It's a humid summer night. In the dark sky, there was a waning crescent moon. Twenty days until full moon... One boy, one robot, and a dog walked up the steps of Naganaki Shrine.
"So this is a shrine during Summer Festival," the robot said. More like the android. The curious android and also one of his few friends in Iwatodai.
"Woof." Koromaru wagged his tail. The dog had a happy life in general. He was smart and usually in a good mood.
Minato didn't have anything to describe himself. He had blue hair and a nice pair of earphones. Also, a robot and a dog were better than girls. "Ready?"
"Ready."
"Arf!"
Minato pointed forward. "Commence the operation."
"Roger!" Aigis dashed toward the steps and disappeared in the crowd.
The white dog whined.
"What is it, Koromaru?" The boy sat down and petted the dog. He watched the blonde patrolled around the shrine, examining every booth like a little kid. "... I shouldn't have asked. You missed here, and you missed him, right?"
"Woof..."
Minato made a sad smile. He, too, missed this place. Ten years. Ten years he had been away from the shrine. Bright lanterns leading the way to the shrine buildings, people filling rows of booths, aromas of food, colorful clothing, children shouting, wooden shoes touching the floor, balloon popping, windmill spinning, chilling wind… Nostalgia was the most fitting word.
The android came back shortly. There were many types of booths. Toys, souvenirs, and food. Aigis had planned everything for tonight.
"Well done, Aigis," Minato said. "Lead the way."
They walked to the east section, starting from the far right row. Minato glanced at the relationship fortunes. He never used it. Like he had said million times, he didn't believe in superstition. Women are annoying, anyway. If they got angry at him, he just let them be.
"First target, the ring toss booth. Target locked." Aigis tossed the rings with high accuracy and won first prize.
Minato had made preparation, giving Aigis two giant bags and a traveling backpack for storing toys and dolls.
"Second target, the dart throwing booth. Target locked."
...
Aigis continued to win the first prizes for around eight minutes or so. When she's finished, she had cleared seven game booths. "The rest is yours," she said. The android could wield two machine guns, so carrying winning prizes was not a problem.
Minato won a ball tossing game, knocking a pyramid of cans with ease. He was an expert at shooting games because his mother had taught him how to handle real guns before.
Koromaru helped his leader in games that need great eyesight and a sharp sense of smell. He even knew some dirty tricks the stand keepers used. He would bark and let Aigis carried the message to their field leader secretly.
"You..." A tall guy wearing a peacoat approached them. Beside him was a kid.
"Hello," Ken greeted.
Minato nodded. "What are you doing?"
"Collecting everything," Ken said. "Games prizes, food, toys..."
"We'll give it to the orphanage," the beanie guy added.
Unexpected coincidence. Minato shrugged. "So we have the same idea."
Ken held the plastic bag up. Koromaru barked at it. "See? We got goldfish."
"That fish." Aigis pointed at it. "Is not suitable for cooking or consuming. It has poor flavor and little nutrition."
"No, no, Aigis-san. It's a pet!" Ken turned to the boy. "What about you? You should have played the game, considering you walked from that direction."
"I did. We returned the fish," Minato said. "I don't want to look after something in my room. It feels weird."
"Oh," Ken said.
He didn't mention what would happen when the Dark Hour hit the world. He wasn't sure if animals were affected by it as well. They probably were. He wondered what would happen with the birds flying in the sky or the fish swimming in the sea. What if there're other animals who could summon Personas? Koromaru is a dog, so no problem, but what if it's a fish? That fish would be swimming in blood. If it's a polar bear, then it would be standing on bloody ice. There are so many mysteries in this world...
Minato looked at them. Both of them were holding giant bags of prizes. "Could you even carry all of that around?"
"We'll keep things in your dorm first," the beanie guy said.
"Farewell." Aigis bowed politely, reminding the leader of Elizabeth. He's the one who taught her that.
Koromaru wagged his tail. "Arf!"
"He says, let's continue," Aigis said. "I say, let's go."
"Last target, the lucky draw booth. Target locked." Aigis pointed at the steps they were from the start.
