"Woof!" Koromaru wagged his tail, sitting next to Mitsuru on the command room couch.

Koromaru was joining SEES. That was hard to believe. He was wearing a collar which helped control his Persona. In other words, it's an Evoker for dogs.

'I'll return the favor,' Koromaru said. That's one loyal dog.

"Welcome aboard, Koro-chan!" Fuuka smiled.

"Running with you would be a good exercise," Akihiko said.

Yukari picked the red armband from the suitcase and put it around Koromaru's left front leg. She adjusted the wings attached to the collar. "Okay, Koro-chan. You look good!"

"Hey, make yourself at home." Junpei petted the dog. "Who cares if you're a dog? The more the merrier! Let's take a walk together sometimes."

Everyone here loves dogs, huh.

Koromaru needed exercise, so everyone got a job. Taking the dog out for a walk wasn't too bad.

"Koromaru seems very happy. He is able to go on his walk and come here with his friends," Aigis said.

"Arf arf!"

"This must be where the Summer Festival I have heard about will be held tomorow. For what reason is it required to clothe oneself in a yukata?"

Being with these two nonhumans were relaxing. Minato felt like socializing drained him, like something was expected out of him. That's why all those people left him and forgot him all those years ago. But Koromaru and Aigis were just there. They talked, and somehow a comfortable place was created between them.

Footsteps.

The beanie guy walked to the playground. Minato looked at him, that guy who always mind his own business. "You."

He chuckled. "I have a name, you know."

But I don't know, okay? "Why are you here?"

"Checking up on him."

Minato looked at the dog too. "If you worry that much, why don't you come back to the dorm?"

"I'd rather not."

Koromaru noticed the guy. He dashed toward and jumped at him.

The beanie guy petted the white dog. "Heh. Cheerful as always…"

When Minato was near the beanie guy, he could feel... loneliness. Someone who avoid attention, much like Minato himself, but this guy seemed to be making the extra effort of removing himself from the world.

There was a knock on his door in the morning. Minato opened it and saw a dark blue yukata in Aigis's arms.

"It's Summer Festival today? I'm free."

"You are free," Aigis said. "Will you accompany me in exploring Naganaki Shrine this evening?"

Minato nodded.

"I am looking forward to wearing this special item of clothing called a yukata." Aigis held her clothes up. "This will be a new experience for me. However, I do not know how to equip a yukata on my own. Could you help me?"

...

"Arf! Arf!" Koromaru barked as the android and her leader slowly made their way down the stairs. SEES were all in the lounge.

"Good morning." Aigis released her grip on Minato's arm, bent down and petted the white dog. She straightened up with a frown. "This yukata is difficult to move in. It is not suited for an operation."

"So, Junpei," Minato said. "Do you have plans?"

"No, I'm not going, I think." Junpei sighed. "Of course, I am in a financial crisis… But really, I'd like to go to events like this with a special girl, not by myself."

"What if you find a special girl today?" Yukari asked.

"Then I'll go to the Summer Festival!" Junpei sighed again. "Unlikely. So yeah, I won't go. Probably."

Minato nodded. "How about the rest of you?"

"No need to ask me," Akihiko said, glancing at Mitsuru who smiled back.

"I'll go with Fuuka," Yukari said.

"I have made my decision as well. I shall accompany Minato," Aigis said. "So Ju-Ju-Junpei has to go with Koromaru."

"Nah, I'm better off on my own…" Junpei stood up and exited the doom.

"I… feel bad for him," Yukari said.

The dog barked. The android nodded. "Koromaru shall come with Minato and I."

Fuuka raised her hand. "Umm but, it will be hard on Minato-kun, keeping an eye on Ai-chan and Koro-chan..."

Minato shrugged. "That's fine with me."

During the day, some people talked about last full moon.

"About Strega. Who do you think is correct?" Fuuka asked. "If the Dark Hour disappears, will our Personas and Shadows disappear too? But, according to a psychological book, everyone has their own Personas and Shadows... Umm I think I agree with Minato-kun."

"Minato trusts his friend. We don't know where the Strega guys get the info, but we know they stalk us. Ikutsuki-san never mentioned what would happen after all this ends..." Yukari sighed. "I don't know… Maybe they're something we'll never understand until we finish all this... What happen to the Lost? Will we go back to normal, probably just go back to being ordinary high school students…?"

"Now, we're already unknown to the world," Fuuka said. "In other people's point of view, nothing would change."

"Nothing, eh?" Yukari frowned. "I mean I get it... We're doing this not to be praised or anything."

The beanie guy was eating his usual vegetable ramen at Hagakure. As someone who didn't go to the school anymore, he enjoyed watching a variety of people come and go, so he immediately noticed a certain blue haired boy walking in and sat beside him.

"One special." Same as Akihiko's.

The beanie guy looked at him. "Why are you here?"

"I like this place," Minato said.

"You normally don't come here."

"Can't I break my routines?"

"You can do whatever you want," the beanie guy said. The ramen was served. Fast service as always. "Just killing time really. Now you got yours. Well, let's eat." He shoved some noodles in his mouth and winced. "Ow…"

"What's wrong?"

"… Forgot I had a cut in my mouth. It's 'cause Aki punched me."

The beanie guy told him a story about him calling Akihiko's fighting style reckless, but Akihiko thought he was being called reckless, so he got punched in the face by the boxer's left hook.

"You deserve that," Minato said.

"I think I don't." The beanie guy winced again. "Well, we get in fights all the time. Just get used to it."

Minato nodded. They continued eating, but soon Minato stopped. He sat there, staring at the white steam.

The beanie guy hoped he was being polite and not nosy. "What's wrong?"

"It must be nice," Minato began. "Having a family member with you."

"We're not blood-related," that guy said. "If you mean Aki."

"Who cares?" Minato grabbed the chopsticks. "You knew each other since you were kids. You must be… close."

The beanie guy thought for a while. "Yes, we are close, but that doesn't mean closeness takes a lot of time, just like love."

Minato looked at him. "Talking from experience?"

"No," the beanie guy said. "But I know it when my friend wants a queen. I know it when that girl wants to poison me with a rice ball."

...

They finished their ramen and exited the store. As they were walking to the back alley, Minato spoke up, "Did Akihiko tell you yet?"

"About what? I've already heard about the dog."

"Ken Amada."

The beanie guy turned to him. "What do you mean?'

"Ken was awake in the Dark Hour at the shrine, so he knows about everything now, SEES, Persona, Shadow…"

"And he stays in your dorm just like that?"

"Just like that," Minato said. "You don't like it, huh?"

"Sure as hell don't." The beanie guy put his hands in his coat pockets. "I never want him involved."