Minato was aware of how obnoxiously scratchy the bedsheets around him were when consciousness returned to him, a bright and sterile light seeping through his eyelids. Groaning quietly, he shifted under the blanket, trying to force stiff and leadened limbs to move.

It took him longer than he would have liked to sit up in the bed, blue-grey eyes fuzzy with the last dregs of sleep as he took in the view of the hospital room. A few comfortable looking chairs sat by the bed, a table and a television nearby. The window in the room was large, all things considered, and he could vaguely make out other rooftops in the distance through the drawn curtains.

He frowned all the same. 'Still a cold, sterile hospital…' Minato mentally sighed, shifting a bit under the covers. In one corner of his brain, Orpheus stirred, and Minato found the sensation was a lot less unsettling than he had feared. '... No lasting damage from … whatever that thing was…?'

-None at all.-

The deep voice in his head made Minato jolt, and it took him a second to realize it had been Orpheus. "?!"

-Apologies. I can understand why you would be … surprised by my ability to respond.- The Persona sounded bashful. -Things can be easily missed in the heat of battle.-

'... You know, considering I've heard people talk about the little voices inside their heads, I'm more surprised Personae aren't more common.' Minato shifted as he thought, positioning the pillows to sit more comfortably on the bed.

-I only know as much as you, but … I feel the situation is more complicated than any involved know.- Orpheus paused at that. -... Apart from that Master Igor.-

Minato snorted in amusement. 'I mean, if Persona related things are his job …' At that, he folded his legs up to rest his arms on top. Plonking his chin on his forearms, the blue-haired teen stared at the curtains. '... I still don't know how to feel about the 'Wild Card' deal.' He admitted. 'Especially not if the other Persona will … chest burster out of you like that big one did.'

-That … was unpleasant. Incredibly so.- Minato shivered at the words, unsure if it was simply himself or Orpheus's reaction to the memory. -I don't believe that's how things are supposed to go. Even if I don't know how the Wild Card functions either.-

'Am I going to pull cards out of thin air?'

Minato had to bite his tongue to not laugh at how he could feel Orpheus's shrug. -Perhaps it's something we will only find out when it happens? Improvisation and spontaneity are crucial to music, after all.-

Shifting a bit, Minato hummed in agreement. '...Kotone probably would have been a better fit for all this.'

-You can't say that without having even tried, you know.-

Minato blinked, but before he could give Orpheus any sort of response, the door to the room opened. Turning to look, he was surprised to see Yukari walk in, the junior's pink cardigan a sudden burst of color in the room. She wasn't looking at him at first, and Minato couldn't help but be amused at the way she jumped when she made eye contact.

"Hello, Yukari-san." Minato greeted, unfolding one of his hands to wave to her. Still resting his head on his knees, the blue-haired boy offered a tired smile. "I take it I missed a few days of school?"

"N - not many, at least." Yukari gave a nod. "It's only Monday, and classes ended about an hour ago. So only … three days of make-up work?" She walked closer as she spoke, eventually sitting in one of the chairs. Scooting it closer to the bed, Yukari gave a concerned look. "Kotone-san mentioned that you tended to have issues adjusting to places you moved to, so the teachers didn't get too worried, but …"

"Heh, you're fine for worrying." Minato gave a nod, shifting to look at Yukari. "But she's not wrong; I … haven't had the best reactions to moving around. After the accident that we lost our parents to, I've been a bit on the frailer side."

Yukari let out a low hum, brown eyes softening. "Is that why you seem to sleep so much? The senpai were wondering if it had something to do with having a Persona …"

Minato shrugged. "I mean, potentially? My memory is a bit fuzzy about the time before said accident, but I don't think I slept that much back then …" Tilting his head to one side, he let one eyebrow arch. "So … 'Persona' is what you call occurrences like Orpheus?"

"Yeah. and the … weird mess of hands is called a 'Shadow'." Yukari nodded as she spoke, chewing on her lower lip. "It was the weirdest type of Shadow I've ever seen, though." She fiddled with her choker for a moment - Minato was starting to wonder if she was aware of it, or if it was a nervous habit - before her next question came up. "But … Kotone-san called out a Persona so easily. Has she … done that before?"

A silence fell for a moment, Minato rolling his response around in his head for a moment. "Sort of?" It was a very honest answer, but he could tell from Yukari's expression that she was just confused now. "As in … I've only ever seen her do it once before. Years ago - we were attacked by Shadows when we were leaving Osaka one night, shortly after I was healthy enough to move about."

"Hah … she did seem scarily calm in all that, even compared to the senpai." Yukari gave a nod. "But … you were attacked?"

"Yeah; both of us, and a very good friend." A pang went through Minato's stomach at that, and his grey-blue eyes looked away from Yukari. "He was a bit older than us, and when the Shadows attacked, got between me and the first attack. It knocked him over, and Kotone was screaming the whole time. Then there was a flash of blue fire, a few butterflies …"

"And then her Persona was attacking the Shadows?" Yukari finished the sentence, her hands tightening their grip on her skirt. At Minato's confirming nod, the brunette girl shook her head. "That's … that had to be rough."

