"Well, that did not go as planned," Mitsuru sighed. She eyed Souji in his uneasy stance. "Seta, have a seat. You look pale." Her eyes flickered over to Ken. "Amada, please fetch Dojima. I believe we let her know too much all at once. If she's as reasonable of a girl as Seta claims, then I know she will come back with you."
Ken nodded, chancing a glance to Souji, who was stumbling to the sofa. He internally sighed with relief over the fact that his colleague didn't seem to mind him getting Nanako. If it had been any other circumstances, he knew the older man would've fought him should he approach his "little sister". With a subtle nod to Mitsuru, he left the office in search of Nanako.
.
Nanako cupped her cell phone to her ear, trying to muffle her words to everyone but the person on the other line. Tears of fright streamed down her face. "Teddie, it was terrifying…" she whispered. "Souji was basically asking me to shoot myself in the head…"
"Maybe they were telling the truth?" her best friend, Teddie Hanamura, suggested. "If there's anything I know, it's that Sensei loves you. He would never let any harm come to you." He sighed. "I know it sounds weird, but you should trust these people. To be honest, I've met them before, back when you were just a kid. The thing with the guns really is true, and they're only trying to do what's best for the world."
"But I'm still so scared," she sobbed. "Do you promise that they're good people?"
Before Teddie could reply, Ken came around the corner, causing Nanako to hang up on him on reflex. She trembled as Ken drew closer, a look of confusion on his face. Her teary eyes fixated on him with horror. It wasn't as if she hadn't been expecting this moment; she just didn't expect it to come so fast.
"I'm not here to kill you, if that helps," he offered. Seeing her lack of enthusiasm, he sat down beside her, leaning back against the wall. "Maybe Mitsuru-san introduced the concept too quickly. I remember how scared I was the first time I used an evoker. It doesn't hurt, I swear. In a way, it's more symbolic than anything. Basically, it's to unlock your psyche by showing it you don't fear death. It's a lot to take in and understand at first."
"This is all happening so fast," she told him, nearly stumbling over her own words. She felt her face growing hot as she tucked her knees into her chest, burying her face in them. "I just….I don't think I'm cut out for something like this. Aren't I a little too young?"
Ken awkwardly ruffled his hair, unable to stop the nervous laughter bubbling through his lips. "I completely get that, Dojima-chan. After all, I was only ten when I joined them."
Nanako tilted her head slightly to look over at him. "Ten?"
"Yeah," he replied. "I was still in elementary school, and I had lost my family a couple years before it all. Mitsuru-san and Akihiko took me into the high school dorms and gave me a family I never knew was possible to have. We sometimes joke that we all trauma-bonded together and made our own family. In fact, we all still celebrate holidays together."
"I take it Souji has joined the family?"
"Wel, yeah. He started working for us just outside of high school." Ken laughed. "He, Chie-san, and Naoto-san are so fun to work with! We always have a lot of fun here!"
She giggled. "I've always loved Chie-san and Naoto-san." Her heart felt lighter, knowing that there were people she knew doing this job. "This question may sound a little strange, but how rare is the power of Persona?"
"There could be others out there besides us who have the power, but there are maybe about thirty of us here. And as far as we are aware, we are the only ones who can wield Personas." Ken thought for a moment. "We've ever been keeping eyes on other countries, but there appears to be no such thing."
"Amada-san, will you be there with me?" she asked after a moment of silent thinking. "I think if I have you and my big bro there, I'll be brave enough to attempt summoning."
"Why me?"
"Aren't you the one who saved me? I'd be a lot more comfortable with one of my saviors present along with my brother."
"Then yeah, I'll be there, Dojima-chan."
"If everyone in this place is as close as you say they are, you can just call me Nanako."
.
Nanako took three deep breaths and closed her eyes, putting the barrel of the evoker to her temple. She cleared her mind as instructed and pulled the trigger. The sensation of her brain freezing over into rejuvenation caused her eyes to snap right open. Above her floated a goddess-like woman with five arms and four legs. "Casseopeia," she breathed, admiring the sight before her.
Souji gazed in wonder at her Persona, awed by such a sight. He couldn't believe that Nanako had also grown up to wield such a powerful being. His heart skipped a beat when she breathed the name "Casseopeia", barely daring to breath himself.
Ken's eyes widened as he saw how simple she made first-time wielding look. A shock of pride ran through him, bringing a wide smile to his face. He wasn't quite sure what there was for him to be proud of, though.
Mitsuru spoke after a moment of silence. "Nanako Dojima, you have proven yourself gifted with the power of Persona. Will you use it to bring peace to this world?"
.
"So she really did join us, huh?" Akihiko Sanada thought aloud as he mixed a protein drink in his and Ken's shared kitchen. "And who would've thought she'd be related to Souji Seta, of all people? I feel as if the world's getting smaller and smaller."
"Or maybe your muscles are getting too big for you to fit here anymore," Ken nagged, sipping at a cup of black tea with cream. "Do you ever just take a day off from the gym?"
"Of course I do! Going to the gym every day is unhealthy!" He scoffed before turning on the blender for a moment and pouring his protein concoction into a glass. "On those days, I go for a 10-kilometer jog through the city!"
The younger of the two curled his lip in disgust, but even he couldn't tell if it was from the protein shake or his roommate's workout routine. "Something about your dedication to your training makes me sick," he muttered.
Ken refocused his mind back to the previous conversation. "You know I don't normally believe in hunches, but something tells me that Dojima-san is going to be a great asset to us. I just don't yet know how."
