"What d'you make of our 'other' leader?"
Akihiko leaned back against the plush chair in the lobby of Nagi's movie theater.
"I don't know," he admitted. Giving it another moment of thought, he continued. "She seems nice. Bubbly, I guess?"
His friend eyed him, dumbfounded. Akihiko grabbed another mouthful of popcorn, raising his brow in question.
"Aki, you gotta be shittin' me," Shinjiro finally replied. He let out a sigh, readjusting his hat in exasperation. "I knew you were dense, but this is somethin' special."
Kamoshidaman was a strange movie, and the Investigation Team were a funny bunch.
Only their leader and navigator had spent any time in a city, so the tall buildings and bright lights kept distracting them. It didn't resemble Tatsumi Port Island (it was missing the distinct smell of sea air), but he kind of enjoyed it. It felt more like being home than the too-clean future or an ancient jungle.
Once in a while, they'd walk by restaurants that looked all too real. Most serving western-style food, which came with a familiar greasy, savory smell. He didn't go to Wild Duck Burget that often, but this was making him miss it.
'Miss' wasn't the right word. Nostalgic for it? That felt weird too. He couldn't even remember even going there in the past year or so.
Their motley crew of persona-users never ran out of things to talk about, especially when it came to food. He couldn't help but listen in. Satonaka's over-the-top reaction when she discovered that Okumura's family owned a fast food company in Tokyo was great. They promised each other that they'd all eat there together in the future. Amagi promised a free stay at her family's inn in return.
So seriously, too. He couldn't help but join in on the laughter.
Akihiko felt someone watching him. By the time he glanced to his side, Minako Arisato had pointedly looked off in another direction. A half-hearted smile tugged at her lips, as though she hadn't been listening but still wanted to be part of the fun.
He was starting to understand what Shinjiro meant.
"If I'm missing something, you could enlighten me instead of calling me stupid." Akihiko crossed his arms, unsure how else to defend himself. "Are you saying she's dangerous?"
Shinji always said he was thickheaded when it came to girls. Now felt like a bizarre time to bring it up again.
"No, you idiot. Her smiley, cheerleading thing seems genuine. I can see exactly how she'd get along with Iori and Takeba, in her world." Shinjiro peered past Akihiko as he spoke, a frown pulling at this lips. Concern for strangers was rare from him.
"But, somethin's wrong. She's been starin' holes in the back of your head when she thinks you're not lookin'."
Akihiko turned around, following Shinji's eye line. Once he spotted Minako, she seemed to be absorbed in conversation with Takamaki. He didn't know what girls talked about. Their nails?
"See? She ignored you again." Shinjiro told him. He got up from the comfy bench, shooting Akihiko a smirk as he walked away. "Damn, Aki. At least I gotta open my mouth before someone starts hatin' me."
For some reason, he couldn't help but think that Shinji was onto something. And it was starting to bother him.
It made sense. They were comrades in another world. They must have gotten along well, so having this wall up in the current situation was a problem. As a teammate. As an upperclassman.
...As someone who usually didn't care if girls did or didn't pay attention to him. For mostly those other reasons, it mattered.
There was a simple way to find out the root of the problem. Simple was best, in his experience.
"Alright, enough chitchat." He told the group. They stopped chattering for the most part, polite as usual when a third year among them spoke. "We've got information to gather for Elizabeth, right? The enemies in this movie are small fries, so let's split up and see what we can find."
He did his best to flash a friendly, approachable expression toward his intended target.
"Minako, you can come with me."
There was an awkward beat of silence. The girl's crimson eyes flickered up to meet his for just a moment, then fell downward again.
"Okay."
The rest of the team either ignored the uncomfortable exchange, or politely began forming their own groups. Everyone headed off in their own direction. He made a point to avoid Shinjiro's gaze.
He'd love to make fun of him for trying this, but he could do it later.
Akihiko strode over to Minako, mustering up his courage once again. He gestured toward a section of nearby streets that no one else had claimed.
"Alright, let's head this way." He offered, hoping this would garner more than a single-word response. Minako set off that way without him, a tight grip pressing against her naginata.
He nails scratched restlessly against the wood. They were a soft pink color.
After jogging to catch up with her, they began their investigation in relative silence. Groups of movie characters chattered excitedly about one thing or another.
For some reason, Elizabeth wanted to know what the most popular restaurant in Kamocity was. She wouldn't say why. Everyone agreed that, somehow, this was the most suspicious request yet. Even Theodore looked more annoyed that usual.
It was hard not to wonder if she was using them to deliver takeout for the people in the theater. As if they didn't have other things to do.
"So, uh... What kind of food do you like, Minako? Port Island is full of great places to eat." Akihiko tried not to cringe at himself. Small talk was hard, but he was getting better at it.
It half-worked. Minako started walking a little slower, and her body language softened. She seemed to be thinking very hard about her answer.
"Maybe... takoyaki?" She trailed off again, letting out a sort of self-deprecating laugh. "But that makes me sound like a little kid. Any food is good as long as I'm eating with someone else."
He nodded a little too enthusiastically. Getting two full sentences was a huge improvement. As far as he could remember, she only gave brief 'yes' or 'no' answers prior to now.