"Yeah, it was. I couldn't fully get what was going on at the time, but once the first attacker was skewered to the pavement, I started crying." Minato let out a small laugh at that. "Stress, you know? No clue what was going on, just that things were attacking and my big sister had done some magical girl stunt to keep me safe."

A smile quirked up Yuarki's mouth, and a small chuckle escaped her. "Heh, 'magical girl' wouldn't have been my first choice of words."

"We were eight, not quite nine; it was what made sense to me at the time, especially with how much Sailor Moon Kotone watched back then." Minato chuckled as well, then his face turned contemplative. "... That and she didn't have cards, so it couldn't have been Yu-Gi-Oh."

Yukari let out a full laugh at that, her face softening for a moment. "But … what happened after that?"

Minato felt the pang come back, a dull ache in his stomach that made Orpheus stir in unease. "... A few more Shadows were coming, and even with a pointy stick-carrying puppet, Kotone couldn't fight too much." his voice tightened a bit. "... Our friend hit one of them with his suitcase, and told us to head for the train station to hide before he bolted off in a different direction."

He broke away from looking at Yukari's now horrified face, his grey-blue eyes focusing on the bedsheets covering his legs. "... for such a simple, kiddish idea? It surprisingly worked; the Shadows chased after him, and Kotone half carried me to the train station. The puppet stayed with us until the green lighting went away, and we could get on our train."

"... Your friend never caught back up?" Yukari asked, voice quiet with shock.

Minato simply shook his head.

Another silence fell, mournful. Yukari bit her lip for a moment before she looked out the window, trying to figure out how to respond to the story. She had to admit, for all the explanations that could have been given, that wasn't one she had expected. Especially not for the whole thing to happen when they were so young…

Eventually, the muffled rumble of Minato's stomach broke the silence. It was such a simple, mundane occurrence that Yukari let out a reflexive snort. "You know, that's a good point." She smiled a bit. "Hey, if the doctor gives you the clear to go, do you want me to take you to the seafood place I told you about?"

Yukari was relieved to see an interested light in Minato's eyes, and a small smile coming to his face. "... I'd need clothes; I imagine they'd protest me showing up in a hospital smock. Or my pyjamas." He commented drily, and it wrung another laugh out of Yukari.

"Yeah, just a bit." She agreed. "If … well, if you don't mind too much, Paulwiona Mall is closer than the dorm. I could grab you something, so you don't have to wait in here longer than you need to."

Minato seemed taken aback at first, but he smiled once again. "Heh. you don't have to go out of your way, Yukari-san."

"It's not out of my way." She shook her head at that, then sighed. "...I was supposed to be the one keeping you safe that night, and yet I locked up at the last moment. And I feel guilty about that, especially with how you collapsed. Especially since they couldn't find anything wrong with you; you were just exhausted. But Ikutsuki-san looked a lot more shaken than normal…"

The mention of the adult made Minato cock an eyebrow. "So he's also in the loop?"

"Yeah; Mitsuru-senpai said that we were gonna have someone else move in tomorrow, and an explanation will be given to everyone at the same time." Yukari nodded. "Akihiko-senpai apparently got lucky the night before the dorm was hit, from the sound of it. He basically tripped into someone else being attacked…"

Another hum left Minato, and the blue-haired teen sat up more. "So either this situation is more common than anyone thinks, or Iwatodai is just a magnet for the supernatural." He observed, holding up his hands and counting off with his fingers. "Myself, Kotone, you, all three senpai, mystery member number seven…" At that, a worried look came on his face, and he looked at Yukari. "... Does Ken-san…?"

Yukari rapidly shook her head. "No; he's aware of it though, so he's at the dorm for safety reasons." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "I don't know the full story as to how they found him, but … I don't think it's a happy one."

"That's. Well, I don't want to say 'good', but it's a relief." Minato's shoulders relaxed a bit. "Does Ikutsuki-san have any combat skill?"

"Nope." Yukari sighed. "He even sounded … kinda upset about it? But trying to get anything out of him that isn't bad jokes is an exercise in frustration. I'd rather have a moving target marathon with Kaname-senpai in club again …"

Minato hummed at her words, but nodded. "Still, seven of us. And three of us within two weeks? That's … very strange."

"Yeah, the senpai were even remarking on that." Yukari hummed as well, brown eyes narrowing. "Apparently it took Mitsuru-senpai about a year or so to pick up on Akihiko-senpai, and she never even registered Shinjiro-senpai until he kinda. Shouldered his way into things." An amused snort left her. "And then I only joined up recently myself, after a … I think two year long gap? Since Ken-kun was taken in for his safety."

"And then there's three of us within a week of one another, if Akihiko-senpai found our newcomer before … whatever that large Shadow could be called attacked." Minato hummed. "... Something might be up."

Before Yukari could reply, curious as to what this 'something' could be, Minato's stomach rumbled once more. Both teens sat there quietly for a moment before a small blush came across Minato's face, and Yukari couldn't contain her giggles for a moment.

