About time for a update! I'm so happy that we finally caught up with DA. This will mean that updates will take a longer time, but at least there'll be new things coming our way =3 Hope ya all enjoy.
Questions time!
KO: I can't confirm nor deny your claim, but I can say you're on the right track. About the Jester/Pierrot Social Link, Souji and the Twins will make that link but with someone else. Really, the idea of a Social link with Adachi in my mind sounds as wrong as the twins forging a link with the chairman. *shudders*
Snake King: More Social links, new mysteries and some surprises along the way.
Blitzshine: Labrys' hair is kinda light blue. Yeah, Izanagi's hammering on Souji's head will come and go, but I can tell ya that things will get ominous as time pass. I'm glad ya like it so far. It's really fun adding these characters. :3
Wolf-IV : Aww, thank you so much w Yes SoujixYukiko is such an underappreciated pairing and they click so well together if ya ask me. Expect more fluffiness with them soon.
A few warnings: (Yes, I put those before every chapter to avoid issues)
-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings(in later chapters): JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are after all the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)
Have fun ya guys. On with the show!
OhtaSuzuke's A/N: To make it easier for the readers, I have placed a few different types of page breaks that indicate the time-skips for various scenarios in the chapter. For days, it is indicated using the normal line break. The page breaks with double line breaks occur within the same day. Hope you all understood that. Please continue to support us by giving your reviews. Those who haven't reviewed yet can start now (yes, I'm talking to YOU!). You guys have no idea how much that motivates us to write faster and better. Constructive criticism is welcomed of course. Now, please enjoy.
Chapter 20: The Occult Club.
Yasogami High…
For once, Izanagi hadn't been bugging Souji the entire day, making him extremely grateful. It was a relief to finally be able to focus on his lessons for once without much effort. Feeling lucky, he decided to try again for music practice right after school was over. 'Finally! I can hand over my permission slip to Ayane. I can't wait to see the band's progress. I bet Aniki and Aneki made a huge impact on the performances.' He smiled to himself, humming a catchy tune as he walked along.
His happiness didn't last long as two pairs of arms pulled him into a dark corner and under the staircase. Guided by instinct and weeks of physical training, Souji elbowed one perpetrator in the ribs, and swiftly caught the other one in an arm-lock, tightening his hold until they whined for mercy.
"Ow! Seta, what the hell?!"
Ears perking, Souji loosened his hold and pushed his captive to his friend, who held his ribs, wheezing in pain. They collided with each other, almost falling down. "Blame yourselves for that. Next time, don't try to grab people out of the blue," he huffed, straightening his blazer.
Quickly regaining their composure, the two approached Souji with more manners this time. "Yes, we apologize for that," one of them said. "But we prefer not to be seen in public." He was of medium height and skinny, his bedraggled black hair all over the place. He reminded Souji of an underfed kitten. His friend didn't look any better, with prominent dark circles under his eyes, contrasting his bright brown hair.
Souji squinted at them, trying to remember their faces from somewhere. He got a blank, but their jittery postures hit him. "So, care to tell me why the Occult Club needs as to unconventionally grab my attention?"
Unfazed, they continued to give Souji their eerie stares. "Yes, but first off we would like to thank you for the Darkness Idol that you got for us last year. It has been very…useful…in our endeavors to understand the paranormal," Black Hair said.
"Our research has been…very fruitful…" Brown hair said, rubbing his hands in glee. Souji observed that this guy hadn't cut his nails in a while. "We have called upon you to require your services once again."
Having been used to hearing cryptic sentences, the silverette raised an eyebrow. Whatever these guys were working on, it had 'BAD IDEA' written all over it. But before he could flat-out refuse, Black Hair spoke up.
"Of course, we will reward you for your efforts. In our possession is a rather rare item. Let's just say that if Sofue hears about it, she'll probably…No, she will fight tooth and nail to add it into her impressive collection of ancient artifacts."
Intrigued, Souji listened on. "We are in dire need of the dolls that you got for us last year. If it's not an inconvenience, we would like another 20."
"Why so many?"
The Occult Club members smiled creepily. "Let's just say that all this supernatural phenomenon sightings around town has gotten people excited, and began to take more interest in our little club. We need the dolls for a mass initiation ceremony for the new members," Black Hair explained.
One of Brown Hair's eyes twitched suddenly, raising Souji's suspicion. "Help us, and we'll gladly hand you the artifact," he said.
Souji thought about it for a while. 'Well, I am looking for new accessories to bring into battle. I have no reason to doubt the authenticity…these guys take that kind of stuff too seriously for it to be a fake. It might even help me with my problem here…'
"Alright then. We have a deal." He shook hands with both. "So, 20 dolls. Any particular deadline that you need it by?"
"We would like to have it in the next 13 days, to coincide with the phases of the moon," Black Hair said, nervously playing with his fingers. "But this time, we require more…variety…regarding the dolls. All shapes and sizes are acceptable as long as they fit the descriptions we're looking for."
"Just hand it over, and we'll give you your reward by then. I believe you know where to find us," his partner finished ominously. He gave Souji a creepy grin, and both boys turned around and left. Not even bothering to at least mention their names.
Souji blew out the breath he'd been holding. 'What have I gotten myself into?'
TV World…
After much discussion the night before (along with some mathematical probability calculations and what-not by Aigis, with Fuuka doing the explanations; it wasn't fun for those who hated math) SPIES decided to try out a few strategies that would optimize the use of their many team members and limited time. They would still follow their previous strategy of dispatching two teams into the dungeons, but a third team is optional with Mitsuru or Teddie as the scanner. However, one of them must remain behind to keep a lookout for The Reaper.
"This is just a precautionary measure," Souji reasoned. "Call it paranoia or whatever, but I think it's better to be safe than sorry in this kind of situation."
Everyone agreed. After Souji was given the clear by a doctor, they continued their investigation inside the TV World. Minako insisted that if Souji wanted to train, he'd best take it easy and fight in the lower dungeons. He argued that wasn't feasible, so they compromised; Souji would form a tag-team with her. That way, she could watch his back and he could get proper training in return. Teddie insisted on being his scanner, so Mitsuru had no choice but to remain behind.
A few hours later…
Souji got back from the dungeon of his choice, carrying a bag full of dolls (obtained from slaying various Magus Shadows) the people from the Occult Club requested. Thankfully, the Shadows in there weren't difficult so he didn't need to rely on his more powerful Personas. Minako and her team had already gone on ahead. As he reached the Entrance Hall with Yosuke, Naoto and Koromaru, there seemed to be a shouting match going on.
Akihiko looked pissed. "Shut up, Shinji! No one asked for your opinion!"
"Hey, everyone's entitled to their own, Aki. You and Satonaka have the same obsession about protein, so I have a completely valid point," Shinjiro retaliated coolly, a teasing smirk on his lips.
"That's such a lame name! My idea was way cooler. Who doesn't like 'Game of Death'?!" Chie shouted back, stomping her foot. "That movie was a classic! The manliest of all kung-fu movies out there!"
"More like 'Meat Lover's Combo'…"
As they were having their three-way verbal fight (which Souji had a slight idea of the theme) he approached Minato, who was rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "Aniki, what's that all about?"
