuka will be the navigator. Akihiko-senpai and Junpei will be on the front lines dealing the most damage. Yukari and Mitsuru-senpai will be in the back, providing support while taking potshots when they can."

"That won't work for Mitsuru," Akihiko interjected.

"Eh? Why not?" Kotone asked. "Mitsuru-senpai said that her Persona doesn't have any Physical skills."

"That may be true," Akihiko said, "but she's more of a mid-range fighter."

Mitsuru nodded. "Akihiko's right. While Yukari can heal and attack, she does both equally." Mitsuru glanced at Yukari, who nodded. "However, I deal more damage than healing. On top of that, I can also deal a charm status ailment on the enemy. I would be better in-between Yukari and the front lines."

Kotone hummed at Mitsuru's words, seemingly taking it in. "Alright then, we'll do that. The next time we go to Tartarus, I'll stick with the four-person group to explore it while the rest stay behind to protect Fuuka. We can't have what happened with the Emperor and Empress Full Moon Shadows to happen again," Kotone said, which the others nodded to.

'Agreed,' Mitsuru thought. 'The situation was dire until Amamiya and the others arrived. Takeba and I could have died then.' She clenched her fists under the table, keeping her face as smooth as possible. 'I cannot allow that to happen, not until the Dark Hour disappears.'

"That said," Kotone continued, "we won't be doing Tartarus for a while."

Everyone erupted with questions.

"Wait, how come?" Junpei asked. "Wouldn't it be good to go soon? We've got new members and the momentum from the last Full Moon Operation."

"That's true," Kotone said as she looked at Junpei. "But, Ren and Fuuka only arrived today. They will need to get used to this place and the Dark Hour first. We don't want them to get sleepy when we're exploring, do we?"

Junpei clenched his jaw. "Yeah, you're right. My bad."

"Alright!" Kotone exclaimed. "That settles it. You two should be good in two weeks, right?" Kotone asked Ren and Fuuka.

"Good with that," Ren responded.

"Same with me," Fuuka agreed.

"Then... How does June 28th sound?" Kotone asked, to which everyone nodded. "Then it's decided: R&R until the 28th!"

-Take Your Time-

Activities:

6/13 - Night - Devil 2

Social Links:

Fool - SEES - 2

Magician - Iori Junpei - 5

Emperor - Student Council - 3

Hierophant - Old Couple - 8

Lovers - Yukari Takeba - 5

Chariot - Volleyball - 7

Hermit - Health Committee - 3

Death - Mysterious Boy - 1

Temperance - Transfer Student - 3

Devil - Businessman - 1