"Well, let's at least MEET the new person before you continue with your mystery board." She said as her giggles ceased. "And for right now, focus on getting you food and clothes. Seriously, I don't mind getting you some as an apology."

Minato's eyes darted to her again. "You don't have to apologize for anything."

"Then it'll be a 'thank you', and a gift of friendship." Yukari insisted, and found herself smiling. "Would that work?"

Yukari watched a flash of shock come across Minato's face, the reserved boy's eyes widening as the blush grew brighter. It made a part of her wince inside, wondering just how many friends Minato had truly gotten to have with how he had migrated from place to place.

So when Minato eventually gave an awkward smile back and nodded, Yukari smiled more. "Friendship … yeah, that's … Yeah." Minato mumbled, hiding behind a curtain of blue hair.

Not wanting to cause him more embarrassment, Yukari gave a nod and stood up. "Well, then, I'll go and let Dr. Tenshi know you're up and about!" She said, amusement in her voice. "I shouldn't take too long to get stuff for you, and then we can get you something to eat that isn't hospital mandated."

The mention of hospital food seemed to lessen Minato's nerves, because Yukari heard him snort. "It's always the blandest food you can imagine, too." Giving a nod, Minato offered a shaky smile in response. "Thank you, Yukari-san."

Yukari grinned and waved as she headed out the door. She had almost wanted to tell the boy that he didn't need to be so formal with her, but held back at the end of it. Telling him that might have just flustered him more, and she didn't want to explain to Dr. Tenshi why the teenage boy was in such a state so soon after waking up.

'Next time.' She told herself, straightening her cardigan. 'I can understand the sort of situation he's in, so hopefully he'll be okay with someone other than his sister to talk to about things. Put our heads together about this whole mess and see what we can figure out.'

With a last nod to herself, Yukari headed down the hallway, eyes peeled for any sight of the imposingly tall woman that she knew as Dr. Tenshi.

Ikutsuki sighed, a long and heavy noise as he leaned back in the dining room chair that he had claimed at the dorm. His cell phone was in one hand, having just gotten out of an unexpected call from the school board. Apparently there was a small debacle with one of the middle school dorms - something about whipped cream, electrical sockets and a now useless turkey baster - that needed to be sorted out the next day.

And yet, that somehow felt less pressing than the situation he was currently trying to organise.

It wasn't the matter of the minor damage to the dorm, as a few quick phone calls had gotten even the cable wire sorted out. It wasn't Akihiko's ribs either, even though he was grateful the silver-haired teen was actually listening to his yearmates about not doing anything too strenuous. True, Akihiko was sulking a bit about it in private, but he was listening.

Ikutsuki in particular was very grateful for that bit; he didn't want another encounter with Shinjiro's grandfather if it could be avoided.

"Why did this happen in the same breath as the start of the school year?" Ikutsuki sighed again, staring up at the first floor ceiling without seeing it. "Couldn't it have waited just a couple of weeks?" when no response came, he shifted to sit up correctly in his chair. "Three teenagers to explain the Dark Hour to, and I only have so much information I know for cold hard facts. And then have to talk them into something life-threatening that most adults wouldn't be able to handle without great emotional and physical exhaustion …"

Honestly, Ikutsuki wanted to throw his phone at something. But that would accomplish nothing but a broken electronic at worst, and a minor distraction at best. Muttering under his breath as he looked at the notes he had hastily scrawled out over the weekend, Ikutsuki frowned more.

To think a Double Awakening would only lead to more headaches than anything else.

Letting out a breath through his nose, Ikutsuki gave his forehead one more rub before pulling up his notes once again, phone set aside as he deliberately put it on vibrate only mode. He couldn't completely turn it off, as much as he wanted to, but that would be a good enough.

"At least Minato-kun's Awakening was … well, as standard as any records we have of this show." Ikutsuki said aloud, even as a glance around him showed that nobody else was present on the dorm's first floor. 'It feels odd to say 'standard' when the sample size is so far up to six teenagers. Yukari-kun didn't quite get to properly try before the Evoker was knocked away from her.'

Sable eyes darted to the video footage that had been carefully taken from the main terminal the following day, and Ikutsuki clicked on it to watch again. The security cameras on the roof were at odd angles, but one of them had gotten a clear enough view of Minato picking up the Evoker when it landed at his feet.

The fact that there had been almost no hesitation in the teen's movements - that he seemed to instinctively know what to do - was a sight that made knots start to tangle in Ikutsuki's stomach. Then the flash of blue fire happened, and Orpheus was floating overhead, Minato unharmed beneath the silver and blue marionette.

"Apart from a much larger summoning aura than what the seniors have shown, there weren't any oddities." Ikutsuki noted to himself, writing as he spoke. "Orpheus seems to favor fire attacks, although I wonder if there's a chance for anything sound based to occur …"

He was partially through writing down his thoughts when the sound of footsteps coming downstairs cut through the silence. Ikutsuki didn't look up until the heavy thunk of a book being set down at the table caught his attention, and he looked up in surprise. A few seats down from where he was seated was Ken, the grade-schooler half kneeling in the chair as a second, smaller book was set down beside him.