"Akihiko-senpai and Chie made up a new combo attack while we were fighting some really strong Shadows." He sighed lethargically. "It was so damn destructive that I pray they wouldn't have to use it outside if the Dark Hour hits. The topic of steak bowls popped out of nowhere, and Shinjiro-senpai started to laugh his ass off. I swear if they don't stop soon…I might get lucky with Midsummer's Night Dream…"
Souji sweatdropped. By now he knew all the possible Fusion Raids that the twins were able to perform. "That's taking it too far…" He looked around, feeling the energy of seriousness that everyone had going on. Some of them were practicing their moves, sparring with each other and making up new attacks. 'Now that's what I call group effort!' he thought, highly impressed.
"That looks fun," Minako commented. Even after training, she still had an impressive amount of energy. "Hey Yukiko-chan, want to spar with me? Haven't you mentioned about that new attack using two fans you always wanted to try out?"
"Oh, that's right. Thanks for bringing that up," Yukiko said. "Let's go over there, where there's more space." She pointed towards an empty area heading to her dungeon, but not too far from the Entrance Hall.
Far left from where the girls were practicing, Yosuke was training Ken on how to handle agile opponents. The youngest member was a quick study, but more often than not was just as quick to fall prey to any ailment spell Yosuke dished out.
Junpei and Kanji were napping beside the TV exit, snoring loudly. Koromaru decided to join them and snuggled between the two males.
Since everyone was back, Fuuka and Rise were relieved of their scanning duties, and thought it would be fun to combine their powers and see if they could refine their search radius to an even wider area. Mitsuru decided to join them since she wished, even back in high school, to improve on her scanning abilities.
The only ones who weren't in the vicinity were Aigis and Metis. The android sisters were scouting around the perimeter, looking for any clues that they might have missed. Their leaders weren't particularly worried about them going off alone since they were stronger than your average human.
"My my, this place is so lively, almost like a party," Teddie remarked. "I've never seen it this noisy in all of my existence. We should do this more often! All it needs is some food and entertainment. Bring out the party girls!" Out of nowhere, an arrow whooshed past his left ear, narrowly snagging it off.
Yukari appeared, holding her bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, smiling evilly. She nocked the arrow into the bow, ready to pull the string. "What was that, you overgrown doll? Did you suggest something that we might not like?" she hissed, stressing the last two words. Naoto was beside her, replacing bullets inside her pistol as she glared at Teddie.
The bear gave a sharp "Eeeep!" and ran for cover.
The girls grinned in satisfaction. "Nice technique you have there, Yukari-senpai," Naoto praised. "Using your wind powers to manipulate the direction of the arrow trajectory and improve its accuracy. We should team up sometime."
"Thank you, Naoto-kun. It took me quite a while to refine my aiming skills before I figured out how to manipulate it in battle. Your marksmanship is impressive as Aigis'."
Naoto gave her gun a flamboyant twirl before placing it in a leather holster at her hip. Just like the rest, they headed out somewhere nearby to train.
Souji felt some of the tension draining away. He agreed with Teddie on this one – he could get used to such rowdy and lively atmosphere.
The Velvet Room…
"Ah, if it isn't my dear guests…it has been a while," Igor greeted, a cryptic smile on his face. The three assistants bowed respectively.
The Wild Cards had decided to pay a visit to the Velvet Room once more. They hadn't been there for more than a week, so most likely the residents there might be worried.
"Thank you Igor," Minako returned the smile with her own sweet one. "We came by to check on any updates regarding the threat."
"And maybe fuse some new Personas as well." Souji added.
The long-nosed man tapped his fingers together, his gaze piercing. The three teenagers tensed. Souji suddenly remembered Pharos' message. "I sense further disturbance in the balance of the realms. It may not be strong enough to be seen or felt from your world, but it is there nonetheless. How it will manifest itself…only time will tell."
"What about the Great Seal?" Minato asked.
"Nothing there is out of the ordinary from what we observed," Theodore informed. "It is still doing a wonderful job of holding Erebus back as far as we're concerned."
"Then I guess we have no choice but to wait for our next clue," the blunette sighed. "In the meantime, we would like to check up on our Compendiums please."
The assistants approached their charges. "Of course. We're always happy to serve," Margaret said, smiling politely. They placed the books on the pedestals before the Wild Cards.
Quietly, the trio browsed through the pages. Each had two additional chapters for the Arcana which they had gained.
"Hmm…this one looks interesting," Minato said, stopping at the Strength Arcana. "Berserker…seems strong. He'll be a great asset in a fight that needs some muscle power." And by some, he meant a lot.
"Oh, look at this, Aniki…Her name is Lorelei." Minako pointed to a Persona in the Hanged Man chapter. "This one has multiple ailment spells, including one I never seen before. I wonder what it does."
Souji read through both the Hierophant and Emperor. The ones available to fuse were Futotama and Osiris respectively. He started to feel worry. 'I wonder if I can control them…they seem to be pretty strong. I just hope they won't be as stubborn as the other ones I have…'
The weekend had finally arrived and it was time for some rest and relaxation for SPIES; one day to take a break from school and whatever Shadow business if they could help it. They needed this, or else would go stark crazy from all the stress and responsibilities.
Souji was in bed, sleeping in since everyone had agreed not to bother each other for the day. Nanako had a school project with her friends and Dojima was working, so he was all alone. It was perfect; Izanagi had been bothering him the entire night so he wasn't able to any decent sleep. The headaches had been going on and off for the past week. Deciding to skip Tanaka's Amazing Commodities, Souji curled himself under the blankets, enjoying the soft warmth as he drifted off into dreamland.
The incessant ringing of the doorbell woke him up. He groaned and ignored it, hoping whoever it was to go away soon.
*Ring* *Ding* *Rrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnggggg*
No such luck. When the annoying ringing was followed by the pounding of fist on wood, Souji had no choice but to drag his sorry ass out of bed and answer the door. Yawning widely and mumbling a few incoherent curses, he unhooked the safety lock and glared at the intruder who dared mess with his slumber.
"Hey," Shinjiro greeted lamely.
"What do you want?" Souji groaned, rubbing his face. At least his head wasn't feeling like it was about to split open, but that does not mean he wasn't allowed to be cranky on an early weekend morning.
Shinjiro snorted, but he wasn't angry or anything. He cut straight to the chase. "Look, I got a favor to ask of you. It's time for Koro's medical checkup, so can you take him to the vet? The others are pretty busy with their college workloads, the twins got a study date with Amagi and Satonaka, and Ken's occupied with homework. Metis has no social skills with this kind of stuff. I'd dump it on Iori, but I don't trust that idiot with something this important. I ain't comfortable asking Hanamura, Tatsumi or the other girls either." He rubbed the back of his head. "I was called in to work extra shift today, and you're the only one I know who I can actually trust with this kind of stuff…so…"
Looking up, Koromaru began to wag his fluffy tail, staring at Souji with his own version of Minako's puppy-dog eyes. He sweatdropped. 'Aneki should really stop influencing the people she hangs out with.'
After Shinjiro left and Souji got dressed, he hooked a leash on the Shinba Inu's collar and they were off. He had to text Chie earlier for an address, because she's the only person he knew who actually owns a pet.
Koromaru panted happily as he walked side-by-side with Souji, whose mood seemed to be shifting from cranky to pleasant. It wasn't too far, as the vet opened up his practice inside his very own house. The white Shiba Inu even made some fast friends with the neighborhood dogs.
