It had been almost three months since Minato moved to this dorm, and he had observed them, or more like Pharos observed them for him, really.

Fuuka recently joined. She moved plant pots into her room. Junpei played games and read mangas a lot. Yukari studied and watched series on her laptop. Akihiko went to Hagakure almost every day. Mitsuru either read novels in the lounge or study in her room. Minato hadn't spent time with his dorm mates too much despite Pharos' protest.

'Befriend them! Make bonds! They make you stronger, you know." Pharos huffed. "You aren't even trying.'

"In fact, I am, and walking around town every day to talk to people is more tiring than it looks," Minato said back. "How would you know if you've never walked nor made friends with anyone other than me?"

His after-school time was for people around town. He told Pharos that yes, it's for later. These dormmates aren't going anywhere whether he like it or not, so, it's for later.

Pharos got quiet at that. Hope he's not angry.

Ikutsuki wanted to tell them something this evening, so Minato and Yukari walked back to the dorm together. She kept telling him rumors and gossip he wasn't too interested in, but Ikutsuki and Mitsuru really didn't tell them much, he had to agree.

"Awww."

"Woof." The dog was at the stairs with Fuuka giving him dog treats.

Apparently Koromaru had a walking routine and that route passed their dorm. Fuuka was also good with dogs. She was more interested in Koromaru than in him, which was a nice change.

At the command room, the chairman told them about full moon Shadows, that there were twelve of them and that they have to defeat them all. Where did the info come from and why did he say it with such confidence? It was speculation, right?

Yukari didn't seem happy. She was trying to make seniors feel bad. Mitsuru had that face of someone who had secrets.

"We'll continue to progress up Tartarus. We have to do our best. If we do, we'll win. If we don't, we'll lose. It's as simple as that," Akihiko said.

Minato took a walk around town. He put his earphones on and was greeted by static sound. The faint rap song was there, but static covered most of it like static effect on a TV screen.

His life since living here was not bad. Those ten years were boring, so this year was a nice change. He had met a lot of interesting people, and Pharos was so eager. Pharos had always been with him this whole time. Meeting people was fun for him too, Minato assumed.

Who was the beanie guy? He was Akihiko's friend. He wore a pea coat and a beanie even though it was summer. He could cook and he loved dogs. That's all Minato knew right now. Oh, and he's a real badass. He didn't introduce himself yet but told him the dog's name. His name… was… S-Shi…n? Forget it. He couldn't remember.

Minato flicked his waist. A blue tarot card appeared. On it was a young woman holding up a lion. Beast and Beauty, with roman number XI. It was the Strength card. Minato recalled what Igor told him. 'Your social links depend on the sea of your soul. You can form a bond with a robot, demons, or even Shadows if your heart calls for it. Good luck discovering your social links…'

For him, it was a dog, huh? Not bad.

Yukari chewed the food slowly and glanced at him from time to time. Oh, Minato knew that look. He got it quite often. Women did that when they wished to ask a predictable question and he knew he should ignore.

Yukari finally looked at him and asked if he loves sweets. Answer's no. Normally, it would be time to walk away and never look back at those fangirls, but he was in his dorm now, and they were his teammates. Yukari tried again with topics came to her mind, toys, flowers, fashion. Minato shook his head. He wasn't into small talk, really. It was usually awkward and a waste of time. He didn't get how some people stand it.

Yukari glanced at Junpei as if calling for help. Don't tell me they are trying to talk to me, Minato thought. Most people thought if more topics were thrown toward him, he would be more likely to talk. Why would he when he didn't know them?

Junpei grinned and asked if he wanted to play games, or if he wanted to read manga, play baseball, hot chocolate...? Minato hesitated on the last one, still, no.

"You love animals, right?" Yukari asked.

Minato nodded. At least there would be some topics Minato was interested in that people noticed. It didn't mean he would talk to any strangers, however. Yukari and Junpei were not strangers.

"That's really nice! I love them, too!" Yukari smiled. "I would expect you to talk about it if you like them, though. Doesn't liking something alone make you feel... lonely?"

"Yeah." Junpei scratched his head. "If I can't talk about the manga I'm reading with Kenji or other dudes, I'd die, man."

"Really." Minato shrugged. "I don't like starting conversations."

"Ah, so you are an introvert!" Yukari said.

Then Minato was willing to bet with all the money in his bank that both Yukari and Junpei were extrovert. "I guess."

"Why do you like animals?" Junpei asked.

"They are innocent," Minato said. "And free."

"Like?" Yukari asked.

"When they do something, it's because of their instinct, so when they do something wrong, we can't really blame them," Minato said. "If they do good, we say they are smart. Because they are innocent, they get freedom."

"Huh..." Yukari said.

"Their minds are not that complicated. They live a simple life." Minato hummed. "They can be loyal and happy and just... themselves."