The booth was right at the entrance. There's a giant box with plastic balls inside.
"Hey! You two! Would you like to play Lucky Draw?"
The trio got closer. Koromaru whined, being ignored.
The game attendant continued, "All you do is pick a ball! It's easy! And, everyone's a winner!"
The Shiba Inu barked. Aigis nodded and stuck her hand inside the box. She pulled out a ball around the middle of the box and handed it to the storekeeper.
"... Medium prize. Not bad!"
After keeping the prize, the blonde walked to her leader. She touched his shoulder and leaned closer to the blue-haired boy. "Dig deep, Minato."
Minato shrugged and approach the box. He buried his hand into the box until he could feel his nail hitting the bottom. He picked the nearest ball and pulled it out… A golden ball?
"W-Well damn! You've won the grand prize!" The stand keeper pushed a white-and-blue doll into Minato's arms. "Here ya go! One Jack Frost Doll, just for you!"
"Mission complete," Aigis said. "But… I sense death."
"... Let's go," Minato said and walked away. Teaching about killing intent could wait.
Still, that reaction, the stand keeper being pissed with the winner, did piss him off.
Minato halted. He switched his Persona to Thanatos and sent that stand keeper the most powerful glare there was. The game attendant gasped as his surrounding faded to black for a second. He shivered, having experienced the coldness of death itself.
They walked to the playground. Aigis dropped her backpack and bags beside the bench with a thud. Koromaru sat down on the sand while Minato and the robot remained standing.
"... The bench is for sitting, but we are not sitting on it. This is ironic," the boy told the android. "But sometimes things that are considered unironic could be ironical. Don't debate if things are ironic or not."
Aigis nodded.
"Let's find something to eat," Minato said. "I'll go patrol the area. Aigis, Koromaru, don't let someone steal the prizes." The blonde nodded. "Okay. Wait here. I'll be back."
The takoyaki stand was at the back of the festival. He walked closer. The familiar girl was standing near the area. She noticed him and smiled.
"Hi, Minato-kun." Fuuka looked around. "Um… Are you alone?"
"Koromaru and Aigis are at the playground. I'm scouting the area in search for food," Minato said. "What are you doing here, alone?"
"I'm waiting for takoyaki, waiting for Yukari..." Fuuka said. "We plan on going to the hill nearby one hour from now."
He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"They'll play fireworks over the sea. I know a place to watch them, and this year is special." Fuuka's eyes were sparkling with joy. "There are special fireworks every nine years. This is the day!"
"Oh, hey!" Yukari walked to them with a box of takoyaki in hand. "You're talking about fireworks?" They nodded. "Fuuka and I are going to watch them together. Wanna join us?"
"Sure." No reason not to.
They decided the meeting point. Fuuka knew the best view. She watched it every year since she was a kid. It was amazing, she said. Nine years ago was the best, and today there's another one like that!
"... Junpei was with a girl, a girl!" Yukari shrieked. "Who'd thought someone like Junpei get a date?"
"Good for him," Minato said.
"No suffix, too!"
"... Oh!" Fuuka cried. "Minato-kun, you said you were buying food for them. Aigis-chan and Koro-chan must be waiting!"
"... Right." Minato said. "They wouldn't mind. Still, I should hurry. I'll go now."
"Bye, Minato-kun!"
"I'm bac-... Wait." Minato noticed the absence of bags. "Did you…"
Aigis nodded. "I have escorted all the prizes into your room."
"Okay. Good job." Minato let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't ask how she entered his room, through the windows? He looked at the blonde who looked back.
"Is something the matter?" The android asked.
"Did you really get an upgrade?" He asked. "You can consume food now, really?"
"Correct. Ikutsuki has modified me to better blend in with humans."
"And... are you serious? About wanting me to explain all... that?"
...
They walked to the first food stall. It has a giant cast iron griddle.
"That food is flying," Aigis said, pointing at a pancake-shaped food being flipped by two spatulas.
"Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake made with flour, eggs, and shredded cabbage," Minato said. "It was traditionally cooked to use up leftovers in the refrigerator, so the ingredients are flexible. The most popular ones are pork, seafood, and cheese."
Aigis nodded. "Flexible ingredient… adjusting to the situation… What a smart way of doing things."
After they ate it, they continued to the second booth.
...
"Taiyaki." Minato handed the fish-shaped bread to the blonde. "Taiyaki is a fish-shaped pastry with hot filling. Common fillings include red bean paste, custard, chocolate or cheese."
Aigis took a bite. "It is waffle batter… Dangerously hot... It looks like a fish, but is not a fish, and has no fish as the ingredient…" She flipped her taiyaki over and over. "Do people enjoy the thought of eating a fish? Or is eating normally a boring act?"
"It's traditional stuff, and they usually do not make sense." Minato shrugged. "Some says sea bream was very expensive, so eating a fish-shaped cake at that time make you feel as if you were eating luxuriously. Tai, the Japanese word for sea bream is similar to the word medetai, meaning happy, so you eat taiyaki to bring luck... But don't think too much. You eat because you want to. No need for a reason."
...
"The smell…" Aigis walked closer to the takoyaki stand. "... That pan looks weird."
"Takoyaki-ki is a special pan used to make takoyaki. The pan is made of heavy cast iron with half-spherical molds. This one is heated over a gas flame," the boy explained. The robot nodded.
"Two boxes of takoyaki, please," Minato ordered. There's a hint of happiness in his voice. The takoyaki cook nodded and brushed the well-heat Takoyaki-ki with oil.
"Arf arf!" Koromaru wagged his tail with great excitement as the smoke rose up.
Aigis covered her cheek with her hand. "According to my information, takoyaki could make human's cheeks fall off by just smiling... I wonder what kind of ingredients could do such a thing..." She murmured.
"... It's not Octopia, Aigis." The boy blue haired looked at the chef pouring seasoned batter into the deep, round wells of Takoyaki-ki.
Aigis bent down and carried Koromaru up so that he could also see takoyaki being cooked. Small pieces of octopus were dropped into each well in the pan, then the chef sprinkled on chopped green onion, the tenkasu, and other vegetables.
The dog whined. "Woof..."
"He says, 'This is a long wait...'" Aigis pondered. "... They say, 'Perseverance is the secret to all triumphs.' Does waiting for takoyaki count?" She paused and thought some more. "... We have to wait patiently for something good since good things need time to make... I comprehend."
After three minutes, the outer edges of the batter had cooked. The pieces were turned one hundred eighty degrees with a bamboo skewer, stuffing the uncooked part to the base under the edge of each hole.
Aigis sighed. "This really is a long wait…"
The pieces were turned over and over for another four minutes until all takoyaki were round and golden brown on the outside. The takoyaki cook transferred takoyaki onto wooden boat plates made of bamboo, ten pieces on each box.
"Arf arf!"
Each piece is brushed with okonomiyaki sauce, then sprinkled with dried seaweed, katsuobushi flakes and poured with mayonnaise.
Minato paid for the food and took the boxes. "Finally, we get two boxes of takoyaki."
"Arf!" Koromaru barked and wagged his tail. His big ruby eyes looked up at the boxes in the boy's hands.
"Here, eat up." Minato laid a takoyaki plate down on the floor, which the dog dug in almost instantly, not affected by the heat. The boy laughed as he petted the dog.
Minato started eating from the other box. "Aigis, this is Takoyaki. Try it."
Aigis put the takoyaki in her mouth and slowly chewed it. "... Wow... Extremely high-temperature juices spurted out from inside. Ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit..." She nodded to herself. "It has a unique texture. I could immediately detect Katsuobushi's distinct umami taste. Shaved smoked skipjack tuna, so thin and light it could move just by the slightest wind, making it look like it is dancing." She pondered and continued. "... Octopus is soft. The batter is soft inside but crispy outside... No wonder takoyaki is one of the most popular street food of Japan."
...
If what Aigis had learned from SEES could be divided into a percentage, fifty percent is about food. Ninety percent is taught by Minato.