The vet did a physical exam, took a few blood samples and gave the standard worm medication before signing Koromaru off with a clean bill of health. The good weather only made Souji sleepier, so he decided to head straight home. He stopped by Shiroku store to get a few cans of dog food before heading back.
They headed straight for the back yard as soon on arrival. "I guess you can crash at my place while waiting for the others to pick you up," the silverette said, rubbing Koromaru's back. He picked up the empty water bowl for the fox cubs and refilled it, and filled another one with the wet dog food. The mischievous cubs sniffed the delicious smell and came out of their hiding spot, eagerly waiting for a meal. "I hope you don't mind sharing. I bought extras anyways." A huge yawn made it out of his mouth, so he lied down on the couch. "I'll just take a nap. It's been a tiring week after all…" The last thing he heard was the scarfing down of food by four hungry canines as his eyes closed.
Amagi Inn, the Amagis' private study…
"Oh no, look at the time! I'll be late to walk my dog and Dad will scold me again," Chie whined, silently cursing the yellow smiley face decorating her wristwatch. She threw her books and notes into her back-pack.
"We're just about finished, Chie," Yukiko said, closing up her note book. "I'm surprised we made this much progress in half a day."
Minako beamed. "That was fun! You're an awesome tutor, Yukiko-chan."
"Thanks to you, we now understood most of the basics so we can catch up with the others in class," Minato praised, giving her an easy-going smile.
"Too bad Shinji-kun had to work today. He would have benefited from this study session." A worried look crossed her pretty face, plump lips tugged down in a frown.
"Don't fret, Minako. That guy goes at his own pace and makes his way out of sticky situations through pure grit and perseverance. He's not gonna fail you. Not this time."
Minako blushed, a warm smile forming on her lips at her brother's reassurance. Her little daydream was interrupted when Chie almost knocked over a lamp as she hastily left, bidding them a hurried goodbye before heading out the door.
"That Chie…" Yukiko tutted affectionately, turning her attention to the twins. "All that studying made me hungry. How about we go and make ourselves some snacks? I did some shopping yesterday so we can make whatever we want."
Two tummies growled loudly and simultaneously. Yukiko giggled. "That's a yes, then. Come on, the kitchen is this way."
Said kitchen was just some paces away, solely built for the family's personal use. It was neat and tidy, relatively small compared to the inn's gigantic one, but cozy with enough space for three people to maneuver in. Yukiko opened the fridge and took out a container of cold sushi rice. "The chefs made too much of this for the breakfast courses, so they gave me some of the leftovers. I was thinking we make onigiri together."
"You read my mind, Yukiko-chan!" Minako said. "What flavors shall we make?"
"Hmm…I bought a lot of salmon and sardines since they were on sale yesterday. There are some pickled vegetables as well if you'd like."
"That's plenty enough. We don't want to ruin our appetites for dinner," Minato said. "Shinjiro-senpai is cooking today, and I absolutely don't want to be on his bad side for not cleaning off my plate." His sister giggled at that.
The small island was soon piled with ingredients. The three of them merrily made their own batches, not really paying attention to the others and focusing on their own work. After rolling out the rice, filling them, and compressing the balls into triangle shapes with the finishing touches of seaweed, Yukiko made some tea as they gathered at the family dining room to eat.
"Those look as good as Souji-kun's," Yukiko praised the twins' dishes. "They even smell great!"
"Here, have some, Yukiko-chan." Minako passed her plate over so she could grab some. "Aniki, I'll trade you this salmon roe filling for your pickled veggie ones."
Shyly, Yukiko offered some of hers. "I…I know I'm not the best chef around, but I've been practicing a lot. Could you please taste some and see how it is?"
Now, Souji never actually told them the details of the horrors of Mystery Food X concocted by his girlfriend and her best friend. Even so, they had an idea of how bad the situation was; after all, Yukiko and Fuuka share the Priestess arcana and that was enough to keep their guards up. Declining would be rude, so they grabbed one onigiri each from her plate and took a cautious bite.
Just one tiny nibble, hadn't even started chewing yet, the twins knew something was wrong. No, it wasn't the rice…in fact, the rice acted as a tight seal to whatever unpleasant odor that wafted from the filling. It smelled like decayed fish, the sharp sourness of rotting fruit, and burnt toast…which also described the taste.
Not wanting to hurt the girl's feelings, Minato forced his throat to swallow whatever content was in his mouth. He watched Minako's face turn green before she swallowed as well. Thanks to previous experience with Fuuka's cooking, they managed to control their gag reflexes and gave Yukiko a pleasant smile at the end.
"That was, uhh…an interesting flavor, Yukiko-chan…" Minako started, ignoring the horrid after-taste on her tongue. "Out of curiosity, what did you put in there?"
Yukiko beamed. "I was thinking of adding some sweetness to the sardines since it has an oily flavor, so I put in some chocolate powder. And I never tried using mustard in cooking so I was curious how it will taste. And I read in a cooking magazine that sour cream is sometimes used for fish dishes. Pretty neat, huh?"
'Does she even know the difference between chocolate and cocoa?!' Minato wondered, feeling sick to his stomach. 'This is like Fuuka's all over again…only this time, I might not survive…'
Not able to take it any longer, the twins downed an entire mug of steaming hot tea each, not minding getting their tongues burned. Once they were certain the awful flavor was burned off by the beverage, they took a moment to sort out what to say to Yukiko.
Minato began first. "Yukiko-san, allow me to be brutally honest. That was one of worst flavor combinations I have ever tasted," he deadpanned.
"I agree with Aniki, Yukiko-chan. I appreciate your creativity, but some things are just not meant to be mixed together," Minako said.
Light tears began to form in the raven head's dark eyes. "It's hopeless…no matter how hard I try, I can never make anything right..." A sob escaped her throat. "At this rate, I'll never be able to cook Souji-kun a meal he can enjoy."
Minako pulled her into a side-hug. "That's not true, Yukiko-chan. I've always been an avid believer that anyone can cook, as long as they get their basics right."
"I lost how many times Shinjiro-senpai drilled that into Fuuka's head," Minato muttered. "She started out rather horribly. Not only was she lacking in skill, but she was also putting the wrong kind of effort into correcting it."
Yukiko tilted her head. "Wrong kind of effort…?"
Minako nodded. "Fuuka-chan is smart, and meticulous to a fault. That's why she's so good at what she does, but when it comes to cooking she over-thinks things. Did you know she almost dumped salt instead of sugar when we were making muffins, just because she was distracted trying to remember what she saw on TV about baking? She focuses so much on the details that she couldn't keep up with the actual basics of cooking a recipe. You on the other hand, focus too much on flavor that you forget the real purpose of cooking."
"The real purpose…of cooking…?" Realization was slowly downing on Yukiko.
"Both you and Fuuka treat cooking like a science experiment. While that is true at some point, you can never reach that stage until you mastered how to make proper, edible food. What's the point of cooking for people if they can't eat it?" Minato said.
"You…you're both right…"
Seeing that Yukiko was about to cry, Minako gently grasped her hand and tugged her back into the kitchen. "Come on. Let me teach you how to make a basic onigiri filling. If it goes well, you can make Souji-kun a proper bento next time." The younger girl blushed at that.
