Souji sat on the couch of the common room of Nanako's dorm, waiting for her to return with the tea she had insisted on making. He knew it was only an excuse for her to buy more time before they talked about what happened that day. Knowing how scared Nanako must be, he decided to go easy on her while reminding her of all the responsibilities she had decided to take on. After all, wielding a Persona wasn't forced into her. He'd heard of victims of forced Personas dying by their own Persona's hand. Just the thought of Casseopeia killing Nanako was enough to make his blood run cold.
Nanako returned with the tea, her trembling arms causing the tea set to mercilessly clatter together. She was dreading this talk, but she knew that there was no escaping it. Her heart thundered in her chest as she thought about the extensive lecture coming her way. In moments like these, she wished that the previous night had never happened. What also made it was was that Souji's expression was completely unreadable. Could he possibly be nervous as well?
Unable to take the clattering anymore, Souji reached up and gently removed the tea set from her trembling hands, placing it safely on the coffee table. He then beckoned for Nanako to take a seat next to him. "Nanako-chan, you look terrified. Are you sure that you can do something like this?" he asked.
She already knew what "this" was and nodded. "I-I can do it." A memory awakened inside of her from her childhood. "You've been doing this for a long time, Big Bro. I can still remember when you rescued me from that Heaven-realm. You know, I didn't understand what was going on until today. You, Yosuke, Chie, everyone….you all have Personas, don't you?" Nanako couldn't help but feel betrayed, especially when Souji nodded in confirmation. "Teddie, too, I'm assuming." Her hands clenched the hem of her uniform skirt. "How could you, or even Teddie for that matter, keep something like this from me?"
"How could we have known that you would have that power at such a young age?" he asked. "Nanako, Teddie was terrified of ever telling you. He thought you were dying. He assumed that it was all his fault."
"So he's my best friend out of pity?"
"I never said that."
"But it seems implied," she sighed. Then she remembered her talk with Amada. "Amada-san had the power by the time he was nine years old. Who's to say it wouldn't awaken earlier in someone's life? Who's to say I didn't already have Casseopeia back then? What if it was her who kept me safe and alive until you came to rescue me?"
"It's a possibility," he admitted. "But I didn't want this kind of life for you, Nanako. With this kind of work, you'll never know if you'll live to see the next day. Do you really think I want to actively put you in danger like that? Your dad would never forgive me."
"My dad's not here!" Nanako hadn't realized she had shouted until she saw the shock on Souji's face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she instantly pleaded. "I just don't want to be treated like a child anymore! I'm no longer six years old! Even if you'll always see me as my child self, I'm an adult now! Acknowledge that!"
Souji was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. He hadn't come here to have this argument with her, all he wanted was to be sure she was ready. "No, Nanako. I'm the one who should be sorry. You're right, you're no longer the child I knew. But that doesn't mean I'll stop worrying about you. We're family, Nanako. How could I not care about what could happen to you now that you've joined Shadow Ops?"
"I'm scared," she quietly admitted. "Though I decided to join, how will I know that I won't get hurt? The whole thing is risky, but I want to believe that this will be worth the risk in the end. And I trust you and Amada-san. With time, I'll probably trust everyone. But if I don't at least try it, I'll never know."
He thought back to when he was around her age. How could he expect her to not take the risk when he himself took it? Though he wanted to shut down the whole idea of her joining him, he knew that she molded her sense of justice after his. "Okay," he finally said. "But when we go on missions, promise me that you won't leave my side."
"I promise," she replied with a nod. Her lips then quirked into a teasing smile. "Was that the same thing you said to Yosuke in the beginning?"
"I wanted to keep the damn guy on a leash," Souji admitted before grinning and ruffling Nanako's hair. "Don't forget to check in with Amada-kun at school. He's a good guy, and I know he's been worried since you first got here."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be nice to the rent-a-cop."
.
On her way to class the next morning, Nanako found herself approaching Ken of her own volition. She felt she owed him her resolve over it all. Her heart fluttered a little when he looked around the hoard of students in the entryway past the lockers and smiled upon seeing her. Deciding to ignore it, she walked straight up to her locker, which was at the end of a row. A sense of relief fell upon her when he walked the rest of the way toward her.
"How are you feeling today, Dojima-chan?" he asked her, leaning against the lockers. He pretended to survey the students surrounding them, but his interest was truly in the conversation. Maybe it was even in Nanako herself.
"Souji came to the dorm to talk to me yesterday," she told him, slipping off her shoes and nestling into her slippers. "We talked about what me joining the team really means. I wanted to tell you as well that I've decided to go through with it. Though I have to stay right next to Souji in the beginning, he's ready to trust me."
"Just know you can depend on us as much as you need," he told her.
"Well duh," she replied with a wry smile. "You all just want to act cool in front of me."
"Don't put words in my mouth!" Ken quickly replied, cheeks flushed.
"Nanako-chan!" Mikoto giggled from behind her. "It's only your second day, but you're already picking on Amada-san? That's pretty bold to do in the entrance of the school. Be careful or his fan club might see you."
"As if I have a fan club," he grumbled. "Have a good day at school girls." Ken gave them a quick wave before walking off to patrol outside.
"Seriously, how are you two so close?" Mikoto asked her. "He hardly talks to any of the students, especially the girls. What's your secret, Nanako-chan?" She gave Nanako a nudge with her elbow while winking at her.
"I bully him to keep him on his toes," she flatly replied. "Come on, Miko-chan, let's just go to class."