"I agree! I like making sure everyone is eating a well-balanced meal, when I can." They weren't exactly doing the most thorough investigation at this point. But, he was determined to keep the conversation rolling. "The second years, especially, have the worst diets. Junpei lives on instant ramen, and Minato hoards bread from school in his room at the dorm. They act like it's normal."
She didn't reply.
They continued walking in silence, and Akihiko tried to get his focus back on gathering information. But, it was too hard with how his brain kept buzzing, trying to dig up more things to talk about.
He did something wrong earlier. He'd figure out what it was and not do again. Easy.
"...Girls like desserts, right?" He tried again, remembering the sweets shop at Iwatodai Strip Mall. Yukari talked about that place a lot. "Any particular kind? I, uh, don't have much of a sweet tooth myself, but I guess pancakes are good once in a while."
This time, Minako didn't slow down at all. From his position behind her, he thought he saw her lips tighten in discomfort. It almost seemed like she was considering running away. Leaving him behind to ask stupid questions to the air. She kept walking.
"Do you really hate me?"
Akihiko couldn't stop himself. The words came out before he could swallow them. Minako stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn to face him. He began trying to backtrack.
"S-Sorry! That was rude. It's Shinji, he got in my head." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck, finding his excuse hard to verbalize.
Why did it bother him that this girl was so distant? When she laughed and joked with the others, what made him feel left out?
"If you can pretend I didn't say anything, I'd appreciate it. It's not easy for me to make small talk, especially since I don't know what girls like. Everyone agrees I'm bad at it."
Minako seemed to take a slow, even breath in. Then out. He took that as agreement to ignore his babbling. When she looked ready to go again, once last attempt at conversation tumbled out of his mouth.
"I-I, uh..! I like the color your nails are painted."
Akihiko wanted to punch himself . At least he asked decent questions before. Now he just sounded like a stuttering idiot.
He thought about apologizing again and vowing to shut up, but something stopped him. A quiet sort of sniffling sound was barely audible among the crowds of movie characters.
She turned her head to examine her nails, and he could see Minako's face in profile. Her eyes were downcast, and her cheeks were streaked with a few stray tears.
He had no idea how long she'd been crying.
"...That's the second time you've told me that."
Turning to look at him fully, a wide smile spread across her face. It hit Akihiko square in the chest. He'd only seen her smile like that at the others. It was so different to have it aimed at him.
"The... second?"
Minako walked toward him, giving a firm nod.
"Last night, when I was going to bed. I saw you before I went back to my room, to say goodnight." Her free hand grasped one of his. Akihiko looked down, again taking in the color of her polish. "It's a new color, and I used it for the first time. You noticed and told me it suits me."
Akihiko tried to come up with a response, but his tongue wouldn't quite cooperate. He might not be the most socially intelligent person, he'd admit that. But that didn't sound like a conversation between friends. He could barely remember the faces of other students at school, but her warm grasp was so familiar.
Was that why he cared what she thought of him?
"In your world... are we...?"
Minako laughed and let go of his hand, bringing her pointer finger up to her lips. Smiling and having fun, like this... This was who she really was, and she was showing it to him now. This was, somehow, something he already knew about her deep down.
"I don't kiss and tell, Senpai." And now, he was beginning to understand the root of her sadness.
"Sorry for acting cold. It was hard to pretend I wasn't hurt when you didn't remember me."
He once again found himself stunned into silence. Warmth crept up his neck and onto his face. His heart pounded demandingly in his chest. How does anyone respond to a string of statements like that ?
Well, he was never the best with words when action would suffice.
Gently taking her hand, Akihiko pulled it aside and leaned forward. He hesitated for a moment as their faces got closer. He found himself feeling weirdly jealous of the him from Minako's world. That guy probably had a lot more experience doing this kind of thing.
He urged himself to keep going, pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes closed, hand loosely threading their fingers together. (Keeping the naginata at a safe distance, the whole while.) Following suit was easier said than done, so he went with what felt natural.
Akihiko held her hand tight and cupped her cheek with his other palm. He pushed away the voice in his head saying "this is your first kiss, you're doing terrible" and focused on Minako. It didn't feel like the first time. She was familiar and soft in the best ways.
No wonder the other him liked her so much; he'd had the privilege of knowing her for almost a year.
The kiss finally broke, and Minako had to take a step away. She'd clearly been trying to keep from giggling, and finally had to give up. Akihiko sputtered, again, trying to defend himself.
"W-Was it bad? You don't need to laugh..."
Minako furiously shook her head, wiping away the few tears still clinging to her chin.
"No, no! It's not that at all." She straightened up, unable to fight the amused smile tugging at her lips. "I started thinking... If my Aki would be jealous that I kissed another him. It's funny, but I feel a little bad, you know?"
Akihiko wondered himself. Not long after, he confidently beamed at her in return.
"I'd definitely be jealous, but it would only make me want to kiss you more often. Does that help?"
Minako told him it did help, and they eventually went back to their investigation of Kamocity. Not that they tried very hard, though. As they laughed and talked about all sorts of things, one thought kept sticking in his head.
He couldn't wait to see the look on Shinji's face when he told him what happened.