"It doesn't have to be something fancy, you know. Love makes the simplest food taste even better," the blunette added, smirking when Yukiko's face bloomed a darker shade.
"Please teach me again, if you don't mind." She gave them a smile filled with gratitude. The twins felt a bond forming between them and the young manager-to-be.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Priestess Arcana.
Just as Souji slipped into unconsciousness, an image of Izanagi drifted in his mind's eye. The God of Creation's back was facing him – he was tall, radiating authority and power.
Souji's heart began to beat out of rhythm. He never felt this way before; it was almost as if he was…afraid…of his own Persona. Unsure of the situation, he reached out to him slowly.
Sensing the hesitance, Izanagi turned around, swinging his naginata at the same time. Souji jumped back just in time to avoid getting sliced, gasping in shock when his Persona's helmet began to crack. Red and black filth splattered the front of his jacket, emitting an awful smell of rotting corpses. His movements were twitchy and violent.
"You…you're not Izanagi…" Just as he uttered those words, Souji's head started to pound. It was so painful he fell on his knees, hardly able to breathe. Izanagi, or whatever it was, approached him menacingly, ready to strike again…
A strong tug in his gut woke him up, returning him to reality. Souji gasped loudly, coughing when he tried to gulp in as much air as he could to his deprived lungs. He was sweltering profusely, head hurting as vague images of his nightmare passed through his mind.
Sensing his distress, Koromaru ran back into the house, leaving the fox cubs to play in the garden. He saw Souji curled up on the couch while holding his head, eyes closed, shaking like a leaf. Whining softly, the white dog approached apprehensively, nudging the silverette's cheek with his cold, wet nose.
The difference of temperature on his cheek snapped Souji out of it. Koromaru licked his face to cheer him up. "Koromaru…" he whispered, reaching out to pat his head. "Thanks, boy. You're a life saver."
Feeling that affectionate licks weren't enough, Koromaru jumped on the couch and snuggled beside Souji, placing his head on his stomach. The warmth radiating from the canine was a comfort like nothing else. The cold sweat was gone, replaced by a feeling of security. Souji hugged him, his fears slowly dissipating. He wasn't much of a dog person and mostly hung out with cats, but at that moment, he felt closer to Koromaru.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
It brings thee closer to the truth,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Strength Arcana.
His head no longer hurt. "Thank you, Koromaru. You really are a man's best friend." Both fell into a peaceful slumber.
And that was how Dojima, Nanako, and the Arisato twins who came take Koromaru home, found the two. The chibi foxes were sleeping in a doggy pile under the coffee table. The picture of Souji sleeping Minako took with her phone became her new favorite wallpaper.
Yasogami High, after school...
Teddie escaped his clutches yet again. As Yosuke was power-walking along the corridors, looking for his idiotic and lazy foster brother-slash-Junes mascot all over school to drag his sorry ass to work and supervise his punishment, the music playing from the practice building caught his attention. Forgetting about the annoying bear for a second, Yosuke decided to go and check it out; since it was unusual that the music club would be meeting on the days they were off.
As he got closer, the sweet music grew louder. It wasn't playing any song that he knew, but he liked the upbeat rhythm nonetheless. Opening the door carefully, Yosuke took a peek inside the room, curious to find out who was diligent enough to practice at school without the other music club members.
"Yosuke-senpai? What are you doing over there?"
Said senpai gave a startled squeak, almost falling to the ground because the shock messed with his footing. Quickly regaining his composure, he turned around to find Rise looking at him with a scowl on her face, hands on her hips. 'Uh-oh, it seems like she's in a bad mood.'
"Have you seen Teddie anywhere?" Rise demanded. "He stole some of my magazines from my desk, which happens to have a limited edition poster of my idol. Do you know how hard it is to get one of those?!"
"I'm looking for him myself. I was actually going to take it easy on him today, but after pulling off this stunt, he just dug his own grave," Yosuke said sourly.
"Anyway, if you see him, give him a good smack! I'll personally deal with him in tomorrow's class!" The pop-star turned away and walked off in a huff.
The door to the music room opened, revealing Minato Arisato, holding up a violin. "Yosuke? What are you doing here?"
He sighed again. "Have you guys seen Teddie? It's his punishment day, but I can't seem to find him anywhere." He rubbed his temples in frustration. "Urrgghh…screw that bear! I need a break. Dad's been on my case since the semester started and…" The sounds of piano-playing snapped him out of his rambling trance. "Hey, is that Minako-san?"
Minato opened the door wider to invite him in. "Yeah, that's her. We stopped by the music room to take a short break, and we'll be heading off to the shopping district for some food before tackling that project Yamada-sensei handed out."
"Oh, it's Yosuke-kun," Minako greeted, standing up from her piano seat to wave at him.
Yosuke waved back. "Hey, I couldn't help but notice you guys playing when I walked past here. Where's Souji?"
"He said something about leaving early to rest at home. Shinjiro-senpai even gave him the evil eye before leaving for work," Minato said. He gently placed the violin back in its casing before picking up a cello, plucking the thick strings and producing the weirdest vibrations Yosuke has ever heard, fascinated by the way his nimble fingers manipulated the strings.
"Hey, that's a cool trick there. I didn't know you could play one of those without the stick thing," he said.
"That's called a fiddlestick, Yosuke-kun. All stringed instruments work on the same principle. It's the size and the craftsmanship that influences how it'll sound," Minako answered. "Souji-kun told me you taught him how to play the guitar. That's really neat."
Yosuke's cheeks heated up. "He told you that, huh? Well, it was a bass. And I'm not that good anyway…"
"You sell yourself short, Yosuke," Minato reprimanded, slapping the cello strings lightly to silence it. "What about that concert you guys did with Rise? If it hadn't been for your quick thinking, your dad would've been fired, isn't that correct? You handle yourself pretty well as one of the brains of the team if I say so myself."
The heated cheeks turned into a dark blush. "Th-thanks, guys. It's always nice to hear that…"
Minako smiled at him. "Aniki's right, you should give yourself more credit. If it wasn't for you, the Investigation Team wouldn't have existed, you know? Souji-kun told us all about it…it was you who initially brought up the connection between the murders and the Midnight Channel, and prompted the investigation. I'm pretty sure Souji-kun would have figured it out in due time, but by then Yukiko-chan would have been dead."
Minato approached the manager's son, a gentle smile on his face as he held out a hand for a handshake. "I never got the chance before, so I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You've always had his back, in battle and in life. Thank you for protecting him."
"Souji-kun is who he is now, because of you guys." Minako clasped her hands around her brother's and Yosuke's handshake. "Thank you Yosuke-kun, for starting everything. Call it 'fate' or 'the bigger picture' but…if Souji-kun wasn't involved in the murders, we might never get to see him again."
Yosuke was stunned. He never thought of it like that before. His heart swelled with emotion, knowing that he was a part of something that could change the universe, surrounded by people who genuinely cared. Suddenly, all the hardships caused by his Junes connection felt like nothing. "Souji…he's my best friend. He understands me more than I do. Of course I'll protect him in any way I can."
The mutual understanding they shared triggered the mysterious voice only the twins could hear.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana.