Ikutsuki arched an eyebrow, even as he tilted his head to read what heavy book Ken had brought down with him. "... I wasn't aware that Mediterranean Mythology was something Gekkoukan was teaching in grade school." He mused, making Ken lift his head to look at him even as he opened the smaller book.

"Oh, my homework's done for the day." Ken shook his head as he spoke. "This is more just me being curious."

"Curious about …?" Ikutsuki prodded, feeling his eyebrow arch higher.

Ken pondered for a moment, hazel eyes darting between Ikutsuki and the books he had brought down with him. "Well, what Minato-senpai and Kotone-senpai woke up." He finally admitted. "I couldn't give any sort of guess to the … WRONG feeling thing, but the first two? Orpheus and …? Ma.. Makcia…"

"Makaria." Ikutsuki supplied, seeing Ken struggle with the name. "Kotone-kun's Persona is apparently Makaria, which even I admit isn't a name I recognize."

Ken gave another nod of his head, flipping to the back of the book he was holding. "Yeah. I started with some of Mom's other books, but nothing came up in books closer to home. And well, all three of the others seem to have something rooted in Greco-roman …"

Ikutsuki shook his head while Ken looked away; it was still surreal to him, hearing a grade schooler talk about all this.

Thankfully, Ken missed it, because he looked up after a moment. "Orpheus is also Greecian, right? I think that was one of Mom's lectures I was sitting in for…"

"Yes, Orpheus was Greecian." Ikutsuki confirmed as took a sip of his chilling coffee, before the second half of Ken's statement registered in his brain. It took a brief fight for him to not spit the drink out again, but he was certain some of it went up his nose anyway. "Wait. you sat in. college level lectures on global mythology?"

Ken's cheeks puffed out at Ikutsuki's incredulous tone. "Only if Mom couldn't find a babysitter for me after school." He huffed, thumbing to yet another page in the book. "She said it helped keep the students from getting too crass in language, at least to her bosses. I just don't think she wanted me home alone on her long lecture nights."

Ikutsuki felt a frown cross his face, and a small part of him wondered what the woman would have thought about the mess her young child was involved with now. He knew better than to voice such a question, and instead went back to his own research with an understanding hum to Ken's statement.

Silence fell for a few moments, unbroken aside from Ken's annoyed mutterings when the smaller book in his hands turned out to not have any answers. He had shuffled to the larger book when Ikutsuki next looked up at him, his notes on Minato's Awakening mostly done. Giving the grade schooler a sympathetic smile - he knew that expression very well - Ikutsuki shifted the files on his computer.

Kotone's Awakening - if it even was an Awakening, from the ease with which she had summoned - was at a harder angle to clearly study than Minato's had been. As such, Ikutsuki had needed to grab footage from all of the cameras, and only a couple of them had been pointed in a helpful manner.

He had gone through the first two, and started on the third, when Ken let out a victorious noise. "THERE it is! Figures it'd be in the one that's written in English…" He huffed, a rare moment where he actually sounded his age. Ikutsuki looked up at him in surprise, hovering over the play button for the camera feed.

"Can you read it?" He asked, both eyebrows arched now.

"Not beyond the name and the page number for where she's listed…" Ken admitted, even as he hastily flipped through the book. A few seconds later, and Ikutsuki blinked when the admittedly large book was lifted in his general direction.

Oh.

A new sigh escaped, this one amused, even as Ikutsuki reached up to take the book gingerly. "Alright, alright." He said in response to Ken's unspoken question, feeling the weight in the paper that was starting to yellow from age even as his eyes scanned it.

"... There's two Makaria listed." he noted, eyebrows arching in surprise. "But, given how Kotone-kun's Persona appears …" Sable eyes drifted to the computer screen as he spoke, where a still shot from one of the cameras was pulled up. Makaria and Kotone's backs were both turned to it, revealing that the Persona's veil also boasted the butterfly-like lacework that her skirting did.

The sight of it brought a pang to Ikutsuki's face, but he brushed it aside when he noticed Ken staring at him. "... 'Daughter of Hades, believed to be a counterpart to Thanatos, the embodiment of death. While records of her are sparse, as with many Cthonic gods and goddesses, she is known to have ties to the Isle of Blessed; the resting place of those whose courage led them to an early grave'."

"Yeah. Greek mythology doesn't seem like it was the happiest out there." Ken sighed after a moment. "Especially for girls."

Ikutsuki couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped at the simplicity of the statement, no matter how true it was. "Indeed! I don't think I've found a single story that ended happily, either." he admitted, even as he handed the book back to Ken. "But .. that does align with the Persona's visual appearance. Especially the urn."

Ken's face had a proud grin on it as he took the book back. "You're going to explain things to them, right?" He asked even as he set the book down.

"Tomorrow. We have a third person moving here, so I'd rather just get the explanation done in one sitting." Ikutsuki nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. "You don't have to sit in for it if you don't want to, since Shinjiro-kun explained most of the details to you already."

"No, I want to." Ken shook his head. "That way I can answer questions about why I'm here." A pause came, and then the child looked at the front doors. "... How many more people do you think will be moved here?"

