A/N: Have I told you this is my exam week? Yeah? Summer break woohoo.

Also, I noticed many things after writing the last chapter. Never noticed about Caesar's armor until the wiki pointed it out to me.

And Ken's shooting pose, I never cared how he shoots himself. Then I see it. Ah, he shoots into his chest. A gun pointing at the heart, I felt like it would mean something to Ken.

Chapter 59

Another Party

Pharos was correct. The sunlight shone into his room through the windows, and he could hear the chirping of birds. It was a brand new day. It was a beautiful morning he wished Pharos could see it with him.

He had left. Minato found it hard to believe. Pharos was always there, cheering him on. He was a good friend, and he was there even before Minato started to know his dorm mates more, before everything else after the hospital, before a second world after the first one shattered.

Why do they keep leaving?

Why can't they just stay?

Minato felt tired, and lost, and without a goal. Getting up from his bed felt pointless without Pharos there. It was like that with Shinjiro. Pharos was still there. Pharos was direct, but he was there. He told him to be happy, and then he left.

Minato didn't know what to do. He missed him so much.

"Hey, is your stomach ready?" Junpei was waiting for him at the locker. "We all know you love some challenges. Trays after trays of sushi would be nothing!"

Minato shrugged.

"No?" Junpei looked at him. "You're still not feeling well?"

Minato nodded.

"Oh, okay." Junpei patted his back. "That sucks. I'm sitting not too far in the classroom. Just call my name if you need me."

In the classroom, Yukari also looked at him.

"I'm sorry about last night…" Yukari said. Both Junpei and she didn't know what to say. They had never even seen Pharos. "He's your childhood friend, right."

Minato thought it was amazing that his dorm mates were trying to make him feel better. Pharos was right, that he should have given them a chance sooner. They weren't bad at all.

Pharos encouraged him to be with his teammates, to the point of leaving him alone so he had more time to be with others. Pharos just wanted him to be happy.

It's boring. It wasn't. Had he changed after all?

Everyone gathered in the lounge. The sushi trays covered the table. They couldn't eat yet. They were waiting.

Akihiko and Ken sat next to each other. They were quite close after last month. Mitsuru was next to Akihiko of course. The rest didn't mind where they sat.

Everything felt so wrong.

Minato sure it was just in his head. Nothing felt safe. How long has it been since he was alone? Since the beginning, he thought. No, it was only ten years, not his whole life. He was not used to this.

Akihiko sent him a glance. It was probably showing on his face. Minato tried to focus on all the food and conversations.

Koromaru whimpered.

"You can't eat raw fish, Koro." Yukari petted the dog.

Junpei prepared small pieces of fish to give the dog later.

"Where is Aigis?" Ken asked. "And Ikutsuki-san?"

Ken was so close to Aigis now. Who knows what happened between them. Had he seen the human side of her? Then Minato was glad someone else saw it too, that Aigis was more than a machine. She had a life. A heart.

Though Minato could remember how he mistreated her.

'Like a dog,' Shinjiro said.

Had he not seen her as an equal? She was his friend, and… And Pharos always tried to avoid her. Early on, Aigis glared at him as if looking for something deep inside. And this little feeling in him recoiled.

"The Chairman took Aigis to the lab," Mitsuru said. "They would join us shortly"

"He just can't stay away from the lab, can he?" Fuuka giggled. "But if I own an android, I'd do the same. Androids are so fascinating..."

Aigis was away. Minato didn't know about it. He wished she would at least tell him that beforehand. Maybe Ikutsuki had an emergency and she needed to go immediately. Still wished she had told him.

'This is my latest upgrade by Ikutsuki-san,' Aigis said while showing them her fingertips. She seemed pleased, in a way.

Of course, she had been with Ikutsuki all this time. She even came out of his lab at Yakushima. His word would be final. If Ikutsuki told her he wanted her now, Aigis would obey.

'Yes,' Aigis said. 'He has been taking care of me.'

Minato sighed. Maybe he had thought too highly of himself. Shinjiro was right.

A hand was in front of him. Fuuka was waving a hand in front of his face. Minato blinked. Right, the party.

A sound of engine rumbling came from outside the dorm. It stopped, and they could imagine people coming out of the car.

"That must be my father." Mitsuru smiled. SEES stood up and waited at the door. It was opened by two bodyguards. Mitsuru's father stepped inside. What was his name again?

