Weird to say this, but Minato could feel the essence of Ryoji on Fuuka's body as she returned.
Minato didn't forget about visiting Ryoji. He simply didn't feel ready. Knowing Fuuka, she could fix relationships even when she wasn't trying. Ryoji would be ok for now.
"Oh by the way!" Fuuka said. "He's coming over for the Christmas party."
Oh, okay. Just like that.
Right or wrong, he had been thinking about them. Aigis, he thought she was the best of the best. Pharos, also his best friend since he was seven. Are those still true? Trying to think who is more at fault gives him no conclusion. Minato knew that yes, they were his friends, and they did what they did for the better.
Things simply happen. Sometimes there were no choices. Things aren't done, things just are. Minato could curse the fates until he dies and that would change nothing. He could blame these two people and that wouldn't give him peace.
He asked Mitsuru if Aigis could make it to the Christmas party. She said it wouldn't be easy. It could be done right before New Year. Unless...
"Help fix Aigis?" Fuuka's expression was like a kid who was about to tear a barbie doll limb by limb. "Sure thing!"
So there's that.
Minato wasn't surprised at his score being the highest. Junpei answered Edogawa's question without problem in class.
After school, Yukari invited Minato to the coffee shop, and because he had nothing better to do, he agreed.
"So," Yukari began. "I'm thinking about looking for a boyfriend."
"..."
"..."
"... I wish you the best of luck?" Minato said over a cup of cappuccino. "I hope you find someone that's compatible with you and you can see yourself in a long-term relationship with. If that's what you want, of course. You're a nice person, so you should attract some nice people eventually."
Yukari chuckled. "Your answer is as weird as I'd imagine it, but that's a nice answer! Sooo yeah. I'm moving on."
"From what?"
"... Nevermind." Yukari chewed on a piece of bonbon. "I just wanna tell you. Oh yeah, I talk with my mom a lot lately, and she said she's not looking for boyfriends anymore. She's taken an interest in making keychains. I'm sure she'll be able to sell it one day."
"Congrats." And with that, the social link was almost done. Minato knew that these are big deals for Yukari, but he didn't understand much. Not really.
"Your confusion is showing on your face, you know."
He won't deny that.
"So like, what's going through your head? Care to tell me? I know you've never been interested in love and dating and stuff... Not saying it's your fault of course! I'm just curious."
"We lost our parents on the same day," Minato said. He's feeling talkative today.
"Uh, yeah?"
"So you get an idea of what age I was. I was seven. I don't really keep in touch with my relatives. They act as guardians but that's about it... I had no one to give me The Talk. And when I was ten, kids around me started having crushes, and I thought those were adult things, so why hurry?"
"Oh." Yukari was slightly ashamed that during that time she pushed men away and swore to never marry. Men? She meant boys. Seeing her mother with random men back then was enough. She didn't want anything like that in her elementary life.
"When I was twelfth, some people started dating, and I didn't think it was necessary back then. It also felt too early. When I was fifteen, I saw a lot of people having problems with love and sex and I'd rather not. Now I'm seventeen, and apparently, people actually feel attractions and find people hot and fall in love and those are real actual feelings and I never know."
"Ohh."
"I know you don't get it, Yukari."
"I'm trying..." She stared at him. "But I bet you have a lot of free time and spare yourself the heartache. I think you're lucky in your own way."
"I guess. Well, there you have it." Minato finished his coffee.
Not having romantic and sexual attraction had always been part of Minato. There's nothing wrong with him about that, but he had to admit Pharos messed with his mind too. Pharos made him want to form social links and kill Arcana Shadows at all costs. Maybe it's not intentional, but Minato sure would resent that for a little while.
"If I have to guess, you have been heartbroken and want to move on? So congrats. Tell me about it if you want."
"I've been thinking about that actually!" Yukari began, "It's about sharing yourselves and feeling safe with each other, trusting yourself with them completely and knowing they also trust themselves with you. Doing exclusive activities together. Finding someone to care for, and loving them with everything I've got… Even if I do lose that person someday, I want to be able to cherish that sadness, too. I'd cherish being with them to the point that no matter how sad I'll be, my memories of being with them will never disappear. Even if someone I care for is gone, it's not wrong to be happy again."
Minato still thought that sounded like another form of friendship branded as romantic. Many of his teenage years think that love was elaborated, an inner joke everyone knew, a lie. He knew his parents loved each other, but he couldn't comprehend it, ever.
"I know you don't get it, Minato."
"Yes, and I will not try anymore."
"Aww. I'm gonna buy ground coffee over there real quick, okay? Fuuka said she needed it for baking."
She left the table, and Minato ate the last piece of bonbon. He thought about a post he read, something about a person with schizophrenia saying he's not lonely even though he had no friends because there're voices in his head talking.
Pharos would find it funny. He's not here, and Minato allowed himself to feel a bit lonely. But he knew having only himself in his head was how other people manage, and there're friends back at the dorm anyway.
Yukari's back with grounded coffee. It's time to prepare for Christmas.