"That is something I can't answer, sadly," Ikutsuki admitted. "I'm genuinely impressed we have six who are theoretically capable of fighting in the Dark Hour, after years of just Mitsuru. And of course, you to help keep things in the command room running smoothly as needed." Sable eyes flicked up from his computer to meet Ken's hazel ones. "Just … make sure you get proper rest, and be careful."

"I am. I promise." Ken nodded.

Satisfied, Ikutsuki went back to his work, and didn't notice Ken shuffle off with his books a few moments later. Instead, the man scowled at his computer as the third camera turned out to only have been oriented in time to capture Minato's awakening from a new angle.

The fourth camera, however, had a flawless view, and Ikutsuki felt a triumphant smirk come to his face as it flickered on in time to see Kotone swat aside the fireball as the summoning aura began to flare at her feet.

A smirk that fell the instant Ikutsuki noticed the discrepancy in the aura's color.

Of the Awakenings he knew of, Minato included, the smoke and embers that came up when a Persona was first summoned were invariably some shade of blue. The more intense the situation, the brighter the blue - one instance had been almost white, but that was not an incident Ikutsuki wanted to think about.

The bright coral pink that came with Makaria's appearance was something Ikutsuki had only seen once or twice before, both of them from the same summoning. "But … that makes no sense …" He muttered to himself, shaking his head and restarting the video to make sure he wasn't imagining things. When a second, and then a third view showed that the aura was indeed that vibrant pink, Ikutsuki closed his laptop without another word, and resumed leaning back in his chair.

Rubbing both sides of his head before he pushed his glasses up, Ikutsuki couldn't even pull a sigh out of the tight knots his abdomen had wound itself into. "... That shouldn't be possible. Kotone-kun would have been too young to -" He cut himself off before letting the sentence finish, shaking his head. "It might have been the result of an Evokerless summoning. Nothing else. I shouldn't make that sort of wild conclusion from just one video."

For as firm as his words sounded, Ikutsuki couldn't completely block out the wriggling feeling of dread that lifted its head. If this thread turned out to not be a coincidence …

He didn't want to think about it for now.

Returning to school the next day was a relief to Minato, even as Toriumi's reaction to seeing him back was a worried scolding. He took it in stride, remembering the way the woman had reacted to his files on the first day of class.

"And that's about all the make-up work you'd need to do," Toriumi finished after a moment, a small smile on her face. "Thankfully, it's still early on in the term; homework is light enough you can probably get that all done fairly fast?"

"In theory, yes." Minato nodded. "Do I have a deadline of some sort, Toriumi-sensei?"

"Not a super strict one, at least on my end. As long as you get it to me by midterms, I'm happy." Toriumi chuckled a bit, tapping her ledger against the teacher's desk. "The others might want it faster, like Ekoda-san. I have no shame in suggesting you get his done first, so he doesn't make it a pain for everyone involved."

"Noted." Minato deadpanned with a sigh. "I will try to get the napping homework done with the appropriate haste."

The look on Toriumi's face made it clear she was torn between scolding him and chuckling at his choice of words regarding the other teacher's class. Even in the short time he had been present, Minato had picked up on a general current of dislike for the Classical Literature teacher; he wasn't fully certain as to why, yet. As it was, Toriumi settled for shaking her head at him and tapping her desk with her clipboard.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that description, now go to your seat, Arisato-san." She said, even as Minato heard the chuckle under her voice. Minato had smiled at that and did as she asked, with a wave to Junpei as he passed the cap wearing teen's seat.

It was an uneventful first day back, mercifully enough. The Japanese History teacher was in one of his moods, and Minato found himself smiling as he answered the question about the Jomon period easily before sitting down again amid small murmurs. 'It's interesting,' Minato thought to himself as the lecture resumed, 'I think this is the first time Kotone and I actually have been in a private school. I wonder if other ones have teachers this eccentric …'

Similar mundane thoughts kept him from dwelling on the information he knew was coming later that night, along with whoever the newcomer to the dorm might be. As such, Minato was contentedly reading on the lounge sofa while Kotone sprawled out on the floor with a DS in her hands. A glance showed his sister to be playing Pocket Monsters, the stylus in her mouth as she played.

Akihiko coming into the dorm made both of them look up to the senior. "Oh, good, you guys are here." He said, smiling as he slung his uniform jacket over his shoulder. "Is Yukari-san here too?"

"Yep." As if summoned, Yukari appeared from the stairs. "I was gonna grab a drink real fast; is it almost meeting time?"

"Just about, but …" Akihiko turned to look behind him at the doors as a dull thud sounded. One of his eyebrows arched. "Hey, do you need help?" He called out, even as he reached forward to grab the doorknob.

"Y-yeah, please! This is a bit heavier than I thought …"

Kotone shot up from her spot in the second it took Minato to blink, but considering the voice was one that was very familiar to them both, he could blame her. Yukari didn't seem to have heard it, but came closer to the door as Akihiko opened it. The senior casually tossed his jacket aside to help stabilize a rolling suitcase. "Yeah, woah, this does have some weight to it." he commented, almost idly, and helped walk it back into the dorm.