If Pharos was here, he would remind him. Minato wished for his personal memo back. Pharos was… Pharos was good.

Mitsuru's father had a black eyepatch. Didn't notice that or he forgot. Minato didn't remember his name too. He knew he wasn't that close to Mitsuru in general. Both being leaders, their opinions clashed sometimes. They were busy with things. Mitsuru was busy with many things.

"Congratulations, everyone. You've done well. There are no words to express my gratitude," that guy said. "Though you will never receive the recognition you deserve, it is undoubtedly a monumental achievement."

"Who's he?" Ken whispered.

"Takeharu-san, the head of Kijiro Group," Junpei said. "Just look at him, serious face and all. Definitely a Kirijo."

Mitsuru's father turned to Yukari. "To you, I owe a special thanks, for lending us your power until the very end."

"Oh…" Yukari smiled. She's shy. "It's, it's no big deal."

Yukari's father and stuff at Yakushima. Yukari trusted her father and fought with SEES. He might be the one partly responsible, but her dad loved her and that was the truth Yukari believed in.

And Yukari had this thing with her mother still unsolved. She was trying to help her, but Minato didn't ask for the progress.

Blablabla, Takeharu said. "You needn't bear this burden any longer. You deserve a chance to experience the joys of youth."

"Joys of youth," Junpei said and earned a smack from Yukari.

"The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be dissolved as of midnight tonight," Takeharu said. SEES no longer needed to risk their lives. It should be a good thing.

"Dissolved?" Yukari looked down. She didn't want it to end yet. She wanted more info on her father, if Minato had to guess.

"I see…" Junpei was just Junpei.

"Alright, everyone, it's time to celebrate," Mitsuru spoke up. "Your feast awaits you. There's no need to hold back… Eat as much as you'd like."

And they all did just that.

Minato noticed Takeharu glancing at him. About him, his mother and all. Something like Yukari's father, not exactly. It wasn't important. No longer important. His parents were resting in peace and he had given them flowers.

Pharos would be smiling right now.

Minato ate a little and stopped. Everything felt so different. So different without him. The world was flipped upside down and he felt out of place.

"Are you okay, Minato-kun?" Fuuka asked with a plate and chopsticks in hand.

Yukari elbowed her. "His imaginary friend, remember?"

"Oh. Sorry," Fuuka said. "Pharos-kun, is it?"

Minato didn't expect them to remember his name. He nodded.

"Hey hey, everyone." Junpei brought out a camera. "Wanna take a picture together?"

"That sounds nice," Fuuka said.

"Actually, I tried to take one last night…" Junpei sighed. " But I forgot it wouldn't work during the Dark Hour."

"Why are you the vice leader," Minato said.

"You brought a camera with you into battle?" Akihiko asked. "And on a full moon battle at that."

"Well, it was our last!" Junpei grinned. "And it has passed, so you can't punish me for that."

Minato wished Pharos could be in the picture.

"Oh, wait… Ikutsuki-san and Aigis aren't here." Junpei raised the camera anyway. Takeharu was standing next to Mitsuru right now. He focused the camera and took a picture of them. It came out nice!

"Iori."

"Oh…" Junpei forced a smile. "Uh, sorry Senpai. I just think you look happy there."

Mitsuru raised her eyebrows. She then smiled. "Then I ask that you give me the picture, Iori."

Junpei handed her the original picture. Mitsuru kept it and Junpei sighed. "Too bad. I want that one."

"Let her have it," Yukari said. "We're taking more later."

They went back to the table of sushi. After a while, most people leaned back in the chair. Minato kept eating and noticed no one was eating anymore except Junpei and him.

"Don't tell me you guys are full already!" Junpei stuffed shrimp into his mouth. No one answered. They wouldn't want to even move. "Man, no fun."

Minato munched some fatty tuna and fatty salmon.

"At least you're still eating with me," Junpei said. "How about you, Koro?"

Koromaru barked. No dog translator for that. Minato was sure the dog thanked Junpei for the fish, but like Yukari said, he would get sick if he ate too much.

Junpei frowned. "I wonder what's taking those two so long. It's almost midnight…"

They stared at the clock hanging on the wall. In the lounge. Two clock hands moved painfully slow.

The longest hand moved one step a second. It ticked, another step closer to twelve. A second counted.

Tick, tick, tick.