They bought a box of Karaage and walked to their next target.
Minato ate a piece of fried chicken. "... Karaage is chicken mixed in ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and cooking sake, coated with potato starch, then deep fried in a pan filled with oil."
Aigis nodded. "It is similar to the preparation of tempura."
Koromaru preferred beef, but he liked this. Aigis loved this one. She said it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, making an interesting texture. The chicken meat was surprisingly soft, too.
"It must be hard, teaching a robot things." Junpei greeted. "How are you doin'?"
"Fine," Minato said.
Junpei raised his eyebrows. "... Whoa."
"What is it, Junpei-san?" Aigis asked.
"Uh, nothing!" He grinned. "She, uh..."
Minato looked around. "I thought you are with a girl?"
"I, I gotta go, bye!"
Aigis glanced at the capped teen running away. "Weird..."
"Yakitori." Minato removed the food from the stick and place them on the empty takoyaki plate. He placed it on the floor so the dog could eat. "Yakitori is grilled chicken on sticks."
"What is that device?" Aigis asked, pointing at the booth.
"It's a portable charcoal grill."
"Why use charcoal when electricity is available?"
"Hm… It's like choosing an oven or a microwave, both are useful but in a different way..." Minato thought for a moment. "People usually use charcoal for cooking Yakitori as it produces high heat and strong flames. Gas and electric heat sources could be used, but they can't make the same aromas or textures as charcoal-cooked yakitori."
"Why?"
"First, charcoal grills could do searing." Minato ate the yakitori. "... Searing is a technique used in grilling... cooking the surfaces of the food with high temperature until a caramelized crust forms."
"Arf!" Koromaru barked.
Aigis gave him the chicken. "And the second reason… It is cheap, isn't it?"
"Yes." Minato nodded. "But charcoal grills make smoke, so the food will have smoke and fireplace scent. The food made with charcoal grills would be darker due to smoke while gas-cooked food has a lighter color. Some people like charcoal. Some don't. Some love both, like me."
"Smell, texture, and appearance are as important as taste, I comprehend."
...
"Kakigoori, or Shaved Ice." They shared it. Koromaru's not the type to eat cold food or sweets.
"Why shave it when you could simply eat ice cube or cold water? Its chemical formula is H2O, meaning that its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, that are connected by covalent bonds. Aren't they the same…?"
"Because you want it to melt in your mouth, Aigis. Texture, remember?"
"Oh."
…
"Choco Banana is a frozen banana on a stick that was dipped in melted chocolate. My favorite."
Aigis looked at it. "When the weather is hot, people eat cold food… The melted chocolate is hot, but being on the cold banana made it become solid again. Eating chocolate and banana separately gives a completely different feeling… Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection, indeed."
…
"Watame, or Cotton Candy, is a form of spun sugar." He gave Koromaru a little bit to taste. Aigis didn't like it, said it was too light, but she was interested in how it was made, and the rate it could expand.
"... Humans are weird." Aigis ate the Cotton Candy. "Cotton is not edible, but people eat cotton-like sugar. Why make it complicated when you could simply eat normal sugar?"
"It is as it is. Don't think too much." Minato shrugged. "Thinking can't change a thing, and there're things that could never be figured."
"Then, why do you think a lot, Minato-san?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's a good distraction from the world."
"But you are thinking about the world."
The trio noticed a mask booth.
"Hey, where have you been?" Akihiko grinned and waved his hand.
"Hello, Arisato," Mitsuru greeted. "You seem to be enjoying yourselves."
"We are," Minato said. "What are you doing here?"
The boxer smiled. "Having fun. We tried some food and buy toys."
"I never see these before..." Mitsuru looked at all toys in her arm. There's a colorful windmill. "This is a rare experience for me. Because of our club's activities… I hope you enjoy this day as much as possible."
Minato nodded.
Aigis pointed at the store. "That is… a... mask?"
"Yes. It's called a mask," Mitsuru said. "You wear it over your face to have fun."
"Hiding your face is fun?" The blonde asked.