"So, you guys need a drummer?" Yosuke asked, breaking them from their slight trance. He took a seat at the drums. "After seeing Kanji play it last year, I started learning by myself. It has more attitude compared to an electric guitar, if you get what I mean," he grinned. "Just…don't tell him that…"
The three spent the next hour talking about music and testing out some tunes before leaving the school.
"Honestly, Miss Kirijo, I can't see what benefit will come from this."
Mitsuru held back a frustrated sigh. Videoconference business meetings were never a pleasant duty for the Kirijo heiress, but this time, it was worse than usual. A majority of whom joined the meeting were her father's business partners, but the ones that gave her the most trouble were her late grandfather's.
"Gentlemen, I've already explained it to you. Sponsoring a school is highly beneficial to any company," Mitsuru explained again, slowly as not to lose her already thinning temper. "Not only does it improve our image, it is also a tremendous help for future generations."
"That much I agree with you, Miss Kirijo, but sponsoring a school in Yasoinaba? Why chose such a backwater place like that?"
"It is true that Inaba is a small town, but I can assure you its people hold incredible amounts of potential, especially the students from Yasogami High. Our duty is to help them fully reach it."
"What potential could a bunch of hillbillies like them possibly have? I mean, sponsoring Port Island's Gekkoukan High like your late father did is one thing, but this? This is a waste of our resources and time!"
"If we really must sponsor a school, why don't we choose a private one, like the one my grandchild attends to? Clearly that'll attract more attention from possible investors and future partners than any third class public school."
The red-head was losing her patience. "That kind of stuck-up attitude won't help our companies' images, sirs. It never worked and never will!"
"So stubborn… Just like your foolish father…"
That was one thing Mitsuru never tolerated. "What did you say?!"
"Why care so much about second rate people when you can surround yourself with the best society has to offer? And yet you prefer to spend time with lowlifes from your high school days. If it wasn't for inheritance, you'd never be the head of such an important company!"
That was the last straw. Ice crystals formed at the edge of the giant screen Mitsuru was facing. "Now listen here! You may question my decisions, or any actions that I take on behalf of the company, but if you ever dare to disrespect my father's memory or my friends in my presence, I can guarantee that your ties with the Kirijo Group will be permanently severed and that none of your companies will have an easy life!"
The executives shuddered at her display of anger and quickly logged off.
"Ugh, why must some people be so aggravating?!" Mitsuru fumed as she turned off her computer. A knock on the door was heard. "What is it?!" she snapped.
"Mitsuru-san? It's me, Metis." The android slowly opened the door, having sensed Mitsuru's sour mood shown by her vital signs. She came with some papers. "My sister asked me to deliver the papers you had required earlier…"
Mitsuru took a deep breath. She had forgotten she had asked Metis and Aigis to be her assistants. "Thank you, Metis, I'll go over them later." She took the papers, placed them on her desk. "Tell the others I'll be leaving for a while, and I do not want to be disturbed."
"Of course, Mitsuru-san." Metis bowed her head slightly and left the room.
Once she was gone, Mitsuru sighed again. "I need some fresh air…"
Rise stomped her way to the shopping district, her mood darkening even after she left school. A bunch of different ideas swarmed her thoughts on how to punish Teddie for stealing her precious magazines, each one more painful than the last. 'It'll make Senpai's punishment a piece of cake compared to what I'm gonna do to him…' she thought darkly.
When she got to the tofu shop, her grandmother was already at the front, arranging the items to sell out on display. "Had a good day at school, Rise dear?" she asked sweetly.
"You can say that," Rise huffed, careful to watch her language and mannerisms.
Her grandmother didn't miss the anger in her puffed-up cheeks. "Why don't you take the day off, dear? You don't seem to be in the best of moods. Besides, business is rather slow today so I think I can handle things by myself."
"Are you sure, Grandma? Don't we still have that huge order from the Amagi Inn to take of?"
"I can get everything prepared before we work on it tomorrow. They insisted that it must be freshly-made this time," the old woman assured.
"Okay, if that's what you think is best."
"Oh, before you go off and play with your friends, please take some of this stuffed tofu for our new neighbors." She handed her granddaughter a container wrapped in one of her best furoshiki.
'Wow, Grandma must really want to impress them,' Rise thought, stroking the soft, silky-textured cotton. It had soft blue background, intricate weaves of green bamboo and their leaves with splashes of yellow, brown and silver as the patterns. An imaginary light bulb flashed above her head. 'I wonder if Labrys-senpai is there? I haven't had a chance to meet her because that idiot bear keeps getting me in trouble.' Putting on her shoes again, Rise waved to her grandmother before taking her leave.
The new antique store was located just two shops to the right from the Konishi's, a strategic place to catch the eyes of people in cars going to and fro on the main road, or people waiting at the bus stop. 'Kanji never mentioned running into her or stopping by the shop to get a closer look. His house is even closer to it than mine. I know…he probably didn't tell me anything on purpose to throw me off or something. He can be so selfish…!' She continued her monologue grumbling until she reached the front door of the antique shop.
As Rise pushed the door open, the smell of coffee and cinnamon with a light whiff of incense hit her nose. The sound of ornate wind chimes placed above the door greeted her ears. In the back of her mind, Kanzeon started to hum, tingling her senses. The tinkle of the chimes rang softly through the air. "Hello…?" she called, eyes scanning around. Finding no one, Rise decided to look around.
The place was filled to the brim with stuff that interested her and a few which creeped her out – particularly a scroll painting of an old man whose eyes seemed to follow her wherever she went. The shuffling of stringed beads acting as a curtain and barrier to the back room alerted the scanner of another presence. Turning around, she saw the girl who just transferred to her school carrying a saber encrusted with semi-precious stones and intricate carvings, and gently placed it in a glass display, the polished silver seeming to entice people who would look at it to contemplate its purchase. The girl with light sea-blue hair and red eyes noticed Rise's reflection on the glass and looked up, an easy-going smiled readily on her lips. "Welcome to Shinshudo Antiques. How can I help ya?"
Rise couldn't help but notice that her dialect was different from the rest of the townsfolk. "Wow, nice Kansai accent. I didn't know you were from way over there, Labrys-senpai."
"Huh?" Labrys blinked. "Oh…I guess you can say that." She turned her gaze to Rise's uniform. "So we go to the same school, huh? What's your name?"
"Oh, where are my manners. My name's Rise Kujikawa and I'm a junior. My family runs the tofu shop just down the street. So we're neighbors from now on!"
Labrys smiled, wider this time. "Glad to know. There ain't girls my age around here. It gets lonely, y'know?"
"I know, right?!" And from there onward, the girls started to chat excitedly, ranging topics from other neighbors to school. So distracted they were, none of them noticed the owner of the shop just came back with bags of groceries.
"Aren't you the girl from the other day, along with another girl and a tall boy?" the older woman asked sharply, startling the teenagers.
"Momma, you're back!" Labrys greeted.
'Momma' raised an eyebrow at Rise. "Who's this, Labrys?"
"This is Rise-san. Her family runs the tofu joint down the street. She was just comin' in for a look-see." Labrys took the groceries and lifted them in one go, which Rise noticed, was a lot.
