Minato started to doubt everything.

While he was studying at school, or walking around town, or talking to people, he doubted, doubted, doubted. He couldn't help but be aware that he met all these people just this year. Death had been in his body, lying in wait. His social links were unsafe from it. The member of SEES, are they real?

Of course they are, his mind told him. No, they can't be trusted, something else told him. He didn't know what.

Aigis was the only thing that he remembered from ten years ago when Death had not yet influenced him. He saw her. He remembered, at least, in his dream. He's not even certain of his own thoughts anymore but he felt like he could trust Aigis.

No, the rest of SEES were his friends too. They weren't any less real. The bonds weren't less genuine just because Pharos was there.

It's all Ryoji, for not telling him the truth sooner, that he was used, that the world was ending. The world was ending and Minato shouldn't be thinking about stupid things. How could he be so self-centered, so selfish? How could he think all this in a time like this? Everyone else was scared to death, and here he was, wondering whether his dorm mates still consider him a friend or…

Minato shook his head.

And he continued to doubt.

Koromaru might not know the exact word, but he had an idea of what was to come. He noticed how slow SEES walked, or how quiet they were, or how they just stared into space. It reminded of some people in the alley who got affected by the monsters. It was scary.

These past few days, Minato would take Koromaru to the shrine both in the morning and in the evening, the latter taking a longer time than usual. By the time they went back to the dorm, everyone was already back to their room.

While Koromaru ran around in the shrine, Minato would just stand there, looking at everything like they weren't supposed to exist. He even gave Koromaru that look once when he was petting the dog.

"Am I your friend?" Minato asked.

Koromaru barked. Of course they were.

He got a nice scratch behind his ears.

Koromaru walked around the dorm at night. The whole dorm was almost as quiet as when they went to the school trip, leaving only Ken and the dog here. SEES barely spoke to each other, even to him. Koromaru was a little lonely because of that.

When Koromaru walked along the hallway, he could hear some movement even when it's late at night. It seemed to be Yukari's room. He could hear someone crying too on the same floor. And even though it was not loud enough to disturb people sleeping, Koromaru could feel and hear someone practicing boxing.

On the fifth day, he followed Akihiko and Ken to the back alley. They were the most composed people right now. Koromaru had always thought of them as being quite the opposite. Akihiko acted on impulse and Ken planned everything. It's nice to see them get along so well. And they both were close to Shinjiro…

Koromaru let out a whine. Akihiko knelt down and patted his head.

A week had passed. SEES gathered around the table in the lounge. Minato didn't pay much attention to the conversation going on.

"Akihiko-san, have you made your decision?" Ken asked.

"No, but I'm not gonna run away."

"Me too."

"Do both of you wish to fight Nyx?" This time it's Mitsuru.

"I don't want to forget," Ken said. "If I don't let Ryoji-san lives, I will forget how… how they died." His mother and Shinjiro. "… so yes, I'll fight."

"I don't know…" Akihiko trailed off. "But if running away isn't an option, what's left is to fight. And you?"

Mitsuru wasn't as sure like them. "This is the first time I've ever really contemplated my own death. It's quite a sobering thought… there is no simple answer."

"Umm, I don't want to hurt Ryoji-kun..." Typical Fuuka, saying that while her voice was still shaking.

Koromaru whined.

"I don't want my memories to be erased, now that I know the truth!" Yukari said. "Even though… It would be nice not to know the world is ending, you know? What about you, Junpei?"

"No…" Junpei shook his head. "I… I really don't want to think."

Yukari asked, "Are you scared?"

"We're going to die! Of course, I'm scared!" Junpei shouted. It was meant to be an innocent question but he didn't take it well.

"Uhh sorry," Yukari said.

"We're going to die, so of course… I wonder if this is what she felt? Chidori's been quiet lately too..." Junpei said. "But I still don't know what to do…"

"I want to end it."

Everyone was surprised, Minato himself was, too.

"... What?" Junpei looked at him. If Minato was paying any attention, he might have thought Junpei's face was scary. "Dude. You can't be-"

"I don't want it, Junpei." Minato had no idea why he was talking. A switch was flipped, maybe, and his thoughts and the outside world blurred into one. "It feels like I'm supposed to want it… to end everything because there's nothing left for me to do."

"Because you've already done everything. You raised that thing!" Junpei shouted. "You're the one that made the Fall possible, right?"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Yukari said. "He's why we even have a choice."

"There's nothing we can do, is there? But this guy here had it inside him and didn't notice!" Junpei glared at him. "So it's all your fault!"

"Maybe." Minato was surprised he didn't feel it that much. It should hurt. Well, it wouldn't matter if the bond wasn't real. "Maybe it's partly my fault, Junpei."