"The purpose is not to hide your face. Rather, you wear it to have a different face." Mitsuru sighed. "Hmm… It's difficult to explain..."
"You try to be someone else by wearing a different face?"
"Yes, but… not exactly." Mitsuru glanced at the boy.
"Aigis... Come here. I'll explain," Minato said.
Aigis moved closer to him.
"A mask is an object normally worn on the face. Covering your face… It depends on your intention. Some people wished to change how they see things, and how people see them, so they try wearing different masks. There is a singer who wears a mask all the time, so people remember him by his mask instead of his face. You could say his mask is his second identity…"
Aigis thought for a moment. "So he didn't try to be someone else, but he makes his other self?"
"Yes… To some people, it's fun that they are being anonymous, and some people use it to do things they must be anonymous. When you commit crimes, you want to be unknown, or even better, disguise as someone else, let him take the blame... Some masks could protect people from harm or save lives, like a gas mask, an oxygen mask, and a surgical mask. Some are made simply just for fun, like a joker mask and all these masks here. There are masks that were used in rituals and ceremonies. Masks can also be used as ornamentation"
"Oh… I comprehend."
"But there's also a mask that is not a physical mask, rather, a concept… Every human being is wearing a mask. Your face is a mask... a mask that could change expression it is showing. Most mask-users can't control their masks well, so their masks depend on their emotion."
The blonde nodded. "That's human."
Minato covered his face with an innocent Shiba Inu mask. "People feel safe that their emotion is not shown to the world. No one knows what they are feeling, so they couldn't be used, but at the same time they can't use others…" The boy removed the mask. "So there's a certain type of people... People who could control their masks perfectly, a mask that could fake expression, a mask that was not connected to the heart, but to the brain…
"People usually get fooled by this kind of mask, because they trust their eyes. They trust people too much. They get used without knowing and blindly walk the path they are being pushed in."
"Manipulative people," Aigis said.
"… I got fooled by it once. He was my only friend… So I started wearing a mask, a blank one... It helps. People stopped walking into my life..." Minato stared at all the masks for a long time. "Hypocrite... maybe I am."
Koromaru whined.
"Minato..." Aigis trailed off. "... I may not understand people's mind, but I understand what you are trying to say."
The boy looked at her.
"By simply wearing a mask to protect yourself, I don't think it is wrong. A mask is a tool to help you face the hardships in life. There are many other selves that reside within a human. A mask is not wrong. What matters is what hidden beneath the mask."
"That's... deep, and unexpected, coming from you, but thanks…" Minato smiled.
They noticed they are being left alone, in a good way. They don't mind silence and private space.
Minato continued. "... My old friend... He wore a mask, a mask that could manipulate people, manipulate me. I totally didn't expect it. He seemed so... normal, but he's not. The mask that people don't think is a mask is the scariest mask...
"And that's the type of mask psychopath wears, so be careful." Minato looked at Aigis in the eyes. "That type of person, and that type of mask, the mask with infinite possibility… You think you know them, but you don't, only the outside, the fake identity, the 'they' they make to specifically fool you… People who misuse the power of mask... that is the psychopath you should beware."
Minato bought two white Shiba Inu mask. Aigis got the blue butterfly mask. Why two, you asked?
…
"The white Shiba Inu mask suits Koromaru-san well." Aigis stared at the dog mask on Koromaru's head. "A Shiba Inu wearing a Shiba Inu mask… Shiba-ception."
"This is uchiwa." Minato held a rounded paper fan up. "Uchiwa can be used to fan flames, making the flame hotter."
"A useful tool," Aigis remarked.
"This is sensu." Minato opened a folding handheld fan. "Sensu can be used as ornamentation. It is a popular souvenir."
Aigis nodded. "I also heard Junpei-san talking about Uchiha and Senju the other day. Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai is Doujutsu, Sharingan. Senju's is Wood Release, or Mokuton."
"... That's not it." Minato shrugged. "Though now I know where the author gets the inspiration."
"Arf!" Koromaru barked.