'She's really strong…' Rise noted. Turning back to the woman, she introduced herself again. "Hi, I'm Rise Kujikawa. It's a pleasure to meet you." She gave a small bow. "Oh, I almost forgot about this. Here!" She handed over the cloth-wrapped container. "My grandma made this for you as a welcoming gift. It's her famous stuffed fried tofu, a family recipe."
"That's very nice of her. My daughter and I will most definitely enjoy this for dinner."
"Enjoy what, Momma?" Labrys asked as she returned from the back. She still wore her grey cardigan.
'Isn't she hot in that?' Rise wondered. Her phone suddenly vibrated, indicating a text just came in. Her smile turned upside-down after reading the screen. "Aww man, how did Naoto know that I'm off from work early? Now she wants to advance our study session. Grandma must have told her ~ " she whined.
"That does sound important. I guess I'll be seeing ya at school tomorrow then," Labrys said, extending a handshake.
"Yeah. If I'm late, I'll never hear the end of it," Rise sighed, and shook hands. A cold jolt ran across her skin, causing goosebumps. 'Her hand…it's hard. And cold too…' She ignored the humming from her Persona as she made her way out of the shop, waving and smiling at her new friend.
The woman narrowed her eyes at Rise as her daughter waved back, the girl unaware of what was going through her mother's mind.
Mitsuru tore down the streets on her motorcycle, the engine roaring loudly, as if providing an outlet for her frustrations. 'Those arrogant miscreants…the nerve of them! Badmouthing Father and my friends like that!' she all but screamed. 'Who do they think they are? All they care for their social status and company profits…' Her professional and high-class upbringing prevented her from swearing. "If they ever dare to repeat those words again, I'll – !"
Her thoughts were cut short by a startled shout. "Look out!"
Mitsuru gasped and made a sharp turn to the left, barely avoiding running over a passerby crossing the street. The motorcycle skidded and stopped, the rider trying to balance herself and the vehicle from toppling over. "My goodness… that was a close call!" she murmured, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Mitsuru-san?" A familiar voice called out to her. "Are you okay?"
Blinking the shock out of her system, the heiress turned her gaze to find out she had almost run over Souji. "S-Seta? I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and I…!"
"Hey, calm down. It's okay!" Souji raised his hands as if surrendering, trying to ease the situation.
Having regained the right state of mind, Mitsuru turned off the engine and balanced the motorcycle on its stand. "You should be more worried about yourself. I almost run you over and you're asking me if I'm alright." She gave him a small smile for his concern.
Souji picked up the plastic bag containing milk and bread he bought earlier. He just returned from school, deciding to take Shinjiro's advice a bit seriously this time. "I wasn't paying attention when I crossed the street either, so I'm to blame as well." Souji observed how her forehead creased, dark brown eyes tense. She looked like she was thinking too hard about something. "Did something happen?"
Mitsuru hesitated before answering "It's… It's just some business issues. Nothing that concerns you…"
The silverette crossed his arms, raising an unconvinced eyebrow. Instead of bugging her for an answer, he decided to change the subject. "Nice bike…" He took a good look at the motorcycle, impressed by the shape and design; most probably custom-made. "Would you like to go for a ride with me? I find that a familiar and calming scenery is often needed when I'm stressed out."
"A ride? But…"
"Don't worry. I have a scooter license and my uncle's old scooter should still be good to go. So, what kind of place do you find familiar and calming, Mitsuru-san?"
"Well, I suppose a ride to somewhere else would be a nice change of pace…" Although a bit hesitant since she never had a partner to partake such activities with, Mitsuru's smile widened as she closed her eyes. "The ocean… I always found it to be soothing…"
"Then I know just the place. My house is not that far from here. Let's go."
Curious about Souji's intentions, Mitsuru followed him to his house. She was surprised to see Souji's scooter; a rather old but classic model which isn't manufactured anymore, still in wonderful condition despite its age. She had to admit, both Dojima and his nephew had good taste in motorbikes.
In no time, both were on the road. Mitsuru was amazed; the roads and the sights were so beautiful. The lush forest and fresh air were working its magic on her already.
After maneuvering the twisty roads, Souji and Mitsuru arrived at Shichiri beach. The sun shone brightly, the sea glistening in its entire splendor. A gentle breeze blew by, toning down the heat.
"What a beautiful view…" Mitsuru and Souji stood at the pier watching the sea. "I had no idea such a place existed so close to Inaba."
"This is Shichiri beach. My friends and I came here last year during summer vacation," Souji started. "It was really fun…until Teddie decided to pull off his 'wardrobe malfunction' plan…" His enthusiasm withered at that.
Mitsuru raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Wardrobe malfunction?"
"You see, Teddie thought it would be a good idea to 'accidentally' untie and remove the girls' swimsuits…"
Mitsuru facepalmed. "Why am I not surprised at such behavior coming from that bear?"
"Yeah, but the worst was yet to come. While he was underwater, Teddie confused Kanji with a girl. How? I think it was because he was wearing a speedo… Anyway, Kanji caught him red-handed and dragged him to the beach only for Yosuke and me to realize he had lost his swimsuit in the confusion."
She blushed at that piece of information. "And Akihiko still complains why I'm so adamant on him wearing decent swimwear…"
"The girls were coming out of the water and we knew we'd be in trouble if they saw Kanji like that, so we had to think fast. Luckily, Yosuke was quick to find some seaweed and we used that to cover him up, though barely..." Souji could no longer contain his laughter as he recalled the memory. "They totally freaked out! Luckily, we managed to recover Kanji's swimsuit, so the whole outing turned out okay."
As he finished telling his tale, the Kirijo heiress was laughing so hard, she was having trouble keeping her composure. Out of the blue, her expression turned serious, faint blush on her cheeks. "What if that happens to Akihiko one day?" she mused out loud.
Souji sweatdropped, but smiled when he sensed that she has calmed down. "Glad to see you're not so tense anymore," he told her lightly. "Now, care to tell me what's bothering you?"
Mitsuru sighed, knowing that tone. It was the same one the twins used whenever they wanted her or anyone else in SEES to open up to them. "There are some… people… making things difficult for me and the Kirijo Group…. I'll convince them that it is a wise decision, though… eventually…" she finished, not sounding confident at all.
Knowing better than prying over such a topic, the silverette nodded. They remained silent for a few minutes, the tension slowly creeping back. It was up to him to defuse it. "Mitsuru-san would you like to see a magic trick?"
She blinked at the sudden question that was out of topic. "A magic trick?"
He pulled out a medium-sized coin. "See this coin?" At Mitsuru's nod, Souji twirled it between his fingers to show the coin was there. With a flick of a hand, he opened up his palm and it suddenly vanished. "Now you don't."
"What on earth..!? Where did it go?"
"I'll show you." He reached out to her, and pulled something from behind her ear. "Ta-da!"
"What? How? Where?" The red-head was at a loss of words. "How did you do that?"
"A magician never reveals his tricks. That would ruin the magic." Souji pocketed the coin, a smirk on his face.
"Magic, you say?" Mitsuru smiled. Her sheltered upbringing didn't allow her to experience the joys of watching magic tricks. "Well, I'm sure there is a logic explanation for this. Please Seta, repeat that trick again."
Souji did so, but no matter how carefully Mitsuru watched his moves, she couldn't figure out how he did that. The silverette didn't mind repeating the trick a few times so she could try and solve it, but remained clueless about its workings. Despite that, she was enjoying his company so much neither noticed time passing by.