On the other side of the suitcase, his backpack and duffel bag swung haphazardly over his shoulders, was one Iori Junpei.

Stopping for a moment to collect himself, the cap-wearing teen straightened up after a moment to look at the other three juniors in the lounge. Yukari's mouth was open in shock, clearly struggling to form words; Minato blinked in surprise, but smiled and waved lightly; Kotone was grinning ear to ear, her game hastily set on the coffee table.

Leaning lightly against his suitcase, Junpei opted to give them double finger guns, a grin to match Kotone's on his face. "Wassup?"

Yukari's confused shout and Minato's calm greeting was drowned out by Kotone's whoop, and the auburn vaulted over the sofa to deliver hi-fives. "JunJun!" she laughed. "So this is what your gangly butt has been excited about all weekend?"

"He's staying here?" Yukari whined to Akihiko as the senior approached. Her tone seemed to confuse the silver-haired teen, because he arched an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah? I found him on the eighth, and he's been fairly consistent about being awake for everything." He confirmed.

"He found me cryin by the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins." Junpei confirmed, shaking his hands a bit after his hi-five exchange with Kotone. "...Also I think getting divebombed by somethin? It's kinda fuzzy, but I remember a scythe at one point."

Minato blinked. "... Sentient scythes are a new one on me." He admitted, and it made Junpei laugh as he walked over to the shorter teen.

"I mean, Akihiko-senpai said it's kinda normal for it to be kinda shaky the first few nights?" He admitted, dropping an arm over Minato's shoulders.

"Yeah, it is, but you're gonna get a better explanation here in about ten minutes." Akihiko gave a nod. "Let's get your stuff up to your room, and you can unpack after." At that, storm grey eyes looked at the suitcase. "...Hopefully we can get it upstairs without much problem."

Kotone blinked at him, and then looked at the suitcase. "It doesn't look that heavy." Confusion was rich in her voice as she knelt down, grasping the bottom of the luggage with both hands. Before anyone could stop her, Kotone lifted the suitcase with seemingly no difficulty. "Huh. there is a bit more heft than you should be carrying with your ribs, senpai, but it's not that bad." She commented plainly, seemingly oblivious to how everyone but Minato was staring at her in shock.

Minato just shook his head at her. "Right. You do this."

"You know it!" Kotone laughed as she shifted the luggage in her arms to better see around it, then looked at Akihiko and Junpei. "Which room is this going to?"

"U-uh, yeah, I have that key, right!" Junpei spoke up, reaching into his pockets. "C'mon, I know which one it is … are you gonna be able to get upstairs?"

"Yeah. I've had to cart Minato around before, mostly when we were younger." Kotone nodded, heading for the stairs. "And he had a wheelchair for a bit, so I got used to haulin that too! I eat my veggies!" she shot the others a goofy grin as she spoke, letting go with one arm to flex briefly.

Akihiko and Yukari just stared at her in abject surprise.

"Cripes, no wonder the punching game didn't survive you…" Junpei said instead, shaking his head as he walked over with his duffel bag in hand. "But yeah, c'mon Koto-tan. Lemme get ahead of you …" Trailing off as he reached the stairs, Junpei led Kotone up, the auburn girl clearly unbothered by the weight in her arms.

Once they were out of sight, Yukari and Akihiko both turned to Minato as he scooped up his sister's game system. "... Were you really in a wheelchair at one point?" Akihiko asked, concern heavy in his voice.

"Mm. for about a year and a half when I was eight." Minato nodded absently as he saved the game - the battery warning light was flashing - but didn't look up. "I was going through some physio after the accident and bedrest; I'm mostly recovered by now. Just … a bit noodly."

"Are you really gonna be okay with this?" Yukari's voice was surprisingly shaky, and Minato looked up at her with a soft smile.

"Yes, I am. Provided I don't have to take physical hits too much."

"That's Shinji's job." Akihiko said automatically, recollecting his uniform jacket. "But with that, let's get upstairs. Ikutsuki-san should be ready to go by now." Minato nodded his agreement and gestured to Yukari to go ahead of him. It was a gesture the brunette seemed to appreciate, and soon the three of them reached the fourth floor.

Kotone and Junpei were right behind them as Akihiko opened the doors, and Minato couldn't resist staring at what was beyond them. "... So, on the list of things I expected, a 'Featherman Secret Base on the fourth floor' was not on my bingo sheet." He commented as he walked in. Ken seemed to appreciate the dry humor, as the grade schooler chuckled a bit from his seat at a computer chair.

"Sadly, the suits aren't included in the bundle." Shinjiro's dry reply came from near Ken, the brunet senior leaning against the back of the sofa. Akihiko shook his head at him and walked over to the seat near him and dropped into it. MItsuru and Ikutsuki were both present as well, already seated.

Ikutsuki looked up as the juniors seated themselves, smiling broadly. "Ah, good! So this is everyone?" His voice wasn't as unnerving as it had been the first time Minato had met him, but something still seemed a bit off.