"And you didn't try to, to, do something?" Junpei was standing now. Minato just noticed. "You just sit there and keep going on and didn't notice a thing, and just, let that thing-"

"Shut up."

Minato frowned. Junpei was on his eye level. He himself stood up at one point, then.

"Shut up, Junpei. You don't know what you are saying. You're scared, after all."

"What?"

"Do you want to try? Being me?" Minato felt the emotions, buried a week ago but they were back. "Have death under your skin and in your head, watching your every move? Controlling your every move? Is it so wrong to not know what to do? I didn't know something was wrong with me to 'notice'. If your Chidori asked you to be happy and fight, would you? If your Chidori wanted to be your friend, will you refuse?" Minato knew he's not making any sense to them, but words kept coming out, just like thoughts. "I didn't know! What was I supposed to do? Stop my brain from working? Stop thinking, stop wanting, stop breathing, is that what you want?"

Junpei just stood there with wide eyes.

"I did what I want! I did what I thought was a good thing, the appropriate thing. I was just… living, like I normally did. I didn't even bring them flowers. I spent money, going to places, I made friends… all because that's my role. My role. I didn't know I was supposed to stop. I just want to let a friend out of prison, to be free. Look, how was I supposed to know… but now I do, like how you do. We now know. That thing is inside me."

The lounge was in complete silence. They glanced at each other but trying not to move too much, worried that they would aggravate Minato further. Junpei was still shocked by the unexpected outburst from the quietest member of SEES.

"I thought he was my best friend." Minato lowered his voice as if he was tired. He was tired. "He was using me. He had been using me. He… ruined me forever." Minato looked down. "And it all happened, and what did you think? Did you think I'm willing? Did you think I offer my body? Did you think I'm okay with it?"

Minato stepped backward.

"... No, no I'm not."

He reached the foot of the stairs, so he turned around and went up, back to his room which he now hated but at least he felt safe while he hated it.

The rest remained in silence for a long time.

Yukari finally spoke up. "Junpei… that was…"

"Did you guys not think the same way?" Junpei asked, his voice tired. "Not even once...?"

"A little," Ken said. "But I knew it was unfair so I dismissed the thought."

"You don't think it's kinda his fault for-"

"Blaming Minato would be like blaming Shinjiro," Ken said. "Why would I do that?"

Junpei froze at the mention of that name from the kid's mouth. After a while, Junpei sighed. "I'm, I'm sorry. I know that... I think I know that. Thinking about it might not solve anything, but I'm still scared, damn it… I didn't mean to."

"I know how you feel, Junpei-kun." Fuuka turned to face to him. "I'm scared too. We're all scared, right...?"

Everyone nodded.

And they agreed that they should wait and think about it more before they gathered again. Ryoji would be back on New Year's Eve.

"Until then," Mitsuru said. "Let's just try to live our lives as normally as possible."

Minato was sitting against his door when he felt someone from the other side leaning against the door.

"Hello? Minato-kun?" That was Yukari's voice, coming through the door right next to his ear. She was sitting too.

"I'm here," Minato said.

"Oh, you sound closer than I thought." Yukari then chuckled. "I should call you Minato. You're the one that told me back then. 'Just Minato is okay', you said."

Minato didn't remember that.

"Hey, back at Yakushima, you came checked on me," Yukari said. "Now I'm following you to your room! Wait that sounded wrong. Just in front of the door, I mean."

Minato did remember running after her to the beach.

"I'm here to check on you, the same way you did. You looked terrible."

"Thanks."

"Well, we know you have it hard. It's directly about you, after all. If it's so bad for all of us, it can't be well for you. I can't imagine…" Yukari's voice trailed off. "Junpei said sorry, by the way."

"He didn't mean to, I know."

"Oh, and…" Yukari thought for a while. "You know, about how Ryoji-kun was inside you… You're still you. The same person now as you were before… Right?"

What an attempt at cheering him up. It would be a lie to say Minato didn't appreciate it. "I want to believe it, Yukari. I'm not sure if I can."

"I knew what I have said right after the typhoon. We were cleaning the school, remember? I told you that you had changed a bit."

No, Minato didn't remember.

"'Back then at Yakushima, you really shine. You're amazing.' I still mean it," Yukari said. "That was you, Minato. You helped me understand that I should keep fighting and loving my dad. Even if Death was inside you back then, you helped me anyway, and I'm sure the Minato back then is the same you as now. I can't see it any other way." Yukari sounded like she was smiling. "I'll always see you as the same Minato, okay?"

Minato couldn't find it in him to say she's wrong. He hoped she was right, then. "Thanks, Yukari."