Only when the sky turned a reddish hue did they finally take notice. "Look at the time," Souji said, glancing at his wristwatch.
Mitsuru gasped when she suddenly recalled something. "We should return. I left in such haste I forgot my cellphone. The others might be wondering where I am…"
"Don't worry. I'm sure they know you can take care of yourself pretty well." He pocketed the coin for the last time. "Shall we head back?"
It was late evening when they finally made it back to the dorm. As they stood by the front gates, Mitsuru let out a tired but satisfying sigh, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you so much for showing me the beach, Seta. I really needed that." She held out her hand for a handshake.
"It was a pleasure, Mitsuru-san." Souji returned the gesture. "Whenever you want to ride together again, give me a call. I know some other great spots, and it's always more fun with some company."
"That would be wonderful." Mitsuru's face brightened up. "I didn't expect to find a fellow motorcycle enthusiast here. It's wonderful to share the feeling with someone else."
As he shook hands with Mitsuru, Souji felt a familiar sensation as the mysterious voice echoed in his head.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
It brings thee closer to the truth,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Empress Arcana.
Souji bid Mitsuru farewell and headed back home, humming an upbeat tune as the sun began to set.
Shopping District...
The Arisato twins were just wandering around after school. They stopped in front of the billboard, where certain jobs caught their attention.
"So this is the billboard Banchou-kun was talking about." Minato said, eyes browsing the fliers. "Hmm… Let's see…"
Newspaper delivery boy needed…
Looking for gas station attendants…
Help wanted! Daycare centre looking for assistants with the ability and patience to care for and handle children between 3-11 years of age…
"Aniki, check this out. They're hiring people to work at the day care on the hill Banchou-kun took us to that day," Minako said excitedly, ripping off the ad. "They need help with kindergarten and elementary school kids. This is perfect for us!"
"I agree. Remind me to tell Banchou-kun about this when we get the chance. He'll be happy to know about it."
Minako nodded. The siblings decided to explore more, and made a stop in front of Tatsumi Textiles. "Why don't we check out Kanji-kun's family shop? It's gonna be fun!"
"I don't see why not. We didn't get a chance to look at more of the stuff in there last time."
As they took off their shoes to enter, Kanji appeared and began to arrange dolls on the display shelf. All of them were stuffed animals wearing various types of costumes; from Victorian era dresses to modern uniforms.
"Oh my gosh, Kanji-kun! Those are the cutest thing ever!" Minako squealed, rushing over to the display with hearts in her eyes.
"Whoaaaah!" Kanji all but threw the remaining dolls in the air, startled out of his skin. "Damnit, Senpai…don't scare me like that! Rise's squeals are bad enough!"
"Sorry ~ " Minako giggled and turned to her brother. "Rise-chan is right. Messing with him is so much fun!"
Minato sweatdropped. "Excuse my sister. But, I must agree with her." He picked up a stuffed tiger dressed as a samurai. "These dolls are fantastic, Kanji. You made them all?"
"Huh? Those? Yup, just finished the last batch," Kanji grinned. "These dolls sell so fast that I need to make loads of 'em. It's really fun, though."
"Man, I wish I could sew like that…" Minako sighed, petting a bunny angel. "I could make Shinji-kun a new set of oven mitts and maybe a new apron."
"I know what you mean…" her twin said. "I'd love to give Yukari a handmade present… The hard part would be deciding what to give her. Something like this is pretty neat though."
"You can always learn, y'know," Kanji interjected. "I-I mean, you guys already know basic sewing, so learning how to make dolls and other stuff wouldn't be that hard. Didn't you tell me you worked on a kimono once? Making stuff like this should be a piece of cake."
Minako smiled mischievously at him. "Kanji-kun, are you inviting us to your sewing classes? Because if you are…I'd love to learn from the best!"
The former delinquent blushed at her praise, but quickly got over it. "Hell yeah! After all, if ya gotta do something, might as well give it all ya've got!" He slammed a fist against his palm.
"Can't argue with that," Minato chuckled. "Our schedules are a bit crazy, but I'm sure we can find some time for your sewing lessons."
"Alright! When I'm done with you two, you'll be pros!"
"Yosh!" Minako cheered, catching his enthusiasm.
As Minako and Kanji talked about when the classes will be held, Minato browsed more of the doll displays. At the top of the shelf, his eyes were glued to something he recognized – a pink alligator. "This…"
Minako heard her twin's gasp. When she turned her attention to him and noticed the doll in his arms, her eyes widened. "That… That looks just like…"
"What's with you guys?" Kanji was confused at their sudden speechlessness. "Huh? The Pink Alligator? That's one of the most popular dolls in the shop with kids and housewives, probably because of that storybook."
"Storybook?" The twin echoed in unison. "Can we see it?"
Not sure what to think of it, Kanji simply nodded and disappeared up to his room to fetch the book. He came back with a colorful hardcover with the picture of a pink alligator and a bird. "Here ya go. Dunno what got you guys so worked up… I mean, it's a neat story and all, but it's just a kid's book…"
They quickly browsed through the pages. Halfway through, tears welled up in their eyes.
"It IS his work…" Minato whispered.
"Akinari-kun…" His sister closed her eyes, twin streak of tears running down her cheeks.
"S-Senpai?" Kanji began to panic when Minato shed a tear as well. "I-I… I'm so-sorry! I didn't mean it… I…!" He started blubbering apologies and nonsense.
Minako interrupted him. "Kanji-kun… It's not your fault…" She gave him a watery smile. "It's just that…this book brought us memories…"
"This story's author…" Minato said quietly. "He was our friend…"
"Say what?"
"His name was Akinari Kamiki." Minako started. "He was really intelligent and loved books, but Akinari-kun was a rather depressed guy when we met him."
"You see, he was born with a rare, incurable and life-threatening genetic disease. And because of that he wasn't expected to live much longer," Minato continued.
"Under such circumstances, you can't blame him for having a rather bleak outlook on life…" Minako sighed. "And it was no surprise he had a bit of trouble relating to normal, healthy people."
"But that story… It started happy, then got sad but it had a happy ending…" Kanji muttered. He remembered crying for days after reading the story for the first time. His mother even cried with him after he read it to her.
"To lose a precious friend, yet at the same time to learn that our existence in this world is never for naught," the blunette said. "That's what the story he wrote before passing away was about."
"Even if his time was short, he learned that life is always worth living to its fullest, and he was grateful to his mother for giving birth to him and taking care of him. His mother expressed the same thing." Minako smiled at that. "And it was that understanding that ultimately drove him to write that story and ended it on a happy note."
"Mother…" Kanji frowned in contemplation as Akinari's last thoughts resonating through his being. "Ma always took care of me, especially after Dad passed away. I took it really hard. She was always bailing me out whenever I got in trouble…I worry her so much she's got way more white hairs than she should…"
"Kanji?"
"Kanji-kun?"
The former delinquent paid no attention to them as he continued his musings. "Ma's getting old and her health ain't that good anymore. I gotta take care of her… If I don't, then who will?"
Minako touched his arm, breaking him from his thoughts. "You don't have to do it all on your own, you know."
Kanji turned to the twins, surprised. They were smiling warmly at him. "Losing a parent when you were young is always hard, because you're suddenly thrusted with more responsibilities than you should," Minato said.