Junpei looked around as he sat, blinking at Ken's presence; the grade schooler responded with a wave, swaying his chair idly. "Hello, senpai." He greeted idly, a friendly smile on his face.

"...Hi?" Junpei replied, confusion obvious in his voice as he looked to everyone else. Ikutsuki chuckled and pushed his glasses up.

"Don't mind Ken-kun; he's not quite as involved in everything as you all are." there was a reassurance in his voice - Minato noticed his eyes flicker to Shinjiro for the briefest of seconds - before Ikutsuki cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "But yes, a more formal explanation is due. To begin; I am Ikutsuki Shuji, Shadow Researcher under the employ of the Kirijo Group to help unravel the mystery that we're all unfortunately caught in."

Seeing the teenagers were focused on him, he shifted slightly in his seat before continuing. "Now, from both first hand experience here and Akihiko-kun's recounting of the night before, the three of you are aware of the unofficial twenty-fifth hour of the day." Ikutsuki focused on Minato, Kotone and Junpei as he spoke.

"Does it actually last for an hour?" Kotone asked, kicking her heels against her seat.

"It's actually hard to tell, due to the fact that almost all electronics cease to function during that period of time." Mitsuru cut in, shaking her head lightly. "But, for the sake of necessity, this timeframe is called the 'Dark Hour'."

Minato shifted in his seat, sneaking a glance at Junpei; the other teen looked back at him, clearly confused and worried. Neither of them spoke up as Ikutsuki gave a nod to confirm Mitsuru's words. "Precisely. What is known about it is very sporadic, apart from the fact that … well, I don't know quite how to classify Shadows, per sey? But they are the only known native residents of the Dark Hour."

'Kingdom Hearts?' Minato found the idle thought shooting through his head, followed by Orpheus's snort of amusement.

"You mean like that … flying scythe thing Akihiko-senpai was saving me from?" Junpei asked, head tilting to one side.

"They looked more like ravens to me." Akihiko replied. "I dunno where you're getting scythes from, but that's a tangent." Junpei shrugged, and Ikutsuki simply chuckled at them both.

"In Junpei-kun's defense, there have been many different forms of Shadows." He admitted. "I wouldn't be surprised if 'flying scythe' turned out to be one after all. But, sadly, it isn't all fun and games." The man's sable eyes hardened. "... I think it'd be even more foolish to ask if any of you know of Apathy Syndrome, seeing as how widespread the condition has become."

The current that went through the room at those words was almost tangible, and Minato stole a glance around the room again; Ken had stopped swaying in his chair, the grade schooler focused on the conversation. Shinjiro and Akihiko weren't talking, but Minato noticed that both male seniors seemed to tense … albeit for different reasons. He couldn't quite gauge Shinjiro's expression, but Akihiko seemed almost excited about something.

"The Shadows are the main cause of Apathy Syndrome." Ikutsuki continued, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "Most people, for reasons we're still trying to determine, spend the Dark Hour oblivious and protected within coffin-like structures. But for those who are out of the coffins, and aren't within reach of a safe area …"

"They become prey?" Kotone finished, a grim look crossing her face. When she was answered with nods, the auburn sighed. "Fun. Fantastic. We're in Gensokyo now, I love it."

Minato snorted at his sister's rare display of dry humor; Mitsuru seemed taken aback by it, anything she had planned to say evaporating for a moment. Akihiko took the opportunity to speak up instead.

"But that's where we come in." A feral edge had started to creep into his voice, something so counter to his more collected appearance it made Minato stare at him in worry. "It's our job to fight the Shadows. Exciting, isn' - ow!"

The abrupt change in tone had been due to Shinjiro lightly smacking the back of his head. "Calm down, will you?" He muttered with a shake of his head. "That's only part of the job, you know."

Mitsuru also shifted her gaze to the silver-haired teen. "Akihiko, must you always be like this?" She sighed, exasperated. "You got hurt last week, don't forget."

"Now now, he does his job well." Ikutsuki chimed in, shaking his head at the three seniors.

Ken frowned from his seat. "He does it too well."

"But … wait, lemme get this right." Junpei was scratching his head, pushing his cap up. Confusion was written all over his face. "There's a bunch of shape-shiftin monsters that sneak around in a place that most people can't enter, and are eating people's brains. The police prolly can't do much about it, so it's … up to a bunch of us teenagers? And a kid?"

"Sadly, that seems to be the case." Ikutsuki's sigh was surprisingly heavy. "For Iwatodai's size, finding people who are aware of the Dark Hour is surprisingly scarce. For the longest time, it was just Mitsuru. Even now, the only adult I am aware of who can actively combat Shadows is Madakaze-san; she maintains a safe area at the Memorial Hospital, so sadly she isn't able to move from it to assist unless absolutely necessary."

"Wait .. Dr. Tenshi can summon?" Yukari cut in.

"Summon?" Junpei repeated the last word, the confusion only slightly lessened on his face.

"Correct." Ikutsuki gave a nod. "Of those who are awake in the Dark Hour, a handful of that handful have a sort of Potential to awaken what we've taken to call a Persona. While I'm not fully certain the extent of what Persaone are capable of, it is something that enables a person to fight back against the Shadows."