Minato looked at his phone. "It's time. Let's go."
SEES were all there, at the small hill near Naganaki Shrine.
"... You guys are here?" Ken asked with wide eyes. "I thought this is our secret spot for a long time…"
The beanie guy raised his eyebrows. "Our?"
"My mom showed me this place. We used to come watch fireworks every year."
That guy looked away. "Oh."
Minato could feel the awkwardness, so he turned to Akihiko. "Senpai, why do you choose to come here?"
"Heh…" Akihiko scratched his head. "Miki and I used to come here together, but when she's gone I stopped coming and train at home instead."
Minato nodded.
Another wave of awkwardness came, so Junpei spoke up.
"Fuuka invited us here." He then pointed at a red-haired girl behind him. She was wearing white lolita dress. "She was also bored, y'know, so we come here together."
Yukari asked, "So, this is your special someone, huh?"
Junpei didn't answer that.
"I'm not bored," the girl said in a calm voice. "I want to draw the scene." She flipped open her sketchbook and started drawing with a red color pencil.
"Mmhm… I know this place from the internet," Fuuka said. "I saw a beautiful picture of fireworks. The photographer said he took the picture here, so I come here every year since then."
"Hey… Does that mean..." Yukari began. "... Most of us could have seen each other since we were children... if we paid more attention to the surrounding? Ken-kun came here. Akihiko-senpai came here. Fuuka came here…"
"Me too," Minato said. "I think we never noticed each other because of the dark, and fireworks are a great distraction."
"Fireworks…" Aigis thought for an explanation. "... An explosion of colorful bright light in the dark sky, along with shining confetti and ringing noise… One firework is short yet beautiful. All of them combined, when used in harmony, make brilliant light that linger long enough for people to burn the sight deep inside their memories. The more fireworks in the sky, the more complicated colors, and shapes. The more light and noise, the more praise and joy."
...
When you heard a high pitched sound and saw the explosion of colors on the sky, no one needs to tell you to look up and watch them.
Fireworks are weird... Maybe you're sad. Maybe you're angry. Maybe you feel nothing, but when you see all these colorful light, you couldn't help but smile.
"He's smiling..." Yukari whispered.
"Yeah," Fuuka said.
"Eh…? Is it only me or have you lose interest in him?"
"N-n-no no! Nothing!"
"Senko Hanabi, or sparkler, is a thin shaft of twisted tissue paper with one end containing a few grains of black gunpowder." Minato lit it up with a lighter.
SEES, the gothic girl included, lit up their sparkler and watched them quickly disappearing in bright orange light, like fireworks they had just watched. The mini firework light and the black scenery made a high contrast. The group couldn't see far, only the darkness that surrounded them. It's like they were alone in this world.
Junpei stared at the light with interest. "Whoa… Look like a burning incense stick."
"It could make most people shut their mouth," Aigis said. "The following silent evoke mono no aware, an empathy toward things, a term describing a flash of sadness felt when reminded of the beauty and briefness of life."
Sparkler light reflected in the red-haired girl's empty eyes. She moved her hand closer to the flame. "It's not hot..."
"Um, be careful, though," Fuuka warned. "Touching the stick directly could hurt you."
…
One minute later, all the sparkler had completely burned.
"I really want to do it again," Akihiko said. "Maybe I shouldn't train next year and come again."
"Yeah, let's come here together next year." Yukari nodded.
"... I'll go now." The girl said.
They parted ways with the red-haired girl and headed back to the dorm.
"She seems sad," Fuuka said. "Probably has a weak body like me...?"
"Why do you think that?" Yukari asked.
"I don't know… It's the feeling I have."
...
"The flow of time is fixed at a certain speed… But sometimes it seems there are moments when it passes so quickly… Thank you very much for accompanying me," Aigis said, turning to Minato. "Being with everyone… It is a rare opportunity I shall never forget."
"I'm glad to hear that," Minato said, smiling. "I, too, will never forget today..."
...
Sadly, humans are better at forgetting than remembering. People who appreciate good memories are so few.
If more people were like you, then perhaps...