"It's not easy and it's painful, but you're never alone. There will always be someone who understands the same pain you went through," Minako added. "Me and Aniki, Souji-kun, Yukari-chan, Ken-kun, Mitsuru-senpai…" A tiny mischievous grin formed on her lips. "Naoto-chan…"
At Kanji's faint blush, Minato smiled. "We all need a helping hand every now and then, Kanji. There's nothing to be ashamed about asking for help."
"When you're ready, come talk to us. We'll be more than happy to hear you out."
"Senpai… Thanks. You guys are the best," Kanji sniffed, a few tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Once again, he was reminded of how similar the twins were to Souji. He hugged the book closely to his chest.
The twins smiled at the younger teen, the bond they shared being forged through the related understanding of lost.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Emperor Arcana.
Yukari drummed her fingers on her desk, having been staring at the email on her laptop screen for almost half an hour. Her delicate brows furrowed in stress, thinking about the email's contents. According to her teacher, her assignment was for her to design and create an autumn collection, along with a mock proposal on marketing said collection. It was easy enough, the only problem being that she needed to have it completed in a short period of time, and the finished product must be delivered to the teacher's doorstep two weeks after submitting the proposal. Thanks to her secret Shadow-fighting activities, Yukari was having designer's block.
Deciding that asking for help would save time than trying to solve the problem herself, she marched out of the dorm with her handbag and plastic folder in tow. 'I should probably ask Rise-chan. I can't ask for Minako-chan's help this time, or Minato-kun's. They're busy with their own thing. Maybe Rise-chan might have some ideas…I mean, she was a pop idol. Or maybe Kanji-kun…his needlework is something else. This should be fun!'
When she got to the shopping district, the first detour Yukari made was to Tatsuhime Shrine, having remembered that she wanted (or rather, needed) to get herself a protective charm. The amount of stress it was causing her thanks to the ghost apparitions that appeared the day they cleaned their dorm, was enough to give her a nervous breakdown. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friends to help her out; but having something physical that can help ward them away will give her peace of mind. As she climbed the stairs, her thoughts took her back to when she and her mother lived in Kyoto. The ancient city capital was filled with superstitious beliefs, having heard most of them while she grew up, could be the main reason for her phobia.
She bought a protective charm from the priest on duty there. Deciding that her luck might improve if she was more generous, the healer threw some money into the offertory box, rang the shrine bell, put her hands together, and prayed. 'Dear Kami-sama, please protect me and my friends from ghosts and spirits wishing to harm us.' She ended it with 'Let me ace this assignment and make it through college in one piece!' Nothing prepared her heart when someone tapped her shoulder.
"KYAAAAA!"
"Whoa! Yukari-san, calm down! It's me."
"Souji-kun…" she gasped, still holding her chest. All of a sudden, her eyes narrowed dangerously and she slapped his shoulder. "Don't ever do that again!"
Souji sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, a small light of amusement in his eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you'd react that way." He saw the protective charm in her hand and pointed to it. "You're here for that?"
Embarrassed, Yukari blushed. "Y-yeah…what's it to you?"
"I just don't believe in that stuff, to be honest. Well, they do make pretty effective accessories with the armors when fighting Shadows," Souji said the last part as an afterthought.
The healer huffed, but her anger seemed to have simmered down. "I used to live in Kyoto, if you must know. Charms were pretty much a part of daily life. I guess it never left me."
"Did those ghost lights appear at the dorm again?"
"N-no, not since that day we cleaned it up, but it still scared me. Junpei thought I was being silly and teased me about it. Thank goodness Minato-kun shut him up for me. I even slept in Minako-chan's room for a week and – " She blushed crimson yet again. "F-forget I said the last part!"
Souji found it strange for someone who dealt with Shadows on a constant basis to be scared of the supernatural. But then again, Chie was the same, only she believed in physical force instead of trinkets. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you." Yukari sighed in relief. She couldn't believe that she blurted her secret out so easily to a guy other than Minato. Perhaps that was another trait of the Wild Cards; they can make people tell them anything just by staring at you. A bird tweeting in the distance reminded the two that they were alone. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm…?"
"What was your dad like?"
Souji's eyes widened in surprise. He could tell that his friends avoided that question as to not open the proverbial can of worms so to speak. Even Dojima dodged that topic until he had more conclusive evidence that they were still out there. But still, he wasn't the least offended. 'Perhaps talking about it will help ease my mind,' he thought. 'After all, Yukari-san grew up most of her life without one. Must be tough…'
"I remember he wasn't always around when I was a kid, because of his job. Even so, my parents always made it up to me by celebrating important events with the twins, or even something simple like a bedtime story. Well, my mom did. Dad often played music for me. His favorite is slow jazz. I guess I admired him for that, which is why I took up playing the trumpet as my first instrument. Sometimes we would watch samurai or yakuza movies together. Mom often got mad at him because of that, especially whenever I tried to imitate the moves from TV." Souji held an imaginary sword in his hand and slashed the air. "After Aniki and Aneki's parents died, they took it hard. We moved around a lot after that, because my parents were taking up projects all over Japan. I felt ignored, because they weren't around anymore. Even when they were distant, I always felt their warm presence. After the accident, I couldn't sense anything at all. Dad even stopped playing music…"
Yukari remained silent. 'So he's not that different from me…'
"It was after I got back from Inaba, that I noticed a change in them. They seemed more…happy. I thought I was the one who had changed," Souji continued, a small smile on his face. "They seemed more open…warm. It wasn't awkward talking to them anymore. I felt like…I could be myself around them. Dad started playing jazz again. He was the one who taught me how to play the saxophone."
"I can sort of relate to that," Yukari said. "After we lost my dad, my mom was in depression for a long time. It didn't help that the public ridiculed us, thinking that the explosion in Port Island was his fault. We even moved around, too. It put a strain on our relationship. When she started dating again, I got so angry at her because I thought she wanted to forget about Dad. After enduring her many failed relationships, I couldn't live with her anymore and moved back to Iwatodai. I've been living in dorms since then. Meeting Minato-kun and Minako-chan made me realize that I'm not the only one who's sad. My mom must have been terribly lonely, because she loved Dad too. That's why I decided to reconcile with her. We're still working on it though, but we're improving."
"That's good to hear," Souji said. "I still haven't given up hope that my parents are still alive, but it's a relief to talk about them. Avoiding the subject will only make the pain worse, and I never want to forget about them. Thank you, Yukari-san."
"Same here. If you ever need to talk again, you know where to find me." The brunette and silverette exchanged smiles, a bond of trust forming between them.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
It brings thee closer to the truth,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and see Rise-chan or Kanji-kun to see if they can help me with my assignment."
"Out of curiosity, what major are you taking?" Souji asked.
"Fashion design. I hope to be a designer one day and create my own line."
"Does it have anything to do with Aniki's photography skills, now that you guys can work hand-in-hand as a couple?" the silverette teased.
Yukari squeaked and headed for the stairs. "I'm not answering that!"
Souji chuckled a bit before catching up with her.
Yeah, not much action in this chapter I know, but hey gotta have some character interaction and development every now and then for the plot to go on. Plus interactions between such different characters are so much fun to write.
Have fun and don't forget to Read and Review!