"Which is the main purpose we are all here." Mitsuru shifted her gaze to the three seated there. "There's … a very strange occurrence in this city when the Dark Hour starts. I wouldn't be surprised if the three of you missed it, with how new you are to the whole situation. Our job - and it is a job - is to be to explore that anomaly and see if there is any answers to the Dark Hour within it."

"You mean the Dark Hour itself isn't weird enough?" Junpei blinked. "That's … settin a bar."

"We were attacked by a gigantic hand octopus, I can guarantee it'll get weirder." Kotone chimed in, shrugging her shoulders.

"W- wait, what?!"

Minato ignored the confused splutter to look at Ken instead. The grade schooler met his look, and seemed to understand the unasked question. "I'm not a fighter, don't worry." He said, opting to tap the computer he sat in front of. "I guess I'm closest to mission control, if anything. This computer is set up to help sort of record information on Shadows for Ikutuski-san to study at a not murderous time of day."

The statement made Minato smile a bit, relieved. "I see." Turning his gaze back to Ikutsuki, the blue-haired teen tilted his head. "So … I guess this is a sort of hiring interview?"

"A kinda scuffed one, but yeah." Shinjiro nodded. "We don't exactly get many people to practice this on, if you haven't noticed…"

Mitsuru actually reached up to smack his arm at that, carmine eyes exasperated at him. "You are not one to talk about that, and you know it." She huffed, which only served to wring a chuckle out of Shinjiro. Scowling at him for a moment longer, her gaze drifted back to the juniors. "But, yes … this is a request for assistance. With just the three of us and Takeba-san, it's been … very slow going."

"Glaical." Akihiko and Shinjiro spoke at the same time, making Junpei look at them in surprise.

"..I was trying to be optimistic, but you are both correct." Mitsuru frowned. A bit of iron came back into her voice at that, and her gaze locked on each of the three newcomers in turn, starting with Minato. "We are short on hands and skills, and while I'll understand if you want no part in actively pursuing a life-threatening situation … I would insist you stay here for your own safety. The number of Apathy Syndrome cases have been creeping up as of late, and -"

"I'm in."

Kotone's statement made everyone but Minato look to her. The auburn didn't seem fazed, crimson eyes oddly sharp as her hands gripped the seat. "I've been aware of this bullshit for eight years now, and have never gotten an answer as to 'why' or 'how'. If helping you guys out will at least give me one of those, I'm willing to chip in."

"That and we're savin people, yea?" Junpei spoke up next, most of the confusion gone from his face. In fact, Minato noted that he seemed excited. "I mean, it's clearly gonna be dangerous, but that's more than enough for me!"

Relief began to visually spread across Mitsuru's face, and her gaze returned to Minato. "And you, Arisato-san?"

Minato didn't answer immediately, letting his mind drift back over the past week. The dangers were very blatant to him, and the memory of the large Shadow hauling itself up over the dorm roof almost stole his breath. Orpheus shifted in his head a bit at that, and the Persona's presence made Minato still for a moment. 'What should I do?'

There was a quiet pause, and the faint strumming of Orpheus's lyre echoed in the space between his brain for a moment. -It isn't easy to walk in and out of Hades, knowing it is the realm of the dead. But … you won't know if you can until you try.-

Something about the statement made Minato shift a bit, a feeling resonating in the core of his being. Shaking his head to focus once more, he looked to Mitsuru and gave a nod. "... I'll help."

A current of pure relief seemed to flood the room, and Minato knew he saw Yukari's shoulders relax as her nervous tension left her. "I was so worried you would say no." She muttered when Minato looked at her fully, a shaky smile on her face.

Akihiko had an excited grin on his face, cracking his knuckles. "Heh, we're up to six frontliners now-"

"Five until your ribs heal." Shinjiro refuted him, bonking his head. Akihiko actually pouted at that, and Kotone caught it in time to snort. Beside her, Junpei seemed to vibrate with excitement, a grin on his face and a light in his eye Minato wasn't familiar with.

Ikutuski also seemed to relax, the unnerving aura about him decreasing slightly. "Thank you; I'll put in the good news with my higher ups, and at the end of this week, we can formally begin expeditions." He said, shifting to look at Ken. "Do not overwork yourself when it starts, alright? You need to take care of yourself, even if it's sitting at a computer helping organize data."

Ken nodded rapidly. "I won't let you down." He said, his voice far too mature for a child his size.

Amidst all the chaos, Minato noticed Mitsuru looking at all of them with a strange expression on her face. Relief, grim acceptance, a look of pure duty. None the less, she smiled at them all. "Thank you, all of you. Welcome to the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."

Tori's Corner: I almost didn't get this done in time, honestly - Family issues came up, and so this chapter sat for about a week and a half before I got my butt in gear to write it. So it was uh, interesting getting this chapter done in such a short amount of time.

It took us seven chapters, but hey! We're going to Tartarus next chapter! Things are happening!

Don't worry about Ikutsuki yet, I have Plans™️ for him.